chapter 1: sent of the double

On a beautiful evening, every single time the door of that small coffee shop swung open and shut, the rich aroma of coffee blended with the breeze, irresistibly drawing in anyone nearby. A woman stood there, warmly greeting the incoming customers with a bright smile while taking their orders. Nearby, another young boy was rushing around busily, serving coffee to everyone.

Three friends wearing face masks were sitting together, chatting.

"Welcome to Los Angeles, Arishvan machan!" two of them exclaimed.

"Enough, enough... Why did you guys bring me to this tiny coffee shop when I'm coming back after four long years?" Arishvan grumbled, glaring at them.

One of his friends smirked teasingly and said, "If we went somewhere else, only we would be eating. At least here, all three of us can share a coffee together, right?"

"Sairen has a point. By the way, you've finished your studies there. What is the next plan, Arishvan?" the other friend asked, looking at his buddy.

"You guys already know. I had to go to the UK to look after my dad's business. Since I did my bachelor's there, I'm planning to do my MBA here with you guys. I will eventually take over the business. I'm planning to expand our company and open the next branch under my dad's company. Under the pretext of studying this one year, I just want to spend time with you guys. That's my plan," replied Arishvan Ishrayan Dev.

"The Coffee Boys are back, back-to-back! Arishvan Ishrayan Dev, Sairen Eeshwar Mughil, and it's me, your Rayan Akhil Siddharth!" Rayan announced, recording a video on his phone. The other two just shook their heads and laughed.

"Excuse me, sir? May I take your order, sir?" a voice interrupted.

"One strawberry coffee and two cappuccinos," they ordered.

A few moments later, the young boy working there brought their ordered coffee. But unexpectedly, his foot tripped against Sairen's leg. Losing his balance, he spilled the coffee directly onto Arishvan's shoe.

"Hey! Watch it! Can't you see where you're going? Where did you keep your eyes?" Arishvan roared in anger.

"S-Sir... it happened unknowingly, I'm sorry pls forgive me" the boy stammered in panic, desperately apologizing.

Unable to control his rage, Arishvan slapped the worker hard across his cheek. "Clean this up right now!"

Crying bitterly, the worker immediately knelt down and began wiping it with a tissue. Watching him maliciously, Arishvan cracked his knuckles, struck him again, and said, "Hold my foot with your hands and clean it with your mouth!"

"N...No, no, sir... please forgive me. I just tripped carelessly," the worker pleaded.

"I don't have the habit of listening to excuses. I only look at the final result. Carelessness is not an excuse... it's a failure. People who can't do their jobs properly don't even deserve to stand in front of me,"

Arishvan said with heavy emphasis.

But noticing the changing expression on his friend Rayan's face, Arishvan ran a hand through his hair, forcefully suppressing his anger. "Bring another order. And don't you dare cross my sight again," he muttered, sitting back down.

Though a few people in the cafe understood Arishvan's anger, the sheer cruelty of his reaction over a small mistake was clearly visible on their faces.

Inside the kitchen, the worker walked in sobbing. Seeing him, a girl asked, "Vishwa, what happened, boy? Why are you crying?"

Without answering her, he just mumbled, "Two cappuccinos and one strawberry coffee."

"I asked you what happened, Vishwa," she demanded. Another girl quickly explained everything that had happened outside.

Vishwa hugged her tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Ru... Ruhaana sissy... I didn't do it on purpose."

"It's okay, don't cry... Sissy will handle this," she comforted him.

"They are very powerful people, sissy... you just make the coffee, Riya sissy will deliver it," Vishwa said fearfully.

Aarshiya Ruhaana, the heroine of our story, remained silent. She picked up the order tray herself and walked firmly toward the three friends. Vishwa's crying was still echoing in her ears.

She placed the cappuccinos near Sairen and Rayan. The exact moment Arishvan looked up to face her, she lifted the strawberry coffee and poured it directly onto his face.

Sairen and Rayan were struck with absolute shock. Yet, they couldn't utter a single word. If Arishvan had shouted, they might have tried to calm him down. But his deathly silence terrified them to the core. They held their breath, fearing that speaking up would make the problem even more dangerous.

Without even blinking, Arishvan stared right through her, the coffee dripping down his face. Her sheer audacity triggered a strange spark of attraction deep within him.

"That boy spilled it unknowingly. But I spilled it on purpose!" she declared grandly, as if throwing a challenge.

Slowly, Arishvan wiped the dripping coffee from the corner of his lip with his index finger. He brought the finger to his mouth, tasting the coffee, and let out a cruel, unpredictable smirk. His eyes narrowed, completely capturing her in his gaze.

In a low, vibrating voice, he said, "Interesting... breaking this arrogance of yours is going to be even more interesting."

Ruhaana let out a mocking laugh. "People like you forget one thing. Not everyone will bow their heads before you. Just because you have money, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Get lost..." she snapped, turning around and walking away. His heavy, piercing gaze followed her as she left.

Inside the car, Arishvan sat in complete silence.

"Arishvan... let it go, buddy. That girl did it unknowingly," Rayan tried to speak up before being cut off.

"Shut up..." Arishvan interrupted, his voice dark. "Her arrogance is beautiful. It will look even more beautiful when it breaks right under my feet, won't it?"

Rayan glared at him in anger. "Stop it, Arishvan Ishrayan! The fault is yours. In the past, when someone laid a hand on your brother, didn't you do the exact same thing? When someone raised a hand against me, you went to kill him. She only reacted because of how you behaved back there. You are not going to do anything to her."

Seeing his friend's genuine anger, Arishvan adjusted his tone. "He spilled coffee on the shoes my brother bought for me. That's why I behaved that way."

He looked out, gently brushing the coffee-stained shirt, and murmured with a slow, deadly calm, "She caught my attention. I'll admit, I like the thrill of it. So, I'll let her go for now. Let her run as far as her short legs can carry her. But she better pray our paths never cross again. Because if she accidentally demands my attention a second time... I won't just hold her. I will keep her captive until her very last breath."

Driving the car, Sairen prayed silently, 'God, please make sure this girl never crosses his path even by mistake. My friend is a good guy... but he has this terrifying trait of possessing human beings like toys. She should never come near him.'

At that exact moment, a memory from fifteen years ago flashed through his mind.

Fifteen Years Ago...

A man working as a car driver for Arishvan's father, Aaditya Dev, had brought his younger son to Arishvan's mansion for the first time because nobody was home. The little boy, instead of sitting quietly, was running around the estate, laughing and talking with the gardeners.

Arishvan, who was studying in his room with Sairen and Rayan, noticed the boy through the window. "You guys stay here, I'll be right back," he said coldly and walked out into the garden.

Standing right in front of the boy, Arishvan stared. The boy looked back at little Arishvan and grinned. "Hey, watermelon! What are you doing here? Is this your house?"

"Yes, this is my house," Arishvan replied. Looking at the boy's gentle, warm smile, Arishvan instantly liked him. "My name is not watermelon. It's Arishvan Ishrayan. You never told me your name the other day. Thank you for saving me from those bully kids."

"Whoa, Arishvan, breathe while you speak, buddy! You look round and cute like a little watermelon, that's why I called you that. My name is Yaazhan Xavier," the boy laughed.

They spent the day together. Later, Yaazhan's father kissed his son, saying, "I'll be back in a bit, be a good boy." But he returned home only as a corpse. Hearing the news of his father's sudden death, little Yaazhan shattered. The way he held onto Arishvan and cried was something no one could ever forget. Eventually, Yaazhan had to leave for his own house.

But Arishvan wouldn't let it go. He stood directly in front of his powerful father and demanded, "I want Yaazhan. He has to live with me from now on."

For the first time in his life, his father slapped him. But no matter how much his parents yelled or punished him, Arishvan stubbornly repeated the same words. His parents were furious.

For two whole days, Arishvan refused to eat. He developed a high fever and was hospitalized, but he threw away the medicines, screaming and crying for Yaazhan. Seeing her only child burning with fever and wasting away, Arishvan's mother fell severely ill out of grief. Within two weeks, seeing no other option, his father brought Yaazhan back to their house. Taking advantage of the family's financial ruin, they paid off everything and bought the boy, bringing him in as Arishvan's brother.

From that day on, Yaazhan's identity changed completely. Yaazhan Xavier became Yaazhan Xavier Dev.

Rayan, who was driving the car, also thought about the exact same thing. Both friends looked at each other's faces and let out a heavy sigh. Along with them, another soul was looking back at the shadows of his past, wondering what destiny had in store

Thank you for reading... Your comment is what cheers me up.

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