A boy is left behind by his mother and is rescued by a stranger. Soon after, two people are killed.
Twenty five years later, emotions are resurfacing. Ayaan Agnihotri learns that his rescuer is no more but the truth runs deeper than that. So, he emb...
The funeral was held at Mahanidhi, attended by colleagues and acquaintances of Aakriti. No one made a conversation with the Agnihotri brothers, except for short condolence which the brothers acknowledged with a nod. They were mourning for the loss of their beloved Aunt. They also wept for the multitude of secrets she took with her, never to see the light of the Earth.
Dhruv had succeeded in transporting the laptop to Deepshika's apartment, under the excuse of making the necessary arrangements. Ayaan had asked for the bedroom to be closed and not to be accessed by anyone. He announced it should be his decision on what to be done with Aakriti's belongings. Whether it was his stubborn stance or their parents' tiredness, they didn't object.
The week following the funeral, Ankush slipped into his shell, very much the same way he dealt with his parents' departure. He kept to his study, sleeping in the attached guest room, not taking any calls nor answering the family concerns.
One evening, Chhaya went to see him. "Ankush, please don't do this with yourself."
Ankush didn't glance at her and continued to look past the walls.
"Aakriti is not coming back. This is the best time for us..." She could not complete the sentence due to the grip Ankush held against her throat.
"You are the most selfish person I have ever come across, and I see myself in the mirror every day. Can you let me mourn for my sister at least? Go, do whatever you want to. Just leave me alone!"
"Ankush, I am doing this for us, for your..."
"Get out!" Ankush hissed.
---
That day, Ayaan was surprised to find his father at his door.
"I want to spend some time with you." He said.
Ayaan opened the door wider and welcomed him. They sat in the armchairs in the balcony overlooking the expanse of Mahanidhi and the moonlight beyond the walls. Ayaan felt the silence strangely comforting and surely questionable. He could not recall many occasions where the father and son sat in silence, only the two of them. He knew Dhruv too didn't spend much time with their father. Growing up, Ayaan wondered if Ankush needed a reminder that he had two sons.
"How are you holding up?
"Not too fair, Dad. Aunt was no less than you and Mom. In fact, she cared for us more than you both. I am just worried about Dhruv. It's too big a blow for him to handle."
"Ayaan, I don't know how you would react to this. I want more time to come to terms that Aakriti will no longer annoy me. In the meanwhile, can you lead the company and take over Aakriti's role?"
Ayaan weighted the opportunity. His father was giving him the role he was intrigued about over the years. This would mean open doors to every corner of AMC, control over the transactions and be the signatory for the Agnihotri assets. He agreed immediately.
The father and son missed the shadow at the entry door. It was not until Ankush started to leave the room that he noticed. "I have made it easier for you to work forward." He told the shadow and made the beeline to his study.
---
A few days later, Ayaan was in his home office, just next to his bed in his room. Dhruv came in knocking the glass panel. "Ayaan, I can't wait any longer. When?"
"Patience, brother, patience. It pays heavier dividends." Ayaan answered, reviewing a new project idea.
"I am fine with cents for dividends. The suspense is killing me. Let me remind you; you are running out of time. It may be too late for you to act later."
"I don't need a lot of time to act. Moreover, can you drive without knowing if you are driving on the road or someone's lawn? We need to wait for some light, something to tell us where we are, where we should be heading. Once we know that, it will be easier to move forward."
Dhruv left in a huff. Ayaan smiled at his brother's impatience, but it was washed away when he received the message. "Accident in the factory." It read.
Ayaan gathered his wallet and car key, rushing out to his car. "Ayaan!" His mom called out. "Where are you going?"
"Mom, an accident happened at the factory. I need to go."
"Wait. I need you to sign these papers." Ayaan hesitated, mentioning the urgency at hand. But Chhaya didn't budge. "These are important payments, Ayaan. I wanted your Dad to sign, but you know how he is these days. Come on; it will not take long."
"I need to go. Don't know what happened." Ayaan murmured yet sat down and scribbled his signature on the papers, without a glance at what he was signing. "That's all?"
Chhaya nodded. "Take care and call me, if you need anything."
---
The ringtone sounded for the third time. Deepshika pressed the pillow over her ears, hoping to steal a few moments of sleep. They were into the third week after Aakriti's funeral. However, the details Ayaan and Dhruv shared with her disturbed her deeply. Every time, she closed her eyes, she would visualise Aakriti as Ayaan found her at Aashayein. In the moments she didn't see Aakriti, it was her father in the same position, breathing his last. Each time, she sprung up on her bed sweating profusely at the horrible nightmare. The only good result was she now understood how Ayaan must be going through as he had turned insomniac following such dreams from his forgotten past.
The mobile rang for the fourth time. She got out of the bed and threw the phone on the mattress, covering it with the pillows and the bundled quilt. She sat on it for good measure before moving to the washroom.
When she returned, the phone was still ringing, but her eyes refused to see anything. She ran her hands over the bed feeling for the phone and pressed it to her ear, answering "Who died now?"
"You", came the answer.
###
This is cut shorter than my regular Part A segments because the action on the other end is as lengthy as this.
What do you think of Ankush-Chhaya dynamics?
What could be the papers Ayaan signed?
Who called Deepshika? (Hint: Cameo Character)
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P.S. The character list is uploaded in the characters chapter. I have omitted the cameo appearances to keep it simple and quick to refer. The glossary is underway for each chapter and will add on a Reference chapter for elaborate explanations.
