Chapter 89: chapter 89

On the fringes of Delhi stood a crumbling, forsaken house, a shadow of its former self, and now the only refuge for Yash. It had been his sanctuary for the past few days, a place where he could hide from the world.Once, he had basked in the warmth of love and the comfort of financial security, with his wedding due in just two weeks. But then, like a thunderclap, an FIR for financial fraud shattered his dreams, plunging him into a nightmare. Everything he cherished slipped through his fingers—his love, his family—leaving behind only the bitter taste of shame and the cold grip of imprisonment. The humiliation he faced was relentless, both from society and the harsh realities of prison life. It felt like an eternity of suffering until Pratap Raghuvanshi stepped in and got him released.Pratap’s assistance was much expected, as it was his firm that had profited from the fraudulent transactions Yash had done as the manager of the Auto Parts department where he and Imara worked. Yet, Yash couldn’t simply let the betrayal go unpunished; the scars of humiliation and loss demanded retribution. He harnessed Pratap’s resources, forged alliances, and assembled a team to execute his revenge. Vijay, his loyal confidant, played a crucial role, orchestrating the plan that led to Imara being drugged and the photos being taken.Yash was well aware of the office romance brewing between Dheeraj and Imara. As Dheeraj’s superior for over two years, he was also privy to the conservative beliefs held by Dheeraj’s parents. Knowing this, his first move was to sabotage Imara’s love for Dheeraj, just as she had done to him. Yash cunningly exposed Imara’s boldness in proposing to Dheeraj to his parents, expecting immediate backlash. However, when nothing ensued, he resorted to drugging Imara and taking incriminating photos. His intention was to shame her in the media, but before he could carry out his plan, he discovered that Dheeraj had already ended their relationship. Imara had left her luxurious life to lead a simple, rather poor life.Yash was overjoyed at this turn of events, yet his bitterness lingered. When Imara started her factory, he took the opportunity to sabotage her efforts by placing Pradeep in her factory, who repeatedly undermined her products. He ensured that her toy factory struggled to secure orders, relishing every moment of her hardship. Then, when fate led Imara to marry Adhiraj, Pratap presented Yash with a golden opportunity for revenge. Pratap was aware that Imara was the same woman who had exposed the financial fraud, and he sought to strike two targets with one blow. He asked Yash to exact his revenge, all while tarnishing the Shekhawat family’s reputation in the process.Yash was the mastermind behind the entire scheme. He ensured Dheeraj’s dismissal from his previous job and secured him a position at the Saraswati Group of Schools. Handing the contract to Imara was a calculated move in his plan. By leaking old photographs while simultaneously showcasing their current professional ties, he aimed to humiliate Imara and tarnish the Shekhawat family’s reputation. However, Pratap had warned him about Adhiraj’s cunning, calculative and sharp mind. In response, Yash set fire to Adhiraj’s showroom, successfully diverting his attention and forcing him to focus on the chaos at his business. Yet, the person who set the fire became a loose thread, leading Adhiraj straight to Pratap Raghuvanshi, who was compelled to withdraw from the plan when Avir intervened.Pratap instructed Yash to stop the plan midway. Defying those orders, Yash went into hiding. He couldn’t give up his revenge on Imara simply because Pratap was afraid of his nephew. Driven by his ambition, he struck a deal for the quotes with another firm that had submitted the same tender, all for the sake of money.When it came to Imara, everything seemed to be unfolding just as planned. Yet, a persistent unease gnawed at him. It felt almost too perfect, too easy. Moreover, since morning, Vijay had been desperately trying to reach Sunita and Pradeep, but neither had responded, leaving Yash in a state of anxiety. According to their plan, he had also sent the altered photos to major media outlets, but his messages and emails had gone unanswered. This silence could only mean one thing: Imara had double-crossed him, and given how Isha told Vijay about Imara leaving home because of threats, meant that even Isha was unaware of it. Everything was a sham. It was all planned.In response, Yash resorted to his plan B. Now Isha was lying unconscious in Vijay’s car as he brought her to Yash. She was Imara’s Achilles heel. Yash would bring Imara to her knees by blackmailing her using Isha. He would humiliate her by streaming the photos live.And so, he sent a text to Imara.“You double crossed me! Poor Isha will have to pay for your smartness, you spoiled brat. Watch out for some stripping sessions.”—————Earlier that day, Atharv had personally interrogated Sunita and Pradeep, pushing them to reveal every detail, including the identity of the person keeping in touch with them. Unfortunately, neither Sunita nor Pradeep knew the name of the person they had been communicating with. But luckily, this mysterious individual had a phone number. Atharv wasted no time in informing the police to get the location data of the number for the past few days. Virender was pacing back and forth in Adhiraj’s home office as they awaited the Police report. Adhiraj was on edge, desperate for it all to be over so he could bring his wife home.Atharv and Samrat were feeling the pressure in their own ways. They had kept their wives in the dark during the chaos, and now that the truth was out, their wives were both worried and furious.Managing Anika’s reaction was simple for Atharv; she was just upset that he hadn’t trusted her with the information sooner. But for poor Samrat, Tarushi was like a wrathful goddess. She was still seething with anger whenever he was around, ignoring his apologies. Even seeking his mother’s help proved futile as she just shrugged and chuckled at his son’s predicament.Adhiraj's phone rang and he was shocked when Sanchit informed him about the recent updates from Isha’s security unit. Isha was seen boarding a car with Vijay, the same man who dropped her home the night before. The alarming news was that the car had been abandoned and both Isha and Vijay were missing.In that moment, Jaidev burst into the room, looking extremely concerned as he played a voice recording. It turned out to be the same recording that Isha had sent to Tara, followed by Tara’s own recording.“Mr. Shekhawat! My name is Tara. Your mother had been a generous donor to the orphanage where I was brought up. You might remember me from the same orphanage as the lawyer who can’t see. I could have involved the police in this matter. But it would have defeated Imara’s purpose of trying to save her family’s reputation. I am sending you Isha’s last location. It hasn’t been updated for over five minutes. Save her!”Before Adhiraj’s laptop pinged, the room fell into an eerie silence. It was a message from the blackmailer to Imara. His jaw clenched and as Atharv and Samrat peeked over his shoulder and saw what was written, all three brothers sprinted out of the home office. Atharv quickly followed up with the police, detailing the recent events that had unfolded.—————“Raj,” Imara’s voice trembled on the other end of the line, filled with desperation.“Imara, calm down. We’ve got him. We have Vijay’s number and we’ve tracked his phone’s location for the last few days,” Adhiraj assured her, his heart racing as he sped toward the place where he would find Yash. The police, along with Atharv and Samrat, were hot on his trail.“Just send me the location,” Imara insisted, stepping out of her apartment, determination etched on her face.“Imara,” Adhiraj’s voice was steady, a stark contrast to the storm raging inside him. “I promise I will bring your friend back safely. But I will be able to do it when I know you are safe. Stay inside, please!”“Raj!” she cried, but Nasir stepped in front of her, his expression firm. “Ma’am, it’s for your safety. Sir won’t be pleased if you’re at risk.”“Imara,” Adhiraj urged gently. “Get back inside. Trust me, I will bring her home safely.”“I trust you,” Imara murmured, her heart heavy. “But she has been my rock through every storm. Now she is in this mess because of me. She doesn’t have anyone else but me, Raj. When you save her, I need to be there for her. She is my friend, please!”Adhiraj groaned loudly, a frustrated groan as he hissed out, “Fine! Give the phone to Nasir.”As Nasir took the phone from her, Adhiraj instructed firmly, “You have the location. Get Imara there and stay in the car until we arrive.”Imara hurried alongside Nasir, her heart racing with fear and hope, praying fervently for her friend’s safety.Over at the Rathore Mansion, Sanjay was practically vibrating with anxiety as he told his family everything that Jaidev told him. Shaurya and Neel were totally taken aback to find it was all a setup. They wasted no time in telling Sanjay what they already knew.“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sanjay asked, his confusion palpable.“We were trying to keep all of you safe!” Shaurya countered. “We had no clue who we were up against!”“Then why didn’t you talk to Imu?” Suvika asked, baffled at the stupidity of her sons.“Because she didn’t tell us Mummy?” Neel countered. “If I hadn’t asked Isha to check her phone, we would have never known. And we were worried that if we tried to contact Imu, the blackmailer might get alert and he might release the photos and the damage would already be done.”Just then, Sanjay’s phone buzzed, and Imara’s panicked voice filled his ears. His heart dropped when she revealed that Isha was in serious trouble because of her.“WHAT?!” Sanjay exclaimed in a state of complete shock.“What happened?” Suvika inquired, her voice laced with anxiety, desperately hoping for Imara’s safety.Sanjay felt a tight knot form in his throat, worry for Isha consuming him as he answered Suvika, “Isha!”“What Isha?” Neel asked, his sixth sense prickling.“She…” Sanjay began, struggling to convey the urgency of the situation to everyone present. The atmosphere was thick with shock and fear as Suvika, Dilip, and Vibha absorbed the news. Meanwhile, Shaurya’s gaze shifted to Neel, whose instincts kicked in, prompting him to dash out of the house. Shaurya called after him, “Neel! Wait!”Sanjay stood stunned, his eyes widening as the realisation of Neel’s reaction dawned over him.