"Did you really think I'd never find you?"

The city glittered beneath him. Millions of lights. Millions of lives.

Yet Arnav Raizada's attention was fixed on only one thing. The address glowing on his phone screen.

Six years. Six years of unanswered questions. Six years of convincing himself that hatred was easier than heartbreak.

His fingers tightened around the glass of whiskey.

Somewhere out there...

Khushi Sharma was living her life. Breathing. Laughing. Existing.

While he had spent six years carrying the ruins she left behind.

A bitter smile touched his lips. Cold. Dangerous. Patient.

"Found you."

Monday morning. Chaos. Pure chaos.

Khushi sprinted through the office lobby. Coffee in one hand. Laptop tucked under her arm. Bag sliding off her shoulder.

She glanced at her watch. And groaned. Late. Again.

"Perfect."

The elevator doors began closing. Khushi lunged. Barely making it inside. The victory lasted exactly three seconds.

Because someone stepped in behind her.

Her coworker, Priya. Already grinning. Which was never a good sign.

"Did you hear?"

Khushi sighed.

"Hear what?"

Priya looked personally offended.

"You don't know?"

"No."

"You really don't know?"

"Priya."

"The acquisition."

Khushi blinked.

"What acquisition?"

The elevator doors opened. And suddenly the entire office looked like a wedding venue. Fresh flowers. Decorations.

Employees rushing everywhere. Managers practically running. People whispering in corners.

Even the usually grumpy receptionist looked excited. Khushi frowned.

"What is happening?"

Priya grabbed her arm dramatically.

"The acquisition is finalized."

Khushi nearly dropped her coffee.

"What?"

"The company officially has a new owner."

The announcement spread through the building like wildfire. Every conversation led back to the same topic.

Who was he? How rich was he? Would there be layoffs? Would salaries increase? Would people get fired?

Khushi had exactly one concern.

"As long as he pays salaries on time, I don't care who owns the company."

Priya burst out laughing.

"You're unbelievable."

"I'm practical."

"You're impossible."

"Also true."

For a moment, both women laughed. The morning continued. Deadlines. Emails. Meetings. Normal. Completely normal. As if fate wasn't already driving toward them.

Around noon— Three black luxury SUVs rolled into the company parking lot.

The entire building seemed to notice. Employees crowded near windows. Some gathered near the entrance. Whispers exploded everywhere.

"That's him."

"Is it really?"

"I heard he's worth billions."

"I heard he owns half the city."

"I heard he fired an entire executive team once."

Khushi ignored all of it. Mostly because she was fighting for her life against a printer. A battle she was rapidly losing.

Meanwhile— Inside the executive boardroom.

Senior management stood waiting. Straight-backed. Nervous. Smiling too much. The double doors opened. Silence fell instantly. Polished leather shoes stepped inside.

Then black tailored trousers. A charcoal suit. A luxury watch. Broad shoulders. Commanding presence. Power.

The kind that didn't need introduction.

Arnav Raizada entered the room.

Six years had changed him. The softness was gone. The warmth was gone. The man who once believed in forever no longer existed.

In his place stood someone sharper. Colder. Untouchable.

The room erupted into applause. Executives smiled. Board members welcomed him. Someone began speaking about future growth projections.

Arnav nodded politely. Professional. Controlled. Uninterested.

Then— His gaze drifted beyond the glass wall. Toward the office floor outside. And stopped.

Outside the boardroom. Khushi stared at the printer. The printer stared back. Error. Again.

"No."

Error. Again.

"No."

Paper jam. Again.

Khushi closed her eyes.

"Really?"

The printer remained unimpressed. She pointed at it accusingly.

"After everything we've been through?"

Still nothing.

"You choose today?"

The printer continued its rebellion.

Inside the boardroom— Arnav stopped breathing.

Just for a second. A single second. But enough. Because through the glass wall...

he saw her. Khushi. Real. Alive. Only a few feet away. Not a photograph.

Not a lead. Not an address. Her.

The woman who had haunted every waking moment of his life. The woman who had shattered him. The woman he had spent six years searching for.

The boardroom disappeared. The voices disappeared. The applause disappeared. Everything disappeared. Except her.

His heartbeat became painfully loud. His jaw tightened. His fingers curled slightly against the conference table.

A board member continued speaking. Arnav heard none of it.

Because six years of anger...

six years of questions...

six years of memories...

had just walked back into his life.

Without even knowing it.

Outside—The printer suddenly whirred to life.

Khushi gasped.

"Oh."

A page printed. Then another. Then another. She stared at it. Offended.

"Oh now you work?"

The printer offered no explanation. Khushi gathered the documents. Shook her head. And turned around. Completely unaware. Completely blind to the pair of eyes watching her from behind the glass.

Inside the boardroom. Arnav hadn't moved. Hadn't blinked. Hadn't looked away. Not once.

Because if he did— He might discover she wasn't real.

That this was another cruel hallucination.

Another dream. Another trick played by memory.

But she was real. Painfully real.

And walking directly toward him.

The boardroom doors opened. Khushi entered carrying the revised financial reports. Focused entirely on work. Focused entirely on not being yelled at for being late. She didn't look up.

"Sorry, these are the revised financials—"

Then she raised her eyes. Everything stopped.

The room. The air. Time itself. Gone.

The files slipped from her hands.

Papers exploded across the floor.

White sheets scattering in every direction.

No one moved. No one spoke. Silence swallowed the room.

Khushi couldn't breathe.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Her mind refused to process what her eyes were seeing.

Arnav.

Sitting at the head of the table.

Arnav.

After six years.

Arnav.

Looking exactly like the nightmare she'd spent years running from.

Older. Stronger. Harder.

His face showed nothing.

No shock. No anger. No sadness. Nothing.

And somehow—

That hurt more than hatred ever could.

Because hatred meant he still cared.

This expression...

felt like indifference.

Like she meant nothing. Like six years had erased her completely.

Khushi felt her knees weaken.

The room spun.

Every memory crashed into her all at once.

The prison. The goodbye. The rain. The lies. The baby. The heartbreak.

Everything.

Her lips parted.

But no words came.

Until finally—

Barely above a whisper—

She forced herself to speak.

"Arnav...."

For the first time—

A flicker of emotion appeared in Arnav's eyes.

Gone so quickly no one else noticed.

But Khushi did.

And it terrified her.

Because what she saw there wasn't forgiveness.

It wasn't love.

It wasn't even hatred.

It was something far more dangerous.

The look of a man who had waited six years for answers.

And had finally come to collect them.