A Silent War

The tension in the Oberoi mansion was unbearable.

Avni had barely spoken a word since Arnav’s declaration. She hated being watched like a child. Aryan and Ayush, on the other hand, were starting to feel suffocated under Anirudh’s and Arnav’s constant vigilance.

"You’re taking this too far," Ayush muttered as he sat beside Aryan in the lounge.

Aryan nodded. "Yeah, this is insane. We’re not prisoners."

Anirudh, standing nearby, didn’t even look at them. "Then stop acting like reckless fools."

Ayush rolled his eyes. "Oh please, if Devraj wanted to hurt us, he would’ve done it by now."

Arnav, who had just entered, stopped in his tracks. His gaze snapped to Ayush, and for a second, the entire room froze.

"Say that again," Arnav said, his voice deathly quiet.

Ayush looked up, meeting his brother’s cold stare. "I said Devraj isn’t as big of a threat as you think."

Wrong answer.

In the blink of an eye, Arnav grabbed Ayush by the collar and yanked him up, his grip unyielding.

"Let me tell you something, Ayush," Arnav said, his voice eerily calm. "Devraj Malhotra doesn’t strike when you expect it. He watches. He waits. And when you finally believe you’re safe—that’s when he destroys you."

Ayush swallowed but didn’t look away. "So what? We just live in fear forever?"

Arnav’s grip tightened. "No. You start using your brain."

Anirudh stepped forward. "Arnav, enough."

Arnav released Ayush with a shove. "I will protect this family with or without your cooperation. But if any of you make it easier for Devraj to attack us—" his eyes landed on Avni and Aryan before flicking back to Ayush "—I will make sure you regret it."

Meanwhile…

Devraj Malhotra leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched the hacked footage.

"Oh, Arnav," he murmured. "You’re so busy protecting them that you don’t even see what’s coming."

His gaze flickered to a photo of Ayush.

"And I just found my opening."

To Be Continued…