The next morning, Ishaan was pulled out of sleep by the blaring sound of his phone vibrating on the nightstand. He groaned softly, reached over, and put it on silent before the noise could disturb the room.
Turning his head, his gaze softened at the sight beside him. Pari was curled against his chest, her body heavy with exhaustion after their passionate wedding night. The faint glow of dawn lit her face, her lips parted in deep sleep. Around them, the remnants of the night whispered of their intimacy, half-burnt candles melted into pools of wax on the floor, crushed petals scattered across the sheets, and the faint fragrance of roses still lingering in the air. The comforter had slipped slightly, revealing the smooth curve of her bare back. She looked like the most beautiful, undone masterpiece, his entirely.
A smile tugged at his lips as he leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss against her shoulder. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake. Quietly, he slid out of bed, pulling on his boxers, then buttoned up a shirt before stepping out onto the balcony with his phone.
Ishaan glanced at the screen, a missed call from his PA. He frowned, his assistant would never call unless something was urgent. He immediately dialed back.
The conversation was brief, but enough to set his jaw tight with frustration. His eyes darkened as he ended the call. He strode back inside, slipping fully into his clothes without disturbing Pari, and left the room with heavy steps.
Downstairs, he found Reyansh, Mithun, and Pari’s grandfather gathered in the living room, sipping their morning coffee. The serenity of the moment clashed violently with the storm inside him.
“Appa, that bastard has planned to release a video. We don’t know what it is, but it’s clearly aimed at us. We can’t wait around anymore, let’s act before he does. Call our men. Tell them to execute the plan immediately.” Ishaan said sharply, his voice cutting through the calm.
The tension in Ishaan’s tone was enough for Reyansh to set his cup aside without hesitation. He studied his son for a moment, seeing the hard set of his jaw, the way his hands clenched at his sides. Without another word, Reyansh pulled out his phone and began issuing orders in his deep, commanding voice.
Within minutes, calls were placed to their private investigators and sleeper agents positioned inside Varun’s office and home. Updates trickled back quickly but none of them had any knowledge about the mysterious video. The only clear detail was Varun’s intent to post it online soon.
Ishaan’s frustration boiled over. He slammed his fist on the table, rattling the coffee cups, before kicking its leg in anger. His eyes burned with fury, the fear of unknown damage looming heavy in his chest.
“This ends today,” he muttered, pulling out his phone once more.
Connecting to his security and cyber teams, his voice turned razor-sharp, each word an order carved in stone. “I want every network under Varun and Meghna’s control shut down. Hack into their office systems, his hotel servers, their home Wi-Fi—I don’t care how you do it, but make sure not a single byte of data leaves their hands. I want every possible channel blocked before they can even breathe the word ‘upload.'”
His men acknowledged swiftly, already on the move. Ishaan dragged a hand through his hair, his jaw still clenched, but determination glinted in his eyes. He wasn’t just reacting anymore, he was declaring war.
Ishaan returned to the room as if nothing had happened, slipping back into the role of the man who only had love in his eyes for Pari. He discarded his shirt and slid into bed beside her. Feeling his warmth, Pari stirred in her sleep and shifted, curling on top of him. Ishaan chuckled softly and wrapped his arm around her, stroking her back until she drifted deeper into slumber.
Two hours later, Pari finally woke up. She stretched, slipped into the washroom, and emerged wearing a robe, her damp hair brushing her shoulders. Ishaan patted the space next to him, eyes twinkling as he beckoned her closer.
Pari narrowed her eyes, picked up a pillow, and threw it at him.
“Don’t get any ideas until we leave for the honeymoon. I need some rest if I’m to look fresh at the reception. Otherwise, I’ll end up looking like a tired doll. So keep your hands and everything else to yourself, you caveman.”
Ishaan laughed at her mock-anger. “Funny… because last night you said the exact opposite. Let me remind you, ‘Ishu… baby… give me more… go harder.'”
Pari’s cheeks flamed. She scurried to the bed, grabbed his hair, and began hitting his chest in embarrassment. Ishaan caught her wrists with ease and flipped her beneath him in one swift move, straddling her.
“Perfect position, baby. What do you say?” he teased, pinning both her hands with one of his. His other hand slowly traced the curve of her neck, making her shiver despite herself.
Pari wriggled, trying to push him off, but Ishaan had her caged in, his playful dominance written all over his smirk.
Pari wriggled under him, her breaths coming quicker. “Ishaan… let me go,” she muttered, though her eyes betrayed a smile.
He leaned closer, their noses almost brushing. “Hmm, I don’t think I want to. You’re far too tempting when you’re pretending to be angry.”
Pari bit her lip, determined not to give in, and tried to twist her wrists free. But Ishaan tightened his hold, his gaze darkening as he slowly ran his fingers along the edge of her robe.
Her heart skipped. “I told you… not until the honeymoon.”
“And I told you, you drive me insane, Pari. Every little smile, every blush, every way you fight me… it only makes me want you more.” Ishaan whispered against her ear, his breath warm.
Pari’s breath caught when he brushed a teasing kiss just below her jaw. She tried to hold back a shiver, but Ishaan noticed and grinned wickedly.
Gathering courage, she tilted her chin up defiantly. “You may think you’ve won… but you forget something, Mr. Ishaan.”
He raised a brow. “Oh? And what’s that?”
In a flash, she shifted her legs, pushing hard enough to knock him off balance. Ishaan landed on his back with a surprised grunt, and Pari straddled him instead, pinning his hands down this time.
Her eyes sparkled triumphantly. “That you’re not the only one who knows how to play dirty.”
Ishaan laughed, utterly smitten, letting her win for the moment. His eyes lingered on her flushed face, his voice dropping to a husky murmur.
“And this… this right here, Pari… is exactly why I’m madly in love with you.”
Pari softened at his words, her teasing expression melting into something tender. She bent down and brushed her lips against his, lingering for just a second before pulling back with a playful smirk.
“Now behave,” she whispered, slipping off him before he could grab her again.
Ishaan groaned dramatically, watching her retreat to the dressing table. “You’re going to be the death of me, Mrs. Ishaan.”
Pari threw him a glance over her shoulder, her smile radiant. “That’s the plan.”
Ishaan entered the washroom and stood before the mirror looking at himself. He tilt his body and looked at the scratches on his body, the beautiful gift by his wife last night and smiled running his fingers through his hair. He quickly got ready and picked his mobile looking for a message from the team that has been set on plan.
He smiled on seeing the positive message and slipped onto his dress and reached the living. The whole family was settled and Ishaan shared a knowing look at his father and Mithun before he pulled Pari to have breakfast.
Ishaan was receiving constant updates about everything happening at Varun’s home. The next morning, the news finally broke, Varun and his father had announced Mrs. Giridharan’s demise through their social media accounts.
Ishaan immediately gave orders to his PA and PI to keep a close watch on everything involving Varun and Meghna. Every call, every offline and online message connected to Varun and his associates was tracked in order to trace the mastermind who had been working with Mrs. Giridharan.
While Pari stayed with the girls to watch a movie, Ishaan sat in their room with his laptop, monitoring the live coverage from Varun’s home through the button camera of one of the bouncers stationed inside the room where Mrs. Giridharan’s body was kept for relatives and guests to pay their respects.
Varun and Meghna stood next to each other while his father spoke to them.
“The way this old witch had been working behind us, it’s clear she wasn’t alone. There’s definitely someone who planned all of this so perfectly that none of our PIs or bugs could trace them. Who is that bastard?” Ishaan muttered, deep in thought, when he received a message from one of his investigators.
He opened it and it was a video from Varun’s home. A man was seen entering the living area holding a funeral wreath. Instead of placing it over the corpse, he handed it to Varun. After a brief hug, he moved on to Varun’s father and embraced him for a little longer.
Ishaan’s instincts sharpened. He immediately called his men and instructed them to track the man in the video, though they were already on it. By evening, the man had been captured and held at one of Ishaan’s hotels. Without wasting a moment, Ishaan drove there to meet him personally.
When Ishaan entered the room, the man was tied to a chair, trembling and begging to be set free. Without a word, Ishaan grabbed his collar and slapped him hard across the face.
“Who sent you, and what did you carry in that funeral wreath?” Ishaan demanded, his jaw clenched in fury. The urge to end the man’s life right there was almost uncontrollable.
“I work at Varun’s office. I went there as an employee to pay my respects to his grandmother. I don’t know what you’re talking about” the man cried, insisting on his innocence.
Ishaan glanced at his men. “Find out everything about him, his job, his family, his entire background,” he ordered before leaving the room.
An hour later, his PI called with updates. The man was confirmed to be a staff member at one of Varun’s hotels, living in a quiet residential area with no suspicious activity reported.
Ishaan ended the call and sat on the couch in the balcony, his mind racing. Something didn’t sit right. The hug between that man and Varun had seemed too personal for a mere employee. He wasn’t ready to believe the man was innocent yet. Ishaan ordered his men to keep surveillance on the man’s family before returning to the manor.
Pari was in their room, working on her laptop when he entered. She smiled softly as he sat beside her.
“What’s happening, Ishu?” she asked.
Ishaan exhaled deeply and narrated everything that had transpired in the past forty-eight hours. Pari shifted onto his lap, looping her arms around his neck.
“What could that video be, Ishu? We’re already married, so our London wedding can’t possibly create chaos now. Then what else could it be?” she asked, concern evident in her tone as she bit her lip.
Ishaan gently freed her lip from between her teeth and smiled.
“He won’t be posting any video anytime soon. And whatever it is, I doubt it can shake us. Even if it does—we’ll handle it,” he assured her.
Pari leaned against his shoulder. “Can’t we do something to stop him? Maybe destroy his business, leave him with nothing?” she suggested.
Ishaan smiled faintly at her fiery words. “It would take me less than twenty-four hours to do that, Pari. We could’ve done it long ago if that was our goal. But we’re looking at a bigger picture. We need to find out who was helping that old witch all along. We expected him to surface after her death, but he’s playing smarter than we thought.”
Pari nodded, understanding the gravity behind his calm voice.
“Let’s not worry about him anymore. You need rest and didn’t you want to look fresh and glowing tomorrow?” Ishaan teased softly.
Pari hummed in agreement, and Ishaan scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to bed as the night wrapped them in its quiet.
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A/N:
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