67. The Court Hearing #2
For a second, her fingers tightened around the file resting in her lap.
"Dhrithi wasn't feeling well this morning and Vedika couldn't bring Pihu here." she replied softly. "So Dadi stayed back with both of them at the Mansion."
I wasn't convinced, but couldn't do anything either.
A part of me wanted to get up right now, leave the courtroom and check on Dhrithi first. The thought stayed in my mind for a few seconds before I forced it away.
Not now.
Once this hearing was over, I would go home and check on her myself.
My thoughts came to a halt when movement near the entrance caught my attention.
The courtroom doors opened. Mr. Kingsley entered first, dressed in an expensive charcoal suit, he walked in with the same confidence he always carried, talking to his lawyer as if today's result was already decided.
Olivia followed behind him.
Her face looked pale compared to usual, but her chin remained lifted proudly.
My jaw clenched. Then my eyes landed on the man walking a few steps behind her.
Something about him felt familiar.
Where had I seen him before?
The man was tall, well-built, and carried himself with the confidence of someone who belonged among powerful people.
I had definitely seen him before.
Then it clicked.
My wedding. He was present at my wedding functions. Not only that, I remembered seeing him with Adhvait multiple tim e.
The two had always seemed close. My eyes narrowed.
I stepped towards Ishaa. "Who is that?" I muttered.
Ishaan followed my gaze. His expression changed for a fraction of a second before becoming neutral again.
"No idea."
"Then find out."
He slowly turned his head towards me.
The look on his face clearly said, What the hell is wrong with you?
"Do you even know where we are?" he asked under his breath. "This is a courtroom, not one of your business parties where I run background checks on every person you point at."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm serious."
"So am I." He adjusted the file in his hand.
"I've seen him before."
"Congratulations." Ishaan nodded. "I'm sure you'll survive until lunch without knowing his entire family history."
I glared at him.
"Focus on the case, Sir. There are people sitting here whose full-time job is to destroy your peace, your company and possibly your bank account. Let's prioritize them first."
A reluctant laugh escaped me.
Trust Ishaan to insult me while sounding completely professional.
"You're impossible."
"And yet you keep paying my salary."
I shook my head and finally looked away.
Sometimes I wondered if he was my P.A or a part-time nuisance.
Pushing the thought aside, I moved back beside my wife, leaning back on the wooden chair I shifted my attention towards Dhwani, who was quietly sitting beside me with her fingers tightly wrapped around the file in her lap. Something told me her mind wasn't in the courtroom either.
I grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze."Everything will be fine."
She looked at me and gave a small smile, though it looked a little forced. "It should be me saying that to you."
I chuckled. "Doesn't matter. Everything will be fine in an hour or two."
She nodded slowly and parted her lips as if she wanted to say something.
But before she could, that bastard of her brother appeared out of nowhere and took the empty seat beside her.
Unfortunately for me, it was on her left while I was sitting on her right.
The next thing I knew, Dhwani slipped her hand out of mine and turned towards him.
She immediately started talking to him in a hushed voice. So hushed that despite sitting right beside her, I couldn't hear a single word.
What exactly was so secretive that her own husband couldn't hear it?
Dhwani leaned slightly towards him while Samarth listened with complete attention before replying something back.
She nodded. Then he said something else.
I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest.
Fine. Let them talk.
My eyes landed on Ms. Arora. She was standing near her table, going through a few documents one last time before the hearing began.
Then Mr. Kingsley walked towards her.
He stopped in front of her table and folded his arms across his chest.
Ms. Arora looked up from the file.
Without even a hint of hesitation, she closed it and folded her arms as well.
Confidence.
That was the first word that came to my mind.
Standing there in her black advocate's coat, she looked exactly like the woman people feared inside a courtroom.
I sighed.
Of course she looked perfect. She was Dhwani's mother after all. Curiosity got the better of me. I stood up and walked towards them. As I reached near, I heard.
"I must say," Mr. Kingsley spoke with a mocking smile, "your priorities are quite impressive, Ms. Arora. Most mothers would think twice before standing against people like us when their daughter's future is involved."
"I don't understand what you're trying to imply."
"Oh, I think you do." His smile widened. "You had every reason to stay away from this case. Yet here you are. Makes me wonder whether winning matters more to you than your own daughter."
Ms. Arora’s eyes shifted towards Dhwani just for a second. Then she looked back at him.
"I absolutely care about my daughter." There wasn't even a trace of hesitation in her voice. "And that's exactly why I'm standing against you, Mr. Kingsley."
Mr. Kingsley's expression didn't change. Maybe he didn't understand the meaning behind those words.
But I did.
One of my doubts found its answer. She didn't take this case because of money or professional pride. She took it because of Dhwani.
A slow smile touched Mr. Kingsley's lips.
"Interesting."
He glanced towards me standing behind Ms. Arora.
"Let's see if that confidence survives the next few hours.”
His eyes stayed on me. “A woman with a young daughter and an old father should understand that better than anyone. It would be tragic if something happened to either of them." He paused before adding with a smile, "Maybe right after the hearing. Who knows?
Accidents don't exactly send invitations before arriving.”
I was about to step in when Ms. Arora chuckled. It was the kind of laugh that made people uncomfortable.
"You know what your problem is?" she asked calmly. "You've spent so many years threatening people that you've started believing everyone gets scared."
The smile on Mr. Kingsley's face faltered slightly.
Ms. Arora took a step closer. "Until now, I came here as a lawyer. A professional. I was planning to fight this case within the limits of law and leave."
Her eyes hardened. "But now I have different plans.” The confidence in her voice made even me straighten.
"You think you've seen Mrinalini Arora?" She let out another laugh. "No, Mr. Kingsley. You've seen the polite version of me."
She pointed a finger at him.
"Now you've got exactly fifty-nine minutes to remember every dirty trick you've ever used, every lie you've ever told, and every skeleton you've hidden. Because once this hearing starts, I am going to tear your case apart so badly that you'll wish you had kept my family name out of your mouth."
Mr. Kingsley's jaw tightened.
Ms. Arora wasn't done.
"And one more thing." Her smile returned. "The next time you think about threatening me about my daughters or my father, make sure you succeed. Because if you don't, I will make your life a legal nightmare that even your money won't be able to fix.”
Mr. Kingsley opened his mouth to fire back, but before a single word could leave him, movement near the entrance caught everyone's attention.
The judge had arrived.
The entire courtroom immediately fell silent. Mr. Kingsley shot one last look at Ms. Arora then looked at me behind her before stepping back and returning to his legal team.
Ms. Arora looked over her shoulder and found me. Then her eyes landed on Dhwani. “ Tell her, everything will be fine soon.”
“Are you sure? I mean—”
“Fifty nine minutes, that's all we need.”
She seems so confident, that's why I didn't ask anything and stepped away.
As I sat beside Dhwani, my eyes immediately landed on her face. She looked tense.
"Everything alright?" I asked quietly.
She looked at me before forcing a smile.
"Yeah. All good.” Though I know she was not.
Today I only wanted one thing. For this case to end. For all this chaos to finally stop.
I wanted to take her home, away from courtrooms, threats, lawyers, and people trying to destroy our lives. I wanted to give her the peaceful life she deserved.
A life where she could paint all day, fight with me over stupid things, steal my shirts, and fall asleep in my arms without carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. I looked ahead again.
The judge glanced at the file in front of him. "Case number 417. Kingsley Enterprises versus Yugant Raizaada or Raizaada jewellery Emporium's"
A strange silence settled over the courtroom.
The judge turned a page before looking towards both legal teams.
"Are both parties ready to proceed?"
Mr. Kingsley's lawyer immediately stood up. "Ready, Your Honour."
A second later, Ms. Arora rose from her seat. Her black coat fell perfectly into place as she gathered a few documents in her hand. "Ready, Your Honour.”
The judge adjusted his glasses and said, "Proceed."
Advocate Raghvan Malhotra immediately rose from his seat. He buttoned his coat and stepped forward confidently.
"Thank you, Your Honour."
He picked up a file from the table.
"This is a straightforward case of breach of contract, deceit, and financial loss suffered by my client, Mr. Edward Kingsley."
The courtroom became silent.
Mr. Malhotra walked a few steps before continuing.
"Around two years ago, my client entered into a legal agreement with Mr. Raizaada. According to that agreement, Kingsley Enterprises would provide financial assistance and strategic support to Raizaada Group during a critical period. In return, Mr.
Yugant Raizaada agreed to marry my client's daughter, Miss Olivia Kingsley."