Author’s POV
Mumbai, the city of dreams. The city of chaos. Where people change personalities as the sun rises and sets. Where evil intentions hide behind smiles. Where the darkness they carry for you is masked by their sugar-dripping voices.
But behind all of that, Mumbai also holds a part that everyone wishes for. Sunsets, beaches, skyscrapers, and opportunities to showcase their talents. Reality hits harder, though, when these things are involved.
In the middle of it all stood a two-story building. A bold, carved nameplate hung at its center—pink letters with a white outline spelling “SALVATORE.” From the outside, the building was minimalist, simple, and elegant, but inside, it was heaven. It smelled divine. The aroma of pulverized cardamom. The fragrance of cocoa powder. Whipped cream. The essence of lavender. A whiff of air, lush and green, making it a ten out of ten.
Inside, at the cashier counter, a woman stood, gazing deeply at the computer. The lady seemed to be in her late twenties. This woman was YASHIKA CHAKRABORTY, the owner of Salvatore.
“Dii, my college’s president is so rude. He’s the entitled asshole of the university and acts like he owns the whole college.” A girl’s voice cut through the quiet.
She was the soul of Salvatore. Liya Sharma. A girl in her early twenties who worked at Salvatore. She was a first-year psychology student at MU.
“Oh, he’s rude? You sound like you hate him, but yet here you are, talking about him,” Yashika remarked. Liya sighed at Yashika’s comment.
“Dii, you’re no fun,” Liya said.
“Tell me something new,” Yashika replied.
After evening fell and everything came to a halt, Salvatore began to wrap up for the day. Liya was arranging boxes, and Yashika was cleaning. Just then, a message popped up on Yashika’s personal phone with a sharp ping.
The message:
Aditi: Call me ASAP; it’s urgent.
Aditi. ADITI ROY.
A 28-year-old woman. She worked at the same company as Yashika, in Delhi. Yes, Yashika worked as a legal counselor.
Yashika’s POV
Whenever Aditi calls, it’s a dead serious matter. She wouldn’t have called otherwise.
“Hello,” I said, my voice filled with casualness.
“Hey, listen, we don’t have time for hi and hello. You don’t know the seriousness of the matter." Her voice sounded concerned and hurried.
“Tell me, so I can understand.”
“Our company received a 70/30 offer. We declined it last night, and today, this morning, our stock prices are dropping.”
This was something new. In all the time I’d worked for this company, this was the first time I’d seen something like this. I hoped the matter could be solved as soon as possible, or I’d have to go.
“Either way, it’s a do-or-die situation. You have to come. You’re our legal counselor, Madam,” Aditi said from the other side of the call.
“Oh, I’ll be there. I’ll catch the first flight in the morning.”
“I’ll book the flight and send you the details. I’ll also send a car to pick you up from the airport.”
“On it. Now I need to study the situation. Send me the details. I’ll call you back later.” I hung up as I concluded the conversation.
I started heading toward the second floor, where my study room was. “Liya, you can go home now. And I’m leaving for Delhi tomorrow. Kaki will handle everything starting tomorrow, and if you want, you can take leave. I know your semester exams are soon.” Saying this, I went to my study room.
Author’s POV
In the morning, the sun finally came up, but for Yashika, morning never happened—she was already awake. Yashika was in her apartment’s gym. The gym was calm and quiet. Only the sound of machines could be heard, as it was 6 in the morning. She remembered leaving Salvatore and handing the keys to Kaki at 5.
Then she’d come back to her apartment, quickly changed into gym wear, and headed to the gym.
After an hour-long gym session, she headed back to her room and took a very quick shower. Now she finally had time to get ready and pack. First, she packed after doing her skincare.
She slipped into a white tank top and light blue wide-leg jeans, leaving her hair open. Glancing from the balcony, she noticed her cab was already there.
Yashika was at the airport. After check-in, she went to the waiting lounge, took out a book from her bag, and started reading. But just then, she noticed her phone was ringing. She took it out of her pocket and picked up the call.
“Hello,” Yashika said.
“Hello, babygirl,” said the voice from the other side of the call. The voice was filled with affection—or something else. She knew this voice.
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