[12th February 2025]
The banquet hall, despite its opulence, felt frigid with accusation and suppressed tension.
Silence hovered like a suspended breath, trembling in the air.
Dev and Navya, lay serenely asleep in their strollers—blissfully unaware of the storm their presence had unleashed.
The Maheshwaris and Rajvanshis stood on opposite ends of the grand space, poised like soldiers in an invisible war.
It was Kalyani Rajvanshi who shattered the stillness. Her voice, sharp and scornful, sliced through the air.
"A well-orchestrated move—to trap my grandson in this farce of a marriage. That girl strolls in here with her illegitimate children and claims they're Rajvanshis!?"
She scoffed, "The audacity … it's almost admirable."
She scanned the room, searching for agreement but received only a combination of awkward glances and stunned silence.
Uttam Maheshwari, usually the calm and collected patriarch, stood frozen in his place. He was staring at the floor, at the people gathered around him, and then slowly up at the vacant doorway his daughter had stood just minutes earlier.
His heart felt as though it was pounding against a brick wall—shocked, betrayed, but most of all, broken.
"Papa! Say something," Vaibhav urged, desperation creeping into his.
"Your daughter just walked in here claiming to be a mother!! Surely you don't believe... this nonsense, right!?"
Uttam opened his mouth, but no sound came.
Needhi Maheshwari's smile was subtle but satisfied. She smirked inwardly.
'This marriage cannot be stopped now.'
'Aria's given them heirs. Twins. After this, Adityanath won't dare mess with our family.'
She spoke up, raising her voice, polished and unwavering.
"I believe in my daughter. If she is saying these children are Ahaan's, then that is the truth. There's no way she would ever lie about something so grave."
Kalyani Rajvanshi turned to her with barely concealed rage.
"Then... Are you accusing mygrandson of fathering children out of wedlock?!... Of hiding them—only to now parade them like some trophies?!"
Her voice trembled with indignation.
"Your daughter is a disgrace. She is—"
But before another insult could fall from her lips, Uttam finally found his voice.
His words weren't loud—but they roared like a lion's.
"What did you call my daughter?"
A stunned silence settled.
Even the servants froze mid-step.
Uttam stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides, pain and fury wrestling in his voice.
"She may have disappointed me. But she has never lied to me. If Aria claims those children are Ahaan's… then they are."
In the corner of the hall, Manik and Savi stood frozen, holding the handle of the twins' strollers tighter.
Their eyes kept flitting between the babies and their siblings' absence.
The resemblance between the children and Ahaan—it wasn't just imagined. The curve of the jaw. The thick lashes. The tilt of their tiny brows.
Manik leaned towards Savi, whispering under his breath,
"They are his, aren't they?"
Savi gave a small nod, but her mind was a whirlwind.
'If Bhai had children with her... then why did he act like he had never met Aria di before?'
She remembered her brother's confusion earlier in the day.
His honesty.
His discomfort.
Something wasn't adding up.
Adityanath Rajvanshi sat quietly, his cane rested beside him, untouched. His sharp gaze absorbed every word, every flicker of emotion.
'Those birthmarks. The timing. These children... they could be Rudra's. Or Ahaan's. Either way — they are Rajvanshis.'
A faint smile curled at the edge of his lips.
'It doesn't matter which of my grandsons fathered them. They carry our blood. Our legacy. If Aria is their mother… then perhaps it's even better. The Maheshwaris will now owe us loyalty for generations to come.'
His wife's voice cut through his thoughts like a whip.
"I won't allow her into this family," Kalyani snapped. "Not after this circus. Who knows where these children came from? What if she—"
Adityanath stood.
Deliberate. Poised. Unhurried.
The room hushed again. All eyes turned to him.
He walked to his wife and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, bending slightly, close enough for only her to hear—but loud enough that everyone else could catch the whisper.
"My dear… don't you think the children resemble our grandson?"
Kalyani stiffened.
"If they are his, we must take responsibility. Love them. Accept them. If Ahaan and Aria made a mistake—then marriage can turn that mistake into destiny. Perhaps... this is God's will."
The tone was deceptively kind.
Manipulative.
The kind of poison that tasted like honey.
And Kalyani—bound by years of deference and the weight of his words—lowered her eyes, silenced.
Behind them, Needhi's smile grew colder. Calculating.
Vaibhav rubbed his temple—visibly stressed and annoyed.
"Just how long are those two going to talk now?"
He let out a tired sigh. "... And especially after causing all this ruckus."
Near the corner, Manik leaned toward Savi again, voice low.
"Go and get them. If they don't come back soon, this dinner's going to turn into a war."
Savi nodded and slipped out, casting one last glance at the twins. Her stomach twisted with questions she couldn't yet voice.