Page 134 of Okay Boss
Forty minutes in, his phone chimed.
Vikram stepped back from the bag, chest heaving. He unwrapped one hand before checking the screen.
A news alert from one of India's leading publications.
"Mithibai College Professor Faces Defamation Lawsuit And Ethics Investigation"
The article didn't name Divya. His lawyers had ensured her privacy. But it detailed allegations against Professor Kashyap for "unprofessional conduct during examination" and "personal attacks unrelated to academic assessment." The college had placed him on immediate leave pending investigation.
A second notification appeared. Then a third.
Rahul's team had been efficient. Multiple outlets now carried stories not just about the lawsuit but about Kashyap's history. Previously buried complaints from students about inappropriate comments. Financial irregularities in a research grant. Plagiarism allegations from a doctoral candidate whose work showed suspicious similarities to Kashyap's recent publication.
Nothing planted. Nothing fabricated. Just Kashyap's own actions finally catching up to him.
The professor's reputation was unraveling thread by thread. By afternoon, his career would be in tatters. By evening, his name would mean professional disgrace.
Vikram set the phone down. He hadn't smiled while reading. Hadn't felt triumph. Just cold certainty that actions had consequences, especially when those actions hurt someone who was his.
He stripped off his sweat-soaked shirt and grabbed a fresh towel.
The gym door opened behind him.
He knew who it was before turning. Could sense her presence like a shift in the air.
Divya stood in the doorway, still in her sleep clothes, glasses crooked as if she'd put them on in a hurry. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders. In one hand, she clutched her phone.
Her expression wasn't professionally blank anymore. It burned with something raw. Unleashed.
"What did you do?" She stepped into the gym, phone extended toward him. The screen showed one of the news articles.
Vikram tossed the towel over his shoulder. "What needed to be done."
"A lawsuit? Media exposure? His entire career?" Her voice rose with each question. "This is too much. It's…"
"It's fair." He didn't raise his voice to match hers. "He publicly humiliated my wife. Questioned your integrity. Suggested you didn't earn what you accomplished."
"I can fight my own battles." Her hand shook slightly. "I've been handling difficult people my entire life."
"This isn't about whether you can handle it." Vikram stepped closer. "It's about the fact that you shouldn't have to."
"You can't just destroy someone because they insulted me!"
"Yes, I can." Simple. Direct. Absolute. "No one disrespects my wife."
My wife.
The words hung between them.
Something broke in Divya's expression. Her eyes filled suddenly, tears spilling over before she could stop them.
"Don't you understand?" Her voice cracked. "This is exactly what he accused me of. Using your name, your power, your position to get what I want."
"That's not what this is."
"It's what everyone will see!" The words tore from her throat, raw and stripped bare. "The opportunist who married Vikram Khanna and now uses his influence to destroy anyone who criticizes her."
The tears flowed freely now, tracking down her cheeks. Her breathing hitched, her body seeming to cave in on itself as she wrapped her arms around her middle.
