Veer watched Saanvi run away in despair and for a moment, a strong desire to stop her emerged in his heart. However, it was fleeting and he remained in his place, disregarding his strange emotions while he waited for his sister to return.
Meanwhile, the Khanna family hesitated to approach him, too intimidated by his dark expression. Veer could be terrifying when furious and none of them wanted to incur his wrath upon them next.
"Veer," Veer's grandmother, Sarita called him, breaking the strong silence that had settled all around all of a sudden.
"Yes, Nani. What happened?" Veer squatted before her and looked at her in concern. His grandmother and his sister were his only family. He could show a cold expression at anyone, except his grandmother and Ishita.
Although Veer had a maternal uncle and his family, he wasn't that close to them and considered them mere relatives rather than family.
"You shouldn't have fired her, child. What if she isn't at fault?" Sarita was worried. Although her concerns were mostly directed at her missing granddaughter, she also felt terrible for the woman who had lost her job due to her grandson's fury.
"Nani, it is what she deserves."
Veer's expression was unfathomable and Sarita sighed.
"But.."
"Nani, Ishita is on the way. We'll talk later."
That successfully diverted the old woman's thoughts.
"Veer, this might cause negative publicity to us. Ishita erred big time," Veer's maternal uncle, Ajay expressed, his forehead creasing with worry lines.
"Ajay, this isn't the time to think about it," Sarita warned her son, subtly hinting him to drop the topic.
But the man remained adamant as he continued to hold Ishita responsible for their current trouble. Ishita's mindless actions had humiliated them in front of the world.
"Mom, we can't ignore the truth by remaining silent. It's the truth that Ishita has put us in trouble. The entire world is talking about us. How..."
"You don't have to worry about it," Veer interrupted before the man could continue blabbering his nonsense. "I'll make sure that you'll not be affected by it."
Stunned, Ajay was bereft of speech. He gawked at Veer, his mind going blank to come up with a retort immediately. Embarrassed, he glanced at the media personnel who were still recording everything.
"Stop recording," he ordered, unleashing Veer's fury on them. His demented expressions came as a shock to everyone except Veer.
"Ajay, calm down," Ajay's wife, Mallika stopped him in time before he lost control and made a fool of himself. "Let's discuss things later," she whispered, giving him a look and the man gritted his teeth, curbing his anger for the time being.
Meanwhile, Naman, Veer's cousin watched the drama with a smirk. His eyes were filled with amusement as he waited for Ishita's arrival and the drama to continue.
Almost half an hour later, Ishita returned, still dressed in bridal wear, escorted by the guards. Veer was the first to approach her. He didn't question her or demand that she give him her reasons for running away from her engagement.
Instead, Veer examined her, looking for any signs of injury. "Ishita, are you okay? Are you alright?"
He was completely different from how he had been with Saanvi or how the world knew him. At that moment, he was the protective brother who was concerned about his younger sister.
"Bhai (Brother), I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left without informing you," Ishita apologized instantly, surprising everyone with her words.
"It's okay. It's fine. Calm down first."
"But, Mr. Rathore..." Mahesh stepped forward in protest but froze in his place when he met Veer's formidable gaze. The man hadn't spoken a word. But the threat was clear and Mahesh gulped in fright, too scared to say or do anything.
'What a coward!' Naman thought, rolling his eyes at Mahesh in disgust.
Ishita wasn't oblivious to what was happening around her. Her brother's protective gestures touched her, and once again, her eyes welled up as she chanted her apologies for running away without informing him.
"Bhai, I have something important to tell you," she started, darting a glance at Rohan, who had remained silent all along.
Narrowing his gaze, Rohan frowned lightly, an ominous feeling hitting his heart.
"I tried calling you a few times before I left. But your phone was unreachable and..."
"Ishita, what happened?" Veer sensed the urgency in her voice and he asked her calmly, silently indicating that he was here for her and she had nothing to fear.
"Ishita, child, what happened? Tell us," Sarita too urged her and Ishita nodded.
"Bhai, I had gone to meet Divya."
As soon as Rohan heard Ishita take Divya's name, his eyes widened in fear. His entire body turned cold and he broke into a sweat.
"Divya? Who's that?" Veer asked, following his sister's line of sight. His eyes flashed with a strange glint when he saw how mortified Rohan looked.
"Bhai, we should ask Rohan who Divya is." Ishita smiled, moving away from her brother's protective hold, and approached Rohan.
"Rohan, it's time for you to start speaking."
"Ishi, I don't know what you are saying. Who's Divya?" Rohan smiled at her questioningly, gently. But it came out as a grimace.
Ishita was repulsed by his fakeness and felt nauseous when she recalled what she had found out some time ago.
"You don't have to act anymore. Your truth is out."
"Ishita, I think there's a misunderstanding. You might..." Mahesh tried to intervene and gain control of the situation. He knew who Divya was. After all, he had...
"There's no misunderstanding here, Mr. Khanna. I know the truth and I know you know the truth as well. There's no need to feign innocence before me."
"Ishita, what's happening? Who's Divya?" Sarita asked, confused out of her mind. Not just her, but the entire crowd was waiting for her to reply, including the people who were watching the drama on the television.
"Rohan, will you start speaking..."
"Ishita, can we move this conversation somewhere else? I'll explain everything to you."
Although Rohan withheld himself, Ishita didn't miss the slight warning in his tone.
Not just her, even Veer had caught onto it and he clenched his fists tight. Although he wanted to punch Rohan for speaking to his sister in such a tone, he controlled himself, allowing Ishita to handle the reigns.
"Why? Are you afraid that your truth will be out in front of everyone?" Ishita taunted with a smile. "That everyone will find out what kind of a beast you are?"
"Ishita..." This time, his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear and the entire crowd gasped in surprise.
"Since you aren't willing to say a word, let me." Ishita turned around and faced the camera.
"Ishita..." Mahesh tried to stop her but Veer blocked him.
When Rohan tried to hold her back, Aryan blocked him. The two men protected her, allowing her to continue without worries.
Flashing them an appreciative smile, Ishita's expression turned serious and she stared right into the camera. "Divya is the woman who Rohan molested."
