Pursuit (Completed)

Fourteen - Part A

Ayaan refused to give up. But he couldn't think straight. The video kept playing in the back of his mind.

Ishika took over Dhruv's position. “You are still lost.”

“Shika, I am scared for what might be revealed.”

Her reply was slow. “Your father is arrested for the accident. Payal was the one to initiate the accident.”

“How do you know?”

“Mamma spoke to her earlier. She accepted her involvement. She wants to raise disruption at management level.”

“I feel like a bastard, but the arrest probably gives us a good disruption. Mom won't think where Dhruv and I are.”

“She doesn't have to think. She would know, right?”

“No, the GPS tracker was in my harmonica. She was smart to put it there because I never even leave my room without it. But Dhruv helped to detach it. It is now in my wardrobe in Mahanidhi. Even if she checks, she would think I forgot it in my clothes.”

“You didn't comment about Payal.”

“Not surprising. She lost her father. I brought her into the company. I would say she is making the best use of the access she has to complete her revenge. Very similar to what you are doing here. In fact, Mom attacking Aunt is a different matter from the Aashayein mystery. However, I can't help linking both. Aashayein saw too much blood and we must know the reason.”

“You don't hate me? For running away.”

“If hate could solve matters, I would hate myself. There are so many questions swirling in my mind. Why did my mother abandon me? How did your father die? Who were his employers at the time of his death? What was the story behind the death of Payal's father? Why did Mom kill Aunt? What is in this pendrive that Aunt wanted me to have? Too many I tell you. I feel I am responsible for each one of those matters. That's the worst feeling.”

“Relax, Ayaan. I am sure there's something substantial in this.”

Shika tried a password and the file opened. “Ayaan, it worked.”

He hugged her in the momentary ecstasy. The subtle fragrance of her moisturising lotion filled his nose. Holding her close reminded him of the last time they had a proper dinner date and finished it with a dance. It was more than three years ago when they were getting used to the idea of dating.

Ishika separated herself from his hug so he leaned back as well. He cleared his throat looking away, regaining his composure for the task ahead. “What… What is the file about?”

“It looks like a bank transfer.” They looked at the scanned page understanding its content.

It was of a bank transfer Aakriti had made to Jhanvi for the purpose of ‘Company license renewal’. The next page was the payment receipt for Alpha Drugs, the same company that was suing AMC for the patent use.

It came as a surprise to Ayaan that Aakriti knew Jhanvi. By the date of the receipts, Ayaan didn't even know Ishika in that year mentioned.

Ishika offered explanation without asking. “Ayaan, I will be honest with you. I got to know Ma and Aakriti aunty were acquainted only after you left Sydney. Mamma asked me to not tell you because she was worried you would inform your Mom. But I really am unaware of Mamma's involvement in these companies suing yours now.”

Ayaan felt like screaming at top of his voice. Instead, he asked, “How did you manage the password?”

“In Excel, every date is stored as a serial number. I used the date created and converted it to the serial number using date value function. That serial number is the password for this file.”

“Try others in the same way.”

Ishika opened the other files below the one she opened. They were also bank transfers similar to the first one. That meant, the companies suing AMC were controlled by Aakriti through Jhanvi. The lawsuits controlled the production of the medicines as they couldn't continue without settling the patent claim. It did affect the revenue they received from the drugs which formed upto 40% of their earnings.

Dhruv staggered into the living room. “You got the password?”

Ayaan explained him while Ishika opened the large file. It took time to load the scanned documents. There were 47 pages to load. The most of the pages were on stamp paper. The rest were a collection of lists, and photographs of properties.

He zoomed in on the first page. A shiver ran down his spine. He could not believe the words on the screen.

Last Will & Testament

I, Layana Batra Agnihotri, wish to state that after my death I choose my son, Ayaan Ankush Agnihotri as my successor. Since my son is a minor at the time of this will, I appoint my husband, Ankush Agnihotri as his legal guardian.