Outside the mansion...

Two different cars waited near the entrance. One black luxury car for Ira heading toward Khanna Group Headquarters. And another for Tushar going to school.

One hour later...

Tushar stepped out of the black car slowly while adjusting his school blazer properly. His body felt exhausted after barely sleeping the entire night.

The driver quietly asked-

"Sir, should I pick you up early today?"

Tushar shook his head absent mindedly.

"I'll text."

The car drove away.

The moment students noticed it. Whispers instantly started.

"Oh my God... that's Tushar Khanna."

"Did you see the news?"

"His father died!"

"That's Tushar Khanna..."

"His father died recently right?"

"Poor guy..."

"He still came to school..."

Tushar heard every single word. But ignored all of them silently. His friend Aryan came running toward him in complete shock.

"BRO!"

Tushar already looked tired.

"Don't."

"Are you okay?"

"I said don't."

Aryan went quiet immediately. He had never seen Tushar like this before. Not angry. Not irritated. Just... exhausted.

They stood near the nearly empty school basketball court while morning wind passed silently around them. Tushar looked away, avoiding eye contact completely. Aryan spoke softly after a moment.

"How are you handling everything?"

No response.

"Tushar..."

Still silence. Aryan stepped closer carefully.

"I mean it. How are you after uncle's death?"

That sentence finally hit. Tushar's jaw tightened instantly. For a few seconds he kept staring at the ground silently. Then he laughed once. A hollow broken laugh.

"How am I?"

His eyes slowly turned red.

"Everyone keeps asking about the company."

He swallowed hard.

"The lawyers... board members... media... relatives..."

His voice became heavier with every word.

"Everyone keeps talking about dad's business like nothing happened."

Aryan stayed quiet.

"But nobody understands..."

Tushar's voice cracked suddenly.

"I lost my father."

The last two words broke him completely. He quickly looked away, trying to control his breathing.

"He was literally fine that day..."

A tear rolled down his face.

"He even called me before leaving for the meeting."

Another tear followed instantly.

"And now suddenly he's just..."

He couldn't even complete the sentence. Aryan slowly placed his hand on his shoulder. Tushar finally covered his eyes with his hand as tears started falling continuously.

"I miss him so much, bro..."

His voice sounded painfully small.

"I don't know how to do this without him."

Aryan immediately hugged him tightly. And this time. Tushar didn't stop himself from crying. Aryan held him quietly while Tushar continued crying helplessly.

For the first time in days. He wasn't trying to act strong. Wasn't pretending everything was under control. He was just a son who missed his father. After a few minutes, Tushar slowly pulled away and wiped his face quickly out of embarrassment.

"Don't look at me like that."

Aryan gave him a tired look.

"You think I care?"

Tushar laughed weakly through tears. His eyes were still red. Aryan handed him a water bottle silently.Tushar took it and sat down on the empty basketball court bench heavily. For some time neither of them spoke anything. Finally Aryan spoke softly.

"You know uncle was proud of you, right?"

Tushar looked down at the bottle in his hands.

"I know."

"He didn't need to say it every day for it to be true."

Aryan sat beside him.

"Bro, your dad literally trusted you with everything."

Tushar shook his head.

"No. He trusted Miss Ira."

Aryan frowned slightly.

"What?"

"All legal authority is under her supervision until I turn twenty-one."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Every meeting... every decision... every file goes through her."

Aryan stayed silent, listening carefully. Tushar leaned back tiredly.

"I know dad trusted her. I know she's capable."

He laughed bitterly.

"But sometimes it feels like everyone sees me as a kid."

"You are seventeen."

"Exactly."

Tushar's eyes turned emotional again.

"And dad knew that too."

For a moment he couldn't speak. Then quietly whispered.

"He knew I still needed him."

Silence filled the space between them again. Aryan looked at him carefully.

"When was the last time you actually slept properly?"

Tushar thought for a second.

"...I don't remember."

"And eaten?"

"...Also don't remember."

Aryan sighed deeply.

"You're destroying yourself."

Tushar gave no response. Because honestly. He knew it too. And every night. The reality hit harder. Rudra Khanna was never coming back.

And for the first time since the funeral. Someone finally said something that slightly reduced the unbearable guilt inside him. Tushar lowered his head quietly. Aryan's words kept repeating inside his mind.

No one knows it's the last one when it's happening.

For the first time in days. His chest didn't feel as painfully heavy. Not because the pain disappeared. But because someone finally understood it. Aryan leaned back against the bench.

"You know uncle used to scare me."

Tushar looked at him with watery eyes. A small tired smile appeared on Aryan's face.

"Every time I came to your house he looked at me like I was corrupting his son."

Despite everything, a weak laugh escaped Tushar.

"He wasn't wrong."

"Shut up."

For a few seconds the atmosphere became lighter. Then Aryan looked at him again seriously.

"But honestly..."

His voice softened.

"He loved you too much."

Tushar's smile faded slowly. Aryan continued quietly.

"The way he talked about you... the way he worried about you..."

He shook his head slightly.

"Bro, you were literally his whole world."

Tushar looked away instantly as his eyes filled again.

"I keep expecting him to walk into my room."

His voice sounded distant now.

"Every morning I still wake up thinking he'll shout at me for being late."

A tear rolled down again.

"Sometimes I even hear his footsteps outside my door."

Aryan didn't interrupt. Because grief sounded exactly like this. Tushar laughed painfully under his breath.

"This house feels empty without him."

Then after a pause.

"And strange."

Aryan frowned slightly.

"Strange?"

Tushar nodded slowly.

"Everything changed too fast."

His exhausted eyes stared ahead blankly.

"Lawyers keep coming to the mansion... staff act differently around me now..."

"And Miss. Ira?"

That name made Tushar pause. He stayed quiet for a moment before answering.

"She's handling everything."

"How?"

"Like she doesn't get tired."

His voice carried unconscious admiration.

"She barely sleeps. Barely eats. Still manages every single problem before it even reaches me."

Aryan noticed the change in his tone immediately.

"Tough woman."

Tushar nodded absentmindedly.

"She knew dad better than anyone."

Then quietly added.

"Sometimes I feel like she's grieving more silently than all of us."

A small silence followed. Aryan looked at him carefully.

"And how are things between you two?"

Tushar immediately frowned.

"What does that even mean?"

"I mean living in the same house after suddenly becoming responsible for the same empire."

Tushar leaned back tiredly again.

"...Complicated."

"How?"

He let out a long breath.

"She treats me like a child sometimes."

"And?"

"And I hate it."

Aryan smirked slightly.

"But?"

Tushar stayed silent for two seconds too long. Aryan noticed immediately.

"Ohhh."

"Shut up."

"You respect her."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't need to."

Tushar rolled his eyes tiredly, but didn't deny it this time. Because somewhere deep down. He knew Aryan was right.

"Tushar..."

He turned slightly.

His class teacher approached him slowly with a softened expression.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

For the first time that morning. Something inside him relaxed slightly. Because there was no curiosity in her voice. Only genuine sympathy.

"Thank you, ma'am," he answered quietly.

She looked at him carefully for a moment.

"You don't have to force yourself to attend if you're uncomfortable."

Tushar glanced around the campus once. He remembered Ira's words.

You can't stop your life completely.

Slowly, he straightened his posture slightly.

"I'll manage."

His teacher nodded gently before walking away.

__________

Inside Khanna Group Headquarters-

The atmosphere inside the boardroom was far colder than usual. Several board members sat around the massive table with visible dissatisfaction on their faces. And at the head chair. Ira sat calmly while reviewing legal files. Exactly where Rudra Khanna once sat.

Mr. Malhotra finally broke the silence.

"With all due respect, Miss Sharma-"

The room instantly became uncomfortable.

Even now, the title sounded strange. Ira calmly closed the file in front of her.

"You were saying?"

Mr. Malhotra cleared his throat.

"The company needs permanent leadership after Rudra sir's death."

"It already has leadership."

The direct answer made several members exchange looks. Another board member spoke carefully this time.

"But legally, Tushar Khanna is the heir."

"He is," Ira answered calmly.

"Then why are major decisions being signed under your authority?"

Without reacting emotionally, Ira quietly opened another file. Rudra Khanna's will. Already legally verified. She slid copies toward the board members. The room became silent while everyone read.

And then. Shock spread across several faces instantly. Mr. Malhotra looked up first.

"Sixty percent executive authority?"

Another member spoke in disbelief.

"Until Mr. Tushar Khanna turns twenty-one?"

The atmosphere completely changed now. Because this wasn't temporary assistance anymore. Rudra Khanna had planned everything carefully. Every legal loophole. Every protection. Every risk.

Ira finally spoke calmly-

"Rudra sir transferred operational control under my supervision until Tushar becomes twenty-one."

One member frowned immediately.

"But why twenty-one? He becomes adult at eighteen."

"Adult legally," Ira answered quietly. "Not mentally prepared for corporate warfare."

Silence followed. Because deep inside... Everyone knew Rudra Khanna was right. The business world around them was ruthless. Especially after his death. Another board member leaned forward slightly.

"So basically..." his tone sharpened, "the Khanna Empire is under your control now."

A dangerous coldness entered Ira's eyes slightly.

"No," she answered calmly. "It is under Rudra Khanna's trust."

The room fell silent again. Because that one sentence carried weight. This wasn't greed. Wasn't manipulation. This was Rudra Khanna protecting his son even after death.

_______________

At school, Tushar sat absentmindedly during mathematics class while staring blankly at the notebook in front of him.

Numbers blurred together meaninglessly. Class slowly started again. Books opened. Pens moved. Teachers taught chapters. Everything looked normal from outside. But Tushar barely focused on anything. His eyes kept drifting toward the empty seat beside the window.

The same seat where he once sat laughing while secretly texting his father during boring lectures. His chest tightened painfully. Without realizing. His hand moved toward his phone inside the blazer pocket. For one second his mind genuinely expected to see-

Dad Calling.

But the screen stayed blank. And reality hit him again silently in the middle of mathematics class. His father was never going to call again.

________________

Inside Khanna Group Headquarters-

The board meeting had officially ended. But tension still remained inside the room. Several board members left visibly frustrated after seeing Rudra Khanna's will. Sixty percent executive authority under Ira until Tushar turned twenty-one. Rudra Khanna had protected everything perfectly. Including his son. Ira finally closed the last file tiredly and leaned back slightly. Only then did exhaustion properly hit her. She hadn't rested properly in days.

Suddenly-

"Impressive."

A cold male voice echoed from the doorway. Ira looked up instantly. A man around his early thirties stood there confidently in an expensive suit. Sharp eyes. Calm smile. Dangerously observant. Ira's expression hardened slightly.

"Mr. Armaan Chauhan."

One of Rudra Khanna's biggest business rivals. And someone intelligent enough to become dangerous. Armaan slowly entered the boardroom.

"I heard Rudra Khanna prepared quite an interesting will before dying."

Ira remained calm.

"What do you want?"

Instead of answering immediately. Armaan looked around the now-empty boardroom thoughtfully. Then softly-

"You."

Silence. Dangerous silence. Ira's eyes turned cold instantly.

"Be careful what you say."

Armaan smiled slightly.

"Relax. I meant professionally." He paused intentionally. "Mostly."

Disgust flashed briefly across her face. Armaan noticed. And smiled again.

"I'll be honest, Miss Sharma." He slowly sat across from her. "I expected the Khanna Empire to collapse after Rudra's death."

"But?"

"But you're handling things surprisingly well."

His compliment didn't feel like praise. It felt like assessment. Like a predator studying another player carefully. Ira quietly stood up from her chair.

"If you're finished-"

"Does the boy know?"

Her movements stopped instantly. Armaan watched her carefully now.

"Know what?"

"That this empire will destroy him someday."

For the first time-

A faint crack appeared in Ira's calm expression. Because deep inside. That was exactly what Rudra Khanna feared too. The boardroom fell silent. Heavy. Uncomfortable. Armaan's words lingered in the air long after he spoke them.

This empire will destroy him someday.

Ira slowly closed the file in her hands before looking at him coldly.

"That won't happen."

Armaan leaned back calmly.

"You sound exactly like Rudra Khanna."

For a second. Pain flickered through her eyes. Small. Quick. But he noticed it. Of course he noticed it. People like Armaan Kapoor observed weaknesses professionally.

"You cared about him a lot," he said quietly.

Ira's expression hardened again immediately.

"This conversation is over."

But before she could leave. Armaan spoke again.

"The secret marriage."

Silence. His sharp eyes studied her carefully now.

"Interesting strategy," he continued calmly. "Protect the heir by placing him under someone loyal."

Ira instantly looked toward him sharply.

"What exactly are you implying?"

Armaan smiled slightly.

"That Rudra Khanna trusted you more than blood relatives."

That part was true. Dangerously true. And everyone in the business world understood what that meant now. Because Rudra Khanna wasn't foolish. If he gave Ira sixty percent authority until Tushar turned twenty-one...

Then she wasn't just a secretary anymore. She was the shield protecting the future Khanna Empire. Armaan slowly stood up from his chair.

"Be careful, Mrs. Khanna."

His voice lowered slightly.

"The moment people realize how much power you actually hold..."

His eyes darkened knowingly.

"They'll stop attacking the boy first."

A strange coldness settled inside Ira's chest. Because deep inside. She already knew that. People would come after her now. Not just legally. Personally. Socially. Emotionally. Anything to weaken Rudra Khanna's carefully built protection around Tushar.