Page 87
Story: When Love Trespassed
Nandini frowned. “No, you’re staying in bed. You’re unwell.”
He waved her off. “You have that investor call, remember? You told me about it two days ago. Go take it. Don’t miss your future over the tree trimming.”
Shaurya stood up. Although he had no idea of the startup or the investor call which Nandini had, he knew he wouldn’t let her be bothered with the tree trimming supervision. “He’s right. Let us handle this.”
“But—” she started.
“When the elders decide,” Shaurya interrupted smoothly, “you obey. Go and close that deal. We’ll take care of the garden drama.”
Nandini paused for a moment, then finally nodded with a resigned sigh. “Alright. Now that you two have made peace, I trust there won’t be any drama if you’re working together—especially when it involves the mango tree.”
“We’ll be fine,” Shaurya said, smirking as he took hold of the wheelchair.
He wheeled Grandpa out of the room, and the old man was already giving instructions about how much to trim, what branches were sacred, and which ones were ruining Shaurya’s pool.
As they disappeared down the hallway, Nandini watched them go, a strange warmth settling in her chest. Even if it was slightly chaotic workwise, for the first time in a long time, her world felt… steady.
And oddly enough, it was thanks to a man who had barged into her life under the most unusual circumstances and was now right in the centre of it.
*****************
It had been over an hour since the mango tree trimming had begun, and Grandpa hadn’t sat still for a single minute. Perched in his wheelchair like a commander surveying a battlefield, he barked out instructions every five seconds at the labourers.
“Not that branch!” he snapped. “That one gives the first bloom in spring! If you cut it, I swear—”
Shaurya stood beside him, arms folded, watching the entire chaos unfold with a mixture of patience and disbelief. He had to admit, he’d seen CEOs lose their minds in boardrooms, but none as dramatically as this man supervising tree trimming.
“They know what they’re doing,” Shaurya said, trying to soothe him for the tenth time. “You don’t have to yell at them like they’re defusing a bomb.”
Grandpa turned his head sharply. “This isn’t just any tree. It’s my Taj Mahal.”
Shaurya’s jaw dropped in shock.
“Yes,” Grandpa said proudly, his eyes misting over. “Just like Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal for his beloved Mumtaz… my wife planted this tree for us. With her own hands. Said it would give shade and sweetness to all our future generations. It bloomed with our love.”
His voice turned softer. “It was the first thing we planted together in this house. It’s sacred to me. A living memory.”
Shaurya said nothing for a moment. But something in his expression shifted. For the first time, the old man’s obsession with the mango tree didn’t seem eccentric. It made sense. It felt… honourable. It was love in its purest form.
“What you love,” Grandpa added quietly, “you protect. No matter what.”
Shaurya nodded slowly before his gaze was instinctively drawn to the first floor of Raichand Villa. He saw Nandini pacing in the balcony, phone pressed to her ear, her brow furrowed. She wasn’t her usual mischievous, sunshine self. She looked tense, her steps restless, her voice slightly raised, clearly trying to convince someone.
Investor call, he guessed.
He hardly knew much about her beyond what she let the world see: the smiles, the quick wit, the ability to charm a room and challenge him in the same breath. But right now, she was more than that. She looked focused. But also completely alone in that moment.
Grandpa followed Shaurya’s gaze and sighed. “I hope luck’s on her side this time.”
Shaurya looked back at him. “She’s trying for investors?”
Grandpa nodded. “Yes. For her startup. Organic beauty products. She’s brilliant with the formulations—made every one of them by hand. But the last investor pulled out just before signing. She didn’t even tell me for days.”
“Why?” Shaurya asked, genuinely surprised.
“Because she doesn’t want family money,” Grandpa said, with equal parts pride and sadness. “She wants to build her business herself. Says if it’s hers, she has to earn every piece of it.”
Shaurya’s throat tightened but then pride swelled in his chest. She hadn’t once complained. Not even hinted at the pressure she was under. And still, she’d been managing everything here—him, her grandfather, the house, her business without faltering.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87 (Reading here)
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156