Bound by A Contract Connected by Fate ❤

Chapter 1 – A New Morning

4:00 A.M

Beep... Beep... Beep...

The alarm rang.

Kiara Rodrigues quickly opened her eyes and switched it off.

"Oh no... I better not get late today."

She hurried out of bed.

Hi, I'm Kiara Rodrigues.

I'm the manager at CR-V Interiors, an interior design company in Mumbai. Today, I have an online meeting with one of our foreign clients at 5:00 A.M. because of the time difference.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Kiara opened the door.

"Good morning, Savati.

"Good morning, ma'am."

"I've soaked the red beans as you asked."

"Thank you. And how's your daughter? Is her fever gone?"

"Yes, ma'am. She's much better now."

Kiara smiled.

"How many times have I told you? Don't call me ma'am. Just call me Kiara."

Savati smiled shyly.

"Okay... Kiara didi."

"I have a meeting. I'll get ready first."

It wasn't that Kiara didn't know how to cook.

She actually enjoyed cooking whenever she had time. But living alone in Mumbai while managing projects, clients, and deadlines left her with very little free time. Having Savati help with the house allowed Kiara to focus on her work and still take care of herself.

By 4:55 A.M., Kiara was seated in front of her laptop.

The meeting began.

"Good morning, everyone."

After discussing the project for a while, the foreign client asked, "Ms. Rodrigues, when can we expect the bedroom and kitchen designs?"

Kiara smiled confidently.

"Yes, sir. Your bedroom and kitchen designs will be ready by next month."

"Excellent. We look forward to seeing them."

"Thank you. We won't disappoint you."

The meeting ended successfully.

Finally, Kiara sat down with the fresh chapatis Savati had made. While eating breakfast, she scrolled through the morning news on her phone.

A headline caught her attention.

'Crime against women rises again in India.'

She sighed.

"This is getting worse day by day."

Savati looked at the screen.

"You're right, Kiara didi. I don't know why there still isn't proper safety."

Kiara silently looked out of the window.

Mumbai was full of opportunities.

But it also hid countless dangers.

Kiara picked up her handbag, laptop, and car keys.

"I'm leaving, Savati."

"Take care, Kiara didi."

"You too."

Stepping out of her apartment, Kiara locked the door and got into her car.

Before starting the engine, she reached for the Bible that always rested beside her.

She smiled softly.

"Good morning, Jesus."

Opening it to the verse she had marked the previous night, she read it slowly, taking a moment to understand its meaning instead of rushing through it.

Closing the Bible, she whispered a short prayer.

"Lord, please let today go well. Guide me in every decision I make and help me be a blessing to the people I meet today. Amen."

She started the car and drove onto the busy Mumbai roads.

A few minutes later, she chuckled to herself.

"Jesus... have You seen my best friend, Sanali? She hasn't called me since her first date with her crush. Please take care of her... and give her a little wisdom to make the right decisions."

As if on cue...

Ring... Ring...

Kiara glanced at the screen.

Sanali Calling...

She answered through the car's hands-free system.

"Finally! I was starting to think you'd been kidnapped. I was just about to post a 'Wanted: Missing Sanali' story on social media."

Sanali burst into laughter.

"I'm alive, drama queen!"

"So... how was the date?"

"Leave that. First tell me how your meeting went."

"My meeting can wait. Spill everything."

Sanali giggled.

"He was so handsome... and such a gentleman."

Kiara raised an eyebrow.

"Wait... did you actually talk to him, or did you just sit there admiring his face?"

"I talked to him! I told him about my hobbies and my favorite things. Then he told me about himself."

Kiara smiled.

"Ooo... someone really likes him."

"Don't tease me!"

"I'm serious. Did you ask him what his plans are? His career? His goals? What kind of future he wants?"

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"...Actually, no."

"I knew it," Kiara laughed. "Looks fade. Character doesn't. Next time, ask about the person behind the smile."

Sanali sighed dramatically.

"Fine, Miss Relationship Advisor."

Kiara laughed as Mumbai's traffic slowly came to life around her.

The drive to the office took nearly thirty minutes.

As soon as Kiara entered the building, she greeted everyone with her usual warm smile.

"Good morning, Ramesh bhai."

"Good morning, ma'am."

"How's your son doing now?"

"He's much better, thank you."

She smiled before walking inside.

"Good morning, Neha."

"Morning, Kiara!"

"Good morning, everyone."

A chorus of cheerful greetings followed her as she made her way to her cabin.

Just as she placed her laptop on the desk, her boss walked in.

"Kiara."

"Yes, sir?"

"I need you to visit one of our project sites today. The client has requested a few last-minute changes, and I trust your judgment more than anyone else's."

"Sure, sir. Which site?"

He handed her a file.

"The new luxury villa project in South Mumbai. The client wants to finalize the interior layout today."

Kiara flipped through the file, carefully reviewing the plans.

"I'll leave immediately after informing my team."

"I knew I could count on you."

She smiled confidently.

"I'll make sure the client is satisfied."

Picking up her helmet, measuring tape, design folder, and tablet, Kiara headed toward the site, unaware that this ordinary workday was about to change her life forever.

"Alright, Dylan. Let's go," Kiara said, picking up the project file.

Dylan grabbed the car keys and drove them to the construction site.

The moment they arrived, the engineers and workers greeted them.

"Good morning, ma'am."

"Good morning, everyone."

Kiara wasted no time. Wearing her safety helmet, she carefully inspected every room, comparing the construction with the approved design plans.

She suddenly stopped.

"Who approved this?"

One of the engineers stepped forward.

"Ma'am, it's just a small mistake. No one will even notice."

Kiara looked at him seriously.

"Today you'll ignore it. Tomorrow someone else will ignore another mistake. That's exactly how disasters begin."

The entire site fell silent.

"This house is going to become someone's home. Children will grow up here. Families will trust us with their safety. We don't build buildings—we build places where people live. Every detail matters."

The engineer lowered his head.

"You're right, ma'am. We'll correct it immediately."

Another engineer smiled.

"You're not an engineer, yet you find mistakes even we miss."

Kiara smiled politely.

"It isn't about my profession. It's about responsibility."

Within a few hours, every issue had been corrected.

As they walked back toward the car, Dylan checked the schedule on his tablet.

"So... where to next, Kiara?"

Kiara glanced at the next project file and smiled.

"Let's head to the next site. We've got another family waiting for their dream home."Here's a polished version that keeps the action exciting without going into excessive violence.

By late afternoon, Kiara and Dylan had finished inspecting every project site.

As they got into the car, Kiara closed the last file.

"Everything's completed, right?"

Dylan hesitated.

"Well... almost."

She looked at him.

"What happened?"

"There's one more client. They still haven't cleared the payment. Sir said they've been acting like local thugs, so everyone has been avoiding them."

Kiara reached for the file.

"Address?"

"Kiara... are you sure?"

She smiled confidently.

"Someone has to do it."

A few minutes later, they stopped outside an upscale nightclub.

Kiara picked up the invoice and stepped out.

"You stay here."

"I'm coming with you."

"No. Give me five minutes."

Before Dylan could argue, she walked inside.

The loud music echoed through the club as colorful lights flashed across the room.

She walked straight to the private lounge where the client was sitting.

"Good evening, sir."

He looked up lazily.

"Yes?"

"I'm Kiara Rodrigues from CR-V Interiors. I'm here regarding the outstanding payment. I'd like to know when you intend to clear the bill."

The man smirked.

"Forget the payment. You look too beautiful to be talking about business. Why don't you join us instead?"

Kiara remained calm.

"I asked politely because I wanted to settle this professionally."

She placed the file on the table.

"I don't think you understood."

The man laughed and snapped his fingers.

Several men surrounded her.

The music inside the club suddenly grew louder.

Suggested background song: "Believer" – Imagine Dragons (or a similar powerful rock track that builds tension).

One of the men rushed toward her.

Kiara stepped aside at the last second.

His punch missed completely and shattered a glass bottle behind her.

Another man accidentally collided with him, sending both stumbling to the floor.

The others attacked together.

Years of self-defense training took over.

She stayed calm, dodging each attack with precise movements, using only enough force to stop them from fighting.

Within moments, every attacker had been disarmed and forced to back away.

The leader charged at her in frustration.

Kiara blocked his strike, redirected his momentum, and pinned him to the floor.

"Enough."

Silence filled the room.

Outside, Dylan received a frantic call from one of the employees.

"What? Kiara went in alone?"

He immediately called his boss.

"What?!"

His boss's voice thundered through the phone.

"Why did you let her go in by herself? I'm on my way!"

Both of them rushed into the club.

"Dylan! Kiara!"

They froze.

The room was a complete mess.

The men who had threatened her were standing quietly with their heads lowered.

The client slowly walked toward Kiara.

"Ms. Rodrigues..."

He bowed his head.

"I'm sorry for the way I behaved. I had no right to treat you like that."

Kiara folded the documents and looked at him calmly.

"I tried to solve this respectfully."

"I know."

He accepted the papers.

"I'll sign everything by tomorrow morning, and the payment will be transferred to your company's account."

He glanced at her hand.

"Are you hurt?"

Kiara looked at the small scrape on her wrist and smiled.

"It's nothing."

"No... I'm the one who should apologize."

She nodded politely.

"Then let's leave this matter here."

She picked up the file, turned toward Dylan and her boss, and smiled.

"Looks like we got the payment after all."

Dylan let out a relieved sigh.

"Next time... you're not going anywhere alone."

Kiara laughed.

"We'll discuss that in tomorrow's meeting."By the time Kiara reached home, the city lights had already taken over the evening sky.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"I'm home."

A tiny gray cat came running toward her.

"Meow!"

Kiara laughed and bent down to pick him up.

"Hi, darling Leno."

Leno rubbed his tiny head against her cheek, purring happily.

"Did you eat your food today?"

"Meow."

She smiled.

"I'm sorry, baby. Mama couldn't take care of you properly today. Work was so busy."

Leno stretched his paws onto her shoulder.

Kiara looked toward the balcony and sighed.

"Oh no... my plants."

She walked over and gently touched one of the leaves.

"You all need water too. I'm sorry."

Picking up the watering can, she carefully watered every plant, smiling as the cool water soaked the dry soil.

"There... much better."

Leno jumped onto the balcony railing.

"Hey!"

Kiara laughed.

"Don't you dare knock over my flower pots."

The little cat looked at her innocently before leaping back inside.

"And you..."

She scratched behind his ears.

"...stop leaving your fur all over the sofa. One day people will think I own ten cats instead of one."

Leno answered with another loud...

"Meow!"

Kiara giggled.

"Fine, fine... you win. Come on, let's have dinner together."