Chapter 1: Has My Dream Come True?

“I’ve checked the wedding catering prices. The hotel is asking for ₹1,800 per plate.”

On a quiet Saturday afternoon, Viraj Agnihotri sat inside a coffee shop in Indore, discussing wedding preparations with his future wife.

He took a sip of coffee and continued, “I also submitted the design you sent me for the sweet boxes we’ll distribute at the wedding.”

“They said they’ll need to prepare a new sample to make that particular box. We’ll have to visit them in two days and inspect it.”

“Fine.”

The beautiful young woman sitting across from him answered without raising her head. Her attention remained entirely focused on her phone.

Her name was Riya Malhotra.

She had been Viraj’s girlfriend for the past three years, and their wedding was only a few days away.

Seeing Riya constantly using her phone, Viraj frowned slightly.

“What happened? Until a few days ago, you were excited about every little detail of the wedding. Why do you seem so distracted today?

“Nothing happened.”

Riya answered without looking up. Her fingers continued moving rapidly across the screen.

A few moments later, she asked, “Have you purchased the cold drinks and whisky?”

“I’ve already ordered the cold drinks.”

Viraj paused briefly before continuing, “But I wanted to discuss the whisky with you. What if we buy Rampur Select?”Riya immediately looked up from her phone.

“Didn’t my mother tell you to buy expensive premium whisky?”

Her displeasure was evident in her voice.

“Viraj, can you at least take your own wedding seriously?”

“I am taking it seriously, Riya. That’s precisely why I’m calculating the expenses before making a decision.”

Viraj calmly explained, “We’ll have approximately six hundred guests. We’ll need at least sixty bottles of whisky. The brand your mother suggested costs nearly ₹8,000 more per bottle.”

“For sixty bottles, the difference will be approximately ₹500,000.”

“So?”

Riya glared at him.

“Are you going to start accounting for every rupee you spend on me? Do you think marrying me is costing you too much money?”

Iraj took a deep breath.

“This isn’t about spending money on you. Almost everything I saved after starting my job five years ago is currently with you. You know it was approximately ₹800,000.”

“A large portion of that was spent on the ₹651,000 engagement gift given to your family. My mother has borrowed ₹1.2 million from people she knows to cover the wedding expenses.”

“Now tell me how—”

“Enough!”

Riya placed her phone on the table and interrupted him.

“My family asked you for an engagement gift of ₹1.1 million. You didn’t have that much money, so I persuaded them to accept ₹651,000. Have you forgotten that so quickly?”

“And I never asked you to book the most expensive luxury hotel in the city.”

“You attended my friends’ weddings. Some of them spent over a million rupees on floral decorations alone. Did I demand anything like that?”

“Now that I’ve asked for some good whisky, you’re sitting here and presenting me with an account book?”

“I’m merely discussing it with you.”

Viraj tried to keep his voice calm.

“There’s no need to become this angry. We’ll have to live together after the wedding. Whether our life is happy or miserable has nothing to do with your friends’ weddings.”

“In my hometown, wedding meals cost between ₹800 and ₹1,000 per plate, and they are still considered excellent. I’m not asking you to spend the same amount here.”

“I’m only saying that we should spend according to our income and financial capacity.”

Riya looked at him as though he had said something extremely narrow-minded.

“This isn’t your little town, Viraj. This is Indore.”

“We have a reputation here. A wedding isn’t merely about two people. The honor of both families is also involved.”

She spoke firmly, “We will serve good whisky. There will be no further discussion about it.”

Viraj remained silent for several moments.

He did not want a major argument so close to their wedding.

“Fine. We’ll do as you wish.”

“Good.”

Satisfaction returned to Riya’s face.

She placed her phone aside and said, “Since we’re already discussing the wedding, there’s another important matter I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“My parents will move in with us after the wedding.”

Without thinking too much, Viraj nodded.

“Fine. The apartment has three bedrooms. We can give them the largest one.”

He continued casually, “My mother is alone, so she can stay in the smaller bedroom. She doesn’t need much space anyway.”

Riya’s eyes widened.

“Your mother will also live with us?”

Viraj stared at her in surprise.

“Yes. I told you that a long time ago.”

“My mother sold her old house. She combined that money with all her savings and bought this apartment for us. She’ll move here by next week.”

“No.”

Riya answered immediately.

“What do you mean by ‘no’?”

“It wouldn’t be appropriate for your mother to live with us.”

Viraj wondered whether he had heard her correctly.

“If my mother cannot live in the apartment she purchased, where is she supposed to live?”

“Viraj, lower your voice.”

“My voice is already low. I’m only trying to understand what you’re saying.”

Looking directly into Riya’s eyes, he continued, “My mother invested her entire life’s savings in this apartment. She even sold her own house. This apartment was purchased with her money.”

“I know.”

Riya responded indifferently, “But she gave this apartment to us as a wedding gift. It is our marital home.”

“If you believe it belongs only to us, why are your parents going to live here?”

“My parents need to live with us.”

“Why?”

“They raised me. They have taken care of my every need for more than twenty years. They won’t feel comfortable if I live away from them, and I can’t live without them either.”

A dry laugh escaped Viraj’s mouth.

“Away?”

“When this apartment was purchased, your most important condition was that it had to be close to your parents’ home.”

“They live barely three kilometers away. It takes ten minutes to reach them by auto-rickshaw. You consider that a great distance?”

Irritation appeared on Riya’s face.

“Our families have different lifestyles. It wouldn’t be convenient for everyone to live together.”

“Wouldn’t be convenient?”

Viraj’s voice unconsciously rose.

“My mother sold her house to purchase this apartment, and now you find it inconvenient for her to live here?”

Riya picked up her phone again and began typing a message.

“I’m not saying she isn’t allowed to live anywhere. I’m only saying that it would be difficult for both families to live together.”

“Besides, considering the small town you people come from—”

“My mother sold her home to purchase this apartment!”

This time, Viraj interrupted her.

Several customers in the coffee shop turned to look at them, but Viraj no longer cared.

The anger he had suppressed for years was beginning to surface in his eyes.

“She doesn’t have a home of her own anymore!”

“Why are you shouting at me?”

Riya angrily slammed her phone onto the table.

“I’m not shouting. I’m trying to make you understand the truth.”

Viraj took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Have you ever considered my mother’s feelings?”

“Her husband is no longer alive. I am her only son. She devoted her entire life to me, and now she doesn’t even have a home of her own.”

“And you’re saying she cannot live with us either?”

“Where exactly is she supposed to go?”

“That was her responsibility.”

Riya casually shrugged.

“Every parent purchases a house for their son. She hasn’t done anything extraordinary.”

“If she spent all her savings, then that was a mistake in her financial planning. It isn’t our fault.”

“My mother’s mistake?”

Viraj laughed, but there was no joy in it.

He was making one final attempt to control his anger.

“Parents raise their children with the hope that those children will support them in their old age.”

“But if I accept your condition, forget supporting my mother—I’ll be throwing her out of the house she purchased herself.”

His hands clenched upon the table.

“Marriage is supposed to unite two families. It doesn’t mean your family gains complete authority over our house and money while my mother is thrown onto the street.”

“From the beginning, you mocked my low income and my small hometown. Your friends even laughed at my mother’s simple clothes and the way she speaks.”

“Despite that, I tried to fulfill every demand you made.”

“You wanted an expensive hotel—I booked it.”

“You demanded a large engagement gift—I borrowed money and paid it.”

“You wanted designer clothes, jewelry, and magnificent decorations—I agreed to those as well.”

“But I will not surrender when it comes to my mother.”

Viraj’s voice was now completely firm.

“My mother will live in this apartment. There will be no compromise on this matter.”

Riya stared at him for several moments.

Then a cold smile appeared on her face.

“If you cannot resolve this matter, we’ll have to postpone the wedding.”

“I’ll call my parents right now and tell them not to send invitations to our relatives.”

She spoke threateningly, “Go home and have a proper conversation with your mother. Persuade her to live in a rented house or a good retirement home.”

“A retirement home?”

The last of Viraj’s patience shattered upon hearing those words.

“My mother will move into the apartment within the next few days.”

For years, he had compromised with Riya.

Every time, he had convinced himself that everything would improve after the wedding.

But today, for the first time, he saw the truth clearly—

Nothing would improve after their marriage.

If he surrendered today, he would have to keep surrendering for the rest of his life.

A firm thought appeared in his mind—

Enough is enough. At worst, the wedding will be cancelled.

Looking directly into Riya’s eyes, Viraj declared, “If you cannot accept my mother living with us, remove all your belongings from the apartment by tomorrow.”

“And transfer the ₹800,000 of mine currently in your bank account back to me today.”

“The jewelry purchased for you was also bought with my money. I have all the receipts, so you’ll have to return that as well.”

For several moments, Riya fell completely silent.

She had never imagined that Viraj, who always obeyed her, would suddenly stand against her like this.

Her expression changed.

“What do you mean?”

Riya raised her voice.

“Are you saying that you don’t want to marry me?”

Viraj pushed his chair back and stood.

There was no fear or hesitation left in his eyes.

“To hell with a marriage like this!”

He pointed toward the coffee shop’s entrance.

“Get out of my life!”

Riya’s face turned red with anger.

“Fine! You said it yourself!”

She picked up her handbag.

“Don’t come crawling to my feet and begging for forgiveness later. Even then, I won’t come back!”

“The door is right there.”

“Get lost!”

Riya turned furiously and stormed out of the coffee shop.

Watching her leave, Viraj sat back down.

He rubbed his face with both hands before running his fingers through his hair.

Three years ago, one of his relatives had introduced him to Riya.

Riya was beautiful, and during their first few meetings, her behavior had also seemed pleasant.

Viraj’s mother wanted her son to get married so the house could be filled with the laughter of children. To fulfill his mother’s wish, Viraj had decided to continue his relationship with Riya.

But as their wedding date approached, Riya’s behavior changed completely.

Her wealthy friends gave her new advice every day.

Sometimes, she wanted an expensive hotel.

Sometimes, extravagant jewelry.

Sometimes, decorations worthare  millions.

Sometimes, a larger engagement gift.

Every new demand was greater than the previous one.

Each time, Viraj convinced himself that a wedding happened only once.

But today, the matter had reached his mother’s dignity and her right to live in her own home.

Everyone had a limit to what they could endure.

“I can tolerate some difficulties for myself. I can even ignore certain things because that would be my decision.”

“But I cannot allow anyone to mistreat my mother.”

The anger Viraj had suppressed for three years began boiling inside him.

“You don’t even have a job. I pay your phone bills. I pay for your clothes, food, and outings.”

“And despite all that, you still consider me and my family inferior to you?”

“A beautiful face alone does not make someone a great person.”

“If I become wealthy one day, I’ll find a life partner far better than you—someone who knows how to respect my mother.”

At that exact moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed inside Viraj’s mind—

[The Do-As-You-Please System has been successfully activated.]

Viraj’s body suddenly stiffened.

He looked around in astonishment.

Soft music was playing inside the coffee shop. Everyone remained occupied with their own conversations. No one reacted to the strange voice.

Only Viraj could hear it.

Another message appeared before him—

[To do as you please means recognizing your heart’s true desire and making decisions accordingly without fear.]

[From this moment onward, whenever the host makes a courageous and independent decision based on his true desires, the system will grant a reward according to its established rules.]

Viraj sat frozen in his chair.

Then a third message appeared—

[The host has independently decided not to marry his greedy and selfish girlfriend.]

[Decision evaluation: Excellent.]

[Reward: ₹2,000,000 in cash.]

Viraj touched his forehead.

“It seems my mind has stopped working because of my anger.”

He was convinced that it was merely an illusion.

Perhaps the stress of a broken wedding, debt, and losing his savings had affected his mind.

But in the next instant—

Buzz!

His three-year-old Samsung phone vibrated on the table.

A message from the bank appeared on the screen.

Viraj absentmindedly picked up the phone.

However, the moment he read the message, his eyes widened.

₹2,000,000 has been credited to your SBI bank account ending in 6818 on March 23, 2024. Available balance: ₹2,053,000.

Viraj stopped breathing.

For several moments, his mind went completely blank.

He read the message again.

Then a third time.

The amount remained unchanged—

Two million rupees.

“This…must be a fake message.”

His fingers began trembling.

He immediately opened the SBI mobile banking app on his phone.

He entered the wrong password twice.

The app finally opened on his third attempt.

Viraj checked his account balance.

Available balance: ₹2,053,000

He opened the transaction history.

A new transaction appeared at the very top—

Cash Reward Credit: ₹2,000,000

Viraj’s heart pounded so violently that it seemed ready to burst from his chest.

He refreshed the account.

The money did not disappear.

He closed the app and opened it again.

The money was still there.

This was not a dream.

Nor was it an illusion.

Only a few minutes ago, he had been an ordinary salaried employee. His entire savings were trapped with his greedy fiancée, while his mother was buried in debt because of the wedding and apartment.

Yet simply because he had followed his heart and rejected a toxic relationship, he had received two million rupees.

Viraj slowly raised his head.

He saw his reflection in the coffee shop’s window.

His face was the same.

His clothes were the same.

Even his three-year-old phone was the same.

But his life—

Would never be the same again.

The system’s final message flashed before him—

[The host’s first Do-As-You-Please decision has been completed.]

[The next reward awaits your next independent decision.]

The disbelief in Viraj’s eyes gradually gave way to a new light.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Has my dream…really come true?”

Writer’s Note

This chapter marks the beginning of Viraj Agnihotri’s new life.

Shortly before their wedding, Viraj finally discovered the true nature of his fiancée, Riya Malhotra. His mother had sold her home and invested her entire life’s savings into purchasing an apartment for them, yet Riya refused to allow that very woman to live there.

After years of compromise, Viraj made a firm decision for the sake of his dignity and his mother’s honor. He cancelled the wedding and ordered Riya to leave his life.

That decision activated the mysterious Do-As-You-Please System.

Viraj’s Current Status

[Name: Viraj Agnihotri]

[Status: Wedding cancelled]

[First Do-As-You-Please Decision: Leaving his greedy fiancée]

[Reward Received: ₹2,000,000 in cash]

[Total Bank Balance: ₹2,053,000]

[System: Do-As-You-Please System]

[Next Reward: Unknown]

Viraj does not yet understand the system’s complete rules. Nor does he know what kind of reward each future desire or independent decision might grant him.

But one thing is certain—

The young man who spent his entire life obeying other people’s wishes will now begin living according to his own rules.

And his next decision may transform his life on an even greater scale.