The Veiled Hearts

🌹Embers in Dark🔪

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. The words floated around me, heavy and disorienting, but I couldn't grasp their full weight. Yash was still standing next to me, but his expression was darker than I'd ever seen. There were tears at the corners of his eyes-tears that refused to fall, just like him-stubborn and unyielding. His grip on my hand loosened. Instead, his fist was clenched so tightly it looked like it could burst into flames. The silence in the storage room was suffocating.

I had so many questions swirling inside me, questions that needed answers. I gathered every bit of courage I had, turned to Vikram uncle, and finally spoke, my voice barely steady, "You were the one who sent those goons in Banaras, to test me?"

Vikram uncle looked at me, his lips curling into a soft, almost paternal smile. "Yes," he admitted calmly. "I wanted to test you, to see if you can handle Singhania's Mansion or not. But I was impressed when I saw you use Yash's brooch to injure one of them. You knew how to turn a small pin into a weapon, and you kept it with you for five years."

His words rattled me. Before I could even process, Kunal bhaiya, breaking his silence for the first time, added, "Aman was coming for you. The only place he wouldn't have searched for you was in Singhania's mansion, posing as a bodyguard. I knew the only way to get you into the mansion was by faking my death. Yash sent a condolence letter from Singhania Enterprises, but I switched it with mine."

Kunal bhaiya continued, "We knew it was just a matter of time before your identity was discovered and an investigation into your room would take place. The only clue was the letter Yash found. It was meant for him to crack-the third test of your training."

Just as Kunal bhaiya was about to explain further, Yash broke in, his voice tense. "If you were in an accident on the day I became CEO, why did you call me in New York, telling me you fixed my marriage with Tanya?"

Vikram's uncle looked up at Yash and sighed. "I was testing to see if Aman was tracking your phone. He was. I didn't want you to get into trouble while you were in New York, so I spoke in favor of him."

Yash made a sound of acknowledgement, a low "hmm," before pulling out his phone. His movements were so calm, so measured, that it sent a chill through me. None of us knew what he was about to do, and his silence was more terrifying than any words he could have spoken. He typed something on his phone and then pocketed it without a word.

Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to speak. The tension in the room was unbearable, like the air had thickened with every unspoken thought. Just as I was about to ask, Aarav's voice cut through, "Whom did you text, Yash?"

Yash didn't respond immediately. Instead, he bent down toward Vikram uncle's knees, his face an unreadable mask of stone. Then, with a soft, almost unnatural smile, he said, "We are all here because I took a step towards the Ganga river five years ago, for Vanya."