Mannat

[6]

After the festivities died down, it was a new day, a new beginning. I decided to join the fashion company under The Singhania group of companies. Avyan forwarded my resume to the HR department anonymously, so that it doesn't feel like he is using his status to get me into the Company. It's been three days since then and I have got the offer letter already. I am so excited to start working again. I packed all my essentials in my bag and picked out a work outfit. Normally, I would just wear a kurti but now I have the privilege to wear those fancy suits and blazers. I am going for an outfit inspired from My demon's Do Do Hee. I headed out for breakfast. Avyan had already left for work in the morning. After finishing my cereal and coffee. I reached the office and I was shown my creative desk by the manager, Niya.

After finishing all my tasks for the day, I decided to go to a ramen place near the office because I have been craving ramen a lot. I took a seat near the window and ordered a simple spicy ramen bowl. Before the ramen could be served, a man came and sat in front of me. I didn't know who he was.

"Excuse me? You are?" I asked.

"Hi! I am Rakshit" he said, introducing himself. I still was not able to recall where I had seen him before.

"I am sorry, I can't recall? Have we met before?" I asked.

"No. We haven't met before but I have been to a lot of your parties. I am from 24/7 India News." He said, revealing his complete identity. I still couldn't make out what could possibly be so urgent that a journalist followed me to a restaurant.

"Here..." He said, placing an envelope in front of me.

The journalist revealed images and articles detailing a scandal from 2013, where Avyan had allegedly beaten up some of his classmates so brutally that they ended up in the ICU. In that moment, I felt a whirlwind of emotions swirling within me. I was torn between my loyalty to Avyan and the disturbing evidence presented before me. Questions raced through my mind as I  tried to make sense of the revelations.

"Are you sure these are true and not photoshopped?" I asked, clearing my suspicions.

"Ma'am, there was one article on the internet surfacing till last month, but it also got taken down by the news of your marriage." The journalist told me. He stood up from the chair in front of me and left.

Unable to process the information all at once, I sat in stunned silence, grappling with the implications of what I had just learned. The images and articles seemed to blur before my eyes, leaving me feeling disoriented and unsettled.

"He almost...k-killed someone?" I blurted out with my voice shaky and trembling.

That means our marriage was just a means to cover up the news of this scandal resurfacing. Now I understand why they wanted a commoner bride and not someone from their own status. I should have not ignored that article. I need to get more information before I confront Avyan.

I decided to go to find Journalist Praveen Kumar the next morning.

I was not in any state to talk to Avyan today. He tried to talk to me many times after we reached home, but I just can't bring myself to talk to him until I get to know the whole thing.

Next morning.

I had three hours before work. After doing am extensive research last night, I found a few addresses where Praveen Kumar can be found. The first address was of Lajpat Nagar. I took the first metro and reached Lajpat Nagar at 7:30 AM.

I inquired from a few locals but it was all in Vain as Praveen Kumar didn't live there. I immediately headed to the next address that was in Kirti Nagar. I reached 5/164 but the house was long abandoned. I was almost on the verge on giving up. I gathered my energy and decided to try the last address, that was in Jhandewalan.

7/23, Idgah colony, I read the address out loud and pressed the door bell in hope of finding Praveen Kumar. An old man, probably in his fifties, opened the door.

"Does Mr. Praveen Kumar live here?" I asked the old man.

"I am Praveen Kumar. You ?" He asked.

"Mannat Singhania." I said, introducing myself. As soon as he heard my name, he was going to shut the door.

"Please don't shut the door! I need to talk about something really important." I pleaded. He kept the door open as I showed him the photographs.

"Please give me some information about this. I even contacted you through your mobile number before but you blocked me. This is really important for me to know." I said, as I joined my hands and begged him to tell me everything.

"Beti! Don't join your hands. Come in, sit" he asked me to sit down and offered me a glass of water. I took the glass and he also settled in front of me on a chair. The house was crooked. It required a lot of repairing. There were cracks on the wall everywhere. It seemed like he lives alone.

"Sir...please tell me about the 2013 incident. What exactly happened?" I asked. He let out a sigh of frustration and began narrating the tale to me.

"I have practically seen Avyan baba grow up. I used to visit the Singhania mansion very frequently. He was always a very polite and cheerful child. Ajay Singhania, his father is my school friend. We were the best of friends, the only difference between us was that he took the risk and started his own business whereas I settled for a job. In 2013, Avyan was 17 years old. There were some boys in his school who regularly bullied him. Initially, he was the victim. The bullying stopped for a few days and then one fine day after their board exams ended, he beat up some of those guys brutally in a secluded alley. Till now, we have no idea why he did it because he never opened up about it. Competitors used this opportunity to tarnish the company's image. This news died down in 2014 but now ten years later, all these articles started resurfacing and Ajay asked me to write a clarification article. The article you called me through was an attempt to save the Singhania's image but it wasn't working, some media houses kept circulating pictures from those days. Finally, Ajay decided to marry Avyan and shift the focus for some time. Ever since that incident, I have never seen the cheerful, bright Avyan again. He's very mysterious and reserved all the time. He went abroad for education and came back four years ago when he started dating Kiana. He never really liked her, dating her was also a publicity stunt to improve the image of the company." Mr Praveen said, as he offered me some snacks to eat.

"Thank you so much sir. I guess I will get all my answers from Avyan only." I said, as I picked up my things and decided to leave for office.

I finished all the work earlier than usual and left for home. I have to ask Avyan about all this. The reason why I am in this house, I should know it. I waited for Avyan to come back home for the entire evening but he didn't come.

I dozed off on the dining table and when I woke up it was already 2 am. He still wasn't back. I decided to text him, but he wasn't online either.

Finally at 3:30 am in the morning, Avyan arrived. He loosened his tie and lied down on the couch. I asked him if he wanted to eat something but he refused. He fell asleep quickly and I didn't have the heart to wake him up.

Next morning, on the breakfast table.

"Here...I am looking for some answers" I said, as I placed the photos on the table. He picked up the photos and I could see his pupils dilating in shock.

"How did you get these?" He asked.

"That is unnecessary. I need to know the story." I asked.

"I don't owe you any answers." He said, with a cold expression.

"The reason I am in this house today, are these photos. So you do owe me answers, Mr. Singhania" I said, holding my ground strong. He stood up from his chair, kept his spoon down and glared at me as he started leaving.

"You can't leave like this." I said, as I blocked his path.

"You are my wife only on paper. I don't need to tell you everything. Stay in your limits" he said. His words pierced through me like a needle. I stood aside as I saw him pick up his phone and leave the house.
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