FORBIDDEN FLAMES ✅

Countdown Begins

AUTHOR'S POV

Vihaan called out to Shreya, "Sheru, we're getting late!"

"Coming, Vihaan!" Shreya replied from the kitchen. Just then, the doorbell rang. Shreya called out, "Vihaan, please see who is at the door."

"I think it's Neil; I told him to come here," Vihaan said as he walked to the door. When he opened it, he was taken aback to see his mother, Anita, and Kanchan standing there.

Anita stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Mera beta, how are you? Look how thin you've become!" Vihaan was still in shock, looking at them, trying to process their sudden appearance. Breaking the hug, Vihaan asked, "Ma, what are you doing here? And what is she doing here?" He glanced at Kanchan with confusion.

Anita smiled, "I wanted to surprise you. It's been months since I last saw you. And Kanchan, she's here look."

"Who is it?" Shreya said, emerging from the kitchen into the living room. Anita and Kanchan were visibly shocked to see Shreya, and Shreya was equally surprised to see them.

Anita's face turned stern. "What is she doing here, Vihaan?" she shouted.

Vihaan glanced at Shreya and then back at his mother. "Ma, not now. This is not the time for this discussion. We're about to leave for an important investigation and we're running late. We can talk after we get off this case. Please, go inside."

Anita shook her head vehemently. "No, Vihaan, I can't stay here if that woman is in this house under the same roof."

Just then, Neil arrived. He was shocked to see Anita and Kanchan. "What are you doing here, Kanchan? Why didn't you inform us before coming here?"

Vihaan, trying to keep his patience said "Fine, Ma, stay at Neil's place because Shreya isn't going anywhere. This is her house too; it's our home."

Before Anita could protest further, Vihaan turned to Neil and said, "Neil, if you don't mind, let my mother stay at your place for now."

Anita opened her mouth to speak, but Vihaan cut her off, "Sheru babe, we're getting late. Let's leave." He took Shreya's hand firmly in his and led her out of the apartment, leaving a fuming Anita and a bewildered Kanchan behind, staring at their intertwined hands.

As they walked Vihaan said to Neil, "We'll be near the parking. Come soon." Then he and Shreya quickly made their way to the car, ready to dive into their critical mission, leaving the family drama behind, at least for the moment.

Once outside and heading to their car, Vihaan turned to Shreya, squeezing her hand gently. "I'm sorry about that Sheru. I didn't expect them to show up like this."

Shreya nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Vihaan. Let's focus on the task at hand. We'll deal with everything else later."

As Shreya and Vihaan reached downstairs, Vihaan received a call.

As Shreya and Vihaan reached downstairs, Vihaan's phone rang. He answered promptly, "Good morning, Mahendra sir. Is Sagar at the office?"

Mahendra's voice sounded tense. "No, Vihaan, Sagar isn't at home. I just found out he didn't come home last night. I've been calling him, but his phone is not reachable. If he doesn't come to the office, how are we going to implement our plan?"