‘I first fell for Kabbo-bhai four years ago... seeing that denim jacket over his white shirt. With one hand in his pocket holding a brown wallet and the other sliding his cellphone into his left pocket, he was walking out of the drawing room with busy steps... I just stood there, staring with my mouth agape. As he passed by me—the scent of his perfume made me feel lightheaded. I fell for him then... and even now, I can't compose myself. Even after all these years, when I see him, I lose all self-control! This is definitely love, Sharlin!’In Kuhu’s eyes, that extraordinary, heart-stealing scene from four years ago was still fresh. A sweet wave called love is still carefully preserved within her chest. Perhaps every day, when the tide of love surges, Kuhu brings out that cherished affection, looks at it, guards it, and then carefully tucks it back deep... deep within her heart.Sharlin still looks at Kuhu with surprised eyes. She is often taken aback by Kuhu’s simple yet intense, lover-like emotions. She wonders—does such love truly exist?Kuhu looked at Sharlin; the usually cheerful girl now said with excitement:“—But I’ve fallen in love with Kabbo-bhai many more times after that. I won't tell you, you’ll feel shy if I do.”Sharlin, pulling a bit of annoyance into her eyes, asked Kuhu:“—You like Kabbo-bhai so much... have you ever told him?”Kuhu sat up straight. With a pinch of shyness floating on her dusky face, she lowered her head like a new bride and said:“—I’m scared, Sharlin. What if Kabbo-bhai rejects me? What if, hearing my words of love, he scrunches up his face and says—Kuhu! You’re like my sister. How can you think such things about me? Are you crazy? Should I complain to Uncle?”Sharlin took a few peanuts from the packet kept on Kuhu’s lap. Peeling them and looking towards the pond, she popped them into her mouth and said in a thoughtful voice while chewing comfortably:“—But Kuhu, for some reason, I don't think Kabbo-bhai would say those things or complain to your father.”Kuhu’s eyebrows shot up at this. Feeling a spark of hope inside, she shifted her gaze from the ripples in the pond directly to Sharlin. She asked in a restless voice:“—Why don't you think so? Explain.”Sharlin sat up straight, pausing her peanut-eating for a moment, and became grave like a pragmatic adult:“—Look... Kabbo-bhai is much more mature than all of you siblings; he’s smart, careful, and understands his own feelings well. You could even call him clever. Do you think he would belittle himself by telling your father? If your father hears this, Uncle will blame Kabbo-bhai for half of it too. At most, Kabbo-bhai might avoid you. Or he might reject you very calmly so that you don’t get hurt. You siblings are always pampered by him, so he’ll handle you that way.”Sharlin explained the whole thing and looked at Kuhu’s face with arched brows, trying to gauge her facial expression. Yet, among Sharlin’s sentences, Kuhu’s heart broke at that one thought. Kuhu could never accept Kabbo-bhai avoiding her. She held her breath and whispered:“—Avoid me? If he doesn't talk to me for even a day, I’ll go crazy. I’m fine just as I am, brother. I don't need to propose to him.”Kuhu sat up straight again, dropping everything else to focus on eating peanuts. On the other hand, Sharlin was utterly frustrated by Kuhu’s reaction! What did she explain to this fool, and what did the fool understand? Sharlin landed a loud slap on Kuhu’s head. Kuhu cried out in pain... rubbing her head with one hand, she looked up angrily and said:“—Ah! Why did you hit me?”Sharlin said through gritted teeth:“—You are a total idiot. What did I explain, and what did you understand? Listen... if you don't tell him, and then if Kabbo-bhai gets married somewhere else? Then what? Then keep sucking your thumb, you fool.”Trying to forget the pain of the slap, Kuhu gave a light smile... a sweet, mischievous, childish smile. In those enchanting, large eyes, the smile looked very captivating. Leaning comfortably back against the tree, Kuhu said peacefully:“—There won't be a marriage. I heard Big Mother (Boro-ma) say that Kabbo-bhai won't marry for another two or three years; he told them at home. He’ll finish his studies, do his Master's, and then get married. I still have a huge amount of time. By then, I’ll find one opportunity or another. My proposal will be very special; Kabbo-bhai will be stunned; you’ll see.”Sharlin narrowed her eyes... she probably didn't believe this half-crazy Kuhu. Kuhu seemed a bit startled by that look. Correcting herself immediately, she smiled foolishly and said:“—I mean, I’ll try! No need to look at me like that. I, Kuhelika Siddique Kuhu, am a woman of my word.”Sharlin sighed again looking at Kuhu. What else was there to do? Kuhu went back to eating peanuts while watching the ripples in the pond. There were no fishermen on this side of the pond today. They are usually there every day; she didn't know why they weren't today.

The Coldest CEO and the Sunniest PAIsabella Reid was the epitome of a hard-working, middle-class girl. With her sun-kissed blonde hair and a radiant smile that could melt glaciers, she was the life of every room. She lived with her parents and younger brother in a modest apartment in New Jersey, balancing two jobs and a college degree to help her family. Her heart was big, her laugh was loud, and she believed in the inherent goodness of people.Leo Stunt was the polar opposite. A colossus of the Manhattan business world, he was the ruthless CEO of "Obsidian Lingerie," a global empire specializing in luxury women's intimate apparel, from exquisite bras to daring bikinis. He was known for his cutting remarks, his piercing grey gaze, and an arrogance that was almost physical. His heart, it was rumored, was made of ice, carved by a cold father and cemented by a mother who had abandoned him at a young age. He trusted no one and took care of business with the same dispassionate efficiency he applied to everything in his life. He was dark romance personified, but clad in a three-piece suit.Their destinies were as different as North and South, but a single, fateful night was about to change everything.A Collision of FatesIt was a rainy Tuesday. Isabella was rushing home from a late-shift shift at a diner, her umbrella struggling against the wind. Leo, for once, was driving himself, the engine of his powerful black sedan purring down the wet Jersey road. His mind was on a massive merger, a text from his cold, demanding father fresh on his phone. He was distracted, just for a moment, and his high-performance tires lost their grip.The sound of screeching tires and a sickening crunch of metal echoed. Isabella heard it and ran towards the sound. She found Leo's car wrapped around a pole. He was semi-conscious, slumped over the wheel, blood pooling from a gash on his forehead.Without a second thought, Isabella sprang into action. She was a volunteer EMT in her spare time. She carefully extracted Leo from the wreckage, using her jacket to stem the bleeding. When the ambulance arrived, she went with him, refusing to leave his side. She was his advocate, his comfort in the disorienting rush of the hospital.Leo, in his semi-conscious state, saw her. Her face, framed by loose tendrils of rain-soaked hair, was a beacon of soft light in the darkness. Her voice, a soothing melody of calm and concern, was the only thing he could hold onto.The Hustle and the InterviewWeeks passed. Leo recovered, his physical scars fading, but the memory of that angel-faced girl remained like a haunting echo. He tried to find her, but she had disappeared into the anonymity of the city. He threw himself back into work, his arrogance, if anything, more pronounced.Meanwhile, Isabella’s life was in turmoil. Her father had fallen ill, and the medical bills were overwhelming. She needed a real job, one with benefits. She applied everywhere, and finally, got an interview at a major fashion house in Manhattan."Obsidian Lingerie."She donned her only professional dress—a simple navy blazer and skirt—and nervously stepped into the gleaming glass and steel skyscraper. The air hummed with power and high fashion. She was shown into a massive, minimalist office.And there he was.Leo Stunt sat behind a desk that looked large enough to land a plane. His grey eyes, colder than the morning mist, narrowed as he looked from her file to her face. The air in the room instantly became charged, a tense, electric current arcing between them.A flash of recognition, then disbelief, and then something darker, more intense, flickered in his eyes."You," he breathed, the word a soft, dangerous whisper."Isabella Reid," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "I'm here for the PA position."He didn't look at her resume. He just stared. The silence stretched, becoming oppressive. His intense gaze swept over her, taking in her simple attire, her defiant eyes, her lips that were, he remembered from his fevered dreams, so very kissable."Do you know who I am, Miss Reid?" he asked, his voice a low, smooth purr."You're the CEO, Mr. Stunt," she replied, her chin tilted slightly."And you," he leaned forward, the smell of his expensive, peppery cologne washing over her, "are the girl who saved my life."A PA, Not a PropAgainst all logic, Leo hired her on the spot. He claimed it was gratitude, but both of them knew it was something else. He needed her near him. He needed to understand this force of nature that had breached his defenses.