Arc 1: The Wealth Momentum (2016)Part I: The Zero-Sum Game
Chapter 10 — Doubts of Family Members
Money solves problems.
Until it becomes one.
The problem with money was never its absence.
It was its sudden presence.
In a middle-class household like the Choudhary villa in Dadar, money followed rules—clear, predictable, painfully slow rules. Salaries came once a month. Expenses were written down. Savings were discussed, debated, and often postponed.
Money was accounted for.
Which was why the bills didn't just lie quietly in the cupboard.
They screamed.
The Discovery
Malini Devi found them first.
She wasn't snooping.
She never snooped.
She was looking for an old electricity receipt to cross-check a meter reading. The wooden cupboard near the prayer shelf had always been a chaotic archive of household paperwork—insurance files, ration cards, bank passbooks, yellowing envelopes tied with string.
As she shuffled through the stack, something glossy slid out.
A bill.
Thick paper.
Foreign font.
Her fingers paused.
Then—
Another.
And another.
Palladium Mall.
Luxury showroom.
Premium silk boutique.
Swiss watch retailer.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She sat down slowly on the edge of the bed.
The total amounts printed at the bottom of each receipt made her breath catch.
This wasn't impulsive spending.
This was wealth-level spending.
A Mother's Fear
Malini Devi was not naïve.
She had raised children in Mumbai.
She had seen what happened to boys who suddenly had money without structure.
Shortcuts.
Scams.
Bad company.
She remembered stories—sons of respectable families getting dragged into hawala, betting rings, drug logistics. All of it began the same way.
Sudden cash.
Lavish purchases.
Vague explanations.
Her fingers trembled.
"Vikram…" she whispered to herself.
Calling the Father
Balvendar Choudhary was in the living room, adjusting his spectacles and revising lesson plans.
She walked in silently.
Placed the bills on the table.
One by one.
Balvendar looked up.
At first, he frowned.
Then he adjusted his glasses again.
Then he picked one up.
His expression changed.
The Math Teacher's Mind
Balvendar did not see brands.
He saw numbers.
He calculated instinctively.
Salary of Junior Engineer: ₹30,000 per month (optimistically).
Savings last disclosed: ₹5,400.
Known investments: Zero.
Side business: None officially declared.
Expenditure in the last week alone?
More than ₹8,00,000.
The equation did not balance.
And in mathematics—
If an equation doesn't balance, something is wrong.
The First Question
"Where did Vikram get this money?" Balvendar asked calmly.
Too calmly.
Malini Devi shook her head.
"He said freelancing."
Balvendar's jaw tightened.
"Freelancing doesn't produce this curve," he said quietly. "This is exponential growth without input."
That worried him more than anger would have.
The Summoning
Vikram returned home that evening unaware.
He whistled softly.
The blue panel hovered, content.
₹ BALANCE: ₹33,48,912.00
The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere hit him.
Stillness.
No radio.
No kitchen sounds.
His parents sat at the dining table.
The bills lay between them.
Neatly arranged.
Like evidence.
The Silence Before the Storm
"Sit," Balvendar said.
Vikram swallowed.
He sat.
Malini Devi clasped her hands tightly.
Neither of them smiled.
The blue panel flickered faintly.
EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT: CRITICAL
The Interrogation Begins
Balvendar slid a bill toward him.
"Explain."
Vikram picked it up.
He had rehearsed answers.
But not this moment.
"This is… shopping," he said cautiously.
"I can see that," Balvendar replied. "I'm asking how."
Vikram hesitated.
"I've been making money online," he said. "Investments. Rebates. Offers."
Malini Devi's eyes widened.
"Online?" she repeated. "What kind of offers?"
Balvendar leaned back.
"Illegal ones?" he asked quietly.
The Accusation
The word hung heavy.
Illegal.
Malini Devi gasped.
"Balvendar!" she protested softly.
He raised a hand.
"No," he said. "We must be clear."
He turned back to Vikram.
"Are you involved in money laundering?"
Vikram's eyes snapped up.
"No!"
"Drugs?" Balvendar continued, voice steady. "Betting? Crypto scams? Hawala?"
"No!" Vikram said again, louder now.
But his refusal lacked proof.
And Balvendar knew—
In mathematics, saying no without evidence meant nothing.
A Son Cornered
"Then show us," Malini Devi pleaded. "Show us how this money is coming."
Vikram opened his mouth.
Closed it.
How did one explain a system that paid him to blink?
The blue holographic panel shimmered uselessly.
Invisible.
Untouchable.
Unprovable.
The System's Silence
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Disclosure of Core Mechanism Restricted.
Vikram clenched his fists.
Even the system abandoned him here.
The Bank Statement
Balvendar slid another paper forward.
A printed bank statement.
"Explain this," he said.
Credits.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Random timestamps.
No employer name.
No consistent source.
Money appearing.
Balvendar tapped the page.
"This pattern is not salary," he said. "It is not freelancing. It is not legal income as defined by tax law."
Vikram felt sweat bead on his forehead.
A Mother Breaks
Malini Devi's voice cracked.
"We trusted you," she whispered. "We worried, yes—but we trusted you."
Vikram felt something twist painfully inside him.
The blue panel dimmed.
NEGATIVE EMOTION SPIKE DETECTED
For the first time—
The system felt heavy.
The Engineer's Panic
His mind raced.
If he told them everything—
They'd think he was insane.
If he told them nothing—
They'd think he was criminal.
Logic failed him.
Emotion overwhelmed him.
The Father's Ultimatum
"Vikram," Balvendar said finally, voice firm but tired.
"You will explain this properly."
"Or tomorrow, I go to the bank."
"And then to the authorities if required."
Malini Devi flinched.
Vikram froze.
Authorities.
Police.
Income tax.
The system had not prepared him for this variable.
A Compromise
"Give me time," Vikram said hoarsely. "Please."
Balvendar studied him.
Not as a teacher.
Not as a judge.
But as a father.
"You have one week," he said.
"One."
"If this money is clean, prove it."
"If it isn't—"
He stopped.
Didn't need to finish.
Night of Doubt
Vikram lay awake that night.
The blue panel hovered silently.
POSITIVE EMOTION: DECLINING
He stared at the ceiling fan.
Money had solved his external problems.
But internally—
It had created a new battlefield.
Trust.
Legitimacy.
Proof.
A New Realization
He finally understood something fundamental.
The system gave money.
But it did not give credibility.
And without credibility—
Even infinite wealth was dangerous.
The Chapter Ends
The panel updated once more.
NEW CHALLENGE UNLOCKED:
Legitimization of Wealth Required
Risk: Family Trust Collapse
Vikram closed his eyes.
The Zero-Sum Game was over.
A far more dangerous game had begun—
The Game of Belief.
End of Chapter 10