Aryan was pacing across the room, whining and pouting like a child, while Sanju laughed heartily at his dramatic gestures.
“Hello Mr. Husband, aren’t you sleeping?” Sanju asked, still chuckling.
“No…” Aryan mumbled, sulking.
“Fine. I’m sleepy then. Good night,” she said, teasing him.
Aryan rushed to her side, cupping her cheeks and kissing her once again—by now, she’d lost count of how many times he had done that.
“Please… please… please… please tell me what it is,” he pleaded with puppy eyes.
“Fine, I’ll tell you. But promise me you won’t do it,” she said firmly.
“What? Are you crazy?” he asked, confused.
“Ok then forget it, I’m not telling you,” Sanju replied with a smug smile.
“Sweetheart, why do you do this?” Aryan groaned. “Don’t you know it would hurt me if I couldn’t do something you wished for?”
“Believe me, Aryan, you’ll feel very bad… and I’ll feel worse seeing you go through it. That’s why I don’t want you to do it,” she said sincerely.
“Fine… ok, I give up. I won’t do it. Now tell me, what did you wish for?” he asked, surrendering.
“Gentleman promise,” she said playfully.
“Arghhh, please say it now!” he begged.
“I wished… you could stay with me at the time of delivery.”
Aryan looked at her for a long moment, silent. Then he asked, softly, “Then why don’t you want me to be with you?”
“You can never bear seeing me in pain. And I can’t bear seeing you feeling that pain inside you. So… stay out. Now sleep,” she replied gently.
“I’m seriously scared now, just thinking of that,” Aryan admitted.
“Nothing, sweetheart. Don’t start thinking about it now and spoil my mood,” she said, pulling him into a warm hug.
“Also… I want you to sing a song for me,” she whispered.
“You… you want to hear a song in my voice?” Aryan asked, surprised.
“Damn sure,” she nodded.
“You’ll forget the song forever if you listen to it in my voice,” he warned, grinning.
“That’s my wish,” she replied with a wink.
“Hmm, okay then,” he said.
The next morning, Aryan woke up early. He helped Sanju get ready and brought her downstairs for breakfast.
“Sanju, I’m going out for some work. I’ll be back by lunch, okay?”
“Okay, take care,” she replied.
“Amma and Appa will be coming by evening. You stay in the room and take rest. Kowsalya Ma, please take care of her,” Aryan instructed.
“Sure, sir,” Kowsalya nodded.
He carried Sanju back to her room and left with Ranjith. They soon reached Aryan’s underground cell.
“Is everything ready?” Aryan asked as they entered.
“All ready, sir,” Ranjith confirmed.
“Go ahead then.”
Ranjith called in the guards. A long table was set with a fresh plantain leaf laid out. Various veg and non-veg dishes were served, completely filling the leaf. A bottle of wine and alcohol were placed nearby. A single chair was placed in front of the feast, and a laptop was positioned just behind it.
“If everything is ready, bring the person to have the treat,” Aryan ordered.
Ranjith disappeared into one of the cells and returned dragging a frail, old man who could barely stand. He placed him in the chair. The man couldn’t even lift his head. Ranjith used a log to raise his face so Aryan could see him.
Aryan’s expression changed. “Oh my god… Who is this man?”
“Sir, he is the great ex-businessman… Mr. Chandrasekar,” Ranjith revealed.
“What the fuck? What have you guys done to him? Do you even feed him food?”
“One meal a day, sir,” Ranjith replied casually.
“One meal a day? How could you serve him a full meal every day? Cut it to half from now on. Am I right, Mr. Chandrasekar the great?” Aryan said sarcastically.
Chandrasekar looked at him, weak and broken.
“Don’t look at me like that. We have a lot to discuss, but I thought I’d give you a feast first. So have your food, and then we’ll start the discussion,” Aryan said coldly.
Chandrasekar, starved and famished, began eating madly, stuffing the food into his mouth. When he was halfway through, Aryan leaned closer.
“Don’t you want to know the reason behind today’s feast?”
Chandrasekar looked up at him, his eyes lifeless.
“Let me tell you. You wanted me to marry your daughter, right? So I take great pleasure in showing you the wedding of your daughter. Please, have a look,” Aryan said, signaling Ranjith.
Ranjith played a video on the laptop. It showed Vivaan tying the nuptial thread around Maya’s neck—while she lay unconscious on the bed. Chandrasekar froze. The food in his hands fell back onto the leaf as he stared at the screen.
“Your enmity is with me… Why did you do this to my daughter?” Chandrasekar whispered, heartbroken.
“Didn’t you want to see her wedding? I did this for you. I believe you should be grateful to me,” Aryan said mockingly. “Fine. Let’s take a look at the next reason I treated you today.”
Ranjith played a video of a news channel flashing Chandrasekar’s death news.
“Don’t be surprised already,” Aryan smirked. “We have more… and some important things for you to see.”
The next clip showed Naren performing the final rites with tears streaming down his face.
“Do you know for whom he’s doing that?” Aryan said, his voice taunting. “Obviously, for you—Mr. Chandrasekar. Isn’t it nice? Watching your son doing final rites for some random dead body pulled out of a mortuary?”
Chandrasekar began sobbing, broken beyond words.
“Why did you stop eating? Continue eating as you watch the next surprise,” Aryan said coldly.
Photos from a press meet began flashing across the screen, showing Aryan’s parents alive and speaking publicly. Chandrasekar shot up from his chair, stunned.
“Did you love my surprise?” Aryan asked with a crooked smile.
“How… how did you find them?” Chandrasekar whispered.
“You’ve been here so long, and you haven’t met your partner in crime? That’s too bad,” Aryan said.
Ranjith opened another cell and dragged out Rajesh. The man fell at Aryan’s feet, trembling. Aryan lifted his face with his shoe and then kicked him hard.
Aryan leaned back in his chair, looking at the broken man before him with a cold smile.
“I thought I had gained more experience than you,” he said, “but you proved me wrong when I found my parents in your cell. So isn’t it my time now to be experienced and outwit you?”
Chandrasekar’s voice shook with a mix of anger and helplessness. “Maya will definitely not leave you. She will revenge you for this.”
Aryan chuckled mockingly. “Silly old man. Do you still think I’ll be less experienced than you? Your daughter calls me brother now. Do you believe it?”
“That is not possible,” Chandrasekar hissed. “She will kill you.”
“Crazy old man,” Aryan sneered. “I made her lose her memory. She doesn’t even remember that she met me. All she knows is Aryan, son of her uncle Vishnu. She remembers only her lover Vivaan and is madly in love with him now. How nice to hear, right? Am I smarter than you? What say?”
Chandrasekar’s tone changed. His pride was gone, replaced by fear and desperation. “Aryan, I’m sorry for everything I did. Please leave me. Consider my age… and my love for you. I trained you in business.”
Aryan’s smile faded. His eyes hardened. “Even my father was your best friend for many years. He gave you so much love, helped you in business too. He was of your same age.”
“Please, Aryan… leave me. I will never come in your life,” Chandrasekar pleaded.
Aryan turned to Ranjith and scoffed. “Look at him, Ranjith. Is this even a way to beg?”
Suddenly, Chandrasekar dropped to his knees, folding his hands, tears streaming down his face. He begged Aryan to spare him.
Aryan stood from his chair in fury, grabbed Chandrasekar by his collar, and pushed him hard. The old man fell backward and hit the wall with a thud.
“I won’t even touch you to beat you,” Aryan spat. “I treated you like my father and withstood all your daughter’s torture only because of you. My Sanju… how much did she suffer because of you and your daughter? I was still ready to help her, even after you tried to kill my wife. But what did you do to me? Do you even deserve to say the word ‘forgive’? Dare you think of getting my forgiveness! I’ll rot you for the rest of your life.”
He turned to Ranjith.
“Put him in darkness. Not a bit of light should enter his cell. Less than half a meal a day. He should beg for water at least a hundred times before he gets even a drop. Even if he wishes to die, he should not die. I will decide his death, and I will not let him die anytime soon.”
“Yes sir,” Ranjith replied. “What about Rajesh?”
“They’re partners, right?” Aryan said with a glare. “Let them share what is given. Even food and water.”
Rajesh panicked and fell to his knees.
“Sir, please don’t do this to me. I have not done anything on my own. I did everything on his orders. Please leave me.”
Aryan’s voice was laced with rage. “If you are his PA, will you dare to do anything illegal? I have the complete list of crimes you did to others to help this bloody old man in his business.”
“Sir… I’m sorry, sir. I will never do anything again. Please leave me,” Rajesh whimpered.
Aryan let out a dry laugh. “Oh my god. I have a gift for you, man. Ranjith, give it to him.”
Ranjith handed Rajesh a piece of paper. Rajesh took one look at it and froze. It was his own death certificate, declaring that he had died in the same accident as Chandrasekar. His eyes widened in shock, and the paper slipped from his trembling hands.
“I would teach your father too,” Aryan growled. “I tried my best to be good, but you tested every ounce of my patience.”
“Aryan, please don’t do this,” Chandrasekar begged from the ground.
“Goodbye. Have a nice time,” Aryan said coldly.
He turned around and walked out with Ranjith, leaving behind the sobbing and pleading Chandrasekar and Rajesh in the cold, dark cell.
A week later, the resort was buzzing with celebration. Lanterns and colorful lights glittered in the evening, and fresh flowers filled the air with fragrance. It was the engagement day of Pradeep and Keerthy.
Keerthy’s parents, along with Surendhar, welcomed the guests warmly. Aryan, Ranjith, and Naren were busy with last-minute arrangements, ensuring everything was perfect. Only close relatives and family friends had been invited for the occasion.
Inside a large room, the girls were getting dressed and doing final touch-ups.
Pradeep, clad in a sharp black tuxedo, arrived at the stage with Ranjith and Naren walking by his side.
Later, Keerthy stepped in, glowing in a stunning blue lehenga embroidered with crystal work. Her friends accompanied her, all smiles and excitement.
Pavi, Sanju, and Maya were dressed in coordinated green gowns adorned with elegant pearl sets, adding a graceful charm to the evening. The couple looked perfect together as they exchanged rings, smiled at each other with love, and took blessings from all the elders.
Ranjith handled the arrangements efficiently, guiding the guests to the dinner area.
Aryan stayed by Sanju’s side the entire time. Her baby bump was now too prominent, and it was becoming difficult for her to walk or sit without support. Aryan’s presence kept her comfortable throughout the event.
His parents blessed the couple lovingly, and soon the evening turned into a dance party filled with laughter, music, and cheerful banter. As the night wound down, the guests bid goodbye and returned home, carrying memories of a beautiful evening.
