Page 128 of Lawfully Yours

“Shouldn’t Kushal be here too?” she asked, too quickly.

“Yes, but he’s in court. He had two hearings scheduled today. I didn’t want to pull him out. So, it’s just you and me instead.”

She nodded slowly, though her thoughts had already started to betray her. Last night’s memory bled into her mind…Kushal at her door, exhausted and brazen, slipping under her duvet like he belonged there. Like he never left. The warmth of his arms, the way he’d breathed her name against her neck as sleep finally claimed him. How could he still affect her like this? One night, he’d said in Dalhousie. And ever since then, it had been four nights of sleeping beside her, and somehow, it had rearranged her whole emotional landscape.

She blinked herself back into the present only to find Uncle watching her.

“I also tried calling your landline this morning,” he said, tone casual. “Wanted you to bring in the Mehra divorce case file, the one you’d taken home to prepare the asset tracing and alimony brief.”

“Oh,” Arundhati said, straightening. “I’d already left by then. But if it’s urgent, I’ll have someone send it over.”

“That’s not the point,” he grinned, leaning back. “Your house help answered. She said when she came home today to work, Kushal was there. Leaving. In his night clothes.”

Arundhati’s face flushed instantly. “I—Uh—”

“I’m not interrogating you, Aru,” Raj said quickly, chuckling. “Relax. I’m just saying… I’m happy. Maybe this means something.”

She looked away, mortified but unable to argue. Of course, her uncle would know. He’d practically installed that house help like a guardian angel when Arundhati moved out after the separation. A way to keep tabs without intruding. And now, thanks to that ‘angel’, her secret wasn’t so secret anymore.

“He just showed up,” she said, flustered. “I didn’t invite him. And I—nothing happened.”

Raj interrupted gently. “I’m not asking what happened. I’m just saying… it gives me hope. That’s all.”

A knock at the door saved her from answering. One of the assistants peeked in. “The media is ready, sir. They’re waiting.”

Raj stood and straightened his blazer. “Come on. We’ll tackle this first. The rest… We’ll figure out later.”

She followed him out the door, but the flutter of unease refused to settle. Once people learned that she and Kushal, who were on the brink of divorce, were still spending nights under the same roof, the shock wouldn’t just belong to her uncle. Others would react the same. And honestly, who could blame them? Because the truth was, whatever existed between her and Kushal now… it was anything but simple.

****************

The Press Meet

The room was packed. Flashes exploded in bursts across the conference hall as the team from Verma & Associates took their seats at the long oak table. Journalists from every major outlet were present here.

Everyone wanted updates on Anant and Sadhna’s high-profile divorce, including the fallout from the Noyonika fiasco, a scandal that had nearly derailed Anant’s case.

It was only because of Kushal and Arundhati, who had personally flown to Dalhousie to confront Noyonika, that they could expose the lie she’d built to get some limelight for her career.

The moment Raj raised his hand, silence fell. The cameras clicked. The live feeds rolled.

“Thank you all for coming. We’ll keep this brief. As you know, Verma & Associates represents Mr. Anant Mukherjee in the ongoing divorce proceedings with Mrs. Sadhna Mukherjee. There has been significant speculation, especially following the recent claims made by Ms. Noyonika Talwar. We’d like toformally state that Ms. Talwar’s claims alleging an ongoing relationship with Mr. Anant post his marriage to Mrs. Sadhna, and of alleged abuse, are entirely baseless. Her motivations in doing so were driven by a desire for fame and media attention to kickstart her own career. In fact, Ms. Talwar has signed a statement retracting her claims, admitting that they were made under false pretences and influenced by external motivations. The legal team of Verma & Associates, led by Kushal and Arundhati Nair, who are representing Mr. Mukherjee in his divorce proceedings, have documented all the evidence, which will be formally submitted to the court.”

A few murmurs rippled across the press bench.

One reporter fromThe Weekly Journalleaned forward. “There are whispers that Kamya Bakshi, the CEO of a well-known tech company and a long-standing name in the business circuit, is somehow connected to all this. Can you confirm whether she is involved?”

Arundhati took the mic smoothly.

“Yes, she is involved. Ms. Noyonika herself has signed the confession that she was influenced and supported by her friend Ms. Kamya Bakshi, who, as many of you know, has been a long-standing client of our firm.”

That got their attention.

“We’ve reviewed internal clauses that Kamya’s company agreed to at the time of our engagement,” she continued. “By directly involving herself in a fabricated scandal that damaged another client’s public standing and legal position, she breached multiple ethical and contractual conditions.”

Raj took over again. “Which is why we have initiated immediate termination of all legal assistance to Kamya Bakshi and her affiliated ventures. We’re also initiating legal steps to ensure her role in the defamation is presented before the court.”

Hands shot up, cameras clicked. The floodgates had opened.