Authors pov
As they all descended the stairs, Avantika took a cab home.
Aadish, ever the protective Romeo, sent one team with the cab to secure her safety.
Meanwhile, Aadish, accompanied by his three "chhote chhote nahne mune bachhe" (tiny little kids), left in another car.
They were halfway home when Rudra spoke up.
"Bhai, aaj party kare" (Brother, let's have a party today).
To which the other two said, "Abhi? Yaha kaha? Kaise? Pahele se batana tha na..." (Now? Here? How? You should have told us earlier...).
Aadish held his head and Rudra replied, "Vo bhai, aapki shoutan ki baat ni ho rahi jo itna tension le rahe ho... ummm... ek kaam karte hai, aaj hum ek vacant road pe party karte hai. Kitna mza aayega na" (Brother, we aren't talking about your rival that you're getting so tense about... ummm... let's do one thing, let's party on a vacant road today. It will be so much fun).
"Whattt... chup chap ghar chalo," (What... quietly go home) Aadish said in an ordering tone. "Maa pareshan hogi..." (Mother will be worried...).
"Mujhe kaam hai," (I have work) Aadish completed.
As Armaan teased, "Kya bhai, aaj bhabhi ne ha kaha aur aap party bhi nahi doge (Brother, sister-in-law say yes today and you won't even throw a party?),"
Aadish felt a surge of irritation. He had been lost in thoughts of his angel when this nonsense began.
"Ye kisne kaha tumse? Mathe par likhkar to nahi ghum rahe hum (Who told you that? It's not written on my forehead),"
Aadish retorted, his annoyance palpable.
Om, seemingly lost in his imagination, added with a grin, "Aapni shakle dekhi thi aap dono ne. Cute newborn baby ki tarah blush kar rahe the (Have you seen your faces? You were both blushing like cute newborn babies)."
"What... mai blush nahi karta (I don't blush),"
Aadish corrected, adjusting his tie with a hint of defensiveness.
"Thodi der aur rukhte to vo bhi sikh ho jate (If you had stayed a bit longer, you would have learned it too),"
Armaan quipped, eliciting laughter from everyone except Aadish, who was in a different mood today.
Instead of getting angry, he actually blushed, running a hand through his hair with a shy smile.
"Kya kaha (What did you say)..." Aadish began, but then remembered who he was. Trying to appear angry.
"Kuchh nhi, chalo na party karte hai (Nothing, let's go party)..." Rudra said in a pleading tone.
"Lekin ek shart pe (But on one condition)," Armaan said, raising one finger and stopping the car. "Guards ko ghar bhej dete hain (Let's send the guards home)," he said with a grin. "Jyada enjoy kar payenge (We'll enjoy it more)," he added while looking back at Rudra and Aadish who were sitting in the back.
"Koi zarurat nahi hai, vo sath honge nahi to ghar chalo (No need, they will stay with us or we will go home)..." Aadish said authoritatively.
"Achha, chalo (Alright, let's go)..." Armaan said, restarting the car.
"Bhai, ek baat puchhu (Brother, can I ask you something)..." Rudra asked, turning towards Aadish.
"Ji (Yes)..." Aadish replied simply.
"Aap bhabhi se sachme itna pyaar karte ho (Do you really love sister-in-law that much)?" Rudra said in a slow but excited tone.
"Behad, khud se bhi jyada aur shayad khuda se bhi jyada (Immensely, more than myself and perhaps more than God)..." Aadish said while looking at the black sky outside the car.
"Or agar (And if)..." Rudra started, making Aadish turn swiftly towards him.
"Kya (What)?" Aadish asked impatiently.
"Vo aapko pasand nahi ki to (What if she doesn't like you)..." Rudra asked, hope in his eyes seeking a correct answer.
"To kya (So what)?" Aadish asked.
"To kya aap jaane doge unhe (Would you let her go)?" Rudra replied slowly, looking down.
"Jis din in nazron me unko apni giraft mein liya tha us din se vo sirf hamari hai (From the day I captured her in my gaze, she has been mine)..." Aadish replied, his tone filled with love, affection, and visible insecurity.
"Vo duniya ke kisi bhi kone mein ho, magar mujhse juda kabhi nahi ho sakti (She could be in any corner of the world, but she can never be separated from me)..." Aadish completed his words, his angel's face vivid in his mind, more beautiful to him than the black sky outside.
"Itni mohabbat (So much love)..." Rudra asked.
"Dard hoga (It will hurt)..." Rudra said, as Aadish didn't reply, still engrossed in his angel's dream.
"Dava hai vo (She is the cure)..." Aadish said, still lost in her thoughts.
"Bhagwan kare aap logo ko koi kabhi juda na kar paye (God forbid anyone ever separates you two)..." Rudra said, his eyes were moist.
"Kabhi nahi (Never)..." Aadish responded.
"Chale ab (Shall we go now)..." Armaan and Om said together as they all reached the location.
At Rajawat mansion:
"Raja sa, baat hui (Did you talk to them)?" Revti asked her husband, who was trying to call one of their sons, but no one was answering.
"Nahi (No)," he replied.
"Lagta hai kahin busy hain (They seem to be busy)..." Ansh, Aadish's father, said in a relaxed tone.
"Abhi tak (Until now)..." Revti said, looking at the time as it was already 2:30 AM.
"Dekhiye, 2:30 baj gaye hain (Look, it's 2:30 already)...."
"Aap tension mat lijiye, aa jayenge (Don't worry, they will come)..." Ansh said, asking her to sit on the sofa. Both of them were in the main hall, as Mrs. Rajawat was worried because her four gems were not home at this late hour.
"Sunne na, ek kaam kare kya? Avantika ko puchhe, shayad usse pata ho (Listen, shall we ask Avantika? Maybe she knows)..."
Revti asked after thinking for a while. It was really late now, and the Rajawat sons never spent the night outside without informing her. The last time she talked to Rudra, he told her they were about to leave the office, and that was troubling her.
"Bahut raat ho gayi hai, usse pareshan karna theek hoga (It's very late, is it right to disturb her)?"
Ansh said, unsure.
"Bas call kar leti hoon na (I'll just call her)..."
Revti said, and seeing his wife this tense, Ansh agreed.
"Theek hai, puchh lo (Alright, ask her)..."
Ansh said.
After an hour, Avantika entered the palace, worry etched on her face.
"Aunty abhi tak nahi aayi (Aunty hasn't come back yet)," she said, her voice tinged with concern.
Revti, equally tense, replied, "Nahi beta, humne kaha tha na tumhe, tumhe itni raat nahi aana chahiye tha (No dear, we told you not to come out so late)."
"Ghar par bhi raheti to neend nahi aa rahi thi, isiliye aa gayi aunty ji (I couldn't sleep at home either, that's why I came, Aunty)," Avantika explained as she sat down.
"Kaha hai aap sab, jaldi aa jayiye na. Hume dar lag raha ab (Where are you all? Please come quickly. I'm getting scared now).
Kab se nikle the aap log, kaha thik to hai na (You left so long ago, are you all okay)?
Please, Mr. R, call to receive kijiye, please (Please, Mr. R, pick up the call).
Vo to achha hua aunty ne hume call kiya, varna hume to lagta aap safe hai ghar par (It's good Aunty called me, otherwise I would have thought you were safe at home).
Please jaldi aayiye, Mr. Rajawat (Please come quickly, Mr. Rajawat)," she pleaded silently, all the while trying to reach them.
By now, it was 4 a.m.
She had tried everything, but still, no one had contacted them.
No one's phone was switched off, but neither was anyone answering calls or responding to messages.
Avantika's pov
At 4:15 AM, about 40 guards arrived and stood in front of the main door, all dressed in black.
I was shocked and wondered what was happening.
A man, who seemed to be their leader, entered the mansion.
He bowed in front of Uncle and Aunty, and they returned the gesture respectfully.
I admired how they didn't show an ounce of arrogance, even though they were the richest family in the country.
"Sorry, Madam, we were in a no-network area," the leader explained, but there was something in his voice that suggested more to the story.
"Thik bete, but aapke Raja sa aur unke Bhai kaha hai?" (Alright, son, but where are your King and his brother?) Uncle asked calmly.
Despite the situation, I noticed that Uncle seemed relaxed, as if he knew something we didn't.
I thought to myself that maybe he was aware of what was going on.
"Vo ...hukum ...Raja sa or Kuvar sa sabhi sath meh hai .....or ve log chill kar rahe hai ....no network area ki vajh se unse baat nhi ho pa Rahi hai ..ab hum chalte hai ...," (They ... Sir ... Raja sa and Kuvar sa are all together ..... and they are chilling .... because of the no network area, they can't be contacted ... now we will take our leave ...) he finished his words, gave a "save me" look to Raja sa, and left as fast as he could.
"Ye lo ji yaha baap chill kare hai, vaha bete ...sari duniya ki tension to hum aurto ko hi hai ...ek baar btana nhi samjh in logo ne ...mai mana thodi hi karti ....magar nhi, iss ghar meh sabko apne man ki karni hai," (There, the father is chilling here, and the sons are chilling there ... all the worries of the world fall on us women ... they didn't think to inform us even once ... it's not like I would have refused ... but no, in this house, everyone does as they please) Revti said while standing up from her seat.
As Ansh was about to speak, she cut him off, "Aap to kuchh boliye hi mat," (Don't you say anything) she paused and then added, "Pata tha na ...fir bhi ...nhi bataya na aapne ..." (You knew, didn't you ... yet you didn't tell me) she said, giving a deadly glare to her husband.
And her husband, who is a king to others, now just looks like a husband afraid of his wife's anger.
In an vacant area
All four were sitting on the road, drinking soft drinks.
Talking, giggling, and laughing was all they could do after a year apart.
They were enjoying their bro time, free from any tension or worries.
Rudra, always the playful one, took everyone's phones and put them in the car to avoid distractions.
However, in his mischief, he forgot to message their moms as Aadish had asked him to.
They continued chatting, lost in conversation, when suddenly Om stood up and said, "Bhai sa, mai na kuchh order kar leta, bhook lag rahi hai" (Brother, I'll order something. I'm hungry).
The other three nodded in agreement, and Om went to open the car.
They were so wrapped up in each other that they forgot time keeps moving, even for fictional people.
When Om checked his phone and saw the time, he exclaimed, "Mar gaye bhai sa..." [We're dead, brother...]
The other three hurried over, one of them holding a gun.
"What happened?" Aadish asked, worried.
Armaan showed them his phone, which had a wallpaper of a fish swimming in the ocean.
Rudra leaned back, exasperation clear in his voice. "Kya bhai sa, ab kya machhli jal ki rani hi khelne ko bacha hai? Uff, aap kab bade honge Bhai sa?"
("What the heck, bro, are we left only to play with the fish queen now? Ugh, when will you grow up, bro?")
Om, already irritated, grabbed Rudra by the ears and snapped, "Time dekh gadhe."
("Look at the time, idiot.")
In that moment, the three of them instinctively checked their watches.
The tension was palpable, even Aadish, typically stone-faced and emotionless, showing signs of worry and unease.
"Ab shakal mat dekho, jaldi chalo," Aadish commanded, urgency in his tone as they scrambled into the car.
( "Don't waste time looking at your faces, let's go quickly.")
The engine roared to life, and as they sped off, Rudra checked his phone and muttered, "Aaj to pitai, dhulai, kutai sab hongi ek sath vo bhi ek ke hath se nhi do logo ke hatho se."
("Today, there will be beating, washing, thrashing, all together, and not by one person but by two.")
His voice carried a mix of dread and resignation, setting the tone for what lay ahead.
As Aadish, Om, and Armaan looked at him, Rudra's voice cut through the tension.
"Mujhe mat dekho [Don't look at me], phone dekho [Look at your phones]. Apna phone, bhabhi ke 100 se jyada missed calls hai [Your phones, there are more than 100 missed calls from sister-in-law]. Or location bhi dekh lo unki... [And also check her location]..."
His urgency was palpable, a mix of concern and urgency.
Armaan and the others swiftly checked their phones, their expressions tightening with each passing second.
Then, a scream pierced the air, tearing from Aadish's mouth. "Rajawat Mansion..."
SUkriya ji ð ð©· ð¦
Sorry ji due to some health issues I was not active on scrollstack and Wattpad.
And also I am going on a family trip this Wednesday so may be will not able to update on next Sunday. And after that my college is starting.
I am not sure about next update ji but promise to give you yrra's atleast two chapters ji .
Love you all ð â¨