| Colliding Hearts |

| Chapter Six: A Resentment |

Vadodara

Jishnu's jaw dropped slightly as the car entered the imposing driveway that led to the Kapoors' residence, barely suppressing the rush of disbelief at the vision of the grand mansion nestled amidst the lush, green gardens, giving off the vibe of aristocracy. It was a stark contrast to the small, rented house where the Kapoors were living when he was a child. The change was huge, very huge for him to grasp.

Shri stopped the vehicle in the parking area of the mansion and stepped down but Jishnu was distracted by the vision of  the mansion that seemed uncannily familiar to his mind. He sat unmoved, staring in the direction of the mansion, a sharp frown covering his forehead.

"Hello!" Shri knocked on the glass door of the window beside his seat. "Won't you come inside?"

He slightly nodded his head and once she moved behind to give space, he pushed the door open and stepped out of the car, his eyes shifting to the mansion yet again. Strangely, the familiarity was not comforting but it was disturbing to an extent that he was not able to focus on the present.

"This mansion wasn't their home fifteen years ago, right?" He turned towards Shri, unable to hold his conundrum within. "Then why does it feel oddly familiar to me?"

"This area is famous for a special sort of architecture. All the houses look the same with an equal amount of the ancient architectural influence," Shri answered, her words inadvertently taking him back to a childhood memory with his father and his eyes widened, the actual answer striking his brain.

"This is the plan of the house where we are planning to live in our old age! The expenses will be shared equally between Vishal and myself to get the house built!" Shveth had spread a wide parchment of the house plan on his son's study table to show him the future plans he and his best friend had made for themselves.

The Kapoor Mansion looked so similar to the one his father and Vishal Gupta had planned to build in their youth for themselves. Jishnu shut his eyes momentarily as he tried to reason with his mind that was going haywire at the realization. Perhaps it was the area that his father had wished the house to be in.

Such architectural blends were indeed Shveth's favorite but it could be a coincidence too as the whole area had the same sort of houses. It couldn't be anything more than a mere coincidence!

"Look, if you want to come, join me but don't stand like a statue and create delay in my task. I'm not willing to spend much time at this place!" Shri threw her hands up in the air and started walking into the house without waiting for him to respond. He pursed his lips indignantly and followed her silently, still bothered by his father's memories and the house's strangeness.

As they passed through the portico, they found an elderly man in his late fifties emerging from the main doors, dressed in a dark suit over a white shirt, his posture straight and dignified. Jishnu didn't take long to recognize him as Mr. Kapoor by his attire that hinted at his profession, his high forehead and his trimmed mustache. He had met him several times in his childhood, given he was a common friend of Shveth and Vishal, a trusted friend in addition.

"Uncle!" Shri bent down to touch his feet as Mr. Kapoor placed his palm on her head with a grave expression on his face. "Uncle, I should have taken the help of your wisdom before making such a complicated decision but my situation was also quite complicated. In my opinion, it is not good or beneficial to aggravate the existing differences with the Vyas family..."

"It's good that you still acknowledge me, Shri. I thought I was forgotten. But you do not need to worry about me. I'm not someone who would let outsiders come between us. You have owned your mistake and I let it go! You are like my own daughter and all your mistakes are forgivable for me!" He smiled warmly and immediately walked off from there as the grating sound of the heavy iron gates opening resounded in the quiet air of the late evening.

"Looks like your problem is solved." Jishnu threw a blank look at Shri who was standing with a deep frown on her forehead, her eyes lowered in thought.

"Finally, you've reached the place that you actually deserve, Shri!" An arrogant voice caused them to look up at the main doors once again.

"When you fail to respect the person who deserves respect, this is what happens. Your mother understands that your place is at the feet of the Kapoors! Do not be ungrateful again, it will cost you more! You are holding a position in the company because your father wanted his blood to take over but all the power to make decisions lie in my hands!" Roshan's piercing dark eyes held a ridicule as he directed his sight towards his feet to emphasize on his statement as he caressed his stubble. "And I'll prove that you and your decisions are unfit, Shri! I'll prove that you do not deserve to lead! I'll prove that you can only bring everything to ruin! I'll show the consequences of choosing you above me to all!"

Shri restrained the sardonic smile that was slowly spreading onto her lips. More often than fury or annoyance, Roshan's thought process made her feel sorry for him because he had to hold that resentment within him all the time. Though he tried to torture her with his words, he couldn't always freely shout the reason behind his bitterness back at the office. But she wasn't dumb to not know why he behaved that way - because he believed she had snatched his rights from him.

"Jishnu Vyas!" Roshan strutted towards the said person, his eyes narrowing.
"What do you think? That you can barge into the company if you want if you have her approval? I worked hard to manage the company in their hard times yet she received the ownership like some birthday gift packed with flowers! What a joke - that this girl is the proprietor of the Blaze Of Truth! She's nothing but a doll made to sit on that chair! Because she has no valuable quality in her that makes her a worthy successor of Mr. Vishal Gupta, she's nothing! Just nothing! And you, YOU WILL BE THROWN OUT! What an audacity that you return after all these years and try to come in between us?

"You thought you would have to deal with the Guptas but NO! Jishnu, you were wrong! You have to deal with ROSHAN KAPOOR! I warn you, step back and run away before I make you regret it!"

Jishnu stared at Roshan without any trace of change in his expression throughout the time the latter kept blabbering. The rigidity astounded the fuming man who was expecting his speech to have an some sort of impact if not fear but let alone fear, there was no effect at all.

"Are you drunk?" Shri questioned, her voice cutting into the air as she raised an eyebrow. Roshan jerked his gaze in her direction, his hands drooping at his sides at her nonchalant question. She shook her head with a lopsided smile on her face and walked away from there, followed by Jishnu who still had the same unaffected continence.

"If he was the one who held the company in place during its fall, why don't you give away the company?" Jishnu's words made Shri stop in her tracks as she was about to open the door of the car and she turned towards him, her expression turning serious.

After a brief silence, she pulled the car door open and said, "Blaze Of Truth does not belong to the Guptas alone."

She settled on the driver's seat and Jishnu too opened the door from the other side and took the passenger's seat. His brows furrowed as she continued, "Papa has always told me that this company is not his life's property but his life's truth. Truth cannot be sacrificed for anyone."

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Thank you for reading!