"Leave Jyoti's hand. Otherwise, I'll put all the bullets from this gun into your skull."

A devilish smile appeared on Dhruv's face, and glaring at the man, he said, "Jyoti is now my wife, and I am taking her with me."

Dhruv stood holding Jyoti's hand, and the entire family stood aside, watching them in surprise. Dhruv looked angrily at Jyoti's family and said, "You people should be proud that you have a daughter like Jyoti."

"Who was ready to risk her own life for you people. But despite being her parents, you couldn't understand what was right for her and what was wrong. And you were going to get her married to a person who isn't even worthy of being called a human being."

Jyoti's family lowered their faces in regret. After that, Dhruv glared angrily at Jyoti. Jyoti gently lowered her face and said, "I am sorry, sir. But who could I have told about this? It was my family's compulsion. They started facing pressure to repay the loan they had taken."

"And when they said they couldn't repay the loan, they were told to get me married to their son as a deal. I opposed this. But I was threatened that if I didn't marry him, these people would kill my family. To save my family's lives, I didn't tell anyone and quietly agreed to the marriage."

Dhruv closed his eyes tightly and looking at those people angrily said, "If you people had even a shred of shame left, you wouldn't take advantage of someone's helplessness like this. A girl is earning money by working hard in the city to repay her family's loan. And here, instead of appreciating her hard work, you are taking advantage of her family's helplessness. You people deserve the harshest punishment."

Flashback — 1 hour ago...

When Dhruv arrived at Jyoti's house, he saw that almost all the wedding preparations were complete. The groom's procession had also arrived. But as soon as Dhruv entered, he was surprised by the scene inside. Jyoti's father was standing with his turban in his hand, and Jyoti was holding his hand. Jyoti's father was begging in front of the groom's family not to take the procession back like this. If that happened, they would be greatly disgraced.

But the groom's father threatened Jyoti's father, saying that if they couldn't give a car as dowry, this wedding couldn't happen. And on top of that, they wanted back the loan amount they had given to Jyoti's father. Seeing all this happening at once, Jyoti's family was in shock.

The sudden demand for a car had put a sword over their heads. Everyone was present. In such a situation, the groom's procession leaving would be a huge shame for them. This was a small village. Here, people had nothing more than honor and respect, beyond money.

Jyoti's father was about to place his turban at the feet of the groom's family when Dhruv arrived and stopped the turban from falling. Everyone looked at Dhruv in surprise. Jyoti was also surprised to see Dhruv. Dhruv stood holding the turban, placed it back on Jyoti's father's head, and said, "There's a wedding, and you didn't invite your boss?"

Jyoti started looking at Dhruv in surprise, wondering whether Dhruv was really here or if it was just her imagination.

Jyoti's uncle quickly came to Dhruv and told him everything — how the groom's family had turned the wedding into a spectacle. Hearing this, Dhruv's face flared with anger. He immediately took out his phone and called the police commissioner there. The police commissioner quickly gave orders to his team.

But a different spectacle was playing out at the wedding venue. Jyoti's family was being heavily disgraced. And on top of that, the groom's family didn't hold back from adding fuel to the fire. They even said that she must go out and do such work that respectable girls don't do.

Dhruv definitely answered their absurd questions and told them that Jyoti worked as his personal assistant in his office. And he was no small name. Anyone who had a phone and internet could search for Dhruv Mehra's name if they wanted.

Not sure about the others, but the first person to search for Dhruv Mehra's name was the groom himself. And as soon as Dhruv's profile appeared, his eyes widened in surprise. He told his father and the entire family to leave from there. But by then, the police had arrived. And they arrested the groom's family for demanding dowry.

The boy who had come to marry Jyoti quickly grabbed a policeman's gun, pointed it straight at Dhruv, and said, "Leave Jyoti. She was going to marry me. And I will marry her no matter what. I don't want any money or anything. I did all this so that I could marry my Jyoti. It's my greedy father who's going crazy over money. But I only want Jyoti..."

But Dhruv had held Jyoti's hand tightly and looking at that man angrily said, "If you try to do any wrong move here, remember, whether the law punishes you or not, I will punish you in such a way that you'll remember it your entire life. Jyoti's marriage? With someone like you? Forget Jyoti, no girl will ever want to marry you."

That boy got angry and said in rage, "Oh really? If no girl will want to marry me, then no one will marry Jyoti either. She's been left at the altar. Her wedding is broken. In such a situation, no respectable boy will marry her. She'll sit at home her entire life unmarried. And she'll be called a rejected girl. And one day, hearing taunts like that, she'll even kill herself."

When Dhruv heard his words, he was shocked. Do such people still exist in society today? Who consider a girl's marriage the most important part of her life? Don't a girl's own dreams matter? Doesn't studying, doing something, becoming something matter? Can marriage really be so important for a person that they stop seeing the person as a human being?

But in the few days, Dhruv had understood enough about Jyoti that she wasn't a girl who would stay confined within four walls. If given wings, she would want to spread them and fly across the entire sky. Seeing this very spirit of hers, Dhruv held Jyoti's hand, looked into her eyes, and said, "Will you marry me?"

Jyoti was surprised for a moment and looked at Dhruv in astonishment. Dhruv continued, "No promises, no expectations from any promises. Just a compromise relationship to fulfill your dreams. Tell me, will you marry me?"

Jyoti looked at the groom's family, who didn't hesitate to trade a girl's honor for money. And then she looked at her own family, who, for the sake of their own respect, hadn't cared about Jyoti's happiness.

In that moment, Dhruv stepped forward and held her hand. Jyoti held that hand even tighter, nodded her head, and said, "I will marry you."

As soon as Jyoti said yes, Dhruv and Jyoti moved toward the wedding altar, and the priest began the wedding rituals. After the mangalsutra was tied, Dhruv and Jyoti stood up from the altar and looked at everyone. Dhruv looked at Jyoti's family and said, "You people have complete freedom to meet your daughter. You can come to her house and meet her whenever you want."

And after that, Dhruv signaled to the police officers. Getting Dhruv's signal, the police took the groom's family away from there. But before leaving, Dhruv had paid off all of Jyoti's father's debts and also got their mortgaged land released.

After everything was done, he left from there with Jyoti. But Jyoti didn't shed a single tear at her farewell, nor was she sad about leaving her home and family. Because she knew that holding Dhruv's hand, she hadn't made a wrong decision.

At Kashish's mention...

Akshita was in her room, looking at Dev's picture on her phone. Some pictures of Dev that she had secretly taken in college. Akshita kept zooming in on his pictures and smiled looking at Dev's eyes.

Unaware that Kashish, standing at the door, had been watching her for a long time. When she saw that Akshita hadn't even realized she was standing at the door, she gave a fake cough. Hearing her cough, Akshita hurriedly put down her phone and looking at Kashish with slight nervousness said,

"Oh, Mom, when did you come… come? Come inside."

Kashish smiled and came inside, and sitting on the bed in front of Akshita said, "I was standing near the door for a long time, thinking that you would notice me. But you were busy paying attention to someone else on your phone. Won't you tell me whose picture had your attention so lost that you didn't even notice me?"

Akshita said shyly, "Mom, there's nothing like that. I don't know what you're saying. I can't understand anything. I wasn't looking at anything."

Akshita's face, red with shyness, and her lowered eyelids revealed her condition. Kashish smiled, gently took the phone from Akshita's hands, and turned the screen forward. On the screen, she could see Dev's picture. Looking at his photo, she was surprised. She looked at Akshita with a smile, and Akshita closed her eyes tightly and said softly, "Sorry, Mom..."

But Kashish smiled and shook her head, and turning the phone back toward Akshita said, "You don't have to say sorry. Instead, you have to tell me who this is. Whose picture is making you shy? Because as far as I've heard about you, you're not a shy girl. So it's only right to know about the one who has turned your face red."

Akshita was indeed feeling shy. She was hesitant to talk about this with her mother. But still, she denied it, saying, "Mom, there's nothing like that."

The smile on Kashish's face deepened, and she said with a laugh, "Look, Akshita, I don't know what is true and what is false. You people call me Mom, but I don't remember that you are my daughter. But still, if not as a mother-daughter relationship, then at least as a friend. Won't you tell me?"

"If I were your mother, at this age, the mother-daughter relationship would be more than friendship. And a daughter shares every matter of her heart with her mother. So don't I have the right to know my daughter's heart?"

A slight smile appeared on Akshita's face. She held Kashish's hand and nodded. She showed Dev's picture to Kashish and said, "His name is Dev. Professor Dev. He's our physics professor in college. And I like him very much."

Kashish looked at Dev's picture and then smiling at Akshita said, "Well, the boy's eyes are nice. I'll tell you after seeing his full face whether this boy is right for my daughter or not."

The smile on Akshita's face faded slightly, and shaking her head she said to Kashish, "No, Mom, we haven't even seen his full face till date. Actually, he always keeps his face hidden behind a mask. So no one has seen his face."

Kashish was a little surprised, but she said to Akshita, "Never mind, so what if you haven't seen his face. You can see his face after marriage."

Kashish had said this as a joke. But at this joke, whatever slight smile was on Akshita's face, that too faded. And with a sadness, she said to Kashish, "This dream will always remain just a dream, Mom. Because Professor Dev is already married."

Advik was talking in his room, and Avni was standing near the door. She didn't open the door completely, and her ears caught Advik saying 'I love you' to someone. She quickly hid herself. She herself didn't know when tears started flowing from her eyes.

After talking on the phone, Advik picked up his blazer and left the cabin. Avni was still standing at the corner of the cabin door.

After Advik left, she just started thinking in her mind, "Does sir love someone? But if he loves someone else, then why did he do all that with me? He's cheating on someone." Saying this, tears started flowing from her eyes.

Wiping her tears, she immediately left from there. As soon as she came to her floor, everyone's eyes were once again on Avni. Avni was in no state to think or understand anything.

As soon as Avni reached her cabin, a girl was standing ready with a dress bag in her hands. She smiled at Avni, extended the bag toward her, and said, "Ma'am, Mr. Merchant has sent this dress for you. He said you have to get ready wearing it."

Avni remembered that Advik was talking about taking her to some party. She gently nodded and took the packet. She saw that inside the packet was a very beautiful designer gown.

The girl left from there, and Avni was surprised looking at the gown. She had to go to a party with Advik. And perhaps this party was special. But Advik's words were echoing in her mind. How Advik had cheated on her. Or by staying with her, he was cheating on someone else.

Meanwhile, Dhruv signaled to the police officers. Getting Dhruv's signal, the police took the groom's family away from there. But before leaving, Dhruv had paid off all of Jyoti's father's debts and also got their mortgaged land released.

After everything was done, he left from there with Jyoti. But Jyoti didn't shed a single tear at her farewell, nor was she sad about leaving her home and family. Because she knew that holding Dhruv's hand, she hadn't made a wrong decision.

Dhruv left with Jyoti for the airport, because the private jet was at Amritsar airport. So the journey from Jyoti's village to Amritsar had to be covered by car. They both sat in the back seat of the car, and the driver drove.

Jyoti looked at Dhruv in surprise and said, "Sir, did you really come all the way here to save me?"

Dhruv was checking his emails on his phone. Hearing Jyoti's words, he glared at her and then said to Jyoti, "No, I had come to Bhatinda to buy some land. Then I thought, since there's a wedding, I'll eat and leave. Stupid girl, obviously I came to save you."

"Because I found out from your uncle that you were getting married out of compulsion. Otherwise, why would I leave all my work and come here behind you?"

"Because you wouldn't find an assistant like me, that's why." Jyoti said, suddenly very happy. Hearing her words, Dhruv's eyes narrowed, and he glared at her.

Jyoti smiled, put both her feet up on the car seat, sat lounging, and chirped to Dhruv, "Oh sir, where will you find an assistant like me? Who follows all your orders. Who brings you coffee in the morning. Who knows where each item is in your cabin and puts it in the right place. Who keeps all your files perfectly in line. Tell me, will you find an assistant like me anywhere? I know you must not be able to do your own work. That's why you've come to get me."

Dhruv slapped his own forehead and started fuming internally. He turned his face toward the window and said to himself in his mind, "This crazy girl thinks she does my work very well. How do I explain to her that people with one qualification better than the next are standing in line for this job? But still, who did I give the job to? To a girl who doesn't even know the ABC of this job."

Dhruv glanced at Jyoti, who was resting her head on her hand and lightly closing her eyes. Seeing her like that, Dhruv got worried and quickly said, "What happened, Jyoti? Are you feeling okay?"

Jyoti composed herself, nodded, and said to Dhruv, "Yes, sir. Actually, the thing is, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. And because of that, I'm feeling a little dizzy. Is there any water in your car?"

Dhruv looked at the driver and said, "Stop the car at a hotel quickly."

After that, Dhruv looked at Jyoti and said, "Have you gone crazy? You haven't eaten since yesterday, and you're talking about drinking water? First, eat something."

Just then, Dhruv saw the driver stop the car at a roadside dhaba. Looking at the dhaba, Dhruv said, "Why did you stop here? Take us to a hotel ahead."

But Jyoti said, "It's not his fault, sir. Actually, for the next 500 kilometers, forget a hotel, there isn't even another dhaba. That's why the driver must have stopped here."

The driver also said, "Yes, sir, ma'am is right. There's no hotel or dhaba ahead. So please eat something here. You won't get any other option before reaching the Amritsar border."

Dhruv looked at the dhaba. It looked decent enough. But if you looked at the hygiene, you would forget about eating at the dhaba. That's why Dhruv made a face and said, "Never mind. Do one thing, you go and eat something too. And yes, keep drinking water and some snacks in the car."

Saying this to the driver, Dhruv got out of the car with Jyoti. They went and sat at a small table and chairs near the dhaba. Dhruv looked around the place in surprise. Everyone was eating with their hands, and the servers were also serving with their hands. Forks, spoons, gloves — if they were being used anywhere here, it was only in pictures.

A waiter, meaning a boy from the dhaba, came to them and said, "What will you eat?"

Jyoti and Dhruv looked at him in surprise. The boy didn't look like a waiter at all. He was wearing a vest, half-nickers, and had a towel around his neck.

Dhruv's facial expressions changed. But Jyoti smiled and said, "Never mind, sir. We'll have to adjust here."

After that, Jyoti looked at the boy and said, "Do one thing, brother, bring two biscuits and two teas."

The boy was about to leave, but Dhruv stopped him and said to Jyoti, "Have you gone crazy? You haven't eaten anything since yesterday. And you're talking about eating biscuits? Order something proper."

"No, sir, I'm fine. Just this will be enough." Jyoti said with slight shyness, because she was ashamed to order food. Recognizing her hesitation, Dhruv said, "Look, there's no need to be shy. You can order whatever you want."

"Really?" Jyoti asked. Dhruv nodded. Jyoti sat up properly and looking at the boy said, "Okay then, write down..."

Two tandoori rotis,

Four rumali rotis,

Four missi rotis,

One veg biryani... do one thing, bring two veg biryanis. We'll eat this too.

One kadai paneer and one shahi paneer — no, do one thing, not shahi paneer, make it paneer pasanda.

You'll give salad, pickle, papad anyway. And after all this, masala tea... And until this food is prepared, bring something to eat...

Samosas,

Onion pakoras,

And spring rolls..."

The small diary in the boy's hand was completely filled. He looked at the girl in surprise and then at Dhruv. Dhruv, who himself was looking at Jyoti with surprised eyes, looked at the boy and signaled him to bring the order. The boy left from there.

After that, Dhruv gently looked at Jyoti and said, "Is that enough? Or do you want to eat something else?"

"No, no. I eat very light in the morning. I have a good dinner at night. Eating a good dinner gives good sleep. So I've kept the food very light for now." Jyoti said with a smile. Dhruv's face also broke into a smile.

"By the way, sir, you didn't order anything for yourself?" As soon as Jyoti said this, Dhruv looked at her in surprise and said, "Are you going to eat all this food alone?"

😏 "So you want me to share this food with you? Never mind. You're paying the bill, so sharing is only right. You can eat from my food..."

Jyoti started saying this disappointedly. Seeing her like that, Dhruv couldn't stop himself from laughing. What a wife he has got. People adopt children, but Dhruv Mehra has adopted a whole wife.

When Avni came to the parking lot, she saw Advik already standing near his car. As soon as he saw Avni, he immediately sat in the driver's seat of the car.

Avni also sat in the seat next to him. Advik drove the car at full speed, and then his car stopped directly in front of a hotel. Both were heading toward the presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel when Advik's phone rang.

He looked at his phone. Seeing Mihika's number, his facial expressions changed. He immediately looked at Avni and said, "You go ahead. I'll come."

Saying this, he immediately walked the other way. Avni could only watch him leave. Once again, he was talking to someone on his phone, hesitating to talk in front of Avni. Seeing this, Avni's heart started beating loudly. This all started feeling very strange to her. Controlling herself, she walked toward the lift.

But before she could press the button for the lift, the lift door opened. And a man stepped out, and as soon as his eyes fell on Avni, he just kept staring at her.

Mumbai Hotel Green Valley...

Aalam was sitting on the king-size sofa of a VIP suite in the hotel. He was angrily glaring at the men standing in front of him. All his men stood with their heads bowed. Aalam stood up from his place in anger and slapped the man standing in front of him hard.

The man fell to the ground, and the others started stepping back in fear. Aalam shouted loudly, "Get lost from here. For the past two days, you haven't been able to find Kashish and Ruhi. I gave you one task. You and your people couldn't even do that."

Just then, a man stepped forward and said fearfully, "Sorry, sir, but we tried our best. But there's really no trace of them. Where have they suddenly disappeared? We're not getting any clue about this."

"The Taj Hotel where ma'am was staying, we inquired there too. From there, we found out that ma'am hasn't checked out yet. Her luggage is still in the same room. From the CCTV footage, we found out that she left the hotel one day with her nurse. And after that, she never returned."

Hearing the man's words, Aalam grabbed his collar and shouted at him, "If she didn't return, then where did she go? Did the earth swallow her or the sky eat her? I don't know anything. I want Kashish back. Go and turn the entire city of Mumbai upside down. But I want Kashish..."

Hearing his words, all the men disappeared from there within a minute. Now Aalam was alone in the room. Aalam, in anger, started throwing every item in the room. In no time, the entire room was shattered. Aalam breathed heavily in anger and tried to calm himself.

Suddenly, his contact with Kashish was lost, and Kashish didn't contact him either. He inquired at the hotel, but there was no trace of Kashish anywhere. When there was no trace of Kashish for two days, Aalam came to India. And as soon as he arrived in Mumbai, he put all his men from his network to work.

He was searching for Kashish. The search for Kashish was ongoing throughout the city. And Aalam was going crazy trying to find Kashish.

Far away from all this, Kashish was sleeping peacefully in Naksh's arms.