Prabir left bidding goodbye to both Ms. Nalini and Bhawani.

Dhruv was eagerly waiting for him, excited to know what happened. Prabir quickly told," Everything went according to plan" and swiftly walked past him to the guest room where Mayank was still seated beside his mother.

"Mayank. Can you call up your men and ask them to show up an hour later? There are a few important things I need to discuss with you and considering their high level of intelligence and IQ, I don't want to involve them in this discussion," Prabir said sarcastically.

"Yeah! Sure," Mayank said instantly and called up his men informing them to show up an hour later.

Prabir looked straight into Mayank's eyes and began," Mayank your father isn't a fool. He will find out that you are behind your mother's disappearance.

He would do anything to keep her as a hostage as both... you and your mother are a threat to him now.

If your mother recovers, she may expose him.

You have already been rebellious, trying to go against your father to protect her.

And the best way to punish you is to confine her, so that you don't act up against him.

You will go back to Rimpson. Dhruv won't be staying here for long.

I am NOT omnipotent or omnipresent. I can't take the responsibility of safekeeping your mother."

"What do you suggest Prabir?" Mayank asked cautiously.

"You might not like my suggestion but the only thing you can do to save your mother is..." He paused for a while thinking deeply and concluded," You need to expose your father as soon as possible.

Now, you already know that he doesn't care about your mother at all. If he gets a hold on her, he will torture her again mercilessly and make you dance for him like a mere puppet.

He knows you too well and you know almost nothing about him, which is already a great setback. We don't have much time left to sit and make a decision.

I know and understand it is hard for you as a son to expose your own father but... I guess this is the only option we have."

"Who will trust me?" Mayank chuckled. " If I claim that my father is responsible for my mother's condition, my father will surely leave no stone unturned in proving that I am crazy and even Maa is unable to speak."

No wonder his father never cared if he was detained in a class, passed the exams or failed and even has three men following him like shadows everywhere he goes, were the thoughts surfacing in Prabir's mind.

"From where will you arrange the money needed for your mother's treatment?" Prabir enquired crossing his arms across his chest.

Mayank stared at him blankly for sometime and then looked away.

He hadn't even thought about it once. All he wanted was to save his mother and rushed to reach out to Prabir for help. Somehow, he knew Prabir was the only person who could help him and trusted him more than anyone else.

He had friends, he could have asked for help but couldn't trust them to understand his situation as he had always portrayed that he had a very close and amicable relationship with his father.

Prabir analysed him carefully and said softly," Mayank. Keya is no more and we have to save your mother.

She doesn't deserve to be treated like this.

Bhargu has some evidence that might prove that your father is mis-utilizing his influence...to do some really bad and nefarious activities.  

We would have waited to gather some more evidence against him, but that will be inappropriate in the present context.

Your father can not only harm your mother but also my family.

Yes! It's a harsh reality that he will end up in jail but I promise to help you pay your school fees as well as your mother's treatment.

No more lives should be sacrificed for HIS sake Mayank.

However, if you try to double-cross me and help your father in anyway, I swear I'll bring hell on Earth... both for you and your father," Prabir warned brutally and left.

He sank down on the sofa in the living room and called up Raghav.

' Hello!'

' Yes! Hello Prabir. How are you?'

'Bhaiya I need your help.' Prabir said straight forward without any hesitation or formalities.

' Could you please call up Ms. Nalini and tell her that Bhargavi will be staying at your place?
She has to leave for some urgent work for a week and her Maa won't grant her permission.'

'Where is Mini going?'

'She needs to go to Rimpson and will be staying in one of her colleague's place.'

' She will be missing classes for an entire week?'

' Umm...Yes! She said it is urgent.
She has already left and for some reason is unable to receive her phone. Ms. Nalini is really anxious and worried.

Bhargavi wanted to call you up herself but was a bit nervous if you would agree to cover her up.'

' Okay! I understand. I'll call her,' Raghav said and disconnected the ongoing call.

Prabir was relieved that Raghav didn't probe regarding Bhargavi - Why did she have to leave urgently? With whom would she be staying?

Prabir could hear Bhargavi's phone  ring a minute later. He would be happy if it were a call from Bhawani or Ms. Nalini but it was a call from Raghav.

Howbeit, he couldn't receive the call and knew Bhargavi would mess up as she was a horribly bad lier.

Prabir went upstairs with Bhargavi's phone in his pocket silently. Dhruv was amazed at how Prabir tried to manage the situations calmly but waited in the living room. He perched on that sofa and switched on the TV.

Prabir knocked on the door softly waiting for Parul to open the door, but Bhargavi herself opened the door instead.

"Where's Paru?" Prabir inquired.

"I asked her to go and rest in her room," Bhargavi replied bluntly.

"Bhargu. Raghav Bhaiya was calling you.
I had called him up and asked him to cover up for you. I requested him to call up Maa and tell her that you will be staying at your father's place for a week.

I informed him that you have left for Rimpson due to some urgent work and didn't ask for Maa's permission as she won't let you go," Prabir explained patiently.

Bhargavi took her phone from his hand and called up Raghav immediately.

'Hello Bhaiya!'

' Hello Miss Mini! Where are you? Prabir told me that you left for Rimpson.'

' Yes! Bhaiya. I need to attend a workshop on Feature writing. In this workshop they will teach us how to approach key people or the experts and conduct interviews to discover the previously unseen perspective of any event, issue or a person.

It is really important for me but Maa won't let me go if I tell her. Please help me Bhaiya. Please.'

No doubt Raghav was convinced and agreed to help. Prabir stared at her in awe.

"Wow! You are a pretty good lier it seems," Prabir smirked.

"I can lie to anyone but not you and Maa," Bhargavi admitted.

"So you are planning to retain me in your possession for an entire week?" Bhargavi grinned.

"You fool! Why did you let Maa hit you like this? Why didn't you stop her?" Prabir enquired quietly.

"I did. I did try to stop her...from...from hitting my face and this wound," Bhargavi sighed looking down on her stabbed belly.

"Why did you let her hit you in the first place Bhargu?" Prabir chortled at her cute expressions, as she pouted.

"Well, if she gains pleasure in my pain then be it," she mumbled.

"And what about me Bhargu? Why do you always have to throw me out of the equations?" Prabir quizzed rolling his eyes.

She raised herself on her toes and pecked him softly on his lips.

"I never threw you out of any equation Prabu. You are the only person I told...that I was stabbed.

Yesterday itself I wanted to tell you... but the day had ended on such a sweet note, I didn't want to ruin it.

Maa has some special LOVE for me and she likes to hit me every now and then. What do I do? Huh!" Bhargavi chuckled.

"She thinks you were working as a bar dancer," Prabir added making Bhargavi dissolve into a fit of giggles.

She marked Prabir's knuckles were bruised purplish in colour and instantly felt that he had picked up a fight with the person who had stabbed her.

She held his palm and asked," How did this happen?"

He kissed her softly, wanting to divert her attention.

"If you are bribing me to keep my mouth shut, let me tell you that isn't happening," Bhargavi said tersely.

" Yes! I had a fistfight but not with the person who stabbed you.

I hit my knuckles on the wall wanting to punish myself for not being able to protect you," Prabir blurted out with disgust.

"What have you done Prabu?" Bhargavi asked alarmed.

"Why? You can get stabbed and beaten so brutally... This...this is nothing in comparison to what you are going through," Prabir said heatedly.

"I didn't do any of this to myself Prabu. I was stabbed and I was beaten up.

I did not intentionally harm or injure myself," she returned spitefully.

He cupped her face and mumbled," I am sorry Bhargu. I had lost my mind, when I saw what Maa..." He paused as streams of water gushed out of his eyes.

She wiped off his tears with her fingers and cheerfully said," Oh! Please stop crying like a baby now.
I already had a hard time finding a way to stop Paru from wailing."

He wanted to desperately hold her close, firmly in his arms but that would only leave her with a massive pain.

She understood his dilemma and hugged him tight even though it hurt her.

"Bhargu. Don't! You are hurting yourself," Prabir yelped and stepped back.

"No! No. I am not hurting. It's my paradise," she sighed softly as Prabir already had taken a few steps back and stood at a distance from her.

He turned around and lifted up his t-shirt to remove the paper envelope he had been carrying with him all this while.

"Your meds Bhargu," He said and placed it on the study table.

"What will you like to have for dinner ?" He asked merrily.

"Stop staring at me Bhargu. Do I look like a snack?" Prabir chortled after a while as Bhargavi kept staring at him.

Albeit, she was staring at him but her mind was in a completely different world.

On one hand she wanted to know what her mother was doing, if she was upset and had been crying while on the other, she wanted not to be bothered about her any more.

A wave of fury crashed through her and she was determined not to enquire about her mother.

"I lost my appetite," she blurted out angrily.

"Where are you lost Bhargu? Tell me what you want to have for dinner," He asked again.

" I will tell you, only if you let me help you in kitchen," She replied back seriously.

"Bhargu. You need to rest. I can't let you help me okay!" He grimly said.

"You look so tired Prabu.

Fine! At least ask Dhruv to help you out, you have also hurt your knuckles.

Make anything for me you feel like making, but don't go overboard and start making several dishes as if I am a starving monster and haven't eaten in years," Bhargavi muttered.

Prabir shook his head amazed that even now she had the sense of humor to make him laugh.

"Prabu," she called his name before he left and he swiftly turned around to face her.

"I am starving Prabu. Apart from being thrashed, till it filled up my stomach's entire content, I haven't eaten anything since I returned from college.

I wanted to tell Paru but she's like a smoke alarm. It's hard to tell if I just burned the toast or if the whole house is set on fire.

And I don't know whether Maa and Bhawani have eaten anything yet," Bhargavi rattled on.

"I'll bring something quick.
Don't worry Bhargu, Raghav Bhaiya will call Maa. I told him that she is anxious and worried about you," Prabir said gladly and ran downstairs.

A/N: Hey everyone!

Hope you enjoyed reading this update.

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Thank you all!!