Devandra paced the floor of his penthouse, the city lights casting jagged shadows across his face. His phone vibrated relentlessly, notifications of social media mentions flashing across the screen. Each post, each tweet, each live coverage headline was a dagger aimed at his pride.

“Arga and Vania… standing there like they own the world,” he muttered, teeth clenched. “How dare they—how dare they make me look weak?”

One of his assistants, Raga, stepped in cautiously. “Boss… the press conference—it’s trending. People are praising them. The public… they’re on their side.”

Devandra’s jaw tightened. He swung around, face twisted with rage. “On their side? No, no! They don’t understand! I can’t...