The campus was buzzing with its usual hum of footsteps, laughter, and idle chatter. Students were heading towards the main stadium, following one another in a slow-moving stream. Among them, Neev Roy, impeccably dressed in a sharp tuxedo, walked briskly, his eyes fixed on his phone screen. He was too engrossed in reading a message to notice the storm brewing behind him.

Meera Goel—her eyes blazing, her jaw clenched—walked with calculated fury just a few paces behind him. She wasn’t walking anymore; she was hunting. And her prey was completely unaware of the rage marching toward him.

Simultaneously, a group of her friends, realizing she had vanished in the crowd, frantically searched for her in different directions. But Meera, too focused on her target, didn’t hear their calls. Her eyes were locked on one man—the one who had dared to insult her.

Without thinking twice, she reached out and snatched a large coffee cup from a nearby student who had just taken a sip. He barely had time to register what happened before she was already running.

She watched as Neev disappeared into the entrance of the stadium. With adrenaline rushing through her veins and revenge hammering in her chest, Meera sprinted forward and burst into the stadium.

"Mr. Neev Roy!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the space, loud and clear.

The sudden call of his name froze everyone in the stadium. Conversations paused. Heads turned. And Neev himself halted in his tracks.

Who dared to take his name like that?

He turned slowly, irritation rising in his veins. As he spun around, the expression on his face morphed from curiosity to stunned disbelief. There she stood—Meera. Angrier than ever. Her face red, her eyes wild.

Before he could open his mouth to respond, a SPLASHHHHHHHHH echoed across the stadium.

Gasps erupted from every direction.

The entire contents of the large coffee cup now drenched his face, his shirt, and his expensive tuxedo. Dark brown liquid soaked through the fabric, dripping from his chin, staining everything in sight. His posture froze.

His ego, however, burned.

"What the hell is this, Meera?!" he roared, his voice thundering.

But Meera stepped forward, eyes locked with his, refusing to flinch.

"Don’t you dare shout! You insulted me. You insulted my art," she snapped, her voice sharp and unyielding. "If you don’t know how to respect someone’s work, then don’t you dare comment on it at all. Got it?"

She didn’t wait for a reply.

With her head held high, she turned around and walked out of the stadium, leaving behind a sea of stunned students and one fuming trustee drenched in coffee.

Silence.

For a few seconds, the stadium held its breath.

Then came laughter.

A burst of uncontrollable, infectious laughter.

All heads turned to the entrance where a young boy was leaning against the doorframe, laughing like he had just watched the best scene of a comedy movie.

"Who the hell is this now?!" Neev snapped, shaking off droplets of coffee.

"Sorry bhai... but your fight looked so damn funny I just couldn't control myself," the boy managed to say, still chuckling.

Neev growled. "Let’s go."

"Wait, wait, bhai... just one minute!" the boy said and raised his phone, snapping a quick selfie with Neev's dripping figure in the background.

"What are you doing?!"

"Posting this on Insta. Hashtag: #BhaiDrenchedInCoffee. Viral for sure!" he said dramatically.

"Ashu, shut up! You are not doing this. Got it?!" Neev barked, wiping his face with a handkerchief as they stormed into the dean’s office.

The door slammed open.

The dean jumped in his chair.

"Is this how you teach discipline to your students?!" Neev roared, pointing at his soaked tuxedo. "Throwing coffee on the new trustee? I want that girl out of this college. No, out of this campus right now.”

The dean stood up immediately, trying to maintain composure. "I’m very sorry, sir. Please tell me the student’s name and I’ll take immediate action."

Neev’s tone darkened. "She insulted my ego. I won’t let this go. Her name is Meera Goel."

The dean's face changed.

"Meera Goel...?"

"Yes," Neev said impatiently.

The dean paused, visibly nervous.

"I… I’m afraid that’s not possible, sir. Her father is also a trustee of this university. In fact... he’s your partner."

Neev’s lips parted in disbelief.

Ashu whistled low. "Plot twist."

Without another word, Neev turned on his heels and stormed out, Ashu trailing behind. The office door slammed shut.

Back in his cabin, Neev paced in agitation before finally dialing a number.

"This happened because of you," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at his younger brother.

Ashu raised an eyebrow. "Me? What did I do?"

"You were the one who suggested if I want to escape this marriage alliance, I should torture the girl to the point she backs off!"

Ashu leaned back, amused. "Bhai, I told you to annoy your to-be-wife, not some random girl. What was her name again... Mera?"

Neev glared. "You idiot. She is your to-be-bhabhi."

Ashu froze.

"What?!" he gasped, eyes wide. "She’s the girl you were arranged to marry? The one dad selected?"

Neev nodded, running a hand through his coffee-stained hair.

"Oh wow. Bhai, please marry her. I mean it. She’s awesome. You know what? She’s the only person who managed to shut you up."

"Don’t push your luck," Neev growled. "Because of your stupid advice, I’m the laughing stock of the campus. I feel like a rocket that missed Earth and crash-landed on the Moon."

"Don’t call me stupid! Or else—"

Before Ashu could complete his sentence, Neev’s phone rang.

The moment he answered, his face drained of color. His breath hitched.

One word escaped his lips, heavy with disbelief.

"Kidnapped..."

He stared into the void, the earlier rage dissolving into panic. The storm wasn’t over yet. No, it was just beginning.