Bastard Child

Rim continued, her voice calm yet resolute. "I know this may not seem unusual or alarming to you, but trust me-it is. The girl Grandpa has chosen for your marriage is a senior high school student-just seventeen years old. Her family background is unremarkable."

Sharvik's gaze darkened, his eyes deepening with unspoken thoughts. A storm of questions brewed in his mind, but he remained silent. He preferred to seek answers in his own way.

Rim pressed on, urgency slipping into her tone. "Brother, you need to come to Delhi immediately and stop this. If Grandpa pushes any further, I fear you'll be left with no choice but to sacrifice yourself for the family's honor and marry a minor. I can't bear the thought of people mistaking your wife for your daughter when you walk beside her."

Rarely did she speak so openly with Sharvik-his cold, composed nature made such conversations difficult. Yet, she deeply admired him.

She simply could not accept the idea of her brother marrying a girl who was not only underage but also from a background too fragile for their world.

Not out of arrogance-never that.

But in their world, weakness was not shielded; it was crushed.

Rim wanted her brother's wife to be his strength, not his vulnerability. And in her eyes, Surbhi was precisely that-a weakness. A minor girl, fatherless, from a modest business family that their society could erase with a single breath.

Sharvik's silence was beginning to unnerve her. She had traveled all this way to make him understand, yet he showed no reaction, no glimpse of what he truly felt.

Determined, she retrieved her phone, tapped on the screen, and silently held it out to him.

Sharvik glanced at it. Displayed before him was an image of a young girl, walking down the roadside in a Delhi Public School uniform-graceful in her simplicity.

Rim's voice dropped, but its edge remained. "This is the girl Grandpa has chosen for you. She's undeniably beautiful, but far too young. Tell me, will you really marry her?"

Sharvik studied the image silently. Whatever thoughts stirred within him were impossible to read, but the intensity in his eyes unsettled Rim.

Never before had she seen him look at a woman's photo for so long. Yet now, he lingered, his expression unreadable.

Finally, he looked away and spoke. "Go home."

His voice was calm and firm-yet frigid, like the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas.

Rim nodded, offering no protest, and turned to leave. On her way out, she handed Sharvik's overcoat to Kapil. Defying her brother was never an option, nor did she care for the business exhibition.

As she departed, high-profile politicians and corporate giants began approaching Sharvik with greetings.

Without turning to them, he said to his assistant, "I want every detail about her on my desk within two hours."

Kapil inclined his head. "Understood, Boss."

As Sharvik moved toward the presentation area, weaving effortlessly through the circle of elites, Kapil got to work.

He, too, was intrigued.

What was so exceptional about this girl that Anand Singhania-the cunning old fox-had chosen her for his formidable boss?

Delhi Public School

The moment Surbhi stepped into the school, a hush fell over the corridor. Whispers spread like wildfire as curious eyes followed her every move.

Everyone had heard the news-Surbhi's marriage had been arranged with Sharvik Singhania. His name alone was enough to make her the center of attention. Now, every student was stealing glances and murmuring among themselves.

Unfazed by the stares and hushed voices, Surbhi walked toward her classroom with quiet indifference.

Upon entering, she moved to the last row and took the corner seat. She placed her backpack on the desk, unzipped it, and retrieved a strip of sleeping pills. Without hesitation, she took out ten pills and chewed them dry-like a habit she'd long grown used to.

A few students watched her, spellbound. Surbhi wasn't like anyone else-not just in demeanor, but in the aura she carried. And now, being associated with the most powerful man in the world only deepened the enigma.

After taking the pills, she lowered her head, closed her eyes, and slipped into stillness-as though she hadn't come to study, but to escape.

Her behavior no longer surprised anyone. For the past three days, she had followed the same pattern-arriving at school, consuming pills, and retreating into silence. She formed no friendships, courted no enemies. Even among a crowd, her presence felt ghostlike.

What baffled them most wasn't just her detachment-but the fact that no teacher dared question her. Even the principal remained indifferent.

Initially, students found it strange, but soon they attributed the silence around her to Sharvik Singhania's influence.

After a while, her deskmate, Riya, arrived-a quiet girl with thick glasses, timid yet kind.

She hesitated, then gently tapped Surbhi's shoulder.

"Surbhi, there's a weekly physics test today. Don't fall asleep. The paper will start soon."

Surbhi turned her gaze to Riya-lethargic yet perceptive. Unlike the rest who viewed her as cold, Riya always approached her with warmth.

In a languid tone, Surbhi murmured, "Let me know when it starts."

Riya nodded. "Alright."

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed across the desk as someone slammed their palm on it. Riya flinched, her book falling to the floor.

Surbhi lifted her heavy eyelids slowly, her gaze sharp.

Standing before her was Vyoma-the notorious leader of the school's elite clique. Backed by a powerful family, she was used to ruling through fear.

Riya was stunned by the confrontation. What was Vyoma doing here? Why so hostile?

Surbhi's voice, soft yet cutting, broke the silence.

"I don't take kindly to anyone disturbing my sleep."

Vyoma folded her arms, sneering.

"So, you're the unfortunate girl everyone's whispering about. Let me make something clear, you low-class nobody-this isn't your father's estate where you can waltz in and do as you please. That man you think you'll marry? He belongs to my family. My aunt will be the one beside him, not you. Do yourself a favor-refuse the marriage. Or else, my family will erase the Mehta name from existence."

Surbhi didn't reply.

But something in her gaze shifted. The lethargy vanished, replaced by an eerie calm-laced with something far more dangerous.

She looked at Vyoma as though she were already watching her downfall.

Vyoma, mistaking silence for submission, smirked and leaned in.

"What's wrong? Are you angry? Do you want to hit me?"

She paused, then laughed.

"Oh, I get it-you're upset because I mentioned your father. My apologies. If this school belonged to your father, you wouldn't recognize him anyway. After all, how could a bastard like you know who her father is?"

A chilling stillness fell across the room.

The next moment, Surbhi stood. Her chair clattered to the floor.

For the first time, her classmates saw true emotion on her face-cold, seething fury.

Her once lifeless eyes now burned with a terrifying intensity.

"Move," she commanded.

Riya gripped her wrist, pleading, "Surbhi, please... she's from the Khurana family. If you hurt her, they won't spare yours. Don't get entangled in this..."

"I said, move aside."

Her voice was sharp, glacial. The room fell silent. Riya stepped back, tears in her eyes.

Surbhi walked forward, her intent as unwavering as Vyoma's. But before she could get too close-

An unseen force struck.

Vyoma flew through the air like a broken kite, crashing against the wall with a pained scream. The sound echoed through the halls. Students rushed to the scene.

A crowd of Class 12 students gathered. All eyes shifted toward the cause of the commotion.

Through the haze of cigarette smoke, a boy appeared-handsome, nonchalant, a cigarette hanging from his lips. His eyes brimmed with cruelty and arrogance.

A girl from Vyoma's group dared confront him.

"Sumit, what is this behavior? She's a girl. Don't you have any shame?"

Sumit exhaled a cloud of smoke, a wicked smile curling his lips.

"Shame? I just crushed a snake. Shouldn't I be proud? And besides, I don't discriminate-I treat boys and girls the same."

The crowd fell silent. Even the brave girl backed down.

Sumit's reputation preceded him-his family had deep underworld ties. Students, teachers-none dared cross him. He was, without question, the most feared boy in Delhi.

He pointed at Vyoma and sneered.

"Take this snake away. Her face makes me nauseous."

Vyoma's group scrambled to help her to the dispensary, her body trembling from the impact.

Then, Sumit turned his gaze to Surbhi, who stood calmly by Riya's desk.

"Three days," he said, his tone sharp. "You've been at this school for three days, Surbhi. And yet you didn't tell me. That's not like you. I never hide anything from you. But you... you've hidden so much from me."

____________________________

What happens next?

How does Sumit know Surbhi?

Will Kapil uncover her truth?

What decision will Sharvik make?

To know more...

To be continued...

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