Fatality. Later on, the room erupted with voices—different accents and kinds of voices—as they swayed to the meeting of their survival and given the mentioned plan. The cold and calculating and intellectual decisions were made, conducting up the gravity of the situation. All the gangsters sat, exhaling the ideas and opinions of their own in the needed war that was going to take place. Perhaps sooner than later, they decided. This deputation was not even close to easy and fun. Notwithstanding, they all would be enjoying it nonetheless, with their derangement gleaming on their faces; it was obvious. They chuckled at their own remarked comment to lessen the tension in the room surrounding them with a gripping hard hand with another certain amount of anxiety and concern.“With anxiety piling up, shall we order some food?” The godfather joked, looking at the serious faces of the younger ones. “I thought you wouldn't ask.”The Godfather nodded at someone standing beside him. With a simpl
The sinner within. “It's been years since the mafia had to be this vicious in order to protect what we love.” “In this room, men who are nothing but ruthless killers capable of creating havoc are looking forward to fighting alongside to save something. We all have that common goal of protecting peace on the continents that makes us all abide by each other. I can't say I am not amused.” Uzair chuckled. “Indeed. Because of the love for the cities, we share the same thought.” “And, of course, everything comes with a prize. It's the path we mafias are accustomed to travelling. It's the only path open to us which is soaked with blood and gore to reach our goals.” “That is something that we are all accustomed to. Aren't we gentlemen?” “Do you even have to spill it out, boy?” Lossi, throwing back his head, laughed. The laugh was chilling, and it boomed in the room as people smirked at it. ×—× Eight straight hours later. The light was muted; mild darkness surrounded the chamber in
22— Calm before the storm. It is true when said: Words are invented to fool people. Isn't it? The truth lies in the eyes. Or they can be deceiving too? Because I think they do, depending upon person to person with the active motive in their heads. — Saumya Tripathi He felt nothing but calmness spreading in his veins as he breathed. There was something akin to peace he identified by being in solitude. Lonely, yes, he was, but engulfed with loneliness? No. He was always a man who loved being in solitude. It gave him a sense of being himself, and that was enough for him to rationalise his thoughts to avoid them going astray. And then there was she, capturing a large part of his thoughts. He chuckled when her small face swept past his mind. “I don't plan on ever letting you go.” It was a promise. The heat in her eyes offered both agony and comfort to him when he imagined her emotions through the vision he had made up in his mind of her. It was both comical as well as ironic watch
The ghost of the past. Respecting the silence in the room, the underboss leaned his head over the chair, closing his eyes to soothe some of the unnerving experiences of the past. His thoughts were both chaotic and calming, both at the same time, just because she was the one owning the most part of it. His little bird, there was an ironic smile displayed on both of his cheeks just by imagining her face. Oh, how he wanted to protect his little one and her innocence despite being the ultimate reason for the chaos. He bit his lips; there was no doubt that he would let anything or anyone harm her in that regard; however, he was afraid of himself more than he was with others. He inhaled. How hard he wanted the accident to not have happened to her in the first place, but alas, it did. If he could, he would have time travelled just to stop her from hurting herself and losing her memories with it. Because if the accident had not happened, everything would have gone smoothly. Opening his ey
A cut deep enough. The quietness in the room was deafening. Only his erratic breathing could be heard in the entire room, which did nothing but worsen his sentiment and elevate his anxiety. The silence seemed to defeat his denial, whatsoever. As he stood there frozen, doing nothing but just watching her with his large, sharp eyes, his mind let him consider the possibilities of pros and cons. With that in mind, he forced his mind to think. Thinking was his forte, and deducing the situation was his calming satisfaction, which he was in need of right away. He didn't dare to dart his eyes away from her small curled-up form even after his ears picked up the movements from outside. They were waiting outside; deep down, he knew, they were giving him time to stomach the gruesome fact. Slightly, moving his ear towards the door to listen, he forced himself to blink when his vision turned heavy with tears. The muffled voices from outside, behind the hospital's closed door, had him coming away
His raging heart. Uzair could hear his heart ringing in his ears. His hands that had stopped shaking began to shake again with sweat. He could feel a headache increasing as the situation settled inside his head. Just by thinking about those uncertainties roaming freely in his head, his mouth went dry. There was an urge in him to drink a lot of water to just wake himself up from such a worse possibility that his mind was brimming. Clutching his chest, he slammed against the wall. No, he could not dare to let his thoughts go astray. He had to get hold of himself! With that determination, he tried breathing out some of the stress from his body. “Nothing would happen to her, uncle. She'll be fine in no time,” he vomited out the words with great difficulty. However, he wasn't able to muster a smile. Shaam watched him with sad eyes and appreciated his courage. “I believe so, son.” “I know so, uncle. We need to have patience.” Shaam wanted to believe the boy, yet in the heart of a fat
A passing moment between two best friends. "Hey, are you doing okay there? You are. Aren't you?” It was more of an answer than a question itself. Shaam straightened his shoulders. Noticing Shaam's guarded expression all too visible on his face, Shrey frowned, and in the next split second he wore an emotionless look in his eyes. One had to stay on guard at all times; he decided, at a time like this, he should be the one to be the guard for him. Because there was something in Shaam's eyes that haunted Shrey just by looking at it. He wasn't himself anymore. “I don't know anything anymore, Shrey.” His tone was full of dejection. He had never seen his childhood friend so afraid before. Not even when they were going through such rigorous and painful past experiences. "Everything's going to be fine, Shaam. We have had situations much worse that we completed separately or together more or less, right? In that period, what did we have in our minds that helped us in moving forward?”“Deter
The tragedy. “There are so many bruises on her,” he murmured to himself. There seemed to be something akin to disbelief in his tone. It wasn't the first time that he discovered it. Yet, it still made him feel nausea just by looking at it and thinking how much it must have hurt her. Gulping, he assured himself, “It will heal eventually; however, it's going to take some time.” Nodding at himself, he checked her body and arms too that were visible, examining her. A variety of blues and purples rested there. There was something precarious in the air where he stood. Not even he was able to pinpoint it because he was already willingly exposing his vulnerability without noticing it himself. Blankly staring at her, he pleaded with himself. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes while his lower lip started to quiver. His eyes were red and dull. It was almost as if it were lifeless. He slowly started to breathe in and out through his nose to keep sustained. With his jaws taut, his afflictio
Author's note. I know the last chapter has ended on several cliffhangers. With Radhika's suspicious and dubious thoughts about Uzair’s personality. The shades he carried in himself. With uncle's arrival, the main truth unrivalled at last, inversely the last chapter served as the foreshadowing of what's to come next in book three. The third part of the book will soon be available on my GoodNovel profile, so don’t forget to check it out! I can’t express how thankful I am for your incredible support, love, and patience throughout this journey. There were countless moments where I felt completely broken while writing this story, but your encouragement kept me going. I’m beyond grateful for that. Your reviews, likes, and comments have been a constant source of motivation, pushing me to keep writing. As we move forward, I truly hope you enjoyed this book. Your passion and support mean the world to me, and it’s because of readers like you that I continue to grow as an author. I pro
Stillness of Dread. “It has been a week,” Radhika breathed the words out. “Almost a week of nothing being the same anymore, however.” Almost a week had passed with the presented information she had no hint of before about her own life till she was made aware of it. It has been a week since she had her worst mental breakdown for the first time. A week has passed since there were ineffable emotions she felt that were difficult to understand by herself. A week, after her acceptance of the facts, led to another set of questions that did not quite sit well with her. “A week..” she murmured. A week since she last saw Uzair.. She placed her hand on her chest, closing her eyes. It gave a sudden jolt, thinking of him. She did not trust him, not fully; she could not. Not at all. But she was trying to. Everything was so different now. Or perhaps nothing was the same anymore. All her life she lived with the truth that was never complete to begin with. Even after knowing the truth about eve
31– His ineffable anger. “Our opinions only matter to others as long as they agree to it. Otherwise, they are just words without meaning.”–Saumya Tripathi A week later. Last day of the week.Precise: a day before the departure to Dubai. Uzair was in the middle of a last meeting of the day before he left when he felt the vibration of the phone in the underside pocket of his suit jacket. He ignored it, seemingly sensing nothing significant that could not wait. With that thought in his mind, he gazed at the screen in front of him, projecting the launch of another product presented to him for approval regarding its favourable opportunity and innovative ideas for fruitful results.“Tell me if you have any other ideas of its launch date. Which would be the best day for it to let it out in the market?”“Inform the HR team before any further procedures.”“Yes, President!”His phone rang again while it continued to vibrate; without giving it a second thought, he let it. He ignored it once
Bound by Obsession. They both froze at her sudden whisper. Confused about how those words made out of her mouth without trying, her eyes instantly widened. It took him a moment to realise how much it would have taken for her to say what she just did. Because it was far from her gullible and apprehensive state, which she always felt while he was near her. It was none other than her honest side. “It has been your room since childhood.”Her eyes became wider as his insinuated statement. “Oh? I used to live here?” “Very much so. You were stubborn, wanting to have this room as your own.”“Was I always drawn to this garden as well?”Squeezing her a little between his arms, he replied. “This garden was precisely made for you on your instruction.”“Wasn't I too small for that?”He gave a light laugh before starting. “You were. You saw it in a cartoon, desiring to have the same garden for yourself. So, here we are.”She lightly gasped at his nonchalant reply. For once, her mind was empty;
A Vow of Protection. She barely gave a nod. Swallowing the lump, she stuttered out, “Will he be okay if-if I don't try..?” She trailed with a trembling voice. More scared thinking about happening something like that again to her uncle. “As long as you don't put your life in danger. No one will get hurt.” He nodded her way, giving a curt nod. “I will make sure he is,” gently cupping her hands, he initiated. “He probably is in danger all the time.”“I will make sure that he will be looked after.” She gazed up at him with her large, innocent, hesitating eyes. Asking him as if he was really telling the truth. “I will not let anyone harm him either.” Her gaze moved before she let her head fall back on her knees. His heart fluttered in his chest at her hopeful look. Indeed, she was his only weakness; he could not afford to have her hurt herself. “No matter the hardships, I promise to keep you and your family safe by standing by your side through the adventure of our lives,” he vowed
Shattered Calm: His Unexpected Rage. “Let me clarify two things for you,” he uttered at a slow pace.A chill sliced her ribs.“One, I did not take away your freedom. It's the people who treat other people's lives so carelessly. It's their own greed that other people's lives don't matter while the said people could do nothing but take refuge wherever they can to save their lives.”At his brutal grip and harsh words, Radhika couldn't muster up the strength to retort to that. “Two, neither have I taken anything away from you. Only I know how much effort I am making to control myself because your accusations have no facts! They are just plainly stating unreasonable remarks and nothing else! Have I ever lied to you about anything?”“Do you think telling a lie isn't the only way to trick people?”Uzair slightly flinched at her cold gaze. She never looked at him like that before. “No.” She answered her own question. “Telling half-truths can trick people into having false assumptions just
Unveiled Fury: His Sudden Brutality. When she just stood there before him, her silence was an answer in itself. She hated him up to her core. Didn't she? Despite knowing everything, she was blaming him for everything! Was it even fair on his part? Where did he go wrong after doing everything in his power to protect her at all costs? Even at the cost of his own life! He didn't need appreciation; however, he didn't need her scorn-filled eyes either, verbally accusing him of wanting her body on top of it as a reason! “How can you be so sure about me taking everything from you when in fact I am the one who is fighting for the things you like for them to stay? Tell me, Why are you so adamant about me being the villain? Can you give me enough logical reasons where I could understand it myself?” “Because you are a monster!” She yelled at last, clenching her fists tightly. What the fuck was she saying? Did he even know what a monster is for fuck's sake?” Filled with sudden fury, he was bl
Silent Scars: The Weight of Unspoken Pain. Slouching a little more, he let his head rest on her frail shoulder. “You do, little one. Only if you stop being stubborn, you will see how much you need a shoulder to lean on.”She turned her face away while trying to push away his head. Distancing himself from her. He forced her face before him again; he stated, “I know how you feel. What is the point of hiding your pain now? Does sharing even a little bit of your burden give you an inferiority complex? Is this a reason why you are forcing yourself to hide away from everything?”She breathed shakily. His words hit it all the way through her, breaking apart the walls that she created for her own sake. Little by little. Choosing not to show how much his words hit her, she changed her hazy mind into believing otherwise. “Do you really?” Her eyes were challenging him to deny. Maybe it was the tiredness in her body that made her feel brave. “I doubt you know how I feel.”A smirk appeared on t
Whispers in the Dark: A Late Night Encounter. She blinked three times to confirm her suspicion of him being here. There he was here again. But why? The question she wanted the answer to. Above all, at this ungodly hour of the time! Even though she was once an energetic child, she always had been feeling sluggish and heavy while coming here. Besides, today was no exception. Her reluctant eyes flickered. He raised his head to look at her. To finally look at her. Instead of saying a word, he chose to stare at her sad and sleep-filled eyes. A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips. “Such a cute little bunny.” Her large, filled, hazy eyes made him compare her to a bunny. Her frown lines were the first thing he took notice of. But he chose not to comment on that for now. Not yet. A veil of silence fell upon them, the distance of it growing with each passing second. Standing in a slower motion, she anxiously backed away unconsciously. When did she get off the bed? She didn't ev