33.
Telling Shaurya that he had been drugged turned out to be a fatal mistake—for someone. Because someone had made the grave error of clashing with Shaurya.
Without wasting a second, he summoned the council to hold a trial immediately and stormed off. Aarav, enraged by his impulsiveness, followed close behind. Vedansh tried to stop Shaurya, remembering Aarav's warning, but he didn't listen.
"Three mafia leaders, over the span of seven years, murdered Aarav Singh Chauhan's grandfather when he was just a teenager," announced the Voccaré, the council's official who delivers the final verdict and calls out the guilty.
The grand council hall was filled with mafia clans—some gathered to mock Shaurya's recklessness, others out of curiosity, some in sympathy.
Aarav sat silently, his fingers clenched so tightly around his hands that his knuckles turned white. Vedansh's jaw was locked. Shaurya sat across the hall, his gaze fixed on Aarav, unwavering. But Aarav refused to meet his eyes, staring down at the ground.
"We have reached a verdict," the Voccaré declared. "Twenty days of brutal torture—no food, no mercy—and a compensation of ?200 crores."
Aarav looked up at Shaurya now. He was smirking.
Aarav's chest tightened. The hall murmured. The air shifted.
Shaurya rose from his seat and walked to the center of the room, facing the council.
"The tax shall be paid," he said, "but I have a request."
There was something in his voice—cold, sharp. Aarav saw it in his eyes now. Something dark. Something dangerous.
"Make the torture more intense," Shaurya continued. "Let it be worse than anything you've ever ordered—because my hands will be soaked in blood again. Peace doesn't come without war. And I won't stop... not until my hunger for blood is satisfied."
His words echoed through the chamber like a blade slicing through silence. People stiffened. Goosebumps rippled across the crowd.
Aarav's hands trembled.
And the storm had only just begun.
Shaurya stepped out of the council hall. Aarav was right behind him, his footsteps heavy with rage. Without warning, Aarav grabbed Shaurya's arm and slapped him hard across the face.
Tears welled in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing, Shaurya? Why are you doing this?" Aarav shouted, his voice cracking under the weight of fear and fury. His eyes burned red, trembling with a mix of heartbreak and anger.
Shaurya met Aarav's gaze. For a moment, the steel in his own eyes softened.
Both of them knew what a sentence from the council truly meant—sleepless nights, non-stop torture, pain so brutal that criminals begged for death.
But death was never granted easily. Not until every drop of justice had been wrung from them.
"I'll see our daughter when this is over," Shaurya said quietly, almost as a vow. A vow to return back to Aarav alive. His hand moved gently to Aarav's face in reassurance.
Aarav shoved it away, his touch full of bitterness.
"YOU NEVER KEEP YOUR PROMISES SHAURYA!" he yelled. His chest rose and fell rapidly, heart pounding with fear.
Shaurya stayed silent.
"You know who did this, don't you?" Aarav continued, breath shaking. "Tell me the name. I'll kill them myself."
Shaurya didn't flinch. "It's ?zge. But you're not getting involved. He has a problem with me—not you."
The name hit Aarav like a hammer. His entire body tensed. He didn't even look at Shaurya again. He turned on his heel and stormed off toward Vedansh.
Vedansh had been speaking to the Voccaré, but his words died as Aarav's voice erupted like thunder.
"VEDANSH SHEKHAWAT!"
"Aarav—" Vedansh began, startled.
Aarav pushed the Voccaré aside without hesitation. His voice was wild, furious.
"He's going after ?zge!" he shouted. "Fucking ?zge!"
"Aarav, stop shouting. We'll discuss this later," Vedansh said, his voice cold and controlled.
But Aarav wasn't having it.
"You're letting your son do what you never had the courage to do yourself," he snapped, his voice sharp as a blade. "You're selfish, Vedansh. A fucking coward."
The words cut deep. The Voccaré, sensing danger, quietly stepped away from the scene.
"You couldn't even kill the man who murdered your wife," Aarav continued, seething, "and now Shaurya is paying the price for your fear."
Vedansh's jaw clenched, but he stayed silent.
"You were too scared to go after ?zge—afraid the entire underworld would turn against you. And now your own son, the one who worships the ground you walk on, is walking into fire because you never could."
Aarav stepped closer, eyes blazing.
"Don't forget," he hissed, "everything you are now—your power, your untouchable name—it's all because of Shaurya. He made you who you are."
Vedansh's composure began to crack.
"You couldn't even protect the woman you loved," Aarav spat. "And you think you can rule over everyone? You're not powerful—you're just terrified of ?zge."
Then came the final blow.
"If anything happens to Shaurya..." Aarav growled as he drew his gun and pressed it hard against Vedansh's neck, "...I swear on everything I have—I'll kill you myself."
Aarav walked away without waiting to hear a word from Vedansh. His chest was heavy—not just with rage, but with pain... and fear.
Not fear of Shaurya facing ?zge. No, Aarav was certain Shaurya would kill him, no matter how powerful ?zge was. What terrified him was what would come after. The torture. The sentence. The kind of suffering that stripped a man down to nothing.
For the first time, Aarav wasn't just angry or protective—he was truly afraid.
Afraid of losing Shaurya. Afraid that this time, Shaurya might not come back.