Roy Group: New Beginnings
On the same morning, Adhvik, Karan, Eva, and Diya left for their respective offices—each choosing to go separately to keep their identities under wraps.
Adhvik headed to the Roy Group headquarters, while the others reached Roy Textiles, the creative arm of the empire.
Eva and Diya walked into the reception area, presenting themselves as freshers. There, they noticed Aadhya and Ruhi already waiting.
Ruhi noticed them first and smiled.
Ruhi: "Are you both new candidates too?"
Diya: "Yes. Which department are you joining?"
Ruhi: "I'm in the Styling Department."
Eva: "Perfect! I'm Eva—and I'm into Styling too."
They shook hands, and Eva introduced Diya.
Eva: "This is my younger sister, Diya. She's joining the Design Department."
Ruhi: "And this is my best friend. She's also in Designing."
Aadhya: "Hi, I'm Aadhya."
Without thinking, both Eva and Diya blurted,
Eva & Diya: "Hi, Bhabhi…"
A stunned silence followed.
Realizing what they had just said, they laughed awkwardly.
Eva (grinning): "We meant… you're so pretty, we just imagined you as our future Bhabhi!"
Aadhya (laughing): "You two are hilarious!"
Laughter broke the ice, and the four girls instantly bonded. They exchanged numbers and began chatting like old friends.
Just then, Karan Roy entered the auditorium. His powerful presence silenced the room.
Karan: "Welcome to Roy Textiles. We're excited to have you on board."
He delivered a brief but impactful speech, outlining the company's policies and expectations. As the manager stepped forward to assign departments, Karan's eyes kept drifting back to Aadhya and Ruhi, trying to place their familiar faces.
On the other side, Aadhya and Ruhi whispered,
Ruhi: "Karan Sir…"
Eva: "You know him?"
Aadhya: "He was our senior in college. Final year when we were first."
Back in college, Karan had been the student union president, a topper, and one of the most admired students during their fashion design course in London.
Eva and Diya, meanwhile, had studied in New York, so no one in the office recognized them either.
During a brief student exchange program, Diya had once visited London and stayed at Aadhya and Ruhi's college for 15 days. They had competed in a project—Aadhya's team won, while Diya's team came second.
That's why Diya found Aadhya familiar. And Ruhi had already recognized her, which is why she had struck up the conversation earlier.
Then, a flash of memory struck Karan.
Karan (thinking):That incident… the ragging… the girl who stood her ground. Isabelle…
As Aadhya and Ruhi walked past him, Karan called out,
Karan: "How are you, Isabelle?"
Aadhya stopped and smiled.
Aadhya: "You still remember that nickname, Sir?"
Karan: "How could I forget?"
Eva and Diya looked at Ruhi, wide-eyed.
Eva: "What's going on?"
Ruhi (whispering): "Long story. I'll tell you later."
Karan (sternly but fondly): "Let's see the same fire in your work as I saw back then."
Aadhya (with a smile): "Yes, Sir."
But not everyone was pleased by the reunion.
From the corner of the room, Reema, the head secretary, watched the scene with clenched fists and a fuming heart. Jealousy burned through her gaze.
Roy Headquarters
At the Roy Group's towering headquarters, Adhvik had just finished a meeting when Rajat entered his cabin with a report.
Adhvik: "Good job on everything. Double your bonus this month."
(Yes, the arrest of Aakash Malhotra and his father had not been coincidental—it was orchestrated by Adhvik.)
Rajat gave him an update.
Rajat: "Sir, about the girl from the club—Aadhya. She studied in London and is joining Roy Textiles today."
Adhvik (sharply): "Any personal details?"
Rajat: "Her records are sealed. Someone's gone to great lengths to keep her identity hidden."
Adhvik (muttering): "Interesting… this girl isn't ordinary."
He stood up and declared,
Adhvik: "We're going for an inspection at Roy Textiles. Prepare the car."
Roy Textiles
In the design department, Diya was assigned to jewelry design, and Aadhya to costume design.
But Reema had other plans.
Jealous and bitter, she handed rejected designs to Aadhya and ordered her to rework them, claiming Karan Sir had assigned them. Other designers saw what was happening but chose to stay silent.
Reema continued pushing extra, irrelevant tasks her way, hoping Aadhya would falter. But Diya, watching silently, was fuming.
Aadhya, sensing something was wrong, made a bold decision—she wouldn't go through Reema. She would submit her designs directly to Karan, as company policy allowed.
As she rushed through the corridor, files clutched in her hands, she didn't notice a tall figure approaching from the other end.
Adhvik Roy.
Their eyes hadn't met since the night of the slap at the club. He hadn't expected to see her here, not like this.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice how close she was. Just as Aadhya looked up, they collided.
Her papers flew into the air, scattering everywhere. She landed hard on the floor.
Startled, Adhvik bent down to help—but before he could reach her…
Aadhya (furiously): "Are you blind?! Can't you see where you're going? Why even have eyes if you don't use them?"
She stood up, gathered her papers, and marched off, leaving Adhvik frozen in place.
He stood there, stunned.
Her voice still rings in his ears.
His heartbeat was unsteady.
And for the first time… the man who controlled everything felt completely… powerless.