Somewhere, on the way to Jaitser 12: 30 p.m.
Shiv considered himself a calm, rational man. He liked to hear both sides of the story before he passed judgement. However, an unfamiliar array of emotions raged through him at this moment as his wife narrated the events of the past few days. He had trusted that Jagdish had changed; that he wanted to spend his life working for the people of Jaitser and he wanted to be with his family. Wrong. He did not know why or what had happened to bring about this new change in Jagdish. All he knew was that his wife was scared; terrified that Jagdish would ruin what they had together. He heard her say that Jagdish would take the reason of his existence, the person he thanked God for bringing into his life, away from him. This Shiv would not allow. Not after he knew that she wanted to be with him and him only. His thoughts and the sight of her tears created an emotional furor within him that he couldn't seem to brush away. Why had Jagdish turned out this way? He would have to find out. At this moment though, he needed to calm his heart and his wife down. His heart that was beating so fast, he was sure his wife had heard the pounding and the dhakdhak sounds it seemed to be making. He absently put a fist onto his chest and rubbed it, soothing himself. It was as if the organ was trying to warn him, to make him panic. Drawing a deep breath, he took his wife's hand in his own and said, 'Nothing will happen to me. I'll always be here, right beside you, forever.' Anandi had not said anything, just placed her head on his shoulder, and as if on cue Shiv had placed his other arm around her holding her close. Anandi breathed his name, and closed her eyes. Even if momentarily, she was at peace.
Jaitser Collector Offices 2:30 p.m.
Anandi sat through the interviews with the contractors. So far Vikram Singh was the only man she thought trustworthy. He had insisted that he wouldn't compromise on quality but the materials may be a bit expensive. He had said he would use the best labourers and work hard. He had assured them that the deadlines would be met. Her mind was made up, Vikram would have the deal. It remained to be seen if Shiv agreed with her. He had to.
Mumbai 4 p.m
'Shreya!Shreya! Please concentrate on your moves!I want better expressions! Work harder please!', the choreographer yelled. Shreya sighed; she would be here forever. She had to message Mahi or he would think she was arrogant and not interested. 'Sorry for the late reply but my shoot will finish late; wanted to see you but maybe another time.' x Shreya.
As Mahi read the message, a strange feeling came over him. Perhaps like a child who in anticipation of his favorite friend had done nothing else all day but look forward to that moment, only to find out that the friend was not coming. He sat in the stadium with a dejected look on his face, when an idea popped into his head. If the girl couldn't come out for coffee then he would take coffee to the girl. Yes, he had invited her for drinks and had hoped that it would materialize into dinner but for now coffee would have to do.
Somewhere in Rajasthan, 8 p.m.
Jagya stared into the fire as it burned and felt the same fire burn within him; his first step to the revenge he had planned. His eyes flashed as he thought of what had transpired earlier. Anandi had reacted exactly the way he had known she would. She had picked the wrong man. Jagya had trained Vikram Singh to say all the right things knowing Anandi would not fall for promises of cheap that the other contractors were making. She would want someone who stated that quality would not be compromised. However, little did she know that all she had heard was what Jagya had been telling him to say through the bluetooth device hidden in his ear. If only that silly girl had read all the quotations carefully, she would notice that the so called cheaper rates were not that cheap. The contractors were just uttering all that to appease Shiv and Anandi. But alas, she was too worried about her dear collector saab to see sense and reason even when it stared her right in the face. Jagya continued to stare at the fire with an evil glint in his eye, the game had begun. Next step: sabotage! Slowly but surely! Poor collector saab, that is what he got for refusing to pay heed; for stealing what was rightfully Jagya's.
Jagya's plan in his head was laid out: Vikram Singh was going to employ temporary labourers, ones who could not be traced and use cheap sand and cheaper cement, a mixture of both. Eventually, Vikram Singh and Jagya would cause the bridge to fall injuring, even killing the workers. The responsibility would fall on collector saab and poor Anandi! Charges: manslaughter! Jagya began to laugh at what his devilish mind imagined to be a brilliant plan.
Then there was her family, sure fire way to hurt Shiv. Her father-in-law exported handicrafts; he would have to find a way of landing him in trouble too.
Mumbai 10:30 p.m
Shreya walked towards her car after pack-up, disappointed that she hadn't been able to see Mahi. The wind was blowing very strongly and she ran towards her car not wanting to be caught in a storm; as she ran she noticed someone standing by her car with a hoodie and something in his hand. She hoped it wasn't a reporter or worse, someone wanting to attack her. She was exhausted and she just wanted to go home. She didn't make eye contact and looked for her keys as she ran. She didn't notice and tripped over something, propelling forward, considering she had been running fast and landed straight into the waiting arms of the hooded stranger but it wasn't a stranger, it was the amethyst eyes, it was Mahi. Her hair had covered her eyes as she had fallen into his arms literally, and he whispered as he gently placed it behind her ear. 'I brought you coffee', he whispered pointing towards the car, as she noticed two cups on the roof of the car. She smiled at him then, thinking of how amazing he was, 'I haven't had dinner yet', she whispered staring into the amethyst eyes not wanting to avert her gaze. He released her from his arms as he took the keys from her hand and unlocked the car. 'Fine, let's do it your way; I know this amazing diner nearby', Mahi said. Shreya smiled at him and after he got into the car, folded her hands, looked up to the sky and whispered, 'thank you, thank you thank you', and walked towards the passenger seat.