The Guilty Ones

Chapter 29

"Where have you been Akash? I tried calling and texting you million times. You texted back saying you'll contact me in a day and it has been almost a week since then"

"I am sorry Khushi, Payal and I were on a holiday and we both agreed to have an unplugged vacation"

"That's great you guys are having time for each other. I know she is your priority but I am helpless here Akash. You know you are the only person I can ask for any help"

"I am sorry Khushi, I know it must have been a stressful time. Anyway, how is Arnav?"

"He is recovering. He recovered faster than we expected. He still needs help with getting in and out of bed but overall he is doing well"

"That's good to know. Hope you weren't too busy taking care of him that you forget your original mission?"

"It's the opposite. I had time to dig deep and Akash, this is harder than we thought. Arnav has stopped all illegal drug dealings for the company"

"What? When? I mean how?"

Khushi explained the question and answer round she and Arnav had.

"That means we need a new approach, Khushi. One thing, if he stopped them then that means he initially had to interact with those other people. So can you find anything interactions?"

"That's the problem, Akash. He played smart. He made sure all three contracts are cancelled and money has been re-transferred with an early termination fee before he signed in as the director. The only person I can link to those transactions is their previous interim CEO"

"Can we find a way in that?"

"I tried, but the first thing Arnav did as the director was to fire that CEO and he made sure a police case is filed against that CEO. He did everything by the books. I underestimated him, Akash. Now I know why he was so confident when he offered me the contract"

"He is a smart player Khushi. You knew that before you get on with the plan"

"Now I am confused, Akash. I feel like I signed a deal with the devil. You know what is the result if I did not find anything against him"

"I know this is not the time, but I told you so. What about illegal weapon dealing? Can we find a way?"

"That is my last trump card, Akash. I had a look at Mishra and he is in Jail and that was done legally. Sheetal is also in custody and her case hearing is pending. So basically, those two cases are loose ends as well. I hope I will find something regarding his illegal weapon dealing"

"You have to Khushi unless you are happy to change your surname to Raizada"

"And I am sure, some big personality is protecting him. I suspect that person is in our agency. How can we win this if the mole is inside our agency?"

"Khushi, first try and find something. Once you have some sort of evidence, we can think of the next step. One step at a time, remember?"

"Thanks, Akash, I am glad we had this talk. By the way, when are we meeting?"

"I am thinking of calling Arnav and seeing when he is free. I want to see him"

"Akash, you know he is not your best buddy but our prime suspect, right? Don't you think you are getting a little more comfortable with him?"

Deep down Khushi wanted them to bond as there is a high chance both of them are related. But if she agrees without a fuss Akash will know something is wrong.

"Really? Look who's talking. At least I am not planning on getting married to him. You are the one who is fantasising about the enemy"

"Ok, this is going in the wrong direction now. So before I start bashing you, I am going to disconnect the call. If you get a chance after meeting your newfound buddy, let me know and we can meet too"

Khushi and Akash concluded their phone conversation when she heard a knock on her door.

"NK you are here? Can I help you with anything?"

"That day you asked for a photo of Arnav's biological parents. Here you go. I got you a copy. I know it might be a long shot, but as you said it's worth a try"

"Thanks, NK, Akash might come tomorrow so I will ask him to run the scripts"

"Thanks, Khushi. If we can find something maybe we both can dig deep. I don't want to let Arnav know until we have something concrete"

"You care for him don't you?"

"He is my family Khushi. Anand dada helped me with my studies. He made sure both Arnav and I have the same quality education and Arnav was always there for me. He stood by me in thick or thin. I have done several stupid things back in the day Khushi and he was always there to protect me and support me"

"That's good to know. It's rare to find such good friendship these days"

"He is much more than a friend Khushi. He is always looking after me. I owe my life to him"

"Looks like we both are now. I kind of owe mine to him as well. It's funny to think though, the person whose life might ruin because of my actions is the one who saved me"

"I don't know what to say, Khushi. I am in no place to comment on behalf of him or your investigation. You both agreed to the contract so it's between you two. But one thing, if you can try to get to know him. Buddha has said, don't believe everything you hear"

NK left her room giving her the photograph of Arnav's childhood. But his words were echoing in her ears. Is she chasing a mirage? Can there be a chance Arnav is innocent? But his father might be the reason for her parent's death. But is it fair to punish him for the wrongdoings his father did?

Khushi took her laptop and logged into the AR system and ran a database check for Gupta. As usual, she couldn't find anything that would relate the AR group to her father. Ever since she signed that contract with Arnav, she has been running database checks every day expecting something but always ends up getting nothing.

There were times she wanted to ask Arnav about this. He might have some old data hidden somewhere. But again that is the only part Arnav was unable to crack so she wasn't going to give it to him on a silver plate.

Khushi looked at the time and realised it was time to change Arnav's wound dressing. She took the medicine kit and walked towards his room.

"Listen to me, that delivery must be done by midnight or else it's not going to go well with you"

Khushi overheard Arnav and instead of walking in, she stood outside eavesdropping. 

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First day back in the office for 2023. Sorry for the delay. Was really busy the whole day. 

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