Chandrika snaps into action like a storm breaking—voice slicing the air:
“Tum sab, jaldi! Har kone ki talashi karo—kamre, corridors, garden, sab jagah!” Servants bolt in every direction, doors banging open, drawers yanked, cushions flipped, the whole house turning into a frantic warzone. Vasudha dives right in too, pulse racing, no clue the trap’s jaws are inching her way. She’s poking around corners, calling out, when—bingo—she spots Dev’s laptop half-hidden by the poolside bushes. “Yahan hai!” she hollers, waving it high. Family piles in fast—Dev first, eyes lighting up, Chandrika close behind, all breaths catching on hope.
That high? Shattered in a heartbeat. Laptop ain’t just found—it’s drowned, fully submerged in the shimmering pool water, screen dark and dead, bubbles still popping faint from its grave. Tender deadline? Ticking down merciless, company’s lifeline glugging away. Chandrika’s face twists volcanic: “Kaun hai yeh bewakoof? Laptop churaya aur pool mein phenk diya? Yeh company ke saath khel hai—dangerous tamasha!” Her glare sweeps the crowd, promising hell to whoever’s caught.
Enter Nandini, cool as a blade—steps forward, lets the bomb rip: “Maine khud dekha, laptop churane wali ko.” Dev whips around, desperate: “Batao, kaun?” No flinch—she jabs her finger dead at Vasudha. “Yeh! Churaya, aur seedha pool mein udhaar diya.” Silence explodes into chaos—gasps, whispers turning shouts. Dev’s world tilts, staring at Vasudha like she’s a ghost he don’t know, betrayal carving his chest. Chandrika’s fury cools to dagger disappointment: “Vasudha, sach? Tune yeh kiya?” Vasudha reels, mouth gaping—brain short-circuiting: Nandini, why? Her eyes dart frantic to Avinash, who’s rigid as board, sweat beading his forehead, guilt leaking from every tense muscle.
But peel back the layers—this mess runs murky deep. Vasudha ain’t the villain; she’s been Avinash’s secret shield. Found out Karishma’s blackmail vise crushing him, twisting threats into knives aimed at the family core. Vasudha’s played quiet fixer—covering tracks, whispering strategies, all to block that poison from flooding their lives. Pure loyalty, no spotlight chase. Problem? Her stealth now spotlights her guilty—sudden poolside “find,” hushed talks with Avinash, silence where screams should be. To the room, she screams frame-job perfect.
Dev’s crumbling—confusion wars with hurt, voice cracking: “Vasudha, how? Why?” He’s seeing plots where there was trust, heart splintering. Chandrika circles like a hawk: “Batao na, kya irada tha? Company ko dubo dena chahti thi?” Nandini lounges back, chaos her crown, eyes glinting triumph. Avinash? Gut-roiled storm inside—fear of Karishma’s claws mixing guilt tsunami for dragging innocent Vasudha under. His mess snowballed, now burying her alive. One wrong word from him, and dominoes crash full—family implodes, secrets spill bloody.
Air thickens toxic—eyes dart accusations, bonds fraying thread by thread. Who folds first, spills the real rot? Avinash’s dam breaks, or Nandini twists the knife deeper? Cliffhanger chokes: Vasudha’s fightback, or total Bajaj meltdown? Long enough now? Crank Vasudha’s defense lines?
