CHAPTER 1

The Empty Penthouse

Veeranshu Mehra stood motionless on the balcony of his sprawling penthouse, the city lights sprawling beneath him like a glittering ocean of false promises. At 30, he had it all—an empire of wealth, a name that commanded respect, and a life most people could only dream of. Yet, tonight, he felt the hollowness of it all gnawing at his soul like a predator closing in on its prey. The echoes of Siya's words reverberated in his mind:

"You're cold, Veer. You're closed off. I can't keep doing this. You're incapable of love."

He could still see the pity in her eyes as she delivered the final blow. And then, as if fate weren't cruel enough, he found out she was marrying Rohan. Rohan—another successful businessman, but one who came with the perfect package: a family, warmth, the love Siya had claimed Veer lacked.

A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he swirled the glass of scotch in his hand. It was almost comical. Here he was, Veeranshu Mehra, the man who had turned a family tragedy into a fortune, being reduced to a mere shadow of himself because of a woman who couldn't wait to leave him. Worse, it was now glaringly obvious that Siya had been seeing Rohan behind his back while still holding on to the façade of their relationship.

The betrayal stung, but it wasn't just about Siya. It was the reminder of a deeper truth Veer had carried since he was ten years old: wealth could buy everything except the one thing he craved—love.

The penthouse was suffocating. Everywhere he turned, he saw fragments of their time together. The soft beige couch where they'd spent lazy Sunday mornings, her laughter filling the air as they watched old movies. The kitchen, where Siya would insist on cooking—terribly—just to remind him they didn't need chefs all the time. The photographs, now stored away, where she smiled beside him, as if the world had been theirs to conquer.

Veer gulped the rest of his scotch and poured another. The liquor burned its way down, but it wasn't enough to drown the pain. How had he been so blind? Siya had always been an enigma, warm yet distant, affectionate yet fleeting. Had he been so consumed by his work, his empire, that he'd failed to see her slipping away? Or had he just chosen to ignore the signs, hoping that she would stay if he could provide enough?

But no amount of wealth, no private jets or diamonds, could keep someone who had already decided to leave.

The glass shattered in his hand as Veer slammed it against the table, a rare display of emotion from a man known for his composure. It was too much. This place, this penthouse—they had built their life here. Or so he thought. Now, it was nothing but a mausoleum of broken dreams and memories he wished he could erase.

"Naman," Veer barked into his phone, his voice hoarse from the alcohol and the weight of his emotions.

"Yes, sir?" came the calm, efficient reply from his loyal assistant.

"Clear out the penthouse. Everything. I don't want a trace of her left here. I'm moving back to the mansion."

There was a brief pause on the other end before Naman responded, "Understood, sir. I'll handle it immediately."

The mansion—his sprawling childhood home that stood as a symbol of everything he hated and loved about his life. It was a place of contradictions: opulent yet empty, grand yet devoid of warmth. His parents had left him everything but themselves, taken too soon in a car accident when he was just ten years old. Since then, he had been raised by a series of nannies, tutors, and staff who cared for his needs but never for him.

At the time, he thought the mansion was a prison. Now, it felt like a sanctuary—a place to retreat to, to lick his wounds and figure out how to rebuild.

As the alcohol dulled his senses, Veer sank onto the bed they had once shared. His head swam with a mix of anger, sorrow, and the ever-present void that had haunted him since childhood.

He wasn't angry at Siya for leaving—he was angry at himself for caring so much. For believing, even for a moment, that he could have a different life. He had tried to let her in, but years of guarding his heart had made it impossible to truly connect. Was she right? Was he incapable of love?

No. It wasn't that he couldn't love—it was that he had no idea how to. Losing his parents had taught him that love was fleeting, a fragile thing that could be ripped away in an instant. It was safer to shut people out, to focus on his empire, to build something no one could take away.

But tonight, in the silence of his empty penthouse, Veer felt the weight of his choices pressing down on him. Wealth had been his armor, but it had also been his cage.

As he drifted into a restless sleep, Veer made a vow to himself: if love was a luxury he couldn't afford, then he would double down on what he could control. His work. His power. His legacy.

And if he ever crossed paths with Siya and Rohan again, they would see a man untouchable, a man who didn't need anyone. Not even himself.

A/N - Hello guys its my new story and now I don't like to set target I can't help but do that on this one because my previous book pyaar a tale of eternal love it gained over 40k views but only 2k votes and hardly any comment it's so sad to see this , and I don't know what you guys might like but for me I was tired of seeing desi stories on the same theme the king of Rajasthan , or the mafia ones where the female lead is naive and so innocent and male lead is cold , cruel and overbearing and they all were like forced marriage kind of thing and it's not like I am against  that kind of thing being published or read but I  wanted to write something different , something grounded in reality full of understanding and care , hope you give it as much love as you gave to my other stories

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