YOURS, AT ANY COST....

1. THE FIRST MEET

DEVANSH'S POV :-

The café buzzed with quiet conversations and the clinking of coffee cups.

I wasn't there for coffee.

I was there because a meeting had gone wrong, and now I was waiting for someone who was already ten minutes late.

Then the bell above the door chimed.

She walked in.

I don't know who is she.. but something about her triggered a string in my heart.

For a second, the entire room seemed to blur into the background. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glanced around for an empty table, and sat by the window as if the world outside mattered more than the people inside.

I watched.

Not because I knew her.

Because I didn't.

And that was exactly what made her interesting.

My right-hand man leaned closer. "Boss?"

I didn't answer.

Instead, I picked up my espresso, walked across the café, and stopped beside your table.

"Is this seat taken?"

She looked up, clearly unimpressed.

"It is now."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "Good. I prefer honesty over politeness."

She went back to your coffee.

No fear. No curiosity. Just complete indifference.

That... almost never happened.

"I've been ignored by politicians, rivals, even the police," I said calmly. "Congratulations. You're the first person who's made it look effortless."

She sighed dramatically. "Do you always disturb strangers while they're trying to enjoy their coffee?"

"Only the interesting ones."

"And who decided I'm interesting?"

"I did."

She raised an eyebrow.

"That's a very bold assumption."

"I make bold assumptions for a living."

She stood, picked up her cup, and smiled-just enough to make it impossible to tell whether she was amused or challenging me.

"Well, mysterious man... enjoy your coffee."

Then she walked away.

I watched her leave.

My phone buzzed.

"Boss, the meeting-"

"Reschedule it."

"...Sir?"

"For the first time in years," I murmured, still looking at the café door, "I've found something more intriguing than business."

A slow grin spread across my face.

"I don't need to own the world today."

"I just want to know the name of the woman who walked away from me."

She had already walk away from my sight.

She didn't look back.

Most people do.

Some out of curiosity.

Some out of caution.

She didn't.

As if the conversation had ended the moment she decided it had.

I could have had her entire life on my desk before sunset.

Name. Address. College. Family. Friends. Every photograph she'd ever posted. Every place she'd ever visited.

One phone call.

That's all it would've taken.

I didn't make it.

Instead, I walked to the counter like an ordinary customer.

"The girl by the window..."

The owner looked at me for a second.

"Which one, sir?"

"She was here about twenty minutes ago."

"White shirt. Blue jeans. Ordered a hazelnut latte."

He smiled in recognition.

"Oh... her."

I hated how interested I sounded.

"Is she a regular?"

"Sometimes."

Sometimes.

That single word irritated me more than it should have.

Sometimes meant there was no pattern.

Sometimes meant I couldn't predict when she'd return.

Sometimes meant I'd have to wait.

And I had never liked waiting.

As I walked back to my car,

Aryan opened the rear door.

"The meeting has been moved to six, sir."

"Good."

"Should I have someone look into the girl?"

I looked at him.

"No."

He frowned.

"Sir?"

"Leave it."

"But-"

"I said leave it."

For the first time in years...

I didn't want information.

I wanted answers.
And there is a difference.

I was already seated in the car.

But the thoughts...

I mean I feel I am being ridiculous..

Ridiculous.

I had postponed a meeting worth hundreds of crores because a girl I didn't know had walked out of a café.

If anyone else had done that, I would've questioned their judgment.

Yet here I was...

wondering whether she'd come back tomorrow.

I could've known everything before I reached my car.

One call.

One instruction.

My men would've placed a file on my desk before the evening was over.

Name.
Address.
Family.
Routine.

Every insignificant detail collected, verified and presented with military precision.

That was how my world worked.

Information wasn't searched for.

It was delivered.

Yet,

for reasons I couldn't explain...

I didn't want a file this time.

There are things I own.

Things I command.

Things I control.

And then...

There are things I keep to myself.

She belonged to the last category.

To be continued... ☕🖤