Break the rules

Chapter 26

Aryan's POV:

I attempted to listen to papa as he talked to me about our next project. I was majorly distracted and quite frankly uninterested. 

"Shah it's your daughter-in-law's first birthday celebration in your house" My mother reminded him.

"I-right okay sorry sorry" I chuckled at how easily he listened to my mom. "Where is she?" He asked me.

"Oh she had some problem with her outfit so she went to change" I told him. "I'll go and get her" Suhana said.

I nodded before she walked towards the stairs to get Alia from our room. Ananya pulled me away and talked in a low voice.

"Did she have a problem because of me?" She asked. I sighed at the question. "Aryan does she not like me? What did I do?" She asked concern.

"Look she just doesn't know how close we are" I explained. "And that night you called me was my wedding night" I told her.

"Oh shit I didn't know" She smacked her head. "Hey don't worry she'll be fine she just doesn't know you yet" I assured her.

"Also just so you know..." I whispered. "...I have to tell her about you know" I told her. "But Aryan" She tried to protest.

"Ananya she's my wife" I said. "She needs to know what happ–" I got interrupted by Suhana's voice that echoed in the house.

We whipped our heads towards her shouting and ran towards her. "Bhaiyya!! Papa!!" She shouted from upstairs.

Papa and I ran upstairs to Suhana. I heard my mom calm the guest at the party. "Please stay here while we check what's wrong" She told them.

"What happened?!" I asked her as soon as I entered my room. I looked around and saw a broken vase that was set on the table nearby.

One of the sofas was slightly moved as if someone had pushed it. The window was wide open and there was a rope hanging from it.

I looked around in shock and panicked when I didn't see Alia anywhere. My mom ran into the room after us.

"What the hell happened in here?!" She yelled as she looked around. "Where's Alia?" She asked. "Aryan?" My dad called to me.

The room started to spin around me. My breathing quickened. I tried to calm myself down but failed miserably.

I could hear my heartbeat loud and clear in my ears. I tried to pull my tie from my collar to let myself breathe.

"Suhana go around the house find Alia" My dad instructed. "Gauri get the guest out" He told her. I was left in the room with my dad.

I couldn't walk properly anymore. My legs felt like jelly. I stumbled into the room but my father didn't let me fall.

"Aryan" He called out to me. He sat me down on my sofa so I don't fall. "Aryan" He tried to shake me out of my trance.

"Aryan?!" He shouted at me. I looked up to him slowly. "What if something happened to her?" I asked him.

My eyes filled with unspilled tears. "Papa–where is she?" I crashed my head onto his chest. For the first time, my dad didn't have an answer for me.

Suhana searched the whole house but she couldn't find anyone. Ma was able to make an excuse and get everyone out of the house.

Papa had called his manager, his lawyer and his whole goddam team yet we couldn't find even a trace of Alia.

Papa's manager called the police a while ago and they were currently on their way. "Bhaiyya?" Suhana placed a hand on my shoulder.

She sat down next to me. "Water" She handed me a glass of water. I shook my head and shut my eyes.

"Bhaiyya you won't achieve anything like this" She said. "At least take care of yourself" She added. "Suhana just–please"

I lifted my hand to get her to stop. I knew she meant well but I couldn't even think straight at that point.

The police finally arrived at 'Mannat' and all us immediately got up from our seats. We welcomed them inside quickly.

"My name is officer Sanjay. Shah Rukh sir we are really sorry to hear about your daughter-in-law" The officer conveyed his concern.

"Thank you and we need you to work this case to the fullest" My dad told him. "We will try our best" Sanjay said.

"Can you and your family please tell us the events of the day" He asked. "Today was her birthday so all of us planned to throw her a party" I spoke up.

"I left for work early and then came back with some arrangements" I told everyone. I looked at the rest to narrate what happened at home.

"Throughout the day the rest of us were all home and we kept Alia busy since it was her birthday" Suhana continued.

"Everything was going well she came downstairs all ready and the party was going well" My mom told them.

"Bhaiyya told us that she went upstairs to change her–" "Dress!" I interrupted her. All of them looked at my sudden outburst.

"The outfit she was wearing" I said loudly. "What about that outfit?" Sanjay asked curiously. Everyone looked on for my explanation.

"In the midst of a conversation between Alia, our friend Ananya and I, Alia said I gifted her the gift" I said.

"She told me that she found the dress in a wrapped box addressed to her on our bed" I added.

"What's that got to do with anything?" One of Sanjay's team member asked. "I didn't gift her that dress" I finally said.

All of them looked at me with shock. "I didn't buy that dress nor did I gift it to her" I told them.

"My gift is right here" I took out a box with a bracelet I picked out for her.

"But the card on the box read 'Happy Birthday baby' and obviously only I call her that" I said. Everyone exchanged looks.

"Are you sure no one else in the house or your family could've gifted her that dress?" I shook my head. "No there's no way" I told them.

"Then a stranger planted it there" Sanjay stated. "You mean someone sneaked into the house" My dad asked.

"It's very possible there was an event so I'm sure many people came in and out" He pointed out. We nodded in agreement.

"When did you realise she was missing?" Sanjay asked. "When I went up to get her from her room" Suhana said.

"The party was for her and I wanted her to come enjoy so I went up to see if she had changed yet" She told them.

"When I entered the room I saw–" She paused. "Saw what?" Sanjay asked. "Maybe you should see the room" My mom pointed out.

"It could start your investigation properly" She said. We led the police upstairs to my room and they observed around.

"From the looks of it it's clearly a kidnapping case" He stated. "Any suspects?" He asked us. I just shook my head, I couldn't think of anyone.

"When you're famous you have a lot of enemies" My dad said. Sanjay nodded in agreement towards my dad.

"There can be crazed fans, people trying to frame you and you become a huge target for random kidnappers for big ransoms" Sanjay listed out.

"We will need all your help for this investigation" He told us. "Of course anything you require" My dad assured him.

"For starters we would like your bungalow's CCTV footage, some call records of your family to cross out suspects and interrogations with your staff as well as security"

All of us agreed to every term he asked. "We will take your leave for tonight" He looked at the time before making his way out with his team.

Before he left our house I stopped him. "Please find her" I said softly. He merely nodded before leaving.