Chapter 1
"Mahira! Mahira!" Abhaya shouted waving her hand in front of Mahira's face.
Light brown eyes stared at Abhaya in confusion and daze finally woke up from haze and the girl shook her head. With beautiful curly hairs and skin shining like moon, Mahira Mittal smiled at her friend.
"Kaha kho jati hain yaar tu? Yaad hain na ki aaj tujhe mere saath ghar chalna hain?" Abhaya said as she wrapped her arm around Mahira's shoulder. Abhaya with her short hair and black eyes smiled at Mahira. (Where are you lost? Do you even remember you will go home with me today?)
"Haan haan, yaad hain mujhe. I'll come after seeing off Papa." Mahira said as they went out of their classroom when another hand wrapped around Mahira's shoulder. (Of course, I remember. I'll come after seeing off Papa.)
"Ready to go home?" the owner of that hand said to Mahira who nodded and said "Ji bhaiya, let me submit these notes, we will leave then."
"Okay." Vivaan replied.
Vivaan Singhania, cousin brother of Mahira, looked at Abhaya and smiled while Abhaya pretended to swoon at this smile.
"Oho, Vivaan Bhaiya, aaj to aap bade khush lag rahe hain, kya baat hain?" Abhaya asked and Vivaan laughed pinching her cheeks and said "Kuch nahi par shayad tujhe kuch time mein bhabhi milne wali hai." (Oho, Vivaan Bhaiya, today you seem very happy, what's up?) (Nothing much but maybe, you are soon going to meet your sister-in-law.)
"Hain?! When? I mean, when did this happen? Aap sach keh rahe hain?" Abhaya was pleasantly surprised. (You are speaking the truth?)
"Okay, okay, I will tell you everything but abhi nahi (Not now), abhi (for now) I should leave with Mahira. Mamaji, is waiting for her at home." Vivaan ruffled her hairs to which Abhaya swatted his hands away.
"Oh. Do greet uncle for me and tell him that I am still angry at him for not bringing me gifts from his last travel. If he forgot this time as well, I'll never forgive him." Vivaan laughed at Abhaya's whining and nodded at her. "I'll let him know."
At that moment, Mahira came back and said "Bhai, chale?" and Vivaan nodded waving at Abhaya while Mahira hugged Abhaya and left with Vivaan who opened the back door of the car and let Mahira in before running to the other side to get in. (Let's go?)
The driver drove the car as Mahira looked outside the car while Vivaan was talking to his secretary on call.
In a while, the car stopped in the parking of a beautiful mansion and Mahira ran outside of the car to an old man who looked to be in his fifty's and hugged him tightly before saying "Papa, aap na jaye." (Papa, don't leave.)
Manish Mittal smiled and looked at his daughter who was still hugging him like a baby and is whining like one too. "Meri pyaari beti, chalo ab aise na karo. Jaldi se Papa ko achhi si smile do. C'mon." (My sweet daughter, don't be like this. Give your father your sweetest smile, hurry up.)
Mahira smiled with tear filled eyes and Manish hugged her and patter her head.
"Aap kab aajayege vapas?" (When will you come back?)
"Four months but I'll try to finish it even earlier. You also pack your bags; I'll drop you at Manish's home myself." Manish said and smiled at Mahira who nodded and brought down bags packed by her caretaker.
"Chale?" Manish asked as he looked at Mahira and Vivaan took bags from Mahira's hand before leaving for the Goenka mansion. (Let's leave?)
"Uncle, will Mahira be with Abhaya for the whole time you are gone?" Vivaan asked as he also worries over this little sister of his who was just found again by them two years ago. He didn't want to lose her again.
"Ha, at first, I thought to leave her with you, but you also have a business trip to go to next month. I didn't want her to go from one place to another. She can stay with Rajeev's family at ease. Milani ji bhi toh hain vaha (Milani is also there). She will take good care of our Mahira." Manish said this while caressing Mahira's hair who smiled at him but there was still some sadness in her eyes at parting with her father.
Vivaan nodded and said "Right. And in Mumbai, Goenka house is the safest place for her. Vaha koi hamari behen ko harm nahi kar sakta." (Nobody can harm her there.)
Soon, after few more minutes, they reached the Goenka mansion and smiled as Rajeev came outside as soon as he heard of them coming from his servants.
He hugged Rajeev and blessed Vivaan who touched his feet. He kissed Mahira's forehead as she hugged him and smiled at her wrapping his hand around her shoulder and told Manish "Teri amaanat ka pura dhyan rakhuga, tu befikra kaam pura karke aa." (I'll take care of your precious, you complete your work and don't worry about her.)
"Haan." Manish said and looked at his daughter and hugged her again before bidding goodbye to everyone and Vivaan smiled at Mahira and left with Manish to drop him off at airport. (Yes.)
Mahira's eyes got teary as the car left while Rajeev patted her head before taking her inside the mansion. He didn't invite his friend inside because he knew how he was already getting late for the flight and just wanted to make sure his daughter is in right hands. Afterall, there are not many people he can trust with his Mahira.
"Mahira beta, Milani is not at home yet, go to Abhaya's room for now, I'll let the servants ready your room as well. Okay?" Mahira nodded as she went upstairs directly to Abhaya's room and smiled as Abhaya opened the door and hugged her in.
"Kya?! uncle aaye (Uncle came) and nobody told me?" Abhaya said and Mahira slapped her head and said "You probably didn't hear Sakshi aunty calling you. Itna zoro sey gaana jo sun rahi thi tum."(Music was too loud for you hear.)
"That seems possible." Abhaya said while Mahira shook her head and said with confidence pressing on each word, "That is what happened."
"Achha bhayi, tu ye bata ki ab bahar jaana hain ya ghar par hi kuch karna hain?" Abhaya asked and Mahira shook her head and said "Abhi toh mujhe kahi nahi jana, dil nahi hain bahar jaane ka mera." (Fine, fine, just tell me whether you want to go out or stay at home?) (Right now, I don't want to go anywhere, I am not in a mood to go out.)
Abhaya nodded and said "Toh kuch khaya tune ab tak?" (So, have you eaten something till now.)
Mahira shook her head and Abhaya stood up to call somebody to set their lunch in her room only. Mahira smiled at Abhaya who was going from here to there just to set up something to play and thought of how much they have changed. When she first met Abhaya, she was spoiled brat while she herself was a quiet kid with only a few words. Abhaya even wanted to make her talk just so she can tell her how much she likes her. They met at the age of fourteen and now, when she is nineteen, they are still best friends.
"Abhaya." Mahira stood and hugged Abhaya who was trying to make Mahira forget her sadness at bidding bye to her father.
Abhaya who knew what this hug was about, just tapped her head and smiled with ease.
"Chal khana khale. Phir aaj to itne saare assignments bhi karne hain." Mahira nodded and they both sat down to eat. (Eat first, then we also have to complete our assignments.)
-
In a dark room filled with torture weapons held two people tied to a chair with their bodies filled with wounds and blood dripping into a puddle around them. They were being whipped and the sound of their screams of pain while a man, who looked about twenty-five years old was looking at them from where he was sitting in his couch.
A mask was covering his face but even then, he felt like a dark secret filled with mystery.
Aaj kal mystery ke shauk kise nahi hote hain? (Who doesn't like mystery now-a-days?)
He was staring straight at them, his dark-black eyes that can be seen through the mask could make one forget their whole self, one can get lost in their charm. However, with one look, one can also feel the danger that those eyes held. It could burn them alive and yet let them live through it.
But if someone see those eyes looking at this scene with such an expression, all that someone will feel is distress and fear.
"Sir, we'll speak everything, just let us go, please sir! Aaa!" from the accent of the people getting tortured, they were not Indians but with so much blood on their faces, it is difficult to identify who they were.
"..." none of the guard spoke and the one that spoke out of the two continued.
"Sir, we were told to assassinate you by Mr. Vairaj Shekhar." With this, nobody spoke another word and only the sound of bullet rang in the air.
"Let them go." The man who shot them said and left. He let them go, just without life. Afterall, they wanted to take something from him, so he took theirs in return.
As the man left the room, he took off his mask and damn, he looked delicious, worth every hour god spent to make him. Black eyes that could make one unable to look away, heart lips ki dil chahe bas kiss karle (that one would want to kiss them), and perfect nose that seemed to match that perfect ratio so much.
With the height of 6"1', broad shoulders and a muscular chest, one could tell just how much time is spent in gyms.
Advit Goenka looked at his hands that had a drop of blood of the people that he just killed. He clicked his tongue and washed his hands twice.
He wiped his hands with a towel before somebody knocked on his door and he said "Come in."
Advit was wearing a black three-piece with two buttons of his black shirt open. His diamond cufflinks shined whenever he moved his hand. His hands held the report given by his bodyguard. He nodded his head to whatever the man standing in front of him said.
"Book flight to India. It's time to go back." Advit said as he closed the report and stood up to leave.
Two bodyguards followed him as soon as he stood up while people bowed to him as he was leaving. A black Lamborghini stood at the entrance and his guards opened the door for him. With bullet proof glasses and perfect security measures, two cars at rear and one at front, Advit Goenka finally left for India.
His hand touched his locket that seemed like the only inexpensive thing on his but surely more cherished than anything else for him. Main aa raha hun meri jaan tumhein dhundne aur fir apne saath lejaane. (I am coming my life to find you and take you back to where you belong.)