About twenty days after returning to India, Akshata received another email from IMG's finance department.
Unlike her first assignment, the payment process was much quicker this time.
The accounting team had already completed the paperwork, and the payment for the Back-to-School Campaign had been transferred.
Akshata opened the statement and looked at the amount.
She blinked once.
Then she read it again.
"Appa..."
Nagaraju looked up from his laptop.
"What happened?"
"I think you should see this."
He walked over and read the payment statement carefully.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
"They've paid you already."
She nodded excitedly.
"It only took twenty days this time."
He smiled.
"That means the client completed the project and processed the invoices quickly."
Akshata sat beside him with a calculator.
"I was curious..."
She opened her notebook and wrote down every payment she had received so far.
- First Lookbook Assignment
- Spring Campaign
- Back-to-School Campaign
She added the figures carefully.
Then she looked at her father.
"Appa..."
"The total comes to ₹22 lakh."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
It was difficult to believe.
Only a year earlier, she had been a schoolgirl who was afraid of standing in front of a camera.
Now, through three professional assignments, she had earned ₹22 lakh.
Nagaraju smiled proudly but remained calm.
"This is a wonderful achievement."
He paused before continuing.
"But remember something very important."
She listened carefully.
"This isn't money to show off."
"It's the result of your discipline, your professionalism, and your hard work."
"Treat it with respect."
He took the notebook and drew three columns.
Savings.
Investments.
Personal Expenses.
"I'm your father," he said with a smile.
"So I have one condition."
Akshata laughed.
"I knew there would be one."
"We'll save and invest most of this."
"You can use a small part for yourself."
She nodded immediately.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"I don't really want to spend much."
"I'd rather let it grow."
Nagaraju smiled.
"Good."
"Money should become a tool that gives you freedom in the future—not something that disappears as soon as you earn it."
That evening, Akshata quietly connected with Kalpa.
"Host..."
"What?"
"You've crossed twenty-two lakh."
"I know."
"So..."
"Are we celebrating?"
Akshata folded her arms.
"Don't tell me."
"You want imaginary mangoes again."
Kalpa laughed.
"No."
"This time I demand a royal feast."
"You still don't eat."
"Details."
She couldn't stop laughing.
"Fine."
"I'll imagine feeding you."
"Excellent."
"I shall imagine enjoying it."
She shook her head.
"You really are impossible."
Kalpa replied proudly,
"Yet somehow... I'm still your favorite magical companion."
As the laughter faded, Akshata looked once more at the payment confirmation.
The amount itself was exciting.
But what meant even more to her was something her father had once said:
"Success isn't measured by one assignment. It's measured by the trust people place in your work."
The three projects and the ₹22 lakh were not just earnings.
They were proof that clients had trusted her professionalism, and that trust was becoming the foundation of her growing career.
A few days after receiving the payment, Akshata sat with her father to discuss what she should do with the money she had earned.
She had already decided that most of it would be saved and invested for the future.
But there was one thing she wanted to do first.
"Appa," she said, "I want to spend a small part of my earnings on our family."
Nagaraju looked at her and smiled.
"Why?"
She replied thoughtfully,
"Because this is my first real income from my own hard work."
"I think it's good to buy something meaningful. Whenever we see it, we'll remember where it came from."
Her father nodded in approval.
"I like that thought."
He smiled before adding,
"But don't spend it on something that loses its value quickly."
Akshata laughed.
"I was thinking about clothes."
Nagaraju chuckled.
"Clothes are nice, but they wear out."
He paused for a moment.
"Let's buy something that lasts."
He looked at his wife.
"We have a few family weddings coming."
"Jewellery would be useful for those occasions as well."
His wife agreed.
"That's a practical idea."
The following weekend, the family of four visited a trusted Tanishq jewellery showroom.
The showroom staff welcomed them warmly and showed them a variety of designs.
Akshata looked around with curiosity.
There were elegant chains, delicate pendants, bracelets, bangles, necklaces, and rings displayed under bright lights.
Nagaraju smiled.
"Today, don't think of this as spending money."
"Think of it as buying memories and an investment."
As Akshata selected a simple gold chain with a matching pendant, she asked her mother,
"Amma, what do you think?"
Her mother smiled.
"It suits you."
She eventually chose a few elegant yet simple pieces that she knew she could wear on special occasions and at family functions.
Nagaraju then turned to his wife.
"You choose something too."
She hesitated.
"No, it's enough."
He shook his head.
"No."
"This is a celebration for all of us."
After trying a few designs, she selected a graceful necklace that she had quietly admired.
As they continued browsing, Nagaraju noticed another elegant pendant and bracelet that he felt would suit both his wife and daughter.
And personally select a good necklace for his mother which he thought it suits her a lot and her age.
He smiled and said,
"These are my gift."
Before either of them could object, he asked the salesperson to add them to the bill.
Akshata laughed.
"Appa, I said I wanted to buy something for everyone."
"You've started shopping yourself."
He smiled.
"A father is allowed to spoil his family once in a while."
Finally, he selected a simple gold chain for himself.
Then he looked at Manu.
"What about you?"
Manu grinned.
"I don't know much about jewellery."
Nagaraju laughed.
"That's why I'm choosing."
He picked a simple gold chain that Manu could wear on special occasions as he grew older.
While waiting for the billing, Nagaraju quietly looked at his wife and daughter.
A thought crossed his mind.
In another life, difficult circumstances had forced him to sell the family's jewellery.
That memory had stayed with him for years.
Now, standing here with his family, he felt grateful that life had given him another chance.
This time, instead of parting with jewellery, they were creating new memories together.
As they stepped out of the showroom carrying their small jewellery boxes, Akshata smiled.
"I'm glad we bought something meaningful."
Nagaraju nodded.
"So am I."
He placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"The greatest value isn't the gold."
"It's the memory attached to it."
Every time the family wore those pieces to weddings, festivals, or special occasions, they would remember that they had been purchased from Akshata's very first professional earnings—a quiet celebration of hard work, family, and new beginnings.