Chapter- 31

The air tensed instantly. Eshita stopped in her tracks as she noticed the commissioner standing in their house. It wasn’t new, her father and the man were friends, but him being there in uniform, flanked by two inspectors and a sub-inspector, didn’t set well with her. Her gut twisted uneasily.

“What’s wrong, Satish?” Virendra addressed his friend, but the grave look on his face immediately told him this wasn’t a casual visit.

Satish glanced at his officer, giving them a silent nod before forwarding a small evidence bag.

“This gun… is it yours, Virendra?” Satish asked carefully.

Virendra took the bag. His expression hardened slightly as he nodded. “Yes… Where did you find this and what happened?”

Satish sighed heavily. “I checked its license and ownership before coming here, and now that you’ve confirmed it too… you willl have to come with me.”

“But why?” Ekansh stepped forward immediately. “Where are you taking Dad? Kya hua hai?”

Satish pulled out a photograph, showing it to the family. “This man… do you know him?”

Virendra shook his head. So did Ekansh.

“He’s in the hospital. Shot at close range." Satish’s tone remained professional, "His condition is critical. As per the forensic team, it was your gun found on the crime scene and the bullet recovered from his body too. So you will have to come with us. We need to match fingerprints and complete questioning as you are the prime suspect for now.”

“But Dad ghar se bahar gaye hi nahi gaye hai kaafi time se,” Ekansh stated firmly. “If you want, you can check the CCTV footage of our house. He’s been home because of his health issues. Ho sakta hai kisi ne gun chura ke use ki ho. Just because the weapon belongs to Dad doesn’t mean he did something.”

Satish nodded calmly. “I am not saying your father did something wrong, Ekansh. But right now, he’s the only lead we have. We have to follow procedure. Once the fingerprints are out, everything will become clear. I am not arresting your father. I am just taking him in for questioning.”

Eshita stiffened at the back while her brother tried to stop them from taking their father away. Arrest or not, it didn’t matter. Their father wasn’t in a condition to handle stress, and neither of them wanted to take even the slightest risk.

However, realization suddenly struck her. It was her who had used his gun last time. During the riots. Maybe the gun had slipped from her hands in the jungle and someone picked it up afterward. Whatever happened now… it was because of her.

She took a step forward to confess, but Virendra’s words stopped her.

“I will come with you,” He said calmly. “I want to talk to my children first. Can you please wait outside? I will come myself.”

Satish nodded before walking away with his officers. Virendra was his friend, but duty came before emotions.

“You don’t have to go anywhere, Dad,” Eshita blurted out the moment the commissioner stepped outside.

She rushed toward his side. “It was me… Last month, riots ke time. Mere haathon se shayad aapki gun jungle mein gir gayi thi. And someone picked it up. I don’t know what went wrong, but you don’t have to go anywhere.” Fear laced her voice. “I will tell them what happened. They will understand..."

“You won’t tell anyone about this.” Virendra cut her off firmly. “This isn’t about misunderstanding anymore, Esha. Someone is close to death. If my fingerprints aren’t on the gun, the case will close around me and the police will look for the real culprit. But the moment you say that weapon was with you, they will drag you into the investigation and I won’t allow my daughter to step inside a police station.”

Eshita shook her head desperately and looked toward her brother. “Bhaiya… aap samjhao na inhe. It’s not a big deal. Police aach dhundhti hai na… why would they unnecessarily involve me?”

“Because they need proof, Eshu,” Ekansh's tone gente, “Right now, all they have is Dad’s licensed weapon. Agar tune kuch kaha toh sab tere upar ayega. Whether you did something or not won’t matter until they find the real criminal. Till then, you will become the main suspect. Let Dad handle this. I am going with him. Kuch nahi hoga.”

Virendra patted her head and turned to leave. He would never allow his daughter to carry something like this on her shoulders. If he had known earlier about the missing gun or Eshita using it, he would’ve erased every trace himself.

“That man… I drove my car over him.”

Silence crashed into the room.

Virendra stopped dead in his tracks and turned toward his daughter in shock. The car keys nearly slipped from Ekansh’s hands too stunned to process what she had just confessed.

Eshita’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Uss din waha raste par bahut saare aadmi the. Mein darr gayi thi. I-I tried to make them step back… but none of them moved. I just drove the car ahead and one of them came in front… and it was him. Jiski photo abhi commissioner ne dikhayi. I didn’t shoot him. I don’t even know what happened to him… was he alive or not. Mein bas waha se bhaag..." Her voice choked.

Ekansh instantly pulled her into his warmth, his worried gaze meeting his father’s equally shaken one. He hadn’t known this part. His sister had told him everything about that night, how she escaped, how she saved herself and Ekta, but she never mentioned this. Maybe she had been too terrified to even say it aloud.

Virendra stepped forward and gently pulled his daughter toward himself. Cradling her face, he wiped away the tears from her cheeks. “Aapne Papa par bharosa hai?”

Eshita nodded without missing a beat.

Virendra leaned forward and kissed her forehead tenderly. “Then let me handle this. No one is allowed to touch you while I am alive. I will deal with this and close the matter forever.”

Eshita shook her head weakly. “I was wrong. Mujhe usse ek baar dekhna chaiye tha. I drove my car over him…”

“And you did right,” Ekansh interjected sharply, resting a protective hand on her shoulder. “A man who looks at a woman with filthy intentions is nothing but a cowardly animal. Kindness is good, Eshu, but not at the cost of your safety. You did what was right for yourself and Ekta. Even if he dies, that’s on him... not you.”

Eshita looked back at her father helplessly. “What if the police find out about me? Road par CCTV bhi the… they can find some clues and..."

“I will buy them off if I have to,” Virendra stated coldly.

Eshita gasped softly. “Dad…”

Virendra stepped closer, his voice turning dangerously calm. “You won’t talk about this to anyone. Whatever you just said… stays between us. For the world it.... never happened. I will take care of everything. Am I clear, Eshita?”

Eshita gave a small reluctant nod. She couldn't bring herself to go against her father’s command. It was both her greatest weakness and strongest comfort, the unwavering trust she placed in the man she respected the most.

Virendra walked away, knowing his son would follow after calming Eshita down first. For now, he would cooperate with the police. They wanted fingerprints? Fine. But he would make sure everything ended with him. No one was allowed to even raise a finger toward his daughter. She had only done what he and his wife had always taught their children, protect yourself first. Fight back before the world crushes you. He was proud of his child.

If he had known the full truth earlier, he would have hunted down every single man who dared to terrify his daughter that night. But perhaps, It still wasn’t too late.

Eshita looked at Ekansh, “Bhaiya… dad…”

“Dad ko kuch nahi hoga.” Ekansh pulled her closer reassuringly, “I will call Vikram. If things get messed up, he will take care of everything. They just found fingerprints on the gun, nothing else. Don’t worry and calm down.”

Eshita hugged him, burying her face in his warmth. Her heart knew her father would be fine. It was rare for him to use guns as security always followed him, but even if situations demanded it, he always wore hand gloves before touching any weapon. The chances of them finding Virendra’s fingerprints were almost zero, yet her brain trapped in fear refused to think logically anymore.

Ekansh cradled her face gently. “I want to go behind them. Tu apna aur Ekta ka khayal rakhegi? I promise I will update you on everything regularly.”

Eshita nodded, stepping back reluctantly.

Ekansh picked up the car keys, hurrying away. He trusted his sister to take care of herself and Ekta. For now, his mind was elsewhere.

It had been a month since the riot incident. How did someone suddenly find the gun now, and more importantly, how did the matter directly reach the police? There was something big he was missing, and that didn’t sit well with him.

Either the one behind everything knew about their family’s involvement and this was some revenge from their business rivals… or something far more dangerous was slowly unfolding beneath the surface. And before things turned ugly beyond repair, he had to find out the truth.

✨✨✨

Ekta stared at Eshita blankly, her eyes following the girl like a pendulum from one side to another, completely unable to understand what exactly she was doing. It had been an hour since she woke up from her slumber. The medicines the doctor prescribed were doing magic on her; she had slept peacefully without twitching or waking up from nightmares after years.

It was almost eight. Not finding Ekansh beside her, she had rushed out of her room to find him only for Eshita to tell her that he was out with their father. She had tried returning back to her room, but Eshita stopped her, asking her to sit with her rather than being alone in the room.

The request surprised her. Eshita never initiated conversations or tried making anyone comfortable around her, so what brought the sudden change, she wondered.

However, now her annoyance has reached its peak. The girl dancing before her was giving Ekta feet ache. Can’t she sit for sometime?

Mary, the head chef, walked out of the kitchen holding a tray of sandwiches and hot chocolate for both the girls.

She glanced at Eshita before placing the tray on the table. “Have them, Eshita. You need to eat something. Tumne subah se kuch nahi khaya hai.”

Eshita shook her head. “I am not hungry,” she mumbled, glancing at her phone waiting for her brother’s message.

It had been hours since they left. Ekansh had texted her that the investigation was still in process; soon the reports would be out. For now, they were interrogating their father on basic questions, nothing serious.

Eshita was growing restless with each passing moment. The interrogation was normal, but still it frustrated her. Why did they have to drag this so much? What was the need to question her father repeatedly when he already said he wasn’t there at the crime scene? For an insane second, she just wanted to rush into the police station and confess what had actually happened, but her father’s command held her back. Neither would her bhaiya take her badly timed confessions well. Both of them would prefer getting destroyed themselves rather than seeing her go through something that was never hers to deal with.

“Aap kha lo.” Mary’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She looked on as Ekta shook her head. Sighing heavily, Eshita sat down on the single couch, forwarding one plate and a mug of hot chocolate towards the girl. “Have them.” She ordered softly.

Ekta shook her head. “I-I am not hungry.”

“You didn’t have anything since morning,” Eshita pointed out. “Subah nashta bhi acche se nahi kiya tha. Abhi yeh khao chup chap. Doctors ne dawai tumhe theek hone ke liye di hai, bimaar padne ke liye nahi.”

Ekta looked taken aback. The girl noticed her tiny miny habits too?

“Kuch kha lo. Bhaiya ko pata chala toh gussa karenge.” Eshita’s tone softened. She didn’t want to spook the girl, at least not when her bhaiya wasn’t around to comfort her.

“Aap bhi khaiye.” Ekta murmured, placing another plate before Eshita along with a mug. She wasn't someone to eat everything alone shamelessly. It felt rude.

Eshita ran her fingers through her curls. Ekta wouldn’t eat until she did, and Eshita was least interested in creating another chaos. For the sake of Ekta’s health, she forced herself to swallow the bite despite her reluctance and worries.

Ekta smiled faintly while having her sandwich. She didn’t know what occurred, didn’t even know if she had the right to question it or whether Eshita would even answer it. But the panic in Eshita’s demeanor wasn’t lost on her. She was taking care of her brother’s sister in his absence just the way Ekansh would have wanted her to.

Vanya walked in right on cue. Eshita let the sandwich down, rising to her feet and rushing toward her friend, wrapping her arms around her.

Vanya held Eshita calmly. Her bhaiya had asked her to reach Sehgal House and stay with Eshita since things would take time there. He hadn’t recited everything, but enough to let her know what had spiraled.

“Uncle theek hai, Esha. Why are you worrying so much?” She rubbed her back soothingly. “Tujhe bhi pata hai na sabh kuch theek hai. Phir?”

Eshita pulled back, blinking away the tears rapidly. She was behaving like a toddler for sure. “I am fine. It’s like I have had enough of these rollercoasters. Can’t life be fucking peaceful for once?”

Vanya shook her head sadly. “Well, that’s the beauty of our life. We can get everything with a single snap of our fingers, but not what we actually yearn for.”

Eshita looked away. Vanya was so right. Being born in luxury didn’t guarantee happiness, warmth, or the comfort of a complete family. For some, it was all about money and status, but for her and Vanya, it had always been about family and bonds connected with the heart rather than the riches their surnames carried.

If only they had some magical powers, they would have fixed every broken relationship around them, protected the people they loved, and kept their families stitched together forever.

✨✨✨

Ekansh stepped into the commissioner’s cabin. His gaze met his father’s, a silent message passing between them. The work was done. One call to Rajeev, and the footage from the day where Eshita was seen had been wiped off from the world. Now there was nothing left that could drag Eshita into this mess. She was safe, their first priority.

Virendra entered the room, placing the file on the desk. “Uncle ke fingerprints gun ke fingerprints se match hote hai.”

Virendra rose to his feet, his brows furrowing. “But it’s been months since I used a gun. Mujhe toh yaad bhi nhi hai maine last time usse kab use kiya tha.”

“That doesn’t matter, Virendra.” Satish said stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He looked at his friend. “The weapon was yours. No matter how thoroughly you clean it, there are chances of traces remaining on the metal. And lastly, the CCTV footage of your own house says you weren’t at your home when the incident happened. So naturally, suspicion falls on you.”

“You can testify through the office staff and security team that follows dad everyday.” Ekansh suggested immediately.

Vikram shook his head. “Even if they say that, it can be challenged in court very easily. They work for your father. They can be biased towards their boss.”

Satish exhaled sharply, meeting Virendra’s gaze. “As you know, the man is in critical condition. And all the proofs are against you. Eventually, I will have to arrest you and present you before the court for further investigation.”

“No!” Ekansh stepped before his father like a shield. “Just think for one second something just doesn’t add up. As you said, this incident happened three weeks back, then why wasn’t the complaint reported earlier? I understand the critical condition, but now that man is in the same condition in the hospital, instead of focusing on someone who is close to death, someone chose to file a complaint against dad. Just because they think he is involved in this. I am not getting the logic behind this.”

Satish nodded. “I know what you are trying to say, Ekansh. Your points are valid, but I can’t do anything in this. I am just doing my duty. If someone files a serious complaint against a person as influential as your father, I will have to look into the matter, and I did. And like it was guessed, your father is actually involved with the victim professionally before the incident happened.”

He met Virendra’s gaze steadily. “I am just doing my job.”

Virendra pulled his son back. There was no way he couldn’t end this matter in seconds. He could call the Home Minister and bury the case before sunrise, but something stopped him for the first time. It was clear someone was trying to mess with him, and he was dying to know who dared to create chaos in his family. For that, he didn’t mind playing small pitiful games.

“Let them do their work, Ansh.” His tone softened a bit.

Ekansh looked at his father. There was a slight undercurrent in his tone. If it had been the old Ekansh, he would have stepped back, but this new version of him knew the consequences of blindly trusting silence and strategies.

His father had always been like this. The man had a knack for walking straight into traps laid by enemies, defeating them in their own games and dragging them out of their holes. He accepted the strategies, but that wouldn’t come at the cost of his sister’s distress. She had suffered enough already; he wouldn’t add more to it.

“Esha has trusted you to do the right thing, dad.” He reminded politely, meeting his father’s gaze head-on. “Let’s not repeat our mistakes and make her live with us rather than without us.”

Virendra was taken aback. He felt speechless. Even if he tried to explain that wasn’t what he meant, the truth in his son’s words failed him. It wasn’t like he was going to stay behind bars. He would take Satish’s help, find an alternative, and walk out before things worsened.

He didn’t believe in making himself suffer just to catch a mouse. He believed in controlling the game before it controlled him, but maybe his son misunderstood him, and that was on him. After all, he was the one who had broken the trust, not the other way around.

Ekansh looked at Vikram. They had already planned for this possibility beforehand.

Vikram took out the papers, handing them to the commissioner. Luckily, the judge knew him, so getting bail papers beforehand, even after the closed hours of court, wasn’t that hard.

“Mr. Sehgal is suffering from acute liver failure.” His voice was firm. “It’s not advisable for him to remain under stress or harsh conditions. You can’t keep him behind bars in this condition. Anyways, it’s not like you have any witness to prove your point except circumstantial evidence that is in his favour only.”

Satish went through the papers. Closing the file, he looked at Vikram. “Your client isn’t allowed to fly out of the country without prior permission. His passport should be submitted tomorrow morning, and he must remain available for questioning whenever required. He has been granted bail, but the charges remain. We will call Mr. Sehgal anytime for further inquiry.”

Ekansh guided his father out of the room. “Aapko kisi par shaq hai?” He asked once outside the station.

Virendra shook his head. “I don’t know who would even do something like this.”

Vikram looked at them. “For now, stay careful. Let’s try to find out who is behind all this. I am sure this is someone big… Case kisne kiya hai, we don’t know, and the commissioner isn’t giving any details either. Let’s be cautious.”

The father and son nodded. That was the biggest issue pointing out at something much deeper than they could currently see. Something felt amiss, but what exactly, they still couldn’t understand.

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Did Ekansh feel more like a brother, a son, or both in this chapter?

Your thoughts on Eshita and Ekta subtly steps towards each other?

The chaos in Seghal's life is from; Ekta's past, Eshita's sudden change in dynamics with Ritivk or something else?

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Please do share your views!

Next Update: Monday!

Thanks for reading!!!

 

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