CHAPTER 25 #2
Daksh slid a finger under the seal and pulled out the single paper inside.
The moment his eyes fell on the contents, the colour drained from his face.
His fingers tightened around the paper as if it might slip away otherwise.
He looked up at Karan, shock flashing through his eyes, his mouth opening, but no words coming out.
Karan smirked.
“KW Capital Ventures and the Lexi Group have joined hands,” Karan said, “into a strategic merger.”
Mishti frowned. Her gaze darted between the two men. She knew about this. What she did not understand was why Karan was telling this to Daksh? And why did Daksh look as if the ground beneath him had cracked open?
Karan took a step closer to Daksh, his eyes hardening. “Which means,” he continued, “every authoritative decision of the Lexi Group will now be taken by KW Capital.”
He paused deliberately.
“Precisely,” he added, locking eyes with Daksh, “by me. Karan Wadhwa.”
There was complete silence in the room.
Daksh shook his head slowly in disbelief. “No,” he said hoarsely. “This… this cannot happen.”
Karan slipped his hands into his trouser pockets with infuriating ease. “It already has, Daksh,” he replied coolly. “The papers are signed.”
Mishti could no longer remain silent.
“What is going on?” she finally interrupted, looking from Karan to Daksh. “What is all this about?”
Karan turned toward her slowly, smirking hard.
“Come on, Mishti,” he said lightly. “Do not act so innocent now. You already know about this, don’t you?”
“Yes, but—” she began.
He did not let her finish.
Karan shifted his gaze to Daksh, whose shock deepened at the implication that Mishti had known this. The see-saw of emotions played clearly on Daksh’s face, his disbelief now turning into dread.
“Your loving sister,” Karan continued calmly, “is the one who worked on this entire project to make all of this possible.”
Daksh glared at Mishti, who shook her head immediately, stepping forward. “No,” she said firmly. “I had nothing to do with the Lexi Group directly. I only worked on Trinity and Co. To help KW Capital bring them down.”
Karan nodded once, as if confirming a well-laid plan. “Exactly,” he said. “But Trinity joined hands with Lexi for a larger investment. That investment was meant to revive Trinity, to bring it back into shape.”
He paused deliberately, letting each word settle.
“And now,” he continued, “Lexi has merged with us, discreetly, without letting Trinity even sense what was coming. And KW Capital will never allow Trinity to receive that investment anymore.”
His eyes locked onto Daksh.
“Trinity will be crushed,” he said. “Reduced to ashes. That is exactly where it belongs. There will be no mercy.”
He clenched his jaw further. “Trinity is doomed, Daksh.”
Daksh staggered back a step, the strength draining from his face. Divya gasped and instinctively caught hold of him, supporting him, as he struggled to remain upright. Her eyes darted between the two men, completely lost, unable to understand anything, just like Mishti, whose head spun.
“Stop talking in riddles,” Mishti said angrily, turning to Karan. “What does Trinity have to do with Daksh bhai?”
For the first time since the confrontation began, Karan exhaled, as though he had been waiting for this exact moment.
“Finally,” he said quietly. “Now you are asking the right question.”
A slow grin spread across his face, one that made Mishti’s stomach drop. “Trinity’s founder and acting head, Mr R. Menon, exists only for the world to see.”
Mishti felt her pulse thud loudly in her ears.
“The real owner,” Karan continued, “the man who owns Trinity and ensured his name never surfaced, is none other than your brother.”
He turned toward Daksh then.
“Daksh Goel.”
The world tilted beneath Mishti’s feet. Trinity was her brother’s company?
Her eyes moved slowly to Daksh, searching his face for denial, for some sign that this was another layer of Karan’s mind games. But there was nothing. Only anger and fear, enough to tell her everything she needed to know.
But why did he keep this a secret? Not just from the world but from his own sister?
Before she could voice the questions, Daksh erupted.
“This is not possible,” he snapped, his voice shaking with fury. “You are lying, Karan. This Lexi Group and your merger are all a lie. I don’t believe this.”
Karan did not flinch.
“It is already done, Daksh. It’s right in front of you.”
He took a step forward, locking his ruthless gaze onto Daksh’s. “I knew from the very beginning that you were running two businesses.”
Daksh stiffened.
“One was the DG Group, the one the world knows about,” he paused, letting the silence stretch, then added, “And the other was Trinity and Co.”
Mishti’s heart pounded painfully as she heard it.
“The real source of your wealth,” Karan added. “The powerhouse behind every luxury you live in today. Every expansion, every acquisition, every show of strength. Trinity is where your real profits come from. DG Group was merely surviving because Trinity was discreetly funding it.”
Daksh clenched his fists.
“I challenged DG Group first,” Karan went on. “I wanted you to see exactly what I wanted you to see. I let you believe that DG Group was my target.”
Mishti’s stomach twisted as the pieces began falling into place.
“When your wrong business decisions brought DG Group to the brink of collapse,” Karan said, “you panicked. And when you came to me pleading, I gave you an option.”
He turned his head slightly toward Mishti.
“I offered you a marriage alliance.”
Something tore inside Mishti’s chest.
“For a half-brother who never truly cared for his sister,” Karan continued coldly, “this was the easiest sacrifice. You chose your business over her without hesitation. You handed her over to me, believing that this alliance would save DG Group.”
His eyes returned to Daksh, burning now.
“And it did,” he said. “Exactly as I promised. But temporarily.”
Daksh swallowed hard as Karan continued.
“Because DG Group was never my real target. My eyes were always fixed on what stood above it…Trinity & Co.”
Mishti’s legs felt weak.
“Once Mishti became a part of KW Capital’s board,” Karan went on, “I assigned her to work on Trinity’s corporate profile. She had no idea whose company it was. And that was the point.”
He glanced at her briefly.
“She worked relentlessly,” he said. “She analysed every loophole, every weakness, every financial dependency. She monitored Trinity’s movements closely. Especially its reliance on Lexi Group for a massive investment.”
“All I needed,” Karan continued, “was perfect timing.”
He turned back to Daksh with a thin smile. “The moment Mishti signalled when and how Trinity was approaching Lexi, I made sure Lexi was on my side. I offered them enough and made them stand with me instead. Against you.”
Daksh’s face drained of colour.
“You never even sensed it,” Karan said quietly. “Not even a hint.”
He casually shrugged.
“So now, Daksh, forget the investment you were counting on to stabilise Trinity,” he said. “I will not let a single rupee reach you.”
Divya gasped softly, gripping Daksh’s arm tighter.
“Without that funding,” Karan continued, “Trinity cannot survive. One or two months at best. After that, your existing clients will back out. Small investors will panic. Contracts will collapse.”
He tilted his head slightly, watching Daksh break inch by inch.
“Your business will crumble,” he said. “Like a house of cards.”
Mishti stared at Karan in horror. The man she loved was about to bring her brother’s destruction, and she still didn’t know why.
“And this is not where it ends,” Karan continued. “The impact to Trinity will directly affect your other business as well. DG Group.”
Daksh seethed.
“After all,” Karan added, “the real funding that kept DG Group running smoothly so far came from Trinity, didn’t it?”
Daksh’s fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. Karan took a slow step forward.
“You were never a good businessman, Daksh,” he said without hesitation. “I did not have to put in much effort. Your own poor decisions, your lack of foresight, and your inability to adapt have all brought you here. You destroyed yourself long before I stepped in.”
Then his tone turned to casually cruel.
“But I must say,” he continued, “there is one thing I genuinely appreciate in all of this.”
His eyes moved to Mishti.
“Your sister,” he corrected deliberately. “I mean…your half-sister.”
Mishti flinched.
“Her intelligence. Her dedication,” Karan clapped slowly for the effect. “She outdid herself on her very first project for my company. Every report she submitted was thorough and flawless.”
His lips curved into a slow smile.
“I am damn proud of my wife.”
The words no longer meant anything to Mishti. In fact, it felt like an accusation. Tears streamed down her face, and her body trembled as she understood Karan’s intentions. Every moment she believed she was proving herself had all been part of his bigger plans.
Daksh snapped, finally. He lunged toward Mishti and grabbed her arms roughly, his fingers digging into her skin.
“You did this.” His voice shook with rage as he shouted at her. “You destroyed everything.”
Mishti sobbed, shaking her head frantically. “Bhai, I did not know. Please believe me. I swear I had no idea.”
Daksh laughed bitterly. “Of course you did not,” he spat. “But what else could I expect from you? From a half-sister? Ever since you and your mother came into my life, you’ve been pricking me. And now that wasn’t just enough that you joined hands with Karan to ruin me forever?”
Mishti broke down completely.
Karan, on the other hand, was darkly satisfied by Daksh’s collapse. This was the consequence he had planned so carefully. Yet when Mishti pleaded with Daksh to trust her, something shifted in his chest, seeing her so heartbroken and in tears.