Bound By A Forgotten Signature.
1.
Author....🫶🏻
Hello readers..... As a writer I am still learning and improving, so I hope you'll join me on this journey and support me along the way.
Author....🫶🏻
Before you start reading, I would like to mention that this story is purely a work of fiction. All characters, events, places and situations are created for entertainment purposes. Please do not compare or relate them to real life people or incidents. This story may contain drama, emotions, romance, friendship, family conflicts and many unexpected twists.
Author....🫶🏻
This is also multi couple story which means the story will not revolve around just one couple. Along with the main leads, there will be several important characters, with their own journeys, struggles, relationships. Every couple will have a unique story to tell and each of them will play an important role in the overall plot.
Author....🫶🏻
I would love to hear your thoughts as you read. Your votes, comments and feedback mean a lot to me and motivate me to keep writing and improving.
Author....🫶🏻
So let's start this beautiful journey.....
The Private VIP floor of ST. Lorenzo International hospital was unusually silent. The soft sound of medical equipment echoed through the luxurious corridor while nurses moved carefully from one room to another. At the end of hallway stood a heavily guarded room. Not because a politician was inside. Not because a celebrity was being treated there. But because the man lying inside that room was one of the most respected and powerful businessman in Italy.
Raghavendra Sethi, the seventy eight-year-old man sat against the hospital bed instead of sleeping. The city lights shimmered outside the floor to ceiling windows. Yet his attention wasn't on the view. His gaze remained fixed on a single point. Lost. Thinking. Remembering.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I hope you still remember your promise.
Before he could continue his thoughts, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. Heavy. Controlled. Powerful. The guards outside instantly straightened. The atmosphere itself seemed to change. Everyone knew who was coming. The door slowly opened. First entered four Bodyguards.
Their eyes scanned every corner of the room before stepping aside. And then, Nevan Sethi entered. The sole heir of the Sethi Empire. The man who ruled half of Italy's business world and the darker world hidden beneath it. At thirty, Nevan carried himself like a king who had never learned how to smile. A black tailored shirt stretched perfectly across his broad shoulders. The first three buttons were open. Dark tattoos crawled from his neck toward his chest before disappearing beneath the fabric. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. Revealing intricate black tattoos wrapped around both hands.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(walked toward the bed) Dada ji.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(looked up and smiled faintly)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
There you are.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(pulled a chair and sat beside him)
Nevan Sethi/ML
(his eyes immediately moved toward the medical reports)
Nevan Sethi/ML
Your blood pressure dropped again. The doctor also said that you are having chest pain.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Doctors really like complaining to you.
Nevan Sethi/ML
They wouldn't need to if you listened.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I am old.
Nevan Sethi/ML
You are stubborn.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
You know, normal grandchildren ask their grandfathers how they are feeling.
Nevan Sethi/ML
And normal grandfathers don't ignore their medication.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I take them.
Nevan Sethi/ML
Half of them.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I take enough.
Nevan Sethi/ML
No, you don't. (said in a firm tone)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(shook his head) There it is again.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
That tone.
Nevan Sethi/ML
What tone? (leaned back on his chair)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
The one where you stop being my grandson and start acting like my father.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(looked away)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
There was a time when you used to smile.
Nevan Sethi/ML
There was also a time when people didn't lie. ❄️
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(sighed) You still blame the world for everything.
Nevan Sethi/ML
No, i simply stopped expecting anything from it.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(stared at him quietly)
Even after all these years, his grandson had never truly recovered. Not after his mother's death. Not after being forced into a world where weakness was punished. Not after becoming the man everyone feared.
Nevan Sethi/ML
I will go and speak with the doctor about your health and all the reports.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
You worry too much.
Nevan Sethi/ML
I have reasons to.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(expression softened) And who worries about you?
The question lingered in the room. Unanswered. Because neither of them knew the answer. After a long pause, the man stood up.
Nevan Sethi/ML
I'll speak with the doctor personally. You should rest. (stood up)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Fine. (nodded slowly)
Nevan Sethi/ML
I'll be back in an hour. (adjusted his cuffs)
Nevan Sethi/ML
(walked out of the room)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(stared at the closed door)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(a tired smile appeared on his face)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
He has become exactly what I feared.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(slowly reached for the phone placed beside his bed)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(fingers stopped over a particular contact)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
And now it's finally time.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(pressed the call button)
The phone started ringing. Once. Twice. Three times.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Pick up, child.
The call connected. A soft feminine voice came from the other side.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(closed his eyes and smile) Hello, child.
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2.
????
📱 (frowned slightly and pulled the phone away from her ear before checking the number)
????
📱 I am sorry sir. I don't think I recognize your voice. This is Dr. Aadhya Verma speaking.
Criminal Psychologist. Research Analyst. Columnist.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 May I know who is calling?
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 (a soft chuckle came from other side)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 So you really don't recognize me.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 I'm afraid I don't. (straightened in her chair)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 Child, five years ago, your father met with an accident.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 You were in Italy. You were crying outside a hospital. You were desperately searching for money to save your father's life.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(tightened her grip on the phone)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 And an old man approached you.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(eyes widened)
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 Wait...no way, you're...
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 Now you remember.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 Oh my god, it is really you, Mr. Sethi. How are you? Are you alright? Did something happen?
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 I need your help, child.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(expression became serious)
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 What happened?
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 My health is failing. But that is not why I called. There is something i should have told you years ago.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 What do you mean?
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 Do you remember I made you sign a contract paper.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 Yes. I remember. (whispered)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 I knew you would. (Smiled)
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 You told me there were two conditions.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 Yes.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 You said that in exchange for the money required for my father's operation, I would have to sign a contract.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 And the second condition, was that by signing those papers, i would legally become the wife of your grandson.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 Yes. That was the second condition.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(closed her eyes briefly)
Strangely, she had never forgotten. Not completely. There were days when she had convinced herself that it was just a desperate decision made during a difficult time.
But there were also nights when she had wondered. Who was he? What kind of person was he? Did he even know? Had he agreed to it? Or was he forced into it just like circumstances had forced her? For five years, those questions had never truly left her mind.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 You know something, i never considered myself unmarried. I know it sounds strange. But i signed those papers knowing exactly what they meant.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 I wasn't tricked. I wasn't unconscious you explained every clause before i signed. I was desperate to save my father. But i still knew what I was agreeing to.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 The truth is I never came looking for your grandson because I didn't think it was my place.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 If he wanted to meet me, he could. If you wanted to contact me, you could. So I focused on building my life. My career. My responsibilities. But that doesn't mean I forgot.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(a faint smile appeared on his face)
Exactly. This was why he had chosen her. Not because she was beautiful. Not because she was kind but because she understood responsibility.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 You've grown into an extraordinary woman, child.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 (chuckled) I don't know about extraordinary. But I am definitely curious. For five years I've technically been someone's wife. And yet I don't know his face. I don't know his voice. I don't even know whether he drinks coffee or tea.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 (laughed) Trust me, you know even less than that.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 Then maybe it's finally time to fix that.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 It is. Before my health gets worse, i want both of you to meet. I want no more secrets. I want no more unfinished stories.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 Alright, I'll come to Italy. But not because someone told me to. And not because of a contract. I'm coming because after five years, i think the man i married deserves the truth just as much as I do.
Aadhya Verma/FL
📱 You send me, the hospital details. And this time, i think we both have a lot to talk about.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
📱 Yes, we do.
The call ended. Raghavendra slowly lowered the phone. For the first time in years, hope appeared in his eyes.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Now let's see, Nevan.
Aadhya Verma/FL
Name- Aadhya Verma
Age- 26
Dr. Aadhya Verma was well known Criminal Psychologist, Research Analyst and Columnist whose work was respected across the country. At just twenty-six, she had built a name for herself through her intelligence, determination and ability to understand the darkest corners of the human mind. Standing at five feet tall with waist length black and brown mixture hair, expressive brown eyes, she was talkative, stubborn and unapologetically herself. Whether she was writing investigative articles, studying criminal behavior or arguing with people twice her size, Aadhya approached everything with passion.
Nevan Sethi/ML
Name- Nevan Sethi
Age- 30
Nevan Sethi was the sole heir to the Sethi Empire, a man whose name carried power, influence and fear in equal measure. Standing at six foot one with a commanding presence sharp features and tattoos stretching across his skin, he was impossible to ignore. While the world knew him as a billionaire businessman, only a handful of people knew the truth, he was also the head of one of the most powerful mafia syndicates operating across Italy. To his enemies, he was a storm waiting to be unleashed. And to the people who truly knew him, he was simply a man who had spent years building walls around a heart that had forgotten how to heal. But behind the carefully built walls was someone carrying loneliness, grief and scars that no one had ever been allowed to see.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Name- Raghavendra Sethi
Age- 78
Raghavendra Sethi was the Patriarch of the Sethi and the man who had built the foundation of the empire his family now ruled. Wise, respected and fiercely protective of the people he loved, he carried decades of experience behind his calm smile.
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3.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
So the game finally begins.
Just then, the door opened. Nevan entered first, followed by the doctors. Behind them came Nevan's father, Arjun Sethi, a man whose calm nature balanced the storm that existed inside his eldest son. Alongside him walked Nevan's younger brother, Vihaan Sethi. Unlike Nevan, Vihaan carried warmth in his smile and mischief in his eyes.
The doctors approached the bed.
Doctors
Mr. Sethi, we'll run a few final checks.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(nodded)
The doctor checked his blood pressure while another reviewed the reports. Several minutes passed in silence. Finally, senior doctor looked at the family.
Doctors
The good news is that his heart condition is stable, but the heart is still weak because of the hole in it.
Doctors
His blood pressure remains lower than we'd like.
Doctors
So surgery is not advisable right now.
Arjun Sethi/ ML Father
What exactly does that mean, Doctor?
Doctors
It means we need to strengthen him first. If we operate immediately, the risks will be significantly higher.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(jaw tightened) How long?
Doctors
Two or three weeks. Possibly longer depending on his response.
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
Dada ji, see, we told you to take care of yourself and to stop sneaking sweets, but you didn't listen to us.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I take care of myself, you guys just don't notIce it. And i don't eat that much sweet stuff.
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
But I saw that two days ago you ate six sweets.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I ate one.
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
You ate six.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
It was one.
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
It was six.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
It was one.
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
It was six.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(pinched the bridge of his nose) You both are impossible.
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
(grinned) See, Dad, he says we're impossible.
Arjun Sethi/ ML Father
(chuckled) That's because you are.
Doctors
(handed the reports to Nevan) Continue the medications. No stress. No unhealthy food. And proper rest.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(immediately looked away)
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
That face.
Arjun Sethi/ ML Father
(nodded) That's the face of someone who's already planning to break all four rules.
Doctors
We'll check on him again tomorrow. (said and left from there)
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
(dropped into a chair) You know, dadji, you scared everyone.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I wasn't going anywhere. There are still things left for me to see.
Arjun Sethi/ ML Father
Father...
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
I mean it.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(gaze settled on Nevan) I still have to see my grandson's wedding.
The room immediately became still.
Nevan Sethi/ML
There won't be any wedding.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(raised an eyebrow) Oh?
Nevan Sethi/ML
No. I have no intention of getting married.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
You say that every year.
Nevan Sethi/ML
And every year I mean it.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(shook his head) Life doesn't always care about our intentions.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
That's the problem.
Nevan Sethi/ML
I have responsibilities. I have work. I have people depending on me. A wife does not fit into any of those plans.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
You speak as if marriage is a burden.
Nevan Sethi/ML
I speak as if it is unnecessary.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Nothing is unnecessary if it gives you a reason to come home.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(looked away)
For the first time, nobody argued. Because everyone in that room understood what Raghavendra was really saying. Nevan had everything. Power. Money. Influence. Respect. But when the day ended. He returned to an empty house.
Arjun Sethi/ ML Father
Your grandfather is not entirely wrong.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(looked at his father) You too?
Arjun Sethi/ ML Father
I am only saying that there is more to life than business. This is more to life than empires. There is more to life than carrying everything alone.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(jaw tightened)
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
(quietly looked down)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(smiled sadly) That is exactly what worries me.
The room become silent again. A silence filled with words nobody wanted to say. A silence filled with fears nobody wanted to admit. After a long moment....
Nevan Sethi/ML
(checked his watch) You should rest.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(nodded) Fine. And you?
Nevan Sethi/ML
I have meetings.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Of course you do. Go.
Nevan Sethi/ML
(gave a short nod and left from there)
Arjun Sethi/ ML Father
(also left behind him)
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
(stood up) Good night, Dada ji.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
Good night, son.
Vihaan Sethi/ ML Brother
(left from there)
The door closed. Raghavendra remained alone in the room.
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(his eyes moved toward the phone resting beside him)
Raghavendra Sethi/ML Grandfather
(a small smile slowly appeared on his face)
If only they knew, the wedding Nevan refused to discuss had already happened five years ago. And very soon, the truth would Walk through the doors of the Sethi family.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(slowly placed her phone on the desk)
For several moments, Aadhya simply stared at the dark screen. A husband. A contract. Italy. Five years. The words kept circling inside her mind.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(a sigh escaped her lips)
Aadhya Verma/FL
This is definitely not how I thought my week would go.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(leaned back in her chair)
The city lights glittered beyond the large glass windows of her office. Normally she would have continued thinking about the phone call. About the mysterious man she was apparently married to. About the questions waiting for her in Italy. But years of working as a psychologist had taught her something important.
When emotions became too loud, work became the best distraction.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(turned toward her laptop)
Several tabs were already open. Research papers. Case studies. Interview notes. Survey responses.
And in the center of the screen sat the title of the article she had been working on for the past week.
"The Silent Weight Of Expectations: When Women Are Asked To Endure Everything."
Aadhya Verma/FL
(rested her chin against her palm)
As Aadhya reread the title dozens of stories came to mind. Women who were told to stay silent. Women who were told to adjust. Women who were expected to carry responsibilities without complaint. Daughters. Wives. Mothers. Professionals. The expectations changed. The pressure remained the same.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(her fingers moved across the keyboard and start typing)
Aadhya Verma/FL
"As a society, we often praise endurance as a virtue, while resilience is important, there is a difference between strength and silent suffering. No individual should be expected to tolerate emotional neglect, unfair treatment, or constant pressure simply to meet the expectations of others."
This wasn't just research. This was reality. Over the years, she had listened to hundreds of people. Victims. Families. Survivors. And one thing had become painfully clear. Many people were suffering simply because they believed they had no right to say no.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(her fingers continued typing)
Aadhya Verma/FL
"Support should never be mistaken for sacrifice. Love should never require the loss of self respect. And responsibility should never become a burden carried by only one person."
Aadhya Verma/FL
(a small smile appeared on her face)
This was why she loved writing. Because sometimes a well written article could reach people that therapy sessions never could.
Aadhya Verma/FL
(saved the document)
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