Growing love

chapter 3

Arjun's P.O.V:

I always wanted to be involved in the business. As a kid, I liked the idea of business trips, but now everything has changed. I like them because they allow me to immerse myself in work.

Being the Managing Director of the company isn't as easy as people think. Everyone assumes that just because my grandfather founded the company, and my father is the president, I had an easy ride to this position. But they don’t know how my family molded me since childhood. No doubt, they wanted the best for me and expected the best from me.

I worked incredibly hard to be where I am today, to prove myself to everyone. When I was around 10 years old, my grandfather retired and made my father the CEO. From that moment, I knew I wanted to carry on the family legacy. Dad always recognized my passion for the business and used to say, “Arjun will expand our business across India.” That dream fueled me, and I wanted nothing more than to make my family proud.

Back when I was in university, Dad would often travel alone. But once I started working, I joined him. Now, I manage the business trips on my own with my team. Dad fully trusts my decisions and our team’s direction.

I was in my room when Mom called, and we had our usual chat. Then, as expected, Dad brought up a business deal. That’s just how things are between us—our conversations revolve mostly around business. There’s a slight distance in our relationship, one that isn’t visible to others.

As I packed my bags for the afternoon, preparing to leave for my grandfather's farmhouse, I knew why he wanted to see me. But I couldn’t say anything to him about it. Despite that, I felt a little happiness knowing I’d see my family after almost a week, though I’m pretty good at hiding those emotions.

At the Airport (Bangalore):

As I walked toward the airport’s entrance, checking messages on my phone, I suddenly collided with someone, and my phone fell to the ground. Instantly, anger surged through my veins.

I looked down and saw a girl standing in front of me, clearly the one who had bumped into me. Her bag had fallen as well. She hurriedly gathered her things, and I noticed her hair—some strands had fallen loose as she bent down, making her look almost... cute.

She suddenly looked up at me, her eyes full of annoyance. Snapping back to reality, I said, “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

Her eyes widened, and she shot back, “You were on your phone too! It’s not just my fault.”

I diverted my attention to my phone, relieved to find it unharmed. If anything had happened to it, I wouldn’t have let her off so easily.

“Is your phone okay or not?” she asked.

“It’s fine. But you should be more careful. If something had happened to my phone, I wouldn’t have let you go so easily,” I replied, trying to keep my anger in check.

She glared at me, clearly not backing down. Just as she was about to say something, another girl approached her and said, “Ruhi, come quickly, or I’ll miss my flight!” She nodded and turned back to me.

“Mister, you should also pay attention while walking, or one day you’ll fall flat on your face. Keep that in mind,” she said firmly before turning away.

I was barely containing my irritation. “I wasn’t the only one at fault. You should also watch where you’re going,” I retorted. But all I got in return was another glare. What kind of person doesn’t even apologize?

My mind whispered, You didn’t apologize either.

Shrugging it off, I watched her walk away with her friend. So, her name is Ruhi. I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t seem to place it. I decided to leave it at that.