Like a Shadow to You

Chapter 24. Like a Shadow to You

The travel back to Aravind's house took more than half a day. Akash checked in in a nearby 5-star hotel and did a quick refresh. Within a few minutes, there was a knock at his door. He knew who was waiting for him at the doorstep. Rajesh, a close associate of Kailash, was the only one aware of all the legal moves of Kailash stood with the documents in his bag.

Akash welcomed him inside with a brief nod. They sat opposite to each other on the neatly arranged sofas. Rajesh was in a mixed of emotions. He felt bad about not being there for Kailash's funeral as he did not got stuck in abroad at the time. Kailash shared a hidden partnership with Rajesh so as to secure his important papers from the evil eyes.

Since he discussed about his doubts on Aravind with him, Rajesh undertook the task to discover the mystery behind his sudden demise. It unlocked new set of gaps in the search operation. Akash cleared his throat bringing Rajesh to the present. He offered him beverages and began a small talk about his profession.

The way he observed what Rajesh was speaking and highlited points here and there made their conversation engaging.

"It's nice to meet you in person. He has often praised about your skills and behavior. I guess I can agree with him completely."

The mentioning of Kailash's name made Akash silent for a few seconds. Then, he managed to ease the tension with his words.

"We are still adjusting to the absence of Uncle. I'm tempted to ask for his inputs in every critical matter I'm handling right now. It will be okay, I guess. Now, we don't have much time. Can we finalise the agreement?"

The following minutes kept both of them busy. Once settled, Akash felt a strange sense of relief. Despite the defined moves, something was unusual and strange when Akash entered the premises of Aravind. The security made him wait in the office room and informed Aravind.

With a confused look, Aravind postponed his important meetings and asked for Akash to enter into his cabin. Akash walked into his room in a brisk pace and sat in the opposite chair with his legs crossed. Akash tried his best to suppress his anger after knowing his role in the accident of Kailash.

"Welcome, brother. It's surprising to see you here in this office. I wanted so badly to come to Kailash's funeral, but you know how busy this business keeps me."

When he uttered Kailash's name so casually, Akash lost his composure. He hit the table with force and stood up.

"Just stop it. I did not come here to have a friendly convo. Take a look at his, Mr. Aravind."

Aravind found his anger amusing and smiled inwardly. Anyhow, he gave a look at the document after which his smile vanished instantly. His face began to lose colour and read every word more than once to confirm it. The document revealed a huge sum of money transferred to the name of Banu. When he cross checked it with his auditor, he found out that Kailash made use of his sign in a particular illegal transaction in his favor to make this transfer possible.

"How could you do this? It was my money," he came forward to attack him.

But Akash only laughed at his antics. He opened the lid of the water bottle, poured Akash a glass, and moved the glass before him.

"You'll  need  it. Nah, there is much more to come."

He took another paper from his file and placed it before him. Aravind opened it in a rush only to find the soft copy of a complaint registered against him in commissioner's office with all the details of his illegal transactions and his involvement in the murder of Kailash.

His fingers began to shake at this moment. Though his brain began to work to find a way out of this mess, his face started to show signs of facing defeat.

"No, no, NO Akash. You can't do this to me. We are still brothers. Please please bring me out of this.. I'll promise to never ever cross path with you or Banu. Please,  Akash," he pleaded to him.

Akash just smiled at him and warned him in a threatening voice.

"Don't you ever try to reach Banu. I
Even if you move a step near her, I'll make sure to erase your existence."

At this moment, Aravind realised that he could not convince Akash. Like a venomous snake, he alerted his brain to find an escape.

Akash proceeded to walk towards the door. As he opened the door, he was stilled to hear Akash's words.

"Now, the damage is done, can we speak about Preethi, brother?"

Without looking back at him, Akash went silent for a few minutes before closing the door afer him. The name brought so many unwanted memories.

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