The scandal broke on a Monday morning.
News channels blared with grainy audio clips—edited, distorted, but damning enough to cause damage.
"She's just a pawn. Useful for now," Shivansh's voice, cold and detached.
"Marriage is a business deal, nothing more," Rohini's voice, sharp and calculating.
The media went feral.
"Power Couple a Shame?" screamed one headline.
"Rohini Kothari's Marriage Exposed as Corporate Strategy" declared another.
By noon, the Kothari Group's stock had dropped eight percent. Board members demanded an emergency meeting. Vikrant, of course, called for her resignation—publicly.
Inside the penthouse, Rohini watched the chaos unfold on screen, her hands clenched into fists. "He's killing me with my own words," she whispered.
Shivansh stood by the window, phone in hand, scanning legal options. "We can prove the audio was doctored. It'll take time, but—"
"Time I don't have!" she snapped, spinning to face him. "The board wants me gone today. Do you understand what this means? I've fought my whole life to stand on my own, and now—" Her voice broke despite her best efforts. "Now I'm nothing more than his puppet in everyone's eyes."
Shivansh crossed the room in two strides and took her by the shoulders—not rough, but firm enough to stop her spiraling.
"Look at me," he said quietly.
She did. Angry, hurt, but she looked.
"You are not nothing. You built this empire. You held it when no one else could. And you are not going to let him take that from you."
Her breath hitched. "And if I can't stop him?"
His jaw tightened. "Then I will."
Something in his tone—unflinching, unyielding—made her chest ache. For the first time that day, she felt a flicker of strength return. She didn't know if she could trust the world anymore, but she knew she could trust him.
He pulled her into him then, no hesitation, no distance—an embrace that wasn't just solace, but a vow. His arms around her were steady, grounding her against the storm.
"We fight back," he murmured against her hair. "And this time, we don't just survive—we destroy him."
Outside, the cameras kept flashing. The world thought they were falling apart.
But for the first time, Rohini felt like they were truly united.
And that made them more dangerous than ever.