Mullai was confused when she didn't see Bhadran, who had been sleeping beside her all night, when she woke up. "He was here, wasn't he? Where did he go now?" she asked herself. However, she didn't think about it for too long.
Without searching for him, she got up, went to the bathroom, took a shower, and then put on a salwar kameez. Having worn a saree for the two days since her wedding, today she wore a rose-colored salwar kameez.
As she was about to put a bindi on her forehead and vermilion in her hair parting, a strange longing enveloped her heart. While her heart yearned for things to remain this way forever, her mind struck her with the thought, "Thinking like that is a big mistake; he belongs to someone else," and with a deep sigh, she went to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Bhadran, who had woken up at 5 o'clock, went straight to the gym. He was doing push-ups on the bare floor, with one hand on the ground and the other behind his back. Sweat was dripping from his face and all over his body.
No one knew how long he had been exercising. He continued to spend his time exercising, letting his mind wander. Just then, the telephone rang, and he got up, answered it, and held it to his ear. After hearing what was said on the other end, he said, "Hmm... I'll be there in 5 minutes," and taking a towel from the table, he went to the bathroom.
A short while later, when he came out, Mullai was pouring milk into glasses for Theeran and Vaishnavi. Bhadran stopped, stunned by her appearance.
She looked very beautiful in the rose-colored salwar kameez. Since she had just showered, the water from her hair was trickling down her white back, and seeing this stirred something within him. The water droplets glistening here and there on his face shone like diamonds.
As various thoughts crossed his mind, Vaishnavi, noticing him and interrupting his thoughts, called out, "Dad, come," and Bhadran went to her side.
When Mullai offered him the coffee she had brought, Bhadran touched her hand as he took the cup. She immediately pulled her hand away, glared at Bhadran, and turned away. Dheeran, who was on the other side, glared at Bhadran, who was enjoying his coffee while admiring Mullai.
After drinking his milk and giving the glass to his mother, he said, "Mom... you go downstairs, I'll get the glass from the baby," and after sending Mullai away, he got up to go to the bathroom, deliberately bumping into Bhadran, who was drinking his coffee.
The coffee spilled all over Bhadran's hand. Seeing this, Vaishnavi exclaimed, "Oh no, the coffee spilled!" But Dheeran replied casually, "That's why you should look at the coffee you're drinking and not look around. Otherwise, this is what happens." His voice was full of mockery.
Hearing what he said, Bhadran glared at Dheeran, who arrogantly looked back at him and entered the bathroom. Bhadran followed him and washed his hand; his hand was bright red.
It wasn't painful for him. But he was surprised that there was someone who could hurt him. Because even his enemies would stand ten feet away and talk to him. Most of the time, he faced only indirect conspiracies. He had never encountered an enemy who would stand face-to-face and oppose him until now.
There were even gangsters who trembled and ran away in fear at the mere mention of his name, 'Monster'. He was a giant in the business world. Such a man was being provoked by a young boy, no, not just a boy... his own son. Thinking about that, he turned and looked at Theeran, who was bathing there.
Just then, Theeran, who had taken off his clothes and put them in a bucket nearby, turned around and saw Bhadran looking at him. He panicked, covered his lower body with his hands, and glared at Bhadran, shouting, "What are you looking at? Get out of here quickly!"
Seeing him panic and shout, Bhadran felt a strange sense of amusement. Thinking that he could now tease the one who had been teasing him all this time, he said, "I'm a man, and you're a man. Why should I go outside? Why are you standing there feeling shy?" and walked towards Theeran.
Theeran moved backward and shouted, "If you don't leave now..." He grabbed a jug nearby, filled it with water, and threatened, "I'll pour this on you!" But Bhadran ignored him and moved even closer.
Theeran moved further back and turned on the shower. Cold water fell on Bhadran, making him stumble slightly. In that moment, Bhadran grabbed the hand of Theeran, who was about to run into the dressing room. Theeran, startled, screamed, "Amma..." and was pulled along by Bhadran.
Mullai, who was downstairs, heard his scream and, fearing something was wrong, quickly ran up the stairs. Here, more cold water fell on Theeran, and shivering, he tightly hugged Bhadran.
This brought immense joy to Bhadran.
He had been teasing him, keeping him at a distance and not even letting him touch him, but now he had made him hug him. A slight smile curved the corner of Bhadran's lips. Just then, Theeran pulled away from him, glared at Bhadran, and poured the water from the jug onto Bhadran's face.
Bhadran also poured water on Theeran, and they both poured water on each other in turn. Just then, Vaishu opened the door and came inside, saying, "Me too... I'm coming too," and joined them.
In the process of pouring water on each other, everyone was drenched from head to toe. Then, as Vaishu went to pour water on Bhadran, it splashed right onto Mullai's face, who had just opened the door and come inside at that moment.
Seeing Mullai, Theeran subtly took Vaishu and went outside. Because Mullai shouldn't stay in the water for too long; she would scold him saying she would fall ill. That's why Theeran had slipped away from there.
Bhadran was staring at Mullai, completely lost in thought. Because she was drenched, her clothes clung to her body. Her body curves were clearly visible before his eyes. The water on her face ran down her neck and onto her chest, and seeing that, his throat felt dry. He swallowed slowly and looked at her.
Mullai wiped the water from her face and looked up, only then realizing Bhadran's penetrating gaze. Seeing his gaze below her neck, she also looked down and was shocked. Since she wasn't even wearing a dupatta, her front was clearly exposed.
Immediately, Mullai tried to leave, but as she took a step, the wet floor made her slip. She cried out "Ah..." and was about to fall when Bhadran ran and caught her. Mullai looked up at Bhadran, and his eyes were calm and soothing.
That affected her in some way, and she quickly moved away from him, but suddenly she cried out, "Ouch..." and sat down. Bhadran, startled, bent down to see what had happened. Her ankle was very red. It seemed she had sprained it when she almost fell. Mullai held her leg and began to moan in pain.
With a serious expression, Bhadran, without thinking about anything else, bent down and lifted Mullai up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking at him in surprise, but he carried her out of the bathroom and made her sit on the sofa.
He knelt on the floor in front of her, with one leg bent, and examined her ankle. It was very red. Looking at it, he opened a nearby drawer, took out some ointment, and held her leg. When she flinched and tried to get up, he pressed down on her shoulder, making her sit down, and pierced her with his sharp gaze.
She felt fear run down her spine, causing her to tremble. After she calmed down, he began to rub the ointment on her ankle. The gentle scent of his pepper-scented cologne entered her nostrils, and she kept looking at him.
"The richest man in this town, a stubborn and unruly man who bows to no one. And now he's holding my leg?" This hesitation was overwhelming for Mullai. So she tried to pull her leg away from his hand. But he didn't let go. He continued his treatment.
As Bhadran rubbed the ointment, Mullai kept looking at him. His sculpted face was so beautiful. While she was enjoying his company despite herself, at that very moment, Theeran and Vaishnavi came out of the dressing room wearing different clothes.
Upon seeing Bhadran applying ointment to Mullai's ankle on the sofa, they panicked and rushed to her side, shouting, "Mom, what happened?" They saw that her ankle was injured and badly swollen. Seeing this, Theeran and Vaishnavi's eyes welled up with tears.
"Mom, what happened to you?" they asked again. By then, Bhadran had finished applying the ointment and stood up. Mullai made Theeran and Vaishnavi sit on her lap and said, "Nothing happened to me, my darlings. I slipped on the bathroom floor; there was a slight pain, but even that's gone now. Don't cry," she comforted them.
But both of them continued to cry. Theeran got down from her lap, and with his tiny hands, he held her foot and gently blew on the swollen area. As the warm air touched the injured spot, Mullai felt the pain lessen.
Bhadran watched in surprise as Theeran, with tears in his eyes, tried to alleviate his mother's pain by blowing on the injured spot. Until now, he had been expressionless, but seeing him cry now made Bhadran feel something he couldn't quite understand.
Touched by Theeran's affection, Mullai smiled faintly and looked at Theeran, saying, "Theeran, I'm fine. Look here," and she slowly stood up and walked to show him. When she put her foot down, it did hurt sharply. Yet, for Theeran...Therefore, she hid it without showing it on her face.