With a hint of satisfaction, vivaan closed his laptop, after completing all his pending work in the office. He pushed his chair back, stood up, feeling the relief of his work being well done. After a quick glance around his office to ensure everything was in order, he grabbed his keys, and headed out the door.
"I'm going to the construction site." Vivaan told his secretary, kartik while heading outside his office.
As he stepped into the bright sunlight, he felt a welcome breeze on his face. He walked over to his BMW, unlocked it, and slid into the driver's seat.
He started the engine, and the car purred to life. With a smooth motion, he pulled out of the parking spot and navigated through the traffic to his next destination— the construction site.
As vivaan stopped at a traffic light, his gaze drifted to a couple in the distance.
The girl's voice was raised in anger, her words lost in the voices of the city, but her frustration evident in every gesture. The boy stood before her, a picture of contrition, his hands holding his ears, a gesture of apology.
Vivaan's lip curled in a mocking sneer as he watched the scene unfold before him. "Pathetic." he murmured under his breath, his voice dripping with disdain.
He shook his head, wondering what was so special about this thing called LOVE. In his eyes, it was a weakness, a vulnerability that people willingly subjected themselves to.
"When you're in love, there's no control in your life," he thought.
"You surrendered your autonomy, your desires, your very being, all for the sake of someone else's happiness. You bend over backwards to please them, sacrifice your own wants and needs, and in the end, what do you get in return? Betrayal and heartbreak." Vivaan continued.
Vivaan's grip on the steering wheel tightened as he scoffed at the idea of love. "Fucking pathetic," he muttered again, his voice a low growl. He couldn't fathom why people willingly subjected themselves to this emotional chaos. Love, in his opinion, was nothing more than a euphemism for weakness. It stripped you of your defenses, left you exposed and vulnerable, and then, in a blink, you're destroyed.
His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the couple, his mind hardening with conviction. "And that's why I don't have any weakness," he thought, his jaw clenched. "No one can destroy me, because I won't let them. I won't let myself be vulnerable, won't let myself be fooled by this farce called love."
"Anyone can fall in love, but not me. Not Vivaan Malhotra. I'm above this. I'm stronger than this bullshit emotion called love." Vivaan murmured under his breath.
As the traffic light turned green, he revved his engine, leaving the couple and his thoughts behind, his resolve solidified. He would never be a slave to his emotions, never be a prisoner of love.
He was "Vivaan Malhotra", and he was untouchable.
But was he?
As vivaan drove off, the scenery outside his window changed from towering office buildings to bustling streets and finally to the skeletal framework of buildings under construction. He pulled up to the site, the sound of hammering and machinery growing louder as he turned off the engine. He got out of the car, his eyes scanning the site as he took in the progress.
As Vivaan approached the building, he spotted his elder brother, Atharv, walking towards him. "How's it going?" Vivaan asked, his tone direct.
Atharv's face broke into a proud smile. "Pretty well, actually. The construction might be finished in three days." He said.
Vivaan's expression turned impressed as he stared at building.
"Amazing. And don't forget, we have a meeting with the Maheshwaris at 4 pm. Make sure you're there on time." Vivaan said turning back to look at his brother.
Atharv nodded. "Will do. And Dadi's planning a small celebration at home to mark the completion of this project, so try to wrap up your work quickly and head home."
Hearing him, vivaan gave him a faint nod."I'll try." He said and turned around to leave.
Atharv's eyes narrowed slightly as vivaan turned to leave. "Vivaan, come on," he said, but vivaan was already walking away.
Atharv let out a soft sigh, watching his brother go. He knew vivaan's reserved nature was partly due to their grandmother's teachings about discipline and control.
Atharv was the first child but he was still able to live with his parents in his childhood. But vivaan being the middle child, he had to live with his grandparents due to his parents careers suddenly blowing up and them having to work abroad.
Atharv could feel, vivaan was avoiding and neglecting his emotions, and atharv was extremely worried about the toll that it might take on him.
Watching vivaan's retreating figure atharv just exhaled a long breath and walked inside the building to finish off his part of work.
__________________________________
Aashvika stood outside her boss's cabin, observing the scene unfolding before her.
Through the glass wall of her boss's cabin, she could see her boss's face reddening while he yelled at a female employee. The poor woman looked like she was about to cry.
Aashvika rolled her eyes inwardly, muttering under her breath, "Why is he always yelling like a freaking dragon who's ready to spit fire out of his mouth and nose."
The employee scurried out of the cabin, catching Aashvika's eye and flashing her an apologetic glance. Aashvika offered a sympathetic smile before steeling herself and stepping into the lion's den.
As she entered, her boss's gaze locked onto hers, his eyes blazing with annoyance. Aashvika felt a surge of irritation but kept her cool, thinking to herself, "If only I could pluck those eyes out of their sockets."
She took a deep breath and met his gaze slowly. "You called me, sir?" she asked, her voice measured.
Her boss's tone was laced with sarcasm. "Oh, Miss Aashvika! Could you tell me what time it is?"
Aashvika's eyes narrowed slightly hearing his sarcastic tone. "To hell with his shitty sarcasm." Aashvika thought and stopped herself from rolling her eyes at his words.
"It's..8:40 am," she replied, her voice even, not wanting to make anymore mistakes.
The response was immediate and furious. "Exactly! The office starts at 8:30! And you're 10 fucking minutes late! Again! How the fuck do you manage to be so careless?..."
"Bla bla bla, and just like that he started giving his 5 pages lecture to me once again." Aashvika thought and zoned out, her mind wandering to all the creative ways she could murder her boss.
When he finally paused for a breath, Aashvika spoke up, her voice calm. "This is only the second time I've been late this year, sir, and I've completed all my work. If you still think I'm careless, then i apologize." She bit back the urge to say more, to tell him that she was more than just a tardy employee.
Her boss waved his hand dismissively. "Forget the apology. I need you to plan an event for a women, her husband wants to plan a suprise birthday party for her. It's in 4 days. The details are in the file. Now, get out!"
Aashvika took the file, her eyes scanning the contents as she walked out of the cabin. She made a beeline for her best friend's office, eager to vent about her boss's antics. As she entered, she let out a deep sigh, ready to dish out the drama.
She slammed the file on her bestfriend's cabin, catching her attention. Rushika looked at aashvika and chuckled bitterly.
"Use phirse chillaya, haina?" Rushika asked.
(He yelled at you again, didn't he?)
"—for no fucking reason." Aashvika continued and sighed.
"He always yells at you, why don't you resign from here?" Rushika asked her.
"Because of my dream yaar, I'm telling you rushika, had this company not been the best in event planning, i had slapped my resignation letter on that man's face long ago!" Aashvika complained and put her head down on the desk.
"Fine fine! Also, where is ishani nowadays?" Rushika asked as aashvika sighed.
"She's in jaipur attending her sister's wedding, i think that she will be back in 2-3 days." Aashvika answered. Rushika nodded in acknowledgement as her gaze fell on the file.
"Btw, what's the new work?" Rushika asked with excitement making aashvika smile and look at her.
"A man wants to plan a surprise birthday party for his wife." Aashvika answered her with a soft smile lingering on her face, her gaze fixed on the file, reading the content.
"Damn yaar, humein kabhi aisa pyaar milega ki nahi?" Rushika whined like a small kid with a pout on her face. Aashvika chuckled at her and stood up. Picking up the file in her hands, she started walking out the cabin.
(Damn yaar, will we ever be able to find a love like this? )
"Kya pata?" Aashvika answered and left the cabin, lost in her thoughts.
Aashvika came to her cabin and sat in her chair. Rushika's words ringing in her mind. "Damn yaar, humein kabhi aisa pyaar milega ki nahi?"
Her mind drifted to the past, since childhood, she used to dream of true love, inspired by many fairy tales and her favourite romantic bollywood actor "SRK". She wanted someone as romantic and dreamy as Shah Rukh Khan.
When she became a teenager, she started reading fictional stories. She wanted what the girls in the books had.
She wanted a love that would sweep her off her feet, a love that would make her feel alive.
A love that would drive her crazy.
She wanted a partner who would support her and love her unconditionally, but life had other plans.
When she got her first heartbreak in an extremely ugly way at the mere age of 16, she stopped believing in the term called "true love".
And as if it wasn't enough, when she was only 17 years old, her father's posting had been done in jammu.
The memories of her father's smile, his laughter, and his words of encouragement still lingered in her mind. She remembered in her childhood , when her father was always by her side, how he used to tell her that she deserved all the love in the world. But now? Now that he was gone for god knows how many days...she was left to face the challenges of life alone.
Now, her priority was taking care of her family. She had put her own dreams and desires on the backburner. She was working hard to make ends meet, to provide for her family's needs. As aashvika looked at her hands, she felt a pang of sadness. She thought about all the things she had given up on— love, marriage, happiness.
She didn't want to get married anymore because she knew that she would have to leave her family behind, all alone.
Yes, she didn't want to get married but she still had the wish of experiencing true love hidden deep inside her heart somewhere.
Her gaze then fell on the file on her desk, and she knew she had to focus. Shaking all her thoughts aside. She muttered, "Kaam pe lag jaa Aashvika, ye sab pyaar-vyaar ke sapne dekhne se ghar nahi chalta." And started doing her work.
__________________________________
Vivaan walked into the mansion at 7 pm, the warm glow of the living room welcoming him. His family was gathered on the sofa's, chatting and laughing.
As Vivaan entered, the conversation paused, and everyone turned to him. His family greeted him warmly, and his grandmother patted the couch beside her.
"Come, beta, sit down. We've been waiting for you." Rachita spoke.
Vivaan walked to her with a soft smile lingering on his lips. He bent down and touched her feet, earning a blessing from her.
"Here is your drink vivaan!" Ishita said, handing him a glass full of champagne.
Sahil looked around, his face scrunched up in impatience. "Will anyone tell me, what's the celebration for?" he asked, his voice whiny.
Atharv's face lit up with a grin. "We're celebrating...because our project is completed!!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Anukriti, engulfing her in a warm hug.
The room erupted in cheers and applause as everyone clinked their glasses together and took a sip.
Vivaan, however, didn't join in. He set his glass down on the table, his expression neutral. "You guys enjoy, I'm heading to my room, I'm really tired" he said, and turned to leave. With a quiet exit, he walked out of the room, leaving the others to their celebration.
Anukriti's gaze drifted from the celebration to Atharv, who seemed lost in thought. She reached out and gently held his face in her hands, her eyes searching his. "Thinking about vivaan?" she asked softly, her voice carrying across the room.
The chatter and laughter died down as everyone's attention turned to Atharv. His expression was tense, and he looked deep in his thoughts.
Ahaan's brow furrowed with concern. "What happened, Atharv?" he asked.
Atharv's eyes met theirs, and he hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It's just... don't you guys think that vivaan is avoiding his emotions too much?" he asked, his voice low.
Divya's lips curved into a small smile as she met Atharv's gaze. The room fell silent on his statement, while divya patted atharv's shoulder and spoke, "Don't worry beta, jis din iss ladke ko pyaar hoga na uss din dekhna, kaise yeh harr vo cheez kar dikhayega jo hum kabhi soch bhi nahi paayenge." Divya said reassuring atharv.
Atharv nodded at her words and turned towards anukriti, his eyes met hers, and he smiled softly.
"Love truly changes people" he said, his voice filled with love. As he spoke, he leaned in and gently kissed Anukriti's forehead, making her grin widely.
"But does it? I don't think so!" Sahil, the youngest thought while watching the couple with a skeptical expression.
He shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the snacks, munching on them without much enthusiasm.
__________________________________
Later that night, everyone was present at the dining table.
"So, when is the inauguration ceremony?" Rachita asked, catching everyone's attention.
"Well, I haven't thought about that yet, what about you vivaan? What do you think?" Atharv asked looking over at vivaan who was eating his food silently until now.
Hearing atharv's question, vivaan looked at him, "How about a week later after the construction is finished?" Vivaan replied which came off more like a question itself. Vivaan again spoke, "One week will be enough for the preparation of inauguration ceremony and all, i guess.."
"Alright then, i have this friend of mine, she has a friend who's daughter is amazing in event planning. I will contact her!" Divya exclaimed with excitement.
"Hmm...but keep it simple." Vivaan replied with a soft smile and looked down at his place.
"Alright!! Anything else "mr.keep it simple"?" Divya joked making everyone laugh.
Vivaan flashed her a small smile while shaking his head.
"Hmmm...bas ek paratha." Vivaan replied making everyone chuckle once again.
__________________________________
The very next day, the malhotra mansion was quiet as, most of the family members were out for work. Only rachita and divya were present in the house, with rachita resting in her room.
While, divya sat alone in the living room, chatting with her friend Arti on the phone. "Hello? Arti?" Divya said, her voice bright and cheerful.
"Yes, Divya? What happened?" Arti replied, her tone equally lively.
Divya's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Do you remember telling me about that brilliant event planner you know?" she asked, her voice filled with anticipation.
Arti's response was immediate. "Yeah, I do! Why, what happened?" she asked, curiosity evident in her tone.
"Actually, Vivaan and Atharv's mall project is complete, and I want that event planner to plan the inauguration ceremony," Divya explained, her enthusiasm growing. "Can you give me her number and send me some photos of her work?"
Arti's voice was cheerful. "Yeah, sure! I'll send you the number and photos right away. And you have to promise me one thing – you have to invite me to the inauguration!" she said, laughing.
Divya laughed along with her. "Of course, you have to come! I'll make sure to send you an invite. It'll be so much fun to have you there!"
"By the way, what's her name?" Divya asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Her name is Aashvika," Arti replied, her tone casual.
"Okay, done!" Divya said, ending the call.
A few minutes later, her phone buzzed with an incoming message from Arti. Divya's eyes lit up as she saw the photos and Aashvika's number. "Let's see some of her work," she murmured to herself, scrolling through the photos. She was impressed by the quality of the events Aashvika had planned, and she couldn't wait to get in touch with her.
Divya's eyes sparkled with excitement as she gazed at her phone.
"Hmm...impressive! I'll call her right away!" she exclaimed, but before she could dial the number, Rachita interrupted her.
"Divya, what are you watching?" Rachita asked, taking a seat beside divya.
Divya's face lit up. "Oh, Mom! I was checking out our event planner's work! And look at this! She's amazing at her job!" Divya exclaimed, passing her phone to Rachita.
Rachita's eyes widened as she scrolled through the photos. "She's actually really good," she agreed, impressed with aashvika's work.
Divya grinned. "Haina? I'll call her right away!" She dialed the number, and after a few rings, the call was picked up.
(Right?)
"Hello? Is this Aashvika?" Divya asked.
Aashvika's voice was professional. "That's right, I'm Aashvika. Who's this?"
Divya tried to contain her excitement. "Hello Aashvika beta, I'm Divya Malhotra. I have an event order for you."
Hearing divya's words, aashvika's tone turned apologetic. "Oh...well, I'm sorry ma'am, but you'll have to talk to my boss about that."
Divya smiled kindly. "No need to apologize, beta. Can you give me your office's address?" Divya asked.
"Yeah, sure! I'll send it to you right away." Aashvika replied.
"Okay, thank you, beta" Divya said, being grateful.
After a brief moment, Aashvika ended the call.
Rachita raised an eyebrow, looking at divya, "So, what did she say?"
Divya's face fell slightly. "She said we need to meet her boss."
While, rachita's expression turned determined. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Hearing rachita's words, divya's excitement returned, and she jumped up. "Okay! I'll just grab my bag!" She ran upstairs, her footsteps echoing through the house.
Moments later, Divya bounced downstairs, her hand bag in her hand. Rachita chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. Divya grabbed Rachita's hand, and together they headed out to meet Aashvika's boss.
Sometimes later, sneha and rachita reached the office. Thry looked at the building and it was a 3 floor building.
They went to the elevator and pressed the 3rd floor button as Aashvika had told them in the message already.
Reaching the third floor, they walked inside, quite impressed by the environment and the decorations.
They both walked inside rahul's cabin.
As Divya and Rachita entered Rahul Agnihotri's cabin, he looked them up and down before speaking. "Hello, ma'am. I'm Rahul Agnihotri. How can I help you?"
Looking at rahul, divya got straight to the point. "We're looking for an event planner for our mall's inauguration ceremony."
Rahul's eyes immediately lit up with interest hearing divya's words
"A mall project? I would have so much from this project! I can't let this opportunity go from my hand." Rahul thought.
He looked at divya once again with sly smile and spoke,"That's great! I'll assign one of my best staff to handle your case." He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Kavya?" But before he could continue, Divya interrupted him.
"Actually, I want Aashvika to work on this project." Divya said, her voice firm.
Rahul's expression changed hearing aashvika's name, and he frowned.
"Aashvika? No no! What if she ruins this project! I can't afford the risk of her handling this project!" Rahul once again thought.
He looked at divya once again and spoke, "I'm afraid that's not possible ma'am. Actually, aashvika is...unavailable right now."
Hearing his words, divya's eyes narrowed. "But I just spoke to her, and she didn't mention anything about being unavailable."
Rahul's tone turned cold. "I don't know what you're talking about. She's not available, and that's final."
Hearing his words, rachita stepped in, her voice calm but firm. "Sir, we want Aashvika to work for us. Do you have a problem with that?"
Hearing the women's questions again and again, rahul's annoyance was evident by now. "Ma'am, I don't have any problems, but if you insist on Aashvika, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you."
Rachita asked once again. "Why is Aashvika not available? What's going on?"
Rahul's tone turned condescending. "I said she's not available. That's all you need to know."
Hearing rahul's tone, divya stood up, her eyes flashed with anger. "Mind your tone, Mr. Agnihotri."
"Ma'am please shut your lecture and leave, i have more work to do." Rahul spoke now being completely annoyed by the two women.
Rachita's voice turned icy. "How dare you speak to my daughter-in-law like that?"
Rahul's face turned red with anger. "Uff pata nahi kahaan kahaan se aajati hain yeh auratein! Get out! Security! Get these two women out of my office!"
The security guards rushed in and grabbed Divya and Rachita's arms, dragging them out of the office. Aashvika and Rushika, who were working in their cabin, came out to see what the commotion was about. Their eyes widened in shock as they saw Divya and Rachita being dragged out.
One of the bodyguards pushed divya slightly, making her stumble back but before she could fall, a young woman ran and held her, preventing her from falling.
Divya looked at the person and saw that it was a young woman "Ma'am, are you okay?" she asked softly.
Divya nodded, still shaken. The woman's eyes flashed with anger as she turned to Rahul. "What the fuck...? What were you doing with these two women?"
"Oh hello! Maine already unhe jaane ke liye bol diya tha—" but before he could complete his sentence a loud noice was echoed throughout the office.
TADAK!
Everyone gasped watching the scene unfolding infront of them.
Aashvika had slapped rahul.
A fire of anger burning in aashvika's eyes.
"How dare you talk to your client like that?" She yelled.
Rahul's face turned red with rage, and he raised his hand to slap Aashvika. But she was quicker. She grabbed his wrist, her eyes blazing with anger. "You have no right to talk to anyone like that." she hissed.
Aashvika's anger seemed to escalate, and she jerked Rahul's hand down, holding his collar tightly. "I'm done working here. I'm resigning."
She stormed into her office, grabbed her belongings, and threw her ID card on Rahul's face. "Good luck working without me." she spat, before turning and walking towards the elevator.
Divya and Rachita followed her, still in shock. As they reached the elevator, Rushika caught up with Aashvika and whispered something in her ear. Aashvika nodded, and Rushika stayed behind.
As they stepped into the elevator, Aashvika took a deep breath. "Thank you, beta." Divya said, but Aashvika just smiled and shook her head.
"Don't worry, ma'am. Anyone would have done the same." Aashvika spoke.
When they reached the ground floor, Aashvika was about to head towards her car, but Divya stopped her.
"Beta, listen," Divya said, making Aashvika turn around.
"Ji?" Aashvika asked.
"What's your name, beta?" Divya asked, her eyes curious.
Aashvika smiled softly. "Aashvika."
With that, she turned and got into her car, driving off and leaving Divya and Rachita staring after her in shock. "That was Aashvika?" Rachita asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Divya nodded slowly. "And she just resigned..."
Both women sighed and walked away, still trying to process what had just happened.
___________________________
The scene where aashvika slapped rahul was so satisfying for me honestly😭😭
Also, did you notice the different personalities of all the brothers?? One is in love! One doesn't believe in love! And one doesn't even care about love! Like😭😭
What do you guys think about it??
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