“You people seriously have no habit of doing things properly… When I clearly instructed that the contract should be signed and on my table by yesterday, then why is it still pending?”

“Sorry, sir…”

“I don’t want to hear any apologies. I want the work done right now. Shirt production at the factory must begin immediately. And let me make it very clear, if there’s even the slightest delay, then everyone on this team will face a deduction in their income. No exceptions.”

The moment he said this, both Divyanshi and Mantra looked at him together. As soon as he noticed their gaze, he turned his face first towards Mantra and then towards Divyanshi. Both of them were just silently staring at him. He gestured to his assistant with his hand to leave the room, and once the assistant had left, he looked at Mantra and said in a sarcastic tone,

“Did deducting everyone's income help reduce your anger even a little? Or are you planning to deduct my income too, just to satisfy your fury?”

Devraj gave him a strange look, clearly irritated, and replied in a firm and serious tone,

“We are partners...”

“Oh shit … Your terrifying anger made me forget even that.”

As soon as he said that, Divyanshi burst out laughing and gave Mantra a high-five. Mantra, too, laughed along with her, still looking at Devraj with amusement. Devraj watched both of them for a moment before commenting,

“You two are clearly enjoying this way too much.”

“Absolutely we are! And tell me something, honestly, why do you get angry at every little thing? Your temper is always sitting right on your nose… You never even consider that this excessive anger isn’t good for you or anyone else around you... But no, once you get angry, you refuse to calm down, no matter what.”

“I really don’t need to hear lectures that sound like they’re coming from a wife...”

Hearing this, Divyanshi laughed even louder, clutching her stomach, while Mantra turned to her, raised both his hands as if surrendering, and said,

“Please… I have no interest in becoming your wife. I’m totally straight and very much into women, not into you at all. And even if by some accident I had been born a woman, I still wouldn’t have liked you, because your temper is simply unbearable! There’s one thing I’ve never understood about you. Fine, you don’t like certain things, and it’s natural to get upset about them. Could you consider finding a way to distract yourself or engage in something else to help manage your anger? …. Whether you're frustrated at me or at someone else, you just continue holding on to that anger without trying to release it or look at the situation properly. And today, you shouted unnecessarily at that poor assistant, when in reality the contract only arrived yesterday. There were a few critical points in it that I still needed to review. I was going to check them, and then I would’ve signed it, followed by your signatures, and only after that could anything proceed further... My brother, please—change yourself a little. This excessive anger is not healthy at all. And what's the big deal if we went out to party? You’re becoming more and more tense with each passing day.”

Devraj was about to say something to him when suddenly Mantra’s phone began to ring. He instantly raised his hand to signal Devraj to stay quiet. Devraj immediately understood—it had to be Mishti’s call. No one else ever got this much attention from him. Mantra quickly picked up the call.

“Yes, Betu…”

“Bhai, I urgently need ₹120,000. I came here shopping with my friends, and I found two dresses I really loved.”

“Alright, no problem at all. I’ll transfer the money right now.”

He hung up the phone and immediately began transferring the money to his sister’s account. Devraj, who had been watching Mantra closely the entire time, shifted his gaze toward his sister, who was sitting nearby and smiling sweetly at Mantra. Observing the moment Devraj said with a slight smirk.

“I know exactly why you’re smiling. I’ve kept your shopping allowance strictly limited, no matter how much you try to get around it—I’m not increasing it. But this fool here doesn’t even pay attention to his sister’s growing habits, although he really should.”

Mantra turned his head toward him, put his phone aside after transferring money, and calmly leaned his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his palm as he stared at Devraj. Divyanshi wanted to laugh at his pose, but instead, she just kept watching him silently. Mantra then spoke softly and thoughtfully:

“Mishti is full of life, bubbly, and mischievous. She does whatever she wants. She parties, hangs out with her friends, stays out late, shops as much as she likes, and never stops herself from pursuing what she loves. Yes, I agree; sometimes she does things she shouldn’t. We’ve clearly asked her not to get herself into trouble, not to drive recklessly, not to bother anyone, and to stay away from all kinds of intoxication... But I’ve observed her closely; she seems more drawn toward the things I specifically tell her not to do. She wanted to experience fast driving, just to see what the thrill was about. She had no idea it could lead to an accident. Despite my warning, she still drove recklessly. Thereafter, I took the car away from her. It was my responsibility to explain it to her. Whether or not she listens is up to her. And if I ever feel she did something wrong, I believe it’s my duty to guide her again. But I never want to restrict her freedom. She deserves to experience everything in life. She has every right to make her own choices…. And about allowance, I love whenever my loved one takes anything from my money…. Come on, dude, I am doing everything for my family.”

Devraj listened intently, but not a single word sat right with him. These ideas clashed entirely with his personal principles. To assert his viewpoint, he immediately countered,

“And what about her sudden increase in shopping bills? What’s the justification for that?”

“First of all, I’ve never set a fixed budget for her—and I don’t intend to. Neither did my parents, nor do I believe I have the right to do so. My belief is simple: as long as my sister is with me and I’m capable of providing, I will give her whatever she wants. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. Maybe I’m spoiling her, maybe not, but right now, these are her days to enjoy life. Soon, college will end, and she’ll enter the world of work, maybe join a business, or take up a job. She’ll make her own decisions, learn how to manage expenses, and discover what matters most. Life always teaches us the difference between right and wrong, eventually. I can’t force anything on her. She will learn through her own experiences. She will make mistakes—I’m repeating myself—but my role is to be there to help her correct those mistakes, not to control her.”

Devraj started looking around the room, clearly disagreeing with everything he had just heard. Divyanshi, who had been quietly watching them, turned to Mantra and said,

“Honestly, I never even wanted to work with you people after finishing college. I wanted a small job—something where I could learn a lot independently… But he never let me take up any job. And now, in this business partnership with you two, I’ve been forcefully placed here. I can’t learn anything properly, nor can I explore anything new, because he thinks he can handle everything himself. Every time I try to do something new, he suddenly transforms into the ‘big brother’ mode and takes over all the work himself. I’ve ended up just sitting here, watching you two all day.”

“Well, I don’t think there could be anything better than that.”

Mantra suddenly quipped, making both Devraj and Divyanshi glance at him. Realizing his words, he quickly added with a grin,

“I mean, at least you’re sitting here watching us, which is way better. If you were out working at some other job, there would be an entire army of bodyguards trailing you everywhere. This guy here would’ve been camping outside your office by now, driving your HR mad. At least here, he works and lets others work too.”

Divyanshi nodded in agreement, unable to deny it. Just then, there was a knock on the cabin door. The door swung open, and Mishti stood there. Mantra immediately stood up with a wide smile and ran to hug her. Devraj stared at her closely—she was wearing a crop top that exposed her waist, and her jeans were ripped at several places. His face twisted in disapproval as he turned back to his file, burying himself in work. Mantra beamed at Mishti and said,

“You were at the mall nearby?”

“Yes, and the moment billing was done, I ran straight here. I didn’t have the car, remember?”

“Well, regardless of what you do, you won’t be getting that car back for the next month. Now come on, show me what you bought.”

Devraj looked at both of them again, clearly unimpressed. He disliked personal distractions during office hours. But Mishti often visited just to meet her brother. The close bond between Mishti and her brother irritated him. Devraj had always expected Mantra to behave more maturely, particularly because he was eight years older than Mishti. He expected the same responsible behavior from Mantra that he tried to maintain with his sister. As Mantra examined the dress, quickly looking at her in surprise, Mishti smiled and said brightly,

“This morning you were telling Mom how you needed a new suit for that big event but didn’t have the opportunity to get one, so you’d have to wear the old one. I had plenty of time, so I bought this new suit for my handsome brother…”

Upon hearing this, Devraj briefly glanced at her; the genuine joy reflected in her smile showed how happy she felt after gifting something to her brother. Mantra looked at her with soft affection, admired the suit, kissed her on the forehead, and said,

“Thank you so much, my lovely sister. But even then, you’re still not getting the car keys.”

Mishti instantly started chasing her brother around the room. The smile that had just appeared on Devraj’s face vanished as quickly as it came. Divyanshi stepped in and took Mishti out of the cabin, still smiling as she did so. Mantra looked toward Devraj, who had already resumed working. Mantra shook his head slightly, knowing well how much Devraj disliked even the smallest signs of disrespect. Mantra then turned his attention back to the suit and began inspecting it carefully.

Outside the cabin, Divyanshi poured two cups of coffee and said to Mishti with a grin,

“Girl, you really picked an amazing suit… I love it. Mantra’s going to look so smart in it.”

“My brother is already super smart.”

Her confident tone made Divyanshi chuckle. Looking through the transparent office wall at Devraj’s stern face, Mishti teasingly asked,

“And what’s this mafia don going to wear?”

The moment Mishti heard this playful title for Devraj, she burst into laughter, but Mishti explained.

“Just hearing his name gives full-on mafia vibes. Thank God Devraj Thakral wasn’t born in the era of bandits—he would’ve been feared across the land: Dacoit Devraj Thakral is coming… Even his aura screams, “Mafia boss…. So fearful, killer, if you say a single word, I will kill you.”

“True…”

Divyanshi agreed, and both girls laughed heartily. Sitting inside, Mantra watched them through the glass wall and smiled softly to himself. Their bond always made his heart a little lighter.