The morning sun filtered through the pale blue curtains of Tara's room. She blinked, stretched her arms lazily, and for a second wished she could hide under the blanket again. But the familiar call of her mother's voice, sharp and loving at the same time, dragged her out of bed.
"Tara! Jaldi neeche aao, tumhari behen toh already school ko tayar ho gayi!"
She groaned, tied her hair into a messy bun, and hurried going to take shower. The smell of fresh parathas and chai filled the small dining space. Her father was already dressed in his formal dress reading the newspaper. Her younger sister clutched the last piece of paratha like a treasure.
"Give me that, you greedy kid," Tara teased, trying to snatch it.
"It's mine!" her sister yelled, stuffing the piece into her mouth as everyone laughed.
Breakfast was always the same-chaotic, loud, and oddly comforting. After gulping her tea, Tara rushed to catch the bus with Ananya, who was already waiting at the stop, waving frantically.
"You're always late!" Ananya scolded as Tara caught her breath.
"And you're always dramatic," Tara shot back, both bursting into giggles as the bus rumbled towards college.
---
At college ~~~
The Announcement
Their classes went on as usual until the final lecture. The professor walked in with a certain excitement in his tone, papers clutched tightly in his hands.
"Students, I have wonderful news. Malik Enterprises, one of the top firms in the country, has selected our college for their internship program. They will be recruiting some of our brightest students for a chance to work under them. If things go well, some may even receive permanent offers."
The entire class erupted into whispers. Malik Enterprises. The name itself carried weight-success, wealth, power. And behind it, the face of Arjun Malik, the billionaire business tycoon every magazine and news channel spoke about.
The professor continued, "Based on academic records, these are the shortlisted names."
He began reading aloud, and Tara's heart thudded in her chest.
"...Tara mehra, Ananya Singh..."
Her eyes widened, mouth parting slightly in disbelief. She and Meera exchanged a stunned look before breaking into delighted smiles.
Tara I knew it I knew it god had written something special in our fate. Who knows one day we too becomes a wife of some businessman who knows .. .. tara just rolled her eyes on hearing her dreamy imagination which she don't think going to be fullfill ever . .
---
On her way home that evening, Tara couldn't contain her excitement. She almost ran into the house, her dupatta flying like wings.
"Maa! Papa! Guess what!"
Her parents looked up in surprise, and her sister peeked from behind the door. Tara announced breathlessly, "I've been selected for internship at Malik Enterprises!"
For a moment, silence. Then her father's face broke into the proudest smile she had ever seen. Her mother's eyes shone with tears as she hugged Tara tightly.
"See, I told you our daughter will do something big," her father said, patting her head.
"Bas, mehnat karti rehna. Hum hamesha tumhare saath hain," her mother whispered.
Her sister, pretending to sulk, muttered, "Don't forget me when you become rich." Everyone laughed, the house filled with warmth.
---
Later that night, after dinner, Tara lay on her bed scrolling through her phone when it buzzed with Ananya's call.
"Are you awake?" Ananya asked, voice bubbling with excitement.
"Obviously. I can't sleep after today," Tara replied.
Ananya launched into her endless chatter-what to wear on the first day, how the office would look, what kind of people they'd meet. Then her tone shifted, dreamy.
"And maybe... we'll even get to see him."
"Who?" Tara asked,
"Arjun Malik, obviously! God, Tara, he's so handsome, yar I've heard people say his personality is... intimidating. Like, no one dares to even breathe too loudly around him."But did you see his face what a charming look he had got tara .
Tara smiled faintly, picturing the man from magazines and the college lecture. His piercing eyes, sharp jawline, and the aura that made him seem untouchable.
"Handsome but terrifying. Honestly, I don't even know if I'd want to meet him," Tara whispered.
Anu giggled, "Oh, you will. Who knows, maybe he'll even notice you."
Tara rolled her eyes, though her heart gave a tiny, nervous flutter. She wanted this internship for her family, for her dreams-not for some billionaire's attention. And yet, somewhere deep down, the thought of facing him made her chest tighten with an odd mix of fear and curiosity.
As she drifted off to sleep, she didn't know that her wish-to meet him-was already on its way to becoming reality.
But as she lay on her bed, her mind wandered against her will. She remembered his face when he had visited their college as a guest-those sharp, unreadable eyes that seemed to look through people rather than at them. His presence had filled the hall without him needing to raise his voice.
How can someone so young carry such... darkness in his gaze? Tara thought.
She shook her head, turning over in bed, but her curiosity refused to let go. The magazines had painted him as a self-made billionaire, the dream of every ambitious businessman. Yet, the hushed rumors whispered something else. Ruthless. Unforgiving. Dangerous.
~~~~~~~'
And somewhere, in another cruel world across the city, Arjun Malik sat on his chair
cigarette smoke curling around his face. His phone buzzed with Kabir's message about another "problem" handled. He exhaled slowly, eyes falling on the neat stack of papers Vaibhav had left earlier-internship applications from Tara's college.
He didn't read them yet. But he would.
Arjun leaned back on the leather chair in his office, the dim light of a golden lamp falling across the sharp lines of his face. The cigarette between his fingers burned slowly, ash collecting in the tray beside him.
Vaibhav had neatly placed the thick folder of internship applications on his desk earlier that evening. Arjun flipped it open with no interest, his eyes scanning the neatly printed names and smiling photographs.
"Children dreaming of changing the world," he muttered under his breath, a hollow chuckle escaping.
He didn't bother reading through carefully. His pen clicked once, and then, with detached indifference, he began marking random profiles - names chosen without thought, as though fate itself was playing dice with their lives.
When he reached Tara's file, he didn't notice the nervous smile in her photo or the hope in her application essay. He just drew a sharp line across the top and tossed it aside with the others.
"Handled," he said simply, pushing the folder away for Vaibhav to take care of.
For him, it was nothing more than another routine decision. But for Tara, it would change everything.
---~~~~~~~
And as time passed, like grains of sand slipping through an hourglass, the week dissolved into days.
The morning sun of Monday arrived too soon for Tara. She had barely slept the night before, her heart drumming in restless excitement. This was it-the week she had been waiting for, the opportunity she had dreamed of.
She didn't know that her name had already been sealed into a destiny she could neither escape nor control....
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