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"Sir, that company is your underground venture. You’ve never appeared publicly as its CEO. No one knows you own it. You’ve managed it discreetly. Even your father doesn’t know it’s yours."

"You know well I don’t like to answer pointless questions. Jhankar needs help right now, and no one knows who owns that company. If Papa doesn’t know, he can’t stop her from working there. He’s upset with her and trying to make things difficult. But right now, she needs support, and somehow what’s happened to her is related to me. So, it’s better that I help her a little. Her parents’ situation is distressing to me. I don’t want to say more—just do it, and make no mistakes."

"Anything else, sir? I like that you want only her to be appointed for the particular place."

"I am giving her an opportunity with this vacancy, but I really don't want anyone to take it for granted, so she has to work hard."

"Yes, sir…"

After hanging up, Vikrant sits silently, lost in thought. The very next moment, he slams his hand onto the mattress in frustration and angrily mutters to himself,

"I’ve never spared anyone who’s raised their voice at me, yet I still want to help you. And I know that when you find out, you’ll completely misunderstand me again. I just can’t figure out why I want to help you at all."

~~~~~

Jhankar and Chitrali are sitting outside the operation theater, holding each other’s hands tightly to offer strength in this critical moment. Tears are continuously flowing from Chitrali’s eyes, but she holds herself together for her daughter’s sake. She keeps looking up, silently thanking God for the unexpected solution to such a massive problem in their lives. All she wants now is for Raghunath to recover.

PAST INCIDENT

"Doctor, I have only been able to collect ?5.50 lakh so far."

"Ohhh…."

Jhankar speaks to the doctor hesitantly, embarrassed but determined to get her father’s surgery done as soon as possible. She approaches him personally to explain.

"You might be wondering why I’m telling you this. You know I’m Vikrant Dhanraj’s wife, but my parents don’t want any help from him. I can’t fully explain it, but please try to understand. We come from a middle-class family."

"I completely understand your concerns. Don’t worry. Let me show you something. Just give me two minutes."

Jhankar watches him intently as he starts gathering a few papers and checks some details. He hands her 3–4 documents and says,

"This is a large organization that covers 70% of the cost for around 200 heart surgeries each year. Please fill out this form correctly and return it to me. Based on your father’s case, the organization will bear 70% of the total costs—from surgery to hospitalization. From my estimate, you’ll only need to pay around ?2.5–3 lakh out of the total ?15–16 lakh cost. The rest will be covered."

Jhankar is stunned by the information, but a smile appears on her face as she carefully reads the documents. Everything the doctor said is written clearly. She feels deeply relieved and starts filling out the form right away. As she writes, the doctor continues speaking.

"As far as I can see, you won’t have a problem managing the cost of medicines. But if you do, just let me know. We can figure something out."

"No, this is more than enough. Other people need help with medicines too. The help I needed was for the surgery, and you’ve already given that. Thank you very much."

"It’s our duty..."

PAST INCIDENT ENDS

Jhankar feels deeply relieved, knowing her father’s surgery will proceed, and she’s no longer stressed about other aspects. She now sits beside her mother, waiting for the operation to conclude. She looks ahead—Vikrant is quietly sitting there. In the past few days, he hasn’t disturbed her even once. When she refused his financial help, he didn’t pressure her at all. What she particularly liked was that, in spite of her desperation, Vikrant—who could have helped—did not try to impose his assistance. Instead, he told the doctor directly that he wouldn’t pay anything for her father’s treatment, respecting her parents' wishes. As a result, the doctor found an alternative solution.

Vikrant has been constantly involved, speaking with the doctors and staying at the hospital. He even sends Jhankar home to rest while he stays with her father. She knows Vikrant has OCD and avoids hospitals and similar places, yet he’s still here. She keeps staring at him while he’s working on his MacBook. Suddenly, he looks up and sees her watching him. He doesn’t react or gesture;he just silently acknowledges her gaze. Jhankar then shifts her focus back to her mother, who is still worried about the surgery. She can feel Vikrant still looking at her. Soon, a man returns with coffee for everyone. After several hours, when the operating theater doors finally open, she immediately rushes to the doctor.

“My father…?”

“The surgery was very successful. His condition is stable. He’ll be shifted to the ICU, and we’ll monitor him. If everything looks good, he’ll be moved to a regular room tomorrow morning. Once he regains consciousness, we’ll better assess his condition. Due to his age and thyroid condition, we can’t make any guarantees just yet. But there’s no need to worry.”

After hearing this, Jhankar hugs her mother in relief. Vikrant observes them quietly. It’s the first time he’s seen Jhankar smile so brightly, with tears in her eyes. She looks at him briefly, but he resumes working on his MacBook, seemingly unfazed.

Once Raghunath is shifted to the ICU, Chitrali and Jhankar watch him through the glass with grateful, relaxed expressions. Vikrant, standing behind them, speaks to Chitrali.

"The doctor said no one is allowed to stay here, so we should all go home now… But Mansion is a little bit far, so we are staying at my penthouse, which is nearby."

Chitrali glances at Jhankar, then at Raghunath, and pleads.