64. Beginning Of Truth
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Two days had passed since the day Dhwani came face to face with her mother.
And I still didn't know what I was supposed to feel about that entire situation. Hell, I didn't even know how I was supposed to react that evening.
When Ms. Arora first called Dhwani her daughter, my initial thought wasn't that she was telling the truth. I genuinely thought she had mistaken Dhwani for someone else.
Maybe her daughter looked identical to Dhwani. Maybe grief had messed with her mind.
But the moment Dhwani pushed her away and said "your daughter might have died seven years ago," everything clicked.
Ms. Arora wasn't mistaken. She wasn't imagining things. She was telling the truth. She really was Dhwani's mother.
Before our marriage, I already knew every tiny detail about Dhwani's identity through Ishaan. Yes, that's what I think.
After the Gala incident, he had accompanied Samarth to a police station for some legal formalities. During one of Samarth's conversations with Mahashwar Pratap Rathore, Ishaan accidentally found out that Dhwani wasn't Samarth's biological sister.
Later, when he asked about it, Samarth told him that she was adopted.
At that time, I assumed she had been adopted by the Rathores years ago. Maybe when she was a child. And honestly, I didn't care enough to investigate further because by then, I was already in love with her.
Not her surname.
Not her family tree.
Not her identity.
Just her.
The loud, stubborn, impossible woman who somehow turned my life upside down.
What I didn't know was that Dhwani had come into Samarth's life only seven years ago. And that raised far too many questions.
How exactly does a twenty-something man adopt a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl?
Was there even a legal adoption?
Or had she simply been running from something so terrible that Samarth became her shelter instead of her brother?
The more I thought about it, the more things started making sense.
That was probably why Dhwani always seemed distant around Samarth's parents. Because she met them much later. And no matter how kind people are, not everyone can become your parents overnight.
This was the reason I assumed she was Samarth's girlfriend instead of sister. Mostly because I had never heard Samarth mention a sister. Hell, I had barely heard him mention anyone from his family.
In all these years, I met his parents only two or three times, that too when we were teenagers. Samarth always kept his personal life locked away.
He never talked about family. Never shared details. Never allowed anyone inside that part of his world.
So I stopped questioning it. But now...Now everything was different.
Because Dhwani's past wasn't hiding anymore.
It was standing right in front of us.
Breathing.
Waiting.
And she was terrified of facing it. And if she didn't want that past anywhere near her...
Then I would make sure it stayed away. That was exactly why I refused Ms. Arora's help in this case and told Ishaan to find another lawyer.
We actually found one yesterday. A competent lawyer too.
But Kingsley simply threw a bigger amount of money at him and the man walked away without looking back.
Pathetic.
The worst part wasn't even losing the lawyer. Money had never been the issue. It can become.
If required, I could pay twice as much. Three times as much. But money couldn't buy loyalty.
And there was no guarantee that someone willing to switch sides for a bigger cheque would keep sensitive case details confidential tomorrow.
So I kicked his ass out.
A case could be fought again. A reputation couldn't. And right now, between Kingsley trying to destroy my company and Dhwani trying to outrun her past...
The case was honestly the smaller problem.
"Sir, I've arranged meetings with three lawyers." Ishaan finally looked up from his MacBook, exhaustion visible on his face.
I leaned back in my chair. "And?"
"One is currently out of the country and won't return before next week."
Great.
"Second?" I asked.
Ishaan made a face.
"Didn't impress me. He spent more time talking about his success rate than discussing the actual case. By the end of the meeting, I wasn't sure whether he was a lawyer or an influencer."
A chuckle escaped me.
"And the third?"
"He refused."
My brows lifted.
"Refused?"
"Directly." Ishaan shut the laptop and rubbed his forehead. "Said he doesn't want to get involved in a legal battle between Kingsley and Raizada Group. Apparently, he enjoys sleeping peacefully at night."
I exhaled slowly.
Wonderful.
One unavailable.
One incompetent.
One coward.
The legal industry was truly inspiring.
"What about Advocate Bedi?" I asked.
"Tied up with two criminal matters and a high court hearing. He can advise us, but he won't be able to dedicate enough time to this case."
Silence settled between us.
I turned my chair slightly toward the glass wall of my cabin.
Outside, employees moved from one department to another, unaware that the company was practically searching for legal representation like a desperate groom searching for a bride three minutes before the wedding.
"We're running out of options," Ishaan admitted.
I knew that already.
The problem wasn't finding lawyers.
The problem was finding one competent enough to handle Kingsley and fearless enough not to sell himself halfway through.
I closed my eyes briefly. "Damn it."
"What?" Ishaan asked.
I looked at him. "Nothing."
"See, I know it's not a great idea," Ishaan said, closing the MacBook in front of him. "But we have the hearing, the day after tomorrow. I think we should take help from Mrinalini Arora."
"No, we won't."
He frowned. "Why?"
I leaned back in my chair and looked at him. "You know why. You saw how Dhwani reacted after seeing her. I don't want to salt her wounds by making her face that woman again."
Ishaan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "First of all, that woman is your mother-in-law. Secondly, we always keep our personal and professional lives separate, so I don't think we should take unnecessary risks when we already know Mrinalini Arora is the most capable person for this case. And third...
"
He paused. "We don't even know what happened between them."
My jaw tightened.
"That woman looked hurt, devastated, completely broken when Dhwani pushed her away. Honestly, at that moment I felt Dhwani was being unfair."
My hand slammed against the desk.
"Do you even hear yourself, Ishaan?" I snapped.
"I'm saying the truth."
"No, you're judging a situation when you know absolutely nothing about it." I stood from my chair. "You saw Dhwani cry. You saw her run away. You saw her panic the moment that woman came near her, and your first reaction is to defend the other side?"
"Because I use my brain, unlike you."
The irritation in his voice only made mine worse.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" I lifted my brows.
"It means you are looking at this situation as a husband. I'm looking at it as a third person."
I laughed sarcastically. "Really?"
"Yes. Because unlike you, I am not emotionally involved."
"Then let me tell you something." I leaned forward and placed both hands on the desk. "When the woman I love starts trembling just by looking at someone, I don't need a detailed report to understand she has been hurt."
"And when a mother breaks down after finding her daughter after seven years, I don't need a detailed report to understand she is hurting too."
The room fell silent.
I stared at him. He stared back. Neither of us willing to back down.
After a few moments, Ishaan exhaled and shook his head. "We don't know the whole story, Yugant. That's all I'm saying."
"And I don't care."
"You should."
"No, I shouldn't." My voice lowered. "Because right now my priority isn't finding out who was right seven years ago. My priority is making sure My wife doesn't get hurt again."
"Okay, fuck off! I don't give a damn if your business starts floating in Mumbai's Arabian Sea tomorrow," he slammed the file on my table hard enough to make the paperweight rattle.
"Do whatever the hell you want. Hire a clown for all I care. And when you lose the case, don't forget to call me. At least I'll get a head start on finding myself a new job."
I opened my mouth to argue back, but couldn't.
Shaking his head, he grabbed his phone from the table.
"I am taking two days off. Maybe by the time I come back, both you and your company will have regained some common sense."
He strode toward the door and the moment he pulled it open, both of us froze.
Dhwani stood there. Holding two lunch box.
Fuck. How much did she hear?
My stomach sank instantly.
Her eyes moved to Ishaan. Large. Silent. Almost as if she was waiting for him to say something but he didn't. He simply looked at her for a second, then his gaze shifted toward me.
A look that said handle it yourself then he walked away.
Dhwani stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The lunch boxes remained clutched in her hands.
She tried to smile but it never reached her eyes.
"Umm..." She cleared her throat. "I just thought to bring you lunch."
My eyes moved to the boxes then back to her.
She was trying very hard to pretend everything was okay when it clearly wasn't.
"Dhwani." I walked around the desk slowly. "Come here."
She didn't move.
Instead, she placed the lunch boxes on my table.
"I made pasta," she murmured.
"You made it?" I lifted a brow.
"Yeah." She nodded proudly. "Dadi taught me how to add salt in it, and then it was ready."
I chuckled moving closer.
"It must be incredibly tasty then." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Please hire her, Yugant."
We both knew exactly who she was talking about.
I sighed. "Dhwani..."
"No, listen to me first." She looked straight into my eyes. "I don't want you to lose everything because of me."