"Good morning, my dear brother..."

I hear a fake sweet voice as he sits beside me on the couch. It's none other than my own cousin, Arnav Rathore. My eyes stay fixed on the screen of my phone, going through some important file. I'll tell you about Arnav and the relation between us later.

"Morning."

My voice is casual and uninterested because I have no interest in talking to him. Of course, I don't want to ruin my mood because of him. Just then, my brother Saurabh enters, dressed in formal wear, ready for the office. Then I hear his deep, calculated voice.

"Morning, everyone!"

He greets us and walks over to the couch, making himself comfortable and stretching out his frame. I toss my phone onto the tea table in front of me and let out a relieved sigh as I finally finish reading the file.

"Bhai..."

I call out to my brother.

"Hmm?"

I hear him hum in response.

"What's the schedule for today? I mean, are we going to be busy the whole day?"

I ask, and I see him nodding at my question.

"Very busy. We have almost 2-4 meetings in a row, and then we have to visit a few business partners."

He explains.

I let out a frustrated sigh and nod. Here we go again, we're going to be busy till night. Then I hear Arnav's voice. Why the hell does he have to be so irritating...

"I don't think so, Saurabh bhai. He can handle the business, he's already frustrated."

I know he's trying to provoke me, trying to ruin my mood in this peaceful morning, but I don't want that, so I decide to stay quiet.

"He's doing great, Arnav. He's just tired and restless. He has been working day and night, that's why."

Victory is mine. As soon as I hear Saurabh bhai's voice, I know he understands me what I do and what I feel. A smirk plays on my lips as I see Arnav rolling his eyes, clearly jealous.

"Chalo, chalo! Baccho, aajo, breakfast taiyar hai!"

(Come on, kids! Come here, breakfast is ready!)

I hear my mother's soft, sweet voice calling from the kitchen. Me, Saurabh bhai, and Arnav stand up and head toward the dining table, where my father, uncle (Arnav's father and my father's brother), chachi, maa, and a few maids are already serving breakfast.

The three of us take our seats, waiting for the food to be served. Chachi moves toward Saurabh bhai to serve him, while maa walks over to me and Arnav, serving both of us.

"Waise, Saurabh beta?"

(By the way, Saurabh dear?)

Usama chachi calls out to him.

"Han?"

(Yes?)

"Usse ladki ka kya hua?"

(What about that girl?)

"Who? Shreya?"

"Haan, kya socha? Shaadi kar rahe ho na usse?"

(Yes, what have you decided? You are marrying her, right?)

"I haven't thought about it... chachi." He murmured.

"Toh socho! Age ho gayi hai tumhari shaadi ki!"

(Then think about it! You're already of marriageable age!)

"Chachi, aap aise bol rahi ho jaise bhaiya 60 ke ho gaye hain..."

(Aunty, you're talking as if brother has turned 60 years old...)

I say without thinking, only to earn a deadly stare from Saurabh bhai, while the others laugh.

"Haan, haan! Kuch zyada nahi bol raha tu?!"

(Yes, yes! Aren't you talking too much?!)

I see Saurabh bhai pick up a spoon and throw it at me. It hits my arm not too hard. I've taken worse hits than this.

"Oww! That slipped out of my tongue."

I say in an annoyed tone, but there's no real heat in it. Everyone's laughter fades as they enjoy this little back-and-forth between me and bhai.

"Toh socha nahi toh abhi soch lo na! Ladki achhi hai, achhe ghar se hai. Haan maana ki hamare jaise rich, high class nahi, par respect aur reputation bahut zyada hai society mein."

(If you haven't thought about it, then think now! The girl is good, from a good family. Yes, she may not be as rich or high class as us, but they have a lot of respect and reputation in society.)

Chachi has a point. Saurabh bhai's girlfriend is sweet and kind. I've met her two or three times, but I can still tell-she's a good one for my brother. I've never visited her house, but on the other hand, she has visited our mansion many times.

Aunty: "Socha nahi toh abhi soch lo na! Ladki achhi hai, achhe ghar se hai, haan maana ki hamare jaise rich, high class nahi, but respect aur reputation bahut zyada hai society mein."

(If you haven't thought about it before, then think about it now! She's a good girl, from a good family. Yes, I agree they're not as rich or high-class as us, but they have a lot of respect and reputation in society.)

I listened to Aunty and found myself drifting into thoughts about Shreya and marriage. It's been six years since we've been in a relationship.

Six years? Really? Fucking six years with her? Are you kidding me? What the fuck?! I didn't even realize I've spent six years of my life with her... insane.

I can't even imagine my life without her... God knows how she came into my life, how she became so important to me. Fuck it... it doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm making her my wife. It's final.

I haven't even looked at another woman since I met her. I don't know what magic she's done to me, but fuck... I love her. So much that I can't even express it in words or actions. She's the only woman I want to touch, the one I want to worship, the one I want to talk to... only her. Anyway, Saurabh, get back to the conversation.

"We have thought about marriage..."

Maa cut me off in the middle.

"Then what's the problem? I want her as my daughter-in-law as soon as possible! She's the one for our family, I know it!"

I chuckled at Maa's excited voice. She's cute when she gets like this-happy and eager. Then Dad's deep, serious voice followed.

"Then everything is decided. Everyone agrees to this marriage, so there is no issue. Start preparing for the proposal. We will go to her house tomorrow."

A warmth spread through my entire body at the thought of making her mine my wife, the girl I love the most.

"Maa, we'll do that. Now let Saurabh bhai go, he and I have work at the office. Let's go, bhai, we're getting late."

Hitansh said as he finished his breakfast and stood up, tapping my shoulder while putting on his suit jacket. I nodded, placing the spoon on my empty plate and standing up as well. Just then, Maa spoke again.

"Subah ki aarti aur pooja-"

(Morning aarti and prayer-)

I cut her off with an apologetic tone.

"Sorry, Maa! Nahi ruk paayenge uske liye, pehle hi bahut late ho gaye hain. Chalo, aate hain hum log."

(Sorry, Mom, we won't be able to stay for that. We're already very late. We'll see you later.)

And with that, Hitansh and I walked out of the mansion toward the car waiting at the front gate.

I and Saurabh bhai arrived at the office. I walked straight into my cabin. This isn't the only work I handle I have other work too, the kind that requires power, strength, and most importantly... blood and guns.

It was time to take care of my other business. The mafia side. Once again, I had to put on that cold, stern, ruthless personality.

Let's start... Hey Bhagwan Ram, Hanuman, Mahadev, Krishna... jitne bhi bhagwaan ho... please forgive me for every kill I'm going to make today.

Karna padta hai... nahi toh gareeb ka pet kaise paalega? Maaf karna... pooja bhi toh karta hoon roz. Okay, that's enough buttering up to God.

I pulled out my phone and called my assistant, Yash. It rang once before he picked up.

"Listen. I'll be free after 6 p.m. I want everything ready at sharp 7. We'll handle everything at night."

"Okay... boss," Yash replied.

"Good."

My voice turned ice-cold and serious. Not just my voice. my entire presence shifted. After that, I hung up.

Oh yeah... I remember something.

Let me tell you about me and Arnav. Arnav's father is my dad's younger brother, my chacha. Papa and chacha share a strong bond, but me and Arnav? We're the complete opposite.

We're enemies.

We argue, we fight-over everything. And it all started because of him. He began hating me because his parents loved me more than him. And why? Because I'm the best. I know that.

Papa and chacha handed over their business positions to me and bhai when they believed we were ready. I became the COO, and Saurabh bhai became the CEO. And the moment I took that position... Arnav made it his mission to bring me down.

No matter what it takes, he'll cross every limit if it means hurting me.

And this didn't start after I became COO.

We've been like this since childhood.

Childhood enemies.

And as the story moves forward... you'll see just how deep this rivalry goes.

I was sitting peacefully on a chair in the patio of my house, my knees hanging over one armrest while my lower back rested against the other. I took a bite of my apple, watching the light rain fall, enjoying the calm, soothing weather. Until...

"Mummy!!! Papa!!!"

I heard my sister shouting loudly, calling out for our parents. My peaceful expression instantly turned irritated.

"Bhoot dekh liya kya, pagal ne?"

(Did she see a ghost or what? Crazy girl.)

I muttered under my breath. I could hear her excitedly telling something to Mumma and Papa, and after a few moments, Mumma called out my name. But I was too lazy to get up.

"What!! I'm not coming! If you want to tell me, come here!"

My voice wasn't loud, but enough for her to hear. Soon, I heard hurried footsteps rushing toward me. I recognize everyone's footsteps, and this one was definitely Shreya.

"Kashish, Kashish!!!!!"

She grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me excitedly, while my apple still hovered near my lips. My face remained completely expressionless, though irritation was clearly there.

"What?"

I asked flatly.

"Saurabh called me, and you know what he said? He said he and his family are coming with a marriage proposal for us! He's asking for my hand!"

Her voice was filled with excitement as she continued shaking me. Honestly, I didn't care much about the news-but I definitely cared about the fact that she ruined my peaceful moment.

"Congratulations..."

I said in an uninterested tone, showing zero excitement as I casually extended my hand for a handshake my usual habit for literally everything. I saw her face fall immediately at my reaction.

"Kashish?! Are you seriously not happy?"

She asked, her voice turning slightly sad.

"I am happy. But it would've been better if you came here quietly and told me, instead of screaming like a kid who got a new toy. My peaceful moment got ruined because of relationships and couples!"

I rolled my eyes, letting out a fake irritated groan. I was just annoyed seeing couples everywhere while me? I haven't even dated or talked to a single guy in my entire life. Ugh, whatever.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but"

I cut her off instantly.

"Don't even think that I'll show up in the house when they come."

I said in a serious tone, my eyes locking onto hers.

"You serious?"

She asked, stunned.

"Yes, I am."

I replied without hesitation. She sighed, clearly giving up.

"But at least you can help Mumma and me with the preparations?"

She asked hopefully.

I simply nodded, completely focused on my half-eaten apple as I took another bite. Shreya laughed at my behavior and ran back inside, practically bouncing with excitement like a kid who just got a brand-new toy.

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