𝐕𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐀- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞

32.

Abhiansh's car rolled to a halt just outside the police station. The moment he stepped out, his eyes narrowed, taking in the uneasy crowd gathered near the entrance. Tension hung thick in the air, matching the tight lines on his face.

As he moved forward, officers stiffened, offering quick, nervous salutes. "Good morning, sir," they chorused, voices laced with a mix of respect and apprehension.

He acknowledged them with a brief nod, his tone cutting through the quiet murmur. "What's going on here?"

The question, though calm, was cold enough to make one officer flinch, his gaze darting to his colleagues as though silently pleading for backup. "S-sir... something's happened," he stammered, voice barely steady, each word betraying the weight of unspoken dread.

Abhiansh's frown deepened, a glint of sharp impatience flickering in his eyes. "What is it?" he pressed, though his voice remained level. There was a chill in it that seemed to promise consequences for anything less than the truth.

After a tense pause, the officer swallowed hard, his voice a whisper. "Sir… Marcus is no more."

Abhiansh stood rooted in place, a storm brewing behind his calm exterior, his jaw set tight. His hand slowly curled into a fist, knuckles paling as the implications sank in.

"How?" His voice was a low, restrained growl—controlled, yet deadly.

The officer’s throat bobbed nervously as he forced himself to meet Abhiansh’s piercing gaze. "S-sir… it appears he was poisoned," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper, as though each word might somehow intensify the gravity of what he was saying.

Abhiansh’s eyes flashed, the cool surface of his composure fracturing just enough to reveal the fury simmering beneath.

Abhiansh clenched his jaw, a muscle twitching as he strode into the cell, every step weighed with a fury held tightly in check. There lay Marcus, sprawled lifeless on the cold floor. His once-sharp gaze was now vacant, and a thin line of saliva traced from the corner of his mouth.

Abhiansh's eyes fell on a box nearby, remnants of food left untouched. Moving with calculated precision, he slipped on his gloves and carefully lifted the box, scrutinizing it as if it might hold answers

“Who gave him this food?” His voice was quiet, but laced with a warning that cut through the silence. He looked at each officer present, waiting, yet all heads were bowed, eyes averted.

His patience snapped. “I FUCKING ASKED YOU A QUESTION!” The words exploded from him, sharp as a whip. The officers flinched as his voice ricocheted off the walls, the raw anger unmistakable.

The room fell into an even heavier silence, the tension thickening as no one dared to respond, yet all understood that no answer would be tolerated much longer.

“S-sir, w-we don’t know how it got here,” one of the officers stammered, his voice barely holding steady. “W-we didn’t give him any food, as per your orders, but—”

“Enough.” Abhiansh’s hand shot up, silencing the man mid-sentence. The single, commanding gesture held more weight than any words he could have said, and the room fell deathly quiet.

“Get out.” Abhiansh’s voice cut through the silence, cold and final. Without a word, the officers filed out, their footsteps echoing down the corridor as he was left alone in the stillness of the room.

Abhiansh took a steady breath, his gaze sweeping over every inch of the cell, searching for anything out of place. But the room offered nothing—a sterile, empty space that gave away no secrets. He moved to set the box of food down, his thoughts racing.