RATHOD MANSION – 6:45 AM
The Rathod mansion didn’t wake up.
It activated.
Staff moved silently. News channels murmured in the background. The smell of fresh coffee drifted through the long marble corridor.
Rehyansh Rathod adjusted his cufflinks while walking downstairs. His steps were steady, unhurried like someone who never needed to rush because the world already ran on his schedule.
At 27, he carried the kind of presence most men spent a lifetime trying to build.
He entered the dining hall.
“Good morning, Dadu,” he said, touching Adhiraj Rathod’s feet.
Adhiraj nodded, studying him. “You slept?”
“Four hours.”
“That is not sleep. That is compromise.”
Rehyansh gave a faint smile. “The Singapore deal closed at 2 a.m.”
Ajay looked up from his tablet. “Signed?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Vivaan leaned back in his chair. “Imagine running a billion-rupee empire and still deciding to teach college kids.”
Rehyansh finally looked at him. “Teaching clears my mind.”
Priya grinned. “Or maybe you like being worshipped by students.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I prefer being respected.”
Sheetal placed paratha on his plate gently. “You work too much.”
He didn’t respond to that.
Because if he stopped working…
He would have to think.
And thinking led to things he didn’t want.
Like love.
He had seen what obsession did to people. He had seen business empires shaken because someone got emotionally distracted.
Love was beautiful.
But it was also weakness.
And Rehyansh Rathod did not allow weaknesses.
RATHOD PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGE –
9:00 AM
Lecture Hall 3 buzzed like a beehive.
Girls checked their reflections in phone screens.
“Is he coming today?”
“He never misses a lecture.”
“He rejected Riya, can you believe it?”
“He doesn’t even look at anyone.”
The door opened.
And silence fell naturally.
Professor Rehyansh Rathod walked in wearing a charcoal grey shirt, sleeves folded just enough to reveal a simple watch and strong forearms.
No flashy style.
No unnecessary expressions.
Just control.
He placed his laptop on the desk and wrote on the board:
Leadership and Responsibility
He turned around.
“Take your seats.”
Even the air obeyed.
He began speaking calmly. His voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.
“When people say they want power,” he said, walking slowly between desks, “what they actually want is validation.”
Students listened.
“Power is not dominance. It is responsibility. The moment you lead something — you carry its failures before its success.”
Someone at the back whispered, “God, even his voice is hot.”
He ignored it.
Because he always did.
Then
BANG.
The classroom door swung open.
A girl stumbled in, tripping slightly over her own foot.
Her books fell. A pen rolled across the floor.
The class burst into laughter.
She stood up quickly, brushing hair away from her face.
“Okay… that entrance was not planned.”
A few students giggled.
Rehyansh stared at her.
Not amused.
“Name.”
She straightened, meeting his eyes without hesitation.
“Kajal Sinha.”
Her voice wasn’t shaky.
Interesting.
“You’re late.”
She checked her watch dramatically. “Three minutes.”
“Which is late.”
She sighed softly. “Noted, Professor.”
Somehow, she didn’t look embarrassed.
She looked… mildly annoyed at gravity.
“Take your seat,” he said firmly.
She walked to an empty chair in the middle row.
Not front.
Not back.
Middle.
Balanced.
He resumed lecture.
But once.
Just once.
His eyes flickered toward her.
She was actually listening.
Not staring at him like the others.
Not whispering.
She was writing notes.
MID-LECTURE
He asked, “If a company faces market pressure from stronger competitors, what is the first strategic move?”
Silence.
Students avoided eye contact.
Then Kajal raised her hand casually.
“Yes?”
“Depends on internal strength,” she said. “If you’re weak internally, expansion will collapse you. First stabilize operations. Then expand.”
He paused.
“That is incomplete.”
She didn’t sit down.
“Stability before aggression. Otherwise you burn resources.”
The room was quiet.
He studied her face.
She wasn’t trying to impress him.
She genuinely believed what she said.
“Correct,” he replied after a moment.
A small smile appeared on her face.
And something strange happened inside him.
A flicker.
Not attraction.
Recognition.
She thinks.
That’s rare.
He quickly turned back to the board.
Focus.
AFTER CLASS
As soon as the bell rang, students surrounded his desk.
“Sir, can you check my assignment?”
“Sir, coffee?”
“Sir, you don’t look 27 honestly.”
He closed his laptop.
“Submit assignments by Friday. Email only.”
He walked out without entertaining anything else.
In the corridor—
He saw her again.
Kajal was kneeling, picking up papers scattered from her bag.
She looked up and muttered, “I swear my bag has personal issues with me.”
He almost ignored it.
Almost.
But when she stood up, she nearly collided into him.
Her balance slipped.
His hand instinctively caught her arm.
For one second.
Just one.
Her skin felt warm.
She looked up.
Too close.
They both realized it at the same time.
She gently removed her arm.
“Thank you.”
Her voice was normal.
Not flustered.
Not dramatic.
He nodded once. “Be careful.”
She tilted her head. “You say that like I jump off buildings for fun.”
“You’re careless.”
“And you’re too serious.”
Silence.
He wasn’t used to people talking back without fear.
“Focus on your academics, Ms. Sinha.”
“I am,” she said softly. “Are you?”
That question lingered.
He walked away before answering.
But her words followed him.
SINHA HOUSE – EVENING
Kajal threw herself on the sofa.
“I embarrassed myself today.”
Anjali looked up from the kitchen. “Again?”
“It was not intentional!”
Aryan smirked. “College or life?”
“College.”
“Professor Rathod?” Avinash teased.
She rolled her eyes. “He acts like smiling is illegal.”
Sumit spoke calmly. “He’s from a powerful family. People like that don’t get casual.”
Kajal went quiet.
“He’s not arrogant,” she said slowly. “Just… guarded.”
Her brothers exchanged looks.
“Ohhh,” Aryan said dramatically.
She threw a cushion at him. “Shut up! I don’t like him.”
But that wasn’t the full truth.
She didn’t like him.
She didn’t dislike him either.
He unsettled her.
And she didn’t like being unsettled.
RATHOD STUDY ROOM – NIGHT
Rehyansh stood near the large window overlooking the city.
Vivaan entered without knocking.
“You’re thinking,” Vivaan said.
“I always think.”
“About gravity girl?”
Rehyansh gave him a warning look.
“She’s just another student.”
“Then why remember her answer in class?”
Silence.
Vivaan laughed lightly. “Relax. I’m not blind.”
Rehyansh finally spoke.
“She doesn’t try to impress.”
“Which impresses you.”
He didn’t respond.
Because that irritated him.
He didn’t want to notice her.
Didn’t want to feel curious.
Curiosity leads to attachment.
Attachment leads to distraction.
And distraction?
Destroys empires.
NEXT DAY – COLLEGE GARDEN
Kajal was sitting under a tree helping a junior with presentation slides.
“Breathe,” she told the nervous girl.
“He won’t eat you.”
Rehyansh, walking past, overheard that.
“He might,” Kajal added jokingly.
The junior laughed.
He didn’t interrupt.
He simply observed.
She was patient.
Encouraging.
Not loud like yesterday.
There were layers.
Just then, a senior boy approached her.
“Hey, you’re new right? Need help?”
His tone wasn’t friendly.
Kajal’s smile faded slightly. “I’m fine.”
He leaned closer. “I insist.”
Before she could respond
“Is there an issue?”
Rehyansh’s voice cut in calmly.
The boy stiffened. “No sir.”
“Good.”
The boy walked away immediately.
Kajal stood up.
“I could handle it.”
“I know.”
“Then why interfere?”
“Because I saw discomfort.”
She crossed her arms. “Or because you like control?”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You misunderstand.”
“Maybe,” she said quietly. “Or maybe you assume too much.”
For a moment, neither moved.
Wind rustled leaves above them.
He lowered his voice. “You don’t know how this environment works yet.”
She replied softly, “And you don’t know me yet.”
There it was again.
That directness.
That fearless tone.
She walked away.
And he realized something unsettling.
He was watching her leave.
NIGHT – REHYANSH’S ROOM
He sat alone.
Laptop open.
Unread emails blinking.
But his mind replayed the day.
Her laughter.
Her stubborn eyes.
Her steady answers.
Why was he thinking about her?
This was unnecessary.
He leaned back, closing his eyes.
Love is distraction.
He had repeated that belief for years.
But this
This wasn’t love.
It was irritation.
Curiosity.
Challenge.
And challenges were meant to be controlled.
Still…
For the first time in a long time
Something in his perfectly structured life felt slightly… unpredictable.
And unpredictability either destroys you.
Or changes you.
He opened his eyes slowly.
“Focus,” he muttered to himself.
But somewhere inside
A small crack had formed in the wall he built around his heart.
And he didn’t know yet…
That the girl who couldn’t walk straight without tripping…
Would be the one to shake the most disciplined man’s control.
END OF CHAPTER 1
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