His Enigmatic bride

Chapter - 52

Maya hesitated for a moment before answering the call. On the other end, her grandfather’s voice came through—gentle, almost unfamiliar in its softness.

"Maya..."

There was no trace of the authority or sternness that had once defined his tone. Instead, there was a quiet sorrow woven into his words.

After a brief silence, Maya responded with composed detachment,
"Yes, Grandpa? What is it?"

The simple address—Grandpa—uttered after such a long time, brought a flicker of relief to his otherwise heavy heart.

He began slowly,
"Maya, there’s a board meeting tomorrow at the Dream Emperor’s head office. This time, not only the board members but all senior executives and high-ranking officers will be present. I’ve decided that in their presence, I will name the successor of Dream Emperor."

A faint smile curved Maya’s lips as she answered in a calm, unhurried tone,
"Why are you telling me all this, Grandpa? What relevance does it have to me now? I left your home this very morning. There’s nothing left to discuss."

Her words deepened the lines on her grandfather’s forehead. Even now—after everything—she remained unaffected, unmoved. Had she truly outgrown all desire for Dream Emperor?

With a trace of steel in his voice, he said,
"Maya, walking away from this house does not sever the bond of blood. You still carry the Arya lineage. Whether you choose to accept it or not, you are, and always will be, a part of this family."

At the mention of blood ties, Maya's smile lingered, touched with irony.

She said nothing—just waited, lips pursed slightly, letting him continue.

His voice turned resolute.

"I don’t want you accusing me in the future of bias... of handing everything to Natasha. That’s why I want you present at tomorrow’s meeting."

He paused again, as if measuring the weight of his words.

Maya remained quiet, listening—curious. She knew her grandfather well enough to understand he never reached out without reason. But what exactly was he hoping to achieve? She needed to hear it all.

Then came the crux of his call.

"I’ve decided that Dream Emperor’s next leader will be chosen not by me, but by the consensus of the board. Whichever of you gains the most support will be named the company’s president. I will remain neutral in the process. It will be completely fair. And whoever is selected... will also become the heir to this family."

At that, Maya’s expression shifted into a wry, knowing smile.

There was no anger—only a quiet amusement.

Once upon a time, Mr. Rudra had played the same game with her. Now, her grandfather was following the same script.

He spoke of fairness. But how fair was it, truly?

Most of the board members were already under Natasha’s influence. As Vice President of Emperor Industries and with Rudra’s unwavering support, Natasha's position had become formidable.

Even though Maya had built Dream Hotel from the ground up, its high-level operations were still tied to Emperor Industries.

And if everything depended on board approval, the outcome was obvious. They would choose Natasha.

It didn’t matter that Maya had been the architect of the hotel’s growth.
It didn’t matter that she outshone Natasha in intellect, vision, and capability.
It didn’t matter that her strategies had transformed the business landscape.