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“Shadow,” Aksh yells. “His shadow! Right? Do you think that’s what I want to be throughout my life?”
There is complete silence in the room, and Aksh’s words echo in my ears.
“This Knight yearned to break free from the shadow of its King, Meher.” Ayaan breaks the silence. “How long would he serve your father? It’s not wrong if he seeks freedom to move on his own to gain an advantage.”
“I’m not talking to you,” I shout back.
“But I am,” he counters. “And I’m not leaving until you know his real face.”
I swallow angrily, knowing Ayaan is going to expose Aksh, and it is about time I know it all too.
“The moment the scandal of our love affair was out and I accused your dad of being the mastermind behind my father’s accident, Aksh had started playing his cards. He has been working covertly behind your father’s back to gain majority support within the party. Each scandal that was aimed at your father only added fuel to the fire and ended up working in Aksh’s favour. He even conducted a secret meeting with party members, manipulating and brainwashing them to support him instead of your father, who was already facing public scrutiny. Of course, your father was unaware of this secret meeting. But not me. I had my eyes on each of the Walias.”
My eyes widen in shock.
“So I used this opportunity and offered Aksh a deal. A fake one, though, which he failed to realise. I made a deal to prevent your father from gaining party support and to assist Aksh in securing the majority support of his party, paving the way for him to become the next CM of the state.”
I turn to Aksh, who remains unfazed as Ayaan slowly reveals more and more of the truth.
“To be honest, Aksh didn’t need me to bring down your dad from his throne like the rat you called him to be. It seems Aksh has been plotting to overthrow your father and take his place for quite some time now. But the only catch here was your dad’s discussions with Asha Devi to join the NEP party. Aksh, no matter what couldn’t stop her, especially since she had known your dad for decades. So, all I had to do was make him believe that I could fix his problem and convince Asha Devi to avoid merging with the NEP party, as she had a longstanding association with my father too.”
I didn’t know that. So how my dad knew Asha Devi so well, Ayaan’s father did too.
“I assured Aksh that I could convince Asha Devi not to join the NEP party. So, he took the offer, having no other option, and in return, he disclosed all the internal information your Dad was working on—his plans, the people he intended to meet for election funding, and most importantly, his next moves. Aksh spilled all the beans. And that’s how we reached this pivotal moment where Asha Devi and I deceived both, Aksh and your father. Asha Devi’s alliance with the NEP party is now inevitable, along with her potential future position as the state’s CM— a position both your father and Aksh have yearned for.”
I’m speechless with the turn of events. ‘Never disclose your secrets to others, for you never know who will harness them as weapons against you.’ That’s the very famous ‘Chanakya Neeti.’ Ayaan cunningly exploited Aksh’s greed for power and my father’s influence over Asha Devi, luring them into his web of manipulation to destroy everything that they both had built so far. With his intellect and cunning shrewdness surpassing all, Ayaan embodies the spirit of the Chanakya. Every move calculated, every plan meticulously crafted, outwitting his opponents and leaving no room for error. Ayaan’s brilliance outshines everything, making him the mastermind of the game, a modern-day Chanakya.
“Stop playing with my family,” I glower at Ayaan, but the moment I say this, Ayaan grabs my arms and pulls me to him, anger and annoyance spilling from his tone and expression.
“I am not playing with anything, Meher Walia. I’m just showing you how dysfunctional and selfish your family already is. That same family, for whom you have deceived me. That same family for whom you are standing today againstme,” he yells. “This is their reality.”
He points out towards Aksh, who is glaring at us.
“No matter how much you fight for them, they will always backstab you. Today Aksh has done it; the day isn’t far when your father will use you again as a pawn for his selfish gains. Open your eyes and face the reality, Meher. You don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve people like them who fail you at every step of life.”
“They failed me?” I scream, pushing him away. “And you? Didn’t you fail me, too, Ayaan Shergill?”
He looks perplexed as if unable to realise why I said this. Now, I don’t care if he doesn’t understand what he has done to me to say that.
“Just leave,” I bark. “Just let me be because I don’t expect anything from you now. Just get out.”
Ayaan fists his fingers, glaring at me.
“The need for power is a dangerous state of mind, Meher. Because this need keeps on intensifying and doesn’t end until the power is yours. The more you cling to it, the more you burn. Stay out of this before that fire consumes you.”
With that warning, Ayaan walks out. There’s chilling silence across the room until Vishnu enters and stands next to me, reminding me why I was here in the first place.
AYAAN
I still can’t get the image of Meher out of my head after revealing her cousin, Aksh’s true intentions to her today. A few hours have passed since I left the building where Aksh had called me to discuss my intentions of being on his side or not. Of course, he was a fool to think that I, Ayaan Shergill, would ever be on his side. He failed to realise that in my war against Pratap Walia, he was just a pawn I used to collapse the kingdom of the Walias. A few days ago, Krish discovered that Aksh had a secret meeting with members of the NEP party without Pratap Walia. This made me realise that Aksh’s intentions differed from what he had portrayed to his uncle. I had always suspected that Aksh had his own hidden agenda for following in his uncle’s footsteps. He wanted power! The power which Pratap Walia possessed.
But I never anticipated Meher’s presence at the building. While the outcome was in my favour, and I enjoyed exposing Aksh’s true self before her, I can’t help but wonder what prompted her to come there in the first place. I assume she had come to meet Aksh for another dramatic confrontation, as I could sense it from her mood when she entered that room. However, my presence with Aksh diverted her attention, and she unexpectedly uncovered a dark side of him that none of the Walias were aware of until that moment.
I still can’t shake the image of Meher’s pained and surprised expression when she learned the truth about Aksh. Aksh is her brother, and knowing he was secretly sabotaging her father’s political career is not an easy truth to accept. When the political tide rises, it has the power to both unite and divide. It even has the potential to turn your own kin against you. That’s precisely what happened with the Walias. Pratap Walia, who had taken his nephew under his wing, would never have imagined that the boy would one day betrayhimforhisthrone.! For power! For wanting to be the ruler and not being ruled!
There was a loud knock on my door, interrupting my thoughts. Krish barges in with his laptop, his expression indicating that he has made headway with the investigation he’s been conducting.
“What happened?” I ask as he enters the room.
