Mr. Luthra's deep commanding voice froze me in my position.
Mr. Karthik first exchanged glances with me before speaking to him, "Karan, what is the matter now? Why are you stopping her again?"

Mr. Luthra scooted towards us and halted his wheelchair so near to us. "She can't go anywhere. She is bound to work on the case and I will see to it that she is not insulted by anyone again."

I was still confused with my decision and always preferred to solve the case for him. I had witnessed how terribly horrible and panicking he was the previous night and it was also I who had observed the doubtful activities at the hospital backyard. I was also the one with whom he had shared his fears from his close friends.

I had taken the decision to give up on the case in a haste and I had always been like this since childhood. But deep down in my heart, I still wanted to work for him.

"Can you guarantee it?" Mr. Karthik asked him on my behalf.

"I can and whatever has happened in the span of an entire day was just to examine her abilities. But from now on I promise that nobody will have the guts to insult her in front of me," he spoke in a guilted tone, pangs of guilt already visible in his eyes, the feeling of embarrassment for everything.

"Ms. Arora, I hope your fears are wiped out and you are ready to continue with the case." Mr. Karthik was trying to prompt me to rethink my decision.

"I haven't finished speaking yet, Sir." Mr. Luthra interrupted us again. "Her fears aren't wiped out yet. Her biggest insecurity is that she's not ready to stay under the same roof with some stranger and so I have decided to get married to her in real. It doesn't matter anyways because the public already knows we are married. We'll get divorced once everything is sorted out and I'll put a portion of my properties in her name in the future."

I didn't know if my life was being played with. I had previously decided to live with him and hence, I had no reasons to deny again. My fear from the contempt of the society would also be subsided. As I was awkwardly rotating my eyes to respond him, I saw Mr. Luthra rolling his wheelchair towards me.

He halted a few inches away from me and spoke again, "Have I qualified in finding the perfect solution to your insecurities?"

His gentle convincing tone was enough to melt my agitation. He must be knowing some sort of spell to lure me to his desires. It was also true that he wouldn't accept any refusal again. He wasn't in his peace of mind and his mood often swung periodically, though it was easily predictable that he wasn't a bad person at heart.

"I really wanted to help you in solving the case and keep your life safe. I don't need anything from you. We'll keep the marriage signed in papers and after my duty is over, I'll leave without a word. I'm already bound to this case because of the letter Mr. Karthik had forwarded to my department. The approval may also arrive anytime soon," I replied in a professional tone while Mr. Karthik's chuckling tone reached my ears.

Things were taking place in quick successions when I heard Mr. Karthik instantly giving a call to his lawyer on Mr. Luthra's orders and fixed the appointment at eight o'clock. By ten o'clock, the formalities of signing the marriage registration papers were completed, with Mr. Karthik becoming the sole witness to our secretive marriage.

________

Becoming Mrs. Luthra wasn't easy at all. Mr. Karthik might have taken the exit from Luthra villa after dinner but I was still struggling to control the amateur emotions. It was the feeling of a newly married woman who was going to spend her first night with her husband, a husband based on certain conditions for solving a case.

I put him on the bed and fetched the medicines again. The drugs showed it's rapid action, eventually drowsing him to sleep. Switching off the lights to the bedroom, I lit only the lampshade in the corner. I was determined not to repeat my folly by falling to sleep again. I was supposed to be his protector while he was fast asleep.

Taking a book from the shelves, I chose to pass the time reading it. It was the story of a little orphan and his efforts to get established in life. I was amazed to discover Mr. Luthra's love for such novels and his collections of books were mind blowing.

It was half past midnight and I could hear the slight snoring of Mr. Luthra in sleep. A serene pallor was noticeably visible over his cheeks and forehead, his pale face was shining under the bright light of the lampshade. He shifted his position in sleep, moaning softly. Tears trickled down from the corners of his eyes, giving me hints of his disturbed mind while dreaming something dreadful.

The clock struck at two and I yawned. It was late night and the world around me was slumbering in their homes. There was the prevalence of a mystic silence and my thoughts began to venture out in the dark. Moving out of the bed, I stood by the window, gazing at the brilliantly sparkling stars. The soothing atmosphere was providing solace and a lukewarm breeze brushed against my soft skin. I folded my arms across my chest and blankly stared at the twinkling stars for a while.

A lone tear escaped my eyes when I recalled the faces of my parents who were already dwelling among the stars in Heaven. I was the only child to my parents and lost both of them when I was in the first year of my medical degree. They had breathed their last after succumbing to a major street accident while returning from a temple in the South of India. I was left to live all alone in the hostel since the mishap before completing my degree and renting a new apartment after becoming a reputed doctor.

Today was the day when I found the temporary reason to call someone as a family after my parents had left me. It was my husband of conditions but I would always cherish the contractual marriage with him. Wishing to work for the poor and the destitutes of my country, I had never planned of getting married in life.

It was the dream of my parents so that I grew up to be someone who would stand for the general public. Today, I was established as a doctor for the commoners but my parents had gone unending miles away from me. But I still believed that they were sending me blessings from the Heaven above and I used to feel them among the stars every night.

As I stood wondering alone in the dark, I heard his soft whispers again. He was lying on the edge of the bed with his arms hanging loosely outside of it. I held his hands against my bosom and pushed him carefully, minding his wounds. As I laid his head on the soft pillow again, he unconsciously clasped my palms into his. His lips were inaudibly murmuring something, giving me negative vibes. I decided to speak about it to Mr. Karthik the following day.

-----

-----

I did not remember how the night passed. When the daylight broke, I found my eyes tightly squeezed into deep slumber and my fingers intertwined with his. I had fallen asleep next to him on the bed with my head resting against his pillow.

When I giddily opened my eyes, I found Mr. Luthra already staring at me. His face looked highlighted just in front of my face and his careful gaze shivered me from within. I had fallen asleep even after trying very hard not to, and I now needed to face the consequences. With a confused look on my face, I managed to raise my eyebrows at him.

I felt relaxed when his lips broke into a beautiful smile. "Good morning, Preeta."

He genuinely wished me without any rage and I saw that he was sitting upright on the bed. He must have definitely laid my head over his own pillow when I was still fast asleep.

"Eh... Good morning." I almost whispered while he chuckled. I jerked my head backwards because of his confusing gesture.

"You must be wondering how you were sleeping here and why I didn't scold you..." He wiggled his eyebrows in an amusing way, confusing me all the more again.

"I didn't do it intentionally.. I mean I'm sorry for accidentally falling asleep.. I..."

"Don't apologize Preeta, you did a commendable job by trying to stay awake last night. I know you were tired and it wasn't possible for you to remain without sleep for the entire night. Being a responsible professional, you decided to sleep beside me by clutching my palms so that you could have protected me if anything happened. I appreciate you for the thought."

He was praising me for the first time since we had met and words refused to escape my mouth. But he was mistaken, it was he who had caught hold of my palms in sleep and I didn't put efforts to detach from him. Whatever it was, he was beginning to gain trust on me, making my task easier to accomplish.

A sudden knock on the door broke our little better conversation and I moved out of the bed randomly, the fear of someone banging on his door preoccupying my mind. With smaller baby footsteps, I took gradual strides before watching through the eyepiece of the wooden door. As soon as I saw Mr. Karthik waiting on the other side, I flung the door open and he greeted us with a wide smile.

"Had a good sleep both of you?" Mr. Karthik winked at us. His humour was sometimes too difficult to understand and we stared blankly at one another.

"I... Mr. Karthik... Good morning... " Nervousness and embarrassment were stinging my skin like bees and I pressed my lips together before exchanging a short glance with Mr. Luthra.

Mr. Karthik was quick enough to read the expressions of dilemma on our faces. "I was kidding Ms. Arora... Sorry Mrs. Luthra. Please calm your agitated nerves."

I let out a deep sigh. Mrs. Luthra was a big tag and I already hated it. "You are here early in the morning only to embarrass me!"

"I am here to help Karan with his personal chores, otherwise who will get Karan ready in fresh clothes after a shower? His wounds are too detrimental to get cured anytime soon. He needs someone to help him out and I think you don't want to be the option for him." Mr. Karthik was being humorous again and I turned my gaze lower  to the floor, a feeling of cheeky blush appearing on my skin.

"I am going to the pantry to check on the breakfast. Please join me later." I excused myself without meeting any of their gaze, rushed out of the room and ran all the way to the kitchen of the Luthra house.

_________

We completed out breakfast by nine  in the morning and I tried hard not to meet eyes of any of the male members seated at the same dining table as I was. The floral fragrance of Mr. Luthra's after shave and neat shower was already creating the havoc of palpitations within me as he sat across the table chewing on the lettuce sandwich. He was wearing a flannel brown T-shirt and grey tracksuits, his upper arm muscles flexing as he rested his hands on the table.

I was trying hard not to notice or study his striking features, scared of the chocolaty gaze of his brilliant brown eyes that could attract me to him at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

It was only when Mr. Karthik unknowingly came to my rescue, calling me by my new last surname and I instantly moved out of my heartfelt imaginations.

"Mrs. Luthra, we've arranged for a meeting in Karan's workroom after breakfast. I have some important matters to discuss and his workroom seems to the safest place in this entire house."

I simply nodded my head. "Even I need to talk to you about something, Mr. Karthik."

Before joining them for the meeting, I fetched Mr. Luthra's morning dose of medicines and followed them to the safest room of the house. It was a soundproof four walled room with no provision for eavesdropping by any passerby and I was impressed with the serenity of the place.

The room was lit up with a bright and narrow chandelier in the middle of the ceiling and a few mini bulbs were glowing in each of the well defined corners. A round table made of teak was placed in the center with four creaking chairs arranged around it's circumference, giving the room a vivid look. It reminded me of the archaic chambers in the tales of the historical kings and Mr Luthra's bungalow seemed to have been built in the ancient era.

The chairs were creaking every time we motioned on them, breaking the concentration of the discussion each time. Mr. Karthik shifted the metalled candlestand to the empty chair next to him in annoyance and initiated the conversation.

"We are on a secret mission and I have deliberately planted Mrs. Luthra here. She is an apt lady when it comes to observing uncanny events taking place around us. She has earlier solved the mysteries of a few highly adept crafty criminals, precociously passing on every information to me."

"I do realize that she is also an able doctor." I heard Mr. Luthra agreeing next to me, giving birth to proud butterflies inside my stomach.

Mr. Karthik laughed before continuing, "During one of the massive encounters, she had even hurt herself to save me. Basically, she is the only one whom I can trust more than my colleagues. We needed a
doctor-cum-spy for you and we have found the two-in-one package in her. Am I right?"

I clasped my palms together in discomfort because I knew Mr. Karthik's humours would never come to an end and he would do anything to coax me into doing things in his favour. When I found Mr. Luthra shifting his eyes passionately towards me, I knew my cheeks had already started blushing with all the unnecessary praises.

To be honest, I was entirely doing things for the betterment of the public and not for any personal gains to earn poetical praises from others. I solely loved to get indulged into social issues for the benefits caused to the needy and the underprivileged norms of the society as a whole.

But who could take the effort to explain Mr. Karthik, someone who loved me more than any foster father would?

_________

To be continued...