𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑.2

A a r u s h

The sun’s rays, like insistent fingers, pried open my eyelids. 8:45. Too late for someone who was supposed to be a perfectionist. The morning light was a cruel contrast to the fog in my head, and disbelief washed over me like a wave. A year. It had been exactly a year since I buried myself in the business, giving every ounce of my being to it.

Every late night. Every sacrifice. Every reckless decision that could have gone wrong but somehow didn’t.

And here I was— a billionaire.

The thought brought a strange tingling to my chest. Pride, exhaustion, maybe both. But there was no time to savor it. Time never waited for anyone, least of all me. The day was already stacked with meetings, strategies, decisions that could change everything.

My head throbbed, punishing me for last night’s celebration. Maybe I had let loose too much, but it was the only way I knew how to breathe after months of suffocation.

A cold shower snapped me back to life. By the time I put on my brown suit and strapped the Rolex on my wrist, I looked exactly how I was supposed to—powerful, controlled, unshakable. The world would see that version of Aarush Malhotra. Not the one who sometimes wanted to lie in bed, away from the expectations crushing him.

As I descended the grand staircase, the smell of breakfast and the sight of Dadu with his newspaper, Dadi fussing at the table, pulled me into a softer world.

“Good morning, Dadu,” I said, bending to take his blessings. His hand on my head felt grounding, a reminder of where I came from.

Dadi hugged me, her eyes twinkling like they always did when she saw me ready for work.

“Are the others still asleep?” I asked, glancing around.

“Yes,” she said simply.

“Is breakfast ready?” My stomach betrayed me, rumbling like a restless child.

“Sit, I’ll serve you,” she insisted, her hands already moving with practiced love.

“Dadi, you cooked all this?” I asked, touched and guilty at once.

“Yes, why?” she said, as though she hadn’t been waking up early to take care of us her entire life.

“It’s perfect,” I murmured. And it was. Perfect because it was hers.

The moment was interrupted by my younger brother’s voice, “Good morning Dadu and Dadi!” Ayaan bounded in, his usual energy disguising his sly intentions.

“Bhaiya didn’t wake up yet?” he asked, with fake worry that made me smile to myself.

Dadu played along, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

“Nowadays bhaiya is very lazy,” Ayaan continued dramatically. “I’m doing all his work at the office. Dadu, you’ll have to talk to him otherwise—”

“Ho gaya tera?” My voice cut through his performance, sharp and amused.

He spun around, panic written all over his face. “Bhaiya… I was just kidding.” His fake smile trembled.