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Ayaan offers a reluctant handshake, accompanied by a polite smile, and accepts the gift he gives him.
“Thanks. And you are...?” Ayaan inquires, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“Raghav,” he introduces himself, his eyes glued on Ayaan’s reactions.
“Raghav?” Ayaan’s brows furrow slightly as he racks his brain, trying to recall if he’s encountered anyone by that name before.
It quickly becomes apparent that he hasn’t.
“Do we know each other?” Ayaan quizzes, his tone laced with curiosity.
A tight-lipped smile plays across Raghav’s lips as he replies, “Not yet, but we’ll be meeting often soon enough to get to know each other.”
Ayaan is taken aback by the cryptic response, a sense of dread creeping into his mind. Before he can press further, their conversation is interrupted by another guest who joins them. Seizing this opportunity, Raghav walks away from there. Ayaan politely engages with the new guest, though his gaze keeps flickering back to Raghav, his mind working overtime to decipher the meaning behind Raghav’s words.
Dispersing in a thick crowd like this is way easy than he thought. A knowing smirk lingers on Raghav’s lips as he reaches the far end of the garden from where he can easily watch both Ayaan and Meher without getting noticed. They were undoubtedly curious about him, but soon the gift he got them would reveal everything. Picking a drink from the server passing by, he savours the anticipation of what is about to come.
As Meher finds a moment alone, she begins to open the gift, curiosity gnawing at her insides. A sly grin forms on Raghav’s lips as he observes from a distance, knowing that his plan is falling into place. He anticipates Ayaan’s reaction to the gift and isn’t disappointed. Ayaan, true to Raghav’s expectations, looks at the gift with suspicion and turns it in his hand, spotting the emblem that has intrigued him all along — the Bat emblem with its wings spread wide. The symbol had become a mysterious puzzle for Ayaan, and now that he had something related to it in his hands, how could he ignore it?
Raghav’s eyes glint in the darkness as he takes a final sip from his drink, his plan unfolding just as he had predicted. Even though Ayaan scans the surroundings in an attempt to find Raghav, the darkness concealing Raghav’s presence makes it nearly impossible to spot him from a distance. With a mix of curiosity and apprehension, Ayaan and Meher both proceed to open their respective gifts at their respective places.
With a deep breath, Ayaan carefully unwraps the gift, his eyes widening in shock as its contents reveal themselves. Across the garden, Meher’s hands start quivering as she discovers the truth hidden within her own gift. The weight of the secrets unravelled within those packages hangs heavily in the air.
Raghav’s gaze remains fixed on the couple as their shock becomes evident. He laughs wickedly, takes pride in knowing that he has achieved his goal.
Ayaan steps back, his mind racing to comprehend the implications of the startling revelations. Meher clutches the back of a chair for support, her emotions in turmoil. She stares at her father, Pratap Walia, who is standing at a secluded corner, yelling at someone on his phone before shifting her gaze towards Kailash Shergill and Vishnu, clinking their glasses near the bar area as though they are celebrating something. On the other hand, Ayaan’s eyes are locked on his father, visibly shaken by the truth he has uncovered. What better gift for the newlyweds than shattering the illusions of their respective father’s image?
The dark secrets have been set free before the King and the Queen, who thought they were ruling the game so far. But they fail to realise that when the Bishop enters the game, blocking every move of the King and Queen, the game turns even more interesting.
The Maze has been unveiled, bringing the game to its thrilling climax, awaiting the Bishop to give our King –The Checkmate.
To be Continued…
