Inside the dimly lit ancestral house of the Chauhan family in Chhaya Nagar, a black duffel bag sat on the wooden table.
Vikram Chauhan rubbed his hands together, staring at the cash. "Aasha, Maurya, check the tea! Shaurya babu must be feeling cold."
Maurya Prajapati snorted, crossing his arms. "Forget the tea, Vikram. Shaurya babu hasn't come here as a guest. Business is happening here."
Divyashree stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "First we will see the money. Jitendra, did you check? Is it exactly four crores?"
Jitendra Rajput oily smiled, patting the bag. "Absolutely full, Divyashree. Sharp notes from Udaipur. All our debts cleared in one second."
Across from them sat Shaurya Prajapati in a sharp charcoal suit, his broad shoulders dominating the room. As a wealthy royal businessman from Udaipur who lived in a massive, elite heritage haveli, his dark eyes carried the absolute authority of a modern-day king. He looked entirely out of place in this breaking-down house.
"Pure chaar crore hain is bag mein. Ab ye bakwaas band karo, papers sign karo aur yahan se dafa ho jao." (There are exactly four crores in this bag. Now stop this nonsense, sign the papers, and get lost from here.)
Vikram picked up the pen, his fingers trembling. "Dekho Shaurya babu, deal toh pakki hai. Par ek baat pehle hi bata rahe hain... ladki bahut tez hai. Kal ko woh bhaag gayi ya usne kuch kiya, toh hamari koi zimmedari nahi hogi." (Look Shaurya babu, the deal is final. But we are telling you one thing beforehand... the girl is very sharp. Tomorrow if she runs away or does something, it won't be our responsibility.)
Shaurya leaned forward, his face deadly cold. He was secretly buying her guardianship to protect her from a dangerous group targeting her hidden inheritance, but to her family, he played the heartless villain.
"Mujhe isse koi farq nahi padta. Woh kya karti hai, kahan jaati hai, ab se mera sir-dard hai. Tum log apna paisa lo aur apna mooh band rakho." (This does not make any difference to me. What she does, where she goes, is my headache from now on. You people take your money and keep your mouths shut.)
Rajnandini snatched the pen and quickly signed her name. "Humein kya? Ab se Virajita tumhari hui. Humein hamara paisa mil gaya, rishta khatam!" (What do we care? From now on, Virajita is yours. We got our money, relationship over!)
CRASH!
The front door flew inward, slamming violently against the stone wall. Divyashree gasped, dodging backward.
"Yeh kya badtameezi hai?!" *(What misbehavior is this?!)
Jitendra grabbed the duffel bag tightly. "Kaun hai?!" (Who is it?!)
Shaurya remained completely still, slowly turning his head. There stood Virajita, dragging a long, rusted iron rod in her right hand. The sharp metal tip scraped against the floorboards with a screeching sound.
She marched straight toward the table, her burning eyes locked entirely on Shaurya.
"Chaar crore? Tum sab ne mil kar meri keemat chaar crore lagai? Tumhari toh aukaat hi yahi hai!" (Four crores? You all got together and set my price at four crores? This is exactly what your worth is!)
She swung her arms and slammed the iron rod onto the table right next to the cash bag, shattering the wood with a terrifying thud.
Vikram hid behind Rajnandini, his voice cracking. "Virajita! Apne maalik ke saamne tameez se baat karo!" (Virajita! Talk with respect in front of your master!)
"Apna ganda mooh toh band hi rakhna, Vikram Chauhan!" Virajita snapped. "Apni sagi poti ko bech diya? Aasha! Maurya! Tum sab khade hokar naye ghar ke sapne dekh rahe ho? Sharam aur imaan dono bech khaaye kya tum sab ne?! Thoo hai tum sab par!" (Keep your dirty mouth shut, Vikram Chauhan! You sold your own biological granddaughter? Aasha! Maurya! You all are standing here dreaming of a new house? Did you all sell both your shame and your conscience?! Spit on all of you!)
Aasha sneered, stepping up. "Zabaan sambhal kar baat kar, Virajita! Is ghar par hamara haq hai, aur tum par bhi!" (Watch your tongue and speak, Virajita! We have a right over this house, and over you too!)
"Haq?" Virajita mocked, turning her fierce gaze entirely back to Shaurya, her lips curving into a dangerous, confident smile. "Aur tum, Udaipur ke kunwar sa... tum toh bahut bade bewaqoof nikle. Tumhara toh itna bada popat hua hai na jo tumne apni poori life mein nahi dekha hoga." (Right? And you, royal boy of Udaipur... you turned out to be a massive idiot. You just got scammed so hard, something you haven't seen in your entire life.)
Shaurya slowly stood up, sliding his hands into his pockets and towering over her. A dark, intense amusement flashed in his eyes.
"Acha? Deals mein toh mera aaj tak popat nahi hua. Tum kaise karogi?" (Oh really? No one has ever scammed me in deals till date. How will you do it?)
Virajita didn't flinch. Instead, she stepped closer, her face inches from his. The air between them instantly turned electric. Her breath hit his jawline, catching the scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the heavy rain.
"Kyunki in choron ne deal toh kar li, lekin tumhein jhelna nahi sikhaya, samjhe? Ab chaar crore diye hain na is ghatiya parivaar ko? Toh ab baith kar tamasha dekho. Mein tumhari zindagi ko aisa narak banaungi ke tum khoon ke aansu ro-oge. Samjhe ya dimaag kharab hai tumhara?" (Because these thieves did the deal, but they didn't teach you how to tolerate me, understand? Now that you've paid four crores to this pathetic family? Then sit back and watch the show. I am going to make your life such a living hell that you will cry tears of blood. Do you understand or is your mind out of order?)
The grandparents held their breath. Shaurya's gaze dropped slowly to her lips for a heavy, silent second before locking back onto her defiant eyes. A slow, arrogant, completely breathtaking smirk spread across his face.
"Chalo phir, dekhte hain kis mein kitna dum hai. Mujhe challenges bahut pasand hain." (Alright then, let's see who has more power. I love challenges.)
He reached down, smoothly picked up the signed contract, and slid it neatly into his inner suit pocket, his fingers deliberately brushing against hers for a brief, sizzling moment. He turned his back on the family and walked toward the exit.
"Gaadi mein baitho. Udaipur tak ka safar bahut lamba hai." (Get in the car. The journey to Udaipur is very long.)
Virajita didn't follow him immediately. She hoisted the iron rod over her shoulder, her eyes shifting to the expensive, antique glass display cabinet that her grandmother loved more than life. With a cold, brutal smile, she swung the heavy iron rod full force.
CRASH! SHATTER!
The entire glass cabinet exploded into thousands of flying pieces, destroying all the antique showpieces inside. Rajnandini screamed in absolute horror, clutching her chest.
"Tum haramiyon se toh mein baad mein niptungi. Yeh toh bas trailer tha," Virajita spat on the glass-covered floor, staring at the trembling group of elders. "Ek ek ko sadak par bhikhari nahi banaya na, toh mera naam bhi Virajita nahi! Ab ro baith kar!" (I will deal with you bastards later. This was just the trailer. If I don't turn every single one of you into beggars on the street, my name isn't Virajita! Now sit and cry!)
Rajnandini clutched the money bag, trembling with rage. "Ja yahan se! Dekhte hain tera maalik tera bhoot kaise utaarta hai!" (Go from here! Let's see how your master fixes your attitude!)
With a loud, mocking scoff, Virajita turned on her heel and marched out. She walked straight toward the driveway where a fleet of black, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagons stood waiting, their powerful engines purring smoothly in the mountain night. She threw her iron rod into the back seat, climbed into the front, and slammed the door hard.
As Shaurya slid into the driver's seat next to her, shifting the heavy gear to head back to his royal haveli, he shot her a sidelong glance full of possessive amusement.
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