Selfish Desires

chapter 53

Chapter 53

(I feel totally chapter is not so good but promise that next chapter is going to be fun)

"It's not over, Arjun," she whispered into his hair, her voice so soft and calm it was almost a promise. She eased him back, holding his face gently between her hands, forcing his swollen, tear-filled eyes to meet hers.

"Look at me," she commanded, her voice gaining an edge of fierce determination he had never heard before. "You are not a failure. You are Arjun. You took on my father's empire with nothing but a business plan and you made him scared enough to commit a crime. That's not a failure, that’s a war he hasn't won yet."

He shook his head weakly, a fresh wave of despair washing over him. "He took everything, Kavya. There is nothing left to fight with."
"He took dust and wood," she countered, her thumb wiping a tear from his cheek. "He didn't take your brain, he didn't take your spirit, and he certainly didn't take the one thing he always wanted—me. We are the foundation, Arjun, not that factory. And the foundation is still standing."

She took a deep, steadying breath, her eyes flicking down to her belly, where her twins were growing.

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Kavya stood in the doorway of their master bedroom, watching Arjun sleep. The silence in the room was deafening, amplified by the thick, soundproof windows that offered a breathtaking, glittering view of the city Arjun now felt defeated by.

They hadn't been forced out onto the streets; her father's malice was more subtle. They were still surrounded by Arjun's hard-won success—the Italian marble, the custom lighting, the plush, king-sized bed where he lay—but now, it all felt hollow. The penthouse was a glittering shell, a beautiful asset they could no longer comfortably afford to maintain, much less risk losing.

Arjun was curled on his side, his face slack in exhaustion. She walked silently to the bed, the expensive rug muffling her steps. She pulled the silk duvet up to his shoulders. The loss of the factory was a flesh wound; the blacklisting and the pulled investments were the fatal blow. He was a man with a multi-million dollar roof over his head, but zero capital and a reputation in tatters.

She sat on the edge of the bed, the despair in her heart contrasting sharply with the view outside. Her hand went to her protruding stomach—her twin , due any day, a precious, fragile reminder of what they had to protect.

She slipped out, moving through the cavernous, darkened living area and into the gleaming, unused modular kitchen.

She pulled out her phone and found the number. Satyaraj Uncle.

She took a deep breath, looking out at the endless city lights, trying to absorb some of their electric confidence. This was a move of last resort—a daughter swallowing her pride to save her husband's soul.

She pressed the call button. It rang twice before a low, gravelly voice answered.

"Hello?  Kavya?"
"Uncle," Kavya whispered into the phone, the sound echoing slightly in the vast space. 

"Kavya? It’s very late, child. Is everything alright? Is Arjun... okay?"

"No, Uncle," she confirmed, her voice catching. "He's not. My father... he burned down the factory. It was sabotage, and the insurance won't pay. The international deal collapsed.  he's bankrupt in every sense that matters. Every door is closing. He has lost the fight in him, Uncle.  "

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The soft,   morning light filtering through the penthouse windows did little to pierce the fog of despair surrounding Arjun. He was used to waking up to the frantic energy of building an empire; now, his mornings were just long stretches of nothing.