Beneath His Silence.

Chapter Forty Nine

Kunal's Mercedes-Benz pulled to a halt in front of the towering glass monolith of the Rathore Empire.

He stepped out, but his expression was anything but bright. He paused, adjusting the cufflinks of his navy-blue suit, his gaze traveling up the height of the building that belonged to the man currently dismantling his life.

His hand curled into a tight fist at his side.

"Sir, we're all ready." his PA said, stepping out of the passenger side with a leather bound folder tucked under his arm.

Kunal offered a single nod and snapped his suit jacket closed, masking the tremor of rage in his chest before he marched into the lobby.

"Mr. Mehra..." Advik called out the moment Kunal crossed the threshold. He was leaning against a marble pillar.

Kunal's face remained stern. He didn't offer a greeting, only a stiff nod that acknowledged Advik's presence without validating it.

"Let's not keep Devraj waiting, shall we? He's a very... impatient man when he wants something.." Advik said.

Kunal leveled a burning glare at him, but Advik only smirked, clearly enjoying the friction.

"Lead the way.." Kunal snapped.

"Right this way." Advik turned, heading toward the private, high-security elevators.

Kunal and his assistant traded a brief, tense look..a silent prayer for the battle ahead...before stepping into the lift.

Meanwhile, Devraj was the picture of calm. He sat behind his desk, his shirtsleeves rolled up as he flipped through a set of documents.

His own PA sat across from him, the two of them working in a silence so heavy it felt pressurized.

A short knock broke the quiet. Devraj looked up, his amber eyes narrowing as the door swung open. Advik walked in first, wearing that same smirk and as he stepped aside, Kunal came into view.

Devraj didn't stand. He didn't even lean forward. Instead, he reclined slowly into his leather chair.

As their eyes locked, Kunal's jaw tightened so hard.

"Good day, Mr. Rathore." Kunal said formally.

Devraj met his gaze with a bored, half-lidded expression, as if Kunal were a minor inconvenience he was forced to deal with.

Without taking his eyes off Kunal, Devraj gave a wordless flick of his wrist, a silent command for his assistant and Kunal to leave.

Devraj's PA gathered his things and walked out immediately. Advik lingered for a moment, his eyes darting between Kunal and Devraj before he too exited, closing the soundproof door shut behind him.

Devraj didn't look at Kunal. His gaze was fixed instead on the assistant, who was still standing awkwardly beside Kunal, clutching the Mehra files.

"Get out." Devraj said.

The assistant's throat moved in a visible gulp. He shifted his weight, eyes darting toward Kunal for protection.

"Why does he have to leave? We are here to present the viability of the-"

"I. Said. Get. Out." Devraj cut Kunal off, punctuating each word with a terrifying finality.

Kunal's chest heaved as he fought to keep his temper from detonating. His knuckles were white as he reached out and collected the files from his assistant's trembling hands.

He gave a tilt of his head toward the door..a silent order for the man to save himself.

The assistant didn't need to be told twice. He practically bolted out the office.

Kunal took a shuddering breath, trying to steady his voice.

"Listen, Rathore. I know you don't like me. The feeling is entirely mutual. So let's skip the theatrics. Let me get the presentation over with so you can unfreeze the deal and we can both go back to our lives."

Devraj just sat there, watching Kunal speak..

"For a man who is currently drowning and needs me to throw him a rope, you sound remarkably demanding, Mr. Mehra." Devraj remarked.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, a look that made Kunal's blood boil.

Kunal swallowed the retort stinging his tongue. "This deal was being finalized before you reached out and strangled it. And I can't help but feel... no, I know you're the one behind the investors withdrawing. You're the architect of this entire catastrophe."

Devraj slowly stood up, his movements leisurely. He leveled a bored, almost pitying look at Kunal.

"I'm genuinely impressed by how hyper-aware you've become." Devraj said.

He began to walk slowly around the desk..

"And you know, despite how foolish you appear to me, you've mentioned two things that I actually have to admit are true."

"One." Devraj began, his voice terrifying, as he stopped just a few feet away.

"I do not like you. Not even a fraction. In fact, the very sight of you is a stain on my day."

He leaned in closer, his amber eyes so intensified, that it sent an icy chill straight down Kunal's spine.

"Two... the catastrophe I've unleashed? I'm only just getting started. I will continue to tighten the noose until I've crumbled you and your family name into the very pit itself." he whispered, the threat sounding more like a vow.

Kunal felt his breath leave his lungs. He gulped, his vision blurring with a white-hot adrenaline.

"What did I ever do to you?!" Kunal finally exploded, his voice cracking as he yelled.

He slammed his hand against the edge of the desk. "Why the fuck are you doing this to me? What is the point of all this?"

Devraj didn't flinch. Instead, a dark smirk spread across his face.

"Frustration. I have to admit, I love the sound of it in your voice."

Without another word, Devraj turned his back on Kunal...and sauntered back to his chair.

He sat down slowly, his gaze anchored on Kunal's shaking frame and the helpless anger radiating off him.

Devraj reached down, pulled open a drawer, and extracted a single black file. He tossed it onto the table, sliding it across the polished surface until it stopped directly in front of Kunal. Then, he leaned back, steepling his fingers.

"I will unfreeze the deal immediately.." Devraj stated, his tone suddenly business-like.

"I will personally call your investors and bring them back to the table.

I will take ten percent of your company's shares, not as a hostile takeover, but as a silent investment.

I don't want a return on the capital. In fact, I'll grant you access to billions in future contracts through the Rathore network.

..if you are willing to cooperate. "

Kunal's brow furrowed. He stared at the file as if it were a trap..which he knew it was.

"What?" Kunal gritted out, his teeth aching from the tension. "All of a sudden, you wants to play savior? You're trying to help me now?"

"Help?" Devraj echoed, a dark, melodic chuckle vibrating in his chest. The sound was devoid of any humor.

"Don't make me laugh, Mehra. We both know I don't do anything out of the goodness of my heart. Now... do you want the deal or not?"

Kunal's throat moved in a hard gulp. It was a staggering, life-saving offer, but the sudden pivot felt like stepping into a beautifully decorated trap.

"I don't trust you. I'll never trust you. What's the catch? What is the price for all this generosity?"

"Ira."

Devraj leaned forward, his eyes turning into twin pools of dark, liquid intensity.

Kunal instinctively took a sharp step back, his heart beating against his ribs.

He gritted his teeth, the realization dawning on him with sickening clarity.

"This was all about her? All of this... the freezing, the investors, the ruin... just to get to-"

"Yes, Kunal.." Devraj cut him off, his voice dropping to a growl. "It's always been about her. If I have to strip away every living thing she cares about just so she has no choice but to look at me, I will burn every mile of this city to the ground."

"You are sick! You're twisted!" Kunal yelled, his eyes wide with a mixture of horror and fury. "You're trying to ruin my life because she loves me? Because she chose me?"

"And I'm only just getting started.." Devraj countered, his calmness more terrifying than Kunal's screaming.

"You're a madman! Why do you keep hunting a woman who wants someone else? Why can't you just let her be?!"

Devraj's eyes darkened as he swallowed hard, a flicker of raw, possessive hunger crossing his face.

"Ira is mine, Kunal. She has always been.."

Kunal gasped, the sheer of Devraj's delusion making his skin crawl.

"I don't care that your wedding date is fixed.." Devraj said, standing up slowly.

"I don't care about that cheap, pathetic ring on her finger. She deserves something far more substantial than anything you could ever provide."

He stepped around the desk.

"Ira belongs to me."

Kunal took an involuntary step back, his survival instincts screaming at him. The man in front of him wasn't a businessman anymore..he was a force of nature.

Devraj looked down at the black file on the desk and picked it up with a flick of his wrist.

"Take the offer. Save your legacy. Save your father's heart. But understand one thing, the moment you sign this, Ira belongs to me."

Kunal's breath was ragged, his vision tunneling as he looked from the life-saving contract to the monster offering it.

"I don't... I don't want your offer.." he breathed out, his voice trembling.

Devraj didn't move. He just stared deep into Kunal's soul, his expression unreadable.

"Your father's legacy is resting entirely on your shoulders, Kunal. So is your pathetic excuse for a company.." Devraj said, his voice dropping to a lethal, quiet rasp.

"I will strip you of every layer of your dignity, slowly, until your knees are raw and bloodied.

I will make sure that even finding a drop of water in this country becomes a struggle for you.

And I won't stop at you, I'm dragging your family into the dirt alongside you.

The choice is yours. Think very carefully. .. and take the offer."

Kunal felt the floor tilt beneath his feet. He was trapped in a nightmare with no exit..an impossible crossroads.

If he saved the company, he would lose the only woman who had ever loved him for the man he was, not the status he held. But if he chose Ira, he would watch his parents' lives crumble into ash because of his selfishness.

His chest tightened until he could barely draw breath.

I'm so sorry, Ira... he whispered..

He looked up, meeting Devraj's bored, expectant gaze.

"I hate you more than words can describe, Devraj." Kunal sneered, his voice trembling with loath and defeat.

"I've been called worse by better men.." Devraj countered, his expression unchanged. "So... deal, or no deal?"

Kunal's throat constricted, the word sticking like a thorn before he forced it out.

"D... Deal."

A surge of dark, triumphant electricity shot through Devraj. He had won.

"A wise choice, Kunal."

Kunal reached out, his hand shaking as he moved to grab the black file, the price of his soul. But just as his fingers brushed the leather, Devraj snatched it back.

Kunal snapped his head up, glaring at him with raw fury. "Are you going back on your word already?"

"No, Kunal. I'm not stupid.." Devraj said, his eyes flashing with a cruel, sudden spark. "I'm not giving you time to change your mind or find a loophole. I want you to call Ira. Right now. And I want you to end it."

Kunal's breath hitched, his heart stuttering in his chest.

The thought of breaking her heart over the phone, while the monster who orchestrated it watched, was a torment he couldn't bear. He felt paralyzed.

"I... I'll call her later. I need time to-"

"I don't care about your needs!" Devraj yelled, his mask of boredom finally slipping as his obsession flared into a terrifying rage.

"Do it now! Call her! End it this second, or the deal is dead and your family is finished!"

Kunal's fingers curled into a white knuckled fist. He squeezed so hard his nails bit into his palms, a dull distraction from the agony in his chest.

He looked at the black file in Devraj's hand..the tombstone of his relationship..and finally reached for his phone.

With a trembling thumb, he swiped through his contacts until he hit the one name that represented his peace..

Ira.

He stared at her name for a heartbeat too long, his thumb frozen over the screen.

"Call her.." Devraj's voice cut through the silence, cold and impatient.

He pressed the call button, the sound echoing through the room.

"Put it on speaker." Devraj commanded, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward, hungry for the sound of her.

Kunal obeyed, his movements hollow. As the phone rang once... twice... three times.

On the fourth ring, the line clicked open.

"Hey, Kunal!"

Ira's voice flooded the room, warm, melodic, and bright with a genuine happiness.

Devraj's jaw tightened. Hearing that sweetness directed at someone else was just irritating.

He wasn't happy, he was consumed by a burning jealousy that made him want to reach through the phone and pull her voice into his own reality.

"Oh gosh, I was just about to call you and ask how you were.." Ira continued, her words tumbling out in that fast, excited way she had when she was worried. "You didn't look happy yesterday... was work too much? You know you can always talk to me about anything, right?"

Despite the crushing weight of the situation, a small, involuntary chuckle broke from Kunal's lips. It was a reflex, a memory of the peace she brought him.

Devraj's eyes flared, his pupils dilating with a dangerous possessiveness.

Seeing Kunal find even a second of comfort in her voice was more than he could stand. He glared at Kunal, a silent warning to finish the execution.

"Ira..." Kunal called out, his voice thick and fractured.

The silence on the other end was instantaneous. Ira was perceptive, she could hear the sadness in his tone before he even spoke a full sentence.

"Kunal? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I... I-" Kunal started, his heart shattering into a thousand pieces.

He looked up, meeting Devraj's cold, unyielding stare.

He was waiting for his prize.

"We..we.. ca..can't be together anymore, Ira." Kunal forced the words out, each one feeling like he was swallowing broken glass.

"I'm sorry. It's over."