Avni had returned home. Upon entering, she looked at her mother, who sat holding her head in her hands. Ever since Avni had left, her aunt had not missed a single opportunity to taunt and lecture her mother.

Avni knew she had to arrange a different place to live as soon as possible. However, she had no money. The savings she had brought with her had been taken by her aunt. Even today, when Avni needed money to go meet Pinky, she had to beg her aunt, who begrudgingly handed her a mere ₹100.

While Avni was pondering her next move, her phone began to ring. She checked the screen and recognized the number. She quickly answered and pressed the phone to her ear. “Ashok ji,” she said.

A man’s voice replied from the other end, “Yes Avni, it’s Ashok speaking. Look, Avni, I won’t lie to you. To be honest, we don’t know anything about Vivek. But since you are Vivek’s younger sister and have come here to find him, I’ll tell you about a man without troubling you further.

If you ask him, you might find out something about Vivek. However, I can’t say for certain that he will definitely tell you. That man is involved in some shady business. So, it’s up to you if you want to meet him.”

Distressed, Avni replied, “Ashok ji, do I have any other option? If there is even a glimmer of hope that I might find my brother, I will definitely meet that man. Please tell me how I can see him.”

Ashok said, “I have spoken to the man. He says that if you want to meet him, you must bring ₹10,000. And that amount is just to secure a meeting. If he actually knows something about Vivek, his fees will be extra. You should bring about ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 with you.”

Hearing the figure of 25,000, Avni’s eyes widened in shock. “Ashok ji, isn't ₹25,000 too much?” she asked frantically. “I’ve only just arrived in this city. I know nothing about it. How will I be able to arrange such a large sum so quickly?”

But Ashok replied, “Look Avni, I’ve helped you as much as I could, only because you are Vivek’s sister and Vivek helped me once. Beyond this, I can do nothing for you. I am sending you the man's name, address, and number on this phone. If you want to meet him, call him on his number. But keep in mind, he won’t meet you without the money. The rest is up to you.”

Ashok disconnected the call, but Avni remained staring at her phone in disbelief. The first real hope of finding her brother had appeared before her, but now she had to arrange 25,000 rupees. Otherwise, she would lose this chance to find Vivek.

There was no hope of getting money from her uncle—and besides, where would he even get that kind of money? Avni paced back and forth restlessly. Suddenly, the scene flashed before her eyes: Pinky serving wine to those men, and in exchange for just a smile, a boy had handed Pinky ₹500.

Avni was left with no other way. She needed money, and for money, she needed a job. Avni closed her eyes tight and folded her hands, praying, “God, I have always kept my faith in you. Please don't let the thread of my faith break now. I know my soul doesn't give me permission for what I am about to do, but this is my desperation.”

Avni dialed Pinky’s number. Pinky had just reached home, and as soon as Avni’s call came through, she answered, “Yes Avni, what have you decided?”

From the other end, Avni said hesitantly, “Pinky, I accept that job.”

Pinky replied, “You’ve made a very good decision. Look, getting a job in such a big city is a major achievement. Why are you focusing on what the work is? Just think that you have to do your job honestly. Leave everything else to the Almighty. Whatever is written in your destiny, you will get it.”

A faint smile appeared on Avni’s face. She nodded and said, “I’ve left everything to the Almighty.”

Meanwhile, in the VIP suite...

Advik was still asleep, accompanied by a foreign girl. Both were covered only by a blanket. Advik’s phone rang, disturbing his sleep. He reached out, picked up his phone from the side table, and struggled to open his eyes to check the number.

But seeing the name on the screen, Advik’s sleep vanished instantly. He sat up abruptly and answered, “What happened?”

“I’m standing at the airport. Come pick me up in half an hour...” Hearing that voice, Advik’s fatigue disappeared. He quickly climbed out of bed, picked up his clothes from the floor, and said as he headed toward the washroom, “You bastard, you were coming—couldn’t you have told me?”

Reaching the washroom, Advik put the phone on speaker and began to dress. The voice from the phone spoke again, “I thought I’d give you a surprise.”

Buttoning his shirt, Advik looked at the phone with an angry glare and said, “Your surprises will be the death of me one day.”

Advik got ready quickly and left. Well, "ready" meant he had simply thrown on his clothes—but Advik’s personality was such that even in a disheveled state, he looked magnificent.

As Advik stepped out of his room, Sahil was already standing there. Advik gestured toward the room and said, “Handle it.”

Sahil nodded quickly, and Advik strode away. He took the elevator down to the lobby. Just as he was passing through the lobby gallery, he collided with someone. It was a girl carrying a file. The moment she hit Advik, the pages of her file flew into the air, and she fell to the floor.

Advik turned back to look at the girl. She was wearing a simple salwar suit, and a file lay beside her with papers scattered all over the floor. The girl seemed to have hurt her hand. However, Advik had to get somewhere urgently, so he walked away silently without helping her.

The girl Advik had collided with was none other than Avni. Avni looked back to see a tall, well-built man who had knocked her down and walked away without so much as an offer of help.

Avni’s elbow was injured. Rubbing her elbow, she watched Advik walk away and said angrily, “What an ill-mannered person. First, he knocks me down, and then he doesn't even help me.”

Avni had come to submit her documents, as the manager had told her to hand them over to the HR department. She was supposed to join the job tonight, which is why she had come during the day to drop off the paperwork. Little did she know this would happen as soon as she entered the hotel.

Slowly, Avni gathered her papers, tucked them into the file, and headed toward the elevator. Reaching the HR department, she submitted all her documents.

Meanwhile, Advik sped toward the airport in his car. He was restless the entire way, wanting to reach the airport as quickly as possible. Upon arrival, he went straight to Gate Number 4.

Stopping before the entrance, he stood panting, looking at the man standing before him. The man looked at him with a smile, opened his arms, and said, “Aren't you going to hug me?”

Advik ran forward and embraced him. They hugged each other, but the very next second, Advik balled his hand into a fist and delivered a powerful punch to the man’s back.

The man clutched his back, groaning in pain. With a pained expression, he looked at Advik and said, “You b****rd, if you weren't my friend, I’d show you the consequences of messing with Dhruv Mehra.”

But Advik punched Dhruv’s shoulder and said loudly, “You bastard, were you going to appear in my dreams to tell me you were coming back? Couldn’t you have told me you were returning?”

First Dhruv’s back was sore, and now his shoulder was aching. Looking at Advik with a pained face, he said, “Stop now! Are you going to break me apart? And yes, I didn't tell you because I wanted to surprise you.”

Dhruv noticed a slight frustration on Advik’s face; he seemed irritated. Dhruv shook his head and asked, “You were with a girl, weren't you?”

Advik gave no answer to Dhruv’s question. Dhruv shook his head and said to Advik, “Mend your ways. Imagine how much pain Kashish Aunty’s soul must be in seeing you like this.”

Advik stepped forward, picked up Dhruv’s bag, opened the handle, and said, “You are not my father. So don't try to be.”

Advik walked ahead with Dhruv’s bag. Dhruv shouted from behind, “Yes, I know I’m not your father. But I am a friend like a brother!”

Back in Advik’s room, when the foreign girl woke up, Advik was gone. She sat up on the bed with a smile, but immediately let out a scream when she saw Sahil standing there.

She quickly pulled the blanket up to her chest and looked at Sahil in shock. But for Sahil, none of this was new. He took a blank check from his bag, which Advik had already signed and kept with him.

Sahil placed the blank check on the table and said to the girl in an English accent, “This is the price for last night.”

Clothes and breakfast had already been provided for her in exchange for her services. After all this, the girl was happy, wishing she could find a customer like him every night.

No one noticed when the day turned into dusk, and the night arrived, bringing a new story with it.

Avni stood in the hotel bathroom, wearing the same dress that every waitress working in the club wore.