Some meetings are planned.
Some are unexpected.
And some happen in the worst possible way.
___________________________
The sticky morning heat is already making my clothes cling to my skin. I try to weave my way through the thick crowd on the pavement, but people keep bumping into my shoulders without even looking back. The morning rush hour is a complete mess today.
Dozens of cars are stuck bumper-to-bumper, filling the air with the loud roar of engines and the sharp smell of exhaust fumes. Impatient drivers are leaning on their horns, creating a deafening noise that makes my head hurt. I quickly check the time on my phone screen.
10:14 AM."Great," I mutter to myself, feeling panic twist in my stomach.
"I'm definitely going to be late."
Right on cue, my phone starts vibrating in my hand. It's Vedika. Again. She has been calling me since eight this morning because she is terrified about our meeting for shopping. I know she is probably sitting at the café or at market right now, biting her nails and waiting for me.
( ik I'm confused..but no problem I can call and ask her where she is. Hahahaha)
I quickly mute the call and slide the phone into my bag.I reach the edge of the road just as the pedestrian light turns green. I pull my hand-bag strap tighter over my shoulder and step onto the crosswalk, moving along with the slow crowd.
To my left, a row of heavy vehicles idles impatiently, their engines vibrating right through the soles of my shoes.
Everything feels totally normal.
Until suddenly, a sharp, loud screech of tires tears through the air.My head snaps up. My heart drops.A sleek, shiny black car is speeding right toward the intersection.
The driver is completely ignoring the red light, cutting straight through the lane.My body freezes. My brain tells me to run, but my feet feel like they are glued to the tarmac. I can't move a single inch.
Behind me, someone screams,
"WATCH OUT!"
The driver slams on the brakes. The metallic roar of the car stopping is so loud it makes my teeth rattle. The heavy vehicle swerves violently, its front bumper stopping just two inches away from my knees. The sudden rush of wind actually pushes against my legs.
I stumble backward, trip over an uneven bump on the road, and hit the ground. My hands scrape against the rough asphalt, burning instantly.
A heavy, shocking silence falls over the street.My heart beats violently against my ribs, so loud that it rings in my ears. The world feels blurry. On the sidewalk, people are standing still, staring with open mouths. A few people start whispering, but I can barely hear them over my own frantic breathing.
Slowly, shaking all over, I look up at the car.
It is a beautiful, expensive, pitch-black sedan. It looks brand new and incredibly powerful.The driver's door clicks open.
The man who steps out does not look sorry at all. He looks absolutely furious.
He is very tall, with broad shoulders that block out the sun. He is wearing a crisp, perfectly fitted black suit that looks like it costs more than everything I own. His dark hair moves slightly in the breeze as he walks toward me with slow, heavy steps.
He looks completely in control, and the crowd automatically steps back to give him space. The anger on his face is impossible to miss.
"You should watch where you are walking," he says coldly.
His voice isn't loud, but it is so sharp and icy that it cuts right through the noisy street.I blink up at him from the ground, unable to believe my ears. My hands are still stinging from the fall.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." He stops right in front of me, looking down like I am just an annoying obstacle in his way.
The shock disappears instantly, replaced by a wave of pure anger. I push myself up off the ground, ignoring the pain in my scraped palms.
"Your car almost hit me!" I yell back, my voice shaking because of the adrenaline.His jaw tightens.
( huh! Aaya bada)
"I stopped, didn't I?"That completely ruins whatever patience I have left.
"You ran a red light! You didn't even try to slow down until you were right on top of me!"
By now, a crowd has gathered around us. People are openly watching and whispering, but neither of us looks away.
He crosses his arms, his dark, sharp eyes looking me up and down. Up close, his presence is completely overwhelming.
He smells like expensive wood and leather."You could have killed someone!" I snap, taking a step toward him.
"And you could have used your eyes before stepping onto a busy road," he replies instantly, his tone completely dismissive.I stare at him, my mouth open in disbelief.
"Are you seriously blaming me right now? You broke the traffic rules!"
His expression turns completely hard.
"I don't have time for careless people making a scene in the middle of traffic."
"Making a scene?" My voice gets louder.
"You almost ran me over because you think you own the road!"
"And yet," he says softly, taking one slow, intimidating step closer to me, "you are standing here perfectly fine."
The arrogance in his voice makes my blood boil. He doesn't just stand there; he deliberately holds my gaze, his eyes boring into mine with a heavy, crushing weight. It is a classic power move.
He is waiting for me to blink. He is waiting for me to drop my head, look at the ground, and apologize for getting in his way like everyone else in his life probably does.The silence between us stretches, turning into a silent war.
My lungs burn for air, and every instinct tells me to look away because his gaze is suffocating. But my stubbornness kicks in. I lock my knees, tilt my chin up, and stare right back into his dark eyes with twice the intensity.
I refuse to be the one who breaks first.A tiny, almost invisible shift happens in his expression. His eyebrows twitch slightly. He realizes I am not backing down, and the realization catches him completely off guard.
I open my mouth to yell at him again-But as I look directly into his dark eyes, the words suddenly dry up in my throat.For a second, the noise of the city fades into the background.
He stands there, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. His eyes are incredibly dark and intense. There is something strange about him, a powerful energy that makes it impossible to look away.I find myself staring at his sharp jaw and his strict expression. My gaze stays on him for too long. Much too long.The anger in his face changes slightly as he notices my sudden silence.
"What?" he asks sharply, though his voice isn't quite as icy as befor.
I blink quickly, my face burning with embarrassment as reality hits me. I quickly look down at the road, wishing the ground would swallow me up. "Nothing," I mutter.
His piercing eyes stay fixed on my face, watching me turn red.
"Next time," he says slowly, "pay attention before you step in front of a moving vehicle."
I look back up, squaring my shoulders because my pride refuses to let him win.
"Next time, learn how to follow basic traffic rules. The red light applies to you too."
A heavy, tense silence settles between us. Anyone else would have apologized just to get away from his scary attitude. But the sheer unfairness of his behavior bugs me. I refuse to back down.
His eyes narrow. "You are still blaming me?" he asks, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
It is the kind of quiet tone that comes right before a huge argument. He looks genuinely surprised that someone is actually arguing back. It is obvious he isn't used to being challenged.
"Yes,"
I answer, looking straight into his eyes without moving away.That one word actually surprises him. His face twitches, and for a few long seconds, he just looks at me like I am a puzzle.
Then, the corner of his mouth pulls up into a tiny smirk.He lets out a short, quiet laugh. It isn't a friendly sound; it is dry and completely unexpected.I frown, feeling defensive.
"What is so funny?"
"You," he murmurs, his eyes scanning my face one last time.
Before I can ask him what he means, another luxury car pulls up quickly behind his sedan. A man in a neat uniform jumps out, looking incredibly nervous as he runs over to us.
"Sir," the man says, his voice shaking. "Is everything okay? Do you need me to call security?"
Sir? I look between the two of them, completely confused.
The man in the black suit totally ignores his assistant. His dark eyes stay locked onto mine.
"What is your name?" he asks suddenly.The sudden question catches me completely off guard.
"Why?"
( school mei admission karana hai kya)
"Because," he replies, his voice turning cool and calm again, "I asked."
I hesitate, not wanting to tell him. But under his intense stare, the word just slips out.
"Aadhira."
He repeats it slowly, his deep voice making the name sound different.
"Aadhira."
Hearing my name in his deep voice makes my stomach flip strangely. His face, however, shows absolutely no emotion.Without saying anything else, he steps back, breaking the tension between us. He grabs his car door handle.
"Try to be more careful next time, Aadhira."
I let out a small, annoyed scoff.
"You should take your own advice."
For a split second, something flashes in his dark eyes. It isn't anger this time. It looks a lot like amusement. He opens the door, steps into the leather interior, and shuts it.The engine roars alive with a loud growl, and the black car smoothly drives back into traffic, disappearing into the city lines within seconds.
Just like that, he is gone.
I am left standing in the middle of the crowded street, the heat of the road warming my ankles, my heart still beating incredibly fast.
I let out a long breath and shake my head.
"What an arrogant, rude jerk," I whisper.
My own mind immediately mocks me. A jerk? Is that why you were staring at his face like a fool just two seconds ago?
I push the thought away angrily.Right now, standing on the dusty road with a scraped hand, I have no idea who he is. I have no idea why the street vendors and bystanders are still staring at the empty road with shocked expressions.
And I definitely have no idea that the man I just yelled at is Reyansh Oberoi.The unapproachable CEO of Oberoi Designs.
A billionaire whose name is powerful enough to make an entire room go silent. To me, he is just an annoying stranger. A rich, entitled man I will probably never see again.
Or, at least, that is what I think.Because fate has a really strange sense of humor. And sometimes, the stories that change your life forever don't start with a happy moment. They start right here-with a scream, the sound of burning brakes, and a dangerous stranger who is about to turn your whole world upside down.
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