One Step Closer (IPKKND FF | Complete)

Chapter Seven

Arnav snapped shut his laptop. He was finally happy with the presentation for next week's stakeholder meeting with the potential Italian partners. Focussing on work for several hours straight had also done wonders for his mood - everything was sorted, every problem anticipated and taken care of before it could even arise. Business at AR was under perfect control, just as he preferred it to be.

If only he could say the same about his home life.

Four days had passed since Akash and Payal's wedding day. Festivities continued late into the night and the wedding was generally deemed a roaring success, but the next morning Anjali had woken up with the first symptoms of what quickly developed into a serious case of the flu.

She had been bedridden in her room with a high fever ever since. Arnav immediately hired two private care nurses to be at Di's side at all times, in addition to the twice-daily doctor visits.

Health problems had plagued Anjali ever since childhood, and everyone in the family had developed a habit to treat her as somewhat vulnerable because of that; but Arnav's concern for his sister's wellbeing transcended everything.

Anjali's sudden illness had also complicated the family's efforts to welcome Payal into the household. Before the wedding, Manorama had made it very clear that she didn't approve of her son's choice, but now that the deal was done, she was coping in the only way she knew - by throwing worse tantrums than ever, creatively aimed at stressing out her newly minted daughter-in-law.

Good-natured Payal took it all in stride, but without Anjali's diplomatic finesse for smoothing down such disruptions, everyone at Shantivan was walking on eggshells. Normally Arnav would just ride out the storm until his aunt settled down and the family found a new rhythm, but after that faithful wedding day, for him, there was no more 'normal'.

In fact, this household was about to change forever. And he was the only one who knew.

No matter how hard he tried to distract himself with work, Arnav was acutely aware that things at Shantivan were set to take a turn for the worse.

Four days since the wedding.

Four days since Khushi had run into his arms and crushed everything Arnav knew about his sister's happiness.

After finding out about Shyam's money-sucking schemes, Arnav was bent on speaking to his sister the very next day, to somehow convince her to throw this snake out of her life. But now that she was ill, he had to wait, and the worry was eating him inside.

Every day, Shyam came home from work and stayed here, in his house. It almost made Arnav feel physically sick, knowing that for now, he had to allow this filthy man to stay by his sister's side.

His own need to be in control compelled Arnav to switch to working from home as much as he possibly could, and he knew Anjali was in good hands while at least one nurse was in her room at all times. On top of that, he'd also set a team of detectives to trace his brother-in-law's every step, hoping they might gather more incriminating evidence. So far none of the reports had come back with anything even remotely suspicious.

On the other hand, part of Arnav felt almost grateful that Anjali couldn't receive the life-shattering news just yet.

After what had happened to their parents, he dreaded breaking his sister's heart... Di worshipped the very ground Shyam walked on, dammit, the whole family did at times. Arnav himself used to have so much respect for his brother-in-law.

All of that, gone.

From everything Khushi had told Arnav, it was clear to him now that the charm Shyam emitted so well was nothing more than a superficial mask, ready to crack at any moment. Khushi had witnessed it crack more than once. Arnav himself had seen it crack during Akash and Payal's wedding.

As desperately as he needed to tell Anjali the truth, Arnav also hoped his sister's illness might buy him enough time to gather more concrete proof. He needed more than what Khushi had told him.

Khushi. Yes, here was the other thing weighing heavily on Arnav's mind, impossible to push away with work, or sleep, or anything at all. It felt like an eternity since he'd last seen her.

He'd dialled her number a few times, but hadn't completed the call - what would he say? Maybe he... he missed her, yes. But it was hard to admit even to himself, let alone to her - the source of his sleepless nights, for more reasons than one. Besides, it was more important than anything to get the situation with Shyam resolved. More important than Arnav's own happiness.

***

Restless, Arnav headed downstairs, half-expecting to see yet another mami-drama unravelling in the sitting room. Refreshingly, the only person there was Akash, nervously pacing back and forth, casting glances at the clock, which continued to indicate it was late afternoon.

"Akash? What are you doing?"

"Bhai, uhm, I'm waiting to go pick up Payal-ji!"

"Pick her up from where?"

"It's... her pag phera today," Akash explained. "She's back with her family in Lakshmi Nagar and I was told I could pick her up at 6pm... but... bhai, oh... I just miss her so much!"

Akash's lovelorn expression was so comical Arnav could hardly stifle a grin.

"Bro, you're being ridiculous," he admonished Akash. "It's still at least an hour before you can go there, you're going to be pacing this whole time?"

"No, bhai... uh, you're probably right..." Akash was looking downright miserable now, so Arnav got an idea.

"Look, I know you still have the next couple days off because of the wedding, but I need you to proofread this presentation for the Italians next week. You can do it now."

Akash's face lit up at the promise of distraction, even if that distraction was a business matter. He wasn't enough of a workaholic to hide from his problems in work the way his brother did, but in this case it would suit just fine.

Setting people to work was one of the best methods Arnav knew for solving problems.

But... was Akash really being that ridiculous or was Arnav just annoyed because he could recognise some of his own restlessness in his brother's silly behaviour?

"Oh, and Akash... I'll go with you to the Gupta house," Arnav added without thinking and walked off before Akash could ask any questions.

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Update schedule: one new chapter every Thursday. I can already promise the next one will be exciting! In fact, I think it's my favourite chapter so far.

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