The Oberoi mansion had always been a battlefield, but tonight, the war reached its peak.

Anirudh sat in his study, his fingers gripping the edges of a legal file, but his mind wasn’t on his work. His argument with Ayush replayed in his head like a broken record. No matter how much he tried, his siblings refused to understand that his strictness wasn’t control—it was protection.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Before he could answer, Ayush walked in, his expression defiant.

"We need to talk," Ayush said, his voice colder than usual.

Anirudh sighed. "If this is about last night, I’m done arguing."

"Oh, we’re way past arguing," Ayush snapped. "I’m leaving this house."

Anirudh’s head snapped up. "What?"

"You heard me," Ayush said. "I’ve had enough of this dictatorship. Enough of Arnav controlling everything. And enough of you pretending to care while acting like his puppet."

Anirudh stood up, his patience wearing thin. "You don’t understand what you’re saying."

"Oh, I do," Ayush shot back. "I understand that I’ll never be free in this house. You and Arnav just want us to live by your rules, your expectations. Well, I’m done."

Before Anirudh could respond, Aryan and Avni entered, drawn by the rising tension.

"Whoa, what’s going on?" Aryan asked, looking between his brothers.

Ayush turned to him. "I’m leaving, Aryan. And if you’re smart, you’ll come with me."

Aryan hesitated, his playful smirk faltering. "Leaving? Like… for real?"

Ayush nodded. "For real."

Avni crossed her arms. "Good. One less dictator to deal with."

Anirudh’s patience snapped. "This isn’t a joke, Ayush! Do you even have a plan? Where will you go? How will you survive?"

"I’ll figure it out," Ayush said. "Anything’s better than living under Arnav’s rule."

"Arnav isn’t the one stopping you from living your life, Ayush," Anirudh said, his voice low. "You are."

Ayush let out a bitter laugh. "Spare me the lecture, lawyer saab. I’m done listening to you."

Anirudh clenched his jaw. "Fine. You want to leave? Go. But don’t expect me to clean up your mess when you realize the world isn’t as easy as you think."

Ayush’s expression hardened. "I don’t need you. And I definitely don’t need Arnav."

Without another word, he turned and walked out. The sound of the front door slamming echoed through the mansion.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Aryan let out a low whistle. "Well… that escalated quickly."

Anirudh didn’t respond. He simply turned away, staring at the door Ayush had just walked out of.

Because deep down, he knew—this wasn’t over.

This was just the beginning of something much worse.

To Be Continued