Arshi FF: Castle Of Glass l Ch 19 Pg 46 Note Pg 51 - Page 13

Found this story n really loved the concept. Didn't finish all d parts yet but couldn't stop posting this comment.

Wow! What an awesome story:)! I'm feeling so sad for both Arnav and Khushi. Please bring them together to heal each other and experience love and passion. They deserve happiness in their lives especially Khushi. I have fallen in love with this story. You're an amazing writer:))!

very interesting story...feel bad for Khushi, and so much anger for My Kashyab for ruining her life like this...and also angry at Anjali for judging her so wrongly.

Shyam also deserves some punishment for being selfish yet not allowing Khushi her Khushi...

desperately want Arnav to see that Khushi is alive...if only he had stayed and listened to LA n her father's convo till the end.

This update was really beautiful... Khushi needed to have some more time with Arnav to live her life.

Since end of last week I am down with something or the other... hence the delay...

Very emotional. Beautifully written

will be waiting.
take care.
come sooon

Read all the chapters in one go, love the story, brilliant 👏
Poor Khushi and Arnav 😭
Very emotional heart touching story, eager for the next part.

Chapter Thirteen

"Are we playing dumb here, because if we are then I have better things do to pass my time." Came Khushi's irked voice after about 2 minutes wait in silence.

Shyam whirled on his toes to face her. "I am sorry okay. I am sorry. I was scared and I became selfish. But can you blame me for that Khushi? You too loved Arnav and put your life at stake to save him so why it is only wrong for me to try to save the person I love."

"Everything, every proof was pointing towards her. And you were to take permission for arresting her but I knew she was innocent and I wanted to save her. So in my panic, I informed Boss about your relationship with Arnav knowing that he will pull you out of the case once he knows that and he did. But I did it for her love like you came that day for Arnav."

Shyam finished his confession looking tormented but before he could breathe in some air he found himself on a gunpoint.

In a blink, Khushi took out her revolver and held it pointed to his head.

"Is that all you did Shyam?" She asked menacingly before her tone changed into a calm coldness "You know, I know how Lavanya had threatened you recently after your pretty little act of apology and I will only be too happy to execute her little threat and make it a reality, because that's not all you did Shyam, That's not all you did."

Both of their eyes stayed glued to each other as one mind went back to the time when he did the unforgivable.

"She is alive," Anjali stated when she heard Shyam in the room. Still staring out of the window in the darkness.

"Who?" Shyam asked feigning confusion while removing his jacket.

"Don't act Shyam, you know whom I am talking about. I saw her in hospital today when I went to pick up my reports." She said now facing him.

Shyam's inside clenched in an unknown fear yet he said in a controlled voice "She is still in danger so the news of her being has been kept secret."

"She did not look good."She said not so concernedly hoping to dig in some more about Khushi.

And Shyam told her what he shouldn't have said to her ever, "Yeah. Her condition is critical. She is in a coma."

"In other words, she has become a living dead," Anjali surmised without an iota of feeling.

Shyam stared unbelievingly, unable to digest his wife's words. When did she become emotionally challenged this way?

"Don't look like that as if I am a heartless monster. I know she is in this condition because she put her life at risk for my brother. But she was also the reason that his life was in danger."Her voice broke in the end. She shuddered at the imaginary picture her mind conjured up.

"What?" Shaym exclaimed unbelievingly.

Is she being delusional? Did not she see that the threat was on RH Mumbai as whole? Did not she see that Arnav was held in his office room as a hostage along with some other company heads? And if not for Khushi and Nik he would have been dead by now or lying on the hospital bed as a living dead' as she has put it. The feeling of gratitude does really exist for her?

"I know my words sound harsh. But stand in my place and you will know how it feels? Seeing my brother in gunpoint and now mourning for a girl who played with his heart just to fulfil her duties makes me hate that same girl. He wouldn't have been there if she had informed us about the threat before and she too wouldn't have ended up like this." Anjali reasoned emotionally.

For a moment Shyam was taken aback. Was she blaming Khushi for all these? Where is her brain after all? RH nurtured and fed those terrorists not Khushi or them. They attacked when their cover was threatened.

But then he realised she did not know that. He opened his mouth to explain but she beat him into that as well.

"What good came out of it? Now my brother looks like a corpse even when he is alive and if he comes to know that she is alive and in this state can you imagine what will happen to him?" She asked looking horrified at the thought itself "He will start living a half life waiting and pining for her along with feeling guilty. Can you ask for such a life for your brother who is as much a son to me as the son I gave birth? Can I ever get peace seeing my Nannav live such life?" She shook her head vigorously clearly showing her strong aversion to the imagination even.

"But he will come to know about Khushi sooner or later. Once the threat on her life removed the truth will be let out and when she comes out of her state of the coma she would want to meet Arnav." Shyam told her the facts clearly not liking the direction of Anjali's thinking.

"If she comes out of her coma at all," The emotions were long gone. Suddenly Anjali's face looked like a cold calculative mask, "because what I learnt today about her condition, it was not likely to happen ever." She walked to stand in front of a stunned Shyam as she conveyed her next words, " Arnav is trying to cope with the fact that she is dead and now if he comes to know about her condition then I don't think he can ever cope with that. Such madly he loves her. And I don't want my brother to have a half life when the rest will be happy with theirs."

"So what do you suggest then?" Shyam asked sceptically. He could not believe he was having this talk and he knew whatever she would suggest he would not like it, not at all.

"Keep it secret as you have till now. Keep her away and let her be dead to the world as she is now."She almost ordered.

"What?" Shyam exclaimed in disbelief, "how do you suggest I do that? You know this decision is not in my hand and why Boss will agree? And don't you think you crossing a line here. You cannot force someone to take such decision behalf of two adults. You are being out rightly dominating and unreasonably selfish to even suggest this. Especially when you have seen only one side of the coin."

Shyam did not mince his words about what he thought about her idea.

Anjali sighed. And when she looked up to him next moment Shyam felt the change. Standing before him was a very powerful shrewd mind who once held the reign of RH singlehandedly and kept it afloat even when people thought it wouldn't.

"I have no desire to see the other side of the coin. What I have seen is enough to make me want to protect my brother and my family from this nightmare. And the girl is the crux of it all. So I don't care what you think of me Shyam right now because I know you will see my logic once you thought about it in calmly."

"Then why you leave me. Ask me to go away as well. Because I too have my share of folly in this whole mess that you think created by our group." He said controlling his raging emotions.

"Do you think that you fooled me for a single day when we got married? I know all along that you have two lives, one which did not include me and our children. Ignoring Shyam's surprise at her revelation she continued, but I did not ask or said anything because I trusted you to not let any harm come in our way. And my trust wasn't misplaced until now."

Shyam's head bowed at her slight accusatory tone in the end.

"So I will give you a chance to win my trust back in return you have to pay this small price."Anjali proposed a deal like a true business woman.

Shaym closed his eyes for a brief moment and calmed down his soaring frustration at her stubbornness. Her determination of seeing the whole thing with one eye made him want to shake her well and yell until she decided to think rationally.

Once he was sure he could speak without greeting his teeth he said quietly "How gracious of you. You are making a deal out of two lives in order to fulfil your own selfish wish, is so very right."

"Why Anjali why? You think I don't know that you disliked Khushi since the time Arnav gave her preference over you. I have told you then and I am telling you now, it is bound to happen. You are like her mother but Khushi is his love. Even though he would not consciously put you second but many times it would happen that he would think of Khushi before you and you have to accept it like every sensible mother of a boy does. But I see you are not sensible."

Anjali looked away as Shyam's word hit the right cord but soon she composed herself and then what she said Shaym wouldn't have thought of it in his dreams.

"Shyam let's cut the crap and come to the real deal. She left all her emotions behind and turned into a complete business woman and continued, What I know of your secret life is enough to get you out of the group that you work for and when they will come to know that you civilian wife came to know of your mission because you were not careful with your documents then I don't know but you would know what they would do to you. Even better, she crossed her hands over her bosom as she thoughtfully said, how would it effect the little group of yours if all these goes into public. Do you have enough PR strategies to back you up when public questions you of the what whys and hows?"

She continued satisfied seeing the speechless Shyam, ""I know you don't want that even I don't too. In return, I want this small favour that you convince Mr Kashyap that keeping the news of Khushi being alive a secret is a right thing to do. I know he listens to your advice. And also, she added as an afterthought, keep Lavanya too away from the truth, because if she knew it won't take long for others to know."

She paused to take a breath before she walked to Shyam and cupped the side of his face in her right hand. The wife Anjali resurfaced in the gestured and in the now lively eyes.

"I don't want to threaten you but you leave me no choice. I know it is hard but it is only the right thing to do Shyam. And soon you will see it too." She said with conviction.

She staggered back as Shyam mirthlessly laughed at her delusional thinking and then said something which Anjali did not give the importance she should have and paid the price later.

As he stopped a pin drop could be heard as the room was enveloped in an eery silence.

Shyam cleared his throat breaking the silence and said in a tone that was neither emotionless nor emotional "I will do as you say Anjali" Seeing her smile genuinely for the first time Shyam smiled without feeling and added "I don't care about me, but the little group you are talking about so unimportantly and disrespectfully had done so much for the likes of you and the country without caring for acknowledgement, that if people points their finger about its motto and works because of my foolishness and one delusional woman in my life, I won't be able to take it. The lives lost and still battling don't deserved to be shamed and looked down upon because some selfish ungrateful person wanted to get her own purpose achieved." Shaym did not even see when Anjali flinched at his harsh words and continued to say, So I will do this. But know one thing Anjali truth has its way to come out sooner or later and you have until then to be safe from the disgust of the people who love and respect you today."

Anjali felt her heartbeat speed up and then drop to nothing. Her hands turned cold hearing Shyam's minute by minute detached tone. His words did make her fear of the what ifs but she consoled herself saying it's just an emotional speech and "Shyam will be okay once he thinks about in calmly. He will see that what she is doing only for everyone's good, for Arnav's good. Turning a little selfish isn't bad for the good of your owns, isn't it?'

"Stop me Anjali before I cross the door and leave. Because once I leave this room tonight nothing will be same again" Shyam said urging her to do the right thing but she was lost in her own mind finding the logic behind her deeds. So she didn't really pay attention to Shaym's last words.

And as said, nothing was same after that.

Shyam came back in the now when he saw Khushi walk away from him and sat down on the floor leaning on the wall behind. He looked on confused as she kept the gun away on the floor before she spoke casually, "You and I both know what you did, but in the end, it's you, who sent Nik for me and let Aby know that I was still breathing. So it's okay that in a moment of stupidity you heard your uptight righteous self-centered wife and did what you shouldn't have logically."

"But how do you know all this" Shyam asked dumbfounded. He was least bothered about the sarcasm or the insult.

"Well, as your wife had said you are no good in keeping secret and surely a very careless agent," Khushi said looking least bit apologetic.

"When you schemed behind my back and went to the boss and he took me out of the case, I needed to know what's happening when I am not around. So I asked Nik to plant a bug in your room. Or how do you think I got the whiff of the attack that day?"Khushi finished. Her face clearly saying what she thought of him- a fool.

Shyam chuckled before he took a place beside her.

"Yeah, now I think of it I gave too much importance to her threat. Love and fear do this to you, you know." Shyam humoured bitterly.

Khushi turned to look at his face. It looked pained. He was fighting a battle outside and one inside. It was clear for her to see. She did not feel any sympathy for the guy but she did not hold any grudge any longer against him. All the punishment was served in the form of love for this guy. What could she do more?

"You should let Arnav know, you know." Shyam urged "The fellow could do with a little relief and happiness." The fond sympathetic tone was unmistakable to not notice.

"Do you think he will be happy once he knows? Do you think he will be happy to know how he had been deceived time and again? Do you think it won't make a difference to him when he knows how his own has cheated him and how do you think he will react to the betrayal, graciously? Khushi threw the questions one after the other keeping a straight face. It was only her eyes that showed the burning in her heart.

For Shyam, the wind inside was knocked out for a while before he breathed in a lungful air and managed an answer.

"He will be." He said with conviction, as much as he could manage after the blows of her accusation.

To her questioning look, he explained, "Because he will have you by his side for support. And trust me nothing is more powerful than loving someone. Take me for an instance." He chuckled bitterly, "It made me a puppet in someone's hand, but for him, it will make him stronger in every sense."

"Do you think so? Will it be enough?"

In that simple doubts, asked in a plain voice, for the first time, Shaym saw the strong girl show her vulnerability, her need of assurance, her little heart that was scared of rejection.

So like a big brother he was never to the girl he assured strongly, which he believed himself too, "Yes it will be." His eyes looked into hers with conviction to which she nodded, accepting his words like a drop of water in the desert, yet, not dismissing his effort.

They sat in silence after that for few minutes after what Shyam whispered: "Do you think she would be able to accept?"

For a moment Khushi was taken aback by his knowledge but then she was master of hiding emotions as she was trained to be so the next moment she answered calmly, "She had no other choice."

Shyam could hear the held emotions in her voice even she tried hard to keep it at bay and gulped to clear his clogged throat.

"I should get going. Let me know if you need any help." He said getting up from the floor.

Khushi could have mocked him for his offer but she knew it was his genuine effort to seek forgiveness so she nodded and said with authority, "I will let you know when and where."

Shyam nodded sighing in relief and left the temporary rundown abode of Khushi.

**

As Arnav stood, in three-piece business attire, at the door of the small bungalow his heart thudded in anticipation. He had finally got the call he was waiting for, since, like forever, well three days to be accurate, this morning. And now he was standing at the doorstep of his once high school friend and now an army man Major Kuldeep Rana.

When he had first found that badge and got nothing in his general search the first name popped in his head was Kuldeep Rana, whom he had accidentally met after years in a party where the old friend reunited jovially and shared the happenings in their life so far.

Arnav was quite surprised to know that he had joined the army and felt admiration and pride take place in his heart for this friend. Since then they were kind of in contact when Kuldeep was not on the duty of course and met when he came for his vacations from the field until a couple of years back.

He knew it was the time when Kuldeep would take his regular leave and come home. So he had called his home number when he couldn't get through to his mobile and to his luck he went out of town for three days for some official work that had crept up unexpectedly, as his mother explained and also assured him that as soon as he was back she would tell him to call him back. She might have sensed the urgency in his voice.

The front door opened wide and soon he was embraced in a tight hug before he could even blink.

"You asshole, where were you? You finally remembered me after two years. I called you, your home but all I get in response is Arnav bhaiya is not home, or he is in the office or blah blah blah... The businessman got so busy in his daily deals and foreign trips that he forgot his good old friend is it?" Kuldeep dress in a casual shirt and jeans kept talking as he dragged Arnav inside the house towards the living room, his enthusiasm seeing a good friend, who didn't bother contact him for two years and one day just dropped after a phone call, was palpable. So much so, that Arnav felt his lips curve up into a genuine smile.

As they took their seats in the living room and Kuldeep's mother served the refreshments asking after his health and life in general with a beautiful genuine motherly smile that Kuldeep asked the obvious, "So what brings you here today my friend?" He was still smiling and there was nothing on his face that showed that told hey friend you come after so long to visit me but with your own agenda.' The man was genuine in his feelings and in ways, inside out.

Arnav sighed before he pushed his hand inside his the inside pocket of his blazer and took out the badge that he had carried along. After glance towards it, he passed the thing to Kuldeep and with a tilt of his head conveyed his message for this'.

The change in Kuldeep's expression was worth watching, as it changed from curiosity to thoughtfulness as he stared at the badge in his hand, to astonishment as it looked like he remembered something, to a stunned one as he comes to some realisation which Arnav was yet to find out.

"Where did you find this and how?" came his sceptic voice which reflected his surprise and tensed state.

It was not hard for Arnav to guess that his friend knew something about this piece of metal and which was most likely not a very pleasant information, but he held his patience in check as he knew he was about to find some answers here and told his friend calmly and in detail that how this thing reached him.

At the end of his narration he added "Solving mystery is not my hobby but if it disturbs my regular life cycle then I cannot rest until I solve the puzzle, by hook or crook, doesn't matter." his statement was enough message for his friend to understand that he would stop at nothing until he found out what he all he needed to know to track his stalker.

Kuldeep nodded seeing his determination and invited him to follow him to his study as the living room was quite an open place for such talk.

"Before I tell you anything I want to know why someone will stalk you. Are you involved in something or are you under some threat?" the jovial man had turned into something completely different as he enquired Arnav.

"I have no idea and that is why I am trying to find out, who it could be? And if I am under some possible threat." Answered Arnav.

"I know there was an attack on RH corporate office a couple of years back in which a few people died. The news was, some terrorists had been hiding in the corporate guest house under false identities and when their cover was blown they took few of your heads as the hostage. There were blasts and damage but in the end all hostages were rescued and the terrorists were shot dead. Do you think that the shadow of that incident still lingers around you?" In his enquiry, Kuldeep did not realise that he poked an open wound of his friend.

Arnav face turned pale as his eyes lost focus. He was again transported back to the black day that changed his life for the worse.

Arnav ran towards the area from where he assumed the sound of an explosion came. As he neared, he saw smoke coming from the RH guest house on the ground floor. Concerned for the guests living there he ran faster and collided with someone on his way. It was the guest house manager.

To Arnav's quarry, a frantic and horrified manager told him that the guest house was under a terrorist attack and they had killed two guards and the receptionist already. He had seen them coming towards his office when he had come out hearing the firing and run for his life. By the time he had finished his narration, Arnav had already seen two middle-aged man holding rifles and guns coming out of the now burning guest house and entering the main office.

It was early for normal office hour so not many people were present but still more lives will be lost if they fired in the main office. So Arnav asked the manager to follow him as he ran to the employee sitting area of the office.

He shouted orders of evacuation through fire exit as it was impossible for them to leave through the main entrance and he ordered the manager to raise a fire alarm so the whole office at least gets alerted of a possible threat. He dialled police from his mobile while running towards his office.

He had a breakfast meet with few of his clients who would be almost reaching the office and he needed to inform them as well. He made the call to the contact person for the client and at the same time tried to inform Akash about the attack so that he could inform as many people possible, in turn. He turned on the CCTV feed in his office laptop and to see if everyone was able to leave the premises. As the head, he felt responsible for his employees and other heads in his office.

The CCTV showed an empty office and he sighed in relief. He turned to leave himself when from the corner of his eyes he saw something on the screen that halted him on his track and as he turned he saw the men he had seen just a while back near the entrance was now pushing the door of his office, their guns were pointed towards him and to his great shock he saw he had the same manager and two of their MDs on their gun point. Two of his office staff who he knew by their face too had rifles in their hands and looked like they had changed teams, or maybe they only showed now whose team they really were.

Soon he found himself seated on his own office chair along with other MDs and four rifles pointed at their heads.

It was Kuldeep's touch on his shoulder which brought him out of his reverie. His wild eyes turned to see him bent over him in concern. Swiftly he picked up the water-filled glass on the table and drowned the whole content without pause. It soothed his parched throat and also made him relax.

When he felt composed he strode towards the window that opened to the backyard of the house and looked out to avoid Kuldeep's scrutinising gaze and answered what was asked before he had zoned out. "Yes. I was among the hostages. That day 4 men killed 2 of my security guards, one young female receptionist and one of our MDs who was abducted too as a hostage. And 3 of police and army man along with two of my employees who meant more to me than mere staff in my office," with an inhuman effort he kept his voice from breaking. He heard his friend muttered a soft sorry and he nodded in acceptance.

Kuldeep was off to duty in high chilling mountains away from the home by the seashore when all this happened. He had heard of the attack and heard all the gruesome details as well, but hearing it from the person, who had gone through it, made a difference. And without telling he understood Arnav had lost someone important in this attack which still haunted him, but he did not dig into it. His experience told him that his friend would not like it.

So he started to tell his friend what he thought may help him in his search,

"I was a Lieutenant back then. I was posted in one of the base near a very dense and large forest a den for smugglers. Every kind of smuggling used to happen through that forest. Because if you know your way through that jungle then it was very easy to export and import illegal weapons, drugs and things from the borders as the forest connected them and send to the nearest village and transport in nearest cities via some unsuspecting villagers."

Arnav kept on hearing keenly as Kuldeep continued his narration,

"Sometimes we used to sniff the rats and most of the times they used to succeed in bamboozling us, because as disgraceful as it sounds, but they were more familiar and equipped than us in that forest." He shook his head smiling humorlessly. Crossing his arms over his chest he too stood by Arnav staring out.

"It was one day when we were patrolling an area inside the forest where we suspected some smuggler was hiding; we found a body of a man bathed in bullets and dried blood. His body had already started to decompose which meant it had been there more than a week."

Arnav was no longer staring out rather his eyes were fixed on his friends' face who looked lost in time.

"We first thought the man is a smuggler and died in some inside gang fight. As we searched the body we found nothing to identify the man so we thought of leaving the body there only. Who will take the pain to carry a smuggler's orphan body for miles?"

He now turned look at Arnav and Arnav knew at that moment that the important part of the story was now going to come.

"One of our men out of curiosity was scouting through the grounds nearby and found a similar badge like yours a little away from the body."

Arnav's eyes widened. Kuldeep tilted his head little towards the badge now lying in the middle of his study table before walking towards it. He picked up the thing in his right hand and with his thumb applied a little pressure on the eagle on the badge and to Arnav's surprise pushed it aside. He hurriedly went near Kuldeep and saw with his own eyes two alphabets GA and 03 flashing from the hidden area. He looked up to find his friend examining the alphabets and numbers, too.

Kuldeep gave the metal piece back in Arnav's hand, who caressed it unmindfully as if searching to find the familiarity attached to it.

Kuldeep sat down in a nearby chair and sipped the freshly served coffee.

"Back in the base, I was fumbling with the badge when I accidentally opened it and found the same kind code in alphabets and numbers. I knew it did not belong to any smuggler group. Somehow I knew it belonged to the man whose body we left to rot in the forest. But the question was what this signifies?"

"And I found my answer or say something close to the answer from one of my senior when I showed him what we found. And I will quote his exact words; I don't know this badge has anything to do with this what I am going to tell you but still I feel it is maybe related. There is a myth does rounds in every force that our intelligent department has a team called Ghost Team' who actually have no existence in papers or in any records in that matter and so they worked like one, without boundary without a care of explanation for their action. They live a normal life in the society like any other person attending their profession or just staying at home, but can wreck a storm when they went about their real work. But this freedom of work comes with a price. One that you witnessed yourself. They die, they rot, they dissolve yet no one comes to know or say no one cares about their end, the things they did for them since, ghosts not supposed to have a life and off course they don't die. Still these ghosts too need some kind of ID to prove their identities to the concerned persons hence the badge maybe."

Kuldeep took a deep breath and told to a grim looking Arnav, "who knows that man too maybe was on the tail of the smugglers. It will be always a mystery that why he was alone there and why he was killed and who killed him, but after hearing my senior I was sure of one thing I needed to go back to the place where we left him. And I did, with few of my collogues. We performed his final rights with respect there only when we could not find anything else that tells us who was he."

"You only said it's a myth then why do you believe that this team really exists or that person belonged to this group" Arnav couldn't help but ask.

Kuldeep smiled at that and said "you must have heard that there is no smoke without a fire and there is no myth without a little reality. And after being in this system for so long I can say these shadow people do exist."

"And what about this code? What do these alphabets and numbers suggest?" Arnav asked again for some clue.

"In my theory, the alphabets are initials of the person to whom this belongs and the number could be their batch umber."

Arnav nodded and got lost in trying remembering if he knew any person with such initial and in a moment realised that he knew many people who had initials as GA. Sighing he gave up. He has to think about this with a fresh mind and now was not the time.

He stood up to take his leave when Kuldeep said "I don't know why is these people are stalking you? But if they are then you should be careful because they don't come when there is nothing to worry."

Arnav nodded understandingly.

"Keep your eyes and ears open and see if there is anything amiss around you and call me if you need any help, anything." Kuldeep offered as the good friend he was.

"I will" Arav affirmed before he shook Kuldeep's hand and left leaving a thoughtful friend in his wake.

**

My god when Arnav will come to know about anjali's deed what he will do .. I just can not imagin ..awesome