Love Me If You Dare

85 - The sinful hold

Writer's pov

Rathore Headquarters

The conference room at the Rathore Headquarters gleamed like a battlefield dressed in marble and glass. Every chair was occupied........family members, major shareholders, and key executives sat in cold silence, their eyes not on the reports laid out before them but on the man who had called for truth.

Devdutta Pratap Singh Rathore entered. His body was calm, deliberate .....each step echoing against the walls like the ticking of a bomb. Every whisper died the moment his shadow crossed the threshold.

At the head of the table sat Shekar Khandelwal, his silver hair slicked back, his presence radiating control. Beside him, Padma Singh Rathore-Khandelwal, Dev's aunt, looked quietly triumphant. Her son, Virender aka Viren, leaned back smugly, already imagining himself in Dev's chair.

And then there was Parvathi Shivaprasad Singh Rathore, seated for the first time in years. The silent matriarch. Dev paused for half a second watching her calm face unreadable, hands folded neatly on the table. She had never involved herself in the power games of Rathore business... until today. Her presence was both unsettling and strangely comforting.

Jhanvi sat two seats away, voice honeyed, eyes veiled. She had taken charge of explaining Giriraj Singh Rathore and Poornima's absence, her parents.
"They're recovering abroad," she lied smoothly. "A minor health setback after their last business trip."
No one questioned it aloud, but everyone knew something about that story reeked of convenience.

At the far end of the table sat Shivaprasad Singh Rathore, Dev's father, the former CEO ....a man whose silence carried more weight than a thousand words. His face was unreadable, his fingers interlocked, eyes fixed on the table. He hadn't uttered a word since Dev walked in. Everyone waited for him to take a side......but he didn't. Not yet.

The meeting began.

Uncle Rajender slammed his palm on the table.
"Dev, do you even realize what you've done? You've dragged the Rathore name through the mud! You called the NIA into our affairs! Into our family! This isn't courage......it's betrayal!"

Dev didn't blink. He leaned forward slightly, voice low, measured.
"Betrayal? No. What I did was necessary. If we let it rot  under our name, it'll eat this empire from the inside out. I'd rather lose sleep than lose integrity."

A snort came from another side. Shekar Khandelwal smirked.
"Integrity doesn't pay bills, Dev. Reputation does. And right now, our reputation is bleeding. You've already caused enough tremors to make investors nervous."

Virender jumped in, mock sympathy dripping from his tone.
"Dad is right. Maybe it's time for someone stable to lead. The board deserves a CEO who knows when to stay quiet."

Dev turned his eyes on him ...... a quiet, dangerous stare that sliced through the room.
"If silence was the price for power, Viren, then you've already sold your soul too cheap."

A few gasps broke out. Someone whispered, "He's digging his own grave."

Aunt Varada tried to calm the room, her voice trembling but loyal.
"Dev did what he thought was right. His father would've done the same ....."

Shekar cut her off sharply.
"His father built an empire, Varada. Dev is burning it!"

Dev's father, Mr Rathore, finally raised his eyes. The room fell quiet in an instant. His deep, calm voice resonated through the air.
"Shekar, my son doesn't need to burn anything. He simply turned on the lights. And sometimes, when truth shines, the wrong people feel the heat."

The subtle hit was precise. Shekar's jaw tightened, but he didn't dare respond.

Lavanya, poised and sharp, rose to her feet.
"If standing for truth burns this empire, then maybe it deserves the fire. Dev isn't alone. I stand with him."