The Impossible Heir

1. The Unwanted Groom

The Rathore mansion rose like a fortress against the crimson dusk, its marble walls gleaming under golden lamps, its towering gates guarded as though royalty lived inside. Akash Khan stood before those gates with a suitcase in one hand and the faintest smile tugging at his lips. The world thought he was just a middle-class orphan, newly married into wealth far above his station. To the world, he was the foolish man who had somehow convinced Svetlana Rathore—the elegant, untouchable daughter of Mumbai’s richest business magnate—to marry him.

But beneath the mask of humility, behind those dark, watchful eyes, Akash carried a truth only a handful in the police force knew: he was no ordinary groom. He was Detective Akash Khan—sharpest mind in Mumbai’s Anti-Narcotics Bureau, sent here on an undercover mission to bring down the empire of none other than Mr. Raghav Rathore. And tonight was the beginning of his most dangerous act.

The iron gates creaked open after a guard scanned him top to bottom, his lips curling in disapproval.

“Baggage only one? Small life, small dreams,” the guard muttered in Hindi, shaking his head.

Akash said nothing. He stepped forward, suitcase in hand, and let the insult pass like smoke in the wind. It wasn’t the first time he’d been belittled, and it wouldn’t be the last. Inside these walls, he had to endure everything—mockery, mistreatment, even humiliation. Endurance was his weapon.

The marble driveway stretched endlessly, lined with manicured gardens and fountains dancing under lights. Luxury screamed from every corner. Akash’s shoes echoed on the polished floor as he entered the grand hall, greeted not by warmth but by silence so sharp it could slice skin.

Svetlana stood at the center, draped in a pale lavender saree, diamonds catching the chandelier’s light. Her beauty was breathtaking, but her eyes… they were cold. She gave him a half-smile, the kind reserved for strangers.

Her family crowded behind her: Mrs. Rathore with her flawless bun and pearls, two uncles in expensive suits, and a swarm of relatives whose gazes burned into Akash like fire.

“So this is the boy,” one uncle scoffed. “The orphan boy who dared to marry into us.”

Another chuckled. “Svetlana, beti, I thought you’d choose a businessman at least. Not…” His eyes swept disdainfully across Akash’s simple kurta. “…this.”

Akash’s jaw tightened, but he bowed respectfully, touching his forehead with his hand. “Namaste.”

Mrs. Rathore didn’t bother responding. Instead, she clapped her hands. “Dinner.”

The servants rushed in, silver trays gleaming, dishes smelling of saffron and roasted meats. Everyone sat, except Akash, who hovered awkwardly until one cousin shoved a tray into his hands.

“Serve,” the cousin sneered.

Laughter rippled across the table. Akash, silent as ever, carried the dish from one end to another, pouring curry into bowls. He felt their eyes on him, waiting for him to protest, to show shame. But he didn’t flinch. Instead, he studied them. Every movement. Every whisper. Every shadow that lingered near Mr. Rathore, who sat at the head, his face carved in granite, his phone never leaving his side.

Akash placed the last bowl, then quietly took a seat beside Svetlana. She didn’t glance at him. Didn’t defend him. Instead, she giggled lightly at something her cousin said, as though her husband weren’t treated like the help.

The food was rich, yet it tasted bitter to Akash. His mind was elsewhere. His detective’s instincts were tuned to Mr. Rathore, who excused himself mid-meal to take a call outside.

Akash’s ears sharpened. He excused himself too, pretending to fetch water. In the dim corridor, he leaned against the wall, his breath shallow, straining to catch Rathore’s words.

“…shipment arrives tomorrow night… port is secured… don’t let the inspector sniff around… double the guards. I don’t care if it costs more. No mistakes this time.”

The voice was sharp, commanding. Akash’s pulse quickened. Evidence. Real evidence. He had expected months of waiting, but the trail was already here. He had to get closer.

Rathore ended the call abruptly. Akash ducked behind a column as the man strode back inside, his heavy footsteps echoing. Sweat dampened Akash’s neck—not from fear of being caught as a son-in-law but as a spy. One wrong move, and this mission would end in his death.

When Akash returned to the hall, laughter rang loud. A cousin had spilled wine, and in the chaos, someone shoved a rag at Akash. “Clean it, servant.”

The mocking was relentless, but Akash bent down, wiping the floor with calm precision. Inside, though, his thoughts were blazing. Every insult, every slight only added fuel to his patience. The longer they underestimated him, the better.

Later that night, when the mansion slept, Akash slipped into the basement. His fingers traced the cold brick walls until he reached the forgotten storeroom he had spotted earlier. Dust lay thick, cobwebs stretched across shelves, and a broken chair slumped in the corner. Perfect.

From his suitcase, he unpacked what the Rathores thought were just his belongings: a tiny toolkit, a foldable laptop, a camera no larger than a button, and files. Within an hour, the room had transformed into a secret den. Maps of the city stretched across the wall, red pins marking suspected drug routes. In the center, a board bore one name circled in blood-red ink: Raghav Rathore.

Akash sank into the chair, exhaling. “Stage one complete,” he muttered. His voice echoed in the small room.

But before he could relax, the sound of footsteps froze him. Heavy, deliberate steps on the basement stairs. Someone was coming.

Akash killed the light instantly, shoving files under the broken chair. His hand went to the small knife tucked at his waist—not a weapon for show, but for survival.

The footsteps stopped right outside the storeroom. A shadow spilled across the crack of the door.

“Who’s there?” a voice called. Gruff. Suspicious.

Akash held his breath. The shadow lingered for a long moment, and then… it moved away. The steps retreated, fading into silence.

Relief washed over him, but his heart still thundered. It was too close. He had barely begun, and already suspicion stirred.

From upstairs, a woman’s soft laugh floated down. Svetlana’s. Followed by her words, faint but distinct:

“Don’t bother, bhaiya. He’s harmless. Too weak to be anything else.”

Her laughter echoed through the halls like glass shattering inside him.

But Akash’s eyes hardened in the darkness. Harmless? Weak? That’s what they thought. Good. Let them. The more invisible he seemed, the closer he could strike.

He picked up his pen, scrawling in his hidden notebook:

Tomorrow night. Shipment. Port. Move carefully.

He closed the book, his eyes glinting like a predator in the dark.

And above him, in the grand halls of the Rathore mansion, the family slept peacefully, unaware that the lamb they mocked was in truth a wolf sharpening his fangs.

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