Raj

The pilot announced the landing and the flight attendant arrived to check whether we had our seatbelts on. I asked her to request the family in front to deboard after getting a green signal from me. Once the flight landed and the indicator to remove our seatbelts was on, Jagan and I left our cabin. Mohan and Madan took their positions outside Thooriga's cabin.

The airstairs were lowered and I found Saby waiting with a group of people and cars. I nodded at Jagan to stay back and got down to meet Saby.

"Boss, meet Colonel Amardeep Singh." Saby introduced an older man who looks older with the grey in his beard but young with his fitness.

"Retired Colonel." He forwards his hand and I take it in a brisk handshake. "And, young man, you must be Raj Vajendra?"

"Yes, sir. It's a pleasure meeting you." I respond to him with a slight nod in a manner of saluting him.

"Saby has told me a lot about it, it would be my pleasure to work alongside you. Welcome to Punjab."

"All good things, I hope, sir." I held my hands behind me and smiled at him.

"Of course, it seems like you made him run more than I did."

"Is it, Saby?" I looked at him and he looked between us poorly like a scapegoat ready to be sacrificed. Colonel laughed and patted him on his back before introducing me to his other team members.

"We have already checked the hotel and stationed some of my staff outside the suites you have booked. Everything is safe and ready to check in."

"Thank you so much, sir." I turned behind and nodded at Jagan to signal everyone to deboard. I instructed the guards to guide the family members from the flight to their respective cars.

"Boss, I need to have a word with you." Saby leaned into me before we excused ourselves away from the Colonel.

"What happened, Saby?"

"At 01:30 pm, when you all were on air, one of our convoys was blasted." He maintains an unaffected face but I know how much is running inside him.

I hold his arm and he gives me an assuring nod. "Any casualties?"

"No, Boss. As per your instructions, everyone was away from the mansion and cars."

I look at the family through my sunglasses who are walking towards their assigned cars without knowing or pretending not to know what happened in the mansion. "Okay. You go and get into our car." Saby nods before walking away.

"Young man," The Colonel walked towards me. "In the thirty years of my service, I can guess that there are a lot of burdens on your shoulders regarding your family's safety." He patted my shoulder. "Whether it's a nation or a family, the person who is responsible for their safety should be strong. I can see the fire in you. Just keep your doubts aside and go ahead."

"Thanks for your words, Colonel." I shake his hands and he presses my arm, assuringly. "Any help, I'm just a call away." With those words, he walked away towards his jeep and drove off.

I watch the conspirator who is getting into the car maintaining a cool persona without showing any indifference and I walk towards the car in which Thooriga, Saby and Tanya are seated. Though I changed the plan on Monday night, only this morning I learned about the bomb. There was a piece of pored paper lying on the floor of my office and on scrutinising it for a while, I translated the morse code that read CAR and BOMB.

I didn't want to alert the conspirator or put any of my staff at risk by checking the cars or informing the family about it early. I continued with my Monday night plan and instructed the staff to stay away from the mansion and cars when we are away. I took a risk by asking one of my staff to check and take Rudhran's car back to the Mansion if it's safe but I cannot risk the lives of thousands of school children by leaving his car on the school premises.

In this threat, I couldn't understand one thing. Why did one of the Heiress convoys have the bomb instead of the Heiress's or the family members' car? If they want to harm Thooriga like other times, the bomb should have been in her car. It must be a programmed bomb to blast exactly at 01:30 pm. But we were scheduled to leave by two, which means around the time of the blast, everyone must have been indoors, preparing to leave and the staff must be doing their regular security check in the car before the family leaves anywhere.

If the bomb was discovered or blasted during the checking when we were in the mansion, either my staff could have been injured or we would have gotten into defusing the bomb. Either way the plan could have been delayed or cancelled and Parvathy Aththai could have considered it inauspicious. I stop at the car, holding the car handle tight as I realise the conspirator's plan.

Why does the conspirator want Rudhran's marriage to be cancelled or make the family to think of Tina as inauspicious?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saby

How does Boss maintain a cool demeanour without showing a hint of acknowledgement about the events?

We are en route from the airstrip to the hotel and Boss's eyes are fixated on the cars driving behind us with the potential killer in them. He is not even looking at Thooriga bro but then and now his angry eyes go behind the car through the rearview mirror.

Last evening, when Boss asked me to be prepared to leave early, I wasn't expecting to discover a new tunnel route. More than discovering the new tunnel route, I was utterly shocked when Boss learned about the conspirator who has killed many lives from the family and their staff including my mother. But he is not ready to reveal who it is. And he was right when he didn't reveal the conspirator's identity to me. He didn't want me to take any drastic steps in anger.

What if there are more people than the one he has found out so far?

I know about the death of the conspirator's partner, Varadan. But only after two years of his death, Jeevitha ma'am met with an accident which Boss believes to be a planned murder. Whether it was Varadan's offshore accounts or the way out of the tunnel, there is a link with Ranganathan Estate.

Maybe that's why Boss is patient to find out every link and all the enemies. What if there is more than one enemy within the family?

I stop the car at the lobby entrance of the hotel and the guards on the waiting get into their work. I get down from the car and signal them towards other cars while the valet and concierge come to help us with parking the cars and getting our luggage.

The desk staff welcome the family with thilak and garlands and the manager directs us towards the floor where Presidential Suites are located. On the elevator ride the manager scans the photo identification proof of everyone on the hotel-provided tablet and links it to their assigned rooms.

We exit the elevator at the floor and he directs us to the Presidential Suite where most of the family members are going to stay. The guards who we booked from my Colonel's security service are stationed at the entrance of the elevator till the suite rooms we have booked.

The concierge arrives in another elevator and the manager opens the door of the first Presidential suite. "Welcome Sir and Madam, This is our House in the Hotel Presidential suite with four bedrooms, a living room, kitchenette and dining room for eight." He takes out a bunch of keycards from the pouch he carried along with him. "Keeping big families like yours in mind, we have arranged the two bedrooms with one King size bed each and the two bedrooms with three single beds each. If you need any changes we can arrange for it."

"Give me the keycards for one of the bedrooms with three single beds." Boss asked the manager and he checked the keycards before giving him three keycards. "Can you convert the other bedroom with three single beds into a King size bed?"

"Raj, let it be. Parvathy, Taran and I will stay in that room." Thiyagarajan Sir interrupts the Boss and gets the keycards from the manager. "Let Rudhran, Tina and Ilakkiya with son-in-law take the bedrooms with King size beds." He points out the couples to the manager and he gives them their respective keycards.

"Okay. Jagan, Mohan and Madan, three of you stay here to guard the family." Boss gave the three keycards to them. "Mama, Can you give me the keycard of Taran, so that I can enter easily in case of emergency."

"Sure. Don't worry, Raj, we all will be fine. Where will you four be staying?" Thiyagarajan Sir gave him Taran's keycard.

"They will be living in the Presidential suite with two bedrooms, Sir." The manager answered him.

The manager led us to our Presidential suite after giving the family basic instructions and explaining the amenities they can avail of. He handed us our keycards and followed his regular instructions before leaving us to ourselves.

My luggage was already placed in the living area of the suite and my keycard was with me. "Saby, show me your keycard." Boss asks me and he fetches out the keycard with the same serial number embedded on it and forwards it towards Tanya. "You both take that room and we will take the other one."

Thooriga bro, Tanya and I look at him flabbergasted. "Boss, neenga Deiva Boss. Deiva Machan mathiri Deiva Boss. Neenga engeyo poitenga, Boss." (Thank you Boss, you are god sent Boss.)

"Ayyo Saby bro, Mama unga rendu peru kaaga sollala, main ah enge rendu peruku kaaga ungala allow panraru. In case there is nothing between you two, he would have asked you to sleep in the living room." Thooriga bro curled her hand around his right arm and I looked at Boss, shocked. (He isn't allowing this for you but for him and me.)

He shook his head disapproving of her statement. "Chi Chi, appadi ellam illa, nee en thambi mari." Boss drags their trolley bag towards their room. (Don't worry, you are like my brother.)

I know he is not that bad but wait, he didn't say what he would have done.

Thooriga bro bites back her giggle and follows Boss. Tanya looks at me, crossing her arm and facepalms. "Why do you have to make it so evident, Saby?" She drags her trolley bag to our room.

"I was just trying to keep it less awkward." I open the door using the keycard and we enter our room. It's spacious but I maintain a distance not to trigger her anger more. "And don't say that you have never teased them. If I have to remind you eight days back it was you who went too..."

"Okay. Fine." She checks the room for the bed, and walk-in closet and peeks her head into the bathroom.

"Umm. Tanya, if you want, I can ask my Boss to make another arrangement for me." I could feel she is being uncomfortable and knowing her, I don't want her to do anything she is uncomfortable with.

"Hey, it's not like that." She walks out of the closet and reaches closer to me. "I was just looking around." I look at her, sceptically and she steps into my private space, curling her hands around my neck. "If I have to remind you, we have kissed a couple of times and Saturday night we made out."

I pulled her extra close to me by wrapping my hands around her. "Are you sure?"

"Wanna me prove?" She lifts a questioning brow.

Before I could finish nodding my head, her lips captured mine in a breathtaking kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tina

What's happening around me?

Though Rudhran ji and I were introduced on the day I arrived here, it's not been entirely eight days since we started faking our relationship but why do things started taking a different turn. I never thought we both could ever have a moment for the three years period but they are happening. The irony is that all those moments were not created and planned by others but automatically and unintentionally created by us.

I really don't know what could have happened if Taran didn't panic or Ilakkiya Anni didn't knock at the door. I don't know how we got to that point. But the shocking factor is that I didn't get irritated by the moment, instead there was a tension that started to evolve between us. Despite Taran's school program, both of us couldn't sleep until we had our caffeine.

People have always called me weird in this case. In the daytime caffeine helps me to stay attentive but during my sleepless nights they help me to doze off. Not sure whether it helps me to chase the physical tiredness in the day and mentally tiredness in the night but I'm habituated to it. But to my surprise Rudhran ji also had the same habit.

We both have the same interest in two things.

I shake my head trying to chase the thought away. It's a fake relationship and even last night he clearly stated that after three years he doesn't want to lose Taran because of me.

But why did I feel his eyes on me this morning when I was talking with the mothers of Taran's friends and sometimes in the flight while I was playing with him?

"Tina," A touch on my arm brings me out of my thoughts. "In which world are you? I have been calling you for a long time."

"Sorry." I slap on my head and Rudhran ji bites back a smile.

Don't think he is cute, Tina.

His forehead suddenly frowned with concern. "Are you alright? Are you worried about your family?"

"No, ji. I was just zoned out." I try to smile at him. Though he seems like he doesn't buy my words, he nods his head.

"I have checked the room and bathroom, if you want you can too."

"No, ji. It's fine. If you want you can use. You went to the lavatory but returned immediately." He stopped in his tracks while dragging his trolley bag to the walk-in closet and turned to look at me shocked. I slap on my forehead realising that I have spoken more than necessary.

"It was busy." He replied plainly as he started arranging his things into the closet wardrobe.

"You should have waited..." I slap against my mouth. "Sorry, Forget that I asked you something."

Don't know what happened to my mouth. Maybe I should get some sleep. Sleeplessness is making me blabber.

"On the way, I saw Raj and Thooriga coming out of the Lavatory, so I didn't use it." I suppressed a giggle. "Is this explanation enough or you need more?" I try to keep a straight face and shake my head. "Ennoda friend ah irunthutu en annan ponnu kooda relationship la irukan paravala. Athuku nu en munnadiye va?" He murmured in Tamil and shook his head. (Being my friend he is in a relationship with my niece and it's fine. But he should atleast have some public manners.)

"Toh kya yei, aap bhi apane bhatiji ki saheli ke sath shaadi karli" I murmured to myself as I walked past him forgetting that he knew Hindi like I knew Tamil. (So what? You too married your niece's friend.)

"But we are not like them." He called behind me and I stopped in my tracks to turn around and look at him. "Tina, I didn't mean ..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way." I interrupted before he could say anything. "Excuse me." I turned around and rushed into the washroom, locking the door behind me.

Whatever happened last night was just a moment. Nothing real.

~~~~~~~~
Hey Lovelies,
Hope you have enjoyed this update. Please do vote and share your feedback through comments.

See you soon with the next update.

01/02 - AA
04/02 - TS
07/02 - BH

Thank you & Love
R.K. Tejaswi
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