Chapter- 29

Ekta’s gaze wandered around the office in fascination. It was her first time stepping into Sehgal Empire, and just like its name echoed on people’s tongues, it lived up to those standards. The glass walls reflecting the city skyline, the polished marble floors, the luxurious designs carved into every corner of the place amazed her.

Her reluctance she had felt before coming walked out of the window seeing the grandeur around her. It was Sunday. Her usual plan was to sit in her room completing schoolwork, listen to music, and drown in her overthinking thoughts, but Ekansh surprised her by asking her to come with him. When he told her he wanted to show her their office, she wasn’t sure if that was the place for her to visit, but him being firm, she had to agree, and now she was satisfied with her decision.

“How is it?” Ekansh asked, wrapping his arm around her as he guided her into his cabin that Eshita had asked the employees to arrange on the same floor as their father’s and hers.

He had tried to deny it, insisting he was okay working from their father’s cabin or even the small one in front of Eshita’s, but before her stubbornness he had given in. Within a few days, his cabin was ready. It wasn’t overly stuffed; it was perfectly minimalistic and organized as per his liking.

Ekta smiled faintly. “Just like the ones we see on TV.”

Ekansh ruffled her hair playfully. “I am happy that you liked it.”

“Liked it?” Ekta scoffed softly. “I loved it, bhaiya. It’s so beautiful.”

Ekansh smiled softly. Ekta was finally stepping out of her own shell. Not completely, there were times she still sat lost, exhausted, scared, still flinching at every tiny thing, but there was no more lifeless stillness in her like earlier. It was like she was learning each step toward herself again, like a child learning how to walk for the first time. Little smiles, small talks, hesitant interactions, or quiet observations, slowly, steadily, she was changing, and he was happy with the progress.

Two weeks had passed by, and she hadn’t asked him about homeschooling again, and that was the biggest milestone Ekansh had achieved in all these past years. Maybe he now understood what Ekta truly wanted. He could be firm and gentle with her, but she also needed someone like Eshita, someone close to her age who would push her, drag her into living without making her feel uncomfortable or awkward.

He was proud that his sister was taking steps toward Ekta, even if she didn’t name the bond as friendship yet. He could see through them both and was simply waiting for the day the girls realized how much they already mattered to each other.

Eshita barged into the cabin, almost throwing the file on the desk before slumping down onto the chair.

“I can’t believe someone can be so dumb.” She groaned in frustration. “Why don’t you just fire those interns, bhaiya? One week and they are yet to complete the financial reports. Even the supervisor is not doing his work properly. Mera dimag kharab ho raha hai abhi. Aap kuch karo inn logo ka nahi toh main hi sabko darwaza dikha dungi gate ka.”

Ekansh shook his head, taking his seat behind the desk and reviewing the file. Heaven know what he would do with Eshita’s temper, but then he wasn’t any better himself. Both of them preferred perfection and discipline; it couldn’t be helped that even the slightest mistake made Eshita lose her patience instantly.

Eshita focused on dealing with the staff as he was still in the phase of understanding new faces, their assigned roles, and the workflow, while he took care of meetings and high-level business decisions. Both of them were balancing everything together. When she turned herself into a storm, he calmed her down, and when he turned into a volcano, she steadied him before things could explode further.

“It’s okay, Esha.” He said softly, keeping aside the file. “I will talk to them. The numbers mismatch with the original data, they will redo the calculations, don’t worry.”

Eshita sighed. “You are being too lenient. Don’t you think so? We can’t always overlook mistakes; we will end up in losses because of it.”

“Neither can we crush people for every mistake.” Ekansh countered. “Losses come when we ignore problems repeatedly, but if we know how to be careful and also guide people properly, everything can be managed perfectly.”

Eshita looked away. Within two weeks, she had started realizing that her brother was following in their father’s footsteps. His ideology, principles, his way of handling people, everything matched what Virendra had taught him. And she... she was doing the same, following in her father’s footsteps too.

The only difference was that when their father taught her bhaiya about patience, leadership, and understanding people beyond their mistakes, he taught her the opposite, not to give chances to people who are careless in business and emotions alike. She didn’t know anymore whether his teachings had been wrong, biased, or simply half-hearted.

“We can’t always guide people with emotions.” She murmured thoughtfully, unable to hold back her thoughts. “They work for us. Get paid. We aren’t dependent on them, so they should know how to deal with professional responsibilities.”

Eshita met his gaze. “Dad’s words, not mine. So now tell me… how is that wrong? You wanting to crush someone’s confidence or me thinking of eliminating emotions from business?”

“We both are right in our own perspectives that we have been taught.” Ekansh replied calmly.

Eshita frowned. That was impossible now.

“If a father taught his son discipline, leadership, and patience…” Ekansh continued softly, “Then he taught his daughter to stand her ground before the men in business who can’t handle strong opinionated women. He taught you confidence, independence, and taking lead in difficult situations without involving emotions.”

“I am not asking you to give them second chances or ignore their mistakes,” Ekansh added calmly, “But those who work for us should at least be heard once before we make the final decision.”

Eshita stilled. Here it was again. If her father would have simply explained things with words like her brother did, she wouldn’t have resented him so much. At least she would have understood his views despite the lack of emotional support. Anyways, she couldn’t undo what had happened, only realizing now how much her father made her think badly of him to the point where she was ready to curse him for being the worst dad ever.

Fortunately, that version of her father never truly existed, and she was relieved about that. Shaking off her thoughts, she glanced at Ekta who sat beside her staring blankly ahead, lost in her own world. It seemed like zoning out was her personal job.

“Hey!” She waved her hand before Ekta’s face.

Ekta blinked, startled. “Haa? Aapne kuch kaha?”

“What are you thinking?” Ekansh asked quietly.

Ekta shook her head silently. She was just being her usual pathetic self, comparing her life with Eshita’s. That wasn’t something the siblings needed to know.

She had read the pain in Eshita’s eyes earlier, but the conviction in Ekansh’s voice wasn’t lost on her either. In a way, as an outsider who didn’t know much about Virendra Sehgal, she could say the man was strict and authoritative but also a gentle father. Just his ways of showing love were different.

She wished she could also have a father like Virendra. At one point she was ready for distance rather than hatred or clear bias between daughter and son. Virendra’s thoughts were right. She often read or watched videos online where women came forward talking about how men gave them a hard time simply because they refused to bow down before them. The changes were coming, yet in small cities or orthodox households, patriarchy was still treated like an unspoken law everyone had to obey.

What would her life have been if Virendra had been her father? The question crashed painfully into her heart, and she cursed herself for not even acknowledging the man whose blood ran in her veins. Again, she was being her selfish, ungrateful self.

“Kuch kahogi?” Eshita asked, nudging her slightly
.
Ekta shook her head. “I had breakfast.”

“So?” Eshita raised an eyebrow. “Woh toh maine bhi kiya hai. Come on, let’s order something. How about wraps? Yaha ke wraps ekdum mast hai. You will love them.”

“Correct, Ekta. Order kar le. Warna yeh saare khud mangwa kar kha jayegi.” Ekansh taunted, his gaze fixed on the laptop.

Eshita scoffed. “Aap na bhaiya kisi jungle mein chale jao. The elephants and monkeys are waiting for you. Go and give them company. Have a grass party with them.”

Ekansh picked up the pen, throwing it at her without lifting his gaze. “Bohot zyada bolne lagi hai tu.”

Eshita caught it effortlessly. “Sach kadwa hota hai.”

“I will have it.” Ekta intervened immediately as Ekansh opened his mouth. Both of them could go back and forth for hours nonstop. Not like she minded their banters, but they gave her a kind of headache where she preferred being dead for a few hours till they found their mute button.

Eshita squealed, picking up the intercom and ordering every type of junk food Ekta had ever heard of. She glanced at Ekansh, who sat as if it wasn’t a big deal. And in reality, it wasn’t. Eshita was a huge foodie, and the girl was slowly turning her into one too.

Ekansh rose to his feet as his phone buzzed. He glanced at the girls. “I have a meeting. Sit here quietly. Eat whatever you want. Do whatever you want. Once I am back we will go shopping.”

Eshita nodded, so did Ekta reluctantly.

Their actual plan was to go shopping. Suddenly, out of nowhere, both of them were interested in buying her new clothes, new stuff, and whatnot. She tried to deny it, but before Ekansh’s firm tone and Eshita’s not-so-cute puppy eyes plus the “I don’t care, you are coming” look, she had to give in. However, Ekansh received a call for an emergency meeting, and they ended up here first.

Ekansh walked away. If he wanted Ekta to open up to them, he needed to pull her out of the cages she had trapped herself in, and that was his way. One step at a time, he reminded himself.

✨✨✨

Eshita’s phone rang, cutting through the silence in the room. She glanced at the screen before looking at Ekta.

“Receive it.”

Ekta sighed. The girl ate like a toddler; her hands were completely messy, and so was her mouth smeared with sauce. Quietly, she received the call, putting it on speaker and thrusting a bunch of tissues into Eshita’s hands.

Sometimes it was hard for her to differentiate between the different sides of Eshita. At times she acted like an angry cat, then an angel, then a clingy whining one, and then suddenly switched straight into sharp business mode. And the worst part was, somewhere in the corner of her heart, she had started liking each version without even realizing it.

“What’s up?” Eshita’s voice echoed through the room, startling her.

Ekta immediately picked up the phone, bringing it near her mouth. The girl practically had a speaker set in her throat.

“Where are you?” Vanya’s panicked voice came through the speaker.

Eshita frowned. “Office. Kyu? Meri yaad...”

“Eshita, conference room mein jaa abhi!” Vanya cut her off urgently. “Stop the meeting before the Kashyap starts their presentation.”

Eshita straightened instantly. “What happened?”

“I heard Ritvik.” Vanya whispered sharply. “I came here to meet him, but unfortunately I overheard his conversation with his manager. For once, check the presentation of Kashap Industries and you will get my point.”

Eshita rose to her feet, taking the phone from Ekta’s hand. “Why are you asking that? And how did you even...”

A strange uneasiness settled inside Eshita’s chest. She immediately rounded the table, opening the laptop connected to the office security system. Two weeks had passed and Ritvik hadn’t made any effort to sort things out with her. Even though she had given him the benefit of the doubt, that he was worried when he said those things, and as his grandfather was out, they could actually talk calmly later.

But then Kashap Industries cutting ties with their company had made headlines. She was as shocked as her bhaiya and father. She didn’t intervene in anything, letting everything go with the flow. If he wanted distance, she wouldn’t force him.

Her fingers flew shakily on the keyboard as she opened the CCTV recording from earlier. The conference room appeared on screen. She fast-forwarded the footage and froze, zooming in on the blurred screen.

She stiffened as she read through the numbers on the screen. Fumbling with her phone, she opened the saved file. Her eyes jumped back and forth between both screens, numbness creeping through her veins. That was not something that could happen accidentally.

Each number on the screen matched hers. The presentation was copied. The only difference was that Kashap Industries had increased the projected profit margin and modified a few financial details. But the designs The campus structure, and architectural concepts, They were hers.

Disconnecting the call, she rushed out of the room toward the conference hall, only to freeze in her steps as reality struck her.

Ritvik had copied her presentation.

The clients sitting inside were not some local investors; they were reputed delegates. One wrong impression and everything would go down the drain. Inside the room, two teams were present, one from her bhaiya’s company and the second from Kashap Industries. Earlier they were supposed to walk in as one team, but after cutting ties they now stood on opposite sides.

She couldn’t believe Ritvik would stoop to this extent. What if her brother was done with the presentation? What if they blamed them for plagiarism? What if everything was ruined because of her? Every question clawed at her mind violently.

Her phone pinged with a notification…

“If you truly didn’t do anything, I want you to let things go as they are. And we will be back as we were.”

That wasn’t a request. It felt more like a threat, a warning directed at Eshita. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door. Her family’s reputation mattered to her the most. She wouldn’t let anyone tarnish it, not even the one she had once called a friend.

The murmurs stopped. Every eye in the room turned toward her instantly.

Ekansh rose to his feet, walking up to her immediately. “What happened?”

Eshita forced a small smile. “Nothing. I want to talk to you. Can you come out for a minute?”

Ekansh nodded, excusing himself. As soon as the door closed, Eshita held his hand, almost dragging him to the end of the corridor.

“Kya...”

“Did you complete your presentation?” Eshita cut him off, panicked.

Ekansh shook his head. “Kashyap’s wanted to go first and I let them. What’s.....”

“The presentation is copied. They copied what I made months back. It was my designs, my concepts. All I asked from Ritvik was some help reviewing them. In the contract signed, it was stated that Seghals will deal with architectural structure and Kashap’s will look after execution planning. Now… everything is the same the layout, concepts, even the presentation flow. Just a few changes in numbers, but the design for the new campus is mine. I-I don’t know what to do. Dad wanted to get this deal as it will help the company expand into education and infrastructure projects, and now we have messed everything up…”

“Eshita, relax!” Ekansh’s tone firmed. He reached out, holding her hands in his. He was yet to take in the fact that Ritvik would do something so low. Maybe he was wrong about him. Maybe he wasn’t what he truly showed himself as.

Eshita took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “Now what?”

Ekansh sighed. “We will go with the presentation.”

“Pr bhaiya… They will find out and blame us for…”

“It’s okay, Eshu.” Ekansh assured calmly. “It was your hard work and no one has the right to snatch it. You only said the numbers have been changed. That’s good. Today we will show the structural proposal. For the design, we can ask for a few more days and work on new ones. Your work should not go to waste. I won’t let anyone take credit for it.”

Eshita nodded reluctantly. They could do that if the clients agreed.

Anyways, it was her fault. Who on earth went around explaining their own company’s confidential projects to another company? There should have at least been a little professional boundary, and here she had simply opened up everything like an idiot blinded by trust.

“I am sorry...” She mumbled guiltily, unable to meet her brother’s eyes.

Ekansh held her chin firmly, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t force me to whack you right here and knock some sense into that dense brain of yours,” he said sternly. “You are smarter than this. Jo bhi hua usme Ritvik ki galti hai. He broke your trust. He is the one who crossed the line and took your silence for weakness. I don’t want my sister to feel guilty for trusting her friend or for believing someone she cared about wouldn’t hurt her. Are we clear?”

Eshita couldn’t help but whine, “Can’t you be a little soft? Why do you always have to go all angry beast mode?”

Ekansh lightly whacked her head. “Because your system only listens to that one language before it starts functioning properly.”

Eshita huffed. “That was rude.”

“I know that!” Ekansh shot back. “Come on now. Go back to Ekta. Vo akeli hogi and I’ll finish off the meeting...” He trailed off as he noticed a man walking out of the conference room, flanked by security guards.

“Do you need something, Mr. Rajvansh?” Ekansh asked, walking up to him.

Eshita quietly followed behind. That was the man everyone had been talking about, Abhiraj Rajvansh. Dressed in a typical political outfit, a crisp black kurta paired with a charcoal Nehru jacket, the man carried himself with effortless authority. Definitely the most eligible bachelor everyone was constantly singing praises of.

Abhiraj Rajvansh was the youngest Chief Minister Mumbai had ever seen and within just six months he had transformed half-neglected sectors of the city, improved women’s safety measures, and launched welfare projects that had made him the public’s favorite almost overnight.

And like any other citizen, she too had been impressed by the changes he had brought into the overcrowded city of Mumbai, cleaner roads, stricter security, quicker responses, things people had long stopped expecting from politicians. He looked like the saint she was seeing for the first time in a political world which is always filled with greedy men hungry for power.

“Where is the washroom, may I know?” Abhiraj asked warmly.

Ekansh showed him the direction while Eshita quietly walked back toward her room. She was least interested in introductions. It was better her bhaiya didn’t introduce her to the man because suddenly her shy side had peeked out, and like any other girl her age, she found herself developing an instant crush on him. Fuck, he was way older than her, but a little harmless crushing wouldn’t kill anyone.

✨✨✨

Ekta washed her hands and walked out of the washroom. After seeing Eshita panic, she had thought about following her, but stopped herself at the last moment, deciding to give the girl some space. She herself had needed to use the washroom and had somehow gathered enough courage to ask one of the women passing through the corridor for directions.

Honestly, she felt like sleeping after stuffing herself with so much food. If the siblings agreed, she would ask them to take her home instead of going shopping afterward.

However, the moment she stepped out into the corridor, it hit her. That familiar dark sandalwood and expensive cigar scent.

Her body stumbled backward, colliding harshly with the wall behind her as her pulse spiraled out of control. He was here.

Her wide eyes frantically scanned the empty corridor, but there was no one there. No footsteps or shadows. Yet her instincts had never once lied to her.

She could never dare forget that one scent. It was engraved into her soul far deeper than any scar ever could be. A scent that had followed her nightmares for years. A scent that had clung to expensive suits, cold hands, dark rooms, and the suffocating feeling of being trapped beneath someone far too powerful for a child to fight.

Before she even realized it, her breath hitched violently. “No…” she whispered.

Panic surged through her veins as she rushed back into the washroom, slamming the door shut behind her before locking it with trembling fingers. Her back hit the door heavily as she struggled to breathe. He was here. He had found her. He was there for her. He would take her away again.

Her knees buckled underneath her weight as the little strength holding her together gave up completely. She collapsed onto the cold floor, shaking violently while her lungs refused to work properly.

The walls around her began closing in. She blocked her ears as her own screams echoed inside her head.

Tiny hands trying to push away a monster far too strong.

A hand gripping her jaw painfully. Darkness. Pain. The weight pinning her down.

“No matter how much you run, butterfly…” His dark voice slithered through her ears like poison. “You will always come back to me. That is your fate.”

“Stop…” Ekta whimpered, clutching her ears tightly. “Stop…please…”

But the voice wouldn’t stop. Ekta grasped the door handle desperately, trying to pull herself up so she could go find Ekansh, hide inside his warmth, behind his safety, but fear swallowed her whole before she could even stand properly.

Her breathing turned erratic. Her chest burned painfully. Tears blurred her vision as she began scratching harshly at her own arms, nails digging into her skin again and again as if she could rip the memories out of her flesh, trying to erase the past in the present. She could erase the touch from her skin even after all these years.

Her body curled into itself violently. The floor beneath her no longer felt like the washroom floor. It felt like that cold locked room again.

Her trembling fingers clawed at her sleeves while muffled sobs escaped her throat uncontrollably. Every breath felt trapped. Every sound around her distorted. She couldn’t tell what was real anymore and what the memory was.

All she felt was fear, paralyzing, terrifying fear. Slowly, darkness enveloped her trembling figure, swallowing her broken sobs and the remains of her fading consciousness as the panic finally dragged her under.

 ✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Your take on Ritivk crossing the line between friendship and betrayal?

What do you think about Ekta’s condition? Will she now at least tell her past to Ekansh?

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Please do share your views!

Next Update: Thrusday!

Thanks for reading!!!

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