As Aryan stepped into the grand foyer of the Roy Mansion, he was immediately enveloped in warm embraces. His family—his father, mother, and grandfather—were beaming with pride. Even his best friend Jimmy and his wife had come to witness the return of the prodigy.
The mansion was filled with laughter and the clinking of glasses. They celebrated his return with a grand cake-cutting ceremony, the air buzzing with years of missed conversations.
"So, Aryan," Jimmy teased, leaning in with a playful smirk. "Five years abroad... don't tell me you didn't find a girlfriend? You're back in your own country now, give us some gossip!"
Aryan's expression remained cool and composed. "No," he replied bluntly. "I went there to expand the empire, Jimmy. I don't have time for such trivial things."
His parents and grandfather exchanged an annoyed look. They knew him all too well—work was his only mistress.
"Speaking of trivial things," his grandfather cleared his throat, "wasn't there a blind date scheduled for today? What happened to that?"
A slow, devilish smirk crept across Aryan's handsome face—a look of pure mischief. "Oh, that... I've postponed it until tomorrow."
His parents let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, okay. We thought you had rejected this one too, just like the others!"
Aryan didn't correct them. He leaned back, his eyes darkening with a dangerous glint. To himself, he thought: "I am the one who does the rejecting. No one—absolutely no one—gets away with rejecting me. You have no idea what's coming for you tomorrow, Miss Shila."