(Next morning, Shekar's drawing room)
The study was thick with the scent of old parchment and Shekar's mounting frustration. He tore through the mahogany drawers, his breathing heavy, but the file he needed remained elusive. The mansion was a labyrinth of locked doors and missing paperwork, and Shekar was beginning to feel the walls closing in.
"Still looking for the keys to a kingdom that isn't yours?" Mohini's voice drifted in as she leaned against the doorframe, her expression calm and calculating.
Shekar snapped, slamming a drawer shut. "Not now, Mohini. I'm the eldest surviving son—I should be the one stabilizing the estate. Instead, I'm chasing ghosts while a middle-class outsider holds the seal."
"A taunt won't change the will, Shekar," Mohini said, stepping into the room. She ignored his rising temper, her voice dropping to a smooth, persuasive hum. "If you don't act, the authority stays with that girl, or worse, it falls to Rudra. Do you really want to be a beggar in your own father's house?"
"What do you want from me?" Shekar hissed. "I've played the part. I've been 'normal' in front of the family. I've kept my head down. I won't plead with her."
Mohini's lips curled into a slow, sharp smile. She walked over and straightened his collar, her eyes gleaming. "You don't have to plead. You have to charm. I've done some digging into our guest. Meira is an orphan, Shekar. She has spent her whole life looking for a place to belong."
She tapped his chest for emphasis. "If you treat her with a little kindness—a little fatherly warmth—she will be overwhelmed. She's hungry for a family, and we are going to give her a taste of one. Do it for Sahil. If we don't control the girl, our son has no future here."
Shekar looked away, his frustration turning into a cold, calculated silence. The idea of "caring" for Meira was a bitter pill, but the hunger for power was a far stronger medicine.
(Roopa Mansion exit corridor)
Meira was practically running down the corridor, her bag swinging wildly at her side. Her heart hammered with the anxiety of a professional who had never been off the clock for this long. In her haste, she turned the corner and collided squarely with someone.
"I am so sorry! I'm so, so sorry," Meira stammered, frantically adjusting her glasses and looking up to find herself staring directly into Divya's piercing eyes.
"Where is the fire, Meira?" Divya asked, her voice calm but authoritative.
"I'm heading to the office. I am brutally late. I haven't checked my emails in days and—"
"Stop," Divya interrupted, her gaze softening for a fraction of a second. "You need to rest. You haven't fully recovered from the hospital yet. Stay home for a few more days."
Meira blinked, confused by the sudden show of maternal concern from the woman who usually treated her like a nuisance. "I... I'm a little bored, honestly. I haven't had this much free time since my college days. I don't know what to do with myself."
Divya tilted her head slightly. "If you are fond of books, ask Seema to take you to the Royal Library in the west wing. It holds an incredible collection—every genre imaginable. It's better than pacing the halls."
Meira's eyes lit up with genuine excitement. "A royal library? I'd love that!"
"Yes, but please tell her to go during the day," a sharp, rude voice cut through the air.
Yamini stepped into the corridor, her face pulled into a sneer. Meira felt her stomach drop, the memory of their hostile encounter by the locked room flooding back.
"And why is that, Yamini?" Divya asked, her tone turning icy.
"Because this girl has a bad habit of roaming at night," Yamini spat, folding her arms. "She was lurking around the old room yesterday. When I caught her, she started making up ridiculous lies."
"What are you saying?" Divya's voice dropped an octave, her focus shifting back to Meira.
"No, Ma'am... I wasn't lurking," Meira tried to explain, her voice trembling. "I just... I started hearing voices from behind the door, and I—"
"Voices? See!" Yamini interrupted with a harsh laugh. "Such a liar. She's trying to play the 'haunted mansion' card to cover up her snooping. I don't know what Devkar was thinking choosing her. She will be the destruction of us all!"
Divya didn't seem to hear a word of Yamini's rant. She stood frozen, the word 'voices' echoing in her mind like a ghost. A long, heavy silence followed as Divya stared at Meira, her expression unreadable—part shock, part something far deeper.
Finally, Divya spoke, her voice strangely flat. "Go to the library, Meira. But avoid these late-night walks. The mansion is old, and it can... play tricks on the mind."
Meira nodded quickly, relieved that Divya hadn't joined in on Yamini's insults, and hurried away.
Yamini stood there, her mouth open in disbelief. She had expected Divya to scold the girl, to throw her out, or at least to side with her. Being ignored in favour of an outsider felt like a slap in the face. Feeling humiliated by her younger brother-in-law's wife, Yamini turned on her heel and stormed off without another word.
Divya watched her go, realizing she had hurt Yamini's pride, but her mind stayed anchored to what Meira had said. Voices. The girl was hearing things she shouldn't know existed.