Maya studied Vidyut's silence before repeating her question, her voice steady. "That DNA report... was it authentic?"
Only then did Vidyut finally break his eerie silence. In a voice as cold as ice, he replied, "Yes. The report is completely genuine."
A shadow passed over Maya's eyes. Impossible.
Suppressing the turmoil within, she asked, her tone composed, "But how? Ayansh is Pratham-"
Before she could finish, Vidyut cut her off. Leaning in close, his voice dropped to a whisper, laced with an unsettling certainty. "Become more ruthless and fearless. Only then will you be truly powerful."
Maya fell silent.
As Vidyut stepped back, she met his gaze with a dark intensity.
She couldn't yet grasp the full weight of his words.
That morning, he had told her, "Soon, you will realize your true worth. And with it, you'll find answers to all your questions."
Vidyut was older than her, both in age and experience.
Despite Angad Singhania's position as the official patriarch of the Singhania family, his influence was merely symbolic. Every member of the family respected him, yet none dared to defy Vidyut. His word was law.
At seventeen, Vidyut had stepped into the corporate world. In just three years, he seized complete control of the Singhania empire, reshaping it with his unmatched intellect and ruthless strategies. By the time he turned twenty, he had ascended to the Chairman's seat.
The Singhanias were known for their wealth, power, and an almost arrogant indifference toward those beneath them. Yet, unlike the Aryas, their unity was unshaken. There were no internal feuds over inheritance, no rivalries festering beneath the surface-only an unwavering loyalty to their own.
Seven years ago, when Vidyut assumed the mantle of leadership, not a single member of the Singhania family opposed him. Even Varun, along with Vidyut's uncles and aunts, had welcomed the decision. There was no resentment, no dispute-only the quiet acknowledgment of an undeniable truth.
Vidyut was a force of nature. In the business world, he was both a legend and a devil, his intellect and strategic prowess unparalleled. He hadn't inherited his position-he had earned it.
Forbes may have named the Aryas the wealthiest family in the world, while the Singhanias remained absent from the rankings. But that was by design. The moment Vidyut took control, he erased every trace of his family's financial footprint from public records.
A handful of magazines had attempted to estimate the Singhania family's true net worth. Their efforts were short-lived-Vidyut dismantled their entire enterprises overnight.
Rumors whispered that the Singhanias' wealth surpassed the combined fortunes of the top ten families listed in Forbes.
The truth? Only Vidyut knew.
And so, when he had told Maya that morning, "Soon, you will realize your true worth. And with it, you'll find answers to all your questions," she had assumed it to be a taunt-a veiled insult.
It was one of the reasons she had so easily walked away from the Arya family.
She believed Vidyut had been mocking her, insinuating that she was powerless before her grandfather. That she held no real significance.
Ensnared by his words, she had reacted exactly as he had intended.
For the first time, Maya had confronted her grandfather not with diplomacy, but with defiance. And then, she had left.
She had wanted to prove Vidyut wrong.
But it was all part of his design.
The moment Maya severed ties with the Arya family, Vidyut had swept in, securing custody of Ayansh.
With a mere nineteen words, he had orchestrated an entire chessboard of consequences. Maya had walked away from her family. The Aryas were left reeling in confusion. And Ayansh-Maya's greatest vulnerability-was now in Vidyut's grasp.
It was only now, in hindsight, that she saw the full extent of his manipulation. How effortlessly he had steered her toward the very path he had carved for her.
Her fingers tightened around the divorce papers. Without a word, she thrust them toward Vidyut before turning on her heel and striding toward her car.
Not once did she glance back. Not even at Ayansh.
The boy's heart clenched at her cold indifference. Yes, he had made a mistake once-but did that warrant such complete disregard? Hadn't he apologized?
Frustration flared in his young eyes as he turned away from her, unwilling to beg for attention.
Instead, he looked toward Vidyut, whose expression remained unreadable, his gaze following Maya's retreating figure with an almost chilling patience.
Burying his small face against Vidyut's neck, Ayansh murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, "Daddy... Mama is so cruel. I won't talk to her again. She's never coming back."
A slow, almost imperceptible smirk ghosted across Vidyut's lips.
Still watching Maya disappear into the distance, he answered with quiet certainty.
"She will. She has no choice."
Ayansh lifted his gaze, staring up at him in awe.
On the other hand...
In an opulent white room, a strikingly handsome young man lay shirtless on his stomach, his sculpted form relaxed against the plush bed.
His eyes remained closed, and even in sleep, a faint, almost mischievous smile graced his alluring lips-perhaps lost in the embrace of a beautiful dream.
Just then, the door creaked open, and another presence stepped into the room.
Gazing at the sleeping figure on the bed, the newcomer let out a weary sigh, shoulders dropping in exasperation.
"Pratham! Just how much longer do you intend to sleep? Do you have any idea what's unfolding in the Arya family right now? Do you know what Maya is going through?"
____________________
What happens next?
To find out...
To be continued...
Daer Readers,
If you enjoy stories featuring power couples and strong protagonists, I invite you to explore my other two works!
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His Enigmatic bride
Mystery / ThrillerVidyut Singhania is a name that strikes fear across the globe. Known as a ruthless devil, his mere presence sends shivers down spines, including those of his own family. But after a catastrophic car accident leaves him in a coma, everything changes...
