Dawn of Spring

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Isn't ZMedico the name of Vivaan's family business?" Neal Arya asked, glancing up from the newspaper in his hands. His eyes, sharp with curiosity, flicked to his daughter. "It's made the front page today."

Ahana leaned closer, her gaze settling on the headline as he passed the paper to her.

ZMedico Donates 1 Million to Transform Orphanage into Boarding Wing for Heritage High Day Play School.

"They've recovered the orphanage's goodwill rights in the process," he added.

Ahana's lips pressed into a thin line as she scanned the article. The formal language and celebratory tone did little to temper her rising anger.

"They've turned it into a business deal," she muttered, her voice tight. 

Ahana understood the game too well. Companies like ZMedico weren't altruists. They were opportunists, masters of turning compassion into capital. This latest "act of charity" was no different. A calculated move to win public favour under the guise of helping orphans.

She had never been one to appreciate such manipulative tactics.

Either you are helpful in assisting them, or you are not. The concept of being "in the middle" does not exist.

She couldn't help but feel the sharp contrast between her world and Vivaan's, especially at moments like this. While she struggled with the harsh realities of broken systems and the need for genuine change, Vivaan's life seemed to glide smoothly on the runway of privilege and measured moves.

Her mind drifted to their last conversation, a memory that still stung. She had declined his call last night, the heaviness in her chest too much to bear. He had tried to reach her afterward, leaving voicemails and texts with attempts to bridge the distance. No matter how many words he threw at the void, they couldn't fix what she saw as an infinite difference.

He lived in a world where gestures were transactional, where money solved problems, or at least created the illusion of solving them. Now, with little Gia caught in the middle, it felt personal. All she wanted for her was to find a loving home. She wanted to believe Vivaan cared; maybe he truly did. Then again, his lifestyle, his choices, seemed to go against the fundamentals of what love really meant.

Love cannot be bought or sold. It was a truth she had clung to her entire life. However, in a world that so often placed a price tag on emotions, she wondered if Vivaan, or anyone else in his orbit, could ever grasp it.

"Don't," her Papa's voice was calm but firm, cutting through her spiraling thoughts.

He exhaled lightly and folded the newspaper, setting it aside. With a gesture, he beckoned her to sit next to him. "Come here. Sit. Try not to stress over things you can't control, Hana. We can only do so much."

"There must be something I can do," she said, her voice thick with desperation. "Anything."

Her fathers' sharp eyes softened as he watched her wrestle with her emotions. Before he could respond, a small, peaceful snore broke the tension. Ahana glanced over and couldn't help the flicker of amusement that crossed her face. The toddler, Gia, lay sprawled out on the diwan, her tiny chest rising and falling in deep sleep.

"How does she sleep so peacefully in the middle of all this headache?" Ahana murmured, a smile tugging at her lips despite herself.

"Because she trusts you," Neal Arya replied. His voice was steady and warm, his words carrying a meaning that made her pause. "You were the same when you were her age. Carefree. Confident in your head that your Ma and I had it all figured out, even though at times, that wasn't the case."