VR Tower — 7:00 A.M.
The boardroom lights were dim, but the tension was white hot.
Aarav walked in, every inch the CEO the world feared — crisp suit, calm fury in his gaze. Sara followed, elegance wrapped in poise, a tablet tucked beneath her arm. The click of her heels echoed like a countdown.
Aarav: "We begin in two minutes. Whoever isn't seated will watch from outside."
The directors scrambled. Dev connected the screen to the global feed — shareholders, investors, regional heads — all watching, all waiting.
Aarav didn't smile.
Aarav: "Last night, an external attempt was made to force-buy VR subsidiary shares.
We found the hand behind it."
He tapped the remote.
Name: Mahir Sinha.
Alias companies: Golden Wave Holdings, Orion Capitals, Parnell Limited.
Gasps rippled.
Aarav (steady): "The same man who nearly destroyed this company years ago.
He's trying again. He believes he can manipulate our weakness."
He looked up — eyes hard.
Aarav: "He forgot we don't have one."
Sara stepped forward before anyone could react.
Sara: "This dynasty doesn't bow.
We don't fight over percentages — we fight for people.
For every employee who built this company, every worker who stayed when the storms hit."
Her tone sliced through the room — calm, queenly, lethal.
Sara: "Today we invoke Clause 14B.
Ninety-day stewardship.
All internal votes frozen until the audit ends.
We don't negotiate with thieves."
The directors glanced at one another, but none dared object.
Even the most cynical among them recognized it: they were witnessing history.
Aarav turned toward Sara slightly, just enough for only her to hear.
Aarav (low): "You were made for this moment."
Sara (without looking away): "So were you."
He nodded once and faced the cameras.
Aarav: "Statement for the press:
VR Group remains stable, united, and untouchable.
Our partners will see transparency.
Our enemies will see consequences."
Dev signaled — broadcast off.
🔹 After the Meeting
The room emptied slowly. Dev lingered.
Dev: "The news will go public in twenty minutes. Mahir's accounts will freeze by noon. Legal wants your signature on the injunction."
Aarav: "Send it in."
When they were finally alone, Sara exhaled and leaned against the table edge.
Sara: "You didn't even blink through that speech."
Aarav (half-smile): "I was reading you. You made the room listen."
She tilted her head, teasing.
Sara: "I thought kings didn't share credit."
Aarav: "I'm not sharing. I'm acknowledging my queen."
She laughed softly — that rare sound that cut through all his edges.
He stepped closer until the space between them was a breath.
Aarav (quietly): "He'll retaliate. He always does."
Sara: "Let him. I've learned something from you — wolves don't chase rabbits. They hunt lions."
Aarav (smirk): "Then let the lion come."
🔹 12:00 P.M. — The Counterattack
The first wave came fast: anonymous media leaks.
Headlines exploded—
"VR Dynasty Faces Legal Investigation."
"Rathore Empire Built on Secrets?"
Sara scrolled through her phone, jaw tightening.
Sara: "He's playing perception."
Aarav: "He always did. But he underestimated one thing."
Sara: "Which is?"
Aarav (dark smile): "You."
He gestured to the camera setup near the window.
Aarav: "You have ten minutes. Speak to the world."
Sara blinked.
Sara: "Right now?"
Aarav: "Right now. While they're still confused."
She inhaled, straightened her shoulders, and faced the lens.
🔹 VR Press Broadcast — Sara Mehta Rathore
Sara (calm, poised):
"Good afternoon. You've heard rumors, seen headlines, but let me tell you something they don't print.
When you build something worth protecting, shadows appear.
And when you refuse to be scared, they call it arrogance."
"VR Dynasty isn't arrogance.
It's resilience — born from sleepless nights, honest work, and the belief that integrity still matters."
"So yes, there's a fight.
But it's not between companies.
It's between those who build… and those who steal."
She ended the recording with a steady smile.
🔹 Aftermath
Within an hour, social media erupted:
#QueenSaraRathore
#VRStandsTall
#PowerCoupleDynasty
Comments flooded in — admiration, awe, loyalty.
Aarav watched from the balcony, the city's noise like distant thunder.
Sara joined him, eyes still on the screen lighting up with praise.
Aarav (low, proud): "You just burned the internet."
Sara (smiling): "Correction — I lit a torch."
Aarav: "Then let them see it. Let them know we don't hide anymore."
He pulled her close, his chin resting atop her head, the empire sprawling before them like something they'd finally earned the right to own.
🔹 Later That Night
The email came at 11:42 P.M.
Subject: Let's finish what we started.
From: Mahir Sinha.
Aarav's eyes hardened.
Aarav: "He's not done."
Sara: "Neither are we."
He closed the laptop, met her gaze, and the storm behind his calm reignited.
Aarav (low): "Tomorrow we move first."