As soon as Jagjit Raj Chauhan returned home in the evening, he said in his stern voice, "Call the daughter-in-law immediately…"
The maid standing nearby went straight to Mahendra Ji's room and brought Saundarya Ji.
Jagjit Raj Chauhan was sitting on a chair in his room when Saundarya Ji said from the door, "Father-in-law, may I come in…?"
Jagjit Raj Chauhan nodded, and Saundarya Ji stepped inside and stood quietly. He spoke in his grave voice, "Did you do what I asked you to?"
When Saundarya Ji remained silent, Jagjit Raj Chauhan raised his voice a bit, "I asked you something, daughter-in-law…"
Saundarya Ji replied in a low tone, "Father, Nisha refused the marriage…"
Jagjit Raj Chauhan looked at her in disbelief and then burst out in anger, "That girl of no worth dared to say no to us? Has she forgotten all our favors? Forgotten that it was us who raised her since childhood… took care of all her needs…! And now when we asked for one thing, she refused to give it…! What is her worth in front of us…! Go and tell Mahendra to fire her from her job. And make sure she doesn't get any job anywhere else either…! When she roams hungry from place to place, she'll realize what our support meant…! Now leave…!"
As Saundarya Ji turned to leave, she found Nakul standing at the door. He had probably come for something, but his tearful eyes revealed that he had overheard everything. Seeing Saundarya Ji, he quickly wiped his tears and walked away.
Saundarya Ji went to the room and told Mahendra Ji everything. He too held his head in despair because if he didn't obey his father, they would be thrown out of the mansion. And in Anurag's heart, the hatred for his grandfather was already growing. Then there was Anant, his future too. At this age, how could he leave his father alone? What lesson would that teach his children… On one side was the duty of a son, and on the other, the duty of a father — and between them, humanity and compassion were being crushed…
Mahendra Ji picked up his phone, spoke to someone, and then walked out saying, "Today again, another life is about to be ruined by my hands, Saundarya…! I don't know how many sins I will carry before leaving this world…" and he left, while Saundarya Ji could only imagine the depth of his helplessness.
The next day, after everyone left for school, the mansion was in chaos — Nisha had gone missing. No one had any clue where she was. Jagjit Raj Chauhan deployed many men to find her, but the girl who vanished overnight left behind no trace.
Saundarya Ji tried to read Nakul's face because somewhere deep inside, she felt he had helped Nisha escape. But Nakul's face was expressionless, cold — as if nothing mattered to him.
Later, when Nakul was heading out, Saundarya Ji followed and said, "You helped Nisha get away, didn't you?"
Nakul stopped, turned, and replied, "Some people are so buried under the weight of favors that they lose their identity and voice… and I don't want someone else to live my life…" and he walked away.
Saundarya Ji smiled and silently thanked God.
During lunch, Kabir was sitting with Shreyanshi when Aadhya walked in. Shreyanshi offered her a seat beside her, but Aadhya declined and sat next to Kabir. Kabir was already irritated with her because, due to her, he had to give the shoes gifted by his brother to someone else. And she didn't even thank him — such a selfish girl!
Shreyanshi tried to talk to Aadhya, but she was busy chasing Kabir for conversation. Irritated, Kabir walked away, and the two girls continued chatting. Meanwhile, Siya was left alone. She didn't like Shreyanshi at all, and Radhika was just a time-pass friend — she'd talk to her only when she felt like it.
Anurag saw Siya sitting alone and went to sit at the table in front of her. At that time, Siya was looking at Raghav's pictures posted by Adit — with Joy. In those photos, Raghav looked very happy, wearing a grey jacket and a brown muffler, running after Joy in the snow. In the next photo, he had caught Joy, but Joy had sunk his teeth into Raghav's hand. Seeing them, a big smile spread across Siya's face. Anurag, sitting across, was watching her expressions change — sometimes she smiled, sometimes laughed aloud. He wondered, "Who is it that brings her so much joy?"
As soon as Siya closed the phone, she saw Anurag staring at her and was surprised. Anurag quickly looked away.
Siya's lunch arrived, and she started eating. She opened Raghav's profile again and saw he was online — a shock to her, as Raghav rarely came online and replied to messages after months. Siya quickly typed a message:"Hello Raghav, how are you?"
Raghav replied shortly after:"Hello Siya, how are you?"
Siya: "I'm good, you tell me… by the way, do you have a dog?"
Raghav: "Yes, I found him on the road just yesterday. His name is Joy…"
Just then, the lunch bell rang and Siya typed:"I have to go to class, bye…"
Raghav: "Bye…"
Siya washed her hands and left for class. But in Anurag's heart, restlessness had taken hold. Who was Siya talking to, smiling like that?
Raghav, on the other hand, had only come online to share some plant details with Jhanvi, but Siya's message made him stay longer. He held the phone to his chest, then lay down in the snow. Joy jumped over him, and Raghav hugged him. Joy calmed down too — he could feel the peace and happiness in his master's eyes.
Anurag's heart was in turmoil, but he didn't want to stoop to directly asking Siya about it. He wanted to know everything without lowering his pride — and there was only one way: Kabir — yes, his fool Kabir, who thought he was the smartest guy in the world, but in reality, was a total dimwit 🤓.
As soon as Anurag thought of Kabir, a sly smile appeared on his face.
The next day at school, Anurag found Kabir and struck up a conversation, where Kabir boasted about himself. Days passed, and they became good friends. Now that Aadhya hung out with Shreyanshi, Kabir didn't like being around them. Siya too had made new friends. Kabir needed someone to listen to his silly talks — and he found that in Anurag.
Days went by, and Jagjit Raj Chauhan's efforts to find Nisha intensified. But Nakul always managed to protect her somehow, rendering all efforts fruitless. Meanwhile, Apoorva had also started rebelling. She stood against the atrocities committed on laborers in the company — something that left Jagjit Raj Chauhan helpless, because Apoorva was his own granddaughter, his own blood… and even more stubborn than him.
But like every person, Apoorva had a weakness — her brother Anurag. If Apoorva could bend for anyone, it was Anurag. So, Jagjit Raj Chauhan played his card — he decided to send Anurag to boarding school. Anurag had always wanted to go to a hostel, so he had no problem. But if he went, Apoorva would have to go too — because only she could handle his short temper.
When Anurag returned from school, Jagjit Raj Chauhan called him to his room. He sweet-talked him into agreeing to the hostel idea, but Anurag decided he would complete his board exams first and then leave.
There were just two months left for the board exams, so Jagjit Raj Chauhan agreed. Apoorva, upon learning this, tried to convince Anurag otherwise, but stubborn Anurag wouldn't listen.
To be continued...