Page 63 of Okay Boss
She moved past them, steps so light they barely registered. “This way.”
Vikram followed, conscious of every step. Of how his shoes sounded louder than they should.
He caught the tension in her shoulders, the slight dampness at the corner of her eye. Something primal tightened in his chest. Something possessive.
Mine to protect. Mine to fix.
???
The living room seemed to shrink the moment they stepped inside.
Suresh rose at once. So did Asha.
The surprise on their faces was naked. Not anger. Not welcome. Shock. The kind that comes when something from television suddenly stands in your doorway.
For a second, no one spoke.
Then Suresh found his manners. “Please... sit.”
Chairs were adjusted. The good straight-backed one pulled forward. Asha disappeared briefly and returned with glasses of water no one touched.
Divya stayed near the dining table. Away from them.
Harshit sat first. Vikram followed. Suresh remained standing a moment longer, as if choosing whether to face them as host or father.
Finally, he sat.
Harshit inclined his head slightly. “Mr. Mathur... Mrs. Mathur... we are deeply sorry for coming without notice. And we are deeply sorry for what your family is going through.”
The words were formal but not hollow.
Suresh’s jaw tightened.
“Sorry?” he repeated quietly. “For four days my daughter’s name has been dragged through every channel. And this is not the first time. People I have known for twenty years are calling to ask what arrangement we have made.Arrangement.”
The word cracked in his mouth.
Asha lowered her eyes.
“I walked in the park two days ago,” Suresh continued, voice thick. “Three men approached me, asking if I was ‘that girl’s father.’ They took photographs when I refused to answer. I’ve spent decades building a name that commanded respect. Now neighbors whisper behind closed doors. Aditya’s friends have been told to steer clear until this ‘matter’ is resolved.”
He paused, swallowing hard. “My daughter studied. She earned everything she has. She went into your world to work, not to be discussed like this.”
When Suresh stopped, it was not because he was finished. It was because he had run out of air.
Harshit spoke carefully. “You are right to be angry. If this were my daughter, I would be the same.”
Suresh gave a short, humorless laugh. “Would you? With respect, sir, you live in a different world. For you, headlines are business. For us, they are humiliation.”
Harshit absorbed that. “This is not business to me. It is my son’s life. And your daughter’s life.”
Silence.
“The statements are not working,” Harshit continued. “Every denial creates new suspicion. Every clarification gives the media another angle. We have tried the usual methods. They have failed.”
Suresh looked at Vikram then. “And what does your son say?”
Vikram met his gaze. “I did not plan this. But I will not walk away from it.”
