📖 Chapter 7 – Dollars and Dreams
The ceiling fan creaked above as Arjun stayed awake deep into the night. His parents had fallen asleep exhausted, and little Ananya clutched her schoolbag beside her pillow, murmuring in her dreams.
Arjun's notebook was open again. Numbers and calculations filled the page in his neat handwriting.
"₹50,000…" he whispered to himself. "That's the minimum capital I need. With that, I can enter the stock market properly. Infosys, Wipro, Reliance… the giants of tomorrow. If I can get in early, the future is mine."
But right now, he barely had â‚ą4,700. Not enough even to cover next month's expenses.
Bigger prey, Arjun. Stop hunting rats. Time to chase tigers.
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Hunting for Contracts
The next morning, he went back to the dingy internet café. This time, he ignored the small ₹200–₹500 jobs. His eyes scanned for foreign contracts with larger payouts.
One caught his attention:
"Long-term Project: Develop and Maintain E-commerce Platform – Budget $500 (₹24,000)."
The average freelancer begged for such projects. But Arjun's fingers were steady as he drafted his proposal.
> "Hello, I can design and deliver a fully functional e-commerce site within two weeks. Secure payment integration, responsive design, and scalable code. Attached are samples of my previous work."
The Nanochip buzzed.
> [Optimization: Proposal tailored for US market. Probability of selection: 72%.]
Arjun clicked send.
Hours passed. He worked on smaller debugging tasks in the meantime, earning â‚ą800 here, â‚ą1,000 there. Enough for food, but not enough for his vision.
Then, late in the evening, the notification arrived.
Client: "Your proposal is impressive. Can you really deliver in two weeks?"
Arjun typed without hesitation. "Yes."
Client: "Deal. I'll pay $250 upfront, $250 after completion."
Arjun's heart pounded. Two hundred and fifty dollars upfront. Over â‚ą12,000 in one shot!
He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to shout in triumph inside the noisy café. This was more than his father earned in three months.
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The Taste of Dollars
That night, he transferred the advance payment into his online account. Seeing the balance in dollars for the first time, Arjun felt a strange thrill.
When he returned home, he quietly placed a bundle of notes—₹1,000—on the kitchen counter.
His mother froze. "Arjun, where did this come from?"
He smiled. "I told you, Ma. Honest work. Computers."
His father frowned. "No boy your age earns this much honestly. Are you doing something illegal?"
Arjun looked him in the eye. "Papa, I'm not doing anything wrong. But yes… I am doing something no one else in this town dares to do."
Little Ananya clapped her hands. "Bhaiya is becoming rich!"
Arjun laughed, patting her head. "Not rich yet, Anu. But soon."
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The Spark of the Market
Later that night, he slipped out to the veranda with the small radio. The evening news was buzzing with talk of the Indian economy.
"…Sensex fluctuates again after global tech collapse. Analysts warn of volatility, but some believe the IT sector still has long-term potential…"
Arjun's eyes narrowed. Volatility is fear. Fear creates opportunity. And I know exactly which companies will survive and grow.
The Nanochip pulsed.
> [Hint: Begin preparing for stock market entry. Recommended initial investment: Infosys, Wipro, Reliance Industries. Estimated growth: 300–500% in 5 years.]
Arjun whispered into the night, "Just wait… very soon, I'll take my first step into the market. From there, no one will stop me."
Above, the stars glittered in the dark sky. To everyone else, they were distant lights. To Arjun, they were signposts—guiding him toward a destiny greater than kings and ministers.
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🔥 End of Chapter 7 Cliffhanger
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What this chapter accomplished:
Arjun lands his first big dollar project (real leap in income).
His family begins to notice something's changing.
First direct connection to the Indian stock market, with Infosys/Wipro/Reliance foreshadowed.
Emotional family + ambitious vision balance maintained.
👉 Next chapter (8)
Arjun grinding day and night to deliver that $500 project (family moments in between).
Father's factory situation worsening.
Arjun secretly researching how to open a trading account in early 2000s India.