Present Day
Jai walks towards his mother's funeral pyre, his steps heavy with grief. As he reaches her, he kneels and touches her feet. Then, unable to hold back anymore, he bursts into heart-wrenching sobs, crying out loudly, his pain echoing in the silence. After some time, as the tears slow and his breath steadies, he performs the final ritual — setting the pyre alight.
Then, he turns toward Sanjana's pyre. His eyes fix on her face one last time, his gaze filled with sorrow and memories. Without a word, his hands trembling, he sets her pyre on fire as well. After that, Jai simply sits down near the burning pyres, staring into the flames — lost, empty, and numb.
Five Years Ago
Delhi University was buzzing with excitement. The campus was being decorated for a grand event, and a group of students were busy adorning the stage with flowers. Among them, a girl whispered with excitement, "Do you know who's coming to our university today?"
"Who?" another girl asked, curious.
"The CEO of Singhania Enterprises — the business tycoon himself!"
The second girl gasped, "What?! You mean… today's chief guest is Jai Singhania?!"
"Yes!" the first girl confirmed enthusiastically. "While I was bringing flowers, I overheard the Vice Chancellor talking on the phone. He said Jai Singhania is coming as the chief guest."
Just then, a boy decorating the stage interrupted, "You girls can't go two minutes without gossiping, can you? Always yapping — more talking, less working!"
His teasing sparked laughter among the other boys, and all the girls turned to glare at them in unison.
Suddenly, a stern voice cut through the chatter. Everyone turned to see Professor Anant standing there. The students immediately straightened up and greeted him with a respectful, "Good morning, sir!"
Professor Anant nodded and looked around the stage critically. "How long will it take to finish decorating the stage?"
"Five more minutes, sir," the boys replied.
"Five minutes means five minutes. Not a second more. The chief guest is on his way — he could arrive any moment now. So, students… move fast! There are still other tasks pending," he instructed before walking away.
Half an Hour Later
Outside the university, a fleet of eight cars arrived, surrounding a luxurious Rolls Royce that came to a stop in the center. From the other vehicles, bodyguards stepped out. Then, the door of the Rolls Royce opened, and a well-dressed man emerged. The Vice Chancellor approached him with a bouquet, smiling warmly.
"Welcome, Mr. Singhania!" he greeted, offering the flowers.
The man accepted the bouquet politely and handed it off to a bodyguard. The catch? That man wasn't Jai Singhania.
In reality, Jai was still inside the car, speaking urgently on the phone about business matters. To maintain a low profile, he had sent Aman — his associate — out in his place. Since the Vice Chancellor had only spoken to Jai over the phone and never seen him in person, he assumed Aman was Jai Singhania.
As instructed, the bodyguards followed Aman, and the university welcomed him with full honors.
Meanwhile, after ending his call, Jai finally stepped out of the car. Wearing dark sunglasses, he looked around — no one was outside. Quietly, he entered the university on his own.
As he walked through the corridor, fate had other plans.
Collision
Without warning, he collided with a girl heading in the opposite direction. Both fell to the ground.
"Hey! Are you blind?" the girl snapped, standing up and brushing dust off her clothes. "Do you have buttons for eyes? Can't you see a girl coming your way?"
She continued, fuming, "You saw a girl and tried to take advantage, didn't you?"
Jai stood up, dusted off his suit, and was about to lash out in anger — but the moment his eyes landed on her face, he froze. Her beauty, her charm… his rage melted away. His outstretched finger dropped, and instead, he folded his hands politely.
With a sad expression and a soft voice, Jai said, "Sorry, madam. I've recently had eye surgery. The doctor told me to wear dark glasses… it makes it hard to see clearly. I didn't mean to bump into you. I'm really very sorry."
The girl's anger faded instantly. Embarrassed, she said, "Oh! No, no… why are you apologizing? It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into you. Are you hurt?"
Jai looked into her large eyes, her flowing hair, her moving lips — his heart skipped a beat. A strange feeling rushed through him. He wanted to kiss her. He'd never felt this way about any girl before. Somehow, he restrained himself.
Lost in his thoughts, Jai didn't respond.
"Hello?" she waved a hand. "Are you hurt badly? Why are you so quiet?"
Snapping out of it, Jai replied, "No, no… I'm okay. And please — stop apologizing. It wasn't your fault at all. So… no sorry, no thanks, okay?"
"Okay," she smiled.
Then, with a curious look, she said, "But I've never seen you around this college before…"
The girl said, "Okay." Then, after thinking for a moment, she asked, "By the way, I've never seen you in this college before?"
Jay replied, "Yes, it's my first time here. That's why I don't know the way around the college. Could you help me find it?"
She smiled and said, "Where do you need to go? Tell me, I'll take you there myself. I know every nook and corner of this college."
Jay was curious, "Oh really? How so?"
The girl replied confidently, "I'm a student of MSc Chemistry."
Jay said, "Oh! I need to go to the Vice-Chancellor's office."
"Alright," she said, and started walking with him, leading the way. A few minutes later, Jay's phone rang.
"Sir, where are you? Everyone is waiting for you," said the voice on the other side.
Jay responded, "I'm not coming. Okay? You handle the matter," and cut the call.
The girl pointed ahead and said, "That's the Vice-Chancellor's office."
Jay looked ahead and realized he was already standing right in front of it.
He reached out his hand and said, "Thanks, Miss..."
"Oh, sorry! I got so caught up talking, I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Sanjana Thakur. And you are?"
Jay smiled slightly and replied, "I'm Jay Singha... I mean, Jay Singh."
Sanjana shook his hand with a friendly smile and walked away. Jay stood there, eyes fixed on the direction she had gone.
Meanwhile, on stage, Aman addressed the audience. "I'm Jay's assistant. Jay received an urgent call from London and couldn't be here today."
Everyone in the crowd was visibly upset. They had prepared so much for Jay's arrival, and instead, his assistant had shown up. Even though Jay was Asia's number one businessman, sending an assistant felt like a letdown.
But no one dared to complain out loud. After all, 60% of the college's funding came from the Singhania Enterprises.
That evening, back at Singhania Villa, Jay looked like a heartbroken lover. He kept turning the table lamp on and off, staring blankly at the air conditioner one moment, and the ceiling fan the next. Everywhere, he saw only Sanjana.
Suddenly, a door opened. From the other room, his father, Digvijay Singhania, stepped out carrying a dinner plate. Outside his room, a servant always stood by to attend to him. Seeing Digvijay, the servant immediately took the plate from his hands.
Digvijay's wife, Mitali, was paralyzed. Thirty years ago, she had given birth to twins—Jay and Jaya. After being discharged from the hospital, the family was on their way home when heavy rains flooded the roads. A pothole, invisible under the water, caused a tragic accident when a Bolero hit their car. One child died on the spot, and Mitali was left paralyzed for life.
From that day until now, Digvijay had taken care of his wife with unshakable dedication. After feeding Mitali, he headed downstairs to the dining hall. Seeing the table empty, he asked a servant, "Where are Jay and Aman?"
The servant replied, "Sir, Jay is in his room, and Aman is on the phone with someone."
Mitali's best friend was Bhavana. After marrying Chetan, she had moved to London and settled there. A year later, she gave birth to Aman. When she heard about Mitali's accident, Bhavana immediately returned to India with two-month-old Aman. She brought Jay to her maternal home and raised him like her own for two years before handing him back to Digvijay and returning to London with Aman.
Digvijay considered Bhavana like his younger sister and tied rakhi from her every year. It was he who arranged her marriage with his friend Chetan.
When Aman was three, Bhavana was diagnosed with cancer. While she was alive, Chetan married another woman. Betrayed by her husband, Bhavana's health worsened, and soon she passed away.
Aman's stepmother treated him cruelly. She beat him often. One Raksha Bandhan, as per tradition, Digvijay visited London to meet Bhavana and Chetan. There, he saw Aman being beaten. Shocked, the rakhi fell from his hand. He rushed forward, pulled Aman away from the woman, and slapped her so hard that she fell to the floor.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Digvijay looked up. It was Chetan. In a harsh tone, he asked, "How dare you hit my wife?" He lifted his wife in his arms and held her protectively.
Stunned, Digvijay asked in a broken voice, "Wife...?"
He put Aman down and grabbed Chetan's collar. "You remarried? And didn't even care what Bhavana would go through if she found out?" he demanded.
Chetan shoved Digvijay's hand away and said coldly, "She knew. I married her while Bhavana was still alive. Understand?"
That was the final straw. Furious, Digvijay slapped Chetan so hard that blood trickled from his mouth.
Aman began crying in fear. Digvijay rushed to him, lifted him, and wiped his tears gently.
"Where's your mommy, son?" he asked.
Aman pointed upstairs, still sobbing. Digvijay didn't understand. He held the child close and whispered, "Don't cry, son," and began to walk toward the stairs.
But Aman spoke again, "Uncle… mommy went to God."
Digvijay's steps faltered. He looked at Aman again, his voice trembling, "What did you just say?"
"My new mommy said she's gone to God. She won't come back," Aman cried.
Digvijay's eyes turned red. He set Aman down and turned to Chetan.
"Where's Bhavana?" he demanded, then began hitting Chetan again and again in rage.
Seeing this, Lopa—Chetan's new wife—screamed for the servants, "Get this madman out of here! Call the police!"
Digvijay turned and slapped her too. She fainted instantly.
Looking at Chetan, Digvijay said, "From today, our friendship is over. And remember this—you'll regret this decision one day."
With that, he took Aman back to India with him. Since then, Aman had been living with Digvijay.