Chapter 1 #2
As though sensing my scrutiny, Shaurya lifted his gaze, and our eyes met.
For one suspended heartbeat, something unfamiliar stirred inside my chest.
Annoyed with myself, I quickly looked away, silently giving myself a stern pep talk. ‘Get a grip, Reeva. Stop staring.’
A few minutes later, Rudra Bhai was called away by another group of investors. Hoping for a brief escape, I slipped away in search of a quieter corner. I’d barely taken two steps when a deep voice stopped me in my tracks.
“So… you’re leaving without introducing yourself?”
I turned, and my gaze collided with the most intense pair of dark eyes I’d ever seen.
“I wasn’t aware introductions were mandatory.”
A faint smile touched his lips. “They’re generally considered polite.”
“And is cornering a lady considered polite too?”
He smirks. “Fair point. But for the record, I caught you looking at me at least four times tonight.”
“I could say the same about you.”
One dark eyebrow arched before he extended his hand. “Shaurya Rajvansh.”
I slipped my hand into his. “Reeva Singhania.”
“I heard your presentation. Most people were talking about profits. You were talking about people,” he said, sliding one hand into the pocket of his tailored trousers. “I disagree with you, though.”
“Oh?”
“You said successful developments should improve people’s lives. I think they should first create value.”
“And people aren’t value?”
He took a sip of his champagne. “They are. But businesses survive by generating returns.”
“So do people,” I replied, meeting his gaze.
“A successful business isn’t built on numbers alone.
It’s built on trust. When you create communities where people genuinely want to live, the returns follow naturally.
” I lifted my champagne flute and took a measured sip.
“Profit should be the outcome of doing something right, not the only reason for doing it.”
He studied me for a long moment, his unreadable gaze never leaving mine.
“That’s an idealistic answer,” he said at last. “But do you really believe that?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”
“You know, I am still trying to decide whether you’re incredibly optimistic...” He paused deliberately, the silence stretching just long enough to make me wonder where he was going with it. “...or incredibly stubborn.”
I simply shrugged. “My brother says I am a little of both.”
“I think he’s right.”
“What about you? I’ve heard people describe you as ruthless.”
He gave a faint shrug. “It’s funny how determination is called ambition when you succeed... and ruthlessness when you succeed too well.”
“Or perhaps it depends on how you get there,” I said.
He smiled. “I have a feeling we have a lot to talk about. Coffee this weekend?”
For reasons I couldn’t explain, I found myself saying yes.
Soon one meeting turned into another. Coffee became dinners. Dinners became long drives. Long drives became late-night phone calls that stretched well past midnight.
Before either of us realised it, six months had slipped by.
Somewhere along the way, Shaurya had become my safest place. I couldn’t imagine a day without hearing his voice or seeing him.
And when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, there wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation. I just didn’t stop to wonder if it was too soon.
I simply looked into the eyes of the man I had fallen in love with and said, “Yes.”
Strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back to the present.
“I had a feeling I’d find you here,” Shaurya’s deep voice rumbles softly against my ear. “I missed you,” he murmurs, tightening his embrace as he draws me back against his chest.
I rest my head against his shoulder before tilting it back to look into his eyes. “You were gone only for an hour.”
“The longest hour of my day.”
I shake my head, unable to hold back a smile. “You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told that before.” His lips brush my temple in a lingering kiss before he gently turns me to face him.
Fresh from the shower, his dark hair is still damp, with a few strands falling across his forehead. A crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms and charcoal trousers somehow make him look effortlessly handsome.
His gaze slowly travels over my face before settling on my eyes, the warmth in them making my heart skip a beat.
“You look beautiful.”
I instinctively glance down at my saree. “You really think so?”
“Sweetheart...” His fingers gently tuck a loose curl behind my ear. “I don’t think I’ve ever looked at you and thought anything else.”
Warmth blooms across my cheeks.
“I wanted to look nice for your mom,” I admit quietly.
The smile in his eyes softens. He understands immediately.
“You don’t have to wear yourself out trying to earn her approval.”
“I know.” I offer him a small smile. “But I want her to love me. I don’t want her to always see me as an outsider.”
He cups my face in both hands. “You have my heart.” He gently brushes his thumb across my cheek. “You already belong here, and that’s never going to change.”
Emotion tightens my chest, but I shake my head. “I want your mother’s heart too.”
A faint sigh escapes him. “My mom... she isn’t an easy person to win over.”
I meet his gaze with quiet determination. “Then I’ll just have to keep trying.”
“That’s one of the many reasons I fell in love with you.
” He leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead before resting his own against mine.
“You have the softest heart,” he whispers.
“No matter how many times life gives you a reason to harden it, you keep choosing kindness. You keep choosing love. And that’s my favourite thing about you. ”
I pull back just enough to smile up at him.
“That’s because you make loving you so easy.
” My thumb slowly traces lazy circles along his jaw.
“You make me feel safe, cherished.” I smile through the emotion welling in my chest. “You, Dadiji, and...” I pause, my smile fading ever so slightly.
My gaze drops for a moment before I look back at him.
“I just hope that one day your mom sees me the way you and Dadiji do.”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he gathers me into his arms, holding me so close that I can’t help but melt against him.
I rest my cheek on his chest and close my eyes as the familiar scent of cedarwood and fresh soap envelops me.
His arms tighten around me, steady and reassuring, and I listen to the rhythmic beat of his heart beneath my ear, letting it drown out every lingering doubt.
If heaven had a sound, I think, I’d already found it.