Page 87

"Okay. If you face any kind of problem, no matter how small, feel free to call me directly."

"Thank you so much, sir."

The call ends, and he can no longer hear her voice, which leaves him feeling strangely restless. He sits with the phone still to his ear, as if trying to listen to her voice again—but there’s nothing. He knows the call has ended, yet he softly calls out her name.

"Jhankar…"

But there’s no reply. And that silence frightens him in a strange way. He quickly looks out the windshield—Jhankar is no longer there. She has disappeared from his sight. He shouts into the phone again.

"Jhankar…"

PAST EVENT ENDS

Vikrant’s eyes snap open. Jhankar is not beside him. He quickly looks around the room, calling her name.

"Jhankar…"

But she’s not there to answer him. He suddenly jumps out of bed and starts searching the room. Not finding her anywhere, he shouts loudly:

"Jhankar…"

The first place he runs to is the balcony, where the cold wind is blowing fiercely. But she’s not there either. Without wasting a moment, he rushes back inside and is about to run outside when suddenly the bathroom door opens, and Jhankar steps out, wearing one of his oversized T-shirts.

"Vikrant…"

Seeing her in front of him so suddenly, Vikrant smiles with relief and quickly walks over to wrap her tightly in his arms. Jhankar is surprised by how close he comes, but within a second, he lifts her in his arms and carries her back to the bed.

"I thought you had left me."

"I’ve been with you all night, and I haven’t even called my parents yet. They must be so worried. Do you even realize that? I need to go home as soon as possible."

"No. You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying here, with me."

"Vikrant, I need to go to my parents now."

"I already informed them that you’re with me. And now, you’re staying with me."

Jhankar looks at Vikrant, who seems visibly disturbed. She immediately takes his hand and asks.

"What happened? Why did you wake up so startled?"

"I thought you had left me."

"No, I’m right here... With you."

"Ever since you left me behind, my biggest fear has been that you’ll leave me one day like…"

Jhankar hears him and gently smiles, turning her face away. Vikrant immediately holds her face and turns it toward him.

"I mean it, Jhankar. I’m afraid of losing you. Please, never make me feel that way."

Jhankar can see the truth in his eyes. She simply nods her head. Vikrant lays his head on her lap, wraps his arms tightly around her waist, and hides his face against her stomach. She gently runs her fingers through his hair. But her mind is deeply occupied with thoughts. Still, she would rather not spoil this beautiful moment with words, so she smiles and says something to distract him.

"So, you’re a secret CEO too? Which means there’s still a lot left to learn about you. You’re the CEO of Dhanraj Industries, a mafia, a kidnapper—and now also a secret CEO of V Internationals?"

Vikrant looks at her and begins to explain:

"When my grandfather started the company, he never thought he’d be able to take it very far. But working with my father, they took it to great heights. My father dreamed of making the company a household name. At one point, he decided to enter politics. For a long time, he managed both the business and politics. But gradually, it became difficult to juggle both. So, he handed the reins of the business over to me to focus entirely on politics. That’s when I found out that along with the business, I had also inherited the mafia legacy. I never chose to be a mafia. It was passed down to me. And my father always believed I would manage everything perfectly. But there were things I wasn’t happy about. Sure, I received all of it, but I wanted tobuild something of my own. I wanted to test myself—to see if I could succeed without the inherited empire. That’s why I started my own company. Slowly, that company earned a name for itself. It’s still doing very well today—and it will do even better in the future, especially now that its new CEO is going to take it to even greater heights."