"Hello everyone!

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Veeranshu reached home in the early morning light, only to find Vikrant and Sameer already awake and looking concerned. As he entered the house, Vikrant asked, "Where were you all night? You were out the whole night?"

Sameer chimed in, "What is this behavior, Bhai? You can't be out all night without us knowing, without telling us."

Veeranshu sighed, "Okay, wait, I'll tell you." He moved towards Sameer, but Sameer ran away.

Veeranshu sat on the sofa and asked, "Why are you both awake so early?"

Vikrant replied, "Did you forget? We have a meeting today."

"Oh, shit," Veeranshu said, realization dawning on him. "It totally slipped my mind. Alright, let's go. I'll get ready."

He quickly headed to his room to freshen up.

On the way to their meeting, Vikrant was driving with Sameer in the passenger seat, and Viranshu sat in the back, engrossed in his phone. Sameer was also checking his phone, but after a while, Vikrant broke the silence.

"Where were you all night? You didn't tell us yet," Vikrant asked.

Sameer, intrigued by the conversation, chimed in, "I can't imagine you anywhere but at Amaya Bhabhi's place. Were you with her?"

Veeranshu's smile slipped for a moment before he quickly tried to recover. "No," he replied.

Sameer, catching the fleeting smile, pressed on, "No, no, no, you're lying, Bhai. Your expressions are giving you away. You were with Amaya Bhabhi. What were you doing all night?"

"Nothing," Viranshu replied, trying to keep his tone neutral.

Sameer, not ready to let it go, insisted, "Tell us, Bhai. This journey is already boring. Please share something interesting. You know what I mean."

Veeranshu, adopting a cold voice, said, "I haven't checked my gun in the past few days. Should I check it now?"

Sameer immediately backed down, "No, no, no, Bhai. Your gun is perfectly fine. You don't need to check it."

Veeranshu said, "Pass me the cigarette packet." Sameer handed him the packet, and they continued their drive to work.

🦋

Meanwhile, at Amaya's house, she woke up late, shocked to see it was already 10 AM. She feared her aunt's reaction but was surprised when, instead of scolding her, her aunt merely said, "Maharani ji, you woke up? Come, have breakfast."

Amaya went to her grandmother and asked, "Grandma, why didn't you wake me up?"

Her grandmother replied, "What's the big deal if you slept a little bit late?"

Still concerned, Amaya said, "But you should have woken me, Grandma."

Her grandmother smiled and said, "You didn't sleep the whole night. I thought you should rest."

Feeling shy, Amaya asked, "How did you know?"

Her grandmother chuckled, "I know everything, beta. At least you should have told me if you were going out with him."

Excitedly, her grandmother asked, "Where were you? Tell me. Did he do something?"

Amaya quickly interrupted, "Please, Grandma, stop imagining things. I was just in the lawn, okay? Nothing happened like you're thinking. So please."

Amaya, feeling flustered, said, "Now I'm going to take a bath."

Her grandmother laughed, watching her granddaughter head to the bathroom, clearly enjoying the moment.

After taking a bath, Amaya had breakfast and then sat in her room. Her grandmother was out for a walk with a friend from the neighborhood. Amaya kept looking at her phone, hoping for a message or call from Veeranshu, but ended up disappointed as the day passed without any contact from him. In the evening, she thought of calling him but decided against it.

During dinner, Amaya's aunt, while talking to her son, made a point of mentioning their financial struggles. "All the money is going to be finished. How am I going to pay the fees of my children? Please God, what did you do to me? You took their father first, and now I don't have money to pay their fees. My children are going to be illiterate, and we are going to die because of hunger," she lamented, making sure Amaya could hear.

Feeling guilty, Amaya said, "Aunt, don't worry. I have some money right now, and tomorrow I will find a job."

Her aunt replied, "No, no, Maharani ji. Why are you doing this? You don't have to do anything for us. Don't worry, I will adjust. I will beg other family members to give me some money on interest."

Amaya insisted, "Please, Aunt. I said I will find a job tomorrow." She then got up and went to her room. Before going to sleep, she checked her phone one last time but still saw no messages or calls from Veeranshu. She went to bed feeling sad.

The next day, she woke up early, got ready, and left the house to find a job. She tried at many places but had no luck. Finally, she bought a newspaper and found some job ads. There was a position for a salesgirl at a mall. Considering her qualifications, she decided to apply for it. She went to the mall, and the manager hired her, asking her to start the next day.

By afternoon, she was hungry and found a cheap restaurant nearby. While she was eating, a man approached her and said, "Can I have a seat with you?"

She looked up and saw a well-dressed man in a suit who looked quite wealthy. She asked, "Why?"

The man replied, "Because there are no seats, and I also want to eat something."

Amaya glanced around and saw that the restaurant was indeed full. She said, "Yeah, okay, fine."

The man sat down across from Amaya and ordered his food.

When Amaya was having dinner, she noticed the man looking at her. "Is there something on my face?" she asked.

The man, startled, replied, "Huh? No."

Amaya continued, "Then why are you staring at me?"

The man laughed and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that I always eat alone. This is the first time I'm eating with someone, even though we don't know each other. It's something new for me, and I like it."

Amaya asked, "Oh, but why do you always eat alone? Don't you have any friends or family members?"

The man sighed and said, "I used to have some good friends, but right now, I don't have any."

Amaya nodded, "Oh, okay."

The man was about to ask something when he said, "What is your name?"

She replied, "Hi, I'm Amaya. And you?"

Before the man could tell his name, Amaya got a phone call. She received it, quickly paid the bill, and left.

While walking home, she wondered why Viranshu hadn't called or messaged her. She feared it was because she hadn't accepted his proposal. She thought perhaps he understood her situation and decided to back out, never to return. These thoughts weighed heavily on her mind as she reached her house.

She told her aunt about the job, starting the next day. For dinner, she helped her aunt, though her aunt, out of concern, didn't let her do much. They had dinner together.

As Amaya was about to sleep, her grandmother asked, "Isn't he coming to meet you? I haven't seen you talking to him on the phone or meeting him."

Amaya replied, "Who?"

Her grandmother said, "Don't be silly. I'm talking about Viranshu."

Amaya said, "Grandma, People always leave, and I think he has too."

Her grandmother made a sad face and said, "Don't say that, dear. I have seen love in his eyes for you, and I know he can't leave you."

Amaya thought, "I wish, Grandma." With that, she went to sleep.

🦋
The next day, Amaya woke up, got ready, and went to her first day at her new job. At the mall, the manager explained her duties, which she quickly understood. Since it was a weekday morning, there weren't many customers initially. However, as the afternoon progressed, more people arrived, and Amaya helped them choose clothes, offering advice on what might suit them best. The customers were pleased with her assistance.

Amaya then noticed a man staring at her. She recognized him as the same person from the restaurant the previous day. At first, she ignored him, but as he continued to stare, she grew frustrated. Finally, she approached him and asked, "Hey you, what's your problem?"

The man, taken aback, replied, "My problem? Nothing."

Amaya continued, "Why are you continuously staring at me? I've been noticing you for a while now."

The man tried to explain, "No, you got it wrong. I was just..."

Amaya interrupted, "Please, I already know the type of man you are. You were the same person who met me yesterday, and now you've followed me here. What do you think? Should I call the police?"

Her loud voice drew the attention of the manager, who quickly came over and asked what was happening. Amaya explained, "This man is following me."

The manager looked at her in disbelief. "Are you stupid, Amaya? But sir, he is..." she started to say, but the manager interrupted, "He is the owner of this mall, Amaya. And you think he's following you? Please."

Embarrassed, Amaya turned to the man and said, "I am really sorry, sir. I didn't know that. Please, don't fire me. I really need this job. Please, sir, I'm really sorry. I won't repeat this."

The man, trying to calm her, said, "Shut up and listen to me first." He continued, "I am not firing you, okay? I know you are new here. When you said I was staring at you, I was just looking at you because I thought I had seen you before. When you told me we met yesterday, then I remembered. That's it. Please, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Amaya, feeling even more embarrassed, said, "No, no, sorry, it's not your mistake, it's mine. Please..."

The man interrupted, "It's fine. Just be more careful next time."

Amaya apologized once more before returning to her duties, still feeling the sting of embarrassment.

At night, as Amaya was about to leave for home, she noticed it was raining heavily outside. She stood at the bus stop, hoping for the last bus, but soon realized she might have missed it. She considered calling Viranshu but then reminded herself that she needed to solve her problems on her own. She tried booking a cab, but none were available due to the rain.

While waiting, she saw a car approaching, which stopped in front of her. The window rolled down, and she recognized her boss. "You are still here?" he asked.

She smiled slightly and said, "Yes, sir, I was waiting for the bus."

He looked around and said, "It's raining, Amaya. I don't think any buses will come right now. Come on, I'll drop you."

Amaya hesitated, "No, no, sir, it's fine. You can go, I can manage."

Her boss insisted, "You want to apologize for misbehaving with me, right? Then let me drop you, and I'll forgive you."

Reluctantly, Amaya agreed, "But sir..."

"No buts, come inside," he said firmly.

Amaya got into the car and gave him her address. On the way, he asked her a few questions about her family. When they reached her house, she thanked him and went inside.

As soon as she entered, her aunt immediately asked, "Did you get the salary?"

Surprised, Amaya replied, "Aunt, it's just my first day. Who gives employees their salary on the first day?"

Disappointed, her aunt walked away, knowing she was wrong. She turned back and asked, "Who dropped you? I saw you from the window. This was a different car from the last one, the man who put the gun on me. Who is he?"

Amaya replied, "He is my boss. I was late and it was raining, so he gave me a ride."

Her aunt sarcastically remarked, "Good, very good. You know how to trap rich people."

Frustrated, Amaya said, "Please, Aunt, give me a break," and went to her room. She sat on her chair, feeling an unusual anger. Her aunt always said such things, and she was used to it, but today it felt different. She didn't realize it was because she missed Veeranshu's presence, a constant she had grown used to.

Amaya settled into her daily routine: waking up early, heading to her job, working tirelessly throughout the day, and returning home exhausted. The work was demanding, but she found moments of solace in brief conversations with her coworkers. Occasionally, her boss would stop by to ask about her day and check on how things were going. She appreciated his attention, thinking to herself how fortunate she was to have such a considerate boss who genuinely cared about his employees.

A week had passed without any word from Veeranshu. The initial hurt and confusion gradually gave way to resignation. Amaya had come to terms with the idea that Veeranshu, like others before him, had left her. She accepted it as another chapter in her life where people came and went, leaving her to fend for herself.

🦋

Veeranshu came back to his house with Sameer and Vikrant after a one-week trip. They were all exhausted and went straight to their rooms to sleep. The next morning, Veeranshu woke up early. Seeing that Sameer and Vikrant were still asleep, he decided not to disturb them.

He picked up his phone and checked it, expecting to find a message from Amaya. To his surprise, there was nothing. He thought to himself, how mean she is-she didn't even message me once during the whole week. Frustrated, he dialed her number, but the call was cut off after a single ring. He tried again, and the same thing happened. He sent her a message: "Are you that busy in the morning that you are cutting my phone?"

Amaya saw the message but chose not to reply. Veeranshu called her several more times, but each time, the call was cut off. Eventually, the call wouldn't even go through-it just kept beeping. He realized that she had blocked his number. Furious, he shouted, "Fine! If you don't want to talk to me, then fine!" and threw his phone across the room in anger.

After some time, Veeranshu went outside his room and shouted, "Sameer!"

With that one shout, Sameer woke up and came out of his room, asking, "What happened, Bhai?

Can you see the time? Where is my breakfast?"

Veeranshu shouted again, "Go and make something, okay? If you can't, leave this house."

Sameer understood that something was wrong but was confused about what had happened to Veeranshu this early in the morning. Not wanting to provoke him further, he went to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast.

Vikrant also came out and asked, "What happened? Why are you shouting?"

Veeranshu replied, "It's my house, I can shout whenever I want, okay? Do you have any problem?"

Vikrant said nothing. When they were having breakfast, Veeranshu was quiet. He then said, "Sameer, after breakfast, go and buy me a new phone."

Sameer asked, "What happened to your old one?"

Veeranshu replied, "Just do whatever I said, okay? Don't ask questions."

Sameer nodded. Vikrant asked, "Are you angry because of whatever happened in the meeting and all these past few days?"

Veeranshu asked, "What do you mean?"

Vikrant replied, "Is it because we didn't find Max there? We don't know where he is now, what he's doing, or what he's planning. We have no idea. Is that why you're frustrated? But you were fine till last night. So, what happened to you now? And now, please don't shout at me, okay?"

Veeranshu said, "No, it's not that."

Vikrant asked, "Then what happened?"

"It's Amaya," Veeranshu replied.

Vikrant asked, "What about her?"

Veeranshu explained, "The whole week, she didn't call or message me. I was busy, I didn't have time to talk to her. But she didn't call or message me either. When I called her a while ago, she cut my call. I messaged her, she saw the message but didn't reply. And when I called her again, she blocked me."

"And you broke your phone?" Vikrant asked.

"Yes," Veeranshu admitted.

Sameer laughed and said, "Bhai, these girls are like this."

Veeranshu asked, "What do you mean?"

Sameer explained, "You're thinking that she didn't call you this whole week. What about her? She was also thinking that you didn't call or message her for the whole week. That's why she cut your call."

Veeranshu said, "But I was busy."

Sameer replied, "But she didn't know that, right? You didn't tell her."

Veeranshu said, "I didn't expect it to take so much time for me to return. I thought it would be a one-day job. But we didn't find Max, and that's why it took time."

Sameer said, "But still, it's your mistake. And now you have to go and meet her, right?"

Veeranshu nodded, "Yeah, I know."

🦋
On her way to work, Amaya thought, "Why is he calling me now? What does he want? Does he really think I don't have any self-respect? That whenever he wants, he can come into my life, and whenever he wants, he can just leave without even telling me? Now I don't want him."

With that thought, she went to her job. Throughout the day, she kept wondering, "Did I do the right thing by blocking him? Should I unblock him?" But then she thought, "No, I can't unblock him right now. What will he think? That I'm a fool? But he gifted me this phone. I blocked him with the phone he gifted me. That's so...inhuman."

Her boss came by and asked, "Where are you? What are you thinking?"

Startled, she said, "Nothing, sir. I was just doing my work."

Her boss said, "Don't worry. Relax, okay? I was just asking. Do your work. I'm leaving."

"Okay, sir," she replied.

When she was about to leave the mall, she took her stuff and headed towards the exit, only to collide with her boss at the entrance. She apologized profusely, "I'm really sorry, sir."

Her boss said, "It's fine. It's also my mistake. I didn't see you either."

Amaya continued, "I'm really sorry, sir."

Her boss said, "It's fine. Relax. And please, can you stop calling me 'sir' again and again?"

"But you are my sir," she insisted.

Her boss replied, "Yeah, but when you call me 'sir,' it feels like I'm a 60-year-old man."

Amaya laughed and asked, "Then what should I call you?"

Her boss replied, "Call me by my name."

With an expressionless face, Amaya asked, "And what is that?"

Her boss smiled and said, "Max."

▪︎☆☆☆☆☆▪︎

This is >3100 words..

I tried to make the chapter a little bit lengthy from the last one.

Do tell me you if i should continue writhing the lengthy chapters or i should make it short.

You didn't complete the target but still I'm updating but dont hope this for next time.

Target for next update

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