"Thank you for coming within a short period of notice. And speak only truth" CBI officer Akash Kamath spoke authoritatively. While people who were asked for interrogation bobbed their heads with fear surfacing from them.

Groups, were separated. People were divided. All secondary connections of the Oberoi family were invited to assemble. From the family servants to Secretaries of the employers all were present. The squad had conspired for a long time to reach the target and get to know all the mysteries beneath the ambush of lies.

People walked with the allotted respected officers and stood in the interrogation room. Fear, anxiety, confusion, uncertainty were all displayed as emotions on each of them.

"Whatever you know, speak. There is no reason to get frightened by this. You all are just helping the government to catch the culprit." Akash pulled out the stool beneath the iron plateau and comfortably sat on it. He then motioned for them to come to sit and start with the proceedings and the rest of them should be stopping for their turn.

"Introduce yourself" he urged the young girl in front of him.

"I'm Malvika Rai. I previously worked as H.R in the technology dept. Of Oberoi industry. Then was fired for an unspecified reason." she nervously initiated herself. He asked her to speak related to Shivaay or Tej.

"I don't know them on personal front. Professionally, S.S.O is incredible. But he had temper issues and would burst on staff if the work aren't on flow. At the same time, he is soft at heart, like he had once granted leaves of an employee when he got to know that his mother was unhealthy. He tries to be arduous but he isn't"

"What about senior Oberoi?" Akash asked. As he spoke, she shivered a bit and he did observe her.

"Sir, he was in Los Angeles for the past 3 years before he flew back to India a few months back. Before these months I never knew about him. Once he had blamed me for the loss while checking the stats but SSO recused me. In a sentence, he is a screwed man running behind money and power.

"You may leave" Akash inwardly sighed before calling out the next in line.

••

The other side was no less than Akash's. Amira was trying to get out the information but all she got is the heap praises of Shivaay.

"I and he were batchmates in our masters. He doesn't mingle well with new faces but once he is done. He will surely be protective of them. As I know, he exceptionally loves his cousins and younger sister. Apart from that, I know nothing. He can't stoop low for shares, it's unbelievable" Amira nodded in understanding.

"Next" the constable called out the successive to come in as Amira motioned.

"Batao" she gestured to the middle-aged man to sit and start the opening.

"I was Tej's partner in various funds and also his legal advisor, Dinesh Bajaj."

"So, tell me about intriguing things you observed before the incident. Any particular behavioural changes?"

"Ji ma'am. A few days back to that incident he had fetched out some legal papers which his younger brother Shakthi had willed to his son, that is Shivaay. He wanted all the shares himself from his sons and also nephew." The man wiped his dampened skin with the back of his palms.

"Aap ne kya bola?"

"Ma'am it was not possible until Shivaay's death and the benefit was that he was married but didn't have an heir. I had warned Tej about it, but he refused and had a heated argument with Shivaay" he completed his sentence by shuttering here and there.

"Don't move out of the city without our permission. And please go write your details over there" she asked the man to move towards the typewriter and fill in the necessary information.

••

"I'm Rajendra Mishra. SSO's secretary. I was working with him for the past 9 years, but recently Mrs Oberoi terminated me." Mishra spoke eyeing his wristwatch.

"Mrs Oberoi? His wife?" Akash suspiciously asked.

"No. No. Annika ma'am is sweetest of all. Jhanvi Oberoi. She didn't want SSO's faithful workers in the industries"

"Bataye...How was relation between uncle and nephew? You may have discovered during office timings."

"SSO was proud and picky about work. He was fully mated to work; a workaholic. As my knowledge, his parents had committed suicide and he was raised by his dadi and uncle, Tej. The office saw a relative change in him when he got married to Annika ma'am. She had invited whole staff for a family celebration" Mishra smiled remembering Annika's delightful gesture.

"What family celebration?" Akash asked sensing the urgent need to clarify the thoughts.

"Omkara's girlfriend was pregnant then, so the family had happily celebrated by partying. And the wedding days were selected." suddenly Mishra's voice held disappointment.

"That day all we're happy, even SSO and Annika ma'am were over the moon. It was the same day when all mishaps happened."

"So Omkara is Shivaay's younger cousin. And he was in a relationship for a long time with this girl." Akash tried solving the family relationships, while Mishra bobbed in positive.

.

"Annika I need to answer this call. Please." Shivaay pleaded through his blue-green eyes. His phone kept on ringing infuriating his wife more.

"You were supposed to stay away from office calls. At least now. Fine!" Annika huffed in response to it.

"I promise I will be there with you to take another HPT. By then another set will arrive, I know online delivery is late." Shivaay cajoled Annika.

"What if it's again, negative?" She asked batting her eyelashes.

"Tum na positive side socho. We had only 2 kits, let's wait for more. Good news take time. I will be back in 2 minutes" Shivaay kissed her partition and strode out of the room to attend the call.

"Come faster. Everyone must be waiting down for dinner" she yelled.

"Annika" Shivaay woke up screaming his lungs out for his wife. He looked at the couch and the other side of the bed, she wasn't present.

Anxiety rose within him as Annika wasn't in his vision. He hurriedly pushed his sheets and walked of out of room to search her. His heart halted pumping out blood to other organs on not finding her.

His eyes curtailed at the living room when he caught a glimpse of her, she was sitting idly at the corner of the divan. His heart relaxed with her presence and again started throbbing rhythmical.

"Annika" she turned her head to face him, he was sweating and his crust had turned red with sudden events.

"What wrong Shivaay? Why are so sweating and your skin?" She could not form a sentence, hence started blabbering.

"Come sit" Shivaay followed her and sat beside her. He took his time lazily to gaze at his wife. She was the same but had lost her weight. She was no less than lean stick, eye sacks under her eyes.

"It's okay I'm here. It's just a dream" she stroked his arm as she spoke soothing words.

"What happened that day?" He exceptionally asked. She was taken back by the abrupt alteration in atmosphere.

"Which day? Shivaay?" She asked genuinely.

"We were supposed to stay in the room and you had taken the tests." He was annoyed with her, as she purposefully tried to change the topic.

"What tests Shivaay? I don't know what you are speaking? It's okay come let's go together for ice cream" she stretched her hands to reach him, but he jerked it back.

"I'm asking for the last time. What was the result?" He gritted his teeth.

"It was negative" she lowered her eyes and started whimpering. He knew he had hurt her sanity a lot.

"I'm sorry. I was not there." He took her into a side embrace and she cuddled more into him.

"You left me to wait. Didn't you for once think of me. I waited for you with the kits, but you never came back to our room." tears rolled down his cheeks without his awareness. Her words were hotter than his tears.

How he wished that he had never taken that step. A year had gone waste with his goodness. He wanted to be greedy for his wife. He had endangered his and his wife's life for his uncle.

"I'm sorry" he chanted like the power-filled mantras. Thinking that these phases would fade away.

"I'm here for you. I will never leave again" he mumbled his her shoulder.

"I know" she drifted from him and rubbed her nose and lips, which had turned pink with crying.

"I want you Shivaay. Please" she whispered. He didn't know what to do. He was blank.

Dr Anirudh's mini motivational lecture came to his mind. He needs to think wisely about his own life. His wife was crying out for him and he is busy thinking of his body, he didn't want any like this.

His insecurity of body must be let go off.

He came to his senses when his wife smooched his shoulder. The point where he was shot. He felt a sudden glittering sensation with the touch. He looked straight at her.

"Whatever you are, you mine. Please don't distance from me"

He needs to initiate the moves if he wants a normal life. One can always try to bring out but the actual person needs to put effort into the process.

Now he needs to.

In the blink of time, he captured her lips. She smiled through the kiss. His lips were dry and chapel. She took the dominating lead and responded with a raw passion.

*****

How was it? I know it's all intense.