Aara Sharma's mornings began before the sun fully rose.
The small house she lived in was quiet at dawn, wrapped in the soft sounds of a new day. She moved silently through the narrow hallway, careful not to wake her younger brother. Life had taught her to be gentle with noise—and with emotions.
The kitchen smelled of tea and simple breakfast. Aara's mother, Meera Sharma, stood near the stove, her face tired yet calm. Years of struggle had carved quiet strength into her eyes.
"You're awake early again," Meera said softly.
Aara smiled. "College, maa. And I have to submit my internship applications today."
Meera nodded, pride hidden behind concern. "I know you want to do everything alone, but remember—you don't have to carry the whole world on your shoulders."
Aara didn't reply. She only smiled.
Because she had already been carrying it for years.
---
Her father had left when she was young.
No arguments. No explanations. Just a locked door and silence.
That day had changed everything.
From that moment on, Aara had become more than a daughter—she had become a protector. For her mother. For her brother.
Rohan, her younger brother, was still asleep when she quietly entered his room. His school books lay scattered across the table, dreams half-written in untidy handwriting.
She adjusted the blanket around him and whispered, "Study hard. I'll make sure life treats you better than it treated us."
Rohan was her weakness—and her strength.
---
College was a different world.
Laughter echoed through corridors, friendships bloomed without fear, and futures felt easy to imagine. Aara walked through campus with confidence, but inside her mind was always racing—fees, responsibilities, deadlines.
She wasn't the loudest girl in class. She wasn't the most carefree.
But there was something about her—quiet dignity, sharp intelligence, and a calm resilience—that made people notice.
Her professors respected her. Her classmates trusted her.
And she never relied on anyone.
---
That afternoon, Aara sat in the library, filling out internship forms.
Top companies. Big names. Impossible dreams.
Her hands hesitated.
What if I don't belong there?
She took a deep breath and reminded herself—fear had never fed her family.
She pressed "Submit."
---
As evening fell, Aara returned home, tired but hopeful.
Meera looked up from folding clothes. "How was college?"
"Good," Aara said. "If I get an internship, things will be easier."
Meera reached out and held her hand. "You already make things easier just by existing."
Aara looked away, hiding the sudden burn in her eyes.
---
That night, as she lay in bed, her phone buzzed with notifications.
Internship applications. Unknown futures.
She stared at the ceiling and whispered to herself, "I won't fail."
She didn't know that one of those applications would change her life forever.
She didn't know that behind one glass tower stood a man whose world was built on power, darkness, and control.
And she certainly didn't know that Kabir Rathod was about to notice her.
Two worlds.
One collision.
And a destiny already in motion.