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Jhankar looks at him. He immediately reaches out, wrapping one arm behind her neck, gently pulling her towards him, and softly brushing his lips against hers as he says,

“But I want to know whether this new CEO will spare some of her important time to meet me, or will I need to schedule an appointment?”

Jhankar is stunned by his words, as if she’s trying to calculate the meaning behind every one of them. She quickly places a hand on his lips, gently pushing him back, and says,

“What nonsense are you talking about? I didn’t understand anything.”

Vikrant laughs at her reaction, quickly sits down in front of her, takes both her hands in his, and says,

“There’s nothing confusing about it. It’s simple—I own this company, and I want my wife to run it. What’s so difficult to understand about that? … Because I have a lot to handle.”

“First of all, that’s not going to happen. But more importantly, explain this—what are you going to tell the whole city? That this secret CEO suddenly handed over the company to this random girl? What’s the reason behind that? Are you going to let people think she got the position because of some affair?”

Vikrant, still seated and smiling calmly, replies:

“To get any position, no one needs to have an affair with anyone. It’s simple. I don’t owe the world any explanations. And if they still want one, I have one ready—that the girl who exposed the corruption of some people was rewarded with a promotion to this seat.”

“A CEO hands over the company; are you feeling not to fall somewhere? Vikrant, first of all, I absolutely do not want you to do any of this. And honestly, if I start talking to you about this right now, you’ll get upset. So I’d rather not discuss this matter. It’s better if we just drop this topic.”

Jhankar gets up to leave, but Vikrant holds her hand and gently makes her sit down again. Since he’s eager to understand everything, she starts speaking again:

“Look, I understand very well that your father’s thinking is extremely backward. He didn’t want me to step out of the house to work. But that doesn’t mean he should create unnecessary problems. On one hand, he refuses to accept me as his daughter-in-law, and on the other, he’s creating trouble for a random girl? That’s just not right. Tell me, do you think anything about this is okay? You can say what you want, but the fact that I’m in this company because of your mercy—I really don’t like that.”

“Jhankar, you can choose to interpret this however you want. I know my father is both right and wrong. The truth is, he sensed that I liked you. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want you to work somewhere else but rather stay close to me and look after me. Maybe that was his version of love. And yes, he did wrong; I accept that. But he may have had his reasons. Still, I won’t justify it. All I know is—I really like you, and I’m willing to do anything for you. And honestly, I can’t bear to see you struggling. You need to understand—if I can provide you with comfort and support, why should you have to suffer unnecessarily? Yes, Iknow you’re self-independent and capable of doing everything on your own. But if I want to do something for you, let me. Besides that, I’ll never stop you from anything or cause you any trouble. Just give me a little space, a little right, to help you when you need it.”

Jhankar listens to Vikrant’s words and understands the depth of what he’s saying. There’s a noticeable difference in the Vikrant standing in front of her now, and that realization makes her genuinely happy. She smiles softly. She doesn’t know what decision she’ll make going forward—there are some things she doesn’t want to rush into. She wants to give herself some time because at this moment, giving time to their relationship, the environment, and everything around them is very important. So she turns to Vikrant and says,

“Look, I don’t want to make any decision in haste. Please give me some time.”

Vikrant simply nods, and Jhankar looks at him fondly with a big smile. Seeing this, he raises an eyebrow as if asking what she’s looking at, to which she smiles and says:

“A cleanliness freak is still lying in bed, and I honestly can’t believe this man is here talking to me—when usually, his habit is to immediately go to the washroom upon waking up, take a shower, head to the gym, come back and shower again—because post-workout sweat also needs to be washed off. Then at exactly 9:00 AM, he appears at the breakfast table and inspects every single item on his plate to make sure it’s perfect. And if it isn’t, he just gives the staff a look strong enough to feel like a death sentence. But surprisingly, today, this so-called ‘perfect’ man is still in bed.”

Vikrant, resting comfortably against the headboard, listening to her with amusement, pulls her into his arms and says,

“I never realized you’ve been observing me so closely. It seems like you’ve memorized every little detail about me.”

Hearing this, Jhankar blushes lightly. She tries to push him away by placing her hand on his chest, but Vikrant’s grip is firm, making it difficult for her to move. She looks into his eyes, and he smiles, places a kiss on her forehead, and says,

“Talk to Mom and Dad. Just tell them clearly that we’re not going to come for a few days. I want to spend some time with you—just the two of us. I don’t want to think about anything else right now. And please, don’t say no. If you think I’m being forceful or dominating, then so be it. But I really want to be with you. Breakfast will be ready soon. Let’s go eat together. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Vikrant rushes off to the washroom, and Jhankar starts smiling softly. She walks toward the balcony, enjoys the cool breeze, looks at the sun, and says to herself:

“Everything can’t change overnight, but a start has to be made. If something is wrong, it must be corrected.”

Jhankar was smiling while looking ahead when suddenly two arms wrapped around her. She turned slightly, smiled, and looked at Vikrant.

"This place is incredibly beautiful. I thought once you arrived, we’d go for a walk together this evening."

“As you say,” Vikrant agreed without hesitation.

Jhankar turned toward him with a smile. Vikrant's hair was still wet, so she took the towel draped around his neck and gently dried his hair.

"Someone is very obedient..."

“I want to… I want to do everything you ask me to. I don’t ever want to upset you… I want to reduce my anger. I want to try to listen to you more and give you proper answers, not to rush about anything.”

Jhankar smiled softly, took his hand, and led him out of the room.