The bustling streets of Delhi seemed like a battlefield, with everyone racing toward their destinations, unaware of the stories unfolding around them. Jeevika Shukla, with her hair hastily tied up in a bun and a stack of books clutched in her hands, was no exception. The weight of expectations was heavier than the bag slung over her shoulder, but she didn’t have time to slow down—not when the UPSC exam were just a few months away.
At twenty-three, Jeevika’s life was a chaotic blur of coaching classes, sleepless nights, and unending revisions. Despite the noise around her, her focus was unwavering. Her family, especially her father, had sacrificed a lot for her education, and she was determined not to let them down. She glanced at her watch. Ten minutes late already.
As she picked up her pace, her thoughts drifted to the relentless competition. Everyone here was just as driven, but what set her apart was her grit. She wasn’t the brightest in the room, but her ambition burned brighter than most. The streets she walked now, lined with the honking of cars and scattered vendors, were temporary—stepping stones to a future far beyond her current reality.
And then, as fate would have it, she collided with someone, sending her books flying across the pavement. The jolt snapped her out of her reverie, irritation flaring.
"Watch where you're going!" Jeevika snapped, her voice sharper than intended.
The man she had bumped into raised an eyebrow, annoyance flickering across his face. He was tall, wearing an expensive suit that screamed privilege. Arjun Raichand. She’d seen him around before—his reputation at the coaching institute wasn’t stellar, more known for his money than his merits. She knelt down quickly, gathering her books before he could respond.
"Maybe you should watch where you’re going," Arjun replied coolly, picking up one of her notebooks and handing it to her with deliberate slowness, as if mocking her urgency.
Jeevika snatched it from his hand, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t have time for this. “Some of us don’t have the luxury of strolling through life, you know,” she muttered, more to herself than to him, as she stuffed the notebook back into her bag.
Arjun’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing more. Instead, he gave her one last look, his sharp gaze taking her in—harried, determined, and utterly unfazed by his presence—before walking away. Jeevika didn’t spare him a second glance. Her world was too full for distractions like Arjun Raichand, and she wasn’t interested in the games of Delhi’s elite.
But as she hurried toward her coaching center, the brief encounter left a strange residue. She pushed it aside, filing it under “irrelevant” in her mind.
Inside the classroom, Jeevika took her usual seat by the window, ignoring the buzz of conversation around her. Anamika had messaged her earlier, a mix of encouragement and sarcastic jabs about how stressed she was. Her sister always knew how to make her smile, even on the toughest days. Today, though, Jeevika barely managed a chuckle as she pulled out her notes. Focus. There was no room for anything else.
Yet, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, Arjun Raichand’s face flashed briefly in her mind, his cool, calculating expression lingering longer than she liked. She shook it off. He was nothing but a minor inconvenience—a roadblock she had already moved past
As the class began, Jeevika’s determination solidified further. Her world was carved by her dreams and the sweat she poured into them. No one—not Arjun, not anyone—could stand in her way.
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