The Rathore Group’s annual winter gala was held three weeks after Adhya’s decisive boardroom debut. It was a lavish, blinding display of generational power, designed not for celebration but for scrutiny.

Adhya, dressed in a custom-made, conservative yet undeniably elegant gown, felt less like a guest and more like a high-value exhibit. The heavy platinum wedding band—the one Ranvijay insisted was a "tether," not a "band"—felt cold and permanent on her finger.