Raj Singh and Vikram entered the spacious chamber of Avinash Thakur. As Vikram did the introduction, which was followed by casual chit chat, Avinash assessed the man before him. In his long Military career with the latter years spent as a Judge, Avinash had a knack to assess people quickly and find out what makes them tick, what triggered the right response from them. He could see that Raj Singh was a highly emotional man and took pride in the fact that he was a self-made man, and was slightly temperamental too. He could also sense that Raj Singh felt a bit self-conscious in the company of the military men on either side. Avinash brought out seldom used charming manners, became more cordial than necessary and ensured that Raj Singh was put to ease. "Raj Singh Ji, Vikram and I go back a long way. When I knew that he bought your company which manufactures trans

Two days later 7PM Sunday. Chandni emerged from the shower and quickly wrapped the new Silk Saree she bought for the housewarming party. She already felt exhausted and tired. All afternoon, she was busy overseeing the decorations and last-minute arrangements, and liaising with the event management team. Her tummy grumbled, reminding her that she hardly ate anything since breakfast as she was too busy, much to the ire of Nargis Chachi. But her biggest task had been to keep Atharv engaged and away from all the rush. She finally made sure he had an early dinner, and was taken away to Nargis Chachi's room by their housekeeper Shyamli, along with his iPad to keep him occupied. Vikram and Chandni even had a row about it earlier, as Vikram was of the opinion that excluding Atharv from the function w

When your heart bleeds, bursting with the pain, the torn soul yearns for release,  and your tears turn crimson.  -- Celestial_Sesi  Aryan gently tapped on Chandni's cheek."Chandni! Chandu! Are you okay? Please wake up! Let's go inside." There was no response from Chandni and Aryan wasn't sure if it was OK to carry her inside in this stage, if the guests were still around. He frantically looked around if anyone saw or noticed them, but thankfully this marquee was in a corner and well covered on all three sides.As his eyes roamed back to Chandni, his heart felt again that familiar tug and a deep sense of protectiveness. He was suspicious of her behaviour since he saw her, as she looked

Slowly, with much difficulty, Aryan tore his gaze away from her, as he noticed the beads of perspiration on her forehead. "Chandu DON'T!!! Please. Don't say anything that you will regret forever and don't tempt me to do something, which will then give you more reason to hate me than you already do. You are not in your control at the moment. I don't even know whether to believe you or not!!" Aryan clenched his hands tightly and pleaded with Chandni. "You still think that I hate you? Even after all that I said just now?" Chandni's eyes welled with tears again. Aryan's heart suffused with desperate love and longing for the woman standing in front of him, the only woman he ever loved, but so cruelly out of his life now. He felt compelled to answer her question with his own.

Aryan came close to Vikram and stood just a few inches away from him, his eyes spitting fire. "Do you know how it feels to see your parents chased by killers and to hear from strangers that they are dead?? Do you know how it feels to become an orphan and see yourself separated from the only family member you were left with, your tiny younger brother? Do you know how it feels to survive in the fields, your body and heart burning with revenge, but feeling helpless? Stealing food, working at roadsides, scraping just enough so you can make a phone call? You don't.... so stop lecturing me on what my priorities should be. When you go through all that, just after being mercilessly plucked out of your normal everyday life, surrounded by a loving family, then your heart and mind are filled with just one thought! To catch the criminal who did that to your family and make sure their deaths are avenged. This fire has