Curse of heart

Facing the committee

Avir stepped out of the room, the heavy door clicking shut behind him, leaving Dia to her thoughts. The coldness of the interaction still lingered in his chest, but he had other matters to handle now. As he walked down the long corridor, his mind was racing. His anger toward her hadn't subsided, but there was a new layer now—calculation.

His phone buzzed. It was a message from Jayant, waiting for his instructions. He paused, the memory of the footage flashing in his mind. The moment he had seen Dia walking in the airport parking lot, Aaryan Awasthi looming behind her like a shadow. That image had sent a surge of rage through him—she was still tied to that man, still somehow involved in his web of crime.

Avir clenched his jaw, but as the rage simmered, a different thought emerged: control. It would be easy to destroy her now, to hand over the footage to the committee and have her expelled. But there was something more dangerous, more useful about keeping her where he could see her. He could watch her, monitor her every move. And if she slipped up again, he would be there to catch her in the act.

He dialed Jayant's number, his voice low but commanding when the line clicked.

"Jayant, I want the footage of Dia with Aaryan Awasthi scrubbed from the system. Now."

Jayant was silent for a moment, surprised by the order. "Sir, are you sure? That footage could—"

"I know what it could do," Avir interrupted sharply. "But we're not going to use it. Not yet."

There was a pause. "What's the plan, sir?"

Avir's eyes darkened as he looked down the empty corridor, his thoughts as cold and calculated as the steel walls surrounding him.

"We can take advantage of this situation. If she's expelled, she's out of our control. But if she stays, we can keep her right where we need her. Under constant observation. We monitor her every movement, every conversation, every action. If there's anything more between her and Aaryan, we'll know."

Jayant's voice held a note of uncertainty. "And the committee? What if they ask for security footage?"

"I'll handle the committee," Avir said, his tone final. "Just make sure the footage never comes to light. It'll be as if nothing happened."

There was a brief silence before Jayant responded, "Understood, sir. I'll take care of it."

Avir hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The fire of his anger still smoldered, but it was now tempered with a sharp, calculating edge. He knew the power he held in keeping Dia at the academy, under his control, was far greater than any satisfaction he'd get from seeing her expelled.

The truth would stay buried—for now.

As he walked further away from the room, Avir couldn't shake the image of Dia's face in the interrogation room, the confusion and panic in her eyes. She had no idea what was coming. And that gave him all the advantage he needed.

"Stay where I can see you, Dia," he muttered to himself, his lips curling into a cold smile. "Because you're not slipping through my fingers again."

The pieces were in place. Now, it was just a matter of time.

Avir sat in his office, leaning back in his chair with his fingers steepled under his chin. His eyes flickered toward the small clock on his desk. The disciplinary committee would convene in an hour. They were waiting for his report. They were waiting for justice.

But Avir had already made up his mind.

He turned to his phone and called Jayant, his voice steady but laced with a sense of purpose. "Jayant, it's time. I want you to bring the footage of Dia escaping through the back wall of the academy to the disciplinary committee. Make sure it's ready for display when they call us in."