Aradhya's POV
The shrill sound of my alarm jolted me awake. I reached for my phone, only to find three missed calls from Maa and two from Raj Bhai. My heart skipped a beat. Maa must have lost her mind when I didn’t pick up her calls. Without wasting another second, I dialed her number.
After two rings, she picked up, her worried voice sharp across the line. "Kidhar hai tu? Theek hai?"
(Where are you? Are you fine?)
I sighed. Well, that was expected.
"Good morning to you too, Maa. Main theek hoon, abhi penthouse mein hi hoon," I reassured her, hoping to calm her down.
(I’m fine, I’m at the penthouse.)
"Acha? Toh phir phone kyun nahi uthaya?" she demanded.
(Oh? Then why didn’t you pick up the call?)
"Woh… main so rahi thi. Kya kuch hua?" I asked, suddenly worried.
(I was asleep. Why, did something happen?)
"Kuch nahi hua, beta. Bas tu ghar aa ja. Breakfast bana rahi hoon," she said, and at the mention of food, my stomach growled.
(Nothing happened, child. Just come home. I’m making breakfast.)
"Ek ghante mein aa jaungi, Maa. Bye," I replied and hung up after hearing her soft bye from the other end.
Throwing the covers off, I got up, stretched, and headed straight to the bathroom. A refreshing shower later, I slipped into a comfortable kurti paired with jeans and left for home.
---
The thirty-minute drive passed in a blur, and soon, I stood before the grand Malhan mansion. Pressing the doorbell, I barely had to wait before the door flew open, revealing Bhabi Maa—Kritika. A wide smile stretched across my face as I pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Bhabi Maa, I missed you!" I said, tightening my hold around her.
She chuckled, patting my back. "Meri bacchi, I missed you too."
(My child, I missed you too.)
A loud "Ahem, ahem" interrupted our moment. I opened my eyes to find Raj Bhai standing there, arms crossed, smirking.
"Lagta hai humein kisi ne yaad hi nahi kiya," he said dramatically.
(Looks like no one missed us.)
I scoffed. "Oh, please! Who would miss you?"
Maa, of course, took this moment to gather all attention to herself. "Meri bhi nahi aayi?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
(You didn’t miss me either?)
I grinned. "Aapko toh shaadi mein dekha tha. Toh aapki yaad kaise aayegi?"
(I just saw you at the wedding. How would I miss you?)
Turning to Raj Bhai, I teased, "Bhaiya, aapko aapki pyari behna ki yaad aayi?"
(Bhaiya, did you miss your dear sister?)
His smirk widened. "Jab tujhe nahi aayi toh mujhe kyun aayegi?"
(When you didn’t miss me, why would I miss you?)
My face fell into a dramatic pout. "Sach mein nahi aayi?" I asked, pretending to be hurt.
He sighed before pulling me into a tight hug, pressing a soft kiss on my forehead. "Kitni nautanki karti hai tu. Haan, teri yaad aayi," he admitted, making me grin.
(You’re such a drama queen. Yes, I missed you.)
"Sachhi?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Haan," he replied, ruffling my hair.
Before I could retort, Maa clapped her hands together. "Chalo, ab khana khaane chalte hain," she announced, making her way to the kitchen.
(Come, let’s go eat now.)
YOU ARE READING
The Fate
RomanceAradhya thought she had buried the past. The pain of being abandoned. The anger of being left without a goodbye. She had built herself into an empire-a successful businesswoman by day, a feared mafia queen by night. No one crossed her and lived to t...
