The tires of the black Mercedes-Benz GLS 350d crunched rhythmically against the asphalt of the Outer Ring Road. Anjali gripped the leather steering wheel. She navigated the heavy SUV with practiced ease. Siddanth had gifted her the vehicle two months ago, and she had driven it every single day since.
She turned off the main highway, taking the private access road leading to the Shamshabad estate.
She did not need to slow down or honk when she approached the entrance. The concealed RFID scanner mounted on the stone wall registered the encrypted tag on her windshield. The massive iron gates groaned and rolled open automatically. Anjali drove through, following the winding gravel path past the mango orchards.
She parked the Mercedes near the front porch of the main farmhouse. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat, locked the car, and walked up the steps.
She pushed the front door open and stepped inside. The transition from the afternoon heat to the perfectly climate-controlled interior was immediate.
Anjali walked into the living room.
Krithika sat on the large fabric sofa. She wore a simple cotton kurti and jeans. Her legs were crossed. She held a bowl of sliced fruit. She was watching a movie on the massive 88-inch television mounted on the wall.
"Akka," Anjali called out, dropping her bag on an armchair.
Krithika turned her head. Her face broke into a wide smile. She set the bowl down on the coffee table, picked up the remote, and paused the movie. She stood up and walked over.
Anjali hugged her sister tightly.
"You didn't say you were coming today," Krithika said, pulling back.
"I had a half-day at college," Anjali explained, sitting down on the sofa. "The professors cancelled the afternoon lab sessions. I figured I would drive down."
"Have you eaten lunch?" Krithika asked.
"I ate a sandwich at the canteen," Anjali replied. She looked around the quiet living room. "The house is very calm today."
Before Krithika could answer, the back door of the farmhouse opened.
Sesikala walked in. She wore a cotton saree. She carried a small basket of fresh tomatoes harvested directly from the estate's vegetable patches. She stopped when she saw Anjali sitting on the sofa.
"Anjali," Sesikala smiled warmly, setting the basket down on the dining table. "When did you arrive, Amma?"
Anjali immediately stood up. She walked over and respectfully touched Sesikala's feet.
"Just now, Aunty," Anjali greeted her.
"How are your parents?" Sesikala asked, referring to Anjali's parents. "Are they doing well?"
"They are good. Nanna is busy with his work, and Amma is managing the house," Anjali answered.
"Tell them I asked about them," Sesikala instructed. She wiped her hands on a towel. "Did you eat?"
"I ate at college," Anjali politely declined.
"You can eat again. Growing girls need food," Sesikala dismissed the refusal entirely. "Sit with Krithika. I will wash these vegetables and check on the lunch preparations."
Sesikala picked up her basket and walked toward the main kitchen.
Anjali sat back down next to her sister. She picked up a slice of apple from Krithika's bowl and ate it. They talked for a few minutes about Anjali's classes, her friends, and the general gossip from Tarnaka.
Anjali finished the apple slice. She looked around the living room again, then looked toward the staircase.
"Where is Bava?" Anjali asked.
"He is working," Krithika replied, picking up a slice of watermelon.
"Upstairs?"
"No," Krithika pointed a finger toward the floor. "He is in the basement. He locked himself in the server room after breakfast. He is reviewing the structural designs for the new electric scooters."
"He designs the scooters himself?" Anjali asked, slightly surprised.
"He designs everything," Krithika stated simply. "He will come up for lunch in a few minutes. He never skips meals. Why? Do you need something from him?"
Anjali shifted her weight on the sofa. She let out a long, heavy breath.
"I have a problem," Anjali admitted. "A college problem."
Krithika turned her body to fully face her sister. "What happened? Are your grades dropping?"
"My grades are fine," Anjali shook her head. "It is the college committee. The student council at CBIT."
Krithika waited for her to continue.
"They are hosting the annual college fest in a few months," Anjali explained, her tone turning slightly exasperated. "It is a massive event. They need a chief guest. Usually, they try to get a local politician or a Telugu film actor for the event."
Anjali crossed her arms.
"After you got married, everyone in the college got to know that Krithika Rao, the girl who married Siddanth Deva, is my older sister. And the Student Council also got to know about it eventually."
Krithika nodded slowly. She understood the collateral damage of her public identity reveal. "And now they are pestering you."
"They won't leave me alone," Anjali groaned. "Every single day, the committee president and the cultural secretary wait for me outside my classroom. They follow me to the parking lot. They want me to ask Bava to be the chief guest for the fest."
"Did you tell them he is busy?" Krithika asked.
"I told them he runs a multi-billion dollar company and captains the national cricket team," Anjali said. "I told them his schedule is completely packed. They do not care. They said if he comes for just thirty minutes, the sponsorships for the fest will triple. They are begging me."
Anjali looked at Krithika.
"I told them I would ask him," Anjali clarified. "I told them I am only asking as a formality, so they stop harassing me. I know he does not attend random college fests. I know he has the Australia Test series and the IPL coming up. I will just tell him about it, he will say no, and I can tell the committee that his schedule is blocked. Then they will finally leave me alone."
Krithika analyzed the situation. She knew Siddanth guarded his time ruthlessly. He rejected high-paying corporate speaking engagements daily.
"Ask him when he comes up," Krithika agreed. "He will give you a clear answer."
They dropped the subject. They spent the next hour talking about other things. Anjali talked about her driving experiences with the Mercedes.
At exactly 1:15 PM, a faint mechanical hum resonated from the back corridor.
The hidden wall panel slid open. The steel elevator doors parted.
Siddanth stepped out into the hallway. He wore a Green Zoro T-shirt and dark jeans. He rubbed the back of his neck, rolling his shoulders to release the tension built up from hours of intense focus on the drafting monitors.
He walked into the living room.
"Anjali," Siddanth greeted her, his expression relaxing into a comfortable smile.
"Hi, Bava," Anjali replied, standing up.
"When did you get here?" Siddanth asked, walking over to the sofa and sitting down next to Krithika.
"About an hour ago," Krithika answered for her. "Her afternoon classes were cancelled."
"Good timing," Siddanth said. He looked toward the kitchen. "Lunch?"
"The table is set," Sesikala announced, walking out of the kitchen. "Wash your hands and sit down."
They moved to the dining room. Vikram Deva joined them, holding a financial newspaper. The family sat around the large oak table. Sesikala served steaming white rice, dal, and a spicy chicken curry.
They ate quietly for the first ten minutes. The only sounds were the clinking of spoons and Vikram turning the pages of his newspaper.
Anjali looked down at her plate. She looked at Krithika. Krithika offered a subtle nod, encouraging her to speak.
Anjali cleared her throat.
"Bava," Anjali started.
Siddanth stopped mixing his rice. He looked up. "Yes?"
"I have a request from my college," Anjali said. She kept her tone casual, attempting to convey zero pressure. "The student committee at CBIT is organizing its annual college fest. It is a three-day event. Technical presentations, cultural shows, sports."
Siddanth listened.
"They found out about the wedding," Anjali continued. "They know you are my brother-in-law. They have been following me around the campus for two weeks. They want you to come as the chief guest."
Siddanth did not react immediately. He took a bite of his food.
"I already told them you are extremely busy," Anjali added quickly, securing her escape route. "I told them you have the cricket series and the company to manage. I told them I am only asking you as a formality because they wouldn't stop pestering me. It is completely up to you. If you say no, I will just tell them your schedule is locked, and they will find an actor to do it."
Siddanth processed the information.
He did not dismiss it outright.
NEXUS was an expanding technological empire. The lifeblood of that empire was raw engineering talent. Currently, VEDA scours the internet to headhunt elite coders. But establishing a direct, physical presence at one of the premier engineering institutes in the state held significant corporate value. It built brand loyalty at the grassroots level.
Furthermore, he had isolated himself heavily within the corporate and cricketing bubbles over the last year. He had not interacted with the student demographic until now.
Siddanth set his spoon down. He looked at Anjali.
"When is the fest?" Siddanth asked.
Anjali blinked, surprised that he had not issued an immediate rejection.
"They have not finalized the exact dates," Anjali replied. "They said it will be either the end of March or the first week of April. They said they will build the entire schedule around your availability if you agree to come."
Siddanth ran the calendar through his mind. His Eidetic Memory pulled up the BCCI master schedule instantly.
The immediate task was the one-off Test match against Bangladesh in February. Following that, the highly anticipated, grueling four-match Test series against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy would consume late February and most of March. The final Test against Australia in Dharamshala was scheduled to conclude around March 29th.
The 2017 Indian Premier League season was slated to begin on April 5th.
There was a small, five-day window of downtime between the conclusion of the international season and the start of the franchise tournament.
"March 30th," Siddanth stated clearly.
Anjali stared at him. "What?"
"Tell your committee to fix the date for March 30th," Siddanth instructed. "I will attend."
Krithika looked at him, slightly surprised. Vikram lowered his newspaper.
"Are you sure?" Krithika asked. "You play the final Australia Test match right before that. You have the IPL starting five days later. That is your only rest period."
"It will only take two hours," Siddanth reasoned smoothly. He looked back at Anjali, explaining his logic. "Nexus hires hundreds of engineering graduates every year. The talent pool in these colleges is massive. I have not formally interacted with the student demographic yet. It will be a good networking opportunity for the company. It will be a new experience."
Anjali processed the fact that she had just secured the most elusive, highly demanded public figure in the country for her college fest. The student committee was going to lose their minds.
"Are you serious?" Anjali asked, a massive smile breaking across her face. "You will actually come?"
"I will come," Siddanth confirmed. "Tell them to send the official protocol itinerary to Rahul. He will coordinate the security sweep of the campus."
"I will tell them tomorrow morning," Anjali beamed. "They are going to build a statue of me in the campus courtyard."
"Do not let it go to your head," Krithika warned playfully.
They finished their lunch. The mood at the table lightened considerably.
Siddanth washed his hands and returned to the dining room. He leaned against the back of his chair.
"Speaking of cricket," Siddanth said, looking at Anjali. "The Bangladesh Test match starts on February 9th at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. Are you coming?"
Anjali nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. I want to come for the first day."
She paused, biting her lip slightly.
"Can I bring a few friends?" Anjali asked. "My friends have been pestering me for VIP tickets since December. Everyone wants to sit in the corporate box. I promised three of my classmates I would ask."
Siddanth didn't hesitate.
"Tell Rahul how many tickets you need," Siddanth instructed casually. "He will arrange the passes for your friends. Just give him their names for the security log."
"Thank you, Bava," Anjali said.
They left the dining table and moved back into the living room. The afternoon heat was peaking outside, making the air-conditioned farmhouse the only comfortable place to be.
Siddanth sat on the armchair. Krithika and Anjali sat on the sofa.
"We should go to a movie," Anjali suggested, checking the time on her phone. "There are a few evening shows available at the multiplex."
"What is playing?" Krithika asked.
Anjali scrolled through a ticketing application. "There is a new romantic comedy. It released yesterday."
Krithika frowned. "I read the reviews for that this morning. The critics destroyed it. They said the second half makes no sense and the screenplay is terrible."
"Critics hate everything, Akka," Anjali argued. "The songs are good. It will be fun."
"I am not sitting in a theater for three hours to watch a bad screenplay," Krithika stated firmly, her analytical nature taking over. "If the logic is flawed, I will get annoyed."
Siddanth chuckled softly from his chair. He remembered her reaction to the motorcycle silencer in Janatha Garage.
"She is right," Siddanth agreed, siding with Krithika. "We are not watching a badly written movie."
Anjali rolled her eyes. "Fine. What else is there?"
She scrolled further down the list.
"There is a Hollywood action movie," Anjali read the title. "John Wick 2."
Siddanth raised an eyebrow. "What are the reviews?"
"Ninety percent positive," Anjali reported. "They say the stunt choreography is phenomenal. But it is rated A. Very violent."
"A man gets revenge because someone stole his car and killed his dog," Siddanth summarized the plot foundation. "The motivation is clear. The logic is sound. We will watch that."
"Action movies are fine," Krithika agreed. "It is better than a terrible romantic comedy."
"Book three tickets for the 7:00 PM show," Siddanth instructed. "Book the corner seats in the premium row. I will tell Rahul to prep the car."
Anjali booked the tickets on her phone.
The afternoon passed quickly. They drank coffee, debated the merits of various actors, and discussed Anjali's upcoming semester exams.
At 6:00 PM, Siddanth went upstairs and changed into a dark hoodie and a baseball cap. He pulled the cap low over his forehead.
He walked downstairs.
"Let's go," Siddanth said.
They stepped out of the farmhouse. Rahul had a sleek, unmarked black sedan idling in the driveway. Siddanth got into the driver's seat. Krithika took the passenger seat, and Anjali sat in the back.
Siddanth drove out of the estate and navigated the evening traffic toward the city multiplex.
They arrived at the theater. Siddanth walked with his head slightly down, flanked by Krithika and Anjali. The cloak worked flawlessly. The crowds in the lobby walked past them without a second glance.
They bought a massive tub of popcorn and three sodas. They walked into the dark auditorium and found their seats in the back corner.
The movie began. For the next two hours, they watched the hyper-violent, meticulously choreographed action sequences play out on the silver screen. Siddanth appreciated the efficiency of the character's movements. Krithika enjoyed the visual aesthetics, and Anjali simply ate popcorn and watched the chaos.
The movie ended. The credits rolled.
They walked out of the auditorium before the main lights fully illuminated the room. They navigated the hallway and took the elevator down to the basement parking lot.
They walked to the cars. Anjali's Mercedes was parked near Siddanth's sedan. One of the estate drivers had brought it to the multiplex during the movie so Anjali would not have to drive back to Shamshabad to retrieve it.
"The movie was actually good," Anjali admitted, unlocking her car. "The choreography was insane."
"Yeah, it is a masterpiece," Siddanth agreed.
"Thank you for the movie, Bava," Anjali said. She hugged Krithika. "I will call you tomorrow, Akka."
"Drive safe, Anju," Krithika said. "Text me when you reach Tarnaka."
"I will," Anjali promised. She got into her Mercedes, started the engine, and drove out of the parking lot, heading toward her house in the city.
Siddanth unlocked the sedan. He and Krithika got in.
Siddanth put the car in gear and drove out of the basement. He merged onto the quiet night roads, heading back toward the Outer Ring Road.
The streetlights flashed across the dashboard. Krithika leaned her head back against the seat, looking at Siddanth.
"March 30th," Krithika noted quietly.
"Yes," Siddanth replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
"You are actually going to a college fest," she smiled. "The students are going to lose their minds."
"It is a good recruitment strategy," Siddanth reasoned smoothly.
"Sure it is," Krithika laughed softly, knowing he just wanted to help her sister. "Thank you for doing that for her. She was really stressed about it."
"It is not a problem," Siddanth said. "I have to interact with the public eventually. A college campus is a controlled environment."
They drove the rest of the way in comfortable silence. They reached the Shamshabad estate, the heavy iron gates closing securely behind them. The day ended quietly, setting the stage for the rigorous international cricket season that awaited him.