“Send me the agreement. I want to cross-check it once before finalising the partnership,” Ekagrah said, his voice clipped and formal over the phone. He ended the call and stared at the phone screen for a moment longer than necessary, as if collecting his thoughts.

With the phone still in hand, he turned to head towards his room, craving the quiet solace it promised. But just as he took a step, his ears caught a burst of voices from a nearby corridor—lighthearted, animated, unfitting to the otherwise structured silence of the house.