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~~~

The sound of a leather belt striking skin echoes in the air. No one dares speak. Vikrant has bound Michael by the legs and is mercilessly beating him with the thick leather strap. Michael had died an hour ago, but Vikrant hasn’t stopped. He continues, furious, delivering one blow after another—a scene so terrifying that no one can intervene. They all know the extent of Michael’s crime and even in death, this punishment seems justified.

Amidst the sharp, echoing snaps of the belt, a loud phone ringtone suddenly pierces the air. Vikrant halts abruptly and glares at his man, whose hands tremble as he checks the phone.

“Madam…”

The man can’t say more. He’s paralyzed with fear. Vikrant takes a deep breath, throws the belt aside, runs his fingers through his hair, and shuts his eyes for a moment. Then, he looks at the phone again. The sight of Michael’s unrecognizable, beaten face remains before him. The man hesitantly approaches, unsure whether to hand Vikrant the phone or stay back. He moves forward slightly, stopping halfway. Vikrant immediately snatches the phone and answers it.

“Yes, Jhankar…”

“It’s so late, where are you? You said you had only two hours of work. You've been gone for five hours.”

Hearing her angry voice, Vikrant smiles faintly. He glances at Michael, steps toward the corpse, grabs the dead man’s hair, and examines his face, now utterly disfigured.

“I had very important work; that’s why I lost track of time. You must have had some important reason to call me—you wouldn’t call so easily. So, tell me…”

Jhankar grows uneasy upon hearing this. She’s been anxious ever since her parents left. She kept telling herself not to worry about Vikrant, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Without realizing it, she had dialed his number.

“Of course I had a reason to call. Sharda Maa was also worried because you hadn’t returned, so she told me to check on you.”

“Well, Sharda Maa could have called me directly to ask where I was.”

Vikrant can vividly imagine Jhankar’s expression after being caught. That’s why he’s smiling—a sight that surprises everyone around him. Silently, they begin removing Michael’s body, knowing Vikrant will soon leave now that Madam has called. Vikrant also starts heading out and says to Jhankar, who remains speechless from his last remark,

“Tell Sharda Maa clearly that I’ll be home in just half an hour.”

Upon hearing this, Jhankar hangs up the phone, murmuring to himself with a slight smile,

“Feeling good…”

~~~

Jhankar is wandering around her room, feeling angry with herself for not being able to respond to Vikrant. She is acutely aware of her inability to express herself in front of him, which only fuels her frustration. She starts muttering to herself:

"These days, when I don’t say anything to him, he starts making fun of me for every little thing. Let him come today. I will fight so well that everything will be fixed in his mind. I am not easily defeated; I am also Jhankar, and no one can silence me."

Jhankar has been pacing aimlessly for some time due to this issue when, all of a sudden, the door opens. Unable to slow down, she collides with Vikrant as he enters. Vikrant immediately wraps his arms around her waist, holding her tightly, and starts looking at her face intently. Jhankar, surprised by his sudden arrival, says while looking at him,

"Why do you always give me the feeling of a vampire?"

"So, do you like vampires?"

Jhankar abruptly turns her gaze toward him, noticing a significant change in him. This realization heightens her concern, as despite her best efforts to ignore him, she finds herself noticing him even more intensely. She immediately feels his hand on her waist, so she removes it, steps away to create some distance, and says,

"Sharda Maa told me you were going to eat outside. Since you’re not used to outside food, why was it necessary to go today? Were you going on a date with your girlfriends"?

"There was a very important meeting, and I couldn’t miss it because of this minor accident. That’s why I went and also had dinner with the client—it had been scheduled for a month. And about girlfriends... let’s leave that for another time."

Jhankar watches him closely and notices how easily he answers all her questions, while she often gives him vague answers just to irritate him. She takes a deep breath before speaking again:

"Well, to date, I haven’t met my boss at all, but I believe he must be a very composed and calm person because he does everything so effortlessly. That’s what I like most about him. I’ve noticed that in his company, everyone works so comfortably—there’s no sign of any problem. He’s never been physically present in his company, yet everything runs so smoothly that it’s impressive. I became his fan without even meeting him."

Upon hearing her, Vikrant turns to look at her, begins unbuttoning his shirt, and says,

"So even something this small impresses you?"

"This is not a small thing—you wouldn’t even understand it. Look at yourself—you’re always angry. It feels like you carry a volcano inside your brain. As soon as someone says something, you explode like a fireball. But this man is different. Everyonewho’s ever spoken to him says he talks very calmly. The most important thing is that he talks to every employee in his office—and this is true."