"𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦—𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩."

𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

Monday morning arrived with lingering thoughts from the previous day.Aarvi woke up to the sound of her alarm As Aarvi got ready for work, her mind kept replaying her encounter with Reyansh. His words, his tone, the way he looked at her—it unsettled her.Shaking off the thoughts, she got ready for the day, slipping into a formal outfit, tying her hair neatly, and grabbing her notes. Today was crucial; the interview with Aakash could bring her closer to the truth.

As she stepped into Insight 24/7’s office, Sameer was already waiting for her.

“Ready?” he asked, adjusting his recorder.

Aarvi nodded, forcing a confident smile. “Let’s do this.”

At the office, Sameer and Aarvi entered Aakash’s cabin. He welcomed them with a sharp smile. They began their questioning, with Sameer leading the professional queries while Aarvi probed deeper, trying to gauge Aakash’s reactions.

Aarvi: "Mr. Aakash, we’ve heard a lot about your company’s sudden rise in success. Can you tell us about your strategies?"

Aakash: He sat back, his expression calm but his eyes betraying the slight tension. "Our company thrives on transparency and commitment to our clients. It's about providing value, something that a lot of businesses overlook these days."

Aarvi jotted down his words but couldn’t help noticing the slight edge in his tone. She continued to press him with more questions, each one carefully designed to get him to open up.

Aarvi: "What about the rumors surrounding your competitors? Some suggest your company is using questionable tactics."

Aakash: His smile faltered slightly, but he quickly regained composure. "Rumors are just that – rumors. We focus on our work, not on distractions."

Just as the interview was progressing, the door suddenly opened. A man in a hurry walked in, clearly flustered.

Man: "Sir, urgent matter—"

Aakash (interrupting): "Not now, please."

"Sir… it’s about saturday's night. Someone tried to break in. Security saw him run, but we couldn’t catch him."

Aarvi stiffened. Her heartbeat accelerated. Sameer threw her a glance.

"Did you check the security cameras?" Sameer asked.

Aakash’s face remained unreadable. "No need. It was probably someone from our own office. I’ll deal with it later."

Aarvi noticed his subtle discomfort. Why wasn’t he willing to check the footage?

Aarvi was on edge, especially with the mention of a break-in attempt. But what caught her attention more was Aakash’s reaction. He seemed far too calm about it. As the interview continued, she couldn’t help but wonder: was this the reason Aakash had been acting strangely?

The security guard’s voice came again, this time with more urgency.

Security: "Sir, I strongly recommend checking the cameras. We might have missed something."

Aakash, looking slightly more tense now, waved it off.

Aakash: "No need, I’ll handle it. We’ll talk about this later."

As the security report ended, Aarvi's mind was racing. She had seen how he’d reacted to the mention of cameras. Something was off, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that Aakash was hiding something—something big.

Minutes later, Aakash abruptly ended the interview. "We’ll continue another day.I won't be here for a few days I’m leaving town for Holi."

As Aarvi and Sameer walked out, Sameer asked, "Who do you think it was that night?"

Aarvi kept her expression neutral. “No idea. But whoever it was must have been desperate.” She couldn't tell him the truth—he would stop her from digging further.

𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐡'𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐯

Reyansh woke up feeling restless. His mind was occupied with two things—Aakash and Aarvi. He had been watching Aakash for years, but now, this girl was making things more complicated.

Why does she keep digging? he thought. Does she have any idea how dangerous Aakash is?

Heading to his office, he sighed. Another problem awaited him—Vidyut. His bestfriend had sharp eyes, and Reyansh knew he would have questions about last night.

"If Vidyut asks about that girl, what do I even say? That I was just keeping an eye on her? He’ll never buy that."

He shook his head, focusing back on his main concern. Aakash’s matter isn’t resolving, and now this girl is running straight into danger. If Aakash suspects her, he won’t spare her. I need to keep an eye on her—not just for her sake, but for my own plans.

Yet, a small part of him nagged at him. She is... interesting. Damn it, Reyansh, focus.

𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐲𝐮𝐭’𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

Vidyut tapped his fingers against the desk, thinking about what he saw the on saturday night.

"Rey was with a girl. Who was she? And why was he with her?"

A smirk formed on his lips. "Did he finally find someone and forget to tell me? No, no, that’s not possible. If Rey was seeing someone, he wouldn’t hide it. Would he?"

He decided. "I’ll ask him today. Let’s see how he reacts."

RV Industries - Reyansh & Vidyut’s Conversation

Reyansh entered his office, already feeling the weight of the day. He had spent too much time worrying about Aarvi, and now he had to focus on work. Vidyut was already at his desk, working on something.

Vidyut (stretching): "Man, this work never ends. By the way… where were you last night?"

Reyansh (not looking up): "Busy."

Vidyut (grinning): "Busy? With?"

Reyansh (sighing): "Work. What else?"

Vidyut (smirking): "Right. And this 'work' involved a girl? I saw you, Rey. You were with someone. Care to explain?"

Reyansh (annoyed): "You’re imagining things."

Vidyut: "Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you’ve found someone and aren’t telling your own brother. That’s a betrayal, man."

Reyansh (rolling his eyes): "Focus on work, Vidyut."

Vidyut chuckled, but he wasn’t letting it go. He made a mental note to figure out exactly who Reyansh had been with.

Kritika sat in her boutique, but her mind was elsewhere—on Aarvi.

"She seemed so lost that day. What’s bothering her? Is it work, or something else?"

Her conversation with Aarvi replayed in her mind.

𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤:

"Aarvi, are you sure everything is fine? You seem distracted."

"It’s nothing, Kritika. Just work."

Kritika didn’t believe her but decided not to push. She just hoped her friend wasn’t getting into something dangerous.

Aarvi stepped out of Aakash’s office, adjusting her bag as she prepared to leave. Sameer had already left, but she had stayed behind to ensure she had all the necessary notes. As she walked toward the main road, a voice called from behind.

𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

As Aarvi stepped out of Aakash’s office,Sameer had already left. she barely took a few steps before Dev approached her hesitantly.

"You always ask interesting questions," he remarked with a small smile.

Aarvi glanced at him briefly. "Just doing my job."

Dev nodded, then hesitated before adding, "You… you’re really good at it."

Aarvi gave a polite nod but didn’t engage further.

"If you ever need help… I mean, with research or anything," Dev trailed off, his usual confidence faltering.

Aarvi simply said, "Thanks," before turning to leave.

Dev watched her go, exhaling as if he had lost the chance to say more.

Reyansh stood at a distance, eyes narrowing as he watched the brief exchange. Dev’s hesitation, Aarvi’s indifferent response—none of it should have mattered to him, but somehow, it did.

"Inhe sab se baat karni kyu hoti hai?" he muttered under his breath, annoyed.

Then, his expression turned serious. Aakash had found out about the break-in. Security would be tighter. His own work was getting complicated.Shaking his head, he followed as Aarvi walked away.

Aarvi casually walking then she sensed someone behind her and turned around sharply. Seeing Reyansh, she sighed. "Again?"

Reyansh crossed his arms. "Are you going alone?"

Aarvi frowned. "How is that your concern?"

"Because you don’t realize what you’re walking into," he said coldly.

Aarvi gave him an unimpressed look. "And you do?"

Reyansh exhaled. "Your teammate isn’t as involved as you. Why are you?"

Aarvi hesitated, gripping her bag strap tightly. "That’s none of your business."

Reyansh studied her for a moment before stepping closer. "I don't care, I just can't see you taking stupid decisions."

Aarvi clenched her jaw. "I don’t need your advice."

Her confusion quickly turned into frustration. “Why are you following me?”

Reyansh smirked. “I could ask you the same thing about your little late-night adventure at Aakash’s office.”

Aarvi’s breath hitched. “You—how do you know about that?”

Reyansh stepped closer, his voice dangerously low. “That’s not the point. The point is, you’re reckless. Do you have any idea how close you were to getting caught?”

Aarvi clenched her fists. “That’s none of your business. I’m a journalist—it’s my job to dig for the truth. Why do you care?”

Reyansh’s jaw tightened. “Because if you keep this up, you won’t have a job—you’ll have a death wish.”

Aarvi’s eyes narrowed. “And why should I listen to you?”

Reyansh muttered, “Because you’re walking into a trap, and you don’t even see it.”

She turned to leave, but he caught her wrist gently. “It’s late. I’ll drop you home.”

Aarvi scoffed. "No, thanks."

"Stop being stubborn. Get in the car."

She looked at him for a second before sighing in frustration. "Fine. But this doesn’t mean anything."

Reyansh smirked slightly. "Maine kab kaha ki mai free me kaam karta hoon?"

Aarvi shot him a glare but got in the car anyway.

As soon as they arrived she asked "how do you know about where i live?

As Reyansh pulled up near Aarvi’s apartment building, she unbuckled her seatbelt but didn’t step out immediately. Instead, she turned to face him, arms crossed.

"How do you know where I live?" she asked, her sharp gaze locking onto his.

For a split second, Reyansh stiffened. He hadn’t expected her to ask that—at least, not now.

"I—" He leaned back, his expression unreadable. "You work for a news agency, Aarvi. It’s not that hard to find out."

Aarvi narrowed her eyes. "Really? Because I never mentioned it to you."

Reyansh forced a casual shrug. "I have my ways."

Her fingers curled slightly against her lap. "That doesn’t answer my question."

He sighed, looking away for a second before meeting her gaze again. "Let’s just say I like being… prepared."

Aarvi scoffed. "Prepared? Or just interfering?"

Reyansh smirked slightly, masking the fact that she had caught him off guard. "Interfering would mean I care too much. Do I?" His voice was smooth, but there was an edge to it.

Aarvi held his stare for a moment before shaking her head. "You’re impossible." Without waiting for a response, she stepped out of the car and shut the door behind her.

Reyansh watched as she walked towards the building, disappearing inside. He exhaled deeply and muttered under his breath, "Bach gaya... aur thoda rukti toh investigation complete karwa leti."

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞."

"What do you think will happen next?

"𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫?"

*So this was our ninth chapter, if you liked it, show some love and stay tuned for the next part to see, stay happy and healthy byeee loveies .❤

@Author aanu_writes7

Instagram Id:@aanu_writes7

❤🦋