"What exactly were you thinking while accepting the offer from that evil git?" Ritu exploded soon after Jai vanished from her line of sight. She stared furiously at Shreya and yelled aloud, "Now where does your 'explain this to your dadabhai' go?"

Shreya examined the strawberry box for a quick second before glancing up as their eyes locked. "I don't think there's any harm receiving a box of fresh fruits from the market. There's little to no possibility of them getting poisoned."

Ritu stared at her sister-in-law, aghast. This was the same person who reacted overdramatically while Jai dropped her to the villa.

Ritu threw up her free hand. "I just can't believe this!" She then turned toward Irfan and gritted her teeth. "Get me out of here, as soon as possible."

Irfan nodded curtly and hurried to open the car door.

The rest of the journey was distressingly silent. No one talked until they reached Ishani. Ritu's pent-up anger was bubbling inside her.

As their car was about to roll into the driveway, Shreya broke the silence with her irritatingly soft voice. "I'll not tell Abhimanyu about this encounter. But you'll have to promise me one thing."

Ritu scowled. "And why would I do that?"

Shreya quietly responded, "I know you don't like me that much. But I'm still your family. I only want what's good for you. And right now, it's crucial for you to stay away from Jai."

Ritu's brows furrowed immediately as the last words rolled out of Shreya's mouth. She was about to counter sharply when Shreya added, "You're not understanding the severity of the situation. Jai is a nice and capable man. And he's right now needy. My instinct tells me, he can go to any extent to unearth the truth of her grandfather's murder. You can be an easy target if he happens to go down that path."

Ritu fell from the sky. "And which of my behavior toward him makes you think that I'm willing to get close to that evil git?"

Shreya shrugged. "I don't know. But it's been quite a few chaotic encounters between you two for them to be just accidental." She paused for several seconds making Ritu exasperated before adding, "I'm just trying to caution you. Avoid getting close to that man."

Ritu huffed and rolled her eyes. This overdramatic woman! "I wasn't trying to in the first place! But anyway, thank you for your advice. I'll keep that in mind. Now can we go inside? I've had enough of this drama!"

Hey Krishna! Why are you so unfair? Ritu groaned mentally. Whatever she did, it always ended in her stuck in another set of drawbacks. Everyone misunderstood her. And she was tired of explaining herself for not being guilty.

Upon entering the villa, an unexpected surprise caught on. Jeet, Abhiraj and Vijay were sitting with a person she had least expected to see. It was Navneet.

"Navi! What a surprise! How come?" Ritu strode forward with renewed enthusiasm.

"Hey, Ritz!" A broad smile broke free on his face as Navneet arose and walked over to meet Ritu midway. Both of them raised their hands, clapped them together in midair before bumping shoulder to shoulder. Additionally, Navi patted her back with his free hand. "Good to see you standing."

"Same to you!" Ritu made a face. "But what a surprise? How come you're here?"

Navneet turned toward others, briefly said, "Excuse us," before kneeling in front of Ritu. "Hop on my back. Quick!"

Ritu furrowed her brows in confusion but did as was asked. Navneet used to give her countless piggyback ridings when they were young and visited each-other's places. Although he was younger than her by five months, she quite enjoyed it. One reason was also because, Gyan rarely gave her such princess treatment. Gyan's love language had always been joking, teasing, and bantering.

Navneet called out while carrying her to the staircase, "Abhiraj uncle, can you please send some snacks and drinks to Ritu's room? We're going to be needing them for a good cause."

"Sure thing." Abhiraj approved before adding, "But be careful with her. She's still recovering."

"Don't worry uncle. I'm here."

Ritu quite enjoyed the ride and completely forgot about the commotion she and Shreya just faced at the market.

Once inside her room, Navneet broke the secret dramatically. He sat her down on the edge of her bed, then whirled around and bowed 90 degrees with a hand bent behind him and another stretched in front of him while holding an envelope.

Ritu raised her eyebrows curiously while eyeing the envelope floating in front of her eyes. "What is this?"

Navneet tilted his head up without changing his posture then shoved the envelope right on to her face. "You'll only know when you see it, idiot. Open it!"

Navneet plopped down beside her while she struggled to get a hold of the envelope before it slipped from her hold. Ritu opened the envelope with renewed curiosity. The first thing her eyes landed upon was the famous label name. Studio SaReGaMaPa. Naturally, they expanded into the size of golf balls before an audible gasp escaped her lips. "This can't be true! This is... huge! Oh my god, Navi!"

Navneet flashed a satisfied grin while Ritu scanned through the paper. Navneet got signed with the renowned music company to record his first album. "Navi...this is not what I was expecting! Does Gyan know?"

"Of course!" Navneet scoffed. "Half of my project will be unfinished if Gyan isn't there. Here," he pointed to the last para of the contract. "Look."

Ritu read with a weird kind of satisfaction. The clause clearly stated that Gyan, despite being out of the country, would be heavily involved in the production process through remote collaborations. The recording company had agreed to accommodate Gyan's absence by setting up state-of-the-art communication and recording facilities that would allow him to participate seamlessly from abroad.

"It's all set up perfectly. Just as per our liking," Navneet continued, his excitement palpable. "Gyan and I have had a talk earlier today. He's excited more than myself."

Ritu nodded, feeling reassured. "I guess technology really does make anything possible. When does the recording start?"

"Next week," Navneet replied. "We've already scheduled our first virtual session with Gyan. This album is going to be something special. Gyan's really expectant of its-" He was about to say more but paused unceremoniously as Ram entered the room with the requested snacks tray.

After Ram left, Ritu said quietly, "Just make sure everything goes smoothly." Her tone softened as she added, "This is a big opportunity for you both, and I hope Gyan can find solace in it as he deserved rightfully."

Navneet didn't respond immediately as he was tearing a pack of chips. His eyes and hands were busy but Ritu knew his mind was thinking how to procure a response to that. He was aware that Gyan's pursuit of music wasn't welcomed in their family. Abhiraj would never approve his futile chase for a music career.

After a dragged pause, Navneet threw a piece of chip into his mouth before saying, "Don't worry. Trust me. We got this. With Gyan on board, I'm confident everything will be amazing. We're going to make some incredible music together."

Ritu smiled, feeling a sense of pride and anticipation for what was to come. As Navneet flashed a smile back at her, she knew that this album would mark the beginning of an extraordinary journey for both him and Gyan.

"Have you talked to Gyan recently?" Ritu enquired as she sipped on the orange juice.

"Oh yes. In the morning. In fact, we talk every other day."

Ritu made a face that clearly expressed her disgust along with dejection. "Why wouldn't he call me then?"

Navneet munched on another chip with a scowl. "Look, I really don't understand what goes on between you siblings. It's too complicated for my understanding. But if you want, I can set up a FaceTime call for you two."

Ritu frowned complainingly. "No! Why should I give in first? He should call first."

Navneet smacked lightly on the back of her head. "Neither of you are giving in. It's me who'll call him. I'm ready to be sacrificed between you two. Happy now?"

Ritu rolled her eyes and pretended to focus on sipping the juice.

Navneet shook his head seeing her adamance. Then he pulled her laptop that was already resting on her bed and opened it.

"Hey, you got a new email from your college."

"What is it?" Ritu asked with half-interest. She was not in the mood right now to care about her college's spam emails. Code of conduct and blah blah blah.

Navneet took a few moments as he went through the email before responding, "Your graduation fashion show is going to be held on July 17th. There're some options mentioned for theme and they're trying to get an artist to perform live on that day. This is amazing, Ritz." Navneet's eyes twinkled as he shifted his gaze from the screen to her.

"Oh great!" Ritu threw her hands. "Now I'll have to wreck my brain to decide on a theme too? I thought the theme will be fixed. What are the themes?" She asked curiously.

"Universe, Mythology and Fantasy, Contemporary Ethnicity, Futuristic and Tech-infused, Nature and Wildlife, Avant-Garde, Art and Architecture, Vintage and Retro, and the last one is, Fusion. Wow...some really well thought themes. What're you gonna choose?"

"I... don't know?!" Ritu cried out in a matter-of-factly tone. "Additionally, I'll have to select the colors, pick the fabrics and materials...and most of all, find my MODELS! I need at least 11 to 13 people."

"You've got enough time. Get to work," Navneet stated sagely as he opened another tab to video call Gyan. "I hope he's free now."

"Don't tell him about the situation here." Ritu cautioned quickly.

"I won't, don't worry. Now put a smile on your face and greet your brother."