104.
"Shaurya, are you joining the Oberois this year?" Aarav asked as they walked side by side through the mansion corridors.
It was early morning. The place was quiet.
Shaurya slipped his hands into his pockets, gaze ahead. "I don't know. Maybe Veer will go."
Aarav glanced at him. "Shaurya... I think you should get involved in the business a little. At least talk about your new model. You've completely stepped away from it."
"I'll think about it," Shaurya replied, his tone calm but distant.
Aarav sighed softly. "Please do. I heard the Ranas have hired a full engineering team. They're designing a new android. Siddharth and Anirudh are probably going to reveal it to the press soon."
Shaurya's expression didn't change much, but his eyes flickered slightly.
"Right..." he said, then looked at Aarav. "Are you inviting them to the wedding?"
Aarav shrugged lightly. "I don't know. I don't have any problem with them. And Anirudh is basically the coolest cousin in my entire family," he added with a faint smile. "But I'm not sure Dadi would agree."
Shaurya slowed his steps just a little.
"I think you should invite them," he said. "At least from my side. It's not their fault your grandfather chose to become an enemy."
Aarav looked at him for a moment, then nodded—his smile softer this time, touched with something heavier.
"Yeah... you're right. By the way, kya hum gaon chale? Agar khud jaake invite krenge then it would look sincere you know". Aarav said.
"Ja sakte hain. Your dad used to talk about them a lot. I never met them though". Shaurya said.
"Seriously?! Well then it's decided. Aapko bohot maza aayega waha. I'm kinda missing them.. Aarav said.
For a brief second, silence settled between them again.
Shaurya reached for his hand, fingers intertwining naturally, like it was second nature by now.
He lifted Aarav's hand and pressed a gentle kiss against his knuckles.
"Everything's fine now," Shaurya said quietly. "Your husband's here."
Aarav's expression warmed instantly.
"Of course," he replied, a fondness in his voice that didn't need to be hidden.
As they walked past the main hall, a sudden scream tore through the silence.
"AAAHH—!"
Aarav and Shaurya froze for a split second, then looked at each other.
They ran.
The sound led them straight to the kitchen.
Inside, chaos had already begun.
One of the staff members stood frozen, screaming hysterically, pointing toward the sink—while another woman was stuck in place, her hand under the running tap.
Her body was trembling violently.
Electric current.
"Cut off the power supply. Now!" Shaurya barked sharply.
Shaurya's eyes scanned the area quickly. He spotted a wooden spatula lying near the counter.
Grabbing it, he moved forward carefully.
"Don't touch her!" he warned the others.
Using the wooden spatula, he pushed the woman's hand away from the stream of water.
The moment contact broke—
Her body collapsed to the floor.
At the same time, the lights flickered and went out.
Power cut.
Aarav didn't wait.
He turned and ran out of the kitchen, his heartbeat hammering against his chest.
Water... electricity...
His mind raced.
He took the stairs two at a time.
Vedansh.
He reached the room and pushed the door open.
Vedansh was on the bed—resting, undisturbed.
Aarav exhaled quickly, relief barely settling before panic rose again.
Veer.
He rushed down the corridor and shoved Veer's door open.
Empty.
His chest tightened.
Then his eyes landed on the bathroom door.
Closed.
Locked.
Aarav's heartbeat spiked.
And then—
A scream from inside.
Everything in him dropped.
"Veer!" Aarav shouted, rushing to the door.
No response.
He didn't think twice.
Stepping back, he slammed his shoulder against it.
Once.
Twice—
On the third hit, the door burst open.
Aarav stumbled inside—
And froze.
Veer stood there, completely fine, wrapped in a towel, holding a plastic brush in his hand.
He blinked at Aarav.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, confused.
For a second, Aarav just stood there.
Then the tension snapped.
Relief flooded through him so suddenly it almost made him dizzy.
"Why did you scream?" Aarav demanded, still breathless.
"There was a spider," Veer said, as if that explained everything.
Aarav stared at him.
Then dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply.
He stepped forward, grabbing himself lightly by the waist to steady himself as he caught his breath.
"Don't touch the water," Aarav said quickly. "You could get electrocuted."
Veer frowned. "What are you even talking about?"
"I'll explain later. Just—come out. Now."
Aarav turned and walked out without waiting.
By the time Veer stepped out in his bathrobe—
Aarav was already gone.
When Aarav reached the kitchen again, Shaurya was gone.
Paramedics had taken over the space. One of them was on the floor, performing CPR on the unconscious woman, while the others moved quickly around her.
The entire mansion was still without power.
"Where's Shaurya?" Aarav asked, his voice tense.
"Sir, he went to the Unit," one of the staff members replied. "There's some problem there as well."
Aarav's jaw tightened. He nodded once.
Just then, Veer rushed in, scanning the scene before his eyes landed on Aarav.
"Where's Bhai?" he asked, worry clear in his voice.
"He's at the Unit. Let's go."
Veer didn't argue. He followed immediately.
The Unit felt... off.
The entrance, usually guarded and active, was strangely empty.
Aarav and Veer exchanged a quick glance before moving inside, their steps faster now.
As they reached the medical section, they found a group of bodyguards gathered outside a room, whispering among themselves—uneasy, unsettled.
Aarav pushed the door open.
Inside, Shaurya stood near the beds with Kabir and Harsh.
Two men lay there—barely conscious.
Their bodies were weak, and streaks of blood stained their lips.
Aarav's breath caught.
"Shaurya?" he called, stepping forward and grabbing his arm. "What's wrong?"
Veer moved closer to one of the patients, his expression tightening as he took in the condition.
"Something's gone into their system," Shaurya said, his voice low.
For a brief second, his mind replayed everything—
The electric shock in the kitchen.
Water.
Now this.
His gaze hardened.
"Did all of you have dinner here last night?" he asked, looking at the others in the room.
Kabir shook his head. "No. Harsh and I were out."
Shaurya nodded once, processing.
"And no one else is showing symptoms?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"And the water?" Shaurya asked, his tone shifting slightly. "Was it normal?"
A bodyguard stepped forward hesitantly. "Sir... there was a water shortage during dinner. Someone probably forgot to turn on the pump."
Shaurya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's... strange."
Another man spoke up—Asim.
"Yeah... and when I went to my room later, I felt thirsty. So I went to fill my bottles, but Mukesh stays near my room, so I borrowed one from him. He must've filled it after the pump was turned back on."
Shaurya turned his full attention to him.
"And you drank that water?"
Asim nodded.
"Yeah... but it tasted a bit weird. I only took a sip... then went to sleep."
Silence fell in the room.
Heavy.
Shaurya's expression darkened.
Water supply disruption.
Delayed refill.
Unusual taste.
Electric current in the kitchen line.
This wasn't random.
This was planned.
Slowly, deliberately, Shaurya looked up—his gaze cold now.
"We're not dealing with an accident. Has breakfast been served here yet?" Shaurya asked, his tone clipped.
Asim shook his head weakly.
"Good. Then announce immediately—no one is to use the water. Not for drinking, not for cooking. Shut down the entire supply for the day."
"Yes, sir."
"And Kabir," Shaurya continued without wasting a second, "get the medical reports as soon as possible. Full analysis. And have every water tank cleaned—thoroughly."
Kabir nodded. "Right away."
Asim and Harsh stepped back, bowing slightly before leaving the room in a hurry.
A tense silence settled.
"Bhai... I think it might be mercury," Veer said, his voice low, uncertain.
"It's possible," Aarav added, though his brows were still drawn in doubt.
Shaurya didn't respond.
Instead, he crouched slightly beside the bed.
Ignoring the stares around him, he reached out and took a small smear of blood onto his finger.
Almost immediately, his expression changed.
The smell.
It wasn't metallic.
It was sharp. Pungent.
He pulled out a handkerchief, covering his nose as he rubbed the blood slowly between his fingers.
Aarav and Veer leaned in—
Watching.
The dark red began to thicken. Then it darken and slowly it turned into green.
A sick, unnatural shade.
Shaurya held his hand out, letting them see clearly.
Veer's eyes widened.
"...It's Hemoviride."
Aarav's face hardened. "How is that even possible? This chemical is banned—even in the mafia."
"Banned," Shaurya said calmly, standing up, "doesn't mean unavailable."
He walked to the basin and washed his hands thoroughly, his movements controlled, precise.
Behind him, Veer grimaced, waving his hand in front of his face.
"God... it smells worse now."
The others instinctively covered their noses.
Aarav turned to the staff, his tone firm but urgent.
"Take care of them. This isn't something the body gets rid of easily. If anyone shows even the slightest symptom—get them checked immediately. No delays."
"Yes, sir."
Veer ran a hand through his hair, clearly unsettled now.
"Bhai... what do we do?" he asked. "I can understand the things about our mansion but here? It's unacceptable".
Shaurya ran his hand through his hair.
He turned toward the remaining bodyguards.
"I want a full staff meeting. Now. In the main hall."
They straightened instantly.
"Bring everyone who was in charge of the water tanks yesterday. No exceptions."
"Yes, sir."
Shaurya then looked at Veer.
"Tell Aarohi to stay at the palace—with the kids. At least for today."
Veer nodded immediately.
"And then come to the hall."
Without waiting for a response, Shaurya turned and walked out.
Aarav followed him silently.
This wasn't just an incident anymore.
This was an attack.
---------------------
The staff meeting was called immediately.
Every guard who had been stationed near the water supply stood in a line, tense and alert. The CCTV footage had been checked twice—every second of it.
Nothing.
No breach. No visible tampering.
And yet—
People had fallen sick.
The only anomaly?
The two children Aarav and Shaurya had brought from Hafsa's place had somehow got lost while playing near the water tanks for a brief period of time.
The room felt heavier because of it.
"I think only one tank was contaminated," Aarav said, his voice calm but firm. "That's why only some of them were affected, not everyone."
Shaurya didn't respond immediately.
He was staring at the table, fingers tapping lightly, mind clearly running ahead of everyone else.
"Shaurya?" Aarav called, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I think this is connected to Hafsa," Shaurya said finally.
Aarav nodded slightly. "It's possible. She might be trying to weaken us from the inside first. And if she knows we're planning something bigger... she'll strike before we do."
Shaurya picked up a pen and began scribbling something on a sheet of paper.
"Then we end this on our terms," he said, voice turning colder. "Vocarre is dead. The other clans are in hiding. That means they're scared."
He looked up.
"We hunt them down. Every single one."
Vedansh leaned back in his chair, watching him carefully.
"That would take months," he said. "Too long. Issue a statement instead. Anyone who surrenders and walks away from the mafia will be spared."
A pause.
"And tell me something, Shaurya... are you absolutely sure the man you killed that day was Bilal?"
Shaurya's pen stopped.
A faint, humorless smile appeared on his lips.
"Yeah? That person was totally Bilal". Aarav said confused.
"No," he said bluntly. "It's not that easy to kill him."
He leaned back slightly.
"And let's be honest—does it make sense? That his people would stand there like fools and not even try properly to take me down?"
No one answered.
"Exactly," Shaurya continued. "The man I killed was most likely a lookalike. A distraction. And Hafsa's tears?" He scoffed softly. "An act."
The tension thickened.
Vedansh's expression hardened.
"And yet," he said slowly, "you still brought those children into our estate."
Shaurya's jaw tightened.
"I told you," Vedansh continued, voice low but firm, "no one from their bloodline steps foot inside here."
"They're children," Shaurya replied, his tone controlled but edged. "They don't deserve to suffer for the sins of people they didn't choose."
A brief silence followed.
Then he added,
"That doesn't mean I trust them."
His eyes shifted toward Aarav.
"The older one... what was his name?"
"Dahnish," Aarav answered.
Shaurya nodded slightly.
"Yeah. Him."
His gaze darkened just a fraction.
"There's something off about him."
Aarav frowned immediately.
"You're seriously doubting a child right now?"
"He's not too young to understand nothing," Shaurya said, his voice steady but firm. "I knew everything at that age. About the mafia. About how things work."
"And it's easier to manipulate a child's mind."
Aarav didn't respond immediately.
He glanced at Vedansh, exhaling slowly, as if trying to push down his disagreement.
The room felt heavier again.
"Anyway," Shaurya continued, shifting the topic as he picked up a file, "Aarav, get ready for your campaigns. We'll start next month."
Aarav looked at him.
"So now you're trying to say I should stay away from all this?" he asked.
Shaurya shook his head.
"No," he said calmly. "I just want you to focus on your duty, Aarav. These—" he gestured vaguely toward the table, the reports, the tension— "these are internal conflicts. They don't end. Ever."
Aarav's gaze hardened slightly.
"It's also my duty to stand with you. In every situation."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Shaurya pressed his fingers against his temples, exhaling quietly.
"Aarav... don't misunderstand," Vedansh intervened, his tone more measured. "Rajmata wants you to focus on your royal responsibilities. Build a connection with the public first."
He paused, then added,
"Especially before you make your relationship with Shaurya... public."
Aarav's expression stilled.
"Okay," he said simply.
Too simply.
Shaurya noticed.
He didn't say anything—just glanced at Aarav, as if trying to read what he wasn't saying out loud.
"I'll go check on the Unit again," Aarav muttered after a moment.
Shaurya gave a small nod.
Aarav walked through the long corridors of the mansion, his footsteps echoing faintly against the marble floors.
His mind wasn't in the meeting anymore.
Not fully.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out casually—
And froze.
"I kissed Ravi."
For a second, Aarav just stared at the screen.
Then he choked on his own breath.
He blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes as if the words would change.
They didn't.
"Holy shit," he whispered under his breath.
"What's up?"
Veer's voice came out of nowhere.
Aarav immediately locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
"Hey," he said, trying to act normal.
Veer narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't push.
"I heard you're going back to Udaipur again."
Aarav nodded, regaining composure.
"Yeah. It's time to open the resort," he said. A faint smile appeared on his lips. "And I want the wedding to be held there first. So I need to finalize things with the decorators."
Veer let out a low whistle.
"Damn. Big plans."
Aarav huffed a small laugh.
"Something like that."
There was a brief pause.
Then Veer spoke again, a little more hesitant this time.
"So... are you going to stay there after the wedding as well?"
The question lingered in the air.
Aarav's smile faded—just slightly.
Because suddenly, it didn't feel like a simple question anymore.
"Sometimes... yeah," Aarav said after a brief pause. "It would be easier for me to manage the factory and the office from there."
Veer's expression hardened slightly.
"So you're just going to leave my brother here again?" he asked.
Aarav blinked, caught off guard.
"What? No—what do you mean?" he said, a confused laugh escaping him.
Veer didn't smile.
"You know exactly what I mean," he said. "Or does staying here feel like a burden to you?"
That hit.
Aarav's expression shifted, the confusion fading into something sharper.
"Veer, it's not a burden," he said, more firmly now. "If my work was here, I would've stayed here. But everything I've built is in Udaipur."
He gestured lightly, trying to stay composed.
"And the palace—I'll still handle my responsibilities. Aarohi's here too. She can manage things when I'm not around."
Veer let out a dry scoff.
"You haven't changed at all."
Aarav's patience thinned.
"Honestly," Veer continued, "if you didn't want to be here, you shouldn't have come in the first place."
Aarav's jaw tightened.
"Veer, if you're trying to get on my nerves, this is really not the time," he warned.
But Veer didn't back down.
"You only know how to run from situations."
Aarav exhaled sharply, irritation finally breaking through.
"Fine," he said, nodding once. "You're right. I do walk away. Maybe I like doing that."
His voice dropped—calmer, but colder.
"And since we're clearing things up, let me clear this too—I have something called self-respect."
Veer stayed silent.
"I wouldn't have come back if it wasn't for Shaurya," Aarav continued. "So if I'm the bad guy in here, then fine. I really don't care."
A tense silence followed.
Then Aarav spoke again, quieter this time—but more cutting.
"And don't think I don't understand you, Veer."
Veer looked at him.
"I know you still care about me," Aarav said. "But back then, you cared about your brother more."
A pause.
"And you should have."
His lips curved into a faint, bitter smile.
"Maybe you just felt like I didn't deserve to stay close to him."
Veer's voice softened, almost instinctively.
"You're my brother too, Aarav."
Aarav let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
"Brothers who don't even know each other anymore."
He shrugged slightly, like it didn't matter.
But it did.
"Hey."
Ravi's voice cut through the tension.
Veer glanced at him, then at Aarav—something unreadable passing through his expression—before turning and walking away without another word.Aarav watched him go for a second.
Then looked back at Ravi.
"When did you come?" he asked.
"Just now," Ravi replied. "Checked on the unit too. You guys should've called me earlier."
He paused, then added,
"Shaurya's injured as well."
Aarav's expression didn't change much.
"Shaurya's fine," he said, almost automatically. "Right now, we need to focus on what's happening."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration creeping back.
"Our people are already looking for Hafsa. But she just... vanished."
Ravi hummed in acknowledgment.
Aarav narrowed his eyes slightly, studying him.
Then—
A small, knowing smirk appeared.
"So," he said casually, "how was it? Kissing him?"
Ravi coughed, clearly not expecting that.
"He told you already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Aarav folded his arms.
"Oh please," he said. "You really thought I wouldn't find out?"
A pause.
Then his smirk deepened just a little.
"Well?"
"Yeah. But you didn't force him right?" Aarav asked folding his arms.
"No, of course I didn't," Ravi said quickly, scratching the back of his neck. "He was the one who initiated... twice."
Aarav's eyebrows shot up.
For a second, he just stared at him—then let out a low, impressed whistle.
"Damn," he muttered, folding his arms. "Didn't expect that."
Ravi rolled his eyes, but there was a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"So tell me something—" Aarav began, leaning in slightly, clearly interested now.
But before he could continue, Ravi's phone started ringing.
Ravi glanced at the screen.
"Yeah, I'm here already," he said as he picked up the call.
A brief pause.
Then—
"It's Shaurya," Ravi said, pulling the phone away for a second to look at Aarav. "I have to go."
Aarav nodded once.
"Yeah, go."
Ravi didn't waste another second. He turned and walked off quickly, heading straight toward Shaurya's office.
Aarav watched him leave, the earlier smirk slowly fading.
The corridor felt quieter now.
His mind drifted back—
To Veer.
To that conversation.
Aarav exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"What the hell is wrong with Veer..." he muttered under his breath.
"I need to figure that out too."