Chapter 37: Chapter 34

Few Days Later

Raghav sat across from his elder brother, Vasu, in the grand study room of the Desai mansion. The dark mahogany table between them seemed to symbolize the dorm of secrets buried deep in their family. Vasu’s brow furrowed as he glanced at a letter on the table, one with the Singh family crest.

“This could be Durjoy Singh,” Vasu said, his voice low, yet carrying the weight of certainty. “He’s been Dad’s nemesis for years. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s the one pulling strings to threaten us now.”

Raghav nodded slowly, his  face filled with concern. “But why now? What could possibly provoke him after all this time? Could it be... something to do with Dad’s past?”

Vasu sighed. “Durjoy isn’t one to let grudges die. If he’s involved, it’s likely tied to old betrayals—ones that might have cost him power or wealth.” He leaned closer, his tone hardening. “We need to be vigilant, Raghav. Whatever this is, it’s not just a simple rivalry.”

Before Raghav could respond, there was a knock at the door. A familiar figure entered—a man in his late forties with sharp features and a meticulous demeanor. It was Mr. Das, the family’s trusted accountant and an enigmatic secretary of Mr Desai, entered the Desai household.

Mr. Das greeted Raghav with a polite nod before turning to Vasu. “I trust we can have a moment of privacy?”

Raghav raised an eyebrow, sensing the undercurrents of secrecy but obliged, leaving the room. Once the door closed, Mr. Das placed a file on the table, sliding it toward Vasu.

“This is everything I’ve uncovered so far,” Mr. Das began. “The financial trail, offshore accounts—everything points to dealings that your father never disclosed publicly. But I suspect there’s more.”

Vasu scanned the documents, his expression unreadable. “What exactly are we looking for, Mr. Das?”

“A pattern,” Das replied cryptically. “One that might explain why Durjoy Singh is acting now. But tread carefully, Vasu. Your father’s empire is built on more than just visible assets. There are shadows here, ones we cannot yet illuminate.”

The door creaked open, and Mr. Desai himself strolled in, his charismatic yet dominating presence filling the room. “Discussing business tactics, are we?” he asked with a sly smile, his sharp eyes darting between Vasu and Das.

Vasu straightened in his chair. “Trying to understand the operations better, Dad. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

Desai chuckled, the sound laced with mockery. “Of course, my boy. But Das here seems more your secretary than mine these days. Should I be concerned?”

Mr. Das responded calmly, “My loyalty lies where it has always been, sir—with the Desai family.”

Vasu interjected smoothly, “He’s helping me learn. After all, one day I’ll have to carry the weight of this empire.”

Desai’s smile didn’t falter, but his gaze sharpened. “Good. Just remember, Vasu, loyalty is the currency of trust. And without trust…” He let the sentence trail ominously as he left the room.

In another corner of the day, Siya sat cross-legged on her bed, her laptop open in front of her. Across from her, Gauri, her best friend and the family’s tech genius, tapped furiously at her tablet.

“Siya, I found something,” Gauri announced, her voice trembling slightly. “Durjoy Singh… he’s involved in massive drug trades. But that’s not all.”

Siya’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Gauri turned the tablet toward Siya, displaying a series of documents and coded emails she had hacked into. “Look at this. There’s evidence suggesting your father-in-law—Mr. Desai—may have been involved in similar trades years ago. He might have double-crossed Durjoy for profit.”

Siya’s heart sank. “Are you saying Mr. Desai, my father in law, betrayed Durjoy Singh?”

Gauri nodded grimly. “It’s a strong possibility. If that’s true, Durjoy has every reason to seek revenge. And trust me, Siya, people like him don’t forgive or forget.”

Fear flickered in Siya’s eyes. “What if he comes after us?”

Gauri placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You need to be really careful. I’ll keep digging. There has to be more to this story.”

The next morning, Rudra, the genius, called an impromptu meeting in his apartment. Siya, Gauri, Raghav, Vasu and Rudra’s elder sister, Jyoti, gathered around as Rudra unveiled a small but sophisticated GPS tracking watch.

“I’ve been working on this with Jyoti,” Rudra explained, holding up the sleek device. “Given the threats we’re facing, I thought it was time we had a reliable way to keep track of each other.”

Jyoti added, “These watches are encrypted and tamper-proof. If anyone tries to remove or disable them, we’ll get an alert immediately.”

Raghav nodded in approval. “Good thinking. Safety first.”

As each of them strapped on the watch, a sense of cautious optimism filled the room. But even with their newfound precaution, a shadow of unease lingered. Even after weeks of efforts, the investigation team got no trace. It's like the shooter went underground for life. The daily life of survivors again came on track.

3 Months passed, without any breakthroughs in locating the shooters who had attacked the Desai family. Just as tensions began to ease, chaos erupted.

“You need to try red velvet, bakery will do more wonders”, Siya says while gulping down her chocolate cake.

“I should try it now, let's get our ingredients. Will put some caramel for boys”, Gauri smiled mischievously. They were returning to their bakery, after hopping in the bustling city center when it happened.

A black SUV screeched to a halt beside them, and masked men jumped out.

“Siya!” Gauri screamed, but it was too late.

The men grabbed Siya, covered her mouth, their movements swift and practiced. Gauri lunged forward, trying to fight them off, but a powerful slap and shove sent her sprawling onto the pavement.

“SIYA!” Gauri’s scream echoed as the SUV sped away, disappearing into the labyrinth of city streets. Gauri immediately called Rudra to get her to Desai Mansion.

Back at the home, Gauri relayed the incident, her voice choked with guilt and fear. “I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t…”

Raghav clenched his fists, his face a mask of fury. “They’ll pay for this. Every last of them.”

Vasu placed a comforting hand on Gauri’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. But we need to act fast.”

Gauri suddenly remembered the tracking watch. “Wait! Siya was wearing the GPS watch! We can trace her!”

Rudra sprang into action, pulling up the tracking software. As the red dot representing Siya’s location appeared on the screen, everyone held their breath.

“She’s still in the city,” Rudra announced. “But she’s moving fast.”

Raghav’s jaw tightened. “Then we move faster.”

The Desai family was ready to unleash their full force, but the question lingered—was this just the beginning of Durjoy Singh’s revenge? Or was there an even darker force at play?