The automatic glass doors slid open with a slow hiss, releasing a gust of cool airport air just as three women stepped through it like the climax of a movie.

They didn't walk. They arrived. Lights caught on their silhouettes-three confident figures moving with a grace that made every head turn.

Aanya, in the center, walked like she owned the runway. Bella, on her right-glamorous, sharp eyed, effortlessly stunning. Suzy, on her left-calm elegance with quiet fire.

Behind them, matching their steps, walked Karan and Mattio, both in fitted black jackets, expression hard, posture strong.

They looked exactly like personal security.

Aanya lifted her arms lightly, letting the warm Indian air wash over her skin. Her eyes closed for a brief second-absorbing, claiming, returning. A slow smile curled her lips. "Finally," she breathed. "I'm back."

They stood at the exit-three women who looked like they were about to set the country on fire, and two men behind them who looked ready to kill for them.

Aanya turned to Mattio, her expression shifting to a cold, sharp authority that made even clumsy baggage boys pause mid-step. Her eyebrow arched.

"Mattio," she said, voice crisp, clipped, commanding, "I hope you haven't informed your boss about my arrival."

___

{ Well yes your gues is corrcet its same Mattio-the same mysterious hacker from Dante's circle-was now Aanya Mehra's personal secretary.

But this wasn't some coincidence. This was Ishaan Mehra's plan from the very beginning.Because the day Aanya left for America-shattered, healing, rebuilding herself- Ishaan had stood at the airport watching her disappear behind the glass doors. His hands clenched. His chest hollow. His world suddenly silent. And he had made a silent promise:

"She will never be alone. Not even for a day."

So with Aransh's help, he placed Mattio by her side-disguised under a newidentity. Albert. That was the name he chose. everyone believed aanya had hired a new secretary. Only Aanya knew the truth the moment she looked at him.

She didn't need introductions. Didn't need explanations. Didn't need to ask. One glance at those sharp eyes, that stiff posture, that quiet fear... And she had recognized him instantly. "Of course she knows who he is. She had seen Mattio that day at Aarav's mansion with Ishaan. She knows he is Ishaan's man."

But she didn't expose him. Because if Ishaan had sent Mattio-it meant he had done it out of care, not control. So she let him stay.

And Mattio proved to be excellent at his job. Organized. Sharp. Efficient. Loyal. He followed her everywhere with silent dedication. But... he was still Mattio. Which meant he was still reporting everything to Ishaan.

Until one day- He made a mistake. he thought aanya is no where so he talk to his boss ishaan in office, he is reporting about her and she chought him.

Aanya's voice sliced through the quiet office like a blade: "Mr. Mattio." Mattio froze mid-step.The color drained from his face. His throat bobbed once-twice. "W-Who is Mattio, boss?" His voice cracked like a frightened schoolboy.

Aanya didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to. Her tone was calm-too calm. More dangerous than a scream. She stepped closer. "Should I remind you who Mattio is?" He swallowed hard.His knees felt weak.

She continued, her eyes cold and unwavering: "Or will you tell me yourself?"

That was all it took. Mattio broke instantly-like a dam bursting. Words poured out of him in a panicked rush. He confessed everything. How Ishaan had sent him. How Aransh helped change his identity. How he was supposed to watch over her. How he was supposed to report every detail. He stood there shaking, waiting for her anger.

But Aanya simply exhaled slowly. Her expression... was unreadable. Then she said, evenly: "Mattio, I don't mind you being my secretary. You're good at what you do."His shoulders relaxed in relief.

Until she added- "But from this moment onward... you will not report anything to Ishaan Mehra." His breath caught. Her voice hardened. "This is your boss's order. And if you can't follow it... you will be fired."

Mattio nearly fainted. From that day forward, he followed her command like it was scripture. He blocked Ishaan's number. He stopped sending updates. He pretended he had vanished from the face of the earth.

But Ishaan Mehra was not a man who accepted silence. He called. Again. And again. And again. Finally, Mattio answered using a different number.

And Ishaan started questioning him immediately-anger in every syllable. "Why did you stop reporting? What is going on there?" Mattio sighed dramatically and declared:

"Sir, you are not my boss anymore. Mrs. Mehra is. She knows who I am. Now I must resign from your job before she fires me from hers." if I lose this job, how will I feed my wife and children? Please understand my responsibilities." Mattio didn't miss a beat.

Ishaan clenched his jaw. he dragged a hand down his face.

"Mattio, for God's sake-you don't even have a wife and kids! What are you talking about?" you're single mattio."

But Mattio wasn't done. In a dramatic, tragic voice, he said:

" Whatever My boss is Mrs. Mehra now. I cannot risk her anger. So from now onward, I will not report anything to you. Goodbye, sir. And please, take care of yourself."

And he cut the call. Just like that. From that day forward- Mattio became Aanya's fiercely loyal shadow. Her secretary. Her gatekeeper. Her silent protector. and without realizing it... He became the bridge between a man waiting in India and a woman healing across the ocean.)
***

Present

Mattio froze like a guilty child caught with chocolate in his pocket. His head moved left and right so fast he almost sprained his neck. "No-no, boss. I didn't tell him anything," he stammered.

Aanya's hard stare softened into a wicked smirk. "Good. I will announce my arrival..." Her smirk deepened. "...in my own way."

Bella snickered behind her. Suzy chuckled. Karan shook his head with a sigh because he knew she was about to create chaos. Mattio swallowed loudly, already praying for his life. They all stepped into the waiting black car-sleek, tinted, powerful-and the door shut with a heavy, expensive click.

The queen had returned.
And ishaan had no idea what storm was about to hit him.
___

The atmosphere at Mehra Corporation was calm, focused-like any other evening.
Employees typed, phones rang softly, machines hummed.
Everything was routine.

Until it wasn't.

At exactly 7:00 PM, every computer screen in the entire building flickered... once... twice...Then went pitch black. A shrill alarm from the control room pierced the silence. Engineers looked up, startled. Employees froze mid-task. Someone dropped a coffee cup. The sound echoed like a warning.

Then-

A single glowing emoji appeared on all screens. A bright, smiling face mocking the entire building. Panic spread like electricity. Chairs rolled. Footsteps rushed. Fingers slammed keyboards. IT teams sprinted in from every floor.

Systems were checked-nothing. Security firewalls-dead. Backup servers-locked.
The entire Mehra Corporation had been hacked clean.

Ishaan was reviewing a contract on his laptop when his screen suddenly turned black. A jagged zigzag line-like an old, dying television-streaked across it. He frowned. Restarted the laptop. Nothing. His door burst open.

Sunny came running in, breathless. "Sir-sir! Our entire system has been hacked!"

Ishaan blinked once.

"What?"

"Everything, sir. Every screen. Every server. Every device."

Ishaan didn't waste a second. He shot up from his seat and sprinted toward the main control room. The massive wall-screen that usually streamed live company data now glowed a dead, lifeless black. The experts were scattered across the room, fingers flying across keyboards, attempting restarts, overrides-anything. But nothing worked.

"Who did this?" Ishaan's voice was sharp, steady, yet carrying an undertone of rising anger.

One of the senior experts shook his head helplessly.
"Sir, we're trying everything. Our entire internal system is compromised-every route to track the hack has been blocked. Whoever did this... is on a different level."

Ishaan ran a hand through his hair, pacing restlessly. Before he could respond, Sunny's phone buzzed. He answered quickly, spoke for a moment, then looked up.

"Sir, we have to leave in thirty minutes. The function has already started. You're receiving the 'Businessman of the Year' award. You must be there."

Ishaan didn't reply. His eyes were fixed on the dead screen-on the chaos.
"Restart it," he ordered sharply. "Do something. Don't just stand there."

"We are trying, sir, but-"

Before the man could finish, the dead screen flickered-once, twice-like an old television struggling to catch a signal. The entire room fell silent. The lights dimmed. The screen distorted into jagged lines... and then suddenly cleared.

A logo appeared.

AV.
Bold. Defiant.
Followed by a small mocking emoji that blinked at them like a taunt.

A wave of confusion rippled through the staff, but Ishaan... Ishaan went still.The air left his lungs. His heart stopped-just for a second. And then- A slow smile bloomed on his face. A disbelieving smile. A relieved smile. A smile that carried two years of longing. Then, unexpectedly-he laughed. A low, breathless, disbelieving laugh.

"She is back," he whispered, but the entire room heard it.

Sunny blinked. "Sir... who is back?"

Ishaan didn't even look at him. He was still staring at the screen as though it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His smile widened, the laughter escaping again-this time louder.

"She is back," he repeated, voice filled with emotion.

"Sir-our entire system is hacked and you're smiling?" Sunny asked, utterly baffled.

Ishaan turned to him with shining eyes.
"Yes, Sunny. She is back."

Sunny opened his mouth to protest, but Ishaan silenced him with a single sentence that froze the room:

"My wife is back."

The room fell utterly still. Every pair of eyes locked on him. Shock. Confusion. Awe.

Sunny again tried, "Sir, but our system-"

"It will be fixed, Sunny," Ishaan said simply, still smiling as though the world had suddenly become right again.

Sunny's phone buzzed once more. "Sir, the party has already begun. Everyone is waiting. Your family has arrived too. Please-we've waited a whole year for this award night."

"I have waited two years for my wife," Ishaan murmured, emotion tightening his voice.

Sunny took a careful breath.
"Sir... just half an hour. Go, receive your award, and then you can leave immediately. Please. Everyone is there."

Ishaan exhaled slowly and nodded.
"Fine. Let's go. But I'm not staying. I'll receive the award... and leave straight after. I'm going to her."

The logo still glowed on the screen-bold, taunting, intimate.

AV. Her signature. Aanya Verma

And Ishaan walked out with a heartbeat that had finally come alive again.

___

The award hall glittered with chandeliers and golden lights, but Ishaan Mehra felt nothing except the restless pounding of his own heart. He sat in the front row with his family, one leg impatiently bouncing, his foot tapping a rhythm of barely contained anxiety. He wasn't here for celebration. He wasn't here for applause.

He was here to leave-fast. To go to her.

He stared at the stage, jaw tight, fingers clenched. Every second stretched like hours. Sunny's words echoed in his head: just half an hour, sir... please... He would take the award and walk straight out. That was the plan.

But life had other plans.

A man whispered something to the announcer. The announcer nodded, adjusted the mic, and said with excitement:

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we continue, we have a very special guest with us tonight. The youngest CEO to rise to international success in just two year. A woman who has set a new benchmark of excellence. Please welcome-
Mrs. Aanya Mehra."

The hall erupted into claps. Ishaan... froze. Everything inside him went silent. His heartbeat. His breath. His very soul. He had expected anything-maybe a call, a glance, a shadow. But not this. Not her walking onto the stage like a vision he had craved for two long, merciless years.

Aanya appeared beneath the spotlight.

Confident. Radiant. Bold.

Her black dress hugged her form with dangerous grace, her presence powerful enough to command the entire hall with one step. Her hair fell like waves of midnight silk, her posture straight, elegant-untouchable.

But when she reached the center of the stage... she smiled. And then she looked forward. Her eyes found him. For a heartbeat, both of them stopped existing.

Ishaan's lungs collapsed. Aanya's lips parted softly in aaw. In that single glance, two years of pain, searching, sleepless nights, and unanswered prayers rushed back-not as memories, but as reality.

It felt like life had returned to both of them.

Her rose-gold heart.
His long-lost breath.

Aanya's fingers tightened around the mic, and she forced herself to straighten, pulling her composure back like a shield. She began speaking, her voice smooth, steady-professional.

But Ishaan... he didn't blink. He couldn't. His eyes stayed locked on her, like she was the only thing in this entire world that mattered.

The Mehra family had soft smiles on their faces-relief, joy, hope.
The Verma family remained calm; they had already welcomed their daughter back home.

Aanya moved to the next award.

"The Project of the Year Award goes to... Mehra Tech Co. - Mrs. Nisha Verma."

The crowd cheered. Nisha stood, hugged Aransh tightly, then moved to her mother and embraced her warmly. She climbed the stage, and Aanya hugged her with genuine affection, congratulating her.

Then came the next award:

"The Market Impact of the Year Award goes to... Verma Co. - Mr. Aransh Verma."

Aransh hugged his family and Nisha, then walked up with an uncontainable smile, hugged Aanya briefly, took his award, delivered his speech, and returned.

Aanya continued announcing. Her voice was steady, but her eyes-those eyes-kept flickering toward the front row. Toward him.

Finally, the hall fell quiet. The last and most awaited award remained.

Aanya inhaled deeply, gathering courage. Then she looked directly at him.
A real smile touched her lips-gentle, emotional, almost trembling. Ishaan's breath stilled.

She announced, still staring at him:

"The Businessman of the Year Award goes to... Mr. Ishaan Mehra."

The hall thundered with applause. Ishaan rose slowly. He hugged his mother. Then Nisha. Every movement felt heavy, unreal, as if he were walking through a dream.

And then... he climbed the stairs. One step. Her eyes on him. Another step. His heart pounding harder. Another. His breath shaking. Finally, he stood before her.

Close enough to feel her presence. Close enough to inhale the familiar, aching scent of her perfume. Close enough to touch what he had lost. But he didn't know what to do.

She didn't either.

Aanya swallowed and extended her hand. A slow, steady gesture. Professional. But her fingers trembled-just barely.

Ishaan lifted his own hand, equally slow, as if afraid she might vanish. The moment their palms touched... A bolt of electricity shot through both of them.

Their eyes locked. The world disappeared. For those few seconds, time forgot to move. Aanya was the first to break the spell. She gently pulled her hand away, lowering her gaze.

"Congratulations, Mr. Mehra," she said softly, handing him the award.

Ishaan smiled-a soft, wounded, relieved smile-and accepted it.

He gave his speech with a steady voice, but every time he glanced at her, the hall seemed to blur around her silhouette.

When he finished, he turned slightly toward her and whispered-just for her ears:

"Thank you so much... Mrs. Mehra."

Aanya looked at him, stunned, breath held in her chest. She didn't know whether he was thanking her for the award... or thanking her for returning to him. Maybe both. Either way- her heart wasn't the only thing trembling.

___

The ceremony ended in a blur of lights, applause, and formal goodbyes. But Ishaan barely registered any of it. As soon as the final photo was taken, he hurried off the stage, weaving through guests, security, staff-his eyes scanning every corner like a man starved of one face, one presence, one heartbeat.

"Aanya..."
His voice was barely a whisper, trembling with longing.

He checked the backstage corridor. Empty.
He tried the exit hallway. Nothing.
He turned toward the dressing rooms-

And suddenly, a hand shot out from the darkness, gripping his wrist with startling strength. Before he could react, he was pulled sharply into a dimly lit room, and the door slammed shut behind them.

"What the-"

But before the words even left his lips, a pair of soft, warm lips crashed into his.

Ishaan froze.

His breath died in his throat. His heart stopped. His entire body turned to stone-

Because he knew. He knew this touch.This fire. This reckless, breathtaking boldness.

No one else in the world would dare drag Ishaan Mehra into a room and kiss him senseless.

No one... except his wife.
His Rose.
His Aanya.

Her hands cupped his face, desperate, trembling, pulling him close like she had been dying for this moment. As if she couldn't bear another second without him.

And Ishaan... he broke.

All the walls he built. All the self-control he practiced. All the pain he had swallowed for two years-

Everything collapsed.

With a low, shattered sound, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back with all the longing he had buried. His fingers dug into her waist as if afraid she would disappear again. He poured every missed night, every unanswered message, every heartbeat of emptiness into that kiss.

Their lips moved with a hunger that came only from losing and finding each other again. Aanya's breath shivered against his mouth as she clung to his shirt, her tears mixing with the taste of him.

Ishaan deepened the kiss, one hand slipping to the back of her neck, holding her there, needing her closer-closer-closer.

When they finally pulled apart for air, they stayed pressed forehead-to-forehead, breathing each other in like oxygen.

"I missed you..." The words tore out of Ishaan brokenly, again and again. "I missed you, Rose... I missed you so much... so much..."

His voice cracked. His chest shook.
The man the world saw as unshakeable... crumbled in his wife's arms.

Aanya's tears slid down her cheeks. She lifted her trembling hands and cupped his face gently, brushing her thumb across his skin.

"I missed you too..." she whispered, voice breaking. "Every day, every minute... Ishaan, I- I missed you."

And hearing her say it shattered whatever was left inside him.

"Aanya..." he whispered against her lips, voice shaking. "Don't... don't disappear again... please..."

She kissed him harder, one hand fisting the fabric of his shirt like she was terrified he would pull away.

"I won't... not this time," she breathed, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I swear, Ishaan... I swear I won't leave you again..."

He pressed his forehead to hers, his breath uneven and shattered.

"You don't know," he whispered, voice raw, "how many nights I woke up reaching for you... and found nothing. Just an empty bed. Just silence."

He choked on a sound-half a sob, half a laugh-as he kissed her again, his lips desperate and trembling. His hands slid around her waist and pulled her impossibly closer, like he was trying to merge their hearts back into one.

"I needed you," he confessed against her mouth, voice breaking. "God, Aanya... I needed you so much."

Her tears fell onto his lips.
"I needed you too," she whispered. "But I wasn't strong enough... I was scared. I was angry. I was hurting. I didn't know how to come back."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against his chest-so tight she could feel the violent hammering of his heart.

"You came back," he breathed into her hair. "That's all that matters. You came back to me."

I'm sorry..." Her hands shook on his back.
"I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry for every night you slept alone... I'm sorry-"

Ishaan silenced her with a soft, trembling kiss to her forehead.

"Don't apologize," he whispered. "Just... don't go again."

She lifted her face, cupping his cheeks with trembling hands.

"I won't," she vowed. "Not even for a second."

He rested his forehead against hers, eyes closing as a tear slipped out.

"For two years," he whispered, "I lived like half a man. Like half my soul was missing."

Aanya gently kissed the tear from his cheek.
"Then take it back," she whispered. "Take me back. All of me."

"I will," he whispered, voice low, steady, and full of promise. "I will take you back... but this time, in the right way."

Aanya blinked, her brows pulling together in soft confusion. "The right way?" she murmured, brushing her thumb over his jaw. "What does that mean?"

He smiled-slowly, tenderly-his dimples appearing for the first time in years, making her heart twist.

"You'll find out soon," he murmured, tapping the tip of her nose gently with his finger.

Aanya's eyes widened, her lips parting in a small gasp of surprise at his unexpected sweetness. Her confusion melted into warmth, and a soft laugh slipped out-light, breathless, beautiful.

He pulled her into a fierce embrace, burying his face in her neck, holding her like she was his entire world returned to him. Aanya wrapped her arms around him just as tightly, fingers slipping into his hair, grounding him, anchoring him.

For a long, long moment, neither spoke.
They just held each other. Breathing. Crying.
Healing.

Two souls that had wandered too far... finally finding home again.

There, in the stillness of that small backstage room, with nothing but the echo of their heartbeats, Ishaan and Aanya stood wrapped in each other's arms-like they were afraid the universe might separate them again if they let go.

And neither of them... was ready to let go ever again.

So here is a double update, how is the chapter did you guys enjoy it .
Iff you like it please comment and vote.
Thank you bye bye....🫂🫀✨🤍