South Coast of Goa.

District Hospital

"Rajiv, I must warn you that the Morgue here doesn't have the best facilities. But I have asked them to keep the body as much preserved as possible. The post-mortem has already been done by the local police surgeon. And we are positive that this guy is connected with the shoot out at the villa." ACP Savlekar explained, as he led Rajiv towards the morgue.

The attendant at the morgue saluted to ACP and led them inside. The stink inside was overwhelming in spite of the freezing conditions. Rajeev pulled a perfumed kerchief that he brought along, in anticipation of such conditions.  As the attendant wheeled out the body on the stretcher, Rajeev forgot all about the smell and concentrated on the dead man's features. There wasn't much to go by the swollen face but the overall features definitely matched what Victor described about Raju.

"Can I have a copy of the PM and his photos?" Rajiv asked as he removed the sheet covering the body and looked at the bullet wounds.

"Not a problem. Should we go out now? I am feeling sick!" ACP Savlekar rushed out to get some fresh air and Rajiv followed him gladly.

As they drove back to the local police station in the Jeep, Savlekar explained, "the local fishermen found his body floating on a chunk of wood. PM report says that he died due to loss of blood and hyperthermia  which means he died sometime after he was shot. The surgeon cant say exactly but the bullet wounds seem to be few weeks old which matches the time of shootout at the Villa. The local police alerted all the stations along the coast, for any missing person or boat,  and one of the Inspectors reported back that  they had a boat go up in flames near their coast but found no bodies. My guess is that this guy was shot and dumped in that boat before it was set up to burn. How this guy managed to survive in spite of all that is a mystery, but poor bastard eventually ran out of his luck and died after few days.  And here's another interesting thing. A backpack was found at the beach near the same village a few days after,  and it had a gun in it."

"Okay.. let me guess. The gun matches the bullet  in Nanda Sir's body! Am I right?"

" No, it matches the bullets in Victor's body actually.... The bullets in this guy's body matches that of JP Nanda. The bag and gun were pretty damaged due to the sea waters but the ballistics do match. But may be the other gun was there too in that bag and got lost in the sea."

"That means it is Victor's gun!! Part of the evidence at the crime scene at the Villa!! How did it end up in a backpack and found exactly where this guy's body floated to... what the hell is happening Savlekar??"

Rajiv had enough!

"I know Rajiv.. I know. There's someone within our own department who is trying to tampering with the evidence and misdirect this investigation. All the secrecy regarding the shoot out at the Villa is not helping us either. The gun looks quite rotten, as if it had been in sea water all along, so it must have been taken from the evidence room sometime ago. I am vetting everyone in my team and trying to find who betrayed us. Unfortunately Sharath Nair has half of our department in his pay check so I am waging a tough battle there!" ACP Savlekar let out his frustrations.

" I am under a lot of heat from the top to get this case resolved Rajiv. Unlike IB, we don't have the luxury of hiding all our case details from public. Everyday some press reporter or other keeps hounding me about police failures." ACP Savlekar fumed.

"I understand Savlekar Sir. Let me speak to Doval Sir and I will request him to speak to your commissioner,  if it helps. Meanwhile please start the inquest and your usual processes. Who is this Raju guy, who killed him and why ?You might be resolving one case partially but you got a new case now." Rajiv sighed.

"And so do you Rajiv, so do you!" ACP Savlekar laughed for the first time as he watched the glum face of Rajiv. 

****.
As she logged into their secure systems, Sharmila caressed her laptop as if she got her long lost love back. She couldn't thank Ajit Sir enough, for giving her the benefit of doubt and restoring her access, even for a short time. Her mind was much calmer now, in quite contrast to how she felt few days ago, when she went to meet Victor. As she he began to check some records, following the plan of action Victor suggested, when she met him few days ago. Her mind kept going back to that day...

Sharmila pulled the veil over to cover her face as she walked carefully and hoped that she looked just like any other girl in traditional Hijab. Her mind was in a turmoil, after everything she had come to know in the past week, whether it was from Rajiv and others or her own deductions. What happened at the villa? How can there be such malevolence? Her mind was going crazy as it tried to digest everything that has been thrown at it.

But at the end of it, nothing mattered to her anymore than the stark truth that she lost her beloved uncle, as he tried to rescue a stubborn and reckless agent, who never bothered to listen to him. Can she ever forgive Victor for that? And all this secrecy and disguise to meet him!! Is this how it is going to be now? Wth all the security concerns around her, there was no normalcy. Her whole life had become an act that she had forgotten what her real self was! Is this how Victor feels? Does she always have to play " a role" in all her meetings with him, just like he does? May be she shouldn't be here. She wasn't mentally or emotionally ready to meet Victor, even though he was so keen to meet her.

Before she could make up her mind,  her phone buzzed.

"You got half an hour Sharmila, I am covering up for you." Monty's voice was crisp.
"Thanks Monty, I wont be long." She hung up and dismissed all the wavering thoughts from her mind.

Before she could show her ID, the door to the left opened and Mrs Verma came out and invited her.

"Come in Beti. Don't worry, she is a family friend ." She informed smilingly to the confused guard and let her inside the room.

Sharmila felt a bit flustered as Mrs Verma closed the door behind her. She had hoped to meet Victor alone.. In her awkwardness she began to introduce herself "Hello Mrs Verma! I hope you remember me, I am Sharmila..."

"Of course Beta, Victor just told me that you might come here today.."  As Nirmala moved aside, Sharmila's awkwardness doubled as she noticed Victor pulling on a shirt in a hurry, on the bed.

"If this is a bad time? I can come later." Sharmila said in a fluster, as she turned her back to him.

"No need to... Maa as usual thinks that she knows more about dressing my wounds than doctors, that's all." Victor said as he walked up to her from behind, his loose shirt now in place above his soft sweat pants.

"How have you been dear? Have you met your family yet or .." Nirmala didn't continue as she observed the angst ridden face of Sharmila.

"Hmm.. not yet." Sharmila smiled sadly.

"That's terrible! So many of you are suffering because of this tragedy." Nirmala sighed.

"Yes Maa. Especially she and Monty have been through so much for no fault of theirs. And If I am alive and talking to you today, it is because of them. I really don't know how to thank them." Victor said earnestly.

"Yes Beta, how can we ever repay you?" Nirmala came forward and held Sharmila's hands in her own.

"It is nothing. We would do this for anyone in our team, I am sure Victor would have done the same."  Sharmila replied, as Nirmala smiled and let go of her hands.

"I am really proud of you Beti. What you said so casually, shows your work ethics and the values you have imbibed from your uncle." Sharmila just nodded her head as she didn't know how to reply to Nirmala's praises. She could feel Victor's gaze on her all the while. So she busied herself in observing a painting hung on the wall, of a mother looking at the baby in her arms, her face reflecting all the love she had. Her gaze automatically turned to Mrs Verma, who was busy picking up her bag and shawl as if she was about to leave.

"Chotu, I need to go to the Army office for some paper work. Don't forget to drink that juice. I will see you soon. See you beta!" She smiled at both of them and left.
Sharmila wasn't sure how to initiate the conversation, so she kept staring at the painting instead.
"Do you want some juice?" Victor poured some into a glass and offered her.

Sharmila shook her head.

"No, thanks. I thought you were supposed to be the patient here! And your mother would feel sad if you don't drink it."

"Why don't you sit down?" Victor pointed to the small chair next to the bed.

"No, I am good." Sharmila folded her head veil neatly into her bag and placed it on the chair.

An awkward silence remained between them for some time before Victor cleared his throat and said, " You look perfect in this disguise, right from the hair and makeup to your shoes..." Sharmila heard him say.

Did he just call her for this? She tried her best to maintain her calm as she played with her bangles "I am not as good as you though, still learning the whole game." 

"Nanda Sir taught me how to improve my disguises when I was training under him. He and I had this routine. Every time he caught my disguise, I was forced to pay him five hundred rupees and  during those days, that amount was way beyond what I could afford. So I used to work really hard to make sure I perfected it."

Of course.. the eternal bond between the mentor and his favourite protégé....Sharmila heard about these bets from her uncle so many times before that she was in no mood to listen to them anymore, and considering what happened to that proud mentor, she felt more bitter.

Victor too must have realized what he said and changed the topic.  "Thanks for coming. That too at such a short notice. I know I shouldn't have troubled you, especially after everything that happened, but..."

"You called me because you had no choice!" Sharmila tried hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice as she looked straight into his face for the first time.

And regretted it immediately.

The eyes which were always so sharp and alert now looked lifeless, but it was the devastation and depression in his face that shocked her the most. Is this the same Victor? Every expression on his face and his body movements  were imprinted in her mind, as she got to observe him keenly during her surveillance for the past one year or so.

Never had she seen him looking so vulnerable and weak. Somehow, it made her more angry than pitiful towards him.

"You are right. After what happened, there is no one I can trust in the agency except you. But if you think I called you just for that..." Victor paused and gritted his teeth as he tried to gulp down the overwhelming sense of despair, before he continued.

"... then It's fine. I can understand how you are feeling.  But more than anything,  I wanted to meet you so I could apologise to you just like I did to your family. Nanda Sir came to the Villa to save me and..." Victor stopped as if he couldn't continue any longer and turned his back to her.

From the rise and fall of his broad shoulders, Sharmila could guess how hard he was trying to control himself but everything turned blurry once her eyes welled up.

What a mess they were both in? She wanted to scream, cry and share her sorrow with Victor, but she couldn't.  One thing was for sure, she had no capacity to console anyone at the moment while she was drowning in her own sorrows. She needed space, to breathe and condition her mind. She wanted to run away from there...

She wiped her tears furiously and looked at the painting again. And it reminded her of her uncle who was more of a parent than uncle to her. And she was in no mood to forgive anyone  till her uncle's death is avenged.

"What are you apologising for, exactly?" She turned to face him, but her narrowed eyes showed none of the anguish she felt.

Victor opened his mouth and closed it again. He gulped nervously and began, "You know everything now. Where do I start?"

"Why don't you start from the day you started your vigilante mission against the most powerful drug cartel owners in the country, who ultimately did what they are best at, killing everyone who come in their way? Who asked you to do this daredevil act and risk everyone's lives? How hard did I and Monty tried to persuade you to talk to Nanda Sir, just once, and let him know what you were doing? Did you listen? No!! We were running after you blindly like headless chicken, without any clue what you were up to, and worried sick half the time that you might get into some danger!" Sharmila fumed, as she recalled all those days of clueless surveillance they were doing.

"I went after them all alone because I didn't want any one else to get involved or hurt. Don't you think I know how dangerous DJ or his men were? You should have seen my friend Jishu. He was one of the bravest officers I know, but he had  become a lifeless vegetable now, afraid of his own shadow. That's what these terrible drugs do to you. Someone had to stop those bastards who were ruining innocent families." For the first time since she walked into that room, Sharmila saw his eyes come alive, with fury.

"And if you had listened to Nanda Sir, you would have been  leading the same mission with full agency support and multiple resources at your disposal."

They both were standing so close to each other, their tempers flaring, that they failed to notice Arunya, who entered the room just then.

"Well how would I know that he was going to? Yes I admit, I should have listened to him that day but we had a huge argument about my father just before that, and I was quite disturbed. And the moment I realised I had to work with that stupid Ashwin, I had enough and walked out!"

"Why don't you just admit that you love playing solo, taking all the glory. You were never a team player nor would you ever be. Because that would mean you have to learn to work with your partner or team and listen to your boss. " Sharmila rasped as her nostrils flared.

Victor's eyes widened in shock at her outburst.

"You probably heard this before. You don't have to explain yourself to those who know you, and for those who don't, there is no need to. If this is your opinion of me, then so be it." He said with gritted teeth.

"Of course, what else can I expect? If anyone dares to criticise you, you just ignore them and move on. Do you realize how hollow you sound? And on top of it, you pretend that you are  apologetic for everything! Will this empty apology bring back my uncle?"

Victor's eyes became lifeless and sad again as he stepped back away from her, and folded his arms across the chest.

" I am sorry if my apology sounded so hollow to you, it is nothing but that. And what else can I do right now except apologise? You know I cant come out or be part of IB or investigation of  this case! And I am not sure how much you know, but Nanda Sir was like my father and more dear to me than my own..."

Sharmila cut him short.

"I know very well how much he cared for you and loved you. But not once did you show in your actions or words how much you valued him or his love for you. Every day since that shootout, I have cursed myself for not doing enough to protect him. Do you have any idea how much I regret what I did that day? I should have stopped him from going to the villa, and even if we did, not left him alone, unprotected. I covered for you, so you can escape and reach him first, so that you both can take fare of each other. I should have come to the street earlier. If you really, truly regretted what happened that day, you wouldn't be sitting here depressed and broken. How can you let others run the investigation? How can you rest till you kill that bastard who shot my uncle? Or you are too much of coward to..." Sharmila's voice trembled

"ENOUGH!!"

Arunya's ringing voice startled them both and they turned around to see the otherwise calm woman seething in fury.

"If it wasn't for the fact that you are in a lot of trauma to think or speak clearly, I would have asked you to leave Sharmila! What team or partner are you talking about that my brother didn't care for? He went out of his way to save Ashwin's neck twice, at huge risk to his own life. And look what that guy did? Was it my brother who pulled the trigger on Nanda Sir?  The way you are talking to him...He was ambushed and hunted like an animal. How would you feel if I talk bitterly like you and say that inspite of your best efforts to protect him, my brother still got shot. And if he is alive today it is not because of ...."

"Di!!" Victor's warning tone put a stop to Arunya's angry outburst.

Sharmila felt too incensed to reply to her but she had to. " It is so easy to sit here and defend your brother. I know how it was that day. I was the first to reach the street after the shootout. And when I saw your brother lying unconscious on the road, my heart almost stopped. You don't know how traumatic it was for me. I wanted to resign from my job because I failed miserably but Doval Sir wouldn't let me."

Sharmila felt Victor move closer to her but her eyes were still glued to Arunya's face which broke into a sad smile.

Arunya reached to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Then why cant you understand that my brother is going through the same guilt and depression that you went through? I know he doesn't help himself with his gruff manners but I heard nothing but praise about you from him." Sharmila cast her eyes down, unable to reply. She needed to get out here, to think clearly.

"Di please... Can you just let me speak? I .. I apologise on behalf of my Di. She is too protective of me, you know. I need to explain few things and if you still feel the same way after hearing that,  then... I give up."

Sharmila was in no mood to listen to his excuses.. She wanted out but something, some innate curiosity held her back. She cleared her throat and said instead,  "I... I don't have much time. Monty is covering for me. Frankly speaking I don't trust you or interested in what you got to say. But I am still doing it, because I am not dismissive of my fellow agents, like you."

Victor drew an envelope from his sweat pants.

"Thank you. I wrote everything down in this. If you don't trust me and decide not to read it, destroy it. If you are at least curious to know what is inside, which I bet you are, destroy it after reading it. This is for your eyes only!"

Sharmila grabbed the envelope and left the room in quick strides.

After reaching the safehouse, she shut herself in the toilet and read the two page letter, twice, and then destroyed by setting it to fire with a lighter.

****.

Anosha paid the auto fare at the gates of their apartment block and walked inside, just as Misha parked a red scooter in the parking lot, next to Sam's scooter.

"Hi Anosha!" She greeted with enthusiasm.

"Oh! You drive a scooter too?"Anosha asked.

"Yessss!!  Finally, I was able to convince my Naani to get my scooter here. I ride it regularly in my home town but Naani never allowed me to ride in this "big bad city of Delhi". She is not feeling well  at the moment you know, and that's why our maid has come to stay with me. And thank god for her Illness.... I grabbed my chance while she was still weak, and  argued with her that I cant manage things all by myself and need my scooter. And she had no option but to agree!" Misha laughed aloud.

Anosha observed Misha's face keenly as she spoke. She might be anywhere between twenty one to twenty five years of age but looked much younger, as if she was still in her late teens. And with a mental maturity to match! Who would talk so flippantly about their grandmother's ill health?

She was still lost in her thoughts and didn't pay attention to what Misha was saying.

"Anosha... are u here or lost in some dream world?" Misha's loud  giggles made Anosha mad, all of a a sudden.

"Nothing as such. I just have a bad headache, after working so long at the hospital. What were you asking" She tried her best to hide the irritation in her voice.

"Did you speak to Victor about our Visit?"

"Oh.. that. Yeah, I did. You can visit him tomorrow morning between ten and eleven. But if you have classes, then please don't bother. I will arrange for some other time next week."

"No, tomorrow morning is perfectly fine. We have our first class after lunch tomorrow." Misha beamed at her.

"Oh.. okay then. See you tomorrow at hospital. I have a morning shift. Ask for me when you reach the ward and I will take you along." Anosha gave a curt nod and walked towards her apartment, leaving a perplexed Misha behind, who was left wondering what upset Anosha all of a sudden.
****

Misha and Sam walked excitedly through the hospital corridor but stopped in panic as they watched number of  police guards outside the ward. Sam looked apprehensively at the security around Victor's room as her curiosity and anxiety doubled.

What exactly happened to Victor?
Thankfully, Anosha joined them just then and explained to the police guard that they were Victor's neighbours and took them inside.

Victor was lying on bed and reading a book but the moment he noticed the girls, he threw the book away and smiled at them with sparkling eyes.
Misha left Sam and Anosha behind as she walked quickly to his bedside.

"Hi Misha! Hi Sam!" Victor greeted warmly as his eyes darted between them.

"Hi Victor!!" Both the girls greeted him back simultaneously as Anosha watched them with a smirk.

"How are you? How long do you have to stay here? We were so worried about you know? How did you get these injuries?" Sam bombarded Victor with questions before Misha could open her mouth.

Victor chuckled and then broke into a cough. Anosha reached him in a jiffy and gave a glass of water, which he drank, after thanking her.
"Sorry... all these medicines and masks, make my throat so dry that it is hard to talk after sitting quietly for so long, with no one to speak to. I am absolutely fine Sam. I think I have to be here for few more weeks or if the Dr Ghoshal is kind enough, he might discharge me much before. Unfortunately I cant tell you how I got injured. TOP Secret!!! You have met Anosha right? She is my best friend and an angel in disguise.  But instead of sitting with me and talking to me, she is too busy with her other patients. Who does that to their friends?" Victor asked in mock hurt.

Anosha rolled her eyes and took the water glass away from him. "If I sit with you all day, who is going to do my job or pay me? But I can see how your face is beaming, now that your friends are here. You can talk to them as long as you want till your mouth hurts!" Anosha flicked her finger on Victor's nose.

"Ouch!!" Victor cried and declared "She is just jealous girls!!"

"Jealous my foot!" Anosha fumed.

Before Sam could reply, Misha thought it was better to seize the initiative. "Sam, why don't you ask Anosha to show you where the Canteen is? You said you were hungry as you didn't have any breakfast right?"

Sam looked at Misha's pleading eyes and understood while Anosha's eyes darted between a smirking Victor and his "friend".

"Hmmm yeah. Anosha, can you...?"

"Sure, let's go and leave them together, shall we?" Anosha smiled and led Sam out of the room. Once the door closed behind her, Misha turned her gaze back to Victor.

"So... Is she the girlfriend you kept telling me about?" Misha asked miserably.

"Oh, he told you about me, is it? What else did he say" Anosha asked smoothly as she  strode back into the room, followed by a flustered Sam.

Misha looked at her in embarrassment

"Sorry I forgot my stethoscope here." Anosha said as she picked it up from the bedside table.

"You know Anosha, you will be a fantastic sleuth one day, so subtle!!" Victor mocked.

"I have no such fantasies thank you, I am very happy in my job. You haven't answered me yet Misha? Why are you so silent today?"  Anosha raised her eyebrows.

Misha cleared her throat and said, "Well.. all he said was he had a girlfriend, which frankly speaking , I didn't believe at all. I mean.. who can tolerate such arrogant guy except me?" Misha asked with a wide smile.

"I am with you on this Misha!! Who would indeed ? Let me add this...he is not only arrogant, but also  a bloody cheat!  How can he have me as his girlfriend and get ready to  flirt with you?" Anosha's eyes were glued to Victor's face which he had covered in his palms by then.

"Anyway, you two better catch up while I drop Sam at the Canteen. Come on Sam." Anosha said in an extra cheerful voice and left the room.

Misha waited for a few minutes after they left the room to ensure they wont be disrupted again.

"Hmm.. don't mind Anosha, she loves to pull my leg you know.. So, how have you been Misha?" Victor asked in a husky voice.

"Well....She seemed too serious to be pulling your leg. But don't worry, I can deal with her later.  I was so worried about you, how badly hurt you were... but I am relieved, now that I have seen you." Misha replied sincerely.

"And I was missing you even in my hometown because I haven't seen you for so long!" She added, as she pulled her chair closer to the bed.

"Well you know, my work is like that. I can't tell how long I have to stay away from home once I am on my job"

"So, what happened? Were you doing your detective stuff when you got shot? Please please tell me the exact details  and DONT give me those boring diplomatic answers." Misha pouted.

"Did I tell you I am a detective? Surely not" Victor shook his head.

"Of course you did.. I mean" Misha paused as she racked her brains to remember exactly what Victor said.

"Why don't we talk about something pleasant instead? You know the doctors here advised me to relax and be in a happy zone. Talking about bullets and wounds comes hardly under that. Why don't you tell me about yourself? I hardly know you."

"But you do.. I told you all about me, my family. You are the mysterious one here. Tell me about your family. Where do they live?"

Victor opened his mouth to answer but his face hardened and he briefly closed his eyes. But when he opened them again, they looked kind and charming as ever.

"Well yeah, I do know the some things about you but not in detail. Anyway there is nothing mysterious about me the way you are making it out to be. I have a twin sister, Arunya who lives with my mother here in Delhi, but in a different area. Now, don't ask me why, because that is again a long story and I have no patience to talk about it now.  My father died recently, in fact the same day as I got injured." Victor cast his eyes down.

"Oh god, I am so sorry Victor." Misha enclosed her hands around his warm and smooth hand, and watched his grieving face.  She pressed his hand and hoped that Victor would understand what she couldn't express in words.

"Thanks Misha." Victor too pressed her hands briefly before pulling them away,  just as Dr Ghoshal and Anosha entered the room.

Misha moved to the corner of the room and observed silently as Dr Ghoshal and Anosha checked Victor and suggested some light exercises to strengthen the muscles around the injured areas. He also gave new prescriptions as the previous medication wasn't much effective.

Misha stayed back for some time till Sam returned, and together they left for their classes.

****. 

DJ's house.

A few days later.

After having breakfast with his trusted men, DJ opened the big suitcase and gave them all the gifts that he brought from Turkey. 

Tanvir thanked DJ  profusely for the lovely handcrafted jewellery set.

"Do you think your wife will like it?" DJ asked anxiously.

"Of course Bhai, she will love it." Tanvir's eye sparkled.

"Thank god, I was more tense while I was buying gifts for everyone than making the  arms deal with our supplier. It is never easy to guess what people likes and dislikes are." DJ sighed in relief, and then asked, "Where is Suraj Chacha? I bought his lovely Pashmina Shawl for him."

Just then, Suraj Chacha entered the living room and DJ beamed at him.

"Chacha, I was just asking about you. Look what I got from Turkey for you ..." DJ began to show the shawl excitedly but stopped, as he noticed the worried expression on Chacha's face.

"What's the matter?" He asked sharply.

"DJ I know how excited and happy you are right now, but you need to know this straight away. Can we go into the study and talk? I don't want to ruin the mood of everyone." Chacha hesitated.

"Of course, let's go. Tanvir come with us."

Once they were inside DJ's study, Suraj took a deep breath and announced, "There's been a setback. Some local fishermen found Raju's body and everyone from the Goa local police to IB know about it now. This news came very late to Sharath as he had no one on the inside in that part of Goa. But he called me the moment he knew. From what I understand they still have no clue who he is, but..."

"How the hell did this happen? You were supposed to get rid of the corpse." DJ hissed.

"I am sorry DJ,  I did everything you told me to do. How he survived the shots and the boat fire, I have no idea!" Suraj Chacha exclaimed.

"Bhai, don't worry. Even among our guys, no one knew that Raju had started working for you. So this will never be traced back to you." Tanvir assured him.

"Still, I cant take any risk. Keep an eye on this case Chacha, I want to know exactly what is happening. Who in IB knows about this.?

"Well... Sharath said that Rajiv was in Goa yesterday with ACP Savlekar."

"Okay....  We need to control this guy too, as soon as Ashwin is ready for us." DJ declared.

"Beta, what have you decided about that Doctor Anosha? Do you want me to..."
DJ cut Suraj Chacha short.
"Don't worry Chacha, Tanvir will take care of her. As it is, he is not able to assist me because of all these restrictions. Let him do this in Delhi. You take care of the Goa business."
"Of course, I will do just as you say DJ. And sorry once again about Raju."

"Don't worry Chacha, and I am sorry I snapped. I am doing that a lot nowadays... ever since this stupid Victor guy came into my life. We will sort it out, just like we always do." DJ smiled warmly at Suraj Chacha.

"Come with me. I hope you will like the shawl that I got for you." DJ led them back to the living room.
"Of course I will DJ, because you have a good taste in these things." Suraj Chacha said with a smile.

^=================^

I wrote and rewrote this chapter in a marathon writing session, and now I am truly exhausted.
I hope you find answers to some of the mysteries in the last chapter or may be find new mysteries. Whichever it is, do let me know how you found this chapter, through your comments.

Love
Sesi