Chapter One
Mahir's POV
Success had a funny way of making people comfortable. Comfortable enough to stop trying.
Comfortable enough to mistake my silence for approval.
They couldn't have been more wrong.The boardroom fell into complete silence as the final slide disappeared from the screen.
Twenty-three executives.
One presentation.
Two hours of my time wasted.
I leaned back in my chair, tapping my pen once against the polished mahogany table. No one dared to speak. No one even looked up.
Good.
Maybe they finally understood how badly they'd disappointed me.
"Is that all?" I asked, my voice calm enough to make the room colder.
No one answered.
I glanced at the financial report lying in front of me. Three careless calculation errors. An unrealistic expansion proposal. A cybersecurity plan that looked as if it had been put together five minutes before the meeting.
Pathetic. I closed the file.
The sound echoed through the room.
"Tell me," I began, resting my elbows on the table, "how many of you actually reviewed these reports before walking into my boardroom?"
My boardroom.
Not because I owned the company.
Because every decision made inside these four walls carried my signature.
Still, no one spoke.
I let out a humourless chuckle.
"So none of you."
The Chief Financial Officer shifted uncomfortably.
“Mr. Oberoi, if you could just give us another-”
“No.”
One word. That was all it took.
His sentence died halfway through.
I stood, buttoning my suit jacket with practiced ease.
"You expect me to approve a project worth hundreds of crores based on assumptions?"
Silence.
"You expect investors to trust figures that even you couldn't be bothered to verify?"
Another silence.
My gaze swept across every face in the room.
Fear. Guilt. Nervousness.
Exactly what they should be feeling.
"I don't reward carelessness."
My voice never rose. It didn't need to.
"When you work for Aether Technologies, excellence isn't appreciated."
I paused.
"It's expected."
The room remained frozen.
Finally, I looked toward the projector.
"Redo everything."
"Sir..." one executive spoke hesitantly. "The investor meeting is tomorrow morning."
"Then I suggest none of you sleep tonight."
No one argued. Because they knew I meant every word. Without another glance, I picked up my phone and walked toward the door. Before stepping out, I stopped.
"Oh."
Twenty-three pairs of eyes lifted.
"If today's performance is the best this company can offer..."
I looked over my shoulder.
"...perhaps I need a new board."
The door closed behind me.
Outside, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different. Employees hurried through the hallways, assistants carried files from one department to another, and the quiet hum of keyboards filled the office floor.
The moment they noticed me- Everything slowed. Conversations ended. Heads lowered. People stepped aside without being asked.
I acknowledged none of it. Respect earned through fear wasn't something I celebrated. It was simply efficient.
"Sir."
Kian caught up beside me effortlessly, matching my pace. Unlike everyone else, he never looked intimidated.
He'd worked with me long enough to understand that my silence wasn't anger.
My anger came after the silence.
"I've moved tomorrow's schedule," he said, handing me my tablet. "The Singapore investors requested another meeting at ten."
"They requested?"
"Yes."
"Decline."
Kian blinked once.
"They're willing to adjust to your availability."
"I adjusted mine last week."
He gave a small nod.
"I'll inform them."
I continued walking.
"The legal department?"
"Handled."
"The cybersecurity breach?"
"Our team traced the source. Black Ve-“
He stopped himself. I looked at him. His expression didn't change. Neither did mine.
"We'll discuss that later," I said quietly.
"Understood."
Only Kian knew what those two words truly meant. The rest of the world believed I was merely the CEO of Aether Technologies. And that's exactly how it had to stay.
The elevator doors slid open. We stepped inside. The silence returned. After a moment, Kian spoke again.
"Your mother called."
I looked at the changing floor numbers.
"What did she want?"
"She asked if you'll be home for dinner."
"No."
"She expected that answer."
Of course she did.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd sat through a family dinner without my phone ringing or another crisis demanding my attention. The elevator chimed.
Ground floor.
As soon as the doors opened, a cool breeze drifted into the lobby. Dark clouds had swallowed the evening sky. A storm was coming.
Perfect.
Outside, my driver stood waiting beside the black Rolls-Royce, one hand already on the rear door. The poor man looked more nervous than usual. He'd probably heard about the board meeting.
News travelled fast inside Aether.
"Good evening, sir."
I gave a brief nod before getting into the car.
Kian stood beside the open door.
"I'll send the revised reports before midnight."
"You have until eleven."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I'll make sure they're on your desk by ten-thirty."
He knew me well. I didn't like being kept waiting. The door closed softly.
The city disappeared behind tinted glass as the Rolls-Royce eased out of Aether Technologies' headquarters.
No music. No conversation.
Just the low hum of the engine.
The driver adjusted the rear-view mirror once, only to quickly look away when our eyes met. Smart man.
I loosened my tie and rested my head against the seat. The meeting should've ended hours ago. Instead, it had left another headache behind.
Outside, Bengaluru pulsed with life.
Office workers rushed toward cafés. Street vendors hurried to cover their stalls.
Motorcycles weaved through traffic with reckless confidence.
Everyone was trying to outrun the storm gathering above. A flash of lightning cut across the sky.
Seconds later-
Rain. Soft at first. Then heavier.
Droplets raced across the windows, blurring the city into streaks of gold, white, and grey.The driver slowed the car.
"The roads will get slippery, sir."
I didn't answer.
My eyes remained fixed on the rain-covered window. For the first time all day... My mind was completely blank.
The roads grew quieter as the city slowly disappeared behind us.
Glass towers gave way to tree-lined streets, their leaves swaying beneath the weight of the approaching storm. The farther we drove from the heart of Bengaluru, the lighter the traffic became.
I loosened the cuff of my shirt, glancing at the dashboard clock.
7:18 p.m.
Late. Again.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd reached home before sunset. The rain intensified, drumming steadily against the roof of the car. The driver tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"Visibility's getting worse, sir."
I acknowledged him with a quiet hum, my attention fixed on the blurred city outside.
Rain had always fascinated people.
Children ran towards it.
Lovers found romance in it.
Poets wrote about it.
To me....It was simply weather.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
The Rolls-Royce turned onto the private road leading toward Oberoi Estate.
Tall trees lined both sides, their branches bending as the wind swept through them. Streetlights flickered on one by one, casting warm pools of light across the rain-soaked asphalt.
Then....The car slowed. I frowned.
“The roads are getting slippery, sir,” my driver murmured.
I barely heard him. Something or rather, someone had caught my attention.
At first, all I could make out was a silhouette standing beneath the rain. Small. Motionless. Half-hidden behind the curtain of water.
“What is she doing?” I asked, more to myself than anyone else.
The driver followed my gaze through the windshield.
“I’m not sure, sir. Should I inform estate security?”
“No.”
The answer left my lips before I had time to think. I reached for the door handle.
“I’ll check.”
The rain hit me instantly, cold enough to soak through my coat within seconds. Water dripped from the branches lining the estate road, the wind carrying the scent of wet earth through the air.
My shoes echoed softly against the pavement as I walked forward.
One step. Then another.
My gaze settled on the lone figure ahead.
For a moment, I stayed where I was, watching.
In weather like this, anyone standing alone by the roadside could have been stranded or in need of help.
The figure still hadn't noticed me.
....Strange.
Anyone else would’ve looked toward the headlights by now. Instead... She spun. A quiet laugh escaped her as she stretched both arms toward the sky, letting the rain fall freely across her face. I stopped. She wasn’t trying to get somewhere. She wasn’t hiding. She was simply... enjoying the rain. As though the storm belonged to her.
She twirled once more, her long dark hair following the movement before settling against her shoulders. The corners of her lips curved into a smile so effortless that, for one absurd moment, the rest of the world ceased to exist.
The traffic behind me faded. The rain became distant.
Even the weight of the day, the board meeting, the endless reports, the pressure that never seemed to leave my shoulders slipped quietly into the background.
There was only her.
The girl looked around with the curiosity of a child before spotting a puddle in the middle of the road. A tiny smile tugged at my lips. Surely she wasn’t- She jumped.
Water exploded in every direction.
A freezing splash landed across my face, my suit, and the polished leather of my shoes. The moment shattered. I closed my eyes for a second, taking a slow breath.
Unbelievable. Who jumps into a puddle like that?
“...Oh.”
Her voice was soft with surprise.
When I looked up again, she was staring directly at me. For the first time since I’d seen her, she seemed aware that another person existed.
Our eyes met.
Brown.
Warm.
Far too expressive.
She blinked once, then twice. For a fraction of a second, I expected an apology. Instead... She tilted her head.
Her gaze travelled from my rain-soaked shoes to my tailored black suit, then to the expensive watch around my wrist before finally settling on my face.
One eyebrow lifted.
“What?” The single word carried more curiosity than concern.
I said nothing.
She folded her arms. “Never saw someone enjoying the rain?”
“This road is private.”
She looked around, genuinely confused.
“...It is?”
“You’re trespassing.”
“Oh.”
She nodded slowly. Then smiled.
“I figured that out when a grumpy stranger started glaring at me.”
Grumpy?
I stared at her.
She had absolutely no idea who I was. No hesitation. No nervousness. No desperate attempt to apologize.
Interesting.
“You should leave.”
“I will.”
She took one step. Then stopped.
“But...”
She pointed toward the road behind me.
“You’re blocking the way.”
I frowned.
“The way to what?”
“My bus stop.”
I turned.
Only then did I notice the small shelter a little farther down the road, partially hidden by the rain and trees. She hadn’t wandered onto the estate intentionally. She’d taken the wrong turn.
When I looked back at her, she was already trying to step around me. The rain had plastered loose strands of hair against her cheeks, yet she didn’t seem to care. As she passed, she paused just long enough to glance at me again.
“You should smile once in a while.”
I looked at her.
She smiled anyway. Bright. Carefree. Completely uninvited.
Then she walked away, humming softly to herself as though she’d never just splashed a stranger with rainwater. I stood there, watching her disappear into the storm.
“Mahir Sir?”
My driver’s voice carried from behind me.
“Should I ask security to escort her out?”
I kept my eyes fixed on the road where she’d vanished.
“No.”
The answer came quieter than I expected.
“She’ll find her way.”
As I turned back toward the car, something unfamiliar lingered in my chest.
I had spent years building walls no one could cross. Yet somehow... A girl who laughed at the rain had walked straight through them without even realizing they were there.
