I was surrounded by witches...correction, beautiful witches.

We were sitting in a circle. Gorgeous would have been an understatement. They had long, silky maroon hair cascading down their backs. Each of them wore a beautiful black dress paired with a pointed black hat. Their emerald-green eyes shimmered beneath the moonlight, looking like exquisite, priceless gemstones.

They were conversing in a foreign language that I couldn't understand. I simply sat there, completely clueless about what they were saying, quietly sipping my tea.

Then, the witch sitting to my right looked at me.

"Wake up, Aadya."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Why did she sound like a man? And why was she asking me to wake up?

Confused, I asked, "Why do you sound like a man?"

Before she could answer, her face dissolved into a blinding light.

"Aadya, wake up," the voice said again.

Only then did I realize it was Abhimanyu. He had been the one trying to wake me up.

I whined and wake up.

"Couldn't you wake me up a little later" I asked

"It's 9 in the morning Aadya"he said.

"Yes but I was dreaming" I groaned.

He chuckled at me and asked me what I was dreaming about.

"Well in my dream I was with this beautiful witches and they were talking with eachother, they were just about to say something to me but before that you woke me up" I told him and pouted like a kid.

"That was some weird dream" he said.

"No it was not weird, it was fascinating" I corrected him.

"Whatever you say young lady. Now you get up from the bed and get ready for the day. I am going to office" he told me and kissed my forehead.

As soon as he went out of my room. I entered into the bathroom and did my business. I took a long shower. After taking shower, I wrapped a towel around my body and came out of shower. I applied my favorite vanilla and almond lotion on my body.

I changed into a comfortable outfit for the day. It was white sweatshirt with a Levi's jeans. And I am ready for office.

I work with UNICEF India, so it's not necessary for us to wear that office clothes. We can wear whatever we are comfortable in. We have this UNICEF T-shirts and hoodies that we wear in field duties.

I entered in the kitchen and prepared myself a sandwich.

As I was preparing my sandwich, I heard the doorbell ring. I went to open the door. It was my friend and colleague Anokhi.

I smiled and hugged her.

"Hey babe, how was your weekend " anokhi asked me.

"It was good what about yours" I asked as I start preparing a sandwich for her as well.

"You know the old shit, partying all night, drinking, clubbing same nothing new" she said in a boring tone.

I smiled at her ,this is how she spends all her weekend.

Anokhi is a very confident and beautiful girl.She is a exotic beauty, with her brown skin tone she looks like a goddess. I think she is one of the most prettiest girl I have ever seen. Her fearlessness and boldness make her much more attractive.

As every brown skinned girl she had heard so many unwanted advises and remarks from people. Advises that how can she make her skin look lighter or whiter in complexion. But she always replies them with confidence and witty remarks that shut their mouth.

If I want to insult someone I do it, sweetly with a kind smile. And when she insult people she do it brutally. She is a total savage.

She has a better fashion sense than me. Most of my clothes were selected by her. The girl know her style. Today she was wearing a red puff sleeved crop top with jeans.

She is a very compassionate girl. She can connect with people easily and she is very good with kids also. She is the best in her work. I can say that she is even better than me, as she has great communication skills and she is a nonjudgmental person.

Empathy, acceptance, emotional control , a good listener and a non judgemental attitude is a must in our work. And she has all these qualities.

After finishing our breakfast we left for work.

....

After some time...

I was with my team, discussing the upcoming child malnutrition welfare program. The event was scheduled to be held on World Food Day, which was just two weeks away.

We were discussing the theme of the program. This year's theme was "Healthy Diet for a Zero Hunger World."

We were also considering inviting a distinguished personality as the chief guest. As the discussion continued, my colleagues began suggesting the names of influential people.

"How about Digvijay Singh?" Rashmi suggested.

"He is the King of Tirthgarh, right?" Vishnu, another colleague of mine, asked.

"Yes, he is the King of Tirthgarh and also India's top-ranked businessman. I think we should invite him to the program," Rashmi replied.

"But wouldn't he be a little intimidating for an event like this? I mean, he gives off a very cold vibe," I said.

"Yes, I agree with Aadya," Anokhi added. "He seems completely devoid of compassion. The kids won't like him at all."

Like him? The children will probably run away the moment they see him.

"I've never seen a single picture of him smiling," Vishnu said with a chuckle.

"Yes, he always seems cold and aloof," my colleague Shasha agreed, nodding her head.

"Well, just because he looked intimidating and never smiled at strangers didn't mean he lacked emotions or compassion," Mr. Mishra, our group head, interrupted firmly. "To me, he simply seemed like a private person, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. You all work for an organization that doesn't discriminate against anyone based on class, gender, race, or personality. I never expected such comments from any of you. I'm truly disappointed. You judged a man without even knowing him, and that was both rude and disrespectful."

We all lowered our heads, knowing he was right.

"Rashmi, you suggested an excellent name," Mr. Mishra continued, a proud smile appearing on his face. "Mr. Singh would be an ideal guest for this program. He has donated substantial amounts to women and farmers' welfare initiatives over the years. I believe he'll gladly accept our invitation."

"Rashmi, arrange an appointment with him so we can invite him to the program," he instructed.

Then he looked at me and Anokhi.

"Once the appointment is confirmed, the two of you will personally go and invite him."

"But why us, sir?" Anokhi blurted out.

"Because both of you judged him without knowing him. And even if you did know him, you still wouldn't have the right to judge another person."

His words made us feel even more guilty.

We both nodded silently.

Mr. Mishra let out a quiet sigh before saying, "When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself."

His words stayed with me.

Only then did I realize how judgmental I could be at times. From that day onward, I promised myself that I would never judge someone without truly knowing them.

....

Digvijay's POV

We were looking through photographs of models, trying to find the perfect face for Blue Heaven Perfumes, but so far, no one had managed to catch my interest. They were all gorgeous and undeniably sexy, yet none of them possessed the appeal we were looking for.

"Wasn't she the girl you fucked last month?" I asked Vikram, showing him one of the photographs.

"Let me see," he said, taking the picture from my hand.

"Yeah, I fucked her last month. She was good," Vikram replied with a straight face, as if he were merely stating that ice was cold.

Typical Vikram.

"Why are you asking?" Rudra asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want to fuck her too?"

"No. I just remembered her. She was practically trying to sit on my lap," I answered.

"She was a desperate bitch," Vikram said with a nod.

"Wait... you're not actually considering her as the face of our perfume brand, are you?" Rudra asked, giving me an are you serious look.

"No, of course not," I replied, shaking my head.

"None of them," Vikram muttered in disappointment. "None of them are right for this project."

I had to agree with him. These models were stunning, but they lacked the quality we were searching for.

We needed a woman who carried herself with grace, dignity, and quiet conviction. Someone whose presence alone could captivate people. Those qualities would translate beautifully into the photographs.

"Let's discuss this later, brothers," Rudra said, glancing at his watch. "We'll be late for dinner."

The mention of dinner at the Rajawat Mansion made Vikram groan loudly.

Rudra and I laughed at his reaction.

"She's going to rub our defeat in our faces," he whined like a child.

Both Rudra and I winced.

Because, unfortunately...

He was right. Aunt Lavanya hated failure.

...

The three men arrived at the Rajawat Mansion. As they stepped into the living room, Aditya looked up from his phone and smirked in amusement.

"Red alert, bros. She's absolutely steamed up," he warned them.

Lavanya Rajawat, Vikram's mother, was an exceptional businesswoman, philanthropist, and the chairperson of one of India's leading beauty and wellness companies. She was the perfect blend of beauty, intelligence, and power. She could crush anyone who dared to stand in her way. Naturally, she hadn't taken the news of her son's very public defeat well.

Lavanya gracefully descended the staircase and walked toward them.

She looked every bit like a crowned queen in her elegant navy-blue dress.

"Good evening, Aunt Lavanya. You're looking gorgeous as always," Digvijay greeted her with a charming smile.

"Good evening, Aunt Lavanya," Rudra greeted warmly.

"Mom... I missed you," Vikram said as he stepped forward to hug her.

But she didn't return the embrace.

"We should have dinner," she said, pointing toward the dining room before walking past the three men.

Soon, Vikram's father, Jairaj Rajawat, joined them.

Dinner consisted of Chettinad fish fry, Dum Aloo Lakhnawi, Keema Biryani, Dum Paneer Kali Mirch, Malabari Prawn Curry, freshly made chapatis, and, for dessert, Tamil-style sweet rice pudding.

Anyone would assume that Lavanya was extremely diet-conscious because of how well she maintained herself. In reality, she was a huge foodie. According to her, food was the foundation of happiness. She loved experimenting with new recipes, and that was a blessing for her family, who got to enjoy cuisines from all over the country.

Once dinner was underway, Lavanya finally broke the silence.

"So, what are the three of you planning to do about that island?" she asked, her expression unreadable. "It was your dream project. And now you've lost it."

"For the last two years, you've worked tirelessly to acquire that island," Jairaj added. "As your mother said, it was your dream. The three of you wanted to transform it into the number one tourist destination in the country. But now you've lost it to Abhimanyu."

Lavanya fixed her gaze on Vikram.

"I never taught you to lose."

"You're right, Mom," Vikram replied confidently. "You never taught me to lose. And believe me, we aren't losing that island to Abhimanyu."

"Yes, he won the bid and now he legally owns the island," Rudra said calmly. "But we know exactly how to take it back. That property belongs to us."

"And we'll get it back," Digvijay added, a devilish smirk playing on his lips. "By hook or by crook."

Jairaj smiled faintly.

"I believe you."

Lavanya nodded in agreement.

"I just want to see the three of you win. Always."

After dinner, the three men took their leave.

The evening hadn't turned out to be as unpleasant as they had expected.

Now, they have only one objective....To take the island back from Abhimanyu.

And they knew more than one way to make that happen.

....

Stars were twinkling in the night sky with the moon drawing out its beauty and shining on the carpet of the earth.

Another pair of stars, in the colour of blue and green were twinkling with worry and nervousness. Her long white fingers twirling the end of those black tendrils of her hair.

She was chewing on her bottom lips looking up at those shining stars as the moments of a few minutes were playing in her mind.

Aadya was nervous. She was about to meet one of the Triumvirates and invite him to her work place. She was not ready for it.

Her nervousness was at its peak and it raised more when she talked to Abhimanyu about those three unknown.

"Abhi," Aadya drawled while playing with the food on her plate. "Yes sweetheart," Abhimanyu had a small sip of his white wine and said, paying his attention to his little sister.

"Umm..I was thinking about..." her sentence halted in the middle. The young girl did not know how to ask her brother about them.

Abhimanyu's sharp eyes narrowed at his little sister who was playing with the food rather than eating it. "Aadya, what is going on in that cheeky mind of yours ?" He asked, knowing pretty well a question stuck in her mind.

Aadya peered at him through the lashes of her eyes and spoke in a small whisper," promise me you will not get angry by my words."

Abhimanyu's lips twitched into a half smile. He can never get angry by her words,"okay I promise you," he spoke, pinching her pink cheek.

Aadya smiled. Now that he was bound with her promise he will not get angry as he knows how important Aadya's promises are to her.

Dropping the steel spoon on the plate Aadya straightened her back and clearing her throat she spoke,"who are triumvirate? Why do you hate them so much ? They were once your friends, right."

Aadya's smile dimmed a little as the colour disappeared from Abhimanyu's face. The only emotions burning in his eyes was anger, her heartbeat rose when she saw his grip tightening around the wine glass.

"Why are you asking about them?" His eyes sharp, turning more red in rage as he asked.

Aadya looked down, not able to see the rage in his eyes. Though it was not directed to her, she was intimidated by him. "Just intrigued," she whispered with a shrug.

"Do not get intrigued by them. Don't even think about those three men. They were once my friend but now they are only my enemy. They are bad News Aadya. They carry nothing but filth and darkness within them. A sweet girl like you should not waste her time on thinking about those sinisters."

The last word struck to her mind. Every word of Abhimanyu was dripping out of hate and disgust. He really hated them.

She was about to tell him about her upcoming meeting with Digvijay Singh, one piece of triumvirate.

However, seeing his outrageous reaction towards the three men she decided against it and did not tell him about the meeting.

Now she was sitting near the window sill, staring up at the dark sky full of stars with a laptop on her lap fumbling with the thought of knowing about them or not. Aadya sighed. She was going to meet Digvijay so she should know at least something about the big bad lion of the corporate world.

However rather than typing his name on the search bar she typed the name which was famous for giving shivers to people's spine.

Triumvirates.

She wrote and hundreds of articles surfaced on the rectangular screen. Clicking on images she met with their handsome faces.

Don't know about any other thing but they do share the deepest brown colour of their eyes.

Aadya read about them or more about their business and Vikram's random flings. She rolled her eyes at his player ways. She read a few more articles but it was mostly about their business and professional careers.

Her eyes twitched when she only found their fan account rather than their authentic accounts on every social media site.

However their fan accounts had hundreds of their pictures. She took her very time and looked at their pictures with great interest. Especially their shirtless pictures. They were really an emblem of a Greek god-like body.

All three of them have different types of physique. Rudra was on a more lean side with an athletic like body while Digvijay's body could put any other man to shame. With his ripped abs to his hulky muscles he has one hell of a body.

Vikram was on another level. He has an envious physique, his ripped body was an epitome of fitness. He was the true definition of sexy. No wonder he was a ladies man.

She continued looking at their one or another pictures.

Aadya did not realize it till two in the night but when she realized it she closed her eyes, utterly mortified. She was stalking the three unknown men like some creep. She was ogling in their pictures as if she haven't seen hot men before.

She was stalking the three men who are nothing to her and whom her brother hates the most.

She was utterly mortified. Nothing but ashamed of herself.

What the hell was she doing!

....

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