CHAPTER 35! TRIO
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The corporate headquarters of the Rai Shinghania Empire occupied forty-three floors of sheer steel, tinted glass, and absolute intimidation.
It rose above the skyline like a monument to cold efficiency.
Most people entered the soaring glass atrium feeling remarkably important, only to leave a few hours later feeling entirely insignificant.
Shaurya Agrawal, however, entered the building like he owned the joint.
The receptionist didn't ask for identification anymore.
She simply pressed the security override before Shaurya reached the desk, offering a polite, practiced nod.
At this point, every employee on the executive payroll understood two fundamental truths: first, Aryav Rai Shinghania trusted Shaurya implicitly; second, nobody else in the corporate world was brave enough to deal with either of them on a daily basis.
The high-speed elevator chimed, its doors sliding open smoothly onto the hushed, carpeted expanse of the executive floor.
Vivaan looked up from his tablet immediately, his expression flat.
"Boss paanch minute se pooch rahe the."
"Bol deta mar gaya," Shaurya shot back without missing a beat, adjusting the strap of his leather briefcase.
"Phir?"
"Bole, 'File kahan hai?'"
Shaurya let out a dry bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Meri maut se zyada file important hai. Sahi hai, Vese bhi Main marta to tum log ko phele pata chalta."
Vivaan let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. The worst part was that Shaurya was entirely correct.
Stepping closer to Vivaan's desk, Shaurya eyed the paper cup in his assistant-turned-friend's hand.
"Coffee piyega?" Vivaan asked, catching his gaze.
"Free hai?"
"Office ki hai."
"To do na."
Vivaan handed over a spare cup.
Shaurya took a sip, immediately wincing. "Ek dam Bekaar hai."
Vivaan snatched it right back.
"Mat pee."
Shaurya grabbed it back just as fast, taking another long gulp.
"Ab le li hai, chal tere boss se mile."
Aryav's private office was exactly what one would expect from the man who commanded the empire.
It was sprawling, starkly minimalistic, and dangerously quiet. Heavy acoustic paneling ensured that the chaotic roar of the city below never breached these walls.
Aryav sat behind his massive obsidian desk, methodically reviewing a stack of acquisition documents.
Without lifting his gaze from the paperwork, he spoke. His voice was a calm, low baritone.
"Late."
Shaurya didn't look remotely chastised. He marched right across the room and dropped heavily into the sleek leather chair opposite the desk.
"And a very good morning to you too, partner."
For the next hour, the casual banter vanished.
It was replaced by the intense, calculated rhythm of corporate warfare. They moved through files with terrifying speed-dissecting multi-million-dollar contracts, reviewing international acquisitions, closing complex legal loopholes, and securing difficult government clearances.
Finally, Shaurya snapped the last manila folder shut with a satisfying click. "Sharma still wants to pursue that coastal property case. He's incredibly stubborn about it."
Aryav didn't look impressed. His expression remained entirely unreadable. "He can want whatever he likes."
"It's technically government land, Aryav."
"It isn't."
"It was."
"Key word being was," Aryav corrected smoothly, signing his name at the bottom of another document with a crisp stroke of his pen. "Now it's mine."
Shaurya stared at him across the desk, a look of profound disbelief crossing his features. "You bought government-protected land?"
"I bought the parent company that was leasing it from the state," Aryav countered, his tone perfectly matter-of-fact. "The land came with the asset acquisition."
A brief pause stretched through the office.
"You," Shaurya said, pointing an accusing finger at him, "are the exact reason why corporate defense lawyers drink."
Aryav completely ignored the jab, turning his attention to a fresh set of financial sheets.
Another twenty minutes passed in comfortable, productive silence.
Eventually, Shaurya pushed his chair back and stood up, gathering his files into a neat stack. "Fine. I'll handle the documentation for the transition. I'll deal with it by this evening."
He picked up his briefcase and turned toward the massive double doors, heading out.
He made it halfway across the room before Aryav spoke.
"Kamina."
Shaurya froze in his tracks.
On the couch across the room, Vivaan slowly lowered his tablet, his eyes widening.
Aryav casually turned another page. "Nikamma."
Shaurya closed his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath to steady himself.
Aryav turned another.
No expression.
"Jahil."
The executive office became very, very quiet.
Finally, Shaurya turned around with the cautious deliberation of a man trying not to startle a sleeping Siberian tiger.
"We're still doing this?" Shaurya asked, his voice deadpan.
Aryav finally stopped his pen, leaning back slightly.
"You started it."
"Tu samjha nahi Maine pyaar se bola tha!" Shaurya defended himself dramatically, stepping back toward the desk.
"Log jinse pyaar karte hain unhe nicknames dete hain!"
Silence blanketed the room.
Vivaan blinked, looking utterly bewildered.
"Ek minute... ye nickname the?"
Shaurya snapped his gaze toward the couch, pointing a warning finger.
"Tu Chup kar sale."
"Aur agar ye pyaar hai..." Vivaan chimed in, a slow smirk spreading on his face, "...to dushmani mein kya karte ho tum dono?"
"Jis ghar mein pyaar hota hai na, wahan gaaliyan free milti hain!"
Shaurya argued, throwing his hands in the air.
"No."
"Yes!"
"No, they really aren't."
"Ugh, ask my sister!" Shaurya snapped triumphantly.
Aryav's eyes narrowed by a fraction of a millimeter.
My wife.
That was the core of the problem. Aadhira genuinely found that chaotic, insult-laden dynamic entirely normal. She embraced it.
Shaurya leaned back against the edge of the desk, looking entirely confident in his victory.
"Ab bol? Bol na ab."
Aryav leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers intertwining loosely over his chest.
"Wo tumhe jhelti hai. Farq hota hai."
Shaurya laughed out loud, a bright, unbothered sound.
"Khud ko yehi samjha."
Another brief silence settled over the room.
"She called me first when she broke her arm back in college," Shaurya noted, a soft, reminiscent smirk playing on his lips.
Pause.
"She called me first when she failed her driving test on the first try."
Another heavy pause.
"And she called me first when she got engaged to you, too."
The entire office became profoundly quiet.
Vivaan suddenly found the blank screen of his tablet absolutely fascinating, refusing to make eye contact with either man.
Aryav said nothing.
His fingers stopped tapping.
Exactly once.
Childhood loyalty was different.
It ignored wealth.
It ignored distance.
It ignored marriage.
It was built entirely from years of shared childhood disasters and mutual survival in a world that hadn't always been kind to them.
Aryav tapped his index finger once against the polished wood of his desk. "Leave."
Shaurya grinned, entirely satisfied with having gotten the last word.
"Haan. Haan. Ja raha hu, Chal, kal phir pareshaan karunga."
"Unfortunately."
Vivaan watched Shaurya exit the office, the heavy doors clicking shut behind him.
He waited exactly three seconds before looking over at his boss.
"Jalan ho rahi hai?"
Aryav didn't even blink.
He picked up his pen and signed another page.
"Naukri pasand nahi?"
Vivaan blinked in surprise, instantly looking back down at his tablet.
"I love my job, sir."
" Than act like it."
Meanwhile, back at the sprawling Rai Shinghania mansion, a completely different kind of crisis was unfolding.
The younger generation had effectively occupied the primary family lounge, dismantling its civilized decorum and turning it into utter chaos.
Aadhira was sitting cross-legged on the plush carpet, surrounded by an assortment of bowls filled with chips and popcorn.
Ayaan sat nestled right beside her, his small fingers dug into a bowl of snacks.
Myra sat on the sofa above them, a sleek laptop balanced carefully on her knees, while Tara sat nearby with a notebook.
The twins-Reyansh and Arjun-were lounging across the adjacent armchairs, contributing absolutely nothing of actual substance.
"Destination?" Myra asked, hitting a key.
"Done," Tara replied, checking a line.
"Flights?"
"Done."
"Hotel?"
"Done."
"Activities and itinerary?"
"Done."
Aadhira blinked rapidly, looking between the cousins.
"Wait, when did all of this happen?"
"Three hours ago," Myra replied smoothly, not looking up from the screen.
"Oh." Aadhira popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth. That actually seemed incredibly reasonable given the Rai Shinghania speed of execution.
Ayaan suddenly looked up from his snack, his eyes bright.
"Vaani ko bhi le Chalo!"
Everyone in the lounge paused simultaneously.
"Yes," Myra said, a soft smile gracing her lips. "That is an excellent idea."
Tara nodded, a slow, deeply mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"And if Vaani is coming along... we should absolutely bring Vivaan bhaiya too."
The entire room immediately erupted into murmurs of unanimous approval. Reyansh and Arjun exchanged a look, identical smirks appearing on their faces.
"Definitely."
"This vacation is suddenly becoming significantly more interesting."
Aadhira hesitated for a moment, her fingers shifting nervously against her knees.
"Kashvi bhi aa sakti hai kya...?"
Every head turned toward Aadhira.
"Of course! I already like her," Tara stated instantly, waving a hand dismissively.
The approval was immediate and absolute around the circle.
"Perfect," Myra said, reviewing the final numbers on the spreadsheet.
"The group size is locked."
A sudden silence fell over the lounge. Tara's pen froze over her notebook.
She frowned, looking up at the ceiling. "Wait."
Everyone looked at her. "What?"