Aditya hastily flipped through the files that were stacked on top of his desk, wanting nothing more than to minimize the workload that continued to grow with each passing minute. His head pounded rapidly, pleading him to take a break but that wasn't an option. Being a CEO of a multi-billion company didn't just fall into one's lap just like that, it took literal blood, sweat, and tears.
His father made Hooda Industries from scratch, nurturing it until the company's name became a permanent mark in the business world – one that cemented its legacy forever. When he came of age, the company transferred under his care and he intended to do whatever was required for it to flourish.
His father still visited the company quite frequently since his position of a chairman – the highest rank in the operational structure of a company – required him to do routine checks just to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Aditya and his father had a rocky relationship due to many circumstances but it was as clear as day that being CEO of Hooda Industries was a job that was created for him. Even his father couldn't deny that.
However, the idea that his father still possessed more power than him and had the ability to easily remove him as CEO with a mere snap of his finger, left him disturbed and angry on more occasions then he'd like to count.
"Bhai!" Arjun, his little brother yelled, frantically waving his hands in front of Aditya's face to get his attention. "Where's your head at? I've been trying to get your attention for twenty minutes now." He exclaimed, intrigued to know his brother's thoughts.
Aditya smirked, "Keep trying then. I'd rather daydream about my girlfriend than pay any heed to your ugly face." He said jokingly, delighted to see the annoyed look on Arjun's face.
"Your imaginary girlfriend, you mean. If you aren't going to ask Pooja out then there's no point in thinking about her."
Aditya glared at him, "I'll do no such thing, she simply works here. I don't like her and that's that so for the love of god, don't create something out of nothing."
He himself didn't know what he felt about Pooja and right now wasn't the moment to ponder about her or what their relationship was.
Arjun gave his brother an unimpressed look, "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Anyway, it's almost midnight Bhai, start packing up. Everyone has left the building, it's just us and I'm not leaving you here because I know that instead of coming home, you'll just continue to work."
His elder brother waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "The CEO doesn't just stop working, Arjun."
"Yeah, he just ages faster."
"Arjun, I'm going to smack the living shit out of you. This is my final warning, quit testing me." He whined.
Arjun put his arms up in surrender, "Bhai, violence is not the answer to everything."
"It is to shut you up."
Arjun grabbed the files that were on Aditya's desk and dashed towards the door, "You want these back? Get up then!" Arjun challenged running out with the stack of sheets that contained client intel.
"Arjun! You dumbass, get back here. Oh, you're so dead!"
Even if the CEO was perceived as cold hearted, rude, and cocky, there were those that were close to his heart that knew the real him. The moments where he acted carefree were the ones that captured his personality the best, and it was a sight to behold.
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Anjana paced back and forth, unable to keep her stress levels under control, her blood pressure would without a doubt, rise tonight.
"Harshvardhan, you cannot do this to him, please. He's already broken from the pain you've caused him, this will only cause his hatred to deepen."
Her husband scoffed, "What pain have I caused him? Hmm, please enlighten me because this feeling of anger and hatred that constantly stems within him is nothing of my doing, understood Anjana?"
She couldn't believe her husband, he was lying and they both knew it. "Yeah right, Adi has never been like this till you showed him the dark and ugly sides to a relationship. You were his role model and you corrupted his heart, leaving shards of ice that will never melt. Don't even deny it. But I beg you, don't go through with this proposal."
He exasperatedly pinched the bridge of his nose, "I may have given Aditya the company and his name might be on the official papers, but I still have seniority and authority over him so he will listen to whatever I have to say, he doesn't get a choice."
"He didn't just get handed the company, he worked for it and you know that. Stop disregarding his hard work. And throwing out threats isn't going to help us Harshvardhan, he is our son. Think about his happiness."
"Exactly, he's our son. I know what I'm doing will be beneficial for him so don't worry about it. Go be useful and make me some tea."
Anjana didn't know how her husband turned into this, he could care less about who he hurt — even if it were his family.
His own son was going to get caught amidst the crossfire and he voluntarily offered him as the bait. She felt helpless, what else could she do?
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The minute Aditya stepped foot into his company, a worker informed him that all his meetings were cancelled in order to make space for an important consultation with the board. He stared at Arjun who looked as confused as him. Odd.
He mentally started to prepare himself for whatever they were going to say but seethed with anger when he realized that his father most likely played a hand in this. Without his authorization, this meeting wouldn't even be happening and he had the nerve to act like everything was fine when they had a minor interaction in the morning, even asking him which clients he was dealing with today.
Scoundrel.
Arjun and him walked to the room where the meetings usually were held and were greeted with men dressed in posh suits and faces plastered with stern expressions, including their father.
"Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Aditya asked, sarcasm evident in his voice.
They all turned to his father who stared right back at his son with a grin that caused uneasiness to spread in his body.
"Son, have you ever heard of Diamond Enterprises?"
He simply nodded, unsure as to why the first words spoken to kick off this meeting revolved around their adversary establishment.
As a CEO, keeping tabs on all the competition was a necessity and therefore, Aditya knew the ins and outs of every single firm. Diamond Enterprises is a household name — you'd be living under a rock to not have heard of them — they've been on the top of the game since their debut in 2004. However, with Aditya in charge of Hooda Enterprises, the feud has been neck and neck, at its peak.
In his opinion, they were his biggest rivals and the only one worth the rivalry. An honour he doesn't give to many.
"Great. The owner of that company, Waseem Siddiqui, has become a really good friend of mine, just recently. And we both came up with a marvellous idea."
Aditya raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"Dad, why're you creating so much suspense? Get to the point." Arjun added, nervous for his elder brother.
Their father clicked his tongue, saying his next few words with a hint of hesitation, "Diamond Enterprises and Hooda Industries will be having a merger and not just that, to strengthen the bond between the two companies, you will be marrying his daughter."
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A/N: I can't wait to further develop this story and share with you all what I have in store! I hope you love this story as much as I do. Zoya will be making an appearance in the next chapter and whatever doesn't make sense now will slowly start to reveal itself. Please share your thoughts, feedback is always welcome. Thank you!
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