The Chief Security Officer informed Ishaan about the new guest, and Ishaan smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets.
“Wow, another guest for tonight. Bring him in, let’s all have a look at that bastard,” he said.
The guards rushed out and soon returned, dragging Kabir with them. They threw him to the floor before Ishaan, and Kabir flinched back the moment his eyes fell on Varun’s lifeless body.
“Why did you kidnap me? Ishaan, you’re making a big mistake by bringing me here. Send me back” Kabir shouted, his voice trembling.
Ayaan frowned. “What’s with these idiots? Why don’t they ever change the dialogue? I’m sick of hearing the same thing again and again.”
Ishaan chuckled at his brother’s remark and grabbed Kabir by the collar, pulling him close. A sharp slap echoed through the room, sending Kabir crashing to the floor.
“You’ve played your game long enough. Now it’s time you pay the price.” Ishaan said coldly.
He stepped aside, letting Ayaan take over. Ayaan handed the bowl to Pari and began unleashing his fury on Kabir.
“Come on, Ayaan, that’s not enough” Pari teased. “I want to be able to tell Ishu that you’re stronger than him, give one solid punch that’ll be remembered for the rest of our lives”
Ishaan raised an eyebrow at her, and Pari just shrugged playfully.
Ishaan removed his shirt, wiped the blood from his face, and took a bottle of water from one of the guards. As he splashed water over his face, Pari’s gaze lingered on his torso. Ishaan caught her staring, smirked, and winked — snapping her out of her trance.
Lost in their silent exchange, they failed to notice Ayaan still thrashing Kabir with unrelenting rage.
“Pari, was that enough to tease bro?” Ayaan’s voice broke their trance. He stood still, unaware of what had just happened between the two.
“What happened?” Pari asked, blinking innocently.
Ayaan glared at her. “You’re asking me what happened? What were you doing when I punched him and got two of his teeth out in return? Look at the blood on the floor — that’s from my punch. Don’t tell me you two were busy romancing while I was thrashing him”
Pari smiled sheepishly, and Ishaan chuckled under his breath.
“I hate you both. I should’ve brought my Zara here and she would’ve kissed me for every punch” Ayaan exclaimed dramatically.
Ishaan laughed and pulled his brother into a hug. Pari slid between them and pinched Ayaan’s cheek playfully.
“My baby brother is always strong,” she said with a grin.
“Stronger than Ishu bro?” Ayaan asked, arching a brow.
Pari nodded firmly. “Absolutely yes”
Ishaan pulled her ear gently, and Pari hugged him, laughing. Together, they turned to watch Ayaan as he continued punishing Kabir and Varun’s father.
“Alright, kiddo, that’s enough, Let’s give them a little gift before we finish everything off.” Ishaan finally said.
Ayaan stopped hitting them, stepping aside as Ishaan signaled to play the video on the screen.
The TV flickered to life, showing Pratap Chauhan surrounded by Ishaan’s men, their expressions cold and menacing. Kabir’s eyes widened in shock.
On the screen, Pratap dropped to his knees, pleading desperately while the men stood their ground. Then, trembling, he switched on his phone camera and started recording himself.
“What’s happening? What’s he recording?” Kabir asked weakly, his voice breaking from pain and fear.
Ishaan told his men to rewind and play the recording at full volume, and they obeyed.
“I’m sorry. I’m ashamed of what I’ve done. I won’t deny it anymore. I was jealous. Jealous of Vaishnavi Rey’s rise. Because of her, my party lost the elections, and that jealousy consumed me. I wanted to ruin her — not just her, but her whole family. For years I ran this network with my son Kabir, we built it together, step by step. But now the truth has come out, and he has abandoned me. He escaped, leaving me to face this alone. I can’t spend the rest of my life in prison, and I cannot bear to see hatred in everyone’s eyes. There is no future in politics and life so my journey ends here. I blame no one in particular as the reason of my death. I m sorry “
Kabir was stunned, his body trembling as he watched his father break down and place his mobile on the tea table. The men hung him and waited until he was dead. Moments later, Ishaan’s men carried out their orders swiftly, leaving no trace behind.
“See? That was easy, wasn’t it? Now your father’s death looks like suicide, and you’ve disappeared. The police will keep searching for you but they’ll never find you.” Ishaan said coolly.
His expression hardened as he pulled out his gun and ended the chaos with cold precision. The room fell silent except for Meghna’s terrified sobs.
“Please, let me go, I’ve done nothing wrong. I only loved Varun… please, show me mercy.” she begged.
Pari crossed her arms, her tone sharp. “My papa and Rey uncle showed mercy once and look where it got us. When we start something, we finish it. No mercy.”
Ishaan glanced at her, a faint smirk curving his lips before he gave the final order. “Take care of it. Clean the place. No traces.”
As the guards moved out to follow his command, Ishaan led Pari away. Ayaan quietly withdrew to his room, while Ishaan and Pari disappeared down the corridor. The night was heavy with silence, and for the first time, Ishaan’s cold mask seemed to fade.
Inside his room, the tension between them lingered, not from fear, but from everything they had just witnessed. Ishaan turned to her, his voice low.
“Were you scared, baby? Did it disgust you, what you saw?”
Pari met his gaze, her eyes unwavering. “No,” she whispered.
For a long moment, Ishaan just looked at her, the air between them charged with something neither could name.
“I realized I shouldn’t feel pity. They didn’t deserve mercy. If I had felt scared or weak, it could’ve been our blood on that floor and I’ll never let that happen. Whatever happens, we stand by family. We save them, we protect them, and we never let anyone play us.” Pari said softly.
Ishaan felt a surge of pride. Their lips met in a slow, passionate kiss that spoke louder than words.
“I think this time, nothing will stop our honeymoon,” Ishaan murmured against her ear, his tone teasing.
Pari smiled faintly. “Let’s get back home, meet our family, and then fly to our destination. We’ll make sure everything’s under control before we leave.”
Ishaan hummed in response and carried her back to the room as the night faded into silence.
By noon the next day, Ishaan, Pari, and Ayaan arrived at Rey’s manor. The entire family was overjoyed to see them. Ayaan sat beside Reyansh and casually wrapped an arm around his father.
“Dad, you’re retiring officially and personally, You’re old now, and we’re the heroes. Just ask my sweet sister-in-law—she’s seen I’m stronger than Ishu bro” Ayaan announced with a grin.
Zara entered just then, carrying coffee for everyone. Ayaan winked at her, and she blushed before taking her seat next to Ishika.
“Liar, How much did you bribe her to speak on your behalf?” Zara teased, raising a brow
“Zara, you’re too bad. How could you accuse my baby like that? He’s right, actually—Ayaan is stronger than Ishaan,” Pari said, and Ishaan rolled his eyes.
Reyansh called everyone to the drawing room. Reyansh, Mithun, and Ishaan’s PA entered first, followed by Zara, who stood with them.
“Pratap’s funeral has been planned by his family for this evening,” Zara began. “People from his own party haven’t come to pay their respects, as the senior members are busy fighting over who will be the next leader—a powerful face to stand against the ruling party. Also, it seems none of them were aware of his illegal activities through the network.”
She played a video showing the commotion at the opposition party headquarters. Across the country, all regional offices were in chaos following Pratap’s death.
“Despite all this turmoil in the opposition party, Madam Vaishnavi and Sir Ishaan’s image has returned to glory, People are praising Madam for her generous help through the trust. Many social influencers, party members, the general public, and even some cabinet ministers have raised their voices in support of awarding Madam .” Rey’s PA explained.
The video displayed piles of flowers that had been sent since morning to Rey Manor and the party office for Vaishnavi.
“Sir, there are numerous calls from national channels requesting interviews with you and Madam Pari,” Ishaan’s PA added. Everyone looked at Ishaan, who seemed lost in thought.
Slowly, he rose to his feet, hands tucked into his pockets, his gaze fixed on the screen showing the chaos at the opposition party headquarters.
“What’s brewing in your mind now?” Reyansh asked.
“Dad, you always say our intuition is never wrong. We’ve ruined everyone, everything seems settled, but I still feel this nagging that we’re not done yet,” Ishaan replied, and instantly, everyone looked bewildered.
“Bro, what do you mean? There’s no Pratap or Kabir Chauhan, no Varun and his family. We have a clean check on all our partners so what else could go wrong?” Ayaan asked, standing next to him.
Ishaan shook his head. “You’re right, Ayaan. Everything is fixed… but that doesn’t guarantee nothing will happen in the future. People change. Their desires and needs change. Anything could happen, so I want to be prepared to face whatever comes.”
“Ishu bro, what do you want us to do? Do you want to go for an advanced security system?” Ayaan asked, but Reyansh and Mithun smiled knowingly, as if they had read his mind.
“I do have something in mind, but I need time to think and be sure before implementing it. So… Mamu, talk to Grandpa and have him pull the right cards to delay the selection of the next party head by at least two days. I need time until then,” Ishaan said, and Mithun nodded in agreement instantly.
Later, everyone retired to their rooms, and Ayaan dragged Zara to his. As soon as he shut the door, Zara stood glaring at him, hands on her hips.
“What happened, babe? I thought you’d shower me with kisses, but you’re glaring at me?” Ayaan asked, trying to hug her, but Zara pushed him away.
“Stop your acting. First, I’m so proud and happy that you went out with Ishu bro to fight the enemies. Now, coming to my point, you were gone for more than 48 hours, and when you came back, you didn’t even look for me until I made my presence known. And now suddenly, you’re all lovey-dovey?” Zara said, huffing as she sat on the couch.
Ayaan lay down on the couch, resting his head on her lap, and placed her hand on his head for a massage.
“Zara, you should ask Pari. I was talking about you the entire time. I missed you so much, and Ishu bro and Pari were teasing me with their romance. I could never stay away from you, Zara. I love you so much,” Ayaan said, kissing her tummy softly.
Zara turned serious, cupping his cheek and caressing it with her thumb.
“Sometimes, your love scares me, Ayaan. What if something happens to me and I m gone ?”
Ayaan sat up instantly and hugged her, burying his face in her neck. Zara could feel his tears against her skin.
“Please, Zara, never say that. I could never live without you. You are my world,” Ayaan mumbled against her skin.
Zara pulled back from the hug and cupped his face.
“Stop saying that, Ayaan. Where would I go leaving you? But life can be unpredictable. Even if I’m not by your side, you have a family who loves you. You will live your life, fall in love, have children…” Zara said, lost in thought.
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A/N:
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