Chapter 19

Lavanya was having one of those days when nothing seemed to work as it should. Her morning alarm decided to ditch her today and never rang, which resulted in her getting up forty five minutes late and then rushing through her morning rituals, only to sit in her car that refused to start. After already being late by more than half hour, she finally managed to get a taxi which then got stuck in an unusually crazy morning traffic. So by the time she made it to the AR's building she was close to two hours late with no breakfast or coffee in sight.

And now, when she finally docked her laptop to her work desk, her system picked todays day to crash three times.

"Argh". A loud and irritated growl spewed past her lips as the laptop finally came to life but within seconds went completely blue.

"No no no, come on, don't die on me", she stabbed her fingers through the keyboard few times, when finally the blue screen refreshed to show her a message. All white and all caps.

'THIS USER ACCOUNT HAS BEEN LOCKED OUT. PLEASE CONTACT THE ADMINISTRATOR FOR MORE DETAILS''

"Are you kidding me", with strings of curses, she picked up her desk phone to call their admin department and making a mental note to get on a call with their IT department as soon she managed to get her laptop working again. Did the IT really think it was ok to show all caps in a message on a screen? What happened to keeping messages user friendly?

She frowned though, as she realised that her phone had no tone. She hit few keys on the phone, but nothing changed.

Her frown deepened even further, as she finally looked up, peering onto the cubicles full of people sitting right outside her small office. She expected to see someone else having the same irritated expressions like hers. Someone else who too was struggling with series of technical issues. Something that never happened in the decade she worked in AR. But, except few heads turning to talk to their colleagues, the floor seemed silent and at peace.

She sighed preparing herself to get up and walk up to the IT floor and that is when she saw it. NK, flanked by their head of security, someone they never saw on these floors and two of their most senior security guards making their way toward her office.

She felt an unfamiliar clench in her stomach. Somehow knowing that her day was going to get far worse than she thought.

"Ms. Kashyap, I need you to step out please"

The sharp and no nonsense voice was of their head of security, who was standing on the edge of her now wide open door, but her eyes went straight to NK, who looked both angry and pained.

"What... Umm, What is going on? NK?"

He barely flinched, but she saw it as his eyes finally connected to hers. He took a deep breath, "Just, listen to him Lavanya"

"Listen to him? What is this, a practical joke?", she laughed, only to be greeted by a stunned silence.

"Ok, you are scaring me, what is this NK?"

"Ma'am, I am asking you again, step out of this office. You need to start walking with me or else I have my orders to drag you out of here. Something I don't think you would want the staff behind me to witness"

"How dare you? And what orders? What the hell is going on??"

Her eyes went wide as NK's hands shot out to stop the security head who had already taken a step toward her and then whispered, "Please La. Don't make this harder than it is"

Confused and embarrassed she finally relented as she followed three complete strangers and someone she thought was her friend. Hoping the place they were taking her would grant some answers to this bizarre situation.

---

"Where is she?"

"Inside, all settled in. Now, are you sure you want to go in right now?"

"Just open the damn door Sheetal. I really don't want to prolong this any more than it already has". Arnav barked making Sheetal and the two other officers who were stationed outside the black iron door flinch.

"Fine! But five minutes. That's all you get. I am already toeing the line here by letting a civilian even inside this building. I can't have you hijack this case and let it fall apart"

His exhaled sharply and nodded as Sheetal motioned her head at one of the officer to let Arnav go in.

"ASR, oh my god. What is going on? These people won't tell me anything. Where am I? Why am I being held here? What is this?"

He knew this was not going to be easy. But listening to the frantic words that spilled out of Lavanya, Arnav couldn't stop the new wave of rage wash over him. She belonged to the very short list of people he trusted. He considered her a friend in fact. And now looking at her with her face contorting with confusion, eyes shining with barely contained tears, he wanted to break something around him.

Biting back a curse, he continued to walk toward the middle of the bare bone of a room, where a small table was placed and then pulled the spare metal chair out with so much force that the entire room reverberated with its screeching sound.

Lavanya cringed as she took in Arnav's bloodshot eyes. He was looking at her with so much of disgust that she couldn't help but shift in her chair uncomfortably.

He kept staring at her for few more seconds, and then suddenly he smiled. No, he actually sneered. A challenging smirk taking hold of his face. Something she was familiar with, but never in the decade of knowing him had ever been at the receiving end of it.

Taking a shuddering breath, she closed her eyes and collecting all the strength that she had, she repeated.

"Arnav, please. What is going on, tell me"

Relaxing his back on the chair, Arnav opened his mouth - his voice flat and calm.

"So you don't know why you are here? You have never done anything wrong? Nothing at all comes to mind that might have led to you sitting on that very chair?"

"Stop talking in circles", she shouted - a complete contrast to the way he was behaving. "And where is 'here', where am I? I was just thrown inside a car by one of our senior security member and before I knew, I was being pushed on this chair. Arnav...", her eyes closed, a tiny drop of tear finally leaving the comfort of her eye lids and rolling down her cheek, "Please help me understand what is going on"

His nostrils flared in irritation as he chanted to not lose any more of his cool. But he knew he was fighting a losing battle. So clearing his throat, he decided to just cut to the chase.

"What do you know about Suraj Khanna?"

And she gasped. Out of every single thing she had imagined coming out of his mouth, that one name was nowhere in the vicinity of what she thought Arnav would say.

Satisfied to finally see shock and guilt colouring her face, Arnav uncrossed his legs and then leaned forward placing his clasped hands on the table. The movement so slow and deliberate, that Lavanya couldn't stop herself from retreating back into her chair.

"I do not have entire day. So, let me ask you again, what do you know about Suraj Khanna?"

"He...he...umm...he is our vendor. He is AR's vendor. Why?"

"That's it? Nothing more you want to add to that sentence?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Lavanya, I don't think you are in a position to question me right now. So, let me give you one last chance - do you want to add anything to that sentence?"

Lavanya looked down, every single word dying on the tip of her tongue. She knew she should just tell about her relationship with Suraj, but the way he asked her that question scared her to say anything beyond what she already did.

"Very well then. Sheetal, Vishal - you can come in". Arnav screamed as he stood up and another wave of tremble shot through Lavanya.

Her eyes moved toward the heavy metal door, that swung open in a second, as the same two people who had dragged her in that room walked in, closely followed by a third person who carried a military grade laptop in her hand. She again gathered all the courage she could muster and looking directly at the sharply dressed woman, who seemed to be in-charge of whatever was going on, Lavanya tried again.

"Who are you all? And where am I? Please tell me - something, anything"

Few minutes ticked by, the only sound in the room of the fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard of the laptop, muted tones of people in front of her nodding and whispering to each other - something she could swear was being done to make her feel even more intimidated than she already was. And finally, the woman in front of her looked up from the laptop and cleared her throat.

"I am Sheetal Kapoor, head of the CBI white collar division and this is my colleague Vishal Jain. And you are sitting in one of our location"

Lavanya's insides shook as she heard Sheetal, million questions coursing through her mind simultaneously. She once again looked up at Arnav who was now leaning at the wall opposite to her. His arms and legs crossed, his eyes trained on her with so much indifference that she could no longer recognise her boss.

She needed to ask him to stop looking at her like she was the enemy, like she was a criminal, but before she could open her mouth, the laptop on the table was swivelled in her direction, as Sheetal took the vacant seat in front of her. "Here, have a look"

Lavanya's eyes disconnected from Arnav's as she drew in another breath, and her eyes narrowed on the video now playing on the screen. A hotel lobby with a huge door arch flickered on the screen and her frown deepened. It all looked too familiar, the colour of the walls, the plush carpet and the décor, but before she could dwell any further, a female in blue knee length dress came into the view, walking and approaching the arch doorway.

Both her palms lurched toward her mouth as she muffled a loud gasp. No, this couldn't be what she thought it was. But once again that day she was proven wrong when she saw herself being swirled in Suraj's arms. And the moment her face became visible on the screen, Sheetal's fingers hit pause.

She was shaking now, her breaths coming in pants, her mind trying to find one logical explanation as to why this video was in CBI's possession. She helplessly looked up at Arnav, silently begging him for explanation.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he saw the colour drain from Lavanya's face. He gazed up at the ceiling in irritation. Her clueless and confused face was not making this easy for him. And so before he forgot the reason for why they were doing this, he detached himself from the wall and then walked towards her.

"So, now that we are clear on 'what and how you know Suraj', let's move on to the other question. How much of AR's confidential information have you disclosed to your boyfriend?"

And that was the last straw. Lavanya's patience finally snapped and her body catapulted out of her chair.

"How dare you ASR. How fucking dare you! First of all, this is my personal life - how dare you access these videos? Yes, I admit I am in a relationship with Suraj. And the only reason I didn't tell you about it was because it is none of your god damn business. And how dare you question my integrity? How can you even think I would divulge any confidential information to anyone outside AR? What the hell is wrong with you? I gave you ten years of loyalty and this is what I get in return?"

She was screaming, but at that point she no longer cared.

"So, AR was never ever part of your pillow talk?"

"Fuck you Arnav"

Arnav narrowed his eyes in anger and nodded his head towards Sheetal as she moved her fingers across the keyboard of the laptop, this time, playing an audio clip.

"I thought we had gone past the point in our relationship where words like confidential no longer existed. But obviously I was wrong. Anyways, you carry on. I will talk to you later"

"No, Suraj, come on. Look I am sorry. It's not that. See, you might not like what I tell you. And I don't want to hurt you"

"Come on La, nothing you say that can hurt me."

"Ok fine, it's just that, ASR has assembled multiple teams that I will be overlooking along with Akaash"

"OK, for what?"

"For inspecting every single inch of the fabric that we will receive from you today. See, don't feel bad about it. This is just like an unwritten policy of AR for the first time vendors. Don't take it personally. Ok?"

She felt her head was going to explode. She closed her eyes, hoping for all this to be just a nightmare, but the moment she heard the sharp voice of Arnav, she knew this was of course a reality.

"Now. SIT. THE . FUCK. DOWN"

And she did. Her mind and body too exhausted to do anything else. And he continued.

"We pulled this out of your mobile records. So, do you want to revise your sentence now or you still have some more lies in your arsenal?"

"ASR please, this is all a big misunderstanding. Please believe me. And I know AR got off on the wrong foot with Acme, but Suraj is a good person. I trust him, and this all…", before Lavanya could continue but, Arnav gave out a bitter laugh as he banged his fist on the table, making her recoil in terror.

"You trust him? You bloody trust him, brilliant!"

And with that came the final shock for Lavanya making her almost trip from her chair, as Arnav threw the pictures of Suraj sitting with Wasim and the alleged bomber in front of her. Without giving her a chance to react, he then stormed out of the room, not before instructing Sheetal viciously.

"Get the Polygraph machine in here as we talked about. I want to get this over with as soon as possible"

---

Standing near the banister of the third floor of the CBI building, Arnav couldn't help but groan in irritation. Lavanya's shocked face and her pleas replaying in his mind again and again, making him question if somehow there was more to this shithole they were in than they predicted originally. They had pulled every single messages, emails and call records of Lavanya's phone from over last two months period, and other than few slip ups here and there about her work timings and schedule, they didn't find much that implicated her in any way at all. But, the businessman in him was holding him back. And he was too tired to think anymore.

His fingers clenched in rage once more when he felt familiar warm fingers slipping over his fist, and then as he relaxed his hold, treading through his fingers.

"How did it go?"

Giving a shuddering sigh, he closed his eyes - his hold on the smaller hands tightening. "Not how I expected at all"

Khushi breathed in painfully, as she took another step forward to stand next to him. Her body touching his on sides, hoping to take away some of the tension emanating off of him. "How did she react to everything?"

He gave out a humourless chuckle, as he turned his body slightly to look at her. He then moved one of his hands up, caressing her cheeks softly, his other hand still clutching hers tight. "She looked devastated. Now either she is a very good actress or I have made a horrible mistake by dragging her here. I don't fucking know anymore"

"Is… Umm, is Sheetal with her now? Will they continue to question her?"

He nodded, his eyes closed and brows still furrowed. "She will let us know when she is done. One way or the other, we should have some come damn conclusion by close of play today"

She opened her mouth to say something more, hoping to put his mind at ease, when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Giving his hand a quick squeeze, she fished out her phone and sighed. "That’s NK. He is waiting for us in the nearby coffer shop with Navin - you know the associate of his that was planted as Suraj's assistant. Think he has something for us"

Another nod. "Let's go"

"Are you sure Arnav? We can ask him to meet us later at AR or tomorrow…."

"No, now is good. It is better than waiting for Sheetal to drop whatever bomb she discovers"

---

"Mr. Raizada, I am Navin Seth. It is privilege to meet you sir", Navin stood up with his hands jutting out as Arnav walked inside the small boutique coffee shop, with Khushi right behind him.

"It is good to meet you too Navin. NK said you have something important for us?" Arnav spoke shaking the extended hands as all four of them settled around the rustic table.

"Yes. So, yesterday I had some of the usual documents that needed a once over by Suraj. It was after seven pm and I think he was not really expecting any company because when I knocked his office door I didn't get any response. I still went in, and that's when I saw it. Suraj was standing at the door of that small office he has inside his main office. The door was half open and I could see the back of a man inside, which I think was Mr. Khanna, his father."

"Ok?", Arnav frowned still not understanding how this was of any importance to them.

"Right, so there is a weird décor in Acme's office - pretentious artwork with different cuts of wood criss-crosses all the outer and internal walls. I mean they really have no rhythm to it. It is basically money thrown on the walls in various shapes and sizes. In fact…", Navin chuckled, forgetting where he was and why, "Sometimes I think of pulling few of these art work out and seeing if they will even miss it. You know once…"

"Navin". NK grumbled, his fingers pressing the ends of his temples, and Navin stopped. "Right sorry. So, I have touched these block of woods, and they all are firmly embedded in walls as they should be. However, when I was inside Suraj's office yesterday, that tiny office inside his big one had one such rectangular piece of wood on wall wide open and inside it was some sort of high-tech locker"

"What the fuck", Arnav groaned as NK nodded, confirming that he had already heard the story.

Navin took a deep breath and continued, "I could have tried to make out more details of its content, but his father was already half way closing it shut. I was sure they would fire me if they discovered I was there, so before either of them could see me, I ran out of the office"

"This doesn’t make sense. Secret lockers and bombs. I feel like I am stuck in a bad action movie which refuses to end"

"This is really great Navin. I am just not sure what can we do with this information", Khushi palmed the back of her neck, chuckling sadly on Arnav's comment. This felt so surreal. How the hell did they manage to get involved in such a mess?

"I might have an idea", NK jumped up and then walked toward the till to fetch a paper and a pen from the cashier.

"Ok Navin", he dropped back to his chair, splaying the paper on the table now. "Is there anything at all you remember about this locker? How did it look like? May be a logo or any other marks you saw on it?"

"Hmm, it had an electronic touch pad in the middle, and a small glowing vertical slot on its right hand corner. And, ah yes this is the logo it had on its top left corner. I think it had the word 'Lockers' right beneath it. Here", Navin rotated the paper which now had a rough drawing of the shape of the locker and every other details he could remember along with the logo, toward the set of three eager eyes.

"No fucking way!! Are you sure this is what you saw Navin? This exact logo?"

"What's wrong NK?", Khushi asked worriedly

"This logo with small semi circles is of iLockers company. They are huge in making RFID enabled state of the art lockers"

Taking in confused faces of Arnav and Khushi, NK took a deep breath to try and explain what was splitting his head in two now.

"RFID works on radio frequency. The lockers opens with a pin code and a magnetic key card, and every single asset that is kept inside these lockers is attached a unique tag. The moment any one operates this locker, the date and time is recorded in their database. And since every asset inside this lockers has a tag on them, if anyone removes it out, the radio frequency inside the locker records what has been removed and the camera on the outside panel clicks the picture of the person removing it. Since all of this information is stored in their database - it can be accessed by the owner of the storage any freaking time they want to"

"So we cannot really access this locker or the content inside it even if by any miracle we manage to get inside this mini-office of his. Or, get that locker opened by any chance. We move one thing in it and he will know", Arnav sniggered sarcastically, clenching and unclenching his fist, commanding himself to calm down

"I know this is a moot point right now but - who are these people. Account in Cayman, tie up with a bomber and now this". Khushi looked up from her phone where she just googled iLockers company and the kind of client list they had.

NK grimaced as he finally thanked Navin and instructed him to continue doing what he was before bidding him good bye.

"Is there any way to get the pin code and replicate that key card? And any way at all to control whatever happens if we operate that locker?". Arnav spoke softly. The fight and irritation momentarily leaving his tired body.

"I am not 100% sure Bhai. I have an idea, but given the level of security at Acme, I am not sure it will work. Let me talk to Jai and see if we can work something out . I will see you both in office or home whichever comes first"

Arnav nodded his head and as if on cue, his phone jumped on the table.

He cursed again, as he saw Sheetal's name flashing on the screen. He hit the green button and tilted it slightly, so Khushi could hear as well.

"Arnav"

"Sheetal, did you find anything?"

"We asked her several questions. We asked her about the bombing as well. But, as per the polygraph machine, she knows nothing. She is telling the truth. Other than having a relationship with him, she has no idea about him as a person. In fact, she looked pretty broken by the time we were finished"

"Do you believe her?"

"I have seen criminals Arnav. I have also dealt with those who knowingly aid and abet. Lavanya does not fall in either of those category. We are releasing her"

Arnav nodded grimly. He was still not convinced enough, but he knew that there was no reason to hold her anymore.

"Can you just hold on for few more minutes? I will be there."

"Ok sure. We are getting the paper work ready for her release. You have half hour before we have to let her go"

"Of course. See you in a few Sheetal. Thanks"

"Well?". He disconnected the phone with a sigh as Khushi chewed her lips in confusion.

"I think", another deep breath, "I think we can use her"

She frowned then. "Use her how?"

"I am not sure yet. But, if Sheetal is right and Lavanya really knows nothing about Suraj, maybe she will help us"

"How?"

"May be she can get us some details about Acme she may have come across while spending time with Suraj"

"Arnav, we just accused her of a crime she apparently had no idea about. Why do you think she will agree to help us at all?"

"Because of the insane level of things we told her about Suraj?"

"I have seen people becoming blind when it comes to someone they care about. I am just not sure how deep Lavanya is into this relationship"

"Ok so what do you suggest. Because every corner we turn to results into another dead end. And hearing about that damn locker from NK. I can't even begin to imagine the kind of secrets it is hiding. We need to get this bastard to a place where CBI can actually convict him, but I don’t see that happening - not now, not ever. He is too smart and I feel sick thinking how we are losing time but are nowhere close to figuring this shit out"

"What if she goes to Suraj once she is out and divulge everything that has happened so far? She now knows the amount of details we have on him"

Arnav dropped his head in defeat and bit out another curse. "Give me another option then Khushi. Anything at all"

"May be. Umm, maybe we need to talk to her again"

He let out a humourless chuckle. "Yea, I don’t think she wants to talk to me anymore"

"Ok, then we can ask Akaash or Shayam to talk to her. Someone has to talk to her Arnav before she leaves that premises"

He nodded then and unlocked his phone once again to make the calls. Somehow knowing that at that point nothing short of a miracle will help them.

---

"Lavanya??"

No response!

"I just heard from Akaash and Shayam. They said you didn't really want to talk to them"

"I didn’t. And that did not mean that I wanted to talk to you Khushi. Please, as I told them - leave me alone. I don’t have any more energy left. I just want to go home"

Taking a deep breath, Khushi walked towards the couch where Lavanya was sitting holding a glass of half drank water in her shivering hands, eyes full of tears, looking paler than Khushi has ever seen her. They had finally moved her out of the holding cell, to a cosy albeit small office.

"I am sorry Lavanya, I know how hard this all must be"

And she laughed, shrill and painful noise erupting and bursting the silence that hung in the air.

"You are sorry. Really! So, you insult a person in the worst way possible, you make sure that they have no way to ever face their colleagues in front of whom they were treated like a common criminal and now you say you are sorry."

Khushi caught hold of the glass in Lavanya's hands, that now shook on the verge of snapping, and placed it on the table. Then sighing, she took her hands in a tight grip.

"No, I am sorry because we should have handled it better. I am sorry because we should not have let the pressure of last two month get to us in such a way. I am sorry, because we should have spoken to you before involving CBI"

"I am not very close to a lot of people at work Khushi, but he has known me for 12 years. I have been a friend to him. I never considered AR as just a workplace. It had been like my second family. And after giving all that I could to the company I love and the CEO I look up to, this is what I get in return? He didn’t even give me the benefit of doubt"

Khushi closed her eyes painfully as Lavanya's tearful words hit her like a blow and so she told her every single thing that had been happening with Suraj from the moment he came in with the proposal to the time he almost forced them to take his fabric by very possibly killing several innocent people. She told her about his office, the secrets he was harbouring - she told her everything.

"Remember Lavanya, when on that day I was worried about the delivery of our fabric, it was you who said Wasim was one of our most trusted vendor. And that I should not worry at all. Fast forward that unfettered trust to that moment when Arnav came to know that Wasim - someone he and all of us had trusted for so long had actually back-stabbed him. We saw those pictures Lavanya - pictures of the people lying on the ground after the bomb went off. Arnav visited the hospital too. He saw people burnt beyond recognition, saw them writhing in pain. Aman is still recovering from what happened".

She then got up and moved to sit next to Lavanya on the couch and continued, her voice laced with pain. "I am not defending Arnav. I am not at all telling you to forgive him or any of us yet, but when we saw you with Suraj, it was like someone pulled the land beneath our feet. You are one of those very few people whom Arnav trusts blindly and when he heard you telling Suraj about the policies of AR, however minute that detail was, he just couldn't bear it. I know his methods were not right and he should have given you the benefit of doubt. Hell we all should have done that in fact, but please for a second put yourself in our shoes and tell me if you would have reacted any differently"

Lavanya was sobbing now, her entire body shaking.

Keeping her warm hands on her shoulders, Khushi whispered.

"Lavanya, I am not telling you to forgive him or any of us. I am not asking you to forget these few hours. I am just saying that it is rare to find friendship and peace at the place you work, so give it some time. Consider the possibility that you might not be the only victim here"

Covering her face with her hands, Lavanya exhaled loudly. Hoping for her heartbeat that thudded at breakneck speed to slow down.

"I trusted him Khushi"

Confused, Khushi's frown deepened. She opened her mouth to answer, assuming the last statement was about Arnav, but the next words that tumbled out of Lavanya froze her.

"He used me. I fell in love with him and he used me against AR. He used me against my friends"

Lifting her head from her hands she looked up at Khushi and continued in her broken tone.

"I didn't know any of it Khushi. You have to believe me. I didn't even plan to feel anything for him. He was just so nice to me. Not once did I stop to think of the possibility that it could all be a lie. I am so sorry Khushi"

"Don’t be sorry Lavanya. You are a strong woman, never doubt that. No man, no Suraj can take that away from you. People like him can think that they can use a woman and get away with it, but we will make sure that he never gets to repeat his sins. I promise you that we will do everything in our power to bring him to justice"

Nodding Lavanya finally wiped the remnants of her tears. "I..", she inhaled again, flinching immediately as the fresh oxygen almost burnt her cried out lungs, "I need some time off, few days, is that ok?"

"Of course. Take all the time you need. Call us whenever you are ready"

---

"Yes, I will make sure all of us are there. Don't worry the wedding ceremony would be beautiful. Ok, see you tomorrow. Bye"

"Last time I saw you this happy Ma was when Akaash Bhai finally shored up the courage to lock Payal down. Who is getting married now? And why are you so happy?". NK spoke without even bothering to look up from the huge feast that lay in front of him, unable to decide which dish to begin his breakfast with.

"It was Aparna"

Confused Arnav looked up from his cereal bowl, and arched his eyebrows at Akaash who nodded his head with a smirk.

"Maasi?? She is remarrying?"

A loud laugh ripped across the table as Manorama sent withering glare at his son. "Her daughter is getting married"

Sniggering NK asked, "Which one Ma, the one with the red hair or the one who has that strange snake tattoo on her leg"

He then held his palm up to Akaash, proud about their inner joke earning a smack on his head from Nani.

"You boys have no shame, making fun of your own cousin. Priya is getting married"

"So, the red-haired one" NK still continued only this time ducking down before Nani could hit him again.

"Moving on". Manorama shook her head, even though a small smile threatened to break out on her lips, "We all have to be there tomorrow. And since we are helping out with few things, she requested us to be at the resort early in the morning"

"All? Come on Mami". Arnav asked suppressing his groan.

"Yes Arnav, All"

"But, I don't even know them. Will it really matter if I am there. With the upcoming show, I have far too much on my plate at AR to dispense one whole day for someone's marriage"

"You might not know them, but they know you Arnav. And tomorrow is Saturday. You can surely spare one day of the weekend"

Arnav finally let out that suppressed groan of his. The last one week had been one of most painful ones and seeing how they now constantly found themselves in battle with a psychopath, was saying something. He was of course relieved to see that his family was at least trying to get back to some sort of normality at least inside the walls of his home. But, he also knew his brothers enough to sense the humour in their voice had slightly lost its intensity, the dark circles beneath their eyes - much like his own were a testament to the sleepless nights they all have had especially since the god awful day he walked out of the CBI complex, very possibly losing a friend to the hands of Suraj. May be this wedding might prove to be the distraction they all needed. May be while they still racked their collective brains to come up with some sort of viable solution for Acme, they could all use a night out albeit a loud and over the top wedding kind.

"Did you speak to Buaji, Mami? Aparna Maasi was really excited to finally meet Khushi. What time are they coming"

His train of thoughts staggered completely as his shocked eyes met Anjali's. "Khushi and Buaji are invited too?"

"Mhmm", Anjali nodded while loading her plate up with an unusual quantity, while almost at the same time Akaash sniggered loudly earning a sharp kick to his shin beneath the table. He hissed in pain as he looked up, as NK shook his head - a clear warning on his face to shut the hell up.

Arnav who watched the whole interaction play out in front on him in a slow motion, narrowed his eyes in slits and raised his brows in question. But, found every single eyes around the table looking everywhere but him. Too scared to ask the reason behind his family's sudden fascination with food, he decided to make a move and leave for AR.

---

It was still really early in the morning - the entire office blanketed in silence with an occasional sound from the cleaning staff who were almost done with their morning cleaning rounds. A faint lemongrass smell now hung in the air, adding another layer to the elegance of AR.

As another sip of coffee made its way down her throat, Khushi sighed. This is how she liked it. Before the commotion of the day began, before another day kicked their butts and may be possibly made their life even more difficult - she absolutely loved these few moments of morning tranquillity. Moments where she could analyse her schedule, plan the day and just think in peace. She brought the rim of the warm ceramic back to her lips once more, as her brows furrowed at the several double booking she had in her calendar. Sighing once again, she fired a message to her assistant to sort out her chaotic calendar as a priority. With her back toward her office door, her eyes trained on her laptop that was perched on the adjustable table set at its maximum height to accommodate her standing position, and her focus still deep inside the strings of emails in front of her, she didn’t even notice her office open and close shut behind her.

Stepping inside the lobby of his thirty third floor, Arnav inhaled deeply only to detect the faint lemony whiff. He just loved the thoughtfulness he knew his cleaning staff went through to choose different fresheners each morning. It almost meshed with the mood and energy of the building somehow. He walked past the row of his executive offices, all engulfed in darkness, which made sense as it was only fifteen past seven in the morning. He decided to take the longer route to the large atrium at the corner of the floor that he called his second home. His eyes continuing to take stock of his empty floor. This is the time he appreciated the most. Not that seeing several hundred people running around the place that seemed to buzz with electricity in normal hours was any less gratifying. But these few serene minutes before the metaphorical bullet left the gun everyday - when the cubicles and offices were empty, the work that his people had done the day before laid bare in front of his eyes in all its informal glory - he still felt that jolt of content realising how far AR had come. With a sigh and the craving for some caffeine, he continued walking when he saw it. Faint light pouring out the office situated right next to his. He almost chuckled loudly - why did it still surprised him to see how similar they both were? Unable to contain the happiness and the craving of a very different kind now, he quickened his step.

He lightly knocked on her door, but was not at all surprised with the lack of her response. If she was anything like him, and he knew she was - Khushi wouldn’t have even heard anything above her own racing thoughts while she worked. So, slowly, with more care than he bothered with usually, he pushed open her door.

His steps flattered for a second as he took in her dress covered body from behind. He shook his head. How after all this time she still managed to knock every single breath out his body? He took another step toward her, and she still didn’t notice him. Her head seemed almost buried in the screen in front of her.

His own heartbeat now picking up its pace, he kept walking toward her when he finally stopped at just hairs breath away from her back. And that’s when she finally realised that she was no longer alone. He saw her shoulders lock as she stiffened but within seconds, she relaxed. A tiny chuckle escaped her lips, and that was the end of all the carefulness he had in his arsenal. He eliminated the remaining distance between them, as he enveloped her into his arms from behind.

Her own arms rose up to come on top of his, as her head fell back on his shoulders, and she sighed in response.

"Good morning"

"It is now". He whispered, placing his lips on her temple. "How did you know it was me?"

She turned her head slightly having one of those rare smiles on her face and tightened her own hold on him. "It is kind of a mystery. But somehow I sense you"

It was his turn to smile then. He bent down to place another kiss on her cheek. "I know what you mean. I always seem to sense you too gorgeous"

They stood quietly for few seconds. Trying to just take in each other's presence, when finally with his lips landing on her neck - unable to keep himself from touching her, he loosened his hold on her slightly as he took in the bright screen and his content in front of him.

"What is all this? Your mailbox looks like a road kill"

She hummed in response but before she could explain the disaster that her entire schedule and emails was, he took the half full coffee cup from her hands. He rotated it slightly to get to the spot that showed the faint mark of her pink lipstick, and then keeping his eyes connected to hers, he placed his own lips at that very spot and slowly took a long swig of the hot liquid. Her breath hitched as she realised what he just did. She visibly swallowed as he passed the cup back to her. "Khushi?"

"Umm". She cleared her throat, forgetting what he just asked. "I…", she frowned as she flustered once again, only this time she saw that tiny smirk on that handsome face of his. He knew exactly why she was so out of sorts, and judging by the full blown smile on his face now - she knew how proud he felt in that moment. And so, to give him a taste on his own medicine, mimicking what he did seconds ago - she too brought the cup of coffee which was back in her hands to her lips, taking the slowest and most deliberate sip that she could - making sure her lips too contacted the very spot his had been.

And it did the trick. The smile that was on his face disappeared. His eyes flared and his hold around her waist tightened. "Khushi", he groaned as he pressed his entire body to hers.

"You are evil". He whispered, his head dropping on her shoulder, making her giggle. "So are you"

His lips spread into a smile too as he bit the exposed part of her neck softly making her whimper in response. He looked up again, taking in that beautiful smile still adorning her face and he exhaled. "God! You have no idea what I would like to do right now rather than talk about work"

She gasped in response and he stepped away from her slightly, hoping that some distance between them would help him get his concentration and his blood back to his brain.

"Right", he cleared his throat, "back to that abomination you call your outlook. What is going on?"

Thankful for the reprieve from the heat threatening to engulf her, Khushi brought her attention back to the screen in front of her.

"Lavanya wouldn’t be coming in today too. So, most of her meetings are now added to my calendar and most of her emails are forwarded to me. I just messaged Alex to sort this out the moment he is in. Also, I am going to take up her team today"

"Akaash handled them last few days. How did that go? Are they asking about Lavanya and what happened a week back in front of them?"

"Well you know how it is. I am sure there is a rumour mill running at full pace about what happened that day. But, nothing obviously is reaching us. I am sure it is nothing ugly otherwise HR would have got involved by now. Akaash had a maniac day today so he requested me to take over La's team for the day"

He nodded his head, gladly accepting the remaining cup of coffee from her.

"Have you spoken to her yet?". She asked hesitantly making his inhale.

"I did - yesterday. I tried to explain her everything once again. Apologised to her too"

"And?"

"And, I think she is still in shock. She barely talked. Anyways, I asked her if she is willing to help us at all. Also asked her to talk to NK once she is ready as he will be able to explain the ins and outs of the shit we are in better. But, I have a feeling that even after all this, she will decline to help us in any way. She seemed to have really deep feelings for that asshole. Something I didn’t think was possible. I also know that we may have risked ourselves completely if she decides to trust him over us"

"Hopefully, that is not the case. You didn’t see her that day Arnav. She was so broken. I think she will help us"

He sighed. "Let's see"

"Are you ok?"

"I am not sure. As you just said, she seemed broken. This is not the Lavanya I had known all these years. But until she takes the decision to talk to us, I guess there is nothing much we can do"

Nodding, she threaded her fingers through his - something that was getting easier and more natural than she ever predicted.

"So, all set for the big nuptials tomorrow?"

He laughed then. Thankful for the distraction from Lavanya. Which didn’t prove to be too difficult given the way the entire day progressed. With the series of meetings in each of their diaries, and then few minutes in between spared to finalise the remaining details of the event - not once did they get a chance to talk about Lavanya or the supposed missile that might be headed their way. Arnav's mind did wander to the new information about Suraj few times. NK had been working constantly with Jai to try to come up with some kind of viable plan to use their knowledge about the secret locker, but he was still nowhere closer to any conclusion.

It was almost eight in the evening, and finally the office quieted down again.

Pressing his fingers on his forehead Arnav groaned. He still had few reports to get through and approve, but the rate at which his headache was blooming, he was sure he was in no shape to do anything productive. So with an irritated exhale, he closed his laptop shut and decided to continue from the comfort of his home.

---

"What are you still doing here??"

Startled, Khushi dropped her keys and turned around with a tiny curse. "Arnav, are you trying to give me a stroke"

Raising his palms up, Arnav walked further inside the executive parking area and toward Khushi, who had her parking spot right behind his.

"Sorry", he smiled warmly. Just the sight of her numbing the dreadful pain in his head. "How come you are still here? I thought you left a while back"

"I was about to, but the design team had some issues so I stayed to help them. Why are you here so late though?". She tilted her head as he relaxed against the side of her car.

"Got stuck in a meeting. But now I think it was good thing because I got to say good night to you".

Her laugh rang across the empty parking. "Flatterer"

He grinned back in response. "So see you tomorrow at the wedding?"

And her smile disappeared. She shifted on her feet uncomfortably and after a solid minute of some kind on inner talk, she smiled back. Only this time it was the smile she usually had - the masked, and measured one. "Of course. See you at the resort. It is getting really late Arnav. Think I should go"

"Khushi". He sighed. His face now serious. Which only made her grimace in response.

"Sorry. It had been a long day. I am seriously excited about meeting Buaji's friends tomorrow"

He tilted his head to one side and raised his brows. Not even bothering to call her out on her feeble attempt to hide whatever she was really thinking.

"I don’t want to talk about it"

He remained quiet. And, she closed her eyes and groaned then. "Arnav, please"

"You really think I would let it go when I can clearly see that something is bothering you?"

She blinked her eyes open. His concerned gaze wreaking havoc on her senses.

"Fine". She breathed in deeply. "I am just not very keen on attending the wedding ceremony, that's it"

"What?"

"I am not a big believer Arnav"

The slightly relaxed version of Khushi that he had managed to discover in last few weeks was gone now. The walls that usually surrounded her was back. "You don’t believe in marriages". It was statement. More like a realisation that he said it out loud.

She scrunched her eyes tight. It was not the first time she had disappointed yet another person by her views on the universal institution that she had no understanding of. It was just the first ever time that it pained her to say it out loud. She just wasn’t sure why. "Can we just leave it Arnav please"

"Hey, look at me". He took hold of her arms softly and turned her to face him. Her eyes looking everywhere but him. He sighed. And then tipped her chin up. "You can tell me anything you know that right?"

"I…". Her eyes finally connected with his, "I don’t understand the concept of marriage. It seems more like blindfolding oneself and jumping into a dark bottomless pit. The blind faith that people associate to marriage - it makes no sense to me because most couples end up fighting, cheating and leaving each other any ways. I don’t see a point why people commit to a life of pain and misery. If…"

"If you don’t allow yourself to get that close to someone, no way will they be able to hurt you". He completed her statement. Unsure if his heart broke more because of her terrible past that justified her feelings about marriage or because how badly he wanted to take her pain away but as always ended up not very sure how to really do it.

She inhaled sharply. Was she thankful that as always he read her so clearly and she didn’t had to voice out her fear, or was she embarrassed that he got to see some of the ugly part of her yet again. Would he finally realise how unfit she was in his world?

"You are right"

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I do believe that concept of marriage is a strange one. Picking one person to spend your entire life with? To hold and cherish. To remain faithful with. To grow old with. To love, beyond all rhyme and reason". His fingers swept up her arms and into her hair when he said that last statement, leaving goose bumps on its path. "You are right, it makes no sense. But…", he finally bent to place a soft kiss on her forehead, needing her taste before he could continue, "I have also seen number of examples who made and are making the whole married life seem like a thing of beauty. That bond two people share that goes beyond every single person, even the ones we share our blood with. It is up to the two people involved to decide how badly they want that bond to work though. For some it stays strong even after they die, and for some it breaks because it was never meant to be to begin with"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. What could she respond to all that he just said. It wasn’t that she didn’t know all this. She had heard it all. Only it was the first time, the words managed to make their way into her heart and mind.

"I am not saying you need to believe me though. Just keep your mind open to all possibilities. Anyways, it is really late. I think we should get going. Call me when you get home?"

She nodded, still too dumbfounded to say anything sensible.

Smiling, and placing another kiss to her temple, he extricated himself from her. He barely reached his car, when her fingers came around his forearms, making him pause in his tracks.

Surprised he turned, "Khushi, wha…". But the words dies on his lips, when she went on her tip toes, cupped his face in her small hands and placed a feather-like kiss right next to his lips. "

And before he could react at all, with a smile that had the power to detonate his life, she moved away. Leaving him stunned with a touch that hardly qualified as a kiss but made his knees weak because it was the first ever touch that she initiated with him.

---

"Fuckkkk"

He cursed loudly as the loud shriek of his ringtone jolted him out of his sleep once again. He slapped a huge pillow on his ear with a growl, hoping for the noise to stop, but within seconds, the damn phone rang yet again making him jump up with another loud curse. He squinted his eyes as he took in the time on his bedside table. Two-Thirty AM. Muttering out another string of curses, he blindly hit the green button of his phone.

"WHAT?"

Silence greeted him from the other side, making him lose any spare patience he had in that moment.

"Hello". He barked again and finally a tiny squeak broke through the line.

"I am sorry, I shouldn’t have called. I didn’t realise how late it was. Did I wake you?"

He groaned loud, rolling back on the bed. His hand coming over his eyes. "What did you expect I did at this time of the night, if not sleep?"

"I am so sorry". The apology came yet again. "I didn’t know what else to do. I…it is really important"

The squeak now turned to a full blown sob, and his senses went into hyper-alertness. All sleep leaving his body in a squish.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I…". A hiccup followed. "We need to meet. I need to see you"

"Of course. We can meet in morning?"

"I don’t think I will be able to get out in morning"

"Ok then I will come to you"

"No.. You can't. It.. It might not be safe for you"

"Huh! What do you mean?"

Another loud sob tore through the line, and he cursed again. "Ok, you are scaring me now. What is going on? Tell me or I am coming over right now"

"No! Umm, they…God! They have found something about you. Something really important"

"Something, what?"

"I can't tell you over the phone. We need to talk face to face"

"Ok. When do you want to meet then?"

"I can come to you. Eight pm, tomorrow evening? To your office?"

"Why don’t you come home? It will much easier to talk here"

"No. It might be not be safe talking in your home"

He frowned. "You think, they might be listening to what we talk here?"

Another tiny hiccup travelled to his ear. "I don’t know for sure. But just to be safe. Let's meet in your office?"

"Of course. Whatever you want. I will see you tomorrow then. Try and get some sleep now, ok? And Lavanya, I love you baby"

"I love you too Suraj"

---

Note from Author:

Hello all my dear readers!

First of all, a very happy new year. Hope you are having a great start of this year. Second of all, sorry for being super late with this update. End of year and then start of year kept me really busy with work. But here I am finally. Hopefully you will like this chapter and see you all again soon. Until then., take care and stay safe! 🥰

And don't forget to leave your comments with your thoughts 🧡