Unconditional Love

10. Exhaustion

"Rohit, can you bring something to eat for him and yourself too? You haven't had breakfast," Virat said, noticing Aman's miserable state. He needed a moment to talk to Aman and hoped this would give them some space.

Rohit nodded in understanding and quietly left to give them some space.

As the door closed, Aman immediately hugged Virat tightly. "I'm sorry, bhai," he said, his voice trembling. "I got there and found out what happened... I couldn't do anything. I'm so sorry," he added, guilt weighing heavily on him.

"It's not your fault, kiddo. Don't you worry—I'll fix it," Virat said softly, rubbing Aman's back in comfort.

Aman clung to him tightly, burying his head in Virat's shoulder.

"Bacha, breathe," Virat said gently, stroking his back. "I'm here with you, okay? Nothing is more important to me than you—not any deal, not anyone. Just you. Understand?" He spoke softly, trying to calm him down.

Virat gently broke the hug, but Aman kept his head resting on Virat's shoulder.

"You didn't take care of yourself again, did you?" Virat scolded, noticing how weak Aman looked. "This is exactly why I don't let you travel anywhere on your own." His tone was firm, but the concern in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Don't scold me, Bhai," Aman whined, his voice soft and childlike, as he clung to Virat for comfort.

"Now, you're going to have breakfast, freshen up, and sleep for eight hours. Am I clear?" Virat said firmly.

"But I'm not going home," Aman shot back, crossing his arms. "I'm sleeping here only. Otherwise, I'm not resting." His tone was defiant, his words clearly a form of blackmail.

Virat sighed deeply, recognizing that stubbornness—it was a trait Aman had clearly inherited from him. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, a knock on the door interrupted them.

Aman quickly sat up straight as Rohit entered the cabin. "I brought breakfast for you too, Sir," Rohit said, avoiding Virat's gaze.

Virat raised an eyebrow, watching him with an amused yet surprised expression, while Aman struggled to hold back a chuckle at the interaction.

After finishing breakfast, Aman dozed off on the couch, exhausted. Rohit quietly cleared the table, letting Virat focus on reviewing Aman's report for the Delhi branch.

A little while later, Rohit glanced toward the balcony and saw Virat pacing back and forth, deep in conversation on the phone. His brow furrowed with worry as he noticed Virat smoking again.

"He said he would try to quit... but he's not," Rohit murmured to himself, his tone filled with quiet disappointment.

Before he could dwell on it further, a notification interrupted his thoughts—a mail from Virat assigning him more tasks. With a resigned sigh, Rohit got to work, knowing how important it was to keep everything running smoothly.

Virat was nonstop on the call, which was worrying Rohit a lot; he looked so stressed. But he suddenly noticed an immediate shift when he heard Aman groaning on the couch, sounding painful, and Virat had already rushed toward him, hanging up the call.

"Aman, what happened?" Virat asked, his voice filled with worry.

"My head... it's hurting a lot," Aman replied, opening his eyes. He noticed Rohit behind Virat, which is why he avoided calling him bhai.

"Rohit, get me the first aid from the drawer," Virat instructed, gently pressing Aman's forehead. He also noticed that Aman's body felt a bit warm as he touched his forehead.

Virat grabbed the first aid box, took out a painkiller, and applied pain relief roll-on to Aman's head. He then helped Aman take his medicine. "Light, turn off the lights," they heard Aman's strained voice.

Rohit quickly turned off the lights and covered the windows with blinds. He then returned to his work, feeling like there wasn't much more he could do but assist Virat with the tasks at hand.

Rohit couldn't help but notice how gentle Virat was with Aman. He massaged his forehead softly and whispered calming words to him.

Aman, surprisingly, rested his head in Virat's lap, which caught Rohit off guard.

Virat then adjusted himself on the couch, picking up a file to read. After a while, Aman drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Virat remained still, not moving, even as Aman rested there.

An hour later, Virat carefully laid Aman down on the couch, placing his head on a pillow. He stretched, then noticed Rohit still engrossed in his work.

Virat stepped into the balcony, lit a cigarette, and couldn't help but think about the two projects that had suddenly gone wrong. What had happened? Everything had seemed perfect, with no loopholes—so how could things fall apart so quickly?

"Hello, Robert," Virat said on the phone, as he worked through the details. It took about an hour to trace the links and uncover the cause of the mess.

Afterward, he went inside to freshen up. "Is the report ready for the meeting, Rohit?" he asked, catching Rohit off guard as he was deep in thought.

"Yes, Sir," Rohit replied, startled, as he handed the file to Virat.

Virat quickly glanced at the file, and Rohit waited nervously for his feedback.

"Rohit, what is this?" Virat snapped, his frustration evident. "I needed a full report and needed it presented now. You've linked the wrong numbers here. Will it look good to show this to them? Try to lessen my work, not increase it," he added, his tone sharp. He handed the file back to Rohit and left, grabbing his coat.

Rohit stood there in shock. It wasn't the first time Virat had snapped at mistakes, but the last sentence stung. It made him feel worse than he expected.

He opened his laptop, rechecking the numbers. "How could I make such a silly mistake?" he murmured to himself, quickly correcting the file and printing it again. But by then, it was too late—Virat had already left for the meeting.

Rohit tried to find something that could help him fix things quickly, but there was nothing he could do. He had disappointed Virat, the man he admired, especially when he needed it the most. Defeated, he buried his head in his hands.

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