"Can you tell me the reason??" Charan asked cautiously.

Shreya's lips twitched as she said, "I thought you would never ask!!"

"I wouldn't have if you hadn't brought it up.. You brought back Akira safe and sound and the person responsible is rotting in some Intelligence cell spilling his guts out.. I couldn't ask for more. The reason doesn't matter. I do not want to ask you about things I have no right to just to fulfill my idle curiosity." Charan replied with a sad smile.

"It is not that you do not have the right to know.. In fact, I should have told you a long while ago.. But I was just in this dilemma of whether telling you will bring you some harm. But then I figured the harm from not telling you might outweigh the harms of telling you. And I am also scared you will leave me at the end of it all. But then I figured I would never know unless I tell you. So here goes. " Shreya said with slight nervousness shrugging her shoulders but then let out a shiver when she felt the cold breeze from the air conditioner brush over her bareback.

Charan, of course, noticed it. He reached for her sweatshirt but Shreya slipped away from his grip and went straight to his shirt and came back wearing it looking like a little girl trying her dad's clothes.

"What do I wear??" Charan whine for which Shreya just shrugged and threw her sweatshirt his way. Charan looked at the baby pink sweatshirt weirdly for a second but then he relented to his fate and pulled it over his head. Since Shreya always wore her t-shirts way too baggy for her size, so the sweatshirt actually fit him perfectly. He zipped them and looked up. Shreya was wearing his shirt like a jacket than a shirt leaving all his buttons open and his sleeves ran well beyond her hands making them invisible.

"Come here," Charan called her with a smile, and Shreya instantly came back to the couch and snuggled into his laps comfortably.

Charan folded his shirt sleeves as Shreya started talking again.

"When I lost my parents.. I was very lost for a period of time. At that time, the only thing that kept me going was work. I worked like a damn machine. I barely went home.. I barely slept. I expanded the business like a maniac.. I took higher risks but then they always paid off. I was ruthless.. I.. I even stomped over my eldest uncle without a second thought.. I always thought maybe if I had been a little bit patient back then, maybe things wouldn't have been so sour between out families you know.." She said sadly.

Charan rubbed on her back soothingly.

Shreya recovered quickly, "Well, yeah that happened. But then after that, I met with Prasanna.. And you know what happened there.. Him informing me about my mother's kidnapping and all that shit happened.." She paused remembering things.

Unconsciously, Charan's hands also slipped under her and traced over her scar.. he did not know if he was comforting himself or her. But he knew one thing for sure. He had never had such strong negative feelings for anyone before in his life.. but her ex was one person he hated with all his gut.

"Anyways.. After that, I started poking around in places I was not supposed to be and ended up being bashed by my ex. But Prasanna did not really know anything worthwhile. He just knew my dad was being blackmailed by Rakesh. He did not know why!! And even the mail was very generic. All it said was 'you know what we want.. bring to the said place, you can have your wife back. No foul plays. Or your wife is dead.'" She recited from memory.

"Since I couldn't investigate any further that way.. I was pushed to a corner and came to a stalemate. But then right on time, the chief of police approached me. He is the spouse of one of the trusted directors in Sri corp."

Back then it had been a month after her divorce. And she was pushed to a corner without any way to escape. That's when the Chief of police came knocking at her doors.

She was staying at one of her vacation homes to keep away from the media spectacles. They were at the backyard sitting facing each other. Shreya served him tea and sipped on her own coffee.

"How can I help you, sir??" She asked politely. She had seen him around in all their company events. So she was slightly familiar with him and she knew her dad trusted both him and his wife. So she was especially respectful.

"I am actually here to help you, though I don't really know how helpful I am going to be. And please call be Advay.." He said with a warm smile.

Shreya stayed quiet and waited for him to continue.

"I guess you know the late Prime Minister??" Advay asked.

Shreya nodded and answered, "Of course I knew Girish uncle. My dad and he were thick as thieves.."

"A few months before your parents' accident, your dad called and asked me to reinvestigate Mr. Girish Takur's murder case. He wanted to see the case files.. And your dad was very specific about keeping the whole thing a secret.. As if he knew something.." Advay said and paused.

Shreya's eyes slightly widened but then she still stayed calm and waited for him to continue.

"And exactly a week before his accident, he directly called the case officer and asked him to reopen the case saying he had some evidence.." Advay continued.

"But isn't the guy already caught and prosecuted right after the murder?? What is the use of new evidence?? I remember the guy confessed to the whole thing.." Shreya asked confused.

"Your dad believed we had the wrong guy and that he had evidence on the actual killer.." Advay explained. "But then he died in the accident just before he could produce any of them to the court. And a week later the guy we caught was stabbed to death in a prison riot!!" Advay said.

"That's odd!!" Shreya did not believe in coincidences.

"I know.. that is why I came here. I know there is something fishy and your dad treated us like a family. That is why I couldn't keep quiet. But be careful Shreya.. these people are not afraid of anything if they could kill the leader of a nation and get away with it!!" He advised and left her to her own thoughts.