Pari arrived at the office, entered her room, and sank into her seat, closing her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, the events of the party refused to leave her mind. The calm, composed Ishaan—the way he cared for her—lingered in her thoughts. It felt as though she was once again around the Ishaan she had known before he became reckless and short-tempered. Restless, she walked out and entered the one room that had always been her solace. Reyansh was busy going through some files, with Ayaan beside him. Ever since he had decided taken over Rey’s Group, Pari had also become part of the business. Just like Rey and Mithun once did, Ayaan and Pari were now ready to run the empire together.
“Ms. Pari, what are you doing here?” Ayaan asked, taking a break from his laptop.
Pari rolled her eyes and sat on the couch. Reyansh immediately glared at Ayaan before moving to sit beside her. Without a word, Pari laid her head on his lap, and Reyansh began caressing her hair gently, never questioning her.
The door opened, and Mithun stepped in, but Reyansh hushed him quickly and pointed at Pari, who had already fallen asleep. Reyansh carefully shifted her head onto a cushion before walking out with Mithun. Ayaan, meanwhile, returned to his work in silence.
“She’s stressing herself out. She hardly eats or sleeps properly. She’s completely disturbed,” Mithun murmured, concern lacing his voice.
Reyansh wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “She’s close to realizing what she truly wants in life. The more confused she is now, the clearer she’ll be when she comes out of it. Don’t worry—we’re here for her. We won’t let her fall.”
Mithun hugged him, feeling reassured.
Inside the room, Pari stirred faintly in her sleep as a soothing touch caressed her hair. A small smile formed on her lips. Ishaan sat on the tea table, leaning forward to gently run his fingers through her hair.
“Ishaan…” she mumbled unconsciously, and his lips curved into a smile.
“You never forget me, Pari. You always call for me, even in your sleep… just like every time I’ve been beside you. I never left you, and you’ve always known that.” His voice was soft, almost a whisper, as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “Sleep, baby. Just a few more days, and you’ll be in my arms forever.”
And like always, he slipped away quietly before she could wake.
When Pari finally opened her eyes, she felt unusually light, as though a burden had lifted. Stretching her arms, she realized she had fallen asleep in Rey’s room. Straightening up, she spotted Ayaan still at his seat, working. She let out a yawn, drawing his attention.
“Lazy goose. You always crash here to sleep,” he teased. “Now get back to work. Oh, and don’t forget the honey cake your Rey uncle got for you.”
Pari ruffled his hair playfully before hugging him and walking out with her cake. Ayaan fixed his hair back into place, smiling as he watched her leave. A silent prayer escaped him—for Pari and his Ishu bro to finally come together.
“Once she marries Ishu bro, I’m going to trouble her so much. I’ll steal all her honey cakes and kulfis. God! Dad will probably throw me out of the window, and Ishu bro… he’ll just burn me alive with his eyes.” Ayaan chuckled at his own thoughts before slipping back into his business.
Just then, a knock on the door snapped him back to reality, and glancing at the time, he hurried to open it.
His friend Zara, the daughter of Jothi—an ex-model of Rey Diamonds—and Lakshman, the former home manager of Rey Manor, entered the room with a file in hand. Before she could even speak, Ayaan pulled her into a hug and kissed her. Zara wrapped her arms around his neck, and they became lost in the kiss. Finally, when they pulled away, Ayaan guided her to the couch and sat with her on his lap.
“I missed you, Zara. I was waiting for you, love,” Ayaan whispered in a husky voice, tracing her cheek with his finger.
“Ayaan, you see me every day. I’m here to meet Ishika sister. I have some files that she needs to check urgently. And I also wanted to tell you that I’ll be leaving for Delhi tomorrow with Vaishu aunty, so I won’t be able to meet you. We’ll return late at night, and I’ll see you the next day,” Zara explained, and Ayaan kissed her forehead.
“Baby, why don’t you join as my PA? I’ll let mom hire an assistant for herself,” Ayaan suggested, but Zara pinched his cheek playfully.
“Aunty needs someone trustworthy, and I want to be that person. She suggested I work at the office long back, so that we could be together, but I denied her plan. I want to be with her—she’s someone I admire with all my heart. I’m learning so much from her, and I want to be as selfless as she is,” Zara said with sincerity, and Ayaan admired how deeply she adored his parents and family.
“You are selfless, Zara. You could have become a model like Jothi aunty, or joined the office, or even chosen to stay home—and my family would still have married us. But instead, you chose to stay by my mom’s side. I love you, and I can’t wait to marry you,” Ayaan murmured, kissing her neck, but Zara chuckled and gently pushed his face away.
“Hold on, Mr. Ayaan. Your turn isn’t anytime soon. Ishaan bro, Ishika, and Adhvika are all ahead of us in line to be married. Everyone has accepted us, so let’s enjoy our lives and get married at the right time. Now, it’s time for me to leave. Take care,” Zara said, and as she stood up to leave, Ayaan pulled her into one last kiss before letting her go.
Pari was working on her laptop when a knock sounded on the door. She groaned and allowed the person to enter, only to be shocked to see Varun.
“Varun?”
Varun smiled, taking the seat opposite her, his eyes wandering around her office. It was his first time at Rey’s head office, and he couldn’t hide the admiration in his gaze.
“Varun, what are you doing here?” Pari asked, breaking his trance.
“You left the party and seemed upset, so I thought I’d check on you. How are you feeling now? How about dinner tonight?” Varun asked. Pari glanced at her watch.
“I’ve ignored work for the past few days after the engagement, and I just got back to it today. Ayaan has been managing everything alone, so I thought I’d stay a little late tonight,” she replied.
Varun moved to her side and held her hand. “Pari, I know you’re stressed. You’re one of the partners in Rey Groups now. Add to that our engagement and us trying to figure out this relationship—it’s a lot to take in. But you’re not alone in this. You have me. So relax, and let’s have dinner tonight. Tomorrow you can get back to business.”
Pari hesitated but eventually closed her laptop and picked up her handbag.
They arrived at a restaurant, where Varun pulled out a chair for her before taking his seat opposite.
“You look tired, but still so beautiful, Pari. Back in college, you used to be fragile and scared of everything so easily. But today, you’re one of the partners of Rey’s group. I’m so proud of you.”
Pari smiled at his words. They placed their order, and Varun reached across the table to hold her hand. A knot tightened in her stomach, and she felt the sudden urge to pull away and she did pretending to look around the hotel. Her mind drifted back to the party, to the way Ishaan had held her hand, the way he had cared for her injured foot and carried her sandals.
Her trance broke when the waiter arrived with their food, and Pari quickly focused on eating. She smiled faintly at Varun’s jokes, which reminded her of their college days. For a moment, everything almost felt perfect—until Meghna stopped by their table.
“Hi lovebirds, sorry to disturb you. I was just passing by after meeting a client and was surprised to see you both,” Meghna chirped. Varun smiled at her warmly, while Pari only gave a polite nod.
“Meghna, I didn’t know you were here. Come, join us for dinner,” Varun said, and Pari looked at him in shock.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be a dinner for just the two of us? ” she thought, though she still forced a smile and gestured for Meghna to sit.
Pari continued to eat quietly, listening to Meghna and Varun’s conversation.
“Varun, I hate working for Dad. Would you be okay if I joined your company?”
Pari’s hand stopped mid-air at Meghna’s words. She dropped her spoon and stared at Varun, who looked just as shocked. But he quickly recovered, laughing softly as he wiped his lips with the napkin.
“Meghna, I don’t think that’s a good idea. But I do have a better option—for both you and Pari. She’s stressed with her work, so maybe you could join her office, if she’s okay with it. That way it’s a win-win,” Varun suggested.
Meghna’s face lit up as she immediately reached across the table, holding Pari’s hand.
“Pari, I’d love to help you in the business. I have a master’s degree in business management—I could really be useful to you. And we’d have so much fun together too. What do you say?” Meghna dropped the proposal casually, though it landed like a bomb for Pari, who tried to mask her discomfort.
“I… I’ll let you know, Meghna. Rey Uncle has already hired a couple of people to assist me and Ayaan, so I don’t really need extra help. But I can check for openings in another department if you’d like. That said, it wouldn’t be a management role. Would you be comfortable working under someone else?” Pari countered, keeping her tone polite.
For a fleeting second, she caught Meghna’s gaze flicker toward Varun—a subtle exchange that didn’t escape her notice.
“It’s okay, Meghna, give her some time. She’s not feeling well and I brought her here to relax. She’ll get back to you” Varun intervened gently.
“I understand, I’d still be really happy to work with you, Pari. I’ll wait for your response. I’ll leave now—I don’t want to disturb you both. Have a great time love birds” Meghna said with a practiced smile but Pari caught the subtle tilt of head towards Varun.
Meghna walked away, leaving Pari staring at her plate, her appetite gone. She pushed the food around absently.
“You don’t like the food? Should I order something else? Maybe your favorite cake and kulfi?” Varun asked with concern, but Pari shook her head and wiped her hands.
“I’m tired, Varun. Drop me at the office—I’ll drive my car home. I need to catch up with some work before the meeting tomorrow “
Without waiting for his response she picked up her handbag, and Varun silently followed her out of the restaurant.
“Pari, if you’re this tired, let me drop you home. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pick you up and drive you to the office,” he offered, but she declined, insisting on returning to the office.
The drive back was quiet, the air heavy with unspoken words.
“You seem lost in thought all the time, Pari. What’s bothering you? I’m always here for you—please share it with me,” Varun urged gently.
Pari glanced at him for a moment, then turned her gaze away, fixing her eyes on the road ahead.
“I’m fine, Varun. It’s just business. I’ll be fine,” she murmured.
Varun nodded silently. When they reached Rey’s Arcade, Pari bid him goodbye formally and headed inside. The office floor was quiet, almost too quiet. Exhaustion weighed her down, and all she wanted was the comfort of the couch in Rey’s room.
She pushed open the door—and froze.
Seated on the couch, a glass of whiskey in hand, was the last person she wanted to see.
Ishaan.
*******************
A/N:
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