Remembering the old days, Moksh's eyes filled with tears. Looking down, he whispered to himself,
"How could you change so much?"
As soon as the words left his lips, he broke down in tears.
Days slowly passed like this...
Finally, it was Moksh's birthday.
He was still asleep when his phone suddenly started ringing. Half-asleep, he picked it up and placed it against his ear.
All of his friends were on a group call together. They shouted in unison,
"Happy Birthday, bro!"
Hearing all of them wish him together instantly woke him up. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Thank you!" he replied.
One of his friends immediately said,
"Come on, let's go out and celebrate your birthday!"
Moksh sat up on his bed and shook his head.
"No. Today is only for my sister."
Hearing that, all his friends groaned together.
"You're seriously weird! We still don't know why we even became friends with you. You're not friendship material at all. Whenever we ask you to hang out, you either become Uncle Boy or the perfect big brother!"
After saying that, they disconnected the call.
Their words made Moksh feel a little down.
Just then, Anaya came running into his room and shouted excitedly,
"Happy Birthday, Bhaiya!"
The sadness on Moksh's face instantly disappeared. Smiling warmly, he replied,
"Thank you!"
After saying that, his eyes unconsciously drifted toward the door.
Inside his heart, he quietly wondered,
"Will you not wish me this year either?"
Before he could think any further, Anaya excitedly said,
"Hurry up! Hurry up! I'll be waiting outside!"
Smiling softly, Moksh nodded.
"Okay."
He got off the bed and headed toward the bathroom, while Anaya happily ran out of the room.
---
When Anaya reached the mansion hall, she noticed Anirudh leaving.
A little nervous, she called out,
"Uncle... aren't you going to wish Bhaiya?"
Anirudh turned around and calmly replied,
"I have a meeting. I'll come back after it's over, and then I'll wish Moksh."
With that, he walked away.
Watching him leave, Anaya sighed inwardly.
"Bhaiya is going to be sad again... Uncle says he'll come back, but both Bhaiya and I know he never does. Why is Uncle never with Bhaiya on his birthday?"
The question lingered in her heart.
Just then, the mansion's landline began ringing.
Since no servants were nearby, Anaya hurried over and answered the call.
The moment she placed the receiver against her ear, a deep, cold yet incredibly attractive voice echoed through it.
"I need to speak with Anirudh Agnihotri."
Anaya replied innocently,
"Uncle just left. You can call him on his phone."
The man on the other end fell silent for a brief moment before saying,
"Okay, Little Princess."
He disconnected the call.
The nickname instantly stole Anaya's heart, and a bright smile spread across her face.
---
Meanwhile...
The man who had just called sat inside his luxurious office, staring at his phone before murmuring,
"Anirudh... your enmity with me is going to cost you dearly. I wanted to keep you as my friend forever, but every single time you chose to stand against me. You made me your enemy... Now let's see what I do."
After saying that, he placed the phone on the table.
The man was Vikrant Chauhan—one of the biggest names in the business world, the richest man in India, incredibly handsome, extremely popular among women, and a notorious womanizer.
Back in college, Vikrant and Anirudh had been close friends.
However, Anirudh repeatedly rejected every business proposal Vikrant brought to him.
That gradually created a rift between them.
The friendship they had maintained since college eventually shattered and turned into bitter rivalry.
Their conflicts became so intense that even their two mutual friends were forced to take sides.
Vihaan stood with Anirudh...
While Aditya chose Vikrant.
---
At the headquarters of his company...
Anirudh sat on a luxurious chair inside his cabin, while his assistant stood silently before him.
Lost in thought, Anirudh remained quiet.
His assistant sighed inwardly.
"Boss is impossible to understand. Every year he makes excuses about meetings and stays away on Moksh's birthday... yet at the same time, he personally arranges everything to make sure Moksh and Anaya have the best day possible. He even asks me to buy all the gifts."
While he was thinking that, Anirudh suddenly spoke,
"Take both of them to a good resort. One with lots of games... and make sure no one else is there."
The assistant nervously stammered,
"S-Sir... if you had told me yesterday, I could've booked the entire resort. But arranging that on such short notice is almost impossible."
Anirudh slowly looked at him.
The assistant immediately panicked under his cold, intimidating gaze and quickly corrected himself.
"B-But you're the boss, sir! For you, not just a resort—even the whole of Mumbai can be emptied!"
Hearing the exaggerated flattery, Anirudh simply glared at him again before saying coldly,
"Do only what I've told you."
The assistant lowered his head.
"Yes, sir."
As he turned to leave, he muttered inwardly,
"Everyone else's good days are coming... I wonder when mine will finally arrive."
Before he could leave, Anirudh added,
"And buy him a good guitar. He loves music... and collecting guitars."
Just then, the cabin door opened.
Vihaan walked inside and said,
"If you care so much about what he likes... then why won't you let him follow his passion?"
Anirudh looked at his friend before turning to his assistant.
"You understand everything, right? Go and prepare exactly as I've instructed."
"Yes, sir."
The assistant bowed and left.
Vihaan took a seat and quietly looked at Anirudh.
Anirudh finally spoke.
"You know the reason."
Vihaan sighed.
"Anirudh... his past is never going to come back. If you keep stopping him from doing what he loves, he'll only end up hating you."
Without the slightest change in expression, Anirudh replied,
"I don't care."
Vihaan smiled knowingly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Vihaan leaned back.
"Fine. Forget that. Then tell me... why do you never wish him on his birthday? You know it hurts him."
Hearing that, Anirudh fixed him with an icy stare.
"Don't you have any topic to discuss with me besides Moksh?"
His anger was now slowly reaching its limit.
Realizing that, Vihaan wisely decided to step back.
After all, he had absolutely no desire to deal with Anirudh's terrifying temper.