[Next Day – Morning at Home]
Skand was explaining something to his uncle.
Skand:"Look, Uncle, this product has great potential. It can be used by everyone — whether rich or poor. That means steady demand and good profit for us."
Uncle(confused):"But I don't think this will work. A powder that gives cooling? Who's going to believe that? Or buy it? No one's even heard of something like this before."
Skand(with quiet confidence):"Just trust me and follow my instructions. Let me handle the rest."
Uncle:"Alright, when do we start making it?"
Skand:"I'll head to the market today and get the ingredients. In the meantime, you can prepare a few things at home — and please, take care of Mother."
[At the Market]
Skand walked through the market, selecting ingredients carefully.
Skand (thinking):"I need sandalwood powder, dried and ground rose petals, multani mitti, vetiver root powder, and a touch of camphor or mint. That's all I need to create the natural cooling powder."
After collecting everything in sufficient quantity, he turned to leave — when suddenly, two people stepped in front of him.
It was Malvi, his ex-fiancée, and her new fiancé, Gaurav.
Malvi (smirking):"Oh, hey Skand. How are you? Meet my fiancé, Gaurav."
Gaurav:"Hi, Skand. I heard you've been struggling financially. If you ever need a job, feel free to come see me."
Skand(calmly):"Thank you. I appreciate the offer."
Malvi (thinking):Why is he so calm? I wanted to humiliate him…
Malvi:"Gaurav, you know what? My life could've been ruined if I hadn't left him. Thank God I found you."
Gaurav (puzzled):"What do you mean?"
Malvi:"I mean, I realized in time that you're the right choice for me — not him. That's why I broke off the engagement."
Gaurav:"Malvi, don't say things like that. His father just passed away. Show some respect."
Skand (serenely):"Brother, you seem like a decent man. Just be careful — she might leave you too, the moment things get tough like they did with me."
Malvi (furious):"What are you implying? Just because our engagement broke off, you're trying to turn my fiancé against me?"
Skand:"I never said that. In fact, I'm glad I didn't marry you. Otherwise, my life would've been a disaster."
Malvi:"What do you mean by 'someone like you'? You're jobless, penniless — a disgrace to your family name!"
Skand (angrily):"And you're the one who pretended to love me since childhood, only to abandon me the moment my father died and we lost our wealth."
Malvi (furious):"You worthless gutter rat!"
By now, a crowd had started to gather around them.
People (murmuring):"Is that the Skand whose engagement broke off? So this was the real reason?""This girl seems truly selfish.""Maybe the boy had some faults too..." (whispers another)
Gaurav (angered):"Skand, I was being polite with you, but now you're crossing the line. You're insulting my fiancée."
Gaurav suddenly punches Skand.
Suddenly, a voice from the crowd shouts:
"Gaurav! What are you doing?"
An older man pushes forward and slaps Gaurav across the face.
[To Be Continued...]