Aarohi And Dev

CHAPTER 27

Dev POV

For days, Aman had been working tirelessly to uncover even the slightest clue about Khurana. Meanwhile, I was analyzing the potential benefits Khurana might gain from this situation, concluding that he was unlikely to be the mastermind behind it all. Despite our combined efforts, we came up empty-handed.

Despite Aman's persistent efforts to hack into the phone and trace the IP address of the number from which I received the call about Devika's kidnapping, we hit a dead end. It turned out to be a burner phone, used solely for making that call, leaving us with no digital trail to follow.

However, my greatest disappointment was not just our lack of progress but being away from Rose and still having no new leads.

"Keep digging into Mukherjee's call history," I instructed Aman, as we sat together in the cabin, hopeful that we might stumble upon some connection to Khurana.

As Devika barged into the cabin with urgency, I couldn't help but notice the gravity in her demeanour. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" I inquired, knowing her well enough to recognize that she wouldn't interrupt unless it was important.

Her eyes darted between us, and Aman chimed in, "What's up, Devika?" Surprisingly, she remained silent, opting instead to take a seat in my chair, prompting Aman to quip, "Is she losing her mind?" I shot him a warning glare, causing him to quickly backtrack, "Just kidding, Devika ji, aap humein batane ka kasht karegi yaha aane ki wajah?"
[Just kidding, Devika ji. Would you care to enlighten us about your unexpected visit? ]

"I'll tell you, but only if you buy me a Rolls Royce Boattail," she demanded with feigned haughtiness. Playing along, I replied, "Two. I'll buy two of those. Now spill." I knew she didn't want the car. I was just trying to gauge her intentions.

"Bhai, itne aasani se nahi maanna hota hai, thoda na na toh karlete," she replied nonchalantly, before delivering the bombshell news, "By the way, I came here to inform you that Aarohi's engagement has been called off. She's no longer obligated to anyone else." Despite her casual tone, my heart soared with joy upon hearing the news.
[ Brother, things aren't that easy. Sometimes a little reluctance adds to the fun]

I struggled to keep my excitement and love for her in check, managing a casual, "Oh, okay." Inside, I was dying to see her, talk to her, just catch a glimpse. Aman, ever the instigator, chimed in, "Wow, so Bhabhi Ji is single now. How did you find out?"

"It's in the news, but Tara told me," Devika said, her tone brimming with excitement.

"Who's Tara?" Aman asked, curiosity piqued.

"Ros—Aarohi's friend," I quickly corrected myself, pressing my lips together to avoid giving him any more fodder for teasing. Calling her "Rose" in front of him would only add fuel to the fire.

It's been days since I saw her or talked to her. I needed to think of a way to reach out and meet her quickly. "What's the next plan, bhaiya?" Devika asked excitedly, while Aman perked up like an eager puppy, waiting for my response.

"I don't know yet. You go home with the driver," I said sternly, masking my impatience and urgency.

"Okay, tomorrow is my birthday, and I was thinking of inviting her to my party, but forget it if you don't want me to interfere," Devika blathered, making her way to the door. I quickly ran to stop her.

"We - Well, if you want, you can call her, right? Good idea," I said, trying to maintain a stern face. She just waved me off and left the office, leaving me hopeful for a chance to see Rose again.

"You should text her before Devika and invite her. She would like it," Aman suggested, raising his eyebrows and gesturing as if to say it wasn’t a bad idea. I played it cool, waved him off, and continued my work.