Crack The Job

25- Not another Yellow File

After minutes of him just boasting about his observation skills, I gradually got over myself and accompanied in his laughs and jokes. At this point, I had no plans and no ninja techniques to make him forget or even lie to his face. "Yeah, she is Payal. That college girl."

"Ah... look at your face. You are turning into an apple." I covered my face as fast as possible but he didn't stop laughing until all of a sudden, his face hardened. "Hey, if she is working here, isn't she married then?"

My eyes went wide at the realization of the big flaw that I didn't even think about at first. "Dude, what are you up to? You are having an affair with a married girl?" His eyes filled with disgust teared through me as he gave the appalled look.

Immediately I put my guards on as I stopped him. "Don't speak so loud and listen to me, will you?"

"That... that's not what I expected from you."

"Just listen to me. Please." Barely managing to stop him, I narrated my whole experience. From the fake marriage to my unfortunate situations and everything.

He listened to him with all his ears and when I stopped, the first thing he did was slape twice on my shoulders while I was jumping up and down in an instant.

"Are you serious right now? That's just wrong. Like are you kidding me?" Gourabh's frustrated voice kind of woke me up. Now, I was kind of seeing it from his point of view and honestly, it's terrifying to think of all the lies we all said in the past few weeks.

"That's what happened." I couldn't raise my eyes anymore. I felt his gaze on me and then I heard him let out a sigh.

"So, what are you going to do next?"

I stayed silent with no answers to provide. "Great! So you have no plans? You know how Dad is and still you did this." He turned to leave but before that, he looked at me. "Whatever you are doing, think before you take any step next. "

"Gourabh, did you—?" I begin but stopped midway when he was staring at me. "Nothing."

He walks away as I plop on the chair, not knowing if I should have asked him about the market issues. The questions related to that file was way bigger for me to just ask him directly.

"What happened? Did you talk with your brother about the file?" Abhiraj blurted out his questions as soon as he barged inside. I sighed with no answers to give.

"I couldn't," I paused to take a deep breath. "I was thinking about something. I just realized there must have been a fake file which they must have prepared in case of checking but how did you end up with the real one?"

"What do you mean? Then did you hand over that file without explaining?" I looked up with confusion only to notice the yellow file not on the table. I felt my heart skip a beat as I had a vague idea about what he was talking about when I ran out of the cabin.

My brother had already left. "Where is that file?" I asked the basic question even though I think I knew the answer.

"If you didn't give him, how did he take that file?" Abhiraj fidgeted with his hands as he looked at me with distress.

This is no good. I knew it well. "I will leave now. I have to make sure he doesn't see inside that file. Can you drop off Payal today? Make sure to call me." He nodded as I walked over to the staff's room to pick up my belongings. I walked over to Payal to see her typing aggressively and packing all the items for the customers.

"Thank you for visiting. Please come again." She cheerfully greeted the customers. I couldn't help but stare at her when she turned back at me. As we stared at each other for a good minute, I finally had the sense to break this unannounced staring contest.

"I have to go early today. So maybe you can go with Abhiraj?"

"Early? But why?"

"Something happened but I can't tell you now. Later... I will tell you later." I saw her eyebrows twitching in confusion as she looked at me. I was half-expecting her to ask me again but strangely enough, she didn't.

"Okay... Just give me a call." She looked at her fingers as she fidgeted with her nails. I nodded and was about to leave when I heard her voice from behind. "Can we... Can we have dinner together? If you are free..." Payal didn't sound like herself. Her manners felt distant as if she was a stranger but I couldn't point anything out. She was smiling but something about her smile made me feel uneasy at heart.

Even when I walked out, I couldn't stop sensing it.

★★★

"Come in." I heard my brother as I slowly opened the door to his room. Thankfully, he came straight home after having a meeting outside the office premises.

"Can you give me that file once?" I was peeking through the tiny space, just letting my face inside. As he didn't get a chance to go to the headquarters, the file must be still with him.

My brother wasn't looking at me but he pointed at the desk next to his bed. "Why are you asking for that now? I thought you checked them."

I had already decided what I needed to say to that. "I couldn't check the whole thing."

"You are slacking again, aren't you?" He sighed , resuming back with his work. I bit my lips and ran over to the desk.

Before I could open the desk, I asked him, "Did you check the file?"

"Did I have to?" I heard him and released a sigh of relief as I opened the desk to check the yellow file lying peacefully. After giving a little thanks, I sprinted out of the room and slammed open my room door.

But when I opened the file to see, something didn't seem right. As I heard my father calling for dinner, I felt my eyes and mouth open wide. The file in my hands was not the right file. It was a fake.

~•~

What do you feel will happen next?

Also, I will not be able to update regularly due to my tests. So until I post the next chapter, enjoy this chapter.

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