“Bhai! Ruko!” I call out, my voice echoing down the hallway as I chase after him. He is storming up the stairs, his strides long and fast, his hands trembling with inner turmoil.

[Translation - Brother! Wait]

“Mujhe baat nahi karni hai, Jasmine” He snaps, without looking at me, his tone rough and filled with anger.

[Translation - I don't wanna talk, Jasmine]

By the time he reaches his room, he is seconds away from slamming the door shut. But I slip in before he can lock me out.

I stop myself near the doorway, breathless but determined. “Aisa kya hua that you two started fighting like this? Enough to break each other’s jaws?”

[Translation - What happened]

Veer rolls his eyes, scoffing “His face is worth dismantling”

I raise an eyebrow at his wording, the corner of my mouth twitches despite the tension. “Yeah, if Nikhil hears that, he will come after you too. He is weirdly possessive about his face.”

I can practically hear Nikhil’s offended voice in my head ‘Just because he stole some of my charm doesn’t mean you get to insult the divine structure of my face. Jealousy is increasing nowadays’

Drama, Absolute Drama Queen.

“Just tell me what happened?” I urge

He turns around, his eyes burning with intensity “He is crazy! Do you know what he said?” Veer asks, stepping closer to him while pointing at the door gesturing to Kunal. “He is asking me to cancel the wedding or let him take my place!” He snaps.

I blink in surprise and step back, the sudden range makes my heart race in fear

“Veer, calm down please” I whisper, reaching out for his hand. He brushes it away, running his hand through his hair. “How can someone fall so low? He abandoned her and now wants her back?” His voice cracks, a hint of vulnerability seeping through him

My hands freeze mid-air, my fingers curling into fists as I take them back “He wanna redeem?” I ask carefully

Veer lets out a butter laugh, wiping off the trail of blood from the corner of his lip with the back of his hand “He approached Mira, tried to talk to her but she refused straight up. She lost trust in him”

Oh

I did predict that. Kunal wouldn't just sit quietly “Why..why did he abandon them?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. I know it's not the right time but this question has been bothering me for a while. Was it Kunal who left them or was he forced to?

Veer's jaw clenches, he rests his hands on his hips before turning away “He was studying that time and uncle wanted him and Nikhil to be very eligible to take over. Perfect.Polished. Apparently Mira and Aryan would have been a distraction. A scandal in the market that would have been toyed for entertainment” He says, his teeth grinds

“That doesn't excuse his mistake” he adds quickly “He didn't give an answer and just left. Didn't bother to check on them when he was stable enough. I won't let him near Mira or my kid”

My kid

Aryan is his son now

Veer adopted him. He didn’t just marry Mira, he chose both of them. He gave Aryan the father figure Kunal never was brave enough to be.

“And you know the irony?” Veer chuckles bitterly “The woman he assumed would be a distraction is now beating us in business” He says, with an almost satisfaction on his face

I couldn't help but smile a bit despite the situation.

“Just wait, Jasmine” Veer says, his voice calmer and more confident “Once the wedding is done, the companies will merge. Mira has already helped us secure the Singapore contract. After that, Uncle can’t touch us. Their Northern branch is already bleeding after that failed campaign

My eyes widens at his words. As much as I am relieved that we are finally being able to expand the Royal Crest franchise to Singapore. The news about the northern branch facing loss makes me shaken up

“Is that why they all went to Delhi a few days ago?” I ask, finally connecting the dots. Veer nods “Yes, but also because the election for next CEO has started”

“What!”

That was not gonna happen until the end of November. Kunal and Nikhil were constantly bringing out new ideas for the development of the hotels to achieve the position but it's too sudden.

“Are they voting yet?”

Veer nods, his eyes flickering with something unreadable 

My stomach sinks, an uncertain feeling taking over “Who is winning?”

He hesitates slightly before looking at me and replying “Maya”

“WHAT—” I practically scream. I keep my hand on my mouth and look around, pushing myself away from the door.

Even walls have ears

“What do you mean maya?”

He takes a deep breath “Dadu made a clause. The hotel will always go to the firstborn child. When Papa and Uncle split the business into two branches, that clause never got voided. No gender, no experience required. If she claims it, the board will support her. Legally, she can be CEO”

“That's insane! They don't even know her!”

Veer lets out a humorous laugh, shaking his head “oh but she knows them. She has been waiting for this. And once she sits in that CEO chair, she can claim the presidency too. It’s all falling into place.”

Is that why Maya came here?

Maya’s suspicious words from earlier echo in my head ‘Kunal’s world is collapsing’

So this is what she meant.

“Isn't that dangerous for us?” I ask, anxiety creeping inside me

“Not as dangerous as Kunal in power” Veer mutters “Maya is ruthless but she wouldn't come for us. She has a history with her father. It's better if she wins, she is strategic and might uplift the place after some training. She can win fairly or by turning a few wheels”

“What about Nikhil?” I ask

He shrugs his shoulders “He doesn't seem to care much, I don't think he is behind any position. For now”

That should be giving me relief right? But that doesn't ease the burning sensation in my chest. This might be acidity?

Gosh, I am getting influenced by Nikhil's humour

“You know” I start slowly, fingers fidgeting nervously The weight sitting on my shoulders all day, I just want if off “Kavya has been acting quite weird”

Veer raises his eyebrow but doesn't look surprised “Define weird”

I let out a groan and tilt my head back, staring at the ceiling not knowing how to place my words correctly “I don’t even know! Like… sometimes she is outright degrading Lucas, and other times she is flirting” I mumble, my voice lowers

He chokes on air, his eyes widens “she is flirting with your boyfriend?”

Okay, acknowledgement

Not the time, Jasmine! Stay focused!

“Yeah” I mumble, “And today, she literally sent our cousins to tease him as a prank. She was going to include you, Liam and Nikhil in it too” I glance up, expecting some kind of explosive reaction but Veer just… looks at me.

“And do you know why she did that?” He asks, his voice calm

I shake my head “I don’t know. Maybe she is jealous or projecting. She has always been a great friend, you know? But these past few days, I don’t even recognize her anymore” My voice goes lower as I wrap my arms around myself. The insecurity creeping inside me.

"She has been there when no one was” I whisper, averting my gaze towards the floor. It feels strange to say it out loud. It might be unbelievable to my younger self if I told her this about kavya.

Kavya was my person before anyone else. My first friend. She showed what girlhood meant to me, sleepovers, secrets under blankets, late night movies, being there through heartbreaks and success. She has seen me grow just like I have seen her.

I trusted her like family.

“People change, Jasmine. It's not a surprise” Veer says gently, pulling me out of my thoughts. He reaches out to pat my head like he used to when we were little “It's not your fault”

He knows I would somehow blame myself

“I don't understand why she is doing it….”

He exhales slowly “Maybe it’s time for you to confront her and set some boundaries. She has clearly crossed the line.”

“I know! I was furious today. I wanted to yell at her right there. But I didn’t want to cause a scene or start a fight before the wedding. And now with Dadi ordering us to stay in before the ceremonies, what can I even do?”

He nods “True. I think it's better if kavya doesn't come to the wedding at all”

“W-what!” I am taken aback. I expected some action from Veer but pulling her out of the wedding completely?

He presses his lips together “Since you left, she started visiting more often. And she tried to pursue me too”

“She WHAT?!”

He nods solemnly “Yeah. She had this bizarre little fantasy where you would marry Kabir and she would marry me. Kabir actually had to warn her to stop bringing it up as he already had a girlfriend back then. But Kavya didn’t back off from me”

My eyes widen as his words sink in, a rush of disbelief and secondhand embarrassment washes over me “This is too much” I rub my forehead, feeling a headache building up. “I knew she had a crush on you long back but I thought it faded just like mine did.”

“I don’t want her causing any chaos during the wedding. That’s why I don’t intend to have her around. We will deal with her after the guests leave, alright?”

I bite my lower lip feeling conflicted. A part of me wants to defend the version of Kavya I grew up with, the girl who did my hair before events, who cried with me when we were parting ways for university.  But the woman she’s becoming? That’s someone I don't know

I nod slowly “Alright”

I flop onto the bed, burying my face in my hands. “I am exhausted” Veer walks over, picks up a glass from his nightstand and pours water into it.

“Thanks—” I start to say as I reach for it but he just chugs down the whole thing in one go. I stare at him in disbelief “Excuse me?”

He keeps the glass down with a thud, looking at me feigning innocence “What? You thought that was for you?” He asks, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Typical

But a small laughter bubbles inside me. He have lightened the mood

I huff and get up, grabbing another glass from the table and pour water for myself. Behind me, he is laughing while sitting on the bed. For a moment, I am taken back to the times when we were just siblings. No weddings, no studies, no business wars. Just childhood.

I forgot that he did this all the time.

He might be my older, mature brother but he still annoys me the same way when we were kids.

“Bhai” I began slowly “I was thinking of pursuing my master's” His head snaps in my direction with shock “Master's? Where? In India or…”

“Australia”

He sighs, his head turning away “Jasmine—”

“I know” I cut in before he could start lecturing me “But I think it’s the right choice. I can do internships there too and build real experience. You, Kunal, Nikhil, everyone did their Master’s and worked before joining the company. I don’t want a big post straight after graduation. That’s just… favoritism.”

Veer walks over to me, holding my shoulders gently “Jasmine, we have worked very hard for this project, I wanted you to take it forward. You could explore a new country while gaining experience,how about doing your masters there?”

“Bhai…”

“Is it because of him?” He asks suddenly. My heart skips a beat at the mention “For a man?”

“Gosh, no!” I reply quickly before he assumes more “I do want to study more. And I have built a life there. Friends, familiarity, comfort. But going to Singapore alone,it reminds me of when I was eighteen, leaving for Sydney”

He takes a deep breath, his hands dropping down “Even if I might give this to someone else but I don't think papa will agree everyone will think you are just going back for him”

I lift my chin stubbornly “And even if I was, what’s wrong with that? I want to study. I want to be free. I want to be in love. What’s wrong with any of that?”

“In love huh?” His expressions softens “nothing is wrong with that” he places his h

and on my head ruffles my head “agar tumne man bala hi liya hai, toh mai zaroor support karunga”

[Translation - If you have made up your mind already, then I will definitely support you]