Part 1: The Collision
Riya Sen had always believed her life would be simple. Coming from a middle-class family, she learned early on that survival meant hard work, not daydreams. Her world was defined by her small rented apartment, her daily commute, and the endless files she typed up in her office cubicle. There was no room for fairy tales in her dictionary—at least that's what she thought.
It was a Monday morning when her life collided, quite literally, with Aarav Malhotra—the name the world whispered with awe. He was not just rich, he was the billionaire, a man whose face was splashed across every business magazine. But to Riya, on that morning, he was simply the arrogant man who spilled her coffee.
"Watch where you're going," Aarav snapped, his tailored suit now stained with brown marks. His piercing eyes scanned her nervously fumbling hands as she tried to apologize.
"I—I'm so sorry," Riya stammered, holding a tissue out. "I didn't see—"
"Of course, you didn't," he cut her off, brushing the stain with irritation. "Next time, try walking with your eyes open."
Riya's cheeks flushed red with anger. "Excuse me? You were the one rushing through the corridor like a storm!"
Their eyes locked, sparks flying—not the romantic kind, but the kind that made everyone in the hallway pause. Employees whispered. No one ever spoke back to Aarav Malhotra. But Riya wasn't like everyone else.
That was their first meeting—fire, not warmth.
---
The next day, Riya sat at her desk, determined to forget the incident. She had deadlines to meet. But as fate would have it, Aarav walked into her department for a project briefing. Her heart sank.
"This is Ms. Sen," her manager introduced nervously. "She'll be assisting you with the upcoming finance reports."
Aarav raised an eyebrow. "Her?" His tone dripped with disbelief.
"Yes, sir," the manager nodded quickly.
Riya's hands clenched. Her? As if she wasn't even a person.
Later, as they sat across each other in the glass conference room, the tension was suffocating. Aarav spoke in clipped words, his voice sharp. Riya answered back with forced politeness, though her sarcasm slipped out once or twice. It was a battlefield, but neither walked away.
Strangely enough, by the end of the week, something changed. Aarav noticed the way Riya worked—diligent, precise, and surprisingly fearless. She didn't fawn over him like others did. She argued, she challenged, she questioned. It annoyed him, but it also intrigued him.
One evening, when everyone had left, Riya was still at her desk. Aarav stopped at the door, watching her. She was biting her lip, rechecking numbers on a spreadsheet, her brows furrowed in concentration. She looked… different. Not the fiery girl who had fought him that morning, but someone quietly determined.
Against his better judgment, he walked over. "You're still here?"
Riya jumped slightly. "Yes. This report needs to be ready by tomorrow."
"You could've left. That's not your responsibility."
She glanced up at him. "Neither was fixing your coffee-stained suit. But I still offered."
For the first time, Aarav laughed—a genuine, low laugh that surprised even himself. Riya blinked. Was this the same arrogant man?
---
Days turned into weeks, and the friction between them softened into something unspoken. Arguments turned into banter. Work discussions turned into casual conversations. Riya found herself learning about the man behind the billionaire. He told her little things: his love for black coffee, his habit of reading late into the night, his dislike for fake smiles.
But what Riya didn't know was the truth—that Aarav had never truly revealed who he was. In the office, he was just "the client," never mentioning his empire or his billions. And Riya, being new to the corporate world, didn't connect the dots. To her, he was just Aarav—the arrogant, complicated man who sometimes made her laugh.
One evening, while they were reviewing files, Riya accidentally spilled ink across a document. She gasped. "Oh no!"
Aarav shook his head, smirking. "You and accidents. Maybe the universe is trying to say something."
"Like what?" she challenged.
"That you and I were destined to annoy each other forever."
Riya rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. She hated to admit it, but she was beginning to look forward to their arguments, their unexpected moments of laughter.
---
But fate wasn't done with its tricks.
One Friday, Riya overheard a group of colleagues whispering in the break room.
"Did you see the news? Aarav Malhotra just signed a billion-dollar deal in Dubai!"
"Imagine working with a man like him… He's literally untouchable."
Riya froze. Aarav Malhotra? The name echoed in her head. Could it be… him?
Her mind raced back to the man in the suit, the one who mocked her, the one who laughed with her. No, it couldn't be. But the more she thought about it, the more the pieces fit together.
That evening, when Aarav walked past her desk, she looked up sharply. "Your name… is Aarav Malhotra?"
He stopped, studying her face. "Yes. Why?"
Her stomach dropped. "As in… the billionaire Aarav Malhotra?"
For a long moment, silence hung between them. His eyes softened, but his voice was steady. "Does it matter?"
Riya felt her world spin. All this time, she had been arguing with a man the world bowed down to. And worse—she had begun to like him.
But in her heart, a question screamed louder than anything: What happens when a simple girl falls for a billionaire?
---
Heartfelt thanks to everyone for staying with the story till the very end. If I've made any mistakes while writing, I hope you'll kindly overlook them. Every single comment from you is truly precious to me, because a writer's greatest inspiration comes from the readers' response. How you felt about the story, which part touched you, or where it could have been improved—sharing these thoughts will add new colors to my future writings. Your love and feedback are the fuel for my pen, so please don't forget to leave a comment.