Chapter 23
Verma & Associates Office
Arundhati stepped into the sprawling, glass-walled office to start her day. But even before she could reach her cabin, her assistant intercepted her with a hurried whisper.
“Ma’am, the media has arrived. Raj Sir has asked you to meet him in his cabin before the briefing.”
“Media?” She paused mid-step, brows narrowing.
“Yes, ma’am. We are setting them up in the conference room. The press meet is in a few minutes.”
Nodding, she turned swiftly on her heel, cutting across the floor toward the corner cabin where her uncle waited.
She stepped in without knocking.
“What is this sudden media circus?”
Raj Verma looked up from his desk, calm as ever, pen in hand.
“Good morning to you, too,” he said dryly, then gestured for her to sit. “The circus is called damage control.”
Arundhati didn’t sit. She folded her arms. “Why are we entertaining the press without court movement?”
Raj exhaled, removing his glasses. “Because the press isn’t waiting anymore. The speculations around Noyonika’s statements are getting out of hand. The media wants answers. So we give them something, just enough to buy us peace until the courtroom date.”
“Shouldn’t Kushal be here too?” she asked, too quickly.
“Yes, but he’s in court. He had two hearings scheduled today. I didn’t want to pull him out. So, it’s just you and me instead.”
She nodded slowly, though her thoughts had already started to betray her.
Last night’s memory bled into her mind…Kushal at her door, exhausted and brazen, slipping under her duvet like he belonged there.
Like he never left. The warmth of his arms, the way he’d breathed her name against her neck as sleep finally claimed him.
How could he still affect her like this?
One night, he’d said in Dalhousie. And ever since then, it had been four nights of sleeping beside her, and somehow, it had rearranged her whole emotional landscape.
She blinked herself back into the present only to find Uncle watching her.
“I also tried calling your landline this morning,” he said, tone casual. “Wanted you to bring in the Mehra divorce case file, the one you’d taken home to prepare the asset tracing and alimony brief.”
“Oh,” Arundhati said, straightening. “I’d already left by then. But if it’s urgent, I’ll have someone send it over.”
“That’s not the point,” he grinned, leaning back. “Your house help answered. She said when she came home today to work, Kushal was there. Leaving. In his night clothes.”
Arundhati’s face flushed instantly. “I—Uh—”
“I’m not interrogating you, Aru,” Raj said quickly, chuckling. “Relax. I’m just saying… I’m happy. Maybe this means something.”
She looked away, mortified but unable to argue.
Of course, her uncle would know. He’d practically installed that house help like a guardian angel when Arundhati moved out after the separation.
A way to keep tabs without intruding. And now, thanks to that ‘angel’, her secret wasn’t so secret anymore.
“He just showed up,” she said, flustered. “I didn’t invite him. And I—nothing happened.”
Raj interrupted gently. “I’m not asking what happened. I’m just saying… it gives me hope. That’s all.”
A knock at the door saved her from answering. One of the assistants peeked in. “The media is ready, sir. They’re waiting.”
Raj stood and straightened his blazer. “Come on. We’ll tackle this first. The rest… We’ll figure out later.”
She followed him out the door, but the flutter of unease refused to settle.
Once people learned that she and Kushal, who were on the brink of divorce, were still spending nights under the same roof, the shock wouldn’t just belong to her uncle.
Others would react the same. And honestly, who could blame them?
Because the truth was, whatever existed between her and Kushal now… it was anything but simple.
****************
The Press Meet
The room was packed. Flashes exploded in bursts across the conference hall as the team from Verma & Associates took their seats at the long oak table. Journalists from every major outlet were present here.
Everyone wanted updates on Anant and Sadhna’s high-profile divorce, including the fallout from the Noyonika fiasco, a scandal that had nearly derailed Anant’s case.
It was only because of Kushal and Arundhati, who had personally flown to Dalhousie to confront Noyonika, that they could expose the lie she’d built to get some limelight for her career.
The moment Raj raised his hand, silence fell. The cameras clicked. The live feeds rolled.
“Thank you all for coming. We’ll keep this brief.
As you know, Verma & Associates represents Mr. Anant Mukherjee in the ongoing divorce proceedings with Mrs. Sadhna Mukherjee.
There has been significant speculation, especially following the recent claims made by Ms. Noyonika Talwar.
We’d like to formally state that Ms. Talwar’s claims alleging an ongoing relationship with Mr. Anant post his marriage to Mrs. Sadhna, and of alleged abuse, are entirely baseless.
Her motivations in doing so were driven by a desire for fame and media attention to kickstart her own career.
In fact, Ms. Talwar has signed a statement retracting her claims, admitting that they were made under false pretences and influenced by external motivations.
The legal team of Verma & Associates, led by Kushal and Arundhati Nair, who are representing Mr. Mukherjee in his divorce proceedings, have documented all the evidence, which will be formally submitted to the court. ”
A few murmurs rippled across the press bench.
One reporter from The Weekly Journal leaned forward. “There are whispers that Kamya Bakshi, the CEO of a well-known tech company and a long-standing name in the business circuit, is somehow connected to all this. Can you confirm whether she is involved?”
Arundhati took the mic smoothly.
“Yes, she is involved. Ms. Noyonika herself has signed the confession that she was influenced and supported by her friend Ms. Kamya Bakshi, who, as many of you know, has been a long-standing client of our firm.”
That got their attention.
“We’ve reviewed internal clauses that Kamya’s company agreed to at the time of our engagement,” she continued. “By directly involving herself in a fabricated scandal that damaged another client’s public standing and legal position, she breached multiple ethical and contractual conditions.”
Raj took over again. “Which is why we have initiated immediate termination of all legal assistance to Kamya Bakshi and her affiliated ventures. We’re also initiating legal steps to ensure her role in the defamation is presented before the court.”
Hands shot up, cameras clicked. The floodgates had opened.
A woman reporter from India Now and Today leaned in, shouting over the others. “Mrs. Nair, but Kamya Bakshi is claiming she’s being framed. That she never encouraged Noyonika to lie. She says you are targeting her.”
“Why would I do that?” Arundhati argued. “Ms. Bakshi was our client. We only acted because she breached a signed legal agreement. This has nothing to do with personal bias. It’s about accountability.”
Another voice rang out from the back. “But she claims you did this to keep her away from Mr. Kushal Nair… your husband.”
Arundhati’s gaze faltered. She didn’t answer at once. But then it got worse.
A journalist from Mirror Today pushed forward. “Is it true that Mr. Kushal Nair was planning to propose to Kamya Bakshi? And it was you who came in between that lovely couple?”
Another chimed in, relentless. “Is that the reason for you filing for a divorce? An extramarital affair between Kushal Nair and Ms. Bakshi?”
The questions blurred into noise. Arundhati’s pulse hammered in her ears as her eyes fixed on the blinding lights and moving mouths.
But soon the sound dulled. She didn’t hear words anymore.
She only saw fragments. A memory flashing like static behind her eyes.
A woman yelling. A man slamming a door. Accusations thrown like knives.
And then…darkness. The room began to spin.
Her vision swam. Her throat closed up. Sweat gathered at her temples.
She didn’t even notice when her body began to sway.
But someone caught her.
It was her uncle.
He steadied her, jaw tight with fury as he turned to the reporters. “That’s enough,” he snapped. “We’re here to address legal developments in Anant and Sadhna Mukherjee’s divorce proceedings. This is not the place to discuss Arundhati and Kushal Nair’s personal matters.”
Cameras still clicked, but no one spoke.
“We will not entertain baseless gossip or tabloid bait,” he continued. “This press conference is over.”
With that, he ushered Arundhati out of the hall, his arm firm around her shoulder, shielding her from the swarm. Behind them, the team from Verma & Associates stepped in to de-escalate the frenzy, fielding questions, moving the press toward the exits, and controlling the damage already done.
***************
A few hours later
Kushal had just stepped out of the courtroom, his mind still half-entrenched in the details of a corporate litigation, when his junior rushed to him, breathless.
“Sir, there was a press meet held in the firm on Anant Mukherjee’s case, and it... got intense.”
The words barely registered before his phone buzzed again, this time with a series of texts and a video link.
Kushal tapped into the live news channel’s highlights.
The moment the clip began to roll on his iPad screen, his body froze in the corridor for a beat.
The highlights showed Arundhati and Raj Verma at the press table.
Everything was as per the standard, until it hit her.