"3RD PERSON POV"
As their handshake ended, a brief silence settled between them. Suryakantham's expression shifted, the hint of sadness returning to her eyes.
Seeing this, Aravind leaned slightly against the counter and asked casually, "So… who left? You or him?"
Suryakantham's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "How did you know?"
Aravind shrugged with a small smile. "Just a guess. But if you feel like talking about it, I'm all ears."
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I left him," she admitted.
Aravind raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What happened? Was he cheating on you or something?"
Instead of answering immediately, Suryakantham pulled out her phone, tapped on the screen a few times, and then handed it to him.
Curious, Aravind took the phone and saw an open chat conversation. His eyes scanned the screen, landing on a short message:
"It's over, Rohit."
He looked up at her. "Is he your ex?"
Suryakantham nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. "Yes. Keep reading."
Aravind nodded and continued reading, his eyes scanning the messages.
"We can marry today or tomorrow, but first, I want to start a business."
He paused, then glanced up at Suryakantham. "Oh… I see where this is going. How much did you give him?"
Suryakantham sighed, her expression tinged with regret. "Keep reading," she murmured.
Aravind's eyes flicked back to the screen, reading through the rest of the conversation. The more he read, the more his amusement grew. Finally, he leaned back and let out a soft chuckle.
"You took 10 lakh and gave it to your boyfriend? Wow. I mean, seriously—where do you even find girls like this nowadays?" His tone was teasing but not mocking, his expression a mix of admiration and disbelief.
Suryakantham let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Well, clearly, I'm an endangered species."
Aravind handed her phone back.
Suryakantham took her phone, exhaling deeply before speaking. "I work at AB Group as Mr. Sarma's secretary. He's like a father to me. I lied to him and took a 10 lakh loan, telling him I wanted to buy a plot."
Aravind nodded, absorbing her words. "Alright, but let's clear one thing—are you upset because of the breakup, or because of the money?"
Suryakantham scoffed, shaking her head. "Who cares about that fucker? I'm just angry that I gave him money. Now, I have to find a way to pay back the 10 lakh loan."
Aravind chuckled, leaning against the counter. "Well, I can help you with that. Let's go and get your money back from your ex."
Suryakantham looked at him, slightly surprised. "Why do you want to help me?"
Aravind smirked. "I think this is what destiny wants. I mean, think about it—your car breaks down right in front of my café, on the same day you're dealing with this mess? If that's not a sign, I don't know what is. And besides, didn't I already say that beautiful girls shouldn't look sad?"
Suryakantham let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "You and your words… Alright, thanks for the help. But my car is—"
Before she could finish, Aravind cut in with a grin. "Then let's close the café, fix the car, and get going." He glanced outside and noted that the rain had slowed down. Turning back to her, he raised an eyebrow. "So? What do you think?"
Suryakantham smiled, feeling a small sense of relief for the first time that day. "Okay. Let's do it."
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"3RD PERSON POV"
Inside the dimly lit apartment, Rohit was sleeping peacefully, lost in his dreams, when suddenly—the room flooded with bright light. Groaning, he stirred and sat up, squinting against the sudden brightness.
"What the fuck?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Why did the lights turn on?"
Blinking rapidly, he looked around, his gaze locking onto an unfamiliar figure standing at his bedroom door. His heart pounded as he realized a stranger was inside his apartment.
"What the hell?" Rohit snapped, scrambling to sit up properly. "Who the fuck are you? How did you get in?"
Before the unknown man could answer, another figure stepped forward from behind him—Suryakantham.
Rohit's expression twisted into one of irritation as he stood up from the bed. His lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Oh, I see." He folded his arms. "Suryakantham, it hasn't even been a day since our breakup, and you've already found a new boyfriend? How fast. What do you want? Get the hell out of my house."
Before Suryakantham could respond, the stranger—Aravind—spoke instead.
"10 lakhs."
The single phrase cut through the tension like a knife.
Hearing Aravind's demand, Rohit scoffed. "10 lakhs? Forget about it. I'm not giving a single rupee back."
The moment those words left his mouth, he suddenly felt an overwhelming force on his cheek. Before he could even process what was happening, his vision blurred, and the next thing he knew—everything went black.
With a loud thud, Rohit's unconscious body collapsed onto the bed.
Suryakantham's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell, Aravind? Did you just kill him?! Now who's going to pay me back my 10 lakhs?!"
Aravind, completely unfazed, simply smiled. "Relax. He's fine. Just unconscious. Throw some water on him."
Without hesitation, Suryakantham grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and splashed it all over Rohit's face.
The cold shock made Rohit jolt awake with a sharp gasp. He sat up in confusion, eyes darting around the room until they landed on Aravind and Suryakantham.
"Wha—" he started to say, but the moment he opened his mouth, something fell into his hand.
His tooth.
He stared at the bloody tooth in his palm, horror dawning on his face. He touched his mouth, feeling the gap where his tooth used to be, before snapping his gaze toward Aravind.
"What the hell?!" he sputtered, his voice laced with panic.
Aravind smiled casually, "Now, 10 lakhs?"
Rohit, still holding his bloody tooth, swallowed hard. "T-Tomorrow... I'll give it tomorrow."
Aravind's smile widened. "That's more like a good person."
Hearing that she was finally getting her money back, Suryakantham's face lit up with joy. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Aravind's neck, pulling him into a tight hug.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Aravind!" she said, her voice full of relief as she looked into his eyes.
Aravind chuckled, hugging her back lightly. There was no ulterior motive, no hidden intention—he was just being himself. A man who did what he felt was right.
"It's fine, it's fine," he said warmly. "Didn't I tell you? Destiny."
They held the moment for a second longer before parting, and then Aravind turned toward the bedroom door. As they walked to leave, he cast one last glance at Rohit—who still sat there, utterly dumbfounded.
With a teasing smile, Aravind said, "Sorry for disturbing your beauty sleep, 'good person.' But we'll be waiting for our money."
And with that, he shut the door behind them, leaving Rohit sitting there, completely stunned, still trying to process what had just happened.