THE CHASE OF STARDUST

PTE

scrapers etched in gold by the sinking sun, the world bel

e sleek wooden desk, the smooth mahogany surface of the desk that now bore her name. This offi

victory tast

tched out before her. The soft hum of the office around her was a stark contrast to the noise that had once filled her childhood home.

girl, but of a woman who had fought tooth and nail to get here. A woman who had learned that

learned to smile without softness, to weep without tears. She had arr

s of her success. There, in a smaller, dimmer world, ambition had been a crime. A world where she was mocked

girl who dared to dream of something more than the life that had been set out for her was called selfish, ung

over their world with iron certainty disguised as maternal love. A woman forged by sacrifice and steeped in su

s not in chasing after frivolous dreams like degrees or trophies. It

d to carry. Every day, a slow suf

until dawn, Aanya floated through her days-carefree, mocking, untouched by the need to prove herself. When Raneya tried to pull her close

was warm, yes, but always conditional. His gentle affection was always ting

troking her hair gently, "but remember-no

ictories shrank beneath t

e other chained to tradition. He wanted to protect her, yes-but only within the

t spent studying instead of sleeping was an act of war. Every mark on her report card, a small revolution. An

breathe. S

ed the stairs to her room, her heart pounding not with fear, but hope. Per

r phone, her laughter slicing through the moment li

certificate. "Look. I topped in college.

s parted in surprise-but twisted too quick

smirked. "Guess someone really want

t, the warmth dra

The applause from earlier echoed f

she'd walked in. The world might have finally opened it