10 o’clock…
Aniket stretched and got up. His eyes were barely open. He heard the sound of the lift and looked ahead. Someone was getting in, and seeing that, he quickly joined them in the lift.
His eyes still weren’t fully open because of sleep. He leaned against the wall of the lift, and this annoyed the person standing in front of him—it was Saaniya, who was glaring at him with irritation.
In her mind, she thought, “If he was this sleepy, why didn’t he just stay on the couch? Walking in here like a zombie…”
With that thought, she pressed the button for the ground floor. The lift door closed.
Saaniya glanced at Aniket and, seeing the artistic display on his face, couldn’t help but smile. At that very moment, Aniket, whose eyes were still half-closed, said, “I didn’t know you could smile! I thought God only gave you one expression!”
Hearing this, Saaniya turned her face away and said, “Anyone would start laughing at a joker like you!”
Aniket opened his eyes, moved closer to her, and said, “Wrong! Say it properly—people can’t take their eyes off a handsome guy like me!”
Saaniya turned her eyes toward Aniket, stepped closer with an evil smile, and said, “Oh really? If you’re so sure, prove it to me right now! Let’s see how your illusions break.”
Aniket smirked and said, “Okay! So… wait and watch… the magic of this charming face!”
Just then, the lift stopped. Saaniya gestured for him to get out, but Aniket grabbed her hand and stepped out with her, shocking her.
She tried to pull her hand away, but Aniket said, “Wait… let me first clear up your misunderstanding.”
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He had just finished speaking when some girls approached from the other side. Seeing them, Aniket let go of Saaniya’s hand and said, “Watch now!”
He walked past them. All the girls looked at him. Some even started covering their mouths because they just couldn’t control their laughter, but poor Aniket thought they were shy.
Saaniya thoroughly enjoyed the scene. Aniket looked at her from afar and signaled, “See… the magic of my charm!”
But instead of her usual annoyed expression, he saw her actually laughing, which left him wondering why she was laughing so much today.
Saaniya walked straight to the parking area, and Aniket stood there lost in thought when Ruhi bumped into him.
All the papers in her hands fell, and Aniket bent down to help her pick them up.
Ruhi was picking them up when she stopped and asked, “Sir… what happened to your face?”
Aniket replied, “What… what happened?”
Ruhi turned on her phone’s front camera and showed it to him. Aniket was stunned to see the state of his face. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened a while ago and, thinking to himself, he said, “You did this, didn’t you… Queen of the witches! You made a fool out of me, but now I won’t let you off. If you turned me into a donkey, I’ll turn you into a donkey too!”
With that thought, he stood up and went straight to the washroom to wash his face.
Meanwhile, Aditya was in his office talking to someone.
Aditya said, “Please uncle! Just try to come, at least for an hour. He’ll be so happy! I know you’d do this much for his happiness!”
A harsh, angry voice responded, “Don’t tell me how to care for my son’s happiness! It’s not like I want to stay away from him on his birthday, but work demands it! Besides… if he’d taken over my business, I might have had time for him. But no… he wanted some worthless government job! Wanted to be a hacker! Just like his mother… both of them love doing the very things I hate!”
Aditya spoke gently, “It’s not like that, uncle! He… he’s just naive. When the time comes, he’ll realize his mistake. Once his curiosity is satisfied, he’ll definitely join your company. Please… just give him some time and love.”
The voice shouted back, “Love! How can I give love when there’s no love left in me! I’m tired of everything. I did everything for them, and what did they do in return? They went against every decision of mine! Aditya… son… forgive me that because of a father like me, you got such a useless friend. And thank you for caring so much about him. But don’t forget… he has her blood in his veins, too! When he didn’t stay mine, how will he ever stay yours? In the end, he’ll betray you just like his mother did!”
Now Aditya spoke with a cold, firm voice, “Not another word! I respect you, not because you deserve it, but because you are Aniket’s father. If you don’t want to come, don’t come. But never again dare to say anything about my friend! Otherwise, no one will be worse than me. And this is my final warning!”
Saying that, Aditya ended the call without another word. His veins were pulsing with anger. He was furious, but he couldn’t do anything—he was helpless. Aniket still loved his father more than anyone else, even though his father only had hatred for him. Hatred because Aniket was the son of the woman his father once loved… and who had left him.
Aniket had known nothing but loneliness and hatred since childhood. Every year it was the same. Aditya would try to get his father to come for his birthday, but he never came. This time, too, Aditya had tried a week before Aniket’s birthday, but once again, he had to end the call.
Will this anger ever fade?
Will Aniket ever get the love he deserves?
And why, despite everything, does Aniket still love his father so much?
And if he does love him, why doesn’t he take over his father’s company?
