"But grieving people are selfish. They won't let you comfort them and they say you don't understand and they make you feel useless when all your life you've been functional to them."

- Melina Marchetta, The Piper's Son

* * *

"Bhaiya!" Pushkar called him out as soon as he stepped into the hall, his shout loud enough to snap Shravan out of his thoughts and hide his goofy smile. He cleared his throat and sobered up when he found his cousin sitting on the stairs, blocking his way, looking at him with a teasing grin that was lighting up his face.

"Pushkar, not now, I have to study Mr Berry's case, the hearing is the day after tomorrow!" He exclaimed before hurriedly climbing the stairs thanks to his longs legs. Ignoring his cousin's calls, he entered in his room before closing the door with a sigh of relief for avoiding the pending teasing session from Pushkar.

After collecting the files and the heavy law books to study Mr Berry's case, he spread everything on his bed before getting lost in his work. When after an hour or so, his phone chimed in, he hurriedly picked it up, already knowing who it was.

"I have reached home, go to sleep now!" She ordered before ending the call.

"She says to me that saying 'hi, hello' is a must and then she herself does this..." He muttered to himself, shaking his head.

Before he could move back to his files, suddenly he remembered that he had left his book and the letter inside it on the side table in the hall along with the paper she had to scribble the address of her PCT. As the thought of Pushkar finding the book and reading the letter swum in his mind, he hurried down the stairs, hoping that the book had been spared from the curiosity of his family members. Racing downstairs, he sighed in relief when he found the book where he had left it, untouched... 

Getting hold of it, he made his made way back to his room, unaware of the person who had been observing him from far away...

After finding the letter inside the book along with the paper, he breathed out a content sigh, taking out the folded paper with PCT's address written over it, he carefully caressed her messy handwriting with a smile before placing it beside the letter and closing the book once again, he fell on his bed and once again started to study the files, after reading a few lines, he suddenly stopped and sat up straight with a frown as he noticed the similarities between the two addresses, realizing PCT was on one of Mr Berry's plots.

"What the hell..." He muttered slowly as he stared at the opened files in front of him.

Reading about PCT being on the plot number 609 and knowing Mr Barry's owned from plot n number 550 to 610, his worry only increased. He was going to win the case due to Mr Berry's strong claim over the property, and with that, she was going to lose PCT, her dream. But why didn't she tell him anything? He had sent out a notice to all the tenants of Mr. Saniyaal, then how come she didn't know it was him who was fighting the case? Did she not know about it?

Grabbing his phone, he called his assistant who he had given the responsibility of sending every Saniyaal's tenants a letter to inform them about the ongoing case on the same day the case was filed in the court by him.

"Did you sent the letters to Saniyaal's tenants as I had asked you to?" He asked as soon as the other person responded to the call.

"Shravan Sir?" His assistant asked in his sleepy voice.

"I asked you something, I had told you to send letters to Saniyaal's tenants, did you do that?" He asked once again, the agitation in his voice was clear enough to alarm the other person.

"What are you talking about, sir?" He asked with a fearful voice, knowing very well that no matter how gentle his boss appeared with his calm manners, he was a dangerous man when he was angered.

"Mr Barry's case, obviously, now answer me!" Shravan snapped.

"Sir, Mr Ramnaath, and Mr Barry had stopped me from sending any letter to anyone. This would have alarmed everyone and made other party's case stronger," he answered in a small voice, hoping he wouldn't have to bear the brunt of his boss's anger.

"And what about the people who would be on the streets the day after tomorrow? Have you thought about that?" He snapped, suddenly his thought went to the smile she had on her face when she had told him about the meeting she was going to have tomorrow with a potential client.

"But sir, Mr Barry..." his assistant tried to say before being interrupted by him.

"I am the lawyer handling this case, am I not? You work with me, you should have listened to me, not to anyone else," he snapped, clenching his hands into fists, angry at him for not following his orders.

"I want you to write the letters, to each and every tenant of Saniyaal to inform them about the ongoing case, and then you are going to hand-deliver them first thing in the morning," he concluded with an order, as his mind started to come up with the plan to damage control.

"But sir," his assistant tried once again before being ruthlessly ignored by him when he interrupted him.

"You have only a few hours, use them wisely," he said before ending the call.

With a tiring sigh, he fell on the bed with his head in his hands - 'just when I thought things were going good, something had to happen,' he thought with bitterness. Rubbing his eyes with his fingers he tried to get rid of the tiredness and think of how to handle the situation. The more he thought about it, the more he feared her reaction, endless questions raised in his head; what would be her reaction? - would she let him explain? - Would she look at things from his point of view? - Would she be angry at him? He thought about every question without reaching any conclusion.

'What a mess,' he thought, pulling his hair in frustration.

* * *

"Shravan..." she cried out in happiness as soon as she spotted his car outside PCT.

"I gave you the address last night, and you are here the next morning, couldn't wait any longer?" She asked with a teasing smile.

The sight of her coming his way with a smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with fondness, made his heart ache painfully, knowing he was about to snatch away the happiness lighting up her face.

"You came at the right time, I wanted to share this news with you before anyone else, PCT got the contract," she shouted out in excitement.

"I mean, he went on all about how much PCT needs improvement, but that can be done with the money from the advance check, you will see, my PCT soon will be shiny new!" she said with a grin as she grabbed him from his hand to drag him inside.

"You know I have planned everything that needs to be done or replaced," she said as she went to a place to the other, telling him the plans she had in her mind while he struggled to tell her how useless were her plans because of what was about to happen.

"What do you think?" She asked with a smile.

"Suman, you know about the case hearing I have tomorrow, right?" He asked her, his voice quavering due to the stress and worry.

"What happened?" She asked, noticing his expression for the first time.

"Last night I realized that PCT is on my client's property and tomorrow, I am going to win the case, which means you will have to leave PCT," He said in a whisper, observing her changing expressions.

"What are you talking about?" She asked with a frown, confused.

"PCT is built on a land occupated illegally, the legal owner wants his land back to build a mall here," he informed her with a cringe.

"What does that mean? We give Mr Saniyal rent, each month on time, how can anyone tell us to leave this place?" She asked, with a frown, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Sumo, Mr Berry has been trying to win this case for many years. I had taken over this case a month ago and I know he is going to win this case because his claim is legally stronger and with that, everyone who has been occupying his land would have to leave it and that includes you too," he told her as he held her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"But how can that happen? What about PCT? Where? How?" She muttered, taking in everything.

"Sumo..." he called her out, worried and guilty.

"Huh?" She uttered and when she looked up at him, she found looking at her with frown, guilt, and worry clear in his eyes.

"I will find a way, don't worry," she told him with a forced smile.

"Sumo, you don't have to do it alone, we will find a way," he insisted, upset at the exclusion, impatient to help her out.

"I don't need your help, Shravan, I can do it on my own, I will find a way," she said firmly as she tried to search something in her diary.

He looked at her in confusion, ignoring how much her excluding him hurt. Weren't the two of them working together to solve problems something they have always done? They had always found solutions of the problems together, helped each other out, she always came to him whenever she needed help, no matter how small or big the issue was, then why was she suddenly acting so differently than she had a decade ago? They were friends once again and every aspect of their friendship has gone back to how it was back then, then why was she making him feel as if he wasn't needed by her? As if he was just a stranger and not her Shravan, her best friend?

"Sumo?" He called her out and frown when she ignored him by continuing to call someone's number.

Folding his arms across his chest, he tried to comprehend what she was trying to do and as he listened to her conversation, he realized she was trying to get in touch with Mr Saniyaal, despite knowing how useless it was, he let her talk to him, his heart aching with each word she uttered in desperation and helplessness. As soon as she banged the phone in its place, he moved from his place and came to stand near her.

"Leave me alone, Shravan," she whispered as she gripped the edge of the counter, controlling her tears to not appear pitiful or weak in his eyes.

"Sumo, just hear me out," he once again tried to convince her.

"You have already done what you had to do, now let me do what I can, " she said firmly, forcing herself to glare at him, so it would appear as if she was accusing him.

She knew it was wrong, but the only way she could think of sending him away was to make him feel as if she held him responsible for what was happening. She forced her tone to sound accusing and her gaze to become cold when she looked up at him.

"Sumo?" He whispered, hurt coloring his expression as he looked down at her, his heart breaking when he saw accusation in her eyes.

"Just go away, Shravan, I want you gone, just leave me alone," she whispered, closing her eyes to ignore how heartbroken he looked.

"If that's what you want..." he whispered, guilty but hurt at the same time when he realized that now she couldn't even look at him.

As she heard his footsteps getting farther away from her, she opened her eyes just in time to see him walk away, looking dejected and defeated. She sighed painfully, guilty for hurting him.

'I will make it up to you,' she vowed in her heart before getting back to her quest of finding a solution to the sudden problem.

* * *

"Shravan, how come you are here?" Mr Berry said, surprised when his young lawyer walked in his office.

"Mr Berry, I am here to discuss something with you," he said in a firm tone.

"What is it?" Mr Berry asked, curious as he gestured him to take the seat.

"I want to buy the plot number 609 from you," he said as sat straight on the chair.

"Why is that?" Mr Berry asked with a frown, confused at the sudden interest of his young lawyer in his land.

"That's not important, I just want you to name the prize and let me buy it," Shravan said firmly, agitated and impatient.

"Okay, okay. That's not an issue anyway, that plot isn't included in the land needed for the mall we want to build there, so I was anyway going to leave it the way it is," he informed with a shrug.

"That's good," Shravan said as he breathed in relief, his shoulder relaxing for the first time ever since he realized the mess they were in.

"But think again, Shravan, I am going to ask double of its prize, or anything else I want to in exchange for that land, would you be okay with it?" Mr Berry asked with a smirk, trying to gauge the young man's reaction.

"That land is more precious than any prize you can name, Mr Berry," he said with a relieved smile, making the old man sitting in front of him chuckle and raise his eyebrows slightly as he looked curiously at him.

The curiosity he tried to satisfy as soon as the young lawyer walked out of his office after cracking a deal with him and making him sign the needed papers to name the land in the name of a certain Suman Tiwari.

"Ramnaath, who is Suman Tiwari?" He asked as soon as the person on the other side responded.

"Why do you ask?" Ramnaath asked, confused at the sudden question.

"Because your son had just handed me a blank check and he says I can add whatever prize I want for a piece of land that costs nothing to me," he informed with a laugh.

"What are you talking about, Berry?" Ramnaath asked, bluffed and the more he listen to what his friend was saying, the more he felt agitated.

"I want your permission and advice, your son is a good lawyer, I like him, so I wanted to ask if this Suman Tiwari is dear to him enough to make him agree to be my lawyer for every case I might have in the future?" He asked his friend his usual cheery voice, as always amused at his own ideas.

"I will call you back," Ramnaath responded before ending the call without letting him say anything.

"Huh? Strange..." Mr Berry muttered before smirking, as he nodded at his thoughts.

"Well, if Malhotras won't answer me, I can always ask Miss Tiwari," he voiced his thought out loud with a smirk.

* * *

"Sumo, here, drink some water," Preeta said as she forcefully handed her employer cum friend a glass of cold water.

Glaring at her fellow worker to mind their tongue and not say something that could upset Suman once again, she returned her attention back to the girl who had been restlessly trying to find a way to solve the problem they were in.

"Did you talk to Shravan about this?" She asked when she suddenly was reminded of her employer's giant friend who was a lawyer.

"He is the one who is fighting the case," Suman informed them with a tiring sigh.

"What? How could he do this to you? Is he not your friend?" Peeta shouted out, and with that, suddenly each one of them started to mutter, accusing the said friend out loud, making Suman snap at them.

"Shut up!" Suman yelled out, "he didn't know about PCT, and even if he did, it's his job to fight the wrong and it's Mr Saniyal who is wrong here. Shravan has done nothing wrong. He didn't even have to inform us, but he did. He informed each and every tenant of Saniyaal and that proves how he had no intention to hurt anyone," she said as she glared at them.

"Now, back to your work, I will handle this situation myself," she said with determination, after forcing others to continue their everyday duties, she once again got busy in finding a place for PCT.

Hours passed by but her search was fruitless, she couldn't find an appropriate place for PTC in such a short span of time and the more time passed, the more defeated she felt.

'There has to be a way,' she told herself, tired and worried.

As the dusk fell, she ordered others to leave and go to their home, assuring them that she would find a solution to their problem.

"We should come with you, come on, let us try to think of something together," Preeta insisted, despite her repeatedly refusing the suggestion.

"No, you guys need to go home and rest. There is a huge possibility we have to shift tomorrow, if we fail to find a place then we will have to move everything to Tiwari Killa, I need you all well rested so we can do all of that tomorrow." Suman said, the order clear in her voice, forcing them to do as told.

Nodding at her, they one by one left for home, Preeta being the last, pleaded to her once again to let her be with her but run off as soon as she glared at her with the famous Sumo style. With a small smile, she shook her head at the head cook cum friend.

After half an hour, she took her bag, dumping her things in it and as she walked out of PCT, she asked herself whether she would be able to keep the promise she had made herself to keep the memories of her mother alive by making sure her name becomes a top and well-known brand.

As she stood outside PCT, her gaze fixed on the board boring her mother name, she felt her vision clouding, tears slipped her eyes no matter how much she tried to get a grip on her emotions. She had tried hard to control them when she was around others, but once alone, as always, tears slipped from her eyes without her permission. As the coldness hit her, she became aware of how lonely she was, but also made her realize that once again, she had to fight everything and everyone to survive with her dignity and her self-respect intact. She vowed to herself, she won't bend to the situation nor she would let anyone see how weak and helpless she was feeling because others only knew how to make her feel more miserable, they showed pity but were afraid of her for asking their help.

'Ha, as if I need their charity,' she thought with bitterness, 'I will do everything on my own as I have always done,'

She wiped her tears away and nodded with new determination.

'I will find a way on my own...' she thought before turning around, just to run into the familiar wall, and when she looked up, she found him looking down at her before slowly reaching out and gently wiping her tears.

"Shravan..." She whispered, before looking away from him, the awareness of appearing weak to him made her suddenly pull away, ignoring how his hands followed her until she was standing out of their reach.

"Sumo..." he whispered, clenching his hands before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, forcing herself to hold back everything she had been feeling, everything that a part of her wanted to share with him but she couldn't, nor she knew how to...

Without uttering a word, he took out the papers from the side pocket of his jacket and handed her the solution he thought was perfect for their problem. With a frown, she hurriedly read what was written on paper and the more she read, the angrier she felt.

"What is this?" She demanded with a glare.

"Property papers," he responded.

"That I can see, what I meant to ask is why, Shravan?" She asked with exasperation.

"Why not?" He asked with a frown.

"I don't need your pity nor your help, Shravan," she said with irritation.

"It's not pity, sumo, not even help. I can do that, so I am, simple," he responded with a frown.

"I don't need your help, I don't need anything from you. I just want you to leave me alone, can you at least do that?" She snapped before she could stop herself.

"Sumo...How do you expect me to leave you alone in a time like this?" He asked, trying his best to stand his ground.

"Shravan... Please, just let it go. I was wrong to accuse you, I didn't mean it, I never have. It was the only way for me to make you leave, and I have stupidly done that. I was wrong, I apologize." She said patiently, pushing back the despair she had been trying to hide, slowly the strong appearance she was trying too hard to hold on for the entire day was crumbling down and she couldn't let it happen in front of anyone, not even him.

"And how can you not see, Sumo, that I am not doing that because I feel guilty, but because I want to - because I can't see you like this? Why are you suddenly putting so many walls between us?" He asked in exasperation.

"Why do you always do that, sumo?" He asked with a frown, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Why do you always have to pull away? Whenever I think that maybe we... Why do you always have to make me feel as if there never was something and never could be?" He asked her in a whisper, realizing that once again, she has become unreachable, in every way.

"I don't know what you are talking about?" She said, looking away from him, too tired to care, too impatient to be alone so she could release everything she had been holding back.

"And that makes things worse...That means once again I am the only one..." he whispered with a sardonic smile, bewildered at the never-ending cycle he was stuck in.

As she heard him, she let out a tiring sigh, the guilt of hurting him hit her hard, making her step closer to him and held his hand in between hers, before trying to find words that would make him understand what she meant.

"Please, Shravan, understand that I don't want to hurt you, and the only way to do that is for you to let me do this on my own. I will find a way on my own, I always have. So, please, go home and don't worry about this, I can handle it, I don't need anyone's help, I don't need anyone," she pleaded, looking up him even though his gaze was fixed on the other side.

"But I am not just 'anyone', Sumo. Or am I?" He asked her, slowly pulling away from her when he didn't find the answer in her eyes.

"You don't understand, Shravan..." she sighed in exasperation, bearly holding back her tears.

"You don't neither..." he whispered before turning around to walk away.

As she stood there, watching him walk away, she wondered, why? Despite every step taken in caution, every word spoken carefully - they always end up hurting each other?

With tiredness taking a toll on her, exhausted, she let go of the tears she had been holding back, glad that her cloudy vision washed away the sight of him walking away from her, once again...

* * * * * *

A/N:- Ah, finally, updated! So, while re-watching EDKV to write this story, I had noticed that Shravan while filing the case with Mr Berry had said that he was going to send letters to inform the tenants of Mr Saniyaal about the case, but that didn't happen...

So that made me think about the PCT mess and it became one of the points I wanted to write about to clear the misunderstanding that the lack of consistency in writing had made. I mean, how come we hated the 'independent and self-respecting' Suman when we all are, in fact, women who follow the ideology of 'self-respect' above all?

Suman's habit of trying her best to not depend on anyone and her self-respect was the strength of her character, but each of us, in a way or other, has perceived it as a flaw, and that was because there had never been an attempt to show us that it wasn't her desire to show off or stubbornness that dominated her actions, nor there was an honest attempt to show why was she right in her ways...

The same thing goes to Shravan's desperation of being needed and wanted by her. His desire to be the one who helps her out has been shown in such a bad light that only a few of us could understand the reason and the depth of his actions, and only a few could justify the rage and the devastation he felt when he got to know that he wasn't the one she chose to help her.

I can't help but feel wronged every time I think how many things they missed, how much they messed up, or how things would have been if they had tried to take the story where it should have been taken...

So, all we can do now is to attempt to clear ShraMan's pov, write about what we had wished to see in EDKV, so each of us can get what we were promised while reading each other's work...

I hope you all liked the update...

Please, leave a comment or two to let me know your thoughts and feelings...

I sincerely thank each one of you, for your time, for your support, love, and patience...

Thank you... :)

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