" If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

"Can you please tell me, what you are searching like a mad woman from past one hour?", Bella grumbled.

"Shit! where did I keep it?", I mumbled annoyed.

"And you two", I pointed towards Otto & bella, "can you both stop irritating me please. I'm losing my mind here", I said massaging my numb neck.

"What did I do now ? I'm just standing here. It's her who is croaking like a dying frog in a well", Otto said  defensively.

"Are you indirectly implying that I have a frog's voice?", Bella gasped like it was the most unbelievable thing that she heard in her whole life.

"No. I didn't tell you indirectly. But in fact, I told it on your face that your voice is ugly  just like a frog's", he said in a serious tone.

"Aggh!!! I hate you. I seriously regret the day that I met your ugly ass", she screamed in high-pitched tone.

"That I'm doing from the past 15 years baby", he said in an amused tone.

I nearly chocked at his words.

Baby?  Now it's getting interesting.

Bella's face turned red at his words, as she threw a pen holder at him before stomping out with rosy cheeks.

His lips tilted up as he stared at her disappearing figure. His smile wiped off as quickly as it came, as he saw my face.

"What was that?", I raised my brows.

"Nothing", he replied within seconds even before I completed my words.

"Seriously Otto?, I have known you guys all my life. And I will know it, if there is something strange in my bestfriend's behavior", I said.

"You are thinking too much, Ira. There is nothing going on between us", he said as if trying to convince himself.

"And in my whole conversation, when did I ever mention that, there is something going on between you two", i stared at him  challengingly.

"N.... no...I didn't mean that", he stammered,  "Ok,  will you please stop with the interrogation now and continue with your search", he said clearly trying to change the topic.

"Ok, I will drop the matter for now. But remember, truth cannot be hidden for long. It comes out sooner than you even realize", I huffed.

"Alright, Ms.doctor turned philosopher, Now will you please tell me, what were you searching  for", he asked giggling  slightly.

"I'm searching for the key that was with my locket, but I don't know where it's gone". I breathed out, now searching through the cup-boards in dad's study.

"Are you sure you kept it here?", he asked doubtfully.

"I'm not sure, Otto. I just remember there was a key with my locket & that day when I took my locket, I threw it somewhere", I mumbled.

"Where did you find your locket?", He asked.

"In this drawer", I pointed out towards the locker of dad's table.

He moved towards the locker searching in it. He evacuated the files and papers kept in it searching through each of those.

"Its here", I exclaimed as the key fell from one of those files.

"Finally, we got it", Otto said.

"I love you, my dear friend", I hugged him before moving towards the door to get out.

Someone barged  it open from the other side, even before I could get hold of the handle.

"Ow! Who is that?", Otto mumbled.

Uncle Brij entered inside & he was as surprised as we were to see us inside.

"Ira, child. What were you doing here early in the morning", he asked.

What should I tell him now? 

'Lie to him as u always do'. My mind said.

'NO.  I won't lie always', I retorted.

"I...it's nothing uncle. I was just showing our home to Otto", I said smiling nervously.

"Is it ?", he scrutinized me carefully with his hawk eyes.

"Umm.... ye..yeah", I mumbled hiding the key behind my back.

"Are you trying to hide something from me, dear", now he asked sternly.

"No, Uncle. Why will I do that?" I frowned at his unusual tone.

His face relaxed , as he put on a gentle smile, "You are like my own daughter, Ira. I just worry about you". he said patting my head.

My nerves relaxed at that.

"Of course Uncle, I know you love me like your own child. But, there is nothing to worry about me", I assured hugging him before we left study.

"You love your Uncle too much, right?", Otto questioned me as we moved down the staircase.

"Of course, I do. He is the father figure to me", I said remembering Uncle's constant love & support to me, from the day dad passed away.

"Hmm", he mumbled before continuing,  "but don't you feel like he pours too much of love on you. Infact I have never seen him so close to his own son, Darsh", he mumbled lowly.

"Now, what do you mean by that?", my brows furrowed in confusion.

"Of course he loves me more than Darsh. And the thing about Darsh.......
.....well, you know how he is", I huffed remembering  my cousin, who was hell bent to marry me ......in his dreams.

"Whatever you say.....", he mumbled not yet satisified by my reasoning.

"Oh! Look who we here.", hita chirped excitedly as she ran towards me, engulfing me in her arms.

"Ow!! Calm down my queen. You are really blocking my windpipe with your strong grip", I said laughing at her enthusiasm.

"Oh! Sorry", she released me laughing sheepishly.

"But, I really missed you so much", she said innocently dragging me towards the hall.

"Can't you quit being a drama queen even for a day?", Adi commented not looking away from his laptop.

"Tells the man, who was glancing at the door from past half-an-hour & even going as far as to shift his work from study to hall", she mocked.

"I didn't", Adi snapped his head- up from the laptop.

"Of course bro.  Your cheeks haven't turned red now", she remarked.

Adi touched his cheeks suddenly & took out his phone to confirm it, at the same time Hita let out an uncontrolable laugh.

"Omg....Omg.......bro, did u really believe my words? Let me take a snap of this moment now", she continued making fun of him.

"You little devil, get lost before I get hold of you", Adi warned her, as she quickly ran upstairs.

"Nuisance......"  he muttered under his breath

"And no funny business in home please, grandpa may come any minute", she shouted from upstairs.

"Stop reading too many wattpad novels, you are really getting spoiled these days", Adi voiced out .

"She is really too cute", I grinned at his pissed face.

"Cute my ass" , he grumbled.

"Now see, who is getting spoiled here", Hita said peeping from upstairs before running  towards her room.

I tried to push back the laughter that was raising in my throat, but I could not hold it back seeing his grumpy face.

"Why are you making those faces now?", he asked irritated.

"Me? No, not at all. Why will I laugh at your sexy face?", my words slipped past my lips before I could realize them.

A big big mistake.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you for the first time,  can you please repeat it", he tilted his head, with a smug grin.

The narcissistic- jerk.

"I said you are ugly. Now if u finally heard, can u show me where the chest is?", I asked sarcastically.

"Ofcourse darling, lead the way. It's in my study", he gestured dramatically.

"Hmmm", I muttered climbing on the stairs, as he followed me closely. I could smell his strong cologne in the air from behind.

"Glad to know that, you think I'm sexy", he whispered behind me.

My breath skipped & I missed a step, falling backwards, but he held onto my shoulders, straightening me as his lips twitched with a mocking smirk.

"What happened darling?", he asked biting his lips to control his smile.

My face contorted at him,  he is clearly mocking  me.

"Nothing, leave me now", I pushed his hand away giving him a dirty look as I  climbed the stairs quickly with a scowl on my face.

"Remember not to fall often, as I may not be present everywhere to catch you", he said teasing me as he followed behind me.

"You wish", I muttered my lips twitching as a light smile appeared  on my face.

I stood near the huge desk, sending silent prayers as Adi inserted the key to open the chest.

I heard a clicking voice, as my nerves danced at excitement to find what's inside the box.

"Did it get opened?", I asked him eagerly.

"Hmm", he said lifting up the top lid of the chest.

"It's too stiff to lift", he groaned.

Something glittered in the box, as the room brightened at the intensity of its shine.

It was glowing like it is finally out of dark chest, and could see the light outside.

"What's inside?", I enquired moving towards it.

"No.. don't", Adi held me back.

"Why?"

"See at the intensity in which it's shining. I don't think it's safe to touch it with bare hands. Remember what happened to me when I touched that strange idol ", he said.

"Yeah, it's true. So what to do now?", I asked.

"First, we can try touching this in some cloth or wood", he said grabbing the nearby piece of cloth and  putting on the book.

As nothing strange happened, he finally took out the book from the chest.

It had atleast 1000 pages in it, looking at its enormous size.

"It has compass lobe on it", I mumbled.

"And what's this glass bottle?", I wondered taking it out from its pockets.

"Leave it, we don't have any use of it right now, let's open the book", Adi grabbed the bottle that had some transparent liquid in it and kept back in the box.

"Alright",I agreed & opened the lock of the book to see some divine geometric shape on its front page.

"Shit! It's same again. The different language", Adi cursed seeing the weird language written in the book.

"I think Stuti can help us out. She is an archeologist & has degree in dialectology", I said with no options left.

"Then what are you waiting for, call her", he advised.

"Ok, I just wanted to keep her out of all this, as only a week is left out for her marriage", I huffed. " but anyway now we don't have any choice, I will call her".

"What's going on here Ira & why are you here?", she furrowed her brows deeply staring at Adi and I alternatively.

"It's nothing sis, don't freak out now, I will explain you".
    

  
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"Ok, let me see if  I can understand anything ",  she said. "But you both have lots of explanations to make after", she said glaring at me.

"Oh, I  love you sis. I knew you will agree to help us", I hugged her.

"Enough  now, pass me the book", she said cutting off my rant.
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"Each part of the book is written in different verses, some pages are direct & some other are in complect codes form", she said examining the old pages.

The front page had two lines below the geometric shape.

Stuti read it

"If u have finally found this, then it's the time."

"Protect it from reaching the hands of  evil".

𝙿𝚕𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 , 𝚅𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙸𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎