Normally, the flight to India was of 7 hours and 35 minutes but today, it seemed longer than usual. The time seemed to stop at this horrendous moment and was refusing to move on. Akansha sinked into her seat, head resting on the window as tears still streamed down her eyes. She didn't even realise that she was crying. How would she when her mind was still whirling around the previous incident. Her brothers' disgusted gaze, her father's slap, her mother's hopeful words. But still, something negative gripped her heart. What is she failed to investigate this case? What if Iris gets married to her brother? What if her memories are wiped away from their minds?
All these thoughts made her condition worse and tears started to fall out more and more and more. Soon her sobs echoed in the jet and even the pilot felt bad for her. Nevertheless, he had to follow his orders and that is to drop her at India.
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Akansha could now sense that the jet was descending as the clouds seemed to disappear from her sight. When the door of the jet opened, she found three black cars standing in front of it. Seven men in black suits rushed out of the cars and bowed at her.
"Ms. Jaiswal, Mr. Jaiswal sent us to pick you up." One of the men spoke ina robotic voice and Akansha instantly recognised him as Keshav, her uncle's P.A.. Akansha gave a polite smile before handing over her luggage to him.
"It's good to see you again, uncle." She said formally and Keshav felt crestfallen looking at her dried tears and red eyes, but he didn't show it. For the world, he was just an emotionless man and he wanted to live up to this name. A robot. A machine lacking emotions. But looking at Akansha always blows away his mask. She was like his daughter and he couldn't bear to see her sad.
He shook his head and carried her luggage to the car while Akansha sat inside, her insides in a turmoil. What will her aunt and uncle say when they see her like this? Will they also despise her? Perhaps, even refuse to let her in?
No, no, no!
She reminded herself again and again that God wouldn't do any worse to her. Maybe he had a reason for everything. She had faith in him and she believed that he would soon sort it all out.
Yes, he will. Maybe a little late but he will.
She kept repeating it like a litany, her eyes focused at nothing and her fingers interlocked with each other.
'Mujhe aap pe vishwas hain.'
•
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Darkness had enveloped the entire room. Mice were running around here and there and the only voice to be heard was the person's ragged breathing from all this torture. He wanted to die. To leave all this pain here. In the feet of the devil.
Lucifer.
"AAAAHH!" The man shouted again, his throat dry of screaming for mercy, which he wasn't going to get. Not from Lucifer. He let out another frantic scream as his index finger was chopped off.
Lucifer smirked darkly. So that even the devils would be scared of him. The man took in ragged breaths.
"P-Please... Let me go. I beg y-you." The poor man was doing nothing but wasting time, thinking that he could get away from the devil's wrath after provoking him. Lucifer laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
Until the echoes of his laugh enveloped the entire basment. Then he suddenly came to a halt and glared at him, his maroon orbs sending shivers down his spine.
"Let you go?" He echoed, his voice barely above a whisper and that man knew that he had said the wrong thing. Lucifer stood up and kicked that man on his face causing the chair -which he was tied to- to stumble backwards and ending up getting that man's head hit on the hard floor. The man groaned loudly, blood oozing from his head. Lucifer took out his gun, ready to shoot him when his phone buzzed. He took it out and grunted when he saw the caller's ID.
His dad.
"What?" He asked impatiently picking up the call, gun still pointed at the man's head.
"Shivaay Singhania, Aisha has locked herself in her room. Either you're coming or else I'll be hunting you down." His father stated coldly and Shivaay lost no time to shove the gun into his P.A., Dev's, hand and left.
•
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Sitting near the huge glass window, Akansha dazedly looked at the sky as the sun disappeared behind the buildings. The sky was covered in a beautiful hue of red, orange and pink. The clouds were floating from here to there carelessly and Akansha couldn't help but envy them.
"How lucky." She murmured to herself. When she reached the mansion a few hours ago, she was greeted by the worried faces of her uncle and aunt. She helplessly cried when her aunt hugged her tightly, whispering soothing words into her ear. But the tears didn't stop flowing. She felt miserable. She never expected to visit India like this again. She didn't want her aunt and uncle to see her in such a vulnerable state. Today, she lost her family. The family whom she believed trusted her. But much to her horror, they chose a stranger over her.
Tears started to form in her eyes again but she wiped them off when a faint knock fell on her door. "Come in." She said softly. A beautiful woman in a light blue kurti stepped in with a tray of food in her hand.
"How are you feeling now, Akshu?" She asked concerned and Akansha put on a smile even though her chest throbbed with pain.
"I'm good, Radhika chachi." She replied making Radhika sigh in relief. She placed the tray on the bedside table and joined her in sitting near the window.
"Main khana lai hun." She said, looking at Akansha and she gave a curt nod, eyes still on the setting sun. "You haven't eaten anything, Akshu. Please eat it." Radhika pleaded and Akansha stood up, walking towards the tray.
"Shukriya." She thanked her and started chewing her roti. She closed her eyes, savouring its taste. After all, she didn't have anything for an entire day.
"It tastes just like maa's food."
