"3RD PERSON POV"
"FEW WEEKS LATER"
The warm hues of the setting sun spilled across the sky, casting a soft orange glow over the city. Inside Aravind Café, the atmosphere was calm, almost cozy. The air carried the gentle aroma of fresh coffee and baked treats, blending perfectly with the low hum of music playing in the background. People filled the space—some chatting with friends, others relaxing with family, laughter mixing with the clinking of cups and plates.
Behind the counter, Aravind moved with practiced ease, taking orders, handing out drinks, and occasionally offering a relaxed smile. He looked content, like a man who finally had a moment to breathe.
Reya approached the counter with her usual confident stride. She placed an order slip on the counter and said casually, "Boss."
Aravind glanced at her and gave a small nod. Without another word, Reya turned and walked away to handle the rest of her tasks.
As Aravind looked through the new order, he noticed a copy of the bill clipped to the side with the customer's name written on it. He picked it up, scanned the name, and called out clearly, "Mr. Navin, your order's ready."
He set the bill copy to the side as a man in his late thirties approached the counter. "Thanks," the customer said with a friendly smile, grabbing his tray and heading back to his table.
Aravind watched him for a brief second, then got back to work—wiping down the counter and checking the next order.
As Aravind continued working behind the counter, the familiar sound of his phone ringing pulled his attention. He slipped it out of his pocket and looked at the screen—Chandni.
It had been a while since they first met, became friends, and eventually grew close. Since then, a lot had changed. After Abhishikth officially became the CEO of AB Group and fulfilled his part of the deal, Suryakantham was made one of the company's directors. A celebration party had been thrown to mark the occasion. It was at that party Chandni had met Suryakantham for the first time—and let's just say, the meeting hadn't exactly gone smoothly.
Chandni had the energy of a best friend who always got involved when something felt off in her friend's life, and her first impression of Suryakantham? Far from ideal.
Seeing her name flash on the screen now, Aravind couldn't help but smile. But before he could even greet her, her sharp voice burst through the speaker.
"Aaru, come to my construction site. Now."
He raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed, and replied in his usual calm tone, "Hello to you too, of course. But what happened?"
Hearing that, Chandni's voice came through, sharp and frustrated.
"There's a street thug here—some guy who thinks he's smart. He's making me angry and irritated. I swear, I really want to break a few of his bones. You better get here quick, or I'm going to lose my patience."
Aravind smiled softly, his tone calm and gentle. "Relax, Nini. I'll be there before you know it, okay?"
There was a pause, then she sighed, still annoyed. "Fine. I'll try to control myself until you get here."
"That's good. Just hang in there—I'm on my way."
With that, he ended the call and shook his head with a small chuckle. Chandni's temper always came with a warning, and today sounded like one of those days.
He looked at Aditya, who was working alongside Reya, and called out, "Adi, Reya."
Hearing him, both walked over to the counter. As they reached, Aravind smiled and said, "You two handle things here. Adi, close the café today—I've got something to take care of."
Aditya and Reya nodded without question. With that, Aravind turned and walked toward the door.
Watching him leave, Reya leaned slightly toward Aditya and muttered, "Looks like it's the boss's girlfriend."
Aditya smirked. "Which one? I think it's the second one we saw at the party."
Reya rolled her eyes and replied in a flat tone, "Focus on work. If the boss hears us, we're done."
Aditya raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, you're the one who started it."
Reya ignored him and walked off, while Aditya just chuckled and shook his head, going back to work.
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"3RD PERSON POV"
Somewhere in the city, on the sixth floor of an under-construction building, chaos was brewing. The sun cast long shadows through the open framework as the wind blew dust through the air. In the middle of it all, Chandni stood firm, her arms crossed and eyes blazing with anger.
Opposite her, a man in a gaudy, printed shirt—with the top buttons undone, revealing his chest—stood shouting with wild hand gestures. His hair was styled in a strange, messy way, and his overall look screamed street thug. His name was Shankar, and everything about him oozed arrogance.
He pointed a finger in her face, voice rising. "Hey! Hey! Who do you think you are, huh?"
Chandni took a step forward, her voice sharp and full of heat. "And who do you think you are? Some kind of gangster? A mafia boss? You seriously have no idea who you're messing with!"
Shankar scoffed and adjusted the collar of his shirt, trying to act cool. "Oh yeah? Who are you then? The daughter of some minister? Or maybe a police commissioner?"
The tension between them grew thick, like a storm about to break.
Hearing that, Chandni snapped, her voice sharp with anger. "You… just wait. When my boyfriend gets here, you'll understand exactly who you're messing with. Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Say sorry now and get lost."
Shankar laughed mockingly. "Oh yeah? And who's your boyfriend, huh? An ACP? The Chief Minister's son? Some rich businessman's kid?"
Chandni was about to fire back, her face burning with rage—but before she could speak, a calm, lazy voice echoed from the stairwell.
"Just an ordinary person."
The entire floor fell silent. As if on cue, a mellow beat started to play somewhere in the background, adding an odd rhythm to the tension in the air. Everyone turned toward the stairs.
(A/N: Listen Master—Vaathi Raid)
With effortless ease, Aravind walked up from the lower level. He wore his usual casual outfit—simple, comfortable clothes that somehow looked good on him without trying. His hair was messy, but it suited him, like it had a style of its own. His face was relaxed, his expression unreadable, and his eyes half-lidded as if this whole thing barely required his attention.
He looked at Shankar with a lazy stare and said in a calm voice, "Aravind Raghavan. Just an ordinary café owner."
Shankar stared at Aravind for a moment, who stood there with his usual lazy, unreadable expression, the background music still playing like a scene from a movie. Annoyed, Shankar glanced at his friend and snapped, "Why the hell are you playing a Tamil song? You don't even understand it! Turn it off, or I'll break your phone. You're giving this guy a full-on hero entry vibe!"
His friend fumbled with his phone, looking confused. "Bhai, I don't know how the song even started. And now… it's not turning off. The screen's stuck."
Shankar was about to say something when Aravind suddenly said in his usual calm and lazy tone, "Silence."
And just like that, the music stopped.
The construction site fell into complete silence.
Shankar looked at Aravind, who stood there casually with his hands in his pockets, lazily staring back at him. Then Shankar turned to Chandni, pointed at Aravind, and laughed, "Hahaha! He's the boyfriend you were bragging about? An ordinary café owner?"
Chandni's eyes flared with anger. "He's not just a café owner," she snapped, marching toward Aravind.
As she got closer, Aravind greeted her with a soft smile, but she leaned in and whispered sharply, "What's wrong with you? You're supposed to make a strong first impression—something to scare him!"
Aravind whispered back, "Why do you want to scare him? And since when are you my girlfriend? Why wasn't I informed?"
Chandni whispered through clenched teeth, "Don't ask questions. Just do what I said—scare him."
Aravind gave her a lazy grin and whispered, "Yes, yes, ma'am."
Seeing Aravind and Chandni whispering to each other, Shankar scoffed and said, "Let me know when you two are done whispering sweet nothings. I'm just standing here like a statue."
Chandni turned to glare at him, ready to fire back, but Aravind gently stopped her with a wave of his hand. "Chill, girl," he said casually.
Chandni fell silent, though she was clearly annoyed. Aravind then turned his attention to Shankar and walked toward him with the same lazy attitude. As he stood in front of him, it was obvious Aravind was taller. He looked down at Shankar with mild disinterest and said in a calm, almost bored tone, "So what's your problem, man? Because of you, I had to come all the way here. I've got things to do, you know. Couldn't you do your street thug routine at a more convenient time?"
A vein popped on Shankar's forehead. Offended by how lightly Aravind was treating him, he growled and suddenly pulled out a gun.
Gasps filled the air. Everyone nearby instinctively took a step back in fear. The tension shifted in an instant.
Shankar pointed the gun at Aravind and said arrogantly, "Hey! Do you even know who you're talking to? I'm Shankar Ustad! iSmart Shankar! I can kill you right here, right now!"
Aravind looked at him with the same lazy, bored expression. Before Shankar could even process what was happening, the gun in his hand suddenly disappeared.
Confused, Shankar blinked and looked at his hand—empty.
His eyes snapped to Aravind, who was now casually holding the disassembled parts of the gun. The weapon was completely taken apart—barrel, magazine, trigger—nothing connected anymore.
Shankar's eyes widened in disbelief. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
Aravind calmly tossed the broken pieces onto the ground and said in his usual laid-back tone, "And once again, I'm Aravind. Just an ordinary café owner."
Hearing Aravind's words, Shankar's anger flared and he was about to say something, but before he could speak, Aravind stepped in close—so close that only Shankar could hear him.
In a quiet, cold whisper, Aravind said, "Shankar. A street-level thug, born in the slums of Hyderabad. Works under a contract killer named Kaka. Kid, I don't have time for your childish drama. I've trained brats like you how to behave. I've killed more people than you can count. Go home. Before you even realize what's happening... you'll already be dead."
Then, without waiting for a response, Aravind took a step back, his expression still lazy and unreadable.
Shankar froze. A cold sweat rolled down the side of his face. He looked at Aravind, trying to read if he was bluffing—but Aravind's calm, relaxed gaze told him everything he needed to know.
Without saying a word, Shankar bent down and quickly gathered the pieces of his broken gun. He glanced at the contractor and snapped, "You have two days to pay what you owe."
The contractor nodded nervously.
Shankar gave one last look at Aravind, who hadn't moved an inch, then nodded to his friend. The two of them walked away quickly without looking back.