Lalit's eyes narrowed as he asked, "What is the matter? Is something wrong? Is... is our boss okay?" Shlok couldn't hold back his exasperated exhale as it escaped through his thin lips. "What do you mean?" inquired Lalit, shaking his head. "Is everything okay? Why did you call me here so late, Shlok?"

Shlok's voice was frigid, his stern features twisted in a sneer. "Okay?" he demanded. "Has anything ever been 'okay' in this house, Lalit? You tried so desperately to pretend everything was perfect, but was it even close to the truth?"

The previous supervisor shifted towards the edge of his chair, fidgeting as if it were burning hot. Despite the centralized air-conditioner's cool breeze, tiny droplets of sweat formed on his forehead. He could barely hear anything over the sound of his pounding heartbeats.

The truth couldn't be out, could it? Lalit's blood ran cold at the thought of his former employer confronting the truth. There was nothing that could've prepared the former to witness the devastation unleashed by the knowledge and the latter to see the true face of his brother.

Lalit stammered, "I... I'm confused-"

"Exactly!" Shlok snapped, his disdain impossible to hide. "I don't understand how you could keep these important occurrences hidden from us."

The older cousin's mouth went dry. "W-What... what occurences?"

The younger cousin scoffed, shaking his head. "You've lied enough for a lifetime, Lalit. Stop with them already. We know you hid the truth about Miss Suhani and Miss Yukti's plight."

Lalit's mind raced, desperately searching for a way to diffuse the situation. The weight of his brother's accusation hung heavy in the air, suffocating him with guilt and shame.

Taking a deep breath, Lalit tried to steady his trembling voice. "Shlok, I never meant for any of this to happen," he confessed, his eyes filled with regret. "I was only trying to protect him-"

Shlok scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Protect him? By lying and deceiving him? You call that protection?" His face contorted with anger as he leaned in closer, his words dripping with venom. "You may have convinced yourself that you were doing the right thing, but in truth, you were just catering to your own ego."

Lalit flinched at Shlok's words, feeling the weight of his brother's disappointment bearing down on him. The truth had a way of seeping through even the most carefully constructed façade, exposing the cracks in their relationship.

"I know it may be hard for you to understand," Lalit began, his voice filled with remorse. "But I was only trying to protect our boss from the pain and betrayal that would have consumed him if he had known the truth."

Shlok's face briefly showed a softer expression, but it quickly turned to anger. "Don't try to act like the victim here," he growled. "You thought you were protecting him by lying? Did it even cross your mind how your actions affected Miss Suhani? You silenced her and deprived a daughter of her father's love!"

Lalit's heart dropped as he came to understand the hopelessness of his efforts to clarify his actions. His brother's fury was overwhelming, and it seemed impossible to bridge the gap between them. The idea of facing the disappointment from his previous boss was suffocating. He could envision how the man's jaw would tense and his face would twist with anger.

Lalit's voice was filled with anger as he asked, "What would knowing the truth have changed? At least this way, there is no conflict. Pursuing justice would have brought nothing good."

"Nothing?" Mohit's voice boomed like thunder, shaking the very foundations of the room. "Nothing?! I wouldn't trade that nothing for the pitiful excuse of peace you offered." His sneer twisted his face into a grotesque mask of contempt as he strode through the hall with heavy, calculated steps. Lalit stood frozen, as if he had been stabbed in the gut by Mohit's words, his eyes wide and fearful as if realizing the true cost of their conflict.

The senior Malhotra's face twisted into a contorted mask of fury, his eyes blazing with unbridled rage. His flared nostrils and clenched jaw were like sharp weapons, ready to strike at any moment. But it was the dried stains of tears on his cheeks that truly shook Lalit to his core, a stark reminder of the pain and suffering inflicted by this man.

His previous boss had repeatedly sparked a glimmer of hope in his life, whether it was by providing financial assistance when his father was battling liver cancer, using his connections to help him get justice for his sister who had suffered from domestic abuse, or sending his son, Ashok, to the UK to pursue his dream.

Terror gripped him as he realized that his greatest fear had become a bleak reality - the crushing weight of disappointment from someone he held in high regard. His heart raced with panic, knowing he had failed and there was no turning back.

Mohit's voice was filled with anger and disappointment as he moved closer to Lalit, who was visibly trembling. "Do you really believe I would choose the facade of perfection over being there for my daughter when she needed me, Lalit?" he asked sharply. "I wish you had let me die that day instead of making me endure this life." Lalit tried to interject, but Mohit cut him off.

"With every inhale, it feels as though I am drowning in a pool of regret and remorse. My dear daughter, Suhani, suffered quietly because I trusted those responsible for her pain - a despicable individual who never faced consequences for their wicked deeds, and a blindly devoted follower of her father who prioritized him over his own daughter."

Mohit's body shook with sobs, his eyes burning with unshed tears. As he spoke, his voice trembled with guilt and remorse. "Her final wish was for our daughter to never shed a tear in longing for her mother. But I have failed her - left our little girl at the mercy of cruel vultures and ravenous wolves. How can I ever face her in the afterlife, knowing I have broken my promise?"

Lalit's heart sank further, the weight of his actions crushing him with each word from Mohit's trembling lips. He had anticipated the depth of pain and regret that his deception would cause, but his imagination had done no justice to the true extent of devastation tearing him apart. The image of Suhani, abandoned and suffering, haunted him, clawing at his conscience.

Tears welled up in Lalit's eyes as he reached out towards Mohit with joined hands, his voice barely above a whisper. "I am so sorry," he choked out, his words filled with genuine remorse. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I thought I was protecting you. I thought... I thought I was sparing Bitiya of horrors awaiting her in the court. I-I was wrong,"

Mohit flinched away from Lalit, his face twisted with resentment. "Sorry?" he sneered, his voice dripping with bitterness. "Your words cannot reverse the past or erase the pain you've caused. Your apology cannot break down the barrier you've created between me and my daughter."

Lalit's heart shattered at the harshness in Mohit's voice. He knew that his apology was not enough; it could never be enough to undo the damage he had caused. The silence that followed felt like an eternity, each second filled with the weight of their broken relationship.

Desperation surged through Lalit's veins as he searched for the right words, anything that could mend the irreparable rift between them. But what could he say? How could he make amends for the years of deceit and betrayal?

"I don't expect you to forgive me," Lalit finally spoke, his voice hoarse with emotion. "But I want you to know that every day since the truth unfolded, I have carried the weight of my actions. The guilt has consumed me, eating away at my soul."

Mohit turned away, his eyes fixed on a spot on the wall as if desperately avoiding eye contact. "Guilt won't bring back the lost years," he murmured, his voice laced with sorrow. "It won't heal the wounds inflicted upon my daughter, nor will it ease the pain of betrayal that still festers deep within me."

Lalit's shoulders drooped, and he let out a sigh of defeat. "Although," Mohit interjected. "You are well aware of all that has occurred over the years, and you will share everything tonight. All the secrets and hidden truths will finally come to light."