Page 41 of Since You Stole My Heart

•The Beneficiary must be legally married at the time of claiming the inheritance.

If the above conditions are not met, the entitled amount shall revert to the said beneficiary’s parents or legal guardians, as defined under the trust structure.

Her mind resisted the conclusion as Kashvi read the list again and again, hoping the repetition might somehow change what she was seeing.

‘I need to be married to claim my inheritance,’ Kashvi said, testing the words aloud, and the realisation hit her with devastating clarity.

They had rejected her claim because she wasn’t married.

She was truly fucked.

Siya spoke bitterly. ‘There is no limit to how far he’d go to control our lives.’

‘What do you mean, Di?’

‘I was so stupid. I should’ve seen it when he was so desperate for us to—’ Siya cut off, nervously glancing at Abhay.

‘Desperate for you to?’ Kashvi urged.

At his nod, Siya turned back to her. ‘He told me that if I didn’t marry Abhay and merge our family businesses the way he wanted, he’d marry you off to Ravindra Bhatt.’

‘What the fuck?’ Swayam’s voice dropped into a near growl.

‘Bhatt uncle? He could pass for my grandfather!’ Kashvi shot back, furious.

Just how heartless could Dad be?

The question came from the part of her heart that still wanted him to be a father, even though she knew better.

Siya’s expression softened. ‘That’s exactly what I had told him.’

‘But he couldn’t have been serious,’ Swayam said, trying to piece it together. ‘If he had actually married her off, Kashvi would’ve become eligible for the inheritance.’

Siya threw her hands up in the air. ‘Exactly! That’s why I’m pissed. He manipulated me.’

Dhruv added quietly, ‘I think Dad was probably going to hide the criteria until after Kashvi’s birthday. Then her share would go to him too.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me Dad was using me to force you into marriage?’ Kashvi demanded, her agitation spilling over.

‘I didn’t think you needed to know,’ Siya said cautiously.

‘That’s a ridiculous excuse, and you know it. What if it hadn’t been Abhay Jiju? What if he’d tried to marry you off to someone like Bhatt uncle?’

‘I’d never have let that happen,’ Abhay said with a cocky smile. ‘She’s myjaan, after all.’

Swayam inhaled sharply beside her, dragging a hand through his hair. ‘I don’t get it. I remember Mihu and I teased Siya about her inheritance when she turned twenty-five.’ He turned to Siya and asked, ‘How did you receive the money back then, but now there’s suddenly a clause?’

Siya sat onto the edge of the sofa. ‘I never got my inheritance.’

Kashvi remembered that time vaguely. The week before Siya’s twenty-fifth birthday, she had seemed distant. When she had asked about it, Siya had assured her she would handle it.

But she had never explained how.

‘What do you mean you never got anything? What did you do?’ Kashvi asked.

Siya went still. ‘When I was notified about the inheritance, I was told to submit the same paperwork. But before I could, Dad called me into his cabin. He told me the business was failing, and that I had to give him all the money or Kashyap Luxe would go bankrupt.’

Kashvi felt her stomach twist.