The Love Code

♡ 01 | First Sight

Kira's POV

"Kira..."

I glance up from the plate of ridiculously overpriced hors d'oeuvres—each the size of a ping pong—to find my mother staring at me with that familiar, icy disapproval in her eyes. It's a look I've seen more times than I can count.

I brace myself for the inevitable guilt trip.

"Yes, Mom?" I force my voice to sound as calm and polite as possible, keeping my expression neutral, though it's a challenge.

"You eat hors d'oeuvres with your dinner fork, not your dessert fork."

She shoots me dead by her stare while I quietly switch my fork.

"Would you look at yourself We've been living in the city for what, a month? And already you're lost all sense of etiquette!"

"Yes, mom." I mutter, my tone flat and devoid of any real emotion.

"Honestly," she sighs her voice so exasperated you'd think I'd just suggested we move to the moon. "Is this how you plan to act when the Oberois get here? Like some uncultured heathen?"

"No, Mom," I reply, forcing a smile as I carefully adjust my posture, already knowing where this conversation is headed.

"Good. Because the first three dinners you ruined were just practice," she says, leaning forward, her voice dropping to a low hiss. "This is the real deal, Kira. The Oberois are billionaires. You hear me? Billionaires! Their total net worth is seventy billion US dollars! And that's just the public knowledge! They must have billions more in stocks, bonds, assets... and, of course, black money!"

She looks at me expectantly. Maybe I was meant to stand up and applaud, right here, in this empty three-Michelin-star restaurant. The place is practically desolate, all because the Oberois have reserved the entire skyscraper for the evening.

"Let's go over this again," my mom continues, her voice steady, as she examines herself in her compact mirror, fixing the elaborate hairdo she spent three hours on. "Who are we?"

"Millionaires."

"What are we not?"

"On the verge of bankruptcy. I know the drill."

She doesn't look satisfied. "Do you? Because this isn't just about you and your little social mishaps. This is about the future of our family. If you screw this up, we could lose everything..." A dark shadow passes over her features. "...including your sister. Your marriage to Karthik Oberoi is the only way we can even dream of paying for that drug that could save Maya's life."

I swallow hard, the weight of her words sinking in. It's not just about dinner etiquette anymore. This is life or death—not just for our business, but for the one person I love more than anything in the world... My little sister, Maya.

Maya's suffering from a rare muscle disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and the only thing that could save her is a gene therapy treatment called Zolgensma. But it costs 2.1 million dollars per dose.

And in my mother's mind, the only way forward is through a successful marriage to someone like Karthik Oberoi. The thought of it makes me want to gag.

But there's no room for emotion here, no space for anything other than the cold, hard truth: if I don't do this, I could lose Maya forever. So, I nod, swallowing the bile rising in my throat, and force myself to smile.

"Alright, Mom. I understand."

"Good girl." My mom finally smiles, a thin, satisfied curve of her lips, and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "Now, smile."