Chapter 12 #3
Kashvi saw the crack of hesitation in his facade and went in for the kill. ‘And I did all of this because I’m a malicious daughter who is so desperate to rob my father that I would ruin my own future for it, right?’
Because yes, yes I did.
When her father had no answer, she turned to Piyush. ‘Swayam and I have been friends for six years. From the rent agreement, you can see that we’ve been living together too. Is it really so outrageous to believe that somewhere along the way we fell in love?’
Piyush smiled. ‘No. It’s not outrageous at all.’
‘Kashvi is my everything, whether anyone believes it or not,’ Swayam said, and the sincerity in his voice was disarming.
‘Oh please!’ Karthik exclaimed, gesturing towards Siya and Abhay as he shouted, ‘You two cooked up this fairy tale, didn’t you?’
Kashvi interrupted his tirade. ‘But how could we have “cooked up this fairy tale”? A few minutes ago, you admitted that you forgot to tell me about the marriage clause. The trust deed is also confidential, so how could I have known that I needed to be married to get the money?’
She watched with a flicker of satisfaction as Karthik realised he had stepped into his own trap with no way out.
Just then, the cabin door opened with a sharp click. Her attention snapped towards it just in time to see Dhruv walk in.
What was he doing here?
He was dressed in a simple charcoal T-shirt beneath a faded denim jacket and dark jeans, looking like he was heading off on vacation with a bag perched on his shoulder. Only his dishevelled hair betrayed his discomfort.
He acknowledged Kashvi with a nod and came to stand beside her.
That only provoked their father’s anger, like the very sight of them together was an insult to him. ‘Oh, this just keeps getting better. Did you decide to invite the rest of the family for this circus act?’
Dhruv didn’t even spare him a glance.
‘Every single one of you is trying to pull the same stunt! You think I’m going to let this go without a fight? I will drag this matter through every possible channel, raise objections, and file disputes. By the end of this, there will be nothing left for you to claim.’
His threat coiled around her chest, heavy and suffocating, because Kashvi knew he meant it.
Dhruv spoke in a flat tone. ‘You won’t.’
Karthik pinned him with a glare. ‘What did you just say?’
Dhruv met his gaze evenly. ‘I said you won’t do any of it. Or rather, you won’t be able to.’
He slung the bag off his shoulder, pulled out a document, and placed it on Piyush’s desk. ‘You might want to look at that.’
Piyush raised his brows, surprise evident on his face. ‘I can’t believe… These are No Objection Certificates signed by all the trustees?’
Dhruv gave a measured nod. ‘Signed, stamped, and notarised.’
With a startled gasp, Kashvi realised this was what Siya had meant by backup.
‘Stop lying!’ Karthik shouted, then turned to Dhruv. ‘Do you think you have any right to insert yourself into this?’ he asked incredulously.
Dhruv shrugged. ‘What I think is that if you had been forthcoming about the criteria, none of this would have been necessary.’
Karthik exploded, thrusting a finger at him. ‘You ungrateful bastard! You’re no Kashyap, so who the fuck gives you the right to tell me what I should do? Did you forget that you were living in an orphanage until I brought you into this family?’
Only a slight tightening of his jaw showed that Dhruv felt the blow of their father’s words.
An instinctive surge of anger hit Kashvi. She fought the fierce urge to step between them and shield Dhruv from the kind of cruelty she knew too well.
But Siya moved first, positioning herself in front of Dhruv. ‘Don’t you dare say our family name when all you have ever done is feed off it for your greed. Dhruv is more of a Kashyap than you will ever be.’
Dhruv remained composed, his face stripped of any emotion as he asked their father, ‘Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough? Because I think we’re done here.’
‘Yes, we are,’ Piyush cut in. ‘Karthik, for nearly a decade, you argued with the committee to grant Dhruv the same authority and standing as Siya. You insisted that there was no distinction between your girls and stepson. So I’m confused as to why his involvement is suddenly a problem.’
Dhruv answered for his father. ‘Technically, I’m not his stepson. I’m Dad’s bastard child. The only reason he pushed for my seat so I could balance out the vote in his favour.’
‘That was when you behaved like my son,’ Karthik snapped.
Dhruv shook his head firmly. ‘That was when I was someone you could control.’
‘That NOC proves nothing, right?’ Karthik said, almost pleading with Piyush. ‘People can be forced or coerced into signing anything.’
‘You’d know. You’re the expert in shady tactics,’ Dhruv said without hesitation.
‘You’ve spent years cutting deals behind the committee’s back and misusing funds.
I didn’t have to force anyone. They were more than willing to vote you out once they knew you were robbing your own daughter.
And they respect Siya enough not to piss her off. ’
‘You think I’m a fool? You think I don’t understand what’s happening here?’ Karthik demanded, an angry vein pulsing at his temple.
‘All you need to understand is that there are rules and we can’t bend them for anyone, especially not for a Kashyap reject,’ Kashvi said, throwing his words back at him. ‘Whether you believe it or not, I’m legally married and eligible to claim the blessing my mother left for me.’
‘She is correct,’ Piyush said, backing her up.
‘This is unbelievable,’ Karthik said, pacing the room as he ran a hand through his thinning hair. ‘You’re supposed to be a fair liaison, and you’re falling for this sham like you lack a sensible brain in your head.’
‘If you’re done with your bullshit, I would like to proceed,’ Piyush said.
Kashvi held her breath as Piyush retrieved a stamp from the side drawer.
Karthik took a step forward, agitated. ‘You can’t just—’
‘I can,’ Piyush cut him off, and brought down the stamp with a sharp, decisive thud that echoed through the room. ‘The process will be completed in a week, following which Kashvi will receive her inheritance and succeed Karthik, assuming the position of chairperson of KFT.’
Kashvi pressed her lips together to hold back the cry of relief.
Karthik threw his hands in the air, looking like a man who had run out of moves. He let out a scream of frustration, then locked his dark eyes on her.
He stalked towards her and stood uncomfortably close. ‘You really think you can rob me of everything, and I’ll just… let it go?’
Kashvi felt a flicker of fear settle into her chest, even as she forced herself to hold his gaze.
Swayam’s arm tightened around her, his fingers pressing into the curve of her waist. ‘You can do whatever you think you can, but don’t forget that to get to her, you will have to go through me.’
Karthik kept his focus firmly on his youngest daughter. ‘You spent years making a point of not wanting to get married. That was the right decision, and you’ll realise it soon, because I’m going to make sure this will be the biggest mistake of your life.’
Kashvi refused to rise to his bait. ‘You can try, but you don’t know me well enough to decide what I can or can’t handle.’
Her father smiled with such delight that her blood ran cold.
‘Oh, I know you. Because you’re my favourite daughter, remember?’ he asked, winking to make sure she didn’t miss the implication.
She had heard those words before.
Kashvi went rigid, unable to stop the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She had been up all night mentally preparing herself to face his cruelty. Yet there was no bracing against a blow like that. His smile said he knew that too.
She bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood, hating that he could still reach inside her and drag out the memories she had worked so hard to bury.
Across from her, seeing her struggle to hold her composure, Karthik looked pleased. ‘Congratulations,’ he said to Swayam.
The undercurrent of mockery was impossible to miss as he added, ‘I hope you have a happy married life.’
With one last scathing look at her, Karthik strode towards the door. Just before he slammed the door shut behind him, he tossed over his shoulder, ‘You’re certainly going to need it.’
Abhay let out a breath. ‘I swear, that man is the worst excuse for a father I’ve ever known.’
Piyush eased back in his chair. ‘I have dealt with difficult people in my line of work, but no one comes close to him. I have no idea how living under the same roof as him didn’t drive you kids mad.’
Siya asked, ‘Who said we’re not mad? You just don’t see the worst of it.’
‘Still, that was… I mean, even for him, that was—’
‘Exactly what we expected,’ Dhruv finished.
‘I think we need to get rid of him once and for all. Is there no provision to remove him from the board committee?’ Abhay asked.
Piyush sighed. ‘Unfortunately, the trust deed safeguarding Kashvi’s claim also protects his position. He won’t be chairman anymore, but he’ll still be a trustee because the older generation retains a board seat for life. Unless he resigns.’
‘Dad won’t do that,’ Dhruv said.
‘So he’s basically untouchable?’ Siya asked.
‘Yes. I know the organisation has been struggling under Karthik’s care. I do have my doubts about Kashvi’s sudden love story, but you’re giving me a way out, and I’d rather not let trust money fall into the hands of someone like him.’ Piyush quickly added, ‘No offence.’
Siya chuckled. ‘None taken.’
Even as the conversation continued around her, Kashvi remained trapped inside her own mind, reliving her father’s words over and over.
What had he meant?
She knew her husband and family were around her, surrounding her with warmth and care. They had won the battle, after all.
Yet in that moment, as she stood in the aftermath of everything that had just happened, she felt unsettlingly, utterly alone.