Page 141
Story: The Deceit
Before he can respond, something catches my eye and I gasp in shock—he’s holding a high-heeled leather footwear in his hand. And it’s not just any footwear by the looks of it; it’s a designer piece, sleek black leather with an intricate gold buckle. It’s a Louboutin if I’m not mistaken. Definitely not something you’d find just lying around. And this expensive, elegant piece seems entirely out of place in Raghav’s hand.
“Whose… whose footwear is that?” I ask, unable to hide my curiosity. For the first time since I’ve known him, Raghav looks almost... flustered? “Raghav Kundra, were you here with someone? A woman?”
“Hold your horses,” he cuts in, quickly regaining his usual composure. “I’m not here with any woman. It’s just work.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Work? Okay. And the footwear?”
“Unrelated,” he says briskly, but I can see the hint of a smirk playing at his lips.
“You’re a terrible liar,” I say, shaking my head. “Who is she?”
“I’m flying back tonight,” he interrupts me, diverting the subject. “I have an important meeting at RK Estate tomorrow.”
“That’s not fair,” I protest. “Ayaan and Paapa won’t be happy. They will want to see you.”
“I’ll call them and explain,” he says dismissively, just as a sleek car pulls up to the back exit.
“Raghav, you can’t keep doing this,” I say, knowing I’m losing this argument. “You disappear for months and then show up without a word. And now you’re running off again?”
He doesn’t respond, and his silence only adds to my irritation. Something’s different about him tonight. He’s in a hurry. And wait… Is that a bruise on his neck… It looks fresh. Is it… a knife wound? It’s peeking out from under the collar of his black silk shirt.
I step closer, concern replacing my irritation.
“Raghav... what happened to your neck?” I ask softly, reaching out to examine it.
His hand shoots up, brushing over the fresh cut as if suddenly realising it’s visible. “It’s nothing,” he replies gruffly, stepping back.
“That’s not nothing,” I argue, worried. “It looks like a knife wound. What happened? Are you okay?”
“I said it’s nothing,” he repeats firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. Without another word, he turns toward the sleek car, pulling up to the corner.
“Raghav, wait. At least come inside and say hello to Devika and Simran,” I try one last time.
“Next time,” he replies, already walking towards the car.
But then he stops and turns to my guards. His eyes harden as he commands them.
“Keep an eye on her. Don’t make me come back here to clean up your mess,” he orders them, his gaze locking on all of them.
The guards nod, visibly intimidated. He gets into the car without another word, the door shutting with a decisive bang. I wave goodbye, but my eyes are fixed on that heel he’s still holding as the car pulls away. I wonder whose footwear he had in his hand? And why did it matter enough for Raghav to carry it around? What is he hiding?
Raghav has always been a man of few words, but tonight, there had been cracks in his armour—glimpses of something he wasn’t saying. That bruise on his neck, the expensive footwear in his hand, and the urgency in his demeanour told me that something wasn’t right. Somewhere deep in my heart, I hope that this same mysterious heeled footwear might just be the first pageof his story.
But knowing Raghav, getting to the truth will be like trying to catch smoke with bare hands. He’s made an art form of keeping people at arm’s length—staying just connected enough to fulfil the family obligations while never truly letting anyone in. Even now, just when I caught a glimpse of something more, he slipped away like a shadow in broad daylight. Huh!
I turn back toward the pub, knowing Simran and Devika will be worried, but my mind is still on that heel, on the wound, and the subtle change I saw in my usually unshakeable brother-in-law. I just hope whatever it is, it might finally bring him out of the dark shadows he’s been hiding in.
VISHNU
Walia Mansion
I stare at the screen, my eyes scanning through the endless list of patients from Riverside Haven Mental Health Center. Ayaan sits beside me, the soft glow of his laptop illuminating his laser-sharp focus as we both hunt for anything suspicious. Our wives are out, giving us the perfect window to dive deep into this investigation.
Suddenly, my gaze latches on a name, and my blood runs cold. No… No way. It can’t be... But there it is, clear as a day.
What the hell is ‘his’name doing here?!
As if the universe is confirming my worst fears, my phone pings at that exact same moment. I open the message from my New York team, and a series of photos fill my screen. They’re old, maybe taken two or three years ago. It shows a man—the same man whose name I just found on the patient list—standing beside an elderly woman. His mother, according to my team’s investigation.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141 (Reading here)
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189