The air in the Rana household was thick with tension, a palpable unease that had settled over the family ever since Ayush's meeting with Neil Pratap Deora. Arushi could sense something was amiss, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her mother, Sanya, had been more distant than usual, and Ayush had been avoiding eye contact with her, his usual arrogance replaced with a nervous energy.

It was late in the evening when Ayush called a family meeting in the living room. Sanya sat on the sofa, her eyes fixed on some distant point, while Arushi stood near the doorway, her heart pounding with anxiety.