𝐑𝐔𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐀

Ch47A Shadow of Someone Else

After thoroughly teasing Rudraksh and driving him out of his mind, Vyom was sitting completely relaxed on a lounge chair in the garden, soaking in the warm morning sunlight.

Just then, Devaditya walked up to him and quietly took a seat directly opposite him.

Without even looking up, Vyom easily anticipated exactly what Dev wanted and what thoughts were racing inside the younger brother's mind.

Breaking the silence, Vyom spoke casually, "Alright, brother Dev, tell me. What is it that you want to ask? Go ahead."

Dev looked as though he had been desperately waiting for Vyom to give him permission to speak.

He leaned forward and asked instantly, "Vyom Bhaiya, tell me one thing honestly. Our Rudra Bhaisa is definitely not weak enough to be cornered by a basic legal case like this, is he? If he truly wanted, he could have handled and cleared this entire mess in a single, brutal move.

And another thing if a random construction worker tragically dies on a site, how on earth can the criminal blame fall directly onto Rudraksh Bhaisa? Aren't there multiple project managers and site supervisors in the company who are actually responsible for those specific safety operations?"

Vyom looked at Dev, a faint, knowing smirk playing on his lips as he answered, "Do you honestly think Rudraksh Vardhan is an amateur player who can be trapped so easily, Dev? Not a chance. The truth is, for the past few weeks,

we had been receiving solid intelligence that a few moles inside our corporation were actively leaking highly confidential company secrets to the outside world. The exact moment we discovered this treachery, this tragic accident was engineered at the site.

Every single sub-contractor and builder involved was immediately bought off by our rival enemies. They have all signed up to give false testimonies in court, claiming they received direct,

explicit orders from the very top meaning Rudraksh himself to intentionally compromise on safety regulations to cut costs. That is exactly how the entire blame was strategically shifted onto Rudraksh."

Vyom paused for a brief moment, letting the weight of the corporate conspiracy sink in, before continuing, "Now, if Rudraksh wanted, he could have easily handled this entire threat in his own signature, highly illegal way within an hour.

But you seem to forget that he established this specific company, AR Constructions, entirely in the sacred memory of his late mother. Because her name is tied to it, he strictly refuses to utilize any illegal means or let a single drop of dirty blood tarnish the firm.

And as for the rumor that no lawyer is willing to fight his case? That is absolute garbage. Our financial power is so massive that we could comfortably buy out dozens of Malhotra Law Firms without breaking a sweat!

The real truth is that Rudraksh deliberately wanted Rivanya to step into the light to save him. He planned this entire scenario so she could confidently fight the very first case of her life and launch her career with a massive victory.

That stubborn idiot willingly put his own reputation on the line just for her, otherwise, no force in this world possesses the absolute guts to even lay a single finger on Rudraksh Vardhan!"

Dev listened to the entire layout, a wave of profound understanding washing over his features as he gave a slow, amazed nod.

"Wow, so that is the real game behind the scenes! But man, the two of you put on an absolutely flawless performance yesterday. Not a single soul in the entire mansion could even deduce a logical question.

Everyone was fully convinced that Rudraksh Bhaisa was trapped in a corner where his freedom was genuinely at stake, even though a legal defeat for a man of his stature is practically impossible."

Vyom let out a delighted laugh, thoroughly amused by the success of their plan.

"Dev, your big brother is a ten-headed demon king, a true Ravan! No one in this universe can ever guess what he is calculating or planning next. Rudraksh and I could have easily squashed this legal notice in our sleep,

but Rudraksh was completely determined to launch your sister-in-law's legal career and hand her a massive platform, so we chose to stay quiet. Now, it is entirely up to Rivanya to prove his innocence in front of the judge tomorrow. By the way, as for the corporate traitors who leaked our secrets?

Your brother has already hunted them down and sent them straight to heaven or hell. The only remaining issue is the rest of the site employees who were threatening to testify against him. Our intelligence confirmed they were heavily blackmailed by the enemy. Don't worry,

your sister-in-law will tear their false claims apart in court."

Dev shook his head in absolute admiration, looking at Vyom with deep respect. "I must hand it to you both, Bhaiya. What incredible acting! You completely blindsided the entire family; no one even thought to ask a single logical question."

Vyom smiled warmly, a tender look entering his eyes.

"Well, little brother, your stoic older brother is falling deeply, helplessly in love. When a dangerous man like Rudraksh Vardhan changes, the colors of his love are bound to spill over everyone around him. But you have to admit,

it's hilarious how that arrogant fool is willing to get himself framed by a legal crisis just to boost his wife's career, yet he still stubbornly walks around claiming there is absolutely no love between them."

Dev went quiet for a long moment, his eyes dropping as a shadow of profound, unhealed grief took over his features. He whispered in a low, hollow voice, "Love is exactly like that, Bhaiya... it has the power to completely break and change the most unyielding, stone-hearted men in existence."

The suffocating silence that settled over Dev was something Vyom recognized all too well.

He knew the agonizing weight of the younger brother's tragic past.

Vyom's expression turned deeply serious as he leaned across and placed a firm, supportive hand on Dev's shoulder.

"Dev... how many more years are you planning to lock yourself in the darkness, punishing yourself for a catastrophic mistake that you didn't even commit? Please, it's time to move on with your life. You need to forget her."

A deeply painful, heartbreaking smile broke across Dev's lips.

He stood up slowly from his seat, looking out at the horizon with eyes full of unshed tears.

"You can only forget someone who has been separated from you, Bhaiya," Dev replied, his voice cracking with a raw, agonizing sorrow.

"The person you are asking me to forget is still entirely alive within every single beat of my heart. She never actually left my side. Even today, my soul belongs exclusively to her, and it will continue to worship her until the absolute day I die. There is no room in my life for anyone else...

no one will ever take her place. Ever."

Without waiting for a response or looking back, Dev turned around and walked away with heavy, silent steps, disappearing into the grand corridors of the main mansion.

Vyom remained sitting completely alone on the garden chair, staring at the empty space as his mind drifted into a heavy cloud of profound thoughts.

He couldn't help but realize the tragic irony of the Vardhan lineage inside this grand, powerful palace, every single brother was secretly harboring their own massive, deeply buried trauma and profound grief.

Outwardly, they all wore masks of absolute power and normalcy, yet they were completely broken within.

He looked at his own reflection; he was no different.

For long, agonizing years, Vyom had been carrying a suffocating, silent pain deep inside his own soul living thousands of miles away from his own real family, completely estranged from his own father.

It was a dark, painful truth that he had fiercely guarded from the rest of the world, choosing to suffer in absolute silence while putting on a smiling face for everyone else.

While Vyom and Dev remained entirely lost in the painful shadows of their tragic pasts, Rudraksh was sitting behind his massive desk in his office, completely trapped in a state of agonizing restlessness.

For the past several hours, his dark eyes had been repeatedly glaring at his silent phone screen, holding onto a desperate, unvoiced hope that Rivanya might actually call him. But she didn't. Not even once.

A deeply frustrating, strange sensation settled in Rudraksh's chest.

For his entire life, the rest of the world waited breathlessly for a single phone call, a single glance, or a minor nod of acknowledgment from the terrifying Rudraksh Vardhan.

Yet, here he was, a ruthless billionaire being spun completely around the fingertips of a single, five-foot-tall girl and the most humiliating part was that he was willingly dancing to her tunes.

Driven out of his mind by a wild, protective anxiety, he managed to drag himself through the agonizingly long hours of the day inside his office, his entire existence anchored to the silent hope of her voice.

But it seemed that his petite, fiercely independent wife hadn't spared a single thought for her "hippopotamus" all day.

By the time the clock on the wall struck nine in the evening, Rudraksh finally stood up from his leather chair.