On a Sunday

The Kumars had visited the Nairs for a brief lunch along with the Menons who were frequent visitors to the family.

"...Sunny!...this time...we will surely take that camping trip...I have arranged everything...you know...three days...two nights...what do you say...next week...hm?" Dhiraj suggested the cousins who hummed in response and started to pour in their views on the camping trip.

"...Kanna.... will it be ok for you?...I mean...is your nausea at bay...for the camping trip?..." Latha asked Prisha to which she hummed in agreement while having her fruit salad.

"...Mumma!!!...we will also go for fishing...Ok?!!!" Sanjay came in between his fights with the cousins making the ladies laugh. Latha caught the wiggling boy in her arms, kissing his chubby face which was always disliked by the poor boy.

Rajeev was sipping his lemonade in the garden area when

"...Raj?!..." Mrunal called him from behind, making him turn at her soft call.

She showed him the reports slyly away from the family with a worried look.

"...what do you mean?...I am not able to..." Raj read the report, finding it difficult to understand the test results.

"...it means that...the IVF didn't work...we need to try again..." Mrunal whispered to him, who looked at her in disappointment for himself.

"...when can we do that, again?..." He asked her glancing at the family in the living room, laughing in their joyful atmosphere.

"...Maybe...after a week...I need to...*sniffs*...I am sorry...but..." Mrunal was getting helpless at not being able to give her contribution on the treatment as Rajeev wanted it to be.

Rajeev held her hands and replied "...it's not just you...maybe...it's me...I mean...you are trying your best...don't worry...we will not lose hope...hm?!"

"...and how long do you think it will take for the IVF treatment to succeed, hm?!" The hugging couple got shocked at the owner of the voice booming from behind their backs.

Mrunal got scared at her glaring eyes which was moving from hers to Rajeev's who couldn't take her frown.

As the trio sat on the coffee table, Veena kept her strict stance on both who were looking down from the time they were caught. 

"...Listen, both of you...IVF treatment is complicated...and there are times...it may work...or at times it may not...I mean...me and Xavier had tried for the second child... for almost three years?!! but it didn't work..."

"...So, finally...we pacified ourselves...with only Rahul...*exhales*...I know I am no one...to interfere between a wife and husband...but as your elder...I would suggest that you don't go for any artificial treatment...if everything is fine with both of you...then?!!" Veena slumped back on the chair and looked at both of them who would glance at each other.

"...Chech...the thing is..." As Rajeev was about to open his mouth,

"...Chech...it's me!...I am not over my past relation...and I don't want Raj...to...um...I just think that...if I need to get pregnant without...um...then IVF would be the easiest way to do it...I mean...Rajeev just agreed to it..." Mrunal caught hold of his hands under the table, which didn't go unnoticed by the smart entrepreneur, who could only smile.

"...No!...it's not...I told her for the IVF treatment...coz...I am...*hesitant*...scared?!!" Rajeev blurted out whatever came to his head at that moment, making Mrunal stunned on his words.

"...*hearty laugh*...." Veena caught hold of her stomach as she waved her hands not able to take the scene.

The couple saw the way their elder was laughing at the most serious discussion.

After a minute, Veena gathered herself and went beside them.

She caught hold of their hands in hers, looking lovingly at each of them replying "...I have never seen such a pure love...ever...in anyone of us...and this family is known for their love marriages...hm?!!...funny?!...*chuckles*...Kids...I don't know what your issue is?!!...but the amount of love radiating from both of you...is killing!!...don't waste it?!!...."

A chuckling Veena then walked out of the garden area, leaving a bit confused Rajeev and smiling Mrunal who could only gaze at her love who was hesitant to even touch her.

Maybe she needs to let him know that she did love him with her whole heart.

The next few days, Mrunal was thinking on Veena's words which spelled their relationship in a flash.

"...Mrunal?..." Rajeev called her from the dining table, making her smile.

As she handed him the coffee, she waited for his attention. Rajeev looked at her who glanced at around and went near to him, who got scared for once.

"...I am...um...in my...um...peak!..." She tried to tell him that she was in her ovulating period but the said man was getting his brows stitched at her words.

"..." Rajeev shaked his head at not able to understand and asked her to which she told him that she had sent him a text.

As Rajeev glanced his message, he saw the one from Mrunal 'mid-cycle' and looked back at her "...what does it mean?..."

"...um...that...I am...um..." Mrunal was shaking badly to tell that one particular word to her handsome hunk of a husband in his beige-colored suit. 

She always liked him in beige color which would accentuate his brown droopy eyes which locked his gaze at her worried ones.

"...you know what?...I am getting late...we will discuss it in the evening...hm?" saying so, he patted her shoulders hurrying to reach for his 9 o'clock meeting.

Rajeev left a tensed blushing Mrunal who could only bite her lips at not able to convey the crucial message to her clueless husband.

Panthera HQ

Prisha was rubbing her forehead with the ongoing headache which had made her moody all the time.

"...so, do we need to interrogate every other suspecting person who had managed to travel in and out of the country for the past few months?!!...Since...um...*pfft*..." Benisha voiced her opinion after the Gamer told about the actuality of the so-called Komal aka Devi who was bought in by the Tigris to spell about Mrunal aka the saviour.

The Papi aka Akash's body was brutally assaulted before and after he was killed. Gamer was able to extract the post mortem report from the hospital where Akash's body was kept, marking the unprofessional way he was assaulted.

Questioning on the reason behind the words being spelled by Komal. It was not still clear on –

- why did the captives wait till this time to kill him?

- What made them to kill him after being in his hold for so long?

- Who provoked them? Was it Komal or someone else?

It seemed that she had lied even when tortured to the brim of death. But why?

It frustrated the members who were finding it difficult with every passing time, to keep track of the situation along with finding the Underboss of Papi.

"...maybe...it is just a false image of the person that they are creating?!..." Rajeev made a point making the heads move to his words which were giving flashes of the incidents.

Prisha shaked her head on how the Loverboy was not giving up on the issue.

"...and what makes it so possible, hm?...look all I can say is that whatever, this Underboss is planning...is working like a cakewalk...I mean think about...the case is clear like water...Mrunal is the helper...aka what was it...yeah...NightRose...yes?..." Prisha laid down the blue print of the evidences which screamed the existence of the actual killer of the Papi aka Akash.

"...so?...what are you suggesting?...that we bring in all the people...who have sinned or were helped in the hold of the Papi aka Akash, huh?!" Gaurav asked her who negated it, giving a final glance at Rajeev.

"No!...we bring in the NightRose...for interrogation...coz...she is the only one who can clear all the doubts...just like that..." Rajeev creased his brows and looked sideways biting his lips, trying to control his anger.

"..." the Panthera was helpless at this point as he knew that Prisha was right. It was the only way to get the truth out from the murderer's own mouth.

"...guys?!!..." The Gamer called them out from across the screen to get their attention.

"...Is that?!!...no way?!!..." Sanal asked Prisha who scrunched her brows and her eyes widen at the reveal of the person.

"...Babita!..." she whispered making Rajeev take a look at the screenshot of the video which showed the new recruit of their Business School exchanging some packages with the Black Scorpion head in a five-star hotel corridor. Their interaction meant that they were very close associate with their handshake and the Black Scorpion head rubbing her arms in a lustful manner.

Rajeev wide smiled at the scene and glanced back at Prisha who glared at him. She gritted her teeth, rubbing her fist over the desk and closed her eyes to control her anger.

After a second or so, she gathered herself and breathed regularly, glancing back at his boyish victorious smile.

"...Get her!..." Prisha soft yelled at the agents not taking her glaring eyes from Rajeev who could just give his side smile to her.

She jolted out of the meeting room, making Pradeep concern at the breaking bond between the once promised siblings.

Rajeev relaxed at getting more time for his Buji and thanked her stars to look out for her.

In the evening,

While going back home, Rajeev thought to search for the particular word that his wife had messaged him – 'mid-cycle'

As he scrolled through the suggestions, hisbrows stitched together and finally...

"..." He covered his mouth at denying the meaning of the word that she wanted to convey.

'...no!...she wouldn't...but...we need to...I mean...this is for Nimya...God!!...why am I so scared?!!...I mean...I love her...right?!!...but she might be the assassin and they kill you at the given chance...I can't die now...not without finding the truth...God help me!!!....' thinking he slumped back his head on the car headrest.

He felt his feet suddenly getting heavier with each stride inside the house.

The silence.

'...where is everyone?!...' he kept the bag on the couch, loosening his shirt top buttons, searching for the family.

He heard some distance laughter from the garden area, making him jog to the place.

"...and then?!!..." Mrunal asked her Sonia mom who was snorting like a kid while patting the soil in the garden patch with her soft hands, replying

"...then what?...your Appa walked off just like that...full redden faced!!!...*laughs*..."

"...what?!!!.... oh my god!!...Amma...you are such a tease!!...poor soul!...he must have been so embarrassed!..." Mrunal then got up from her place to water the petunia as signalled by Sonia.

"...Mhm?!!...embarrassed?!!...your Appa?!!...right...he is the right opposite of that word...all the men in our family are...like for your husband for example...that one time...when we had gone to the amusement park..." as she was about to reveal the most embarrassing moment of Rajeev, he rushed to stop his mom.

"...Amma!!..." He ran to her scaring her and caught hold of her shoulders.

"...Appa is on the phone...he wanted to know about the party!!!.... yeah..." He blurted some lie to get his mom out of the scene, who glanced at Mrunal who was totally shocked at the sudden intrusion by the restless Rajeev.

As he pushed a murmuring '...what party?!!' Sonia out of the garden, he released a breather at the almost reveal of his most hidden secret from her.

He looked back at Mrunal who wiggled her brows smiling at him, who looked down blushing.

"..." he wanted to converse with her about anything, but somehow the cat caught his tongue. He brushed his nape and could only glance at her in between his shyness.

"...I will make coffee for you..." she removed her gloves and walked off smiling teasingly at him, who could only chuckle.

At the dinner table, Mrunal saw that her husband was rather quiet and would only respond to the questions asked to him.

"...some salad?!..." Mrunal asked him who could caught up with her voice and hesitated for a second, finally nodding. 

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