The chilly Manali night had wrapped the Sharma house in stillness.

Outside, snow rested gently on the rooftops and deodar branches, making everything look calm and almost dreamlike. Inside, the warmth of the fireplace and the faint aroma of cardamom tea made the living room feel cozy.

Dinner had ended a while ago.

Ruhi, after demanding one extra story from Kritika and rejecting everyone else’s attempts to make her sleep, had finally drifted off.

Now she lay peacefully in Kritika’s lap, one tiny hand clutching the edge of her dupatta.

Rupali looked at the scene and sighed dramatically.

“Bas. Main officially jealous hoon.”

Shrutika laughed.

“Competition haar gayi aap.”

Rupali pointed accusingly at Ruhi.

“Kal se mere god mein bhi nahi aayi hai  shaitan”

Even Ruhi’s sleeping face carried a faint smile, making everyone chuckle.

Kritika shook her head helplessly.

“She’s just sleepy.”

“Haan haan,” Rupali said. “aap dil behlalo mera .”

“Shru, isse le jaa yahan se,” Kritika muttered.

Shrutika burst into laughter.

“Good night, Kittu di.”

Soon both girls disappeared upstairs, still teasing each other.

The living room grew quieter.Only Harshvardhan, Savitri, Shekhar, Sharmistha, and Kritika remained.

Sharmistha returned from the kitchen carrying fresh tea.

As she handed a cup to Harshvardhan, Shekhar looked toward him.

Savitri asked with a smile"Kritika beta tum Ruhi se zyada hi attached nahi ho gayi woh bhi itni zald"

Kritika with a smile " apki poti bahut pyaari hai Aunty thodi si natkhat hai, lekin bahut cute hai"

" Aur ye  thodi bahut mujhe meri hi yaad dilati hai ."she continued kissing her forehead" I hope isse bhi woh mile jo mujhe mila tha"she said last part looking at Sharmistha.Sharmistha smiled and blinked her eyes at her.  She always feels lucky and grateful. Everyone understands her meaning.

She knows her real mother passed away when she was just two.With family insists her father remarried Sharmistha her Maaasi. She always feels lucky and grateful.

The room fell into a comfortable silence after sometime Shekhar asked

“Vedant ka kaam khatam nahi hua?”

“Kaam khatam karna usse aata hi nahi.”

His tone was flat, almost dismissive.

But Shekhar caught the meaning beneath it.

Years of friendship made some things easy to understand without explanation.

“Ab bhi utna hi ziddi hai?”

A faint humorless smile touched Harsh’s lips.

“Usse zyada.”

Shekhar chuckled.

“Bilkul tum par gaya hai.”

Harsh gave him a look.

“Bakwas band kar.”

That earned a quiet laugh from everyone.

Then Shekhar leaned back and said thoughtfully,

“Waise usne jo khud ka hotel business khada kiya… uske liye maan na padega.”

Harsh was silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his voice measured.

“Kaafi behas hui thi uss waqt. Main chahta tha settled business sambhale.”

“Textiles?”

“Hm.”

“Par usne mana kar diya?”

Harsh nodded.

“Apne decision se ek kadam bhi peeche nahi hata. Apni savings se shuru kiya… dheere dheere sab khud khada kiya.”

There was no open pride in his words.

But neither was there was disapproval.

Just the reluctant acknowledgment of a father who understood his son’s strength, even if he disagreed with his ways.

Shekhar smiled faintly.

“Galat nahi tha.”

Harsh exhaled slowly.

“Galat nahi tha.”

Then after a pause, his jaw tightened slightly.

“Par har baat pe zid se nahi hoti." He recalled how he told Vedant not to marry Malishka but he argued with him and married her.

The room fell quiet.

Savitri’s eyes moved to the sleeping Ruhi.

“Shaadi ke baad woh aur badal gaya.”

No one spoke for a few moments.

The silence carried more truth than words ever could.

Shekhar finally said calmly,

“Waqt lagega, Harsh” " uska gussa bewajah nahi hai, uske dil mein chot lagi hai"

Harsh stared into his tea.

“Apne liye na sahi… Ruhi ke liye sambhalna padega.”

Kritika listened quietly.

She had heard Vedant’s name repeatedly over the past few days.

Yet every new thing she learned made him seem more difficult to understand.

A self-made businessman.

A stubborn son.

A wounded husband.

And from everything Ruhi said—

a deeply loving father.

The contradiction stirred her curiosity.

Later That Night

The house had fallen asleep.

Moonlight streamed softly through Kritika’s curtains.

Ruhi was sleeping beside her, wrapped snugly in the quilt, one tiny hand resting over Kritika’s arm as if making sure she wouldn’t leave.

Kritika smiled and carefully reached for her phone.

She hesitated for a second.

Then typed—

Vedant Rana

Several articles appeared instantly.

Young Hotelier Redefining Delhi Luxury.

Vedant Rana Expands Hospitality Chain

The Private Entrepreneur Behind Rana Luxe

She opened one. The articles descibes him being Ruthless, Arrogant.

A sharply dressed man looked back at her.

Dark formal suit.

Strong features.

A composed expression that revealed absolutely nothing.

She frowned slightly.

“He looks… intimidating.”

Scrolling further, she found more pictures.

Business events.

Award functions.

Hotel inaugurations.

Everywhere, the same unreadable expression.

Then she clicked his social media profile.

Minimal posts.

Mostly professional updates.

She was about to close it when one picture made her pause.

Vedant sat on the floor in casual clothes, baby Ruhi balanced clumsily in his lap while she tugged at his hair.

And he was laughing.

Not smiling politely.

Actually laughing.

The difference startled her.

His entire face looked softer.

Warmer.

For a moment, Kritika simply stared.

Then she glanced at the sleeping Ruhi beside her.

A small smile touched her lips.

“Aapke Dadda toh mystery hai betu , hm?”

Ruhi shifted slightly in sleep.

As if agreeing to her

Kritika quickly locked her phone.

But even after lying down, she found herself remembering that rare unguarded smile.

And wondering—

what kind of person existed behind all those walls?

Delhi

Vedant sat in his study, staring at his laptop.

The cursor blinked on the unfinished document before him.

But his focus was elsewhere.

His phone buzzed.

Dad Calling

His brows furrowed slightly.

He answered.

“Haan Dad.”

Harsh’s voice came from the other side.

“Kya kar raha hai?”

“Work.”

A pause.

Then Harsh said simply,

“Ruhi ne do baar tumhare baare mein poocha.”

Vedant immediately straightened.

“She’s okay?”

“Hm.”

The tension in his shoulders eased.

Then Harsh added casually,

“Yahan kaafi khush hai.”

Vedant said nothing.

“Especially Sekhar ki beti ke saath.”

That caught his attention.

“Kritika?”

“Haan.”

A brief silence followed.

Then he asked,

“Ruhi is comfortable with her?”

“Surprisingly.”

Vedant frowned slightly.

Ruhi rarely got attached to new people.

The thought lingered.

Harsh continued.

“Parso hum Solang Valley jaa rahe hain.”

“Ruhi bhi?”

“Obviously.”

Vedant’s jaw tightened.

The idea of his two-and half- year-old daughter in heavy snow without him there unsettled him instantly.

After a moment, Harsh said flatly—

“Aa sakte hai toh aa jao apne bhai ko lekar.”

" Waise tumhara Naya hotel ka construction chal raha hai na."

No insistence.

No emotional coaxing.

Just a simple statement.

Vedant leaned back in his chair.

Work was pending.

Several meetings lined up.

He should refuse.

And yet—

Ruhi’s excited voice from earlier surfaced in his mind.

Along with a half-visible image from Rupali’s photo.

That girl.

Kritika.

The one Ruhi seemed so comfortable with.

For reasons he didn’t fully understand, curiosity stirred.

“Theek hai,” he said finally.

“Subah aa raha hoon.”

Harsh gave a brief hum and disconnected.

Across the room, Naman looked up from his file.

“Manali?”

Vedant nodded.

Naman smirked.

“Ruhi ke liye?”

Vedant picked up his laptop bag.

“Haan.”

Then after a pause, he added—

“And Dad is terrible at pretending he doesn’t want me there.”

Naman laughed softly.

Some things never changed.

" Woh aap se bahut pyar karte hai bhai" Naman said

" I know" he stated confidently ,after a few seconds " jaa jakar so Jaa kaafi late ho gaya hai"

" Ji aur aap bhi so jayiye"

" Good night Bhai" Naman said  getting up from the chair."

Vedant just nodded. After h

e left he just sit there and think the how he and his Dad became distant with times especially after his marriage. He clenched his jaw remembering that period.He shook his head and left for his Room.