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Shaurya exhaled harshly, knowing this argument was never-ending.

“No,” he gritted out, “I’ll be happy if you stick to your words. Your grandfather had said he would look into this issue about trimming the branches.”

“And we were going to handle it,” Nandini replied. “But you had no right to call these people!”

Shaurya’s patience finally snapped.

“Fine. I’ll send them back.”

She and Grandpa both looked victorious for a second, but Shaurya wasn’t done. His gaze locked onto hers, his finger pointing straight at her.

“You want to keep your tree? Then keep it. But hear me loud and clear, Miss Raichand. If even ONE single leaf or fruit fallsinto my property again—especially my pool—I’ll call these guys back. With a legal notice this time.”

Her fists clenched, but before she could respond, he had already turned on his heel, striding back to his villa without another word.

From behind, Grandpa’s angry voice rang out.

“Do whatever pleases you! Even if you bring the entire court here, I am NOT letting you touch my tree.”

Nandini sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Daadu, please don’t raise your blood pressure over him.”

“You heard that?” Grandpa muttered to Nandini. “He is preparing for war, and you don’t want me to react?”

“Daadu, we’ll see what to do. But right now, please calm down.”

Grandpa scoffed, shaking his head. “I won’t leave this man if he touches my tree.”

With that, he marched back to his villa, commanding the three men to leave at once.

Nandini bit her lip, staring at Shaurya’s retreating figure. Now how was she supposed to ensure not even a single leaf or fruit ended up in his pool every day? Huh!

*****************

Two days Later

Sundays were meant for relaxation, for peace, for the kind of lazy afternoons where the world outside could fade away into the background. At least, that was Nandini Raichand’s plan as she sat parallelly over the thick railing of her bedroom balcony on the first floor, her back comfortably resting against a plush pillow propped against the edge of the balcony wall.

Her legs were stretched out flat over the wide railing, crossed at the ankles, while one hand lazily held the open romance novel resting on her lap.

The gentle afternoon breeze ruffled her loose curls, carrying with it the faint scent of mango blossoms from the towering tree beside her. She let out a contented sigh, her fingers absently flipping through the pages as she lost herself in the world of fictional romance.

The heroine had just confessed her love for the brooding, impossible, dangerously attractive hero. Nandini sighed dramatically. Why were fictional men so irresistible? Unlike a certain real-life grump next door, who constantly found new ways to ruin her peace.

Speaking of which, her gaze drifted toward Villa No. 11, to the pristine blue pool glistening in the afternoon sun.

It had been two days.

Two whole days since Shaurya Ahuja had delivered his dramatic warning about the mango tree.

And surprisingly, despite a few stray leaves finding their way into his beloved pool, he hadn’t said a word since then. Maybe he wasn’t as arrogant as everyone claimed. Either he had finally learned to live with it… or he was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Who knew?

She closed her book, resting it in her lap as she stretched lazily. It was a perfect day—no fights, no interruptions, no stormy-eyed neighbours glowering at her like she had personally offended his existence.

And most importantly, today not a single leaf had fallen into his pool. But just then, as if the universe had heard her thoughts and decided to mess with her, a gust of wind swept through Serene Meadows, rustling the mango tree’s thick branches.