CHAPTER-3
1484 Words
Rajvansh Mansion:
Nikith stood there with red eyes which screamed danger.
It’s a rare sight to watch Nikith Rajvansh like this, especially in front of the family. He likes to rile up others, won’t get riled up easily, but if he is, then there is something serious.
He doesn't like everyone ignoring Sakshi for the CEO position. He doesn't like how happy everyone is to marry off Sakshi, especially when it’s not even been a day since her return.
He didn't like the gloomy, failed face of Sakshi.
He didn't like the way she accepted her defeat without even trying.
Everyone was shocked to see this Nikith Rajvansh.
"I. AM. NOT. INTERESTED. TO. BE. A. CEO.!!"
Nikith's dangerous deep voice echoed, making Janvi and Seetha flinch from the effect.
Realization hit Sakshi like a truck—she had to calm him down, or else he would do something he’d regret later.
"Nik…" Sakshi tried to speak but was cut off by Nikith.
"SHUT UP!"
"First of all, Dad and Uncle,"
Hearing him address his Papa and Chachu like this broke their hearts. He never addressed them like this unless they did something wrong (which never happened in many years).
"I have my dreams, and I will do as I dreamt. I am not interested in being CEO. If you are so exhausted with your work and feel burdened by it, then I think no one dares to stop the Rajvansh brothers from retiring. But don’t expect me to fill in the shoes."
His words hit the sensitive spots of their hearts, which were reserved only for family members.
He then turned towards Sakshi, throwing daggers at her. She gulped, knowing fully what he was about to do.
He grabbed her shoulders tightly and barked,
"Do you want to meet that boy tomorrow?"
Before she could reply, Radhidevi broke in,
"What type of nonsense question is this? I have already called them……."
Ignoring her, Nikith continued,
"Don’t make me repeat myself again, Ms. Sakshi Rajvansh. Do. You. Want. To. Meet. That. Boy. Tomorrow?"
He pressed each and every word loud enough for everyone to register.
Sakshi shook her head slowly, lowering her gaze to the floor.
Everyone was stunned to see Sakshi's reaction. Regret filled their faces.
Janvi, unable to control herself, said,
"Sakshi beta…" Her words died in her throat when Nikith yelled,
"Then, why didn’t you place your concerns?"
He asked, knowing very well that Sakshi didn’t utter a single word then.
Sakshi stuttered,
"I—I—…" and broke into tears.
Nikith took her in his arms, trying to soothe her tears by slowly rubbing her back to calm her.
He knew better than to question a broken soul right now.
Janvi and Seetha tried to get to their crying child.
Nikith stopped them,
"Not until you hear me."
They stood in their tracks.
He didn’t want to stop them—after all, they were their mothers. But they made a mistake this time, and they needed to make up for it.
"You are our parents. When we were small kids, you always gave everything we wanted, and also the things we didn’t. Yet we
laughed and enjoyed—not the things—but the attention we got from you, which you all gave very well."
"You all taught us what a dream is, how to dream, and how to work hard to achieve it. You said the world will pull us down, but why didn’t you ever mention that even the ones who taught all this could pull us down?"
"It’s not even a day since we returned, for God’s sake, and you all have started this bullsh*t."
"You haven’t even asked whether I want that CEO position or not. Whether Sakshi is ready for the marriage or not."
"Why? Where are those parents of ours?"
He turned to Manohar and Krishnan, whose faces were anything but proud.
He chuckled sadly,
"Did you both really become those stereotypical dads? Does Sakshi have no right to be the CEO?"
Deep regret—that’s the only thing both men felt.
Manohar and Krishnan didn’t know what to say. They realized their mistake now, but the damage had already been done. An
innocent heart had been shattered—twice today.
"I DIDN’T EXPECT THIS FROM YOU ALL…"
Saying this, he dashed out of the dining room, holding Sakshi’s hand—not before ordering the servants to bring a plate of food to
Sakshi's room.
MR College:
The whole campus, in the beautiful Pink City, was hustling and bustling with activity. Everyone seemed to be doing something or the other.
Some were vigorously playing football; some were loudly cheering for them. Some were lurking around with their girlfriends, while the toppers were busy heading to the library that occupied almost half of the building.
"If I stand here for some more minutes, then everyone will comment on my marks after the results," Riya murmured, looking at the huge library door while waiting for her friend.
"Don't worry, your marks are not that bad to comment on!" A sweet voice rang in her ear.
There stood Anaya with a mischievous smile. Her dark brown eyes shone under the morning sunlight. She was dressed in a beautiful
Anarkali suit, giving her a perfect traditional look.
"Whatever!!" she rolled her eyes.
"Anaya, you are looking very beautiful today," Riya complimented her.
"Thank you very much, Riya. And you yourself are killing it in this traditional wear."
"Thanks. Now come, let’s go…" she blushed.
They both went inside the building next to the library.
COMPUTER LAB
They were greeted with a smug smile from someone who stood there with a challenging expression.
Vanya—the girl who always gave competition to Anaya. They were same-same but different-different.
They both always lost the first place in marks—one from the top, one from the bottom.
Marks are just numbers. Though important to qualify any class, someone’s intelligence is not something that can be measured by
marks alone.
They were tough competitors when it came to skills. Even today, they were here for a competition—a coding competition.
Riya and Aasiya (Vanya's friend) stood beside their friends, extending their support.
They both took chits from each of their bags, which they had prepared and placed on the nearby table.
The chits contained the number and the question they had browsed online for the competition.
(In this competition, both Anaya and Vanya had to choose their own questions. The chits were already prepared. Only one chit would be selected, and both had to solve that same question. Whoever solved it first would be the winner.)
Rajeev, the lab assistant, took nervous steps toward the four and glanced at them.
"I--Is i-it nec-essary?" he stuttered.
He knew what these two girls were capable of. They’d make him regret his existence if he picked the other’s chit.
"YES!" Anaya and Vanya answered firmly, glaring at him, then scoffing at each other.
The lab assistant picked one of the chits and read it for them, expecting to get yelled at by at least one of them.
To his surprise, both Anaya and Vanya smirked at each other.
He took it as a cue and ran away for his life.
"Even the question chosen by me is the winner," Vanya said smugly.
"I chose that question," Anaya replied—and both looked confused.
They reached for the other chit lying nearby and discovered that both chits had the same question.
They threw the chits away and started their competition, with Riya and Aasiya cheering them on.
Unknown to them, a man sat leisurely in a comfortable swiveling chair at the farthest corner of the lab, curiously observing the scene.
After a few minutes...
"I did it!" both yelled at the same time.
Anaya looked at her screen first, then stole a quick glance at Vanya’s.
"Again, we finished at the same time," Vanya said, disappointed that they had tied again.
"Nope…" Anaya dragged the word.
"What!" Vanya smirked. "Don’t tell me you accept your defeat!"
"Well, time is very important, baby! Who lost this time will be determined when you see this, baby!"
Anaya’s smirk grew wider seeing Vanya frown.
She grabbed Vanya’s head and turned it toward her screen, then to Anaya’s.
"My time loves me <3!" Anaya blew a kiss toward her, followed by a wink,
and stood up from her seat.
Anaya had won this time by cracking the code 0.3 milli-seconds before Vanya.
"It’s just 0.3 milli-sec. Let’s see next time," Vanya gritted.
"Better luck with that!"
With that, Anaya exited the lab with the overly excited Riya, who was continuously throwing questions at her.
"How? How did I miss it?!" Vanya wondered aloud, slamming her hands on the table.
With a well-known smirk, the unknown man turned towards the other side and glanced outside the glass door.
- Writer
