Heart's Desire

The Spark of my life.

It happened 16 years ago, yet it's still stuck in her mind as if it happened yesterday. Her life wasn't like others; it was different. She had parents, she had a family, but they weren't close to her heart. Her parents were just that in name only. They neither loved her nor taught her anything that normal parents do. She felt like an orphan despite having parents. Her mother was always busy with her kitty parties and high-society friends, while her father was never a responsible figure. He never played with her, nor did he attend her PTM. Instead, they hired caretakers to look after her. She never experienced parental love.

At the age of 5, she saw her mother hugging a man, and it wasn't just a casual hug. Even at that young age, she understood. She waited for her father to come home and told him everything. Instead of confronting her mother, he sent her away to boarding school. He visited her once every six months, but even that stopped eventually. When people lack something, they often focus their energy on other things—that's what happened to her. The absence of love led her down a different path. She became rude, arrogant, and wanted to dominate everything. Even the teachers couldn't control her, as her father owned the school. At the time, she thought everything was fine, but in reality, it wasn't. She was hiding. Without realizing it, she became an introvert but masked herself as an extrovert.

Eventually, she finished school and had no choice but to return home to her parents. As expected, there was no one to welcome her. Her mother didn't even know she was coming back from boarding school—funny, right? When she stepped inside her house, she saw her mother reading the newspaper.

"Hi, Mom," she greeted her with a forced smile.

"Hi, Anu... When did you come? Are you home for the holidays?" her mother asked, looking up briefly.

"Holidays? No, Mom, I finished school," she replied, knowing her mother had no idea which subjects she had taken in her 12th grade. But Anika understood and headed to her room.

The room she used to live in was no longer hers. It had been remodeled, painted in navy blue. It was so dark that even with all the lights on, it still felt gloomy—just like her life. "They should've painted it black," she thought that day. She felt like there was no turning back in her life and made peace with it.

One day, her mother announced they were going to a party where all the important guests and VVIPs would be present, including the Prime Minister. With no other choice, she went. Little did she know that this party would change her life.

It was the most lavish party she had ever attended. Everything about it was impressive. Soon, she heard her mother's voice behind her.

"You can talk to anyone, but stay away from them—the Oberois," her mother warned, glancing at three young men.

"They are the biggest rivals of Rao Enterprises. I hope you understand," her mother added before leaving. Anika couldn't have been happier—finally, a chance for revenge. She made her way toward the Oberois with a wide smile.

She was wearing a beautiful sparkling blue gown, and most of the young men couldn't take their eyes off her. But her focus was on one person standing at the far end—her destiny, in other words. She approached him with a sweet smile and stood behind him. He had his back to her, but when she touched his shoulder, he turned around, and for a second, everything seemed to stop. She felt a spark in her heart. His grey-blue eyes were mesmerizing. She couldn't resist admiring him. Whether he felt the same was the question.

"Hi," she greeted him with a smile.

"Hi," he replied.

"I'm Anika... Anika Rao," she said, extending her hand for a handshake.

"I'm Shivaay... Shivaay Singh Oberoi. Nice to meet you, Miss Rao," he responded.

"Call me Anika... Shivaay, can I call you by your first name?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"You can... I mean, yeah, you can," he replied awkwardly, and they both smiled.

Their conversation caught the attention of both their families, who were furious but couldn't do anything in public, especially not in front of the media. Anika laughed more than usual, pretending it was all for revenge. But deep down, she enjoyed his company. When the music started playing, Anika noticed her parents glaring at her, and it filled her with satisfaction. But her heart knew that revenge wasn't her true intention—she just wanted attention from her parents. Finally, she had gotten it, and she smiled sincerely.

"Shall we?" Anika asked Shivaay, inviting him to dance.

"Yes! I mean, my pleasure," he said, knowing he had no other option. His family's reaction made him want to end the conversation, but for some reason, he couldn't.

They both went to the dance floor. She took his hands and guided him as they danced. Even though he didn't want to dance, he did. She lifted his hands and twirled under them, noticing how cold his hands were.

"Why are your hands so cold?" Anika asked while dancing.

"Nothing... It's probably the A/C," he replied, trying to cover it up.

"But I can feel something... Your family is glaring at us," Anika said teasingly.

"You know we've been business rivals for a long time," he smiled.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm dancing with you now," Anika replied casually.

"What? I don't understand," Shivaay said, confused. She shifted their direction so he could see her parents' reaction.

"Can you see them?" Anika asked.

"Yeah... those bloodshot eyes," he replied.

"That's what I've been yearning for... and I got it. Thank you for making it happen," Anika said, stopping the dance.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi... I hope we never meet again," Anika said with a victorious smile as she walked away, leaving Shivaay utterly confused.