Chapter Two.

"...And the meeting was rescheduled as you requested. On Friday, we'll visit the new site. That's all for this week, sir." the young man in rimmed glasses, dressed sharply in a black suit, spoke with a slight tremble in his voice.

He clutched his tablet tightly, carefully reading out the schedule to his boss.

Before him sat a man radiating an intimidating calmness, the kind that could make the air around him feel heavier.

His face was a vision of chiseled perfection, as though carved from marble by a divine hand. His sharp, angular jawline, lightly dusted with stubble, spoke of rugged masculinity, while his piercing grey eyes held secrets buried in depths that no one dared to explore.

This was Arjun Madhav.

Arjun listened in silence, his expression unreadable.

When he stood up, the simple action sent a chill through his assistant's spine. The man was a towering presence, with a physique that looked like it had been sculpted in a gym over countless hours.

Muscles rippled beneath his perfectly tailored suit, a testament to his strength and discipline. But what truly commanded attention wasn't just his physicality-it was the aura of absolute, effortless power that seemed to seep from his very being.

His name alone inspired fear. Arjun Madhav-Mafia leader and one of the most powerful business tycoons in all of Asia. A man who ruled both the corporate world and the underworld with equal dominance.

"Hm... the meeting with Mr. Kumar?" His deep, gravelly voice cut through the room like a blade as he moved closer to the large, floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the bustling city of Mumbai.

The assistant swallowed hard, nerves tightening his throat. "They canceled, sir, and moved it to next week-"

"Cut the deal." Arjun interrupted, his tone darkening, eyes narrowing as his fist clenched.

"Sir... that's..." The assistant hesitated, sensing the dangerous shift in the atmosphere.

Arjun turned slightly, his expression turning lethal. "It's either you cut the deal or I cut something from you. Which will it be?"

Fear gripped the assistant, his heart pounding in his chest. "I-I'll cut the deal, sir." he stammered.

"Good," Arjun said, his voice cold. "Now get the f*ck out of my office."

Without a second thought, the assistant bolted, practically tripping over his own feet as he rushed out, the door swinging shut behind him.

Almost immediately, a younger man strolled in, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Seriously, can you stop scaring your PA? That guy looked like he was about to shit his pants." the newcomer said, half-laughing.

Arjun didn't even glance at him. "Why are you here, Siddhartha?" he asked, ignoring the comment.

Siddhartha walked over and dropped a file on the desk casually. "I'm here to give you this." he said, sitting down as if he owned the place.

Arjun finally turned from the window, eyeing the file with a raised brow.

"What's that?" he asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

Siddhartha rolled his eyes. "Just take a look." he replied, folding his arms behind his head as he lounged in the chair.

Arjun walked over, picking up the file and flipping through it. His expression soured as he read. "No." he said flatly after a moment.

Siddhartha sighed, not surprised by his brother's response.

"Oh, come on, Bhai! You rejected it last year-why again this time?"

"The girls were clingy and irritating. One even tried to get me to sleep with her." Arjun growled, his voice thick with disgust.

Siddhartha raised his hands defensively. "I get it, I get it. I already contacted the school about it, and they disciplined the ones from last time. This group will be more professional." He quickly added, "And, for the record, it took us days to calm you down last time. We don't want a repeat of that, trust me."

Arjun's temper was infamous. Unlike most, whose anger simmered like a storm cloud before finally breaking, his exploded without warning-sudden and uncontrollable.

When it erupted, there were no half-measures. Controlling it was a constant struggle, but when it broke free, no one could rein it in.

"I'm still not doing it." Arjun muttered through clenched teeth, tossing the file back on the desk.

"Well, you don't have to." Siddhartha said with a sheepish smile. "Papa already approved it."

Arjun's eyes darkened instantly, his fists clenching. The tension in the room thickened as his anger flared.

"Wait, wait!" Siddhartha quickly intervened, holding up his hands in surrender. "Before you blow up the building, hear me out! Papa said you can either take the project or I can."

Arjun's scowl deepened, but Siddhartha pressed on.

"So I took it. I'm just letting you know in case you see a few students around. They'll be reporting to me, not you. Besides, it's only the group leader that will come here to ask a few questions-one person. Then on the last day, the whole team will come for individual interviews. Nothing too crazy."

Arjun's cold, piercing stare lingered on his brother.

"Make sure that group leader stays ten feet away from me. One wrong move, and this time, her corpse will be sent back to the school." he warned, his voice low and dangerous as he turned to leave the office.

Siddhartha exhaled the breath he'd been holding, watching his brother storm out.

"Of all the brothers in heaven, God gave me the one even Satan is afraid of." he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

♡♡♡

"Still worried about it?" Veda asked casually, lying on her stomach on the bed, her fingers tapping away on her phone.

Meera, seated at the small study desk in the corner, stared blankly at her laptop screen.

She hadn't typed a word in the last ten minutes, her mind clearly somewhere else. Veda noticed the distant look in her sister's eyes, and she knew exactly why.

Meera had been anxious ever since she shared with the family about the potential project that involved Arjun Madhav's company. Despite everyone's reassurances that she wouldn't be chosen, the tension remained.

"Ah... yeah, kind of." Meera sighed, closing her laptop.

"It's not just about me anymore. I'm worried about the other students who might get selected to go there."

Veda glanced at her sympathetically, offering a warm smile.

"You're so sweet, di, but there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, what if it's not as bad as everyone says?"

Meera's eyes widened, her lips parting in disbelief.

"Not as bad? Veda, we're talking about a mafia boss. An actual mafia. There's nothing good about that! They kill innocent people! I still don't understand why the police haven't stepped in yet."

Veda chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

"You sound paranoid, di. And reporting it to the police? Please. Mafias aren't just some street thugs or small-time gangsters. These are real businessmen, with real power. They're not the kind of people who go down easily."

Meera was left speechless, more so by how confidently her younger sister spoke about the mafia world than the content itself.

"And how exactly do you know all of this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Veda flashed a mischievous grin.

"The internet, duh! Everything's there. I'm not just using my hacking skills to change my school grades, you know."

Meera's eyes widened even further. "Wait... What did you just say-"

"The point is.." Veda interrupted, sitting up on the bed, "just don't pray you end up at his company. That's all."

Meera sighed deeply, shaking her head in frustration.

Veda giggled and hopped off the bed. "You're worrying too much. Relax! You won't get selected. And even if you do, I'll march right up to that old-yet still oddly handsome-dean of yours and kick him in the face!"

Meera couldn't help but laugh, her sister's antics easing some of the tension. But deep down, the feeling of uncertainty still gnawed at her.

What if things didn't go as planned? What if she did get selected?

The sisters spent the next hour chatting about random things, Veda doing her best to keep Meera's mind off her worries.

Slowly but surely, Meera managed to focus on her work, though the knot in her stomach never fully went away.