Chapter 3
As the boulder came rolling down it's way towards Abhay's jeep startling both him and Srishti , he instinctively shifts the gear one level up and pushes down the accelerator to speed up the vehicle allowing him to successfully evade the giant boulder crashing down. However it didn't stop there, there were more that came rolling down in response to which Abhay shifts to the highest gear and accelerates the vehicle even further evading them all before they came crashing down till they were off the hill following which he stops the vehicle to look back, he then turns to Srishti and asks, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine but what the hell was that?" Srishti was astonished by what just passed them a while ago, "I knew these hills were prone to landslides but this is just crazy" she continued
"I agree..... I guess we'll need to take an alternative route back home given this road's blocked now" Abhay sighed in frustration over the obstruction behind them.
"Let's just leave for now, I'm not getting a good feeling about this place" Srishti urged him conveying the uneasiness she felt at that moment.
They then drive away as the Naagin watches them leave in disappointment over failing to eliminate her target.
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Anvay was in his room recalling the incident that took place earlier. He wondered if it had anything to do with Neelima's curse or if it were a plain coincidence. He needed someone to confide with over this matter, the only people he could trust were his parents, however he didn't want to upset his mother, whereas his father wasn't in a state to offer him any sort of advise owing to his physical condition. The only other person he could turn to were his older brother Shashi, however he had left to oversee the preparations for the inauguration of their new hotel, "The Royal Sky" which was a joint venture between his family and the Rai's. Hence he puts it off till the next day once the function is complete.
In the kitchen Shipra was preparing the meal for lunchtime along with Soumya, who was her sister in law and Shashi's wife.
"Shipra, what are you going to wear for tonight's function?" Soumya asked her
"Not sure Bhabhi, In fact I didn't even think about it owing to what occurred earlier today" Shipra responded, the news regarding Lakshya's near death experience had shook her both on an emotional and mental level given she was still dwelling over it.
"I understand, it's not easy getting over something like that, however aren't you relieved your son's well and alive before you" Soumya tried comforting her
"I owe it all to the grace of our holy goddess, mother would never allow any harm to fall upon her innocent children" Shipra concludes
"I agree" Soumya nods
"But Bhabhi, there's something bothering me, Anvay seems to be troubled by something, nightmares seem to plague him recently, he may keep it to himself but it's hard for me to not notice..." Shipra tells her
"It must be the work related stress, don't worry" Soumya comforted her
"You might be right, however he keeps mentioning some Neelima in his nightmares, Do you know anything about this?" Shipra asks Soumya who tries to dodge the question, "No, I don't, In fact this is the very first time I've heard of it" Soumya clarified hoping she'd believe it.
"Hmm.... I see" Shipra muttered in disappointment. Once the lunch was ready, Soumya asked the house staff to help set the table while Shipra went upstairs to check on her ailing father in law.
Kamalraj was bedridden yet conscious and awake, the car accident he got into a year ago had paralysed his lower body including his vocals partially turning him into a vegetable. The full time nurse who was appointed to manage his condition had resigned for unexplained reasons and they were expecting her replacement to join in today.
Once Shipra was done, the door bell rings which gets attended by the maid who finds the new nurse at the doorstep. The maid requests the nurse to wait outside till she goes and informs her employer about their arrival.
Shipra then heads down on learning about this to go and receive the nurse who was a beautiful young woman surrounded by an air of mystery and confidence.
"I see you're early, you must be Ashlesha am I right?" Shipra asked the nurse to confirm her identity
"That's right ma'am" the young nurse confirmed.
"Great! Follow me" Shipra instructed her in order to complete the orientation and familiarise her with Kamalraj's overall medical schedule.
"I hope you're familiar with everything now, if you need anything or have any questions just let me know" Shipra communicated to the young nurse before heading back down to the living room where Lakshya was using his laptop to carry out office related work. She then approaches him placing her hand on his shoulder, "I know you're very dedicated to your work but please don't push yourself like this" Shipra urged her son hoping he'd take a break.
"Don't worry mom, I'm almost done for the day" he assured Shipra
"That's good, In that case I'd like it if you'd get yourself ready for tonight's function once you're done and had time to relax, your father's left already so we'll meet him there" Shipra requested him hoping he'd agree
"Don't worry mom, even if I'm late I'll make it there" Lakshya responds giving her a nod
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"Is this your key?" the pub manager asked Srishti
"Yes this is the one, thank goodness!" Srishti exclaimed letting out a sigh of relief "thank you so much" she continued expressing her gratitude
"Actually, it was Abhay who found your key last night and handed it over to us hoping someone would come and claim it, so if you wanna thank anyone then it should be him" the manager clarified not wanting to take away credit where it was due before leaving.
Abhay then walks out to confirm the same, "I hope you don't need me any longer so I'll—" Srishti interrupts him with a "Thanks!" surprising him for a moment.
"Well... your welcome" Abhay replied still taken aback by her unexpected show of gratitude.
"Why do you look surprised, just because we don't get along doesn't mean I'm an ingrate" Srishti explained
"I didn't say anything" Abhay brushed it off which was met by Srishti's glower.
"Of course, I guess we should leave now" Abhay suggests to which Srishti agrees following which drive away in their own respective vehicles.
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Lakshya who was done with his work for the day turned off his laptop and placed it inside the sleeve. He then headed towards the kitchen to get a glass of water where he was met by Ashlesha who was loading the serving tray meant for Kamalraj. She then began to go through all the drawers but couldn't find what she was looking for, Lakshya observed the serving tray and figured what it was, he then opened the top cabinet and pulled out a porcelain box which he then handed over to Ashlesha. "The soup spoons are in here" he told her hoping that would cut her some slack.
"Thank you" Ashlesha responded with a smile on her face to express her gratitude
"It's fine and don't worry about it, I guess it's your first day so it's understandable, anyways since you're here I trust my grandfather is in good hands" he told her with the intention of encouraging her
"Definitely, he is indeed in good hands" Ashlesha affirmed before him and headed upstairs along with the tray who for some reason reminded him of Mahima, the woman he came across earlier that day leaving him in a bit of a daze. As soon as he snaps out of it he then begins to wonder what came over him a while ago and dismissed it as a trivial matter.
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Srishti had just returned back home, as soon as she was about to head upstairs towards her room Smitha interrupts her, "Srishti you'll need to dress up again"
"But why mom?" Srishti asks
"Don't tell me you forgot already, today's the inauguration of our new hotel, which we all will have to attend, so quickly go and get changed, you're late as it is" Smitha reminded hoping to evoke a sense of urgency in Srishti
"Why don't these functions ever end?....." Srishti sighed as she proceeded to change
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Anvay was busy overlooking the preparations for the evening while Lakshya and the rest of the family had just arrived at the scene.
"Wow this is so beautiful, the decor for the main hall is just splendid" Rani commented
"I agree, the person in-charge has done a good job" Soumya added
"But where's papa? I don't see him anywhere" Rani asks
"He must be around, you know how busy he can get with all the work he gets" Soumya told her daughter
"Yes Rani, your mother is right, both your uncle and papa work really hard, and today's an important day for them both so it's given they'd both be occupied with their own responsibilities" Shipra added
In the meanwhile, Abhay had just parked his car outside and stepped out of the same while accompanying and assisting Chandrika on their way inside.
"Slow down a little please, I'm not getting not getting any younger you know" Chandrika requested while holding on to her knee which seemed to be aching.
"Sorry Dadi, I got carried away, but you know what, to me you're still the young and gorgeous lady you happen to be" he teased earning himself a smack from her, "Shut up you crazy young ruffian" she scolds him
"Sorry Dadi, shall I carry you there in that case" he teased again, "you and your mischief, grow up"
"Okay sorry, I'll stop" he gives in, "however Dadi I'm worried about your knee, it hurts doesn't it?" Abhay asked expressing his concern. "Don't worry, it all comes along with ageing" she told him assuring it wasn't that serious, "Moreover, this isn't your age to worry about me, you're still young so enjoy yourself" she continued
"I've got my entire life ahead of me to enjoy, but for now tending to you makes me happier" Abhay comforts her. They then head inside to join the others shortly after which the Rai's arrive.
Srishti like her younger sister was dressed in a formal evening gown, uninterested and bored she just kept wandering around for a while until she noticed Lakshya and walked right towards him, "Hi Lakshya, I see you're busy can I help?"
"Hey....No it's alright" he turns her down but then noticed her disappointment at his refusal, "Actually what I meant was, please don't bother yourself since I'm done already so it's okay, moreover I guess I owe you an apology for last night" Lakshya tells her
"What are you apologetic about?" a surprised Srishti asks Lakshya to which he responds, "About my indifferent attitude towards you last night, I'm sorry I wasn't really in my senses back then, moreover to be frank and honest, you deserved to be treated better"
"Listen, I understand where you're coming from, we just got engaged like over a month ago unexpectedly so it's quite natural that it would take you a while to come to terms with that, hence you needn't explain yourself" Srishti told him
"Even then I'm still sorry" Lakshya apologized once again which Srishti accepts.
"By the way, do you remember what exactly happened before you passed out, I mean you seemed pretty fine before leaving the bar, plus your drinks weren't even that strong from what I had observed" a concerned Srishti asked him
"I don't remember really, normally I'm able to hold my alcohol pretty well but this time, I'm not sure" he answered
"Either way, I hope you'd watch your drinks from here on" Srishti advised, "any idea regarding when the ceremony begins, I mean we're inside already but I don't see the ribbon set outside" she quizzed him
"Oh about that, I'll need to check with our event partner, I'll be back in a moment" Lakshya tells her before leaving to speak to the event manager in charge
"Is everything ready?" Lakshya asks the event manager
"Yes sir, we'll set the ribbon in a while but you'll need to ask everyone to head outside" the manager informed to which Lakshya agrees and arranged to send everyone outside, however once that was done for some reason the lights go out unexpectedly.
"What the hell?!" Anvay snaps at the sudden power outage, "the guests would be arriving any moment, imagine the impression this would leave"
"Dad, please relax. I'll go and coordinate with the facilities staff and try to resolve it, just wait here" Lakshya assures his father and heads back inside to inspect the situation.
"What happened?" Lakshya enquires, "It seems there's a power outage across the city, perhaps that's why" the manager informed
"What about the backup generator? Why isn't it working?" Lakshya further questions, "We're not sure, but the repair team's on the way" the manager answered with regret
"What?!....... but that may take an hour" Lakshya freaks out, "I'm sorry sir" the manager apologized
Lakshya then decided to go and check the electrical room to assess whether the problem at hand had a simple fix. He enters the dark room expecting it to be empty however to his surprise someone appeared to be fiddling with the generator.
"I thought the repairs team was on the way, then who is this?" Lakshya thought to himself as he watched the dark figure work on the machine.
"Excuse me, but who are you and what are you doing here" he asked the stranger before him, however they didn't answer and continued fiddling around much to his annoyance prompting him to approach them and pull them away.
"Will you answer me now, what exactly are you doing here?" Lakshya asked the stranger whose face wasn't visible at that moment owing to the darkness who then breaks away from his grip and turns their attention back to the generator.
"What does it seem like to you?" asked the stranger whose voice seemed to suggest they were a woman, "obviously I'm trying to fix this thing here to spare you the inconvenience" she continued
"I see that, but who are you and why are you doing all this?" He pressed on further to get an answer from her but she didn't pay him any heed and continued with the task at hand. He then pulls her away once again, "Stop whatever you're doing, rather than fixing it I'm afraid you may wreck it further" he warned which was met by her defiance as she slips away and attends the machine again, once she was done she flips the switch upwards as a result of which the place lights up once again much to Lakshya's relief and also to his surprise as the person before him at that moment was none other than Mahima.
"What are you doing here?" Lakshya asked surprised at the sight of the woman before him.
"I thought I told you already, as you can see I fixed it" Mahima answered slightly annoyed by his repeated questioning as she stepped away from the machine, "I see that what I meant was, why are you doing this?" he asked being more specific this time.
"To save the event, it's why I'm here" she told him hoping his curiosity was put to an end.
"You're from the illuminations events company?"
"That's right, I am" she confirms and then asks, "Can I help you?" leaving Lakshya dumbstruck for a moment, unsure of how to react and then tells her "No, not really"
"Okay then" she then walks past him and out of the electrical room, Lakshya didn't imagine to run into her again that day but for an unexplained reason he was actually pleased to see her. Knowing everything was back in place he then heads outside to join his family.
The guests had arrived and were gathered outside, once the inaugural ceremony was completed everyone moved inside to the main hall where Anvay had commenced giving his presentation regarding the history of their family business. Once he was done Lakshya took over to host the rest of the event, which began with the performance of a classical dance troupe.
As the performance ended, Lakshya took over once again however for some reason the mic on the podium stopped working, causing a slight stir.
"Hey, over here" whispered a voice from the sideway, when he turned to look it was Mahima calling out to him, "here use this one" she handed him a spare mic
"Thanks" he told her and returned back to the podium to introduce the next performers for the evening which was a group of famous classical musicians. As they began to play Lakshya headed backstage, to find Mahima at the scene managing her team piquing his curiosity regarding her prompting him to approach her this time.
"Do you need something else? Is something wrong?" Mahima asked after noticing him there wondering if any other problem had arisen.
"No, don't worry, it's all good" he assured leaving her confused, "then what brings you here?" she asked
"You" he blurted causing her to raise her brow, "Excuse me?"
"I mean what are you doing here?" He clarified
"You're asking me the same question again?" She reminded him leaving him tongue tied for a moment there, "Right I did, what I meant was you're everywhere.... I mean earlier you were at the electrical room and now you're here" he answered
"Well I'm in charge so it's only natural you'd find me all over the place" she told him
"I see.... that makes sense" he muttered
"You seem surprised, why were you expecting something else?" she frowned leaving him flustered "What could I expect? Was just curious that's all"
"Is that all? I hope you know now and if you don't mind I need to get back to work" she told him
"Sure, carry on" he watched as she left to do her work
At the hall the Singh's and the Rai's had their tables adjacent to one another, as the event progressed all the guests were served with food and drinks.
Shashi who was at the table has his phone buzzing with an incoming call and leaves to attend it. "Where are you going?" Soumya asked
"Actually, I have an important call to attend, it may take quite a while, so you'll don't bother about me" he answered
"But why can't you receive the call right here itself?" Soumya demanded an answer
"Because it's noisy here, and I don't want to upset the client" Shashi explains and heads straight to the lobby to go and collect his key unaware of the fact he was being watched at that moment. He then heads up via the elevator and enters a room where a beautiful young woman was shown to be waiting for him on the bed. The beautiful lady then goes and wraps her arms around him staring straight into his with a smile on her face.
"So you've managed to make time for me" she whispered in his ears, "of course, how could I keep my lady love waiting?" he tells her as he break the embrace.
"What about your wife, I guess she must have tried to stall you as usual" the young lady cribbed
"No don't worry, she thinks I'm attending a call with my client" he chuckled, "Okay then, I'll freshen up before we get started, but I must say you sure are bold to deceive her right under her nose" the young lady told him and entered the bathroom.
As she was getting ready a snake slithers in through the slightly open window, when she was done changing and fixing her make up in front of the mirror her she finds her doppelgänger right behind her, startled she turns back, "who are you?"
"Someone you wouldn't remember" the doppelgänger answers before biting her on the forehead and knocking her down and stepping out impersonating the unconscious woman.
Shashi was seated at the edge of the bed waiting for his mistress, the impersonator then crawls up close to him from the behind and begins to massage his shoulders applying slight pressure.
"Wow, you seem to be in a mood today" Shashi moans, "of course, I've been waiting for this moment since quite a while" the impersonator told him as she continued, increasing the pressure slightly.
"Really, I'm impressed, had I not been married to that Soumya then you would have been my wife instead, but I guess this works as well" he tells her following which the impersonator moved her hands towards his necks and applied maximum pressure almost as if she were going to strangle him, "What are you doing?..... stop!" he pushes her away and turns to find her smiling at him in the most sinister manner possible with her eyes glowing and skin turning scaly subsequently, "Giving what a vile person like you deserves"
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