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Earlier, Vikrant had left Sharda in the room because she had specifically asked him to. She wanted some time alone with Jhankar, time to understand this girl who had silently walked into all of their lives. In the morning, when Jhankar had come to her room, Sharda had chosen to let Vikrant and Jhankar sort things out between themselves. But now, her curiosity and affection compelled her to learn more.

“My studies are completed now, and I urgently need a job,” Jhankar begins. “My father took out an education loan to support my studies, and I want to repay that loan myself. I was offered a really good job—my dream job, actually—in Delhi. But I couldn’t go... so now I have to find something here. I’m not sure which job I’ll end up with, but I’m doing everything possible to find the best opportunity.”

Sharda nods, visibly impressed. “That’s a wonderful goal. Can you tell me what else you want to do?”

“There’s so much left to do,” Jhankar replies, her eyes bright with ambition. “First, I want to fulfill my dream of landing the perfect job. Then, I want to buy my parents a nice house and a high-quality car. If everything goes well and I manage to save enough, I’ll start my own business. After that, I want to buy a great house for myself, a house I’ll build entirely with my own money. And only after all that, I’ll buy a car for myself.”

"But your husband can give you all those items too.”

Sharda listens intently and then remarks, Jhankar replies respectfully.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong. My husband can give me all these things, but why should he when I’m capable of doing it myself? I can work, I can build my own home, and I can buy my own car, so why should I depend on him? And honestly, when it comes to marriage, why is it that we only focus on getting a girl married off? Why don't we consider empowering her to stand independently? Why don’t we raise our daughters to earn their income, build a stable life, and take control of their futures? Shouldn’t we first ensure she can set up her life well on her own? Why is it always about settling her down with a husband and having children?”

Sharda watches her closely, taking in every word with a thoughtful expression. Jhankar, realizing she might have overstepped, falls silent, not wanting to hurt Sharda's feelings. But Sharda smiles warmly instead, leans forward, kisses Jhankar on the forehead, and continues feeding her with tender care. She says affectionately.

“No one can stop a girl with such strong intentions from achieving her dreams. I’m certain you will do everything you’ve set your heart on. Just never lose your courage.”

Jhankar, deeply moved by her words, smiles back and throws her arms around Sharda in a heartfelt hug.

CHAPTER 19

HER CONFIDENCE

Jhankar had spread out all her books across the bed, none of which were even remotely related to her actual work, leaving no space for anyone else to sleep. As a result, Vikrant, without saying a word, quietly moved to the couch and tried to make himself comfortable. He faced considerable discomfort due to the limited space and stiffness of the couch, but eventually, sleep overcame him.

When he woke up the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that Jhankar wasn’t fully lying down, nor was she sitting upright. She had propped herself up against the headboard, likely intending to rest for a while, and must have dozed off in that very position. Her posture looked awkward, and yet she seemed completely unaware, lost in her deep sleep.

Vikrant gazed at the disorganized mess on the bed and felt a wave of frustration rising in him. But then his eyes settled on Jhankar’s sleeping face—calm, serene, and utterly exhausted. Something within him softened. After everything he had learned about her the previous day, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry with her. He knew very well that it was because of him that Jhankar had lost a major opportunity, an important milestone in her life. Now, instead of pursuing her dream job, she was desperately working hard just to find a job.

Even in her sleep, the exhaustion was clearly visible on her face. Yet, despite this, she kept going. Without saying a word, Vikrantstood up quietly and looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he turned around and walked out of the room without making a sound.

An hour later, Jhankar abruptly woke up from her deep sleep and glanced around the room in confusion, only to realize that Vikrant was nowhere to be seen. Last night, she had been so engrossed in her preparations that she hadn’t spared much thought for Vikrant, who had ended up sleeping on the couch without complaint.

She had stayed up late, meticulously reviewing details, determined not to make any errors in the rush of her job hunt. As she checked the time, she noticed it was already 8:00 a.m. She didn’t know where Vikrant had gone, and frankly, she didn’t care. What mattered to her was that she had received Sharda’s permission the day before to focus on her own decisions. That was all the validation she needed.

Wasting no time, she ran to the closet, pulled out an extra dress from her bag, got ready swiftly, and prepared herself to visit a few companies for interviews. She double-checked everything from her resume to her appearance and descended the stairs with quiet determination. As she reached the hallway, she noticed all the staff members bustling with their morning duties. Some of them were throwing curious glances around, perhaps looking for someone or checking the morning protocols.

“I have to leave as soon as possible. Can you please get me some tea and biscuits?”

She asked quickly, scanning the space as if measuring how long it would take.

“Breakfast is ready, ma’am. If you’d like, I can serve you now. Everyone will be coming for breakfast shortly. Would you prefer to wait for them?”

One of the staff members politely offered this suggestion. Jhankar replied firmly.

“Not at all…. I don't want to wait. If breakfast is served on time here, could you please bring me some tea? Are there any rules about eating alone?”

“There are no such rules, ma’am,” the staff member assured her with a smile. “Only Vikrant Sir has a fixed routine—he insists on breakfast strictly at 9:00 a.m., lunch at exactly 1:30 p.m., regardless of where he is, and dinner must be served by 8:30 p.m. Apart from him, no one here follows such rigid rules. I’ll bring your breakfast right away.”

“Psycho,”

She muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. Moments later, her breakfast arrived. Without wasting any time, Jhankar began eating quickly, almost shoveling the food in. She had no time to savor it; she was running late, and her mind was entirely focused on the day ahead.

Just then, Vikrant emerged from his private gym, sweat glistening on his forehead, a towel slung over his shoulder. His eyes immediately fell on her, seated alone and eating in a hurry. He halted abruptly and focused his attention on her. There was something different about her today, an urgency, a sense of purpose. She was clearly preparing to go somewhere important.

Before he could utter a word, Jhankar finished her breakfast in haste and stood up abruptly, ready to leave. She needed to reach the office by 10:00 a.m., and the time was already 8:30. The location was far, requiring her to switch between two buses, ajourney that would easily take an hour and a half. She couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

As she stood up quickly, she accidentally bumped straight into Vikrant, who had been walking toward her silently. Startled, she stepped back reflexively and collided with a chair behind her. The chair had a pointed decorative edge that poked into her back, making her wince in pain and lurch forward. Vikrant, standing so close, immediately reached out and placed his hand on her back to steady her. Her hands, in turn, landed on his chest.