Sneha and Jyoti were peacefully having their lunch in the canteen when Ananya stood in front of them along with her friends.
"Hi, Sneha!" Ananya said which took Sneha by surprise. She looked up and forced a smile to not look rude...or scared.
'Did she know about my scholarship!' Sneha wondered.
"Hi, Ananya." Sneha replied and nodded to the other two girls with a smile.
"May we sit with you two?" Ananya asked.
"Of course!" Sneha replied while glancing at Jyoti.
"Thank you!" Ananya said and all the three girls sat opposite them.
"I am so sorry that I couldn't properly thank you for saving me from those weird men that night. I don't know what would have happened to me if you weren't there. So, thank you so much!" Ananya said with gratitude.
"It's okay!" Sneha only smiled meekly.
"I know you must be wondering why I didn't thank you earlier. Actually, my brother had kept you under surveillance. So, he asked me to not approach you until he allows it. Yesterday, he told me that you were innocent and that I can finally talk to you. This is why I couldn't approach you before." Ananya explained herself.
"Oh!" Sneha said while nodding in understanding.
"Well, they are my friends. She is Tina and she is Shruti." Ananya said with a smile as she introduced her friends to Sneha and Jyoti.
"Hi! And, she is Jyoti." Sneha introduced her friend. They all shared their greetings.
"So, I guess we can have lunch together from now on?" Ananya asked politely. Now, Sneha couldn't deny the polite comment. She gave a look to Jyoti who nodded slightly in reluctance.
"Sure!" Sneha said and Ananya's smile widened.
Ananya and her two friends ordered from the canteen while looking at Sneha and Jyoti's lunch boxes.
"So, you bring your own lunch boxes? No canteen food?" Tina asked to initiate the conversation.
"Yeah!" Jyoti replied while Sneha nodded.
Then they began their usual conversation on academics and extracurricular activities.
"So, Sneha, who is your partner in the EVS project?" Ananya finally asked the question that has been bugging her.
"Jyoti and I are partners." Sneha replied.
"Oh! Great." Ananya replied with a forced smile.
"Who is your partner?" Sneha asked.
"No one as of now. I will have to talk to the professor about who is available." Ananya chuckled.
Sneha contemplated if she should ask Ananya about her brother and his capabilities to actually threaten someone. She really hoped Ananya wouldn't get offended.
"Uh...Ananya, can I ask something about your brother?" Sneha asked slowly and instantly, Jyoti kicked her under the table. She, however, ignore it.
"Okay?" Ananya asked, a little hesitantly.
"What would he do if someone went against him?" Sneha asked.
Ananya shuffled a little.
"It's not appropriate for me to tell you the details. But, I know that you have seen enough of my house and probably know that my brother is in that type of business." Ananya began.
"Yes." Sneha nodded.
"So, as for your question...it completely depends on who is on the receiving side. Generally, he blackmails, and in the extreme case, he is...violent." Ananya tried to use the aptest word that would be less scary for the girls. However, she knew all about her brother and had seen the worst side of him.
Sneha took a deep breath. Her doubt on Viraj increased many folds.
"Don't you stop him or convince him...to be not...like this?" Sneha asked.
Ananya's eyes widened.
"I can't interfere in his business." Ananya said with a slight tinge of fear.
"Oh!" Sneha mumbled as she focused on her box. She wondered if she should upfront confront him. What if he shoots her out of anger?
"Why are you asking these questions? Did he... do anything to you?" Ananya asked in concern.
Sneha thought over her question.
"No." She replied as she couldn't blame Viraj over mere speculation. She will have to talk to him.
.
.
"Jyoti, I will have to talk to Viraj for a while. It might take some time. So, if you are getting late, you can go. I will take the bus." Sneha told Jyoti as they walked towards the parking lot.
"Why do you want to talk to Viraj now?" Jyoti asked.
"I can't tell you now. But, I will tell you once I confirm things... myself." Sneha said.
"Don't involve yourself with him, Sneha. You know he is trouble." Jyoti suggested.
"I know. But, this is really something important." Sneha asserted to which her friend sighed.
"Alright! I will wait for you. I don't trust him!" Jyoti chuckled while Sneha only nudged her in a friendly manner. She always knew that she could rely on her friend.
Sneha spotted Viraj right where he always parked his car. It was almost a reserved spot for him. No one really claimed that spot knowing who frequently visited there.
She would have approached him right away but this time Ananya was already standing in front of him, telling him something she could not hear. She looked at him in hope that he would get her signal that she wanted to talk to him. She saw him nodding to whatever his sister told him and then finally he looked in her direction. He froze for a while but then relaxed. When she didn't divert his gaze from him, he understood her intention. He grabbed his sister's wrist who was about to enter the car and whispered into her ear. Sneha wondered what he told her.
"Go back inside and come back exactly after 10 minutes." He told his sister. Ananya looked at him in confusion.
"Why, bhai?" She asked.
He only gave her a strict look and she almost ran away back to the college building.
Sneha looked at Ananya's retreating form and met his gaze again. He was now leaning on his car again while staring at her with exactly no expression. Sneha gathered strength and finally walked in his direction. The idea of turning back came into her mind with every step she took. Meanwhile, Jyoti played a game on her phone, completely unaware of the tension in the air.
Viraj didn't speak first this time as she stood in front of him.
"Hi!" She started the conversation in an awkward tone. He remained silent though and continued his staring which made her uncomfortable.
"I...uh...wanted to ask you something." She added when he didn't say anything.
"And what makes you think I will answer?" He said in his same arrogant tone. Sneha sighed.
"Please?" She added.
He couldn't help the smirk from appearing on his face. He found her utterly cute and she wasn't even doing anything.
"What is it?" He finally asked.
"Did you...did you..." She attempted to ask but all her confidence dissolved.
How could she ask him whether he had anything to do with her losing the job? What if he wasn't behind all this? What if he would then get offended and then...? She thought over all the what-ifs.
"I did." He answered her unasked question in his deep voice.
She looked up at him again. She had no idea what he was referring to. So, she gathered courage and finally asked her intended question.
"Did you make us... lose our jobs?" She asked hesitantly.
"Yes." He answered.
Sneha couldn't believe he simply said 'yes' without an ounce of shame or guilt.
"Why?" She asked sternly.
He only shrugged, thinking she would figure it out herself.
"I didn't even do anything to you. Then why would you do this to my family?" She asked in an accusing tone.
"I clearly warned you yesterday. Didn't I?" He asked as if she was the one to be blamed for everything.
She looked at him in disbelief.
"Is it because I said no to lunch?" She asked and really hoped that he would deny.
"Yes." It was his only reply.
Her brows narrowed and he swore he had never seen such a pretty expression.
"You can't do this!" She stressed, to which he raised his brows.
"I can. And, I already have." He said.
Sneha concluded that he was insane.
"I helped your sister! How can you throw my family into trouble instead of showing gratitude?" She tried to reason.
"As far as I remember, I was trying to show my gratitude by treating you to lunch yesterday. It was you who denied the offer." He partially raised his voice which automatically scared her.
She took a deep breath before replying.
"But...I don't want to have lunch with you! You thanked me and I told you that it is more than enough for me."
"Not for me. I want to have lunch with you." He asserted again.
Sneha huffed. This guy was impossible, she understood.
"Please return everything to normal." She almost ordered him when she realized that he wouldn't understand her point.
"Okay. What time then?" He asked immediately.
"Sorry?" She asked, unable to understand his question.
"When are you available for lunch?" He asked again. Only he knew how polite he was being by letting her choose the day instead of him imposing the schedule on her. She just didn't know her usual working style. He never asks...he only demands.
Sneha couldn't believe him.
"Viraj, I can't have lunch with you. So, please let us have our jobs back." She requested while referring to her family.
"You are wasting my time." He said. "If you want the jobs back, then have lunch with me this Sunday." He finally fixed the date as he realized that she was not going to do so anytime soon.
Sneha literally glared at him. But, she lowered her gaze when he stared at her with the same intensity. She couldn't win against him and she knew it, unfortunately.
"One more thing. Yesterday, it was the jobs. Today, it will be your house. So, choose carefully." He threatened in a playful tone.
Sneha's brows narrowed and she sighed in defeat. She didn't doubt his capability now.
"All this...for a lunch?" She asked looking at the tyre of the car in complete disbelief.
"I always get what I want. You should know this by now." He said as his gaze fell on her lips for a second when she bit them in frustration.
"Fine. I will have lunch with you. But, please give our jobs back." She requested, finally adhering to his demand. What option did she have anyway?
"Good. Be there in the Manilla restaurant at 1 pm sharp. This Sunday. If you will be a second late, your father will lose his job as well as the house. Okay?" He asked in a soft tone as if he wasn't threatening her.
She wanted to really slap him hard for his audacity to threaten her. However, she refrained. She was nothing in front of him. And, she was more aware of this fact now.
"I will be there." She whispered.
"You all can resume your jobs from tomorrow. The two days' compensation will be provided. So, don't worry about that." He assured her.
She only nodded while looking at his chest.
"Anything else." He asked when she remained silent.
She only shook her head and turned around to leave without even saying a decent 'goodbye'.
"You look horrible!" Jyoti said as she finally looked at her friend.
Sneha wanted to cry. She couldn't do anything about the entire lunch issue. She wasn't weak but he made her feel like that. How would she meet him alone on Sunday? Her father would never allow it!
"Let's go?" She asked quietly.
"Okay!" Jyoti decided to drop the topic by seeing her upset face. She could always ask her later.
.
.
Back at home, Priya and her father got phone calls from their employers. They got their jobs back and she knew that she would have got it as well. Because she didn't have a phone right now, her employer couldn't contact her. So, if she goes to the library tomorrow, everything will be back to normal.
Even though Viraj had returned everything to normal, Sneha hoped for the Sunday to never come, even if it was impossible. She only had two days to think over this.
On the other hand, Viraj waited for the Sunday with the level of excitement that he had not felt in a long time.