As soon as the girl left the restaurant, everyone at the table looked relieved, as though a huge disaster had just been avoided.
Momo couldn't hold herself back anymore and burst into laughter, making fun of the entire incident.
Aarshi, however, felt a little embarrassed by the drama she had just put on.
Big Brother smiled and said, "Aarshi, even though you acted for barely five minutes, you practically saved my life."
Aarshi smiled proudly.
Without directly looking at his brother, Ayaan commented arrogantly, "What's wrong with that girl? She's rich, bold, and confident."
Big Brother casually took a sip of his coffee and replied in the same calm attitude, "I don't prefer being connected to someone who has no ambition or purpose in life."
Momo frowned in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
Big Brother turned to Aarshi.
"Aarshi, what's your goal as a student?"
She immediately sat up straight and answered proudly, "I want to give my best and achieve excellent results throughout my school years."
He nodded and looked at Momo.
"And what about you? What's your ambition?"
Momo smiled.
"I want to become respected and successful in my profession."
Big Brother nodded again.
"Exactly. Both of you have goals. You want to create your own identities through your efforts."
He paused for a moment.
"But that girl openly admitted that she only wants recognition through her family and future husband. She doesn't want to build a name of her own. She depends entirely on others for financial security and social status."
He placed his coffee cup on the table.
"After marriage, she would rather be known as someone's wife than by her own achievements and reputation. Personally, I don't prefer being with someone who doesn't wish to create her own identity."
Aarshi and Momo were completely satisfied with his answer.
For some reason, he sounded incredibly mature.
After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant.
Big Brother and Momo went to meet the interior designer to discuss the renovations for his room, while Aarshi and ayaan returned home together.
Even then, Aarshi couldn't stop smiling.
She was unexpectedly happy about how the day had gone.
In fact, she was secretly blushing.
She looked at Ayaan and said, "Your brother is seriously too sweet. Why don't you talk to him? If I had a brother like yours, I'd never stop caring for him. He cares about you so much."
Ayaan didn't even look up.
"Even if he cares, he has his own tongue. He can speak for himself instead of sending you to defend him."
Her mood instantly sank.
Still, she tried to ignore it.
"Fine. At least show me your gift."
Ayaan handed her the watch.
The moment Aarshi saw it, her eyes widened.
It looked absolutely stunning.
Elegant.
Sophisticated.
An absolute masterpiece.
It was obvious that it had been specially customized.
"How did he even manage to make something like this?" she asked in amazement.
Ayaan shrugged.
"He's already a high-profile engineer. Designing and making things like this isn't difficult for him."
Aarshi switched on the watch.
Immediately, several functions appeared on the screen.
It could directly connect to his iPad, locate it, and even track its exact position.
She looked genuinely impressed.
"Wow! Just look at this. It's amazing!"
Ayaan glanced at it again.
The watch also contained health-monitoring features. It could predict physical conditions like fever, colds, high blood pressure, and even potential heart-related issues.
Aarshi looked completely fascinated.
"How can your brother care so much about you when you don't even care about him?"
Ayaan looked at her expressionlessly.
"You seem more interested in both the watch and my brother than I am. You can keep them both."
Silence.
Aarshi stared at him in disgust.
Then—
THUD!
She kicked him right on the foot.
"Idiot!"
And marched straight to her room.
Inside her room, she kept pacing back and forth.
Why don't they talk to each other?
Big Brother seems so nice to him.
But this idiot is the one holding grudges against him.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Ayaan stared at the watch in his hand.
He looked completely puzzled.
He had always been healthy since childhood.
And as for tracking his iPad...
That thing practically lived in his hands.
Even his friends treated it like a national treasure and never left it unattended.
He sighed.
"So this expensive thing is basically just a clock for me."
Later, Aarshi decided to take a short afternoon nap.
Unfortunately, her "short nap" turned into several hours of deep sleep.
When she finally woke up, she looked at the clock.
It was seven in the evening.
Her head felt dizzy, and her throat was painfully dry.
Still half asleep, she stumbled out of her room in search of water.
In the living room, Big Brother and Momo were chatting happily.
Big Brother stood in the kitchen, chopping vegetables.
For some reason, he looked exactly like one of those green-flag male leads from romantic dramas.
He looked peaceful, happy, and oddly attractive.
Then—
In the middle of laughing, he accidentally looked up.
The moment his eyes landed on Aarshi—
His smile vanished.
Instantly.
As though he had just witnessed something utterly horrifying.
Momo followed his gaze.
A second later—
Her smile disappeared too.
Both of them stared at Aarshi as if some mysterious creature had just emerged from another dimension.
Suddenly, a towel landed around her waist like a skirt.
She jumped and turned around.
Ayaan was standing behind her.
He looked completely unimpressed.
"Were you drunk before sleeping?" he whispered.
Aarshi blinked in confusion.
"What?"
He simply handed her the towel and walked away.
Completely baffled, she looked down.
And froze.
Her soul practically left her body.
She was wearing shorts underneath her dress.
Somehow, her entire dress had become tucked into those shorts.
The fabric had puffed up ridiculously, making it look as though she had stuffed balloons into her pockets.
Her dress was terribly crumpled.
Her hair resembled a bird's nest.
And overall, she looked exactly like someone who had lost an intense battle against sleep and common sense.
Her face turned bright red.
Without another second to spare, she wrapped the towel around herself and sprinted back to her room.
She changed immediately.
Then sat on her bed.
And mentally died from embarrassment.
What must they think of me?
Oh no.
Oh no.
This is a complete disaster.
She buried her face in her pillow and repeatedly bumped her head against it.
She was grateful to Ayaan for saving her from further humiliation, but she still felt utterly destroyed.
She couldn't stop wondering what Big Brother and Momo thought about her.
After all, being clumsy around Ayaan had always been normal.
But this...
This was an entirely new level of embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Ayaan knew exactly what she was doing.
Without knocking, he entered her room.
Aarshi didn't even notice.
She was too busy trying to disappear into her pillow.
Ayaan casually lay down beside her on the bed.
Only then did she realize he was there.
She sat up immediately.
"What are you doing here?"
He looked at her.
"Just checking. You're embarrassed, aren't you?"
She stared at him.
"Isn't that obvious?"
He nodded.
"I know."
Aarshi ground her teeth anxiously.
Ayaan knew exactly how her brain worked.
After a moment, she asked softly, "Did I really look that terrible?"
He shook his head.
"Not to me."
She blinked.
"Why?"
He looked at the ceiling.
"Because I've seen every version of you over these days. That was nothing new for me."
She stared at him.
Oddly enough, that answer made her feel better.
Then she remembered the living room.
"What will they think about me?"
"They won't think anything."
"Really?"
"Really."
"They won't discuss it with anyone?"
"How could they? They know you're already embarrassed enough."
He paused.
"And if you're worried about my brother, he's mature enough to let it go."
Aarshi slowly nodded in relief.
Then she looked at him again.
"Then why don't you talk to your big brother?"
Ayaan froze.
For the first time that evening—
He had absolutely no answer.