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Third pov:

While most of the city was fast asleep, the night was just getting started at a high-end nightclub tucked away in one of Chennai's poshest streets. Neon lights flashed against dark walls, music thumped loud enough to make hearts race, and the air was thick with perfume, alcohol, and the heat of reckless desire.

Ajay was leaning in to kiss Reena when the harsh ring of his phone cut through the atmosphere. He pulled away from her with a frustrated growl, his eyes narrowing at the screen.

"Who the hell is calling me at this hour?" he muttered with annoyance.

Reena pouted, trying to pull him back to her. "Don't be so grumpy, baby," she cooed, but Ajay was already walking away, phone pressed to his ear.

He snapped into the call, "What's the emergency? Can't it wait?!" he growled, rubbing his fingers through his hair, clearly agitated.

Ajay's eyes narrowed, a slow smirk curling on his lips as he heard the news. Rajendhran, had collapsed, and the rest of the family had rushed him to the hospital. The satisfaction in Ajay's expression was chilling.

With a dismissive gesture, Ajay ended the call, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes.

Reena, blinked and looked at him with concern. "What happened, baby?" Her voice was soft, but there was an eagerness in her eyes that only fueled Ajay's ego more.

Ajay's smirk widened, and he leaned in close, "My so-called father fainted and got admitted to the hospital, Doesn't matter. He's not going to make it," he said with cold confidence.

Reena's eyebrows arched in surprise. "But... Ajay, you don't think you should... wait a little? I mean, we should let Yamuna aunty know..."

Ajay stepped closer to her, his fingers wrapping around her throat in a warning gesture. The light in his eyes flickered dangerously as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I don't want to tell my mother anything, Reena. Not a word. She'll be thrilled if she knows I've finally dealt with that man. Besides, he's not even my real father." He said it like it was an afterthought, as if the revelation meant nothing to him. "Killing him will clear the path for me to claim the assets easily. It's perfect, don't you think?"

"I just... don't want you to get caught," she whispered, her fingers subconsciously brushing over her stomach, the secret she carried pressing heavier than ever.

Ajay released her with a smirk, brushing her hair off her face like he was taming a pet.

"I won't," he said simply. "Because I don't make mistakes."

She nodded—not out of agreement, but because words failed her. She was no longer just intoxicated by his darkness. She was trapped in it.

And he hadn't even realized the storm she was carrying inside.

The sterile white lights of the hospital corridor buzzed faintly above, their flickering glow casting tired shadows on the cold floor. 

Vishnu paced back and forth restlessly, phone clutched to his ear.

"Pick up, da! Dei Rudhran! Answer the damn phone!" he growled, voice thick with frustration and fear. He yanked the phone away from his ear and cursed under his breath. "Damn idiot..."

Behind him, Sathyan sat slumped on a steel chair against the wall, palms pressed together in a silent prayer, his face pale, aged a decade in a single hour. Next to him, Aaradhya sat silently, her dupatta clenched tightly in her fingers. Her eyes were swollen with tears, lips moving in desperate whispers.

"Muruga... please..." she whispered shakily, gaze fixed toward the closed emergency room doors. "Save him... please..."

But her prayers were split—between a man fighting for his life inside that room... and another one who had walked away moments ago, wounded and raging.