CHAPTER 70: Clues found and truth told
Arjun was reading the documents carefully while Anika and Prachi were going through the photographs and police reports….
Tia was smart enough to collect all the evidence that could be used to expose the deeds of the Malhotra brothers…. She not only had found the documents from the office of the Malhotras but also had collected photos of the places where the girls were kept…. She had also collected copies of police reports that stated about girls being missing from the chawls of Mumbai, Pune, and other prime cities of Maharashtra…. So, Adhvik and Shaantanu had been involved in all this for a long time, as some reports suggested girls being missing for more than five years…. The missing girls could be linked with the illegal works the Malhotra brothers were doing hiding it all under the façade of the glory of the Malhotra Industries….
Arjun: The evidence is enough to prove that Adhvik and Shaantanu are involved in illegal activities but….
Mallika: But, what Arjun?
Prachi: But these are not enough to prove that they have killed Tia.
Arjun: Right, these do not prove Tia’s murderer is Shaantanu.
Dushyant: So, now what do we do?
Anika: Well, we can do one thing for now….
Mallika: What?
Anika: We can show this evidence in court and prove that even Adhvik and Shaantanu Malhotra had a motive to kill Tia; with this, we could get some more time to prove Bhabhi as innocent and we could find evidence against Shaantanu that show he is the killer.
Dushyant: But, Pankhuri can tell the court the truth now, why wait for some more time?
Prachi: No, if we do that the court may think that Bhabhi is doing all this to save herself if she tells the truth now; it could be used against her.
Arjun: Prachi is right; we have to have some more solid proofs to tell the court that Shaantanu has killed Tia.
Mallika: So, now we can prove that Shaantanu had a reason to kill Tia, all we have to do is prove that he actually did it.
Anika: Yes, but we don’t know how we are going to do this?
Dushyant: Well, we have reached so far, we’ll definitely find some way to do the rest also.
Anika nodded her head…. Arjun was about to say something when there was a knock on the door…. They looked at each other hoping it would not be Shivaay again…. Arjun asked the person to come in and to their relief, it was Arjun’s assistant…. He informed him that someone had come to meet Prachi and was waiting for her downstairs…. Prachi was confused while others were surprised…. Prachi excused herself and walked out of the cabin….
*****
Prachi was walking down the corridor thinking who could come to meet her at Arjun’s office…. If someone had to meet her, the person would have either called her or come to her office…. How did the person know she would be here at Arjun’s office…. She reached the waiting area and was surprised to see Om there…. He smiled at her and she, who assumed he had come to meet Arjun, smiled back at him…. Prachi walked towards him….
Prachi: Hello Om Bhaiya, aap yaha?
Omkara: Prachi, I am here to meet you, it is important.
Om’s voice sounded different from all the times she had met him and Prachi understood there was something very important, that he had come all the way here to meet her…. She wondered what it could be…. Om asked if they could talk somewhere in private and Prachi nodded…. She knew Om very well in the past months; he was a person who wouldn’t do anything without properly thinking about it…. She guided him towards the empty meeting room and he followed her….
Prachi: What has happened Bhaiya, you look disturbed about something?
Omkara: Prachi, I really consider you the same as Prinku, and so I won’t beat around the bush and talk to you directly. What were you doing in Oberoi Mansion yesterday night?
Prachi looked at him shocked hearing his words…. So, he had seen her…. Despite everything, he had seen her and now she knew she had no other way than telling him everything….
Omkara: Look Prachi, I am not doubting you or putting any blames on you, just asking you and if it is something that you cannot tell me, I would understand it, but say it clearly.
Prachi looked at him surprised…. Om was really whatever she had heard about him…. He was indeed different…. Very different from some of his family members especially his father, Tej…. If he had been in Om’s place, he would have blamed her for what not and also would have insulted her in front of everybody…. Prachi could hide it from Om, but now that he had asked her this way, she could not hide it….
Prachi: Bhaiya, woh….
Prachi knew she could trust Om and started narrating whatever happened in the past few months…. She told him everything from Tia’s murder…. Real killer…. The reason behind her death…. Arjun’s plan…. The truth behind Pankhuri’s confession…. Past and present of the Malhotras…. Their search of Oberoi and Kapoor Mansion…. And the pieces of evidence Tia had against the Malhotra brothers….
Om heard her shocked by each truth she told him…. He did not know so much was happening around him and he was so unaware of it….
Prachi looked at him worried; she knew it was too much to handle all at once…. She became worried herself thinking about how her mother would react when she would know the truth of her meeting Abhi…. She had to tell Pragya everything….
Omkara: Prachi, does Ranbir know about all this?
Prachi: No Bhaiya, we haven’t disclosed this to anyone yet, you are the first one to know.
Omkara: Then don’t worry, I won’t tell anything to anyone, I know you all will do the right thing and everything will be fine.
Om smiled at her and placed his hand on her hand signing her not to worry, while Prachi smiled back at him…. Om took her to leave and Prachi felt relieved…
*****
It had been a long time that Prachi had not returned to the cabin…. Anika decided to look for her and see if everything was fine or not….
Anika was looking around here and there when she bumped into a person…. She was about to fall when the person held her hand and she looked at the person…. The two of them looked at each other and were surprised…. Shivaay had wrapped his hands around her waist securely while she had one hand on his shoulder while the other clenched his coat…. They were lost looking into each other’s eyes…. They stood there in the same position not caring about anything or anyone…. If not for Shivaay’s phone ringing, they would have kept looking at each other forever….
Shivaay made Anika stand properly and picked up the call…. Anika decided to get away before Shivaay finishes his call…. She turned to go but stopped when she felt a pull…. She turned around and was surprised to see Shivaay still holding her hand as he talked to the person on call…. She tried pulling her hand out of his hold, but he only tightened the hold seeing her attempts…. Anika looked on surprised while Shivaay did not look at her but continued talking on the phone…. Seeing there was no use to do anything, Anika remained calm and waited for him to finish the call…. After a few minutes, Shivaay finished the call and turned to look at her…. He smiled while she was confused seeing his behavior….
Shivaay: I had come to meet you, and you only came to me. Yeh kismat bhi naa, hume juda hone nahi deti, hai naa Anika.(This fate also doesn’t let us be away from each other)
The first thought that came to Anika’s mind was to pinch herself and break the dream she was seeing in the broad daylight…. She raised her hand to pinch her cheek when Shivaay understanding what she was doing held her hand…. She looked at their hands and then at Shivaay…. He moved closer to her and quickly kissed her cheek…. She looked at him shocked….
Shivaay: Yeh koi sapna nahi hai Anika, sach hai, hamara sach.(This is not a dream Anika, but our truth)
Anika did not know how to react…. The person who had not looked at her even for a moment in the past three months was now standing here in front of her, holding her hand, smiling and kissing her…. Seeing her lost Shivaay snapped his fingers in front of her and she looked at him….
Anika: Bhai, he is in his cabin, you can go there and meet him. I have some important work.
Shivaay: I think you did not hear me clearly; I am here to meet you, Anika.
Anika…. Anika…. He had called her Anika yet again…. Why…. How…. Even yesterday he had called her Anika…. What had happened to him suddenly that she had again become Anika from Ms. Raichand….
Anika: You are….
Shivaay: Not here, come with me.
Without giving Anika any chance to say anything or deny Shivaay held her hand and walked towards the exit….
*****
Prachi returned to Arjun’s cabin after talking to Om and was surprised to see Arjun sitting there alone…. He looked at her and understood her question….
Arjun: Dushyant and Mallika went back to their house as they received a call from Siddharth. And Annie, she had gone to look for you, anyways let it be now, she’ll come back.
Prachi: Bhai, I have to tell you something….
Prachi had to tell Arjun that Om knew Arjun nodded but before Prachi could say anything the door opened and Rudra entered the cabin…. Arjun and Prachi looked at each other surprised…. Prachi wondered what a day it was, first Om and now Rudra, was there a chance Shivaay would also come here…. Little did Prachi know that what she was wondering had already happened….
Rudra: Bhaiya, we need to talk, it’s important.
Arjun nodded and looked at Prachi…. She understood and was about to walk out of the room but Rudra stopped her….
Rudra: You can stay here Prachi Di, I know you are like Anika Di to Arjun Bhaiya, so you are the same to me also.
Prachi just smiled at him while he smiled back….
Arjun: What has happened Rudra, you look worried?
Rudra: Bhaiya, I saw you in the Oberoi mansion yesterday, and I also heard you talking to Dushyant Bhaiya.
Arjun and Prachi looked at each other shocked….
Arjun: Rudra….
Rudra: Bhaiya, I trust you and I know if there is something important, you’ll handle it and when the time comes you’ll tell it to Shivaay Bhaiya also. I just came to let you know, that I saw you and hope there is nothing to worry about.
Arjun looked at Prachi and she nodded her head…. Arjun took a deep breath and told Rudra everything from the beginning till the end…. Tia’s murder…. Real killer…. The reason behind her death…. Arjun’s plan…. The truth behind Pankhuri’s confession…. Past and present of the Malhotras…. Their search of Oberoi and Kapoor Mansion…. And the pieces of evidence Tia had against the Malhotra brothers…. Rudra heard everything shocked with each new revelation….
Arjun: Rudra, just don’t tell Shivaay anything as of now; I’ll talk to him myself.
Prachi: Bhai, there is someone else who also knows everything.
Rudra: Who?
Prachi: Om Bhaiya….
And she narrated her talk with Om from some time before….
Rudra: Don’t worry you both, O and I’ll not tell anything to anyone. We know you’ll manage everything.
Arjun: We know Rudra, Om and you won’t let Shivaay know. Once everything is sorted, I’ll talk to him.
Rudra: Bhaiya, I should get going now, I have to be somewhere. Bye Di.
Arjun nodded at him while Prachi smiled….
*****
Anika was looking at Shivaay who was busy looking ahead as he drove through the roads of Mumbai…. He knew Anika was looking at him but he could not look at her right now…. They needed to be at a place where they could talk without anyone interfering and so he was taking her to such a place…. Anika wondered how she had let him do whatever he wished to do…. How she did not say anything when he held her hand and they walked towards the parking lot…. How she did not say anything when he made her sit in the car…. How…. Anika came out of her thoughts and looked around, not recognizing the place they were heading to….
Anika: Shiv…. Mr. Oberoi, what is all this, where are you taking me….
Shivaay: You can call me Shivaay, and I won’t mind Shiv also.
Anika looked at him surprised…. What was wrong with him today…. Was he drunk or had he consumed something that he was behaving like that…. Her thoughts came to a halt as Shivaay stopped the car near a cliff…. She looked around not knowing why they were here…. He got down from the car and came to her side, he opened the door and forwarded his hand towards her…. Anika however did not hold his hand and came out of the car….
Anika: Shivaay, why have you brought me here?
Shivaay: Because we have a lot to talk about and I really don’t want anyone to disturb us.
Anika: What are those things, because the last time we met, we only had a formal relation and this doesn’t seem like a place for any kinds of formal meetings?
Shivaay: Anika, I am sorry for all that I know it wasn’t right….
Anika: Shivaay, you don’t have to be sorry, it was my fault, I am sorry….
Shivaay: Anika, we need to talk, please this time let us handle it properly….
Anika thought for a while before answering…. Shivaay was stating the correct thing…. Last time she said things in the wrong way and it did not go well…. This time it could go in a better way….
Anika: You are right Shivaay, we’ll handle it in a better way this time….
Shivaay smiled thinking Anika would tell him about her love for him while Anika smiled thinking she could deny her love for Shivaay in a better way….
*****
Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
Here is the next chapter of the story, do share your opinions on the same.
Will Arjun and the team be able to prove Pankhuri’s innocence and Shaantanu’s crimes? Will Shivaay be able to make Anika confess her love for him, or will their relationship change drastically? Will Prachi be able to tell Pragya the truth about meeting her father?
Also, dear readers I know you all want to know what Kunal did that Mishti was forced to break Abir’s heart, I know you also want Pranbir and Abhigya scenes, I know you all want to know why Daksh took the blame for everything, and what is the truth about Ishana’s story, and I know there are many more things you all want to know and are eagerly waiting for, and belive me, I have planned the story in such a way that your curiosity will only increase in the coming chapters, and you do not lose interest in the story, so all I request you all is to have some patience, I know it has been 70 chapters now, and you all have been very patient since the beginning, and I am very thankful to each one of you for that, so trust me, the way I have revealed many things at the right time, I will reveal the remaining things also, so just enjoy the story, and keep up with your support, it means a lot to me.
Keep reading and smiling!!!
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