The glass doors of the city's largest corporate office felt heavier than they looked as Abanti pushed them open. Her hands were trembling. Fifteen years! After fifteen long years, she was about to stand face-to-face with the person she thought she had lost forever.
The ice-cold air from the office AC couldn't dry the beads of sweat on her forehead. She clutched the file in her hands so tightly that the paper began to wrinkle. There was no other way to save her father's last remaining dignity. Her family was drowning in debt, and today, only one person could pull them out of the abyss.
"Sir is inside. You may enter," the secretary said in a robotic tone, not even looking up from her screen.
Abanti walked in with heavy steps. Behind a massive mahogany desk, a man sat in a revolving chair, his back turned toward her. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky looked gloomy and overcast—just like that cloudy afternoon fifteen years ago.
"Sit," a deep, commanding voice echoed through the room.
Abanti's heart skipped a beat. It was the same familiar tone she remembered, yet it was now laced with an unfamiliar coldness. She sat down silently, her breath hitching in her throat.
The chair slowly revolved. Wearing a tailored charcoal suit, with sharp glasses and a mysterious smirk, Aaryan was staring at her. The mischievous boy from her childhood had transformed into the city's most powerful and intimidating tycoon.
Aaryan took off his glasses and placed them on the table, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. "You came to see me after fifteen years, Abanti? And that too, for a favor?"
Abanti lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. "I had no other choice, Aaryan. My father is ill, our house is being auctioned..."
"I know," Aaryan interrupted, sliding a folder across the desk toward her. "I have already bought all your father's debts. As of today, your house, the business—everything belongs to me."
A single tear fell from Abanti's eye, landing on the folder. "Are you... are you helping us?"
Aaryan leaned back in his chair, his eyes devoid of the warmth she once knew. "This isn't help, Abanti. This is a deal. Back in Class 5, you gave me your pencil when I lost mine. Remember? Today, I am giving you your entire life back. But in return, you must fulfill one condition."
Abanti looked up, her heart racing with fear. "What... what condition?"
Aaryan stood up and walked toward the window, watching the rain hit the glass. "For the next one year, you will stay with me. You will do exactly as I say. You will live as my most expensive possession."
Abanti felt the ground slip from beneath her feet. Was this the same Aaryan? The boy who used to carry her school bag so she wouldn't get tired? The boy who promised to protect her forever?