-• keep it a secret •-

Taranya

We stare at the pendrive in the centre of the table. It has the recording of everything Inayat told us. And despite having the physical evidence to prove the horrors happening on the third floor of Mankind Medicare, I still fail to believe anyone is capable of such extreme atrocity.

"They're using kids as test subjects." Janet murmurs. "I remember throwing away all of my favourite brand's products when I found out they practice animal testing. We really underestimate the lengths of cruelty this world has achieved. Every time I hear something gruesome, I just know something even more terrible is happening to someone else at the same time."

I sniffle softly. "I should have followed my instinct. I shouldn't have stopped searching for Meera. Maybe I could have saved her? Maybe I could have reported her missing?" I bury my face in my hands. "I did nothing." Sobs break through my lips.

"Tara," Ayush pats my back. "It's not your fault."

I shake my head. "I knew something was wrong. I had an idea. But I didn't care enough." My lips tremble. "I didn't care enough. Who knows what she went through when I was vacationing and having fun with you guys in Seoul?"

"I could have never believed something so hellish was happening there." Arush sighs. "I still remember throwing a tantrum over not being able to go there because Vivaan Bhai said it's a VIP floor."

I lift my head and wipe my eyes. "Do you think they know?"

All eyes shift to me.

"Do you think Vivaan Bhai knows?"

Ayush and Arush go stiff. "I don't want to believe he does."

"But I think he knows." Janet says. "Your father and he has been working there for over two decades. They have to know."

"And Yuvraaj Bhai?" Ayush meets my eyes.

"He does." I nod. I don't have anything to prove my words. But I'm certain Bhai knows. Him, Dad and Vivaan Bhai has to know everything. I still remember how uncomfortable Vivaan got when I suggested I'll become a doctor and work there. "The three know everything."

"Why would they not retaliate?" Atharva questions.

"Why else?" Shourya speaks up.

"Abhimanyu Singh Rajawat." I answer.

He lowers his gaze to his hands on the table. I reach out to cup the back of his palms. I'm sure he's shocked too. He has been unnaturally quiet since the time we left Inayat's house.

"For someone who found out his grandfather is a criminal who kills kids from his own orphanage, you're very calm." Atharva jabs, looking towards Shourya with suspicion.

Shourya lifts his head. Their eyes clash and an eerie silence follows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Atharva shrugs. "Maybe Inayat was right? You're a Rajawat after all. How can we trust you?"

"I trust him." I interrupt. Shourya looks at me in surprise. "I've seen him around the kids at the orphanage. He cooked with them, ate with them, played with them. And I noticed how genuine he was. No sane person would commit to such atrocity and then look their victims in the eyes with kindness. I trust Shourya."

Atharva scoffs. "Sometimes I feel you're very naive, Taranya. Would you react the same if you found out your Dad is killing little kids in his obsession for some scientific project?" He asks me snidely. "Won't you go in denial, cry, scream and refuse to believe the truth?"

My hold on Shourya's hand loosens. He clutches the ends of my fingers with his thumb, holding onto me in return. I look at him, the vulnerability in his eyes, the anguish on his face, it can't be a facade, it can't be a lie.

"Perhaps?" I regard Atharva sternly. "But I've a faint idea how Yuvraaj will react. Probably the same as him." I nod towards Shourya. "Because guess what, Atharva? We're all different. We deal with things differently. Just because I would cry and make a scene, doesn't mean the other person going through the same will react the same. I believe Shourya. So please, let's end this here. We've far more important things to focus on."

He shakes his head in disbelief and leans back on the chair, but thankfully drops the topic.

"We haven't eaten anything since this morning. Let's order something first." Arush suggests.

Atharva pockets the pen drive and crosses his arms on his chest. He looks troubled. He threw up the moment Inayat revealed what's actually happening in the hospital that's supposed to save lives. I know it was hard on him to stomach the truth. He's sensitive and he probably feels for the kids the most. I realised that when he appeared despaired upon seeing the conditions Inayat has to live in just because she doesn't want to die. His feelings are valid. Shourya is not an easy person to believe. Honestly, even I have my doubts. But something stops me everytime I try to look at him with eyes of uncertainty. I want to trust him. I want to give him the benefit of doubt.

"What would you like to have?" The waiter approaches our table.

Arush looks up from the menu book. "Fish Curry, Prawns Fry, Rice and Tandoori rotis. What will you have?" He eyes Ayush in question.

"Pulao."

"And one Pulao."

"Full serving or half?" The waiter probes.

"Half." Ayush answers for himself.

The waiter jots down everything. "Just give me thirty minutes." He leaves with a polite smile.

"I need to take a walk." Atharva gets up from his chair and walks out unceremoniously. I watch his retreating back as he pulls open the glass doors and exits the restaurant.

"I'll be back in a minute." I pick up the napkin from my lap and drop it on the table, excusing myself from the group. Pulling open the door, I step out and look around the premises. I find Atharva walking towards the parking lot. Descending the stairs hurriedly, I call out his name. "Atharva!" He barely even hears me. "Atharva!" When he doesn't turn, I jog up to him and turn him around with a grip on his arm.

He startles back. The cigarette in his hand drops. I step back instinctively. "Shit."

"I'm sorry. I called you but you didn't listen."

He exhales a long sigh and rubs a hand across his face.

"What's wrong?"

His eyes clash with mine. They flare angrily. "What's wrong?" He spits. "I can't believe you're asking me that when you should be the one to know what's wrong!"

"If it is about Shourya -"

"It fucking is!" He exclaims. I flinch. "You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you! You trusting that guy, that's wrong! You bringing him along everywhere we go, that's wrong! You believing he had no idea about this, that's wrong! And you still failing to see his true colours, that's wrong!" He glares at me. "Why can't you see, Tara?" He comes up to hold my shoulders. I blink at him in surprise, taken aback by his unexpected outburst. "Why can't you see how strange everything is!? You're telling me the Chairman's most beloved grandson has no idea of his grandfather's cruelty!?" He asks me, then nods. "Okay, fine, let's pretend he didn't. But did his reaction make sense to you? No matter how emotionless one is, they have to feel something, show something when they're faced with such grotesque reality of their loved one!"

"He was the one who found Inayat." I remind him. "He almost got shot in the head!" I hiss. "I know it's hard to trust him because of his family. But we can't punish him for what his grandfather does. And even if he knew, that doesn't mean he's evil too. There's a chance the men in my family know too, but I know none of them ever wanted this for those innocent kids. We're standing against an insanely powerful man, Atharva. Getting angry and throwing a fit won't help us. Doubting and pointing at each other won't help us. I know what you're feeling. I'm feeling it too. This kind of helplessness is disgusting. But that's our reality."

"How am I going to live with this?" His eyes fill up with tears. "I've been at that orphanage. I've studied with those kids. I've played baseball with them. I knew one guy who got this kind of scholarship. He was our senior. I remember so vividly how happy he was about flying to another country to complete his higher studies." He starts trembling. "I- I wished him luck. I was a kid. And now I found out he never made it there?" Tears spill out of his eyes. "He's probably no more." I yank him in my arms. He breaks down, his sobs heart wrenching, tearing me apart from inside. "I can't live knowing they're treating kids with dreams and ambitions worse than an animal. And do you realise how shitty that comparison is?" He pulls away to look into my eyes. I nod. "I couldn't sleep when I read the news about a female dog getting raped on the streets of Mumbai by drunk, homeless men. And now I have to sleep knowing a powerful man is using kids as his test subjects? Killing them mercilessly and still pretending to be generous and kind in front of the world? Where's the humanity, Tara? I thought my father was cruel. I thought hate is the limit of one's feelings towards someone they can't stand. What should I feel towards that Chairman? Or those doctors working at the hospital?" He leans against the bonnet of the car and pulls out a packet of cigarettes from his back pockets.

"When did you start to smoke?"

He shrugs. "After Anagha and I ran away from the house, I couldn't sleep at nights. I used to get restless. Oftentimes, I saw mom smoking in the gallery. I decided to give it a try. It stuck." Inhaling deeply, he releases the end of fag and blows out a wisp of grey smoke.

"Come back and eat something when you feel better." I tell him.

He nods.

I turn around and walk back to the restaurant.

"Is he okay?" Ayush frowns when I return alone.

I pull myself a chair and sit down, thanking Shourya as he serves me. "Yeah, he'll cool down. Maybe he needed a smoke?" I shrug.

"He smokes?" Janet scrunches her nose in disgust.

"Don't judge. That can be his coping mechanism." Ayush chastises.

"I will judge." She retorts. "Nothing justifies smoking. Harm to your own body, harm to the people around you, and harm to the environment. Tara, he's cancelled!" She crosses her hands at my face.

"Eat." I command.

She snorts and resumes eating. Then she starts picking up peas with her fork and leans over to put them in Shourya's plate.

At first, he doesn't say anything. But when she does it for the third time, he drops his spoon and glares at her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I don't like them. You do."

"What made you think that?" He tilts his head to the side.

"You ate all the peas first."

He sighs heavily. "That's because I don't like them. I finished them first so I can focus on what I like."

"On," she mutters. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. Please eat them now that they're already in your plate."

His glare doesn't waver.

"Please?" She flutters her lashes.

"How cute," he suddenly smiles. My brows raises in surprise. "I wish I could squeeze you," he clenches the spoon in his hand so tight it starts to tremble, "to death." His face turns poker.

The grin on Janet's face drops.

I chuckle. Arush laughs aloud. Thankfully, their little bickering makes the stressed atmosphere a little light. The tension withers away and everyone starts to smile a little.

Atharva comes back a few minutes later. I nudge at the food for him. He nods and starts filling his plate.

We leave the restaurant at five in the evening. Shourya's SUV drops us back at the airport and we climb the Rajawat Jet. After knowing the truth, even sitting in this plane feels like a crime.

By seven in the evening, we land back in Jaigarh. Another black car picks us up from the airport. Atharva is first to get off since he lives in the city area. I lower the window when he steps out of the car.

"I'll be at my workplace tomorrow. It's Sunday. Let's meet there."

"Sure, text me the time." He agrees. "Bye."

"Bye." I whisper and watch him go.

Our stop comes next. We all file out of the car. I pick up my backpack from the backseat, closing my eyes in annoyance when things fall down because I left a zip open. "Should I help?" Janet offers, stepping back closer.

"No, it's fine. Go ahead. I'm sure you're tired." I say.

She hums and walks off with the twins. I climb back in the car and pick up my things. "Tara," my eyes meet Shourya's through the rearview. "I need to talk to you."

"Maybe tomorrow? I'm really tired right now."

"Yeah, should I come at your work place?"

I nod.

Zipping my backpack, I swing the strap over my shoulder and get out of the car, closing the door of the backseat. I move towards the passenger window and rest my forearms on the sil, "Stop by whenever you're free."

"I've an important event tomorrow. I'll be there in the evening."

"Alright, see you." I stand straight.

He nods in response and looks forward, driving off immediately. I hook my thumb beneath the strap of my backpack, watching the car disappear once it drives out of the gates.

I'm worried whether he'll be okay facing his grandfather. He'll have to pretend everything is fine. I know for a fact he won't confront the old man so soon. He can't let the man know his reality is out in the light.

Turning around, I head inside the palace.

"How was the trip?" I halt at the end of the staircase. My eyes follow the source of the voice. Dad smiles at me tenderly. "How was Goa?"

"Fun."

He runs a hand down the back of my head. "You look tired."

"I'm tired." I mumble.

He nods. "Go and get some rest. I'll see you at dinner."

I hum and walk off upstairs.

Opening the door to my room, I drop my backpack on the desk chair and drag myself to the expanse of my bed, falling eagle spread as a sigh of relief leaves my mouth. A few minutes later, I pull myself off and wash up in the bathroom before changing into a comfortable pair of shorts and a loose tee.

Nothing eventful happens at the dining table. Everyone was mostly focused on Yuvaan's birthday and the opening of his gallery. Twins, Janet and I kept our silence throughout, still shaken up by the happenings of the day.

The next morning, I head to my work place. After the mandatory cleaning and restocking, I make myself a cup of coffee and enjoy it while greeting the other staff as they start to clock in. We flip the sign at eight am.

Atharva texts me he'll be at the cafe by six pm, when my shift ends. I reply him okay despite the little wiggling worm of worry reminding me Shourya might come at the same time. He did say he'll drop by today, but I'm not sure whether he'll keep up with his words. I read in the news he has a fundraising event today for some company they recently acquired.

I'm proved wrong when the door opens and my eyes meet the light brown ones. Vishakha spills the coffee when she takes in the sight.

And holy fuck, what a view it is.

He's dressed in a fitted black suit sans the tie. The first two buttons of his white shirt are left open, revealing a thin platinum chain he wears around the neck. His hair are unkempt, a sexy mess that didn't give up despite the war with the winds outside. I stop cleaning the glasses and drop the cloth on the counter, glaring at the back of the woman's head who's clearly older than him but is ogling him like he's a piece of a candy. He is. Fuck that, he's a whole candy store. But that doesn't justify gawking at the boy that can pass off as your son.

"Hey," he stops across from me.

"You came." I mumble.

He nods. "I told you I would."

"Yeah," I swallow. "Did you- did you directly come from that event?" I look down at his body once again. Jesus Christ, that's one piece of art. God really said I was on a vacation when I made this man.

"Yes, I did. I really need to talk to you." He leans over the counter. "Can we go somewhere private?"

"Yeah, sure." Take me to hell. I'll come. "This way," I point to my left. He lets me take the lead. We enter the changing room and I push the door close. Turning around, I face him again. My eyes run down his body on their own accord.

"Tara, I appreciate you checking me out like you can't get enough of me, but I really have something important to say. So please, can we focus on that?"

"Right, sorry." I clear my throat. "What is it?"

"It's Monday tomorrow. I hope you're not thinking of handing over all that evidence to your teacher."

I nibble on my lower lip thoughtfully. I haven't thought about what to do with the recording yet. But Inayat did promise us to testify if she's called to the court. She didn't want to live in the guilt anymore. If we provide her security, she doesn't mind saying the truth.

"I don't know-"

"Tara, no, you promised me." He holds my hand. I frown. "You can't submit that evidence to your teacher. You can't reveal to the world what we learned in Goa. We talked about this."

I nod. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I won't give it to Ms. Deshmukh."

He breaths out in relief. "Thanks, I was starting to get worried. You can't ever reveal that evidence, do you understand me?"

I nod in response.

"I'll talk to your broth-" we flinch hearing something crash outside the door. I look over my shoulder and notice a shadow vanishing. "You didn't lock the door?" He walks up to the door and opens it, peeking out to check. "Were you expecting someone?" He looks at me.

I blink. "Atharva."

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