Ch43 Where is my wife?!
The heavy iron gates of the Bedi Mansion loomed ahead as Rivanya expertly steered the car through the chaotic, crowded streets of Mumbai.
She had made the journey from Kashi in record time using Rudraksh's private jet, driven by a quiet, mounting fury.
Although his personal security detail had immediately transmitted the tracking data to their headquarters, Rudraksh completely missed the notifications, caught deep inside an intensely high-stakes corporate meeting.
Throughout the entire flight, a singular, sharp question had replayed in her mind: why on earth had Naresh Bedi summoned her so desperately now?
It didn't matter. Today was the day the Bedi family would finally be brought down to reality and shown their true worth.
The exterior of the Bedi Mansion had turned into a literal media circus.
Hundreds of news vans packed the perimeter, broadcasting live to the entire nation.
The spectacular, rapid downfall of a billionaire tycoon had become public entertainment.
Suddenly, two sleek black SUVs pulled up discretely at the edge of the crow Rudraksh's elite plainclothes guards had tracked her all the way from the private airstrip.
They were frantically trying to ping Rudraksh's encrypted device; they knew with absolute certainty that if a single thing happened to his wife on their watch, their lives would be forfeit.
Rivanya adjusted her rear-view mirror, looking out at the reporters who were aggressively tearing the Bedi reputation to shreds on live television. A cold, sharp, and suspenseful smile touched her lips as her eyes turned into pure ice.
"It's showtime," she whispered to the empty car, her jaw locking into a dangerous line. "Let the game begin."
Without paying a single shred of attention to the flashing cameras or the shouting journalists, Rivanya stepped out of the vehicle and cut straight through the wall of media personnel.
Before the reporters could even register that the eldest daughter of the crumbling empire had just arrived, Rivanya had already crossed the reinforced front gates.
She was mentally locked in, fully prepared for whatever toxic venom they were about to throw at her.
She knew deep down that this parasitic family didn't deserve a single drop of her love, empathy, or care anymore and today, she was going to demonstrate exactly how to deal with garbage.
Exuding pure, unadulterated confidence, Rivanya threw open the massive double doors of the mansion and stepped into the grand foyer.
The estate guards had already radioed her arrival inside, so the remaining members of the family were already lined up in the central hall.
Shamita was slumped on the velvet sofa, weeping crocodile tears into a silk handkerchief, while Alisha stood beside her, doing a terrible job of pretending to comfort her mother.
In the center of the room, Naresh Bedi was pacing back and forth erratically, his face a grotesque mask of burning tension, terror, and blinding panic.
Rivanya suppressed a cold, bitter laugh, stepping directly into their space. Standing before Naresh Bedi with a completely flat, expressionless face, her voice cut through the quiet room like a razor. "So. Why exactly have you summoned me here?"
Naresh Bedi immediately lunged forward, closing the distance between them, his voice raised in an arrogant, desperate whine.
"Rivanya! Do you possess absolutely no humanity left in you?! Your family is drowning in a catastrophic disaster, and we actually had to beg you to show up? Have you forgotten that you are the eldest daughter of this household?!"
Rivanya didn't even blink. Her icy voice remained completely steady, dripping with absolute contempt.
"Oh my god... you finally managed to remember today that I am the eldest daughter of this house? Tell me, Naresh Bedi where was this realization when you were ruthlessly draining every single ounce of my rights and my inheritance just to pamper your illegitimate daughter?
Why didn't you remember you had another daughter back then?"
Naresh Bedi froze, staring at her in absolute, stunned disbelief.
He had never seen this side of Rivanya before; in all these years, she had never dared to raise her voice or look at him with such cold authority.
The profound respect and desperate yearning for affection that used to mirror in her eyes had completely vanished, replaced by an unyielding disgust.
Clearing his throat nervously to mask his rising fear, Naresh tried to reassert his broken authority. "Rivanya, do not forget your place. No matter what the circumstances are, she is still your younger sister. You carry a binding duty toward her future..."
Rivanya burst into a loud, mocking laugh, her words deliberately sharp enough to draw blood. "A sister? A characterless, vile girl like her can never be my sister. But let's cut through the drama. Speak clearly for once what exactly do you want from me this time, Mr. Naresh Bedi?"
The complete absence of respect or fear in her tone infuriated him, but because he was backed into a corner, he forced himself to swallow his pride.
"I want you to divorce Rudraksh immediately," Naresh demanded, his voice shaking with desperation.
"Tell him to marry Alisha instead. That is the only way our financial assets will be restored and our empire can be saved. The divorce papers are already finalized."
Rivanya stared at him, a mixture of pure horror and blistering fury twisting her features.
Her hands balled into tight, trembling fists at her sides, her breathing turning heavy as an untamed rage began to boil in her veins.
Before her temper could even explode, Alisha stepped forward, a disgusting, arrogant smirk plastered across her face as she extended a leather folder toward her.
"Here," Alisha sneered maliciously. "Sign the papers, Rivanya."
That was the absolute breaking point. The final dam of Rivanya's patience ruptured completely.
Without a single warning, she brought her hand back and delivered a brutal, thunderous slap straight across Alisha's face.
The sheer, raw physical force of the strike sent Alisha flying across the floor.
She crashed heavily against the marble ground, a stream of dark crimson blood instantly leaking from the corner of her lip.
"Alisha!" Shamita shrieked in absolute horror, bolting from the sofa to throw herself over her bleeding daughter.
Naresh Bedi's face turned purple with a violent rage as he bellowed, "Rivanya! Have you lost your mind?! What the hell do you think you are doing?!"
Before he could take a single step toward her, Rivanya sharply raised her hand, thrusting her finger directly into his face, her voice dropping into a deadly, echoing roar.
"Shut up, Naresh Bedi! Just shut your mouth! You, your pathetic mistress, and your illegitimate daughter have played enough games with my life. Have you monsters completely run out of any lingering shame? Do you carry even an ounce of dignity inside you?!"
"Rivanya!" Naresh screamed, his chest heaving as he tried to intimidate her. "Is this the trash vocabulary and mannerisms you learned at your Mamaji's house?! Is this how you address your own father?!"
Rivanya threw her head back, laughing hysterically, her tone ringed with an absolute, lethal mockery.
"A father? You? My father? Since when did you become my blood, Naresh Bedi?! The game is officially over. I have uncovered the entire truth I know for an absolute fact that you do not carry a single drop of my blood, nor were you ever truly my mother's husband. You are nothing but a wretched,
greedy fox who would willingly sell his own soul to the highest bidder for the sake of money! I know everything fucking thing"
Naresh Bedi stood frozen, a cold dread washing over his face as the gravity of Rivanya's words sank in. Beside him, Shamita's throat went completely dry, beads of nervous sweat breaking out across her forehead.
Rivanya stepped closer, her heels clicking dangerously against the marble floor.
"You manipulated me all you wanted, Naresh Bedi. You exploited my life for your personal gain, but the game ends today. This biological daughter of yours will never give you a fraction of the love and respect I gave you from my childhood until today. You stripped me of everything I ever owned,
handed it to this characterless girl, and even tried to destroy my education and force me into a marriage just to secure your greed. But a lie can never stay buried forever. And guess what? Despite every single hurdle you placed in my path, I am officially a lawyer today."
Alisha, still clutching her bleeding cheek on the floor, glared up at Rivanya with a toxic mixture of tears and blinding fury, her mind racing as she tried to comprehend how this was even possible.
Naresh and Shamita were trapped in the exact same disbelief; they had left no stone unturned to systematically ruin Rivanya's future.
"What do you mean you are a lawyer?!" Naresh demanded, his voice cracking with a sudden panic. "Your previous academic records were entirely blocked for two years! How could you possibly finish your degree?!"
A deadly, merciless smile spread across Rivanya's face.
"Did you honestly think I was playing a weak game, Naresh? Right under your arrogant nose, I secretly completed my remaining modules and finished my training. I am standing firmly on my own two feet today. And what were you screaming about earlier? The values of my maternal family?
The sophisticated upbringing of an honorable household is something street-dwellers like you could never comprehend. Explaining it to you is a waste of my breath."