It was 6:30 in the early morning. They were expected back by that evening.

Ayaan dragged the laptop closer. He read the first paragraph repeatedly. Was it possible?

He didn't know. Neither did he understand the simple words. His mother's name was Layana and Ankush was his biological father. The confusion fogged his sight.

Ishika spoke, “Ayaan, Siddhant Arora is the executor of this will. We have got the right person with us. He would know the background story.”

He was not listening though. “Is this possible? Why would they abandon and then adopt…” The words refused to be spoken aloud.

“This is some 100 crore worth, in those times, we are talking about. It's unlikely they would adopt a random child and name him as the heir. There must be a DNA test or someone who identifies you.”

“Exactly. There must be someone who could…” Ayaan stopped as he observed Dhruv shifting on the ball of his feet. He seemed to be in a dilemma of his own instead of the mix up mystification Ayaan was undergoing. “Dhruv?”

Dhruv looked up, startled on hearing his name in a non sequitur. “Ayaan. I think this is true. I mean atleast part of it is not; I am sure.”

“Which part exactly?”

“I did listen in on a conversation between Mom, Dad and Aunt. Dad himself said you are his son. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you earlier.” Dhruv held his head low in guilt.

Ayaan stood stunned not knowing how to react. He considered Dhruv his brother and friend. Following Ishika's revelations, he wondered how many more secrets were kept from him by his loved ones.

“Never mind.” He said, brushing it off like it wasn't a big deal. “I am going to search if I can find anything in this house. If Aunt left such secrets in the pen drive, I suppose we can't ignore her leaving this property to me, much like the pendrive.”

He searched the living room cabinets first. Then he moved to the scarcely filled store room, followed by the bedroom on the upper floor. He was looking beneath the bed frame when Ishika called out to him.

“We found a DNA test result. I think you should see this yourself.”

He rushed downstairs and deposited himself before the laptop. The DNA result was done around the same time he was adopted. It showed the relationship between Ankush and Ayaan as father and son. But he was yet to confirm whether the Ayaan they were referring to was indeed him.

“Search for something that puts a face to that name.”

Ayaan then searched the room on the first floor where they had held Siddhant. Behind the huge metal cupboard, he found a key plastered to the surface. He tried the lock and it opened. Giving a brief thanks to his Aunt's hide and seek games in childhood, he dived into the contents. Mostly, it was empty except for a few files, albums, and a briefcase. The briefcase was locked.

He threw the case on the floor. It broke open and its contents fell out - a diary, a few credit cards belonging to Layana Batra and some envelopes. He picked up the envelopes that looked like invitation cards. Sure enough, the print read ‘Aakriti weds Siddhant’.

“Hi, Ayaan. Good Morning.” Siddhant greeted him. “You found the invitation cards? The design was selected by Layana.”

Siddhant picked up the the diary and the credit cards. “You should learn to trust, Ayaan.”

“If you meet the kind of people I did, you wouldn't trust yourself.”

“Who are you fooling? Layana could identify loyalty and trust very well. And, if you ask me, you take after her. Fortunately.” Siddhant went through the stack and handed Ayaan a white and blue card. “It was your school ID. Should be good enough for you to believe, right?”

The ID showed his name against a young face which looked very similar to his other pictures taken later at Mahanidhi.

Turning away from the ID, Ayaan observed Siddhant. The wrinkles near his eyes crinkled as he frowned at the contents. He was probably surprised to find them safely stored by Aakriti. But there was no happiness on that face. It was filled with pain, loss and regret.

Siddhant Arora had a family of his own. He loved his wife and was proud of his only son who was planning to join Navy upon graduation. He surely moved on after the failed engagement. Yet the way he maintained the connections with the Agnihotri family was Ayaan's current concern.

Without answering Siddhant's questions, Ayaan went on with his search. He picked up the diary and the battered albums.

“Ayaan, there's huge amount of cash taken out of the company accounts. We're you aware of this?” Dhruv asked, but his gaze went beyond Ayaan to Siddhant. “You…”

Siddhant settled on the sofa, taking in Ishika and Dhruv working on their respective laptops. “I was right. You chose correct comrades. Now, I suppose you want to know the story. Here it goes.”

Ayaan raised his hand stopping him. “No need. Simply answer my question. If Layana Batra is my mother, why did she abandon me? Where is she today?”

“For a woman who got to know her parents were killed and her husband plans to kill her too, I think she was right to abandon you. For the five years you spent in the orphanage, you can blame Aakriti. And yourself.”