LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 79

CHAPTER 79: Shocking revelations

“As I was saying Mr. Verma….”

Adhvik stopped mid-sentence as he looked through the glass partition of their conference room and was surprised to see Gauri standing outside talking to his secretary….
Seeing Adhvik not saying anything, Shaantanu and Naren followed his line of sight and were also surprised to see Gauri there….

Naren clenched his fingers in a fist, this girl was making his son lose his senses, and her effect on Adhvik was making Naren dislike her more….

Shaantanu got into thinking of what had brought Gauri to their office…. The last time he had met her was when Pankhuri was arrested, and after whatever had happened between his family and her, she should be the last person to come to their office….

Adhvik kept the file in his hand on the table and walked out of the cabin…. Shaantanu and Naren looked at him…. Shaantanu tried stopping him but Adhvik did not care and just walked out….

Adhvik: Gauri….

Gauri turned around hearing her name…. She looked at Adhvik standing behind her….

Adhvik: You here….

Gauri: I came to meet you, we need to talk.

Adhvik looked at her surprised by the urgency in her voice….

Adhvik: Let’s go to my cabin.

Gauri nodded and Adhvik guided her towards his cabin….

*****

Mishti was walking through the corridor carrying the files related to Tia’s case when she bumped into someone…. The files fell from her hand due to the sudden collision…. She looked at the person in front of her and was surprised to see a young girl….

Girl: I am so sorry; I was in a hurry that I didn’t see you.

Mishti: It’s okay even I did not see you.

Mishti sat down collecting her files and papers…. The girl also sat down and helped Mishti…. They smiled at each other…. They both stood up and the girl handed her the papers…. Mishti thanked her…. Mishti was about to go when the girl called her, she turned to look at her….

Girl: Excuse me, will you please tell me where I will find ACP Rajvansh.

ACP Rajvansh…. Abir…. The girl had come to meet Abir…. But who was she…. Mishti looked at her and wondered who she could be…. She was not their college friend for sure, as she would have remembered if they were from the same college…. A girl coming to meet Abir was not going well with Mishti’s mind…. Mishti was brought out of her thoughts by the girl’s voice….

Girl: Excuse me, will you help me, please?

Mishti: ACP Rajvansh, his cabin is the second one on the left.

Girl: Thank you so much….

Mishti: Mishti, my name is Mishti….

The girl looked at her from top to the bottom…. Mishti felt weird seeing the girl observing her like that….

Girl: You are so pretty Mishti Bhabhi; I must say Bhai’s choice is good. I’ll see you later, now I am in a hurry.

The girl left in a hurry while Mishti stood there surprised by her words…. Why did the girl call her Bhabhi…. And Bhai, she referred to Abir as Bhai, but as far as she knew Abir had no sister, then who was she…. Mishti was about to follow the girl when a constable came and informed her that Ranveer was calling her…. She thought to ask Abir later and walked towards Ranveer’s cabin….

*****

Arjun entered Anika’s cabin and was surprised to see it empty…. Where could she be at this time of the day…. She was not in his office…. Neither was she at home as Sumitra had called him sometime back asking him to come home soon with Anika…. Even Prachi was not around…. He wondered where the girls could be….

He dialed Anika’s number but heard the sound coming from the desk…. He sighed as he saw Anika had left her phone here itself…. He sighed at her carelessness, this girl could never learn to be careful…. How had she become a responsible lawyer he wondered sometimes….

Next in a row, he dialed Prachi’s number…. He was surprised as her phone was switched off…. Prachi never switched her phone off during office hours….

Something did not feel right…. He was worried…. Were his sisters in some problem….

He walked out of the cabin and towards the reception…. Maybe the girls would have left some message about where they were going….

*****

“You were right”

Gauri said and Adhvik looked at her surprised…. Right…. What was that he was right about…. Because from all that he could remember, there was no incident about which Gauri could find him right…. He had always been wrong to her…. How could he be right about something….

Adhvik: What?

Gauri: You were right about Prachi and Bade papa, Prachi is his daughter and my sister.

Adhvik looked at her shocked…. So what they were assuming was right…. Prachi was indeed Prachi Mehra…. She was Gauri’s sister…. But then why was the fact hidden from the world…. He knew Abhishek Mehra and his wife had separated years ago, but still, his daughter had all rights to carry his name and be known to the world for who she was…. He wondered if he should ask Gauri…. But why would she tell him about her family matters…. But then she had come all the way to his office to tell him the truth…. He should try asking her once….

Adhvik: If it is so, why is not known to the world?

Gauri: That is nothing that concerns you, Mr. Malhotra.

Adhvik: If it does not concern, why did you even come here to let me know it.

Adhvik asked her confused by her behavior…. On one side she herself came to his office to tell him the truth…. And the side she doesn’t want him to know everything…. What was going on in her mind….

Gauri: Because I want you to keep this information just to yourself.

Adhvik: What do you mean?

Gauri: I mean, no one else should know about this, not even your brother. If my family has kept it from the world, we have a reason to do so, and I don’t want the world to know anything. When the right time will come, we’ll let the world know.

Adhvik looked at her surprised….

Adhvik: Don’t worry, I’ll not tell anyone about this, not even Shaan.

Gauri: I hope you keep your words this time, the last time I trusted you, it didn’t go very well, I hope….

Adhvik: I won’t break your trust and my promise this time.

Gauri looked at him surprised…. His voice reflected sincerity today and his eyes reflected that he meant each word he said….

Gauri: Thank you Mr. Malhotra.

Gauri turned to go but stopped hearing Adhvik….

Adhvik: I am sorry for whatever I did with you Gauri.

Gauri did not turn to look at him….

Gauri: It’s all in the past now, let it go Mr. Malhotra.

She walked out of the cabin and Adhvik kept looking at her retreating figure…. Let it go…. It was the one thing he was not able to do for the past three months…. Whatever he tried, he could not let go of anything related to her…. She had affected him in ways he could not understand and he could do nothing about it….

He sat in his chair thinking about Gauri…. Why was she becoming so important for him….

*****

“Bhai”

Abir looked up from the file in his hand and was surprised to see Kuhu there…. He had not expected this surprise visit…. What was she doing in Mumbai…. Earlier even Kunal had come to Mumbai and had met Mishti, without informing him…. And now Kuhu was here…. He wondered if the two meetings were connected to each other….

Abir: Kuhu, you here, what a surprise.

He stood up from his place and smiled at her…. She smiled and hugged him….

Kuhu: If it was any other time I would have said I miss my Bhai a lot, and that’s why I came to see him, but not today, today I am here for something else, and something really important.

Abir looked at her confused by her statements…. Important…. What was it…. He asked her to take a seat while he sat back in his chair….

Abir: What has happened, you look worried, and did Kunal again fight with you?

Kuhu: No Bhai, it is not about Kunal and me, but about Kunal and Mishti Bhabhi.

Abir was again surprised…. Kunal and Mishti…. It was definitely about Kunal’s recent visit to Mishti’s house…. What was happening in his family that he was so unaware of….

Abir: Kunal and Mishti….

Kuhu: Yes Bhai, and please hear me out with patience, because some of the things I am going to tell you are going to shock you a lot.

Abir looked at her…. Shock…. What was Kuhu going to tell that would shock him….

Abir: Kuhu, whatever it is, just tell me.

Kuhu nodded and began narrating whatever Meera had told her the previous day….

Abir and Mishti’s childhood…. Their families being neighbors and business partners…. Mishti and his friendship…. Mishti’s family leaving for Delhi…. The farewell dinner…. The fire incident…. His father’s death…. Him losing his memory after the tragedy…. Him forgetting about Mishti…. Mishti’s family leaving for Delhi…. Kunal’s hatred for Mishti…. Mishti coming to Rajkot for her graduation…. Mishti meeting him in college…. Them falling in love…. Kunal blackmailing Mishti…. Their break up…. Mishti walking away from his life…. And Kunal again blackmailing Mishti to leave him….

Kuhu finished with her narration….

Abir was lost in his thoughts…. Kuhu was right the revelations had shocked him to the core….

The things told by Kuhu had changed his entire life….

The life he had been living till now felt like an illusion toh him…. He was living away from reality…. He was living a life in the darkness, when people around him, people whom he trusted so much were lying to him, hiding things from him and keeping him in his dark illusion world….

Kuhu: Bhai, I know all this is a lot for you to take in, but I told you everything because I don’t want you to separate from Mishti Bhabhi again. Don’t let her go Bhai, this time stop her please.

Abir did not say anything…. Kuhu understood that he needed some time alone to absorb everything…. She understood it was not easy for him; his entire life had changed suddenly…. She silently left from there giving him his space to think and reflect upon everything she had told him…. She only prayed that her family stayed together and the Abir and Mishti get their happy life….

*****

Shivaay was sitting in his cabin going through a file when the door swung open and he looked up surprised to see Arjun and Ranbir together…. Looking at them Shivaay understood something was not right…. But what had happened he had met Arjun a few hours ago and everything was fine then…. Anika…. His thoughts shifted to her and he remembered feeling different…. Was his feeling right…. Was Anika in some problem….

Shivaay: Arjun, Ranbir….

Arjun: Shivaay, we have a problem.

Shivaay stood up from his place…. So what he was thinking all day was right…. Something was not right….

Shivaay: Anika….

Ranbir: Yes Bhai, both Anika and Prachi are missing, something is wrong.

Arjun began narrating about his visit to their office…. Their absence there…. Prachi’s phone being switched off…. And the receptionist of their office informing him that Anika had left a message for him before going out….

Shivaay: What message, what message did Anika leave for you?

Arjun showed him the paper…. Shivaay took the paper from him and read the contents of the paper….

“Bhai, we have got a lead regarding Mr. Kapoor’s death. Prachi and I are going to meet the person responsible for all this, will let you know once we are back – Your Annie”

Shivaay looked at the paper and then at Arjun and Ranbir….

Arjun: It’s been hours since they have gone to meet the person, and have not returned. Something is definitely not right.

Shivaay: Don’t worry Arjun, we’ll find them.

Shivaay assured Arjun…. Till Shivaay Singh Oberoi is alive, nothing can happen to his Anika….

*****

Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
Here is the next chapter of the story, do share your views on the same.

Gauri told Adhvik the truth, will he keep it away from his family? Abir knows the entire truth, will he confront Mishti or Kunal about it? Will Arjun and others find where Anika and Prachi are?

Guys, I hope the story is keeping to its mark and you all are liking it, and I hope it continues to entertain you all.

Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!