"Who is your partner and where are they now?" Adish asked Vikram who tried to refrain from giving out their identity by holding himself back from speaking any further only to be discouraged by Adish "Answer the question Vikram, who is your accomplice? You can't remain silent forever as the ash won't let you, therefore making your attempt to remain silent seem pointless"
"Naagmaya" was what Vikram had cleverly uttered leaving Adish clueless once again.
"Who is Naagmaya?" Adish interrogated further to which Vikram responded "A nightmare to the likes of you"
"What do you mean?" Adish demanded an answer to which Vikram responded with a laugh "You may be holding me captive at the moment but I will break free eventually perhaps even sooner than you realize"
"We'll see about that later for now I just want answers and you'll be giving me the same" Adish brushed him off only to be taken aback by Vikram's attempt towards breaking out of the circle as he tried to jump outside in a bid to divert Adish from interrogating him any further.
"You do know that it's pointless trying to step out of this right?" Adish was amused by the serpent's futile attempt
"I don't care, If I wanna get out sooner I've gotta start right away" Vikram retorted as he shapeshifted into a serpent and scaled up into a giant right away to break through the barrier which held him captive upon seeing which Adish picked up his gemstone and extended the same using his arm towards Vikram to get him under control although the latter resisted until they froze and reverted back to their original form following which Adish picked him up and locked him in a mini escape proof reptile enclosure.
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Lakshya was at the dining table with the rest of the family where he was having the cheela's that were served for breakfast along with some milk and fruits. The doorbell rang prompting one of the staff members to open the same to find Mahima's assistant Payal at the doorstep who soon walked inside and waited in the living room as directed by the house staff.
The staff member then approached Anvay to inform him about the payment that was due to Shubh Events which Payal had come to collect.
Once Anvay was done he stepped away from the table and headed straight towards the living room, "How is your boss doing? Is she okay?" Anvay asked her
"How would a bride who got stood up and humiliated at the altar be doing in general? Of course not so great obviously. In fact I haven't heard from her since yesterday and to be honest I have been trying to contact her but haven't been successful there either given her phone is switched off" Payal told him
"I understand" Anvay sighed
"No you don't! You have no idea of what happened yesterday. Mahima has worked really hard to earn the name and respect she did not just as a professional but also as an individual and it was tarnished all in just one go all thanks to your-" Payal was interrupted before she could complete as Lakshya had cut in between their conversation
"Dadi has called you" and assured Anvay that he'll manage the payment to which the latter agreed and headed towards the study where Chandrika was expecting him.
As he reviewed the payment before getting it finalized he could sense the assistant glaring at him in silence. Once the payment was cleared she collected the cheque and proceeded to leave the mansion only to be interrupted by Lakshya while on her way out.
"Where is Mahima?" He asked her
"Why do you care? aren't you satisfied with the mess you've made yesterday or is there more left to come?" The assistant taunted him however Lakshya ignored it and persisted to learn about her whereabouts to which Payal ranted, "I don't know! In fact no one does, we've been trying to contact her but our efforts seem to be in vain. This is all your fault!"
"Have you checked with her father?" Lakshya asked
"Yes I have but she wasn't home either and it doesn't seem like he's aware of her whereabouts" Payal revealed getting him alarmed over the same as he had expected her to return back home after walking away from him midway the previous night.
"Are you sure about that?" to which Payal gave him an affirmative response which he allowed to sink in for a while before walking off and heading outside.
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"Are you sure?" Naagraj Bhujang questioned his messenger who notified him about Vikram getting captured by the healer
"Yes" the messenger responded
"I don't believe this, how did a mere healer manage to apprehend and hold my son captive?" the Naagraj roared
He then stood up from his throne and walked down towards a stand which had a shallow vessel filled with water placed on top of it which was believed to be enchanted and could provide the answers sought after.
"Where is my son?" He asked the vessel however it did not react as a result of which nothing was revealed.
"Strange, the oracle isn't responding, what is going on and why aren't you revealing anything?" the Naagraj asked
"Because it appears that he is sealed within a protective barrier using a powerful shrouding spell" a voice from within the vessel spoke out
"Who is this healer really? Show me his face" the Naagraj ordered the oracle to which it complied revealing Adish's face in the water.
Bhujang then ordered his subordinates to tail Adish and gather information relating to him.
................................................................................................................................................................
Srishti stepped out of her car and walked through the parking lot heading straight towards the campus gate. As she entered the premises she could feel all eyes on her along with the whispers in the background as people began to gossip. It was the first day she had rejoined classes after being on leave for the wedding and its preparations.
The news about wedding getting called off was out to everyone in the campus, while some sympathized with her there were others who derived pleasure out of it.
"Look who's back after getting rejected by her fiance, seriously she is such a loser to have actually believed that she would have ended up with a guy like Lakshya" a voice mocked her from behind. Srishti paused for a bit and then turned around to face them, it was Nyra her archnemesis in college along with her minions.
Srishti walked up to her and retorted, "Maybe I didn't end up with him but at least I were engaged to him unlike someone who isn't even associated to him" following which she walked away leaving Nyra fuming internally at the insult directed at her.
Once inside the class Srishti took her seat in the front row along with Kirti while Abhay was seated at the back right behind Nyra's bench, the lecturer had arrived early and it seemed like she was waiting for the everyone to show up in order to begin the session. As the session began she stood up and announced the results relating to their previous assignment declaring that Srishti's group had received the highest score.
"Ofcourse that group would receive the highest score since it had my BF in it" Nyra jibed at them
"I bet you did all the work while the rest just took you for a ride" she told Abhay
"That is not true, we've all worked hard" Abhay clarifed however "You really are quite modest and humble, but I know for a fact that it was all you" Nyra continued to discredit his group members.
The lecture ended an hour later followed by a brief recess which allowed Srishti to step out of the class room who then headed to the canteen, Abhay tried to go after and accompany her but was held back by Nyra in the classroom.
Inside the canteen Srishti took the table in the corner to avoid being seen or getting any sort of attention from her peers. At this point she believed it would be best if she laid low and avoided getting into any sort of unnecessary trouble.
As she received her order and prepared to open the same she let out a scream and stepped away from her table immediately making it known on how terrified and disgusted she was at the sight of a live cockroach found in her meal. Sooner a group of girls sitting in the opposite corner table burst out into laughter as they drew pleasure out of the prank they managed to pull off. As Srishti identified them she wasn't really surprised given they belonged to Nyra's group.
"What's the matter Srishti, not enjoying your meal or did your relative put you off??" One of the minions commented
"It must be the latter" the other one added as they burst into laughter.
Srishti felt the urge of giving them a befitting response however decided against it and chose to ignore them as she walked off to leave the canteen.
As she was about to step out Srishti felt something hit her leg causing her to trip and nearly fall until a pair of hand secured her preventing the fall. "Are you okay?" It was Abhay who was surprised to see he trip and nearly lose balance.
"I'm fine" she told him as she walked away however he could sense something was off given owing to her unusual yet reserved demeanor which was something that he wasn't really used to and wondered if it was due to her break up with his brother.
................................................................................................................................................................
Lakshya entered the police station and headed straight to officer Jadhav's desk.
"What brings you here today?" Jadhav was puzzled by Lakshya's sudden appearance
"I'm here to file a missing person report" Lakshya informed him
"Who is it?" Jadhav asked
"It's our event planner Mahima" Lakshya answered to which the cop raised his eyebrow "Interesting, your the second person here to file the same report" the cop stated
"But what I don't understand is why are you so concerned about her"
Lakshya hesitated for a while before explaining that he was the last person to see her the previous night.
"Interesting, you were the last one to see her. I wonder why" Jadhav narrowed his eyes suspecting Lakshya's involvement in the concerned matter.
"Why were you the last person to be with her exactly?" Jadhav asked
"It's because he is the one that married her last night" Arvind walked in on them who happened to overhear their conversation while at the time quite vexed at the sight of Lakshya before him who then began to berate the latter over his callous approach towards his marriage and began to question his decision of agreeing to his proposal earlier.
"How could you just let her go? Is this how you fulfill your responsibility?" Arvind lashed out
"She was upset and furious, you didn't really expect me to force her to leave with me now did you?" Lakshya explained
"What was I even expecting" Arvind sighed out of frustration as Jadhav watched them seemingly quite amused by them.
Arvind then requested officer Jadhav to help find Mahima to which he agreed "We'll do the needful"
............................................................................................................................................................
College had ended for the day, while everyone was in a rush to walk out and leave the class Srishti remained seated as she appeared to be writing something on her handbook.
Abhay noticed the same and was about to go and check on her given he was concerned about how she appeared to be getting into a shell of her own. He then stood up and walked right up to her "Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine, but why do you seem very concerned" Srishti looked up at him surprised by his gesture
"Well it's just...." Abhay trailed
"If it's about your brother then please don't, I've decided to let it go" Srishti assured him
"Then why do you look so down" Abhay asked her
"Because she's a loser" Nyra answered as she walked in on them "You should keep away from her, clearly she is bad news"
Srishti scoffed at her remark
"Do you really need to do this?" Abhay rebuked Nyra
"Well she was acting all high and mighty earlier when she was engaged, so it's quite pleasing to watch her fall off her undeserving pedestal" Nyra derided her further, "But why are you so bothered with her? She isn't really worth that"
"Are you serious?" Abhay asked out of annoyance over Nyra's lack of empathy
"Yes so let's leave" Nyra told him as she dragged him by the hand outside much to Srishti's relief.
................................................................................................................................................................
Lakshya was back at home where he was in the living room seated in the couch while at the same time trying to figure Mahima's whereabouts.
He then thought of calling the cab company to enquire about the driver that had picked up Mahima the previous night. He stood up and walked out of the house heading straight into the lawn area where he made the call.
"Good Evening, thank you for calling quick ride customer service, how can I assist you?" The customer care agent asked
Lakshya then requested them for the details of the driver who was responsible for driving Mahima to her unknown destination.
"I'm sorry but I cannot disclose those details as it's against our company policy" the agent apologised
"I understand but you need to realize that I wouldn't have asked had it not been urgent" Lakshya insisted on his request
"I am sorry but I am not allowed to give out those details" The agent asserted which then prompted Lakshya to explain what exactly happened, "The thing is a friend of mine has been missing since yesterday and it was your driver that happened to be the last person she was to be seen with, if you understand what this implies then I request you to the needful and provide me the details asked for unless you want the cops knocking at your company door while the media uses the same to hold it's own trial and slam you'll for it's own gain. Don't you think it would be better if you just cooperate and make things less complicated for the both of us?"
The agent gave it a thought and then asked Lakshya if they could put the call on hold in order to discuss the same with their manager to which he agreed.
5 minutes later the agent got back to Lakshya and agreed to help him out and sent him the requested details via email.
"Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help in this" Lakshya expressed his gratitude
"Your welcome, however please keep this confidential" the agent requested
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this" Lakshya assured him following which the call ended.
"Won't tell anyone about what?" Adish who was right behind lakshya asked who had just entered the premises and walked into the lawn the minute he saw Lakshya so he could discuss what he learnt through Vikram about the accomplice involved in the attacks targeting the Singh Family.
Lakshya then informed Adish regarding Mahima being missing since the previous night and that he was trying to trace her through the last person which was the cab driver in this case.
"So I'll need to leave right away" Lakshya then walked off from the lawn area and headed towards his car which was parked in the garage, as soon as he got it he drove away.
................................................................................................................................................................
A few days later
In an orphanage back at Manasgadh which was bustling with the children playing around, a young woman is seen beckoning them all to enter the dining area where the mid day meal was to be served.
"Mahima, please ensure they're all seated in a row" the matron instructed her
"Sure" Mahima responded following which she managed to get the naughtiest lot of the children seated first on the floor close to the wall behind them as the rest followed the same. She then along with rest of the workers there began to serve the food after which the matron requested her to join her for lunch "you must be tired chasing after these kids all day, it's time for you to refuel and get some rest"
"It's okay I can go on" Mahima assured her however the matron insisted that she had her lunch first and asked her to join her in the office for the same with Mahima giving in and following the matron to her office.
Once inside the matron took her seat while Mahima took the one in front of her desk, a minute later the office boy showed up with the food and served them both before leaving the office.
"To be honest, I was really surprised to see you back. Most of the orphans never return once they're settled with their foster families but you've not only helped us financially but actually come back to pay us a visit" the matron appreciated her
"You took me in when I had no one to look out for me and then helped me get a new family, this is the least I could do from my end" Mahima replied
"Even then we are really grateful and may God bless you for this" the matron expressed her gratitude. Even though Mahima tried to put up a front where she seemed to be okay the matron could sense the pain and sorrow which she tried to hide judging by the look in her eyes.
"I know you've been through a lot lately, I heard about what happened. But you know what perhaps there maybe a good reason behind it. What may seem like a curse now could turn out to be a blessing eventually, so cheer up" the matron consoled Mahima.
"I can't accept it, I won't accept it!" Mahima felt repulsed the very idea of believing what happened could ever be a blessing in disguise.
"You don't have to if you don't want to, but at the moment you need to get over it and move on" the matron advised her, "You're a strong woman Mahima, you'll get through this"
Mahima smiled at her as she finished her meal.
As the day passed by and the evening arrived the children were back on the ground busy playing around while Mahima was supervising them while joining in to keep them engaged.
It was a game that involved blindfolding one person i.e. the denner who would then have to catch those around them in order to take the blindfold off and passing it on to the next person caught.
Mahima noticed the boy who was blindfolded walk towards a large rock that happened to be in the way, fearing that they may trip and fall she immediately rushed to him and blocked his way preventing him from going any further as she held him by the shoulder. The boy then took off the blindfold and saw Mahima right before him who then declared her as the next denner.
Mahima being an adult was anything but interested in joining them in their play however the children insisted and began to pester her into agreeing to it. When they succeeded they asked her to kneel down to which she complied allowing them to blindfold her. As she stood up they made her spin around thrice before stepping away from her in order to avoid getting caught.
Mahima wandered across the ground as she tried to get a hold of one of the children, in order to get to them she followed their voices however they managed to evade her pretty well. Playing with them helped put her mind at ease as she was no longer dwelling on the misfortune that fell upon her a few days ago. But to her dismay it didn't last long, pretty soon she found herself running into someone who seemed like grown up, since she couldn't figure out who it was until she took off the blindfold only to be vexed further by their presence before her.
"What are you doing here?" she glared at them
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To be Continued
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Bloodmoon 2 years ago I'm the Account@bloodmoon actually I forgot my password so couldn't login. That's why I couldn't saw the update. Anyway thanks for the update ❤️