Threads of Destiny

10-Unexpected proposals

Barun adjusted the cuff of his crisp white shirt, carefully sliding a Rolex watch onto his wrist. He slipped his Apple laptop into a sleek leather bag, laced up his polished shoes, and made his way toward the dining room. As he entered, his eyes immediately settled on Rekha and Giriraj seated at the table, enjoying poha and juice. Across from them sat Ishita, exuding confidence as she met his gaze with an unreadable expression.

A wave of irritation washed over him. Lately, just seeing her set his teeth on edge, but today, the anger simmered just beneath the surface. He couldn't forget how she had claimed him in front of Kali, her words possessive and presumptuous. It was a move Barun found inexcusable.

He sat down, forcing himself to focus on the sandwich in front of him. The tension in the room thickened as Ishita spoke. "I'm throwing a birthday bash for Rekha Aunty" she announced, her voice laced with excitement.

Rekha’s eyes sparkled with delight as she exclaimed, “Thank you, Ishita!” Then, turning to Giriraj with a radiant smile, she added, “I have a special announcement to make that day—I’ll be announcing Barun and Ishita’s engagement!”

The words hit Barun like a slap. His grip on the fork tightened, his knuckles turning white. Beneath his calm exterior, a storm brewed, his fury barely contained. His mother’s declaration was an ambush, and it left him reeling. Yet, he forced a smile, his lips stiff as he nodded at Ishita. She beamed back at him, triumphant, like she had just won the prize she’d been chasing for years.

Barun swallowed his rage, telling himself to wait. The time would come—a perfect moment to tear through their expectations without hesitation or mercy. He was mid-bite, trying to choke down the sprouts on his plate, when his phone buzzed. A call from his secretary. He ignored it, focusing instead on the infuriating breakfast scene in front of him.

The phone buzzed again, this time more insistently. Irritated, he snatched it off the table and answered. “What?” he snapped.

“Sir, Miss Kalindi called me,” Sameer, his secretary, said quickly, clearly accustomed to Barun’s sharp tone. “She’s asking for your number.”

Barun froze, the name slicing through his thoughts like a blade. “What?” he repeated, his voice softer but sharper. “How does she have your number?”

“She got it from the company’s website,” Sameer explained, his tone steady, knowing how to navigate his boss’s moods.

Barun’s jaw tightened. “Give her my number,” he said after a pause, his mind racing. “And next time, let me know immediately when she calls.” Without waiting for a response, he ended the call, his mind swirling with questions.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of restlessness. In his office, Barun paced back and forth, his gaze darting to his phone every few minutes. The usually composed, sharp-minded businessman was uncharacteristically distracted, his thoughts consumed by one thing: why had Kali reached out after all this time? What did she want?

The weight of unanswered questions pressed on him, each moment of silence from his phone feeling like an eternity. And yet, somewhere deep within the storm of emotions, he felt the faint stirrings of something else—anticipation.

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Kali sat at her desk, sifting through a stack of documents related to an investor interested in her orange business. The man had been frustratingly tight-lipped, refusing to disclose his boss’s identity—the real investor. Her mind, however, was barely on the papers in front of her. No matter how hard she tried, the memories of the previous day kept crashing into her thoughts like relentless waves.