Destiny that planned their life

14. The Adventure Begins

Drishti's POV

"Lucky, let's leave after breakfast. Krishna sir had called me in the morning. We have to be there before 10." I said, munching on the steamed rice balls with red chilly chutney.(a Mangalorean dish)

"Yaar.. I just landed yesterday. Can you cut me some slack-alright, alright! Quit giving me the 'judgmental owl' stare." He groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"This isn't a holiday, you realize that, don't you?" I retorted, irked by the stinky stare he and the dynamic duo beside him were giving me, as if I'd committed a crime against intergalactic etiquette.

"And you two, don't stare at me like that. He's here for work, not to clown around with you." I said sternly to Avinash and Appu.

"Is she like this 24/7 at work? How do you even put up with her?" Appu quizzed Lucky.

"Don't even ask." Lucky replied, miming wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Poor guy. I can feel your pain." Avinash chimed in, with sympathetic look. Appu and Lucky nodded.

"I can't bear these drama queens." I grumbled in frustration.

"She doesn't even know that we should be titled as 'king's', not 'queen's'. Haha.." Avinash chuckled, to which the trio started laughing getting on my nerves.

Why did the universe decide to send me to have breakfast with them? These three are like morning alarm clocks set to irritate. Bappa, why test me like this? Keep it together, Chikoo. Inhale. Exhale.

***

After our breakfast banter, Lucky and I set out for our 'adventure'. That's what we call it when we are start with our investigation.

"Stop stop." I screamed when I saw Krishna sir.

We approached him since he had not noticed us yet. Lucky, with a skeptical expression, questioned, "Do you have any plan?"

"Oops sorry. It completely slipped out of my mind. Sir told that we are event management crew for today." I informed him.

"I'm grateful I brought this up now. When were you planning to share this with me? You've changed a lot since your marriage is fixed. You are really like a married auntie." He said sarcastically.

"You! shut up. I'll kill you Lucky. Don't irritate me." I whispered-yelled, gritting my teeth.

"Oh, Drishti, I've been waiting for both of you. You must be Laksh. I'm Krishna Prasad, your father (Rajiv, Comissioner of police) appointed me to assist you both." Sir introduced himself.

"Hello, sir. Nice to meet you." They greeted, shaking hands.

"Here's the event management team's ID card. The wedding function starts today, and we have around 3 to 4 days. We need to find something useful, and please alert me if there's any issue. You can connect with each other through this device, and also we'll be monitoring you through this device. Don't lose it. So, are you ready?" Sir advised handing the ID card and device.

"Yes, sir." We both replied in unison.

***

"Stop. Who are you?" A bulky man halted us at the main gate. We presented our ID cards, confidently. After examining the card we were granted entry.

"Pheww! That was easy." I remarked once we were out of earshot, to which Lucky smirked.

"Hey, you two. You're here as interns, not VIPs. We have a lot of work pending." A man in his 30s said.

"I'm the event manager. Let's go. We have to set up the stage." He declared, without giving us a chance to respond.

"Don't stray around without informing me. Got it?" Lucky warned sternly.
We both worked with the crew to prepare the stage, all the while keeping a watchful eyes on the people around us.

"Drishti, that is our 'red rose'." Lucky's voice came through the earpiece provided by sir earlier. He was using the coded language. I turned my gaze towards the direction he was staring at. 'Red rose' was our target.

"Hmm. Those thorns seems intimidating." I remarked, referring to the four men standing beside him.

After decorating the stage, the manager had instructed the team to work on decorating the mansion. Seizing this opportunity, we explored the entire mansion from outside.

"Any updates?" I quietly inquired through the microphone connected to my watch.

"Opposite to the Mango tree. Let us decorate that place later." Lucky discreetly conveyed, maintaining the coded communication.

Curious, I made my way towards the indicated spot, careful not to draw attention. We stumbled upon a unlocked storage room.

"You think we'll find something valuable here?"

"Someone told me that sometimes, it's the unexpected places that holds the key. My instincts tell me we might find what we're looking for here." I said, pondering the possibilities.

"Wahh! Who told you that? It really gave me goosebumbs." he exclaimed, surprised.

"Drishti, you are right. Proceed with searching the room. Laksh, stand guard outside." The voice from our earpiece directed.

"Yes, sir." I responded into my microphone, signalling to Lucky that I'm going in.

As I stepped into the dimly lit storage room, the air was thick with dust. My eyes scanned over empty shelves as I walked further inside. Stopping in my tracks, I found an old leather book. Cautiously reaching for it, I opened the book to reveal handwritten notes. Just as I was about to place it back, a folded piece of paper slipped out - a map. As my eyes traced its details, a sense of familiarity washed over me.

Why does this feel familiar? The drawing style in this map looks a lot like something I've come across before. Where did I see these kind of drawings?

I carefully placed the book in my bag and continued inward. The space resembled a hideout, much like in movies.

Could this place be similar to those scenes in movies where underworld dons hold secret meetings?

Just as I was about to give up, having found nothing useful, Lucky's voice reached me, urging me to hide as fast as I could. I sought a place amidst the stored old items to hide myself.

Hidden behind the old table, I held my breath as the footsteps grew louder. Straining my eyes in the dim light, I attempted to sneak a glance at the mysterious figure, but in vain. Holding my breath, I watched as the mysterious person surveyed the room, unaware of my presence.

****

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please vote and comment.

What do you think will happen next? Will Drishti get caught? Who do you think the mysterious person is?