"Do you have an idea who is Maya Kashyap?"
"I don't know," I answer Kabir on the phone as I drive to Parikh Enterprises.
"Can you meet me now?" He asks. "There's something important to discuss."
I sigh as I take a U-turn. I am halfway to Parikh Enterprises but I know I have to get over this conversation.
"Where are you?"
"Uh, I'm at home but I don't want us to meet here since you said Rayan will come along." He says and I realize he feels uncomfortable to have Rayan there.
"I understand," I say. "Can you come to Rayan's condo?"
"Uh, okay. Text me the address." He says before he disconnects the call.
It feels a bit weird to meet him after our fight, I think it's good we won't meet alone. Rayan and there's someone he wants me to meet so that would be less awkward.
"Are you here already?" I ask Rayan as I call him.
"Just reached my condo." He says.
"Send me the address Kabir and I will join you," I say as I pull my car to the side. "If that's fine with you?"
"Yeah, sounds good to me." He hangs up the call.
As I drive to his condo I wonder who Maya Kashyap could be, I didn't have a lot of college girlfriends. So, she isn't someone I know maybe Avni knows.
Rayan opens the door for me when I ring the doorbell. I saw him last on our Anniversary and we look at each other before he steps to the side so I could walk in.
I look around the condo as he walks to the kitchen. I have never been nice to him, we have always fought. Always throwing fists across each other's faces and when he hands me a glass of water it feels strange to accept it.
"I'll be back." He says slowly before he walks up the stairs.
A few minutes later the doorbell rings and I open the door knowing it's Kabir. He looks at me dressed in his formal black shirt and then looks away, a man in a suit stands next to him.
"Come on in," I say as I step aside. I lock the door before I walk in.
"Neil I..." Kabir looks at me. "I am sorry."
I nod. I can't change anything that has happened and knowing he is still here to help me even after I hit him means a lot to me. Kabir has always been a limited person, he just minds his own business and is the opposite of Sara. But he has always been respectful towards me.
"Let's forget it," I say as I lean to hug him.
"What the fuck?" We hear Rayan and we turn around to look at him as he throws his fist across the man dressed in a suit.
"Hey." Kabir steps in front of them. "You need to stop."
I frown as I look at them. They glare at each other and my frown deepness when I see the man, who is he?
"What is happening here?" I ask breaking the silence.
"This is the man who I saw that day with Avni," Rayan says. "She was on the floor in front of him."
"I can explain," Kabir says when I look at him in disbelief.
"There's nothing to explain." Rayan interrupts.
"You need to shut up." Kabir glares at him. "You aren't any different from him."
"Neil." He looks at me as he sighs. "That day after I saved my mother I got worried when I didn't see Avni around. I came back after I dropped my mother home because she was ill."
"When I searched for her I found him." He says as he glances at the man. "He was the one who blackmailed me and kidnapped my mother."
"He looked wasted, someone had beaten him up badly. He said to me a man took Avni with him and I genuinely thought it was you."
"I didn't know it was Rayan who took her away until Sara and I started dating and she mentioned it to me."
"What is he doing here now?" I ask annoyed. I can't stand anyone who hurts Avni and the three men standing in front of me are the ones who hurt her.
"That night after he said to me a man took Avni I wanted to know who was behind all this. It was not easy to figure out because the real persons never revealed themselves. They hired someone and that person hired someone else so that they were always hidden."
"He did all of the bad things because he wanted money and he got no job. I knew exactly what to do then, I helped him become an undercover cop so we could find out these two bosses."
"Meet Undercover cop, Roy." He introduces him and Roy looks at me nervously.
"It was difficult for him to reach here as he was used to getting drunk and roaming around the streets. It's just been a year since this job and he figured there's a girl called Maya Kashyap who asked someone to kidnap Avni."
"You can go ahead." He looks at Roy.
"Uh, okay." He takes a deep breath. "I figured out one boss that's Maya and the other one might be a girl too."
"Maya Kashyap has a sister and her parents committed suicide years ago. She strived to get a job in companies and she has also shown up for an interview at Khanna Corporations."
"What?" I frown. "So this is business enmity?"
"No." He shakes his head. "She isn't a businesswoman neither does she owns a company. It may be personal, I'm not sure yet."
"I'll keep looking into it and keep you updated."
"Thank you, Roy." I nod. "And thank you Kabir for doing this."
"I wasn't going to sit and watch the mess in which I was involved." He says. "Please accept my apologies for the trouble I caused."
I nod and he excuses himself and walks out with Roy following behind him.
"I think this Maya knows Avni. Was she rejected by your company?" Rayan asks as he sits on a couch.
"I don't know, there are a lot of employees who are hired and rejected." I sigh as I sit on a couch across from him. "Do me a favor, will you?"
I pull out my phone and open my Instagram account. "I got a message from this account, she calls herself Ria but I know she isn't Ria. Make a new account, text her and let me know the name she says to you."
He nods as he takes the name of the account. "I'll do it by evening."
"Thank you." I stand up. "I will let you know what to do next."
"Sure. I'm glad you let me help you after what I did." He says quietly.
"Maybe try not betraying," I say and he looks away feeling embarrassed.
"I won't betray." He says slowly.
"I'll see you around." I nod before I walk out.
I feel disturbed as I drive to Parikh Enterprises, all of this feels so complicated. I need to say everything to Avni so that she stays alert and also I don't think it's a good idea to hide something serious.
She is smart she might help and also she will involve Zar and Myra which will be a plus point.
I park the car in front of the huge glass building, Parikh Enterprises before I walk inside. I frown when I see everyone gathered in the lobby.
"Cheers to our new CEO, Avni Parikh." A man says raising his glass and everyone cheers.
Avni Parikh.
I stare at Avni as she looks at everyone and then her gaze falls on me she tilts her head to look who it is and a smile spreads on her face when she realizes it's me.
Everyone walks past her and I watch as she talks to a man who I recognize as Mr. Arora before she walks to me.
"Hey," she says as she approaches me and she leans in to hug me. Her eyes roam all over my face after we pull away.
"Everything is okay?" She asks softly.
"It is," I say as I put my hands in my pockets. "Avni Parikh."
She looks at me and purses her lips. "Let's not discuss it here."
I nodded not wanting to argue here, I wonder why she wouldn't use my surname. We are married. It's not like I'm going to force her to do it but I would like to know the reason and I obviously would love it if she let everyone call her Mrs. Khanna.
She reaches for my hand and looks up at me. "Are you sure everything is alright?"
"Yeah. Lunch?" I inquire.
"I'm done with it," She says. "You came here for?"
"I came to have lunch with you. I guess I got a bit late." I say as I put my arms around her and pull her closer to me. She gasps and she looks around.
"Maybe try dropping a message before you come." She laughs softly as she keeps her hand on my chest.
"Sure." I grin as I kiss her cheek.
"I want you to eat lunch, okay?" She says. "And wasn't lunchtime over half an hour ago? Why didn't you come early?"
"I had some work," I say as I remember the conversation with Kabir, Roy, and Rayan. She looks at me knowing something is up.
"We'll talk tonight. I have something important to say." I tell her so that she doesn't keep wondering.
"I have something to say too." She gulps.
I think we are aware of what we are going to say to each other and I'm glad we both have decided to share it.
"Hey." A girl approaches Avni. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, Ira." Avni smiles at her. Ira glances at me and gives me a small smile.
"This is my husband, Neil Khanna." Avni introduces me to her as she smiles proudly.
"Hi." I offer her my hand and she shakes it.
"Ira."
I feel somewhat strange as she looks at me and for a moment it's like I can't trust any girl.
"I can call you Miss...?" I ask wanting to know her surname.
"Just call me Ira." She laughs slowly. "That sounds a lot better."
"Okay." I nodded not wanting her to suspect. She smiles and excuses herself.
"That was a nice way to know her surname." Avni looks at me with a smile. "I actually thought you are about to flirt until I saw you nodding seriously."
"I just love flirting with you, not anyone else." I laugh. "Okay, I'm going to pick up Niam and Navya from school. Bebe wants to meet them so I'm dropping them there."
"Okay." She nods.
"And I hired someone to help us in the household chores."
Avni and I decided to hire someone since we get a bit late for work till we finish all the work we have in the morning. Sometimes we end up sleeping after long nights then we have to rush for making breakfast, our children's lunch box and all.
"She is joining from?" She asks.
"Tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll see you later then."
I hug her and press a kiss on her cheek before I walk out.
❊❊❊
Hello!
What do you all think about Roy?
I am kind of going for small but daily chapters. Hope that's fine.