VIDITA

The alarm rang at exactly 5:45 a.m., buzzing like it always did. But today, it didn’t annoy her.

Today, it was a reminder — a new beginning.

Vidita Sen sat up slowly in her bed, rubbing her eyes. The sky outside her window glowed a soft blue, and the faint smell of ginger tea drifted from the kitchen. Her small bedroom, lined with second-hand novels and soft-colored bedsheets, was quiet — except for the beat of her racing heart.

Her first day. Her first real job.

She opened her phone screen and looked at the offer letter again:

Malhotra Enterprises – Assistant to VP Strategy.

“I made it,” she whispered.

“Tu uth gayi?” Her mother peeked in with a smile, holding a cup of tea. “Aaj meri badi ladki office ja rahi hai.”

Vidita grinned, taking the cup. “Bas, CEO banne mein 2-3 saal lagenge.”

Her mother laughed, but there was pride in her eyes — pride and relief.

In the kitchen, her father folded his newspaper. “Pehla din hai, ghabrana mat. Seedha kaam pe dhyan dena. Aur haan, kisi se baat kam karna.”

Her little sister Mitali chirped, “Aur agar boss handsome ho toh?”

Vidita threw a spoon at her, laughing. “Bas tu chup kar.”

The small home echoed with light banter and love. It wasn’t a palace, but it was filled with the warmth of a family that never let poverty steal their peace.

---

MALHOTRA ENTERPRISES – 9:30 AM

The glass tower scraped the sky. Elegant. Cold. Powerful. Exactly like the man who owned it.

Vidita stood in front of the revolving doors, adjusting the sleeves of her pale pink kurti, holding her bag tightly. Her ID card felt heavier than it should.

As she stepped inside, air conditioning and silence hit her like a wave. Men in suits, women in heels — sharp, polished, and fast.

But she wasn’t here to look pretty.

She was here to win.

---

RIDHVAN

Elsewhere, on the 40th floor of a penthouse wrapped in silence, Ridhvan Malhotra adjusted the cuffs of his shirt, staring at himself in the mirror.

Perfection. Always.

His tie, his posture, his gaze — every inch screamed control. And beneath that control?

Nothing.

No warmth. No noise. Just discipline, power, and distance.

His phone buzzed. “Boardroom meeting at 10.”

He didn’t respond.

He never did.

He walked past his stepmother in the kitchen. She smiled, “Breakfast?”

“No.”

His little stepsister peeked from behind the table. “Bhai?”

He paused. Gave her a single glance. A very rare one. The girl smiled brightly just for that.

His father said nothing. He had learned not to ask.

Ridhvan stepped into his sleek black car. His world was emotionless, routine, sharp. Exactly how he liked it.

---

LATER THAT DAY...

From the top floor, behind black-tinted glass, Ridhvan glanced at the buzzing office below. Dozens of employees moving like ants — all replaceable.

Then his gaze paused.

A girl in pink, walking beside Kabir.

Confident walk. Nervous eyes.

Too soft for this place.

Too bright.

“Who’s that?” he asked Tanya, his assistant.

“New joinee. Kabir’s new PA. Vidita Sen.”

He didn’t respond.

But something… stayed.

---

Neither of them knew that

the wind had already shifted. That a story was already beginning.