As they finally reached home, the haveli looked quieter than usual.

The moment the bike stopped, Devanshi got down silently and walked inside without saying much.

Meera, who was waiting near the entrance, immediately noticed her face.

Something felt off.

Her eyes shifted toward Rudraksh.

“What happened?” she asked softly. “She looked sad. Did you say something to her, Rudra?”

Rudraksh removed the bike keys and frowned slightly.

“No, Maa.”

He looked toward the staircase where Devanshi had disappeared.

“I… don’t know. A few minutes ago she looked fine. Happy even.”

He paused.

“But suddenly…”

Meera’s motherly instincts immediately understood that something had disturbed the girl.

“Okay,” she said gently. “I’ll talk to her. You go freshen up. I’ll arrange dinner.”

Rudraksh scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“No need, Maa. We already ate outside.”

Then he lifted a packet.

“And for you and Murti… I brought momos.”

Meera’s face softened instantly.

“Acha?” she smiled warmly. “Okay.”

Meera walked toward Devanshi’s room and knocked softly.

Inside, Devanshi quickly kept the file aside before opening the door.

Meera smiled gently.

“Main andar aa sakti hoon, beta?”

Devanshi immediately stepped aside.

“Yes aunty, of course.”

Meera walked inside slowly, observing her carefully.

Then she sat beside her on the bed.

“Tell me honestly,” she asked softly, “did my son do something today that made you sad?”

Devanshi instantly understood. Meera had sensed her mood.

That concern made her chest feel heavier.

She quickly shook her head.

“No no, aunty. It’s nothing like that.”

She forced a small smile.

“The day was just… tiring.”

Then after a small pause, she unexpectedly added—

“And honestly… if Rudraksh did something today…”

A faint chuckle escaped her.

“It actually made me happy for some time.”

Meera looked surprised.

Devanshi looked down at her hands.

“Because of him… I forgot my stress for a few minutes.”

Meera’s expression softened deeply.

“Then that’s good,” she said lovingly.

But then she lightly tapped Devanshi’s forehead.

“And stop using this word stress so much.”

Devanshi blinked.

“At your age, this word doesn’t suit you.”

Devanshi smiled again—

But this one was weaker.

Forced.

Because she couldn’t tell Meera the truth.

Couldn’t tell her about the fear sitting inside her chest…

The pressure.

The responsibilities.

The possibility of losing everything she built.

So instead—

She stayed silent.

Meera understood more than she showed.

She stood up slowly.

“Okay then. Should I send your dinner here?”

Devanshi shook her head gently.

“No aunty, I’m full. We ate momos.”

Meera smiled knowingly.

“Okay.”

Then before leaving, she turned once more.

“And beta…”

Her voice softened even more.

“If you ever want to talk to someone… remember I’m here.”

For a moment—

Devanshi’s eyes flickered slightly.

Because it had been a very long time since someone had said those words to her so genuinely.

She smiled softly.

“Good night, aunty.”

“Good night, beta.”

And Meera walked away.

On the other side—

Rudraksh entered his room and immediately pulled off his shirt, throwing it carelessly onto the bed.

He opened his wardrobe, took out fresh clothes, and changed quickly.

Afterward, he sat on the edge of the bed absentmindedly—

Until his gaze fell on the shirt lying nearby.

The same shirt he wore today.

And suddenly—His mind replayed the bike ride.

Devanshi sitting behind him.

The way she kept distance.

The moment she accidentally held his shoulder.

No girl had really sat behind him on his Bullet before.

Except his mother.

But that was different.

Right?

Rudraksh frowned at himself instantly.

“What the hell am I thinking?”

He rubbed his forehead quickly and opened his laptop.

Better to focus on work.

Soon, he immersed himself in writing his novel again, fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard.

Nearly an hour passed.

But strangely—

His mind kept drifting.

Finally frustrated, he shut the laptop halfway.

“I need fresh air.”

He walked out toward the balcony.

Cool night wind brushed against him instantly.

And then—

His eyes stopped below.

In the garden.

Devanshi.

She stood under the dim garden lights, her hair tied in a ponytail, holding a file in her hands.

She was reading something intensely.

Occasionally frowning.

Occasionally turning pages quickly.

Rudraksh unknowingly kept watching her.

The way she walked slowly while reading.

The way her brows furrowed whenever she concentrated.

The way the night breeze moved strands of hair near her face.

Without realizing it—

He had been staring for too long.

Then suddenly—

Devanshi paused.

A strange feeling crawled up her spine.

As if someone was watching her.

She slowly looked around.

Rudraksh’s eyes widened.

“Oh shit—”

He immediately ducked behind the balcony wall.

Below, Devanshi looked toward the balcony area suspiciously.

But seeing nothing, she looked away again.

Rudraksh finally exhaled in relief.

Then he leaned against the wall and muttered to himself—

“What the hell am I doing here…?”

Rudraksh quickly walked back inside his room and shut the balcony door behind him.

His heartbeat still felt strangely uneven.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“What are you doing, Rudraksh…” he muttered to himself.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor.

“No.”

He immediately shook his head.

“Don’t even think like that.”

Devanshi Rathore.

The name itself sounded like trouble.

Complicated.

Arrogant.

Completely opposite to him.

Then why—

Why was his mind continuously going back to her?

The way she argued.

The way she glared at him.

The way she accidentally held his shoulder on the bike.

Rudraksh groaned softly and rubbed his forehead.

“You are getting attracted to her.”

The realization irritated him instantly.

“No. Don’t.”

He pointed at himself dramatically as if warning his own heart.

“You need to focus on your work.”

His eyes shifted toward the half-open laptop.

“Yes. Work.”

“That’s important.”

“Not some arrogant businesswoman.”

Trying to distract himself, he opened the laptop again and forced himself to continue writing his novel.

But every few minutes—

His mind still drifted back to the girl standing downstairs under the garden lights.

On the other side—

Devanshi sat inside her room, files spread across the table while her laptop screen glowed in front of her.

Her expression had returned serious again.

Focused.

Cold.

Professional.

She carefully flipped through a few documents—

Then suddenly frowned.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

She immediately picked up her phone and called Niharika.

The call connected within seconds.

“Hello ma’am.”

“Niharika,” Devanshi spoke directly, “what is wrong with the Sinha project files?”

Niharika sounded confused.

“Ma’am?”

Devanshi’s brows furrowed deeper as she scanned the papers again.

“Some crucial points are missing.”

Her tone sharpened.

“These files are incomplete.”

She stood up from the chair and started pacing slowly around the room.

“I need you to verify every detail again.”

“Every agreement. Every transaction. Every signed document.”

Niharika instantly became alert hearing the seriousness in her boss’s voice.

“Yes ma’am. I’ll check immediately.”

Devanshi stopped near the window, eyes narrowing slightly.

“And Niharika…”

“Yes ma’am?”

“If someone has tampered with these files…”

Her voice turned dangerously calm.

“I want to know who.”

A brief silence followed.

Because Niharika knew that tone very well.

Whenever Devanshi spoke this calmly—

Someone was about to face consequences.

“I understand, ma’am,” Niharika replied carefully.

“Send me the corrected reports as soon as possible,” Devanshi ordered.

“And don’t discuss this with anyone yet.”

“Yes ma’am.”

The call ended.

Devanshi slowly lowered the phone.

Then looked back at the file in her hands.

Her instincts were screaming now.

Something bigger was hidden beneath this case.

And somehow—

Mr. Kakkar wasn’t the only problem.

The next morning—

Rudraksh was about to leave for the ghat when Meera stopped him near the entrance.

“Rudra beta,” she called out, “take Devanshi with you. She said she wants to do a puja there.”

At the same moment, Devanshi walked downstairs.

She wore a simple green churidar today, her hair loosely tied back. There was something calm about her appearance this morning—less guarded, less sharp.

“Yes aunty,” Devanshi said softly, “I wanted to do a puja.”

Rudraksh looked slightly confused.

“What puja?” he asked. “Tell me, I’ll do it.”

Devanshi shook her head lightly.

“No actually… I wanted to talk to the head pandit of the temple.”

Meera immediately smiled.

“Rudra knows him very well.”

Rudraksh nodded casually.

“Yes. Come with me.”

Then Devanshi suddenly stopped.

“Wait… I’ll bring my bag. I need to print some things later.”

Rudraksh nodded once.

“Fast.”

A few moments later, she returned with her bag and sat behind him on the Bullet again.

Soon—

The bike moved through the roads of the village.

Cool morning wind brushed past them while distant temple bells echoed softly through the air.

After some silence, Devanshi suddenly spoke—

“You grew up here?”

Rudraksh nodded while driving.

“Yes. I know every corner of this village. Every small path.”

Devanshi listened quietly.

Then she remembered something.

“The other day you said you studied in Rishikesh.”

“Hm.”

“What did you graduate in?”

Rudraksh answered simply—

“English Literature.”

Devanshi looked slightly surprised.

Before she could stop herself, another question escaped her lips—

“So… what’s your dream, Rudraksh?”

The question hit him unexpectedly.

For a moment, he genuinely didn’t know what to say.

No one really asked him things like that.

People usually questioned his choices.

His career.

His future.

Not his dreams.

From behind, Devanshi frowned slightly.

“What happened?”

Rudraksh smiled faintly.

“Nothing.”

A pause.

Then quietly—

“I actually like writing.”

Devanshi’s eyes softened slightly.

“That’s good.”

Then she added naturally—

“If you have any published books, you can give me one. I like reading.”

Rudraksh suddenly felt awkward.

“I… haven’t published anything yet.”

There was slight embarrassment in his voice.

But Devanshi immediately replied—

“No worries.”

Then softly—

“But if you ever publish one… you’ll give me a copy, right?”

A small smile appeared on Rudraksh’s lips.

“Yeah.”

Then Devanshi asked again—

“So did you try contacting publishers?”

“I did,” Rudraksh answered. “One publisher agreed. But they gave me a six-month deadline before publishing.”

Devanshi nodded thoughtfully.

“Hmm.”

For some reason—

She sounded genuinely interested.

And Rudraksh strangely liked that.

Soon, they reached outside the temple.

The peaceful atmosphere instantly surrounded them.

As Rudraksh entered, several pandits greeted him warmly.

“Rudra beta!”

“Namaste!”

He nodded casually at everyone while Devanshi quietly observed everything around her.

The temple.

The devotion.

The respect people had for him here.

Then they moved further inside.

Near the inner area, Bayas Ji was arranging some puja items when another pandit informed him—

“Rudraksh has come.”

Bayas Ji immediately looked up.

“Arre, Rudraksh!”

Rudraksh smiled lightly and walked closer.

“Bayas Ji, this is Devanshi. Dr. Bhatt’s guest.”

Then he gestured toward her.

“She wanted to do a puja and speak with you about it.”

Bayas Ji turned toward Devanshi kindly.

“Yes beta?”

Devanshi folded her hands respectfully.

“Namaste, Bayas Ji. I’m Devanshi Rathore.”

Her voice softened slightly as she continued—

“I wanted to do a puja for my mother’s birthday.”

A faint sadness crossed her eyes.

“She is no longer in this world… but every year my father arranges a puja for her peace.”

She lowered her gaze briefly.

“And this year, since I’m here… I wanted to do it myself.”

Bayas Ji listened carefully.

Then after a moment, he smiled gently.

“For this, beta, you didn’t need to come to me personally.”

He pointed toward Rudraksh.

“You could have simply told him.”

Devanshi looked confused.

Bayas Ji continued proudly—

“He is the one who will sit in the Head Pandit’s position after me.”

Devanshi’s eyes widened slightly.

Bayas Ji smiled warmly.

“His grandfather, Viraj Ji, originally holds this position. I am only handling it temporarily while Viraj Ji rests.”

Then he looked toward Rudraksh with affection.

“And after Viraj Ji…”

“Rudraksh will become the Head Pandit.”

Devanshi just stared at Rudraksh silently.

She genuinely hadn’t known this.

The man she thought was just an irritating, reckless village boy…

Seemed far more layered than she realized.

After talking with Bayas Ji for some more time, Rudraksh and Devanshi slowly walked down toward the ghat.

The morning breeze carried the scent of incense and river water together. Priests chanted mantras nearby while devotees floated diyas into the Ganga.

For a while—

They simply walked in silence.

Then Devanshi finally spoke—

“So… you never told me this.”

Rudraksh looked at her briefly.

“Told you what?”

“That you’re going to become the Head Pandit someday.”

Rudraksh shrugged casually.

“I already told you to just say what puja you wanted. But you didn’t listen.”

Then he smiled faintly.

“So I thought not to push you further.”

He looked ahead toward the river.

“Sometimes it’s better not to explain too much.”

His voice softened unexpectedly.

“If people don’t accept something immediately… let them find out the truth themselves.”

Devanshi looked at him carefully.

“You know,” she said slowly, “sometimes you talk very wisely.”

Rudraksh immediately looked offended.

“Wise? Me?”

Then he pointed dramatically toward himself.

“No, Miss Arrogant. These are just facts.”

He shrugged.

“Everyone should think like this. But nowadays people forget small things.”

Devanshi quietly looked at him.

The breeze moved through his hair while sunlight reflected softly against his face.

And annoyingly—

He looked cute.

Devanshi immediately looked away.

What the hell are you doing, Devanshi?

Meanwhile, Rudraksh noticed her silence and smirked.

“So, Ms. Arrogant…”

She frowned.

“What?”

“Looks like you accepted your new name.”

Devanshi rolled her eyes instantly.

“No, Mister. I’m perfectly happy with my own name.”

Then she looked at him.

“Do you even know what Devanshi means?”

Rudraksh nodded confidently.

“A part of Dev.”

She shook her head.

“No.”

Then a small softness appeared in her eyes.

“My father’s name is Devraj.”

“And my mother’s name was Akanshi.”

She paused briefly.

“So together…”

“Dev-anshi.”

Rudraksh blinked slightly.

“Oh.”

A smile slowly appeared on his lips.

“That’s actually thoughtful.”

“Your parents were modern.”

Devanshi smiled faintly.

“Yes.”

Then her voice softened further.

“Papa said… when Mom was pregnant with me, she made him promise that if I was born a girl…”

A small tear gathered unknowingly in her eyes.

“He would name me Devanshi.”

A silence followed.

“And then I was born.”

The last sentence came out almost like a whisper.

Rudraksh looked at her quietly.

He remembered her saying earlier that her mother was no longer alive.

So he didn’t interrupt.

Didn’t joke.

Didn’t tease.

For once—

He simply understood.

Devanshi quickly looked away.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I got emotional.”

Rudraksh shook his head lightly.

“No.”

“It’s okay to be emotional.”

Then he looked straight at her.

“You know what? People who show emotions are real.”

His voice turned calmer.

“But if you hide your emotions from me…”

A small smile tugged at his lips.

“Then it means you’re not comfortable with me.”

Devanshi looked at him silently.

A tear finally slipped from the corner of her eye.

Rudraksh noticed it instantly.

“Let it fall,” he said softly. “If it’s for your mother.”

Then after a pause—

“But I don’t think she would like seeing her princess cry like this.”

Devanshi looked down quietly.

Something about his words felt strangely comforting.

Peaceful.

After a while, Rudraksh pointed toward the stone steps near the river.

“Come. Let’s sit there for a bit.”

They sat beside the flowing Ganga.

For some moments, neither spoke.

Then Devanshi suddenly asked—

“Can I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

“Why did you beat that man in court?”

Rudraksh frowned slightly.

“Nikhil?”

Devanshi nodded.

“You got arrested because of him.”

Rudraksh leaned back slightly and looked toward the river.

“He was speaking badly about my Mahadev.”

Devanshi replied calmly—

“Mahadev isn’t only yours. He belongs to everyone.”

Rudraksh smiled faintly.

“You’re right.”

Then his expression hardened slightly.

“But that doesn’t give anyone the right to insult him.”

Devanshi looked at him.

“But Mahadev would punish him himself. Why did you need to beat him so much?”

Rudraksh stayed silent for a moment.

Then finally said—

“Because I didn’t want to live with the guilt that someone insulted my Mahadev…”

“And I just walked away.”

His voice deepened.

“The things we truly love…”

He looked at her directly this time.

“We fight for them.”

Then softly—

“Right, Devanshi?”

The way he said her name this time—

Gentle. Sincere.

Made her heart skip strangely.

She looked at him quietly.

This side of Rudraksh felt so different from the loud, teasing boy she usually saw.

Finally, she sighed lightly.

“You’re right.”

Then she smiled faintly.

“I can’t even argue with you sometimes.”

Rudraksh chuckled and looked toward the river again.

“Why do you even want to argue with me so much?”

Then jokingly added—

“It’s not like we’re going to stay together forever.”

The moment the words left his mouth—

Something shifted.

Devanshi immediately looked away from him.

And strangely—

Rudraksh regretted saying it.

So before the silence grew awkward, Devanshi changed the topic.

“So… any further plans?”

Rudraksh looked at her.

“After becoming Head Pandit,” she clarified. “There must be so much responsibility.”

Rudraksh smiled softly.

“That responsibility gives me peace.”

Then he added honestly—

“I like this life.”

“But they won’t officially give me the position until I get married.”

Devanshi frowned.

“That makes no sense.”

“One’s married life doesn’t decide how responsible they are.”

Rudraksh laughed lightly.

“Sadly, not everyone thinks like you.”

Then Devanshi suddenly asked—

“So… have you seen any girl?”

Rudraksh almost choked.

“What?!”

A faint blush immediately appeared on his face.

“How can I do all that openly? There’s Maa… Dadaji… and Dr. Bhatt—”

Devanshi instantly interrupted.

“Why do you call your father Dr. Bhatt instead of Papa?”

The smile disappeared from Rudraksh’s face.

His jaw tightened slightly.

“Because he doesn’t behave like a father should.”

His voice carried quiet hurt now.

“Sometimes I feel like… maybe I’m not even his son.”

Devanshi noticed the anger rising in him immediately.

Rudraksh stood up abruptly as if wanting to leave the topic.

But Devanshi instinctively held his hand.

“Rudraksh, wait.”

He looked at her.

“Why do you get angry so fast?” she asked softly. “You seriously need therapy.”

Rudraksh sighed in frustration.

“Stop it, Devanshi.”

“Nowadays people can’t even express simple emotions.”

“Everything becomes therapy.”

His eyes reflected genuine pain now.

“Aren’t humans supposed to feel things?”

“That’s what makes us different from other species.”

Devanshi slowly realized—

He wasn’t entirely wrong either.

She softened slightly.

“Okay.”

Then gently—

“Tell me what the problem is between you and your father.”

Rudraksh laughed dryly.

“Why do you want to solve our father-son issues?”

“Because Dr. Bhatt helped me,” she answered honestly. “And you did too.”

Then quietly—

“I want to help both of you.”

Rudraksh looked down for a moment before speaking.

“He thinks I’m useless.”

“He says I don’t have a proper job.”

“That the life I’m living right now is because of his money.”

Devanshi listened silently.

Then Rudraksh finally admitted the real thing hurting him—

“He’s cold with me.”

His voice cracked slightly.

“I just wanted my father to hug me once…”

“And say—Rudraksh, I’m proud of you.”

The words hit deeply.

Devanshi looked at him quietly before speaking carefully—

“Maybe… he isn’t completely wrong either.”

“All parents worry about their children’s future.”

Rudraksh nodded immediately.

“I know.”

His eyes turned slightly red.

“I know all this, Devanshi.”

“But I just…”

He swallowed hard.

“I just want him to speak lovingly to me once.”

A painful smile appeared on his lips.

“If he does that…”

“I’ll do everything he wants.”

On the other hand—

Inside his office, Mr. Khatri was continuously working through the case files spread across his desk.

The room was filled with silence except for the sound of papers turning and occasional keyboard clicks.

Since morning, he had been contacting every source he had.

Every informant.

Every connection.

Because now—

Finding Mr. Kakkar had become the most important thing.

If they caught him, half the truth would come out automatically.

Mr. Khatri adjusted his glasses while reading another report when suddenly his phone rang.

One of his trusted sources.

He picked up immediately.

“Yes?”

From the other side, the man spoke in a lowered voice—

“Sir, we tracked his last location.”

Mr. Khatri straightened instantly.

“Where?”

“Near Dehradun.”

For a moment, silence filled the cabin.

Then slowly—

A sharp smile appeared on Mr. Khatri’s face.

“So he’s still inside Uttarakhand…”

He leaned back slightly in his chair.

“Good.”

“Very good.”

Because if Kakkar was still inside the state—

Then escaping would become much harder for him.

Mr. Khatri immediately replied—

“Keep tracking every movement.”

“And don’t lose him this time.”

“Yes sir.”

The call disconnected.

Without wasting another second, Mr. Khatri dialed another number.

Soon, the officer in charge of the case answered.

“Officer Sharma speaking.”

“Mr. Sharma,” Khatri spoke seriously, “we got information about Kakkar’s location.”

The officer instantly became alert.

“Where?”

“Near Dehradun.”

A pause followed before Officer Sharma replied—

“This is a major development.”

Then his tone turned professional.

“We’ll immediately send one of our best teams to track and catch him.”

Mr. Khatri nodded slightly.

“We cannot let him disappear again.”

“He is the key person behind everything.”

Officer Sharma agreed immediately.

“Yes. Once we arrest him, this case will move much faster.”

After discussing a few more details, the call ended.

Mr. Khatri finally placed the phone down and looked toward the files again.

His eyes hardened with determination.

One thing was becoming clearer to him now—

Devanshi Rathore was not the mastermind behind this fraud.

Someone else had manipulated everything from behind the scenes.

And he was determined to prove it in court.

Because this case—

Would become the first step in clearing his client’s name completely.

That night—

Devanshi sat alone in her room, files still lying open near her laptop.

But for the first time in hours—

She wasn’t reading a single word.

Because her mind kept going back to the conversation at the ghat.

To Rudraksh.

To the way his voice had cracked slightly while speaking about his father.

“I just wanted him to hug me once… and say he’s proud of me.”

The words stayed with her strangely.

Haunting her thoughts.

Devanshi slowly leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment.

She had spent most of her life surrounded by business meetings, deadlines, contracts, and responsibilities.

Being a CEO left very little space for personal relationships.

Very little space for emotions.

She never really made close friends.

Never had someone she could call a best friend.

Whenever something troubled her—

Whenever she felt confused, tired, scared, or overwhelmed—

She only went to one person.

Her father.

Devraj Rathore.

He was the only person who truly knew her.

The only one who listened patiently whenever she spoke.

And somehow—

His advice always worked.

Maybe because she trusted him blindly.

Maybe because he never let her fall completely.

He protected her carefully all her life.

Loved her enough to fill even the absence of her mother.

Devanshi never really felt alone because of him.

But Rudraksh…

He was completely different.

He openly spoke about his pain.

About his anger.

About wanting love from his father.

And the strangest part was—

He showed those emotions in front of her.

A girl he had only known for barely two days.

Devanshi frowned slightly while thinking about it.

How can someone open up so easily?

She herself never allowed people that close.

Never showed weakness openly.

Yet Rudraksh—

Didn’t hide anything.

If he was angry, he showed it.

If he was hurt, he admitted it.

If he felt emotional, he accepted it without shame.

And somehow…

That honesty felt rare.

Real.

Her thoughts drifted toward Dr. Bhatt.

A calm man.

Intelligent.

Kind.

Patient with everyone.

He treated Devanshi with so much care despite barely knowing her.

Then how—

How could someone like him fail to express love toward his own son?

That was the part Devanshi couldn’t understand.

Because in her world—

A father was safety.

Warmth.

Protection.

Devraj had never let her feel the absence of a mother even once.

But here—Rudraksh was standing beside his own father and still feeling emotionally alone.

The thought disturbed her deeply.

Slowly, Devanshi looked outside the window toward the dark night sky.

And unknowingly—She found herself genuinely worrying about someone else’s pain.

That evening—

Devanshi was still sitting in her room when she heard a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” she said absentmindedly while arranging some papers.

The door opened and Meera walked inside carrying a gentle smile on her face.

“Beta,” she said softly, “Rudraksh told me you want to do a puja for your mother tomorrow.”

Devanshi immediately nodded.

“Yes aunty.”

Her expression softened.

“Papa and I do this puja every year in Delhi.”

Then she looked around the peaceful room for a moment before continuing—

“But since I’m here in Rishikesh… I wanted to do it here this time.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

“This place feels special.”

Meera looked at her warmly.

“It is special, beta.”

Then she sat beside her.

“As you don’t know all the rituals properly, I thought I should explain everything related to the puja.”

Devanshi nodded politely.

“Yes aunty.”

But before Meera could continue—

Murti’s loud voice echoed from downstairs.

“Chachiji…!!!”

“The dal is ready! Should I put the tadka now?”

Both Meera and Devanshi burst into soft laughter instantly.

Meera shook her head helplessly.

“This boy…”

Then she stood up.

“Beta, I think I should go check the food before Murti burns the kitchen.”

Devanshi smiled.

Meera then added casually—

“You go upstairs. Rudraksh is in his room. He’ll explain everything about tomorrow’s puja.”

Devanshi nodded slowly.

“Okay aunty.”

And Meera walked away downstairs.

A few moments later—

Devanshi slowly climbed the staircase leading upstairs.

This was actually her first time coming to this floor of the haveli.

Only Rudraksh stayed here.

The entire upper floor had four rooms, but except for one, every other room remained locked.

As she walked through the balcony corridor—

Something caught her attention.

Plants.

Flowers.

Greenery everywhere.

Small pots lined the balcony beautifully while hanging plants swayed gently with the evening breeze.

Devanshi unknowingly smiled.

The place felt peaceful.

Alive.

Positive.

She slowly looked around at all the plants.

She always wanted something like this in her Delhi mansion too.

A balcony filled with greenery.

But she barely stayed home long enough to care for such things herself.

So she usually asked helpers to decorate everything professionally.

Yet somehow—

This place felt different.

These plants didn’t look decorative.

They looked loved.

As she finally reached Rudraksh’s room, she lightly knocked on the door.

No response.

She knocked again.

Still nothing.

So she spoke carefully—

“Rudra—”

Before she could finish—

The door suddenly opened.

And Rudraksh shouted loudly without looking—

“Murti! How many times have I told you not to dis—”

He froze mid-sentence.

Because standing outside was Devanshi.

And unfortunately—

Rudraksh was shirtless.

Only wearing a loose lower.

Devanshi’s eyes instantly widened slightly before she immediately looked away from his chest.

But not before noticing how unfairly fit he looked.

Rudraksh looked equally stunned.

“What are you doing here?” Devanshi asked quickly, trying to sound normal.

For the first time—

Rudraksh actually looked shy.

“You— wait…”

He immediately stepped back awkwardly.

“Let me wear a shirt first.”

Devanshi rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Please do.”

The door shut quickly again.

Inside, Rudraksh cursed himself quietly while hurriedly pulling on a black t-shirt.

Meanwhile outside—

Devanshi stood there trying very hard not to remember his bare chest.

“What the hell, Devanshi…” she muttered under her breath.

After a minute, the door opened again.

Rudraksh cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Now you can come inside.”

Devanshi entered while looking around the room.

Then she casually said—

“So this is what you do? Roam around shirtless?”

Rudraksh looked offended instantly.

“I was doing push-ups.”

“As if I was randomly standing like that.”

Devanshi tried not to smile.

Then she remembered why she came.

“Aunty sent me. About tomorrow’s puja.”

Rudraksh nodded and sat near the table.

“Yes.”

Then he started explaining properly—

“So tomorrow you’ll have to keep a fast.”

Devanshi frowned slightly.

“A complete fast?”

Rudraksh shook his head.

“No. You can eat fruits, drink juice, water… all that.”

Then he pointed at her seriously.

“But no proper food.”

Devanshi sighed dramatically.

“Great.”

Rudraksh smirked slightly.

“What happened, Ms. Arrogant? Can’t survive one day without fancy food?”

Devanshi glared instantly.

“I can survive perfectly fine.”

Then after a pause she added proudly—

“I once worked continuously for eighteen hours without eating.”

Rudraksh stared at her in horror.

“That’s not achievement. That’s mental illness.”

Devanshi gasped.

“Excuse me?”

Rudraksh shook his head.

“Dr. Bhatt should admit you in hospital first.”