CHAPTER 35: Haunting past
(Day when Ranveer and team met Karan – Day when Om denied working with Ishu)
Priyanka: So, what are we going to do now? Siddharth Bhaiya has lied to us but we don’t know the exact reason.
Mishti: You are right, we don’t know if Mr. Rana hid it to save his family reputation, not letting the world know about Dushyant and Tia or to save something else.
Ranveer: Whatever maybe the reason, he lied to us and we have to find out why.
Priyanka: You both and go and meet him, I’ll wait for you.
Priyanka looked at Ranveer assuring him that she will manage till he comes back…. Ranveer smiled at her…. One smile from him would give her all the strength she needed…. Ranveer being by her side was all that she needed to fight the problems in their life…. Priyanka was sure that together they could get through everything….
Mishti observed this and smiled seeing them together and happy…. She wished if Abir and she could have had the same chance to be together and happy again…. Her wish may or may not come true, only time will tell that…. At the moment she decided to focus on her work…. Love will find its way into her life just like it had earlier, years ago…. It is rightly said about love, it comes to you when you least expect it to…. She knew if they were meant to be, they would come together eventually and if not, no matter what she did, they wouldn’t come together…. Mishti decided to let time decide the fate of her love….
Mishti and Ranveer took leave from Priyanka….
*****
Daksh was sitting in his room with a photo in his hand…. It was a photo of two girls…. He smirked seeing the photo…. The past had come knocking at his door again and this time he would complete his unfinished works…. He took out a lighter from the drawer and ignited the fire to burn the photo…. He laughed loudly seeing the photo turn into ashes….
Daksh: Welcome back beautiful, this time the game will be more fun, I promise you that.
He kneeled down and took the ashes in his hand and blew it, smiling evilly….
Daksh: Last time, it was her. This time it will be you Ishana. Get ready.
His evil laugh echoed in the entire room….
*****
Siddharth: You guys have a great misunderstanding, I don’t know any Karan Verma and I didn’t give him any money. You guys need to check through your sources. All this information you have is false.
Siddharth said it with some irritation in his voice…. He had been explaining Ranveer and Mishti that he had no connection with any Karan Verma nor did he hire him to do any work….
Mishti: Wish we could believe you on this but sadly we cannot. We have checked your records and bank statements thoroughly. The employee you presented was a fake one and also you transferred money to Karan’s account.
Ranveer: Mr. Rana, there is no use lying now. We have come here to know the truth behind this move of yours.
Mishti: Did you do this to save your family reputation from a murder case or your brother from being a suspect?
Siddharth: My brother had nothing to do with any of this.
Ranveer: Well not with the fake employee but maybe with his ex-wife Tia Kapoor.
Siddharth looked at Ranveer in shock…. Ranveer smiled and with one look at Siddharth and he knew that Siddharth knew about Tia and Dushyant….
Siddharth: What rubbish are you talking officer, my brother has nothing to do with Tia.
Mishti: Mr. Rana, there is no use denying facts, we have proofs and witness of the secret marriage.
Siddharth looked at Mishti and understood that they had evidence…. He thought for a moment and took a breath before speaking again….
Siddharth: I agree that the employee was fake but I didn’t ask any Karan Verma to do it for me. In fact why would I get my name involved, I can ask many people to do it for me without getting involved personally?
Mishti and Ranveer looked at each other…. Siddharth had a point…. He could have got the work done easily without getting his name involved…. But then if Siddharth didn’t hire Karan, who did and why did he mention Siddharth’s name….
Ranveer: Well Mr. Rana, we will investigate more into the matter. For the time being, you can live in peace but remember that after this trick of yours, you are also in our suspicion.
Ranveer looked at Siddharth once and walked out of the room…. Mishti followed him…. Siddharth made sure that they had left and took out his phone and dialed a familiar number….
POC: Hello….
Siddharth: Looks like someone wants to mess with me, and I want the mess cleared. I am sending you something, check it and get the work done.
POC: Okay.
Siddharth disconnected the call and looked at the view outside…. Whoever was trying to play with him would definitely lose, he thought and smirked….
*****
Abir brought Ishana her favorite adrak wali chai…. He had learnt over the years that one cup of tea could change Ishana’s mood completely….
Ishana was lost in her thoughts…. Today even her favorite tea couldn’t cheer her up…. The memories of the past were replaying in her mind…. She could never forget those darkest days of her life…. How happy she was and then one day, everything changed…. All her happiness turned into sorrow…. All this because of that one person…. Daksh Khurana…. How he entered their life as a gentle breeze and then turning into a storm created havoc in their peaceful life….
She was jerked out of her thoughts by Abir…. She looked at him as fresh tears collected in those eyes…. Eyes that always portrayed strength, confidence and power, today had only pain, sorrow and helplessness…. Abir quickly wiped her tears that were ready to flow unstoppable…. He nodded his head in negative….
Abir: No Ishu, this is not the time to fall weak, in fact this is the time to stand up and fight back.
Ishana: I don’t know Abir if I can fight him or not.
Abir: Of course you can, you are one of the strongest people I know and I am sure you can fight back and definitely win.
Ishana: But….
Abir: No Ishu, I know you can do it. And if you are forgetting you have some pretty good cops on your team this time.
Ishana looked at Abir who smiled at her…. Ishana too smiled back…. Abir felt relieved seeing her smile…. Never would he want to see a broken and sad Ishana again…. He forwarded the cup of tea and she took it smiling at him…. Having friends who are ready to fight for you is truly a blessing….
*****
Priyanka was sitting lost in her thoughts when Mishti and Ranveer entered…. She looked at them…. Ranveer sat on his chair while Mishti sat beside Priyanka…. Priyanka gave them water…. Mishti then told Priyanka about what happened at the Rana Office…. Priyanka was surprised knowing that Siddharth did hire a fake employee but he never got it through Karan…. Moreover Karan’s records were saying a different story….
Priyanka: This is so complicated.
Mishti: Exactly, Mr. Rana agreed that he lied but then he also said that he doesn’t know Karan. God knows what is happening exactly.
Ranveer’s phone rang at the moment and he picked it up seeing Abir’s name flashing…. He talked to Abir for a few minutes and disconnected the call…. Mishti was hearing the conversation with concentration…. Abir had not returned yet and she was getting worried…. Priyanka could sense her worry and placed a hand on her shoulder…. Mishti looked at her…. Priyanka signed her not to worry…. Mishti nodded…. Ranveer could also understand Mishti’s concern….
Ranveer: Mishti, I have never interfered in anyone’s personal matters, not even Abir’s but still I would want to say this to you today.
Mishti looked at him surprised hearing his words…. There was a concern in his voice….
Ranveer: I know that Abir and you have gone through some tough times and then working together makes things complicated. But I also know that you too can handle it well, so don’t worry. I know Abir and you will come through this phase of life also.
Priyanka: Ranveer is right Mishti, you both just need some time to reflect on the things happening around. I have not known either of you for a long time, but with whatever I have understood, I know that you both are strong enough to make things right, just take your time.
Mishti: You both are right, I guess all we need is some time.
Priyanka: Time makes everything better.
Ranveer: And I am sure whatever lies ahead will be for the best of both of you.
Ranveer and Priyanka smiled at her and she too smiled back…. Whatever they said was true…. All that Abir and she needed was time…. Time will make things clear…. She just had to have some patience and some faith….
*****
When you are falling down into the depth of the darkness…. What hurts the most is not the physical pain that comes with the falling but the emotional pain when you realize that the hands that pushed you are the same hands that taught you to walk…. The same hands that protected you…. The same hands that wiped you tears…. The same hands that held you when you were alone…. It is rightly said the worst pain comes from the betrayal of our own people…. People whom we loved, whom we cared for and whom we trusted…. The same people, when they turn against you and, you can never see through their acts hurts the most….
Prachi: So, Mrs. Kapoor poisoned her own daughter and was pushing her into a slow death.
Prachi broke the never ending silence…. The discovery of the past few hours had turned everything around…. Ranbir and Prachi had checked through the records of all the staff members in Oberoi Mansion…. Upon searching more they had found a particular lady had joined two months back to replace a staff member who was not keeping well…. Also she had left the job a week after Tia’s death…. On enquiring more about her, the other staff members revealed that Mrs. Kapoor had brought that lady and specifically asked her to look after Tia’s food arrangements….
Ranbir and Prachi had informed the same to Shivaay and Anika…. They tried to locate the lady but couldn’t find any trace…. Shivaay and Ranbir decided to talk to Mrs. Kapoor and what they found out shocked them to the core…. How could a mother do any such thing with her own daughter…. Why would a mother plan a slow death for her own daughter…. If Tia were not stabbed that night, maybe today she would have experienced the pain of betrayal….
Ranbir: I still don’t believe that Mrs. Kapoor did all this.
Anika: I know this is hard to understand but then, if she did it, I don’t find any reason for her to do so.
Prachi: Exactly, why did she do it is the mystery here? Tia was getting married to Shivaay Sir, and would become the daughter-in-law of the Oberois, why plan for her death?
Anika: Well if she was killing her own daughter….
Ranbir: That means Tia did something or was doing something against her wish, why else would she take such a harsh step?
Shivaay: Well, there is one person who can clear our doubts.
The three of them looked at Shivaay….
*****
Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
Here is the next chapter with some more revelations and many more questions.
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