Page 64 of Since You Stole My Heart

‘Kashvi is my everything, whether anyone believes it or not,’ Swayam said, and the sincerity in his voice was disarming.

‘Oh please!’ Karthik exclaimed, gesturing towards Siya and Abhay as he shouted, ‘You two cooked up this fairy tale, didn’t you?’

Kashvi interrupted his tirade. ‘But how could we have “cooked up this fairy tale”? A few minutes ago, you admitted that you forgot to tell me about the marriage clause. The trust deed is also confidential, so how could I have known that I needed to be married to get the money?’

She watched with a flicker of satisfaction as Karthik realised he had stepped into his own trap with no way out.

Just then, the cabin door opened with a sharp click. Her attention snapped towards it just in time to see Dhruv walk in.

What was he doing here?

He was dressed in a simple charcoal T-shirt beneath a faded denim jacket and dark jeans, looking like he was heading off on vacation with a bag perched on his shoulder. Only his dishevelled hair betrayed his discomfort.

He acknowledged Kashvi with a nod and came to stand beside her.

That only provoked their father’s anger, like the very sight of them together was an insult to him. ‘Oh, this just keeps getting better. Did you decide to invite the rest of the family for this circus act?’

Dhruv didn’t even spare him a glance.

‘Every single one of you is trying to pull the same stunt! You think I’m going to let this go without a fight? I will drag this matter through every possible channel, raise objections, and file disputes. By the end of this, there will be nothing left for you to claim.’

His threat coiled around her chest, heavy and suffocating, because Kashvi knew he meant it.

Dhruv spoke in a flat tone. ‘You won’t.’

Karthik pinned him with a glare. ‘What did you just say?’

Dhruv met his gaze evenly. ‘I said you won’t do any of it. Or rather, you won’t be able to.’

He slung the bag off his shoulder, pulled out a document, and placed it on Piyush’s desk. ‘You might want to look at that.’

Piyush raised his brows, surprise evident on his face. ‘I can’t believe… These are No Objection Certificates signed by all the trustees?’

Dhruv gave a measured nod. ‘Signed, stamped, and notarised.’

With a startled gasp, Kashvi realised this was what Siya had meant by backup.

‘Stop lying!’ Karthik shouted, then turned to Dhruv. ‘Do you think you have any right to insert yourself into this?’ he asked incredulously.

Dhruv shrugged. ‘What I think is that if you had been forthcoming about the criteria, none of this would have been necessary.’

Karthik exploded, thrusting a finger at him. ‘You ungrateful bastard! You’re no Kashyap, so who the fuck gives you the right to tell me what I should do? Did you forget that you were living in an orphanage until I brought you into this family?’

Only a slight tightening of his jaw showed that Dhruv felt the blow of their father’s words.

An instinctive surge of anger hit Kashvi. She fought the fierce urge to step between them and shield Dhruv from the kind of cruelty she knew too well.

But Siya moved first, positioning herself in front of Dhruv. ‘Don’t you dare say our family name when all you have ever done is feed off it for your greed. Dhruv is more of a Kashyap than you will ever be.’

Dhruv remained composed, his face stripped of any emotion as he asked their father, ‘Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough? Because I think we’re done here.’

‘Yes, we are,’ Piyush cut in. ‘Karthik, for nearly a decade, you argued with the committee to grant Dhruv the same authority and standing as Siya. You insisted that there was no distinction between your girls and stepson. So I’m confused as to why his involvement is suddenly a problem.’

Dhruv answered for his father. ‘Technically, I’m not his stepson. I’m Dad’s bastard child. The only reason he pushed for my seat so I could balance out the vote in his favour.’

‘That was when you behaved like my son,’ Karthik snapped.

Dhruv shook his head firmly. ‘That was when I was someone you could control.’