Chapter 55: Chapter Fifty.

As soon as Meera stepped into the house, she noticed her parents waiting for her in the living room.

Their expressions were tense, filled with worry. The moment her mother caught sight of her, she hurried over.

"Meera? Are you okay?" her mother asked urgently, scanning her face for any sign of distress.

Meera didn’t respond immediately. She simply walked past them and sank into the sofa, her shoulders slumping as if the weight of the day had finally settled on her. Her parents exchanged a concerned look before joining her on the couch.

Her mother placed a hand on her knee. "Beta? Are you alright? Tell us—"

"Ma..." Meera interrupted softly, her voice devoid of emotion, "please get me my laptop."

Her mother hesitated, confused by the unusual request. She glanced at her husband, who gave her a small nod, silently urging her to comply.

"Alright, I’ll get it." her mother said, standing and heading upstairs.

Her father leaned closer to Meera, his voice gentle but firm. "Beta, did you meet Mr. Madhav?"

For the first time since she entered the house, Meera turned to look at her father. Her eyes were tired, but there was a flicker of defiance in them.

"Papa.." she began with a heavy sigh, "it wasn’t by my choice. I was kidnapped."

"What?!" Her father’s voice rose, his shock apparent.

"Not exactly kidnapped.." Meera clarified quickly, sensing his rising anger. "He just had me taken to his place to…talk."

Her father’s face turned red with fury. "What kind of sick man does that? Does his criminal brain not understand the concept of consent? He can’t just—"

"Papa.." Meera interrupted, her tone calm but weary. "Even if he’d politely asked, I wouldn’t have gone."

Her gaze dropped to her lap, where her hands were tightly clasped. She felt the small, cold weight of the flash drive she was holding and pressed her fingers around it.

Her father took a deep breath to steady himself and then leaned over to pull her into a tight embrace.

"God, Beta, we were so worried. Your phone was ringing and no one picked, and when we found it in your room charging, we feared the worst. Beta, please keep your phone with you at all times."

"I will, Papa." Meera murmured, resting her head on his shoulder briefly before pulling back.

Her father studied her face, his brow furrowing.

"Also, I noticed you’ve had several missed calls and texts from Veer. Are you ignoring him? Is there a misunderstanding between you two?"

Meera clenched her fists, her knuckles whitening. She took a steadying breath before answering softly, "The results tonight will determine that."

Her father’s confusion deepened. "Results? What results, beta?"

Before he could press further, her mother returned with the laptop and handed it to Meera, settling beside her on the couch.

"Here you go, beta." her mother said, her tone laced with worry.

"Thank you, Ma." Meera replied, giving her a small, grateful smile.

She placed the laptop on the coffee table, opened it, and powered it on. Then, with a deliberate motion, she revealed the flash drive she had been holding.

Her father frowned, leaning closer. "Meera, why are you carrying a flash drive? What’s on it?"

Meera plugged the device into her laptop and waited for it to load. She turned to her parents, her expression solemn.

"Papa, Ma, I need you to know something.." she began, her voice steady but tinged with sadness.

"Things between Veer and me haven’t been…good. For a while now."

Her parents exchanged a worried glance. Her father spoke first.

"We’ve noticed, beta. Veer called us yesterday, begging us to speak to you. He wants you to forgive him, but he won’t tell us what happened."

Meera nodded slowly, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

"Veer is a whole different person that night, for the first time, I don't feel...safe with him." She whispered.

Her mother leaned forward, concern etched across her face. "Meera, what do you mean? What night? What has Veer done?"

♡♡♡

"Mr. Madhav gave me this." Meera said, her voice strained but steady, as if trying to convince herself along with them.

"He said Veer is not who we think he is. That he's a criminal… and not just any criminal—a very dangerous one."

Her parents exchanged a worried glance.

"What?" they said in unison, their voices filled with disbelief and shock.

Meera took a deep breath, trying to steady her shaking hands.

"Yes." she continued. "I didn’t want to believe it at first. I even thought he might be lying or just trying to manipulate me, but then he gave me this flash drive and told me to see for myself."

Her father leaned forward, his brows knitted in confusion.

"Meera, are you sure about this? What if it’s some kind of trick? What if this… Madhav has his own agenda? Besides, why will he want to expose Veer?."

"I thought of that too, Papa." Meera admitted, her voice faltering slightly.

"But a liar doesn’t provide evidence. Mr. Madhav said everything I needed to know was in this flash drive. I don’t know… I couldn’t just ignore it."

Her mother reached for Meera’s hand, squeezing it gently. "Beta, are you sure you want to do this? What if—"

"I have to." Meera cut her off softly, her eyes fixed on the laptop.

"If this is true… if Veer has been lying to us to me all these years…" She paused, swallowing hard as the enormity of her words sank in. "Then we need to know.."

The room fell silent as Meera clicked on the first file. A list of documents and folders appeared on the screen, each labeled with cryptic but ominous names.

Her mother gasped. "What are all these?"

Meera hesitated, her finger hovering over the trackpad. "I don’t know, Ma. Let’s find out."

♡♡♡

Meera sat on her bed, the faint glow of the bedside lamp casting long shadows across the room.

Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks streaked with dried tears. The laptop beside her was now closed, its screen dark, but the weight of what she had just witnessed lingered heavily in the air.

The small, unassuming flash drive lay next to it, yet it felt as if it carried the weight of the world.

She stared blankly ahead, her mind a chaotic storm of emotions—devastation, anger, and disbelief battling for dominance.

Her hands trembled as she clutched the edge of her blanket, trying to ground herself.

So Mr. Madhav was right.

The realization hit her like a freight train, over and over again. She had thought he was lying, thinking he was manipulating the tactics to win her over. But now… now she wished it had been a lie.

The videos she had just seen were burned into her memory, each frame more horrifying than the last.

She thought she had known Veer, the boy-next-door who had once made her smile with his shy glances and gentle words.

But that version of him was a facade—a mask concealing something far darker.

Her mind replayed the haunting images she had just watched.

She opened the first folder labeled

"Operations - Core." Inside were spreadsheets, charts, and reports. As they scrolled through the data, it became horrifyingly clear what they were looking at—detailed accounts of illegal transactions.

"These are…" her father started, his voice trailing off trying to read the small text.

"Drug deals. These are records of drug manufacturing and distribution."

Meera’s heart sank as she leaned closer, her eyes scanning the screen.

Every transaction was accounted for—dates, quantities, locations, and profits. And at the top of each report was Veer’s name, listed as the project head.

"No…" Meera whispered, shaking her head as if denying it would erase the truth.

Her father’s hands clenched into fists. "How could he… How could he have hidden this from us? From you?"

Meera clicked out of the folder, desperate to prove it wasn’t all true, but what came next was worse.

She opened a video file titled "Supply Chain - Special Goods."

The screen flickered to life, showing a dimly lit warehouse. Rows of frightened young girls sat huddled together, their eyes wide with terror.

Meera’s mother gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh my God."

A man’s voice echoed through the video—firm, commanding, and chillingly familiar. It was Veer.

He barked orders at men who dragged the girls away one by one, treating them like objects rather than human beings. The camera panned to Veer, his face cold and emotionless as he oversaw the operation.

Meera felt bile rise in her throat. She slammed the laptop shut, unable to bear another second of it.

"That’s enough." she choked out, tears streaming down her face.

Her father stood abruptly, pacing the room with his hands on his hips. "That bastard! How dare he? How dare he deceive us all these days?"

Meera’s mother reached for her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Beta, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how you must feel."

Meera sobbed into her mother’s shoulder, her entire body trembling. "I… I thought I knew him, Ma. I thought he was someone. I-I..But he’s a monster."

As the family sat back down to uncover the rest of the files, a sense of unity replaced the despair. They knew they were up against something far bigger than themselves, but they also knew they couldn’t turn away.

Veer’s secrets were out.

Few other Criminal evidence too.

Human trafficking.

The grainy footage showed young girls–some barely older than children–being dragged into dark rooms by faceless men. Their cries and screams echoed in her mind, even though the sound had long since stopped.

She remembered Veer’s name being mentioned in hushed, reverent tones, as if he were some kind of twisted savior to these monsters. He wasn’t just involved–he orchestrated it, overseeing deals and ensuring the "goods" were delivered.

Meera’s stomach churned violently. She clutched at her chest, feeling as though she might be sick.

Drugs.

The next video showed him overseeing an illegal drug lab. Rows upon rows of workers mixed chemicals and packaged substances under his watchful eye.

Veer barked orders, his voice cold and devoid of the warmth she once thought she knew. She saw him standing over a young man–barely an adult–who had apparently made a mistake.

Without hesitation, Veer had struck him across the face and ordered his removal. The boy’s screams as he was dragged away haunted her.

This wasn’t the Veer she knew. This was someone else entirely–a criminal of the worst kind.

Her chest tightened painfully, and she let out a shaky breath. She had thought Arjun was the worst of them all–a mafia boss consumed by obsession and violence. But compared to Veer? Arjun’s crimes felt like a drop in the ocean.

Arjun’s world was brutal and terrifying, but Veer’s was calculated, cruel, and inhumane. He didn’t just hurt people, he destroyed lives systematically, as if it were all part of some twisted business model.

Her mind flashed back to the earlier days when she met Veer, how soft and gentle he was, he was sweet, her comfort. How could someone so seemingly kind, be capable of this level of depravity?

The betrayal cut deeper than anything she had ever experienced.

A fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks. She wiped them away furiously, her hands trembling.

How could she have been so blind? Come to think of it, she has never check on the internet About Ranveer before or anything about his extravagant Business. She just knew what he told her.

Meera hugged her knees to her chest, her heart aching with the weight of it all. Every moment she had spent with Veer felt tainted even more now.

And yet, a small part of her whispered cruel truths.

You loved him once. You trusted him. Maybe you’re to blame for not seeing through him sooner.

"No." she whispered to herself, shaking her head. "No, this isn’t my fault."

Her voice cracked, but she clung to the words. This wasn’t her fault.

Meera sat motionless for a moment, staring blankly at the flash drive still on her desk. Her heart felt heavy, burdened with revelations she never imagined confronting. The quiet room seemed to amplify the chaos in her mind.

Her eyes drifted to her phone on the bedside table.

Almost instinctively, she reached for it. With trembling fingers, she scrolled through her contacts until she landed on the name she both dreaded and needed to see.

After a brief hesitation, she pressed the call button and brought the phone to her ear. It rang once before the line connected, almost as if the person on the other end had been waiting for her.

"Meera." a voice greeted, low and quiet, carrying an unsettling softness.

Meera’s breath hitched. "A-Arjun…"

A dry chuckle echoed through the line, cold yet intimate.

"I should be furious with you." Arjun began, his tone laced with a strange mix of amusement and pain. "But my heart… it aches. It’s hurting."

His words sent a shiver down Meera’s spine.

For a brief moment, she felt a pang of something she couldn’t quite place—pity? Regret?

No, she reminded herself firmly, this was not a man to pity.

She cleared her throat, gathering her resolve. "A-Arjun." she began, her voice wavering. "I understand your father is trying to fulfill your… sick demands, but I’m begging you, stay away from me. You, your father—just leave me alone."

Silence.

"Are you even listening to me?" Meera snapped, frustration bubbling to the surface.

"Are you okay, Meera?" Arjun’s unexpected question caught her off guard.

"W-what are you talking about? Of course, I’m fine." she stammered.

"No, you’re not." Arjun said softly, his voice dripping with unsettling concern.

"You sound upset. Angry. You don’t just call me out of the blue to say… this. Did my father hurt you? Are you hurt?"

Meera blinked, startled by his perceptiveness. "I-I…" she faltered.

"Wait.." Arjun interrupted, a teasing lilt creeping into his voice. "Did you miss me?"

The audacity of his question made her gasp. "N-no! No, I didn’t. Why would I miss you? I would never miss you!" she spat, her anger rising.

"Aww, don’t be shy.." Arjun replied, clearly unfazed. "I miss you all the time. You have no idea how much it hurts—how much you hurt my heart."

His words made Meera’s skin crawl. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

"I don’t care." she snapped. "Your father kidnapped me and tried to force me into marrying you—"

"Did it work?" Arjun interrupted smoothly.

Meera’s jaw dropped. "What? Are you out of your mind?"

"Ever since the day I set my eyes on you, Meera.." he said, his voice dropping to a velvety whisper, "I’ve been out of my mind."

His flirtation was the last straw.

"I hate you!" she shouted, her voice trembling with rage.

"I don’t care what lengths your father went to. Do you think exposing Veer’s crimes will magically bring us together? Never. Not now, not ever. Stay the hell away from me!"

With that, she ended the call, her hand shaking as she threw the phone onto the bed.

The silence in the room was deafening. Meera hugged her knees to her chest, tears streaming down her face as she began to sob uncontrollably.

"Why?" she whispered to the empty room, her voice breaking.

"Why can’t I just have a peaceful life? Is that too much to ask for?"

She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with the weight of her despair.

In that moment, she hated everything: Veer, Arjun, Mr. Madhav, and most of all, the life that had turned her simple dreams into a nightmare.

♡♡♡

Arjun strode into the Madhav Mansion, his presence commanding the attention of the staff. The maids bowed in respect, but he ignored them, his focus razor-sharp.

In the grand living room, his father, sat comfortably, a file in hand while a butler stirred his coffee.

His father glanced up, a smile spreading across his face as he spotted his son.

"Ah, there's my—"

"Why did you kidnap Meera?" Arjun's voice cut through like a blade. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Mr. Madhav chuckled lightly, unfazed. "Ah, I see she told you already. I like her even more now, clever and bold. She’ll make a fine addition to the family.."

"That's not the point." Arjun snapped, his tone rising. "Answer me!"

His father sighed, closing the file as he regarded his son’s blazing fury.

Rising from his seat, he casually gestured toward the doorway.

"Oh, hello, Meera." he said with a smirk.

Arjun instinctively spun around, scanning for her, but the space behind him was empty. Realizing the trick, he turned back to his father, fists clenched tight.

"You should've seen your face." Mr. Madhav chuckled, his laughter deepening Arjun's scowl.

"Listen, boy." Mr. Madhav said, his tone dropping to something more serious. "I was simply trying to open Meera's eyes. There's a fine line between the criminal world and the corrupt world, and she needs to understand that."

He settled back into his seat, completely at ease, while Arjun’s anger simmered visibly.

"Besides." his father continued with a sly grin, "a beauty like that? There's no way I'm letting her walk away from this family. Your mother has already done a ridiculous amount of shopping and is eager to meet her future daughter-in-law."

Arjun’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists.

Mr. Madhav leaned forward, his voice calm but laced with authority.

"And remember, son, I only drove Veer away for now. That doesn’t mean another man won’t come sniffing around her later."

That struck a nerve. Arjun’s blood boiled at the thought of Meera with anyone else, even if he refused to admit it outright.

"By the way, why don’t you—" Mr. Madhav began, but before he could finish, Arjun growled low and stormed off, his steps echoing through the mansion.

Mr. Madhav watched his son leave, an amused smile still lingering on his lips. As the sound of Arjun’s footsteps faded, he sighed, shaking his head.

"Ah, He has gone mad, there is nothing anyone will say." he murmured to himself.

♤♤♤

Sorry I didn't update on time, I was...hunting🙂🙂..

Crazy how "Trapped in an obsession Web" will be longer than this story, Lol.

Confession: I enjoy writing Veda and Varun story than this one😂😂..

Written 30 pages already!🙃🙃