Song for the chapter- Teri Deewani by Kailash Kher.
Sia
The thuds in my ear were steady and now deafening me. I placed my hands;cold and clammy, in my chest to pace it down. At any hour the HR might walk in and find me panting and scrounging madly. Slowly, I amble out and head to the ladies' restroom and wait for my heart to slow down.
My head feels shaggy, stooping low between my shoulders almost dipping in the washbasin. The ache in my throat might have been eased if I could weep but not even a drop of tear escapes my eye.
The night Gaurav arrived in Mumbai, he had this confrontation with Anubhav
His strange demeanor and the coldness in his voice had a reason. A reason I have been unaware of. A reason he might not have found to be worthy to be divulged to me. The anger I feel for him in the moment for his change and secrecy looms much subtler in comparison to the burning urge to give him a hug that he might have needed.
Oh Anubhav. My heart clenches. Not just for the deceased but also for the fifteen year old who had borne the ravage of the secret. A secret that consumed his mother.
I splash the running water from the tap to my face. Time loses its track as I keep standing over them for minutes as the water settles in my face.
Over the glass doorway of my cabin, I see a man seated by, as I enter through the hallway, he stands. He is mildly tanned with broad rimmed glasses and raven curly hair.
"Miss Tripathi. I assume you are not okay?" The concern in his voice is genuine and is barely touched by a professional tone. This touches me to an extent that any further display of affection might result in my meltdown.
I clear my voice. "I am just okay. I am supposedly having a meeting the CFO, You are Mr. Shrivastva, the HR manager I assume"
He nods. "We can sit for some time since he is engaged in a video conferencing with the Lakshmikant lush designers."
Right. The first ever deal Vinay Uncle has cracked for a resort in Mumbai. If the dreamy boutique themed resort at Kolaba does not gets in the middle of legal troubles by the rightful land owner who claimed that land was disputed to be a government property, the sharma business empire would touch the heights of the sky.
Which is why I am here along with the defamation suit thing. To do the work I am entrusted with, instead of prying into the life of my fiance's dead step brother. Erm, Half brother.
"I guess I could then use some time strolling in the lobby or looking around the office. Feeling jet legged"
He paves the way. "Feel free to, Miss"
Giving a phony thanks, I grab my phone and purse and head across the hallway. I really did need some time alone in the lobby. Who knew what laid ahed in his unputdownable autobiographical notes that would make me clutch my heart in my hand. Standing in the public could be a bad call
Chapter four
Days melt to nightfall and night soon leads to a dawnbreak, either time was getting lost on its liner track or I was stuck in the endless loop of events. All of them happening at once, simultaneously.
YOU ARE READING
|The secrets we take to grave|✔︎
Mystery / ThrillerSia Tripathi was getting married to the man she had loved for years, Gaurav Sharma.Their blissful union made every kith and kin happy except for one person; Gaurav's step brother, Anubhav Bhattacharya Sharma who has loved Sia unrequitedly for longer...
