When Hearts Collide

|•Chapter 2•|

**Author's POV**

Naina stepped out of the airport, the thick Mumbai air wrapping around her like a familiar embrace. The city’s cacophony of honking cars, street vendors, and distant construction sounds filled the background, reminding her that she was back in the chaos she once called home. Her heart raced as she walked toward the taxi stand, her mind already churning with thoughts of the meeting she would soon have to attend.

After five years of avoiding him, today she would be face-to-face with Ekansh Singhania.

As the taxi zoomed through the crowded streets of Mumbai, Naina stared out the window, her thoughts wandering back to the last time she had seen Ekansh. The images of that night at the school farewell party were burned into her memory. She remembered the pain of overhearing him speak so carelessly about their friendship, the words slicing through her like jagged glass. She never gave him a chance to explain, never asked for his side of the story. She simply walked away and built a wall around her heart, hoping to forget the boy who had meant everything to her.

But fate had other plans.

The taxi stopped outside the high-rise building where the meeting would take place. Naina paid the driver, grabbed her bag, and took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted was to see Ekansh again, but Riya’s firm had landed a huge project with his company, and she was an integral part of the team. There was no avoiding this.

The lobby was sleek and modern, with high ceilings and polished marble floors. Naina checked her reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator. She looked confident, composed—exactly how she wanted to feel, though her stomach was in knots. As the elevator ascended, she felt a familiar pang in her chest. The girl who had once been so close to Ekansh was gone, replaced by someone stronger, more guarded.

When the elevator doors slid open on the 14th floor, Naina walked down the hallway toward the conference room, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. She could already hear the low hum of voices behind the door. Riya had mentioned there would be a small team present, but she hadn’t specified who else would be in the room. Naina hoped Ekansh wouldn’t be there yet; she needed a moment to collect herself.

She pushed open the door.

Her heart sank the second she saw him.

Ekansh was already seated at the head of the table, casually leaning back in his chair as he listened to one of his colleagues speak. His dark hair was neatly styled, his jawline sharper than she remembered, and he wore an expensive-looking navy suit that only amplified his aura of authority. He had always been good-looking, but the years had added an edge of sophistication to his presence.

His eyes met hers almost immediately, and for a moment, the entire room seemed to fall away.

Ekansh’s gaze held hers, his expression unreadable, but there was no mistaking the flicker of recognition in his eyes. His lips parted slightly, as if he was about to say something, but then Riya’s voice cut through the tension.