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Author's POV
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It was around 11 p.m. when Saraswati Shekhawat knocked loudly on her son Abhinav's room. She had already checked all the other rooms, frantically searching for her only daughter, Shristi, who was missing. Usually, Shristi would wake up in the middle of the night and go to her own room if her sleep was disturbed, but tonight she was nowhere to be found. A mother's intuition told Saraswati that something was terribly wrong.
As she continued to knock on Abhinav's door, the door suddenly swung open. A worried Abhinav emerged, urgency etched on his face. Without a word, he sprinted towards his car.
"Everyone, we need to leave for the Rajput Palace right now," he shouted over his shoulder.
Abhimaan, his younger brother, also ran to grab his car keys and followed suit. The entire Shekhawat family felt the same gnawing fear and anxiety for Shristi's safety.
Abhinav drove with a sense of urgency, taking deep breaths to calm himself. "What's happening, Abhi?" Raj Shekhawat, his father, demanded with authority from the passenger seat.
"Everything is messed up, Dad," Abhinav whispered, recalling the phone call from Sanyukta that had come just before his mother's knock.
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A Few Minutes Earlier
Abhinav had been in a deep slumber with his brothers when his phone rang, jolting him awake. Groggily, he answered, "Hello?"
"Abhinav, there's an emergency," Sanyukta's voice came through, making him furrow his brow.
He glanced at the wall clock. "What happened, Sanyu?" "Shristi is missing!" she whispered urgently.
"What?!" he yelled, startling Vivaan and Abhimaan awake. They stared at their big brother in anticipation, sensing the gravity of the situation.
"I am telling the truth, Abhinav. Please come to the palace in half an hour. Amit Mittal informed Ruhi about this a few minutes ago. He has Shristi and only gave us a few hours. He asked Ruhi to meet him at 2 a.m. Ruhi has called everyone to meet in the Rajput Palace Hall in half an hour. Please come fast and bring everyone."
Before Abhinav could respond, his mother started knocking on his door, asking for Shristi. Realization hit him hard, and he ran to grab his keys, shouting for Vivaan and Abhimaan to gather the family members and head to the Rajput Palace.
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Present
Abhinav parked his car and rushed into the palace, the rest of the family following close behind. The Rajput Palace hall was already filled with worried faces, every member of the Rajput family present except for Ruhanika.
