Chapter 1 Five Years Later — Anvika’s Chicago Life
Chicago — Present Day
Five years could change a person.
For some, five years were enough to forget.
For others, five years were enough to rebuild an entire life.
For Anvika Rajvansh, five years had been both.
The city of Chicago slowly woke beneath a pale morning sky.
Cars moved through the streets, people hurried toward work, and the sound of the city filled the air.
High above the streets, behind the glass windows of a luxurious apartment, a young woman stood quietly with a cup of coffee in her hand.
Her long hair fell naturally over her shoulders.
Her dusky complexion looked warm in the morning light, and her expression was calm—almost unreadable.
She looked out at the city she had once arrived in as a frightened young girl.
Now, Chicago was home.
Or at least, that was what she had convinced herself to believe.
Her phone suddenly began ringing.
She glanced at the screen.
Sophie Calling...
A small smile appeared on her face.
She answered.
"Good morning."
"Good morning?" Sophie exclaimed from the other end. "Anvika, do you even know what time it is?"
Anvika looked at the clock.
"Seven thirty."
"Exactly! And you're already working, aren't you?"
Anvika smiled.
"Maybe."
"I knew it."
Sophie sighed dramatically.
"You are impossible."
Anvika laughed softly.
It was one of the rare moments when her quiet face completely changed.
Five years ago, she had arrived in Chicago with very little certainty about her future.
Today, she had something she had never imagined possible.
A company.
A career.
A name.
And an empire she had built with her own hands.
But there was one thing she had never allowed the world to know.
The young woman everyone believed was simply a talented jewellery designer...
was actually the youngest CEO behind one of Chicago's fastest-growing luxury jewellery brands.
Her success was enormous.
Her secret was even bigger.
Only a handful of people knew the truth.
Sophie was one of them.
And perhaps that was exactly how Anvika wanted it.
---
8:15 A.M.
Anvika walked into her office.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Employees greeted her respectfully as she passed.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Good morning."
She answered everyone with the same calm smile.
There was no arrogance in her manner.
No unnecessary display of wealth.
She preferred simplicity.
Her office was elegant but understated, filled with jewellery sketches, design boards, books, and a few photographs from her years in Chicago.
She placed her bag on the desk.
Her assistant entered with a tablet.
"Ma'am, the Singapore meeting has been moved to eleven."
"Okay."
"And the new collection designs are ready for your approval."
"Leave them here. I'll check them before the meeting."
"Yes, ma'am."
The assistant left.
Anvika sat down.
A folder was placed in front of her.
RAJVANSH COLLECTION — CONFIDENTIAL
Her fingers stopped.
For a second, her expression changed.
Rajvansh.
The name she had spent five years trying not to think about.
She slowly closed the folder.
Not today.
She wasn't ready.
Maybe she never would be.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a message.
Arjun: Don't tell me you're working already.
Anvika typed back.
Anvika: I'm the CEO. I'm allowed to work.
His reply came instantly.
Arjun: You're also allowed to have a life.
She smiled.
Anvika: I'm considering it.
Arjun: Good. Start by eating breakfast.
She rolled her eyes.
Some people never changed.
---
Later That Afternoon
Anvika stood inside her design studio.
Rows of jewellery sketches covered the walls.
Diamonds sparkled beneath the studio lights.
A new collection was being prepared.
Her fingers moved carefully across one of the designs.
She had always loved jewellery.
Not because of its price.
Not because of its status.
But because every piece could carry a story.
A memory.
A promise.
A feeling.
She picked up a small pendant.
Its design reminded her of a star.
For a moment, an old memory appeared in her mind.
A quiet park.
A song.
A cool Chicago evening.
She blinked.
The memory disappeared.
Five years.
And yet some memories refused to stay in the past.
"Anvika?"
She turned.
Sophie stood at the door.
"You disappeared again."
Anvika smiled faintly.
"Just thinking."
"About India?"
The smile disappeared.
There was a brief silence.
Sophie immediately regretted asking.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
Anvika looked toward the window.
"I think it's time."
Sophie understood.
"You're going back?"
Anvika nodded.
"For a visit."
"After five years?"
"Yes."
Sophie studied her face.
"Are you ready?"
Anvika looked down at the pendant in her hand.
"I don't know."
Then she placed it carefully on the table.
"But I think I have to go."
---
That Evening
Anvika returned home later than usual.
She changed into comfortable clothes and sat near the window.
Her phone displayed a photograph.
A family photograph.
The Rajvansh family.
Her eyes moved across every familiar face.
Her father.
Her mother.
Her brothers.
Her grandparents.
Her cousins.
And finally...
Siya.
A small smile appeared.
Siya had never stopped trying to bring her home.
Not once.
A message arrived.
Siya: You're coming to South Korea, right? Don't make me come to Chicago and drag you myself.
Anvika laughed quietly.
She typed:
Anvika: I'll come.
A few seconds later:
Siya: Promise?
Anvika stared at the word.
Promise.
She didn't make promises easily anymore.
But for Siya...
She could.
Anvika: Promise.
She put the phone down.
For the first time in five years, Anvika allowed herself to think about home.
India.
Sitamgarh.
The Rajvansh palace.
Her family.
And everything she had left behind.
She didn't know what awaited her there.
She didn't know that her return would change more than just her family's life.
She didn't know that South Korea would bring her face-to-face with a man whose life had already crossed hers once.
A man who still remembered a voice from a Chicago park.
A voice he had never forgotten.
And most importantly...
She didn't know that fate had already begun writing the next chapter of her life.
To be continued...
