Ummeed (Raichand Siblings Saga-Book 1)

44- Letting it out

I did NOT cry while writing this chapter!

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Three days passed by in a jiffy. Rishi was already back from Dehradun. He and Ajit had already enquired each and every person on the list but were still falling short of any new lead. Arjun was nearly sure that Mrs. Desouza had intentionally left the paper with the numbers on them. Just like he was sure that the man was no longer in Dehradun.

Rishi- "For all we know, the man might have escaped the country now!"

Arjun shook his head- "No. The woman clearly needed some time. And she bought it by giving us the wrong lead. I am guessing that she's arranging for the visa. Kitne bhi shortcuts use kar le, she needs atleast 1 week to arrange it. We have 3 days at most to catch the man."

Rishi- "Jo number uss list me the, unme se kisi ka bhi uss aurat se dur dur Tak koi vasta nahi hai. Those are some random numbers of randomly chosen VIPs. So usne apne koi contacts bhi reveal nahi kiye. But what about the people who adopted those 6 kids? Jinhe usne illegally adopt karaya tha. Maybe woh log uski help kar rahe ho."

Arjun- "Make it 5. Shekhar is out of the list. Unme se ek Singapore ka hai. There are chances ki woh aadmi wahi ka raha ho. But again, we can't touch the man! He has a monopoly over nearly half the buisness there."

Rishi- "Itna Amir aadmi..why would he need to adopt a kid this way then?"

Arjun- "Uspe najane kitne criminal cases hai. Adoption laws ke according he didn't stand a chance of adopting a kid."

Rishi- "But what did he do with the child?"

Arjun- "I used my sources. The child is well and safe. He is his next heir."

Rishi furrowed his eyebrows- "Singapore me aapke kaun se sources hai?"

Arjun rolled his eyes- "How does that matter?"

Rishi's eyes widened in realisation- "Did you snoop into the official records? Come on!"

Arjun- "I did no such thing! Just shut up!"

Rishi smirked. That was enough of a testification for him.

Arjun- "Kaha gaye aapke rules and regulations bhaiya? Bhul gaye apni princess ke liye sab?"

A flash of concern crossed his face. Rishi cursed his tongue. In the past three days, the mere mention of Meher was enough to make Arjun restless.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Arjun- "Come in."

The door opened slightly only to reveal Meher standing there with an expressionless face.

Meher- "Bhabhi ne bulaya hai aap dono ko. Dinner ready hai."

Without waiting for a response, she turned around and disappeared down the hallway.

Arjun looked at her retreating back longingly. He had absolutely no idea about why she decided to close off yet again. About why she won't say a word about her grievances. About why she won't even spare him any of them a look unless she was compelled to.

Arjun has nearly exhausted all the tricks in his book to make her talk. From gentle talks to angry threats, nothing seemed to work on her. She had just been chanting one word throughout their talks. 'Nothing'

At the dinner table, she looked lost. Lost in her own thoughts. In her world of perceptions. In the whirlwind of emotional turmoil. No one uttered a word on the table.

 The brothers realised with a start how much their life depended on her now. It was almost as if those 12 years without her did not exist at all. All their highs echoed with her angelic laugh and all their lows ended with her small, reassuring smile. Her silence felt like a howl to their ears. Her sadness like a knife to their hearts. Her distance like a puch to their guts.