Chapter 11

Everyone stood outside the large building, mouths agape. The radiant sign of "Saint University" gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, casting a sense of grandeur and promise over the entire scene.

"Wow, this place looks more like a king's palace than a university," Janvi exclaimed.

"Gosh!! Why didn't Dad let us study here?" Naksh sighed.

"Then be like Aahan first, You Goofball," Sidharth chuckled.

"I don't have interest in the medical field, you dumbass!!... " Naksh rolled his eyes.

"So, why are we here, guys?" Mrunali asked softly.

"Are you sure Minnie, you're 25 years old?" Sidharth teasingly asked her while patting Mrunali's head.

"That's what documents said... And stop treating me like a child..." She snickered while fixing her hair.

Sidharth smirked playfully at her remarks, "You should stop spending time with that hornless devil," he said, pointing in Janvi's direction.

"Hmph! She treats me better than you..." Mrunali huffed, walking over to Janvi and hugging her arm.

Janvi gave her a soft smile, "Welcome back, Puppy."

Sidharth glanced at Mrunali and slyly whispered, "Looks like the puppy knows how to bite back now."

"Did you know someone here?" Shivay asked Sidharth.

"Nope."

"Then what are we doing here?" Janvi asked irritably, covering her eyes from the sunlight.

"Let's ask someone who was working here before Aahan and Pihu came into the college," Sidharth nonchalantly said.

"Then let's ask the principal directly..." Naksh suggested.

Sidharth and Shivay simultaneously gave him side eyes with the expression, "Have you lost your mind?"

"What?"

"Six years ago, something happened so secretive that nobody knows about it. It seems like Uncle must have silenced the principal back then. If we were to ask him now, he wouldn't say a word. Plus, he'd probably report us to Uncle, and that would be the end of us..." Janvi explained.

"Great job, Janvi," Naksh gave Janvi a thumbs up. "I already knew about this; I was just testing you guys," he said nervously, letting out a laugh.

Everyone scoffed at his behaviour while mentally mumbling, 'Lier...'

"So who are we gonna ask?"

Sidharth smiled widely and pointed in a direction, "Him..."

As everyone turned to look, they saw a man seated on a chair, meticulously sifting through files. He was dressed in a light blue shirt and dark blue pants.

"Watchman..." Mrunali muttered.

"Yep. He looks old enough to be working here, so why not?" Sidharth shrugged.

"Let's go then..."

Sidharth led the way, striding with confidence as if he owned the university.

"Excuse me..." Sidharth rapped on the table in front of the man.

The man peered at them over his glasses with a neutral expression.

"Yes?"

"We'd like to ask you something about the university."

"Do I look like the Dean of the University to you? Or is that big poster on the wall just for show?" He gestured towards the large poster on the left side of the wall, before returning to his work.

"I mean, we don't want information about the university," Sidharth clarified.

"In that case, go home," he nonchalantly replied.

Sidharth's expression froze, while Janvi and Mrunali struggled to stifle their laughter.

"We want to know about the old incident that happened at the University," Sidharth gritted his teeth.

"Didn't they teach you anything in your childhood? Look, here," he pointed at his badge, " 'Watchman' means a guard, and that's the Archive room, where records are kept. So why are you giving me a headache?" He shook his head in denial like he was disappointed by Sidharth's stupidity.

Janvi and Mrunali exchanged amused glances with giggles from behind Sidharath, while Shivay and Naksh discreetly averted their gazes to stifle their laughter.

Sidharth, seething with anger, slammed his hand down on the table and leaned in menacingly, fixing a dangerous glare on the man that sent shivers down the watchman's spine.

"Listen, old man, just because I was being polite doesn't mean I can't be sarcastic like you. Don't test my patience. I have plenty of ways to make you talk, and I don't think you can handle any of them..." The sly smirk on his face made it clear that these were not empty threats.

The watchman, visibly shaken, tried to point at Sidharth, attempting to appear confident, but his words faltered as he spoke,

"I...I will complain about y..ou to the Dean."

Sidharth scoffed at the watchman's words, took a step back, and casually slipped his hands into his pockets, speaking mockingly,

"Feel free to inform him that Sidharth Singh Oberoi, the son of the university's chairman, wishes to have a word with him."

The moment those words reached Watchman's ears, the telephone slipped from his trembling hand and his face drained of all colour, leaving him looking dreadfully pale.

"Y...you..."

Sidharath strode over to where the watchman stood, seized the chair the watchman had been sitting on, and settled into it with an air of authority.

"Now, it's up to you, old man. Do you want to spill everything we ask or lose your job in an instant?" he menacingly taunted.

The watchman, overcome with fear, panted heavily, his entire body quivering.

"I'll tell you everything, anything you want to know..."

Sidharath flashed a sly grin at the man. "See how easy that was?"

Everyone was stunned by Sidharath's sudden change in demeanour. They had never witnessed this side of him before. While he had always been playful, his menacing behaviour left everyone speechless.

As Shivay noticed Watchman's fear of Sidharth, he took the lead in questioning.

"Sir, please don't be afraid. We just need to ask you a few questions..." Shivay said politely, offering a reassuring smile.

Seeing Shivay's friendly and respectful demeanour, the watchman regained some confidence and nodded.

"Did something significant happen here six years ago...?" Shivay inquired.

"Something like what?" he asked, looking confused.

"Such as incidents that led people to transfer to different universities?" Naksh added.

After a moment of thought, the watchman shook his head in denial.

Naksh sighed in disappointment, while Sidharath frowned, clearly not expecting this response.

Suddenly, the watchman exclaimed, "There was one incident that occurred, known only to the old staff members."

"What was it?" Naksh asked eagerly.

"You see that building..." He pointed to an old broken structure behind the trees with black walls...

Everyone nodded, prompting the watchman to continue...

"This incident took place during the Diwali vacation..."

Suddenly, Janvi's eyes widened, and she pulled out her phone, frantically scrolling through her gallery.

Her jaw dropped, and a horrified expression crossed her face.

"What's wrong...?" Mrunali asked, sounding a bit panicked.

"It's around the same time Pihu and Aahan enrolled at the University of the United States..." She explained, passing the phone to Shivay, who nodded in confirmation.

"That means this incident is connected to them..." Mrunali murmured.

"What happened there...?" Naksh asked with a little hint of nervousness.

"That's the old building of the Chemistry laboratory. It caught on fire that year."

Now it makes sense why the wall of the broken building is black.

"Normally that time outsiders thought that it was because some students mischievously threw firecrackers inside the Chemistry laboratory for fun... And the Dean never clears their doubts because of the reputation of the college. But the reality is far from the truth..."

Watchman's voice is not above that whisper like he is afraid of someone.

" So what's the truth...?" Janvi asked.

"Actually how could a building catch fire with firecrackers when that day was checking day of University and every cracker was seized by staff..." He blunts out.

"This all is for a cover-up to save the boy who started the fire because he belongs to a rich and reputed family in the country."

Hearing those everyone thought drifted to one person - Aahan.

He indicated everyone to come near and his next words made everyone's soul leave their body...

" That boy was a psychic criminal, he burnt two people inside the laboratory..."

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" Janvi shouted.

" I just telling the truth." Watchman defends himself.

"You're making filmy stories..." She glared at him.

"I'm not. You can ask anyone who has been working for six years here..." He confidently said.

"And why would that boy do that...?" She questioned.

"For his lover..."

Now Naksh and Mrunali's faces turned into white sheets.

"He had a lover... He was very possessive towards her. One of the boys dies in a fire also likes the girl and out of jealousy he burns them alive..." He explained.

Everyone could feel that their thoughts were getting dried. An uneasy feeling swept over their heart thinking their one of their family members was a psychic killer...

Hearing the story from Watchman, everyone left the university...

Naksh was fuming in anger while Mrunali was nervously biting her lower lip...

Naksh slammed his hand on the car which startled everyone while shouted,

"Those fucking liars, they dare to hide things from us..."

"For God's sake, can you ack like more sensible... Those could be rumours. Stop believing everything you heard..." Janvi said.

"Rumours...? Huh!! " Naksh scoffed, "You also know that six years ago brother never came home for Diwali. Now can you explain why?"

Janvi didn't say anything but bite her inner cheek...

Her eyes shift to Mrunali who is looking small and lost.

"Puppy, don't believe them...okay?... " She softly caressed her. Mrunali looked at Janvi with doe eyes. Her eyes are not showing anger or betrayal like Naksh's but hurt and pain.

She hugged Janvi tightly and whispered,

"What will I do, if they are not rumours...?"

Those words made Janvi speechless but still, she said, "We are with you, Puppy. You're not alone."

Sidharth was looking at everything with an emotionless face.

Shivay walked toward Mrunali and caressed her hair, " It's not your fight but our fight... You're very strong, Tiny... Don't be afraid."

"What next...?" Sidharth asked.

Naksh's eyes turned dark, with his voice dangerously low,

"For now pretend normal but tomorrow we will take them here..."

Sidharth smirked at Naksh's words...

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A sleek black car came to a halt in front of a grand building that bore the inscription "Saint University." A man in a light blue shirt and dark blue pants stood by the gate, his eyes fixed on the approaching vehicle. As the car stopped, the window on the driver's side slid down to reveal a stern-looking individual.

"Sir, I conveyed your story to them just as you instructed" the man outside stammered, his forehead glistening with sweat, a tinge of fear evident in his voice.

Without a word, a white package was flung at the man's chest from within the car. As the car swiftly departed, the man was left stunned, clutching the mysterious parcel, his mind racing.

Meanwhile, inside the car, the man wore a sly smirk as he gazed at the university grounds. In a low, almost sinister tone, he murmured to himself,

"A truth that avoids so many: the virtuous are often the ones who suffer."

..................................................................................................

To be continued...

Hey guys, now I will update properly because it's the end of my exam...

I will update you about my uploading schedule soon...

From now, Complete the task and I will upload the next chapter...👇

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