💥 Chapter 1: War of Words

Bangalore – A city buzzing with tech, traffic, and tangled emotions. But inside the elegantly lit Rajan residence, another kind of chaos was brewing — one that had nothing to do with the outside world.

"Did you have to come?" Poornima’s voice cut sharp through the din of relatives at her cousin's engagement.

Standing at the entrance in a crisp blazer, Veeresh raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Why? Afraid I'll outshine you in your own house, Miss Corporate Queen?"

Poornima narrowed her eyes. "Don’t flatter yourself. You’re still the same egoistic moron who poured ink in my exam paper during 10th standard."

Veeresh leaned in casually, his tone playful but laced with venom. "And you're still the drama queen who cried to the principal when I beat you in debate."

Their voices stayed low, their smiles fake. But their eyes screamed the same message — I still hate you.

---

Flashback: Years of Feud

They had been at each other’s throats since childhood — neighbors, classmates, and now, family acquaintances who couldn’t be in the same room for more than five minutes without starting a verbal war.

From school fights over leadership titles…

To college clashes at inter-college fests…

To random family functions turned cold due to their presence…

Veeresh and Poornima were the kind of enemies who remembered every single insult. Their history was a long list of sabotage, sarcasm, and smug victories.

And now, as professionals — Veeresh, a lead software developer at IBM, and Poornima, a senior finance executive at Bharat Electronics — nothing had changed. Except now, their insults came in more polished English.

---

Back to Present

Poornima’s younger cousin, Aanya, whispered beside her, “You both are still fighting? You know some people think you’ll end up together.”

Poornima almost choked on her juice. “Over my dead body.”

Meanwhile, across the hall, Veeresh’s best friend murmured, “Bro, you two have the weirdest chemistry. You sure this is hate?”

Veeresh scoffed, “Chemistry? It’s toxic waste.”

Just then, both families announced a joint gathering the next morning — “Important family talk,” they said.

Veeresh and Poornima ignored it. After all, it was probably some random family issue.

How wrong they were.