Hello! Back with an update! This is dark. That's all I will say. It's dark.
Have fun reading mentals! :* :D
Ch.9:
14 years back-
"Kill everyone. No one should escape." A 12-year-old boy heard someone order over the phone.
He peeked through the closet doors to see a tall bulky man pick up his father's gun and shoot 2 more bullets in his chest. He then moved on to the other half dead body.
"Maa..." The boy whispered, crying to himself as he saw the man kick his mother in the stomach numerous times before putting another bullet through it.
He felt sick.
Months back he had wished the sister that was about to be born never came to this world (his parents kept talking about her, the one living in his mother's stomach). But he regrets ever wishing that now. He wanted to take back all his words. He didn't mind hundred more siblings if he could just have his parents back.
After a few minutes, he peeked out again. Everything was silent. The blood on the ground was getting dry. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds. No one was around.
He slowly opened the closet door, carefully stepping out of it. He knelled near his parents and his dry eyes started flowing again. His father was badly bruised and had more than 4 bullet wounds decorating his chest.
His mother's eyes were wide open in fear even though there was no soul left in them. He went closer, putting a hand on the bulging and abused womb. That's where his sister lived. Now she was dead.
The boy picked up his father's gun once more, bringing it up to his temple. He was afraid, but he wanted to be with his family. And the only way was to die.
He closed his eyes and put pressure on the trigger, ready to kill himself when he heard noises coming from the living room. They grew louder and closer. It's almost as if they were coming for him.
Instantly, he held the gun out, as if to threaten them. He held it tightly with both hands to make sure it didn't fall from his shivering hands. He wasn't going to die without taking down one of them. He wanted them to suffer. Suffer for ruining his happy family.
He focused on the door, waiting for them to come through. Seconds later, 3 men clad in khaki colored uniforms came in, pointing their guns his way as well.
He blinked in confusion, then started crying at his miraculous rescue. He had prepared to die today. He knelled next to the dead bodies, dropping the gun to the floor.
And then he felt something weird against his wrists. Something cold and metal.
From then on, everything became a blur to him. He remembered getting dragged around. He kept waking up and passing out in between and he was either hanging upside down, or laying on an uncomfortable bed.
They liked to curse him. Punch and kick him until he had no strength left. They wanted him to die because he killed his own parents.
He was accused of murdering his own family. That was his life for the next 10 years.
3 years back:
"Hi." He sat next to the lonely girl who rested her head against the newly painted clinic walls. She turned to look at him and then went back to sleeping.
"Not exactly the place you want to spend your Friday evening at, am I right?" He said.
After a long and awkward silence he offered a flask, "Want a sip?" Still no reply.
He was about to retreat it when she opened one eye to look at it. After thinking she grabbed it and took a sip, instantly spurting it out.
"What the hell? This is tea." She made a disgusted face at him.
He offered her a laugh, taking the flask away from her, "You're probably the first who accepted a drink. But sad, I don't drink. At least not everyday. I just like to fool around with people."
"Not funny!" She was annoyed.
"Sorry! I just thought you needed a little happiness. You look dead." He commented
She went back to sleeping once more and he didn't disturb her again for 5 more minutes.
"So why are you here?" he was curious.
"You can guess."
"Alcohol Rehab sessions?" He wondered
"Correct!"
"Wow! I got that in one try."
"What about you?" She asked him
"Just getting compensated by the government because they wasted 10 years of my life." The girl looked to him, interested in what he had to say.
"They say someone wrongly accused of a crime needs some mental guidance to transition into the normal world. My first session here."
"Woah! Are you telling me you just got out of jail?" She was completely shocked but also very curious.
"You bet."
"Something interesting in this hellhole! Tell me, what did they accuse you of?" She sat as if he was going to tell her a story.
"Some other time. You tell me, what's got you hooked to alcohol?" He said diverting the topic.
The girl's face dropped, evidently because he didn't tell her anything she wanted to hear. Nonetheless, she decided to share her story.
"My boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend. Then he made a huge ruckus about our love life, sadly for my mother, that's absolutely intolerable. She threw me out of the house until I got my shit sorted out. I started hanging out with some people and found a way of coping with my stress, which is having drinks once in awhile. But the asshole that my boyfriend is, he decides to come back. He kept bugging me for another chance, and like an idiot I said yes. And then I caught him flirting with my new friend so I finally broke up. But then he just had to end up dying in an accident and now I feel like a horrible person. I think I was somewhat mean to him and can't get over him being gone so I went full on drunkard mode. Now, my mom wants me back home, but not unless I get rid of my drinking problem. So here I am, doing counseling sessions and what not. All bullshit I tell you."
"True." He commented nonchalantly
They finally exchanged genuine smiles.
"I am hungry." she bellowed after a few minutes.
"I see dunkin donuts right across the street." The guy pointed out.
"Want to go grab a donut? I have wasted too much time already." She asked
"Let's go." Both of them stood up and headed out.
The inside door opened. A young doctor came out, signaling his assistant for the next patient.
She called out to the waiting area, "Nidhisha. Is Nidhisha Shetty here?" after a minute she called up the next patient.
"Mr.Dev Dixit? Anyone here named Dev?" she went to the crowd to inquire. No one was found. She took in another patient, who headed to the doctor standing in the hallway.
They shook hands, "Hi Mr.Shastri, I am your doctor. Dr.Raghav Thakur."
1 Year back:
"Excuse me!" She yelled behind him. He stopped while the girl caught up to him. She held papers in hand which slipped a bit as she fixed her glasses on her nose.
He stared at her, waiting for her to say why she stopped him.
"Why did you lie? You know he doesn't have any mental disability!" She bellowed
"How do you know?" He questioned her
"Because I have proof! My mentor evaluated him and he is normal. Here are the reports." She handed him a few papers.
"How can you just let him off for killing someone? And on top of that, he's lying about his mental disability. He's completely fine. There's nothing wrong with him." She couldn't believe a criminal was just allowed to walk away from punishment on a false basis.
The guy looked at the papers and seconds later ripped them into pieces, handing them back to her.
"I am a criminal lawyer Miss. My job is to get criminals out of jail."
"You don't have any morals do you? This man just killed someone and he's lying to get saved. He can go kill another person and you will save him again right?" She loathed his attitude.
He closed in on her, "Yes. And if I were you I would go home, keep my mouth shut, and burn these papers. You don't want to mess with criminals." He advised pointing to the men behind her watching them now. Among them was the guy who was accused and not found guilty.
She looked back to the lawyer, "I can't believe you. You know what, I don't care. I am going to give the judge these papers. Then we will talk." She turned to leave but he caught her by the elbow.
"And what makes you think the judge will be happy seeing these papers? He already knows about them, and he still let him go."
"Wait what? Why? How can he do that?"
"Don't you understand. It's an arrangement. It was all decided. Now let the matter go and get on with your own business girl." He warned her.
She stared in disbelieve. He began to leave but she held his arm.
"And what about them?" She looked to the disappointed family who lost their young son in the car accident.
"They will get compensation money." He said tight lipped
She left his arm, defeated by the reply. "But they don't want money. They want their son. Can you give them that?"
"No. And neither can you." He turned to her. "So stop inviting trouble for yourself and them."
"Dev Sir." Both of them turned around to see the group of men come closer. "All good?" One of them asked looking at the girl and then to him.
"Yeah. You don't worry."
"Isn't she that doctor's assistant?" The guy who was on trial said narrowing his eyes at the girl. She was terrified looking at the whole group up closely. "Is she giving you any trouble Dev ji?" He questioned his lawyer.
"I will take care of it." He replied
The man walked forward but Dev came in between, "I said I will take care of it Mr.Gupta."
"You better. I don't want another case." The man warned. Dev nodded and dragged the girl away from there and into his car.
"You will keep your mouth shut you get that?" He asked authoritatively but she didn't reply.
"Don't make me regret stopping him from hurting you Ms.Rai. You hear me?"
After a long wait she finally nodded and he drove off, the group of men still watching over their conversation.
Present:
"Mouli kaha reh gayi." Rinitta paced here and there, looking at her watch and then the door.
She woke up thinking Mouli must have come back by now if she had slept over at her Aunt's house, but that was not the case. It was almost time for work and Rini was conflicted. If there's anyone who could help her decide, it was her friend.
"Should I go or not?" Rini thought out loud.
Today was the day.
Shivaay had invited her to his adopted daughter's 5th birthday but Rinitta felt uneasy about it. How could someone just come so randomly in her life, and that too only for the sake of a party invitation.
Sighing she sat down on the sofa, looking at her family photo. She missed her older sisters. Both of them were married and well-settled abroad. Her parents also decided to go and stay with them, leaving behind their youngest daughter.
She refused to leave, she wanted to serve the community that made her what she was today. Her profession kept her alive.
She looked at her phone, reading a message from Shivaay Singh Oberoi. He had sent her the address where they were supposed to meet before going for the surprise party.
After a long thought, she finally got up and grabbed a dress from the cupboard, getting ready to go to the party and get it over with.
Scene Shift:
Harshad pulled into the driveway. He looked tired and defeated. Rumi had left the hospital last night, absolutely furious at him. For all he knew, she probably hated him now.
Afterwards, he had to settle matters with Mr.Saran's family who demanded money from the hospital saying the "old man donated all his money to your hospital." Sick bastards all of them. They didn't even cremate him because they wanted money. Such horrible children.
After making sure the lawyer had cleared matters regarding trust money, Harshad went to cremate Mr.Saran's dead body. He watched the flames eat away the skin and bones and leave nothing but ashes behind. Overall, it was a long and tiring night for him.
"Choti Ma?" He walked into the house. It was much smaller than his house but it felt much warmer and more welcoming. Whenever he had a bad day, this was the place he came to. His Choti Ma would massage his head until he found peace. He loved being here.
The whole house was decorated with his, Mouli's, and Sally's achievements, always encouraging them to do more. They were proud parents. Even if they weren't his parents.
How he wished they were his real parents and not his Aunt and Uncle.
Walking farther into the living room, he yelled a little louder, "Choti Ma?" He went a bit farther out, near the garden area. He raised his eyebrows. He saw two sleeping figures. But if he remembered well, it was only his Chote Papa that slept outside (and sometimes him when he slept over.)
He walked closer to them, trying to catch a look at the face of whoever it was.
"Mohit?" He scrunched his face in confusion seeing his friend. Why was he sleeping here?
Harshad bent down and gave him a little slap. "Mohit! Mohit get up!"
"Let me sleep." Mohit murmured in his sleep, turning his face away.
Harshad was about to slap him again when he heard, "Harsha?"
"Choti Ma!" He turned to face her. "Where were you? I looked around for you."
"I am here only. You come and sit first. You look so tired." She dragged him to the rugged sofa but he sat on the floor, resting his head on her lap like a small child.
"I had a horrible day." He relaxed as her hands started rubbing his head. "By the way, what is he doing here?" He said signaling to Mohit.
"He brought Sally home last night. It was very late so we told him to stay and go in the morning. He's a good man."
"Hmm." Harshad simply hummed. Mohit was his best friend for years but he never had the thought of bringing him home. The whole idea didn't sit well with him. Mohit was a good human, but still this was a bit weird, even for Harshad.
"How are your mom and dad doing?" His Choti Ma asked casually
"Who knows. They haven't been home since 2 weeks now. Mouli refuses to visit either. It's just me. Sometimes even I feel like disappearing."
"Shut up! They will be home soon I am sure. If you ever feel lonely come spend a few days here. Your Chote Papa misses you."
Harshad took hold of her hand and pressed a little kiss on it. "Thank you Choti Ma."
Scene Shift:
"Good morning Dr.Chunky." Aditya greeted, walking out the OT. His morning appointments were all done.
He headed to Dr.Kia's room, greeting everyone he met along the way. Adi knocked on the door and was met by silence.
When he was about to open the door, a nurse commented from the back, "Dr.Kiara didn't come today. There were no calls either."
"She's not in today? She never told me anything." He took his phone out to call her but just then a message dropped in.
10:04 AM
I know you are busy with your life but we miss you. Come home son.
He clenched his jaws reading the message. This wasn't going to end well. He immediately left the hospital.
Scene Shift:
"Laksh hi!" Shanaya waved to him enthusiastically. She made sure no one saw her as she entered his ward. He looked up and smiled immediately.
Getting up, he dragged her inside and near his desk. Shanaya looked at the various books left open on the table. Then on the side, she noticed boxes of unopened presents. Some of them were expensive tablets and electronic gadgets that were absolutely untouched.
Did Laksh not like them? Then why did someone keep gifting him those? She was shaken out of her thoughts by some rattling noise.
Laksh had a set of practice drums on the side that he played out of tune. She noticed many other instruments strung on the side wall, a place she didn't look at before. She walked to the other side, checking every little thing she saw.
There were a few pictures but they were only of Laksh. One of them was obviously ripped off. She noted a piece of paper taped to the wall, reading AV+LV+JV = ♡
She tried to run her brain to think what the letters could mean. Giving up, she went to stand next to Laksh while he played the drums. She gave a wide smile watching him enjoy the out of tune noises.
He offered her a drumstick which she accepted happily, joining him to play. The sounds were turning into actual music now as Shanaya and Laksh played harmoniously.
Scene Shift:
"Where is she?" Aditya questioned with a hard expression
"Is that any way to greet your father Aditya?" The man got up from his chair and walked up to him
"You are not my father. Tell me where Kia is or I will call the police."
"Calm down Adi. I know you love her a lot. She's safe." He pointed up to the glass window where Kia was laughing with a little girl on her lap. She seemed to be taking the girl's lung sounds and vital signs. Other kids were surrounding her as well.
"You have gotten a very beautiful daughter-in-law for us." His father smiled
"Why did you bring her here? I told you I don't want anything to do with you anymore." Aditya said turning to his father.
"Relationships don't end just by saying." His father tapped him on the back
"But you said you didn't care for us anymore. Aren't you happy having ruined our lives this much?"
"Aditya. You are my sons. I care for both of you as well."
"Don't you dare Mr.Vashisth. If you cared for even a second, Laksh would not be where he is right now. You ruined him."
His father's face fell. He looked different. Something Aditya wasn't accustomed to. His father looked guilty.
"I know I made mistakes. I am sorry. I can never ask for enough forgiveness. But that doesn't mean I don't care for you two. You both are my sons. And I want you to come back and make this family whole again."
"We have gone through this before. I am not changing my decision. Not unless you change yours. You leave all this illegal business and I will come back here with Lucky."
"Aditya stop being stubborn. I know how you're struggling to take care of Laksh's medical bills and your rent. I can't watch you both in so much pain. Come back home."
Aditya narrowed his eyes at that. There's something he missed.
"Why do you want me to come back? What's going in your head?"
"I just want us all to be together and ha..."
"Cut it out Mr.Vashisth. Tell me what you want? You didn't kidnap Kia just because you wanted us to come back. You didn't look into my financial transactions just for that either. Tell me what you want!" Aditya roared.
His father went back and settled in his chair once more. A little smile played on his face.
"Fine. I want you to come back and take over this business. Not in a literal way, but just as the face of this organization. I will take care of the rest."
"And what makes you think I will agree to it?" Aditya snickered
"Think about it Adi. If there's no strong leader, other people will take over the business. 60 years of hard work all gone in a second."
Aditya laughed, "Hard work? Do you mean to say, bloody murders and kidnappings and extortions? I want no part in this Mr.Vashisth. The last I remember, Jay was being trained to take over the business wasn't he? Where's he now?" Aditya asked.
"Jay is no longer a part of this. You are the only trustable living son left who is capable of taking care of this family."
Aditya was confused. "Where is Jay?"
Even though he was no longer a part of any of this, he still cared for his older brother. The three brothers were all broken up as kids, each on their own fueled by their father's money and power.
Laksh had turned into a party animal, roaming around carelessly for days. Aditya was an obedient and smart boy who ended up rebelling against his father's tyranny.
Jay, however, was a lost cause. He had gone down the wrong path,, becoming a younger version of their father. What exactly happened to him?
"He is the one of those who wants to eagerly take over this business. He is awaiting his father's death since months now. I was even poisoned. And that's why I want to secure you as the leader before anything else happens to me Adi."
"You are lying! Jay will not do that!"
"Power can corrupt even the innocent ones out there. Jay was still a dangerous man."
Aditya sighed. His family was in complete ruins.
"And what if I say no?"
"Then be ready to give up Laksh's custody." His father said nonchalantly
"I am his legal guardian by court orders! You can't take him away."
"Oh I can. And I know how." He summoned someone from the back.
A man placed some papers on the table and walked to stand behind the chair Aditya's dad sat in. Aditya recognized him.
"Meet Dev Dixit, my attorney."
EL FIN!
Yup I just did that. I killed tons of people in this baab lol....it's all for the story progression. AND OMG! You just met the 2nd biggest villain in this fanfic! Guess who it is? And guess who #1 might be. That being said:
Are you shocked seeing the Vashisth family tree?
Who is Jay Vashisth??
Could Nidz have met Raghav way before?
What is Shivaay going to do?
Harshad doesn't like Mohit anymore? O.o
Everything here is connected! THINK THINK THINK
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-Ruch <3
😘