Page 1 of Lawfully Yours
Prologue
Verma & Associates Law Firm - Delhi
Seated at her mahogany desk, 32-year-old Arundhati Nair, one of the topmost Divorce lawyers in the country, exhaled sharply as she watched the breaking news on the television screen.
“Bollywood producer Anant Mukherjee accused of mental torture by wife Sadhna Mukherjee! The TV actress demands an exorbitant alimony as their marriage collapses in scandal!”
This news had gripped social media for days. A montage of clips flashed—Sadhna’s teary-eyed statement to the press, a dramatic slow-motion shot of her exiting a high-end restaurant, flanked by her PR team, looking every bit the wronged woman.
“Sources close to the actress claim that Anant Mukherjee subjected her to years of emotional neglect and manipulation. In an exclusive statement, Sadhna reveals: ‘I was trapped in a loveless marriage. I suffered in silence. But not anymore.’”
A flurry of celebrity reactions filled the screen. Some in Sadhna’s favour, calling her ‘brave’ for speaking out. Others condemned her for exploiting the system. A few industry bigwigs stayed neutral, choosing diplomacy over controversy.
“Will Anant Mukherjee fight back? Or will he cave under the weight of public scrutiny?”
The screen cut to a clip of paparazzi swarming Anant’s car outside his production house yesterday, cameras flashing, mics shoved forward.
“Mr. Mukherjee, is it true you mentally tortured your wife? Do you have any response to the allegations?”
Anant’s face was tight-lipped as he got into his car and drove away. This footage of his silence only fuelled the narrative against him, which had been playing on almost every news channel.
With a flick of her manicured fingers, Arundhati muted the television, plunging the room into an eerie silence. She leaned back, crossing one long leg over the other, her crisp ivory blazer cinched at the waist, accentuating her toned figure. Beneath it, a silk emerald-green shirt peeked through, the colour rich against her sun-kissed skin. Thinking briefly, she touched the delicate yet sharp-cut diamond pendant that rested at the base of her throat.
Arundhati Nair, with a mind as lethal as her stilettos, had carved her place in the male-dominated legal world. She was the kind of woman who could dismantle an opponent with words alone. In short… she was a hurricane wrapped in elegance.
Anant Mukherjee, with his sister Divya, sat across from her, looking anything but calm. Divya was equally frustrated with the never-ending ruckus her sister-in-law, Sadhna, had created in the name of divorce.
Arundhati tapped a perfectly manicured nail against the desk and finally spoke.
“Anant, don’t let this media circus get to you. It’s all noise. And noise fades.”
He looked up, barely concealing his frustration.
“Noise?” His chuckle was hollow. “Sadhna is dragging my name through the mud. She’s making me out to be some kind of monster while demanding a fortune in alimony. Do you have any idea what this is doing to my reputation?”
“I know exactly what it’s doing,” she replied, unimpressed. “Which is why we’ll dismantle her claims, one fabricated allegation at a time.”
Divya leaned forward. “Arundhati, you have to help him. You know he’s innocent.”
Arundhati sighed, glancing at her friend. She and Divya had known each other for years, but in this room, she wasn’t just a friend; she was a lawyer.
“Sadhna isn’t just asking for a divorce,” Arundhati continued, turning her gaze back to the muted television screen. “She’s playing a game. And she’s betting that you’ll fold.”
Anant clenched his jaw. “I won’t.”
Good.
“Then let’s begin,” she said, straightening in her chair. “We won’t just fight back, Anant. We’ll make sure she regrets ever playing dirty. Your wife may have thrown out an outrageous alimony demand, but she won’t see a single rupee she doesn’t deserve. I’ll be handling this personally, ensuring her deception is laid bare in the court.”
Anant leaned forward. “I have full faith in Verma & Associates,” he admitted. “But I’ll only be assured if Kushal Nair works on this case personally.”
The name hit the room hard. Silence stretched, but Arundhati did not flinch.
Advocacy was in her blood.
Her parents had been brilliant lawyers, revered in their time. But their time had been cut short. She had been too young when fate had ripped them away, leaving her orphaned in a world that thrived on power and strategy.
But she had never been alone.
