17-05-2026, 11:15 PM
Chapter 137 - Parallel Saturdays
Saturday turned out to be eventful for both Suresh and Gowtham, though in very different ways.
Gowtham’s Side
Gowtham woke up early with a rare sense of purpose. After a quick breakfast, he headed straight to his friend’s place. The two spent the entire morning scouting for a small office space in a decent commercial building. By afternoon, they were meeting potential investors, old contacts, ex-colleagues, and a couple of angel investors his friend had lined up.
For the first time in weeks, Gowtham felt truly alive. The discussions were energetic. Ideas flowed freely. Numbers were discussed. Timelines were set. He could see a clear path ahead — launching their AI-tech startup within the next two to three months.
By evening, as he rode back home on his bike, the wind felt different. Lighter. He had taken the first real step toward building something of his own. No more working under someone else. No more depending on others.
His mind, however, kept drifting back to Sneha.
darling, i cant wait for Monday to return..
Varsha’s Side
At the office, the day felt unusually heavy for Varsha.
Gowtham’s cabin was empty. His chair sat untouched. His desk was unusually clean. She kept stealing glances at it every few minutes, unable to focus on her own work. The silence in that corner bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
Rahul noticed.
He came over multiple times under the pretext of helping with modules and reports.
By evening, when most people had left, he stayed back with her.
“You’ve been distracted the whole day,” Rahul said, leaning against her desk. “Everything okay?”
Varsha forced a smile. “Just a little tired.”
Rahul didn’t move away. Instead, he stepped closer, his voice dropping.
“You know… that day in the server room… I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”
His eyes lingered on her lips. “If Gowtham hadn’t interrupted us…”
Varsha coldly dismissed him, SIR, we are working in a company, we had to do that to catch you.
Prakash trusted you back and got you stay here. Please don't overstep.
She could not concentrated anymore, her eyes went back to cabin.. if he was here, he would have stepped in
for the first time in her entire life, she displayed a dependency . her heart ached for his presence.
She packed her things quickly and left, leaving Rahul standing there with a frustrated expression.
Suresh’s Side
At V-Activate Group headquarters, Suresh spent the day in back-to-back meetings with companies that had received funding from Aditya.
He sat quietly, observing, analysing. One company in particular caught his attention — an apparel brand that was scaling rapidly. Something about their operations and team felt promising.
During a coffee break, a staff member was serving drinks.
As Suresh turned with his cup, he accidentally collided with Prakash — Gowtham’s boss — who had come for a different meeting.
Hot coffee spilled across Prakash’s shirt.
“I’m so sorry, sir!” Suresh immediately apologized.
Prakash waved it off with a friendly laugh.
“No problem at all. These things happen.”
Suresh escorted him to the nearest washroom to help clean the stain.
While Prakash was wiping his shirt, they fell into casual conversation. Prakash was warm, approachable, and spoke highly of his team.
The brief interaction registered strongly in Suresh’s mind, but he doesn't this was the man Gowtham worked under.
Evening at Home
Suresh returned home in the evening and spent quality time playing with Ramya — board games, cartoons, and stories. For a few hours, the weight of the complicated world outside faded. The house felt warm and normal.
The weekend passed quietly. On Monday morning, Suresh dropped Ramya back at the hostel. The car ride was filled with her excited chatter about college. He kissed her forehead before she ran inside.
Monday Morning Surprise
Gowtham had not gone to office that day.
Instead, at 10:00 AM sharp, the doorbell rang.
Sneha, who was folding clothes in the living room, opened the door and froze in surprise.
Gowtham stood there, dressed casually, a confident smirk on his face.
“You… aren’t you supposed to be at office?” she asked, eyes wide.
Gowtham stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, closing the door behind him.
“I took the day off,” he said, his voice low and hungry. “I wanted to spend it with you.”
Sneha’s heart skipped a beat. She could already sense the shift in his energy — more dominant, more possessive than usual.
Saturday turned out to be eventful for both Suresh and Gowtham, though in very different ways.
Gowtham’s Side
Gowtham woke up early with a rare sense of purpose. After a quick breakfast, he headed straight to his friend’s place. The two spent the entire morning scouting for a small office space in a decent commercial building. By afternoon, they were meeting potential investors, old contacts, ex-colleagues, and a couple of angel investors his friend had lined up.
For the first time in weeks, Gowtham felt truly alive. The discussions were energetic. Ideas flowed freely. Numbers were discussed. Timelines were set. He could see a clear path ahead — launching their AI-tech startup within the next two to three months.
By evening, as he rode back home on his bike, the wind felt different. Lighter. He had taken the first real step toward building something of his own. No more working under someone else. No more depending on others.
His mind, however, kept drifting back to Sneha.
darling, i cant wait for Monday to return..
Varsha’s Side
At the office, the day felt unusually heavy for Varsha.
Gowtham’s cabin was empty. His chair sat untouched. His desk was unusually clean. She kept stealing glances at it every few minutes, unable to focus on her own work. The silence in that corner bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
Rahul noticed.
He came over multiple times under the pretext of helping with modules and reports.
By evening, when most people had left, he stayed back with her.
“You’ve been distracted the whole day,” Rahul said, leaning against her desk. “Everything okay?”
Varsha forced a smile. “Just a little tired.”
Rahul didn’t move away. Instead, he stepped closer, his voice dropping.
“You know… that day in the server room… I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”
His eyes lingered on her lips. “If Gowtham hadn’t interrupted us…”
Varsha coldly dismissed him, SIR, we are working in a company, we had to do that to catch you.
Prakash trusted you back and got you stay here. Please don't overstep.
She could not concentrated anymore, her eyes went back to cabin.. if he was here, he would have stepped in
for the first time in her entire life, she displayed a dependency . her heart ached for his presence.
She packed her things quickly and left, leaving Rahul standing there with a frustrated expression.
Suresh’s Side
At V-Activate Group headquarters, Suresh spent the day in back-to-back meetings with companies that had received funding from Aditya.
He sat quietly, observing, analysing. One company in particular caught his attention — an apparel brand that was scaling rapidly. Something about their operations and team felt promising.
During a coffee break, a staff member was serving drinks.
As Suresh turned with his cup, he accidentally collided with Prakash — Gowtham’s boss — who had come for a different meeting.
Hot coffee spilled across Prakash’s shirt.
“I’m so sorry, sir!” Suresh immediately apologized.
Prakash waved it off with a friendly laugh.
“No problem at all. These things happen.”
Suresh escorted him to the nearest washroom to help clean the stain.
While Prakash was wiping his shirt, they fell into casual conversation. Prakash was warm, approachable, and spoke highly of his team.
The brief interaction registered strongly in Suresh’s mind, but he doesn't this was the man Gowtham worked under.
Evening at Home
Suresh returned home in the evening and spent quality time playing with Ramya — board games, cartoons, and stories. For a few hours, the weight of the complicated world outside faded. The house felt warm and normal.
The weekend passed quietly. On Monday morning, Suresh dropped Ramya back at the hostel. The car ride was filled with her excited chatter about college. He kissed her forehead before she ran inside.
Monday Morning Surprise
Gowtham had not gone to office that day.
Instead, at 10:00 AM sharp, the doorbell rang.
Sneha, who was folding clothes in the living room, opened the door and froze in surprise.
Gowtham stood there, dressed casually, a confident smirk on his face.
“You… aren’t you supposed to be at office?” she asked, eyes wide.
Gowtham stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, closing the door behind him.
“I took the day off,” he said, his voice low and hungry. “I wanted to spend it with you.”
Sneha’s heart skipped a beat. She could already sense the shift in his energy — more dominant, more possessive than usual.
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