Now set in Singhania's Law Firm, with focused legal debate, layered tension, and distinct voices for Priyan, Rishav, Roohi, and Nikil.
(It reads like a chapter scene—calm on the surface, sharp underneath.)
The Rosewood Brief
Singhania's Law Firm
The boardroom at Singhania's Law Firm was quieter than usual—too quiet for a firm that thrived on argument. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the city, but none of them were watching it. The murder file lay open on the table, its weight more psychological than physical.
Priyan stood at the head of the table, jacket off, sleeves rolled. "This came in last night," he said, tapping the file. "Rosewood Manor. Arvind Malhotra."
Roohi didn't need the introduction. "The locked-room case," she said. "Every channel's obsessed."
Rishav leaned forward, fingers interlocked. "Obsessed because it's neat. People like crimes that solve themselves."
Nikil sat slightly apart, notebook open, pen idle. His eyes scanned the documents as if they might rearrange themselves if he stared long enough.
Priyan continued, "Rhea Kapoor—secretary—is in custody. Charged. Her family approached us this morning."
Roohi looked up sharply. "They want defense?"
"They want truth," Priyan replied. "Or at least, someone willing to look past the headline."
Rishav scoffed. "Truth is expensive. And inconvenient."
Nikil's pen paused.
Initial Positions
"Let's be clear," Rishav said. "This is not a weak case. Motive, opportunity, method. It's elegant."
Roohi's eyes narrowed. "You admire it."
"I respect it," he corrected. "Those aren't the same."
Priyan gestured for order. "Break it down."
Rishav flipped to the forensic report. "Victim consumed a substance earlier in the evening. Delivery method—modified pen. Secretary had access to both pen and drink. Watch stopped at 11:32 p.m. Medical examiner places death around that time."
"And the blackout at 11:47," Roohi added. "Fifteen minutes later."
"Which is irrelevant," Rishav said. "Death had already occurred."
Nikil finally spoke. "Or had already begun."
Three heads turned toward him.
"Meaning?" Priyan asked.
Nikil chose his words carefully. "Time of death estimates aren't timestamps. They're ranges. The watch stopping doesn't prove the moment—only that something interrupted it."
Rishav frowned. "You're nitpicking."
"No," Nikil said quietly. "I'm questioning certainty."
The Illusion of the Locked Room
Roohi stood and walked toward the whiteboard. "The locked-room angle is doing too much work here."
She wrote DISTRACTION in bold letters.
"The room was locked after," she continued. "Not during. The crime didn't require isolation—just patience."
Priyan nodded. "Which makes the blackout theatrical."
"Or strategic," Rishav countered. "Chaos covers mistakes."
Nikil shook his head slightly. "Or redirects attention."
Roohi turned. "Exactly. Everyone's focused on how he died instead of why that moment was chosen."
Rishav raised an eyebrow. "You think someone else benefited from that timing?"
"I think," Roohi replied, "that Malhotra threatening exposure affects more than one person."
She flipped a page. "Son—financial dependence. Wife—shared assets. Friend—past dealings. Journalist—career-making story."
Priyan added, "And yet only one person is being looked at."
Silence followed.
Ethics vs Strategy
Rishav broke it. "Let's not pretend we're here to solve a mystery novel. We're a law firm. If we take this, we defend Rhea Kapoor."
"And if she did it?" Rishav continued. "Intentionally?"
Roohi met his gaze without blinking. "Then the state has to prove it properly."
Nikil spoke before Priyan could. "And if she didn't?"
Rishav exhaled. "You're assuming innocence."
"I'm assuming uncertainty," Nikil said. "There's a difference."
Priyan watched them closely. This wasn't just legal debate—it was philosophy.
Re-examining Rhea Kapoor
Priyan opened Rhea's statement. "She admits altering the pen. Claims it was meant as leverage—not harm."
Rishav shook his head. "That's convenient."
Roohi countered, "It's also consistent. She didn't flee. She didn't destroy evidence. She cooperated."
Nikil added, "And she didn't lock the room."
That landed heavier than expected.
Rishav frowned. "You're suggesting staging?"
"I'm suggesting," Nikil said, "that the most obvious suspect is rarely the only planner."
Priyan leaned back. "Singhania's doesn't shy away from difficult defenses. But we don't gamble blindly."
He looked at each of them. "Can we create reasonable doubt?"
Roohi answered immediately. "Yes."
Nikil nodded. "Without lying."
Rishav hesitated—then said, "Yes. But it will get ugly."
Decision Point
Priyan closed the file. "This case will divide opinion. Media will hate us. The prosecution will paint us as manipulators."
Roohi smiled faintly. "They already do."
Rishav stood. "If we take it, we tear apart every assumption. No sacred cows."
Nikil looked down at the watch photograph again. "And we don't fall in love with the story."
Priyan placed the file in the center of the table.
"Singhania's Law Firm will represent Rhea Kapoor."
No applause. No relief.
Just the quiet understanding that once they stepped into this case, it would follow them out of the room—and change how each of them saw the law.
Outside, the city moved on.
Inside, the truth waited to be argued.
The Day the Case Turned;
Sessions Court No. 3
The courtroom was loud before anyone spoke.
Not with voices—but with expectation.
Cameras clicked. Lawyers whispered. The judge entered, and the room snapped into order like a held breath.
At the defense table sat Rhea Kapoor, eyes fixed on nothing. Behind her, Singhania's Law Firm stood divided by instinct, ego, and something unspoken.
Priyan rose first.
"My Lord," he said, calm but cutting, "this case has been presented as airtight. Today, we will show it is built on assumption."
Across the aisle, the prosecutor stood immediately.
"Objection—"
"Overruled," the judge said. "Proceed."
INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT – MEDICAL EXAMINER;
Witness: Dr. Alok Mehta
Prosecutor:
"Doctor, you confirmed the victim's time of death as 11:32 p.m., correct?"
Dr. Mehta:
"Yes."
Prosecutor:
"And the victim's watch stopped at exactly that time?"
Dr. Mehta:
"Yes."
The prosecution paused, letting the symmetry sink in.
"Science and evidence align."
Murmurs rippled through the courtroom.
Rishabh sat stiffly in the second row. Mahi, beside him, frowned—not at the testimony, but at how neatly it was being sold.
DEFENSE CROSS-EXAMINATION
Priyan stepped forward.
"Doctor, is time of death an exact science?"
"No."
"Can stress, shock, or physical impact cause a mechanical watch to stop?"
"Yes."
"Then the watch stopping at 11:32 does not prove death occurred at 11:32."
The prosecutor objected. The judge allowed the answer.
The room shifted—slightly, but noticeably.
Mahi leaned forward.
"That's the first crack," she whispered.
Rishabh nodded, barely.
INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT – DEV SEN;
Witness: Dev Sen
Dev adjusted his cufflinks too many times.
Prosecutor:
"Mr. Sen, where were you when the blackout occurred?"
"Outside the library. On a phone call."
"Did you hear the scream?"
"No."
Mahi froze.
Her eyes moved to the timeline chart projected on the screen.
She whispered urgently, "That doesn't fit."
Rishabh turned to her. "What doesn't?"
"The security logs. The corridor cameras go dead after the blackout. He couldn't have been outside before the scream."
Rishabh's posture changed instantly.
"You're right," he murmured. "He should've heard it."
Across the courtroom, Nikil noticed them leaning together—their heads close, their focus locked on the same detail.
His jaw tightened.
THE FATAL FLAW;
Roohi stood suddenly.
"My Lord," she said, sharp and controlled, "permission for one question."
The judge nodded.
Roohi turned to Dev Sen.
"You said you were on a phone call. Who were you speaking to?"
Dev hesitated. "A… colleague."
Roohi lifted a document.
"Phone records show no outgoing or incoming calls from your number between 11:00 and midnight."
Silence hit the courtroom like a dropped glass.
Rishabh inhaled sharply.
Mahi's pen slipped from her fingers.
Roohi didn't raise her voice.
"So were you mistaken—or were you lying?"
Dev's face drained of color.
"I—"
Priyan stepped in. "Mr. Sen, answer the question."
Dev broke.
"I heard the scream," he said. "I panicked."
Gasps erupted.
The prosecution objected. The judge banged the gavel.
But it was too late.
The locked-room mystery collapsed.
RECESS – THE FALLOUT BEGINS;
Outside the courtroom, chaos followed the team.
Reporters shouted. Phones rang.
Mahi and Rishabh stood near the steps, replaying the moment.
"You caught it before anyone else," Rishabh said quietly.
"So did you," Mahi replied. "You just trusted it."
Their shared relief was brief—but real.
Nikil approached, inserting himself between them.
"Well," he said tightly, "guess everyone's a star witness analyst now."
Mahi turned to him, expression flat.
"This isn't about credit."
Nikil scoffed. "Funny. Looks like it is."
Rishabh shifted uncomfortably. "Nikil—"
Mahi cut in, voice firm.
"Don't."
Nikil stared. "What?"
"You're not part of this," she said. "Stop trying to force yourself into moments that aren't yours."
The words landed harder than shouting would have.
Nikil's face hardened. "Right."
He stepped back.
Then away.
BACK INSIDE THE COURTROOM;
The judge ordered further investigation.
Charges against Rhea Kapoor were suspended.
The prosecution sat stunned.
Singhania's Law Firm had done what it came to do—but fractures had already formed.
Priyan watched his team carefully.
Victory had never felt this fragile.
THE AFTERMATH;
That night, headlines exploded.
"DEFENSE EXPOSES FALSE TESTIMONY"
"LOCKED-ROOM LIE UNRAVELS"
But inside the firm, silence ruled.
Nikil sat alone at his desk, replaying the scene again and again—not the confession, not the applause.
The moment Mahi pushed him away.
He hadn't lost the case.
He'd lost his footing.
And he didn't know how to get it back.