Deadly Games

|09|: Justice delayed is Justice denied

"For when you commit a sin, you have to pass through seven circles of hell, because it doesn't deprive you of the sanity, but all the moral choices you were left with."

Tiara snuggled closer to Ryan, their naked bodies lie entangled, she kept her arm on his bicep warming it with her touch, sharing her most private experiences, "I lost my parents when I was doing my third year in law college, my parents were not a happy couple either; both of them had affairs and then one rainy night, a massive truck hit their car and they were just gone. And I wasn't even disappointed or sad, as if I had seen it coming"

He clasped his palm with hers and gazed at her lovingly, caressing her hair strands, "My family wasn't a happy one either, I lost both of my parents too, one who killed herself and one who just died, leaving me his burden to carry" He masked the truth behind his real emotions.

"I am sorry" She said, "Did you..ever thought that, your parents were...umm.."

"Murdered" He completed the sentence and scoffed, "Many times, for some reason, I didn't want to believe"

"Are we all broken then?"

"We are all broken people Tiara, admit it or not, we pretend we are alright with all the shit going in our lives, but that doesn't mean we should ignore that our feelings are messed up in pieces, what makes us whole is love, friendship, bond we share with some close people"

He kissed her forehead and got up from the sofa. He pressed off the television switch and stalked to the kitchen. He wore the oven glove and took out the baked pie and kept it on the counter. The pie smelled of cherries and chocolates, with colorful sprinkle candies on the top of the chocolate layer of the pie.

Tiara approached Ryan and hugged him from back, she had a couple of relationships which failed, because of her troublesome past, with him, she felt like accepting oneself.

He cut the pie in halves and gave one of the pieces to Tiara, taking another piece in his mouth.

"It tastes yum, so what's your plan this evening except work, of course" She shrugged

He wiped the chocolate layer around his mouth and spoke, "How about we go on a date, in an arcade?"

"I never knew you were such a romantic" She said teasing him, as she kissed his cheek

"There are many things, you don't know about me" He said in a leery tone.

Tiara's phone rung, she picked it up from the coffee table and excused herself as she went to the balcony to take her work call.

Ryan stayed close to the balcony to hear their conversation, he swirled the coffee in the cup with spoon.

"What is it Siddhanth?"

"I've found some information regarding the case, Neeraj Mathur died with his family in a fire accident nine years ago, there were no survivors; however after a detailed research" Siddhanth takes a deep breath and exhales, "His son is alive, locked away in an mental asylum"

"That's a dead end" Tiara expelled a defeated sigh. "Fine, I'll meet you at the given time, I've some things to discuss as well"

The call ended, she pulled the glass door and entered the drawing room. Ryan was drinking his latte.

"Hey, I gotta leave, I have some things to take care of" She took her coat and purse exited his apartment.

Eighteen years old Hrithik put forth the reports of photographs, transaction reports on the table facing his uncle and cousin.

"Was my father involved any of this?" He asked with a straight face, fixating his gaze at them.

"Look this is not all true, this doesn't bother you" His uncle tried to explain but he cut off his sentence