Chapter 26
KAVYA
Muffled shouts from the next room pulled me from sleep. I reached out, but the sheets on Saurav’s side of the bed were already cold. He was up early?
I followed the sound of his voice. The closer I got to the study, the sharper the words became. It was Saurav, and I knew exactly who he was screaming at. His father. Who else would ignite such a fire in him?
I hovered by the door, watching through the narrow crack.
“You know where she is! You know damn well where she’s living,” Saurav snarled, stepping into his father’s space. “I took days off just to go there, Dad. I’ve fulfilled all your wishes. Now, it’s your turn to fulfill mine. You’re going to take me to her.”
“I won’t... I can’t,” Mr. Chauhan said. His stony expression remained, but a slight crack in his voice betrayed the secrets he was guarding. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting.”
“You’re not going anywhere!” Saurav’s roar made me flinch. Mr. Chauhan froze, staring at his son in disbelief. “Tell me. Where is my mother?”
Mr. Chauhan stepped forward, fists clenched. He looked like a man breaking from the inside out.
“We are not talking about her. We are not talking about a woman who abandoned you before you even knew the world. If you want to find her, do it on your own...but don't you dare expect help from me.”
He turned for the door, and I scrambled back to my room. I shut the door quietly, my heart hammering against my ribs like a gong.
As my breathing leveled out, I replayed the confrontation.
Saurav’s mother. The woman who had supposedly run away with a lover.
Now, Saurav was desperate to find her, and his father was a stone wall.
Did Mr. Chauhan truly not know where she was, or was he protecting a truth Saurav wasn't ready to hear?
My head throbbed. I took a long, steaming shower to wash away the tension, then dressed for the office.
When I walked downstairs, I found my husband and father-in-law sitting at the dining table in eerie silence, waiting for breakfast as if the explosion an hour ago had never happened.
I didn't ask questions. I headed straight for the kitchen. Though the Chauhans had a personal chef, Mr. Chauhan preferred my cooking; I always made sure his meals were healthy. Saurav would never admit it, but he enjoyed my food just as much.
After a quiet breakfast, Mr. Chauhan and I prepared to leave for the office. Saurav appeared in the foyer, car keys in hand.
“I’m coming too.”
“We don't need you there today,” Mr. Chauhan said flatly.
“I need to go through some documents I left behind,” Saurav countered, his eyes flickering toward me.
Mr. Chauhan didn't argue. Saurav took his own car while I drove with my father-in-law. Today was the follow-up meeting with Abhiraj Sisodiya regarding his new project proposal.
An hour later, the conference room was full. When Abhiraj entered, his expression hardened the moment he spotted Saurav.
“Mr. Chauhan, I’m surprised you showed up today,” Abhiraj said, his tone laced with bitterness. Saurav ignored him completely.
Abhiraj began his presentation with effortless confidence, explaining that this wasn’t merely a commercial venture but a platform aimed at fostering financial independence and creating opportunities for women with limited access to resources.
He spoke about training programs, mentorship networks, and a vision for long-term sustainability.
Everything was going smoothly until my husband leaned forward.
“Mr. Sisodiya, a few questions, if I may?” Saurav interrupted.
“Of course,” Abhiraj replied, though his posture stiffened.
“Do you think women are incapable of competing in normal markets?”
“They are more than capable,” Abhiraj answered politely. “The issue is access, safety, and opportunity. This model removes those constraints so the competition is fair, not forced.”
“And what makes you think the women in that village even want this?” Saurav asked, his words landing like punches.
“We’ve conducted field surveys and partnered with local NGOs. The demand isn’t theoretical, Mr. Chauhan; it’s documented. What’s missing isn’t ambition but infrastructure.”
Saurav smirked. “One last question. If the project fails, will you admit you encouraged these women to risk their life savings on an unstable model?”
Abhiraj’s confidence wavered for a split second. He took a breath.
“It is a calculated, supported risk. Yes.”
“I’m satisfied,” Saurav mocked, leaning back.
Abhiraj glared at him before taking the empty seat next to me. He leaned in closer than necessary, his voice a low whisper.
“Your husband doesn't just know how to fly fighter jets... he certainly knows how to get under someone's skin.”
I glanced at Abhiraj, surprised by his bluntness. Across the table, Saurav’s eyes were locked on us. I could feel the heat of his gaze, but I forced myself to maintain a professional mask.
“He’s just protective of the business,” I said softly. I tried to defend my husband, even though I knew his questions were designed to provoke.
Abhiraj chuckled. “Protective? Or just incredibly stubborn? I’ve dealt with fighter pilots before, Kavya. They think they own the sky. It takes a lot to ground them.”
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a playful conspiratorial tone. “Did you know I once tried to fly a drone for a project like this and crashed it straight into the village head’s cowshed? The cow wasn’t impressed and neither was my ego.”
The image of the sophisticated Abhiraj Sisodiya being chased by a cow over a downed drone caught me off guard. I covered my mouth to stifle a giggle, but my shoulders shook anyway.
“You’re joking,” I whispered, smiling.
“I wish I were. I had to buy that cow a very expensive set of bells to make peace,” he replied with a wink.
I laughed again, feeling the knots in my chest loosen for the first time all morning. But the light moment was cut short by the harsh scrape of a chair against the floor.
Saurav was standing, his face a mask of cold fury. His hands were clenched at his sides, and the look he leveled at Abhiraj could have pierced steel.
“If we’re done with the storytelling, perhaps we can return to the actual figures?” Saurav’s voice was ice-cold.
The room went silent. Mr. Chauhan looked between his son and Abhiraj with a frown, sensing the shift in energy. A sudden chill settled over me. This wasn’t just business anymore. Saurav looked... jealous.
Was he? Just yesterday he had denied it. Perhaps this was about the family reputation.
I lowered my gaze to my notepad, my heart racing. I knew that look on Saurav’s face. He was a man who hated losing control, and right now, he felt like he was losing ground to the man sitting next to me.
The meeting ended abruptly. The tension was so thick that even Mr. Chauhan didn’t try to linger.
We gathered our things in a heavy silence.
As we walked toward the elevators, Abhiraj caught my eye one last time, giving me a small, knowing smile.
My stomach flipped partly from nerves, and partly because I knew Saurav was watching.
“I’ll see you at the site visit, Kavya,” Abhiraj said clearly, ignoring Saurav entirely.
I nodded quickly and hurried toward the parking lot. I expected to head toward my father-in-law’s car, but Saurav grabbed my wrist.
“You’re coming with me,” he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it had a military edge that left no room for argument. Mr. Chauhan looked at us, sighed, and signaled his driver to pull away.
I sat in the passenger seat of Saurav’s car, the leather cold against my skin. He slammed his door and fired the engine; the roar of the powerful motor echoed through the garage. He didn’t pull out immediately. Instead, he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
“What was so funny?” he asked, staring straight through the windshield.
“It was just a story, Saurav. About a drone,” I said, my voice small. I hated how my pulse quickened, just as it had that morning behind the bedroom door.
“A drone. Right.” He turned his head slowly. His eyes were dark, filled with anger and simmering resentment. “You were laughing with him. In the middle of a professional meeting. While I’m trying to protect our interests, you’re busy being charmed by Sisodiya’s ‘village stories.’”
“He was being light-hearted. You were being unnecessarily hard on him,” I countered, finding a spark of courage. “The project is good for the women in that village. Why can’t you see that instead of attacking him?”
Saurav let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “You think this is about the project, Kavya? He’s playing us all with that charming smile and those manipulative words.”
“That’s not true!” I snapped. “Not everything is a battle, Saurav. Not everyone is an enemy.”
“In my world, they are,” he growled. He shifted into gear and floored it, the tires screeching against the concrete.
I stared out the window as the city blurred past. I wanted to tell him I knew why he was so angry.
I wanted to ask him about his mother, the woman he was so desperate to find that he’d scream at his own father.
I wanted to tell him I felt his pain, but the wall he’d built today was too high to climb.
He was jealous, yes. But as I watched his jaw tighten, I realized it wasn’t just about Abhiraj. It was about power. He was losing control of his past.
We didn’t speak for the rest of the drive. The silence was louder than any shout.
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