Page 39 of Lawfully Yours
Maanya’s smirk deepened, but she said nothing. Sadhna, however, bristled.
“Oh, really? Then what about the accusations you and your firm have made against me? That I manipulated financial records? That I fabricated scandals? You want to talk about truth?”
Arundhati, who had been quietly assessing every move, leaned in now.
“And even those will be proven in court, Sadhna,” she said. “But you already knew that. Which is why you didn’t just come here to ‘talk.’ You came with a plan.”
“I didn’t come here with any plan. I just wanted to speak to Anant.” Sadhna gritted her teeth.
“If that’s so, then let’s stop running in circles and get to the real reason you asked Anant to meet you,” Arundhati said, leaning back again to hear her out.
Sadhna glanced at Maanya once. It was subtle, just a quick exchange of looks, but both Kushal and Arundhati caught it. It felt like a silent cue, like a plan unfolding.
Then Sadhna sighed dramatically and turned back to them.
“Divorce cases don’t have to be this ugly, this public,” she said, trying to sound almost reasonable. “Let’s settle this quietly. Pay me the alimony I deserve, and we can end this withoutdragging each other through the mud.” She let the last words hang, letting their weight settle over Anant. “I don’t want the torture I endured in our marriage to be exposed in the media. It wouldn’t just ruin me, but you, too. We can walk away clean.”
Anant’s temper flared. “You’re asking me to pay you a fortune for a marriage that fell apart because ofyourown manipulations!” His fists clenched. “Why the hell should I?”
The argument ignited again, accusations flung back and forth. Suddenly, Kushal’s slow clap cut through the air. The sound was mocking, but it drew the table’s attention to him for sure.
“Well played,” he murmured, eyes gleaming as he looked at Maanya and Sadhna. “Really. That was a solid move.”
“What move?” Maanya asked.
“You and your client are scared now,” he said, then turned to Sadhna. “The moment Verma & Associates took over Anant’s case, you knew you were in trouble. You knew we’d dissect every one of your claims and expose the lies. You knew your chances of walking away with a hefty alimony were shrinking by the second. So, you got desperate. And Maanya, being the brilliant strategist she is, gave you this plan to manipulate Anant into losing his temper, make him say something incriminating, something that could be twisted in court.”
Sadhna stiffened. “That’s ridiculous. I’d no such intentions.”
“Really? You had no such intentions?” Arundhati cut in this time, her eyes locking onto Maanya’s blazer. She reached over and plucked something small from the fabric—a brooch.
It was a spy camera.
Anant froze.
Kushal chuckled under his breath, stretching back in his seat as he watched Maanya and Sadhna’s expressions morph from confidence to horror.
Arundhati’s fingers closed around the tiny device before she crushed it in her palm, letting the broken pieces clatter onto the table.
“It was almost clever,” Arundhati said, tilting her head slightly. “To record Anant’s words, twist them, manipulate him into saying something he never meant to. But here’s the thing, Sadhna—” she stood, “—we’re lawyers. And we’ve seen this game played before. It may have worked for others, but not against Verma & Associates. Not against Kushal and me.”
Her eyes flickered to Kushal’s, and for a split second, their gaze held a mutual respect, a reminder of how seamlessly they worked as a team.
“So, what’s next?” Kushal added, his gaze shifting between Maanya and Sadhna. “You walk away with your little scheme shattered, or do you want to keep playing?”
Anant exhaled sharply, standing as well. “I can’t believe you’d stoop this low, Sadhna. I should’ve known better.”
Kushal clapped Anant on the back before rising up and turning to Sadhna. “Next time? Don’t even think about meeting Anant outside of court.”
Sadhna, already annoyed, stormed out first. Anant, equally furious, followed close behind. Maanya, however, lingered and turned to Kushal.
“Don’t mind,” she drawled, tilting her chin in that arrogant way she always did when she thought she had control. “I only did what was best for my client. And besides…” Her eyes gleamed as she looked at him. “I learned from the best.”
Kushal didn’t even flinch.
“Not everyone can play the game likeme,” he countered. “Next time? Try something original rather than copying from the best.”
Her smirk faltered. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, barely containing her rage. Kushalexhaled, shaking his head before turning to Arundhati who was still watching Maanya’s retreating form. When she finally tore her gaze away, she found Kushal watching her instead.
