Jahnvi's father stayed back with her in the hospital, while he convinced his wife and grandsons to back to work and home. He'll take the first shift and stay with Jahnvi. They promised to return in the evening.
Jahnvi and her father looked at each other after everyone left. For long moments, just stared. Then, both stammered at the same time. "I am sorry!"
Jahnvi's father cut in, "No, no Jahnvi, why should you be sorry? Its I who has failed as a father. I behaved like a ten year old child, and sulked because you decided to leave our company and joined your husband's. That was unbelievably stupid and immature of me. I made myself reticent and unavailable, when if only I had been supportive, you would have come to me directly when your marriage started falling apart, instead of going to your mother who told you to keep up with this farce for the society's sake. I love my wife, but her traditional views....."
"No, no Papa. Its me who is at fault. I have let you down. You taught me everything I knew about business, and I let you down by giving it all up for a man who didn't care a tuppence for me. I was so embarrassed to come to you, ashamed of myself for falling for such a man, that I couldn't face you." said Jahnvi, choking back on her tears.
"Lets bury the dark past, and move on. You are still young, for me, you are always my kid. I want to see you rise again, and I think your old father still has something, some tricks he can teach you." Jahnvi's father smiled.
"Thank you, Papa." replied Jahnvi, as her father patted her head to bless her.
*************************************
Tej didn't bother ringing the bell, he almost broke down the door in anger. "Svetlana" he roared.
"Ah! Nice to see you still remember me." said Svetlana calmly, as she went and plopped down on her sofa.
"Quit playing. I didn't think you would go that far. Last year, when your inefficiency at work caused security lapses which put my family's life in danger, I distanced myself from you. That should have told you that I don't tolerate anyone harming my family. And you still thought you would get away with trying to kill Jahnvi?" said Tej, fuming.
"Stop raging like this, in your age getting your blood pressure so high isn't good for you." said Svetlana, in a off-hand manner.
Tej faked a sense of calm, and took a deep breadth.
"Svetlana, I made a huge mistake by getting into a relationship with you, and destroying my family life over this. I knew that its my Oberoi money, and not really me, you are after, but still I hoped to marry you one day. I'm glad I realized my crime in time. Going after Jahnvi's business venture is something I expected from you, but trying to kill her with a truck? No, Svetlana you have gone too far." said Tej, calmly but with a menace in his voice.
"You have no proof for either of those accusations." said Svetlana cooly
"I don't have any proof that might stand in the court of law, but you and I both know, that I know you too well to know what you are capable of. I wouldn't have handed you over to the police in any case, because I am as much a culprit in our affair as you, much more in fact. Here is your termination letter. Since you have served the company faithfully for years, I would continue to send you an annual income every year till you live. One more thing, whether Jahnvi decides to divorce me or not, whether my son succeeds at his contract or not, I am not going to marry you. Ever." said Tej with finality, and walked out of Svetlana's house.
Svetlana never lost her temper or raged. She thought calmly about her next move. Tej was a fool to think that his Oberoi money was the only thing she wanted. She wanted Oberois barbaadi (destruction), at any cost.
********************************
Gauri called up Jahnvi's office to ask whether their plan worked in the last few days. It was then she got to know of Jahnvi's illness. She rushed after work to meet her in the hospital.
Gauri knocked hesitantly on Jahnvi's door. "Come in" came a man's voice.
Gauri entered to see Jahnvi with an elderly man. Gauri hazarded a guess that this might be Jahnvi's father. Jahnvi was happy to see Gauri, and told her to come near her bed.
"How are you feeling now, Jahnvi auntyji?" asked Gauri. "How did this happen?"
"Its nothing major Gauri, just a small accident. How did you know?" asked Jahnvi
"I called to find out whether that idea worked, and they told me that you had met with an accident. Here, please take this, I have got Maatarani's prasad for you." said Gauri, handing the prasad carefully to Jahnvi.
Jahnvi ate the prasad. Gauri offered some of it, to her father as well, he hesitated but accepted it.
"Gauri, so stupid of me, this is my father. Papa this is Gauri." Jahnvi did the introductions. Gauri went and bent down to take the elderly man's blessings. Something about the old man's vibe made Gauri feel that this was a man not to be meddled with. He patted Gauri's head, but otherwise didn't give any other sign of acknowledging her. He seemed to reserving his judgment on Gauri, and watched her shrewdly.
"Thank you for the prasad, Gauri. The idea worked wonders. I was actually coming to the temple only to visit you and tell you about it when the accident happened. Don't blame yourself, it was just a coincidence." said Jahnvi, quickly, as Gauri looked guilty and about to apologize.
"What idea?" asked Jahnvi's father curiously. Jahnvi explained everything about the cancellation of her heavy order, Gauri's idea to convert it into something else, how they all worked on it for hours in the beginning of the week, and how the danger to her venture was averted.
"Well, we won't make the profit I had hoped to, on delivering the order to retailer, but at least we'll avoid the loss on the order. There are enough orders on the prototype to absorb the amount we invested." said Jahnvi.
Her father didn't say anything. He looked at Gauri as if calculating something in his mind. Gauri could feel his eyes boring into her brain. So she thought it was a good time to exit.
"I'm happy that you are fine Jahnvi aunty. I better get going now, my brother would be worrying where I am." said Gauri. She said Namaste to both and left.
**********************************************
Omkara came back with his Nani and Rudra to visit Jahnvi in the evening. As they were entering, he saw a girl leaving in a hurry with her dupatta entangled in the hospital's exit door. She quickly disentangled it and rushed from the place. Omkara was sure this was the Jagraata girl, he wanted to badly follow her, see her face at least, but he remembered his injured mother lying in the hospital and immediately felt guilty for entertaining such a thought.
"O, what are you and Nani looking at?" asked Rudra curiously. "Come on, why are we waiting here? Lets go."
Omkara turned to see his Nani also staring after the girl. "I have seen her before somewhere..." she muttered to herself as they walked to Jahnvi's room.
"Jahnvi, did a girl come to visit you?" asked her mother, as she entered her room.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it was the girl I was telling you about, the one I met at the temple a month back, the one..." said Jahnvi
"Yes, yes, Mom, we know. She was the same Jagraata girl, wasn't she? Do you know where she lives?" asked Omkara cutting in.
Four pairs of eyes turned to him in amazement as he said this.
"O, what has gotten into you? That other day you were hitting on a boy, now you are imitating me and asking after girls, in fact, you are faster than me, I add on facebook, aap toh seedha ghar hi pahuch gaye! (you reached straight home)" said Rudy, chortling.
"Shut up Rudra! Mom, that girl left her anklet behind when she came to the mansion last time, so I thought I'll return it." said Omkara, evasively
The rest of them looked at each other, and they all were thinking the same thing: why couldn't a driver return it? Why Om himself?
Jahnvi appraised her son, and then gave the address. Rudy could barely hide his smirk now, O pursuing a girl was something out of the blue, he must tell Shivaay bhaiyaa about this, when he returns to the mansion tonight.
Omkara heard the address, and was a bit surprised. Thats the same chawl where Chulbul lived. Funny, it was a small world, he never saw the girl there. Maybe Chulbul or Dandi knew her. He'll find out tomorrow. In any case, he wanted to meet and thank Chulbul. The kid was a whiz, he was right about the mole in the business, the independent auditor Omkara hired, confirmed that indeed someone was siphoning off money from that deal, and Omkara knew who. He would deal with that person later.
Tomorrow he will meet Chulbul and that girl both. Thinking of that, Omkara smiled to himself, while the rest of his family kept staring at him.
************************
"Thakur saab, we have located her." said one of Kali's henchmen.
They had reached Mumbai yesterday afternoon, and were ceaselessly searching for Gauri. They knew the rough location where she lived due to address from the post office, they just had to narrow down which locality exactly. And now they knew that as well.
Kali Thakur grinned slyly.
"Thakur saab, shall we get the car ready?" asked the one of the other men.
"Why?" Kali asked surprised.
"To get the girl, it will be easy to nab her at night." replied the goon.
"I am not stealing something that I will sneak in the cover of dark and nab her. No, Gauri belongs to me, Kali Thakur, and an owner does not lay claim on his property, for which I paid a hefty amount, like a thief. Raavan aaya hai toh haran toh karega hi, aur woh bhi din dahaare." (Raavan has arrived, so he will abduct, and in the light of the day. Raavan was a mythological character, the villain of Ramayan who abducted Ram's wife, Sita, by deceit.) said Kali Thakur, with relish.
"You people take rest now, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. It will take more than a day to drive from Mumbai back to Bareilly, as you know. Get as much sleep as possible. Be ready tomorrow." ordered Kali.
As they left, Kali Thakur, laid back on his arm chair, anticipating with eagerness when he will see the face of his Bulbul tomorrow.