**7 years later**

"Here arrives the Ice Queen."

My best friend Annie spoke and I rolled my eyes.

"Annie, you have your shoot at 2 p.m. Have you tried your outfits yet?" I asked, straight away getting to work related stuffs.

Annie looked at me with eyes full of amusement. She faked a salute and pressed her lips in a hard line. She looked funny when she tries to act but I suppressed my laughter. She can make a dead person laugh.

"Yes boss! Your wish is our command." She faked a stern look on her cute baby-like face.

I couldn't control anymore and burst out laughing. Annie joined in. My driver looked quite stunned, no one sees the Ice Queen laugh often.

My Audi came to an abrupt halt. We had arrived our destination.

"Thanks for the ride, Jay." Annie thanked my driver who drove us to my office every day.

My Dior glasses covered my eyes and the guard opened the door of my car. I let my heels click onto the marble stairs of my million-dollar fashion company, BASIC.

Everyone stood out of respect as I entered the main glass doors. This was an everyday thing and everyday I felt like I'm walking in here for the first time. My head held high, I always felt proud of what I am today.

Annie greeted everyone and walked behind me to the private elevator.

This is my world. I own it. I'm the queen and I rule the fashion world.

Both of us walked inside my cabin, where the show-stopper dress was being put on the mannequin.

As usual Annie got excited by looking at the red show-stopper gown, that she was going to wear for the upcoming fashion event. Yes, my best friend was my showstopper.

"You are the best Ashu." She was overjoyed, excited and feeling the fabric with passion. She just loved clothes, be it a simple jeans or a hand stitched gown.

"I know." I smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

Annie sat across my mahogany table. My P.A came in and kept some files on my table to sign, and left. These are the usual stuffs of the day.

Work was my second best friend. I like to keep myself occupied. Work is a way to escape the emptiness and loneliness that surrounds me every time. Though I had some loving people around me, there was always an empty feeling lingering in me somewhere.

Annie looked at me with deep thought.

"What?" I ask.

"You know you are only 24, right?"

Oh God, not again.

"Yes." I knew very well where this conversation was going to get.

"So?" She rolled her eyes again.

"Keep rolling your eyes, one day you'll see everything upside-down." I said.

"I don't need to hear your smart mouth now. I just telling that you need to make your life more fun." That was what Annie advised me for the past 6, 7 years and I made sure to ignore it with full heart.

"And how will I make my life more fun?" I asked in a bored tone.

"Date!" She said excitedly. "Or get laid!" I was the one who rolled my eyes now.

"I don't have time." I immediately called my P.A and ordered her to make appointments for Annie's spa session. She immediately got to work. I need to get rid of my best friend's nonsense early in the morning.

I know Annie cares for me but I'm not ready for all that stupid thing. Dating, love, relationships are all too ... um, not my thing.

"Don't you dare ignore me, woman!" Annie said like my mom, trying to be angry.

"Don't fret, I don't want my show-stopper to get wrinkles before her age." I smiled and teased to make the air light.

She surrendered by putting her hands up and I suppressed a chuckle. She knows well it's useless to argue with me in this topic.

"I'm leaving." Annie said before walking out.

"See you later, Ann." I smiled sweetly at her.

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It was a hectic day.

Finally I'm home, in my kitchen and cooking. I'm not that fond of cooking though, but something needs to be done to feed my stomach, right? I don't cook that bad also, Avery likes to eat my food and compliments it as well.

I like to keep to myself. Call me an introvert. There are no workers or maids in my place because I like to stay alone. Talk about security? Well, my house is in the outskirts of the city. Therefore, people here don't know me well enough and my house is under the most advanced security where you don't need people hanging behind your back, who are called bodyguards. Everything is electronised. Well, they say so but I haven't yet checked if it's that good to keep me and Avery safe. They better be good or ill sue the security agency.

So here we go, chicken curry, steamed rice and tomato pickle. Yumm!

Man! I can become a chef.

After finishing dinner, I made a quick video call to my mother. Who is staying in Italy with her second husband right now, Mr. Raichand. They were very happy and healthy together. I was happy that finally my mom found her happiness in Pa.

"Hello sweetie." My mother came in view with her soft voice speaking.

"Hey mom, how are you?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Sweetie, I was waiting for you to call."

"I'm only 5 minutes late." I check the time.

"I have some news to give you." Mom said.

"Is everything OK? Are you OK?" I am worried now. She never sounds so serious. Last time she sounded serious was seven years back.

"Yes, darling everything is OK, I'm fine. Your brother will be visiting you soon." Mom spoke with excitement in her eyes.

Ed is coming! Oh my god! I haven't seen him for so long. Oh my little brother. I miss him.

"When will he come?" I asked happily. Already super excited with the news of my brother's visitation.

"Next week. He is going to India with his friends and eventually will meet you." Mom said in her usual cheerful voice.

"That's great!" I exclaimed and Mom laughed.

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It was midnight and I was working on my laptop, checking on my online shopping business which I started 7 years ago.

7 years!

I thought and smiled. Whatever happened then, is the result of what I'm now. Time passed by so quickly and everything changed. What I was then is the opposite of what I'm now. People change. The situations.. changes them.

I closed my laptop and went to my walk-in-closet. I took out a vintage make-up box.

I opened the box and there was it all, the greeting cards, chocolate wrappers, the red wind chime, cufflinks and there was what I was looking for.

The photograph.

I took out the red wind chime and knew it was time to hang it again. The right place to hang it was in my balcony-cum-library, which was attached to my dreamland which was my room.

The slow breeze helped the wind chime sound sweet as ever. The sound was mesmerizing and led me to my world of fantasy.

The photograph was still in my hand, it was the only picture I had and I kept it just like a woman keeps her diamonds.

I still don't know why I kept all these but every time I start something new, I open this box and think about that one person whom I could never forget after all these years. He was imprinted in my heart, mind and soul.

"I promise you, one day you'll regret letting me go."

Those were my last words to him, the only guy I ever loved and the guy who left me when I needed him the most.

"Roy Singhania."

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I'll

DON'T BE A SILENT READER, PLEASE!!!!

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LOREN©