Chapter 5 "Full of Lies"

When he entered the dining hall with a smile, he saw 22 chairs and a large dining table.

Several family members were seated.

He noted that the current members were having a spirited discussion about their work or the long day, but some members, including his parents and grandparents, were absent from the table.

Shivam saw there were his cousins, brothers and sisters, and other family members.

He came to his seat and sat on it while keeping his gaze to himself while removing his smartphone, as he didn't want to look at the present members of the family, as he usually does that to avoid any conversation or interaction with them.

because of his unproductivity toward his family and their constant disappointed looks that make him uncomfortable.

He wanted to avoid any confrontations or discussions that might arise.

But he knew this would only be temporary, and he was determined to make a change, and that change would definitely change his presence in his family, and at that time he would definitely let the members know about his decision for them.

When they saw Shivam enter the dining room with a beaming smile, all of the elders who were chatting came to a halt and looked at Shivam, who had a smile on his face and very odd gazes; only a few gazes were not so odd but with empathy, while others were very curious about his beaming smile. Some were wary of his bright smile.

Except for four or two members, everyone else looked at him with disdain and judgment, while Pushpa, his aunt, looked at him with curiosity and anger.

As she wondered what had caused such a sudden change in his demeanor, she didn't like Shivam. She really wanted to know what was going on in his mind.

What would be the reason behind the smile?

As the family head, his grandfather has yet to be in the dining room, so she has the chance to ask him, as no one would object to her as the person who would be questioned is Shivam, not a family member with authority, and she was eager to know the secret behind his smile.

—

Shivam noticed odd and curious looks from the family members gathered around him.

But Shivam didn't care; he came here to have the meal cooked by his mother.

Despite his disapproving looks, he is dining here since the household head has enforced discipline requirements.

According to his grandfather, the family patriarch, no talk of any subject that interferes with the enjoyment of the meal should take place during meals or at the dining table since it breaks the peaceful ambiance, lowers the enjoyment of the meal, and disrespects the food.

Because the family only eats together once a day, his grandfather believes that meals should be a time of connection and bonding rather than constant discussion.

He always insists on reserving important matters for a more appropriate time.

Shivam was grateful to his grandfather for making this restriction because it allowed him to enjoy tranquil and delightful dinners with his family without anyone pointing out his future plans.

But, to his dismay, he could not find his loved ones—his grandfather, his parents, and his real little sister—who were yet to be on the scene to have dinner at the dining room.

In the absence of his grandfather, there would be the absence of his rule on the dining table, and there was still time for mealtime to start as the members were not yet present in the room.

He preferred not to answer inquiries about his employment or earnings since he didn't want his uncle Mahesh, aunt Pushpa, or other family members to interrogate him in front of his siblings and sister while maids were present in the room.

That would be an issue because he had yet to solve the money problem, which he was confident he would do with the help of the Dark Web rewards.

Shivam was now completely reliant on the Dark Web for his financial needs, as he had earlier opted to risk by engaging in unlawful Dark Web, but to his surprise, he obtained a potential advantage for his strength through the reward obtained after completing a task.

He was now eager to perform the next assignment assigned by the Dark Web and earn the task reward, and he was sure there would be something or an item that would help him gain money or something of value.

But if they really ask about his current situation, he has a good idea that has been on his mind for a long time, but it had no wait before, but now, with the help of the Dark Web rewards, he will definitely apply it.

As previously, he was using his parents money to support himself, but now he can rely on the Dark Web rewards to fund his endeavors.

As he expected,

One of the unwanted and disliked individuals spoke in a mocking tone.

Oh, look! Shivam is actually smiling today.

What's the occasion? Did you finally decide to get a job and start earning some money? Pushpa's aunt asked in front of everyone.

Everyone was looking at him like they desired an answer from him, as they were curious about Shivam's response.

This question wasn't new for them; only the smile was new to everyone present.

Shivam looked at his Pushpa aunt, who was looking at him with a questioning look.

Shivam wasn't going to reveal what he received online, as this might lead to problems for his family.

As for his earning money through a job, that has yet to be solved, and he doesn't care now.

Shivam knew that if he didn't answer this question properly with a relevant answer, there would be more moking questions, which would lead to further embarrassment and humiliation for him and his loved ones.

As he gains access to the Dark Web reward, he will definitely gain something from the Dark Web that can help him earn money.

So he was confident now that he could turn his financial situation around and shut the mocking mouths in front of him.

This time, he didn't feel like backing off, as he would grow in the future.

Yes, Aunty, I got a job at a Zebnork company as an executive in the Thane location, Shivam replied with a smile.

(Shivam lied to everyone to make them believe he isn't currently unemployed, while also stating that the location is far from anyone's expectations and his position is low, so that no member of the family would take the initiative to inquire about the truth of his job, as low positions have low status, with no inquiry only acceptance from the other side.)

Hearing Shivam's response made his aunt uncomfortable, but she didn't congratulate him and instead stared at him as if she didn't give a shit about his job crack.

Despite the lack of congratulations and the disinterested stares from his aunt, some of Shivam's brothers and sisters showed enthusiasm by requesting a celebration.

Meanwhile, some of his cousins displayed their arrogance and lack of respect by ignoring his achievements due to their higher positions.

Additionally, concerns were raised about the potential inconvenience of Shivam's daily commute to Thane, which was a considerable distance from his home and could pose challenges.

He replied with assurance that he had already thought about the journey and had a plan in place.

So the few members who were concerned for his safety were reassured and felt more at ease.

But the follow-up questions were as expected by him.

What does the role entail, and how much responsibility does it carry? Mahesh uncle asked, wanting to know more about the role and its responsibilities, as if he were really concerned for Shivam's future.'

But Shivam knew what their demeanor was inside them; they must be laughing at him on his master degree for gaining such a trivial job.

However, Shivam didn't care about their thoughts; all he wanted was to get rid of the label of "unemployed person."

As for the response to Mahesh Uncle, it was extremely straightforward for him because he had previously read online about the job duties and responsibilities of the same classification, but he input IT background information with it to make his response more relevant and impressive.

He replied to Mahesh uncle confidently, listing out the specific job duties and responsibilities that he had read; all the details were IT-related, which were out of their reach of understanding as all the members of the family were from non-technical backgrounds.

He took nearly four to five minutes to explain everything he knew about the data analysts and their role in the company, leaving his family in a daze.

They struggled to comprehend the complexities of the IT field.

But many people asked him why he was in IT when his specialization was finance, and he replied with a knowing smile that a vacancy was available, so he applied and got it.

Shivam thought in his heart that he had made the right decision to speak out while choosing the designation in IT background, as he knew no one present here in the family would understand a word of it and his cover would be safe.

Hearing Shivam's response about his job responsibilities, all of the technical words were like rocket science to them; only a few words like Excel and SQL were able to be understood by a few members of the family who had some knowledge; mostly the younger generation, his siblings, understood, while the elders didn't get it.

Shivam felt relieved when he saw that none of the family members understood anything.

If they did, he'd be at a loss because he understood very little about data analyst work and little about the department.

Looking at Shivam's knowledge, roles, and responsibilities, which she didn't understand, his aunt Pushpa became angry because she saw all of the family members looking at him as the one who would take on more responsibility and change his lifestyle for the better.

She didn't want Shivam to work or gain authority inside or outside the house because she was concerned about her children's authority, especially since Shivam was the eldest of her children and his parents held higher authority in the government, which also held more authority in the family to grow.

Other members of the family, on the other hand, were at ease because they realized an executive was just like any other employee at the company, with no superior power or pay.

But Pushpa felt a crisis, so she didn't ignore it and directly asked Shivam a question that no one should ask in front of the entire family since it is highly disrespectful and inappropriate, and she didn't care.

How much is your salary? With a smile on her face but concern in her heart,.