Aarav Malhotra was the definition of power.
At just twenty-eight, he was the CEO of Malhotra Global Enterprises, one of the biggest companies in the country. Money, respect, luxury — he had everything.
Everything… except happiness.
His life moved like clockwork: meetings, contracts, investors, headlines. He never smiled unless it was for the media. Employees feared him. The board admired him. The world envied him.
Then she walked into his office.
Her name was Kiara Mehta — the newest employee in the marketing department.
She wasn't like the others.
On her first day, she arrived ten minutes late — not because she overslept, but because she stopped to rescue a kitten stuck near the office gate. She laughed loudly. She talked too much. She hummed songs while working. She decorated her desk with fairy lights and sticky notes with silly quotes.
And somehow… she wasn't afraid of him.
The first time they met, she bumped into him in the hallway, spilling coffee on his expensive suit.
Everyone froze.
"I'm so, so sorry!" she gasped — then looked up at him and added, "But honestly, you should smile more. It would reduce your blood pressure."
No one had ever spoken to him like that.
Instead of firing her… he walked away.
But that night, for the first time in years, Aarav smiled.