Alex
"Masi, agar aap kisi tarah Rohan se contact kar le toh (Auntie, if you could somehow contact Rohan)" Gauri was speaking in hushed tone. I hid myself behind a pillar when Gauri and Mrinal's mother was taking a turn to enter the hall.
Mrinal's mom stopped and turned towards her.
"Priya, sab thik ho jayega. Bhagwan par bharosa rakho. Jahan tak rohan ki bat hai, jab tak wo khud samne nahi aye tab tak humein khud pata nahi hota k wo zinda bhi hain k nahi. (Priya, everything will be fine. In case of Rohan, we don't know where he is until he showed up by himself). You know cops are like that" she replied in a disappointed voice.
Gauri lightly squeezed her hands and nodded in understanding.
My boss sat near me while the ladies settled opposite to us and Pratap took the seat on the center chair.
He praised my boss and me for the finding and told us that he expects that we would give him the good news soon.
A guard approached him and whispered something. He gave a slight nod and excused himself before slipping out.
"Heera" I whispered to my airborne spy and gave him directions. I have put a microphone on his chain. He is very good in covering his big stature in darkness. He must have followed Pratap because I could hear his footsteps echoing in the hallway leading to the porch.
"Why did you come here? If she finds you here then your cover will blow off" Pratap voice came through the small wireless headphone placed near my left ear.
"I have more important things to consider than her. Have you find out the attacker?" Another male voice came over.
"No, they have not left any clue and rain has also washed away their footsteps. We don't know who attacked them and why?" Pratap sighed.
"Don't worry. I will find out. Just tell your men to show me that place" the other voice was demanding.
"Okay, they will accompany you in morning. You can rest."
"I am not here for rest Pratap. Do you know how much I have lost?" the calm angry voice was threatening.
"I know but I am not responsible for that. I have also lost my men but am I complaining." Pratap was irritated.
"You have lost only a few lives but I have lost millions. I had never faced such loss in my life." he huffed in anger.
"Listen Akash, calm down. You can't think properly in this condition. Take some rest and then we will work on it together" there was silence on the other side.
"How is she?" that Akash guy finally broke the silence.
"She is doing well. Don't worry, I am taking good care of her" Pratap chuckled a little
"Keep your hands away from her Pratap. I can't tolerate anyone near her" Pratap gave a hearty laugh and got a grunt in response.
"Oh really. She is married Akash and her husband is not sexually deficient. He loves her from a very long time and you know how desperate lovers are" Pratap mocked him
"Pratap" Akash yelled at him
I had a feeling that they were talking about Gauri but I was convinced that they were talking about us.
"She is mine. Did you get that? She has to come back to me." Akash hissed in anger.
"Yeah yeah. I got it. let her do my work and then she is all yours." Pratap was amused
"I want to see her now," he asked softly.
"Ah desperate" Pratap chuckled
"Come I will show you. But you can't meet her" their footsteps again made a sound in the hallway.
"Look there she is" Pratap whispered
"What is he doing here?"
"Who?" Pratap was confused
"Alex. What is he doing here?" Akash bitter voice came over.
"He is not Alex, he is Apaar Mehta. It is just a coincidence that he looks similar to Alex. I was shocked at first after seeing him but when I talked to him and watched over him, I found that he is a completely different man. Alex is at his home in London and my men have confirmed it." Pratap explained to him.
"You don't know how much technology has evolved. This could be Alex" Akash was suspicious.
"You don't trust me then check by yourself. I have collected every information about Alex from his childhood to this date. He can't be Apaar. I agree that looks can be changed but can you change your accent. Just look at me, I have spent a big part of my life in Indian jail but did it removed the British accent in my conversation. No because I have been brought up in England not in India. But if you talk to Apaar which you are thinking as Alex, he speaks in hindi with such an ease and fluidity. Let me call him and you can check by yourself" Akash give a 'hmm' in response.
They don't know that I have been trained by the best.
"No need. I will test him later." Akash dismissed him firmly.
"Okay then you can rest in my chamber and use the back door to go out. Come let's have a drink"
Their footsteps were audible in the corridor but everybody on the table was either eating the dinner or pretending to be there like me and Bhuwan ji.
I signaled him to take me out of the room and he whispered something to the man who was serving us.
"Ye kya kiya aapne. (What have you done)" I lightly scolded the servant when he spilled the dal on me. I knew it was intentionally done.
"Mafi hukum. (Apology sir)" the servant pleaded.
"Koi bat nahi (it's okay)"
"Please excuse me" I glanced at the people present on the table and they slightly nodded in understanding.
I left the dining room and hurriedly moved towards my chamber. I used the secret passage to reach Pratap's chamber and put the headphones. A tall man with raven black hair was in front of my sight.
-------------------
Gauri
Pratap left the dining hall in haste that means something or someone important. Alex also left soon after him and it confirmed my doubt. I excused myself and reached my chamber. I scanned the room and carefully stepped towards the window. I drew the smartphone from the tapestry and switched on the recording application of Pratap's phone. I have successfully hacked his phone with Rohan's virus.
It took lots of efforts to steal a phone from one of the guards but I finally become a thief. After hacking Pratap's phone, I could turn on his voice recorder anytime to tap his conversations but I always need to be careful.
At midnight, I fetched the recording from his phone and played it.
"Why didn't you meet her?" Pratap malicious voice came over.
"Meet her? Are you nuts? What would I say to her? Hi Priya, I am here to meet your uncle and you think she would open her arms for me." the sarcastic voice was familiar and I shivered in panic.
"I would first check if that guy is Alex or not. I have a gut feeling that he is Alex" the bitterness was evident in his tone but why he hates him so much.
"Why do you hate him so much?"
"He came between me and Priya. Is this reason not enough?" I was taken aback by his answer.
"Have you not proposed her berfore Sam died?"
"Who is Sam?"
"Her father"
"Oh that old man. He was such a pain in ass." my blood boiled on his remark.
"Why?" Pratap chuckled
"I expressed my love in front of her many times but she turned down my proposal everytime saying that she wants to remain single to take care of that oldie."
"Then why didn't you kill him. Nobody would ever doubted you. After all, you have a clean image"
"You are right. I must have killed him at once"
"Means? You killed him"
"Yeah. I couldn't wait anymore to make Priya mine. I knew he was alcoholic because he was my patient. I changed his medicines to damage his liver. I was almost successful when Priya admitted him in my hospital. I cared him to win his affection and he was also impressed but he betrayed me on his death bed. He chose Alex over me and I didn't get an air of it. You know, I wanted to kill that bastard with my bare hands when I saw Priya in bridal dress."
"You have to pay for it Akash" I wiped my tears. I took him as a good friend and he backstabbed me.