Stocks & Destiny
Chapter 5
What If Vardhan Rises
1,239 Words
7 Min Read
12 Jun 2026
I'm sorry for your loss."
"That's kind of you," Sarita replied in a low voice.
She sat across from Professor Anu with both hands folded in her lap, her saree pressed neatly despite everything. The kind of neatness that takes effort when everything inside has already come apart.
Rishi stood just behind her.
He hadn't sat down. He hadn't looked up either.
Anu had called them in because of his absence. Two weeks without a word—just a short message that said "family emergency." She hadn't pushed him at the time. But two weeks was the limit. She had to follow up.
She hadn't expected this.
"He'll try to catch up on everything," Sarita said gently. "He just needed a little time."
"Of course," Anu said. "Please don't worry about the attendance. These things can be sorted."
Sarita nodded, but her eyes didn't quite settle on anything. Outside the window, students moved through the corridor in small groups, laughing about something. The ordinary sounds of a college afternoon. In that office, it felt like a different weather entirely.
"If there's anything Rishi needs," Anu said, "he can always come to me. Doubts, missed topics—anything."
Sarita glanced at him briefly, the way mothers do when they want their child to acknowledge something. Rishi slowly lifted his head. His eyes met Anu's for a second.
"Yes," he said.
Just that one word.
Anu looked at Sarita again. At the neatness. At the effort. At the way she held herself together, like she had been doing this for two weeks—for relatives, for neighbors, for everyone who said the same thing.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
How many times had she heard it? How many times had she smiled back, the corners of her mouth moving just enough?
Anu suddenly felt stupid. She felt small. She had called this woman here for attendance.
If she had… No, if Rishi had mentioned it clearly, she wouldn’t have called her for a meeting.
Anu held her hand. It felt thin and cold. She held it longer than she intended.
"Thank you for coming in," Anu said. "I'm sorry for making you travel here."
"It's alright," Sarita said softly.
She adjusted her saree once and turned toward the door. Rishi picked up his bag from the floor and followed, his steps quiet, the bag hanging loose from one shoulder.
Anu watched them until the door closed.
That was the first real interaction she had with Rishi.
✦ ✦ ✦
The memory faded slowly.
Professor Anu stared at the ceiling for a moment before letting out a long breath. It had been a long day. All she wanted was to go home, make herself a cup of tea, and stop thinking about the stock market for a few hours.
Instead, the day seemed determined to leave her with more questions than answers. First, one of her students had collapsed in the middle of class. For a few minutes, she had genuinely been scared. Even after the doctor assured her everything was fine, the image of Rishi falling from his chair hadn't completely left her mind.
Then there was Tasha Motors.
Her eyes drifted toward the laptop screen. The numbers were still there. Red. Painfully red. She already knew exactly how much she had lost. Looking at it again wasn't going to change anything.
Anu rubbed her forehead. The headache she had been carrying since the afternoon was still there. Then, for reasons she couldn't explain, her thoughts circled back to Rishi again — the student who had rushed back to college just to ask about a stock.
Her eyes moved slowly across the watchlist. Eventually, they stopped.
Vardhan AutoSystems Ltd.: ₹255.
What if Vardhan rises?
That was the last thing Rishi said before he left. Professor Anu frowned. It was definitely strange—he had no reason to come back to college.
Still, he was so confident when he said it. Like he knew something.
Prof. Anu moved her hand to the mouse and started looking for the latest news. Anything good about Vardhan.
All she could see was negative impact. Even popular analysts hadn't mentioned anything about Vardhan.
So why did Rishi say that? Why did he look so confident?
Prof Anu checked her remaining money after the Tasha crash: ₹5,000. She checked Vardhan again. Still ₹255.
"Unless something miraculous happens, I don't see any reason for Vardhan AutoSystems to increase."
But what if it really rises?
Professor Anu put all her remaining money from Tasha into Vardhan AutoSystems.
She had already lost ₹15,000. Losing a bit more wasn't a big deal. She bought it without thinking further.
She fell back into her chair, exhausted, realizing she desperately needed rest after everything that had happened today.
✦ ✦ ✦
I finally reached home. This time I found a seat on the bus. I didn't have to do that extra stunt risking my life to get back. Surprisingly the bus was empty — maybe because most people had already left while I was entering college.
I opened the door slowly to see where my mom was. When I opened it fully, she was there lying on the sofa, looking straight into my eyes. I knew the moment I saw her—I was fucked.
I replied in a very soft, fearing tone:
"Hey, Mummy."
My mom kept staring into my eyes without blinking.
"I'm sorry, I had to go to college because of an important thing, I—"
"First wash your legs and come back. The food I made you is already cold."
My mom interrupted me.
I went straight into the washroom to wash my legs without saying much.
I actually felt guilty thinking about it. I should've listened to her before I left home. Or should've given her an explanation. She came all the way from work and started preparing food for me.
I went back to the dining hall and saw my mom serving food on my plate. I pulled my chair out and sat quietly.
My mom sat to my left, serving herself. She looked exhausted.
“I’m sorry for making you worry, Mummy. I had something important to do at college, so I left in a hurry.”
My mother looked at me.
“I’m not really going to ask what you do at or outside college,” she said as she continued eating.
“But when it comes to skipping food, that’s a different matter.”
I stayed quiet.
“You left home without eating properly. Then you disappeared for half the day.”
She shook her head.
“You’re studying, running around the city, doing whatever it is you do. At least eat properly.”
“It won’t happen again, Mummy.”
“Eat,” my mother said. “The food is getting cold.”
I started eating.
I was honestly surprised she didn’t ask why I had left in such a hurry.
Even if she had, I don’t think I would’ve answered her.
I finished eating and helped my mom with the kitchen work before heading back to my room.
Finally, I had a little time to myself.
I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling fan spinning above me.
It had been a really long day.
At least I hadn’t blacked out again.
That's two times already.
Ever since all this started, there wasn’t much I could do except wait and see what happened next.
I didn’t even know if Vardhan would rise.
And even if it did, I had no idea when.
The more I thought about it, the more questions appeared.
My head felt crowded with thoughts, but none of them came with answers.
I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow suddenly felt very far away.
Glossary
Saree—A long, draped garment worn by women in India, wrapped around the body over a blouse and petticoat
Mummy—Informal Indian-English word for "mom" or "mother," similar to "mum."
College (India)—Often refers to an undergraduate institution (like university), not high school.
Bus (city bus)—Public transport bus commonly used by students and office workers in Indian cities.