67. The Court Hearing #3
His voice echoed through the courtroom.
"The agreement was signed willingly by both parties. No coercion. No force. No manipulation."
He opened another document.
"Based on that agreement, Kingsley Enterprises invested resources, influence and business support into Raizaada Group. My client fulfilled his side of the contract completely and in good faith."
He paused. "However, when the time came for Mr. Raizaada to honour his commitment, he deliberately violated the agreement."
His finger pointed towards me.
"Instead of marrying Miss Olivia Kingsley, he chose to marry another woman."
Murmurs spread through the courtroom. Dhwani fisted the fabric of her shrug. I grabbed her hand and intervened our fingers. I know she was afraid. For me.
"Not only did he break the contract, Your Honour, he did so after receiving benefits from my client. This act caused severe reputational damage, emotional distress to Miss Olivia Kingsley, and significant financial losses to Kingsley Enterprises."
He placed the contract before the judge.
The judge adjusted his glasses and briefly went through the document before placing it back on the table. Then his gaze shifted towards the opposite side.
"Ms. Arora, would you like to respond?"
A faint smile appeared on her face as she rose from her seat.
"Of course, my Lord. That's precisely why I'm here today."
A few people in the courtroom chuckled softly. She picked up a file and looked towards Advocate Malhotra.
"Let me repeat Mr. Malhotra's statement. According to him, this agreement was signed with mutual understanding and complete transparency between both parties."
She paused.
"Then I would like to ask whether Miss Olivia Kingsley's affair with Mr. Yugant Raizaada's elder brother Adhvait Raizaada was also disclosed during this mutual understanding?"
The color drained from Mr. Kingsley's face followed by his Advocate. Mr. Malhotra gave a questioning look to Kingsley as if he didn't know this information.
Even Olivia shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Beside me, I felt Dhwani's grip tighten around my hand.
"Objection, Your Honour!" Advocate Malhotra immediately stood up. "Ms. Arora is making serious allegations without presenting any evidence. There was no such affair. These are merely attempts to distract the court from the actual issue."
Ms. Arora didn't even look at him. Instead, she opened the file in her hand. "Interesting." Then she looked at the judge.
"My Lord, the learned counsel says there was no affair. Yet the same Miss Olivia Kingsley was found in a compromising situation with Mr. Adhvait Raizaada the same night she was supposedly preparing for her marriage to Mr. Yugant Raizaada."
The courtroom erupted into whispers.
"Objection!" Malhotra raised his voice again. "Personal allegations have no relevance to the validity of this contract."
"They have every relevance," Ms. Arora replied immediately.
Now she turned towards him. "Because your entire case rests upon the assumption that Miss Olivia Kingsley was an innocent party whose marriage was broken due to my client's actions."
She took a step forward.
"If the bride herself was involved with another man before the marriage, then the foundation of emotional damages, betrayal and bad faith immediately becomes questionable."
Malhotra's jaw tightened.
"My learned friend is trying to assassinate a woman's character."
"No." Ms. Arora shook her head calmly. "I am questioning facts, not character. There is a difference."
The judge raised a hand, signaling both lawyers to lower their voices.
Ms. Arora continued.
"My Lord, before discussing whether Mr. Yugant Raizaada violated this agreement, the court must first determine whether all material facts were disclosed when this agreement was executed."
She lifted another document.
[ Kindly hit that empty star in left bottom corner and turn it orange ]
"Because contracts are based on good faith. If one party deliberately conceals important information, the validity of that agreement itself becomes questionable."
Malhotra immediately stepped forward.
"Then I would request my learned friend to present proof instead of theories."
A confident smile appeared on Ms. Arora's face.
"Certainly." She closed the file. "That's exactly what I intend to do. My Lord, I would like to call Mrs. Vedika to the witness box."
For a moment, all eyes turned towards Vedika.
She looked nervous. Her fingers tightened around the edge chair but after taking a deep breath, she stood and walked towards the witness box.
After taking the oath, she faced the courtroom.
Ms. Arora smiled politely.
"So, Mrs. Vedika, could you please tell the court your full identity?"
"Sure." Vedika nodded. "My name is Vedika, and I am Adhvait Raizaada's wife."
"Alright, Mrs. Raizaada—"
"I would prefer just Vedika." The interruption was immediate.
A slight murmur spread through the courtroom. Even the judge looked up.
Ms. Arora tilted her head. "May we know the reason?"
Vedika's jaw tightened.
"The reason is that I have already filed for divorce from Mr. Adhvait Raizaada." Her voice was steady despite the anger visible in her eyes. "And I don't wish to be identified by the name of a man who spent years crushing my self-respect beneath his shoes or tried to kill my daughter."
Ms. Arora nodded.” Tried to kill your daughter. And what was the reason for filing for divorce?"
Vedika's eyes moved towards Olivia. The latter visibly stiffened.
"The first reason was the man himself." Vedika replied. "Adhvait Raizaada is a greedy, selfish man who spent years mentally and emotionally torturing me. He never respected me as a wife, never valued me as a person. I tolerated everything for the sake of my daughter."
Her voice cracked slightly when she mentioned Pihu.
"But every person has a limit." She looked directly at Olivia. "And my limit ended when I found out he was having an extra-marital affair with Olivia."
A loud whisper spread across the courtroom.
"Do you mean Olivia Kingsley?" Ms. Arora asked, though everyone already knew the answer.
Vedika let out a bitter laugh.
"Of course I mean Olivia Kingsley. How could I ever forget her?"
Olivia's face turned pale.
“ Can we know how many years they were having this affair?”
“ It's been happening for many years. Before the death of my in-laws, but I found an year ago.”
“ Do you mean before their contract?”
Vedika nodded. "I confronted both of them. I told Adhvait that I would tell Yugant the truth about everything."
"And what happened then?" Ms. Arora asked.
Vedika's eyes filled with tears, though she forced herself to continue.
"He threatened me. He told me that if I opened my mouth, he would take my daughter away from me."
Her fingers gripped the witness stand.
"He knew Pihu was my weakness. He knew I could survive anything except losing her."
Ms. Arora remained silent, allowing her to speak.
"He blackmailed me repeatedly. Whenever I tried to object, he reminded me that he had money, influence, lawyers and connections. He told me that he would prove me mentally unstable if necessary."
A few people in the courtroom exchanged shocked looks.
Vedika laughed bitterly.
"And when Yugant's wedding was fixed, he didn't even allow me to travel to India."
Ms. Arora raised a brow. "Why?"
"Because he was scared." Vedika's eyes shifted between Olivia.
"He knew I would tell Yugant the truth if I reached India. He knew I would expose both of them before the wedding."
The color drained from Mr. Malhotra's face. Does it mean he actually didn't know this information? Well it's going to be fun.
Her voice hardened. "He lied to everyone. He told people I wasn't keeping well. He told them Pihu had school commitments. He created excuse after excuse."
Then she looked straight at the judge. "But Yugant found everything on time, and called me from America 36 hours before marriage. But that man found that and kidnapped my daughter. He said if Yugant refused to marry Olivia, he would kill my daughter."
Vedika's voice trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“That's how vile these people are, Your Honour."
She pointed towards them.
"Please punish them. They don't deserve sympathy or another chance to ruin someone's life.”
"Thank you, Vedika. You may return to your seat."