Viraj paced the entire length of his room in frustration. He didn't understand why he felt so restless.

'I did the right thing... She had to be taught a lesson. She can't just ignore me...for anyone.' He told himself.

But, still, the restlessness didn't go.

Her tears bothered him...more than he had expected. Her slightly shaky lips and her blinking eyes replayed in his mind. He knew she was trying to hold back her tears as he insulted her pine cone. He hated it more than her ignorance. And the fact that she didn't argue with him for throwing the pine cone, infuriated him further. She should have told him something. What is wrong with him?

"She could have apologized! She should have said sorry for ignoring me. I would have accepted that cheap pine cone gladly then. But, no! She had to give her excuses, instead of apologizing!" He talked to himself as he paced around in irritation.

Her watery eyes flashed in front of him again. And he wanted to throw something really hard.

He was angry beyond words... again. But, at whom now?

During supper too, Ananya raised the issue. But he dismissed her easily. And, seeing his high temper, she too remained quiet.

However, as he retired to bed early, he couldn't sleep. Her sad and confused face kept on haunting him. She was messing with his peace of mind.

So, finally, he decided to see her. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he needed to see her. And, it didn't matter to him as to what time it was. He wore his casual clothes quickly and fetched the car keys from the table. Keeping the gun on the waistline, he exited his room.

"I'll drive." He told the driver when he ran towards him.

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Viraj contemplated if he should enter her home or should he call her outside instead. He decided to go with the latter option. So, he took out his phone and called her mobile number.

The ring went till the end but she didn't answer. He tried again. Still no response. The lights in the rooms were on, so, he knew they weren't asleep yet.

Thus, he called her again. Patiently, he called her five times. But at the sixth call, his patience was gone. Her phone was switched off and he knew she did it deliberately.

'Are you ******* kidding me?' He cursed internally at the revelation while looking at his phone.

He needed to see her...now. All rationality went out of the window.

So, he came out of his car and walked in the direction of her house. He rang the bell twice and hoped it would be her who'd open the door. He didn't want to go through the parents' drama.

Unfortunately for him, it was her father who opened the door.

"Mr Khatri?" Shankar questioned in a confused tone.

Sneha's brows automatically narrowed as she saw him. Her frown deepened when she noticed him looking at her.

"Mr Bohra, I need to talk to your daughter for a while." He asked in a straight tone while giving her a glance.

Sneha looked at her father and internally prayed that her father would take her side. Of course, he would.

"About what?" Shankar asked Viraj, still not inviting him in, as he did last time.

"Confidential, Mr Bohra." Viraj added, a little irritated that he had to ask for his permission for talking to Sneha. But then again, Shankar was her father...while he was her...nothing.

Shankar was confused. What confidential thing was there to discuss with Sneha, he wondered. He didn't want to let his daughter be alone with this man, nor could he straightaway decline. He didn't want to hit Viraj's ego as he had heard multiple colourful stories about him.

Shankar looked at Sneha who only raised her brows.

"Okay, please come in." Shankar finally said. Her daughter's life and honour were more important to him than anything.

"I'd prefer to talk outside, Mr Bohra." Viraj added, not preferring to enter the little house.

Shankar almost glared at him.

"It's nighttime, Mr Khatri. Let's talk inside, comfortably?" Shankar insisted.

"I am more comfortable outside." Viraj explained, still not understanding Shankar's intentions. The men had a real good staring contest.

Shankar was about to contradict when Sneha interrupted.

"Papa, I'll be back in a minute." She asked her father. It was her mess and she should clean it.

Shankar looked at her in concern. After giving it a thought, he replied.

"I'll wait for you here." Her father said as he stood at the door. Sneha nodded and walked towards Viraj. She was a grown-up and could solve her problems herself.

Viraj followed her to the street road. Sneha stood in front of his car and looked behind, at her father, who was looking at her too. She was glad that her father was keeping an eye on her. She felt safe.

Viraj stood in front of her as well. He needed privacy, and her father keeping an eye on them was uncomfortable. Nonetheless, he was fine with the fact that at least they were out of hearing range.

"What is it?" She asked finally while giving away a cold, uninterested attitude.

Viraj looked at her and could easily hear her cold tone.

"I want that pine cone." He stated.

Sneha, literally glared at him.

"No." She answered.

Viraj met his furious stare with a frown.

"What do you mean 'no'?" He asked.

"I won't give it to you." Sneha said plainly.

"I bought it." He reminded her.

"And, you threw it." She quickly said.

Viraj clenched his jaw in anger. Here, she should be apologizing for ignoring him in the afternoon, but she was only infuriating him further.

"I paid for it. So, it's still mine." He said, still not believing that he had to ask her for such a trivial thing!

"When we buy something from a store, it becomes ours. But, when we throw it, and someone else takes it, it ceases to be ours." She explained as if teaching moral values.

He didn't know how to reply to that.

"I paid 10 crores for it." He said on his behalf.

"Why did you even bid on it? Why did you bid on my item?" She asked sternly.

This time, he was prepared to answer.

"Because Ananya liked the gift you gave her. I was just doing what a brother should have done." He blatantly lied. Sneha sighed.

"You threw it saying that it wasn't worth that amount. Why do you want it then?" She asked, not understanding his change of heart.

Viraj recalled his own words. Now that he heard her say it, it did sound bitter.

He looked at the car and then at her.

"I was wrong." He accepted.

Sneha raised her brows.

"About what?"

"It was worth that amount." He elaborated, slowly.

"Then why did you throw it?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Because...because, I was angry. You ignored me for that boy while I waited for you under the scorching sun! You insulted me...on my face!" He explained.

"I didn't ignore you! Abhishek came to me and I knew he'd reach me before I'd reach you. I was just... Why is it insulting to you?" She asked, not really understanding him.

"I...must always be given priority. No matter who is in front of you, if I am there, I must be the one you meet first." He said and Sneha's frown deepened. He sounded psychopathic!

However, she'd never know the reason for his extreme attention-seeking nature. He had always wanted his mother's attention. But, his mother never paid him any heed. She either focused on Ananya or fought for her freedom from his father. She never looked at him more than needed. He had to go to her every single time so that she'd talk to him and praise him. Sometimes, she'd even scold him or simply ignore him for being so adamant. Leaving him alone was the worst she could do, that too at such a tender age. He craved attention...and if he didn't get it voluntarily, he took it by force. It was established in his mind.

'What is he? A 5 years old child?' She wondered.

Sneha didn't know what to say about that.

"Now, if you have realized your mistake, give me the pine cone." He added.

Sneha stared at him as if he were crazy.

"My pine cone?" He asked again when she continued to stare at him with those confused eyes.

She scratched her forehead. She understood that it was stupid to argue with him. He would never realize his mistake. He'd only cover it up by one or the other thing. He was just too proud.

"Sneha?" He called.

"Apologize." She demanded out of nowhere.

"What?" He asked in a pissed off tone. Viraj Khatri never apologized!

"Apologize to me for insulting me in the college and throwing the pine cone on the ground." She elaborated. He glared at her before replying.

"I don't apologize to anyone, Sneha." He stated the fact.

"Then I am sorry but I won't give it to you." She said and turned around to leave.

"It will take me only one call to ruin your life...right here...right now." He threatened her.

Sneha froze.

"I am sure you are an intelligent girl to choose the right thing for yourself and your family." He added sternly.

This time, she couldn't hold it back. Her eyes welled up with tears again and a shaky breath left her lips.

Turning around to face him, she looked at him.

"So, that's how low you want to go..." She said and a traitor tear left her eyes which she quickly wiped. Viraj stiffened as he saw her cry...again. If once wasn't enough, the second one did pain his heart. He didn't know how to make her stop crying. Why did she cry so easily, he wondered.

Sneha nodded her head.

"Fine. I'll give you the pine cone. But, please don't hurt my family." She said and ran towards her house to bring the damn wooden thing.

Viraj hit his car's tyre with his foot in frustration. He made her cry again! He was the reason for those tears...again. And, he hated it.

"Don't close the door, papa. I am returning the thitkyan (pine cone)." Sneha told her father as she ran towards her room. Priya was alarmed when she saw her sister's wet cheeks. She and her mother had already come to the drawing-room where her father explained the situation to them.

Sneha picked up the pine cone and stared at it.

'He is insane, Sneha. Don't mess with him. Don't say anything stupid again to him.' She told herself and started running towards him again. She wanted this drama to get over soon.

Her family looked at her again as she left the house.

Standing in front of him, she forwarded the pine cone. She didn't say anything this time. She had nothing to say.

And it messed up with his mind, even more, when he noticed that she wasn't even looking at him. Why she was angry at him was beyond his mind!

However, Sneha looked at him when he didn't take the pine cone from her grasp.

"I don't understand why you are angry at me? You insulted me. You ignored me. You made me wait for you. Still, you are showing this cold attitude?" He asked in frustration, still not accepting the pine cone.

'Don't say anything, Sneha... It's your job at stake...' She reminded herself.

"Here is your pine cone." She said quietly, so that he'd leave quickly. She forwarded it again but he still didn't take it.

"Why are you angry now?" He asked.

Sneha took a deep breath to calm herself. Her anger was increasing exponentially, but she kept her vent close.

"I am not angry." She muttered while staring at his chest.

"You are." He said.

"I am not angry." She repeated.

"Yes, you are."

And, that did it. The pressure broke finally.

"Why shouldn't I be? Why shouldn't I be angry at you? You say I insulted you by ignoring you and making you wait? Is that what you think insulting is? No! Insulting is when you throw someone's hard work on the ground in front of the whole college. Insulting is calling someone's hard work not worthy of giving it to even a servant. Insulting is calling someone's work not worthy of money. And, if you still think that I insulted you, then fine! I am sorry, Viraj Khatri, that I insulted you. Now, please forgive me and leave." She babbled angrily and choked by the end. Her chest rose and sank heavily as her heartbeat raised with all the anger.

Viraj was taken aback by her sudden outburst. He didn't even understand some of her words as she spoke so fast.

He slowly took the pine cone from her hand as he processed her words in his mind.

As soon as the pine cone left her fingers, she turned around to leave.

"I am sorry."

Sneha froze when she heard his heavy voice...apologizing.

'Did I imagine it?' She asked herself and turned around to face him again.

Viraj took a deep breath.

"I am sorry...for behaving like that in the college. I shouldn't have thrown this on the ground. I...shouldn't have...insulted you." The great Viraj Khatri apologized in front of this little girl. He had only ever apologized to his real mother...and never to anyone else.

Sneha stared at him dumbstruck again. She didn't know what to say. Sure she did ask him to apologize earlier, but she didn't believe he would actually do it.

Her mouth opened and closed again and again.

"I'll go now." He said confidently and started walking towards the driver's side.

"Wait." She called for him. And Viraj stopped to look at her.

"Are you...really sorry for what you did today?" She confirmed.

"I think I just said so." He answered, coming back to his earlier attitude.

"Then... prove it." She said and walked in his direction.

Viraj narrowed his brows at her, not really understanding what she meant to do.

"How..." He was about to ask when she took the pine cone from his grasp again.

"If...if you are really sorry, then pick it up from the same place where you threw it to insult me." She said and placed the pine cone on the road gently.

"And if you are not sorry, then tell me so. I'll pick it up for you." She explained.

Viraj stared at her with absolutely no expression. She was playing with him, he knew.

"It doesn't prove anything." He challenged.

"It does to me. I...fought with myself when I picked it up from the ground in the college. I want you to feel the same. But, then, you have an option here. If you want, I'll pick it up and give it to you. I have done it before, and I will do it again, if I have to." She challenged.

Viraj stepped closer to her. His eyes were blank with no emotion. However, his mind was in turmoil.

She had very smartly played with him. She challenged him over his apology. And, yet she played easy by giving him the option of not picking it up. He couldn't even threaten her with her job now. She'd only pick it up and give it to him. And, it will prove that he didn't feel guilty for his action.

Viraj squinted his eyes and looked at her while standing so close to her.

"Fine." He spoke after a while.

Viraj bent slowly and picked the pine cone from the road, which Sneha had kept less than a meter from her own feet.

Sneha shivered when he did that. He actually picked it up from the ground. He really was sorry. She realized.

Viraj held the pine cone in his hand and looked at her again...almost glaring at her.

"Satisfied?" He asked, which almost came like a statement.

Sneha visibly gulped and a shaky breath left her mouth.

"Thank you." She said, not knowing what she was thanking him for.

"Go." He only replied.

Sneha nodded and walked back towards her home. But then, she remembered something.

"Do not...please do not come to my house late at night." She told him firmly, yet politely.

"Then don't ignore my phone calls." He retorted. Sneha huffed and turned around to leave. She didn't know what to tell him. He always has a response to everything!

Without another word, he walked towards the driver's side and opened the door. After making sure that she had closed the door of her house, he left for his own house. The pine cone danced in front of him where he kept it on the top of the dashboard. And, the mere sight of it brought mixed emotions into his mind.

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"What were you thinking, Sneha?" Her father asked when she finally entered her house and closed the door. Of course, her father had seen everything, so did her mother and sister.

"He apologized for throwing the thitkyan (pine cone) in the college. So, I asked him to pick it from where he threw it." She explained herself.

Her father audibly sighed to show his disappointment in her.

"Don't challenge him again, Sneha. He is not a good man. You know what kind of businesses and people he is involved with. I don't want you getting hurt." Her father said in concern while her mother nodded.

"Okay, papa." She sighed and nodded as well.

"When are you completing the project at his house?" He asked.

"Tomorrow, it will be over." Sneha answered.

"Good. From tomorrow onwards, I don't want him near you or you getting involved with him. Got it?" He ordered.

"You are saying as if I am intentionally getting involved with him, papa!" She asked.

"I...just want you away from him."

"I know! And, I try...I really try...Fine! I will run away from his sight from now on." She said to which her father nodded.

"That will keep you safe, beta (child)." Her father added to which she nodded in understanding.

Back in her room, her sister however took a different stance.

"I am glad you taught him a lesson, di. Tit for tat." Priya said and patted her arm.

Sneha didn't reply but only replayed his actions.

He did take her by surprise today. He apologized and also picked up the pine cone from the ground! It showed...that maybe...

'Maybe...He isn't that inhumane. Perhaps...he is just a normal human being behind that weird cover.' She thought before she drifted back to sleep.

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"Bhai." Ananya gasped when she saw her brother enter the hall. She had gone to the kitchen to get some snacks for her late-night homework when she spotted him.

Viraj looked at his sister and then frowned.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" He asked. It was past 11 pm now.

"I have some assignments to do. Is that...a pine cone?" She asked as she walked in his direction.

"Yes."

"The same one that you threw in the college?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Oh my God! Are you coming from her house, right now?"

He knew who she was referring to.

"Yes."

"Bhai, you can't visit a girl's house this late at night! Her parents might scold her!" Ananya reasoned, as if she knew anything more than Viraj about middle-class girls' families. Although, the cheesy drama did help a bit here and there.

"They didn't. I am going to sleep now. Go back to your room." He told her and walked straight towards his room.

"Why did you buy it, bhai? That too at 10 crores?" She finally asked the question, fearing his anger.

He took a deep breath, confirming his annoyance.

"She gave you a gift that you liked. It was the least I could do to her. Now, I am going to sleep." He said in finality.