The Silent Pursuit
The next morning, Sonia woke up early and enjoyed breakfast with Ishani and Rhea. A few hours later, she left the hotel and went straight to her office at Lumina Jewels.
Meanwhile, Abhay woke up to an update from his secretary: Sonia was having breakfast. When Abhay arrived at the hotel restaurant moments later, he was told she had already checked out and left. The lack of response or acknowledgement from Sonia made him feel a strange mixture of frustration and hurt.
Abhay's secretary, Rajat, then stood before him, delivering a detailed report on Sonia's past six years. Abhay was genuinely shocked. Sonia had not pursued Business Management, despite completing her commerce degree in India. Instead, she had earned a high-level Jewellery Design degree on a full scholarship, balancing studies with part-time work, and winning multiple awards before returning to India seven months prior.
"Seven months?" Abhay repeated, the shock deepening. "Why didn't she contact her brothers or me? What happened?"
Rajat's information painted a portrait of a new woman: independent, confident, stunningly beautiful, and energetic. Abhay realized that the child-like girl who desperately needed help was gone. The woman standing before him now needed absolutely nothing from him. A wave of regret washed over him. He felt an intense, unfamiliar fear: he had lost her.
The Conference Room Reveal
Four days later, Sonia arrived at her company and was met with buzzing gossip: a new CEO had arrived for an inspection.
Sonia was deep in concentration in her cabin when her Director informed her that they needed to meet the CEO in the conference room immediately. Sonia grabbed her tablet, and her secretary, Nisha, followed close behind with her laptop.
When Sonia entered the conference room, she immediately noticed the main chair, where the CEO was seated, was turned away from the entrance. She took her seat next to a director and Nisha sat next to her. She focused entirely on preparing her materials, checking project details as the other directors and senior department heads filed in.
It wasn't until the CEO began speaking that Sonia felt a jolt of shock. She recognized the deep, authoritative voice instantly. She looked up just as the chair swiveled around, revealing Abhay Oberoi sitting in the chairman's seat, with Rajat seated next to him.
Sonia's expression froze, but she didn't betray her emotions. She knew exactly what this meant.
Abhay, meanwhile, gave her a slow, devilish smile.
Sonia refused to engage. She quickly suppressed her shock and focused entirely on the meeting, ignoring Abhay completely. Abhay watched her throughout the meeting; the room was subtly darkened for the presentation, allowing him to observe her without others noticing his intense scrutiny, though Sonia was acutely aware of his gaze.
The three-hour meeting finally concluded. Sonia grabbed her tablet and quickly left the conference room without a single glance toward Abhay.
Once she reached the privacy of her cabin, the shock settled in. What is Abhay doing here? What does he want? She knew the answer. He hadn't just come for an inspection; he must have bought the company just to get to her.