"Some meetings are planned by people. Some are written by destiny long before two souls cross paths."
The gleaming black Mercedes-Maybach rolled through the grand iron gates of Starlight Academy, One of Mumbai's most prestigious schools.
Neatly maintained gardens stretched across the campus.
Children's laughter echoed through the corridors.
The building stood tall with its cream-colored walls, glass windows, and vibrant flower beds decorating every corner.
As the car stopped, Aarav stepped out first before opening the rear door.
Rudra adjusted the cuff of his charcoal-grey suit before stepping onto the campus.
His sharp hazel eyes instinctively observed everything around him.
The infrastructure.
The cleanliness.
The discipline.
Nothing escaped his attention.
Almost immediately, the school's principal hurried toward them with a warm smile.
"Welcome, Mr. Malhotra. Mr. Sharma."
She folded her hands respectfully.
"I'm Mrs. Shalini Deshmukh, principal of Starlight Academy."
Rudra acknowledged her politely.
"Good afternoon."
"It is our honour to have both of you here."
"The honour is ours."
Aarav replied warmly.
Mrs. Deshmukh smiled.
"Please allow me to show you what the Malhotra Foundation has helped us achieve."
The three began walking through the campus.
"This entire Smart Classroom Wing was upgraded using the Foundation's grant."
She opened the classroom door.
Interactive digital boards.
Modern furniture.
High-speed internet.
Students enthusiastically participating in lessons.
Rudra silently nodded.
His eyes carefully examined every detail.
Mrs. Deshmukh continued proudly,
"We were also able to renovate our computer laboratory."
"And establish a robotics club."
Aarav smiled.
"Looks like the investment was worth it."
She laughed.
"It changed the lives of hundreds of children."
They walked toward the library.
Rows upon rows of colourful books lined polished wooden shelves.
Several students sat quietly reading.
One little girl looked up from her storybook and smiled shyly at Rudra.
Without realizing it...
He smiled back.
Aarav noticed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
After touring the science laboratory, sports block and music room, Mrs. Deshmukh finally stopped outside the administrative building.
"I hope the visit has been satisfactory."
"It has."
Rudra answered.
"The facilities are being maintained well."
"Thank you, sir."
Just then—
TRRIIINNGGG...
The lunch bell echoed across the campus.
Within seconds...
The once quiet corridors transformed into organised chaos.
Children rushed out of their classrooms laughing excitedly.
Some ran toward the playground.
Some opened their lunch boxes.
Some immediately surrounded the ice cream cart.
Aarav smiled.
"I miss school."
Rudra glanced at him.
"You miss having no responsibilities."
"Same thing."
Mrs. Deshmukh laughed.
"If you'd like, you can watch the children during lunch."
"They're usually at their happiest."
Aarav nodded enthusiastically.
"I'd love that."
Rudra didn't object.
Instead...
His gaze naturally wandered across the playground.
Children.
Running.
Laughing.
Arguing over football.
Sharing lunch.
Life felt strangely...
Simple here.
Something his corporate world rarely allowed.
Suddenly—
A football rolled rapidly across the ground.
It bounced twice before stopping near Rudra's polished black shoes.
Before anyone could react—
A tiny whirlwind came running after it.
"Arre ruk!"
(Hey, stop!)
The little boy bent to grab the football.
At the exact same moment—
Rudra took one step forward.
Thud!
The boy bumped lightly into him.
The football slipped from his hands again.
For a second...
Everything became still.
The little boy looked up.
Messy curls.
Bright grey eyes.
A tiny dimple appearing as he smiled.
He blinked once.
Then twice.
"Wow..."
His innocent voice echoed.
"Aap toh bilkul Mr. Handsome ho."
(Wow... You're really Mr. Handsome.)
Time stopped.
Mr. Handsome.
The nickname echoed inside Rudra's mind.
Suddenly—
The school playground disappeared.
Replacing it...
A college campus six years ago.
A cheerful girl standing in front of him with folded arms.
"Excuse me, Mr. Handsome..."
"Itna attitude sehat ke liye achha nahi hota."
(Mr. Handsome... so much attitude isn't good for your health.)
Another memory.
Rain.
A shared umbrella.
Her laughter.
"Mirror dekhna band karo, Mr. Handsome."
(Stop admiring yourself in the mirror, Mr. Handsome.)
Present.
The memories shattered.
Rudra blinked.
The little boy was still staring at him curiously.
Completely unaware of the storm he had just awakened.
Ivan tilted his head.
"Hmmm..."
"I think you're even more handsome like me from nearby."
Aarav bit the inside of his cheek.
He was trying very hard not to laugh.
Meanwhile...
Ivan suddenly remembered something.
"Oh!"
He quickly began searching his pockets.
Left pocket.
Nothing.
Right pocket.
Some colourful marbles.
A tiny dinosaur sticker.
A crumpled chocolate wrapper.
His face lit up.
"Mil gaya!"
(Found it!)
He carefully unfolded the wrapper.
Inside...
Half of a chocolate bar still remained.
Slightly melted.
Slightly squashed.
But perfectly edible according to a five-year-old.
Ivan proudly stretched his tiny hand toward Rudra.
"Mere paas poori chocolate toh nahi hai..."
(I don't have a whole chocolate...)
"...lekin aadhi wali de deta hoon."
(...but you can have half of mine.)
Rudra looked at the chocolate.
Then at the little boy.
Confusion flickered across his face.
Ivan smiled innocently.
"Mumma kehti hain..."
(Mumma says...)
"...agar kisi ko galti se takleef ho jaaye..."
(...if someone accidentally causes trouble to another person...)
"...toh usko kuch accha dena chahiye."
(...you should give them something nice.)
He gently placed the chocolate into Rudra's palm.
"Ye compensation hai."
(This is compensation.)
Aarav immediately turned away.
His shoulders shook slightly.
He was laughing silently.
Mrs. Deshmukh covered her mouth to hide her smile.
Rudra looked down.
In his hand rested...
Half a melted chocolate.
Worth perhaps ten rupees.
He had received million-rupee gifts from foreign investors.
Luxury watches.
Rare paintings.
Exclusive invitations.
Yet somehow...
This tiny piece of chocolate felt more genuine than all of them.
A smile escaped his lips.
A real one.
Ivan's eyes sparkled.
"Dekha!"
(See!)
"I knew chocolate works."
Rudra looked at him.
"Does it?"
Ivan nodded confidently.
"Chocolate fixes everything."
Aarav finally burst into laughter.
"I completely agree with him."
Ivan proudly folded his arms.
"I know."
Then he extended his tiny hand.
"My name is Ivan."
"Ivan Singhania."
Rudra looked at the small hand waiting for his.
Slowly...
He shook it.
"Rudra."
Ivan frowned.
"Bas Rudra?"
(Just Rudra?)
"Hmm."
"No surname?"
Rudra almost smiled again.
"Malhotra."
Ivan repeated thoughtfully.
"Rudra Malhotra..."
Then his face brightened.
"I like Mr. Handsome better."
For the first time in years...
Rudra laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Warm.
Unrestrained.
And somewhere...
Without either of them realizing it...
Destiny quietly smiled.
Ivan grinned from ear to ear before carefully placing both his tiny hands behind his back.
"I have to go now."
Rudra raised an eyebrow.
"So soon?"
Ivan nodded enthusiastically.
"Lunch break is almost over."
"If I'm late, my class teacher will make me stand outside again."
He dramatically leaned closer and whispered,
"She's very dangerous."
Aarav chuckled.
"Really?"
Ivan looked around cautiously before nodding.
"She gives homework."
Aarav gasped dramatically.
"That's terrifying."
"I know!"
Ivan replied with complete seriousness.
For a few moments, the three simply stood there.
None of them realizing why the conversation felt so... comfortable.
Ivan suddenly looked at the half-eaten chocolate still resting in Rudra's palm.
"You didn't eat it."
Rudra looked down.
"No."
Ivan frowned.
"You don't like chocolate?"
"I do."
"Then eat it."
Rudra couldn't help smiling.
"I'll eat it later."
Satisfied, Ivan nodded.
"Good."
He bent down, picked up his football and hugged it tightly.
Before turning around, he looked back one last time.
"Bye, Mr. Handsome!"
Rudra instinctively replied,
"Bye... Ivan."
The little boy's face lit up as if he had just won the biggest prize in the world.
He waved excitedly before running toward the school building.
His tiny shoes echoed against the tiled corridor.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Until finally...
He disappeared around the corner.
Silence.
The playground still buzzed with hundreds of children.
Teachers called students back into their classrooms.
The bell rang once again.
Life continued exactly as before.
Yet...
For some inexplicable reason...
It didn't feel the same.
Rudra's eyes remained fixed on the empty corridor long after Ivan had disappeared.
A strange heaviness settled inside his chest.
It felt...
Oddly empty.
Almost as though...
A tiny part of him had walked away with that little boy.
He had known Ivan for barely ten minutes.
Barely exchanged a handful of sentences.
Then why...
Why did it suddenly feel so quiet?
Aarav observed his best friend from the corner of his eye.
Rudra wasn't someone who lingered.
He wasn't someone who got attached.
He certainly wasn't someone who smiled at strangers.
Yet today...
All three had happened.
Aarav folded his arms.
"So..."
No response.
"So..."
He tried again.
"Planning to adopt him?"
Rudra finally looked at him.
"What?"
"You've been staring at the corridor for the last two minutes."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I was thinking."
"About?"
Silence.
Rudra glanced toward the corridor once more before answering quietly,
"I don't know."
That answer surprised even him.
He always knew.
He always had an explanation.
A reason.
A calculation.
Today...
He had none.
Mrs. Deshmukh returned with a few documents.
"Mr. Malhotra?"
Rudra immediately composed himself.
"Yes."
"I just wanted to thank you once again."
She smiled warmly.
"The children will benefit from your Foundation's support for many years."
He nodded politely.
"I hope they do."
As they completed the remaining formalities, Rudra's hand unconsciously slipped into his trouser pocket.
His fingers brushed against something soft.
The chocolate.
He had forgotten it was still there.
For a brief moment, he considered throwing it into the nearby dustbin.
Instead...
He quietly placed it back into his pocket.
Aarav noticed.
"You know..."
Rudra looked at him.
"That has to be the first time in history someone has successfully bribed the CEO of Malhotra Industries."
"It wasn't a bribe."
"No?"
"It was..."
Rudra paused.
He searched for the right word.
"...compensation."
Aarav burst into laughter.
"You're actually keeping it!"
Rudra didn't answer.
Even he didn't understand why.
Ivan skipped happily toward the school gate where Tara was waiting for pickup with other parents.
The moment he spotted her, he ran straight into her arms.
"Mumma!"
Tara smiled as she kissed his forehead.
"There you are."
"Ready to go home?"
Ivan nodded enthusiastically.
As they began walking toward the auto-rickshaw stand, Ivan started talking.
And he didn't stop.
"Mumma!"
"Today I met someone."
"Hmm?"
"He was very tall."
"Okay."
"And very handsome."
"I see."
"And he smiled."
"That's nice."
"And he had very nice eyes."
Tara laughed softly.
"Someone seems impressed."
"I am!"
"He was Mr. Handsome."
The nickname made Tara smile.
"Mr. Handsome?"
"Yes."
"I gave him my chocolate."
"You gave your chocolate away?"
Ivan nodded proudly.
"It was compensation."
Tara laughed.
"My generous boy."
The auto-rickshaw slowly moved through the crowded streets of Mumbai.
Normally, Ivan would spend the journey complaining about homework.
Or explaining why his class teacher was secretly the strictest teacher in the world.
Today...
Everything was different.
"Mumma..."
"Hmm?"
"He laughed."
"Who?"
"Mr. Handsome."
"I think he was lonely."
Tara looked at her son.
"What makes you think that?"
"He smiled..."
"...but his eyes looked sad."
For a brief second...
She was speechless.
Sometimes children noticed emotions adults completely overlooked.
Ivan continued,
"And Mumma..."
"Hmm?"
"He was wearing a silver ring."
Tara absentmindedly glanced at the silver ring adorning her own finger.
"The same as yours."
Her smile faded.
A silver ring.
Her heartbeat slowed.
No...
It couldn't be.
Thousands...
No, millions of people wore simple silver rings.
It didn't mean anything.
It couldn't.
Not after six years.
Not after everything.
She quietly looked out of the auto window.
No matter how much she had tried...
There was one man she had never truly forgotten.
Rudra.
She immediately pushed the thought away.
"No."
She whispered to herself.
"It can't be him."
Ivan, completely unaware of the storm inside his mother's heart, continued chatting happily until they reached their chawl.
By the time they entered the familiar narrow lane, the evening sun had begun to set.
The whispers returned.
As they always did.
Curious eyes followed Tara.
Neighbours lowered their voices.
Some judged.
Some pitied.
Some simply watched.
Tara ignored them.
She had learned to.
Suddenly...
She felt a tiny hand squeeze hers.
Ivan.
He didn't say a word.
He never did.
But somehow...
His little hand always reminded her she wasn't fighting alone.
A lump formed in Tara's throat.
No mother wanted her five-year-old son to learn strength this early.
No child should have to silently comfort his mother.
Yet Ivan did.
Every single day.
Together they climbed the stairs.
Tara reached her apartment.
Pulled out her keys.
Unlocked the door.
Then froze.
Standing outside her home...
Were three people she never wanted to see again.
Anand Singhania.
Ishita Singhania.
Arush Singhania.
Her parents.
And her younger brother.
The very people who had abandoned her when she had needed them most.
Her grip on Ivan's hand instinctively tightened.
The past...
Had finally come knocking.
To be continued.....
Hey everyone, I hope you all liked the chapter if you did dont forget to vote and leave your precious comments💞💞 . Your comments are my inspirations💖💖💖 so pleasee don't forget to leave comments🥺🥺🥺. Byeeee👐👐!!!
Write a comment ...