Chapter 90: chapter 90

Imara sprinted out of the car the moment she saw Adhiraj’s car pulling up. He held her closely as she flung her arms around him, hugging him tight. This moment was supposed to be full of love, but here she was sobbing, worried about her friend who was somewhere in this area at the risk of being humiliated.“Imara, calm down!” Adhiraj murmured, keeping her close as he stroked her back, signalling for Atharv and Samrat to continue their search for Isha. “Shaurya and Neel are on their way too. I’ve sent them the location.”When Imara looked up at him, Adhiraj felt a pang in his heart. He softly wiped her tears away, whispering, “Tears don’t look good on you, Little Tyke. Channel your fury into kicking that bastard’s ass when we get our hands on him. No one will stop you. Break him, alright?”In that moment, the sound of another car coming to a halt echoed in the distance. Shaurya and Neel quickly exited their vehicle and made their way toward Adhiraj as soon as they spotted him.Shaurya wrapped his arms around Imara, whispering softly, “She’ll be okay, Imu.”Neel turned his gaze to Adhiraj, who explained, “It’s a mess. The police are searching every home. Atharv and Samrat are on it too.”Neel, filled with concern, dashed off in the direction the police were heading. Shaurya followed closely behind, and as Adhiraj took the lead, Imara held his hand, prompting him to stop.He turned to her, his brow knitted in worry, while she nervously bit her lip, scanning the surroundings.“What happened?” Adhiraj inquired, his voice laced with concern.“He can’t be here, Raj,” she insisted, her eyes wide with urgency.“What do you mean?” he pressed, confusion etched on his face.“This place is too crowded. If a girl is brought here, anyone can tell, no. He wouldn’t bring her here. The location might be the same. But I am sure we are looking in the wrong direction,” she explained, her gaze steady on him.Adhiraj, grasping her reasoning, scanned the surroundings. His height gave him an advantage, allowing him to spot the empty streets and abandoned homes from where they stood. Then, he noticed something. A narrow alleyway at the far left, just past the dumping ground, caught his eye. His instincts surged as he noticed the vacant houses lining that path. Gripping Imara’s hand tightly, he asserted, “We’ll find her down that way.”Imara, with unwavering faith in his instincts, chose to follow his lead. As they approached the desolate dumping ground, Adhiraj glanced back, and he noticed the police and others still desperately searching for Isha. In that moment, Neel caught Adhiraj’s eye, who waved, a flicker of understanding passed between him. Neel dashed toward them, and Adhiraj rushed forward, pulling Imara along with him, making sure to keep her at bay from any harm. He was unsure about the dangers that might lie ahead.The lane was suffocating with the stench of waste, and the houses lining it appeared eerily deserted, a shadow of what once was. Adhiraj’s eyes were drawn to the ground, where he noticed a few tire marks leading toward a shadowy area at the end of the lane. There, obscured behind one of the houses, a car was parked, its presence only discernible to those who looked closely enough.—————The house resembled a high-tech command centre, brimming with cameras and surveillance systems. Isha lay sprawled in the centre of the bed, the lenses of every camera trained on her still form. Unconscious and unaware, she was the focal point of a tense waiting game. Yash hovered nearby, anxious that she doesn’t regain consciousness soon, while Vijay, his jaw clenched in frustration over his own foolishness, busied himself with setting up the live stream.“Are you absolutely sure no one was tailing you?” Yash pressed once more, prompting Vijay to reply, “I’ve already told you. She sent a location to someone named Tara, but that spot is an hour away. I disposed of her phone, and I switched cars along the way. If anyone was following, they would have lost our trail.”“What about your phone?” Yash inquired.“I got rid of it after I couldn’t reach Sunita and Pradeep. I know they could track my number,” Vijay admitted, his frustration palpable at Yash’s madness.Yash offered a brief nod, his fingers stroking his chin as he spoke. “The images are saved on the desktop. Go ahead and post them on social media, tagging everyone from Shekhawat’s business account to Rathore’s. They can influence print media and news channels, but they can’t control social media. The backlash will be so intense that she’ll wish she were dead. Even her beloved husband won’t be able to save her from it.”“But why are you doing this to Isha?” Vijay asked, unable to hold back his concern. He sensed that Yash had become so consumed by his quest for revenge that he was dragging an innocent person into the fray.“Everyone will be too focused on Isha to see what we’re planning next. And as for Isha, it’ll be a crushing blow for Imara. She’ll be haunted by guilt for the rest of her life,” Yash spat out, his voice laced with venom.Vijay remained silent. When asked to bring Isha over, he complied, believing Yash intended to blackmail Imara. Unbeknownst to him, Yash’s true aim was to humiliate Isha. Yet, Vijay resolved to make Yash reconsider his plan once Imara’s photos hit the social media. He hoped the fallout for Imara would satisfy Yash enough to spare Isha from harm. It wasn’t that he had developed any feelings for her; rather, in Isha, he saw a reflection of his former self—vulnerable and longing for a sense of belonging, a family. He regretted not thinking about this before dragging Isha into the situation, but he reassured himself that it wasn’t too late to change the course.At that moment, he noticed Yash advancing toward Isha and interjected, “What are you doing?”“What does it look like?” Yash replied, a sinister grin spreading across his face.“We agreed to do it live,” Vijay stated, his tone sharp enough to make Yash pause and consider.“Let’s leak Imara’s photo first, then we can move to Plan B,” Vijay suggested, glancing back at the computer screen.At that moment, he was doing everything in his power to stall the plan. He desperately wished for Isha to wake up; her consciousness would be a much-needed diversion, and perhaps he could shield her from Yash’s madness.He found the folder just as Yash loomed behind him, watching as he crafted captions and arranged the photos. With a sly move, Vijay had slipped his foot beneath the table, using his toe to deftly unplug the system. In a heartbeat, the monitor went dark.“What the fuck?” Both Yash and Vijay growled in response, though Vijay’s growl was nothing more than a ruse.Yash shoved Vijay’s chair aside and sank to his knees, peering into the CPU for any sign of life. It was dark—no light at all. With a frustrated sigh, he yanked on the power cable and hit the power button. The computer sprang to life with a whir, but Vijay was acutely aware that Isha would be waking up at any moment. It was nearly two hours now.Just as he expected, a groggy voice drifted from behind them. They both turned to see Isha slowly regaining consciousness.“Damn it!” Yash exclaimed, slapping the system in frustration. The impact sent the monitor teetering off the desk, crashing to the floor in a shower of glass and plastic. Yash let out a louder curse this time, flinging anything within reach across the room in a fit of rage.Vijay took a cautious step back, fully aware that Yash had spiralled into madness, a danger to anyone who crossed his path. With slow steps, he made his way toward Isha, extending his hand and urgently murmuring, “Run.”Yet, the chaos around them drowned out his voice. All Isha could grasp was that Vijay had taken her captive, and she found herself in a place where Yash, their former manager, was wreaking havoc, his behaviour wild and erratic. Confusion clouded her mind—why was he here and why was he acting this way?Just as Yash seemed poised to unleash his fury, Vijay yanked Isha to her feet, ready to escape the room. But before they could make their move, the door burst open with a violent force.Adhiraj delivered a fierce kick to Vijay’s knee, swiftly pulling Isha away from him. Imara rushed forward and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out, “Thank god you’re safe, Ish! Thank god!”As Vijay crumpled to the ground with a loud, agonising groan, Adhiraj turned his attention to Yash, who stood paralyzed in disbelief. However, he quickly regained his composure just as Adhiraj swung a punch in his direction. He narrowly avoided it and smashed a beer bottle at Adhiraj’s hand. However, Adhiraj grabbed Yash by the collar with his left hand and delivered a sharp slap. Yash hit the ground with a heavy thud.He groaned from the jarring blow to his head when Adhiraj shouted, “Imara!”Neel steadied a dizzy Isha as Imara advanced, her jaw set tight, trembling with rage at the man who was put behind the bars for his own wrongdoings. Instead of realising his mistakes, he had the nerve to blame her.With a swift motion, she bent down and seized him by the neck, her nails digging into his skin. He emitted a sharp, agonised groan that made the officers freeze in their tracks. Adhiraj stepped back, a smirk playing on his lips. Imara then grasped Yash’s left hand, twisting it at an unnatural angle that would leave it damaged forever .“Aaaaaaahhhhhh,” Yash’s scream pierced the air.Atharv and Samrat stood wide-eyed, while Shaurya proudly chimed in, “My sister is a trained MMA fighter.”Yet, Imara’s rage only intensified. With deft movements, she twisted his right hand's fingers before dislocating both of his shoulders, hissing, “You bastard!”Ignoring his cries of agony, she rose and delivered a powerful kick to his waist before the police took him away. Still seething, she felt Adhiraj approach her from behind, turning her around and enveloping her in his arms, whispering softly for her ears alone, “Calm down, Little Tyke. He’s in custody, and Isha is safe. Everything is fine.”Imara, instantly soothed by his comforting words, threw her arms around him, nestling into his chest like it was the coziest pillow ever, while Isha had once again fainted.“Isha!” Neel shouted, his voice a mix of panic and urgency, which made Imara whip around. Just as she was about to dash over to Isha, Adhiraj pulled her back, murmuring, “The conversation I wanted to have is happening right here.”Imara’s eyes went wide as she caught Adhiraj’s cheeky wink. Meanwhile, Neel was already carrying Isha out of the house and toward his car.“I had no idea she was this stupid to jump into this mess,” Adhiraj quipped, earning a fierce glare from Imara as she playfully smacked his arm.With a laugh, he pulled her in for another hug, teasing, “You two are a dumb pair of girls! No wonder your factory doesn’t make profits.”“I will strangle you in your sleep,” Imara grumbled, but she couldn’t help but snuggle closer, a grin creeping onto her face.“All yours, Little Tyke,” he whispered, just for her ears.Shaurya let out a chuckle as he sauntered out of the house to coordinate with the police. Meanwhile, Atharv and Samrat were still wincing at the memory of Yash’s painful groan.“I wonder if Dadi knew Bhabhi is a kick-ass,” Samrat murmured, stepping out next to Atharv, vowing to steer clear of any playful jabs at Imara. After all, who knew she might just unleash a shin-kicking fury? He wouldn’t stand a chance.“I’ll carve it into my very soul: ‘Bhabhi Maa Saman hoti hai’, so no teasing,” Atharv chimed in, fully backing Samrat’s newfound wisdom.“Let’s go home?” Adhiraj murmured softly after a moment, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze. Imara, feeling the magnetic pull between them, rose onto her toes, her fingers gently cradling his jaw as she pressed a tender kiss against his lips.“I’ve missed you,” she breathed, her eyes dancing with mischief as she took in his infuriatingly charming smirk.“Not as much as I have,” he replied, his voice low and sultry. He captured her nape in his hand, his fingers weaving through her hair, tilting her head just enough to claim her lips, to return her kiss with an intensity greater than hers.They kissed and kissed and kissed. Their kisses deepening and lingering until the shrill ring of Adhiraj’s phone broke the spell. He pulled away with a reluctant sigh, earning a soft laugh from Imara.“It’s the commissioner,” he said, answering the call while guiding Imara out of the house, their connection still crackling in the air.