"Hah… sounds like the one who gave birth to you wasn't a woman… but a man. Or maybe a demon."
The sudden voice cut through the hall like a blade.
Everyone instantly turned toward the person who had spoken.
Viraj froze.
Mr. Chauhan's eyes widened.
Deepak and the people standing with him looked stunned.
And finally, when Sanaya recognized the voice, she slowly lifted her head—
Only for her eyes to widen in complete shock.
Because the one who had spoken those words…
Was Om.
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
But Om stood there fearlessly, eyes burning like fire as he faced Deepak head-on.
Meanwhile, Deepak's face twisted with rage.
"What the hell did you just say to me?!" he barked furiously. "Do you even know who you're talking to? How dare you try to insult Deepak Dholera?! Do you even know who I am?!"
Om looked at him calmly.
"Nope. And honestly, I already know enough."
His voice hardened.
"You're a shameless man… and a disgusting one too. A guy who neither knows how to respect women nor how to speak to them."
The entire hall went silent.
"And what was all that nonsense you were saying? Women this, women that…"
Om stepped closer.
"Have some shame. If women didn't exist, you wouldn't even be standing in this world today."
Deepak's expression darkened.
"Oh, and women can't run businesses?" Om continued coldly. "That's what idiots like you think. A woman who can raise and tolerate trash like you her entire life can not only run a business… she can conquer the entire world."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"Even gods bow before women."
Every single word hit Deepak like a slap.
His face turned red with anger as he noticed people around him nodding and whispering in agreement.
Meanwhile…
Sanaya was staring at Om in silence.
Completely lost.
For the first time in her life, she was seeing a man defend women like this.
Fight for them like this.
Till today, every man she had known either tried controlling women… or mocking them.
Somewhere deep inside, she had already accepted that one day she too would end up like her mother and grandmother—
A decorated puppet trapped inside a house.
But right now…
Watching Om speak with such passion and respect for women…
Something stirred inside her heart.
A soft bell rang quietly in a corner she didn't even know still existed.
And before she realized it, she found herself looking at him differently.
Warmly.
Almost lovingly.
Meanwhile, Om kept speaking.
"You know nothing about women. Men can try for centuries, but they can never become what a woman is."
His eyes locked onto Deepak.
"What, you earned a little money and started thinking you're great? Do you even understand what responsibilities women carry from childhood?"
His voice echoed through the hall.
"The responsibility of being a daughter. A sister. The pressure of society. Then after marriage, becoming the perfect daughter-in-law, taking care of an entire house, sacrificing her own time for family…"
People around them had gone completely silent now.
"And if she's working too? Then she balances office life and family together while destroying herself silently every day."
Om's eyes sharpened.
"And after all that… she still carries unbearable pain for nine months just to give birth to bastards like you."
A few people gasped.
"But when it comes to her child, she'll fight the entire world without hesitation."
His voice lowered dangerously.
"And then idiots like you say women are only meant for housework."
Om pointed directly at him.
"If women stopped handling homes and focused only on business or careers… then just imagine what they could achieve. A woman who can manage an entire family can easily manage a business too."
Then finally, Om's expression turned ice cold.
"So learn to respect women. Even gods bow before them."
He took one step forward.
"And if someone crazy like me ever decides to teach you properly… trust me, you won't survive long enough for explanations."
By now, Deepak was boiling with rage.
Watching people praise Om openly felt like poison to him.
Inside his head, he was cursing furiously.
Who the hell is this guy?!
I came here to humiliate Sanaya… to crush her pride in front of everyone!
And this bastard ruined everything!
Then suddenly, Deepak remembered seeing Om arrive with Sanaya earlier.
A wicked smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Ohhh… I get it now."
He looked at Om mockingly.
"So Sanaya Joshi adopted herself a new pet dog, huh?"
Then he turned toward Sanaya and laughed.
"Baby, is this your new boyfriend? Look how protectively he's barking for you. Feels like he's already your husband."
Sanaya's anger flared up again instantly.
But seeing her furious only entertained Deepak more.
Then he pointed at Om.
"Listen here, Joshi family's pet dog. If you've got guts, then find even a single medium-grade Jade today."
He smirked arrogantly.
"You talk big… but talking doesn't build a name."
Then his voice turned cruel.
"Whether women are great or not doesn't matter. But today, this woman and her entire family are definitely getting destroyed."
Deepak folded his arms confidently.
"Who knows? Maybe after today, none of you will even be able to show your faces again."
Then suddenly, Om smiled.
"Fine."
Everyone looked at him.
"Let's make a bet."
The hall instantly became tense.
"If you find a medium-grade Jade or anything above it… then Miss Sanaya will kneel publicly and apologize to you."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Sanaya, Viraj, and even Deepak stared at Om like he had gone insane.
"What?!" Viraj and Sanaya blurted out together.
Sanaya immediately grabbed Om's arm and whispered angrily into his ear,
"What are you doing?!"
But Om ignored her completely and kept looking at Deepak.
Then he smiled again.
"What happened? Scared already? Fine… let's raise the stakes."
His eyes sharpened dangerously.
"If I find a Jade higher in quality than yours… then you'll do exactly what I say."
Then calmly, without blinking, he added,
"And if I lose… I'll become your pet dog for the rest of my life."
The moment those words came out, Sanaya and Viraj looked like their entire world had shattered.
"What?!" they shouted again.
Sanaya stared at him furiously.
"Do you even realize what you just said?! You don't know—"
"Accepted."
Deepak interrupted her instantly.
Everyone around them gasped.
Deepak walked right up to Om until they were almost face to face.
"Looks like you're new to this field," he said with a cold smile. "You should've learned about the legends of this industry before making bets like this."
His grin widened.
"But it's fine. You walked straight under the axe yourself… and now I'll happily chop you down."
Then his voice turned vicious.
"I'll destroy you so badly you won't even have a cloth left to wrap around yourself."
After that, he turned toward Sanaya with a demonic smile.
"Looks like the Joshi family's fate is finally changing. Seriously, where did you even find this idiot?"
He laughed loudly.
"He's going to drown all of you."
Then his eyes gleamed arrogantly.
"Forget medium-grade Jade. I won't even let you people touch low-grade Jade today."
He began walking away before turning back one last time.
"Oh, and congratulations on your new dog."
His smile widened.
"After the competition, let's go buy your leash."
With that, Deepak finally left.
The people with him kept mocking Om while walking away, laughing loudly as they disappeared into the crowd.
The moment they were gone, Sanaya furiously grabbed Om's arm.
"What kind of stupid bet was that?!" she snapped. "First people learn about their opponent, then they challenge them! Idiot!"
She looked genuinely frustrated now.
"I seriously don't understand why Grandpa trusts you this much! Explain it to him, Viraj! He thinks he can beat Deepak— unbelievable!"
Still angry, Sanaya stormed away from there.
A few seconds later, Viraj slowly walked toward Om with a worried expression.
"Mr. Om… I'm sorry, but this time my sister is right."
His voice turned heavy.
"You probably don't know this, but Deepak Dholera is considered one of the greatest Jade researchers in the country. He has already discovered more than four medium-grade Jades."
Viraj swallowed nervously.
"People say if there's anyone in India who truly understands Jade… it's him."
Then he looked directly into Om's eyes.
"And if he says today he's going to create history… then that means he probably really is about to uncover a Jade above medium grade."
Viraj sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Om… but you already lost this bet before it even started."
After saying that, Viraj stared at Om nervously.
But Om…
Om was simply standing there smiling at him calmly.