"Hand over the letter to me, Sharan," Mridula asked, her voice steady but with a hint of urgency.

Sharan handed over the letter, and while Mridula focused on the message, both Krishna and Sharan examined the rock that had been thrown through the window, trying to understand its purpose.

"I'm not the one being targeted, Krishna," Mridula murmured, her brow furrowed as she tried to decipher the writing on the paper. "It's someone connected to me."

Instinctively, she brought the paper to her nose, hoping to catch a scent that might offer a clue.

The moment she inhaled, a strong smell hit her, causing her to cough violently.

"Mridula!" Sharan swiftly moved towards her, patting her back, his face etched with concern.

It took a few minutes for her to regain composure, though her head now throbbed painfully.

"My head hurts," she whispered, sinking onto the bed. As Krishna reached for the letter to inspect it, she quickly stopped him.

"Stop! It's Hydrogen Sulfide, Krishna! Don’t smell it. It has that rotten egg smell, and if you inhale it for too long, it can trigger sinus problems and cause severe headaches," she explained. Krishna and Sharan exchanged a glance, both concerned and perplexed.

"Do you have any issues with your professors or classmates?" Sharan asked, trying to piece together the puzzle.

"Why do you ask?" she responded, still rubbing her temples.

"I have a doubt that someone from your college might be behind this," Sharan suggested, his expression serious.

"No, Sharan, it can’t be them. I’ve always had good relationships with my classmates and professors. But… this has to be someone linked to the college I'm working at. We need to find out about that colleague who called me the other day," Mridula said, her voice determined.

"We’ll track her down, Mridula," Krishna assured her.

"Aaradhana wants to meet you, but I told her to stay put for now. But given the situation, it might be safer if she comes here, along with your parents. We can’t take any risks",Mridula nodded,reluctantly. She knew Krishna was right.

"I’ll arrange for them to come first thing in the morning," Krishna said, getting up to leave. "But if you find out anything before then, let me know immediately."

"Thank you for coming, Krishna," Mridula said with a small smile.

"Anytime. You’re like a sister to me, but your sister isn’t my sister," Krishna joked, lightening the mood.

The three of them laughed, the tension easing for a moment.

"You better be careful with my sister, or else…" Sharan teased, grinning at Krishna.

"And here I thought she was my sister! But apparently, she’s Sharan’s sister first," Mridula added, playfully continuing the banter.

"Alright, alright, you two carry on! Don't involve me in your couple fights," Krishna said, shaking his head with a smile as he left the room. As soon as he was gone, the atmosphere shifted again.

"Aaru is my sister first. She’s literally my blood," Mridula said, stepping closer to Sharan, her tone turning mock-serious. "So, who are you to claim her as your sister and talk about her relationships?",she asked making an eye contact with him as if she was searching something in his eyes.

"Well, unfortunately or fortunately, I’m your husband," Sharan replied with a smirk, raising his collar. "And more than that, I’m her brother from another mother. You can ask her yourself. I bet she loves me more than you do",he said and she slowly moved away from him with a smirk on her face.

"You! She loves me more! We’ll see who she loves the most when she gets here tomorrow," Mridula challenged.

Sharan laughed, amused by her competitive spirit.

"You’re such a kid. How did I end up with you?" he asked, flicking her forehead lightly.

"I hate you," she pouted, stomping her foot as she turned to leave.

"Can’t really say the feeling’s mutual," he called out, still chuckling as she made her way to the living room.

Teja was already asleep on one couch, and Mridula sighed, her head still pounding. She looked around for her phone, intending to text Aaradhana about the plan Krishna had suggested. Her headache made it hard to focus, but she managed to send the message.

However, seeing that it hadn’t been read, she guessed her sister was already asleep.

Despite the discomfort, Mridula continued searching online for anything related to the situation until her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep in an awkward position on the couch.

Meanwhile, Sharan was in their room, analysing evidence on his laptop. The case he was working on involved a leading political party’s alleged involvement in a drug mafia, which was reportedly recruiting students as both suppliers and consumers.

His junior agent had sent him a list of colleges that could be involved, and unsurprisingly, Mridula’s college topped the list.

"Expected this!" Sharan muttered, adjusting his spectacles as he stretched to relieve some of the tension in his body.

"Agent Rudra," a voice called from the doorway.

Sharan turned to see his elder brother, Vikram, leaning casually against the doorframe, hands in his pockets.

"Not again. Just leave!" Sharan snapped, walking out to the balcony, his temper flaring.

"Agent Rudra, this isn’t the time for personal grudges. We’re on a mission, and you know how serious this is," Vikram said, following him.

"I don’t want to work with you!" Sharan shouted, kicking a nearby flower pot in frustration. The pot shattered, and pieces of ceramic cut into his foot, causing it to bleed.

"Stop acting like a child, Sharan!" Vikram’s voice was stern as he grabbed Sharan by the arms, forcing him to sit down.

"Where’s the first aid kit?",Vikram asked concerned.

Sharan remained silent, seething with anger. Vikram huffed and walked into the living room, finding Mridula and Teja asleep on the couches.

Not wanting to disturb Mridula, he gently patted Teja’s hand to wake him.

"Oh my goodness, it’s a burglar!" Teja yelped, startling Mridula awake as well.

"Vikram bava? Do you need something?" Mridula asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes, uh, actually… Sharan hurt himself and needs first aid. He wouldn’t tell me where it is, so I tried to wake up this guy, but I woke you up too," Vikram explained apologetically.

"What did that idiot do to himself now?" Mridula muttered under her breath. "I’ll go check on him."

She hurried to their room but didn’t find him there. Furrowing her brows, she moved to the balcony and saw Sharan nursing his injured foot.

"What did you do to yourself?" she whispered angrily, rushing to grab the first aid kit.

She returned quickly, cleaning the wound and bandaging it up while throwing glares at him.

"Don’t look at me like that," Sharan pouted, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, now I can’t even be angry at you? What do you want me to do? Tell me, and I’ll do it," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Were our existing problems not enough that you had to create more?",she asked in a serious tone.

"Okay, okay, I’m sorry," Sharan said, raising his hands in surrender.

"What shall I do with your sorry? Huh? Sharan, you have the right to be angry and upset but don't hurt yourself in the process. I am saying this to you like a good friend",she said.

"Okay, good friend! I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for bandaging my wound. Go back to sleep now. Will you?",he said to which she sighed.

Vikram who followed her to check on him, just smiled looking at the duo. He knew he had to heal a lot of wounds within the family but before all this he had to protect them. He went from there assuring himself that his brother was in safe hands now or was it just an illusion?

"Had your medicines?",Sharan asked.

"I did, and remind me to change the bandage tomorrow morning. Not that I would forget but just in case. Don't do another stunt which will result in getting yourself hurt again. If you need anything wake me up",she said strictly.

"Aye aye captain",he saluted her as she helped him walk till the bed and made sure he settled down properly and went to the other side of the bed to catch some sleep. Her head was still aching and it wasn't something unusual, she has to bear with some persistent headaches for a while.

She layed down on the bed and closed her eyes turning to the opposite side snuggling into the pillow beside her.

On the other hand, Sharan was lost in thoughts. He was thinking about the case, the college, his wife, the stone, the letter. Everything seemed like a vague plan which felt like one thing and the other had no connection in between. As the thoughts continued to play games with him, he slowly dozed off to sleep.

The next morning, Mridula woke up to the soft rays of sunlight entering through the curtains. Her head was still in pain, but the intensity has reduced comparatively.

She looked over at Sharan, who was still asleep, his brow furrowed as if he was wrestling with something in his dreams.

Quietly, she got out of bed, careful not to wake him, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

As she washed her face, the events of the previous night played on her mind. The letter, the stone, and the strange smell of hydrogen sulfide—it all felt too deliberate, too targeted.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that whoever was behind this was watching her, waiting for her next move. She completed her morning chores and got dressed in a red saree as it was the first day of Navratri from that day.

After dressing, she walked back into the room. Sharan was rubbing his eyes still in bed. His leg was still bandaged, and she remembered her promise to change it in the morning.

"Morning, Sharan! How's your leg now?",she asked sitting on the bed side near his legs.

"It’s fine," Sharan replied, though the slight wince on his face told her otherwise.

"It’s just a scratch",he tried to cover up but failed utterly to his disappointment.

"Just a scratch," she repeated with a sigh, unwrapping the old bandage carefully.

"You really need to stop being so reckless. I can’t keep patching you up every time you decide to play a hero. I agree I wanted a brave friend but not a friend who would hurt himself like this"

"I wasn’t trying to be a hero. Why should I be? When I have my warrior queen by my side. This.. I..was..Just... lost in thought, I guess",Sharan chuckled.

"Well, stay in the present for a bit," she said, applying a fresh bandage to his wound.

"We have bigger things to worry about",she reminded him to which he nodded.

They heard a knock on the door and Mridula completed changing the bandage.

"Come in",she said.

As she finished, the door creaked open, and Vikram walked in, holding two cups of steaming tea.

He handed one to Mridula and the other to Sharan which he refused to take while Mridula took it from him and handed it over to Sharan who was hell bent on not taking it.

"Why did you take the trouble, bava? I would have got it",Mridula tried to cover up the awkward silence.

"Thought you two could use some tea. Busy day ahead, right?",Vikram said in a normal casual tone.

"Thanks," Mridula replied, taking a sip and feeling the warmth spread through her.

"I need to move out of here" Sharan asked, his mind already shifting gears to work.

Vikram sighed and excused himself from there. Mridula gave him a look and followed behind Vikram.

As they left the room, he turned to Mridula's side.

"No, don't apologize! It's fine. For what all I have done, this is what I deserve",Vikram said and left from there without giving her a chance to speak.

"Both the brothers won't give a chance to others only to speak! I was going to compliment this chai which he made",she muttered to herself and sighed.

"Akkaa",she heard her sister and turned around to see..

To be continued..

Hello hello hello dear readers,

How are you all doing? Your dear author is doing super awesome and that's why this long (long enough?) update for you all!

How was the update? Did you all like it?

Let's see how all of them are going to face the upcoming trouble!

Thank you so much for reading, don't forget to vote and comment your views! The more comments, the earliest the update.

Guys I'm planning to start Aardhana and Krishna's story for my birthday! And before that I'm thinking to reach till 25th chapter of this story, but that will only be possible if you guys support and show soo much love for this story!

Do you guys want to see the characters aesthetic of Sharan and Mridula? Let me know in the comments section.

Spoiler Alert 🚨:

"Chitappa, you said we will go shopping!",Dharani said.

"Dhanu kutty, why take so much trouble and go to shop and then do shopping? We will do online shopping na baby?",he said giving her a sheepish smile.

"Oh god, why did you give me such a lazy chitappa?",she hit her forehead shaking her head.

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"Agent Rudra and Agent Ishwar! I didn't expect this from you. What the hell are you guys doing? Did you forget your goals and motto?",

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Okay since I will update soon, I will keep the vote target. 20 votes on this chapter and you'll get the next update! *winks*

Thank you so much for supporting and loving your author. Your author has one more exam on Tuesday and that's the end. I will have some free time I guess!

Okay, rate the update on a scale of 10.

I will run and write next update. What if you guys complete fast and I don't have next update ready? No no no!

Hasta la vista till next update guys, take care of yourself and love yourself and spread positivity around!

Your Author
Sakshi Devi