Ajay was about to step out of the mansion when his mother's voice stopped him.
"Ajay, wait."
He turned, his expression unreadable. "What is it, Mother?"
Mrs. Devgan hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Your father is upstairs. He wants to talk to you."
Ajay's brows furrowed slightly. His father rarely called for him unless it was something serious. Without another word, he nodded and made his way upstairs.
The study door was slightly ajar, and as he stepped inside, he saw his father, Mr. Rajveer Devgan, standing near the window, his hands clasped behind his back. The dim afternoon light cast long shadows across the room, making the atmosphere feel heavier than usual.
"Father," Ajay greeted, keeping his tone neutral.
Rajveer turned around, his sharp gaze locking onto his son. "Ajay, sit."
Ajay moved to one of the chairs in front of the grand mahogany desk but didn't relax. Something was off. His father was rarely hesitant, but now, he looked like a man carrying a weight too heavy for his shoulders.
"How's the company?" Rajveer asked, his voice steady but lacking its usual sharpness.
Ajay didn't immediately answer. His father wasn't one for small talk, which meant this conversation had a deeper purpose. "The company is stable. We've secured new deals with Swiss partners, and expansion plans are on track."
Rajveer nodded, seemingly satisfied, but his posture remained tense.
Then, there was silence.
Ajay wasn't a patient man. "You didn't call me here to ask about the company, did you?"
His father exhaled heavily, walking over to his desk. He sat down, fingers tapping against the wooden surface.
"No. There's something else."
Ajay leaned forward slightly. "Then say it."
Rajveer's fingers stopped tapping. He looked straight into his son's eyes. "Ajay… you have an older brother."
Ajay froze. For the first time in a long while, he was genuinely shocked.
"What?" His voice was calm, but there was an undeniable edge to it.
His father's expression remained serious. "Before I married your mother, I had a girlfriend."
Ajay's hands clenched. He had never heard this before. His father, who always upheld the family's honor and traditions, had been in love with someone else?
Rajveer leaned back in his chair, his eyes clouded with memories. "Her name was Kulfi."
Ajay remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"I loved her," Rajveer admitted. "Truly, deeply. But my family… they didn't approve. They said she wasn't good enough, that she didn't come from the right background. They pressured me, manipulated me, and did everything they could to separate us."
Ajay had never seen his father like this before—vulnerable.
"What did they do?" he asked, his voice quieter than before.
Rajveer let out a bitter chuckle. "They threatened her. They used their power to make her life unbearable. And when that didn't work, they turned to me. They forced me to choose between her and the family. I was young, and I was afraid of defying them. So, I did the only thing I could."
Ajay's jaw tightened. "You broke up with her."
Rajveer nodded. "I had to be cruel. I told her I never loved her, that she was just a passing phase. I made her hate me." His voice dropped lower. "I thought I was protecting her."
Ajay stared at his father, his mind racing. "And then what?"
"I married your mother. And Kulfi disappeared from my life."
Ajay exhaled sharply, trying to process this new information. "And my brother?"
Rajveer's face darkened. "I didn't know she was pregnant. She never told me." He looked away. "If I had known, I wouldn't have left her like that."
Ajay felt a strange sensation in his chest—an emotion he couldn't quite define. He had always known his father as a powerful, almost invincible man. But now, he saw a different side of him. A man who had loved, lost, and perhaps regretted his past choices.
"Why are you telling me this now?" Ajay finally asked.
His father sighed, rubbing his temples. "Because he's not just some lost relative. He's been targeting our family."
Ajay's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Rajveer looked straight at him. "Do you remember all the trouble the company had before I handed it over to you?"
Ajay stiffened. Of course, he remembered. The financial attacks, the sabotage, the near-collapse of several major deals. It had taken everything in him to stabilize the company.
"That was him," Rajveer confirmed. "Your brother."
Ajay's mind reeled. He had always assumed those attacks were from business rivals, not from someone with a personal vendetta.
"He thinks I abandoned him and his mother," Rajveer continued. "He thinks I used his mother and discarded her like she was nothing." His voice was laced with guilt. "But I swear, Ajay, I didn't know she was carrying my child."
Ajay remained silent, trying to absorb everything. He had an older brother. A brother who hated their father. A brother who had already tried to destroy them once.
"What's his name?" Ajay asked, his voice steady.
Rajveer hesitated for a moment before answering. "His name is Karan."
Ajay repeated the name in his mind. Karan.
The room fell into silence once more.
Ajay finally spoke, his voice cold and determined. "Does he know about me?"
Rajveer nodded. "Yes. And I believe he sees you as nothing more than an extension of me. Another obstacle in his path."
Ajay smirked, though there was no humor in it. "Then he'll be in for a surprise."
Rajveer studied his son carefully. "Ajay, I don't want this to turn into a war. He's your brother."
Ajay met his father's gaze with an icy determination. "He declared war first."
Rajveer sighed. "I know. That's why I'm telling you now. So you're prepared."
Ajay stood up, his mind already working through possible scenarios. "I'll handle it."
His father looked at him, something unspoken passing between them. Then, he gave a small nod. "Be careful."
Ajay turned to leave, but before stepping out, he paused. "Father."
Rajveer looked up.
Ajay's expression was unreadable. "Do you regret it?"
Rajveer didn't answer immediately. He looked down at his hands, then back at Ajay. "Some choices can never be undone, son."
That was all he said.
Ajay nodded slowly, then walked out, his mind already planning his next move.
He had a brother. A brother who wanted to destroy everything he had built.
But Ajay Devgan wasn't the type to lose.
And if Karan wanted a fight—he would get one.