Chapter Seven.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Let's get married in Vegas
We don't need a guest list
I don't wanna think too much..
Let's get matching tattoos
I don't wanna think it through
Baby I am so stupid in love
So stupid in love with you..

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

__• 🥀 •__

....

Author's POV.

....

The weight of the discovery hung in the air, and Evara’s mind raced with possibilities. She picked up her phone, dialing quickly. After a few rings, a familiar voice answered, laced with curiosity.

“Evara. Long time. What’s the emergency this time?”

“Kashyap,” she said, her tone brisk but carrying a note of relief. “I need your expertise. You in?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Kashyap chuckled. “Tell me what you’ve got.”

Evara glanced at the group, who were all listening intently. “I’m sending you a number. I need you to dig into its call logs, location history—everything. It’s linked to Neil Suryavanshi, and we think it’s critical to the case.”

“Neil Suryavanshi?” Kashyap whistled softly. “Big name. You sure you want to tangle with someone that powerful?”

“Don’t start, Kashyap,” Evara said, her voice tinged with impatience. “Can you do it or not?”

“Of course I can,” he replied, his tone shifting to one of focus. “Send me the details, and I’ll get started. But it’ll take some time.”

“How much time?”

“A few hours, max. You know I don’t do things halfway.”

“Fine. Just be quick. I’ll owe you for this.”

“You already owe me,” Kashyap teased. “But I’ll take payment in coffee and sarcasm later.”

Evara smirked and hung up, turning back to the group. “Kashyap’s on it. He’ll get us everything we need.”

---

Two hours later, the group sat in Abhishek’s living room, the tension thick as they waited for Kashyap’s call. Shubman and Abhishek had temporarily buried their bickering, though the occasional side-eye betrayed their truce. Finally, Evara’s phone buzzed, and she answered immediately.

“Kashyap?”

“I’ve got something,” he said, his voice low and serious. “That number? It’s definitely Neil’s. But here’s the kicker—there’s a secondary number it’s connected to, one that doesn’t belong to him.”

“Whose number?” Evara asked, her grip on the phone tightening.

“I couldn’t trace the name directly, but the location pings match someone close to Neil—Anil Suryavanshi.” A collective gasp rippled through the room.

“Anil?” Aditi asked, her eyes widening. “Neil’s brother?”

“Exactly,” Kashyap confirmed. “And here’s the twist: Anil’s phone records show calls to the police station around the same time as Trishna’s death. He might be trying to clean up Neil’s mess.”

Evara’s mind raced. “Kashyap, can you trace any other connections between Anil and Neil? Financial transactions, shared locations?”

“Already on it,” he said. “But you’ve got enough here to start digging deeper. Just be careful—these guys aren’t going to sit back and let you expose them.”

“Thanks, Kashyap,” Evara said.

“Anytime. And Eva?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t get yourself killed. I’d miss your bad jokes.”

Evara chuckled despite the tension. “Noted.”

She hung up and turned to the group, her expression serious. “We have a new player in the game. Arun might be covering for Neil—or worse, he’s involved directly. Either way, we need to move fast before they catch wind of us.”

“What’s the plan?” Abhishek asked, leaning forward. Evara’s eyes gleamed with determination. “We hit them where it hurts. But first, we need more proof—and we need to corner Anil.”

The group exchanged nods, their resolve strengthening. The game had just gotten more dangerous, but they were ready to see it through.

....

“But who is this Anil now? Pehle hi yeh Neil aur Ahan kya kam the jo Anil bhi aa gaya? Idhar dimag dukh raha hai ab mera,” Ishan whined, slumping back onto the couch. Aditi shot him a weird look as she flipped the next pancake.

“Tumhare dimag ke dukhne ki zarurat nahi hai,” Aditi said, rolling her eyes. “Itna bada case solve karna hai, aur tum sirf complain kar rahe ho.”

“Well, let’s say Anil Suryavanshi is a big name in crimes,” Evara said nonchalantly, sipping her coffee as if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.

“Big name?” Abhishek echoed, his brow furrowing.

“Yeah,” Evara said, setting her cup down. “Anil’s name pops up in connection to illegal land deals, money laundering, and political corruption. He’s been under the radar because he knows how to cover his tracks.”

“So, basically, Neil’s got a big brother with an even bigger rap sheet?” Shubman asked, his expression grim.

“Exactly,” Evara confirmed. “And if Kashyap’s intel is right, Anil’s been cleaning up Neil’s mess. That means he’s not just involved—he’s a key player.”

“Great,” Ishan muttered, rubbing his temples. “This is turning into a full-on family crime saga. What’s next? Their dog is an expert in smuggling?”

“Shut up, Ishu,” Aditi snapped, throwing a kitchen towel at him. “This is serious.”

“Fine,” he said, dodging the towel. “But you’ve got to admit, it’s getting harder to keep track of all these players.”

“That’s why we focus,” Evara said, her tone sharp. “If we can get solid evidence linking Anil to Neil’s crimes, we’ll have leverage. Kashyap’s already digging into their transactions. Now we need to find a way to make them slip up.”

“And how do we do that?” Abhishek asked.

Evara’s lips curved into a determined smile. “We bait them. We make them think they’re in control—until they’re not.”

The group exchanged glances, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Anil Suryavanshi was no small-time criminal, and going after him meant stepping into dangerous territory.

But with each clue, they were one step closer to uncovering the truth—and they weren’t about to back down.

...

"Yeh Anil Suryavanshi naam... bada suna suna lag raha hai yaar," Shubman muttered, his brows knitting together as he leaned back on the couch.

Everyone turned to look at him, curiosity piqued. "Kon be?" Abhishek asked, folding his arms.

"Arey, there was this classmate of mine," Shubman said, snapping his fingers as if trying to jog his memory. "He came from a pretty rich background. Bada mysterious tha—hamesha apne mein hi rehta tha, but he gave off this strange vibe."

Evara’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think it’s the same Anil we’re dealing with? Do you have a picture or anything to confirm?”

Shubman nodded slowly. “Yeah, I should have a class photo from back then. Usme toh hoga,” he said, reaching for his phone.

“Great,” Evara said, her tone urgent. “Find it. If he’s the same guy, we might get more insight into his past or connections.”

Shubman unlocked his phone and began scrolling through his cloud storage. “It’s an old photo, so don’t expect much, but agar yeh wahi banda hai, toh we’re onto something big.”

“Bada suna suna lag raha hai, aur ab tak yaad nahi aaya?” Ishan teased, earning a glare from Shubman.

“Tu chup reh,” Shubman shot back. “At least I remembered something useful. Tu toh bas yahan bakwas karne aata hai.”

“Guys, focus,” Evara said sharply. “This isn’t the time for jokes. Shubman, find that photo fast. If it’s him, we’ll need Kashyap to cross-check his details immediately.”

The tension in the room thickened as everyone waited, their collective gaze fixed on Shubman’s phone screen as he scrolled through years of photos. If the mysterious classmate turned out to be the Anil Suryavanshi, this case was about to take an even darker turn.

“It’s him!” Evara exclaimed, her voice sharp with certainty as her eyes locked onto the teenage photo Shubman had pulled up.

“Arre, oo bhai sahab!” Ishan said, dramatically clasping his chest. “Shubman, tu toh kaam ka nikla pehli baar! Bhai, ek taali de!” He extended his hand for a high-five, grinning widely.

Shubman, basking in the rare moment of praise, chuckled and high-fived Ishan. But the realization of the subtle jab hit him a second later. His smile vanished as he grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at Ishan. “Tu na, bas maar kha ke hi sudhrega!” Ishan ducked, laughing. “Kya karoon, sach bolne ki aadat hai!”

Aditi stepped closer, studying the photo on the screen. “We can probably get more information about him from the school records. What do you think, Eva?”

Evara nodded thoughtfully, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. “That’s a good idea. If we can access those records, we might find something useful—addresses, family details, or anything connecting him to Neil or the others.”

The atmosphere in the apartment had shifted from tense to relaxed, with everyone finally taking a breather after the chaos of the past few days. It was a quiet, lazy evening—no files, no suspects, just the comforting hum of casual conversation.

Aditi was sprawled on the couch, flipping through her phone, while Ishan sat cross-legged next to her, doing his best to get her attention.

“Did you know that the longest hiccuping streak ever recorded was 68 years?” Ishan said, trying to be dramatic.

Aditi barely glanced at him. “Why would I care about hiccups?”

Ishan nudged her with his elbow. “Come on, it’s interesting! You should be grateful I’m feeding your brain with important facts.”

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “I can’t even remember the last time you fed my brain with something that made sense.”

“Hey, I’m a fountain of knowledge!” Ishan said, puffing out his chest. “Fountain of nonsense, you mean,” Aditi retorted, making a face at him. “Please, no more useless facts. I need something more entertaining than your lectures.”

Shubman, who had been half-watching their banter while scrolling on his phone, chimed in. “Aditi, don’t be so harsh. Ishan’s knowledge is very valuable, in the most random way.”

Abhishek, who had been quietly observing from the corner, added with a grin, “Yeah, like when we need to know the longest hiccup streak in history. Very useful at dinner parties.”

“Exactly,” Shubman said with a sarcastic nod. “If we ever find ourselves at a party, surrounded by people discussing the world’s longest hiccup streak, we’ll be so glad Ishan’s around.”

Ishan looked pleased with himself. “See? I’m the most interesting person here.” Aditi, rolling her eyes, tossed a cushion at him. “You know, you really have a knack for turning the most pointless things into something you think is entertaining.”

Everyone laughed as the cushion hit Ishan square in the face. “Nice shot, Adii” he said, throwing the cushion back at her. “Meri wali mein patni banne ka potential hai.”

“Haye bhagwan kya karu iska main?” Aditi asked jokingly and sighed. The playful banter continued, with Ishan and Aditi going back and forth, but this time it was light-hearted, not fueled by the tension of their mission. Even Abhishek, Shubman, and Evara couldn’t help but smile, enjoying the brief reprieve from the seriousness of their task.

For a few hours, they forgot about their worries, basking in the comfort of each other’s company. No cases, no suspects, no pressure—just friends in a room, sharing jokes, teasing each other, and for the first time in a while, just being normal. It was exactly what they needed.

....

....

__• 🪐 •__

Heyy there guys! How are you all doing?

ALSO NOT ADITI DROPPING THIS PIC FOR NEW YEAR AHHH!! I couldn't help but add their cute small scene soo yeah!

Hope you all liked it! Stay tuned to know kya hota hai!

That's it for now! See you soon! Make sure to vote and comment!

Words count - 1915