The River Knows

Destiny Took Turn

Days turned into weeks, and weeks started slipping by like pages in a messy corporate diary.

Tara Nair — the once anxious girl who couldn’t even sit through an interview without panicking — was now turning into a full-blown workaholic.

Her desk was always filled with highlighted files, half-drunk coffee mugs, sticky notes that screamed “URGENT”, and a screen that glowed brighter than her tired eyes. She was learning fast, working hard, and everyone around her noticed — except her.

Late nights became normal.

Sometimes she reached home when the streetlights had already grown tired of glowing. Tanya would already be asleep, her mom would leave her dinner covered on the table, and her father would just give her that proud-yet-worried smile.

On most nights, she would collapse on her bed — documents scattered everywhere like fallen petals, her laptop still open, showing an unfinished report.

“Five more minutes,” she’d promise herself, and then sleep would win the battle.

But lately, something felt… off.

She used to stress about not having a job, but now she was stressed because she had one.

Her dreams were buried under spreadsheets and pending tasks.

Her shoulders ached, her eyes burned, and her mind screamed for a “do-nothing” day.

One Friday morning, while scrolling through emails and half-listening to Meera’s office gossip, Tara whispered to herself,

“I swear… I just want one day to do absolutely nothing. No files. No deadlines. Just me, my bed, and silence.”

Meera laughed. “Oh honey, that’s called Sunday. It exists, you know?”

Tara chuckled. “Yeah, but I want the kind of Sunday that lasts forever.”

Christina joined in, teasing, “So basically, you want to retire early?”

“Exactly!” Tara said dramatically, stretching her arms. “Just imagine — no alarms, no meetings, just peace and mango desserts.”

They all burst out laughing, but deep inside, Tara meant every word.

She missed her old self — the girl who used to sit under the willow tree by the river, feeling calm, dreaming of her future. Now that future had arrived, but somehow, it didn’t feel the way she had imagined.

After spending a few minutes laughing with Meera and Christina, Tara picked up her coffee cup and walked out to the balcony near the cafeteria.

The city shimmered below — cars honking, sun stretching through tall buildings, and the wind brushing against her hair. She closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath.

“Fresh air and caffeine — that’s therapy enough,” she whispered with a smile.

When she returned, the hallway was crowded. The usual elevator she used was packed — a long queue of impatient employees waiting like students after lunch break. Tara sighed, balancing her coffee in one hand and tapping her foot.

Then she noticed another elevator on the side — cleaner, quieter, and surprisingly empty. Except for two men standing near it — one in a dark, tailored suit, another holding a few files in his hand, probably his assistant.

Just as the elevator door opened, they stepped in. Tara, not wanting to wait any longer, rushed forward, calling out,

“Wait! I’m coming!”

Before the man with files could say anything, she slipped right in.

The assistant tried to speak — “Ma’am, this is—”

But Tara interrupted with a grin, “Oh come on, it’s such a spacious elevator! Why’s everyone struggling to fit in that one?”

She took a sip of her coffee, then pressed the button for the 4th floor.

The elevator was elegant — mirrors on every side, soft golden lighting, and a faint scent of expensive perfume. Tara glanced at her reflection, adjusted her hair, and smiled at herself.

“Not bad, Ms. Nair. You do clean up well,” she murmured softly, amused by her own reflection.

The man beside her — tall, composed, with an unreadable expression — glanced at her through the mirrored reflection. His sharp gaze followed the curve of her confidence, the unfiltered liveliness that seemed so rare in this cold corporate space.

The elevator beeped softly as it reached the 4th floor. Tara stepped out, still humming a tune, completely unaware that the man’s eyes were still following her.

Inside the elevator, the assistant turned to him and said, “Sir, should I call for your car after the next meeting?”

The man — Arjun Malhotra — didn’t answer immediately. He adjusted his cuffs, still looking at the mirrored reflection where Tara had just stood. A faint, amused smirk curved his lips.

“No need,” he said finally, voice low and calm. “I’ll stay for a while.”

And as the elevator doors closed, the golden light flickered across his face — sharp, powerful, and unreadable — while somewhere on the 4th floor, Tara Nair had no idea she had just walked straight into destiny’s next chapter.