《Can You Mend My Broken Heart?》


 Chapter 1: That fateful collision

    <h4>1 That fateful collision</h4>


    [At CHANGI International Airport]


    "I need a ticket to New York. ASAP", asked a barely there frail voice.


    "Give me a moment to check Ma''am," the stewardess said politely and looked back at the screen, typing into theputer.


    "Ma''am the earliest is CS airlines, but the economy is full. Would you like to go for the business ss?"


    All Akira could do was to nod because right now that was the only choice that she had.


    The girl who usuallypared the yogurt prices to save a couple of cents didn''t even flinch for a second as she swiped her credit card and shelled out 3700 USD. She tried to restrain the tears prickling her eyes but it was difficult for her. The pain she felt in her heart hounded her; all she wanted was a quick escape.


    She gripped her boarding pass tightly in her hand and rushed towards the security checkpoint. All she wanted to do was to get far away from this ce¡­ as soon as it was humanly possible. She didn''t think she belonged there, she was not meant to stay.


    After clearing Immigration, she went to the nearest information panel for flight information. As soon as she reached there, the huge screen flickered with an update. Red letters sprung out beside the flight number and destination.


    China Southern Airlines


    Flight to JFK - Dyed. New Boarding Time - 03:30


    Her flight was dyed by 2 hours.


    Two hours !!!


    Even the universe seemed to have contrived to imprison her. Just like everyone else, even fate was standing against her, thwarting her free will.


    She didn''t bat an eye as she stared at the screen. With each passing second, her spirit crushed further, lying in the dust in the ground¡­ shattered into trillions of fragments. She took in a deep breath, trying to control her emotions, topose herself, but she failed miserably. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she fled away from the information panel. She was desperate to be alone, to find a hidden corner where she could unburden her tears away from prying eyes. She saw the sign to the washroom and dashed towards it.


    She clutched her purse and literally started sprinting. But before she could even enter the lounge area she bumped against someone.


    His built was rock solid, so he didn''t move an inch but she fell down because of the impact. His musky smell was suddenly overpowered with the smell of coffee within a split of a second. He was wearing an expensive suit and from the look of his shoes, she knew that he meant business. His coffee had spilled and the documents he was holding was scattered all over the ce.


    She immediately started collecting a few of the sheets which were strewn all over, but she had no courage to lift her head up and look at him as she didn''t want anyone to see her crying. She didn''t want to be pitied. She stood up in a hurry, bowed to apologize, and proceeded to run into the washroom before he could utter a word to her.


    She found an empty stall in the washroom and rushed in. After crying her heart out, she came out and started wiping her face in front of the mirror. At that moment she finally saw how disheveled she looked. She was in the pajamas she had changed into yesterday night and her hair was tied in a messy bun that looked more like a rat''s nest than anything that should be on a human head. All this crying had left her looking like an absolute mess. But she didn''t care.


    She took out her phone which was in silent mode till now.


    57 missed-calls. 2 from her brother and the rest from Anthony. She kept staring at the screen and then decided to check her Whatsapp messages. She had 220 unread messages. All from Anthony. She started reading them one by one.


    "Babe listen to me. It''s not what you think."


    "Can you please pick up my phone? Can we talk like adults?"


    "Do not jump into assumptions ok? At least hear me out. Do not overthink babe. Please just pick up my call babe."


    "Where is your trust? Can you just trust me this once? It''s all in your head. I have nothing to do with her. She is just a friend and you know that."


    "I knew that you would prepare something for me and stay upte in the night. So I didn''t tell you that I was back in the city. Trust me, babe, I had no other intention. I had no idea that Becky woulde to surprise me. It was all her."


    "Where are you, babe? Please talk to me."


    "I love you and only you babe."


    Akira kept on scrolling down reading the messages.


    She wanted to believe in his words and his logic. It hurt her to even wonder if all his feelings for her were false. She couldn''t ept that she had seen it with her very own eyes. Yes, she had seen it with her own eyes, but her heart refused to believe it.


    She hade all the way from New York to Singapore to surprise her boyfriend. Little did she know that she would be the one receiving the shock of her life. Instead of surprising him she found her life falling apart in front of her eyes.


    She gasped for air as she recalled the sight.


    She then tried to rpose herself and dialed a number.


    "Bro !!! I aming back. And yes, you were right. Anthony is an asshole."


    And the dam broke again. Tears rolled down her eyes and she let the grief consume her.

 Chapter 2: What the F***

    <h4>2 What the F***</h4>


    It was a bad day for Raymond. Real bad day.


    He hade to Singapore to sign an almost finalized deal. The contract and everything was charted out. It was just a formality for both the parties to sign the contract. It was big deal for him and his startup as the backing wasing from Infinion Inc, thergest gamingpany in the world. He had reached Singapore that afternoon and was supposed to fly out the same night after signing the contract with the CEO of Infinion Mr. Pord.


    But the moment hended and checked his emails he sensed something was wrong. He had received an e-mail from the secretary of Mr. Pord that he had to leave the country due to some family emergency and that the contract signing would be dyed. He badly needed the funding and was devastated with this news. He called up Mike ¨C ''the eyes and ears of the Gaming World and a childhood friend of his'' and got to know that Infinion CEO was pressurized by some third party to cut off the deal.


    He was jetgged after 21 hours flight journey which yielded nothing. He looked at his proposal papers again which he had put meticulously with the help of his team. He was irritated beyond limit as his new game product was an oue of blood and sweat. His team had pulled many sleepless nights to get the work done. He then decided to call his PA.


    "Jane, It didn''t go through"


    and disconnected the call. Jane had no courage to speak or call her boss as she knew how edgy and cold he was. And since the contract didn''t go through she knew hell will break loose once hees back.


    He looked at his watch and sighed. He didn''t want to go and check-in into his hotel. So he started towards the Premium Lounge area as this return flight was scheduled after 12 hours. He immediately dozed off on the Lazy boy as he hadn''t slept well forst couple of days. He had literally maxed out his days and nights for his Gaming project. He had kept his anger at bay because he knew who the ''third party'' was which led to the cancetion of the deal. He knew what was to be done so he set his rm at 23:45 and decided to rest well and gather his nerves for the next battle.


    23.45


    Raymond woke up with the buzzing noise of his rm. He had 15 minutes in hand so decided to freshen up. While he was resting he thought of another brilliant idea for a new game. So he decided the grab a cup of coffee and caffeine was his best creative friend. He ordered a coffee from Starbucks and decided to move towards his gate area. He had hardly taken two steps and someone just collided him, head-on with full force.


    He was startled and his coffee spilled all over and all his proposal documents got scattered. Before he could curse his luck further he saw a frail figure bending down and gathering her papers.


    "I am so sorry sir. I really didn''t mean to."


    "I just was in a rush. I am sorry again".


    She has apologizing and was collecting his papers. Her voice was quivering and there was something so sincere about her that he couldn''t say a word. The anger that had built up in his head was gone in seconds. And then she handed him his papers.


    He saw tears rolling down her cheeks and fell on his papers. Probably she realized that and left immediately towards the washroom without even saying a word further.


    Raymond, who was known as the man of few words somehow wanted to say, "It''s OK" to her.


    But words just fell short.

 Chapter 3: Coffee Again !!!

    <h4>3 Coffee Again !!!</h4>


    He stared in her direction for quite some time but then again started arranging her papers.


    Little bit of coffee had spilled on his hands and had scalded him a bit. His jacket had taken all the hit. Annoyed he took it off and put it in his suitcase. "Damn, these papers are gone." He muttered to himself. Anyways as his contract went for a toss, he didn''t care much. That''s how Raymond worked. No second approaches, no second chances and no second thoughts. He was a man who was always singr in his thoughts and his focus was like a directedser beam.


    He dumped the whole stack of paper into the nearest dustbin and started walking towards the nearest information panel to check his gate number. His eyes were fixed on his Airline and he read -


    China Southern Airlines


    Flight to JFK - Dyed. New Boarding Time - 03:30


    "You got to be kidding me!!! ".


    Nothing was working for him today. So he decided to get back to the resting area and do some productive thinking. He took hisptop out and started charting out his design model. He decided to give his existing game some twist by creating new avatars and levels. He started drafting his ideas to capture a whole new demographic. He was super swift and creative with his work and within 80 minutes a new agenda was ready. He immediately emailed it to his folks in New York and started scheduling meeting to discuss further with the design and graphics board. He knew the new n was tight, but there was no other way around.


    He knew the meaning of pushing off the contract signing date. It was not going to happen. Not when he knew who was behind all this scheming. He knew why someone didn''t want him to win. But he was not going to let them get what they want. He knew he had to perform better and take aggressive measures to get financial backup. He was not going to let some third party extinguish the fire of creativity in him. He knew he needed a n B and his new project was his n B.


    Now that he had sometime left he decided to get back to have another coffee. Standing in the queue he saw the girling out of the washroom. She looked a bitposed than before but her eyes were stark red. Looking at her clothes and hair it looked like something bad had really happened. She went near the information panel and started looking at the screen. She was staring at it non-stop. Totally unfazed and unaware of what was happening around her.


    "Your order please."


    "SIR, your order please."


    Raymond was startled at first and shook his head.


    "What''s wrong with me?" He muttered under his breath.


    "te please. No cream, no sugar".


    He took his coffee turned to see if she was still there near the information panel but there was no trace of her. Without any second thoughts he started walking towards his gate. It was almost his time to board.

 Chapter 4: Blocked

    <h4>4 Blocked</h4>


    "What did he do? Akira I am asking you, what did he do?"


    Even though Mike was Akira''s younger brother, he was the only family which Akira had. So he was his father, mother and his brother as well. He was 2 years younger than her but way mature than the guys of his age. He had always disliked Anthony. He knew he wasn''t trustworthy. He had warned Akira so many times, but Akira was too blinded in love to even listen to him.


    "He didn''t do anything to me Mike. I just don''t feel discussing about it right now."


    Akira was so exhausted with so much happening around her, that she didn''t have the will to go through it again.


    "Fine, where are you right now? What time will your flightnd? Send me details. I wille and pick you up."


    Mike was really worried for Akira. He knew her sister was just showing a brave face to him, but deep down he knew she was crumbling from inside.


    "Eat something ok. Please will you? For my sake? Please take care of yourself Aki."


    Mike was literally choking up. If he could he would have punched that moron in his face right now. But now all that he could do was to calm her sister down.


    "I will, I promise. It''s almost time for me to board. I have mailed you my flight details. Will keep the call now Mike. Love Love."


    After her call with Mike, she felt a bit ok. At least she had someone upon whom she could lean on. She grabbed her bag and came out of the washroom. She was too tired, jegged and broken. All she wanted was to board the flight and sort her thoughts out.


    She went to the information panel and started re-checking her Boarding gate number. It was gate number 19. She kept staring at the screen and suddenly she felt a pang of pain deep inside. Today was 19th April, Anthony''s birthday. And suddenly she couldn''t move. She was still staring at the screen like she was dazed or something.


    She got startled with the buzzing sound of her phone. It was Mike.


    "Did you reach your boarding gate?"


    "Yeah I am just about to. Will call you once Ind ok? Love Love."


    She returned back from her thoughts, and started towards her gate. As the boarding hadn''t started she decided to take a seat near the Gate. She started reading the new texts sent by Anthony.


    "Listen, this is not the way you should behave ok? It''s a small thing."


    "I just kissed her, that''s it. We didn''t do anything else. I swear on you. And it was just a Birthday Kiss.


    Just tell me where you are."


    "Pick up the phone damn it"


    Akira didn''t cry this this time. Rather she started typing.


    "Hi Anthony. It''s totally fine. I am totally fine. I came here to surprise you for your birthday. But now I feel it was un-necessary. Anyways it''s mandatory that I give you a gift, after all you are the birthday boy. Since I was in too much rush to leave your ce I couldn''t give the gift I had prepared. But now I have another gift for you."


    After finally getting a text from Akira, Anthony frantically started typing.


    "I don''t need any gift babe. Juste back to me."


    But the reply from Akira came as a shock to him.


    "Let''s break up. I am setting you free. That''s my gift for you."


    Before Anthony could reply anything he was blocked from everywhere. Whatsapp, Contacts and even Facebook. Then she opened his contact details on her phone and after looking at his contact number for 10 seconds, she pressed DELETE.

 Chapter 5: Gods Plan

    <h4>5 God''s n</h4>


    She was still looking at her phone when a flight attendant came to her and asked.


    "Miss, are you flying by China Southern Airlines to JFK?"


    "Oh yes."


    "Ma''am pleasee and board the flight. It''s almost the end of the final call.


    May I have your boarding pass please?"


    Akira handed her the boarding pass and got up from her seat.


    "Ma''am please follow this way."


    The flight attendant could sense that there was something with her. So she decided to escort her till her seat inside the flight. She took her to the business ss section and helped her sit at her seat number 5.


    It was Akira''s first time traveling business ss. Had it been any other day she would have been super excited. Probably would have clicked pictures and would have shared with her friends. But today it was different for her. Nothing mattered. All that she wanted to do was to reach home as soon as possible.


    She slumped into her seat and started looking out of the window. She could only see the pathway lights to her side. And then she remembered how she had prepared the LED light strings to decorate Anthony''s apartment, all the confetti, the cake. The whole image started hounding her again and before she could realize tears were streaming down her face again.


    She had prepared so much for this day. She was supposed to meet him after one whole year. Her semester was over and it was the best way to take a break. Anthony was her senior from college and after getting a job at Infinion Inc, one of the most prestigious Gaming brand, he had left for Singapore as it was their Head Quarter. She studied hard tond an internship in the samepany as his so that she can have more of hispany. What all the ns she had. She wanted to give him her Internship selection letter. She wanted to see his reaction. She was so happy within when she was packing for Singapore.


    She had no idea that her luck will turn so sour. She took out the Internship letter from her purse and started reading it again. With every word, she started tearing up. But she didn''t bother to wipe them away. She knew she had to take this as a lesson.


    The flight was about to take off and the Seatbelt sign was put on. But she was transferred into the thoughts of her own, not realizing a thing happening around her. Just then the flight attendant came to her to request her to put her seatbelt on.


    "Ma''am, are you ok? Do you feel ok?


    Please put the seat belt on. Can I get you something? "


    "No."


    Akira shook her head and fastened her seat belt. Then she used her sleeves to wipe away her tears. Then she slowly pped both her cheeks to wake herself up from all the painful memories. She wasn''t ming anyone. She had faith in God. She tried hard to console herself that it was part of God''s bigger n. Little did she know that it actually was.

 Chapter 6: Damsel in distress

    <h4>6 Damsel in distress</h4>


    CHAPTER 6


    Raymond slowly finished his coffee and walked toward Gate number 19. Boarding was just starting and as he was Business ss passenger, he went in ASAP. He kept hisptop out and stowed his bag. He again immersed himself into hisptop, nning new strategies as to how to poach in new investors.


    The flight was about to take off. He was really d to see the seat to his left empty. He really hated when people snored. Since it was a 23 hours flight he just wanted to rx. He was just about to hibernate hisptop as per the takeoff protocol when he saw a flight attendant escorting the girl with whom he had an encounter today.


    She looked pretty distant and broken. She looked pretty tired too. There was something about her that drew his attention. Something very sincere. She looked very frail and sank into her seat immediately. Then she started looking out of the window.


    He was shocked by his own behavior.


    "What is wrong with her?"


    "Why is she in such a state?"


    He is usually never interested in women. Never prefers to speak with them until it''s rted to work, was never involved in any romantic rtionship before. He always felt that falling in love was just a waste of time. And ording to him, there were far better things to do in life than fall in love. He loathed women. He had his own reasons to do so.


    Just then the flight attendant came and asked her to put her seatbelt on. It was only then he realized she was still crying. He saw her putting a fake stered smile on her face for the attendant as she was worried about her. She told her that she was ok when clearly she was not.


    After a few minutes, the flight took off. Raymond moved his nce and started to re-focus on his pending work. Seat belt signs were now off and he switched on to full work mode. As it was a super early flight the lights were switched off for people to sleep. Raymond had his reading light on toplete his work on theptop. Even though his fingers were swiftly moving on his keyboard, he was still stealing asional nces every now and then. He was unsure whether he was worried or just curious about her.


    Tears were streaming down her cheeks. But even in pain she still looked beautiful. Her hair was messy with strands falling all over her face. She was a nobody for him, but her tears were shaking him to his core. The moment he saw her wiping her tears with her sleeves he felt a lump in his throat. "Why is she affecting me so much?", he wondered. And in the next moment, he called the flight attendant and asked for some water and tissues for the damsel in distress.


    He was himself surprised to the core with his own actions. He was a man of few words who considered women ''morally repugnant''.


    ''Chivalry'' was so not him.

 Chapter 7: Transfixed

    <h4>7 Transfixed</h4>


    "Ma''am, please have some water and tissues."


    "Oh, thanks !!!"


    It was then that Akira realized she was making herself too obvious. She was a self-made woman and hated when people pitied her. She had to regain herself. She gave her a faint smile and gulped the entire water bottle. Then she took a wet wipe from her purse and cleaned her entire face. Then she frantically started searching for a mirror in her purse and finally found it. The moment she held the mirror in front of her face, she went in shock. The very instant she screamed - "No way!!!"


    Meanwhile, Raymond was watching her activities. Suddenly his whole focus was on her. The moment he heard her scream, he couldn''t help but chuckle. Yes, there was a smile on his face, God knows after how many days.


    She took a deep breath and picked up a couple of things from her bag. Ab, a scrunchie, and a lip balm and rushed to the washroom. She fixed her hair into a neat ponytail and just dabbed a bit of lip balm on her face. She was a no makeup girl. Her go-to item was always a lip balm or lip tint. After applying the lip balm she felt she looked manageable, so she came out of the washroom and started walking towards her seat.


    While walking back she noticed someone looking at her. She looked up and met his gaze but the very next moment she stood transfixed, unable to move an inch further. There was something about his gaze. The strange look in his eyes trying to demand thousands of answers from her. For a moment she felt like she knew him somehow, but she couldn''t figure out how. His cufflink looked familiar but she wasn''t able to connect the dots. She gave a weak smile and returned to her seat without even caring if her smile was returned or not.


    Raymond still continued looking at her transfixed. Her gentle smile was generating hundreds of myriad emotions in his heart which he was so unaware of before. He felt emotions which were unexplored by him. She looked so surreal after fixing her hair. There was a sense of calmness and gentleness about her.


    After taking her seat Akira took out her Ipad and started her "Things to do" app.


    She was a nner. She had to sort out her life now. Her career choices, her internship program, her life revolved around Anthony and she had to get a hold of it. She started noting down her goals one by one -


    1. Pay return flight credit card bill ¨C 3700 USD


    2. Get a new internship


    As Anthony was in Infinion, she didn''t even bother to apply for otherpanies based in the US. It was toote to apply but nevertheless. She really started worrying about her internship and her pending bills. In a rush she booked a business ss ticket but now that reality was dawning on her, she instantly regretted her decision.


    Before her parents died, they had left some money for her and Mike. She did odd jobs during her school days, tutored others and got into the University of Cincinnati on a full schrship but Mike was still in school and she had to run the house. Her credit card bill was like a tight p on her face. But she was determined. She knew she had to power steer through all of this. So she knew obtaining an internship was the first thing that she had to do.


    She was totally immersed in her thoughts and just then she heard the flight attendant.


    "Hello, ma''am !!! Some choctes please."

 Chapter 8: She ate the chocolates

    <h4>8 She ate the choctes</h4>


    The flight attendant had handed her a small box of few assorted choctes. By the time she could ask or say anything she had left to serve choctes to other people who were still awake. It was her first-time flying in business ss and she had no idea whether the choctes wereplementary or chargeable like a mini-bar of a hotel room. She was feeling too embarrassed to call the attendant back and ask her about it. She was too hungry and badly wanted to eat them, but didn''t want to pile on any extra bills in case. She looked around and saw the guy next to her ripping off his chocte packet up and was about to eat one.


    So she mustered up some courage and asked,


    "Excuse me !!!"


    "Um... hi. This is my first time traveling in business ss, so actually, I wanted to ask. Um¡­ are these choctes chargeable?"


    Raymond was surprised when he heard her voice. He paused for a while and said.


    "No, they areplementary."


    "Really!!" She eximed.


    Before Raymond could say a word she had already gobbled two of them. The chocte melted in her mouth and she closed her eyes and relished it.


    Raymond was shocked by her frankness. He was a frequent traveler who always flew either in business or first ss, so he had seen many people who act all airy when they were bumped up to business ss. But here she was frank to her very core, enjoying such small things in life.


    "By the way, you can ask to get you more if you want. Just let them know." Raymond added.


    She was a bit shocked to hear it. She started thinking ¨C "Does he think I am cheap?" A small frown appeared on her face.


    "That''s fine. I am good with this". Akira replied.


    Raymond could sense a bit of traction in her voice. She looked hungry and had finished all her choctes and was fidgeting with the wrappers.


    "Here take mine. I don''t like them much".


    Before Akira could say no to it, he had already ced his choctes in her box. He gave her a sincere smile. She smiled back and returned back to gobbling the choctes up.


    After she was done eating she stole a quick nce to her right. He was again busy with his work. He looked super neat. His shirt looked quite expensive and his demeanor was so calm andposed. He looked like someone who demanded authority. She again stole a nce at his hands which were busy with the keypad. She looked at his cufflinks which appeared very familiar to her and then looked at his hands which moved swiftly from one key to another on the keypad. Then she suddenly noticed a scalded patch on his hand.


    "Must be painful." She said.


    "Excuse me? " Raymond replied.


    "I mean your hand. Looks like you have got a bad burn, Sir. I have a silver nitrate cooling cream which helps a lot for such burns. I always keep it handy." Saying so Akira started searching for the ointment in her purse.


    "Sir? , did she really address me as sir? " Raymond was amazed. He initially wanted to say no but she was already frantically searching her bag. He sighed and stretched his scalded hand out in her direction.


    "Found it." Before she could pass the ointment to him, she saw he had stretched his hand towards her.


    "Oh.. ok", she mumbled. She felt awkward that she was about to apply ointment to the hands of someone who was totally a stranger. But the next moment she recollected about the choctes that he had given. She silently thought in her head. "Ha, this will make us even."


    She took a coin size amount of cream and started applying on his hands. She saw him tense up a bit. There was an awkward silence between them. The silence was eating her up, burning her ears. So she asked-


    "By the way what happened? How did you burn yourself?"


    "Well I had just bought my coffee and some hothead bumped against me today at the airport and this happened."


    Akira''s hands stopped moving and she turned towards him in horror.


    He had a sly smile on his face.

 Chapter 9: Perplexed

    <h4>9 Perplexed</h4>


    Akira looked at him all perplexed. His sly smile made her feel even weird. It was like she was running out of luck. "What are the odds?" , she thought. She left a gasp of air but the guilt was starting to build up. Seeing the shadow of guilt all over her face, Raymond started feeling bad. The smug smile that he had on his face started retracting. He paused for a moment and then said,


    "Don''t overthink. It''s nothing serious. Plus it wasn''t deliberate". She didn''t say a word and started looking down.


    "I should have walked more carefully". He added.


    Akira gave him a faint smile and said,


    "Um, you can keep this ointment with you and apply it again after 8 hours. If you apply regrly then it won''t cause any scarring. " And she handed him the ointment. She thought of rifying herself that she was in a rush and didn''t see him at all. But then she didn''t want to pile on her reasons. He seemed like a busy guy so she thought maybe it''s better that she didn''t waste his time any further. So after handing over the ointment, she shifted her focus on the entertainment unit in the front.


    "Ok !!!", he said.


    He saw that she immediately started fiddling with the entertainment unit. Probably she wanted to avoid any further conversation. Raymond sighed and started focussing on his work again. But his curiosity was on the rise. He wanted to ask her if she was ok? Wanted to help her in any possible way. Wanted to hug her and tell her everything is going to be ok. There was something about her that was drawing him to her. He wasn''t able to understand why she was affecting him so much. No matter how hard he was trying to focus on his work, he wasn''t able to. He was continuously stealing a nce every now and then.


    Her face looked brighter than before and she was more settled now. She was watching some episode from ''FRIENDS'' si and was smiling. Her smile was so pure and gentle. He felt like he could wage wars for one smile of hers. He could see the dimples on her face gracing her whenever she smiled. It made her look even cuter.


    She watched the si for some time and then started feeling sleepy. She was already feeling weak and tired. She didn''t even realize when she had dozed off.


    Raymond finished his work after a few hours and turned off hisptop. He saw she had already fallen asleep. It was a bit cold inside the flight and he saw her curling up. She was just wearing a cotton t-shirt and her pajamas. She didn''t have anything warm on her. She hadn''t even used the nket provided. He didn''t even know what got into him and he took her nket out from the side pocket of her seat and covered her up.


    He made sure she was covered properly from all sides. Then he raised the nket started to tuck her shoulder. She smelled nice like mildvender. He looked at her calm face and sighed. He was just about to straighten himself when she opened her dewy eyes. She stared at him for a while unable to understand what was happening.


    "Um... You were cold". Raymond quipped and returned back to his seat.

 Chapter 10: Haunting memories

    <h4>10 Haunting memories</h4>


    She couldn''t understand what just happened, but somehow she was grateful. He seemed like a nice guy. Had it been any other guy she would have definitely considered him as a creep. There was something different about him. She couldn''t figure out what but she found his presence veryforting.


    "Thanks. I was actually a bit cold". She said and smiled a bit.


    "It''s fine. Sleep well". He said and took out his nket and covered himself. He closed his eyes off and pretended to sleep while his mind was busy re-processing what had happened a couple of minutes back. His heart was racing and his ears were burning up. His mind was wandering off and he couldn''t wipe off her image from his head. He let out a gasp of air and tried to calm himself.


    She then slipped into the warm embrace of the nket. She wasn''t able to understand how a stranger could be so caring andforting but the one person upon whom she showered all her love and attention, stabbed her in the back so mercilessly. The bitter memories started lingering in her mind again.


    She had nned to surprise Anthony on his birthday. She had taken up an internship at Singapore in the samepany as him so that she can be with him for the whole six months. Her internship letter was supposed to be his gift. Just the thought of being with him brought so much joy to her. He had told her that he was going out of town for 2 days for some office work and that he will be back on the day of his birthday. She was so disappointed to hear it. But then she thought perhaps she can surprise him in the morning once he was back.


    She knew his best-friend Philip from college who was also his workmate and with his help, she got a duplicate key to his apartment. She had arrived a day before his birthday in Singapore. She met Philip and took his apartment keys and went there. She started sorting out his messed up house and even did hisundry. She changed the sheets and improved the home decor. Although she knew that she couldn''t wish him at 00.00 hours, she was still d and was eagerly waiting for the morning toe. She looked again at the couple t-shirt she had brought and smiled sheepishly.


    She took a bath and changed into her night clothes. She had put on the pajamas that he had gifted her. She had got a lot of candles, confetti, light strings to decorate his room. She had also ordered a cake which had arrived. She ced the cake in the fridge and started decorating the room. She ced the light strings in the shape of a heart. Then she ced the candles near his side table, around the bathtub, and in the balcony. She filled balloons with confetti and filled the floor of the house with them. She did a quick survey of the house again and was pretty happy with the oue.


    Then she tied her hair in a messy bun, ordered a pizza and started reading a novel. It was around 22:30 and she was already feeling a bit drowsy coz of the jetg. She kept her book down and started staring at her watch. Few more hours to go. She was in all smiles. She was waiting to call him and wish him at midnight. Just then she heard some footsteps across the door. Her stomach was already grumbling and she rushed to get door assuming it would be the pizza delivery guy.


    She opened the door, but the next moment she felt she was frozen. A shiver ran down her spine. She felt she was being crushed to dust. All her dreams and hopes were shattered. She saw her man, embracing another girl and kissing her like he wanted to take her breath away.


    A tear rolled down her cheek.

 Chapter 11: Pain demands to be fel

    <h4>11 Pain demands to be fel</h4>


    She stood there like she was glued to the floor. Her eyes couldn''t believe what just happened in front of her. He had told her that he was returning back in the morning. And here he was ying with a blondie. She felt like she was nothing for him, meant nothing to him.


    Anthony was shocked to see her at his ce. He immediately released his grip around the blondie and ran towards Akira. He tried to hold her arms and exin the situation to her but the moment he touched her hands, she took a step back and shook her head. She didn''t want to hear about any exnations, she didn''t want to hear anything at all. She felt like she had made a fool of herself.


    She held her tears at bay. She took her purse and dashed out. He ran behind her but before he could catch her she was already seated in a taxi. He pounded on the taxi door but she sat inside nonchntly. The driver asked her a couple of times as where she wanted to go, but she had no destination in her mind. She had no ce to go. She hade here to make Anthony''s house her home. So after a pause, she asked the driver to go to the airport.


    Her phone was buzzing non-stop. She was being flooded with messages from Anthony. But she didn''t even care to take a look. She wanted to shout at him, wanted to question him "Why", but she didn''t. The pain was building up, with every passing moment it was intensifying, making it unbearable for her.


    "Pain demands to be felt". John Green had said it right.


    She gasped for air for a while and tried hard to control. But then she caved in. She started crying her eyes out. Never did she think in her wildest dreams that stuff like betrayal and heartbreak would happen to her. With a heavy heart she started to ponder, "Where did I go wrong. Where did Ick?"


    They both were students of graphic design at the University of Cincinnati, just that he was one year senior. They met each other at a technology conve arranged at their University. Then one thing led to another and before she knew, she was head over heels in love with him. She literally doted on him and did everything possible to please him. When she woulde to stay at his ce she would do his odd chores, clean his house, get the grocery and all the mundane jobs. She did it out of love because in her head she had already visualized themselves getting married and growing old together. So no matter how many times her brother Mike would ask her to get a hold of herself she won''t listen.


    Now she was honestly regretting. She should have listened to her brother. Maybe she made it too easy. Maybe he took her for granted. All these rampant thoughts were killing her bit by bit. She was so much devoted to him that she didn''t even care about the world around her as for her he was her whole world. She was a witty and pretty girl and there were many guys who ran after her in college, but she never even budged an inch. She never entertained anyone else apart from Anthony.


    A bitter she realized that she had left all her luggage at Anthony''s ce and was traveling to the Airport in her pajamas and slippers. She sighed. It was dead in the night and the only thing running in her mind was to get away from this ce. She wanted to go home and bury herself in her bed. She wanted to run to her brother and hug him. The foreignnd which felt like home to her a couple of hours ago felt like a war front.


    She sighed and retracted herself back from the painful memory and looked at her watch.


    "13 more hours to go."

 Chapter 12: Silent Companion

    <h4>12 Silent Companion</h4>


    Every minute felt like ages to her. Restless within she again started fiddling with her entertainment unit. She flipped through all the movies but didn''t like any. She moved to the TV show section. She didn''t even feel like watching her favorite si Friends now. Her mood was sour enough. She tossed and turned in her seat from time to time. She tried hard to fall asleep but all her attempts were unsessful.


    She then nced at the passenger to her side. He was sleeping at his seat. He looked super peaceful andposed while he was asleep. She kept on admiring him. His long sharp nose, fierce eyebrows were the stark features of his face. She hadn''t blinked even once and suddenly she felt he was returning her gaze. His eyes were open, his brows twitched a bit as if trying to form a question mark. She was thoroughly embarrassed. She looked away instantly and then again looked at him again like he was pulling her towards him. His lips curved a bit for a gentle smile and then he looked at his watch and sighed.


    "Time for lunch. I am hungry. Are you?" Raymond asked. He knew that she was hungry before from the way she had gobbled her choctes and his share too,


    She replied with a wobbly nod.


    "Pick up what you like first and I will call the attendant." He said.


    "Pick up? What do you mean by pick up?" She asked a bit surprised, Raymond was a bit surprised by her question. He paused a bit and took out a menu card from the side pocket of his seat and then passed it to her. "Pick up what you want to eat from the menu".


    She looked at all the items listed in the menu starting from Steak to Risotto and chuckled. Raymond heard her and turned towards her. "Something wrong?" he asked. "No, just that when I usually travel, I either pack my food from home in Tupperware or eat what the airline has to offer. Never got an option to choose. Feels like royalty for a change", she said and continued flipping through the menu.


    Raymond was taken aback by her frankness and simplicity. He then said - "Try mushroom risotto. It''s nice". "Mmm..." she just nodded politely. Raymond called the attendant and gave order for a steak and sd for himself and a mushroom risotto for her. Then he paused and turned towards her - "Would you like anything to drink?" "Oh, yes, please. I need two boxes of apple juice...Umm, wait. Three please". Raymond smiled inside his head - " What is this girl? One moment a damsel in distress and in the next a kid throwing tantrum". Then he turned towards the attendant and said - "One JD on the rocks and three apple juice box for thedy."


    He turned to look towards her again. Her head was hung low and she was drawing random shapes with her slippers with a shade of embarrassment on her face. Then she said at a very low register - "I really really like apple juice you know" and shot an innocent look at him. It was like as if she was trying to exin to him that she wasn''t greedy. He paused for a while like he was registering what she just said and said - "Noted !!!"


    After that, they didn''t talk a single sentence with each other. He didn''t want to make her any more ufortable. When the food arrived, she devoured on it as if her life depended on it. Raymond just kept looking at her from time to time. After finishing her food she had one apple juice pack and put the remaining two into her purse. Now that she was full she felt so much better. Then she took out her notepad and pen and started writing.


    It was a letter addressed to Anthony. She poured her heart out but she didn''t flinch or shed a single tear this time. She was in a way more resolved and settled state of mind. She finished her letter and put it inside her passport. Then she plugged into a music channel and started listening to Pink.


    She was pure bliss to watch. Somehow her presence made his heart ten times lighter. His contract went into the drain yesterday but he felt like he found something much more precious. They both had encountered major setbacks in their life on the same day. But right now they were way more resolved and determined than before. Without saying much they had be silentpanions of each other in this journey.


    Isn''t this what we call as "FATE?"

 Chapter 13: A goodbye

    <h4>13 A goodbye</h4>


    "Ma''am, we are about to descend. Can I open the window shield? Ma''am?"


    Akira slowly woke up from her deep sleep. "Uh - huh," she said. As the attendant opened the window shield slowly, her face started glowing up. The morning sunrays started spilling its magic on her face. She looked like a tiny golden bowl of happiness. She yawned sleepily and put her nket down reluctantly.


    The attendandts voice woke up Raymond as well. He looked at her face all glowing with yellow sunrays bouncing off her face. Before drowning in the endless abyss of her Bambi eyes he looked at her cheeks and chuckled. Quickly he gazed at her hair and the next moment he burst out into augh. "What''s wrong?", quipped Akira. Raymond suppressed hisugh hard and sighed - "Nothing!!! Just that you look super morous right now."


    "No way," thought Akira and pulled out a small mirror from her bag and the instant she saw her reflection in it, she scowled. She had drooled while sleeping and it was all over her cheeks. Her hair looked like the nest of a hummingbird. Overall she looked like a mess that needed urgent repair. Feeling dejected she unsped her seat belt to go to the washroom. Just when she stood up, the attendant came back and requested her to stay at her seat as they were about to start thending..


    She slumped back into her seat all grumpy. She didn''t have the courage to look at him. Immediately she took out herb and started setting the nest on top of her head. Then she took a wet wipe and wiped her face. Next, she took out her lip balm and applied it on her lips. She could sense that he was watching her. She turned towards him and saw him looking at her intently. His gaze was focussed like aser beam on her lips. She blushed and started sping and unsping her fingers nervously.


    ---


    Afternding, Raymond stood behind Akira at the stamping section. He saw a tattoo of a swallow at the nape of her neck. The tiny swallow looked really pretty on her skin. He felt like grazing his fingers. His thoughts made him feel like he was some lunatic and he shrugged his thoughts off. He sighed and decided to forget this encounter. He wanted to focus entirely on his new project and how to get funding for that. Suddenly the real Raymond was back who made no further attempts to talk with her.


    She had no luggage with her. So after the formalities, she started moving towards the exit whereas she saw Raymond turning towards the baggage im section. For a split second, she paused to say a proper bye before leaving but when she saw him moving ahead unperturbed, she turned back. "At least he could have said a bye," she muttered under her breath. She took out her earphones and tuned into her favorite channel on Amazon Music. But just after taking 2-3 steps something within stopped her from moving any further and she turned back and shouted at his direction - "Hey !!! Seat no. 6 neighbor. I am Akira by the way and yeah, nice to meet you too." Then she turned back and without even looking back once, plugged in her earphones and stormed towards the exit.


    Startled with her voice Raymond turned back. He knew it was her. But before he could say a thing she had already left for the exit. But then he saw that she had dropped something while walking. He shouted to stop her but she didn''t listen and continued walking. He hurried to the point where she was standing before and picked up the stuff she had dropped. It was a Boarding pass and a letter addressed to some Anthony. When he got up, she was nowhere to be seen.


    He stared at the Boarding Pass with her name "Akira" on it.


    Silently he muttered - "Goodbye Akira".

 Chapter 14: Home is where the heart is

    <h4>14 Home is where the heart is</h4>


    Near the exit, Akira started searching for her brother in the crowd. Just when she was about to call him, she caught a glimpse of him. He was waving madly at her. She rushed to hug him.


    Mike was surprised to see the condition of her sister. She was in her pajamas with her hair in a messy bun. She was wearing bathroom slippers. He felt so sad just by looking at her. She was his only family and he felt that he had let her down. He couldn''t protect her. The moment she came near him, he embraced her in a warm hug. He didn''t say a word and let her hug him tightly. Momentster he could feel his t-shirt getting wet with her sorrows. His fists clenched in anger momentarily but didn''t let his rage cloud his thoughts. He said - "Wanna go for karaoke tonight?"


    She suddenlyughed and said - "Yeah, Right !!!".


    Sheughed and hugged him again. She feltforted. He was her home, her everything, her lifeline. She wiped up her tears and asked him - "Have you eaten?" "Of course!!!" he replied. "You think I am mad to wait for you without eating anything?", he added. But before he could finish his sentence his stomach growled. Akiraughed and said -"Looks like we need to make a stop at McDonald''s first. My baby soldier needs ammo". Mike hung his head low. Akira ruffled his hair and handed him her purse and pouted - "What kind of soldier lets the queen carry her luggage?" Mikeughed at her childish behavior but deep down he knew she was doing all this to lighten up his mood. He put his arm around her and said- "After you mydy".


    They started walking towards the Taxi stand.


    Before walking away she turned back again as if she was searching for something, but she couldn''t find what she was looking for. She sighed and turned back. A part of her was a bit angry. She didn''t get his name. She didn''t get to thank him. He didn''t he even bother to say goodbye? Did he have to be so cold in the end?


    Maybe that''s how rich guys like him act. She concluded and put an end to her trail of thoughts.


    ----


    Raymond took his check-in baggage and walked towards to exit. His driver was waiting for him. His eyes started scanning the exit area but she was no-where to be seen. Reluctantly he asked his driver to start. He then took out the letter which Akira had dropped and looked at it. For a moment he thought it was impolite to read someone''s personal letter, but the next moment he was already through the second line of the letter.


    With every passing line, he could feel the pain that she had been suppressing in her heart. After finishing the letter he felt even more distraught. He felt bad for the way they parted their ways. Why did he decide to leave abruptly? Why did he turn cold? He could have at least said a "Bye". How could he act like a stone cold person when she had so much going on in her life. He instantly regretted and sincerely wished if he could have done things differently.


    He carefully folded the letter and kept in the pocket of his jacket. He felt bad for the guy for loosing out on such a nice girl. It all felt strange to him. It was hardly 10 minutes that he had left the airport but he was already longing for herpany somehow. But there was no way to get her back.

 Chapter 15: The notebook

    <h4>15 The notebook</h4>


    Akira stuffed herself with french fries and burger. Then she pulled a couple of fries from her Brother''s te. "Wasn''t I the one who needed ammo? But looks like you have a pit inside your stomach", Mike said andughed. "Duh", Akira said and mocked her brother.


    "Want to watch a movie?", he asked.


    "No", she said and smiled. She knew he was trying to lighten her up.


    "Ok, I give up. I will watch Notebook with you", Mike said and raise his hands in the air like he was surrendering.


    She couldn''t believe what she heard. She knew that her brother hated watching romantic movies so she was moved by his gesture. "Kewwllll", she quipped.


    Mike then switched on the TV. And they both perched on the sofa. Mike hated rom movies but he knew that her sister loved them and Notebook was her favorite. Also, he knew that whenever she would be upset she watch Notebook because that was their Mom''s favorite movie too.


    ---


    The movie had moved to the point where Allie and Noah were getting separated. Allie was going out of town and Noah ran frantically when he got to know. No matter how much he chased, he couldn''t find her. Tears started welling up in her eyes. She had slowly started sobbing. Not because of the heartbreaking scene in the movie but she started recollecting everything that happened in Singapore a couple of hours back. Her tears began stinging her eyes and she felt like someone was squeezing out her heart.


    Mike switched off the TV and let her cry. He had not asked her anything about what happened in Singapore because he was afraid that she will break down. He didn''t know what to say to her. Akira hugged him and asked- " Why was I not enough for him. Why?" and she started wailing.


    She was sobbing endlessly and when Mike hugged her she started telling him bit by bit what happened. Mike couldn''t believe that Anthony would go to such an extent. He knew that he was a jerk and always knew that her sister deserved someone better but he didn''t know that he would throw her sister away like that. He couldn''t believe that he went for someone else behind her back. He was angry, so angry that he could have killed Anthony then and there with his bare hands. He hated to see his sister cry. Thest he saw her crying so much was when their parents had died.


    All the thoughts started rushing in. Then he heard Akira slowly telling amidst her sobs - " I miss mom so much now. I wish she was here."


    Mike started patting her head like she was her kid and said - "Me too".


    ----


    After crying so much Akira had slept off. She woke up after a couple of hours when she heard some voices in the room. As she opened her eyes she saw Teddy and Vikram in the house. Teddy was Mike''s best friend and band buddy too. Whereas Vikram was their family friend. Vikram wasn''t that close with them earlier but after the ident in which Akira''s parents passed away, they became really close. He was five years older than Akira and was always concerned about her well being. He was like family to them. He had a soft corner for her but never showed it to her. Akira was really attached to him and always saw him as a friend, philosopher, and guide. After her father, he was the only person to whom she looked up to.


    Mike was always aware of Vikram''s feelings for his sister. The way he cared for her, the way he looked at her and the way he doted on her. It gave it away. But Akira never thought of it that way. Before her parents passed away he always used to be distant but now he was always around them. So she always thought that he was just being sympathetic.


    Seeing her getting up they all smiled. Mike said - " Yo missy. Get ready for karaoke night" and he threw a cushion at her.


    Akira screamed - "Are you kidding me? You know how aweful I sing."


    "That''s why we love to sing karaoke with you" Vikram added.


    They all pushed her into the bathroom. Akira initially was reluctant to go. But when she saw all these people putting in so much effort to keep her happy, she decided to get ready.


    After taking bath, she put on a cute sunshine yellow top and denim shorts. She blow-dried her hair and then tied it up into a neat ponytail. Then she put on ger favorite lip balm and came out. She saw all three of them glued to the TV watching some football match.


    She stomped her feet onto the ground and yelled - "Hey you guys!!! Are we gonna go or what?"

 Chapter 16: My lady

    <h4>16 Mydy</h4>


    When Mike called Vikram and told him about everything that had happened in Singapore, he turned mad. He felt like going to Singapore to reprimand Anthony about his actions. He thought of calling her but then Mike told that she had fallen asleep after all the crying. The image of her in tears floated in his head and made him uneasy. He asked Mike if he coulde over. Then Mike told him that he had nned Karaoke night so that she will feel better. Mike hesitated a bit, but then he asked - "Would you like to join us?" He knew that Vikram was a busy guy and every minute of his was precious, but he also knew how much he cared for his sister so he was hopeful that he would say yes.


    "Sure, wille to your ce to pick you guys by six. ", said Vikram and disconnected.


    Then he immediately started checking at his meeting schedule on hisptop. He was in Staten Ind for some business deals but for Akira''s sake, everything could wait.


    He called up his assistant to push all his meeting to next week.


    Vikram was Akira''s neighbor and their parents were very good friends. All the childhood memories started flooding inside him.


    He was really fond of her and they used to y around all summer. Mike was a little baby back then. They studied in the same school and sometimes ate lunch together. Then he started dating a girl who didn''t like his proximity with Akira. So Akira stopped mingling much with him. Even after he broke up with her, Akira maintained the same distance as she was scared that people might think that she was the cause of their breakup.


    As his dad''s business empire grew they moved to Staten Ind to a bigger property and he moved to a different school, so they couldn''t meet that often. Then slowly even the families drifted a bit apart as Vikram''s dad''s empire started growing to an extent that it became a conglomerate. He became a business tycoon and his social circle changed. But still, they met each other during Christmas and other holidays.


    After Vikram joined college, he could hardly meet Akira and the distance crept in. But after her parent''s death, Vikram rushed to visit her with his parents. When Akira saw him, she ran to him and cried. He stayed at her house for a whole week till she felt ok. His parents wanted to take Akira and Mike with them but Akira didn''t want to leave the ce where she had fond memories of her parents. He felt a pang of sorrow and desperation when he had to leave her and join his college back. He felt bad for not staying in touch over thest couple of years. Before leaving he looked into her eyes and told - "No matter what happens, I will always be there for you". Akira sensed the sincerity in his voice and asked - "You promise?"


    "I promise".


    Brushing away all these old memories he bolted towards his car and started for Brooklyn where Akira resided. How could he miss a Karaoke night with her?


    ---


    All four of them darted towards Vikram''s car which was parked outside her house. Mike and Teddy took the back seat. Just when Akira was about to open the passenger door, Vikram dashed there and very carefully took her hand which was holding the handle into his right hand and with his left hand opened the door and gestured - "Mydy." Akiraughed wholeheartedly and then sat inside. Vikram then slowly ced her hand which he was holding gingerly like some treasure, into herp. He looked at the bundle of cuteness and sighed. Then he came to the driver''s seat as soon as possible and sped through.


    Few minutes into the drive, Akira asked - "By the way, where are we going?"


    "To Tony''s", the rest three screamed together.

 Chapter 17: Pretty with your hair down

    <h4>17 Pretty with your hair down</h4>


    The party reached ''Tony''s'' in 20 minutes. Within that drive time, they had all fought for songs which they wanted to sing and for food that they wanted to order. After giving the car for valet parking Vikram asked Mike and Teddy to go ahead and get a booth.


    After they left it was only him and Akira standing under a tree. It was a bit breezy and Akira started rubbing her arms with her palm. "Here take my jacket", Vikram said and covered her with his jacket. "Thanks", Akira replied politely and started looking down. She knew that Mike would have told him about everything. Just like Mike even Vikram had told her a thousand times not to date him. In fact ever since she had started dating him, Vikram had stopped talking much with her. She knew he was gonna repeat, "I told you so." She was ready to hear his scolding, but she was surprised when he asked - "Why are you wearing heels today?"


    She had no answer. Vikram closed in and said - "If he didn''t value you for who you are then he is an idiot and I would hate it if you would change even one percent because of him." Akira had no words. She couldn''t understand why he always said the right things which her heart always wanted to hear. Deep down in her heart, a part of her felt that Anthony left her because she wasn''t modern and upbeat like the blonde Becky. She didn''t know under which trance she ditched her shoes and picked up those heels. "Next time I see you in these ugly shoes, I am gonna make you walk barefoot", Vikram added and acted like he was angry.


    She then looked back at his warm eyes and said, "I won''t" and held her pinky finger out. That was her way of promising things. Vikram held her pinky finger in his own and smiled at her. He then hugged her and gave a gentle pat on her head. This tiny creature stirred so many emotions in him which she had no idea. There was so much genuineness and affection in between them which did not need a name tag.


    A few minutester Vikram said, "let''s go else they will kill our songs." "Umm... wait. I have spoiled your shirt. It must be super expensive right", said Akira and immediately took a wet wipe out of her bag and started cleaning Vikram''s shirt which she had soiled with her tears and lip balm. Vikram saw those tiny hands cleaning his shirt so seriously. At that moment he just wanted to kiss her.


    "Jeez Akira, you have done much worse when you were a kid. I am just d that you didn''t pee all over me.", chuckled Vikram to lift her mood up.


    "You!!!", Akira kicked Vikram hard and started darting ahead.


    "Wait!", said Vikram and held her wrist. He coughed a bit and then he went up to her. She felt he was going to hug her again as his hands embraced her. But the next second before she could realize he had pulled out her hair band with one hand and opened her ponytail in one shot. With his other hand, he adjusted the strands of hair falling on her face and said - "You look so much pretty with your hair down".


    "I do?", asked Akira innocently.


    "Yes you do", sighed Vikram and pulled her into Tony''s.


    Meanwhile couple of meters away inside a car a figure was watching them like a mock spectator. His fists had balled up. His gaze followed Akira till she went inside Tony''s. His insides were burning up but he didn''t know why. Instantly he pushed the gas and sped his car. His niece who was sitting next to him went in shock.


    "Why are we leaving uncle? You had promised me that you would take me to Tony''s today". She was almost in tears.


    "Some other time Kate", he said.


    Kate made an angry face and said - "I hate you Raymond Uncle".

 Chapter 18: What is she ?

    <h4>18 What is she ?</h4>


    Raymond dropped her grumpy niece at his sister''s ce. His sister Katherine asked him toe inside and join them for dinner but he didn''t want to. "Go away uncle," screamed Kate and stormed inside. He threw an apologetic look at her sister and said -"Work emergency. Will take her next time. I promise". "Don''t make promises you can''t keep Ray. Anyways drive safe", said Katherine and waved at him.


    He didn''t wave back at her. He just nodded and sped through to reach his house as soon as possible. He wasn''t able to grasp why her proximity with another guy was affecting him so much. He threw his jacket away and went to his bedroom and flung himself on the bed. His mind was recapping the whole thing again and again. How that guy was hugging her, how he pulled her close and how he undid her ponytail. He didn''t realize he had tugged the sheets so bad that they were almost about to get ripped.


    It wasn''t like he was in love with her or something, but he was filled with disgust. He was reacting like it was her woman who cheating behind his back. He pulled the side drawer and took out the letter Akira had written for Raymond. He re-read it again and again. There was so much pain in the letter. After reading the letter for the first time he felt that she had dedicated her life for that guy and nobody else had mattered to her. But after what he saw at the Karaoke ce, it all seemed fake to him. He couldn''t believe that it was her whom he had met on the flight.


    "How could she move on so fast and start a fling with another guy?", he thought. He got all the more reasons to distance himself from women now. "They seriously can''t be trusted", he thought. But what affected him the most was that he thought that she was different from all. He felt she was not like other stic and makeup-d vain women walking on eggshells all around. He was drawn towards her simplicity and her innocence. He wondered if any of it was real. The whole flight journey, which he was treasuring like one his best memories now appeared sour.


    When he couldn''t find her at the Airpor Exit he was restless. He couldn''t believe that their journey ended so abruptly. He so badly wanted to meet her. But now that he did, he wished that he hadn''t. At least he could have had the iplete happy memories to cherish.


    He sighed and took the letter and tore it into pieces. Every tear looked like he was venting out his anger. He threw it all into the dustbin. Then he recollected that he had her Boarding pass too. He turned to take that out and destroy as well. He was so angry that he wanted to remove all her traces from his life. But then he said to himself - "You deserve this." He kept it with himself to remember to never let his guard down.


    Then he went to take bath to calm himself down.


    After he came out from bath he diverted all his focus on his next investment meeting. He had one week toplete the new n and approach Abacus Inc for investments. He was back in form and switched to his workaholic beast mode.

 Chapter 19: You came back to me

    <h4>19 You came back to me</h4>


    Vikram dragged Akira inside the elevator. He stood behind her in close proximity. She smelled like Lavender but her hair was mild coconutty in fragrance. He so badly wished to embrace her and to take a deep dive into this fuzziness of coconut andvender which was making him weak in his knees.


    Just when the elevator door was about to close more people came in. The next instant he pulled Akira behind him. She wasn''t taken by surprise because that''s how Vikram was, always protective and always caring. She always felt rxed when he was around because she knew he will take care of her. Whenever she missed her parents and felt lonely, she would call him up. He knew how to lift her mood well. He helped her to take the right career choices. Starting from picking the right college, to which schrship to apply for, he was always there for her. Vikram was like her protective shelter, her guardian angel.


    She always followed his words except once, when she chose ''Anthony''.


    They had to go to the second floor to Tony''s. When the elevator reached the second floor, he escorted Akira out. He enveloped her in his arms like she was some princess. After reaching inside he took his Jacket back from Akira''s shoulder and waved at Mike.


    Mike and Teddy had already taken a booth towards the corner. Vikram and Akira joined in. The waiter came and gave them an I-Pad to choose their songs to sing and then passed on the food and drinks menu. Akira picked spicy chicken wings bucket and then passed on the menu. Vikram ordered roasted peanuts and steak and then winked at Akira, "this time I am not sharing". Akira mocked him back and said-


    "Then you aren''t getting my chicken wings either".


    "Ouch, that hurts," said Vikram and started patting his chest and they all startedughing. He looked into her eyes and said -


    "Smile more, it suits you."


    She smiled and they both looked at each other. One was expressing her gratefulness and the other his concern.


    The silence was broken by Mike.


    "I am not getting you Mini-burgers Teddy", said Mike.


    "Com''on Man!!!", said Teddy.


    "Choose one", reprimanded Mike.


    "But I want both mini-burger and chicken nuggets", said Teddy in a defeated voice.


    Vikram looked at Mike fondly. Both the brother and sister duo led a very humble life after the death of their parents. Most of the money which they received went into their education and living expenses. No matter how many times Vikram''s dad had offered to support them, these two never budged. He knew that Mike didn''t have much money to foot the bill. Probably he would be blowing up his weekly saving here tonight. His throat choked a bit seeing this kid being so righteous.


    "Let this buffalo eat as much as he wants. I don''t want him to cribter that I kept him hungry," said Vikram with a chuckle.


    "Hey !!! I am not a buffalo, I am a baby pig," said Teddy. He was fond of them all and never used to mid their jokes.


    "But, bro I invited you. Why will you pay?", said Mike feeling a bit embarrassed because he didn''t want Vikram to know that he was a bit low on cash. He had mentally calcted the bill amount based on what everyone was choosing and he knew that he couldn''t afford one extra item more.


    "Well I am treating coz I am super happy today", said Vikram.


    "Let me guess, you finalized a super big deal?", asked Teddy.


    "No", said Vikram.


    "Then what for?", asked Akira.


    He turned towards Akira and looked into her eyes and said -


    "Cause you left that moron and came back to", Vikram paused. In his head he wanted to say "to me", but then he continued,


    "to us".

 Chapter 20: Crass cacophony

    <h4>20 Crass cacophony</h4>


    The moment Teddy got to know that Vikram was going to pay for the dinner, he got super excited and started scanning the menu card again and started ordering dish after dish. They all startedughing at his childish behavior.


    Teddy dismissed them all and said - " I am respecting Vikram''s gesture by eating more ok !!!"


    Vikramughed and added three beer and one ice tea to the order. Akira knew that the ice tea was meant for her. Vikram knew that Akira had low alcohol tolerance so whenever they used to go out he would always order some mocktail for her.


    "Can I have a beard today Vikram?" she asked in a coy tone.


    "Are you nuts?", asked Vikram. "Have you forgotten what you did on myst birthday? You destroyed my sweater and I miss it, man. That was one of my favorites for your kind information and fyi you have already ruined my shirt just a few moments before. I am not letting you ruin anything anymore," said Vikram and shook his head.


    "Please please, I promise I will behave," she said and then she looked that Vikram with her cute puppy dog eyes.


    "Come on don''t use it as leverage. You know I can''t say no to your puppy face." Vikram sighed and requested the waiter to get 4 beers for them.


    After all the order were ced, Teddy got up and started the karaoke machine. The screen was lit up and Mike started to select songs from the iPad for himself. Teddy had already picked up some heavy metal songs and started singing. He was so bad that it sounded like he was literally croaking like a frog. Everyone was having a hard time controlling theirughter as they didn''t want to thrash his mood.


    They all were having a good time singing with all the food and beer. After the third round of beer, Vikram asked for the iPad as he wanted to select a song for himself. He chose a song by Shawn Mendes - "Treat you better". He chose the song because that''s what exactly he wanted to say to Akira. He picked up the mic and started singing. He usually would be very reserved around her to not to show his emotions, never told her how he felt about her. When Akira had told him that she has started dating her senior Anthony, he was heartbroken but he never showed his vulnerable side to her. His love for Akira was the unrequited love which was cherished by him and only him.


    But today was different, he was different. He was letting himself loose today. Probably it was the effect of the beer and all the happiness in his heart that she had left Anthony, that gave him the courage to sing the song for her and pour his heart out. He didn''t tell her that this song was dedicated to her but from the starting to till the end of the song he was looking at her and only her, without batting an eyelid.


    "I know I can treat you better than he can


    And any girl like you deserves a gentleman


    Tell me why are we wasting time


    On all your wasted crying


    When you should be with me instead


    I know I can treat you better


    Better than he can..."


    His gaze was still on Akira after he finished his song and that was probably because he wanted to map her reaction, he wanted to know what she felt about him.


    But he could sense that she was getting a bit restless. She was looking here and there like she was gasping for air or something. He was unable to understand where did he go wrong. For a moment he was scared thinking if he had crossed the line. He didn''t want her to be upset because of him and didn''t want to lose what they had at any cost.


    The next moment he saw her touching her stomach and she had covered her mouth with one hand. Her eyes were popping out. She was about to vomit. It was then that Vikram understood why she was reacting like that and he took her immediately to the washroom.


    He held her hair while she puked and stroked her back lightly. Once she was done he took out a couple of tissue papers and wiped her face clean. She had gone pale with all the vomiting and nausea. He lightly tapped her cheeks and said, "You are going to be ok. Just hang in there for me alright?".


    Vikram called up Mike and told him that he was taking Akira home. He asked them to finish the food and take a cab back home. He told them not to worry about the bill and that his assistant will take care of it.


    Mike and Teddy had almost finished their food so when Teddy suggested to him that they can also leave with Vikram, Mike silenced him and said -


    "Give them some space and time you buffalo."

 Chapter 21: Please dont leave me alone

    <h4>21 Please don''t leave me alone</h4>


    Vikram had called his driver and he reached the Karaoke station within 10 minutes. Once the driver reached, Vikram escorted a slightly tipsy Akira out. She was struggling to walk in her high heels. At first, he was annoyed with her choice of footwear but then he remembered what made do so and suddenly he suddenly felt sorry for her.


    "To what length you will push yourself down Akira", muttered Vikram.


    Once they came out of the elevator, he swiftly lifted her up in his arms and took her to the car. His driver had already opened the car door for them. He carefully ced her inside and then joined her in the car from the other side. Once seated inside, he tried to put her seatbelt on and while doing so he noticed that she had a bit of vomit stain on her top. Initially, he hesitated a bit but then he took out the wet wipe from his car and cleaned it up because he didn''t want her to puke again because of the bad smell from the vomit stains. His hands were nervous but he did it anyways.


    He then signaled his driver to start.


    Slowly deep sleep had engulfed Akira and her head was wobbling down every now and then. He ced his palm to support her face. Her face was warm and soft like fur. He just couldn''t stop looking at her. After a few minutes, his hand started feeling ufortable so he removed her seat belt and let her sleep peacefully on hisp.


    After reaching Akira''s house, Vikram asked the driver to take the key underneath the mat and open the door. Then he swiftly lifted her and took her inside to her bedroom. While Vikram lifted her and walked he slowly felt her raising her arms and embracing him. His breathing hitched, and for a moment he wished time to stop and wanted to hold her in his arms for eternity.


    After a while, he ced her on her bed and carefully and arranged the pillows to support her head properly. He tucked her in like she was a baby who needed all the care and attention in the world. She slept on the bed while he kept waiting next to her, just to ensure that she was ok.


    After around 30 minutes, Mike and Teddy also came back.


    "Is she ok?", Mike asked.


    "Yeah, she is sleeping. Don''t wake her up early ok? And you guys also go to sleep", Vikram said and closed the door to Akira''s room.


    Then he went to the kitchen and filled a bottle with water. He reached for the medicine box and took one Advil out. He ced the medicine and water bottle on Akira''s bedside table. Then he picked up his jacket and got ready to leave. but before leaving he bent down and ced a small peck on her head and traced his cheeks with his fingers.


    "Please don''t leave me alone", Akira mumbled in her sleep.


    Vikram was startled at first but then he understood that she was just talking in her sleep. But still, his heart felt all warm and fuzzy.


    "Promise me, Anthony, you will leave her ande back to me".


    When he heard the next sentenceing from her, he felt like his heart was poked with a thousand needles. The pain surged in like a dark cloud blocking all the light and happiness and gripped him from all sides. One moment he felt like he was on cloud nine and the very next all his hopes were smashed into pieces. He took a deep breath and consoled his heart like had been doing since ages. Then he held her Pinky finger with his own and said -


    "No matter what happens, No matter who you love, No matter where we are, I will always be there for you".


    "I will never leave you alone Akira. I promise", he said and then silently left.

 Chapter 22: Charting out plans

    <h4>22 Charting out ns</h4>


    Akira was all groggy with a splitting headache when she woke up. Then she saw Advil tablet and a bottle of water next to her on the side table. She thanked her stars and immediately swallowed the medicine. Then she picked up her phone from her handbag and saw multiple missed calls and messages from an unknown number from Singapore. She immediately understood that it was Anthony as she had blocked his original number so she went ahead and blocked his number again.


    Just then her screen shed-


    "Are you up?". It was a message from Vikram.


    "Yeah, how was I yesterday? I troubled you all again yesterday, didn''t I?," replied Akira.


    "A bit, but I don''t mind as long as you treat me with ice cream," said Vikram. He didn''t want her to be upset thinking about what happened yesterday. So he immediately switched the topic.


    Akira sent him a couple of ice cream GIFs and then went to Mike''s room.


    Both Mike and Teddy were still perching on the bed like grizzly bears. Akira gentlyughed and clicked a picture of both. Teddy''s leg was nearly on top of Mike''s face and his hand was all contorted. She immediately whatsapped the image to Vikram.


    Vikram grinned when he saw the image. They both looked like zombies with contorted limbs. "Good God, what can two ss of beer do?", he thought and shook his head. Everyone in the meeting room was surprised and they looked at him. They had never seen their boss smile this gently. What could make this sheet of ice smile like this? When Vikram got aware of the curious nces,ing from people in the meeting room, he immediately channeled hisposed face and continued with the meeting.


    After finishing texting, Akira went to her room and took a warm bath. Then she went into the kitchen and started making scrambled eggs and toast for all. Mike and Teddy also got up after sometime and they all had a hearty breakfast together.


    "So, what are you going to do about your internship?", asked Mike.


    "I am not sure," Akira said.


    "Most of thepanies would have already frozen the slots. Aren''t you pushing your luck? Just because of that moron you are going to ruin your career," said Mike.


    "I will try my best to scout for opportunities, Mike. Worse case, I will take-up frencing. But no way in hell I am going to Singapore to work in the samepany as him. That''s not happening," she said.


    "Mike didn''t say anything further. He knew that her sister was already aware of the gravity of the situation but he really wanted her to consider all her options. She was an amazing graphic designer and he didn''t want her talent to go all wasted because of Anthony.


    He got up and collected the tes and started doing the dishes. Teddy started cleaning up the table. Akira got up and left for her room. Suddenly the whole house turned silent.


    Inside the kitchen, while cing the ketchup back, Teddy said -"Why don''t you ask Vikram? He might be able to help Akira you know? " Mike sighed and said, "You think I didn''t give it a thought? My sister is too proud of a person Teddy. She will never take his help or any other backdoor entry."


    They silently continued to clean up the kitchen.


    Aftering back to her room Akira started searching online about all thepanies which were still open for an internship. She sighed as most of the goodpanies were not in the scene. She slumped and then suddenly saw the screen of her phone shing with a new message.


    "Did you eat? Don''t starve, else you headache will worsen" - Vikram


    "I did. I cooked too. You missed it." - Akira


    "I guess my stars aren''t happy with me (smiley face). What are you doing?" - Vikram


    "Hunting for an internship. (sad face)" - Akira


    "Oh mydy has kicked the te which was supposed to feed her (teasing smiley)" - Vikram


    "Ouch. Wait till I get my new offer. I will treat everyone except you (teasing smiley)" - Akira


    "Will see how that goes. Focus now. Bye" - Vikram


    Akira kept her phone down and continued with her hunt. She started exploring start-uppanies now.


    ---


    Meanwhile at Abacus Inc.


    "Get me the details of the new Gamingpany which had approached usst week for funding ASAP."


    "And when is the founder of thepanying to meet us?"


    "Next week sir", replied the Personal Assistant.


    "Pre-pone it to this week."


    "Anything else sir?" the PA asked.


    "That would be all," said Vikram.


    After all, he had to do something to get her an internship. He couldn''t bear to see her facing all these troubles alone. He didn''t care if it was a backdoor.

 Chapter 23: Hell breaks loose

    <h4>23 Hell breaks loose</h4>


    "Come in", said Raymond when he heard someone knocking at his door.


    "We got a problem", said his assistant David. He was scared to speak out anything because he knew his boss was already at his low for missing out the investment from Infinion.


    "Can you spell it out, instead of throwing riddles at me?", said an annoyed Raymond.


    "Um.. I got a call from Abacus Inc. They want to pre-pone our proposal meeting to this week. I mean this Thursday. So technically including today, we have only 3 days to chart out our new project pitch to them", David sang in all in one breath.


    "Are they out of their mind? How can they pre-pone on such short notice?", said Raymond and got up from his seat. He started strolling in the room and then stopped at the window. He pinched the middle of his eyebrow and looked all grim. This was a bad sign for David and an indication that he should scoot. So he tip-toed and quietly left the room.


    Aftering to terms a few momentster, Raymond called for David again and asked him to schedule an emergency meeting with all the members of the design team who were a part of the new gaming project. He also asked David to arrange for someone to go to his ce and get his clothes and some basic essentials because he was going to stay in the office until the job was done.


    Getting investment for his gaming project was not just a necessity, it meant everything to him. He had to prove himself to a lot of people and this was the only shot he had. The timeline that he had bought for himself to prove his capabilities was going to end this month. Since he could not get a contract from Infinion, he was pretty sure that the person who was influencing Infinion can influence anypany which could have provided him the financial backing. Since Abacus Inc was a huge conglomerate, he knew that swaying them would be difficult and since he had kept this new n a secret from many, he was sure that the influencing party won''t get a hint.


    After five minutes David was back and he told Raymond that the war room was ready with all the team members. There was chaos in the war room as everybody was worried about what their boss was going to announce. Once Raymond entered the room there was a pin drop silence. Raymond looked at his folks and said-


    "I know that right now times are hard and I have disappointed you because I could not get financial backing from Infinion but here I am presenting you another opportunity. But this opportunity will also go in the drain if we cannot finish our project demo in the next 2 days. So I need all eyes and ears on this 24X7. I need this work done and I don''t care how."


    "Anybody has any questions?", he asked and finished his statement.


    Again there was silence in the room.


    "Since no one has any questions, I assume that the gravity of the situation has been understood by all of you. By the end of the day, I need the details of all the graphics model of the characters which are going to be a part of this game. I also need the full floorn till level 5. By tomorrow noon time I need to see all the character demo and by evening we should have our Game ready to be yed for Level1," said Raymond and started to map the reaction of people.


    Again the room was engulfed with silence and shock on everyone''s face.


    Seeing everyone glued inside the room Raymond said, "You are not going to finish it any quicker if you keep sitting in this room doing nothing," and darted out.


    Once he left, chaos spread in the room and everyone ran frantically back to their seats because they knew that if they didn''t finish in time when Raymond was definitely going to finish them.

 Chapter 24: The ordeal

    <h4>24 The ordeal</h4>


    The next two days where quite grueling for not only Raymond but also for his entire taskforce which was involved in the development work. They all stayed 24/7 in the office to meet the deadline requirement. They also wanted this project to be a huge sess as it was an oue of their blood and sweat and everything was dependent on how the meeting with Abacus inc went.


    For the D-day Raymond wore a savvy navy blue suit and the crisp white shirt underneath. He always disliked wearing a tie, but for today he wore one. He also had cufflinks on which have been gifted by his sister Katherine. His perfect features were entuated by the well-fitted suit and he gave off an aura like a demi-God.


    He again tried the demo of the game just to be sure that everything was working perfectly. David had already collected a copy of the game and he had all the files ready. Raymond once again reviewed all the files and reports just to double check that everything was in order. There was no margin for error this time and everything depended on his luck. He was counting his prayers to make sure that this project and this deal was a well-kept secret so that no external force could influence it likest time.


    After he was satisfied with their preparation he said to David - "Let''s Go".


    On the outside, he acted allposed like he had everything under control but on the inside, he was really scared thinking about what would happen if he didn''t get the deal. He wasn''t ready to face the consequences. David was equally nervous because he knew that the stakes where high and he also knew that if Raymond failed this time then probably he will break. It won''t be likest time.


    ---


    Vikram was all set for the meeting so when his personal assistant informed him that Raymond and his assistant had arrived in the office, he immediately asked them to be escorted to the meeting room.


    10 minutester Vikram''s assistant came in and said,


    "Sir, we are good to go."


    "Ok then," said Vikram and got up from his seat and started towards the meeting room.


    Within those 10 minutes, everything was set up in the meeting room. Raymond was eagerly waiting for Vikram''s arrival. The moment he entered the room, hemanded attention. He nced at everyone and everything in the room like a hawk. After all, he was one of the youngest business tycoons of the year. He had a personality which looked very calm andposed yet razor sharp. He knew his business well.


    They both shook hands and took their respective seats.


    A momentter Vikram looked at Raymond and gave him a nod. That was the cue for Raymond to start his proposal.


    ---


    "So expecting a 12% fiscal increase in the first quarter itself, I think this deal is going to be very profitable for Abacus Inc."


    "That''s all from our side", said Raymond and finished his sales pitch. He was satisfied with the way the pitch went. Everything went smooth starting from the demo to the revenue estimates. He was now eagerly trying to find out what the other party was thinking.


    "Good job boss !!!", David quipped. He felt that their pitch went perfect and there was no way that they would get a NO for an answer. But Raymond didn''t have his hopes high because he felt assuredst time at Infinion as well, but the final results yielded nothing.


    Vikram looked at Raymond like he was mentally calcting something. He knew this guy had potential and the will to drive the project well. For a moment he stayed silent and then looked at his Project Advisor head who gave him a positive nod.


    Then he got up and shook hands again with Raymond.


    "I liked your pitch, but we need to discuss further. My PA will guide you with the required follow-ups". He said and left the room. Suddenly it felt like a vacuum was created in the room.


    Soon after Vikram left, his PA started with some basic guidelines and discussions with Raymond. Just when they started reviewing the numbers again, he received a text from Vikram.


    "Finalize the deal with Raymond''spany by evening today after the numbers are cleared. But for now, send him to my office ASAP".

 Chapter 25: Small reques

    <h4>25 Small reques</h4>


    Vikram''s assistant Peter looked at the message he had just received and interrupted David who was exining about the expected customer reach of the project and said,


    "Mr. Raymond, we can look at the numberster but first I think you should go and meet my boss."


    "As in right now?" asked Raymond.


    "Yes, he has informed me that he wants to have some discussion with you," said Peter and closed hisptop.


    "Ok then," said Raymond.


    When both Raymond and David got up from their seat, Peter said,


    "Mr. Vikram wants to meet with Mr.Raymond alone" and he shot a nce at David requesting him to stay back in the meeting room.


    "Please follow me", said Peter and started walking towards Vikram''s office.


    Raymond looked back at David and eyed him to gather all documents and project work and then followed Peter to enter Vikram''s room.


    Vikram gave a cursory nce at Raymond and then looked at Peter and said,


    "If I need any further services from you I will let you know but for now, we are done".


    "Oh", Peter eximed and then he left the room. He was quite surprised because Vikram would never indulge in such private business conversations. Vikram then asked Raymond to sit and continued,


    "There will be certain terms and conditions that my finance team would help to add into the business use but I had a personal request which is on top of that. Is that ok with you?"


    Raymond new that Vikram was a man of principles who never bent the rule book. So he obviously knew that this request must be either something special or something so weird that it might lead to No Deal.


    "Well, it depends. What am I supposed to be ok with?", replied a surprised Raymond.


    "I have a family friend of mine who wants to venture into the gaming domain. She is a graphic designer by profession and I want you to include her in your new project as an intern," said Vikram and looked at Raymond like he was trying to map his reaction.


    Raymond knew that the request can''t be that simple. He knew that there has to be something more. The look in Vikram''s eye clearly told that his request was of paramount importance. So he asked after a brief pause,


    "And?"


    Vikram smiled and continued, "I want you to be her personal mentor so that she can learn the a to z of the graphic design process in your industry. She is a good girl and is a fast learner and I bet that you won''t regret hiring her after her internship is done."


    Raymond didn''t mind the proposal because anyways he had to hire in more people in case his proposal was epted. Initially, he was a bit hesitant to hire an intern but when Vikram himself was vouching for her credibility, he was assured.


    "Sure! Won''t be an issue. You can send me her resume and credentials. I will personally see what kind of activity she is best suited for," Raymond said.


    "But the most important thing is," Vikram said and paused.


    "She can''t know I was behind this. No matter what happens, nobody in yourpany can know and you have to make sure of that. Whatever we discussed, stays between you and me."


    "Ok," added Raymond.


    He started wondering who was this person for whom Vikram was ready to bend his own principles.


    "You don''t have to worry about it. Please rest assured," he added.


    "Oh, I am assured because if you don''t guarantee this then we have NO DEAL.


    I don''t care what your numbers say, you will get this project. You have my word on that. But if you can''t entertain my personal request or if at any point I feel you didn''t keep your word, then the contract will be nullified. Is that clear to you Mr. Raymond?".


    Raymond stood there speechless for a moment because within seconds this person had made the room ice cold with his terror. His words were sharp as steel and it stung Raymond''s ego. But he calmly let it go, because the deal was everything for him and he was ready to go to any length for that.


    "It''s clear", Raymond said and left the room.


    Raymond was stunt to hear such a requesting from the chrome. this man had the capacity to give job to anyone anywhere

 Chapter 26: Picture-perfect Portrai

    <h4>26 Picture-perfect Portrai</h4>


    Akira tried hard to find an internship at multiple ces, but she had no luck. But she still kept trying. She would scout Linkedin and all Job portals every single day. With every passing day, she was losing hope but she had to stay strong for her brother. But she had no idea that her guardian angel Vikram had different ns for her.


    In the afternoon, Vikram''s mother called her up and asked her toe for dinner along with Mike. Vikram''s mother doted on Akira and given a chance she would marry Vikram and Akira off in a blink of an eye. She was aware of her whole situation and wanted tofort her as much as possible.


    Akira called up Mike and said, "Come home early. Aunty has invited us for dinner ok?".


    Mike thought for a moment and then said - "I can''t Aki. I have some project prep work to finish up. Please say sorry on my behalf," and he disconnected. Akira half-heartedly decided to get ready. She knew that once she reaches there, she would have to face questioning from all directions from her Aunty.


    ---


    She started rummaging through her closet as she wanted to wear something nice for dinner to her Aunty''s ce. She finally chose a summery frill skirt and a sleeveless peach tank top, She did her hair and decided to put a bit of lip tint for a change. She wanted to look all good and happy in front of her Aunty else she knew that she will worry a lot.


    While she was dabbing the tint with her finger on her lips she got a call from Vikram - "Hello princess! Are you ready to be picked up?"


    "Are youing to pick me up?", asked an amused Akira.


    "I am outside your ce. But take your own time," Vikram said and kept the call.


    Akira then rushed to pick her wallet and threw it in her bag along with her phone. She rushed to her shoe rack and halted. Vikram''s words rhymed in her head again - "I would hate it if you would change even one percent because of him". She paused for a while and then took out her white canvas shoe and wore it.


    Aftering out of the house she saw Vikram leaning on his car on the other side of the road. The moment he saw her, his heart skipped a beat. Her floral skirt kept swaying slightly in the wind and with every step that she took it felt like she was dancing in the clouds. Her slender waist and her smooth skin made him want her even more. Her red lips looked like she had devoured on hundreds of strawberries. She looked like a picture-perfect portrait.


    She crossed the road and came close to him and said, "Hi".


    "Mmmm, get in the car," muttered Vikram under his breath and loosened his tie. He was unable to think straight and was losing all his focus. His fort of coldness and calm demeanor was turning into shambles. Even in the slightly cold breeze, his ears were burning and palms were sweating.


    "No hug for me today?", asked Akira like a child and started grazing the pavement with her shoes. She wanted Vikram to notice that she wore shoes again but it looked like he was too bummed with something. Since there was no reply she grumpily took her seat in the car.


    "Can you put your seat belt on?", Vikram asked.


    Akira didn''t reply anything and silently put her seatbelt on. She wasn''t able to understand why he was so angry with her. She knew that probably he was stressed out because of work but her heart couldn''t take this version of Vikram.


    Once she had put on the seat belt, Vikram started his car and sped through. In no way, he could make her understand the thoughts in his head and the feelings in his heart. How could he exin it to her that he didn''t want to hug her because he felt like tracing every inch of her. He didn''t say anything about her shoes because deep down he was so happy that he kept her words. He wanted to kiss her and tell her how much it meant to him. He couldn''t tell her how in thousand different ways he wanted to tell her that he loved her.

 Chapter 27: My poor thing

    <h4>27 My poor thing</h4>


    Akira kept fiddling with her skirt and then through her phone. She was a bit miffed with the way Vikram was acting. Initially, she thought of keeping quiet but Akira being Akira, unfortunately, couldn''t. She had to speak her mind.


    "Did you have a bad day in office?" she asked.


    The moment he heard this question he could understand what was going in her head and he felt bad about the way he acted. He wanted to soothe out her worried heart but he was worried he would worsen the situation by saying something weird.


    "Umm... no, just that there are certain things that I want to implement but the current scenario doesn''t allow me to do so. This constraint makes me a bit neurotic", said Vikram. He didn''t want to lie to her so he told her about his state of mind but in a way that she would feel like its all rted to work.


    "Oh !!,", Akira said and started feeling bad for him.


    She instinctively took her hand and ced it on his thigh softly. She looked at him sincerely and said, "It''s going to be ok. You will achieve everything you want in your life Vikram."


    He was un-nerved with her sudden move but when he looked at her, he could sense that she meant each and every word of it. Her eyes were filled to the brim with sincerity and affection for him.


    "You think so?", he asked.


    "I know so?", she replied and smiled.


    The ice-cold version of Vikram melted like a candle at that instant. She had that effect on him. Only she could bring this side of him out.


    ---


    The moment Akira set foot inside Vikram''s house, she was weed with a big hug from Vikram''s mother.


    "Oh, my poor thing !!!. You have be so thin", she eximed.


    "She was always thin like this mom," Vikram curtly said and went inside.


    "Don''t listen to what he says Aunty. I haven''t eaten your Chicken tikka for so long. That''s why I have be super thin," Akira replied and they both had a goodugh.


    "Mike didn''te?", she asked.


    "No aunty, he had to do some project rted work apparently," said Akira and rolled her eyes like she wanted to register aint against her own brother.


    "That brat !!", she said. "Anyways youe and have food before it all gets cold. And by the way, I made your favorite sweet dish - ''Gajar Halwa'', just the way your Mom had taught me." Then she fondly held her hand and pulled her towards the dining table. This was one of the signature dishes made by Akira''s mom. Whenever Akira would visit them, she would make an effort to cook something for her even though they had an array of maids and cooks in the house to do everything.


    Akira always felt blessed to have Vikram''s family around her. Aunty had always treated her like her own daughter, like a daughter she never had. She always ran to them whenever she felt like she was stranded all alone.


    "Hey, are you not going to eat with us?", she asked Vikram when she saw him going upstairs to his room. "I want to but then again I don''t want to be the third wheel", he said with a smug smile and continued going towards his room.


    "Oh is that so?", asked Aunty in aining tone.


    "Let him go, Aunty. He had a really bad day in office I guess. He didn''t even give me a hug today you know?", Akira said and looked at Vikram''s direction as if getting a hug from him was her birthright.


    He heard her and his steps froze. Probably she said it all innocently but somehow it pierced him like a thorn. He began to feel like a monster who takes away candy from kids. All that she wanted from him was a bit of attention and he couldn''t give her that. Guilt started surrounding him from all sides,pletely enveloping him within.


    He turned towards Akira and said, "Come back to my room once you are done with your dinner. I have to discuss something with you."


    "Ok my highness", said Akira then she followed her Aunty and sat on the dining table. They both started their banter in no time.


    Vikram looked at them from upstairs. The view was perfect. She was perfect. She made his home look perfect.

 Chapter 28: That hug though

    <h4>28 That hug though</h4>


    Vikram went to his room and called up Raymond.


    Raymond was shocked to see Vikram calling on his personal numberte in the evening. He sensed that it must be rted to his special request for the project. He picked it up.


    "Hello, Mr. Vikram."


    "Hello, Mr. Raymond. Is it a good time to talk?", asked Vikram with an air of authority.


    "Yes please", replied Raymond.


    "The person about whom I had talked to you about would be sending you an application tomorrow. Make sure that she is interviewed and all the procedures are followed as usual."


    "No problem. I will make sure its all easy for her. Don''t worry we will have internship letter ready. All the protocols will be followed for namesake," Raymond said.


    When Vikram heard Raymond speak he could sense that there was a sort of contempt and sarcasm in his tone which he didn''t like.


    "Let me make something clear Mr. Raymond. The person whom I am referring here is capable enough to clear all formalities herself. She doesn''t need any namesake procedure. I wanted you to mentor her personally because I thought that would give her a good opportunity to learn and not because she needs spoonfeeding. I just want you to give her an opportunity to flourish. But if that''s unclear in any then please let me know. I don''t have any problems with making other arrangments."


    Vikram''s voice was so cold that Raymond felt like he was trying to strangle him with his voice. There was so much bitterness and anger reflecting from each word spoken by him that Raymond almost gasped for air. He understood that he had wronged him and there was no way of retracting.


    "I am sorry Mr. Vikram. I didn''t intend to doubt on the capabilities of the person that you have suggested. Just that I wanted to help her out. That''s all," said Vikram while trying to hide how much he was resenting it all.


    "That would be all then", Vikram said and disconnected the call.


    For a moment he wanted to punch that air-headed Raymond for insinuating that Akira wasn''t good enough. He knew her potential but probably the other party didn''t. His head full with rage and anger. Not to spoil his mood any further, he decided to take a quick shower before Akira finished her dinner.


    ---


    "That''s all Aunty. If I eat even one morsel extra my tummy will explode", Akira said and made a baby face.


    "Fine fine, I won''t feed you anymore."


    "Ok then, I will go and meet Vikram now. God knows if his mood is still sour Aunty", said Akira and started walking towards Vikram''s room.


    She gently knocked on the door and entered.


    Vikram had just finished taking his shower. He looked all swell in his tracks and t-shirt. He had a towel on his shoulder but he hadn''t dried his hair yet. With his well-chiseled body and toned abs, he looked nothing less than a Greek God.


    "Ow so you were trying to cool your anger Mr. Angry Young Man," said Akira in a teasing tone.


    Vikram looked at her and asked very calmly, "Did you eat well?".


    "Can''t you see my tummy? I look like I am four months pregnant."


    Akira then forcefully swelled up her tummy and started caressing it. Vikram couldn''t resist hisugh.


    "Well since you are in a bad mood I forgive every single sin that you have done. And on top of it, I am going to give you Akira special healing touch", she said and climbed on top of the sofa nearby. She pulled Vikram closer with the towel on his shoulder and then started drying up his hair.


    "Don''t you know that if you let your hair all wet for so long you can catch a cold in such weather. How will you achieve what you want if you fall sick?" she said in a gingerly voice.


    When he heard her, he felt like his heart was lighted by millions ofmps. He just told her simply about office trouble to avoid telling her the truth but she took it so seriously. His heart pained to see how seriously she took his each and every word.


    He couldn''t stand still anymore. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer. He rested his head on her stomach and said silently, "I am sorry", which she couldn''t hear. She could feel that he was certainly upset about something. She slightly started to pat on his head and said, "It''s going to be ok Viku". Then the next moment he lifted her from the sofa. His hands still tightly embracing her around her waist. He leaned in and touched her forehead with his own. She hugged him back and ced her arms around his neck. He closed his eyes as his heart wanted to stay in this moment forever.

 Chapter 29: My guardian angel

    <h4>29 My guardian angel</h4>


    There was so muchfort in that hug. Time had stood still for both of them.


    Slowly Vikram loosened his grip around her and took a step back. He then looked into her eyes and took a few of the strands of hair falling on her face and tucked them behind her ear. She gave him a million dor smile and said, "Fine fine I forgive you for not hugging me earlier." Vikram gave her an amused look. He looked very happy and rxed now but deep down only he knew what turbulent oceans were hitting his shores. Akira was d to see him bounce back to normal and gently ruffled his hair and said,


    "You wanted to talk about something. What is it?".


    Vikram went towards his study and Akira followed.


    "So you are seriously not going to join your internship program at Singapore?"


    "Nopes."


    "Any ns of doing an internship here?", Vikram asked in a concerned tone.


    "Well, I want to. I have applied to several ces, but the hiring period is already frozen. So you can say I am running out of luck", she said in a low register.


    But before Vikram could say a word, she quipped, "But don''t worry. I am scouting for job opportunities every day via multiple job portals. If anything opens up, I am gonna jump right in."


    Vikram fondly looked at her. She was making all attempts not to get him worried. He sighed and picked out a folder from his desk and gave it to Akira.


    "Here is some detail about a new start-uppany - Delphie. They want to put a strong foot into the gaming market and they recently got some Project deal finalized so I assume they will be switching into hiring mode. The payment won''t be too high since its a startup but you will get to learn a lot", Vikram said and looked at Akira in anticipation.


    Akira went through some of the pages in the file and then suddenly looked at him with a question mark on her face, "Did you get me backdoor entry?"


    She badly wanted him to say no.


    Akira was a girl who believed in blood and sweat. Throughout her life, she had been very good at her studies and managed her tuition fees using schrship money, part-time work, tutoring others and partially with the money left by her parents. She never took any help from anyone and wanted to grow in her life with efforts of her own. She wanted Vikram to understand it and respect her choices, so the thought of Vikram getting her an internship using his contacts and power was hurting her. Because of all the people in the world she trusted him the most and expected him to understand her the most.


    Vikram was shocked to see the reaction on her face. He knew that she wouldn''t like it but he had no idea that it would tear her mood like this. So even though he didn''t want to lie to her he said-


    "Jeez, Akira. Why will I ask anyone to hire you? I have my reputation to maintain. I just got to know about thepany and thus thought it might interest you. Whether you want to apply or not totally depends on you. God, this world doesn''t appreciate good and noble people like me at all."


    He shrugged his shoulder to show his disappointment to her and sat on the chair.


    "Oh really !!!", Akira was super happy to hear it. Happy because Vikram understood her and he was just helping her with obtaining opportunities. She was d, rather more than d. She walked up to him and said - "I am sorry, I misunderstood you but now I know why I trust you blindly."


    "Why?", Raymond asked.


    "Because you know me better than I know myself. You are indeed my Guardian Angel", she said and smiled at him. Her one-sentence shook Vikram to his core, hitting each and every single nerve in his body. He could never understand what power she had over him. Her honest confessions left him bare.


    Then she picked up the file about Delphie again and ced it inside her bag. When Vikram looked at her with curiosity she said - "I need to do some homework before applying right? So don''t give me that judgemental look. Now pick up your car keys and drop me at home. Ok?" She asked.


    Vikram got up absentmindedly and went to get his car keys. He picked up his phone as well and quickly sent a text. Then he picked up his jacket and kept on ncing at his phone screen. After a few seconds, his screen lighted up with the arrival of a message.


    "It''s assured." - RAYMOND


    Vikram sighed with relief and headed towards Akira.

 Chapter 30: The burn

    <h4>30 The burn</h4>


    Raymond was very excited after getting the deal at first. But all his happiness turned into sour curd after listening to Vikram''s condition. He was enraged because the entire deal felt like a sham. It felt like he gave the deal to them because in return he wanted his special person to be employed in hispany. All the hard work which he had put along with his entire team was nullified because of that one single use which Vikram had verbally put in their contract.


    His entire project team was celebrating. Finally, all the hard work, all the sleepless nights and the numerous cup of coffees had paid off. But his insides were dying out of humiliation. He felt like Vikram has kicked his brainchild project off to a far field. He was unable to control his rage because he was unable to ept that the value of his project was nothing aspared to this person whom Vikram wanted to be hired. He might have signed the contract with a pen on a paper but only he knew that it felt like he was signing his own heart with a hot iron rod.


    But instead of spilling out anger he decided to contain it within himself for the sake of his people because he knew how much this sess mattered to them.


    He had ordered pizza and beer for everybody in the office. That evening was a moment to rejoice for everyone as their hard work had paid off. They had put on music and were ying games with each other. They all felt like they all passed in the exam which life had thrown at them.


    After the celebration was over in their office, Raymond decided to leave for his house as soon as possible. He reached his house and went to take a bath. He wanted to sort out all the negativity that was present inside his head. He decided to stay positive and focused to convert his project into a sess. He was even more determined to show it to people that his idea and his vision wasn''t a piece of garbage. He knew there will be even stronger forces which wille and try to block his path but he was determined to move ahead with one single goal.


    Once he cleared up his head, the whole issue with Vikram seemed like nothing, like just a speck of sand. His goal was much bigger than that, so he decided not to be affected by Vikram''s special request.


    Then he went to his desk and looked at the picture of his mother. Slowly his eyes started stinging and tears started rolling down his cheeks. He paused for a while for his pain to subside and said - "I will never fail you mom. Just give me some time and I will prove it to everybody."


    He hugged the picture of his mom tightly to his chest and closed his eyes. He just wanted to have some alone time with her. He knew she was not around her, but just being with her picture used to make him feel much better. He knew if she would have been alive today, then she would have felt extremely proud of his achievement today.


    He got up from his seat after a while, ced the picture of his mom on the table where it was before and silently went to the kitchen. He brewed himself a cup of coffee, and then picked up the contract paper and started reading it very carefully line by line, word by word. He just wanted to be double sure that there was no hidden use put by Vikram using which he could have any leverage against him.


    After reading it twice he rxed. He realized Vikram was a man of his words. His personal request had nothing to do with the contract. It was indeed only a verbal use.


    To respect Vikram''s condition, he immediately switched on hisptop and sent a mail to Delphie''s HR to start the recruitment process as the project needed a bigger task force now.


    Requirement -> five graphic designers full-time, three software engineers, one senior level gaming guild expert, and ONE graphic designer intern.


    After sending the mail he had just rxed when he saw a message popping on his phone.


    "I hope the ''NO - DISCLOSURE'' under any circumstances will be strictly adhered to. And no matter what happens this verbal contract stays between us. Hope you can assure that?" - VIKRAM


    Raymond sighed and looked at the message for a while. Then he replied.


    "It''s assured."

 Chapter 31: Will give you sleepless nights

    <h4>31 Will give you sleepless nights</h4>


    The next day Akira woke up when she heard her phone ringing. It was a call from Vikram. She was still groggy and sleepy as hell but decided to pick up his call.


    "Why on earth are you calling me at this ungodly hour Vikram?",ined a sleepy version of Akira.


    "Ungodly? It''s 8 o''clock in the morning. Even the owls will be up by this time",mented Vikram.


    "Oh please, it''s all cause of you."


    "Me? for real?" Vikram was surprised to hear Akira''s usation.


    "No no not because of you. But because of a person who was driving his car like a bullock cart and helped me reach my ce post midnight. Oh but wait that person was you." Sneered Akira.


    Vikramughed at her childish usations. He didn''t deny it because he did drive very slow yesterday night and that was because he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. It was a full moon night and she was looking really pretty. He was unable to take his eyes off her. He recollected her dewy image and smile spread on his face.


    "Fine fine... next time will drop you in a jet. You have extremely high ambitions I must say," joked Vikram.


    "You are really messing my sleep with your super pathetic jokes Vikram."


    "Ok ok calm down. It''s a beautiful Sunday morning, so get up and do something productive. Don''t keep lying on the bed like azy log", said Vikram.


    "Lazy Log? Oh, and may I know what oh so productive work you are doing right now?", asked Akira. Her tone was dripping with irritation.


    "I am trying to save a girl from wasting the precious hours of her life. Its productive and noble at the same time", Vikram said and chuckled.


    "You so have a death wish!!!", grumbled Akira. "Because of you, my precious sleep ran away deserting me on a Sunday morning. Mark my words, one day you will have sleepless nights because of me. Bye now".


    After Akira disconnected the call, Vikram sighed and mumbled, "You already are giving me sleepless nights Akira."


    ---


    After finishing her breakfast she started to read the file which she has picked up from Vikram''s house the night before. That file contained all the details about the uing project by Delphi. Their game n and guild design were very impressive. She really liked their project n and meticulous approach in which they had divided the stages.


    But then she sighed. Her liking the project was one thing but them hiring her was another. She was disappointed for thest couple of days because she was not getting a call from any of thepanies where she was applying, so even though Vikram had told her that this newpany was expanding she did not want to raise her hopes high.


    She then opened herptop and did a few modifications to her resume (curriculum vitae) and then mailed her resume to Delphi HR desk. She flipped a few pages of a magazine but then got bored. Then she went to Mike''s room and found that he was still sleeping.


    "This guy", she murmured and went to her room and sent a text to Vikram.


    "Thanks for the suggestion. I have sent my resume to their HR desk. Finger''s crossed".


    "Just thanks?" - Vikram


    "Don''t be greedy, you are already rich." - Akira


    "But I am hungry, it''s going to be lunch time soon. So shouldn''t you be treating me?" - Vikram


    "Oh, now I know how rich gets richer." - Akira


    "How?" - Vikram


    "By feeding on poor people like me." - Akira


    "You can''t be serious. That''s a hell of an usation." - Vikram


    "Trutch is always painful my friend." - Akira


    "Fine, I give up. Today''s lunch is my treat. Wille and pick you guys." - Vikram


    "I knew you had a generous side. Just that you had lost it. I am so d that you found it again." -Akira


    "Go and get ready. Eat lunch food and don''t eye fro my head." - Vikram


    After Vikram finished texting with Akira, he shot another text to Raymond.


    "Application has been sent to your HR desk. Schedule an interview as per convenience."


    ---


    Raymond saw the message and called up Delphie HR in charge - Chloe.


    "Hello, Mr. Raymond. How may I help you?"


    "Hi, Chloe. Please update about the job openings on the portal on Tuesday. Meanwhile, I want to see if any resumes are avable with us right now."


    "Well whatever resumes we had, we had already hired themst season. I have only one resume with me. Someone has applied today for an internship position. Once I update in the portal regarding vacancies, I guess we will have more candidates."


    "That''s fine. Can you schedule an interview with the person who has applied for an internship? Preferably tomorrow or day-after-tomorrow?"


    "Sure sir. I will inform the tech team also about it."


    "Not needed, I have some free time now today and tomorrow, so I can interview the candidate myself. Just book a slot."


    Chloe was surprised to hear that Raymond himself wanted to interview an intern. But then she thought to herself - "Maybe he wants to hire the best people even if it''s just an intern." After a moment she stopped the thought process in her head and replied,


    "Sure sir. Anything else?".


    "No that would be all."


    And the call was disconnected.

 Chapter 32: I didnt steal a kiss

    <h4>32 I didn''t steal a kiss</h4>


    Time - around 12:40 pm


    Akira was almost ready when she heard the doorbell ring and ran to get the door. She was wearing a beautiful peach colored A-line dress which was entuating her features. She wore matching sneakers toplement her look. She had her hair in loose curls and was looking nothing less than a pretty peach.


    When she opened the door, she found Vikram holding a bouquet of baby''s breath which was Akira''s favorite thing in the world. He was dressed in casuals but still looked like a fashion model who has jumped straight out of a catalog.


    She immediately beamed with happiness and grabbed the flowers from his hands.


    "For me!!!?", she asked innocently with Bambi eyes.


    "No, it''s for Mike," Vikram said in a sarcastic tone and rolled his eyes.


    "You are so sweet Vikram," said Akira and rushed to hug him, but unfortunately she stumbled because of the door-mat and fell straight into Vikram''s arms. His arms embraced her like a safety and he hauled her back quickly so that she didn''t fall. She had lost her footing and when he pulled her back towards him something unexpected happened. His lips identally grazed hers and her eyes opened wide in shock.


    There was a surge of electricity within and he became all numb. He wasn''t able to get a grip of things happening around him. It happened for a fraction of a second but he felt like he was floating in the clouds. His mind wasn''t able to think any further nor his body was responding to him. He literally had to shake his head to get back to reality.


    When Akira saw Vikram shake his head after the mad encounter, she felt weird. She held his arms which were holding her in a tight grip and freed herself. She looked at him and said -


    "It was just an ident. Why are you acting like I stole a kiss from you?"


    Then she darted inside before Vikram could open his mouth to say something.


    He instantly regretted shaking his head. He did it to shrug off his wild and unconquerable thoughts and not because he was repulsed. But now she took it otherwise and it was difficult for him to make her understand. He so badly wanted to rip his heart open and tell her how exactly he felt, but he kept quiet because he knew this wasn''t the right time. He didn''t want to sound like an opportunist who was waiting for her to break up with her boyfriend to start up things for himself.


    ---


    While riding Vikram''s car, Akira didn''t take the front seat. She sat in the back because she was still angry with him. Mike who was sitting in the front seat had no idea what had happened between the two. But he knew that something was wrong as they both were sulking. He asked them twice and they unanimously told both the times - "Nothing". So he decided not to ask any further and decided to act like a mock spectator.


    Vikram adjusted his rear-view mirror so that he could catch a glimpse of her. When Akira saw him adjusting the mirror she thought it otherwise. She assumed that Vikram was adjusting it because he didn''t want to look at her. She couldn''t understand why he was hating her so much for such a small ident which was so not her fault.


    She pouted out of anger and asked him - "Is my face so bad that you have to keep adjusting your mirror?"


    Before Vikram could reply, Mike jumped in and said - "Jeez Akira, the purpose of the mirror isn''t to look at people sitting behind. That happens only in your Rom-Coms", and then he startedughing hysterically. He thought Vikram would also join him in theugh but he was dead serious.


    Utter silence prevailed in the car. The silence was so intense that it was almost deafening.


    Five minutester Akira got an email and she screamed at the top of her lungs after reading it.


    "What''s wrong?", asked Mike.


    "What''s wrong? Ask me what is so right you dumb-head", replied Akira.


    "Ok, what is so right you dumb-head?", asked Mike with a hint of sarcasm.


    Any other day she would have kicked him bad, but since she was super happy she decided to spare him and said - "I got an interview call from Delphie HR for the internship that I had applied. Feels like finally, my stars are shining."


    "I know its too premature of me to be happy, but I can''t help it. Finally, something good is going to happen", she added and beamed with happiness.


    Vikram was very content to hear it.


    "Looks like today is a good day. First, a kiss from her and now looks like my n is working as expected", Vikram thought to himself and a bright smile spread on his face.

 Chapter 33: It cant be her

    <h4>33 It can''t be her</h4>


    It was a busy Monday for Raymond. He had back to back n meetings and organization re-structuring meetings. On top of that, he had to fit in the special interview request for the so-called intern. Her interview was scheduled at 2:00 p.m. and since he was attending meetings till lunchtime, he didn''t have the opportunity to go through her resume.


    Chloe, who was Delphi''s HR head, had already printed two copies of the candidate''s resume and had ced it on his desk. Aftering back from the meeting Raymond picked up the resume and started going through it.


    The moment he saw the candidate''s name on the resume his eyes popped wide open in shock.


    ''Akira Peyton''


    Masters in Graphic design


    University of Cincinnati


    It can''t be. Raymond was shocked and went into denial. He grabbed the second copy of the resume just to confirm if the name was same and he was not hallucinating. Unfortunately, it was still the same - Akira Peyton. He couldn''t believe his luck. It couldn''t be her. He tried to console himself by thinking that probably it was just another person with the same name.


    His mind was racing back and forth remembering the pleasantpany that he hadst week in the flight. Her face, her smile, her tears, her talks everything was deeply imprinted in his mind. They had hardly talked a couple of sentences max, but her innocent face was building a web and was drawing him inside. Her tender touch when she had applied the ointment, her happy smile after finding out that the choctes wereplementary, her teary eyes filled with hundreds of emotions shook him deeply.


    The image of her boarding pass shed in his head which he still possessed in the top drawer of his side table. The next moment he remembered the episode where he tore her letter out of anger. The image of her trapped in the arms of a random person at Tony''s started shing in his head and he started bing restless again. He was shocked to see himself getting so much affected just by seeing her name.


    He gasped for air.


    "Probably I am overthinking", Raymond thought.


    He drank a ss of cold water and tried to shrug off all the thoughts of her.


    But unfortunately, he couldn''t.


    The anticipation was killing him. Initially, he had thought of having a quick bite before starting the interview but now he was sitting in the room, all dazed. He felt that the hands of his clock had started moving at a slower rate.


    Even though he was hurt after seeing her with another guy his heart was still restless and wanted to meet her and have a glimpse of her as soon as possible. He was not able to understand what was wrong with him. He felt like she had made him drink some magic potion and now he was totally under her control.


    He started pacing inside his room. He was unable to keep his head steady. So he picked up another project file thinking that he could distract his mind by checking the financial estimations, but his heart had some other ns. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t focus on the numbers, which was so unlike him.


    For so many days he had the urge to check her profile on Facebook but he had somehow restrained himself. But something got into him and he opened thisptop and searched for people on Facebook with name Akira Peyton. There were a couple of suggestions but there was only one Akira Peyton from the University of Cincinnati and when he saw her picture his brows were knitted.


    It was her. Definitely her.


    The cloud of doubts which he had started vanishing away. He became even more restless after getting the surety that it was her. His heart was entering the happy zone because deep down he always wanted to meet her. he always felt that there was something which was left iplete. but his mind instructed him otherwise.


    Now he knew who the other guy was who was embracing her at the karaoke station. It was Vikram. The whole connection became crystal clear. After having a break up with her boyfriend somehow she had managed to trap Vikram. In the business world, everybody knew that Vikram had a hard exterior which was difficult to breach but somehow she had manage to do it. This girl was definitely something.


    "Maybe she is really good at trapping guys. Vikram was probably just a money vending machine for her whom she was using to elevate her career as well." thought Raymond and looked at his watch. It was 1:55 pm.


    He took a deep breath to rx himself.


    "She might have used Vikram but she will not be able to y with me", thought Raymond and called up Chloe to inform her that he was ready for the interview.

 Chapter 34: Oh my God!!! Its him

    <h4>34 Oh my God!!! It''s him</h4>


    Akira was waiting anxiously at the reception of Delphi office at Brooklyn. Even though she was an academically brilliant student, she was still feeling very nervous. She was biting her nails and was shuffling through her resume every now and then. She had to make it through because a source of steady ie was really important for her right now apart from industry experience.


    Akira was wearing a turquoise blue formal shirt and a grey pencil skirt. The whole attire made her look very sharp and poised. She was wearing ck kitten heels because she knew that normal heels were not her forte.


    The receptionist looked at her kindly and smiled because she had seen many such nervous candidates who would be panicking to their maximum, before the interview. She went to Akira and asked her-


    "Miss Akira, do you need water or something?"


    "Umm.. no thanks," replied Akira.


    The receptionist nodded and she was about to turn back to go to her seat when Akira asked her,


    "Do I look extremely nervous."


    The receptionist smiled back at her after hearing her question and said, "It''s totally human to feel nervous before an interview. Don''t worry you will do good".


    Akira saw the receptionist going back to her seat, and decided to regain her nerves. The kind words from the receptionist had calmed her a bit. She stood up straightened her skirt and took a small walk around. Then she picked up her phone and called Vikram.


    "Hey, how is it going?", asked Vikram.


    "Nothing much. I am just waiting for my interview to start" Akira replied.


    Vikram could sense that she was a bit nervous. She was super angry with him because of the incident that had happened yesterday but still, she called him. So it was a clear indicator that her nerves were all jittery. So he decided to distract her and talked about all random stuff. Within a couple of minutes, she was back to normal.


    "Thanks", Akira said to Vikram.


    "For what?", Vikram asked.


    "For being there for me. I know you are very busy right now but you always make time for me. Hope I can do the same for you." Akira said very sincerely.


    "Ok if you want to do something for me then rock the interview ok?", Vikram said.


    "Ha Ha will try", said Akira and disconnected the call.


    Akira returned back to her seat and gave another cursory nce at her resume. Just then the receptionist received a call. After disconnecting the call, she asked Akira to follow her. She took Akira upstairs to Mr. Raymond''s cabin and indicated that she could go in for the interview.


    Akira slightly knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter. A few secondster she heard someone say - e in". The voice had authority but it was quite calm at the same time. She pushed the door open and went inside. She had literally no idea how her life was going to change the very next second.


    She saw Raymond sitting in front of him. His aura what''s breathtaking. He looked totally dapper in his navy blue suit. His hair was impably styled with not even one strand going astray. His face, his jawline was so perfect that probably God himself had spent a good amount of time chiseling him out.


    Akira kept gawking at him with unflinching dedication. Of all the people who could have interviewed her, it was him. She was having a surge of a mixture of emotions. Happiness, surprise, relief, all these elements came rushing towards her. His smoldering eyes and intense gaze was scanning her from top to bottom.


    This very person had left a big impression on her during their fateful flight journey, but right now she was standing in total shock, totally smitten by his charm. A part of her wanted to ask him why he left without even saying a proper bye. But another part of her did not want to ept that he mattered to her. She didn''t want to acknowledge that his presence alone was making her weak in her knees.


    Raymond saw her standing all frozen near the door. She looked way more delicate and feminine than he remembered. She gently tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears and started looking down in a very demure way. Raymond understood that she was as much shocked as he was and a smug smile spread on his face, but he was determined not to let his guard down, so he rposed himself and said in a grave tone-


    "Please take a seat, Ms. Akira".


    Reality dawned upon Akira when she heard him calling her name. She straddled towards the chair and before sitting down she extended her hand for a handshake and said


    "Good afternoon sir!!! "


    Raymond looked at her but didn''t bother to shake her hands. Akira felt really weird with the way he behaved. She sat on the chair opposite him and started thinking about all the possibilities.


    "Do I somehow repulse him?".


    "Is he germophobic?".


    "Have I irked him somehow that he left without saying a bye?"

 Chapter 35: The interview

    <h4>35 The interview</h4>


    The trail of questions inside Akira''s head was making her restless. She was totally clueless and had no idea why Raymond was acting so cold and distant. She kept pondering for some time and thought that maybe he didn''t recognize her so she blurted her heart out -


    "We have met before on a flight journey. I was the girl who spilled coffee on you and we sat next to each other in the flight as well, Singapore to New York."


    "Do you remember?"


    Raymond listen to her ranting about the journey that they had together and got pissed. Right now for him, she was just a gold digger who was climbing up thedder using the shoulders of others. So he decided to cut into her talk and asked -


    "Can we start the interview if your monologue is done?"


    Akira was taken aback by his question. She was deeply bruised not because he was hurtful but because he was acting all indifferent. This was not the man that she met on the flight. She tried to maintain herposure and replied,


    "Sure sir".


    ---


    Raymond asked her a couple of questions and she answered most of them satisfactorily. Her GPA itself spoke about her ability. Raymond realized that she was indeed a bright student and had a good career ahead. Initially, he was hesitant as for how she will perform in thepany but now he was assured that even though he was keeping Vikrams request, it would be productive for hispany too.


    For thest question, he knowingly asked her,


    "Why did you choose to apply in Delphie? Given your credentials, you could havended an internship at bigger and betterpanies which would have written fatter cheques for you."


    Akira had prepared earlier for this question. She knew this was definitely one of the questions that everyone would ponder about. So she answered the way she had practiced - "I was always more interested in joining a startup because I don''t want to feel lost in an MNC. Here I will be getting more learning opportunities aspared to otherpanies. Given an opportunity, I would be able to learn about end to end development cycle.


    Raymond heard her answer and smiled in his head as it was a typical well-rehearsed answer which was probably picked directly from some interview website.


    Utter silence prevailed in the room for a couple of minutes. Akira realised that her answer was too dishonest and too cliche. So she cleared her throat and said-


    "Actually to a very honest that''s not the real reason. I had an internship at a big multinational but due to some personal reasons, I had to let go of it. But right now my mary needs are quite high. So I am interested in any sort of internship irrespective of the size of thepany."


    Raymond was really shocked to hear such an honest reply from her. He could sense that she was a bit embarrassed as well. She was tugging the hemline of her skirt and was avoiding any sort of eye contact with him.


    The next question that immediately popped inside Raymond''s head was how she was able to afford a business ss ticket when she was in need of an internship to support her livelihood. "Probably the tickets were provided by Vikram", thought Raymond and started loathing her again.


    As the interview had already stretched for forty minutes, Raymond decided to wrap it up and said -


    "Well, that would be all Ms.Akira from my side. Do you have any further questions?"


    Akira shook her head and said - "No"


    "Well, then my HR will get back to you for further details on this. We are done for the day", said Raymond in a very cold and harsh register.


    Akira got up from her chair. She thought of exchanging pleasantries with him, but his cold aura stopped her. She just said "Ok" and turned towards the door to leave.


    When Raymond Saw her leaving, somehow all the anger which was curdling inside him, came out in a sh. He didn''t know what happened to him and he said -


    "Well, why do you need to work so hard to earn money? People like you can always live off others. That''s what your parents have taught you right?"


    Akira could not believe what he just said. She stood there like a pir whose plinth was running deep inside the ground. Her ears started burning and her eyes started welling up. She decided not to say anything and left the room.


    Raymond was mortified with his own behavior. After the words left his mouth he instantly regretted. But before he could feel sorry about it or repair the damage that he had done, she had already left the room.


    Akira was feeling utterly low. Raymond''s statement was hurtful like a deathly jibe. But right now the pain of missing her parents was bing even worse than that. She would not have been in this situation had they been alive. She clutched her resume tight and ran as fast as possible. She hailed a taxi and left. Tears were streaming nonstop from her eyes and her whole thinking process was clouded. All she could mumble was -


    "Why did you leave me all alone? Why".


    She felt like she didn''t even have a single straw to cling onto in the ocean of pain. She called up Mike and started crying non-stop.


    ---


    The moment she left the room, Raymond felt a deafening silence gripping him. He had clearly bruised her and if there was any way he could have retracted what he had said, he would have. So in the spur of the moment, he called his driver and ask him to get his car to the front door. He immediately rushed down and saw Akira getting in a taxi. He asked his driver to follow the car.

 Chapter 36: I am sorry

    <h4>36 I am sorry</h4>


    Akira stopped in front of a cemetery near her house. Both her parents were buried there. Although her Mom was of Indian descent, she was also buried alongside Akira''s Dad because it was her Mom''s wish to stay next to her husband even after death.


    Akira slumped on the ground and started crying. She ced her head on her father''s tomb and her tears started seeping into the concrete. She was a strong girl who was not easily affected by the opinion and perspective of others, but somehow today Raymond''s words stabbed her heart and made her feel like she was all alone, deserted by everybody whom she had ever loved in her life.


    Raymond saw Akira stopping in front of the cemetery. The burden of regret instantly increased manifold inside his heart. He rushed inside and saw Akira''s frail figure slumped on the ground. She was crying like there was no tomorrow in store for her. When Raymond saw the same surname written on the tombstone as hers, he immediately understood the depth of pain that she was undergoing at that moment. He himself knew the pain of losing one parent. He couldn''t imagine how she was feeling right now when she had lost both of them.


    Raymond clenched his fist because his insides were raging with anger. He was disappointed with himself and his choices.


    "How could you do this to her?", he was screaming at himself in his thoughts. Finally, when he couldn''t bear it, he punched a tree nearby. Warm blood started oozing out from his bruised fist, but it didn''t help in any way. He was still angry with himself but he had to do something. He was desperate to find a way to reduce her pain which was, in turn, haunting him.


    He took a couple of steps forward and stood behind her silently.


    Akira could hear the ruffling sound of leaves. She could sense that someone was there near her. She stood up and turned back thinking it was Mike, but she couldn''t believe that it was Raymond. The person who made her feel cheap for no reason. the person who used her parents of having low morals and values. Her insides started churning out when she saw his face. Right now she loathed him, probably wanted to p him for his degrading remarks. But before that, she wanted to ask him why he was there. But before she could even ask him anything, he raised his finger and put it on her lips. He slightly leaned forward, and whispered into her ears - "I am sorry".


    He looked into her eyes without even blinking once. Probably he wanted his eyes to convey how sorry he was. The moment Akira looked into his eyes, something just triggered deep within. All the dams and flood gates which had epassed her pain were let open.


    He hugged her tight and let her cry her eyes out. A few secondster she hugged him back. The destroyer had be the savior for her. She found strangefort in his arms. She let go of all her inhibitions and cried till her pain was contained.


    His one hand gently stroked her hair while the other was wrapped around her waist like a protective shield. They hugged each other and shared the pain in harmony for a while until they were interrupted by the ringing of Akira''s phone.


    It was a call from Vikram.


    Akira suddenly distanced herself from Raymond as soon as she heard her phone ringing. She couldn''t understand what had gotten into her. She cried in the arms of a stranger man, who was the cause of all the pain but somehow she foundfort in him. She was embarrassed and flushed at her own behavior.


    She immediately rushed to pick up the phone.


    Raymond saw her all flushed and confused. He could clearly see that she was feeling torn. He could sense it in her eyes. She was melting his heart which was irond before and he couldn''t understand how and why. Before he could think any further he saw her taking a few steps ahead and turned her back to him and took the call.


    "Hi, Vikram," she said.


    Raymond heard her taking Vikram''s name and suddenly reality dawned in. SHE WAS TAKEN.


    Raymond sighed and silently turned back and returned to his car. His face had turned all grim. He looked like someone had just stabbed him with a hundred knives. He asked his driver to go back to the office as soon as possible.


    He reached his cabin and went inside. Her resume was still on top of his desk. He reminded himself that she was just a part of this contract and nothing else. He had to something about his feelings which were clouding him, making him take all irrational decisions.


    He sat on his chair and looked at his wounded fist and then at the picture of his mother. He took a deep breath and then called Chloe and said,


    "Finalize this candidate for the internship position. Send her a confirmation email ASAP".


    "Ok sir," said Chloe. "Anything else sir?" Chloe added.


    "Well since the candidate has good potential and can be an asset for our new project, please make sure her remuneration is equivalent to a graphic designer. Let her designation be that of an intern. Hope this is clear?", Raymond asked.


    "Sure sir. I am on it", Chloe replied.


    Raymond disconnected the call. He had his brows knitted, this girl was trouble.

 Chapter 37: The celebratory dinner

    <h4>37 The celebratory dinner</h4>


    "Where are you now and what''s wrong?" asked Vikram who was in a tensed mode.


    "Nothing happened Vikram. I am ok. I was just missing mom and dad a lot somehow," replied Akira.


    "Are you sure because Mike told me otherwise", Vikram said and looked at Mike who was along with him in the car. Deep down he wasn''t convinced with her answer. He knew that something had bothered her to the core of her heart which had made her cry like this.


    "Yeah, I m totally fine. I am with Mom and Dad now at the cemetery. Just wanted to spend some time with them. Makes me feel like they are around and we are connected somehow," sighed Akira.


    "Anyways I will be returning back now. Thanks for calling tough", Akira added.


    "Stay there. We are on our way to pick you up," Vikram said and disconnected the call. He looked at Mike who was sitting next to him and said - "Something is wrong. She isn''t telling me anything. But if you find out then let me know."


    Mike nodded.


    After Akira was done with the call she turned back, but Raymond was nowhere to be seen. She ran a bit forward towards the entrance but couldn''t find him. "Why did he leave? He didn''t say a word again before leaving. Why does he behave like that around me? One moment he is there and the next he is not", all these questions were irritating her.


    A few minutes back she thought of him as her mortal enemy and now this very moment she was missing hispany. She was weirded out with her own behavior. She stood there looking at the direction of the entrance, hoping against hope that he would probablye back. The whole internship thing was out of her mind. Right now her heart wanted only one answer, wanted to ask only one question, wanted to reprimand only one person - ''Raymond''.


    ---


    After paying their respect to Akira''s parents all the three of them Mike, Vikram and Akira came out of the cemetery and got inside Vikram''s car. Akira was feeling very embarrassed as, because of her Vikram had toe all the way from his office in Staten Ind to Brooklyn and God only knows how many important meetings he missed. Akira was worried for him because she didn''t want to be a liability. Vikram was family to her but she didn''t want him to go through all this because of her.


    After a few minutes of silence in the car, Vikram decided to break the ice.


    "How was your interview?", he asked Akira.


    "It was ok", she replied.


    "Ok as in like my level ok or your level ok?", asked Mike in a mocking tone.


    "What do you mean by that?" questioned Akira.


    "Well see my level ok is like how average people say it went ok. Which means I will just pass. But when people like you say ok it means - Dude I am topping the charts", teased Mike.


    "You !!!", sneered Akira and started boxing Mike''s ears.


    "Ouch... oww oww oww, you are nothing but a devil", hissed Mike.


    Finally, the atmosphere inside the car became light. They all had a heartyugh.


    They all reached Akira''s house in no time as it was nearby. Vikram dropped both of them and rushed to meet a client. He wanted to stay with her and talk with her, but he had already dyed his work schedule too much. As Mike was there with Akira, he was assured and left. But before leaving he promised toe for having dinner together.


    "Make sure you cook my chicken the way I like", said Vikram with a smug smile on his face and sped through. Akira cursed both of them and entered her house. They teased her, made her lose her nerves but she loved them both more than anything else in the world. A brief smile was traced on her lips and she went inside the house.


    Akira entered her room and dived on to her bed. She was very tired because of all the episodes which had unfolded themselves. She wanted to sleep and get away from the myriad range of thoughts which were running a marathon inside her head, but unfortunately, sleep was miles and miles away from her. Her heart was restless and all that she could think of was ''Raymond'' and no matter how hard she was trying she was unable to wipe him away from her thoughts. This guy had be one more reason why she wanted the internship badly now.


    Just when she was specting what to do and how to silence her heart, her phone buzzed and she saw the notification. She had received an email from Chloe. without even thinking for another movement she just opened the email. The next instant she was running all around the house like a neurotic maniac.


    "I got in. I got in." Akira started ranting and it didn''t stop till Mike literally kicked her for being such a snob.


    "I told you what ''it was ok'' meant for people like you", Mike teased Akira and then hugged her tight. He was happy for her, not because of how it would help her career, but because this would distract her from everything bad which had recently happened to her. He wanted her to forget all the pain that Anthony had caused to her tiny heart. He wanted her to as upied as possible and this internship was going to pave the way for it.


    Tears of happiness warmed both their eyes.


    A few momentster Akira wiped her eyes and went back to her room where she had the pictures of her mom and dad. She felt like they had blessed her today and made her day right. She sat there silently and was lost in happy childhood memories.


    "Hey, shouldn''t you call Vikram and tell him the good news?", asked Mike and interrupted her. He didn''t want her to remember the bitter memories of the ident that their parents had undergone again.


    Akira thought for a moment and said, "Let''s surprise him when hees for dinner. Shall we act? What say?".


    "Onboard", said Mike and gave a devilishugh. The brother-sister duo grinned and went to the nearest local mart to get kitchen supplies for the dinner. She had to make Vikram''s favorite chicken and her signature ''Fried Rice''.


    It was a celebratory dinner after all.

 Chapter 38: The messers were about to be the messies.

    <h4>38 The messers were about to be the messies.</h4>


    After arriving at the office, Raymond went straight to his cabin and called up David. He asked him to prepone all the meetings to that evening. He didn''t want to have a single idle minute. His body was still in some kind of trance and some unknown form of anger was raising its fang inside him. Every time he thought he was getting close to her, she was bringing in a barrier in between and that barrier was none other than Vikram. He didn''t want to recollect her face. He didn''t want to recollect the moment when she turned her back at him and took Vikram''s name.


    Raymondpleted three back to back meetings and then started checking his emails. Chloe had sent him Akira''s appointment letter and her remuneration details for his reference. He started at theptop screen nkly for quite some time and then picked up his phone and texted Vikram -


    "Your candidate Ms.Akira has been hired. Appointment letter had already been sent to her".


    But his hand paused before pressing send. He deleted the text message and types again -


    "Suggested candidate Ms.Akira has been hired. Appointment letter had already been sent to her"


    and then sent it to Vikram.


    Something within him didn''t want her to be anybody else''s.


    He was disgusted with his stupid and childish behavior. Now that the meetings were done, he was left all alone in his cabin. No matter how hard he tried to restrain himself, he just couldn''t stop thinking about her. There were plenty of emails to be followed upon and resumes of people to be checked, but he just couldn''t focus on anything else. His thoughts were running in parallel. On one hand, he wanted to make her, his own and on the other he wanted himself to realize that she was meant to be his.


    But sanity and rationality had ditched him ever since he had met her. His mind colluded with her images and his senses were overpowered with her smell, her touch, her breath. Her familiar faintvender smell made him go crazy again and again. He felt like he was lost in a dense maze of fate and there was no way to get out of it. Despair, pain and greed, all came together knocking at his door.


    Raymond got a grip back when his phone buzzed with a message.


    "Thanks for honoring my condition." - Vikram


    And suddenly the faint glow of happy thoughts in his mind was clouded by this one single message.


    ---


    A content smile spread on Vikram''s face. Raymond''s message came in and provided him the much-needed relief. Although he had an agreement with Raymond, as it was just verbal, he wasn''t sure if he was going to keep his words. He was already worried the whole day just thinking about how upset Akira was in the morning. But now he knew this eptance news of hers into Delphie would definitely bring in a big smile on her face.


    It was almost time for Vikram to leave for Akira''s house for dinner. But he was surprised as there were no calls from Akira to inform him about her selection. He wanted to call her that very instant and congratte her but he refrained himself from doing so as he didn''t want her to have any idea that he was the one who initiated all this.


    Vikram was just about to shut hisptop when he got a call from Akira. He assumed that she had called him to inform him about getting the internship offer. He assumed that he would be talking to an extremely happy and beaming version of Akira but it was the entire opposite. She sounded super low like and gloomy like someone had sucked all the life out of her.


    "What happened Akira? Why are you sounding like this?", asked Vikram.


    "I couldn''t get in", Akira said and paused for a while.


    "The HR of Delphie send me a mail just now that I couldn''t clear the interview," she added.


    "Wait, what?" ask a surprise Vikram. He couldn''t believe it as just a few seconds before he had received an affirmation from Raymond through a message.


    "This is so not possible. You told your interview went fine. With your credentials, anypany will hire you Akira," said Vikram.


    "Anypany but not Delphi", said Akira and she sobbed a bit.


    Vikram was unable to connect anything for a moment. He thought a bit and then said -


    "Ok don''t maul over it. Give me 40 minutes and I will be there," said Vikram and disconnected the call.


    After disconnecting the call Vikram made another call to Peter who was his assistant and asked him to prepare for a cake and huge flower bouquet of baby breath, which was Akira''s favorite. He specifically instructed Peter to make sure that all of this was delivered exactly after 1 hour at Akira''s ce. After finishing the call a smug smile spread on his face and he said to himself -


    "If you want to y, then I will y along Akira !!!".


    ---


    Akira finished cooking everything with the help of Mike and cleaned up the kitchen. When it was about time for Vikram to arrive, she too the lens solution from Mike''s room and put in her eyes to look like she had been crying for long. Mike took a copy of her resume and tore it into pieces and scattered it all over to make the environment look all dramatic. The brother-sister duo had indeed nned well.


    Vikram reached Akira''s ce and saw her sitting on the dining table with a sulky face. Torn pieces of her resume were strewn all across the floor. She looked like she had cried for hours. Seeing her for a moment Vikram thought that perhaps she was telling the truth, but then he saw the lens solution near the TV cab and immediately understood her drama. He knew that they were lying but they had no idea that he knew it all. The messers were about to be the messies.


    Vikram kneeled down in front of her and held her hand tenderly and wiped her fake tears with his napkin. Then he got up and hugged her. For a moment Akira started instantly regretting ying with Vikram''s emotions. She looked at Mike in a pleading manner as she didn''t want to y anymore, but when Mike rolled his eyes she decided to continue her fake sobs in Vikram''s arms.


    Even though it was all a y, his concern was too real and too sincere.


    They all were startled when the doorbell rang.

 Chapter 39: You are not fooling anyone here

    <h4>39 You are not fooling anyone here</h4>


    Mike went ahead to get the door.


    A delivery guy gave him a cake and a big flower bouquet of baby''s breath. Instantly after seeing the flowers, Mike understood it was from Vikram. He brought in the bouquet and cake inside and said,


    "Did you order all this Vikram?"


    Vikram grinned within as everything was going as nned.


    "Yeah, I did. I thought that Akira would definitely crack the interview, so to celebrate I had pre-ordered cake and flowers. How presumptuous of me", he said in a sulky and dejected tone. He deliberately sighed in despair and looked at Akira and said,


    "I am sorry Akira. I had no intention of mocking you. I didn''t know that you won''t be selected. I had ordered everything yesterday itself. I made sure that everything was your favorite starting from Red Velvet Cake to the flowers. But little did I know that you would be in a mess today. I am really sorry if I have gone overboard and have hurt you Akira."


    Akira was melted with his soft words. She was unable to drag the prank any further. She again started looking at Mike with eyes filled with regret. She was cursing herself for even thinking of ying such a stupid prank on Vikram.


    Judging from her expressions, Vikram could sense that Akira had already started feeling guilty about the whole duping fiasco that she had pulled in. To rub her more with salt, Vikram got up and picked up the cake and flower bouquet and said -


    "I am going to throw all this right away. All these are making you feel even worse."


    He started walking towards the door and counted in his head 1...2...3...4.. Before he could finish his count to five, Akira literally screamed -


    "Stop"


    "I was lying, I got in. I was just trying to y with you ok. I am sorry." She said everything in one single breath.


    Vikram turned back and with a smug smile spread on his face, he said - "I know. You are a terrible liar."


    Akira couldn''t believe what he said and neither did Mike. Her eyes were opened wide in shock.


    "Mike acted well tough. But your fake crying. Jeez, Akira did you ever take drama sses seriously?" Vikram added as if the previous insult wasn''t enough. Mikeughed hard after hearing what Vikram said but Akira was pissed. A few moments before she was feeling bad for Vikram but little did she know he himself was acting.


    "You guys make me sick", screamed Akira and stormed towards the kitchen.


    Vikram had a heartyugh after seeing her running away all embarrassed and angry. He then took the cake box and unpacked it. He lined it with candles which came along with the box and kept the knife next to it. Then he went to the kitchen to coax her out.


    "Com''on don''t ruin the mood Akira. It''s a big day for you. Come let''s celebrate."


    "Don''t want. You eat it by urself you smug face", sneered Akira.


    "But its too big for me to finish up all alone. Plus I will really feel bad if you don''t get a piece of it when it''s from - La Patisserie," Vikram said knowingly because he knew that this was her favorite cake shop in whole Brooklyn.


    Akira raised one eyebrow and then looked towards Mike. He was holding his ears as if pleading for mercy. Seeing them both like this and with the delicious cake lying on top of the dining table, luring her more every second, she caved in.


    "Fine fine. Let''s celebrate ME", she said with a big smile on her face.


    The trio then devoured on the cake and all the yummy delicacies that Akira had prepared for dinner.


    After the dinner was over Vikram helped Akira to clean up the dishes. While Vikram was wiping a bowl, Akira suddenly said -


    "You know Anthony never helped me to do the dishes. Not even once. And I was so stupid that I never even bothered to question him. Was I stupid Vikram?"


    Vikram didn''t like where the conversation was going. He didn''t want her to recollect any of the bitter memories again. He knew that her boyfriend was never good enough for her. He had told her once and that had caused a rift between them. So ever since he had decided never toment on it. He didn''t want toment anything now as well.


    "Well he should be thest thing on your things to worry about list", Vikram said.


    "And the first being?", asked Akira.


    "Well, the first thing you should be worried about right now is - What are going to wear tomorrow?", Vikram said and smiled.


    "Yeah right !!! I didn''t even think about it", said a worried Akira.


    Vikram folded his hands and stood silently near the sink. He was amused to see the pretty creature in front of him, pacing left and right in the kitchen, pinching her eyebrow with one hand as if she had to fix Global Warming the very next day. He literally adored everything about her, head to toe. After about a minute she stopped pacing and looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes,


    "Can I wear the yellow A-line dress, the one on which I had spilled my milkshake when we went to watch Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom together?"


    Vikram pictured her wearing that dress and screamed inside his head - "Yeah right and then I should be worried the whole day thinking about which guy in your office was trying to hit on you?" Vikram shrugged off the thought and blurted out -


    "No way".


    Akira looked at him disappointedly and asked - "But why? I look cute in that. Don''t I?"


    "The problem is, you look way too cute in that", he said and gazed into her eyes like he wanted to be drowned in them.


    "Really!!!?", beamed Akira and asked.


    "Yeah really !!!", said Vikram.


    Akira ran to him and pulled his cheeks with both her hand and screamed- "You Cutie". He went ahead and held her hand and pulled her out of the house towards his car.


    "Where are we going?", she asked.


    Vikram didn''t say a word. When they reached near his car, he opened the car door and took out an exquisite looking huge box and then handed it to Akira and said - "For You."


    "What is it?", asked Akira curiously.


    "Open and see", said Vikram and took a step back to see her reaction in full.


    Akira opened the box and saw a beautiful formal A-line grey colored one-piece inside. She became very happy and emotional at the same time and said -


    "Is this why you told me I look way too cute in my yellow dress? Huh !!! You liar"


    "I never lie", said Vikram and looked at her intently and thought,


    "God her cuteness will soon kill me someday".

 Chapter 40: A new day with all the butterflies

    <h4>40 A new day with all the butterflies</h4>


    Akira woke up earlier than usual that morning. It was her first day of the internship at Delphi and she couldn''t keep calm. Her heart was fluttering with anticipation as she was going to take her first step towards setting her career but most importantly deep down she was excited because she will be getting a chance to meet Raymond and probably a chance to work with him.


    After having a bath and breakfast Akira opened herptop and googled his name - Raymond Walker. She started checking everything about him, starting from his LinkedIn profile to Delphi''s official webpage. She was literally stalking him checking every possible information. Her curiosity was at its peak and she wanted to know more about this mystery man who always deserted her without saying a word.


    She wore the dress gifted by Vikram and happily took a swirl in front of the mirror. She immediately picked up her phone and took a snap of herself and sent to Vikram with a caption -


    "How do I look?"


    Even though Vikram was in a high profile client meeting he opened her text and replied,


    "Mighty fine", with loads of smileys.


    Akira saw Vikram''s reply and grinned like a high-school girl. She did her hair into a nice pony-tail and did a little bit of makeup too as she wanted to look all professional and decked-up today. Even Mike who always woke upte got up early to wish her sister. He had prepared a mixture of yogurt and sugar for her which was considered as a good luck food.


    When Mike offered the yogurt mixture to her, Akira was touched,


    "You still remembered Mom''s good luck food?", she asked with a surprised tone.


    "Mom would have made it for you. So you better eat it all up ", said Mike and pushed a big spoon of yogurt into her mouth.


    Akira realized that her little baby brother had matured into a grown-up boy who was considerate and kind-hearted. Her heart was filled with warm emotions. She smiled looking at him and ruffled his hair. Once she was done eating she gave him a tight hug and left for her office.


    ---


    "Hi all, Can I get a little bit of your attention guys? Simon, can you take those earphones out? Kirk, I am over here", Chloe was shouting at the top of her lungs.


    "Hi everyone this is Akira here. She is starting from today at Delphi as an intern for the next five months. So be nice to her as she is young and new. Ok guys?", said Chloe and smiled at Akira.


    "This is the graphics team Akira, and you will be sitting over there. Your system is also ready. In the afternoon you will have a meeting with your mentor who will guide you through this creative process. Till then you can socialize with your team-mates and chill for a while", Chloe said and left the graphics bay.


    Akira gave out a nervous wave at her team and introduced herself,


    "Hi, guys. I am Akira Payton and I will bepleting my graphics design masters this year. I hope to learn a lot from you all".


    She scanned the area and was disappointed not to find a single girl in the team.


    "Yeah its an all guy team if that''s what you are thinking about", said Simon and buzzed in. He was one of the Lead Graphic designer of the team.


    "No no nothing like that, I was just checking the ambiance", said Akira trying to dodge the question thrown towards her.


    "Ambience? Really? You are really bad at lying aren''t you?", chuckled Simon. He then came towards her and introduced himself.


    "Hi I am Simon, I am a Lead Graphic Designer here and this is my team", Simon said and pointed towards the direction where his team members were sitting. Kirk, who worked in Simon''s team came forward and greeted her and said,


    "I am Kirk, a Junior Designer here. If you have any questions starting from the best coffee machine location to how to fix the printer, then don''t call me, call Simon. He is the eyes and ears of Delphi", Kirk said and elbowed Simon who was busy checking her out.


    "Oh that''s nice will keep that in mind", said Akira.


    "Are you my mentor?", asked Akira and looked at Simon.


    "No no I am not, so there is no need to be scared of me", Simon said and asked her to settle at her seat. He went with her till her seat and asked her to configure ''Office Communicator''. Then he added himself to hermunicator chat list and said -


    "Ping me if you need anything", and continued scanning her top to bottom. She was indeed a pretty girl and in his head, he had already started dreams of dating her. He wanted to know if she was single and avable, but since it was her first day he didn''t want to scare her out. Once she was all settled at her seat he left with a victorious smile on his face.


    After Simon returned to his seat, Kirk chuckled and said in a hush-hush tone, "Jeez get a grip, Simon. I guess you are just seconds away from drooling". Simon took a stack of printouts and hit Kirk with it.


    Akira then started checking her emails. She had a meeting invite from Chloe for introduction with her mentor post lunch but there was no detail about who her mentor was. Then she read the emails rted to Basic work ethics, HR policies, and benefits. She was eager to start working and to learn something but it looked like she had to wait till 2 pm when her meeting was supposed to happen. After going through all the formalities mail, she started doodling out of boredom.


    A few minutester she saw everyone from Graphics team getting up and leaving. It looked like they were all leaving for some team meeting. She sighed seeing them all abandoning her and thought to herself,


    "Looks like I am gonna be the fetch me coffee, get me the printouts sort of intern here. Uggghhhh".


    But before she could actually scream out of disappointment, she heard someone calling her name.


    "Akira"


    "Akira, Do you want to join the War Room with us?", Simon asked.


    "War Room? What''s that?", asked Akira with a surprise on her face.


    "Oh, my bad, its just a normal meeting room but only design meetings are held here. Usually, the meetings are super long and intense as it involves discussions about the game design starting from characters, weapons, point system, guild design etc. So these meetings are quite stressful. And to top it up our Big Boss also attends it making it even more stressful. So hurry up, you don''t want to bete when he attending the meeting", exined Simon making the War room sound like Voldemort''s abode.


    But Akira was unaffected. She didn''t hear anything after ''Big boss is attending the meeting''. She picked up her notebook and pen and started following Simon.


    The butterflies in her stomach started fluttering again.

 Chapter 41: Dont forget to ask me firs

    <h4>41 Don''t forget to ask me firs</h4>


    "And that''s not the only scary part. The room has a super cold vibe. It makes you feel like there is nothing but death around you. So it forces you to think straight and make the best decisions", Simon said and turned towards Akira.


    Simon was exining about the War Room in such an animated way, that for a moment Akira felt likeughing. He made the War room sound like a haunted warehouse or something. But as she didn''t want to offend a senior member of the technical team, she kept quiet and just nodded. Seeing that she was not giving out any reaction, Simon was a bit disheartened. He paused for a moment and then said,


    "Hey, I was just trying to lift your mood. By cold vibe I mean, the temperature of the room is kept a bit low as instructed by our big boss. That''s because a calm mind is a sharp mind you see".


    "Oh I see", said Akira and continued walking behind him and entered the War Room.


    There was nothing spectacr about that room. It was just a normal round table arrangement based meeting room which had multiple whiteboards and two projector screens for better idea discussions. The only thing that was particr was the temperature of the room which was actually a bit low as Simon had mentioned, but apart from that Akira didn''t find anything unusual.


    She sat next to Simon and saw that the seat at the center was still unupied. They were all waiting for the big boss toe. The meeting was to start at 10:30 am and it was 10:28 am. She was constantly looking at the entrance door and at her watch, eagerly waiting for Raymond toe.


    Just one minute after he entered, dead silence panned across the room and most of the people looked all nervous. She was surprised to see the impact he had on people. Yes, he demanded all attention and Akira was giving him all that she had. Raymond was scanning the room and his eyes locked on her the moment he saw her. He got disturbed the moment he saw her because he knew that with her in the room he won''t be able to focus on work and the meeting today was really important as they were going to decide about multiple levels of the game.


    "Who asked you toe here?", Raymond asked and looked at her with eyes swirling with unknown emotions.


    But before Akira could reply, Simon buzzed in and said,


    "She is the new intern of the graphics team and I had asked her to apany us so that she could get an idea of what our team does. Since it looks like she hasn''t been assigned a mentor yet, I thought I could take care of her." Then he nced at Akira fondly before looking back at Raymond.


    The moment Raymond heard Simon and saw him fondly looking at her, he immediately understood the thoughts lurking in that guy''s head. His body got all tensed and anger was surging within. He closed his fists tightly to vent out his anger so that it didn''t show on his face. Then with a straight face, he asked,


    "I know who she is. My question was why did you decide to introduce her to a design discussion straightaway when she doesn''t even know what we are going to discuss about. Did you check with her mentor before asking her to tag along with you?"


    Raymond''s demeanor right now was so cold that Simon felt he was about to die.


    Akira who was all pumped up to attend her first formal corporate meeting in the War Room wanted to just escape from there at that very instant. His rage, his burning eyes, it was too much for her to handle. She was feeling sorry for Simon.


    After a moment when Simon slowly got his grip back, he stuttered,


    "Actually no mentor has been assigned yet and she was just sitting idle. So I thought...." and Simon''s voice just attenuated and met silence.


    Raymond didn''t want Simon to have any ugly thoughts about Akira, so he decided to mark his territory for once and for all.


    "Ok Simon, listen very carefully. Her mentor who YOU think is unassigned is ME", Raymond said and looked at Akira, whose eyes were wide open like she had been transfixed.


    "So from next time before even thinking of dragging my intern anywhere, don''t forget to ask me first".


    His words echoed in the room like a death warrant and Akira felt so embarrassed that she wanted the earth to split into two for her. Simon was flustered to death. He felt mortified and his ears started burning. He knew his Boss had a temper but he never knew that this simple act of his would be taken wrongly by him. Akira looked at Simon apologetically. Even though she had nothing to do with it, she felt like a culprit.


    She lifted her gaze and looked at Raymond. He was busy with hisptop and was sitting so nonchntly as if nothing had happened. The more she tried to understand him, the more she failed. He was starting to be an enigma for her, a puzzle which she wanted to solve, but the more she tried, the moreplicated it became.


    She felt all deted and all the excitement of having a great first day had vanished. She thought,


    "How can I learn under him when I am scared to be with him in the same room. Oh God, you could have given me a sloppy mentor. I wouldn''t have minded getting coffees. But him? Why him? How will I handle him?".


    She bottled up all her thought processes and tried to fling it inside some corner of her brain and decided to calm down as the meeting had started. She wanted to channel all her energy to try to understand the technicality of the meeting and to forget what just happened a few seconds back. But her mind, unfortunately, was like a wild horse. All it wanted was to think about him, know about him and to be with him.


    Her heart beamed with joy knowing that he was going to be her mentor but her mind knew well that it was not going to turn well. She was tired of the internal struggle between her mind and her heart.


    Now all that she wanted was to have a peaceful day to herself.

 Chapter 42: The hide and seek game

    <h4>42 The hide and seek game</h4>


    The meeting was really long and totally technical. Akira was not able to grab much as she wasn''t aware of the base model of the game. But she was really impressed to see the level of creativity and ingenuity people had. She appreciated the amount of effort that was going in to create a sessful gaming model. In her graphics design course, she had studied in depth about the design concepts and practical approach as well, but the practical usage at this huge level was really new for her.


    She was vigorously taking notes of whatever new she was hearing. As Raymond was her mentor she was scared that if she didn''t do well enough he would even fire her. She didn''t have the courage to look at him. Not after what happened before. She wanted to channel all her focus into listening to what other people were saying. But unfortunately, she wasn''t able to.


    She could sense that he was looking at her. That was making her even more ufortable. She couldn''t even rx on the chair. She was sitting all stiff like she was in some attention position. And to top it off the low temperature was killing her. Since the rest of her teammates were all guys they were mostly wearing jackets and full-length clothes and probably there were used to the warm room temperature. But wearing just a sleeveless A-line dress, she felt like her spine was freezing.


    So two-three times when it became unbearable, she rubbed her arms and sometimes her palm. At one point when she was writing down something, she could feel the cold wave hitting her. She rubbed her arm again and by mistake, her eyes looked in the direction of Raymond. He was looking at her intently. She felt like she was caught off-guard. Their eyes met for a second but they both looked the other way the next moment.


    Surprisingly within three to four minutes, the room started bing warm. Since there was centralized air conditioning control it looked like someone had increased the temperature. Instantly Akira felt relieved, it was like God was finally showing her some mercy.


    In the second part of the meeting, people started exining to Raymond what new could be added as part of jointbat operation in the game. But it seemed like he wasn''t impressed with any of the suggestions at all. He had asked Akira the same question in the interview as well, so when Akira listened to the suggestions which her team members were giving, she felt a bit embarrassed. In her head, she remembered her answer and said to herself,


    "Wow, Akira just listen to the suggestions people are giving andpare with the answer that you gave to Raymond. How could you be so dumb?"


    Raymond looked at her and he could easily see that she was lost in some thoughts as she was literally doodling in her notebook.


    "So anybody got any other other ideas?", Raymond asked.


    Again pin drop silence prevailed in the room since nobody had anything else to offer. This guy was all about quality and people were disappointed that they were letting him down.


    "The thing is sometimes to solveplex question you need not look forplex solutions. Sometimes simple solutions also work", he said and nced a quick look at Akira. She was listening to every word that wasing out of his mouth with rapt attention.


    "Why not try to introduce an opposite-sexpanion for the duelingbat? That way a girl can pair with a guy and make a team and a guy can pair with a girl and make a team. That way in thebat its always one girl-boy team vs another girl-boy team", said Raymond and concluded with his solution.


    Akira couldn''t believe what she heard. That was her solution. She had told about it in her internship interview. A moment before she was embarrassed for giving such a solution when people were giving solutions rted to Rank, Weaponry and what not.


    The room was now filled with sudden apuse. The team members were impressed with the solution given by Big Boss. But Raymond suddenly raised his hand and interrupted them all and said,


    "But this solution was given by one of you, who probably is scared to even look at me. So I had to do the honors."


    He was earlier teasing her with his nces every now and then but now he was teasing her even with his words. But no one in the room understood what he just said except for two people. One being Akira and the other being Raymond.


    Akira hung her head low and started staring at her notebook. Her ears were burning. Something was unsettling her. She could feel the pit in her stomach getting deeper. His words, his voice was hovering all around her. Raymond could see that Akira looked all flushed. Somehow that made him happy. No matter how much he tried to hate her and distance himself from her, he always ended up doing the opposite.


    The meeting ended and slowly people started leaving the room as it was lunch-time. Akira didn''t get up from the chair fearing that he would have to cross Raymond while going out of the Raymond.


    Raymond sat glued to his chair jotting down some notes on hisptop.


    "Hey Akira,e join us for lunch", said Simon who was just about to leave.


    "Oh yes", said Akira and finally got up.


    Blood boiled inside Raymond''s body. It seemed like marking his territory didn''t have any effect.


    Just when both Simon and Akira were about to cross Raymond and exit the room, Raymond said,


    "Excuse me, Ms. Akira. I have something to discuss with you. Simon, she will join you after 5-10 minutes".


    "Ok", said Simon and left the room but deep down he knew that something wasn''t straight. He didn''t want to specte much so he paced towards the Cafeteria.


    Akira stood there silently staring at the floor. Her heart wanted to just steal one more look at his handsome face but somehow she just controlled her urge. After Simon left the room, she asked-


    "You wanted to discuss something me, Sir?"


    "Well I want to but how will I discuss when you don''t even like to look at my face?", Raymond spoke and looked at her with his eyes filled with numerous questions.


    She looked up and saw his angelic face and her heart literally skipped a beat.

 Chapter 43: You can call me just Raymond

    <h4>43 You can call me just Raymond</h4>


    Raymond''s gaze was fixed on her and some sort of mischief was lurking in his eyes. The moment she looked up and returned his gaze, he felt like he was getting lost in some unknownnds. So he decided to focus on hisptop. His heart was already racing like it was being chased by some unknown force.


    He had stopped her randomly because his heart didn''t want to allow her to go with Simon, but he was at loss of words. He didn''t know what to discuss with her. But he had to say something quickly and something meaningful as well so that Akira would not think that he had stopped her just like that.


    "Actually I just wanted to check if you are settled and everything is ok with you. Anyways we have a meeting post lunch where we can discuss everything, but just in case you have anything in your mind, you can let me know", he said and kept pretending that he was working on something on hisptop in parallel, to avoid looking at her.


    Akira heard him and her heart just blushed like million times. Since morning she just wanted to have a glimpse of him. but during the meeting, her eyes met his like a hundred times. and as if that was not enough, he asked her now if she was ok. She felt like heavens were listening to only her. she had wished for a nt, but she got the entire forest instead. She tried to hide her smile but her dimples gave them away.


    "Everything is just fine, Sir". Akira replied.


    Raymond shifted his attention from hisptop towards her. He couldn''t understand whether she was blushing or just smiling in general, but her dimples were super cute and her ears were already red like cherry tomatoes. He was fascinated by her, the way she responded to him, the way she smiled and the way she acted all coy. his heart was not ready to ept that she could be a money climber who used rich guys like money vending machine. but it was too soon to judge, so he stopped his mind from overthinking about everything. His heart wanted to start with a fresh te but his mind thought otherwise.


    "Ok then, I will see you at 2 pm. You can go now," Raymond said and proceeded to leave the room.


    "Sure Sir", Akira said and saw him leave.


    He paused near the door for a while, and then turned back and said: "By the way, you can just call me Raymond".


    "Huh", eximed Akira.


    "I said you call me just Raymond. What I mean is we have a t hierarchy here. No matter what anyone''s position is, we call everyone by their names as we believe in equality", exined Raymond.


    "Sorry Sir, I was not aware of it", said Akira apologetically. But the next moment she realized that she had addressed him as Sir again which he had exactly asked her not to do just a moment before.


    "Oops my bad, I will keep that in mind", Akira said and then bit her tongue and pped her forehead for making such a stupid mistake.


    Instead of finding her activities annoying, Raymond found her cute and was amused to see her ways. She was very different from other girls. Not sophisticated or high-maintenance. Super sharp, intelligent yet there was a dulcet charm to her. He always felt that she gave out a vibe of genuineness. A smile was about to emerge on his face which he decided to stop.


    "Ummm... Do you know the way to the cafeteria?" he asked.


    "No," she said and shook her head.


    "Ok take a left from here and after walk till you enter the lift lobby. Then take the lift to the 5th floor. After getting down at the 5th floor, take the second exit from the left corridor. There would be sign boards there to guide you to the cafeteria," Raymond said and then adjusted his tie which he always hated to wear.


    It was too much information for Akira to process in a short while. She made a face like somebody was giving her instructions in Korean. She did not want to show him that she couldn''t understand a bit as she was always bad with directions. so she faked a smile and said,


    "I got it, thank you Raymond Ssss....". she had to literally silence out the ''Sir'' which wasing out of her mouth.


    Raymond understood from the way she spoke that she didn''t even get half the directions which he gave. He sighed and said, "Follow me".


    Akira followed him quietly maintaining a one hand distance behind him. Just a few stepster, Raymond just couldn''t contain his thoughts and said,


    "Do you know that you are very bad at lying? Has anyone ever told you that?"


    "Yeah, almost everybody does", and rolled her eyes.


    This time after hearing her speak, Raymond couldn''t stop smiling. Her childishness had started to get to him. He was falling for her even after knowing the baggage associated with her. But he had no way to escape.


    Just when they were about to cross the reception area, and enter the lift lobby, the receptionist called out,


    "Hello, Mr. Raymond. is your health ok? I increased the temperature of the war room as requested by you. If you need a doctor consultation then please let me know".


    "No I am fine", replied Raymond in a very curt manner.


    "I have never heard you requesting for this high temperature for the War room. So just wanted to know if you are ok. Have a nice day Mr. Raymond", the receptionist said and started ming her stars for even attempting to talk with this living dead body.


    Raymond didn''t say a word and continued walking.


    "Oh, so it was he who requested the war room temperature to be increased".


    "Did he do that for me?", her wild thoughts kept screaming in her head.

 Chapter 44: Bubbles just went away

    <h4>44 Bubbles just went away</h4>


    Akira didn''t want to overthink as her heart was telling her to believe that Raymond had the room temperature increased for her. But her mind was smart enough and was not letting her heart to roam around in some fantasy world. But no matter how hard her mind tried, her heart didn''t give up. She was trapped inside a makeshift bubble of happiness. So while they were waiting for the lift toe in the lift lobby, Akira popped the question,


    "Umm... sorry I don''t want to sound like I am intruding into your personal space but are you ok? I mean healthwise?"


    Raymond was already irritated because of the behavior of the receptionist. He didn''t want Akira to find out that he increased the temperature of the room because of her. He did not want to look like he was trying hard to get her. Rather he didn''t want to look like he was even trying. So he retorted back immediately and asked,


    "I am feeling perfectly fine but why do you ask?"


    "Umm... nothing. Just that the receptionist said that you never increase the room temperature and today you wanted to. So I just wanted to know if.... " she said and her voice trailed off.


    She wanted to ask if he did that for her. But she realized that it would be too weird to ask a question like that and there was a chance that he just did that without a reason and by asking such a question she would do nothing but make a fool out of herself. So she stopped herself midway.


    "You wanted to know if... ?", Raymond asked. He didn''t like unfinished questions. He could sense that she wanted to ask something but was probably not ready to ask.


    Just then the lift arrived and the doors opened, but it seemed like neither of them took notice of that. She was lost in her trail of thoughts and he was lost in wondering about what she was thinking. But somehow deep down Raymond knew that Akira was thinking that he did that for her but didn''t want her to think that way.


    Seeing that she was still silent, Raymond thought that this was the best time to clear out everything. He did not want her to get any wrong ideas about him in her head.


    "No one likes to have a boss who is hitting on you on your very first day", he thought. But he didn''t understand that any girl would die to be ''hit on'' by him on any day, anywhere and Akira was no different. Probably he just needed a small peek into her thoughts to understand what she was feeling. So he looked at her again and said,


    "I never increase the temperature of the War Room because I like it that way. I increased the temperature today not because I was feeling sick, but because I thought you might get sick because of the cold."


    Akira looked at him and anybody could say easily that she was totally doting on him because of the way she was looking at him. but before she could reciprocate by saying ''Thanks'', Raymond added,


    "As ourpany has a lot of deadlines to meet and we are short on staff members, I like to make sure that everybody is hundred percent productive. If you get sick, then that makes one person less in the task force. I saw that you were ufortable and didn''t say a word about it, so I had to make the call".


    And just like that, all the bubbles of happiness were gone !!!


    "See it was just for thepany, not for you stupid", said Akira''s mind to her heart.


    Raymond pressed for the lift button again and this time the lift arrived in no time. Akira followed him silently and entered the lift. She didn''t want to look at all disappointed, so she acted like she was checking her notes. But deep down, her heart was cut into pieces and then thrown away like mulch. She went back into another zone of her thoughts. She remembered the Raymond who had covered her with a nket thinking that she was cold. She remembered his face which was in close proximity with hers during that fateful flight journey.


    Maybe the soft memories that she had with Raymond made her think that this time also he did it for her. She instantly regretted for even thinking that her boss would be concerned about her. Even if she was trying to console herself, she had already started feeling low. She did not even realize when the lift arrived at the 5th floor and the door opened. Raymond had already gotten out of the lift and he walked ahead assuming that she woulde out following him.


    But seconds after he noticed that she was not behind him and turn back. He saw that the lift door was about to close and she was still standing inside lost in some deeply troubled thoughts of her own. He took quick strides and pressed the elevator button again.


    The doors of the lift opened and she was still inside unfazed and unaware of what was happening around her.


    Raymond came close to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face and asked,


    "Do you really like this lift so much?".


    Akira realized what just happened. She was pissed with herself, for acting dumb again. She apologized and came out of the lift, deeply mortified.


    Raymond walked ahead and as soon as they reached the cafeteria entrance, he halted and said.


    "This is the cafeteria. You can choose whatever food you like. No need to pay here at any of the counters. Just swipe yourpany badge."


    But after speaking so Raymond realized that she was not wearing a badge.


    "Do you have a bagde with you right now?",he asked in a concerned tone.


    "No, Chloe told that it will take two more days to be ready. But it''s ok I can pay by cash till then", she said and again started looking down.


    "Do you have cash on your right now?", Raymond asked her as they had directlye from the meeting.


    "Oh, I left my purse at my desk. I did not take it to the meeting room. But it''s ok I will just go and get it. Now I know how to get to the cafeteria thanks to you", Akira said and threw a brief smile in his direction.


    Even though Raymond and Akira were not even at the level of acquaintances but he clearly sensed that his words have upset her somehow. Before she took a step back towards the lift, he stopped her and said,


    "No need to go back. I can buy your lunch today".

 Chapter 45: I can afford to buy you a decent lunch

    <h4>45 I can afford to buy you a decent lunch</h4>


    Akira couldn''t believe her ears.


    "Did he just offer to buy me lunch?", Her head was about to burst. For a moment she couldn''t get a hold of anything.


    "Umm..... No. It''s ok", she said.


    "I can just run down in a jiffy and get my wallet. I don''t want you to waste your precious time which you can spend on doing other important things. It will impact your productivity and given that thepany has so many deadlines, I don''t want to be the one who caused it", she blurted it all out in a single breath.


    Her response was bang on.


    Raymond couldn''t help but smile. Her response indeed was witty. She had taken the statement of Raymond, twisted it and presented it back to him. He understood that she had taken his statement to her heart. He had said so earlier because he didn''t want her to have any weird thoughts but right now he was regretting saying it. So although he had some pending work, he decided to tag along with her for lunch, even though he never liked eating at the cafeteria.


    "Oh, I thought you could give mepany while I eat. So that''s why I was suggesting that maybe we could have lunch together. But if you don''t want its ok. I can manage to eat alone by myself. Not an issue", he said and slumped his shoulders.


    Raymond yed the sympathy card and that was a masterstroke. Akira didn''t have a response for that. In fact, no one can ever have a response to that. She had to say to it.


    "I thought you were just going to pay for my food and leave. I didn''t know you also wanted to have lunch with me. So that''s why I thought, maybe you know...", she said with


    What she was feeling right now was sincere guilt and Raymond could see it in her eyes. He didn''t want to prolong charade any further.


    "Since it''s your first day, you can choose what you want to eat", Raymond said and handed her the menu card which he had already picked up from the counter. Akira quickly nced the menu card and scanned it thoroughly. She picked out the cheapest dish because she didn''t want to have the burden of taking a free lunch from him.


    "I will have steamed onion and cabbage dumpling", she said.


    "Just the dumplings? That''s your lunch?", Said Raymond who was surprised with her choice.


    "Umm... Actually, I am not much hungry right now. So don''t want to stuff my stomach up", Akira said and returned the menu card back.


    But Raymond was smart enough to know that she had picked the dumplings just because it was the cheapest one in the list. It was a bit insulting for him because probably she didn''t want to eat with him and just stayed along because he said so.


    "Listen, although this is a startup and our product has not beenunched in the market yet and we haven''t made any profit, but I think I have enough money to buy you a decent lunch?", he said and threw a thoughtful nce at her.


    Then without even waiting for an answer from her, he ordered a chicken pasta for her along with the dumplings which she has picked up earlier. All that Akira could do was to silently gawk at him.


    She could feel that the gaze of everybody in the cafeteria was at her. She could sense jealous eyes of the girls trying to scan her in and out. People were amused to see Raymond buying lunch for someone when he didn''t even prefer to eat at the cafeteria. That was indeed something.


    But instead of getting irritated or affected by the way people were looking at her, she actually liked it and was probably gloating all over it.


    Since he was busy ordering and paying for the food, she got herself busy admiring the fine creation of God, who was standing in front of her. Even from the back, he looked handsome. He possessed broad shoulders and a good physique. Even though he wore a suit, it was tailored and anyone could tell that this guy did workout.


    "Can you help me out holding these? Our food is ready", Raymond said and Akira snapped out of her daze.


    "Sure", she said and picked up her dumplings and pasta and headed over to a two-seater empty table nearby.


    The quantity of pasta was too much for her to finish. So she immediately said after getting seated,


    "You have to share the dumplings. They are a bit too much for me to finish."


    "You can eat how much you want and leave the rest. Just because your boss is buying you food doesn''t mean that you have to push it all down your throat", Raymond said and started with his steak.


    "No, I didn''t mean that way. I do not like to see food getting wasted. There are many who can''t even afford a single proper meal in a day. So I don''t like wasting it. So I wanted to share with you. No pressure on you though", Akira said and kept the dumpling back which she had picked up to put in Raymond''s te.


    Raymond was touched to hear her thoughts. She was really something. He had seen her cute side and now he saw herpassion. No matter how hard he tried to escape, he was drawn to her with double the strength as if like she was intensifying her maic field with time.


    "So all this ising from some self-help group or any NGO foundation that you have joined?", asked Raymond who curious to know about the source of her ideologies.


    "It''s from real life experiences. I have seen hard times in my life and I know the value of the basic necessities in life. So I do not like taking things for granted", she said and then looked at Raymond who was listening to each and every word that came out of your mouth with rapt undivided attention. Everything that she spoke sounded so surreal to him.


    "Gosh !!! I am killing your lunch mood with these talks. Aren''t I?", she asked a few momentster when she saw that Raymond was still looking at her and had not even touched his food. Raymond just smiled back at her and didn''t say anything. He picked up two dumplings from her te and kept on his own te.


    They didn''t talk much afterward. She was hesitant because she thought she might blurt out something which will annoy him. He didn''t say anything because he didn''t what is heart to think otherwise. But even in silence, they gave each otherpany.

 Chapter 46: Do you want to have a boss like me?

    <h4>46 Do you want to have a boss like me?</h4>


    After they finished their lunch, they walked out together from the cafeteria to go back to the office. Raymond had already pressed the lift button and they both just stood there waiting for the lift toe in the lift lobby. Again there was an awkward silence between them because didn''t have anything to talk about.


    This time when the lift arrived, they both entered together. Just when Akira was about to press the first-floor button, she realized that her hands brushed against something. Raymond also had made the same attempt and while doing so their hands touched each other for a brief moment.


    There was a sudden surge of electricity within her. She wondered if it was him or static. She retracted her hand back quickly and said,


    "I''m sorry, I just thought that I will press the button. I didn''t know you were also going to do that", After saying so she started looking down.


    "It''s ok, but just in case you have anymunicable disease then let me know. I shall get myself vinated", he said with a sly smile on his face. Even though the touch was just for a split second it was enough to give him happy memories throughout the day.


    Akira made a face but didn''t say anything. She was already struggling to pacify her racing heart, so she didn''t want to take any risk further by uttering some nonsense.


    The lift arrived at the first floor. After getting down Raymond said,


    "See you in the meeting. Bye for now".


    Then he left without even waiting for her response. Akira stood there looking in his direction and then turned back a few secondster and started walking towards her cubicle after saying a silent bye. She was just happy because for the first time he had said a proper ''bye'' to her before leaving.


    After reaching her seat, she realized that she had 25 more minutes left before her meeting was to start with Raymond. So she picked up her phone and started scrolling through the messages which she had received.


    "How is your first day going on sissy?" - Mike


    "Do well there and make us all proud Miss Intern." - Vikram


    "How''s the job and people in your team?" - Vikram


    Both Vikram and Mike had texted her but she had not been able to reply to them as she was busy with the formalities initially and then with the meeting followed by lunch. She quickly started texting them both.


    "Everything is going great. Will try toe back by 7", and sent the message to Mike.


    "Miss intern ?? Aren''t you''re a bit too much? Anyways did you have your lunch?" to Vikram.


    After receiving the message, Vikram immediately replied to Akira,


    "I am too much? look who''s talking. " - Vikram


    "Yes, I am done with my lunch. What about you?" - Vikram


    "I too had lunch along with my boss today" - Akira


    "Oh great. So how is this Raymond guy treating you?" - Vikram


    Vikram was a bit skeptical about Raymond''s attitude towards Akira because he was scared that Raymond might have some prejudice against her since he had asked him to provide her a backdoor entry.


    "He is ok I guess. A bit serious fellow I must say" - Akira


    "Oh poor you". - Vikram


    "Yeah yeah not everybody can be lucky to have a boss like you" - Akira


    "Do you want to have a boss like me?" - Vikram


    "Of course" - Akira


    "Don''t worry eventually that''s going to happen after the productunch of Delphi ispleted. I have asked them to shift their base to Abacus headquarter." - Vikram


    "So technically I will be your boss in a couple of months." - Vikram


    "You can never be my boss" - Akira


    "What? Why?" - Vikram


    "Because technically you will be my boss''s boss''s boss''s boss." - Akira


    "Ok bye now. I have a meeting which is supposed to start in another 5 minutes". - Akira


    Akira then kept back her phone on the desk and went to the washroom. She fixed her hair and lip gloss and she wanted to look all prim and perfect before the meeting. She was acting like a high school girl who had fallen for some senior at the school. When she returned back to her ce she saw that she had received a message onmunicator from Raymond.


    "I have some urgent calls to make. So I am postponing the meeting to today evening" - Raymond


    "That''s fine," Akira pinged back.


    Meanwhile, you can try to read and understand the attachment that I have sent you. It contains the basic design breakdown of our game which we are focusing on right now." - Raymond.


    "Ok", said Akira and downloaded the file and jumped right into it.


    She started studying the document very seriously and whatever small doubts she had, she had it cleared with the help of Simon who was more than happy to help her because he just needed one more reason to be near her.


    She seriously wanted to prove it to Raymond that she was worth the decision that he had made. She wanted to be a good asset for the team and wanted to contribute as soon as possible so she wanted to have a good grip of what they were trying to develop.


    Raymond had already created a new meeting request for 5:30 p.m. in his own cubicle. Akira went there with full confidence as she had already covered the document which he had sent. They discussed the project details and the projectponents in good detail. Raymond was really impressed as she had grasped even the nitty-gritty of the design elements which sometimes even graphics designers with a couple of years of experience found difficult to grasp.


    Just when they were about to finish the meeting, the receptionist came and knocked on the door. After getting permission from Raymond, she came in and said,


    "Akira there is a visitor for you at the reception and he said that it was urgent that you meet him."


    "Visitor for me?", Akira asked her back in surprise. "Did he tell his name or anything?", she added.


    "Some guy named Anthony and I guess he is right now in very bad shape. He didn''t look stable at all and seemed all pale. So I guess it''s better if you can go quickly and meet him. He seemed very desperate and literally begged me toe and request you to meet him as quickly as possible", the Receptionist said and looked at Akira.


    Akira was weirded out like anything after hearing his name. She felt like a bone was stuck in her throat. Another person in the room was also feeling the same way. He knew who Anthony was courtesy the letter which Akira had written.


    He wanted him dead for real.

 Chapter 47: Dont think that I dont understand

    <h4>47 Don''t think that I don''t understand</h4>


    After a few minutes when the receptionist didn''t get any response from Akira she asked her again,


    "So are you going to meet him or should I ask him to go back?"


    Akira did not want to go through all the bitter memories again. She didn''t want to look at Anthony''s face because that would remind her of the pain which she had tried hard to forget. She was worried like anything and then she looked at Raymond like she wanted an escape route from him.


    Even though Raymond knew about Anthony, he didn''t want to let Akira know about it, so he asked,


    "Is everything ok with you? Why are you panicking so much after hearing this guys name? If you don''t want to meet him just send him away."


    "Actually, he is my ex-boyfriend and I broke up with him a couple of weeks back. I am not scared or worried. It''s just that I don''t want to go back and remember what happened in the past because...." and her voice just trailed off.


    Raymond heard her and immediately asked the receptionist to send Anthony back.


    "Tell that person that Akira is currently busy in a meeting and she won''t be able to meet him today."


    "Sure Mr. Raymond", the receptionist said and left the room.


    Raymond looked at Akira. She looked like someone had drained all the blood out of her body.


    "Are you ok?" Raymond asked her again.


    "Yeah," she said but she was all spaced out.


    "Don''t think too much about it. Just go home and rest", he said.


    Akira nodded and didn''t say anything further.


    "Don''t start for home right now. Wait till he leaves our office campus and in case you need any help then let me know", Raymond said and looked at her with eyes filled with concern.


    But at that moment Akira was not able to process anything that Raymond was saying. She was having hundreds of other random thoughts in her head.


    "Was he really guilty about the incident?"


    "Did hee back all the way from Singapore to the USA for me?"


    "Does he really want to get back with me?"


    Multiple questions were haunting her and past memories were circting inside her head. That image of him kissing another girl reyed again and again in her head. The pain was evident on her face.


    When Raymond good no longer bear to see her like that, he got up from his chair and stood next to her and said in a soft voice,


    "Is there anything I can help you with?"


    She looked up and saw his sincere eyes. She felt like hugging him and to hold him just for a minute. But then she got up and said in an almost quivering voice.


    "I will take leave now. Can we continue what we were discussing tomorrow? I am really sorry for leaving the meeting abruptly."


    Then she started gathering us her stuff from his cabin.


    Raymond cleared his throat and asked,


    "Do you want to talk about it?"


    "No", she said.


    "Do you want to meet him and sort out your feelings?", he asked.


    "I don''t possess any feelings for him. Right now I just want to go back to my home and be all by myself", she said and was about to leave the room.


    Raymond didn''t know what got into him. He pulled her hand back and brought her close to him and said,


    "Don''t think that I don''t understand. If you want you can take a day or two off if you need".


    Akira was surprised to see this side of him. She didn''t know he could be this soft and gentle. His musky scent and his proximity had started to muddle her head up again. So she replied,


    "Well as of now, I will just go home. I am totally fine. I promise I wille tomorrow".


    Raymond heard her and let go off his hand which was still holding her.


    ---


    It was already around 8 pm and most people had already left for their homes. Akira hurriedly picked her stuff from her cubicle and left for the basement where her car was parked. She just wanted to go back home, away from everything. She thought of calling Vikram, but then the next moment she thought that he would worry about it unnecessarily.


    The moment she entered Delphi''s parking area, she was shocked to see a familiar figure standing there.


    "Why are you here? Didn''t I make it clear that I don''t want to have any sort of contact with you?", Akira reprimanded him with an agitated tone.


    "Don''t I deserve to exin myself at least once?" asked Anthony.


    He had a disheveled look, unkempt hair, untrimmed beard. He looked like he was not stable at all. For a moment Akira was scared to see this form of Anthony.


    "Can we discuss some other time. Right now I have to go home", she said.


    "I came here to return your bag which you have left at my ce. I came here to wipe the old te and start again from scratch. You know how everything is good when we are together", Anthony said and tried toe close to her.


    "I can''t Anthony. I can''t forget what I saw. I can''t let it go", Akira said.


    "You are misunderstanding and overthinking what you saw. She just gave me a kiss for my birthday. That''s all it was. And now you have blocked me from everywhere. So how do I tell you what exactly happened and how I feel about you?", Anthony said and tried to touch Akira''s hand.


    Akira took a step back and hissed,


    "Just a kiss? You guys were literally making out in front of the door and you expect me to believe in your shit story? Now that I guess you are bored with her, you want to get back with me?".


    "Please drop all this childish behavior, Anthony. I don''t want the bag or anything from you. Just let me live in peace."


    "Then what about me? You are going to forget me just like that? You know what, I am going to prove it to you how much I like you", Anthony said and took out a knife from the back pocket of his jeans. He ced it in front of his wrist and said,


    "ept me or I will kill myself right here right now".


    "Stop all this drama of yours and move away", Akira said and tried moving forward to reach to her car.


    But before she could reach for her car door to open it, she was pushed onto the car.


    "Then I guess you should die rather than me", Anthony said and ced the knife near Akira''s throat. He was reeking of alcohol and gave out a devilish grin when a small drop of blood trickled down Akira''s throat.

 Chapter 48: Her Saviour

    <h4>48 Her Saviour</h4>


    Akira stood there all stunned. She couldn''t believe that he was the same guy with whom she had dreamt of spending her entire life together. He was the same guy for whom she was ready to leave her life in the US and move to Singapore. She couldn''t fathom in the wildest of her dreams that he would physically hurt her like this. The pain of the silver piercing through her skin was negligiblepared to the pain of disbelief that she was going through.


    "You all think you can run my life? You can parade me the way you want huh? I will no more be run by your whims", hissed Anthony and pushed her body harder on the car.


    "Listen, Anthony, I think you are high on alcohol right now. You don''t want to do this. This is not who you are. Just listen to me and.."


    But before Akira could pacify him any further, Anthony interrupted her and said,


    "Who gave the freedom toe and go out of my life anytime the way you want? Do you think I gave you the freedom to do that? Do you think you have an upper hand because you dumped me? Huh?"


    "It was me who dumped you. I dumped you, you bit**. Do you understand? Not you, Me. You get it?", Anthony was screaming loud like a mad lunatic. Akira didn''t know what to do. The right thing to do now was to just pacify him somehow.


    "Yes, I get it, Anthony. Let''s talk it out normallyter ok", said Akira as she was already feeling helpless because of the way Anthony was torturing her. She was restlessly searching for someone in the parking lot, but to her bad luck, she couldn''t see a single soul around.


    ---


    Meanwhile, in his cabin, Raymond felt restless when he saw her leaving in such a bad condition. He was worried if she could drive back to her ce properly. So he immediately picked up his jacket and called up his driver.


    "I am going to take the car home by myself. You can leave now".


    Then he picked up the duplicate car keys and rushed to the basement so that he could drop her home. Given that she had left just a few seconds back, he was sure that he would be able to catch up with her at the basement. He didn''t want her to drive with such a state of mind. He was worried for her safety. He didn''t know why he was so concerned, but at that point finding her was more important than sorting out what he was feeling.


    The moment he entered the Delphie parking area and saw the scene in front of him, his heart came into his mouth.


    He saw Akira pushed mercilessly on a car with a guy zing a knife on her throat, ready to slit it open any second. He didn''t need a second guess to know that it was Anthony. The blood in his veins dried up when he saw the damage that had already been done by the knife. The cor-line of her dress was slowly soaking in blood. Although the wound wasn''t deep, a little pressure here and there could prove fatal for her given that the knife was dangerously close to her jugr vein.


    "Hey, you. Stop right there or I am going to call the cops", Raymond shouted at him and rushed towards him cautiously.


    Anthony shifted his attention from Akira and looked at the man calling him out and said,


    "You Mr.Whosoever you are, I am warning you not to mess with our personal matter. Don''t you have any manners? Can''t you see that I am trying to have a meaningful conversation with my girlfriend?",


    Then he looked back at Akira and said,


    "Tell him, baby, not to interfere".


    Akira remained silent and that enraged him even more.


    "Akira can you tell him to go away. Don''t you want to live or you have a death wish huh?", he screamed and increased the pressure on her neck.


    Akira winced in pain and said,


    "Raymond please go away. He won''t listen. I will try to handle him".


    Raymond''s heart was torn into pieces when he saw her wince in pain. He wanted to kick away that guy but was scared if he would really hurt her. So he started approaching very slowly.


    "Oh, so you know him. Who is he? Your new boyfriend? And what did you say? You will handle me? Who do you think you are huh? You know what, you only ruined our rtionship. You and your orthodox 80''s based Indian mentality. If you don''t give me the things I need then obviously I will go and take it from someone else. And yes I was making out with her. So live with that." Anthony said and startedughing hysterically.


    He was staggering as he was heavily under the influence of alcohol. So when Raymond saw that, he decided that this was the right time to push away that jerk before he could hurt her any further. He ran and pushed him away hard. Anthony fell down on the ground as he couldn''t brace the impact. He hit his head and fell unconscious instantly.


    Raymond quickly pulled Akira to his side. He took out his handkerchief immediately and tried dabbing on her wound with utmost care like she was the most fragile thing on the world. Although the wound not that serious, she had bled quite a bit and he was really worried to see that. When he dabbed in the area where the cut was bit deep, she winced in pain and grabbed his arm. Seeing her like this he literally felt bad for letting her leave alone. He had no idea that such a thing would happen.


    He wrapped his left arm around her waist and brought her close to inspect her wound properly. The moment he pulled her close, her heart skipped a beat. His musky smell and his touch was too much for her to handle. For a moment she just wanted to surrender herself to Raymond, so she immediately took a step back and said,


    "It''s ok, I will take care of it".


    She took the handkerchief from Raymond''s hand and kept in on her wound. Before they both could think or process further what had happened, Akira let out a shrill scream.


    "Raymond move".

 Chapter 49: Please protect him !!!

    <h4>49 Please protect him !!!</h4>


    Anthony had got up somehow and he charged towards Raymond with the knife in his hand. But as Akira luckily saw him getting up she shouted and Raymond just turned in the nick of time. But before he could perceive what was happening around, the steel seared through his arm.


    The color red spread everywhere. Akira felt like her insides were pulled out. She screamed again.


    Before Raymond could register any pain he just saw Anthony with a knife in his hand. So this time instead of simply pushing him, he kicked him hard. He snatched the knife out of his hand and threw it far away.


    Then Raymond dragged Anthony and took him near the basement storeroom and locked him inside. Then he called the security of the building immediately and ask them to take care of him.


    Raymond then rushed back to Akira to check if she was ok. But Akira''s face was filled with horror. Even though the person who was injured right now was Raymond, but it looked like she had taken the hit. Akira immediately took out a scarf from her bag and tied it around Raymond''s injured arm to stop the bleeding. He was bleeding profusely and was losing a lot of blood. She could clearly see that he was in severe pain but instead of worrying about himself he was still concerned about her. For a moment she couldn''t think of anything else so she immediately took his other hand and pulled him inside her car and drove like a maniac towards the nearest hospital.


    When they were about to reach the hospital, Raymond has already lost a lot of blood and he had started to feel a bit dizzy. Seeing Raymond in such a condition, Akira was heartbroken and started ming herself for everything. By the time they reached the hospital, Raymond was unconscious in the car so Akira rushed him directly towards the emergency section and called for help.


    Raymond was immediately taken inside the hospitals emergency OT as his wound needed an immediate dressing before he bled to death. Since the gash was deep, he got around thirteen stitches and was kept under observation. He was still unconscious due to the anesthesia which had been given to him.


    While he was in OT, Akira was pacing around like she had lost the grip of the world. She called up her brother Mike and told him that she would bete and then she sent a mail to Chloe and told her everything about today''s incident. She requested her to contact someone from Raymond''s family. Only after he was shifted to a normal room, she felt a bit better.


    After the doctor and nurses left, Akira went close to him and sat beside him. Seeing him in such a condition was breaking her heart. The guilt was making her restless. Had he not moved, Anthony would probably have slit his throat. She just thought about what could have had happened and a chill went down her spine. She thanked her stars and then took out a small ''Ganesha idol'' from her bag and ced it on the side table next to Raymond. She prayed to him with all her devotion as she firmly believed that he would protect him.


    She kept caressing Raymond''s arm and didn''t even realize when she had slept off.


    ---


    When Katherine got to know from Chloe that Raymond was injured, she immediately left for the hospital. She inquired about Raymond''s room from the hospital reception and ran fast as she could to locate the room. The moment she entered the room, she froze for a second.


    Some girl was sleeping on a chair holding her brother''s arm. She went close and noticed that his arm and the sheet was all wet from her tears. The brother that she knew was quite allergic to girls so she was literally shocked to find a girl next to him and the way she had cried it seemed like she was really close to him.


    She inspected Raymond''s wound, talked to an attending nurse outside the room and was assured after knowing that he would recover in 1-2 days. She returned back to the room and took a seat opposite to hers and didn''t say a word. She didn''t want to wake up the girl.


    But Katherine couldn''t contain her curiosity so texted Chloe and asked her about the girl. When she got to know that Raymond was her mentor and she was just an intern who had joined that very day, she was surprised. She couldn''t believe what she was hearing. This girl was something.


    Approximately 1 hourter Akira got up because of the buzzing sound of her phone. But before she could pick up the phone she saw that she was not alone in the room. There was ady in front of her sitting with an air of majesty around her.


    "Hi, I am Katherine. I am Raymond''s sister", she introduced herself seeing the surprised look on Akira''s face.


    "Oh hi. I am Akira. I am an intern at Raymond''s office", she said.


    "I see. so what happened today exactly and how did he end up like this? And why do you have a cut around your neck as well? Did someone attack you both?", Katherine threw streams of questions to Akira.


    Akira initially got scared thinking that she might be used for this condition of Raymond. But then she mustered up her courage and said,


    "It happened all because of me. A lunatic ex-boyfriend of mine was trying to threaten me and tried hurting me too. But your brother came in and saved me, but I was unable to save him back. I am really sorry that it happened. If there was any way in which I can go back in time and prevent it I would".


    "Hey don''t worry and don''t me yourself. He is totally fine. I checked with the doctor''s and he will be fine in 1-2 days", Katherine said and tried to soothe the girl''s heart.


    Katherine noticed that she was very sincere with her words and looked genuinely worried for her brother. Akira saw that Raymond''s sister was scanning her and she felt a bit awkward. So she said,


    "I am going to check with the doctor. The effect of anesthesia should have been over by now. Will be back in a few minutes".


    Before getting up she saw that her tears had almost made a big wet patch on Raymond''s sheets. So she immediately pulled the sheet inside so that neither Raymond nor her sister could to see it. But little did she know that Katherine was already aware of it.


    Akira left to find the doctor. but just a few secondster Raymond slowly started getting is consciousness back. His head was aching and he was feeling all groggy. Katherine immediately rushed next to him and said,


    "Hey heyy down. Everything is fine. You are at the hospital and recovering from anesthesia. Take rest as your body needs it in plenty. I am here. everything is fine."


    Raymond didn''t reply a word and Katherine could see that his eyes were searching for something or someone. specifically.

 Chapter 50: This one is a keeper !!!

    <h4>50 This one is a keeper !!!</h4>


    "Do you need something? or you want someone?", Katherine asked Raymond in a candid tone.


    "No",


    His voice was filled with disappointment not to see Akira around. More than the deep gash on his arm he was worried about her wounds, her safety. From her absence, he assumed that she would have left for home. His heart was sad but he felt a bitforted thinking that she would be safe at her ce as the security guys would have already taken care of Anthony. So he closed his eyes again.


    Katherine saw the disappointed reaction of her brother and immediately understood what was wrong. So she yfully came towards his other side where Akira was sitting previously. She took out the corner of the sheet which was still wet with Akira''s tears and kept softly on Raymond''s palm and said,


    "Just in case you are thinking that someone is not worried about you and they have deserted you".


    Raymond stared nkly at his sister unable to understand anything that she said. Even before he could ask her what she meant, the door of his room opened and a doctor with an attending nurse came inside. Behind them, he saw the figure of a girl with her brows knitted with worry.


    Raymond understood what her sister meant. His heart was unsettled to find out that Akira had cried so much because of him. He understood the pain Akira was undergoing probably ming herself for everything. But right now he didn''t want to think about anything anymore. His heart was at absolute peace just by seeing her.


    Seeing him conscious, she felt relieved. Tears of joy rushed in and she turned back to wipe them away. She didn''t want anyone to know that Raymond had be her weakness.


    Katherine was watching her intently and she realized that instant why her brother was so agitated not to find her in the room. She was a pure soul and her brother definitely doted on her. She was happy to know that finally, her brother had found happiness.


    After checking Raymond''s vitals, the doctor said,


    "You are recovering pretty well Mr. Raymond. Your girlfriend was smart enough to tie up your wound else the damage caused due to excessive blood loss could have been severe."


    "Girlfriend? Oh my God. Raymond will kill me now", Akira thought and started fiddling with her dress.


    Then the doctor turned towards Akira and said,


    "At least now can you get your wounds dressed?".


    Then he looked back at Raymond and said, "She didn''t let anyone dress her wounds while you were in OT and may I tell you she is quite a stubborn soul." Then he gave out a smallugh thinking that he would lighten everyone''s mood with his jokes. But little did he know that his jokes were killing Akira up. She was mortified to death after hearing it all. To escape the situation and the nces everyone was throwing in her direction, she said,


    "I will go and get my dressing done". Then she left the room as fast as she could.


    A brief smile lurked on Raymond''s lips but the moment he looked at the mischievous grin on her sister''s face, he immediately restored himself back and said,


    "Don''t even think about it".


    ---


    After getting her wounds addressed, Akira came back to Raymond''s room. Even though she wanted to stay with him and see if he was doing ok, she knew that it would look too odd for an intern at Day1 to stay back when her sister was already there. So she picked up her bag and turned towards Raymond and asked,


    "How are you feeling now?"


    "I am Ok", said Raymond. He kept his replies brief so that his sister won''t irritate him afterward.


    "How is the pain?", she asked again.


    "Not much", Raymond said.


    "Ok then take care. Take two-three days leave if you want and take plenty of rest", Akira said and threw a cursory nce again at his face. She saw a tinyugh blossoming on his face and then realized what she had said. He was her boss. If he wanted he can take N number of day offs. She was irked with her own stupidity.


    She dug her embarrassed face low and said,


    "Ok, I get it you are the boss. You don''t need my permission to take leaves. I was just suggesting that you take rest. That''s all. I will take my leave now. Bye".


    But before she could leave, she stumbled against the stool and fell down. Since the zipper of her bag was open, everything got scattered in the room. Akira''s plight was insurmountable at this point. She rushed to pick her stuff up from the floor. Katherine joined her and helped her out.


    Akira hurriedly gathered the items strewn across the floor and stuffed them in her bag and ran out of the room as fast as possible. But before exiting the room she turned back just to see him once. She just wanted to have one look somehow, just to assure her heart but little did she know that Raymond was still looking at her. She was all flushed and left the room as soon as possible before doing any further damage to embarrass herself even more.


    Seeing her brother''s eyes still looking in the direction in which she left, Katherine asked with a grin,


    "What happened? Is something hurting? Like your heart?"


    Raymond threw an angry look towards her and said,


    "Yes, but not my heart. My head hurts because of your nonsense."


    "Oh, your head deserves to get hurt. You have a girlfriend now and your head didn''t think that it was important enough to inform me about it? Wao, just wao", Katherine said and mocked Raymond.


    "How to tell you about something which I myself found out just now", Raymond replied and then sighed.


    Katherineughed at her brother''s response and said,


    "I know."


    "But let me tell you something. This one is a keeper. Don''t mess it up."

 Chapter 51: Practice what you preach !!!

    <h4>51 Practice what you preach !!!</h4>


    Raymondughed inside his head after hearing Katherine''s statement. He knew that probably by this time his sister had already nned the names of his future kids too. So to not to add fire to the heap of coal that she was piling, he made a cold and unfazed face and said,


    "You indeed have a vivid imagination, Katherine. Probably you can try your hand at writing a fantasy fiction rather than eating my head up."


    "Don''t underestimate my skills. It will be a best seller", Katherine said and pped Raymond''s other arm.


    "Ouch !!! wao, you have reallye to take care of me or make my condition worse?", Raymond winced and asked Katherine.


    "Oh... so now this is hurting you, but a searing knife didn''t?", Katherine chuckled.


    "That was just my adrenaline rush ok. Now, will you let me rest to recover?", Raymond said and shifted his posture a little bit to his right-hand side and saw an idol ced on his side table. During his study phase in college, he had a couple of Indian friends so he understood that this was an idol of an Indian God. He instantly knew this was Akira''s.


    "So she was indeed worried for me", Raymond thought in his head.


    A smile etched on his face.


    He picked up his phone, which was ced next to the idol on the side table and opened Akira''s resume to check her contact details. He found her phone number and thought of giving her a call but then realized that it would be too awkward to call her so soon, so he ced his phone back on the table and sighed.


    Katherine sat on a chair next to him trying to Google out everything possible rted to Akira. She was a curious kind and wanted to know everything about Akira which was avable online. She knew that she wasn''t going to get any information out from her lousy brother so she only had to do all the hard work by herself. As the research work that was needed was of paramount importance, she decided to settlefortably first.


    She bent down to remove her shoes and suddenly noticed a small notebook sort of thing under Raymond''s bed.


    "Looks like your girlfriend forgot to pick up her notebook in a rush", Katherine said and picked it up from under the bed.


    "First of all, she is not my girlfriend. She is just an intern at mypany. And second of all, it''s bad manners to look inside someone else''s property without their consent," Raymond said and looked at Katherine in a dismissive way as she was flipping through Akira''s notebook.


    "Oh shut it up. You have already be her advocate even when she hasn''t be your girlfriend. God only will help me when she actually bes. Probably you will walk over my body and gloat all over. Here take your girlfriend''s prized possession", Katherine scoffed and ced the notebook next to Raymond and continued with her Google search.


    There were only two people in the world who were dear to him. His sister Katherine and his niece Kate. After his mom died, they were the only family that he had. He was a man of steel, with an exterior of ice which was difficult to breach by the outside world, but he was like a dough for them.


    He felt relieved when he saw his sister back being busy with her phone. He rested silently for a while and then picked up Akira''s notebook. He thought that his sister was busy online, so he started checking notebook out, but she was an evil fox who had eyes behind her head. She instantly turned back and said,


    "Now what do you think you are doing right now? Practice what you preach brother, practice what you preach."


    Raymond was flipped to hear her sister acting out so much. So he ced the notebook under his pillow and slept again. But his curiosity was at peak because this wasn''t just a notebook, it was Akira''s diary.


    ---


    Akira reached her car and sat inside. The leather seat next to her was still soiled with Raymond''s blood. She froze for a moment when she saw it and took a deep breath. Then she called up Mike and told him that she was starting for home. It was already around 12:30 am and she didn''t want her baby brother to panic any further.


    Then she took out wet wipes from her bag and started cleaning up the seat and while doing so the whole episode which had happened in the office parking lot came running back to her mind and unsettled her. On one side was an ex-boyfriend who was ready to shed her blood and on the other a near stranger, who risked his life to make sure she was ok. She couldn''t understand why was she even with that guy for such a long time.


    She then started her car and rushed back home.


    ---


    Mike was still up at home and was waiting for his sister. It was her first day at work and he was all excited to know how it went. But when she told that she was handling some problem and will bete, he was genuinely worried. But he didn''t poke into it too much because he knew that when the time was right, his sister will tell him everything. So he waited patiently for her toe back.


    The moment the bell rang he rushed to the door. But he got the shock of his life when he saw her.


    "Jeez Akira. What happened? Are you ok? Are you hurt? Let''s go to a doctor", Mike said and pulled her towards the car.


    Akira pulled him back inside the house and said,


    "I am all fine. This all isn''t my blood. I am just hurt a little bit", Akira said and pointed at the dressing near her neck.


    "What happened will you just tell me?", Mike was getting impatient.


    Akira took a deep breath and said,


    "Anthony happened."

 Chapter 52: Now that felt good

    <h4>52 Now that felt good</h4>


    "Anthony? What was he doing there?," asked Mike.


    He couldn''t believe in his wildest dreams that Anthony would be rted to any of this.


    Then Akira took Mike inside the house, made him sit on the sofa and then narrated the whole incident which had happened in the parking lot. She didn''t tell all the details because she knew that her baby brother would flip out. So she just gave out a brief outline leaving all the gory details.


    Mike couldn''t believe that Anthony could do such a thing. He never liked Anthony in the first ce but after hearing what he had done today he literally loathed that scumbag. Given an opportunity probably he would have killed him. He was just thankful that Raymond came and saved his sister at the right time. He felt sorry for Raymond as he got caught in the middle of all this for no reason.


    "Tomorrow morning let''s go and visit your boss at the hospital. I don''t know what would have had happened if he would not havee to the parking lot at the right time. I really owe him big time for saving you," said Mike and a chill ran through his spine just by imagining what could have had happened. After losing his parents he only had Akira. She was everything for him. He hugged her tight and said softly,


    "Promise that you will stay safe. Promise that you will always be there for me".


    Akira hugged him back tightly and ran her fingers through his hair and ruffled them up a bit and said,


    "Always !!!"


    After a moment Akira asked,


    "Did you eat?", she was worried because she had promised him that she would be back by 7 pm.


    "Yeah, I made some instant noodles. Gosh Akira, I am not a kid. I know how to take care of myself. You better go and take rest now," Mike said and pushed Akira inside her bedroom.


    Akira came inside her bedroom and picked up her phone and started checking her WhatsApp messages. There were a couple of messages from Vikram which she had not even read yet.


    "Hey, have you returned from office yet? Call me once you reach home." - Vikram


    "Are you that busy on Day1?" - Vikram


    "Now this is uneptable. I am not texting you back until you reply. Huh." - Vikram


    Akira read all the texts which had been sent by Vikram and felt bad for not replying to them on time. So she started texting him back immediately even though it was way past midnight.


    "Sorry for such a dyed response. I got into some situation today. Trust me it was awful." - Akira


    "I am telling you the truth and I am not making any excuses here. Call me when you see these messages tomorrow morning. Good night for now". - Akira


    After finishing texting to Vikram, Akira locked her phone screen and got up from her bed to go the washroom to clean herself up. But before she could take even one step towards the washroom she saw that Vikram was calling on her phone.


    "Hi, Vikram".


    "What happened? What situation are you talking about?", asked Vikram impatiently.


    "Well, you won''t believe what just happened today. Anthony came to my office in the evening. He was all high from alcohol I guess. As I didn''t go and meet him, he followed me to the parking lot and yielded a knife on my throat. Probably he was angry that broke up with him. I had no way to escape as he had pinned me down, but luckily my boss was also leaving for his house at the same time so he came to the parking lot a few minutester. Thanks to my stars he was there and rescued me, but he got hurt himself while doing so", Akira said and sighed.


    Vikram''s body was on fire after hearing all this. There was so much rage building up inside him that probably he could kill Anthony with his bare hands.


    "Did you sustain heavy injuries?", he asked calming his own nerves.


    "No, just a small cut here and there. My boss is hospitalized though", Akira replied.


    "Where is Anthony right now?", Vikram asked.


    "I am not sure, but I guess the security guys of my office have taken care of him. We did not have enough time to register a policeint", Akira said.


    Vikram was a bit rxed to hear that Anthony was still not out in the open.


    "One day I leave you out of my vision, out of my eyes and look what happens", Vikram murmured.


    "Come on Vikram, I am fine now. Things like this do happen as we live in a society which is not safe anymore. Anyways sorry for troubling you sote. Now go to sleep ok? I am all fine", Akira said to pacify Vikram.


    "No, I am doing a video call. You expect me to believe when you said that it''s just a small cut?", Vikram said with clear irritation reflecting in his voice.


    "Ok just give me a minute. I need to change out from these clothes", Akira said and rushed to the washroom. She didn''t want Vikram to freak out like Mike to see all the blood stain on her clothes.


    10-15 minutester when she was done, she made a video call to Vikram. He saw the wound on her neck and clenched his fists in anger. He didn''t say a word after that.


    "See, I told you. It''s not that huge. Just a cut here and there," Akira said craning her neck couple of times so that Vikram could rx. She could easily sense that he was all agitated after hearing everything.


    "Does it hurt?", Vikram asked.


    "It does hurt. And do you know what will heal it up?", asked Akira and made a baby face.


    "What?", Vikram asked.


    "If Vikram can just rx and not be angry", said Akira.


    "This girl is just nuts", thought Vikram in his head.


    "Hmmm... you go to sleep it''s already quitete now", Vikram said and disconnected the call.


    ---


    Two minutester a car wheeled out at top speed from Staten ind towards Brooklyn to Delphie''s office. Obviously, Vikram couldn''t keep quiet after hearing what had happened to Akira. He couldn''t bear anyone touching a single strand of hair on Akira''s body and this guy had physically hurt her. The demons inside Vikram''s body hadpletely possessed him by now. He was converted into a raging wrecking ball of fire.


    He made a couple more calls and by the time he arrived at the Delphi''s office, awyer was also ready with paperwork and footage from the security camera of the parking lot.


    Anthony was still under the influence of alcohol and was locked up inside the security office. The moment Vikram saw the monster, he knew that this garbage needed immediate disposal.


    He asked hiswyer to register a Police case against him and asked the security guys to take Anthony immediately to the nearby police station as they had ample evidence to lock him up for couple of years under the charges of a murder attempt.


    Since the guy was not in his senses, Vikram had no way of asking him why he did anything like that in the first ce. But then he thought there was no point of reasoning with this guy, so he requested the security guards and hiswyer to take him away as fast as possible.


    But before anyone could pick up Anthony, they saw a sucker punchnding on Anthony''s face breaking his nose and disfiguring himpletely. Before anyone couldprehend what had happened they heard Vikram saying,


    "Now, that felt good".

 Chapter 53: Understanding the mis-understanding

    <h4>53 Understanding the mis-understanding</h4>


    Akira got up the next morning early as she wanted to visit Raymond before going to her office. She woke up Mike and then rushed into the kitchen to prepare turmeric milk for Raymond. Her mum would always prepare turmeric milk for her whenever she used to get hurt while ying as a kid.


    Akira boiled milk and carefully put the proper proportion of turmeric powder into it and then simmered it again for some time. Then she packed milk in a thermos and rushed to the washroom to take a quick bath.


    Aftering out of the washroom she quickly changed the dressing of her wound. She then picked up a cream shirt and a pair of denim and started to get ready. Mike was already ready by that time and was waiting outside near the car for Akira toe. A couple of minutester Akira was done getting ready, so she picked up the car keys, the thermos, her bag and then went to the car to go to the hospital.


    Initially, she thought of calling first before going to meet Raymond, but then she realized that she didn''t have his contact number.


    ---


    The next morning Raymond got up as the pain started increasing. The effect of anesthesia was wearing down and he could feel a throbbing pain throughout his right arm. He woke up and had some water. His sister was sleeping like a pig on the bed next to him.


    This was the best window of opportunity for Raymond as the prying eyes of his sister were resting peacefully. So he took out Akira''s notebook which he had hidden under his pillow and started reading it.


    This was a new diary and had very few entries. Probably she wanted to have a clean te after her breakup. So whatever entries were present, they were after the breakup incident. It read,


    NOTE1


    Dear Diary,


    Wee to a new beginning. This time I promise you that you will visit a positive side of me. I am sorry that I drank a lot yesterday and puked too. I promise that I will behave well from next time. This is thest time you will see me so vulnerable. You know I wore heels today because my self-confidence had taken a back seat. But Vikram took a promise from me that I would not change myself for somebody else and I am going to stick to it. I am going to find an internship, finish my Masters and then I am going tond in a goodpany so that I can take care of Mike''s education. I am going to stay strong for the sake of Mike. Don''t let my courage break. Now I need to go and eat breakfast.


    Love Love - Akira


    After reading this Raymond had no doubt left that the guy with whom he had seen Akira at the Karaoke station was Vikram. He flinched a bit but then moved to the next note.


    ---


    NOTE2


    Dear Diary,


    I am sorry that I couldn''t talk to you for thest two days. I was busy scouting for an internship at multiplepanies, but as you are aware that the hiring phase has beenpleted in most of thepanies, so I am kind of running out of luck. Sometimes I do regret my decision of leaving the Singapore offer, but I guess at least you will understand why I did so. Please pray for me that I get into some internship program by the end of this week, else I will have to take money from Dad''s ount to pay the credit card bill, which I don''t want to do. I know that traveling in business ss was a stupid mistake, but that time I couldn''t think much and I just wanted toe back as soon as possible. Please forgive me and pray for me.


    Love Love - Akira


    The moment Raymond finished reading this note, he felt bad for judging Akira. She was hustling hard for herself, got a business ss ticket for herself. He had gotten her so wrong. He understood that Vikram was a special person in her life, but she was not a money minter. He was about to turn to the next page but suddenly heard someone knock outside his room. He immediately put the notebook back under his pillow and said,


    "Come in".


    "Hi, Good morning. How are you feeling?", Akira entered the room and asked.


    "Much better", Raymond said and looked at Mike with a question mark.


    "Umm... he is my younger brother. When he heard about what happened yesterday he insisted to meet you", Akira said looking at Mike.


    "Hi, I am Mike. How is the pain?", Mike asked after waving at Raymond.


    "A bit more than yesterday as the anesthesia is wearing down I guess. But everything is under control, don''t worry," Raymond said and looked at Katherine in a dismissive way who was yawning after getting up with all the chitter-chatter happening in the room.


    "Umm... I really wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday for my sister", said Mike on a sincere note.


    "Hey, no need for all these thanks. I was just lucky that I was there at the right time. I hope you would also do the same for anybody else right?" Raymond said and tried to make Mike feel better.


    "I have got some turmeric milk for you. My mum used to say -if you have wounds then it will heal them faster", Akira said and kept the thermos on the side table.


    "Drink it up brother", said Katherine and threw a sly smile in Raymond''s direction.


    "Thanks but you don''t have to go through all this trouble for me. No need to feel the burden", Raymond said.


    Akira slightly smiled at him and then took a cup and put the milk into it and give it to Raymond to drink up. Raymond took the milk cup from her and asked,


    "By the way did you keep this idol yesterday? "


    Akira just slightly nodded to say yes.


    "I guess it''s a prized possession of yours so you can take it back as I am perfectly fine right now", Raymond sad and picked up the idol from his side table to give it to Akira.


    Akira came forward and stretched out her palm. Raymond put the idol in her palm and then slightly grazed his fingers causing Akira to fold her fingers around the idol.


    Her breath hitched and she looked into his eyes. Even his eyes were waiting for her eyes to speak up. She could see that the ice had melted and all that was visible was the calmness of an ocean.

 Chapter 54: Somebody is in deep trouble

    <h4>54 Somebody is in deep trouble</h4>


    Akira immediately ced the idol back into her bag. A brief touch of Raymond had made her turn into scarlet red. She hung her head low and took a few steps back. Then she again looked inside her bag with a worried expression.


    "Oh no", gasped Akira.


    "What happened?", both Raymond and Mike asked at the same time.


    "Looks like I misced my diary somewhere", Akira said and pinched her brows out of disappointment.


    Katherine threw a look at Raymond as if she was using him of keeping the diary away from the girl for so long. She said,


    "Don''t worry. I guess when you fell down yesterday, by mistake your diary stayed in this room under this morons bed."


    "Oh", said Akira. She looked even more worried now. Worried because she was scared if Raymond found out that she had a soft corner for him. Scared to expose her vulnerable side to him. So she asked,


    "Sorry for asking, but did you read it?"


    "Honestly I would have loved to read it. but it is impossible to do so when you have a living example of moral police sitting in the room", Katherine said and looked at her brother.


    "Here, take it.", Raymond said and picked up the diary which was still present under his pillow and handed it to Akira. He didn''t say anything because neither he could lie nor tell the truth. He didn''t want to break her heart and he had hardly read a few pages.


    "Thank you again for..." and Akira''s voice just trailed off.


    Katherine couldn''t miss the way they were looking at each other. Even though her brother vehemently denied, she knew that his heart was speaking something and his mind was speaking something else. So to give them some space and time she said,


    "Hey, Mike. Will you apany me for a cup of coffee? I am dying out of hunger here but looks like nobody cares for me", she said candidly and got down from the bed.


    Mike followed Katherine towards the cafeteria without a clue of what was cooking inside thatdy''s head. Only Raymond knew what was the intention of his sister behind all this. Heughed inside his head because of her childish activities.


    Akira stood there silently, fiddling with the notebook which she had just received from Raymond. Suddenly there was an awkward silence engulfing the entire room because both of them were at loss of words. A few momentster Raymond tried to sit upright on the bed but struggled a bit because of an injured arm and multiple drip connections on the other.


    Seeing him struggle like this Akira came to him immediately and tried helping him out. She supported his back with one hand, and covered her other hand around his waist and tried to prop him up on the bed.


    Locks of hair were all over Raymond generating a mesmerizingvender note. Her face was inches away from his. She was embracing him with all her attention, scared to touch or disturb any needlepoint. Then she straightened the pillow behind his back and slowly let him rest. Her hand was still ced at the nape of his neck. She looked at him and asked,


    "Better?"


    She was still leaning close and for moment Raymond thought that the loudness his heartbeat would give him away. Her breath on his bare skin gave him goosebumps, tingling each of his nerves. His head wasn''t thinking straight after seeing her so close. She always smelled the same. A faint smell that caused his heart to race and blocked his mind.


    He wanted to take the locks of her hair and push them softly behind her ears. He wanted to graze his fingers against her soft cheeks, but all he could do was to say,


    "Uh huh. Thanks".


    Akira gently smiled and removed her hand supporting his neck. Then she stood back and looked at her watch wondering what was taking Mike and Katherine so long. Before another phase of awkward silence could start between them, she said,


    "I willplete the activities that you had assigned yesterday. Is there anything else that needs to be done in the office today? I mean if you want to pass on any information to anybody I can do that."


    Raymond smiled and said,


    "Thanks but just focus on your work. If anything is needed I will directly contact the concerned people. You just rest and focus on your work. If possible go home early. Don''t stay up toote."


    Akira smiled and was about to say something but she was interrupted by a phone call.


    "Hi Vikram!!!", said Akira and moved a bit away from Raymond''s side.


    "You have to go to the police station to give your statement about the incident that happened yesterday", Vikram said.


    "Police station? But I haven''t lodged a formalint yet", she asked in a surprised tone.


    "You haven''t, but I have. Wille and pick you up in say 40 minutes?", said Vikram calmly.


    "Umm, no need to pick me up. I am already outside. Mike and I came to the hospital to meet Raymond. I will start from here directly. Just send me the address in WhatsApp". Akira said.


    "How is your boss doing?", asked Vikram with a hint of curiosity in his tone.


    "He is ok. The recovery is good. He will be discharged today." Akira said and cast a nce back at Raymond.


    "And what about you?", asked Vikram.


    "I am totally fine. Actually, more than fine knowing that he is behind bars right now. No way I can forget the things he did to me", Akira said with a huge resolve reflecting in her tone.


    "Akira... " Vikram said and paused.


    "What?", asked Akira all worried.


    "It''s nothing. Will meet you at the police station in 30-40 mins. Inform Raymond beforehand that they mighte to collect his statement as well." Vikram said and disconnected the call.


    After finishing the call Akira walked towards Raymond and said,


    "My friend has reported this incident at the police station so I have to go and give my statement. I don''t know how long the formalities will take there so I might bete at the office."


    Raymond just nodded


    Akira then continued, "They mighte to collect your statement as well. Not sure when though. Will that be ok for you? I am really sorry for all this trouble".


    "It''s fine. Part of the protocol. There is no need to be sorry about it", Raymond said and started looking towards the door.


    Katherine and Mike just entered the room with coffee cups in their hands. There was one for Akira too. Akira thanked Katherine for the coffee and collected her stuff to leave.


    Just when she was about to leave Katherine interrupted her and said,


    "Stay strong Akira. Even though that guy was your ex, he isn''t worth even 1% of your attention. Whatever happened was for your own good. Take it that way".


    "Thanks, Katherine", Akira said and left the room with Mike. She understood that Mike probably had told her everything about Anthony.


    There were many things left unsaid in the heart of Raymond. But most importantly he just wanted to tell her sorry for misunderstanding her as a gold digger. He didn''t care what rtion she had with Vikram because in his heart he just respected her for who she was.


    P.S. Someone very dear to me had told me once - "First you should respect a person. Love follows automatically".

 Chapter 55: The closure !!!

    <h4>55 The closure !!!</h4>


    Akira got inside the car and sat there silently for sometime. Then she looked at Mike and asked,


    "Am I doing the right thing Mike? If Anthony is sent behind the bars, then his career, his life will be over", Akira asked with concern filled in her voice


    "Jeez Akira. I can''t believe that even after all this you are still re-thinking? I mean how much lower should he stoop for you so that you can hate him", Mike said with anger and resentment.


    "I am not concerned for him. Nor do I have any feelings for him. Let me make this very clear Mike, I was just worried because I want to know that whatever he did yesterday was under the influence of alcohol or he is actually as bad as I imagine. I just want to be sure before taking any action", Akira said, trying to exin herself.


    "Can you please just drive to the police station. Your noble thoughts have started to annoy me. Get a hold of your life Akira. There are bad people everywhere around you. So stop being nice and start thinking about yourself for once", Mike said and Akira could clearly sense that he was really mad at her right now.


    So without saying anything else she started the car and drove to the police station.


    When they reached there, they saw that Vikram was already outside the police station waiting for them.


    The moment Vikram saw Akira, he sighed out of relief to see her all intact. Even though yesterday Akira had assured him that everything was ok with her, his mind was not at rest. So when he saw her, his heart arrived at peace. He came forward and embraced her with a light hug as he was scared that she might have light injuries here and there.


    Vikram''swyer was already inside the police station and had taken care of all the written work, so all that Akira had to do was to give her statement.


    After they were done with the formalities Vikram could see that Akira was still very unsettled. So he asked,


    "Is there anything that''s bothering you?"


    Akira shook her head and said, "No".


    Mike, who was witnessing the whole thing finally decided to speak up.


    "She needs closure. Probably all the breach of trust and murder attempt is not enough for my sister".


    Mike was really angry with Akira because of the second thoughts that she was having. The version of Akira that he had grown up with was something very different from the version which he was currently looking at. He had never seen Akira this vulnerable and weak with her decisions.


    Akira couldn''t bear the stream of usations thrown at her by her brother. Even Vikram was looking at her with a question mark on his face after hearing what Mike had to say. So she decided to speak up what was there inside her heart.


    "Yes, you are right Mike. I did not have closure with him. Yesterday he gave me a reason why he had to go for somebody else other than me. But I am not satisfied enough. I really want to know if our rtionship was so shallow in his eyes. I want to hear it again from him so that I can write it permanently inside my head", Akira said and then started looking outside.


    Both Vikram and Mike stood all silent. They didn''t have any answer to what Akira just said.


    Finally, Vikram got up from his seat and spoke to hiswyer.


    "We need some 5 to 10-minute private time with Anthony, so please help to arrange it".


    Hiswyer gave him a nod and went inside to check with the police.


    Akira was still looking outside because she was angry with both Mike and Vikram for not understanding her situation. She was not weak, she just wanted Anthony to tell the truth again so that she could know that by punishing him she was doing the right thing. She wanted to make her resolve even stronger. She wanted to do all this because she didn''t want to have even a mustard grain size regret in her heart.


    A couple of minutester Vikram''swyer came back and said,


    "We can meet Anthony now. Please follow me."


    Both Akira and Vikram followed him and Mike stayed behind.


    The moment Anthony saw Akira he went hysterical and started saying,


    "Babe, what are you doing to me? You know that what happened yesterday, that was not me. Please just take back your statement. Let''s have a fresh start. I wille back here permanently and we can have a new beginning."


    Anthony was literally pleading for his life.


    "I also went to Singapore to have a new beginning with you Anthony. But you were interested to have a new life with somebody else and not me. You didn''t want me in your life at that time and just because you are behind bars now, you want to have a new life with me? How do I believe you?", Akira replied with resolve.


    "Come on Akira!! Look into my eyes. Don''t you see our future together? You left me and because of that, I turned into this monster. It was all your love which I was missing in my life", Anthony said and moved his hand forward to hold Akira''s hand.


    Vikram''s ears were about to burst out of anger and rage. He couldn''t believe how diplomatic that guy was. He was controlling his expressions and behavior just for the sake of Akira.


    "But yesterday I didn''t feel like love Anthony. It felt like death", Akira said and took her hand back.


    When Vikram heard Akira speak like that, he could actually feel the pain in her voice. So he wrapped his arms around her and gently caressed her.


    Till now Anthony was acting nicely in front of Akira even though in his insides just wanted to kill her at that instant. So when he saw Vikram acting all cozy with her, his rage was unraveled.


    "Wow, girl you are something. You are teaching me about how to behave and look at how you are behaving yourself. Shall I ask the police to arrange a private room for you guys with a king size bed and all that?" Anthony said with a voice which was filled with sarcasm.


    Akira couldn''t believe what Anthony just said. A moment ago he was apologizing and now he was trying to assassinate her character.


    "Listen to me, Anthony!!! What I do with my life right now is none of your business. With whom I stay or with whom I don''t, again it''s none of your business", Akira said and curled up her fists.


    "Oh yeah, I can see that. Just because he is a rich family friend it''s ok if he puts his junk in your trunk. Isn''t it?", Anthony said with a rage of fire burning inside him.


    Akira couldn''t believe what Anthony just said. She couldn''t believe that he could stoop so low. She got up from the seat and told Vikram,


    "Let''s go. Guys like him don''t deserve a second chance and it was really stupid of me that I even considered giving him a second chance".


    Till now Vikram was sitting there silently like a mock spectator because he wanted Akira to decide everything for herself. He didn''t want to influence her decision. He got up and took Akira''s hand in his own and started to walk away.


    But a few secondster he turned back and said,


    "She is not the sort of girl who lets anybody put their junk inside her trunk. She lets you love her and you should have treasured that".

 Chapter 56: Now you have my number

    <h4>56 Now you have my number</h4>


    Akira''s eyes were filled with tears of gratefulness when she heard what Vikram had to say about her. She wiped away the tiny drop of tear which was flooding her eye and gave a beautiful smile back to Vikram. That million dor smile was so genuine that it totally expressed how grateful and how indebted she was feeling right now.


    Vikram smiled back at her and they both went to the main room where Mike was waiting for them. Akira sat down on the chair and had some water. She was mentally exhausted after her encounter with Anthony. Mike give her time to settle down and didn''t ask anything. Vikram knew that Mike was restless to know what her sister had decided, so he gave a wink and a half smile to Mike.


    That wink was enough for Mike. He was more than d to know that his sister has acted sanely.


    Akira kept the water ss down on the desk and looked at Vikram''swyer and said,


    "Please try to get rid of him as fast as possible. Guys like him don''t deserve a second chance. I am sorry for rethinking about this whole thing and causing so much dy in the procedure. Please go ahead. I am confirming my statement".


    A smile of victory floated on the faces of both Vikram and Mike. They were not happy because the guy was getting punished but because they knew that finally, Akira was getting a closure.


    "I will drop her back at her office. You can take the car and go home", Vikram said to Mike.


    Akira followed Vikram and sat inside his car. Before Vikram could start the car, Akira looked at him and said with a smile,


    "Nice punch work!!!".


    "What do you mean?", Vikram asked acting all innocent and clueless..


    "You think I didn''t notice his broken nose", Akira said and looked at Vikram.


    Vikram didn''t say a word. He just smiled and started his car.


    ---


    Vikram dropped Akira in front of Delphi''s office. But before Akira got down from the car, he cupped her chin in his right hand and looked at her and said,


    "I am proud of you".


    Akira smiled at him and went inside the office.


    The moment she entered the cubicle, everyone rushed towards her and surrounded her like ants surrounding a cube of sugar. Thanks to Chloe everybody knew about the incident which had happened yesterday and people were throwing questions at her about what how why and who.


    Akira took a deep breath and exined everybody what happened the day before. Everybody knew about the incident but when they heard the first-hand experienceing out from the mouth of Akira, they were all shocked.


    "So, in short, our boss came and saved your life like a knight in shining armor?" asked Kirk who worked under Simon.


    All Akira could do was to shrug her shoulder in affirmation.


    After everyone left, Akira tried hard to concentrate on the work which was pending. But she couldn''t fully concentrate as her mind was too busy rethinking, re-evaluating and reassessing everything that was happening around her. By evening she started to have a throbbing pain in her head so she decided to leave early.


    After reaching home to distract herself from thinking about anything negative, she watched a movie with Mike and then prepared dinner as well. In the back of her head, she just wanted to call Raymond once and ask him if he was ok, but as she didn''t have his number she kept the thought to herself.


    After dinner, Akira went back to her bedroom and took out her diary and started scribbling about her deepest and darkest feelings. Her diary was her secretpanion to whom she never had to lie. It never judged her or gave an opinion. Her diary was her silentpanion throughout her life.


    ---


    Akira decided to go to the office early the next day because she wanted to finish the report which Raymond had asked her to prepare on the first day itself. Yesterday she was busy at the police station so she couldn''t give enough time toplete it. Being a diligent student throughout her life, she wanted toplete it before Raymond came back to the office.


    She was the only person who took the lift from the parking lot as it was almost empty as it was quite early. Again the thoughts of Anthony started haunting her and she quickly prayed for the first floor to arrive as fast as possible. But the lift stopped at the ground floor and she was surprised to see Raymond waiting to get in.


    "Hi", she said in a very feeble tone.


    "Hi" Raymond replied back and was surprised to see her in office so early.


    "How''s your arm? You could have taken more rest. Why did youe to the office so early?", Akira started her series of questions.


    "I was bored", Raymond said and asked,


    "Why are you here so early?".


    "I have some pending work. I mean the assignment which you had given. I couldn''t finish it in time so I thought I could...."


    And the elevator arrived on the first floor before she could finish her sentence. Knowing that now they would go separate ways, Raymond asked,


    "Everything went ok at the police station?"


    He kept walking along with her to the cubicle area.


    "Yeah. I even came back to the office afterward but left early due to headache" she said apologetically.


    Raymond couldn''t say anything further because he was feeling torn for her. Sensing the awkward silence which was fast approaching between them, Akira asked,,


    "Did the policee to collect your statement as well?


    "Yeah, they came just before I was supposed to get discharged from the hospital".


    "Oh, I see. Yesterday also I wanted to check if you''re ok but since I didn''t have your number I couldn''t call up."


    She paused for a while and then continued,


    "I don''t know how to say it but I am really thankful for what you did for me. If I am alive right now that''s probably because of you. I couldn''t even thank you properly," Akira said and hung her head low.


    Raymond could feel every single bit of sincerity in her words.


    "Umm... Can I have your phone?", Raymond asked.


    Akira was surprised by Raymond''s random request. She unlocked her phone and gave it to Raymond.


    Raymond quickly typed his number using Akira dial pad and called himself. The moment his phone rang, he disconnected the call.


    Then he gave the phone to Akira and with a sly smile on his face he said,


    "Now you have my number. You can call me anytime and ask me how I am?"

 Chapter 57: The scarf on her neck

    <h4>57 The scarf on her neck</h4>


    Akira left for her cubicle all amused. Her tiny heart was knowing no bounds of happiness right now. She was literally hopping and walking towards her seat. Good that she came early and there was no one else around, else people would have definitely thought that she had gone berserk.


    Afterpleting her report, a smile of satisfaction glided on her face. She reviewed it once again and once she was satisfied with the quality she pinged Raymond,


    "Hello" - Akira


    "Hi" - Raymond


    "I havepleted the analysis report that you had asked for" - Akira


    "Bring it to my office for review" - Raymond


    Akira immediately printed her report and left for Raymond''s office.


    Today she wore a deep neck summer dress so that the cor of her dress didn''t touch the wound area. The dress was too deep for her liking, so to avoid the attention of people she had put a light scarf around her neck. That way no one could know or see the scar on her neck. She hid it perfectly because she always hated getting any sort of sympathy from people.


    Once she reached Raymond''s office she knocked on the door.


    "Come in", said Raymond.


    Akira came inside with a bit of nervous look on her face. She was confident with the quality of her report and the heuristic approach that she had followed, but as it was her first time trying to collect information about the demographic reach and doing predictive analysis, she was a tad bit nervous as she was still doubtful about her approximation method.


    She ced her report on top of Raymond''s desk and stood there in anticipation. Although she had interacted with Raymond informally a couple of times before but she knew that on the work front he was like a ck hole who was very difficult to be pleased. So she stood there in attention waiting for him to give the feedback.


    Raymond picked up her report and started reading it very carefully. His intention was not to find every small mistake and criticize it. Instead, he wanted her to learn properly. So he took a highlighter and started marking the points where he thought the report needed improvement. She had actually done a great job with her analysis but just needed to refine and polish it here and there so that it was industry ready.


    Once he was done reading the report he looked up and saw that she was standing all the while. He instantly felt guilty for not asking her to take a seat. But from her expression, it looked like she didn''t mind it even a bit. She was an enthusiastic learner and was eagerly standing there waiting for the feedback from Raymond.


    "My bad, just take a seat. I was too much busy reading it so didn''t even notice that you were standing from that time", Raymond said with a hint of apology in his tone.


    "It''s ok. Anyways I have been sitting at my desk all day long", replied Akira.


    She was a bit distressed to see Raymond struggling while highlighting the points in her report using his left hand as his right one was still in pain. It immediately reflected on her face.


    Raymond who had found Akira unusually chirpy and enthusiastic a while ago was surprised to see her energy level sinking low in a split second.


    He handed the report back to her and said,


    "I have marked a couple of points which needs to be refined a bit more. You need to include around 20 more statistics in your calctions so that the average is a bit more normalized. Apart from that the rest of the report looks OK to me. Good job!!!".


    He then stood up and prepared to leave as he had another meeting to attend.


    Akira face again lighted up like a bulb, when she heard a ''good job''menting out of Raymond''s mouth. She was acting like a kid who gets candy after answering a question correctly. She said,


    "Thank you for your insights. I will incorporate all the review points highlighted by you and will get the report ready by today evening".


    She gave a small smile and picked up the report.


    As Raymond had a meeting with the finance team of Abacus in a few minutes, he went near the coat hanger and picked up his jacket. He carefully inserted his right arm inside, but when he was trying to put his left arm, he struggled a bit.


    Akira who was about to leave, saw Raymond struggling and immediately rushed towards him and said,


    "May I?"


    Raymond heard her and just nodded. He didn''t want to appear like a man who needed help in front of Akira, but at the same time, he was worried about ripping open his stitches. So he just stood there and allowed her to help him.


    Akira took the other end of the jacket and ced the armhole in such a way that it was convenient for Raymond to insert his left arm. Then she turned around and stood in front of Raymond. She held hispels and gently pulled them to align his suit properly.


    He smelled divine. A mixture of something musky and something icy. As she stood close to him holding thepel of his suit, his smell grew stronger overpowering her sane senses. She stood there transfixed for a couple of seconds before realizing her stupidity.


    Raymond saw her standing so close to him. Only he knew how much strength he was needing, not to let his guard down. He looked at her and saw that she just stood there without saying a word. So he cleared his throat and asked,


    "What are you up to?"


    Akira was embarrassed to hear the question and realized that she had been just gawking at him for quite some time. Her face flushed and she blurted out,


    "I was just about to leave" and released her hands.


    Raymondughed in his head after hearing her answer and said,


    "I meant in your life, in general!!! " and suppressed hisugh.


    "Oh, What am I up to in my life?", Akira asked after reaching heights of stupidity.


    "Uh huh", said Raymond.


    "I am doing good. Nothing much. Just trying to focus on my work these days", Akira said.


    She was turning all shades of red because of the embarrassment.


    "How is your injury?" Raymond asked adjusting his cufflinks.


    "It''s all good. Healing very fast", Akira said and pulled her scarf a little bit down just to show him that her wound was all dried up. But unfortunately while doing so the knot of her scarf which was already lose came off.


    Her scarf slipped slowly from her neck and dropped on the floor in silence, revealing her bare neck. As she was wearing a deep neck dress, she was thoroughly embarrassed and immediately turned her back towards Raymond.


    For a moment Raymond couldn''t breathe. The world hade to a halt for him with nothing but vacuum all around. He bent down and picked up her scarf and then he gently covered her neck with it and then secured it with a knot in the back. He pulled her hair out carefully, without touching her wound. Then he gently tapped on her shoulders and said,


    "Your wounds are going to leave a mark on your neck. I can check with Katherine and get something for you. She is a great dermatologist".


    Akira turned back and Raymond could see that her eyes were a bit moist. Never in his life, Raymond had seen such a girl who was so rooted, so cultured and so modest in her demeanor.


    "Thanks", said Akira and darted out of the room.


    Raymond just stood there looking in her direction.

 Chapter 58: Noted !!!

    <h4>58 Noted !!!</h4>


    Raymond went to attend the meeting with the finance team of Abacus but he was still lost in the alleys of his thoughts. His mind was unable to free itself from the thoughts of Akira. The way her hands moved on his chest, the way her eyes lingered around, the way her scarf fell down baring her skin. His whole thought process was instilled with her. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the meeting, his mind simply wandered away. He had no escape. In his heart, he knew he was falling but his mind didn''t want him to.


    On the other hand, Akira'' heart was racing like the world hade to an end. She somehow managed to reach her seat and started gulping water. She took deep breaths and tried to calm her jittery nerves but nothing was helping her out. She was brooding over the whole episode when she heard someone tap on her desk,


    "Hey, how was the feedback of your report?", Simon asked tapping lightly on her desk with a pencil.


    "It was ok", replied Akira.


    Simon could see that Akira was a bit disturbed aftering back from Raymond''s room. She had been working hard since morning toplete the report. As he had worked with Raymond since thest couple of years, he knew that he could be a hard taskmaster and seeing the way Akira was behaving right now he knew that something was definitely wrong. He had already seen the way Raymond had behaved in the War Room and was unsure if she was ok given that a person like Raymond was her mentor.


    "Listen it''s not easy to please him. He is always very thorough with the quality of work. So even if he says something bad just take it positively as it will help you out in your future", said Simon because to him Akira looked like she had taken a bullet from Raymond.


    "I know. I will revise my report and get it ready by today evening. Thanks !!!", Akira said and turned back towards her system.


    "It''s lunchtime Akira. Come and join us", said Simon.


    "You guys carry on. I am not that much hungry", Akira said and started working on her report.


    "Looks like she got a bad bashing. Poor thing!!! ", eximed Kirk in a hush-hush tone to Simon.


    "That''s how Raymond is. But because of that only we are here", said Simon.


    Then he looked at Akira and said,


    "If you need any help with the report you can let me know. We are here to help each other. You can count on us anytime, hope you know that?". Simon''s tone was filled with concern.


    "Thank you so much, Simon. But I think it''s better I work on it myself", said Akira.


    "Ok then. Do well", said Simon and left with others for lunch.


    By this time Raymond''s meeting was also over and he was just jotting down a few points in hisptop in the meeting room- 104, which was just in front of the elevator lobby.


    Suddenly Simons loud voice got his attention.


    "I feel bad for her man. She is still in her college and we can''t expect a demographic report to be 100% urate from her". - Simon


    "I know. It took me months to get it right the first time. Hope she isn''t too depressed with everything going wrong with her in her life." - Kirk


    "She is struggling both in personal and professional front. Didn''t evene for lunch. It''s like she is punishing herself for some crime which she didn''t even do". - Simon


    "Yeah, hope she stays strong. Tough luck that she has Raymond as a mentor". - Kirk


    After that the voices died out as the elevator arrived and they all left for the cafeteria.


    Raymond was a bit disturbed after hearing what the graphic team members had to say about Akira. When he gave the directions to Akira he thought it was constructive criticism, but after hearing what Simon had to say it looked like Akira took it otherwise and he was upset about it. But neither he nor Akira''s team-mates knew the real reason why she was upset. These people had just made an assumption in their head. She was upset because of her own personal reasons and it has nothing to do with the review that she had got for her report from Raymond.


    "Maybe she is too young to be able to handle constructive criticism", Raymond thought and frowned upon himself for asking her to re-do the report when she had so much going on in her life. He felt guilty for not being able to guide her properly.


    He regretted not even asking her how she was after handing over her ex-boyfriend to the police. He regretted not being able to understand that her heart must be in pain. But it was toote to ask now. He had already done the damage. All that he could do was just to contribute to the recovery process. so he immediately called his assistant Peter,


    "Hello, Peter, can you help me get a chicken wrap and a fresh apple juice".


    "On it, boss", said Peter and disconnected the call.


    Raymond went back to his office and patiently waited till Peter arrived. Once Peter arrived, Raymond took the packet and inspected for a few minutes and then instructed Peter to get the packet delivered to Akira.


    Peter being Peter, took the packet and without a single question asked, went to the graphics team area where Akira sat.


    He sat at a ce from where he had good visibility of Akira. He kept working on hisptop while monitoring her moves, without giving her any hint about his presence.


    The moment Akira left her desk to go to the washroom, Peter got up, picked the food Pack and kept it on Akira''s desk and left.


    Akira came back to her desk and saw a food packet kept on her desk. She looked here and there to find out who had kept it on her desk, but there was no one near her vicinity as it was lunchtime.


    When she couldn''t find anybody, she opened the packet and found chicken wrap and apple juice inside. Only a few people knew that Apple juice was your favorite.


    So she assumed that it was from Vikram and happily took a bite of the chicken wrap. She took out her phone and was about to send a thank you message to Vikram when she noticed a sticky note behind the Apple juice.


    The note read-


    "Eat it all without wasting even a bit. There are many who can''t afford to have this"


    The moment she finished reading the note she understood that it wasn''t from Vikram. It was Raymond who had sent it. A smile spread on her face. She recollected her flight journey with him and her heart leaped when she remembered him saying "Noted!!!"

 Chapter 59: FYI she is not my girlfriend !!!

    <h4>59 FYI she is not my girlfriend !!!</h4>


    Akira''s heart was warmed with Raymond''s kind gesture. It was a warm and fuzzy feeling which at once made her feelfortable and calm. Small bubbles of happiness started surrounding her and she busied herself in eating the wrap and sipping on the Apple juice. It was just a small gesture but she was feeling blessed that someone noticed and remembered a small thing which was rather unimportant.


    He gave attention to what she said.


    She liked that !!!


    All the worries, weirdness and insanity which had beached her tiny heart and was making her mind go numb, suddenly started evaporating. She was engulfed withfort and happiness. After finishing gobbling the wrap she moved on to her juice and started sipping it happily. Once she was done she opened up hermunicator. She wanted to ping Raymond and thank him but somehow she was a bit hesitant. Her mind was toggling between ''to ping'' or ''not to ping''. Finally, she mustered up a bit of courage and pinged him.


    "Hello" - Akira


    Meanwhile, Raymond was waiting in his cubicle for her to ping him. He knew that she was smart enough to deduce that it was him but it had been almost 40 mins that David had left and there was no ping from her side. So he was growing a bit impatient. But the moment he saw her ping, his face just beamed with anticipation.


    "Hi" - Raymond


    "Do you have some 20-30 minutes free time in the evening?" - Akira


    "Maybe, I need to check with David about my schedule. Why do you ask?" - Raymond


    "I am working on my report and wanted to get it reviewed again. Do you have some time in the evening?" - Akira


    "Oh, ok. You cane around 5.30 pm. Just let me know beforeing as I am not sure if I have any other meetings ovepping". - Raymond


    "Sure, will let you know beforeing. Thanks." - Akira


    And after saying that Akira ended the conversation.


    "That''s all. That''s all that she had to say?", thought Raymond in his head and got a bit frustrated. He was waiting for long for her to ping and now that she pinged, she talked only about the report.


    "God this girl is getting on my nerves !!!", Raymond muttered to himself. He then switched his attention to his phone which was ringing.


    "Hello Katherine", said Raymond.


    "Wao you sound so swell", teased Katherine when she heard Raymond as he sounded like he was in a dpidated state.


    "Get to the point", blurted Raymond.


    "Fine Fine. I just closed my clinic as I need to shop for a few things for Kate''s birthday. So thought of reminding you as you are the doted uncle. She will kill you for sure if you forget to buy her a gift",


    said Katherine.


    "Oh Gosh !!! It had totally slipped my mind with so much going on. I am sorry", said Raymond apologetically.


    "You should be !!!", said Katherine andughed. She really loved to y with Raymond''s guilty conscience.


    "And by the way, you should buy a gift for me as well as I have saved your ''the best uncle in the world'' image", said Katherine pulling Raymond''s leg.


    "Stop being so greedy Kat", sneered Raymond.


    "Ok jokes apart how is your arm? Do you see any swelling near the stitches? If you see any swelling or any sort of discharge from the stitch area then tell me ASAP. Do not let your wound get infected. Ok?", said Katherine with her tone filled with concern.


    "There is no swelling as such. Just a bit of mild difort is there. That''s all." Raymond replied.


    "Ok, that''s great then. Will see you tomorrow evening at the birthday party. Don''t bete Raymond, I am warning you. And don''t you dare bring work to my home this time. If I see you glued to theptop for even one second, I swear to God, I will throw it in my garbage bin and kick you so bad that you can forget your stitches", said Katherine.


    "Don''t worry about that", Raymond said.


    "Oh oh wait, my bad. How is your girlfriend? I totally forgot to ask about her", Katherine asked,ing back to her jeering form again.


    "She is fine. And FYI she is not my girlfriend. She is just an intern in my office", hissed Raymond.


    "Aahhh.... the unrequited love. How can you lie on my face and live like that Raymond? Anyways that''s none of my concern right now. I have a huge party to arrange. Will keep now. Bye", Katherine said and was about to disconnect the call, but before that could happen Raymond said,


    "Umm ... one more favor I need. But you cannot mock me for that".


    "Tell it fast Raymond. Don''t throw puzzles at me", said Katherine and started walking towards her car.


    "Can you suggest some medicine for Akira''s scars? She also suffered from injuries that day. Hope you know that", said Raymond.


    " Oohh someone is worried about his girlfriends scar marks. Interesting!!!",mented Katherine.


    "Which part of ''no mocking'' did you not understand", asked Raymond with an irritated tone.


    "Fine fine, ask her to start with any kojic acid best ointment after the wound is healed. A week after that she can start with some Vitamin C based cream. That would be good enough to prevent the scars from leaving any marks", ranted Katherine non-stop.


    "Great, finally some use of a sister who is a dermatologist", said Raymond and jeered her.


    "Wao you know well how to be massively ungrateful", said Katherine and clearly she was irritated with Raymond''s remarks.


    "Oh, so your remarks are like words from Bible and mine makes me ungrateful? Is there something called ''justice'' dear sister?", said Raymond and chuckled.


    "Duh... fine I m keeping the call now. You keep dreaming about her and keep denying", said Katherine and disconnected the call.


    Raymond smiled briefly after hearing Katherine''s statement. Then he took a notepad and with a bit of difficulty wrote the names of medicines which Katherine said a few minutes back, in case he forgot them. He looked at his watch, it was 2:30 pm.


    "Three more hours to go!!!", he sighed.

 Chapter 60: Its her way of saying Thank-You

    <h4>60 It''s her way of saying ''Thank-You''</h4>


    5:00 pm.


    Akira was done with the corrections in her report and started to review it again to avoid any other mistakes. Her heart was beating fast out of nervousness and anticipation as she had a meeting with Raymond at 5: 30 pm. There were so many questions going on in her head.


    "What if he does not like my report?"


    "What if he is busy in another meeting and I don''t get to meet him today?"


    "How do I thank him for the lunch?"


    "How do I tell him that I really liked the fact that he remembered that I like apple juice?"


    "Was it really him who had sent the lunch for me today?"


    She chugged a full bottle of water to calm herself down. For one moment she thought of sending her report to Simon for review, but then she refrained herself from doing so as she knew that if Raymond got to know about it he might not like it. She knew that he was way too particr about the way he wanted the work to be done. It was evident from the War Room episode. If he would have wanted her to take help from her teammates, he would have clearly told her about it. So Akira cleared her mind from all the random thoughts that she was having and focussed on reviewing her report.


    5.25 pm


    Akira adjusted her scarf and took a printout of her report and then pinged Raymond.


    "Hello" - Akira


    "Hi" - Raymond


    "Can Ie by your office right now for my report review?" - Akira


    "Yes" - Raymond


    "Ok. Thanks. Will be there in five" - Akira


    She logged out of her system, took the printed report and started for Raymond''s office.


    "All the best for the grilling Akira!!! ", joked Simon when he saw Akira getting ready with the report in her hand.


    "Kind words indeed !!!", said Akira and give a jovialugh to Simon.


    Akira reached Raymond''s office, took a deep breath and then knocked on the door.


    "Get in", said Raymond.


    He was sitting there all poised but his heart was thumping loud and clear. His nce was fixed on her without even inching a bit here and there. It was like he was attempting to captivate her with his gaze.


    She walked in slowly and cautiously, fully aware that he was looking at her, but she was scared to even steal a single nce because she knew her heart will know, no bounds if she did that. So she walked in quietly with her head bent down and ced her report on top of his desk and said without even looking at him,


    "I have made all the corrections which you had suggested. I have kept both the reports for your reference. Please let me know if it''s ok".


    She spoke to him and then, in the end, raised her eyes to look at him for a moment, but then she quickly turned her gaze back. He saw her ncing at him for a single moment and saw how she retracted back and realized how bold his gaze was. He quickly shifted his attention from her to the report and ask her to sit down this time. He didn''t want to keep her standing the whole time like earlier.


    He reviewed the document thoroughly and was really impressed that she had taken care of each and every small suggestion that he had made. Next, he moved to the analytics section of the report and stayed on the same page for quite some time. Then he again looked at her and asked,


    "Why have you given only 0.35 weight to the feedback mechanism?"


    "Umm ... I think version and performance updates together should be the most important factor in determining ourunch rate. So I have assigned 0.65 to that and 0.35 to feedback", Akira said and looked up at him.


    "But if you don''t listen to feedback from people, then how would you know what they like and what they don''t?", Raymond said and a mischevious smile spread across his face.


    Akira immediately understood from the way Raymond was smiling at her, that his statement was a double meaning sword. So she tactfully replied,


    "I agree but then this would lead to extra work from our side."


    "But shouldn''t you be doing that? Isn''t it our aim to keep our customers happy? The more you keep people happy the more you can get close to them", said Raymond and again fixed his gaze on Akira.


    She heard him and then looked up at him. His gaze was unnerving her slowly, stripping her away from her sanity. She didn''t want to lose the ground beneath her so she rposed herself and said,


    "Sure I will make the corrections. I will increase the weight for feedback from 0.35 to 0.55. Does that work for you?"


    "Sure thing !!!", said Raymond and leaned back still looking at her intently.


    "I will make the corrections and email it to you", said Akira and she knew that it was a cue for her to leave the room now and go back to her seat. But her heart didn''t want to leave the room. She had so many things that she wanted to say to him, but she didn''t know how to. She wanted to thank him for the lunch but she was unable to understand how to bring up the topic.


    From her bodynguage, Raymond understood that she was about to leave, so he picked up his notepad and tore the page where he had written about the medicines which Katherine had told him about. He took that page and give it to Akira and said,


    "Katherine told about these medicines for your scar prevention. The kojic acid ointment needs to be applied after your wounds heal up and a weekter apply the vitamin C cream."


    "Oh, that''s really thoughtful of you. I didn''t know you could get it that quickly", said Akira and dly took the piece of paper.


    "It''s no big deal. She had just called in the afternoon so I just asked her over the phone", Raymond said and started flipping a pen with his left hand.


    Suddenly there was a knock on his cabin door. That was his assistant David. He came inside with Raymond''s permission and looked super ecstatic and pumped up.


    "You look unusually happy David. What happened?", asked Raymond with surprise.


    "I don''t know what magic you did, but after your meeting, Abacus finance team is now ready to publicize our game in Australia as well. I don''t know about the budget allocation yet but Australia is confirmed. You really know how to keep people happy", David beamed and said.


    Akira heard the news and was happy to see Raymond because from his expression he looked extremely pleased. She took her report and started walking out.


    But she stopped after taking a few steps and turned back. She saw Raymond looking at her. She held her gaze constant and smiled a bit. Raymond was perplexed. He couldn''t understand what she was insinuating. A few secondster she said,


    "Did you give them apple juice to make them happy?"


    Raymond''s mouth was opened in shock as he saw her leaving the room. Slowly a smile spread on his face. This girl certainly had a different way of thanking people.

 Chapter 61: Good Job !!!

    <h4>61 Good Job !!!</h4>


    She held her report close to her chest and suppressed herugh while walking through the corridor. After walking for a while she reached her seat and sat down. She remembered his face, his gaze, the way his mouth opened in shock after hearing her, the way his eyes followed her. She was pleased indeed. Her trail of thoughts swarmed a smile on her face and brightened her heart. She was lost in a world of her own before she was interrupted,


    "How did you meeting go?", Simon asked Akira after seeing her all lost like she was captured in some kind of trance.


    "It was ok. Just one parameter change in the input. That''s all", Akira beamed and replied to Simon.


    "Great girl. Now lemme see your report", Simon said and took the report from Akira. He had asked her earlier if she needed his help on the report and she had politely refused. So he was curious to see how this newbie had performed own her own without anyone''s guidance.


    As he scanning through each page, he looked impressed. Given that she was continuing her Master''s degree, her report was of really good standard. He took the report and smacked Kirk''s head with it and said,


    "Check her report and tell me how it is".


    "Ouch", winced Kirk and smoothened out his hair which was disturbed by Simon. He took the report from Simon''s hand and started going through its pages. He was also impressed with the way she had written the report covering each and every minute detail.


    Akira tiny heart was ted to see everybody appreciating her work. It kind of boosted her morale and she was all pumped up. She went back to her seat and started correcting the weights which Raymond had mentioned earlier.


    She had just finished changing the input parameters when she heard Kirk screaming at the top of his lungs,


    "What the hell !!!"


    Simon and a few others who sat near Kirk went to his seat to find out why he was shouting hysterically. Kirk was showing everybody thest page of Akira''s report. Akira saw the expression change on every single person''s face who was looking at her report.


    She couldn''t understand what was wrong with the report and why everyone was acting so weird.


    "What''s wrong?", she asked.


    "What''s wrong? What''s wrong you ask? You got a ''Good Job'' from Raymond. A freaking Good Job" said Kirk and shed thest page of the report in the direction of Akira.


    Akira couldn''t understand for a moment what he wanted to convey to her. So she came to him and took the report back from his hand.


    The moment she saw thest page she immediately understood what was this fuss all about. Raymond had actually written ''Good Job'' on thest page of her report and had signed it as well.


    Her heart was not able to contain the happiness and joy which she was feeling at that moment. She was trying hard not to give away the wide grin approaching her face. Kirk''s face was almost red with anger. He clenched his fist and asked Simon,


    "I never got a good job from Raymond. Forget Raymond, even you have not given me a good job ever. How to hell she gets a good job on the first report itself". He was really bummed over it.


    "You are worrying about yourself? Even I haven''t received a good job ever," said Simon and Akira could see that even his expressions looked all grumpy.


    Akiraughed inside her head after hearing what they all had to say.


    "Will you guys just get back to work and stop making a fuss about it", screamed Brian who was another graphic lead of the team. The crowd dispersed after hearing to Brian.


    Akira also went back to her seat and resumed the report work.


    Within half an hour she was done with her work and sent the final draft of the report to Raymond via email. Then she waited at her desk for another 15 minutes thinking that Raymond would probably ping her or send her somements but unfortunately, he didn''t. It was almost 7 pm by then so she decided to start for home.


    Before leaving her desk she texted Vikram,


    "Guess what happened today at work?" - Akira


    "What?" - Vikram


    "I got a good job from my boss (happy face smiley) !!!" - Akira


    "Good Job? Really? What are you guys in kindergarten now?" - Vikram


    "Yeah go on, mock me. You don''t know the good feels of it. You are the boss. You can never get a good job from anyone. Poor you (sad smiley)" - Akira


    "Well, you can give me right?" - Vikram


    "Yes, I can. But no I won''t (tongue face smiley) - Akira


    "What was the good job for?" - Vikram


    "I made a demographic analysis report." - Akira


    "Heavy !!!" - Vikram


    "Jeez Vikram, can you talk with me for one day without teasing me?" - Akira


    "Now that''s an unreasonable request. You are my daily dose of fun." - Vikram


    "Go, I am not talking with you. Bye" - Akira


    "Ok Ok. Dinner tomorrow?" - Vikram


    "Yusssss." - Akira


    ---


    On her way back home Akira stopped near a pharmacy store to get the medicines which Katherine had rmended for her. While she was waiting for the pharmacist to bill her medicines, she started looking around and a young girl caught her attention.


    She was standing two shops away from her, happily busy licking her ice cream cone. She looked really pretty in her ash-green colored frock and yellow leggings. But then she noticed that this girl was unmindful of the approaching traffic as she started walking slowly, perhaps intending to cross the road. Akira screamed and waved at her but unfortunately, that had no impact. She realized in a split second that she was tuned to her iPod and had no idea of vehicles honking at her or of her scream. She was about to jaywalk into the main road.


    Akira had a surge of adrenaline and she immediately ran towards the girl and and pulled her back towards the pavement side. She pulled her with so much force, that she was unable to maintain her own bnce and they both fell on the pavement.


    "Good God!!!", cried Akira in pain after crashing on the pavement.

 Chapter 62: You were destined to save her

    <h4>62 You were destined to save her</h4>


    "Ouch", cried the little girl.


    Akira''s senses were overwhelmed with pain, burning sensation and a heavyweight lying on top of her body. Before she could even get up and assess the situation, she heard a frantic cry,


    "Oh my God !!! Kate !!!"


    She tried hard toprehend the things happening around her. What, who, where? Her vision started to fade and everything seemed hazy. She was surrounded by everything ck and slowly it started engulfing her. She cked out.


    ---


    Akira felt cold. Suddenly she started to feel like she was standing near a waterfall which was spraying water all over her face. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Katherine sitting next to her with a bottle of water in her hand. She immediately got up and started asking Katherine,


    "Did you see a little girl? I fell down here with her. She might be injured as they both fell on the pavement."


    "You mean this one?", Katherine said and pointed her finger towards Kate.


    "Yeah. Are you ok? Sorry, I pulled you back with too much force", Akira said and checked the girl''s elbows which had been bruised because of the impact.


    "Sorry? You are saying sorry to her? You are impossible Akira. If it was not for you then she would not have survived by now", said Katherine and held Akira''s hands and supported her in getting up.


    "I don''t know how to thank you. I don''t know what would have had happened to my daughter if you didn''t pull her back at the right time", Katherine said and hugged Akira tight.


    Akira could feel Katherine''s emotions, the fear of losing a loved one, the fear of what could have had happened. She had already crossed that path when she lost her parents. She was no alien to this fear, this haunting pain. So she pulled herself back and wiped out Katherine''s tears and said,


    "Anyone would have done that ok. Let''s not discuss what could have had happened. She is safe now and that''s all that matters", Akira said and winked at Kate.


    "I have a medical kit in my car. It''s better if we get your bruises cleaned up and hers too", Katherine said and then held Kate by her hand, scared to let her by her own.


    "My bruises?", eximed Akira with a question mark on her face. Upon hearing her, Katherine pointed her finger towards her foot. Only after that, Akira realized what was the source of the burning sensation. When she fell on the pavement on her back she bruised her ankle and her shoulder de too.


    "Thank you, aunty, for saving me", quipped Kate and beamed a smile on her face. Akira just nodded and looked at the pretty soul. She looked like a carbon copy of Katherine. Sharp nose, loose curls, hazel eyes, she inherited them all from Katherine.


    "Your daughter looks exactly like you",mented Akira as they started walking towards Katherine''s car. Katherine heard her and just smiled without saying anything.


    "What were you doing here by the way?" asked Katherine.


    "I was just buying the medicines which you had asked me to apply for not having the scar marks", replied Akira


    "Then I should thank my stars and Raymond, that he asked me to prescribe you those medicines and you decided to buy from this pharmacy. It''s all fate I must say. You were destined to save my daughter today", Katherine said and open the boot of her car to take out her first aid kit.


    "I couldn''t agree more. Just like your brother was destined to save me", said Akira and sighed.


    "I really feel bad to see him in pain because of me. He can''t even write anything properly as his right arm is hurt", added Akira and looked down.


    "Uncle is hurt? When, how, where? Why didn''t you tell me?", Kate said and almost teared up.


    She was very much attached to Raymond and probably that''s why Katherine had decided not to tell her about Raymond''s injury.


    "He is a big boy and he is hurt just a little bit because he saved this Aunty. Just like this aunty got hurt while saving you. So don''t worry much ok?", said Katherine and gave Kate a soft pat on her cheeks.


    "I know, my uncle is a superhero", quipped Kate. Both Katherine and Akira looked at Kate fondly, admiring the innocence of childhood.


    Katherine then took out the medicine box and sanitizer to clean her hands first. Then she passed on the sanitizer to Akira and started cleaning her daughter''s wounds. Given that she was also a doctor, she was very specific about hygiene. She fixed her daughter''s bruises within seconds and then moved towards Akira who was cleaning her wounds, and said,


    "Let me!!". Then Katherine took some swabs and started cleaning Akira''s wounds.


    "How is your wound on the neck?" asked Katherine as she couldn''t see it because of the scarf which Akira had tied around her neck.


    "Much better now", said Akira


    "I know, it''s the wound in the heart that takes much more time to heal rather than the wound on the body. Stay strong. You will sail through", Katherine said.


    Only a woman can understand the pain in the heart of a woman.


    Akira was overwhelmed with Katherine''s warm words. So she just nodded.


    The wound on Akira''s ankle was a bit deep, so it stung badly when Katherine applied the antiseptic liquid. She flinched in pain and twisted her leg. It was stinging a bit too much. Katherine felt really bad for Akira.


    "Poor thing, can''t even have one day in peace", Katherine thought inside her head.


    Akira had few bruises in her back as well. But she didn''t tell anything about it to Katherine as she thought she would clean then by herself.


    "All set", Katherine said after dressing Akira''s wound.


    "This willpletely heal in a week. Try not to put water on top of it for one-two days", Katherine added.


    "Thank you so much", replied Akira


    "Shall I drive you back home?", asked Katherine.


    "No no, I can manage. My car is parked near the pharmacy shop", Akira said and was about to leave.


    Meanwhile, Katherine whispered something into Kate''s ears.


    Akira had taken a few steps when Kate ran up to her and said,


    "Tomorrow is my birthday and I don''t think many of my friends will turn up. So will you pleasee and celebrate with me and mom?".


    Akira looked at the tiny little angel standing in front of her, literally pleading with her eyes. How could she say no to her?


    Katherine smiled and thought inside her head,


    "Finally all the expensive drama sses areing to some good use".

 Chapter 63: Endless abyss

    <h4>63 Endless abyss</h4>


    Katherine took Akira''s phone number and then texted her the location of her house. Initially, she was skeptical if her n would work or not, but her darling daughter''s acting skills didn''t disappoint her.


    Even after receiving the address, Akira was a bit hesitant to attend Kate''s birthday party, but the way Kate looked at her and asked her with her eyes filled with anticipation that she would definitelye, she couldn''t say no. She had to go.


    Katherine could read the lines of hesitation on Akira''s face, so she said,


    "Come it would be fun. Actually, only a few kids will being, so at least I would have yourpany. Don''t say no. I am banking on you".


    "Don''t worry, I will be there. If you need any help then let me know. I have always been great at organizing games for kids. I do it often in the residential society that I live in", Akira said.


    "Sounds swell to me. See you tomorrow evening then", Katherine said and waved goodbye at Akira.


    The cupid was in full form today...


    Akira went back to the pharmacy store and picked up the medicines which she had asked for before and then went to her car and sat inside. She sat there silently for some time and then thought to herself,


    "Now I need to buy a gift. But from where do I get a gift and what do I gift her?"


    She googled for nearby gift shops and headed for one of them. After struggling through all the corners of the store, finally, Akira liked a storybook and picked it up. She got it gift wrapped and then went back to her ce.


    "Hey, You are back. How was your day?", Mike asked as soon as Akira stepped inside the house.


    "Well the first half of my day was super awesome, the second half was like even more awesome. But towards the end of my innings, I suffered some minor injuries and I had to retire", said Akira with aical expression on her face.


    "What on earth are you trying to tell me Akira? And what injuries? Did something happened again?", Mike asked all worried. Then he noticed the dressing on Akira ankle and asked,


    "Did you trip on something? Can''t you walk a bit carefully? How did this happen?"


    "Really of all the things I told, you can focus only on my injuries. Aren''t you going to ask why my day was super awesome?" asked Akira in a grumpy tone.


    "Ok fine tell what happened?", retorted Mike.


    "Well to start with Ipleted my assignment which I was supposed to finish today and my boss was super impressed with it. He was so impressed that he actually give me a good job, a real one, on my report, with a pen, with his signature on it. Can you believe that? The whole team was in shock to see it. You should have seen their faces. It was amazing by the way", Akira said gloating in all the glory.


    "Naaaiiceee", said Mike and then added,


    "I always knew that you are going to be a ster performer. nothing shocking for me".


    "Now if your self-gloating is over then can you please bother to tell me what happened to your leg?", asked Mike.


    "Well this happened while I was trying to save a girl from being hit by the cars on the road", Akira said.


    "Shit, are you hurt anywhere else?" asked Mike with his tone filled with concern.


    "I guess there is a bruise on my shoulder de, but nothing serious. But you know what, I am really happy that I could save the girl. She happens to be my boss''s niece", Akira said.


    "Wao, small world", Mike eximed as he was all surprised.


    "Small world indeed", said Akira and left for the washroom to clean up.


    Next, she bandaged her shoulder with great difficulty and then switched onto some light music to soothe her soul. She lied t on her bed and reflected on her day. All she could think about was Raymond. She remembered how he smelled, how his hands which touched her back while tying the scarf gave her goosebumps, how his killer gaze made her heart skip a beat. She was sinking deep in his thoughts into an endless abyss.


    She smiled through the corner of her eyes and then got up. She had to tell her diary about everything that happened. She wrote pages after pages and when she was done, she read it again and concealed her heart with happiness. Then she picked up her phone and texted Vikram.


    "Hey, are you there? Need to talk" - Akira


    "Will call you after 10 minutes" - Vikram


    And true to his words Vikram called after 10 minutes.


    "Hey what''s up?", asked Vikram.


    "I am really sorry but looks like I can''t make it for dinner tomorrow", Akira said apologetically.


    "What happened? All ok?", asked Vikram all concerned.


    "Yeah, all ok. Something else came up and I couldn''t say no. There is this little girl whose birthday party I need to attend tomorrow evening", said Akira.


    "Hmm... I see. You could have done a rain check right?", asked Vikram. He was clearly disappointed.


    "Trust me, I wanted to. But she insisted a lot. Probably she felt indebted as I saved her from being run over by cars. So when she asked me toe to her birthday party with those pleading eyes, I couldn''t say no to her", Akira exined her situation.


    "You got to be kidding me Akira. Some random girl''s life you save and the next thing you know, you are going to attend her birthday party. Are you sane?", Vikram spoke with agitation.


    "Not random, she is my boss''s niece. So technically I know her as I know her mom Katherine. I had met her at the hospital when I was with my boss", replied Akira.


    "So your boss is going to be there too?", asked Vikram. His tone changed suddenly.


    "I don''t think so. It''s just a party for kids and I will givepany to Katherine and help her a bit too", quipped Akira.


    "Ok. Enjoy then", said Vikram and disconnected the call. But inside his heart, he felt unsettled. He somehow didn''t like Akira getting close with the family of Raymond.


    They say that sometimes before something big happens, you sometimes get a vibe about it. This was a vibe for Vikram. He definitely felt it.


    There was something unweing and unsettling about this vibe.

 Chapter 64: Marking the Territory

    <h4>64 Marking the Territory</h4>


    Vikram started sinking deep inside his thoughts. Even though there was nothing going on between Akira and Raymond, he didn''t like the notion of him giving her a ''Good Job''. He didn''t like her chirping about it. He did not like Raymond''s sister inviting Akira to her daughter''s birthday party. He was not liking the whole sequence of events which were happening.


    Vikram had just needed one thing throughout his entire life and that was Akira. He never liked sharing her because he wanted to have all her attention to himself. But at the same time, he never burdened her with his opinions or wishes. His love was the pure kind, which never expected anything back in return.


    When he got to know that she had fallen for some random college guy Anthony a year back, he wanted to vomit his guts out because of the pain. How much he wanted to hold her and tell her to leave that guy ande back to her, but he always refrained himself from doing so. That was perhaps because of the fact that he believed to let the loved ones free. He believed that ''If they also loved you back the same way that you do then no matter how far away they travel, they will alwayse back home''.


    As he sat on his chair thinking about everything, he remembered that one incident, Akira''sst birthday.


    He had gone to Akira''s ce well before midnight to celebrate her birthday. At that time Anthony was already there in Singapore. She waited till 00.10 am expecting him to call her up. But he didn''t. After waiting for another ten to fifteen minutes she said,


    "Let''s cut the cake. Probably the time difference messed him up, else he would have definitely called me sharp midnight."


    He could feel the blossoms in her heart wither away. He could feel the petals turning to dust after falling down. Seeing her feeling so low, even though he didn''t want to, he had immediately texted Anthony asking where he was and to which that moron had replied,


    "I am busy in my team outing dude. Anything urgent?" - Anthony


    "It''s Akira''s birthday. Can you call her up? She is waiting for you to call." - Vikram


    "What? Today is her birthday? Thanks for the headsup man" - Anthony


    And a few minutester, he had called and Akira''s face brightened up like summer. Probably that day he shouldn''t have texted. Probably that day he should have tried to convince her to leave him. But somehow he didn''t. All that he wanted was her happiness, and that was his topmost priority.


    But he was not going to let it happen again.


    He had already left Akira travel once down thene and she came back all broken. So this time he didn''t want to repeat the same mistake again. He didn''t want her to be swayed away randomly by somebody else. This time he decided not to let her wander anymore. It was time that she came back home. It was time that he made her, his own. So with that resolve in his heart, he called her up.


    "Hey, what happened?", asked Akira.


    "Nothing I just forgot to tell you, that tomorrow I am going to your office. So I will drop by your ce tomorrow morning and drive you to Delphie. Sounds good?", asked Vikram.


    "Sounds amazing. Nothing is better than getting a personal chauffeur. How can I say no to the that?", Akira said and giggled.


    "OK then. See you tomorrow. I gotta go. Bye", Vikram said and disconnected the call to make another one.


    "Hello", said Vikram.


    "Hello, Mr Vikram. What a pleasant surprise?", asked Raymond as he was surprised for real to see Vikram calling him at this time.


    "Hey. It''s nothing rted to work. Actually just wanted to thank you for saving Akira''s life. I am indeed indebted to you for that. God knows if something would have had happened, I don''t know how I could have dealt with it", Vikram said.


    "Don''t worry about that. I am just happy that I could help her out at the right time", Raymond said.


    "Hmm. How is your recovery?", asked Vikram.


    "I am totally fine. Just waiting for the stitches to dissolve", replied Raymond.


    "d to hear that. By the way, I sincerely hope that you are happy with the performance of my intern?", Vikram asked.


    "Yes absolutely. Actually, I am indebted to you for rmending Akira for the internship position. To be very honest initially, I was doubtful as to what kind of performance she would give. But at her age, she is performing beyond my expectations. She indeed is a good asset for the team", Raymond replied quite enthusiastically. But somehow it didn''t go well with Vikram.


    "Actually it was a bit too much of me to ask you to personally mentor her earlier as you must be already loaded with work and along with your health issues I do not want you to suffer any further. So it''s totally fine if you assign any team lead as Akira''s mentor", Vikram said and started flipping a pencil anxiously, waiting for the response from Raymond.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. It will be taken care of. I have some bandwidth to take care of her. Plus I never let anything under my capacity to affect my productivity", Raymond said.


    Snap !!!


    The pencil was broken into two.


    Vikram gulped all the bitterness inside and then said,


    "That''s great to know".


    "Anyways, I have some work near your office, so will swing by for a quick visit tomorrow".


    "Well, there is no need for that Mr. Vikram. My recovery is happening pretty fast, so there is no need to take all this trouble", replied Raymond.


    "There is no trouble at all. Anyways I will be dropping Akira to office. So it won''t be an additional detour for me. See you tomorrow", Vikram replied with a smug smile on his face and disconnected the call.


    He needed to mark his territory and he did it well.

 Chapter 65: Trespassing the property

    <h4>65 Trespassing the property</h4>


    The next morning as promised, Vikram arrived at Akira ce around eight o''clock in the morning. He was looking all dapper in his grey colored tailored and custom fit suit. His hair was impable and his white shirt looked like it had been spun from the threads of rays of light. There was no wonder why he had the attention of all the female employees of hispany. But in his mind and heart he doted only on one single person but unfortunately, that person had no idea about it as they were friends since childhood days.


    "Ah, my boss''s boss''s boss has arrived", Akira said and chuckled.


    She was dressed up very casually today. A cropped yellow tank top and a denim jacket paired with blue jeans.


    Vikram''s face beamed up after seeing Akira. She looked like a bundle of joy and happiness.


    "What to do? When the intern with a ''Good Job'' asks you to be her chauffeur, there is legit no way to escape", Vikram said andughed.


    "Uggghhhhh...", Akira got irritated.


    "I knew I should never have told you about it", she said and stormed inside her bedroom to get her bag. When she came out of a room, she saw Vikram sitting on the kitchen b binging on an apple which he had taken out from the fridge. Seeing here back, he said,


    "You are not nning to keep me hungry, are you? Won''t you fix me breakfast? I hope you don''t expect your boss''s boss''s boss to stay hungry", Vikram said and raised a high five at Mike who had just woke up and joined them in the kitchen.


    "Count me in as well", said Mike.


    When she saw both her brother and her best friend ganging up against her, she had no other option than gritting her teeth and making breakfast for both of them.


    "What are your ns for this weekend?", Vikram asked both of them.


    "No ns as of now", Mike said sipping on his cup of coffee.


    "What about you Akira?", Vikram asked.


    "I intend to hatch a full-blown secretive plot to kill one of my mortal enemies over this weekend", retorted Akira while making half fried eggs.


    "And may I know how do you intend to do so?", Vikram asked.


    "Well if I tell you, then it''s not going to be a secret anymore right?", said Akira and rolled her eyes.


    "Hey Mike, you are my witness right now. In case something happens to me over this weekend", then please bring justice on earth by punishing this treacherous woman", Vikram said and put his shoulder around Mike and both shared a goodugh.


    "Who said I am going to kill you. I was talking about John Doe", Akira said and ced a te with toast and eggs in front of Vikram.


    "Were you?", Vikram said looking at Akira.


    "Baby brother now you are a witness for me too. Did I ever say I was going to kill him?", Akira asked and started with the next batch of eggs for Mike.


    And their banter continued...


    ---


    Around 9 am, they both arrived in front of Delphi''s office. Vikram parked his car at the visitor parking area and then escorted Akira towards the main door entrance. They had taken a few steps ahead when Raymond''s car arrived and he got down in front of them.


    "My man", said Vikram and extended his hand towards Raymond for a handshake.


    "Good morning Mr. Vikram. I would have taken your handshake but right now my hand needs a little less of media and a bit more of rest", jested Raymond with a smile.


    "My bad, I forgot that your right arm was injured saving this one", Vikram said ced his arm on Akira''s shoulder.


    Akira''s body wanted to squirm in pain, but she didn''t want either of them to know that she was hurt again and her shoulder was in pain. So she stood there with a straight face but her expressions didn''t go un-noticed by Raymond. He kept his constant gaze at her for a few more seconds and then turned towards Vikram and said,


    "So shall we proceed?"


    "Sure thing", said Vikram and started following him.


    "I will call for a meeting with the project leads so that they can meet with you and give you a brief update about the game development status", Raymond said.


    "That won''t be necessary. I just came here to drop this one and to see if you are doing ok", Vikram said and looked at Akira''s face.


    "I will just have a quick discussion with you rted to the budget n. My finance team has already briefed me with the status update from thest meeting. I just wanted to know more about the forecast for the next quarter", Vikram added.


    "Sure thing. that can be arranged", Raymond said and pressed the elevator button.


    There was an awkward silence in between the three of them till the lift arrived. Akira stood there all silent because one was her boss and one was her boss''s boss''s boss. She didn''t want to mix her private and personal life. She was afraid that Raymond might get a wrong idea about her and Vikram. Raymond didn''t say a word because he was still trying hard to understand the dynamics between the two in front of him. Meanwhile, Vikram was busy trying toprehend the way Raymond was looking at Akira. The three of them were lost in their own deductions when the lift arrived.


    "Ding. Ground Floor".


    As soon as the lift arrived, Akira sighed in relief. Raymond got in first, followed by Vikram and then Akira. The lift was all empty and the three of them were the only people who got in. As Raymond was standing behind at the back, Vikram deliberately ced his arm lightly on Akira''s back after she got in. His whole intention was again to clearly demarcate his property.


    Akira stood there nonchntly because that was normal for her. She was used to Vikram taking care of her this way since long. But somehow this whole thing disturbed Raymond. He was himself not sure why he was getting so much jealous and angry seeing Vikram''s hand on Akira''s back. Akira was not his property, to begin with, but he couldn''t bear to see anyone trespassing her.


    He just couldn''t.

 Chapter 66: Minutes of the meeting

    <h4>66 Minutes of the meeting</h4>


    Drinking up all the anger which was building up inside him, Raymond managed to stay still till the lift arrived at the first floor. He was eternally d that his office was on the first floor, else he would have almost sumbed to the rage which was already burning his heart up.


    Akira stepped out of the lift and Vikram followed her. After walking a few steps when they reached the bifurcation point, Akira said,


    "I will take my leave now. You guys carry on". She waved at Vikram and was about to leave for her cubicle when Vikram interrupted and said,


    "I will send the car for you in the evening. I can''te to pick you up as I have a few things that I need to attend to. Just text me at what time you need to leave".


    "Jeez Vikram, I can just Uber. Stop worrying so much ok? Bye", Akira said and then stole a nce at Raymond who was standing there, gawking at her. Her heart grew restless to see him looking at her that way, so she just decided to walk away to her cubicle.


    "This way please", Raymond said and interrupted Vikram''s thought process.


    While walking Raymond called up David and asked him to arrange for the required fiscal reports which Vikram wanted to check upon.


    Then they both walked towards Raymond''s office silently.


    ---


    After Vikram left, Raymond called for a meeting to expedite the productunch process. First, he had a talk with the finance team and next he called up the graphic design team to check with the development process.


    Before the meeting was to start, Raymond looked at Akira and said,


    "From now on for all the meeting with the graphics team, you will be responsible to prepare the minutes of the meeting. make sure you jot everything down and send it over within the next hour".


    Akira nodded and took out her notebook to take the notes.


    "Brian, can you update me on the level n readiness?", Raymond asked.


    Brian stood up and gave the full report of all the levels which had been made ready by his team. His team had alreadypleted the design of eleven levels and were working on five more. He summarized the n for the next five levels and then sat down.


    Raymond looked satisfied with the progress and said,


    "Great, let''s push to finish that by next week", Raymond said.


    Then he turned towards Simon and asked about the character development status.


    "We are done with the new characters which had been requested to us till Level fourteen. For the next levels, we are working on with Brian''s team to understand the requirements. Once we finalize of the new characters we will start working on them. We have also requested some modifications with the guild n color patterns to make our characters stand out", said Simon and then looked at both Brian and Raymond.


    Raymond gave him an appreciatory nod and then said,


    "After two weeks we have Memorial Day holidaysing up. So we want our game to be ready at that time as the reach of our advertisement will be at peak during that phase. Hope this is clear. Also, our hiring process has beenpleted and new experienced people are going to join the task force. So I am hopeful that from next week onwards we can increase our output."


    "If things are clear, then we can adjourn this meeting as its almost lunch time", Raymond said and locked down hisptop.


    The meeting was happening on the third floor so most of them decided to go directly to the fifth-floor cafeteria. But Akira first wanted to draft andplete the minutes of the meeting before having lunch. So she didn''t enter the lift with others. She was waiting for a lift to go down to the first floor to her cubicle.


    "Noting with us for lunch today as well?", Kirk asked Akira when he didn''t see Akira taking the lift.


    "I will join you guys in 10-15 minutes", Akira said.


    "Ok then. Join us for lunch once you are done. We will wait", Kirk said and lightly bumped his fist on Akira shoulder and entered the lift.


    Akira gasped for air in pain. then she looked up and saw that Raymond''s gaze was fixed on her. He was also waiting to take a lift to go back to his office. Scared that her actions would give away that she was hurt, she decided to leave for her floor by taking the stairs. But before she could even move an inch further, she heard.


    "Come to my office now", Raymond said with a tone filled with so much authority that Akira was nearly startled. He started walking towards the emergency exit without even saying another word. Akira stood there still glued to the floor unable to understand anything.


    "Which part ofing to my office you didn''t understand? or Do you not like taking stairs", Raymond asked her and his voice was raised a bit as he was irritated with her behavior.


    Raymond had known a few things about Akira in thest couple of days. One of them was to stay quiet even in pain. She didn''t say a word when she was emotionally hurt when he said bad things about her parents. She didn''t bother to attend to her injuries till he woke up in the hospital aftering out from the OT. She went for dressing her wounds only when the doctor insisted. Even in office she always covered up properly so that nobody noticed her scars. He was scared that probably Anthony had hit her shoulder earlier and she had decided to keep quiet about it.


    Early in the morning when he saw her flinching in pain he knew that something was wrong and just now when she saw her in pain when Kirk had hit her shoulder, he was sure that she was hiding something and he knew that she was not going to tell until she was forced to.


    "Akira, can you even hear me?", asked Raymond again as he was about to enter the emergency exit to take stairs.


    "The lift is here", Akira said softly.


    Her mind was going wild. She didn''t understand when did she offend him.

 Chapter 67: I am not a pervert and you know tha

    <h4>67 I am not a pervert and you know tha</h4>


    Raymond heard her and came back to the lift.


    Akira was still not sure what was wrong with him and she looked up to him. Her eyes were asking him hundreds of questions. But as there were a few other people also in the lift lobby who were waiting to go down, they both decided to keep quiet and silently went inside the lift.


    When the lift arrived on the first floor, Raymond stormed towards his office room and Akira just followed him silently. She literally had to run to match up with his pace.


    The moment she entered the room and closed the door behind her, he threw a question at her without even waiting for a second.


    "Is everything ok with you?", he asked and clearly, his tone was filled with both concern and irritation.


    "I am totally fine", Akira replied and she tried to sound extra chirpy so that Raymond''s misconceptions were cleared up. She was not sure what he meant by asking her if she was ok. She didn''t know if he meant that she was physically or mentally or emotionally ok. She didn''t even dare to ask after seeing him this irritated.


    Fed up with her answer, Raymond decided to ask her directly.


    "Do you have any pain in your shoulder?"


    "What my shoulder? No", Akira replied instantly.


    Raymond sighed after hearing her.


    "Did Anthony hit you earlier on your shoulder or something like that?", asked Raymond again.


    "No no, why would he do something like that?", retorted Akira.


    "I can''t believe that you are still on a run to defend him. You have already submitted the charges against him. I am not asking you to modify your charges or anything. I am just asking you if he has hurt you", Raymond said and it was very clear that he was irritated to the peak right now.


    "I am not defending him, Raymond. It''s true that he gave me wounds on my neck using the knife, but that''s all. I am not defending anyone here. I am just telling you the truth. Yesterday when I was..."


    But before Akira could finish her sentence, Raymond interrupted her and said.


    "OK, then can you open your jacket for me?"


    Akira gulped in disbelief, as she couldn''t believe what Raymond just said. She stammered and said,


    "Why why do, why should I remove my jacket?".


    This fueled Raymond''s irritation even more and he said,


    "For God''s sake Akira, I am not a pervert. I am not asking you to strip in front of me. I am just asking you to take off your jacket. Can you just simply do that without asking any stupid questions to me?"


    He was not requesting her to take off the jacket. It was more like an order which she didn''t want to follow. But the way he was looking at her at that instant, she caved in. She had no idea how he got to know about her injury. She didn''t have the courage to ask him too. So reluctantly she removed her jacket and stood there without moving a bit.


    His gaze was fixed upon her, but somehow it didn''t make her ufortable, because there was something different in the way he looked at her. She knew that it was a look which meant care and concern and nothing else apart from that.


    "Turn back", Raymond said.


    Akira obliged to him silently and turned back.


    Raymond froze there for a moment. She had two first aid shoulder patches applied on her back. There was another bruise below that part which she had not covered yet as she couldn''t reach it. It still looked fresh.


    Raymond sighed after seeing her in this condition. He felt like a part of him just died. He couldn''t understand how she was able to bear through all of this and act all cheerful in front of others.


    "Why didn''t you get your bruisespletely dressed?", asked Raymond.


    "I couldn''t reach it", Akira spoke with a lower register.


    "What?" asked Raymond again as he couldn''t hear what she was speaking.


    "I couldn''t reach it with my hands", Akira said.


    She was just wearing a tank top and was standing in front of her boss. It could sound hideous to someone else but they both didn''t feel anything awkward. He had a genuine concern for her and she felt every bit of it. She stood there fidgeting with the buckle of her jeans.


    Raymond then saw the position of the wound and immediately understood what she meant. He picked up the first aid box from his draw and walked towards her.


    "Stand still. This will sting a bit", Raymond said and inched closer. He had a cotton pad dipped in the antiseptic liquid in his hand. With every approaching step of Raymond, Akira''s heart started beating even faster. She could practically hear the rhythm.


    He stood there inches away from her for a few seconds, looking ufortably at her back. Then he slowly said.


    "Can you move it a bit away from your shoulder".


    "Huh? Move what?", asked Akira standing there all confused and dazed.


    Raymond cleared up his throat and then again said,


    "Can you move your strap a bit. I need to clean up your bruise".


    Akira stood there mortified after listening to Raymond. She couldn''t understand what was the right thing to do what not to do. She hesitated for a moment but then she didn''t know what gripped her and she slightly moved her strap away, clearing the obstruction on the bruise.


    Raymond was all tensed up inside. He was turning hot like he was running a fever. His ears turned zing red. He gasped for air and then took the Cotton pad and started cleaning her bruise.


    Akira shuddered with his touch. The antiseptic liquid stung like hell. Every time Raymond dabbed on her bruise, she would flinch a bit. Raymond could clearly see that she was in difort and pain. But he had no idea how tofort her or reduce the pain. So he just took his left hand and ced it on her arm. He grazed his thumb lightly on her arm trying tofort her before dabbing on the wound. He was scared that probably she would flinch even more but she didn''t move even an inch.


    She had goosebumps all over her. Her mind and body were all numb. She couldn''t feel anything at that moment. Nothing hurt her anymore, nothing stung her anymore. All her sense of awareness had deserted her.


    Raymond then threw the Cotton pad in the dust bin and took another shoulder patch and applied it on the bruise which he had cleaned up. Akira was still standing there without moving in an inch. Then he picked up her jacket and give it to her and said,


    "Sharing pain does not make you smaller or any less strong. It makes you human."

 Chapter 68: Leaving no stone unturned

    <h4>68 Leaving no stone unturned</h4>


    His words resonated in her head. She could feel that he meant well from the way he looked at her. She took the jacket from him and wore it without saying a word. He wanted to help her to wear it, but it looked like she wasn''t interested. She was struggling to get the right words to speak. She continued looking down and said,


    "I wasn''t hiding. I was just ..."


    And her words were interrupted with a knock on the door.


    It was David again.


    He came in and saw both Raymond and Akira together and he could sense that he had interrupted their conversation again like the day before. He could clearly feel that something was wrong as the whole aura of the room seemed tense. But he didn''t have the courage to dissect and probe further. He looked at Akira and saw that she had her head hung low. So he decided to go ahead and speak his mind out.


    "The delivery guy is here and he has got both the colors", David said.


    "Ask him to get both of them to my office. I will choose and let him know", Raymond said.


    "But there is a slight problem", David said.


    "What?", asked Raymond.


    David then looked at Akira and she immediately understood that she had overstayed her wee in the room. So she looked at Raymond and said,


    "I will send you the minutes of the meeting after lunch", and left the room.


    There were so many things that she wanted to tell him. She wanted to exin to him why she always hid her pain. But first, she had to handle her own heart which was going haywire.


    She rushed to the washroom immediately and sshed water all over her face to calm her nerves. But nothing was helping her out. She then drank ice cold water and took deep breaths. Then she went up to the terrace and sat there silently, feeling the wind on her face. Then she slowly said,


    "How can I ever exin to you the things which are buried deep inside my heart. I learned not to show my pain since long. Don''t break me, Raymond. Don''t make me weak. My heart can''t take it anymore".


    Then she ced a hand on her chest to calm her heartbeats. It was hard for her to forget him. His closeness, his touch, his care, his gaze, his questions were like slow poison. It was spreading slowly but steadily consuming her more and more day after day.


    She sat there silently for quite some time and then left for the cafeteria. She did not want her teammates to wait for her for too long. She was afraid that if she was toote then there would be questions again. And somehow she was fed up of being answerable to everyone.


    ---


    "What is the problem?" Raymond asked David again after Akira had left the room.


    The problem is, you have to leave the office by 5:00 p.m. so that you can attend your niece''s birthday party. But 15 minutes back I got a call from the finance team of Abacus stating that they want to have a video conference meeting at 6:00 p.m. today", David said with a worried look on his face.


    "But why all of a sudden they have decided to have the meeting sote", Raymond asked all worried.


    He didn''t want to bete for the birthday party because he knew that Katherine would be really pissed if that happened. But more than that he was worried that it would break his niece''s heart.


    "I have no idea. Just that they wanted a briefing on the fiscal report", David replied.


    "I do not understand. Today morning only I have discussed it with Mr. Vikram. So what is the need for this meeting? Can you check with the finance team of Abacus?", Raymond asked.


    "Well, I am not sure about it either. I have myself asked the same question to them. But they insisted to have the meeting today so I didn''t resist much", David replied.


    "Ok. I got it. We will handle one thing at a time. Let the delivery guye first. I need to choose the teddy for Kate first. I will try to wrap up the meeting as quickly as possible. Be ready as you might need to cover for me if it gets toote. I can stay for one hour but not more than that," Raymond said and went back to his seat.


    Something was not summing up appropriately. But Raymond was unable to map what.


    ---


    Meanwhile at Abacus Inc.


    "So is that clear to you?", asked Vikram to Mr. Whittaker who was his finance team leader.


    "Yes, crystal. Do you need any other information?", asked Whittaker.


    "No that would be all. But please make sure you go through all the points that I have discussed. I need to have the decision made today itself. So even if it getste please bear to stretch for this one day. But make sure to finalize the budget n by today," Vikram said.


    "My team will be on it", said Whittaker.


    Vikram paused for a while and then said with his expression turning all cold,


    "I don''t care whether it''s 10 or 11 p.m. today, but I need the n ready. I hope that is clear," Vikram said and rxed back on his seat.


    "Sure Mr. Vikram. The report will be on your desk by tomorrow morning. My team and I will make sure of that," Whittaker said and left Vikram''s cabin.


    Even though Akira had told him that the birthday party was only for the kids, Vikram didn''t want to take his chances. So he didn''t leave any stone unturned to make sure that Raymond stayste in office. He was the sort of guy who liked eliminating all the odds. He knew he had to do something to make sure things fell back into ce. He couldn''t just sit at his seat doing nothing, not after when he had seen the way Raymond looked at Akira.


    He knew it was high time to take up the matter to his own hands and raise the stakes high.

 Chapter 69: You are a superhero Aunty !!!

    <h4>69 You are a superhero Aunty !!!</h4>


    Aftering back from lunch, Akira took out her notepad and started working on the minutes of the meeting. Once she was done with it, she sent a mail to all the team members including Raymond. Then she sat for a while at her seat reflecting on what had happened a few hours back.


    Raymond had instructed Simon earlier in the meeting to include Akira in the team activities. So after Simon saw that she was done with her minutes of the meeting he went to her desk and gave her one trial character development work. Akira was really enthusiastic about working on an actual character which could be a part of the game. So she asked all sorts of question to Simon so that she could have rity about the character like the temperament, strength, height, weight, origin et cetera. Once she gathered all the information she started thinking about arbitrary forms of the character in her head and started drawing them one after the other.


    After drawing tons of characters and discarding a couple more, she finally had three designs ready. She took her rough character designs and went to Simon.


    "Hey Simon, I drew a couple of portrayals of the character. Can you please have a look?", Akira asked.


    "Oh sure", Simon said all enthusiastically.


    Kirk, who sat next to Simon, heard him beaming up like a CFL and faked a cough.


    Simon got irked when he heard Kirk mocking him. So he immediately retorted,


    "Do you need some cough drops for your bad throat or maybe a cello tape? Do something cause your voice is killing my creativity".


    Kirk had a goodugh when he heard Simon getting irritated as that was the goal that he wanted to achieve.


    After silencing Kirk, Simon focused his attention on the designs drawn by Akira. He rejected the first one quoting that it was too modern, but when he saw the second one, he was impressed. He said,


    "This one is really quite nice. Just lose the boots and give leather diators to give that authentic rustic feeling".


    "Sure thing," said Akira


    "Have you thought of a color palette?", Simon asked.


    "Well, I was thinking more of cement or grey colored outfit. That would look more natural with her characteristics. What do you think?", asked Akira.


    "Yes, even I think so", said Simon.


    "But I wanted to add one more thing", said Akira.


    "Yes? What''s that?", asked Simon.


    "Well, I wanted to give her red hair. In my head that would give her a more fierce look. Don''t you think so?", Akira asked Simon and threw a quizzical nce at him.


    Simon closed his eyes like he was trying to picture the character with red hair, grey costume and diators. A few secondster he opened his eyes and said,


    "Perfect!!! It''s just perfect".


    Akira was extremely pleased to see his reaction.


    "Ok, so which software have you used for model creation in your courses?", asked Simon.


    "Well in our college Autodesk is preferred but I am also familiar with Make Human as well", Akira replied.


    "Great then. At Delphi we use Autodesk. It should already be installed on your system by our IT. So I assume that you don''t need our help with the tool or anything", Simon said.


    Akira just gave us shoulder shrug after hearing Simon to convey her agreement.


    "Off you go then", Simon said and gave a smile.


    Akira took the design and went back to her seat and started working on it on her system.


    ---


    Around 4:30 in the evening Akira received a text message from Katherine


    "Hi, Aunty !!! Kate here. My party starts at 5.30 pm. I know that you have office, but can you pleasee by 6 pm?" - Katherine


    "Sure my dear Kate. I will be there." - Akira


    "You are awesome aunty. I have told all my friends that you saved me like a superhero. They are super excited to meet you" - Katherine


    "No!!!!! You did not !!! I am no superhero", - Akira


    "Hey sorry, Akira. My little one is a bit chatty. I didn''t know she was texting you - Katherine


    "It''s ok Katherine. She is super sweet and adorable. Tell her that I wille pretty soon". - Akira


    "Yeah pleasee. I am also waiting for you. I cannot handle all these kids alone by myself" - Katherine


    "Sure sure, I will start after half an hour. I will be there before 6 p.m". - Akira


    "Hey, one more thing. Don''t tell Raymond that you are leaving office early anding here. He will be pissed that the working hours of his employee is decreasing because of me. You know how paranoid is he about his work and deadlines right?" - Katherine


    "Haha, I won''t. It will be our secret party." - Akira


    "Now you better wrap up your work. I won''t disturb you any further" - Katherine


    A smile of pure satisfaction spread on Katherine'' face. She loved ying Cupid and right now in her chess board, both Raymond and Akira were her Pawns. Her aim was to help them reach the other side. She was lost in her thoughts when she got a call from Raymond.


    "Hey Kat!!!", said Raymond.


    "Ugh.... howte will youe?", sighed Katherine and asked.


    "What I didn''t even say anything about it. Why are you assuming that I will bete?", Raymond asked all surprised.


    "Oh Com''on Raymond. Like you would have called me to tell me that you areing on time?", sneered Katherine.


    "Hmmm... looks like you know me too well. See, I am not lying, but I have an urgent meeting in the evening. I am going to try my best to wrap it up as early as possible. So just wanted to let you know that I might be a bitte. So don''t freak out ok", said Raymond.


    "I am telling you, you will regret it if youete", Katherine said.


    "Please, Katherine try to understand. I am not doing it deliberately. Please tell Kate as well. I can''t see her getting sad", Raymond pleaded.


    "Fine fine. Don''t sulk now. Try toe as fast as possible. This party will be a wee change for you as you have been working too hard for too long. Anyways we are ustomed to your absence. So this time also we will understand", Katherine said with an emotional tone.


    "I am sorry Kat. I promise I wille no matter what. You have my word", Raymond said and disconnected the call.

 Chapter 70: Avada Kedavra

    <h4>70 Avada Kedavra</h4>


    Around 5.30 pm Akira started wrapping up her work and got ready to leave for Katherine''s house. She booked an Uber which was supposed to arrive in another nine minutes. So she decided to call up Vikram as she didn''t want him to worry about her.


    "Hey there. I am taking an Uber now. So please don''t send your driver to my office ok?"


    "Fine, I won''t argue with you. Just text me once you reach to let me know you are all safe ok", Vikram said.


    "Jeez Vikram, it''s a kids party. You think they are going to eat me up or what?", Akira said and chuckled.


    "God knows if you try saving all of them from some apocalypse or something. You don''t have a glorifying track record of safety and I guess I don''t need to remind you of that time and again", Vikram said all annoyed.


    "Oh really? You better watch out my boss''s boss''s boss. Someday you might need me to save yourself. Huh", Akira said and sneered.


    "You will save me? Oh wow. Joke of the century. Enlighten me how?", Vikram asked.


    "Well, first of all, are you forgetting the episode with your ex-girlfriend and your movie n? Who saved you? I did. And what about the time you went backpacking with your friends and I lied to your mom that it was a science trip funded by the school? Who saved you? Oh wait, I did. How ungrateful of you", Akirained.


    Vikram justughed at the way Akira was trying to prove herself so innocently. Then he said,


    "Fine fine, you win. I lose. Come and save me tomorrow for dinner. You can''t say no as you have already canceled upon me today".


    "Ok ok. You are forgiven. What to do? My heart is so big and I am so magnanimous", Akira said andughed.


    Her phone started buzzing with another call in waiting.


    "Hey gotta go now. My cab is here. Will send you pictures from the party", Akira said and left the office premises.


    ---


    Akira reached Katherine''s ce and rang the doorbell.


    "Hey !!! Come on in !!!"


    "Kate!!! Your Supergirl is here", Katherine said and weed Akira inside.


    "Hiii Aunty!!!", Kate came running and gave a hug to Akira.


    "Hiii!!! How''s your hand? Healing well?", asked Akira.


    "Yeah see", Kate said and showed her elbow to Akira. She had a cute Ben10 band-aid on her elbow.


    "Good good!!!", Akira said and gave a pat on Kate''s head.


    "Where is my gift aunty?", Kate asked all curiously.


    "Kate!!! Didn''t I tell you earlier? You can''t ask for gifts like that," Katherine said and was embarrassed with Kate''s behavior.


    "I am sorry Akira. My daughter is a bit over-curious sometimes", Katherine said reluctantly.


    "It''s ok. She is just a kid," Akira said and took out her gift from her bag and shed it in front of Kate.


    "Here you go", Akira said and gave the gift to Kate.


    Kate who had hung her head low after getting rebuked by her mom, beamed up instantly. She was indeed a pure innocent soul.


    Akira and Katherine both had a greatugh after seeing Kate''s reaction.


    "So how''s the arrangement? All done? Or you need my help with something?", Akira asked while following Katherine towards the dining area.


    "Well, they all want to hear some story or something. An unruly bunch of mini-zombies I must say and are legit killing me with their random requests. Now that you havee it''s your turn to bear the burnt. I have to arrange for pizza for all of them, so can you please take care of this", requested Katherine.


    "Sure thing !!!", said Akira and moved towards the dining area where all the tiny tots were busy raging some sort of Civil War.


    They were all dressed super pretty in amazing frocks and skirts and whatnot. Seeing them all bubbling with happiness and joy, Akira flew back in time when she was also young and naive and her only concern used to be Voldemort. She was a big-time Harry Potter fan. She saw the kids bustling with energy and felt like all the weight on her chest had evaporated. She then clicked a selfie with all the kids in the background and sent it to both Mike and Vikram.


    Meanwhile, Kate had already opened her present and screamed out of excitement,


    "I got a storybook and its the Velveteen Rabbit. Mom look I got the Velveteen Rabbit. You remember dad used to read this out for me when I was a small baby", Kate said and ran to Katherine and showed her the book.


    Katherine fondly gave a kiss on her head and then said,


    "Go and y with Akira Aunty now. She will help to arrange games for you." Then she looked at Akira with an unsaid emotion and Akira instantly understood that she had to take charge of the situation immediately. She wanted to ask about Kate''s dad as she didn''t see him yet, but refrained from asking anything after seeing the way Katherine reacted.


    "Ok now, who wants to see a bit of magic?", asked Akira tuning towards the tots.


    "Me, Me, Me", all the kids started screaming unanimously.


    "Ok then brace yourself to see some levitation in action", Akira said and then took out a balloon from her bag. She took a piece of paper and then tore it into small pieces and kept on the dining table. Then she blew the balloon. Once she was done, she lifted her head up and saw that all the kids had surrounded her with their eyes filled with curiosity.


    Sheughed in her head and said,


    "I can''t do magic alone. I need a volunteer. And since the birthday girl is here I am just gonna pull her up to help me", saying this Akira held Kate''s hand and brought her close and asked her to stand in front of her. She rubbed the bottom of the balloon on Kate''s head a couple of times and kept chanting on and on,


    "Wingardium Leviosa Wingardium Leviosa Wingardium Leviosaaaaaaa"


    Then she lifted the balloon up and screamed,


    "Avada Kedavra"


    and hovered the balloon on top of the paper bits without even touching them.


    Slowly the paper bits started clinging to the balloon, like magic. Like there was some maic pull.


    All the kids went ballistic and started screaming,


    "Avada Kedavra".

 Chapter 71: Bounds of duty and family

    <h4>71 Bounds of duty and family</h4>


    Meanwhile at Delphi''s office video conference was ongoing in full force between Raymond, his finance team and Abacus Inc''s finance team. It was already 7:30 p.m. and Raymond was getting a bit restless as it was already prettyte for the kid''s party and Katherine had started sending him streams of messages continuously.


    "Did you forget your promise? How much more time will your meeting take?" - Katherine


    "Wrap it up fast Ray" - Katherine


    "I am trying Kat. Buy me some more time please" - Raymond


    "They are kids Ray. I can''t push the cake cutting for so long. They need to go home after that." - Katherine.


    "Ok ok, just stretch as much as you can. I have an amazing gift for her. She will definitely not mind me beingte for a few hours if you can jot up some story". - Raymond


    "Look, you ditched her that day on karaoke night. She was very upset that night. You had promised her and then you broke your promise. Did you forget? She took two days to get over that?" - Katherine


    "And today on her birthday are you nning to ditch her again? Do you think some made up reason will be enough to ease the pain of a tiny heart? You are like the only father figure that she has. Don''t do it" - Katherine


    Raymond read thest message and his heart started getting heavy. He doted on his niece. She was his favorite person in the entire world. He could tread all the oceans for her but somehow today he couldn''t even leave a meeting room for her. He started feeling desperate. Half of his attention was in the meeting and the other half was busy thinking of ways to attend the party.


    He remembered the incident couple of weeks back when out of anger he rushed back from the Karaoke Station and didn''t even take Kate inside. He didn''t even justify his actions nor did he give her a solid reason why he did that. He was repenting for the way he behaved that day. Poor Kate, she had no fault in all this and yet she had to suffer. With each passing minute, an extrayer of guilt was piling on Raymond''s heart.


    He wanted to reschedule the meeting so bad. He initially wanted to split the meeting into two parts and schedule the second part tomorrow. But he was unable to do so. His heart just wanted to leave the room at that instant, but he couldn''t as that could have jeopardized the budget setting meeting. He alone could have taken the risk but not at the expense of the future of hispany and the people who worked for him. He had already tried pushing the meeting to another day but the team from Abacus was not happy about it. Strangely they were fixated on having the budget decisions finalized today itself.


    The meeting was stretching on infinitely as they had to discuss regarding each and every minute details starting from expenses on media, advertisement to setting the price of the game at each level every country wise where they aimed to distribute their game. It wasn''t something that could be done in minutes. It needed hours and hours of intense discussion.


    Raymond very well knew the importance of the meeting. But on the other hand, he didn''t want to disappoint his niece any further. His presence was mandatory in the meeting and there was no way to push the timings. So he felt all tied up within the bounds of duty and family.


    After a while, his phone screen was again lit up again with Katherine''s message.


    "We are going to cut the cake. At least you could have done a video call right? You don''t even have a few minutes to spare?" - Katherine


    "I m still stuck in the meeting Kat. But I wille no matter what. Trust me on this one please" - Raymond


    "Fine if work is so much more important than family then you stay there. There is no need toe back. I have supported her all alone by myself. I don''t know why I was counting on you" - Katherine


    After reading this the timer on Raymond''s patience was set off. He knew he had to do something. Something that would give him an escape without hurting the future of his project. He had to do something very tactfully without offending the team from Abacus as they were also investing their precious time and money here.


    It was high time so he immediately pinged David,


    "Switch to n - B now. PRONTO"


    "On it", David replied.


    After texting David, Raymond kept listening to the meeting with rapt attention and provided his feedback from time to time. Suddenly after a couple of minutes,


    David fell down from his seat and suddenly started having epileptic seizures. His whole body was contorted and his eyes were rolled up awkwardly. Raymond immediately rushed to him and picked him up. He screamed and asked his teammates to call his driver to get his car on the main gate as an ambnce would take too much time toe and he didn''t want to waste a single moment. Time was precious here. There was a sudden surge of silence that spread in the room.


    When Raymond came out of the office door, he saw his car along with his driver in front of the main gate. He immediately ced David inside his car in the back seat. Few of his worried teammates also came there immediately taking the stairs. When Raymond saw them, he instructed,


    "Inform the Abacus team about the predicament of the situation. We will re-schedule the meeting for tomorrow. I am taking him to Hospital. Please keep me updated about the status. Don''t worry I will take care of him."


    His team-mates nodded in unison and wished him luck and asked him to take care of David.


    Raymond then got in the car and his car sped through. A few secondster a devilish grin spread on his face when he heard David saying,


    "Wooh that was some escape!!!"

 Chapter 72: Rapt attention

    <h4>72 Rapt attention</h4>


    "Sometimes your ingenuity freaks me out. I am not sure whether I should appreciate you or be scared of you", David said and adjusted his clothes in the back seat.


    "Well, it depends how you want to interpret it.", Raymond said and smiled.


    "Switch off your phone in case people start calling you to know which hospital we went to", Raymond added and switched off his own phone as well. But before that he texted Katherine


    "Started from office" - Raymond


    Katherine saw the message and was ted from the bottom of her heart. Although the cake cutting was done and most of the kids were already done with food, she was still happy that at least he would be able to make it in the end. She had not told Akira a word about his arrival and the clueless girl was happily running here and there taking care of the kids. She was a joy to watch.


    Seeing the way she was taking care of the kids and the way she helped her in arranging the party, Katherine was pretty sure that Akira was a perfect fit for her brother. She was smart, sensitive, caring and to top it off she had a very positive attitude towards everything. She was a self-made woman and Katherine loved this aspect of her.


    Parents of all the kids came in gradually and started picking up their kids. Only one of Kate''s friend Regina was left to be picked up. After ying together for quite some time both Kate and Regina got tired and slept off on the couch. Akira saw them and returned to Katherine who was cleaning stuff up in the kitchen and said,


    "Hey, they both have dozed off. What to do?"


    "Oh, Kate slept already?", Katherine asked in surprise and became worried that Kate slept off without even meeting Raymond who was supposed to reach any moment now.


    Although it was Raymond''s fault that he was reachingte, but Katherine was cursing herself for not being able to keep her daughter awake for a little while more.


    "Umm.... ok then. Can you help to put her in her bedroom? I will try to contact Regina''s mom", Katherine asked looking at Akira hopefully.


    "Oh yeah. Sure thing", Akira said and marched towards Kate and picked her up carefully in her arms and started towards her bedroom.


    Katherine looked at her walking away with Kate. She was happy to see them bonding so well together. It was very important because she didn''t want Kate to be jealous of her. She knew how deeply attached Kate was with Raymond and the inclusion of a third person would have definitely flipped Kate out. But seeing that Kate was so fond of Akira, she sighed out in relief.


    Then she took her phone and called up Regina''s mom.


    "Hi, Antares. It''s me", said Katherine.


    "Hey, I am still stuck at the hospital as there is an emergency bypass surgery case. I was just about to text you right now. I will be needing a huge favor from you. Can you please drop Regina at my ce? My mom is there at home but she can''t drive at night. I am really sorry for the trouble", Regina said all apologetically.


    "Oh, c''mon. Can''t I do this much for you? How many times have you helped to drop Kate back to my ce when I had my toe fracturedst summer. Not at all a problem dear. Consider it done", Katherine said and kept the call.


    Then she walked up to Kate''s room and saw Akira running her fingers through Kate''s hair and was tapping rhythmically on her back. Her eyes almost welled up to see the way Akira was taking care of Kate and was helping her sleep peacefully. She cleared her throat lightly and waved at Akira. When Akira heard Katherine, she got up from the bed and came near her.


    "I have to go to drop Regina at her ce as her mom is busy with some emergency. So I need a favor from you. Can you please stay here with Kate till I drop Regina ande back? I don''t want her to stay alone at home while I am away. Hope that''s ok? Or is it toote for you?", Katherine asked Akira.


    "Hey, it''s totally fine. But the problem is Regina might get up when you take her back home. She is also sleeping fast on the couch", Akira said.


    "That''s totally fine, I will manage. Will see you in 20 minutes", said Katherine and went down.


    After Katherine left Akira hovered around in the room to pass her time. On the study table, she found Kate''s iPod and earphones. She plugged it in and started going through her ylist. She had quite a nice collection of songs and Akira immersed herselfpletely listening to Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez numbers.


    Kate''s bedroom was quite spacious and Akira started moving a bit here and there along with the beat of the songs. She was a trained ssical dancer so she couldn''t keep her toes tied up after switching to some dance numbers.


    The beats of the song were pulsating into her and she started swaying as the tempo of the beats increased. She was moving swiftly with the rhythm, swaying her body from left to right. She was totally immersed in the song and danced her heart out like there was no tomorrow. She was dancing leaving all her inhibitions away, as after so many days she had a good normal day in her life.


    With every bob of her head, every jiggle of her shoulders, with every gyration of her hips she was looking more and more attractive.


    He watched her with rapt attention. His eyes didn''t even blink once, like a ck hole linearly approximating and capturing every shift in her co-ordinates as she swirled around. His lips parted with awe and desire to see her move like that. Every jerk of her waist, every wave of her body, every flip of her hair sucked the breath out of him. He wanted to make her his own right there at that moment like he was possessed by his own demons.


    Then suddenly she stopped and took the earphones out and turned back.

 Chapter 73: Come back to Earth

    <h4>73 Come back to Earth</h4>


    The erratic beats of his heart resonated throughout the room. The moment she turned back and found him looking at her like that, she lost her footing. The slownguid smile across his face caused her heart to take a break. Sheepishly she dug her head low at once but then she sensed him take a step forward. She looked up for a quick nce but she had no idea when her nce turned into a gaze. He was intrigued with the way she returned his nce and took a deep dive into hers. Loose strands of hair strewn all across her face did nothing but amplify her attractiveness. He couldn''t help himself being mesmerized to an extent that he forgot what speech was.


    There was something about the way he looked at her like he wanted to make her his own like she was some long lost prized possession. He wanted to devour on her and his eyes spoke his intentions. She couldn''t handle it and stole her eyes which were locked into his. Her own breath had turned torrid and her throat ran dry. She didn''t know what sort of energy was pulsating inside her but she knew that it was one hell of a weird kind, awakening her inner desires. She had no idea how long he had been watching her. She had no idea of the thoughts running restlessly inside his head. But she was sure of at least one thing, she had his attention.


    "Back to earth, back to earth Akira", she screamed at herself in her thoughts. She cleared her throat and then ced Kate''s iPod back on the table. Words were hesitating to emanate from her. Finally, she mustered up some courage by tapping on her sanity and asked,


    "Why, When I mean you here?"


    She had almost lost her basic ability to speak and was chocking on her own words.


    He finally lowered his gaze after hearing her speak. He leaned a bit on the door and said,


    "I came for her birthday party, but got a bitte".


    He then cleared his throat and asked,


    "What are you doing here? And where is Katherine?"


    "Oh, actually she went to drop one of the girls who came to this party as her mom was unable toe and pick her up. So she asked me to stay back as she didn''t want to leave Kate alone, all by herself", Akira exined.


    "I see", Raymond said and nced at his watch. it was already about 10:10 p.m. Seeing him looking at his watch restlessly Akira said, "She will be back pretty soon. She told me that it will just take a few minutes to drop Regina at her ce", Akira said and then silently started to stare at random things in the room trying to avoid his nce.


    "You didn''t tell me that you wereing here", Raymond asked and Akira could clearly sense that even with his questions he wasn''t reprimanding her.


    "Actually Kate had invited me yesterday and I thought of telling you in office but then ..."


    Akira said and her voice trailed off as her thoughts revolved around the incident which happened in the morning. Her mind was engulfed again with vivid images of him standing so close to her, tending to her wounds and messing with her heartstrings.


    "Then?", Raymond questioned back as she had left her sentence midway.


    "I mean I would have told you but then David came in and I got busy with some work and then came here. I had no idea that you wereing else".....


    She couldn''t finish her sentence. She had to shut herself up from blurting her heart out. She was behaving like she was on some love potion.


    "Brace, breathe, think", she told herself multiple times.


    "Else?", Raymond asked her again. He wasn''t able to understand why she was leaving her words midway and dropping him off a cliffhanger.


    "Oh, else I would have tagged along with you and I could have saved my money spent on Uber".


    Raymond couldn''t stop himself fromughing after hearing what she just said. He couldn''t believe that all that she could think of was about the Uber Fare. Then he remembered the way she had asked about the choctes in the flight if they wereplementary and ayer of pure satisfaction spread on his face. The satisfaction of unraveling her innocent side, the satisfaction of tapping on to her raw side.


    "Why are youughing?", Akira asked all worried.


    "Nothing", said Raymond and retracted hisugh back. He could clearly see that she was a bit annoyed. Her tiny brows were raised upwards and her hands were folded in the front in defense. He sensed her annoyance and decided to change the topic.


    "How is your shoulder? You still have pain?", he asked.


    "You are trying to escape from my question aren''t you? We are not in your office right now. So even though I am an intern, I can still question you right?", asked Akira.


    Raymondughed, even more, hearing her speak this way. Even though she was annoyed and angry, he found her behavior quite amusing, like she was dipped in a syrup of cuteness. No matter what she said, or how annoyed she was, she was bing more and more appealing for him. She had be a drug that ran through his veins.


    "Fine don''t tell", Akira said with a slightly annoyed voice and stormed out of the room.


    He turned towards her when she was about to cross him and before she could take a step outside Kate''s bedroom, she came to a halt.


    He had edged his hand forward towards hers. First, she felt his fingertips touch the bare skin of her palm and then slowly they grazed forward and twined themselves with hers. She could feel his warmth radiating from his palm on hers. His hand hadfortably locked onto hers. She turned back in surprise and looked at him.


    Her eyes were filled with thousands of unanswered questions.

 Chapter 74: Its Friday night !!!

    <h4>74 It''s Friday night !!!</h4>


    To see him looking at her like that, her muscles tensed and she pulled her hand away from his. He immediately retracted his hand and clenched his fist and shoved his hand inside the pocket of his pant, but he couldn''t rece her warmth, her pulse, her delicateness. His heart longed for it.


    Her eyes were still hovering on his face.


    He cleared up his throat and asked,


    "Where are you going?".


    "I was nning to go back home. Now that you are here, Kate won''t be left alone. Tell Katherine that I really enjoyed this party a lot", Akira said and turned back after throwing a quick nce at him.


    "But didn''t you just say that she will be back in a few minutes? Tell her yourself that you are thankful. She would feel better. Plus I am not a pigeon to transfer your messages", Raymond said.


    Hearing him she turned back again.


    Seeing that he had her attention back, he said,


    "And please don''t leave else she will think that probably I scared you away".


    Then he gave out a sly smile.


    Akira scratched her head a bit thinking about what to do and what not to. Finally, she decided to stay for a bit and said,


    "Well, I guess it won''t hurt me to stay a few minutes more. Plus I can help to clean the mess down".


    Saying this she started climbing down the stairs.


    "Umm wait!!! I wille and help you as well. It doesn''t look good for our guest who hase to our ce for the first time to do the chores", Raymond said and followed her down.


    Akira went to the kitchen and started tidying up the pantry b. Raymond stood outside the kitchen for a while watching her cleaning up the mess swiftly.


    They never had a normal conversation outside the office. This was the first time they were meeting each other out of the bounds of work, so it was a bit awkward for both of them. They both busied themselves in cleaning up the kitchen stealing, asional nces at each other.


    Apart from asional crumpling noise of the chips packets strewn here and there that Akira was gathering, a deafening stark silence engulfed the space between them. They both wanted to breach it but were unsure as to how?


    "Do you dance?", asked Raymond, trying to break the shackles of the hounding silence.


    Akira looked up at him, started with his sudden question. She pushed her locks behind her ears and said,


    "Yeah, I do".


    "Hm.. it shows", Raymond shrugged his shoulders and said.


    "What do you mean? " asked Akira curiously. She left the packet down that she had picked and turned towards Raymond with her full attention.


    "I mean it''s evident that you like dancing", Raymond said and looked at her. Her eyes were still filled with a look full of a question mark. It didn''t look like she was satisfied with his answer.


    Raymond sighed and said,


    "Your moves are pretty graceful. It''s a delight to watch you dance. So it''s evident that you like dancing and probably practice too."


    Her expressions rxed after hearing him say that.


    Her eyes were now fixated upon the wall. It looked like she was struggling with something. She wanted to tell something but was hesitant. But after a while she said,


    "My mom was a trained ssical dancer. She taught me how to dance since I was a kid. I really miss that time. It was like our special "us" time, you know. Only me, my mom and all that music. We used to dance for hours together and sometimes dad used to get irritated because we will skip lunch and then binge on somethingter. I wish I had a quarter of her grace and skill."


    Her voice started trailing. She was lost in the old but beautiful memories. She sighed and looked at him and then realized that she had been carried away because of her emotions.


    "I am sorry, I just got a bit carried away. I don''t know why I am sharing all this with you", she said and turned back to pick up the wrapper back.


    The stone cold heart of Raymond which was devoid of any emotions melted like wax after hearing what she said. He wanted to go close to her, embrace her in his arms andfort her. He remembered the way she had cried at her parent''s grave on the day of the interview. He knew that she was over attached with her parents and the void of their loss was still like a gaping wound in her heart. He took a few steps ahead and stretched his left arm, wanting to just tap on her shoulder to tell her that it was ok, but then refrained himself from doing so.


    "What are you two doing?", Katherine said as she walked inside holding her keys. She was surprised to see them together and that too doing household chores together. They looked like a perfect couple sorting out household stuff.


    They both looked towards her.


    Akira smiled at her and said,


    "I thought of leaving after meeting you, so while I was waiting I thought to clean the mess up so that you can sleep a bit early. Today has been taxing for you."


    "Did you hear that? This is called as ''real'' concern", Katherine said, mocking at Raymond.


    "Hey, that''s rude. I have been helping too. Can''t you see?", Raymond said and waved the cleaning cloth at her, which he was holding.


    "Stop your drama, Raymond. You don''t even pick up your te after finishing eating. Just holding a cloth doesn''t make any difference", Katherine said with a definite and deliberate poking voice.


    "Hey, can you tell her how helpful I was?", Raymond said looking at Akira.


    Akira giggled hearing the friendly banter and said,


    "Ya Katherine, he did help".


    "Oh, you just shut up and stop pleasing your boss. You think buttering him up will get you a raise or what?", Katherineughingly said and mocked Akira too.


    "And you Mr, don''t think you can escape from me. Is this the time toe to someone''s birthday party?", Katherine hissed and then ced her keys in the key bowl and came forward to hug her brother.


    Akira took all the wrappers that she had collected and threw them in the dustbin. Then she cleaned her hands and said,


    "Thanks for the amazing party Katherine. I had real fun after so many days. I really had a good time".


    "I am d that you came, dear. What would have I done without you?", Katherine said with gratitude filled in her voice.


    "Ok then, now that you are back, I will go home now. It''s quitete", Akira said and opened Uber app on her phone to book a cab.


    The moment Raymond heard that she was about to leave, a sudden pang of desperation hit him. He didn''t want her to leave, but this time he had no solid reason to make her stop. His face was clothed with despair. But it didn''t go unnoticed by her sister.


    Before Akira could finish her booking, Katherine said,


    "C''mon Akira, Its Friday night. All the kids had fun but what about me?"

 Chapter 75: Mac and cheese

    <h4>75 Mac and cheese</h4>


    Raymond beamed with hope after hearing what Katherine said. He looked at her, trying to convey unsaid gratitude.


    "You are wee", said Katherine, mouthing her words in his direction silently.


    Akira stood there in surprise and before she could even try to utter a word further, Katherine came forward and snatched the phone from her hand and said,


    "C''mon Akira. It''s just 10.45 pm and it''s Friday night. Don''t let me sulk alone. Give us somepany for God''s sake. You gave so much attention to all the random bunch of kids today so you can spare some for us too right?"


    "But it''s alreadyte Katherine and you should rest too", said Akira, trying to escape from the invitation.


    "Oh bollocks!!!, I will rest tomorrow. The onlypany I get is of all other moms like me or patients. And all we do is crib about kids pooping and being unruly or about some eczema that just doesn''t go and so on and so forth. So for a change give me somepany girl. let me feel young again",


    Katherine said, acting all dramatic.


    "Finally some perks of having an overdramatic sister", Raymond thought in his head andughed.


    Akira slightly giggled after listening to Katherine''s endless rant.


    "Stop being so over dramatic, Kat", Raymond said.


    "Should I?", Katherine said and winked at Raymond.


    Raymond threw the cleaning cloth at Katherine and said,


    "You better stop bbering nonsense and give me something nice to eat. I am hungry as hell".


    "Oh really? Wait, I will order something nice for you", Katherine said.


    "There is no food left? Really nothing is left for me? You invite me but don''t even arrange food for me. Great !!!", Raymond eximed sarcastically.


    "Ordering food will take another half an hour and by that ..."


    "I can quickly make some Mac and cheese for you if you want?", Akira interrupted Raymond halfway through.


    Raymond heard her say that and looked at her for a while with disbelief. Then without even saying a word, he went upstairs. Akira couldn''t understand what went wrong. She looked at Katherine helplessly with a puzzled expression. She could not understand if she offended him in any way.


    Katherine looked at Akira''s worried expression and came close to her and said,


    "It''s not your fault that he is upset. He just misses mom."


    "What happened? Is she???", Akira couldn''t ask further.


    "She left us a couple of years ago. I havee to terms with it with time but Raymond was very much attached to her. So even now her memories are painful for him. She used to make Mac and Cheese for us as midnight snack whenever we use to crib about being hungryte in the night. So probably he just remembered all that and got a bit upset, you know. Don''t take it on yourself. Its none of your fault." Katherine said and gently held Akira''s hand tofort her.


    She heard Katherine and then looked upstairs. All this time this guy was tending to her feelings, making sure she was alright, worried about her pain but deep down he was carrying the baggage of his own sorrows, bottled up tight so that not even a drop of it could spill anywhere. She stood there in silence for some time trying to figure out what to do?


    She asked Katherine to help her find the ingredients and quickly made a portion of Mac and Cheese. She then handed the bowl to Katherine and said,


    "Can you please pass this on to him? He must be very hungry by now".


    Katherine held the hot piping bowl for a moment and then she gave it back to her and said,


    "You better go and give it to him. I am feeling sleepy now".


    "What? What about all the slogans you gave a few minutes back about wanting to get young, wanting to enjoy the night?" Akira asked, all surprised.


    "My mind is fickle. What can I do?", Katherine said and shrugged her shoulder and marched away upstairs towards her room. Then she halted midway, looked down at Akira who was standing rooted at the same position in the kitchen and said,


    "Do you like serving cold food to people?"


    "Huh...", eximed Akira unable to understand anything.


    "He is in the top floor bedroom", Katherine said and then without even waiting for Akira''s reply, she went ahead without even turning once.


    Akira stood there dumbfounded and stumped after being deserted by Katherine. After mustering a little bit of courage, she went upstairs to the top floor and knocked lightly on the bedroom door.


    "Come in", his voice was hoarse.


    Akira went in near the table where he was sitting and ced the bowl in front of him. He looked like aplete mess. His eyes were a bit misty. Probably he had shed a drop or two tears. He looked ufortable. She wanted to hug him tight and tell him that it was going to be ok. She could very well understand the pain that he was going through and she was a traveler in the same boat. She knew how bad it could get sometimes.


    Even though she was standing so close to him, he did not look up even once. She could not understand whether she was even wee in that room or not. She decided to leave but before that, she just wanted to make sure that he ate.


    "I made this especially for you. Hope you will like it", Akira said and looked at him. He was still looking down and just said,


    "Ok"


    She didn''t know what to do next or what to say next. She stood there for sometime ufortably in silence.


    When he didn''t move an inch from his position for a while, she felt that it was about time that she left. She again looked at him and said,


    "Please eat it. Don''t stay hungry. Your mom''s heart will ache to see you hungry and upset like this. So at least eat for her sake".


    He finally looked at her after hearing her say that. He didn''t say a word but his expressive eyes were calm and still like an ocean stays still before an uing storm.


    "I will take my leave then", she said and looked at him.


    "Stay", he said again with a hoarse voice.


    "Huh...", Akira blinked in surprise.


    "It''ste. I will drop you home", Raymond said.

 Chapter 76: Let it go !!!

    <h4>76 Let it go !!!</h4>


    "It''s prettyte, so I can''t let you go alone by yourself", Raymond said dismissively.


    "It''s not gotte at all. Plus I am a big girl and I can take care of myself. I will share my Uber trip with you so that you can know about my trip details. You just eat and take rest. That''s paramount right now", Akira said and was about to leave the room.


    "Can you then at least stay while I eat?", Raymond said and looked up at her.


    Akira stood there stupified by his request. She knew he was vulnerable and weak at that instant and so she decided to stand next to him.


    "I am sorry for earlier. It was rude of me the way I left", Raymond said, with his head hung low.


    "Hey, it''s totally fine. You are overthinking", Akira said.


    He then looked at the bowl of Mac and cheese and said,


    "My mom was an amazing cook. She would take a few basic ingredients and whip out an amazing restaurant ready dish in no time but this was one of my favorites". His hands quivered as he took a spoonful of Mac and cheese and ate it. It was the first time since her mother had passed away, that he was eating it. He always used to avoid anything or any topic rted to her, because in his heart he had nevere to terms with the fact that she had left him.


    He felt like he had a lump in his throat. His voice started cracking. He wanted to say something but he couldn''t. His heart was in an emotional turmoil and he was feeling all helpless.


    She saw him struggling and came closer.


    He didn''t know what to do. The pain was pressing hard on him. When he lost his mother he felt like he had hit the rock bottom. But today the pain, the void that he was feeling was unsurmountable like fate had loaded twenty feet of guilt on top of him and on top of thatid rock bottom.


    His eyes were brimming with tears. Tears that he wanted to hide from every single person in the world. Tears that he had never shed in front of Katherine as well. But somehow in front of her, he let his gates open. She was someone whom he had hardly known for a week, but he felt like he shared something strong and something deep with her.


    Akira couldn''t bear to see him that way and inched closer. Her own heart was shredding into pieces after seeing him this way. She just wanted to hug him tight and wipe away his tears but somehow she was restraining herself.


    He looked up towards her and there was a sense of despair in those eyes. Upon seeing them she couldn''t stop herself. She went even closer and ced her hand on his shoulder and gently caressed him. She didn''t say a word but thefort she gave him couldn''t be measured in millions.


    He let the torrent of his tears flow endlessly. This was probably the first time ever that he had cried like this after his mother had passed away. He had always hidden behind a shell acting all strong but today the surging pain took away all his inhibitions. He slowly raised his arms and embraced her waist and then slowly pulled her close. She was perplexed for a moment but then she caved in. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his shoulder, running her fingers through his hair while he kept hugging her and cried burying his face in her body.


    His tears had soaked through her dress but she didn''t care. With every passing moment, he gripped her tighter and had locked her in his arms, like he was scared to let her go. His warm tears were piercing through her skin. She wanted to contain the storm that had been raising inside his chest. She wanted to absorb all his pain and set him free. His feelings and emotions were so pure and true at that moment that she couldn''t stop her own tears from running down.


    She didn''t realize the effect of his pain on her. Streams of tears ran from her eyes and then slowly startednding on him. A few momentster, when he rposed himself, there was a sudden tactile experience of wetness everywhere. He saw the wet patch on her top and felt the wetness in his hair and realized that she was also crying all along.


    He lifted his head up and realized that he had been crying, burying his face on her body and holding her waist like a kid. So he hurriedly released his grip around her.


    The moment he removed his hand from her waist with a sudden jerk, Akira realized what she had been doing and hurriedly took a step back. She swept away her tears with immediate swift strokes as she didn''t want him to know that she was also crying all day long.


    "You ok?" he asked and looked at her fondly.


    She nodded without even raising her head up


    Raymond sighed and breathed an air of relief. The bundles of emotions which had been chained inside his heart for so long finally got released today. He felt a bit lighter. He was amazed at the power that she had over him. There was something about her presence that made him more human. He looked up at her.


    She was still standing there awkwardly and was drawing random shapes on the ground with her foot. Probably she was nervous. The intimacy and closeness that they had shared made her go all scarlet.


    "I am sorry, I ruined your clothes", Raymond said looking at her.


    "Huh", Akira eximed in surprise.


    "I mean your top", he said and pointed at the wet patch on her top.


    "Oh, this!!! This is totally fine. Don''t even worry about it. Unless you have wiped your nose as well".


    She said and looked at him with a smile etched on her face.


    His eyes twinkled with mirth as he listened to her and a smile plucked at the corners of his mouth.

 Chapter 77: Rosy and Viole

    <h4>77 Rosy and Viole</h4>


    They just smiled with their eyes and looked at each other fondly. They understood each other so well. Without saying much they could clearly understand each other''s pain and state of mind.


    Raymond got up from his chair and got some wet wipes for Akira from the washroom.


    "Here", he said and handed the wipes to Akira. Then he went inside the washroom and washed his face and came back.


    His face and his upper body was all wet. He had folded the sleeves of his crisp white shirt and had opened a couple of his top shirt buttons. He had a chiseled chest and his strong arms were making him look all so attractive. Even though his body was d with a shirt, it took no guessing how well maintained and toned it was. Akira saw his figureing out of the bathroom, oozing out all this masculinity and gasped for air. Her eyes wanted to focus on anything else possible present in the room apart from him. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn''t. Her entire focus shifted to him. She didn''t know but unknowingly she had started admiring him. She absentmindedly started chewing on her nails out of all the nervousness and then started touching her lips while her eyes were busy admiring his stature.


    "What?", Raymond asked when he saw her gawking at him. Well, to be honest, he liked the way she had channeled all her attention towards him.


    "Huh... nothing?", she said all guilt trodden and stole her eyes and started fiddling with a paper clip that she had found on the desk. Heughed in his head seeing her struggling with her thoughts this way. He threw the face towel on the bed and came towards her takingrge strides.


    He was in such close proximity that Akira couldn''t breathe. Her head was still hanging low staring at the ground. The pit in her stomach was expanding exponentially engulfing her away, bit by bit. He smiled again and then took the paper clip from her hand and ced it back on the desk. He ced his hand on her shoulder gingerly, taking care not to touch her wounds and gently pushed her back onto the chair and said.


    "Sit. it''s not the office that you have to wait for my permission."


    Akira sank in the chair without saying a word.


    He picked the bowl from the desk and started eating the Mac and cheese. It was a bit cold by now but still tasty. Akira saw him eating peacefully, sitting on the bed and somehow deep down felt good about it.


    "You cook well", Raymond said after having a few spoonfuls.


    "Umm", said Akira and quickly nced at her watch.


    "Don''t worry I will drop you at your ce and don''t say no because you know that you will save on the Uber fare", Raymond said and winked at her.


    Akira stared hard at him. The Raymond she knew was never this cocky. This was new but she smiled. She was relieved that the environment there had lightened up a bit.


    "So how is your character design going on?", asked Raymond.


    "Going really well. I did three designs for one character and one of them was approved by Simon, so I am working on that one", Akira said all enthusiastically.


    "We have also worked on the color palette to suit the guild and we.."


    Suddenly Akira''s phone buzzed and interrupted their conversation. She picked up the phone instantly as it was Vikram''s call.


    "Where are you now? why haven''t you been replying to my texts?", asked Vikram.


    "Oh sorry, I had put it in vibrate mode so didn''t realize", Akira said.


    "Are you back home yet?", Vikram asked impatiently.


    "I will start from here in another five - ten minutes", Akira said.


    "How will youe alone sote in the night. Send me the location. I will pick you up", Vikram said with a tone filled with concern and irritation too.


    Akira turned back looking at Raymond replied, " Don''t worry, I won''t take a cab. Raymond will drop me".


    Blood boiled inside Vikram''s body instantly. His brows furrowed instantly after hearing Raymond''s name.


    "I thought it was a party for the kids", Vikram asked.


    "Yeah, it was. He came in a few minutes back. He had some urgent meeting it seems and couldn''t make it to the main party", Akira exined.


    "But I heard that his assistant had some urgent health issues and he had gone with him to the hospital. He is back so early?", Vikram asked all surprised.


    "Who? David?", Akira asked all surprised and worried. She then immediately turned towards Raymond and asked him,


    "What happened to David? Is he all right? You didn''t say anything about it. Where is he admitted?", Akira asked all worried.


    "Don''t worry he is all fine. He gets fits asionally. He is resting at his home now after consulting a doctor", Raymond said and continued eating.


    "I see", Akira said and continued back to her phone.


    "He is resting after consulting the doctor", I checked with Raymond right now.


    "Yes, I heard", Vikram muttered angrily. He was not able to digest the thought of her and Raymond together under the same roof.


    "Go back home Akira, it''ste. Call me once you reach", Vikram said and kept the call.


    He couldn''t believe that he was letting her slip away this time again. He was sure that she didn''t have any feelings harbored inside her for Raymond but he knew that it was not the same the other way around. He had seen the way Raymond looked at her and he knew it was not tonic.


    Akira kept the call and when she turned back she saw that Raymond was done with the food. She was happy to see the empty bowl. Raymond had already picked up his jacket and car keys and when he heard her disconnect the call, he said,


    "Let''s go".


    ---


    She got down from the car and started walking towards her door. Raymond suddenly got out from his car in a fit and stopped her by gripping her hand.


    "Hey, thanks for today", he said sincerely.


    "Good night Raymond", Akira smiled and looked at him.


    He had her hand held in his own for a moment. But in the next moment, he felt the sweat from her hands so he let her go. She took a few steps towards her house but then turned back and waved at him again. He stood there till she went inside the house and closed the door behind her.


    Then he started his car and went back home with anguid smile on his face. She stood behind that door trying to calm her racing heart down. She then lifted her hand which he had held a few minutes ago and looked at it for a moment before cing it on her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    They both were painted in the color of happiness.


    But not everything was all Rosy and Violet. A few meters away from Akira''s house, sat a guy in his car with his brows furrowed and his fists clenched. He was conjuring all his strength to keep himself calm but it looked like he was running out of patience.

 Chapter 78: All the tossing and turning

    <h4>78 All the tossing and turning</h4>


    Mike turned back and saw Akira leaning back on the door. She was acting all funny and weird.


    "Hey, what''s wrong? Is everything ok with you?", Mike asked.


    "No, I am also fine. Actually, I have never been better", Akira said and waltzed to her bedroom.


    She lied on her bed and started recollecting each and every moment that she had spent with Raymond in slow motion. Her heart was filled with mushiness. She plugged in her earphones and started listening to some love songs. After a while, she restlessly started flipping her phone.


    After much hesitation and contemtion, she texted him,


    "Did you reach home safely?" - Akira


    She was anxiously waiting for a reply. She wanted to take a wash and change into her night clothes but she didn''t want to leave because her heart was stuck there waiting for his text.


    Even after 10-15 minutes when she didn''t get a reply she got all disappointed. She sighed and dragged her dejected self to the washroom to freshen up. Aftering back from the washroom the first thing that she did was to pick up her phone and check her message. Still, there was no message yet. She knew based on the distance from her house to Katherine''s house that he would have reached there by now. So her heart was restless not to see his reply. but what she didn''t know was that Raymond went back to his own house and his house was at quite a distance.


    After waiting for a few more minutes when there was still no reply, she got a bit agitated. Then couldn''t bear it anymore and pinged him again,


    "I am sorry I didn''t know that interns are not allowed to ping their bosses. From next time onwards I would shut down my curiosity. Sorry for disturbing your privacy" - Akira


    Then she locked her phone screen and started tossing on the bed. But every 30 seconds she was switching on her phone to see if there was any reply. But there was none for another 10 minutes.


    Her tiny heart couldn''t understand where she went wrong. The intimate moments that they had shared a few hours ago, did you mean nothing to him? Was it just a spur at the moment? Her heart was beating unsteadily.


    Vikram was still sitting outside in the car. He was at loss of words and ways to vent out his anger. He opened WhatsApp and saw that she was getting online intermittently. He didn''t want to know as to who she was texting to because somehow he had already guessed in his head. But a few secondster he was surprised when he saw that she had pinged him.


    "I reached home safely. Sorry if you are still up worrying because of me" - Akira


    "Good to know that and c''mon Akira don''t be all formal with me" - Vikram


    "By the way where are you taking me for dinner tomorrow?" - Akira


    All the fire that was raging inside his heart was quenched just one text from her.


    "Do you want to choose the ce?" - Vikram


    "No, no your taste is far far better than mine. but please don''t pick and expensive one likest time. I will definitely kill you if you do that" - Akira


    "When have I ever done anything that you didn''t want me to Akira?" - Vikram


    A sweet smile spread on Akira''s face when she saw the text from Vikram. In this world of uncertainty, he was the pir upon whom she could lean on at any time. In the world filled with infinites he was her unity.


    She replied back with tonnes of smileys to Vikram and then wished him a good night.


    Vikram saw the stream of smileys which Akira had sent and his heart was lit with joy and it was only after that, that he started his car and went back to his home.


    ---


    His phone buzzed with messages while he was driving, but he didn''t bother to check because he thought it was something rted to work.


    Initially, he wanted to stay at Katherine''s, but midway he decided to go back to his own ce because he knew that the next morning her sister would have done nothing but ce tes filled with questions in front of him.


    After reaching his ce he went for a quick shower and then pick up his phone to check if there were any emails or messages before going to sleep.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw two messages from Akira.


    "Did you reach home safely?" - Akira


    "I am sorry I didn''t know that interns are not allowed to bring their bosses. from next time onwards I would shut down my curiosity. sorry for disturbing your privacy" - Akira


    His heart filled with joy after seeing the first text. He had never expected in his wildest dreams that she would ever text him. His Joy was quadrupled after reading the second message. Him not replying to her message had really affected her. A smile spread on his face and he started texting back immediately even though it was alreadyte, hoping against hope that she would be still up.


    "Sorry I just saw your message. I was driving back to my house" - Raymond


    Akira who was trying hard to sleep woke up immediately after hearing the ping sound. Her face blossomed with a smile which slowly turned into a wide grin.


    "Oh, no problem. I am just d to know that you have reached safely" - Akira


    She thought of wishing him goodnight along with the message above but she didn''t because she was scared that if he saw the good night message, he would probably reply back with just a good night and she didn''t want the conversation to end just yet.


    "Thanks for texting me. I thought that was never going to happen" - Raymond


    "Why were you so sure?" - Akira


    "Because it''s you" - Raymond


    "I could also say the same for you" - Akira


    "Well, I am the boss. So technically you should be the first one to ping me right?" - Raymond


    Akira saw the message and thought for a while and replied back.


    "So am I talking with my Boss now or Raymond?" - Akira


    "Aren''t they both = Me?" - Raymond


    She saw the message and wasn''t sure what to text next, so she paused. He saw that she wasn''t replying anymore and texted again.


    "Well jokes apart thanks for everything. For taking care of my sister and my niece in my absence. I can''t thank you enough" - Raymond


    "And I am not saying it in the capacity of your boss. This ising straight from Raymond''s heart" - Raymond


    "I am d that I could be a part of it" - Akira


    "Akira, I am really sorry for that day. I was too rude to you on your interview day. I shouldn''t have said those things. I didn''t mean any of it. I wanted to say sorry before but didn''t know how to" - Raymond


    "I know you didn''t mean it. It''s ok" - Akira


    "How is your shoulder now? Are you able to sleep ok?" - Raymond


    "Yeah, it''s fine. I lie on the other side to avoid any pressure on it" - Akira


    "Are you in pain?" - Raymond


    "There is no pain there right now" - Akira


    "But what about your heart?" - Raymond


    "Huh" - Akira


    "How is your heart Akira? Do you still feel broken?" - Raymond


    "Don''t worry, I have a glue gun (smiley face)" - Akira


    She wanted to say something but said something else. How could she have told him that he had already mended her broken heart?

 Chapter 79: Am I not dependable?

    <h4>79 Am I not dependable?</h4>


    "Really, a glue gun?" - Raymond


    "You are going to escape my questions like this? Looks like you are sleepy." - Raymond


    "No I am not but I guess you must be. You had a long day. Rest well" - Akira


    She wrote the text with a heavy heart because honestly, sleep was miles away from her. All that she wanted to do was to chat with him right at that moment.


    "I am not" - Raymond


    Her heart fluttered and roamed in multiple dimensions after seeing his message. That was all that she wished for.


    "Neither am I" - Akira


    "Then answer my question" - Raymond


    "What do you want to know?" - Akira


    He wanted to know everything about her. Right from what she liked to eat to what she liked to wear. Her childhood memories to herte night gossips. He wanted to be a part of everything but didn''t know how to. So he decided to take baby steps.


    "What''s your deal with that knife guy?" - Raymond


    "Deal? Really? There is no deal with him. He is my ex-boyfriend. I caught him cheating on me with another girl, and I dumped him and blocked him. So I guess that''s the deal" - Akira


    "Was it the day you came back from Singapore?" - Raymond


    "So you do remember me!!! " - Akira


    "Somewhat!!! A bit! Yes " - Raymond


    "Then why did you deny? Why were you angry when I mentioned about it?" - Akira


    "I didn''t deny. I just didn''t acknowledge. There is a difference" - Raymond


    She didn''t say anything after seeing the chat above. She didn''t know what to ask him. She wanted to ask why but she didn''t know if it was the right question to asked at that time. Sensing her silence, Raymond texted,


    "That was an interview process. I wanted to keep it strictly professional for your own good. Hope you get that" - Raymond


    "Hmm" - Akira


    Raymond could sense that she was feeling low. So he decided to divert the topic.


    "So you practice dancing even now?" - Raymond


    "Not anymore" - Akira


    "But why? You dance so well" - Raymond


    "Thanks!!! Someday I will, but not right now. I am still not ready to dance without mum" - Akira


    "Oh too bad, I thought you could teach a bit here and there" - Raymond


    "Teach you? For what?" - Akira


    "For the productunch day, we have a g night. People from all spheres are invited and we have a dance floor open for that day as it''s going to be a formal event. I am not into all this but for the sake of thepany and my product, I need to be a bit social and hence the need" - Raymond


    "I can teach you a bit. Not an issue" - Akira


    "But there is a slight problem" - Raymond


    "What?" - Akira


    "I have two left feet. You know what I mean right" - Raymond


    "God !!! Just when I thought you were just perfect" - Akira


    She instantly regretted sending that text. She just blurted out what she had in her heart in the text.


    "So you think I am perfect?" - Raymond


    "Not anymore !!!" - Akira


    She tried to dodge the bullet, but the damage was already done. He was happy like hell. Her text was his jackpot. Even though she evaded his question, his heartstrings were tuned up.


    "So when can you start giving me lessons? Are you free in the evenings over the weekends?" - Raymond


    "Usually I am. I am not a tycoon like you. But I have already promised Vikram for dinner tomorrow. So maybe Sunday evening?" - Akira


    "Vikram as in ''The Vikram Shah'' right?" - Raymond


    He asked even if knew it was him.


    "Well he may be ''The Vikram Shah'' for you, but for me, he is my childhood friend and family too. I don''t know what I would have done if he and his family didn''t support us after mum and dad left us" - Akira


    "I see " - Raymond


    "He is like a father figure for me. He takes care of me and my brother, gives us career advises and keeps a tab on me like a mom would" - Akira


    "Basically he is like our lifeline right now" - Akira


    A part of him was happy to know what Vikram meant to her. He was d to know that she didn''t have any feeling harbored for Vikram. But a part of him was sad because he wanted to do everything that Vikram did. He wanted to be her lifeline. He couldn''t stand the thought of her being dependable on someone who was not ''Him''.


    "You can count on me too. Am I not dependable?" - Raymond


    "Seriously? How can you ask such a question?" - Akira


    Raymond was a bit taken aback by her answer. He didn''t expect her to be so curt.


    "What happened?" - Raymond


    "I wouldn''t be probably alive today to be texting you if you wouldn''t havee and saved me from Anthony. I am indebted to you forever for my life Raymond and you are asking me if you are dependable?" - Akira


    "I just " - Raymond


    "I owe you my life and if someday I can return the favor then I won''t even think twice" - Akira


    "Fine fine.. Looks like I have the knack of dragging the conversation toward serious mode" - Raymond


    "(Smiley faces)" - Akira


    "So how you liking the work environment?" - Raymond


    "I am loving it. There is so much to learn every single day. Hope one day I will be a good resource for you and you can proudly say that you had hired me" - Akira


    "I already am" - Raymond


    "Was that a ''make the poor girl feel good statement?'' " - Akira


    "You think so?" - Raymond


    "I don''t want to think about anything now. My priorities are very simple. I just want to do good and make someone proud of me. I wanted to see my mum and dad being proud of me, but that can''t happen so.." - Akira


    Raymond was a bit surprised after reading her text. His thoughts went ballistic. Does she consider me as a family? Does she want me to be proud of her one day? What does she want from me? When he couldn''t rest his thoughts, he asked,


    "Do you want me to be proud of you one day Akira?" - Raymond


    "Yes, probably one day in distant future" - Akira


    His lips curled with a smile. It was not a confession but for him, it was way more than that. She valued him and that was more than enough for him right now.


    "I know one day you will make me proud. Just follow your heart and your passion and with the course of time things will fall into their respective ces" - Raymond


    Her heart was all warm after seeing his text.


    "Thanks, Raymond. I am really d to have a mentor like you in my life" - Akira


    "But I thought we can be friends !!!" - Raymond

 Chapter 80: I cant think, without you interrupting me

    <h4>80 I can''t think, without you interrupting me</h4>


    "But I thought we can be friends !!!" - Raymond


    Akira read the line like a hundred times and her heart fluttered with happiness.


    "And here I thought I already was (smiley face)" - Akira


    "You are trying to double cross me here?" - Raymond


    "Ha ha ... Not at all" - Akira


    "Ok then, see you on Sunday. What time should Ie and pick you up?" - Raymond


    "No need for all that formality. I cane to your ce. I already know where it is" - Akira


    "I guess there is a confusion here. I don''t stay with my sister. I stay separately. So I am quite sure you don''t know where my pad is" - Raymond


    "Oh, I see. You can text me your address. I will be there by let''s say five?" - Akira


    "I am asking for a favor as a friend here, not as a boss. I will pick you up at 4:30 pm. Sounds good?" - Raymond


    "Yeah" - Akira


    "Cool, the deal is sealed then" - Raymond


    "Now you are speaking like my boss" - Akira


    "Am, I?" - Raymond


    "Yeah. You know earlier I thought of you as a very ice cold and reserved sort of. You gave a typical boss vibe kind of" - Akira


    "And now?" - Raymond


    "You still do (smiley face)" - Akira


    "Oh, please" - Raymond


    "Sorry, I was just kidding" - Akira


    "So?" - Raymond


    "You are still my boss with a boss vibe but its different now. I mean you are like an onion. One has to peel youryers to know the kind and considerate side of you. Why don''t you let people see the good in you in the first ce?" - Akira


    "Because I don''t want them to see the good in me" - Raymond


    "Why?" - Akira


    "Because that''s when people start taking advantage of you. They take you for granted. It''s like a game of love. Till the point a guy is after you he will do everything in his control to please you. But once he has your green signal, you are taken for granted. You know the theory - The maid was once upon a time a reigning queen." - Raymond


    "Love is not a game" - Akira


    "It is a well-calcted game of chess. You make the right moves, you win. But one wrong move and there you go. Check-mate" - Raymond


    "I guess that''s what happened to me. Probably I was stupid. I gave too much without even thinking about what I deserved in my rtionship and see what happened" - Akira


    "I guess that''s why he dumped me for someone younger and prettier, who could give him what he wanted" - Akira


    Raymond started regretting his words. He didn''t know that it would remind her of her past and make her feel all sad.


    "Probably I should have done other things rather than taking care of him" - Akira


    "Akira, when I say this you should know that I am speaking it from the bottom of my heart. All these theories are applicable for other girls, but not for you" - Raymond


    "Why not me?" - Akira


    "Because you are not like others. You are not a pawn on the chessboard. You are the queen with your own terms. You are not someone to be yed with or conditioned. I wouldn''t dare to" - Raymond


    "Why wouldn''t you?" - Akira


    "Because a person so pure like you deserves unconditional love. A love which is far away from all games and all conditions. A love with no boundaries that transcends even the concepts of mortality" - Raymond


    "Your words make me feel so warm. But does love like that exist?" - Akira


    "Maybe it does. Maybe you just need to open your eyes and search (smiley face)" - Raymond


    "Have you ever found such love?" - Akira


    "I guess so" - Raymond


    Her heart broke when she read it. The butterflies which were running all over the ce came back silently. Suddenly the vibgyor of happiness turned to a ck and white image.


    "Oh, so you are in a rtionship?" - Akira


    Raymondughed in his head after seeing her question. He could clearly sense her disappointment.


    "If I would have been in a rtionship then would I be talking to you thiste in the night? Would I be asking you toe and teach me to dance?" - Raymond


    A smile returned back on her face.


    "Yeah right. But it''s not wrong to be friends with someone even if you aremitted. I mean if someday you get your girl then will you stop being friends with me?" - Akira


    "We might not be friends by then" - Raymond


    "But why?" - Akira


    "Why do you want to think about something distant and ruin what we have now Akira? Who has seen tomorrow? I am speaking to you today, tomorrow I might die. There is no guarantee of tomorrow. So stop worrying about the future and start living today. In fact, start living now. Do what your heart pleases and not what will please others" - Raymond


    "I will" - Akira


    "So to be practical,e to teach me to dance only if you want to, not because I told you so" - Raymond


    "But I want to" - Akira


    She replied instantly without even thinking for a second. His heart swayed with joy. There are hundreds of ways in which you can touch someone''s heart and this was her way of doing so.


    "Thanks. Should I be humbled now?" - Raymond


    "No, just remember me when you dance on the D-day. That would be more than enough" - Akira


    This girl had no idea how bad he wanted to dance with her on the g night dinner. But he decided to give her some space and didn''t tell her up front. He didn''t want a ''YES'' from her just because he was her boss. He wanted a ''YES'' from her only if she also wanted to dance with him the same way that he did.


    "Your favor will be returned as a dinner treat on Sunday evening" - Raymond


    "C''mon, there is no need for that. Plus I don''t like eating so much outside" - Akira


    "Fine then what about dinner at my ce?" - Raymond


    "You cook? Oh my God. Is anything there that you cannot do?" - Akira


    "Well you can be my sous-chef"- Raymond


    "I am honored then" - Akira


    They talked endlessly like two teenagers in love. There was a bit of inhibition, a bit of eagerness to explore the other. There was a curiosity to sail into each other''s territories and find out what was underneath. But at the same time, they were themselves scared of their own vulnerabilities so they had their guards up the whole time.


    "Ok, now go to sleep. It''s really reallyte right now" - Raymond


    "Ok, if you say so" - Akira


    She really didn''t want to go to sleep. She just wanted to keep texting him. He had be like a drug that ran deep in her veins and in no way she could survive without him.


    "Good Night Akira" - Raymond


    "Good Night Raymond" - Akira


    He saw her text and tossed ufortably on the bed. He didn''t want to end the conversation but he didn''t want to push his luck either. His heart yearned for her, but he decided to keep his foot down. He didn''t do that for her, he did that for himself because he was scared of getting too attached with her. He was slowly bing aware of the power that she had over him and wanted to cast it away. But he knew that he himself had given her all the power and he knew that over time he won''t be able to quit her.


    ---


    The next day evening Akira got all ready for her dinner with Vikram. She wore a pair of ice blue jeans and a ck tank top andyered it with a denim blue jacket. Vikram was also dressed up casually in denim jeans and a linen ck shirt.


    "Oiii we are color blocked", Akira said and pinched Vikram''s arm.

 Chapter 81: La Zoirie

    <h4>81 La Zoirie</h4>


    "Ouch Akira", Vikram winced.


    "Be a man dude. You are dancing off with such a small pinch. What will you do when Ind you a sucker punch?", said Akira and started showing off her fist.


    "Shut up ande here", Vikram said and stretched his arm out to give her a hug.


    She smiled and hugged him back. She stood therefortably in his arms for some time.


    "I will hug you like this and you will forget tond your everything, including your sucker punch", Vikram said and gently stroked her hair.


    "Huh your moves are so underhanded and hical", Akira muttered and stormed towards his car.


    He looked at her storming away. Her cuteness was killing him, making him fall in love with her every single day, over and over again. He pinched his brows and muttered under his breath,


    "What I am gonna do without you?"


    Then he followed her and got inside the car. While he was putting on his seat belt, Akira asked,


    "At least now will you tell me where we are going?"


    "La Zoirie", Vikram said and started off the car.


    "I remember I told you not to pick an expensive restaurant", Akira said with a miffed tone.


    "Well, technically we are going to eat there for free. So I guess it''s the least expensive one" Vikram said.


    "For free? Why and how?", Akira asked


    "Actually mum got a free dinner pass for this restaurant as part of some event in her social circle. Don''t even ask me the details. But yeah that''s the gist of it", Vikram said.


    "Wao... perks of having an amazing mom", Akira said and elbowed him to tease him a bit.


    Their friendly banter continued till they reached the restaurant which was just 20 minutes away from Akira''s ce.


    Vikram had pre-booked a candlelight dinner with a very romantic setting. They had got a couch with dim lights and fragrant candles and flowers all over the ce. Akira beamed with happiness and she was a sucker for all these things. Vikram knew it well that how much she loved these things so he had instructed the restaurant well before starting from the fragrance of candles, the color of the flowers, to the ylist, etc, etc.


    "Wao, it''s just perfect", Akira said looked happily towards Vikram.


    "You like it?" he asked.


    "Like it? I love it Vikram. It''s just perfect", Akira said and sat on the couch.


    Vikram joined her and signaled the waiter to bring the menu.


    "So what are you up to these days?", Vikram asked.


    "Nothing much to be honest. So much has happened in thest couple of days that I desperately want my life to be boring and back to normal", Akira said and gave a faint smile.


    "Don''t worry everything will be all right. You have already faced the worst so everything from now on will be better than that ok!!! You need to trust me on this one", Vikram said and ced his palm on Akira''s and gave out a gentle smile.


    "God, you always speak what I really want to hear. Like you are some kind of psychic or something", Akira said and mocked him a bit. Then she took the menu card and started searching in the appetizer section.


    "So how was the party yesterday?", Vikram asked because he was really curious to know about the level of interaction that Akira was having with Raymond.


    "It was so much fun you know. The kids had literally created a riot in the house and we were just somehow managing to tame them. But it was very enjoyable. The stories they tell, my God. These days kids are just unbelievable", Akira said and smiled recollecting a few of the funny incidents.


    "What about your boss? Did he give a helping hand too?", asked Vikram.


    "Duh, he waste as hell. By the time he came, cake cutting was already done and most of the kids had already gone home. He reached somewhere around 10:00 pm or something. Katherine was so mad at him...."


    While Akira was ranting about the party, Vikram immediately sent a text to a private number.


    "He reached the house at 10:30 pm around. Find out how far is the office from there and at what time did he leave office with David" - Vikram.


    "Plus my magic show was so dope. All the kids just loved me and wanted to see it again and again", Akira kept on telling her stories while Vikram''s concentration was half split between his phone screen and Akira.


    A few secondster Vikram''s phone buzzed and he checked it immediately.


    "He left office just 15-20 minutes before. Doesn''t look like he went to any hospital with David" - Private Sender


    Vikram read the message and drank his anger which was surging within him. His fists were clenched and his jaws were taut. Even when the restaurant was centrally air-conditioned, beads of sweat started forming on his head.


    "Hey, are you ok?", asked Akira all concerned after seeing him sweat.


    "Do you have a fever or something?", she asked and ced her palm on Vikram''s head to check his temperature.


    "I am fine, its probably work stress. Don''t worry. You are with me so now everything will be fine", Vikram said and took Akira''s hand from his forehead and ced it on hisp. But Akira wasn''t satisfied with his answer and made a face.


    "Are you hiding something from me? Why do I get the feeling that you are lying? Are you sick and you still came out just because you had promised me toe for dinner?", she asked.


    "Jeez Akira, you should write a book - 101 ways to over-hypothesize, for Dummies. Will be a best seller, I can guarantee you", Vikram said and chuckled.


    "You!!!", even if you are sick, you still can''t stop mocking me. Huh !!!", Akira said and pouted.


    "Well some habits just don''t go", Vikram said and patted Akira''s head.


    Akira pushed him back and said,


    "You dare to do that again Mr. and you will face my wrath. I will curse your food to be infested with insects and slime", Akira said and started moving her spoon in the air like her wand.


    "Can you just stop being so dramatic and order the food. I am starving for God''s sake", Vikram said and handed her the menu again.


    "Well, I am in a mood for pasta. What about you?", asked Vikram.


    "I will have mushroom risotto", Akira said and smiled at Vikram.


    "Mushroom risotto? Since when did Mushroom risotto be your fantasy Akira. You always loved pasta right?", Vikram asked. He was surprised by her food choice.


    "Ah, nothing nothing!!! Recently someone from my work had suggested it. I tried it once and I liked it. So I thought I will give it a try again", Akira said and ced the menu card back on the table.


    Her mind was flooded with memories of her flight journey. Raymond''s soothing voice echoed in her head


    "Try mushroom risotto. It''s nice".


    A smile floated on her face as she remembered the way Raymond had taken care of her during the flight journey.

 Chapter 82: That day I will be nice

    <h4>82 That day I will be nice</h4>


    "What are you thinking about Akira?", Vikram asked as he was puzzled to see her smiling out of the blue.


    "Nothing nothing, just remembered something funny which had happened at my workce", Akira said and dodged his question.


    "Sometimes I feel you wander off to some parallel universe", Vikram said and chuckled.


    "But what to do, I have tond again and again back to earth because you don''t let me wander in peace", Akira snorted.


    "Oh so did I unknowingly pull your spaceship and made itnd on earth?", Vikram asked quizzically.


    "Duh... Not only did you pull, but you stole away all my fuel as well so that there was no way for me to go to my back. How evil and ruthless you are Vikram", Akira said and pouted her lips.


    Vikram had a goodugh after hearing her. He treasured moments like this with her. Their random talks might make no sense to others but it meant the world to him. He liked her with all his heart. Her anger, her pranks, her childishness, her headstrong nature, everything about her was dear to him. He had loved her for the way she was. He had loved her in her thicks and her thins. But he wasn''t sure how to make her feel the same way. If he could be granted one single wish, then probably he would wish for her to like her back the same way that he did.


    When the food arrived, Akira''s eyes gleamed with happiness like how a ten-year-old kid lights up after getting a candy. She dug into her food without even wasting a single second.


    "Umm..... it tastes like heaven man", Akira said, relishing her risotto.


    "d you liked it", Vikram said and started eating his pasta.


    "Gosh, how can I ever repay aunty for this favor?", Akira said and continued focussing on her food.


    "Would you like to return a favor to me?", Vikram asked out of the blue.


    "Umm... anything for you Viku. Just say it", Akira said without even thinking for one extra second.


    "Well after two weeks I need to attend to a party. It''s more like a social event and I need a partner. So would you like to join me for that?", Vikram asked a bit hesitantly.


    "What me? Geez Vikram, I can''t even handle heels properly. How can I attend a social event altogether? I don''t want to embarrass you. You can take any of your project managers, right? What about the one who wentst time with you to Australia? What is her name again? Umm ... Whitney?", Akira asked.


    "If you don''t want to go with me then tell it up front, don''t try to weave a set of reasons", Vikram said a bit annoyed.


    "I am not weaving reasons. I really don''t want to embarrass you. Your event will be high profile. I don''t even know what to talk to people. Forget ''what'' I don''t even know how to talk", Akira said and lowered her head disappointedly.


    Vikram held her chin with his hands and gently lifted her face so that he could have eye contact with her. He had his gaze fixed on hers and then he said,


    "I never asked you to be or pretend as someone else. Juste with me and be the way to you are. I want you toe with me to givepany to me and not for others. So don''t even think about others ok? And you are one of the smartest girls I have known. So there won''t be a dearth of topics for you to talk with people ok. And mostly in such events, people talk about general stuff and not like what was the share price today. Got it", Vikram said and then ruffled her hair a bit.


    "Mmmm..... ok", Akira said.


    "And I won''t leave your side, so you don''t need to worry about anything. If anytime you feel your heels are way too much to handle, walk barefoot or ask me to carry you", Vikram said and gently squeezed her hand. She could feel his sincerity and nodded.


    "Where is the event? And at what time?", Akira asked curiously.


    "Leave all that to me to worry about. You just focus on your food. Rest all will be taken care of", Vikram said.


    "Stop pampering me like a baby", Akira said and pouted again.


    "Oh my God, just when I thought that you have grown up. Tch Tch...", Vikram said and teased her.


    "Don''t worry I have two weeks time right, I will walk and talk like a perfectdy who has an air of her own by that time", Akira said and winked at Vikram. All that Vikram could do was tough.


    "Air of her own? Why you can''t breathe on earth normally? Oh, I forgot. You havee from another. I see, why you got your own air to breathe as well. Now it makes sense", Vikram said and chuckled.


    Akira threw the napkin at him and gave him a fierce look.


    "You want to die Vikram?", Akira asked.


    "Not right now mydy. Come to the event with me first. Then kill me afterward. At least then I will go down in the pages of history as the guy who came with an alien to the party", Vikram said and handed her the napkin back.


    "Take it, in case you want to assault me again", Vikram said.


    "Man now I am regretting saying yes. You will kill all the fun like this right?", Akira asked all irritated.


    Vikram looked at her for a while and then said,


    "Not at all. Don''t worry, that day I will be nice".


    When she said yes, his heart was filled with unknown emotions as everything was going the way he had nned. He wanted to set the stage right and propose her. He wanted to bring her closer to his life, show her his world and make her a part of it. And this was just the beginning. He knew he couldn''t dy it more as there were many others ready to pry on her. And he was not ready to let his lifeline to part from him because of someone else. This time he was ready with a n and was not going to back down.

 Chapter 83: Ugghhh!!! Wrong Window

    <h4>83 Ugghhh!!! Wrong Window</h4>


    After Vikram dropped her back at the house, Akira lied t on the bed. Although she was all excited to be with Vikram at the party, but deep down all that she could think of was about her dance practice that was supposed to happen with Raymond the next day evening. The anticipation was killing her. Just the thought of being with him was enough to make her go weak in her knees.


    They had talked for hoursst night, but all that she could think of was to text him again and to talk with him again.


    She checked her phone, but he hadn''t sent her any more messages.


    She was a bit disappointed but as she kept scrolling through her old chat, she was surrounded by a nket of happiness.


    While scrolling through the chat, by mistake she sent a recently used smiley somehow.


    "Oh, no no no no no", Akira screamed.


    She immediately deleted the WhatsApp message, but the damage was already done. Raymond could still see that she had sent something but had deleted it.


    "Gosh Akira !!! What have you done?", Akira thought to herself and buried her head inside the cushions.


    ---


    Meanwhile, at the Clinton Hill residential area, Raymond was deeply engrossed in designing one of the major features of the game, the augmentation of Virtual Reality. He had a dedicated team to handle it, but as theunch date was nearing by, they had no margin for error. So he had taken the matter to his own hands. He was a child prodigy and was really adept at coding and graphics designing. He was a summa-cumude of his batch in college and was well known across colleges for his genius abilities. His hands swiftly moved on the keyboard writing hundreds of lines of code without even stopping to take a break.


    His full attention was on theptop screen and suddenly he saw his phone screen lit up with notification. Any other day he would have ignored it, but today since morning he was waiting for Akira''s text. His thirst hadn''t been quenched even after texting with her till the wee hours. He badly wanted to text her, but at the same time didn''t want to appear too needy. So somehow he had boxed all his urges inside and was patiently waiting for her to initiate the conversation. So the moment he saw his screen lit up with notification, he grabbed his phone and immediately opened WhatsApp.


    "Why would she send something and then delete it?"


    "Did she send it by mistake?"


    "Maybe she wanted to ping someone else"


    "Or does she want to talk with me?"


    "Ugghh... what does she want?"


    Raymond''s head was bursting with these unanswered questions.


    So finally he decided to ping her.


    "Hi" - Raymond


    "Hi" - Akira


    "Jeez Akira now what will you tell him when he asks. Why are you so stupid?", Akira thought to herself and cursed her stupidity.


    "Did you send something? Or texted in the wrong window?" - Raymond


    "Yeah yeah, wrong window" - Akira


    She immediately lied to save her own face. How could she admit that she had been going through the old chats? That was such ame thing to admit to. But she didn''t know that it Raymond''s heart was dampened the moment he saw her text. The whole day he was waiting for her ping and when she did, it was ''wrong window''.


    "Oh ok" - Raymond


    "Ok" - Akira


    Raymond kept the phone aside as his mood had gone sour.


    "Maybe I was over thinking and over anticipating."


    "Why did I even ping her?"


    "When she had deleted the message it was obviously not for me. What was the need to even ask?"


    Raymond thought and cursed himself.


    Akira kept staring at the screen thinking that probably he would ping something back, but when he didn''t she started growing restless. She started waiting. 5mins passed...., 10mins passed..., 15 mins passed. But still, there was no response from him.


    Then she decided to be honest and speak out her mind as she wasn''t able to tame her restlessness.


    "Actually I was scrolling through the chat and somehow by mistake, I sent a recently used smiley. I didn''t want to disturb you so I deleted it" - Akira


    She had bared her true self in front of him. But somehow instead of feeling vulnerable, she felt morefortable. It was weird.


    When Raymond saw his phone screen flickered again, he picked it up and checked the message.


    "She was scrolling through the old chat. But why?"


    "Why on Earth would she do that. Did I say something weird in the chat?"


    "Was she waiting for me to ping her?"


    His head was muddled with zillions of questions again. But the most important thing that brought sce to his heart was that she wasn''t texting someone else. He was as d as he could be just to know that she was thinking about their chat.


    Then he pinged back.


    "Really?" - Raymond


    "Yeah, really. Didn''t tell you because I wasn''t sure what you might think of it" - Akira


    "What did you think I might think of?" - Raymond


    "Can you please stop twisting the question?" - Akira


    "Fine, fine. I won''t" - Raymond


    "Great !!! I am honored" - Akira


    "Are you? I mean for real?" - Raymond


    "You are killing me now" - Akira


    "By the way, did you find anything intriguing in the chat history?" - Raymond


    "No, but I noticed one thing" - Akira


    "What?" - Raymond


    "That you are too bossy" - Akira


    "Ouch !!!! But I guess that''s in my genes. Can''t avoid it (smiley face)" - Raymond


    "Did no-one teach you that bossing around and bullying people is bad" - Akira


    "I guess not" - Raymond


    "Looks like I need to talk to your dad to school you properly again" - Akira


    Raymond saw the message and sighed. He kept the phone back on the table. His thoughts started racing towards another dimension. He never liked to be schooled by anyone and especially not when it was his "DAD".

 Chapter 84: Oh Boy!!! He is trouble

    <h4>84 Oh Boy!!! He is trouble</h4>


    His trail of thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he saw his phone continuously shing with notifications.


    "Hey, what happened?" - Akira


    "Did I go overboard?" - Akira


    "Are you there?" - Akira


    "Yeah, yeah I am here. Sorry I have some guests at home. Talk to youter" - Raymond


    "Oh, ok. Good night" - Akira


    "Good Night" - Raymond


    He wished her a good night, but he himself knew how dark his night was to be. He went back to hisptop but he couldn''t concentrate any further. The image of his mom crying devastatingly floated in his head. If there was anything and anyone that he hated the most in the world, then that was his "DAD".


    Akira slumped in her bed for a while and then got up the next second.


    She ran to her dressing cab and started rummaging through all her clothes.


    "Gosh, I have nothing to wear for tomorrow!!!"


    ---


    The next day as promised Raymond reached Akira''s ce sharp at 4:30 pm. He had texted her before he started for her ce.


    It was not a date, it was just a casual meetup but she was all nervous and was checking herself in the mirror every now and then. She changed her hairstyle twice. First, she tried making a ponytail but she was not happy with it, so she opened it and let her locks free. But then she realized she was going to teach him to dance so she tied her hair back into a ponytail.


    She wore a white crop top and a knee length light sky blue frill skirt. She moved on to wear her white sneakers, but then and after much contemtion, she wore nude pumps. She put on very light natural makeup on her face and painted her lips pink. Never in her entire life, she had taken care to dress up so much for somebody. But today was different as she wanted to look exceptionally pretty.


    Akira was lucky that Mike had gone to Teddy''s ce else he would have definitely kicked her for being all neurotic and chaotic while getting ready for thest 2 hours.


    When Raymond reached in front of her house, he called her up.


    "Hi, I am outside your ce. You can take your time to get ready if you aren''t by now. No need to rush. I just called to let you know that I am here".


    "No No I am ready I wille out right now", Akira said sounding all impatient and baffled. She knew that he woulde by this time but still she felt like she needed another half an hour more. She gave herself a final check in the mirror and came outside.


    The moment she saw him, her jaws dropped. He was looking drop dead gorgeous. He had probably just finished working out in the gym and was still wearing his sweats and tracks. Akira had never seen him in anything apart from formal clothes, in which he always looked appealing. But in his gym clothes he was oozing out his charm like anything and Akira couldn''t help but get all drowned in it.


    She waved at him and came close.


    "You came dot on time", Akira said and waved her watch in front of him.


    He smiled and opened the car door for her.


    Akira sat inside but her heart was thumping loud and was going haywire.


    "Shit !!! How am I going to teach him how to dance? I can''t even concentrate on anything?", Akira thought to herself and then bit her lips. She was scared to even steal a nce at him as her thoughts were growing rampant. She kept fiddling with her skirt and sped and unsped her palms intermittently.


    Raymonds saw her fidgeting like this and couldn''t understand what was wrong with her. So at a traffic signal when he halted, he asked,


    "Are you feeling hot or something? I can decrease the temperature?"


    "No no, it''s perfectly fine", Akira said.


    Then suddenly Raymond leaned over to her side and tried to check if the AC vents were opened up properly in the car. The moment his proximity closed in, her heart started skipping beats. She held her breath in silence until he checked the vents.


    "Looks ok to me", Raymond said.


    "Are you unwell?", he asked again all concerned.


    "No I am all fine", Akira said.


    How could she tell him how she was feeling? She wanted to scream at him and ask him why he had so much control over her? Why did he have to be so perfect to make her heart melt? But sometimes it''s better to keep the questions buried in the heart. And that''s what exactly Akira did.


    Their whole car journey was submerged in silence afterward. She was so smitten by him that she just wanted to get out of the car into some open space and to take deep breaths. So when Raymond halted after reaching in front of his apartment in Clinton Hill, Akira immediately came out of the car, without even waiting for Raymond to open the door for her. She took a couple of deep breaths before turning towards him.


    "Why do you stay here alone?", Akira asked.


    "Well, I am a lone wolf you can say," Raymond said and led the way inside.


    His house decor was exactly like his taste. Simple, subtle and sophisticated. It screamed of seriousness and high-maintenance.


    "Your house seems... ",


    "Seems?", Raymond asked.


    "Seems nice", Akira finished her sentence.


    "But?", Raymond asked knowing that a but wasing up.


    "But don''t you think itcks a bit of color?", Akira quipped.


    "Well, what are you here for?", Raymond said and smiled slightly.


    Akira couldn''t understand what he meant. Her eyebrows were raised and her face turned into a question mark.


    He came close and gently tapped his fingers in the space between her eyebrows and said,


    "Don''t knit your eyebrows so much. If you have a question then just ask. Ok?"


    She looked at him all surprised and stumped.


    He leaned in closer and said,


    "I need to go and take a bath"


    "Huh", Akira said unable to say anything else.


    "I need my towel", Raymond said.


    "What?", eximed Akira following the path of stupidity.


    Raymond slightlyughed to see her all baffled up.


    "The thing is you are leaning on my towel", Raymond said and pointed towards her back.


    Akira looked in the direction he had pointed and saw that she had leaned on a table on which his towel was and she had no idea that her hands were on top of it.


    "Oh sorry", she eximed and moved a bit to her left.


    Raymond picked up his towel and then gave her his iPod and said,


    "You can choose a couple of songs that you want. I will be back in a few minutes after I finish my bath. Ok?"


    Akira just nodded.


    Her gaze followed him as he left the room.


    "Oh, Boy!!! He is trouble", Akira sighed.

 Chapter 85: RULE Number 2

    <h4>85 RULE Number 2</h4>


    Akira lifted her tiny fragile palm and ced it on her chest and tried to calm her erratic heartbeats. She never felt like this when she was with Anthony. She would be all excited to meet up with him, go out on dates with him, but she never had such a pit in her stomach, she never had her legs turn into a lump. With Raymond around, it seemed like her entire body would transform and would no longer be under hermand. She felt like the ownership of her body was transferred to him. He could make her feel warm, cold, ecstatic all at the same time.


    She shook her head in despair and said to herself,


    "Get a hold of yourself Akira. Don''t you dare to drool in front of him".


    She took a deep breath and then started scrolling through his ylist.


    ---


    He didn''t turn back when he walked towards the washroom, scared that one more look at her pretty face will melt him out. She not just looked pretty, she looked ethereal in that getup. Her cuteness was killing him like a slow poison. A poison that ran deep inside his veins dethroning him from all the control that he ever possessed. The heat in his body was soaring sky high and he was not able to think straight. His thoughts were heavily muddled and all that he could think about was her.


    He stood under the cold shower to calm himself down. Previously he was all excited to dance with her. But now it looked like inviting danger. She was like a red line that he didn''t want to cross. Every look, every nce of her was like an invitation for him which was way too hard for him to resist. He knew he had to pull his reigns.


    After he was done taking bath he put on his bathrobe and came out of the washroom. Before changing into his clothes he decided to take a peek at what she was up to. He came quietly near the study room and saw her frail figure swaying slightly with the beat of the music. He couldn''t help but smile at the sight of her. He stood there for quite some time and watched every move of her in rapt attention.


    Suddenly she turned.


    "Hey, you are done?", asked Akira and stopped moving.


    "Uh--huh. I will just change ande back", Raymond said and left.


    "Good God !!! Can you please help me find a single w in him", Akira thought to herself.


    He came back after changing into a pair offortable stretchy jeans and a loose T-shirt. His hair was still wet as he hadn''t blown it dry. He came to the study room and said,


    "So my master!!! How do we start?"


    "Gee just call me Akira ok !!! No dramas allowed", Akira said and started one of her favorite songs - "Thousand Years" by Christina Perri.


    "Feel the song. Feel the warmth of the song. Take a deep breath and first immerse yourself in the song. Feeling the song is the first step", Akira said and closed her eyes and listened to the song.


    He looked at her peaceful and happy face which was clearly getting submerged in the song and all the feels of it. He too then closed his eyes and tried to connect with the song.


    "Heart Beats fast,


    Colors and promises,


    How to be brave?


    How can I love when I''m afraid to fall,


    But watching you stand alone?


    All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.


    One step closer...


    I have died every day waiting for you,


    Darling don''t be afraid I have loved you,


    For a thousand years,


    I''ll love you for a thousand more.


    The song was so true to its words and they both felt the love resonating through the lines of the song. When the song finished they both opened their eyes. They looked at each other with unspoken emotions that could rage wars. There were so many things left unsaid but the unsaid emotion they shared through their eyes was more beautiful than any possible word that could have been spoken at that moment.


    Finally, she lowered her gaze and said,


    "Umm... I would now teach you a few basic steps of movement".


    "Ok", Raymond said and folded his arms in attention like he was listening to some terms of an important deal.


    "RULE number1


    When two people dance, it should look effortless. For that there is just once basic math that will help you to a) not to injure your partner and b) appear seamless. The trick is when I take my left foot back, you take your right forward and when I take my right foot back you take your left foot forward and vice versa", Akira said and looked at Raymond to gauge if he followed her.


    "Ok, sounds doable", said Raymond.


    "RULE number2


    Eye contact andplete trust. You should maintain full eye contact with your partner like you see nobody in the room but her. And she should trust you fully and take a drop knowing that you will catch her for sure. And there you go, the perfect recipe for dance", Akira said and moved towards the center of the room.


    "So shall we?", she said and looked at Raymond.


    He came close to her and stood in front of her in the center of the room. She saw a few drops of water flowing down from his wet hair, traversing his broad and well-defined neck. She gasped for air nervously. Then had slightly lifted her left leg to remove her heels, but seeing him like this she lost her bnce. But before she could fall, his arms embraced her tightly in a swift motion.


    "Are you ok?", he asked.


    "Yeah, I am fine thanks. Just lost my bnce", Akira said.


    "Oh!!! I thought you were testing RULE number 2 on me", Raymond said and smirked.


    This guy knew well how to trap you with words.

 Chapter 86: She twirled happily

    <h4>86 She twirled happily</h4>


    He was definitely trouble. A trouble that she was inviting into her life. A trouble that she knew would render her with a totalck of self-control. But he was a trouble that she didn''t want to escape from.


    "Can we focus on the steps now?", Akira said and carefully removed her heels. This time she was extra cautious. She didn''t want to fall or trip over.


    "Why are you removing your shoes?", Raymond asked.


    "Do you want to save your legs or not?" She said and pointed her finger at his bare feet.


    "Since you don''t know how to dance, you will take a couple of wrong steps. So I might step on you and yada yada yada", Akira said and then kept her heels to the side.


    He looked a bit unhappy with her straightforward insult.


    She sighed and said,


    "Your arm has already taken a toll because of me. I don''t want your legs to be injured now."


    "Now let''s focus on the rhythm", she said and put on the song again.


    "It''s like 1-2-2, 1-2-2, 1-2-2 ... you get it? At every 1 we take a step. If I take a forward step you take a backward one", Akira said and showed him how to take the steps along with the rhythm.


    She was speaking so many things, instructing him so many things but everything was just bypassing him. His sole concentration was on her. He just couldn''t take his eyes off her. Her movements were so swift like she was a flowing river.


    "Now follow my lead and focus on Rule Number 1", Akira said and Raymond started following her.


    In the beginning, he faltered a lot and took many wrong steps. But after around 10-15 minutes of repetetion of steps, he got the hang of it.


    Akira saw that his footwork was bing better and better. So she thought it was time to dance with him. Her heart, her body, and her mind were all going ecstatic thinking about his touch, his presence, his closeness. She had been waiting precisely for this moment like forever. But she quietly kept all her emotions at bay and didn''t let any of the excitement to surface on her face.


    "Great your footwork is all set now. So shall we try together?", Akira asked.


    "Finally!!!! ", screamed Raymond in his heart. He was dying within to dance with her.


    She took her right hand and ced it on his shoulder and asked him to hold her left hand which she had stretched with his right. He held her hand in his own with a grip which was neither too tight nor too loose. It was just perfect. Their hands embraced each other in perfect harmony. She could feel his warmth on the skin of her hand. The warmth slowly reached her heart and made her go weak in her knees.


    "Focus focus focus", she was screaming the entire time in her head.


    "Take my waist in your right hand", she said softly avoiding looking into his eyes.


    Her breath stopped when she felt his fingers brush lightly on the bare skin of her waist. His hands slowly glided from the side of her waist to her back and rested on her mid arch.


    She instantly regretted wearing a crop top. His hands were all over her bare skin and every single touch of his was causing a jot of electricity run through her body. She was hypnotized, maized all at the same time. She felt like her body was in some sort of trance. She was so afraid to let her sanity go as she was on the verge of losing herself.


    His gaze was fixed on her, jotting down every single reaction of her face to his touch. He wanted to explore every curve and every edge of her body, but he could clearly see that her throat was running dry and her eyes had a hint of bewilderment. He could clearly see that it was not easy for her and neither was it for him.


    She couldn''t lift her head up to look at him. She didn''t have the courage to even look into his eyes for one second as she was scared to drown herself. She kept looking down and didn''t speak a word.


    He looked at her curiously for some time and a smile spread on his face. He grazed his left thumb on her palm slightly and said,


    "Rule number 2. Eye contact".


    "Aahhh !!! This devil", Akira muttered under her breath and lifted her eyes to look at him.


    His dreamy eyes looked like they were ready to trap her. His eyes were clear like sparkling waterced with hundreds of wild emotions.


    She let out a deep breath and yed the song.


    She moved her left foot forward in a smooth and graceful manner and he followed by moving his right one back. They followed each other''s movement andplemented each other''s steps. After a bit of practice, they looked effortless, like they were gliding on the floor. Slowly his grip around her became tighter and he moved closer.


    His nervousness grew as he inched closer.


    But after a few steps, they grewfortable in each other''s embrace. All the uneasiness and bewilderment melted along with the beats of the music. Slowly her once cautious eyes gleamed with happiness. She giggled andughed every time he twirled her. Two happy faces continued to follow the rhythm.


    Every time she dropped, he would catch her in his arms in swift moves. Their eyes now beamed with happiness. Theyfortably looked deep into each other''s eyes. She didn''t know how she grew sofortable in just a few seconds with him.


    He knew her inhibitions, so he kept his touch all subtle. He wanted to y around with her body, but he restrained himself. He didn''t realize when her happiness counted more than his own. Slowly he saw her transform and move happily. He instantly realized this was her happy ce. She had transformed into a ball of joy.


    When finally the song was over, she rested both her hands on his shoulder. She could feel his taut muscles. His hands rested on her waist but he didn''t dare to move an inch because he knew she won''t be able to handle his touch. He looked into her eyes and asked,


    "So how was it?"

 Chapter 87: Dirty Dancing !!!

    <h4>87 Dirty Dancing !!!</h4>


    "Huh?", Akira asked.


    "I meant how was the dance? Was it good?", asked Raymond.


    "Yeah it was good", she said and removed her hand from his shoulder and moved a bit away to pause the iPod.


    "Good? Just good?", Raymond questioned her. He was the sort of guy who was an epitome of perfection and just getting a ''GOOD'' for his work was uneptable for him.


    "I mean yeah, as a beginner on Day 1 you were absolutely fantastic. So much better than people who have actually learned for a couple of days or even weeks I must say. Plus your footwork, totally amazing. You will reach a professional level in no time", Akira said and paused the iPod.


    "I see. So what''s your ideal dance level?", Raymond asked and leaned on the table.


    "My dance level? What do you mean?", Akira asked looking at him.


    "I mean when do you consider a couple-dance ideal?", Raymond asked and clearly, his tone was impatient and eager to know about the target level as per her.


    "Well for couple-dance, it''s ideal when there is clear chemistry and spark between the two partners. I mean they should be able to make you feel the love that they are feeling for each other through their dance. Their moves must tell you about the longing, the desire, the love that they have for each other", Akira said and looked at him. But she could sense that her answer was still a bit ambiguous as his brows were still furrowed.


    "I mean, just to simplify, it should be like Dirty Dancing", Akira said and folded her arms defensively in front of herself.


    "Dirty Dancing as in like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey''s Dirty Dancing?", asked Raymond all astonished.


    "Yeah exactly. Have you watched it?", asked Akira.


    "Yeah, I have. A romantic dance movie to be precise", Raymond said.


    "Yup exactly. The way they move, the way they dance like there is no tomorrow. it''s just amazing", Akira said all beaming up.


    "But isn''t that dance a bit too hot to handle sort of? You know what I mean", Raymond said and quizzically looked at Akira.


    "Well it is, but it''s totally normal for people passionate about dance to be able to dance like that. You immerse yourself into it like dancing is part of your routine. I have never danced that way, but I believe that if I ever would be with someone that I love, then probably we would dance that way".


    She said and paused to see if he was still having a judgemental look on his face, and then she continued.


    "Its like two people in love have only onenguage to express love and that''s dance. Isn''t it just amazing?", Akira said and was lost in thoughts of her own.


    She loved to dance courtesy her mother and always dreamt of being able to dance like Jennifer and Patrick with her partner someday. She had boxed this desire of hers deep in some random corner of her heart, ever since she had seen the movie. She hadn''t even disclosed it to Anthony when they used to date as she knew that he was a terrible dancer and never disyed any interest at dancing as well. Rather he considered it a waste of time and energy.


    She had delved into the thoughts of her past but when she heard Raymond clear his throat, she snapped out of her own old memories and saw his gawking at her with a weird smile on his face.


    "Are you judging me for liking dirty dancing?", she asked.


    "No", he said.


    "To be clear I like it purely as a form of art. Nothing more and nothing less. I consider dancing as another way of expressing yourself. Hope you understand that and not think of me as some kind of pervert", Akira said and tried to exin herself profusely. After all, she was an intern and worked under him. So she wanted to keep her te clean.


    "Uh..huh", Raymond said with the same unfazed smile on his face.


    She got a bit irritated with his attitude but she pretended to ignore him and said,


    "So shall we practice again from the top what we have covered till now?",


    "Yeah sure, but this time I am going to choose the song", Raymond said and scrolled through his ylist. Finally he found the song that he wanted to y and pushed the y button. The song slowly started flooding the room.


    Now I''ve had the time of my life


    No, I never felt like this before


    Yes I swear it''s the truth


    And I owe it all to you


    ''Cause I''ve had the time of my life


    And I owe it all to you.....


    "No way !!!", Akira looked up to him in disbelief. He had put Dirty Dancing ending song "Time of my Life" which was her favorite of all.


    "You want to do 1-2-2, 1-2-2 on this song?", Akira asked him all perplexed.


    "Uh..huh. Can''t we?", asked Raymond.


    "What we are doing is very basic Raymond. It''s like directly disrespecting this song", Akira said and rolled her eyes.


    Raymond sighed and came forward. He looked at her and said,


    "Doesn''t matter. All I want to do is to practise my dance with you".


    There was a certainmand in his voice. So when she heard him, she closed in towards the center of the room where he was standing. Before she could even stretch her hand out for him to hold, she felt his warm palm gliding on her waist and then rested firmly on her back.


    He extended his other arm for her to embrace her palm in his own and once she did, with one sudden swift movement he pulled her close. So close that the only gap between them was the air they were breathing. His lips were at a threatening distance from hers. His intoxicating eyes were fixated on hers and all that she could do was to gasp for air.


    Slowly he tilted his head and came forward with just an inch of gap from her ears. Then he whispered into them in his husky tone,


    "This time I lead".

 Chapter 88: Possessed by inner demons

    <h4>88 Possessed by inner demons</h4>


    She froze as he whispered into her ears. Every breath of his tingled every single nerve that she possessed in her body giving her endless episodes of goosebumps. His eyes had be so seductive that she felt like she was going to lose herself right now, then and there. She was afraid of letting herself go. She knew that she was straddling a dangerous path and once she crossed the line, there was soing back.


    She gulped her spit in nervousness and his eyes trailed down on her throat. Scared to look even one inch below he readjusted his gaze back on her face and said,


    "Follow me"


    Then with one swift movement, he swayed her body in a half turn. She was surprised to see him move that way and couldn''t believe the way her body reacted to him. She closed her eyes and just followed as his handsmanded.


    As they moved in sync, his breaths became short and haggard. Every single move of his was making her breathless. The almost touch, his running fingers, his intense eyes were enough to melt any woman in the world, yet she was braving him somehow. She knew that she could break any moment, but somehow she was bracing her heart and was avoiding the deadly impact. Initially, she was cautious and her moves were calcted but slowly with every passing second, her inhibitions were going down and she let him take all the control.


    Every time she came close to him, she could feel his hot breath on her skin. Their hot breaths and sweat mingled with each other inplete harmony. There was clear passion burning in their eyes but they both refused to acknowledge and just kept moving. His hands were all over her body, but not even once did he make an attempt to touch her inappropriately. He was in a trance but still, he took care not to breach her boundaries. Every time his fingers touched her, she would wilt like Mimosa. Every touch of his was soft and enticing like a feather but electric. With every touch he caused her to shiver and titited her desire for more.


    He led her swiftly through the dance like aplete professional and his moves were almost perfect. He kept chasing and retreating with his adept footwork. They seamlessly twined with each other like vines. He followed her toe to toe and his lips smiled eye to eye. She desired for Dirty Dancing and he fulfilled her desire meticulously. They moved on the floor in unison like two people truly, madly and deeply in love with each other burning with a rage of passion.


    Every time he embraced her, she wanted to melt in his arms but then with a slick move, he would release her and make her want him even more. Towards the end of the song, he rotated her and then stood behind her back and pulled her close with his one hand resting low on her waist. He then lifted both her arms on top of her head with the beats of the music and ran his palm across. She whimpered and lost all control and leaned back on him, her head resting on his chest and her body going numb with the sudden st of sensations.


    When she leaned back and rested on his chest, he could feel her breaths. They were rapid and demanding. He saw her upper body rising and falling rapidly in an erratic rhythm, gasping for air. She was a sight that he just couldn''t resist. His fingers tenderly moved and pushed her hair to one side revealing the velvety smooth skin of her back and neck. She withered with his touch and grew restless. His hands moved to her shoulder and pulled her closer and then he buried his face on her soft skin trying to capture her fragrance.


    His nose rested at the base of her neck and his lips almost grazed on her back.


    He sensed her body tremble.


    He stretched his arm and covered her shoulder. His other arm rested on her waist. He swayed slightly with the beats of the music and she followed. Her eyes closed and she was lost in her own world, possessed by her inner demons.


    She was right there in front of him, in his arms, all defenseless and God only knows how bad he wanted to kiss her. His lips quivered at the nape of her neck and she couldn''t take it anymore. She knew she had lost it all.


    She immediately turned back and ced her right palm on his chest to block him and slowly took a step back.


    Then she took another step back, increasing the gap in between and stood there trying to get back her footing.


    He looked at her in surprise and stared at the gap that she had just created in between. His gaze was focused on her lithe figure and his eyes were still filled with passion.


    She looked at him and then closed her eyes for a second and then shook her head to be able to think straight. Then she let out a deep breath and said,


    "The song is over"


    "Huh?", he questioned, unable to understand her.


    "Our song isplete", she said again.


    "I see", he said and wiped away the sweat on his forehead with his wrist.


    She continued looking at him in surprise for a while, while he drank water from the bottle on the desk.


    "You said you didn''t know how to dance. But you... " and her voice trailed off.


    "But what?", Raymond asked.


    "You already know how to dance, then why did you ask me to teach you to dance?", her eyes questioned him and her face was filled with an expression of discontent as she felt deceived.


    He marched close to her and bridged the one-foot distance, that she had created in between. He waited for a second and then moved his palm up and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears and then slightly grazed his fingertips on her face and said,


    "I asked you to teach me a bit because I had lost touch. I never said I didn''t know how to dance".


    A sly and dangerous smirk lurked on his handsome face.


    Akira stood there speechless, again trapped in his words.

 Chapter 89: My sous-chef

    <h4>89 My sous-chef</h4>


    She looked at him with mild disdain in her eyes as she sincerely felt that he had cheated. He was too clever with his words and she had realized it now the hard way after falling into his traps multiple times.


    She was angry and she pouted her lips and said,


    "You cheated. Twisting the words is not fair".


    "Cheated? That''s a very strongly opinionated word, Miss Akira. Don''t you think so?", he said and turned towards her.


    "Strongly opinionated? Really? Then what about the fool I made out of myself by teaching you the rules of the dancing? Jeez, I even told you how to count the steps rhythmically. The whole time I was thinking I was teaching you and helping you learn", she said disappointedly.


    "Yes, you were. It was a good brush up of the fundamentals you know. Your efforts are much appreciated and I must say, you do possess good teaching abilities", he said with all seriousness.


    His words somehow made her even angrier. Her face turned red hot. She couldn''t believe that he let her go on and on and on about dancing when he himself was a master and probably danced even better than her. She felt like aplete idiot.


    "Then I guess you have practiced enough and probably that''s all the assistance that you would be needing from me", Akira said sarcastically.


    "Are you angry with me or something?" Raymond asked.


    "Really? Did you get that now?", she asked disdainfully.


    "How do I know? Your emotions are always jumbled up. Sometimes your heart wants something, but your mouth speaks otherwise", Raymond said and threw a double-edged knife of twisted words at her.


    "What do you mean?", she demanded.


    "Didn''t you tell that you like dirty dancing and wanted to dance like that someday?", He asked.


    "I did, so?", Akira questioned back.


    "So instead of thanking me, I don''t understand why are you getting angry with me", Raymond said and sat on the chair next to him.


    "I am angry because you lied to me", Akira said and looked at him.


    "I didn''t and you know that", he said calmly and then again folded his hands in front of him defensively.


    She opened her mouth to say something but then she restrained herself. She stomped her feet lightly on the floor and with a grudge-filled heart, she walked towards her shoes. She picked up her heels and turned towards the sofa which was present on the left end of the room. She slumped on the sofa and started buckling up the straps of her heels on her ankles.


    Her hands were still trembling as she hadn''t fully recovered from the intimate dance that they had shared. Her heart was still racing at its peak and her focus was dispersed. She struggled a bit to get the strap into the pin correctly.


    "Do you need help with that?", he asked.


    She saw that he was still gawking at her intently and it seemed like he had no intention to give up.


    "No thanks!!! I am good", she replied spitefully.


    She was showing off of all her anger towards him because deep down she wasn''t really angry because of his lies. She was angry with herself for the way she lost all her control. She was angry because she couldn''t understand why she acted so recklessly. No matter what, he was still her boss. She was angry because with him she lost the sense of self-restraint. She was unable to ept the fact that even though she knew her boundaries clearly, she had herself pushed it way too far.


    After she was done with her shoes, she got up and said,


    "As our practice session is over, I guess I would take my leave now".


    She knew that he would have had made ns for the cooking dinner with her as discussed earlier, but she was scared of spending more time with him.


    Raymond didn''t utter a single word and he sat on the chair nonchntly. She walked to the desk where he was sitting to pick up her bag and mobile phone which she had kept on top of it. But before she could pick her stuff and move an inch away, he sped her hands in his own. He didn''t pull her close but made her turn towards him. He looked up into her eyes and said,


    "Tell me why you are angry?".


    Akira lost her patience and said,


    "I told you earlier. I do not like twisted statements. You could have told me clearly that you just wanted a partner to practice".


    Then she turned her face away unable to face his look.


    "Akira can you look at me and tell me why are you really angry?", he asked again calmly.


    "I told you already", she said but this time her voice staggered.


    She nervously started fiddling with the hemline of her skirt and said,


    "How many times do you want to hear the same thing? I thought you were the smart one?"


    "I will just ask you one more time Akira. Why are you angry?", he asked this time with a gentle soft tone and took her other hand which was fiddling with her skirt into his own.


    She continued looking down, unable to raise her head.


    How could she tell him that she was angry with herself? How could she tell him she was angry because he made her heart race and skip a beat? How could she tell him that she was mad with herself for being so naive?


    But probably he understood her. So no matter how angry she was at him, or at least pretended to, he didn''t feel bad at all. Somehow he understood the predicament of the whole situation and wanted to draw her out of it.


    So he let go of her hands and got up. He took a few steps and started walking out of the room. Then dramatically after a few steps he stopped and turned towards her and said,


    "Some unapologetic moron promised me to be my sous-chef today. I just hope they don''t back down on their words and simply run away".

 Chapter 90: The honeytrap !!!

    <h4>90 The honeytrap !!!</h4>


    "Huh", she eximed.


    "What? Have you forgotten your promise?", he asked.


    "Um... No. I mean it would be unnecessary trouble for you. It''s ok, I will eat back at my ce", Akira said, as she badly wanted to get away from him.


    "Fine then, I will also manage", he said and turned towards her.


    "Wait here, I will get my keys and drop you home", he said and moved ahead.


    "Manage? What do you mean by manage?", Akira asked.


    A wide grin shed on his face. He knew that the fish had caught the bait. He wiped away that joyous smile of his from his face and turned back and said,


    "I mean my cook is not in town, so I will just manage to cook something. Or have instant noodles or order a pizza or something. Don''t worry", he said, intensifying his trap.


    "Ugghh... he works more than 14-16 hours a day and doesn''t eat well. C''mon Akira, you can''t be that heartless to make him eat instant noodles", Akira thought and tried to fight with the thoughts in her head which were directing her to get out of his house immediately.


    "Umm... wait. Umm... let''s have dinner together", she said in a softer register.


    "I am sorry, I was a bit edgy earlier", she said and kept back her bag and phone on the table.


    He wanted tough so bad, but somehow he maintained hisposure. She was such a naive and beautiful soul that he couldn''t bear to hurt her, but neither could he bear to let her go. All that he wanted was her time and probably all of it.


    "Where is your kitchen?", asked Akira.


    "It''s this way. Follow me", he said and walked ahead of her.


    "So what are you nning to cook?", Akira asked, breaking the silence and probably making an attempt at sending an Olive Branch to him for peace.


    "What do you want to eat? "Raymond asked her back.


    "I am fine with anything. Let''s make something healthy as you work a lot and ear erratically. So it''s better if you binge on something healthy", she said.


    "Ok, then what about chicken Caesar Sd?", he asked.


    "Sounds good to me", Akira said sounding all pleased.


    As they both entered the kitchen, Akira increased her pace and went ahead of him and blocked the refrigerator and said,


    "Since you are cooking, the chopping department is mine".


    He smiled as the poor girl had not even one single hint about the devious n that he had hatched.


    "Sure thing", he said and picked up his apron.


    Akira opened the fridge but was shocked to her core. There was nothing in the fridge except water, juice and beer cans. Not even a single vegetable or egg or bread. Not a single thing that can be cooked.


    She opened the door even wider and turned towards him,


    "What am I supposed to chop now?", she asked all puzzled.


    "Oh too bad. Looks like my cook didn''t stock a thing. What to do?", he said looking all confused and disappointed.


    "Oh wait !!! I have seen a grocery store just a couple of blocks away from here whileing to your ce. We can go there and pick up the ingredients", she said all enthusiastically.


    "Oh great !!! Will get my keys then", he said and went to his bedroom.


    Akira took one more cursory look at his pantry section as well, trying to mentally take notes of the things that they might need while cooking.


    "God, he has such a painful and pathetic living. No time to even take basic care of his own", she thought to herself.


    He happily picked up his car keys and then called her to go to the grocery store.


    "Why do you need the car?", she asked after walking up to him.


    "What do you mean?", he asked.


    "I mean the shop is hardly a couple of blocks away. Do you really need to go in a car? We can just walk right?", she asked.


    "Ok", he said and followed her.


    She never failed to amuse him. Not even once.


    While walking towards the grocery store initially she was a bit silent but a few minutester she started talking with him about random stuff as the silence was making her feel all awkward and she wanted to keep her head free from any neurotic thoughts.


    "Have you ever counted the number of steps from your house to any ce?", she asked.


    "No, and why would I do that?", he asked all surprised.


    "Because it''s fun and you can y it like a game. Say a shop is 150 steps away. So the next time you go to the shop you try to beat your score, like trying to reach the store in 145 steps", she said.


    "But I will win against whom?", he asked.


    "Huh?", she was taken aback with his question.


    "You y with yourself, so basically you y against yourself. You win against yourself and you lose against yourself", she bbered uncontrolled.


    "Akira !!!", he called her, interrupting her monologue.


    "Yeah", she replied.


    "We have reached the store", he said and picked a basket.


    It was only then that her incessant bbering came to a halt. She followed him inside the store obediently.


    They picked up all the necessary ingredients for preparing the sd. Then they moved towards the dairy section as Raymond needed milk and yogurt. He picked up two cartons of milk and 1 tub of in and unvored yogurt.


    Akira saw him taking the tub of yogurt and made a disappointed face.


    "What now? ", asked Raymond.


    She picked the yogurt tub and showed the MRP to him. Then she picked up a yogurt pouch of the same volume and showed him the MRP. It was almost 35% lower than the price of the tub, even though the quantity was the same.


    "Why do you want to pay 35% extra just for pretty packaging?", she asked and reced the tub with the yogurt pouch in his basket.


    An elderly guy who had overheard them looked at Raymond andmented,


    "You got a smart wife there young man. Treasure her and she will bring you fortunes !!!".


    He then tapped on his shoulder and left.


    Akira stood there dumbfounded and then muttered slowly,


    "But I am not his wife".


    "One day you will be", his heart just screamed.

 Chapter 91: The troublemaker has arrived !!!

    <h4>91 The troublemaker has arrived !!!</h4>


    Raymond stood there at the billing counter to pay the bill for all the items that they had purchased. Buying such silly things with her brought him great joy. He didn''t know that things like this could make him so happy. He never imagined grocery shopping would be so heartwarming and engaging.


    After the payment was done, he carried both the bags in his hands and started walking.


    "Hey, it looks heavy. You can give me one bag, the lighter one of course. I will help you carry it home", Akira quipped all enthusiastically.


    He was beyond amused to hear her speak like that in a carefree manner. His heart felt a bit lighter to see her in a better mood than she was before.


    "It''s fine. I can totally manage", he said.


    "Yeah, I know you workout. But there is no need to show that off", she said.


    "What?", he asked all surprised and amused with her statement.


    "What what? All you guys are like that. They just need to show off that they are oh so manly and beastly", sheined.


    "You are kidding me, right? And how do you know that I workout?", Raymond was surprised to hear her out.


    "It''s obvious from the way your shoulders and pectoral muscles feel", she spoke non-stop without even realizing what she was blurting out.


    Raymond stopped instantly after hearing her out. He was definitely pleased by her statement but wanted to mess with her.


    "So were you dancing or feeling my muscles while dancing?", he asked with a smirk on his face.


    "You !!!", Akira growled all pissed.


    He was clearly messing with her, so she decided to keep quiet.


    She turned back and picked up two milk cartons from the bag that he was carrying and started walking ahead at a brisk pace.


    Heughed at her childish behavior and continued following her silently till they reached home.


    Just when Akira was about to open the gate and enter the house, Raymond said,


    "572 steps".


    "What?", Akira asked all puzzled.


    "The distance from the shop to house. Wait, don''t tell me you didn''t count?", he said and entered the house.


    Akira stood there all baffled.


    He was clearly messing up with her big-time.


    She took deep breaths and took a resolve to stay careful.


    They entered the kitchen together and started sorting out the items which they had purchased.


    "I will handle the chicken, meanwhile you clean and chop the vegetables. Once I ce the chicken in the oven, we can work on the sauce" Raymond said and put on his apron.


    "Wao !!! Since when did cooking need to be nned so meticulously? No wonder being a boss is in his genes", Akira thought in her head.


    "Here", Raymond said and tossed another apron towards Akira.


    "Well, I don''t need it. I am not much of an apron person in the kitchen", Akira said and kept the Apron back on the table. Then she moved towards the sink to wash the lettuce first. But little did she know about the sink tap settings and the pressure of the water that came through that sink tap. The moment she opened it, she was sprayed with water all over.


    "Jesus Christ!!!", eximed Akira. Even her face couldn''t escape. Somehow she managed to close the tap.


    Raymond left his chicken and came forward and gave her a face towel. While she was wiping her face, he said,


    "Stay still".


    "Huh!!!", eximed Akira.


    "I said, stay still", Raymond said and passed the apron through her head. Akira was about to turn back but he held her waist firmly and made her stand still.


    "Don''t move", he said and tied the apron strap at her back.


    "Your dress is too nice. Don''t ruin it in the kitchen", he said and moved back to his counter and started working on his chicken. She looked at him, but he didn''t nce back. He didn''t want to make her any more ufortable than she already was.


    "Turn the knob to the other side before you start cleaning again", he said nonchntly without even looking up.


    "Ok", she said and continued working on the vegetables.


    They were both engrossed in making the sd properly until the heard the doorbell.


    "I will get that", Raymond said and left the kitchen.


    He opened the door and saw Katherine outside.


    "Ugghhh why it''s you?", Raymond said.


    "Wow, really wow. Such a warm wee", Katherine said all pissed.


    "What now? Is it something urgent? If not then can it wait?", Raymond said still standing at the door.


    "Can it wait? No, it can''t? I can''t let you go into this hibernation mode again and again Ray. What is wrong with you?", Katherine said all concerned.


    "Can we talk about itter some other day. I am busy right now", Raymond said.


    "I don''t care what work you have, but I am gonna make sure you don''t skip your meals", Katherine said and shoved a casserole into his hands.


    "Ok, thanks for your concern. Can you please leave now?", Raymond said getting all impatient. He knew his sister was an impending danger. She was a predator and if she saw Akira in the house by any chance, then he was doomed. She would never let him survive in peace with her constant questions and taunts.


    "No, I am cannot", Katherine said and pushed Raymond suddenly to one side and got inside the house.


    She walked inside and sat on the sofa and said,


    "I am not leaving till you eat. What drama are you doing? What are you like 12".


    Raymond was taken aback as his n of blocking his sister from entering the house had failed miserably.


    "Hey Katherine !!!", Akira said and came to the living room as she heard some voices from the kitchen.


    "Hi Akira !!! What a pleasant surprise?", Katherine said and turned towards Raymond, giving him her patented deathly stare.


    "I didn''t know you wereing. Raymond didn''t tell me. We are making Caesar sd. I will make a portion for you too", Akira said all enthusiastically.


    "Well, he didn''t tell me either that you areing here. Else I would havee earlier", she said and smiled at Akira and then turned towards Raymond to continue with her stare.


    Raymond''s n to have Akira just for himself was in deep waters right now. His palm rested on his forehead and he grew all tensed because he knew that his sister would do nothing but brew in more trouble.

 Chapter 92: Ok, I lied

    <h4>92 Ok, I lied</h4>


    "Now that you are here, we all can have fun together at dinner", Akira said and looked at Katherine with her eyes filled with warmth.


    "Isn''t she just way too sweet brother?", Katherine said and looked back at Raymond who was somehow controlling his anger. He knew it very well that she was up to some sort of mischief. No wonder she was known as the troublemaker in their entire family.


    "Where is Kate?", asked Raymond.


    "Oh, she has gone for a sleepover to one of her friend''s ce. So I am going to be a free bird tonight", Katherine said with an ted tone.


    "Oh, and by the way, she had asked me to send you hugs and kisses Akira. I totally forgot to text you that", Katherine added.


    "Oh c''mon its totally fine. Tell her that I love her too", Akira said happily.


    "Well now all the friends of Kate not only know you as the ''SuperWoman Aunty'' but also as a ''SuperMagician'' as well", Katherine harped.


    "Jeez these kids", Akira eximed.


    "Well, that''s some title that you got. What bribe did you give the kids to make them fond of you?", chuckled Raymond.


    Katherine turned back with a savage look on her face.


    "What did you say? Have you lost all your senses? Your niece is alive today because she saved her from being run over by vehicles on a busy road. She didn''t even care about herself and got injured too. And you areparing this with bribing. Have some sense Raymond before you speak. Not everyone''s heart is made of stone like yours", Katherine said almost barking at Raymond.


    "Hey hey chill. He didn''t know. He was just trying to lighten up everyone''s mood by joking. Weren''t you Raymond?", Akira rushed in to save him.


    He stood there all perplexed. He owed her one. Big time.


    "What''s in that casserole?", Akira asked to steer away from the subject.


    "Oh, nothing. Just some grilled chicken and braised beans. I thought this idiot had gone into hibernation mode so I got some food for him" Katherine said.


    "Wow, that''s so thoughtful of you. But why hibernation? Is he not talking with you guys?", asked Akira curiously.


    "Enough of this chit chat. Can we focus onpleting our sd Akira?", Raymond asked interrupting the conversation in between.


    "Oh no", Akira eximed and ran towards the kitchen as she had forgotten to switch off the gas.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about it earlier", Raymond asked Katherine after Akira had left the room.


    "How to tell you anything, when you don''t have time to even talk with me", Katherine retorted.


    "What are you trying to do now Katherine?", Raymond asked all irritated.


    "Wow, I should be the one asking you this question. What is going on between you two?" Katherine replied back.


    "Well anything that was supposed to go on, cannot go on since you are here. So whatever you are thinking is supposedly going on, can go on if you please leave right now", Raymond said with a straight face.


    "Jeez, you are lucky that you were given birth by my mom, else I would have kicked your ass by now and I would have taped that blunt mouth of yours", Katherine sneered.


    "I do not care about..." Raymond paused as he saw Akira enter the room.


    "So you were saying", she said and looked at Katherine, starting the conversation back from the point where it had stopped.


    Before Raymond could intervene in between any further, Katherine said,


    "Well ask him. We have the same cook as he was with our family for long. Today when he came to my ce he told that this guy had asked him to take leave for the whole day and clean up the fridgepletely. I was just scared that he was going into some hibernation mode and that he didn''t want to be disturbed by anybody, not even by the cook. Assuming how serious he gets while working I thought I would bring food for him. So yeah that''s the hibernation hypothesis of mine", Katherine said and picked up her bag which she had ced on the sofa.


    "Anyways you guys enjoy because I don''t want to ruin my once in a lifetime opportunity to binge watch something on Netflix all alone by myself. See ya", Katherine said and left the room.


    Deadpan silence prevailed in the room.


    Akira stood there in the room silently staring at Raymond in disbelief.


    "You said that your cook was out of town", Akira questioned.


    "I lied", Raymond spoke with a straight face. He didn''t want to make up any new story and deceive her any further. He was sick of ying this game of hide and seek.


    "Why did you lie?", Akira asked.


    "Well if I didn''t, I don''t think we would be having this conversation right now in this room. You would have stormed back to your ce long back", Raymond said.


    "Can''t he just lie and make up some story now. What is he speaking the truth like this right now", Akira screamed inside her head.


    "Why didn''t you tell me that you were injured while saving my niece?", Raymond questioned her back.


    "Well, that never came up as a question?", Akira replied.


    "Then why didn''t you tell me about it when you were hurt. Why didn''t you tell me that you were in pain? What''s with all this hiding?", Raymond asked.


    "Because...", Akira said and stopped.


    "Stop giving half answers Akira", Raymond said with a hint of irritation in his tone.


    "Because I didn''t want you to be all nice with me just because I saved your niece. I wanted you to be with me just the way you are because of just the way I am. I didn''t want your behavior towards me influenced or dictated by some random act, which might be perceived as an act of kindness by you", Akira said and started fiddling with her skirt nervously. She didn''t want to tell all this, but she just couldn''t help herself.


    "Then what do I assume of your behavior? Do you act nice to me because I saved you from Anthony? Is that what it is Akira?", Raymond asked and certainly, there was a pain in his voice.

 Chapter 93: Walking into the Lions den

    <h4>93 Walking into the Lion''s den</h4>


    "Why would you assume something like that? I thought we were friends", Akira asked almost tearing up. She couldn''t bear his usatory tone.


    "Even I thought the same", Raymond said and walked towards the kitchen all disappointed. He was beyond hurt because of her words. Disappointed because he felt that her behavior was just an oue of gratitude and nothing more. In his head somehow he had thought that she too had a soft corner for him and that he could possibly win her over someday. But her statementsplete;y whitewashed all his dreams and doused his heart. He couldn''t ept the fact that she didn''t even consider him a good enough friend to share her stuff with him. He was irritated for over assuming and hoping against hope about the whole scenario in between them.


    He knew that right now they meant nothing to each other, but still, he wanted an ount of everything rted to her, every sneeze to every breath, like in sickness and health. But that was probably just him being way too possessive.


    Akira followed him and entered the kitchen. He was checking the grill settings and was standing far off in a corner with his back facing towards her. Somehow she was not able to bear his indifference. For a moment she felt like she had lost him forever when he had questioned her. She could not bear the thought of hurting him by saying something randomly stupid.


    She wanted to hug him tight and make him understand what he meant to her. But unfortunately, she couldn''t. So she decided to speak up instead as she just couldn''t keep calm seeing him this way.


    "Raymond I have always respected you and I have given you a very high position in my life. That''s not just because you are my boss but because of the person that you are. If I would have been saved by anyone else, like some other random person, then also I would have felt the same way about you as I do now. My perception for you is not based on just that incident. I think very highly of you Raymond and it''s not because of any gratitude. Yes I owe you for saving my life, but that has nothing to do with the way I act around you or I feel about you", Akira said and paused for a moment, expecting him to turn back.


    But s he didn''t.


    "You probably think that the whole base of our rtionship is gratitude, but you are wrong. You probably think that I don''t share anything with you and still have the audacity to call you as my friend right? Then listen, I was about to tell you that day. I swear I would have told you everything. About that incident, about being invited by Katherine to the party, all of it Raymond. Trust me. But as David came in, I just couldn''t."


    Raymond didn''t say a word further but he turned back and looked at her. Her eyes were moist and were dripping with sincerity. He knew that she was telling the truth. Actually, he knew it earlier too that she was telling the truth, but somehow his heart demanded an exnation and this was his way of getting one.


    Her voice quivered seeing him turn back, but she continued and said,


    "I sometimes don''t know how to frame words properly. Please don''t misunderstand what I said and ruin this Raymond. I am sorry".


    His heart was in splits seeing her like this. He could bear a line of pain on her face and here she was struggling and apologizing because of him. That made him feel even worse. He wanted to hug her so bad at that instant that all the heaven could solemnly vouch for it. He inched closer and lifted her chin with his hand and asked her,


    "Do you really think of me as a friend?"


    "Yes !!! A Thousand times yes Raymond," Akira said.


    "Then why would you starve your friend to death?", Raymond asked with a straight face.


    "Huh?", Akira couldn''t understand and kept batting her eyes.


    He turned her towards the stove where the vegetables were still boiling in water for thest half an hour.


    "Oh no", she said and ran towards the stove.


    All her vegetables were reduced to mulch.


    "Looks like our chicken caesar sd will have only chicken in it", he said and smirked.


    Finally, she was relieved to see him smile.


    "Well lucky for you, you have braised beans and chicken too. Tell thanks to Katherine for bringing in food and saving you out", Akira said and wiped the hint of tear that had formed on her face.


    Raymond smiled and ced the casserole on the table top.


    "Why don''t you smile often like this. It will be easier for people toe close to you", Akira said.


    "I don''t think so", Raymond said.


    "Why so?", Akira asked.


    "Because I think I smile quite a lot with you, but it hasn''t brought you any closer. Has it?", Raymond asked and waited to fish for her answer.


    "That''s not true", Akira said after thinking for a while.


    "Then prove it", Raymond said.


    "Well we were just acquaintances earlier, then we became a bit closer and now we are good friends. That''s because of you. If you would have shut me out with a perennial grim look on your face all the time, then probably we wouldn''t be having this conversation right now", Akira said and threw the veggies into the dustbin.


    "I see", Raymond remarked.


    Encouraged with his remark she went on,


    "It''s a ''give and take'' rtionship. It depends on both sides to be good friends. I mean if only I try to be your friend then it won''t work. We parties need to make an attempt for a proper friendship to blossom. Like in our case. You respect me so I respect you back. You are nice to me so I try to be nicer. When you smile at me, I also smile in return. That''s how it works. That''s how we have be close".


    "So ours is a give and take rtionship?"


    "Absolutely", Akira said.


    "So if I give you something, then you will give it back to me in return?", Raymond asked with a devilish grin on his face.


    "Of course !!! And I will try to give back magnanimously", Akira said, beaming up all confidently.


    "Are you sure?", Raymond asked again.


    "Try me!!!", she said.


    Little did she know what was she bringing upon her.


    The poormb had walked into the lion''s den.

 Chapter 94: I thought we were sharing

    <h4>94 I thought we were sharing</h4>


    "I am giving you my pinky promise", she said and extended her Pinky finger in his direction.


    He stood there all bemused because of her childish innocence. Her face looked all angelic and divine to him. And that smile of hers and that dimple that yed on her cheeks, he could wage wars for them.


    "What I am gonna do with you Akira?", he mumbled and came closer.


    With every step of his as he was closing into her periphery, he had a behemothian task surmounted on his head. He had to channel out all his energy to focus on anything else possible in that room apart from her.


    "Ok, then tell me exactly where else you were hurt when you took a fall?", he asked.


    "A bit on my shoulder and a bit on my ankle", Akira said sheepishly.


    Then without a warning, his hands straddled her waist and he hoisted her up on the kitchen counter. He came so rmingly close that Akira was about to scream.


    "Oiiii, what are you doing?", she asked.


    "What do you think am I doing?", he said giving her an annoyed look and kneeled down to check her ankle.


    "It''s just a bruise and it has healed very fast. See", she said and before he could inspect any further she removed her heels and turned her foot to the side so that he could see her almost healed bruise easily.


    He held her foot very delicately in his palms and ran his fingers with a touch that made her shiver.


    "Stop it!!! It tickles", she said all embarrassed.


    He smiled in his head knowing that her feet were erogenous. He buckled her shoe back on her foot and then he slowly got up, his hands tracing her leg upwards till they reached hemline of her skirt. Eager to trace further, his hands itched, his veins throbbed and his heart exploded, but hemanded them to rest. He realized at that moment, he will never have enough of her.


    She was rendered speechless by his reckless behavior. But how could she tell him to stop touching her like that when all that she wanted was his touch. She was rendered all breathless and it was all fascinating and new for her. The rising and falling waves of the warmth of his hand blurred all her abilities. She felt all helpless as his proximity increased. Her eyes struggled to keep themselves open like she had been drugged.


    "Is this why they say love is like a drug", she wondered.


    He rested his hands near her knee and leaned a bit further and said,


    "Soing back to the deal, I need to know how truly you will stand by your words"


    "You tell me how you want me to prove it?", she said struggling to gather her words and sybles.


    "Fine"


    "You are looking super pretty today", Raymond said unabashedly and started deep into her eyes.


    "Huh... oh... ok", she started stammering.


    He was amused to see her struggle with her words. After giving her a few seconds to recover he said in aining tone,


    "See our friendship isn''t working. I gave you apliment, but what did I get back? Nothing. How is this working as per your so-called hypothesis?"


    "Well ....Well, you always look dashing and I guess you get that a lot from others. So I didn''t want to state the obvious", Akira said and made a quick escape.


    He had clearly underestimated her. No wonder she was a smart one.


    He looked at her for a while. His hands were inching closer and closer. A moment before they were resting on the sides of her knees and now they were slightly touching her. His thumb ying with her skin dangerously every now and then. He knew that he was voyaging into unknown territories, but that was totally not under his control.


    "I am allergic to sandalwood smell, but I likevender", he said and moved his nose close to the nape of her neck to take a waft of the faintvender note. His senses got all muddled up with the soft smell of hers. His heart ached to touch her lips.


    He immediately distanced himself from her and stood upright and said,


    "There I gave you my secret, give me yours"


    She straightened her head to be able to think straight and said,


    "I hate it when people lie to me and I am a sucker for Lindt choctes", she said and giggled a bit.


    The moment she finished her statement, all sorts of naughty and raunchy thoughts started running in his head. He locked his eyes on hers again and said,


    "Wait for me".


    He brushed her nose gently with his index finger and went to his bedroom.


    Akira''s mind was boggling thinking about what just happened. She didn''t know how and why she had started flirting back with him.


    "Is any of this even real? What the hell is going on?", she thought in her head and pinched herself.


    "I have something that I want to ''give'' you", Raymond said focussing on the word ''give''.


    He came close and took her palm in his and ced a Lindt on her hand. She saw the small ball of happiness in her hand and her eyes gleamed with happiness.


    "This guy is so thoughtful", she thought and started unwrapping it quickly.


    Just when she had put half of it in her mouth, she saw him move extremely close to her. His bodypletely leaning over hers and his face just inches away.


    "I thought we were sharing", he said with a smirk on his face.


    She couldn''t understand and neither could she speak as her mouth was half filled. She just raised her eyebrows all surprised with his statement. But before she could act out, one of his arms had cupped her face and with another around her waist, she was pulled forward. The space between them had evaporated and all that was left was intimacy. His face was right there, his lips ready to steal away half of the treat.

 Chapter 95: I am counting !!!

    <h4>95 I am counting !!!</h4>


    "Akira!!!"


    "Akira, where are you lost?"


    "Akira, can you hear me?"


    Raymond said and snapped his fingers in front of her. She seemed to be in some sort of trance with her mouth all open and her eyes closed.


    Akira snapped out of a daze and saw Raymond standing just a foot away from her.


    "Why... why are you standing so far away right there? You were standing near me, right here right?", she asked all astonished.


    "What do you mean?", Raymond asked as he couldn''t understand what she was trying to convey.


    She instantly touched her lips and realized that the whole thing was in her head. That kiss that drained all the blood out of her, that kiss that reverberated through her bones, that kiss that made her heart go limp was only just a dream. How could he creep into her thoughts and kiss her like her lips belonged to him, to begin with? She couldn''t understand the plethora of emotions which were twining along her heart and her mind.


    Seeing him standing so far away at a distance somehow made her so sad that she could feel the weight of the tears getting ready to break the barriers and rush out. Her heart longed for that kiss to happen. All that she could do was to ponder how softly his lips could have touched hers, how did he taste, she wished so badly for him to take a voyage inside her mouth. She wanted their tongues to twine and engage in a dance but s it was only just a passing thought in her head.


    "Sorry I was just lost in some thoughts", she said


    "What thoughts and why do you look so flushed", he asked.


    "What?", she said and touched her cheeks. Indeed she was hot.


    "Ah, nothing maybe I am just famished", she said and resigned from her seat on the kitchen b.


    "Come, we will share whatever food we have", Raymond said and picked up the casserole and went towards the dining table.


    Her sultry eyes started him as he walked. She started admiring his towering figure and sighed. How bad she wished the dream of hers tost just a few seconds more. Dejected, she closed the chapters of longing and desire and then followed him to the dining area.


    They ate in harmony together talking about all random stuff. He watched her eating every single morsel and was beyond pleased to have herpany. He thanked his stars for making today happen.


    They were like a perfect couple who shopped together, cooked together, ate together and did the dishes together. They didn''t realize when time passed by so soon and it was alreadyte for her to go back home.


    He didn''t realize when they reached her ce. Time had raced so fast and they didn''t realize that it was time to say goodnight to each other and part their ways. He stopped his car and came outside to open the door for her, but she had already opened it and had gotten out of the car.


    "You are too chivalrous Mr.Raymond, but you don''t need to open the door for me?", she said and giggled.


    He turned towards her. He wasn''t able to see or hear anything apart from her. Nothing in the surrounding bothered him. Neither the passing by cars nor the ruffling sound made by the leaves. His heart was just not ready to go back home alone. He didn''t want to spend one second of his life without her. He didn''t want to breathe the air that was not kissed by her lips. He didn''t want to listen to any sound which was not hers. His heart just wanted her, all of her.


    He had resisted the demons lurking within him the whole day. He didn''t want to cave in but seeing her on the verge of departing he just couldn''t stay still.


    "I am not chivalrous, to begin with. Don''t take me granted as the nice guy", Raymond said, with his tone all devious and sultry but with a serious undertone.


    "Well isn''t that up to me to decide", Akira said and smiled gently. Her dimple spread beautifully on her face and made her look so alluring.


    He clenched his fist and his jaws were tightened and walked slowly towards her. He didn''t even blink once and his vision didn''t even stary an inch.


    "Why are you walking this slow? Is it some kind of a joke that I am unable to get? ", she asked curiously with her heart starting to spin faster and faster with his approaching steps.


    "So that you don''t scared and run away", he said and ced his left hand on her belly and he pushed her gently on the car. With his right hand, he tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ears and then held up her face ever so gently like it was a hidden treasure. Her eyes were wide open in shock and she stared at him. He looked into her eyes and the gentleness in them soothed her heart and pacified all the doubts and questions sprouting inside her mind. He bent down and kissed on her forehead gently. His lips stayed there for a while before detaching themselves.


    He saw her wither with his touch. Her eyes closed and her lips quivered. When she opened her eyes, he could see them slightly moist. She was like a maze to him, the more he wanted to trace his path back, the more he was lost. He didn''t know what magic those eyes of her did, but he leaned in again. His nose rested near the left side of her nape, his lips grazing here and there and then he inched a bit closer and kissed her cheeks. He didn''t linger for long this time as he knew it was not safe for him. He was scared to sumb to his desires, he was scared of how she would reciprocate. His hands which were earlier cupping her face slid down and lifted her chin.


    He was happier than all the happiness that could ever be amassed. His heart fluttered to see the color spreading in her cheeks. He smiled slightly and said,


    "Good Night !!! and thanks for today !!!".


    She stood there not knowing whether it was day or night. Her head still reeling with his touch. Her lips parted and she gasped for air. She touched her cheek where he had kissed her so gently and blushed all red.


    But it looked like Raymond wasn''t done ying with her. He snapped his fingers in front of her and said,


    "Give me back something in return!!!".


    Her tongue got tied and she turned all scarlet upon hearing him speak. He too knew it was too much for her to handle. He left her there and turned towards the driver''s seat and said,


    "I am feeling very magnanimous today. So I give you three days to pay me back".


    She stood there all glued to the ground and saw him turn his car ande around. He pulled the window down and said,


    "Three days!!! I am counting".

 Chapter 96: I will see what I can do about that !!!

    <h4>96 I will see what I can do about that !!!</h4>


    "Thump Thump Thump"


    Her tiny heart was racing as fast as it could. She clenched her fist and started taking deep breaths and went back to her house. Her entire body temperature was soaring. She immediately went to the bathroom to take a cold shower. But no matter what she did she couldn''t slow down her beating heart. Nothing in the world gave her any respite.


    "Aaahhhhh... what am I doing!!!", she screamed and slumped into her bed.


    ---


    The next day in office was pretty hectic for Akira as Simon instructed her to finish on her design by the end of the day. She wanted to run around the office just to get a glimpse of Raymond but the poor girl was glued to her chair since morning because of the endless pile of work. She was checking her phone every now and then for any message, but there was none from him.


    "Does he not want to talk with me? Is he so busy that he can''t even send me one text", she thought and became all gloomy. She tried focussing on her work but her heart was chiming his name. She just wanted one look at his face, that''s all and it seemed like God was gracious that day.


    "How is the development going on guys?"


    His voice echoed in the graphic wing and everyone turned in surprise. They were all shocked to see Raymonding in so casually to ask about development status.


    Simon stuttered initially, but then exined him all about the ongoing n.


    "So you think you can integrate it by Wednesday evening?", he asked.


    "Yes, we think it''s possible", Simon said confidently.


    "Are you confident to meet the three-day deadline?", Raymond asked Simon but his eyes were locked on Akira.


    She stared at him in surprise with her mouth wide open.


    "How could he bring that up here? Akira you are so doomed!!!", she thought and wanted the earth to split into two at that instant and epass her. This guy was just too much for her to handle.


    "Fine then, if anyone has any questions or queries rted to the deadline, then pleasee to my cubicle. I will be more than happy to give you any opportunity that will help you toplete your task in the stipted time", he said and shot a smug look at Akira before retreating back to his office.


    When he left she felt an odd tension building up in her heart. She didn''t belong to the category of people who backed down. She stood there looking in the direction that he walked away for a while and then with a resolve she took herptop and stormed towards his cabin.


    Knock Knock


    "Come in!!!", said Raymond and continued his discussion with David.


    But the moment he saw her taking a step inside, his jaws dropped and he just couldn''t process anything anymore which was being spoken by David.


    She saw David and was a bit surprised because she was expecting him to be alone in the room. Now with the third party in the room, the dynamics had totally changed. She had to think fast, real fast.


    "Hello, David!!! How is your health now?", she asked.


    "My health? What happened to my health?" David asked all surprised.


    "Didn''t you get a seizure on Friday?", Akira asked.


    "Oh, that!!! It''s totally fine now", he replied and shrugged his shoulder.


    "But do you know what triggered it? Or it just happened randomly?", Akira asked in all seriousness.


    "Well I am not sure about that", David said trying to avoid her questions as he was a bit scared that she might be able to catch that he had faked it all.


    "Actually today I read an interesting article on Times that some scientists have found that some people get seizures when theye in close contact or like kiss people of the opposite gender or even just touch them. Something rted to pheromone instability", she said and looked at Raymond who was sitting in his seat and intently listening to what she had to say.


    "What, really?" David asked all surprised.


    "If you don''t believe me then you can Google it", Akira said.


    "So did youe in contact with any girl on that day in office?", she asked all curiously.


    "What !!! No, anyways there are hardly any girls in ourpany. Plus I am married, so why would you even think something like that?", David asked in surprise. He was really caught in the ceasefire.


    "I was just worried that being the only girl in the team, I should not cause any such problems to others. So wanted to test if everyone was safe in my presence. Since you are married I don''t need to test on you.


    "Test what?", David asked.


    But before he could evenplete his question, Akira had already taken two steps forward and was near Raymond''s chair and touched his palm slightly with her fingers.


    "Do you feel any difort?", she asked him quizzically.


    "No", he replied looking into her eyes.


    She then ran her fingers on him reaching till his arm.


    "Now?", she asked.


    "Still no", he replied without evening blinking once. He was shocked but amazed to see the young and naive intern turn into a sultry seductress.


    Then she pulled Raymond''spel and kissed his cheeks briefly for just a split of a second before detaching herself. She looked into his eyes and have a mischevious yet victorious smile.


    "And now?", she asked.


    "Ugh... Ahem. No", he said clearing his throat and adjusted his jacket.


    Then she whispered into his ears - "Returned" and stood up. Her cool breath against his bare skin had him dazed.


    While they were busy being enraptured by each other, David stood there all shocked like a mock spectator who had lost his voice.


    He looked at her in surprise as she defied and defiled his boss bit by bit.


    He was waiting for the heavens to break loose but instead, he saw his boss smile. His eyes were surprised at first but then beamed with happiness like he had found the golden treasure.


    He somehow sensed that something was cooking in between these two for the way they behaved and looked at each other seemed all peaches and pears. He had interrupted their conversations many times earlier so this time he thought that best thing to do at that time was to scoot away.


    Akira saw David leaving, and took her cue and picked up herptop and wanted to run away as fast as possible from Raymond. She had finished the task but God only knows what was the toll that she had taken upon herself to do so. Even she didn''t know what gave her the courage to do it and that too in front of David.


    He sat there silently unable to believe that she was able to do something so cheeky in such a polished way.


    "Gosh!!! I fell for a smart devil", he thought and sighed.


    "I will get back to work now. Good to know that you are safe from my touch", she said and hurried towards the door.


    "Not so fast Akira," echoed a voice and vo'', her path was blocked.


    She gulped her spit as she saw his towering figure in front of her. At home yesterday his demeanor was so pleasant and kind but in the office, she always found him all distant, camouged with ayer of sternness on top him. So she was scared thinking if she had crossed the line.


    He held her chin delicately and looked into her eyes and asked,


    "So this experiment of yours, am I the first one that you tried on?".


    "Yes", she nodded.


    "Good because I forbid you to experiment it on anyone else. Is that clear?", he said with a sense ofmand and authority in his voice like she was already his, to begin with.


    She just smiled and opened the door to go back to her seat. But she turned before that and said,


    "I will see, what can I do about that".


    His lips curled into a smile.

 Chapter 97: The game of Monopoly

    <h4>97 The game of Monopoly</h4>


    "I want all his messages to be checked".


    "Yes, trace all his call logs too".


    "I do not care how much it takes to break into his phone, but I need the report now, as in right now!!! Do you understand that?"


    "Money isn''t a problem here but make sure all his traces are wiped out".


    He literally barked and then kept the call.


    Inside his office in Staten Ind, Vikram was pacing in his room from one corner to another. He knew that things had already gone out of his control when his guy informed him that Akira had gone to Raymond''s ce Sunday evening.


    The image of Raymond touching her, ying with her, made his mind go berserk. He couldn''t imagine someone else being with her again when he almost had her so close. She was slipping out of his hands like grains of sand through the crevices of his fingers.


    His heart was in insurmountable pain. Every fleeting second had turned into infinity for him. The wait was endless and excruciating. He wanted to focus on his work but unfortunately, he couldn''t. He just wanted the results as soon as possible. So when he saw his phone beep with an iing message, without any further ado, he leaped to read it.


    "Data extracted. All details uploaded on the Rosetta drive".


    He saw the message and immediately took out hisptop and essed the data. In front of his screen, he had all the data from Raymond''s phone. His fingers trembled for a moment, there was a bit of hesitation at first but then with infinite resolve, he went through each and every message that was shared between Raymond and Akira. With every single line that he was reading his patience was receding at an rming rate and his anger was increasing in manifolds. His eyebrows curled against each other and numerous tension lines started creeping on his forehead.


    "You are ying with fire Akira. What are you doing?" he eximed with disappointment and his voice was filled with resentment against Raymond. He took a deep breath and then made a call.


    "It''s time to bring out the dirt. Bring out all of it".


    He kept the call and stared at hisptop screen for quite some time. He wasn''t sure if he was doing the right thing but he knew only one thing that she was the right thing for him. Her innocent face, her bubbly smile, her faintvender smell, it all overpowered his senses. He knew that he was treading the wrong path to get her but he had no other choice. He had to get her back no matter how unfair his means were.


    Then he picked up his phone and call up Akira,


    "Hey what''s up?", he asked.


    "Hiii, finally you remembered that I exist? Huh... what is wrong with you? Do I not exist in your life? Why were you not replying to my messages?", Akirained.


    "Oh my God Akira!!! You speak like we haven''t conversed for centuries. I was stuck up with some urgent work." Vikram said.


    "Seemed like a century to me", she said and scowled.


    "By the way, I''ll pick you up today evening from your office as we need to do your dress shopping for the g dinner", Vikram said.


    "Cool!!!", Can I buy heels to go with the dresses as well?", she asked like a kid.


    "Anything!!! Buy anything that you want. Whatever makes you happy Akira. Just be ready at six", he said and kept the call.


    ---


    Sharp at six in the evening Vikram came to pick her up. Before leaving she informed Simon that she was going out for some personal work and Simon being Simon couldn''t stop his nosyness and went to the exit area to check up on her.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw Vikram Shah waiting for her near his car on the entrace. They hugged each other like long lost friends and then she got in the car.


    "Gosh, this girl has connections!!!", Simon muttered and returned to his seat.


    A few minutester Raymond, who was passing by the graphics wing halted not to find Akira at her seat. He came and asked Simon,


    "Can you send my intern to my office? I need to check up on her progress status."


    ''Well, that doesn''t look like happening today. Seems like she went on a date", Simon said andughed a bit.


    "Date?"


    "Yeah and not just with anyone but with Vikram Shah", Simon said and chuckled.


    "Can you focus on the work Simon instead of poking your nose inside other people''s personal matter?", Raymond thundered and left the wing. Although he knew they were good friends, he couldn''t digest the fact that she could be with someone else other than him. He retired to his office and slumped in the chair. He was not unfamiliar with love. But this love was totally a poison and he had no room left to escape.


    ---


    They shopped for hours together stopping at every shop that she wanted to look at. Finally, Akira found a dress that she loved at a small boutique at the corner of a street.


    "Are you sure you want to buy this? It''s not even designer",ined Vikram.


    "But it''s looking cute on me Vikram", Akira said and pouted.


    "You aren''t looking cute. You are looking hot and sexy", Vikram said and shot a gaze at her. She indeed looked hot in that velvety maroon gown.


    "Shut up", Akira sneered.


    "Are you worried about money?", Vikram asked.


    "Why should I be worried about money when I''m shopping with my boss''s boss''s boss''s boss", she said and giggled.


    "I just want to buy something which is worth every penny that I have spent on", she said and kept looking at herself in the mirror from different angles.


    "Fine I give up", Vikram said and returned back to admiring her silhouette.


    They packed the dress and went to Vikram''s house as it had been long that she had visited his ce and he insisted upon it. After having dinner with Vikram''s parents, Akira when to Vikram''s room as Vikram wanted to discuss her internship experience.


    "So the ramp-up is well paced for you?", he asked.


    "Don''t even get me started. I am running on my toes there", she said and enacted the same. Just then Vikram got some work-rted message on his phone so he asked Akira,


    "Hey, can you get myptop? It''s on my study table. I need to send some data sheets".


    "Yeah, yeah just because you have paid for my dress, you are now going to make me do all the dirty work aren''t you?"


    She said and walked towards the table.


    She picked theptop and turned towards Vikram but then immediately stopped.


    On top of the table, there was file and the title said - RAYMOND WALKER


    She turned back to Vikram and asked.


    "Why do you have a file on my boss Vikram?"

 Chapter 98: Just hear me out once

    <h4>98 Just hear me out once</h4>


    "Why do you have a file on my boss Vikram?"


    "Ah, nothing. It''s just a routine background check", Vikram replied casually.


    "I am investing so much of my money in this startup so at least I should know what sort of an owner I am dealing with right? That''s how you do business, it''s like basic protocol", Vikram saiding closer.


    "What do you mean by a background check?", Akira asked curiously.


    "Generic stuff like whether he has any police case or if his personal life is two jumbled up or if he has any social issues or debts and stuff like that", he said and picked theptop from her hands.


    Out of curiosity, Akira opened the first page. She saw a picture of Raymond and Scarlett Robinson, a famous televison star, sitting intimately with each other.


    "Isn''t she Scarlet Robinson from the series ''Charlotte and I''?"


    "Yup", replied Vikram and tried to gauge her reaction.


    She was already upset seeing the picture and didn''t have the courage to look further into the file, but after a few moments of hesitation, she turned page after page. She found a pregnancy report, an abortion procedure bill, a copy of Scarlett''s contract with some agency, Raymond''s bank statements. She didn''t realize when tears started running down her cheeks. She wiped them up immediately and tried to hide away her pain which was stinging her heart.


    Vikram saw her in pain and just wanted tofort her. His heart was torn to see her so tormented but he knew that his n had to go on. This was the only way to remove Raymond from the picture.


    "Looks like they had a roll !!!", Akira said, trying to hide away her pain. She wanted to sound all peachy in front of him.


    "Yeah, you are right. They studied in the same college and apparently they were the so-called ''one true love'' sort of couple. They got engagedst year and I guess two months back she even conceived his child, but as she was career oriented apparently she didn''t want to have a kid and that kind of lead to some differences. She took a contract for taking part in a new reality show which was outdoor based where you need to be inplete istion from the outside world".


    "You mean like ''Big Boss'' reality TV?", Akira interrupted and asked.


    "Yeah, something like that.


    "Out of anger, they both parted ways. They couldn''t get in touch as that would need breaching her contract. So looks like they have decided to take a break till she finishes her shoot but I guess after this incident your boss turned all reserved and went into some sort of shell. He never contacted her again but I feel they still like each other pretty much and will get back together when her shoot gets over", Vikram said all nonchntly like he was discussing some everyday news.


    Her heart shrank.


    "Whatever, big people have big lives. Why do I care?", Akira said and kept the file back.


    Vikram observed her and knew that she was on the verge of breaking. He hated himself for all of it but he was driven by his own desires which obeyed no rule from the book.


    "It''ste!!! Can you drop me home?", Akira requested.


    He nodded and picked up his car keys.


    ---


    She went inside her bedroom and sat silently in front of the mirror.


    She had survived when her heart broke once because he was the one who glued it back. But this time her savior had be the destroyer. She had no way to survive. It was true that Raymond never had promised her anything, but he had shown her what was it to be happy, to be in love. To see him in love with someone else was just unbearable.


    Her moist eyes glistened with tears. Slowly her sobs intensified as the pain started wrenching her heart. But before she could empty out her pails of pain, she saw a text,


    "How was your date?" - Raymond


    She tried to amass a few words to key in but could only write,


    "Good" - Akira


    He pursed his lips in anger seeing her reply. He waited for a while and then replied,


    "Are you back home?" - Raymond


    She couldn''t understand what was she to him. Just a friend or just a timepass till his fiance was back.


    "Why? Are you bored as Scarlette is not with you right now?" - Akira


    She waited for his reply because she wanted answers. She wanted to know if she was just a friend to him. Just friends don''t touch each other like that, just friends don''t kiss each other like that. Her heart wanted rification. But from his side there was none.


    Dissapointment clouded her heart and the pails of tears started overflowing. One after the other.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw her text but he knew immediately one thing. He owed her an exnation, big time. He immediately started his car and rushed towards her home as fast as he could. He didn''t care if it had affected her to know about his past or not but he wanted to rify his stand to her.


    He started pounding on her door without even bothering who else was there inside. The moment she opened the door he saw her bloodshot eyes and knew that she had been crying. He held her hand and said,


    "We need to talk".


    She was shocked to see him but she was equally displeased.


    "There is nothing to hear and exin Raymond. I never asked for any exnation from you. Please leave me alone", she said and walked towards her room.


    But she suddenly found her whole body embraced by him. He hugged her from behind. His arms encasing her entire body so tightly that she felt that she was a part of him. He rested his chin on her bare shoulder, his stubble grazing on her skin and heightening every sensation that she had. She couldn''t understand how pain turned into pleasure in a split second with his touch.


    He breathed into her ear and said,


    "Just stay a moment and listen to me. Please !!!"


    He said and softly touched her ear with his nose. Unknowingly his lips moved ahead and kissed her neck slightly. His delicate touch crumbled her resistance. She couldn''t resist any further from his embrace and caved in. His warm lips brushed her ears as hended a small peck. He rxed his hold on her and with one hand he brushed away all the hair on her back to one side revealing her slender back. She shivered as he kissed on her tattoo at the nape of her neck and her inner mes burned her when his fingers ran through her hair. His one hand which rested on her waist started bing all restless and needy. In the heat of the moment, she lifted her hand and turned slightly to hold him back.


    Their eyes met as she turned. He paused and took a deep breath and said,


    "Please don''t misunderstand anything. Just hear me out once".

 Chapter 99: Just say it Akira !!!

    <h4>99 Just say it Akira !!!</h4>


    "I m listening", she said and looked up at him.


    He looked deep into her eyes and then turned her fully towards himself and asked,


    "You need to tell me, why did you cry first?"


    He then gently held her face in his palms and nted a soft kiss on her cheeks.


    "I don''t know", she said and drop of her tearnded on his palm. His body tensed when his hand came in contact with her moisture. He didn''t know that someone could be this affected because of him. He sighed and took her near the sofa and made her sit. He was afraid that she might get exhausted because of all this turmoil which she was undergoing.


    Her sobs had reduced by now but the intensity of the look in her eyes, trying to figure out the answers to all the unanswered questions, was still the same. She was looking at him the same way as she did, to begin with.


    "Where do I start?", he said and sighed.


    "Scarlett and I studied in the same college and we were introduced to each other through amon friend of mine. She was pretty I was naive and nerdy and there was instant chemistry in between us. I wouldn''t lie to you Akira, I loved her with all my heart and I think a part of me still does", he said and paused for a while to read what was going on in her mind.


    "We were destined to be together. My mum and my sister didn''t like her much but still for my sake they all epted her. Somehow the whole thing worked. She made me really happy and my happiness was all that my family wanted. So they all tried to be nice with her and so did she. She was a budding artist at that time but she slowly matured into a famous television star. I think you must be aware of that. She was doing all fine, we were doing all fine but slowly the stardom kind of started getting into her head."


    "Things started getting a bit difficult between us after my mother passed away. I was an emotional wreck and it was difficult for her to handle me and a professional carrier simultaneously. Then I decided to start my ownpany so that I get distracted from everything. But a startup demands every single bit of your avable time, and I just gave my all to build Delphi. So the amount of time which could give each other reduced but the misunderstandings and gap between us increased. So we decided to get engagedst year hoping that it would improve things between us, but that was just false hope because a couple of months ago..."


    Raymond''s voice then suddenly trailed off.


    He had tapped into some unknown pages of his memories, which gave him nothing but pain in return.


    She saw his body flinch and he had balled his fists out of anger. She took his hand onto hers and ran her fingers on top to soothe him and his aching heart.


    He opened his eyes with his touch which had closed themselves because of the pain that the old memories brought in. Then he continued after taking a deep breath.


    "Couple of months back she conceived my child. It was not nned. Somehow the protection didn''t work. But I was all ready and enthusiastic to wee my baby into this world where she was nning ways to get rid of it. She had a huge contract from "Fear Factor" and there was a no pregnancy use in it. So a couple of days before the shooting was supposed to start, she just decided to let go of my child".


    "She snatched away my bundle of happiness from me Akira"


    " I had no idea that she was going to do such a thing and I was devastated beyond any repair. We had an argument and she just left me. She was supposed to shoot at an undisclosed location somewhere but as they do not allow any telephone, I couldn''t contact her. To be honest a part of me didn''t want to contact her. Our rtionship was dead since long and my unborn child was like hope for me to revive it, but she killed that too"


    Tears started swarming his eyes and his voice started to tremble a bit. Her heart was in trouble seeing him this way. She had forgotten her pain as that was nothingpared to what he was going through right now.


    She immediately took the rug on the sofa and covered him up with it.


    "I will get you some water", she said and got up.


    He pulled her hand and stopped her


    "Are you going to leave me like her?", he asked.


    "Akira? answer me please", his voice was more demanding now.


    "I am not going anywhere Raymond", she said and gave him a gentle smile. But only she knew how hard it was for her smile knowing that his heart longed for someone else but she decided to hide away all her feelings because she had understood that in his story she was just the third wheel.


    But he wasn''t satisfied. He could clearly see that something was going in the back of her head. With a slight jerk, he pulled her onto him and she was back in his embrace.


    "Now you need to tell me why you were mad at me?", he asked and intensified his look on her face.


    She didn''t have the guts to speak a word and looked away from him.


    With his palm, he turned her face towards him and locked his eyes onto hers and said,


    "I am not going anywhere without taking answers".


    She faked augh and said,


    "It was nothing, I was just being hormonal I guess. Even I don''t know why I was acting like that. That was totally out of my character right?", she said and tried to escape his question.


    "I see", he said and loosened his grip around her and got up.


    "If you don''t have anything else to ask, then I am taking my leave. I guess I have exined myself. So my job is done here".


    Seeing him on the verge of leaving brought an unknown sadness into her heart and broke the shackles of all the restraint that she had in her heart.


    With a trembling throat, she asked the one question that was troubling her,


    "Are you going to get back together, when shees back?"


    He paused after hearing her question and turned back. He walked towards her slowly and kneeled in front of her. With both his hands he held her face and brought it close to his own. His lips inches away from hers, his warm breath all over hers, tantalizing her intently. He then touched his nose sofly with hers and asked,


    "Do you not want me to?"


    "Just say it Akira!!!"

 Chapter 100: That kiss, that touch - I

    <h4>100 That kiss, that touch - I</h4>


    "I... I don''t know", Akira gasped for air and spoke with a stutter. All her strength had been diminished by his touch. Neither she could feel her legs not her hands. All that she could do was to whisper and whimper in response to his touch. Such was the intoxication of it that she becamepletely malleable.


    "I need to know".


    He too whispered and then wandered around the nook and corners of her neck. His electric touch, mixed with the warmth of his breath, made her body go limp. He slightly lifted himself from the kneeling position in which he had been sitting and held the nape of her neck with his hands to support her head as he saw her losing all her control.


    "Tell me Akira", he said, but this time it was more like amand.


    "What do you want me to do?", he asked again.


    "If you want me to stay, then tell me right now".


    "If you want me to leave, then also just tell me right now".


    "Tell me what your heart has to say to me, please tell me right now Akira", he said but this time he was not demanding. Rather he was pleading for a response from her. He wanted an answer from her. It was all that he needed.


    Her thoughts were all jumbled up and she was torn between desire and sanity. She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her intently like the entirety of his life depended on her. He wanted answers from her, but the fact was she was struggling to find the answers for herself. She had no clue what to tell him. She had no clue how to stop her heart from aching so bad yearning for him.


    He was taken. He was not hers, to begin with. She was trying to y with someone else''s toy and she knew that it was not fair. She was not a child anymore. She looked back at him with a glimpse of resolve on her face and said,


    "What I feel and what I want to say does not matter anymore Raymond".


    "I have no stake on you and neither do you have on me. So please go back before I say something that I regret", Akira said and sunk her head low.


    "You seriously think you don''t have a stake on me?", Raymond asked her in disbelief. He couldn''t believe that she would dismiss him off just like that.


    "It doesn''t matter Raymond. You are meant to be with her. What I feel has nothing to do with you two. You guys were engaged in front of the society for God''s sake. It cannot be obliviated", she said and shook her head and took a deep breath.


    "I don''t care Akira about the norms of the society. It does not dictate me and neither should it dictate you. I just want to know what your heart wants. Just tell me the truth. Can you?".


    "If you don''t feel what I feel for you then just say it. I will leave right now, right this moment and I will nevere back to you", he said and his eyes literally begged her to listen to her heart.


    "What you feel is probably a longing for her Raymond. And somehow your thoughts are like this right now are because of the void that you have in your life because she is not there in front of you. Once she is back, probably my existence won''t even matter to you", she said and returned his look back.


    "You seriously think that''s the case? You seriously can''t figure out what I feel. You think what I feel for you is a joke Akira?", he said and was beyond agitated.


    His words invoked the deepest desires in her body. She wanted so bad to tell him to forget Scarlett and just be with her. But she knew that it was not right but she had no control over herself. She could not understand how to handle the situation. So she simply pushed him and ran to her bedroom.


    She clung to the wall like it was her safe ce to be. She wanted to hide away somewhere, somewhere far away from him. But she knew that she couldn''t. She heard the sound of faint footsteps and she knew that he was already there in the room. She pasted herself tighter to the wall with her face trying to bury itself between the bricks. He was approaching close and she could feel his breath on her skin and right now there was no ce to escape.


    She felt his hands on her waist. She was about to go to sleep and her clothes were scanty. Her camisole could barely hide her waist and his hand lingered on every single space that was bare. The touch of his warm skin made her shudder. He came even closer and whispered into her ears,


    "Don''t hide from me".


    She couldn''t stare at the walls anymore and closed her eyes. He removed her hair again from her back and nted a soft kiss. He dug his nose into her body trying to inhale every ounce of smell that she had. He couldn''t resist her, seeing her react that way to his touch. His long and slender fingers slowly pulled the strap of her camisole down to one side almost baring her down and he rushed to nt a wet kiss on her back.


    She crumbled inside. She couldn''t take it anymore. She had never explored search pleasure in her entire life. It was new, it was unbearable, but she was at the peak of pleasure somehow. She moaned unable to take it and withered in his arms.


    He felt her leaning back on him and turned her so that he could see her face. She was red hot and her eyes were closed but her lips were quivering. If only God could tell how badly he wanted to taste them, but not without her permission.

 Chapter 101: That kiss, that touch - II

    <h4>101 That kiss, that touch - II</h4>


    He pulled her close and hugged her tight and said,


    "Listen to my heart. You might think I am lying, but my heart won''t".


    She listened to his erratic heart going out of the rhythm like it wanted to tell her how deeply and how truly he loved her. She slowly moved her hand and kept it on his chest. She gulped her own spit and then distanced herself from him and said,


    "I don''t want to listen to your heart or you".


    "I don''t care what it wants to tell. So just leave me alone Raymond. Please don''t toy with me",


    She said and begged because she herself waspletely incapable of separating herself from his embrace so she was hoping against hope that at least he would listen to her and grant her mercy.


    Her words stung his heart. They pierced him and made him bleed to death.


    "You think I am toying with you?", he asked with his voice slightly raised because of the anger swarming within him.


    "What do I do to make you feel the sincerity in my feelings towards you Akira?"


    "She was my past and you are my present. I can''t undo what I have done in the past. I can''t wipe away my te clean but in the present, I want to be yours and only yours", He said and cupped her chin in one hand and gently stroked her face.


    He lowered his voice and brought his mouth close to her ears and said,


    "Can''t you feel my sincerity Akira?".


    Even though the words which were about toe from her mouth were totally against her heart, she still decided to speak them out.


    "No, I don''t".


    He looked back at her in disbelief and then tilted his head and kissed on her cheeks and asked,


    "Now"?


    She melted under his touch but she suppressed her moans and said,


    "No".


    He was a bit annoyed to hear her deny the truth again and again on his face, but he knew that she was lying.


    He moved a bit further and kissed under her ears and asked,


    "Now?"


    She moaned and couldn''t resist him any further. Her hands lifted automatically to lock around his neck, but she still managed to whisper,


    "No".


    He smiled deviously as he had already received his answer. The way her body reacted to him was all that he wanted. He went lower and kissed her lower neck. His kiss was warm and wet and too intoxicating for her. She inched closer towards him and tightened her grip. His kisses didn''t stop. His lips swiftly glided from the crevices of her neck to her shoulder. She gasped for air and her nails dug deep into the flesh of his back.


    He halted for a brief moment and then asked her again,


    "Can you now?",


    This time she couldn''t say no and embraced him tighter. He ran his fingers in her hair and then held her face with both his hands and hovered around her lips and started running his fingers on his cheeks and whispered on her lips,


    "How about now?",


    His lips were in such close vicinity that she had lost all her sanctity. He felt her lips quivering on his own and he went ahead to slightly tease them with his. But little did he know that instead of teasing her, he would be breaking his own restraint.


    Her lips were captured by his lips. The softness of her lips was so inviting that he couldn''t stop himself from exploring further. It was wet, it was intense, it was sensuous to the power infinity. She bloomed and blossomed as he ventured deeper inside and met her tongue. Tides of warmth and waves of dizziness gripped her. Slowly her back arched in response to his touch and he gripped her tighter like he wanted her body to melt in his own.


    She was drowned inside an ocean of feelings all sublime. His lips continued imploring further and further all restless. This warmth was something new and brought in a plethora of sensations in her that she didn''t even know that she was capable of feeling and before she could realize what was happening, she was kissing him back.


    They twined and interleaved each other. The kiss turned deeper and deeper till they both ran out of breath. His hands moved ahead, all eager and pulled her camisole down and he started kissing down her neck. Her camisole dropped down on the floor softly without making any sound. There was just hardly oneyer of cloth left between sanity and them. He was ready to breach it but he did not know if she was.


    He looked into her eyes all breathless like he was asking for permission. Her head was still hung low. She was trembling, still trying to recover from all the intimacy. She looked up into his eyes and understood the question flooding in them. But she knew that it was herst chance to save herself. So she turned back and covered herself with her arms.


    Her turn was enough for him to understand what she wanted. So he stopped himself and doused all the desires burning within his heart and turned back to leave.


    "See you tomorrow",


    He said and left without even turning back for an answer from her.


    He knew she needed time and heavens knew he wanted to give her all the time that he had.

 Chapter 102: The "YES" !!!

    <h4>102 The "YES" !!!</h4>


    Akira stood there in the room all stupified. She had great difficulty inprehending the recent happenings. His voice kept reverberating in her head like an echo going over and over till infinity.


    She touched her lips with her fingers and remembered the ways in which he yed with them and she blushed instantly. She rubbed her palm on her shoulder to calm down all her goosebumps. But then instantly she realized his absence. She turned around and didn''t find him in the room. Upon realizing that he had left, she immediately felt the pang of separation. Without him, the room appeared like it was closing in to engulf her into some void. She covered herself quickly with a rug and immediately ran outside with her bare feet.


    He was about to enter the car and drive away but something within him made him turn back. Probably it was his heart which longed to see her once more. Probably just a look of hers was enough to soothe his heart which was in shambles. He turned back and was surprised to see her standing in the porch barefoot. She had a rug over her and her hair was all tussled up and messy. She was looking at him, her eyes all restless, conveying a sense of trepidation underneath.


    Both their hearts spoke in anguage of their own. There were so many things to be said. There were so many things to be felt but they stood there in silence just gazing at each other tapping deep into each others soul, looking for the answers. They gave each other''s heart an untoldfort, afort that was evolving from the mere presence of each other.


    He wanted to leave as soon as possible, but he was trapped in her. Moving even an inch away from her was impossible. He knew that she was in pain, he knew that her heart wanted him but the pain was stopping her from doing so. He didn''t know how to make her understand that right now the only thing that mattered to him was her. He didn''t even know where Scarlett was, he hadn''t even contacted her from the day she had turned her back on him. She was like a fading memory hidden underneath some unknownyer which he had kept locked up securely because for him she was a synonym of pain and betrayal. His mind, his body and his soul needed only one thing and that was Akira. If only he could tear his heart apart and show her how much his heart was imbibed with her.


    She didn''t want to understand the intricacies of this love. She couldn''t dare to take a step further, for she knew that her heart was not ready to take another toll. But before she could weigh her reasons, she saw him walking back towards her. She stood there perplexed unaware of his intentions.


    "I don''t want my life to be based on a ''WHAT IF?'' Akira", he said closing in.


    "I like you a lot, but I don''t know what it is. Neither I want to give it a name, not I want to ssify it under any category because I think what I feel for you, is something that I want to treasure for myself and not for others".


    She heard him and then looked at him with her brows arched up. He came closer and tugged the rug wrapped around her with both his hands and brought her even closer.


    "If you give me a chance then probably I would like to spend my entire life with you. You make me happy and you make me go crazy Akira. Don''t you get that?"


    "Listen to your heart Akira. It wants to be with me but you are not allowing yourself. Why do you need this shield around you? Why can''t you let go of my past and be with me right now Akira?", he asked tugging her even tighter.


    "Because your past is still a present Raymond and you can''t deny that. She is still in your present Raymond. The only thing between you two is mere distance", she said in words but her eyes spoke her pain.


    "I am telling you this for thest time. She left me in shambles and when she left me she didn''t just leave, she took a leave from my life and.."


    "But what if shees back?", Akira asked interrupting him. Her eyes pleading for an answer that she wanted in her favor.


    "Shh.... ", he said and covered her lips with his finger.


    "I don''t want to live my life thinking about a ''WHAT IF?''. I think I made that pretty clear''", he said and then kissed on his finger which was covering her lips, slightly touching hers at the edges, here and there.


    She quivered with his slightest touch. He held her face in his palm and touched her forehead with his own. His nose slightly rubbed into hers. He closed his eyes and asked her with a soft voice,


    "Say yes to us Akira. Just give us a chance to have a new beginning. Can you?"


    She stood there in silence and then slightly nodded her head. Tears of joy ran on her face.


    He couldn''t thank his stars enough for this moment right now. He opened his eyes in disbelief and saw her smiling even with tears in her eyes. His own eyes became all moist. He hugged her tight like he didn''t want to let her go, like EVER. She slowly raised her arms and hugged him back but suddenly her rug came off and slid down her shoulder. She twitched when she sensed it falling off, but he embraced her even tighter and stroking her bare back gently and whispered into her ears softly.


    "It''s ok. Don''t bother. Just let it go".


    She let all her inhibitions go and on a whim, she stood up on her tiptoes and gave a small peck on his chin. His fingers which were wandering on her back like in search of a trail halted their march. His hands aligned themselves to support her as he made her lean a bit down.


    He looked into her eyes and sighed She was a beautiful sight to begin with. His heart wanted to shout out and tell everyone that he had got an angel in his arms.

 Chapter 103: Arent you getting down?

    <h4>103 Aren''t you getting down?</h4>


    His longing eyes took ast look at her face before he opened the car door and went inside. He drove off all alone under the starry night but he could see through his mirror that she was still standing there, leaning on the door and blushing. A smile etched on his face and he sped through.


    That night was restless and jittery not just for Akira and Raymond, someone else was also sleepless and restless in his house in Staten Ind.


    .


    "Two times the price of the contract. That''s the final deal. Not even a single penny more", Vikram said and kept the call.


    He paced inside his house. He wanted the deal to happen today itself but was not sure if that could be worked upon. he was eagerly waiting for confirmation. Half an hourter he received a call from a Private Number.


    "I will wire the money right now but make sure she signs out the contract first", Vikram said and disconnected the call.


    A devilish smile spread on his face. He knew that he was inching closer towards his goal.


    ---


    The next morning when Mike arrived back at home and saw his sister in an exclusively chirpy and happy mode he couldn''t understand what had transformed her suddenly. She looked like she was happy from within. A genuine childish smile was floating non-stop on her face.


    "What''s cooking? I leave you alone for two days and looks like you have never been happier. Looks like I need to stay at Teddy''s more often so that you could get you #me time. Huh.. ", he mocked and then ced his bag on the sofa.


    "I have never been better Mike", Akira said and continued making breakfast for herself and Mike.


    She had actually never been this happy since long. When she woke up that morning she had a big bright smile on her face. It had been long that she had woken up like this, all enthusiastic and anticipatory about the whole day in front of her. Yesterday still felt like a dream to her. She looked at the rug which was lying on her bed and smiled.


    She wore an icy blue summer shirt and ck low waist denim. Then she nicely tied her hair into a ponytail and put on a bit pink lip gloss. She was never much into dressing up, but somehow she always made a special attempt to look nice for him. She looked all summer ready and peachy.


    After quickly gobbling up on the sandwich that she had made, she picked up her keys and started for office. Her head was filled with one thought - Raymond. her heart knew only one emotion - Raymond. Raymond was all that she could think of.


    She parked her car in the basement and then looked at the spot where Raymond had saved her from the hands of Anthony. A smile spread on her face, it was all fate. That flight journey, her internship, Anthony, Her saving kate, everything was intricately connected with each other and all the lines connecting these fated incidents intersected at one point and that was Raymond.


    With all these thoughts swarming inside her head she took the lift from the basement to the first floor. Secondster the lift stopped at the ground floor. Few people came inside, but there was one person who caught her attention. It was him.


    She nced at him just once as he entered the lift and she blushed ten shades scarlet. He had openly dered is unconditional love for her a day before but it all seemed like a fairytale to her. It was too good for her to believe it. She couldn''t hide her smile and dug her head low trying to avoid any unwanted suspicion.


    Raymond entered the lift and stood next to her at the end. He was amused to see her blush that way. His heart was always pleased to see her reactions. He never needed to hear anything from her, as her eyes were the mirror in which her thoughts and the emotions in her heart were reflected.


    The lift was supposed to arrive at first floor in hardly few seconds, so she knew that a conversation with him was impossible. She wanted to talk with him so bad but she decided to resort to silence and kept looking at her shoes.


    But suddenly she felt his hand resting on her back and his fingers tracing random shapes. She shivered with his touch.


    Astonished she quickly turned towards him silently asking him through her eyes,


    "What are you doing?"


    But he didn''t turn to look at her. He kept his face straight but he smiled and by the time she could realize and understand what he wanted to convey they had already reached the first floor.


    His hand returned back inside his side pocket.


    She stood there all dazed and didn''t even realize that she had to get down. He went out and realized that she wasn''t behind so he immediately turned and held the lift and said,


    "Miss Akira. Aren''t you getting down?"


    "Huh?", she replied.


    "It''s the first floor", he said trying hard to suppress hisugh.


    "Yeah right!!! Thanks", she said and came out.


    She was so miffed with herself for having such an awkward start of the day with him.


    "Thanks for holding the lift", she said as they reached the bifurcation separating the way to his cabin and her cubicle.


    "Can youe to my office. I need to evaluate the designs that you have prepared", Raymond said turning towards his cubicle.


    "Oh ok ok. I will get the printouts and prepare a folder. Just give me 10-15 minutes", she said and was about to dash towards her cube.


    "Ugghhh.... when will she understand my heart?", Raymond thought to himself getting all disappointed.


    He came a bit close to her and said,


    "I have exactly 7 minutes to be able to be with you before my meeting starts. That''s what I meant when I asked you toe".


    "So ... I don''t need to get my designs", Akira asked with a smile on her face as she understood what he meant.


    "No, only you are needed".

 Chapter 104: Seven minutes !!!

    <h4>104 Seven minutes !!!</h4>


    His seductive eyes were killing her already and she couldn''t resist the invitation, not that she wanted to resist. She followed him to his room silently all tight-lipped. She knew they had to be discreet in office. She didn''t want to be identified as the girl who grew up on thedder by flirting with her boss.


    "Is he going to kiss me again?"


    "Oh boy!!! Seven minutes. Can I even breathe?"


    "You are done for the day Akira".


    "He smells nice today. Did he change the perfume?"


    "Jeez Akira, think straight and walk straight".


    Her curious mind wasced with zillions of questions and thoughts as she followed him.


    The moment they entered his office, Akira''s heartbeat started running faster and faster because of all the anticipation. His seductive eyes continued looking at her like they wanted to drink her like a bottle of potion. She felt like she would choke on her spit anytime. His eyes and his gaze was enough to unnerve her.


    She was still standing near the door after entering his office. She was nervous, not because she didn''t trust him but because she didn''t trust herself when she was with him. Because she knew that he had the capacity to draw away all her power and crumble her self-restraint.


    He walked towards her, reducing the gap between them. His face was so close to hers that she could feel the heat emanating from it. Her eyes looked at him filled with questions, desire, longing and anticipation. He responded to her silent demands and moved even closer. His movements were slow and stealthy like he wanted to torture her deliberately. Even without touching her, just his mere proximity was enough to create turbulence within her.


    He then raised his hand and locked the door.


    CLICK.


    She heard the click on the door as hetched it and her heart fluttered.


    "I have seven minutes to be with you", his words started echoing inside her. He leaned onto her and delicately whispered into her ears,


    "I do not like getting disturbed when I am working on something important".


    Then he retracted himself to observe her reaction and boy, he loved doing that.


    She melted instantly and leaned back on the door to take support and closed her eyes. She was a pure delight to watch and all that he wanted was to devour her.


    He was pleased to see her standing there with all her devotion towards him, waiting for him to agitate her. His lips moved to form a brief smile. He wanted to agitate her in every possible way, but today he wanted to try something different.


    He went to his desk silently and opened hisptop while his eyes were still fixated on her.


    "We just have 5 minutes left. If you are going to lean on the door and sleep the whole time then I m helpless out here", he said.


    She opened her eyes suddenly after hearing his voice.


    "What are you doing there?", she asked unable to understand orprehend what just happened. In her head, she was about to be kissed but this guy was miles and miles away from her.


    "What do you mean by what I m doing here?", Raymond asked acting all coy.


    "You said you wanted to be with me", she asked him with all frankness.


    "Yeah because we have an important assignment to discuss", he said and pointed at hisptop.


    "You called me for discussing an assignment?", she asked in disbelief.


    "Why are you repeating my answer as a question?", Raymond asked and looked at her with a smug smile.


    She immediately gathered herself.


    "Jeez Akira, what an amazing way to show him how stupid you are."


    "My dear mind are you hibernating? Ugghhh..."


    She cursed herself for making a fool out of herself and walked towards his desk.


    "Now can we discuss?", he asked.


    "Yeah", she said and stood next to him to be able to see what he wanted to show in hisptop.


    "Come closer, you will have a better view", he said and dragged her a bit closer by holding her waist.


    "Stop looking at me and look at the screen", Raymond said to her amusingly.


    "Hmm...", she said.


    "This is my final stage work rted to augmentation of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality into our gaming model. Since the new generation is all about AR and VR, we need to support it in our game", he said with his hand still lying casually on her waist.


    "Raymond, can you?", she said and stopped midway.


    "What?", he asked a bit irritatedly for being interrupted.


    "Can you move your hand away?", she asked.


    "Why? Does it bother you or Do you not like it?", he asked.


    "It doesn''t let me think properly", she spoke softly and kept looking at the screen.


    "I didn''t know about that", he said and removed his hand and looked at his watch.


    They just had four minutes left!!!


    "This is a ssified part of our project as of now but will be openly revealed at the gaming forum. So till that time, it needs to be under the hood. Do you get that?", he asked.


    "Hmm... But why are you sharing this with me?", she asked.


    "Because you have an internship thesis and project toplete I guess for your final dissertation in college? And I guess this will help you fetch a good grade", he said.


    "Oh ok ok. Thanks for that", she replied.


    In her head, she understood that in office he was just her boss and nothing more. All the bubbles of hopes had vanished by now.


    "So go through slide number 27 - 41. They have material rted to your domain. If you have any questions then you cane and ask me in PRIVATE. I will be happy to help you", he said.


    She nodded and he looked at her before emailing the slides to her.


    He then looked at his watch. He had precisely 50 seconds left on the clock.


    "Now that we are done, may I know why you were sleeping inside my office in broad daylight and that too in front of me, a few minutes back?", he asked even though he knew the answer himself.


    Her eyebrows were raised and lines of tension started forming on her forehead.


    "Why he has to ask suchplicated questions?", she thought to herself but didn''t say anything.


    He paused and then ced his hand on her waist again and then swiftly pulled her, making her lean with the support of the table. He grazed his thumb over her lower lip which was all glossy since morning and had definitely caught his attention.


    "I have ways to wake you up, but right now I am needed somewhere else. So if you would just excuse me".


    He said and walked out of the room with hisptop but before that he licked his thumb which had her gloss all over it.


    Boy he knew how to y.

 Chapter 105: The lunch date !!!

    <h4>105 The lunch date !!!</h4>


    After Raymond''s meeting was over with some property delegates, he called for a meeting for the graphics team to present the new characters of the games which had been designed.


    Seeing the meeting request from Raymond, for the entire team, Akira was scared. She wasn''t scared on the work front as she was done with the character design and had already shared it with Simon, she was scared because she knew that he would definitely invite trouble for her. He was very adept at shielding his emotions and feelings but she wasn''t.


    When the meeting started, she deliberately took a seat which was far away from him and throughout the meeting she stared at herptop screen or the presenter. She avoided any sort of eye contact with him because she knew he was her nemesis.


    Simon started with his presentation and showed various characters designed by his team including Akira''s and specifically mentioned her name as it was her first character design. Everyone in the room apuded for her in unison to see the finesse of her work. She had taken care of intricate details including the shadow tones and muscle flexes. Raymond himself was impressed to see her dedication towards work and thanked Vikram in his head for providing the beautiful window of opportunity to him.


    "Simon, I think we can let the intern describe the character herself. What say?", Raymond asked looking at Simon.


    "Why-why why-why why-why would you do that?", Akira cursed him in her head.


    "Yeah, that would be swell", Simon said and handed theser pointer to Akira.


    Akira got up from her seat all nervous. It was her first time presenting something in front of people with such extensive industry experience. She came towards the center of the room and looked straight and what happened was what she was dreading, she met his gaze. The trap that she had been trying to avoid since the start of the meeting was now right there, in front of her. Unavoidable, unmissable and undeniable. He grazed his thumb lightly on his own lips and reminded her very cunningly of the morning aftermath. She was stupified. She couldn''t blink and the pointer fell down from her hands. She quickly bent down and picked it up.


    Furious with her own behavior she took a deep breath and with a strong resolve she started exining about her character, looking at everyone except him. She was quite serious about her work and had poured her heart out in her design. She beautifully exined all the aspects of her design to all her seniors who could be her future mates if she got that Pre-cement offer afterpleting the internship and she badly wanted to bag that.


    After she was done with the exining, everyone was impressed with her presentation style as well. She was confident, smart and sounded very articte for someone of her age. But someone else in the room was not just impressed, he was proud. He smiled and pinged her,


    "Well done. Great job in your first pitch (proud)" - Raymond


    She saw his ping and immediately replied,


    "Thanks for the opportunity" - Akira


    "Come out for lunch with me" - Raymond


    "Ok" - Akira


    "Open your hair when youe" - Raymond


    "Why" - Akira


    "I guess I like running my fingers through them" - Raymond


    She lifted her head and saw him smiling softly looking at hisptop screen. Then after much trepidation, she typed.


    "I like that too" - Akira


    She hid her face by resting her palm on her forehead. She was blushing like anything and didn''t want him or anyone else to see her this way.


    "Don''t hide that face of yours" - Raymond


    She removed her right palm and texted


    "Can''t. Not happening" - Akira


    "You want me toe over there and make you?" - Raymond


    "Can you please let me focus on the meeting?" - Akira


    "If you want to focus then why are you distracting me by flirting with me in broad daylight" - Raymond


    "You are despicable!!!"


    He smiled seeing her text and decided not to torture her any further.


    "Wait for me at the main gate. I will be there in 10 minutes" - Raymond


    "Ok" - Akira


    After the meeting was over, Akira rushed to the washroom to check her hair and if her face looked ok. It was officially their first date. Might be just a simple lunch but it was something to be treasured. She opened up her pony-tail and ran her fingers through her hair to settle them up. She re-applied her lip gloss and smiled candidly when she did so.


    She turned around once to see if she looked ok. She adjusted her shirt and pulled the waist of her jeans up. She was ready to go. She went back to her desk to keep all her stuff there.


    As she was about to leave, Kirk asked,


    "Aren''t you joining us for lunch today?"


    "No, I will be having my lunch outside", she said and walked towards the lift area happily.


    She reached the main gate and checked her watch, then checked her phone to see if there was any text from him. He had asked her to wait for 10 minutes so she decided to do so without interrupting him with her call or messages. But slowly as time passed, 10 minutes became 15 and then 20. Even after 20 minutes he still hadn''te down.


    So she texted him,


    "I am waiting down. Where are you?" - Akira


    5 minutes went by, but he didn''t reply to her text. Now she was annoyed after waiting for around half an hour. She called him up.


    But s, her call wasn''t answered.

 Chapter 106: The pyramid of dreams

    <h4>106 The pyramid of dreams</h4>


    She called him again and then again and then again.


    But none of her calls were answered. Curious and worried, she rushed back towards his office room. As soon as she came out of the lift and turned towards Raymond''s cubicle she saw David pacing outside the door. His expression looked like doomsday was fast approaching.


    "Hey, David!!! Where is Raymond? Any meeting ongoing?"


    He was bbergasted to see Akira there. He was still unsure what she was to Raymond but his sixth sense told him that he had to stop her from entering Raymond''s office.


    "Hi, Akira. Yeah, Boss is in an important meeting", he said.


    "Oh I see", she said all dejected.


    "I will tell him you were looking for him", he said and smiled briefly.


    "No that''s ok. It''s nothing urgent", Akira said shrugging the whole thing off and turned to walk towards the lobby.


    "He is a busy man you see. He has been stuck there for thest two hours. I am also waiting for the meeting to be over", he said and waved at her as she left.


    She heard him and stopped.


    "You saidst two hours", Akira asked.


    "Yeah", David said.


    "But half an hour back he was with our team in a meeting", Akira stated with an expression filled with questions.


    "My bad. I tend to make things over-dramatic", David said andughed nervously.


    Semi-convinced she walked towards the lift to go to the cafeteria. It didn''t look like she was going to her first date after all.


    Her enthusiasm had bubbled down and to be honest she was a bit sad too. But she understood the predicament of the situation. She wasn''t like those other girls who would fuss around for their guy beingte. She pretty well understood that people do have other liabilities and that was because she was way too mature for her age.


    On her way to cafeteria she texted Raymond,


    "Carry on with your meeting. Got to know about it from David. Don''t worry, I am on my way to the cafeteria and will buy something for you too" - Akira


    He didn''t reply, again. But she was ok with it. She understood that his time, unlike hers was extremely precious and tabted to seconds. She picked up a two-seater table at one corner and ordered stir-fried noodles for herself. She had also ordered a takeaway meal of Caesar Chicken sd and one Walnut Panini for Raymond.


    She had her food all alone by herself. It was nothing weird for her as she was used to staying alone like this even in her college. She had just one friend in college with whom she sometimes socialized but she was always busy with social activities and red-cross. So most of the time she had her food alone, under some tree or bleachers.


    Afterpleting her lunch she picked up her takeaway pouch and checked her phone. He had still not replied. Her upset heart was dragged into concluding that he was still stuck in the meeting by her mind and she took the lift to the first floor. Her mind wandered with hundreds of thoughts of what could have been? She was happy and content with what she had. She remembered the incident in the morning and smiled unknowingly. She didn''t even realize when she raised her hand and touched her lips with her fingers. Just thinking about him made her happy.


    But the moment the lift arrived and the doors opened on the first floor, she got the shock of her life..


    In the lobby she found Raymond standing with his hands twined with Scarlett and she was leaning onto him. She looked at them in disbelief and like her worst nightmare had be true. He tried to take out his hands immediately from Scarlett''s but she wrapped her other hand tightly around his arm and leaned even further. He stood there all helpless unable to free himself from her. His eyes wanted to tell her a hundred things but right now they looked all worried and helpless.


    Seeing them all twined up, Akira understood that this was the meeting that was going on. Probably that''s why David stopped her from entering his office. And that''s why he didn''t even bother to text her or call her. She had been stood up, AGAIN. The takeaway bag was now mocking her. She tightened her grip around the bag and marched away to her cubicle.


    Once she reached her seat, she immediately sat on her chair to get a grip. She didn''t cry, not even one single tear came out. Probably it was anger that was still reigning over her emotions.


    Again someone else was chosen over her. Someone who was taller, prettier and curvier than her. She sighed and leaned back on her chair,


    "When will you learn Akira. When will you learn?"


    She picked up the takeaway bag and threw it in the dustbin. Then she ran upstairs to hide herself and her emotions in the terrace. The only ce which brought her sce in this concrete paradise of lies and hypocrisy. This time she wasn''t angry with Raymond or Scarlett. She was angry with herself. She knew this was one of the possibilities and still decided to sail into the unchartered territories. She was bound to be trapped in the storm. She was bound to be broken. But what she didn''t know was the fact that the storm coulde overnight.


    Raymond couldn''t fathom the intensity of damage that had been done. He knew there was no way to repair it. But he was desperate to get her back. He wanted to talk to her and tell her about the whole thing but his hands were literally tied up. His frustration was at its peak.


    He looked at Scarlett and said,


    "At least can you give me my phone? I won''t take calls. Just need to send an important text"


    "Everything can wait Raymond. After all it''s for our baby", Scralett said and gently caressed her belly.

 Chapter 107: She is the mother of my child

    <h4>107 She is the mother of my child</h4>


    She sat in one corner of the terrace trying to console her broken heart. From within she had crumbled into pieces. This time she didn''t feel like cheated upon or betrayed. Neither did she feel that her heart was stabbed. Rather she was disappointed with herself for acting so naive in love. She felt like there was no difference between her and the blondie, who had sabotaged her rtionship with Anthony.


    "How could I do this?"


    "How could I be so selfish?"


    She recollected the whole incident that had happened on Anthony''s birthday and then recollected how Scarlett was leaning onto Raymond and took a deep breath.


    She closed her eyes and let her body feel the wind that blew on her face and ruffled her hair. As the loose strands of hair started falling on her face she sighed. She had them open for someone, but that someone was not hers anymore.


    She tied her hair back into a ponytail and with a strong resolve in her heart, she muttered,


    "I will never be a third wheel for you, Raymond. Not in this life".


    She got up and returned back to her seat to straighten up her life which she had turned into a bigplicated mess.


    ---


    Raymond and Scarlett reached Clinton Hill. He immediately rushed over to open the car gate for her and held out his hand for her to hold and get out the car. She was in all smiles. The Raymond who doted on her was back in his skin. She was troubled a bit, back in the office to see the longing in his eyes when he saw Akira getting down the lift. She couldn''t believe that his heart could yearn for someone else other than her.


    She held his hand and looked up to him and said,


    "Will, you ever forgive me for what I have done? For what I have made you go through? I lied to you Raymond but I was scared. I hope someday you will understand me and we can start on from the same page where we left".


    Tears started flowing down her cheeks and a couple of themnded on his hand.


    No matter how much anger he had smoldering inside his heart, he could never bear to see her this miserable. He slowly pulled her out of the car and said,


    "Let''s not brood over the past Scarlett. We have a new life to wee. Don''t stress my child out."


    Then he patted on her head.


    She then pulled him and hugged him tight but his hands stayed static. He couldn''t bring them up to hug her back somehow. He wasn''t sure what he wanted anymore. He wanted to hug the mother of his child but at the same time, he felt like he was betraying Akira. He knew he had messed up big time.


    As they went inside the house Raymond said.


    "At least now give me my phone. I need to get your stuff transferred here"


    She made a face but then gave the phone back to him.


    "Take a shower and rest. You had a long journey. Tomorrow we will go to our gynecologist for a proper checkup, ok?", he said and patted her head again.


    "Don''t leave me and go to the office. I want to spend this one day with you. please", she said holding his hands.


    He wanted to say no. He wanted to rush back to the office and meet Akira and exin everything. But he caved into her pleading.


    "Ok", he said and smiled back at her.


    Then he took the phone and went to his study.


    The moment he turned the screen on he saw,


    7 Missed calls and 3 messages from Akira.


    He sighed and a sense of fear gripped him tight, the fear of losing her.


    He called her up immediately but he knew that she wouldn''t pick up. But to his surprise, she did after the second ring itself.


    "Akira!!! Thank God. You picked up."


    "Why wouldn''t I pick up?", she asked all nonplussed.


    "I mean after what you saw, I owe you an exnation. I stood you up for lunch today and then this happened. I could have done better than that. Sorry, I couldn''t inform you earlier. See the thing was ...."


    But before he could exin any further, she interrupted him,


    "It''s totally fine Mr. Raymond. You were with your fiancee. You don''t have to exin anything to me".


    "Mr.Raymond? Since when have I be Mr.Raymond for you Akira.", Raymond asked getting all impatient.


    "Have you already decided to distance yourself from me Akira?", Raymond asked all heartbroken.


    "Is there anything else that you need me to work upon? Or any message that you need me to pass on to others?", Akira asked.


    "Akira, stop acting like you are not affected. I am myself affected. I don''t know how to handle all this myself. Please try to understand the situation. At least just listen to what I have to say", Raymond pleaded.


    "Mr. Raymond please don''t think of me as a girl who would question you or your choices. What we had, or at least what I thought we had is all in the past. I wish you guys all the happiness in your life. Trust me I will nevere in your way. I am retreating as being just an intern. I am not in the league of your friends", Akira said will all the solemn that she could possess.


    "What are you spouting Akira. I never thought of you as just a friend. We were more..."


    "Raymond stop", Akira snapped as she wasn''t able to hold up her straight face anymore.


    "Akira she is still pregnant with my child. She had never gone for an abortion. Try to understand, it''s my child that we are talking about", Raymond said.


    Her ears were deafened by his words.


    "His child? She is still pregnant?", her thoughts were choking her up.


    She took a deep breath and then said,


    "Then don''t you think its paramount that you focus all your attention on her and your baby rather than wasting your time calling me? What sort of a father are you going to be?"


    she said and then disconnected the call.

 Chapter 108: CAN YOU MEND MY BROKEN HEART?

    <h4>108 CAN YOU MEND MY BROKEN HEART?</h4>


    A part of him died when she kept the call. A part of him felt being sucked into a ck hole of pain and despair. She was like a promise that he couldn''t keep, a promise that was meant to be treasured till death did them apart. He smashed his phone out of anger and then punched the wall.


    Red wetness started oozing out but he couldn''t feel even an ounce of pain as his whole body had been rendered numb because of the pain that was suffocating his heart.


    "Akira!!! What have I done !!!", he whispered under his breath and slumped into his chair.


    The moment she disconnected the call, she felt like she had been bereft of the right to feel happy again. His words echoed again and again and sucked out the veryst remnants of happiness from her heart. She took deep breaths but all that she could picture was an image of Scarlett and Raymond holding their baby together and smiling all lovingly at each other. They were the perfect representation of a happy family.


    She knew what was the importance of a perfect family. She knew the importance of having parents for she was herself deprived of that happiness. She loathed herself for even having the thoughts of being with Raymond, for even thinking to be intimate with him when he had a family waiting in line for him.


    "I will note in your way, Raymond. I promise. You, Scarlett and your baby, you deserve to stay happy. I will make sure you stay happy", she said and took out her diary from her bag and tore a couple of pages and threw them into Dustbin.


    David, who was standing in the corner, could sense from afar that something wasn''t right with her. She seemed very disturbed. He saw her all restless, tearing page after page from a notebook and throwing into the dustbin like she was shipping away fragments of memories into the distance which were not dear to her.


    Then he saw her get up and move down to Simon''s desk and he decided to leave the graphics wing.


    "Hey, Simon !!! Do you have any other pending work that I canplete? Just want to have a more productive day", she said and looked at him with anticipation.


    "Yeah sure sure !!! There is this character that I am working on but the palette work is pending. Can youplete it? I will exin to you the theme of the design", Simon said.


    "Sure", Akira said and made herself busy with work.


    ---


    Scarlett came running into the room when she heard the sound from Raymond''s study room.


    "What happened baby?", she asked all worried and when she saw his wounded hand she freaked out.


    "Nothing happened. Just some frustration in office", Raymond said all irritated. He hated the sight of her.


    "Why did she have toe back into my life and ruin everything?", he thought with remorse and closed his eyes and then suddenly blurted out,


    "Why you came back now? Why couldn''t youe a week earlier?", he asked her in despair but the next instant he regretted his words. But there was no way to retract them back.


    "Because ....", she stopped and tears welled in her eyes thinking that he could even ask such a question to her.


    "I am sorry!!! I didn''t mean it that way. Probably I just need some rest", Raymond said and stormed out of the room.


    Scarlett stood there dumbstruck with his behavior.


    "Have you really fallen for her to such an extent that I can''t bring you back Ray", she whispered into nothingness and her face fell. She then wiped away her tears and took out her phone and texted to a PRIVATE NUMBER.


    "Mission 1 done. I am back at his house"


    "Mission 3 also done today. They have been ripped apart"


    She then went in search of a first-aid box to dress his wounds.


    ---


    A part of him danced in joy but then he suddenly realized that she would definitely be in pain. So he immediately texted her,


    "Hey there!!! Free today evening!!!" - Vikram


    She saw his message but she was in no mood to go out anywhere.


    "Sorry, Vikram!!! Tied up with work. Maybe next time?" - Akira


    He sighed after seeing her message. He wanted to run down to her office and hug her tight and absorb away all the pain that she had in her heart. But you can''t always do what you want, so he stayed back in his office silently, waiting for her to heal, waiting for her to be ready to ept him.


    She replied and kept her phone down.


    It was already 6:30 pm. So she picked up her bag and left for the day. She didn''t know how she drove herself back, but the moment she reached home, she slumped on her bed. She didn''t even bother to talk with Mike, who was surprised to see her mood swinging full 180 degrees from morning to evening.


    "Maybe it''s her mood swinging up and down", he thought to himself and kept quiet.


    She then picked up her notebook and started pouring her heart out. She felt a bit better after doing so. So she opened up herptop and started jotting down a few lines on her blog page.


    CAN YOU MEND MY BROKEN HEART


    (Dedicated to someone who made my heart flutter every single day that I was with him. I knew he was never mine, to begin with, but I still fell for him. So I guess it''s all my fault, in the end, and I am the only one to be med. But I hope against hope that in next life you give me a chance first to be a part of your life. No pressure though !!!)


    My curiosity never knew your bounds,


    My heart spun as I heard your heart make the sound,


    Naive I ignored the fact that,


    There was no U-turn, you were nevering around.


    I knew the road I took was difficult from the start,


    I will take my chances and silently depart,


    I just have one question though,


    Can you mend my broken heart?


    --------------------

 Chapter 109: Nothing heals you better than HOME

    <h4>109 Nothing heals you better than HOME</h4>


    She tossed and turned on the bed, but sleep was miles and miles away from her. Then she heard a knock on her door,


    "I am not hungry Mike. I don''t want to eat. Please leave me alone for a day", she yelled and then dumped her head back into her pillow.


    Once again there was a knock on her door.


    She got up all pissed and flung the door open.


    She saw Vikram standing outside.


    Her expressions calmed a bit seeing him outside.


    "Don''t tell me you were about to hit me with your slippers", Vikram asked and chuckled.


    "Duh, No", she said and rolled her eyes.


    "Come out. I got you Mushroom Risotto. Your recent favorite", he said and pulled her out of her room.


    "It''s not my favorite anymore", she said with an irritated tone.


    "Why what happened all of a sudden", Vikram asked all surprised.


    "I am bored of it. Not my type of food Vikram", she said and shrugged her shoulders.


    "Don''t worry, we have tonnes of french fries and mini-burgers to munch on as well", Vikram said and opened another food bag.


    Akira smiled looking at Vikram. He was one hell of a caring guy. She looked at him intently for a few seconds.


    "Your wife is going to be so lucky man. I have a feeling that you would treat her like a princess", she said and took a bite at her french fries.


    "What makes you think like that?", Vikram asked curiously.


    "I mean you treat us so well, so no wonder you are going to treat your life partner even better. I feel like a princess with you around, so I guess your wife will feel like a queen", she said and stole a few fries from Mike''s te.


    "Hey, just because you are upset, doesn''t entitle you my fries ok?", Mike growled at Akira.


    Akira teased his brother back with her tongue open. Vikram looked at her in silence for a moment and then asked,


    "Do you want to feel like a queen?"


    Mike''s jaws were opened wide when he heard him.


    "Naah... I am just content feeling like a princess. Don''t want your wife to put a bounty on me", she said and giggled.


    Vikram sighed in disappointment because that naive girl couldn''t even understand what his question meant. But today wasn''t the right time to discuss it. He had already waited till eternity for her. He was ready to wait even more, till the point she said YES wholeheartedly.


    "By the way, why did you sound so grumpy today?", Vikram asked.


    "Aah, nothing. Work rted. Probably I expected too much. I should have understood that some things are just out of my league. Just not my cup of tea", she said and sighed.


    "Not your cup of tea. C''mon Aki, you are the deadlybination of passion and perfection. You can do anything. Even if the job is difficult just hang in there", Mike said tofort her, thinking that she was upset because of work.


    She looked at her baby brother fondly and ruffled his hair.


    Then she said,


    "I need to have a new outlook towards life and I am going to start it right now. I am going to kill at my job and then go back to my college and kill there too", she said and the two startedughing.


    "Jeez, Akira!!! You should have chosen drama as your new profession. Not graphic design", Mike said andughed.


    The friendly banter continued for hours and hours and Akira started feeling better. She looked at both of them and thought,


    "Nothing heals you better than Home".


    ---


    The next morning as Scarlett got up, she saw Raymond sitting on the sofa and working with hisptop.


    "Good morning Sweetheart !!!", she said and came close to him.


    "Morning!!! Did you sleep well?", Raymond asked.


    "Mmm... I did. Actually, I feel I haven''t slept this well since ages", she smiled and then stroked his hair with her hand but somehow her intimate touch didn''t go well with Raymond. He couldn''t understand what irked him so much. He immediately got up and said,


    "Get ready. I have booked your appointment with Dr. Brooks for 10 o''clock. Although her slots were full, she agreed as we have been there earlier".


    "Oh!!! That''s so nice of hers", she said.


    "Yeah, indeed. Go now and get ready. I will be done in a few minutes", Raymond said and went to his study room.


    After entering the physical examination room Scarlett was a bit nervous. Raymond could sense that and held her hand to assure her.


    "Don''t worry it''s gonna be alright", he said trying to ease her out.


    Dr. Brooks entered the room and looked at Raymond first. Then she looked at Scarlett and said,


    "How are you doing Miss Scarlett?".


    "I am doing good", she said smiling back.


    "Well, we need your blood samples too to run some tests to rule out any disorders with the pregnancy. Don''t worry it''s just a routine check", she said and smiled kindly. Then she moved ahead and drew her blood and filled two vials with it.


    Dr. Brooks applied the ultrasound gel on her belly and then started doing the ultrasound test. She saw the couple looking all nervous and smiled and pointed out at the ultrasound screen and said,


    "This, do you see? That''s your baby".


    "Oh my God!!!", Raymond said and exhaled a deep breath of relief.


    "Now I will give a moment to you two", Dr. Brooks said and then left the room with the blood samples.


    Then she went to theb and gave one vial at the General pathologyb and ordered some regr pregnancy-rted tests. Then she went to the DNA test pathology department and gave the other blood vial. Then she took out a sample of cheek swab from herb coat.


    "Get a Prenatal DNA Paternity Test done for these two samples".


    Then she handed over a cheque reading 2500 USD to theb assistant and said in a hushed out tone,


    "No records to be maintained for this test. Handout the report directly to me as we had discussed earlier".


    Theb assistant nodded and Dr. Brooks responded by nodding back and left.


    Theb assistant happily looked at the cheque amount of 2500 USD and then moved his eyes towards the corner which had the signature of David Lockheart.


    "Rich people have Rich problems in life", the assistant thought to himself.

 Chapter 110: I cannot be someones second

    <h4>110 I cannot be someone''s second</h4>


    There next morning she woke up and felt like her heart was in her mouth. Sitting on her bed, she started thinking of ways to toughen and harden her heart to be able to bear seeing Raymond in office for the morning status meeting. She checked her phone, but there were no messages from Raymond, but she saw 23 missed calls from Katherine. She wanted to call her back but then refrained herself because there was no point discussing anything any further.


    With a heavy heart, she opened theptop and started pouring her thoughts into her blog again. The blog post that she wrote the day before had twoments as well, but she was oblivious to everything around her that she didn''t even bother to read them or reply to them. She dragged herself to get ready and left for office.


    Upon reaching office she got to know that the status meeting had been canceled. Even though she was dreading the meeting, when she heard about it being canceled she felt weird, like a pit in her stomach was erging. She couldn''t understand why she was having all those thoughts which were at the extremes. She shook her head and decided to focus on her work but then she heard Kirk,


    "Yo big news, Scarlett is back!!! That''s why our meeting has been canceled".


    "What?", many eximed.


    "Yeah, anyways I am happy. Anything that takes the edge of that guy makes me happy", Kirk said and chuckled.


    "Yeah man. Finally, I will be able to see that guy happy", Simon said and sighed.


    All the resolve that she had summoned in her heart broke at an instant after hearing them speak. She didn''t cry yesterday but today after she heard them it felt like it was happening for real.


    "Why I couldn''t be the one to keep you happy Raymond?", she thought and ran towards the washroom to hide her tears before they revealed the entire world about how she felt.


    But she didn''t realize and bumped into someone in front.


    "I am sorry. I really am", she said and with her head hung low and started to walk away.


    "Not this time", he said and dragged her holding her hand.


    She lifted her head up and saw Raymond holding her hand and taking her towards his office.


    "Leave me Raymond", she said trying to struggle out from his grip.


    "Don''t force me to make a scene", he said and pulled her hand.


    Once they entered the office he locked the main door immediately and after that only he released her from his grip.


    "What are you trying to do Mr. Raymond? This is uneptable. I canin to the HR about this", Akira yelled and released her hand out of his grip in one shot.


    "Go ahead !!!", he said calmly looking at her. He knew he had to take it all, her anger, her hatred, her bitterness. After all, he had tormented her to death.


    "But before you take one step outside I would like to know a couple of answers", he said and looked deep into her eyes.


    "I am not answerable to you", she retorted.


    "Yes you are", he said and inched closer.


    "Why did you disconnect my call yesterday?", Raymond asked.


    "Because I thought I was done listening to you", she said


    "But I wasn''t done talking. You didn''t even give me time to exin myself Akira. First, hear me out. Why are you punishing yourself like this and why are you punishing me?", he said softly and ran his fingers on her cheeks trying tofort her.


    The concrete structures of resolve and determination started dissolving inside her like they were made of candies.


    "Raymond don''t", she replied meekly.


    "Why Akira? I never knew that she faked that abortion just to get into that reality show. I never knew that she still loved me and loved my child. I hated her because I thought she killed my child and now that I know that she hasn''t, how can I turn my face away from my responsibilities Akira. I cannot be a bad father Akira, not after when my dad..." and his voice trailed off all chocked.


    She looked into his eyes and could feel the intense pain that he was going through. It was really not his fault. He was torn between duties and desire and he was failing miserably in keeping up with both.


    "I am not misunderstanding you or anything Raymond. You have a child to take care of and I am the non-required fling here. I cannot be someone who wrecks someone else''s home, Raymond. I cannot", she said and took Raymonds'' hand in hers.


    But then she saw the bruises all over his knuckles and the bluish colour of his skin.


    "What happened?", she asked caressing and running her fingers softly. She forgot everything seeing his bruises.


    "Nothing!!! he said and retracted his hand back from her palm.


    "How is it nothing?", she asked and took his hand back forcibly into hers.


    She looked at his bruise with tears in her eyes and asked him,


    "Does it hurt?"


    If only he could tell how much those words meant to him.


    "Yes it does", he replied looking into her eyes and paused.


    "But not there, it hurts here", he said and took her palm and kept on his chest.


    They both looked deeply into the eyes of each other understanding each other''s pain and predicament. Tears started rolling down her eyes and she crumpled into pieces. She couldn''t take it anymore and kneeled on the ground.


    She hugged his leg and said,


    "Yesterday I thought I would never get to say this to you, but I can''t stand it not telling you. I LOVE YOU, Raymond. I love you with all my heart. And because I love you I can''t see you like this. If you have ever loved me or thought about me even once then promise me that you will be a good father. promise me that you will take care of your child and Scarlett. Promise me, Raymond, that you will forget us".


    Tears were rolling down without any control from her eyes and every single word of hers was tormenting his heart more and more. The day she told she loved him was the day she wanted to leave him. Irony !!!


    "What are you asking Akira? What about me? What about I want?'', Raymond asked lifting her chin up.


    "You want this Raymond, you just don''t know it yet", she said.


    He couldn''t bear it anymore and kneeled on the floor to her side.


    "Is it that easy for you to forget me Akira?", he asked.


    "Easy?", she chuckled.


    "I am conjuring all my strength to be able to do this Raymond", she said.


    "Then don''t do it", he pleaded.


    "It''s not something that I want to. Its something that I have to do Raymond".


    She wiped away her tears and then raised her hand to wipe away the moisture in the corner of his eyes. Her lips moved closer to him, badly wanting to kiss him for onest time, but she refrained.


    She took a deep breath and said,


    "I cannot be someone''s second".


    Then without even waiting for a response from him she got up and walked away.


    He kept looking in her direction and watched her frail figure disappear through the door.

 Chapter 111: Those words, those promises

    <h4>111 Those words, those promises</h4>


    He sat there on the floor, unable to believe that such a thing happened to him. The confession that his heart was yearning to listen to was brought to him all decorated in a tter, but the thing was it had been destroyed into a mulch. Even though he heard her say those three golden words, it pinched his heart and pierced through his very soul.


    His heart was broken into pieces and he wasn''t even sure if he would ever be able to mend it back.


    He couldn''t gather up even a single bit of courage to get up. He didn''t even possess a morsel of strength to imagine a life without her. In just past few days, she had be his lifeline and without her, he had no idea how he could survive.


    He was lost in his thought when he heard a knock on the door and heard David''s voice.


    "Come in !!!", he said.


    David entered the room and saw Raymond sitting miserably on the floor. He had seen Akira leaving his room and he understood what was going through his heart.


    He stood at a distance from him without saying anything and waited for him to get up and brace himself before he spoke anything.


    Raymond looked at David and asked,


    "At least tell me you have something good for me?"


    David reluctantly took out an envelope from his pocket and ced it on the desk and said,


    "That''s the report. I personally picked it up from Dr. Brook''s office".


    "And everything has been taken care of?", he asked.


    "Yes, everything is clear. No traces left", he said and was about to leave.


    But then he turned back again and said,


    "I am in no position toment anything about your personal matter. But this is something I guess you should read", he said and handed a few torn and crumpled pages to Raymond.


    "What is this?", Raymond asked in surprise and then saw the handwriting and immediately understood.


    "Umm... she tore and threw them, but I think it was paramount that you know how much you meant to her", he said and left the room.


    Raymond looked at those crumpled pages and her handwriting. Her beautiful cursive writing and the mistakes that she had scribbled and drew huge stars to hide them up brought nothing but insurmountable pain to his heart. He carefully folded those papers and ced it in his jacket and went to his table to check the Pre-natal Parental DNA test results.


    He could read just one word.


    "AFFIRMATIVE"


    He felt like he had been struck by lightning.


    He couldn''t understand how to react to it. He wanted to have this child so bad and now that it was proven to be his own, instead of being happy he was strangely upset. He felt like he was enclosed within a cage and he had no way to escape. He screamed at the top of his lungs and then threw all the stuff that was on the table.


    A minuteter when calmed down, he picked his phone and called Katherine,


    "Hey, Ray, what happened? Everything ok?", she asked all concerened.


    "I am finished, Kat !!! It''s my child. Why am I being so selfish to an unborn kid Kat? What is wrong with me?", Raymond said and chugged a pail of pain searing through his heart.


    "DNA results are out?", she asked.


    "Yeah!!! Got them just now", Raymond said.


    "I do not understand Raymond. How can it be your child? I had myself seen the abortion report with my own eyes. Did she lie to us back then? I don''t get it", Katherine asked.


    "As I said, I do not seek reasons to shrug away my responsibilities", Raymond said.


    Katherine didn''t speak a word for a moment. Then she asked.


    "Does Akira know about the test results?"


    "She never even doubted or questioned me, Kat. Not even once. She didn''t ask for any reason. I guess I have lost her forever Kat. She has walked out of my life to make me happy. How do I tell her that I am not happy Kat? How do I tell her?", Raymond said and lost all hisposure.


    He slumped on the chair and couldn''t say anything else.


    "Let me do the talking now. You focus on your work and your baby Ray. No matter what you are still the baby''s father. I will figure out how to deal with Scarlett. You leave that up to me", Katherine said.


    "Kat !!!", Raymond said and stopped.


    "I can''t breathe without her", Raymond said and Katherine could sense that he was already on the verge of breaking.


    "You are not going to lose her Ray. I am not going to let that happen. Just give me some time", Katherine said and her mind immediately started rummaging through ways to get the evil witch out of Raymond''s life.


    He kept the call and stared at the Paternity test report and then tore it into pieces and threw it in the dustbin.


    He was just a thread away from losing his sanity and that thread was lying in his pocket. He took out the pages from Akira''s dairy and started reading them one by one.


    YOU and I


    ___________


    I tiptoed, you flipped and make me turn round and round,


    Your hand touched me in ces,


    My heart moaned but I tried hard to make no sound.


    Your touch oh, so gentle made my heart melt like a candle,


    When your lips inched closer, I wanted you to to stop.


    God only knows it was too tempting to handle...


    Today we danced like there was no tomorrow.


    [Then he read a couple more pages and moved to thest one]


    DO PARALLEL ROADS MEET?


    ___________


    You were the unicorn and I was the damsel in distress,


    Our lives so different, like two parallel roads in sheer anonymity,


    It felt like we could never cross each others path,


    But you kissed me and said- Oh yes baby, we do in INFINITY.


    Today we kissed ..... :)


    I melted in his arms and it felt like he was mine to be with since ages. You know sometimes you just meet someone special and you just know at that instant that you are just meant to be his? I guess I have found my special someone and I do not intend to leave him until death tries to drive us apart.


    He read her pages and could feel how she had bared her soul. He recollected every single breath of hers that he had felt on his skin. Every single strand of her hair that tingled and stoked his face. He remember how right he felt when she was in his arms and then he spoke in dispair,


    "You had promised Akira!!!"


    "You had promised to never leave me".

 Chapter 112: Why dont you ask him out?

    <h4>112 Why don''t you ask him out?</h4>


    After disconnecting the call with Raymond, Katherine called up Akira again. She was hoping that at least this time she would pick it up. She had been calling her multiple times but she hadn''t picked it up even once. She understood what that poor girl''s heart might be going through, so she was patient.


    Finally, on the umpteenth ring, she picked it up.


    "Hey there Akira", Katherine said sighing out of relief.


    "Hi, Katherine. How are you?", Akira asked.


    "I am good. I thought you won''t pick up this time too", Katherine said.


    "Umm... What happened?", Akira asked.


    "Can we not waste our time over telephonic conversation and talk about the elephant in the room", Katherine spoke with her usual directness.


    "What do you want to talk about Katherine?", Akira asked


    "I don''t want to discuss over the phone. I will be free from my clinic at around 6 pm. So can we directly meet? I wille to your office to pick you up?", Katherine asked.


    "I got my car to the office today. So just tell me where should Ie. I will be there.", Akira said and sighed.


    Then she added,


    "I know about what you want to talk about, but don''t you think there is any point of beating around the bush Katherine".


    "I do not care about if things make a point or sense right now because nothing is. So if it takes me to beat around the bushes a hundred times, then yeah I would do that. So see you at 6. I will text you the address", Katherine said and then kept the call.


    Akira didn''t want to delve again into the depths of insurmountable pain. She didn''t want to discuss the whole thing again but since it was Katherine, she couldn''t say no. Life indeed was giving her lemons, but she was determined to fight back, all alone, by herself.


    She started her system andpleted the assignment given by Simon earlier and handed it over to him. She had some time left before she had to meet Katherine so she decided to work on her blog again. She opened the blog post and saw a couple morements on her older posts and opened them to read.


    "Your poems are so heartwarming. I can feel your pain" - Merhaba


    "I guess if you consider infinity into ount, then there is always a U-turn for someone toe around. So maybe you just need to hang on, someday someone wille and mend your broken heart" - RodeoMaverick


    Somehow her heart wasforted by reading thements like someone was caressing her and telling her that everything was going to be ok. She thanked them.


    "Thanks, Merhaba"


    "@RodeoMaverick, I wish that every word of yours turns true"


    Then she looked at her watch and realized that it was time to leave to meet Katherine.


    ---


    @Via Mno


    Katherine saw her frail figure approach, and she waved at her.


    Once seated, they both found a bit bit of awkwardness in between them. But Katherine, being Katherine decided the hold the reigns of the conversation.


    "Did you get to talk with my brother Akira?"


    "Yup", she replied


    "So you are aware of the whole situation right?", Katherine asked.


    "Uh. Huh", she replied.


    Hearing her, Katherine handed her a Cosmopolitan and continued sipping on her Mijito she said,


    "Then I guess you must be clear with the fact that its none of his fault or yours but you guys are punishing each other un-necessarily?", Katherine said looking into her eyes.


    Akira gulped the whole drink after hearing her and said,


    "Punishing? How am I punishing him, Katherine? I am giving him what he wants. He always wanted a kid and to have a family. So I am just pushing myself out of the canvas".


    "Yes, that''s true that he wanted to have a baby with Scarlett because he was in love with her at that time. But now he is in love with you. He wants to have a family but with you Akira", Katherine said and signaled the waiter for re-fill.


    "Family with me? Then what about the baby? What about Scarlett? Is he going to desert them? Heaven''s will not forgive me if he does that for me Katherine", Akira said and teared up a bit. All the alcohol was making her more un-nerved.


    "Yes, he wants the baby. But does he want Scarlett? Then the answer is NO", Katherine said.


    "But he loves Katherine, they were engaged and now she is giving birth to his kid", Akira said.


    "LOVED. In past tense Akira", Katherine said.


    Akira heard her words and somehow itforted her a bit. So she picked up her ss which had been re-filled and chugged it again, forgetting how low her alcohol threshold was.


    "I don''t know Katherine what I want. I really don''t care what I want. I just want him to be happy. Whatever makes him happy", Akira said.


    Katherine held her hand and said,


    "You make him happy Akira. He can''t take a single breath without you. He was in such disbelief that he ordered a DNA test just to confirm that it was his kid. So can you understand how much he wanted the situation to not happen?", Katherine said and looked into her eyes which were already a bit tipsy.


    "What when?", Akira asked in surprise.


    "He did it the very next day she came back here Akira. Heavens can tell how badly he wanted all of it to be a lie Akira", Katherine said.


    Akira looked silently at the cocktail ss that she had emptied.


    "My brother was never this miserable Akira, not even when Scarlett left and made us believe that the child was there no more. Does it not tell you anything?", she asked.


    Akira who was circling the brim of the ss with her finger suddenly stopped and looked up to Katherine.


    "Does he love me so much that he can forget Scarlett? Will my love be enough? Tell me, Katherine, tell me now?", she asked and her voice was almost on the verge of pleading.


    "Why don''t you ask him out?", Katherine said and smirked.


    Akira could instanly feel the presence of someone behind her. Someone''s hand rested on the back of her chair, slightly touching her back. She recongnised his touch and his musky smell.


    "No way", she screamed in her head.

 Chapter 113: Just "DONT"

    <h4>113 Just "DON''T"</h4>


    She turned back and saw his face. His face looked like it has been devoid of any emotion since ages. He looked like a te, all nk. Her heart came into her mouth seeing him in this disturbed state.


    "What are you doing here?", Akira asked looking at him


    "I asked him toe", Katherine interrupted and said.


    "You guys need to clear out whatever is there rotting inside. I don''t think there is a point in suffering so much. Be truthful to each other and tell what your heart desires. So I am gonna go off now", she said and picked her purse and left before Akira could ask anything.


    "Mind if I join?", Raymond asked moving towards the front.


    "Hmm...", Akira said and nodded.


    He ordered a scotch on the rocks and sat silently in front of her. His heart was aching to take her hand into his own but something within him stopped him. Probably the time wasn''t right.


    He sipped on his whiskey and kept looking into her eyes like he was trying to find out the answers while she hung her head low. She was already a bit tipsy and wanted to avoid any question from him, for she knew that her sanity was lost somewhere around the corner, a bit far away from her.


    Then finally he broke the silence and asked,


    "How was your day?"


    "Oh, very very productive. Ipleted the assignment given by Simon and then I had some free time so I ..."


    Her voice trailed off as he moved his hand and his fingers touched hers, which were still fiddling with the empty ss. Her fingers stayed on the ss, static like they were glued to it. He then slowly removed the ss underneath and took her handpletely into his own, his thumb grazing lightly on her pulse point.


    "Stop fidgeting Akira", he said and kept on running his fingers on her hand lightly.


    Her breath became all shallow and she knew he was overpowering her. She was already a bit high and she knew that she would be turning into an emotional wreck pretty soon. So she tried to free her hands out from his enclosure and the moment she tried to do so, his hand gripped her even tighter.


    "Don''t", he said and looked into her eyes trying to peel off all theyers that she had put on to shield herself from him.


    She gasped for air and then said,


    "I need to go home", she said almost tearing up.


    He wanted to talk with her so badly but seeing already hurt like this, he couldn''t say anything. He requested for the cheque and released her hand which he had been holding so tenderly.


    "I will drop you home", Raymond said and picked her bag and just when he was about to pick his phone to keep in his pocket, his screen lit up with a call from Scarlett. Akira saw her name on the screen and her insides cringed.


    He dodged the call and ced the phone in his pocket and extended his hand for her to hold and get up from the seat. But she didn''t even look at him and turned to walk ahead. But hardly two stepster, she twisted her ankle and immediately sat on the floor screaming. He rushed to her immediately and without saying anything he scooped her swiftly into his arms.


    "Leave me, Raymond. Let go of me", she saidnding small punches on his chest but he kept walking unperturbed without showing a hint of emotion on his face.


    She kept struggling for a while and slowly the anger converted into tears. Instead of punching his chest her hands moved to tug his shirt cor. She looked up into his eyes and said,


    "Why can''t you just leave me, Raymond. Please make me hate you. It would be so easy to leave you. Please make me hate you, Raymond. Please", she begged and cried and he brought her even closer to himself. Slowly her hands moved to surround his neck and her face lied peacefully on his chest. Her tears slowly drenching his chest marking their territory. She had embraced him so perfectly that he didn''t want to let her go.


    When he reached near his car, he gently spoke near her ears, bending his head down,


    "Can I? Can I just put you down for a second",


    "Huh... I am sorry", Akira said realizing that she had already breached the limits of proximity which she had pledged not to.


    "I think you should head back home. Scarlett was calling you as well. I will take Uber from her", she said and tucked a stray hair falling on her moonlit face. Suddenly she felt a few drops of water falling on her. She looked up and realized that it had started to drizzle.


    "Just get in the car", he said and opened the door for her.


    She knew that there was no way that she could win over him with words, so she obliged".


    Five minutes into the drive, they were both covered with the nket of silence and somehow that increased her tipsiness. She suddenly felt her head getting a lot heavy and she started feeling all weird.


    "Raymond!!!", she said looking at him all of a sudden.


    "I feel funny".


    "Wait, what?", he said and parked the car on the side of the road.


    She looked at him and all that she wanted was to kiss him badly. Her desires had slowly started overpowering her. Alcohol was clearly ying with her mind. She shook her head vehemently as if she was trying to push away her thoughts.


    "What''s wrong? What''s happening?" Raymond asked her all worried and held her hand.


    "Why are you so warm? Are you running a fever", he asked after touching her hand and moved closer to touch her forehead with the back of his palm. While he did so his eyes locked on to hers which were looking at him intently.


    "What''s wrong Akira? Tell me?", he asked unable to understand what was wrong.


    "Get away from me", she said and opened the door of the car and came outside.


    The rain slowly drenched her trying to pacify her body, her mind and her soul.

 Chapter 114: Does she know about me?

    <h4>114 Does she know about me?</h4>


    "Are you out of your freaking mind? What the hell are you doing?", said Raymond and tried to pull her hand to make her get inside the car.


    But she struggled to fight his force back and said,


    "Please, Raymond let go of me".


    Her eyes were pleading for mercy.


    He released the grip that he had on her hand immediately. She was crying incessantly, her tears mixed with the drops of water and flowed down her cheeks like a flowing river, all perennial.


    She was wet top to bottom. Her clothes clung to her curves and all the opaqueness that it had, reduced to translucency. He could see her tender pale skin, her shivering silhouette and her fast beating heart which caused her to heave. He couldn''t stop himself seeing her in this condition.


    "Can you just get inside?", Raymond asked gritting his teeth.


    "No I don''t want to", Akira said.


    "Fine then", he said and leaned onto her, pushing her to make her body rest along with the car. He then removed his jacket and put it over her, shielding her from the torrential rain.


    "Then stay like this", he said and moved even closer.


    Even though it was cold, their warm breaths were heating up the whole atmosphere around them. She looked up at him with horror and then her eyes slightly fluttered. He moved his face even closer. Drops of water dripped from his nose and lips and chin and fell on her face. She couldn''t understand what she could do to escape him. Her wild mind was racing at an exponential speed. He didn''t even touch her but his mere presence was enough to drive her crazy and before she could know, she suddenly raised her hands and tugged his cor and pulled him close.


    She looked into his eyes for a second and then gently touched his lips with her own.


    Her lips quivered as she touched his. Secondster he parted his lips trying to make every inch of lips wet. She tried to capture his taste for a moment, but she didn''t realize when she got lost in his touch. But soon she detached herself as reality dawned upon her. She couldn''t believe that she could do such a thing.


    He was lost in her taste and suddenly she had detached herself from him. Before he could even understand what was happening, she had covered her mouth with her hand and was shaking her head in disbelief. His heart wasn''t satisfied as he was craving for more.


    He threw his jacket on the road and held her waist and pulled her close. As his hand grazed through her wet back, she knew instantly that things could go very wrong at that instant. He pulled her close and kissed the crevices of her neck. Another hand of his started tracing her thighs and she instantly whimpered.


    "Don''t touch me Raymond", she blurted out all of a sudden.


    And he stopped.


    He looked her in the eye and asked her,


    "Tell me what do you want from me?"


    She just looked up to him but didn''t answer his question. She thought that probably staying silent was the best thing that she could do. But he couldn''t bear her silence anymore and asked,


    "One moment you kiss me and the next you don''t want to like I am the most despicable entity on earth. Am I a toy to you Akira? Is that what I am to you? One moment you feel like ying with me and the other moment you don''t?"


    "I take you as a Toy? seriously? Is that all you can say after what we have been through. Am I so shallow to you?", Akira asked in pain.


    "Then look into my eyes and hold my hand and tell me what your heart wants", Raymond said and moved closer.


    "You want to know what my heart really wants? My heart wants you to be mine and only mine. I cannot share you with anyone, neither Scarlett nor your kid. I know it''s your baby, but if you want a baby and a family then have it with me. Can''t you? Can''t you just leave her ande back to me and wipe her out of your life like she never existed in the first ce. Can you Raymond?", she asked in one breath and looked deep into his eyes, trying to figure out his reaction.


    "I know you can''t. No one can. I know what my heart wants is selfish but you asked for it. So there you go, this is what my heart wants", she said and took a step back.


    "What If I told you that''s exactly what my heart wants too?", Raymond said, looking into her eyes.


    "What are you saying?", Akira asked all confused.


    "What I am saying is, I understand that the child is my responsibility and I want to support in any matter rted to him from his birth to his education. But I don''t want to and neither do I have any intention of getting back with Scarlett. We share only one rtionship with each other right now, she is the mother of my child and that''s totally tonic", he said and waited for an answer from her.


    "So you don''t love her?", she asked.


    "No, not anymore", he said.


    "Then why is she staying with you?", Akira asked.


    "That because she still thinks I am in love with him and she feels that she has a right on my ce. Well technically she does now as she is with my kid, but not in reality. I am nning to move her to a separate house and arrange for a proper house to help to take care of her and help her out.


    "Did you...?", but then her question trailed off.


    "What do you want to ask Akira ask me now. I don''t want to carry any baggage around".


    "Does she know about me?", Akira asked.


    I guess not but I am going to rectify that today.


    "Rectify? As in how?", Akira asked.


    "You will find out soon", he said and opened his car door so that she could get in.

 Chapter 115: Tell me now !!!

    <h4>115 Tell me now !!!</h4>


    "Where are we going Raymond?" Akira asked the moment Raymond took a sharp U turn.


    "To my ce", he said and sped through.


    "No , no, no Raymond, Please don''t do that. I am not in a good state. Please don''t create troubles for my sake. You tell herter when the time is right and that''s not today", Akira said all scared.


    "When the time is right? You are kidding me right? You think the time can ever be right when we are like this?", he said and looked into her eyes.


    Rain had started pouring in heavy and it was quite risky to drive but he still continued. Akira wanted to stop him but the rage in his eyes got her scared. She was silenced with his reply. Suddenly his tires skid in the rain and his car swivelled. He was already driving at a very high speed. He instantly mmed his brakes and his car came to a standstill in a split second. Immediately his hands went up to shield Akira like a natural instinct.


    "God, I am sorry. Are you ok Akira?", he asked all worried.


    She had her eyes closed and her fists all clenched with fear. She opened her eyes once she heard his voice.


    "I am ok", she said and then looked down to see his hand embracing her chest. His touch was making her restless every passing second. She gasped for air and then conjuring all her strength and sanity she said,


    "Umm.. your hand".


    It was then that he realized that his hand was ced awkwardly on her chest.


    He immediately retracted his arm but he couldn''t retract the surge of feelings rushing within him.


    He quickly unbuckled his seat belt and leaned on to her and kissed her forehead. Then he ran his fingers on her face and said,


    "I am sorry. I was a bit rash".


    "It''s risky to drive right now. We will start once the rain reduces a bit", he said and focused his attention to his mobile phone. He didn''t look at her even once afterwards.


    Seconds passed, minutes passed and she started bing restless.


    "Are you angry with me?", Akira asked.


    "No", he said without even turning it looking at her.


    "Then why won''t you look at me?", she asked.


    "Why? So that again after two minutes you will ask me to not look at you? Because it''s making you ufortable?", Raymond said sarcastically.


    "Why are you like this Raymond?", Akira asked with tears welling up.


    "Isn''t it because of you?", he said and turned to look at her.


    "Look what you have made me into. I can''t sleep, I can''t breathe without you. I have no self restrain when ites to you. I will do anything to get back your trust and I do not care what''s happening in the third world because of it. I don''t care what it takes but today I am going to make it clear how much you mean to me", he said and wiped the tears from her face.


    She looked into his eyes which were brimming with sincerity and then ced her hand on his hand which was caressing her face and said,


    "I trust you more than I trust myself Raymond and you don''t need to prove anything. I feel every bit of love that you have in your heart for me. But not every love is fated to be together Raymond. Maybe ours is not that kind", she said and then lifted his hand and kept it back of hisp.


    "Then you don''t understand how much I love you and how much I want you right here right now", he said and his voice sounded all hoarse.


    "I am loosing my mind Akira and I can''t stand it anymore. So let me make things clear".


    "One - I am just a string away from losing my patience. Why it is difficult for you to understand that I want you and only you. you are not jeopardizing her life, you are ruining mine by not believing in me.


    Two - Stop arguing with me coz I might just lose myself with you sitting so close to me like this".


    He sighed and then rested his hand back on the steering wheel.


    "Why?", she asked.


    "Why? You want to know why? Thene and feel my heart. It kills me everytime you are around me. My hands itch to touch you. My lips want no other taste than yours. And I want to love you in ways that you can''t even imagine in your head", he said and became silent.


    Suddenly there was absolute silence in between them and the only sound that was heard was that of the rain drops falling on the windshield.


    Then suddenly her entire demeanour changed and she turned towards him.


    "Then show me !!!", she said looking at him. Hey eyes raging with the fires of desire. The rain, his hot breath, his smell had already rendered her helpless and hearing those words of his she couldn''t help but to speak her mind.


    He couldn''t believe what he heard. He looked at her in disbelief and lost all the words and his capacity to speak.


    His hands moved and unbuckled her seat belt in a second and then he moved his seat back. He held her waist and with one swift move, he pulled her towards himself and made her sit in hisp. He held her face tenderly in his hands and kissed her with such a hunger like his soul had been deprived of everything since centuries. The slow tender kiss slowly turned into an urgent one. He started with nibbling her lips and then moved on to bite them, inch by inch, lip by lip, not even sparing her for one second. There was no mercy to be given. There was no limit that needed to be maintained..


    As his hands traced all over her body she shivered with pleasure and melted in his arms. As his mouth moved to her chin and the curve of her neck, she moaned and arched her back and closed her eyes. His hands pulled her shirt which was tucked in her jeans. This right hand slid under her shirt grazing her skin ever so tenderly that she came forward and hugged him tight.


    His hands loitered around and moved to the center of her back. He was about to unsp her bra. His fingers twined around the hook eager to unhook it any second, but he stopped himself and invoked all his strength and asked her.


    "If you want me to stop, then tell me now".

 Chapter 116: The angry Miss. Scarle

    <h4>116 The angry Miss. Scarle</h4>


    Scarlett started pacing in the house all angry when Raymond didn''t pick her call. She tried again, but that effort also went in vain.


    "Ugghh.... Why isn''t he picking my call?", she said getting all irritated.


    She called his office next and got to know that he had already left an hour back. Hearing that her mind started wandering in all random directions.


    "Is he out with that bitch?"


    "Am I going to be deserted because of that slut?",


    She thought to herself and started cursing Akira. Then she dashed to the kitchen and made a dark coffee for herself and drank. Then she went to the guest room and looked at all her luggage that had been brought in.


    She was shocked earlier when Raymond had asked for her luggage to be moved into the guest room. She was sure that she would move back to his bedroom in no time so she just made a face and didn''t say much a day before, but the thought of him being with Akira right now somehow made her upset. She took one of her suitcases and moved to his bedroom and arranged her clothes in his closet. She thenid her makeup products neatly at the vanity and then gave a pleasing look at the bedroom which now gave a vibe that it was upied by a couple. A shrewd smile etched on her face and she danced around merrily with a twirl.


    Then she checked her phone again.


    But s there was so message from Raymond.


    In a mad fit of rage, she went down and picked up her car keys and started in the direction of his office. She didn''t know if she would be able to find him, she didn''t know if the direction was ok, but she just continued driving hoping to catch them in some cafe or restaurant. It was pouring like anything but she wanted to defy the wrath of nature with her own immaturity.


    She drove around two miles and then suddenly stopped. Then she pulled her car back a few feet.


    She saw Raymond''s car on the side of the road with the hazard light on. All scared she immediately got down from her car and rushed forward. The moment she closed in, she saw Akira moving forward and hugging Raymond. Her body twining on Raymond''s like a climber. Raymond''s hand swiftly moving under her shirt exploring her back. Her anger spiked in an instant and she started banging on the car door incessantly.


    "Open the door Raymond", screamed Scarlett.


    They both looked in her direction of the sound, all surprised.


    Akira felt like she was stuck with a 1000 volt lightening. She quickly moved back to her seat and adjusted her clothes. Raymond couldn''t believe his luck that of all the people Scarlett woulde and bang on his window. Making a straight face he came out of the car and closed the door with unsurmountable anger. The thud sound of the door closing was so loud that even the deafening noise of rain and thunder had no chance in front of it.


    "Why are you here?", he roared.


    "Should not I be the one asking you this question?", Scarlett said screaming at the top of her lungs.


    Akira also came out of the car and stood outside. She wanted to exin and clear the things between them. She was ready to take all the me upon herself and be the vamp. But she didn''t want to be the reason that created a wedge between these two.


    She moved closer to Scarlett so that she could exin the whole thing to her first because she knew that if Raymond spoke then he probably would sabotage his rtionship with Scarlett in a blink.


    "It''s all my fault, Scarlett. Please let me exin. Today I went..."


    "SLAP"


    "Ow", Akira winced in pain as Scarlett gave her a tight p on her face with all her might.


    Raymond''s eyes were filled with rage seeing his woman hurt and he immediately raised his hand to hit Scarlett.


    But Akira timely rushed forward and blocked him. She pushed him back with all the forces that she could reckon and then looked at him in the eye and said,


    "If you trust me then let me handle this!!!".


    Raymond didn''t say a word. His fists were clenched and his all his veins started to throb. But he knew that Akira was mature enough and he respected her ability to make the right decisions. So he stormed away and sat inside his car.


    Akira then turned towards Scarlett. Now she was not at all in a mood to y the me game.


    "Look I get it that you are mad. I would have been mad had I been at your ce. But you have to know that its none of his fault. We both like each other and somehow we strayed a bit because of everything that was going on. It might look all wrong to you but trust me he is not cheating behind your back. He still has the same respect for you and still wants to father your child, the same way that he wanted to a couple of months back".


    "Cheating behind my back? You are exining to me that all this that is happening is behind my back? You are stealing him right under my nose but trust me I am not going to let that happen", Scarlett hissed.


    Hearing her spout words like venom, Akira was going all numb but still continued to defend herself.


    "I am not stealing anything from under your nose or whatever Scarlett. He isn''t yours, to begin with from the first ce. You left him, you killed his emotions and orphaned him in the worst possible way and you still expect him to be yours? I am really surprised", Akira said and she had a smirk on her face.


    "You know nothing Akira. You were just something to fill his void. But you are forgetting that I am his entirety. I make himplete, not you", she said and caressed her belly with a victorious smile on her face.


    And suddenly just like that, Akira''s face fell.

 Chapter 117: Below the belt !!!

    <h4>117 Below the belt !!!</h4>


    Scarlett''s lips curled in a smile as she saw Akira''s face fall.


    She took a step ahead and came close to her and said.


    "So go ahead, Miss Akira and flirt around the whole day with my man, because eventually in the night he has toe back to me. I am his nest Akira. I am his home. A home where we will start our family together. Do you think you can sway him away and turn him away from me and my child? Think hard Akira, because deep down even you know you can''t. So be my guest whenever you please, but I will always be there to make sure that you don''t overstay my wee", Scarlett said and moved back to her car.


    Akira stood there all dumbstruck.


    Scarlett''s words echoed in her mind like the words of eternal truth.


    She felt like the ground beneath her was moving.


    She felt her entire world was crumbling apart.


    When Raymond saw Akira leaving, he came out of the car. He looked at her and in one instant he knew that Scarlett had destroyed her. He could clearly see her feeling crushed. He instantly regretted his decision of listening to her and going back.


    She was again drenchedpletely and her teeth were chattering all cold. Even though her face was was all drenched with the water from the rain, he could clearly see the tears rolling down her face.


    He moved closer and said,


    "Come back into the car. You will catch a cold because of this rain".


    She looked up to him and asked,


    "Why do you care so much for me Raymond. Just why?"


    And just like that all her strength, all her guts were washed away with the raindrops. He stood there in silence at first but then moved a bit forward. The intensity of the rain had reduced a bit and under the street light now he could clearly see the red mark on her left cheek.


    He moved his palm softly and touched her bruise and said,


    "From now on you are not going to fight any battle for yourself. All your battles are mine now. Do you understand that?"


    "But... "


    "No, ifs or buts are allowed now. You are my responsibility and only mine. You need to promise me now. Right now Akira", he said and looked into her eyes like they were an endless abyss.


    "I promise", she said and looked back into his eyes.


    The rain had almost slowed down by then and all that was left was a cool breeze and a gentle drizzle. He ran his thumb slightly on her cheeks and asked,


    "Does it hurt?".


    She smiled a bit and said,


    "I would be lying if I said it doesn''t. Wouldn''t I?".


    "Don''t worry I have a balm for it", he said and smiled and moved towards her reducing every inch of the gap in between.


    He ced his hand on her waist and then leaned on her and started kissing her left cheek tenderly. He nted his kisses in a line, one after the other in session, covering every inch, every centimeter of her skin. He wanted to take away all the pain that she felt and make them his own. HJe had decided that before being her lover he had to be her protector, her shield.


    Slowly his hands moved under her shirt as he continued his ascension.


    He knew that his touch always left her breathless and he enjoyed seeing her all defenseless in his arms. He paused and smiled and quickly turned her such that her back was resting on his chest. He then embraced her from behind. His one hand on her waist and one on her chest and held her tight, like he was afraid to let her go. He buried his head low touching her neck and said,


    "I want to finish off the homework that I left halfway".


    Akira understood what he meant exactly. He blushed all scarlet and turned back and said.


    "I think I should wait".


    Then she looked into his eyes trying tofort him because she knew that he would definitely be disappointed with her answer.


    He looked at her and pursed his lips all disappointed and said,


    "Fine !!! I agree with that. But then you have to do something else for me. Are you ok with that?".


    "Anything. Just say it", she said and hugged him back.


    "Thene to my ce with me today", he said and held her hand and dragged her towards the car.


    "No Raymond No", Akira said and resisted.


    "You cannot back out now. You promised", he said and started the car.


    "I cannot let anyone point a finger at you and she dared to touch you. It needs to be addressed", he said and then turned the heater in his car to warm her up.


    He looked at her and said,


    "Just promise to stay with me and I will show you how much I love you, how much you mean to me".


    She smiled and looked at him but her insides were scared as hell.


    Raymond''s car sped through in the darkness towards his home.


    ---


    Scarlett reached back home all fuming and started throwing away everything that she could find in her way. Although she smiled and mocked Akira before she came back, deep down she knew that she had already lost the battle. She had fired all her shots to scare her away but she knew that they were all nks. Although she had the biggest weapon lying in her stomach, that girl had done a clean sweep, leaving no ce for her to even crawl back.


    Unable to ept the defeat in the hands of a mere intern, her pride turned all the more vengeful. It was hardly ten minutes that she had arrived and she heard Raymond''s car arriving. She immediately marched out, wanting to the reprimand him, make him answer her questions which were raging like a fire inside her heart, burning her insides.


    But then she saw Akira getting down from the passenger''s side and she just halted. The jolt that she had received earlier was massive but this was just below the belt.


    He had brought her home. He had brought her to their nest.

 Chapter 118: She played with slow poison

    <h4>118 She yed with slow poison</h4>


    "What on earth were you thinking Raymond? Why did you bring her here?", Scarlett hissed in anger and stood at the entrance.


    Raymond calmly closed the door of his car and went to Akira''s side and held her hand to bring her inside his house.


    Scarlett looked at Akira with her eyes gleaming with hatred. She couldn''t believe that she would have the courage toe back to her ce even after she had clearly demarcated her territory.


    "I really need to buy a vowel for you. I don''t know how to weigh your audacity to be able to march inside my house right now".


    "A slight correction. It''s technically my house as the deed is under my name?", Raymonds barged in and spoke with uber calmness and took his steps inside the house.


    But Akira resisted. Somehow this whole thing wasn''t easy for her to deal with. Had it been Scarlett alone, then she would have dealt it with ease but with the baby, in the picture, things wereplicated.


    Seeing her hesitating toe inside, Raymond turned back and said,


    "What? It''s not like the first time you areing in here".


    Then he deliberately turned towards Scarlett to see her reaction who was chocking on her own blood. This guy was downright shrewd. He was the epitome of a slow poison who made sure that he kills you every second and makes taste death even before you die.


    He pulled Akira inside and his hand which was sped in hers freed itself to embrace her from behind.


    "Come inside. You need to change your clothes else you are going to catch a cold", Raymonds said and headed towards the direction of his room.


    "Stop it !!! Just stop all this nonsense for once and for all. I know that I hurt you and left you when you needed me the most. I know that I toyed with your feelings. I was the gbearer of your miseries. But is this the way you punish me for what I did? I have already sought your forgiveness, Raymond. What else do you want me to do? Just tell me I will do it but for God''s sake stop all this farce. I can''t take it anymore. Our baby can''t take it anymore Raymond", she said and hugged his arm.


    Raymond shrugged her off the very next second and chuckled.


    "Why it has to be about you Scarlett? Why do you think everything is always about you? Don''t you think you have over assumed your importance in my life?", he said and folded his arms defensively.


    Scarlett sensed something bad wasing up for her. It was a red g whenever he folded his arms.


    His demeanorpletely changes in an instant. His eyes burnt like charcoal for he remembered the way she had pped Akira in front of her.


    "I liked you. But that was in the past".


    "You were important to me. Again in the past".


    "I wanted to spend my entire life with you, but again in the past".


    "But right now I am a clean te Scarlett with zero ounces of love and fuck to give to you. So it would be really nice if you could get your shit together and understand the fact that I care about you, but that''s not because I love you or anything, that''s because I care about my child. And that''s all that is there about it."


    He finished his sentence but Scarlett felt like he had whitewashed her entirety. A moment before she was gloating by recollecting the way she had made Akira''s face fall. But right now her own face had fallen. And the fall wasn''t a small one. Wasn''t an easy one to recover from.


    She might have had physically pped Akira, but she returned the p even bigger and louder. And she didn''t even have to touch her for that.


    She looked in Akira''s direction and saw her standing with a face filled with shock.


    "Wao just wao!!!!", she said and started slow ps and looked at Akira like she was spouting venom through her eyes.


    "Aren''t you happy now after ruining a family. You must be gloating in your head right now, seeing me all miserable like this. It must have felt really great for you to see me sumb to you. Isn''t it?"


    "Scarlett please try to understand that I am not here to snatch away anything and neither do I wish to gloat over anything. I will never ever try toe between Raymond and your baby. Trust me. I just wish that you can understand that I have no bad intention towards you or your baby", Akira tried to exin herself but she knew that all that was going to go into the drain. It was hard to convince her.


    "Trust you!!! You are kidding me, right? How can I trust an intern whose only aim is to get his boss''s junk inside her trunk? Aren''t you just ironical and funny?", Scarlett said and chuckled.


    "Enough Scarlett !!!", Raymond said raising his register.


    "Enough? This is enough for you? But what about me Raymond? You expect me to bear the fact that I, the mother of your child has to stay in the guest room whereas she gets to be the queen adorning your kingsize bed? Why my child has to suffer because of my one single lie? Why are we the outcasts of your life, Raymond? Do you want to see me stepped on, pounced upon and tormented every single day with her mere presence? Will the baby be able to bear it when I cannot? If not for me, at least think about our baby''s health. What sort of a father are you going to be?", she said and looked at him. She knew that she had hit his weak point.


    Raymond took a few deep breaths to control his anger.


    He didn''t want to fight with her anymore, because he knew that stressing her meant stressing out the baby which he didn''t want to happen in any condition. In the fit of rage, he had forgotten about the safety of his child.


    He took a deep breath and held Akira''s hand and said,


    "Come". And he took her upstairs to his bedroom.


    Unable to bear the sight Scarlett started chocking up and asked,


    "Why are you doing this Raymond?"


    He paused and turned back and looked at Akira fondly for a second and then said,


    "Because she is my PRESENT !!!"

 Chapter 119: She was face-slapped again

    <h4>119 She was face-pped again</h4>


    Raymond took Akira upstairs to his bedroom. It was the first time that she had visited his room. There were a couple of beer cans on his side table and as she entered she saw some papers under the beer can. Somehow they looked very familiar to her.


    Out of curiosity, she walked towards his side table and immediately picked up the papers. They were the torn pages from her diary. She turned back and looked at him in surprise, unable to understand how on earth the pages which she had thrown into dustbin were in his house on his side table.


    She turned back and before she could ask anything,


    "Isn''t it bad manners to touch other people stuff without their permission?", Raymond said and snatched the papers from her and put them in his drawer.


    "That was exactly my question for you", Akira said and smiled.


    "Go and take a hot shower and dry yourself. I have some business to take care of", Raymond said and started walking out.


    "What business?", Akira asked with a worried look on her face.


    "It doesn''t concern you. You better scoot else I am going to throw you in the bathtub myself", Raymond said and left the room.


    Akira stood there and sighed. Then she turned and went into the bathroom.


    Aftering out of the room Raymond called up David immediately and then went downstairs to the guest room. There were a couple of things that needed to be taken care of immediately. But he didn''t want to do any of that in front of Akira.


    "Open the door, Scarlett. It''s me", Raymond said and knocked on the guest room door.


    "What now?", she said opening the door all irritated.


    "We need to talk about a couple of things right now and sort them out", Raymond said and sat on the sofa inside.


    "First I need you to pack all your stuff, as I have arranged for alternative amodation for you. This house might be a tad bit small for your usage. My assistant wille and pick you up in precisely 30 minutes. If anything is left here then don''t worry, I''ll make sure it is transported to your new amodation. It''s a pool facing Vi and you are going to love it", Raymond spoke with all seriousness.


    "Are you kidding with me right now Raymond? Are you out of your freaking mind? Why I am supposed to stay away from you when we are going to have a child together. We have so many things to do which are pending. We need to fix a date to get married, get all the proper tests done for our kid, paint the nursery, make necessary arrangements and all", Scarlett spoke all shocked.


    "Have you hit your head on the wall by any chance Scarlett? When did I say that I was going to marry you?", Raymond spoke with surprise after hearing her speak.


    "What is the need you are asking? We were already engaged and now that we have a kid don''t you think it''s paramount that we get married? What kind of life do you want to give to our child? Do you want me to raise this child fatherless Raymond? Is that what you want?", Scarlett justshed out on him.


    "I never said that you will have to raise the child fatherless. I am cutting my ties with you Scarlett but not with my kid. My kid still stays my top priority", Raymond said and gave Scarlett a deathly re.


    Scarlett was out of her wits. She understood that no amount of crying or sobbing or wailing was going to change the situation. She was just astonished to see Raymond''s changed attitude towards her. He was the same guy who waited hours and hours for her sses to finish, the same guy who always ate the OREO''s without cream and she liked to lick them up, the same guy who fought against his family for her. She couldn''t believe that he would turn 180 degrees.


    "Raymond don''t you think you are being too harsh and irrational here. Let''s talk it out tomorrow morning ok?", she said and tried to hold his hand.


    "Harsh? Do you think this is harsh? Harsh was what you did to Akira. Harsh was the p that you gave to that poor girl who thought of nothing but your happiness. She wanted to leave me so that we could have a happy family together. She was ready to sacrifice her love and you are saying that I am irrational. It''s you who is being irrational here Scarlett and I am not going to tolerate any more of this", Raymond said trying hard to calm his rage.


    Just then the doorbell rang.


    "That must be my assistant David", Raymond said and went to get the door.


    David gave a file to Raymond and a printed one-page document. He read the page and his face instantly burned in anger. He then folded it and ced it in his pocket.


    David saw the burning rage in his eyes and immediately understood that he had to handle the situation. So he then took the file back from Raymond and handed it to Scarlett and said,


    "This is a legal document and you need to sign. Since you guys aren''t married there are some legal protocols that should be followed for the betterment of both the parties. He will be taking the full parental responsibility and would be contributing his part for the child''s upbringing for a reasonable period which is till the point you get back to work. So please read all the uses carefully because you will be clearly stating that you have no right whatsoever on any of his properties orpany and for that matter his life. You cannot force him to stay with you as per the legal terms, but still, as a concerned and responsible father, he is going to provide you the best amodation possible as per his pocket".


    Scarlett felt like she had been face-pped again.

 Chapter 120: Its the perfect amount of ...

    <h4>120 It''s the perfect amount of ...</h4>


    David saw her ring at him, but he didn''t feel intimidated at all. He had handled many masterpieces like her before. So maintaining his quietposure he spoke again,


    "In case you have any doubts regarding the legal paperwork then you can call me anytime. My contact number is on thest page after the annexure Miss Scarlett".


    She looked at him with anger like she wanted to roast him alive.


    But he politely returned back her look by saying,


    "Now if all is said and done shall we proceed for Magenta House where we have arranged for your amodation, Miss Scarlett?"


    She heard him and clenched her fist in anger and then turned towards Raymond. But he wasn''t even looking at her. All dejected she stomped her feet and went inside the guest room to get her stuff. She randomly packed a few essentials in her suitcase and stormed out, but before that, she nced at Raymond once again.


    She saw that his demeanor had changedpletely in a few minutes. She didn''t quite know what to say. So she just uttered a "Bye" and walked ahead without waiting for a response because she knew that it was never going toe in the first ce.


    Once she was outside the house, Raymond looked at David and said,


    "Good job. Dig out all the possible connections and as for hacking the DNS server, leave that part to me".


    "Sure Mr.Raymond. I have noted all the suspicious IP addresses and will email them to you", David said and was about to leave.


    "No emails or any electronic medium. Write on pen and paper and give it to me tomorrow".


    "Ok", David said and left the house.


    The moment he left, Raymond gasped for air and touched the space between his eyebrows all worried and muttered,


    "What are you up to Scarlett? What are you up to?"


    He stood there in silence for quite some time trying to connect all the dots that had been scattered in front of him. There were a couple of missing blocks and he was somehow unable to trace them no matter what. But he knew that all that he needed was time. All that he had to do was to buy some time.


    He was lost in his thoughts when suddenly his phone buzzed.


    It was Akira.


    He was surprised as to why she was calling him when she was in the house.


    He picked up the call and started walking towards his bedroom,


    "Hey what happened? Why are you calling on my phone?", Raymond said and entered the bedroom but she was nowhere inside.


    "Where are you?", Raymond asked.


    "I ... I am in the washroom", Akira stuttered.


    "Ok.. and?", Raymond asked unable to understand anything.


    But she didn''t reply to his questions.


    All confused Raymond disconnected the call and knocked on the bathroom door.


    "Do you need something like clothes and stuff? I can give you my t-shirt or something", he said.


    Still, there was no response from her. So he thought for a while and then spoke,


    "Umm... there is a dryer near the sink. In case ..um... you need to dry something".


    He was hating this conversation.


    "Oh ok!!! Thanks", she said from inside the washroom. That was all that she needed right at that point.


    "Ok then, I will get you a shirt of mine", Raymond said and rushed immediately towards his walk-in closet. He picked up a ck basic gym T-shirt first but then he turned back to his closet and picked up a white shirt for her. A yful smile spread on his face.


    He went back to the door and knocked again.


    "I got you a shirt", he said.


    She sent her tiny little hand outside from the door to pick up the shirt that he wanted to give.


    "You get dressed and I will get you a hot cup of coffee", he said and marched into the kitchen.


    He was a bit worried though as Scarlett had earlier ransacked his house downstairspletely along with the kitchen. So he wasn''t sure if the coffee machine had survived.


    But luckily it had. He rushed to make two piping hot cup of coffee and then went back upstairs.


    She was out from the washroom and was patting her hair dry with the towel. All her hair was pushed to one side of her head, just the way he liked it. He could see drops of water running down her neck and for a moment he felt like he was going to drop the coffee cups.


    So somehow he regained hisposure and entered inside, but all that he could focus on was her. The bare smooth skin of her thigh, her red painted toes, her curves, and her edges were swooning him every passing second. He didn''t know if he could restrain himself anymore.


    He cleared his throat just to make her aware that he was in the room.


    The moment she heard him she dropped the towel on the floor and again hurried to pick it up. All confused she then put it on the table.


    He saw her tugging the hem of the shirt and was continuously pulling it down. She looked quite ufortable as her eyebrows were raised up.


    "Hey, are you ok? What happened?", he asked all concerned and kept the coffee mugs on the side table.


    "Um... your shirt. Isn''t it a bit too short", she said and hung her head low. She had never in her life worn such short clothes.


    Raymond looked at her with his eyes filled with desire and said,


    "No, it''s the perfect amount of short. Just the way I like it".


    His words hit her heart and made her blush scarlet red. She tucked her hair behind all nervously.


    "But if Scarlett sees me like this then she will not feel ok, Can''t you get any of her clothes for me? Any old cloth is also fine", she said feeling all shy.


    "Well she doesn''t stay here anymore, so can''t help you with that", he spoke with a straight face and looked at her, wanting to see the way she reacted to the news.


    She raised her head with her mouth opened in surprise.

 Chapter 121: The best coffee in the world

    <h4>121 The best coffee in the world</h4>


    "What do you mean by she doesn''t stay here anymore?", Akira asked in surprise.


    "Well, her staying here was troublesome not only for me but for her as well. So I decided to send her to another ce with better amenities and better service at her disposal", Raymond said and looked at Akira.


    Somehow she didn''t look convinced.


    Her eyebrows were still raised upwards in a question mark.


    "Trust me its a nice property, with a pool view too", Raymond said in all seriousness but Akira bust intoughter after hearing it.


    "Gosh, you sound like a real estate agent", she said and smiled.


    Raymond felt a bit rxed after seeing her expressions smoothing out and smiled back at her.


    "But still you could have waited for some more time. Why did you send her alone dead in the night? Couldn''t this have been handled tomorrow? What was the urgency?", Akira said and pushed the wet hair falling on her face, backward.


    "No", Raymond said solemnly.


    "But why?", Akira asked impatiently this time.


    "Because I can''t let anythinge in between us. I had enough of drama in thest couple of days and I am sick of exining myself so you, for you to trust me and I know this was the right thing for me to do. It was the right thing for her as well. And the biggest reason of all - I cannot handle any more melodrama in my life right now", Raymond said and moved forward.


    "Is the reason good enough for you?", Raymond asked.


    "Uh..huh !!!", Akira said and nodded.


    Deep down she was ecstatic. How could she exin to him how much his decision meant to her.


    "I think you should also get changed. Else you will catch a cold", Akira said.


    "Mmm... Raymond said and kept his coffee on the table and came forward to give her, her coffee mug.


    "Here, drink it. You will feel better", he said holding out the cup in both his hands.


    She extended her palms to hold the cup, but there wasn''t a single space on the cup where his hand wasn''t there. So she held the cup on top of his hands. Her hands were all cold and the coffee was hot. His hands were experiencing a chiaroscuro of varying temperatures.


    He looked up and smiled at her as she held her head low. He removed one hand from the cup and then ced it over her tiny palm and then he did the same with his other hand. As her palms embraced the warm coffee mug she could feel its warmth pulsating on the skin of her palm. Her hands also became warm as he had embraced them with his own. It was such a simple yet so intimate thing to do. He was warming up her cold body in his own weird ways.


    A few secondster he loosened his grip on her hand and asked,


    "Feeling better?"


    All that she could do was to nod happily. She blushing madly and turned back immediately to take a sip of coffee.


    "Hey what''s that?", Raymond eximed, seeing her turning away.


    "Go away!!! Don''t look at me right now", Akira said in an almost muted tone.


    Raymondughed in his head because of her childish behavior and sat on the bed, gawking at her. He was happy with his choice of the shirt because it perfectly gave away the outline of her silhouette under the light. Her curves her edges stood there in front of him to be admired by his eyes. He could take her right there, right now. But he knew that the best thing for him was to wait. Wait till she was ready for him.


    He sat there with his fingers touching his lips, imagining everything wild that was humanly possible.


    She turned back and said,


    "The coffee tastes nice. Thanks. Ermmm... Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "Maybe because I was revising in my head how you taste like", Raymond said and smiled.


    "You...", Akira muttered and stormed ahead and kept the cup on the table. Then she saw that his coffee was still lying on the table getting all cold.


    "Hey!!! Your coffee has be a cold coffee. Why didn''t you drink it?"


    He folded his hands and looked in her direction. His eyes looked all seductive like possessed by the cupid. He didn''t say a word and just looked at her.


    She got irritated when she didn''t get a response and picked up her phone to call Mike.


    "Who are you calling sote?", Raymond asked.


    "I am calling Mike. He will get me some clothes so that I can wear and go back home", Akira said and pressed the dial button.


    Hearing her say that she was going to leave, something pierced his heart. He immediatelyunched himself in her direction and took the phone from her hand and disconnected the call.


    She was started with his actions and didn''t know how to reciprocate.


    "What has gotten into you? Give me my phone back", Akira retorted defensively.


    "Can you.. Can you not go back home today?"


    Akira couldn''t believe what he said. Her eyes were opened wide in surprise and disbelief.


    "Can you stay this one night with me?", Raymond said again but this time he was looking directly into her eyes.


    Akira gulped her own spit, unable to think, unable to speak.


    "Just stay. I am not going to touch you", he said and looked at her but then said again,


    "Well scratch that, I might but I won''t do anything to hurt you Akira. I am never going to break your trust Akira".


    Then he came closer and lifted her chin up so that she could look into his eyes and said softly,


    "Please stay".


    Since Mike had missed Akira''s call, he called back immediately. Akira saw the iing call and took the phone from Raymond''s hand and picked it up,


    "Hey, Mike !!!"


    "Nothing nothing, everything is ok. Actually, I am still at the office and we need to pull an allnighter for our deadlines. So I won''t being back home tonight".


    "Yes, I had my dinner. Good night Mike. Sleep well. Love Love", she said and disconnected the call.


    Someone was pleased, extremely pleased.

 Chapter 122: I need to breathe

    <h4>122 I need to breathe</h4>


    She was all shy after disconnecting the call. She had no courage to look into his eyes. But she could clearly sense that he was pleased while she was turning all shades scarlet. She was totally befuddled, unable to decide whether to snicker at her own choices or to loathe.


    She took a long pause, took deep breaths and then looked up only to find that he was still looking at her with the same unfazed expression on his face.


    "Damn this guy!!!", she thought in her head.


    "Will you at least now go and freshen up?", Akira asked.


    "So you want me to leave you and go and take bath?", he asked with a sly expression on his face.


    "Yup!!!", she replied all gleefully.


    "So you won''t miss me when I am gone?", he asked and chuckled.


    "Just go already", Akira said and pushed him away.


    She watched him leave and her stomach backflipped. His well-chiseled body and his broad and sturdy back had her craving for more. She went to the AC controller and turned the temperature down by 2 degrees.


    Then she straddled around the room for a while to pass her time. She picked up a magazine and then hoisted herself on top of his study table and started reading. It was a business magazine and suddenly she was shocked to see Vikram''s interview in one of the pages. She immediately beamed with happiness and clicked a picture of it and sent it to Vikram.


    "Check this out" - Akira


    "I know you must be busy in your meetings at Singapore but call me when you are free at lunchtime" - Akira


    Vikram saw her text and replied immediately even though he was busy in a meeting.


    "My meeting will stretchte. Don''t wait for my call and jeopardize your sleep ok. I will call you tomorrow morning". - Vikram


    "Ok boss" - Akira


    "I miss you" - Vikram


    "I miss you more. Have a nice day" - Akira


    "Good night Akira!!!" - Vikram


    She was about to text him good night back but then she heard the bathroom door open and stopped doing everything that she was doing and looked in his direction. He was wearing a bathrobe and it was tied quite loose, causing a good part of his chest visible to her.


    She kept gawking at him as he inched closer towards her. Slowly her lips parted and she gulped her own spit.


    "So you like what you see?", Raymond asked looking into her eyes.


    "Um... I wasn''t looking at you. I was just checking the... the bedsidemp. It''s quite nice", Akira quickly tried to cover up.


    "You need to work upon your lying skills, if I may suggest", Raymond said and smiled at her.


    She pouted her lips but didn''t say anything.


    "By the way, were you trying to seduce me or something?", Raymond asked and caught herpletely off-guard.


    "What the hell are you talking about?", Akira asked getting a bit angry.


    "Well, I guess it was you before whoined that the shirt was short in length and now sitting up there aren''t you deliberately making it shorter?", Raymond asked scanning her whole body top to bottom.


    Akira quickly looked at her shirt, the hemline was definitely a couple of inches lifted up because of her sitting posture, barely hiding her. She immediately got down looking all embarrassed. She tucked her hair behind her ears and said,


    "Umm... I didn''t intend to".


    He took a few more steps forward and looking into her eyes he said,


    "But I was seduced", and he took a deep breath.


    She still couldn''t look up and looked here and there, everywhere except into his eyes. He smiled gently and slowly lifted her shirt inch by inch with his palm. He grazed his fingers lightly and crossed her thighs and then settled for her waist. His unruly fingers touching her bare smooth skin and set them on fire. As she felt his desirous hand on her skin, she burst into mes. Goosebumps, shivers, hot shes all at the same time drove her crazy. Thening even closer, he hoisted her back on the table the very next second.


    "Who asked you to get down?", he said and rubbed his thumb on her waist.


    He looked into her eyes and then saw her lips parting again and the waves of desire started brimming up inside him. He pushed her further back into the table and then held her knees and parted them slowly still looking into her eyes as if he wanted to tell her to trust him.


    Her breath was heavy and she could barely move and speak like she was sedated by his touch. He moved even closer to her into the space that he had created and then held her face in his hands and asked her,


    "Tell me you love me".


    She took a deep breath and said,


    "I love you, Raymond".


    "Show me how much?", he asked his tone all husky and seductive.


    She looked into his eyes and leaned forward. She reached near his face and paused to turn her hair to the other side and then gave a small peck on his left cheek, then on his right.


    Then she held his face and kissed his forehead, his eyes lids and then on the tip of his nose. Then she paused again to calm her own breath and touched his lips with hers. His lips moved to capture her lips in between but she swiftly moved back.


    "I love you this much only", Akira said and smiled with a goofy look on her face but he was displeased like someone had snatched away his food from him.


    "Not enough!!!", he said all crossed.


    "Then you need to bribe me well", Akira said and giggled.


    He sighed and then his hands crawled under her shirt again. His one hand around her bare back and another at the nape of her neck and he pulled her closer and said,


    "You are too greedy".


    His eyes focused on her lips and his lips moved forward to gently touch them at first. Then his lips caused her lips to part and he embraced her lips in his own. She withered with every step that his lips took and her own lips danced in symphony with his. His hands gently tracing imaginary lines on her back, sending wave after wave of shivers. With every passing moment, the kiss deepened further and further.


    His hands moved from her back and gently lifted her hips. Hepletely pulled her body onto him. She twined her legs around his waist and wrapped him in her arms. Slowly his kisses turned all urgent and warm. His tongue started exploring her mouth like he was on a voyage to win over her body. She moaned with pleasure and clung to him even tighter. She was getting hot, he was getting hotter. Her fingers were now ransacking his hair, tugging him, pulling him every single time that she wanted to moan. She was all helpless as her body responded to him in ways that she had never imagined. She was running out of her breath but she didn''t want to separate away from this unison. She yearned for more but finally, she gave up.


    She withdrew herself back all of a sudden and closed her eyes.


    She took a couple of deep breaths.


    He could not understand what just happened, but then he saw her chest moving rapidly up and down.


    "I need to breathe", she said.

 Chapter 123: The attach and detach in loop

    <h4>123 The attach and detach in loop</h4>


    Her mind became colluded with numerous thoughts as she retracted herself back. In her head she could clearly see the vivid images of a child crying in pain and the bloodshot eyes of Scarlett. She felt like she could hear Scarlett''s words still echoing in the room. It was all pretty weird and as a cumtive effect, she slowly started getting drowned in a pit of guilt.


    His breath was also haggard and he paused to take a deep breath or two before he asked,


    "Are you ok?", and he looked into her eyes.


    She just gently nodded.


    This man in front of her was everything that she wanted in her life. He was like the constant in her multiverse. But the thought of jeopardizing someone else''s life kept haunting her no matter how much he assured her with his love.


    He could still taste the coffee which she had taken minutes before, lingered in the crevices of his mouth. He saw her struggling for air. He saw her body react to his touch in ways that he could never think that anyone can react to. The man inside him felt happy, happy that he could stir and skim such reactions from her body.


    He went a step forward and then carefully ced her hips first on the table.


    She was about to release her hands which were twined around him when he said,


    "Not yet!!!".


    He took a deep breath again and said,


    "Just hug me for some time".


    He inched closer and lifted her shirt a bit and then embraced her. She kept her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Although she was torn from inside, she didn''t want to let him go. Her inner demons didn''t let her. As her warm breath slowly settled down, he saw her sticking to him like she had been glued. He kept caressing her back, running his fingers. They stayed like that for God knows how long as eventually sleep crept into her eyes.


    He saw her sleepingfortably leaning on to him, and didn''t want to wake her up till her sleep became deep. So he stood there for quite some time, making sure that she won''t wake up when he lifted her up. Once he was assured that she was in deep sleep, he lifted her body swiftly and took her to his bed.


    As he lied her down and got up, he saw that her shirt was unable to hide her in the right ces and before any dirty thoughts could creep, he immediately pulled the duvet and then covered her up. He sighed and fondly looked at the creature sleeping on his bed. He bent down and gave a kiss on her forehead and said,


    "I wish every night can be like this with you".


    Then he saw her nose crinkle slightly and he smiled at the sight of it.


    He went ahead and kissed the tip of her nose.


    Her lips slightly parted as he kissed her nose as if they were inviting him even in her sleep.


    "Are you ying with me Akira? Huh, I am walking on a thin line here. Do you get that?", he said softly and ran his fingers on her soft face, which looked so surreal when she slept.


    His mind couldn''t reject the invitation and moved a bit below and gave a small peck on her lips and got up. But somehow his heart wanted more, so bent down again and nted a big wet kiss on her lips, taking her lips into his own. But he was slow and gentle and made sure that she didn''t wake up. He parted her lips wider and slowly sucked on her lower lip like a thousand times. Then he moved and took her upper lips in the flow.


    He was so involved in the kiss right now that he had almost forgotten that she was asleep. His one hand somehow stole its way under the duvet and started moving from her navel to down south, sliding on her bare body. But suddenly his fingers could feel somethingcy and he stopped abruptly.


    "Raymond no !!! Don''t break her trust!!!"


    And with a jolt, he got up and immediately left the room.


    He was so close to the fire, almost on the verge of burning himself up. He paced rapidly outside the room trying to get a hold of himself. Frustration gripped him from all the sides like there was no room to escape from it.


    He went inside his study room and tried to sit there for some time to stop his running thoughts to go all haywire. He drank water and took deep breaths and went back to the bedroom. She was sleeping like a baby with no care in the world. A smile crept on his face.


    He then took the paper which David had given him earlier and went back to his study room. He knew how to keep his mind upied. He started hisptop and started modifying his code to be able to trace the source of those IP addresses. He wanted to reach the main DNS server using which these fake IP''s were being essed and which in turn acted as the host server. Someone had very meticulously nned the whole thing so that a traceback would be difficult. But not too difficult for a person like him. He wanted to know the source of the huge wired transaction into Scarlett''s ount. He knew that something wasn''t right. The time of her arrival, the date of wired transactions and the date on which she pulled out 10000 USD from her ount. They all seemed connected and he knew he had to figure it out now or never. His hands swiftly moved on the keypad constantly till the wee hours in the morning.


    While he struggled with hisptop, she struggled to push herself to sleep as sleep was miles and miles away from her. She acted that she had fallen asleep so that he would leave her and go as she needed to clear her head and reflect on her actions. Only heavens can vouch how difficult it was for her not to kiss him back on the bed. Every touch of his was causing her to tremble with pleasure. When his hands moved on her bare skin, she was on the verge of giving up as it was bing too much for her but then he detached himself.


    A part of her was displeased but a part of her thanked her luck that he did so, else nothing would have stopped her from caving in.

 Chapter 124: The romantic breakfast scene

    <h4>124 The romantic breakfast scene</h4>


    She kept her eyes closed but her mind wandered in all possible directions, considering all possible what ifs. She raced her brain so much that after half an hour she fell into the cradle of sleep. She slept like a baby curled up on his gigantic king sized bed.


    He tried harvesting all user names and passwords possible for the ount that had done the transaction into Scarlett''s ount. When he was unable to find a clue he tried to randomize thest 8 bits of each IP and tried to trace them. 256 variations per server base address. The task was ginormous but he was not someone who would consider impossible as part of his dictionary. So he kept on burning his midnight oil till he found the encrypted tunnel. Now, all that he had to do was to decrypt it to find the sender''s ount name.


    Before going for a full-blown attack on the bank server, he wanted to make sure that it was not a honey pot. As some banks use a fake server so when hackers think that''s the main server and hack it, they end up raising an rm. So he routed his own IP via multiple fake IP''s and then did a DDOS attack on the server to find the user id using the conventional trial and error method.


    He then plugged his randomizer and sat there waiting for minutes and then hours and suddenly in the morning at 5:30 am his randomizer beeped. The user ount had been traced. He pressed enter on the screen without even waiting for a second and saw,


    No - 345 000 4522 7821


    User name - Anthony Genwood


    No way !!!


    He drank all his irritation and disbelief and closed his eyes.


    This had to end. How could he be so vengeful? Now he was really worried about Akira''s safety.


    He immediately called up David,


    "Hello, David !!! Wake up and carefully listen to me. I need the full bio-data of Anthony Genwood. He is the same guy who had attacked Akira in ourpany''s basement. I need to know in which Correctional facility he has been locked up now. Pronto".


    "Got it !!! Anything else that I need to know?", David asked.


    "The wired transaction into Scarlett''s ount is from Anthony''s ount. I could open up the ount number to name mapping database, but the password database is tripleyer protected and I can''t get into it. So I don''t know if that was Anthony''s money or someone has given him that chunk. We need to figure out what is going on", Raymond said.


    "I will work on it. And one more thing, yesterday after dropping Scarlett at the vi I double checked that the security cameras are working fine or not. And they were. But after one hour the guard had sent me a message telling that there was some glitch in the system for 10-15 minutes but after that, the system was up and was back to normal. Might be a generic glitch but I thought you should know", David said.


    "Yeah might be but help to tighten the security there. We need to monitor her each and every single move", Raymond said.


    "I am on it", David said and kept the call.


    He had pulled an all-nighter but still, sleep was far far away from him in some parallel universe. He went upstairs and entered his bedroom. He tried to be as quiet as possible so that she didn''t wake her up. The moment he saw her serene face, his tension slowly started melting away. His crippled heart was somehow at ease. He smiled and then climbed the bed and slowly covered himself with the same duvet in which she was sleeping in. He slowly inched closer to her and then embraced her in one arm and closed his eyes. Slowly he fell into a deep slumber as if the gxy was singing a luby for him.


    He opened his eyes as he could feel the brightness of the sun on his face. He turned his face and saw that all the window screens of his room were pulled open. He checked his watch and saw that it was already 8 am. Akira was nowhere in the room but he could hear the sound of faint musicing from downstairs and he knew that was her.


    He got up from his bed and went downstairs. As he climbed the stairs down he could smell something amazing. When he reached the kitchen he saw herpletely engrossed in the kitchen with the Christina Perry number with which they had danced, being yed on her mobile phone. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun exactly the same way as he had seen her at the airport. She was still wearing his shirt and was swaying with the beats of the song. But slowly his mind started nking out as he could see or hear anything apart from her silhouette and her humming.


    "Uh.. hum", he said and cleared his throat.


    "Hey you are up", she turned back and asked in a gleeful tone.


    "Mmm. What are you making?", he asked.


    "I am making pancakes and scrambled eggs for us", she said and pointed at the mini stack of pancakes kept on a te.


    "I love pancakes", Raymond said looking all happy.


    "Me too", Akira quipped.


    "Oh cool then its set. every morning you make me pancakes and I will reward you with a kiss", he said and sat on the breakfast chair near the b.


    "That''s so easy for you. And who told you that I am going to make it every day for you? I am not your cook", Akira said and raised her one eyebrow.


    "Ok, your wish. Don''t regret itter when you don''t get my kisses", Raymond said and pulled the pancake te towards himself to eat.


    "You wish. Hey... Hey, wait. Why are you eating it just like that? Wait I will get you some maple syrup", Akira said and opened the fridge to get the maple syrup bottle.


    She started drizzling it over the pancakes and said,


    "Everything tastes better with Maple Syrup".


    Then with her index finger, she wiped the excess amount from the edge of the bottle and then licked her finger, just the way she was habituated doing it. But before she could even take a step forward towards the fridge to keep the bottle inside, she was pulled into his embrace and the next second his lips were on hers, touching her softly and then he licked her lips with his tongue and then slowly released her.


    "You were right!!!", Raymond said and gave back a sly smile


    "Umm... ", Akira just mumbled trying to catch her breath back.


    "Everything tastes better with Maple Syrup !!!"

 Chapter 125: Problem after Problem

    <h4>125 Problem after Problem</h4>


    "You !!! You cannot tease me like that", Akira retorted after getting her head straight.


    "Really???", Raymondughed after hearing her speak like she had been terribly vited.


    "Then how should I tease you? You only tell me", Raymond said and stuffed the pancake inside his mouth.


    Akira knew that there was no point of doing any verbal arguments with him as he was going to win it definitely. So she stormed towards the fridge to keep the bottle of Maple Syrup back.


    He keenly kept observing her each and every move, like she was some project to work upon. After she got the scrambled eggs ready, she joined him at the breakfast counter.


    "So would you like to dance again with me now?", Raymond asked.


    Akira felt like she would choke on her food. She cleared her throat and then looked at her phone screen and said,


    "I guess you have forgotten that you have to go to the office".


    Then she poured juice into a ss and pushed it towards him.


    "Drink".


    "What? You are behaving like a wife now. Nagging me in every sentence of yours", Raymond said and started gulping the juice. But she blushed the hell out of herself when she heard him. They were actually like a perfect married couple who ate together, slept together and bickered together. She was lost in her thoughts when he snapped his fingers in front of her and said,


    "Back to earth Akira", and smiled.


    Theyughed some more, fought some more, exchanged their gazes some more and then finally did the dishes together. She cleaned and he wiped the tes in harmony. This stuff was simple and basic but it warmed their hearts.


    Akira took a bath and wore her clothes from yesterday which had dried up by now. Then she started to look for some moisturizer in the room and turned towards the vanity. She saw the area loaded with beauty products and essories.


    "Must be Scarlett''s", she thought and didn''t even bother to touch any. But somehow from within she was miffed. Then she went towards the walk-in closet expecting a full-size mirror to check herself before Raymond came out from the washroom. She checked herself top to bottom and took a twirl in front of the mirror but then out of curiosity she slid the wardrobe door open, only to find Scarlett''s clothes lined up along with Raymond''s.


    The moment she saw it, she felt like she had been stabbed to death. She knew it well that Raymond hadn''t allowed her to stay in his room, but she was a bit worried to see her stuff in his bedroom. She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard,


    "Well, aren''t you a bit overdressed right now?", Raymond said yfully.


    "Well then aren''t you a bit of an over collector of clothes yourself", she said and slid the door of the wardrobe again and tuned towards Raymond.


    "If you are talking about her clothes, then I have no idea how her clothes magically appeared in my wardrobe since yesterday. But if you are talking about my bathrobe, then I am ready to lose it for you now", Raymond said and inched a bit ahead.


    She was totally embarrassed to hear him like that and said,


    "I didn''t mean that".


    He smiled and said, "I know that".


    He pulled her and then nted a soft kiss on her forehead and said,


    "Now be a doll and get myptop from the study. I will drop you at your house and then I will go to the office. Ok?"


    She nodded happily and went downstairs.


    His phone suddenly beeped with a message from David.


    "He has been kept at Auburn Correctional Facility"


    He saw the message and immediately replied,


    "Can you handle all my meetings in the first half?" - Raymond


    "Will clear your schedule" - David


    "Do I need any legal work to be done to meet him?" - Raymond


    "I will be there by 10:30 am" - David


    "Thanks" - Raymond


    Raymond dropped Akira at her ce and immediately navigated to Auburn Correctional Facility. He sped his car as fast as he could. When he reached there, he found David was already there waiting for him. He parked his car and then reached near David.


    "What happened? You look tensed", Raymond asked.


    "I just now got information that Anthony has been bailed out three days back. Things are not looking good to me at all", David said looking all worried.


    "Who bailed him out?", Raymond asked.


    "That information is hard to get out from these people without contacts. They seemed quite weird and hush about the whole thing. I am guessing some officials are also involved but hey, that''s'' just my spection", David said.


    Raymond''s head started throbbing thinking about all the weird ways in which Anthony could possibly try to hurt Akira. He immediately picked up his phone and called her up,


    "Hey, where are you?", Raymond asked.


    "I am in the office. Where else I will be. Why haven''t you reached office yet? Where are you?", Akira asked. Even she sounded all impatient and rushed.


    "Now listen to me carefully when I say this Akira. You are not supposed to go alone anywhere. Be with someone. Not even to the terrace or parking lot. From tomorrow onwards I will be picking and dropping you at your ce. Do you get that?", Raymond said with an urgency in his voice.


    "But why? What happened?", she asked.


    Raymond took a deep breath and then said,


    "Anthony has been bailed out".


    "But don''t worry, I will be handling this situation. Just make sure that you are around people. He will never try to harm you in public. Just try to stay safe for me Akira", Raymond said and pinched the space between his eyebrows. The tension was too much to handle.


    "Fine fine don''t worry. I will stay safe. But take care of yourself too. I don''t want anything to happen to you as well", she said.


    "Ummm..", he said and disconnected the call.


    She stared at the phone screen for a while and then kept it back on the desk. She slid her chair closer to the desk and then covered her head with her palm. She was really tensed and worried and didn''t know what to do. After thinking for a few minutes, she picked up her phone and called up Katherine.


    "Hey, How are you?", Akira asked.


    "I am good. What about you guys?", Katherine asked.


    "Sorry to sound weird but can you send me Scarlett''s phone number?", Akira asked.


    "Yeah, but why?", Katherine asked.


    "Just to tell her to stay away from my man", Akira said nervously and hoped that it would convince Katherine.


    Katherineughed and sent her the contact details and said


    "Done".


    After disconnecting the call Akira immediately saved Scarlett''s contact and then took a deep breath.


    On her desk lied a photo of a newborn baby whose throat had been marked with a red marker. And a message was written at the bottom,


    "The Baby Dies"

 Chapter 126: His happiness is the deal !!!

    <h4>126 His happiness is the deal !!!</h4>


    Akira looked at the picture on her desk and then after tussling with her thoughts for quite some time she called up Scarlett.


    "Hello, Scarlett speaking".


    "Hi. It''s me. Akira", she said and took a deep breath trying to figure out how Scarlett would react after hearing her name.


    Scarlett couldn''t believe that Akira would have the audacity to call her, but somehow deep down she was expecting her to call her up.


    "What to do want?", Scarlett sneered.


    "I need to meet you as soon as possible", Akira said.


    "You need to meet me? But why? To rub some more salt on my wounds? Or to gloat over that fact that you have snatched away my man?", Scarlett asked all sarcastically.


    "Listen, you are thest person on earth with whom I would like to spend my time with and regarding all this misconception that you have about me snatching your man will be cleared if you can stop acting out and meet me. I do not want to discuss any specifics on the phone because I am not sure how secure this connection is. So if you can understand that ande out and meet me then trust me you will thank your heavens", Akira spoke in a curt tone.


    "Fine then. You cane over to my ce. I will send you the address", Scarlett said.


    "No, your house isn''t safe. It is monitored with video cameras. We need to meet somewhere outside. Come to the Coffee Shop at 167th Avenue near my office. Will meet you there", Akira said.


    "Huh... So you are doing all this behind Raymond''s back? I knew you were something Akira", Scarlett said and chuckled.


    Akira sighed and then said,


    "I will be there after 30 mins".


    Then she disconnected the call.


    She took the picture from her desk and the envelope in which it was kept before and locked it in her office drawer. Her hands were shaky and her throat was all dried up after the conversation with Scarlett, but she tried to rpose herself.


    She took a couple of deep breaths. She knew that what she was going to do was wrong but she had no other way of doing it. She held her head in her palms and all that she could do was to curse herself.


    After getting her foot on the ground, she gave few documents for the printout and immediately went to the printing room to make sure that nobody saw the content of it. Back at the desk, she saw Raymond calling her on the phone.


    She picked it up.


    "Hii", she said.


    "I am on my way to the office. I will be there in another 20 minutes. Will see you then", Raymond said from the other end of the line.


    "Oh but actually I am having a bit of headache. So I am going back home. Don''t worry Mike ising to my office and he will drive me back", Akira said.


    "What happened all of a sudden? Did you catch the flu? Is it because of getting drenched in the rain yesterday?", Raymond started throwing questions at her impatiently.


    "I don''t think it''s flu. I guess it''s just a normal headache. Don''t worry it will be all fine once I take a proper nap", Akira sad trying to convince him.


    "OK call me when you reach home", Raymond said. His voice still dripped with concern.


    "I will", Akira said and then disconnected the call.


    She immediately rushed and ced everything inside her bag including the printout, her phone, her car keys and then rushed towards the cafe shop as she had to make sure that she left the building before Raymond entered inside.


    She entered the cafeteria and took a corner seat and started flipping through random magazines. She ordered a cup of cappino for herself just to blend with the crowd as she had no interest in drinking it. She was just waiting for Scarlett toe.


    The moment Scarlett entered the coffee house Akira even got more scared. She knew what she had to do the right thing, but when it was the time to do it, she was just not able to muster up the courage that was needed.


    Scarlett made a disgusted face as she reached Akira and then pulled the chair next to her and sat on it like she was doing an act of kindness for Akira.


    "Speak !!!", Scarlett spoke with an air of authority.


    "I wanted to have a deal with you", Akira said.


    Scarlett scoffed and then looked in her direction and said,


    "And why on earth do you think I would agree to that?", Scarlett asked with a dismissive voice.


    "Because if you agree to my conditions then I will give you what you want the most in your life", Akira said and took out the printed documents from her bag and pushed it towards her side.


    "What crap is this?", Scarlett said looking at the printed papers.


    "Your route to salvation", Akira said with a sarcastic tone and then took a deep breath. She couldn''t believe her stars for showing her such a day.


    "I don''t have the time and patience to read through all of this. So first of all without wasting my precious time can you please tell me what the hell are we discussing here?", Scarlett spoke and clearly, she was annoyed.


    Akira looked directly into Scarlett''s eyes and said,


    "I am ready to give up on Raymond !!!"


    "You what?", Scarlett asked in disbelief and her tone was so loud that everyone in the coffee shop started staring at her.


    "You heard it. I am ready to give up on Raymond. I will just walk away from your lives. You will never see my face again", she said and paused as her throat started chocking up a bit.


    Scarlett looked at her with her eyes wide open in disbelief.


    "I will resign from hispany as well. So you don''t have to worry about me seeing him in office. I will do everything that is there in my control to stay as far away from you guys as possible", She said and sighed. Her eyes had almost teared up.


    Scarlett''s ears were pleased but she knew that there was something else hidden behind all this. So she asked,


    "BUT?",


    "But on the condition that you will keep the baby safe and you will eventually marry Raymond", Akira said and looked at her trying to gauge if she would ept to her conditions.


    "But this is what I want already. Why would you ask me to do something as a condition when I already want this to happen more than anything else in my life?", Scarlett asked her with a look of judgment in her eyes.


    "Don''t fool me, Scarlett, you and I, we both know here that you never wanted the baby. So save your face and stop acting in front of me", Akira said sternly.


    Scarlett''s face fell for an instance. Then she looked up at her.


    "But what are you getting in this deal?", Scarlett asked all surprised.


    "His happiness !!!".

 Chapter 127: The pretend game

    <h4>127 The pretend game</h4>


    With tears in her eyes, Akira left the coffee shop and went inside her car. She wanted to reach home as soon as possible. All this was too much for her to bear. No matter how much she tried, eventually she was the one who had to lose everything that was hers.


    Scarlett looked at the papers and then sighed. She then read the pages one after the other and slowly a smile started brimming on her face. She immediately took out her phone and sent a text message.


    "Themb has fallen in the trap".


    She took the papers and happily left the coffee shop a couple of minutester. Now there was no one in between her and Raymond. And she knew that with Akira not around, she could turn Raymond towards her, maybe woo him once more.


    But neither Akira, not Scarlett had any knowledge that there was a third person in the room who had witnessed them talking and he knew that things were not right. But before informing anyone he wanted to reach to the bottom of it.


    After Akira reached home, she went to her bedroom and started crying incessantly. This was nothing but pure pain. She knew that by doing this she could keep the baby alive and Raymond could lead a happy life, but her hopes of being a part of his life were smashed to dust. She didn''t know who sent the envelope for her. It could have been Scarlett or could have been Anthony. But all that she knew was that the threat was real and if anything happened to that baby then maybe Raymond could never be able to survive that blow.


    She didn''t realize when she cried to sleep.


    She got up hourster and checked her phone.


    There were 3 missed calls from Raymond and 1 missed call from Vikram. Raymond had sent her a couple of text messages too. But then she saw that there was a message from an unknown number as well.


    "Good job. Now stage 2. Quit your job by tomorrow else ..."


    She read the message and her heart just stopped like someone had taken her heart out in their hands and squeezed it tight to kill her without any mercy.


    She knew she had to do something but in such a way that Raymond shouldn''t have any doubt on her. And she knew that there was only one person who could help her with all this and that was Vikram. Till now she hadn''t told him about how she felt about Raymond but now there was no time left.


    She immediately called up Vikram and narrated her the whole thing to him.


    "So? Will, you be able to help?", Akira asked.


    Although Vikram knew that Akira had fallen for Raymond, but it was really hurtful to hear it from her. It was really difficult for him to digest it. So he paused for a second and then said.


    "So I sent you to the lion''s den myself", he said and stayed silent.


    "It was not your fault Vikram that I fell for him. The problem is if I stay with him, then he is going to lose the one thing that is closest to his heart. And I cannot let that happen Vikram. I know Scarlett is pure evil, but there is no doubt that she loves him more than anything else in the world. So her ways might be out of the world, but I guess whatever she is trying to do is to save her family", Akira said and became silent for a while.


    "I wish I could do things differently, I wish I could erase all his memories from my head for I love him so much Vikram. I want him so bad but I need to push him away. I need to push him far away", she said and cried.


    Vikram heard every word of her and they all sounded like poison to him. His body was burning with anger, every second that she described how much she loved Raymond became like a hundred years long death sentence for him. But he too was helpless. There was no way to vent out his anger for he loved her madly as well.


    "Why don''t you inform Raymond about Scarlett''s intentions. Maybe he can take some legal help?", Vikram suggested.


    "No Vikram, you are not understanding. Anything I do to rat her out will have just one end. The baby will be killed. I don''t know if she is behind all this or Anthony or they both, but that doesn''t matter. All I need is the baby''s safety. So please say YES", Akira pleaded.


    "My men can try to figure out what is going on Akira. Don''t worry. You don''t have to go through any of this", Vikram said.


    "No Vikram. You are not doing anything. All that I need to do is to just get out of his life. He has a baby, he has Scarlett. He will bounce back in no time. Just say YES Vikram. Just say YES", Akira said.


    "When have I ever said NO to you Akira? I am ok with what you have suggested. If you really want this then I will help you with everything in my power", Vikram said and took a pause.


    "So, what should I do next Vikram?", Akira asked.


    "Ok if you resign abruptly then it would look weird. I will create some scenario and poach you for a new job. It will be all smooth. Then you can have a fight with him about your career and stuff like that which will obviously hurt him. If you want it to be less painful for him then make him hate you. That will make it easy for him to leave you. I am not saying it won''t hurt him, but the intensity of pain would reduce", Vikram said.


    "Ok, I can do that", Akira said.


    "But what about making him believe that I was just ying around with him and that I like you instead of him? How can we do that?", Akira asked.


    "That part you leave it to me. He will have no doubt that you like only me. But you will have to co-operate", Vikram said.


    "I understand. As long as I can keep the baby safe, I am ready to do anything Vikram", Akira said.


    Vikram paused for a while. His heart wanted to beam with happiness but deep down he knew it was not a real victory. But he was ok with that.


    "I am sorry that you have to pretend to be my lover", Akira said with a sad tone.


    "I wish I could tell you how much I want that with all my heart", Vikram muttered.

 Chapter 128: The backtracking !!!

    <h4>128 The backtracking !!!</h4>


    With a heavy heart, Akira kept the call and then looked at her phone again. She saw his name and then sighed and pressed the dial button.


    "Hey", Akira said.


    "Hey, are you ok? I left so many messages and calls but you didn''t receive any", Raymond said in aining tone.


    ''Sorry I slept off after taking some medicines", Akira said with a monotone.


    "It''s ok. I just wanted to know that if you are ok or not. You better take rest. Will see you in the office tomorrow", Raymond said and kept the call.


    He was very disturbed to hear her lying but he knew she doing it all for his sake.


    "How could she do this to me?", he thought and sighed.


    On his desk were the same papers that Akira had gotten printed earlier. The legal documents that she had signed and had given to Scarlett.


    Akira had no idea that David had stopped by to take a cup of coffee at the same shop but when he saw Akira with Scarlett he knew that something wasn''t right. So he stayed back and sat at a ce where they couldn''t see him. He saw that Akira gave Scarlett some documents and then left after a small discussion. He waited in the cafe until Scarlett left and rushed back to the office immediately.


    Before telling anything to Raymond he wanted to take some measures himself. So he went to the IT department and asked them to check if any document was given for printing by Akira. It was just a wild guess but worth a shot and luckily she had printed the documents in the office. As it was centralized easy-print, the IT guy was able to ess the document and he got a copy of it for David.


    The moment he read it, his face was filled with horror. He couldn''t believe that Akira could frame up a legal document like this as the document was very thorough and detailed. He was out of his wits and he knew that Raymond needed to be informed. So he immediately went to his cabin and narrated the whole incident to him.


    "We need to ess her system", Raymond said and his tone was all urgent.


    David arranged for the IP address immediately and provided it to Raymond.


    Within 10 minutes he was into her system and tried to ess anything avable in the cache memory. Luckily he was able to retrieve the email which was sent to her and all the dots got connected. The email was also sent from the same IP which was one of the mirror IP''s for the money transaction to Scarlett''s ount. He was shocked. Things were getting clear but somehow he was unable to figure out who was behind all this.


    "Who would give Scarlett such a huge sum of money? It cannot be Anthony"


    "Why did Scarlett make such a huge withdrawal from her ount?"


    "Why the person who sent Scarlett the money was after Akira?"


    There were so many questions in his head that needed answers but right now he was just worried about one thing... "Akira".


    He left the room after the call and went to the terrace. He stood in silence trying to feel the breeze on his face.


    "You sacrificed your love for me, just because you want me to stay happy?"


    "Am I so important to you?"


    He thought and tears started floating in his eyes and he decided to call up Katherine. This whole game of chess had to end. Someone was sending his pawns one after the other into the battleground and he had to make sure that his queen stayed safe.


    "Hello, Katherine !!! Are you busy?", Raymond asked.


    "No, not really. I am about to close my clinic. What happened? You don''t sound so good", Katherine asked all concerned.


    "I am not good Katherine. Someone is plotting behind us and I am unable to trace anything", Raymond said sounding all sad and frustrated at the same time.


    "Details Raymond. No puzzles", Katherine reprimanded him.


    "I tried to trace the ount which had made a huge transaction to Scarlett''s ount. And I found that the money was transferred to her by Anthony. So the next day I went to the penitentiary in which he had been kept to talk to him, but guess what he had been bailed out and they were all tight-lipped about who gave the bail money", Raymond spoke in one breath.


    "So you think the timing of Scarlett''s arrival and Anthony getting out on bail is all linked?", Katherine asked.


    "Yes!!!", Raymond said.


    "I have to tell you one more thing. The doubt that I had if Scarlett is really pregnant with your baby, it has intensified in my head.. I do not trust the Paternity test that you got done", Katherine said.


    "Why? Why would you doubt?", Raymond asked.


    "Because if I am not mistaken then Dr. Brooks was the same doctor who had done the abortion procedure for Scarlett. One of my college friend who studied with me during my post graduation is a Pediatrician in the same hospital and I had asked him to look into it. He confirmed from the hospital database that Dr. Brooks did the abortion procedure. So it can be one of the two things. Either Dr.Brooks and Scarlett both lied 2 months back and the baby was alive or they are lying now. Either way, Dr. Brooks is involved. I wanted to get the printed proof so didn''t tell you till now. I am going to meet the same friend and get a copy of the procedure", Katherine said.


    "Jesus Crist!!!", Raymond said and sat down on the terrace.


    "What happened Raymond?"


    "If the baby is really not mine, then why is she forcing the baby on me? Why is she making Akira leave me?", raymond yelled.


    "Leave you? Why will Akira leave you? Today morning you told me that everything has been sorted. What happened now?", Katherine asked all surprised.


    "Someone has sent a threat note to Akira that if she doesn''t get away from me then he/she will kill my baby in Scarlett''s womb. They made her sign a contract too. She has already signed it and has given it to Scarlett as instructed. But I am not sure if Scarlett alone is behind all this. Because she isn''t that smart enough to n these things. Someone else is supporting her and I need your help to figure out who", Raymond said.


    "How can I figure it out when you can''t?", Katherine asked all surprised.


    "Who told you that I can''t figure it out?", Raymond asked and chuckled.


    "What are you saying?", Katherine asked.


    "I am saying I myself can''t figure it out, but with your help, I can", Raymond said and smiled.


    "I have mailed you the details. Read it carefully. I know you will figure it out", Raymond said.


    Katherine opened the email and read it quickly and then said,


    "Bro !!! You are just brilliant".

 Chapter 129: The state of her HEAR

    <h4>129 The state of her HEAR</h4>


    After his call with Akira was over, Vikram immediately called up his assistant Peter.


    "Hello, Peter !!!", said Vikram.


    "Hello, Mr. Shah. What can I do for you", Peter asked politely.


    "Do you remember, a couple of days back I had asked you about the possibility of a graphic designer position creation in one of our subsidiarypanies?", Vikram asked.


    "Yes, Mr. Shah !!! I remember that. I had sent you details also as the HR was ok with it", Peter said.


    "Ok, great then. Send me an offer letter for that position for Akira. I need it at my ce by tomorrow morning", Vikram said.


    "Any other addendums do you want in the offer letter?", Peter asked.


    "None as of now", Vikram replied.


    "Sure then !!! Consider it done", Peter replied.


    Vikram disconnected the call. Although he was unhappy about the circumstances under which she wasing to work at his ce, he was still happy that she was going to join hispany. The possibility of seeing her under the same roof where he worked, made him unusually happy. Everything was falling into ce for him. She was parting her ways with Raymond and was going toe to his side. With Raymond out of the picture, he was sure that he would now be able to show her how much he loved her. The only thing that excited him till now was the uing G Dinner where he was going with Akira, but now he was looking forward to tomorrow. In fact, he was looking forward to every single day with her now.


    He picked up his phone and made a couple more calls and then came down to the dining hall, all beaming with happiness.


    After so many days he came down in a good mood to have dinner together with his parents. Otherwise, he would always stay back in his room and ask the food to be sent up.


    "Did you get a big deal or something son?", asked Mrs. Shah, Vikram''s mom curiously. After so many days she was seeing his son in a good mood and good appetite.


    "Something like that mom, something like that?", Vikram said and ate in peace after ages.


    ---


    She buried her head in her pillows like she wanted to suffocate herself to death. A few minutester she got up and opened herptop and opened her blog page.


    She had received a few morements but the one that caught her attention was from RodeoMaverick.


    RodeoMaverick hadmented again on her post !!!


    "My words cane true only if you let someonee and mend your broken heart !!!


    Well, to be honest, I am here scavenging for some good poems so that I can get inspired for my thesis work. So can you please open up more about your heart?" --- RodeoMaverick


    She couldn''t imagine in her wildest dream that someone could be inspired by her writing. She was a bit shocked at first and then replied,


    @RodeoMaverick


    "If pain can give you any gain, then I will let the pain grip me and let my sorrows be manifold for my pain will pour like rain".


    The state of my heart TODAY


    --------------------------------


    Burdened is my soul with your unconditional love.


    Apart from my soul, I have nothing to offer.


    Nothingness is all I can feel beyond and above.


    Going back in a shell, I am ready to suffer.


    Amassing all the memories, I will depart from your life.


    Looking for me everywhere? I am not yours to find.


    Opaque and cold heart of mine will surely struggle to survive.


    Rummaging within, I will stay back supporting you from behind.


    Easy? Not at all but I will mold and straighten my mind.


    After she posted her poem, she saw that RodeoMaverick had given anotherment immediately.


    "You write well. Maybe I can share a bit of your pain, give you a shoulder to cry? Looks like you belong to the city of love Rome." - RodeoMaverick


    "More like the city of broken shards, where every step causes you to bleed" - Akira


    "Hey, I hope you won''t mind if I base my poem on your pain?" - RodeoMaverick


    She wanted to reply but then she just shut herptop down and came out of her room.


    Mike was watching something on TV but the moment he saw her face he knew she wasn''t ok. She stood there near the door looking at Mike and didn''t know what to do. Mike immediately got up and went to her and hugged her tight.


    All the tears that she had been holding up, started raining. She sobbed and cried and Mike patiently held her and gently tapped her back. He knew that right now she didn''t need any words, she just needed a shoulder to lean on. He knew her sister was very strong and never let out anything that bothered her. So he understood that something big must have had happened, otherwise, she wouldn''t have been in this vulnerable state.


    After a few minutes when the intensity of her sobs had died down, he asked,


    "Want to watch Notebook again?"


    She looked at him and then finally smiled,


    "Yes"


    "You want to talk about it?", Mike asked.


    She shook her head looking down.


    "Ok, will get you some chips to binge on", Mike said and went to the kitchen.


    Akira settled on the sofa and then unlocked her phone.


    Raymond had sent her some message on WhatsApp.


    She opened the chat and saw that he had sent her a screenshot of his phone main screen but the important thing was, she was in it. A picture of her sleeping happily was his wallpaper.


    "When did you take this?" - Akira


    "When you were snoring in deep sleep yesterday night" - Raymond


    Akira wanted to fight back and tell him that she didn''t snore, but she knew that then the conversation would go on and on. So no matter how badly she wanted to say what she wanted to, but she didn''t.


    "Nice, I am watching TV with my brother. See you tomorrow" - Akira


    "What are you watching?" - Raymond


    "How can I watch anything if you keep texting me?" - Akira


    "Ok, my bad. Enjoy and Good Night !!!" - Raymond


    She sighed after seeing his message and kept the phone down. Her heart felt heavy like she was being crushed under the foot of a mammoth.


    He kept his phone back on his table and his fingers pinched the space between his brows. He was tensed. He stayed like that for a couple of minutes and then mumbled,


    "What all will you do to get away from Akira !!!"

 Chapter 130: And he said what he shouldnt have

    <h4>130 And he said what he shouldn''t have</h4>


    The next day when Akira got up, the first thing that she saw was her office ID card which was lying on her side table. She looked at it and then sighed. She checked her phone and saw that she had received a text message from Vikram.


    "Wille and pick you by 8:30 am" - Vikram


    "Your new job offer is ready and please don''t think of it as a backdoor or anything. You will have to work hard to convert it into a permanent position after your college term is over" - Vikram


    She read his messages and her heart was immediately filled with gratitude.


    "What would I have done without you Vikram", she thought and sighed.


    Her head was filled with hundreds of thought of how to put her paper down, but none of the ways that she thought seemed effective. She knew how sharp Raymond was and knew that he would definitely question her. And given her amazing track record in lying she was pretty sure that he will catch her. Maybe her decision to leave thepany won''t hurt him as much as her lying to him would. The only thing that she was afraid of was betraying him. But she had to, as she had no other choice because she had received clear instructions that if she tried to tell anyone about it, there would be consequences. And she knew that the consequences will tear Raymond apart.


    With a heavy heart, she got ready and when Vikram arrived, she went along with him to her office.


    On her way, she received a text from Raymond.


    "Hey Morning!!! How are feeling right now? Headache is better?" - Raymond


    She felt like she was stabbed in her heart with his message. He was making everything so difficult for her. The more she was resolving herself to drift far away from him, the more he was pulling her towards him with his love, affection, and care.


    "I am good. On my way to the office. I have a piece of exciting news for you." - Akira


    "I am happy with whatever makes you happy. Come soon". - Raymond


    She saw the message and looked at Vikram in despair. He could clearly see her pain and how much she was suffering from within. He moved his right palm and held her hand and squeezed it tight.


    "It''s going to be ok. You are doing the right thing Akira. You are letting Scarlett have a happy family together with Raymond. One day he will understand why you did it and will be forever grateful to you. It might hurt him a bit down but you will immunize him forever with happiness", he said and looked deep into her eyes to give her strength and to assure her that she was doing the right thing.


    "And trust me, I will make it look extremely realistic. He will have no doubts", Vikram said.


    But she didn''t say a word. Her restless heart could never understand the principles of what is right and what is wrong. All that she wanted was to be happy. But she didn''t know that it came with a heavy price tag.


    "I have asked my men to check for the whereabouts of Anthony. As soon as I get any information, I will let you know and as for Scarlett, I will try to get her tailed by a private detective", Vikram said and continued driving.


    "It''s ok Vikram, I have epted my fate. I don''t want to drag it any further. Let''s just it end it for once and for all", Akira said and wiped her tears.


    Her office was approaching closeby.


    David was waiting at the reception to receive Vikram as they were expecting him. But he was a bit surprised to see Akira with him. He apanied them to the first floor but he could safely assume that something was cooking up.


    Vikram entered Raymond''s office and greeted him.


    "Hello, Raymond !!! How are you?", Vikram said and shook his hands with him.


    Raymond shook hands with him but he was surprised to see Akira also entering inside his office along with Vikram. He gave a look filled with a question mark to her, but she decided not to respond to it and just returned it with a smile.


    Raymond nced at David and nodded his head and he immediately left the room.


    "So what brings you here Mr. Shah?", Raymond asked.


    "Well, today I haven''te to make any deals or to discuss business. My purpose is a bit personal today", Vikram said and looked towards Akira.


    Raymond saw him looking at Akira and he could clearly see that she was slowly turning pale, and his heart could sense that something bad was going to happen. She was standing there like a log of wood without any expression on her face like all her blood had dried up.


    "You can sit Akira or are you waiting for your boss to tell you to sit?", Vikram said and chuckled.


    Akira smiled hearing Vikram''s joke but Raymond could see how fake her smile was.


    "So Mr. Raymond, the thing is mypany is going to open its own advertisement department as we are expanding our PR section. We do not want to invest money or give a contract to anotherpany to make advertisements for us. We have brought a smallpany which preparesmercials for TV and small budget animations. So probably Akira can work there as a Graphic team member. And anyways its always better if the family stays within the family right. So I guess its better that she joins our family business. Right?", Vikram said and looked at Raymond.


    Raymond heard him patiently and then looked up at Akira,


    "So you also want this?", Raymond asked.


    She couldn''t look him in the eye and so she simply nodded.


    "See... she is really enthusiastic about this new opportunity but she didn''t know how to break this news to you. So I came in to help her out", said Vikram.


    "I see", said Raymond with his gaze still fixed on her.


    "Sorry for all the trouble. She will drop her resignation letter with the HR today. I am really grateful that you gave her this opportunity to learn without a question asked. Thanks for keeping my request", Vikram said and smiled at Raymond.


    Suddenly Akira lifted her head.


    "Request? What request?", she asked and looked at Vikram and then at Raymond.


    "Ah... its nothing. I had just asked him to consider your resume for this internship post before. That''s all", Vikram said and shrugged his shoulder.


    Akira couldn''t believe what she heard just now. Raymond couldn''t understand why Vikram would bring it up when he had requested him not to disclose about the backdoor request. But what he feared the most was Akira getting hurt by knowing about it.


    He looked up immediately in her direction.


    She lifted her eyes and looked up at Raymond and he saw her eyes get filled with tears.

 Chapter 131: I am just a charity case

    <h4>131 I am just a charity case</h4>


    An unruly drop of tear slid down her cheek and she immediately wiped it off with her sleeves. She was the sort of a girl whose heart was clear like ss, but she always tried to make herself opaque to people, for people to think of her as hard and unbreakable like metal.


    Raymond saw her and recollected how she cried the same way trying to hide away her tears on their way back to New York. She had used her sleeves the exact same way that she did now. His heart felt like it would explode to see her in pain. His fists were clenched and his jaws tightened. He just wanted to embrace her, but with Vikram in the room, he just couldn''t.


    She summoned all the God''s to give her the courage to stay put. She drank Vikram''s words like a bottle of poison and died from within. She was disappointed with Vikram but what she was unable to bear was the fact that Raymond hid it from her.


    She turned towards Vikram and asked,


    "You never told me about it?"


    "Well I explicitly didn''t tell but it was just like a referral. You got in here with your own talent Akira. You got in after a proper round of interview. Right, Raymond?", Vikram said and looked in the direction of Raymond who was still unable to process the whole thing.


    Hearing Vikram''s statement, Akira looked up at Raymond and her eyes were filled with resentment. She was the sort of a person who could bear anything but what she couldn''t bear was to be a charity case. She always hated being pitied by anyone, so knowing the fact that she was pitied by the one man who she loved the most in the entire world, made her feel even worse than what she did before.


    She took a couple of deep breaths and then spoke,


    "Now that we have discussed upon everything I will take my leave and go to the HR department to submit my resignation".


    "But wait !!!", Raymond interrupted her immediately and then took a pause.


    "What about some of the character designs that you were working upon? At leastplete them properly and then join the newpany", Raymond said and looked in her direction with a hope that she will agree to stay back.


    "Well, first of all, I havepleted all the assignments which were given to me by Simon and second of all, I think you have better employees toplete the work rather than and getting it done from a charity case intern", Akira said and walked out of the room without saying another word.


    "Well then I am also done here as well", Vikram said and departed from the room quickly to follow behind Akira.


    ---


    "Akira just listen to me Akira!!! Are you mad with me right now?", Vikram asked and pulled her hand.


    She stopped her march and turned back and said.


    "No Vikram I am not angry with you, I am just angry with myself because I always turn into this miserable girl. I always need somebody to help me out. I always need somebody to give me that push to be able to do something in my life and right now I am sick of it all. Maybe all that I need is some time for myself to figure out what I want to do next", Akira said and looked into his eyes.


    "You think it was wrong of me? You think I deliberately hid it from you?", Vikram asked.


    "You could have told me about it earlier. Why did you tell it today?", Akira asked him.


    Vikram took a deep breath and then said,


    "It all this to make your separation look more natural. You are angry with him for hiding the truth from you and now you can use this as a reason to stay away from him and create a gap. I couldn''t think of any other better way to do this. But why are you asking me this? Do you think I had any other intention in bringing this topic out?", Vikram said and threw the question back at her.


    She thought for a moment and realised that whatever Vikram said was right. She could actually use it as a reason to be mad at Raymond.


    Taking a deep breath and sorting away her thoughts she said,


    "I totally get your intention behind it all but just that it was a sudden revtion so I was a bit riled up. I am sorry. I will get back to my seat andplete the resignation rted formalities".


    "Ok then, see you in the evening. I wille and pick you up, just let me know when you are done", Vikram said and walked towards the lift.


    Seeing him leaving without even giving her a hug, she realized that he was upset because of the way she had questioned him. So she immediately ran up to him and hugged him from behind and said,


    "Thank you so much for everything. I wish one day I can repeat that debt"


    Her gentle touch, her smell, her presence was everything that he wanted. He closed his eyes to capture that moment inside like he wanted to treasure it forever and ever till eternity.


    He then turned back and said,


    "Bye now. See you soon" and smiled.


    The elevator door opened and Vikram entered inside.


    After he left she also left for her cubicle unaware of the fact that someone was standing at the door of his room watching her every single move.


    He clenched his fists and tried to pacify the anger which was boiling inside him. The hug that she gave him was his, to begin with. The smile that she offered, the touch of her that he tried to feel was all his, to begin with, but now she showered them on someone else. No matter how much he wanted to think of it as all fake, he just couldn''t.


    ---


    Akira went to her desk and initiated the resignation workflow. Then she pinged the HR about the necessary formalities that she needed toplete.


    "Hello, I am Akira Peyton. An intern with employee ID 00108. I have initiated my resignation workflow. What are the other formalities that I need to do" - Akira


    "Please wait for a moment. Let me get your details first" - HR


    "Any specific reasons for quitting in just a few weeks?" - HR


    "I got a better opportunity outside" - Akira


    "Ok, I have mailed you the details. There are a couple of no dues forms that you need to get signed from your direct supervisor and IT department and since you are leaving beforepleting the minimum tenure of 2 months, you have to pay 2500 USD to the finance team as nonpletion of tenure retrieval amount" - HR


    "2500 USD?" - Akira


    She took a deep breath and started to think,


    "Why are you so merciless God? What have I done to irk you? Can''t you show me some mercy?"

 Chapter 132: Her real guardian angel !!!

    <h4>132 Her real guardian angel !!!</h4>


    Akira couldn''t think of any way to pay such a huge amount in such a short span of time. She had a dearth of time, money and patience but the abundance of problems was increasing with every passing moment. She never wanted a fancy life, a fancy car or a rich boyfriend. All that she wanted was a peaceful life and family and someone to take care of her. And it looked like God was snatching away everything, making her feel like an orphan in every possible way.


    "See where you have left me, Mom and Dad. This world hates me !!! This world just hates me !!!" Akira said to herself and gulped all the water in her bottle on her desk. She then took a long breath and printed the formality and No-Dues form which was sent by the HR.


    The IT guy with whose help David had retrieved the contract documents printed by Akira a day before, had gged her IP on his system. So when she gave another print request he got the notification and out of curiosity he also printed the documents that she did. He then went to David and handed him the printed documents.


    "Hello, David. I thought you might need it as I saw some more printouts taken from the same IP user just a couple of minutes back".


    "Oh that''s really thoughtful of you", David said.


    "So you had gged her IP?", David asked while reading the first page.


    "Yes, yesterday you had asked me to do so I thought..."


    But before he couldplete the sentence, he was interrupted by David.


    "Hey, sorry I gotta go. Thanks for the documents. I need to give it someone urgently".


    Saying this, David rushed towards Raymond''s cabin.


    "This can''t be happening. Why is she resigning?", he thought and knocked on Raymond''s door and before Raymond could even answer, he entered inside and ced the documents on his desk and said,


    "Akira has resigned officially. Are you aware of it?"


    Raymond just nodded.


    "Is she doing this to get away from you?", David asked.


    "I guess. Rather I hope so", Raymond said and sighed.


    "Ok, then I guess I need not panic and look too deep into it", David said and took a breath of relief.


    "But I guess I am making her hate me for real", Raymond said and looked outside the window into the distance.


    "I don''t understand Mr.Raymond", David asked.


    "It''s nothing David. Just ignore. Please help to clear out my schedule for today. I am not in a mood to handle any meetings", Raymonds said.


    "Sure I will do that", he said and gathered back the printed papers which he had kept on Raymond''s desk.


    "By the way I hope that you are aware that she has to pay 2500 USD upfront as nonpletion of tenure retrieval amount. Page 3 section 2", David said and looked at Raymond.


    Raymond didn''t say anything for a second. Then he pulled out his cheque book and wrote a cheque of 2500 USD and handed it to David and said,


    "You know what needs to be done right?"


    "I will take care of it", David said and left the room.


    Raymond knew how righteous Akira was and he knew that she won''t go to anyone for the money. She had taken the herculean task to save his child by herself and he knew that she could go to any lengths to do so. He knew how much money mattered to her and he just couldn''t just see her struggle in anyway because of the policies of hispany.


    ---


    Akira took the print outs and then came back to her desk.


    It was about time to tell her team-mates about it. She couldn''t leave them without saying a proper goodbye. She went to Simon''s desk and said,


    "Hey Simon. I got some news for you all".


    "Hey Akira. What news?", Simon asked.


    "Well I got a job offer at another advertising agency, so I am quitting from here", Akira said.


    "Wait what?" both Simon and Kirk spoke at the same time.


    "You are leaving? When is yourst day?", Simon asked.


    "Yeah. Today will be myst day. I have already initiated the work flow. I just need to get the no-dues signatures", Akira said.


    Somehow Simon felt a bit low to hear that she was leaving. He had a soft corner for her but he assumed that she was with Vikram, so he never made any pass on her.


    "You can''t leave just like that. We all will have lunch together ok? Give me 10 minutes, let me gather my forces", Simon said and started pinging the graphic group.


    Akira took a deep breath and went back to her seat.


    She took out the cheque book for the ount in which she had thest savings of her parents, which she had been storing up for Mike''s higher education.


    "I am sorry Mike. But I am going to fill it up back, I promise !!!", she thought and then she cut a checque worth 2500 USD and sighed.


    She was lost in her thoughts when Kirk called,


    "Akirae, let''s go to the cafeteria together. Our whole unit is going lunch together".


    She got up from her desk and followed Kirk and other team members. They all had hundreds of questions for her and she was smiling and replying to each and every one of them patiently.


    As they all reached the cafeteria, Akira saw that Simon was already there and he had reserved arge table for all of them to sit together. They were a team of 18 people.


    Akira went up to Simon and said,


    "Thank you so much for arranging all this for me. It really means a lot. Even I was here for just a couple of weeks, it feels like I have been working here for years".


    "Looks like you were given too much work by Simon", Kirk joked and everyoneughed hysterically.


    Then Simon said,


    "Well to be very honest I didn''t do any of this. All of this was arranged by our boss. I just pinged to inform him that we were going to give you a lunch treat and I invited him in case he wanted to join. But since he had some meeting he said that he couldn''t but he insisted that he will take care of the arrangements. Isn''t that really sweet of him. Such a caring mentor he is".


    Akira just nodded, that was all that she could do at that moment.


    Her heart knew deep down that there was no meeting.


    She stepped aside and pulled a chair to sit down, but she saw a familiar figure pulling out a chair next to her.


    Everything about him was familiar, his smell, his stature and his presence.

 Chapter 133: WHATEVER IT TAKES

    <h4>133 WHATEVER IT TAKES</h4>


    "Wow, Mr. Raymond you could make it. I thought you had a meeting" Simon asked curiously.


    "Well it was postponed for tomorrow", He replied with his as usual bluntness and then looked at Akira who was fiddling with her phone.


    Then Kirk got up to take order for everybody.


    "Since the star of today''s lunch gathering is Akira, I am going to take her order first", he said and came close to her seat.


    "What do you want to order? I guess you would like to have your usual mushroom risotto?",


    Kirk asked.


    "Why would you think that?", Akira asked all perplexed.


    "Well, because I think you like it a lot as I see that you order it every alternate day isn''t it?"


    Kirk asked looking all surprised with her cross questions.


    Akira liked to eat mushroom risotto because it was a synonym of Raymond for her. He was the one who had suggested her this dish on that fateful flight journey to New York and she had been in love with the dish ever since. But she was startled after hearing Kirk speak. She didn''t know that people observed so much, so without wasting a single second she retorted back,


    "I just eat it because it is convenient but I think it''s time to move on to new vors and new cuisines. I will try out something that you would suggest to me today. So surprise me Kirk !!!", Akira said and smiled at Kirk. But she didn''t realize how much her statement hurt Raymond, who just sat quietly and heard her detaching herself from him in every possible way.


    Kirk then moved to Raymond and asked him,


    "What would you like to have Mr. Raymond?"


    "Nothing, I don''t have much appetite", Raymond said.


    "So Akira what''s the name of the advertising agency that you are going to join?", Brian asked.


    "Well, it''s a very small agency which has been bought by Abacus Inc. So basically I will be working there", Akira exined.


    "Then why did you join here in the first ce? You could always have worked with Mr. Vikram?", Simon asked.


    Hearing him say that Akira looked at him with a question mark on her face.


    "Oh C'' mon, we all know that you are Vikram''s girl. We have seen you going on so many dates with him. He personallyes and picks you up every single time. Doesn''t he?", Simon asked and rendered Akira all perplexed.


    She looked at Raymond and his eyes were murderously angry like he could kill someone with his bare hands.


    Then he suddenly got up from his seat and said,


    "Hey, guys I am sorry, I just remembered that I have to make some urgent calls, so I have to leave. Order anything and everything that you like for lunch. The bill will be taken care of".


    Then he looked at Akira and said,


    "All the best for your uing endeavors", and then he left just like that.


    Akira kept looking in the direction in which he left, unable to decipher his state of mind.


    "You should be d that he at least sat here for 5-10 minutes. He doesn''t even bother to attend any farewell parties", Kirk said trying tofort her. But how could she tell him that she would have felt better if he wouldn''t have attended even those 10 minutes in the first ce?.


    Even her appetite died.


    ---


    Aftering back to her desk, Akira took the no-dues forms and went to the IT department first and within 20 minutes all her dues were cleared up. The next department was the HR department but when she reached there to get her no dues, Chloe asked her to get no-dues from her mentor first.


    Akira had thought that HR dept will help in getting no dues from her mentor Raymond but that was not the case. She had to herself go and meet him and get the papers signed and she was dreading it the most. But somehow she mustered up her courage and went to his cabin.


    Raymond heard a soft knock on his door.


    "Come in", Raymond said all coldly as his mood was not ok but then he saw Akira entering the room and his expressions softened.


    "I have to take your signature on some no-dues forms as you are my mentor", Akira said.


    "Hmm..", said Raymond and looked in her direction.


    She came to his desk and ced the required documents on his table. He took a quick nce at them and ced his signatures.


    Akira was relieved to see himpleting the formalities without any question. She was happy that she could just leave the room quickly now.


    "How was your lunch?", Raymond asked her interrupting her trail of thoughts.


    "It was really nice. Thanks for lunch. The food was amazing", Akira said and tried to sound enthusiastic and all normal but she didn''t know that Kirk had already informed Raymond that she didn''t eat anything in the lunch. How could she, when Raymond had left without even eating a morsel of food?


    "What did you eat?", Raymond asked.


    "I .. I had a couple of things. Pizza and a chicken wrap", Akira said, trying to sound all convincing.


    "Mmmm... I see", said Raymond and then got up from his seat. He then walked ahead and locked the door.


    Akira looked at him with her eyes wide open, unable toprehend what he was trying to do.


    Then he walked back to his seat and took out a packet from underneath. There we two boxes of mushroom risotto and three small tetra pack of apple juice. He took one risotto box and two juice packs and ced it in front of her and then opened his box and said,


    "I just wanted to have a meal with you. Eat how much soever you want. And if you are too full then just take a bite. I will eat the rest. Nothing will be wasted. I know you hate that", Raymond said and took a bite of risotto but Akira slumped in her seat the moment she heard him speak.


    No matter how hard she tried to fight him back, he always did more to bring her close. She was so overwhelmed with his gesture, with his love, and with his care that she had no words to speak. Raymond could clearly understand the state of her mind.


    He got up and came close to her.


    Somehow yesterday it was so easy to touch her, to y with her. But today she had be this toy which he had to abandon. He sat down on his knees and with his hands he pulled her chair close. She was fiddling with her fingers ced on herp. He took her hands and ced in his hands and warmed them up with his heat. Then he directly looked into her eyes and said,


    "No matter where you want to go, what you want to do or who you want to be with. Just remember that I will always be there for you, waiting for you till youe back. Whatever it takes !!!"

 Chapter 134: Terrible-terrible liar !!!

    <h4>134 Terrible-terrible liar !!!</h4>


    Her heart was choked with an emotional turbulence so strong that it could probably move the mountains on its way. But she stayed strong without sumbing to them and said,


    "Thanks!!! that means a lot, Mr. Raymond".


    He couldn''t believe his ears. Mr. Raymond? In one day he became so distant?


    She addressed him the same way that she did when she had joined thepany on Day1, bereft of any emotions or attachment.


    His heart deep down knew that she was suffering and he wanted to instantly ease out her pain, but he couldn''t. His hands were tied. He had to let the things happen in its own natural course to be able to catch the mastermind behind all this.


    He got up and went back to his seat and said,


    "Eat !!!"


    She picked up the spoon and took a spoonful of risotto and filled her mouth. But her throat was choked to such an extent that she just couldn''t swallow. The food stayed in her mouth and she tried hard to take deep breaths to calm herself. She was unable to suppress the pit in her stomach. She knew she had to get away, but she badly wanted to ask him, why he hid that information from her? Of all the people why he had to lie to her? She was feeling so small in front of him, that she just couldn''t take it anymore.


    He saw her trying to act straight but she was failing miserably. Her eyes were almost brimming with tears which she was trying hard to escape from. He could see her chin trembling and knew that she would break down in seconds. So he got up immediately and put a straw in his juice box and went to the other side of the table.


    He stood there and gave her a look.


    Then he leaned on the table slightly facing her front. He held her chin in one hand and then brought the straw close to her lips and said,


    "Drink !!! Else you will choke on your food".


    She looked up at him and saw nothing but care in his still eyes. She parted her lips a bit and then took the straw inside. With one hand he held the juice box and with the other, he pushed her stray hair falling on her face. His touch was gentle and the moment his hands touched her ears lobes, she stopped drinking the juice and looked up to him with contempt.


    Her eyes were begging for mercy. They wanted him to stop.


    He released his hand and then ced the juice back on the table. He stood there silently and watched her eat spoon after spoon.


    "Won''t you eat your portion?", Akira asked as she was getting ufortable in his close presence.


    "I am", he said and his still eyes kept looking at her.


    "Can you just stop gawking at me?", Akira said getting a bit annoyed.


    "Yesterday I was allowed to and today I am not? What changed in a day Akira?", Raymond asked, even though he knew that he was not going to get an honest answer.


    "Nothing has changed Raymond. I just want to be a bit serious in my life. An internship here is fine, but my new Internship ce is better in terms of opportunities. I will be associated with Abacus and ..."


    But before she couldplete her sentence, she was interrupted with Raymond''s impatient question.


    "I meant what happened to us Akira?", Raymond asked.


    Whatever words she had framed to speak out, stayed inside. Her lips moved but there was no sound. His crystal eyes were piercing through her like he could read her in and out. She bit her lips and then looked down all nervously searching for a convincing answer for Raymond.


    A few secondster she looked up and smiled at him and said,


    "C'' mon even you knew it was all just a fling right. You have a fiance for God''s sake, what were you even thinking", Akira said and chuckled.


    ''I mean we had no future right? A couple of monthster I would have gone back to my college and you would have even forgotten who I was. So I just thought it''s better to finish it off now as I was joining a newpany. I mean there is no point of wasting time and energy on something that yields nothing right?", she said and then looked at him, feeling satisfied that she could pull out a good enough reason in time.


    "I see, so all this was just a fling for you?", Raymond asked. Even though he knew that she was telling all this just to make him hurt, he didn''t want to ept it on face value.


    "Of course !!! What else did you think? Oh wait, did you actually fall for me?", Akira asked sarcastically.


    "Yes, probably I did", he said calmly looking into her eyes and unnerved her in an instant.


    She gulped her own spit and looked at him nervously. The fort of lies inside which she was trying to hide, was torn down into shambles. His one single statement was enough to burn her pirs to ashes.


    "When did I give him so much power over me?", she thought and sighed and tried to pull her fake happy face back on.


    "Yeah right? And you expect me to believe that? I am a college going student but I am not so naive that I don''t get it. You have a family that you are going to start and you are saying that you like me. Maybe you need to get your thoughts aligned. I am lucky that I didn''t fall for a guy like you who has no spine", Akira said and got up from her seat, wanting to leave because she knew that any moment the facade ofposure that she was trying to put on, could fall off her face.


    She picked up the no-dues paper which he had already signed, from the desk and then went towards the door. As she was about to unlock the door she heard him asking,


    "So you really never liked me the way I did?"


    Her steps stopped and her body froze. How could she lie on his face that she didn''t like him when every cell in her body wanted nothing but him?


    She paused and then turned towards him and said,


    "Of course not !!! Like I said earlier, it was just a fling for me" and turned back.


    He saw her one hand clutching the papers and with the other hand, she gripped a pen tightly with her thumb pressing tightly on the nib. He could clearly see her struggle but he didn''t want to make things difficult for her deliberately.


    He cleared her throat and when she was about to turn the knob he said,


    "Did anyone tell you this before that you are a terrible-terrible liar Akira?".

 Chapter 135: Do you know how much I was worried?

    <h4>135 Do you know how much I was worried?</h4>


    Her jaws dropped when she heard him.


    "Does he know already that I am lying?"


    "How and why?"


    All sorts of questions started rippling inside her head and she stood there like a stick, unable to move, neither forward nor backward.


    He sighed and opened up his drawer and then picked up a band-aid from there. He closed in came near her. She kept on looking at him in disbelief that she was unable to convince him. He took a step forward and she took one backward till she hit the wall. She stood there and looked at him all confused, unable toprehend what he wanted,


    His fingers slowly grazed on her hand and finally reached her palm and then he took the pen from her hand and threw it away. He gingerly took her thumb and kissed it with his lips. He then looked into her eyes and ced her thumb inside his mouth and sucked it slowly like he wanted to absorb all the pain.


    The moment she felt the warmth and wetness of his mouth, she gasped for air. He then took her thumb out and blew air on it with his mouth before covering it up with a band-aid as it had been pierced multiple times by her with the nib of the pen.


    He took a deep breath and released her hand. She was still standing there speechless.


    He then took a final look at her face and said,


    "You may go now. Hope we meet when our paths cross each other again".


    Then he swiftly opened the door for her to leave.


    She came out of the door immediately and then leaned on it with her back, giving herself a moment to deal with the pain. He leaned on the other side of the door inside the room knowing the fact that she was also leaning on it. He just wanted to be as close to her as possible and he was ready to make any desperate attempt to do so.


    ---


    After a few moments, Akira re-collected herself and cleared her no dues from the HR department. It was alreadyte in the evening by then. Then she came back to her desk and took the cheque to clear her final dues from the finance department.


    She went to the Finance department on the second floor and went to the F & F section.


    "Hello, Roger !!! I am Akira. I had pinged you before for my Full and Final settlement. Here is my cheque for nonpletion of tenure retrieval amount. Please help to clear my dues", Akira said and handed over the cheque and documents to Rogers.


    "Oh, I am sorry. There was a mimunication from our side. The nonpletion of tenure retrieval amount is applicable only for full-time employees and not for interns. So you don''t have to pay anything", Rogers said and smiled and returned the cheque back to Akira.


    "Really? I don''t have to pay anything?", she asked all surprised and ecstatic.


    "Yes and here are your no dues papers. Everything cleared", Roger said and handed the papers to Akira.


    She looked at the papers in disbelief and started thanking her stars and rushed back happily to her seat. It was time to say Goodbye to her team-mates.


    But when she came back to her seat she saw all her team-mates huddled in a corner discussing something and their faces looked all grim.


    "What happened guys?", Akira asked.


    Kirk turned back and said,


    "We thought once Scarlett is back in Raymond''s life, he will be better, I mean feel better, be emotionally avable. But looks like he is getting into a worse phase".


    "What do you mean?", Akira asked getting all impatient.


    Then Simon interrupted in between and said,


    "Don''t worry we just feel that his anger issues are increasing even more. Actually, Brian had gone for some discussion with him. He didn''t like the design for some reason and was a bit verbal about it. But as Brian was about to leave he broke the ss of water with his bare hands that he was holding".


    "I mean I am totally fine with him getting angry with me, but I guess he has started to take this project way too seriously. I don''t want him to hurt himself this way. I offered to help him but he asked me to leave the room. God knows why he is never ready to take any help from anyone", Brian said and sighed.


    Akira felt like the earth beneath her feet was sinking and she was sinking along with it.


    Forgetting everything she just ran towards his room and barged in only to see it empty.


    She called him up but he had left the phone in his room itself.


    She started frantically looking for him in all meeting rooms and when finally she couldn''t, she went to David''s ce.


    She was panting with all the running and there was sweat everywhere on her face. David was surprised to see her like that.


    "Whe...Where''s Raymond?", she asked trying to get hold of her breath.


    "I can''t find him. Please help. He has injured his hand", she said and David could feel that she was literally pleading.


    He immediately checked his calendar and said,


    "He doesn''t have any meetings now. If he isn''t in his cabin then ....", he said and trailed off.


    "Then?", Akira asked getting impatient.


    "I mean I don''t know. Just a guess. Sometimes when he is upset he goes to the terrace. But I am not sure if he was upset because of anything today. None that I am aware of. Was he upset because of something Miss Akira?", David asked.


    But without answering anything she just ran towards the elevator and started pressing the buttons frantically to go to the terrace. But as both lifts were going down already she got impatient and took stairs to rush up to the top floor.


    She was panting and her stomach was cramping with all the running and climbing.


    She reached up and looked in all the directions in search of him, but all that was in vain. There was no sign of him.


    Dejected she kneeled down and started crying.


    A few secondster she heard someone''s footsteps and turned back.


    It was him. Even in the dark, she could clearly see his face. She got up immediately and said,


    "Why are you doing this to me?" and then grabbed both his hands.


    His one hand was wrapped in multipleyers of gauze and the smell of tincture spread in the air.


    Her tears became unstoppable as she held his injured hand and reprimanded him,


    "Where the hell have you been? Do you even know how much worried I was looking for you?"


    Even in the dark, one could clearly see him smile.

 Chapter 136: The series of what and why

    <h4>136 The series of what and why</h4>


    "How can you be so careless? You didn''t even have your phone on you."


    "Where did you go all of a sudden? Why did you break the ss? Tell me does it hurt?"


    She kept asking endless questions looking into his eyes and tears were running down her cheeks breaking all the barriers.


    He looked into her eyes and didn''t say a word. She was crying but her tears were quenching the pain in his heart.


    She shook her head unable to believe that he had no answer for him. Her mad self took a step forward and started hitting him on his chest.


    "Why would you do this?"


    "Why would you.."


    Her question was silenced when he pulled her close and started wiping away her tears from her face fondly with his handkerchief and she kept looking at him into his eyes.


    There was just silence in between them.


    She was agitated but he was calm, like an ocean of tranquility and slowly and steadily he was immersing her within him.


    After wiping away her tears, he gently dabbed the handkerchief on her forehead to wipe away all the sweat that she had from all that running and climbing.


    He then gently lifted her chin up and asked,


    "You were worried for me?"


    She removed his hand from her chin immediately and spewed angrily,


    "Oh so get that now? Do you know how many meeting rooms are there in yourpany? Twenty-seven. And how many board rooms? Eight. I looked for you everywhere. How could you just leave without telling anyone?"


    "My kit didn''t have tincture", he said calmly.


    "What?", asked Akira unable to corrte with his answer.


    "My first aid kit didn''t have tincture. So I had gone to the reception to get it", Raymond said and looked at her, deep into her eyes.


    "Then I came back to my room but on the way, I met David and he told that you were looking for me and you might havee to the terrace. So I came here looking for you", Raymond said and with his injured left hand tried to tug the stray hair falling on her face.


    She was more than relieved to see him ok.


    She was relieved to see his injured hand all addressed properly.


    But then suddenly reality hit her. The reality that it was wrong for her to be with him. The reality that didn''t allow her to love him back. The reality which she had to follow to keep him happy.


    She took a couple of steps back from him and then lifted her head up and said,


    "Well, it''ste. I better get going", she said took a final look at the fine man in front of her.


    But before she could even take a step forward, she heard him say,


    "Can you just stay here with me for like 5 minutes?".


    She looked at him and shook her head, probably trying to tell him how tied up she was with constraints.


    But then he said softly,


    "Akira, please !!!"


    No matter how much courage she tried to summon, she just couldn''t say NO to him, she just couldn''t take a step forward.


    He held her hand softly and brought her towards the edge of the terrace. She held the railing and looked into the distance, oblivious to the traffic, the noise and the lights around.


    He leaned on to the railing and turned to look at her face.


    She looked so pretty. With all the lights falling on her face and the wind ying with her hair, she looked so kissable.


    He sighed and then said,


    "I didn''t take you in mypany because someone asked me to do so. Well technically speaking I actually did because the interview was scheduled for that reason. But I selected you purely based on your merits and your answers. Vikram had told me a couple of weeks back that I could ask any one of my leads to be your mentor. But still, I decided to mentor you because I knew you had potential.


    You might think it was all for the deal, and honestly, it was. I will not lie on your face. I had the responsibility of so many people who were banking on me Akira and I just couldn''t say NO".


    She looked into his eyes and she knew that he was saying the truth.


    "I can shut off the deal with Vikram''spany to show you how much you mean to me. But I will be jeopardizing the life of so many people, so I can''t do that. I have no way to prove to you how much you mean to me Akira. All I have is my words and it''s up to you to trust me", he said and tried to gauge her reaction.


    "Was it... Was it because of all this that you said things about my parents that day? In that interview?", she asked with hesitation.


    He sighed hearing her question, but then spoke,


    "The thing is I hate people who don''t get job-based on merit. I wanted to hate you but you performed exceptionally well so I was kind of a bit frustrated" and saying that he avoided looking into her eyes.


    She gently smiled at his answer.


    "So you were angry with me because I was smart?", Akira asked.


    "Well you are twisting the words", he said and gently smiled.


    "Your thinking process is twisted", she said and smiled and then looked away from him.


    He kept looking at her bright face for quite some time and then said,


    "Tell me this isn''t real. You and I here, this isn''t real".


    Akira looked at him unable to understand.


    "Why are you giving me these moments and then you are pushing me away like I am a nobody for you? Am I that forgettable? Do my promises mean nothing to you?", he asked and looked at her.


    She tried to steal away her eyes as she could give no answer to his questions.


    He took a deep breath and then extended his hands and pulled her close to him. She struggled to escape. But the more she struggled, the tighter he made his grip.


    The distance between them had been diminished. There was nothing but closeness in between. With his right hand, he had held both her hand behind her and with his injured left hand, he caressed her cheek and ran his finger on her smooth skin.


    She shivered and stopped struggling from his embrace.


    He came even closer and ced his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. His nose slightly touching hers. He hadpletely disarmed her.


    He released her hands but she didn''t run away. He knew that she won''t.


    He took both his hands and then gently cupped her face. His nose still touching hers, he asked,


    "Am I so easy to forget?"

 Chapter 137: She knew no other command

    <h4>137 She knew no othermand</h4>


    She blinked her eyes and then looked down.


    He lifted her face up so that her averting eyes could meet his own and asked her again,


    "Is it so easy for you to leave me and go? Do I mean so less to you? I bared my soul and showed you all my weaknesses. My life is opened in front of your like an open book to read, then why do you choose to close it and run away?"


    She heard his questions but she didn''t know the answers to any one of them. All that she could do was to feel the warmth of his touch, his breath mixing with her own and overpowering her senses. She stood there stuck to the floor like there was no way to move further.


    His lips were dangerously close to hers and all that he could think of was kissing them. He could feel that she was getting hot. Her cheeks were all flushed and he could feel her getting all warm. They were both being ruled by desires but their mind had chained them with the shackles of morale that he didn''t dare to breach and neither did she.


    But somehow he dared to move a bit closer. His lips gently touching hers like the wind touches a flower, ever so delicately. It was a very gentle touch thatsted just for a split of a second, like one moment it was there and the next it was not, but she felt it. Each and every part of her body felt it. The sensation rippled through every inch of her skin and she instantly closed her eyes and her lips parted, gasping for air.


    He opened his eyes and saw her closing her own and gasping for air. He brushed his thumb on her cheek and spoke in a soft tone,


    "Open your eyes Akira".


    She heard his voice and like amand from the Zedi, she opened her eyes and looked into his.


    "Tell me that you don''t love me. Look me in the eye and tell me that you don''t love me. Tell me that it was just a fling for you. Just tell me once and our paths will never cross again", he said and leaned onto her again.


    His hands moved from her cheeks and rested on the crevices of her neck. His fingers ran all restless on her bare skin and then he whispered,


    "Tell me Akira, do you love me or not?".


    All her shields were rendered waste. She stood there all defenseless and saw his ascension over her. There was no way in which she could lie to him. Feeling all helpless she said softly,


    "I can''t. I can''t say anything right now. I just can''t".


    He could feel his hand getting moist with her tears again. Her tears tore his heart into pieces that probably he could never gather and put in ce. No matter how much he tried to bear, he simply couldn''t.


    He released her from his embrace and took a step back.


    His heart had been turned into mulch by her. But he was ready to be strewn on the path for her to walk over, such was his love for her. He gasped for air and then said,


    "Then it''s a goodbye, Miss Akira".


    His Goodbye echoed inside her ears, her head and in her heart like he was wishing her for thest time like he was going to drift away the next moment.


    Till now she wanted to detach herself, but the moment she heard him detach, her foundation was shaken. She looked up at him and saw a teardrop that started its destination from his eyes and slowly traversed his cheeks but before it could travel any further he wiped it away and turned his back towards her.


    She saw him turn away and felt like she had lost him forever. The pain was insurmountable and unmeasurable. She wanted to say so many things but words just fell short. She wanted to leave as this was the golden window of opportunity to leave him for good but she couldn''t dare to move an inch. She forgot everything that she cared about, the baby, the contract, Scarlett or Anthony, she couldn''t remember any of them. All that she could feel at that moment was the hurt, for he had turned himself away.


    When she couldn''t take it anymore she mustered up her courage and said,


    "Raymond I... "


    He turned back and saw her brows twitched up. He knew she was in pain, struggling to get those words out. He knew she loved him and only him but he wanted to hear her say it out loud because with everything that was going on he wasn''t sure anymore about anything in his life. He knew he had to let her be dictated by the people whom he loathed to be able to get to the root of the situation, but before that he needed to hear that assurance from her. In the world where everything was turning against him, she was the only ray of hope that he had and he couldn''t just stand her vanishing into the dark. He needed her to lighten his heart before she did vanish into the dark clouds.


    But she struggled standing up there unable to speak any further, torn inside by her morale which was forbidding her to say what she wanted.


    But he couldn''t take it any further and marched towards her with an urgency that was visible in his pace.


    "If you can''t say it then fine, show me", Raymond said inching closer.


    Unable to understand she looked into his eyes, with questions swirling in her eyes.


    "Kiss me back", he said and embraced her in one swift move. His right arm enveloped her waist and he pulled her close.


    "If you love me then kiss me back", he said again and before she could understand he had already leaned in and was kissing her lips. This time his kisses weren''t soft and gentle. They were very demanding and hungry like he wanted to devour her right there at that instant.


    His hand which was resting on her back slowly moved a bit down and his other hand yed with her neck. It was intense, it was passionate, it was emotional. He unnerved her with every single kiss of his and finally, she caved in and kissed him back. The moment she moved her lips and invited his lips to take her down, he halted for a second and detached his lips. A smile curled on his face while she twitched.


    "You can only dare to love me and no one else",


    He said and went back to kissing her. But this time he was needy but gentle. She closed her eyes and got lost in his arms for her body knew nomand other than his.

 Chapter 138: Remember that !!! Remember me !!!

    <h4>138 Remember that !!! Remember me !!!</h4>


    All that she could feel was his touch and everything else ceased to matter for her.


    When she couldn''t take it anymore she bent her head down and detached herself, gasping and panting for air. But he was merciless. His started exploring every possible nook and corner of her face, her neck, and even her ears weren''t spared. He showered her with the touch of his soft and wet lips and rendered her all defenseless.


    She moaned helplessly with every touch of his and when she couldn''t take it anymore, she tugged the cor of his shirt and said,


    "Raymond stop !!! Please !!!"


    But he was not ready to listen to anything.


    He moved her hair to one side and kissed under her ear. She shivered and held him even tighter. He then took her hands which were still tugging his cor and lifted them and wrapped around his neck. She didn''t resist. Probably she couldn''t resist even if she wanted to.


    Seeing her floating in his love, he was more than pleased. He went back to her ears and rested his nose there and whispered,


    "Now tell me you love me".


    All that she could do was to nod slightly.


    He smiled with her reaction and then leaned a bit further and kissed her ear gingerly. She moaned and whimpered and clutched him tighter.


    Encouraged by the way her body responded, his hands started traversing everywhere on her body, touching her at forbidden ces and she started to shiver and wither like it was autumn. He was on the verge of exploding himself, so he paused. Paused because he still respected her boundaries.


    He retracted his hands and rested them on her waist and then he softly bit her earlobe and said,


    "See ??? How much you want to be with me?"


    "But Raymond, I ..." and her voice trailed off as he silenced her lips again with a small peck.


    "I don''t want to hear anything", he said and rested his forehead on hers for a moment like he wanted to draw away all the negativity around her and absorb it.


    Then he sighed and took out something from his pocket in his hands and transferred it into her hands.


    "What is this?", Akira asked in surprise.


    "It''s my mom''s pendant", Raymond said softly looking into her surprised eyes.


    "I can''t take this", she said and kept it back in his hands.


    "Akira, I promise to support you in every decision that you take for yourself. If you want to work in Vikram''spany then go ahead, work there. I will never object. You want to explore your life, then go ahead and do that. I have no issues with it. I am just happy to know that whatever we had between us wasn''t fake. That''s more than enough for me. I can just live with those happy memories. So please just ept this. This is just onest favor that I want from you", Raymond said and looked deep into her eyes like he was trying to search in the unknown.


    "Um... It''s quite expensive", she said.


    "If I cannot be with you, then at least let it be with you Akira. I will feel like I am there with you. Can''t you at least give me that?", Raymond asked but his tone sounded all defeated like he had lost all his battles.


    Then she nodded and turned back for him so that he could put it himself.


    She grabbed all her hair and lifted it up with one hand so that he could put on the pendant easily.


    The moment she bared her neck like that, his throat went all dry. The tattoo at her back invited him, her bare smooth skin invited him, her curves invited him. He sighed and silently took a step ahead ced the heart-shaped pendant around her neck and then fastened it at the back with the hook.


    His hands slowly rested on her shoulder and his thumb grazed on her bare shoulder. With his one light touch, she melted. She leaned back on him and her heart started beating all erratically. Her breath was hitched and she could hear the loudness of her heart beating faster and faster every passing moment.


    He pressed his nose at the nape of her neck and inhaled her. He wanted to capture her smell and keep it with him. The moment his nose touched her skin, she felt a fire rushing through her veins. Her hand which was holding her hair up fell down automatically, freeing her locks which spread themselves on him. His body tingled with the soft touch of her locks. He could smell allvender and that somehow made him both happy and sad in a weird way. He un-buried his head and turned her so that he could see her with that pendant.


    The pendant adorned her lower chest. It gleamed like a beauty on her white smooth skin. He ced his hand on the pendant and looked into her eyes and said,


    "Can you keep wearing it for me, every day?"


    She nodded with her heart beating heavy with his touch.


    He sighed. It was time to let her go.


    "Can I kiss you onest time before you go?", he asked.


    Her emotional wreck self, couldn''t speak or move and she just looked at him.


    He came forward and held her waist with his arms and made her arch her back while he supported her body. He kissed her forehead and then kissed softly on her lips and then stopped. His eyes went down looking at the pendant hanging low on her chest. He paused for a while and looked at her.


    Her eyes were still closed. He thought for a moment but then he moved his head and reached below the pendant and then he nted a soft but wet kiss on the bare skin of her chest. She was startled and opened her eyes with this sudden touch. Her chest rose up for she breathed heavily.


    "Remember that !!!", he said and paused to look into her eyes.


    "Remember me !!!" he said and ran his fingers on her cheek and walked away leaving her just like that.


    She stood there still trying to breathe.


    He reached his cabin and then slumped on his chair.


    Tears started roaring, his heart started roaring but he kept still trying to calm his nerves which had gone rabid. Then he took out his phone and texted.


    "The GPS tracker has been ced. Please check if the microphone is working" - Raymond


    "Yes, it''s working"


    He saw the text and sighed. But then his phone buzzed with another message.


    "I could hear you. Are you ok Ray?" - Katherine


    He saw her reply and then kept the phone back on the table without replying back.


    The pain had started to sear in.

 Chapter 139: Her breath and her beating hear

    <h4>139 Her breath and her beating hear</h4>


    Raymond collected himself from his disturbed state and then he picked up his jacket and asked his driver to get the car to the main gate.


    When he reached the ground floor he saw Akira surrounded by her team-mates, who hade down to wish her before she left. When Simon saw Raymonding down, he said,


    "Ah, Mr. Raymond is here. You are lucky that you got to meet him before you left".


    Akira heard Raymond''s name from Simon and turned back immediately.


    His eyes were bloodshot red and there were only two people who knew why.


    To avoid any scene, she immediately rposed herself and said,


    "Hope to see you soon Mr. Raymond, I will be going now".


    "Do you need a drop?", he asked and paused.


    I couldn''t have lunch with you, at least I can drop you back", he asked very calmly.


    But before Akira could say anything Simon interrupted and teased Akira,


    "Haaaa no need, her boyfriend has already sent a car with a chauffeur for madam".


    Raymond looked towards his right side and indeed a car was parked there with a driver waiting outside.


    "Thank you so much for your kind offer but I am sorry. I already have a ride", Akira said apologetically.


    He took a deep breath and then said,


    "Why are you sorry about it. I am the Maverick Akira, my independent mind doesn''t get bothered with all these petty things."


    Then he smiled at her and said again,


    "Well, then I will get going. But remember one thing, if there is anything that you need, or want to talk about or any help or you are in any problem then you can talk", he said and gently smiled at her and left. His eyes were trying to convey her something but she was unable toprehend.


    She couldn''t understand what he meant. His lines were simple and straight forward and yet so cryptic. She started pondering -


    "What was he trying to tell? Was he saying something when he meant something else because everyone was here?"


    "Did he want to talk with me further?"


    She started feeling all restless seeing his car leave, as if a part of her heart, died instantly at that moment.


    ---


    Vikram had some things to take care of, so he couldn''te to pick up Akira. So after the chauffeur dropped her at her ce, she texted Vikram that she had reached safely and then entered her room. She kept her bag and looked around. Mike wasn''t there at home so she felt even more depressed.


    Her hands itched to call Raymond but then she recollected the terms of the deal and refrained herself.


    She sighed and mumbled,


    "How I wish I could talk with you right now Raymond !!!"


    Then she opened herptop and opened her blog page.


    She saw a newment posted at that instant by @RodeoMaverick.


    "No poems today? All good at your end author? Nothing to talk about today?"


    She replied,


    "My heart just got broken again !!!"


    She started a new page to write something but somehow she couldn''t.


    So she shut down herptop and slumped on the bed and kept staring at the ceiling until she was swept away by the tides of slumber.


    ---


    Raymond came out from the study room at Katherine''s ce and went to the kitchen where she was preparing coffee for both.


    "What happened?", Katherine asked.


    "She has slept off", Raymond said and took off the headset from his ears and took a sip of the coffee.


    "How is she?", Katherine asked.


    "She is broken, but she is trying to stay strong. I need all this to be over as soon as possible. I can''t see her in so much pain every single day", he said and sighed.


    Katherine nodded.


    "So everything sorted for tomorrow?", Raymond asked.


    "Yeah, just wait and watch for my A-ss game tomorrow. I will not let you down. We will get to the root of it Raymond. Whatever it takes !!!", Katherine said and ced her hand on his shoulder tofort him.


    "I can''t see her this way, Kat. If feels so pathetic. She likes me, I like her and we should be together. It''s as simple as that", Raymond said and pinched the space between his eyebrow.


    "I know, I heard it all Ray. You guys make a beautiful couple. I just hope we can tear apart the n of this mastermind who is ying games with us, as soon as possible", Katherine said and then sat on the chair.


    "How are you going to secure your medium ofmunication? Your phone is getting tapped right?", Katherine asked.


    "Peter has arranged for a Private Number for me and I am not sharing it with anyone as of now. Not even with you as it might not be safe. And as for Akira, I do have a different medium to talk with her", Raymond said and sipped on his coffee again.


    "Different medium?", Katherine asked.


    "Yeah, but I don''t know yet if she has figured it out yet or not", he said and moved to the sink to keep his mug and then he came back to Katherine and said,


    "I am taking the device with me", Raymond said and he was about to leave the room when he received a text message.


    He read the text and turned towards Katherine,


    "Time confirmed 10:30 am. You better don''t mess it up", Raymond said and picked up his jacket to leave but then Katherine interrupted him and asked,


    "Will you be ok keeping the device with you? I mean I can listen to it and let you know if anything important is there", Katherine said and came towards Raymond.


    Raymond looked at her and said,


    "My love isn''t so shallow that I will misunderstand her for anything. I know whatever she does or says from now on is only for my sake. So don''t worry, I will be all right", Raymond said.


    "Fine then tell me that you will sleep at night and not keep listening to her beating heart", Katherine asked him sternly.


    "That would be childish", Raymond said and left Katherine''s house.


    The brother that she knew would never take the device away from his heart even for a second, and she knew that very well. She just sighed and waved back at him.


    Raymond got in the car and ced his headset back in position, listening to her silent breaths and her tiny beating heart. Somehow it calmed him, made him feel like she was close by, lying next to him and that strangely itforted him.


    Then his phone buzzed and he saw a text message from David,


    "The blocked video footage from the vi has been retrieved and you won''t believe what has happened. I am sending you the footage clip. Please check" - David


    Raymond opened the attachment and saw the video.


    His fists clenched in anger !!!

 Chapter 140: It was all fake !!! So fake

    <h4>140 It was all fake !!! So fake</h4>


    Raymond immediately called David using his private number and said,


    "Make sure we have multiple copies of this video. We might need it when we will be taking any legal actions".


    "I have taken two backups already. But I would advise you to delete this content from your phone as we never know what they might try to attempt", David said.


    "Ok, I will do that !!!", Raymond said and disconnected the call.


    He opened the video again and yed it at a slower speed and then he deleted it from his phone.


    Then he went to his bed and put the headset back. He listened to the rhythmic sound of her breath and then felt his heart at ease. He sighed and closed his eyes trying to imagine her, but then suddenly he heard her mumbling something.


    He immediately increased the volume and tried to hear what she was saying.


    "I ....love you, Raymond. Umm.....I ... please"


    "Ugghh ... please"


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and murmured,


    "Hang in there !!! Just a few days more. Trust me Akira, trust me !!!"


    There was no way in which he could say these words out loud to her. There was no way in which he couldfort her. He felt so helpless at that moment, that probably he would have torn destiny into pieces if he could.


    ---


    It was around 9:45 am in the morning and Katherine was done with her makeup and fake hair. Once she felt she was ready, she went downstairs. David was waiting for her outside her house, leaning on to his car with her fake medical reports.


    Katherine reached near David who was busy studying the files and gave him a gentle tap on his shoulder.


    "Ummm Yes?", David turned and asked.


    "Umm... I wanted to know if there is any ATM vestibule nearby? I am new to this neighborhood", Katherine asked.


    "Oh yes, there is one just 3 blocks..."


    "Oh God, David!!! It''s me, Katherine, Now I am confident, I am not-recognizable", she said andughed.


    David looked at her in surprise and said,


    "Jesus Christ, you look like a whole another person".


    "I know right !!!", Katherine said and got inside the car.


    Throughout the way, David exined to her about the fake medical reports as she had an appointment with Dr. Brooks. Katherine carefully listened to every single word that David said. She had also been trained by her university friend who was a pediatrician at the same hospital. She was confident that she could do it.


    A couple of minutester.


    "Miss. Monica Be !!! Dr. Brooks will be seeing you now. Please follow me".


    Katherine gave a nod and followed the attendant.


    Once she entered the room, she greeted Dr. Brooks very warmly and sat down. Then with an air of authority, she looked at the attendant and said,


    "Privacy !!!".


    The attendant left the room and while leaving she closed the door.


    Once she left, Dr. Brooks said,


    "So Miss Be. How may I help you?"


    Katherine channeled all the acting prowess that she had within and said,


    "You can know it very well doctor from my looks itself that I am a very popr TV soap actress. So you don''t need to worry about the money part", she said and ced a nk signed cheque in front of her.


    "I do not understand", Dr. Brooks said.


    "There is this guy I need to marry and for that, I need to be Pregnant and I need to look Pregnant. So do whatever you can and help me out with this situation", Katherine said and adjusted her sunsses.


    "Miss Be, I think you are mistaken. How can I help you with this? Only your to be husband can help you with this", she said and smiled.


    "But my friend told me that you can do it", Katherine said with a bit of agitated tone.


    "What friend?", Dr. Brooks eximed.


    "Oh, c''mon doctor. Scarlett Robinson, from the series ''Charlotte and I''. She told me that you had helped her and you could help me too. I am ready to pay any price. But I need this", Katherine said and with her voice almost pleading she handed over her files to Dr. Brooks.


    "Ok Ok fine !!! Don''t start crying. Let me see what I can do", she said and started studying the files.


    A few minutester she sighed and said,


    "So you have a severe case of Polycystic ovarian syndrome. In such cases most of the times it is not possible to have a kid", Dr. Brooks said analyzing the old ultrasound reports.


    "So what do you want?", Dr. Brooks asked.


    "I have tried so many times doctor, but I just can''t get pregnant. But now the situation is that I have to look pregnant. I need to fool my boyfriend into it so that I can marry him. But it needs to be neat and a well-executed n because he is very smart and he shouldn''t get any doubts", Katherine said.


    Dr.Brooksughed and said,


    "We yed a fake ultrasound video for your friend and her fiance couldn''t even figure it out".


    Katherine''s heart just stopped.


    She gulped her spit and asked,


    "So her fiance couldn''t know that it wasn''t a real video?".


    "No chance !!!", Dr. Brooks said and chuckled.


    "That poor chap even got all emotional seeing that video and was almost on the verge of crying. So trust me on the staging part. Your boyfriend will have no clue. I can prescribe you pregnancy hormone inducing tablets and once you start that you can take a pee on the stick test after a couple of days", Dr. Brooks said.


    Katherine was dying inside because she knew that this will kill Raymond. Scarlett had aborted the real baby months ago and that gave him so much pain that he went into a shell. When he will get to know that this time it''s a fake baby, the pain will be unrecoverable.


    "Why Scarlett?? Why did you give false hopes to my brother?", Katherine thought and winced in pain.


    Her thought process was interrupted when Dr. Brooks asked,


    "So from when do you want to start the pregnancy? We need to stop your monthly cycles also ordingly. Just to avoid any doubts", Dr. Brooks said and looked at her.


    "As soon as possible", Katherine replied and then she added,


    "I need everything that you did for Scarlett to be done in my case or even more. This pregnancy must look sessful and real. Do you get it?"


    "Leave all that onto me. We control everything here. You just make sure the money keepsing and stick to what I say. Then no one can know anything. Her fiance tried to run a DNA paternity test behind her back, but we fooled him there too. So trust me, I got your back from all sides", Dr. Brooks smiled and kept the cheque inside her draw.


    Then she started writing about all the medicines on the prescription pad, totally unaware of the fact that this whole time the entire conversation was being recorded via Katherine''s sunsses.

 Chapter 141: That old friend of hers

    <h4>141 That old friend of hers</h4>


    Dr. Brooks wrote a couple of medicines as prescription and then said,


    "Miss Be these are the medicines that you need to start from today. My assistant Anna who is sitting outside will exin to you about the timings and everything".


    "Thank you, Dr. Brooks. I shall take my leave then", Katherine said.


    "But wait for a moment, Miss Be. These test reports are like 7 months old. Let''s do an ultrasound now to see the status of your ovaries", Dr. Brooks said and pointed at the exam bed to her left-hand side.


    "Oh Bollocks !!!", screamed David, who was listening to everything live, outside the hospital and rushed in.


    "Is that really necessary? My dress is quite expensive and this ultrasound gel will ruin it for sure", Katherine said throwing an air of tantrum.


    "Well Miss Be, it is always better to take a second opinion. Let''s get you checked. Maybe we can see if there is any way or any scope using surgery. Shall we?", Dr. Brooks said and got up from her seat.


    Katherine got up very reluctantly from her seat and then lied down on the exam bed.


    Dr. Brooks had already pressed the bell for the attendant toe and she smeared her belly with the cold ultrasound gel. Katherine was getting ufortable with every passing second and was counting her blessings.


    A few secondster there was a loud knock on the door.


    It was David.


    "I am sorry to interrupt doctor but there is an emergency and Miss Be needs to go home immediately", David spoke all panic driven.


    Dr. Brooks heard David and said,


    "That''s ok. Anyways we are done here. I have taken the necessary images", and she smiled at Katherine who looked quite pale.


    As Katherine put her shoes back, Dr. Brooks looked at her ultrasound images and sighed,


    "To be honest, I don''t want to raise your hopes, Miss Be. With such a high level of Polycystic nature of your ovaries, it''s really difficult to have a kid".


    "I know", said Katherine and left the room.


    She saw David waiting outside the room and smiled at him gently.


    "I am sorry, I should havee earlier. Did she suspect anything because of the ultrasound scan? Will she be able to know that the reports were fake?", David asked impatiently as he saw her looking all dejected.


    "No, she won''t", Katherine said and smiled at David and walked towards the exit of the ward.


    David followed behind unable to understand.


    The moment she exited the gynecology department she stopped and said,


    "David I am going to the washroom. Please don''t call or text Raymond anything about this. He won''t be able to take this well."


    David nodded and Katherine went inside the washroom and removed the fake hair, the excess makeup, prosthetic nose, and chin tighteners. She brushed her hair and tried to look uptight but deep down something was eating her up.


    She picked up her bag and came out of the washroom and checked her phone to see if Raymond had pinged anything. While she was walking absent-mindedly with her focus on the phone, she bumped against someone and her phone fell down.


    But before she could even bend to pick it up, someone had already picked it up and handed it over to her,


    "You are still clumsy aren''t you?", he said and smiled at her.


    Katherine looked up and saw Shawn standing in front of her.


    "Shawn Cummins !!! Is that you?", she spoke in surprise.


    "How long has it been !!!", she eximed.


    "Well 4 years to be precise since Nate''s wedding as in face-to-face and 3 hours since ourst call", he said and smiled.


    "Still have that crisp memory of yours huh !!!", Katherine said and teased him.


    "Well people like you can''t be forgotten that easy", he said and smiled.


    "Duh... ", Katherine said and rolled her eyes.


    "By the way do you have the documents ready, which I had asked you for?", Katherine asked.


    "Yup !!! In my cabin. I can give you right now if you want", Shawn asked and looked a bit suspiciously at David, unable to decide if it was safe for him to talk about Dr. Brooks in front of him.


    "Yeah, that would be better and this is David. He is ... He is like family", Katherine said and smiled warmly looking at David.


    "Follow me then", Shawn said and walked ahead.


    As they entered his cabin, he immediately went to his draw and picked out a file and gave it to Katherine and said,


    "This is all the information that I could pull".


    "Thanks a lot, Shawn. I don''t know how indebted I am to you for this help", Katherine said and looked at him with gratitude.


    "Ugghh... it was nothing. Don''t say all that", Shawn said and then turned back to his desk and immediately turned a photo-frame upside down with a swift move.


    "How did your thing go with Dr. Brooks? Was she behind all this?", Shawn asked.


    "Well yeah, pretty much. She fooled us by plugging in some fake ultrasound video and she tampered with the DNA test too. She admitted doing all that herself and I have recorded it", Katherine said.


    "That''s good enough then. I have also pulled out the papers of Scarlett''s abortion procedure and from the pharmacy records, I have also obtained a copy of Dr. Brook''s prescription in which she has asked her to take pregnancy hormones and that''s dated a week back, So with all this, you can easily prove that she is lying", Shawn said and pointed at the page where the pharmacy prescription was.


    "Thank you so much for your help, Shawn. I don''t know what to say. I called you up randomly, without even staying in touch for all these years and still you helped me and took such risks", Katherine said and sighed.


    "Don''t worry Kat, Raymond is like a baby brother for me too. Ask him to stay strong", Shawn said and gave her aforting look.


    "Ok then, I will get going. We have a battle to win", Katherine said and waved at Shawn and left the room with David.


    While they were returning to the car, David asked,


    "So this Shawn guy, he has a thing for you right?"


    "What? C''mon David, what are you saying? We were just friends in college. That''s it. Let''s focus on Scarlett as of now", Katherine said quickened her pace.


    "Well I am not blind Katherine, and don''t tell me that you didn''t see the picture of you both together on his table, although he turned it upside down the very second I nced at it", David said and opened the car door for Katherine.


    "David ?"


    "Yes Katherine"


    "Just because I said you are family, you will now bash me up like my mom is it?", Katherine said and shut the car door.


    "No way !!!", David eximed all of a sudden after looking at his phone.


    "What happened?", Katherine asked in surprise.


    "The surveince data of the vi, in which Scarlett is staying has been destroyed. All the disks have been wiped clean", David said looking all worried.

 Chapter 142: He already had a hunch

    <h4>142 He already had a hunch</h4>


    "What?", Katherine eximed in surprise.


    "Why would anyone delete all the surveince data? Is there anything weird going on there?", Katherine asked David.


    "Well I had found something, maybe you should see this", David said and showed the same surveince video that he had sent to Raymond.


    Katherine saw the video and her eyes were wide open.


    "Does my Ray know about it?", she asked after taking a pause.


    "Yes, he does. Yesterdayte night itself I had sent it to him", David said.


    "But my concern is why would they wipe the data clean. Either there was something that we missed, or they didn''t want us to see this", David said with a worried look on his face.


    "Let''s go to his ce asap", Katherine said and then fastened her seat-belt.


    While David drove to Raymond''s ce, Katherine plugged in a C-type cable to the joint of her sunsses and started copying the recorded content. She uploaded a copy of it on her Google Drive and then sent a copy to David as well, as a backup.


    She wasn''t sure how her brother would react to the fake baby news. He was already going through so much pain and this could be a fatal blow to him, so when she entered his house, she tried to gauge his mood.


    He looked like he had a sleepless rough night which she was already expecting him to have.


    "Are you ok?", Katherine asked upon seeing her brother.


    "How did it go? Why you guys were not picking up my calls? Could you find anything?", Raymond asked impatiently.


    Katherine looked at David all worried and then went and sat next to Raymond.


    "You need to see this, but promise me that you will not go back to your shell after seeing this", Katherine requested him as she selected the file to be yed on her phone.


    "She didn''t have her dinner yesterday".


    "What? Who?", Katherine asked in surprise after hearing Raymond speak.


    "She hasn''t eaten her breakfast too. My Akira is still sulking in her room because of this hypothetical kid of mine".


    Raymond said and sighed and then spoke again,


    "So you better y this video ASAP".


    "How do you know that the kid is hypothetical?", Katherine asked with her eyes wide open in surprise.


    Raymond didn''t even reply and just yed the video.


    There was utter silence in the room. The only voice that echoed in the room was of Dr. Brooks who was boasting about the fake ultrasound video.


    The video ended and Raymond was sitting there in silence, looking at the phone screen which had gone nk.


    "Ray, say something !!! See whatever happened, happened for good right. Maybe destiny has something better in store for you? Maybe you are destined to have a kid with Akira. So it''s ok if this didn''t work out. I know you loved the baby more than anything else in the world but you have to look at the bright side Ray. Talk to me Ray, talk to me", Katherine said and kept tugging onto his arm and was worried to death to see his brother suddenly devoid of any emotions.


    Raymond took a deep breath and then said,


    "I knew it, Katherine. I knew that there was no baby. I had a hunch but I needed concrete proof for it and this is the gold mine that I needed. I don''t know how I can thank you for going through all the trouble", Raymond said and looked at Katherine with warm eyes.


    "I do not understand what is going on here. Did you text him about it already David?", Katherine asked looking at David.


    "David didn''t tell me. I had a gut feeling about it. Remember the night when I had asked Scarlett to move to the vi? When I had entered the kitchen I saw that there was a coffee mug in the sink. And it was not the first time I had seen her taking coffee aftering back. Earlier when she was pregnant for real, she used to avoid coffee as it is not good for baby''s health. Plus when I had gone into her room, I saw a used strip of gonadotrophin in the dustbin. So I just had a hunch", Raymond said and leaned back on the sofa.


    "They why didn''t you expose her then?", Katherine asked.


    "Because I needed concrete proof and this, that you have given me is concrete proof. Plus I couldn''t expose her without finding out who was behind all this, because just then I had information about the massive bank transaction into her ount", Raymond said and justified his actions.


    "By the way, Shawn has given me additional proof of the abortion and the gonadotrophin prescription given by Dr. Brooks", Katherine said and handed over the file to Raymond. Then she nced at Raymond once again.


    "Well haven''t you be smarter !!!", she said and smiled and then got up from her seat.


    "I will go back to my clinic then. You guys carry on", Katherine said and left.


    Then Raymond looked at David, who still bore a worried expression on his face,


    "David I am totally fine. I always had a hunch about this. No need to worry. It''s not going to affect me", Raymond said and tried to ease him out.


    "I am now not worried about you. I am worried about Miss Katherine", David said and came forward.


    "Dr. Brooks did an ultrasound on Miss Katherine. I tried toe as fast as I could to interrupt, but she had already started at that time. I am pretty sure Dr. Brooks would know that we were lying and maybe she will inform the other party about it. So I am worried for her safety", David said.


    Raymond heard him and still stayed calm.


    "Did you even hear what I said, Mr. Raymond?", David asked all surprised.


    "Don''t worry Dr. Brooks can''t find a thing", Raymond said and crossed his legs on the sofa calmly.


    David''s furrows deepened when he heard Raymond.


    "Katherine has a severe case of Polycystic ovaries and that''s why I had requested her to help us in gathering proof against Dr. Brooks. So don''t worry, she can''t find a thing or doubt on us because of the ultrasound", Raymond said with a straight calm face.


    David was shocked to hear it. Now he understood the real reason why Katherine looked all pale when she came out of Dr. Brooks cabin.


    He paused for a while and then he asked,


    "Is that the reason why Trent divorced her?", David asked.


    Raymond sighed and said,


    "Yes".


    "Then what about Kate?", David asked.


    Raymond looked up at David and sighed. He paused for a while and then said,


    "She is adopted !!!"

 Chapter 143: The rotten egg !!!

    <h4>143 The rotten egg !!!</h4>


    David''s mouth was still open in shock. It took him time to digest it all.


    He couldn''t speak anything for a couple of minutes.


    Raymond saw him in a dazed state and said,


    "Kate doesn''t know about it and we would like to keep it that way"


    "I get that", David said and then took a couple of steps ahead.


    "Actually there is something else that you should know. All the surveince data at Scarlett''s ce has been tampered with. I am not sure how but it looks like a well nned cyber attack. Either we have missed on some important or they just want to erase any traces", David said and showed the link to the surveince data which had been swiped clean using his tab.


    "Let it be, at least we now know that Scarlett and Anthony are in this together, thanks to timely retrieval of the video by you. I just want to know who is the mastermind who is running these two. If only we can unlock that IP source", Raymond said and sighed and then slumped back on his sofa.


    ---


    As he couldn''te and meet her the day before, Vikram came to Akira''s ce the next day morning. He knew that she would be in a bad mood given that she had to leave the man she loved the most and parcel him on a tter to Scarlett, so he got along with him all the things that she liked, red velvet cupcakes, a baby''s breath bouquet, and assorted choctes.


    "Hey !!! Are you ok?", Vikram asked


    "Mmmm... ", Akira replied and went back to the sofa and covered herself with a rug. She looked like she had been sick for weeks.


    "What have you done with yourself Akira? Why are you acting like it is the end of the world?", Vikram said and pulled the rug out.


    "Come get up. Look what I have got for you? Your favorite flowers, cupcakes and choctes", Vikram said and gave her the flowers first.


    She looked at the flowers and kept staring at them. Then she hugged Vikram and said,


    "Why am I the unlucky one always Vikram. Why?".


    Tears started rolling down her cheeks but the pain started searing in his chest. He couldn''t bear to see her crying for some other man, but he knew that she needed his support the most at this time, so he stayed still and let her cry. He kept patting her back till her sobs melted down.


    But on the other end of the line,


    Someone was hearing her soft sobs and with every single sob of hers, a part of him just died. So he got up and typed something on hisptop and then closed the p. He rested his head on theptop and continued to listen to her.


    "Enough Akira. You are going to get sick if you are going to cry this much. I thought of you as a woman of strength and character but here you are wailing like amb. I do not like this version of you", Vikram said and wiped her tears.


    "Be strong and feel good about your decision. Now dust yourself and think about your career and Mike. There are so many things that you need to focus on right now. You have a new job that you need to start from tomorrow and we have this G nighting up next Sunday and you don''t even have shoes to go with your dress. So today evening I will pick you up at 6 o''clock and we will go shopping first and then have food", Vikram said and lifted her chin up and asked again,


    "Ok?"


    Akira nodded her head.


    Vikram ruffled her hair and said,


    "Will you then go and freshen up. We have yummy cupcakes for breakfast", Vikram said and pushed her up from the sofa and made her go to the washroom.


    A part of Raymond was happy to hear that Vikram was there to take care of her, but a part of him was jealous because she was his girl and it was paramount to him that it was he who took care of her and not some third person. He sighed and then removed his headset and went to the washroom to take a cold water bath to get his head sorted.


    Akira came out after taking a shower and joined Vikram in the kitchen who had already made scrambled eggs and coffee for her.


    She smiled looking at him and asked him,


    "Looks like you are prepping well for marriage".


    "What marriage?", Vikram asked looking at her.


    "Nothing", Akira said and smiled and drank her coffee.


    Vikram started checking his phone for office emails, so Akira also got herptop and opened it to check her blog post. Although she hadn''t posted anything she was just curious to see if RodeoMaverick had posted anything after she had replied yesterday.


    And then she saw that there was a message which had been uploaded just 30 minutes back.


    "Well I cannot do anything to mend your broken heart but just know one thing - No matter how hard you try to run from your own heart, you just can''t get ahead of it. So listen to your heart. You are feeling broken right now but maybe someone else is devastated. Maybe he had flowers to give you, but you threw them into mulch. Maybe he wanted to pamper your sweet-tooth with choctes, but you gave him nothing but bitterness. Just maybe?


    So did he break your heart or did you break your own and shattered his?"


    @RodeoMaverik


    She was stunned to see the message. It was so cryptic. She was vaguely connecting the dots but her heart wasn''t able to ept the fact that even remotely there was a chance that it was from Raymond.


    "It cannot be!!!", she said and jerked her head.


    "What cannot be?", Vikram asked and shifted his attention from his phone to her.


    "Ugghh nothing", Akira replied and then shut down herptop.


    Just then Vikram received a message on his phone and his expressions suddenly changed. He got up and said,


    "I need to attend to something. Will drop by in the evening ok? Don''t sulk again", he said and kissed softly on her forehead and left.


    Akira opened herptop and read the message on her blog again and again. She wasn''t ready to ept that it was from some random stranger.


    ---


    David had asked his trusted people to keep a tab on Scarlett after the surveince had been wiped clean. So when she was on move, the head in-charge Pollock immediately informed David about it.


    "She is going towards Golden Avenue road", Pollock reported.


    "Follow her discreetly", David said.


    "She has entered a cafe but looks like someone has put the shutter down after she entered. We cannot get in", Pollock said.


    "Is there any other car around? Get me the number te", David asked.


    "Yeah, there is only one car in the street just outside the cafe. It''s an AUDI RS7 with a te number - BGY -3883", Pollock said and tried looking everywhere to see if any other car was parked.


    In the meantime, David made some calls and requested ess to the DMV database. Once he had the hotlink, he immediately ran the number to find out the owner''s name in the database.


    The next second he saw the result hit on his screen.


    His eyes opened wide in shock


    All that he could do was to scream,


    "FUCK !!!"

 Chapter 144: Her was broken, his was shattered

    <h4>144 Her was broken, his was shattered</h4>


    "Fuck Fuck Fuck !!!"


    "No way !!!"


    Screamed David after finding out that the car belonged to Vikram Shah.


    "Vikram Shah"


    "How could he?", David still couldn''t believe that Vikram was behind all this.


    He sank in the chair and tried to get a hold of himself.


    He started connecting the dots and suddenly it all started making sense to him.


    "Only an influential person like Vikram could get Anthony out on bail and hide his footprints".


    "Only he could transfer such a huge amount of money into Scarlett''s ount".


    "Only he could have the reach to hire people who can wipe out surveince tapes and hack into Raymond''s phone".


    "Oh, God !!!"


    He felt like his head was about to burst.


    He immediately took his phone and dialed up Raymond''s number. This couldn''t wait.


    "Hello".


    "Hello, Mr. Raymond. I think I have figured out the mastermind behind all this", David said.


    "What? Who is he?", asked Raymond in surprise.


    "It''s Vikram".


    "What? No way !!!", Raymond almost screamed in disbelief.


    "Yes, it is like that Mr. Raymond. My men followed Scarlett to a cafe shop, but before they could enter, the owner closed the shop, but luckily there was only one car outside the shop and there are no marks for guessing whose car it was?", David said and exined the whole scenario to Raymond.


    Raymond took a deep breath and tried to reflect.


    "But why will he do such a thing? I mean why will he be after my life and Akira''s?", no matter how bad he wanted to understand, he just couldn''t.


    "Well if I am not wrong then Mr. Shah definitely is after you maybe because of the feeling he has harbored in his heart for Akira, he is doing all this to separate you guys out?", David suggested.


    "It cannot be. They are family friends since childhood days. I guess he will never do anything to hurt her. He is quite possessive about her and cares a lot about her", Raymond retorted back.


    "Precisely my point Mr. Raymond", David reflected Raymond''s points back at him.


    Raymond thought for a while and then said,


    "Get your men back immediately. If he has that sort of a reach, then definitely there will be his men around that ce. I don''t want him to suspect that we know", Raymonds said and started thinking.


    "And then what? Do we do nothing? We let him loose like that?", David asked in surprise.


    "Nothing will be the end of what I am going to do next with him. If he has tried to ruin my life, then I am going to ruin his, right under his nose", Raymond said and his fists got clenched in anger and the rage within him started spreading inside his body like fire.


    "Come to my office, I have a n in mind", Raymond said and was about to keep the call when David interrupted.


    "One more thing!!! What if we anger him and he cuts off the funding to our project?", David asked all concerned.


    "Don''t worry, we won''t be the ones to anger him", Raymond said and a smile crept on his face, as in his head, he had already staged the mastern.


    "So how are we going to reveal his face?", David asked all eagerly.


    "We need an insider who can get us actual proof of the whole thing. So first maybe we can check with the agency which provides housekeeping service at his ce and then ce a mole inside, who can be our eyes and ears", Raymond said and mentally started charting out the n.


    "That can be worked out", David said and immediately started searching on hisptop.


    "I got it. Leave that to me", David said.


    "Fine then, I will get going. I need to set-up the reverse n", Raymonds said.


    "Reverse n?", asked David


    "Yeah, they used my baby as my weak point, and now I am going to use it as my strongest point", Raymond said and then disconnected the call.


    Now it was his turn to run his pawns. It was time that he safeguarded his queen rather than making her taking the bullets. He knew that Akira trusted Vikram more than anyone else in the world, so he needed more concrete proof and time to be able to make her understand. But more than that he was worried about how she would take it? After all, he was his best friend.


    He went back to his seat and ced the headset on, to have an idea of what she was doing. He could hear the sound of her fingers tapping onto the keys of aptop. Anxiously he opened her blog page after mirroring his IP ess.


    She was online and had just posted a reply,


    "How can you be so sure, that I shattered his heart?" - @Akira


    Raymond thought for a moment and then replied back,


    "Maybe that''s because you are hurting more not because you are hurt, you are hurting because you have hurt him" - @RodeoMaverick


    He heard her sigh after reading his message and then there was an acute silence.


    A few secondster, he heard her typing again.


    "But what if, I broke his heart so that someone else could put it back together?" - @Akira


    "How are you sure that he wants his heart mended by someone else?" - @RodeoMaverick


    "Looks like you have experience in mending a lot of hearts" - @Akira


    "No, I don''t. I just want to mend that one heart which has shattered mine" - @RodeoMaverick


    Akira read that message and kept staring at the screen for quite some time. She didn''t know who was this person, but somehow his words always soothed her. And she always had a weird feeling about him, like he was always there, omnipresent around her.


    She mumbled,


    "Who are you?"


    "Why do I feel that it''s you? I am going crazy out here. What have you done with me, Raymond?"


    He heard her mumble and smiled.


    "Are you thinking about him?" @RodeoMaverick


    "No way", Akira screamed after reading his reply.


    Then she replied back.


    "Whose heart it is that you want to mend? Who broke your heart?" - @Akira


    "Someone very special and very close to my heart. But I guess she probably has no idea how much I love her. Probably she doesn''t even know that no matter how much she tries to pull herself away from me, I will pull her back ten times stronger. Probably she doesn''t even know that I know her heart better than she does" - @RodeoMaverick


    Akira read the message and her own heart started beating fast. Like she had just read a confession. She tugged onto the pendant that Raymond had given her and looked at it for some time and then she whispered into it.


    "Can you mend my broken heart?"

 Chapter 145: @RodeoMaverick

    <h4>145 @RodeoMaverick</h4>


    She held onto the pendant and whispered,


    "Can you mend my broken heart?"


    Her eyes were glued on to herptop screen, hoping against hope for an answer. She just needed one affirmation, an indication that he was there, one hint that he could hear her out although deep down she thought it was insane on her part to even harbor such wishful thinking.


    A few seconds went by, but there was no reply.


    She sighed and shook her head out of disappointment assuming her thoughts to be unrealistic and pathetic to some extent.


    But he had heard her.


    He had heard every bit of what she had whispered.


    But he was at a loss, unable to phrase what he wanted to tell her. He wanted to just open his heart and tell her that there was no need to be in this pain, there was no need to hide behind those shields, for the battle that they were trying to fight was non-existent in the first ce.


    How badly he wanted to tell her that it was all well nned doing of Vikram, but there was a lot at stake. Hispany, his people, her safety and above all her trust. He didn''t want to jeopardize anything because he was confident that he could unfold his cards when the time was right. And right now was the time to just wait and watch the tricks yed by the mastermind and to track his moves. He didn''t want Vikram to have any clue that he was a step ahead of him, so he couldn''t risk telling her anything directly.


    Everything was being monitored by Vikram, from phone calls to email. So this blog was the only medium via which he could talk with her. So after much contemtion, he wrote,


    "Trust your stars for one day they will shine.


    Fear not for I will tear away the fake masks,


    And make you all mine.


    This is something that I have written for my thesis. How does it sound?" @RodeoMaverick


    Her heart was filled with remorse when she didn''t get an instant answer from him, but seeing the reply her eyes gleamed with happiness and she replied back instantly.


    "So tell me should Ie out,


    or shall I keep hiding behind,


    Just tell me and clear my doubt" @Akira


    Raymond read her message and muttered,


    "That''s my girl !!!"


    A smile spread on his face, knowing the fact that she understood that she had toy low. She was smart enough tomunicate via poem lines instead of direct messages.


    "Just bear some-more for my sake,


    I promise I will bring justice,


    trust me for my words are never fake" @RodeoMaverick


    She felt like her heart was healed. It was him, it was always him.


    She didn''t want to text anymore, she wanted to hear his voice.


    She didn''t want to call him, she just wanted to meet him and ask him all those questions buried in her heart. But she didn''t know where to start.


    She held on to the pendant and said,


    "Can you hear me? Um... All this feels really weird, but I guess you are trying to hide something. I don''t know what, and I don''t understand what is going on, but just tell me that you love me. Just give me a hint, just something", she said and sighed.


    He heard her say those words and his heart was filled with immeasurable warmth. It enveloped him like a warm nket making him feel allforted and secure.


    "Have you read the book Like the flowing river? If not then read page number one hundred forty-three. That''s my favorite. That''s all, I will log out now" @RodeoMaverick


    Akira read his answer and got shocked. That was the book which she was reading for thest couple of days.


    "Probably he saw that book, that night in my room", she thought and flipped for page 143. But then she couldn''t find any hint on it. Then she stopped flipping and thought.


    Page 1 --- 4 --- 3


    I LOVE YOU


    Her face flushed red like he was there in front of her, saying those words.


    She couldn''t believe that it was happening for real.


    She braced her heart and her torrid breath andposed herself and then lifted her pendant a bit up and said,


    "I love you too Raymond"


    Then she hesitated for a second but then took the pendant and pressed it on her lips, giving a soft kiss.


    Her face turned all shades red like she had kissed him for real, but her feelings were true and he felt it. He felt it all and her tiny little kiss ran under his skin like fire, igniting his heart, his mind which had almost lost their desire to live.


    Finally, she felt alive.


    Finally, he felt alive.


    Then she thought of something and screamed,


    "Wait don''t go, wait !!! I am going out for shopping in the evening"


    ---


    Around 6 pm Vikram arrived at Akira''s ce to pick her up as promised.


    "Hey"


    "Hey !!! You look fantastic !!! So not like the Akira I met today morning. What happened? Don''t tell me you had Kombucha?", Vikram asked in surprise.


    "Well NOTEBOOK happened", Akira said and shrugged her shoulder.


    "Oh, God !!! You watched it again", he said and sighed.


    He opened the car door for her.


    She looked really pretty in her short peach dress, which he really liked on her. Her lips looked really kissable with that gloss game going on. He nced at her again and sighed.


    "Where are we going?", Akira asked.


    "Avenue mall first and if you don''t like anything there then we will go to Emporio", Vikram said and started the car.


    "So we are going to Avenue mall first?", Akira asked.


    "Yeah !!! That''s what I just said Akira". Vikram said and looked at her in surprise.


    "Aah, I was just confirming", Akira said and smiled inside her heart.


    She was hoping for someone to listen.


    She was hoping for someone toe and meet her, even just for a second.


    As they entered the mall, Akira pulled Vikram''s hand and dragged him towards the left side.


    "What what what? Where are we going?'', Asked Vikram in surprise.


    "There is ALDO store in this section. I want to check there first", Akira said and pointed her finger in that direction.


    She tried a couple of shoes there and then she looked at Vikram and said,


    "I need to run to the washroom. These are the ones I have selected. Don''t let anyonee and try them ok", she said and left.


    Vikramughed at her stupidity and then started checking his emails on phone.


    Akira rushed towards the washroom side and stood outside the men''s room.


    A couple of seconds passed but there was no sign of him


    She started getting all fidgety and whispered,


    "Are you here? Where are you?"


    "Can you hear me?"


    Suddenly the door of fire exit opened and her waist was wrapped from behind firmly and then with one swift move she was lifted and taken through the open door.


    The fire exit door closed behind her with a thud.

 Chapter 146: That short peach dress

    <h4>146 That short peach dress</h4>


    As she was lifted in his embrace, she knew it was him. The way he smelled, the way his arms were curled around her waist and the way her heart leaped with his touch, gave a non-subtle hint of his austere presence.


    She closed her eyes for a second just to make sure that she wasn''t hallucinating and when she opened her eyes, she saw his chiseled face just inches away from hers. His sharp nose, his well-defined jawline, his muddled breath on her face and his eyes burning with passion, was all that her heart desired for. As he made her lean against the wall and released her from his captivity, she could do nothing but count her blessings.


    "Hey", he said with his raspy voice that drowned herpletely.


    She just looked into his eyes and smiled, like she had found some treasure.


    "I don''t have much time", she said.


    "I know, I don''t need much", he said and softly brushed her cheeks with his fingers.


    She tugged onto her pendant and asked,


    "So you know?"


    He kept his gaze constant and just slightly nodded.


    "You know about the contract with Scarlett too?", she asked with a fifty percent hope that he did.


    He nodded again and kept ying with his fingers.


    "Then why didn''t you stop me?", she asked with a hint of contempt in her tone.


    "Because someone is keeping a tab on us. All our phones are being monitored. I couldn''t risk anything. Everything has to go the way it is going on. You cannot tell anything about this even to Mike or Vikram. I don''t want them to be involved in any of this", he said and held her hand which was fiddling with the pendant.


    She nodded.


    "There is a GPS tracker inbuilt in this so that I can keep you safe", saying that he removed the pendant which she was clutching in her hands.


    "Just trust me and bear with everything for a couple of days, I promise you everything will be all right", he said and ced a soft kiss on her hands which he was holding.


    She smiled through the corner of her eyes and said,


    "I trust you. Probably more than I trust myself".


    "I missed you", he said and cupped her cheeks but then he heard some voices of maintenance people who were walking up from the second-floor fire exit. He immediately retracted his hand from her face and leaned on the wall next to her.


    She giggled slightly and he was amused.


    "Your dress is too short", he said raising his eyebrows.


    "I know", she said and smiled coyly.


    "Then I guess you know that it''s very tempting to the human eyes. Why would you wear it to a public ce like this?", he asked.


    "I wore it for you", she said and blushed and started staring at the floor.


    "Agggghhhh", he slowly grumbled and closed his eyes.


    "What", she asked looking at him.


    "It''s too tempting for me", he said and sighed again.


    "Well, then I am d to hear that", she said and made a mocking face.


    "Really???", he said and turned towards her side and before she could know, his slender long fingers were all over her skin, running from her knees and up towards her thighs.


    She shuddered with his touch and her breath became all heavy. Completely disarmed by his sudden touch, she looked at him with paned in her eyes.


    But he kept running his fingers unabashedly higher and higher till he reached the hemline of her dress. The tingling sensations heightened and when it turned into pleasure, she had no idea. She closed her eyes and gasped for air, but when she couldn''t take it anymore. She turned towards him and tugged on his shirt helplessly.


    "Make it stop !!!"


    She said and leaned forward to rest herself on his broad and firm chest like it was her safety nest.


    He obeyed and his fingers left the arena.


    She continued leaning onto him and slowly as she could get her breath back she closed her eyes and lifted her arms to embrace him.


    He wrapped his arms in return around the bundle of joy, holding her tight like she was his tomorrow for today and the day after. He traced every possible space on her back with his fingers and she twitched and trembled with every single move, but he didn''t let her go.


    He buried his head into her depths and slowly kissed her ear and then her neck. His kisses were soft like the touch of a feather but they stirred mountains of emotions inside her, strumming each and every single sensation that her nerves were capable of feeling.


    It had been just a day, but it felt like they were separated for ages.


    She then stood on the tip of her toes and brought her lips close to his ears and said,


    "I missed you a lot".


    "I know"


    "You missed me even in your dreams", he said and held her tighter.


    "I am sorry for everything, but you must know I did everything for you. I can''t see you hurt. I will do everything to keep your baby safe", she said and buried her nose on his chest.


    His heart wanted to tell her everything, but he knew that it was not the right time and neither the right ce. So he wrapped his thoughts and pushed them back and just said,


    "I know".


    They didn''t need to say much or exin much to each other. That was the beauty of their rtionship.


    She heard him and her heart was back to a ce called Normal. She could feel that she was at ease knowing that he knew everything.


    She stayed in his arms a bit more and then said,


    "I think I should go. No one takes this much time to pee".


    She said and looked into his eyes, but before she left she wanted to just steal a kiss. Just one kiss.


    She looked around and then said,


    "Umm.. Do you ..."


    Before she could finish, his one hand was cupping the base of her neck and with the other, around her waist, he had already pulled her close and then he dusted the gap between their lips. His kiss was soft and tender. He wanted so bad to deepen the kiss and to be lost in hers, but he detached himself quickly and then wiped her lips with his thumb.


    She was displeased. She wanted more. So when he detached his lips, she opened her eyes looking at him with darting questions.


    Heughed seeing the look on her face and then pointed towards the security camera and said with a smug smile spread on his face,


    "You don''t want the security guys to see some porn, or do you?"

 Chapter 147: Blunt and Brazen him

    <h4>147 Blunt and Brazen him</h4>


    She blushed hard.


    Unable to meet his eyes she looked down. That tiny heart of hers, couldn''t help but curse his blunt and brazen words but a part of her liked it too. She liked his rawness, she liked the way he unnerved her and tapped the wild side of hers which she never knew that it existed within her inplete symbiosis.


    She saw a dangerously smug smile spread on his face as he looked at her like she was his candy.


    "Why would I want that?", she said and stomped on his feet and moved towards the exit door.


    "Ouch!!!", he winced.


    "Hey, hey !! Who said that you can go just like that after tormenting me", saying that he pulled her hand back and halted her march.


    "When did I torment you?", she asked and fluttered her eyes deliberately.


    He rested his elbow on the wall, just above her head and ced his hand on her belly and then slightly clenching his fist and tugging onto her clothes, he pushed her back onto the wall again and said with a husky voice,


    "When can I see you again?"


    She smiled seeing him eager and desperate for her because her inner goddess wanted him to want nothing but her.


    "For seeing me again, you need to let me go in the first ce", she said and lightly poked his nose with her finger and smiled lightly.


    A beautiful dimple spread on her face and he sighed at the sight of it.


    "God I wish all of this to be over soon", he said and unclenched his fist.


    "Me too", she said and ced both her palms on his chest and pushed him away a bit and said,


    "Now who is tormenting whom?", she said and adjusted her dress.


    "I am going to go now for real. I am staying with him for dinner too", she said and looked into his eyes like she was asking for trouble.


    He looked back into her eyes for a second and then kissed on her forehead and said,


    "Go back now!!! "


    She nodded obediently and went ahead to get the door. But before entering inside she turned back to have a glimpse of him, but he wasn''t there like he had vanished into thin air. She shook her head again and took a deep breath before going back to the shoe store.


    "What took you so long?", Vikram asked seeing her back in the store.


    "Ahh nothing, one girl was sick inside and puking. So just helped her a bit", she said and sat next to him.


    Raymond smiled when he heard herme excuse and started walking towards his car in the basement.


    "Oh, but you look all flushed", Vikram said and then ced the back of his palm on her cheeks and then on her forehead and then spoke with a worried expression,


    "You feel hot".


    "Did he just touch her !!!", Raymond''s hand, which was about to open the car door, just stopped midway. His eyes turned dark and he was gripped with a sudden bout of anger like he was bitten by a rabid dog.


    "Ah, nothing. The air conditioning was poor in the washroom. Maybe that''s why", Akira said and focussed her attention back to her shoes.


    "By the way, I saw a nice new Burmese restaurant on the other side. Can we eat there? I have always wanted to try Burmese cuisine", Akira said and tugged lightly onto his arm.


    "Sure thing !!!", Vikram said and smiled but let''s finalize your shoe first.


    "Chop Chop!!!"


    "Umm, can I have the ck one in size 39 please and the maroon one too?".


    "Do you have something in ck with back support?"


    ---


    Finally, the jaunt of shoe shopping was over.


    She was unusually enthusiastic and was in a pretty good mood. Although Vikram was surprised to see her beaming so much, he was happy because he was having a good time with her. Seeing her happy made his heart happy.


    "Gosh, so much for just a g dinner night", Akira said as she collected the shoe box from the counter.


    "It''s going to be a special night for me", Vikram said and looked fondly at her.


    "What''s special for you? You must have attended tonnes of events like this. But it''s going to be my first one"


    "But it''s my first one with you", Vikram interrupted.


    "Hey hey hey, don''t put on so much pressure on me. I am already dying just thinking about hundreds of ways in which I might embarrass you", Akira said and pouted.


    "You can never embarrass me, not even if you try to", Vikram said and then inteced his fingers with hers and walked forward.


    As they walked toward''s the restaurant, someone was impatiently calling on the phone.


    "How much more time will you take to reach?", Raymond asked impatiently.


    "Just 10 minutes more and I will be there", David said and disconnected the call.


    Raymond paced in the basement impatiently.,


    Those 10 minutes seemed like 10 hours to him.


    As they were about to enter the restaurant, Vikram stopped and removed his fingers and freed her hand.


    Akira stopped and turned back and asked,


    "What happened?"


    He then removed his jacket and then took the shoebox from her other hand and said,


    "Wear it, I don''t want anyone''s eyes prying on you".


    "Oh c'' mon. You got to be kidding me", Akira said and chuckled.


    "I am serious Akira, you are looking .... well you look nice today", Vikram replied, chewing away half of the words that he actually wanted to say.


    His hands rested now rested on the bo of his car, all clenched. His eyes were bloodshot in rage. He saw David approaching near him in his car and stood upright. David came out of the car immediately and started exining to him about the traffic, but he was not in a mood to listen to anything. He just growled,


    "Ground floor, Burmese restaurant. Follow me"


    David hurriedly followed behind him without uttering a new single word. He had derived already that his boss was pissed.

 Chapter 148: Open the door !!!

    <h4>148 Open the door !!!</h4>


    As they paced towards the elevator, David asked,


    "But why do we want to go when they are there? Won''t they suspect us? I mean it may seem like we came here deliberately following them?"


    Raymond looked coldly at David and said,


    "Then quickly figure out something !!!"


    David sighed and started browsing something on his phone until the elevator doors opened.


    "You are in luck here. The owner of the restaurant is an avid gamer and they have a banner space where they advertise about games and stuff. So that would be one reason for us to stop by", David said and looked at Raymond in anticipation.


    Raymond suddenly halted before entering the restaurant and turned back. He could sense how weirdly demanding he had be and his eyes were suddenly filled with desperation,


    "He is seriously after my girl David. I just thought of him as a friend of hers, but you were right about his motives. But I don''t know how will I tear away his mask. He is strangely close to her. I don''t know how to exin the whole conundrum to you !!!", Raymond said and sighed.


    "Don''t worry we will figure out something on the go", David said and entered the restaurant and Raymond followed.


    David''s eyes scanned the entire restaurant quickly and then he asked the waitress for a seat near the live music area where Vikram and Akira were sitting.


    As the waitress asked them to follow her and they walked behind.


    "Oh, Mr. Shah !!! What a pleasant surprise !!!", David eximed and extended his hand to greet Vikram.


    Vikram turned towards him and saw Raymond behind and suddenly flinched.


    Raymond also extended his hand to greet him and then he looked to his side and saw her girl sitting, wearing someone else''s jacket.


    That sight was sheer pain for him.


    The pain clearly reflected in his eyes as he sighed and that made Vikram extremely happy.


    "What brought you guys here?", Vikram asked all surprised.


    "Actually the owner of this restaurant Mr. Mam is an avid gamer and we havee here with a business proposition for him, as we want to take his advertisement board for promoting our new game", David spoke with an air of ease and confidence and convinced them.


    "I see. Now that you guys are here, why don''t you join us?", Vikram said and signaled the waiter for table arrangements.


    "That''s ok. We do not want to disturb anyone", Raymond said with a tight-lipped mouth and looked away.


    "Oh c'' mon it''s not like Akira and I are out together for the first time that you guys will disturb us and yada yada yada. Please join. My girl won''t mind", Vikram said and then slightly grazed his hand on Akira''s cheek and looked fondly at her.


    "Oh Boy, it''s not going to turn well !!!", screamed David from within. He was now cursing himself for joining this charade for he clearly knew that Raymond would be boiling with rage within. As Vikram was in a kiss and tell mode, he knew that things were going to heat up.


    Akira sat silently like a mock spectator.


    She didn''t want to look at him in the eye for she was scared that if she did, she wouldn''t be able to avert his gaze. As Raymond had already asked her not to involve anyone, she didn''t want Vikram to have a clue that she was back with him.


    "So you are not even going to say a Hi to me?", Raymond asked looking at Akira.


    She was surprised with his question all of a sudden and barely managed to say,


    "Hiii".


    "When are you starting your work at Abacus?", Raymond asked with a nonchnt expression on his face.


    "She is going to start from tomorrow", Vikram said and stretched his arm deliberately and wrapped Akira with it. He wanted the whole thing to be beyond painful for Raymond. He wanted to make him feel that pang of separation and desperation that he felt when he had snatched away Akira from him and I must say, his n was working.


    The dinner continued and stretched painfully for all except Vikram. He was just eternally pleased that he was able to show his territory to Raymond. They continued with business talks, but he made the conversation personal every now and then and no matter how hard Akira tried, she couldn''t steer the conversation to any side.


    So finally when it was over they all sighed in relief.


    It took just a dinner for Raymond to understand how madly Vikram was after his girl. Something had to be done quickly, for he didn''t want his obsession to take an uglier turn than what it was now. He didn''t want his obsession to be the source of traction in his life.


    As they were about to leave, David said,


    "You go ahead Mr. Vikram, we willeter after meeting with the owner".


    "Sure no problem!!! Goodnight guys", Vikram said and then ced his hand behind Akira as he escorted her out.


    He drank a pail of poison at the sight of it.


    The poison cut through his throat and burnt him into ashes.


    He took a deep breath and looked at David and asked,


    "How early can we get our guy inside his house?"


    "Starting from tomorrow !!!", David said and gave him a gentle assuring smile.


    As he walked out of the restaurant, he muttered,


    "I am going to get you Vikram and trust me when I say, I show no mercy"


    A few minutester he sped his car into the darkness of the night.


    ---


    "Thanks for everything Vikram !!!", Akira said as she got down from the car.


    "Don''t think about him Akira. Give yourself time and you will slowly see that your feeling for him will just fade away".


    He mmed his brakes when he heard him say those words and took a sharp U-turn.


    "I know. Thanks for being there for me Vikram", Akira said and went inside the house.


    With a nervous heart, she immediately opened herptop to check if had left any text on her blog. But there was nothing.


    She logged out and logged in again in a desperate search for some indication from him.


    But there was nothing. NADA. ZILCH


    "Can you just talk with me somehow Raymond. Just once before I sleep", she whispered into the pendant and tugged onto it like her life depended on it.


    Then she went into the kitchen and had some water to calm her jittery nerves, but suddenly she heard the pop sound of the notification and ran towards herptop.


    There was a new message.


    "Open the door" @RodeoMaverick

 Chapter 149: It has to be me !!! Only me !!!

    <h4>149 It has to be me !!! Only me !!!</h4>


    She felt like there was a sudden surge of a wild energy in her after seeing that single line of text from Raymond. She was about to rush towards the door and open it, but then she looked at the couch and found her bother sitting there and watching TV and suddenly she was at a loss of ideas as to how to sneak him inside the house.


    She knew what the instant reaction of her over-protective brother would be.


    But her trail of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.


    Before Mike could even get up, Akira jumped in and said,


    "I will get that".


    "Whatever", Mike said and continued watching his TV.


    She opened the door and saw him standing outside. He looked like he had been tormented for centuries in some unknown purgatory. He looked like he had at least thousands of things running in his mind that he wanted to talk about, but before he could even say a single word, she said,


    "No this isn''t the right house. They live two blocks after", saying that she tapped on her locket and went inside immediately.


    He was taken by surprise by her weird behavior but then he quickly wore his headset and turned back.


    "Who was it?", Mike asked.


    "I don''t know. Someone was searching for Ms. Manor''s house andnded here".


    "That''s weird".


    "Um. I am too tired. So going to sleep ok. Need to have a fresh start for my job at the new office tomorrow", Akira said and ruffled her brother''s hair before entering her room.


    "Gahh Akira. Stop it. I am not a kid anymore".


    She heard it, but she just chose to ignore it with a giggle.


    The moment she entered her room, she locked the door immediately and then whispered slowly while opening the window panes.


    "Can you enter my room from the backyard? I have my window open. Enter the room with the lc curtains".


    Her heart was beating non-stop like it was hell-bent on winning a medal in some kind of race. She rushed towards her mirror and adjusted her hair and quickly smeared her lip gloss again. She quickly spritzed a bit of her regr perfume on the sides of her neck and rushed back towards the window.


    A few secondster she could hear his footsteps and as his proximity grew closer and closer, the pit in her stomach grew deeper and deeper. She was almost holding her breath in anticipation and then there he was, standing outside her window looking all drool-worthy and dashing.


    God, he was handsome.


    She gulped her own spit and then moved ahead to pull the curtains to the side so that he could enter hassle free.


    With one swift move his spidery long legs were inside her room and the next second his towering self was standing upright in front of her ascertaining her with his august presence.


    It was a bit windy, so she went ahead and closed the window.


    And when she turned, she nced at her bed.


    "Oh Boy !!!", she screamed in her head.


    Some of her lingerie items were adorning the sheets of her bed.


    She immediately dived towards the bed and with one swift move, she picked them all and threw them into herundry bag. She nervously bit her lips and turned towards him and said,


    "Sorry, my room is a bit messy.."


    "And colorful", he interrupted and gave out a sly smile.


    She immediately understood that it was his way of getting back at her for she had called his house a bit dull.


    She scratched her hair a bit and then asked,


    "Why are you here sote?"


    "Because of you", he replied calmly.


    "What did I do?", she retorted back.


    "Don''t even get me started on that", he said narrowing his eyes and walked up to her bed and sat on it. He looked around and that room felt like it was hers. That room definitely gave a cute and innocent vibe as she did.


    Then he tapped on the bed on his side with his palm, indicating her toe and sit next to him.


    His invitation was so tempting and exciting but she chose to reject it instead.


    She pulled a bean bag and sat in front of him. As she sat, she made a decent attempt to pull her short dress down as much as possible and then ced a pillow on herp and crossed her legs.


    He shook his head andughed at her attempts to look all graceful and dainty.


    He sighed looking at her for a second and then with one sudden jerk, he pulled the bean bag towards him.


    She was startled and because of this sudden pull, she straight fell into his embrace.


    He leaned back on the bed because of the impact, with her lithe body on top of him. Her dark brown and silky locks were all over his face, as her face lied close to his own on his side and he could smell her as she lied so close. His hands embraced her immediately and perfectly like they were made to hug her tight till eternity.


    The sudden intimacy caused both their hearts to race and she immediately tried to prop herself up using her elbows. As she slowly tried to lift herself up, his grip around her became all the tighter and the next second he flipped her and pinned her down on the bed.


    Her breath had be all haggard as he closed in.


    His eyes scanned her face in desperation and then he slumped next to her on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while and then slowly started speaking.


    "I don''t know how you will take it, but I can''t see any man putting even a finger on you. And I don''t even care what he means to you or what equation you share with him. I just cannot see anyone touching even an inch of you. I just can''t.


    I am not being possessive or anything but you are making me paranoid. I just don''t get it. It''s like some wierd ck magic spell that you have casted over me. I am just telling you this as it''s unbearable for me to see you with anyone else. It has to be me".


    "Only me".


    He said and sighed.


    For a moment she didn''t say anything and let his words sink deep inside her.


    He turned his face and saw her smiling.


    "What?"


    "So this is how it feels to have someone head over heels in love with you?"

 Chapter 150: Call me possessive !!! I dont care

    <h4>150 Call me possessive !!! I don''t care</h4>


    He turned towards her and tucked a couple of her locks behind her ears and then ran his thumb over her cheeks and then softly whispered into her ears,


    "Not just head over heels, I love you with all my heart and my soul Akira. If only I could show you how much you mean to me".


    He sighed and then buried his head next to hers.


    She just smiled and then started running her fingers through his hair and said,


    "I know that", and she smiled with all her heart.


    Then he propped himself up and looking into her eyes he said,


    "Then promise me that you will not let anyone walk you around".


    "Ok"


    ''Promise me that no matter how cold it is or whatever may be the reason, you will not wear anyone''s jacket".


    She smiled and said "Ok" again.


    "And promise that you won''t go out looking all cute like this anywhere. Wear the ugliest of the clothes that you have and don''t you dare keep your hair open."


    "Looks like you got a whole list ready", she said slightly pouting in anger.


    He got annoyed with the disturbance in the flow of his deamands list.


    He looked at her and narrowed his eyes and without bothering about her question he said,


    "And you are forbidden from wearing any lip gloss".


    "Forbidden??", she asked in surprise.


    "Yes, it makes me crazy. Makes me curious to find out how it tastes and I don''t want anyone to even remotely have that thought", he said and ran his thumb on her lower lip slowly and then licked it.


    "Mmm.... strawberry. I like it !!!".


    She blushed hard and looked away from him, averting his intense gaze.


    "What? Say something !!!", he said pulling her chin towards him so that he could make her look into his eyes.


    She nodded but stole her gaze again as her heart had already started beating rampantly and she wasn''t sure what she would do if he kept looking at her like that.


    Then a few secondster she looked back at him and replied all teasingly,


    "That''s all you had? I thought your list was infinite !!!"


    ''Well I have a few more but they are kind of situational", he said and raised one of his eyebrows trying to gauge her.


    "I am listening", she said coyly.


    "You will drive to the new office on your own. No taking hop-in hop-off lift from anyone"


    "And also you will not have solo lunch with anyone there. Eat with the entire team."


    "But I had my first lunch with you alone. So you mean to say that I shouldn''t have done that?", she retorted.


    "Yeah and look what it resulted into. Me lying in your bedroom, on your bed, just inches away from you with you looking so kissable", he said and flicked her forehead.


    "Ouch !!! You are so mean".


    "I am not mean, I am just trying to make myself clear to you about you know, certain parameters", he said and took a deep breath.


    "Well in technical terms we call it as being possessive", Akira spoke with a tone like she wanted to chide him.


    "Well let it be then. As long as I can keep you safe from others, call me possessive, I don''t care", he said and quickly hovered back on top of her.


    "I feel like kissing you right now", he said and looked straight into her eyes.


    She was shocked with his ability to speak his mind out so bluntly like his tongue was made of a razor. So she tried to avert her gaze again but then she heard him say,


    "I could have stopped my thoughts, but your dress isn''t helping", he said and smiled like a devil in disguise.


    She craned her neck a bit up.


    Indeed her short dress wasn''t helping. Because of the fall and the flip, her hemlines had already left the lower quadrant of her body exposing her delicateces and a part of her waist.


    Her hands moved quickly to pull her dress down but her attempt was fruitless and mid-way he gripped his hand and pushed it aside. Then without breaking his eye contact with her, he moved his palm and ced it on her bare and smooth waist and slowly circled his thumb all around.


    She instantly closed her eyes in pleasure.


    Her chest was rising up and down in a quick rhythm.


    She knew a kiss was iing and slightly her lips were parted but he didn''t move an inch. He just enjoyed the sight of her. The way her body reacted to his touch, made him ecstatic. His own body was now governed with carnal desires and only he knew what demons lurked inside him.


    When for a few seconds she couldn''t feel his iing lips, she opened her eyes and saw him gawing at her, just inches away and she was pissed.


    She didn''t put her anger into words but she definitely was angry.


    Her brows were curled up and she looked at him like she was giving me a death stare.


    "What?", he asked all candidly.


    "Really you are asking what?", she retorted in anger.


    "Yeah what happened? Why are you angry with me?"


    "Don''t act now. You know", she said and pouted again out of anger and disappointment.


    "No I don''t know, and I would very much like you to tell me", he said and touched the tip of her nose, annoying her even more.


    "Go away you are such a tease!!!", she said and tried to push him away but in vain.


    He took a deep breath and said,


    "All that you got to do is ask !!!"


    She narrowed her eyes and looked up at him.


    "This was thest thing on my list that I wanted you to know. If you want anything, if you need anything then all that you got to do is to ask me. Not Mike, not Vikram, not anybody but me. I should be the one who fulfills all the desires of your heart".


    "So if you feel like eating an ice-cream at 2 am in the morning or if you want to go shoe shopping, it has to be me and only me"


    "Got it ?"


    Her frown turned into a smile and she nodded.


    "So right now do you need anything? Anything at all?", he asked even though he clearly knew what she wanted.


    She smiled with her lips all tight and shook her head saying a NO.


    "Reall? What about now?", he said and leaned a bit closer.


    "Nopes, nothing", she said and shook her head again.


    "What about now?", he asked inching even closer, cementing all the gap between him and her.


    Her heartbeats started bing rapid again.


    Sensing her silence he moved even closer with his lips almost touching hers, teasing her with all the power that he had and breaking down all the resilience that she had harboured.


    "Kiss me please !!!"


    She whispered softly unable to breathe and think.

 Chapter 151: "Timeout !!! I need Timeout"

    <h4>151 "Timeout !!! I need Timeout"</h4>


    Her eyes closed in anticipation of his touch and as he leaned closer she could feel his warm breath on her supple soft skin. Her fingers immediately curled and tugged on to the sheets tightly in response.


    He leaned in closer and captured her lips with his own, one lip at a time, teasing them, tearing them apart. He rained havoc.


    Slowly as they unraveled into the warm and moist interiors of each other''s mouth, they both grew restless with their heart pounding for more and more with every passing second.


    He slowly moved his hand and ced it under the base of her neck to support her and pulled her even tighter towards her, even though there was no distance between them that needed to be diminished.


    His tongue had started exploring inside her mouth, igniting all the passion and fire within her that he could. She gave in herselfpletely and kissed him back with equal intensity like she was thirsty for his lips, his touch for centuries and it was a now or never for her.


    He could faintly taste the cranberry juice that she had during the dinner and somehow that seduced him, even more, to deplete her from her reserves and to render her barren.


    Then suddenly he released her lips and she moaned, for she wanted more and more.


    He liked teasing her.


    But she frowned.


    Her eyebrows rose up, but her eyes were still closed and when she opened them, she saw him gazing at her intently with those tranquilizing dark brown eyes.


    "I like strawberry vor now !!! Very very much. Didn''t know that I could develop a liking for that".


    Saying that he softly captured her lower lip again with his own lips and sucked hard.


    She arched her back in response as it was too intense for her.


    But he showed no mercy and kept devouring on her lips. He nibbled them, licked them and tortured them in every possible way until she felt like she was in the seventh heaven, afloat over the clouds, where her heightened senses had breached all barriers to reach the penultimatum of ecstasy.


    He wrapped his fingers around her fingers which were tightly holding on to the sheets and slowly rendered them free. It was like he was repleting her from anything and everything that could hold her back from him.


    She slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around him but the moment she did that, he flipped her again, making her body rest on top of his own.


    He relentlessly kept tugging onto her hair and started kissing the crevices of her neck, under her chin, her cor bone and on every possible space that his heart desired to.


    She moaned loudly for it was too much for her. The thin line between pain and pleasure had vanished for her.


    He immediately covered her mouth with his hands, scared that Mike could hear them out.


    She resisted at first but then she dug her teeth into his palm, unable to control herself and her carnal desires. Her heartbeat had reached the peak and then came a moment when she just couldn''t take it anymore. Her hands reached for his lips and she covered them with her palm and mumbled,


    "Timeout !!! I need Timeout".


    He looked at her.


    She looked like she had been tormented with pleasure. Her forehead glistening with the beads of sweat from the intimate jaunt of theirs.


    Heughed and then hoisted himself up to sit on the bed while his arms still embraced her. She buried her face on his shoulder while sitting on hisp.


    He gently caressed her back like she was the only thing in the whole world upon which he doted and could bet his entire life while she hugged him tightly like she wanted to captivate him forever.


    He kept on caressing her fondly till she could find her breath back.


    She took a deep breath and then lifted her head up.


    "You ok?"


    "Mmmm..." she said and just nodded.


    "It''s ok. Just rest", he said and ran his fingers through her hair and softly nted a kiss on her cheek.


    She rested her head back on his shoulders and closed her eyes in his embrace.


    He felt like he had fallen in love all over again.


    He closed his eyes to be lost in that faintvender smell of hers that captivated his entirety.


    But then suddenly,


    "Akira !!! Akira !!!"


    "Open the door, looks like our fuse is blown out".


    Mike said and pounded on the door.


    They suddenly opened their eyes and realized it was pitch ck all around them.


    They were so engrossed and lost in each other that they had no idea when the electricity went off.


    He immediately got up and with the help of his shlight, he immediately ran towards the window and opened it. He immediately stepped out but before leaving he said,


    "Maverick loves you !!!"


    "I love him too", she said and smiled.


    Then without wasting a single second she hurried towards the door of her room and opened it.


    "What took you so long?", Mike said and frowned.


    "Can''t you see I was half asleep", Akira said faking a yawn.


    "You slept in these clothes? Great!!! That''s something new. Since when have you started sleeping without your PJ''s", Mike asked.


    "Really that''s the problem you are gonna discuss now?", Akira said rolling her eyes.


    "Well then fix it !!!", Mike retorted.


    Akira stomped on her feet and went to the basement with a spare fuse to connect into the socket.


    "TaDa"


    "See easy peasy", Akira said and dusted her hands just to show off.


    Then she rushed back to her room and locked it and then ran near to the window. Probably a part of her wished that he was still there, waiting for her.


    And he didn''t dare to disappoint.


    He stood there solemnly leaning on the side wall.


    "Hey !!! You didn''t leave?", Akira asked in a hushed tone.


    "How could I leave you in the dark like this?", he said and then inched close and stole a quick kiss from her.


    "Now I can go back and probably sleep !!!", he said and smiled and walked towards his car.


    She stood there all speechless.


    So much love was there around her, that she was bursting with happiness.


    She didn''t care for what next she had to endure, she didn''t care for what tricks people were going to y, for she knew one thing for sure that her man was there for her. Ready to protect her from anything. Ready to mend her heart for if it broke.

 Chapter 152: Dont digress !!!

    <h4>152 Don''t digress !!!</h4>


    Katherine finished a busy day at her clinic and then started for home. She picked up Kate from her friend''s house and returned back. On the way when Kate was fiddling through the radio channels, Katherine fondly looked at the girl whom she had adopted a couple of years back. She didn''t adopt her because she couldn''t have a kid, she had adopted her so that she could give a good life and good living to at least one more person. She gave a purpose and meaning to her barren life which had been deserted by her husband Trent.


    Even though Kate was adopted, Katherine never let her feel it or get to know about it. She had always treated Kate more than her own child. She was doted not only by her but also by her brother, Raymond.


    Kate always used to question earlier about the absence of her father, but as she grew up she understood that it was a question that she was not supposed to ask. Trent was like a dent in her life that she could never repair. She wasn''t hurt because he chose to live a life separate from her, but because he had lied about the reasons for separating away. He separated from her because of something that was not under her control but right now she had no regrets. She had a perfect family made up of her daughter and her brother and she knew that soon Akira was also going to be a part of it.


    She reached home and then helped Kate to go to bed and then she called up Raymond on his Private number.


    "Hey !!! How are you?"


    "I am good !!!", Raymond replied in a chirpy tone.


    "You sound to be in an awfully good mood today. What happened?"


    "Well, lot of things got cleared between myself and Akira. We stand together on the same page now. So now I don''t care about what happens next", Raymond said and sank into the chair in his house.


    "I see, but will you be able to convince her that Vikram is behind all this? Will she believe that her best friend did all this? What if he turns the table at you?", Katherine asked all concerned.


    "Don''t worry about that, in a day or two we will have all the proof that we need. I will soon expose his true colors. I can''t let her be in so much pain", Raymond said and sighed.


    "Ok, keep me posted", Katherine said.


    "Hey please tell Shawn that I am really indebted for his help. He really risked a lot for arranging the documents. He could have easily lost his license if he would have been caught", Raymond said in a suggestive tone.


    "Yeah I guess", Katherine said and entered her bedroom.


    "So don''t you get it?", Raymond asked.


    "Get what?", Katherine asked.


    "Oh really !!! When ites to the love lives of others you be the agony aunt to the rescue and when ites to your own life you be like a goat who doesn''t even know that A is for Apple", Raymond said sarcastically.


    "This ship has sailed Raymond. He can go ahead and marry someone else and have a happy life. And for your kind information, he liked me way back in college days Ray. Plus I am a person with baggage and nobody wants that. And why do you assume that he still likes me?", Katherine retorted.


    "Well, maybe that has something to do with the fact that he still has a picture of you on his desk?", Raymond replied with a smug smile.


    "Uuughhh, I am going to kill David. He is passing on too much information here and there", Katherine replied all irritated.


    "Why curse the poor guy when deep down you know that it''s true. I have always told you, Kat, that he was better than Trent and I would say that today as well. Just think about it. You have a whole life in front of you", Raymond said.


    "And I want to make a hole inside your head", Katherine replied all pissed.


    "Well, that''s dope. A dermatologist is trying to be a neurologist huh", Raymond said and chuckled.


    "Aren''t you too cheeky today. Did you meet her by any chance?", Katherine asked.


    "Well we might have had dinner together sort of", Raymond said.


    "Oh now I see, otherwise you would have kept the call after no more than 3 sentences with me", Katherine replied all sarcastically.


    "Ahh, the focus of the topic is you, not me. Don''t digress", Raymond replied.


    "I am sleepy like hell Raymond !!! Bye", She said and disconnected the call before he could even say anything.


    She said that she was sleepy but in reality, sleep was miles and miles away from her probably in some random quadrant in some random astral dimension.


    She got lost in the old college days memories where Shawn was like her shadow self. They were inseparable as friends. Always hanging out together and studying together. He was the lifeline of her symbiotic existence with him.


    She never knew that she meant more than a friend to him.


    He was someone upon whom she could rely more than her own self.


    When she had lost her mom it was him who had spent nights after nights taking care of her. He used to sit with her and hug her tight when all she used to do was cry in his embrace.


    Their bond was strong like cement, no pores, no cracks for the foundation of their friendship was mutual trust and respect for each other since Day1.


    She opened her google drive and started searching for all the old pictures that she had with him. She was feeling all nostalgic and before she could realize her eyes were all moist with the sweetness of the good old memories.


    She heard her phone ring but she didn''t feel like picking it up as she was so deeply invested in the memories. She knew it was Raymond and had probably called to nag her again.


    But then she heard it ring again and decided to go and pick it up.


    But her heart just skipped a beat when she saw her screen.


    Shawn Calling...


    She didn''t know what to do?


    She couldn''t understand what to do?


    Were heavens transpiring against her?


    "Hello"


    "Hi... Hope I didn''t wake you up?", Shawn asked.

 Chapter 153: ITS SHOWTIME !!!

    <h4>153 IT''S SHOWTIME !!!</h4>


    "What were you up to? Hope I didn''t disturb you?", Shawn asked.


    "Umm... nothing important", she replied with a calm demeanor trying to pull herself back from the figments of old memories.


    "Actually sorry to bug you thiste, but I guess I misced one record of my patient in the papers that I gave you. Can you please help to check the file if that''s ok?", he asked.


    "Oh, but actually I have already given the file to Raymond. I can ask him to take a picture of the record and send it to me. Will a picture work?", Katherine asked.


    "Yeah that would be ok", he replied.


    "Are you still at the hospital?", Katherine asked.


    "Yeah just finished my shift. I wanted to call you yesterday, but my shift got over prettyte and I didn''t want to disturb you thatte so called you today", Shawn replied.


    "Since when do you have to think so much before calling me, Shawn? I was your 3 am friend. Remember?", Katherine retorted.


    "You yourself have told the reason, Katherine. You were my 3 am friend but that was like years ago. Anyways good luck to you and your bother in your mission. Let me know if there is anything else that I can help you with".


    Shawn''s word sliced her heart into two but she was mature enough to handle her emotions.


    "A couple of years don''t change everything, Shawn. I am still the same", Katherine replied.


    "Let''s not get there Katherine. You and I both know that it will not end well", Shawn said and sighed.


    Katherine had nothing to say. In front of others, she was always the one with a smart mouth with witty replies. But when it came to matters of her own, she would turn into a record that was never yed.


    Shawn sensed the silence and changed the topic,


    "You had food?"


    "I did. It''s 11 pm, Shawn. what do you think?"


    "Right Right, I was just so caught up with things. I don''t have a clue of time and space"


    "Don''t sweat it, Shawn. I will send you the picture as soon as possible",


    "Ok then, you can go back to doing whatever you were before I disturbed you. Bye Katherine".


    She stared at the phone in silence for some time and then sent a text message to Raymond.


    ---


    Vikram woke up all excited and enthusiastic.


    It was the day for which he had been waiting for so long. Today was the first day of Akira in his office. He had always wanted to keep her close to himself, but her being the epitome of righteousness, he knew that she would never join in hispany. So finally when it was happening today for real, he was very very excited.


    The first thing that he did was to text Akira that he would be picking her up, even though it meant a one and a half hour detour for him.


    He took out his new suit and a tie to go with it and ced it on his bed before going to take a bath. When he was choosing his shoes, he was surprised to see a new housekeeper enter his room to change the flowers.


    "Where is Be? Are you new?"


    "Good Morning Sir !!! Be had called in sick as she has jaundice. So she might take a month or so to recover. I will be filling in for her. I am Joey by the way".


    "Umm.... ", Vikram just shrugged and went to the washroom.


    The moment Joey saw him enter the washroom and heard the water run, she tiptoed towards the study corner and started flipping through all the files.


    Then suddenly she found a file with Raymond''s name on it and she immediately started taking the pictures and sent them to David as instructed. She took all the details of Scarlett present in the file. Then she tried to search for his chequebook to see if she could figure out anything from the used page imprint.


    But as she was searching, she heard the sound of the water stop.


    She immediately fled the room.


    Vikram got all dressed up and double checked himself before stepping out. As he went down, he saw his parents having breakfast.


    "Aren''t you looking dapper today", Mrs. Shahmented.


    "Oh C'' mon mom I always look good. Get your eyes checked", Vikram said and picked up the car keys.


    "Peter told me that Akira is joining in your office from today. Is that why you are so dressed up today?", Mr. Shah stated it casually and then looked at his son to see how he reacted.


    "Can you guys just let it be?", Vikram said and left for Akira''s ce.


    "I was just saying", Mr. Shah said and smiled


    He and his wife continued eating their breakfast while Vikram zapped his car to Brooklyn as fast as he could.


    ---


    Akira got ready and then logged in into her blog.


    His good morning message was already there to bring a smile on her face as soon as the page opened.


    "A new day a new beginning,


    Be a knight in shining armor,


    and let me hear the tales of your winning.


    Gee that''s themest way to say Good Morning !!!" @RodeoMaverick


    Her heart was filled with warmth and joy to see his message. That was all that she wanted. Just one indication from him. Then she held the pendant in her hand and whispered,


    "Can you hear me? Just text something if you can".


    A couple of minutester she found a reply popping up.


    "Don''t tell the poem was bad. Because I already know it is" @RodeoMaverick


    Akira giggled and said,


    "I am leaving for Abacus in 10 minutes".


    She took a pause and then said,


    "I am wearing a pantsuit today and it''s so ill-fitted and ugly that I look like a misfit in hell".


    She waited for him to say something in return as soon as possible because Vikram had already texted that he was about to reach,


    "Now my crazy head feels a bit sorted. RELIEF it is". @RodeoMaverick


    Akira giggled again and then logged out of her system and went outside the door to wait for Vikram to arrive.


    "Someone is looking really nice today !!!", Akira said as Vikram got out of the car.


    "And what happened to you? You are a graphic designer and not a paralegal for God''s sake. What on earth are you wearing?", Vikram asked seeing her wrapped head to toe in that ugly pantsuit.


    "Well, it''s my businessdy attire. I want people to take me seriously", Akira retorted back.


    "Well in all seriousness Akira just ditch this and wear anything else that you can. Freaking pajamas will look even better", Vikram said slightly annoyed with her air headedness.


    Raymond was having a goodugh hearing the conversation though.


    Akira stomped on her feet and entered the car with her fists all clenched in anger.


    Vikram pinched the space between his brows and then said,


    "Fine!!! You win. I feel like you have been bitten by a rabid dog. You are acting so weird these days Akira", Vikram said and started the car.


    "Well, then you are weirder. Great way to wish me luck on my first day", Akira said and turned her face towards the other side of the car and mumbled.


    "All because of you".


    "Excuse me?", Vikram asked.


    "Nothing. It''s the rabidness speaking", she said and waved her hand, dismissing his question.


    "Fine, I quit. My bad. I just wanted you to make a good first impression on others in the office. That''s why I insisted", Vikram said looking at her.


    She turned towards him and realized that she had been acting all edgy. Even she didn''t know what had gotten inside her.


    "Raymond, what have you done? Will, I will ever be the same again?", she thought and sighed and then replied.


    "It''s just that I want people to know me for my work and not for what I wear to the office. And by the way why do I need to make an impression on others when I am friend''s with their boss''s boss''s boss", she said and smiled looking towards him.


    He looked at her all amused and then shook his head and said,


    "You amaze me Akira".


    "I know", she said and smiled back.


    Meanwhile Raymond removed his headset and saw multiple message notifications from David.


    He opened the messages and saw all the pictures which David had sent and his mouth opened in shock.


    "How much low will you stoop Vikram?"


    "IT''S SHOWTIME", Raymond said and clenched his fist with resolve.

 Chapter 154: Want to watch a cat-fight ?

    <h4>154 Want to watch a cat-fight ?</h4>


    Vikram parked his AUDI RS7 in the basement and then went towards Akira''s side to open the door.


    "C'' mon Vikram, don''t pamper me so much. People will think I am taking undue advantage of you", Akira said and raised her eyebrows up, trying to show her contempt.


    "I don''t mind. You can take as much advantage of me as you want", Vikram said with a smile on his face and closed the door behind her as she came out.


    While they were walking towards the lift he noticed the new locket in her neck.


    Akira was never a big fan of jewelry and except for important asions, she never wore any, so he was surprised to see her wearing a pendant to office.


    "That''s new I assume?", Vikram asked, pointing at the pendant.


    "Oh Yeah !!! Technically not new it''s his mother''s. He gave it to me when I left, kind of like a farewell gift. Something to remember him by sort of", Akira said and then held the pendant in her hand for a moment and then smiled looking up at Vikram and said.


    "Don''t worry, I will not cling on to it like all those pathetic Girlfriends do on TV soaps. I know I have to move and I am moving on. Moving on with you", Akira stressed onst part and then held Vikram''s hand and said,


    "Thanks for being YOU. I don''t know what I would do without you".


    But before she could say anything more, he pulled her close and hugged her tight and whispered,


    "Don''t worry Akira. All this will be over pretty soon. I promise to you".


    "I know", she said and sighed because deep down she was feeling extremely guilty for keeping him in the dark. But little did she know what all darkness was lurking behind.


    ---


    Raymond called up David,


    "Hello, David. It''s me"


    "Hello, Mr. Raymond"


    "I think it''s high time now. I can''t let the water run above my heads anymore. It''s time to switch from the pawn steps. I can''t stretch it any further".


    "So what''s your n?", David asked eagerly.


    "Well, I need a small restaurant or coffee shop where we can capture all the audio and video needed as proof. I need to call the bait there. Can you arrange for any such coffee shop?", Raymond asked.


    "Well, my school friend has a coffee shop near your house, Cafe Peppermint. I can make some calls if that''s ok for you?", David asked.


    "Perfect !!! Go ahead", Raymond said and then disconnected the call.


    It was now time to call Scarlett.


    .


    .


    On the first ring itself, she picked up her phone.


    "Hello !!!", Raymond said and his voice sounded all cold and distant.


    "Oh My God !!! I thought you will never call me. What is wrong with you Raymond? You don''t return my calls. Don''t even reply to text messages. I trieding to your house too but you have changed the passkey. I mean why are you stressing me out so much?", Scarlett ranted non-stop.


    "I was pre-upied with my new project work. I wanted some time alone with myself to sort out what I want in my life", Raymond told calmly.


    "That''s ok Raymond, but at this stage of pregnancy, stress isn''t good for the baby or me and you know that right?", Scarlett said softly but her tone was more like a reprimand.


    Raymond took deep breaths to calm himself down and then said,


    "You were right about Akira. She wasn''t right for me. I guess she was with me just to give a foundation to her career and when she got a better opportunity, she just took off", Raymond said and sighed.


    Scarlett beamed immediately to hear him talking about her in such a dejected tone. She knew it was to happen, but she didn''t expect Akira to do it so smoothly that Raymond would be left with nothing but hatred against her.


    "Leave her Raymond, there are so many important things to think upon right now. The baby needs the love of his daddy".


    "I know. I need to sort things out. I don''t like the way things are between us. So can we meet and discuss about it all in private? There is a coffee shop near my house - Cafe Peppermint. I will see you there around 2 pm?", Raymond asked.


    "Why a cafe Raymond? Why not at your house? Our house?", Scarlett asked.


    "Actually I don''t want you toe here when all her things might be lying inside. I need to throw away all her stuff and probably then only I would like you to enter the house again. I threw you out of my house, so at least when I bring you back, I want to bring you back properly. That''s the least I can do for you and my baby". Raymond said.


    The evilness inside Scarlett couldn''t stopughing when she heard him say all those things.


    "Oh Boy !!! You have fallen for me again!!!", she thought in her head and smirked.


    "I would love that Raymond. Then see you at 2 pm".


    "See you", Raymond said and kept the call.


    His entire body was repelled with the lies that she spoke. He couldn''t believe that he had spent years after years taking care of her. He couldn''t believe why he was even with her before in the first ce. This was the girl for whom he had fought against her mother and sister, just so that he could be with her. So when he thought about it all, he felt like he was at a loss of words or reasons to justify his past behavior.


    He took a deep breath and then texted David,


    "Scarlett ising at 2 pm. Need to arrange a reason for Dr. Brooks" - Raymond


    "I am on it. Give me 10-15 minutes" - David


    "Ok" - Raymond


    Now that he had some time, he decided to put on the headset to listen to what his girl was up to.


    He heard her in an orientation meeting, where she was being briefed about all thepany policies. He kept listening for 2-3 minutes but then took out his headset to reflect upon his n.


    After a couple of minutes when David was done, he sent a video attachment to Raymond.


    Raymond opened it on his phone and after seeing it a smile curled on his lips.


    "Perfect !!!", he mumbled.


    Then he logged onto his system and masked his IP address and routed himself via multiple servers and sent the attachment to Dr. Brook''s personal email address and hoped against hope that she saw it in time.


    It was hardly 15 minutes and he got a reply from her,


    "Dear Sender,


    I agree with all the terms and conditions that you have. I will do everything as you have requested, but please do not make this video public. My job, my practice everything will be at stake. I didn''t do anything to harm or kill anybody. I just did it because I thought you needed it for a greater good. I thought you needed it to save your marriage but looks like I was tricked after all.


    So please understand my intentions behind it. I will meet you at the cafe at 2 pm, but as promised, I need all the copies of the video to be deleted. Hope I make myself clear, else I can also release your fake medical reports and prescriptions which are still with me and destroy your career too. So double think beforending into my territory because I haveced them withndmines for you.


    "Dr. Brooks"


    Raymond read the message and smiled.


    The trap had been set.


    It was time to see the women in action !!!


    Raymond then called up Katherine,


    "Hey Kat !!! You busy?"


    "Hey, Ray !!! No, tell me", Katherine asked.


    "Where are you? At the clinic?"


    "No, I took a day off. Wasn''t feeling good. Probably under the weather", Katherine said.


    "Oh.. I get it must be the so-called Shawn effect. What did the poor guy do to dampen you?", Raymond asked.


    "Why will I be upset because of him?", Katherine retorted.


    "Well, because as far as I know, he had called youst night and now you sound all grumpy and under the weather".


    "Can you stop with your random probabilistic theories?", yelled Katherine


    "Fine Chill. I have something to lift up your dampened spirits", Raymond said.


    "What?", Katherine asked all disinterested.


    Raymond took a pause and then smiled and asked her,


    "Well, I am going to watch a cat-fight. Care to join?"

 Chapter 155: BITCH PLEASE !!!

    <h4>155 BITCH PLEASE !!!</h4>


    "Cat fight? What cat fight?" Katherine asked all surprised.


    "Well I have called Scarlett and Dr. Brooks at one ce and dare I say, I have added a bit of fuel in between them. They are bothing to meet me at 2 pm at Cafe Peppermint. I think they both will put up a nice show. So grab a bucket of popcorn ande over here", Raymond said.


    Katherine for a moment couldn''t believe that these were the wordsing from the mouth of his brother. He was the sort of guy who would keep his stuff to himself and would never meddle in anybody''s affair. But right now he had charted a full-blown attack and was staging everything from scratch to get Akira back. She was surprised to see this change in him.


    He was back being the mischievous but unforgiving version of himself which he used to be before their mother had passed away.


    She smiled and said,


    "I am on my way then. Bye".


    Raymond rested for a while till Katherine arrived and then they went together to Cafe Peppermint. They seated themselves in the Private section, away from the prying eyes of anyone. As instructed by David, the cafe owner had put up a CLOSED sign outside, so as to not to have any customers in the cafe and just when it was about to be 2 pm, he switched it to OPEN so that neither Scarlett nor Dr. Brooks could suspect anything.


    Sharp at 2 pm, Scarlett arrived. She had decked herself up nicely to entice Raymond. She came inside and with a cursory nce looked all around in search of him, but all in vain. When she couldn''t find him inside she was a bit disappointed and it sort of reflected on her face too, but she knew that Raymond would never back down from his promise and woulde to visit her for sure. She took a seat in the cafe and started flipping through some of the magazines to cut her boredom.


    It was hardly 2 minutes that Scarlett had started reading an article that a furious version of Dr. Brooks stormed inside the cafe, searching for someone. From every angle, she looked like she was agitated to the core.


    She scanned the cafe ce from one corner to another and finally, located Scarlett.


    With gritted teeth and clenched fists, she somehow tried to keep her anger at bay, since it was a public ce. She sprang towards her table and when she reached there, she just stood solemnly and started staring at her with a deathly stare. It looked like she wanted to burn her into ashes with just her stare.


    Scarlett sensed that someone was there in front of her and immediately looked up and was surprised to see Dr. Brooks.


    "Hello, Dr. Brooks. What a pleasant surprise? Nice to see you here", Scarlett said and greeted her.


    "Oh please, at least don''t try to pull on these masks of niceness by exchanging pleasantries in front of me", Dr. Brooks hissed trying to dismiss her off.


    Scarlett was stunned with her sudden rudeness and said,


    "What is wrong with you? You seem to be in a bad mood. But that does not entitle you to say mean things to me".


    "Oh please !!! Will you just shut up and cut to the chase", Dr. Brooks spoke all annoyed.


    "Look Dr. Books we had a business negation and that is over now. I do not owe you anything. Whatever services I took from you I have already paid for them so I think that entitles me for some niceness from you", Scarlett said and threw the magazine with force on the table.


    "Niceness!!! and that too for a person like you?", Dr. Brooks said and chuckled.


    "I see. If in your opinion taking those services make me a not so nice person then you can imagine for yourself as to what kind of person you are when you are the one providing those services," Scarlett said with her face turning all sour with anger.


    "I should have known from the beginning that you were a shrewd woman. If you can''t be faithful to your fiance, God knows why I was expecting you to be faithful to me. So as discussed please handover to me the original copy of the videos that you have taken and I will return the money that I have taken from you for all those fake DNA tests and false pregnancy", Dr. Brooks said and folded her hands in the front.


    "Are you out of your mind? What the hell are you talking about? Please don''t try to create a scene here. I am going to visit my fiance here, who could drop here any minute. If he finds out anything about this then I am done. So can we discuss sometimeter?", Scarlett said and tried to dismiss her as soon as possible.


    "Sometimeter? You threaten me and my career, then you ask me toe and meet you here and when Ie, you are sending me off? What sort of gamen is this Miss? You should have thought this through before sending me the email. Are you are scared that I would show your true colors to your fiance?"


    "Huh... remember one thing, Miss. Scarlett. I think you are mistaken here by considering me a weakling. If I am losing even a penny then I am taking you down with me", Dr. Brooks said with every word dripping with anger.


    "I think there is some confusion here. What email are you talking about?", Scarlett asked, unable to understand what email was Dr. Brooks talking about which was causing such a sudden outburst.


    .


    .


    "WHY WOULD SHE BE TAKING YOU DOWN?"


    Scarlett heard the sharp voice from behind and she felt like all the blood in her body had dried up.


    She heard his approaching footsteps and her heartbeat started getting all erratic, her narrow chest palpitating like that of a frightened bird''s.


    "Scarlett dear exin it to me, why will she take you down?", Raymond asked softly but his tone had a totally authoritative undertone.


    "Ah, nothing !!! She is just messing with me. Some random confusion", Scarlett said and tried to calm Raymond. She was freaking out thinking of what will happen if he got to know about it all.


    "Why would a doctor leave her hospital ande to a Cafe to mess with you. Are you hiding something or she is trying to hide something? ", Raymond said and turned towards Dr. Brooks who seemed to have been bbergasted by his sudden appearance in the scene.


    "Yes, Dr. Brooks !!! Why would youe here on a busy weekday to meet Scarlett?", asked Katherine and came closer to them.


    Dr. Brooks eyes opened wide in horror to see her.


    "You .. You ??? Miss Be? Was it you?", Dr. Brooks stammered as she saw Katherine in the cafe.


    "Miss. Be?? Why are you calling her Miss Be?", Scarlett asked all surprised, unable to understand the series of events happening around her.


    "Well for your kind information, I am not Miss. Be Dr. Brooks. I am Katherine. I am Raymond''s sister and soon to be the sister-inw of thisdy here. People who are close to me call me Kat, so you can call me Katherine !!! ", Katherine said and smiled and extended her hands towards Dr.Brooks for a handshake.


    But Dr. Brooks stood rooted to the ground in shock. She knew now that she had been tricked.


    She slumped on the chair and gasped for air.


    She understood everything. She had been yed and not only her even Scarlett had been yed while throughout this time she thought that it was Scarlett who had tricked her.


    She looked up at Scarlett whose face was filled with surprise and irritation for not being able to get anything and said calmly,


    "Scarlett stop acting. They know everything about your fake pregnancy".


    Scarlett''s face turned all red in anger and shock.


    "What nonsense are you talking? My baby is all healthy and fit inside my womb. I am not going to fall for your tricks. Raymond, can you please ask her to go away. She is spouting all nonsense from the moment she has entered this cafeteria", saying that she turned towards Raymond to hold his hand.


    But suddenly Katherine took a step forward and blocked her hand. She looked at her with her eyes swarming in anger and then with a tone filled with disgust she thundered,


    "BITCH PLEASE !!!"

 Chapter 156: Scarletts Doomsday - 1

    <h4>156 Scarlett''s Doomsday - 1</h4>


    Katherine shook her head in disappointment and pushed Scarlett away from her brother.


    "What is wrong with you?", yelled Scarlett.


    "How can you push a pregnant woman like this. You yourself are a doctor. Are you out of your freaking mind?", Scarlett retorted, taking a step back.


    Raymond was about to say something when Katherine intervened.


    "Please brother!!! Can I be the one to tell her? Looks like she loves to act out every single moment in her life", Katherine said and looked at Raymond with all smiles.


    Raymond just gave a shrug and sat on a chair, waiting for his sister to reduce Scarlett''s existence to dust. He very well knew how destructive his sister could be when she took matters to her own hands.


    Katherine turned towards Scarlett and said,


    "Are you done ying pregnant - pregnant? Or you want to y some more?"


    "Well I have the whole day you see, so act as much as you want, but remember that everything that you are saying or doing is being recorded right here right now. So you can very well imagine how badly this can go against you".


    Scarlett was shocked to hear such a rude response from Katherine and looked at her in disbelief. But she was all the way more shocked to see the look on Raymond''s face who was sitting there all nonchnt, staring at her with such an ice-cold demeanor, like he loathed her for eternity.


    All worried she turned towards Dr. Brooks who was sitting there with her palms resting on her forehead looking all pale and sick like she was awaiting her downfall which was about to happen any moment.


    She understood that she was done !!!


    She was done for good !!!


    No amount of deceiving could help her now.


    She slumped into the chair and covered her face with her hands. She was way too embarrassed now to face anyone. But before she could even think or strategize any further, Katherine pulled a chair from a table nearby and sat directly opposite to her and said,


    "Good girl !!! Now that you are done showing us your acting prowess, can we get back to business and talk like adults?"


    Scarlett looked up and saw the disgusted look on Katherine''s face for her like she was some outcast who didn''t even belong there.


    But before she could exin or even begin to think about how to exin, Raymond spoke,


    "Why the hell did youe back into my life? Who asked you toe back into my life?".


    His eyes looked bloodshot with anger and repellency.


    Scarlett bit her lips out of nervousness for she knew that her doom was awaiting her.


    "Yeah, let''s start from there". Katherine said.


    Scarlett took a deep breath.


    Tears were flooding her eyes and slowly started to crawl on her cheeks.


    "I did all this for you Ray. I just wanted to get back in your life so bad. I didn''t know what I was thinking. I just went with the flow and all this happened", she said and started sobbing.


    "You know what I would have offered you a tissue right now, but what to do? My hands are hurting. So maybe it would be better if you start speaking now else you can do your sobbing partter in some dark prison cell," Katherine said and red at her.


    She was startled to hear the word prison. No way in hell she was ready to go there.


    She understood that the only escape from this was to speak the truth. Nothing but the TRUTH.


    She closed her eyes and recollected the series of events that had happened.


    "A couple of weeks back when I was shooting for my reality show, I got to know that my cousin was taken into prison. He is the only family I have, so I immediately rushed back and tried to meet every official at it state penitentiary, but nothing helped. The bail amount was exorbitantly high and the officials were not at all cooperative."


    "Which penitentiary are you talking about?", Raymond asked her interrupting in between.


    "Auburn Correctional Facility. But why?"


    "Wait a minute, so Anthony is your cousin?", Raymond asked all surprised.


    "Yes !!!", Scarlett said and hung her head low.


    "You never mentioned about him when we were together", Raymond asked all irritated.


    Scarlett hesitated a bit and then said,


    "You had a soft corner for me as I had no one in the world. So I wanted it to be that way. So, I never mentioned about him to you", she said with a guilt trodden voice.


    "Wao !!! like brother, like sister huh !!!", Katherine said and chuckled.


    "What? How can you say something like that Katherine?", Scarlett retorted.


    "Well you can leave the what and how to me and continue", Raymond said all rudely not ready to take any more crap from her.


    She paused for a moment and then said,


    "I tried to pull whatever strings I could, but I couldn''t help him out in any way. Then one fine day when I wasing out of the correctional facility, I saw a guy standing outside the main gate and was staring at me. It was weird because it happened the next day too. He didn''t say anything but it was evident that he wanted something from me, but I chose to ignore him and left for home."


    "The third time I went there to visit my brother, I saw him again outside. But this time he came to me and handed me a packet and told me that if I could do something as a favor then he can help to make arrangements for my brother in return. At first, I thought he was joking, but then I saw a nk checkbook inside that packet and I knew that he meant it. I was desperate to get my brother out and I was ready to pay any price that was needed.


    "Who was the cheque from?", Raymond asked.


    Scarlett paused a bit and said,


    "I am not allowed to say that because if I do then there will be consequences"


    "Well if you don''t then there will be consequences right now", Raymond thundered and got up from his seat.


    Scarlett gulped her own spit and said,


    "It was from the Shah Enterprises, signed by Mr. Vikram Shah".

 Chapter 157: Scarletts Doomsday - 2

    <h4>157 Scarlett''s Doomsday - 2</h4>


    Katherine looked at her brother.


    Even after this sudden revtion, he still looked as calm as the Pacific.


    Scarlett was expecting Raymond''s jaws to drop in shock but he stood there rock solid without any delta in his emotions.


    So she deepened her gaze into his eyes and asked,


    "You knew that already didn''t you?".


    Raymond took a deep breath and said,


    "What I know and what I don''t know is none of your business right now. Just answer to what I ask without asking un-necessary questions back to me?".


    Her eyes started stinging and tears started swarming in. She couldn''t believe he was the same guy who doted on her once upon a time. She couldn''t believe that he could act so ruthlessly with her.


    She gulped the cup of insult and asked,


    "What do you want to know?"


    "Was it your n to fake the pregnancy or you were told to do so?"


    She hung her head low and said,


    "They wanted me to get back in your life so that I could distance Akira from you. But I knew thating back wasn''t enough. So I might have suggested this because I knew that you could do anything for the baby".


    Raymond clenched his fist in anger but he controlled his emotions and said,


    "Go on".


    Scarlett looked nervously at Dr. Brooks and then said,


    "I just suggested it to them and everything else was arranged for. I was asked to fake my pregnancy and they had all the information with them that was needed. They already knew that Dr. Brooks was my previous gynecologist so they had already cut a deal with her. Money was transferred to my ount and I just had to give it to Dr. Brooks. That''s all. I was told that the rest of the things will be taken care of".


    She then hung her head low all ashamed of her deeds.


    Raymond gave a scathing look to her and Dr. Brooks and then asked,


    "Did Vikram ask you to threaten Akira?"


    Scarlett looked up at him in surprise, unable to believe that he knew about that too.


    "Well, we did as we were instructed. There was a packet given to Anthony and he just had to put it in Akira''s car. None of it was his idea or mine. That picture of the baby, the contact inside, everything was given to us. We were just the carriers. We had no intention of harming her in any way. Trust me, Anthony is already repenting the mistake that hemitted once. He will not do anything stupid again, trust me", Scarlett said and pleaded with her eyes to Raymond.


    "This was the only way I had to save my brother Raymond. But I wasn''t doing it all just for my brother''s sake. A part of me wanted to be back with you. I just couldn''t see you with Akira. The thought of you being happy with someone else other than me hounded me like anything. I thought I could win you back Raymond because trust me there was not even a single moment that had passed where I didn''t regret my decisions. But you know how hard the struggle is when you are building a career for yourself. You are an entrepreneur your self. You would be knowing it better right?".


    Raymond didn''t utter a word in response.


    His eyes were still aze with the anger that was brewing within him.


    "It''s not like I didn''t want to have a baby with you but it''s just that we had a baby at a time when I wanted to focus on my career. So it was not a choice, I have no other option but to abort it", she said and looked up to him, expecting him to shed a couple of drops of mercy at her for she was trying to show him her plight.


    Raymond took a deep breath and then said,


    "I am a career oriented man, you said that right, but there is a basic difference between you and me. Given any day I would have chosen the baby over my career and you know what, I wouldn''t have taken more than a second to think about it".


    She couldn''t bear to hear anything anymore and started crying.


    "I am sorry Raymond. Please forgive me for my mistakes. Please don''t ruin my life. My brother and I will distance ourselves from you. You will never even hear from us. I promise you that", Scarlett said and knelt on the ground with her hands sped in the front, pleading for his mercy.


    "Don''t worry !!! I am not going to report you anywhere, but I need something in return",


    said Raymond and looked up at Katherine, hinting her that it was time to wrap up.


    "What do you want Raymond?", Scarlett asked.


    "Well, not just you. You both have to co-operate. We have already recorded your statements. That is enough for us as of now but just in case if we need you to tell about it all in front of someone, then you have to do that", Katherine said.


    "Oh, I will. I surely will", Dr. Brooks replied promptly.


    "Me too", Scarlett said.


    Then she looked up at Raymond and said,


    "But I sincerely hope that you are not going to mess with Vikram. Just to get the girl, he was ready to go to this extent. So if you try to poke him, God knows how ugly and bad that will turn into".


    Without saying anything, Raymond got up from his seat and collected the video and audio recording from the owner and just when Katherine and he were about to exit the Cafe, Scarlett blocked his way and said,


    "I am telling you seriously Raymond. Stop messing around with him. He is a man with money and power both. He canpletely destroy you and yourpany. Don''t you get that"?


    "I get thatpletely", Raymond replied calmly.


    "Then why are you trying to mess with him?", Scarlett asked.


    "Who told you that I was going to mess with him?", Raymond spoke with a smile and got in his car.


    Scarlett stood there all dumbstruck, unable toprehend, what just happened.

 Chapter 158: She signed the papers

    <h4>158 She signed the papers</h4>


    "Raymond, don''t you think that we should take her words seriously?", Katherine asked all worried after getting inside the car.


    "What are you talking about?" asked Raymond.


    "You know exactly what I am trying to say here. I mean what he has done is wrong and he should pay for that, but do you think it''s ok to mess with him? I mean his one phone call can shut yourpany down. Have you ever thought about it? Do you even understand how many lives are at stake here? Plus if thepany goes down then you have to pay millions to the employees as part of the three-month sry use in thepany agreement. You will go bankrupt Raymond and forget about the legal issues", Katherine said with a worried look on her face.


    "I ampletely aware of it and I am also aware of the responsibilities that lie on my shoulders, Katherine".


    "I am not going to do anything which is immature and reckless. I know how to handle him", he said and looked at Katherine, trying to assure her.


    "What are you going to do?", Katherine asked all worried.


    "The same thing what he did".


    "What?", asked Katherine all surprised.


    "He tried to hammer me at my weak point, so I am going to do the same because he doesn''t know that his weak point is now my strength", Raymond said and smiled.


    "You mean Akira right?", Katherine asked.


    Raymond nodded and sped through. he wanted to reach home as soon as possible.


    There were many things that were to be done as early as possible.


    After reaching back home, he logged into his system and then routed himself to Akira''s blog and he wrote,


    "Sometimes you need to some things by just trusting,


    Sometimes it''s better not to overthink.


    For you may not know what my heart is thinking,


    For a small act of yours can pull me from the brink" @RodeoMaverick.


    Then he took a file lying on his table and sealed it close, in a packet and then handed it over to the messenger boy to be delivered to Akira''s ce.


    He sighed and then slumped back on his chair trying to think of what she might be doing. He closed his eyes and all that he could see was her angelic face, looking at him and smiling at him with that cute dimple of hers. His heart ached for not being able to even talk with her.


    He took a deep breath and mumbled,


    "Hang in there my dear, just hang in there".


    ---


    After spending the entire day learning about thepany policies and the facilities and the job role, finally, Akira was free by evening.


    The HR escorted her to the 7th floor, to show her the seat.


    Her seat was exactly opposite to that of Vikram''s cabin and he could easily see her through the ss walls. He had specifically instructed Peter to get that seat for Akira so that she was never out of his sight.


    The moment he saw that she was at her seat, he came out of his cabin and went to her desk.


    "So how was your orientation? Everything set? If you need help with anything just let me know and I will help you to reach the concerned department", Vikram said and looked at her fondly.


    "Well nothing that I can think of right now", Akira said and gently smiled at Vikram.


    Seeing the boss speaking so informally with Akira the HR thought that it was best to leave the two alone and so she excused herself.


    "So where do you sit?", Akira asked curiously.


    "Right in front of you", Vikram said, pointing his fingers towards his cabin.


    "So did you like your view", teased Vikram.


    "Well, it''s my first day here. Aren''t you gonna buy me dinner?", Akira said and showed him the time on her watch.


    "Ok let me get my coat", Vikram said and turned.


    Akira pulled his hand back and said,


    "Hey, I was just messing with you. I know you are busy. You were acting all cheeky so I did a bit too".


    "But I am hungry", he said and left to get his keys and jacket.


    ---


    After their dinner, Vikram dropped her in front of her ce and wished her a GoodNight and left.


    Akira reached her house and entered inside.


    She bent down to remove her shoes, but before she could even remove one shoe from her leg, the doorbell rang.


    She turned back to get the door and found a messenger boy standing outside.


    "Hey, are you Akira?", the messenger boy asked.


    "Yes, I am".


    "This delivery is for you", he said and handed over the packet to her and left immediately.


    Akira stood at the door for a second wondering who would hire a messenger boy to send something.


    Then she went inside and opened the packet. There was a file and a small chit inside it in which it was written,


    "Sign the documents. Do not hesitate. It''s just temporary. I really need you to do this".


    @RodeoMaverick.


    She looked at the note in surprise and then immediately logged into herputer to check her blog.


    He had left her a simr message, so she was sure that it was him.


    Then she opened the file and read the first page.


    The file dropped from her hand and she hurriedly bent down and picked it up and re-read it again. Her face turned all white in shock,


    "What have you done Raymond. What have you done?", she mumbled and kept looking at the file and then at her blog again.


    "Just do it already" @RodeoMaverick


    She saw the message pop and then again looked back at the file. Raymond''s signature was already there. Her heartbeat was already through the roof. She took a deep breath and then thought for a while and then took out a pen from her bag and signed it next to where Raymond''s signature was present.


    Then she mumbled,


    .


    .


    "What have I done".


    At the other end, Raymond just heard her and understood that she had signed the documents.


    A gentle smile spread on his face.

 Chapter 159: Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 1

    <h4>159 Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 1</h4>


    Akira went to bed, but her heart was all restless. Unable to understand what was going on, she kept tossing and turning in her bed. She knew that Raymond would be having some solid reason behind doing all this but still it made her ufortable. It was such a huge step for her for she was still in her early twenties. Although she knew that it was temporary, still it was a big deal for her.


    She kept mumbling to herself on the bed and then somehow she fell asleep.


    ---


    The next morning when she woke up, she found one message from Vikram.


    "Hey, I gotta go to Sweden for an urgent meeting. So will see you after two days".


    "Don''t miss me too much ok !!!" - Vikram


    She instantly smiled after seeing his quirky message and then went to the washroom to get ready.


    After reaching office she wanted to focus on the new work which was assigned to her by her mentor, but somehow her head was somewhere else. She was still thinking about the papers which she had signed yesterday. The same messenger boy came to collect it as well, but he didn''t give her anything else. She was expecting some exnation from Raymond, but she got none. She kept opening and closing her blog but there was no hint from his side. There were so many questions building inside her, but there was no way to quench that thirst.


    She was lost in her thoughts when suddenly the HR came to her desk and tapped on her shoulder.


    "Hey, Akira !!!"


    "Hi".


    "Actually Vikram wanted me to give you the official invite card for the Tech G that is happening this Sunday. He told me you were his Plus One, so here you go", she said and handed the invitation card to Akira.


    "Thanks, um... well not to be nosy, but as this would be my first time, can you just tell me how huge this thing would be? I mean in terms of number of people and stuff like that?", Akira asked politely.


    The HR gently smiled and then said,


    "The entire gaming and graphics fraternity would be there and I know that for sure because we are one of the prime funders for this conve".


    "So you mean to say all the gaming and graphic designpanies have been invited to this conve?"


    "Yes, pretty much !!!"


    "As in like allpanies? Including startups?", Akira asked again curiosly.


    "Yes, all thepanies have been sent the invite. See this list here, it''s huge", she said and flipped page after page showing Akira the hundreds of entries of people invited from differentpanies from the file that she was holding.


    "Umm... if it''s ok, then may I see the guest list?", Akira requested.


    "Sure thing. Go ahead", she said and gave the file to Akira.


    She scanned through the list and then suddenly her eyes locked into one name "Raymond Walker" and a smile etched on her face instantly.


    She was excited to go the first g with Vikram, but now her excitement multiplied manifold to see his name there. She couldn''t control her excitement and excused herself and went back to her seat immediately.


    She wanted to scream out loud just by knowing the fact that she could see him there.


    She opened her blog post and wrote.


    "Someone had once told me that even if I want to eat ice cream at 2 a.m. in the morning then I can call him. I just hope that the deal is still valid for today. Maybe my window will still be open". - Akira


    Then she waited for more than 10 minutes for a reply but there was none. She knew that he might be busy but somehow her tiny heart expected him to reply as soon as possible. Thetency was bing unbearable for her.


    Half an hourter when she heard the ping sound, she knew that her prayers have been heard.


    "Cookies do crumble" @RodeoMaverick


    She was so excited just to see his message that she could have just run around the whole ce. But somehow she managed to tone it down and finished her work and went home.


    She came inside her bedroom after dinner and went to her dresser to change her clothes. She remembered exactly where all his hands had explored her body and shied away from wearing anything short. After much thinking, she settled on a track pant and a loose t-shirt.


    She then lied on her bed and started reading the Paulo Coelho book, which was yet to be finished. She was so nervous yet excited because it was for the first time that she was about to meet him in a well-arranged setup.


    The anticipation and wait were killing her.


    She was checking her watch every now and then.


    Every minute was passing slowly like an hour for her.


    Around 1:30 am, a message popped on herptop screen.


    "Cookies are packed and ready. The parcel is arriving soon" @RodeoMaverick


    Akira read the message and jumped in excitement. She rushed to the washroom and brushed her teeth again. She was blushing continuously in anticipation of a kiss from him. She was so shy that she couldn''t look at herself in the mirror.


    Then shebed her hair all neatly and applied that strawberry lip-gloss that he had liked thest time. Then she went back to the dresser area and after much predicament, she changed into a satin shorts and a matching camisole.


    She tied her hair up in a knot and left a few strands falling here and there. She looked really ethereal. She wanted to look nice but didn''t want him to think that she was trying to look nice at the same time. Well, girls areplicated that way. Aren''t they?


    Then she went back to her bed and started flipping the pages of the book. She was looking at the words, the font but her mind was not reading anything. All that her heart wanted was for him to arrive as quickly as possible. She wanted to tell him that she was also going for the g. She wanted him to see her in that nice maroon dress that she had got specifically for that G Night,


    A couple of minutester, she heard a soft knock on her window pane.


    Her heart knew it was him.


    She ran to the window pane and saw him waiting outside with a box of Cookie Crumble ice-cream in his hands.


    He then came inside and looked into her eyes and asked,


    "So were you really craving for ice cream or something else?"


    Akira heard him but she couldn''t lift her eyes up.

 Chapter 160: Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 2

    <h4>160 Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 2</h4>


    "Um... yeah you are right. This Ice cream wasn''t the reason that I called you", she said still looking down.


    An amused smile spread on Raymond''s face after hearing her out. He never expected her to be this frank with her words and thoughts.


    He took one step ahead and looked closely at her face. On that moonlit night, even though all the lights were switched off, her angelic face was still visible to him crystal clear. With the slow wind that was blowing the curtain sheers, was also causing the loose strands of her hair to y hide and seek with her face. Her lips were shining with the gloss that he knew that she had put on for him. Her innocent eyes looked so much more inviting that he just couldn''t hold himself back.


    He sighed and looked at the box of ice cream that he was holding in his hands and said,


    "I need my hands to be free".


    "Umm...", Akira pondered all innocently


    He came forward and made her hold the box in her hands as his hands gliding over hers while he made the smooth transfer. He then slowly pushed her hands behind her back so that the box wasn''t in between them anymore.


    This time neither he was rough, nor did his moves appear urgent. He was calm and poised and seemed to be in control. Then he lifted his palm and moved a couple of strands of hair from her face and then ran the back of his fingers on her cheeks fondly and asked,


    "Why did you want to meet me?"


    She looked at him but she was in no capacity to answer. The box was too cold but his touch made her body burn all red hot. Even her nervous system was confused as to reciprocate to which sensation as her body was being hit by millions.


    He wasn''t letting her have a single moment of sanity for his fingers started moving down, tracing the crevices of her neck. She shivered and then blurted out,


    "Stop stop stop".


    "Just let me talk first".


    "Why did you made me sign those documents?"


    He stopped his ascension midway and took a deep breath and then took the box of ice cream from her hands and walked over to the desk and kept it on top of it. Coming back he took her palms in his own which hard turned really cold holding that box.


    "It was just a precaution from some legalities. Nothing serious as I said. You don''t need to panic over it", he said and then brought her palms up and gently kissed them while warming them in the grip of his own palms.


    Every inch of her skin blossomed with his touch. Her senses were so overpowered that she forgot all the questions that she had enlisted for him in her mind. But it seemed like he could read her mind and said,


    "So you were saying?" and softly bit her palm with his teeth.


    Her face flushed and even with the cold breeze, she started sweating.


    She immediately pulled her hands away from him his hold and said,


    "Sorry, my hands are mmy".


    She turned back to wipe her sweaty palms on her pajama shorts immediately for she was feeling so embarrassed within. He took a step forward and embraced her from behind and whispered near her neck,


    "I like you mmy hands".


    She turned her face a bit to look at him, unable to believe that he would say such a nice thing. He softly kissed her cheeks and said,


    "I love everything about you. Your curves and all your edges. I don''t know why you make me go wild".


    "Really ?", Akira asked innocently looking into his eyes.


    "Yeah. I know it''s crazy but you are making me go crazy. I just can''t keep my hands off you. God, you are inviting so much trouble with shorts of yours", he said with his raspy voice reverberating near the nape of her neck, sending ripples after ripples of sensations into her body.


    "What''s wrong with my shorts?", Akira asked in a half subdued state.


    He chuckled hearing her question and said,


    "Well, it''s better that I keep that answer to myself as of now. You can''t handle it".


    She was intrigued by his thoughts and turned back, releasing herself from his grip and said,


    "Why not?"


    "Because I can say I have my own reasons right now", he said with his eyes scanning her top to bottom.


    "Ok, whatever. Then wait till you see me in my G night dress. I will see what your reasons will do", she said and smiled looking into his eyes.


    "What G are you talking about? The conve this Sunday?", Raymond asked in surprise.


    "Yes, and why didn''t you ask me to be your Plus One there?", Akira asked and pouted her lips. She was indeed annoyed a bit for not being asked by him since the invites were released two weeks back.


    "Well, first of all, I didn''t want to go to the conve, so that would answer your ''Why I didn''t ask you'' part and second of all - With who are you going there?", Raymond asked and looked at her, his gaze turning a bit serious because deep down he now knew that she was going to the g with Vikram, else she wouldn''t have known about it.


    "Oh !!! Actually Vikram had asked me to go with him and today when I checked the guest list, I saw your name. So I thought I can see you there and I was so happy but then..."


    She looked at him and saw him suddenly smiling so she stopped speaking.


    "What?", she asked all annoyed.


    "Nothing it''s just that your desperation to see me makes me happy", he said and smiled.


    "I wasn''t desperate. Huh", Akira said and stormed towards the desk and started making non-sessful attempts at opening the ice cream box.


    He took a deep breath and shook her head and mumbled,


    "What do I do with you?"


    He came close to her and slowly grazed his fingers on her arms and reached for her hands which were struggling with the box and whispered into her ears,


    "Then why did you want me to see you in your G dress?", he said softly with his voice almost sounding like a hum.


    "Because it''s nice and I thought you might like it. Happy? But what''s the point when you are not even going there", she said all irritated and disappointed.


    "Do you want me to go there?", he asked biting her ears softly.


    She moaned and pressed her body onto his like he was the only support that she could lean onto.


    His hands moved to her waist and he turned her in one swift move to face him.


    He lifted her chin with one hand and said,


    "Didn''t I tell you that day. All that you need to do is to ask. I can move mountains for you Akira, you just need to say it".


    She lifted her gaze up and looked into his eyes which were looking at her intently and said,


    "Well moving mountains was a bit dramatic but will you go to G for me?"


    He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose and said,


    "I wouldn''t miss seeing you in that dress for anything in the world".

 Chapter 161: Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 3

    <h4>161 Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 3</h4>


    "I wouldn''t miss seeing you in that dress for anything in the world".


    She lifted her eyes and looked up at him and asked,


    "Really?"


    "Really !!!", he said and then cupped her face in his right palm and kissed softly on her forehead and sighed.


    "What?", she asked all tenderly and curiously.


    "Nothing", he said but his mind was running wild worrying about the whole battle that he was fighting for her sake. He wanted to expose Vikram as soon as possible but it was so hard for him to even think of breaking her tiny heart. He was torn between the tug of war. The look in her eyes and the excitement in her voice clearly told him how important that G night was for her. So he resolved to wait until Sunday night before he pulled the mask off from Vikram''s face.


    "Tell me what are you thinking?", she asked tugging on to thepel of his jacket.


    "Well, I was just thinking that someone made me buy ice cream dead in the night but she isn''t even bothered to eat it".


    "Gaaahhh...," Akira sighed and stormed to the kitchen to get the spoon.


    When she returned, she found that he had spread a rug on the floor along with a couple of cushions. His eyes sparkled with warmth to see her back.


    "Come, sit with me", he said and arranged the cushion for her.


    "So this is what you had in your mind?", she asked quizzically.


    "No, the only thing that I have in my mind is to kiss you", he said unabashedly and held her hand in his own as she sat down next to him.


    "Ok, so tell me, when was the first time you felt like kissing me?", she asked and looked up at him. But before he could even answer, she interrupted his trail of thoughts and asked,


    "Um... was it the day when you dressed my wounds?"


    "NO".


    "Ok... then was it the day I adjusted your pillow in the hospital?"


    "NO".


    "Uggghhh... ok ok I got it. Was it the day my scarf fell down all loose in your office and you helped me put it on?"


    "NO".


    "Ok, forget it", she said with her face turning all sour.


    Heughed a bit and asked,


    "Why are you sad?".


    "Nothing, it''s just that I thought that you probably started liking me you know, after that incident with Anthony. I thought it brought us close. But since you didn''t even think of kissing me once back then, I guess you weren''t attracted to me at first. I guess you would be busy ming me for all the misfortunes I brought with myself for you".


    "Who said I didn''t want to?"


    "You yourself. I gave all the incidents when we were close with each other during our initial days and you didn''t start thinking of kissing me then. So what else shall I conclude?", she said and gobbled a big spoon of ice cream out of anger.


    He sighed and thenughed at her childish behavior.


    "You have no clue since when I wanted to kiss you !!!", he said and took away the spoon and box of ice cream from her hand and pulled her close. He then ran his thumb on her lips, wiping away the traces of ice-cream and then while licking his thumb he said,


    "Somehow everything tastes better on you".


    "You didn''t answer my question", she said and pouted.


    "That''s very personal and I am not going to answer that", he said and ate a spoon of ice cream from the box.


    "C'' mon no cliffhangers and no secrets. Tell me. I will do anything that you want", she said and pleaded with her hands sped in the front.


    "Really?"


    "Really !!!", she said and looked at him with those Bambi eyes, which could melt the Antarctic.


    "Ok then don''t back out from the deal", he said.


    "I won''t", she said and looked at him with clear eagerness reflecting in her eyes to know more and more.


    "It was the first time we met in the flight and I was just covering you with the nket and you just opened your eyes and looked at me - That was the first time I wanted to kiss your lips".


    She looked at him all surprised, unable to believe that he had feelings for her from the first meeting itself. She couldn''t suppress the happiness that his words brought in.


    "And when was the second time?"


    "Come here", he said and pulled her close and made her sit, with her back resting on his chest. His fingers slowly moved up and he removed a couple of stands of baby hair at the nape of her neck carefully so that he could see her tattoo clearly. He ran his fingers over the tattoo like he was trying to trace the outline of each and every swallow inked on her skin.


    "The second time was when you were standing in front of me in the custom exit line. I saw your tattoo and I just wanted to kiss every inch of your skin. I know it sounds weird but that''s how much I wanted you, like all of you", he said and then went all silent. He wasn''t sure if she would judge him for that. He wasn''t sure how she would feel about the whole thing.


    Sensing the silence from her side he removed his hands which were lying on her back and he took a deep breath. She didn''t say a word. She was just trying to absorb everything that he had said. But her silence was eating him up. He was worried that she might start thinking of him as some weirdo who fancied her from day one.


    "Now would be the time that you say something", he said and gently ced his hand on her arm.


    She didn''t say a word and got up and turned towards him.


    "Please get up", she said.


    With a heavy heart he got up, cursing himself for screwing up the romantic night, but then suddenly he heard her say,


    "Hold my hand".


    He obliged and held her outstretched palm with his right hand as she walked him towards the bed.


    The moment they reached near the bed she released her hand and looked up at him and asked,


    "Do you want me?"


    His eyebrows were raised for he was unable to understand what she meant.


    "I said, do you want me right here, right now?"


    He knew that there was no escape.


    He took a deep breath and said,


    "Yes".


    "How bad?"


    She asked without moving her eyes away from him.


    He couldn''t understand if she was teasing him or she was asking genuinely, He looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to understand what she meant and then with his usual raspy voice he replied,


    "So bad that I can''t keep my hands off you".


    Her eyes suddenly twinkled and a smile spread on her face. She came close and then pulled thepels of his jacket and pushed him on the bed. She then removed her sliders and climbed on the bed, hovering over him with her knees around his legs and her palms resting next to his shoulder.


    She saw the surprised look on his face and was extremely pleased. She moved her palms and twined her fingers with his and leaned in closer and kissed him softly and tenderly on his lips.


    That sudden kiss awakened his spirits and he lifted his head up to deepen the kiss. But before he could even explore her, she dug her teeth slightly on his lips and then detached herself.


    An expression of displeasure spread instantly on his face.


    With a sly smile on her face, she brought her hands twined with his hands to the front and said,


    "Show me how you can''t keep your hands off me".

 Chapter 162: Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 4

    <h4>162 Cookie Crumble Ice Cream - 4</h4>


    He couldn''t believe what she had just said. His eyes bore the same expression of surprise that his heart bore. His brows were lifted in disbelief for he couldn''t fathom in the wildest of his dreams for her to say something like this.


    "Are you trying to y with me?", Raymond asked looking into her eyes.


    She just shook her head without saying a word but that was enough to invoke the demons inside him. He looked at her silently for a second and then unsped his finger from hers slowly.


    Without breaking the contact with her eyes, his hands came up to hold her waist. Initially, he just rested his hands on her waist but slowly his fingers started moving under theyers of her camisole, ying with her bare soft skin.


    Her breathing stopped for a moment and she just closed her eyes.


    A smile etched on his face seeing the beautiful reaction of hers. It was nothing but pure love and pure desire between the two bodies who wanted to be united with their souls.


    He kept grazing his hands on the smooth skin of her back and slowly he went up and unsped her in one swift move, releasing her assets from the confines of restriction.


    She shuddered, for it was her first time being so intimate with anyone. Even though Anthony was her boyfriend, she had never let him do anything more than a kiss, but it was totally opposite with Raymond. She wanted him to desire her in every possible way.


    He embraced herplete back with his arms and with one swift move he flipped her, pushing her down on the bed. He saw her chest rising and falling rapidly. The soft satin of the camisole now clung to her chest, totally giving away how her body was reacting to his touch.


    His eyes scanned her a bit and then he locked his gaze onto hers and said,


    "God, I love you Akira".


    "You are just beautiful, do you know that?"


    She blushed all scarlet and he slowly grazed his fingers on her chest where the pendant was lying and then softly kissed under it. His hands slowly moved down on her chest, touching her inch by inch.


    Her toes curled with his touch as he moved his fingers slowly and then he suddenly stopped and said,


    "Can I kiss you here?"


    Her eyes wereden in panic, but her heart trusted him and she just looked at him in silence as he tugged the borders of her camisole and moved his lips to touch her barren skin. The moment his lipsnded on hers, she was ecstatic like she has been struck by a thousand volt of lightning.


    There was a sudden surge of weird energy within her and her back arched automatically. His deft hands moved automatically underneath to support her back in harmony like he understood every single need of her body.


    She was just a sheeryer away from weing nakedness and she was very much aware of it.


    There was nothing but love in his eyes and he wanted to give it all to her. He saw her heart palpitating, her chest rising up and down in a surge and her erratic breathing. He was amazed to see her body react to his touch this way, but that made things difficult for him for he was losing his restraint.


    He moved up and kissed her lips tenderly and slowly at first and then he unleashed the hunger inside him. His tongue got busy luring her more and more towards him. He teased her lips, bit them, licked them and ruled over them in every possible way.


    His right hand moved under the nape of her neck to support her as he tried to conquer the crevices of her mouth.


    His free left hand started bing busy exploring the edges of her body.


    She moaned, curled, sped unsped everything possible but nothing could save her from withering under his touch.


    Then suddenly he felt a drop of wetnessnd on his arm which was holding her neck.


    Startled, he opened his eyes and looked at her face and saw her eyes flooded with tears.


    She saw him looking at her in surprise and she curled her arms around him and hugged him tight and said,


    "I love you, Raymond, promise me that you will never leave me".


    Her words were few but their impact was insurmountable.


    In his arms lied this young girl who trusted him with all her heart and she was all that he wanted.


    He locked his gaze on her and slowly wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and asked,


    "Have you ever?"


    Her expressions were still nk for she couldn''tprehend what he meant.


    So he asked explicitly.


    "Have you ever you know? Done it?"


    She looked at him for a moment and then stole her gaze to the side and meekly replied,


    "No".


    "NO ???", he almost screamed in surprise and then ran his fingers through her hair and asked her softly,


    "What were you doing Akira?"


    She had no answer. Her hands started ying with the sheets and she started looking at the side table all embarrassed.


    A hint of smile spread on his face as he saw her all shy and coy and asked,


    "So you really wanted me to be your first?"


    She suddenly looked at him and she looked displeased.


    "Not just first, I want you to be the only one", she said and clearly she sounded all offended.


    He gently cupped her chin and said,


    "Then not like this".


    Saying that he kissed on her forehead and then got up and went near the window to feel the cool breeze on his face to calm himself down.


    She climbed down the bed and started walking towards him, but then saw him suddenly raising his hand asking her to stop.


    "Stop there. Don''t even dare to move an inch further".


    "But why? What did I do?", she asked all surprised with the sudden change in his tone.


    "Because this time I might not be able to stop", he said and climbed out through the window.


    Standing outside he looked at her and sighed and then reached for his pocket and took a SIM card out and ced it on the side of the window and before leaving he said,


    "It''s a PRIVATE NUMBER".

 Chapter 163: Quite some experience

    <h4>163 Quite some experience</h4>


    She saw him walking away silently and slowly his figure got absorbed in the darkness of the night.


    A smile etched on her face for she knew that this guy was the one. The one who would wait for her, the one who would move mountains just to be with her, the one who would bet his life to just see her smile and the one with whom she wanted to grow old.


    Her hands automatically moved to her lips and she recollected the way his lips had touched hers a few seconds ago and her happiness manifolded. He gave her nothing but sheer happiness. There was so much power in his love that she was ready to do anything for him for one singlemand of his.


    She picked up the SIM card and inserted in her phone and waited till ittched on to thework. She initially thought of calling his personal number using this Private number, but then she refrained herself for he had asked her earlier not to use any medium of contact other than the blog. So she took the phone and went to bed.


    She kept looking at it intermittently like after every five seconds just to see if he had called, to see if thework was ok. Her agitated mind just couldn''t keep calm, knowing that she now had a proper medium to be able to talk with him, for there were so many things unsaid.


    All bored she climbed down and picked up the ice cream box and then sat on the rug which he had spread for her. She saw her bra lying on the floor which he had opened in seconds with his deft fingers and wondered if he was a yer who was habituated doing it. He mind started building the webs of thoughts and series of events which could have happened if he wouldn''t have stopped. But then her process of knitting came to a halt when she heard her phone buzz and her screen lit with,


    PRIVATE NUMBER calling.....


    She picked it up immediately on the second ring itself.


    "Hi"


    "Hello. I hope I didn''t wake you up", he said all softly.


    Fom the background noise, she could clearly understand that he had just reached his house and was unlocking the main door. Her tiny little heart fluttered with the thought that he couldn''t wait for a second more to call her up and she became all ecstatic.


    "I wasn''t sleeping".


    "Then what were you doing?", Raymond asked as he entered his room.


    "Umm... basically nothing. Was just having the ice cream".


    "It feels so good to be able to hear your voice like this", he said and sighed.


    "Then why did you leave?"


    "You could have stayed and talked with me. Why did you rush away?", she asked and her tone clearly reflected her disappointment.


    He took a deep breath and wondered as to how to exin this specimen about thews of desire and the power it has over the human body.


    Sensing the silence from his side she said,


    "I know you wanted to wait to make it special for me, but you could just have stayed by my side right? I didn''t even get to see you properly. Didn''t even get to talk with you?"


    "Tell me now", he said.


    "Huh", she stuttered.


    "Tell me all the things in your heart that you wanted to tell", he said and loosened his tie and sat on his chair.


    She thought for a while but she couldn''t stop the question which was swirling inside her head from surfacing out.


    "Well, you look like you have quite some experience. What was the need to run away?"


    Heughed as soon as he heard her.


    "Why would you think so?", he asked curiously.


    "It took you just seconds to open it, while I have heard from Elina that many guys struggle to do that".


    "Well, firstly those who struggle are either idiots or who don''t understand how a hook and sp works and second off all who is this holy person who has enlightened you with such primitive knowledge?", Raymond asked suppressing hisugh.


    "Elina is my best friend from uni days who is I guess is currently wandering in God knows which Amazon forest. But leaving that aside you speak like you have mastered the art of it. Isn''t it?"


    "Are you jealous or are you reprimanding me? Be specific !!!"


    "I am neither jealous nor reprimanding anyone. I just said what I felt", she said but Raymond could clearly understand that her mood was all sour.


    "Akira !!!"


    "Yeah", she replied all irritated.


    "If only you can read my mind right now, then you could have understood the things that I want to do with you. So don''t you dare try to tease my primal instincts for I can''t describe in words how much I need you and how much I want you".


    "I might have done things before, I admit that, but you are different. You are way different from what I have ever experienced before. The way your body reacts to my touch is magic. I just want you to wither in my arms and only in my arms. The thought of even anyone remotely touching a strand of hair of yours pisses me off".


    She heard every word that emanated from his lips and it quenched the thirst of her parched and troubled heart. That thinyer of irritation that had built within her was wiped clean by him.


    "Well, then I guess Vikram is lucky that he is in Sweden. Else God known which bone of his might be broken by you for that poor guy is sharing the dance floor with me at the G night". Akira said and chuckled.


    "He has gone to Sweden? But when?"


    "I guess today early morning. He had just sent a text message in the morning. Might have left yesterday night as well. Why what happened? You had any work stuff to discuss with him?", Akira asked all innocently for she had no clue what broth was boiling underneath.


    "I see, give me a moment", said Raymond and excused himself.


    His adept hands immediately texted David,


    "Subject has gone to Sweden. Check for any itinerary copy in his room at his ce" - Raymond


    Then he switched back to the call and said,


    "So where were we?"

 Chapter 164: The three of them are waiting !!!

    <h4>164 The three of them are waiting !!!</h4>


    The next day evening after Vikramnded, the first thing that he did was to call up Akira.


    She was flipping her pen and was procrastinating the whole day. Somehow her head and heart were not aligned since yesterday. All that she could do was to think about Raymond and all those things that he has said to her. She just wanted to run away from everyone and everything and to be with him. She wanted to give him every second of her life that she had. So when Vikram called, somehow she was in such absent-minded state that she didn''t even realize that she was getting a call till the fifth ring.


    "Hey !!!"


    "Hiii.... are you back from the trip?"


    "Yes, justnded and on my way to home. What are you doing in the office?"


    "Nothing much. Just going through the assignment work which has been given to me and trying ways to figure out how to shrug off the work", she said and chuckled.


    "Well the very first tip that I am going to give you is to never tell your boss that you are shrugging off work", Vikram said and smiled at her naiveness.


    "Ok, then I will repeat myself again. Technically you are not my boss. You are my boss''s boss''s boss. So I can tell you anything that I have in my mind. Can''t I?", she said and giggled.


    "Ahhh... you are never gonna leave that. Are you?"


    "No, never", she said and smiled.


    "So how is everything between you and Raymond? Did he try to contact you?", Vikram now asked seriously.


    For a moment she thought if she could tell him everything but in the other, she thought that it was better to wait for the right moment to tell so she replied in negation,


    "No".


    "Well did you try to contact him?"


    "No".


    He sighed and then said,


    "Actually there is something that I wanted to tell you. Umm...Day after tomorrow, at the G night, he might be present. Will, you be ok with that?".


    "Will I be ok with that? I am dying for that g night to happen Vikram" - Her heart wanted to scream and tell him that but the whole conundrum of to tell or to not to tell, pulled her back into the reigns and she meekly replied,


    "I guess".


    "See if it''s ufortable for you then we can skip it. Anyways you don''t like attending such things".


    "Nooooooo".


    "No way !!! We are going to attend. I am not going to miss it making anyme excuses. I have given you my word and I want to go with you Vikram. In high school, I missed my dance with you because of your so-called stupid girlfriend fiasco, but this time I am not gonna miss it".


    "You still remember that?"


    "Of course I do !!! I was so mad at myself and a bit mad with you too".


    "So you wanted to dance so bad with me?", Vikram asked.


    "Now you are simply pushing your luck", Akira said and pouted.


    His lips curled in a smile for his heart was set aze by just the thoughts of longingness that he had in his heart.


    "So will you share the first dance with me?"


    "Sure thing, but what is the first dance? It''s like general open floor dance right?", she asked.


    "No, we are opening the g night".


    "Opening as in, will we be the first to dance?".


    "Yes, ma''am".


    "Well now I am nervous", she said and started biting her nails.


    She remembered what Raymond had told yesterday. About how he wouldn''t tolerate anyone even touching her.


    "Oh Boy !!! He is going to be so so mad", she thought in her head and chuckled. The idea of making him all jealous somehow excited her.


    "Don''t be. It''s gonna be all right. Just trust me", he said and then disconnected the call.


    His heart was just calmed to know that she wanted to attend the event for his sake. Rays of hope started scattering on top of his heart knowing that she was eager to have that first dance with him. He had huge hopes pinned for the night and his nerves were agitated yet calm for he was now assured that she wasn''t going to break his heart.


    ---


    As he reached home, he saw his mother waiting for him in the entertainment room and the moment she had a glimpse of her son she asked all beaming up,


    "Did you get it?"


    He tapped on his chest as an indication and a smile etched on his mom''s face.


    He came close and hugged his mom tight and said,


    "I have never felt this nervous mom. I don''t even know where to start with. I don''t even know if she will even say yes to me".


    "Have faith, my child. She is a very sweet girl and she just loves you. She just doesn''t know it yet. She will never break your heart. I know my Akira and I know you. You guys are meant for each other. God has no other ns except for uniting you two".


    "Really mom?"


    "Really !!!", she said and kissed his forehead.


    "I am going to my room then", Vikram said and got up.


    "Well, I forgot to tell you one thing. Peter hade today morning and he gave some files and said that it was Confidential. I had asked Joey to keep them in your room".


    Vikram''s eyebrows lifted up suddenly and his happy face started turning all nk.


    "Oh, my bad. Joey is the new housemaid who has joined a couple of days back to rece Be. She is a sweet and quiet one. She isn''t gonna trouble you".


    "Um... did you open the file by any chance mom?", Vikram asked. His throat had suddenly started to run dry for he was worried if his mom saw the contents of those files by any chance.


    "No, I gave it directly to Joey. Why what happened? Anything wrong sweetie? You don''t look so good", she asked all worried.


    "Nothing. I am just gonna go to my room and check on those files", Vikram said and dashed towards his room.


    As he reached his room, he saw the files on his bed, neatly kept in a corner. A small sticky note was added on top of it.


    "Files from Peter"


    He rxed a bit and then skimmed through the pages and found all the information intact and took a sigh of relief.


    Then his hand automatically reached for the delicate Prussian blue velvet box for which he had covered miles and had gone to Sweden to obtain it directly from the owner. He smiled through his eyes as he opened the box and looked at the teardrop diamond ring which was soon going to be adorned by Akira. It was an imperial diamond and one of a kind in the whole world.


    After all his girl was also one of a kind and she deserved nothing less than this.


    He couldn''t wait a single night more to be united with her.


    She couldn''t wait a day more to share the same dance floor with Raymond.


    He couldn''t hold his breath, for he wasing to the g just for her sake, waiting to see her in that beautiful g dress of hers.


    The clock was ticking, but the three hearts were beating in anticipation even faster.

 Chapter 165: Not everyone calls you Ka

    <h4>165 Not everyone calls you Ka</h4>


    Vikram''s mind wandered off for he started jotting down his ideas to create the perfect proposal ground for Akira. He wanted it to be as memorable as possible for her. So he couldn''t leave any margin for error. He wanted the whole experience to be as surreal as possible with the amalgamation of lights, music, flowers, candles and a bit of drama. He had prepared the perfect setting for it. After the romantic dance at the City center, he had nned to propose her at the rooftop of the same building.


    Everything was mapped in detail in his head to the T.


    The only thing that was pending was the execution of it. He had set the decoration to match the theme of her maroon gown dress. The contractors had been called, the dimensions of the ce had been taken, a dummy version of the whole setup had been carved out already to perfection. All that he had to do now was to wait.


    He held the ring in his hand and a smile etched on his otherwise profound face for he was lost in thend of dreams where she had already said yes to his proposal.


    His trailing thoughts suddenly came to an abrupt halt.


    "Good evening Sir".


    "Fresh juice for you. Ma''am had asked me to send it to your room", Joey spoke in a very mellowed tone while her eyes were busy scanning the entire desk.


    "Thanks. Put it on the table", Vikram said coldly.


    "Anything else that I can do sir", Joey asked politely.


    "You can leave now".


    "Ok Sir", Joey said and escaped Vikram''s room and quickly ran towards the utility for she had so many things to be informed to David.


    ---


    Katherine was busy checking the new medicines which some of the medicine representatives had given her for promotional purposes when she got a call from her friend Antares.


    "Hi, Katherine".


    "Hello, Antares. How are you?"


    "Actually I need help from you again. A small one I promise though", Antares spoke a bit hesitatingly.


    "Oh c'' mon just tell me already !!!", Katherine said and started wrapping up her work while on phone.


    "Actually can you please help to pick up Regina from the violin sses too? I have some emergency here at the hospital".


    "Oh, NO biggie. I will pick both of them. She can have dinner at my ce and you can pick her up when youe back. Sounds good?", Katherine asked.


    "Actually no need of all that trouble. You can just drop her at my ce. My mom is there and she will take care of her food and everything else", Antares said.


    "Ok sure thing !!!"


    "Thanks again Katherine !!!", Antares said and kept the call.


    Katherine then started from her clinic and reached the Music Arena where both Regina and Kate took violin sses. She picked them up and left for Regina''s house first.


    "So how was the ss today?", Katherine asked while the two sat behind in the car.


    "Swell", Kate replied and then continued whispering into Regina''s ears and they both started giggling.


    "Fine fine !!! It looks like I am not invited into your so-called girl talk huh", Katherine said and chuckled while the girls continued with their friendly banter.


    A few minutester Katherine reached Regina''s ce and dropped her in front of her door. She came back and opened the car door and just when she was about to enter inside, she saw a car stopping next to her and before she could even keep a foot inside her own car, she heard him say her name.


    "Katherine !!!"


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I should ask you the same question Shawn", Katherine said, looking at him with her eyes filled with surprise.


    "Well, I am here because I stay here. I moved in herest week itself", Shawn said and pointed at the house next to Regina''s.


    "I just came by to drop my daughter''s friend as her mom was busy at the hospital. Here is my little one", Katherine said and opened the back door of the car and asked Kate toe out.


    "Say Hello to my friend Shawn".


    "Hello, Uncle !!! I am Kate. Nice to meet you".


    "Nice to meet you too Kate. How are you doing?"


    "Umm... nothing much uncle. Just attending summer hobby sses".


    "I see".


    "So you are a friend of my mom?"


    "Yeah"


    "Then howe I have never seen you at our ce", Kate asked all innocently.


    Shawn instantly couldn''t answer and his gaze went up and he looked at Katherine who seemed equally bbergasted with Kate''s question. He looked into her eyes for a while and then smiled at Kate and said,


    "Well, that''s because your mom was angry with me. We became friends again just recently".


    "I see. Well, she is very unforgiving that way. Aplicated soul you can say. Her heart is like a ny-year-olddy''s."


    "What on earth are you speaking Kate?", Katherine reprimanded her.


    Shawn couldn''t suppress hisugh upon hearing Kate and said.


    "Well I would agree upon that"


    "Don''t support her Swan", Katherine said and looked at him in a very displeased manner.


    "Ok ok just kidding. Um... if you guys are free then would you like to have dinner at my ce?", Shawn asked even though he was fifty percent sure that Katherine would deny it.


    "Will we get Ice cream for dessert?", Kate asked, even before Katherine could say a word.


    "Yes, of course, you will".


    "Then I am in. I don''t know about my mom thought".


    "Youngdy just watch your mouth I am telling you. Don''t make me ground you at home", Katherine hissed with anger.


    "C ''mon Kat, its just one dinner. For old time''s sake?", Shawn said looking deep into her eyes like he was trying to unlock those old chapters which had been caged deep in her memories.


    Katherine hesitated initially and then looked at Kate who was almost on the verge of jumping for ice cream and then said,


    "Yeah sure. For old times sake"


    His eyes instantly beamed with happiness


    ''Follow me then", he said and walked ahead of them.


    When Kate saw that Shawn was two-three steps ahead of them, she pulled Katherine''s sleeves and said,


    "He called you Kat".


    "Yeah so? Even your uncle Raymond calls me Kat".


    "Yeah, that''s what. You let only people extremely close to you call you Kat. Not everyone. Don''t you?"


    Katherine literally had no answer this time.

 Chapter 166: That dinner wasnt happening after all !!!

    <h4>166 That dinner wasn''t happening after all !!!</h4>


    As Katherine entered Shawn''s ce, the very first thing that she noticed in the living area was the huge photograph of her along with Trent and Shawn on both the sides. It was a happy picture of the three of them from the graduation day in college and it perfectly adorned the wall.


    She was suddenly hit by a wave of nostalgia.


    "That was from the graduation day", Shawn said when he found Katherine intently looking at the picture.


    "Yeah, good old days", Katherine said and sighed.


    "Who is the other guy in the frame?", Kate asked.


    "That''s another friend of mine as well", Katherine replied instantaneously like she was programmed to avoid any questions about the existence of Trent.


    "So you have fought with him too? Like you fought with Shawn?", Kate asked all innocently.


    "Well, kind of", Katherine said, hiding away all the pain that was surfacing in her heart.


    "No wonder you are always lonely, devoid of any friends. Soon Raymond is going to be with Akira aunty, then what will you do?"


    "Why don''t you ask her to make more friends Shawn?", Kate said and then looked up at Shawn.


    Katherine had no clue for what she had to speak and thus decided to stay just quiet.


    "I will don''t worry. Plus I am always there in case your mom needs me anytime", Shawn said and nced at Katherine who still appeared to be lost in her thoughts.


    "I knew it that I was going to like you. You have a happy vibe", Kate said and gave a high five to Shawn.


    "So what do you want for dinner princess?"


    "I want a pepperoni loaded pizza, like a huge one without any jpenos".


    "And I guess a Pepper Barbeque Chicken pizza for you?", Shawn asked looking at Katherine.


    She just nodded, amazed to see that he still remembered her preferences.


    "How do you about my mom''s favorite pizza?"


    "Because that''s the only one that she eats, back from the uni days", Shawn said and went into the kitchen to call the Pizza Delivery Service.


    Katherine looked at him as he left towards the kitchen, he hadn''t changed a bit. He gave the same warm and homely vibe that he always did in college.


    After cing the order, Shawn came back and took them to his entertainment room and fixed a game for Kate to y on his Xbox. Kate got so involved in her game that shepletely ignored the two of them and their conversation.


    "Did you hear anything from Trent?", Shawn asked.


    "No, not after you know", Katherine replied and shrugged and looked towards Kate to see if she was listening to them.


    "We can go downstairs if you aren''tfortable talking in front of her", Shawn said.


    "That''s ok, there isn''t anything left to talk about. I haven''t heard from him ever since and that''s totally ok. I am really happy in my life the way it is. I don''t want anything more", Katherine said and looked into Shawn''s eyes like she was indirectly trying to tell him something.


    "Then I am happy for you", Shawn said and sighed for he clearly knew what her statement meant.


    "Can I use the washroom please?", Katherine asked cutting him through.


    "Umm... yeah. Straight and left".


    She got up and left.


    Somehow Shawn sensed that she wasn''t ok. So he looked at Kate and said,


    "Sweety I am gonna check if your mom could find the washroom or not. Can you stay here by yourself?"


    Kate didn''t say a word and just showed a thumbs up sign for she was totally engrossed.


    Shawn smiled and went towards the washroom and stood outside the door.


    A few minutester, Katherine opened the door and came outside and was surprised to see Shawn standing outside.


    Her eyes were all red.


    It was clear, that she had cried inside.


    His insides curled seeing her in this state and he asked,


    "Are you ok Kat?"


    "Oh yeah totally !!! Just some soap got into my eyes", she said and smiled.


    "Kat !!!", Shawn said softly and looked into her eyes like he was begging her to stop being so rigid like we wanted her to cast away the facade that she was trying to pull off.


    "Why are you still like this Kat? Why can''t we talk like we used to? We are still friends right?", Shawn said and took a step closer.


    "You are kidding right?"


    "Where was this friend of mine when I made the biggest mistake of my life?"


    "Where were you when I was walking down the aisle with a man, who you knew would leave me eventually? Why didn''t you pull me back? I listened to everything that you said throughout my life. You were all I had after mum left me and I counted on you. Then how could you let me go? How could you?"


    Her anger was slowly tranting into pain that dripped through her eyes.


    Shawn stood there all stupified, for he had no answer that could justify the qualms that she had against him.


    He took a step ahead and stretched his hands to wipe away her tears, but before he could she moved his hand away and said,


    "I have survived that, so I will survive this too. I don''t need anyone in my life", she spoke with nothing but anguish.


    "You loved him, Kat, you loved him more than anything else in the world. How on earth I could have stopped you? You were madly in love with him. So much that I didn''t matter. So much that nothing that I would have said, would have mattered".


    She looked at him all disappointed for even after all these years he was still the same, all clueless.


    "If you would have said, then I might have. I could have done anything for you, Shawn. Anything".


    She said and stormed ahead but he held her hand and stopped her.


    "What do you mean Katherine?"


    "You see, that''s what the problem is. You call yourself my best friend, but you really never understood me or my heart. You just let me go away. Just like that without a fight. Like I didn''t matter to you because if I had then probably we won''t be having this conversation in the first ce. Was I so easy to let go?"


    She said and then jerked out her hand from his grip and stormed towards the entertainment room.


    That dinner wasn''t happening after all !!!

 Chapter 167: The Gala Morning

    <h4>167 The G Morning</h4>


    It was a beautiful and bright Sunday morning, the one which fills the heart with nothing but warmth andfort.


    Akira got up from her bed and the first thing that she did was to check her phone.


    There were a couple of messages from both Raymond and Vikram and she read them one by one,


    "Morning my sunshine. Hope you have slept well" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    And without even waiting for one second her fingers moved on the keypad.


    "I couldn''t sleep yesterday dreaming about you" - Akira


    Then she waited for a couple of minutes eagerly waiting for a response from him and soon she got one.


    "I am interested to know more about this dream of yours" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "We were just dancing together in my dream. Nothing else. So stop getting all weird and dirty thoughts in your head" - Akira


    "Really !!! I am the one being used here when you are the one who is dreaming about all this stuff?" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "That''s right" - Akira


    "Fine then, just get on the dance floor tonight. We will see how dirty it gets" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    She read the text and blushed hard. Her ears were already turning piping red hot and she gasped for air before texting next.


    "Are you like threatening me now?" - Akira


    "No, I am just stating the facts about the things that are going to happen" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Now you have piqued my curiosity" - Akira


    "As in?" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "As in I am curious to know how dirty it will get" - Akira


    She texted and smiled, eagerly waiting for his answer.


    "Well, I don''t need to tell you about it. My hands and my fingers will do that talking and your body will only listen" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    She went numb for a second reading his text. This guy knew for sure how to push her buttons.


    "Will see" - Akira


    She replied and dug her head into the pillow with her mind going haywire because of the thoughts that his message had induced. But before she could get her thoughts straightened, she got a call from Vikram.


    "Hello !!!"


    "Morning dear", said Vikram.


    "A good morning to you too", Akira said all sheepishly.


    "You didn''t reply to my messages even though you were online", Vikramined.


    "Well I logged in to WhatsApp but then slept again", she lied.


    "You need to practice how to lie better", Vikram said.


    "Ok you got me, I was watching a stupid forwarded video on WhatsApp and then you called", Akira said.


    "Forget it. So all set for tonight?", Vikram asked although her white lie somehow troubled him.


    "I guess. You?", Akira asked.


    "Well, to be honest, I couldn''t sleep. Probably over-excited", Vikram said.


    "Why would you be so excited? It''s like a daily humdrum routine for you, right? God knows how many of these you would have already attended. I should be the one getting cold feet", Akira said.


    "You have no idea !!!", Vikram said and sighed for only he knew the plethora of emotions that he was feeling. This night was extremely special for him. It was a matter of a few hours but his heart was unable to rest. Not even for a bit.


    "Well If you keep me busy talking with you then I am definitely going to bete. I need to get ready Vikram", Akira said.


    "What now? Why would you be ready from now?", Vikram asked in surprise.


    "Gosh !!! I need to get my hair washed, then I need to get all dolled up with matching nail paint and stuff. You are making me go all girly today. So yeah I need to start from now. Else I don''t think I can make it. Getting all these done ain''t easy. God knows how girls do it on a daily basis", Akira said and sighed.


    Vikram chuckled hearing her rant.


    "Ok ok, take all the time in the world that you need. But if you ask me, you just look perfect without any makeup or anything. All I need is just to have you by my side. That''s more than enough for me".


    "Well that''s sweet of you to say so, but that''s not going to change my mind. It''s my first G and I need to look pretty ok?"


    "Fine fine!! go on", Vikram said and disconnected the call. Deep down he was extremely happy that she was making such a conscious effort to look good for him. A smile etched on his face and taking a deep breath he slumped into his chair, totally unaware of the fact that Akira was doing all that for her one and only, Raymond.


    After texting Akira, Raymond immediately got back into action. For other this Sunday might have been azy morning but not for him. He was charting his borate n to counter every single move of Vikram meticulously. He needed everything to be perfect, just perfect for he couldn''t risk his girl getting into any trouble again.


    He called up David and asked,


    "So all set buddy?".


    "Yes, Mr.Raymond".


    "Did you send her the dress?"


    "Yes I did and I have put a note in there as well that you are going to pick her up sharp at 5:30 pm".


    "Great job David. I can''t thank you enough for all that you have done for me".


    "If you really want to thank me then make sure he gets pped. Like a real face p when you show his true colors out".


    Raymondughed hearing him speak with so much aggression.


    "I will try my best for the face-p thing to happen. But I can''t guarantee though", he said and smiled.


    Although Vikram had made concrete ns to steal Akira away, Raymond was ready to foil them all and he was ready with the battalion. The roadmap had been made, the contractors had been contacted, the announcement system was hacked and above all, he was ready with his killer suit.


    After all, he had to dress up for his girl tonight.

 Chapter 168: Gala Night - 1

    <h4>168 G Night - 1</h4>


    Akira stood in front of the mirror and then finally zipped her dress up. Her strapless maroon gown made her look like the Goddess of Seduction. Her dress clung tight to her chest entuating her curves. It totally unted her thin waistline and made her ample bosom look all the more prominent. The corset of her dress hung low on her chest revealing just the right amount cleavage making her look all sultry. The dress was bare from the back with nothing but a chain of gold holding the piece together and revealed her silky smooth skin. She checked herself in the mirror a couple of times to make sure that it wasn''t too much for she was so worried as she was wearing something so inviting for the first time in her life.


    Once she felt that she was done, she took a light twirl in front of the mirror and slightly giggled. She was nervous but excited at the same time. Her heart raced with anticipation thinking about what his reaction would be. She bit her lips as she couldn''t contain her excitement and called him up.


    "Hey there!!!"


    "Hi, are you ready?", she asked.


    "Yeah, just fixing my bow-tie. You?"


    "I am almost done. Just need to wear my stilettoes".


    "Keep a pair offortable sneakers with you in the car, you know just in case".


    Akira smiled hearing his concerned voice and said,


    "I will".


    "Um... Can I like see you right now? Facetime?"


    "No way, you will see me when you see me. Now let me channel my inner beauty".


    "So you are being a tease huh?", Raymond retorted back.


    "Who told you that only you have the right to tease Mr. Raymond?", she said and giggled.


    But their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the doorbell.


    "I guess Vikram is here. I gotta go now. See you soon", she said and disconnected the call.


    Raymond kept staring at the phone screen for some time trying to calm his agitated nerves after hearing Vikram''s name out loud from her mouth.


    Akira came out of her room and before she could even a take a step further, she heard Mike screaming.


    "Holy shit !!!"


    "What?", Akira asked all startled.


    "Jesus Christ Akira you look .... you look fab I mean", Mike said and kept shaking his head as it was way too hard for him to believe that his sister would wear something like this.


    "Language my boy", said Akira and punched him lightly.


    "Trust me you can ask Vikram. Boy, he is going to die seeing you like this. Good that he is escorting you, else I would not have let you take a step out of this house with an attire like this", Mike said and walked ahead to open the door.


    "Allow me? Wao really? Are you trying to channel that mom vibe inside you?", Akira retorted as she was indeed taken aback with his statement.


    Mike just mocked her and then opened the door and weed Vikram inside.


    He looked dapper in his jet ck tux. It was custom tailored for him and entuated his built extremely well.


    "Someone is looking handsome", Mike said as Vikram took his step inside, but before he could take another step he just stood there all dumb-struck.


    "Akira...you ...", Vikram stuttered.


    "What?", asked Akira.


    "What what? You are looking drop dead gorgeous. That''s what he meant. Good lord, what''s wrong with your generation. You guys can''t even speak what you feel or think", Mike said and slumped on the sofa, utterly disappointed with the way those two were behaving.


    "Don''t mind him. He is acting all weird today", Akira said ncing at Vikram.


    "So? How do I look?", Akira asked him and turned around to show him herplete look.


    The moment he saw her bare back, his breath just hitched and his heart skipped a couple of beats. She was indeed looking ethereally beautiful. Her dark maroon painted lips looked extremely kissable. Seeing her slender waist and her bare arms all that he wanted to do was to take her in his arms and never leave her.


    He coughed to clear his throat and to get back his spiraling feelings on the ground and said,


    "You just look perfect. Absolutely perfect".


    "Oh no, wait. I still need to wear my shoes", said Akira and got her shoe box and just when she was about to bend down, Vikram stopped her.


    "Don''t bend, just let me help you", saying he bent down on his knees and took her sandal and ced her foot in it and then tied the strap. She got a bit dis-bnced as her one foot was in heels and one wasn''t. But Vikram immediately ced his palm on her belly and stopped her from falling down.


    "Thanks", she said and smiled but he couldn''t smile back for his heart was in deep trouble. His heart was in deep trouble thinking about the prying eyes of people so at that right moment he didn''t feel like taking her to the g. He just wanted to spend his days and nights with her just looking at her, stroking her face with his fingers.


    Suddenly life had a different meaning altogether for him. A life spent till eternity with her.


    He got up when he was done and took a step closer and asked,


    "You got any Kohl or eyeliner with you?"


    "Yeah, why?"


    "Just get it, will you?", Vikram said.


    Akira went inside and got her Kohl pencil and ced it in his palm and asked,


    "What do you have to do with it?"


    "Shhh....", he said and ced his right index finger on her lips.


    He hushed her and then with his left hand he pushed her hair away from the left side of her shoulder and using the Kohl pencil he put a small ck dot on the left side of her neck and then returned the pencil back.


    "I just can''t risk taking you out in the public when you look drop dead gorgous like this. I need to ward off the evil eye", he said and shrugged his shoulders.

 Chapter 169: Gala Night - 2

    <h4>169 G Night - 2</h4>


    Akira was moved by his gesture and her eyes almost teared up.


    "What?", Vikram asked softly.


    She smiled and took a deep breath and said,


    "Nothing, I just miss mom. She used to put would a Kohl Dot on me whenever I used to dress up".


    "Come here", said Vikram and opened his arms for her.


    She came forward and hugged him lightly, careful not to stain his clothes with her lipstick. His one hand rested lightly on her head like a protective shield and the other curled around her back.


    The moment his fingers touched her bare skin, a fire was kindled inside his heart. Her same familiarvender smell made him remember about thousands of moments like this when she was in his arms, lying all defenseless and he did nothing. This hug meant everything to him for tonight was their night. He had never touched her inappropriately before. It was always a hug or a kiss on the forehead, but this time he couldn''t stop his desires from acting upon. His hands traced the delicate chain that was holding her outfit together and then slowly moved down with his fingers tracing her back lightly.


    "Hey You !!!", said Akira and then slightly punched on his chest as she felt his hands generating those tingling sensations.


    "me the dress, not my hands", he said and smiled looking into her eyes.


    "You yourself approved if it", she said and pouted.


    "I know !!!", he said and then mumbled,


    "I am totally regretting it though."


    "What did you just say?", she asked hearing him mumble something.


    "Nothing. Just ignore me", he said and chuckled.


    "Well, aren''t we gettingte already?", she asked and detached herself from him.


    He took a good final look at her and said,


    "Sure mydy", and extended his hand for her to hold and they came out of the house.


    "Wao !!! You rented this limousine for the g dinner?", Akira was amazed to see the car outside


    "Rent it !!! You are indeed funny Akira. I own it", he said and opened the door for her.


    "Jeez !!! But you always ride with your Audi !!!", Akira asked all surprised.


    "Yeah because no one drives a Limo to office dummy", Vikram said and closed the door and then entered the car from the other side.


    As the car sped through the streets of Brooklyn, Vikram''s happiness knew no bounds, for he was going to share the dance floor with her, for he was going to unfold his heart in front of her. The thought of taking her into an embrace and running his hands over her body had already gotten him excited. Her sexy outfit with that thigh-high slit was already ruining the sanity of his mind. But there was only one thing that worried his mind and that was the presence of Raymond.


    He knew that his presence would affect her, but he was also sure of Akira''s decision. He knew that she will never go back to him, for the safety of his child was at stake. And the Akira that he knew, would go to any lengths to keep others happy.


    ---


    After about 20 minutes of the ride, they reached the City Center where the g had been organized. Vikram immediately came out and opened the door for Akira and again extended his palm for her toe out of the car.


    But he saw her nervously clenching her fist inside the car and held onto her clutch as tight as possible. She looked up at him and asked,


    "Tell me it''s going to be ok".


    Vikram took a deep breath and looked at her and said,


    "I wish you could just read my mind and know how gorgeous you are looking tonight and I bet you will be breaking many hearts here. Trust me Akira, I will make tonight, the night for you to remember forever. Just take my hand ande with me and you will see".


    His gentle smile and the sincerity in his eyes assured her and she held his hand and came out of the car and suddenly all the cameras and lights were on her.


    Thousands of pictures were being clicked every second and she got all nervous and out of panic, she covered her face with her clutch.


    He ced his hand on her hand that was holding his arm and whispered into her ears,


    "Rx... Just breathe and smile at them and let them be enamored with your beauty. Don''t listen to what they say and just keep walking ok?".


    She turned towards him after hearing him speak.


    "You are looking breathtaking Akira. I just .....", he said and then stopped mid-way.


    "You what?", she asked.


    "Nothing, let''s go inside", he said and took a step forward.


    She removed her hand with which she was covering her face and started walking with him. She was consciously at first and then slowly she started walking with a bit of poise for she didn''t want to disappoint Vikram at any cost at such a huge public gathering.


    They looked like a perfect couple, made for each other as they walked together towards the main entrance on the red carpet.


    The media went frenzy over them.


    And thousands of questions were darted towards them,


    "Who is this angelic face with you, Mr. Shah?".


    "Are you guys really a couple?"


    "Can we expect a December wedding this year Mr.Shah?"


    "This way Mr.Shah, a bit to the left side please".


    "Can we expect any special announcement today Mr.Shah?"


    They just kept walking and smiled at the reporters evading their questions. They didn''t stop clicking pictures even till the point they entered the main hall.


    The moment she stepped inside, she stopped and took a deep breath. She turned towards him and asked,


    "Is this how it is?"


    "Yeah", Vikram nodded and smiled.


    "No wonder you hate going to gs", she said and smiled.


    "By the way, how was I? Was I any good?"


    "Mighty fine my dear. You were more than just good", he said and then holding onto her hand he moved ahead.

 Chapter 170: Gala night - 3

    <h4>170 G night - 3</h4>


    As she got inside she tried to scan the entire ce for her eyes were in search of her special someone, but her frantic search yielded nothing but zilch.


    Vikram looked at her and said,


    "Shall we?"


    She nodded and held his arm and walked inside, hand in hand with him. As she took her step inside the room, suddenly she had the attention of everyone. A sudden quiet spread in the entire Hall, for everyone, was busy admiring her beauty. She looked all angelic. The girls in the room became all envious of her for she grabbed the attention of their loved ones. The guys in the room envied Vikram for he had thepany of this charmingdy.


    Casting aside all those envious looks, they climbed up the stairs towards the VIP area, near the balcony. As she climbed up the envious eyes of the people rose up along with her. She had somehow be the center of everyone''s attention tonight but she didn''t care, for her heart wanted the attention of a single man but unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen.


    She took a deep breath out of disappointment and took a seat next to Vikram.


    "Didn''t I tell you, you look fabulous !!!", Vikram said looking at her.


    "Oh please !!! Their whole attention was on the conglomerate-king Mr. Shah, the most desirable bachelor of Brooklyn or shall I say Staten Ind or New York?", Akira said and chuckled.


    Vikram looked at her curiously and after a few seconds of thinking he asked,


    "So how desirable I am as per you?"


    "Do you want to hear the truth or you want to hear what will make you happy?", Akira asked and smirked.


    "Well, you sound unusually cheeky today. What''s gotten into you?", Vikram asked all amused.


    "Oh shut up !!!", Akira said narrowing her eyes.


    "Fine! tell me the truth", Vikram asked and waited eagerly for her response.


    "Well, I am giving this opinion as a girl, not as your friend. So on a scale of one to ten, I give you a nine", Akira said and smiled at him.


    His heart beamed hearing her out. That was more than enough for him. He loved her unconditionally. His love was the patient and kind one. He didn''t want her to fall head over heels over him, he just wanted to earn her trust and respect for he knew that love will kindle in her heart with time. And that was all that he wanted for himself.


    ---


    Up top from the balcony, it was possible to have aplete hawk eye view of the entire arena. So she kept scanning the entire arena meticulously now as Vikram had excused himself to meet up with someone from work.


    Finally unable to resist her anxiety, she called him up but he disconnected her call in the second ring itself. All disappointed and feeling neglected she got up from her seat to use the powder room but before she could even care to take a step ahead, she saw his man walking in through the main door, hand in hand with Scarlett.


    She pursed her lips and sat down immediately as the seed of jealousy started spreading its roots inside her body. She clenched her fists out of anger but her eyes followed him as he walked inside. He looked nothing less than a Greek God in his dark Navy blue corduroy suit. His slightly unkempt hair made him look all the more attractive and she could clearly see the girls ogling at him unabashedly. Her insides turned to see Scarlett''s hand all around his arm and she couldn''t understand why suddenly she had be so jealous of her.


    Even though she was burning in anger, she could sense that his eyes were constantly searching for something and she knew that it was her. For a moment she thought to get up so that he could see her in that amazing dress but in the next moment in a bout of anger and jealousy, she decided to make him wait. It was time to make him jealous but little did she know that he was doing all of it for her.


    After wasting all his effort, when Raymond couldn''t find her, he finally sent her a text, although he knew that it was risky for his n as she would be with Vikram.


    As soon as her phone buzzed, Akira took it to her side and opened it discreetly.


    "Where are you?" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Busy with people who actually care for me" - Akira


    "Please Akira, stop teasing me. I know you are here. I just need a glimpse" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Right right, just a glimpse at Akira and then non-stop staring at Scarlett. Your life is on a roll". - Akira


    He smiled seeing her all jealous and then texted back


    "Are you jealous?" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Maybe !!! But wait till I make you cry for mercy" - Akira


    She replied and then kept her phone inside as Vikram was back and he sat next to her and held her hand tenderly.


    It was almost seven and it was the time for the G to start.


    The organizers switched on the announcement system and the anchor walked to the center stage.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, I wee you all to the Annual Gaming Ball - 2019 hosted by SHAH Enterprises".


    And everyone cheered with a huge round of apuse.


    "I will not waste your time with any useless jibber jabber. So let''s open the stage with the First Dance by none other than the Conglomerate Giant and the heir of SHAH ENTERPRISES Mr. Vikram Shah and his date for tonight whom people are calling as "The Gorgeous Goddess" as Mr. Shah has refrained from adding her real name in the list."


    The moment Raymond heard the announcement, his hand which was holding Scarlett automatically detached itself and he started walking ahead towards the center of the stage for he was dying since hours to just have a glimpse of her.


    "Let the dance begin !!!!", the anchor said and left the center stage and a piece of soft romantic music started to y in.


    And with that, the entire arena''s lights were switched off and after a second the spotlight was focussed on the beautiful power couple standing up near the balcony.


    Vikram offered his hand to Akira and smiled at her.


    The crowd went ballistic and cheered for them endlessly but Raymond instantly felt like he had been stabbed with multiple knives.


    "Oh my God !!! This is too much attention Vikram", Akira said all worried when she held his hand.


    He grazed his thumb on her palm and said,


    "You got this".


    He gave her an assuring smile and then led her to climb down the stairs.


    As she took her steps on the stair with the blinding spotlight on her, she couldn''t see anyone in the front so she just focussed on the stairs and thus she tightly gripped on to Vikram''s arm, afraid to trip and fall down.


    The moment they reached the ground floor the lights were turned back on and the first person whom she saw standing in front of her was Raymond.


    He stood there with his mouth open with a worried look on his face with his hand pinching the space between his eyebrows.


    She saw the wild reaction on his face and was more than pleased.


    She gave him a small wink and then bit her lips slightly for she wasn''t done taking her revenge yet.

 Chapter 171: Gala night - 4

    <h4>171 G night - 4</h4>


    He had been standing all disappointed for thest half an hour in search for her. Even texting her didn''t help.


    So when the announcement was made he became all the more restless just to have a glimpse of her.


    The moment the spotlight was switched on, his gaze fell straight on her. Even though she was far away, standing up in the balcony, he could clearly see how nervous she was for her eyes gave away the thoughts in her heart which he was perfectly capable of reading. But what raged his heart was to see Vikram holding her hand andforting her.


    "It should have been me", he thought and marched ahead leaving Scarlett behind.


    The moment she reached the stairs, his jaws just dropped.


    She looked drop dead gorgeous in every sense.


    That dress did full justice to her hourss figure and entuated her assets. Her loosely curled hair and her locks roamed randomly on her back and on her bare shoulder. She looked like a diva all ready to rock the dance floor. That dark maroon lipstick adorning her lips made him eager to take a bite, to take a taste. But his heart skipped a beat the moment she took the first step down the stairs.


    Her dangerously thigh-high slit gave way for her long legs to breathe and every single time she took a step down the slit gave a good glimpse of her toned thighs and slender legs. All that he could do was to gawk at her with all his attention and curse his fate for not being the one next to her.


    His eyes scanned her top to bottom and he couldn''t believe that something like her could exist for real on earth. That dress was indeed something and provoked all his carnal desires in one go.


    He had somehow sessfully managed to calm his nerves, but then she decided to agitate them again.


    The moment she reached the ground floor, that wink of hers flooded his heart with myriad emotions and when she bit that lip of hers, he just wanted to grab her by her waist and pull her close and seal those lips of her with his own. But he clenched his fists and controlled his nerves from going berserk for he couldn''t let Vikram have a clue that he knew everything.


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the endless torture that was about to begin, for his girl was to share the dance floor with his arch-nemesis and that too when she was looking so freaking delicious.


    But unfortunately, she wasn''t done teasing him. She took her position in the center with Vikram and then turned back and while she did so, she pulled all the hair from her back and ced it in the right front side and then gave a corner nce to him.


    Someone''s throat ran dry and gasped for air.


    Her bare back and her milky skin was nothing but an open invitation for him to go ahead and explore her but the crux was, no matter how much ever he wanted to he just couldn''t. He tried to swallow that bitter pill of jealousy and took a step back for they were about to start the dance.


    As the music started, Vikram swiftly pulled Akira close with his one arm around her waist and with the other he held her hand and he deliberately gave a smirk filled look to Raymond, probably trying to show him what he had lost and what he had won.


    The moment Raymond saw his hands on her bare back, he couldn''t take it anymore and left the arena as he couldn''t bear to see her anymore with Vikram.


    When Vikram made her twirl, she saw Raymond walking out and her heart became all restless.


    "Did I overdo it?", she thought and got all unhappy.


    Because of the sudden sadness, her dance became all robotic and no matter how hard Vikram tried to make her look at him, she didn''t. She kept looking down or to her side.


    He didn''t worry much thinking that she was too nervous and just danced happily with her. A few minutester when the dance ended, the arena thundered with apuse for people really appreciated this new young and energetic couple who totally rocked the dance floor.


    Vikram was more than pleased with the response that people gave and then he pulled Akira close and whispered into her ears,


    "Thanks for tonight".


    She smiled and looked at him and said,


    "Well thank you for holding on tight !!! Now if I may, can I go to the washroom?"


    "Yeah just dab a tissue on your forehead. You are sweating even with air-conditioning"


    "Forget that even my armpits are sweating out", she said and then left for the washroom.


    She moved forward towards the washroom side and then took out her phone and texted Raymond.


    "Washroom" - Akira


    But before she could even keep her phone inside her clutch, her entire body was scooped from behind and before she knew she was pulled inside the storeroom.


    His breathing was haggard and his eyes looked all fiery.


    "Raymond I...", but before she could finish her sentence he snatched the phone and the clutch from her hand and ced it on the table next to him. And with a single swift move, he clutched her hands and lifted them above her head and pushed her onto the wall. Before she could react or understand his lips were already on hers, hungry for attention since long.


    He sucked her lips so hard that she whimpered instantly and withered. His one arm moved instantly and captured the nape of her neck to support her for he knew that she was no more able to stand on her own.


    His restless tongue explored her mouth like he was entering her territories for the very first time.


    She couldn''t take it any more and tried hard to release her hands from his grip but that was in vain for the blood of jealousy was running deep within him under his skin.


    His lips kept exploring her mouth like he was set on an expedition !!!

 Chapter 172: Gala night - 5

    <h4>172 G night - 5</h4>


    He was ruthless, relentless and with every passing second, his kiss became more and more demanding. It''s not like he hadn''t kissed her before, but this kiss was something else. She couldn''t feel the ground beneath her legs anymore. Her toes curled and her legs turned all limp and she totally gave in.


    He could sense that she hadpletely submitted herself and so he moved his hand which was resting at the nape of her neck, down south to support her back and released his grip which had tied her arms up.


    The moment he loosened his grip, her hands automatically fell down on his shoulder and she hugged him tight like she wanted her body to be mingled into his.


    Somehow the moment her hands hugged him, brought him nothing but sce and he slowed himself down and ced his other arm at her back as well to support her. He could feel her body heating up with his touch and he could sense his own body reciprocating in the same way. So not to lose his restraint he detached himself from her the very next second.


    He opened his eyes and saw that her eyes were still closed, with her lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling rapidly for her tiny heart had been set on a race. She was a sight that he wanted to capture inside his heart forever.


    He took a deep breath and joined his forehead with hers and said,


    "God I love you Akira !!!"


    The moment she heard him, she opened her eyes which were gleaming with happiness. She looked up at him briefly and then stole her eyes for the shyness had crept in.


    "Umm... my ears are hot", she said looking down.


    Her response amused him. This was so her. A quirky and witty girl who at times was so naive and innocent that he was just scared to let anything happen to her.


    "I can help with that", he said and moved her hair back with his fingers and softly kissed her ears. He buried his face in her neck for a moment and whispered,


    "I want to bite them !!!".


    "Your dirty thoughts are not helping", she said and then slightly pushed him away.


    "That''s because you are not co-operating", he said and inched closer.


    "Stay there !!!", she said, cing her palm on his chest.


    Now she remembered everything that was on her mind which she had unfortunately forgotten because of his kiss.


    "I am angry with you ok. Don''t you get that? So stop fooling around me", she said and pouted.


    "Maybe it has something to do with all the jealousy brewing inside you", he said and smirked.


    "You think I am the only who was jealous here?", she asked with her voice all stern.


    He nodded and smiled.


    "Really? Then why did you leave the arena when I started dancing with Vikram", she asked with point-nk directness.


    The smile that was on his face slowly faded away and the same fierce look was back on his face.


    "Turn back".


    "What?", she asked all surprised.


    "I said turn back", this time he said it with way moremand in his voice and she simply obeyed and turned her face to the wall.


    "Now pull all the hair from your back".


    She hesitated at first but then she pulled all her hair to the front revealing her excessively sexy back.


    He gasped for air and then moved a bit ahead.


    "This is all mine and you shared it with him. How could you?"


    She heard him and tried to turn, but his hands were already ced on her back firmly.


    He grazed his fingers slowly on her lower back and whispered,


    "Why did he touch you here? It''s only mine to touch", he said and turned her back in one swift move.


    He paused for a while looking deep into her eyes.


    "If you want me to beg on my knees, I will", he said and bent down and went on his knees and said,


    "I beg you Akira, just save me for once. I just can''t bear to see you with anyone else. I just can''t. So just tell me what it takes and consider it done", he said and then finally looked up. His words were sincere and he meant each and every one of them and it melted her instantly for she never knew that someone could ever love her so dearly.


    She took her steps back in disbelief till she hit the wall.


    "Why would you love me so much? Why would you?", her throat was all choked up and her eyes were all moist. He couldn''t understand what happened and got up and moved close to her,


    "Akira!!! don''t", he said holding her palms.


    "Why would you make it so difficult? What would I do if you leave me?", she said with clear panic in her tone.


    "I am not going anywhere", he said and kissed her forehead tenderly.


    "Then please leave her and just be with me. I will give you all that I have Raymond", she said and tugged thepels of his jacket and buried her head in his chest.


    There was so much love hidden in those couple of sentences that he knew that she was his, till eternity.


    His fingers gently moved and caressed her hair. With his other arm, he covered her back. He ran his thumb all over her back slowly. She switched slightly and a smile spread on his face. She stayed allfortable in his arms enjoying his touch. It was nothing but pure unadulterated love that they had for each other.


    They spoke their minds and didn''t worry about sharing the darkest secrets and desires in their heart for that''s how much they loved each other.


    Then they could hear the next song being yed. Her body slowly swayed unknowingly with the beats of the music. His hand moved from her locks and went down to caress her slender leg. His fingers moved up slowly towards her thighs.


    "Mmmmm..... ", he mumbled as he ran his fingers on the bare soft skin of her legs.


    "What?", she asked softly still swaying in his embrace.


    "I like this slit of yours", he whispered.


    "Why?"


    "It makes you so essible", he whispered and nted a wet kiss on her ear lobe.

 Chapter 173: Gala night - 6

    <h4>173 G night - 6</h4>


    "Mmmm..... ", she moaned as he nted a wet kiss on her ears.


    His fingers ran up even further. Every second he moved up higher inch by inch till his fingers reached the end of the slit. But he didn''t stop his voyage there and explored further and started ying with theces. His fingers were burning her skin with their light and seductive touch. He was so close to touching her at the ces where his heart desired, that for a moment hepletely forgot that he was at the City Center.


    It was only when she tugged on to his jacket very tightly that he realized that he was about to cave in and he hurriedly distanced himself from her.


    He took a step back and calmed his nerves while she was still trying to understand what had just happened. She looked up at him for she couldn''t understand why he distanced himself suddenly from her.


    "What happened? Everything ok?", she was worried to see him holding his forehead all tensed with his hands.


    "Not ok !!! Don''t you get it? Nothing is going ok here Akira !!!", he blurted out.


    "Talk to me, Raymond. What did I do? Are you still angry with me that I went for that dance with him? Is that what it is? Then I am sincerely sorry for that, but I had already told you about it a long time back right?", She asked looking all worried.


    "It''s not that Akira. It''s not about that. It''s about me. I am losing my mind with you. You need to leave this room as soon as possible, for if you don''t then I will not be responsible for the consequences", he said and sighed. His hands were still pinching the space between his brows for he was still worried if something might happen.


    "What consequences Raymond?", Akira asked and took a step forward.


    "Akira don''t !!!. Don''t you dare take one more step ahead", Raymond warned.


    "Else what Raymond? Else what? Do I look like a child to you? Or does this rtionship look like a joke to you? Do you not know how devoted I am to you? Do you think I don''t understand what your deepest desires are? Do you think I do not want it myself? Your heart speaks to me Raymond, every single day, every single time. I know what it wants, I know what demons you are trying to reign over inside of you. So when I say that I trust you, I trust everything thates with you", saying that she started taking her steps forward.


    "Your problems, your pain, your happiness, your sorrows, your desires, and your dark secrets, they are all mine. I want to share them all. But I can do that only if you let me in Raymond?", she said and held his palm in her hands.


    He had calmed down somehow and looked into her eyes and found nothing but unconditional love for him. He took a deep breath and then lightly kissed on her forehead and said,


    "Go back. Else Vikram will think that you always take unusually long washroom breaks".


    "But what about our dance Raymond?", she asked eagerly for she was dying to share the dance floor with him.


    "How can we do that with Vikram and Scarlett around. He will suspect about us Akira", he said and tried to dismiss her.


    "I don''t know, just help to arrange it. I do not care how you do it. Do you think I wore this dress for Vikram? Do you think I was so eager toe here for the first dance?"


    Raymond heard her and smiled silently.


    "What? Tell me what is so funny in your head?", she asked getting all curious and equally irritated.


    "I thought it was me who was thinking all dirty all the time. Looks like your mind is equally dirty", he said and smiled again.


    "What dirty? I just want to dance with you that''s it. What''s dirty in that?", she retorted.


    "Oh, so you haven''t given any thoughts to my hands touching you while we dance? And don''t tell me that you didn''t even think about how it would be to melt in my arms when our breaths collide?'', Raymond said and stared at her.


    "No I didn''t", she said and left the room immediately.


    But he could hear her faint giggle as she fled the room.


    He had already arranged for the dance with her, just that she wasn''t aware of it He wanted it to be a surprise for her. He wanted her to want it so bad !!!


    When Akira reached the VIP area in the balcony, Vikram asked,


    "All ok? You took so long".


    "Don''t even get me started on that. I had to calm my nervous heart for a good 10 minutes before I could even think of doing anything".


    "I see. Btw did you change your lipstick shade?", Vikram asked.


    "No why?"


    "Nothing just that it appears quite light right now".


    "Aah, I wiped it off when I went to the washroom. It was way too dark for my liking, The dance was over so I thought maybe I could tone it down a bit", she said and faintly smiled, for now, she was worried if Raymond came out with his lips looking all wine colored.


    She texted him immediately,


    "Get a tissue and wipe your lips" - Akira


    "Already did. But my tongue did that for me for I didn''t want to be parted away from anything that''s yours" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    She blushed hard and controlled her smile from escaping to her face.


    From up top she saw himing out from the washroom area and found him touching his lips with a faint smile spread on his face. Her face beamed with happiness instantly for that was all that she wanted. Somehow this game of hiding and seek had be so much fun to y with.


    ---


    After multiple rounds of drinks were served and dinner was over. The anchor once again took the center stage and announced.


    "Ladies and gentlemen. Now that our stomachs are filled and our moods are uplifted with the wine and champagne, lets celebrate this g dinner with a couple dance".


    "I request all the couples to pleasee forward and join us for the dance finale".


    Hearing him all the couples came forward along with ''Akira and Vikram'' and ''Scarlett and Raymond.''

 Chapter 174: Dirty Dancing Again

    <h4>174 Dirty Dancing Again</h4>


    "Now shall we jazz it a bit this year? Yes, we shall !!!" said the anchor and then gave a cue to his assistant.


    His assistant took a bowl with numbers in it and requested the lovelydies to pick a number each.


    "Let me clear up the air of mystery around here. You all must have danced with your partners. Now let us try to dance with someone that we don''t know. Don''t you think that would be exciting!!!".


    "Now that all you lovelydies have a random number in your hand, I am going to call all the names of the guys enlisted here one by one and you will be paired with them based on the number that you have picked. So let''s see who all are paired together !!!"


    The crowd cheered this innovative move and everyone was ecstatic except for one.


    The moment Vikram heard the announcement, he was displeased, for he wanted to dance again with Akira because the hunger and the thirst inside his heart were still not quenched. He wanted to stop this farce for once and for all, but seeing everyone else all enthusiastic about it, he decided to keep quiet without creating any scene.


    "So the first person to be on stage is Mr. Vikram Shah, so the luckydy with Token number 1 will get to dance with him".


    "I am sorry", Vikram said looking at Akira and went ahead to pair with thedy with Token Number1. Right now he had just one prayer in his mind to not to have Akira and Raymond paired together at any cost. But it was all probabilistic and nothing was in his hands now.


    The anchor kept announcing the names one by one and the intensity of Akira''s prayers increased manifold for she just wanted to have a dance with him. She remembered all the Gods and summoned all her faith within to be paired with Raymond.


    "Now number 23, please wee Mr. Raymond Walker".


    Raymond took a step forward and calmly looked at Akira for he knew since long that he would be paired with her. The anchor, his assistant, they all had been instructed earlier by David the day before.


    Her face beamed with so much happiness that she had to bite her lips to tone it down.


    She walked up to him and asked softly,


    "So this was all you?"


    He closed the gap between them by inching further and said,


    "How could you even think that I will not have a dance with you? This is the first time you asked something from me. How can I not give it to you? I told you Akira all that you have to do is to ask".


    She didn''t say a word and just kept looking at him, unable to believe that so much love was written in her fate for she could be with a guy who would go to this length just to fulfill her desires.


    They stood there totally oblivious to what and who was around them. There was nothing but just an inch of gap between the two and it killed Vikram to see them this close. He was scared if her love would re-surface, he was scared if she would leave him for Raymond. But nothing could be done right now as any silly move could ruin the night and probably his reputation.


    So he drank the bitter cup of resentment and got ready for the dance.


    Soon the lights were dimmed so much that it was difficult to even recognize people from a feet apart.


    She looked up the moment the lights went out and then smiled, for now, she could happily sway in his arms.


    The music was yet to start but he came closer already and gripped her tight from her back and leaned in close. She could feel his warm breath over her neck and her bare shoulders. He stayed there for a moment and then asked,


    "Are you ready for a dirty dance?"


    She didn''t answer but raised her hand to hold his shoulder for the music had begun.


    She interlocked her fingers slowly into his and the moment she did she was pulled close. So close that his lips were touching her forehead. There was no gap left in between them. She sighed with the touch of his lips and closed her eyes while they moved in each other''s embrace inplete symphony.


    He then brought his hand which was twined with her fingers up, to rest on his shoulder. She locked her arms around his neck and he locked his around her waist. Then he whispered into her ears,


    "Tell me how this feels", saying that he ran the back of his fingers on her bare sides.


    She instantly tugged his jacket for she felt a sudden surge inside her body. She whimpered and twitched but that relentless him didn''t stop.


    With the change of the beats, he turned her and made her back, rest on his chest and he softly kissed her neck. Her hypnotized body tried to move ahead but one hand of his lied firm on her belly and pulled her close.


    "Now don''t you dare escape from me", he said and pushed her hair aside and gently licked her earlobe and said,


    "This right here is all mine. I am marking my territory", he said and then ran his fingers along her neck and on her bare shoulders. He didn''t spare an inch of the bare skin underneath as well.


    "This corset of yours is blocking me to touch what''s underneath and let me tell you that''s mine as well" he whispered and then ran his index finger on her chest slowly, awakening her and making her moan and arch like she had been ascended.


    "Raymond Stop !!!", she whispered but her request just vanished into the thin air for he was determined not to stop today.


    His hands moved to her back and grazed her sides again and he reached underneath the dress and held her bare waist. She was so vulnerable at that moment that the distinction between sanity and insanity was diminishing with every passing moment. All that she could do was to whisper his name repeatedly.


    He knew she was about to break because he himself was losing it all. The man inside him wanted to roar and ascend the throne but his pce was crumbling and withering in his arms.


    He whispered into her ears again,


    "Is that dirty enough or shall I go down", saying that he moved his fingers slowly down and touched the edges of thece underneath.


    Heavens crumbled and the oceans dried for she couldn''t bear it. Not even for a split second.


    She turned back and he could see sudden panic and anger in her eyes.


    He instantly regretted his move and said,


    "I am sorry !!! But I warned you before !!!"


    "You !!!", she hissed.


    "You don''te close to me when we are at my house and you dare to touch me at a ce which is crowded by hundreds of people? Aren''t you a bit of showbiz?", she said and stomped on his foot as he made her twirl.


    He winced in pain and pulled her close and without wasting a second, he bit her lips and before she could even realize he released her.


    The song was almosting to the end, but they weren''t done romancing at all.

 Chapter 175: All about the apple juice

    <h4>175 All about the apple juice</h4>


    "The song is about to finish", he said and twirled her again around him before pulling her close.


    "That''s it? Such a short song", sheined as she arched herself on his arms.


    "I promise I will make all your nights like this", saying that he bent his head and kissed softly on her chest and then mumbled,


    "It''s time to separate", he said and then slowly stood upright and brought her upright along with him. He then kissed her hands and said,


    "Laters baby !!!" and left.


    Akira stood there sealing all the moments carefully inside the chambers of her memories for this was the best night and the best time spent with him ever. She wanted to treasure it till death.


    She could see many couples dancing around her but the light was so dim that it was difficult to figure out who was who. She breathed a sigh of relief for she now was confident that neither Scarlett nor Vikram could have seen them being all intimate as they were positioned far from them when the dance had started.


    She stood there with her hands folded across her chest and a few secondster when the song finished the light was back on with max luminosity. It blinded her eyes all of a sudden and when she opened her eyes, she saw Vikram marching towards her with a clear sign of worry on his face.


    The moment the lights were turned on, he frantically searched for her and found her standing all alone in one corner, with hands folded and her face looking all nk.


    "What are you doing here alone?", he asked all worried.


    Akira didn''t say anything and just shrugged her shoulder.


    "What happened Akira? Did he say anything to you?"


    "He had nothing to say for we have nothing to exin to each other Vikram. Now can we go back to our seats? I don''t want to spoil my mood over these petty things", she said and looked at him.


    Her words soothed him instantly.


    He felt utterly rxed to hear that the bitterness between them hadn''t been resolved. He was scared before thinking that probably they might be able to fix things once theye close with each other, but seeing her all stranded in the dance floor alone in a corner somehow gave all the sce to his heart that he needed. But he didn''t let his happy thoughts escape on his face.


    He stretched his hand out for her.


    "Let''s go up. You need to liven up a bit. For a change I will let you have just a ss of champagne", he said and smiled at her.


    "You Mr. Vikram Shah are going to let Miss. Akira have alcohol?", Akira asked all amused.


    "Ok now don''t push your luck. Just one ss. That''s it. Nowe", he said and then they both walked up towards the VIP area.


    Once they were seated he instructed the waiter to get two sses of champagne for them and while they waited for the champagne toe, he said,


    "I have something else to show you tonight. So just this one ss ok. I don''t want you to be all tipsy afterward".


    "What are you going to show?", she asked with all childlike eagerness.


    "You will know when you see it", he said and softly tapped on her nose.


    "Oh C'' mon Vikram. What''s with all this surprise. Just tell me already", she pestered.


    "Just hang on a few minutes more, we will take our leave soon".


    "So we aren''t staying till the end of the event?", she asked.


    "No we are not", he said and smiled looking at her for the naive heart of hers had no idea of the huge surprise that he had nned for her meticulously.


    And just then the champagne arrived.


    The waiter served it first to Vikrama and then to Akira.


    "Cheers !!!", Akira beamed and raised her ss.


    "To us", he said and his eyes gleamed with happiness.


    She took a sip of it and it tasted weird. She made a face and looked at him and said,


    "Does it taste like this?"


    Vikram smiled at her naiveness and said,


    "It''s an acquired taste. You will like it after a while".


    But she liked it already for it tasted like apple juice and probably it was apple juice. Out of curiosity she looked into the crowd below and saw him standing in one corner with his headset on.


    Her lips curled in a smile for she understood that her drinks had been switched by him.


    She dly sipped on her apple juice and smiled.


    "So you like it?", Vikram asked.


    "Very very much", she replied and giggled for she wasn''t answering Vikram, she was answering Raymond.


    Once they were done, Vikram excused himself again for he wanted to double check all the settings and arrangements on the top floor before taking her up.


    The moment he left, she picked up her phone and texted,


    "Apple Juice? Really?" - Akira


    "So what do you expect me to do?" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "It was just a ss of champagne. Nothing would have happened" - Akira


    "A ss ??? You are not going to have even a drop of alcohol with any man other than me Miss Akira" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    His possessiveness somehow made her happier.


    "Oh... In english we call it as BEING POSSESSIVE" - Akira


    "Then be it !!! When I said I will make you all mine, I meant it with every sense. Your time, your body, your feelings they are all mine and no one will have the luxury to have any moments with you. And when I say no one, I literally mean no one". - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "I am all yours Raymond, trust me" - Akira


    "I know but I need you to trust me even more right now Akira. I have nothing but love for you in my heart. So remember that. So if I do or say something that hurts you tonight, then just hang on. Just let this night pass, because from tomorrow there would be no one from stopping us from being together". - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "What is happening tonight Raymond?", Akira asked.


    She was unable to understand what was going to change overnight.

 Chapter 176: The terrace - 1

    <h4>176 The terrace - 1</h4>


    He looked at his mobile screen and saw her message.


    "What is happening tonight Raymond?" - Akira


    He thought for a while and took a deep breath for he was unable to summarize what he wanted to answer for that question.


    She got impatient when she didn''t get any reply from him and instantly asked again.


    "What is going on Raymond? Will you tell me clearly. I am getting worried here" - Akira.


    "Just trust me Akira and wait for a couple of hours more. And promise me no matter what, you are not going to leave my side" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "You are scaring me now Raymond. I don''t have much time. Vikram wille back soon and he is taking me somewhere. If you want, I can stay back and make some excuse" - Akira


    "No need Akira. Just go with him. I will manage" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Promise me that you will stay out of trouble !!!" - Akira


    "Fine !!! I promise" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    She saw his message and felt a bit relieved as she knew that he would never do anything to break away from his promise.


    She put her phone back in her clutch and finished her apple juice and just when she ced the ss back on the table, she saw Vikram approaching towards her.


    "It''s time !!!", he said and removed his jacket and ced it over her shoulders carefully.


    "You might need it. It''s going to be windy", he said and smirked.


    "Windy ??? Where are we going Vikram? You know I don''t like surprises", she said and looked up at him, reprimanding for an answer.


    "Just follow me. At least for once can you just trust me and not keep asking thousands of questions Akira?", Vikram said and extended his hand for her to hold.


    She held his hand grudgingly as she badly wanted him to disclose what the surprise was but anyhow she just obediently followed him.


    As they walked down the stairs, Raymond turned and went to a corner and texted,


    "They are on the move. Secure Terrace !!!" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    Vikram took her to the private lift area and pressed the button to go up.


    "Are we going up to the terrace because that''s the only ce that will be windy right now?", she asked.


    "Ok, this the final time I am asking you to just shut up and follow me. Else the only surprise that you will get is a duct tape on your mouth", Vikram said and then pulled her inside the lift.


    Meanwhile, Raymond started sending text messages to everyone who was a part of his n.


    "Where are you, Kat?" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "I have reached here with Shawn, we are in the parking lot" - Katherine


    "Quick, there isn''t much time" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Just give us two minutes and we will be there" - Katherine


    Katherine kept her phone down and got down from the car. Then both Shawn and her rushed towards the lift to reach the terrace. While they were waiting for the lift toe, Shawn asked,


    "Katherine you can still re-think about it and ask someone else to help you. I don''t think I can do a good job at it".


    She looked at him and said,


    "Just trust me. Do it for Raymond''s sake", Katherine said and walked in into the lift and pinged Raymond,


    "Inside the lift" - Katherine


    "David will be at the entrance to give you the fake ID''s" - Raymond


    "We will get fake ID''s at the entrance to the terrace", Katherine said and looked at Shawn.


    "I am still not sure Kat. I am really not sure", Shawn said all palpitating.


    Katherine then looked at him and said,


    "You wanted answers that day at your ce right?"


    "Yes"


    "Then I am going to give you all the answers today. Just follow my lead and say what you feel deep down in your heart", Katherine said and looked up at him.


    Shawn looked at her all surprised for he couldn''t understand how he would be able to get his answers amidst this chaos that was going to happen. But he knew that if she has promised then she would definitely give him the answers and that was all he wanted.


    ---


    The moment the lift reached the terrace floor, Vikram covered her eyes with his hands and said,


    "Follow me".


    He swiftly directed her out of the lift and reached the exit point and slowly removed his hands which were covering her eyes.


    The entire path was covered with flowers, and not just any flowers, it was covered with baby''s breath, her favorite. She opened her eyes and was startled in surprise. She immediately turned back and asked,


    "You did all this for me?"


    He just nodded and kept looking at her without saying a word further, as he just wanted to capture the excitement and happiness spread on her face just to see the flowers. He couldn''t wait for the entire evening to unfold.


    And just when she was about to take a step further he said,


    "Wait !!!"


    He bent down and opened the straps of her stilettoes and said,


    "You have already borne them enough for me. There is no need for you to wear them now", and with one loving nce at her, he removed the heels from her feet and then got up to hold her hand.


    "What is all this Vikram?", she asked.


    "Nothing, it''s just my way of saying thank-you to you".


    "But there was no need to go so overboard. So many flower bouquets !!! It must have costed a fortune right?", she asked all worried.


    He smiled and shook his head unable to believe the way this girl''s mind worked. Other girls will die for such an arrangement and here she was worried about his expenses when he had the capacity to cover the entire city with flowers for her.


    "A bit but nothing inparison to your happiness", he said and softly touched her cheeks with his palm.


    "Don''t pamper me so much now. What will happen when I go back to university after my internship is over?"


    "If you want I can send you flowers every single day, if you like them so much".


    "No no that was not what I meant, what I meant was..."


    "Shh.... Juste with me. The night has just started for us", he said and held her hand tightly.

 Chapter 177: The terrace - 2

    <h4>177 The terrace - 2</h4>


    "What do you mean Vikram?", Akira asked him with her puppy eyes.


    "Let''s go out of the lobby, you will know", he said and led her out.


    The moment she stepped outside, she was stunned. The entire terrace was decorated with a fairytale-like setting. Strings of LED lights illuminated the whole terrace. The center of the terrace was adorned with a small makeshift wooden gazebo with sheer white muslin fabric hanging from its canopy till the floor, giving it a dreamy and surreal look. Inside the gazebo, there was a table, set for two and fragrant candles were lined all around.


    There was a violinist ready at a corner and a couple of hotel staff at their beck and call. On the other side of the terrace in front of the gazebo was a projector screen with the words written,


    "THANK-YOU AKIRA"


    She stood there all speechless for in her entire life she had never been weed like this before. She felt like she was in her dream watching some Cindere movie.


    "Do you like it?", he asked when he saw her standing rooted to the floor all spellbound.


    She turned towards him and said,


    "Like it ??? I love it Vikram. But why you did all this? There was really no need. I mean you could have just stopped at the flowers".


    "There is !!! For you don''t know what importance you hold in my life. For you don''t know how much I care about you Akira", he said and came forward and held both her hands and said,


    "Just give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me. Will you?".


    He then slowly took her towards the gazebo and pulled the chair for her to sit. Her eyes wandering and scanning the whole ce out of excitement. Once they were seated, the violinist started ying soft romantic music in the background.


    Once he saw her all settled he raised his hand a bit sending an indication and soon after the anchor who was anchoring in the ground floor came in front of them and said,


    "A warm good evening to Mr. Shah and the beautifuldy to his next, Miss. Akira. Today ...


    "So you do know my name", Akira smiled and asked, interrupting the anchor.


    "Yes, ma''am but sir had asked us not to take it in front of the crowd. He did everything possible to keep your identity safe ma''am".


    Akira looked at Vikram and smiled.


    "You want to keep me safe all for yourself is it?", she asked him all teasingly.


    "Trust me when I say YES".


    She giggled and looked back at the anchor who then resumed from where he was interrupted.


    "Tonight is the night to celebrate love, care, friendship and above all the blind trust that you guys have for each other. So today we present before you a short story of "Akira and Vikram" being enacted by our drama group KatShaw".


    "You arranged for a y !!!", Akira beamed up.


    "Well I tried", Vikram said and smiled. He was really happy to see her excited for every single thing.


    Then slowly two people walked up close to them.


    One was wearing a t-shirt with the name AKIRA on it and the other wore a t-shirt with VIKRAM written on it. The moment Akira saw their face clearly, her mouth opened wide in surprise.


    But before she could even say anything or react, thedy raised her index finger and ced it on her own lips and said,


    "Shhhh..... pin drop silence please, for our y is about to start".


    And if you have guessed it right then thedy was none other than Katherine, our own drama queen.


    "What the hell are you doing here Katherine?", Akira mumbled in her head but kept her thoughts to herself.


    Katherine looked at Shawn who looked totally perplexed for there was no script given to him. All that Katherine had told him was to follow his heart. But he was not sure if that was the right thing to do.


    Katherine picked up the mic and started speaking,


    "Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are NOT the products of our imagination. Any resemnce to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are NOT coincidental for this is a real story that we are going to present from the bottom of our heart", Katherine said and smiled looking at the two seated in the Gazebo.


    Then in the background dramatic music started.


    "This is not just any story, it''s a story of the life of two people, Akira, and Vikram who were virtually inseparable since the school days", saying that Katherine looked deep into Shawn''s eyes and whispered,


    "Follow your heart".


    Then she bent down and tried fixing the openedces of her shoe for a while and then looked up at Shawn and said,


    "Vikram myces aren''t working !!!"


    Shawn bent down and tied theces of her shoes and became all nostalgic for he used to do the same for her in the uni days. Not only him but Akira also went back into the memoryne where Vikram used toe to her ss to check on her during lunch break and used to tie herces when undone. She smiled and tightened her grip on Vikram''s hand for those beautiful memories were making her all emotional.


    Then Katherine got up and hugged Shawn tight and started crying slowly.


    The lights had been dimmed and a tone of mncholy had spread.


    "What I am going to do without mom?"


    "I don''t want to live like this Vikram".


    Shawn hugged her back and said,


    "You can''t say that. You need to live for me. You need to live for your brother. You will always have my back".


    Saying that he ced a small kiss on her head while he was hugging her. They were enacting a y for Vikram and Akira but whatever they enacted was actually a copy of the fragments of their own life too. He realized that Katherine had very cleverly molded the whole story making it look like theirs when she was actually telling her own story.


    Now he understood what she meant by - "Follow your heart".

 Chapter 178: The terrace - 3

    <h4>178 The terrace - 3</h4>


    Akira''s eyes were misted up as she recollected the times when Vikram stood next to her all rock solid. She turned towards him and said,


    "This is just beautiful. Thank you for being a part of my life and thank you for re-creating everything again tonight".


    Vikram didn''t say a word in reply and just pulled her chair close to his and made her rest in his embrace and then said,


    "Our memories together are the most beautiful and the most prized possession that I have", and nted a small kiss on her head which was lying on his shoulders.


    Katherine saw Vikram getting all close with Akira and she frowned. But she somehow didn''t let her emotion be reflected and continued after detaching herself from Shawn''s embrace.


    "You stood next to me when I broke things at home and took the me, you stood by me when I was at my lowest when I lost my people who meant everything to me. You gave me the shoulder to cry on", said Katherine and softly touched Shawn''s shoulder.


    "The whole world runs on a system based on give and take. Then why did you stand by me unconditionally? Tell me why?. Why did you support me? Why Vikram why?"


    "Because I loved you", Shawn blurted out without even thinking for an extra second and looked deep into Katherine''s eyes.


    "I always have including now as well".


    There was a sudden silence throughout. He wasn''t sure if that was the right thing to do but it felt right to his heart today. He could no more hold his feelings back but Katherine stood there staring at him without batting an eyelid.


    Even Akira un-leaned herself from Vikram''s shoulder and sat upright for this was something unexpected. She didn''t have the courage to look at Vikram, for she wasn''t ready to ept this. His friendship was all that she had and in no way, she was going to let anyone jeopardize it, not even him.


    Katherine came close to Shawn and tugged on to his T-shirt with tears rolling through her eyes and said,


    "Then why didn''t you tell me before?"


    "Why didn''t you tell me how you felt?"


    "Why did you let me go with someone else when you had nothing but love in your heart for me?"


    "Did I not have the right to know about it?"


    Shawn looked at her unable to understand if she was asking for real or not. But nevertheless, he decided to tell it all,


    "It was because I loved you I couldn''t say a word. And because I loved you, I thought letting you go was the best thing to do. I never wanted my love to be an imposition for you. I never wanted anything more than your happiness. I couldn''t snatch that from you. I just couldn''t. You might want to call me a coward for that, but that''s who I am and that''s how much I love you. I can move mountains to show what is in my heart but I can''t do anything to hurt you, like ever. So if it took silence till eternity to see you happy, I would dly take that choice", he said and came close to Katherine.


    Slowly he held her hands in his own and then pulled her close.


    He held her face in both his hands and said,


    "I wish you can just listen to my heart right now or maybe read my mind", saying he nted a small kiss on her forehead and hugged her.


    He whispered,


    "I have always loved you and only you throughout my life".


    Akira''s grip on Vikram''s hand slowly loosened.


    She couldn''t fathom in the wildest of her dreams that he had such feelings harbored in his heart for her. Her throat was all dried up and nothing but utter desperation hit her. She turned towards him and asked,


    "Is this all true Vikram?"


    "Is that how you have felt about me?"


    He took a deep breath and knelt in front of her but he didn''t have the courage to meet her eyes for a second, for his life was hanging on a thin thread right now.


    "I don''t have the words to say the right thing. Probably I need a buy a vowel, for that''s how much I love you Akira. I don''t know how to express it or make you feel it", he said and finally looked into her eyes which were already filled up to the brim with tears.


    "So all these years...", she said and then her throat choked up.


    "Yes Akira all these years, he said and then held her hand.


    Her heart pained just to think about how much he had to undergo for her sake. She didn''t love him that way but the love that she had in her heart for him transcended all the boundaries for it was the unconditional one which didn''t need a name to be defined.


    She held his hand and asked,


    "Why didn''t you tell me before? Why did you have to suffer all this alone?"


    "I don''t know when it happened Akira, but you have already be a part of my life, like the air I need to breathe. I don''t want any answers from you right now, I don''t want you to say a yes right now. I just want you to give me a chance to show you how much I love you Akira. Can you not give me a chance?".


    A worried look spread on her face for she didn''t know how to tell him that the man in her heart was someone else. She loved him but she could never give him that ce. She was torn inside between friendship and love. Nothing but pain reflected in her eyes.


    Katherine heard it all and her patience was running out. She couldn''t see him emotionally torturing Akira anymore, so she signaled to the anchor and took a step ahead.


    "But guys !!! Please wait. Our y isn''t over yet !!!".


    Akira and Vikram suddenly heard Katherine speak and looked in her direction. Vikram was shocked because the material that he had given was till this much.


    "Have they improvised or something?", he wondered at looked at Katherine whose demeanor had suddenly transformed. She sounded all the more confident and ruthless at the same time in a weird way. Her gaze was locked onto him and she said,


    "Our y has just started !!!"

 Chapter 179: The epic reveal - 1

    <h4>179 The epic reveal - 1</h4>


    There was a devilish grin on her face when she said,


    "Our y has just started"


    She swiftly raised her hand for that was an indication for someone to enter.


    Both Akira and Vikram turned towards their left and they saw someone approaching towards them, but who it was, they couldn''t tell as the face wasn''t quite visible. Akira craned her neck to try to identify the face approaching towards them but she couldn''t due to the darkness.


    After taking a few steps when the face came under the light she was shocked.


    She was shocked for that was the women who had ruined her love life and now she hade to ruin her friendship. It was uneptable for Akira. She got all riled up and stormed towards her and said,


    "What the hell are you doing here? Aren''t you happy after ruining my life and my career that you havee to ruin my evening? What else do you want from me, Scarlett?"


    "Ruin your evening!!! Huh... You will thank you stars that I havee here to open your eyes."


    Akira turns towards Vikram to show her displeasure at the arrival of this unannounced guest and she said,


    "Make her leave !!!".


    But she was more shocked to see the look on Vikram''s face, as that was of a person who had sniffed poison at that instant. Beads of sweat started glistening on his forehead and visibly looked ufortable.


    He clenched his fist in anger and he too got up from his seat and said,


    "This is a private area and no one is allowed here unless I have called them myself".


    "Oh really? But I guess you already have !!!


    "Else how on earth will I possess an entry pass? See!!!, she said and threw her entry pass towards Vikram who was shocked beyond any limit. He immediately called Peter but he didn''t pick up.


    "I have recently joined the KatShaw troupe you see, so I have got an entry pass along with them," Scarlett said and took a step back to join Katherine and Shawn in a line.


    "What is going on Katherine? Nothing is making any sense to me", Akira looked at Katherine and asked.


    "You know her?", Vikram was startled.


    "Yeah, she is... um.. Raymond''s sister", Akira replied after a bit of hesitation.


    "She is what?", Vikram eximed.


    Then he looked at Scarlett and asked,


    "What is going on here? I know what type ofdy you are, and I do not want any trouble here so I request you that you leave this ce as soon as possible or else I am going to call the security".


    "Go ahead and try that", said Scarlett and then clicked a pen which was there in her hand as it was basically a signal jammer.


    Vikram took his phone out but then he saw that there was nowork avable and his anger multiplied and theposure at which he was holding himself till now was casting itself away exponentially.


    "Whatever evil maniptive witch-crafty that you are trying to pull out here is not going to work. So you either scram or better be aware to face the consequences of your own actions, for you will be really sorry for what will happen to you and your career tonight if you take one wrong step here", Vikram vented.


    Akira was shocked to see this sudden transformation in his demeanor. He had turned into a person who had nothing but rage and anger vending in his heart.


    "So you guys are sure that you don''t want to see the next half of our y?" saying that Katherine switched on the projector.


    On the screen was projected the fake prescription that Dr. Brooks had written for Scarlett and then began the video which Katherine had recorded in the hospital where Dr Brooks admitted to having tampered with the DNA test and her ultrasound scan.


    Akira mouth was opened in surprise and she couldn''t believe that someone could stoop so low and torture her to such an extent that she almost wanted to leave the love of her life.


    She turned towards Scarlett and said,


    "Are you even a woman? Are you not even one percent ashamed of what you have done? What did I do to you to deserve all this? Why did you try to sabotage my rtionship? Why did you, Scarlett? Why?"


    "I think instead of asking me for the reason it''s better that you ask your best friend next to you", Scarlett said and folded hands to the front and looked that Vikram with nothing but disgust on her face.


    "What has Vikram to do with all these things? Now you want to drag him into all this?", Akira retorted and looked at Vikram.


    "I have nothing to do with any of this Akira, you have to trust me here", Vikram said and held her hand in his own.


    "I trust you Vikram and I know that she is up to something", Akira said and looked at Scarlett with her eyes filled with nothing but rage.


    "Yes, you bet I am", Scarlett replied.

 Chapter 180: The epic reveal - 2

    <h4>180 The epic reveal - 2</h4>


    "I am up to nothing but to reveal your true face Mr.Conglomerate Giant".


    "I am up to revealing the real version of you that no one is aware of".


    "Tonight is really the night that you will remember for I will snatch away the mask of goodness that you have put on your face, for once and for all".


    Scarlett said and switched to the next slide.


    On the screen, there was a copy of the cheque signed by Vikram Shah which was written in the favor of Scarlett.


    She turned back to look at Akira and asked,


    "You still think he has nothing to do with this?"


    Akira was taken aback. The fonts on the screen had started to be all hazy for her. She felt like the floor underneath her legs has started to crumble. She was unable to find words for she didn''t know how to ask.


    In one single moment, all her trust was snapped into two.


    Tears started filling her eyes for she couldn''t believe that of all the people on earth it would be him who was behind all this.


    The moment Vikram saw hey eyes clouding in tears he knew he was done and that nothing could repair the trust that has been broken. He moved forward to hold her hand and to exin that he had nothing to do with it, but she took a step back.


    "Why did you?", she asked with her words barely audible.


    Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she kneeled down on the floor and she asked again,


    "Why did you?"


    "Trust me Akira I have nothing to do with this I don''t know from where they have arranged all these fake papers and videos from. None of this is real. They are just trying to frame me", he said and came forward.


    "Stop right there", she said and then looked up to him.


    "Tell me for real, why did you have a file of Raymond at your ce that day? Did you answer me everything honestly that day? Was it just for the sake of background check?", Akira asked looking at Vikram pining down herst ray of hope for him to say yes.


    But he stood there all silent without uttering a word for he couldn''t lie to her, not at this moment. The file was never made for the purpose of background check after all.


    She slumped on the floor and seeing that Katherine came forward to hold her but she lifted her hand asking her to stop.


    She looked at her and said,


    "You knew !!! You all knew and you never told me. You all have let me make a fool of myself".


    "Don''t say we didn''t want to, but we had our reasons not to do so", Katherine said and looked at Scarlett who took a deep breath and said,


    "Anthony is my cousin brother and the only way I could have bailed him out was to get in between you and Raymond. Trust me I didn''t wish for this to happen, maybe a part of me did, but if not for the bail money, I would never havended myself in this soup".


    "Anthony is your cousin brother?"


    "Ok enough of all this. can you just stop all this farce of trying to frame me with your bullshit imaginative story !!!", Vikram hissed.


    "Frame you??? Really? Did a rouge Dog bite me that of all the people I will frame you, Mr. Shah, for I didn''t even know you"?


    Said Katherine and switched to the next slide where there was a photograph of Peter meeting Anthony at the Vi where Scarlett was stayed put and was giving him a folder.


    Akira immediately recognized the folder for it was the same brown folder which was present in her car containing the disturbing photograph and the contract that she had to sign and give to Scarlett if she wanted to keep the baby alive.


    "Trust me Akira I have no idea what Peter is doing there. I don''t know why he is involved in all this. I swear to God I will figure this all out", Vikram said and stormed towards the lobby area to take the lift to find Peter,


    But to his surprise, the lobby was locked from inside.


    "It''s not the time to run away Mr. Vikram but the time to exin yourself !!!", Shawn said and went to Akira to hold the poor girl who seemed like had been set aze in the pyre of pain.


    Vikram stormed back and sneered pointing towards Katherine and Scarlett


    "You and you, You can consider your acting career gone now. I will make sure of that and for your brother, only heavens can help him now. And as for you let me see who will save your brother !!!"


    "You all end this now and exin yourself because this is thest chance that I am giving you".


    "Oh about that !!! So how will you destroy my brother? By tearing away the contract? or by taking away all the funds? Which way will you go?", Katherine asked.


    "Do not instigate me for you can never save your brother''spany !!!", Vikram hissed but then he heard some one speak.


    "Katherine cannot, but she will", and he pointed towards Akira.

 Chapter 181: The epic reveal - 3

    <h4>181 The epic reveal - 3</h4>


    He walked in, with his towering figure demanding nothing less than yourplete attention. His aura so dominating, that it felt like he would literally overthrow someone from the throne.


    His footsteps were heavy, his tone had the absolute resolve for he had arrived to save his damsel who was right now in utter distress.


    He walked passed Vikram and both their raging eyes met each other as he crossed him and went straight to Akira.


    He saw her sitting down on the floor all messed up looking like she had given away all her hopes to survive. Shawn was trying to hold her, to talk with her but it had no effect. She sat there all lifeless, still staring at the projector screen, without batting an eyelid.


    He walked up to her and then knelt on the floor and covered her with arge trench coat that he had in his hand. With his palm, he softly brushed the tears away from her cheeks and lifted her chin up and said,


    "Hey !!! I am here !!!"


    She looked into his eyes and that oneforting look was enough to break everything inside her.


    She crumbled in his arms and started to cry and said,


    "It''s all because of me. I am sorry Raymond !!! I didn''t know".


    No matter how hard he tried tofort her but her tears didn''t stop, so he slowly lifted her chin and brought her face close to his mouth and slowly touched her lips with his own and then said,


    "You are my girl, so you are not going to cry. You will cry only for me and nobody else", he said and lifted her up, supporting her in his arms and started walking with her when Vikram thundered,


    "Where do you you think you are taking her away?"


    "Home... She is going home with me", Raymond replied with his eyes ready to tear Vikram part by part.


    "So this is all your plot, right? What an borate n to trap me with all this? And I am really surprised to see your ex-fiance joining the bandwagon. You really are something, Raymond. I underestimated your skills".


    "My n? You still have the audacity and shamelessness to say that it was nned by me? Tell me then, why do you have mine and Akira''s phone tapped? Why you have our personal conversation recorded on your phone?"


    Vikram was taken aback for he wasn''t sure from where he pulled this information.


    "Show him Katherine", Raymond said and Katherine moved a couple of slides ahead and showed the folder hierarchy of Vikram''s phone which had day wise chat history of Akira and Raymond.


    Akira closed her eyes seeing the screen and took a deep breath.


    She wiped her tears and looked at Raymond and said,


    "I need a moment".


    She then moved out of Raymond''s embrace and walked towards Vikram and held thepels of his jacket and said,


    "I was the one who told you everything about Raymond and myself. I hid nothing from you. I even begged to you to act as my boyfriend so that I could leave him and you let that happen? You told me that you will never leave me and you will always have my back, is this how you have my back Vikram? Is this how you have my back?", she said and started punching his chest with her fists with full force at first but then slowly she couldn''t even hit him.


    With her throat all chocking up she looked at him and said,


    "I trusted you Vikram. I trusted you !!!"


    "Akira listen to me", Vikram said and grabbed her hand.


    "I admit that I did a background check on him, I tried to dig up the dirt but that''s because I just wanted to show you about his past thinking that you will leave him, but I had nothing to do with getting this woman or her brother here, trust me. I did try to tap your phone because I was scared that you had already fallen for him and I just wanted to know if my fears were right or not. I have all the chat messages, but I stopped reading them the day you left hispany Akira. That''s it. That''s all I have done because I was crazy for you, but all this which is being shown out here aren''t my doings".


    "Then why did you prepare a dis-association file to stop your funding to my brother''spany?"


    "What are you talking about?", Vikram asked.


    "About this", Katherine said and moved to the slide showing pages from a file where Vikram had already signed for dis-association from Raymond''s startup.


    He was shocked beyond the limit to see them having a copy of that file because it waspletely confidential.


    "That''s my business matter. You do not need to drag it out here", Vikram said and gave a demeaning look at Katherine and then tried to hold Akira who took a step back immediately and said,


    "Then do it Vikram !!! Disassociate from Delphie !!! Take all your funds and make me go bankrupt",


    "Make you?", Vikram asked all surprised.


    "Yes me, because now thepany belongs to me, not Raymond but me. So go on bring your A-game out and topple me over. I will also see how much you really loved me".

 Chapter 182: The epic reveal - 4

    <h4>182 The epic reveal - 4</h4>


    "Since when do you own Delphie?", Vikram asked in surprise with his eyes opened all wide.


    "Since yesterday," Raymond said and came forward and wrapped his arm around Akira.


    "It has been officiated and she has 51% shares of mypany now".


    "You do not understand Raymond with what you are ying with", Vikram said and shook his head in disappointment.


    "What I am ying with? Probably you should think of what mess you are getting yourself into", Raymond said and looked at Katherine who switched the slides.


    "Well first of all - this is a written statement by Dr. Brooks where she has agreed to have received a good amount of sum, in return of her services from your assistant Peter Gnatt".


    "Second, we have footages of your car in front of the cafe where your assistant Peter, went to meet Scarlett and she will definitely stick to her statements when we drag you to court", Katherine said and then looked at Vikram.


    Vikram turned to look at Akira and his heart died from within. He had never seen such hate, mistrust, and judgment in her eyes for him. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down for he couldn''t let his ship sink, not this way at least.


    Looking deep into her eyes he said,


    "You have known me since childhood days Akira. You have been through my thick and thin. You know me better than I do myself, so just because of these few slides will you believe that I was behind all this? Tell me Akira, do you think that I will go to such an extent to ruin your life?".


    "Even I thought I knew you Vikram. But after seeing all this, I am not so sure about that anymore. Why did you hate Raymond so much? How did he wrong you to deserve all this? How did I wrong you to deserve all this Vikram? Answer me now?".


    "That''s because I love you Akira. I always have", Vikram said and sighed.


    "No, you are lying. Tell me you are lying", Akira said and took her steps back.


    "I know it''s hard for you to believe, but it was always you Akira".


    "I wish, I didn''t, but I did love you more than anything else and more than anybody else", he said and hung his head low.


    "Is that why you wanted to crush me and Raymond?"


    "Is that why you wanted him to be bankrupt?", Akira asked and this time her tone was not so sober.


    "I made mistakes, I agree to that. But I won''t agree to all these ridiculous usations. What proof do you guys have that I was behind all the things that happened?", Vikram asked.


    "You want proof, then here is your proof", saying that Raymond turned back and signaled someone.


    The anchor who was till now standing there silently like a mock spectator immediately rushed inside the small utility room on the terrace and brought Peter outside.


    "Your man will speak for you. Now let''s see what you arrange a rebuttal for that !!!", said Raymond and pointed his hands towards Peter.


    Peter''s hands were tied in the back and he looked like he had been thoroughly tormented, although there was no sign of any physical assault on him. The anchor pushed him forward towards the center and said,


    "It''s time to speak !!!".


    "I am sorry Mr. Shah. I was very careful with everything but somehow I ended up being here", Peter said looking at Vikram with his eyes begging for his mercy.


    "It''s ok Peter, just tell them the truth. Tell them that I am actually not behind all this. You can tell them everything, A to Z of the things we did but they should know that I didn''t stoop so low. I wasn''t behind all this".


    Peter trembled and looking all down he mumbled,


    "I am sorry Mr. Shah".


    "It is ok Peter !!! Just tell the truth".


    "I am sorry Mr. Shah", Peter mumbled again and then lifted his eyes and said,


    "He had asked me to monitor the call logs of Miss. Akira and Mr.Raymond and when he got to know that they are together, he wanted them to be separated from each other at any cost. I had collected all the information about Miss. Scarlett as he had asked me to do a background check on Mr.Raymond".


    Then he paused and looked at Vikram again,


    "It''s ok Peter continue".


    "Then he asked me to bring Scarlett back at any cost. I researched and figured out that Anthony was her cousin brother and that was the sweet spot for us and I took that path and got her to our side. We knew about the weakness of Raymond for a baby so I bribed and arranged for the services of Dr. Brooks so that Scarlett cane back into Raymond''s life. Engaging Anthony to threaten Akira was also a part of his n and regarding the closure of the deal, he had asked me to prepare the papers and had asked me to keep it confidential".


    "What on earth are you speaking Peter?", Vikram roared with anger.


    "I asked you to prove me innocent, but why are digging a grave for me? Are you also a part of their team now? How much did Raymond bribe ...".


    "Stop Vikram. For God''s sake".


    "Just stop it already !!!", Akira cut through and looked straight into his eyes.


    Tears were streaming down her cheeks, for she had been betrayed. She never knew that one day the only person whom she considered next to her dad would be the Brutus of her life. She wiped her tears and turned back and said,


    "You want me to believe you right?"


    "Fine, for a moment let''s say I believe you".


    "Let''s say I assume that it wasn''t you".


    "Then who was it? Who would stoop so low to do all this? Who would want Raymond and I to be separated?"


    "Do you have any answer? Can you give me a name? Can you tell me who was it Vikram?"


    There was nothing but extreme silence that spread all around them, but then a voice emanated out of nowhere,


    "IT WAS ME !!!"


    "ALL ME !!!"

 Chapter 183: It was me, all me

    <h4>183 It was me, all me</h4>


    "It was me", she said and came forward.


    They all looked at her in utter disbelief.


    "What are you doing here mom?", Vikram asked in surprise.


    "I havee here to set the things right. Don''t worry", she said and walked towards Vikram and gently caressed his face with her hands and said,


    "I will set everything right for none of this is your fault".


    "There''s no need to take all the me on yourself mom. They are not going to listen. I don''t know from where they have procured all these documents. I guess some third person is trying to frame me and I am going to find that persona and rip them apart", Vikram said holding the hands of her mother.


    She took a deep breath and then looked at Vikram and said,


    "That person you are talking about is me. I know it''s hard to believe but it was me".


    Then she looked at Peter who looked ghastly and said,


    "You can tell them !!! You did whatever was told to you. It is not your fault either".


    Peter looked at her in surprise, unable to believe that suddenly how she was having this transformation. He always considered her as a shrewd and condescendingdy, who never thought even an inch about others and yet here she was, taking all the me and saving him.


    She looked at the gratefulness reflecting in the eyes of Peter and said,


    "I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for my son", she said and turned her back coldly towards Peter.


    "No, she is still a condescending bitch", Peter mumbled.


    "I cannot let my son take the me for the wrongs that I have done", she said and looked at everyone.


    But everyone stood there all confused.


    "I heard you listening to the phone conversations of Akira with someone over and over again, dead in the night, but with who, I didn''t know. I knew you were disturbed and then I found the file on Raymond from your room and I was a bit curious as you had never done a background check for anyone like that before and that guy was the guy with whom Akira worked. So I knew that something was wrong and I checked with Peter about it and got all the information", she said and then looked at Vikram to see his reaction.


    He stood there still unable to believe a single word.


    "I am your mother, and I knew that you were in pain because of this person", she said and then looked at Vikram with nothing but disgust and said,


    "That''s why I did all this. I hired Scarlett and bailed her brother. I made Peter do all my biddings. You sign hundreds of cheques every day so it wasn''t difficult to get you to sign one for Scarlett".


    "Mom no, you did not", Vikram said and slumped on the chair.


    "I thought I could separate them so that Akira can be yours. I did all of it for you, my child".


    "I wanted her, that''s true, but not like this mom".


    "See what have you done. See where I am standing right now, getting reprimanded by people for the things that I haven''t even done", Vikram said and then buried his face in his palm because this was simply unbelievable.


    "Why would you do all this aunty? Why would you go to this length? Do you know how much trouble you were putting Vikram into by doing all this?", Akira spoke in disbelief.


    "Why I did this? You are asking why I did this?", she spewed words.


    "Because someone was so blind, that she couldn''t see how much my son loved her unconditionally. And someone was so afraid that he couldn''t tell what was in his heart to someone whom he had known since childhood days", she said and looked at both Vikram and Akira sarcastically.


    Katherine and Shawn stood in the corner in silence, unable to believe what just happened. This night was definitely weird. They had nned to unmask someone, but someone else opened their mask before that.


    "But I didn''t intend to physically harm anyone. I never did", she said and looked at Vikram whose eyes looked like burning charcoal.


    " I had no personal vendetta against you Raymond, I just wanted to get Akira for my son. That''s all".


    "No personal vendetta?", Raymond said and chuckled.


    "You tried to snatch away the love of my life. I love her, just the way your son does ma''am. Maybe he has been in love with her earlier than me, but that no way lessens the amount of love that I have for her".


    "I know, I know. I was wrong, all blinded with the love I had for my kid", she said and stood there in silence, looking at everyone with eyes begging for forgiveness.


    "But then why would you try to sabotage my professional life? Was sabotaging my personal life not enough for you?", Raymond asked.


    "I do not understand", she asked.


    "What about the disassociation papers Vikram? You were quite aware of that right?", Raymond asked.


    "That has nothing to do with all this Raymond. There are bigger forces running behind who want to pull you down and rip you apart. I am just a pawn", Vikram said and got up and went to his mother.


    "Let''s go, mom, it has been too much for a day. You have already made my night unforgettable", he said and walked towards the exit, but then again turned back and came towards Akira.


    He took out that Prussian blue box with the ring in it that he had been meaning to give to her and kept in her hand and said,


    "I wanted to give you this tonight, but not in conditions like this. But I am still going to give it to you because if I keep it with me then it will hurt me like a dagger in my heart".


    Then he turned to go back when she said,


    "Vikram !!!"


    "My mom was wrong, but please forgive her. I request all of you. I will clean up all the mess and make everything as before. You can join back in Raymond''spany and stay as the owner for a couple of days, till I figure things out for you both".


    "Vikram listen to..."


    "Listen to you now Akira? You didn''t even give me a chance to exin myself. You didn''t even believe my words. Thatpletely sums up how much I mean to you. Probably I was having some misconception all these days. But anyways the love that I have for you is my own and I will never disrespect that".


    "I had promised you to keep you happy and I will. I will save yourpany and you can count me on that".


    Then he turned towards Scarlett and said,


    "I am sorry but I have to send your brother back to where he belongs because he has dared to hurt someone that I love. And as for the money which was given to you, will stay in your ount".


    Then he looked at his mom who stood there all cemented to the floor,


    "How much more you want me to endure all this? Did I not ask you to leave mom?",


    He said and marched out of the door and then his mom followed.


    Akira opened the box and saw the ring.


    It was the same ring that she once saw in a magazine and had told Vikram about how pretty it was.


    She didn''t have any words, for that night she had just lost a limb.

 Chapter 184: Later that nigh

    <h4>184 Later that nigh</h4>


    There wasplete silence that was spread all around. No one dared to say anything for so much had happened in thest few minutes which was beyond anyone''s ability to evenprehend.


    The anchor came ahead and released the hands of Peter who then left the terrace immediately following Vikram''s mom.


    Katherine came ahead and gently caressed Akira''s arm and then looked at his brother and said,


    "Take care of her. It''s going to be a long night", then she left along with Shawn.


    Now the only two people left on the terrace were Raymond and Akira. She sat down on a chair and stared nkly at the projector screen, which had gone into hibernation mode.


    Raymond didn''t know what to say or how to talk with her, because he himself was reeling under this sudden revtion. It was easy for him to hate Vikram earlier as he thought of him as a bad person, but now after all this, he didn''t know how to react to his presence in their lives, when he knew that he loved Akira to the moon and back. He thought that he would be able to decimate him tonight by exposing him, but somehow he ended up feeling guilty for wrongly using him of the things that he hadn''t done.


    He took a deep breath and then looked at her and said,


    "Let''s go home".


    "Akira !!! It''ste, let''s go home".


    She then turned and looked at him like she was short of breath.


    "Did I lose him? Tell me, Raymond, did I lose him?"


    He cleared his throat and then looked away for he didn''t want to be the person to answer this question.


    "I need to go to him. What am I doing here? He must be so much hurt because of me Raymond. Shit !!! What am I doing sitting here?", said Akira and ran towards the lobby to take the lift.


    Her words sliced his heart into pieces but he knew that she was concerned for him just as a friend and immediately followed behind her. The lift was taking too much time toe up so she immediately took the stairs.


    "Akira stop !!! You are barefoot. You are going to hurt yourself".


    Raymond shouted but she didn''t bother to listen.


    She reached the ground floor and ran towards the entrance but didn''t find anyone. She looked a bit ahead and saw Vikram''s AUDI disappearing along with the traffic.


    With a dejected heart, she sat down on the road, unable to think of anything.


    She picked her phone and started calling Vikram, but he didn''t pick. She turned back and saw Raymond behind her, who covered her with the trench coat which had fallen down when she came out all running.


    "Let me take you home", he said and picked her up by supporting herpletely for she was so not in her right mind at that time. Every single tear that she was shedding for Vikram, was burning his chest like hot molten wax, but he didn''tin, as his love for Akira transcended everything that was humanly possible.


    He drove in silence the entire time, while she was frantically trying to call Vikram for the millionth time and didn''t even realize that they had reached her ce and that the car had stopped.


    "We... We have arrived".


    "What?"


    "We are at your ce".


    "He isn''t picking my call, Raymond. What do I do?", she said and looked at him in anticipation that somehow he would be able to do something.


    He took a deep breath and asked against his own heart,


    "Do you want to go to his ce now?"


    "Yes, please can you take me there. I just need to know if he is ok. He has never dodged my calls, Raymond, like ever".


    Raymond didn''t say a word and started his car.


    It was going to be a long and pain drive to Staten Ind.


    ---


    After reaching Vikram''s ce Akira unbuckled herself as fast as possible and then looked at Raymond and said,


    "I will be back as soon as possible. Trust me. I will just check up on him ande back".


    "It''s ok. I am waiting here. Just call me if you need me".


    She nodded and immediately rushed inside Vikram''s house without even turning back once to look at Raymond.


    She went directly up to Vikram''s room and saw his mother sitting outside his room.


    The moment Vikram''s mom saw her, she immediately got up and said,


    "Please, Akira !!! I beg you. I apologize to you but please help my son. He won''t talk and open the door Akira. Please help me. You are my only hope Akir", saying she held her hand and looked at her like she was asking for nothing but her mercy.


    Akira helplessly looked at her for she couldn''t hate her no matter what.


    She took a step forward towards the door which was closed form inside and then said,


    "Can you give me a minute alone with him?"


    "Yes, whatever you need my daughter, whatever you need", she said and left Akira in front of Vikram''s door.


    Akira banged on the door.


    "Vikram it''s me, please open the door".


    But there was no response.


    "Vikram please, I am begging you, please. You can''t turn your face away from me Vikram. You promised you will always have my back. Then where are you when I need you so badly".


    She was crying profusely


    "If you loved me so much then why didn''t you tell me earlier? Why did you suffer so much alone? Why did you buy this ring for me Vikram, when you knew I liked someone else? Answer me Vikram, answer me?"


    He stood inside, just near the door, listening to her questions and her overflowing tears. His hands itched to wipe away the tears from her face, but he had no answers for her questions so he just stood there, cursing his fate, unable to believe that everything would turn into shambles just because of a mistake caused by his mother.


    "Vikram please, Vik...."


    And suddenly her voice slurred and she fainted outside the door, for it was too much to take for her tiny little heart.


    Vikram stood there, expecting more questions, more usations from her side, but there was none. There was stark silence that was spread across.


    "Probably she has left", he thought and walked towards his window, which faced the entrance gate of his house, just to have a glimpse of her. He stood there for quite some time but he didn''t see her going out. That worried him a bit as it was almost 10 minutes so he came back and opened the main door only to find her lying on the carpet all unconscious.


    "Akira... Akira... "


    "No Shit !!!", he screamed and lifted her up and took her inside his bedroom and then sprinkled some water on her face with his hands.


    She slowly opened her eyes and when she did, he hugged her tight and said,


    "Who told you to cry so much for me that you have to faint. Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see you in a condition like this?"

 Chapter 185: Everything is loopy

    <h4>185 Everything is loopy</h4>


    "Then why did you not open the door? Why did you keep me away?", Akira asked looking into his eyes.


    "I didn''t want to answer your questions", Vikram said.


    "Fine, I won''t ask anything, just tell me we are fine. Tell me that we are ok?", she said but then suddenly raised her hands and covered her head with it.


    "What happened? Are you feeling dizzy again?", Vikram asked all worried.


    "Everything is loopy. I guess I have a headache", Akira said but the next moment her body turned into a pulp and she fainted again.


    Vikram tried to prop her on the bed and immediately called his family doctor. He again tried to wake her up using water and she did wake up. But she kept lying on the bed, with her eyes not even able to open to its full as her body was extremely weak and feeble.


    As soon as the doctor arrived, he immediately administered IV to her as her BP was extremely low and prescribed a couple of medicines before taking his leave. Few seconds into the IV, she fell asleep on Vikram''s bed while he held her hand all tenderly with his own, gently caressing her skin where the IV catheter was.


    He looked at her angelic face which looked all pale and distressed now.


    "What have I done to you?", he mumbled and kept on caressing her hand.


    He looked at her dress and then at the corset which was hugging her chest all tight. He could clearly tell that it was ufortable for her to wear such a thing and sleep and sighed. He went to his closet and picked out arge gym t-shirt for her to wear.


    ---


    He was getting impatient with every passing minute. He knew that Akira truly loved him and only him, but this pang of momentary separation also was unbearable for him. His mind raced with all sorts of weird thoughts and what-ifs and he felt all breathless. He came out of the car and started pacing around his car with his eyes fixed on the gate, waiting for her to return.


    Minutes passed...


    And slowly it turned into an hour but there was no sign of her.


    Initially, he didn''t want to call her, because he didn''t want to appear over-possessive. He didn''t want to be considered as the guy who can''t stay apart from his girl for even a few minutes.


    But finally, he couldn''t keep his calm and called her up.


    "Hey, everything ok with you?"


    "Hello".


    "Where is Akira? And why are you picking up her phone", Raymond asked.


    "She is sleeping here, so I had to pick her call", Vikram said all nonchntly.


    "Sleeping there? What do you mean? Why will she sleep there?", Raymond asked with his tone barely suppressing his rage.


    "She fainted and the doctor administered her an IV as her BP was low. So she is sleeping now".


    "Wait for what? Is she ok now? I aming in"


    "There is no need. Everything has been taken care of", Vikram said with a stern voice.


    "No need for me toe? What nonsense are you spouting?", Raymond spewed unable to control the anger within himself anymore.


    "Isn''t this whole thing caused by you? What was the need for all this drama? Couldn''t you juste and ask me about all this man to man before? You could have just asked me about Scarlett or Anthony. Don''t you think you are equally guilty for trying to hack into my systems too? Do you know how much it hurts when the trust is broken? Why did you have to break us apart?", Vikram yelled at his full might.


    "Let''s not even go down that road for now. I aming in to check on my girl and you cannot stop that", saying that he disconnected the call, locked his car and marched towards his ce.


    The moment he entered Vikram''s room, he found him sitting on the bed and caressing her right hand which had the IV cann. She looked all pale and her face looked like she had been devoid of all happiness.


    He came and sat next to her on the bed.


    She was covered in a duvet till her waist and was wearing his t-shirt. He saw her maroon dress strewn on a chair near the bed and somehow that made his heart a bit ufortable. He didn''t want to ask any questions but the thought of Vikram undressing her made his mind go ballistic.


    His face looked all lost and then he heard,


    "Don''t worry, it''s not the first time I have done it. Akira and I share a very different bond, which probably you will never understand because it doesn''t need a name tag like yours to be defined", he said and fondly looked at her.


    He felt like his ears were going to burst. The blood inside his veins started to boil like his entire body was simmering with jealousy and anger but that wasn''t the right time to act or say anything for his biggest concern was to see her alright.


    He stretched his fingers to hold her left hand which was under the duvet and suddenly he felt something wrong. The color on his face vanished like he had seen some ghost. He immediately lifted the duvet cover.


    She had a ring in her finger.

 Chapter 186: Whose name will she take?

    <h4>186 Whose name will she take?</h4>


    The ring was staring at his face like it was mocking his entire existence. Suddenly he felt like he mattered very little in her life. That sudden feeling of dwarfness extinguished that little me of hope that was burning in his heart. But he didn''t flinch, neither did he let his emotions reflect on his face. He sat there next to her with his face all steady and calm.


    He took her hand and started caressing her. He ran his thumb and then lifted her hand with both his hands and said,


    "Just open your eyes once for God''s sake and just say my name once. Please, that''s all I want. I can''t see you like this Akira".


    He then brought her hand close to his mouth and softly kissed her.


    "Can you just let her rest peacefully?", Vikram asked with irritation dripping from his voice.


    Raymond didn''t say a word but just gave him a look, which was enough to turn him into ashes.


    Vikram saw him looking at him with nothing but anger, rage, and contempt so he retorted back,


    "And why would you think that she will take your name when she gets up?"


    He said and folded his hands in the front.


    "So you think she will take your name?", Raymond asked.


    "Of course she will. We have stood the test of time. I was there with her when there was no one to stand with her. I am like family to her Raymond and I think you must have heard that blood runs thicker", Vikram said and smirked.


    "Yeah just like shrewdness runs in the blood of both you and your mother?", Raymond asked.


    "That was below the belt and you know it", Vikram said and got up from the bed all angry and frustrated and went to his desk to drink water to calm himself down.


    Then he turned back and looked towards Raymond and spoke calmly,


    "Now listen to me very carefully because I am telling you this for your own good".


    "I am all ears", Raymond said and looked at Vikram, dedicating his full attention.


    "Your life is already in a struggle. You not only have to take care of your startup but also you have to take care of people who are after you. You might go bankrupt within a couple of days for you don''t know what force is hell-bent to make you eat dust. So don''t you think it''s better that she stays with me? She stays happy andfortable when she is with me. Do you remember the glow on her face when she shared the first dance with me? I bet you do".


    "She has already faced so many hardships in her life. Why do you want to make her life even more dreadful and painful? I know you like her a lot and you want to keep her happy, but think about it realistically. Does it make sense for you to drag a girl into the turmoils of your life? She hasn''t evenpleted her college. It''s her age to make new friends and enjoy but all that you have given her is tears and nothing else."


    Raymond, who was patiently listening to Vikram''s rant till now got up and walked towards him silently and then stood at level with him and then looked directly into his eyes and said,


    "First, I don''t like her, I love her, with all my heart. There is a difference between these two terms. So don''t try to belittle my love by using the term LIKE".


    "Second, I am capable enough to shield her from any sort of obstacle thates in my way because I will be the one facing them. I will never use her as a shield to solve my problems unlike you."


    "Third, try to look deep inside your heart and tell me if you haven''t seen her happy with me. Do you even know why she was excited toe to the G with you?", Raymond said and smirked.


    "She was happy because she wanted badly to dance with me".


    "You just got lucky with the numbers !!!", Vikram retorted.


    Raymond smiled and asked,


    "You think so?"


    His grin became even smugger and he said,


    "And finally, I already know about these so-called unknown forces that you are talking about. They snatched away my Singapore deal, but so what? I bounced back and no matter how hard they hit, no matter whether they make me bankrupt or not, I will rise. Because that''s who I am Vikram Shah. I am the maker of my own destiny and no force in the entire world can stop me from living my dreams. And this girl here is the queen of my dreams. She was born to reign over me and she will herself prove that to you because I have that much faith in my love".


    "And one more thing, just because my love doesn''t boast doesn''t mean that it''s intensity is any less and being a postgraduate yourself, you must be aware that time isn''t the measuring unit of intensity. I might haveeter in her life, but that doesn''t mean my love is lesser than yours".


    Vikram had no answer.


    "Mmmm..."


    They heard her faint sound and they both rushed towards the bed and each of them immediately held one of her hands, like she was a trophy they both wanted to im. Vikram immediately started caressing her hand so that she didn''t feel the pain of the cann.


    But then Raymond got up all of a sudden and went to Vikram''s desk and got the ss of water and came back to her.


    Her lips which had been all chapped by now moved a bit.


    "Maa... Maverik...."


    "Who is Maverick?", Vikram asked looking at Raymond. He was surprised to hear her taking some random name. He was expecting her to call his name first.


    Raymond didn''t answer but the sweet smile of victory was clear on his face.


    She bbered something again. It seemed like she was trying to tell something but her voice was very faint.


    Then she spoke again, but this time more clearly,


    "Maa... Maverik... Water !!!"


    And then she opened her eyes and looked towards her left side first and saw her Maverick sitting next to her, holding a ss of water like she pleased.

 Chapter 187: The Cinderella Story

    <h4>187 The Cindere Story</h4>


    Her eyes gleamed and a faint smile simmered on her pale face when she saw Raymond next to her. She found nothing but aforting face which looked like it had been deeply worried for thest couple of hours.


    He slowly came closer and propped her head a bit up with a pillow and gave her water to drink. Within a minute her chapped lips came back to life.


    She took a deep breath and then looked at Vikram on the other side and smiled at him.


    He looked happy but defeated at the same time.


    He thought that he knew her better, but the way Raymond got her water, made him rethink.


    Underestimating and undermining his love for Akira was probably not a good idea.


    "Are you still worried?", she looked at Vikram and asked.


    "No. You should be the one who should worry. How can you cry so much to cause your BP to dip so low? Be a little more aware of your health and your body Akira", Vikram said, with his hand still caressing hers.


    "I am happy that I fainted. Else God knows when you would have opened the door", Akira said and smiled a bit.


    "Not a good joke", Vikram replied curtly for he was neither liking her jokes nor the way Raymond was looking at her.


    "I am sorry Vikram", said Akira and with the same hand which Vikram was caressing, she tried to hold him and said,


    "You know misunderstanding you was notpletely my fault. You should agree that the things that you did behind our back weren''t justified".


    "Let''s not talk about what happened. Let it be in the past. Now the most important thing is that our misunderstandings have been cleared. So let''s have a fresh start in life", Raymond interrupted and said.


    Akira smiled looking at Raymond, feeling all happy and proud that her man always knew how to speak the right thing at the right time.


    Vikram didn''t respond. He looked at her hand and then at the drip and said,


    "Ahh... the drip is done. Let me call the doctor to open it".


    "No need, I can do that", Raymond said and got up.


    "No, you are not touching her. What if you pull it out incorrectly", Vikram said and started dialing his personal doctor''s number.


    "He is trained for all these things as he was a part of the Red Cross rehabilitation center Vikram. He has dressed my wounds a couple of times", she said and by the time Vikram could realize, he had already taken Akira''s other hand in his own and tilted it up to that her blood didn''t flow back into the tube.


    "What wounds?", Vikram asked.


    "Ahh no biggie, I had hurt myself once when I fell on the pavement", Akira said and smiled.


    He asked for a first aid box and then went to clean his hands and within 30 seconds, he pulled the cann out and ced a bandaid at the insertion point. He did it so swiftly with his adept hands that Akira didn''t even wince or flinch.


    "All done", Raymond said and ced the first aid box away.


    "Now let her rest here. I will drop her at her ce tomorrow", Vikram said and looked at Raymond. It was his way of asking him to leave.


    "No Vikram, I want to go home. Please."


    "Are you mad Akira? What will happen if your BP drops again?"


    "Mike will take care of me and the first thing that I will do is to call you if I feel even a little bit of difort. I promise", Akira said.


    "Fine then, I will drop you home", Raymond said and supported her back so that she could get down from the bed.


    "Oh, c''mon Raymond. I can walk. Why you guys think of me like a 6-year-old kid who can''t take care of herself", she said and put her feet down.


    She turned and walked up to Vikram and gave him a hug and said,


    "Nothing can separate us. Not even you. Remember that !!!", and then she walked away with Raymond who lightly supported her.


    A feeling of utter despair spread on his face.


    After reaching the main door, Raymond suddenly stopped her and slowly shifted his hand from her shoulder to her waist and with one swift move lifted her in his arms and started walking towards the gate.


    "Hey hey. What are you doing?"


    But he didn''t listen and kept walking till he reached his car and then ced her on the bo. He gently held her waist and adjusted her position so that her legs didn''t touch the ground.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Just wait here for a second," he said and went to the boot of his car.


    He came back with a pair of sneakers in his hands.


    "You carry shoes for me in your boot?", Akira smiled and teased him.


    "No, I kept them because I knew you will forget to keep it, even if I tell you to", saying that he bent down on his knees in front of her.


    He took her left foot first and with his palm, he wiped away all the dust from her foot and then took out his pocket square and wiped again, and then helped her wear the shoe. Then he cleaned her other foot and well and then tied up theces.


    He then lifted his gaze to look at her.


    She was looking at him like she had found a treasure.


    She bent down and turned her hair to one side and slightly tilted her head and kissed softly on his lips and said,


    "You make me feel like Cindere".


    Raymond got up and held her face in his hands and said,


    "But I am no Prince, I got no riches".


    "Who needs riches, when I got you", she said and smiled.


    He stood there and looked at them from the window of his room. He knew he had a toughpetetion.

 Chapter 188: Take it off !!!

    <h4>188 Take it off !!!</h4>


    He looked into her eyes and found nothing but profound love and an endless abyss of trust. He closed his eyes for a moment and then said after taking a deep breath,


    "I am telling you seriously Akira !!!"


    "A time maye that you might lose all your hopes that you have pinned on me. A time maye when you might not be even able to hold your head high and tell people that I am the one for you".


    "What will you do then? I do not want to give you any false hopes or expectations about the future, for I myself don''t know what life has in store for me Akira. I am like a nomad. One day in the riches and the next day in the rags", he said and gently caressed her cheeks.


    "Would you still like to stay with me? Won''t you regret?"


    She moved forward and touched the space between his brows and said,


    "I don''t like the worry lines on your face. I want you to stay handsome till you get old ok. So do not fret or frown. Remember that". Then she touched his forehead with her own and then moved a bit ahead to touch his nose and said,


    "Don''t overthink. Future is just overrated".


    "Just take me home".


    Then she looked up at him and smiled and that one smile of hers was enough to reduce all the weight of the negative thinking that was swarming inside his heart. He held her slender waist again in his hands and lifted her from the car bo.


    "Let''s go home", he said and walked ahead.


    ---


    Meanwhile in Jeju Ind [South Korea]


    .


    A guy came rushing towards the private swimming pool area in WESTIN Grand Luxury Hotel and went near the sun-shade where Mr. Walker waszing along with a bunch of pretty girls who were just throwing themselves on him.


    "Sir !!! we got reports from New York. Our n to dismantle Delphie isn''t going to work. Mr. Raymond figured it out somehow and he transferred 51% percent of his shares to his girlfriend."


    "I see".


    "I just got the intel from Mr. Shah. As Mr. Raymond is no-more thepany head, Mr. Shah cannot help on this any further and he has requested to not be dragged any further into it. Albeit I am not sure how Mr. Raymond figured it all out and went a step ahead of us".


    "He has to, after all, he is my son. I would have been disappointed if he didn''t".


    Mr. Walker said and chuckled and busied himself with the booze and girls around him.


    ---


    Akira dozed off in the car as it was a 30-40 minutes drive to home. They had crossed Staten ind and had entered Brooklyn when she got up and looked outside the window. She turned towards Raymond all astonished and asked,


    "Why are we going towards your house?"


    "Because I can''t let you stay alone at your ce when your condition is like this !!!"


    Raymond said, without even looking at her.


    "I see", she quipped but the thought of staying at his ce with him was tantalizing for her and unknowingly she started touching her lips like she always did.


    He saw her doing that from the corners of his eyes.


    "Don''t get any wrong thoughts in your head. You are just going to sleep and that''s it", Raymond said and chuckled.


    "I wasn''t getting any wrong thoughts in my head for your kind information".


    "Oh really? Then why were you touching your lips?"


    "Umm.... because... because they are chapped", she said and started looking outside again.


    "You need some help in keeping them moist?", Raymond asked with a smirk on his face.


    "Thanks for the considerate offer. But I think I will pass", Akira said and pouted for she never liked being teased this way.


    Raymond switched on to some heavy metal song to distract his own head and then slightly opened the window shields. A cool breeze rushed inside the car and started ying with her hair.


    He looked at her intently. She was dressed in a basic gym t-shirt, but still, she looked ethereal to him. Maybe that''s what the power of love was. Capable of making everything look all rosy and pretty. It was really hard for him to drive and concentrate on the road for she looked nothing less than a princess who was inviting him with her charming eyes, gentle smile and her loopy locks.


    The moment they reached his ce he gasped for air for the amount of self-restraint that he had to conjure up till now, was way too much to be even evaluated.


    She walked in tugging the hem of her t-shirt as they entered Raymond''s room.


    There was a weird silence in between them and they both didn''t know how to breach it and she suddenly blurted out.


    "This t-shirt was gifted to Vikram by his dad".


    "Mmm....".


    His heart burned but he said nothing and tried to get his thoughts sorted.


    "You sleep here. I will be here on the couch", he said and walked towards the couch taking deep breaths and trying to calm his tone which had turned all harsh.


    "What is wrong Raymond?"


    "Nothing !!!", he said and kept walking towards the couch.


    "Raymond stop. Talk to me. You told me that if there is anything in your heart, just talk. Then why are you not following that? Why can''t you tell me what''s bothering you?"


    "It''s nothing Akira, just go to sleep. We will talk tomorrow".


    "What if I don''t wake up tomorrow? I don''t want to leave without knowing what''s in your heart?"


    He stopped and paced back to her.


    There was clear anger in his eyes. He held her shoulders and said out loud,


    "This is thest time ever that you will speak about such things in front of me. do you understand that?".


    His voice had anger, his eyes looked all bloodshot but somehow his scoldings sounded like a deration of love to her. Instead of frowning she smiled and said,


    "Then why don''t you tell me what''s bothering you?"


    He took a deep breath and then released her shoulder and took a step back.


    He stood there in silence for a while and said,


    "That T-shirt bothers me".


    He said and looked down for he was expecting her to judge him for being so imperious and over-possessive, but she took a step towards him instead and inching the gap in between she asked,


    "Why? Why does it bother you?"


    "It makes me feel like he is indirectly touching you. I know it''s insane and crazy but that''s how..."


    "Then take it out !!!".


    "What?", he said and looked at her in surprise.


    She then slowly raised both her hands up in the air and said,


    "If it bothers you so much then just take it out".

 Chapter 189: I want to talk with you

    <h4>189 I want to talk with you</h4>


    His eyes suddenly turned all greedy and hungry.


    Her one statement was enough to flip his switches. No matter how hard he tried to keep the demons lurking inside of him under a leash, she was always there to unleash them in the flip of a second. She knew how to meddle with his head and make him go all insane.


    He took a deep breath and drank her with his eyes. He then moved his gaze from her face and looked at her hands which she had raised and suddenly his gaze took a pause.


    She didn''t have the ring on her finger.


    "Did I hallucinate? When did she take it out?", he thought in his head but didn''t dare to ask her but she could read his eyes and every single thought that was running in his head because she could clearly see his eyes fixated on her fingers.


    "You are thinking about that ring right?", she looked into his eyes and asked.


    "Umm...well yeah".


    "Well, it was removed and kept on his bed before I came with you".


    "I see", he said but deep down he was gloating. Gloating over the fact that she wasn''t attached to the ring like he was expecting her to be.


    She then ced her arms around his neck and said,


    "I love you so much, Raymond. Can''t you feel it? I can''t see anything hurting you. I don''t know when and how that ring came on my finger but that look on your face, I couldn''t bear it. Why won''t you tell me when something hurts you? Why do you have to keep all bottled within?".


    He slowly raised his hands and embraced her body. His fingers tracing her outline with perfection. With every passing second, he pulled her closer and tighter like he wanted their bodies to assimte with each other.


    "Let me take you to bed".


    He said and in one fluid movement, he lifted her up and then took her to his bed. He carefully lied her down and adjusted the pillows for her and then pulled the sheets to cover her up.


    She pulled his hand and said,


    "Don''t leave me !!!"


    He smiled and bent down and kissed on her forehead. His lips lingered there for a while for be badly wanted to kiss her lips, just a few inches down. But he didn''t because he knew that once he started, there was no force that could stop him from going further. Just when he was about to retract himself she pulled the cor of his shirt and said,


    "Can we just talk? Just like how normal people do. I am just sick of so much drama happening in my life and I just want a few moments of sanity with you".


    He smiled and then sat on the bed, leaning on the headrest which gave support to his back. Then he pulled her close, making her head rest on his chest while his fingers yed with her hair.


    "What do you want to talk about?"


    "Everything. Tell me everything that I need to know".


    "Be specific Akira", he said slightly nibbling on her ears with his muffled voice.


    "Umm... I want to know why you transferred thepany shares to me. And what happened in Singapore?"


    "Really you wanted to know about that?", he sounded a bit disappointed.


    "Yeah what did you think?", Akira replied being all cheeky.


    He took a deep breath and then said,


    "I transferred the shares to you because as per the use Vikram can anytime pull out the funding if he finds my leadership non-productive for my startup but that means I end up paying millions to people who are employed with me. In short, I would have gone bankrupt. So I transferred the shares to you".


    "Smart move".


    "But what was that Singapore deals again? Who is this third party that''s after you?"


    He took a deep breath and then said,


    "The third party is Mr. Sebastian Walker".


    "What? The owner of WALKER ENTERPRISES?"


    "Yep".


    "No kidding !!! But he is a tycoon and hispany is like a giant blue whale. Why would he be interested in your startup? Did he like want to buy yourpany and you didn''t give or something? Why would he waste his time and energy running after Delphie?"


    "Because he is my Dad".


    She turned back and stared at him,


    "THE Sebastian Walker is your dad?"


    "Yep".


    "Like real dad? Like DNA level simr dad?"


    Raymond chuckled and said,


    "Pretty much".


    "Oh boy and here I thought everything in my life will be sorted out now".


    "Why what happened?", he asked and moved her hair behind her ears with his fingers.


    "Nothing, just random questions in my head".


    "Shoot".


    "So legally you will inherit it all?"


    "Legally yes".


    "I am a gold digger then", Akira said and sighed.


    Raymondughed at her cuteness and said,


    "Well nobody knows about it and I would like to keep it that way. I do not want any part of it. I want to build a name of my own sans his reputation or reach and trust me it''s hard when you got your own father to pull you back".


    "You rich people have a different level of the problems altogether, don''t you?"


    "As I said, he is rich. I am not".


    "That''s exactly what all rich heirs say".


    "You have started talking a lot these days. Where are your inhibitions?", Raymond said and pulled her close and took a bite at her earlobes. She moaned and leaned back even more.


    He slowly pulled the neck of the t-shirt to one side, baring her shoulders and kissed her there. Her toes curled and she pulled her thighs tight together for the sensations down there were too overbearing for her.


    His hands moved down to her chest, over the t-shirt and he could easily feel that there lied nothing underneath. She flushed instantly and said,


    "That dress had... and the caretaker at Vikram''s ce didn''t give me any".


    "What caretaker?"


    "Aunt Jenny. That poor thing has changed me a couple of times when I was covered with vomit. She must have been happy to see me not covered in vomit today".


    "Interesting !!!", he said and a smile spread on his face for the thought of Vikram changing her clothes repulsed him to infinity.


    His hands slowly threaded the terrains of her chest and teased her with his barely-there touch. He made a wreck out of her and said,


    "I can help you undress whenever you want to".


    His hands moved down and he separated her knees and thighs that she was holding all tight together. Hey, eyes fluttered all nervously in an instant. Then be brought his lips close to her ears and said,


    "One day I am going to touch you there and make you all mine. But not today. You need to rest. I can''t drain you anymore", he said and gently kissed her lips and got up.


    She had a very angry and dissatisfied look on her face like someone stole a candy from her.


    "Yeah right !!! Put such thoughts in my head and then ask me to sleep", she said and pouted.


    "Don''t push your luck Akira because I am treading on a thin line here", he said and walked towards the couch.

 Chapter 190: That salt and sugar solution

    <h4>190 That salt and sugar solution</h4>


    Their car zoomed in the darkness amongst the streets of Brooklyn. They both sat tight-lipped as none of them had any courage to start the conversation. He thought of ying some music but then again he wasn''t sure if that would sour her mood in some way for the Katherine that he knew, was edgy, moody and loaded with her own set of tantrums.


    Then suddenly out of blue, he heard her voice.


    "Shawn... I need something to drink. I am not feeling so good".


    Katherine said and the car came to a screeching halt suddenly.


    Shawn got so worried to hear her say that, that he brought the car to an instant standstill. Then he turned towards her and asked,


    "What, why what happened?", he asked all fumbling amidst his own words.


    "Nothing happened! I am just thirsty and my stomach doesn''t feel so well. Is there a 7/11 nearby?"


    "Where do you have pain?"


    "My lower abdomen. Do something. I ampletely nauseated", Katherine begged.


    "Well, my house is just a couple of blocks behind just in case".


    "Just hurry", Katherine said and started taking deep breaths.


    Shawn took a sharp U-turn immediately and sped through the darkness.


    Once they reached his ce, he immediately opened the main door and Katherine rushed towards the powder room. She was all nauseated and belched everything that was inside her stomach, out.


    Shawn heard her vomiting and grew all worried.


    He immediately rushed to the kitchen to prepare a salt and sugar solution for her to restore her electrolytes. He was familiar with her bouts of vomiting like this since college days and it used to happen periodically every single month without a break. She used to be all irritated because of the pain and would miss many sses and he used to prepare notes for her and record the lectures so that she didn''t stay behind.


    She always used to carry a bottle of salt and sugar solution with her which was her mom''s patented instant relief form. After her mom passed away, she cried one whole night for not having that water with her, not because of the pain but because of her absence which was eating her up and he stayed up all night trying to mix salt and sugar in every possible ratio till he perfected it to be just like her mom''s. Ever since that day till they parted their ways after graduation, he always made it for her.


    All those old memories flooded his mind in that sh of a second as he stood there waiting for her outside the washroom.


    She came out of after five minutes and saw him standing outside with a wet towel in his hands.


    "Thanks".


    She said and wiped her face with it and instantly felt a bit better.


    "Come and rest for sometime before we go back".


    "No Shawn it''s ok. You need a good sleep. Tomorrow is going to be hectic again for you. I will take an Uber from here. You rest".


    "Are you mad", said Shawn and snatched the phone from her hands.


    "Sit on the couch for some time. Then I will drop you".


    "But"


    "No ifs and buts Katherine. I know you need rest right now else it would be like..."


    Shawn said and suddenly stopped, trying to retract his words unsessfully.


    Katherine looked at him and she exactly remembered which incident he was talking about.


    .


    .


    It was the time when she had gone on a holiday trip to Colorado with a couple of her college friends including Shawn. They had gone for a trail hiking to Emerald Lake. Shawn had specifically asked her not to go for this hiking and to take rest for he knew that her body won''t be able to take the strain. But Katherine being Katherine didn''t pay any heed and continued along with the group.


    After reaching theke they all rested and opened the food packets to have lunch. Shawn and Katherine also sat in one corner. He was opening the Tupperware carrying the lunch box while Katherine was just lying down trying to give rest to her worked up calf muscles. Then suddenly she felt a tight cramp rising in her lower abdomen and she got up immediately. Her face had turned all pale and before Shawn could even hold her or support her, she vomited.


    Not only their lunch was spoiled, but Shawn''s clothes and shoes were also all gone. But without even bothering to clean himself up, or getting disgusted, the first thing that he did was to hold her and help her out.


    She remembered that incident and suddenly a smile etched on her face and she said,


    "I should have listened to you".


    Shawn smiled and said,


    "You can do that now", he said and pointed towards the couch.


    Katherine took a deep breath and went towards the couch in the living area and sat on it like a properdy, with her legs crossed and all. Shawn came back with the ss of salt and sugar solution and gave it to her.


    She took a sip and a smile etched on her face.


    "You remembered?"


    "The ratio is exactly the same and perfect, just like mom''s", she said while taking another sip of it.


    He sat on the couch exactly opposite to her and said,


    "I remember everything exactly the way it was".


    And then there was a pin drop silence that spread in the room. Wanting to avoid the conversation going in some random direction, she asked,


    "Can I just take a quick nap?"


    "Yeah sure. Come I will show you to the guest room", Shawn said and got up.


    "I like couches better", she said and smiled and sprawled her body on the couch.


    She tried to sleep by closing her eyes, but then opened them again a few secondster just see if he was still looking at her, and yes he was, sitting there on the other side of the couch, he gave his unflinched attention to her.

 Chapter 191: Get over him !!! Get over him !!

    <h4>191 Get over him !!! Get over him !!</h4>


    She stole her gaze immediately and tried looking away but then she heard him say,


    "Are youfortable? Do you need a cushion or something?"


    "No, it''s ok", she said and tried to close her eyes again.


    He got up from his seat and came to her side of the couch. His wrapped the back of her neck softly and slowly in his fingers and lifted her head slowly before sitting on the couch and then ced her head on hisp.


    "Sleep now", he said and switched on his phone to distract himself.


    "What if I fall asleep?"


    "If you keep yapping like that, then I do not think that''s going to happen anytime soon".


    She pouted hearing him speak all sternly.


    "Just rest for a while and then I will drop you home", Shawn said but with a curt tone again just to make sure that she rested.


    She adjusted her head again and then ced her palm on his thigh and went to sleep.


    A few minutester, he recalled his attention from the mobile phone and looked at her as she slept peacefully like a baby in hisp.


    His hands itched to caress her face, but he didn''t dare to attempt. He just kept staring at her and somehow it brought back all the beautiful memories back from the college days and he relived them moment after moment.


    ---


    Around 6 o''clock in the morning, Katherine slowly opened her eyes and saw Shawn leaning on the couch and sleeping. She looked at her watch and then slowly lifted her head, taking care not to wake him up all of a sudden. But the moment she was about to get up from the couch, she saw a big blotch on his trouser caused by all the drool that she had spilled.


    "You gotta be kidding me, Katherine!!!", she cursed herself and tiptoed to the washroom with her purse. Five minutester she came out with a wet wipe in her hand, for she wanted to clean her drool from his pants.


    She knelt down in front of him and slowly began wiping that wet spot.


    Just when she was about to dost swipe, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her. Her one hand was near his crotch holding his trouser and the other on his thigh with a wet wipe.


    "What are you doing?"


    Katherine fell back hearing his voice all of a sudden and said,


    "I was just cleaning your trouser. I messed it up yesterday, I mean today, while I was sleeping".


    Her face had turned all red and she looked pretty embarrassed.


    She didn''t want to admit it in front of him that it was her drool that she was wiping away.


    "How did you mess it up?", he asked.


    "Umm... actually the thing is, I tend to open my mouth when I sleep, since my childhood days and because of that I tend to.."


    "Drool?", he asked.


    "Yeah, sort of !!!", she said and got up immediately like she wanted to run away from the conversation itself.


    But he held her hand and said,


    "Do you think I don''t know?", he asked looking into her eyes.


    "Because of you, do you know how many times un-necessarily I had to clean my jeans in college days?", he said and thenughed.


    "You knew, then why did you act up so much just now?"


    "Because it''s fun !!!", he said and got up.


    She looked at him all surprised but then she said,


    "Well, I am leaving now then. I have to pick up Kate from Regina''s ce and drop her to the summer camp and then go back to my routine Clinic Life".


    She then picked up her phone and started searching for an Uber.


    "But isn''t Regina''s house just next to mine?"


    "Yeah !!"


    "Then we can pick Kate directly from here and I can drop her at Summer camp and then drop you at your ce".


    "Oh no no, I don''t want you to take all this trouble for me. You have already done so much for my sake even though I acted like a grinch thest time I came to your ce", she said and hung her head low.


    "Yes you were", Shawn said looking at her.


    "But I like helping that grinch friend of mine. She is so uptight all the time. Doesn''t cut me any ck though", he said and started going upstairs.


    "I am going to take a bath. You can help yourself in the kitchen. I will be back in a jiffy".


    She looked at him walking away.


    He hadn''t changed. Not even a single bit. He had the same love and care for her that he always had.


    She sighed and then she heard something ringing.


    It was Shawn''s phone.


    She immediately picked it up and went upstairs as it could have been an emergency call. She knocked on the door to Shawn''s bedroom but there was no response so she went in assuming that he was already inside the washroom taking bath.


    But the moment she entered, she halted then and there.


    He was standing there bare chest with nothing but a towel wrapped around him and air-pods plugged on.


    He had always been tall, towering at a height of 6'' 3", but somehow he appeared even taller and more majestic. He was a state level tennis yer and a rugged athlete and his chiseled body and well-toned arms spoke volumes of that. His abs were perfect, unlike other doctors who just slogged the whole day without paying attention to their bodies. He possessed broad shoulders and his muscles looked all taught.


    He was definitely a sight to behold, suave beyond description.


    She gulped her own spit and said,


    "You got a call and I knocked, you know"


    "Come again", he said and removed his air-pods.


    "Well that exins the no answer from your part", Katherine mumbled and then kept his phone on the bed and left the room immediately.


    "Get over him"


    "Get over him"


    "Get over him"


    That was all that she could say to herself while taking every step down.

 Chapter 192: I have always loved you

    <h4>192 I have always loved you</h4>


    She entered his kitchen and opened the fridge and gulped ice cold water immediately for she was feeling all hot and flushed.


    "What is wrong with you Katherine? How can you get such weird thoughts in your head?", she mumbled and cursed herself while pacing in the kitchen.


    She took deep breaths but still couldn''t forget his image. His naked chest was all that she could think of.


    So she decided to cook something up so as to divert her attention. She felt like she was teleported back to the college days when she used to have a big-time crush on him. She used to make time for almost all of his tennis matches and used to totally fan-girl him, not that he was aware of it. He was in a good shape back then and even now, so much so that it was enough to make her jaws drop.


    So she shook her head and picked up bread and eggs from the fridge and decided to make some french toasts for herself and Shawn.


    10-15 minutester, she heard his footsteps and knew that he wasing down to the kitchen.


    She turned back and took a sigh of relief to see him fully clothed, for her mind was already tired of going all haywire.


    "I made some toast. Grab some", she said without looking into his eyes.


    He picked a te and helped himself, but didn''t start to eat till she was done making a portion for herself.


    They sat on the breakfast counter and ate silently, for neither of them wanted to break the shackles of silence that had surrounded them.


    "You got some ketchup in your mouth !!!"


    "What?"


    Before she could even ask or understand, his thumb swiftly brushed the corner of her lips and wiped away the ketchup and then he licked his own thumb and continued eating all nonchntly as if nothing had happened.


    But the world for her stopped like someone had hit a pause button.


    "Eat Katherine !!! Else we will bete", he said and continued eating but she got up instantly and said,


    "I need to go !!!"


    "What happened? What did I do?"


    "I need to go home now, please".


    She said with her throat almost choking up.


    He came close to her and gently touched her arm and asked,


    "What happened? Tell me. Did I do something wrong?"


    She looked up at him and said,


    "I can''t take this anymore. This... this whole thing. It was never your fault. It was all my fault. All mine", she said and stormed to the living room to get her purse, but when she turned back she saw his towering self blocking her path.


    "That day I let you go without you giving me the answers because Kate was there, but today I am not letting you go. I need to Katherine. Why you have to run away from me? That day back in college and today again. All you do is to run away from me. If I didn''t do anything wrong then tell me why you have to avoid me? Its been eight years Kat. Don''t you think, I deserve to get an answer now?".


    "I am not giving any answers to anyone right now. Just let me go".


    But Shawn blocked her hand and took a deep breath and asked.


    "Fine, I am not asking about the things that had happened in the past. But I am asking about the things that you said to me at the City center yesterday night. Were they all fake?"


    "Obviously it was. Even you kissed on my head and said that you loved me. Which I know was not real", she retorted back.


    He released her hand and stood there silently for a while for her words had hurt him deeply. Because she had no idea how madly and deeply he was still in love with her. He stood there looking into her eyes which currently detested her and said,


    "You told me to speak from your heart and I did".


    She looked up with nothing but surprise-filled in her eyes.


    "None of it was fake Katherine. I have always loved you. From Day 1 when I first met you till the date youpletely cut me off after our graduation. Maybe you didn''t have any ce in your heart to give to me, but my whole heart was yours, even now".


    He said and stormed up to his bedroom for he didn''t want to face her anymore or to be answerable to her questions.


    His words still echoed inside her head.


    "He loved me... He loved me...", she bbered and then went upstairs running after him.


    She entered his bedroom and saw him sitting on the bed with his hands supporting his forehead.


    "Then why did you let me go?", she asked but he sat there and didn''t reply a word.


    She came forward and knelt in front of him.


    "Why did you let me go? Why didn''t you tell me you loved me? Do you have any idea how I have survived by myself all these years? Do you even know how much it hurts to feel like a reject all the time?"


    "But why would care about it now Katherine? Why now?"


    "You were in love with Trent. What did you expect me to say? Don''t go out with him? Don''t date him because I like you?"


    "Did you expect me to say that Katherine?"


    "Did you expect me to stop you from marrying him when you looked so happy after he proposed you?"


    "Did you expect me toe to your marriage and say I OBJECT?"


    "Did you expect me to tell you to divorce him ande back to me?"


    "Yes, I did !!!"


    Shawn looked at her in surprise.


    "Because I liked you, Shawn. You were the only person about whom I thought day and night in college. I was head over heels in love with you Shawn, not that it matters anymore now".


    "I just needed one hint from you and I would have left the world for you. I was clueless Shawn for I never thought that you could think of me as anything more than a friend".


    "I tried hard to be your type. I tried hard to get all your attention. I even tried to flirt with Trent to make you jealous but you...."


    "You asked me to go ahead with him and I did. And look what a mess of my life I have made Shawn. Look at what I have be".


    She said and turned back to leave the room. But before she could even take a step out of the room she felt his stong arms wrapped around her waist and in no time and he pulled her towards himself.

 Chapter 193: A kiss to remember - 1

    <h4>193 A kiss to remember - 1</h4>


    She felt his warm breath on her shoulders. His grip was so firm that she couldn''t wriggle out of it, no matter how hard she tried to. So she caved in and stood still in his arms. As time passed, his heavy breaths slowed down and so did his thumping heart, which she could feel and hear pretty loud and clear. Slowly he loosened his grip for he realized how tightly he was holding her.


    He released his left arm which was gripping her hands tightly and saw his finger marks on her pale white skin. He immediately got irritated with himself and turned her around slowly and asked,


    "Does it hurt?"


    "No", she said and hung her head low.


    "Why did you flirt with Trent, Katherine?".


    She looked down and mumbled.


    "To make you jealous".


    "Why on earth would you do that?"


    "Because the entire Valentine''s day week went by and you were not even interested in celebrating it with me and even mocked the whole concept of it".


    He took a step back and sat back on the bed.


    "You thought I didn''t like you because I didn''t celebrate Valentine''s week with you? God, Katherine. How could you act so dumb? Did I need Valentine''s week to prove to you that I liked you? Didn''t I take you as my date to the fresher''s party? Didn''t I spend every single free time of my life with you? You dictated my entire life, Katherine. Was it not clear enough?"


    "Then why did you stay quiet and blushed when Tammy had asked you that question in the truth and dare game that day?"


    "What question?", Shawn asked, all surprised.


    "He asked you if you had kissed someone in the college and you just blushed and stayed silent and switched to dare. And you expected me to be ok with that? You told all your time was mine then why did you go and kiss someone else when all I ever dreamt was to get a kiss from you. Did you even know how it felt? Did you even know how much that hurt?"


    "I couldn''t eat, I couldn''t sleep. Just the thought of you kissing someone else ....."


    "I was desperate to get your attention. So much so that I went and started dating a senior and you know how that road went downhill all the way".


    Her eyes were stinging with tears for all the old and bitter memories had surfaced back. She looked at him with resentment filled in her eyes, but he didn''t say a word and kept staring at the floor.


    Feeling all dejected, she said,


    "I am leaving now Shawn. Please do not try to stop me. You are a constant reminder of my past which I don''t even want to remember, so it would be better if we ..."


    "Don''t you want to know who she was?"


    "What?"


    "Don''t you want to know who was the girl whom I kissed in college?"


    "Why you want to tell it now? I asked you so many times back then, but you didn''t tell".


    "Do you want to know Katherine or not?"


    She stared at his face for a while and then she spoke with resolve,


    "No. It doesn''t matter".


    "It does !!!"


    His voice echoed in the room as he got up.


    "It does because that was a kiss that I would remember till I die because that was my first kiss with you".


    "When did we ...", she stood there all shocked for she couldn''t recollect anything like that happening.


    "I never discussed it, because it happened the night your mom had passed away...."


    He said and went down the memoryne.


    "It was drizzling outside that night and you were extremely tired crying out the whole time. I had you in my arms and I was trying to caress you to put you to sleep and you closed your eyes and slept off in some time. Minutes passed, and then hours but I still had you in my arms for I was afraid to leave you and go, afraid that what would you do if you wake up alone. So I stayed.


    Suddenly you woke up and I guess you saw a bad dream. There was panic in your eyes and you held the cor of my shirt tight and said,


    "Please don''t ever leave me".


    "I don''t know what happened to me Katherine, I just felt so protective of you and I bent down to kiss your forehead and somehow I don''t know why I moved down and kissed your lips. You kissed me back softly and then before I knew you went back to sleep. I know it was not much of a kiss but that was my everything. I still remember that touch and the taste of your lips. That''s the closest I ever found you, only to lose youter".


    She looked in his eyes and saw the pain of separation that he had been carrying for thest eight years. The yearning inside her heart for him suddenly rose in a single moment.


    She looked at him and said,


    "How is that fair then? You got to remember the kiss but what about me?"


    A smile spread on his face and he came forward and locked her fingers with his own and said,


    "Miss. Katherine Walker, don''t you forget it this time".


    Saying that he pulled her inside the washroom and switched on the shower at a lower setting.


    "It was raining outside like this".


    Then he switched off all the lights inside and said,


    "It was dark in the night like this I could clearly see you".


    And then he pulled her close inside the shower cubicle and said,


    "You were so close to me in my arms like this".


    He made her lean on his one arm while the other rested on the wall. Her heart was already racing with anticipation and she slowly raised her arms and held onto the cor of his shirt.


    "And I held onto your shirt like this?", she asked.


    "Yes you did", he said bend down to slowly kiss her forehead.

 Chapter 194: A kiss to remember - 2

    <h4>194 A kiss to remember - 2</h4>


    She closed her eyes as his lips touched her forehead.


    The moment his lips touched her skin, she felt like a wave of heat spread through her body. It made her all warm and giddy and then she heard him say,


    "And then I moved down and kissed your lips like this".


    Saying that he sealed her lips softly with the gentle touch of his lips. She gasped for air and took a deep breath for God knows how bad she wanted this to happen. Throughout her college days, she just hoped against hope that someday he would juste up to her and kiss her. She had so many pictures in her head and so many ways in which she thought that he would kiss her. But this real kiss was way better than any of the ways that she had ever imagined.


    She parted her lips slightly, inviting him in and he didn''t stop behind. He parted her lips further with his own and took a deep dive. Her hands clutched his shoulder hard as he kissed her deeper and deeper. He sucked on her lips, bit them and teased them in every possible way. Slowly he implored his tongue inside and then twined with hers and they danced together like two lovers who had been separated from each other since long. His body craved for her, his desires started surfacing, his needs started to grow, for he had kept them all hidden deep in his heart for thest eight years.


    He pushed her body back on the wall and he pounced on her again. He was savage and brutal and assaulted her lips in every possible way for no matter how much he devoured on her, his appetite just grew more and more. Both their bodies got wet under the shower and their clothes started to cling in such a way that there wasn''t much left to their imagination.


    He took a pause and looked at her all panting and breathing heavy under the shower. He just wanted to see the same desire in her eyes which his heart possessed. Her eyes looked at him begging for more. Her body begged for nothing else other than his touch. He inched closer and switched the shower off.


    Now there was so external sound other than their heavy breaths and the pattering of sporadic water drops that fell from the shower''s spout. She stole her eyes nervously and looked down.


    He held her chin and lifted them up and said,


    "That''s how I want you to remember our first kiss, loud and clear".


    She flushed even harder and the sound of her breathing became even heavier. It made him go wild and came close to her ears and said,


    "I want all of you, right here, right now", he said and kissed her wet neck.


    "I want you to remember my touch", he said and slid his hands under her blouse and clutched her tight before slightly biting down her neck.


    She slipped into a world of ecstasy and moaned. But that made him even rough. He traveled down and kept trailing her body with kisses while pulling her blouse down with his hands. But he couldn''t bear that restriction any longer and tore it off revealing her assets and her bare wet skin.


    His throat choked to see her beautiful body while she shied away. Every drop of water that was present on her body looked like drops of pearl adorning her body. She not only possessed the curves but was also blessed with supple smooth skin. She soon buried her face in his chest for she could no longer face him. Even though they had just been soaked with cold water, their bodies were sweltering with heat. His hands hugged her tight at first like he didn''t want to let her go ever, but then slowly his one hand traveled down and he slowly opened the zip of her skirt.


    Her body stiffened and her hands gripped him tighter. He sensed her hesitation but still moved both his hands down and unbuttoned her skirt but then she grabbed his hands. A clear panic was written in her eyes.


    He inched closer and whispered into her ears,


    "Trust me".


    He held her cheeks and kissed her again and knelt down. He looked up to look into her eyes again and pulled her skirt down slowly.


    There she stood in front of him in nothing but herces with her perfect body and ample assets. He looked at her top to bottom and said,


    "You are just beautiful Katherine".


    His hands traced up to her thighs and he kissed them softly, grazing his lips every now and then, sending her into shivers. He slowly moved up and kissed her inner thigh and that just made her head swivel. She leaned down onto him, cing her hand on his shoulders and said,


    "Why didn''t you love me like this before".


    "Why did you make me wait all these years".


    Without saying a word further he lifted her in his arms and took her to his bed andid her down. He removed his shirt in such a rush that the buttons were strewn everywhere on the ground. He then hovered on top of her and helped her unsp the constraints on her assets. She lied there all bare in front of him, all vulnerable. He grazed his fingers all over her and she arched her back in response. He wrapped his arms around her to support her and kissed her bare chest relentlessly and made her moan until she couldn''t take it anymore. Looking deep into her eyes, he asked,


    "Ready for me?"


    She bit her lips and stayed silent while her hands clutched the sheets tightly. He saw her chest rise and fall erratically. He saw her lifting her eyes and looking at him with her lips parting on their own.


    He pulled the sheet over him for he had already gotten his answer.


    But then suddenly the sound of an rm clock started buzzing in from distance and he just halted. She looked at him all startled and said,


    "I was supposed to pick Kate now !!!"


    Then she hurriedly wrapped the sheet all around her and jumped out of the bed.


    "Kat seriously !!! You are leaving me like this right now?"


    "Who said I am leaving alone, you got to pick Kate along with me. Remember !!!"


    She said and rushed to the washroom.


    Shawn sat up on the bed and shook his head, unable to believe that life had an entirely new meaning for him in just one night.


    He too rushed to get himself out of those wet clothes and when he was done, he saw Katherine rummaging through his wardrobe wearing nothing but just a t-shirt of his. She could sense his prying eyes on her and reprimanded him,


    "Now don''t get any thoughts in your head".


    "You made me wait for eight years Kat !!! and now I can''t even have thoughts in my head?"


    "Just wait for eight hours more till my shift is done", she said wearing arge white shirt of his over the t-shirt.


    He walked towards her and folded his arms and then leaned on to the wardrobe and asked,


    "What then? What will happen after eight hours Kat?"


    She smiled hearing his impatient question and then came close to his ears and whispered,


    "I will be ready for you to brandish me as your own".

 Chapter 195: No No... I havent brushed

    <h4>195 No No... I haven''t brushed</h4>


    [The next morning at Raymond''s ce]


    "Morning sunshine !!!"


    She opened her groggy little eyes and saw him standing next to the bed.


    Life couldn''t have been better for her, for the first thing that she saw that day was her handsome man. A smile etched on her face and she started rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm.


    He bent down and nted a kiss on her forehead and she beamed like a sunflower.


    His lips hovered lower to kiss her but she immediately covered her mouth with her hands and said.


    "No No... I haven''t brushed".


    His lips immediately curved in a smile and he said,


    "Let me help you then".


    Saying that he slowly removed her hands which blocked her mouth and gently kissed on her lips. But just a gentle kiss wasn''t enough to satisfy his appetite. Soon his hands wrapped around her back and his palm glided to support the back of her neck for he needed his kiss to be even deeper like the endless abyss of the ocean. His hands pulled her closer every passing second, not wishing to spare her with even an inch of space.


    Her hands slowly moved up in rhythm and tugged on to his shirt. They reached the point of equilibrium but then the phone in his pocket starting buzzing.


    "Oh c'' mon", he said as he detached from her and she giggled.


    It was a call from David and so he picked it up, deeming it urgent.


    .


    .


    "Good morning Mr. Raymond !!! Hope I didn''t disturb you?", asked David.


    "Let''s not push our luck with that question", Raymond answered back all grumpy.


    "Umm... sorry for that, but there was something important and it was paramount that you knew about it", David said.


    "Tell me, David. What''s wrong?", Raymond asked.


    "I am not sure if there is any connection, but your dad is flying back to New York from Seoul, this afternoon. Not sure if that is a good deal, given that we have the annual event of Global Council of Gaming lined up in a week''s time for our productunch", David said.


    Raymond pinched the space between his brows and said,


    "And how I wish my life could have been a tad bit simpler !!!", and sighed.


    "I don''t know what to say, but do you need me to pull any information out?", David asked.


    Raymond thought for a while and then said,


    "Check if he is participating in the annual event of GCG. Checking his schedule will not give us anything as he will always be in stealth mode. But still, try to get his schedule for the next week if possible".


    "Sure sure, I am already working on that", David replied.


    "And one more thing, if possible try to figure out who are themittee members of the GCG council. If we keep a close watch on them, then I guess we can figure out if anything wrong is going to happen", Raymond suggested.


    "Well I am going to try but it might be difficult since getting the names of the council members itself is a big challenge".


    "I understand thatpletely David. You try whatever is possible in your bandwidth. We will try to fight based on the merit of our game and the rest... Let''s not think about that".


    "Right", David said.


    "Also tighten security in office and ask the IT department to be more vignt. None of the designs should go out. Because that''s our core and our only way to show the ingenuity and novelty that our game possesses".


    "Sure, Mr. Raymond. I will take care of that. See you in the office", David said and disconnected the call.


    .


    .


    "What happened you don''t look so good?", Akira asked Raymond as she saw him keep his phone back in his pocket with a sullen look spread on his face.


    "It''s nothing, just some disturbances here and there", he said and smiled immediately, looking at her.


    She took a deep breath and sat up on the bed.


    "Is it some problem at work?", she asked.


    "You can say that".


    "Can I help ?", she asked looking at him curiously.


    He smiled and came close to her and holding her chin with his hand he said,


    "Just stand with me, next to me, close to me and keep my heart happy".


    "Something like this?", she said and ced her arms around his neck like a gand.


    "Nopes something like this", he said and pulled her t-shirt down in the front and kissed on her chest under the locket.


    She pushed him back and said,


    "Are you always this horny Mr. Raymond?"


    "With you around? Yes !!! With you trying to act all cute? Definitely yes !!!", he replied and winked.


    She giggled and then went to the washroom but was surprised to see the thingsden inside for her, starting from new underwear to clothes to a new tooth-brush even.


    She immediately rushed back from the washroom within a second and asked,


    "How did you arrange for all this overnight? No shops will be open this early".


    "I didn''t arrange for them yesterday".


    "Then when did you arrange?"


    "After the first time, you came to my house on that rainy day. I wished for you toe sooner but things were a bit out of my hands".


    "So you expected me toe and spend a night with you?", Akira asked toying with him.


    "Now if you put it that way, then I can''t help you out", Raymond said, folding his arms.


    "So let''s say that you were kind of hopeful that it will happen", Akira taunted.


    Raymond didn''t say a word and just rolled his eyes.


    "And how do you know my size?"


    "Really Akira? You are asking me this? I can probably count the number of moles in your back. My hands exactly remember all your curves, so much so that I can even tell..."


    Before he couldplete his sentence, she covered his mouth with her hands.


    "Ok Ok I get it. You don''t need to go into that detail".

 Chapter 196: The fancy lunch plan

    <h4>196 The fancy lunch n</h4>


    "But I haven''t even started describing anything yet !!!", Raymond said and smiled.


    He then slowly moved forward and pulled her towards himself, holding her t-shirt and said,


    "You better change quickly because every passing minute I am hating this t-shirt clinging on to you and my hands are just itching to rip them apart".


    She held his hand firmly and then said,


    "Someone needs to learn a bit of self-restraint and perseverance", and she giggled.


    "Don''t test my patience now. Go and take bath", Raymond said and pushed her towards the washroom.


    "But wait... wait..."


    "What now?", he asked rolling his eyes.


    "I wanted to ask you something",


    "Shoot... ".


    "Umm... Can I join back in yourpany?", Akira asked.


    "Well, to be honest, NO", Raymond replied and folded his arms.


    "Oh !!!"


    "But what if I resign from Vikram''spany and formally apply again? You can again take my interview and stuff", Akira asked.


    Raymondughed at her naiveness and said,


    "Miss. Akira, you own thepany now. You cane in and go as you want. Hire anyone as you please and even fire me if you want to", he said ying with her hair.


    "What? You kidding me right?", Akira asked unable to believe a single word that Raymond said.


    "Well I don''t kid in the first ce and second of all, these are your basic rights, given that you own 51% shares of mypany", Raymond said and tucked the stray hair behind her ears.


    "But I don''t want any of this. I just want to join back as an intern. I just want the things to be back as they were. Just like old times Raymond. Nothing more or nothing less".


    Raymond smiled and said,


    "Don''t worry I will make that happen. I have already messaged David to re-instate you back in thepany. But you need to resign from Abacus".


    "Mmm... I will do that. Will call Vikram and check on it".


    Suddenly Raymond felt uneasy when he heard Vikram''s name from Akira''s mouth.


    "Ok then I will be downstairs if you need me for anything", he said and left after nting a kiss on her cheeks.


    Then Akira picked up her phone and called up Vikram,


    "Hi, there !!!"


    "Hey, how is your health now? I texted you so many times but you didn''t reply. So I was just about to start for your house now", Vikram said.


    "I ampletely fine now Vikram. Now stop worrying for me".


    "Should I? Give the phone to Mike, let me check with him".


    "Ermmm... I am not with Mike, Vikram", Akira said after a bit of deliberation for she wasn''t sure how he would take it.


    "You are with Raymond now?", he asked, with a bit of shock and resentment dripping from his voice.


    "Um... he insisted as he was notfortable leaving me at my ce".


    "Hmm... I see".


    And then there was a silence that etched between them. They were always chatty on phone, pulling each other legs, saying sweet nothings and what not but for the first time today there was dead silence that panned in between them for his blood boiled every passing minute just thinking about them, staying together for the whole night, under a single roof. His fists were clenched and his gut turned inside his body for he was repulsed just with the thought of it.


    "Vikram, you there???"


    "Hmm..."


    "Are we good?"


    "Yes, we are".


    "Will you just stop being angry with me, Vikram?"


    "I was never angry with you Akira. I never can be !!! You are probably not written in my fate and I will ept that. I am just happy being a small part of your life. And that is more than enough for me".


    "Please don''t say that. You know how much you mean to me Vikram and you know that you are not a small part in my life".


    "Yes, I got that. I got that big time when you removed the ring and kept it silently on the bed".


    "I got that when you preferred staying at his ce rather than mine".


    Akira stayed silent for a while because she was stumped with his words. They were hurting her like anything. She knew he was hurt but even her hands were tied.


    "Why didn''t you tell me before? I could have stopped you from hurting so much. All this that happened yesterday would not have happened in the first ce".


    "How was it possible for me to be able to tell you what my heart wanted when you had already given yours to someone else?"


    "Vikram Please !!!"


    "It''s ok Akira. I am mature enough to understand the wants of the heart and trust me I will never be a hindrance for you or Raymond. What my mom did to you, was something that I had no clue about. Trust me on that. Else I wouldn''t have let things turn this way. I wanted to express myself because I thought things were over between you two. If I would have known, I wouldn''t have dared Akira".


    "I know Vikram. I know. You don''t need to exin".


    "My heart just wants you to be happy. That''s all. But I will always be there to protect you from whatever ites, remember that".


    "I know that Vikram. I know that no matter what I can always count on you".


    He stayed silent for a while and then said,


    "I am assuming that you want to go back and work with Raymond again, right?"


    She hesitated but then said,


    "Well yeah. Hope you don''t mind".


    "It''s ok Akira. Just speak out your mind. Come to the office today. I will help you with the resignation process and.."


    "Yes, Vikram?"


    "Can we have lunch together?"


    "Of course we can. Why would you ask like that Vikram? Did one night make us that distant from each other?"


    "I didn''t intend to mean it that way", Vikram said.


    "Then take me somewhere fancy, will you?"


    "Somewhere fancy? But you never like fancy ces?", Vikram asked all surprised.


    "But I know that you like them. Let''s do something that you like for a change", Akira said and smiled.


    "Then I will be waiting for you !!!", he said and disconnected the call.


    A satisfied smile etched on Vikram''s face and he immediately called The Stone House to make a reservation for two.


    Akira finished taking bath and got ready and went downstairs, for the love of her life had turned into a cooking maestro for her.

 Chapter 197: She opened the drawer

    <h4>197 She opened the drawer</h4>


    She went downstairs and went straight to the kitchen where Raymond was making Scrambled eggs for her.


    "You need a hand?", she asked.


    "No, I am good. Just grab a te ande", he smiled and said looking at her.


    She picked up a te and came immediately and stood close to him and asked again,


    "You really-really don''t need any help?"


    "Ok if you are so interested in doing mundane chores then go and get myptop from the bedroom. It would be inside the left side-drawer", he said while working on the eggs.


    "Ai Ai Captain", she said and marched up towards the bedroom. She had just opened the side drawer and was about to pick up theptop when she saw Raymond storming inside the bedroom.


    "Wait wait, I will get it myself", he said and pushed the drawer back.


    "What are you hiding there Raymond?", Akira asked getting all curious.


    "It''s nothing. Some personal papers. Can you just go to the kitchen and eat your food", Raymond spoke with his face looking pale and panic-stricken all of a sudden.


    "I am not liking this Raymond, Can you please tell me what is there that I cannot see?", Akira asked sounding all irritated.


    Raymond looked at her helplessly for a moment and then moved aside.


    Akira dashed forward and open the drawer and look theptop out and saw what was underneath.


    "My boarding pass !!!", she eximed.


    "You were trying to hide this? And how did you even get this?"


    "See, this was precisely the reason why I didn''t want you to see it in the first ce. I didn''t steal it. You had dropped it at the airport exit and I just happened to be there and I picked it up. I even tried to stop you to give it back to you, but you didn''t even turn back once".


    Her mouth was left open.


    She couldn''t believe that he would treasure such an insignificant thing just because it was rted to her. She came forward and stood on her toes and hoisted herself up and said,


    "You make me love you so much more".


    And then she kissed him and said,


    "I am going to make you fall in love with me all over again with my dedicated work in the office from tomorrow", she said and touched his nose with hers.


    "So you are going to talk with Vikram about it?", Raymond asked.


    "I already did and he knew that I wanted it, without me even asking about it. So he has called me to the office today. He said he will initiate the resignation process."


    "I see", he said, not sounding that happy.


    "Why do you sound so grumpy when I am resigning anding back to you?"


    "I am happy for that, just that the thought of you going...."


    "I am just going there to resign, have lunch with him ande back. That''s it.


    "Lunch !!!" You are going out on lunch with him", Raymond eximed and he seemed clearly displeased.


    "It''s not a big deal Raymond. He is not as bad as you think. He promised me that he would do anything to keep me happy. So let''s just give him a chance, shall we? For my sake at least?", Akira begged.


    "Ok Ok, but this is so not fair. You wear the dress I buy for you and go on a lunch date with some else??? Not justified Akira !!!".


    "Well then how about, I will let you off this dresster?", she asked acting all coy.


    "You !!! You are bing way too brave day by day. From where are you conjuring all... "


    And suddenly their conversation was interrupted again by a phone call.


    .


    .


    It was a call from Vikram on Raymond''s cell phone.


    "Pick it up !!! and be nice", Akira said and went downstairs.


    "Hello, Raymond".


    "Hello Mr. Shah", Raymond replied curtly.


    Vikram took a deep breath for Raymond''s curt voice itself was an insult to him.


    "The annual event of the Global Council of Gaming is only a week away, so I wanted to push the personal matters aside and wanted to check on the progress. A victory in this would mean a big deal for both ourpanies, so I expect that we can cast away our differences and work hard towards it".


    "I suppose so !!!", Raymond said.


    "That''s great then."


    He said and paused and then continued again


    "Well I never got a chance to apologize, but I am really sorry for the things that my mom did. But she did it all just for my sake. She had no other evil intention behind it."


    Raymond heard him and stayed silent for a while.


    Who knew better than him that to what extent mothers could go for the wellbeing of their child.


    After a brief pause, he said,


    "That''s how mothers are. You really can''t me them".


    "Still I am really sorry for all this. If I had any clue of what was happening behind my back, I would have stopped it immediately".


    "That''s ok".


    "I will not deny Raymond. I love Akira. Probably more than anything else in my life. But I also value her happiness above everything else in the world. So if being with you keeps her happy, then be it. I will have no qualms about it".


    "Well, what can I say Vikram. I know that I am also at fault for judging you when you were not even at fault. But the circumstances made me think that way and I respect the friendship that you share with her. I honestly do, but I honestly love her Vikram. She has been through enough and I just want to give her some peaceful and happy memories."


    "I know that. Maybe if she didn''t have that fateful flight with you that day, she would have been mine. Maybe our fates were not written in this birth. But trust me she will be mine in the next".


    "We will see what we can do about that", Raymond said and chuckled.


    "All the best for the GCG. Let''s strive to make our project win", Vikram said and disconnected the call.

 Chapter 198: The NOTEBOOK screening

    <h4>198 The NOTEBOOK screening</h4>


    Akira reached Vikram''s office and went straight to meet him first. She knocked politely on the door and waited outside the door for a word from him. But there was no response so she directly went in.


    The moment she opened the door and set her foot inside, she saw Vikram sitting all dazed on the sofa, with lots of paper strewn across the room. Akira was shocked to see him like this, for he was one hell of an organized person and always selfposed.


    She looked at his troubled face and asked immediately,


    "Are you ok Vikram? What''s all this?"


    He heard her voice and turned towards her and tried to ster a smile on his face and said,


    "Oh, nothing !!! Sorry, just some pending work he said and started gathering the papers.


    "I will help", Akira said and came forward.


    "No need", he said and raised his hand and immediately picked up the papers. She was about to ask him about the papers, but she stopped immediately, seeing his gesture. But before she could draw any conclusion in her mind about the whole scene, suddenly Robert Whittaker, the Finance head of Abacus, barged inside and spewed immediately with a panic-stricken voice,


    "They didn''t agree, Mr. Shah. They will cut off the funding by tomorrow evening".


    A grim expression spread on Vikram''s face.


    "We will talk about itter. Now is not a good time", Vikram said and shook his head in displeasure.


    Robert then looked at Akira and immediately left the room.


    "Gosh, I wish Peter was here. It''s a mess without him you know", Vikram said and pinched the space between his brows as he spoke.


    "I can clearly see that", Akira said.


    "But where is he?", Akira asked.


    "I fired him today".


    "You what?"


    "How can I work with him when he broke my trust and did everything right under my nose Akira".


    "I know that but from where you will find a recement?"


    Vikram heard her and then let out a deep breath for he himself had no idea how to answer her question.


    "It''s ok Vikram. What he did was because he is loyal to your family and probably he thought it was in your best interest. So no need to harbor any hard feelings for him. Please don''t dwell in the past and ruin the present. What happened, is something we can''t change but we can just look ahead right? Reinstate him as soon as possible. I can''t see you like this".


    Akira said and then sat on the chair next to his desk.


    "Let me see what I can do about it", he said and sat on his chair.


    Akira started swirling the paper-weight on his desk but her eyes were on those papers which Vikram had collected.


    "I have already initiated the resignation workflow on your behalf. Let me inform HR. She will do all the formalities. You just need to put on your signatures once wee back after lunch."


    "That''s it? That''s all I have to do?"


    "Yep, pretty much !!!".


    "But when I resigned from Delphie, I had to run to each and every department to get my no dues done you know", Akira said flipping the paper-weight.


    "Well, that won''t be needed here. One phone call is enough", Vikram said and slightly smiled.


    "So what do I do now? It''s just 10:30 in the morning".


    Vikramughed at her silly question and said,


    "Well, you can always sit and talk with me. Don''t you always have something to talk about?".


    "Really? On a busy weekday? Since when you have so much free time Mr. Vikram?"


    "Well actually I have some ns for you because I don''t know when next I will have this much time to spend with you", Vikram said and sighed.


    "You are talking like as if your days are numbered", Akira said andughed.


    "Bad joke Akira, really bad joke", Vikram sighed and picked up his car keys and his jacket.


    "Come", he said and they both went out of his office towards the elevator.


    But Akira''s head was still stuck with the papers which strewn across the room because he didn''t let her to even pick them. They had just reached the elevator and Akira eximed,


    "Oh no!!! I left my phone on your desk. I will grab it in a jiffy. Just hold the lift for me", she said and hurried towards his cabin.


    She reached his cabin and flipped through the papers with rapt attention and found out that they were papers rted to some Gas pipeline deal between Vikram''spany and Walker Enterprises. Without wasting any time, she clicked a couple of pictures of a few of the papers as fast as she could because reading them all wasn''t possible. She couldn''t get much out but just gave a cursory nce and ran back towards the lift so as to avoid any suspicion.


    "What took you so long?", Vikram asked holding the lift for her.


    "Oh nothing, I dropped my phone. So I was just checking if it was ok".


    "Is it ok?"


    "Of course it is, else I would have been wailing by now", she said and giggled.


    Vikramughed at her cuteness and said,


    "You are going to love my surprise this time".


    "Again a surprise??"


    "Don''t worry, it''s not like thest time", he said and smiled and they left together.


    They reached a small theatre which he hadpletely booked for the next couple of hours. As they entered inside, Akira scanned the entire ce which lookedpletely unupied.


    "Don''t tell me you booked the entire ce for me?"


    Vikram shrugged.


    "Ugghhh..... Vikram we talked about this. Novish spendings, nothing over the top. We are already going to a fancy restaurant today", Akira was thoroughly displeased.


    "But they are going to y the NOTEBOOK", he said and looked at her and he knew that this was something that she could never resist and true to his thinking, she caved in.


    "I will endure this just for the sake of NOTEBOOK", she said and started straddling through the seats to find the perfect spot to sit.

 Chapter 199: The demon has resurfaced - 1

    <h4>199 The demon has resurfaced - 1</h4>


    After their lunch was over, Akira and Vikram returned back to the office.


    As they were about to enter the lift, they saw Petering down in the same lift, with all his stuff packed inside a box. He hung his head low and greeted them both discreetly.


    After getting out from the lift he somehow summoned some courage and said,


    "I am really sorry Akira for everything that I did. I know that no amount of apology would be enough to make up for the issues that you had to face because of me, but still, I will try. Trust me, whatever I did, I did thinking that you will stay happier with Mr. Shah. I didn''t want to inflict any physical harm. All I wanted was for you to unite with Mr. Shah at any cost. Anyways not that it matters anymore now. And Mr. Shah, I am really sorry for using your resources behind your back. I don''t know what to say. It''s just that working with you was a great opportunity and I will be always grateful to you for that".


    Saying that he moved out with all his stuff.


    Akira looked at Vikram and she could clearly see a cloud of sadness spreading on his face for he was losing out on one of his best employees.


    So she went ahead and pulled Vikram''s arm and said,


    "You told me that you would reconsider taking him back. How is this re-consideration?"


    "Somehow my conscience doesn''t agree with it Akira. Not after all that has happened. My trust has been broken and I don''t know if that will ever be repaired again".


    "No Vikram. Think logically. He really had no fault. He did what he was instructed to do by your mom. He didn''t do it because of his own whims. Plus you really need a helping hand in the office. I know the guilt is eating you up and because of that only you have fired him, but I am myself telling you to hire him back. I trust you. I know you will never harm me and won''t let anyone harm me either. Plus he has already learned his lesson. How much more do you want to trouble him?".


    "Just think about all the times when he did his best for you. Was it not good enough?".


    Vikram pondered for a while and then after much deliberation he said,


    "Peter !!! Wait !!!"


    Peter heard him and immediately returned back,


    "Yes, Mr.Shah".


    "Well can you do one thing for me?", Vikram asked.


    "Anything sir".


    "Then pull yourself back in thepany right now. I think my judgments were way too harsh for you", Vikram said and smiled looking at him.


    At first, Peter couldn''t believe what he heard and his mouth opened in surprise, but he immediately gathered himself and said,


    "I am so so grateful to you for your kind reconsideration sir. I will not disappoint you", Peter said and followed them back upstairs.


    Next Akira signed all the documents which were pending for her resignation and then Vikram went down to drop her.


    Raymond was in his car waiting for her toe. But when he saw Vikram alsoing out with her, he came out of the car.


    After theirst cordial talk, Raymond knew that Vikram meant no harm. He wanted to forgive himpletely but the possessiveness within him didn''t let him do so.


    He went ahead and exchanged a handshake with him.


    Vikram looked at Akira and sighed.


    "I sent her to yourpany the first time and I am doing it for the second time too. I just hope I don''t regret it again", he said and smiled looking at Raymond.


    "You won''t. Because as promised I will train her well", Raymond said looking at Akira.


    "She is very fragile Raymond, but she will always try to show that she is made of iron, so just be aware of that".


    "Yes, I know that very well indeed".


    "You guys !!! A night before you were mortal enemies and now you are bitching about me and that too in front of me", Akira said all irritated.


    "Well jokes apart, my team will be visiting your office tomorrow for just a regr status update. Let''s make sure that everything is all set for us", Vikram said looking at Raymond.


    "Sure we will try our best to have a winning shot in the GCG event".


    Saying that Raymond opened the car door for Akira and then they drove off.


    Vikram looked in the direction where the car went for a few seconds and then opened his phone which was buzzing with a newly received message.


    "She saw the papers and even took pictures of it !!!" - Peter


    .


    .


    A devilish grin spread on his face after seeing the message.


    "That''s Swell" - Vikram instantly replied.

 Chapter 200: The demon has resurfaced - 2

    <h4>200 The demon has resurfaced - 2</h4>


    [Inside the car]


    "I have something to ask", said Akira.


    "Yeah tell me", Raymond said looking at her.


    "There was a file rted to some gas pipeline deal at Vikram''s office. The deal was with your dad''spany. I took a few pictures too. Can you check and see what the deal is all about?"


    "Why would you take pictures of official documents like that Akira?", Raymond asked all surprised.


    "Actually he looked extremely reading those papers. I think there is something wrong", Akira said and took out her phone from her bag.


    "Fine" Raymond said and slowly parked his car on the side.


    As he checked the pictures, he too started getting tension lines on his face just like Vikram.


    "What is it? Why do you look so tensed? What''s wrong?"


    "Vikram is going to lose a shit load of money. My dad will not support his Gas Pipeline deal. He is in deep waters. The good thing is that his project was insured, so he will get 90% of the money but the rest 10% is gone. But more than that, its big blow to the credibility of hispany''s name. I think more than the money part, we would be worried about his brand name going bad."


    "But he didn''t tell me a thing. I think that''s why he flinched when I was about to pick up the papers".


    "I am really feeling bad now Akira, for thinking so low of him. I literally had no idea that he would take such a strong stand for us. I think just to save us and ourpnay, he is sacrificing so much. I shouldn''t have insulted him so much earlier", Raymond said and sighed. The guilt was creeping inside him.


    "Hey hey !!! Don''t feel all bad about it. You didn''t know ok. Things were designed to make him look like he was the one at fault. So why are you cursing yourself? Instead of all this just join hands with him and make this venture sessful. Maybe that way we can repay him back", Akira said while ruffling his hair with her fingers.


    "Trust me Akira I am going to try everything possible to win in GCG. Maybe that way I can say a proper sorry to him", Raymond said and then started the car.


    ---


    Vikram went back to his cabin and as he entered inside, he found Peter already sitting on the sofa. He got up as he entered and then ced a file in front of him.


    "This is the list of all the GCG council members that you had asked me to prepare".


    "Great !!!"


    "Any peculiar observation?"


    "Well, I have highlighted the name of two persons. I found them frequently visiting a night bar in Queens together".


    "Interesting !!! What about the rest?".


    "Umm... the rest of the lot looks quite clean", Peter said and pointed out the highlighted names on the file.


    Vikram nced at the names and then looked up at Peter and said,


    "Brilliant acting by the way. But how were you able to arrange for the exit box so fast?"


    "Oh that !!! Those weren''t my stuff. I just went to the storeroom and picked an empty carton and sealed it up just to make my exit look more real".


    "Well, indeed it looked real. She begged me to re-instate you", said Vikram and chuckled


    "But what was the need of going to such lengths sir?"


    "There is a need. A big need."


    "I need to win their trust back because only then my n will work"


    "Oh, and one more thing. Do not forget to purchase that Hermes'' bag for my mother. She had to hear so much from everyone because of me."


    "Sure sir, I will do that, but I have a question in my mind".


    "Yes, tell me".


    " I don''t understand why do we need to have a background check on the board members? What is the need of it?"


    "Because Raymond''spany is going to participate in GCG. Losing a face there would be a huge loss for his startup. He won''t be able to market his game then", Vikram said and swiveled slightly sitting in his chair.


    "But didn''t we send a message to Walker Enterprises earlier that we do want to be any part of their activities to tear down Raymond''spany. You specifically told me that you were not interested in taking thepany away from him", Peter asked as he was puzzled with Vikram''s strategy.


    "Who said I want to take thepany away from him?", Vikram said and smiled.


    Peter couldn''t understand and a clear mark of confusion was evident from his face.


    Vikram stopped swiveling and looked at Peter and said.


    "I don''t want to take thepany away from him, I want to take HIM away from thepany."


    A viscious smile spread on his face and he leaned back on his chair and started reading the docments given by Peter.

 Chapter 201: That eight hours wait - Chapter 1: !!!

    <h4>201 That eight hours wait - 1 !!!</h4>


    After dropping Katherine back at her ce, Shawn went to the hospital, but his mind was totally at some ce else. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he was smiling the whole time even when the patients came in. His head was filled with a vivid image of Katherine''s smile, her giggles, and her nervous face when he had touched her.


    His hands itched to call her up, but he didn''t want to appear too clingy and also for the fact that he knew that she would be busy in the Clinique.


    This eight-hour wait appeared to him like a wait for eight centuries.


    He dragged himself all along and somehow managed to reach the lunch time.


    The moment he got his break, he picked up his phone and called her up,


    "Hii".


    "What are you doing?"


    "Just came back after cleaning myself up".


    "What about lunch?"


    "I have lost all my appetite for today", she said making a sad face.


    "What happened?"


    "I had a patient with terrible eczema case. Untreated for 3 months and I had to scale a portion of it to prevent further infection".


    "That''s too bad but see the silver lining. At least your patients don''t pee on your hands while you are examining them".


    "What else do you expect from babies, Shawn?", Katherine asked and startedughing.


    "Forget it !!!", Shawn said.


    And then there was a stretch of silence in between them for a few seconds.


    "So umm....", Katherine slurred.


    "Ok I will cut the chase Katherine, I can''t focus on my work, I can''t think of anything else other than you. I just don''t understand what is wrong with me. I can''t even wait for eight minutes more".


    She giggled as she heard him speak that way.


    "Stopughing. It''s you who has made me this miserable here".


    "I know how you feel Shawn. I myself can''t feel my face since morning. I promise I will make up for everything tonight".


    "Will see about that", he said and then disconnected the call.


    ---


    Katherine left from her clinic a bit early to clean up the house a bit and to buy some groceries for dinner. She wanted to keep the dinner simple yet ssy, so she made steak with mashed potatoes and some french beans to go with.


    When Shawn called her up and told that he was starting from the hospital, she immediately rushed to the washroom to get freshened up and changed herself to a nice body-hugging ck wrap dress with a plunging neckline and a belt-wrap. She worked on her hair a bit and then went downstairs as she heard the doorbell.


    He stood there with a bunch of flowers in his hands and an oversized ice-cream box. He smelled all musky and divine and looked all dashing in that loosely fitted shirt and blue trousers. His eyes met hers and he slowly leaned towards her. But before he could lean on her and kiss her, Katherine said,


    "Say hello to Shawn, Kate !!!"


    "Hi there Kate !!! I didn''t see you !!!", Shawn said all apologetically for he was so lost in Katherine that he could not see the tiny human next to her.


    "I was like standing right in front of you !!!", Kate said and pouted her lips.


    "I have got Ice cream for you", Shawn said and extended the box towards her as a desperate attempt to make peace.


    "Oh really !!! You didn''t forget your promise. Mama, see he remembered his promise", Kate squeaked and took the box into her hands.


    "Can I open it and see?", she asked all innocently.


    "Sure baby, but let''s have it after dinner ok? Mama is starving !!!", Katherine said and ced the box inside the fridge.


    She took the flowers from Shawn, touching his hand yfully and ced them at the center of the dining table and startedying down the tes.


    After the dinner was done, Kate came up to Katherine and kissed her before going to sleep. But before she left she turned towards Shawn and asked,


    "Are you staying at our ce tonight?"


    "Errmm... I won''t if you don''t want me to", Shawn replied.


    "I don''t have any problem if you stay. But if you are staying then please don''t eat my ice cream even if you are hungry at night ok? Promise?" Kate asked.


    Shawn chuckled after hearing her sweet request.


    "I promise I won''t. I have something else in my mind to eat", he said and looked at Katherine who blushed all Scarlett.


    After kate left, Katherine looked at Shawn and said,


    "You go and watch TV in the hall room, I will do the dishes ande".


    "I will do the dishes with you", Shawn said and came towards the kitchen sink.


    Katherine went to the sink and handed him a pair of rubber gloves. But he kept them to the side and said, I don''t need them. I am here just to see.


    "And I thought you will help", Katherine said and put on her gloves to start cleaning.


    Shawn leaned on the kitchen b next to her and kept gawking at her.


    "Stop it, Shawn....", Katherine said and blushed.


    "You asked me to stop it now. Don''t me meter", he said and moved away and stood behind her, slowly moving close to her.


    What are you doing?", asked Katherine when she felt the slight touch of his chest on her back.


    "You told I can''t gawk you, but you didn''t say anything about touching you", he said and slowly ced his palm on her waist and then rested his head on her shoulder.


    "How will I work if you are like this"?


    "I am not doing anything? Do you feel something?", he said and rubbed the back of his palm slowly on her back.


    She shivered instantly with his touch and drooped the cup that she was cleaning.


    But before it could hit the ground he picked it up and said,


    "You can''t bear when I touch you here, how will you bear when I touch you down there, Miss Katherine?"

 Chapter 202: That eight hours wait - Chapter 2: !!!

    <h4>202 That eight hours wait - 2 !!!</h4>


    Katherine pushed him back and said,


    "Now will you first let me do my chores. else I am really going to throw you out of the house".


    "You really want me to be out of your house Katherine?"


    Katherine''s angered expressions suddenly changed when she heard him pop that question.


    She looked at him and sighed.


    "You stay right where you are standing. Don''t even dare to take one step ahead. That''s like the hard periphery for you now. Ok?"


    She said and continued to clean the remaining utensils.


    Shawn admired her from behind and thanked his stars for making tonight happen after eight long years. He couldn''t believe his luck for he had got what he had wanted so bad in his life for so long.


    Then suddenly he sprang a question at her,


    "Did you wear this dress deliberately to seduce me?"


    She flushed in an instant for being caught by him but she retorted back,


    "God no. I had formally called you for dinner to my ce, so I, being the host should prep up right? How could I call you wearing pajamas?"


    "Just like the way you used to call back in college days".


    He said and came forward again but slowly this time.


    "This dress is too tight".


    "Not really", she said,


    "The neck is too low".


    "If it bothers you so much I will go ahead and change it", Katherine replied getting irritated and didn''t even turn back


    "Why would you change? I kinda like it", he said and smiled.


    "I like wrapped up presents".


    Katherine turned back and with a shocked expresssion on her face she asked,


    "You were never like this in college?"


    "You were also never like this in college. You should have atleast tried to seduce me once. Then by now, we would be having a battalion of babies rolling all around", he said and chuckled.


    But Katherine''s face turned all serious after hearing hisst sentence.


    "What happened Kat? Did I say something wrong?", Shawn asked, seeing her face turn all gloomy.


    "Nothing", she said and turned back to continue cleaning.


    "I am asking what happened Kat?",


    Shawn came close and asked her.


    "I can never be a mother !!!".


    "What? Why would you say something like that?"


    "It''s true Shawn. That''s the reason why Trent left me. I have severe polycystic ovaries. I might even get them removed this year".


    "Then Kate?"


    "I adopted her after getting separated from Trent. She was just 4 days old when I happened to know about her. She too was abandoned just like me, so we became each other''s support".


    "But she looks so much like you, your eyes, your hair !!!", Shawn eximed all surprised at the sudden revtion.


    Katherine smiled and then said,


    "It has always seemed like God''s n to me. There was one college girl who got pregnant when she was just 16. She had her whole life pending in front of her and she wasn''t ready to take care of the child, so I did".


    Katherine said and cleaned up the final te in the sink.


    Shawn stood there all silent, listening to the words that she just said.


    "So let me make it very clear to you Shawn. I don''t know what you expect from me, from us. But I can''t handle getting stranded in the middle of the road again. It had happened once and I know it might happen again, but this time I might not be strong enough to take it. So if you want to back off, you might just do it right now. I willpletely understand and if....".


    "What are you talking about Kat? How can you even think that I will leave you just like Trent did? You are all that I have wanted from my life?", Shawn said, but his tone sounded all hurt.


    "I know that Shawn, but I am just being practical. We are adults here", Katherine said and removed her gloves.


    "I don''t know, how can I exin what I want from you Katherine. I want a life with you. My days should start and end with you. That''s all I want", Shawn said and moved ahead to hold her hand, but then


    "Shawn uncle.... !!!"


    They were interrupted by Kate''s voice.


    "Can you please help to open the ice cream tub for me. I can''t open it", saying that the cute little girl forwarded the ice cream box in her hand.


    Shawn looked at her face and smiled and said,


    "You can call me Shawn, we are friends now. Aren''t we?", saying that he opened the box for her.


    Her eye gleamed with excitement to see the box and she immediately dug her spoon into it.


    "Um.... so nice. Mom, can we keep Shawn uncle in our house? He can get us ice cream every day".


    Katherine was surprised to hear her speak that way.


    "Will you quickly go back to bed, Kate !!! It''ste".


    "But I am not that sleepy mama", Kate said looking at Katherine and then she turned towards Shawn and asked,


    "Will youe and read a story with me?"


    "Kate no !!! We have talked about this before right? Not everyone likes to read out stories".


    "But Akira loved to do it !!!"


    "I would love to, my sweetheart. Let''s go", Shawn said and held her tiny little hand and went with her to her bedroom.


    Half an hourter when Katherine finished all the pending work she went upstairs to Kate''s room and saw her sleepingfortably in Shawn''s arms. Shawn too was fast asleep on her bed with a storybook still lying in his hands.


    She came inside and picked that story book form his hands and covered both of them with a sheet and walked out. But before leaving the room she turned back again to see them sofortable and fond of each other. A smile etched on her face. She then turned off the lights and came out of the room.


    And suddenly a fear crept in her heart.


    "What if he leaves me just like Trent???"

 Chapter 203: Getting the green signal from the brother !!!

    <h4>203 Getting the green signal from the brother !!!</h4>


    When they entered Brooklyn, Raymond asked her,


    "Would you like to have dinner with me?"


    Akira thought for a while and then said,


    "No, I want you to have dinner with me" and smiled.


    "What do you mean? You are just repeating what I said?"


    "I mean would you like to have dinner with me and Mike? I think it''s time that he should know about you. I have never hidden anything from him for this long. Yesterday also when I texted him that I can''te back, he assumed that I am with Vikram. So before his assumption goes any further, I would like him to meet you formally".


    "Well, I don''t mind !!!", Raymond said and smiled looking at her.


    "So you need anything to be picked?"


    "No no, I had stocked my fridge this Saturday so I guess there is no need unless you want to eat something extremely fancy", Akira said and smiled taking a jibe at him.


    Raymond continued driving and said,


    "I kinda liked the old version of you. The one who just trembled with my touch. This Akira has gotten way too much bolder."


    "Have I ?", Akira asked rolling her eyes.


    "I never trembled with your touch for your kind information".


    "Oh really? You seriously want to argue about that?"


    "Can you focus on driving, please. People shouldn''t talk while driving. It gets them distracted. That is like driving rule number one", she spoke showing her index finger to Raymond and he just couldn''t suppress hisugh.


    Akira then picked up her phone and called up Mike just to give him a heads-up.


    "Hey, Mike !!! I aming back home now".


    "Oh, now you remember that you have a home and a brother as well !!!"


    "Oh please I told you right, I had some issues".


    "Whatever juste back fast. I am bored to death. This Teddy is also not in town and our cable sucks".


    Akiraughed hearing his endless rant and then said,


    "Well, I have a guest with me too".


    "Guest? Who? Vikram?", Mike asked enthusiastically.


    "Not Vikram, it''s Raymond. My boss !!! You have met before !!!".


    "But didn''t you guys like separated? Isn''t he having a baby with his fiance? I mean you cried your eyes out that day. Now, what changed overnight?"


    "I will exin everything when Ie back home. Ok?".


    "Ok !!!"


    And then Akira disconnected the call and it was almost her home.


    As they went inside Mike greeted Raymond but he was a bit curt with him as he thought of him as his sister''s heart breaker. He always wanted her sister to be with Vikram, so when he got to know that she liked Raymond, he was a bit disappointed but still, he respected her decision. But considering the fact that he had a baby with his fiance, he literally loathed him.


    Seeing her brother acting all brash while greeting Raymond, Akira pulled her brother inside and quickly told him about everything that had happened. Mike couldn''t believe that so much had happened in a short span of two days and somehow he became even more sympathetic towards Vikram.


    Then Akira cleaned herself up and moved to the kitchen and Raymond followed. Mike sat at a distance on the sofa to observe the two without them having a hint about it as he pretended to be engrossed in watching some random game on TV.


    He chopped, she cooked, they were a perfect couple together,ughing and teasing each other from time to time. Having her so close, but not being able to kiss her, made Raymond a bit restless but he didn''t let it show.


    Then Raymond quickly nced over towards the hall and saw Mike busy watching the match and he quickly stole a kiss from Akira who was baffled with his audacity.


    She blushed and moved towards the pantry cabin immediately to take out some canned beans and to hide her blushing face. But he pulled her towards him and started kissing on her neck. She totally lost herself in his cage and whimpered softly. He covered her mouth with his hands to stop her moaning sounds from reaching Mike''s ears, but then she dropped the can that she was holding on the floor.


    "Dang it !!!"


    "What happened Akira?", Mike asked from the hall room.


    "Nothing nothing. I just dropped a can", she said and pushed Raymond away who was smiling all smug.


    He came closer to her and whispered into her ears,


    "Someone told me that she was not affected at all".


    She melted when his warm breath touched her neck and her entire body entered into a trance. She opened the can and was about to put the content into the hot pot, but she was so distracted with his kiss that her hands touched the hot pot by mistake.


    "Ouch !!!"


    "Shit Akira !!!", Raymond screamed and immediately rushed and covered her fingers with his own. The next second he dashed towards the fridge and got the ice pack out. Then he took out his car keys and gave it to Mike who had also rushed in after hearing her scream and said,


    "There is a first aid box in my boot. Can you please get it?"


    Mike immediately ran out and got the first aid box.


    Raymond took out the ice pack and then wiped her fingers very gently with a dry cloth and then carefully applied the Silver Nitrate ointment. It was the same tube that Akira had given it to him on the flight. She looked at the tube all surprised and a smile etched on her face.


    He too looked at her and said,


    "Good that an angel had given this to me !!!"


    Then he asked her to sit silently on the couch and he finished whatever cooking was remaining along with Mike. Finally, after twenty minutes the cooking was done and the table was set for dinner.


    "So when will your summer break be over Mike?"


    "In another 1 month".


    "I see", Raymond said and then grazed Akira''s leg with his own under the dining table and made Akira choke on the water that she was drinking.


    She rolled her eyes at him and then kicked him back slightly.


    They all had a good time at dinner, just like a small happy family until it was time for Raymond to leave.


    As Mike was standing at the doorstep, Raymond hesitated a bit but then gave a small peck on Akira''s cheek and wished both of them a Good Night and left.


    As Akira went inside, Mike sprawled himself on the sofa and then looking at Akira he said,


    "You better treasure this man. He is a keeper !!!"


    Akira was taken aback by the words of her brother. He was the one who was being all judgemental and curt with Raymond and suddenly he had be a fan.


    "A sudden change of heart !!! What a surprise. I thought you always batted for team Vikram".


    "I still do, but you will stay happy with this one".


    "But what made you say so?"


    "In Vikram''s eyes I have always seen concern and care for you. But in his eyes, I saw pain, like he was feeling every bit of it when you got hurt. His brows twitched every single time you flinched", Mike said and switched back to watching TV.


    Akira went to the kitchen and leaned on the wall and took a deep breath.


    She could never tell him, how much his words meant to her.

 Chapter 204: A new day in office - 1

    <h4>204 A new day in office - 1</h4>


    The next morning Akira got up all excited, just like she was for her first day of joining at Delphie. Even though she was just going back, she was way more excited about it than her first day and that probably had something to do with Raymond.


    She got dressed and was just about to have her breakfast when she heard the doorbell ring.


    Mike went ahead of her and opened the door before she could evene out of the kitchen.


    "Hi"


    "Hi, you are here again?"


    "Ermm... I am here to pick your sister to the office".


    Before Mike could say anything more, Akira had reached the main door and she beamed up seeing him outside.


    "Hey, why are you here? I could have driven myself to the office", Akira said trying to hide her happiness.


    "I thought my gesture would be impressive", he said and chuckled.


    "You don''t need to impress me with all these gimmicks Raymond, and you know that very well", Akira said and rolled her eyes.


    "I am not here to impress you", he whispered into her ears.


    "I am here to impress Mike !!!", he said smiling slightly, pointing his fingers towards the couch, where Mike had gone back to sit.


    "What on earth have you two talked about in the kitchen yesterday?", Akira asked all annoyed.


    "Well, that''s a secret between us. Why do you need to know?", Raymond said and then came inside.


    "By the way, you came empty-handed? I was expecting you to get me Breakfast In Bed, all packed up?" Mike said and gave a disappointed look to Raymond.


    "You are seriously not going to cut him any ck. Aren''t you?", Akira asked with a bit of irritation in her tone.


    Mike just shrugged his shoulder.


    "Jeez Mike, he risked his life to save me, have you forgotten? Don''t give him a tuff time. Be nice".


    "I am just being practical. He needs to meet some criteria right. How can I just let him be your guy? He needs to meet some prerequisites. It''s as simple as that".


    "Well, I thought these copies of Architectural digest might interest you. But looks like you are more interested in food, so I will be taking them back".


    "Hey wait wait wait", Mike came and took the magazines from Raymond''s hand and then said,


    "I can work with these for today".


    Then he went back to the couch all excited to read them as it was dream to make it big as an architect.


    "You are spoiling him by raising his expectations.", Akira said while wearing her shoes.


    "Well then what''s the use of having resources if I can''t spoil him a bit?", he said and winked at her.


    He went closer to give her a kiss but then in the background, he heard Mike clearing his throat and immediately retracted his steps.


    ---


    As they reached the parking lot, Raymond immediately removed his seat belt and leaned on to her side. She was startled with his sudden movement but her eyes closed automatically when his lips touched hers. He was so impatient that his hands were literally tugging her t-shirt down. But as he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching, he immediately leaned back.


    "What''s up with you?", Akira asked, wiping her lips.


    He looked at her with hunger in his eyes and said,


    "Let''s continue this in my room" and came out of the car.


    Akira still sat inside holding onto her breath for she never expected him to kiss her all of a sudden like this. She gulped on her own spit and struggled to unbuckle her seat belt. He swiftly opened the car door at her side and looked at her and leaned in extremely close and unbuckled her seat belt.


    She gasped for air !!!


    In a split second, he distanced himself from her and said,


    "Someone said they will give their 100% at work. I somehow don''t see that happening !!!", saying that he grinned as Akira came out of the car all pouting.


    David had already informed everyone that Akira was joining back so her badge and system was all ready before she came onboard. As they reached the first floor, a grumpy Akira stormed out without even wishing Raymond. But before she could go any further she saw Rogering from the opposite side.


    "Hi, You joined back?"


    "Yes, sorry for all the formalities that the finance team had to undergo because of me".


    "Oh, that''spletely fine. Oh, then I have process back the 2500 USD to your ount that we had collected. I totally forgot about it".


    "What 2500 USD?", Akira asked in surprise.


    Roger looked at her and saw David standing behind her back shaking his head in displeasure.


    "Oh sorry again my mistake. You were not a regr employee. My bad. Nice to see you", he said and walked ahead.


    Akira also walked towards her cubicle but then she felt a bit uneasy and returned back to confirm with Roger again regarding the money that he was talking about. But then she found David and Roger talking in a corner.


    "Hope that''s clear to you now".


    "Yes, sir. I will not repeat the mistake".


    "Good"


    "Then where shall I transfer the money?"


    "Please send it to Mr. Raymond''s personal ount".


    "Ok, sir. I will do that in a jiffy", Roger said and left.


    David walked towards the cubicle area but he was startled to see Akira mid-way.


    "Is it true?"


    "What Akira?", David asked all nervous.


    "What I heard just now, David?"


    David looked down with his head hung low, for he didn''t know what to answer. Then after a moment he lifted his head and said,


    "He did it for you. If you want to be mad then you can be mad at me. But you have no idea what he went through at that time. So please don''t give him a hard time about it", David said and left.


    Akira stood there all perplexed, unable to decide whether to be happy or sad about it.


    "Oh, Raymond !!! Why would you love me so much?", she mumbled.

 Chapter 205: A new day in office - 2

    <h4>205 A new day in office - 2</h4>


    She took a deep breath and walked towards her cubicle.


    "Omg Akira !!! What are you doing here?", Kirk asked all enthusiastically the moment he saw her.


    "Well I havee back here. Joining work starting from today. So Simon if you have any pending work then please give it to me", Akira said and waving at Simon.


    "What happened to the ad agency opportunity at Abacus?"


    "She couldn''t adapt to their culture so she moved back in here. Right Akira?"


    Everyone turned and saw Raymond with a sly smile on his face.


    "No actually it was like... umm.... um.... ", and she was slurring at a loss of words.


    "That was an ADpany and the work wasn''t as challenging as she expected. So she is back here. So Simon you make sure she gets all the challenging work that she wants", Raymond said and then walked back towards his cubicle with a smile on his face.


    "You !!!", Akira mumbled out of anger and settled at her seat.


    Then she picked out her phone and texted him,


    "You seriously are messing with me right now Mr. Raymond?" - [Akira]


    "Am I?" - [Raymond]


    "That''s such ame reason to give. Everyone was almost bursting out ofughter" - [Akira]


    "Really??? At least it was better than your slurring" -[Raymond]


    "I am not going to talk with you" - [Akira]


    "Will see about that" - [Raymond]


    "Right now youe to my cubicle" - [Raymond]


    "I am noting. You can keep kissing the walls" - [Akira]


    "I am calling you for work. Have you forgotten, I am still the boss here. Why your head is only filled with thoughts about kissing me?" - [Raymond]


    "Oh, ok ok. Coming" - [Akira]


    She took out her notebook and pen and went towards Raymond''s office.


    As she went inside, she saw Raymond in a serious work mode with his adept hands moving on the keyboard like a Samurai would. Sparing a nce from the monitor, Raymond looked at her and said,


    "Sit".


    "Do you remember the Augmented Reality work that I had showed you before for the project?"


    "Yes I do".


    "I need you to work on a nice banner for it but not in the office hours. Is that ok?"


    "Umm... yeah"


    "I will give some more details to you by today evening or tomorrow. You need to follow the same character set as being used in the game. You already have ess to the main server and you can take the existing characters from the shared repository and then give it a distinctive twist. Ok?"


    "That''s all right, but why are you asking me? There are many other capable people who can do a much better job at it?"


    "Because I trust you with this Akira", Raymond said, looking at her.


    His eyes were fixated on her and his sincerity was captivating her heart all along.


    She nodded and then asked,


    "Anything else that you would like me to do?"


    "Well yeah, there is something I needed to show you as well", saying that Raymond turned his monitor a bit towards her side.


    She came forward and stood close to him and leaned to look at the screen. He looked at her standing in such a close proximity. Her smell, her breath on his skin made him go crazy. His hand instantly went towards her waist. He held the band of her skirt and tugged her towards himself.


    She wasn''t expecting him to do anything like this so she just fell t into hisp. His hand immediately embraced her, holding her back firmly and pulled her closer. Holding her face with his other hand, he nted a wet kiss on her lips and then trailed his tongue slowly on her neck line making her whimper like anything.


    Then he slowly released her and said,


    "Well that''s all from my side. If you have any questions then please let me know?"


    She opened her eyes and slowly her lips parted. Taking a deep breath she tried to stand straight but damn those jelly legs, she had to take the support of the table.


    A victorious smile spread on Raymond''s face to see her like this with just his kiss.


    Her face slowly changed from flushed to furious.


    "You told me it was all about work. Then why did you steal a kiss?"


    "Who told you that it wasn''t about work?"


    "How on earth is this work?"


    "Maybe not for you, but for me it is".


    "Really? And how on earth is thar?"


    "Well I need some motivation and kick to keep working right? I mean something to keep me going? You are like the fuel for my engine. Can''t work without you".


    Raymond said and shrugged his shoulders.


    Akira kept looking at him all displeased and said,


    "I will get back to you on this" and she stormed out.


    A smile spread on his face and taking a deep breath, he started working back on his system.

 Chapter 206: Kate and the white board

    <h4>206 Kate and the white board</h4>


    Shawn woke up all groggy in the morning with the sound of his phone rm. He opened his eyes and saw the cute bundle of joy sleeping next to him and a smile crept on his face at that very instant.


    He kissed lightly on her forehead and then slowly slid his hand which was under her head, all careful not to wake her up. His hand waspletely numb, but he didn''t mind.


    The only thing that he was worried about was upsetting Katherine by sleeping off in Kate''s room. He seriously had no idea that he would doze off. He tiptoed his way out to check up on Katherine.


    But he had hardly taken a couple of steps towards Katherine''s room when he heard her voice from downstairs,


    "Well now that you are up, would you care for some breakfast?"


    He took a deep breath and looked down.


    She was almost done with making the breakfast and was just making some cold pressed orange juice. Shawn climbed the stairs one by one slowly, dreading her temper. He didn''t want her to misunderstand him. He was extremely worried that she might think that he deliberately distanced himself off after getting to know about her health condition. But he was shocked to see her all cheery and unfazed. But nevertheless he still decided to clear things up.


    He came close to her and said,


    "I am sorry, I don''t know how I just dozed off. I guess I was too tired with my shift. Trust me, it had nothing to do with the conversation that we had yesterday night. I swear on anything possible on earth Katherine. You gotta trust me on this".


    "I do", she said extending a ss of juice towards him.


    Then she turned her back towards the stove and said,


    "I have stacked some toiletries that you might need in my washroom. So you can go ahead and freshen up. Meanwhile, I will set the breakfast table", Katherine said without even turning back to have a nce at him.


    Seeing her cold demeanor, Shawn left the counter and went upstairs without even touching the juice.


    When she heard his footsteps receding from the kitchen, she turned back and saw him going upstairs and took a deep breath. She assumed that he would take some time to freshen up ande back but within a few seconds, she saw himing downstairs with his bag in his hand.


    "Where are you going? Aren''t you going to have breakfast with us?", Katherine asked looking at him.


    "No, I have work", he replied curtly wearing his shoes.


    From his voice Katherine could sense that something was wrong and she switched off the stove and came close to him and asked,


    "Just a few seconds back you were all fine !!! What happened now?"


    "Probably I should ask you the same question Katherine. Just a night back everything was fine. What happened now?"


    "You are not answering me Shawn".


    "I think you need to figure out the answers for yourself first, Katherine".


    "Do you think its easy for me to ept everything thates my way. Do you even know how I feel when I let my guards down and show my vulnerable side? No you don''t know because you have no weakness. You won''t even know how naked and how helpless you feel when you don''t even know how you will be taken by people. You don''t know Shawn. You just don''t", Katherine said and threw her apron out.


    Shawn took a deep breath and came close to her and said,


    "You want to know my weakness. You want to know my vulnerabilities. Thene and see".


    Saying that he opened the buttons of his shirt and then pulled it out. He then took her hand and ced her palm on top of his chest and said,


    "This is me being vulnerable here. This here is my weakness Katherine. My heart can''t survive without you. It just can''t. From the first day that I have met you till now, you are the only person because of which it beats. Do you even know how I felt for all these years, not being able to have you in my arms?", Shawn asked looking deep into her eyes.


    Katherine slowly started tearing up and he could feel her hand tremble slowly.


    "I don''t know about anything else in the world, except for loving you with all my heart. You are all that I have to survive this life. I survived thest eight years just with our happy memories Katherine. So how can you think that such a thing will affect me? I really don''t care if we have a kid together or not. I really don''t care Kat !!! All I need is you and nothing else. And we have Kate in our life and trust me I will try my level best to be a good father for her".


    She immediately looked up into his eyes and asked,


    "What are you trying to say Shawn?"


    "You still don''t understand?", Shawn asked and then took a deep breath and said,


    "Miss Katherine Walker !!! Will you marry me, Please !!!".


    She felt her heart lit up by a thousand candles in a second. But taking a moment, she said


    "Shawn !!! You are doing this in haste, I want you to think about.."


    "I have waited for you for eight years and eighteen hours counting now. But I can''t even think of waiting eight minutes more !!!"


    He said and pulled her close and kissed her lips. Her fists clenched initially, thinking if they were doing the right thing, but as his touch started melting her slowly, she raised her hands slowly and embraced him back.


    Then holding her face in his hands Shawn said,


    "I am not doing it out of impulse Katherine. This is what I have wanted, for like ALWAYS. Just say yes".


    She looked into his eyes, trying to read them, trying to figure out if she was doing the right thing and then suddenly her eyes moved up and saw Kate near the stairs. She was holding her white board in which she had written,


    "Please say yes Mommy !!! "

 Chapter 207: The game of flirting - 1

    <h4>207 The game of flirting - 1</h4>


    Akira went back to her desk all flushed and sat on her chair. She switched on her system but her whole body was retaliating against her. She wanted to focus on her work, but her mind was swirling somewhere else. She was totally submerged in that kiss and that was all that she could think of.


    He was getting craftier with his ways and she knew that she had to n a way to get back at him. She knew that he was her weakness and there was no way to avoid his yful wrath, but she also wanted to make him vulnerable for a change.


    She had some water to calm her frigid nerves and settled herself at the workce and then she switched on to her blog channel on her system and wrote.


    "My heart desires for an ocean, but you give me just a drop,


    I want to hold your hand in my palm, all you give is just a touch,


    Stop teasing me, for my heart can''t take it anymore,


    Soe and save me from atop, for all this is too much".


    Then she left her desk to go to the terrace and while taking the lift she texted him,


    "Catch me if you can Maverick !!!" - [Akira]


    "What are you talking about?" - [Raymond]


    "Figure it out !!! Aren''t you the smart one here?" - [Akira]


    She texted and then upon reaching the top floor, she looked around for a while and then went and stood at a particr point.


    She waited there for a couple of minutes and with every passing minute, she was getting even more restless.


    "C'' mon Raymond, It was such a simple hint. How can you not figure this out", she mumbled with her eyes fixed on the terrace entrance.


    With every passing span of time, her hold on the skirt was getting tighter and tighter with anticipation and then finally, she saw him opening the door and walking up to her.


    "What took you so long?"


    "The lifts weren''t working", he said still panting.


    And it was then that she realized that he hade climbing the stairs all the way up, just for her.


    He came close to her and slowly tried to tame the unruly hair of hers which were strewn all over her face because of the wind. Then gently holding her face he took a deep breath and asked,


    "Why would you write such a disturbing message? What happened? You could have just called me right?", he asked and she could clearly see how deeply worried he was.


    She lightly bit her lips and then looking at him she said,


    "I want to ask you something".


    "Anything !!!", he said, with his tone getting even more concerned.


    "Do you remember this spot? Do you remember when west met here?"


    "I do. But I don''t want to remember it, for it was one of the most painful days in my life Akira", Raymond said and took a step closer. Then he ced his other hand on her cheek and gently cupping her face he asked,


    "Why are you asking all this right now?"


    "You kissed me on my heart that day. Didn''t you?"


    "I did Akira, but where are you going with all this?"


    Then she took his hand and ced it on her heart and said,


    "Then tell me now, with your hand on my heart, did you or did you not pay 2500 USD to the finance department on my behalf?"


    Raymond''s hand suddenly flinched and he removed his hand from her grip and asked looking at her,


    "Who told you?"


    "It''s not a matter of who told me. Did you or did you not?"


    Raymond took a deep breath and then said,


    "Yes, I did, but don''t mis-understand ..."


    "Just stop Raymond !!!", Akira said raising her hand.


    Raymond waspletely perplexed, for now, he didn''t know how to make her understand the whole scenario. He didn''t want her to think that he did it out of pity or anything.


    "That amount will be refunded into your ount since I have joined back as per thepany policy. I think you must be aware of it".


    "Umm... Ok !!!", he said, totally clueless of where the conversation was going.


    "Then probably that kiss of yours should be returned as well right?"


    "What?", Raymond asked all surprised because he waspletely clueless, unable to understand what she was trying to say.


    A sly smile spread on her face and she took a step ahead and got closer to him and started opening the buttons of his shirt.


    "What are you doing Akira?", Raymond asked.


    "You are getting your money back from finance team so I think it''s only fair that I return the kiss too",


    Saying that she opened the third button of the shirt as well and slowly hoisted herself up on her toes. Then looking into his eyes she pulled his shirt to one side and ced a soft kiss on his bare chest.


    And before he could even get a hold of what was happening around, she whispered in his ears,


    "Now let''s see how YOU work after this".

 Chapter 208: The game of flirting - 2

    <h4>208 The game of flirting - 2</h4>


    He stood there rooted on the terrace, still reeling and still feeling all vulnerable. She had definitely tricked him into this, but he didn''t mind. I mean how could he, when it was her lips that touched his skin, like her whole intention was to brandish him with the mark of her love. She was ying with him and he liked that. He stood there all alone, smiling with his teeth wide open, his shirt still unbuttoned for he had no idea that she could y so well with him.


    He let the wind soothe his mind for she had caused his hunger and thirst to rise. He took a couple of deep breaths and then buttoned his shirt back. He rested his palm on his chest again and smiled, remembering her subtle touch and then went downstairs.


    He reached his seat and the first thing that he did was to open themunicator and then he pinged her.


    "Hello" - [Raymond]


    "Hi there !!!" - [Akira]


    "Where are you right now?" - [Raymond]


    "At my seat. Where else I will be? Are you ok?" - [Akira]


    "Come to my house in the evening and tell MIke that you are going to stay at my ce till GCG is over. Tell him that we need to work on a lot of things and so you need to stay at my ce as we need to pull all-nighters". - [Raymond]


    Akira saw the message and her breath got hitched.


    "What does he mean by an all-nighter? Why is he asking me to lie to Mike? What is going on in his mind?", Akira wondered and then texted back.


    "Do we?'' - [Akira]


    "Yes, we do. Why, you don''t want to?" - [Raymond]


    "Oh Boy !!! What does he want now?", Akira thought in her head and blushed all scarlet. Just the thought of being in the same room as him was enough to make her head go all berserk.


    "Fine, wille down to your ce. But I need to go home first". - [Akira]


    "Ok, no issues. Get all the stuff that you need". - [Raymond]


    Akira''s mind was now racing.


    "What will happen? How it will happen?" All these dirty thoughts started hounding her head.


    Simon came and gave her a list of character designs to bepleted by EOD but her head waspletely off-track. She started rummaging through her wardrobe in her head for she wanted to wear something subtle yet kinky at the same time for him.


    And then she heard Simon say,


    "Akira chop chop !!! We really need those by EOD. GCG event is this weekend and I just hope that you are aware that winning here, is paramount for us.


    "I am on it Simon", Akira said and then wiped away all the distracting thoughts which had upied her head and started working on her system with her full attention.


    ---


    After finishing texting her, Raymond opened hisptop and started working on augmentation part of the game which he had hidden from all his team mates, because somehow he wanted to make his game out of the box. And that was possible only when a few people knew about it.


    He was busy coding thest leg when his phone rang.


    "Hello Michael".


    "Hi Ray".


    "So you havended?"


    "Yes I have. I have a meeting with another client of mine in around 30 minutes and then I am all yours".


    Raymondughed listening to his joke and then said,


    "Fine then I will be waiting !!!. You know how much this event means to me. So I really appreciate all your help out here".


    "Oh c''mon don''t worry. That''s what friends do. They have each others back"


    "Well not everyone does !!! Anyways, see you in the evening", Raymond said and then disconnected the call".


    ---


    After finishing her work, Akira rushed home immediately. Throughout the time that she was sitting in the taxi, she could only think of his lips and his hands running all over her body and she couldn''t help but giggle.


    She rushed to the washroom first thing after reaching home and took a hot bath. She shaved her legs carefully, making sure that she covered every nook and corner.


    She blow dried her hair and then applied her perfume before starting to rummage through her clothes physically. After thinking for a while, she picked up a greyce see through slip on dress to wear and then added a beige trench coat to cover herself up.


    As she tired the belt of the coat into a bow in front of the mirror, a smile spread on her face and she mumbled,


    "I hope you will like this gift Mr. Raymond".


    She then packed up a small duffel bag with a few stuff and essentials and then picked up herptop bag and left her room.


    "Are you guys going to work or you guys are going on a vacation?", Mike asked looking at the bags of her sister.


    "Jeez Mike, can''t even I pack my essentials? What if we have to pull 2-3 all nighters in a row?", Akira said wearing her shoes.


    "Whatever", Mike said and rolled his eyes.


    Akira picked up the car keys and drove off.


    As she reached Raymond''s ce, she saw his car already parked outside and a huge grin spread on her face automatically.


    She kept all her bags on the doorstep, and then loosened her trench coat a bit before ringing the bell. She wanted to keep the recipe on point for seducing her Mr. Perfect.


    "Click ...."


    A couple of secondster, she heard the door knob click, and the door was flung open. There stood her man standing in front of her and she was all ready to seduce him.


    She took a step in and said,


    "I got you a present".


    Raymond looked into her sultry seducing eyes and said,


    "I don''t see a gift wrap".


    "You need to open the bow first", she said and pointed towards the knot on her trench coat.


    Raymond smiled and pulled her close, tugging onto the knot and then pulled it open.


    As the ps of the coat opened apart, he saw his gift all wrapped in a grey see through dress.


    He gulped his spit and then his hand went up and he touched his forehead all worried.


    "What happened?", Akira asked all worried but before Raymond could speak up, she heard someone speak from behind.


    "You told me she is a cute one, but she is a smoking hot seductress dude !!!".

 Chapter 209: You are all that I wan

    <h4>209 You are all that I wan</h4>


    Hearing the voice of someone who was not Raymond at Raymond''s house, Akira got startled and thus, immediately wrapped her trench coat back in a jiffy.


    Raymond tried hard not tough, but it was evident from his face that he was dying tough out loud and that made her even more embarrassed.


    "God Akira !!! How could you embarrass yourself like this !!!", she thought in her head and cursed herself in every possible way known to her.


    Then looking in the direction of the man who had just spoken, she said,


    "Sorry, my bad !!!".


    Raymond had already turned red because of suppressing hisugh so hard for so long. So finally looking at Akira he said,


    "Jesus Christ !!! Meet my childhood friend Michael".


    "This is my ... This is Akira !!!", he paused and spoke after much contemtion because he knew that even one wrong word that woulde out of his mouth, would be used by Michael to tease him till eternity.


    Akira rolled her eyes and looked at Raymond and then shook hands with Michael.


    "This one has told me so much about you", Michael said, while shaking her hands.


    "Has he?", Akira questioned looking towards Raymond.


    "Only the good stuff. All good stuff. Trust me", Michael said and took another sip from his beer can and went back to the sitting area for the love birds to catch on with each other.


    "I see", said Akira and then turned towards Raymond.


    "You could have told me that you had guestsing over. I would have stayed back at home and this whole thing would not have had happened in the first ce".


    She had a hint of disappointment in her tone and Raymond could clearly sense it.


    "Why would I do that? Our whole n was to work together for GCG right? So that''s what we are going to do".


    "So, when you texted about work, you meant real work?", Akira asked with her tone all surprised.


    "Yeah, obviously !!! Did you think otherwise?", Raymond asked with a sly smile on his face.


    "No I didn''t", Akira retorted.


    "Let me help you with your bags then", Raymond said and brushed past her deliberately with his fingers cruising against her body and then picked up her bags.


    "Hey Michael, I am going to help her with keeping her stuff upstairs. I will be back in a jiffy", Raymond said looking at Michael.


    "Take all the time that you need buddy. No rush", Michael said and chuckled.


    Raymond smiled hearing hisment but this whole friendly banter was burning Akira up. But there was no respite from it. She had already done the damage and the consequences were to be faced by no one but her.


    She silently followed Raymond upstairs and saw that he was moving towards his bedroom with her bags, so she paused and said,


    "Can you please keep my stuff in the guest or study room. I don''t want your friends to think otherwise".


    Raymond paused and turned back and looked at the frown on her face and chuckled. Then again after a brief pause, he asked,


    "Then which wise do you want him to think?"


    "So the whole point of calling me over to your ce was just to mess with me right?", Akira asked with a hint of resentment reflecting in her tone.


    Raymond looked into her eyes and then took a deep breath and continued walking towards his room without paying heed to what she had to say.


    Akira also stormed behind him and once they had entered his bed room, Raymond threw all the bags in one corner and tuned back. The sky grin that had adorned his face earlier, had disappeared. All that was left was pure desire, burning in his eyes.


    Akira''s march came to a sudden halt for he stood all towering in front of her.


    He took a step forward while she took one back before she was at the door entrance.


    Leaning on to her, he closed the door shut with one click and then looking into her eyes he said,


    "Yes, I was ying with you but I never thought that you would be so serious about it. I never thought that you would want me to ..."


    He took a pause for his eyes were busy looking at the trench coat which had gotten a bit loose and was no more wrapping her perfectly.


    "You are such a pervert", Akira said and raised her fist to punch him but then he held the same hand of hers and pinned her on the door. She lifted her other hand to resist, but with a single swift manouvre, he locked both her hands and held them tight with his left hand. She was rendered all helpless by him in a second.


    She could feel his haggard breath all over herself and his eyes looked all demanding.


    Taking a deep breath, he slowly pulled the bow open of her trench coat with his right hand and pulled the belt out, causing the ps to open wide. Her see through dress clung on her like her second skin and caused his lips to part slowly.


    Her own lips parted seeing him looking at her like that.


    "What are you doing?", she asked. But this time her tone was all submissive.


    "Something that you would like me to do", he said and ran his index finger along the neckline of the dress.


    That touch reverberated through her entire body, sending her shivers. Her eyes closed automatically and she clenched her hands in despair.


    Then exhaling sharply on her neck, he said,


    "Something that I am dying within to do".


    Her eyes opened wide hearing him say those words. He looked into her eyes trying to figure out what she was thinking and slowly released his grip which had pinned both her hands.


    Even though her hands were free she didn''t dare to resist, for her desires were far too strong for her to control now.

 Chapter 210: Fire igniting fire

    <h4>210 Fire igniting fire</h4>


    She stood there all helpless,pletely at his mercy as now she had no control over her senses. He had overpowered everything, her thoughts, her heart, her breath, and even her desires.


    His eyes slowly shifted from her face to her neckline and then to her chest which was rising and falling all asymmetrically with just his close proximity. She saw him devouring her with just his eyes and her breath just hitched.


    "Let me help you breathe". he said and both his hands went up to her shoulder and he pushed her trench coat down. As coat left the territory of her body andnded on the floor, she became more and more aware of her own vulnerability.


    He gasped for air as he saw her body unravel. She was indeed a tempting gift. He leaned onto her and then ced his left hand on the door for support while his right hand lightly traced the skin of her jawline and then her neck, making her arch her head onto him.


    His fingers moved down as her deep V neck dress gave him an ample amount of space to y around.


    "Why your neck is so dangerously deep?", he mumbled close to her ears and his finger lurked at the dip of her cut and then he lifted his eyes to look into hers.


    She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her with his eyes filled with nothing but want and hunger and some she managed to utter,


    "I don''t know".


    "So you didn''t choose to wear it to y with me?"


    She looked at him for a second and then dropped her eyes down for she was the one guilty here.


    He lifted her chin up and said,


    "I do not think of you as a toy to y with. I tease you because I like it when you frown. I like it when your body responds to my invocation. I like it when it''s only me who can touch you, who can vite you and who can pin you down", saying that he pulled her towards the full mirror inside his walk-in closet.


    Making her stand in the front of the mirror, he stood behind her and said,


    "You think I am toying with you right? But do you have any idea what happens to me when you y hard to get? Do you any idea how much restraint I need to put to not to vite you? And still, you call me a pervert?", he said and looked at her in the mirror.


    Akira''s ears reverberated with his statement. She had no answer to the question that he had asked. She had no argument to put forward for he had closed the case already. Even without looking at him, she could feel that his eyes were fierce. He hadn''t touched her now, but she could feel the heat from his body and she kept her head held low.


    "You don''t believe me?"


    He asked again but got no response.


    So he inched closer, so close that there was no gap between her back and his chest and he said,


    "Look in the mirror".


    Akira slowly lifted her eyes up and saw him looking at her in the mirror. She saw him looking at her intently with all his attention and the moment their eyes met, she saw his lips part.


    "I need to keep looking at me as. You cannot look away, not even for a second".


    Saying that he pulled her hair to one side and kissed on her neck. It was a soft gentle kiss at first, but in no time it became all wet and hasty. All ecstatic, she closed her eyes just for a second when he whispered,


    "Eyes on me Akira".


    She opened her eyes for hismand was all that she knew.


    Slowly his tongue trailed down her neck and in no time he was nibbling on her shoulder. She moaned and withered in his arms, reeling under his touch.


    Slowly he bent and started kissing every inch of her back. She arched in response andpletely entrusted her body to him, for now she herself had no control over it.


    Her head rested on his soldiers and her entire weight was supported by him, with his palm that rested on her lower back.


    Then suddenly his lips stopped moving and he flipped her back in one single move. Her eyes opened all of a sudden and she could see his face in front of her, dying of hunger, with eyes brimming with nothing but desire.


    Then looking at her he said,


    "Now look into my eyes and tell me, is it lust or desire? Tell me? Tell me if you see a pervert in me?"


    She looked into his eyes and all that she could see was nothing but pain.


    Her eyes slightly turned misty and looking at him she just shook her head in denial. She cursed herself for calling him a pervert because she could clearly see that it had hurt him real bad. She had just spoken out of the blue because she was a bit mad at him. She didn''t even mean one percent of what she had said.


    She slowly raised her hand to hold his chest and said,


    "I didn''t mean it. Not even the tiniest part of it. Don''t you know how I see you and how I feel about you?"


    Saying that she held the cor of his shirt and hoisted herself up on her toes and kissed on his lips. Slowly her hands moved from the cor and circled around his neck and the mist in her eyes dropped down, trickling and touching the skin of both of them.


    He had hesitated for a second, but the moment he could feel her tears on his skin he melted in an instant and his hands automatically embraced her and he lifted her up.


    That kiss deepened in an instant, just like that just like a fire ignites a fire.

 Chapter 211: He promised for more than a kiss

    <h4>211 He promised for more than a kiss</h4>


    Their lips parted, their tongues moved and the kiss became all intense in a split second.


    His grip tightened around her and he moved ahead holding her in his arms. As they moved close to the wall, his hands slowly moved to her hips to support her and then he raised her even further. Her legs automatically rose up and she wrapped them around his waist.


    Her dress was barely covering her up now, as it wasn''t able to stand all straight in the tussle between his arms and her legs. Slowly he moved his one hand underneath her dress, slowly wandering over the bare and smoothnds of her body and then he embraced her back, while his other hand still supported her hips.


    In no time the kiss had turned into a feisty one.


    As his hands touched her bare skin, she deepened the kiss. Her fingers were locked in his hair and she tugged them all hard. The harder she pulled, the more awakened his spirits became and his kiss became harder and deeper. His bites were now wild and raw. He sucked her lips like he wanted to own then. He bit them, like they were his to begin with, but instead of pain, all that she felt was pleasure. A pleasure so intense that she was feeling all hot within, like she was standing all naked in a furnace.


    And after an eternity of loosing her sanctity, when she couldn''t take it anymore, she detatched herself from him, gasping for air.


    The moment she left his lips, his eyes also opened wide as he wanted an answer as why she was abandoning his lips. But the moment he saw her with his eyes open, he could clearly understand her plight.


    Her lips were all red and swollen. His torment was evident. Beads of sweat made her body glisten even with central air conditioning. He then saw her slowly opening her eyes and saw the crest of her chest rising and falling all arrythmically. It was only then he became aware of her plight and the havoc that his lips and his tongue had created.


    So with utmost care he moved back and then slowly he put her down on the bed. Then raising his hand, he grazed his thumb over her swollen lips and with a hint of worry in his eyes, he asked,


    "Does it hurt?"


    She looked at him and giving a coy smile she just shook her head.


    Then taking her face in his other hand, he said,


    "I am really really sorry. I just got carried away. I will be careful from next time".


    "Careful? Carried away?", Akira heard those words and suddenly it felt like a tight p on her face. He wanted her man to crave for her and not to be careful with her.


    So looking at him with a question mark on her face, she asked,


    "Why would you want to be careful with me? Why can''t you be yourself with me? If you want me then take me Raymond, because I want to be all yours", she said and held his hands which was caressing her face.


    Heughed for a moment after hearing her speak. He took a deep breath and leaned in closer and said,


    "You think I don''t want to take you down? God Akira, if only you can enter my head and know the things that I want to do with you right here, right now".


    He closed his eyes for a while and then took her hand and ced her palm just below his belt where his manhood lied. Then looking at her he asked,


    "Do you feel me? That''s me needing you right now. That''s me wanting every inch of your skin on my lips right now. You don''t even know what demons lie within me Akira and you have no idea what it takes not to kiss you deeper, not to kiss you down there where I want to".


    Her body just forgot how to breathe after hearing him speak. The moment she touched him, she could clearly understand how heavy his needs were. The same desires that were burning her, were riding high within him too. He stood there baring his deepest desires to her and that made her want him even more.


    Looking up into his eyes she said,


    "Then why don''t you?"


    Hearing her, he took a deep breath anding closer he kissed in her forehead and said,


    "I don''t know if I can put a full stop once I start Akira. I don''t want your first time to be a painful memory for your life. I somehow can''t summon the courage to do it Akira. I don''t even know what you will like and what you don''t".


    Saying that he dropped his gaze down.


    "Look at me Raymond. Please look into my eyes now", Akira pleaded so he raised his eyes and looked at her and said,


    "I am now".


    "Even if the heavens would conspire, you still can never hurt me. Even if you want to, you can''t hurt me Raymond. Do you even know why?"


    "It''s because you love me, you can''t hurt me even if you want to. And even if you do, I will feel blessed to be hurt by you Raymond. And remember no matter what, my first time will be special because it will be with you. I love you Raymond and I wish I could tell you how much".


    Saying that she buried her face in his chest.


    He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through her hair and said,


    "Then wait for the GCG event to be over. I will make it special for you. I promise".


    Then lifting her chin up he said,


    "Then don''t me meter, because I gave you a fair warning".


    "I won''t", she said and smiled.


    "I might touch you at ces, that your tiny little brain wouldn''t have imagined", he said and ran his fingers softly on her arms and then trailed through the sides of her body.


    "I would like that", she said, biting her lips because of all the ecstasy that was overpowering her.


    Then stopping at her waist line he whispered,


    "I would like that too".

 Chapter 212: Raymonds winning stratergy

    <h4>212 Raymond''s winning stratergy</h4>


    He smiled with his eyes as he looked at her like he was counting his blessings for having met her, for having her in his life.


    "God! What would I have done without you?", he said and then softly kissed on her lips. As he parted away, she opened her eyes and looked at him and then said,


    "I will be waiting".


    His smoldering eyes looked at her intently for a few seconds and then he said,


    "You have no idea how much I have waited !!!", then cupping her chin he gave her a kiss on her forehead and said,


    "Ask Michael toe to the study room. I will join you guys after finishing my bath".


    "You will take a bath now? It''s quitete and you might catch a cold", Akira asked all concerned.


    Heughed in his head because of her naiveness and then he said,


    "You go to the study room. I wille and Oh!!! Please feel free to pick something else and wear. I have a couple of basic clothes for you in my wardrobe", saying that he went inside the washroom, pondering in his head,


    "Will she ever be able to know what fire rages within me?"


    "Will she be able to set me free?"


    .


    .


    After Raymond left, Akira picked a basic white t-shirt from Raymond''s wardrobe from theundry section and then put on the basic pajamas that she had got with herself and went downstairs.


    Michael was sitting the hall room now, but the TV was switched off. He was intently looking at hisputer screen and was typing something. She hesitated at first as their first introduction itself was quite awkward, to be put in better words. But then taking a couple of steps ahead and a bit of courage she said,


    "Um... Hello Michael. I am sorry that we had our first introduction in such a horrible way".


    Michael lifted his head up from his system and with a gentle smile on his face he said,


    "Well, I beg to differ. I would like to call it memorable !!!".


    She heard him and it made her go all scarlet again because of the embarrassment and it didn''t go unnoticed by Michael''s sharp observing eyes.


    "Ok, my bad !!!"


    "Let''s not discuss that again. Have a seat. Where is Raymond by the way?"


    "Umm.. he went to take a bath. He asked us to go to the study room and he will join us there".


    "Bath? Now? He had just finished his bath before you came. What did you do?", Michael spoke with his yful eyes.


    "Oh !!! I don''t know. We were just talking and he said he wants to take bath !!!"


    Michaelughed from his core after hearing her speak and then said,


    "He was right !!! You are really really untainted by this world".


    Then taking a deep breath he said,


    "Let''s go to the study room".


    "Sure !!!", Akira said and walked towards the study room.


    The moment she entered the study, she was shocked. It was not at all like the way she had seen it before. There were multiple whiteboards all over the room, piles of charts and paper were strewn all over. She turned back to look at Michael but found him acting all normal and saw him staring at one of the whiteboards.


    Before she could even ask anything,


    "All settled?"


    She heard Raymond''s voice from behind.


    He looked all fresh like ark after taking bath and she could register a faint waft of his cologne from distance.


    Entering the room, he looked at Akira and asked,


    "Give us some insight into the banner that I had asked you to design. We can huddle more here, together".


    "Well I don''t have much but I had this theme in my mind", saying that Akira took out her notebook and picked up a marker and went to a clean whiteboard in a corner and started exining them about her design. She was a bit nervous in the beginning, but as she found her flow, she started exin her creative ideas with rock solid confidence.


    After she was done exining, she looked at both of them for inputs, but she saw them sitting all quiet and talking with each other through their eyes.


    "I mean this is just the first draft that I had in my head. I will work on something better by tomorrow", Akira said, after getting no feedback from both of them.


    "Are you kidding me?", Michael snapped.


    "This is just brilliant !!! Really brilliant !!! You have indeed found a gem", Michael said and gave a light pat on Raymond''s shoulder.


    Akira nervously looked at Raymond, like she wanted his opinion because no matter what others said, for her it was his opinion that mattered the most.


    He smiled at her and said,


    "It''s good. Just lose the 7th animation part and it''s good to go. Can you design it by tonight?"


    "Umm... yeah".


    "But I just have one small question?", Akira asked looking at Raymond.


    "What is all this? I mean why this new floor n and why a new banner and promotion theme? Our team at Delphie is already done with it right?"


    Raymond heard her and then looked at Michael and taking a deep breath he said,


    "That''s to fool some people and to make them believe that we are unarmed and unprepared".


    "What do you mean?", Akira asked all puzzled.


    "Michael, my friend here is one of the board members of GCG. The rules of the event have been twisted in just a few days and they will release the new rules on Friday evening and the event is on Sunday. I think it''s a pre-devised strategy to make the entries of most of thepanies ineligible for this event".


    "Do they even do such a thing?", Akira asked all surprised.


    "Well if the rules are dered on Friday then there is very less probability of anypany being able to incorporate such changes in just a day or two as the event is on Sunday. So unless you already have the tech, you are doomed".


    "Oh then it''s great that you were working on this tech from before", Akira said and sighed.


    "Well when you have your own folks as enemies, you tend to be extra cautious. They are changing the theme to Virtual Reality and the work that I had was for a new game but I have decided to integrate it with our existing game", Raymond replied.


    "So technically speaking we aren''t cheating. We are just using what we had to make what we want", Michael said and finished thest sip from his beer can.


    "So the coding part is almost finished and Michael has a couple of dummy setups and we n to try our game on it. It should be as glitch-free as possible and we will work on that part till Sunday".


    "I see", said Akira.


    "So now I think you know how important it is to have a good banner and a catchy ad for our new game. Because eventually, that will be the face of the game. That will be what will sell it in the market. So I need it to be wless Akira", Raymond said with a serious look on his face.


    "I get it", said Akira.


    "And if we need some minor modification in the guild design and character movement set, then that also needs to bepleted by you. I mean I know that you are just interning, but my friend here has great faith in you and I hope you will not disappoint him", Michael said.


    "I won''t, I promise", Akira said looking at Raymond.


    "So that''s why it''s paramount that no one gets to know about it Akira", Raymond said.


    "Sure I will not tell anyone".


    Raymond heard her and then after a second he added,


    "Not even Vikram".

 Chapter 213: That good news !!!

    <h4>213 That good news !!!</h4>


    After hearing those words from Raymond''s mouth Akira was a bit surprised. But then considering the recent events, she could understand why he wasn''t ready to trust Vikram even though everything had been cleared up. She hadplete faith in Vikram but she trusted Raymond''s instincts more, so she took a deep breath and then said,


    "I understand Raymond. Ipletely do. I will not be disclosing about it to anyone".


    After she spoke, she could see that Raymond''s demeanor rxed a bit. So she decided to discuss further regarding the ad and the banner with him so that she exactly what she had to work upon.


    Their discussion continued for over half an hour when suddenly Raymond''s phone rang.


    It was Katherine.


    "Why is she calling now?", Raymond mumbled and picked the call.


    "Hey Kat !!!"


    "Hello, Ray. Do you have some time? Can we talk?"


    "Yeah, we can. But what happened? Why do you sound so serious all of a sudden?"


    When Akira heard Raymond asking this question to Katherine, she also got a bit worried.


    "Well I am ok, but something big has happened and I don''t know from where to start".


    "Kat please, tell me what has happened? Else I aming to your ce right now", Raymond spoke impatiently.


    Akira heard Raymond speak that way and got up all worried. So Michael who was sitting next to her, ced his hand over her palm tofort her and said,


    "Just wait. We will get to know".


    Akira heard him and sat down with her heart and mind still feeling all restless.


    "Well if you want toe and meet me that bad, then get up early on Saturday and meet me at the City Council office by 10:30 am".


    "Katherine for God''s sake stop throwing puzzles at me and tell me what has happened. Will you?"


    Katherine now knew that her brother''s patience had reached its peak. So without any further dy, she said,


    "I am getting married".


    "You what?", Raymond uttered all baffled up.


    "Yes, you heard it. Shawn and I are getting married this Saturday".


    "But when did this happen? A couple of days back when I asked you to consider him you said no. And suddenly this?"


    "Well yeah, he proposed and this time I couldn''t say no".


    "Well, thanks to you we could get together".


    "And how was it? Was it because of that act up?", Raymond asked.


    "Yes, pretty much and we spoke about the things that we had not. We spoke about our feelings that we have kept all bottled up for thest eight years and now here we are".


    "I am happy for you Katherine".


    "Me too", Katherine said all blushing.


    "I need to invite Akira too".


    "Well no need, I will tell her. God Katherine !!! Mom would have been so happy to know about it. She always rooted for you two".


    "What really?"


    "Yeah, don''t you remember? After your first semester holidays when you hade back home, the only thing that you harped about was Shawn to us. Mom and I, we knew at that time that you had feelings for him", Raymond said andughed.


    "Jesus Christ Ray !!! You should have told me earlier".


    "It''s all ok Kat !!! As long as everything has worked out".


    "I guess so", Katherine said with a contented heart.


    "You told Raymond already?"


    Suddenly Raymond heard someone''s faint voice in the background.


    "Is that Shawn at your ce?", Raymond asked half chuckling.


    "Ok brother !!! Now its times for bed. Bye !!!"


    "Bye Kat", Raymond said suppressing hisugh.


    The moment he kept the call and turned back, he saw the eager eyes of Akira and Michael looking at him for answers.


    "Ok, everything is fine !!! But she is getting married !!!", Raymond said and smiled all dramatically.


    "Wait what? When? and Who?"


    They both sprang at him with questions.


    "Tell me it''s Shawn", Akira asked with her almost pleading eyes.


    Raymond shook his head and said,


    "They are getting registered this Saturday and yes with Shawn".


    "I knew it !!!", Akira said all joyfully and jumped to hug Raymond.


    "Finally she will be happy", Raymond said hugging her back.


    "No hugs for me?", Michael asked all pouting.


    "Well I have an alternate arrangement for that", Raymond said and winked at him.


    "Ok ok you two, just get a room or maybe not because its time for me to leave. If I stay any longer here then my assistant might get to know. And I wouldn''t like that".


    "Stay for dinner at least", Raymond said.


    "No bud, we have a team dinner and drinking party at Royals tonight. So need to go".


    Michael said and then left.


    As Raymond closed the door and turned back, Akira''s stomach growled out of hunger.


    "Not now !!!", she yelped and covered her mouth.


    Raymond came closer to her and then ced his palm on her stomach and said,


    "Looks like you are hungry for something".

 Chapter 214: She was hungry for something else

    <h4>214 She was hungry for something else</h4>


    Her stomach rumbled again and this time even louder.


    All embarrassed, she turned away from him and covered her face with her palms and said,


    "Go away!!!"


    He slowly moved forward and turned her towards him by holding her shoulders and said,


    "I like you grumbling tummy. Atleast it''s honest to me. It tells me exactly how it feels".


    And then he moved his hands up and removed her palms covering her face and asked,


    "Now tell me what would you like to eat?"


    Akira finally opened her eyes and said,


    "Anything is fine for me !!!", then again continued looking down.


    "Ok then !!! I will order some pasta for both of us", said Raymond and ced the order on his phone in just a couple of seconds.


    "Come now let''s get some work done".


    Then they went back to the study room and continued with the work. Akira started working on the banner while Raymond started with his integration work. They both stole asional nces at each other while working.


    Around 20 minutester, the food delivery arrived and they both had it at their seats, given that they had a pile of work pending on them. Akira cleared up the tes and again got back to work after showing the current progress to Raymond.


    After Akira was nearly 80% done with the work she got up from her seat and went to the washroom to pee. Raymond was so busy with his work that he had no idea that she had left the room.


    Aftering back from the washroom, Akira stood near the door, watching him intently as he worked. He looked so handsome like the Adonis of this era.


    Suddenly he raised his head up and saw her gawking at him.


    "Do you like what you are seeing?"


    Akira was suddenly perplexed with his question and wanted to answer him but as usually her brain refused to co-operate. She stood there speechless and gasped and swallowed at the same time when she saw him close the p of hisptop.


    Her hands automatically moved up and she touched her lips as he came walking towards her.


    "Do you want me to touch them?"


    She heard his words and suddenly her hands went back to where they were. She slowly bit her lower lip as he moved forward, inching the gap in between.


    "I can bite them if you want me to", he said and giving her a yful look he folded his arms in the front.


    "I just took a break", Akira uttered trying to pan her nervousness.


    "I would like to have a break too".


    Hey heart beat spiked at once and her breaths go out of bounds.


    "I too think you should. It''s been more than two hours that..."


    "That I have tasted your lips", Raymond interrupted her and said while gliding his thumb over her lower lip.


    "I didn''t mean that", she stuttered.


    "Come", he said and pulling her hands he took her to his bedroom. He adjusted the pillows a bit and said,


    "It''s quitete. You sleep now".


    "But I am almost done with the banner, let meplete it".


    "No, resume it tomorrow. You need to rest well. We have to struggle for the whole week and I don''t want you to burn out now".


    Saying that Raymond lifted a reluctant Akira in his arms and then slowly and softly ced her on the bed and then covered her up by pulling up the duvet.


    He came towards her side of the bed and then leaned down and ced a quick kiss on her forehead wishing her goodnight, because he knew that if he lingered for a second more, then he wouldn''t be able to go back and work.


    But as he got up with a resolve to leave, she caught his left hand and said,


    "You said you will take a break".


    "Well I did, and now I have to go back to work".


    Akira looked at him all dejected and then said,


    "But you said you wanted to bite my lips".


    She looked at him with her intense eyes, unable to take her gaze of him with her breath all shallow.


    He turned towards her with his eyes looking all deadly serious. His gaze moved from her eyes and then down towards her lips and then taking a deep breath he said,


    "It might not be a good idea right now".


    "Why", she asked touching her lips again and then trailed her fingers through her neck and then tugged the cor of her t- shirt in an attempt to seduce him.


    His breath turned all haggard and his eyes moved along the path trailed by her fingers.


    "Stop doing what you are doing !!!", Raymondmanded her, for he was definitely getting all aroused.


    "Or what?"


    Hearing her question he lost it all and climbed on the bed and hovered over her body and said,


    "Or you will be punished".

 Chapter 215: Sharing the same bed - 1

    <h4>215 Sharing the same bed - 1</h4>


    His intent gaze burned her every second.


    He pulled the duvet and threw it on the floor and leaned in closer. He ced all his body weight on his left elbow and using his right hand he caressed her cheeks and asked,


    "Why are you doing this to me?"


    "You know right how much I want you right now, then why are you ying with me like this", he said softly touching her nose with the tip of his own.


    "But".


    "Sshhh...", he shushed her by cing his index finger on top of her lips and said,


    "Sleep now and let me work. Will you?"


    "But I am not sleepy now".


    "What do you want?", he asked running his fingers slowly in her hair loosening out her stands of hair.


    "Stay with me".


    "And?", he asked with his gaze fixated on her.


    "Stay with me till I sleep", Akira said looking all fondly at Raymond and smiled acting all coy.


    "Don''t look at me with those puppy eyes. You know it will I can''t resist them."


    "Then don''t", Akira said and raised both her arms and she eclipsed his neck.


    "Akira you know that I have got work to finish right. Stop distracting me like this", Raymond said while slowly burying his face in the corner of her neck.


    "Mmm.... ", Akira moaned with his touch and then whispered,


    "Five minutes more".


    "No, I need to go right now", Raymond said while trailing her neck with his soft kisses.


    "Don''t go", she said while whimpering in his arms as his tongue started moving on her hot skin.


    He wanted to go back but every moan of her made him lose himself and he just couldn''t stop himself from kissing her again and again.


    She tugged onto him even tighter as her senses were heightened with his touch. As her breath became even more haggard, she bit her lips and whimpered. She arched her back as his sublime touches tickled her senses and raised her to new levels of ecstasy.


    His hands suddenly moved underneath her back and he flipped her, moving her on top of him.


    She looked into his eyes with nothing but pure love. Her locks were all over him like a nket of shade, surrounding him from all the corners.


    Then with a sly smile on her face, she asked him while holding his chin,


    "Someone had a lot of work piled on and someone was very very eager to leave".


    But the look on his face stayed all serious because this was no joke for him. She was all that he had desired. So he slowly lifted his left hand from her back and moved it to the nape of her neck and pulled her closer and said,


    "Don''t me it on me now".


    "Why? what are going to do?"


    "You will find out".


    He said and then yanks her hair close to him and in no time his lips were on hers. She moaned into his mouth and his tongue moved in further, exploring her, touching every corner of her mouth. Her initially shy tongue also joins him in the journey, twining together in harmony, exploring every possible way to taste the love that harbored in their hearts.


    Holding onto her face, he paused for a second and then said,


    "Akira !!!"


    "Umm..."


    "Can I?"


    His eyes asked for her permission but his eager hand was already rummaging through her back underneath her clothes. His one hand stayed in her hair while the other was caressed her spine. She could feel him building up underneath and that made her go all berserk to know that she was all that her man desired for. Her hormones raged inside her and her wants peaked and she gasped for air.


    Looking deep into his eyes she said,


    "Yes, Please !!!".


    She wanted him bad but the demons inside him were roaring even worse.


    He got up and sat on the bed and holding her in his arms he said,


    "Trust me, I will be gentle", he said and lifted her chin up.


    "I trust you", she said softly and kissed on his lips for a brief moment and then raised her arms up and said,


    "Undress me !!!"


    She saw a fire raging in his eyes and his jaws tightened after hearing her speak.


    His seductive eyes looked at her intently and then holding the ends of her t-shirt, he slowly lifted it up and removed it revealing her amazing glowing smooth skin that lied underneath like a hidden treasure.


    As the t-shirt left her body, his mouth opened wider and wider in awe. He flung the t-shirt away and ran his fingers across her almost bare back with a sense of urgency, like he didn''t have a minute to spare.


    "I want to kiss every inch of your skin Akira", Raymond said with his tone all husky and she just shivered after hearing his voice.


    "Turn", hemanded and she responded in a second with her back facing his front.


    He ran his fingers tracing her spine and then moved her hair to her front to uncover the rest of her skin. Holding her waist he tugged her towards him and started kissing her neck first and then moved down till he reached the mid of her back.


    He paused for a second and ced a soft kiss just above her hook and then using his teeth, he unsped her. She leaned on his chest that very instant and her breath became all hitched. She could feel his uneven breath on her bare skin as well as he removed that piece of clothing away. He moved his hands and slowly ran his fingers along her sides, slightly touching the sides of her breasts.


    His touch was all erotic and sensuous like he was ying with her, pushing all her buttons at the right ces.


    But his touch was too much for her to take in.


    She moaned again as his fingers moved up her chest, circling the crevices and she whispered,


    "Touch me Raymond".


    "Please !!!"

 Chapter 216: Sharing the same bed - 2

    <h4>216 Sharing the same bed - 2</h4>


    Her voice quivered as she requested.


    But that small quivering request of hers was enough to burn the fire in the deepest corner of his heart. He slowly moved both his hands all around her chest, gently cupping her, fiddling with her, teasing her till she couldn''t take it anymore and she dug her nails into his thighs and moaned like she had hit her peak already.


    Sensing her trouble he gently hugged her chest with his hands and then whispered near her neck.


    "It''s ok !!! It''s ok to feel that way !!!"


    Then breathing onto her skin he said,


    "Remember every time that I touch you because I will not let anyone touch you again".


    "You are mine, all mine",


    Saying that he kissed her neck and then licked the behind of her ear sending her into a frenzy. Then he softly bit her earlobes while he yfully ran his fingers around her breasts.


    "Ahhh... ", she whimpered again and then said,


    "My stomach hurts".


    He chuckled hearing her speak all innocently and then running his fingers on her sides he said,


    "It''s the pain of love, the heat of my touch. Can you feel me down there?"


    "I am burning Raymond", Akira said and arched her back.


    He tugged her tighter towards him and she could feel his manhood pulsating through her skin, sending tremors every now and then.


    "You are wearing too manyyers".


    "Huh..."


    "I don''t want your pajamas to touch you now", he said and turned her towards himself.


    As he made her turn, his eyes spanned on her body starting from her lips and moved down. She looked towards her left feeling all shy but she could sense that he was looking intently at her assets and all of a sudden a hestation gripped her and she crossed her hands in her front.


    "Why would you hide them?", Raymond asked holding her chin.


    She looked at him but didn''t reply.


    "I don''t know, I don''t know how they are?", she said and started looking down.


    Raymond couldn''t believe that she would even think that way, so taking a deep breath he held on her left palm and pulled it towards himself.


    She initially hesitated, but then she caved in.


    He took her palm and ced it on his chest and said,


    "Now tell what my heart says".


    Saying that he gently rested his warm palm on her chest and said,


    "Look at me Akira as I touch you".


    She slowly lifted her eyes and looked into his and she could clearly see waves after waves of love hitting the shore in his eyes. His heartbeat skyrocketed the moment he touched her and his lips were parted.


    "They are just perfect. They make me go crazy. Can''t you feel it?", Raymond asked and then lifted her hand from his chest and kissed it.


    And that was all that she needed.


    A man who loved her, worshipped every inch of her and made her feel like she was the only one.


    All the hesitation melted away and slowly she removed her other hand covering her front and holding his face she knelt on her knees and asked,


    "Why didn''t youe into my life earlier? Why did you make me wait so long?"


    Saying that she came closer and slowly ced both her hands on his chest and said,


    "Don''t you dare leave me !!! Like ever !!!"


    Tears rolled down her cheeks and burned his skin.


    He hugged her tighter in his arms and said,


    "I am never going to leave you. Not even if I die".


    Saying that his hands moved all around her back and went even down and then he suddenly stopped,


    "You are so wet all ready for me?"


    "Umm..... "


    But then Raymond''s eye fell on the sheet and he saw red blotches all over.


    His hands immediately stopped and he asked her,


    "Does your stomach hurt?"


    "Umm... a bit. I told you no?"


    "Akira you need to go and change in the washroom".


    "What?"


    Raymond then pointed towards the sheet which was already marked all red.


    "Oh no !!!", Akira screamed and ran to the washroom all embarrassed while Raymond went to the guest room to take a cold shower himself.


    She stood under the hot shower and cursed her body,


    "You couldn''t hold on for one single day? You had to ruin it at any cost, didn''t you?"


    All her hopes and desires of being united with him were shattered to dust and the only person to be med here was Akira herself.


    As she dried herself, she opened the cupboard in the bathroom and saw a couple of underwear of her size and tampons lined up in an organized fashion. A small thing, a small gesture but she had tears in her eyes just to see how much he cared for her. She knew that he would have stacked it after thest frantic episode.


    She wrapped herself in a bathrobe and came out of the washroom and saw that the sheets had been changed and he was sitting on a chair reading something.


    As he saw her, his face lit up and he said,


    "You came !!! Come here", he said and extended his hand towards her to hold.


    She walked slowly up to him and then held his hand which tugged her towards him in an instant. The moment she was essible he raised his hands and tried to open the knot of her robe.


    "What are you doing?", Akira asked all shocked.


    "Don''t worry, I am not doing anything that your dirty head is thinking", he said and smiled and then opened the knot. Picking up a balm which was on the table he took a generous portion of the form and gently rubbed it on the sides of her waist with his soft but firm touch.


    After he was done he gently held her waist and pulled her a bit closer and kissed under her navel and said,


    "Please don''t give her too much pain".


    and then he wrapped her back into her bathrobe and said,


    "Now go to bed and this time I am noting" and he gave her a gentle smile.

 Chapter 217: Shattered peices !!!

    <h4>217 Shattered peices !!!</h4>


    She nodded her head and then walked towards the bed and he followed her to tuck her to sleep.


    He spread the duvet on her and then kissed on her forehead and said,


    "Sleep well" and then smiled looking into her eyes.


    She pulled his hand and said,


    "I am sorry. I just didn''t know it was going to happen today".


    "Jeez Akira, just shut up and go to sleep and don''t worry about it. I will make it happen pretty soon and trust me I will make it special for you. We are made for each other and nothing can stop us from being united. Just wait till the GCG event is over and I guess by then you will be ok too".


    He said and slightly touched the tip of her nose with his index finger and then left the room.


    He went back to the study room and continued with his work until the wee hours of the morning. It was only around four in the morning that he decided to go back to bed to catch a few hours of sleep before getting ready for office.


    He reached his bedroom and noticed her body sprawled across the bed diagonally, leaving no margin for him to sleep.


    Heughed seeing her sleeping so peacefully with no care of the world. He moved close to her and gently caressed her cheeks with the back of his fingers and takes a good look of her pretty face before retiring back to the study room to sleep on the sofa.


    ---


    The next morning a groggy Akira woke up with the sound of the doorbell and went down to open the doors.


    David was outside the door with a very worried look on his face.


    "Hey, David !!! All ok?"


    David was a bit startled to see Akira opening the door but then he asked,


    "Where is Raymond? Why he isn''t picking up his phone?"


    "Oh, I see. Come on in. Let me check", Akira said and quickly went to scout the study room.


    Her heart pained to see him all curled up on the sofa. She moved ahead and checked his phone, but unfortunately, it had been put in silent mode and there were around seven missed calls from David.


    She moved close to Raymond and gently touching his arms she tried to wake him up,


    "Ray !!! Ray !!! Can you get up?"


    "Umm...."


    Raymond slowly opened his eyes and he found Akira leaning on him, with her hand tapping his arm and a bright smile spread on his face.


    "Morning Sunshine !!!"


    "Morning Ray !!!"


    "David is here. I guess there is some urgent matter that he wanted to discuss with you. Your phone was on silent mode so he had to personallye over here".


    "Oh, Ok. Then just tell him I will be down in a minute", Raymond said and rushed towards the bathroom.


    "Ok", Akira said and went down to inform David.


    A few minutester after Raymond came down, he sat along with David and started discussing about the gameunch while Akira went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for all of them.


    Exactly half an hourter, Akira had food served on the table and she then walked towards the hall to call them both for breakfast. But she halted her march when she heard Raymond say,


    "At any cost, she shouldn''t know. Her trust has been broken once and she cannot take it now".


    "But we can use Akira as an advantage to get some information from him".


    "No David,st time I kept her in the dark and it turned out really bad. This time I can not use her at any cost. If I have to deal with Vikram, I will deal with him face to face all by myself. Enough of this hide and seek game that he is ying".


    "But what if he ys with Akira and extracts information from her about our new strategy?"


    "I trust Akira and I think you should too. He might stoop low and use her, but I cannot do that. I cannot make her go against the only best friend that she has. If I do that then what would be the difference between him and me?"


    "I understand and I respect your decision, but what do we do now?"


    "I will think about it and I will handle it. But I am really thankful to you as you could pull out this massive information".


    "Come let''s go to the kitchen, my girl is working hard to cook something for us", Raymond said and got up from his seat.


    Akira immediately ran back to the kitchen and pretended to be working on the scrambled eggs.


    "Hey there !!! How is the cookinging up?", Raymond asked looking at Akira.


    "It''s all done", saying that Akira switched off the stove and took the scrambled eggs from the pan and ced it on the dining table.


    "Basic veg sandwich with some bacon and scrambled eggs and some cold pressed guava juice. Nothing fancy though", Akira said and smiled looking at both of them.


    "Well, we just need food and this looks like quite a spread", said David and started gorging on the sandwiches made by her.


    Akira smiled half-heartedly and served some more scrambled eggs on Raymon''s te.


    "Are you ok? You look so pale !!!", Raymond said and ced the back of his palm on her temple to check her temperature.


    "I am all fine Ray !!! It''s all normal", Akira said and rolled her eyes.


    "Ok, Ok my bad", Raymond said and resumed eating.


    Once they werepletely engrossed in eating the breakfast, she excused herself and went back to Raymond''s bedroom.


    Her hands were still shivering as she was trying to recuperate from what she had heard just now. She couldn''t believe that Vikram was going to ditch her not once but twice this time.


    All her faith, all her trust was broken.


    Shattered into pieces.


    She sat down leaning on the wall, not because she wanted to collect those pieces but because she wanted to throw them as far away from her life as possible now.

 Chapter 218: Did she set a trap ?

    <h4>218 Did she set a trap ?</h4>


    There were no tears in her eyes, but her heart was wailing.


    Wanting to tread miles, she was ready with her ship,


    But it was a best friend who stopped her ship from sailing.


    Will she be able to sail, or she will fall and trip?


    .


    .


    Unable to believe her fate, Akira sat on the floor for some time more and cursed her own fate. Even after all this she couldn''t believe that she was tricked again.


    Then she came out of the room and standing near the stairs she looked at Raymond, who was enjoying his breakfast all cheery along with David, as if nothing had happened.


    She took a deep breath and sighed.


    "Why you always have to go through so much because of me?"


    "Till when you will protect me like this Raymond?"


    Then looking up at the ceiling she took a deep breath and said,


    "I don''t know what to say, God, you snatched my parents away early so deep down I was always angry with you, but today I am not. I am really not. Thank you for bringing this man into my life".


    A small tear of joy trickled down her cheeks, which she wiped away and went back to the bedroom to get ready for office.


    While getting ready, she pinged Vikram,


    "Lunch today?"


    ---


    After reaching office, Akira gave her full attention to all the work that was pending andpleted all the pending designs and grid ns which were assigned to her. Then she also helped with a couple of coloring work for the outlines which had been designed by Kirk.


    Then around 11 o''clock, she pinged Katherine and asked if she coulde and meet her during lunch time.


    After getting a confirmation she went to Raymond''s cabin.


    "Knock Knock".


    "Come in".


    "What''s mydy up to?"


    "Umm... I just wanted to let you know that I am going to meet Katherine for lunch today. I just wanted to congratte her and hear the story in and out".


    "Well, that would be nice. I will alsoe with you".


    "Oh, no no... No need", Akira retorted.


    "But why?"


    "You will be bored with the girls only talk", Akira said and rolled her eyes.


    Raymondughed at Akira and then said,


    "Ok ok, I got it. You girls have a great time together ok?"


    "Yeah, we will".


    Akira said and then turned back to leave.


    "Really??? That''s all Akira? Don''t you want to give or take something?", Raymond asked quizzically.


    Akira turned back all smiling and then making a serious face she asked,


    "What should I give? I have given allpleted work to Simon already", and then a coy smile spread on her face.


    "Ok thene here", Raymond said and extended his hand out.


    Akira came close and held his hand and said,


    "Office romances are frowned upon".


    Then pulling her hand he held her by her waist and then making her stand with the support of the table he said,


    "But breaking the rules make me so happy".


    Akira flicked his nose with her index finger and said,


    "You better focus on your work and win that GCG event".


    "I am trying my best to do so Akira".


    "Then try harder, for my sake", said Akira and leaned on him and gave a small kiss on his forehead.


    Without detaching from him, she said,


    "I want to hold the GCG trophy in my hands".


    "Umm..... " Raymond said and snuggled her tight.


    "I will, I promise".


    "Because if you win then I will wrap myself for you in somethingcy, something sexy and something kinky".


    Saying that she hovered her lips over his and said softly,


    "And you would like that, wouldn''t you?"


    Raymond closed his eyes for his head was already filled with the vivid images that she was drawing for him.


    Then quickly detaching from him she said,


    "Give and take. Remember that !!!"


    She giggled and then left the cabin leaving a poor Raymond who struggled hard to push those images away from his head.


    It was time for her to go on her mission.


    .


    .


    She came back to her seat and took a couple of pictures of some of the characters that she had designed.


    Then she booked a cab and went to meet Katherine first and before leaving for Abacus.


    ---


    "Hey there !!!"


    "It''s been so long that I saw that smile of yours".


    "Really? You could have just checked a picture of mine. Don''t you have any?", said Akira and giggled.


    Vikram looked at his phone for a second and then smiled.


    How on earth could he tell her that her picture was everywhere, his phone screen, hisptop wallpaper, on his iPad too.


    "So you are hungry?"


    "Yeah pretty much. Craving for Indian food today and I know that you are the only person who can give mepany with that", saying that she picked Vikram''s jacket and said,


    "Chop chop".


    Vikram closed the p of hisptop and picked up the car keys and walked along with her to go to NU DELHI. Their all-time favorite Indian Restaurant in Staten Ind.


    As they reached the restaurant, they were greeted with warmth because they were their regrs.


    Akira picked the same seat where they always sat, close to the aquarium as she loved to tap on the ss and make the fishes move.


    She kept her bag on the table and then removed her shades and ced it carefully on the table.


    Oh but did I forget to tell? Those shades weren''t hers. She had borrowed it from Katherine !!!

 Chapter 219: Duping her best friend

    <h4>219 Duping her best friend</h4>


    "So what would you like to have?"


    "Our usual of course", Akira said and smiled all brightly.


    "Why would you even ask about it Vikram? You always know what we order here".


    "Well these days your tastes have changed a bit, so I thought I should ask instead of assuming", Vikram said and tried to prick her with his words.


    "Still angry with me Viku? Still these things wille in between us?", Akira asked him with her doe eyes and he just melted instantly.


    Taking a deep breath he looked at her and said,


    "Can I ever be angry with you?"


    She smiled hearing him say that and said,


    "I know, you can''t !!!"


    "By the way how is the preparation for GCG going on?", Vikram asked taking a sip of ice chips.


    "It''s going good but my life has be very very hectic. No matter how much I work, the work never finishes. I am trying hard to meet the deadlines but I am always a bitte".


    "That''s why I had asked you to join my Ad agency. You could have had more time for yourself and there would not have been any pressing deadlines".


    "No Vikram, it''s hectic there but I like it. I like the hustle that I have do everyday. I like the way I have to stretch to the max of my capabilities and give my best shot. It makes me more and more productive day by day".


    ''Wow, you speak like a grown up right now. I can already sense maturity in your thoughts".


    "Oh shut up !!! You are speaking like as if I am a kid right now. Huh !!!"


    "Of course you are my tiny tot", Vikram said and brushed his finger on her nose lightly.


    She sighed and took a deep breath, unable to understand how he could act up like everything was all normal when behind her back he was sabotaging the future of Raymond''spany and in turn her life.


    "So you don''t believe me? Wait till I show you my work", Akira said and took out her iPad in which she had captured the images of a few of her works.


    "I had taken pictures of a few of thepleted characters and grid designs for using them in my college report. See how much effort I have put into it. I am no more a kid, I am a professional now", Akira said and hoisted her tab in his direction.


    Vikram took the tab and got all engrossed in checking the minute details of her work and he said,


    "Your work is amazing Akira !!! I am so proud of you. It is detailed to the T".


    "Well not all of them are mine. Some have been designed by my teammates too. I did some touch-ups as part of the assignment".


    "No, but still, this is just ster".


    Akira beamed up with happiness and said,


    "Fine fine now don''t make me gloat all over" and saying that she got up and said,


    "I am gonna go to the washroom to take a leak and in the meanwhile you can keep appreciating my work".


    She got up and took her bag and adjusted her shades on the table and left.


    Aftering back from the washroom when she reached the table, she saw that the food had already arrived and they both started to hog.


    After their lunch was done, Akira took out her phone and opened Uber App.


    "Why are you booking Uber?"


    "Because I need to go back to my office dummy".


    "I will drop you Akira. There is no need to book Uber".


    "Oh please Vikram, no need to go all the way to Brooklyn to drop me ok? I am a big girl, I can manage", she said and giggled.


    "Yes, you are a big girl now", Vikram said and sighed.


    ---


    After getting into the cab, Akira immediately called Katherine,


    "Hey Katherine"


    "Hey, Akira. You are all safe right?"


    "Yeah, I am on my way back to the office".


    "Ok, good to know. Did he suspect anything?"


    "No, I think no one will ever suspect the shade to have a recording unit".


    "Well that''s the mastermind of my brother and David which trapped Dr. Brooks and now Vikram".


    "So, do we have anything on him?"


    "You were right, he is tainted Akira. He is just trying to be a saint in disguise".


    "What do we have Katherine?", Akira asked taking a deep breath.


    "He took pictures of I guess all the character designs from your IPad and he sent it to someone. Then he called someone up. I think it must be his assistant because I heard him asking to share these images with a small rivalpany which would be participating in GCG. And just like you expected, he has asked the designs to be copied so that both thepanies get disqualified based on the GCG rules for giarism case".


    Akira didn''t say a word after hearing Katherine.


    "I know it must be hurting Akira, but you need to stay strong".


    "I am trying Katherine, trust me I am. But I am not worried because of him, I am worried about Raymond. Because of me, he has to face all this. If I had not been in his life, then probably his life would have been simpler".


    "You don''t know that Akira. I have never seen my brother so much happy before. You have given a new meaning to his life. So please don''t say stuff like that. Like ever."


    "I just want a normal day in our lives Kat, when we can stop thinking about strategies and ns and live our life happily".


    "I do too Akira. I do too".


    "But now what will you do? Will you have enough time to make new characters? You cannot use the ones that he has copied right?", Katherine asked all worried.


    "We don''t have to worry about it".


    "Really? How?"


    "Because I took pictures of all the discarded character designs. They will never be used further in our project".

 Chapter 220: That drone trouble

    <h4>220 That drone trouble</h4>


    "That was brilliant Akira. Just brilliant !!!", Katherine said and marveled Akira''s presence of mind.


    "Well, this way if the rivalpany uses our discarded character designs then we canin to GCG with this video. We have enough evidence to prove this forgery and Vikram''s involvement".


    "Absolutely !!!", Katherine eximed.


    "Now, can you send me the video as well?", Akira asked.


    "Will you be able to handle it all alone Akira?"


    "Well, I am not thinking of doing it alone now. I am going to tell everything to Raymond. I don''t want any secrets going on between us. It will make me ufortable. It''s better to leave the matters to him now".


    "That''s the right thing to do Akira. I always had faith in your choices".


    "Is it because I chose your brother?"


    And they both had a goodugh about it and kept talking all about marriage preparation and everything-everything.


    After reaching office, Akira went straight to Raymond''s cabin.


    "Knock Knock"


    "Come in".


    As Akira came inside she saw David and Raymond discussing something dead seriously.


    "I wille backter then", David said and was about to get up and leave the room but Akira stopped him and said,


    "Umm... Can you stay David? I have something to show you both".


    Then she came closer and ced her phone on the table and started the video.


    Just few seconds into the video and Raymond turned back all surprised,


    "You told you are going out for lunch with Kat. What are you doing with Vikram?".


    His voice sounded pretty displeased.


    "I am sorry", Akira mouthed to him and then said out loud,


    "Just watch the video till the end" and they both did.


    After the video ended, both of them looked at Akira all surprised.


    "You knew about him?"


    "Yes".


    "But how?"


    "I didn''t want to, but somehow I heard you talking about it."


    Raymond looked at David and shook his head in mild displeasure.


    "One more thing I forgot to add, the character designs are our rejected ones. You don''t have to worry about it".


    "What we have now is solid proof of his involvement. This can have severe legal repercussions for Vikrama and hispany", David said.


    "And how bad will it be?", Akira asked David with a hint of worry in her tone.


    "Well, that depends on the level at which we decide to take action".


    David could sense a bit of tension in Raymond''s expressions and decided to take his leave so as to give time to those two love birds to sort out things andmunicate.


    After he left the room, there was dead silence that panned inside.


    Akira took her phone and then sent the video to Raymond and then sat down on the chair opposite to him silently.


    "You do know that this was a risky move right?"


    Akira nodded.


    "You do know that it could have backfired on you?"


    Akira looked up at him and then nodded again.


    "Then why would you go to all these lengths?"


    "For us".


    Raymond heard her and that very instant all the rigidness that was skyrocketing inside him vanished in a second.


    Getting up from his seat he stormed towards her and leaning on to her he said,


    "Why you keep surprising me like this?"


    "I didn''t mean to. Just wanted to have something concrete for you and I want you to know that I trust you more than anything else in the world. So you don''t have to worry about anything. With you, I am ready to face anything Raymond".


    His heart turned all mushy when he heard her and he cupped her face and gave a deep wet kiss till she was out of her breath.


    "Mmm... ", she moaned tasting his lips on hers.


    Thening close to her ears he said,


    "I will punish you tonight. This will not go unforgiven".


    Her eyes opened wide in shock and before she could even buy a verb to speak, he said,


    "Scoot now, your lunch break was way too long. Simon won''t be happy with it".


    Akira got up and ran back to her seat, trying to hide her blushing face.


    ---


    [Later near a yground close to Delphie premises]


    "Damn David !!! Press the left button, not the right one".


    "Ahh... my brain freezes when you give so manymands simultaneously".


    "Doesn''t matter, you have crashed it anyways", Raymond said and walked ahead to pick up his drone.


    "I don''t think I will be suitable for flying this drone, not even with daily practice Mr. Raymond".


    "But I need someone who can fly it efficiently and needs to be really really good at it. But most importantly, someone whom I can trust".


    "I understand that Raymond, but I don''t think I am the right candidate here. Can''t we pick up some college kids who are actually great at it?"


    "They might be good but they can''t be trusted. If they spell out one word about it to anyone then that''s it. Probably that would be the end of my career. There is too much at stake here".


    Raymond said and all disappointed he returned back to the office.


    Later in the evening, he picked up Akira and they first went to her ce as Akira wanted to pick up some stuff.


    As she entered her room and was busy packing her stuff, she yelled,


    "Mike can I get my iPod back".


    "Yeah, it''s on my table in my room. Go and get it yourself".


    "Why can''t you pick up and give it to me?"


    "Because I am busy watching my game here"


    "You are good for nothing, you know that?"


    "Thanks for thepliment".


    "Hey hey, you both. Stop fighting. I will get the iPod", Raymond said and entered Mike''s room. He picked up the iPod from the table and just when he was about to return back to the hall room, he saw something on top of Mike''s magazine cab and his eyes gleamed wide open.


    He rushed back to the hall room and asked,


    "Mike, do you fly drones?"


    "Fly? Touche''. More like I build them".


    Raymond''s lips curved in a smile.

 Chapter 221: Playing with FIRE !!!

    <h4>221 ying with FIRE !!!</h4>


    "Since when?", asked Raymond.


    "Since he knew that Dad would splurge any amount of money on his stupid toys", Akira intervened and ratted Mike out.


    "Oh Please Akira, don''t get me started on that", said Mike and made a face.


    "No Mike, on a serious note, since when have you started to fly them?", asked Raymond.


    "I used to fly them with dad since I was in my high-school, But now I have started making them. I mean not from scratch, but I sort of use the existing ones from the market and I remodel them for my friends or some clients for various purposes".


    "For example".


    "Umm... say for example I can increase the weight carrying capacity of the drone. So instead of a go-pro, you can fit a basic DSLR for imaging purposes. Also, I can y with inbuilt cameras, sensors, etc".


    "So how well can you fly it? Like in stealth mode and all?"


    "Yeah, that''s like the job of my left hand".


    "Perfect !!!"


    "But why do you need to fly a drone?", Mike asked all curious.


    "Don''t tell me that you are going to use a drone to spy on someone and you want my brother to fly that drone for you", Akira said and folded her hands in front of herself all defensively.


    "Oh please Akira I don''t need it for spying on anyone"


    "Then?"


    "Well, its sort of flying news, that we might have a surprise round of actual demo of the game based on Virtual Reality. Just like you know Pokemon game. You need to move around, go ces and fight your opponents in the physical world. But we are augmenting one more factor, altitude. So as a challenge, you have to find a pointer hidden on the top of a tree or a house and for that, you need to fly the drone and take the real image of the target and then only you will unlock the weapon".


    "Wao, that sounds pretty interesting !!!", Mike eximed.


    Raymond looked at Mike and smiled gently and said,


    "So for a demo, I might need to borrow your drone flying skills".


    "And not to spy on anyone", Raymond said and turned towards Akira to give her a look.


    "Count me in !!!", Mike said and then went back to watching television.


    "But there is one more thing that needs to be taken care of".


    "What?", Mike asked looking at Raymond.


    "You cannot tell about this project to anyone because the future of mypany will depend on keeping it a secret".


    "Whoooaaa, wait, what? Is this for real?", Mike asked all surprised.


    "Mike this isn''t a joke. You really need to keep it a secret. You can''t even tell Teddy about this. And I would like it if you can specifically keep it a secret from Vikram".


    "Why are you dragging Vikram into it specifically?".


    "Because of this", Akira said and yed the video that she had recorded in the morning to Mike.


    "He will go to any extent to destroy Raymond''spany and I am not going to let that happen and I hope you will support us as well".


    Mike stood all silent for a while and then said,


    "I can''t believe he will do something like this".


    "Neither did I Mike, neither did I", Akira said and sighed.


    Mike looked at Raymond and said,


    "Don''t worry dude, I won''t say a word and you can count me on flying your drone".


    "Thanks, Mike !!!"


    "Ok then we will get going", Akira said and lifted her bag to leave with Raymond.


    "Bye kids, have fun", Mike teased them and then he shut the door.


    ---


    [Back at Raymond''s ce]


    After reaching their ce, Raymond went straight to the study room. He didn''t talk much with her in the car too. So Akira went up to him and asked,


    "Are you still mad at me because of the lunch thing?"


    Raymond just shot a nce at her and then retired back to his work.


    "Can you at least talk with me?"


    "Go and freshen up first. You still have the banner work pending".


    "I don''t like you at all when you are this grumpy".


    "Then don''t", Raymond replied all curtly and continued his work.


    Akira pouted at him but he didn''t give any reaction to her expression and sat there all nonchntly. So giving up, Akira stormed to the washroom.


    After getting all freshened up she came out of the washroom and then suddenly she got a brilliant idea to make Raymond''s mood all right.


    She wore her ck shorts which were super short and made her legs look even fairer. Then she donned acy camisole on top of it. She purposefully dabbed a lot of lip balm on her lips making them look all fruity and juicy. Then she went back to the washroom and slightly dampened her hair. Herplete look was extremely seductive yet cute at the same time.


    Then she lightly dabbed hervender vored roll on her neck and went back to the study room.


    She stormed in and without even sparing a nce at Raymond she picked up herptop and ced it on the sofa which was directly in front of him. Then she purposefully lied down on the sofa t on her stomach and started working on herptop.


    Raymond''s gaze was fixated on her and even without looking at him, she was aware of it.


    She slowly folded her legs up and started swaying them as she worked.


    Raymond tried to ignore her for a while but eventually, he caved in and asked,


    ''What are you doing?"


    "I am working on the banner. can''t you see"?


    "That I know, but I am not asking about that".


    "Then what are you asking about?"


    Raymond gritted his teeth and then pointed a finger at her legs and said,


    "This, I am asking about this".


    "What happened? Anything wrong with my shorts?"


    Finally, as he ran out of his patience, so he got up and stormed towards her and took herptop and ced it on the side table and staring deep into her eyes he asked,


    "So you really don''t know what you were doing right now?"


    Akira looked at him and shrugged her shoulders and said,


    "You tell me".

 Chapter 222: Seducing each other

    <h4>222 Seducing each other</h4>


    "So you are going to act up now? How long will you pretend?"


    "Me? Pretend? What? I am just silently doing my work here. Why are you so noisy all of a sudden? Tell me what you want".


    "Ok, are you trying to seduce me wearing stuff like this?"


    "Are you getting seduced?"


    "Damn, Akira answer the questions with answers and not by asking me a question back".


    Trying hard to suppress herugh Akira said,


    "I was feeling a bit hot, so I didn''t wear my long-long pajamas. But if my shorts are bothering you so much then I will go and change".


    "No need", Raymond said all grumpily and lifted herptop to give it back to her.


    But before he could leave, she held his palm in her hand and stopped him from leaving her vicinity.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him and asked,


    "Answer me now. Were you seduced?"


    Raymond turned back and leaned aggressively on to her, pushing her to the edge of the sofa. Then looking deep into her eyes he said,


    "You are lucky that you are down right now, else I would have preyed so bad on you that even your stars would not have been able to help you".


    Saying that he slowly distanced his face which was just inches away from her, enchanting her, making her all defenseless. She gulped her own spit and looked at him with her eyes wide open as he stood back up.


    "Stop it !!!"


    "What should I stop?"


    "I will stop if you stop too", she said and pouted her lips and looked up at him all angry.


    "What did I do now?"


    "Why were youing so close to me with all that heavenly musky smell of yours. If you want to ask me a question or tell anything then tell it maintaining a one hand distance from me."


    A very satisfied smile spread on his face and he almost grinned after hearing her.


    "Heavenly musky smell !!! Really?"


    "Well not exactly, you just smell nice. Maybe I just exaggerated a bit", Akira said and started scratching her head feeling annoyed of her own stupid statements,


    "Heavenly musky smell !!! I kinda like it. So I have a heavenly musky smell?", Raymond asked and that smile didn''t leave his face yet.


    "Kind of".


    "Interesting !!! And what happens when Ie close without maintaining a one hand distance?", he asked and this time, the smile had disappeared from his face and he questioned her with all seriousness.


    "Nothing happens. Now go away and let me work", Akira said and snatched theptop from his hands.


    "First you get mad with me and don''t talk and then you talk with me and make me mad", Akira mumbled.


    "What did you just say?"


    "Whatever you heard".


    "Do you even know why I was mad with you?", Raymond asked.


    "I know, I went out to have lunch with Vikram and took a risk. It could have backfired on me and we could have lost GCG", Akira said and then rolled her eyes.


    "You think that''s the reason?"


    "Obviously, aren''t you forgetting how bad you rebuked me in office for that?"


    "You think that I would be mad with you, just for the game?"


    "Then?", Akira asked and looked up at him in surprise.


    He closed his eyes and calmed himself a bit and then said,


    "I cannot bear to see you with him".


    "I cannot bear to see him just inches away from you, touching you or ying with you".


    "I cannot bear that he gets to see your smiling face, because I know he will fall for you bad, really bad because I myself have".


    His eyes were fierce as he spoke, but his feelings were sincere. There was nothing but pure jealousy that was tormenting him from the inside and she could feel it. But instead of getting angry with his words, she became happier.


    Happy that he couldn''t bear even a second of her that was spent with someone else, other than him.


    So she stood on the sofa and said,


    "Catch me", and saying that she let her upper body free fall on his.


    But he held her tight in a vice-like grip and looking into her eyes he said,


    "What are you trying to attempt here?"


    "A stunt to distract your mind and make you happy", she said and smiled but holding her waist he pushed her back and then said,


    "I am not going to be pacified by any stunt that you are trying to pull. So you better start working".


    Saying that Raymond walked back to his seat.


    Dejected with her failed attempt Akira started herptop and tried toplete the work while stealing asional nces at his handsome face and then she gotpletely engrossed till shepleted the banner.


    Once done, she happily turned to look at Raymond so as to tell him about her aplishment, but she saw him looking at her intently. His eyes looked like they had been mildly lit with fire.


    She smiled from inside and brought theptop close to him and asked,


    "How is it?"


    It was only then that his gaze shifted from her face to herptop and he started analyzing her work.


    "Change the font of Delphie. It looks too prominent. Apart from that rest looks way too good".


    "Really? So do you forgive me?", Akira asked all beaming.


    "Why should I? Don''t mix up personal and professional life Akira", Raymond said and turned back towards hisptop.


    "But I made it so fast just to please you".


    "It doesn''t work that way", Raymond said without even turning back.


    "You don''t have to be so angry about that. It''s not like I stripped off in front of him or seduced him. I just had a simple lunch. That''s all it was. Tell me what I need to do to make you happy".


    And hearing that he suddenly turned back.


    "You have never stripped off in front of me", he said and the devilish grin was back on his face.

 Chapter 223: Now sway like you did before

    <h4>223 Now sway like you did before</h4>


    A devilish grin had spread on his smug face as he looked at her.


    Akira narrowed her eyes and looked at him and pursed her lips disapprovingly.


    "Your fetishes are really weird mister", she said and stormed back towards her sofa.


    "Fine then, it''s your wish. Don''t try toe to me all cajolingter on. My anger stays with me". Raymond said and turned back towards theptop.


    Akira also started working on the editing the banner as he had suggested earlier.


    She asionally tried to steal nces and found that he was busy looking at hisptop and didn''t even spare one single nce at her. She was starting to get a bit frustrated. After all, she selected the whole outfit for the purpose of seducing him and making him want her more every second but now it seemed like the only the thing that he wanted more was hisptop.


    So she quickly finished editing the stuff and sat all upright on the sofa looking in his direction, expecting him to turn.


    But he didn''t.


    "I am hungry. It''s 8;30 pm already".


    Taking a deep breath he turned towards her and asked,


    "What do you want to eat?"


    "Surprise me", she said and deliberately turned all her hair to one side on her shoulder, baring her neck and cor bone to entice him.


    He couldn''t blink, not even for a second for he was so captivated by her.


    Then he smiled and shook his head because he knew that she was doing it all deliberately.


    "Pizza is ok for you?"


    "Yes".


    "Anything in particr that you would like to order?"


    "I want my pizza loaded with extra jpenos, I need that spicy kick and I need a crusher too. It might get hot. So I need something cool to go with it".


    "ying with words huh", Raymond mumbled and then ced the order.


    He then went back into his serious mode again and Akira knew that she had just a few seconds to grab his attention before he dedicated that to his work.


    So she got up from the sofa and raising her hands above her head and did a fake yawn, but her pose was all seductive and sultry. As she raised her arms she showed him a glimpse of her waist and her navel as her camisole was lifted by just a few inches.


    His jaws dropped and he kept looking in her direction and she smiled within because she knew that she had his attention.


    Then fanning her face with her hand she walked towards him and said,


    "It''s quite hot in here. Don''t you think?".


    He loosened his tie and said,


    "Extremely".


    "Then why don''t you go and change?"


    "I guess", Raymond said and went to change intofortable sleep clothes.


    After changing when he walked towards the study he could hear the sound of faint musicing from the room and the door was almost closed. As he pushed the door and entered, he saw that the lights were dimmed and Akira was swiveling on his chair with her legs crossed in the front.


    "Sit over there".


    She said and pointed towards the sofa.


    As he sat on the sofa she stopped swiveling and flicked her slippers out of her legs and walked towards him in slow motion with her fingers slowly touching her lower lip.


    A smile framed on his face and he said,


    "Is it going where I am thinking it is going?"


    "Where do you want this to go Mr. Raymond?", she said and ced her palm on his chest and then gently pushed him back making him lean back on the sofa.


    Then she slowly raised her hands above her head and swayed slowly in front of him along with the beats of Ciara''s song "Body Party".


    His fiery ignited eyes were focussed on her like aser.


    She slowly brought her hands down and running through her hair she started moving her hips from side to side. Then she ran her fingers on the side of her face and closed her eyes and lifted her chin up and sighed.


    She parted her lips and then opened her eyes and saw his lips part as well in response.


    With a victorious smile on her face, she moved her hands down, grazing her own neck and then as she moved it down to her chest she kept looking into his eyes without even blinking once. As her fingers moved inch after inch, down south, his heart just started skipping beats after beats.


    Then she turned and swiveled making waves with her hips and her hands reached her waist. Her fingers restlessly lifted her camisole just a bit so as to give him a tease. It was her first time doing something wild like this, but she felt extremelyfortable doing it in front of him. She was herself surprised that she was pulling it off so nicely.


    She had already piqued his interest and he was enjoying every bit of the show.


    She kept teasing him with a peek of her waist, but he wanted more, so when she turned back again, he said,


    "Not enough. I need more skin".


    "Mister is very naughty and demanding", Akira said and continued swaying to the music and her hands went back to the top as she swayed.


    His mind was already going numb and his manhood was screaming for a release. So a restless Raymond got up and walked close to her and said,


    "Dance with me".


    Saying that he tugged her shorts with his one hand and pulled her close.


    "It was supposed to be just my show right?"


    "Keep quiet else my hands might go even down".


    Akira''s eyes opened wide for his threat was more like an open invitation for her.


    "Come closer", hemanded and she obeyed to the dot.


    His moved his hands and ced them in the back pocket of her shorts and his fingers yed slowly along the lines of the stitches. She stood in a standstill trying to collect her breath, gasping and gulping at the same time when he said,


    "Hold me closer".


    She raised her arms and circled his neck and then lifted her eyes to look at him. He was looking point nk into her eyes like she was the only thing that he could see.


    She blushed hard and whispered,


    "Stop looking at me like that".


    "Why should I".


    "It makes me feel weird".


    "Weird?", he asked all surprised.


    "I don''t know, it makes me feel hot and thirsty and just something weird happens to me. You won''t understand".


    "Tell me where you feel weird, I will cure you".


    She gave a puzzled look at him and said,


    "Can we dance now?"


    "Only if youe closer".


    "How can I get any closer than this?", asked Akira all confused.


    "Like this", he said and holding her waist he lifted her up a bit so as to ce her feet on his own.


    Then hugging her tight he said,


    "And now we sway".


    "It will hurt your legs. I am heavy".


    "No, you are not".


    "Aren''t you tired after this long day? Why are you straining your body again?"


    "Umm.... you smell nice"


    She smiled and then cing her face on his chest she said,


    "You do too".


    He looked into her eyes for a second and then said,


    "Give me a kiss like you mean it. Make it wet and perfect".

 Chapter 224: Because he is my son

    <h4>224 Because he is my son</h4>


    She heard him and rolled her eyes.


    "What? You don''t want to give me a kiss now?"


    Taking a deep breath she moved her hands which surrounded his neck and hugged him tight instead. With her face resting on his chest she said,


    "If I take one more step close to you, then I may not survive", she said and then her finger she started tracing circles around the button of his shirt.


    He could get what she meant to say, without the need of her telling it explicitly. That was the beauty of their rtionship.


    "Does your stomach hurt?"


    "A bit".


    "What about now?"


    Saying that he slowly moved one of his hand underneath her camisole and started tracing random patterns with his fingers on her back. Each movement was slow, like a gentle caress, like he was trying to tread some unknown meadows with caution.


    "Mmm... It''s nice", she said and closed her eyes lying in his arms.


    He gently kissed on her head and continued running his fingers.


    "Are you still angry?", she propped the question, knowing that his mood had softened.


    He just shook his head and continued stroking her back with his fingers.


    "Don''t you ever dare to be angry again with me".


    "For that, you need to stop pulling your so-called stunts".


    "I just wanted to show you that I trusted you more. More than anything and anyone in the world".


    "This is thest time you are doing something like this ok? And also this is thest time that he is going to touch you".


    She nodded.


    They kept swaying in each other''s arms until the food arrived.


    ---


    [Meanwhile at BridgeRoad Residency]


    Mr. Sebastian Walker was pacing in his study and was looking at the door from time to time. After about 10 minutes his house help knocked on the door.


    "Sir Mr. Conrad has arrived".


    "Ok, I will receive him now".


    "Ok, sir".


    Sebastian looked at a picture on his study table and took a deep breath before taking the stairs down.


    "Conrad !"


    "Sebastian !"


    "How long has it been?"


    "Thirty years I guess", Conrad said and extended his arm for a handshake.


    "It''s been long", Sebastian said and then sat on the couch.


    Conrad took a seat opposite to him and said,


    "You haven''t changed, apart from a few grey hairs here and there".


    "Well, I put in some effort to maintain. I have a reputation that I need to carry on all the time", Sebastian said and smiled.


    "These days I have been hearing many things about you. Quite a talk of the town you have be now".


    "Am I?"


    "You would be knowing it better".


    Sebastian shrugged and directed her house to help to arrange for the drinks.


    "You were featured in GQ this month and I saw a couple of happening pictures of you with some lovelydies as well".


    "Are you keeping a tab on me now?", Sebastian said and took a sip of Macan.


    "I don''t need to Sebastian. The world speaks about you. I just have to see and listen. Umm... Still hanging on to Macan I see", Conrad said after taking a sip of the scotch.


    "I would like to call it as pleasing the aesthetics".


    "Do you think Rose would have liked it?"


    Sebastian narrowed his eyes and looked at Conrad. His lips pursed slightly up but he calmed his nerves quickly and said,


    "You don''t have to worry about my equation with Rose".


    Conrad looked at his smug face and then suddenly looked up. There was a teenage girl standing upstairs in nothing but underwear and a loose robe tied on her.


    Sebastian looked at Conrad''s gaze lifting up and he turned back and saw him looking at the girl.


    "That''s Casey, my muse for today. She is pretty feisty, I must say".


    Conrad looked at Sebastian and was at a loss of words.


    "Why have you disturbed your life like this Sebastian?"


    "Oh, now you are concerned about my life? After all these years?"


    "It''s not like that".


    "Then where were you when I lost everything?"


    "Sebastian !!!"


    "I have stayed in silence for all these years thinking that I was doing everything right. But what did I get? I got only hatred. Do you even know how it feels when your own kids hate you? When they are not proud of you?"


    "Let''s not go down the road, Sebastian".


    "I am here just to help you out. If there is something that you want to sort out then do. But this way of living life isn''t the solution to your problems. This one night stand, these casual flicks. What has happened to you? Just try to see what all these tabloid are writing about you".


    "Like I care", Sebastian snorted.


    "Do you think Raymond and Katherine will be proud to see all these things? What kind of an image of a father are you trying to project in front of them?"


    "I do not want them to be either proud or disappointed with me. They are capable enough to take their own decisions in life. They both are independent. Raymond is all set to establish his own startup and he is fighting against all odds to do so".


    "Of course he would. Don''t forget my blood runs through his veins. So he ought to be all righteous. No matter what you do, how famous you be, he will nevere back to you. Not after the way you have be after Rose", Conrad said and looked at Sebastian.


    He took a deep breath and then looking at Conrad he said,


    "It might be your blood that runs through his veins, but his passion for life is all me. His outlook for life is all me. I will mould him into a man that you would never have thought in your life because he is my son, not yours".


    "Now if you will excuse me, I have mydy waiting for me upstairs".

 Chapter 225: Raymonds pas

    <h4>225 Raymond''s pas</h4>


    After the food arrived, they both gorged on it till they were filled up to their throats. Then Akira picked up the empty boxes to throw them into the dustbin when she saw a copy of GQ magazine on his desk.


    "Sebastian Walker" - The Tycoon


    Pointing at the magazine, Akira asked,


    "Is that?"


    "Yes, that''s my dad".


    Saying that Raymond lifted the magazine and flung it into the dustbin.


    "What are you doing Raymond? That''s a huge disrespect?", Akira said and picked the magazine up.


    "Why would you hate him so much, Raymond?"


    "It''s not the right time to discuss Akira and probably it will need an entire night to exin".


    He said and sighed.


    "Well I am all ears and we have the whole night with us".


    "We have to work Akira", Raymond said and retired back to his seat.


    "You have to be so secretive about everything. I don''t understand why can''t you ever share anything with me. I share each and every tiny little thing with you. You and your secrecy".


    "Hmmmpphhh....".


    Saying that Akira went back to her sofa and started reading the article about Sebastian Walker.


    "I don''t want to burden you with all these things Akira", Raymond saiding close to her.


    "But I want you to burden me. That''s how the rtionship works Raymond".


    Raymond looked at her and then sighed,


    "So where to begin?"


    "My dad Sebastian Walker is a man who has made his own fortune right from scratch. He had inherited a small leather exportpany from his dad which he converted into Walker Enterprises, which is now a Multinational Global Brand having not only pan-American but also pan-Asian reach."


    "But his sess came at a price. A huge one".


    "What price Raymond?"


    "The price of the family or rather my mom you can say".


    "He never kept her happy. He could never give her the little pleasures of life. I think he never touched her after we were born. I have never seen my father acting like a husband for my mom. He loved us, but he was always distant with her and as we grew older we knew why".


    "Why Raymond?".


    Raymond looked at her and taking a deep breath he said,


    "Because he wasn''t satisfied with my mom. I think his needs were too weird. I would often see him with different women. He often touched them inappropriately in front of my mom. Do you even know how that feels? My insides used to churn, imagine how my mom would have felt. I think it''s one of the reasons why I can never tolerate if anyone dares to touch you Akira".


    Raymond said and took a deep breath.


    Then looking at the picture of his father he said,


    "My mom was the nicest person on the earth. She would never object or fight with him, all for our sake. Our future. She always wanted the best for us. So even though it killed her from the inside she always tried to be all cheery in front of us."


    "We asked her so many times as to why she was still with him, but she would always tell us that our father was the greatest man ever and asked us to respect him no matter what. I think my dad loved her a lot but that was only just for a few initial years and she treasured only the happy memories throughout her life. She would sometimes read the letters that my dad had written to her during those old days and that would cheer her up".


    "I once confronted him about everything, about the way he lived, about the way he treated mom and you know what he said?"


    "He said that it would be better if I tried to mind my own business".


    Saying that Raymond chuckled and looking at Akira he said,


    "Tell me how was that not my business when I could see my mother dying day after day because of the habits of my dad. She was a human being Akira. She just needed a littile bit of love and care. But that monster gave her nothing and just knew how to inflict pain".


    "During that time itself, I had decided to separate from him, once my education was over. I wanted to start my own business and to take care of my mom and my sister. So Delphie isn''t just a start-up for me, it''s my childhood dream Akira, which I have webbed since I was a kid who every day saw nothing but the plight of his oppressed mother".


    "I had promised her to keep her happy. I had promised her to buy her a new house. I had promised her a new car and she had promised that she would wait."


    "But one day dad came back home all drunk and opened a box from his wardrobe. There was a letter inside it and he gave it to my mom. I don''t know what was there in that letter because after he made my mom read it he took it away. But my mom cried a lot that day and Katherine wasn''t there at home. Usually, she is the one who can console my mom better. I tried but I wasn''t good enough Akira, I wasn''t good enough".


    Akira saw his jaw getting at taut and his fist was all clenched.


    She came close and unclenched his fist and held his hand in hers and said,


    "It''s ok. It wasn''t your fault".


    "How it wasn''t my fault Akira? I couldn''t help to mend her broken heart. She was hurting so much but she still looked at me and said that it was ok. That night when she came to tuck me in my bed, she still told me that my dad was the greatest dad in the whole world, even after suffering so much. And that was thest I saw of her".


    "What?"


    "Yes, that was thest conversation that I had with my mother. That night she took away her life by jumping from the rooftop. I had no idea that it was myst goodnight kiss. If I would have known I would not have let her go".


    And a drop of tear trickled down his cheek.


    She immediately wiped it with her palm and softly kissed him and then holding his face she said,


    "It''s ok. It''s not your fault."


    "I know"


    "I know Akira because it was all his fault".


    His eyes were fierce with all that hatred that boiled within him.


    ---


    [At BridgeRoad Residency]


    Sebastian Walker slowly climbed the stairs and went up.


    The man who transformed business at his fingertips. A man so skilled, that people ran after him for ideas and advice. All business magazines, high-ss magazines, news magazines, he was featured in all of them every now and then.


    He was an epitome of sess.


    But tonight as he walked up, his face was that of someone who had lost a battle. The face of someone who had just inhaled death.


    As he went inside his bedroom, that youngdy Casey stood up and asked,


    "What took you so long? I am almost about to get wasted with all this alcohol here".


    "I had some urgent matter to attend to my dear", he said and then locked the door and smiled looking at her.


    "But now I am here and I am all yours".


    "But who was that man who made you all sad?"


    Sebastian looked up at her and then he sighed and gasped at the same time and said,


    "That man was my brother".


    Her mouth opened wide in shock.

 Chapter 226: The Lion and the Lamb !!!

    <h4>226 The Lion and the Lamb !!!</h4>


    "What is the current status of the final round demonstration part?"


    "They have agreed to your proposal".


    "Have they?"


    "Yes, Mr. Vikram. It''s all arranged now".


    Saying that Peter was about to turn and leave but then he paused and came back and said,


    "I have some other news for you. Not that it''s important, but I thought that I should let you know".


    "What is it?"


    "Raymond''s sister is getting married today at the City Council".


    "I see, with the same guy who came to act up that day on the g night I guess?"


    "Yes, Sir".


    "Good for them".


    "Let him have astp of happiness because starting tomorrow, I will bring in hell into his life".


    Vikram said and went near the window and looking into the distance he mumbled,


    "I aming for you Ray".


    ---


    "No Akira, this is lookingpletely weird".


    "Hmmpphhh ", she said and went back to her room to try another piece of cloth.


    "How about now?"


    "Akira seriously? You seriously were thinking to wear this one?"


    "Then what do I wear? I have nothing that is all dreamy and white".


    "For God''s sake you are not the bride Akira and the marriage is at the city council. It''s just a formal registration. So just wear anything formal or semi-formal and go", Mike yelled.


    "But I wanted to wear something nice and dreamy. It is a marriage for God''s sake".


    "Akira I repeat again, not yours. NOT YOURS".


    Akira stomped on her feet and went back to rummage through her wardrobe.


    "What about this one now?"


    "You need therapy", Mike yelled and then came inside the room to scan her wardrobe.


    He skimmed through a couple of her dresses and then picked out one simple strapless white short dress.


    "Wear this and then throw a jacket or shrug on it", and saying that he left the room.


    "Ooohhh. Since when your choices in clothes have be so much better than mine".


    "Since Always", and saying that he shut the door of her bedroom.


    Akira quickly changed as she had only half an hour left to get ready before Raymond arrived.


    After twenty minutes of effort, she was already.


    She wore a peach colored jacket on top of it and that made her look all peachy and fresh. Happy with her final look, she added some earrings and a bit of lip tint to finish her look. She had already braided her hair to one side and that makes her look even prettier.


    "How do I look now?", she came out of the room and asked.


    "Very less disturbing. Not an eyesore to be honest now".


    "You...".


    Akira picked up a pillow and threw at Mike.


    "Watch out. You shouldn''t injure your ace flyer just a day before the contest. My limbs are very very precious for yourpany right now".


    "You are so evil Mike", Akira said and stormed to the kitchen.


    "Where is all the milk?"


    "Oh I was a bit bored at night so I tried making a couple of smoothies and it got over".


    "Jesus Christ, I can''t even have my cereal now".


    She was starving and badly needed to have something to prevent that Road Rage ongoing inside her stomach. She had no mood to cook right now, so she picked up a vored frozen yogurt and started gobbling it up when Raymond arrived.


    As Mike opened the door to receive him, Akira''s jaws just dropped.


    His prince charming came in looking all drop dead gorgeous and dapper in a casual summer khaki suit. His essories were on point, his ruffled and a bit unkept hair look made him all the way more attractive and exuding nothing but sex appeal. She just wanted to pull him towards her right now, tugging on to hispels and give him that deep wet kiss that she desired. But given that her brother was lurking around, she just bottled her thoughts inside and sighed.


    "Umm... I would like to have what you are having".


    "What?"


    "That yogurt thing, I am famished", Raymond said and entered the kitchen.


    Akira went to the fridge and took out another tub for him to eat and said,


    "This is blueberry. I hope you will like it".


    "But I want strawberry, the one like yours", he said and turned back to check on Mike and found him walking towards his room, so he leaned back at her and covered her waist with his arms slowly and said,


    "That''s ok I am gonna have it anyway".


    "What?"


    "Eat some".


    Her nervous eyes looked up at him and she whispered,


    "No Mike is here".


    He shook his head and then leaning close to her ears he whispered,


    "He isn''t. So just do it".


    She looked up at him again and blushed hard and then took a small spoonful of yogurt and she put it in her mouth.


    His one hand released her waist and came up to hold the nape of her neck as he leaned further on her and licked her lower lip with his adept tongue.


    "Mmm...", she moaned with her mouth still closed and he said,


    "Let me in".


    Saying that he probed his tongue inside and her lips just parted in response like it was the stimuli.


    He dug in deeper, touching every corner, taking every ounce of vor that was left with her and then he said,


    "Strawberry is always nice".


    He licked his lower lip slightly to tease her and that made her blush even harder.


    She pushed him aside and rushed back to her room.


    Raymond had a wide grin on his face as he opened the yogurt tub to eat.


    "Why you have such a big smug smile on your face, if I may ask?"


    "Sorry?"


    "What are you smiling about?", Mike asked and picked up another tub of yogurt from the fridge for himself.


    "Errmmm... some inside joke about the project work. I just remembered when your sister left to get her bag", Raymond said and escaped.


    Then Mike saw Akiraing out of the room and she looked all red like she had been kissed by the sun. There was a background smile lurking on her face too.


    "What are you so happy about?"


    Akira was startled with Mike''s question and she looked at Raymond and stuttered.


    "Errmm... I saw a funny video on my phone".


    "Ahh I see... you both get into the kitchen and he remembered something funny about work and you saw some funny video on your phone, which is lying on the kitchen counter by the way".


    "Oh shit !!!", Akira mumbled.


    "You guys think I can''t understand a thing", saying that Mike crossed his arms in the front all defensively.


    "It was just a kiss Mike, nothing else", Akira blurted.


    Mike looked at Akira for a while and then looked at Raymond and thenughed.


    "Jeez, it''s so easy to get you Akira".


    Then looking at Raymond Mike said,


    "Why would you even fall for my dumb sister?"


    Akira pouted her face all angry for being yed with and rolled her eyes when Raymond came close to her and embracing her with his one arm he looked at Mike and said,


    "What to do? The Lion has fallen for themb".


    "Stupid stupidmb".

 Chapter 227: That yellow dress !!!

    <h4>227 That yellow dress !!!</h4>


    "So I am the stupidmb here?"


    Akira asked and rolled her eyes at Raymond.


    "Obviously, does anyone else in this room looks stupid to you apart from yourself?", Mike said and teased her.


    "I am going to kill you, Mike. You just watch your back. You will never know when death is iing".


    "How are you going to kill me? By bleating all around me?", Mike asked and both Raymond and Mike startedughing.


    Annoyed with both of them Akira stormed towards the foyer to wear her shoes.


    While Akira was wearing her shoe, Mike asked,


    "So you are gonna do it today?"


    Raymond looked at Mike and with an assuring smile on his face, he said.


    "Yes".


    "It happens today".


    "Just double think about it Raymond, you are taking a huge risk here".


    "But it''s a risk worth taking and I am pretty sure I am not going to regret it".


    "What are you two talking about?" Akira asked


    "It does not concern you", Mike retorted immediately.


    "Yeah, I know nothing does. God only knows what you two are up to. I should have had sent someone to see whether you both were actually busy flying drones or you guys just acted that you were working and the only thing you did was to plot against me".


    "Ok now don''t strain your brains thinking about all these scenarios Akira. Let''s go it''s alreadyte", Raymond said and extended his hand.


    "Now you are speaking my brother''snguage".


    "This is just fantastic. Just a couple of days with him and you are already bing like him. I think soon enough you will start a club and name it as "We hate Akira".


    Saying that Akira stormed out of the house.


    "All the best man".


    Said Mike as Raymond left the house.


    As they entered the car, Raymond tried to hold Akira''s hand but she immediately retorted,


    "Don''t even think about it".


    "Why are you mad with me?"


    "Can you please just drive? We are already gettingte.


    ----


    She looked at herself in front of the mirror.


    She was looking out of the world in that white gown and veil. The threads of the dress glistened and glowed under the light and made her feel all princessy.


    Shawn had called her a couple of minutes back and he was about to reach her ce in a few minutes. She knew it was happening. But then she kept looking at herself in the mirror for a while and after much deliberation, she removed her dress,


    She went back to her wardrobe and took out a very simple yellow summer dress. It was quite old but that dress was very dear to Katherine. She dressed herself up quickly in it and when she started with her hair, she heard a knock on her bedroom door.


    It was Kate.


    Kate stepped inside the room and within seconds she had hit the panic button.


    "What happened to the nice dress that we got? Why is it lying on the floor? Why are you wearing such an old dress? Are you not going to marry Shawn? Mom, what are you doing?", she started yelling at the top of her lungs and was almost in tears.


    Katherine took a step ahead and wiped the tears away from her daughter''s face and said.


    "Who said I am not going to marry him? I will, for sure".


    "Then why are you not wearing that pretty dress? Why are you wearing this old one? And why are you..."


    And the doorbell rang.


    Kate ran downstairs to open the door because she knew it was Shawn. They had hardly started interacting a couple of days back, but she doted on him and so did he. It was like they had already started to share a father-daughter bond.


    As she opened the door she saw Shawn standing outside the door looking all handsome like a prince who had just arrived to rule his kingdom.


    "How do I look my princess?", Shawn asked looking at Kate.


    "You look like an emperor".


    "And how is my queen doing?"


    "Your Queen has gone nuts. She has removed her wedding dress and is wearing something else right now", Kate said rolling her eyes.


    "What are you talking about?", Shawn asked all confused.


    "You can go ahead and check for yourself", Kate said and pointed her finger towards Katherine''s room.


    His heart was all restless after hearing what Kate had to say.


    Shawn immediately climbed up the stairs to check on Katherine. While he climbed every stair, he was scared if she had got a cold-feet, he was scared to hear a no from her side, he was scared with the thought itself that she might back out from all this.


    But as he entered the room and looked at her, he was spellbound. He dropped everything that he was holding and rushed towards her and holding her face in his palm he kissed her.


    "I can''t tell you how much this means to me today. Of all the days you choose today to wear this dress. I don''t know what to say, Katherine. You just never fail to amaze me".


    "How do I look?"


    "You look beautiful".


    "But not like a princess right?"


    "I don''t need a princess. I need this girl, who is right now in my arms", he said anding closer he touched the tip of her nose with his and ran his fingers through her hair.


    "I never thought that you would still have this dress with you. I thought you hated it as you never wore it".


    "How could I not have this dress with me, Shawn? This was the first gift that you bought for me and I never wore it because I was scared that it will be damaged. I have treasured it more than anything else in my life for all these years".


    "8 years"


    "8 years indeed",


    Saying that he came leaned on her and captured her lips again.

 Chapter 228: An unbreakable vow !!!

    <h4>228 An unbreakable vow !!!</h4>


    As they reached the City Council, Akira was still grumpy. So she didn''t even wait for Raymond toe and open the door for her.


    After getting out of the car she looked at Raymond and said,


    "You are not allowed to touch me today. Hmmphhh...."


    "Are you sure?"


    "A hundred and one percent".


    "But I can bet that in just a couple of hours you will be the one kissing me first".


    "Oh please. Not even my pinky finger would like to kiss you", Akira said and stormed upstairs towards the inquiry.


    "We will see about that", mumbled Raymond and followed her upstairs.


    At a distance of around fifty feet, an Aston Martin was parked with all ck tinted windows screened up. The driver saw Raymond and said,


    "Sir he has reached".


    He shifted his gaze from the newspaper and looked outside.


    ---


    Katherine and Shawn had already arrived before them and David was also there as Katherine had specially invited him.


    "What took you guys so long", Katherine asked looking at Raymond and Akira.


    "She was too busy eating yogurt", Raymond said and gave a look at Akira and all that she could do was to bite her lips and then gave out a fakeugh to everyone.


    "Seriously Raymond, you think we don''t understand your yogurt?", Katherine said andughed.


    "We have been allocated room number seven. We can start with the process now".


    "Yessss", screamed Kate and looked happily at Shawn. She was perhaps happier than Katherine.


    "What''s with that dress Kat? You really want to have your marriage pictures clicked in that dress?"


    "Yes, we do", Shawn replied before Katherine could even attempt to speak and then fondly looking at her he said,


    "Its time babe".


    They all went together to room number seven and the officiator was already ready there for them. Looking into her eyes, Shawn held Katherine''s hand in his arms and they marched ahead together, ready to start a new chapter of their life together.


    Theypleted all the legal formalities and signed all the required documents. Since it was a legal courtroom marriage, there was no priest to read the quotes or help them take their vows, but they were ready, ready to take their vows and narrate their promises.


    She had imagined for this day throughout her life and now that it was here, she couldn''t fight her tears back. Looking into his eyes, she came close to him and said,


    "I promise to keep you and only you in my heart till myst breath. I promise that no matter how long my day has been, I will never forget to kiss you a good night and I hope that when I die, I die in your arms".


    "Mom no. No one dies", Kate interrupted them in between.


    "No one is dying here my sweetheart. Your mother is just being overdramatic", Raymond said andforted Kate with his own weird sarcastic ways and like always they worked.


    Shawn heard her speak and his heart became all emotional and looking deep into her eyes he said,


    "I do not want you to die in my arms. I do not want to hold you when you die".


    Katherine looked up at him all confused and her brows were all knitted up.


    He smiled gently looking at her he raised his hand up and then he gently traced his finger around her brows and said,


    "My eyes do not want to see the day in which you are not present. So if you leave, then take me with you. Don''t you ever dare to leave me alone? I don''t want to want to spend a day without you around me and I promise you that I will enlist all my seconds, all my minutes and hours in your name. All my time will be yours and only yours. I promise you that."


    Their promises were so touching and filled with warmth that Akira got all emotional and her eyes started to brim. She turned and looked towards Raymond who also turned towards her at the same time. Their nces met and Raymond mouthed in her direction,


    "I love you".


    "I love you too", she mouthed and smiled all happily and wiped the tears in her eyes.


    "Now please say after me", the officiator said and they both followed.


    "I, Shawn Cummins take you Katherine Walker to be my wife".


    "I, Katherine Walker take you Shawn Cummins to be my husband".


    And then they spoke together,


    "To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."


    "I now pronounce you husband and wife", saying that the officiator lifted the gavel and struck it on the table and looking at the vibrant couple in front of him he said,


    "You may now kiss the bride".


    It was the moment for which he had been waiting for eternity. This was it. Their souls didn''t need any tag, they were already bound with each other like an unbreakable vow. Taking a step ahead Shawn came ahead and held her face in his hand and said,


    "Always"


    And next his lips did the talking.

 Chapter 229: I am taken !!!

    <h4>229 I am taken !!!</h4>


    "Sir would you like me to go inside and check on the things".


    "No need".


    "So we will not do anything now?", his driver asked impatiently.


    "No, we are here to just watch today, like mock spectators", he said and leaned back in his car seat.


    ---


    They all cheered for them.


    After all finally after waiting for eight long years, they could arrive at today and everything about today was beautiful.


    "Can I go to them now?"


    Raymond smiled looking at Kate and released her hand.


    Kate ran towards them and hugged their knees and interrupted their kiss.


    Shawn knew that it was her and fondly looked down and lifted her up in his arms and then said,


    "Would you like to have a kiss my sweetheart?", and saying that he ced a warm kiss on her forehead and hugged her.


    "So can I call you dad from now Shawn?"


    "You could have called me earlier also. I wouldn''t have minded", he said and gently touched the tip of her nose.


    "Dad !!!"


    Kate said and hugged him tightly.


    That was it. Katherine could not have asked for more in life. After all these years she married the man she loved and her daughter got to call someone "Dad" after all these years. It was just perfect.


    Then David, who was busy taking pictures, looked at Raymond and he knew that it was time. So he went up to Kate and gave her a small bouquet of flower and said,


    "You know what you have to do right?"


    "Oh yes", and saying that Kate came down out of Shawn''s arms and then looking at Katherine she said,


    "Throw this bouquet behind mommy. Someone needs to catch it to marry next", saying that she handed her mom a bouquet of baby''s breath.


    "Oh, she is gonna throw the bouquet now", Akira screamed all excited.


    "Please give me all the space people, I need to catch it", saying that Akira geared herself up to take the catch and so Raymond moved behind her, giving her all the space that she wanted.


    But then she saw that instead of throwing it back, Katherine came walking towards her, holding the bouquet.


    "What happened? Why didn''t you throw it?"


    "That''s because I want to make sure it goes to you".


    Saying that she handed her the bouquet and said,


    "I hope that you get married next. I hope that you enter my brother''s life as soon as possible because you really make him happy. I might sound selfish but that''s how it is. Marry my brother Akira !!! Make this familyplete".


    "I would love to Kat", Akira said getting all emotional, holding the bouquet in her hand.


    Hearing her say that Katherine smiled and closed her eyes for a while and then taking a deep breath she said,


    "Then turn back".


    "What?"


    "Turn back Akira".


    And she turned, only to find that the man of her dreams was in front of her, down on his knees.


    "What are you doing Ray? What is going on?", Akira asked looking at him and then turned to look at everyone and found everyone smiling looking at her.


    Taking a deep breath, Raymond said,


    "With everything varying in my life you are my only constant and I would like to hold on to you. You are the only thing around which my life revolves. Your insanity gives a purpose to my life. I might not be able to give you the fairytale life that a princess like you deserves, but I promise you, I will keep you happy".


    He said and looked up her and saw her eyes already glistening with tears.


    Then he got up and holding her face in his hands he said,


    "I know its way too early, but my heart just can''t wait".


    "So say you will be mine, else I am going to wait here in this room, till I die. If you want, I will get down on my knees again and say the things you want to hear, the promises you want me to make with a hand on my heart. But please say yes".


    "Say yes, even if your heart is scared, even if it''s too early, even if you feel its crazy because I am gonna ask you that same question every single day. So you better say yes today".


    Then taking a pause he looked at her.


    Her eyes were still opened wide in shock and she was still reeling. She looked at him but not a single word came out of her mouth.


    "You are scaring me Akira. Now would be the time you said something".


    He came even closer and touched her head with his own and said,


    "Please".


    "Then do it".


    He opened his eyes and looked at her.


    "Then do it. Get on your knees and promise me that you will never leave me, like ever".


    A smile spread on his face and he went down on his knees again.


    Then taking a little box out from his chest pocket, he opened it and looking at her he said,


    "Miss Akira Peyton !!! Will you marry me? Would you like to have me in your life till eternity? Would you like to...."


    "Yes and thousand times yes", she said interrupting him and leaning down she kissed him softly on his lips making a smile spread on his face.


    "Then be mine", he said and slowly inserted the ring in her finger.


    Then as he got up, he held her hand and kissed her and whispered into her ears,


    "Didn''t I can bet that in just a couple of hours you will be the one kissing me first".


    "You", saying that she punched his chest.


    Kate went running to them and tugging on to Raymond, she asked,


    "Now you two will also get married today?"


    Laughing at her cute question, Raymond said,


    "Yes I will, but not today my dear. She has toplete her masters first. But yeah, she is taken now",


    saying that he looked at her.


    Akira turned towards Katherine, Shawn and David and showing them the back of her her hand she beamed,


    "I am taken".

 Chapter 230: Come closer and I will make you believe

    <h4>230 Come closer and I will make you believe</h4>


    David looked at the picture of Akira and Raymond captured on his DSLR and a smile spread on his face. Looking at the lovely family together, all that he could do was to smile. It had been years that he had seen them together and happy like this.


    He immediately transferred the pictures into his mobile phone and sent them to someone.


    Katherine was the happiest person in the room because she not only found love for herself today but she also had her brother, find the love of his life. Now everything seemed sorted out for them. It was the beginning of a new phase in their lives, an exciting and happy one it was.


    Turning towards Akira she said,


    "I knew that you would say yes, but you should have seen my brother freaking out".


    "Was he?"


    "He was rattling like leaf today morning and he..."


    Katherine''s statement was interrupted by a call on Raymond''s phone. It was from Mike.


    "Hey, Mike !!!"


    "So is it done?"


    "Yes, it is and she said yes", Raymond beamed.


    "Obviously she had to say yes. I knew that already and I told you so. I don''t know why you were worrying unnecessarily"


    "You never know what runs in the mind of a girl, you can never ever guess what she really wants. Especially this one".


    Akira punched him again hearing his statement and then snatched the phone from Raymond''s hand and said,


    "So you knew about it?"


    "Of course I did. Do you know, he told me officially about it and took my permission to propose to you since I am family? I mean, who does that these days? He is a keeper Akira. Don''t make him regret his decision".


    "I know Mike, I never will".


    Akira disconnected the call but everyone could see that the smile on her face had be bigger and brighter.


    "He told you about it, didn''t he?", Raymond asked.


    "That guy, can''t even keep a thing to himself", Raymond mumbled but Akira came forward and kissed him on his cheeks and said,


    "I like you so much more now Mr. Raymond".


    And then the party decided to move on to Shawn''s ce to celebrate.


    They talked for hours and ate happily. Mike also joined themter.


    After putting Kate to bed, Katherine and Shawn excused themselves for a walk in the park while Mike was busy ying on Shawn''s Xbox.


    So finding the room all to themselves, Akira said,


    "I feel like dancing with you right now".


    Raymond got up from his seat immediately and pulled her into his arms because that''s what he was dying to do.


    Leaning on his chest she said,


    "I still can''t believe Raymond that I am engaged to you?"


    "Come closer and I will make you believe", Raymond said and pulled her even closer. So close that the only gap between them was of their clothes.


    "Did you mean it?"


    "Did you mean all of it?", Akira asked as her tiny little brain was still not able to process the fact that they were already engaged.


    "When I said I loved you, I meant it from my heart. I desire you, but my love for you is greater than any desire that is lurking in my heart".


    She looked up at him and her eyes spoke of nothing but love.


    Taking a deep breath and looking at her, he said,


    "I will never let you disappoint your mom".


    Akira looked up at him with a question mark on her face.


    "I had read your old diary".


    ''When did you?"


    "That''s not the point that I wasn''t to discuss now Akira."


    "But why would you do that?"


    "I wanted to know why you never did anything with Anthony, I mean I knew there would have been moments, but you never took a step forward with him. I didn''t know how he resisted you for so long when I can''t keep my hands away from you for even a second".


    "So I wanted to know if I was doing the right thing before I took any step further".


    "Raymond you..."


    "I know about it Akira. I have read it all. You had promised your mom that you won''t do anything until you find the right guy and get engaged. So I wanted you to keep that promise intact Akira. So before I touched you, I just wanted to make sure that we kept our part of the promise".


    Akira couldn''t believe her ears when she heard his reasons.


    She was touched, beyond touched.


    How could a man, risk everything just for the sake of keeping a promise that she had made? How could a man take a leap of faith just so that she didn''t have to cross the line?


    "Do you think, you will be happy with me, like forever? Am I good enough for you?"


    "Will there be a time, where you will regret your decision?"


    He ran his fingers on her cheeks and said,


    "If I would have dyed it even by a day, I would have regretted. If there was any way possible, I would have done it even sooner".


    "Why?", she asked touching his hand.


    "Because I am dying for GCG to finish. My hands are itching to touch you. And I swear on the seven heavens, if I do, I won''t stop Akira. I just won''t".


    She came closer and kissed on his cheeks and said,


    "Then win it for me tomorrow".


    "And what do I get in return?"


    "Tomorrow night, at this same time, I promise I will make all your wildest dreamse true. But now you need to go back home and rest well. We have a big day tomorrow".


    Saying that Akira held his hands and took him downstairs.


    Shawn and Katherine were back from their walk so they said their goodnights and Raymond dropped both Mike and Akira at their ce. But before Akira could enter inside the door, he pulled her hand back and gave a deep kiss on her lips and whispered,


    "Wear something inice in ck tomorrow night, for me".


    His car then zoomed into distance, but she stood there looking in his direction, touching her lips, wishing tomorrow night to never end.

 Chapter 231: GCG - May the best man win !!!

    <h4>231 GCG - May the best man win !!!</h4>


    It was a bright Sunday morning.


    A morning that makes you feel - Today is your day.


    As the gentle ray''s of sunlight fell on Raymond''s face, we woke up.


    He got up from his bed and went straight to his study and then picking up the picture of his mother and said,


    "If you are seeing me right now, then you know how important this is for me. Stay with me today mom. Be my strength for I can''t fight dad alone".


    Saying that he kissed the picture and then looked at his mother for a couple of seconds before keeping it back.


    It was time to get ready.


    Raymond''s support crew had already reached Bary''s Center to set up their advertising unit and Akira was on her way to Raymond''s ce to start together for the event.


    He fixed his shirt and tied theces of his oxfords and just then he heard the doorbell ring. He knew it was her.


    Raymond immediately picked up all his stuff and went towards the door to leave along with Akira.


    But she stopped him and came inside the house.


    "What are you doing Akira? Aren''t we supposed to leave right now?"


    "Remove your shoes".


    "What?"


    "Just do as I say, please. It''s important to me".


    Raymond removed his shoes and stood in front of her.


    First, she took out the small pouch of sacred vermillion from her bag and ced a small dot of it on his head and said,


    "This will protect you from everything evil. Nothing will touch you, so don''t be afraid. Just give your best today".


    Then she took out another container which had a bit of yogurt and sugar mixed in it.


    "Oops, I forgot to get a spoon", saying that she ran to his kitchen to get one.


    Then giving him a spoonful of that mix she said,


    "This will bring you all the luck that you need", saying that she stood on her toes and kissed lightly on his cheeks and said,


    "Now we can go. I am ready".


    He cupped her face in his hand and said,


    "I need to buy a vowel to tell you how much I love you".


    "As I said, win it for me. No need to buy a vowel", then with a smile on her face she said,


    "Mike is waiting. Let''s go".


    ---


    After reaching Bary''s center, they rushed to their booth as Raymond wanted to cross check each and every arrangement.


    "How is the demoing up Simon?"


    "Coming up good boss", Simon said and turned towards him but his eyes were distracted to see that Vermillion mark.


    "Um.. you got something on your forehead".


    "Yeah, that''s for protection !!!", Raymond said and smiled.


    Then he said,


    "I need a second disy system connected to myptop and ce a connection switcher with my system. I need an override enabled. Pronto".


    Kirk was surprised to hear his boss''s demands but he acted fast to set it up.


    Once it was Live, Raymond texted David,


    "It''s a go from the booth-side".


    The entire team of Delphie was busy, making sure everything was ok and glitch free. There were only forty mins remaining on the clock before the event was to start and just 80 minutes to go live. It was true that it was Raymond''s dream to win it big, but it was the dream of every single person at Delphie to make Raymond''s dreame true. They all fought together as a team, trying to be ready to turn every single possible stone in their way.


    But then five minutester Vikram arrived at the venue and went straight to Delphie''s booth.


    Everyone was busy working so hard that no one took notice of him when he arrived.


    So looking at Raymond he said,


    "So how is my ace man doing today?"


    Hearing his voice Raymond turned and he could see evil lurking beneath that gentle face of his.


    "Just trying to drain myst drop of blood over here", Raymond said and smiled back.


    But then suddenly the smile on Vikram''s face was wiped away as Raymond turned to face him.


    He saw the vermillion on Raymond''s face and he knew that it was Akira who must have put it on him. Even though this was insignificant right now, he somehow felt like his insides were getting ripped. It was hard for him to believe that she would start sharing the customs which were so close to her heart with Raymond. It was hard for him to believe that he had already be the one and only in her life.


    Drinking that bitter sip of insult, Vikram tried to force a fake smile on his face and extended his hand towards Raymond and said,


    "May the best man win".


    But before Raymond could even reply, Akira barged in and said,


    "Why Vikram?"


    Then looking at Raymond she extended her hand and shook with him instead and whispered,


    "May MY best man win !!!".

 Chapter 232: GCG - The walk of victory

    <h4>232 GCG - The walk of victory</h4>


    Vikram''s hand turned all cold after hearing Akira''s statement. He wanted to retract his hand back, but he just couldn''t. The look in her eyes, the confidence that she had on Raymond, the way she looked at Raymond, it all killed him bit by bit.


    He gave a fake smile and then said,


    "I am going to check on some other matter now".


    And saying that he left the booth and dragged his hurt self forward.


    ---


    [10:30 am]


    It was time.


    The announcer came to the control center and spoke.


    "Ladies and gentlemen. We wee you all to the 9th Annual GCG event, 2019".


    And the entire arena was filled with loud cheers.


    "So to inaugurate the event we have amongst us the CEO of Infinion Mr. Garrison Pord. A big round of apuse for him guys".


    Suddenly all the cheers and all the apuse started to faint for Raymond. He looked towards the control center and saw Mr. Pord walking towards the dice and somehow the blood dried in his veins.


    "What happened Raymond?"


    Akira asked all worried, as she saw the color drain from his cheeks.


    "He was the man who called off my dream deal at Singapore", Raymond said gritting his teeth.


    "Then prove him today how wrong his decision was", Akira said and looked at him with her assuring eyes.


    Mr. Por held the mic and said,


    "Ladies and gentlemen, this year''s GCG is a record in itself, for this year we have record participation of fifty-sevenpanies who are going to fight for the title".


    Again the whole arena was filled with the sound of apuse.


    Vikram sat with a smug face in the control center because he knew it was already time for Raymond''s dream to be shattered into pieces.


    "So to make this event a bit special, we have decided to let only thosepanies participate who can help to give a live demo of their Virtual reality-based rounds augmented with their system. We know it is a sudden change in the rule, but that''s how we mix it up".


    There was a sudden silence that spread across.


    "What to do now Raymond? Why did they suddenly changed the rules now?", Simon asked all worried.


    "This was not what we signed up for", Kirk shouted.


    "This is theplete bending of rules. This is anarchy", they shouted.


    All their effort was about to go into the drain, but rather than that there were more worried about the setback that Raymond would face. But surprisingly he was taking it all well, he looked all calm.


    Turning towards them he said,


    "I will handle it. Trust me on that".


    And suddenly there was a huge uproar in the arena as many of thepanies now were debarred because of the new rule. It took more than fifteen minutes to get the entire crowd under control and when it was, Mr. Por again went up to the Mic and said,


    "Your booths have been provided with a Go Live button. And the teams which have there AR and VR augmentation ready, please press on your Go Live buttons so that you will be included for the first round".


    "May the best team win !!!", saying that he took his seat back.


    Next, the announcer came on the dice and took over the charge of holding the first round,


    "So now we have 2panies ready with Go Live, and now we have a third one from Compton Ltd. The clock is ticking people,st 60 seconds to Go Live and to participate".


    There was chaos at Delphie''s booth but unfazed with all that Raymond was busy with his system. Then he looked up and Kirk and said,


    "Make it Go Live Kirk. From Disy number 2".


    "But we don''tply with the rules".


    "Actually we do", Raymond said and smiled.


    "Last 30 seconds",


    Kirk heard the announcement and panicked. He rushed and made the system Go live in 10 seconds.


    "We have a fourth participant now Delphie systems".


    "What?"


    Vikram eximed and got up from his seat all surprised.


    "This can''t be happening. Not possible".


    He was unable to understand, how this was happening.


    After taking a couple of steps ahead he called up Peter,


    "Can you exin to me what is happening? How can they participate even after the rules have changed?"


    "Their game supports it. I have just now checked their Go Live banner. They have AR plus VR support enabled. I don''t know how but they do".


    "I had checked their project update. There wasn''t anything mentioned about it", Vikram shouted.


    "I know, even I am surprised, Mr. Vikram".


    "Then do something about it".


    "I will try to see what I can do".


    "Wait a minute", Vikram asked and paused.


    "Where is the venue for the final round".


    "I am not sure about it sir. But I guess some forest nearby".


    "Increase the wired transaction value for the members. I need venue number 2".


    "But the venue has already been fixed by them".


    "Then make them choose a new one. But it has to be at Venue number 2. I need that to change now. make it happen, Peter. At any cost".


    Saying that he disconnected the call and stormed from the control center towards the central disy.


    The banner of Delphie was projected on the screen loud and clear.


    As he looked at the banner, his fists clenched and his eyes burned within in rage.


    He heard someone''s footsteps approaching him and before he could turn he heard his voice and knew that it was him.


    "Isn''t the banner amazing !!!"


    "Yes, good work", Vikram said trying hard to suppress his anger.


    "Well, all thanks to you".


    "Me?"


    "Because you sent an angel to me who did it all".


    "What?"


    "Akira did it, all of it !!!".


    He said and nced at Vikram, who was rotting from the inside. Then smiling at him he walked back towards his booth. There was clear sign of victory written all over his face.

 Chapter 233: GCG - Topsy Turvy

    <h4>233 GCG - Topsy Turvy</h4>


    Vikram''s jaws were clenched, and the blood inside him erupted in anger. He turned and saw Raymond walking all wide in pride and that sight was unbearable for him.


    He had nned hard really hard.


    He had arranged for some questionable pictures of some of the GCG council members and had forced them to make thesest-minute changes in the game rules to favor him. He was so hell-bent on crushing Raymond''s dream and his identity that in an inside deal he had purchased anotherpany - ''Compton Ltd'' and provided them with all the information so that they can rule over the contest.


    But everything went into the drain.


    All the money that he had invested, all the hours that he spent. He couldn''t understand how Raymond was able to foil his irond, fail-proof n.


    But he himself was also a man of wit who always had a n B ready as a backup. He was not ready to cave in. Not so fast.


    After calming his nerves, he called up Peter again,


    "Patch me through to the Compton tech lead".


    "Ok Mr.Vikram".


    "Mr. Mitiyoushi, Mr.Vikram is on the line with you".


    "I had sent you a couple of character designs to integrate into the first round of the game right?"


    "Yes, Mr. Vikram".


    "I want that first round of your game to be shown now".


    "But Mr. Vikram, our original first round is way better with better characters and guild design than the ones you gave. The new one isn''t that perfect right now. There might be some glitches as it hasn''t been thoroughly tested. But our previous design is well tested and verified".


    "I don''t care about that, just make sure the new design takes part in the first level of the contest here. You have 20 mins to make everything ready".


    Vikram said and disconnected the call.


    His voice was fiercelymanding. Everything was getting on his nerves now.


    Peter heard the entire conversation in the background and he felt like it was a bad move on Vikram''s part because they had invested millions in buying Compton and Vikram was risking his ownpany''s performance with this move.


    So he called up Vikram.


    "Sir, I think we should rethink using their character design. It will disqualify both the teams. It will be a huge loss for us if ourpany is disqualified. Plus this will affect our image as well when news wille out that we are the parentpany of Compton. This will, in turn, affect the brand value of Abacus".


    "I do not care about that right now. Does it look like I am bothered about this contest anymore?", yelled Vikram.


    "If that''s what it takes to disqualify Delphie then I am on it and you need to make sure that it happens", saying that Vikram went back to the arena.


    He was bothered and it was clear from his desperate actions.


    A couple of minutester another announcement was made.


    "Thepetition will get stiffer now. You all have to disy the first round of your game and judges will gauge everything about this round starting from the grid, character, user-friendliness, and optimality. So please select yer vs system mode and be ready to give a demo in 10, 9,.....


    Raymond sat all calm in his booth as he had full confidence in Simon and his abilities for presenting a perfect demo. He looked at Simon and said,


    "Just y it as you do in the office. No pressure".


    Simon nodded and then looked at Kirk. Even he was ready and they went to Live again.


    Simon''splete attention was channeled into the game and he yed really well with his adept hands against the system. His guild control was perfect today and he amassed 690 points in the first round and then they submitted their demo.


    A satisfactory smile spread on Raymond''s face as the max that they had scored in the trial rounds was 683 in the demo runs in office. It was clear that Simon had given his all today.


    Next, the GCG council body was busy analyzing and preparing the ranking based on the demo videos submitted by the fourpanies which were fighting against each other.


    Now it was the time for Vikram to gloat over.


    So he came down from the arena and went to Delphie booth because he wanted to see the reaction on Raymond''s face when they would be disqualified.


    "How did it go?"


    Kirk looked at Simon and then looking up at Vikram he said,


    "This guy aced it today. Better than office trial runs".


    "Looks like I have invested my money in the rightpany", Vikram said half heartedly.


    "Well don''t worry Mr. Vikram, I told you earlier that I will give my best shot here. So that''s what we are doing right now".


    Vikram turned to look at Akira, but she was unfazed with any of the talks and was busy checking something on her system so he didn''t disturb her. But little did he know that she was analyzing theplete video of the first round by Compton frame by frame and she was taking note of all the characters that they had copied.


    And then the announcement began,


    "Time for the scores people".


    "In the fourth rank, we have Compton Ltd, which the judges have scored 67/100".


    "In the third rank, we have MetaFile, which the judges have scored 73/100".


    "In the second rank, we have Delphi, which the judges have scored 87/100".


    "And in the first rank, we have Gamma Corp, which the judges have scored 88.5/100".


    "It''s a tight race right now and anything can happen because the next round that we have is massive and it will make sure that only best will win".


    Vikram couldn''t understand what just happened.


    Both Delphie and Compton were supposed to be eliminated. But how did this happen? Why they were still eligible?


    There was a huge uproar in Delphie booth because even though they were in the second ce the margin was less. There was still a good chance for them to snatch the trophy.


    Then Vikram turned towards Raymond and said,


    "Second ce is good. But why second ce? Can I see the demo? I want to see what went wrong?"


    "Sure thing !!!", Raymond said all nonchntly but he knew that Vikram was clearly disturbed.


    Simon switched on the demo again for Vikram to see,


    He scanned every frame but he couldn''t find any of the characters that were shown by Akira to him and that surprise was clearly written on his face.


    He turned towards Akira and asked,


    "Are your designs not being used in here?"


    "Which designs?", Akira asked deliberately.


    "The ones you showed me at lunchtime the other day".


    "Oh, those were the rejected ones. I just showed you to give a sample demo of my work. I wanted you to see my work and appreciate me. You see the fiery female here on the screen with red hair, that was designedpletely by me. But I couldn''t show you this one as it is against thepany''s information sharing policies you see".


    Vikram stood there in silence, starting at the screen, unable to understand if his girl had yed him.

 Chapter 234: GCG - Taking home the team spiri

    <h4>234 GCG - Taking home the team spiri</h4>


    "What happened Vikram? You look so pale", Akira asked and handed him a bottle of water.


    Then with her gaze still fixated on him, she said,


    "Keep yourself hydrated. Maybe you can go back in shade in the central arena. Maybe the heat here in this non-air conditioned booth is not suiting you".


    Vikram looked at her for a while, unable to understand if that was her real concern or mockery. Nevertheless, he took the water bottle and gulped the entire content because the results had rendered his soul and hurt and parched.


    All his ns were getting foiled one after the other.


    Raymond seemed to be one step ahead of him always and he wasn''t able to understand how that was happening. It was the second time that he had been tricked. But he wasn''t going to let that happen the third time.


    He was brandished with her words and his ego had been trampled upon. He had turned into a wounded lion who was desperate to kill its prey and Raymond had no idea that he was going to go all in. So picked up his wounded self-esteem and dusted it and turning towards Akira he said,


    "You guys prepare for the next round and let me know if any help is required from my side".


    Saying that he left towards the arena without waiting for their response.


    He sat back on the chair and tried to recollect everything that just happened.


    He was unable to understand why in the first ce Akira would show him the rejected images. He wasn''t sure if she did that knowingly or she was actually adhering to thepany policies.


    His thought process was halted when he got a call from Peter,


    "Please tell me there is some good news".


    "Unfortunately not. Things aren''t looking good Mr.Vikram".


    "What now?", Vikram asked all irritated.


    "Mr. Mitiyoushi seems to be very miffed with your decision for using the other game in the round instead of the original one that they had developed. So his team is pulling back and he called me to tell that he is going to send hiswyer to our office tomorrow regarding this whole episode".


    Vikram heard him and pinched the space between his brows and said,


    "How much will be needed to silence him?"


    "Umm... that part I am not sure sir. He is a Japanese guy and his ethics and morals are very strong. I don''t think he will budge for just money. He is more affected with the name of thepany going down becasue of the first round. They have already switched off their setup from here and are packing up. No matter how much I requested them to participate in the second round, they just didn''t listen".


    Vikram sighed. As if life was not giving him enough lemons.


    "Fine then let the legal department deal with it. Inform them to do anything in their control to silence them. Tell them that money won''t be an issue. And file a petition back at them for quitting from the game in the middle. p awsuit with heavy penalty money".


    Saying that Vikram took a deep breath and then asked Peter.


    "Is there any possibility that any of the GCG council members is in contact with Raymond anyhow? I am not able to understand how everything is turning against me".


    "I can try to find out sir, but the chances are bleak. He doesn''t possess that amount of money or resource to have this sort of information or connection".


    "That''s what I thought as well. But all this cannot be a mere coincidence. It just doesn''t add up."


    "Even I think the same but the odds are heavy".


    "Anyways what about the change of the venue for the final round?"


    "Yes, that has been done. They will announce at the end of the second round".


    "Ok keep me posted".


    Now his eyes were fixed on the scoreboard as the second round had started.


    The second round was a fight between two yers where both the yers had to be from the samepany and the pitted against each other.


    The whole purpose was to check the weaponry and cheat sheet deployment in the games when two yers using the same game yed against each other.


    Now it was Raymond''s turn to showcase his skills and he yed against Simon. They both yed their best but since Simon was more adapted to the game, he won against Raymond and he amassed a total of 580 points while Raymond got 520. It was a close match and they yed their best using every possible weapon against each other because that was the whole purpose of this exercise. To showcase the detailing of the game level.


    Once the timer was up, all the three fighting teams submitted their game and waited for the result screen to light up.


    Raymond hugged Simon after the duel and said,


    "You yed really well, better than I ever expected under so much pressure".


    "There isn''t so much pressure on me Raymond. There is just only one pressure an that is not to disappoint you or my team and all our effort. It''s not just your dream, it has be our dream as well".


    Raymond stayed silent after hearing him. He looked at every member who was present there and they all pronounced the same vibe to him. He just nodded and appreciated their effort and turned back because his heart was simmering with warm emotions.


    Akira knew that he was all emotional. She wanted to go and hug him, but she couldn''t do so as they had not told about themselves to the team. So she picked up her phone and texted him.


    "Your dream has be bigger Raymond. It''s no more just your dream. It''s ours. So cherish this because no matter if we win or we lose, this feeling, this bonding, this team spirit is something that we will win back home".


    Raymond read the message and his heart just swelled.


    He was a winner already in the heart of his people.

 Chapter 235: GCG - The sweet taste of Victory

    <h4>235 GCG - The sweet taste of Victory</h4>


    Raymond turned back towards Akira and his eyes were filled with nothing but gratitude and warmth. He took a deep breath and taking a hold of his emotions he said,


    "Let''s have faith in God now. We have done our best and I am just thankful to all of you for that. I couldn''t have asked for more".


    His teammates heard him speak and the whole booth started reverberating with nothing but warm feelings. Nobody spoke a word but they all slowly came forward and huddled together. They stood there all united and everyone''s eyes were fixated on the scoreboard. It was a now and never scenario for them.


    And then the screen flickered.


    At third ce - MetaFile - 79/100


    Raymond closed his eyes as he was now too nervous to even look at the scoreboard. His heart was racing hard and he was unable to calm his nerves.


    The screen flickered again.


    At second ce - Gamma Corp - 86/100


    That was enough for the Delphie team members to go ecstatic. Even before Raymond could open his eyes he heard the shrill and high pitched cheer of Kirk and he felt Simon''s arms around him.


    Simon hugged him tight and said,


    "We did it, Raymond. We did it!!!"


    That was it. Those were the words that his ears were desperate to hear.


    He knew that they had won.


    He opened his eyes and saw the scoreboard getting updated.


    At first ce - Delphie - 92/100


    He hugged Simon tight and just whispered,


    "Thanks. Thanks for everything".


    No one except him knew how much this victory meant for him. This victory had taken him closer to his dream. He was ecstatic but he knew that he needed to stay grounded as the next round was the final and the decider one.


    He took a deep breath and then thanked his stars and turned back.


    Akira was standing behind, away from the entire crowd that had circled around Raymond but her eyes were glistening with pride. His brother had hugged her tight as she was getting all emotional looking at the scoreboard. He looked at her and his eyes spoke his emotions that were present in his heart. She just looked at him and their eyes spoke their feelings. Gratitude, love, ecstasy, all of it.


    The announcer had now arrived back at the podium and just then Vikram received a text,


    "Venue number 2 is confirmed" - [Peter]


    Vikram looked at his phone screen for a while and then sent a text to an unknown number.


    He took a deep breath after sending the text. His hands trembled for a while contemting if he went way out of the line, but then his eyes fell on the scoreboard again and he took a deep breath and rxed.


    Everything is fair in love and war and he was fighting for both.


    "Ladies and gentlemen now we have our winner - Delphie. A huge round of apuse for them".


    "Now its time for the mega reveal for the third and final decider round. As the rounds have be neck to neck we have decided to revamp the third round. Hold your breath because it''s going to be exciting as hell".


    Raymond somehow didn''t like the sound of it.


    He turned back and looked at Mike and Akira. Mike just nodded his head to assure Raymond.


    "Instead of having a localpetition we are going Global. We will be having the final real VR round demo in the Amazons. All the transport charges and amodation will be provided by the GCG council. So pack your bags and get set for the finale which will be held this Tuesday."


    "All the best to team Delphie, Gamma Corp and MetaFile".


    There was chaos all over in all the booths.


    "Amazons !!! But aren''t those forests pretty dangerous? Why are they risking so much for thispetition?" Simon asked all worried.


    "But what do they mean by VR round? We don''t have any VR round in our game right?", Kirk asked all surprised.


    "Yes, we do".


    "We do?", Simon turned towards Raymond and asked him in surprise.


    "Yeah", said Raymond and gave out a gentle smile.


    "You are like a dark horse, my man. I don''t know from where are you conjuring everything. You did all this on your own?", Simon asked.


    "Not alone. I had some help", and saying that he looked towards Akira and smiled.


    "But how do we y the VR round? We haven''t practiced it. How are we going to participate? We don''t have enough time to practice as well".


    Akiraughed after hearing the questions of her teammates.


    Raymond again took a deep breath and said,


    "That also has been arranged".


    "Really?", Kirk asked in surprise.


    "So what now?", Simon asked.


    "So we pack our stuff as of now and prepare for Tuesday". Then Raymond called MIke to the front and said,


    "This is our ace flyer who is going to support us in the event".


    "Akira''s brother?", they all asked in surprise.


    "No, my brother-inw", Raymond said and smiled.

 Chapter 236: Proclamation of love

    <h4>236 Promation of love</h4>


    Both Akira and Mike stood there all shocked because they never expected him to tell it so soon.


    "Wait, what? You and Akira?", Simon said almost on the verge of shouting.


    "Can''t be. You two are dating? I mean right under our nose, all this time?"


    Kirk said with both his hands ced on his waist unable to believe what he just heard. Then turning towards Akira he asked,


    "Is he telling the truth or he is pulling a prank on us?"


    Akira stood there all silent, unable to process this sudden turn of events.


    All baffled, Simon turned towards Mike and asked,


    "She ain''t telling or conforming, at least can you tell us what is the truth?"


    "The truth? I mean whatever he just said. That''s the truth", Mike said shrugging his shoulder.


    "But when, how, it''s not possible", Simon retorted.


    Kirk then looked at Simon and spoke with a hint of irritation,


    "You told us that she was dating Vikram and that''s why she went to work in hispany. And now this. What sort of information are you feeding us, man?"


    "I just told you what I saw", Simon replied.


    "I never dated Vikram. He was just a friend. A family friend", then turning towards Raymond she said,


    "But this man here is everything for me".


    She smiled looking at him and that smile was enough to tell that she was truly, madly and deeply in love with him.


    "Holy cow !!!. How long have you two been dating?"


    "A couple of months, give or take", Raymond replied all nonchntly.


    "So you guys have been fooling us since long?", Simon asked, still unable to process all the information.


    Raymond smiled hearing their usation and said,


    "Well not exactly. We were just not explicit".


    "Now let''s pack up. This arena makes me all dizzy".


    "Pack up and leave? Do you think we will let you so easy? It''s time to hit the bar now and you are treating", Simon said and Kirk joined him in unison.


    "But guys this is not a victory yet. We need to wait for the third round to finish".


    "We are not going to celebrate this victory, we are going to celebrate you two. And we are not taking No for an answer".


    Raymond looked at his ecstatic team and caved in.


    "Fine guys. It''s been long that we celebrated. But on one condition".


    "What?"


    "None of you will bring the hangover back to the office tomorrow. Because we have a lot of work to do before Tuesday''s event and tomorrow is the only day that we got".


    "Oh yeah. we are down for it", they all screamed in unison and started packing.


    They were about to reach the parking area when Raymond saw Vikram leaning on his car. It was obvious that he was waiting for them.


    Seeing him Akira''s nerves flinched in an instant. It was extremely hard for her to keep all that hatred inside and still act cool with him like as if nothing had happened. Raymond could sense it and he instantly curled his arm around her waist and lightly squeezed it and said,


    "Focus on me and not him and stay cool. You can do it".


    Akira looked up at him all amused, unable to understand how he could read her like she was an open book. She smiled back at him and held his hand holding her waist and walked along.


    "Congrattions are in order my friend", Vikram said and extended his hand towards Raymond.


    Raymond shook his hand and pasting a fake smile on his face he said,


    "Thanks. Wouldn''t have been possible without your support".


    "I always had faith in you and yourpany".


    "Me too", said Raymond and smiled back looking directly into his eyes.


    "So how is the preparation for the final round? I mean the rules are changing every minute. Is the final y round of your game ready for it?"


    "Well technically yes. But God knows if some evil mind tries to manipte the rules again, then yeah we might be going for a toss".


    Vikram looked at Raymond trying to read between the lines but before he could say anything further, he saw Raymond''s teaming in full force. So he decided to stay silent.


    "Ah, Mr. Vikram are you shocked to hear the news too?", Simon asked.


    "What news?"


    "The news of these two being together?"


    "So you made it public?", Vikram asked all surprised looking at Akira.


    "Oh yes, they have. Just now. And he is treating us at a bar as well to celebrate", Simon added.


    Vikram stood there staring point nk at those two like he had lost his pulse.


    He felt like they both took a knife and had stabbed him deeply, right in his chest. But he couldn''t let his emotions make a fool out of him. So he somehow got them under control and asked,


    "Am I invited to the party?"


    "Of course you are", said Raymond and smiled at him.


    "But just a friendly suggestion. I mean thest round is on our head. So don''t you think it will be better if we can strategize and fix anything that is pending from our side to ensure a hundred and one percent readiness? We can celebrate after you are back. I had checked with the authorities and you guys need to leave tomorrow for the game. So I guess we don''t have much time in our hand".


    Raymond looked at Vikram and then looked at his team and then said,


    "Well one beer won''t hurt, would it? They all have promised to behave".


    Raymond looked at Vikram and he could clearly see that tension lines were forming on his face.


    Then looking at Akira he said,


    "I guess you guys could have waited till the event was over. What was the rush to tell them?"


    Raymond took a deep breath and said,


    "I am not a man who waits for things to turn its way. I believe in turning things towards my way. So if I like something, then I put a ring on it. I don''t wait".


    Akira smiled hearing Raymond and then deliberately brushed her hair behind her ears, showing that rock on her finger.

 Chapter 237: Reduced to dus

    <h4>237 Reduced to dus</h4>


    He had been mauled over again and again, with the p of defeat at each and every stage where he tried to trample him. Every single point where he felt like he would be able to go ahead, he chased him harder to overtake.


    Raymond had brandished him again and again with the promation of his authority over everything that he desired to own. He was already sore from all the defeat that hadnded straight on his face, but after seeing that ring on her finger, his throat just ran dry. He felt like he had inserted his hand inside his chest and was squeezing his heart. The pain was excruciating and unforgiving.


    His eyebrows were raised and his gaze shifted from Akira''s hand towards Raymond.


    "Did you propose to her?"


    Raymond looked at him and then moved his hand to hold Akira in his arms and then entangling his fingers in her hand he slightly lifted her hand wearing that ring and gently kissed on it.


    "Yes, I did and guess what, she yes".


    Raymond said all ecstatic, rubbing that news on Vikram''s face like his ultimate p of insult.


    Vikram looked at them all lost. He wanted to say something but he wasn''t able to conjure up the words. The deafening silence was hitting his ears like spears and ripped his eardrum. A scathing, nerve-wrenching pain soared inside him. He felt like he was losing the ground underneath him. He was unable to absorb or deflect what he heard with his own ears.


    But he didn''t want to stutter.


    He didn''t want to appear weak or defeated.


    He was Vikram Shah for God''s sake, the man who always had everything molded the way he liked.


    So it took him some time, but he rposed himself and stered a fake smile on his face and said,


    "Congrattions to you both. But I wasn''t expecting it to happen this soon".


    Then turning towards Akira he said,


    "You didn''t inform me? You could have told me about it. Since when do we have started keeping things away from each other".


    Akira smiled, but her smile was half sarcastic.


    "As you said, there is no time for us to breathe. We got engaged and immediately went back to work. I had no time to waste you see. Today happened because we utilized every single moment that we had in improving our work rather than doing other things".


    "Other things?", Vikram asked raising his eyebrow as it felt like she was using someone.


    "Oh yes, like spying on otherpanies like Compton did on us".


    "What.. What are you saying?", Raymond asked her knowingly.


    "You guys won''t believe. In the first round I tried to check the footage of Compton and look at their characters", Akira said and showed them the snapshots that she had taken from her iPad.


    "These are all our discarded designs. I don''t know how someone got their hands on them. I showed you these designs Vikram. Do you remember? Don''t you think there is an uncanny simrity between the characters that they have used and ours?"


    Akira said and looked at Vikram, her eyes trying to pierce deep till his soul.


    "These arepletely identical. Looks like we have a mole in our system which we need to track down", Raymond said looking at Akira first and then looking at Vikram he said,


    "You don''t have to burden yourself with all this. I will personally track this down after the GCG finale event is over. As per the cyberw of our state, the consequences will be severe since this is aplete breach of sensitive information of ourpany as per the Principles of Information Management policy", saying that Raymond handed the iPad back to Akira.


    Vikram stood there all stumped.


    He didn''t know that his ns will not only fail but alsoe and bite him back.


    Beads of sweat started forming on his head and the pce of his confidence suddenly turned into shambles.


    "What happened Vikram? You look terrible since morning. I think you better go back home and takeplete rest. I don''t want you to worsen your condition any further. We don''t want our ace investor falling sick when we will be soon celebrating our victory after the finale".


    "Akira stop it. Foot on the ground always. We haven''t won it yet", Raymond said and looking at Vikram he continued,


    "Don''t listen to her words. You better know how she is. An expert at spewing nonsense all the time".


    "But whatever it is, I am really thankful to you Vikram for introducing me to Raymond and believing in his work. He isn''t good with words so I will speak on his behalf", saying that Akira smiled and looked at Raymond lovingly.


    "Let''s have dinner at my ce on Wednesday night after everything is over. It doesn''t matter if we win or lose. We need to celebrate as a family."


    Then looking at Vikram specifically she asked,


    "Don''t we?"

 Chapter 238: Karaoke night again

    <h4>238 Karaoke night again</h4>


    "Yeah we should", Vikram spoke even though deep down his heart screamed to say no to that.


    "Awesome, I will make my special Chicken Biryani for you both", Akira said and smiled, unaware of the fact that how much this statement would hurt Vikram.


    Chicken Biryani was something that Akira always cooked only for Vikram and that too when he requested or whenever she wanted to please him. It was something that was special between only the two of them. So he couldn''t bear the thought of Raymond taking away something that was special between him and Akira. Raymond was tearing away every possible bit of him that was connected with Akira and was recing that with himself.


    Vikram''s eyes burned with jealousy and anger and he said,


    "I am taking my leave now. Have a lot of work pending in the office",


    Saying that Vikram turned and left without even bothering to turn back even once.


    As he left Raymond looked at Akira and asked,


    "I thought you took screenshots on yourptop. When did you take pictures on the iPad".


    "I transferred them, you know just in case I had the opportunity to show someone when it was needed", Akira said and grinned.


    Raymond looked at her and shook his head,


    "I have turned you into an evil devil".


    Akira smiled and asked,


    "But a cute one right?"


    Ruffling her hair, he turned back and looked at Simon and said,


    "We are going to Tony''s for just one round of beer and Karaoke. No one will drink more than one beer. Ok?"


    "That''s more than enough to get our parched souls all pumped", Simon said and happily turned towards his vehicle to start for Tony''s.


    Mike had already left for Teddy''s ce, so only Akira and Raymond went along with their teammates.


    ---


    "So when did it start between you two?", Simon asked immediately after getting seated.


    "Yes, we want theplete story", Kirk cheered.


    "I knew that something was going on between you two after our first war room meeting itself. Wasn''t it? God, you were so possessive about her", Simon asked and Akira blushed all scarlet.


    "Was it that obvious?", Raymond asked looking at Simon and he chuckled and said,


    "If it wasn''t then would I have been asking you about it now?"


    But then Kirk interrupted.


    "No, I think she fell for him after he saved her from that attack and he would have fallen for her because she took care of you. isn''t it?", he said and looked at them eagerly.


    In order to avoid all the plethora of questions which were being served to them both or rather darted, she got up and picked up the mic and said,


    "I am gonna sing a song coz that''s what we are here to do".


    "Which song?", Raymond asked looking at her.


    "You will know when you hear it".


    "Wooohhooooo", her team-mates cheered her as she went ahead.


    She chose the song and before the song started, she looked at Raymond and said,


    "This one is for you".


    3.... 2..... 1


    The first time we met,


    didn''t feel like you were the one.


    With every passing day, I yielded,


    falling into the web you had spun.


    .


    You subtracted my sorrows,


    multiplied my joys and blessings.


    You made me feel home,


    as we ventured into new beginnings.


    .


    Every untrodden day with you


    is nothing but a rollercoaster ride.


    My heart is instilled with


    unfathomed faith with you as my guide.


    .


    Oh, baby baby, I know you know it.


    But still, I will say it


    You are the ONE.


    .


    [Rhythm .....]


    [She slowly swayed with the tune of the music but her eyes were fixated on him and he gave her all his undivided attention. He went into shback and remembered the night when he had seen her at this same Karaoke ce in Vikram''s arm and how it had affected her and a smile curled on his face]


    .


    .


    I have felt all myriad emotions,


    overwhelmed I fell strange at times.


    But when I just hold your hand,


    life falls into ce and everything rhymes.


    .


    Many months have passed,


    but why does it feel like five days?


    Your smile, your charm,


    still smitten you set my heart aze.


    .


    Oh, baby baby, I know you know it.


    But still, I will say it


    You are the ONE.


    .


    Oh, baby...


    You are the ONE.


    She closed her eyes as she finished thest line, but before she could open her eyes, her lips registered the touch of his lips. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. The Raymond that she knew was always reserved in public, always correct with his behavior, never did he go out of the line in front of his colleagues. But somehow today was different. He was standing up there in front of everyone, proiming her with his wet and intense kiss.


    "More and More", their teammates cheered and it was only then that he released her lips.


    With her head bent down, she stared at the floor unable to speak or say anything and started biting her lips. Then she thrust the mic in his hand she ran back to her seat.


    "Now you gotta show her how much you love her. Sing a song Raymond", Kirk shouted.


    "Sing a song"


    "Sing a song"


    He cleared his throat a bit and then holding onto the mic he said,


    "I am not good at singing. So I can''t tell you how much you mean to me by singing a song but maybe I can tell you something to make you feel how deep and how intense my feeling are for you".


    "Woohhoooo", everyone pped and cheered.


    He smiled looking at everyone but then his eyes turned towards Akira and looking at her he took a deep breath.


    "I have to confess something to you".


    "I didn''t fall for you when you started working in our office. I had fallen for you way before that".


    Hearing that Akira''s eyes opened wide in surprise.


    "Yes, that''s the truth. I came here once and saw you in someone else''s arms. You were nothing to me back then. We were not even acquaintances. But the sight of seeing you with someone else other than me was unbearable."


    He smiled and then continued,


    "I don''t know why. It was weird. But it was like a stab wound straight through the heart. So painful that I just couldn''t breathe. I had no idea why. I struggled hard to not to think about you, but there wasn''t a day ever since that you didn''t haunt me. The thought of losing you even though you were never mine in the first ce was the most intense feeling that I had ever felt. I had no idea who you were but I think my heart had already fallen for you."


    She heard each every line of his and her eyes were swarmed with tears.


    I literally thought I had lost you until the day you came to my office for that interview.


    And I knew it was a sign from the universe because it had sent you back to me again. And honestly speaking, that day itself I had decided,


    "I am gonna make this girl mine".

 Chapter 239: They are happy for us

    <h4>239 They are happy for us</h4>


    There were tears in her eyes.


    Tears of happiness, tears of joy. Tears of knowing that someone in the world loves you so much that you had no idea about it. As she listened to him speak, her throat got all choked for there were no words with her that she could have used to tell how blessed she was feeling at that moment.


    The man of few words was churning words after words in front of his team-mates for her. She couldn''t have asked for more.


    As he walked back to his seat and sat next to her, she kept looking at him.


    "What?"


    He asked softly.


    "Nothing", she said shaking her head.


    She then extended her hand under the table and twined her fingers with his, and said.


    "I am happy. Really really happy".


    He just heard her and didn''t say a word. He gently pressed her hand back, transferring all the warmth of his body to hers. That was enough to make her understand how he felt.


    Everyone just had a beer to celebrate but nobody wanted to ruin the moment by unleashing their crass cacophony by making an attempt at singing a song. They all were just contented after hearing Raymond speak those words.


    "So tomorrow sharp at 8 o''clock, I expect everyone to be in the office. Clear?"


    "Clear boss", they all shouted in unison.


    Then the bill was paid and everyone got up to leave. Akira waited in front of the exit for Raymond to get the car back when Brian came up to her and said,


    "I have never seen this man so happy. I have never seen him so vocal about anything rted to his life. But with you, he is a changed person Akira. I hope it never changes and I hope you realize that".


    Akira smiled back at Brian and said,


    "I do and it never will".


    Raymond arrived with the car and bidding Brian a good night Akira got in.


    As he started the car, Akira looked at him and said,


    "Can we go to the park near my house?"


    "At this time?"


    "Please? For me?"


    "Are you like those girls who do midnight rituals dead in the night? You are scaring me out here?",


    Raymond said andughed while starting the car.


    "Just drive", Akira said and pinched his arm with her fingers.


    "Ouch, don''t be so ruthless with your chauffeur".


    Raymond parked his car in front of the park and before he could even ask her what she wanted, she came close to him and holding his hand she started crossing the road to reach the opposite side of the park where there was a cemetery. The ce where her parents were buried.


    "My parents need to meet you formally", she said while crossing the road.


    All those images came back vividly into Raymond''s mind like a rapid shback. The way she cried, the way he had hugged her, the way she had hugged him back and the way he deserted her and left after she picked Vikram''s call, and he felt like he had traveled back in time.


    After reaching the ce where her parents were buried, she knelt down and said,


    "Mum, dad, look who is here".


    "This is Raymond. I know you know him. He is the same guy who made me cry here long back. But don''t be mad at him because I have fallen for him."


    "Ok, I know he is a bit brash but he is the kindest person I have ever met. He saved me once risking his life and he keeps doing that again and again. Isn''t that sweet?".


    Then with her sleeves, she wiped the tombstone a bit and continued,


    "I know I will stay happy with him, so I don''t want you to worry about me anymore ok? Now he and Mike are my family and we will stay happy, just the way you want us to. I want you to know that even though there will always be a void in my heart which misses you, it''s healing. He is healing it with his love."


    "After you left me I didn''t know if I could ever be happy, but with him, I think I can be. I think I am", saying that she looked up at him and then said,


    "He proposed to me yesterday and I have said yes"


    "Do not panic. I willplete my studies and then only marry him. Just wanted to let you guys know though. So I will leave you now because I know that you need a moment to cry seeing your daughter all grown up".


    Saying that Akira got up and holding his arms she said,


    "Now I can go home", and took a deep breath.


    "But I have something to say".


    "What tell me?"


    "Not to you", Raymond said and taking a step ahead he knelt on the ground and took a deep breath and said,


    "My name is Raymond J Walker. I never got the opportunity to formally introduce myself. My first impression wasn''t a good one but I want to make my second one the best."


    "I am in love with your daughter and I really want to thank you for bringing her into this world, because I can''t imagine how my life would have been without her. She inspires me to live. I was a dead log before I met her. I just used to eat, drink and breathe. But she came into my life and gave it a meaning, a purpose to it and I would like that to be permanent".


    "I didn''t take your permission before dating her".


    "I didn''t even ask you guys before proposing her".


    "But today I want your permission and blessings because I want to marry this girl and make her my own", saying that Raymond held Akira''s hand and brought her forward and asked,


    "What did they say?"


    Looking deep into his eyes, she said,


    "They said, they are happy for us".

 Chapter 240: That night with her -1

    <h4>240 That night with her -1</h4>


    He looked at her and mouthed,


    "I love you".


    It was windy and breezy outside. Since it was already 9:30 pm it was a bit chilly too. Her hair was slightly all over the ce because of the wind.


    She had her hands stretched for him to hold and get up as he was kneeling on the ground.


    He held her hands and looked at her face which looked angelic amidst thebination of the yellow light from the streetmp and the white moonlight sky.


    Getting up he looked at her and said again,


    "God, I love you Akira !!!", saying that he came closer and hugged her softly at first and then tightened his grip around her like he didn''t want her to go away from him even for a minute.


    He whispered slowly into her ears.


    "I don''t want to go to the Amazons without you".


    She hugged him tight and said,


    "Don''t worry my brother will take care of you".


    Raymondughed and said,


    "Let''s go back to the car".


    "Why are youughing?"


    "I will tell in the car".


    "Come on, tell me why are youughing?"


    He leaned close to her and whispered into her ears again,


    "I am not going to speak about such things in front of my father inw and mother inw". And saying that he held her hand and dragged her back towards the car.


    Once seated inside, Akira asked,


    "Now tell me why youughed?"


    "You said your brother will take care of me".


    "Yeah, he will. and I will ask him to take proper care of you".


    "But I do not think he can fulfill all my needs now. Can he?", he said and looked at her. The smile had slowly disappeared from his face and all that was written was his desire and his want.


    Akira looked at him in disbelief and asked,


    "Seriously, that''s the only thing running in your dirty mind?"


    "There are a lot of things going in my mind right now and you don''t even have the slightest idea about it. If only you could read my mind you would know about the things that want to do to you, the ces where I want to touch you. If only !!!"


    She heard him say those words and those words were enough to shatter the confidence with which she was teasing him because that''s how Raymond was.


    No short cuts, no beating around the bush.


    Right from the heart.


    He only knew how to speak his mind to her. He unnerved her with his rawness every single time. But deep down she liked it because in the whole world only he had the power to unnerve her like that.


    She blushed hard and to avoid looking at him she looked outside the window on the passenger side. Suddenly the atmosphere inside the car was bing hot. She pulled the window shields down to feel the cold breeze on her face because she had clearly understood what he was trying to insinuate, just that she was so nervous that she didn''t think that she was ready for it yet.


    He looked at her going all red and gulping and gasping at the same time and he knew what was running in her mind.


    He gently touched her shoulder and said,


    "We don''t have to do it if you don''t want to. I don''t want you to feel pressurized. We have our whole life in front of us Akira".


    Hearing him say that she turned towards him. Her shy eyes were looking down for a while and she fidgeted with her nails a bit. But then she looked up and said,


    "I wore something ck for you today".

 Chapter 241: That night with her - 2

    <h4>241 That night with her - 2</h4>


    Suddenly his lips curled in a smile.


    He fondly looked at her and said,


    "I always knew you were good at keeping promises".


    He extended his arm and brushed his thumb on her lips and as her lips parted with his touch, he said,


    "Ready to go?"


    She slightly nodded her head and he traced her lower lip again before starting the car and when he did, he just sped through.


    The tires of his car screeched as he braked in front of his house and he immediately came out of the car to open the door on her side of the car.


    He held her hand and escorted her in like she was some princess and after he unlocked the door, he turned towards her and said,


    "Wait here for two minutes. I will be right back", and saying that he quickly went inside.


    Akira stood there outside the doorughing in her head, picturing him gathering all his dirtyundry and hiding them before she entered.


    A couple of minutester he came back and said,


    "Close your eyes and open only when I say".


    "Really Raymond? You don''t need to hide any mess from me".


    "Oh please, just stop using your head ande inside. Close your eyes now", saying that he came behind her and with his one hand he closed her eyes and he wrapped his other arm around her waist to guide her inside.


    As they reached close to the stairs, he removed his hands and said,


    "You can open your eyes now".


    As she opened her eyes she saw the entire staircase lit with bright golden yellow rice lights and petals of rose strewn all over the ce.


    "Oh my God. You did all this for me?"


    "Well, I had some inside information that you are too much into Bollywood. So I had to make it all cheesy for you just the way you like it. So do I pass? Do you like it?"


    "Like it? I love it, dummy".


    Akira said and turning back she kissed him on his lips and then asked,


    "Do we have roses all over your bed as well"


    "That''s kind of part of the whole package", Raymond said and chuckled and then tracing his finger over her cor bone he said,


    "But I am going to rig you so hard, it''s all going to turn into much".


    She picked his finger from her chest and then lightly ran her fingers on his ear and said,


    "I can bite, you know !!!"


    Saying that she smiled and started climbing up, but then suddenly she heard him say,


    "You are not escaping from me that easy" and saying that he scooped her in his arms and kissed her deeply and when she moaned he traced his finger near her neck and said,


    "Your lips will only be busy saying my name tonight".


    Saying that he smiled and climbed up. Once he reached the end of the staircase, he gently put her down and asked,


    "Want to drink something? I need you hydrated".


    "Some water would be nice".


    "I have something special for you", saying that Raymond immediately went to the bar and got a bottle of wine but only one wine ss. He poured the white wine into the wine ss and came close to her.


    "Where is my ss?"


    "Why do you need a ss?"


    "Ooohhh so we are sharing sses now. How cheesy of you Ray. I didn''t see thating".


    "We aren''t sharing the ss".


    She looked at his face with a question mark unable toprehend.


    "We are sharing my mouth".


    Saying that he took a sip of wine and inched closer.

 Chapter 242: That night with her - 3

    <h4>242 That night with her - 3</h4>


    He brought his mouth closer and ced his lips which had been chilled by the wine on her hot ones. That cold skin of his made her gasp and her lips parted giving way to him to pour the wine into hers.


    He slowly opened his mouth, causing the wine to trickle gradually into hers, making her tongue all wet.


    As the drops of wine, drenched her tongue she could taste the grapiness of the wine. Wanting for more she parted her lips even further, inviting him in, sucking onto thest drop of it and then she drained him dry.


    "You like it?"


    "Mmm..."


    "I can see you are thirsty", he said and licked the left corner of her mouth where he saw a homeless drop of wine wandering without any shelter, ready to trickle down.


    As he detached himself, she wiped her mouth with the back of her palm and said,


    "Were you always this kinky?"


    "No, but I can pull something up my sleeves anytime. You will never be disappointed".


    Saying that he quickly got a bottle of water for her to drink.


    A nervous Akira chugged the entire bottle down and then looking at Raymond she said,


    "I need to pee".


    But before she could run towards the washroom, he blocked her hand.


    "Are you nervous?"


    She didn''t say a word but leaning on to the pir she started biting her lips and again started fidgeting with the hemline of her skirt.


    "Talk to me Akira. Are you nervous?"


    "I... I don''t know stuff. And I don''t know if I..."


    "If you?"


    "I don''t know if I can make you know happy and content. I mean like how other girls do with their partners".


    He looked at her intensely like he was going to pierce her with just her looks.


    "You know what I mean right".


    "No I don''t", he said bluntly.


    "What if I... I cannot satisfy you. Will you be mad? I am scared of disappointing you, Raymond. I am still old school. I got no tricks rolled under my sleeves like you. I may not...."


    "Shhh....", he said and ced his index finger lightly on her lips.


    "Who said that you are going to disappoint me Akira? And who said that you got no tricks? Your body is the temple that I wanna worship every single day. One single smile of yours is enough to satisfy all my needs and wants if that''s what you want to know".


    "Just the thought of undressing you with my hands delights me like anything. everything about you is just perfect Akira. Starting from you lips to your ... ", saying that his hand went to her back and his fingers loitered down tracing her back, till they reached her hips. He caressed them softly and said,


    "Don''t you ever dare to think that way again".


    Saying that he picked his phone and using his Bluetooth speakers he yed a song and said,


    "Maybe the song will exin it to you better".


    [Tell her how she makes your heart beat,


    Tell her how she makes you go all weak


    .


    .


    You are perfection, my only direction]


    He inched closer and removed her jacket and threw it on the floor. Grazing his hand on her entire body and her sides, he knelt down and opened her shoes. He slowly moved his hand up grazing his fingers on the skin of her inner thighs.


    She giggled a bit and said,


    "It tickles".


    "How about now?", he said and nted a wet kiss on her inner thigh and rendered her all limp. That sweet smell of hers made him go all crazy.


    He got up all impatient and said,


    "Come to the bedroom with me",


    Saying that he pulled her hand and took her inside the bedroom.

 Chapter 243: That night with her - 4

    <h4>243 That night with her - 4</h4>


    But as he entered the bedroom, he halted and turning towards her he said,


    "I think you have forgotten that you wanted to pee".


    "Oops", Akira said and ran towards the washroom while he leaned on the washroom door, unable to wait any longer.


    As she went inside she started fidgeting all nervously. She brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, checked her breath and then stared at herself in the mirror from all angles.


    He lightly knocked on the door, getting all impatient and said,


    "If you are staring at yourself, thene out. I can do that better than you".


    Hearing him speak, she nervously she took a mouthful of Listerine and then spat it out without even rinsing. Taking a deep breath, she looked at herself in the mirror and then opened one more button of her shirt to make herself more appealing.


    She unlocked the bathroom door and came out and saw him just outside the door.


    A smile crept on his face just seeing her pretty face.


    He came close to her and without even touching her with his hands, he just leaned over her and then breathing onto her ears he said,


    "You don''t need to try hard to seduce me".


    She lifted her gaze and looked up at him.


    "I am already seduced andpletely at your mercy Akira", he said and then kissed on her earlobe.


    Her eyes closed for an instant and when she opened them again, she saw his eyes lit with his needs. Looking up at her he said,


    "I can''t wait anymore Akira. Please let me love you the way I want to".


    Saying that he pulled her closer, holding on to her waist. His hands moved up to cup her face and he kissed her forehead softly.


    "I love how your eyes y hide and seek with me", saying that he kissed on both her eyelids.


    "I love it when you scrunch your nose when you don''t like something".


    "Do I?", Akira asked all surprised and touched her nose.


    "Yes you do", and saying that he touched the tip of her nose with his own and then gently kissed.


    Then he didn''t say a word and his thumb grazed on her lips. She withered with just the touch of his thumb on her lips arched her back lightly.


    "I love your lips the most because they really like to hear mymand", saying that he pushed her lower lip down with his thumb and then sucked it deep with his mouth, rendering her all breathless. Slightly biting on it, he softly kissed on her upper lip and then flipped her immediately, making her back, rest on his chest.


    His hands slowly caressed her sides before moving on to her chest.


    He kept kissing the corners of her neck and her shoulder lines while his hands got busy ripping the buttons of her shirt, one after the other.


    He peeled her from the cover of her shirt and his hands could feel her chest heaving up and down with every touch of his.


    "God, why you love me so much Akira?"


    "I don''t", she mumbled.


    "You do, let me show you", he said and took her in front of the mirror and said,


    "This is how much you love me".


    Saying that he softly bit her shoulder and then grazed his hands on her sides over her camisole. Her eyes went all hazy and she could barely breathe,


    "Look in the mirror at yourself and then dare to tell me that you don''t love me",


    Saying that he slowly moved his hand under her camisole and lifted it a bit up, showing her waist. Then he did nothing but graze his fingers all over the skin that he had just bared open. Unable to bear it, she closed her eyes and moaned.


    Then she lifted her hands up and said,


    "Undress me Raymond".

 Chapter 244: That night with her - 5

    <h4>244 That night with her - 5</h4>


    [AUTHOR REQUEST - Please listen to All I Need - Within Temptation when they dance]


    "Not so fast my love. Not so fast".


    Saying that he gave her a smirk and his hands kept loitering around her waist and he said,


    "How about a little dirty dancing?"


    She looked at the mirror and saw the smug smile on his face and she instantly knew that he was up to something. It wasn''t going to be just a dance.


    "What are you up to Raymond?"


    "You will see", he said and took out the mobile phone from his pocket to y a song. But before he could even select anything from his ylist, she snatched the phone from his hand and said,


    "This time I am going to choose the song".


    Saying that she yed ''All I Need - Within Temptation''.


    "Good choice", Raymond said and holding her hand he pulled her close.


    "Always", she said and smiled at him inhaling the mild musky scent of his body. But before she couldpletely immerse her senses with his smell, holding her waist he turned her and made her sway with him.


    Slowly he released his hands from her waist and his fingers inched on her hands from her shoulders tracing her bare skin and reached her palms. He knitted his fingers with her and lifted her arms and raised them above her head and then made them fall over his shoulders while he grazed back all along the same route, tititing her while touching the sides of her chest.


    He slowly thrust his hips onto her and moved his hand over her chest and gently cupped her assets in his palms. Every part of her body melted instantly with his touch and she moaned and tugged onto his hair. But that didn''t stop him. His fingers fiddled over and over, circling all around, making her go all berserk.


    "You fit in my hand so well", he whispered.


    Slowly his fingers stopped teasing her and he lightly pinched her at the tip.


    She stopped swaying and that very instant she felt a sudden jolt, a sudden burst of sensation throughout her body. It was a hint of pain, but it had plenty of pleasure.


    "Now imagine me doing that to you when you have nothing on".


    He whispered and then gently caressed her where he had pinched because he knew it would have hurt her. He didn''t want to leave her girl all sore.


    [.....All my agony fades away


    When you hold me in your embrace....]


    And slowly with the tune of the song, he embraced her waist and then slowly while swaying he pulled the zip of her skirt down and he himself knelt on the floor and pulled it down revealing the ck delicatece that she was wearing underneath for him tonight.


    "It''s nice", he mumbled as she stepped out of her skirt and feeling all un-nerved she walked towards the wall and leaned on it.


    He sat there with his seductive eyes on her and then switched off the song. The view of the ckce and her well toned sexy long legs was enough to tease his manhood which was acting all patient till now.


    "Remove your camisole", he said without lifting his gaze from her.


    She looked at him all amused and just gave a wry smile, biting her lips.


    "Do it now else don''t me meter".


    "Else what Raymond?", she asked all deliberately.


    "Don''t test my patience Akira, I am gonna rip it off", saying that he got up and strode towards her and with one swift tug he just tore it off and threw it off the floor.


    He took her hands and lifted above her head and pinned her on the wall and said,


    "I am going to leave you so sore that you will just remember me and only me, till Ie back from the finale".

 Chapter 245: That night with her - 6

    <h4>245 That night with her - 6</h4>


    She batted her eyelids and looked at him like she wanted to read him in and out and she knew that he clearly meant every word that he said.


    Thrusting his hips on her, he held both her hands with his one hand and trailed his thumb on her starting from her lips and moved slowly down her neck, then down the valleys of her chest. Moving further south he reached her belly button and swirled around it, making her convulse at his mercy.


    Her body wanted to set itself free, but she didn''t want to.


    A part of her was dying with all the sensations but the other part of her wanted so much more of it.


    She arched, she flinched, she moaned but he was merciless and ruthless. He didn''t stop his march no matter how hard she tried to wriggle herself out.


    He went closer and captured her lips with his own and sucked them hard and then whispered on her lips,


    "Feel my touch now", and saying that his hands moved down south nearing the periphery of herces. His fingers gently yed all around and teased her, touching her down there every now and then over herces. His touch was all sensuous driven by his carnal desires that lurked deep with him.


    His fingers gently brushed her and then moved to touch her inner thighs and then back again to her point. He was teasing her all that he could, depleting her from all the sanity that he could.


    But she was bursting from inside, unable to bear the heat that was slowly spreading from down there to her entire body. Her breath was all haggard now and she had turned all limp. Unable to think, unable to breathe, she waspletely at the mercy of the relentless beast in front of her.


    When she couldn''t take it anymore she cried,


    "Stop it. I can''t take it anymore".


    He suddenly stopped and released his grip on her hands which had pinned her down. As her hands found release, they immediately wrapped around him and she hugged him tight, unable to feel herself. Even though he was the one turning her insane, he was still her pir of sanity.


    He moved his one hand and gently caressed her back and then he moved his other hand and gently cupped her down there with his entire palm to rx her out with his warm touch. But little did he know that it was like ring a trumpet to awaken himself.


    She was all wet already and he could feel it while holding her through herces.


    "Oh baby, you are so wet for me already",


    He mumbled and then he held her face and started kissing her urgently as his life depended on it. He slowly pushed her towards the bed with his one arms wrapped around her waist to support her.


    As they hit the mattress of the bed, he gently lowered her on to the bed, without leaving her lips even for a second. The smell of rose spread in the air as her body crushed the petals and turned them into mulch.


    His lips slowly moved lower kissing every nook and corner of her neck and then he moved down her chest kissing her tenderly everywhere and his hands pouncing on her assets, kneading them rhythmically with every kiss that heid over her.


    Then suddenly he got up and towering over her, he said,


    "You don''t need these shackles anymore", saying that his mouth moved to the hook in her front and with a swift move of his teeth, he unsped her, setting her free".

 Chapter 246: Say my name !!!

    <h4>246 Say my name !!!</h4>


    His eyes looked all raspy as he gazed on her bare chest all greedy and hungry like he had been deprived of food for centuries.


    He dropped himself closer to her body and kissed her at the center of her chest and then licked her with his tongue. Unable to bear the touch of his tongue over her body she tugged onto his hair and pulled him close to her face.


    "Kiss me", she begged.


    And how could he not oblige her, after all, she was the one who would eventually grant him mercy.


    He held her gentle face in his hand and said,


    "Be mine !!! Please !!!",


    Saying that his lips gently marched into her mouth, making her wet, making her taste her own metallic blood, making her whimper with every expedition that his tongue got busy in. Slowly he slid his one hand down tracing over her body inside herce down south.


    The moment his fingers invaded the sacred territory of hers, she pounced on his arms, digging her nails all deep. He yed along the ridges and the crevices and slowly slid his finger into the wonderful and wet warmth of hers making her shudder all the more.


    She convulsed again and her insides screamed for release.


    She arched her head back as the tears of joy ushered through her eyes with no control of her own. She was feeling like she was floating in seventh heaven and her sailor was ready there for her with his ship.


    He slowly thrust his fingers again inside her making her go all wet and wild.


    His manhood gloated in pride seeing her reacting so well to his touch and he kept kissing her till she could take it no more. She lifted her foot and cing it on his chest she pushed him back and then she took a deep breath to gather whatever was left of hers.


    He stood up and licked the saltiness of hers and looking into her eyes he said,


    "You are just amazing Akira", and he came closer and unbuttoned his shirt and threw it mercilessly on the floor. His gaze was fixated on her and he could see her admiring his body which he had just bared. Then down came out his belt.


    As he threw his belt away he could see her chest rising and falling rapidly in anticipation of ''What Next''.


    He climbed in the space between her legs and held her chin in his hands and asked,


    "Are you ready for me".


    She was nervous, she knew it would be painful, but she wanted it, all of it. She wanted all of him, immersed inside of her. She didn''t know from where she conjured up all that courage and looking into his eyes she nodded and then immediately looked down.


    He reached for a packet in his back pocket and protected his manhood which was gloriously standing and waiting for the climax.


    "Don''t hide from me", he said and lowered his body on hers.


    With his palm he gently pushed her inner thigh to the side, widening the gap. Then digging his teeth into thest thread of herce, he tore it apart unapologetically.


    He then gently touched her and guided himself in.


    He went in slow afraid to tear her apart. With every inch that he moved in, a mixture of acute pain and pleasure seared in through her. He saw her clench her fist and he knew that she was in pain. But he knew how to distract her away.


    So his lips started the action to distract her from the pain and he marched inside all loud and triumphant.


    And then she screamed,


    "Oh, Raymond !!!"

 Chapter 247: The morning after - 1

    <h4>247 The morning after - 1</h4>


    The next morning, when he opened his eyes with the scintiting light of the sun, he saw her bareback in front of him. She was sleeping like a baby, all innocent, all unaware of the harsh realities and necessities of the world.


    His one hand was resting near her belly button and that was probably because he was caressing her to help her sleep.


    He supported his head with the other hand of his and tilted himself a bit up on the bed and his eyes got immersed in the beauty of her back, all milky, all spotless except for her tattoo. It was like a moon spot which added to her beauty.


    He ran his finger on her back.


    Even though she was sleeping tight, she twitched as his fingers moved over her skin.


    A smile spread on his lips and he pulled her close, holding on to her waist.


    She lied there next to him in her birth suit and he couldn''t stop but gaze at her like she was the ultimate gift that he had just received. She was everything that he had asked from life and everything that he wanted to wish for, next.


    He moved her locks of hair strewn over her back and then he saw his bite marks, a hint of red and pale blue.


    He had unleashed the beast inside him and it was a clear written proof of it. Then he pulled the sheet a bit down and saw more bit marks near her waist and that got him worried because they had turned slightly bluish. He was pretty sure that it was going to hurt her bad.


    He sat up and then kissed on her waist where he had left his identity. He gently caressed her perfectly shaped hips and kept on nting wet kisses all over her skin where he had inflicted pain.


    His wet and seductive touch woke her up.


    She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her with love but there was something else hidden underneath that look and she couldn''t understand what.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    He just smiled and shook his head and pulled the sheet barely covering herpletely down.


    "Wait, what are you doing now?", she asked all perplexed.


    "Why are you so scared? Did you not like it? Was it too painful for you?"


    He asked all concerned because he didn''t like the tone of hers and the expression of her face when he pulled the sheet down.


    "Why would you think that?", she asked pulling the sheet a bit up trying hard to cover her waist and below.


    "Then why are you so hesitant?"


    "You guys are really all clueless. You can never really understand what goes in a girl''s mind", she said and sighed.


    He hovered over her and started inspecting her front.


    There were bite marks, red blotches all over her skin. He hadn''t spared her at all.


    He touched the space between his brows and said,


    "Does it all hurt? Are you going to hate me forever?"


    "I don''t know what had gotten over me. I am sorry, I just lost all control", he said and caressed the bite mark on her neck all tenderly.


    "Who said that I am going to hate you?"


    "That look on your face, that weird expression you gave when I pulled the sheets".


    "God Raymond, how can a girl tell you that she liked it. Liked every bit of it. Probably wanted more of it. It''s true it happened yesterday but that doesn''t mean I ampletelyfortable in going allmando right now in the broad daylight".


    He looked at her all surprised and amused.


    "You wanted more?"

 Chapter 248: The morning after - 2

    <h4>248 The morning after - 2</h4>


    Akira raised her leg and ced it on his bare chest and gently pushing him back she said,


    "That''s you talking. Not me. I never said that".


    "Really?"


    Saying that Raymond caught her leg and gave a light bite to her calf muscles.


    She tried to push him away using her other leg but all her attempts failed miserably. He held her feet and with one rapid tug, he pulled her entire body towards himself.


    His one hand moved to the side of her waist and he gripped her tightly and looking into her eyes he sighed,


    "How am I gonna go without you? I don''t feel like going already".


    And saying that he hovered over her.


    "You will feel like going if instead of goofing around with me here, you actually go and take bath and get ready for the office. And one more thing, let me remind you, you had promised that you will win it for me. I don''t think the sloppy and horny Raymond will be able to win it if he keeps hovering around me".


    Saying that she poked his chest with her finger.


    "Ouch, that hurts. Why are you so brutal all the time".


    "I am not brutal, you are. Can''t you see, I have evidence all over me".


    Saying that she smiled started pointing at the bite marks and expected him tough as well, but his face turned all serious.


    "What happened I was just kidding. It was just a joke Raymond".


    "I should have been more careful with you", he said and sat up on the bed in a kneeling position and started looking down all apologetically and shook his head in disappointment.


    "But I want you to. Trust me".


    "Don''t say it just for the sake of saying Akira. Even you know that I have hurt you badly. It was your first and it had to be all beautiful and I don''t know what they say, all Vani".


    "But I really don''t want you to be careful. I want you to be you, just the way you are. I want you to be your usual self around me. Otherwise, what''s the point of this rtionship if you have to wear a mask or change yourself for my sake. Because if you change then maybe I am not with the man that I love".


    Saying that she held his face in her hand and said,


    "Why would you think that it hurts?"


    "Because I know so".


    "It hurts but never in my life I have felt so wanted by anyone. Never in my life, I felt like I was the one. You make meplete Raymond. So if you want to destroy every inch of me then please do it. Because I would love that. Because my body craves for you, for your touch."


    "Be it a kiss, be it a bite, I love it all".


    She said and kissed on his forehead.


    He rxed a bit after hearing her words and looking up at her he said,


    "What if I bite harder the next time? What if I unleash myself?"


    Looking deep into his eyes she said,


    "Then I will be waiting for you to prey upon me".


    "Plus I know how to take revenge",


    She said and before he could register her statement she inched close to him and savored on his chest, leaving the pug mark of her teeth.


    But little did she know that it was more of an invitation rather than infliction of pain which she was intending.


    He groaned and tugged on to her hair.


    "What are you doing?"


    She smiled and said all seductively,


    "You thought only you knew how to bite?"

 Chapter 249: Something to look upto

    <h4>249 Something to look upto</h4>


    Her seductive eyes spoke tales of her love galore.


    Tugging on to her hair, he looked into her eyes unable to understand what that girl was made of. Then slowly after drinking her through his eyes, he rxed his grip around her and said,


    "Then show me how you bite once Ie back".


    Saying that he got down from the bed and cupped her chin with his left palm and gave her a soft kiss.


    "You mean so much more to me Akira. I have no words for you", saying that he ran his fingers and cleared away all the loose strands of hair falling on her face, all gently.


    He knew she was doing it all and saying it all just so that he didn''t feel bad. He knew exactly how she was and that made him fall in love with her even more.


    "Wait a second", he said and went to the washroom.


    As he walked she kept admiring the brilliant sight of his well-toned body and his almost excited manhood and she bloated out of happiness. Yes, that deliciously edible man was hers, all hers to bite, devour and to wrestle with. She knew that every single moment of her life was now going to be happy because he was the sort of person who would bring the element of surprise and chaos in her life. She thanked her stars in an inaudible prayer for breaking her heart, she thanked her stars for making her take that fateful flight.


    He came back in seconds with a bathrobe in his hand and he wrapped her up like a kitten.


    "Don''t get cold", he said and then left to get ready, not because he wanted to, but because for the first time she had asked for something to him. And he wanted to leave no stone unturned to make it happen. He was going to win it for her. So there were no short cuts.


    But before he could enter the bathroom she asked,


    "Give me a bag".


    "What sort of bag".


    "A travel bag".


    "But why?"


    "I want to pack for you".


    His lips curled into a smile.


    "I am just going for a night and two days Akira. I will just throw in some clothes. Don''t bother. Maybe you can help your brother pack instead".


    "But I want to", she said and with her hands on her waist she got down from the bed and said,


    "Will you give or I will scout your house myself".


    Raymond sighed and pulled out a small trolley bag from his cupboard and gave it to her.


    "Pack whatever you want", he said and went to take bath.


    She scanned through his wardrobe and her hands stopped at the light sky-blue solid shirt. It was the same shirt that he had worn on that fateful flight journey.


    She picked it up and checked its sleeves.


    They had been dry-cleaned.


    All smiles, she folded it neatly and kept it in the bag, followed by his other clothes. Then she roamed around the room but as she was bored, she went into his study room and flipped through a couple of project files of his.


    Getting bored again she was about to turn back when she saw a tan leather diary. She had seen it often with him in office. So just out of curiosity she opened it and turned a few pages.


    It was his personal journal of this year.


    She eagerly flipped through a couple of pages more and saw a couple of their memories scribbled in some corners.


    She got all excited and took it and hid it in her bag.


    Now she had something to look up to tonight.

 Chapter 250: Epitome of perfection

    <h4>250 Epitome of perfection</h4>


    Raymond came out of the bath and saw her lying on the bed on her stomach, her legs crossed up and he could hear that she was talking on her phone with someone.


    "No, don''t go for that one. What''s wrong with you. You pick dresses for me like a ninja and when ites to you, your choices are so damn lousy".


    "Yeah, that one is fine. How can you even pick a neon one dude?"


    Raymond smirked as he heard the brother-sister duo bickering over petty mundane things. Akira was helping her baby brother pack his bad over a video call and literally screaming in and out. That''s how he wanted his life to be. Sweet, homely, simple yet overflowing with love.


    He changed into his office clothes and came close to her and held her feet and kissed them.


    She knew it was him so she cut her call short and turned back towards him.


    "Ready for office?"


    "Go quickly and get dressed. I will make something for you to eat. You must be hungry after all", he said and smirked.


    "You", she said and lightly pushed him back and then she looked at the wall clock and said,


    "How I wish it was a Sunday today".


    "Well if it would have been a Sunday then you wouldn''t be chit-chatting right now".


    "Then what would I be doing", she said and tugged his tie and lowered him down.


    "Begging me for mercy", he said and tapped her chin.


    "Oh, forget it", she said and got up to rush towards the bathroom. But he stopped her in between and pulled the belt out which loosely held the ps of her robe together.


    "What are you doing?"


    "I need a peek".


    "But you have seen all of me", she said and with her hands, she tried to pull the ps back togetehr..


    "But my eyes need more", saying that he held her hand and tried to flip the robe out.


    But he felt her resisting his hands.


    "What? What happened?"


    Akira didn''t answer and looked to the side.


    "Are you shy now? After what happened yesterday night?"


    She heard him but she didn''t reply a word and kept looking down.


    He removed his hands which held her hands and raising up her chin he asked,


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Yesterday the lights were dim", she mumbled.


    "What?"


    "The lights were quite dim yesterday night".


    "So?"


    "And its broad daylight right now".


    "So?"


    "I am notfortable", she said and hung her head low.


    "What are you afraid of?", he askeding close to her.


    She didn''t say anything but she just looked at him and then sighed out of despair as she was unable to give words to her inhibitions.


    "Akira, you had promised that we will talk and sort out stuff in between us. Then what is with all this silence? For God''s sake can you tell me what is going on in your head? One second you are all fine and the next second you bottle your emotions up. How is that fair? Do you even..."


    "I don''t know if you will like what you see".


    "Come again?"


    Taking a deep breath she said,


    "I mean you saw me yesterday when it was almost dark and you were a bit high with the beer. Your senses were overpowered. But right now, I don''t know if you will find my body pretty with all the marks and stuff".


    Upon hearing her words heughed hysterically and said,


    "Your body is an epitome of perfection if you didn''t know that already. It''s a temple for me, that I wanna worship every single day".


    His hands moved back again and pulled the ps out.

 Chapter 251: Old School

    <h4>251 Old School</h4>


    He was gettingte for office and so was she.


    He had a pile of work pending which needed his immediate attention.


    His flight was about to leave after a couple of hours.


    But even if the world would have turned upside down, it would not have stopped him from devouring her. He wanted to love every inch of her and make her his own. He wanted to tamper her with his lips and pamper her with his hands. How much he loved her was clearly expressed by the way he touched her.


    His fingers ran all feather light on her like he was traveling with caution.


    He pounced on her like he wanted to take her in possession.


    His eyes looked at her with a sense of admiration.


    But he had moved her ps only inches apart when she pulled it back on and took a step back. Then holding onto the p of her robe she smiled and said,


    "This will be a reward for you when youe back all victorious", and saying that she quickly went into the washroom and closed the door. But the next second, she opened the door slightly and craned her neck out and then said,


    "And then I would let you remove it like this".


    She said and flung the bathrobe in his direction.


    "Oh,e on !!!"


    She smiled looking at him and took out her one leg out of the door and ran her finger over it and said.


    "You want to touch me like this?"


    He knew she was ying games with him and he knew that she close the door the moment he inched closer, but still he went ahead because we wanted to let her y.


    So inched closer and as expected she mmed the door on his face and went inside. So he leaned on the bathroom door and pounded over it.


    "You are runningte Akira, open the door. Else I will bite you so bad that you can''t even imagine".


    "Not today Raymond. Not today", she said and then turned on the shower.


    He stood there for a couple of seconds, desperately hoping that she would open the door but she didn''t. So finally he went downstairs to make some breakfast for both of them.


    ---


    "USD 150,000 wired today" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Holy shit", screamed David as he saw the message and immediately called up Raymond.


    "Pick up, pick up, pick up", he mumbled all impatiently as it kept on ringing.


    Raymond had his phone in the study and he was busy in the kitchen making breakfast so he wasn''t able to pick up.


    So David called desperately on Raymond''sndline.


    "Hello".


    "Thanks to God, you picked up".


    "What happened?"


    "Things are looking a bit shady to me. I am talking about the GCG finale event".


    "Ok, I will ask again, what happened?"


    "I got some information that he has wired USD 150,000 to some unknown overseas ount".


    Raymond stood there all silent for some time and then said,


    "Shut down all our servers right now. Order the IT for full shutdown".


    "Right now?"


    "Yeah right now".


    "So all datakes are to go down?"


    "Yes, all of them. Except for Sergent. Just keep Sergent on for next thirty minutes till I take the data out. Make sure it''s done Pronto".


    "Anything else?"


    "Turn off all the wifi routers and jam any signals from the office exactly after thirty minutes".


    "But then how do we work? There is some final integration pending right? Simon told me about it just now. The entire team is waiting for you and Mike toe to the office for it".


    "We will do it the old school way".

 Chapter 252: Raymonds ICE-BOX

    <h4>252 Raymond''s ICE-BOX</h4>


    As Raymond arrived at the office, he could see that there wasplete panic written all over the face of his employees.


    Raymond, Mike, and Simon were to leave tonight for the contest and all the services in their office were down. No one had any idea as to how to make things work. Even the simtion servers were down, so there was no way that they could emte thest round one final time to see if there were any issues or technical glitches.


    So as Raymond entered the main hall, Simon came running to him,


    "Did you hear? What do we do now?"


    Raymond looked Simon and then ced his hand over his shoulder and said,


    "Ask the core team toe with theirptops, hard disks, and pen drives ASAP".


    Then turning towards David he said,


    "As IT to switch on ICE-BOX".


    Then looking at Akira, he said,


    "There is an extra jacket in my cabin, get that with you".


    "But why?", asked Akira all surprised.


    "We are going to the War Room", Raymond said with a smile on his face and walked ahead.


    "I really wonder how can he smile when hell has broken loose on us", Simon said looking at Akira.


    "And that''s why he is the boss and not us", David said with a smile on his face and went ahead.


    Akiraughed at his statement and looking at Simon she said,


    "Don''t worry, I think he will pull out something from his sleeves. We can do it !!!"


    ---


    It was cold as usual in the War room but everyone was warmed and pumped up,


    "First of all, I would like to thank you all for your tremendous support that has helped us reach this point. We are here because of you."


    Everyone started looking at each other. They were surprised to hear him sounding so happy and boisterous while they felt like the sky was breaking over them.


    "Ok chin up everyone".


    "There is nothing to worry about. I have pulled all the data that you would be needing from the servers and we have one main server on the go which you can use".


    "Are we not going to try to bring the servers up?"


    "No", said Raymond and smiled".


    "But why?", asked Brian.


    "Because I have myself asked the IT to shut them down".


    Everyone in the room stared at him all surprised. They were unable to understand why Raymond would ask for such a thing to be done and that too today.


    "But why are our phones jammed?", Kirk asked.


    "I will get onto that Kirk", Raymond said and continued.


    "Final stage simtion code and emtor code is all on these hard disks. There are three of them and you can distribute amongst yourself. No one is going online today using anywork or data card or anything in that regard. Is that point clear?"


    "Are we suspecting a Cyberattack?",


    "I don''t know Brian, but since everything is at stake I don''t want to rule it out".


    "But thest stage of the game is newly written and never emted. How can wepete if there are any bugs?"


    "I have done 3 emtion rounds sessfully and 7 more trials are still remaining. So I am counting on my stars that we will be able toplete that by today EOD before we are to leave for the Amazons".


    "So can we do it?"


    Raymond asked, leaning a bit with his palms on the table.


    Akira looked at the faces of her team members.


    They looked worried, they looked all tense. The deadline was tight and integration was manual, just like old days. They weren''t sure if they could do it. But the most important fact was that Raymond had faith in them and that was enough for them.


    After much deliberation Simon said,


    "I think we can, but will one main server able to handle it?"


    Raymond looked at him and smiled and then spoke after taking a brief pause.


    "It''s not a generic Tower Server, my ICE-BOX is a TeraStation".


    And there was pin-drop silence in the room.

 Chapter 253: Panic Mode

    <h4>253 Panic Mode</h4>


    [Meanwhile somewhere in Russia]


    Yarov - "Zavershite eto kak mozhno skoreye, durak".


    [Complete it as soon as possible you fool]


    Egor - "Ni odin iz portov ne otkryt".


    [None of the ports are open]


    Sergey - "YA ne mogu nayti servis, rabotayushchiy na khoste".


    [I can''t find any service running on the host.]


    Yarov - "Togda ne smotri na moye chertovo litso. Starat''sya".


    [Then don''t look at my fucking face. Try harder]


    Egor and Sergey looked at each other in panic. They knew that it wasn''t a good sign as their boss was getting extremely angry.


    Egor whispered,


    Sergey !!! Mne zdes'' ne povezlo. Pomogi mne.


    [Sergey !!! I am out of luck here. Help me.]


    Yarov heard even the faintest voice of Egor and hissed,


    O Bozhe !!! Vy dali mne kuchu debilov.


    [Oh God !!! You have given me a bunch of morons]


    Saying that he pulled Egor''s chair aside and logged in to the system himself and tried all possiblemands on the terminal. He tried to ping all the host IP''s that he knew of, but there was no reply from any of the IP''s.


    He held his head in panic and screamed.


    "YA takoy mertvyy. So dead. I am so so dead".


    He immediately called on a private number.


    "We are unable to locate any servers. Nothing is happening. Why no servers are on? I cannot ftp into their system if it is not live. You told me they were all active servers but they are not".


    Peter heard his words and his throat just dried up.


    He had no clue what to say next.


    After panicking for a while he said,


    "Can you try it once, rather than your boys".


    "I wouldn''t have called you without trying myself first. I am unable to breach it in the first ce. Forget about attaining admin ess to the servers."


    "My boss isn''t going to be happy about it".


    "I used my best boys".


    "I know, maybe I didn''t", Peter said and disconnected the call all pissed.


    He took a couple of deep breaths as he wasn''t sure how to break the news in front of Vikram. But there was no time to wait. GCG finale was tomorrow and something was needed to be done asap. So he rushed towards his cabin.


    "Come in".


    "Tell me you have some good news with you. My ears are tuning into stone listening to everything wrong that''s going around me".


    Peter hung his head hearing him speak and seeing him all dejected Vikram could easily guess that it was bad news.


    "Ok, now just tell what is it. I have no patience".


    "Yarov was unable to breach Delphie''s systems".


    Vikram took a deep breath and looked at Peter. He was unable to understand if alls had aligned against him or they were aligned to favor Raymond, or probably both.


    "What about we give him more money. What if Raymond has given him more money than us?"


    "It''s not about money sir. He said that he is unable to breach into the systems in the first ce".


    "Yarov is unable to breach? I cannot believe that."


    "The problem is, to be able to breach you needs the systems alive Sir. All the servers of Delphie have been shut down apparently. I could understand that much only from the conversation".


    "It''s not possible. Without the servers, they will not be able to do anything. He needs all the data from the server. His emtion needs to run from the server tomorrow. One or two servers may be off. Can''t he hack the rest?


    "No, sir. He clearly mentioned that all the servers were offline. Every single one of them".


    "That''s freaking impossible", he said and rested his forehead in his palm.


    He was slowly switching into panic mode.

 Chapter 254: Reaching the Dead End

    <h4>254 Reaching the Dead End</h4>


    "Why are all his servers down?"


    "I have no idea", said Peter with his head hung low.


    "Then figure it out", saying that Vikram shattered the ss of water which was ced on his desk. He was way too furious right now. Now it was a matter of his pride. In no way, he could let Raymond win thispetition.


    Unable to resist his anger and curiosity, he called up Akira.


    ********* Out of Range.


    Then he tried to call up Raymond.


    ********* Out of Range.


    "Where the hell are they right now?", Vikram said and tried to straddle across the length of the room. Then turning towards Peter he asked,


    "You sure they all are in office today?"


    "Yes, sir. A hundred and one percent. I had myself pulled the security footage from the main gate to check upon them. They are all in the office".


    "Then why are they unreachable?"


    He tried sending a mail to Akira''s office email but that also failed and that was the end of his patience limit.


    He picked up his car keys and drove for Brooklyn.


    ---


    [Scene at the War Room]


    Knock Knock


    "Come in".


    The receptionist entered inside and said,


    "Mr.Vikram is here at the reception. He said it''s urgent".


    "That''s ok. I will receive him now".


    Saying that Raymond got up from his seat but then he saw Akira also getting up all worried.


    He looked at her and said,


    "Stay, I will manage", before walking out of the room.


    He reached the reception and greeted Vikram, who clearly looked all disturbed.


    "Hello, Raymond. Everything ok here? I was unable to contact you and Akira as well. Thendline is also not working. I tried sending email to you but that also bounced. What''s going on?".


    "Oh, that''s because all our servers have been switched off, including our internal SMTP e-mail server. Was there anything urgent that brought you here? You could have sent your assistant instead of youing here all the way".


    "But why?", Vikram asked, cutting his exnation.


    "Security concerns, if I must say", saying that Raymond nced at him with his look filled with nothing but suspicion.


    "I see", Vikram said and sighed.


    "Soing to the point, what brings you here?".


    "I just wanted to wish you good luck before you left. We are more than business partners right? Since Akira is family, you are family too", saying that Vikram tried to pull a fake smile on his face.


    "Well, that''s really generous of you to say that. But if you do not have anything else important to say or ask, then I would like to go back to work. We still have two trial runs pending and I have just little over three hours toplete that".


    "Oh yeah sure thing. Where is Akira by the way?"


    "Oh, she is also busy with the final trial runs. When I got to know that you have arrived, I specifically asked her to apany me to say hello to you. But she was so engrossed that she said no".


    "Really? So busy that she said no?"


    "Yup, one hell of a dedicated girl I must say", and saying that Raymond smiled and took a turn and walked back towards the war room.


    Vikram stood there all stupified, for this time he had realized that Raymond was clearly light years ahead of him with his nning and forecast. He had definitely underestimated his opponent.


    He kept looking in his direction all dejected and depleted of any energy to fight back.


    But the thing that hurt him the most was the absence of Akira.


    She didn''t evene to receive him even after knowing that he was there. He couldn''t believe that things between them havee to this.


    It was like as if no matter which way he took, it always was a dead end.

 Chapter 255: Wishing him well - Chapter 1: !!!

    <h4>255 Wishing him well - 1 !!!</h4>


    "Final emtion on the go. Bug fix 22 applied", Simon said and then looked at Mike who was already on board for the trial runs before they left for the airport.


    "Enable controller override", Mike said and looked at Raymond.


    "Are you sure?", Raymond asked.


    "Pretty sure", said Mike as he started maneuvering his emtor drone through the guild.


    Raymond pressed Alt+Shift+F9 without moving his eye form the main disy screen.


    Mike''s adept hands moved over the controlled like butter, pressing one key or the other every now and then.


    "Target locked".


    "Snatch", yelled Raymond.


    "Victorious !!! You have received a massive 380 points for the Snatch", echoed the system and the War room was filled with hysterical and jubnt cries of happiness of people.


    Akira hugged her brother and whispered in his ears,


    "You are the best !!!".


    A boisterous Simon came forward and asked,


    "I can take you for a victoryp you know kid? Adept hands I must say", and saying that he gave a pat on his shoulders.


    Raymond stood there and just looked at his people, all emotional. Unable to describe in words, how much this entire jaunt meant for him.


    "I will be right back", he said and left the room.


    Both Akira and David saw him leave and they both knew what was going in his heart. Akira looked at David from across the room and he gave her a look in the direction in which Raymond went. She understood what he meant and left the War Room immediately.


    She went near the lift lobby and saw the lift already hitting the terrace. She knew he would have gone there and immediately took the stairs.


    As she reached the terrace top, she saw him standing in one corner and looking into the distance.


    She went close to him and asked,


    "Were you jealous that my brother has started getting the attention?"


    He heard her voice and smiled and turned back,


    "Oh yeah !!! Indeed. I feel like my throne is about to be snatched".


    And they both smiled together looking earnestly at each other.


    She went ahead and held his hand in her own and asked,


    "Why are you so scared? What is wrong?"


    "I don''t know Akira. There is a weird pit feeling in my stomach and it''s not going away, no matter what. What if I disappoint my people. What if I do some mistake in the final leg of thepetition?"


    "That''s'' not going to happen".


    "I don''t know. With so many things going on, I am just really scared. I have never felt like that before. There is too much lying on my shoulder right now. All their hopes, all their hard work, and all my dreams. The weight is pushing me down. I don''t know how to exin it to you".


    "You don''t need to", saying that she took a deep breath and continued,


    "I hope you know one thing that no matter whether you win or you lose. Each and every one of us will still love you and respect you the way we did before. That is not going to change. Plus we have foiled every move that had been targetted against us and in future also we will".


    "I have a bad feeling about it Akira. A real bad feeling. What if there is a factor that I haven''t taken into ount? My father has been silent all this time, so I am not sure what game he will y. And he has defeated me every single time if you are unaware of that. Plus there is your Vikram".


    "What is Vikram going to do now? We have mired all his ns right?".


    "I might have added fuel to the fire".


    "What did you do now Raymond?"

 Chapter 256: Wishing him well - Chapter 2: !!!

    <h4>256 Wishing him well - 2 !!!</h4>


    Akira burst intoughter after hearing his story.


    "What are you, Raymond? Like eleven?"


    "I don''t know why I said that. Probably I just wanted to hurt him, make him feel jealous".


    "You have turned me into a weapon", said Akira andughed.


    "Of mass destruction, I must add", Raymond said and chuckled.


    "Come now, let''s go down. Let''s face our fears together", saying that she pulled him and took him down.


    ---


    It was time.


    They were supposed to leave for the airport now.


    Mike and Simon took an Uber and started.


    Akira took Raymond''s car and she was herself driving him to the airport because she wanted to be with him till thest stretch that was possible.


    She parked the car and he took out his bag and they silently walked towards the Departures. The silence between them was their way of understanding each other, He took out his passport and tickets and then looking at her he said,


    "Tomorrow I will be busy the whole day, so take care of mypany".


    "What?"


    "You forgot? You are the owner now".


    "We all will be glued to the broadcast. Do you even think anyone will work?"


    "That''s your job to make sure that it happens", he said and smiled.


    "You are speaking like you are going on a month-long hiatus", Akira said and rolled her eyes.


    Then she opened her bag and took out something and ced it in Raymond''s hand.


    "He will keep you safe".


    He looked at the small idol statue that she had ced in his hands.


    "He is the ''VIGHNAHARTA'', the remover of all obstacles and dangers that mighte your way".


    "I know", he said and lightly smiled.


    "How do you know?"


    "You forgot? When I had the stab wound, you had ced him next to me. You were so bothered for me back then", saying that he lightly brushed his fingers on her cheeks.


    "Keep him close to you. Promise me that".


    "I will", he said and looked at her. Her eyes were slowly swarming with water.


    "Hey, you know right I am going for just one night ?"


    "I know", Akira said and giggled.


    "I have no control over them. They just see you and want to rush out", Akira said and wiped her tears.


    He looked at her face, the tears in her eyes and the old memories flooded his head. She was crying like this the first time they had met. Just that this time she was crying for him.


    He smiled and then wiped the tears off her face and said,


    "I think we have a connection with airports. It makes me fall in love with you all over again".


    Saying that he dropped his bag and pulled her close.


    His hands were in her hair and his lips were in her mouth searching her, stripping her from sanity and her from the ability to even think.


    Her chest rose as she filled herself with all the feelings of him and touched him.


    His hand slowly slid down traversing her neck and rested on her chest.


    She squirmed and bit him hard, but that sort of energized him even more. Without a care of who was watching them, he deepened the kiss and his tongue probed deeper. They had immersed themselves so much in each other that they now tasted the same.


    His hand slowly glided on the curvatures of her chest and then wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her closer and tighter. His lips had moved away from her lips and had targetted the corners of her neck.


    Unable to resist her urges she moaned and it was then that Raymond realized his folly.


    "I am sorry, I took it too far", he said and detached himself.


    He saw her all deprived of breath and her strawberry vored lip balm, which she had donned earlier was now non-existent. He took his thumb and wiped her lips and said,


    "I will see you soon", and saying that he went inside.


    Akira stood there, looking at him and suddenly a strange feeling started to grip her.


    What is with all these random vibes !!!

 Chapter 257: The GCG Finale - 1

    <h4>257 The GCG Finale - 1</h4>


    The morning sun was bright and the sky looked all clear in Manaus, Brazil. It was a perfect day for the grand finale in the Amazon forests which was now the destination where the final demo was to be done.


    Raymond woke up and the first thing that he did was to call Akira up.


    "Hello".


    "Hello, My love".


    "Are you ok? Did you sleep ok?"


    "Yes, I did. Why are you panicking?"


    "Ah, nothing, I just asked", Akira said, hiding away all the concern that was creeping inside of her head by the virtue of the weird vibes that felt yesterday, because she wanted him to start the day without any negativity or burden lying on his shoulders.


    After a cheerful talk with her, Raymond got ready and went to the breakfast point of the hotel.


    Mike and Simon were also ready and they had breakfast together. They saw a couple of familiar faces who were the participants from MetaFile and Gamma Corp, the other two fightingpanies.


    The contest was unique in itself because there was no second ce in it. There was just one spot and that was the winner spot and that was it. No runners up titles, no constion prizes. So the fight was going to be bloody because everyone wanted that spot.


    That spot meant, it would be the game of the year and would be advertised and promoted by GCG itself and that meant a direct reach to millions of people instantly. It was the sure shot ticket for the sess of the product. So every team was itching to get a hand on that trophy.


    Afterpleting their breakfast, they got all their equipment ready and went to the hotel lobby to meet the GCG representatives.


    There they were each provided with a kit containing waterproof covers, medicines and some essentials in case they needed them amidst the dense demanding forest. Once ready, they sat in their allotted range rovers and started for the jungle trip.


    Mike looked a bit nervous as he sat in the car.


    He was hit by the reality that if he messed even a bit, it could cost Raymond everything of his life. Raymond could sense his uneasiness and raised his brow and looked at Simon who understood what he meant. So he tried to strike up a casual conversation with him.


    "Hey Mike, you never told me about your girlfriend?"


    "Because I don''t have one".


    "Ooh, are you interested in guys then, ha ha ha", Simon joked.


    "Yes", Mike said curtly and all theugh from Simon''s face vanished in an instant.


    "What shall I say now?", Simon asked Raymond looking in his direction with panic written all over his face.


    Raymond couldn''t control hisugh and looked at Mike and they both startedughing.


    Unable to understand anything Simon asked,


    "What, what, what happened?"


    "Nothing Simon, even a kid can mess with your head", Raymond said and chuckled.


    "So you are not gay?", Simon craned his neck and asked Mike.


    "Nope", Mike answered.


    "Aahhh, so you yed with me?"


    "Well yeah, you looked more nervous than me, so why not?", said Mike and continuedughing.


    This friendly banter livened up their mood and they continued discussing the various strategies to be taken next.


    ---


    [Meanwhile At BridgeRoad Residency]


    Sebastian Walker was pacing up and down in his study. A clear hint of impatience was seen on his face. He was impatiently waiting for a call from his assistant Victor.


    And just two minutester, his phone rang.


    He legit sprang to answer the phone on the first ring itself.


    "Hello".


    "Hello, Mr. Sebastian".


    "Status".


    "All our drones have been deployed and they arepletely identical to the ones to be used in thepetition and two of our choppers are on standby".


    "And what about the other thing that I asked you for?"


    "It''s been taken care of".

 Chapter 258: The GCG Finale - 2

    <h4>258 The GCG Finale - 2</h4>


    Manaus, the most popted city of Brazil, located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest was a city ofplete istion. Cut-off from the hustle and bustle of the maind, the ce had flourished and had preserved its flora and fauna along with its local tribal culture.


    Ranked as one of the dangerous cities across the world, it still attracted millions for its beauty and tranquility.


    The finale was supposed to be held at the confluence of The Solim?es and Negro rivers which meet at the east of Manaus and join to form the mighty Amazon River.


    After reaching the spot, all the seriousness and tension that the contestants had regarding thepetition, just vanished away seeing the majestic beauty of that ce.


    "May I have your attention please".


    A sudden voice echoed.


    It was the voice of Richard Taylor, the biggest name in the gaming industry who had revolutionized the concept of Virtual Reality application into the games.


    Huge apuse reverberated in the entire area as the participants and the crew members joined hands in weing him.


    "A beautiful and rxing day it is. Isn''t it?"


    "And Our GCG members have decided to ruin it by conducting the finale in this gorgeous ce".


    Everyone chuckled with his witty remark.


    "Well, I have been paid and invited here to tell you the rules and to judge you as well. So I better do that, else they will definitely cause my cheques to bounce".


    "So first of all, as you know each team will have three members,


    [A Rider] - Who will navigate the drones which will be given to you.


    [A Commander] - Who will tweak the code and provide control on run time basis.


    [A Hawk-Eye] - The bridge between the two who will scan the entire area for getting a snatch.


    The team whichpletes the first five snatches will be winning the trophy. But But But..."


    "This BUT isn''t a good sign", Simon squeaked.


    "You have to attain the snatches at geographically and topographically different locations. I hope these have been incorporated in your game", Richard said and gave a wink.


    Raymond took a deep breath because he was expecting some weird bending of the rules again. But so far it sounded all ok.


    "So you have thirty minutes to take a look around this ce and position your targets for the Snatch. The maximum you can move around will be within a one-mile radius of this area and we urge you not to stray too far. Hope you know that the Amazons are unforgiving".


    Mike looked at Raymond after hearing Richard''s statement.


    He gently tapped on his shoulder and said,


    "It''s going to be ok".


    Then Richard continued.


    "So please set-up your systems and collect your walkie-talkies and portable wireless systems as you know that this ce has zero connectivity."


    As he finished his statement the spocks from GCG started providing the walkie talkies and portable wireless systems to all the participants.


    Simon configured the systems but before he could test, Raymond asked him,


    "What sort of battery is in it. Check that first".


    "A basic AA battery", Simon replied.


    "Why what happened?"


    "Nothing", said Raymond and opened his back-pack and gave two AA batteries each to Simon and Mike and said,


    "Just in case you get lost in the forest. These batteries might die out".


    "Is there anything that you don''t ount for Raymond?", Mike asked.


    He was impressed with the sort of rity that this man had about his game and his strategy.


    Once the distribution was done, the voice of Richard was heard again,


    "So get ready to connect with nature and bring out the best of the creativity inside you".


    "Your thirty minutes to scan, begins now".

 Chapter 259: The GCG finale - 3

    <h4>259 The GCG finale - 3</h4>


    "Listen, Peter, the water is going way above my head that I can bear to tolerate. I want his team disqualified right now as in right now".


    "It would be a bit difficult to negotiate now as they are in an isted region, but my men will handle it differently. Their walkie talkies are rigged and my men will jam their portable wireless systems which they will be using for connectivity within their team".


    Vikram heard him and then thought for a bit and then spoke.


    "But this is risky as the jammer will jam all the portable wireless systems, I mean for all the teams. Then the authorities will get to know. This doesn''t look feasible to me".


    "We have a cut for that".


    "What is it?"


    "All the teams will be nting their targets after scouting the area. I have some of the GCG spocks under me and they will help to see the locations of all the teams. So when they will find Raymond''s team isted from others, they will jam their system."


    "That''s brilliant. But I hope it works the way you are nning".


    Saying that Vikram disconnected the call.


    But deep down he wasn''t satisfied with the nning of Peter. He knew that there was still a chance that Raymond might be able to ovee all that obstacles that he might try to put in his way.


    So it was time to have a n B ready which he had already set up to trap Raymond for once and for all. He knew that it was ethically incorrect of him to do such a thing, plus the risks involved were high but right now his ego had be too adamant. The jealousy in him had spiraled to such a great height that he was ready to go to any extent for getting Akira back and that too at any cost. So right now even if the stakes were high, he didn''t care.


    ---


    "What about cing one target here?", Mike asked pointing towards a giant fig tree whose canopy was almost reaching the sky.


    "That location looks good to me", Raymond said and gave an approving nod.


    "Just two more targets to go", Simon squeaked.


    "Easy Simon. The next two needs to be ced at a proper location. Needs to be away from other team targets and strategically ced at a location which will show the uniqueness of our game and controls that we provide", saying that Raymond added the coordinates for the current target into his system.


    "Remember the coordinates well Mike", Raymond said.


    "Yup. But we have only twelve minutes more", Mike looked at the watch and said.


    "What about near the river rapid area?", Simon asked.


    "Good but too risky. It''s quite swampy there and we are unaware of the terrains here", Raymond said.


    "Let''s try to ce one target just a bit above the waters there. I can navigate my drone to hover on top of it", Mike said and looked at Raymond in anticipation and he caved in because they had already scouted nearly eighty percent of that area and nothing viable wasing up.


    "What about thest one Raymond?", Simon asked.


    "I have an idea", saying that he looked at Mike and told him about it.


    Mike thought for a while and said,


    "There might be few water drops that wille sshing and destroy the chip of the drone".


    "We have a waterproof casing for that reason", Raymond said and looked at him hopefully.


    "What about the wind? Will, you be able to manage tond it?", Simon asked.


    Mike checked the specs of the drone again and started crunching a few numbers and then said,


    "Possible !!!"


    A smile spread on the face of Simon and Raymond.

 Chapter 260: The GCG finale - 4

    <h4>260 The GCG finale - 4</h4>


    After the scouting round was over, all the teams assembled near the confluence point where they had the session earlier.


    Richard Taylor got up to the stage and looking at all the participants he said,


    "Pick up as many bottles of water as you want and food supplements. The round will be of max one hour, but still, I would strongly advise you to take them in case you get lost in these dense forests."


    "If you aren''t able toplete within one hour then that itself will be disqualifying your team. You have to do it fast but the amount of points attained in each snatch is associated with the level of difficulty. So snatching fast doesn''t mean snatching the best".


    Then he signaled the man holding the fog-horn and said,


    "Your finale round starts in 3, 2, 1 Go....."


    The loud noise of the Fog-horn reverberated through the forest. All the contestants marched forward along with the spocks assigned for the game.


    Raymond positioned himself strategically at the central ce which sat at the center from where all the five targets were equidistant. He handed the written co-ordinates of all the ces to Mike and Simon and then said.


    "Remember, it''s now or never. Go !!!"


    The drone controller needed constant programming and control via the central unit which was with Raymond because the limitation of the game was that they had given only four controllers in the drone, but they could be configured. So depending on need, Raymond would program them for altitude, movement and rotation direction, etc based on the snatch needs.


    Simon sped through the jungle along with Mike for their first snatch. The camera disy unit wasn''t integrated with the drone controller and only Simon could see the live camera feed and guide Mike ordingly. The restrictions on movements were a lot, but they had to use them to their advantage.


    So soon after reaching the first snatch point, Mike immediately started riding his drone.


    "Commander !!! Rider calling. I need altitude, right turn, snatch and video-enabled".


    "Configuring"


    "Go for Rider !!!".


    As soon as Mike heard it he looked at Simon, whose video screen was enabled in an instant and he started giving him navigation instruction.


    "12 degrees to the right. Around 16-17 feet more up".


    "Hang on Mike".


    "Turn 2 degrees more. Bang on Snatch".


    Spock1 immediately ryed,


    "Team Delphie''s first snatchpleted within a record 3 minute 37 seconds."


    Mike gave a high five to Simon and then they moved towards the second target immediately. Since the control options were limited, the other two teams were finding it difficult with the navigation of the drone.


    "Commander, Rider calling. Snatch 1pleted. Moving for the second snatch".


    "Go for Rider and hawk-eye".


    Mike and Simon moved deep into the forest where a machan was erected. Navigating the drone was tuff in that area as the canopy was overly dense.


    Simon ced himself under the tree while Mike moved ahead to get to the vantage point to start flying his drone.


    "Rider starting. Enable somersault, deactivate...".


    "Deactivate what Rider?", Raymond asked as he was unable to hear what Mike spoke next.


    "Commander are you there?", Mike kept on repeating but s, his voice couldn''t reach Raymond.


    Then Mike remembered Raymond''s words and immediately changed the batteries of his Walkie-talkie. While he was doing so, the team of Gamma Corppleted their first snatch.


    After hearing the ry, Mike''s hands worked even faster and then he rebooted his Walkie immediately and punched into Raymond''s walkie.


    "Commander, Rider here. Deactive snatch, repeat deactivate snatch".


    Raymond did so in a jiffy and replied.


    "Rider on go".


    "Hawk-eye to guide".


    "Altitude 7 feet more, yese on, right turn now, somersault and increase altitude by 5 feet more. Go on Rider. 10 degrees right turn, maintain altitude steadily. No somersault needed now.".


    "Commander, activate snatch, deactivate somersault".


    "Activation is done".


    "Rider Snatch".


    "And once again team Delphie has taken the taken the second fastest snatch in 12 minutes and 8 seconds", ryed the Spock3.

 Chapter 261: The GCG finale - 5

    <h4>261 The GCG finale - 5</h4>


    "Well done my Rider and Hawk-Eye", Raymond beamed with pride.


    The moment Spock3 heard the ry about the second snatch by Delphie, he got worried. He had put nearly drained out batteries in one of the walkie-talkies assigned for the team Delphie and was expecting it to die out within a couple of minutes. He thought that it would cause unnecessary dy and chaos for them. But somehow that didn''t work out, and that worried him a lot.


    That was because it meant only one thing.


    It meant that now he had just onest opportunity to prevent them from winning the title. So he decided to use his jammer at thest final leg of the contest.


    Excited with the second snatch, Mike and Simon started moving towards the third coordinate. They were treading through the dense forests without any care. Nearly thousands of bruises due to unruly branches or stems had already adorned their body, but that didn''t stop them for a minute or decreased their pace.


    Their third target was located far away from the second one, so they were trying hard to cover the distance as fast as possible. So that meant more bruises, more bug bites, more leeches.


    But ignoring all that they both sprinted opposite to the confluence area and reached a ce which waspletely surrounded by a plethora of birch trees. The branches zig-zagged in between and Mike had to carefully navigate the drone to reach the top where the target was ced.


    After reaching the point Mike contacted Raymond.


    "Commander, Rider calling activate left turn, right turn, altitude, and video".


    "Rider on standby".


    Raymond quickly changed the configuration and ryed,


    "Rider and Hawk-eye, system ready to go".


    After getting that signal from Raymond, Mike immediately started flying his drone.


    Simon sat on the ground calmly because this snatch was not an easy one like the two before and gave his full concentration to navigation.


    "Left turn, 18 degrees. Great. Now ascend for one feet rider. Steady, steady, turn left just a nudge."


    "Right there enter through that corner. Good going rider"


    "Steady, ascend 2 feet".


    While they were ascending up, Gamma Corppleted their second snatch as well while MetaFile team was still struggling with their first snatch.


    "Rider careful, branch ahead".


    "Sorry hawk-eye", Mike said as he got distracted with the results ry from the Spocks.


    "It''s ok Rider, move right 10 degrees and ascend again".


    They carefully moved inside the zig-zag pattern. It was time taking but they knew that this would fetch them the maximum points.


    Just when they were about to reach the close proximity of the target, Simon called up Raymond.


    "Hawk-eye calling, disable right turn, enable snatch".


    And Raymond did that in a jiffy.


    "Rider snatch".


    A smile spread of each of their faces as this was one of the difficult snatches that they had nted. They were riding high on adrenaline and satisfaction. But without dying anything any further they moved towards the fourth target.


    The fourth snatch was aparatively easier one and theypleted the snatch in just 9 minutes.


    They were inching closer to their target.


    Gamma Corp hadn''tpleted their third snatch and MetaFile was yet to open their ount.


    Their victory was sure-shot.


    They just had toplete the fifth snatch. But this one wasn''t easy.


    They had ced the fifth target as a dead drop from a waterfall. Standing from atop of the waterfall, they had to manoeuvre their drone down. There was a risk of water destroying the drone, but this snatch was the max points snatch.


    Mike and Simon moved forward towards the final snatch area,pletely unaware of the fact that Spock3 was right behind them to foil their march towards sess.

 Chapter 262: The GCG finale - 6

    <h4>262 The GCG finale - 6</h4>


    Mike and Simon reached the waterfall point and ryed.


    "Commander we are in location. Monitoring the surrounding".


    "Hawk-eye how deep is the dead-drop point?"


    "Approximately 70 feet".


    "Rider will you be able to stabilize if the water starts to fall with pressure on the drone?"


    "I will not take it near to the water till I reach the dead drop depth. I will move in depth first".


    "Ok, go from Commander".


    Mike covered his drone in the water-proof casing and checked basic functionality and then called Raymond.


    "Enable stabilizer, down movement, left turn and video".


    "Enabling.... and it''s a go".


    As soon as Mike heard him, he manoeuvred his drone slowly and tried moving it parallel to the waterfall in the downward direction away from the water to prevent any damages.


    As soon as Richard Taylor heard about the fourth snatch he turned towards the spocks near the confluence and said,


    "I think your services will be better required near the snatch point of team Delphie. Please go and support them".


    Then turning towards the man in his right he asked,


    "How deep is the waterfall?"


    "More than a hundred feet".


    Richard sighed as he heard the man''s answer and took his phone out.


    He re-read the message sent by Sebastian Walker to him and sighed,


    "What are you up to my friend?"


    ---


    Mike had almost reached the snatch point depth, but the wind and waterbination was making it difficult to keep the drone hovering steadily.


    Mike ryed,


    "Commander, enable snatch and hover mode, disable stabilizer and depth movement".


    "On it", said Raymond and started the configuration.


    But the moment the configuration wasplete and he tried to apply it to the drone, it didn''t work. He wasn''t able to ess the drone itself. It was offline.


    "Rider drone not essible. No connection with the drone".


    "What since when?", asked Mike all worried.


    "Since just now", Raymond replied.


    Spock3 smiled looking at their struggle as he had switched on the wireless jammer.


    "Try to reboot", Simon said.


    "I can''t", Raymond replied all worried.


    Mike was perplexed as he wasn''t able to understand what to do now.


    "I am reaching the point now. Keep the drone hovering".


    Raymond quickly started for the target spot while Mike tried his best to keep the drone stable under the high wind and water pressure.


    Raymond paced hard and reached the final coordinates in 10 minutes. But in the meantime, Gamma Corppleted their third snatch and was moving from the fourth one. It was getting close.


    As soon as Raymond reached the point, he again tried to connect with the drone but it was still offline.


    "Can you bring the drone up?"


    "No altitude wasn''t enabled, not possible".


    Raymond looked at Simon and then towards Mike. They had reached so close to victory, but now it was looking so distant.


    Then Raymond removed his shoes and got inside the water with theptop in his hands, trying every possible location to find any sort of connectivity.


    But even after getting waist deep into the water, nothing worked.


    Mike and Simon had lost all hope but then Raymond turned towards Mike and said,


    "Do you remember ourst trial simtion".


    "Yes", said Mike all nonchntly and then looked at Raymond.


    Suddenly his eyes gleamed and he screamed,


    "Oh yes. I can do it. Hawk-eye, guide".


    "But you don''t have all the right motions enabled".


    "I just need one right now", saying that he looked at Simon and he understood what he meant and guided him under the water.


    Without stabilizer, it was difficult to control the drone, but somehow Mike managed to and then Simon screamed.


    "On point".


    Without even wasting an extra second, Mike pressed manual override which gave only one control - Snatch. And that was all that he needed.


    "And its done. Team Delphie has done it. A loud and clear Victory", ryed Spock3

 Chapter 263: Sweet taste of Victory

    <h4>263 Sweet taste of Victory</h4>


    The Spock ryed the message but deep down a nket of sadness was spread over him. He tried to show that he was all cheery and enthusiastic while rying the message but he was continually cursing his fate, for no matter what options he tried, that group of three was able to still achieve the unbelievable. They were like the Invincibles.


    A deferred version of the game and event status was being updated on the GCG web-page for people all over the world to have a glimpse of and all the team members of Delphie were glued to their screens in the war room.


    Every time the opponent made a snatch, the mood of the entire team would dip to negative and the moment Delphie members made a snatch, they would swell with pride and joy. The entire team was hooked, with no one having any care about water or food.


    The fourth snatch was like a life saver which happened quickly and made the entire team exalt with happiness as if they had already won the battle.


    The moment Akira saw the update on the screen, she ran back to her seat leaving the war room. Bryan looked at her in surprise as to why would she leave at such a crucial point of time when it was the time for thest snatch.


    But she didn''t bother to reply to the eyes of people filled with questions and just rushed out.


    Upon reaching near her seat, she knelt on the floor and started praying for him. She wanted all her God''s to listen to her prayers. She wanted to conjure all the good wishes that she could from the almighty for his sake. She needed him to win it, but more than that she just wanted him toe back all unharmed.


    Sitting there on her knees, right now her biggest concern was his safety. Somehow it was difficult for her to digest that Vikram would let him off the hook so easy. She had a gut feeling that he would still try to do something to harm him.


    She could not share her fears with anyone but God and so she surrendered herselfpletely. She had faith in God and in her prayers. She knew that he wouldn''t disappoint her.


    She had no idea what and how, but a couple of minutester she could hear loud cheersing out from the direction of the war room. And she knew that God had listened to her prayers.


    Tears of joy started rolling down her eyes and all that she could do was to count her blessings and be grateful for everything in life that she had.


    Before she could get up, Kirk came running to Akira''s desk and hugged her.


    "They have done it Akira !!!"


    She was surprised. She never knew Kirk to be an emotional hugger, but today he was. But she didn''t mind. She hugged him back and said,


    "We have all done it, Kirk. We have all, together".


    The whole floor went into celebration mode and David started ordering food and drinks for the entire team. It was time to party.


    A smile spread on her face seeing all the happy faces, but now she felt like making a particr face sad.


    "WE WON" - [Akira]


    She wrote and then she immediately sent the text to Vikram.


    He read the text like it was a summon from the hell. His face turned all contorted as if he had been under exorcism. He threw away the phone on to the floor trying to vent out his frustration. Right now he didn''t care, who won or who lost. He just needed one thing and for that, he had to wait.


    He waited for his n B to work patiently in his cabin.


    ---


    The Spocks who had been sent by Richard reached near the waterfall area almost at the same time when the final snatch happened.


    After Spock3 ryed the victory information, one of the Spocks went inside the waters to help Raymonde outside as he was waist deep in water and was holding hisptop in his hand as well.


    "You can give me yourptop and walk ahead", the Spock said and extended his hand to hold theptop.


    Raymond readily gave theptop to him and said,


    "Thanks for the help. Although it wasn''t needed here",


    Saying that he took a step forward, but his leg tumbled against the leg of the Spock who was also standing in the water next to him and he lost his bnce.


    The stones underneath the water were all covered with moss since ages and were slippery as hell.


    He slipped and before the Spock could hold his hand and restore his bnce, he fell.


    It was more than a hundred feet dead-drop.

 Chapter 264: Searching for him

    <h4>264 Searching for him</h4>


    Mike''s heart just stopped. His mind just couldn''t register what he saw. The next moment all that he could do was to scream out loud. He ran into the waters but Simon held him tight in the fear that he might also slip because of his agitated and disturbed mind.


    The Spock who was there inside the water turned for a second and then somehow his leg also slipped and he also met the same fate as Raymond.


    The two other Spocks who stood there immediately ryed to the main center about the ident and asked for urgent help.


    Unable to understand what just happened, Mike slumped on the ground. Knowing the depth of the waterfall, he clearly knew what the fate of Raymond would be, but he wasn''t ready to ept it. He was unable to hear or feel anything now as all that he could sense was emptiness.


    Simon was still holding Mike to support him, but then next he heard the sound of two choppers flying out and that immediately kind of pulled him out of the daze.


    "It''s not time to panic Mike. Let''s go downstream along with the search party. We need to help him out when they take him out of water".


    They both knew the reality, but they just couldn''t lose hope.


    Leaving everything aside they ran along with the Spocks downstream but that took them a good twenty minutes to reach. As every minute passed, the hope inside Mike was dying down.


    The choppers had already left by the time they reached down as they couldn''t find anything.


    Without bothering about his clothes, MIke jumped into the water to search for him along with the other Spocks and search party, but there was still no sign of him or the other Spock, who also fell in the water.


    All dejected he came out of the water and slumped next to Simon, who immediately covered him with a dry towel.


    He looked at Simon and then said,


    "My sister will die if she knows about it".


    Simon gave him a pat and said,


    "Nothing can happen to Raymond. He is God''s own child".


    "Then why would God throw his own Son into the waters and try to kill him?"


    Simon had no answer for that.


    It was starting to get dark and so the search party decided to retire as the forest gets dangerous at night. The Spocks took both Mike and Simon back to the confluence point. Everyone had heard the news and they were all perplexed to the core about it.


    Richard sat there with his head in his hand, unable to decide how he will break the news to his friend. But by this time the Spocks had already ryed about it to the main center.


    ---


    "Com'' on, show us your moves Akira", Kirk said and pulled Akira on the dance floor.


    She hesitated at first but then joined her team who were celebrating the victory at a local pub. But then suddenly Bryan screamed at the top of his lung and asked the DJ to shut off the music.


    He was staring the television screen inside the pub which was rying about the ident that had happened in GCG finale in the Amazons.


    Akira stared at the screen for a while. Her face was devoid of any emotions. She didn''t panic and neither did she cry. She walked up to the desk and took out the car keys from her bag and started her car.


    She had a long drive to Staten Ind.


    After all, someone had to be answerable to her questions.

 Chapter 265: Tearing him down

    <h4>265 Tearing him down</h4>


    "The sniper didn''t have to shoot" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "What the heck?" - Vikram


    "He fell down the waterfall before my man could shoot. It''s a dead-drop point. Survival from there is nearly impossible" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Go and search downstream for his body" - Vikram


    "That part is done and dusted. Will be checking again tomorrow morning" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "But no one can survive it. Another Spock fell just after after him. We couldn''t find his body as well" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    "Keep me posted" - Vikram


    A smile spread on his face and he walked back to his desk and started working on the pending work of hispany.


    He wanted to celebrate but as the body hadn''t been retrieved, he didn''t want to. This time he wanted a proper closure and not a premature celebration only to be dejectedter.


    But he didn''t know that she wasing in to kill all his happiness.


    ---


    As Akira reached Vikram''s home, she didn''t bother to exchange the greetings with his mom and marched straight to his study room.


    She sted the door open and asked,


    "I am going to ask you nicely for oncest time. What did you do to Raymond?"


    "What did I do? What are you asking Akira?"


    "Don''t act like you don''t know about anything".


    "I seriously have no idea about what are you talking".


    Akira took a deep breath and calmed her frigid nerves. This wasn''t going to be easy. But she was ready to tear away the value of their friendship because that mattered nothing in front of Raymond.


    "Copying our graphic designs - That was you".


    "Trying to force a cyber attack on us a day before the contest - That was you".


    "Trying to bend the rules of the GCG tournament" - You.


    "Trying to set the location at the Amazons instead of New York" - All you Vikram, it was all you.


    "You think I don''t know about all this? Do you think we have forgotten what had happened on the G Night? Not even a bit".


    "What the hell are you talking Akira? I have seriously no clue about anything".


    "Stop acting Vikram, we have proof of the things that you have done. I can send you behind bars today at this very instant, but just because I respect our friendship, I haven''t."


    "Akira sit down. What happened?"


    "What happened?"


    "You seriously have the audacity to ask what happened? Just remember one thing Vikram, if anything happens to Raymond, then I swear to God''s I will snatch that mask out of your face and make people see the real you. And trust me, I won''t even slow down for a moment. Not even for a bit".


    "You think that you will get my heart by taking away his life? How could you push him down the fall Vikram? I mean, I am really ashamed that I am even friends with you".


    Saying that Akira started storming out.


    "I haven''t done anything Akira. If I wanted to have him killed, I would have killed him in point nk range and you would be staring at his dead body right now", Vikram said and tried to grab her arm desperately.


    "You better pray that hees back all ok, without a scratch on his body, else you are going to pay back. And trust me you are gonna pay back heavy".


    "Why do you think I had a hand in any of this? Why don''t you go and check with his father who wanted to sabotage his career and everything? Why are you suspecting me?"


    "Because he is his father. No father would kill their child".


    Vikram took a pause and said,


    "Sebastian Walker ain''t no father Akira".

 Chapter 266: She was ready to beg

    <h4>266 She was ready to beg</h4>


    As she started driving the car towards Katherine''s ce, streams of tears started pouring from her eyes. She didn''t even want to think of the worse. She had no courage to even think of a life without him. So her mind had conditioned her to think that he was still ok.


    Her heart wanted to halt and embrace the pain but she still drove ahead all determined, because she wasn''t ready to believe that Raymond could leave her just like that.


    She pounded on Katherine''s door and when she opened she blurted,


    "Where does your dad stay?"


    "What happened Akira? Why do you want to meet my dad all of a sudden? And why are you crying in the first ce?"


    Katherine raised her hand to wipe her face but she flinched away.


    "Something had happened to Raymond and I want to know if he did all this".


    "What has happened to Raymond?"


    Akira looked at her and gulped her own spit and said,


    "I don''t know, he just fell down from the waterfall and people, people aren''t able to find him back. I don''t know how it happened or who did all this, but right now I need his help".


    Saying that she looked at Katherine all nk and then said,


    "He cannot leave me all alone like that right? I mean we didn''t have any time? I need more time with him. He had promised to be back by tomorrow morning and I don''t know where he is right now."


    Katherine slumped on the floor after hearing what Akira had to say.


    Akira looked at Katherine and said,


    "Why are you slumping down like that? He is just missing. We need ways to find him. We need money, we need manpower and there is only one man who can provide all that".


    Katherine looked up at Akira.


    "Dad?"


    "You think he will help?"


    "I don''t have the scope of an IF in my life right now, Katherine. He has to help me. I have to go there now. I don''t know. Raymond might be suffering there all alone, without food or anything. I can''t sit here peacefully. I will beg, I don''t mind but please take me to him".


    "I think you don''t know the fact that he hates us, from the bottom of his heart".


    "I don''t care about it Katherine, can we please go to him?".


    ---


    [At BridgeRoad Residency]


    "Do you have a prior appointment?"


    "No".


    "Please help to provide your identity then. I will try to contact inside first".


    Getting all irritated Katherine came out of the car and punched in the security code at the gate and the gates opened in an instant. The security was amazed to see her being able to open the gates.


    Looking at him she barked,


    "I am his effing daughter for God''s sake".


    And saying that she sat inside the car and Akira zoomed inside before the security could say a word.


    As they reached inside, Sebastian was shocked to see his daughter in his house, dead in the night in her night clothes.


    "What brings you here?"


    "My brother".


    "Raymond is... ", and her voice just chocked and seeing that Akira barged in,


    "Raymond''s life is in danger. He was in the Amazons for a gaming contest and he fell into a waterfall from quite some height."


    "So?", Sebastian asked all nonchntly.


    Keeping her fuming anger in control Akira requested,


    "People aren''t able to find him and we need your help to search for him. You have resources and we know you can do it. So please can you help us? For the sake of your son?"


    "And who are you, with so much audacity to ask me all this?"


    "I... I work at his ce".

 Chapter 267: Anything for you sir !!!

    <h4>267 Anything for you sir !!!</h4>


    "You what?"


    "I work with him. I am an intern".


    "Tonight is really going to be wonderful", muttered Sebastian under his breath, but that was clearly audible.


    Katherine looked at Akira and shook her head out of disappointment.


    She knew her own father bone by bone and she knew that it was not going to work out. But she still apanied Akira because she still had a wick of hope burning in her heart. But he extinguished it in an instant.


    "Sir, I have a small request and it would be really kind of you if you could just spare a couple of your minutes for that".


    "Listen, youngdy, what happened to your boss is none of my concern. So if you would excuse me then I would like to attend to matters that are really important".


    "But he is your son, Sir".


    "He never was".


    Saying that Sebastian tuned to walk back towards his room but his pace was halted as he saw her kneeling on the floor.


    "He is not just my boss. He is all that I have in my life. He is thest straw of hope that my drowning heart has grabbed onto. Please don''t snatch that away. I beg of you. Please help us in finding him. I know he out there, somewhere. With your resources, I know you can and... ".


    "Get up Akira, there are more chances for a stone to melt for you than this man. Do not kneel in front of him and insult yourself", saying that Katherine put her hand around Akira''s shoulder and tried to help her get up, but she resisted and continued.


    "I will do anything that is possible under my control. I don''t have much money on me right now but I cane and work for yourpany for years without pay. But please help me right now".


    Intrigued with her sustenance, Sebastian turned towards her and with a straight poker face he asked,


    "How do you know that he is still alive?"


    "You think he has survived that fall all miraculously and he is sitting there waiting for you toe and rescue him?"


    Those were the questions that she didn''t want to hear. Those were the questions which were deliberately directed at her to weaken her up.


    So she clenched her fists and tried to reply as politely as possible.,


    "I know for sure that he is fine. Because in no way he can desert me midway like this. There is no logical exnation for this, but I know that he is still there and we need to find him".


    He looked at her for a second and then asked,


    "So what do you need?"


    Her eyes gleamed with hope and she said,


    "I would need a dedicated military grade search party, well equipped with everything. And I need to go along with them to Manaus right now. I know its possible for you to do all of it. I know you hate Raymond but I cannot believe that you can do anything to harm him".


    She saw him pondering and that gave her hope to bank on.


    But then they all heard some voices from upstairs,


    "Baby, are you going to bete to bed tonight?"


    "Baby see I wore this for you".


    Sebastian raised his hand and held his temple all irritated and then spoke with a harsh tone,


    "How many times have I told you to not to interrupt me when I am in a meeting or a discussion".


    "Oops, I thought they were the new ones. They looked all pretty".


    "I thought they were joining us", and saying that they both giggled and went back to the bedroom.


    Seeing the two bimbos going inside all giggling, Katherine''s nerves just flinched.


    "So this was the important matter that you had to attend to?"


    Katherine questioned him in disbelief and then unable to see this farce anymore, she stormed out off the hall and said to Akira.


    "Come out once you realize that all your efforts went into the drain".


    All dejected even Akira was about to get up when she heard him speak,


    "Let''s hypothetically assume, that I help you out. Then what do I get in return for my help?"


    "Anything, I would do anything, Sir. Please just help me this one time", saying that she brought her hands forward and folded them together in front of him as if she was praying to him for thest bit of mercy that she was counting on.


    He looked at her, all kneeling down in the mode ofplete surrender and asked,


    "Anything?"


    "Yes sir, anything that is under my control".


    "Then remember that in a business deal there is no backing out".


    "I will not sir".


    "Then are you ready to spend the night in my bed?"

 Chapter 268: He was supposed to protect him !!!

    <h4>268 He was supposed to protect him !!!</h4>


    Akira stared at him in disbelief.


    She wanted to scream and shout and loathe him for having such horrendous thought even creeping inside his head, but she couldn''t find the words, neither she could borrow the vowels.


    Repelled by his sheer shameless audacity to speak out with his uncultured mouth, she got up in an instant and started walking towards the door.


    "I thought you were ready to do anything for him".


    She paused and turned back and gave a final nce at the man, unable to believe that creatures like him even existed. She opened her mouth to speak but then she restrained herself as she didn''t know what verbal cataclysm she would bring upon.


    "That''s all you got then?", remarked Sebastian and smirked as he saw her going again towards the door.


    "I cannot give you something, which is not mine", saying that Akira walked back to the car.


    As Katherine saw hering back all dejected, she knew that it had not worked out. They silently drove back towards Katherine''s ce until Akira''s phone buzzed.


    It was a call from Vikram.


    She didn''t want to pick it up, but somehow something in her pushed her to do so.


    "What now?"


    "Will you listen to me just once?"


    "It better be something that I want to hear".


    "I do not know why you will even think that I will stoop so low as to kill someone Akira. I might have done things that I am not proud of, but I am not a killer. So please stop thinking so low of me."


    "Ok, now that you are done speaking your mind, can I disconnect the call".


    "No. Wait"


    "I have called for a search party and I have booked the next flight for us to go to Brazil. I will try whatever is possible under my control, to help you find him. Pick your passport and some essentials ande to my house as soon as possible".


    Saying that he disconnected the call.


    All perplexed Akira stopped her car and looked at Katherine and said,


    "I need to go now".


    "You are going to trust him? Of all the people him?", Katherine asked all surprised.


    "I can trust even the devil at this point. I will do anything to get in there and to find him Katherine", saying that Akira turned her car towards her home to get her stuff. She knew she was taking the red line at this point, but she had no other way to go.


    ---


    Immediately after reaching Manaus, both Vikrama and Akira set out for the confluence point, along with a team of deep divers, search men, and a few locals. They split themselves into two teams and started searching upstream and downstream from the waterfall. The team of divers went inside water in search of any sort of clue that could lead them ahead.


    Since morning Akira had been walking around in search of him, without having any food or water. No matter how many times Vikram asked her to hydrate, she didn''t listen. She had be like a robot whose mission was to find Raymond and she didn''t want to ept anything other than it.


    The diver group lead came out of the water and said,


    "There is no clue, we didn''t find a thing. We went far till the water mixes deep with the Amazon, but still, we got nothing".


    The final ray of hope that was keeping her heart away from darkness also got reflected back. Absentmindedly she started walking away from the entire group, along the pebbled path, but then she came to an abrupt halt.


    She bent down and picked up something.


    A curious Vikram came close to her.


    "What is it".


    She opened her palm and showed the Ganesha idol that she had given to Raymond.


    Tears started stinging her eyes.


    "He was supposed to protect him !!!".

 Chapter 269: That gut wrenching pain

    <h4>269 That gut wrenching pain</h4>


    She could hear the sound of the water, the chirping of the birds, the humming of the insects, all loud and clear, registering into her auditory system. But she couldn''t hear her heart beating. She couldn''t feel the stream of life inside herself. It was like her life hade to a sudden standstill.


    That feeling of fear was absolute.


    It revoked all the sensations from her body and made her feel only one thing, that acute pain. A pain, so ginormous in its entirety that it made her bleed through her eyes.


    Those were tears of blood.


    Tears of pain from the betrayal.


    That gut-wrenching, nerve-shattering pain was nothing but the fear of losing him.


    Till now she was still holding onto the thread of hope thinking that he would be there, somewhere, waiting for her toe and that she would be able to rescue him.


    But all her hopes were shattered to see her idol, lying on the pavement bank.


    Mike and Simon had returned after filing the necessary policeints in the city and when they got to know that Akira was there, they came rushing in.


    Seeing her sister there, Mike''s heart just came to his mouth and he didn''t know in what way he could even dare to console her.


    He took his steps forward and saw the tears streaming down her face and said,


    "We are doing everything that we can. Don''t worry we will find him, Aki. We will find him", saying that he came close to hug her, but before he could, she raised her hand holding the idol and said,


    "He didn''t protect him. He couldn''t protect him. He was supposed to be with him, then why did he abandon my Raymond".


    She crumbled into pieces and slumped on the ground, holding the idol tight to her chest.


    Mike knelt down and embraced her tight in his arms because right now he knew that no amount of words were going to be enough to lessen the pain in her heart.


    Wailing at the top of her lungs she let all the paine out because there was no way in which she could survive by bottling it up inside. Her streams ran perennially, all unruly, all warm submerging not only her but Mike as well in a nket of sorrow.


    Seeing her in such a dpidated condition, Vikram stepped ahead as he wanted to wipe away her tears with his handkerchief, but raising his hand Mike stopped him then and there.


    He looked at him point nk with nothing but loathing filled in his eyes. His ring eyes and that hatred sprouting from them was enough to push him out and take a step back because he was clearly not wee in their territory.


    Taking his step back, he realized that suddenly the people who were his own had be worse than strangers.


    But he knew that soon the times would turn. He knew it was the time to wipe his te clean and show them his fair side. He knew that there would be resistance, he knew that there was hatred brewing inside their heart for him, but he also knew that with time he would be able to simmer it all down.


    "Don''t lose hope Akira. You cannot do that".


    "He cannot leave me like this. He cannot", saying that she hugged him tighter.


    That evening was getting darker, the clouds were trying to hide the sun in every possible way cutting off any ray of light that could brighten up that evening. There was just one feeling that had spread all around and that was mncholy.

 Chapter 270: That excessive guil

    <h4>270 That excessive guil</h4>


    On her way back to the airport, she didn''t speak a word. There was a continuum of daze in which she was embedded in and there was no way back from there. Lying semi-conscious in her brother''s arm, Akira was still holding on tight to her Ganesha Idol.


    Her lips were moving in a silent prayer to keep him safe, while her eyes were crying the tales of sadness for he had departed from her life like an unsung hero, whose whole purpose was to give a definition and meaning to her life.


    After immigration, when she went inside, the first thing that caught her attention was a Starbucks store, and the past memories came flooding in. That fateful flight journey, that spilling of coffee, that first contact when she had applied the cream on his scalded hand, that sharing of choctes came back all haunting.


    She tried to look all around, hoping against the hope to find him somewhere inside the airport, but all her search led to nothing but sheer disappointment. Her phone buzzed continuously with calls from David, Katherine, and Shawn too, but she didn''t bother to pick. She was not in a state to pick any call and answer to them.


    Somehow seeing her in such a state bothered Vikram a lot. It was true that he was happy internally in a way that Raymond had been removed away from his path, but the more he saw her, the more he realized that recing him was not going to be easy.


    Sitting behind her in the flight, he could clearly hear the deafening p of pain that had been stered on her face and directly or indirectly deep down he knew that he was the doer behind it. The more he saw her, the more his heart wasden and gripped with guilt.


    "Did I overstep?"


    "Did I go wrong?"


    "What have Inded myself into?"


    Gripping his head in his hands he went into deep thoughts. All the old memories of the past started hounding him.


    He remembered the day Akira had lost her parents. She was exactly devasted today in the same way. Just that instead of leaning on to him, she was leaning on to Mike. Today she wasn''t crying over his shoulder, today she wasn''t expecting him to caress her back as she sobbed, today she literally wanted him out of her life, out of her sight.


    The evil in him was getting defeated every passing second.


    So before the flight took off, he immediately took out his phone and texted Peter,


    "Make sure the sniper is paid off well. Even though he didn''t do anything, no one should know that we had hired him in the first ce". - [Vikram]


    Then he walked back to the economy section of the flight and asked the search party which had apanied him to stay back and search for a few days more.


    The search party people started walking ahead to alight from the flight and seeing all of them walking ahead of them carrying their bags back, Mike asked,


    "What happened? Did you guys hear about anything? Where are you going?"


    "Oh, no no. Nothing has happened. Mr. Vikram asked us to stay back and search for a few more days. We wille backter."


    Saying the crew head left with his members.


    Coming back to his seat, Vikram expected her to be a bit pleased with her, probably expected her to say just thanks or just look at him. And true to his expectation, she looked up at him.


    But instead of gratitude, there was anger, there was resentment and sarcastically she asked,


    "What happened? Your guilt became too much for you I guess".

 Chapter 271: Taking care of his things - 1

    <h4>271 Taking care of his things - 1</h4>


    Weeks had passed, and there was no news about him. Themp of hope was slowly dying out, all ready to be extinguished any second by just a tiny wave of wind.


    For weeks she didn''te out of her room. Confined within the walls of her room, she found sce in her diary. Every day she would write into her diary and her blog, expecting her Maverick to read and reply to her. Every day she scanned thements sections desperately in search of a sign, but there was none.


    The whole day she would either cry or talk with her locket, which Raymond had given to her, hoping that he would hear her out.


    Although the ray of hope in her was diminishing every passing day, she still couldn''t ept that he was there no more in her life. She didn''t even attend the mourning prayer arranged at Katherine''s ce because she didn''t believe that he had left her. She had left socializing with anyone, who would remotely try to convince her that he was there no more.


    For her, he was like the wind. She couldn''t see him, but she constantly felt him.


    She was looking at the old blog post of hers when suddenly the doorbell rang.


    As Mike had gone out, she had to reluctantlye out of her cove and open the door.


    "Hello, David".


    "How are you doing Akira?"


    "Ok, I guess", and then taking a deep breath she said,


    "Come on in".


    Looking at her frail figure and long face, his insides churned. She looked like she had been deprived of food and sleep for ages. She had lost all the glow that she used to have on her face. She looked so much thinner and weaker like she was on the verge of being assimted with thin air.


    "So what brings you in?"


    "Um... I had some official matter to discuss with you".


    "With me?"


    "Well of course, since you are the owner of Delphie, who else could I go to?"


    She looked at David and she could see that he was also in equal pain. She had lost her everything, but he too had lost his biggest buddy. He couldn''t convey his pain to anyone but deep down she understood because she had seen the bond that they had shared. Raymond wasn''t just his boss, he was like a family for him.


    "Well, he left us all in a sham, didn''t he?", saying that she tried to ster a fake smile on her face to cheer him up.


    "Sure he did", saying that David sat on the couch.


    "I think you know that technically we had won thest round in GCG, so our game is soon going to be adopted by them. So they have sent the contract details and all to us. And I would be needing your signature in it".


    Saying that David extended the file towards Akira.


    She picked it up, and read a few lines. She saw the end of the page of the contract where Raymond was supposed to sign, but now she had to do the deed.


    She never knew that she would have to face a day like this.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked at David and said,


    "David you clearly know that I am incapable of taking any decisions rted to the welfare of thepany. So I guess its better if you take the matter under your control. You can tell me about the formalities, I can sign wherever I need to sign".


    "What do you mean Akira?"


    "I want to transfer thepany to you".

 Chapter 272: Taking care of his things - 2

    <h4>272 Taking care of his things - 2</h4>


    "Are you out of your mind Akira?"


    "No, I am not. I am telling you the sanest thing I am capable of speaking right now".


    "But isn''t that directly disrespecting his wishes? He made you the owner for a reason. Maybe God had a reason behind it all. He left his legacy in your hands, not mine, so I think it''s your sole responsibility to take care of it."


    Akira lowered her head and then spoke,


    "I don''t intend to disrespect him. But in my hands, hispany won''t flourish. I am no Raymond. I don''t have that passion in me to drive it all David".


    "Who told you that you have to do it alone? Aren''t you forgetting I am still there to support you at each and every step of yours? I am not going to let you falter Akira. It''s just a matter of time. You will learn everything. Thepany will grow under your leadership".


    "What do you mean David? Do you also think that he is not going toe back? You want me to be his recement? Is that why you came here for?"


    Akira asked in disbelief because of all people, she thought he would be the one who still had faith that Raymond would return.


    "You are misunderstanding me. What I mean to say is that he counted on you. Always. Even for the secret phase of GCG, he banked on you rather than other senior members of the team. That''s because he had an eye for talent. He believed in your potential and so do I. So don''t you think that it''s paramount for you to keep his faith in you intact? Don''t you think you should guard his fort till hees back?"


    Akira looked at him in silence.


    "Of all the people, at least you can understand how much thispany mattered to him. It is all his blood and sweat Akira. You just cannot let it be washed away".


    "Am I good enough. How can I handle this alone? Will others ept me? I mean I am just an intern".


    "You are not alone in this Akira, the entire Delphie is standing together for you. And you are not just an intern. You are the owner of Delphie now, so your age, your credentials, really don''t matter. You will be all polished with time".


    She had no answer and no way to rebut his statements because she knew that whatever he said was right.


    "Taking a deep breath she asked,


    "Where all I have to sign? Oh no, wait, first I want to know what all terms are included in here. Can you please help to exin them to me in the most basic form in which I can understand".


    "I will be pleased to", saying that David smiled.


    "But before that can I get a ss of water and a ss juice?"


    "Ah, sure", Akira said and went to the kitchen and came back with a ss of water and juice and gave it to David.


    "The water is for me, the juice is for you", saying that David took only water and smiled at her.


    Hearing him, she smiled. It was perhaps after weeks that she had smiled.


    .


    .


    After exining her everything, David took her signature in those files and then left her ce.


    Thening back into the car, David opened his phone and texted,


    "I have obtained her signatures on the contract" - [David]


    "How about going back to thepany?" - [Sebastian]


    "She will be joining from tomorrow" - [David]


    "Take care of her and make sure she takes good care of thepany until my sones back" - [Sebastian]

 Chapter 273: The transition - 1

    <h4>273 The transition - 1</h4>


    [A scene near the graveyard]


    Kneeling on the ground she first prayed in front of her parents and then she got up. Slowly taking a couple of steps ahead, she reached up to a tombstone which read ''RAYMOND WALKER''.


    She knelt down slowly and thenid a bouquet of baby''s breath on top of it.


    Her eyes were stinging with tears, but she didn''t cry.


    All these years, she hade to terms with life. She had finally epted the fact that he was noting back. More than a year had passed since he went missing and there had been no trace of him ever since. She had epted her fate. She had epted the fact that their togetherness was meant tost only a couple of months.


    But the sweet and salty memories of those couple of months were enough for her to survive her entire life.


    Then she took out a document from her bag and ced in on his grave and said,


    "How are you doing today? See this, I am going to acquire Infineon in the next couple of hours. Mr Pord hase all the way from Singapore to sign the deal. The samepany that had called off your deal at Singapore, remember? Weird right?"


    "I wish you were here to see all of this, I wish you could have been with me today. You would have been proud of me I guess".


    Then taking a deep breath she said,


    "You are a big time ditcher, hope you know that".


    She then stared at the carvings on his tombstone for a while and then with a spare cloth that she had got with her, she wiped all the dust that had umted on top of it.


    Then getting up, she dusted off her knees and then sighed.


    It was time to go back to the office. It was time to finish off the deal.


    Walking out from the cemetery, she slightly dabbed the corner of her eyes with a tissue, because she didn''t want her driver to see her all weak. And that''s how Akira Peyton functioned.


    She was no more a submissive intern.


    She had spread her wings like a phoenix and she rose from the ashes of pain. She had only one goal in her life and that was to take Raymond''spany to the pinnacle of sess where no other gaming Company had dared to reach.


    Over thest one and a half year, she had transformed the small startuppany into a multi-million dor worth Gaming Giant. After the exposure obtained via GCG, theirpany soared great new heights and stock values increased in leaps and bounds. Under the able guidance of David, she learned the nuances of business acumen and transformed into a bossdy who was the entrepreneur of the year as well.


    Everything about her had changed, her personality, her courage, the level of maturity. But there was one thing that had stayed the same, the love that she had in her heart for Raymond and that undying passion to convert his dream into reality.


    It took her three months to n and execute her aim to acquire Infinion because she knew that this move would render herpetitionless in the market. She was ready to set her monopoly in the world of gaming. But above all, she was happy because she was able to buy thepany which had once denied a basic contract to her love.


    Sitting in the backseat of her luxury car, Akira looked at the ring in her finger and sighed.


    Time had indeed flown pretty fast.

 Chapter 274: The transition - 2

    <h4>274 The transition - 2</h4>


    After the contract was signed, both the parties shook their hands.


    Looking at her, Mr. Por said,


    "I had no idea that a youngdy like you would be so capable of running this Tech-Giant".


    "Wouldn''t have been possible without you Mr. Pord", she said and smiled.


    "Me? How I am involved in this?", he asked all surprised.


    "Well call it fate or call it destiny, but unknowingly but you have indeed helped in igniting the passion within us. Maybe I should call it fate but I guess I wouldn''t be standing here in front of you, if you wouldn''t have been the owner of Infineon", saying that she smiled all cryptically because only she knew what she meant.


    "Well I have been told that I have inspired many young entrepreneurs as I started myself as one", he spoke with pride.


    Akira wanted tough at his audacity but she refrained herself from doing so and simply exchanged the documents and said,


    "I am pretty sure you have".


    "I hope you achieve great new heights with mypany''s strength and your capabilities".


    "Sure we will", saying that Akira excused herself and went back to her cabin.


    ---


    "So how much did he gloat?", David asked all smiling.


    "A hell lot !!! But how did you know that he would show off so much?", Akira asked all surprised.


    "Well its been ages that I am in this industry Akira", David said and smiled.


    Then suddenly his phone buzzed with a message shed on his screen and looking at it, he stood all dumbstruck. He couldn''t move an inch further and his mouth opened in surprise.


    "What happened David? Looks like you saw a ghost", Akira said and smiled.


    "Something like that you can say", David said and looked at her for a second. He wanted to tell something but then restrained himself and said,


    "I have to go now. Something important has popped up".


    Saying that he left her cabin, without even waiting for a reply from her.


    He checked the text again. It said,


    "He is awake" - [Sebastian]


    ---


    [Inside a private nursing home setting in Brooklyn]


    "Easy, easy, don''t strain yourself. We have darkened the room, you can slowly open your eyes now", saying that the doctor held the back of his neck to give him support.


    He slowly opened his eyes, which hadn''t seen the light of the day for thest one and a half year.


    He moved his hand slowly and touched his face.


    His entire body felt all sore and his throat all dry. Before he could try to get a syble out of his mouth, he slumped back to sleep again.


    "What happened, is he ok?"


    "Mr. Walker, he just woke up after like 500 days. What do you expect?"


    "I don''t know, just make him all right".


    "We are trying our best and you know it. But why were you standing behind the screens? Why don''t youe in front of him when he wakes up?"


    Taking a deep breath Mr. Sebastian replied,


    "That''s because I am not the first person whom he would like to see".


    "Come on Mr. Walker, he is your son. How can you say like that?"


    "I can, because that''s the bitter truth", saying that Sebastian walked towards the couch and sat there.


    Then suddenly a man entered the room all bewildered,


    "How is he? How''s my son?"


    He saw Raymond lying all silently on the bed and then turning towards the other end of the room he saw Sebastian sitting calmly on a sofa.


    "You told me he woke up !!!"


    "He had Conrad. He had !!!", saying that Sebastian flipped through the newspaper in the front, grinding his teeth as he was unable to bear someone else calling Raymond as his son.

 Chapter 275: The Transition - 3

    <h4>275 The Transition - 3</h4>


    A couple of minutester David arrived at the nursing home and went inside the private ICU section. He found Raymond lying on the bed, just like before but without any respiratory assistance. Two nurses and a doctor was on stand by next to him, constantly monitoring his vitals.


    Then looking at the doctor he asked,


    "Now he can breathe on his own?"


    "Yes, he did. It was a bit painful for him initially, so we have injected some sedatives. So he will wake up in some time. Don''t worry about it".


    Taking a deep breath, David walked up to Sebastian and asked,


    "Did he talk or anything?"


    "No".


    "Did he see you?"


    Taking a deep breath, Sebastian answered,


    "No".


    David touched his forehead all worried and then asked,


    "At least now can I tell that poor girl. She again went to his grave today morning. Why are you punishing her like this for thest one and a half year? Why not tell her at least now?"


    "Tell her? Are you kidding me, David?"


    "My son is in this condition because of her. So if you think I am going to repeat the same mistake by telling her about him, then you are wrong".


    "I understand, but it was all because of Vikram and not because of her to be precise. She loved him wholeheartedly, withplete devotion and I think you know that. She has struggled a lot and I think you should put an end to her suffering. I think she has the right to know about it."


    "Right to know? My son is not a property on which she can im a right on. She knew how disastrous her association was, but she still kept in touch. What was the purpose behind that? Instead of sending him behind bars, she chose to keep the devil unchained. So what does that speak about her?"


    "But the association was started by Raymond".


    "And who brought in that association? That scum girl. I don''t even want her shadow to fall over my son again".


    "But Vikram is a changed man now. He has changed his ways of living. You can trust me on that. He has not only supported Akira in strengthening Raymond''spany but also supported Katherine as well for acquiringnd for her new clinic. They are all functioning well as a close-knit group. Raymond''s absence has changed everyone".


    "The answer is still no David".


    All exhausted, David looked towards Conrad, at least expecting him to understand.


    "Don''t look at me, David. Sebastian''s decision is final here", saying that Conrad took out his mobile phone and then got busy with it.


    "Oh looks like I gotta go", saying that Conrad got up and was about to leave but then he turned back and said,


    "Take care of my son Sebastian. I am trusting you for that".


    And then he left the room, without even waiting for his response.


    Seeing him leave Sebastian mumbled,


    "When have I not taken care of him".


    David then came forward and sat on the couch at the same ce as Conrad was sitting. They had to wait for a few hours for him to wake up, and since Sebastian didn''t want to show his face to him, he had called David. A familiar trusted face for his son.


    David scanned through his phone for a couple of minutes and then asked again,


    "Will you inform Katherine about it?"


    "No".


    "What is the problem in telling your own daughter? At least she needs to know that her brother is ok".


    "That''s because once I tell her, no matter what logic I give her, she will still tell everything to Akira and I don''t want any part of it."


    "I don''t even want the shadow of that girl to fall on my son".

 Chapter 276: Just paper

    <h4>276 Just paper</h4>


    One hour passed.


    Two hours passed.


    Three hours passed.


    Sebastian had gotten all impatient not to see any movement in Raymond''s body even after three hours. So he immediately went out to check with the doctor. But while he was gone, Raymond slowly twitched his hand.


    Then his fingers moved and upon seeing it the nurse immediately paged the doctor.


    David rushed to his side, his eyes all eager to see him wake up, his ears all eager to hear him say his name.


    Slowly opening his eyes, he looked at everyone and everything around. Sebastian stayed behind the doctor, afraid that his face might anger him in some way


    He scanned the entire room, with his weak eyes, which were barely able to open up and uttered one word, before sumbing to sleep again,


    "Akira !!!".


    Hearing that David looked at Sebastian as if he was asking him for justification, but Sebastian decided to ignore it and he moved away from his bed.


    "I think now you have understood that more than she needs Raymond, he needs her", saying that David took out his phone to call Akira up, but Sebastian took the phone away from his hands and said,


    "I will try as long as it is possible for me", saying that Sebastian disconnected the call.


    ---


    Afterpleting all the work at the office, Akira went to Katherine''s ce as promised.


    "You are here on time".


    "What am I in for?"


    "Shawn has a day off and he spent it preparing some exquisite Mediterranean dishes for us".


    "Wao, Shawn, is there anything else that we should know about you?"


    "Well, it''s not much", saying that Shwan kept arge bowl of Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Dill Greek Yogurt Sauce and Fattoush Sd in the dining area.


    "Damn it looks so good".


    "Then dig in, what are you waiting for?"


    The trio started hogging the chicken and sd while engaging themselves in friendly banter.


    "By the way what was it that you wanted to show me?", Akira asked looking at Katherine.


    Hearing that Katherine''s face became all serious and she looked at Shawn, who covered her hand with his own and mouthed,


    "It''s ok".


    Katherine nodded and went upstairs.


    "What is going on guys. You are freaking me out".


    "It''s nothing serious Akira. Don''t panic. It''s something that we had been meaning to do since long", Shawn said and took a sip of the Chardonnay.


    Katherine came down with a file and a small box in her hand.


    "I know its hard on you and I know its rude of me, but I think now it belongs to you", saying that Katherine handed Akira a file.


    It was not just any file. It was a file that transferred the ownership of the remaining 49% shares of Delphie to Akira which was enlisted under Raymond''s name.


    "Why are you doing this?", Akira asked with her hands almost trembling while flipping the pages of the file.


    "I should have done it sooner, but somehow deep down, I didn''t want to lose any hope. But now I think it''s unfair of me to be guarding the 49% of the shares when I haven''t even made a dime. It''s all your and Raymond''s hard work. It''s wrong on my part to inherit it just because he was my brother".


    "But it''s more than 40 million USD, Katherine. Are you out of your wits?"


    "You and I, we both know by now that money doesn''t matter. It can''t buy the happiness you desire. I want you to take my brother''s dream and transform it into the way you would like to."


    "But I can''t ept it. It''s way too much".


    "For me, it''s just paper Akira. Just paper".

 Chapter 277: That constant ringing

    <h4>277 That constant ringing</h4>


    Looking at the documents, Akira sighed.


    She already had a huge responsibility on her shoulders and taking this up meant piling boulders on top of her head. But that meant more of Raymond, more of his hopes, more of his dreams and more of his presence around her. So she couldn''t say no.


    Katherine had already signed the documents and all that she had to do was to put her initials on the paper and seal it.


    Taking the pen from Katherine, she again looked at them, who gave back nothing but a warm assurance to her through their kind eyes and smiling face.


    Once she was done signing the papers, Katherine took the file from her hands and ced a box in front of her.


    "These are some of his things that I want you to have".


    Akira looked at Katherine and said,


    "Not now Katherine. I am not ready yet".


    "Yes, you are. How long will you try to escape from the reality Akira? Even you know that my brother is..".


    "Just stop. Katherine, please. I beg of you".


    Saying that Akira got up from her seat and picked up her jacket, but Katherine held her hand and stopped her from leaving.


    "At least take the house Akira. Don''t you want to relive the memories that you had in there? Don''t you want to stay at a ce where you still have his presence?"


    "I don''t Katherine. I am sorry, but I don''t. It took me ages toe to terms with my life and I don''t want to fall back again into the ck hole, because if I do then I am doomed for sure. There is noing back for me"


    "Akira..."


    "No Katherine, you are not saying that word. Like EVER", saying that Akira stormed out.


    "Will you stay like this forever? Will not let anyone else mend your heart? My brother should be your past now Akira. Let yourself be loved. Free yourself from whatever is holding you back. You are still so young to drown yourself in nothing but a stream of sorrow".


    Akira turned with her bloodshot eyes and said,


    "He was my eternity. So yes, maybe after eternity has passed, I will give another shot at a new love life. But until then, my heart is taken ".


    Saying that she left Katherine''s ce.


    ---


    [One dayter in the nursing home]


    There was a sudden spike in his heart-rate and it caused the monitor to beep.


    An immediate page was sent to Dr. Emre by the attending nurse and he rushed in along with his intern Dr. Smeathe within just a few seconds.


    He was waking up again, after more than 22 hours of deep sleep.


    All nervous David went close to him and stood by his side while Sebastian, moved behind the curtains.


    Everything seemed all loopy and hazy to him.


    There was a strange constant ringing noise that he could feel hammering through his skull. There were sudden shes of light and scenes of water and he started to feel acute pain in his head. The ringing noise worsened and all that he could do was to scream holding his head in pain.


    Dr. Emre increased the dosage of Morphine immediately and waited next to him.


    He wanted to prop himself up, but his weak hands didn''t let him do so. So she went ahead and propped him up with the help of the pillow. Her grip around his neck was gentle yet firm and he could feel her warm breath over his skin.


    Suddenly something overpowered him.


    Looking at her, he said those words once again,


    "Akira !!!"

 Chapter 278: David !!! Is that you?

    <h4>278 David !!! Is that you?</h4>


    "Hello, Mr. Raymond. My name is Dr. Emre, and I am your attending doctor here. Please do not panic, everything is ok with you and you have just now woken up from induced sleep."


    "Where am I?"


    "You are in a private nursing home in Brooklyn. Please do not panic", the doctor emphasized again as his heart rate was spiking up,


    But how could he not panic when in his head he wasn''t able to recollect the face of the one person that he loved the most. He remembered Akira, he remembered her touch, her smell her kiss, but he wasn''t able to recollect her face. No matter how hard he tried, with eyes closed or open, he failed.


    "Hey, Raymond !!! It''s going to be ok. It''s all ok. You are in good hands", David said and gently touched his arm.


    That voice sounded all familiar.


    He sounded like hisrade whom he trusted more than anything in his life. His voice suddenly assured him, but his face, his face looked so unfamiliar.


    Knitting his eyebrows he asked,


    "Are you David?"


    "Yeah, but why do you ask? Is everything ok?", David asked and looked at the Doctor all panic-stricken.


    "What is the problem, Mr. Raymond? Are you having any difort anywhere or any problem in remembering anything?"


    Ignoring the question from the Doctor, Raymond asked all impatiently,


    "Where is Akira? Why is she not here? Why didn''t you inform her? Tell her I am awake. She must be panicking like anything. Tell her fast David. I haven''t contacted her after my ident".


    David looked at Raymond all helplessly and then turned towards Sebastian with his pleading eyes because he wasn''t able to see the love birds separated for a moment more.


    But then his face turned all grave and looking at the doctor Raymond asked,


    "But why can''t I remember her face? Why can''t I remember anyone''s face?"


    "What?", Dr. Emre eximed and came close to him and taking out his phone he showed him Donald Trump''s picture.


    "Can you recognize this man?"


    "No".


    Dr. Emre turned and moving his hand he requested Mr.Sebastian toe forward.


    "Do you know who is he?"


    "No, I don''t", Raymond answered all restless.


    "Call Akira David. Why aren''t you calling her yet? Why am I here? And who is this person that you are showing?"


    His heart rate started spiking rmingly high and fearing a sudden cardiac arrest, Dr. Emre started a mild sedative to make his torrid heart rest for a while.


    As his eyes closed, he was engulfed in sleep again. Seeing that a worried father turned towards Dr.Emre and asked,


    "What''s wrong with my son?"


    "I think he has "Acquired Prosopagnosia" a very rare case that affects around 2.5% of the United States poption. It is a cognitive disorder of face perception in which the ability to recognize familiar faces is lost due to damage to the brain".


    "What damage?"


    "I already had mentioned to you, that the huge fall had resulted in ipito-temporal lobe damage. Prosopagnosia can normally be caused by lesions in various parts of the inferior ipital areas or fusiform gyrus or the anterior temporal cortex. In his case, acquired prosopagnosia has developed as a result of several neurological damages causes in the fusiform gyrus."


    "Then correct it. Money isn''t a problem".


    "Mr. Walker acquired prosopagnosia sometimes spontaneously resolves on its own, without any external interference. It has no cure as such as of now. It will not impact him that much, but just that it can be difficult for people with this condition to keep track of information about people, and socialize normally with others."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean to say, all his memory is totally intact. He remembers everything, but connecting faces to the names that he remembers will be a task for him".


    "But he could recognize me", David interrupted the conversation.


    "Yes, and I assume that you are very closely attached to each other. So I think he was able to know you by your voice".


    "So you mean to say that now he knows that I am his assistant, but if he sees me again and I don''t talk, he won''t be able to know I am David just from my face?"


    "Yes, he can''t".


    "I had two cases of acquired prosopagnosia in adults that I have seen in my career. They both had some problem is adjusting with society as they can''t recognize people. But they can always recognize their close ones, from their voice, their smell, their touch. But you need to be very patient as they might not know who you are, even if they know everything about you and remember everything about you".


    "So what do I do?", David asked, with his voice almost choking.


    "Just keep reminding him who you are. But he will recognize you from your voice, so you don''t need to worry about that part".


    David turned towards Sebastian to speak, but he saw him immersed in some deep thoughts.


    He never liked it when Sebastian went into deep thoughts.

 Chapter 279: Akira happened !!!

    <h4>279 Akira happened !!!</h4>


    [A monthter]


    Akira was traveling to the UK as she had an important meeting with a client at the London Heathrow Airport. Afterpleting the procedures, she came near the luggage belt area to get her bag. She was waiting for her bag toe, but then suddenly her eyes drifted towards a Starbucks shop.


    Gazing the Starbucks shop all nk at the airports had be a ritual for her. A desperate attempt at trying her luck, for she always hoped against hope that she would be able to meet him again. But s, all her hopes always stayed as hope and today, was no different.


    Picking up her bag from the belt she marched towards the Starbucks store all disappointed. Even though she knew that it wasme of her to expect him to pop up again in front of the store with a cup of coffee in his hand, she just liked to imagine that happening in her head. Somehow that gave her strange happiness.


    Looking at the store all lost, she walked ahead, but then she stumbled and bumped against someone.


    The cup of coffee that he had in his hand spilled all over.


    Just like the first time.


    "Jesus Christ",


    The moment she heard the voice she looked up and saw his face. That same angelic face which had left her a year and a half back. The same face that had promised to stay next to her, till death did them apart.


    Dropping everything that was in her hand, she held his face in her hand, unable to believe that the miracle had finally happened. Tears flooded her eyes and all that she could utter was,


    "I knew you woulde back".


    Saying that she raised herself on her toes and kissed him. The moment her lips touched his, it was instant magic. She closed her eyes and melted in his arms, all hungry for him, deprived of his touch, his taste. Her hands moved up and in no time her fingers were running through his hair.


    She wanted to dig deeper, trying to quench her thirst, the needs of her parched soul, but before she could venture any further, she found him retracting.


    "Whoa, whoa".


    "I guess you have mistaken me for someone else".


    Saying that he distanced himself first and then lifted the coffee cup which was lying on the floor after being deprived of its contents which lied all scattered and sttered on the ground.


    "What are you saying? It''s me?", Akira said with her throat almost choking up.


    "It''s me. The love of your life, your fiance", she said and stretched her hand showing the ring.


    He stared at the ring for quite some time and then looked at her face. Everything about her was a bit familiar. The way she smelled, the way she ran her fingers through his hair, the way her lips tasted even in that small period of contact. But above all that ring, he clearly remembered that ring. That ring was his mother''s or at least it looked like one.


    Akira came closer, trying to touch his shoulder, but he took a step back and said.


    "Miss please, I am a married man here. My wife will butcher me if you keep doing things like this".


    Saying that he started removing the jacket that he was wearing and took out his phone. There was a picture of another girl on his phone main screen and showing her that, he said,


    "See, that''s my pretty wife, who is sitting right there, waiting for the coffee that I was supposed to get for her", he said, pointing at a woman, waiting a couple of meters away from them.


    "You are joking right. It''s all your n to mess with my head right. Did you n all this to surprise me? I know for sure. Tell me all this is a lie. I know you".


    The more he heard her voice, the more his heart sank, deeper and darker into an endless abyss of nothing but dried up hope.


    Before she could say anything to convince him, before he could tell anything to push her away, Oshana came close to Raymond and asked,


    "What took you so long?"


    He turned and looked at her all lovingly and said,


    "Ah, nothing just a minor ident. I am sorry, all your coffee is spilled now".


    "It''s ok", she said and looked all lovingly at him.


    Unable to believe that fate could have been so cruel with her, her steps retracted. How could someone look like him and feel like him? It was hard for her to believe that the man she touched just now wasn''t hers, to begin with.


    All ashamed she apologized and fled the ce, unable to believe that her miseries made her do something like this.


    As soon as she left, he retracted his hand that was curled around her waist and he immediately kneeled down all exasperated.


    "What happened Raymond?", Oshana asked.


    "Akira happened !!!"

 Chapter 280: No force is enough

    <h4>280 No force is enough</h4>


    Oshana looked up at a broken Raymond and asked,


    "Why did you let her go? Why didn''t you grab her hand?"


    "I could not".


    "Why did you hold my waist instead of hers? What is wrong with you Raymond? What were you trying to prove to her?"


    He didn''t say a word and saw her girl running away, wiping her tears into the crowd.


    "You tell me, doctor, will you ever want to stay with a nutcase like me? Like ever?"


    She didn''t utter a word.


    "I am carrying your picture on my phone, afraid that in the crowd I might not be able to recognize you. My condition is that bad Oshana. How can I be a life long burden on her?"


    "What the hell are you talking Raymond. What did you tell her?"


    Taking a deep breath, he replied,


    "I told her that I was married to you".


    "You did not !!!"


    "Why the hell did you even try to say something so nonsensical? Wait a minute..."


    "You begged to tag along with me to my medical conference. Like out of the blue. So you knew that she wasing here right? That''s why you said that you will book the tickets?"


    He stayed silent and then looked at her all exasperated.


    "Damn it, Raymond. What is going on in your mind? Neither do I understand your father, nor you. If you can''t stop her, then I will", saying that Oshana marched in the direction of EXIT.


    But her march halted as she heard his deepmanding voice,


    "Stop".


    "You have no right to mess with her life right now Oshana".


    "Oh, then do you? You appear in front of her out of the blue. You rip open her stitches and yet I am the one who is messing with her life?"


    "I didn''t intend toe in front of her".


    "Then tell me why even though I didn''t ask, you insisted on buying me a coffee?"


    "I do not want to answer your questions. If you are done interrogating me, then can we leave?"


    "Sure we can. But first, ask yourself what do you want. I think you yourself don''t know what you want Raymond",


    Saying that Oshana stormed out with her luggage and Raymond followed behind her.


    ---


    All disturbed Akira took a cab and without even turning for a second she hopped inside. She didn''t want to have a glimpse of that stranger again who had opened the bottle in which she had channeled all her pain and sorrows.


    Unable to believe that fate could mock her in such an insensitive way, she hugged on to her bag and kept crying endlessly.


    Suddenly a bicycle guy crossed the road in front of them and her car came to a screeching halt.


    Startled by the sudden halt Akira raised her head up and the first thing that she noticed was an ad that was being shown on the screen in front of her. It was about some medical conference and the face of the girl whom she just saw with the guy who looked like Raymond, was being cast.


    She didn''t know what got into her, but she immediately took out her phone and took a picture of the conference and sent it to David and then texted,


    "This is a picture of a conference that is to be held in London. I don''t know where and when, but I need to attend it no matter what. Pull out all information about this Doctor as you can, including personal information" - [Akira]


    David saw the text from Akira and a smile etched on his face.


    It was a smile of satisfaction, for now, he knew that no force in the world will be able to separate them, no matter how hard they tried.

 Chapter 281: Stealing a kiss from her - 1

    <h4>281 Stealing a kiss from her - 1</h4>


    As Raymond sat inside the car along with grumpy Oshana, he opened his phone and sent a text.


    "I bumped into her. I am sorry, I know I shouldn''t have, but somehow it just happened" - [Raymond]


    "Wait, what? Why on earth you would even do such a thing? You know her state right? - [David]


    "I know, it''s just that something had gotten inside me and I don''t know what and why it happened, but it just happened" - [Raymond]


    "Where is she? Is she ok?" - [David]


    "Well, umm... that part I am not sure, because she just ran away" - [Raymond]


    "Ran away? What do you mean by she ran away?" - [David]


    "Well that''s because I might have pretended to be someone else, and also because I told her that I was married" - [Raymond]


    "And she bought it?" - [David]


    "I guess, I had Oshana next to me" - [Raymond]


    "You used that poor little girl as a bait?" - [David]


    "I didn''t intend to" - [Raymond]


    "You are ying with her, she isn''t a sheep Raymond. She is known as Akira Payton now. That girl has transformed into a woman, One of the most sought after and well-known woman in this world. Yet you want to y with her?" - [David]


    "I can''t curse you and type here anymore. My hand hurts" - [David]


    "I do not understand David. Do you work for me or for her?" - [Raymond]


    "Both" - [David]


    "But I sincerely hope that one fine day you will realize that instead of helping her out, you are torturing her by doing all this" - [David]


    "You and I, we both know that staying away from her is the best option for me right now" - [Raymond]


    "I have noments" - [David]


    "Just call her up and check up on her is she is ok. Make sure she reached the hotel" - [Raymond]


    "Now why should I do that. You have taken the room adjacent to her. Just knock on the door again and see if she has reached" - [David]


    "Do not joke with me David, not right now" - [Raymond]


    "Well if you can bump into her, might as well knock on her door" - [David]


    "Ok, if you are done being sarcastic, then please do the needful" - [Raymond]


    "Fine" - [David]


    And then Raymond kept the phone down and started thinking of ways to be able to see his girl.


    But on the other side, before even David could think of a way to figure out how Akira was, she had herself sent him a text.


    "This is a picture of a conference that is to be held in London. I don''t know where and when, but I need to attend it no matter what. Pull out all information about this Doctor as you can, including personal information" - [Akira]


    He smiled and thanked his stars again, for now, he was sure that their destinies had been written together. He just had to wait and watch.


    "Dr. Oshana Smeathe - Resident Intern and specialist of neurodegenerative diseases" - [David]


    "She has a paper presentation tomorrow at the convention center of the Imperial College School of Medicine. Time - 2-3 pm band" - [David]


    "Thanks, please then pre-pone my meetings for tomorrow morning" - [Akira]


    "Sure, anything else?" - [David]


    "No, that would be all" - [Akira]


    "If you need any other help, or if you have any other query, then please let me know" - [David]


    She paused for a while after reading David''s message, deliberating in her head if she should tell him about the encounter in the morning. But something inside her stopped her from saying anything and she replied,


    "Thanks for staying by my side David" - [Akira]


    And then ced the phone back into her bag.


    She now wanted to be sure, if she had seen him, for real, if she had kissed him for real. Because, to her, he felt all real.

 Chapter 282: Stealing a kiss from her - 2

    <h4>282 Stealing a kiss from her - 2</h4>


    Wiping out the almost dried up tears from her eyes, she slowly patted on her face, as she was about to reach her hotel - ''The Savoy''.


    She checked in to her room and went to take a cold shower immediately, to calm her frigid nerves down. Standing under the water, she touched her lips as the memories kept flooding in.


    That gentle touch of his lips, although a bit hesitant at first, that taste of his mouth, that musky smell of his, it all felt the same. Even his hair felt the same, the way her fingers ran across his hair felt the same. She was unable to believe that he was someone else. Maybe she was hallucinating, but it was too real, too surreal for her to even think for one second that it was all in her head.


    Wrapping herself in a bathrobe, she came out of the shower and wanting to push away the clouding thoughts scattered all across her head, she opened the balcony doors and stood outside, to get a view of the city and to push away the fleeting thoughts.


    As her room was on the 11th floor, it was quite windy and breezy. As she had just taken bath, she felt a bit chilly and rubbed her palm around her shoulders. Seeing her like this, his hands itched to cover her up with his jacket.


    Standing on the balcony perpendicr to hers, he acted all aloof, holding his newspaper. But, only he knew how bad his heart was racing, seeing her so close after all these days. As the wind ruffled through her damp hair, his hands twitched to hold her in his arms but in no way, he was to repeat the mistake that he did in the morning.


    He stood there gawking at her through the edges of his newspaper, while she stood there soothing her frigid nerves.


    A couple of minutester she went inside and wore her clothes.


    She was supposed to have a big meeting tomorrow with Azmer Groups, the leading techpany producing high-quality 3-D imaging technology, which she needed for a new game project and she was here to discuss the contract terms.


    Since she had preponed the meeting for tomorrow early morning, she wanted to check the meeting venue beforehand as she wanted to make sure the room was ready for her to present her current 3-D projection ns.


    It was alreadyte in the evening and she wanted to wrap the activity as soon as possible. So she went inside the meeting room which had been booked by herpany in the hotel. She was apanied by hotel staff to make sure that she didn''t face any issues as she was a top tier premium guest at their hotel.


    The meeting room was in the innermost section of the hotel''s business area. Pretty secluded from the normal hustle bustle and perfect for project meetings. After the setting wasplete, Akira requested the person who had apanied her to leave, so that she could practice her pitch all alone in the room for a while.


    She started off with her pitch, trying to divert her mind and channeled all her thoughts into her project. But midway suddenly all the lights just went out and she was surrounded by pitch ck darkness. She had forgotten her phone back in the room, and there was no source of light with her. She had always been scared of darkness and right now she was almost on the verge of shouting her lungs out, all scared.


    But suddenly she heard the door creak open.

 Chapter 283: Stealing a kiss from her - 3

    <h4>283 Stealing a kiss from her - 3</h4>


    The sound of the door opening slowly scared her even more.


    Assuming the person entering the room as the hotel staff she shouted,


    "How can there be a power cut here. Why have youe without a torch or anything? Where is the emergency power backup?"


    But that person kept marching forward without saying a word.


    "At least for God''s sake if you have a phone, then can you please switch on the shlight? I don''t want to stumble and fall. I literally cannot see anything".


    Her real fear was something else. She was scared of the past that haunted her. The past that always gripped her around the darkness. The past that made any ckout, scary as hell.


    His footsteps were approaching closer and the sense of fear in her was growing in manifolds.


    "Don''t you daree any closer. Why can''t you speak a word? Are your lips sealed or something?"


    She said and started taking her steps back. Something inside her told her continuously that it was not going to end well.


    As she took a couple of steps back but she stumbled upon a chair which was behind her. But before she could fall, that random someone gripped her tight, wrapping his arms around her waist and her back. He then gently swayed her back to a standing position. She could hear his loud breath and his beating heart in that acute silence. But suddenly that was broken as he spoke.


    "Are you ok?"


    It was the same raspy and husky voice that used to make butterflies roam inside her stomach. It was the same voice that reverberated through her body, every time he called her name. It was the same voice that she had been dying to hear for so long.


    Gulping her spit, she raised her hands trying to touch his face, but before she couldy her hands on him, she found his palm slowly grazing on her neck and then moved to support the nape of her neck.


    All that she could do was to release a deep sigh, for she was melting under his touch.


    The touch that she had been deprived off since ages, the touch that her heart was longing for God knows how long, the touch that only he knew how to give.


    Forgetting the present, forgetting the past, she withered in his arms under his touch. She didn''t have the faintest idea as who was this random man, but right now she had no intention to even think about it.


    He moved close to her and asked her again, this time breathing on her neck as he spoke.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Don''t be afraid, I am here".


    Her eyes were wide open, but she couldn''t see him. But in her head, she was imagining his face in front of her. She imagined his eyes staring at her with nothing but unconditional love. Slowly she raised her arms and touched his face, gently at first but then she hugged him tight with her arms like she didn''t want to let go of him.


    "Is your foot hurt anywhere?"


    It was only after hearing his question, that she came back to her senses and she meekly mumbled,


    "Mhh..."


    "Can you stand on your own?", he asked and loosened his grip around her.


    Scared that he would leave her, she said,


    "Please wait for a minute for me. Don''t leave me alone here".


    Saying that she removed her hands which was wired around his neck.


    "I am not leaving you alone in the dark", he said and slightly bent down and pushed the chair behind her to the side.


    He was scared that she would tumble again !!!

 Chapter 284: Stealing a kiss from her - 4

    <h4>284 Stealing a kiss from her - 4</h4>


    As he pushed the chair aside, slightly leaning to her right side, he registered that sweet familiar note ofvender. He got so lost in those old memories that for a moment he forgot what reality was.


    His body was no more in his control andplete insanity had prevailed his mind. Dictated by his desires, he slowly lifted his hand from the chair and rested it on her waist, while his other arm still stayed supporting her back.


    He inched closer, leaving nothing but a distance of their breaths in between them. She could sense his breath turning all haggard and her own heart was running all erratic. The closeness was so absolute that they could feel the heat emanating from each other''s body.


    When she had kissed him at the airport, he had somehow resisted himself. But right now he wasn''t. His thumb slowly glided across the bare skin of her waist as his hand inched under her top.


    She stood there all tipsy with the myriad sensations which were crippling her ability to think. Her breath took a pause, for her heart was running too hard in anticipation. And before she knew, he pulled her closer.


    So close that her lips were almost touching his and then her lips quivered, dying for his attention, seeking salvation from him,


    "Kiss me now !!! Please !!!", she begged inside her head.


    Leaving her back, his palm glided across her shoulder and then captured her face in a sweet cupping embrace. His warm palm radiated his energy through her skin and made her feel even giddier. Leaving all his inhibitions aside, his lips captured hers in perfect unison. It was beyond perfection, as the YIN clung to her YANG.


    He closed his eyes and pried deeper, parting her lips and she caved in, in no time, like she wanted to be invaded upon. With every move of his lips, he made her body go all tense and then within seconds the magic happened. His eager tongue met her restless craving one and they tussled with each other, like two bickering lovers.


    As his tongue yed with her, she was showered with uncountable sensations, that reverberated through her body. Unable to bear the sweet pain of pleasure she arched her back, and like a natural instinct, his hands gilded on her back to support her. Her chest kept heaving up and down as he sucked away every tiny bit of rationality from her.


    Her once lying idle arms were now snaked around him, her fingers digging deep into his skin through his clothes as he continued to strip her from all her senses with just the touch of his lips.


    His hands were all restless, with a mind of their own, wanting to wander off to all those territories that the demon inside him secretly desired, forgetting all the statutory warnings that he had imposed upon himself. His palm slowly glided from her cheeks, his fingers lightly brushing against the skin of her neck and then he went further down.


    But then suddenly his fingers touched the heart-shaped pendant that he had given her. And all the memories came back rushing in. It made him remember that he had to take care of her, not by being with her, but by obliviating. He detached from her in an instant, depriving her of him, in a split second.


    Clearing his throat he said,


    "The power will be up in a minute".


    Saying that he left her all alone and walked away towards the door.


    She extended her hand but he wasn''t there. She took his name, but he didn''t respond. He vanished like a ghost into the thin air.

 Chapter 285: The aftermath

    <h4>285 The aftermath</h4>


    In the very next second electricity was restored.


    All baffled up she looked all around, but there was no trace of him. She went running towards the exit door and saw the guy who had apanied her earlier, standing outside talking with someone on a walkie talkie regarding the sudden outage.


    Seeing hering out of the room, he vehemently apologized to her.


    "I am really sorry ma''am for this inconvenience. It usually never happens here. There was some issue with the backup unit."


    Gathering her nerves she asked,


    "Did you enter the room earlier?"


    "Yes ma''am, I came to check if you were still there and the power came back".


    "Did you?..... You know what, nevermind", she said and stormed towards her room.


    The guy who had apanied her, had a confused look on his face because he wasn''t able to understand what was going on. His superior had asked him to do the power outage and had asked him to guard outside the room. He didn''t understand why they wanted to trouble a premium customer.


    ---


    Going back to his room, he felt like he had just suffered a mild stroke. He knew that she had the power to captivate him, but he didn''t know that she would render him this helpless. She was breaking the walls that he had constructed all around himself. Those walls were not for his protection, but for hers. He wanted to shield her from himself. He wanted to give her a life that she deserved, but his selfish heart was alwaysing in the way.


    As he entered the room which was next to hers, he turned back to make sure that she wasn''t behind.


    "Are you done with your shenanigans?"


    "What the hell are you talking about?"


    "You think I am stupid? I didn''t get a degree just like that Raymond".


    "How did you get my room keys?"


    "I took one extra in case of emergencies, you know, in case any rpse happens".


    "Oh, so you are abusing your powers now. What if I didn''t recognize you? I would have asked the reception to kick you out of my room. That would have been acutely embarrassing for you".


    "Me? Abusing powers? Shouldn''t you ask this question to yourself? Just because you own this hotel, you have taken a room next to hers and God knows what all is there in your head. And don''t act up, I know that these days you can recognize me from my voice".


    "There is nothing inside my head and you know it".


    "Then what is with all this secrecy? I have told you so many times not to stress yourself. Keep things simple in life. You like her and she likes you. So stay together. Simple as that. Whateverplications are there, can be easily dealt with. Both medically and you know emotionally."


    "Life isn''t as simple as that Oshana. Maybe once you fall in love you will understand. You will always want to give the best life to the other one. No matter what".


    Oshana looked deep into his eyes and she could see the depth of love that he had for Akira.


    She sighed and before leaving the room, she said,


    "I am going to order the most exquisite food that I can in room service and I will charge it to your room"


    Raymond smiled and said,


    "Sure thing".


    As Oshana left, his crazy brain got into thinking and he called up David.


    "I want to block any room service to Akira''s room, can that be done?"


    David chuckled and asked,


    ''What do you have in your mind, Raymond?"

 Chapter 286: That dinner with a lake view - 1

    <h4>286 That dinner with ake view - 1</h4>


    Entering her room, she slumped on the bed, her entire head colluded with all jumbled thoughts.


    The entire time that she spent walking from the meeting room to her own room, she felt like something was going on wrong. It was not her hallucination, these were so not the thoughts randomly upying her head. This was concrete evidence of his presence.


    She knew it was him, but she had no way to prove it. She had no way to grab onto him and to force him to stay with her till eternity.


    But she knew one thing for sure that she had to try.


    Her heart was still erratic because of his touch, her thirst unquenched as he left her bereft, at the mercy of nothing but memories.


    But before she could think of anything else, her stomach grumbled.


    She was all famished and her heart longed for some goodfort food, for the whole day had taken a toll on her, both emotionally and physically.


    She walked up to the desk and picked up the room service menu and flipped through it and settled on pasta and cold pressed orange juice. After deciding on what to eat, she called up the room service.


    "Hello"


    "Hello, Miss. How can I help you?"


    "I am calling from Room No. 1107. Can I have room service for item number 49 and 6 from the menu?".


    "I am very sorry to say Miss, but our room services are closed for today as we are understaffed due to recent flu outbreak".


    "Wait, what?"


    "Yes, ma''am. I apologize for the inconvenience, but since you are a prime customer of ours, we have booked a lovely dinner for you near ourkeside restaurant - Savoy Grill, where you will be presented with a chef''s special menu, cooked by none other than Gordon Ramsay himself who is our guest chef for tonight".


    "Gordon Ramsay? You mean THE Gordon Ramsay?"


    "Yes ma''am, absolutely. A little something to make your evening special".


    "Sounds swell to me".


    "Ok then, I will book a table for two near.."


    "ONE, table for one", Akira interrupted.


    "My apologies ma''am. Just tell your room number once you reach there. I have reserved a nice Lakeview seat for you".


    "Thank you"


    "Thank you, ma''am. Enjoy your stay at The Savoy".


    She got up and then stood in front of the mirror. Looking at herself she touched her pendant and slowly whispered,


    "Pleasee to me. Don''t make me wait. Please be real for God''s sake".


    Saying that she picked out a nice evening gown from her suitcase. She knew it was stupid of her, but she hoped against hope to meet him again. She didn''t care if it was just a hallucination, because even if it was, she wanted to look pretty in it.


    Her dress was a nice silk-satin mix, flowy turquoise color gown, with transparent shoulder straps. The hemline was asymmetrical, running as low as her ankle and as high as her thighs, giving a glimpse of her legs every now and then as she walked.


    She brushed her hair and added a hint of rose on her lips and cheeks. It was probably after ages that she was getting ready with enthusiasm and a bit of eagerness. She wore her pearl earrings and then matched her outfit with a pair of pearly white stilettoes.


    After so many days of corporate life, she had now mastered to walk on eggshells.


    Her simplicity made her look even more dignified. She didn''t need any essory to look pretty because her smile was enough to make the heads turn as she entered the restaurant. In a second she had gathered many admirers.


    Leaning on the wall, behind the pir, even he was one of them.

 Chapter 287: That dinner with a lake view - 2

    <h4>287 That dinner with ake view - 2</h4>


    She slowly marched ahead, crossing those gawking eyes and gaping mouths.


    People looked at the leggyss in awe and admiration, wishing their stars for bringing her onto the earth. But oblivious to the prying eyes of people around her, her eyes were in constant search of the one.


    Her slender arms were inviting him to run his fingers on them, her semi-bare back wanted him toe close and cover every inch with his kisses. He wanted to smell that hair of hers and inhale thatvender note which always made him go crazy. He wanted to hold her in his arms and silence all those eyes which were drooling looking at her.


    "Hello".


    "How can I assist you, ma''am?"


    "Hi, my room number is 1107. I am supposed to have a table reserved for me".


    "One moment", saying that the receptionist opened her tab and checked on the booking app.


    "This way ma''am", saying that she guided her towards a table which was having the perfectke view.


    The whole setting was extremely romantic and she saw many couples having romantic candlelight dinner together. Seeing that she developed a sudden pang in her heart.


    She never had a proper dinner date with him.


    She could never go out anywhere as a couple and enjoy the whole day together just sitting in his arms.


    They were so busy fighting their battles together that they didn''t have enough time just to be with each other without a care of the world.


    She suddenly felt like her heart had been squished into a mulch.


    Taking a deep breath, she decided to drown her sorrows with alcohol and called up the waiter.


    "Yes, ma''am".


    "Can I have some white mine from the menu please?"


    "Sure ma''am", saying that the waiter left and came back after just 2 minutes andid the ss in front of her and said.


    "As you are our special guest today, I will be getting you the chef''s curated menu in a jiffy. Please make yourselffortable".


    She passed a faint smile to the waiter and took a sip from the ss.


    The moment she did that, her eyes widened with surprise.


    That was no white wine, that was apple juice, something that she was very fond of.


    She immediately turned back and signaled the waiter toe back.


    "I asked for white wine, but this is apple juice".


    "Ma''am this is a wee drink. Sorry that I forgot to mention. You will receive your wine along with your food".


    She jotted her eyebrows and looked at him all suspiciously and then asked,


    "Did someone ask you to get this juice for me?"


    "No ma''am, certainly not. Why will I offer you anything without your consent ma''am?"


    She heard him speak but her heart was somehow not satisfied. She just nodded so that the waiter could leave, but her eyes started scanning the whole area. She started scanning person by person, hoping against hope to see him again, but s not all hopes are meant to turn into reality.


    Looking at her eyes which were searching for him, he died from the inside.


    He itched to go close, sit opposite to her and enjoy the view along with her, but somehow managed to refrain his desires from taking control over his actions.


    Turning to his side he nodded looking at the waiter, who then walked ahead to serve piping hot food to her table.


    "Freshly out, a te of mushroom risotto, specifically curated by the chef for you and a ss of white wine to go with it".


    The moment she heard him say it, her whole world came to an absolute stop.


    "Mushroom risotto?"


    She eximed.

 Chapter 288: That dinner with a lake view - 3

    <h4>288 That dinner with ake view - 3</h4>


    "This cannot be a coincidence", she muttered.


    It was all too good to be true.


    She stared at her te and looked at the waiter who had turned to leave.


    Closing her eyes for a while, she calmed herself down and then looked all around again. But there was no sign of him. Getting all fidgety, she picked up her phone and called up Mike.


    "Hi".


    "Um... tell, wassup?"


    "Are you up?"


    "Almost, courtesy your call", Mike replied all groggy.


    "Sorry Mike, but there is something I need to talk about."


    "Spit it".


    "I guess, I am seeing things these days".


    "What do you mean?"


    "I don''t know, I am feeling his presence, I think I am imagining his face on people who look a bit like him. It''s horrible !!!"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, I saw a guy at the airport, who looked like his mirror copy and I pounced on him and that guy was already married. The IT guy of the hotel who apanied me to the meeting room felt like him. The more I see thing rted to our past, the more I feel like, I am drowning. I don''t know Mike. I can sense him like he is around me somewhere".


    "Hey, don''t worry. You always get emotional around airports. I guess it''s all because you miss him. Nothing else. Ok? Focus on your meeting. Focus on your agenda, why you have gone there? You can''t wipe his memories away Akira, just learn to live with them."


    "Mmm..."


    "Call me if you feel low or anything ok?"


    "Mmm..."


    Saying that she kept the call and took a deep breath.


    She loosened herself a bit more and sat morefortably. She rxed and sipped on that wine and tried to immerse herself in that beautiful view.


    As the evening turned darker, the wind started its course and made the evening even more pleasant.


    She could feel the wind on her face like it was trying to soothe her out. She kept sipping on that wine ss after ss, till she could take no more. She wanted to drown herself to such an extent so that she couldn''t feel the pain anymore.


    Standing there, he was getting worried, seeing her getting this high. The effect of alcohol was more because she was drinking with an empty stomach. That mushroom risotto lied untouched on her table all cold and unattended.


    So he signaled the waitress and she went up to Akira and said,


    "Ma''am, if you are done then can I escort you back to your room?"


    "Escort me? What am I like 6 or what?"


    The waitress turned back and looked at Raymond helplessly who asked her to stay calm with his gestures.


    Then turning back to her she said,


    "Please do not misunderstand me, ma''am. It''s part of our protocol. Since it''ste in the night, it''s paramount that I escort you to your room".


    "Oh really !!!", sneered a near drunk Akira and then said,


    "Then who will apany you back to this ce? You think you are a big girl toe back all alone while I am not?"


    "No ma''am I didn''t mean to put it that way".


    "Then what way did you mean? Call your manager I want to talk to him?"


    That poor waitress got all nervous when she mentioned about calling the manager. She turned back with her eyes pleading for mercy to Raymond.


    He clearly understood her plight as he knew how feisty his girl could be as he could clearly see how riled up she was. So with a swift move of his palm, he asked her to leave.


    "Sorry ma''am, I am telling you, I didn''t mean it that way, ma''am. You can go by yourself by all means ma''am".


    "Oh thank you so much for allowing me", saying that Akira got up from her seat instantly but then she felt a sudden head rush. Somehow she managed to hold herself steady and then picking up her bag she started walking away, towards the elevator.


    Her legs were all wobbly and she wasn''t even walking in a straight line. Somehow she pushed herself into the elevator. That elevator has ss walls all around and seeing her own image multiple times made her feel even giddier.


    Holding on to the walls she was able to reach in front of her room, but by then, her body was already revolting against her. She wanted to puke but somehow she was trying hard to hold in, while she was frantically searching for the room key card.


    But s, she couldn''t find it, given that she had left it back at the restaurant.


    Her head was getting all heavy and she felt like everything was getting all dark around her.


    But suddenly she felt someone''s arm around her waist and she was scooped away.

 Chapter 289: That dinner with a lake view - 4

    <h4>289 That dinner with ake view - 4</h4>


    He saw her straddling in a not so straight line.


    Her gait was all wobbly and loopy like she was all demented. He saw her holding her head with her palm and then she covered her mouth with her hands.


    He knew that she was to puke any moment and fall down. So he inched a bit closer and saw her fidgeting with her bag and he immediately understood that she had lost her room key.


    Before he could decide or debate with himself as to what to do, he saw her leaning on the door with her head as support. He knew that he had to move in, so he ran and grabbed her waist and scooped her towards his room door.


    She didn''t have the faintest idea as to what was happening to her. The only thing that she was aware was of that warmfortable embrace that made her feel like that she was home.


    Holding her all tight and steady, he helped her enter his room and once he did, he immediately took her to the washroom.


    She belched her insides the moment she entered the washroom, but that didn''t disgust him even one bit. He held her the whole time, supporting her in every possible manner. He pulled her hair back softly so as to not to have them ruined in her vomit with his one hand. With the other hand of his, he gently caressed her back to make her feel all better andfortable.


    Once she was done, he took out a face towel and made it wet by pouring some water over it and then wiped her entire face with it to make her feel fresh. But somehow it didn''t help her much. All dazed out, she put her entire body weight on him and hugged him tightly.


    Taking a deep breath he checked his watch.


    It was already 11.45 pm.


    He knew that if he put her to sleep, then in no way she would be able to wake up in time for her meeting, So first he took out his phone and wallet and ced it on the sink and then he lifted her up and took her inside his shower cubicle.


    While adjusting the temperature of the water, he looked at her.


    Her face rested all peacefully on his chest like that of a baby in deep sleep. He removed a few strands of stray hair which was on her face and tucked them underneath her ears. He didn''t know what captivated him and suddenly his lips moved and ced a gentle kiss on her forehead.


    The moment his lips touched her skin, he could see her lips curling into a smile and she hugged him even tighter.


    Running his finger on her face, he muttered,


    "Can you stop loving me this much?"


    "Mmm...", she mumbled and then taking a deep breath she said,


    "Don''t leave me now".


    "I won''t".


    "Why you keep testing me like this. You still feel I don''t love you enough?", saying that she opened her half dazed eyes and tried hard to look at him,


    "I am not testing you. I don''t need to test you. I am testing myself".


    "Then why won''t you touch me when I am so, so, so close to you?", saying that she struggled to capture his hand and then ced it on her chest.


    She didn''t know what she had done.


    She didn''t know the amount of fuel that she had put into the fire, the fire that was still burning deep inside him.


    So without saying a word, he switched on the water to shower mode.

 Chapter 290: Removing her dress - 1

    <h4>290 Removing her dress - 1</h4>


    The stream of water started drenching them.


    The water temperature was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold. But it was warm enough tofort her. The moment it started drenching her, she shivered at first and held him even tighter.


    He pushed her further ahead so that the water could drench herplete body and sober her up.


    Streams of water started running on her face and down to her legs, soaking her uppletely.


    As he had moved ahead with her, they both were directly under the shower, so he himself got drenched along with her.


    She was curled up in his arms like amb.


    His hands kept caressing her back but slowly it started bing unbearable for him.


    Her wet body, with her clothes clinging on to her, made her look even more desirable. He not only wanted her bad, but he wanted to devour on her, show her his ways of love.


    Because of all the water and wetness her dress had be all heavy and naturally that made the neck of the dress run even deeper than earlier.


    The crests and the valleys were calling him out, shouting out his name, but he knew that those were thends which he shouldn''t wander. So holding his breath all tight he lifted her up in his arms and took her out of the shower cubicle.


    Her eyes were slightly open, but she was still a bit tipsy and dizzy but better than the condition that she was in before.


    He quickly grabbed a bathrobe and first wrapped it around her to prevent her from catching a cold. But given that her dress was all wet, he knew that he had to do the deed. He knew that he had to get her out of those wet clothes but he also knew that he couldn''tpromise her, not even for a bit.


    Being a gentleman that he was, he dimmed off the lights and slowly removed the straps of her dress by sliding his hands underneath the bathrobe.


    "What are you doing?", she asked and giggled and slumped back onto him.


    "Akira stay still", saying that he gently pushed her to lean on to the wall so that he could pull the dress down.


    "Ummm.... you always keepmanding me. Why you have to dictate my life so much?", saying that she started pulling out face wipes and kept throwing them on his face.


    But without minding any of that, he slowly unzipped the dress, expecting it to fall down, but s, all that wetness had made it cling on to her body. So it didn''te off the way that he expected it to.


    So looking at her he said,


    "Stay still, I am gonna pull your dress down".


    "Yeah pull it up down left right where ever you want. Howsoever, you want. Left right up do....", and then she started slurring.


    So he took a deep breath and then bent down on his knees.


    His rested his palm on her waist to support her so that she didn''t fall down. Then slowly he peeled the dress off. The light was dim, but he could still see her porcin smooth skin. Unknowingly he ran his fingers from the sides of her waist to her thighs.


    She moaned with his all fired up touch even in her dazed state.


    The sound of her moan was a red light for him. So he immediately threw the dress to the side and then tied the belt of the robe back, all tight.


    Because she needed to be saved, FROM HIM.

 Chapter 291: Removing her dress - 2

    <h4>291 Removing her dress - 2</h4>


    Her dress was padded so as he removed her dress, he knew her chest was all bare.


    Right now the only barrier between him and her body was the tiny bit ofce that was covering her intimates down there.


    Getting up, he switched on the lights to full luminosity and then leaning onto her ears, he said,


    "I am doing this just to keep you away from catching a cold".


    And saying that he came close to her with just an inch of gap between him and her so that she didn''t fall away.


    His hands slowly grazed the skin of her thighs and reached the lines of herces.


    He gasped for breath, he prayed for strength and slowly pulled it down with one swift tug of his hands.


    But as he did so, his fingers ignited every inch of her skin that it passed through, till it hit the bathroom floor.


    Taking a deep breath he wiped the sweat from his forehead and then patted lighty on her cheeks.


    "Are you ok?"


    "Mmm... ", that was all that she could mumble.


    His manhood was getting impatient, crying for a release. His fingers were impatient, wanting to exlore her, his mouth was all dry for it needed to devour on her.


    His urges were at its peak and there was no respite for him and she was right there in front of him, all bare, covered with nothing but a bathrobe.


    His beastly instincts were slowly overpowering his morals. He thinking got bent in such a way that his fingers moved to unfasten the belt of the robe.


    But somehow he restrained himself.


    Cursing himself for his moronic acts, he tightened her belt even more and lifted her in his arms and took her to the bed.


    Heid her softly on the bed and then he wanted to pull the duvet on top of her, but the ring of her arms around his neck didn''t let him move even an inch.


    Detaching himself from her grip, he pulled the duvet and covered her up, partly to make her feel warm and partly to save himself from his demonic thoughts.


    Then he went to the bathroom and removed his wet clothes and changed into a towel. Calling up the service people he gave all the wet clothes for dry cleaning.


    Then he went back to his suitcase and took out some clothes for himself to wear.


    He had a gym t-shirt which could probably have fit her, but he didn''t want to take the risk of touching her again.


    Walking to his desk, he picked up his bottle of water and started gulping it down.


    His insides were burning like there was a fire raging inside of him. Bound by circumstances, bound by the fear of losing herpletely, he stormed out to his balcony.


    There were tears in his eyes. He looked up towards the sky which was lit by thousands of stars and mumbled,


    "Why mom? Why everything and everyone who is close to me has to be away from me? Why am I being punished this way? Why I have such a fate written for me?"


    Saying that he slumped on the floor for the pain had be unbearable.


    Destiny separated them and put him into a deep sleep when he could have had the time of his life with her. When he woke up, he woke up with a disability that impaired him for life. A life that was getting shortened every single day becasue of the terrible impact that his brain had suffered.


    So in no way, no matter what his heart wanted, he was ready to enter her life again, for she had suffered enough. And the only goal which he had in his life, was to make her forget him in every possible way.

 Chapter 292: Save my son !!!

    <h4>292 Save my son !!!</h4>


    After returning back from the office David was on his way to his home when he received a call from Mr. Walker. He never liked it when he called. It was like he was sort of a bad omen for him. His call always meant like he was going to tell something bad. But as he was his boss, irrespective of his feelings he just picked it up.


    "Hello, Mr. Walker".


    "Hello David"


    "How may I help you?"


    "How you may help me... Let me guess. Maybe by telling me first about the whereabouts of my son?"


    "Oh, he has apanied Dr. Smeathe for a medical conference to London. I mean you must be knowing that Raymond is one of the most prominent cases of study for ''Acquired Prosopagnosia'', so as she is presenting a paper on his case study, he has gone there to meet other doctors and to figure out if anything more is possible to do for his current situation".


    "I am aware of that part".


    "Then what other information do you want?"


    "You know it very well what I am asking about David. Please don''t be an advocate of that girl. Why is she there? Or rather should I put my question this way. Why has Raymond gone to London when that girl has gone there."


    "Oh, is it? That must be a coincidence".


    "Coincidence my foot David. They are staying in adjacent rooms in the same hotel. And you are telling me its coincidence? I got the information that Raymond himself asked for the adjacent room. I do not understand if you are not able to understand the gravity of the situation that I am talking about or you are just trying to shirk away from the responsibility that I have given you?"


    David took a deep breath for Sebastian''s voice was bing more and more fierce.


    He knew that there was no point of lying to the man who had eyes behind the back of his head.


    So he politely replied,


    "Mr. Walker, to be very honest, in my opinion, you should let Raymond do what he wants. He is not a child and he understands the predicament of the whole situation. I think he is capable of handling it all by himself".


    "You think so?? You think David, that he is able enough to handle it?"


    "Sir, I don''t want to be disrespectful but I think he his clearly aware of his medical condition. I think he knows about it more than we do and he knows how bad it can get in the future. So I don''t think he will try to go back into her life in any way. He loves her selflessly, so I know that no matter how much it hurts him he will eventually distance himself from her".


    Taking a deep painful breath Sebastian said,


    "David, I don''t know how to emphasize my point, but I really really need him to stay away from the girl. The reason...."


    And saying that he stopped.


    "What sir?"


    "I cannot disclose it to you, because that will endanger the future of my son more than it is now. So I beg of you to make him stay as far away from her as possible".


    "Mr. Sebastian, I had already checked with Dr. Smeathe. Remembering the things from the past and not being able to rte with the faces will be scary for Raymond, but that doesn''t have any deep impact that you are scared of".


    Drinking up his rage, Sebastian replied,


    "David, this is thest time I am gonna say this. If you consider Raymond as your close friend even by one percent, then you will have faith in my words. When I am telling you its important that he stays away from her, then you should know that it''s important. I am not talking about any random Tom, Dick and Harry situation. I am talking about the situation of life and death."


    "What are you saying Mr.Sebastian?", David asked all confused because he was unable to understand how it was rted to life and death.


    "I wish I could tell you, but it''s just that I can''t. If you want to save my son then make him stay away from her. Please !!!"


    "Well I seriously do not know what to say Mr. Sebastian but as far as I know he has been trying to do everything under his control to stay away from her".


    "But it''s not enough now. Is it?"


    David had no answer for that and he stayed all silent.


    Sensing the silence, Sebastian said,


    "If it hase to this, then let me tell you one thing David, I will not shy away from removing her from the scene. If that''s what it takes to keep my son safe."


    Hearing his words, David shivered, because he knew Sebastian was not a man who made nk promises. Scared of his actions, he immediately replied,


    "Mr. Sebastian, please refrain yourself from these petty matters now. I will take the responsibility on my shoulder. I will make sure that they stay away from each other and move on with their lives".


    "That sounds much better to me. Now make sure that my son returns back tomorrow, in the earliest flight possible".


    "He already has his tickets booked for tomorrow evening, London time. After the conference, he leaves straight for the airport".


    "I hope he does that. And make sure that they don''t cross their paths in the hotel. Monitor the CC tv live footage or whatever, but make sure they don''t get to see each other."


    "Sure sir, I will make sure of all these things".


    Sebastian heard him and took a deep breath. He was one of his most resourceful and loyal employees, whom he could trust with his eyes closed. So he spoke, but this time his tone was different,


    "David, I know that Raymond thinks of you more than a friend and if you say, he will listen to you. I am not asking you to misuse your powers, but to do the right thing".


    "Sure Mr. Sebastian", David said but he was shocked to see the change in his tone and demeanour.


    "David !!! I beg of you as a father. Please save my son".


    That was the first time anyone had heard Sebastian Walker begging.

 Chapter 293: Dont you dare love me any less Akira !!!

    <h4>293 Don''t you dare love me any less Akira !!!</h4>


    Sitting in the balcony he remembered the promises he had made to her.


    He remembered how ecstatic she had be when he had proposed to her. He couldn''t see her face in his memories, but everything except for that was all clear and vivid.


    He remembered every single passionate kiss they had shared, all those intimate moments, herugh, her giggle, her tears. Everything suddenly came rushing inside of him, bringing along a surge of feelings that he just couldn''t bottle up.


    Not even a single hair of his body wanted to leave her all broken like this.


    Somehow he was managing to restrain himself all these days, by staying far-far away from her. But now that she was in front of him, in flesh and blood, he was not able to push himself back anymore.


    It was as if their fates were cursed, no matter what happened, they had to be together with each other.


    Sumbing to his raging thoughts, he went inside.


    He looked at her moon face and inched closer. Looking at her peaceful face, somehow his heart felt a bit better. So he sat down on the bed and ran his fingers on the satin smooth skin of her face, which had captured him in some sort of a trance from which he had no escape.


    He bent down slowly, touching her nose with his own and then slightly tilting his head he gave a soft peck on her lips.


    He let his lips rest and linger on hers for a while, for he didn''t want to detach, but then suddenly she parted her lips like she was inviting him in. All taken aback, he wanted to distance himself, but he suddenly felt her hand on his chest, tugging on to his t-shirt.


    And he heard her mumble,


    "I love you, Raymond. Don''t you dare leave me again !!!"


    Then slowly her grip on his t-shirt loosened and her hand fell down on the bed.


    He didn''t know from where a drop of tear trickled from his cheeks andnded on hers, which he immediately tried to wipe away, but instead, he ended up caressing her face again and again.


    And at that moment he didn''t know what he was doing or what he wanted to do, but he bent his head down and embraced her parted lips with that of his own.


    His kiss wasn''t tender anymore, it was a passionate and deep one.


    It was so intense, that it radiated through her body, waking her up from the deep slumber that she was in. Slowly opening her groggy eyes, she looked up and saw his face. The only face that she ever wanted to see. The only face that she wanted on top of her face, the only lips that she wanted to taste, so when she found him, she was gripped by nothing but awareness.


    Complete awareness of him and only him.


    She closed her eyes and submerged herself in that kiss.


    He saw her open her eyes, but he didn''t flinch away and that wasn''t because he didn''t want to, but because he was being ruled by his carnal desires which were so strong that all that he could do at that moment was to cave in.


    She was all that he needed. All of her, every single inch of her.


    He was unable to bear it any longer.


    He locked her lips in his grip and sucked them hard like he wanted them all. In no time he had climbed on the bed and was lying on top of her, relishing every inch of her lips. His eager hands were wrestling with her hair, with the skin of her neck.


    "Missed me?", he asked and detached himself from her, waiting for a response from her.


    But she lied there half dazed, unable to register the recent change of events.


    Even though she didn''t answer, that small drop of tear that trickled through the corners of her eyes said everything.


    Lowering his lips he kissed on her forehead and said softly,


    "I love you Akira".


    Those were the magical words that she needed to hear. That was all that she needed. That gave her such sce that she was again pushed back to deep sleep. Afortable sleep which she hadn''t have had ever since Raymond had gone missing.


    He lied next to her, holding her palm in his hands with their fingers intertwined. Turning towards his side he said,


    "I do not know if this makes much sense to you right now, but I am gonna fight for us. I am sorry that I gave up on us. I am sorry for not loving you back the way I should have, but I promise you today, I will try my best to keep you happy. I will fight Akira."


    He propped himself up on his elbow and then lightly pulled the ps of her bathrobe, slightly baring a bit of her chest.


    He looked at the pendant adorning her neck so beautifully. On her pearly white smooth skin, it was shining like a star. He slowly bent down and kissed just under the pendant. Then looking at her he whispered,


    "Show me this, in case I forget", and saying that he untied the belt of her bathrobe and pulled her left p down.


    He gasped for air at the sight of her body, but in no way, he wanted to vite her sanctity. So taking a deep breath he clenched his fists and dug his teeth on the left mound of her chest. His bite was gentle, like he wanted to just leave his mark.


    He saw her twitch and her fingers grabbed the sheets.


    Sensing that it was going way too far, he tied the belt of her robe back and tucked her in.


    Lying next to her on the bed, he whispered in her ears,


    "Don''t you dare love me any less Akira, I won''t be able to take it".


    Saying that he covered himself up with the same duvet. Holding her in his arms, he too sumbed to sleep.

 Chapter 294: Beautiful morning !!!

    <h4>294 Beautiful morning !!!</h4>


    That morning was a beautiful one.


    He had his firstfortable sleep since ages.


    He opened his eyes and saw that beautiful woman in his arms. Her face looked all unfamiliar but he knew it was her. Propping himself up, he looked at her face all curiously like he was looking at her for the very first time.


    He ran his fingers all over her face tracing every inch of her.


    Her forehead, her nose, her lips, her jawline and then back to her forehead again, trying to cover every millimeter possible, trying to remember the touch of her face in every possible way.


    Then suddenly the doorbell rang and he rushed to get the door so that her sleep would not be disturbed.


    At the door, he collected theundry and requested for breakfast service in the room.


    Keeping the clothes aside, he took out everything that he needed to show her, his medical reports, prediction analysis provided by Oshana, pictures of her, that he had taken all these days in secrecy.


    He paced eagerly in the room waiting for her to wake up.


    It was 6:45 am and her meeting was to start at 9:30 am, so he had decided not to wake her up for another 1 hour.


    ---


    As she got up, the first thing that she did was to check her phone for any call or message from Raymond but there were none. That was like a morning ritual for Oshana because in case there was anything new that he remembered or he couldn''t remember, he would inform her so that she could do her case study in depth.


    But today there was no such message on her phone.


    So she called him up.


    "Hello"


    "Hello Oshana"


    "Why are speaking in such a hush-hush tone?"


    "Wait a minute", saying that Raymond came out in the balcony and then spoke in his regr voice,


    "Yes tell me".


    "No, you tell me. Is there anything new today? You are felling any better or worse? You didn''t send any details today".


    "I was never this better", he said and smiled.


    "I do not understand", Oshana replied as she was perplexed with his answer.


    "I have decided on doing something that you have always wanted."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "I have decided to stay with Akira. I am going to tell her about everything. I am going to give my fate and love a chance".


    "Wait, what?"


    "Yes, Oshana, I have realized that there is no point of hurting myself as well as inflicting pain on her. This whole staying away from her thing, it''s already killing me. I can''t see her any more hurt like this. I know that things will get allplicated after this, but I know that we can fight it out, together".


    "What happened overnight?", Oshana asked in surprise.


    "Sudden realization you can say".


    "So it all happened just by seeing her?"


    "Well, I wouldn''t put it that way".


    "Can you tell me everything clearly?", Oshana asked impatiently.


    "Good God, you sound more excited about it than me", Raymond joked.


    "Well of course I am, finally you did what I always wanted you to do".


    "She is with me right now and I am going to tell her about everything as she wakes up".


    "That''s huge Raymond, that''s really huge".


    "I know".


    Then taking a deep breath he said,


    "Thanks for always having my back Oshana, for being more than a doctor".


    "Oh please, just shut it ok !!!"


    Saying that Oshana disconnected the call.


    The fake smile that she had stered on her face, evaporated in seconds and it was reced by nothing but grim.


    She closed her eyes and thought for a while and then texted someone,


    "Code Red, right now. He is going to tell everything to Akira when she wakes up" - [Dr. Smeathe]


    "Looks like you didn''t scare him enough" - [PRIVATE NUMBER]


    "Enough? I told him that all this will eventually lead to partial paralysis and thenplete memory loss. How is this not enough?" - [Dr. Smeathe]


    There was no reply from the other side for a file.


    So getting scared she replied,


    "I thought he wouldn''t like to ruin her life when he knew that he was going to face these conditions. I had somehow put this thought in his head that his days are numbered. He totally bought it and was never going back to her, just because he loved her. I had also increased his valium dosage to keep him calm all the time. I tried my best you see" - [Dr. Smeathe]


    "Then why does he want to go back now if you had tried your best?" - [PRIVATE NUMBER]


    "I think he has caved in because he saw her and probably came close to her" - [Dr. Smeathe]


    On the other side of the phone, the anger of the other person was increasing in leaps and bounds. His brows were furrowed and he kept staring at the wall for a while and then made a call,


    "Hello !!! Sebastian here".

 Chapter 295: No tomorrow for her

    <h4>295 No tomorrow for her</h4>


    As Sebastian disconnected the call, David sat in his car for a while. His call with Sebastian had converted his whole evening all grim.


    Sebastian Walker, the man who was a synonym for the heart of iron had begged in front of him !!!


    For a moment he couldn''t fathom in the wildest of his dreams that the conversation had happened for real.


    He was a man of deception, a con artist who could buy and sell in millions with just his tactful words and that''s what had made him one of the most sessful businessmen. So David was unable to understand if his request was really genuine one or he was ying with his emotions. He was clearly aware that he had a soft corner for Raymond, so he was concerned if he was just ying with him, just to make him request Raymond to do the things which he wanted, so he was a bit skeptical.


    But since it was a matter concerning Raymond, he couldn''t take his chances.


    It was clearly obvious that there was either something deeply disturbing and hidden within Sebastian''s concern which was something apart from his son''s illness or he was just messing up with him. But hearing his panic-stricken voice, he was inclined to think that it was something more than that, but something that was only known to Sebastian Walker.


    He knew he had to figure it all out.


    Thinking about it, he returned back home and retired to sleep.


    He needed to rest his head so that he could focus next to figure out what was so wrong with Raymond being together with Akira.


    ---


    Soon after Sebastian disconnected his call the next day morning, he called up David in the wee hours, waking him up from his deep slumber.


    David checked his clock and was surprised to see him calling at such an ungodly hour.


    "Hello, David".


    "Hello Sebastian, everything all right?"


    "Well, that depends on whether youpleted the task that I gave you yesterday".


    "Sorry I do not understand Mr. Sebastian".


    "I think I didn''t make myself clear enough when I told you about the seriousness of the situation".


    "No, it''s not like that. I will talk to Raymond today and ask him to stay away from her. I thought about the whole thing that we talked about yesterday, and I will do my best to persuade Raymond".


    "What is the point of doing that when he has already decided to get back on with her".


    "What? Who told you about it?"


    "I have my resources. But that is not the point. I think you don''t want your friend to have a peaceful life. Imagine what will happen to him, when he gets back with her but the next day he gets the news that Akira isn''t there in the world anymore? Will you be able to handle him? What will happen when he gets to know that the blood of his fiancee was actually smeared on your hands?"


    David listened aghast to his monologue, unable to utter a single word, for his shrewdness and atrociousness was right now beyond his imagination.


    "What happened? Are you not able to find words to describe how you cked with the one task that I gave you?"


    "Didn''t I warn you enough yesterday? With one snap I can get that girl out of my way, but I thought that I can get it done all amicably, like adults, without getting my hands dirty. But now you are forcing me to y by rules of my game".


    His words were bing all scary now.


    Gulping his spit, David said,


    "I can set up everything right Mr. Sebastian. Please just give me some time. I will call up Raymond right away. I will set everything all right. For the sake of her, he stayed away from her for so many days and you know that, so to keep her safe I don''t think he will hesitate to back off. You can trust me on this one. Please don''t do anything which might make your son hate you even more".


    Hearing his speech, Sebastianughed hysterically and then said,


    "You think I am scared that my son will hate me? You think for all these years I haven''t learned to live with his hate?"


    "I didn''t mean to put it in that way", David replied all meekly.


    "You will never be able to understand the power of the love of a father David. I can do anything and I mean ANYTHING to keep my son safe. And if you don''t believe that then try me".


    "No Mr. Sebastian, please don''t misunderstand me. I will take the matter into my own hands now".


    "I give you one day''s time David. If I see them together again, then there will be no tomorrow for her and I give you my word on that David. I will make it happen".

 Chapter 296: Begging for a kiss - 1

    <h4>296 Begging for a kiss - 1</h4>


    Pacing through the room, Raymond was getting all restless.


    How bad he wanted to wake her up and tell her that he was alive, how bad he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss the life out of her. But no matter how much he paced, the time wasn''t passing any quicker.


    It had been only 10 minutes, but he felt like he had been waiting for 10 hours for her to wake up.


    He had been waiting for a glimpse of her for all these days all patiently and now that she was here in front of him, so close to him, he couldn''t bear to wait even for a minute.


    So he went close to her and sat on the bed next to her and ran his fingers on her lips. He then leaned in close to her and whispered in her ears,


    "Morning my love".


    His voice echoed in her ears like a perennial constant, waking her up in a second.


    All of a sudden she opened her eyes and saw his face right in front of her. But the next second she covered her eyes with her palm and then opened her eyes again. She wanted to believe that this time it was for real. She didn''t want to be fooled again.


    Yet the same face was there in front of her.


    She pped her face with both her hands together and tried to open and close her eyes again and again while he kept looking at her all amused.


    But nothing that she did change the view in front of her. Her man was sitting there, in all flesh and blood giving his undivided attention as she made effort after effort to believe that he was there for real.


    "Am I hallucinating again?", she mumbled, thinking that this was also a figment of her imagination.


    "No".


    She heard his voice loud and clear, ring the symphony of tant truth in front of her.


    "Am I dead Raymond? Are we in heaven together?", she asked and she was in all smiles.


    Raymond''s eyebrows arched up as he heard her.


    This girl never ceased to amaze him. She was happy to think that she was with him after her death. He had no words to exin how much he was touched.


    "Just shut up", he said and moved closer to her face.


    She furrowed her eyebrows and ced her palm on his chest trying to block him and asked,


    "Who are you? Why are you messing with me?"


    But ignoring her resistance he pushed himself even closer with just an inch of the gap in between their lips and said,


    "Why don''t you let your lips tell you who I am?"


    Saying that he leaned in closer and locked her lips with his own, giving her a taste of his lips.


    Her question filled eyes were rxed in a second, for it was the same taste that aroused every inch of her soul, rendering her all helpless under his mercy. His left hand slowly moved underneath her back and his right palm reached under the nape of her neck, brushing the skin of her neck lightly.


    He licked her lips with his tongue in gentle strokes and moved to kiss her neck.


    "I missed you so much", he said and kissed her right ear lobe softly. He moved down to kiss her neck, but then she pushed him suddenly.


    She was looking at him all fiercely.


    "That man at the airport, ....."


    Her tears were flooding her eyes, choking her throat. Her lips were quivering, and her entire core was shaking, but she wanted her answers.


    She balled up her fists and asked,


    "That man at the airport, that was you?"


    He looked at her gently and said,


    "Yes".


    Fighting back her tears, she took a pause to register what she was hearing and then she asked again,


    "Yesterday, in the meeting room... When the lights were ...."


    "When the lights were off, yes that was me who held you in my arms and kissed you".


    Unable to believe the miracle she sat upright on the bed.


    Gallons and gallons of tears were rushing out through her eyes and looking into his eyes, she slowly extended her palms towards his face and asked,


    "Can I?"


    She wanted to touch his face and believe that this was all real. Even though he had kissed her, she still felt like she was in some sort of a dream. She wanted to touch him, feel him, make herself believe that this was permanent, he was permanent.


    He leaned to his right and rested his cheeks on her palm.


    The moment her palm felt the touch of his warm and rugged cheeks, she felt like her heart had started a new rhythm like it had started to learn how to beat again.

 Chapter 297: Begging for a kiss -2

    <h4>297 Begging for a kiss -2</h4>


    His rapid thumping beats proved to her that he was alive. It was all him. Her palm was still ced on his chest, feeling every single beat of his. She looked up all tenderly at him and said,


    "Pinch me !!! This can''t be a dream".


    A smile spread on his lips hearing her speak.


    More than a year and a half had passed, but she hadn''t changed. From a postgraduate student to the most sessful entrepreneur of the year, she had taken such a huge leap in that time span, but deep down she hadn''t changed a bit.


    She was the same naive and innocentmb for which he had fallen.


    "Of course I will", and saying that he pulled her chin towards him and said,


    "All of it is real".


    His lips inched forward, but this time it didn''t intend to be all polite and gentle.


    He sucked hard on her lower lip and made her moan. But before she could wither away with his touch, he dug his teeth into her lip and took a small bite, like he wanted to brandish her with his mark and dere to the entire world that she was his and only his to begin with.


    She tasted blood in her mouth. That metallic taste was all that she needed to believe that this was for real.


    "This is me Akira, all of me", he said and took her palm and ced it on his chest again.


    "Can you feel it? It still beats for you, like always. Goes crazy when I touch you, like always".


    She looked at her hand ced on his chest and then she looked up at him and asked,


    "Where were you all these days? Didn''t you know how broken I was? Why would you even make me think that you are gone? Why would you Raymond? Why would you?"


    Saying that she started hitting his chest with her fists.


    He wanted to stop her and exin everything to her, but right now he knew that the best thing was to let her blurt out everything that was bottled up deep inside her heart. He wanted her to unburden her chest which was holding up all the pain, while she tried to fake a bright smile in front of the entire world for all these days.


    Tugging onto his t-shirt she kept asking,


    "Do you even know how much it hurts to even think that you are not going to return back? Do you even know how much these eyes of mine have cried for you? Do you even know how badly I have missed the void you had created? All those sleepless nights, I couldn''t even sleep because of the thought of waking up in a world without you, was something that I couldn''t bear to. Why did you do this? Why did you hide from me? Where were you all these days?"


    "Where were you?"


    Her tears were relentlessly soaking up the entire duvet.


    She was breaking down from inside. The grip that she had on his t-shirt, loosened up. She balled her fists, wanted to punch him again, but she had no power. He had rendered her all powerless like he always did.


    He saw her getting all helpless and he knew that it was all that she could do. He knew that she couldn''t resist him anymore. He knew that she was on the verge of breaking, so he pulled her close to him and hugged her tight in his arms.


    He ran his fingers through her hair and softly patted her back as she sobbed in his arms slowly and softly like a little ball of fur.


    His human was there in his arms and that was all that he could wish for. Hugging her all tight he said,


    "I wanted you so bad Akira. Do you even know how hard it was for me to not to be able to hear your voice, to not to be able to touch you for all these days? Do you even know how I passed every single day of mine without you in it?"


    Saying that he kissed on her head softly.


    His chin was resting on her head and drops of tears from his eyes slowly trickled down and started making her hair all wet. The moment she sensed a drop of his tear, she slowly detached herself.


    Looking up deep in his eyes she could see nothing but sheer pain.


    She knew it well that he loved her the same way as he did before or probably even more, but she wasn''t able to understand what made him stay away from her for all this time.


    Looking up at him, she asked,


    "Why did you stay away Raymond?"


    "Becasue I thought that was the best thing to do".

 Chapter 298: Begging for a kiss - 3

    <h4>298 Begging for a kiss - 3</h4>


    "How can staying away from me, be the best thing to do?", Akira asked all surprised.


    Her eyes were fixated on him, asking for an exnation for the whole thing.


    She wiped away her tears and then tugging on to his t-shirt she asked,


    "You Mr. Raymond Walker, you better have an exnation for all this. Who told you that you could hide away from me like this? Who told you that you could ignore my existence in your life?"


    "And... and why would you marry someone apart from me? Who was that girl with you at the airport? Have you fallen in love with her, because she is all tall and pretty?"


    Taking a deep breath Raymond, held her hand tugging on to his t-shirt and with a soft pull, he made her grip to go for a release. He held her hands in his own and said,


    "Give me two minutes, I will exin everything. Don''t build up these stories in your head".


    And saying that he got down from the bed and went towards the desk where he had a folder containing all his medical reports and prediction report.


    He got them all and ced it in front of her on the bed.


    "What is all this?"


    "These are my medical reports".


    She looked at the huge stack of papers inside that huge folder and somehow that scared the hell out of her.


    Without even reading or looking at them, she looked at him and asked,


    "Is there something wrong with you? I will kill myself right here right now Raymond if you answer it with a YES."


    "Sssshhh.....", he came close and hugged her. Her head was resting on his waist and he continued to stroke her hair with his fingers and said,


    "There is something that you should know about me".


    "I don''t like your tone, Ray. I don''t wanna hear anything bad. Just stay like this with me. I don''t want anything else from life. I got you just now, don''t you dare push me away", saying that Akira clung onto him like a baby who didn''t want to be separated away.


    "I had told you to be careful. I told you toe back as soon as possible. You had promised me that you wille back. Why didn''t you? Why did you go into the water? Was the game so important that you risked your life for it?"


    "Our signals were jammed Akira and I needed that final snatch".


    "But you slipped because of that. Do you even know how much I hated that game of yours because of all this? If you wouldn''t have gone for the tournament, all this wouldn''t have happened".


    Raymond stayed silent for a while and then pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ears he said,


    "I didn''t slip".


    "What?"


    "I said, I didn''t slip and fall".


    "Then how did you fell down? Mike told me that you slipped when you were handing yourptop to the Spock."


    "The Spock had kicked my leg under the water and I stumbled and fell down".


    Looking at him in disbelief at this sudden revtion she asked,


    "Why would he do such a thing?"


    "Because he was trying to protect me".


    "Protect you !!! By pushing you off the waterfall? From the edge of a dead drop?"


    "Yes, you heard it right".


    "Serves him right then. I heard he also slipped and fell down. Instant Karma".


    "No Akira, he didn''t slip, he jumped after me as he was a professional deep diver and swimming coach. He jumped into the waters to save me."


    "Save you? How? And from Whom?"

 Chapter 299: Begging for a kiss - 4

    <h4>299 Begging for a kiss - 4</h4>


    Taking a deep breath, Raymond dragged a chair close to him and sat on it.


    Then looking at her he said,


    "There was a sniper who was hired to kill me that day. So the Spock tried to make me fall so that I could dodge the bullet. But he didn''t know that I would slip and take a fall, so when I did, he jumped along with me into the waters to save me".


    "A sniper !!!"


    "Yes".


    "But why would anyone try to kill you? Why would anyone go to such an....."


    And saying that she paused.


    She looked up at Raymond thinking about one person who could do so and looking at her, he clearly understood who she meant by that look.


    "I don''t know Akira why he attempted to do so. I was angry, really angry with him because he is the reason because of which I am in this condition today, we are in this condition today."


    Akira didn''t say a word and looked down at the floor, unable to believe that her friend could stoop so low. All these days she thought that he had be a changed man, but she was wrong,pletely wrong.


    "I wanted to punish him after I found out, but when I saw the way he had taken care of you, Mike and even my sister, I didn''t feel likeying a finger on him".


    "You don''t have toy a finger on him. I will take care of him now", said Akira and then held his palm and asked.


    "Did it hurt? Were you hurt?"


    "Well, to be honest, I remember nothing about the fall. I just know it from what David had told me."


    "Wait !!! David knew?"


    "He knew the whole time?"


    "I mean he knew you were alive and I didn''t?"


    Slowly the anger was starting to build up inside of her.


    "Let me exin", said Raymond and tried to hold her hand which left the premises of his hands as she came to know about the truth.


    "No, you answer me first. People rushed downstream immediately, but they couldn''t find you or that Spock guy. Where did you go?"


    "He carried me immediately away in a steamer which was stationed downstream. I have no clue of who did what, but I had suffered major blows on my head during the fall. So basically I was unconscious the whole time. So I think before any search party could reach downstream, I had already been taken to the main city hospital."


    "I was given some basic care there and then I was chartered back to New York"


    "Chartered back? By who?"


    Raymond looked at her and said,


    "By Sebastian Walker, also known as my father".


    "He helped you out? For real? Aren''t you mistaken?"


    "No, David never lies to me. I trust his words with my eyes closed."


    "And I thought he was loyal to me !!!", Akira eximed.


    Raymond chuckled and said,


    "Well, he was told to not to tell you about all this."


    "Then what happened? Why did you stay in hiding?"


    "I wasn''t hiding for all these days. I was in an induceda in a nursing home in Brooklyn."


    "But why. Why would they put you in an induceda?"


    "Due to the fall, I had some internal injuries, so it was important to keep in an induceda until my body could recover from the damages".


    "Oh, so this file is all about that right? Thanks to God. I was so scared to see these huge stacks of papers."


    Then again hugging him tight she said,


    "I knew you would never distance yourself from me knowingly"


    "I knew that there has to be a solid reason behind it".


    "Whatever has happened has happened, we will have a fresh beginning now. You are all healed and that''s all that matters to me now".


    Raymond heard her and stayed silent for a while, contemting whether, to tell the truth, or not. But then he decided to bare it all.


    "I woke up more than 2 months ago".


    Unable to believe his words she stared at him with a nk angry face.


    "I am notpletely healed Akira."


    "It still hurts? Where does it hurt?", she asked getting all concerned. The anger in her just vanished after hearing him say those words.


    "It doesn''t hurt, I mean physically it doesn''t".


    Then taking a deep breath he said,


    "I have a neurological disorder - acquired prosopagnosia in medical terms, which means I can''t remember the faces of people as I have suffered several neurological damages during the fall."


    "What do you mean by you can''t remember anyone''s face? You remember me right?", she asked. Her voice was getting all frail as the nervousness in her was increasing with every passing minute.


    "Yes I remember you Akira, I remember everything about you, your touch, your smell, your voice but not your face".


    "Then how did you know I was Akira?"


    Hearing that Raymond moved his wrist ahead.


    He was wearing a watch and the dial had her face on it.

 Chapter 300: Making her fall in love again - 1

    <h4>300 Making her fall in love again - 1</h4>


    She looked at the watch all astonished, unable to believe that he would wear a watch with her face on the dial.


    Looking at her puzzled and awed expression he said,


    "I am kinda wearing my heart on my sleeves. Don''t you think?"


    He smiled and looked at her, expecting her to say something, but she stood there all stupified, without saying a word.


    Running his finger through her hair he said,


    "I look at it every single second of my life, and that''s how I know it''s you".


    A drop of tear rolled down her eyes and before she could even wipe it, Raymond said,


    "David got it made for me by the way. He got it custom made so that I can remember you this way".


    He wiped the tears from her face and then holding her cheeks in his palms, he said,


    "I was so scared of losing you. But you know what was even scarier?"


    "The thought of not being able to remember you. The thought that I won''t be able to recognize you even when you are standing right there in front of me. And more than that I don''t want you to go through the pain of seeing me, not able to recognize you, not able to know that you are the love of my life".


    "I... I can''t bear to see you in any more pain Akira. I just can''t".


    Akira stared at him in disbelief. She couldn''t believe that he would think of her love as so shallow. She gripped his hands which were cupping her face and pushed them away.


    With a tone filled with resentment she asked,


    "Is that why you decided to avoid me?"


    "Is that the reason why you even denied to acknowledge my existence?"


    "Is that why even after waking up, you didn''t try to seek me even once?"


    .


    "You think, I didn''t want to meet you? Do you think I didn''t try to seek you? I was there right behind you, 24X7 but like a shadow. Not together with you, but always behind you. I followed you everywhere, every corner of the world that you tried to set your foot on Akira. My entire existence is based only on you. Without you, I cannot exist and I just hope you know that".


    Taking a deep breath and drinking up the bitter pail of anger she asked looking directly into his eyes,


    "What else are you hiding from me, Raymond?"


    He shook his head feeling all helpless and then pointed at the file which was lying on the bed.


    "Maybe you can read it and you will understand why I took such a decision".


    Hearing his words, Akira immediately picked up the file, for she was unable to bear this whole charade that was ongoing.


    PREDICTIVE_ANALYSIS_WEEK27 - Chances of partial paralysis 27.376 %


    Rate of increase = 0.76% week on week


    Memory loss ratio = 0 : 0.0069


    PREDICTIVE_ANALYSIS_WEEK28 - Chances of partial paralysis 29.16 %


    Rate of increase = 1.065 % week on week


    Memory loss ratio = 0 : 0.0073


    After reading thest two weeks report itself, her throat started to choke. She felt like she was struck by lightning at that very instant, immobilizing her and rendering her all helpless.


    She threw the report back onto her bed and took a few steps back and leaned on to the wall for support. Her breath had be all shallow like she was lost somewhere in the unknownnds.


    Seeing her all helpless like this, Raymond took a step ahead to hold her, to tell it was going to be ok. But she raised her palm indicating him to stop then and there.

 Chapter 301: Making her fall in love again - 2

    <h4>301 Making her fall in love again - 2</h4>


    Calming her nerved she asked,


    "So... as per these reports, there are chances that...."


    "That I may be paralyzed? Or lose myplete memory someday? Then Yes, chances are there, if that''s what you asked Akira".


    "And as you can see, the chances keep on increasing week on week", saying that he took a deep breath.


    But she was still reeling under this sudden revtion. She couldn''t understand why fate always had to y some dirty joke or the other with her.


    She closed her eyes and then opened them and asked him,


    "Is that the reason why you stayed away from me?"


    Hearing her question, he sat on the bed and held his forehead in between his hands for a while. He wanted to find the right words and the right exnation for his actions. So after some deliberation,


    he said,


    "You are very young Akira. You are yet to see the world. I didn''t want to ruin your life by being a burden on you. Things might be all ok between us for a while, but what about the future Akira? What if I be paralyzed, what if I don''t even remember our first kiss. What if all this happens in a month or two? I can''t let you live with a person who will be nothing but a piece of extra baggage on your shoulder."


    "You think...."


    "Let meplete Akira", Raymond said and interrupted her.


    "You are the best thing that has happened to me, THE BEST. And I want you to remember me as the best thing that had happened to you. And that could only happen if I stayed away from you Akira. So maybe yes, I was selfish in staying away from you, but I hope you can understand the fact that nothing is more important to me than your happiness", he said and looked into her eyes, expecting her to understand his feelings, his intentions, but she said only one thing,


    "You Liar !!!"


    "What?"


    "If my happiness mattered to you, then you would havee back to me the day you woke up. I love you, Raymond, I always have and I always will. If you think I will move on someday just because of your absence then you are so wrong. Probably you haven''t known me at all Raymond."


    "If I can spend this one day with you, then that''s all that I need and this much only is good enough for me. Your presence around me is all that I need."


    "I don''t care if you forget me one day, because I will make you fall in love with me, AGAIN. We will start as new lovers every single day".


    "I don''t care if one fine day you can''t move your limbs, because I will run the whole world for you Ramond."


    "Why didn''t you just try to tell me once about it? Do you think I am so shallow? Do you think my love wasn''t enough?"


    "What if I forgot how to love?", Raymond asked, with tears stinging his eyes.


    "I will teach you again, every day, again and again how to fall in love with me, until you forget how to forget it, Raymond. I love you so much that it will be enough for both of us to survive. Why didn''t you think that way?"


    Looking at her, hearing those words that she spoke, he was unable to understand what noble deed he had done in the past to be able to be with such a wonderful girl like her. He didn''t deserve her. She was way more than anything that he could have ever wished for.


    Looking at her he said,


    "I thought, you could move on. I thought maybe someone else can give you all the happiness that I couldn''t Akira. I did all this thinking about you and only you. Trust me !!!"


    Somehow after hearing these words from his mouth, made every inch of her skin curl in disgust.


    She slowly walked towards him and before he could realize,


    "SLAP !!!"


    She etched her palm on his cheeks with a tight p that came out of nowhere.


    She pped him hard, venting out all the anger that had been built up inside of her.


    "Akira !!!", He eximed.


    "That was so uncalled for !!!"


    "That''s for disrespecting our love, Raymond. I have no words to describe how repulsed I am feeling right now. How could you demean what we have between us?"


    Before Raymond could speak anything, Akira''s phone chimed with rm notification.


    Taking a deep breath she looked at Raymond and said,


    "Unlike people who keep on procrastinating and imagine unrealistic things, I have some real work to do", saying that she picked up her bag and was about to leave the room when he said,


    "I LOVE YOU AKIRA"

 Chapter 302: Making her fall in love again - 3

    <h4>302 Making her fall in love again - 3</h4>


    Her pace halted after hearing his tant promation of love.


    She turned back to look at him and seeing her turning towards him, he said it again.


    "I love you Akira. I always have."


    Those were the words which her ears had been dying to hear since God knows when.


    She felt like her entire body was reverberating just hearing those words. She wanted to cave in. She wanted to hug him tight and wither in his embrace. She wanted to say I love you back, but the anger within her didn''t let her reciprocate to him.


    Taking a deep breath she said,


    "But I hate you right now. From the bottom of my heart", saying that she ced her palm on her chest.


    But suddenly there was a mildly painful sting that she felt on her chest as she ced her hand.


    All confused, she took a small peek at her chest by slightly lifting the p of her bathrobe.


    A HICKEY !!!


    Seeing that mark, there was utter confusion on her face. That totally looked like a hickey, but she couldn''t say that for sure as she was drunk and thought that there was a possible chance that she might have hit herself somewhere with something.


    She looked at him all perplexed and he couldn''t stop smiling at her. He knew that she had seen his bite mark and he was loving the way she was reacting.


    She was always so cute with her naive reactions.


    "What happened? Someone was going to do real work", he jeered and folded his arms in front of his chest.


    "She will, but after getting some more answers to her questions", then narrowing her eyes she asked,


    "Was it you, who brought me into the room yesterday night?"


    Taking a deep breath he said,


    "Yes".


    "Umm... did you undress me?"


    He furrowed his eyebrows and said,


    "Yes"


    He was somehow not liking where the questions were going.


    "Did you try to... um... "


    "Seriously Akira? Do you think I will try to take advantage of you when you were tipsy? If you are not aware then NECROPHILIA is not my thing".


    She tugged the belt of her robe tight and continued to stare at him, unable to understand whatid underneath his poker straight face.


    "Even in such a situation, you are thinking of ying with your words Raymond?"


    "Like seriously!!! You have be a changed man. Biting drunken women, taking advantage of them, fetching coffee for women and trying to impress them. What have you be?"


    He smiled as he heard her speak.


    He rampant jealousy filled bber somehow excited him, made him feel happy.


    He got up from the bed and walked up close to her and said,


    "You know what, I had never seen this jealous side of you. It''s cute and to be honest I kinda like it".


    She gave him a death stare to him and said,


    "You carry on with your charades, I am totally not jealous of anyone or anything. You go ahead and roam with whosoever you want to. That''s none of my concern now. I know the real reason why you didn''t want toe back to me now. It was really nice knowing you and I hope our paths don''t cross again".


    Saying that she turned to leave, but tugging on to the belt of her bathrobe, he pulled her back close. So close that there was not even an inch of gap between them.


    "Thatdy, whom you saw at the airport, she is my doctor".


    Wriggling in the encasing of his arms around her waist she said,


    "Isn''t she a bit too young and pretty to be your doctor? And why on earth would you tag along with her for her medical conference? You said you are my shadow, then what were you doing running behind her?"


    He pulled both her arms, behind her back and held them with his hand and said,


    "I came here not to be with her, but to be with the person, whose shadow I am".


    "You liar".


    "She is really my doctor and what''s up with you. Can''t a pretty girl be a doctor?"


    "So you think she is pretty !!! Huh !!!"


    Now her words were getting on to his nerves.


    He gripped her tighter and moved his lips close to her and said,


    "Remember one thing Akira, my hands, they only want to hold you. My lips, they only want to kiss you. My heart just knows how to beat for you and only you. Hope you remember that", he said with his lips grazing over hers, touching her every now and then.


    But she pushed him away as soon as he was done speaking and said,


    "Then did you or did you not bite me right here?"


    Saying that she pulled her robe to one side, baring the naked skin of her chest with that hickey on it.


    "I did", he said taking a deep breath.


    "If you would have really loved me then you wouldn''t have stopped with just one bite", saying that she flung his door open and marched out.

 Chapter 303: Making her fall in love again - 4

    <h4>303 Making her fall in love again - 4</h4>


    Coming out of his room, she looked around and realized that all this time he was staying next to her room.


    Shaking her head out of disappointment, she marched ahead towards her room.


    Reaching in front of her room, she tried to search for the room key card all frantically, but she couldn''t find it. Gasping for air, she turned around and saw him leaning on the wall next to his door, looking at her all smug.


    Getting all irritated, she shouted,


    "Give me my room key back".


    "I don''t have it".


    "Then call the reception to send me a duplicate one".


    "Well, why should I listen to you? Apparently, I am someone who doesn''t love you enough".


    Saying that he gave out a shrewd smile.


    She was gettingte for her meeting and he had started to act all cocky. She thought for a while and then again stormed back to his room and called up the reception.


    "Hello"


    "This is the reception. How may I help you, ma''am?"


    "I have lost the room key card for room number ..."


    Beep Beep Beep


    He stood there all nonchntly after disconnecting her call.


    "What the hell Raymond. I need my keys. Let me talk to the receptionist. This meeting is ...."


    "Very important to you. I know that. So today morning I arranged for the duplicate key. It''s on the bedside table over there. I was just trying to save some time of yours".


    "Save my time? Wow, you could have saved my time by telling me everything right at the airport. But no, you had to act up. Her medical conference might be more important than my meeting. So go, run after her to the Imperial College".


    "Wait a min !!!"


    "What?"


    "How do you know that she is here for a medical conference at Imperial College? I never mentioned it."


    Akira got startled with his questioning straight out of the blue.


    "I think you have forgotten. You told me about it today morning".


    "Akira, I can''t remember faces, but my memory is perfectly intact. So tell me, how did you get this information?"


    "Are you worried that I might do something to her? Wao", Akira sneered.


    "I will say this for the onest time".


    "She is just a doctor and I have zero percent interest in her. I came along with her because you wereing to London. Plus I am her subject of study for her paper and many other doctors from around the world will being here to see my test results and discuss it. So I am not going to leave any stone unturned. I will do anything possible in the world, to have a figment of that memory that carries your face Akira".


    Her heart just melted after hearing him say those words.


    Her foot got sealed on to the floor.


    He knew he had her attention. He knew she was getting captivated with his charm. But that was not enough for him.


    He wanted all of her. He wanted the anger inside her to melt away. He wanted her to wither in his arms just like the old days.


    So without batting an eyelid, with his gaze fixated on her, he started taking his steps towards her.


    Seeing him approach all close with that intense look in his eyes, she asked,


    "What are you doing?"


    "I am trying to get your undivided attention", saying that he scaled the gap in between them and pulled one side of her robe down till her shoulder level, baring a bit of her chest and her shoulders.


    That bite mark of his had turned her skin all bluish-red and with his slender long fingers, he started tracing the outline of the hickey.


    It was starting to get all hot.

 Chapter 304: Nothing underneath the robe - 1

    <h4>304 Nothing underneath the robe - 1</h4>


    The moment she felt that touch of his, she felt like an entire ocean of emotions had started a high tide inside her body.


    Her eyes closed in an instant and she could feel that she was caving in, losing her sanity with every passing moment as his touch lingered on her skin.


    Her phone was vibrating, but she didn''t care to pick it up.


    He leaned in closer and whispered near her ears,


    "Don''t you wanna take that call?"


    "Mmm ..."


    Then with an intense look on his face. He held her chin with the tip of his fingers and asked,


    "Do you even know what it took of me to not to kiss you when all I ever wanted was to feel the warmth inside of you?"


    Her entire core shook as she heard him speak those words. Her phone was buzzing, but she waspletely oblivious to what was happening around her.


    Her lips parted automatically and he could feel her warm breath on his skin.


    He moved his thumb and started rubbing her lower lips with it.


    "Just forget what had happened Akira, can''t we have a fresh start? Day 0 from today?"


    She slowly nodded her head and he inched closer in response to her yes.


    "Tell me what do you want? Tell me what do you want me to do to you. Tell me where you want me to kiss you. I want to cover every single inch of you dammit. How can you even think that I didn''t kiss you because I didn''t like you? Don''t you know me yet?"


    Saying that he grabbed her lips with his own and sucked it hard before releasing it.


    He was in the mood to y, so tugging onto her belt, he pushed her on to the wall. She was half dazed, still recovering from that kiss of his but he was not ready to show her any mercy now. He had done enough of waiting for all these days and his desires had already started to surface.


    He locked his palm with hers and then lifted her hands above her head andpletely pinned her under his mercy.


    He didn''t need her consent now as her parted lips and haggard breath was enough to tell him what her heart desired from him.


    "You have be so much prettier", he said and with one hand he started tracing along her neckline while the other still kept her hands pinned.


    His fingers moved from her neck to her lower neck and then to her chest where his fingers met the bathrobe.


    Whispering onto her ears he said,


    "I do not like obstructions",


    and saying that he reached for the knot that kept her bathrobe tied and tugged it open with one swift pull.


    She let out a deep breath along with a slight whimper as the ps of her bathrobe opened.


    Her modesty was out there, all bare in front of him, ready to be taken by him. The ps now barely covered her chest and her bare body was a sight to behold.


    He gasped as he saw her body unravel in front of him, intoxicating him as every inch of her skin unfurled. His eyes moved from her neck to her chest, her belly and then went down under where her treasure lied all hidden.


    She had a scared look in her eyes and seeing that he caressed her cheeks with his hand and asked,


    "You don''t trust me now?"


    She kept looking at him but didn''t dare to say a word. She wanted to speak but she had lost all her capability to even say a few words.


    Seeing her all still, he kissed softly along the crevices of her neck and said,


    "If you don''t want me to, tell me now. I will stop Akira. I promise".


    She looked at his face again and said all softly,


    "I hate you".


    "I know", he said and kissed right under the locket that she was wearing.


    Letting out a soft moan, she said,


    "But I really hate you".


    "What about now?", saying that he moved his palm on her chest, underneath the p which was barely covering her up. He rubbed his thumb gingerly on her soft peak, which hardened with just his touch.


    "Aaaahhhhh", she let out a moan and her entire body convulsed in response to his touch.


    Seeing all aroused with just his touch, he held her peak in between his thumb and index finger and gave a slight pinching pull and asked,


    "What about now?"


    Her entire body was shaking, She had goosebumps all over. She had closed her eyes, unable to hold all that ecstasy.


    And when she opened her eyes, there only one thing that she said to him,


    "Please love me now".

 Chapter 305: Nothing underneath the robe - 2

    <h4>305 Nothing underneath the robe - 2</h4>


    "Please love me now".


    "I have waited enough for you", she said and looked into his eyes.


    "Not more than me", and saying that his lips moved and started kissing the nape of her neck all tenderly. His left hand which had pinned both her hands on top released her from his shackles and they came down all perfectly to rest on his shoulders like they were meant to hold him.


    She moaned and withered with every kiss that he dropped on her body, mildly wetting her skin.


    With his hands, he pushed the bathrobe down to fall off from her shoulders and as he did so, she turned back immediately, with her face towards the wall.


    She had nothing underneath her robe and that sudden awareness of nakedness made her feel all shy and scared at the same time.


    Sensing the uneasiness in her, he inched closer.


    That robe was just hanging on her hand near her elbows, baring her backpletely and barely covered her modesty.


    He pulled out his t-shirt and threw it to one corner of the room. His hands inched closer to her and he gripped her waist with his hands firmly and pulled her towards him. He brought her body extremely close to him, so close that they were touching each other, his bare chest touching her bare back, radiating their heats into each other.


    Taking a deep breath, she turned her head slightly to look at his face.


    Hundreds of thoughts were running inside of her head, making her go all berserk.


    Bending her hand she tried to caress his face and said,


    "Don''t you dare forget my face, like ever and saying that, she pulled his face close to hers and pressed her lips against his. His lips just needed that invitation to soar in and in a second her lips were taken into captivity.


    They were sucked, bitten, licked till his tongue engaged in a sensuous dance with hers. His tongue explored every inch of her mouth, trying to taste her as he had never tasted before. Her body started to slowly lean on himpletely as he continued savoring her lips.


    She still tasted a bit like the wine that she had yesterday night, and he somehow liked that even more.


    His hands slowly embraced her waist and he slowly pulled her closer and made her lean on himpletely. This was what his heart had been dying to live for. The desire to hold her in his arms, the desire to see her captivated by himself.


    Then slowly he peeled away that bathrobe from her body leaving nothing in between them as a barrier.


    As the fabric dropped on the floor, he could hear her heart thumping louder and louder.


    He detached himself from her lips and with his arms he covered her chest tightly and whispered in her ears,


    "You don''t need to feel shy around me Akira", and saying that he unlocked her from his enclosure.


    "I want to worship this body of yours", and saying that his fingers slowly started gliding over the sides of her body. His slender long fingers teased the skin of the sides of her chest till the sides of her thigh in continuous strokes.


    "Did you miss my touch?", he asked as he saw her chest rising and falling rapidly in response to his sensuous touch.


    Slowly his fingers which had travel till the sides of her thigh started running back. But this time instead of hovering near the sides of her skin, his fingers moved towards the valleys of her chest.


    He held them gently at first, cupping them with his hands and uttered,


    "Perfect".


    "Do you know how bad I missed these guys?", saying that he gently kissed her right shoulder de.


    She took a deep breath and very yfully she uttered,


    "But they didn''t miss you", and she smiled slightly.


    That slight curve on her face didn''t go unnoticed by him. Hearing her, he gripped her waist in one hand and turned 180 degrees, making her face the opposite side of the wall, where a huge mirror was ced.


    She stood there in front of the mirror, all naked, with her waist covered with his one hand and the other still cupping one of her peaks.


    "Let them tell if they missed me or not", saying that he released the grip of his palm which was cupping her and just with his thumb he yed around.


    "Look me in the eye in the mirror Akira", his voice was like amand and she obeyed. She was withering and melting inside with just the touch of his thumb and she didn''t know how to contain herself.


    Leaving her waist his other hand also came back to the other peak of hers and started teasing her even further. He didn''t pinch, he didn''t pull, he just lingered his fingers all over her and that itself was enough to deprive her of all the sanity that she could possibly afford.


    "Your body seems to speak otherwise. It missed me terribly from what I can see", he said and gave a tiny bite to her earlobes.


    Unable to bear any of that teasing, she turned back hugged him tight and said,


    "Stop !!! please. I can''t take it anymore".


    "But I haven''t even started yet", and saying that he held one of the pearls of her chest and pinched with his thumb and index finger.


    That deadly assault was unbearable for her. She arched her back, leaning back, away from him. So he glided his other arm in harmony with her moves and supporting her back, he also leaned towards her. He took her half teased pearl in his mouth and kissed them tenderly with his lips, making them all wet in the process.


    "Ahhhhhh", she let out a whimpered cry, but instead of stopping him, her cry aroused his manhood even more and he started teasing it with his teeth. He grabbed her pearl in between his teeth and took a slight bite.


    That was all.


    She lost itpletely and her entire body convulsed in a matter of seconds.


    He knew that she had exploded.

 Chapter 306: Nothing underneath the robe - 3

    <h4>306 Nothing underneath the robe - 3</h4>


    In that mind-numbing experience, she didn''t have the wherewithal to even think about her meeting. Her mind was just filled with desire, ecstasy, and pleasure right now.


    She was glowing with all that heat.


    There were mild tremors being experienced by her body as she had reached the peak of pleasure. She was unable to contain the feelings rushing inside of her, but he could.


    He hugged her tight andforted her with the warmth of his upper body.


    As their skins touched in embraced, she felt like she had been covered by a nket of happiness. This was all that she wanted. His love, his attention, his touch and above all, HIM.


    She felt his manhood soaring high and she whispered into his ears,


    "Are you ok?"


    He chuckled and said,


    "Of course I am.


    And saying that he slowly bent down, his fingers caressing and touching every inch of her as he dropped himself on his knees, cing himself right under her thighs, his eyes fixated on that beautiful treasure hidden in between her legs.


    He then looked up into her eyes and said,


    "You are the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me Akira".


    Saying that he grazed the insides of her thigh with his fingers.


    She whimpered and moaned in that instant and ced her hands on his shoulders, expecting mercy from him. But right now at that moment, he was not the savior, he was the monster who was ready to devour the entirety of her.


    No matter how much she moaned, it didn''t make him stop.


    He kissed the insides of her thigh one leg at a time and while he did so, his fingers ran all yfully around her belly button, arousing her more and more with every passing minute.


    He had never desired her so much more.


    His tongue was dying to have a taste of her honey. He wanted to bury his mouth into her delicious folds. He was more than eager to soak his lips with her wetness. But then suddenly the doorbell rang.


    "Ting Dong"


    His mind and his nerves flinched with that sound of disturbance.


    "What the hell".


    Saying that he got up and quickly gave her a short peck and then covered her body with the bathrobe that he had flung open.


    "Sit over there, let me check who it is".


    "Mmmm.... ", said Akira and went to the other side of the bed.


    Raymond went ahead and opened the door.


    It was Oshana.


    "Hi".


    "Hi there".


    "What brings you here Oshana?"


    The moment Akira heard her name, she sprang towards the door.


    Before Oshana could even reply, she saw Akira standing next to Raymond with a disheveled look, wearing just a bathrobe.


    "What is she doing here?", Oshana asked all surprised.


    "Well I decided to listen to my heart and here she is", he said and embraced her with his arm.


    She quickly looked at Akira with a strange diforting and disapproving look on her face and said,


    "That''s good", and stered a fake smile on her face immediately for Raymond.


    "So?", asked Raymond looking at Oshana.


    "Oh, actually I was trying to call you so many times. But you didn''t pick up my phone and thendline in your room was also busy, so I got a bit worried. So I just came to check up on you".


    "Ah... sorry. I had put my phone on silent. I didn''t want her to be disturbed by any calls", saying that he brushed her chin with his thumb lightly.


    "Oh, I see. Then I will get going back", saying that Oshana left for her room.


    As she left, Raymond immediately closed the room.


    He wanted to start off from where they had left, but he knew that time was the essence here.


    So suppressing his desires, he lifted her in his arms and took her into the washroom and said,


    "Take a nice bath as soon as possible. You are going to bete for the meeting".


    She pouted her face and holding his arms she said,


    "I don''t wanna go. Can''t I stay here with you?"


    "No".


    That unperturbed version of him adjusted the temperature of the water and said,


    "Breakfast will be served for you over here and I will get someone to transfer all your stuff to my room now."


    "They give such services in a hotel? All my stuff is sprawled across in the room".


    Raymond chuckled as he heard her statement.


    "God !!! You haven''t changed a bit."


    He came forward and kissed her forehead and said,


    "I own this ce. Well, technically my dad does. So rest assured, your things will be arranged."


    She looked at him with her mouth half opened in surprise.


    "No chop chop. You have only 45 mins to go".

 Chapter 307: Torn in between

    <h4>307 Torn in between</h4>


    After that call with Sebastian, David couldn''tprehend anything further. He felt like suddenly his brain had stopped functioning.


    He was feeling all torn from within. He couldn''t fathom in the wildest of his dreams that he would be the one who had to separate the two love birds.


    A part of him which was loyal to Raymond wanted him to live his life to his fullest, in his own terms. He wanted him to stay happy with Akira, wanted his sufferings toe to an end. But another part of him which was again loyal to Raymond didn''t want him to lose out on Akira. He himself didn''t want to be the cause that could possibly harm her in any way or endangered her life per se.


    He knew how serious Sebastian was about this matter.


    He knew that this man never gave empty threats.


    So the fear in his heart for the well-being of Akira was real and was building up its enormity inside of him with every passing second.


    With just one day in his hand, he had to act fast. He checked the time on his watch and calcted the time at London in his head. Akira''s meeting was to start in another 50 minutes. So he decided to call her up first.


    First, call.


    Second call.


    Third call.


    But all of them went in nk rings.


    He couldn''t understand as why she wasn''t picking up his calls. So he decided to call her hotel room number instead.


    Again no matter how many times he called, she didn''t pick up.


    So giving up on the attempt to talk with her first, he started calling Raymond.


    But again the same thing happened.


    First, call.


    Second call.


    Third call.


    Again all his attempts went as nk rings.


    Finding this co-incidence unnaturally strange, he attempted to call Raymond''s roomndline, but that attempt also went into the drain as his line was busy.


    Getting a bit suspicious and nervous about the whole thing, he called up the manager of the hotel and asked him for the footage of the security cameras on the 11th floor. He asked for old footage since yesterday night and also asked for the live feed ess.


    Within 15 minutes, he received all the videos and he started to watch them.


    There were two reasons why he wanted to check the videos.


    First, he wanted to see if there was any unusual activity near their rooms, like the presence of an unexpected guest who could possibly be a hitman and secondly, he wanted to check if they were ok.


    The moment he saw Raymond taking a tipsy Akira inside, his heart skipped a beat.


    He was happy that they were together, but that also meant that now it was even more difficult to tear them apart. He knew that it would be now extremely difficult to convince Raymond to stay away from her because now he had experienced what it was to be with her. The closer he got to her, the harder his task was going to be.


    Suppressing the fear in his heart he kept fast forwarding.


    He checked the bell boy who came to deliver clothes and he looked clean an too short to be a hitman. But given that Sebastian was involved, he couldn''t take a risk. So he took an image of the bell boy and sent it across to his contacts to get his whereabouts.


    Then he saw the morning scene where Akira was trying to go back to her room but then she came back to Raymond''s room. He could see that she was extremely angry and there was a smug look on his face.


    "You guys have done it, haven''t you?", he bbered and held his forehead in his hand unable to decide as to how to separate them now. Had they not have met each other, it could have been easier on his part to drive them apart, but now that they have met, he knew that the task had suddenly be a behemoth.


    Giving up all hope he started checking thetest live camera feed.


    A few minutester, he saw Dr. Smeathe approaching Raymond''s door. He saw him being all doting towards Akira, hugging her, caressing her chin and above all that drowned in love sort of look in his eyes. All of that was enough to tell the story. He knew that everything was resolved between them.


    Taking a deep breath he cursed his stars fornding in this soup.


    He was about to close hisptop when suddenly something caught his attention.


    The phone that Dr. Smeathe was holding in her hand started shing with a call indication. As she was talking with them, she turned it backwards so David could clearly see her phone screen.


    "Mr. Sebastian Calling..."


    "Bloody hell", screamed David.

 Chapter 308: Rushing for that meeting

    <h4>308 Rushing for that meeting</h4>


    As she came out from the bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a cotton towel, Raymond couldn''t help himself from staring at her slender figure and well-toned legs.


    She looked at him gawking at her and smiled and then with a teasing voice she said,


    "Don''t look at me like that right now. I am gettingte".


    "Your legs look pretty toned. Started working out to impress guys or what?"


    "It''s the result of excessive walking and running on eggshells, courtesy you."


    "Me?"


    "Yeah, I am dying running around in all those stilettos acting like a bossdy. I miss my shoes so much".


    "I see", he said and then taking a deep breath he helped to set the breakfast for her on the table. All her stuff had been brought in into Raymond''s room already.


    Taking a bite of the apple that was kept on the table he said,


    "You eat and go to the meeting. I will freshen up. Let''s meet for lunch together".


    Akira took a deep breath and then said,


    "This is thest meeting that I am doing. Now you bettere back and join as soon as possible. I don''t think I can handle this charade anymore".


    "You are handling it perfectly and dare I say that somehow I am kinda liking this bossdy more and more".


    Akira gave him a scornful look and then pushed him into the bathroom and then quickly started getting ready.


    She put on a light grey shirt and a charcoal dark grey pencil skirt to go with it. She was running all around, looking at her papers and taking a bite of food every now and then. Then she finally put on her velvet grey stilettoes and marched towards the bathroom door.


    She gently banged on the bathroom door and said,


    "When are you gonnae out? I am gettingte".


    Raymond switched off the shower and then yelled from inside,


    "You go ahead. I wille downter and pick you up for lunch".


    "Ok", said Akira and grabbed her bag to leave for the meeting, but she halted as she saw hime out of the bathroom.


    He was wrapped in just a towel and she could clearly see that he hade out all rushed for her, as his entire body was still wet. Water was dripping all over his chest trickling down from his hair.


    He looked nothing less than a Greek God and her throat started to get all dried up.


    He inched closer and gave a soft peck on her cheeks and said,


    "Rock it !!! And wrap it up soon. I will be waiting for you", and saying that he smiled and opened the door for her.


    She waspletely lost, seeing him looking all sexy and hot and charming at the same time. Gulping her spit, she took a deep breath and said,


    "See you soon".


    And then she left for the meeting.


    ---


    The executives of Azmer group were already seated in the meeting room and were waiting for her.


    The meeting was important to Akira because she needed their technology for one of their new games that as being developed by Delphie. The main crux was toe to a conclusion for the contract as per the terms that herpany had devised.


    She had to pitch her idea and make it look viable to them so as to get their services at as low cost as possible. So it was important for her presentation to go well.


    She had prepared well.


    She had all her statistics and numbers ready.


    All that she had to do was to make her pitch nothing less than perfect.

 Chapter 309: Raymond to the rescue - 1

    <h4>309 Raymond to the rescue - 1</h4>


    He wore his t-shirt and jeans and ate his breakfast. He moved on to check his phone but it waspletely drained out of charge, so he put it on charging and came back to the breakfast table.


    While he was eating, he switched to the recording device to hear the pitch that was to be given by Akira in the meeting today.


    He still had that device with him and he used it to listen to her voice randomly. Sometimes he would just listen to her breathe and sometimes her soft sobs which were in his memory. On nights when he missed her more than anting else in the world, he would plug in the device and try to sleep, listening to her heartbeat in the dead silence of the night.


    She sounded all confident. Her pitch was going all perfect. Even though he was not in thepany, he was keeping a tab on all the affairs and new deals and projects being undertaken by thepany via David. So he was pretty sure that deal would be done in a jiffy once she was done with her pitch.


    Because their terms of the deals were quite lucrative for anypany.


    But then suddenly someone interrupted her pitch.


    "All this is well and good Miss. Peyton but right now based on your projections, I do not see a huge market growth opportunity for this new game. And as you know that our technology ispletely cutting edge, I think we can better invest it with some otherpany which will be yielding us better returns".


    "Mr. Takai, to be honest, I have already given you a survey of the existing market and the probable customers of your technology. And out of them all, we are offering you the highest bid for your tech. Had I been at your ce, I wouldn''t have thought about it twice", Akira said with a smile on her face.


    "Well, of course, you would have. You are young blood and you guys work on instincts, but I am a man of experience and my experience is telling me right now that somehow this deal is not going to be that profitable. My finance team has run some projections and I feel the cut that you are giving us is quite lowpared to the revenue that we will be bringing to yourpany".


    Deep down she was now getting annoyed with his rebutting attitude.


    Raymond could sense a strange hostility from that man''s voice. So he immediately put on his jacket on and went downstairs.


    Taking a deep breath Akira said,


    "I understand your concerns, Mr. Takai. But let me first exin to you theplete project terms".


    "Well I would love to hear that from you Miss Peyton, but since it''s not going to work out, I guess there is no point of wasting both your and my time I guess".


    He sounded obnoxiously rude and Akira was rendered speechless with his words and attitude.


    She couldn''t believe that these people were going to walk out on her without even giving her a chance to put forward herplete pitch. This was heights of unprofessionalism and she has had enough of it.


    But before they could even get up from their seats, the doors of the meeting room were flung open. Everyone turned immediately wondering about who would dare to disturb an ongoing meeting when a Do Not Disturb sign was already ced outside the doors.


    They saw a towering figure walking into the meeting room looking all calm andposed. He was dressed all casually in a t-shirt, jeans, and a khaki jacket but something about him gave a serious aura that demanded everyone''s immediate attention.


    Recognizing his face, Mr. Takai eximed,


    "Mr. Walker !!! You are... You are alive?"


    He was unable to recognize any of them, but given that he had met only Mr. Takai personally at a business expo a couple of years back, he guessed it was him who must have recognized his face.


    So turning towards him and with a smile on his face he replied,


    "Well Mr. Takai, I am in all flesh and blood in front of you. So I guess that makes me alive in generic terms".


    And saying that he walked ahead and nced at his watch and then looking at Akira, he gave her a warm nod.


    She was also as shocked as others to see him suddenlying to the meeting.


    As he walked towards the chair next to Akira, everyone was looking at him in surprise, unable to believe the miracle that they were seeing.


    He was well aware of the curious ncesing in his direction from all the members attending the meeting. But he was not here to entertain their questions, he was here to set the things right.


    He sat on the chair next to Akira and then said,


    "What did I miss?"

 Chapter 310: Raymond to the rescue - 2

    <h4>310 Raymond to the rescue - 2</h4>


    Shutting down hisptop, Mr. Takai looked at Raymond and said,


    "Well I very much appreciate your dramatic entrance but that is not going to change anything Mr. Walker. The terms provided by yourpany don''t seem to suit us. So I am sorry to say that this deal cannot happen".


    "We are open for a bit of negotiation. We can be a bit flexible with the terms", Akira said and looked at Raymond all nervously. She needed their tech, so even thought it meant a couple million more as investment, she was ready for it.


    "Its ok Akira. Let them go. There is no need to negotiate", Raymond said and then stood up and extended his hand towards Mr. Takai and said,


    "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Takai. Maybe next time we will even have the pleasure of doing business with you".


    Mr. Takai was a bit surprised with his audacity.


    He knew that Delphie badly needed their tech and he also knew that there were no otherpany which could give the same tech and the too with the same quality as theirs. He thought that by putting pressure, he could bring them down for negotiation, but it looked like Raymond wasn''t even one percent ready to back down.


    So looking at Raymond he said,


    "I think you should listen to thedy. I guess not being in the grid for so long has made your bussiness acumen a bit blunt I guess Mr. Raymond".


    Raymond smiled and sat back on his seat and said,


    "Well what you might consider as blunt is actually as sharp as a double precision sword," and saying that he smiled.


    Making a sour face Mr. Takai replied,


    "Unless there are negotiations, we are not ready to budge from our stance Mr. Raymond".


    "I didn''t ask you budge either, Mr. Takai. Feel free to leave the meeting room as per your convenience".


    Somehow this statement didn''t go well with Mr. Takai and getting all angry he said,


    "I think this is your over confidence that is speaking Mr. Raymond. Maybe you should have cheked on the deal terms before speaking with us in this tone".


    Saying that Mr. Takai and his team got up to leave the meeting room but just then Raymond spoke,


    "This is not my over confidence, but rather my confidence that is speaking. Let me rify why".


    He turned towards Akira to give her aforting look as he could clearly see that she was getting a bit nervous as he spoke.


    "Delphie is going to give you 3% of it''s profit margins, and assuming a minimum sale of 350, 000 copies in a month in just US market for the first beta version, we believe that your gains will be approximately 7.49 million USD. I am just talking about the US market".


    "And then we have tounch it pan-asia, I mean the second beta version, which is going to give you an approximate of 37.2 million USD. And these are just based on minimum predictions. I guess if you would have continued to let my friend speak about it then you would have understood what you are loosing out on".


    "Anyways, like you said, your tech is niche, but its not something that cannot be done by otherpanies. There are many smallpanies with tech better than yours, but they don''t have the name in the market yet. We just need to hunt thosepanies down. Might take us a week or more, but as they will be ready to work on much lower rates, I think it should be worth the wait".


    Then looking back at Akira he said,


    "Now honey, what are you in mood for? Chinese or Thai?"

 Chapter 311: Raymond to the rescue - 4

    <h4>311 Raymond to the rescue - 4</h4>


    Akira was shocked beyond any of the permissible limits.


    As she heard him speak about the projections, she was more than shocked because those numbers were part of the pitch which had not even covered yet. So she wasn''t sure how he even got to know about it.


    The numbers were at the tip of his tongue and he was blurting them out without even looking at any screen or paper.


    She couldn''t help but admire his sound business acumen and sharp brain. Her man was a born genius for sure.


    The more he spoke, the more she fell in love with him, head over heels again and again. She was surprised as to why he suddenly joined the meeting, why he came when he had promised toe and meet her for lunch.


    And then suddenly snap.


    He looked at her and asked,


    "What are you in the mood for? Chinese or Thai?"


    She looked at him and smiled and said,


    "I want something Italian again, like mushroom risotto maybe".


    A beautiful smile spread on his face after hearing to her reply.


    While these two were deciding over the cuisine, the members from Group were literally in a mess.


    Mr, Takai looked at his finance advisor all fiercely and asked,


    "Why his projection numbers are different from the ones that you had given to me?"


    "I don''t know sir. I really don''t know".


    "You don''t know? It''s your job to know that. You are getting paid to know that".


    "I think someone from my team would have done a mistake. Maybe I can give a call and get it recalcted".


    "Recalcted? It''s basic unitary maths Vernon. I wonder how you could ignore such a blunder".


    "There must be some small factor which would have been multiplied incorrectly".


    "Small factor? You think a deal worth 44.69 million USD revenue in a few months is a small factor?"


    "I am really sorry sir. I would re-run them again".


    "The numbers are huge Vernon, mypany cannot bear to lose out on this opportunity", saying that Mr. Takai turned back and said,


    "Mr. Raymond, there seems to be a misunderstanding from our side. I am not sure how it happened but...".


    "Well right now I am not interested in clearing your misunderstanding per se. I am more interested in taking her out for lunch".


    Saying that Raymond shed a wicked smile at Mr. Takai.


    "I understand that it was a mistake from my side to consider you guys as a rookie. I can clearly see that you have umted much more knowledge about the domain and market that I have over all these years. And you know it very well that we can provide you the best tech. You know how much loss can happen if there is even a dy in one week in the product right".


    "Yes, I am aware and that''s why I told you, any smallerpany can give the results a bit dyed, but that will bepensated by the numbers in the deal that we make with them".


    Lines of worries started to spread on Mr. Takai''s face. Deep inside he was deliberating, thinking about ways to save the deal which had been sabotaged by the stupid mistake done by Vernon and his team.


    He turned back and looked at Vernon for a moment and then said,


    "Fine what about instead of 3% of the profit margin, I take only 2.90 % ?"


    Raymond looked at Akira and the turned towards Mr. Takai and said,


    "I am not here to negotiate. Last offer, a profit margin of 2.75%, take it or leave it".


    Mr. Takai heard those numbers and before Vernon could say a thing, he said,


    "Deal !!!".

 Chapter 312: Gasping for air

    <h4>312 Gasping for air</h4>


    "Oh my God, How did you do it?"


    "You know what, don''t tell me. Let it stay awesome in my head", saying that Akira giggled as she locked her arm around him and walked towards the hotel exit where his driver was waiting with his car.


    "Fine then I am not telling", Raymond said and opened the car door for Akira and then got in after her.


    "To Amaranto please".


    Raymond said and then sat back all rxed in the car while she was still staring at him all amazed.


    "So?"


    ''So what Akira?"


    "Ohe on. Tell me. You really think I don''t want to know?"


    He ruffled her hair with his hands and said,


    "I thought so".


    "Spill it", said Akira and turned her body towards him like an eager child waiting for the story to be told to her.


    Taking a deep breath he looked at her and said,


    "After waking up, as I said earlier, I never left you alone to fight your battles."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I was always there like a shadow, every deal, every project details, every nit bit of thepany. I had all the information with me via David".


    "Ah that man !!!", sighed Akira.


    "What''s wrong with him?", chuckled Raymond and asked.


    "I thought of him as my friend, philosopher, and guide. He helped in taking each and every small decision when you weren''t there. I thought of him as my man. But looks like all the time he was yours".


    "Ok, so now are we going to fight over his loyalty?", saying that Raymondughed and pulled her close and said,


    "Till I am alive, till I have even one breath to take, I will always be there for you Akira", and saying that he gave a small kiss on her forehead.


    She looked at him for a while, absorbing all that warmth and love and sincerity that was being poured out by his eyes and said,


    "Then promise me that you will never leave me alone again and even if you have to, you tell first. Promise that you would tell me first".


    Saying that she took out the pinky finger of her right hand in front of him and said,


    "Promise me now".


    Raymond locked his pinky finger with hers and said,


    "I promise".


    And then looking into her eyes and taking a deep breath, he said,


    "Give me your feet".


    "What?", Akira eximed hearing to his weird request.


    "Give me your feet Akira. How hard is that?", and saying that he bent down and pulled her feet up and made them rest on hisp.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Giving you an escape from these eggshells".


    Saying that he removed her heels one after the other and then slowly caressed her feet.


    "Stop it. It tickles".


    "What about now?'', he asked and ran his fingers on the arch of her foot which his thumb.


    When his fingers touched her feet, initially it was all ticklish and she giggled but soon after it became all sensuous, hitting every single nerve of her.


    Her face started getting all red and she started to feel all hot down there and everywhere.


    He could clearly see her expression change.


    Theugh was disappearing from her face and then he saw her chest rising and falling all erratically.


    She saw him looking at her with a question mark on his face, so she turned her face to the front, trying to avoid his prying eyes which she knew that for sure, will be able to extract the truth from her eyes.


    His eyes were still fixated on her and his thumb moved to graze her other foot and just when he did, he saw her lips parting, gasping for air.

 Chapter 313: Fire vs Fire

    <h4>313 Fire vs Fire</h4>


    "What''s wrong Akira?"


    "Nothing", she said and tapped on the beads of sweat forming on her face even though the car was air-conditioned.


    "Then why are you sweating?"


    "I don''t know. Must be all that adrenaline from the meeting", saying that she tried to pull her feet back from hisp.


    But he held them tight and said,


    "Rx, why are you so restless?"


    "Restless !!! Who? Me? No way", saying that she tried to conjure up a fake giggle.


    Seeing her getting this ufortable, he decided to stop teasing her and turned back and took a box out.


    "What is it?"


    He looked at her the moment she asked the question, but without even bothering to reply he took out a pair of white canvas shoes from the box and helped her to put the shoes on.


    Then looking at her he said,


    "You don''t have to walk on eggshells anymore for me".


    She had no words for this man never failed to surprise her with his simple acts of love.


    She was constantly looking at him as he tied her shoce, unable to understand how could he possibly love her so much?


    "Thanks", she said meekly and came close to him and rested her head on his chest while her arms encased him like she wanted to hold him tight till eternity.


    Seeing her getting all mushy, he gave a gentle peck on her forehead and started running his hand through her hair and softly whispered into her ears,


    "Whatever you were feeling a moment back, I am still feeling it".


    She looked up at him and saw the intense look in his eyes, and then she turned to the front to check on the driver, who seemedpletely oblivious to their conversation.


    "Then why were you asking me questions?"


    "It''s fun to tease you", saying that he pinched the tip of her nose slightly.


    Then without even saying a word, she moved and sat on hisp and held his face in her hands.


    He was shocked beyond the limits to see her act this way, being all bold even in the presence of an audience.


    Looking into his eyes for a while she said,


    "Don''t you dare to move even an inch".


    Saying that she twined her fingers in his hair and inched closer to kiss on his lips.


    That touch was enough to tease his manhood to rise and his restless hands moved up and grabbed her waist.


    Moving her lips near his ears, she whispered,


    "No touching Mr. Raymond. Not even an inch. Don''t you dare forget the rule?"


    Getting all disappointed he pulled his hands back.


    "Good Boy".


    Saying that she moved back and kissed his lips all tenderly. She rested her hands on his face and showered her love, one lip at a time. She kissed him with passion and her body moved in close.


    Unable to resist her touch, his fists were all balled up. He wanted to touch her so badly, but he resisted as this as it was a small request from his girl.


    She inched forward and started cing her kisses on his neck and then trailed ahead to kiss his ears.


    Slowly she was bing impossible to resist.


    The intense heat was building up in between the two, defying all the air-conditioning.


    When he could take it no more he pleaded,


    "Can I touch you, please? Just once?"


    She looked into his eyes and she knew that it was a genuine begging for mercy.


    "You can touch where I let you touch", and saying that she took one of his palms and ced it straight on her chest.


    He gasped for air as he felt her soft but firm asset directly underneath his palm and his manhood started to erupt. But before he could even move his palms and squeeze her, she inched her position ahead. His manhood was now just ayer away from her treasure and even with thoseyers, he could still feel the heat emanating from hers.


    He wanted to grab her and take her down right then and there.


    But before he could even pounce on her, she suddenly moved back and sat next to him in the car.


    "What are you doing Akira?", he asked all shocked.


    He was definitely not pleased with the non-gratification.


    She took out a tissue paper from her bag and dabbed on his forehead and asked,


    "Are you ok? Why are you sweating?"


    He looked at her all puzzled, unable to understand why she was suddenly acting all cocky and innocent when she knew all along that why he was sweating.


    Then shepletely turned towards him and asked,


    "Is it the adrenaline from the meeting?"


    Then with a smug smile on her face, she leaned back on the car seat.


    He had been yed.

 Chapter 314: Private Number

    <h4>314 Private Number</h4>


    With his mouth all opened in shock, he gazed at her all amazed.


    She had indeed yed him well. He had no idea that she could mess with his head with such absolute confidence.


    "So you are ying with me right now?"


    "You started it", Akira spoke while suppressing herugh.


    She knew that she had him under her control just like a puppet. She could feel how much control she could exercise over him and somehow that made her all joyful.


    "What are you so happy about? I haven''t even yed properly. You need to see my top game".


    "Neither have I", she said and ran her thumb on her won lips all seductively.


    Before Raymond could speak anything more their car came to a halt.


    "We have arrived sir", said Raymond''s driver and he came out to open the door for them.


    Akira smiled gently at him and came out of the car.


    Raymond was standing on the other side and had his palm extended out for her.


    "Royal treatment !!!", Akira said and held his hand, which pulled her close in one swift motion.


    Then he quickly whispered into her ears,


    "Wait till tonight. I will show you the real colors of how I y".


    She giggled softly and said,


    "Well then, maybe I can show you mine as well".


    Saying that she gave him a yful wink and followed him inside.


    ---


    A worried David tried to pull out all the information about Dr. Smeathe, starting from her college grade sheets to her medical papers and all her journals. No matter how hard he tried to dig in, she seemed all clean.


    She had passed with distinction throughout her entire career and had obtained many schrships. So academically she was indeed a sound person and David had no question on her capabilities as a doctor. She had started recently in her career, but already had seven papers published in international journals and at London, she was going to present her eighth one.


    Next, he moved to her phone records and found several calls from Mr. Sebastian on her phone.


    A part of him, first thought that those calls must be from a worried father as the calls had started from the day Raymond had woken up.


    But then as it was Sebastian Walker, so he couldn''t take his chances. If in any way Akira was harmed because of his indecisiveness, then neither Raymond would forgive him, nor he could forgive himself.


    The weirdest thing that he felt was the fact that in spite of being just a normal doctor, she had a private number, just like Sebastian and he wondered if that was provided by him as she had started using that number from the same day as Raymond woke up.


    "Coincidences can''t happen like this", he mumbled and decided to check the security footage from ''The Savoy'' again.


    While going through the video he suddenly found a bell boy staying constantly on the 11th floor for no reason at all.


    He hovered around Akira and Raymond''s room every once in a while and pretended to clean the carpet, the moment he saw Akiraing out of the room.


    Then he saw that man dialing up a number on his phone and after finishing the call he hurried in the direction that Akira had left and he left the floor for good.


    A sudden sinking fear started gripping him.


    "Was he the sniper which Mr. Walker was talking about?"


    The thought itself gave him chills and wanting to avoid all these negative thoughts from his mind, he decided to attempt again to reach Raymond.

 Chapter 315: Balled in anger

    <h4>315 Balled in anger</h4>


    "Mmm...", this is so delicious.


    "You liked it?"


    "Liked it? I love it. I can like legit marry this food".


    "Be careful what you wish for", Raymond said and dug his spoon into Akira''s te and took away a big scoop of her risotto.


    "You bully", she said and smiled.


    Their banter continued till she excused herself to go to the washroom.


    Something inside him told him not to ignore the warning, so he called up Raymond,


    Suddenly he saw Akira''s phone ringing and it was a call from David.


    "Hello, David".


    "Hello, Raymond".


    "You don''t seem to be surprised to hear my voice on Akira''s phone?"


    "That''s because I was hoping for you to pick up at least her phone. Where the hell is your phone? I have been trying to call you like forever".


    "Oh it was drained out and I put it on charging but forgot to take it with me. Tell me what''s wrong. You don''t sound ok".


    "Nothing Raymond, you tell me, what are you up to?"


    "I am with Akira now".


    "I am well aware of that part. But is that ok? I mean whatever you are doing?".


    "It was getting hard David. I don''t think I can stay away from her anymore. I know I sound selfish but now I want to spend the rest of my time with her, no matter how bad it gets. I should have listened to you earlier. By staying away from her, I am not only punishing myself, but I am also punishing her. You were right, maybe there is some other way to deal with all this. Tell me that there is a way that I can keep her happy by going back into her life".


    David, who had always advocated for their togetherness was now torn in between what he wanted and what he had to do.


    So swallowing away the thoughts he said,


    "But I think you were right. I don''t think its right of you go back into her life again".


    "You think so?", Raymond asked all disappointedly because he was the one who always pushed him to go back to her when he refrained himself from doing so and now he was standing in between them like a wall, trying to speak in her interest.


    "I guess I do Raymond. I thought about it rationally. She is quite young and at this age, she doesn''t deserve to bear all this pain and suffering. Imagine her standing a couple of feet away from you and you don''t even recognize her. It would kill her Raymond. You might not have your watch on you all the time".


    Closing his eyes, he tried hard to recollect her face in the old memories, in the times that he had spent with her, but he just couldn''t. She appeared in all her memories all faceless, like a big question mark that he had no answer for. But then again he remembered her happy face, that promise he had made and he realized no matter what, he could desert her this time.


    So, taking a deep breath, Raymond said,


    "No David, I am not leaving her this time, whatever it takes".


    David took a deep breath and said,


    "Well, I tried to convince you in a straight way, but looks like it''s not going to work."


    "What are you saying, David?"


    "Check her WhatsApp"


    Raymond opened her WhatsApp and saw a small duration clip sent by David.


    "Who is he?"


    "That''s the sniper sent by your dad to finish off Akira. And the deadline is one day Raymond. And I think you should listen to him seriously this time".


    His fists were now balled in anger.

 Chapter 316: Medical Conference - 1

    <h4>316 Medical Conference - 1</h4>


    ''Sebastian Walker''


    It was the name of the person on earth, whom he hated the most.


    If there was one chapter of his life that he could ever erase then that was of Sebastian Walker. The so-called father whom he despised from the bottom of his heart.


    After the recent aftermath at the Amazons, he had thought that he still had some humanity left in him given that he was alive because of his attempts.


    But today again he had proved that he was still the same poisonous snake, who has never forgotten how to bite. First his mom and now Akira.


    But this time he was not going to let his girl be a victim of his evil fang.


    So without even waiting for one more second to pass he rushed towards the bathroom.


    He knocked urgently on the bathroom door,


    "Akira !!! Akira !!! If you can hear me then pleasee out".


    But there was no reply.


    The anxiety inside him was skyrocketing.


    Unable to bear it anymore, he dashed inside thedies washroom. But there was no one inside.


    For a moment his heart stopped beating. A deafening sound started sinking his heart and deep down he started panicking.


    The thought of having even a scratch on her was upsetting for him, so under these conditions when he couldn''t find her in the washroom, his heart just sank. His mind was going rabid just thinking about what all could have gone wrong with her.


    With a sunken heart and disheveled look, he rushed outside the washroom and started searching for her frantically all around. He kept looking at his watch and then moved from table to table in search of her and then suddenly he heard a voice.


    "Raymond, What are you doing there?"


    The moment he heard that voice, he felt like a nket of sce andfort, enclosed his heart in a fraction of a second.


    He turned back and saw her sitting at the same table as they were before, waving at him with her dainty hands.


    He took a deep breath and stormed towards her.


    Before she could ask or say anything, he had her face in his palms and gave her a deep, wet and lingering kiss, rendering her breathless.


    Then he came back to his seat and sat.


    "What was that for?", she asked all amused, hiding the color red that was slowly engulfing her cheeks.


    "Nothing !!! Just happy to see you back", he said and smiled at her but she was somehow not convinced with his answer.


    "What were you doing over there Raymond? Did you forget something?", she asked getting all worried.


    "Nothing to worry at all", he said and took a scoop of risotto and pushed it into her mouth in an attempt to dampen the series of her questions.


    "What took you so long?", he asked, wiping the corner of her mouth with a tissue paper.


    "Oh, nothing. I felt like I saw my college friend and tried to follow her. But she turned out to be someone else".


    "Oh !!!", Raymond replied and then took her phone again.


    "Oiii what are you doing with my phone?"


    "Rx, I am not shooting some missiles by sending weapon codes from your phone", and saying that he gave out a sarcasticugh.


    "You", Akira muttered under her breath and kicked him from under the table.


    "I am just waiting for Katherine to kick the hell out you once she gets to know about this whole thing".


    He smiled at her, while his adept hands got busy texting David to pre-pone his flight to the US and then deleted all traces of his conversation with David.


    Then he looked at Akira and said,


    "Let''s get back to the hotel, I will bete for the medical conference".

 Chapter 317: Medical Conference - 2

    <h4>317 Medical Conference - 2</h4>


    As they drove back to the hotel, the whole time she was resting her head on his shoulders, hugging him tight like she didn''t want to let him go. She was holding him like he was her most prized possession.


    She was lost in all the happy thoughts thinking about how her folks in New York will react to see him back all alive in flesh and blood.


    Katherine, Shawn, Kate, Mark, all the people from her Office.


    Her mind started swirling and she was lost in her thoughts.


    She was ecstatic that now she could have a normal happy life with him just like how regr couples have. Movie nights, dates, pics and so on and so forth. Her lips curved into a smile just thinking about marriage and babies. She got so winded up in her thoughts that she didn''t even realize when she dozed off and fell asleep in his arms.


    Upon reaching ''The Savoy", he picked her up in his arms carefully, so as to not to wake her up from her bout of slumber.


    He made her rest on the bed and then quickly packed his bag.


    Once he was done, he went close to her and gave a wet kiss on her forehead and whispered,


    "Don''t you dare to worry. I am going to set everything all right for us".


    Then he picked up his phone and sent a text.


    "I AM RETREATING. LEAVE HER ALONE. I WILL AGREE WITH ALL YOUR TERMS" - [Raymond]


    "I aming for you Sebastian", he said and left for the airport.


    ---


    Her eyes opened with the sound of the doorbell.


    She immediately sat up and looked all around but he was nowhere to be found.


    Getting a bit worried, she went and opened the door, expecting that it would be him, but she was surprised to see Oshana outside the door instead.


    "Oh, you".


    "Umm... where is Raymond? We were supposed to start now for the conference. "


    "Well, I don''t know. I had slept off and I got up just now. He isn''t there in the room. He might have gone out or something", Akira replied with a tinge of uncertainty in her voice as she herself didn''t know what to tell.


    Saying that Akira went back and picked up her phone and started calling him frantically. But her calls didn''t go through. Getting all worried she went to the door and asked,


    "Did he text you or call you?"


    "No, I think he was busy with you but looks like you were busy sleeping instead", Oshana replied all sarcastically.


    Akira could clearly understand what she was trying to insinuate but instead of retorting back, she replied all calmly,


    "Well, I don''t know where he is right now. If I get to know, then I will let you know. You can leave your number with me".


    Oshana took out her name card and handed it to her and said,


    "I am leaving for my conference. If you meet him, then tell him to reach there as soon as possible".


    And saying that Oshana left but then she turned back again and asked,


    "I really don''t understand, why he fell head over heels for someone like you who can''t even treasure his love properly", saying that she gave out a wry smile and left.


    Drinking up that pail of insult, a worried Akira came back inside and started looking around to see if he had left a note or something for her because there were no messages from him on her phone. Her eyes were suddenly drawn towards his jacket which was lying on top of the duvet on the unused side of the bed. On top of it there was a note.


    She picked it up all hurriedly and read,


    "This is just to tell you that yesterday and today, happened for real. I am real. I had some urgent things to attend to. Couldn''t risk telling you about it. So see you tomorrow in Brooklyn. Don''t tell anyone that I am back. Let''s n a surprise for everyone".


    ''Forever yours - RAYMOND".


    Her heart sank a bit when she read the message.


    "Why did he run away from me?"


    "What was so important that he didn''t even want to wake me up and tell me about it before leaving?"


    She pondered and started walking from one corner to another of the room. Suddenly her eyes fell on his medical file which was left on top of her briefcase.


    Out of curiosity, she opened it again and started checking his reports and scans.


    Then with a resolve on her face, she ran to the washroom and freshened up quickly.


    Then she called up the reception and asked to get a car ready for her.


    She had to rush to Imperial college.

 Chapter 318: Medical conference - 3

    <h4>318 Medical conference - 3</h4>


    Sitting at the corner most seat of the conference, although Akira couldn''t grasp much of it, she recorded the papers presented by all the prominent doctors rted to Acquired Prosopagnosia. She listened to each and every one of them with rapt attention, trying to grasp as much as possible.


    So when it was Dr. Oshana''s turn, she was extra alert like ark and even took notes of the things that she could understand.


    But there was something strange in her paper.


    Nowhere she mentioned about future memory loss and partial paralysis projections as side effects of Acquired Prosopagnosia and neither did any other doctor who was present there.


    That was a bit surprising for her.


    She opened Raymond''s file again and checked the predictive analysis reports.


    PREDICTIVE_ANALYSIS_WEEK27 - Chances of partial paralysis 27.376 %


    Rate of increase = 0.76% week on week


    Memory loss ratio = 0 : 0.0069


    PREDICTIVE_ANALYSIS_WEEK28 - Chances of partial paralysis 29.16 %


    Rate of increase = 1.065 % week on week


    Memory loss ratio = 0 : 0.0073


    "Why the hell anyone isn''t covering about these things", she mumbled and tried to google more on Acquired Prosopagnosia.


    After Oshana''s paper was over, there was a short tea break, but oblivious to what was happening around her, she was busy searching about other cases of Acquired Prosopagnosia online. She started reading about patients of all age groups and races. She was so deeply engrossed, that she didn''t realize when a sheet from Raymond''s report slipped from herp and fell on the floor.


    "I believe this is yours, ma''am?"


    Hearing that voice, she lifted her head up.


    There was a doctor standing in front of her, holding a piece of paper. He looked like he was someone in his mid-thirties but he had an aura around him, like that of a very learned and famous man. His face seemed familiar to her and she realized that he was also one of the keynote speakers for that session.


    "Oh I am so sorry, it must have slipped", saying that she took the paper from his hand and gave out a brief smile to thank him.


    "I believe you are stillpleting your medicine right?", he asked seeing the way she was taking notes extensively.


    "Oh no no no... I am not at all rted to this field. No medicine and stuff. I just came here to attend this session as someone very close to me is also suffering from Acquired Prosopagnosia. So I am trying to gather as much information about it as possible."


    "Oh I see, then this must be a bit difficult for you to understand. We don''t useprehendible English", he said and smiled.


    "Well yeah, some of the terms directly just went over my head. One bounce".


    "Yeah, we do have the tendency to show off with our jargons", he said and gave off a warm smile to her.


    "Well, that would be an understatement".


    "You do have the option to raise your hand and ask questions, for your kind information".


    Before Akira could say or reply anything further to him, Oshana entered into the scene.


    "What are you doing here?", she asked looking at Akira.


    "Filling in for someone I guess", Akira replied curtly.


    Then looking at the man standing opposite to Akira, Oshana asked,


    "Do you know her Dr. Nelson?"


    "No no, we just met. Anyways, you guys carry-on. I badly need my tea to make my jargons to stay inside my brain", saying that Dr. Nelson took his leave and went to the tea-break area.


    Turning back at Akira, Oshana asked,


    "So where is Raymond?"


    "He has left for New York".


    "Already?"


    There was not only an element of surprise but an element of disappointment in her tone as well.

 Chapter 319: Medical conference - 4

    <h4>319 Medical conference - 4</h4>


    Akira somehow didn''t like the disappointment that was getting reflected in Oshana''s tone.


    If anyone had the right to be disappointed with his absence then that was her. If anyone had the right to miss him dearly, then that was her.


    She wanted to retort back and say mean things to her, but that was not her. That was not the way she behaved and functioned. So even though she was upset with her words from before and now, she decided to ignore her existence altogether and she sat back on her seat acting all unperturbed.


    Oshana looked at her notepad in which she had scribbled a lot of medical terms or jargons that she had heard from the talks given by the doctors. Some of the spellings were incorrect and seeing that a smile etched on her face which was more like a mockery.


    "At least get your spellings right", she said and left for the tea break area.


    Even though she knew it was not her fault, she still felt a bit offended. She started looking at her notebook and a look of disappointment spread on her face.


    "Aren''t you hungry?", she turned back upon hearing that familiar voice.


    "No, I had a heavy lunch", Akira replied turning back.


    "Well, I didn''t officially introduce myself. I am Dr. Jaby Nelson. A neurosurgeon by profession. And you are?", he asked and took the empty seat next to her.


    "You don''t mind me taking this seat right?".


    She shook her head indicating a no.


    "I am Akira. Not a doctor by profession and since that''s not my chair, I don''t mind".


    "You have a funny bone", Dr. Nelson said and chuckled.


    "So may I know who in your family is suffering from this condition?"


    "Nobody in my family. It''s my boyfriend".


    "Oh I see", he said and leaned back on his chair. Then after a second of silence in between, he said,


    "Well if you have any questions or queries in your mind then you can let me know. Maybe I can help you out. Even though it''s a rare condition, I have 6-7 cases under me from varying age categories. So I have a pretty decent idea of all the whats and hows.


    Her eyes gleamed upon hearing him speak.


    "I have his report with me, Would you mind to see them once?", saying that Akira handed over the file to him after removing the reports of predictive analysis.


    He flipped all the pages thoroughly. She thought that he would just give a nce but he meticulously read all the reports, including sleep analysis graphs and reports on memory and imagery tests.


    After scanning the whole bunch of reports, he looked towards her and said,


    "Well, I guess your boyfriend is lucky. He seems to have a mild issue with just connecting the faces. But apart from that, all his memory is intact. He hasn''t forgotten anything. The case bes acute when there are scenarios in which a patient suffers from mild amnesia as well. But here this isn''t the case".


    "So that''s good right?"


    "Yes, that''s pretty damn good".


    She smiled and took a deep breath.


    "Basically, it''s just that every day he might have to just see the names mapping to the faces, that''s all he has to do to lead a normal life, and chances are there that he might get back his visual facial recognition section of memory reinstated as it was before as well."


    "Really? That''s possible? I mean one day can he recognize me from my face?"


    "Yes, I mean in more than 90% of the patients with just the symptoms of Acquired Prosopagnosia have recovered their cognition back, in a couple of years. Although the number of years might vary from person to person, depending on the extent of the damage. Apparently, our brain has the capacity to self heal under certain scenarios and you can consider this as one of them."


    "Can I do anything to expedite the healing process?"


    "Well, our human brain is like an intricately connectedplex super system. What is wired where is very difficult even for us to even understand So it''s like a fuse which can flip something and another one can flip it back. So just wait patiently and most importantly do not lose hope".


    Breathing a sigh of relief, she said,


    "Well, I had a few more questions as well".


    "Yeah shoot".


    "Are there any chances of memory loss or amnesia for him?"


    "No, if he doesn''t have amnesia now, then it cannot lead to amnesia. Just because he can''t remember your face doesn''t mean that eventually, he will forget you".


    "No, I didn''t mean to ask like that".


    "Then what do you want to ask?"


    "I mean I just wanted to know about the repercussions in the future. Will he be paralyzed? I mean in future will the medicines or this disease itself will have any side effects?"


    "From where are you getting all this? Some romantic sad chick-flick I suppose. These things happen in dramas, not in real life Akira. There is no scientific evidence for it. I think you would have googled enough about it to know that."


    "Well I just thought, I could ask you in person since you are here".


    "I know it must be hard on you, but keep all these negative weird thoughts away from your head. Amnesia again can happen because of injury or massive trauma. So unless he suffers from an injury again, there are no chances of Amnesia for him".


    Those were the words that she wanted to hear. Those were the words that gave herfort. Knowing that he was going to safe and ok, was the best thing that had happened to her throughout that day.


    "I see that he is attended by Dr. Oshana. That''s nice. She is new in the filed but she is a very good doctor. So don''t worry. He is in pretty good hands."


    "Well, to be honest, I am scared of her pretty good hands", Akira muttered under her breath.

 Chapter 320: Heading back home - 1

    <h4>320 Heading back home - 1</h4>


    Oshana turned back towards the seating area after finishing her snacks and when she saw Dr. Nelson sitting next to Akira, skimming through Raymond''s report file, her heart skipped a beat.


    Suddenly an unknown sort of fear gripped her heart tight.


    Dr. Nelson was one of the best doctors in New York and seeing him skimming through Raymond''s file was not something that she was wishing for.


    So she came back rushing towards them and as she closed in, she asked,


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson. Did you hear my paper? Do you have any opinion about it? I would love to hear more about it if you have some time for me. You know how much I appreciate constructive criticism."


    Saying that Oshana grabbed the file from Dr. Nelson''s hands and said,


    "Oh, you are checking my patient''s file? If he is of a subject of interest then I have a lot of detailed reports about him on myptop. If you cane with me then probably I can share them and a few other case studies with you".


    "Well, I couldn''t help. She seemed a bit disturbed", saying that Dr. Nelson turned and gave Akira a nce before turning back towards Oshana and said,


    "Yes, maybe some new case studies will increase my appetite for today", saying that Dr. Nelson got up.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, Oshana handed over the file to Akira and said,


    "I am going to steal him away for some time now. Hope you won''t mind that", and saying that she gave a wry smile looking at Akira and then led Dr. Nelson towards her seating area.


    But neither Akira was concerned about that wry smile of hers nor Dr. Nelson''s absence. She got busy searching for various case studies online.


    ---


    As he sat in his flight he called up Sebastian.


    "Hello, Raymond here".


    "My son !!!", Sebastian eximed.


    "This is Raymond here", Raymond said again, with an extremely stern tone.


    Sebastian, who was initially very happy just to hear his son''s voice, suddenly got all doused by the tone with which Raymond spoke with him.


    He was his own flesh and blood, but all these years, he had received nothing but hatred and contempt from him. But he was used to it. He was used to the fact that his own son was not going to forgive him, like ever.


    It was a dream for him to hear him call him dad just for once, but he also knew that the chance of that happening was one in a million. He wished for things to get better after he woke up. He thought that he would forgive him as David had told Raymond about the herculean attempts made by Sebastian to save his life, and he expected his son''s heart to soften, but given the current circumstances, he knew that the chances were bleak now.


    "I hope you are keeping your part of the promise", Sebastian replied.


    "I am New-York bound right now, all alone, by myself".


    "That''s good to hear".


    "I wille to your ce to discuss the terms".


    "You can rest tonight. We can talk about it tomorrow".


    "No, I want to get everything done by tonight".


    "You seem very eager".


    "I hope you have called your men back because I swear to you, Sebastian if she gets as much as even a scratch on her skin, then the whole thing stands void."


    "I am very much aware of it my son".


    He felt like his body was getting repulsed, the moment he heard him call him as his son. Because for him, the only person who had the right to call him as ''son'' was his mother.

 Chapter 321: Heading back home - 2

    <h4>321 Heading back home - 2</h4>


    "You might be my biological father, but I am not your son".


    Sebastian took a deep breath after hearing that statement from Raymond. It was nothing less than a merciless blow to the heart of a father who wanted nothing but the well being of his son, in his own weird ways.


    "You will always be my son Raymond", he said, pinching the space between his brows, because he was clueless as to when and how he would be able to get a ce in his heart.


    Every time Raymond heard the word ''son'' from his mouth, he could cringe from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to pelt the stones of anger at him. So he said.


    "I may be your son, but you will never be my father. I never have given the right to do that. And never in my life, you will hear the word, fathering from my mouth for you".


    Saying that Raymond disconnected the call and leaned back on his seat. There were hundreds of things running in parallel in his mind.


    He remembered the day when her mom had jumped off from the terrace because of this man. He remembered the times when Sebastian had denied to even look at his or Katherine''s face for a month or so after their mom had passed away. They needed him the most at that time, but all that they got was neglect.


    The anger that he had festered in his heart ever since had be all tenacious, spreading through each and every cell in his body, converting Sebastian from his father to the person he had hated the most in his entire life.


    He had never considered the suicide of his mother as a suicide. He always considered Sebastian as the murderer who made her do so. He might not have pushed her, but he was the one who made her go the brim of despair from where she had no meaning for her existence.


    Throughout his school days, he always used to feel that his family was dysfunctional. On holidays when other families nned outings with their kids, they stayed at home, engaging themselves in board games and stuff. Basically anything that didn''t involve the family together.


    He knew there was always something wrong between his parents. There was no factor of romance, there was no love in between them. But somehow he felt that there was a weird way in which his mom used to obey by his father''s rules. She never objected to him, nor spoke a word against him. She was more like a housekeeper than a wife.


    She had always taken good care of him like a diligent wife, starting from his medicines to getting his clothes all dry cleaned and organized. But no matter what she did, his father was never happy or satisfied with her. There was always some weird sort of distance in between them.


    His father Sebastian, although he never misbehaved with his mother, there was always weird energy in between them. Something that felt suffocating. So he knew from a very young age that even though she was the wife of a business tycoon and had all the riches that she wanted, she was never happy from within.


    Her heart had always been hollow, searching for warmth and love.


    He never had any happy memories to cherish with Sebastian to be specific.


    The only time they had a proper Thanksgiving dinner in which the whole family sat together was the time when his uncle Conrad was in town and he had forced them all to be together to have a thanksgiving dinner just like a normal family.


    That was the only happy memory he had of his mother and his father sitting together on the table and chatting with each other like normal people.


    That day''s memory was all vivid in his mind. Although he wasn''t able to recollect any of the faces, he remembered how happy Katherine was. She had worn that expensive purple dress which Sebastian had got for her.


    That was the time when Sebastian had tried to act like a family man and they also reciprocated equally. So even though Katherine hated him even more than how Raymond did, she wore that dress just to make him feel weed.


    He could clearly visualize that tiny drop of tear and his mothers glistening eyes, as they raised their sses together for a toast.


    That was one hell of a memory which was very close and dear to his heart. The only memory when the five of them sat happily and talked. The only memory that was worth cherishing as a family.


    This could sound very normal to anyone, but that dinner was something very special because that was the day when for the first time Sebastian had said,


    "You are looking very beautiful today, Rose !!!"

 Chapter 322: Crawling in my skin

    <h4>322 Crawling in my skin</h4>


    Akira was lost in her search when she received a call from Vikram.


    Suddenly the hair on her skin started rising up, like revolting against her body as she saw his name shing on the screen of her phone.


    Even though during thest one and a half year he had be a changed man, he was someone because of whom she had suffered all this in the first ce. Even though he was her best friend who supported her all this time in Raymond''s absence, she felt like taking a spear and jabbing it through his heart.


    That was the level of hatred that was being harbored in her heart for Vikram right now.


    He was one of the pirs of her strength, he had changed but right at that moment, under the shade of anger, nothing mattered to her.


    He had even helped Katherine with a projectnd so that she could convert her clinic into a full-fledged hospital. In short, he had tried to do everything possible in thest one and a half year to win her over.


    Acquiring thatnd wasn''t easy, but when it came to Vikram, he was the man who could make anything possible. So with his sources and his money, he made it possible for Katherine to obtain that lease even though that piece ofnd was a bone of contention between multiple parties.


    He had changed. Maybe for her, but he had changed for good.


    But now she realized that it was just part of his act or maybe an attempt to get rid of the guilt that was choking him from within for all these days. She thought that all that guilt was because of all the nning and plotting that he had done against Raymond and hispany. She thought that maybe he was guilty of trying to sabotage the career of Raymond.


    But now she knew that the reason of guilt was not this at all.


    The main reason behind his guilt was his hands, which were stained with the blood of Raymond. Tainted with his life, which he had destroyed, along with the life of people associated with him, including hers as well.


    She had saved him N number of times. If Raymond would have had wanted then he would have been behind the bars since long, but just because he was Akira''s friend, Raymond had refrained from doing so for her sake.


    She wanted to pick up the call and justsh out on him. She wanted to unleash all the anger that was cooking up inside of her, running through her veins.


    But this time the anger inside of her had a newnguage. Thenguage of revenge. This time she wanted to punish him for all the pain that he had inflicted on Raymond, She wanted to punish him for even thinking to take away his life. She wanted to punish him for lying to her all this time.


    But she knew that he was a man who was ready to make her mother take the toll on his behalf. So she knew that she had to be crafty and had to n well to make it happen.


    So, drinking up the pail of hatred that was brewing within her, she picked up the call.


    "Hey".


    "Hey there. Busy?"


    "Not much. You tell".


    "How was your meeting?"


    "It went well. They have epted to our terms and are ready to do it at even a lower profit margin".


    "What? How did that happen?"


    "Well, you can call it a miracle".


    "Not a miracle. I know you made it happen. I know you have the talent and skill to do it. You will soon be more sessful in business than me Akira".


    "Oh please, Vikram. There is a level of cracking jokes".


    "I am not joking Akira. I am telling you the truth. Anyways you never trust me. So there is no point of forcing you to trust my words".


    "Only you have the knack to convert a lively conversation into dark and dense".


    Vikram chuckled after hearing her statement and then said,


    "So all packed up? And what is all this noise around you? Are you outside somewhere?"


    "No, I mean yes. A conference was going on here. So I just attended".


    "What? Why would you go to a random conference Akira?"


    "Not random. It''s not random at all Vikram. It''s something very very important", she said and stopped to take a pause and then again continued.


    "It''s something which even I never thought in my entire life that I would be attending".


    "Don''t strain yourself Akira. You already have so much pressure of work. Can you please go back to your hotel room and rx? Maybe go for a rxing spa".


    "This isn''t the time for me to rx".


    She said with a wierd smile etched on her face.

 Chapter 323: The deadly viper - 1

    <h4>323 The deadly viper - 1</h4>


    "Ok fine. Don''t rx. Work as much as possible and be all panda eyed. I really don''t care. Whatever it is, just tell me at what time you are reaching New York tomorrow?"


    She thought for a while and then said,


    "I have a flight tomorrow morning and I will reach there in the evening. Landing there at 6:30 pm sharp".


    "Your carrier?"


    "British Airways".


    "Great, I will be there to pick you up tomorrow evening. Then you can tell me all about your trip and then maybe we can have a small shindig to celebrate your victory run".


    Akira knew it well that it was a matter of only a couple of hours that the news of Raymond being alive would spread to every nook and corner.


    She knew that Mr. Takai or his fellow men would have ranted about it in front of someone or the other in the businessmunity, and in the age of mobile phones, it was a matter of a few seconds that the news would have spread from one to the other and would reach Vikram in no time.


    But still, she wasn''t scared because, in her head, she had hatched the perfect n to make him taste his own bitter medicine. She wanted to make him suffer in the same way that he had made Raymond suffer. She still had sufficient proof with her regarding his misdeeds of the past.


    But this time she wanted to go an extra mile to make sure that she was one step ahead of him.


    So curving her lips in a smile she said,


    "I will be waiting then".


    "And Vikram..."


    "Yeah".


    "I think I have a surprise for you".


    "You are getting me a souvenir?"


    "Something even bigger and better"


    Saying that she disconnected the call


    ---


    Sitting in his office, in the morning hours, his lips etched a smile on his face as he ended the call with her.


    It had been a long year. A year of absolute pain which had slowly turned into a somewhat bearable stage. It was a year of pain not only for her but for him as well because seeing her in pain, always made his heart sear in pain.


    He knew how she felt like she had a limb amputated from her body. He knew that somehow he was the reason behind it.


    The thought of bringing a single tear into her eyes was uneptable for him once upon a time.


    But today he was the reason why she had forgotten to smile from her heart. He was the reason why she preferred to stare nk at her walls and ceilings all day long, rather than going out.


    And he knew it well that he was the reason why the once bubbly and full of life girl, had turned into a mummified body, living and breathing under the sun, but devoid of any emotions.


    But today as he heard her speaking a bit informally, his heart, felt 100 times lighter, like someone had lifted away all the burden of guilt that he had been carrying on himself all this time. Like there was a ray of hope, a possibility that she could break out from her shell and feel alive again so that he could feel alive again along with her.


    All this time he had been waiting for her toe back to normal so that he could try to approach her again.


    He knew that this time he would be able to attain her because not only thepetition was eliminated in the first ce, but also becasue there were people in his support who once stood against him.


    Katherine, Shawn and even Mike, now wanted Akira to be back to normal.


    They all wanted Akira to be together with him because, at the end of the day, they wanted her to be happy. And apart from Raymond, there was only one person they knew who was capable of doing it.


    And they all knew that it was Vikram.


    They knew that in the past his ways were weird, but they knew that it was all because he was deeply and madly in love with her. Throughout all the insanity that was happening around her, he was the one who kept her sane for all these days.


    He had hidden his secrets well and he had wiped out any source that could reveal thest deed of his. He had silenced the people for good who could potentially reveal about his murderous attempt.


    So he had everything sorted for himself and things were falling back into ce like they should have.


    He knew that it was just a matter of time, that she would be able to open her heart for him.


    But little did he know that the gates had been shut close for him.


    Like forever.

 Chapter 324: The deadly Viper - 2

    <h4>324 The deadly Viper - 2</h4>


    Brushing that smile that was filled with hope and excitement from his face, he called up Peter.


    "Can you get the papers ready as soon as possible with the newly added use that we discussed yesterday? I will get them signed from Akira tomorrow".


    "It''s already done, Mr. Vikram. I just need your signatures on the papers", Peter replied.


    "Ok then, bring them into my room right now".


    Five minutester there was a knock on his door.


    "Come in Peter".


    "These are the papers for the financing with the uses that you had asked for", saying that Peter extended his hand holding the file towards Vikram.


    "Thank you, Peter. I will sign them after going through it again". saying that Vikram picked his pen and started reading through the papers very minutely.


    Peter stood there for a second. He could have left as his job was done, but he had a lot of questions in his mind. He deliberated within, whether to ask about it or not. But finally, when he couldn''t suppress his curiosity, he said.


    "If you don''t mind, can I ask you something?"


    "Yes, Peter. Go ahead", said Vikram and shifted his attention from the papers towards him.


    "Why are you taking such a big risk? This is a huge investment. If the project tanks somehow, due to any forbidden reasons, then our shares will slump like anything. The name of our brand will also go down".


    "Don''t worry Peter. That''s not going to happen. I have confidence in them. Have you ever seen the track record of Delphie with their projects in thest year?"


    "I have seen them Mr. Vikram and I know their business model has been very very sessful and marily bankable, but I would still say, its a huge risk".


    "Well more than the risk, you know why I have invested my money in here Peter".


    "I know that and that''s why I am a bit worried. This new game concept of project MONTREAL ispletely new and God knows if it will be as popr as the existing conventional ones".


    "That''s the whole point, Peter. We are aiming to provide apletely different gaming solution, which I don''t think any otherpany has dared to even think of".


    "Maybe they would have, but considering the viability and feasibility, I think otherpanies haven''t pushed for it much".


    "That''s what we aim to achieve in this project, Peter. Making something that no one has ever dared to. My girl has already procured the tech from Azmer Groups and I think it''s just a matter of time that we can have a beta version of this new project".


    "I will sincerely pray then that everything goes as per your n".


    "It has to. I will make sure of that".


    "She needed the tech and she got that and the next thing that she needs is financing, which I will be providing to her".


    Peter stayed silent after hearing that statement of Vikram.


    Sensing a bit of contempt from Peter, Vikram looked at him with a stern look on his face and said,


    "Anyway''s what''s mine is Akira''s".


    Peter heard hisst line and he was somehow taken aghast. He wasn''t sure if his role model had be so smitten in love that he wasn''t able to distinguish between business and personal matters.


    With a disappointed face, he turned back and said,


    "I apologize if my statements sounded blunt and out of my cadre. I was just concerned Vikram. That''s all".


    Vikram looked at him for some time and said,


    "I think I forgot to tell you one thing more".


    "What''s that?"


    "What''s hers is mine as well".


    There was an extremely wicked smile on his face.

 Chapter 325: Doctor Doctor - 1

    <h4>325 Doctor Doctor - 1</h4>


    After Vikram disconnected the call, Akira kept staring at her phone screen for no reason for a while.


    Life had be so tumultuous in thisst couple of days for her that she had no time to breathe or think about anything sane.


    She tried to call Raymond again, but his phone was switched off.


    This time she didn''t panic because she knew that he would probably be on a flight to New York. After this whole jaunt of one and a half year, she was convinced that there was nothing that could stow them away from each other. She knew that their love was to blossom irrespective of everything that was happening around, irrespective of the forces which were acting around.


    She knew she was destined to be with him. He had defied death for her and this time for his sake, she was ready to defy the entire world, because she wasn''t the naive and powerless girl anymore. She was an empowered version of herself who would stop at nothing.


    She propped her neck a bit and saw Dr. Nelson sitting along with Dr. Oshana and was checking something on her system.


    A few minutes earlier, when Oshana hade to her seat and had seen Raymond''s file in Dr. Nelson''s hands, Akira had clearly seen the faint shade of fear in her eyes. Like she was afraid that someone might rip off the mask from her face and reveal what was lying hidden underneath.


    She knew that this woman was up to no good, but she had to figure out what and why.


    As Akira had already taken out the projection reports from that file, Oshana seemed a bit rxed after seeing the file which she had snatched from Dr. Nelson''s hands, but little did that tiny monster know that the entire facade that she was trying to pull, had already been revealed in front of Akira.


    Holding on to those projection papers, Akira took a deep breath and went back on searching more and more stuff that she could gather as evidence against her supposedly fake report while waiting for thest paper to be presented after the tea-break.


    Soon after the tea break was over, all the doctors and practitioners and other audiences starteding back to their seats. She saw Dr. Nelson leaving the auditorium room. At first she wanted to go upto him and show him those papers to know the truth behind it, but then she stopped herself as she could clearly see that Dr. Oshana was good freinds with him.


    She wasn''t ready to risk anything at this point.


    So even though she knew that it would take time, she decided to not to go and ask him anything more, even though he was the best source of help in front of her.


    Taking a deep breath, she started recording the session and wrote whatever she could understand in her notebook.


    After the session was over, she called up the hotel to arrange for a car back to the hotel for her.


    As it was raining outside, she stood a bit away from the main entrance and was waiting for her car to arrive and just then a car stopped in front of her.


    Rolling the passenger side window down, he asked,


    "Do you need a drop somewhere?"


    It was pouring heavily, so she was unable to see the face clearly. So she came a bit forward and was surprised to see Dr. Nelson in the driving seat.


    "Um... my hotel will send a car. I have informed them already. I guess it will be here in another 10-15 minutes. Thanks for asking though".


    "It''s raining terribly here and as the roads are narrow I think due to weather conditions it might take more than 30-40 minutes for your car to arrive. You sure you want to wait that long here. I can drop you wherever your hotel is".


    Akira looked at the rain that was sting on mercilessly. Its intensity was increasing with every passing minute. She had heard how bad the rains in London could be. She had to catch her evening flight as well and in no way, in hell, she wanted to miss the flight to New York.


    So she nodded and walked towards the car.


    But he raised his hand like an indication for her to stop there. He leaned back and pulled an umbre from the back seat of the car and opened it and came to her.


    "Get under this", he said and escorted her till the passenger seat and then he himself got inside.


    Dr. Nelson was the epitome of a perfect gentleman. So there was no chance that he would have let her wait for her car toe or for her to get drenched while getting inside his car.


    He was engineered that way.


    Chivalry was imbibed in his soul.

 Chapter 326: Doctor Doctor - 2

    <h4>326 Doctor Doctor - 2</h4>


    "Oooh, its nice and warm", Akira eximed as she got inside the car.


    "Well, what are the car heaters for", he said and smiled.


    "So where are you staying?" Dr. Nelson asked while switching on to the city map on the car disy unit so that he could navigate to her hotel.


    "The Savoy. It''s right near..."


    "I know where it is", he said and switched off the navigation.


    She was surprised to see him switching off the map screen and asked,


    "So you are familiar with London?"


    "My mom was born and brought up here until she moved in with my dad to the US. So yeah I am quite familiar as I have spent most of my holidays here, right in the heart of the city with my grandparents".


    "Oh, I see. That''s really nice".


    Saying that she adjusted the seat and then sat a bitfortably in the car.


    "What about your grandparents? Are they in the US?"


    "Um... my grandparents had passed away before I was even born. So actually I have never got to even interact with them".


    "I am so sorry".


    "Oh, don''t be. It''s not like I knew them or anything".


    "Would you like some music?", he asked, trying to change the mood of the conversation.


    "Um... you don''t need to be so courteous and polite with me. You are giving me a drop and that''s more than enough for me",


    "Well you don''t look like much of a talker, so I thought I could use some songs to kill the time", he said and smiled.


    Akira was surprised with his smooth reply and said,


    "I think you have learned all these talking skills by talking all day long with your patients".


    "Well, I don''t know if that was apliment or a jibe, to be very honest". saying that he looked at her.


    Sheughed from the corner of her eyes.


    Then she realized that it had been ages that she hadughed this way. Somehow she felt like her heart was feeling all lighter after ages. She knew it was all because of him.


    A smile etched on his face and she mumbled inside of her head,


    "What a spell you have cast on me, Raymond? One day with you and I have changed. Like I have blossomed like I have spread new wings".


    "What''s so funny in there?", he asked after seeing that sweet little smile that had formed on her face.


    "Ah, nothing. I just remembered something nice", then turning towards him she said,


    "Something really really nice".


    "I bet it''s something about your man. isn''t it?", he said and looked at her.


    She smiled at looked at him and said,


    "I have got a new meaning to life because of him. It''s like I have learned to live again".


    He looked at her with a question mark on his face, unable to understand what she meant with that statement.


    Then she turned towards him and said,


    "And thanks for pushing the clouds of fear from my heart. I don''t know what I would have done without you".


    He smiled looking at her humbled eyes and said,


    "I saw a couple more of his records on Dr. Oshana''s system. They seem quite good. Hisst sleep analysis report was quite promising. He doesn''t experience any difort or trauma sort of a thing and his REM sleep duration was also excellent. So considering all these factors, I don''t think you should worry much".


    Hearing those words Akira felt more hopeful. His words had lighted a ray of new hope in her system.


    She looked at him with eyes filled with nothing but regard and gratitude and said,


    "I have never seen a good doctor like you", and saying that she wiped that small drop of tear that was trying to fall from her eyes.


    He looked at her getting all emotional and he knew what she was going through. He wasn''t alien to those feelings.


    Taking a deep breath he said,


    "I know what it feels like to be scared of losing the one person in your life. I know how it feels when you have that question of uncertainty looming all around you. So trust me when I say that I understand your fears. But based on my experience and knowledge, I know that he will do just fine".


    Then turning towards her he said,


    "You guys will do all fine. Just stay strong and support each other".


    He said and gave an assuring smile back to her.


    There was nonguage or text using which she could exin to him, what and how much those couple of words meant to her.


    She had lost him once, the thought of losing him again was something that she couldn''t even dare to bear.

 Chapter 327: Doctor Doctor - 3

    <h4>327 Doctor Doctor - 3</h4>


    "True love defies everything. So just channel your energy to keep him happy. Not everyone gets lucky like you".


    Saying that Dr. Nelson turned towards her and smiled.


    That smile on his face was warm and genuine, but she could clearly read that slight hue of pain which he was hiding with the warmth of his smile.


    She didn''t want to poke and ask him anything personal, so she stayed silent and so did he.


    Acute silence spread through the car as neither of them wanted to speak or ask anything further. But somehow the silence wasforting for both of them.


    That silent pause of a few minutes seemed like extending towards eternity.


    So taking a deep breath she acted like she was trying to see the view outside from the car window.


    She tilted her head towards the window side and ced her palm on the ss window as if she was enraptured with thendscape that she was seeing outside.


    But in reality, she was just trying to escape from the awkward silence because, in that heavy rain, nothing was visible from the window, except for the streams of rainwater which wasshing on the window screen.


    He saw her turning her head towards the window and staring outside into the nk and he could sense that he had made the conversation weird somehow.


    So he switched on to some music and said,


    "Feel free to change the track. We have more than twenty minutes until we hit your hotel."


    She turned and looked at the track being yed,


    "Every breath you take" - By Police


    It was one of her favorite songs as well and she always rted to the lyrics of the song. It was very close to her as it was her mom and dad''s favorite song and she used to y it while working in the kitchen most of the times. Slowly she started humming the song and then looking at him she asked,


    "I have already taken so many favors from you and I am already feeling the weight of the debt, but can I ask for one more favor?"


    "Well you are not going to ask for a kidney from me, are you? Because if you are, then hell no".


    Laughing out of her wits, she said,


    "No, I just... Um..."


    "Tell me what you want?", he asked with his tone getting a bit serious.


    "Can I bring him to your hospital for a routine follow up sort of a thing? I know I sound crazy as he is already being treated by Dr. Oshana and stuff but, I just want a second opinion".


    "It''s not a crime to get a second opinion from a doctor in our country. I hope you know that right?"


    "Yeah I know, but if Dr. Oshana gets to know about it, then it might look bad. I mean I am not saying that you would tell on me, but given that you guys are close... I mean I don''t want her to think that I don''t trust her. You know what I mean right?"


    Dr. Nelson chuckled after hearing her out and said,


    "It''s totally fine by me and we don''t discuss our patients and stuff unless any medical opinion is needed. And regarding Dr. Oshana, I am not close with her. We are... umm you can say just acquaintances."


    He said and looked at her with aforting smile on his face.


    "Then please help to give me your card once you drop me at the hotel, or maybe not. I will just google you out", Akira blurted.


    "If you want an appointment, then just call at my reception".


    "Yeah, I will do that".


    And saying that she started ying with the hemline of her skirt.


    "By the way, do you know that almost 79% of women tend to y with some path of their cloth of the other when they are edgy or nervous. So what are you feeling right now?"


    "Huh..."


    "I mean, are you edgy or nervous right now?"


    She stopped fidgetting with her clothes and looking at him she replied,


    "I am not nervous, actually I have never felt this much better. I had all these doubts in my head about his condition. I mean I can''t tell you how scared I was thinking about what could possibly go wrong with him. I used to just panic seeing some random article or the other online. You don''t know how much your words and your confidence have helped me."


    "I mean, I feel like I am reborn. I feel like everything can now fall into ce in my life".


    "I just feel like, I was fated to meet you, else God knows for how long I would have prolonged my agony".


    "Akira !!!"


    "Yes !!!"


    "Can you get down from my car?"


    She was taken aback with his request.


    "Did I go overboard?"


    "No, because we have reached The Savoy".

 Chapter 328: Drowning in pain

    <h4>328 Drowning in pain</h4>


    "We have reached?", Akira asked all quizzically as she couldn''t believe that 20 minutes passed away so fast.


    "Yes, we have".


    "Oh, my bad then", she said and opened the passenger side car door quickly.


    As she got down from the car and took her stuff out, she saw him getting down from the car as well.


    "Is he nning to drop me till my room or what?", she thought inside her head.


    "Um... I can walk from here unassisted", she said with a bright smile on her face.


    "Well, I am not going to walk you down to your room, if that''s what you were thinking, I am going to my own room", saying that he handed over the car keys to the car-keeper who was standing outside the hotel entrance, waiting for both of them to alight from the vehicle so he could park it in the basement.


    "So you are staying here as well?", she asked with her tone filled with surprise.


    "Well Yes, else why will my room be here?", he asked all amused.


    "Then why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


    "How would that have many any difference?"


    "Erm ... perhaps I would have felt less guilty for taking the favor from you", Akira said and smiled and then looking at her watch she said,


    "Anyways I need to get ready or else I will bete for my flight. It was really nice meeting you Dr. Nelson and I hope we meet soon in New York and I can''t thank you enough for everything that you have done for me. Thanks again".


    He picked out his wallet from his back pocket and then took out his business card and said,


    "This has all the numbers from my hospital including my personal receptionist. In case you want to contact me and ...."


    Saying that he paused and searched the pocket of his jacket for something.


    "Wait a second", he said and walked up to the reception and taking a pen from there, he scribbled something at the back of his business card and came back to the ce where she was standing and said,


    "And that''s my personal number in the back. Just in case you want my help in case of any emergency or any random queries that you might have".


    She took the card from him and was overwhelmed with his kind gesture and said,


    "Thank you... I know my queries can be so random and stupid sometimes".


    "I didn''t mean to put it that way. Feel free to ask me anything anytime", saying that he gave out a warm smile.


    "Well, I will be running now, else I am going to miss my flight", and saying that she picked her trolley and ran towards the elevator and waved at him before getting inside.


    He looked in her direction as she left and then opened his wallet and gazed at the picture ced in the front pocket again. It was the picture of his wife who had passed away a couple of years back, but her memories, he still treasured in his heart.


    .


    .


    Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the bar area of the hotel and got himself seated at the bar counter. The bartender was busy setting up his counter and didn''t take notice of the customer as he wasn''t expecting anyone at this time around.


    "Erm... can I get service here please".


    "Oh, sorry sir. I somehow didn''t notice you", saying that he turned his full focus towards Dr. Nelson.


    "Aren''t you a bit early here sir !!!", the bartended queried very politely with a smile on his face and pulled out the menu card.


    "Well, sadness doesn''t knock on your door based on the time my friend. I am here to drown my sorrows my boy. So hit me up".


    The bartender could clearly see the pain reflecting in his eyes. Although he was casually joking about his situation, he could see that he was surrounded by a nket of pain. So feeling his pain he said,


    "Well, what would you like to have sir?"


    "A scotch on the rocks please".


    The bartender filled a ss with ice cubes and poured in a generous quantity of whiskey into it. He ced a no-spill mat in front of him and then ced the ss on top of it and said,


    "This one is on the house sir".


    He looked at him all amused and said,


    "But I guess you just now told me that you guys haven''t even opened yet".


    "Well between you and me, I am feeling a bit generous today", saying that the bartender went ahead with wiping his sses and arranging them neatly on the tray.


    Taking a deep breath, Dr. Nelson raised in ss in his direction for a thank you toast and sipped on the alcohol.


    Right now, there was only one thing that he wanted real bad.


    And that was oblivion.


    .


    .


    Taking another sip of the whiskey he started swimming in the dent thoughts of the past. As he wandered through thenes of memory, trying to get a hold on himself, he realized how unjust he had been throughout his life.


    A stack of guilt started piling on him.


    One drink converted into two and then two into three and before he knew he was already drunk and high.


    That was all that he wanted to do. To drown and to surrender himselfpletely with liquor so that the past and present didn''t matter to him anymore.


    .


    .


    Akira was done with her packing and she had already called for a cab by calling at the reception. She wanted to start early as she didn''t want to miss her flight due to rain or any traffic issues on her way to the airport.


    So holding her handbag in one hand and pulling her trolley with the other, she came out of the lift and was about to walk towards the reception area, when she saw a slightly tipsy Dr. Nelson,ing in her direction.


    But something was weird about him.


    "Dr. Nelson, are you ok?"


    "Alita !!!"


    "What? Alita, Who? You want me to call somebody for you? You don''t look ok", Akira asked all worried as she could see that his steps weren''t falling in a straight line and he had obviously taken more alcohol than what his body could even process.


    He pinched the space between his eyebrows and said,


    "Umm... I am sorry Akira. Akira right?"


    "Yeah".


    "Happy journey Akira and take good care of him", and saying that he turned towards the elevator section.


    Akira looked in his direction all worried, till he entered the lift.


    A moment before he was all cheery and happy. Akira couldn''t understand as what went wrong in just half an hour that he had to sumb to alcohol.


    .


    .


    She pondered for a while looking in his direction, feeling all lost.


    Dr. Nelson had left his wallet after making the payment at the bar counter. So when the bartender came to clean the area he saw his wallet on the seat and immediately picked it up.


    There was a picture of a woman in there and then he found his name card which read Dr. Nelson. So picking it up, he came all running towards the reception area but he saw Akira standing there, looking in the direction of the lift.


    So he came close to her and said,


    "Ma''am your husband''s wallet?"


    "What?"


    "Um. it''s Dr. Nelson''s wallet. He was there at the bar and left it there. I was about to give it to the reception, but since you are here, I guess it''s better to give it to you".


    "Oh, thanks !!!".


    Then she took a 10 dor note to give to the bartender, but he immediately crossed his hands and said,


    "Sir has already tipped me way too much ma''am. Thank you".


    "And... Just take care of him. He looked very upset".


    Unable to understand a single word, Akira looked at him all surprised as he smiled and returned towards the bar area.


    "What the hell just happened?", she mumbled inside her head.


    But more importantly, her brain screamed- " You are gettingte Akira".


    So she turned towards the reception and gave them the wallet along with his name so that he could get it back all safe.


    She wanted to go and give it to him personally, but she was already gettingte.


    Nothing in the world was more important to her now, than going back to New York.

 Chapter 329: Hitting the jackpo

    <h4>329 Hitting the jackpo</h4>


    As the traffic was on a standstill, Akira reached the airport quitete. But as she had an earlier headstart, to begin with, so she was able to reach the airport just in time.


    The boarding gates were about to be closed and she had topletely rush through the check-in and immigration progress. She had no time to even breathe.


    The moment she boarded the flight and sat on her seat, she breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a long long day for her and pretty tiring one too. But nevertheless, it was one of the best days of her lives that she could have ever wished for.


    She had called up Raymond multiple times from the car, but it was switched off.


    There was no time with her now to call Raymond again and check if he had alighted from his flight. So she dropped a quick text to his number as the flight was already on the runway and she had to switch off her device as soon as possible.


    After dropping that message, she breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into her seat.


    She looked at the seat next to her and saw that it was empty.


    The memories of her first flight journey came rushing back vividly into her head and she gave out a faint satisfied smile.


    She covered herself with a nket and then closed her eyes.


    That image of Raymond covering her up with a nket in their first flight together was running in her head like a movie. That was the first time she saw him so close to her. That was the first time she felt his breath on her own skin. She could never forget that look in his eyes when she had opened hers. That memory was too close to her heart and somehow intimate as well.


    The moment the seatbelt signs were off, she took out herptop and connected to the data mode, using the wifi services of the flight and started to research about the projections given by Oshana. No matter how many searches proved that those reports were probably fake or made up, she just wanted to be super sure about the whole thing.


    While she was downloading some of the papers, in the back of her head, the conversation with the bartender also came flooding inside her head. She still couldn''t understand as to why he addressed her as Dr. Nelson''s wife? Why did Dr. Nelson call her as Alita? And who was Alita? There were so many questions whose answer she wanted to figure out. But right now the most important thing for her was to figure out the truth behind Dr. Oshana and her reports.


    Then she opened the research page where the paper presentations given by all the keynote speakers at the Imperial college had been uploaded.


    So, first of all, she downloaded Dr. Oshana''s paper and tried to dig into it. In this paper, she had presented the observations of two of her patients whom she attended in Brooklyn. So Akira knew that each of the figures that she had put was either aparative study between the two patients or was individual data. She knew that one patient was Raymond and the other was someone unknown.


    She dug deeper and noted all the number codes which were present under each of the diagrams and in the reports she represented the patients as numbers, maintaining the doctor-patient confidentiality.


    So all that Akira wanted to do was to find out which number ID belonged to Raymond so that she could know for sure, what exactly had happened to Raymond or how bad his situation was. Because she knew that no matter what, she will not risk and present fake data at such a huge and prestigious gathering and for sure she will not risk her profession for this.


    But somehow she was unable to map which of the number ID mapped to Raymond.


    She scanned all the reports of Raymond in search of the ID but she couldn''t find it.


    "Man this girl is clever", Akira mumbled and started flipping through all the pages of the report absentmindedly.


    But then suddenly in the sleep analysis report of Raymond, she found a number ID written at the bottom right corner of the report ---> WSID- 99308. That number matched with one of the patient ID''s that was present in her publication report.


    That was it. That was Raymond''s ID.


    All excited with her finding, she moved on to the conclusion section of her Clinical Vite of Dr. Oshana to confirm her findings.


    The report said --->


    "Given the enormousck of understanding and an insufficient number of cases pertaining to Acquired Prosopagnosia, it is understandable that many doctors have neither optimistic nor pessimistic perceptions about the likely oue for patients like WSID- 99308 and WSID- 97221. Despite the advances in healthcare, for the vast majority of people suffering from Acquired Prosopagnosia, the disease still stays as a self curable one, although the period of time of recovery could vary from people to people depending on the severity of the situation.


    But from both the surveys we can conclude that in no way these scenarios can be a fatal event. As we saw that WSID- 97221 had additional injuries in his spine from Cervical C1-C3, we cannot rule out the probability of partial paralysis for this patient and probable memory loss due to the hemorrhage. But for WSID- 99308, as there are so further injuries neither spinal nor temporal, so it can be safely said that there is no further threat to his/her life given that Acquired Prosopagnosia is just a disability and not a disorder.


    So no matter how difficult the task might seem or how irritable the situation might get, all patients should be given the best care and attention. Every effort should be made to support them because improbable does not mean impossible."


    END OF REPORT HAS BEEN REACHED


    A beautiful smile spread on Akira''s face.


    She had finally hit the jackpot.

 Chapter 330: Raymonds nemesis - 1

    <h4>330 Raymond''s nemesis - 1</h4>


    His car sped through the darkness of the night towards BridgeRoad residency, while he himself tried to push away the dark thoughts soaring inside of his head.


    Sitting inside the car along with Raymond, David was trying hard to think of the ways to pacify his boss''s anger.


    He had narrated to him, the entire conversation that he had with Mr. Sebastian the day before and today morning. He gave every detail of the conversation without fail.


    Somehow it was very difficult for Raymond to digest what he heard for he couldn''t believe that his father could stoop so low as to threaten to take away someone''s life.


    David wanted him to cool down before they reached Sebastian''s ce but he?could see the fire gleaming in his vengeful eyes like instead of going to meet his own father, he was going to meet his arch-enemy. Like he was hell-bent to be his nemesis.


    Taking a deep breath, Raymond pinched the space between his brows and then turned towards David and asked,


    "Did you try to check the video feed again? As per his promise, those snipers should have left the hotel premises?"


    "Yes, I have double-checked the whole feed. Both live and recorded ones. I saw the two snipers leaving the hotel, a couple of minutes after you had started for the airport".


    "Still keep an eye. I cannot trust that man in any way".


    "Please do not worry about it. I have two of my men guarding the hotel premises in civilian uniform".


    "Thanks, David, I don''t know what I would have done without you."


    Saying that Raymond passed a faint smile at David and then spoke all disappointedly,


    "I am not sure what worse deeds have I done in my previous birth, that I am being tormented by my own father like this".


    Saying that Raymond took a deep breath and tried to calm down his frigid nerves.


    David looked at him with his eyes filled with pity, for he had no words to console him at that moment because he knew that no amount of words will be enough.


    As the car halted in front of his father''s house, Raymond received a message from Akira.


    "Onboard my flight - Lufthansa Airlines NYC347AH992. Please keep checking your watch".


    And suddenly that message calmed him down.


    She had that much power over him. Her one simple text was enough to bring sce to his otherwise edgy heart. He took a deep breath again and then looked at David and asked,


    "Tell me again that I am doing the right thing. Tell me again that there will be no repercussions".


    "You are doing the right thing, Raymond, rest assured about it. Everything will be fine. We will try to find a loophole in the use and I promise you that I will do my best to keep you guys together either the right way or the wrong", saying that David gave out an assuring smile to him.


    "I am not sure David, I am going against my principles this time and I don''t have a good feeling about this", saying that he got out of the car.


    Standing in front of his father''s house, Raymond couldn''t believe that he hade back to the same ce where he had spent his entire childhood under such circumstances. He looked up at the terrace, at the spot from where his mother had jumped down to give away his life.


    Seeing him watching the terrace, David immediately understood what pain Raymond was going through. So he immediately came close to him and ced his hand over his shoulders and said,


    "Let''s do this".


    Raymond gulped his own spit and looked at David and said,


    "Yeah, let''s do this".

 Chapter 331: Raymonds nemesis - 2

    <h4>331 Raymond''s nemesis - 2</h4>


    As they both walked in inside, they saw Sebastian sitting on the couch in the main hall, like a lion, ready to pounce on his prey. He had an air of weird energy around him and they both could sense it. Like he was in someway ionizing the air around him with his shrewdness and negativity. Just by looking at him, Raymond could deduce that tonight was going to be bad.


    His monstrous eyes gleamed the moment he saw Raymond entering his ce. It had been years that Raymond had even set foot in that house.


    Raymond nced at David and he nodded just to confirm Raymond that it was Sebastian in the room, even though Raymond could sense it from the air of authority with which he was sitting.


    As Sebastian saw hime closer, he could see that his own son was looking at him like he was someone who was morally repugnant from all aspects. But being a father, he knew it well that how the whole thing was. So ignoring the hatred harboring in the heart of his son, he weed him inside and asked,


    "How was your flight?"


    Raymond sat on the sofa opposite to Sebastian and looking straight into his eyes, he said,


    "Can we cut the chase and get started with the formalities? I am not here to have a banter with my dysfunctional family".


    Sebastian was rendered aghast by his bluntness, but nevertheless, he asked,


    "Wouldn''t you at least have a drink with your dad on his birthday?"


    And suddenly Raymond recollected the date. It was the 22nd of September.


    Somehow he had forgotten it.


    Not that he wished him every year earlier, but at least this was one of the days when he remembered Sebastian as his dad in the back of his head.


    A sudden awkward silence spread in the room and gauging that, Sebastian said,


    "I am not expecting any gifts from you or birthday wishes. Just have a drink with me. You can at least do that for your old man", saying that he just moved his index finger and his butler came forward with a bar stroller containing a selection of finest scotches from all over the world.


    After all, he was Sebastian Walker, A man with a fine taste in everything.


    "On the rocks !!!", Raymond said looking at the butler and then looking at David he said,


    "And my friend here won''t be drinking as someone needs to stay sane here. After all, we are here to discuss the legal terms".


    "You always have your guards up against me, don''t you?", Sebastian asked sarcastically.


    "When you are in the picture, I need to triple check everything. Shouldn''t I?", Raymond asked and passed out a sarcastic smile.


    The butler prepared only two scotch on the rocks and handed one to Sebastian and the other one to Raymond and then went back to the kitchen area to instruct the cook to prepare for some snacks.


    Raymond''s eyes moved around the house in a cursory nce, trying to see if anyone else was present there apart from them. But the whole house sounded all silent.


    "So you are not celebrating your birthday today? No bigvish parties and unlimited alcohol? It''s quite a surprise to see you sitting here all alone. That''s'' so not you"


    "I have my own ways of celebrating, my son. It need not be the same old fashioned way of celebration year after year".


    But in reality, just because Raymond wasing to visit him, he had canceled thevish party which he was throwing at the Grand za, just to be able to spend some quality time with his son. He didn''t care about the hostility, he didn''t care about his rage. All that he cared was to be able to see him all sound and safe.


    Then, taking a sip of his drink, Sebastian asked,


    "I heard you met that girl in London?"


    Raymond heard the question and was instantly enraged. He didn''t like that way Akira was getting addressed by him. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to rpose himself and said,


    "That girl has a name - Akira. Probably it would be better if you address her with a name and not like some unknown random person holding no importance whatsoever".


    Sebastian saw the rage growing inside of his son and he could see that he was trying hard to contain it and was trying to talk with him as politely as possible.


    "So I take that as a YES", saying that he turned towards David and gave him a disappointed nce.


    Raymond heard him but chose to stay silent.


    "Did you tell her why you were flying back alone?"


    "No"


    Then Sebastian looked at David again with a question mark on his face and he blurted out immediately,


    "No, she doesn''t know about any of this. Raymond just left and told that he will meet herter. No reasons have been given".


    Taking a deep breath, then Sebastian asked,


    "And I assume that you have been made very much aware of the whole scenario by your friend?"


    "Yes, I am aware. But I am interested in knowing as to why you have so much hatred against her? Why you cannot let me be with her. I simply do not understand in what way will she destroy me?"


    "I have my own reasons and I do not wish to disclose them".


    "Is it because shees from an average family? Is it because she isn''t from a rich family with contacts so that you can''t expand yourpany profile?"


    Sebastian was deeply wounded with his words. So after taking a brief pause, he said


    "Mark my words very carefully Raymond. When I say that she isn''t suitable for you, then I mean it. I have no care in the world about what you do in your personal life or who do you y with. But I will not let you y with this girl".


    "You and this girl... It cannot happen".

 Chapter 332: Signing the papers - 1

    <h4>332 Signing the papers - 1</h4>


    Hearing such a stern and blocking reaction from Sebastian, Raymond asked,


    "Why does it bother you so much? Give me one good reason why I should leave her. I cannot abandon someone just because you say".


    "There you go. You have the best reason now. Because I said so", Sebastian said with his tone getting all serious. Then, taking a pause and gauging their reaction he said,


    "And I think you know it very well that I don''t back down from my promises. You promised that you wille back and agree to my terms, so I sent the snipers back. But my men will keep a tab on you. If you dare to meet her again, then I just need to move one finger and she will be wiped away from your life forever".


    Raymond''s fists curled in anger.


    He kept his ss away as he knew that he would break it any minute. He could bear anything, but not a word against her girl. And this man had the audacity to sit in front of him and talk about taking away her life.


    Only he knew how he was maintaining hisposure in front of him.


    He turned towards Sebastian with his bloodshot eyes and asked,


    "So this is your final decision?"


    "Yes"


    "So you are ready to kill her, just to keep me away from her?"


    "Yes, I am. You know what a father can do to protect his child?"


    "Protect me !!!", Raymond heard and chuckled.


    "How are you going to protect me by killing her? Don''t you know that if anything happens to her then eventually I will die as well? What twisted and convoluted way is this for protecting me?"


    Sebastian took a deep breath and said,


    "You don''t know a thing, my child. You don''t know how twisted your fates are. Probably it''s for your best that it stays that way, all hidden and oblivious to you. You go ahead and choose any girl in the world, I don''t care, but not her, at any cost. That''s it".


    "That''s it? That''s your reason? Because I said so? Is this the way you negotiate?"


    "I hope you haven''te here to argue with me about this. Over the phone, we already had this conversation. I cannot go through it again and again".


    "I havee here to negotiate the terms".


    "Oh, just like the way you did with Mr. Takai?"


    Raymond heard him and looked at David with surprise.


    Sebastian saw the surprised expression on Raymond''s face and crossed his leg on the sofa. Then with a smug smile, he said,


    "I think you know what they say about me. I have eyes in the back of my head".


    Raymond looked at the grin on his face and then took a deep breath and said,


    "I have already lied enough in front of her. All these days I have hidden away from her, thinking that I wasn''t good enough. I had started to learn to live like that but then suddenly I stopped because life without her has no meaning for me. I might as well be dead rather than staying away from her".


    Sebastian was shocked to hear hisst statement.


    Then looking at him he said,


    "First of all, Sebastian Walker''s son cannot be that weak to die because of some girl. And second of all, this rtionship that you are bragging about in front of me, will turn toxic in no time. So in reality, I am helping you out toe out of the deep waters, before you drown and sink in".


    Then with a stern voice, he said,


    "Now I have done enough exining. Just sign the goddamn papers and leave."

 Chapter 333: Signing the papers - 2

    <h4>333 Signing the papers - 2</h4>


    His brows knotted upwards and his grip around his ss tightened. The way Sebastian had spoken was nothing less than utter disrespect.


    David could see Raymond''s veins protruding out from his skin. He knew that he was losing his cool. So he looked at him and shook his head sideways, telling him not to spit out what was at the tip of his tongue.


    Seeing David''s sign, Raymond calmed down a bit and closed his eyes. he knew he had to try his best to convince him. So he said,


    "In these two days with her, I felt like I have received a new life. I felt like I could be happy again. And just when I could feel alive, you were there, ready to snatch away my happiness from me".


    Saying that he looked directly into Sebastian''s eyes.


    "I have never done anything, like ever against you or to hurt you in any possible way. I have always restricted myself to my own boundaries. Then why can''t you do that? Why can''t you stop considering my life as your personal assignment?"


    "I am not a job that you need to take care of. I am a grown-up man and I can take care of myself. I have never messed with you, so do not make me".


    Raymond''s demeanor which had be all emotional, tuned into an instant rage and looking at Sebastian he said,


    "You have always snatched away my happiness from me. First mom and then Akira. Do you think she will be able to survive if I leave her this time? Do you want her to meet the same fate as my mom?"


    Saying that Raymond shot his dart-like angry nce at Sebastian and he could feel the hatred and anger spewing from them. His heart was torn with his words and his eyes started to sting with tears. But Sebastian Walker was no ordinary weak man who could be broken by mere words.


    He got up from the sofa and said,


    "I am not interested in all your dialogues, nor I am up for any negotiation. My terms are very clear. Steer away from the girl, else you know what I can do", and saying that Sebastian pointed at the file which was lying on the adjacent table.


    "My terms are clearly mentioned in detail. So I guess rather than wasting your time to persuade me, start going through the uses. I think that would be more beneficial for you."


    Then suddenly the voice of a girl echoed from upstairs,


    "Sebastian !!! Baby where are you? Don''t you want to taste your birthday gift?"


    Raymond and David looked up and saw a girl standing upstairs. She was d scantily, with a loose transparent robe barely hiding her shoulders. She was probably not older than twenty.


    Sebastian saw both of them looking at that girl and then looking at him with a face filled with nothing but loathing. But ignoring all of that, he turned towards them and said,


    "Take your time own sweet time and read the papers thoroughly and don''t forget to sign them up before leaving this room. You know right, I am not good at waiting for anyone or anything.


    Raymond turned towards David all helplessly and muttered,


    "I cannot believe this man can stoop so low".


    Raymond held his head with his palms and sat there all disappointed on the sofa after Sebastian went upstairs.


    David came close to him and said,


    "I don''t'' have the right to say anything about your personal matter Raymond, but still I will advise you to take his words seriously. Because you know your father is no ordinary man".


    Raymond lifted his gaze and looked at David and said,


    "Yes, I know, he is not a man. He is a monster."

 Chapter 334: Raymond, the man with a golden brain

    <h4>334 Raymond, the man with a golden brain</h4>


    "Raymond, the thing is until we don''t get the concrete reason behind his disapproval, I think we should focus on saving Akira''s life. I promise you that I will find ways for you guys to meet with each other till we excavate the root cause out of him", saying that David ced his hand on Raymond''s shoulder tofort him.


    Raymond looked up at David and took a deep breath. Somehow his words med his broken soul.


    Taking a deep breath again, Raymond picked up the file from the table adjacent to the sofa and started reading the uses line after line. After reading every page he passed the paper to David for a double check to see if there were any loopholes in it which they could possibly use up for their advantage.


    Suddenly seeing the seventh use on the third page of the contract, a smile spread on David''s face and he immediately turned towards Raymond and said,


    "Vo"


    And saying that, he?showed the paper to Raymond.


    Raymond looked at the use and a smile spread on his face immediately.


    "You are a genius David !!!", saying that Raymond looked at him with his eyes filled with appreciation. Somehow he had missed it, but it couldn''t go unnoticed by the sharp eyes of David.


    "I can literally hug you right now", Raymond said and chuckled slowly and then handed him a couple of pages more for his review.


    They both read and reviewed the docs thoroughly again and discussed a couple of the terms with each other till they reached the final page of the contract.


    David looked at Raymond and said,


    "It''s good to go. Just sign the damn papers now", saying that he took out a pen from the inside pocket of his jacket and gave it to Raymond.


    Raymond looked at him and nodded. He knew that this deal was fixable now. So he didn''t hesitate.


    Taking David''s pen, Raymond signed the contract paper at all the required pages and then took pictures of all the papers on his phone immediately.


    As they got up to leave, the butler came to them again with a file and said,


    "Mr. Walker had asked me to give you this file before you guys left the house."


    "What is it?", Raymond asked as David picked the file.


    "It''s a duplicate copy of the deal which you just signed."


    David looked at the butler first and then looked at Raymond all surprised.


    Slowly a smile started forming on Raymond''s face and then looking at David he said,


    "That son of a bitch knew that we are going to sign it. I don''t understand from where he has so much confidence in predicting what people will do."


    "Well he knows your weakness Raymond and he had rightly tried to nip you in the bud. Plus with money and resources, you can bend anyone the way you want to. Just like the way he is bending you right now."


    Raymond didn''t say a word and proceeded towards his car and David followed him.


    As they sat inside the car, Raymond turned towards David and asked,


    "Did you get it all?"


    "Oh yeah !!!", saying that David took out the same pen which he had given to Raymond for signing the documents and clicked on a small button on its side.


    Suddenly an audio recording started to y.


    "I heard you met the girl in London?"


    "Click" and then David stopped the audio which was being yed by pressing on the same button. Then very carefully he ced the pen back into his pocket and looking at Raymond he said,


    "We will get him fair and square Raymond. Don''t worry about it".

 Chapter 335: Missed me?

    <h4>335 Missed me?</h4>


    The moment the seat belt signs were ced on, Akira couldn''t stop from beaming again. Never in her life, she was this excited to take a flight. Never in her life, she had been this happy to go back to her city. Because this time, it was not just her city, it was the city where Raymond would now be waiting for her.


    She put on her seatbelt and stowed away herptop bag. She was biting her lips out of excitement because she knew that he was going to be there to pick her up. So she had already tidied her hair and had put some tinted lip balm on her lips. After all, she was going to meet him again. She wanted to look as pretty as possible.


    The moment the flightnded, she switched on her phone towork mode and tried calling up Raymond.


    One ring.


    Two rings.


    .


    .


    "The number you have dialed isn''t answering. So please leave a message after the beep."


    All disappointed she called up again, but it went again to the machine. So she decided to leave a message.


    "Wake up !!! I am here to make your morning beautiful. And....."


    She stopped midway as her mind was now filled with all crazy thoughts.


    "Did he forget about me?"


    "Does he even remember about my existence?"


    Her brain was getting frozen with the gazillions of questions that were running inside that brain of hers. But after hearing the beep sound, she rposed herself and said,


    "Don''t you dare leave me now Raymond. Don''t you dare to run away, because this time I swear to God, I will not forgive you."


    Saying that she disconnected the call and with a heavy heart she picked up herptop bag and got down from the flight.


    Half-heartedly she dragged herself through all the formalities and then collected her bag. As she was dragging her trolley and was nearing the exit section, she saw a Starbucks shop there and her footsteps automatically came to a halt. She looked all around, hoping to collide with him again, hoping to find him again, but s, it seemed like she wasn''t fated to meet him today.


    Feeling all dejected, she came outside the airport and her eyes continued their search for him, hoping against hope that he would stille for her or probably he was deliberately not picking up her call to surprise her, but to her dismay, he was nowhere to be found.


    So she searched all her apps again, messages, WhatsApp, Gmail, hoping that there would be some reason that he would have given for noting, but she couldn''t find any.


    Slowly her eyes started to sting.


    "Don''t you dare forget me, Raymond. Don''t you dare," saying that she hurried towards the cab pickup area. She then tried to call up David, but he was also unreachable. She was clueless and didn''t know how to contact him. So instead of going to her house, she decided to visit Raymond''s ce to figure out what was going on.


    Her trolley was ced in the boot and holding herptop bag she got inside the car. As the driver entered the car after cing her bag, she said,


    "Clinton hill, as fast as possible please."


    But before the driver could even start the car, a bearded man with a towering figure, wearing an oversized trench-coat, opened the other side of the passenger seat door. He gave her a warm smile and got inside the car.


    Akira was all startled and was about to raise her voice when she heard him say,


    "Missed me?"

 Chapter 336: Missed me ? - 2

    <h4>336 Missed me ? - 2</h4>


    She was initially startled to see a random man entering inside her. She was about to scream at the top of her lungs. But then that voice.


    The moment she heard the voice, it was like she was ready to surrender.


    She looked at him with her eyes wide open, unable to believe that it was him for real. Gasping and gulping at the same time she asked all astonished,


    "You... you came?"


    "Why you didn''t want me toe?", saying that he adjusted his oversized trench coat and picked up herptop bag which was in between them and pushed it to his side as he inched closer towards her.


    "I hate when thingse between us."


    An immediate smile spread on her face, hearing the voice of her man.


    "Brooklyn Private Drive - 47", he said looking towards the cab driver who seemed to be baffled with the sudden development that was happening inside his car.


    He turned back to look at Akira and she nodded with a smile and said,


    "Private Drive 47 please."


    "Sure", said the driver and started his car.


    Seeing that the driver had turned ahead, he embraced her quickly by enveloping her body with his left arm and asked,


    "So did you miss me or not?"


    "No, I did not", she said but didn''t dare to look at him, as she was trying to make a desperate attempt at hiding away her tears of happiness.


    He took a deep breath and then took out the handkerchief from his jacket and slowly wiped her tears away and said,


    "But I missed you a lot."


    Saying that he lifted her palm with his right hand and ced a small kiss on it while holding it tenderly with his firm hands.


    Her lips instantly curled in a smile, the moment his lips touched the skin of her hands and she beamed like a sunflower which had been blessed by the rays of the sun.


    "Why didn''t you reply?"


    "Umm... then I would have missed this reaction of yours.


    Saying that he pulled her close and ced a small kiss on her forehead.


    "You know I was so worried for you. For a moment I felt like I will die", saying that Akira looked up at him with her big wide angry eyes and he chuckled. With his fingers, he pushed away a few strands of hair away from her face and gently ran his fingers on her cheeks and said,


    "I will never forget you Akira !!! Rather, I just cannot forget you. Not even if I die."


    Saying that he looked deep into her eyes and gave out a soft endearing smile.


    She looked up at him again, but this time her gaze had softened like butter.


    She inched forward and leaned on his shoulder and ced her hand on his chest trying to feel every beat of it.


    "Cross-checking with my heart Miss Akira?"


    "No, I am just asking it to slow down a bit", saying that she ced a kiss on his chest and went back to resting her head on him.


    He kept caressing her shoulder with his long and slender fingers and said,


    "Won''t you ask me why I left you and came back here urgently?"


    Still leaning onto him she shook her head in negation.


    "Why won''t you?", he asked again.


    Hearing him she lifted her head up and said,


    "Because I trust you and I know that it must have been something very very important else you would never have left me in a situation like that."


    He looked at her all surprised because he was expecting a shower of questions and allegations but here she was acting all matured, lying peacefully in his arms.


    He knew she was different from other girls. He knew that there was something about her that made her way mature than her age aspared to other girls and probably that was the reason why he not only loved her but respected her from the core of his heart.


    So taking a deep breath he hugged her even tight and said,


    "I am gonna need you to trust me with certain things more than ever before", saying that he started running his fingers in her hair.


    "What do you mean?", she asked and got up.


    "There are many things that I need to tell you, but most importantly there is one thing that I need to tell you right here right now."


    "You are scaring me, Raymond."


    "He held both her hands in his, and said,


    "No matter what happens, no matter how bad I treat you, no matter howplicated and tangled things and circumstances be, never ever stop having faith in us."


    "Why are you telling me all this now? Are you ok? Is everything ok?"

 Chapter 337: Raymond reveals the truth - 1

    <h4>337 Raymond reveals the truth - 1</h4>


    He knew that she would panic.


    He knew that all this will be too taxing for her. So taking a deep exasperated breath, Raymond looked at Akira and said,


    "I have made a deal with the Devil to stay away from you."


    For a moment Akira simply couldn''t register what she heard. She distanced herself from Raymond by an inch and then asked him with a tone filled with astonishment,


    "You did what?"


    Raymond closed his eyes and gasped for air. He knew that exining all this to Akira would be difficult. But he didn''t want to keep her in dark. He was done keeping any sorts of secrets from her. So he was ready to exin everything to her in the best way that he could.


    "My father, Sebastian, doesn''t want me to be with you."


    "But why wouldn''t he want me to be with you. This is absurd."


    "Even I have no idea as to why he would even want it Akira. No matter how much I asked, how many times I asked, I couldn''t get a logical reply from him which could make any sense to me. But I know this for sure that he is very particr about it and he can go to any extent to keep you away from me."


    She looked at him all puzzled and asked,


    "What extent are we talking about here?"


    "I am talking about the extent of taking away your life", he spoke with all seriousness.


    "You got to be kidding me !!! Why would he want to do such a thing? I am like nobody. I am such an insignificant person in his life. Why would he even bother about me?", Akira eximed in disbelief.


    "No Akira, I am being serious right here. I have seen the snipers hired by him."


    "Snipers?"


    "Yeah, in London. He was pissed with the fact that I met you there. He is keeping a tab on all my activities and not to mention yours as well."


    "Is that why you are dressed like this? Is that why you didn''te to pick me up at the exit gate?", she asked in one single breath.


    Raymond nodded his head.


    "But why? What harm will I bring to you or to him? We have hardly interacted except for once and I don''t think he can hate me so much that he would intend to kill me after that once interaction."


    "Except once? When did you interact with him Akira? Why I am not aware of it?"


    Raymond asked and looked at her in surprise. This was changing the whole equation that he had in his mind. He didn''t know that they had interacted with each other.


    "Well, I went to meet your dad, the day you went missing in the Amazons. I knew you both had issues in between but I was desperate Raymond. I needed means and mediums to be able to reach you as soon as possible and I thought being your dad he will be able to provide the help to me."


    "That''s it? That''s all the interaction you had with him? Just a request for help. That''s all?"


    Akira looked at him and then she started messing with the sleeves of her shirt and said,


    "Well, my meeting somehow didn''t go that well with him."


    "Why what happened? He wasn''t ready to help?"


    "He was ready to help Raymond, but he wanted something in return for it. He wanted everything based on his terms."


    "His terms? What terms?"


    Akira heard him ask but she got lost into that scene where she was almost begging in front of him for his mercy, for his help. She was extremely vulnerable at that point of time and was ready to go to any extent to get Sebastian''s help. But that monster had just one line for her.


    "Then are you ready to spend the night with me?"


    She shivered just remembering that incident and then looked at Raymond all worried. Raymond could clearly see that she had be all ufortable.


    "What did he ask you in return Akira? Tell me now. Please."


    She wanted to blurt it out, but she knew that it would weaken their rtionship even more. She knew that their rtionship was already hanging on a thin line and if she told about that incident, she was pretty sure that he would have asked the driver to turn the car to go straight to his father''s ce. She knew that it would kill him to know what he had asked. So somehow the words started falling short for her.


    "Don''t test my patience Akira. Can you please just tell me what he asked? And don''t you dare lie to me by any means. I swear to God it will not impact our rtionship, although we don''t have any to begin with, in the first ce."


    Akira looked at him and held his face in her palms and said,


    "Promise me that you will not do anything stupid after hearing this Raymond. Promise me that you will ignore him as an old senile man who has no control over what he speaks."


    Raymond had reached the limit of his patience. So looking at Akira, he said,


    "I am going to ask you thisst time Akira. Tell me what happened?"


    Akira looked at him and then in one single breath, she blurted,


    "He asked me to spend the night with him in return for the help."


    Raymond heard and registered her voice, but his mind went into denial. He couldn''t believe that his dad could stoop so low. He couldn''t believe that he could say such a thing to her when he knew what she meant to him and that too at a time when she was going through nothing but acute pain.


    He could imagine, how painful it would have been for her, to hear such a thing when all that she needed was his help.


    He closed his eyes and didn''t speak anything.

 Chapter 338: Raymond reveals the truth - 2

    <h4>338 Raymond reveals the truth - 2</h4>


    She could see that his face had fallen. She could clearly see him flinching in pain.


    "Please say something Raymond. Please."


    She knew that he was hurt. She knew that he was bleeding deep inside because not only someone insulted his fiance but also because of the fact that the person who insulted her was none the other than his father.


    He hated his father, he truly did, but after her hearing out, he felt like his heart had been seared because of his actions. He closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths to find reasons not to kill him off.


    Akira embraced him quickly with her arms and said,


    "Forget what I said, Raymond. Just forget it."


    He opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment. Then, taking a deep breath, he asked her,


    "Did he dare to touch you?"


    "What?"


    "Did he try to touch you anywhere inappropriately Akira? Answer me honestly."


    "No, he didn''t Raymond. He didn''t do anything like that. He just asked for it. That''s all? Trust me. He isn''t that rotten."


    "I would have killed him with my bare hands Akira if he would have dared to do anything wrong with you", and saying that he pinched the space between his brows as he was disgusted with the fact that his girl had to listen to those words and that too from his father.


    "No need to have all this anger inside of you Raymond. I guess, he was probably trying to test my integrity? Maybe he was just trying to see if I was caving in. As a parent, he might be just trying to test my morals. Who knows?"


    "Do you believe in what you are saying just now Akira? Even you know that he is the son of Satan himself. Nothing, I mean nothing in this world can justify that lewd question or rather return that he had asked for."


    "I don''t know Raymond and neither do I want to know. But I don''t think my denial can be a reason why he is after me. I think there is something else that I am not aware of. Maybe you are and you are hiding it from me."


    Getting all impatient after hearing her words, Raymond said,


    "The point here is, he doesn''t want to kill you. He wants me to stay away from you and if I don''t, then he will do anything to keep you away from me, and one of the ways is eliminating you from the scene altogether. He probably wanted to make you his trophy, or I don''t know what he wanted."


    "It''s ok Raymond, do not overthink and punish yourself."


    "The thing is, if he would have wanted, he could have finished you off way earlier Akira. For him, everything happens with just a snap of his fingers."


    Then holding her face in his palms he said,


    "I don''t know what is his reason, but I am going to find it. But in the meantime, we have to stay low and pretend that we are drifting apart."


    "But I just got together with you. I can''t do this anymore. I am sick of acting this way. First, when we had to fight against Vikram and now your dad.?I can''t do this again Raymond. I have got you back after a miracle by the heavens and I don''t want to lose you again. I can''t even dare to fake to lose you in my life right now."


    "This will be just for a few days until I figure out what the reason is. Maybe I can do something to change his opinion about you Akira."


    "Why are you so scared of him? Do you really think that he will kill me off?"


    Raymond chuckled and said,


    "Do not underestimate my father. He never gives nk threats. Like never."


    Akira looked at him all worried and then said,


    "Then tell me what I have to do?"


    "Keep talking with me with our medium", saying that he gently rested his hand on her chest, enclosing the locket with his fingers.


    She looked down at his fingers resting on her bare skin and then looked back at him and said,


    "Why we have to be like this Raymond? Why I have to hide? I want to scream in front of the whole world and tell them that we are together. I want to tell them how awesome we are together", saying that she lifted her hand and ced it over his hand.


    Raymond took a deep breath and said,


    "We will. We have fought so many battles together Akira. Fight thisst final one with me and trust me, I will not let anything happen to you."


    "I am not worried about anything happening to me Raymond, that''s the least of my concerns. All I want is to be with you."

 Chapter 339: I love you Akira! I always have

    <h4>339 I love you Akira! I always have</h4>


    Their car had reached a busy junction on the street and the red traffic light was on. Seeing that as the perfect window of opportunity, Raymond decided to alight from the car. He took out a parcel from the inner pocket of his trench coat and handed it to Akira and said,


    "Read this carefully. This will exin everything to you. What you need to do and how you need to do. And don''t worry, I will make everything fine, but right now, I need to get down and mix with the crowd. Not sure if someone is following us."


    Saying that he looked into her uncertain and scared eyes and waspletely moved. He quickly pulled her close and gave a small chaste but warm kiss on her forehead and said,


    "I love you Akira. I always have. Just keep these words in your mind."


    And saying that he quickly got down while the traffic signal was still red and impregnated himself with the crowd.


    All helpless, Akira looked in the direction in which he had left trying to console her frigid nerves, trying to calm her heart and braving herself that she could fight a battle for the sake of him again.


    As the car moved ahead, Akira quickly opened the parcel.


    There was a small notebook inside the parcel and a letter and some legal papers. Keeping everything aside, Akira opened the letter first as she could see that it was handwritten by Raymond.


    She started reading the letter,


    .


    .


    "No one should know that I am back and I mean no one in all seriousness. I know it might be hard to hide it, but we need to keep it hidden this way for a couple of days. Just a couple of days Akira.


    When the time is right I am going to disclose it to everyone. I will unfurl the promation of our love. But right now, we need to gather forces, we need to fight this.


    Mr. Takai and his team have been taken care of by my dad and they are not going to disclose anything about me it in any way to anybody, else there will be repercussions for them. I think my dad had scared them enough with the impendingwsuits so the word is not going toe out. So apart from you and David, no one knows about me.


    Trust David, no matter what happens. No matter what circumstances you are in, he will pull you out, because he will always tell you the right thing to do.


    This might sound weird and out of the blue, but enroll yourself for Tango lessons, two streets away from your house. The studio name is - "Anti". That will be our meet up point. I am not going to let all thisst more than a week. Just bear with me till all this is over. Even I am dying to be with you as a regr couple in love.


    But hey, what''s the fun in being ordinary?


    So just have faith in me and do as I say.


    The notebook inside will guide you through the things that you need to do as soon as possible. I have marked a couple of things to be done, mostly legal things that need to be handled by you. Take care of them as soon as possible. The contact number of my advocate and a CA is there on thest page.


    And the most important thing. Read this letter and destroy it. Burn it, flush it. Do anything to remove any trace of it, because Sebastian''s men can enter your house and search for anything or any clue at any time. So always stay cautious.


    Keep that notebook somewhere safe and away from the reach of anyone. Keep destroying its pages as and when the job is done and most importantly stay safe Akira. I cannot focus more on this part. It''s imperative.


    Anytime, anyhow if you feel you are being followed, then let me know. But use the private number for any sort ofmunication. Also if you want to call and talk, then call me on my private number only. At any cost do not call on my regr number. It would be better if you delete that contact in the first ce.


    And this is thest thing that I wanted to say.


    You are the best thing that has happened to me Akira. And I promise you, I will not let you shed a single tear more."


    ---


    She looked at the letter again and touched thest line with her fingers. The letter was handwritten by Raymond and was something that she wanted to treasure forever. But she knew that it had to be destroyed.


    So, taking a deep breath, she tore it into multiple pieces and kept them inside her bag, so that she could throw them after going back to her room.


    She opened the notebook and flipped through each page very carefully.


    After reading a couple of pages, taking an exasperated breath, she mumbled,


    "What trouble have you gotten yourself into because of me Raymond?", saying that she closed the notebook and opened the legal papers. She went through them carefully line by line and then signed at the end of the document.


    She put everything back into the parcel and looked outside through her car window.


    They were crossing the Cemetary near her house, so she requested the Cab driver to keep running the meter while she went to the cemetery.


    She stopped near the tombstone which had been ced for Raymond. She knelt down in front of it and said,


    "I am sorry for believing even for a second that you were gone. I am sorry for even epting the existence of this tombstone. But don''t worry, you are not fighting this alone. I will unmask these people who are turning you paranoid. I will avenge on your behalf, Raymond. Don''t you worry?"


    "I will protect you till myst breath and I will make Happily Ever After possible for us."


    Saying that she wiped her tears and got up.

 Chapter 340: Lets rip someone apart !!!

    <h4>340 Let''s rip someone apart !!!</h4>


    After setting her foot inside the house, the first thing that she did was to keep the package all safe.


    Mike was surprised to see her arrive in the morning as she had texted him that she woulde by evening. She did so, purposefully because she didn''t want Vikram to know in any way that she was arriving earlier. She could have told Mike about it, but due to some itching reason, she didn''t.


    "Your flight got preponed or what?"


    "Something like that", Akira said and smiled at him while he jumped at her bags and?started searching through them for goodies.


    "Hey Hey, that''s so uncalled for. How can you touch my bag without my permission huh."


    "You permission !!! My ass Akira", saying that Mike just gave a re to her and continued his jaunt, rummaging through the pile of clothes.


    "What the hell are you searching for?"


    "Souvenirs dummy, what else", said Mike and continued flipping everything.


    "You are not going to find anything in there Mike. I?didn''t have time to get you anything from the airport. I was just rushing back. It was raining and my cab got dyed, yadda yadda yadda".


    Mike got up in a dejected mood and said,


    "You don''t love me anymore, right? Like, I don''t even matter to you."


    Saying that he pouted and went towards his room.


    Akira followed him and sat next to him on his bed and said,


    "What if I make it up to you? What if we go for a round of foosball, just like old times. I will give you 10 dors if you win against me."


    "Seriously Akira? 10 dors? Am I like 12?"


    "More like eleven !!!"


    "Stranger things will happen, don''t me me then."


    "Ok, 30 USD. That''s the final quote."


    "Raise the stakes. Howe you are still so cheap even after bing the CEO of such a bigpany? Make it big, else I am noting."


    "Uggghhhh.... this guy.?Fine 100 USD. Deal?"


    "Deal", said Mike and smiled looking at her and then came close to her and said,


    "Don''t back out and don''t start crying after I beat you mercilessly."


    "Oh please Mike, daydreaming isn''t a good thing you know?", and saying that she threw a pillow at him.


    He was loving those bright expressions on her sister''s face.


    He was honestly not interested in any souvenirs. He always just tried to engage with her in some banter or the other, to keep her mood alight. Even after one and a half year had passed, she still stayed all gloomy and shelled. And he wanted to change that.


    "Fine, then we will go in the evening. I want to sleep for a while now", saying that Akira got up.


    "Alright. By the way, Vikram had called in the morning and he wanted to take us for dinner together. So shall I call him and inform?"


    Akira turned back towards Mike and said,


    "I am not in a mood for any fancy dinner, especially not with him."


    "What happened now?", Mike asked all curiously unable to understand, as to why she was suddenly detesting Vikram out of the blue.


    It was then that Akira realized that she might slip some information by mistake, so she covered it up quickly and said,


    "Because we are going to trick and surprise him instead. He has surprised us enough. Now it''s my turn", said Akira and turned towards her bedroom to freshen up.


    Mike couldn''t figure out if her statement was generic or it had some hidden meaning to it because the way she spoke was weird and almost cryptic.


    Shrugging off his thoughts he slumped on his bed and started flipping through the magazine.


    Akira entered her room and saw multiple messages from David on her phone. She had been so caught up with everything that she hadn''t even bothered to reply to him. Maybe one of the main reasons behind that was that she was still miffed with him.


    So the first thing that she did was to call him up straight using her private number.


    "Hello."


    "Hello."


    "May I know who is this?"


    "No, you may not".


    "Akira? Is that you?"


    She took a deep breath feeling a bit happy from inside that he recognized her voice, and then she said,


    "Yes, that''s me."


    "Finally you got time to call me? I had called you so many times. I was so worried about you. U literally have driven me nuts."


    "Have I? And you were worried about me? Like really? Then what were you doing for thest year and a half? What were you doing when I was almost on the verge of dying David? Where had your so-called care disappeared?"


    "I can exin Akira. If you give me a chance, I can seriously exin."


    Exhaling deeply, she said,


    "I do not need any exnation, David. I sincerely thought you were my man. I thought I could blindly trust you for real. And what did I get in return for this blind trust David? Lies, deceit and more lies?"


    "I had to keep quiet Akira. Maybe someday you will understand my situation."


    Even though Akira knew that whatever David had done was because his hands were tied, she still just wanted to vent out her frustration and anger that was building up inside of her.


    "Akira are you even listening?"


    "Yes, I am".


    "I promise you that I will never do anything to harm you like ever in my life. Hope you know that."


    "I know that David. Raymond told me everything. I mean, not everything, but yeah, enough to know that you are not at fault."


    David breathed a sigh of relief hearing her words.


    All that he wanted was for her to trust him back. That''s all.


    "You don''t know how good I am feeling after hearing these words of yours."


    "Well, you will feel better when you hear what I have for you?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Are you ready to rip someone apart?"

 Chapter 341: AKIRA, the Slayer - 1

    <h4>341 AKIRA, the yer - 1</h4>


    "Ripping apart? Who? What are you talking about Akira?"


    "Well, I guess I have found something really interesting."


    "What is it? Don''t throw riddles at me. Tell me what is it?"


    "Patience David. It''s something rted to Raymond''s current health condition, but I can''t let him know about it right now, because God forbid I don''t want to give him any false hopes."


    "Ok, seriously Akira, you need to stop testing my patience right now. Can you just tell me what it is?"


    "Ok Ok, hold on. I will send something to your phone. Read that as we talk."


    Saying that Akira sent the publication report by Dr, Oshana to David.


    "Why have you sent me a medical report or paper or I don''t know what this thing is?"


    Shaking her head in disappointment, Akira said,


    "Check who is the author."


    David scrolled up and muttered,


    "Dr. Oshana Smeathe."


    Akira smiled and then said,


    "Now turn to the conclusion section of the report and read it carefully."


    "Ok."


    David read the conclusion section and then unable to understand what she wanted to imply, he asked.


    "I read, but am I supposed to get something from that? To be honest, the only subject that I have studied seriously is business analysis. Apart from that nothing else. All this sounds like Latin or Arabic to me."


    "Ok wait, wait, don''t give up. Check the patient ID of Raymond. I have sent you another snippet from his medical records with his ID number highlighted in yellow", saying that Akira sent the sleep analysis report snippet to David.


    David checked Raymond''s highlighted ID and then checked Dr. Oshana''s report for a while. He cross-checked them again for a second and then screamed at the top of his lungs,


    "No freaking way."


    "Does this mean what I am thinking?"


    "I guess so."


    "Looks like a mix up of reports to me. Looks like Dr. Oshana has given that amnesia patient''s prediction analysis to Raymond. Jesus Christ, how can such a goof-up happen in the reports?"


    "Maybe, or maybe someone has some ulterior motives other than just curing her patient."


    Hearing her say that, David immediately recollected the footage from the hotel where he had seen Dr. Oshana getting a call from Sebastian and he immediately blurted out.


    "I don''t think it''s just the ulterior motive of one single person."


    "What do you mean David?"


    Taking a deep breath, David narrated the whole video footage rted incident to Akira.


    "So you mean to say Sebastian is behind all this."


    "Well, you never know. That man is capable of many things Akira. His reach and his capacity are beyond your imagination."


    "But I don''t understand why would he hate me to this extent that he would arrange for such fake medical reports for his own son?"


    "Don''t worry about it. I will dig and find out the root cause, meanwhile, we need to inform Raymond about this big news. You know because of these reports, he decided not to go back into your life. I mean had Raymond not seen these fake reports, then you guys could have been together, ever since he woke up."


    "What has happened has happened David, I cannot change that. But I can attempt to make sure the mistake doesn''t continue any further."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Before we jump into any conclusion. I think it will be better if I can get his sleep analysis and other tests performed again. Just to be double sure about it."


    "Yes, that''s a very valid thought."


    "I had met a doctor at the medical conference and once that doctor is back in New York, I am going to take Raymond there and get all the testing done. Maybe once the projection results re out, I will tell everything to Raymond. Until then, keep this as a secret between us."


    "Sounds logical to me Akira. Meanwhile, let me figure out this connection between Sebastiana and this doctor. The whole matter doesn''t look that simple to me."


    "I know, it''s all interconnected somehow. We need to find the trail. I don''t want Raymond to be emotionally drained anymore. So please help me out on this. I want her real face to be exposed as soon as possible. She is a stain on such a noble profession by being a seble doctor."


    "Was there anything else that you could sense Akira?", David asked all concerned because Akiras''s voice had suddenly be very vengeful.


    "Yes, I could sense that she wanted to demarcate her area. She acted all sweet and innocent in front of Raymond, but I could feel like she wanted to pounce on him."


    "Don''t worry Akira. I will pull her mask down. I will pull?Sebastian''s mask down as well."


    "But there is someone else as well whom I want to demolish to dust."


    "And who would that unlucky person be?"


    "Vikram"


    She said, taking a deep breath.

 Chapter 342: AKIRA, the Slayer - 2

    <h4>342 AKIRA, the yer - 2</h4>


    "Vikram?", David asked all surprised.


    Even though he knew what Vikram had done, he had protected his interests just for the sake of Akira. Because of all the people around Akira, he was the only pir that she could lean on to after Raymond had disappeared and he had seen him change his ways and getting all reformed for good.


    "So you know?", asked David.


    "Yes I know and I am assuming you are also aware of what he did to Raymond. I mean his sniper guy might not have pulled the trigger, but he eventually would have. And we all are in this mess because of him."


    "I agree, but he has changed Akira. He has be so much more refined now."


    "But that doesn''t change anything. Does it? He clearly had the intention to kill Raymond. I guess GANAPATIJI was taking care of him and he was lucky that Sebastian had employed his men. Else God knows what would have had happened, David."


    "We already have too much on our te Akira. Do you think making one more enemy would be a good idea? Plus I think he might have changed his ways by now for real. The phnthropic activities done by hispany has increased by 42% over thatst year."


    "Making an enemy is better than making a friend who cane and bite you back at any point in time. Don''t you think so?"


    David listened to her silently and was engrossed in deep thoughts when Akira said,


    "Remember David, a snake never forgets to bite. Doesn''t matter even if you take away its poisonous fangs or not. He might have changed now but what will happen when he finds out that Raymond is alive. Do you think he will stay quiet? Do you think he will let us live peacefully?"


    "I have already lost so much of my precious time with Raymond because of him. I can''t afford to lose anymore based on any uncertainty."


    David understood that whatever Akira was saying was absolutely correct. So he asked,


    "What do you intend to do Akira?"


    "I intend to put that man behind bars."


    David couldn''t believe her words and he asked again,


    "Are you sure Akira? I mean given the sort of rtionship you share, you seriously want to do this?"


    "Maybe right now you are all emotional as you have just gotten to know about the whole scenario. But will you be able to stay strong and battle with your emotions to put him behind the bars as the time passes? It might eat you up Akira. The burden of guilt might be too heavy to be carried by your shoulders."


    "David, I have already lost the important people in my life at a very young age. I lost someone a year and a half back, but somehow a miracle has brought him back again into my life. So trust me when I say this - NOTHING and I mean NOTHING can stop me from avenging his pain."


    "Fine if you are sure about it then we can do this."


    "I am sure about this David. This is the only thing that I want. I want to eliminate all the people who can possibly stand in between me and Raymond."


    "Do you have any n in your mind Akira?"


    "Yes, I do."


    "What is it?"


    "Last time, in fact, all the times in the past, he had yed with us. But this time, I will y with him instead."


    "What do you mean?"


    "We have our new projecting up right? In this project, he is our sole investor."


    "Yes, I am aware of it."


    "I am supposed to sign a deal with him tomorrow morning and I need those papers to have our uses and not theirs."


    "But I think we have already gone through their final draft and from our legal and financial team side the papers were ok. With just one day to go, can we do changes?"


    "I do not think this deal will be so straightforward. So call up our finance team and ask them to object against some use and get the deal pushed by a couple of days."


    "But that will impact the release date of our game. If we don''t get the money soon then how are we going to pay Azmer Group for their tech? They will not start until we pay them the upfront money that we have agreed to based on our deal."


    "The amount of money that Vikram is going to invest in this game is huge and I want his money to stay in a hung state. I don''t want him to be able to ess it. I need you to create some legal dispute or the other. Make it happen, David."


    "Don''t worry." Leave that to me. I will handle this."The lord who wards away all the evil as per Hindu Mythology.

 Chapter 343: AKIRA, the Slayer - 3

    <h4>343 AKIRA, the yer - 3</h4>


    "Next what do you want to do Akira?"


    "After we freeze his money invested in our project due to legal issues, I want to make his shares dip."


    "And how do you n to do that?"


    "I want to release all the videos and pieces of evidence that we have against him by mistake. Let''s n for aunch party for our new mobile game and during any one of the promotion event presentations, I will take care that his reputation is beaten to dust. I will make sure that his real face is revealed in front of the entire world."


    "But will he not suspect, if such a thing happens? I mean how can you switch from your presentation to a video which has evidence against him? The moment you do, he will know that it was intentional."


    "Well yeah that''s the tricky part and I need to figure out as to how to do that," saying that Akira got lost into deep thoughts.


    "Well, we have some time to think about it. Don''t worry about this part immediately."


    "Yes that can be nnedter, but the most important thing now is to add a tricky use in our deal so that his money stays frozen with us, once we file litigation. We need to make sure that our legal team is able to put forth such a condition."


    "Leave that part to me. I will handle that Akira. You focus on how to release that video against him."


    "Yeah I will work on it," Akira said and sighed.


    "Erm... "


    "What happened?"


    "Um... This Oshana. Ermm... Forget it. It''s nothing."


    "You can ask me anything Akira and I can get from your voice that something is bothering you right now. So it''s better that you ask me about it rather than imagining things in your head."


    "I just want to know if she is very close to Raymond."


    ''Wait, what?," David heard her question and broke into augh.


    "Ohe on Akira. You know how Raymond is. He won''t even put a strand of hay in front of any other girl apart from you."


    "That I know David. I know that he loves me and only me. I am aware of his sincerity and I have faith in it, but what my concern here is, how close they are? I don''t want to tell everything about Oshana to him right away and upset him. He is already in pain because of Sebastian and the way they interacted it seemed like they have be good friends and no one knows better than me, that how it feels when you are stabbed in the back by your own friend."


    "Well they aren''t that close but since Raymond visits her frequently for his check-ups and also as she has taken him as a subject of her publication work, they used to hang out a bit, but just as a regr doctor and patient. Nothing more than that."


    "But from the way Oshan spoke so informally with Raymond, I don''t think she was acting just like a doctor."


    "Well, they had be a bit friendly since he had shared all his pain and stories about you to her. So maybe during all those conversations, they had be close friends."


    ''Friend !!! That Bitch isn''t good enough to be even an acquaintance for anyone."


    "Yeah now that I have got to know about everything, even I think so. She is a double-faced person and we need to curb her intentions as soon as possible."


    "Yes, we do. So I want aplete background check on her. Like everything including her personal life to her bank bnce."


    "Well, I have already done that when I saw Sebastian''s call on her phone. Her records seem pretty clean. I have no idea what Sebastian has on her, that he has made her do all these things? Why would she risk her credibility as a doctor by swapping the results, is beyond my understanding? She clearly knows Raymond doesn''t have amnesia, then why has she kept him under dark for all these days. There has to be some ulterior motive behind all this, some strong driving force."


    "Now that I think of it, even I feel it might be true. Sebastian can do anything, can go to any extent. Maybe he might have threatened her in some way or the other, like maybe something rted to her family. Maybe that''s the reason why she is doing all this. Maybe she needs our help."


    "Maybe, but until we are sure, we can''t specte anything."


    "But you know what Akira, I have always heard her telling Raymond to go back to you. Raymond was always skeptical about his health condition and didn''t want to go back to you thinking that it would ruin your life, but she always used to advocate for you."


    "Like always !!!"

 Chapter 344: Reading his journal

    <h4>344 Reading his journal</h4>


    After disconnecting the call with David, Akira breathed a sigh of relief.


    Somehow after talking with David, after discussing the whole roadmap, she got a bit of rity as to what was needed to be done.


    She drank a ss of water and lowered the air conditioning and slumped on the bed and started staring at the ceiling.


    It had be a habit of hers to keep staring at the ceiling constantly for hours. Sometimes, she won''t even think, won''t even blink and just stare into the nothingness of that pearly white visage.


    But today she wasn''t sad, today she wasn''t devoid of emotions, in fact, today she was ecstatic. A smile curled on her face and then she picked up her phone and called up Raymond but unfortunately his phone was out of range.


    So she dropped him a message instead,


    "I have reached home safely and right now I am just thinking about you and only you. God, why do I love you so much. All this is feeling so crazy, so unreal Raymond." - PRIVATE NUMBER


    And then she left another message.


    "I am dying to meet you." - PRIVATE NUMBER


    And then another.


    "When will you bless my eyes?" -?PRIVATE NUMBER


    Then she got up and picked up the torn pieces of the letter which she had torn in the car and flushed them into the toilet. Then taking the pouch out of the bag, she very carefully ced the legal documents inside her locker and then ced the notebook inside the drawer next to her bed.


    Then taking a deep breath, she went and knelt in front of the drawer on the other side of her bed. taking a deep breath she opened it. For thatst one and a half year she had not dared to open that drawer, but today somehow she got the courage to do so.


    She pulled the drawer and then took out Raymond''s personal diary which she had picked up from his ce when they werest together at Raymond''s house. Before she could have had the opportunity to read, so much had happened. The whole GCG event, and then that unfortunate ident.


    After that, she had put it in this drawer to keep it safe, to keep his bottled memories far far away from her reach, so that she didn''t break. Because she knew that she had to stand strong not for herself but for her brother, the only family that she had left with her. So she had chained herself all these days with the bounds of duties and responsibilities and refrained herself from even daring to go back to those old memories.


    But today she set herself free. Picking up that diary she slumped on the bed.


    There were so many things written in the journal, starting from multiple sketches of the game project to UML diagrams. Then in one big nk page, he had just written,


    "I MISS YOU MOM"


    The ink had smudged at the end of the sentence and she knew that those were the drops of pain which had fallen from his heart. Then skipping a few more pages she reached a page where on top her name was written in capital,


    "AKIRA"


    Her heart stopped a beat, the moment she saw her name, but she continued to read,


    "There was something about her eyes. Something so sincere and pure that I was drawn instantly towards her. She was like an enigma. She just entered and exited like a breath of air, like a wave of water that just touches the shore for an instant and then leaves back into the ocean leaving nothing behind as it departs. The only thing that remains behind is her fond memories.


    I don''t know who she was or from where did she belong. But I just got a name - Akira P. Is it weird that I am thinking so much about a stranger whom I just met?


    Definitely !!!


    But somehow this weirdness makes me happy."


    ------


    A drop of tear came out of nowhere and rushed through her yes. She held the notebook close to her chest and said,


    "You make me happy Raymond. You make me happy."


    Saying that she put that diary back into the drawer and immediately started texting Raymond.


    "I am going to join tango sses today. You better be there for the next ss Mr. Raymond" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    Then she happily rushed to the bathroom to take a hot shower. She wanted to get ready and have a good time with her brother. It has had been long that she had a fun time with him. It had been long that she had roamed the streets of New York all carefree like a free bird.


    She knew that along with Raymond, her good times hade back and she was going to live in the moment and enjoy it.


    Every single bit of it.

 Chapter 345: From family to just a friend

    <h4>345 From family to just a friend</h4>


    Vikram was waiting all eagerly at the airport for Akira to arrive checking his wristwatch every now and then.


    He had bought a bouquet of baby''s breath for her and had done reservations at the Four Seasons for dinner. He had dressed himself up in a dapper suit and a matching necktie to go with it.


    Today he wanted to look all prim and dandy. After all, he was going to pick up his girl.


    He had prepared for a funky name board for her and holding that he was waiting outside the airport.


    For thest one and a half year, he had been trying his best to bring out a smile on her face. No matter how bad her mood was, he always tried something or the other to cheer her up and today was no different.


    He checked the notification panel and that said that the flight had arrived.


    All eagerly he kept checking his attire and look every now and then by walking in front of the steel panels near the arrival gate. He knew that it would take a minimum of thirty minutes for her to pass through the formalities and baggage belt, but he was still getting all impatient.


    After fifteen minutes, he dropped her a text.


    "Waiting outside the airport. See you soon" - VIKRAM


    He saw that the message was delivered and read as well. That double blue tick mark somehow made him happy.


    As Akira came out of her bath she saw the message indication on her phone. She ran to check it, thinking that it was from Raymond. But then she saw that the message was from Vikram. She was a tad bit disappointed, but then she mumbled,


    "You made me suffer, you made him suffer, now it''s your turn". And saying that she picked the phone and called him up.


    "Hey, Vikram !!!"


    "Hi, Akira. Did you get your bag?"


    "Yeah, I got that today morning itself."


    "Wait, what? Today morning? Where are you right now?"


    "At my home. It''s Sunday evening. Where else will I be?"


    "I don''t understand. You said that you are going to reach here by today evening. You had even shared your flight details with me".


    "Oh, my bad. I must have given the wrong details to you. Are you waiting for me at the airport?"


    "Of course I am. I told you that I wille and pick you up".


    "Oh shit !!! All that effort in drain !!!", said Akira and sighed with drama.


    Vikram was annoyed to his max and was not able to understand what was happening. So getting all edgy he asked,


    "But I don''t understand. I told you that I was going toe and pick you up. So if you came in the morning and you didn''t find me, then why didn''t you call me?"


    "Oh,e on Vikram, why should I disturb you for such petty things. I mean you are a busy man and I know that very well. I thought you must be busy with something important. Else you would have definitelye to pick me up. So I took a cab instead and came back home".


    "I see", he said, but somehow he didn''t sound very convinced with her reasons. Something was definitely off about her.


    "You could have just texted me", he said taking a deep remorseful breath.


    Then he checked his watch and said,


    "Fine whatever mimunication has happened, has already happened. There is nothing that I can do about it. So wait for me at your ce, I will be there in another 50 minutes or so. Let''s go out for dinner together. I have booked your favorite Chinese restaurant at the Four Seasons."


    "I might have to do a rain check on that Vikram. I have already promised Mike that I will spend some time with him. Its been long that we two did anything together, as in like family. So maybe some other time?"


    "Where are you guys nning to go?"


    "Nowhere special. Just a match of foosball in the arcade center".


    "Can I join you guys?"


    "Well, I am sorry Vikram. As I said, it''s family time. So that would be just me and Mike. Ok, gotta go now else he will be miffed with me. Bye".


    Saying that Akira disconnected the call.


    Then she threw the phone on her bed and smiled and mumbled in her head,


    "Ouch Vikram !!! Did that hurt?"


    As Akira disconnected the call, Vikram stood there all stupified, unable to believe that Akira could say such a thing to him. Just when he had thought that things have be better and he was getting closer to her, she just pushed him miles away from her.


    He always considered himself as part of her family. Akira, Mike, and Vikram. That''s how he thought, or probably that''s how he had assumed all these days.


    But her statement was just like a p on his face. She had in a minute reduced him from family to just a friend.

 Chapter 346: All dressed up

    <h4>346 All dressed up</h4>


    Vikram knew that she was a bit moody for thest couple of days, but never in his wildest dreams, he expected her to banish him in this way. He looked at the flower bouquet which he was holding in his hands and then out of anger, he threw them into the dustbin nearby.


    He loosened his tie and started walking towards the parking feeling all dejected.


    She had been a bit difficult and edgy to handle for thest couple of days, but somehow she showed him a ray of hope only to block all the rays of hope, all at once pushing him into a purgatory filled with nothing but absolute darkness.


    He sat in the driving seat of his car for a while and then turned his navigation on. At first, he wanted to navigate to Brooklyn and wanted to check up on her if she was ok, but then he realized that the more he intruded into her life, the more distant and irritated she might be. So thinking from that perspective, he decided to go back home.


    ---


    Akira was lost in her thoughts when suddenly her phone beeped with a message.


    It was from a PRIVATE NUMBER and instantly seeing that message and a happy smile spread on her face.


    "I guess it''s high time to teach you some tango" - PRIVATE NUMBER


    With a smile on her lips, she replied,


    "I bet it is" - PRIVATE_NUMBER


    She bit her lip in excitement. Just the thought of him teaching her tango was enough to give her the chills. She remembered their first dance together at his apartment where he acted like he didn''t know how to dance and she gave him dancing lessons like he was a novice.


    "If only I knew that you knew dancing so well, I would have only danced with you till eternity", saying that she started to get ready.


    After getting ready she knocked on Mike''s door and the moment he came out, he was shocked to death.


    "You are wearing colors?", he eximed.


    Ever since Raymond had left her, she was always dressed up in formal colors only and that too only for office. At home, he always saw her in shorts and some random T-shirts. It was like as if she had forgotten what colors were, what prints were.


    But today dressed up in a sunshine yellow dress with orange tulips designed all over it, she looked like a breath of fresh air.


    He was happier than happiness to see her dressed up like this.


    Without saying a word, he just went forward and hugged her tight and said,


    "God, I missed you so much."


    She hugged him back tightly as well and said,


    "Just three days in London and you already miss me this much, huh."


    "No not that Akira, I missed this Akira", saying that he kissed her lightly on her forehead.


    She became all emotional and buried her nose in his chest but in response to that, he pushed her away and said,


    "Don''t be too over-sentimental. And don''t spoil my t-shirt for God''s sake."


    Akira was taken aback for an instant and her eyes changed instantly from emotional to murderous and she jumped to kick him.


    They both ran all around the house and Akira kept chasing him to hit him.


    "Timeout Timeout", Mike said and stopped near the sofa.


    cing her hands on her own waist Akira also came to a halt and then looked at her brother and said,


    "I missed me too."


    They both slumped into the sofa all tired andughed like crazy.


    "Finally !!! Finally, you smiled like before", saying that Mike clicked a picture of her on his phone.


    "What are you doing?",


    "I just want to remember this day. Every day Ie back and see you sitting all gloomy and sad. It used to kill me Akira. No matter what I tried, you never opened up, you never shared your pain with me. At least now that I see you happy, I feel so good about it. I can''t change what happened in the past, but I promise you that I will make our future better. I promise you that we will have a happy life together."


    Akira looked at Mike. That little boy had grown up and had be a fine man, a perfect gentleman to be precise.


    She looked fondly at him and then ruffled his hair and said,


    "I know that we will do just fine. The worst is over Mike. You will see. There is nothing but happy times ahead of us."


    Mike was surprised to see such positivity in her. She was giving him surprise after surprise.


    "Did you do drugs or something in London?", he asked and chuckled.


    "You have a death wish. Don''t you? You, moron."

 Chapter 347: Let the Tango party begin !!!

    <h4>347 Let the Tango party begin !!!</h4>


    As they walked towards themunity center where the foosball arena was present, Akira said to Mike,


    "Hey, it''s been long that we took a walk. Shall we cover that area?"


    "Ok, you have a free pass today. I will do anything that you wish. But just for today ok. The pass will expire today midnight."


    "Careful what you say there mister, you never know what I can ask for."


    "Oh, please Akira, now you are getting on my nerves", saying that Mike started walking towards the otherne which was pointed by Akira.


    As they reached the secondne, Akira suddenly stopped near a signboard that said,


    "ANTILLA - LET THE TANGO PARTY BEGIN?"


    A smile spread of her face the moment she saw the signboard. She looked at Mike with her face all beaming with excitement. She extended her hand and?dragged Mike towards the dance center, by grabbing on to his arms. As they walked towards the center, Mike retorted,


    "Why are we going there?"


    "Because I wanna learn the tango, Mike. Let''s check the rates at that center."


    "Wait, what? But why all of a sudden? And didn''t mom teach you a hell lot of dancing?"


    "Mom taught me ssical dance and some salsa moves, but here I want to learn the Tango."


    Seriously what has happened to you. You go to London and then bam, you arepletely a changed person right now. What did that ce do to my sister."


    "Oh please !!! Just shut up", Akira said and pushed him towards the pavement and then went inside the center along with him.


    "Hi there !!!"


    "Hello ma''am, Hello Sir, How can I help you."


    "She is the one who needs help, not me", Mike said sarcastically and made himself stand a foot away from her.


    "The receptionistughed and said,


    "Well, then how can I help you, ma''am?"


    "I want to start taking Tango lessons. I am a beginner with no experience in this dance form. So can you tell me about the timings and the rates of the sses to suit me?"


    "Well, we have two new batches starting up from tomorrow for beginners, so maybe you can join them."


    "Oh, great, who is teaching and can you tell me about the batch strength and the rates?"


    "Well one batch will be from the evening from 6 pm to 7 pm and the other will be from 7 pm to 8 pm. The 6 pm slot will be taken by our existing instructor Althea", saying that the receptionist pointed at a poster.


    "That''s her. She has been with us for thest 2 years and has pretty good reviews. If you want you can join a demo ss of hers for free."


    "Umm... ok sure. What about the 7 pm slot?"


    "Well, we have a new instructoring up for this batch. Mr. Maverick and he is going to take the 7 pm lesson. He is new but he is good. He had sent us his demo videos and he was pretty good with his dance skills."


    Akira just heard the name Maverik and that was enough for her to be convinced. She didn''t need any further exnations. She didn''t need any more seasoning. She blurted the very next minute,


    "I am in for the 7 pm slot."


    "Umm... Ok !!!", replied the receptionist.


    To be honest, she was a bit surprised as she thought that she might have to pitch fro Mr. Maverick properly as he was a new instructor, but not even one statement was required fro convincing her to join the batch, which was quite unnatural.


    But anyways, her work was done, so she didn''t ponder much about it.


    "Please fill up this form and check the rates in this rate card", saying that she handed over the form and card to Akira.


    Taking a pen from the receptionist''s desk, Akira filled the form.


    NAME -?Allie Hamilton


    .


    .


    She knew it well that she had to hide her identity. She knew it well that she had to wipe out any possible trace that could connect her with Raymond.


    "Allie Hamilton, as in the notebook movie girl."


    "Yeah, just like her."


    Mike stood there all surprised, unable to understand the notebook movie reference. But Akira continued to ignore him and got all the paperwork done.


    Then she paid 75 USD as advance money and left along with Mike. As she walked out of the dance center, she had a big grin on her face. Her heart was dying with excitement and anticipation.


    She was longing for his touch. She wanted him to warm her bare skin with his breath, titite her in every possible way with his sensuous touch. The thought itself was so steamy in her head that she started biting her lips.


    "Akira !!! Akira !!!", Where are you lost?"


    "Huh !!!"


    "The y arena is this way. Where are you going?", said Mike and pulled his sister toward the y arena.

 Chapter 348: Everest that I want to ascend - Chapter 1: !!!

    <h4>348 Everest that I want to ascend - 1 !!!</h4>


    After getting defeated by her brother in all the three sets in a row, and after shedding 100 USD as the winning amount, Akira happily started walking back towards their house. Throughout the evening that she was out, her hands were itching to text him, but she was somehow refraining herself, as she couldn''t let Mike, have a hint of what was happening in the background.


    Her ears were longing for his voice, while her eyes were longing for a sight of him. But little did she know that the longing in his heart was far worse than hers.


    Inside a car, which was parked just a few meters away from her house, he was waiting for her to arrive back at her home. The moment he saw them walking back together,ughing happily in a jolly mood, he was ecstatic. He saw her dressed up in a bright color dress after God knows how many days.


    She was wearing the same sneakers which he had bought for her and had given to her in London. It sprang a smile on his face. Somehow these small cute gestures of her brought immense happiness to him.


    Right now he just wanted to get out of the car and to run to her and embrace her in his arms and kiss the breath out of her, but somehow deep down he knew that he was being followed. So he just decided to station himself outside her house and fill his heart, just by looking at her.


    Suddenly Mike looked straight towards the car. Even though it was parked at quite a distance, the moment he looked at the driver seat, he was shocked,


    "What the !!!"


    Mike eximed like anything.


    "What happened, Mike?"


    But before he could see anything clearly, Raymond had already started his car.


    "Nothing, I just felt like... Erm... never mind. Let''s go in. It''s already getting quite dark."


    Saying that Mike shot up one more look in his direction, for he was sure that he saw him or someone who looked like him.


    After they got inside, Akira went straight to her bedroom and two minutes after that Mike came out of his bedroom and sneaked outside the house. He felt like he saw him, he knew that it was impossible, but he was not ready to ept that it was just a passing thought in his head.


    So he immediately went outside the house to the exact same spot where Raymond''s car was parked a while ago.


    Akira came out of her room after changing into her pajamas, to fill her water bottle and saw that the main door was open. All shocked and scared she was about to call Mike when she saw him entering the house.


    "Where the hell have you been?"


    "Ah nothing, just went outside to have a breath of fresh air."


    "Didn''t we juste back after inhaling bucket loads of fresh air?"


    "Well yeah, but I wanted some solitude."


    "Jeez that wording from your mouth, sounds so weird", saying that Akira retired back to her room.


    Taking a deep breath, Mike closed the door behind him and went straight to the room. He was just d that he was able to steer the conversation away because he couldn''t bear to discuss about Raymond with Akira, not after when for the first time in all these days she had started to live again.


    She got into her room and saw that there was a new message.


    "Looks like you guys had a nice time together !!!"?- RAYMOND*


    "Looks like someone was following me :P" - AKIRA


    A smile spread on his face as he read her reply.


    "Did u see me?" -?RAYMOND


    "Can I call? Don''t make me type this much" - AKIRA


    And she held her phone all eagerly, waiting for his response. But instead of sending a message, he had called her up directly.


    "Hii"


    "Hi there."


    "How are you?"


    She blushed just after hearing this question.


    "I feel good after hearing your voice"


    "Guess what? me too", Raymond said while driving back to his house.


    "Drive slowly ok and I hope you are using handsfree."


    "Yes, I am."


    "You didn''t answer my question. Did you see me?"


    "I didn''t but someone else had a glimpse of you and became all restless. So I could deduce that it must have been you."


    "Ah, I should have been discrete. But the moment I saw you, I just lost all my calm", Raymond said and chuckled.


    "But I didn''t get to see you. That''s not fair.


    "Come to the dance tomorrow. I bet you will beg me to stop visiting you"


    "Is that so?"


    "Well yeah, that''s my agenda for now."


    "So I am a task now?"


    "No, you are not a task, you are the Everest that I want to ascend."

 Chapter 349: Everest that I want to ascend - Chapter 2: !!!

    <h4>349 Everest that I want to ascend - 2 !!!</h4>


    Somehow his sentence ignited her mind, body and her soul. She felt like she had been struck by lightning, just with his words.


    He loved to y with his words and she knew it, but he would always catch her when her guards were low. She was unarmed against the assaults of his words.


    She stuttered and said,


    "What... what do you mean by ascending me?"


    "Whatever your mind is able to picture, exactly that multiplied twenty times in intensity. That''s what I mean by ascending," he said, without taking a breath.


    Somehow she had already started feeling hot, somehow the airconditioning of the room didn''t seem to be adequate enough. Unable to stand on her feet, she jumped on to her bed and asked,


    "Are you able to drive well?"


    "Why? Aren''t you able to stand well?", he asked, because he perfectly knew what effect his words had on her. He knew that she was melting from inside.


    "I am lying on my bed now", Akira said and took a deep breath.


    He could picture her lying on that bed of hers, on top of those lc-colored sheets, wearing her pajamas. Somehow this picture was bing too much for him as now it had started enticing his manhood.


    So exhaling a pound of air, he said,


    "Maybe its better that I call you back once I reach home", saying that he disconnected the call before she could even say a word, and drove back home as fast as possible.


    His hands were all restless, his mind was restless. Even though they had known each other since long, it felt like they were flirting with each other for the very first time. That giddiness, that strange feeling of a pit in the stomach was still feeling the same, just like the day when he had touched her hands the very first time while pressing the elevator button.


    He reached home and rushed inside his bedroom.


    He didn''t bother to remove his shoes, nor his jacket.


    The first thing that he did was to call her up.


    The same was her condition. She was lying on the bed in the same position with the phone in her hand and her heart racing with the speed of a horse, waiting eagerly for his call.


    The moment he rang, she picked it up before even the first ring couldplete.


    "Hi..."


    "Hi"


    "Were you waiting for my call?"


    Akira flipped after hearing his question. Of course, she was but no way in hell she was going to admit that.


    So she retorted back.


    "No, I wasn''t. I just wanted to know if you reached home safely or not. That''s all. Nothing more than that."


    "Really? Then how could you pick my call even before the first ring couldplete? Wasn''t the phone in your hand?"


    "Yes, it was, because I was... You know I was checking the weather."


    "The weather?"


    "Yeah, I was checking the weather to see if I need to wear a zer or jacket to the office tomorrow."


    "Oh, I see. And what was the temperature that you saw?"


    "Damn it this guy !!!"


    Akira muttered and tried to google it while she was still on the call with him. But that was such a rookie mistake as he could clearly hear the sound as she was typing.


    "Akira!!!"


    "Stop googling now."


    "How... How?do you know that I was googling now?"


    "That''s because I can hear it when you were using your touchpad. You haven''t disabled the touchpad key tones."


    Akira was rendered all speechless.


    She admired his brilliant mind, but his brilliance was taking a toll on her. She had no ce now to hide her face.


    Taking a deep breath, she was about to say something when he said.


    "I like it when you wait for my call eagerly like this. Makes me feel special about myself and I would love to keep it that way."


    His raspy voice was killing her softly. He was rendering her all defenseless with his tant confessions and she couldn''t possibly in any way escape from him.


    "I was waiting for your call", she said and then stayed silent.


    All they both could hear was the sound of each other''s breath and somehow that itself wasforting for Raymond. It had been ages that he had spoken with her this way. It had been ages that he had made her feel this way.


    He loosened the tie around his neck and got up from his bed. He removed his jacket and shoes and was still holding the phone close to his ears as he undressed because he didn''t want to even miss a single breath of hers.


    Then breaking the monotonicity of silence he asked,


    "Did you eat well?"


    "Yes, I did !!!"


    "But I guess u must have missed your dinner at Four Seasons."

 Chapter 350: The second opinion - 1

    <h4>350 The second opinion - 1</h4>


    "Four seasons !!!"


    Akira couldn''t believe that he knew about the reservation made by Vikram. The moment he spoke about it, she waspletely blown over.


    "Tell me how you know about it?"


    "Well when you enter a fight, you do not just check the strength of the opponent, you also check his weaknesses. I am not saying that I am waging a war against him. He is a reformed man now, and I am perfectly aware of it, but still, when ites to you, I can trust no man".


    "You sound so.... so bookish right now", Akira said and chuckled.


    "Bookish? Did you really want to call me bookish or there was something else that you wanted to call me as? Huh?"


    "Erm... maybe possessive !!!"


    "What the heck is wrong with you Akira, How is this bookish or possessive in any sense?", Raymond asked all annoyed. He was pouring his deepest emotions and there she was, enjoying excavating and spewing garbage all over him with her out of the world words.


    "You certainly know how to kill the mood", Raymond said and gulped water from the bottle ced on his desk.


    "Um...", said Akira and started ying with her hair all nervously because somehow she could sense that she had irked him and she knew that she had to pacify him as soon as possible because she had to convince him to apany her for all the test''s again at Dr. Nelson''s hospital.


    So thinking about the impending mission that she had set up in her mind, in a very cajoling way she spoke,


    "Ray !!! Are you free tomorrow?"


    "Akira, you know we can''t meet and date. I have already exined it to you. You know the situation we are in. Why do you want to risk it? Which part of it you do not understand".


    Hearing his annoyed voice, Akira felt a bit hurt.


    "Why do you always think that I have no idea about the gravity of the situation Raymond. Is it wrong of me to even desire to meet you after all these days?", Akira spoke and he could sense from her tone that she was pissed with?his words. Words that he couldn''t retract back in any way and words that had punctured that tiny heart of hers.


    Instant regret was what gripped him.


    So lowering his voice and in a very fond tone, he said,


    "I am sorry, tell me what you want? Where do you want to meet? I will try to make some arrangements".


    Sensing the sincerity and encapsted apology from his voice she said,


    "I wanted to meet you for some other reason, Raymond. Not to y or have fun."


    "Ok tell me. When and where?"


    Taking a pause, Akira said,


    "When I went to the conference which you were supposed to attend, I...."


    "Wait, what conference? Medical conference in which Oshana was participating?"


    Akira''s nerves burned to hear her name from his mouth in an informal tone, but still keeping her calm she said,


    "Yes, the same conference."


    "But why would you even go there?" Raymond asked all worried because he thought that the severity of his condition might have affected Akira in a weird way as his reports were a part of Oshana''s paper.


    "Just listen to me for once, without interrupting me, Raymond. I will go to any freaking conference in any part of the world if that would help me to understand your condition in a better way. I am ready to do anything that it takes to get you back on your wheel. Do you understand that? I cannot lose hope Raymond, I just cannot".


    Her voice was almost cracking, and Raymond knew that he had touched her sensitive side, which he shouldn''t have.


    "I am sorry", he said and then stayed silent.


    She was surprised to hear him dropping his weapons, all at once.


    Taking a pause, she said,


    "The thing is, I met a doctor there, who is also working in New York and is specialized in treating ''Acquired Prosopagnosia''. He gave a brilliant paper at the conference and given his experience, I am pretty sure he might be able to provide some more insights to us. I have sourced his contact information as well."


    "He has more than 5-6 patients with simr conditions under him. So I guess we can opt for a second opinion. I am not saying that Dr. Oshana is incapable or less qualified in this regard. All I want is a second opinion, just for the sake of the peace of my heart. That''s all. There is no harm in that, right?", saying that Akira stayed silent for a while waiting for his response.


    "And that Doctor would be Dr. Jaby Nelson I suppose?"


    His question did nothing less than baffling her up.

 Chapter 351: The second opinion - 2

    <h4>351 The second opinion - 2</h4>


    "How do you know about him?" Akira asked all surprised.


    "Akira, my dear, do you think I would leave any options unexplored? Dr. Oshana had already sent all my reports to Dr. Nelson for his second opinion. She always obtains a second opinion from him after getting results from any of my tests. So rest assured. You do not have to worry about all this."


    "She did?"


    "Yes. She is a very diligent doctor and very down to earth. She doesn''t hesitate to take a second opinion unlike other doctors who take it up to their egos."


    "I see."


    Akira heard him, but somehow she couldn''t digest the fact that Dr. Oshana would have done such a thing because when she had shared the reports of Raymond to Dr. Nelson he was genuinely interested and was scanning the pages like he was checking an entirely new case for the very first time.


    Then she also recollected how Oshana called him towards her seating area, to show him some more reports of Raymond to distract him away from her. And while they wereing back to the hotel together, Dr. Nelson said only positive things about the report. So no way it was possible that he had seen them before, but she had no sure way of knowing it.


    So she couldn''t understand what was going on.


    Either Dr. Nelson didn''t recollect seeing Raymond''s reports earlier or maybe he was never given those reports in the first ce. Either way, Akira knew that she had to find out the truth and the only way to know it was to contact Dr. Nelson.


    "Akira !!! Are you there?"


    "Yeah, I... I am here."


    "Don''t overthink about this Akira. I cannot change the situation that I am in right now, but I promise you that even though we don''t have eternity, I will still try my best to give you all the happiness that you deserve. So just trust me on this and let this phase be over. I cannot live under this thought that keeps me haunting forever. I cannot even sleep peacefully, just worrying about you, wanting to know if you are safe if you are ok. If anything happens to you because of me, I cannot live Akira."


    "Nothing will happen to me, Raymond. Nothing. I have you by my side and you are my biggest strength. So just close your eyes and lie down on the bed and imagine that you are hugging me tightly. And..."


    "And?"


    "And... maybe you give a goodnight kiss and put me to sleep."


    "Huh...."


    "What?"


    "You really think if you are there with me in my bedroom, on my bed, I would just hug you and give you a goodnight kiss?"


    "I just..."


    "Akira !!! Don''t you think we are way past that stage? Don''t you think you can talk to me about what your heart desires? Don''t you think you can tell me the way you want to be loved?"


    Hearing those words, Akira could neither blink nor breathe.


    A strangemotion was there in her body, like a sudden surge of weird energy that was captivating her soul. maybe it was his voice, maybe it was the effect of his words, nevertheless, the hunger inside of her started revealing his face.


    Gulping and gasping over the phone she said,


    "Am I meeting you tomorrow night at 7 pm at Antia?"


    "Yes, you are."


    "Will you... dance with me tomorrow?"


    "No... I am just going to teach you how."


    "But why?"


    "Because I am in a mood for teasing."


    "You what?"


    "Instant gratification !!! Is that what you want from me? Then you are to be disappointed", he said with a chuckle in his voice.


    "When did I ask for that?"


    "You didn''t, but your heart and your mind did."


    "That''s quite presumptuous of you Mr. Raymond. Don''t you think so?"


    "Ahh... what to do? Girls are always smitten with my aura."


    Hearing this line of his, Akira suddenly realized that in the dance ss tomorrow there would be other girls as well and somehow the thought of Raymond teaching them how to dance was intolerable for her.


    So she blurted it out,


    "Don''t you dare ogle at any other woman there. Touching and dancing with them is out of your sybus."


    Laughing at her naive jealousy, Raymond asked,


    "Then how am I supposed to teach my students?"


    "Just do the damn demo on me and ask them to follow. What weird choice of life have you made. You could have better been the janitor at the studio and I would havee to dance there. It would have been simpler. Why did you have to be the instructor."


    "Wao Akira, a janitor huh... Then would they have allowed a janitor to touch and explore a woman''s body? Would they have allowed me to tease you by lifting your dress inch by inch? Would I have been able to run my fingers on your hot warm skin? Tell me?"

 Chapter 352: That splitting headache

    <h4>352 That splitting headache</h4>


    "Damn it, Raymond !!!"


    "Would you please stop it. I can''t take it anymore. Stop putting in these thoughts inside of my head. You know it well that I need you. Like I need you right now."


    "I know you do, but not more than me."


    Said Raymond and then taking a deep breath he whispered,


    "I promise you a wonderful evening tomorrow. An evening that you will remember. But as in for now. Sleep tight. It''s quitete."


    "You promise?"


    "I promise Akira."


    Suddenly she felt like her soul had been soothed. She felt like that tiny little promise of his, covered her up like a warm nket and made her feel all warm and fuzzy.


    "Mmm...."


    "Sleep now", said Raymond and he himself went under the duvet on his bed.


    "Goodnight Raymond."


    "Laters baby", he said and then gave out a tender smooch before disconnecting the call.


    That night, probably for the first time, Akira could sleep on her bed without feeling all restless, without getting haunted with the memories of Raymond. The memories still flooded her head, but this time instead of giving pain, they made her feel loved all over again.


    Feeling all fuzzy and warm with those memories, she caved into sleep.


    ---


    "Holy Cow !!!"


    Said Dr. Nelson as he woke up the next morning from his hangover.


    His head was spinning like he was sitting inside of a coffee spinner.


    He immediately went to the washroom and sshed cold water on his face to sober himself up.


    Opening up the medicine kit next to the sink, he popped two Advils and gulped a ss of water. After freshening up, he came back to his bedroom and ordered for a cup of espresso which arrived in immediately in 2-3 minutes.


    After having the coffee and Advil, he felt a bit better. Then he opened his phone to check the time and then checked his flight schedule again to see if there was any dy.


    He had almost two hours left with him before he had to start for the airport.


    But all that drinking had taken so much toll on him, that he just wanted to stay there back for one more day. For a moment he felt like calling up the airlines to push his ticket for tomorrow, but after seeing the messages from his secretary and his operation date and time schedule, he just couldn''t.


    Who told the life of a neurosurgeon can be simple?


    Even though he wanted to take a break he couldn''t. He was bounded by his hospital but more than that he was bounded by his patients.


    So, taking a deep breath, he started packing his bags.


    Then suddenly his doorbell rang.


    "Who woulde to meet me at this ungodly hour", he mumbled as the sound of the bell was causing his headache to be even worse.


    Outside he found a bell boy holding his wallet on a tray.


    "Sir sorry to disturb you but you had left your wallet at the bar counter yesterday. We tried to give it back to you yesterday itself but I guess you were fast asleep so we couldn''t."


    "Oh thank you so so much", saying that Dr. Nelson took the wallet and gave a 50USD tip to the bellboy before returning to the room.


    "I should stop this drinking habit of mine", he mumbled and took a strong mental note of it so that he could impose the restriction on himself and to avoid it happening again the next time.


    After packing his bags, he quickly took a shower and then ordered the breakfast to his room. He was in no mood to go downstairs to eat. As a doctor, he knew how to take proper care of hangover. Having a heavy breakfast was a must, along with proper hydration.


    After getting ready, he left his room a bit earlier than the time at which he had to start for the airport as he wanted to visit the bartender guy to personally thank him for sending the wallet back to him.


    Luckily as he entered the bar, he was on service duty.


    "My man !!!"


    "Hello Sir, Hope you are feeling well now."


    "Well not exactly, to be honest", Dr. Nelson said and chuckled and the bartender could easily guess the reason. He knew that he would definitely suffer from a bad hangover, given the amount of alcohol he had consumed yesterday evening.


    "I am leaving now. I just dropped by to say thanks. I would have gone nuts if the wallet would have gone missing. It was gifted to me by someone special."


    "No issues at all sir."


    "No, but seriously thanks for your efforts."


    "It''s nothing, sir. I just picked it and gave it to your wife. I didn''t have to do anything sir."


    "My wife???"

 Chapter 353: The hangover effec

    <h4>353 The hangover effec</h4>


    "What are you talking about?" Dr. Nelson asked all astonished.


    "Erm... I met your wife in the lobby, so I gave the wallet to her and I left. I mean your wife gave that wallet back to you right?"


    Dr. Nelson pinched the space between his brows and then looking at the bartender he said,


    "Um... What did you tell her?"


    "Sorry, sir !!! I?don''t understand. Did I do something wrong? Was I not supposed to give it to her?"


    Getting all impatient, Dr. Nelson said,


    "Um... No nothing like that. I just want to know what you said to her when you returned the wallet."


    By now he had understood that the bartender hadn''t met his wife, he had met Akira instead.


    "Actually when I held your wallet, it identally had the p open and I saw the picture of your wife in there or girlfriend. I am sorry if I assumed her as your wife. I was just going to the reception to return it and I saw her standing there with a trolley in her bag and I assumed that you guys must be leaving or something. So I hurried to her and gave her the wallet."


    Taking a deep breath, Dr. Nelson, who had already lost all his patience, asked,


    "That''s fine. What did you say when you handed her the wallet?"


    Getting a bit scared, the bartender tried to remember his exact words and said,


    "I just said - Ma''am your husband''s wallet. That''s all. And assuming that the wallet was in safe hands, I just left."


    The stuff that he was dreading the most had happened.


    Without saying a new word further, he tapped on his shoulder and said a "Thank You" and left for the airport.


    He wasn''t sure how she would have taken it. He wasn''t sure if she figured out anything.


    The whole time on his way to the airport, he spent worrying about the impending aftermath.


    But just after his security check was done, he received a call from a PRIVATE NUMBER.


    "Who could this be?", he mumbled and then picked up the call.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson?"


    "Yes, speaking."


    "This is Akira. Akira Peyton. We met at the medical conference in London. Hope you remember me?"


    Dr. Nelson wanted to tell her, how absurd her question was. He wanted to tell her that he remembered everything about her, but the only thing that said was,


    "Oh yeah !!! Sure. Tell me."


    "You told that I could ask you for any help or any random query and stuff like that right?"


    "Yes, Tell me what question do you have in your head right now?"


    "Well, the thing is I am wondering if by any chance did you read about Raymond''s case earlier?"


    "I do not understand this question of yours."


    "I mean have you ever read his case file earlier. Because I wanted to discuss some points with you if you have some time. So wanted to know if you have gone through his case file since you are also researching in this domain."


    "Well, Raymond''s case is quite interesting because apart from?acquired prosopagnosia he doesn''t have any other ailments. So it will be interesting to see his healing process. If you want to discuss, we can discuss. Although I haven''t checked his case file earlier, but yesterday I have read a lot about his case from the report and from Dr. Oshana''s records. If I had known earlier that she had such a case with her, then probably I would have myself contacted you guys."


    "That bitch", Akira muttered under her breath.


    "Sorry !!! Come again."


    "Ah, I didn''t say anything. So maybe what I will do is, I will text you some of the questions if that''s ok with you."


    "Well yeah sure thing. Feel free to text as many questions that you have."


    "Erm... Dr. Nelson...."


    "Yes?"


    "The thing is... Um... "


    "Can you tell me or ask me openly what is there in your head?"


    "The thing is, I feel bad taking free consultation from you like this. I know you are the top neurosurgeon of New York and the best Doctor for?acquired prosopagnosia since you have had the maximum number of cases under you and I have also googled your hourly charges."


    "What are you trying to tell here Akira?"


    "I mean, I have been bugging you since the time I met you and I know that I will keep bugging you since the curiosity in my head is never going to rest. So I just wanted to let know that if you want to charge then I am ok to pay for consultation over the phone as well."


    Somehow this didn''t go well with Dr. Nelson.


    Somehow in a minute, she made him feel like a cheap Doctor who was worried about nothing else but his hourly payment.

 Chapter 354: Who is Alita ?

    <h4>354 Who is Alita ?</h4>


    Sensing the awkward silence creeping in between them, Akira asked,


    "Dr. Nelson, are you there?"


    "Yes, I am", he said taking a deep breath, unable to find words to reciprocate to her questions.


    "So are we clear here? I mean I know you are a very kind and helpful man, but I don''t want to take unwanted and undue advantage of that."


    Hearing her words he could clearly understand that she didn''t say any of it in a bad way. Her intent was good. So for a moment, he was unable to think what to say and how to say, for there were so many things that were running through his mind. So finally, he said,


    "To be honest, I seriously will feel bad if you offer me money like that. I mean I never met you as someone with a patient. I was the first one to talk with you because I just wanted to help the girl who was scribbling all the medical terms on her notepad."


    "But..."


    "Let me finish Akira", saying that Dr. Nelson made her pause in between and then he said,


    "I helped you because I just wanted to do so. Not because I had any mary intentions of any intention of capturing a new patient in my mind, given that this disease is very rare. I honestly just wanted to help you. I am telling you all this just to make my stand clear. That''s all. But I guess If I stand in your shoes, it might be weird to take help from me. So I totally understand your predicament."


    "You do?" Akira asked softly.


    "Yes, I do. So if you really want to help then, instead of paying me any fees or anything, you can donate any amount that you feelfortable with to my charitable trust - HOPE. It is a New York-based organization which takes care of old people who have been abandoned by their kids. We take care of their basic needs and medical needs."


    "Wow, that ... you know... Umm... sounds wonderful."


    "And to top it off, you can im the Charitable Contribution Deductions and evade from taxes."


    "Sounds good to me."


    "So I guess we are all set with the deal?"


    "Yes, definitely. Such a big burden is now lifted off my shoulders", Akira said and smiled.


    "I wish you didn''t feel burdened by this small thing. Erm... You have anything else?", Dr. Nelson asked?a bit skeptically because he wasn''t sure if she couldprehend why the bartender addressed her as his wife. He was expecting her to ask about it but it looked like she wasn''t even bothered about it as not even once in the entire discussion she brought that topic up.


    "Yeah, I guess that would be all from my side. I better start drafting my queries to you", saying that Akira started fiddling with the rope of her pajamas.


    She had not forgotten the incident at that hotel where he had addressed her as Alita and then the bartender had misunderstood her as his wife. She wanted to rify her questions but she didn''t want to sound impolite and intrusive as well.


    Sensing a lull from the other side of the phone Dr. Nelson said,


    "Ok then. I better keep the call. My boarding starts in another 10 mins."


    "Oh ok, so you are flying back today?"


    "Um...Yes", saying that Dr. Nelson looked at his phone screen and then asked,


    "What is with this PRIVATE NUMBER? Are you into some covert state-run mission like FBI or CBI or something?"


    "God no...", Akira said and chuckled.


    "I am into the gaming domain. Game design basically. I use a private number because being a girl getting all those prank calls is way too tiring, to be honest."


    "I see, very true."


    "But you can just call me on this number because I have added you to my list. So you won''t be blocked unlike others."


    "Ok, I guess I should feel privileged here then."


    "Erm... no-no. I didn''t mean to put it that way... I just..."


    "Ok, then... I will see you soon sometime in NewYork", he said, interrupting her in between.


    "Yeah, sure thing", she said and was about to disconnect the call, but the questions which were haunting her in the back of her head, which she had been trying hard to suppress, started sprouting all of a sudden and made her bber the very next second,


    "Who is Alita?"


    On the other end of the line, the moment he heard the question. His jaws clenched and his nerves became all taut. For a second he felt like he was standing in a field of vacuum with no control over himself and his emotions at all.


    The next thing that he did was to disconnect the call.

 Chapter 355: In search for relief

    <h4>355 In search for relief</h4>


    "Shit !!! Why did I have to blurt it out right now", Akira cursed herself and waited for a response from him impatiently.


    But there was nothing but silence.


    She knew that she had totally taken the wrong call, but there was no way to retrace her steps back.


    She held the phone all still, close to her ears, waiting for him to speak. But the call was disconnected soon after.


    "Of course, he cut the call", saying that Akira flipped the phone on her bed and got up all disappointed. This was so not the way how she was expecting her day to start. But now at least one thing was clear. All this time Dr. Oshana had lied to Raymond about getting his reports reviewed by Dr. Nelson.


    Now all that she had to do was to convince Raymond to visit Dr. Nelson just once to confirm everything before revealing the truth behind Sebastian.


    Taking a deep breath she ran a bath for herself and then texted Raymond using her private number


    "Good Morning !!! What are you doing right now?"?- AKIRA


    Raymond was getting ready to visit somewyers but seeing her message he immediately sat down on the sofa and replied,


    "Going to get some work done." - RAYMOND


    "You?" - RAYMOND


    "Going to take a bath." - AKIRA


    "Take a long nice bath to calm your nerves. You have a long day at the office and then an evening with me." - RAYMOND


    "Ahh.. don''t worry. I will handle all that. After all, I am a bossdy" - AKIRA


    "Are you so sure about it?" - RAYMOND


    "You will see." - AKIRA


    She said and smiled till her ears, waiting for his reply.


    "Oh, that I will. See you at 7 pm at Anti" - RAYMOND


    "See you" - AKIRA


    Her tiny heart which was all worried a moment before but right now it was healed in a minute by him. All ted and excited she took a long bath and then got ready for the office.


    ---


    After disconnecting the call, Dr. Nelson stood there for a minute to gather himself and then proceeded towards his boarding gate.


    Somehow he was regretting all of his decisions that he had taken this week.


    "Why did I even approach her?"


    "Why did I even go and talk to her. What is the point of all this?"


    "Why destiny has to be this cruel?"


    Saying that he opened his wallet and fondly moved his fingers over the picture of his beautiful wife Alita and then sighed,


    "I am sorry, I don''t know what had gotten inside of me. I don''t know why I am doing all this. I know that she isn''t you. But her face, her face draws me towards her. I feel like I should protect her at least. That''s the least I can do."


    Then wiping an unruly tear from the corner of his eyes, he kept the wallet back inside his pocket and proceeded towards the boarding gates.


    He was unable to understand how Akira knew about his wife''s name. He assumed that she might have searched for him and found the information. But little did he know that he himself had given out all the information in his drunken state.


    After boarding the flight, he adjusted himself on his seat and then?stowed his bag.


    The very next moment he saw the air hostessing in his direction and she looked exactly like Alita. Feeling all weird he turned towards his side and found his co-passenger looking like Alita. He knew something was wrong in his head, so he immediately closed his eyes and leaned his head back to stop his mind from racing.


    But the moment he closed his eyes, Bam !!!


    He remembered his drunken state conversation with Akira.


    He remembered everything, right from the way as he walked towards her to the way he had addressed her as Alita.


    "Jesus Christ !!! What have I done?"


    The damage had already been done. The only thing that he could attempt to do was to repair it. But even he didn''t know how he could even attempt to repair it.


    Out of frenzy, he texted her,


    "Can we meet? I need to discuss about Raymond''s condition. No need to bring him. You cane alone" - Dr. JABY NELSON


    But after pressing that send button, he re-read the text again and that was it.


    "What am I doing?", he held his head in his palm as it had started to throb again. His text sounded like that of an absolute creep. And just a few minutes back she had exined to him about the need of a Private Number.


    He was not acting like him. This was so not him.


    He immediately called for flight assistance and again took an Advil.


    Being a doctor he knew that he was over using, but right now he just wanted relief from it. All of it.

 Chapter 356: Remembering Alita - 1

    <h4>356 Remembering Alita - 1</h4>


    As he buckled his seatbelt and leaned back for the take-off, his mind couldn''t stop from reeling back in time, into the past. The past that was severely painful for him even to recollect, the past which rather than bringing a smile on his face, always brought back the heavy weight of sorrow, which kept drowning him into an endless abyss of nothing but pain.


    Ever since his wife had passed away, there had been a gaping wound in his heart, which no matter how hard he tried, was never filled.


    He helmed a mask of a smile, busied himself in his profession, drowned himself in overtime and phnthropic activities, but nothing could heal him, like ever.


    But the moment he saw Akira, the moment he got to know about her pain, he felt that by helping her, in a way he can lessen the burden that had been lying on his shoulders. he was hoping to seek salvation, but little did he know that his attempt wille and bite him back, rendering him feeling even more helpless than before.


    Alita, his beautiful wife had left for the heavenly abode, precisely four years ago.?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    She herself was a patient of acquired prosopagnosia and was diagnosed a year back after she had met a fatal road ident. At that time the disease was new and not many were aware of it, including Dr. Nelson himself.


    So neither he was capable of diagnosing it appropriately, nor he was able to figure out what had actually gone wrong with her. In a quest to make her feel alright, to heal her back, he tried all the medicines, including research medicines which had not been marketed for public usage yet. But there was no sess.


    She failed to recognize him. She failed to even acknowledge him. Every day had be a struggle for her as she had a case of mild amnesia which slowly transformed itself into an acute case. Her condition was bing worse day after day. Even though he was a doctor, he was ready to even try at the quacks. He was that desperate to get her treated, for the wife who once loved him more than?anything else in the world, was slowly getting all detached, all distanced from him.


    He loved her way more than he knew that he did and he slowly realized that when she was even scared of his touch.


    It killed him, day by day, minute after minute, to see her not reciprocating to any treatment whatsoever and any clinical trials too.


    She had stopped eating gradually, as she wasn''t sure who she was. She was loosing her own identity, her own self and was looming into depression. Dr. Nelson had no idea how to bring her back. At that time it wasn''t known as a self-healing disease where all that you had to do was to wait patiently for self-recovery.


    So he took leave from his hospital and started to hunt for all possible clinical trials which were being conducted across the globe. Because he thought that, somewhere, someone must be doing something right.


    So finally he found one research paper by a scientist couple in Japan, whose own son was suffering from this ailment and they imed in their paper that they had cured it by mild induction of electric charge or simtion.


    Getting all hopeful, he bought the tickets and everything for her and they left for Japan. He had already contacted the Japanese Doctor couple who had done the trial on their kid and had imed 100 percent recovery from?acquired prosopagnosia.


    They studied all her reports and oues of all the clinical trials and based on her age and tenure of the disease they calcted the amount of electric surge that was to be given to her.


    All excited after their findings, they fixed the dates for the trials. He had already shelled a huge amount of money and this was thest shot that he possibly had and so he went all in and paid them in advance for the 10 sessions to be conducted on her.


    After the first session, there wasn''t much difference in her mannerisms and behavior but after the third one while going back to the hotel, she said,


    "Jaby !!! Where are we going?"


    "What did you just say?"


    "This doesn''t look like New York Jaby. Where are we? Where are we going?"


    The moment he heard her say those words, his heart was ted. He felt like love would return to his life again. He felt like he would soon be able to set everything ok. He hugged her tight as she leaned on to him.


    Her frail figure was turning paler day after day, but this man sat all strong next to her, never losing any hope.

 Chapter 357: Remembering Alita - 2

    <h4>357 Remembering Alita - 2</h4>


    They went for two sessions more, but her condition still stayed the same or rather grew a bit worse than before.


    Even the Doctors who were conducting this clinical trial were now less hopeful for the trial to be a sess. But of all the people, he didn''t lose hope, he couldn''t dare to. Because he knew that the moment he lost hope, he would not only lose her, he would lose himself because she was his identity.


    Plus his mind was not ready to ept the fact that she couldn''t be healed as just a few days back she had said his name, out loud from her own mouth while she leaned on to him.


    So he was not ready to ept defeat, he was not ready to ept what fate had in store for him.


    The trial had a lot of repercussions. As a result of the side effect from the medicines and electric surge being used, she stayed constantly nauseated. Whatever solid food she ingested, she vomited it out after a while.


    She was on a constant supply of drip. Solid foods were reced with Conjee[1] and Soups.


    The next morning was her 6th session.


    As she was ced on the bed and the electrodes were ced on her forehead, she looked straight up at Dr. Nelson, who was standing behind the other side of the ss panel. She looked at him like she recognized him.


    Looking at her fixed gaze, Dr. Nelson felt all hopeful again and the surge was given to her for two minutes.


    But this time, neither did she close her eyes, nor did her body flinch. She was constantly looking at her Jaby as the process was going on.


    Sensing something wrong Dr. Nelson immediately went down to the procedure room and by that time the surge process waspleted.


    With her half-opened eyes, she looked at him, like there were unspoken words right at the tip of her tongue. He went immediately close to her and held her hand. The moment he did, she said herst words, before closing her eyes forever,


    "Jaby."


    "Jaby."


    "Dr. Jaby? Dr. Jaby Nelson?"


    He heard the sudden voice of the air-hostess and flipped back to the present. There were tears in his eyes and he looked all disturbed.


    "Are you ok sir? Do you need any more medicine?", the air hostess asked politely as she had already given him an Advil and looking at his current state she could easily deduce that he wasn''t ok.


    "Oh, no thanks !!!"


    "Would you like something to drink sir?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    His eyes went towards the trolley carrying an exquisite collection of drinking options. He took a pause and then said,


    "Apple juice. I would like a ss of apple juice please."


    "Sure sir", she said and poured him a ss of juice.


    Sipping on to the ss of apple juice, he wiped the tears from his eyes and mumbled,


    "How can apple juice be your favorite drink Alita out of all the possible nice things?"


    Then taking a breath, he gulped the entire content in the ss and then went to the washroom to wash his face.


    After returning back to his seat, he started browsing online.


    ''Akira Peyton gaming''


    And the moment he pressed enter, he was shocked with the oue of Google Results.


    ''Akira Peyton, The Woman of the Year''


    ''Who said gaming was only for boys? - Meet Akira Peyton''


    ''Is Delphie hungry or Akira?''


    ''Who is this new sensation - Akira Peyton''


    ''The girl who defied all the stereotypes - Akira Peyton''


    and so on.


    He had no idea that the woman he had just met was one of the most famous entrepreneurs in New York, running a multi-million dorpany. She didn''t look like the usual CEO type material. She was so down to earth, humble, kind and curious like a kid. There was no way, she could be this fierce woman.


    Thinking about all that he clicked a link where she had a magazine interview of hers to know more about her. He didn''t know why he was so curious, but somehow he was.


    So he opened the link and read her answers. But he literally chocked on his breath when he read this section.


    Q - So you are quite young. Do you like alcohol and partying?


    A - Well who doesn''t like partying. But I am more of a Karaoke girl and since my alcohol tolerance is quite less, I usually avoid it.


    Q -?Then how do you manage at Social gatherings?


    A- Oh I have my holy grail for that. My favorite apple juice. It can pass well for a ss of champagne. You know what I mean.


    "This is so not possible !!!", he eximed.


    [1]Congee?or conjee is a type of rice porridge or gruel popr in many Asian countries

 Chapter 358: The new Creative Director

    <h4>358 The new Creative Director</h4>


    The moment Akira entered the office, everyone turned their heads to cross-check again if that was her for real.


    She was wearing a floral print peach dress and white sneakers to the office.


    Not only her attire, but her entire demeanor was different today. As she crossed them and entered her cabin, they all stood stupified.


    "Wait, that was really her?"


    "Did I just see her smiling as she was checking her phone?", mumbled Kirk.


    "That must be a hell of a funny meme. It made her smile man. I wonder what that meme was", Simon said and sat back.


    "Why do you think it was a meme? Could have been a joke?", asked Kirk.


    "Forget all that guys, did you see her clothes", chimed Brian.


    "Something is different about her today. She looks like in a good mood today. Hope she increases our bonuses and gives us free coffee", joked Kirk.


    "For that to happen, you need to stop noticing every little thing happening around you and focus on the new project that''s uing", said David and entered the Graphic team area.


    "You alwayse to dampen our mood or what? Or did she specifically send you here to kill our spirits", mocked Simon as only he had the capacity to mess with David, given that he was also an old and loyal employee of Delphie like him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "Aren''t you getting more and more creative these days Simon?", said David and smiled.


    "Oh,e on", said Simon and swiveled back towards his monitor.


    "I seriously don''t understand why the Creative Director is getting pissed for being called as creative", said David and smiled.


    "Wait, what? What did you just say?", Simon turned back all astonished and asked.


    David smiled and said,


    "Why don''t you wait for five minutes more when you know it officially", and saying that he left for his area.


    There was a suddenmotion in the Graphic wing and everyone started pouring congrattions to Simon and then suddenly Akira arrived and they all went back silent.


    "I sense amotion going on here", she said with a poker straight face.


    "Oh, nothing we were just...", Kirk was about to utter the reason, but he saw the ring eyes of Simon and stayed silent.


    Then with a serious tone, Akira said,


    "This is office premises and I expect serious work to be done over here and no merry making."


    They all hung their head low.


    She wasughing inside her head to see them all getting into the submissive mode and said,


    "If you want to celebrate then this is not how you celebrate."


    Hearing her words Simon felt like because of him, all others were also facing her wrath. So he got up and came forward and said,


    "We all are sorry but actually, it''s all my fault...."


    "Damn right it''s all your fault Mr. Creative Director. If you want to celebrate then be creative. Invite us all for lunch. Just chattering here in the office makes no sense to me", she said and smiled looking at Simon.


    "Wait, what?", he was shocked to hear her candid reply.


    "What? Do you think you can escape so easy after such a big promotion? I don''t think so. The official mail has already been sent. So I guess it''s time for you to send the official lunch invite", saying that Akira smiled at him and went back to her cabin.


    Simon was still staring in her direction when all other team members hounded him again asking for a lunch treat.


    Aftering back to her seat, Akira called for David who came to her cabin as soon as possible with a stack of legal documents in his hands.


    Aftering in, he showed her a few of the papers which had uses highlighted by the legal team of Delphi.


    "This one can easily be pushed away by their team."


    "What about this use?"


    "This seems ok. But their legal team is huge and they will be able to figure out a loophole. Somehow I am getting that vibe."


    "Hmm.... even I felt the same", David nodded and said.


    Then, picking up another paper from the stack he asked,


    "What about this one Akira? I think this one is rock solid", saying that he handed over a paper to her.


    Akira read the use and then re-read it again and smiled,


    "This is perfect."


    "You know what will make it even more rock-solid iron-d unescapable use?"


    "What David?"


    "If we merge the second use with it", saying that David handed her the second use paper which she had pushed to the side earlier.


    She read both of them for a while and then looked at David and said,


    "God, I seriously love your skills, David. What would I have done without you?"

 Chapter 359: Finding the right clause

    <h4>359 Finding the right use</h4>


    David blushed with herpliment and said,


    "You are exaggerating Akira. The whole idea was yours. What our legal team and I did was to search in the direction that you suggested. So if the credit should go to anyone, then it should be you and only you", saying that David gave out a gentle smile.


    Akira smiled back and then said,


    "This bribery won''t work on me, David. I am still not sure, how you kept away such a big thing away from me David. Didn''t you feel pity for me? Didn''t you feel like telling me the truth? How could you keep it to yourself for all these years?"


    "Feel Pity for you?", David said and sank deep into the chair.


    Then looking at Akira he said,


    "There were days when after seeing you getting all drowned in the pang of separation, I hated myself, my entire existence, as I felt like I was the one who was causing all the pain to you. I have cried tears of blood for your sake Akira. So don''t ever think that it was easy on me."


    Taking a deep breath Akira looked at David and then said,


    "I trust you David and Raymond trusts you more than anyone else in the world and I trust him. So I know that you had the reasons. But are we missing out on something? Are you not able to tell us something about Sebastian? Is there something that we should know about him?"


    "What do you mean Akira?"


    "What I mean is, it''s not possible for someone to hate me so much so that he will go on the extent to kill me just out of the blue. There must be some solid reason behind this hatred. I need to figure out the reason before Raymond does. Because I don''t know how bad it is. I don''t know if he can handle it or not."


    "What do you mean Akira? What are you trying to say?"


    "What I am trying to say is, given the current condition of Raymond, I don''t think that it is good for him to know about anything drastic. He is currently on a mission to find out why his father is after me and I know that he will not rest until he finds out why."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "So?"


    "So I want you to assist him in finding the reason out, but do not let him know about the reason before I do. Because I don''t want him to go through any shock. I need to figure out if in any way I have offended Mr. Sebastian in the past or something, none that I know of but still I need to figure out if I am rted to him in some way or the other."


    "I get that."


    "And may I know what Raymond is up to currently? Do you know he has signed these papers and he gave them to me? What does this mean?"


    Saying that Akira showed him the legal papers which had been given by Raymond when he had met her in the car.


    David held the legal paper and read a few lines and said,


    "Do not worry about this. Whatever he is doing is for your own good only. Just understand this part."


    Taking a deep breath Akira said,


    "Come on David, what is this going on? Why he has to hide what he is doing? At least you can tell me, right? Maybe I can help him with the stuff that he is attempting to do", saying that she looked at David all hopefully.


    "Well were you not trying to do something behind his back just a few minutes ago, requesting me to figure out the reason before he did and to reveal it to you?", saying that David smiled at her.


    "But this is different. I was doing this to protect him."


    "Then maybe he has the same reasons Akira", saying that David got up from his seat.


    He held the file and the papers in his hands and said,


    "I am going to give these documents to the legal department and will inform them about your opinion and then we are going to give a call to Vikram''s team. I think it would be better if you do the informing Vikram part. He won''t be able to say no to you."


    Then he left for the door exit but before that, he turned back and said,


    "Have faith in him Akira. He is way more mature than his age. He will handle everything for you. Just have faith in him and a little bit of faith in me. We will not let you down in any way."


    Saying that he exited from the main door while she kept ncing in his direction.

 Chapter 360: Project RENAISSANCE

    <h4>360 Project RENAISSANCE</h4>


    Akira went back to her seat and opened herptop all absentmindedly.


    She was still lost in thinking and reflecting on what David had just said. She was wondering if his statement had any hidden meaning for her toprehend since David was always crafty with his words.


    The more she thought, the more she felt like she was getting lost.


    So she jerked off all the thoughts from her head and then gathered up all her concentration.


    Taking a couple of deep breaths she conjured all her might and then called up Vikram from her regr sim card.


    "Hello Vikram"


    "Hi there !!!"


    "Hii"


    "How are you?", he asked while looking at the agreement file lying in front of his desk.


    "I am dandy. What about you?"


    "I am good too. Hey, Listen regarding the new project, all the paperwork is done. So I was thinking maybe I could drop by to your office this evening to get the papers signed. Are you free?"


    "Well, actually I called you about that only. The thing is I saw the final draft of the agreement and I sent it across my legal team as well. So they re-read it. I mean the version that you had sent earlier to us and they wanted to have some minor corrections here and there."


    "What corrections are you talking about?"


    "Well, first of all, we are changing the name of the project for starters."


    "Why change the name all of a sudden?"


    "Well it basically the project hasn''t beenunched in the market yet and we thought that the old name wasn''t that suitable for the project. So we are going to rename it as RENAISSANCE. I even like the sound of it. don''t you? It has got that nice edge to it."


    "Seriously Akira, you are going to change the name at this stage. I mean you have already signed a couple of deals with otherpanies right."


    "Aahh... nothing to worry. My legal department is already handling that. We have already received newly signed agreements from otherpanies like Azmer Group."


    "I see. So what other changes are there included in the agreement?", Vikram asked because somehow he wasn''t convinced that it was just about the change of the project name.


    Ever since Akira hade back from London, she seemed more distant. And he had no idea of what was going on inside the head of hers.


    "Some other terms are also there. My legal department will be sending the modified agreement to your legal team by today evening. So maybe we can meet after a day or two to get done with it?"


    Vikram paused for a second and then said,


    "Sure thing. Not an issue at all. But not sure how and why the legal terms need to be changed all of a sudden by your team."


    "Well actually we have appointed a new legal head and since he is a very experienced person, he wanted to add some extra uses into the agreement, in favor of ourpany, in case the project tanks. I mean you know countermeasures sort of a thing."


    "Ok, I understood."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "Great !!! Then we are on the same page then", Akira said happily.


    "Yup pretty much."


    "Sounds swell to me then."


    "So do you have any free time today? It''s been long that we have met."


    "Yeah, even I feel the same. I don''t feel good after ditching you at the airport yesterday. Sorry about that again. But today also my schedule is packed. Maybe we can meet when youe over for signing the deal to my office? Lunch will be on me that day."


    Vikram heard every single word that he spoke and tried to gauge her emotions. Something was off about her mannerisms. But he couldn''t tell what. There was no way in which she could have known about the changes in the agreement that he had asked to be done by Peter. So a change in the deal could merely be a coincidence.


    Suppressing all the burning questions in his head, he said,


    "Yeah sure. I know you have been very busytely with the new projecting up."


    "Yeah totally."


    Then looking at his watch Vikram asked,


    "Aren''t you hungry? Go and eat something. It''s almost lunchtime. Do not dare to skip your meals."


    "Haha, I won''t..."


    "By the way, I wanted to ask one thing. How is Katherine''s projecting up?"


    "Ahh, the construction has finished. The building ispletely ready. They are in the process of procuring medicines and?hospital-rted all furniture and are recruiting staff members."


    "I see."


    "Should be operational by next Monday, because that''s the day she is hoping to inaugurate it. She will be sending you a personal invitation too. After all, you were the one who helped it make possible for her."

 Chapter 361: What to wear ?

    <h4>361 What to wear ?</h4>


    "Oh please Akira !!! You are embarrassing me."


    "Am I? I am just speaking the truth Vikram."


    Before Vikram could respond, there was a knock on Akira''s door.


    "Just a second Vikram, someone is at the door."


    "Yeahe in."


    It was from Simon.


    "We are nning for lunch. would you like to join? I mean I know you don''t like to hang out and all. It''s ok if you say no", Simon said as he knew that for thest one and a half year, not even once she went out to dine along with her teammates. She would sit and eat her lunch alone in her room, all by herself. Only once they had seen her in the cafeteria and that too because she had to have food with some client who had visited the office.


    That was like the high point of her social calendar. Apart from that, they had not seen her socializing even in public gatherings as well. So he was not expecting a yes from her.


    "Umm... yeah sure why not?", Akira said and smiled looking towards Simon, who waspletely bbergasted with her reply.


    "And I guess you know what you have to order for me right?"


    "Yeah, mushroom risotto", saying that Simon smiled and left the room. Probably more than the promotion, he was happy for the fact that she was ready to join them for lunch. He had trained her under him when she was just an intern and he knew what pain and what burden that little girl carried on her shoulders.


    After Simon left the room, Akira resumed the call with Vikram and then informed him about the lunch n and left along with other teammates.


    It was a happy surprise for everyone on the team.


    .


    .


    Standing in one corner as he saw her smiling and interacting with the teammates, a smile etched on his face. It had been ages that he had seen that smile.


    He returned to his call and said,


    "She is indeed happy. Happy. For the first time, she is having lunch outside after....?you know."


    "Not just today, I will teach her how to be happy every single day of her life David."


    "By the way, your decision for promoting Simon was a good one Raymond."


    "I know. Gotta go David. Will call youter."


    As the call was disconnected, David turned and went back to his office room.


    ---


    The time was 4:30 pm.


    She had been continuously checking her watch post-lunch.


    The moment she saw the clock hands at 4:30 pm, she left for her house. After all, she had to get ready for her first dance ss.


    After reaching home, she flipped through her clothes to find a deep necked, ck blouse which she teamed up with her super short peach-colored skirt. Then she wore her semi-transparent ck colored tights underneath.


    Now that she had mastered the art of walking in heels, she picked up a pair of ck kitten heels for dancing the TANGO.


    She stood in front of the mirror and essed herself for a while and then dabbed a generous amount ofvender oil on the sides of her neck, her exposed cor bones and on her wrist.


    If he was the fire, then she was ready to y with the fire.


    Taking her powder brush she dusted thepact on her face and then tinted her lips all berry pink. She brushed her hair thoroughly and then tied up her hair in a mildly messy bun, with loose strands of her hair falling here and there casually on her neck, on her back and a few on her face.


    Then she checked her watch and it was still 6 pm.


    Seeing her watch she sighed. It was like as if time had decided to move slower and slower.


    Taking a deep breath she went to the kitchen and had a cup of vored yogurt before deciding to text him.


    "Are you at the center?" - AKIRAFind authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "The ss doesn''t start for another one hour Akira. Why will I be there?" - Raymond


    "Just asking? Was curious if you woulde earlier to meet me" - AKIRA.


    "Are you that desperate?" - RAYMOND


    "If I say Yes, then will youe sooner?" - Akira


    Raymond saw her message and smiled because, to be honest, he was more desperate than her to see her, to touch her, to feel her. Just that he never showed it that way.


    Suppressing hisugh he asked,


    "Are you done getting ready for the ss?" - Raymond


    "What do you think?" - Akira


    "I guess you have?" - Raymond


    She read his text and smiled. This man was so sure about everything in his life. His confidence always amused her.


    But before she could text him anything back, there was another message from him.


    "What are you wearing tonight?"- Raymond

 Chapter 362: Someone was following her

    <h4>362 Someone was following her</h4>


    "Why are you asking?" - Akira asked him, although she knew it very well as why he had put that question in front of her.


    "Just curious to gauge how much effort I have to put in" - Raymond


    "Effort for what?" - Akira


    Raymond chuckled at her naiveness and replied,


    "For essing you" - Raymond


    She read the message sent by him and turned all red. If only Raymond could have seen her, he would have been amazed to see the impact of just a text message on her.


    He knew that she would have gone weak in her knees seeing that message. So he texted her,


    "Starting for the ss now. See you soon" - Raymond


    Akira saw his message and there was a surge of happiness inside of her.


    She kept on roaming here and there inside of the house, drinking water, peeing and then drinking water again. The process continued till it was 6:30 pm and she started walking from her house towards the dance center.


    The moment she started walking, she could see that a car had started moving slowly behind her. Remembering the words of Raymond, she got a bit cautious and started walking on the pavement side and joined along with a few random people who were also walking.


    Just to check if the car was following her, she stopped and bent down to act like as if she was fixing her sandal straps and she saw the car stopping behind her as well. Getting a bit rmed, she decided to call up Raymond.


    "Hi there !!!"


    "Hi, I am waling near my house and there is a car that''s following me. At least I think so. There is a creepy looking bearded guy sitting inside the car. He definitely looks like a follower. What should I do now? Should I run back home?"


    "Did you try to pause and check if the car was pausing as well?"


    "Yes, I did that and the car also paused. I am standing and talking with you and I don''t see the car moving as well."


    "Ok, do one thing. you walk along with the people. Do not walk alone. Do you understand? And stay on the line with me till you reach the dance center."


    "Yeah", saying that Akira started walking along with a couple. She tried to stick close to them.


    "He has started moving again Raymond."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "Did you note down the car model and the number te?"


    "No, I am all scared Raymond, I didn''t think of doing all that."


    "That''s the first thing you should do. Remember that now."


    "Ok", she said and turned back.


    "It''s a Prussian blue Lexus RX model and the namete that says NYC 239H68."


    "Good job Akira."


    "Now go straight to your dance ss."


    "But then this guy will get to know where to attend my dance sses. He will inform the people who want to kill me right?"


    "Akira, just do as I say", Raymond said with a mildly stern voice.


    "Do you think he won''t be already aware of your whereabouts. This guy will always be 10 steps ahead of you. So think rationally."


    Even though she wanted to object, She knew that there must be some reason behind his suggestion.


    So she followed his instruction and went towards the dance ss.


    She hurriedly crossed thenes and then walked as fast as she could. The vehicle continued to follow her at the same pace.


    She turned back and saw that the man was driving and talking with someone over the phone.


    "Shit Raymond !!!"


    "What happened Akira?"


    "I think he is informing about my details to someone over the phone. I guess I am done."


    "No, you are not. Just walk fast and reach the center and wait for me. I will reach there in a minute."


    Hearing that she got some strength and she?started walking as fast as she could as the dance center was just 200 meters away and on that straight road the car following her could anytime just speed up and hit her. So she was constantly checking the car and paced herself up as she ran.


    Just after she reached the Center side, she stood outside looking straight in the direction of the car and took a deep breath to calm her heart and said,


    "I have reached, but the car is stilling towards the center."


    "I am also almost there Akira, don''t you worry."


    The moment Raymond had finished the sentence she saw that the?blue Lexus also parked itself in front of the Center and she panicked.


    "Raymond, he ising for me. He had parked in front of the center and I guess he wille out any minute now. Should I go inside now? Where are you?"


    She saw that bearded guying out of the car, holding the phone next to his ears and he said


    "I have reached, Akira."

 Chapter 363: All that jealousy

    <h4>363 All that jealousy</h4>


    "What where are you?", Akira asked all perplexed, unable to understand what was going on.


    "Just in front of you?"


    Akira heard him and looked at the bearded guy approaching towards her. She got skeptical at first but then saw that the guy was smiling, looking at her. Before she couldprehend what and why? she heard his voice


    "It''s me", saying that Raymond came close to Akira and winked at her before entering inside the center.


    Akira stood there all bbergasted with her hand still holding on to the phone.


    She had no clue what was all that about.


    And this look of his was totally different. With the beard and fine lines on his face, he was almost non-recognisable. If he would not have winked or spoken with her on the phone, there was no way in hell she would have recognized that it was him.


    Taking a deep breath, she came inside the ss, unable to understand why he had to y such a dirty joke with her.


    She came inside all pissed and went inside the dance room as instructed by the receptionist.


    As she went inside the room, she saw many people waiting there for the ss. Couple of them were young college-going teenagers, a couple of girls of the same age as her, a few older women and a couple of men of varying age group.


    There were two girls who were almost of the same age bracket as her and were super pretty to look at with awesome physique as well. Seeing them Akira started fuming inside. Instead of getting all excited about the dance ss she started fretting over the whole thing.


    Jealousy was so not her cup of tea.


    First of all, she had beenpletely wrecked by that ''following incident'' and then this. Her day was so not going well and he was nowhere to be seen again.


    While other people had started talking and socializing with each other she stayed in a corner of the room, standing all aloof, her hands crossed in front of her chest and the tip of her toe drawing imaginary figures on the wooden floor.


    A couple of minutester, sharp at seven he entered the room.


    "Good evening Ladies and gentlemen. I am Maverick, I will be your tango guide and we will together learn how to master the art of Tango. So are you guys ready and excited?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "Yeah !!!"


    "Of course !!!"


    The students echoed and chimed together.


    Some of the girls started blushing and gossiping in hush tone seeing their handsome and charismatic dance master. For them, it was like winning a lottery.


    He was totally aware of the attention that he was getting but his eyes skimmed the whole room and then got fixated on her and only her.


    All yfully he looked at her all unfazed without even blinking an eyelid and said,


    "So I want you guys to choose a partner for yourself. Come on people pair up with each other."


    Saying that he pped in hands, wanting to expedite the process and looking at her, he gave out a sly smile.


    She was already pissed with him with his ''following act'' and now seeing him acting all devious and coy, she decided to y with him as well.


    Sopletely ignoring him, she started looking sideways.


    Seeing her pouting and venting her anger like that, he couldn''t stop smiling and walked towards her to make her, his partner for demo.


    But before he could do that, a young man in his prime thirties approached Akira.


    "Hi there, I am Tim. Would you like to partner with me?"


    Seeing a random man approaching her, Raymond was taken aback. He didn''t think this through and before he could even intervene or say anything, he heard her say,


    "Yeah sure why not", and saying that she apanied him and as she passed Raymond, she gave a snarly look at him.


    This was so not the way he had nned the evening to work out for him. He was instantly regretting ying with her. He never knew that it was going toe back and bite him in the weirdest possible way.


    All pairs had been formed except for onedy in her 40s and it was now evident that Raymond had to pair with her.


    Cursing his fate Raymond called up thatdy to pair up.


    The moment she came close to him, she said,


    "I am d that nobody chose me?"


    "Excuse me?"


    "I said I am d that nobody chose me."


    "And why is that?"


    "Because I got to dance with the most handsome man in the room.", saying that she blushed.


    Weird had just gotten weirder for Raymond.


    "I am Patricia by the way."


    "Nice to meet you Patricia", Raymond said all half-heartedly as his eyes were fixed on his girl and that Tim guy who was talking with her non-stop and had even made her smile.


    "Why would she smile with him?", mumbled a jealous heart.

 Chapter 364: And the dance begins - 1

    <h4>364 And the dance begins - 1</h4>


    From the corner of her eyes, she could sense his jealousy. She could sense the panic inside of his heart. But the merciless her, wasn''t ready yet to cave in.


    With a foul mood, Raymond switched on the music and said,


    "So everyone, leave your partners and first learn the basic steps. Once done with that, you can dance with your partners", and saying that he looked at Akira.


    "Smart move, Maverick", Akira spoke through her eyes as she looked at him with a faint smile on her face.


    He knew how to get the things that he wanted. She had to give that to him.


    Unable to suppress hisugh, Raymond turned his face to the side and covered his mouth for a fake cough, which only she knew that was an act to hide the smile underneath.


    Raymond asked Patricia to join along with others and started with the basic foot movements. First, he gave a demo. His fluid movements impressed everyone present over there and one of the girls said,


    "That''s way too difficult to do".


    Raymond looked at her and said,


    "Nothing is difficult once you practice it and if your gaze is focussed on it", saying that he shifted his gaze on Akira, who was dying with all the happiness inside of her.


    He then went back to the center of the room and gave a slow demo of the footwork breaking it into numbered steps and asked everyone to practice.


    "No Patricia, your steps are toorge. You need to take smaller strides".


    Then he moved from one corner to another instructing everyone when he finally reached Akira who was following what he had taught her. She took two slow steps forward and then raised her right knee till the opposite side of her chest and then swiftly moved her right leg behind her left after taking a half-circle.


    She raised her eyebrows and looked at him like she was asking,


    "How was it?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    To the answer of which he said,


    "Do it again now".


    Scrunching her nose she took two slow steps again and just when she raised her knees, his slender long fingers grazed along the outer skin of her thigh till he reached her knees. She shivered under his sudden touch and was about to lose her bnce as she was standing with only one leg. But before she could even sway an inch, with his other palm he held her waist all tight and then said,


    "This knee movement needs to be more fluid, rather than all robotic" and saying that he swiftly guided her knee up to her chest very slowly and then removed his hand for her to rotate andnd it back behind her left leg.


    "Hope you all got the point?", saying that he removed his hand holding her waist but before he did so, very tactfully with his thumb he grazed the soft skin of her back, underneath her blouse.


    All that she could do was to get a hold of her breath and stay sane. He was definitely not going to show any mercy to her and he had already made it quite evident.


    As he walked back to the front, there was a happy victorious smile on his face like he had won a bet against her. Reaching the focal point of the room he turned back and said,


    "Four more and we move to the next step".


    His eyes moved all-around instructing everyone as what they were doing wrong, but from within his insides were screaming to touch her. He had already tasted the blood when he ran his fingers on her skin. The more he looked at her, the more he was getting drowned in love with her.


    She looked delicate and petite in that dress of hers and those tights did full justice to her well-toned legs. That tiny little skirt was just there for distracting his imagination, making him wanna know what was there underneath, raising his curiosity with every passing moment. That figure-hugging cropped blouse of hers, very generously disyed the beauty of hers, starting from her cor bones to her assets.


    Everything about her was beautiful.


    He just wanted to grab her right then and there and make her his own, like she was meant to be, but this distance and this facade that he had to carry was acting as a barrier in between.


    With her eyes fixated on him, as she tried to do that step once more she lost her bnce and just when she was about to slip n fall, her partner Tim, who was standing next to her on her right side, caught her by her hand.


    "Careful there", Tim said and then released her hand.


    As she stood back, she looked up all worried at him.


    His face looked like he had just gulped a pail of poison.

 Chapter 365: And the dance begins - 2

    <h4>365 And the dance begins - 2</h4>


    Looking at a random guy, holding the hand of her girl, helping her to bnce, was something that didn''t go well with him.


    His fists, his jaws, and his body clenched and convulsed in anger, but he knew that he had to hide it underneath the facade. So taking a deep breath he looked at her and she looked back at him all worried, as she knew it well that this was not the way he was expecting the things to go.


    Thanking him with a shallow smile, she resumed her practice.


    "Ok guys now let''s move on to the next step. How to move around with your partner. All the girls, can you form a line here and all the guys can you form a line on this side", saying that Raymond pointed towards the marked points.


    As they all assembled in a queue perpendicr to him, he took a deep breath and then said,


    "Oh for this, I would need a partner for demo."


    As he said that, he could see that Patricia''s eyes gleamed and she was about toe forward, but before she could even take a step forward,


    "Can I volunteer as your partner for this demo?"


    Raymond looked in the direction of the voice and saw her hand raised up and a yful smile spread on her gentle face.


    "Miss ?"


    "Allie.?Allie?Hamilton."


    Then looking at Patricia, Akira said,


    "Hope you don''t mind. I need to master tango as soon as possible as my marriage is in a week and my soon to be husband is a dance expert", saying that she shot a look at Raymond and then continued,


    "So for our first dance on our wedding day, I want to surprise him with my Tango skills."


    Hearing her touching story, Patricia said,


    "Oh please dear !!! Go ahead", but somehow deep down, Patricia felt crushed as she was really looking forward to dancing with the handsome instructor.


    "Now that we are all set, Miss Allie, would you mind toe forward to the center of the room", saying that Raymond extended his hand for Akira.


    After she joined him at the center, Raymond said,


    "Patricia, maybe you can join with Allie''s partner", saying that Raymond pointed towards Tim, who reluctantly waved towards Patricia.


    "So Miss Allie, you ready for the moves?"


    "Yes."


    Hearing the yes from her, Raymond went ahead and started the music.


    Thening close to Akira he said to the ss,


    "Now this is how I expect you to hold your partner. Imagine your partner is like a ss vase. very delicate in itself. So you can''t hold her too tight because that might break her and you can''t hold her too loose as well, because that will break her too."


    Saying that he extended his right arm and?very delicately brushed the tip of his fingers from the nape of her neck to the center of her back, just above her tailbone and rested his hand there firmly.


    "Like this", he said and looked into her eyes before looking at the rest of the ss.


    "Now I want you all to hold you partners in the same way."


    As the members tried to do the hold, he whispered into her ears,


    "Allie huh !!! Nice name you got there."


    "Umm....", she mumbled and looked into his eyes feeling all weird and shy as she had no idea what next he was going to do. He next held her other hand with his free arm and extended it outward. His grip was firm yet tender and with his thumb he kept grazing on the skin of her palm, making her blush perennially.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    When he saw his students ready, he looked into her eyes and whispered,


    "Just submit yourself to me?"


    "What?"


    He smiled and said,


    "Let your body be mine now", and saying that will one pull, he brought her breathtakingly close to himself. They looked so beautiful and perfect in each other''s arm that the rest of the ss stood in awe.


    "Bend", he said and taking a step back he made her lean all over him, carrying her body on top of himself, they both bent like grass swaying in the wind. With the next beat with his hands, he pushed her back upright and ced his palm behind her back.


    Then with a devious smile of his face, he said,


    "Bend back", and saying that he ced his other hand on her chest and pushed her back. As she arched her back he asked her to raise her one leg up and then fall back in position taking one step ahead. As she stood back and took one step ahead with her leg, he bent a bit down and her leg crossed on top of his thigh.


    She was dangerously close to him and her eyes were locked onto him. He could feel the heat from her body.


    Gulping his own spit he muttered,


    "Jesus Christ"

 Chapter 366: That kiss in the mens room

    <h4>366 That kiss in the men''s room</h4>


    The whole atmosphere had turned extremely hot.


    She was twined on his body like a vine. Her chest touching his, her breath mixing with his, his manhood inches away from her treasure.


    Her eyes closed in anticipation of a kiss and her lips parted as his lips were just millimeters away from her. She had lost all connection with the real world. For her, right now at that moment, there existed only two people in the room and that was her and Raymond.


    Completely oblivious to the ring eyes around her, she slowly moved her arms around his neck.


    But then one of the guys just uttered,


    "Whoa."


    And suddenly Raymond looked at her and then holding her waist, he lifted her for a turn and then ced her back to standing position.


    Her eyes opened and she was all startled. A hint of disappointment was there but seeing the open-mouthed and gawking crowd in front of her she realized that Raymond had done the right thing.


    "So now I want you guys to try it again with your partners", saying that Raymond gave her a look and then started moving around, evaluating the postures and movements of the people.


    He had to correct almost all of them numerous times before they could reproduce it partially the way they had done.


    "Well done guys !!!", then checking his watch he said.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "That''s all for today. So I will be seeing you tomorrow at the same time and same ce."


    "Hope you all enjoyed your first ss and since many of you are doing it for the first time, you might have some mild body pain, but that''s perfectly normal. Stretch a bit before the next ss and you will be good to go."


    Soon the students started leaving.


    Akira got a call from her brother Mike, as he wasing up to pick her up. After keeping the call she looked at Raymond and was about to say something when he said,


    "Quick guys, we need to shut down the centre. Chop, Chop."


    Indirectly he didn''t want her toe and talk with him at all and he had reasons for that. He didn''t want to make their thing extremely obvious in front of them. So taking a cue from it, Akira walked away from the room but as she did, he felt like she was taking away a part of him.


    After everyone had left, he went to the men''s room to check on his fake beard to see if his camouge was intact. Standing in front of the mirror he took a deep breath and looked at himself.


    Never in his wildest dreams, he could imagine that he would have to teach a bunch of novices just to be able to be close with her. Love definitely has its own ways to make you go crazy. He thought and adjusted his beard a bit and straightened his outfit.


    After giving a final look to himself he was about to turn around when he suddenly felt two arms tightly gripping him around his chest. Before he could understand or make a move, she said,


    "Just stay still like this, just for a minute."


    Hearing her voice he looked down at her hands and he knew it was her.


    He brought his hands up and held her hand in his own for a while and then unsped her grip around him and turned her around.


    "I am sick of this Raymond. I am really sick of all this. Why can''t you just sneak in into my ce? Or maybe I can visit you."


    "Shh....", he said and kept his index finger on her lips and said,


    "Just give me a few days Akira. I beg of you. Do not do anything rash. I just need a few days time and I will make everything all right. You trust me right?"


    She shook her head and said,


    "I do, I trust you more than my life, but I need more. I want more. I need more than all of this."


    "Even I want Akira, but not when the stakes are so so high."


    Then suddenly they could hear someone''s footstep approaching from distance. Hearing that Akira grabbed his shirt and pulled him down and kissed his lips. Before he could submerge himself into that kiss she detached herself and said,


    "My medicine !!! I needed it to calm my heart."


    And saying that she quickly exited the men''s room and came out of the center.


    Mike was standing outside waiting for her.


    "Why were you sote. All the students have left."


    "I was just... I was just taking my medicine."


    "What medicine? Are you ok?", Mike asked getting all worried.


    "Nothing serious Mike. I just popped an Advil", saying that she turned back again and saw him looking at her, leaning on the wall, just outside of the center.

 Chapter 367: Blossoming in love

    <h4>367 Blossoming in love</h4>


    "You look so flushed. Are you fine?"


    "I am ok Mike", Akira said and tapped on her cheeks to remove all that blushing redness away.


    Still leaning on to the wall, as he saw the brother and sister duo walking away, he felt all warm inside his heart. He instantly started missing his sister Katherine, who was his pir of support while growing up.


    Taking a deep breath, he cursed himself for being a brother who could bring nothing but tears into the eyes of her sister. She was to open her dream, her derma hospital next Monday and on such a special day of her life, even though he wanted, he couldn''t go and be next to her. And all of this was because of his father Sebastian Walker.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    Thinking about all that, he started his car and sped back home.


    Akira knew that it would take him some good thirty minutes to reach his ce, so even after reaching home, neither she tried to call him nor text. Instead, she waited for him to call as she was too busy recollecting what all had happened today evening. Every time she thought about the way he had touched her, she got goosebumps all over.


    Lying on her bed in all smiles, she held her phone in her hand, because she knew that he would be calling her the moment he reached home.


    RING 1


    RING 2


    She looked at her phone and smiled and picked it up on the third ring.


    "Hi"


    "Hi"


    "You, are all good?"


    "Yeah, why do you ask?"


    "Um ... nothing. You were about to trip in the middle of the session. So just wanted to know if you got any sprain in your leg or anything."


    "I think I danced with you again after that. How could I have danced, if I had a sprain in my leg?", Akira asked, almost suppressing herugh. She was loving his cute and directionless questions which were an oue of nothing but pure jealousy.


    "Oh, yeah. I somehow forgot about it."


    "Really? You forgot the demo dance that we did towards the end?"


    "Yeah, I mean it was pretty basic."


    Her eyebrows were raised up in anger after hearing what he said.


    "Pretty basic, my ass. Here I am dying after the dance and it is pretty basic for this man", she muttered under her breath. But didn''t say anything to him.


    There was a pin drop silence in between them as neither of them was ready to ept how miserable they were without each other.


    Finally breaking the monotonicity, he asked,


    "Erm... that skirt of yours. Was it new? I mean did u purchase it recently?"


    "Not new, had it earlier, just that never had the right time and right ce to wear it. So I thought why not today", saying that she started ying with the hemline of her skirt.


    "Why? Why do you ask? Did you not like it?"


    "No, I like it, it''s nice, just that I want you to wear it when you are with me and only me. I don''t want others to see you in that skirt."


    "Why? Even though it was short, I was wearing tights right. So should be ok right?"


    "You have no idea how the brain of a man works. So trust me, when I say don''t wear, then just don''t wear."


    His voice was all raised in pitch and he sounded all serious.


    Taking a deep breath Akira asked,


    "What''s wrong Raymond?"


    The moment she asked this question, Raymond realized how harsh he had been on her. He pinched the space between her brows and said,


    "It kills me when someone looks at you in a weird way. On this entire universe, only I have the right to look at you with desire filled in my eyes. Only I have the right to touch you and feel you. God, how stupid was I to even think that I could be happy by staying away from you? How could I have seen you with someone else when I can''t even bear to see anyone looking at you."


    His words were nothing but the tant promation of his love.


    As she heard him say those words, she just blossomed, knowing that someone could love her so much.


    "Then don''t. Just don''t hesitate the next time."


    "What do you mean Akira?"


    "I mean the next time you feel like touching me thene and run your fingers on me, the next time you feel like kissing me, thene and take my lips in yours because that''s all that I can think about right now."


    "Akira !!!", he sighed.


    "I was born to be loved by you, Raymond."


    "Akira !!", Raymond sighed again as her words were enticing him.


    "Tomorrow..."


    "Tomorrow what Akira?"


    "Make sure you touch my lips with yours tomorrow."

 Chapter 368: More than tha

    <h4>368 More than tha</h4>


    His body got all tensed, hearing her words.


    Taking a deep breath again, he said,


    "There will be people all around us, Akira. How can I do it?"


    "Figure it out. It''s your punishment".


    "Punishment for what?"


    "Oh, did you forget? How shamelessly you scared the hell out of me by acting like you were following me. I was on the verge of getting a panic attack and there you get down from the car all nonchntly as if nothing has happened".


    "That was to make sure that you use the presence of your mind and do the things as I said if it happens for real".


    "Oh, you think someone is following me?"


    "I am not thinking, I know it for a fact".


    "Check outside the window. There will be a ck sedan with a number te ending M77 in front of your porch".


    "How do you know that?"


    "It''s my job now to know that Akira".


    Akira went towards the window in the hall and lifted the curtain and was surprised to see the exact car as described by Raymond outside her house.


    "Who the hell is this? And how do you know about it?"


    "Well, they are my dad''s men. But they won''t do any harm. They are just here to monitor your movements. They will just make sure that you and I, do not meet with each other and if we do, they will just inform my dad. And then what will happen, I guess you are very well aware of it".


    "Oh my God !!!", Akira eximed and just when she was about to return to her room, she saw Mike.


    "What are you doing here dead in the night?", Mike asked.


    "I ... I came to fill my water bottle".


    "But where is your bottle?", Mike asked seeing her hands all empty.


    "Oh shit !!! I forgot to get the bottle", saying that Akira moved towards her room when Mike asked again,


    "Who are you on the phone with?"


    "Huh?"


    "I said, with who are you talking on the phone?"


    "It''s um.... its David. We are just cross-checking some deal terms".Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "Don''t submerge too much in work Akira", saying that Mike went into the kitchen pantry and grabbed a packet of Nachos and Akira rushed inside her bedroom.


    All this time, Raymond had been silently listening to their conversation and when he heard hertching the door, he said,


    "He has be a gentleman now".


    Akira chuckled and said,


    "Yes, he has. Now I feel like I am the younger one. He takes care of me, makes sure I am ok like I am his baby sister".


    Raymond smiled hearing her words and then said,


    "Akira, there is something else that I want you to do?"


    "Oh man !!! Seriously? I will wear a jumpsuit ande to dance tomorrow ok? Happy?"


    "It''s not about that. It''s about..... about Katherine".


    Akira halted her rant after hearing his statement and then asked,


    "What about her Raymond?"


    "Just...?um.. wanted to hear her voice. It''s been long.", Raymond said and paused.


    Akira couldpletely get the pain and suffering in his heart. Being not able to meet her when she stayed in the same city as she must have been killing for Raymond when she was the only family that he had. Before she could say anything or react, an emotional Raymond said,


    "It has been long that I yed with Kate too. God, I miss her tantrums so much right now."


    "Then why don''t we tell everything to Katherine, Raymond? Do you even know how lost she was? Do you even know how hard it was for her to ept the fact that you are no more there?"


    He didn''t say anything, but sighed and Akira understood that the pang of separation was killing him. So she said,


    "I will meet her at lunchtime tomorrow and maybe then you can hear her out".


    "Thanks, Akira, that would be nice".


    "Please Raymond, don''t make me feel small and distant by thanking me. Is there anything else that I can do for you?"


    "Yes, when you are with Kat, don''t discuss anything rted to me. Nothing about me at all. I just want to hear the happy and chirpy version of my sister."


    "Don''t worry Raymond, I will make that happen".


    "I don''t know how to thank you right now".


    "I know how you can?"


    "Tell me how?"


    "Make my wishe true tomorrow at the dance lesson".


    Only she could steer a serious conversation to something light. Only she had the power to bring a smile on his face when he was feeling nothing but gut-wrenching pain.


    He smiled, unable to believe that she had be this tactful, in getting things done from people.


    Brushing that smile off his face he said,


    "I will give you more than that".

 Chapter 369: Akira finds Alita

    <h4>369 Akira finds Alita</h4>


    With a smile on her face, she kept the call.


    "I will give you more than that."


    His words echoed in her head and she could help but blush in anticipation.


    She tried hard to close her eyes and to try to sleep, but sleep was like miles away from her. So she opened her phone again and started googling some random stuff.


    After 15 minutes, she typed - ''Dr. Jaby Nelson''


    "Whoa whoa whoa."


    She eximed as she read about his achievements and positions.


    ''Dr. Jaby Nelson is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and the American Board of Spinal Neurological Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Spinal Neurology. He holds joint appointments at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Hospital for Acquired Prosopagnosia. He serves on the editorial board for Neurosurgery and Journal of Neurosurgery. He serves as Chairman of the Neurosurgery Committee of the Oncology Group.''


    Then she started reading reviews about him and found out that getting an appointment from him was like trying to strike in the bird''s eye. People had to wait for weeks to get his appointment.


    Seeing all that she sighed and hatched a n to get Raymond to visit him.


    Then she was about to sleep, but her curiosity hadn''t been quenched yet, so she googled again,


    "Dr. Jaby Nelson''s wife Alita"


    As she was one of the patients who had undergone multiple clinical trials, there were a lot of reports about her and her trials.


    ''Alita Mason, an obituary to the kindest soul on earth.''


    ''Alita and her 6th Trial with life.''


    But her jaw dropped when she saw the next article titled,


    ''Acquired Prosopagnosia - understanding more with Alita Mason.''


    "Wait for what?", she screamed at the top of her lungs.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    Now she understood why Dr. Nelson was so concerned about her. Why all these seminars and all these papers and research work on?acquired prosopagnosia was important to him. She lied there all speechless on her bed. She couldn''t fathom in the wildest of her dreams about the trauma and the pain which he would have gone through.


    She knew he was a kind and genuine man with the heart of gold, but now she understood that it was something more than just helping people. It was a cause that was very personal to him.


    Reading all the reports and the story about her tragic death, left her in tears.


    It was then that she remembered how while bringing her back to the hotel, he had told all those words about having faith, about never losing hope and she could feel his exact emotions behind those words.


    She developed a newfound respect for him in her heart.


    ---


    The next morning was extremely hectic for Dr. Nelson as he had to perform one Endovascr Neurosurgery and one Ventricr Shunt whichsted for more than three and a half-hourbined. So after finishing the procedure, he took a cup of coffee and went to the balcony to have his lone time for a while.


    He sat on the chair there all alone and breathed the fresh air.


    There was no one to disturb him because everyone knew that Dr. Nelson loved to spend some time there all alone, so when he used to go there, nobody dared to disturb him or socialize with him. Sitting there, he used to enjoy the Ariel view of the city as Neuro department was on the 17th floor of the hospital.


    Taking thest sips of his coffee he was about to get up and go back to his room when his phone rang. As he took out his cell phone, he saw on the screen,


    "PRIVATE NUMBER calling."


    He knew only one person who had a private number and that was Akira.


    Without doing any further dy, he picked up the call and said,


    "Hello, Akira."


    "How did you know it was me?"


    "Well in my circle there is the only person who used a Private Number and that''s you."


    "Oh, that way."


    "So tell me why you called? You didn''t send any queries of yours as well. Thest we talked, you had a few questions in your head right?"


    "Well, actually I called for some other sort of favor."


    "What sort of?", Dr. Nelson asked, feeling a bit curious and surprised at the same time.


    "The thing is, I wanted to have an appointment with you, I mean I can go and call your receptionist and fix that, but there is..."


    "I can get you a slot. Just tell me when it is convenient for you."


    "Wait, what? I can get a slot when I want?" Akira mumbled, unable to believe that she heard. He was the most sought after doctor in New York and here he was ready to give her an appointment when she wanted?


    That was strange.

 Chapter 370: I will do it !!!

    <h4>370 I will do it !!!</h4>


    "Can you do that?", she asked all curiously.


    Dr. Nelsonughed in his head hearing her innocent question and said,


    "Well, since I am the doctor, so I guess I can decide if I want to meet a patient or not. That is pretty basic Akira."


    "No No, I didn''t mean in that way, I asked you because I had called your receptionist and she has given me an appointment after 23 days from today."


    "She did?"


    "Yep."


    "Oh, that''s why she has called", Dr. Nelson thought in his head and then said,


    "Well don''t worry about that, I can help to fix it. The timings in a day can vary depending on my OT (Operation Theatre) schedule but I guess the date can be squeezed in."


    "Erm... the thing is ...", Akira said and then became all silent again.


    "Isn''t this the reason why you had called me for?"


    "No, actually I wanted some other favor?"


    Now Dr. Nelson was confused. Apart from appointment and addressing her queries, he wasn''t sure how else he could help her. But with her one statement, she just tossed all his assumptions away.


    "The thing is, I want Raymond toe and repeat his tests with you. I know you will say that Dr, Oshana has already done them and the same results woulde and all. But my heart is not able to understand that fact. I am unable to ept any of the facts. I can''t convince him toe here again and give the tests."


    "Um... Akira I don''t see how I can help with any of that."


    "Only you can help me out here."


    "And how would that be?"


    "I want you to call Raymond and show your interest with his reports and request him toe for some random test name."


    "Will he not think that I am trying to poach him away from Dr. Oshana? Have you pondered about this fact? And to be honest, the equipment and everything that we use in my hospital is the same as that used in the clinic where Dr. Oshana conducts all the test. So I am not sure if redoing the tests are going to help you out in any way. I understand that you have medical insurance and stuff, but still, this is a wastage of money in my opinion."


    Akira heard him in silence, unable to decide, how to convince him, without telling the truth behind her intentions. She got lost in her thoughts, unable to decide, what to do and how to do.


    "Akira !!!"


    "Akira !!!"


    "Are you there?"


    "Erm... what would you have done if you would have been in my ce? Would you not try to knock on every possible door? Would you not try to take every possible road even though you knew deep down that the destination was the same?"


    Unable to gauge what she was trying to insinuate, Dr. Nelson stayed silent.


    Sensing the silence creeping in between, Akira continued,


    "Can you just help to do this for me? For my sake? I guess you can rte to my condition Dr. Nelson since ...."


    "You read about her?", Dr. Nelson interrupted her and asked.


    Biting her lip, Akira said,


    "Yes"


    "What do you expect from me Akira?"?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "Can I trust you on this one?"


    "Regarding what Akira?"


    "I need the tests to be done without Dr. Oshana not knowing about it and I need you to convince Raymond in some way or the other in such a way that he doesn''t go and tell Dr. Oshana about it. I know only you can do it."


    Saying that very hopefully with her fingers crossed, she waited for his response.


    "I guess I can, butter on if somehow Dr. Oshana gets to know about it then my equation with her will be spoiled and in our medical fraternity we usually try to avoid doing so as eventually at some point of time of the other, we need each other''s help."


    Hearing his words her heart sank all low.


    All the hopes that she had pinned on him, seemed to disappear like fleeting clouds.


    So mustering up her courage she decided to use her final weapon.


    "Then what about me?"


    "What about you Akira?"


    "Will you be able to sleep peacefully thinking that you disappointed me? Will you be able to live with yourself knowing the fact that you spilled water over thest hope on which I was clinging upon?"


    "Akira why are you telling all these things? Let''s not get emotional here and think rationally for a moment about it. Then you will realize how wed this request of yours is."


    "You think I don''t know?"


    "I know it very well. But when ites to the matter of my heart, rationality doesn''t matter. Of all the people in the world, I thought you will understand. But looks like I was wrong."


    And saying that she disconnected the call.


    Two minutester her phone buzzed with a call.


    "Hello"


    "I will do it !!!"

 Chapter 371: Feeling all helpless

    <h4>371 Feeling all helpless</h4>


    For a minute she held the phone close to her ears, without speaking a word. She knew that she was asking him to do something which he considered non-ethical based on his profession, so when he said yes, she was beyond happy.


    "So... So you are going to help me out?"


    "Yes !!!"


    "I will give you his contact details over text."


    "Ok"


    "Dr. Nelson, I can''t ..."


    "If you are trying to say a thank you, then please don''t. Since you have read everything about my wife, then you must be knowing why I am doing this."


    "I know and I respect you for that. I knew that you would understand my plight".


    "But as a Doctor, I will not lie to you. Don''t keep hopes up as the results are going to be the same."


    "Even 0.001% correction in the predictive analysis will be more than enough to make me happy Dr. Nelson".


    Hearing her words Dr. Nelson sighed because he couldpletely rte to her situation. Taking a deep breath he said,


    "Call me Jaby. Hearing you call me Dr. Nelson a thousand times, is getting on my nerves. Anyways I keep hearing that all day long. It would be nice if someone could address me with my first name".


    "Really !!!", Akira eximed in surprise.


    "Well, if that would not have been ok, then why would I have asked you to do so in the first ce?"


    "Erm ..."


    She had no words whatsoever. She was already feeling indebted because of his help and now this request of his was making her wonder if such people really existed on earth.


    "Thanks, Jaby", she said after much deliberation.


    "Sounds much better. Now send me his details and I need to get going right now".


    "Yeah, sure thing !!!"


    And he disconnected the call.


    He was about to go back after finishing her coffee but his mind right now was colluded. Holding the phone in his hands he sat on the chair recollecting the way she called him Jaby. Somehow it reminded him of the way Alita used to call him. It waspletely weird and he had no exnation whatsoever as to how that was happening.


    He knew that she looked like her, but right now how could she sound like her all of a sudden?


    Taking a deep breath, he went back inside.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    ---


    It was around noon so Akira called up Katherine,


    "Hey"


    "Hey there !!!"


    "I am starting from my office now. I have booked the Musket Room for 12:30 pm. Would that be ok?"


    "Yeah, it''s just 10 minutes away from my ce. You can start, I will start after 10 minutes."


    "All right then", saying that Akira disconnected the call and texted Raymond about the details of the meetup.


    When she reached the restaurant, she found the blue Lexus car parked outside of the restaurant and she knew that Raymond had already reached. So she went inside and took a two-seater table. Five minutester Katherine also arrived and the waitress guided her to where Akira was sitting.


    "Hi, Akira !!!"


    Katherine came in with a big smile on her face and hugged her tight.


    "How are you? How was your trip to London? You didn''t call aftering from there?", Katherine started throwing questions at her the moment she reached.


    "Well, I was a bit caught up with...."


    And her entire attention was caught by Raymond who came in and took a seat just behind Katherine.


    "What happened Akira?"


    "Ah, nothing. I was just trying to remember if I had sent one urgent mail or not".


    "OK, now that you are here, we are not discussing work anymore. Got it?"


    Akira smiled looking at her and then said,


    "Sounds good to me".


    "I am hungry, what about you?"


    "Absolutely !!!"


    Hearing that Akira called the waitress and ced their order.


    Then Katherine looked around a bit and pointing at one corner of the restaurant she said,


    "Thest time I came here was around two years back. Kate was adamant about eating ravioli and I had no patience to make it for dinner. That day he hade to my ce after a long day at work, but he still took us all out. We sat exactly there".


    Saying that Katherine took a deep breath.


    "Um... I am so sorry Katherine, if I would have known then, I wouldn''t have booked this ce. I am so sorry".


    "Why and what are you sorry for Akira? Those are the most beautiful and fond memories that I would cherish in my heart till I die. I can''t keep avoiding anything that''s rted to him, I can''t avoid things with memories associated with him. His absence has be a harsh reality, which I am still trying to ept. I can''t run away from it Akira".


    Hearing those words, his throat started to choke.


    "Are you ready to order sir?", the waitress asked him.


    All that he could do was to shake his head and wait for the pain to pass. He had never felt this helpless in his entire life.

 Chapter 372: I am sorry !!!

    <h4>372 I am sorry !!!</h4>


    Seeing her in so much pain, for a moment Akira felt like asking Raymond to turn back once and just hug her sister to ease the surging perennial pain inside of her heart, but she knew that she couldn''t.


    "You don''t need to run away from him Katherine. You can''t".


    "He will always be a part of our lives. No matter how hard we try to push him away, his memories are going to flood us. So don''t fight him, Kat. Make him a part of your life instead."


    Katherine looked at Akira andughed.


    "Sometimes I feel you havepletely changed as a person. There was a time when I used to console you, teach you how to live. But today the tables have been turned."


    Akira didn''t say a word and just gave a faint smile.


    "I am so d that you are finally over that phase. For so many days I was scared that ...."


    "Let''s talk about something else Katherine".


    "No Akira, let me get it out of my chest. I have been meaning to tell you from so many days. You remember the night that you tried to jump off the club building?"


    Hearing her speak about all those shameful past acts of hers, Akira went into panic mode because she didn''t want Raymond to hear any of it. She was not in her right mind when she did all those things.


    "Oh, I was just messing around with you guys".


    "Messing around? If Shawn had note at the right time, you would not have survived Akira !!!"


    Akira held her head in her hands because the damage had already been done and she was praying to her stars for the food to arrive so that the conversation could stop, but once triggered there was no going back for Katherine.


    "I mean, I am really really happy that you have moved on. I am really happy to see you this motivated. You have be a strong woman and an exemry ideal for my daughter.


    "Katherine please !!!"


    "No Akira, I am serious. I thought you won''t recover, especially after when you got drowned in your own bathtub. I had lost all hopes and I was so angry with myself for not being able to help you. MY brother was really lucky that he could find such a gem like you", and saying that she held Akira''s hand in her palms and gently squeezed them and smiled looking at her.


    She had lost all the words from her vocabry. She had no idea that the meeting would turn disastrous for her. Not even in the wildest of her dreams, she had imagined that Katherine would bring up all these incidents of the past. She had no idea as to how Raymond would react to it after hearing Katherine speak.


    Taking a deep breath she smiled back at Katherine and said,


    "Whatever had happened, had happened in the past. I was weak and vulnerable. I was too selfish just to think about myself. But right now all that doesn''t matter because we all are at a happy ce."


    "That''s because there was someone to pull us out of it Akira".


    "What do you mean Katherine?"


    "Take my case, no matter how much I break every day, Shawn tries to glue me up. He fixes me with his love. I know that no matter what he does, no matter what I do, the void can''t be filled, but the pain can be reduced. He taught me how to live when I had no idea how to".


    "Indeed. Shawn has been such great support for me as well", Akira said and nodded her head.


    "I want you also to stay happy and blessed Akira".


    "I am Katherine. Why do you think that I am unhappy?"


    "It''s written all over your face Akira. Your heart still aches for the love. You are young and you deserve to be happy Akira. My brother couldn''t y his part but there is someone else who would love to treasure you. Why can''t you give him a chance Akira?"


    "What are you talking about Katherine?"


    "You know what I am talking about Akira. Your heart does. Why can''t you give Vikram a chance to redeem himself? Can''t you see how much effort he is putting in to be able toe back to your life? Maybe he will be able to make you fall in love again Akira."


    "But I don''t want to Katherine. The priorities of my life are different now".


    "Thepany was his dream Akira, not yours. Don''t invest your entire life into it. Think about yourself and your future".Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "I am Katherine, I am. The day your brother proposed to me, that very day his dreams became mine. Thispany isn''t just his dream, it''s our dream and I will give all my blood and sweat for it".


    "Well I knew your answer would be something like that, but still it was worth a shot", saying that Katherine smiled.


    Akira smiled looking at her and suddenly her phone buzzed with a message.


    "I am sorry" - PRIVATE_NUMBER


    And then she saw him walking away.

 Chapter 373: Undressing her - 1

    <h4>373 Undressing her - 1</h4>


    She knew that he wasn''t ok.


    She knew that the whole conversation had taken a toll on him.


    She wanted to immediately run after him, but as their food had arrived, she couldn''t do so. She couldn''t do anything reckless that could risk his exposure.


    The only thing that she could do, was to text him back.


    "Please do not think about all this. We are good now. Please, Raymond."?- Akira


    "I am happy with you right now. Given our ces were switched, maybe I would have done the same" - Akira


    "Katherine doesn''t know how evil Vikram is and that''s why she is taking his side because he has shown his fake profile to everyone. Don''t be offended with her words" - Akira


    But he didn''t reply.


    She had no other option other than to wait.


    ---


    It was 5:30 pm and he still hadn''t picked up her call.


    Not even once.


    She was dying worrying from the inside, wondering if everything was ok with him or not. She wasn''t sure now if he would evene to take the dance sses. But as she had promised him to go, she started for her home.


    To please him, she decided to dress appropriately. She picked up her jet ck running tights and paired it with a boat-necked long t-shirt. It was perfectly unappealing, just like the way he wanted as per her thoughts. But little did she know that her man could see through her even under hundreds ofyers of clothes.


    As she walked towards the dance ss, she kept looking all around in search of the blue Lexus car. But she couldn''t.


    Feeling all dejected she walked to the ss and was surprised to see his Lexus parked in the front. Getting all excited, she paced and entered inside her ssroom. It was 6:55 pm already.


    As she entered, her curious eyes got busy in search of the one, but she could see only the students.?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    Tim waved at her as she entered the room and all that she could do was to pass a faint smile back at him.


    She knew that he was in there somewhere, probably in the men''s room so thinking that she kept her bag in the dance room and went towards the washroom area. She was just about to enter the men''s room when she saw himing out.


    "Hi ..."


    "Hi ..."


    Before she could say a word, he looked at her with his eyes filled with guilt and said,


    "I am sorry."


    "Raymond please !!!", Akira begged, looking at him and tried to hold his hands, but her attempt was foiled as Raymond moved his hand up as he saw some studentsing towards the washroom.


    "We arete for the ss", Raymond said and started walking ahead.


    Unable to understand his fidgety behavior, Akira just followed behind.


    "So today we are going to start from where we had left yesterday."


    As he spoke, Akira stood in line along with the others in the dance room.


    "And as Miss Allie has her first dance uing, I am going to partner with her for all the remaining sses so that she learns quicker. Miss. Allie would you care to join me for the demo."


    All surprised she came to the front of the ss and stood next to him. A moment back he sounded so crossed and miffed and now he called her to dance. She could never get what ran in his head.


    Then turning towards Allie he said,


    "Now today we are going to finish learning the Back Corte. It is one of the sexiest looking moves. We have already learned how the man has to lunge back on his left leg and shape thedies over their right leg. Now we will master how thedy has to bend their shoulders and necks back as much as they want to create the illusion of a backbend. The more you arch, the more passionate it looks."


    Then looking into her eyes, he asked,


    "Ready Allie? Just repeat what you did yesterday but with more grace and passion."


    He switched on the music and increased the volume as he didn''t want anyone to hear what they talked about.


    He held her in his arms and pulled her closer and asked her to move her leg in between his. Now not only their upper body was close, but even their lower body was embracing each other. As he moved with her, she asked,


    "Why won''t you talk to me?"


    "Because I am disappointed with myself", and saying that he pulled her close and traced his palm along her spine. She arched back in response slowly and with grace. He was then supposed to pull her back slowly, but he did it with a jerk and made here close.


    Extremely close !!!

 Chapter 374: Undressing her - 2

    <h4>374 Undressing her - 2</h4>


    Close !!!


    So close that her lips touched his for an instant before she looked away.


    "I am going to fill all the promised that I have made", he said and with his right leg, he parted the space between her legs and made her arch back again. But when he did so, he very cleverly ced his back in front of the ss.


    "I am never going to let you miss me again", saying that his left hand helped to raise her right leg and locked them around his legs and he bent her to the side. Instead of practicing, the students kept looking at them with awe.


    She looked at him in surprise, unable to understand what he meant. As he brought her back into the position he whispered into her ears,


    "I will correct every mistake that I have done."


    Then turning back towards the ss he said,


    "Now please repeat it step by step in slow motion."


    She stood there all dumbfounded and kept gawking in his direction as he busied himself in teaching the ss.


    All sweating and panting the whole ss tried hard to keep up with the routine but being a skillful teacher, Raymond was able to help many to master a couple of steps.


    As it was nearing 7 pm, Raymond paused his session and then said,


    "Thank you all of you for the hard work. The ss is done for today."


    As everyone started to disperse and even Akira went back to pick her back, Raymond cleared his throat and then looking at Akira he said,Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "Pack your bags and rest well and as for Miss Allie, we can start your private training now."


    "My what?"


    "Your personal training which you had requested for yesterday. I mean for your first dance at your wedding."


    "I did?", Akira asked all puzzled and then looked at him and then she understood what he meant and said,


    "Oh yeah, I did."


    They both waited for everyone to leave the studio room and as thest person left she stormed towards him to demand answers, to ask him what was going on in his mind. But before she could even say a word, he looked at her and said,


    "I asked you to wear something ok types. Didn''t ask you to wear this !!!", Saying that he chuckled.


    "Well, I was trying to look unappealing and unappetizing."


    "But it''s doing the opposite to me", he said and smiled and extended his hand for her to grab on to.


    She held onto his hand and then he softly pulled her close to her and she asked,


    "What opposite?"


    "Since you are leaving so much to my imagination, my mind is busy undressing you."


    "Ok now don''t digress from the main topic. Why don''t you talk to me when you feel hurt. Why you have to bear the pain all by yourself. Why can''t you share it with me, Raymond?"


    "Because I let you face all the pain all by yourself. I was not there with you when you were broken to your limits. And because I made you feel all this pain, I deserve to suffer alone."


    "Raymond no, don''t you see, this is exactly what I want to avoid."


    "I want us to be together, share everything and face every hardship together. What happened was something in the past. I was stupid. I was selfish. I didn''t think of others. I was so drowned in my pain that I did all those stupid things. I didn''t mean you to find about it like this. I mean that was ..."


    "God Akira !!! Stop exining yourself. I am not angry or disappointed with you. I am disappointed with myself."


    Holding her waist he brought her close and touched her temple with his own and then said,


    "I promise you, that from today, I will make every wish of yourse true. I will make sure we don''t have to hide and meet like this. For every tear that you have shed for me, I will rece them with happiness."


    Akira lifted her hands and held his face in her palms and said,


    "You don''t need to do anything different Raymond. You don''t need to risk anything. Just let things be the way they are. I just don''t want you to overthink about the past. That''s all."


    He held her face in his hands and softly kissed her.


    "I thought you didn''t want people to see us like this."


    "But there is no one here."


    Akiraughed and pointed at the CC TV camera at the front and said,


    "What about that."


    "Oh myaaaannnn."


    Raymond whimpered and looked at her all desperately.


    Akira smiled looking at the desperation on his face and said,


    "Well, you can continue with your mental undressing thing as of now."


    She was about to wriggle herself out from his embrace when he said,


    "But right now, I wanna do it for real !!!"

 Chapter 375: The only medicine that she needed

    <h4>375 The only medicine that she needed</h4>


    "You what?"


    "Well if you didn''t hear that, then I am gonna need your ears tested."


    "Wait? what?", Akira said and blushed.


    Raymond pulled her closer and then twirled her around and said,


    "All your inner desires, all your wishes, every single touch that you want, I am going to give it to you Akira. Each and every one of them."


    "I will run my finger on every inch of your skin that you desire", and saying that his hands slowly started traveling underneath her oversized t-shirt, touching her bare skin all tenderly.


    She shivered with his touch and started looking down.


    He pulled up her chin and said,


    "Eyes on me."


    She looked at him with questions in her eyes and said,


    "Before any of that, I want you to be predictable for me."


    "What do you mean?"


    Taking a deep breath, she muttered,


    "I am so gonna regret this."


    Then looking up at him and conjuring her sprits she said,


    "In one moment you make yourself so aloof and inessible and in the next, you dote on me. You baffle me up."


    "But Akira..."


    "I am not done talking."


    Saying that Akira went and picked up her bag from the corner and said,


    "A minute ago you said you wanted to undress me, be close to me. But 2 minutes before that you want to punish yourself by staying away from me. What is this love-hate rtionship, Raymond?"


    Raymond closed his eyes feeling all guilty and switched off the music. Seeing her picking up her bag, he knew that she was so not in the mood for it.


    "I have waited enough for you Raymond. And I guess I am ok to wait for some more. But I want to be with someone who can be open with me, vocal with me about even the small things in life. I mean if I act stupid then punish me instead, Why punish yourself like this and torture me?"


    He stood there all still, looking at her as she spoke.


    "I know you are not much of a talker when ites to things like this. But just for once, try to open your heart for me. Maybe that will make things easier for both of us."


    Saying that Akira stormed out.


    He didn''t go out and stop her as he knew that her brother would be outside, but primarily his head was busy thinking of ways to pacify her.


    She turned two-three times back as she was walking back to her house.


    "Are you searching for someone?", Mike asked curiously as he was worried if his sister also saw that man in the car like he did yesterday.


    "Not at all", saying that she looked at him and stered a fake smile on her face.


    Before taking the turn, Mike turned back again to check, and suddenly his attention went to the Blue Lexus parked outside the dance ss. It was there in front of him, the whole time but he had been so clueless about it.


    Getting a bit edgy and panicking, he asked,


    "Did you feel anything weird or did u see anything weird today?"


    "No. But why are you asking? Did you see something?", Akira asked him. Feeling a bit skeptical deep down inside.


    "No just asking", saying that he casually brushed off the question.


    As they reached their house, Akira was relieved not to find any ck sedan parked in front of her house.


    The whole day had been taxing for her.?So the moment she entered her room, she locked the door to her room and went to the washroom and ran herself a nice bath. As the bathtub was getting filled with water, she started pacing in her room, mumbling to herself.


    "Dang it Akira !!! Why did you have to overreact?"


    "At least you could have waited for him to kiss you properly."


    Saying that she let out a disappointed grunt and picked up her phone to dial his number. But before she could dial, she got a call from a PRIVATE NUMBER.


    "Hello"


    "It''s me"


    "How are you?"


    "How am I? All dandy. Why do you ask?"


    It was the first time that they had fought with each other and he had no clue as to how to please her. So he asked,


    "Just tell me what can I do to make it up to you? I don''t want us to be like this. I don''t want to fight."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    Hearing his words, Akira went all silent for a while. She knew exactly what she wanted, but she knew that it wasn''t possible for him. So getting all irritated she said,


    "Figure it out, Raymond. This is not the first time that we are fighting."


    And saying that she disconnected the call.


    She threw her phone on the bed and mumbled,


    "When will you ever understand that even though you hurt me, you are the only medicine that I need to be healed."

 Chapter 376: Her glistening body

    <h4>376 Her glistening body</h4>


    "When will you ever understand that even though you hurt me, you are the only medicine that I need to be healed."


    He heard her say those lines as had tuned on to the voice system capturing the audio from the pendant''s recording unit.


    Sitting inside the car, with his hands on the steering wheel, he pondered for a while if what he was thinking in head to do, was the right thing or not.


    But he already had enough with living a calcted life all this time.


    So he switched off the device and started his car. He was off to meet his girl !!!


    ---


    She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs but instead, she went inside the bathroom and added more bath salts and bubbles into the water. She kept gawking at the foam and dipped her fingers and stirred the water. Then she went back to the bedroom all mumbling,


    "I will not be affected by you. I will take a nice bath and then I will just sleep." and saying that she got undressed and wrapped herself in a robe. Then she yed a list of top hip hop songs of that year on her phone in the Spotify app. She left the phone outside that washroom and kept the door ajar so that the music would be audible inside the bathroom.


    She didn''t want to take the phone inside as she was always scared of getting it wet.


    As she entered inside, she slid out of her robe and entered into the bathtub and soaked herselfpletely in the mild lukewarm water.


    The water relieved her like magic, soothing out her sore muscles from all that dancing.


    She never felt a bit of pain when she danced with him, but she always woke up with sore muscles the day after. She never knew how and why his presence healed her in every possible way.


    Taking a deep breath, she picked up her unfinished novel by Khaled Hosseini and started flipping the pages.


    ---


    As he reached her window side of the room, he gently tried to lift the ss pane and luckily that girl had left it unlocked.


    "When will this girl start to lock her windows?", he mumbled. But little did he know that she always kept the windowpane open since thest one and a half year, hoping against hope that one fine day, he woulde inside her room, climbing that window of hers.


    As he came in, he heard the music ring from her phone with a Katy Perry number - Roar. Seeing the lights on in the bathroom he knew that she was inside.


    So he tiptoed and unlocked her phone using the same old password as before and queued -?A thousand years by Christina Perri. It was a song of great significance because they had danced for the first time to the tune of this song.


    After changing that song, he went and sat on her bed silently, because he knew that it was enough to draw her out.


    After the song Roar finished, the track changed to a thousand years suddenly. Akira knew for sure that this song was not a part of the entire ylist and more so, this was the song that always made a pit in her stomach. So feeling all weird, she wrapped her wet and soapy self into a towel and came out of the bathroom and checked the Spotify app.


    All the queues songs had been removed and this was the only one remaining to be yed.


    "The hell", she mumbled and started searching for more tracks.


    .


    .


    If there was any word for killing with just her looks, then he would have given it to her at that time. Even though her hair was tied in a bun, it was almost messy and dripping with water. All that soap and water made her skin look all the more shiny and glowy.


    He could feel his jaws falling down along with gravity.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    Just the sight of her was making his heart race at a speed which was way more than what he could even think of racing.


    The towel was hanging low on her chest, with her one hand, barely being able to hold them tight as with the other she was checking her phone.


    The water was dripping from her neck, down to her lower neck and then further down in between the peaks of her chest. His eyes were trailing every inch of her skin like those drops of water.


    Completely oblivious of the fact that he was inside the room, once she was done changing the tracks, she ced the phone on the mat and turned to enter the washroom. But the moment she turned, he lost all his patience.


    Her back was there in front of him. All bare, with nothing but the drops of water glistening and dripping all over.


    Gasping and gulping his own spit, Raymond said,


    "Akira !!!"

 Chapter 377: Let me help you finish your bath first - 1

    <h4>377 Let me help you finish your bath first - 1</h4>


    Her heart skipped a beat as she heard his voice. She forgot how to breathe as she heard her name from his mouth.


    "Was that for real?"


    "Is that him?"


    Before turning back, she contemted about a hundred and one questions inside of her tiny little head. She hesitated for a moment and paused, but then turned all of a sudden, to find him sitting on her bed, looking at her with his eyes filled with nothing but pure desire.


    "Why... why are you here?"


    She stammered and her panicked heart blurted out without a second thought.


    "Because I thought you wanted me here?"


    And saying that he got up from the bed and slowly started walking towards her,


    "What are you doing?"


    "Trying hard not to scare you away."


    Hearing his lines, she again looked into his eyes which looked like they were stoned and asked,


    "Why are you always this smug?"


    "Tell me how you want me to be."


    He said and inched even closer.


    She started retreating back with every step that he took to increase his proximity. Grabbing on to her towel tightly she was continuously schooling her heart which just wanted to cave in and run into his arms.


    She had fought with him and wanted to continue the fight properly. But she never imagined that he was going to make it so hard for her to stay angry with him.


    Pouting her lips she looked at him and said,


    "This is so not going to fix my madness. I am still angry with you."


    "But I heard you say so", Raymond replied with a smirk.


    "What do you mean?"


    Inching the gap in between he came closer and said,


    "Someone just told a couple of minutes back that I am apparently the only medicine that she needs."


    Akira looked at his smug face all surprised and then understood the whole thing.


    "This is unexpectedly taking advantage of the tracking device. If you keep doing that, then I am going to stop wearing it someday"


    The moment Raymond heard her say that he came even closer making her rest her back on the wall. He had her pinned and with one jerk, he could have made that towel fall. But instead, his eyes turned all fierce and he spoke,


    "Never !!! Like ever do you dare to take this locket out" and saying that he pulled her hand lower which was holding on tight both the ends of the towel and ted a kiss right in between her bosom.


    Just with his touch, she lost all the control over her body and mind and closed her eyes. Her hands turned all non-tactile and the grip that she had around the towel loosened.


    But he held it tight.


    Looking at her soft blissful face he knew that she had melted. His job was done, but there was no stopping for his own greed.


    He looked at her and wanted instant gratification. His heart ached for her touch but seeing her all unarmed and in surrendered mode, he took a deep breath and pulled the towel up and wrapped her up like a toffee.


    Feeling the soft embrace of the towel all-around her, she opened her eyes and looked at him with her eyes filled with surprise. She was expecting him to touch her, to vite her in every possible way, but Raymond, being that perfect gentleman that he was, had wrapped her up, knowing that there was nothing underneath.


    "What do you want?"


    She asked looking into his eyes.


    "All your trust and all your love. I want is all back Akira. I can''t see you angry with me. I cannot live like that. It suffocates me", and saying that he slowly pushed away the strands of wet hair from her face and said,


    "I promise that from now on I will be like water with you. All transparent. All open. You will see."


    Taking a deep breath Akira looked at him and said,


    "I trust you. In fact, I trust you more than myself. I can walk on the daggers if you ask me to Raymond." And saying that she tiptoed and kissed his lips softly.


    "Why would you risk so much ande here?", she asked and looked at him with nothing but love-filled in her eyes.


    "For this kiss", and saying that he sealed her lips with his own.?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    For a moment she stood all breathless, trying to assimte the surge of feelings inside of her. In response to his wet and warm touch, she parted her lips like a door for him, to barge in. And he came in all strong and all wild, tantalizing her with the action of his tongue, rendering her all breathless.


    As she whimpered and moaned he detached himself all of a sudden for the lord had been aroused.


    Looking at her with his sultry and demonic eyes, he said,


    "Let me help you finish your bath first."

 Chapter 378: Let me help you finish your bath first - 2

    <h4>378 Let me help you finish your bath first - 2</h4>


    "Let me help you finish your bath first."


    And saying that he scooped her in his arms.


    All wrapped in the towel like a newborn baby, she felt all pampered and loved.


    Holding her in his arms all tenderly he looked into her eyes with nothing but love. Her stomach curled with butterflies running their errands, seeing the way he was looking at her. Completely flushed with the thought of his touch she slowly started turning all scarlet.


    After entering the bathroom, he helped her stand upright first and looked into her eyes like he was seeing permission to peel her out from theyer of cloth, which was barely draping her. She just gave a slight nod and started to look down all nervously.


    His hands slowly moved up and very gently he unfurled the towel open.


    The moment she saw the towel lying on the bathroom floor, she had a sudden awareness of her nakedness and vulnerability. With her one hand, she immediately covered her chest and with the other, she tried to hide her modesty all desperately.


    He knew exactly what and how she was feeling and all that he wanted was to make herfortable. He didn''t want toy a finger on her without her permission. He didn''t want to touch her unless she wanted him to.


    So with his eyes filled with the fire of passion and his raspy voice which was clearly reflecting his hunger and insanity, he said,


    "Why are you all scared of me now? It''s not the first time I am seeing you like this Akira," and saying that he lifted her chin up to make her look into his eyes.


    He could see that they had been brimming with tears. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    They were tears of joy, tears of anticipation, tears of the fear of venturing into the unknown.


    Looking into his eyes she mumbled slowly,


    "The things you saw earlier have grown old".


    "Pardon me !!!"


    Getting slightly irritated she mumbled a bit louder,


    "I have aged Raymond. It''s been more than one and a half year. I don''t know if ..."


    Before she could speak any further, he ced his index finger on her lips and said,


    "No matter what Akira, you will always be the most beautiful thing that I have or seen" and saying that he held her face in his palms and kissed her lips all tenderly, nting a series of wet and moist kisses.


    Taking a pause in between he said,


    "Remove your hands Akira".


    She looked up at him again with her unsure eyes.


    So with his own hands, he slowly moved her hands which were covering her modesty. His eyes were fixated on her as he did so. Not even once did he look down.


    She could clearly see how much effort he was putting in, being a guy.


    So she immediately turned back, with her back facing his chest and took a couple of deep breaths. Before Raymond could even ask her about what she was feeling, she said,


    "Give me your hands", and saying that she held her palms slightly upwards.


    He inched closer and ced his warm and firm hands on her slender ones, just like the way she wanted it. Then taking a deep breath she lifted her left hand along with his and ced it on her chest.


    The moment his hand touched her peak, she crumbled from inside and leaned on his chest as she was unable to stand straight by herself.


    He understood what she was doing. So even before she could move her right hand, he lifted his right hand and gently cupped her down there.


    The moment his fingers touched herher regions, she felt like she was experiencing a sudden explosion inside of her body. Just his embrace, just his touch was enough to make her all warm and wet.


    The temperature of her naked bare skin, leaning on top of his body was making his mind go haywire. The warm sensation of herher regions and the hardness of her peaks was making his mind go berserk. Unable to control his desires, he just gently stroked his thumb down there.


    That single stoke was enough to melt herpletely.


    She arched her back and leanedpletely onto him like with no control whatsoever on her own body. He could feel that mild tremor in her body and that immensely pleased his manhood.


    Right now he wanted to knead his assets, bite them and make them all sore with his teeth, but seeing her already caving in, to this extent, he knew that it was was going to be too sudden and too fierce for her. So he calmed himself down because today he was going to love her in the way her heart desired.


    All tender, all slow, all vani.

 Chapter 379: All Vanilla - 1

    <h4>379 All Vani - 1</h4>


    "What do you want Akira?"


    He asked and slowly grazed his tongue on the sides of her neck and finally settled after slightly biting on her shoulder.


    She winced, but not in pain, but in pleasure instead. Her insides were bursting all hot and wild like the fireworks on the fourth of July. Her chest was rising and falling all arrhythmic and even her breath was bing all hot.


    "Stand still."


    His voice echoed like amand and she tried to get hold of herself.


    Retracting his hands back he swiftly peeled off his shirt and casts it away on the floor. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the shirting off and getting disposed away, just the way her towel was strewn on the floor.


    Then with his slender long fingers, he traced along the spine of hers, making her go weak in her knees again. There was no respite from him, none that she knew of.


    Holding on to her right hand he said,


    "Get in the bath."


    Hearing his words, she turned back all surprised and nced at him, to which he replied through the movement of his eyes.


    Wrapping her free arm around her chest, she lifts her legs and enters the bath. Suddenly the water felt all cold. She giggled coz she knew that her own temperature was now higher than that of the water.


    As she slowly immersed herself in the water, he let go of her hand and she desperately tried to pull all the foam around her. Seeing her desperate act to cover herself, Raymond burst into augh.


    "What?"


    "Why are youughing?"


    Raymond tried hard to keep his mouth shut and then taking a deep breath he said,


    "You know you look so cute when you act like this."


    "I act like what?"


    "Mmm... I like you all cute like this. Don''t frown", and saying that he gently touched the space between her brows trying to ease her frown.


    Akira pouted her lips and looked at him like a baby duck.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "You are totally inviting me to kiss them, aren''t you?"


    "When did I? Stop using me of everything when I have done nothing."


    "Come over here", saying that he sat on the floor and extended his arm for her to rest her head on it.


    The moment she tried to move a bit to rest her head on his hand, the foam became incapable of hiding her swells. She could see him looking at them all intently like an ardent fan. Seeing the way his eyes desired for her body, all blushed she wanted to disappear into the water and hide herself away.


    He lifted her chin with his other hand and brought her eyes to his level and said,


    "If only you could read my mind right now Akira, you would have known how unsafe it is for you to desire to be with me."


    She blinked her eyes like a baby and asked,


    "Tell me what you want to do with me?"


    He chuckled again after hearing her speak and said,


    "There isn''t just one thing. There are a plethora of things that I want to do to you", and saying that he took a deep breath and said,


    "How would you like me to bathe you?"


    Hearing his question she looked all nervously at him. He inched closer and moved his mouth close to her ears and softly whispered,


    "Don''t feel shy. Tell me what you want right now, else I will do it my way."


    Saying that he looked at her and her heaving chest and face that was contemting what to say.


    Finally, after much deliberation, she looked at the loofah and said,


    "I need more foam."


    He lowered his head and his lips were covered in a deadly smile. Gently brushing them against her ears, he said,


    "Right away mydy", and saying that he gently removed her arm that was supporting her head and ced a towel there to give cushioning support to her head.


    He held the loofah in his hand and then slowly dipped it in the water of the bathtub to make it wet. Then he squirted a generous amount of body wash on top of it so as to be able tother her well and while he did so, his eyes were fixated on her, watching them narrate all the emotions of her heart.


    He rubbed the loofah a bit on his hands to start with the foams and said,


    "Where all you want me to touch you like this?"


    His devious eyes were now searing through her heart, tantalizing her skin with just his look that said it all. She was already aroused, without him even touching her.


    She felt like he had already hypnotized her and made her his thrall.

 Chapter 380: All Vanilla - 2

    <h4>380 All Vani - 2</h4>


    "You got to tell me Akira. Where do you want me to touch you?"


    All coy, she looked to the side and then from the corner of her eyes she spoke,


    "All over, like everywhere."


    He smiled as she spoke and said,


    "Will try my best not to stray away."


    And saying that he brought the loofah close to her neck and gently rubbed against her skin,thering her up as his hands moved adeptly.


    She closed her eyes and wondered, what was magical in his touch because she never felt like this when she used tother herself on her own. There was something so sensuous about the way he wasthering her up.


    His hands slowly moved tother her swells and as he did, she blushed all scarlet and crimson. He left no room and covered every inch of the skin from the tip of the peak till the bottom. The moment his loofah touched the tips, she arched her back with pleasure. Closing her eyes she was so lost in the moment, that she didn''t even realize when her upper body was no more hidden inside the waters.


    His juvenile heart was immensely pleased to see the sight in front of him. All nicely shaped, all nicelythered, with her peaks standing upright all hard, basking in the glory, waiting for ascension. His eager hands couldn''t resist the sight and with the help of his index and middle finger, he clenched her tips.


    Her body felt like she was bombarded with ecstasy and pleasure. Her senses were so heightened now, that with every stroke of his fingers she was hitting new levels of arousal. Seeing the way her body was reacting to her, he was pleased, more than pleased.


    He increased the pressure and slightly pinched them suddenly.


    All exalted she opened her eyes suddenly and looked straight into his eyes. His eyes gave her undivided attention and his fingers kept ying with her. Even though she was inside the water, she could sense that she was getting wetter and wetter.


    His lips parted, seeing her reacting all vivid and erogenous.


    "I want to bite them so badly", he said and shifted his gaze to her peaks which had flourished beautifully under his touch.


    She couldn''t bear it anymore. Neither his touch nor his words. She moved her face to the other side and closed her eyes. She was feeling so good right at this moment with all the sweet sensations draining her out, that she could die right here, right now.


    She felt beyond perfect. So perfect that a drop of tear trickled down her eyes and she broke into a soft sob.


    From the way her back and her chest moved, he knew that she was already emotional.


    He released her peaks from his grip and said,


    "Talk to me Akira."


    She turned her face and looked at him and said,Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    "I don''t want this to end. I don''t want you to leave. I want this tost forever, Raymond."


    Even with tears in her eyes, she looked so beautiful as she said those words because he knew exactly what she meant.


    "I feel beautiful, I feel loved and wanted and I just can''t think of parting away with you again. Can''t we live like this forever Raymond?"


    Taking a deep breath he said,


    "I promise you that till myst breath, I am going to make you feel all loved and wanted like this. Every single day. I promise."


    "No, you swear on me."


    He slowly moved ahead and kissed on her left peak and then took her flourished pearl in between his teeth and gave a gentle tug.


    "Aaahhhh", she cried with her body shattering into a thousand pieces as he bit them and sucked them. After rendering her tip all sore, he softly licked them, spreading the warmth of his tongue all over and hardening them to the maximum capacity.


    Then shifting his gaze into her eyes he said,


    "I swear on them", and saying that he pointed towards his asset.


    All speechless she just looked at him with her eyes filled with surprise.


    This man had his own way of telling things. This man had his own way of brandishing her. He always knew how to take her by surprise, but he always respected her limits.


    He gently sealed her mouth with a wet kiss but before his tongue could explore more, his phone started vibrating.


    Wiping away his hands he took the phone out of his pocket and checked the message.


    There was a sudden change in his demeanor and expression as he saw the message and Akira knew that it was something serious and he was about to leave.


    "Akira ... I"


    "It''s ok. I know you need to go."


    He shook his head and then got up and picked his shirt and wore it back.


    Before leaving the bathroom he said,


    "We shall continue from where we left."

 Chapter 381: So So Clueless - 1

    <h4>381 So So Clueless - 1</h4>


    She saw him leave and she knew that it was indeed something urgent, or else he wouldn''t have left her in thispletely vulnerable state. She wanted to know what was so important, but by now she had understood that he would only reveal when the time was right. So taking a deep breath, she continued washing herself up.


    After finishing her bath, she came back and opened herptop.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    Somehow the fact that the bartender had mistaken her for Dr. Nelson''s wife was still protruding somewhere at the back of her head. She had ignored it till now thinking that he might have seen them together whileing back from the medical conference, but out of curiosity, she started searching for images of her wife.


    As a search result, she found different images of Dr. Nelson and his friends but nowhere she could find the image of his wife. Then she found a blog which was written by a friend of Alita, about her journey and her pain. It was sort of an obituary from her side and there she found that since Dr. Nelson had given out all her medical records and details to public for help in research and analysis for other doctors, he had requested for her anonymity in some other way.


    He had removed all sources of any sort of images of her from the web. He had taken down her picture from many sites using DMCA notices. The whole journey of Dr. Nelson and Alita was present in that blog.


    She read it and took a deep breath before running into the arms of sleep.


    ---


    The next morning as she got up, with the light filling the room with its brightness, the first thing that she did was to hold her locket all tenderly in her arms and whispered,


    "Morning love !!!"


    She didn''t know if he heard her, but she didn''t care, she was just happy being able to express herself. After yesterday had happened, she was sure of one thing, that her man would risk anything, literally anything just to make her happy for five minutes.


    She unlocked her phone and checked her messages and there was an instant smile on her face.


    "Sorry for that super unnned and immediate exit. I promise to make it up for it." - PRIVARE_NUMBER


    "More power to you for today. You make me proud," -?PRIVARE_NUMBER


    Seeing his messages, the first thing in the morning, uplifted her mood like anything. She scrolled down and found a message from Dr. Nelson too.


    "I will call Raymond today. Let''s see if I can ask him to visit me tomorrow." - Dr. Nelson


    A sense of relief was spread inside of hers after reading Dr. Nelson''s message. He had promised her a day before that he would help, but still, she wasn''t sure if he would because she was scared that someone or something might change his mind considering the amount of risk involved in the process.


    That message from him brightened the ray of hope inside of hers. Now all that she had to do was to wait for Raymond to get persuaded.


    Taking a deep breath, she got up from her bed.


    Today she wanted to dress up to kill. Afterall Vikram wasing to her office to get the new deal signed. She had to poach him straight into the deal, without giving any ess to his legal team before she got that signature from him.


    After finishing her morning routine, she wore her body-hugging knee-length pencil skirt and paired it with an almost see-through white blouse. Then she wore a grey jacket on toplete her ensemble and drove herself to the office.


    The time was around 11 am when she got a call from Vikram.


    "Hey, Akira !"


    "Hello, Vikram !"


    "I am on my way to your office and I will be reaching there in another fifteen minutes," he said, looking at his watch.


    "Oh super. The files are ready and waiting for you to sign them."


    "Brilliant !!!"


    "Bute fast, I am extremely hungry. Had to skip breakfast today. Let''s go out somece nice to eat after the documents are signed."


    "Then the documents can wait. Let me take you out for a brunch first."


    Hearing his tant eagerness to dine with her, Akira bit her lips in anger and then said,


    "Oh, so you are going to make us wait for funds even more. That''s an evil n."


    Unable to gauge the level of deception, a clueless Vikram chuckled and said,


    "Oh fine !!! Don''t pout un-necessarily. I will sign the deal quickly and take you out for lunch. Happy?"


    The deal wasn''t going to work the way he wanted to. He was unable to add the uses that he wanted to, but he was still happy thinking about the fact that this deal would bring them even closer. A smile spread on his face as he drove through the busy streets of Brooklyn.

 Chapter 382: So So Clueless - 2

    <h4>382 So So Clueless - 2</h4>


    After keeping the call, she wiped away the smile from her face with which she was speaking with him.


    The whole notion of being friendly and cordial with someone who had attempted to kill the love of her life wasn''t something that came naturally to her. She had to drink a pail of poison, every single time that she attempted to even talk with him.


    She took a deep breath and grabbed onto that ss of water lying on the table.


    Seeing her palpitating like this David, who was sitting in the room and watched her as she spoke, said,


    "He repulses you that much huh !!!"


    "More than what you can imagine in your head. Sometimes I feel like taking a dagger and running it through his heart."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting.


    Saying that she looked at David, who was looking at her all surprised with a tinge of smile on his face which could any moment turn into augh.


    "I am just saying. Not that I want to do it. I am well aware of the predicaments",


    Davidughed and said,


    "I knew you were joking, but you killed it by exining yourself in detail."


    Saying that he picked up the agreement file and ced it on Akira''s desk and said,


    "Make it happen. I know it must be hard on you but if this is what you want then you have to stand strong for it."


    Akira gave him a nod and he exited the room as it was time for Vikram to arrive.


    After David left, she removed her jacket and ced it on the chair and started pacing inside the room. She knew that she was doing it the wrong way, deceiving him, conning him into signing the deal but her zeal to avenge for what he had done to Raymond, was so strong that she ignored everything and calmed herself down, to be ready for the assault.


    Five minutester there was a knock on her door and she, instead of just asking him toe in, she went to the door to open it for him, in person.


    "Hey there !!!"


    She greeted Vikram with a brilliant beaming smile on her face without a trace of hesitation that was building up inside of her a moment before.


    He was surprised but was equally pleased to see that bright smile on her face as she greeted him.


    "Hi... You seem to be in an awfully good mood today."


    "Well, my good is good because you have arrived", saying that she closed the door behind her and started strutting in front of him in her pencil skirt and high heels.


    He admired her hourss figure and why not? After all, she was one of the finest specimen on earth with everything made just perfect. Perfect legs, perfect figure, perfect face, and perfect demeanor. For him, she was born to make his life all perfect.


    But little did he know what he was in for. Her perfect self was hell-bent on making his life imperfect and all that she needed for that perfect recipe was his signature.


    She sat on her chair and opened the file.


    "I have already seen the changes and they look all fine to me. But since its a business deal, I would prefer that you go through it well", and saying that she handed over the file to him.


    Vikram took the file and started going through it in great detail, page by page. The new uses had been added in page number fourteen and seventeen respectively. So the moment he flipped page number five, she got a bit impatient and said,


    "God Vikram, can you read any faster? The arts are racing inside my stomach already."


    Saying that she came next to him and leaned herself on the table by grabbing the corner of the table.


    "Can you give me the original document so that I canpare the difference in the deal terms?"


    "Argghh... Can I just iterate them to you? We have discussed it so many times in the meetings that it''s all by heart for me right now."


    "Is it?"


    "Yeah. Page number one and three have details about the name change."


    "Yep. Checked that."


    "Instead of an investment of 79%, we need 81% investment from you, which leads to an increase of around 2.34 million USD. Page 7 use 9."


    "Got it", he said and skimmed through the page.


    Then taking a deep breath Akira said,


    "And a new use added?in page number fourteen and seventeen. It states that in case our product goes into loss then we will return the investment after only a year. Just a cautionary use, but given our reputation, you know it well that our product never tank."


    Then without even giving him any time to think, she handed over the pen to him and said,


    "Now sign this goddamn paper and let''s go for lunch."

 Chapter 383: So So Clueless - 3

    <h4>383 So So Clueless - 3</h4>


    "Now sign this goddamn paper and let''s go for lunch."


    Saying that Akira looked at him for a moment and then putting all of her weight on the table, she lifted herself up and sat on the table. Then continuing looking deep into his eyes, she crossed her legs and took a deep breath and said,


    "If I die today because of hunger then my death will be on you."


    And saying that she pouted her lips and then crossed her arms.


    Looking at her, acting all up like the good old days, a smile spread on his face. He just put a cursory nce at the pages and then took a pen from her and signed it, without asking a single new question.


    Then shutting the file down, Vikram looked at her and said,


    "Now that the paperwork is done we can head outside", saying that Vikram got up and buttoned up his suit.


    Akira smiled looking at him. It was a jubnt smile hidden underneath the facade of the smile of an innocent girl, who wanted nothing else right now except a happy meal.


    She uncrossed her legs and hopped down from the table and went towards the chair to grab her jacket and was just about to wear it when Vikram came and held her hands and said,


    "Don''t"


    She raised her eyebrows and looked up at him with questions filled in her eyes.


    "You look nice without the jacket."


    She knew exactly what he meant, but she tried to act up all innocent.


    "Ok. Can we go now?"


    "After you", Vikram said and kept his left arm softly on her back.


    The moment his hand touched her back, she felt an instant urge to kick him in his nuts, break every single bone of his body and to tear him apart, limb by limb, but somehow she controlled her urge to do so and gave a faint smile back.


    She felt vited, she felt like she needed to purge herself for she loathed this man more than anything else in the world. stering that forced smile on her face as she walked out of the room, she saw Daviding from the other side of the corridor and in a second he understood her plight.


    Without even wasting a second as he reached close to both of them, he said,


    "Hello, Mr. Vikram. I am going to borrow my boss for a second here."


    And saying that he moved a bit to the side and opened the file in his hand. Akra immediately understood that he was giving her a golden window of opportunity to shrug off that hand that was resting on her back.


    She turned back and said,


    "Just a second."


    She said and moved aside.


    He had to put his hand back in his trouser pocket and wait for her to finish the conversation.


    As Akira moved towards David, the first thing that she did was to mouth a "Thank You."


    They had a fake discussion for two to three minutes and then Akira said,


    "We can go now."


    Saying that she paced outside, without giving that man any chance to touch her even once.


    All clueless of the trap that had been set for him, Vikram drove her to a nearby Chinese restaurant for lunch.


    While sitting inside the car, she badly wanted to text Raymond, wanted to know if Dr. Nelson had called him up. But her hands were tied up in every possible way. She didn''t want the man next to her, have a single doubt about the whole process. So she refrained from even texting Raymond or Dr. Nelson, as she didn''t want him to have any sort of suspicion.


    After the two left the office premises, David walked into Akira''s cabin and picked up the deal file which had been signed.


    He opened the file and saw his signatures on the paper and his heart was ted instantly, like a Christmas tree.


    The fire inside him to avenge this man was no less than what Akira had in her heart. He wasn''t rted to Raymond by blood, but he was more than a younger brother to him whom he wanted to nurture and protect at any cost.


    He wanted to call up Raymond an tell him about the fantastic n of Akira. He wanted to tell how well they had trapped the guy who was trying to be his nemesis. But he refrained. He knew that everything had to be done when the time was right.


    So, taking a deep breath, he held both the files in his hands and started walking towards the design team wing.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    As he reached there he cleared his throat and announced,


    "I have a piece of big news for you guys !!!"


    "We got the funding?", Kirk asked.


    "Oh yeah, we did !!!", saying that David shed the file to everyone.


    "Hail project MEDUSA !!!", Kirk screamed all boisterously.


    David smiled looking at him and said,


    "Yeah,?Hail project MEDUSA !!!"

 Chapter 384: That Phone Call

    <h4>384 That Phone Call</h4>


    The time was around 10:30 am. Sitting inside the room, Raymond waspletely busy, scanning through multiple files. He was also shuffling between one file to another from time to time. He was scribbling information on his personal notepad so that he could refer to themter.


    He had already gone through thirty-one files and there were twenty-seven files which were yet to be reviewed by him. He worked non-stop, reading non-stop and cross-referenced it with the data on hisptop. He waspletely immersed in this work when suddenly he got a call on his phone.


    "Hello"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Hello"


    "Am I speaking with Mr. Raymond Walker?"


    "Yes, may I know who is this calling and in which regard?"


    Raymond asked seeing that unknown number and unknown voice.


    "Ah !!! I am Dr. Nelson. You may not be knowing me. But I am ..."


    "I know all about you. I have heard about your amazing research work from Dr. Oshana."


    "Oh! So you know about me."


    "Well, your reputation is quite a top-notch in your domain and given that you are one of the premier doctors in the field of research for Acquired Prosopagnosia. Plus my doctor always used to share my reports with you and has told me a lot about you."


    "She did?"


    Dr. Nelson asked all surprised because she had never shared any reports of Raymond with him and the first time that he had seen his report was at the medical conference in London.


    "Oh, yes !!! I personally wanted toe to you and get my reports re-checked, so she saved me fro all that hassle and from redoing all the tests by sending the reports to you, and a big thanks to you for taking time out of your busy schedule and reviewing them."


    Dr. Nelson stayed silent for a while and then remembered about the conversation that he had with Akira. He was wondering earlier about why she was stressing so much and was hellbent on getting the tests redone? He wondered as to why she wanted to keep Dr. Oshana in the dark about the whole thing?


    But now, after hearing what Raymond had to say, he could sense that something wasn''t right. And the way Akira had spoken with him, he knew that Raymond didn''t have any clue about the whole thing.


    So after a quick-thinking, he replied,


    "Well yeah, your case is quite unique since you have no other injuries. So I wanted to conduct some more routine checks to see if there is something that we can do to expedite the natural healing process."


    "Oh, ok. So you want me to be a part of a clinical trial?"


    "No no, not like a trial. More like just conducting some routine tests and I would really be grateful if you do not tell Dr. Oshana about it."


    "But why?"


    "First, because she is very possessive about her patients and might freak out thinking that I am poaching you out."


    Raymond chuckled after hearing his reason.


    "And the second being the fact that I have lost some of the reports that she had sent and some other reports are like one or two months old and for my evaluation, I will be needing thetest ones. Hope that is ok with you? I mean, it will not take more than thirty minutes or so for all the tests to be conducted."


    "Sure, let me know about the time and ce."


    "Well, I have two hours free slot today afternoon. Will, that be convenient for you? I mean I know its a short notice, but I hope that you can make it."


    Raymond nced at his watch and then said,


    "Should be fine I guess !!!"


    "Ok then. I will ask my receptionist to text you the details."


    "Sure."


    "Thanks for your help Mr. Raymond."


    "Oh Please! Not at all. If anything good happens then I will the first one to be benefited from this. So if anyone should be thanking anyone, then that should be me."


    "Ok then. See you in the afternoon."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson disconnected the call and went into deep thought. He badly wanted to connect the missing link and figure out what was going on.


    So he immediately texted Akira.


    "My job is done. He is visiting me today afternoon at my hospital" - Dr. Nelson.


    Sitting at the restaurant as Akira''s phone buzzed, she picked it up and read the message. As soon as she read it, a smile etched on her face and she replied,


    "I knew that you would be able to convince him. Thank you so much" - Akira


    "That''s fine, but is there something else that I should be knowing apart from all this Akira?" - Dr. Nelson


    Akira read his message and realized that he had already gotten some hint.


    "Tell me Akira. We need to talk" - Dr. Nelson


    Akira read the message and took a deep breath.

 Chapter 385: Fever vs Cancer

    <h4>385 Fever vs Cancer</h4>


    "What happened?"


    "Huh !!!"


    "Any good news? You seem really happy after reading the message on your phone."


    Vikram asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice, and sensing that she said,


    "Actually I had promoted a person from out team yesterday and he has sent me a thank you message. It was quite nice and touching."


    "I see", Vikram said and continued with his noodles.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, Akira smiled inside of her head and said,


    "I wanted to tell you something Vikram. Actually, I have been meaning to tell you this since long. But somehow I just refrained myself."


    "You know you do not have to hide behind all thoseyers with me Akira. Tell me what is there in your heart."


    "The thing is... I really don''t know how to put this into words, but I am really really grateful to you that you have been a part of my life. I mean, we did have a tumultuous past. Who doesn''t? But still, you always stood next to me even knowing the fact that I always had someone else in my heart. That''s something I know is not easy to do."


    "Oh,e on Akira. You are belittling me by saying all these things."


    "No Vikram. I mean it. You supported me through my difficult times. You supported not only me but also Mike and Katherine. I mean no one asked you to help, but you did. You were the rock to which we all clung on."


    Then looking straight into his eyes she said,


    "And I hope you will continue to be the steady rock in my life."


    Saying that she smiled looking at him, even though her insides were revolting against her.


    Vikram''s heart was covered with warmth. Her words were like a nket of love which covered him instantly.


    He extended his hand and ced it on her hand on the table and said,


    "I guess you know the answer to that. I am never ever going to leave you Akira. You have always been a constant in my life. Like always."


    Akira smiled and pulled her hand out and said,


    "Now let''s continue digging in. I can''t betray my stomach."


    Saying that Akira picked her fork and thenpletely focussed on her Haka noodles.


    ----


    It was around two o''clock and Akira had just returned to her office afterpleting her lunch with Vikram. Even before setting her foot into the lobby of her office, she called up Dr. Nelson.


    "Hello, Akira !!!"


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson"


    "You said that we need to talk. About what do you want to talk Dr. Nelson?"


    "Jaby, just Jaby Akira."


    "Ah, my bad Jaby. Tell me what do you want to talk about?"


    "Well I know that I am not yet close with you to be considered as a friend per se, but still it would be better if you could trust me and tell me what is going on rather than keeping me behind the shadows."


    "Behind Shadows? What are you talking about Jaby?"


    "You know it well Akira, what I mean. What is the thing that is going on? I know for sure that there is something about Dr. Oshana that you are trying to hide. First, you ask me if she has shared any reports of Raymond earlier with me. Second Raymond tells me that he is thankful for reviewing his reports. Don''t you think these things are totally tangential?"


    Akira took a deep breath and asked him very calmly.


    "Ask me what you want to know."


    "Ok first tell me why Raymond thinks that I have reviewed his report?"


    "That''s because Dr. Oshana has told him so. He wanted your opinion too but he never visited you because apparently you have already reviewed them and you have agreed with the course of treatment that Dr. Oshana had prescribed for him."


    "What rubbish !!! I have never approved of any treatment or anything for Raymond."


    "Well I know about that but Raymond doesn''t because he has blind faith in Dr. Oshana."


    "But why would she do such a thing. I mean I know she is talented and whatever medicines she would have given him must have been ok, but still why she would attach my agreement to that?"


    "Well, maybe that''s because you might not have rmended the same course of medicine and therapy for Raymond."


    "What do you mean Akira? For fever, every doctor will prescribe an anti-pyretic. Maybe the medicine brand or the dosage might vary but that would be the maximum difference."


    Akira''s lips curved in a smile and she said.


    "I know that Jaby. I am not talking about that difference." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Then what are you talking about Akira. What is the difference?"


    "What if she is trying to cure fever with the medicines of cancer? What if the patient thinks that he has cancer when actually he has just a bad fever?"

 Chapter 386: Running the tes

    <h4>386 Running the tes</h4>


    "What do you mean Akira? Am I thinking what you are trying to say?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Well, I don''t know how to be more explicit Jaby."


    "But why would she do that? Why would she tamper the reports? What did she tell you about?"


    Taking a deep breath Akira said,


    "Check your WhatsApp. I have sent you a snapshot."


    Dr. Nelson read the report snapshot -


    PREDICTIVE_ANALYSIS_WEEK28 - Chances of partial paralysis 29.16 %


    Rate of increase = 1.065 % week on week


    Memory loss ratio = 0 : 0.0073


    "What the hell is this?"


    "This is the predictive analysis report which has been given by Dr. Oshana to Raymond."


    Dr. Nelson recollected the conversation that he had with Akira on the very first day that they had met.


    "So is that why you were asking if he is going to lose his memory?"


    "Is that why you asked about the chances of him having a paralysis?"


    Saying that he pinched the space between his brows regretting the fact that he thought of her as someone getting overly neurotic and skeptical about the whole issue. He remembered how he exined to her that her fears were absurd. Now he understood the reality behind it.


    "This is just a glimpse of one of the reports. I do not know what else she has yed with. But most importantly she has yed with my Raymond''s mind, his confidence. She rendered him immobile with these reports. You have no idea what rift this report had created between us Jaby. And the only person on whom I can count on is you right now. I need your help to expose her as soon as possible. I need concrete evidence."


    "Don''t worry even a dot Akira. I will make sure, I conduct all the tests today as and when he arrives. I will leave no stone unturned. I know how wrecked you must have felt seeing the reports."


    Akira smiled as he heard him say those words and said,


    "Well, that phase is over now. All that I want now is the urate result to bring sce to the aching heart of Raymond."


    "Will do my best. Rest assured Akira."


    "Thanks, Jaby. I have no words to say how grateful I am to have met you in my life."


    Dr. Nelson heard her and stayed silent for a moment and then said,


    "Likewise Akira."


    But at the back of his mind only he knew how ecstatic he was to have her in his life. But he was falling short of words to express them.


    Enveloping the thoughts inside of his mind, he asked,


    "Do you know any particr enemy of Raymond? Or maybe someone would have tampered with the results?"


    "I am trying to figure that part out. You can leave that part to me."


    "If you want, I can try to talk with Dr. Oshana and figure it out."


    "No...."


    Akira legit screamed at the top of her lungs after hearing his words.


    "I do not trust her. No amount of talking or delegating is going to work out with her. She is working for someone. What, how and why is what I am going to figure out on my own. With the amount of risk already involved I cannot let anyone mess anything up right now. So now all I need you to do is to conduct the tests and send me those reports."


    There was a strangemand and authority in her voice as she talked and sensing that Dr. Nelson knew that it was not his domain to intrude inside and that she was fiercely protective about her interests and was well aware as to where to draw the margin for people.


    So sensing that he said,


    "Fine, I will just do my part."


    Hearing his voice and the way he spoke Akira realized that she hade out too strong on him. So she said,


    "Listen Jaby, there are very few people that I trust in this world. A very few. I have friends who have turned against me, ready to rip my life into pieces. So when I trust you, you must know how much faith I have put into you."


    "It''s ok Akira. I understand you. You do not need to exin anything to me."


    "Thanks, Jaby."


    But then before Dr. Nelson could reply to her, Dr. Nelson''s secretary buzzed in.


    "Mr. Raymond Walker is waiting for you doctor."


    "In two minutes."


    Thening back to the call, Dr. Nelson said,


    "He is here Akira. Is there anything else that you want?"


    "Umm... there is this one thing."


    "What Akira?"


    "I need you to run one more test for me."


    "What test Akira?"


    "Erm... It''s nothing. Just ignore it. Go and attend to him now."


    Ending the call, Akira pressed the button of the elevator and mumbled,


    "What on earth was I thinking?"

 Chapter 387: A giant leap of faith - 1

    <h4>387 A giant leap of faith - 1</h4>


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson"


    "Good afternoon Mr. Raymond. Come on in."


    "How are you doing today Mr. Raymond?"


    "Doing all good. So what all tests are to be done today?"


    "Some basic ones. Let''s go to the MRI room first."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson got up and started walking towards the MRI room and asked Raymond to follow him.


    After changing into scrubs, as Raymond lied on the MRI bed, and his bed slowly moved in inside, suddenly Dr. Nelson was reminded of his past, of the way his wife Alita was also at the same position where Raymond was lying.


    The sudden surge of the wave of memories flooded him and he pressed themunication switch immediately,


    "Mr. Raymond. Are you feeling all ok?"


    "Yes, I am."


    "This is a painless procedure and I guess you have gone through it a couple of times. So please just stay steady for me."


    "Sure thing."


    Raymond smiled and replied.


    "I just hope you detect something, something miraculous that can help me, you know, be a bit normal."


    Dr. Nelson heard the chuckle as Raymond spoke, but he knew that intense pain that was deep down in his heart. Then, taking a deep breath, he asked his assistant to start the process.


    "We are starting in three, two,?one ...."


    Looking into the live scan screen, Dr. Nelsonpared it with his old MRI report and it looked exactly the same. There were no new lesions or any swelling and that caused a happy smile to spread on his face.


    After the process wasplete, Raymond returned back to Dr. Nelson''s office where the nurse took a couple of vials of his blood sample for further tests.


    "You seem to have gotten used to giving blood samples."


    "What?"


    "I mean, you didn''t even flinch when she injected that needle into you."


    Taking a deep breath Raymond said,


    "With time, you get used to the pain. Time makes it bearable."


    "Does it Mr. Raymond?", Dr. Nelson asked and ced his elbows on his table, cing his chin over his hands and looking deep into his eyes.


    Raymond stayed silent for a while and said,


    "It doesn''t really. But gives you more courage to fight it. You turn more resilient I guess," saying that he looked at him for a while and then asked.


    "Anything else that you would be needing Dr. Nelson?"


    "I had a few questions that I need to be answered so that I can gauge about your mental health."


    "Sure?"


    "Since how long you have been on this medication?"


    "Ermm... I think they started it the day I woke up and they figured out that I had?Acquired Prosopagnosia. The dates and dosage details are all in the records."


    "I see, and how diligently have you been taking the medicines?"


    "I haven''t skipped a day."


    "Not even once?"


    "Not even once Doctor. The thing is, more than I love my life, I love to be a part of someone''s life. Because I had promised that someone that I would be there for her, forever. So I cannot dare to forget to take my medicines."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "I see. I hope that everyone around you is well aware of your issue because in case you aren''t able to remember someone and if that kind of causes increased stress for you, then..."


    "Yes, I know. The symptoms of Amnesia would intensify and so would that chances of my body getting paralyzed because of the shock."


    "I see", Dr. Neslon heard him and stayed silent.


    "Actually Dr. Oshana has taught me about every single thing rted to the disease. So I take good care to avoid such scenarios, on my phone I have a list of all the people, that I am connected to and I have pictures of them as well. So that helps me to connect the dots and avoid this situation."


    "I know that the chances of me getting partial paralysis are increasing week after week and there is no way to contain it as of now, but I am trying my level best to decrease the rate at which it is increasing. So if there is any possible way to stop it or decrease it even further, then I am totally in for it."


    Saying that Raymond looked at Dr. Nelson all hopefully.


    Dr. Nelson had known Dr. Oshana for thest couple of years just as an acquaintance, but he had no idea of what evil was running inside of her. His heart pained to see a man scarred with fear of the after-effects which he didn''t even possess. He had been making himself all rock-solid to face an apocalypse, which was never meant to happen.


    So looking straight into his eyes, Dr. Nelson asked,


    "Do you want to put trust in my way of treatment?"


    "Of course, anything to improve my current state."


    "Then stop taking all the medicines."

 Chapter 388: A giant leap of faith - 2

    <h4>388 A giant leap of faith - 2</h4>


    "Stop all the medicines?"


    Raymond asked all surprised.


    "Yes, all of them. Starting from today. In fact right now."


    "I do not understand."


    "There is nothing to panic about it, Mr. Raymond. At ab in New Jersey, they have developed a better and more effective substitute of all the medicines that you are taking right now. The clinical trial and FDA approval are done, but it right now not much popr as big brands aren''t letting it capture the market. You know how thesepanies work."


    "Ok, so you are going to subscribe me new substitute medicines."


    "That''s right."


    Getting a bit suspicious, Raymond asked.


    "Shouldn''t Dr. OShana know about it? I mean changing medication is a big step. I thought I am here just for some tests."


    This was something that Dr. Nelson wasn''t prepared for. So he bbered,


    "I am going to inform her today."


    "Oh, that''s much better. But she might feel weird to know that I came to you for consultation."


    Saying that Raymond went into deep thought, thinking about the ways in which he could convey about it to Dr. Oshana.


    "Well, you can always tell that Akira forced you toe and visit me."


    Raymond looked at him with a question mark on his face.


    "I mean Dr. Oshana had seen me earlier with Akira at the conference. And given your condition, it''s totally fine when Akira pushes you to go and visit another doctor. Shouldn''t be a problem right?"


    "I guess."


    Raymond said and leaned back on his chair.


    "Just give me a moment", and saying that Dr. Nelson pulled his phone out and texted Akira,


    "We have a situation here." - Dr. Nelson


    "What situation?" - Akira


    "I asked him to stop all medication and he was hell-bent on informing Dr. Oshana about it. I told him that I would inform her, by myself."- Dr, Nelson


    "We are in a pickle" - Akira


    "I told you earlier, that this was a messy idea. You should have informed me well before about Dr. Oshana so that I could have taken care of this situation better." - Dr. Nelson


    "It''s ok. I will think of something." - Akira


    "I think it''s on my reputation now. I need to handle it myself Akira. I said yes to it so I will clear this mess in my own way. I would prefer no interference of any sort." - Dr. Nelson


    "Don''t do anything that I wouldn''t do Jaby" - Akira


    She texted him back immediately getting all worried about what he was nning to do. Because he was not going against Dr. Oshana, he was going against Sebastian.


    "Just give me a day''s time." - Dr. Nelson


    "Okay. Please keep in touch with me and let me know what you are going to do. Call me once he leaves your hospital."- Akira


    "I will" - Dr. Nelson.


    Then turning towards Raymond, he said, I just texted Dr. Oshana. I will call her up once her shift is over and we will discuss it, You don''t need to worry about it."


    "Great !. Just wanted to have you both in sync. That''s all."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Well, let''s continue with the questions, shall we?"


    "Yeah"


    "I want you to tell me about the most powerful image that you have inside of your head."


    "You are kidding with me, right? You know that I can''t remember the faces of people. I have memories but, they are all faceless."


    "I am very well aware of that. But I need to know about your high points of connection. Memories that are deeply bound inside of you. I don''t care about the image, but I do care about memory. That is going to help me with determining the next course of action based on the strength of your memory."


    Raymond leaned back on the chair and recollected all the thoughts that were swirling inside his head.


    "I think, I felt the happiest when I danced with her. Akira I mean. Our first dance. When I told her I didn''t know how to dance and she was teaching me like a kid. I can still feel that first touch when I ced my hands on her waist. She trembled and I felt the tremors running through her body, passing down to my skin."


    Noting it down, Dr. Nelson asked,


    "Anything else rted to that memory? Any video or audio of the dance. Any sort of recording?"


    "We didn''t record it, but I still feel the beats of the music. A thousand years by Christina Perri."


    "Any other strongly linked memory apart from Akira? It needs to be intense."


    "Apart from her, I have only bad memories in my life. She is like the ray of hope in my life Doctor."


    "I can sense that. I have met her only once but I know for sure that she loves you to the moon and back. But I need someone apart from her."


    Gulping and gasping for air, Raymond said,


    "It''s my mother."

 Chapter 389: Trapping Dr. Oshana - 1

    <h4>389 Trapping Dr. Oshana - 1</h4>


    "That would be all Mr. Raymond. Please wait for a call from my receptionist for the next appointment schedule. I will line it up as soon as all your reports are ready."


    "Thank you for your time and interest in my case, Dr. Nelson."


    "Of course, Raymond. Your case is very unique. It''s rare to see someone with no other injuries or issues apart from ''Acquired Prosopagnosia''. So I should thank you foring over here."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson extended his hand for a handshake.


    A few moments after Raymond left, Dr. Nelson immediately called up Akira who was anxiously waiting for his call.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, Akira."


    "What exactly happened can you tell me?"


    "The thing is, the dosage of medicines for Raymond is quite heavy and she has also prescribed him with what we call as "downers."


    "What is that doctor?"


    "A ''downers'' is a special category of drug that lowers?neurotransmission?levels, which is to depress or reduce?arousal?or?stimtion, in various areas of the brain. I saw that he is on?benzodiazepine which is not good for him. Not good since he doesn''t need them."


    Recovering from the information that she had just received, Akira asked,


    "So what issues this will create if taken by a normal person?"


    "It acts like anesthesia, but like a local one. Numbing your feelings or sensations."


    "So is that why...."


    Saying that her voice just trailed off.


    "What Akira?"


    Her voice had already choked up. She was unable to amass whether it was the deed of Dr. Oshana alone or Sebastian had the knowledge of what she was doing with Raymond. Nevertheless, she was feeling all lost knowing that fact that Raymond was made to take un-necessary medicines and she was able to figure it out sote.


    "Are you ok Akira?"


    Dr. Nelson asked her again.


    "Erm... Yeah."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    He could clearly sense that she was all disturbed. So to divert her mind and tofort her, he said,


    "I have his MRI report. You cane over to my hospital, in case you want to discuss more. Plus we need to discuss as to how to handle Dr. Oshana because Raymond is execting me to inform Dr. Oshana about this whole episode."


    "Sure !!! I can start from my office now. But will you have a free time slot for me?"


    "I will see what I can squeeze in. Just let me know when you are about to reach my hospital."


    "Sure thing."


    Akira disconnected the call and immediately called up David.


    David started pacing inside Akira''s room after hearing about the whole episode. Akira stood in one corner of her office, leaning on to the wall, hoping against hope that David would figure something out to patch this mess.


    "So?. How bad is it?"


    David halted and looked at Akira,


    "As I don''t have a hold on the loose end, it is bad. She is clean from every perspective Akira and we have no way to prove that Sebastian was involved in all this."


    Akira thought for a while and looking at David she asked,


    "What if I can make her say that he is involved?"


    "And how on earth are we going to do that?"


    David asked as he had no clue of what was going inside that head of hers.


    "I am going to meet Dr. Nelson to figure out something. We need to do something before Raymond tells her because she will not waste a second to tell about everything to Sebastian. If that monster can do these things to his own sone, then I wonder what else will he do next."


    Then David looked all seriously at her and said,


    "Well if you want then there are other extreme ways."


    "Like?"


    "Like I know men who would be able to contain her and seal the damage."


    "For money?"


    "Yes, for money."


    "That would be myst resort, David. As of now, I am going to try to do something that doesn''t involve money or guns or people."


    "Then how and what are you going to do Akira?"


    Taking a deep breath, Akira looked at David and said,


    "That Dr. Oshana, she seems like a lustful woman. Although I hated the way she looked at Raymond, I noticed one more thing as well."


    "What thing?"


    "She gave me the same look when she saw me at the conference with Dr. Nelson."


    "But I guess you told me that she was afraid of her secrets being revealed, so she pulled him away from you."


    "Yes, that did happen. But being a woman, I know that a bit of jealousy was involved too."


    "So you think that she has a soft corner for Dr. Nelson?"


    "I guess so and I will make sure that Dr. Nelson exploits it and gets the best out of her."


    David thought for a while and said,


    "I had no idea that you could hatch a n this fast."


    "Well, I had no idea that you knew men who could do certain things for money."


    Saying that Akira smiled and picked up her car keys.

 Chapter 390: Trapping Dr. Oshana - 2

    <h4>390 Trapping Dr. Oshana - 2</h4>


    There was a mild tap on his door and he knew it was her. Just the prospect of seeing her somehow made him happy from within in a weird way. He himself didn''t know in what twisted way his fate was ying with him and his emotions.


    He knew it wasn''t her. So not her. But just the thought of seeing that face again, made him feel alive. His fate was twisted, and somehow he was twisting it even further.


    So taking a deep breath he said,


    "Come on in."


    Akira stepped inside his examination room. As she had to rush in, she had forgotten her jacket and there was no way in which any man could ignore the delightful sight of her in that sheer blouse top and pencil skirt.


    She looked all prim, groomed and exquisite. So much so that a little part of him dies within as he saw her. How bad he wished it was her. How bad he wished her identity to be swapped with that of Alita. But all his thoughts were clipped as she said,


    "Hi."


    Gulping his spit and reordering his senses he said,


    "Hello."


    She hurriedly sat on the chair and said,


    "I know that no amount of apology would be enough for this situation that I have caused you in, but I think I have an idea in my mind which can help both of us."


    "I am listening."


    Saying that he moved forward from his seat and leaned a bit ahead, showing hisplete undivided attention.


    "Well, I need you to call Dr. Oshana and I need you to talk a bit with her and invite her to a bar to drink today evening. Tell her something personal. Talk to her and make her feel like you want her."


    "What the hell are you talking about?"


    "You just need to act."


    "What difference will that make?"


    Taking a deep breath Akira said,


    "You know well what the power of love can do."


    "What are you talking about?"


    Akira closed her eyes for a second and then said,


    "She has a thing for you."


    "She what?", Dr. Nelson asked and sat there all bbergasted with the sudden reveal.


    "Well, it''s not love per se, but she certainly has a thing for you. I saw that in her eyes when I saw her looking at me when I was with you. I could sense the jealousy in her eyes. I definitely felt it at the Medical Conference."


    "How can you be so sure about it?"


    "Well, every woman has that gift. We have the ability to sense anyone trying toe close to our loved one. It''s like a radar."


    Dr. Nelson heard her and stayed silent, unable to believe what she had just said.


    Sensing the silence, Akira realized her folly and tried to retract her lines back.


    "I am sorry, I didn''t mean it in a wrong way. Don''t take me wrong. I meant that we can know when someone has an eye for a guy."


    Leaning back on his chair, Dr. Nelson took a deep breath and said,


    "I know that Akira. I know where your loyalties lie. Tell me what next?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Next we bring her to your ce and obviously she will rally along because of the reasons I just mentioned before. And then you are going to give her the truth serum and you will discuss Raymond''s case."


    "You mean I have to spike her drink with?sodium pentothal?"


    There was a worried look on his face as he asked this question.


    "That and all will be arranged. You do not have to worry about it. I will have a recording setup done and using that we will ckmail her to agree to our terms."


    For a moment Dr. Nelson couldn''t believe that the naive innocent woman whom he had met in London could actually be a mastermind, hatching a plot, instructing him what to do and what not to.


    Seeing the look on his face, Akira desperately stretched her hands and held his hand which was lying on the table and said,


    "I am not asking you to do this. I am begging you Jaby. I know I don''t ssify as a friend, given that friend''s don''t cause you trouble. But still, I am begging of you. Please help me out. Just this once."


    There was something in her voice that made his gut wrench in pain.


    Still holding onto his hands with a tinge of tear in her eyes she said,


    "After this, if you don''t want to see my face again, then I promise that I will never cross any paths with you. I will obliviate from your life forever Jaby. But just help me this once. I will do anything that you ask for."


    Retracting his hands back and looking into her eyes swarming with tears, he asked,


    "Anything?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, never ever talk about not crossing paths with me again."

 Chapter 391: Trapping Dr. Oshana - 3

    <h4>391 Trapping Dr. Oshana - 3</h4>


    She looked deep into his eyes and she could get that he meant it. His request was not only serious but sincere as well. So nodding her head, she said,


    "Yes, I promise."


    Dr. Nelson looked at her for a while and then picked up his phone and texted Dr. Oshana.


    "Hey there! Dr. Nelson here. Do you have some time slot open that I can have today evening?" - Dr. Nelson.


    The moment DO. Oshana saw his message on her phone, she became all ecstatic and why wouldn''t she be? Afterall Dr. Nelson was one of the hottest doctors in New York and she had a big-time thing for him. So even though she had patients lined up in the evening, she replied,


    "I am free after six today. Anything in particr that you would like to discuss? Any particr case of interest?" - Dr. Oshana


    The way he had asked and the Dr. Nelson that she knew, she was?unequivocally sure that it was something about discussing some case because of the reputation Dr. Nelson carried. He was known as a very reserved man in his fraternity although he was the total opposite with his ways in which he behaved with Akira.


    "It has nothing to do with any case of any patient." - Dr. Nelson


    When she saw this message, she left the patient that she was attending and called Dr. Nelson directly.


    As his cellphone buzzed with the call, Akira got a bit tensed as she wasn''t sure if Dr. Nelson would be able to handle it. He was a nice sort of a guy so she had no idea if he had in him to pull this up.


    Dr. Nelson raised his palm a bit, indicating her to rx as he picked up the call.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson. Sorry if I interrupted, but texting is really not my forte."


    "Neither it is for me, but assuming that you would be busy, I thought it was the best option. I didn''t want to disturb you in any way you know."


    Akira smiled as she heard him speak because she knew that he was drawing her. Slowly but in a very adept way. So rxing her posture a bit she leaned back on her chair to enjoy the show.


    "Oh, that''s really thoughtful of you."


    "Ohe on. You would have done the same."


    "Maybe? But first of all, I would have needed a rock-solid reason to call you for that."


    Then taking a deep breath Dr. Nelson said,


    "Well, I have a pretty small reason. Unfortunately, it''s my birthday today. Every year ever since ... Every year I find a reason not to celebrate. But I am done with that. I don''t like hanging out with anyone who will keep asking me questions about my scarred past. So I thought maybe I could have a drink or two with you. Only if you are open for it."


    "I would love to."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    She answered without skipping even a second in between.


    "Then I will pick you up sharp at five forty-five from your clinic."


    "I will be waiting."


    "Thanks for agreeing to celebrate this day with me. It means a lot to me Dr. Oshana."


    "Call me Oshana and I will say yes for anything that you ask Dr. Nelson."


    Dr. Nelson heard her and took a deep breath and said,


    "See you soon."


    And then he disconnected the call.


    Akira smiled and said,


    "Well, that was way smoother than I expected."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, I mean the way you messed her up by telling it''s your birthday today. Genius !!! Now I am pretty sure that you will be able to pull this off. I will better run now and make the necessary arrangements."


    Saying that Akira got up from her seat to leave.


    Dr. Nelson looked at her happy face and got up. He wasn''t sure how to put it so he said,


    "I didn''t mess up with her."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s really my birthday today."


    Saying that he slightly tilted his head and looked at her. He could see the happy shades departing from her face as he spoke.


    "I am so sorry. I didn''t know."


    "I do not expect you to know when my birthday is Akira."


    Saying that he smiled but she could see the pain in his eyes. She realized at that moment that everything that he had just said, was the truth. All these years after Alita, he had actually never celebrated his birthday and here she thought that he had ted a nice cover story.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked at him and said,


    "Happy Birthday Jaby."


    Absorbing those words and that face of hers, he suppressed all the pain that he was feeling at that moment and said,


    "Thanks, Akira."


    Continuing looking at her. he said,


    "No need to worry about arranging for the truth serum. I have a friend ..."


    But his voice just trailed off as he was embraced tightly in her arms.


    For a second, he lost the touch with the present. For a second he forgot what pain was.


    "Happy Birthday"


    And saying those words she detached from him and walked out of the room.

 Chapter 392: Dr. Nelson - the dapper looking guy - 1

    <h4>392 Dr. Nelson - the dapper looking guy - 1</h4>


    As she opened the door to walk out, Dr. Nelson''s staff manager, Ste came inside. She wanted to show him a couple of files and take his opinion regarding the supply bills. She was one of Dr. Nelson''s childhood friends and business partner.


    The moment she walked in, she saw Akira in front of her, who was about to walk out of the door.


    Seeing her she froze then and there, in an instant.


    Unable to believe what she was seeing, she looked at Dr. Nelson who shook his head asking her not to utter a single word.


    "Sorry, I was just getting the door."


    "It''s ok."


    Saying that Akira left that room.


    After she left, Ste rushed inside and sat on a chair and looking at Dr. Nelson she asked,


    "Who is she Jaby? And why does she look like Alita? For a moment I thought..."


    "You thought she was her?"


    Ste looked at him and nodded her head.


    "Imagine my level of shock when I saw her. But that''s not her. She is so not her."


    Dr. Nelson said and retired back to his chair.


    "Are you saying that for real? Because to me, it looks like you are making yourself understand that she is not her."


    "What''s the difference?"


    "The difference Jaby is that your ears are burning red. Maybe I wille some other time when you sort yourself better."


    Saying that Ste left the room.


    Dr. Nelson closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair.


    In came the flooding memories of Alita. The way she used to bake a cake for him, the way she used to beg him to return early from the hospital, the way she used to give him hand-made cards and wish coupons.


    Those fleeting memories were all vivid like it was happening just in front of his eyes. But before he could delve in, his desk phone rang.


    "Sir the next patient is ready."


    "Send in."


    ---


    Even though she had a jampacked patient schedule, she canceled all her appointments after 5 pm that day. Being a doctor she always had spare clothes in her office, so she changed herself into a nice Prussian blue?sheath dress. She did her hair and redid her makeup. After applying a generous amount of fragrance, she looked again at herself in the mirror and smiled.


    She was ready, ready to swoon the man, upon whom she had a big-time crush.


    It was already five forty and she was turning all anxious and kept checking her phone.


    As a gift for the birthday boy, she had ordered a bottle of Ace of Spades?Champagne which was waiting on her desk, all packed up nicely.


    Sharp at five-fifty, he called.


    "Hello."


    "Hey there. Hope I didn''t keep you waiting for long."


    "Not at all. I just finished myst patient."


    "Oh great then. I am waiting downstairs. Silver Range Rover, te ending with 81."


    "Will be down in two minutes."


    "Take your time Dr. Oshana. I can wait."


    Butterflies ran inside her stomach, unable to handle his sweetness. He was the absolute epitome of male chivalry.


    She took a deep breath again and then picked up her bag and his gift and went downstairs.


    As she got inside the car, she immediately extended her hand to wish him a happy birthday.


    Dr. Nelson smiled and asked,


    "Shall we start?"


    "Yeah."


    Hearing that he started his car for the bar - Highway Blues.


    Seeing the ribboned gift in her hand, Dr. Nelson asked,


    "I am assuming that one is for me."


    "Yes, it is."


    She said and smiled.


    "Well, there was no need for it. I already told you that I just needed yourpany. I guess I shouldn''t have told you about my birthday."


    "Ohe on, it''s not much. It''s just a champagne bottle."


    "Dr. Oshana, we haven''t even be friends yet and you are already giving me an expensive gift. I don''t think that''s fair."


    "Well then invite me to drink the champagne with you, whenever you open the bottle."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Dr. Nelson looked at her and smiled.


    He had always respected her as a hardworking doctor, a beginner whom he expected to grow and rise in his domain. But little did he know how sly and cunning she was with her words, her demeanor, and her actions.


    "What are you smiling for?"


    "Nothing, just d that I got yourpany. My mundane life feels much better now."


    She smiled as she heard his words.


    "By the way, you are looking quite nice today," he said even though his insides curled against him.


    She instantly blushed and said,


    "But you always look dapper, Dr. Nelson."


    Seeing that she was clearly falling into his trap, Dr. Nelson said,


    "I was thinking, maybe after we are done at the bar, can I invite you to have champagne with me at my ce?"

 Chapter 393: Dr. Nelson - the dapper looking guy - 2

    <h4>393 Dr. Nelson - the dapper looking guy - 2</h4>


    "At his ce !!! Holy shit !!!"


    "Is he inviting me toe over to his ce at night for real?"


    Dr. Oshana''s mind started racing with all raunchy thoughts after hearing Dr. Nelson''s words. She couldn''t just stay calm. A brilliant smile spread on her face and she started turning all flushed and crimson. Just the thought of being in close proximity with Dr. Nelson gave her the goosebumps.


    Trying to hide away all her excitement, she said,


    "Sure thing !!!," and then turned her face away to hide the colors spreading on her face from him. But nothing went unnoticed by him.


    After reaching highway blues, they took the seat which was reserved for them. After two minutes, Dr. Nelson excused himself and came towards the men''s room and texted Akira.


    "She is with me right now. I will be starting with the drinks now. I have convinced her toe to my ce." - Dr. Nelson


    "That''s great. Again I am sorry for the lengths that you have to go." - Akira


    "That''s ok. Once I have her confession, I will send it over to you." - Dr. Nelson


    After sending the texts Dr. Nelson came back and then started the order after order of drinks and starters. They started discussing a plethora of subjects, starting from college days memories to stuff at the hospital. Dr. Nelson very tactfully tried to open her up from all perspective, but he himself stayed tight-lipped. He held his drink but made that poor girl drink shots and shots.


    When he realized that he had already made her quite vulnerable, he decided that it was time to go to his home. He called for a cab and then said,


    "I am done with this ce now. It''s so crowded and feels all too much."


    Hearing that Dr. Oshana immediately bbered,


    "Let''s go to your ce and open the champagne."


    "Yeah let''s do that,"


    Saying that Dr. Nelson settled the bill and said,


    "Let''s go."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    A wobbly Dr. Oshana who was unable to stand all straight leaned on to Dr. Nelson for support which he gave all reluctantly and then he hailed the cab.


    After reaching his ce, he picked up the parcel which was kept at his door-step and then entered inside his house with her. He ced her on the sofa and smiled looking at her and said,


    "I am going to get us the champagne sses."


    "Oh yeah. Champagne time !!!", saying that Dr. Oshana raised her hand for a high-five. But Dr. Nelson pretended to not see that and started towards the kitchen with the parcel in his hands.


    After Alita had left him, this was the first time any woman had entered his house and that was weirding him out like anything.


    Shirking away all the dark painful thoughts, he poured the truth serum contents into one champagne ss and then opened his phone. Akira had sent him three messages. So he replied,


    "She is at my ce. Within the next thirty to forty minutes, the job will be done." - Dr. Nelson


    After sending the message, he didn''t bother to wait for her reply and then went ahead near Dr. Oshana and said.


    "This carpet right here was gifted by a cousin of mine, so hope you don''t mind that I am opening the champagne bottle in the kitchen."


    Dr. Oshana didn''t say a word and she was already feeling quite nauseated and high. She just raised her thumb to show her agreement. So Dr. Nelson immediately popped the bottle and poured a ss of champagne into the spiked ss and gave it to her.


    "Where is your ss?"


    "I am getting mine."


    Saying that he poured champagne into the other ss and came and sat next to her on the sofa.


    "Cheers !!!"


    He said and raised his ss, to which she replied,


    "To us."


    The moment Dr. Nelson heard her words, he felt like his insides were churning, but he kept on drinking one after the other along with her.


    After the third ss was done, he could see that she was losing her sense of awareness, so he put his phone on the table with a book at its back and started the recording.


    "Sometimes don''t you feel like revealing your deepest and darkest secrets and feel relieved?"


    Saying that he looked deep into her eyes and said,


    "You know, once due to a simple mistake, a person had to lose his life on my operating table. Till date, I have note in terms with it. Till date, it haunts me. I have hidden it to the entire world but I cannot hide it from myself."


    Seeing an emotionally wrecked Dr. Nelson, she came close to him and said,


    "Not just you. Even I am a wreck. I am mistreating a patient of mine."


    "What do you mean Dr. Oshana?"


    Interlocking her hands in his hands she took a deep breath and said,


    "I have cut off all his hopes for survival. I am a doctor but I did the opposite. Instead of giving him hope for a better life, I gave him promises of a worse one."

 Chapter 394: Dr. Nelson - the dapper looking guy - 3

    <h4>394 Dr. Nelson - the dapper looking guy - 3</h4>


    "Worse one?"


    "What do you mean Dr. Oshana?"


    "Oh, for God''s sake, call me Oshana. I am not worth the Doctor title. I am totally not."


    "What are you talking about Oshana? Is there something that you want to share or take off your chest? I can help you with that. It will make you feel better."


    "The less you know, the better it is for me, Dr. Nelson because the moment you know what I did or what had happened, you will definitely start to loathe me."


    "We all have our dark sides Oshana. There is nothing to be ashamed about it. I told you mine. Now you can tell me yours. I am not here to judge you. I just want to share the pain that you have."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson looked at Oshana intently and that was enough to melt her. She started to bber endlessly about the whats and whys and Dr. Nelson pretended to hear it all, but deep down the amount of loath and anger in his heart for her, was increasing at an exponential rate.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    With every passing moment, he was able to understand the plight of not only Akira but also that of Raymond. Knowing the fact that she had to bear the pain of his death even though he was alive was something that he was not able toe to terms with.


    He didn''t want that wretcheddy in his room or his sofa. But he had to wait patiently for her to bber everything till the end. After knowing about the reason behind her doings, he hated her even more.


    So after she passed out on his sofa, he switched off the video and thought of sending her off to her house at that instant, but being a gentleman that he was, he didn''t.


    He rewatched the video in bits and pieces just to be sure that it was all ok and only after that he called up Akira.


    Ring...


    "Hello"


    Was the sound of an eager voice who had picked the call on the first ring itself.


    "Hello Akira"


    "Is it done?"


    "Yes"


    "I have copied the video into a pen drive. I am uploading on google drive and then will send you the link."


    "Noo... Please do not upload. I wille and collect in person."


    "Ok sure."


    "What did she say? Why did she do all this? What was the reason behind all this?"


    Akira started barging him with her questions.


    Taking a deep breath he said,


    "It''s better if you see it for yourself. And please watch it at home or somece static. Do not dare to watch when you are driving or something."


    "Why? What is there? Is it so bad?", Akira started wrecking her brains with questions and checked her watch. It was around ten forty-five. She deliberated for a second and then said,


    "I aming right now for the drive. Please send me your address."


    "Akira it''s quitete. You cane tomorrow morning, else I can get it to your ce."


    "I do not care about that. I need to see it right now. So please send me the address. You are already a bit tipsy. I don''t want you to drive ande."


    "Akira listen to me...."


    "I am getting my keys now. Address please."


    Akira said and disconnected the call.


    She picked up her car keys and opened the main door. She left a note at the foyer shoe stand informing Mike that she was out so that he didn''t get worried unnecessarily. Then her phone chimed with a message from Dr. nelson. He had sent her the address.


    As she reached his ce, she saw him standing outside his house. Before she coulde out of the car and reach him, he came down to her and said,


    "Let''s take a walk."


    She was already impatient, but since he had helped her a lot, she decided to join him for the walk. They walked to a park nearby and then sat on a bench. The Septemeber wind was all chilly and breezy and somehow it soothed his soul.


    Then looking towards Akira he said,


    "The video is on my phone. You can watch it now."


    Saying that he gave her his phone and earphones.


    Then he got up from the bench and walked towards a tree which a few meters away from her. He wanted to give her some time alone because he knew that she would be needing it after watching that video. He knew that she would remember all the painful time that she has been through. He wanted to be next to her, hold her as she watched the video, but he knew that it was best if he stayed away.


    Leaning on that cedar tree trunk he looked at her as she watched the video.

 Chapter 395: His clenched fis

    <h4>395 His clenched fis</h4>


    PAIN - Pain was all that she felt at that moment. Nerve wrenching, gut peeling pain. More than disgust, she felt all wounded as she continued watching that video.


    Tears were streaming out through her eyes and she was unable to believe how someone can be that loathsome. She hated Dr. Oshana earlier for the way she used to behave around Raymond, but now she wanted to skin her out alive.


    Watching her from afar, Dr. Nelson could clearly see her pain and somehow the tears in her eyes were unbearable for him. He didn''t know what was going on, but he felt like he was supposed to be the one to wash away all the pain in her heart. Like he was supposed to be her messiah.


    He saw her turn and she kept the phone on the bench and removed the earphones away. She wiped away the tears from her face and started taking deep breaths.


    He couldn''t bear to see her anymore like that, so he came forward, walking slowly so as to not to disturb the tranquility around them.


    As he reached close to her, he found her sitting there with her head hung all low.


    She knew that he was there, but she didn''t want to lift her face up.


    Not knowing what was the right thing to say or the right way to console her, he ced his palm on her shoulder lightly and asked,


    "Are you ok?"


    She heard his voice and wanted to lift her head up and fake a smile and say yes to that question. But her throat was all choking up. She was unable to neither speak or look at anyone or anything. Just the thought of Raymond, having to bear with the struggle all alone made her heart, break into pieces.


    She was hurt not only because of the circumstances that Raymond had to face alone but because of the fact that she never understood his pain and med him for everything.


    Seeing her in this condition, his heart was melting like wax.


    He ced his other hand on her shoulder as well and said,


    "You cannot break. Not right now. Not before finishing what you have started Akira."


    Hearing his say those words, she looked up at him and as she did, drops of tears started descending on her milky face.


    "God she looks pretty even when she cries."


    He thought in his head and then took out a handkerchief from this trouser and gave it to her.


    "Here, wipe the tears away. It''s not worth to cry over spilled milk Akira. What has happened has happened. At least be grateful that not much damage has happened."


    Looking deep into his eyes she said,


    "You know, we didn''t have even one day, like one whole day to ourselves. Before this storm, we had other smaller storms. There was never a day when we could just be like a normal couple. All that I wished was to be normal, live normal. But you know what, every day is a struggle for me, for him. Why do we have to go through so much pain? What have I done to offend anyone? Why does it feel like that the entire universe is acting against us?"


    To be honest, he had no answer to her question.


    "I am sick of acting strong Jaby. I am really sick and it hurts."


    Saying that shepletely broke. She had lost all her calm andposure and started to cry.


    "I have never done anything to offend his dad. Like never...."


    "Shh...." he said and pulled her close to him.


    He stood there in front of her like a rock upon whom she leaned on and cried her eyes out like there was no tomorrow. Slowly her tears trickled down from her chin onto his shirt. As the wetness permeated through his clothes to his skin, he remembered the exact same line said by his wife,


    "I am sick of feeling sick Jaby. It hurts."


    Her voice started echoing inside his head.


    He couldn''t do anything to save her thest time, but he was not going tomit the same mistake again. He was not going to let these two people in love suffer anymore especially when it was her.


    His fist was all curled up and his entire body was stiff. He wanted to pat on her head and say that everything was going to be ok, but he was scared of making fake promises. He did that once and he couldn''t keep up to it.


    So after much deliberation, he said,


    "Your tears are not going to melt away the people behind this. Your tears are not going to take away the pain that Raymond had to bear. So don''t waste them."


    She stopped crying after a few minutes. But she continued to lean on to him. Her sobs were intermittent now, but his fist was still in that same clenched position.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬

 Chapter 396: Just that ...

    <h4>396 Just that ...</h4>


    A couple of seconds passed and became a minute and then a couple of minutes passed.


    It was only when her sobs stopped, she realized that from that time she was leaning on to him and him being the perfect gentleman, stood still without making any attempts to touch her.


    "I am sorry", she said and retracted back.


    "It''s ok", he said and cleared his throat, looking towards to his right side, trying to avoid any direct eye contact with her.


    She looked at the big blotch on his shirt and couldn''t believe that she had ruined his shirt to this extent.


    "I... I... ", saying that she pointed her finger towards that blotch to him and said,


    "I was totally lost and didn''t realize that I was ruining your shirt."


    "Don''t bother about it."


    Then looking at her he asked,


    "Will you be able to drive back to your ce?"


    "Yeah, I am all fine. I am going to need that pen-drive."


    "Sure thing. It''s inside my house,e will give it to you."


    Saying that he started walking towards his house and Akira followed behind. Just when they were about to reach his ce, Dr. Nelson realized something and said immediately,


    "You can stay here. I will get the drive for you."


    "Sure, no problem."


    Akira said but she was weirded out because of his strange behavior all of a sudden. She couldn''t understand why he acted that way but she decided to ignore as she had far more important things to focus upon at that point of time.


    A couple of minutester he came outside with the pen drive and handed it to Akira.


    "By the way, I really have no issues if something happens between you and Dr. Oshana. I mean I will never mind if you are interested in her. She did no harm to you."


    "What the hell are you talking about?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Isn''t that why you didn''t let me enter your house? I guess you are worried that I will feel weird to see her in some questionable condition in your house right?"


    Pinching the space between his brows, Dr. Nelson said,


    "I... I just don''t want you to see how messed up my house is. My house help is on leave for a week so you can imagine how bad it is. Else I would have definitely invited you in."


    "If you say so."


    Akira said and smiled and turned to walk towards her car.


    The main reason why he stood outside when she came and even now why he didn''t let her in because he didn''t want her to see any pictures of Alita. He didn''t want her to think of his actions as an act of sympathy because she looked like his wife, even though partially even he knew that was the truth.


    He had turned a couple of pictures upside down when Dr. Oshana hade in, but anyways she was tipsy, but he was pretty sure that the sharp and vigil eyes of Akira will be able to find some picture of her in some room. And he wanted to avoid that. At least for the time being.


    He saw her walking towards her car and somehow a strange uneasiness started growing inside of his chest, so he paced towards her and before she could open the car door, he blocked her and said,


    "Do not get such thoughts inside of your head. She means nothing to me. She never did. Neither before, nor now. I hope we are clear on that."


    Akira smiled at him and then said,


    "You have done more than enough for me Jaby. If you want to pursue her then do it by all means. And if don''t want to then also it''s great. But just that...."


    "Just what Akira?"

 Chapter 397: Deal with the devil - 1

    <h4>397 Deal with the devil - 1</h4>


    "Just what Akira?"


    Dr. Nelson asked again, getting all impatient.


    "Just that, I think you deserve someone better than her."


    Saying that she beeped to unlock her car door.


    Dr. Nelson stood there all taken aback. He had no way to make her understand that he had no interest in Dr. Oshana but the weird circumstances around them weren''t helping him much.


    So taking a deep breath he said,


    "I loved my wife from the bottom of my heart. And even now also I am truly, madly and deeply in love with her. I cannot give that ce to anyone, not even ..."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson took a step back and started walking back towards his door.


    Seeing him walking back like that Akira realized that probably she over assumed about things. So cursing herself she got inside the car but then again came outside, for she didn''t want to carry the weight of massive guilt on herself.


    "Jaby, wait !!!"


    Dr. Nelson stopped and turned the moment he heard her voice. To think of, it was certainly weird that even though she had just now bombarded him with allegations, he was somehow not able to be mad at her.


    "You still have seventeen minutes left for your birthday. Do you want to celebrate with me?"


    Suddenly that out of the blue switch in the topic brought a smile on his face and he said,


    "I thought you would never ask."


    "There was an ice-cream shop which was still open. It''s just a couple of blocks away. We can ..."


    "It''s really not needed Akira. I am just happy that you asked. I hope one day we can be just more than acquaintances. Maybe that day you will understand that I was always sincere. I always have been."


    "I am sorry for thinking that way."


    Akira said and hung her head for a while. Then after much deliberation, she extended his hands towards him and asked,


    "Friends?"


    He looked at her hand and then looked at her. For a moment he was unable to decide if he was going to make the right decision by giving her more ess into his life.


    "I don''t make friends anymore. Ever since I was stabbed in the back by the one whom I trusted more than my myself. I am making an exception for you. Don''t make me regret it."


    He extended his hand and then held her hand softly at first but then all firmly and said,


    "Friends"


    With a smile on her face, Akira said,


    "Happy birthday Jaby."


    "I guess this is the best birthday gift that I have received, in thest couple of years."


    Saying that he released his hand and said,


    "Now leave. My emotional threshold is damn low right now. I don''t want to shed away tears now."


    He said and opened the car door for her.


    But to his surprise instead of getting in, she hugged him again and said,


    "I can''t tell you how happy I am right now. Thank you for being the ray of hope for me and Raymond."


    He wanted to hug her tight, just for once but he kept the thought to himself and just smiled. Taking a deep breath she detached herself from him and then started the car.


    ---


    After reaching her ce, even though it was dead in the night, Akira called up David.


    "Hello"


    "Hello David"


    "I got the proof against Oshana."


    "That''s really amazing. I guess it''s time to leverage that. Should I ask my guy to call her up now?"


    "No use. She is out like a dead log. Wait until tomorrow."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Shouldn''t we tell Raymond about it?"


    "I think we should, but will it not worsen his rtionship with his father?"


    "It was all because of Sebastian?"


    "Yes. Partially you can say."


    Even though David knew that it was all Sebastian''s doing, he didn''t want it to be true. He didn''t want Sebastian to emerge as a viin in the end.


    "Send me over that video."


    "I have ced the pen drive in your apartment letterbox."


    "You went all alone to get the video? It was too risky Akira. You know that people are following you these days."


    Akira paused for a while and then said,


    "Well, that''s something that I need to live with."


    "I know how much it hurts to lose a parent. I would do anything in the world to have them back. I don''t want him to lose his father right now. If he knows about all this, I think there would not be any way in which it will ever be possible for Raymond to forgive him."


    "So what do you have in your mind?"


    "Why can''t we do what Sebastian did with Raymond?"


    "I do not understand Akira. Be specific."


    "I want to strike a deal with the devil."

 Chapter 398: Deal with the devil - 2

    <h4>398 Deal with the devil - 2</h4>


    "Deal with Sebastian Walker?"


    "Yes"


    "The, Sebastian Walker?"


    Akira stayed silent for a while and then said,


    "Yes"


    "Have you gone out of your mind Akira? Have you forgotten that the de is still on top of your head?"


    "Yes, that''s the reason why I want to lift that de hanging over my head and this is the perfect weapon to have that sword removed."


    "You are underestimating him Akira."


    "I am not. Just think about it. We have this video as leverage against him. We can use it to get the things in the way we want. I can coerce him to go away from our lives and Raymond and I can have a happily ever after that we have always dreamt of."


    "Akira, that man is capable of taking us down now in seconds. The moment you even try to strike a deal, he will take you down. He is the most ruthless man on this who will do anything, mind you anything to keep Raymond safe from you. I don''t know why he thinks you are a danger to him. But I know this for sure that this will do more harm to you than him."


    Getting all impatient Akira asked,


    "Then what do I do? How do I get rid of him? How do I have a normal life? Like other people have. Like how their loved ones can meet them whenever they want. Like two people who are engaged get busy nning their wedding yet here I am running for Tango sses just to meet him."


    "Akira, rx, rx. Listen to me as I say this. I hate that man as much as you do, but I know him better than you do. So please let Raymond take care of him. Just trust me this once Akira."


    "Trust you? Like the way, I trusted you a year and a half ago? You have always been Sebastian''s man David. I trust you everything that I have because Raymond does and that''s all that I got. I am hanging on a thread here David. Either you pull me up or cut me loose."


    Saying that with tears in her eyes Akira disconnected the call.


    Standing there all shocked David couldn''t believe what he heard. But he understood it clearly that she was hurt and feeling all wrecked. had he been at her position, probably he wouldn''t have trusted himself either, but under the current circumstances, he had no way other than hiding the master n of Raymond from Akira so that everything was done as per their n even though it meant the pain to prolong for Akira.


    She ran to the desk in her room and took the Ganapati Idol statue in her hand and said,


    "I am sorry that I lost faith in you. I am sorry that I never returned to you. But this time, I need your help. I need your help to protect him. Because this time he is going against someone so big that it could destroy him. I lost him once, and I cannot lose him again."


    She wiped her tears and then said her silent prayers and them came back to her bed when she got a call from David.


    "Hello"


    "Hello David"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "What has he sorted out David?"


    "I cannot disclose about those things to you right now. But I am just telling you this. We will drag him under thew. We will cripple him and seize his assets without which he won''t be The Sebastian Walker anymore. So I beg of you to not to do anything reckless."


    "Raymond will send his father behind the bars?"


    "Yes, for your sake Akira. So if you think his heart isn''t strong enough to take what is there in this pen drive, then you are wrong. You are very very wrong."


    Unable to decide what to do or to say, Akira disconnected the call.


    The thought of her being the reason why Raymond was about to take such drastic measures, was something that she wasn''t able to handle.


    After finishing the call, David plugged in the drive and started watching the video and finishing which his heart rate spiked.


    He immediately called up Akira again.

 Chapter 399: Stark Vigilante

    <h4>399 Stark Vignte''</h4>


    "Hello"


    "Hello Akira"


    "What now David?"


    "I saw the video. You were right. You were absolutely right. We cannot let this video go to Raymond. Even though he hates him, it''s a bit too much for a son to know."


    "I know."


    "Well as of now we can use it as a leverage against Dr. Oshana and ask her to rectify the damage that she has done. We will ask her to stay silent and not inform anything to Sebastian about it. That way Sebastian will be under the impression that we do not know anything about it."


    "Yes, that can be done."


    "Starting from tomorrow, I will ask her to change his medicines as per Dr. Nelson''s rmendations and to clear up all old reports. I can''t wait for Raymond to know that he doesn''t have to worry about memory loss or partial paralysis anymore."


    "Don''t worry. I will handle how to get these things done from her."


    "Thanks, David."


    "Um... Akira wait."


    "I am sorry David if I said something out of my boundary. I was just. All this is too much for me to handle."


    "I understand your predicament Akira. But trust me, my loyalties have always been with Mr. Raymond. No matter what happens, no matter against whom I have to fight or ally with. I will always choose Raymond and his well being above all. If time demands I will not hesitate to be a stark vignte if that''s what is needed to keep him safe. Hope you understand this part Akira."


    "Even if you have to take him away from me to keep him safe, you would do that?"


    "Yes, I would. Without even batting an eyelid Akira, because that''s where my loyalties lie."


    "That''s good to know. We are on the same page then."


    "Sleep now Akira. You have done enough. You have a new battle to face tomorrow."


    "I know."


    Said Akira and then disconnected the call.


    ---


    The next morning as Dr. Oshana got up, she found herself lying on a sofa with Dr. Nelson''s jacket covering her up. Her head was throbbing endlessly.


    "Here take an Advil. It helps."


    "What happened yesterday? Did we do something that we shouldn''t have?", she asked all hopefully.


    "Nothing that I can think off."


    Then looking at his watch, Dr, Nelson said,


    "I amte for my appointment. So if you will excuse me."


    Saying that he picked up his coat and started walking towards the door.


    Suddenly the man who was acting all nice and vulnerable with her, had turned ice cold. Just like the way he used to be earlier.


    "Well, I will just gather my stuff. Give me five minutes. Please drop me at my house. It''s on the way to your clinic."


    Saying that she picked up her shoes and started wearing them.


    He turned and wore his coat and adjusting thepels he said,


    "I don''t like to keep my patients waiting. Time is the essence. You can call yourself a cab. And there is an extra breakfast made by my housekeeper. You can have that if you want to."


    "Did I offend you in any way yesterday? If yes, then I am sorry. I wasn''t myself yesterday."


    He chuckled and said,


    "You were never more yourself, than yesterday."


    Saying that he stormed towards the exit door.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    She stood there all perplexed as to what changed overnight. She tried to recollect the sequence of events that had happened. She wanted to remember if she had offended him in her drunk state in any way. But all that she remembered was having a ss of champagne.

 Chapter 400: Something black !!!

    <h4>400 Something ck !!!</h4>


    After Dr. Oshana reached her office, there was a packet on her desk. On the top of the packet, the following words were written,


    "Open with a smile."


    "Ah !!! Now I know why you acted all grumpy in the morning. You have a knack of surprising people Dr. Nelson."


    Dr. Oshana mumbled and started opening the packets with nothing but a smile on her face.


    Inside she found a thumb drive and immediately connected it to her system and yed the video file contained in it. Two minutes into the video and the smile on her face vanished.


    "Why would you do this Dr. Nelson?"


    She mumbled and sunk into her chair, unable to believe that she had been exposed. Her entire career was at stake now and she knew that the end was not going to be good.


    She immediately picked up her phone and called up Dr. Nelson.


    "Hello"


    "Why would you do such a thing to me? Why would you trap me? You told your secret and I told you mine. Then why record it?"


    "My secret? I never told you my secret Dr. Oshana. Check the video carefully. It''s all about you. You have perfectly ranted yourself out."


    "What do you want? Do you want all my research? Then take it. I will give the credit of my paper to you as well."


    "What I want? To he honest, I do not want anything from you Dr. Oshana, but there are others who might. You should wait for them to call you up."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson ended the call and texted Akira.


    "She knows. She has seen the video." - Dr. Nelson


    After seeing that message, Akira turned towards David and said,


    "She has seen it. Time to get the things done."


    ---


    Ring Ring ...


    "Hello"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Hello, Mr. Raymond. Hope I didn''t disturb you."


    "Not at all. I was about to call you as well. I had met Dr. Nelson just recently..."


    "Yeah, I had called about that matter only. I had a discussion with Dr. Nelson and I have decided to change as he has suggested. So maybe if you have some time then can you can drop by my clinic today?"


    "Yeah sure."


    "And Dr. Nelson has given me some recent reports of yours. So I wanted to discuss those results as well."


    "Erm... I didn''t go behind your back for those tests if you think that way. I just wanted to run them as he requested. Hope we are clear about it."


    Gripping the pen tight in her hand, she said,


    "Don''t sweat it, Raymond. I have some positive news for you. Will let you know once we meet."


    "Can''t you tell it over the phone?"


    "No, I need to exin them to you and discuss the next course as well. See the thing is, I have decided to move to Nebraska to my parents as they are getting old. I will be shifting my clinic and work and everything there. I have already discussed it with Dr. Nelson. So now on he will be your assigned Doctor and trust me he is the best."


    "Oh, all of a sudden? Is everything ok with your parents?"


    "Yeah, nothing serious Raymond. Just that they are really old now."


    "I can totally understand."


    "Will see you today afternoon around three if you have any schedule free for me?"


    "Three is fine for me."


    Raymond disconnected the call and thought for a while. Even though the fact that she was leaving to Nebraska made him a bit sad but he was way more excited to know about the positive aspect of the test result.


    He immediately dialed for Akira.


    "Hello"


    "Hey there."


    "You sound unusually happy."


    "Not happy, just hopeful. Just got a call from my doctor and she told that some of my test results have shown positive results. I must thank you and Dr. Nelson for insisting me to go for the tests again. I am going to meet her at three today to know more about it. And there is a new medicine under trial and Dr. Nelson has suggested for that also. So kind of keeping my fingers crossed."


    "Really? That''s indeed a piece of big news."


    "Will call you after I meet her up to give you the details. Have some errands to run."


    "Raymond wait !!!"


    "What Akira?"


    "Ermm.... nothing. Just wanted to hear your voice a bit more. That''s it."


    "Gosh Akira !!! I wanted to keep this as a surprise, but hearing the way you yearn for me, just melts my heart. I want to meet you tonight. I am canceling the Tango sses. I need to start what I left unfinished."


    "What?"


    "Have you forgot? That night, you, me and the bathtub."


    Gulping her spit and gasping for air, she said,


    "Yeah !!!"


    "Meet me tonight. Room Number - 902. The za. Try toe with some disguise, in case that ck car is following you."


    "Uh.. Huh"


    "And Akira !!! Don''t forget to wear something ck."

 Chapter 401: The predictive analysis scam

    <h4>401 The predictive analysis scam</h4>


    There was a gentle knock on Dr. Oshana''s door and she knew that it was him and that it was time to say her final goodbye to Raymond.


    "Come in !!!"


    "Good afternoon Doctor."


    "Good afternoon Raymond. So how are you feeling now?"


    "I am feeling good."


    And just when she was about to say something she received another email.


    "Cut the chase and get to the point. Do not beat around the bush."


    Seeing that email, her throat dried because now she understood that she had been bugged again. Someone was listening to whatever conversation was happening and there was no escape route left for her.


    So cursing her fate for wanting to taste the forbidden fruit, she said,


    "Here are thetest reports from Dr. Nelson. Actually, before sending you for the test they had asked you take some medicine to reduce your stress level and that is important to do while performing the tests to get urate reports, which unfortunately was skipped in ourbs."


    "I do not understand."


    "The thing is, theplete protocol wasn''t followed while doing these tests in ourb. Somehow myb technicians have made that mistake and as a result of which your predictive analysis was always spiked up."


    "I am still not able to understand a word that you are trying to say right now."


    Taking a deep breath, Dr. Oshana took a new predictive analysis report in which the prediction for having any chances for Amnesia or partial paralysis was negligible and handed it over to Raymond.


    Raymond nced at the reports and wasn''t able to believe for a moment what he was seeing in front of him.


    His predictive analysis report was the reason why he distanced himself from Akira for all these months even after waking up. So seeing theming all negative was something which came in a brilliant surprise for him.


    "I am sorry Raymond that for all these days we thought that ...."


    "I don''t care. I don''t care. Just tell me once. Are these results ok? Can I trust these results?"


    "Yes, Raymond they are 100 percent genuine. Consider them as my return gift to you."


    Raymond kept starting at the report without saying a word.


    Getting all worried, she asked,


    "Say something, Raymond. Aren''t you happy?"


    "happy? You have given me my life back. All these days I was just trying to survive. I didn''t want to see the future, thinking that I had none. But now I think I can. God, I wish I can tell you how happy this makes me right now. I wish you had rectified this mistake a bit earlier. But betterte than never."


    "Yeah, betterte than never."


    "So when do you leave?"


    "Tonight !!!"


    "Tonight? Is everything ok?"


    "Yeah yeah !!! All good. I have given all your files to Dr. Nelson and from now on he will be handling your case. He is a good man."


    "Oh yeah, he is. Definitely, he is."


    Then Dr. Oshana looked at her watch and said,


    "I am sorry Raymond, but since today is myst working day here, I have some more patients to fit in. SO if you don''t mind."


    "Sure, I understand. I will stay in touch." saying that Raymond extended his hand and she shook it briefly and then she let go of it, even though she didn''t want to.


    For it was the hand of the man with whom she wanted to cling on for her life. For it was the hand of the man whom she doted more than anything else. It was the hand of the man for whom, she risked everything just to have a chance to be with him and probably someday to earn his love. But right now, she wanted to leave with whatever respect that the man had for her. That was more than enough.


    All happy with the file in his hand, Raymond came out from her room and walked towards the reception. The receptionist wasn''t there and neither any patient was waiting for a visit. Sensing things a bit weird, he went back towards her cabin. Before he could barge in, he could hear Dr. Oshana''s voice and he stopped.


    "I gave him the original report. He now knows that he is all healthy and that the predictive analysis was a false report. I have done my part. And I hope now you will let me live in peace."


    .


    "I will move out as I promised, but I need to have the evidence destroyed. And do tell your boss Akira that she should stop with me. Tell her not to mess with Sebastian. Because if she does, then he will rip her apart. He is not just a viin, he is the monster that she should avoid." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Without saying a word Raymond left silently.

 Chapter 402: Raymond finds ou

    <h4>402 Raymond finds ou</h4>


    He had thousands of questions running inside of his head. In fact a million. And there was one person whom he knew could give her the answers. So he drove away as fast as he could.


    Reaching the reception he gave his name card to the receptionist and asked her directly to go and give to Dr. Nelson.


    "I am sorry sir, but we really have no empty slots."


    "Just give that name card to him and he will understand."


    She hesitated at first but as she remembered that for him he had cleared his schedule earlier, so sending that it would be urgent she went in and gave him the card.


    "Where is he?"


    "he is waiting at the reception."


    "Ok send him after two minutes."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson picked up his phone, but before he could call Akira and inform her about the recent development, Raymond barged in.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "I am sorry Dr. Nelson, but this is urgent."


    Leaving the phone that he had picked up, he sat back on his seat and said,


    "What is the urgent matter, Mr. Raymond? Was it so pressing that you couldn''t even have an appointment?"


    "If I could have then I would have right?"


    Saying that Raymond sat in front of Dr. Nelson and then kept his report file on top of his desk.


    "Exin this to me. You told that you wanted these reports for yourself, yet you sent those to Dr. Oshana. May I know why?"


    Dr. Nelson looked at those files and racked his brain to find a suitable answer to give under this situation but unfortunately, he wasn''t able to.


    "She told me that you have already discussed everything with her but somehow I have some doubts about it. I know that you haven''t done anything illegal here, so you have nothing to hide or fear. But I just want my answers."


    Dr. Nelson looked at his phone all desperately and seeing that Raymond moved it away.


    "I will ask you simple questions. Basic Yes or No. I don''t want any answer other than that. Am I clear on that?"


    "Raymond you are not understanding the situation here. Just let me exin."


    "Just answer my questions. I do not have the luxury of time right now."


    "Is this report correct?"


    "Yes"


    "Nothing tampered with the results?"


    "Yes"


    Raymond breathed a sigh of relief and then opened the page containing his predictive analysis.


    "You conducted this test again. Did you know that something was wrong with my results earlier?"


    Dr. Nelson sat silent for a moment and then said,


    "Yes"


    Raymond was shocked for a moment and then asked,


    "Was it because of some error in the procedure followed by Dr. Oshana earlier while conducting the tests?"


    "No"


    "So she had given me the wrong reports and you knew about it?"


    "Yes"


    "When did you get to know about it? Recently?"


    "Yes"


    "Are you working for my dad?"


    "No, Raymond. Don''t have any wrong assumptions here."


    "Are you working for Akira?"


    Dr. Nelson felt like there was a lump in his throat. He looked at Raymond and he could see that he was mad, raging mad.


    "I can exin everything to you, Raymond."


    "I will repeat again. Are you working for Akira?"


    "Yes"


    .


    .


    That was the answer that Raymond was scared of the most. Not because Akira went behind his back to do so. But because of the fact that he was scared that if she messed with the wrong party by doing all this.


    "Did she threaten Dr. Oshana to go back to Nebraska?"


    "That I am not sure, but there is a possibility that her men would have done that for her."


    Raymond sank in his seat and pinched the space between his brows.


    "Who did Dr. Oshana work for?"


    Dr. Nelson wanted to avoid this question at any cost. He didn''t want him to know that his own father was behind all this because he knew that it would be devastating for him. So taking a deep breath he thought for a while and took his chances,


    "She did all this to get you, Raymond. Love has its own twisted ways of working. You of all the people should be aware of that."


    Hearing his words, Raymond calmed down a bit, because a part of him didn''t want to hear about one stab in his back by his own father. Then looking at Dr. Nelson he said,


    "I am sorry for my outburst earlier. It was too much information for me to handle in a day. But I am really really thankful to you for figuring all this out. I can''t even tell you how indebted I feel right now to you. You may not know but it''s like you have given me a new life."


    "I did not."


    "What do you mean?"


    "She did."

 Chapter 403: I like my woman to be a badass

    <h4>403 I like my woman to be a badass</h4>


    "It was Akira who found out that the reports are rigged !!!"


    "How did she figure it out?"


    "Well, what can I say, she has a sharp eye and knows how to ask the right questions."


    "What do you mean?"


    "She somehow googled a lot about your condition and then she asked me about it. Specifically about the predictive analysis. I saw your report and I knew that since you only had ''Acquired Prosopagnosia'' and no case of Amnesia there was no chance for the predictive analysis report to be correct."


    "So she told you about it and asked you to run the tests again on me."


    "No, she didn''t tell me about it straight forward. I sensed something was wrong when you told me that Dr. Oshana used to share your reports with me. It was only then that she shared it with me. She did everything possible to make sure that the whole process was done all smoothly. She didn''t want you to have even a hint of it Raymond. That woman wants nothing more in her life except you."


    Pinching the space between his brows he closed his eyes and then turned towards him and asked,


    "So can you do me a favor?"


    "I am going to regret this but yes. Tell me what you want?"


    "Can we pretend that this conversation didn''t happen between us?"


    Dr. Nelson looked at him without saying a word.


    "If she doesn''t want me to know. Then I better not know Dr. Nelson. This entire year has been hard on us. So if she doesn''t want me to figure out that I was lied to, then I would let it be that way."


    Dr. Nelson gave him a nod which was enough to assure Raymond''s heart.


    As Raymond left the hospital premises, his heart was multiplied with happiness. More than the fact that the hypothesis is incorrect, he was ecstatic to know that Akira was concerned for him to such an extent. She had always surprised him with her ways and her demeanor but this was something else altogether.


    He sat in his car and took a deep breath and called her up.


    "Hello"


    "Hey, how did it go?"


    "Something miraculous happened and I guess you will not believe when I tell it to you."


    "Ok, now don''t beat around the bushes. Tell me what did Dr. Oshana say? What was the positive thing that she was telling about?"


    "The thing is, there was some issue with the old tests which were conducted and that spiked up my predictive analysis report."


    "So?"


    "So as per the retest results, there are no chances of me having any sort of amnesia or partial paralysis in distant future."


    "Really? Oh my God, I can''t believe it."


    "Well neither can I Akira. Finally, things look so much bright after long."


    "Indeed !"


    "I cannot believe that something that was not real, pushed me away from you for so long."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Forget what happened in the past, Raymond. Let''s focus on the present. There is no point in brooding over what has happened earlier."


    "That''s true. I will be waiting for you at our rendezvous point."


    "I will definitely wear something nice and ck for you."


    Saying that Akira giggled and disconnected the call.


    Then instead of driving back to his office, Raymond went back to Dr. Oshana''s clinic.


    "What happened Raymond? You are back."


    "There are a couple of things that I wanted to straighten up."


    "First thing is, I think we both know that the test results were not a mistake on the part of your nurses. I think that was deliberate."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Shh... Dr. Oshana. It''s bad manners to interrupt people when they are speaking."


    Saying that he gave a murderous nce at Dr. Oshana and then said,


    "I know that all this that you have done deserves a huge punishment..."


    "Fine Raymond, I know I was wrong. It was wrong of me to fall in love with you, but that not something that I had in my hand. I am sorry for even thinking for a moment that I can be with you. I am sorry for taking your dad''s help to get close to you. But as I said, I had no choice. I was just his puppet Raymond, and he knew it well how to make me dance."


    Raymond paused for a moment and then asked,


    "So my dad was behind all this?"


    Dr. Oshana was shocked for a second and then she asked,


    "So you haven''t seen the video?"


    "What video?" Raymond asked all surprised.


    "The one which is being used by your beloved to ckmail me. She isn''t a simple and innocent girl like you have assumed her to be Raymond. I would suggest, steer clear from her."


    Raymond looked at Dr. Oshana and with a curve on his lips he said,


    "Who told you that I like simple and innocent girls? I like my woman to be a badass."


    Saying that with a smug face, he walked towards the door.

 Chapter 404: That jaw dropping beauty !!!

    <h4>404 That jaw dropping beauty !!!</h4>


    Then he quickly retraced his steps back and turned towards her and said,


    "The conversation that we had in between us, stays strictly between us. Is that clear to you?"


    She nodded her head, as that was her only way out.


    With a menacing look in his eyes, he leaned onto her table and said,


    "You will stay tight-lipped about the whole thing. My dad should think that you are duping me in the way you were earlier. I repeat - In no way, he should know that we are aware of this little jaunt of yours."


    "Rest assured. I will not spell a word."


    "That''s good then".


    Saying that Raymond walked out of her clinic and started his car. The only thing that was on his mind right now was meeting up with his girl. That was the sole agenda that he had right now.


    He knew it well that his father will not doubt about his visits to Dr. Oshana so he was pretty sure that he was not being followed. But still, just to be sure, he applied his fake beard, when he halted at the traffic junction.


    After reaching his hotel, he asked David to arrange for someone to pick his car and to ce it back at his new house. He did everything possible under his control to make sure that his father stayed blind to their secret rendezvous.?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Akira wrapped up all her work and then changed into a baggy hoodie and track pants and took a cab. She stopped at a mall and purchased a dress for herself, just to look pretty for him. Then she went to Victoria''s Secret and purchased sexy lingerie for herself. She purchased it all ck with delicatecework, just the way Raymond liked.


    Happy with her shopping, she left immediately for The za.


    As she sat in the cab, she carefully checked if anyone was following her. It had be a routine for her to be constantly aware of her surroundings. Kind of became a habit for her.


    After reaching the hotel, she booked another room so that she could change her attire first. Somehow even though the whole process was tedious and she had to n each and every step meticulously, there was a certain kick in the whole fiasco.


    After freshening up, she blow-dried to set her hair nicely again and slipped into the delicateces which hugged her swells and peaks all perfectly. Thece made it semi-transparent and gave a barely-there breathtaking view. She was pretty sure that with just one look, he would crave for more.


    Satisfied with her choice ofces, a happy smile spread on her face. She then moved on to wear her dress.


    It was a lovely ice blue satin dress with noodle thin shoulder straps. The zip held the dress tightly to her body like a corset. It entuated her thin waistline to perfection. It red out from the hips and fell just a bit above her knees, which would surely fan out as she twirled, showing her milky toned legs.


    Her heart-shaped pendantplemented that deep neckline of the dress. She looked beyond perfect.


    Extremely happy with her own reflection in the mirror, she dabbed a bit ofvender oil on to the corners of her neck and then wore her white kitten heels. She was ready for the battle.


    The battle of ascending his heart. The battle of eclipsing his mind with nothing but thoughts of her.


    All set, she rang the doorbell of room number - 902.


    Anticipating her arrival, the moment he opened the door, his jaws dropped !!!

 Chapter 405: The intimacy - 1

    <h4>405 The intimacy - 1</h4>


    [A tasteful tale of intimacy suitable for 18 and above only]


    Just seeing her pretty face and the way she had dolled up for him, made his heart skip a beat.


    "You look, you ..."


    "Different?"


    She asked and smiled all happily for she had achieved her sole goal to stun him with her charm. Then without even waiting for him to answer a word, she pushed the door open and crossing him with a cheeky smile on her face she went inside.


    She sat on the bed and looked him as he closed the door all shut, with a mild smile on his face.


    "What are you so smug about?"


    Saying that she crossed her leg all seductively and leaned back on the bed, cing her weight on both her palms as they rested on the bed.


    "For having someone like you who would make the heavens meet the earth for me."


    "What do you mean?"


    Akira asked, raising her eyebrows up, unable to understand what he was intending to say. He smiled seeing that confused reaction on her face and said,


    "Let there be some mystery in this air."


    Saying that he started walking towards her, that intense look in his eyes, started causing a pit in her stomach. Slowly the confidence with which she was sitting on the bed started to develop cracks.


    She immediately uncrossed her legs and tried to get up, but his heavy arms pinned her back to the same position on the bed.


    "There are no escape routes here my love."


    Saying that he held her chin with his hand and gave a gentle peck on her lips. It was a small peck, a mild touch of barely a few seconds, but he knew that it would be enough to kill her ability to think straight.


    As he detached, he looked at the way her face changed color, the way her chest rose and fell with just his touch and a victorious smile spread on his lips.


    He took a step back and kept gawking at the marvel that had entered his life.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    She opened her eyes a secondter to find him gawking at her.


    "Can you just stop doing that all the time," she said, and tried to avert his gaze. Still holding on to that smile on his face, he picked up his report file and gave it to her.


    "Here, my new reports."


    Akira opened them and moved to the predictive analysis section first. Even though she knew about it beforehand, seeing the hardcopy of the report made her heart swell with happiness.


    "One glitch in the test and we were pushed miles and miles apart from each other !!!"


    She eximed at looked into his eyes. He knew that it was an emotional moment for her, but he didn''t want her to waste a single tear. He didn''t want this night to have even an ounce of pain. All that he wanted was to give the best night of her life.


    So he extended his hand towards her to hold onto and when she did, he gently pulled her to bring her close and said,


    "Come here. I have something more special for you."


    Saying that he took her to the adjacent room which he had ordered to be decorated with flowers and heart-shaped balloons.


    "What is all this?"


    She turned towards him and asked with surprise-filled in her eyes.


    "Well regr people celebrate their anniversary like this. I mean we did have a fallout in between courtesy my deep thinking, but nevertheless. I do not care about the dates. I felt like celebrating today, so today will mark out one year anniversary."


    Saying that he went to the table and got a nk card for her.


    "What''s this? There are no wishes here in this one."


    Askira asked, looking at the nk card.


    "That''s because it''s a wish card. Feel free to write any wish into this card and whenever you feel like getting that wish granted, all you need is to sh it in front of me."


    "You sure of it?"


    "Pretty sure."


    "What if I askplete ownership of you?"


    "I will be happy to be your ve for the entirety of my life Akira."


    Saying that he kissed her hand which was holding that card all softly.


    She looked at him with her dewy eyes and asked,


    "What if I ask for all your fortune?"


    "That is anyways yours, to begin with."


    "What if I ask you to run away with me and start a new life?"


    "I totally dig the concept of a shotgun wedding."


    "What if..."


    But before she could ask something more, he ced his index finger on her lips and said,


    "Shhhh.... enough of the talking."


    Then cing his hand on her waist he asked,


    "How are doing today weather-wise?"


    "Weather-wise?"


    "Ah, you dummy. He said and turned her. With his one arm around her waist, he pulled her close. Then suddenly out of nowhere, she felt his fingers running on her thighs going up and up with every passing moment.


    He softly grazed his finger on her forbidden zone and whispered into her ears.


    "Is it raining or a sunny day here my love?"

 Chapter 406: The Intimacy - 2

    <h4>406 The Intimacy - 2</h4>


    Her body coiled from the inside with his sudden touch. The Raymond that she knew, always made love to her just like a symphony. Slow at first, then building momentum to help you reach the peaks of pleasure. But today he was all different. All direct, all brazen and all hot.


    As his fingers glided over her intimates, she whimpered in his arms and muttered,


    "It''s sunny."


    "Come again?", he asked deliberately, wanting to tease her even more.


    "It''s sunny. I am not down right now."


    She said and turned back all shy and hugged him tightly.


    He gently stroked her hair and then softly bit her earlobes and said,


    "That''s good because I intend to make it rain down there. I want to make you all wet."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    His words were enough to heighten the expectations inside of her. She wrapped her arms even tighter around him and said,


    "Let''s run away. far away from all this. Let''s move to some small country and start a new life there. I want every day to be like this, where I can run into your arms whenever I want to."


    She said and buried her head in his chest.


    "Well, this coy drama is not going to save you from me today."


    Hearing his words, Akira narrowed her eyes and looked up at him and said,


    "I thought you were going to make my night memorable and here you are. Ready to just eat me up."


    Her coy talkpletely disarmed him and before he could even contemte her next move she pushed him and twirled away.


    As she twirled he could see her milky soft thighs. All spotless like an ocean of tranquility which captivated his interests and attention in an instance.


    Loosening his tie and gulping his own spit, he moved ahead.


    His eyes looked like he had beenpletely enticed by her. His face was filled with nothing but desire. He looked at her twirling happily in the bedroom. A delicious smile spread on his face and he said.


    "Come over here."


    "You gotta catch me if you can."


    Saying that Akira tried to run away towards the foyer, but little did she know that Raymond could sprint like a sh as he blocked her way. He had his firm hands over her waist, rendering herpletely helpless. She wriggled to escape, but that made him tighten his grip around her.


    Then with a half twirl, he turned her back. Her back was now lying on his chest. He slowly moved his one hand and wrapped her waist and then with the other he covered her chest, with his fingers lyingfortably over her swells.


    "Enough of running around Akira. Do you want me to punish you for your cheekiness?"


    "Yes please !!!"


    Akira said and giggled because she knew he was getting all restless and somehow that made her happy to know that her man longed for nothing else but her.


    "So, you like being punished is it?"


    Raymond asked, but before she could say a word, he pulled the left strap of her dress open. One tug and the knot opened like it was just waiting for Raymond''s Midas Touch. He kissed over her bare shoulder de and then moved up towards her neck. Every bite, every kiss, every lick of his tongue was causing her to get hotter and hotter.


    It was like he was slowly igniting her intimates down there. He moved swiftly to open the straps of the other side. Then with his fingers, he slowly pulled the zip down. With every inch that the zipper moved down, she felt like she was being set on fire to melt.


    As he opened the zipper, with the back of his fingers, he traced along her back. Every single touch of his was sending shivers down her spine. Goosebumps after goosebumps. Under his touch, she felt like every cell of her body hade alive.


    He slowly pulled her beautiful dress down her waist and it dropped softly on the floor.


    "What a shame !!!"


    "What?"


    "No matter how expensive the velvet is, a diamond should always be in the open, unwrapped."


    He said and nibbled her earlobe.


    Being aware of the sudden vulnerability, she quickly moved her hands and covered herself down there. He knew that her hands were going to distract him, so he decided to get rid of the obstacle altogether.


    "Can you pull open my tie?"


    "What for?"


    "Something needs to be tied up?"


    "Are you going to tie me up with that?"


    He smiled and said,


    "Just your hands. They block me a lot."


    Saying that he pulled his tie immediately as he couldn''t handle any more dy.


    Then lifting her bare body he ced her on the edge of the bed softly and then knelt in front of her and said.


    "Your hands please !!!"

 Chapter 407: The Intimacy - 3

    <h4>407 The Intimacy - 3</h4>


    Sitting on the edge of the bed, in nothing but herces, she felt shy at first after hearing his words. But then slowly she lifted her hands and ced it in front of him.


    He could see that her chest was beating like the leather of a drum.


    With his eyes fixated on her, he tied one end of the tie onto her left wrist and then stood up. Then slowly he leaned closer and tied both her wrists together at her back. Then kissing on the nape of her neck, he asked,


    "Ready?"


    She lifted her eyes up and looked into his eyes which were ying with her all mischievously. Gulping her spit she said,


    "I am thirsty."


    "Really?"


    "I swear. Quick else I am going to run into hups... Hic Hic."


    Before she couldplete her sentence, her hups started and she scrunched her nose and looked at him as if he was responsible for that. He chuckled seeing her cute angry face and got a bottle of water from the desk.


    He opened the seal and then the cap but instead of handing the bottle of water to her, he gulped from the bottle.


    "What hic... is this Raymond?"


    Unperturbed by her question, he pulled her chin up and gave her a wet kiss. But as he kissed her, prying her lips open, he slowly fed her the water from his mouth.


    She was totally unprepared for it.


    It was so intimate and so sudden that her hup stopped in an instant.


    Softly biting her lower lip, he detached himself from her and asked all coyly,


    "That''s all? So much drama for this much thirst?"


    His lips curved in a satisfactory smile for he had silenced her huped with just his touch.?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    She blushed and then wanted to wipe away the stray water drops from her lips, but as her hands were tied she wasn''t able to. Seeing her wriggling like that somehow aroused his manhood even more.


    "Will you just stay still for God''s sake Akira. It''s not like I have kidnapped you."


    "It tickles."


    "What tickles?"


    "This water, on my lips."


    Saying that she tried to extend her tongue to the farthest corner of her mouth, making an unsessful attempt at wiping that water drop away.


    He looked at her intently for a while and then said,


    "This is fun. Do you need the help of my lips?"


    She pouted her lips and looked at him. She knew he was having fun and now she was all the more determined to ruin it for him, He stood there all smiling with no idea what wasing next.


    Suddenly she moved her head ahead and brought herself close to him. Her face was now directly facing his manhood hidden under theyers of finest fabrics. And without caution or statutory warning, she wiped her face on his trouser. She did it slowly and deliberately so as to tease his manhood in the process.


    And she knew immediately that her attempt was victorious as she saw his manhood rising and shining to glory.


    "You thought only you knew how to mess?"


    She said and smiled softly.


    The damage was done. She had broken into his defense and there was no point of hiding it. So without uttering a word, he unbuttoned his shirt and then threw it on the ground. Then slowly he unbuckled his belt and pulled it out. His belt also met the same fate as his shirt. They both lied unceremoniously on the floor, like mock spectators of the symphony that was soon about to soar.


    He held her chin in his hands and said,


    "Now, whatever happens, will be all your fault."

 Chapter 408: The Intimacy - 4

    <h4>408 The Intimacy - 4</h4>


    As he spoke, she saw the fire in his eyes.


    A part of her got even more excited to see him aroused, but a part of her was now constantly aware that she was now under his mercy.


    Getting all nervous, happy and restless she looked again at his manhood before blushing to death.


    "Go ahead, take a look. It''s all yours, to begin with."


    She nervously averted her gaze and said,


    "I... I wasn''t looking."


    "First you y and then you say you weren''t? Aren''t you something Akira?"


    Saying that he knelt in front of her.


    She sat there at the edge of the bed all nervously, because she knew that even the heavens won''t be able to save her.


    "Spread your legs."


    He said with a husky tone mixed with a little bit ofmand and she immediately obliged. All cautious, she spread her legs a bit, giving him the path to his final destination. But that was not enough for him.


    So grabbed her behind and pulled her ahead, to position her just at the edge of the bed.


    Then he ced his palms on her slightly spread inner thighs and pushed them gently with his palm, widening the gap, giving him the perfect ess to her treasured jewel, hidden under a barely existentyer ofce.


    He glided his palms on her inner thigh now, from her knees till her cave. His touch titited her senses and her inability to touch him, to grab him with her hands, heightened her senses even more.


    Taking deep haggard breaths, she begged,


    "Cut me loose, Raymond. Please."


    "No"


    "I beg you. Let me hold you please."


    "Some other time."


    He said and without breaking contact with her eyes, he moved his thumb and glided it over her sex.


    "Aaahhhh....."


    She moaned as his thumb rubbed against herce.


    He could feel that she was already wet and he liked it.


    "Oh, baby !!! Are you wet for me already?"


    "Raymond please !!!"


    She begged, but to her dismay, he had no mercy in his dictionary. He was ready, ready to vite every inch of her, with nothing but just his touch.


    Her moans, her twitching, the shuddering of her core as he touched her, made him go even wilder. Her thong was barely hiding her deliciously wet sex and was constantly inviting him toe and ascend.


    He smiled and then gently slid his thumb under her thong and just glided over the wetness. The intensity of the pleasure became so heightened that she arched her back and moaned like she had attained divinity.


    Seeing her this helpless, he rose up and held her head and helped her toy on the bed on her back. Her heart was thudding, her lips parted open, her eyes moistened a bit, she was in aplete wreck.


    "Kiss me Raymond !!!"


    She begged, but mercy was noting that easy today.


    He bent and kissed on her belly and then gently licked her navel, sending tremors all across her body. She crossed her legs all tight unable to bear the tension that he was creating.


    Seeing her cross her legs, he smiled and said,


    "Uncross your legs for me."


    "It''s unbearable !!!"


    "I will help. I promise."


    Saying that he moved his right palm and gently cupped her lower intimate. His grip was soft but firm at the same time and as promised he didn''t y or tease with his fingers, allowing her to rest with the warmth that his palm brought in.


    She uncrossed her legs and then gulping and gasping looked at him and said,


    "I want you inside."


    "But we have just started."


    Saying that he gave a crooked smile and climbed down from the bed. cing both his hands on the sides of his waist, he said,


    "This one goes off now."


    Saying that he held the sides of herce panty and gently pulled it down. His eyes fixated on her like a promise that he would never break.


    Feeling all embarrassed and aware of her nakedness, she joined her legs together.


    "Don''t", he said and slowly parted her legs.


    "You are such a beautiful thing Akira. everything about you is beautiful."


    He said as he looked at her down there and admired the treasure that he had just unwrapped. Her lips quivered, her eyebrows were raised, her temperature was spiking up. But somehow amidst all this craziness, there was a somber warm feeling that was slowly rising in her privates, making her feel like in the seventh heaven.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    He knelt and pulled her legs to keep themfortably over his shoulder and he inched closer to her flower. He touched her there with his nose and stayed there motionless, inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaled through his open mouth. Only his breath touched her unforbidden treasure. igniting the fire inside of her, every time he exhaled.

 Chapter 409: The Intimacy - 5

    <h4>409 The Intimacy - 5</h4>


    "Mmmm... You smell divine !!!"


    He said as he inhaled her deeply with his eyes all closed whereas she lied there all motionless, unable to move even an inch, ready to be devoured by the master of her life.


    Just his proximity near her intimates was enough to shudder her. So he ced his left hand firmly on her belly and gently rubbed to calm her body before he started the mass destruction.


    He raised his eyes and saw her swells rising and falling arhythmically. Somehow that made her look all the more sexy and tempting, arousing the demons inside of him. Unable to resist her anymore, he asked,


    "Can I taste you Akira?"


    She was in no condition to reply. She felt drunk without even having alcohol. His touch was enough to drug her. His voice was enough to entice her.


    Sensing her silent wildness he moved his lips close to her down there and just barely touching them he said,


    "Let me show you the magic of my touch first."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Saying that he immediately rose up and held his middle finger close to her mouth and said,


    "Suck it."


    With her eyes wide open in surprise, she hesitated at first but then she moistened his middle finger by taking it inside her mouth. He put his finger deep inside her mouth and then whispered next to her ears.


    "I am gonna dive in that deep down there now."


    Saying that he immediately pulled his finger out of her mouth and went back to his position. To his pleasure, he found her flesh down there all swollen up and all wetter. So he gently rubbed her flesh with his thumb.


    "Does it feel nice Akira? Tell me you like it?"


    He said and slowly inserted his already moistened middle finger inside her wetness.


    Her toes curled as he moved slowly inside of her. The level of ecstasy was beyond any measurement for her at that point and then slowly he pulled his finger halfway out and then thrust it inside again.


    "Argghhhhh... Raymond."


    "Say, my name baby."


    "Mmm... "


    She tried to wriggle hard but he had her pinned down with his other hand which was now ced on her belly.


    She flinched with every thrust of his finger and he could feel the warmth increasing every second. Sensing the weeness of her body he slid his ring finger inside of hers as well.


    "Agghhhh...."


    Her moaning was rocking the roofs now and somehow he dished on it. Like it was making him go high.


    "Next time you try to tease me, remember what happens."


    Saying that he thrust his fingers again, depriving her body of the warm juices which his adept hands were enjoying.


    "Please... I beg you. Please... I need you inside of me right now... "


    Akira begged as she knew that she was on the verge of spilling her sanity. But he was nowhere near to sparing her any mercy.


    So he pulled his fingers out with a jerk, making her moan, arch and curl.


    With a soft smile on his face, he hoised himself on the bed next to her and the hand which was covering her belly moved up to caress her hair. Then slowly he moved his right hand back to his favorite ce and with his fingers, he started defining the rims of her wet and moist treasures.


    She moaned softly and then turned to hide her face in his bare chest. As her hot breath warmed his chest he leaned close to her and ned a soft kiss on her head and said.


    "Why your body responds so magically Akira?"


    He said and continued tracing the outlines with his finger.


    "Stop touching me like that."


    She mumbled softly in his arms.


    "Why? Don''t you like it?", he asked and rubbed his thumb with gentle pressure.


    "No, because I like it way too much."


    She said and pressed her nose on his chest, unable to bear the stimuli.


    He could feel some wetness on his chest and knew that she had tears in her eyes.


    "What happened?"


    He asked all softly, running his hand through her hair. His other hand stopped teasing her and he gently cupped her tight to rx her.


    "Why is it always sporadic? Like a sh."


    "What do you mean Akira?"


    "Why it''s just a day? Or just a night or just a couple of hours with you? Why I have to be restrained so much. I don''t want to be addicted to you, Raymond?"


    "Why Akira?"


    "Because it hurts when you are not there. It hurts when I don''t get your lips to taste me. It hurts when I don''t have your back to lean on. I want this to stay like this forever. I want us to happen every day."


    "I cannot even begin to tell you, how much I need you, Raymond !!!"

 Chapter 410: The Intimacy - 6

    <h4>410 The Intimacy - 6</h4>


    "Do you think I don''t want this? This is heaven for me Akira. The heaven that I want to live in every single day and every single night Akira."


    She didn''t say a word but he could sense that her sobbings had stopped.


    Using his arms he turned her a bit and then looking deep into her eyes, he said,


    "You are my heaven Akira."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    And saying that he slid his wet finger into hers again.


    "Ahhhh... "


    His sudden thrust caught her off guard.?Her stomach muscles rolled, her breathing halted & restarted, and her fingers tried hard to clench the sheets, but in vain. She turned and struggled all restlessly and he saw her breasts rising and falling like the crests of an ocean. Hercy bra was struggling now to hold her swells as he could now see her slightly pinkish and maroon peaks.


    He started moving his thumb in slow circles while continuing to work his fingers in and out of her dripping wetness.


    "Oh, Raymond !!!" She gasped. "Don''t stop now, please. Raymond I ....."


    "Arrggghhhh...."


    Akira let out a loud moan directly into his ears.


    "Come for me Akira. Show me how you love me."


    He whispered into her ears and bit her earlobe. He could feel her insides tightening and clenching around his fingers. She moaned restlessly and thrust her hips wildly against his hand. Seeing her, thrusting her hips, aroused him even more and he pushed his fingers hard and deep. And suddenly she tightened like never before around his fingers. Arching her head back she let out a soft wail, as her intimates convulsed around his hand.


    "Oh !!! Raymond !!!"


    He felt a gush of new wetness surging around his fingers.


    He watched her intently and saw the myriad of lovely emotions cross her face, which eased from tension to bliss. There was sweat all over her forehead, her eyes were closed, her lips parted, but her breathing had slowed down now.


    He smiled all victoriously and leaned onto her to softly kiss her lips. His touch was like a whisper, gently touching her like a breeze.


    She slowly opened her eyes and looked at his loving eyes, looking at her, filled with happiness and a hint of pride.


    "You came so beautifully for me."


    She flushed as she heard him say those words.


    She gulped her own spit and said,


    "I feel so all wet down there."


    "Do you want to taste it?"


    "Noo... "


    Heughed seeing her weird expression and brought his right hand up which had been doing all the naughty deed till now. He licked his middle finger and then looked at her and said,


    "This is my heaven Akira."


    Saying that he kissed her again, spilling that saltiness into her mouth.


    "See how delicious you taste."


    "Untie me."


    "Why?"


    "I want to get all cleaned up."


    She said raising her eyebrows up.


    "No need. I am going to help you with that."


    "What are you doing Raymond?"


    "I am going to help to wipe you up."


    Saying that Raymond got down from the bed and it was then that she exactly understood what his intention was.


    "Raymond no !!!"


    But he was the man with his own mind and she knew that he wouldn''t stop at any cost.


    He bent down and held her waist and pulled her body towards the edge of the bed. Her legs were now touching onto the ground. As she struggled to untie her hands, her left swell came out of the barely holding cup of her bra, revealing her hardened knob.


    He smiled and said,


    "Now you are giving me multiple choices Akira."


    Getting all flustered she pouted her lips and looked at him all displeased. Her hair was now all over her face and she could do nothing about it.


    He chuckled seeing her?all tactless and all defenseless in front of him. So he brushed the hair away from her face and then gently licked the knob of her chest which was lying all open, all unattended, calling for his immediate attention.


    "Mmmm..... "


    "How is that for teasing me?"


    He asked taking a small bite of her taut peak.


    "Ok... Ok... spare me this once. Just this once."


    Akira pleaded all breathlessly.


    "Ok fine !!!" he said and released her peak, which had been rendered all sore courtesy his lips and his teeth.


    "Oh, God !!!"


    She sighed with relief.


    "I thought you are never going to listen to my plea."


    "Well, that''s because something else has caught my attention right now. Your ..."


    He pulled the cup back up to contain her swell and said,


    "Is nothing but a distraction from my main goal tonight."


    "Your goal?"


    "What goal?"


    Akira asked, with her eyes, open wide as she didn''t like the sound of it.


    "I am gonna drink you up tonight."

 Chapter 411: The Intimacy - 7

    <h4>411 The Intimacy - 7</h4>


    "Raymond no."


    "Why are you so scared Akira? It''s me."


    She knew exactly what he was going to do and was a bit worried.


    "Ermm..... It''s gross Raymond."


    He paused for a second and then looked at her,


    "For you?"


    "Not for me Raymond. I am talking about you. I am all wet."


    Raymond smiled at first and then shook her head, unable to believe that a girl of her age could be that clueless. But that''s how Akira was. All clueless, tactless, innocent and untouched.


    "Well do you like your sundae without a generous drizzle of chocte sauce?"


    "No"


    ''Well, there is your answer."


    Saying that Raymond knelt down again.


    "The tie Raymond."


    "In due time."


    Saying that Raymond kissed on her right knee and then her inner thigh. Her toes curled in response to his touch and he could see her twitching. His manhood rose again, growing all restless. But he sat down like a man made of steel because today he was hell-bent on pleasing his woman.


    With a jerk, he pulled her close. She craned her neck in response to look at him all nervously as he was ready to dig deep into her, ready to vite her in the sweetest possible way.


    "Stay still for me baby."


    Saying that he widened her, cing a hint of pressure on her inner thighs and inhaled her aroma, as he touched her down there with her lips. He gave a soft kiss at first, dipping himself in the honey.


    It was so intimate for both of them. It was the first time that he was going to taste her like this.


    Her delicious saltiness made his lips and tongue tingle with a multitude of sensations. He was nning to wreck her, but instead, it was he who was getting wrecked just by touching her there.


    She rested her head back and tried hard to mute her grunting moans.


    And then he dove in. Hepped her wetness in his tongue and then slowly parted her pinkish lips which were guarding her sanctity. Her interiors were all wet and luscious and he wasted no time in sucking it all up.


    His manhood was riding high all dangerously but he continues to please her with the swift strokes of his tongue. But in no time his desires rose to the peak. He lifted her legs up and ced on his shoulder and prated deep inside of her with his tongue.


    "Oh please..."


    "Please Raymond..."


    "Arrgghhhh....."


    She begged and cried and moaned but he was all busy intensifying her feeling with every single passing minute.


    But the next second, as if he wasn''t satisfied with just his tongue, he brought his hands into the field as well. His tongue explored her sweet insides, and using his fingers he softly caressed the periphery. sometimes he applied pressure at her taught stiff muscles and the results were catastrophic. Suddenly her body convulsed and she screamed,


    "Raymond no..."


    She tried hard to move away, not wanting to release herself in his mouth, but he so wanted her to so do, because she meant everything to him.


    He grabbed her shapely bottom all tight, making her unable to budge even an inch and then all of a sudden she finched and became all tight.


    "Holy shit !!!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    She screamed and his tongue could taste the new oozing warmthing out of her. That new slick wetness made him all happier. It was like a reward for him, like a prized possession.


    Hepped her in and out and sucked her all dry.


    There were tears in her eyes for she didn''t know that he loved her so much. She never knew that someone could ept her body in such a wonderful way. She had never felt so intimate, so connected and so much loved in her entire life.


    Her head was spinning and she felt like she was already high on adrenaline. But a nket of happiness was all that she was covered with right now.


    He immediately rose up and kissed her tenderly and then wiped the corner of her eyes with his hands. Then he said,


    "When all this is over, I promise that every night will be like tonight."


    She looked at his loving face and said,


    "Untie me now, please. I just want to hold you. Please just once."


    As he looked at her, his heart just melted and he untied her.


    The moment her hands were free, she brought them to hold him tight. Lying on the bed, facing each other, she hugged him tight and rested her face on his chest.


    "How can you love me so much?"


    "Oh, you have no idea how much I love you Akira."


    He said and embraced her tight.


    He could feel that there were slight tremors in her body now and again. So he gently ced his palm between her legs, cupping her softly and then kissed on her forehead and said,


    "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

 Chapter 412: The Intimacy - 8

    <h4>412 The Intimacy - 8</h4>


    "You swear?"


    "I swear on my life."


    "Don''t you dare to swear on your life again."


    Akira almost shouted and moved a bit to look at him with her angry eyes.


    He looked at her all smilingly and said,


    "Your body seems calm now."


    "What?"


    "Tremors. There are no tremors shaking your core now."


    He said and gently removed his hand which was lying between her legs and moved it to hold the small of her back.


    She smiled all sheepishly and tried to dunk her head in his chest.


    He softly grazed his palm over her shapely behind and said,


    "I didn''t know you are so nicely shaped."


    Saying that he kept rubbing her behind fondly with his hands, again and again, trying to feel every inch of her soft wless and amply shaped skin.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    But he had forgotten that her hands were free now. So she quickly bent her hand and held his hand and said,


    "Oh my God !!! Will you just stop already."


    Saying that she quickly got up and picked up his shirt which was just near the bed and wore it as fast as she could and button the lower part of the shirt to hide her intimate away.


    He propped himself on his elbows and looked at her all confused,


    "What are you doing? Don''t even think of escaping tonight."


    "Why shouldn''t I? You always leave me mid-way? Have you forgotten how you left me in the bathtub in my house?"


    Saying that Akira started scouting for her lowerces, which she eventually found on the other side of the bed.


    Just as she was about to wear it back, she heard his voice,


    "Don''t even think about putting it back on."


    "Try me."


    Said Akira and put it back on. He looked at her and took a deep breath and said,


    "Do whatever you want to do, eventually you have to stay in here with me in this room. The night is still young Akira. You think I can''t pull it out again?"


    "Well for your kind information, I too have a room booked in this hotel. So I will leave you just the way you left me."


    Saying that Akira marched to the next room where her dress was lying, to wear it back and to leave him half satisfied, just the way he did. She wasn''t doing it for revenge, she was doing it just for fun, she wanted to tease him. She wanted to go back to the good old days where they had fun teasing and ying with each other.


    But little did she know that he was in no mood to let her go or beat around the bush.


    She came back holding her dress and her bag and saw him standing in front of the door, leaning on it, ready to block her exit.


    "Raymond, what are you doing?"


    Akira asked as she slipped into her dress.


    "The opposite of what you are trying to do."


    He said and gave a sly smile to her.


    She tried to pull the zipper of the dress and turned to look at him.


    He was looking at her like he was totally digging her. His gaze was all intent like he was preying on her. She quickly moved in a twirl to find her sandals, exposing her just eaten baby soft thighs and that was it.


    He was done ying.


    "Oh fuck this shit."


    Saying that he stormed towards her and took her face in his hands and immediately covered her lips with his own.


    Totally bbergasted with his sudden move, Akira melted in his grip.


    His hands slowly moved to the curves of her neck, with his fingers softly holding them and caressing them all harmoniously.


    His kiss was deep, all eager and all wet, like he wanted to explore her through her mouth. It was all sudden, all urgent and burned her with the fire of passion.


    Her hands slowly moved up and tugged onto his hair.


    Slowly he moved one of his hand behind her and opened her zip to let the dress fall down. Wanting to grip her all tight he moved his hands to hold her waist and while traversing the path to her waist, his hands slowly grazed on her beautiful shapely peaks, tititing them for just a fraction of a second.


    But that scious touch for a fraction of a second was enough to make her moan over his lips and he liked the way she released a muted moan inside of his mouth. In no time his manhood was aroused and she could feel him on her intimate.


    Fire met fire.


    Spark met a spark.


    There were fireworks that burst inside of her, increasing in intensity and multitude as he inched closer and closer.

 Chapter 413: Daddy Walker

    <h4>413 Daddy Walker</h4>


    In the vast expanse of that dark night, someone else was also getting all restless.


    "So you arepletely sure about it?"


    "Yes, Sir. A cent percent. His car was parked outside his new apartment. And I checked with his guard as well. He hasn''t gone outside his ce after this evening."


    "What about the girl?"


    "She was still in office."


    "That''s good. Keep a good eye on them. We need to watch them tightly. Especially the girl. Even though Raymond is avoiding her, I am pretty sure she must be going out of her ways to meet him somehow."


    "I doubt that sir. She ispletely busy with the new project. That''s what I have heard."


    "She better be. Anyways that''s my son''spany, to begin with. Let her shine as much as she wants. Eventually, I will snatch it all away from her. She is like that eclipse which I don''t want my son to face."


    "Sure sir."


    "And any suspicious movements or anything that you have noticed?"


    "None that I am aware of sir. But Akira has started taking dance lessons near her house."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Sebastian went into deep thought and then said,


    "Check all the crew and participants in that dance group. Did Raymond visit there by any chance."


    "No, Sir. I haven''t seen him around there."


    "That''s a relief. But still, keep an eye on that girl."


    "How is the progress with Raymond by the way?"


    "He has given us two of the files yesterday. I have submitted it with our finance and legal team to go through it. They will directly update you in a day or two."


    "Fine, then that would be all. And yes, don''t forget to wire money into the doctor''s ount. We need to keep that bitch happy."


    "That I have done today morning itself."


    "Good job !!!"


    Saying that Sebastian Walker, the lone wolf, disconnected the call.


    Sitting in his study room, he took a deep breath and then looked at the picture of Raymond and Katherine which was taken almost more than a decade back.


    Neither he was emotional, nor he was taut. There was a strange emotion in his eyes, that probably only he was able to understand andprehend. Then he slowly got up from his chair and walked towards the drawer.


    He pulled the right-side drawer out and there she was.


    The picture of the woman, whom he loved more than anything else in his life. The picture of the woman, with whom he couldn''t be close because of his unfortunate fate. The woman who still ruled his heart and hovered constantly over his mind.


    He gazed at her picture for a couple of minutes more. Slowly the face of the man which had been hardened by his misfortunes and passage of time tuned all soft. The crinkles around the corner of his eyes narrowed down as he closed his eyes to click a picture of her to store in his memory.


    With time, his fortunes had multiplied in manifolds but the loneliness in his heart still remained the same. All gaping, all unattended.


    All silent stood the man, rendered all helpless, the man who was known for nothing but his fiery aura.


    ---


    Holding her all tight in his arms, he slowly detached from her for a second and then again gave a soft kiss on her lips, as if his business was still unfinished.


    Kissing softly on her nose, he ran his fingers all along her spine and said,


    "Someone looks very reluctant to leave me."


    "Aaannnn Raymond."


    She whined and pounded her fist softly on his chest and then said,


    "Stop teasing me."


    "How can you ask me such a thing?"


    "Why can''t I?"


    "It''s like depriving someone of the little joys of their life."


    "Oh please !!! Since when have you learned to make such loopy talks? Last time we met properly, you were all whining about my bright and enlightened life sans your presence."


    "Well, I really wanted you to be happy you know. I really wanted you to have a normal and blissful life with someone."


    "So you were ok to watch me go with someone else? Would you have been able to live with the image of me holding someone else''s hand? Would you have been able to see me hugging someone like this or ..."


    "Ok Ok. I get the point."


    "I wouldn''t have. But I just thought that it would have enabled you to stay happy."


    Akira pouted and unsped her hands which were around him and said,


    "You are really really clueless about what makes me happy."


    "Well, I am not that clueless you know."


    He said with a smug smile on his face.


    "Really then tell me what will make me happy now?"


    "Well probablypleting something which I had left midway one night?"


    "What?"


    She asked raising her eyebrows.


    "I missed giving you a proper bath that night, but I am not going to miss tonight."

 Chapter 414: David figures it out - 1

    <h4>414 David figures it out - 1</h4>


    While everyone was busy in their own world, David watched the video captured by Akira all over again. Then as if lightning had struck him, he immediately called up his middle man.


    "Hello"


    "Hello, Resner. David here."


    "Yes, tell me."


    "Can you call up the woman, whom you had called up this afternoon again? We need her bank records for more proof."


    "Anything else that you need to extract?"


    "As of now, that would be all."


    "I do not need to call her for that. Why do you think I have hired the hackers in my team for."


    Resner smiled as he spoke.


    "Ok, then that''s even better. I need to check if there are any wired transactions from an alias ount. I need to get a hold of that alias ount and see where all this money has gone from the alias ount."


    "I didn''t get you."


    "Well now that we are collecting proof, then why collect just one. I want to trace the main source and find out who else is being yed. That will give us an idea of who all should we watch out."


    "I got it. Hold on for a couple of hours. We will get the job done."


    "Wait a second."


    "I just have one concern. As you try to trace the source, is there any chance that it will tip off the ount holder? I mean when you backtrace, is there a chance of the process to ping and hit an IP that will cause an alert."


    "Since when you have be aware of all this stuff."


    David blushed a bit because of theplement and said,


    "Well, I have been surrounded by some smart people. So I tend to pick up the stuff."


    "Haha, good for you man. Hang in there for some time. Let my men pull the information for you."


    "Thanks, Resner."


    David disconnected the call and then went back into deep thoughts. The fact that he was unaware as to why Sebastian hated Akira to this extent, bothered him like hell. No matter how much he tried to dig about Akira and her past, her parents, Vikram''s family, nothing helped. Nothing at all.


    He could never map from Sebastian''s talks, which aspect of Akira he hated the most. There was no chance to tap his mobile phone as it was a private number and he used a Vertu System for double protection.?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    So after racking her brain endlessly, he picked up his phone and called up Oshana.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, Dr. Oshana"


    "Hello, David. Everything all right?"


    She was a bit scared too see his call suchte, dead in the night. She had no clue that he was aware of everything and that he was working with Akira and as he hung around Sebastian a lot, she always assumed him to be his man.


    David was well aware of it and he was just trying to take advantage of that.


    "Nothing much, Mr. Sebastian had just asked me to check with you if everything is going as per the n."


    "He told you about me?"


    Dr. Oshana asked all surprised.


    "Well, I am his key man. What do you expect? I was well aware of it from day one."


    "I see."


    She replied, but he could sense that her voice sounded all low.


    "Yes, everything is going just like the way he wants. How can anything happen other than the way he wants."


    "Well, that''s true. Not even a leaf can fall from a tree without that man''s permission."


    David said and chuckled and then said,


    "But I am really not sure what will he gain from all this. He is such a confusing man."


    "He is a sick person David. You have no idea what all dirt lies inside of him. The day you will get to know about his true self, I think you will be repulsed enough to walk out from his team."


    "What are you talking about Doctor?"


    Realizing that she had spoken way too much than necessary, Dr. Oshana tried to retract.


    "I am just saying."


    "Well, I understand that part well. I am not sure why he always drags out innocent people and punishes them."


    "What are you talking about?"


    Dr. Oshana asked all scared, worried about the fact if David knew what had exactly happened between her and Sebastian.


    "Take that girl Akira for instance. He got snipers allocated for her to finish her off. I don''t get it at all. Why would he even do such a thing?"


    "Well, I am not sure about that. But apparently, he loathes her. No loath isn''t the right word, I sensed a bit of fear in him once, during a random discussion with some man over the phone."


    "Fear? Why would he be scared of Akira? There are hundreds of people who are a constant threat to his life because of what and where he is. But I haven''t known him to be scared of anyone else."


    "Well, don''t ask me the reason. For even I don''t know the answer to it myself."

 Chapter 415: David figures it out - 2

    <h4>415 David figures it out - 2</h4>


    "But why did you specifically say about fear? Do you remember any part of the conversation that he had with the man that you were talking about earlier?"


    "Well, to be honest, I vaguely remember that. I was a bit troubled myself at that time. So I didn''t bother to focus much on it."


    "I see." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    David sighed as he hit the dead end.


    "Erm... but there was something about some memory that they were talking about. Or maybe just a figment of my imagination."


    "Memory ?? Whose memory to be specific?"


    "That I don''t know. Maybe this loss of cognition or maybe something. I don''t know David. I really don''t know. It''s better that you don''t get your hands dirty in this mud. Because one thing I have learned is that the less you know is better."


    "Hmm...."


    "Will retire to my bed now. It''ste."


    Saying that Dr. Oshana disconnected the call and went to sleep, but sleep was miles and miles away from her eyes for she was now torn between the three parties and neither of them knew about each other and each of them expected her to act the way they wanted.


    For a moment, she wanted to run away and hide in a forest, but she knew that Sebastian was capable of finding her out from any corner of the world. So, taking a deep breath, she lied on her bed cursing her fate for making the grave mistake of getting lured by Sebastian Walker''s words.


    ---


    Even though Dr. Oshana had given a clue to David, it made no sense because of its acute vagueness. But still, it was the straw of hope for him in the ocean of uncertainty. So opening hisptop, he started searching.


    "Memory Erasure"


    "Drug-Induced Amnesia"


    And then suddenly from one of the WIKI page searches he found.


    "There are other drugs that also can cause their users to be put in an amnesic state, where they experience some type of amnesia because of their use. Examples of these drugs include?Triazm,?Midazm, and?Diazepam."


    "Diazepam"


    "This sounds familiar."


    "Where have I seen it?"


    Then he scrolled back through the history of his WhatsApp messages with Raymond and found a conversation.


    .


    .


    "Don''t do anything irrational Raymond." - David


    "But I am feeling all restless. I need to see her David, but I know I shouldn''t. But it''s killing me." - Raymond


    "Shall I contact Dr. Oshana. Get something to calm you down?" - David


    "Don''t bother her. I guess, its because I have run out from my medicine." - Raymond


    "Not an issue. Just send me a copy of the prescription. I will get it on my way to your ce." - David


    "But till then hold tight. Send me the message and then switch off your phone." - David


    Next in the conversation was the screenshot of Raymond''s prescription where he had circled "Diazepam."


    .


    .


    Seeing that before he could lose his temper, he called up Dr. Oshana again,


    "Hello, David."


    "Why did you prescribe Diazepam to Raymond?"


    "What?"


    "I am asking you, why did you prescribe Diazepam to Raymond?"


    Hearing him, Dr. Oshana stayed silent for a while and then said,


    "I think being the right hand of Sebastian, you should be knowing about it."


    "Ok, now do not test with my patience. I asked you a question, so you better answer that and not ask me questions back."


    She was weirded out with the way he talked but she answered.


    "I just gave it as Sebastian had told me to. He asked me, so I gave. I don''t know what purpose does it serve. I mean it cannot wipe out entire memory or anything, but yeah if any selective suppressed memory is there, then it will help to keep it suppressed."


    "What memory?"


    "How on earth am I supposed to know about it? I am just happy to have him as a patient. That''s all David. Your questions are somehow making me ufortable. Does Mr. Sebastian know that you are asking questions behind his back?"


    David smirked hearing her question.


    "You are questioning my loyalties now?"


    "Of course, else why would you ask all these things behind his back? Will Mr. Sebastian befortable knowing the fact that you called with these queries?"


    "Are you threatening me Dr. Oshana?"


    "I am not threatening. I am just asking. If you have anything to say or tell about me to him, then I might also narrate to him about this conversation."


    "What conversation?"


    "This conversation in which you are asking me about all these details."


    Dr. Oshana replied all furiously.


    "Then what about the conversations that you have been having with Dr. Nelson? Oh, wait !!! not just him, with Akira as well. I heard you purchased tickets to Nebraska."


    "I don''t think Mr. Sebastian asked you to do so !!!"


    There was pin-drop silence on the other side of the phone.


    "Remember Dr. Oshana, learn to not to throw stones at others, when your own house is made of ss."


    Saying that David disconnected the call.

 Chapter 416: The game of kissing - 1

    <h4>416 The game of kissing - 1</h4>


    "I just had a quick shower beforeing into your room."


    "Ohe on !!!"


    "What? I just wanted to look nice and smell nice for you."


    Akira spoke all coy, with a hint of a blush spreading all over her face, reddening the tip of her nose and ears.


    Lifting his one hand from her waist he rubbed the tip of her nose a bit.


    "God !!! I missed your blush so much."


    Saying that Raymond softly kissed the tip of her nose and then gently licked her red hot ear, trying to cool her off with the wetness brought in by his tongue and when he stopped his expedition, he paused to look deep into her eyes for a second.


    "I missed you so much,"


    He whispers in her ears and they both smile at this, at the preposterousness of it all.


    "Well given that you prolonged it, shouldn''t you be the one who deserves missing me."


    Saying that she very yfully flicked her finger on his right chin. Instead of getting angry, he somehow enjoyed the way she was teasing him. There was something strange and wild, flickering in his eyes and she could sense it as his eyes gave a cursory yet curious nce at her swells.


    Comfortably dted, his naked eyes were almost all pupil right now, trying to encapture the beauty of her body with which he had yed a couple of minutes back. Seeing the way his lustful eyes were looking at her, a sudden wave of ecstasy hit her body, reverberating through her spine, making her weak in her knees.


    All of sudden from being totally alive, she turned into a lump of flesh and sumbed into his arms.


    He held her all steady, even though she melted all of a sudden.


    "You ok?"


    "You dare ask that, after making me weak in my knees?"


    Saying that she tried to get her footing back and then pushed him away.


    "What now Akira?"


    He asked with his tone all anxious to see her turning away from him, but soon he was bemused to see her going back to the bedroom.


    She sat on the bed all confidently this time.


    She spread her toes apart but joined her knees, then spreading her hands all wide on the bed, she bent slightly, giving him a nice view of her assets and asked,


    "I thought you were hungry for more. but it looks like all that you want is to stand there and gawk at me."


    His lips curved into a scious smile as he entered the bedroom at an annoyingly slow pace.


    Reaching close to her, he gawks at her top to bottom, all intently and then slowly rubs his palm on her thigh.


    But before he could lean over her, she quickly blocks him. cing her right foot on his chest all firmly, she said.


    "Are you up for a treasure hunt?"


    Intrigued and pleased at the same time he said,


    "I am listening."


    "Well then, my heart desires to be kissed at one ce. Kiss me there and I will all yours."


    "All mine?"


    "Yes all yours, but there is a condition."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "What''s that?"


    "You will get five trials, if you can''t get it right, then you will have to let me go back to my room. No questions asked."


    "Are you serious?"


    "Totally !!! Do we have a deal?"


    "Fine then write the spot where you desire to be kissed on the notepad over the table. I will check it only if I lose, which is highly unlikely to happen."


    "You think you can read my mind?"


    "No, but I can listen to your heart."


    "Huh !!!"


    Akira pushed him with her leg and then went to the desk to write the answer. She folded the piece of paper neatly and then ced it on top of the table. Then taking a deep breath she looked at him and then let out a luxurious sigh.


    "Come over here."


    Saying that he stretched his hand out for her and the moment she held him, he tugged her close to him and turned her back with a vice-like grip surrounding her body.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Analysing."


    "What?"


    "Well, this is a treasure hunt and your body in my map now. For now, I am thinking of roaming around a bit, to check the terrains and the valleys."


    His fingers gently rubbed over her left peak, his hands slowly encroaching inside of theces which were desperately trying to hide how sensitive her body had be because of his touch.


    She gushed out a warm haggard breath and said,


    "You are not allowed to touch."


    "That was not part of the deal."


    Saying that he pressed the hardened tip in between his index and middle finger.


    In the entirety of the night, the room was filled with her moans.

 Chapter 417: The game of kissing - 2

    <h4>417 The game of kissing - 2</h4>


    "I don''t want to y anymore."


    Akira said and tried to wriggle out from his grip for she was certain that there was winning and losing happening here. In the end, she was to be devoured by him, the man who had been waiting for months for this exact moment to happen.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    But his vice-like grip tightened around her. His one hand wrapped around her waist and the other around her chest, he rendered her immobile. He slowly dropped his head to bite her neck and then whispered in her ears.


    "Stay still. You are not going anywhere today."


    Saying that he pulled her strap up a bit and then released it like a bow. It instantly hurt her a bit and she winced.


    "Ouch, it hurts Raymond."


    He smiled and kissed her shoulder de where the strap had hit and said,


    "Every time you talk about leaving, it hurts me ten times more than this."


    She turned her face halfway to look at his face from the corner of her eyes, and as she did, he inched forward to capture her lips, one at a time, with his own lips.


    As his warm lips touched hers, she leaned on one side of his chest.


    This time his kiss wasn''t urgent. It was slow, it was consuming as if he wanted to y the entire symphony with her lips. Slowly as he delved his tongue deeper, his hands moved to pamper her swells.


    He grabbed them softly at first, resting his palms on top of herce and then gave a soft squeeze. Her body twitched, ready to slump any moment, but he made her lean back further on himself, giving her body all the support.


    His fingers ran sporadically on top of her chest, teasing her like an unannounced guest, all suddenly whenever he pleased.


    Her hands had been tugging onto his trousers all this time for support, but the moment he started circling his fingers on top of one of her peaks, she couldn''t take any more. Detaching from his mouth, he said,


    "One chance over !!! Four left."


    Saying that she wiped her lips, grinning a bit for surviving the assault, but she didn''t know that he wasn''t ready to give her any respite.


    The grip which he had loosened, became tight again.


    "Give answers quickly, Raymond."


    "Why so rushed?"


    "Because it''s quitete and you haven''t eaten anything."


    "I have you."


    Saying that he swiftly unsped herce which was somehow managing to hold her swells. slowly he pulled the straps down from her shoulder, baring her chest.


    He took a step back just to gaze at her assets, all optimum, all blossoming. She had a fine harvest and there was no denying factor in that. There was a smug smile on his face.


    Folding her hands in the front she looked at him and asked,


    "Looks like you like what you see."


    "Absolutely."


    "Now that you are done scrutinizing, can you move ahead and get done with your remaining four guesses."


    Without breaking the eye-contact with her, he moved ahead, towards her.


    Extending her palm, she blocked his chest and said,


    "One hand distance my man, one hand distance."


    "That''s not happening."


    Saying that he inched close and held her waist and hoisted her body up in his arms, and then moved his one hand to support her back and the other lifted the small of her back.


    Resting his nose on her chest, between her peaks, he deeply inhaled her faintvender smell.


    "Mm... "


    The whole thing was so intimate, that she couldn''t resist locking her arms around his neck. He moved to his left and sat on the majestic Louis chair present in the bedroom.


    He made her sit on hisp, her arms still around his neck.


    "Gosh, you are beautiful Akira."


    He said and ran his fingers from the curve of her neck till her navel, making her arch her back as she rumbled through a sweet feeble moan.


    He pauses and that hitches her breath in anticipation. Before she could even guess his next move, he takes her erect peak in his lips, pressing them together over it. She winced but weirdly not in pain, but with pleasure. He released them and pressed them again, trapping her in a sensuous joy ride.


    Then pausing for a second he sucked them hard. She felt like she had transcended into the realm of pleasure.?With a firm bite of his, elicited another loud gasp from her, His thighs could feel the heat emanating from her sanctity down under. So he paused his assault and gave a soft kiss on her already tender peak.


    He repeated the sweet torture again, this time his lips a little more tense on the other side, a little more rugged.

 Chapter 418: The game of kissing - 3

    <h4>418 The game of kissing - 3</h4>


    Holding the tip of her peak in between his teeth, he gave her a brief pause and then he moved his hand down, trying to gauge the condition. Her body was slowly drizzling down there and through herces, he could feel the moisture. He softly glided his hands over her intimate as he couldn''t resist himself.


    And bang !!!


    Suddenly she arched back in a single jerk, unable to bear the sweet pleasure brought in by his fingers.


    Taking deep, raspy breaths shemanded,Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "No touching down there. You have touched enough."


    "Ok", he said, releasing the peak from the grip of his teeth but delved next second in. Teasing the top skin of her peak, with his teeth, he gently sucked her.


    "Ahhhh....."


    Seeing her body reacting so amazingly, he sucked her hard again, making her all sore. Then he quickly moistened then with his tongue to soothe her out. But before she could take a breath of sanity, he blew a gentle stream of air on the moistened top.


    That sudden st of air, hardened her even more and seeing her peaks, rising to the optimum, his manhood started all christening in glory. She bounced her body back at him and hugged him tightly. Her body all shuddering with his recent assault. He moved his hand back to hug her in his warm embrace and softly kissed on her peak.


    It was a tender kiss, brimming with love, mixed with the happiness of having her in his arms after an eternity.


    "I love you Akira."


    He said softly and buried his face in her chest.


    She kissed him on his forehead softly and whispered,


    "Only two chances left."


    "Seriously? U didn''t want a kiss there?"


    "Nopes !!!"


    "Damn !!! I waste my time and resources."


    He said and rubbed his thumb over her lips.


    "Looks like I am going to have to order food in my own room and eat by myself."


    Saying that she stood up to get down from hisp. But the next moment she realized that his fingers were inside herce, tugging her tightly. With a sly smile on his face, he removed his hands and got up to pin her down on the chair.


    His lustful eyes looked at her body without batting an eyelid and his voice turned all hoarse. Gulping on his own spit he said,


    "Stay !!!"


    And then off came theces, as it was torn into a rug, by his impatient fingers.


    She looked at the remnants of herces which had been turned into mulch by him.


    "Those were new. I got them like today."


    "I see."


    He said and looked at the mulch, with not even a hint of repent in his eyes.


    "You seem awfully happy doing that."


    She said and crossed her legs.


    "So that you learn from next time that the less is more," he said with a hint of a smile on his lips.


    "More of what Mr. Raymond?" she asked and covered her top assets with her palms.


    He kept looking at her without saying a word, admiring her beauty, all naked, all warm and all inviting. She looked all gorgeous.


    Slowly he shifted his eyes and focussed his gaze on her face. The face which had turned all flushed. The face that reeked of innocence.


    She could sense the sudden change in the way he was looking at her. His lips parted and he let out a deep breath and then closed his eyes. He was trying hard to capture her face in his memory, but somehow that didn''t happen. Feeling all dejected he opened his eyes and looked up at her again.


    She looked at him and worried and somehow she could understand the topsy turvy thoughts going on in his head. So releasing her hands she bent forward and held his face in her hands and softly kissed on his nose and asked,


    "Why did you stop?"


    "Stop what?"


    "The treasure hunt?"


    Then with a teasing smile on her lips, she looked at him and said,


    "Don''t stop kissing. You never know you might get lucky."


    Saying that she softly bit his earlobe, teasing him and re-igniting the spark inside of him.


    Stitching up his haunting thoughts, he held her knees and parted her legs. She knew he was going to kiss her down there and she knew it would be catastrophic like before. But he intended to keep it all mellow, for he was saving everything for thest and final kiss, where he was going to go all in.


    "Last but one attempt mister. So think wisely before you make the move."


    She said, gulping and gasping for breath at the same time.


    But his focus was elsewhere. Paying no heed to her words he grabbed her waist and pulled her close. He knew it well that the option was wrong.


    But he wasn''t ying to win.

 Chapter 419: The game of kissing - 4

    <h4>419 The game of kissing - 4</h4>


    He was ying all along because she started the game.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    He yed because he knew that even if she didn''t admit, she was having fun out of it. So to tease her even more, he parted her legs slowly, revealing her already glistening wetness.


    "I think you want to be kissed by me down there. That''s my fourth guess."


    She opened her eyes and looked at his calm and steady face. She was expecting him to kiss and not guess the option verbally. So a disappointed her, propped herself up on the elbows and asked,


    "I thought you were going to kiss and then tell."


    He could clearly see the cloud of disappointment on her face. His lips were so close, yet he didn''t kiss and somehow that was making her go all wild. And that was all that he wanted to see on her face, a desire to be kissed, a desire to be loved by him.


    With a hint of a smile on his face, he said,


    "I guess I should."


    Saying that his fingers parted her legs, even more, to have glorious ess to her already enchanted and blissed wetness. The delicious aroma of it had already risen his heartbeats and without wasting any time, he brought his hands to the cleft of her legs and pressing his fingers through the curls of her mound, his thumb searching for the hard nub of herher region. The moment he pressed her there she writhed beneath him. He slowly caressed her there in small circles, continuing to hold her legs apart, heightening her pleasure to the peak, before he kissed her.


    Softly licking her sweetness off his lips, he rested his hands on her thighs. He knew this wasn''t the correct answer, but he still asked,


    "So, how about staying the night with me?"


    Holding her chest in one hand, she got up and just barely managed to shake her head in a NO.


    She was running out of her breath, she was running out of her sanity. This man was depriving her of everything.


    "Just onest chance left. Looks like you don''t know me at all."


    She said and looked into his eyes, with her parted lips, but little did she know, that he already knew the deepest desires of her heart.


    He stood up and then pulled her hand to make her stand up on her feet and when she did he scooped her up and carried her to the bed.


    Heid her down softly on the sheets and then looking deep into her eyes, he spoke in his raspy voice,


    "You really think I didn''t know?"


    With a smile on his face, he gently caressed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair and then slowly bent down to kiss on her chest, just under the pendant.


    As his lips touched her naked skin, she was filled with pure pleasure not just because of his touch, but because of the fact that he knew how to read her like a book.


    She held his face all tenderly in her hands and unable to control the tears of happiness she said,


    "How did you know?"


    "Because I have learned to read your heart."


    Saying that he held her hand which was holding her face and gently kissed them.


    "Now would you stay the night with me?"


    He asked, wiping those stray tears from the corner of her eyes.


    "Yes, but only if..."


    "If what Akira?"


    He asked brushing her lower lips with his thumb.


    "Only if you make love to me."


    Just her words were enough to arouse his manhood and he plunged to seal her lips with the taste of his love.


    Slowly he moved his hands between her legs and pleasured her as he kept devouring on her lips. She was already riding high through the night, so the moment he thrust his fingers inside, he was weed with the sudden surge of warmth.


    So he immediately pulled her fingers out and whispered into her ears,


    "Rx for me now."


    Saying that he hovered his body over her, ready to enter her sanctity.


    His manhood mmed through her, leaving her shaking and withering. Her muted moans carried nothing apart from his name. He gently kissed the tears from her cheeks, then held her gaze as he slid inside of her.


    "Ah, God!"


    He quivered there, prolonging the moment and slowly he started to move, undone by her fire, torn to shreds by the passion she ripped out of him. Her wet and moist heat engulfed him, burned him, caressed him to the point of insanity. Soon he was plunging madly, lost in her, andpletely unaware of his surroundings.


    "Arrrggghhhh ..... Raymond."


    She screamed his name, her nails dug into his back as she arched onest time before copsing under him, shuddering convulsively.


    "Holy Shit !!!"


    That groan came out from deep inside of his chest as his release surged through her, flinging her into a world of ecstasy and spilling off the potion of his love deep inside of her.

 Chapter 420: The happy morning

    <h4>420 The happy morning</h4>


    She had no idea when she had slept off.


    But as she opened her eyes, she saw herself sleeping all alone on the bed. He was nowhere to be seen and neither any of his stuff. But seeing the creases on the sheet and on the pillow next to her, she knew that he was there with her the whole night.


    She was dressed in a loose t-shirt of his and a smile spread on her lips and she felt the fabric on her skin because it smelled like him. It was then that she realized that he had cleaned her up and clothed her as well.


    She touched her lips with her fingers and blushed softly, recollecting the wonderful memories ofst night. Then she looked at the side table, where a note was present underneath the ss of orange juice.


    She opened it and read,


    "Drink Me"


    She giggled as she read it and lifted the ss of orange juice and drank half of it and holding the ss, she got down from her bed and went towards the table where she had written the answer to her kissing puzzle yesterday.


    With a smile on her lips, she ced the juice ss on the table and opened her note in which she had written,


    "Under my locket."


    But what caught her attention was the handwriting underneath it. She knew it was his writing and it read -


    "Even if I won, it was a victory for us yesterday night. It was the best night of my life Akira. I just hope you are not too sore."


    She turned all scarlet after just reading the note and resorted to gulping all the orange juice to turn her head all sane.


    Out of a whim, she then went and stood in front of the dressing mirror. She pulled the neckline of the t-shirt a bit down and saw a couple of red blotches over her shoulder, under her neck. Then she lifted the t-shirt and removed itpletely.


    Standing in front of the mirror was her body which had been thoroughly yed with. She could touch and see that she was sore at multiple ces


    Then she picked up her phone and took a picture of the hickey on her neck and sent it to Raymond, along with a message.


    "This isn''t a sore memory. This is the best memory that I will treasure life long."


    ----


    Her head was splitting in pain as she had cried her eyes out the whole night.


    Natural for anyone who had been rejected on her face by the men she was fond of, in a single day, all because of that girl Akira.


    She immediately popped an anti-depressant to sort her head out.


    Things had been difficult for her. She had the constant vigil eyes of Sebastian and his men, tracking her every action and now to top it off, she had to bear with this new menace.


    But what haunted her the most was why Dr. Nelson, sided with her? Why he duped her and recorded the video. She wanted to know if he had any ulterior motive. Initially, she was happy to just run away to Nebraska, but now that she had to stay back, she decided to get to the root of it.


    She had this weird fire of vengeance burning inside of her which made her restless, because after risking so much all she got was a big zilch.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    So she picked up her phone and messaged Dr. Nelson.


    "Need to talk about Sebastian in private with you. I know you have sided with her, but please listen to me once. He is a dangerous man, there are certain things that you need to know." - Dr. Oshana


    At first, he decided to ignore her message but after five minutes, he couldn''t stop himself from checking it and after he did, he immediately replied.


    "What things?" - Dr. Nelson


    "I cannot discuss it all over the phone. Can we meet up?" - Dr. Oshana


    "Fine, you cane down to my clinic, post seven pm." - Dr. Nelson


    "No, I would like to avoid a public ce. I do not know where he has his ears. So I would like to meet somewhere private." - Dr. Oshana


    Being somewhere private with this woman, was not something which was to the liking of Dr. Nelson, so he didn''t reply any further.


    Sensing the silence, she pinged again.


    "If he can force me to do such things, then you can very well imagine what kind of reach he must be having. I just wanted to inform you about a couple of things for Akira''s safety."


    She knew that he had a soft corner for her and thus she decided to exploit it and true to her n she got his reply.


    "Where?" - Dr. Nelson


    "Meet me near the abandoned Church, after West foot Alley." - Dr. Oshana

 Chapter 421: The vengeful Dr. Oshana - 1

    <h4>421 The vengeful Dr. Oshana - 1</h4>


    "Time?" - Dr. Nelson


    "In an hour?" - Dr. Oshana


    She somehow knew that he would cancel all his appointments and would make sure that he reached there in time. She had found out his weakness and wanted to exploit it now in her favor.


    She didn''t know how to, but she had to work out on something. Now that her brain was able to think all loud and clear, she needed some leverage. She needed some way to get out of this mess. She had gotten into the swamp, but now she wanted to pull someone else along with her so that she could climb over their shoulders.


    She lingered around in her clinic unable to think of anything, getting irritated as time passed by, as she had to rush to meet him at the destined spot. She suddenly picked up a pair oftex gloves and slid a scalpel into the pocket of her coat.


    She then checked her watch and then rushed towards the exit.


    As she reached the alley, she saw Dr. Nelson''s Rover already parked in front of the church. She took a deep breath with her hands still at the ten o''clock position on the steering wheel, trying to contemte how disarray things might be after this, but then considering the entire career of hers that was on the line, she switched the engine off.


    Getting out of the car, she reached for the gloves in her pocket and wore them before entering the church.


    The church was in a dpidated condition. The pews were all worn out and had no strength for supporting anyone toe and sit. But she saw him sitting just in front of the pulpit, looking at the altar.


    He was indeed a religious good man. A fine man, for whom she had a soft corner in her heart. A corner that he used to capture that video.


    For a moment her heart had be soft to see him sitting that way, but then it again crystallized thinking about the travesty of her feelings that he had made in just one day, reducing her feelings to nothing but a joke.


    She started walking towards him and hearing the footsteps he got up and turned back.


    As she reached close to him, she could see that his eyes were all red. He wasn''t crying but he sure looked like he wasn''t ok.


    "Are you ok?"


    "That''s none of your business right now."


    He replied all curtly and looked towards his side, averting her gaze and asked,


    "So what was it that you wanted to talk about. How is Akira''s life in danger?"


    She was genuinely concerned to see him in this condition and yet here he was, asking her nothing except for the matter concerning Akira.


    A mocking smile spread on her face and she asked,


    "So have you fallen for that little birdie? Is that why even though the matter didn''t concern you, you tried to put your foot inside it? You know that there are powerful people behind all this, like really powerful people, yet you have decided to fight, standing next to her?"


    There was a sarcastic smile on her face, seeing which the insides of Dr. Nelson curled.


    He turned towards her and said,


    "And just when I thought that you have developed some sense of humanity and goodwill inside of you."


    Saying that he started to walk away when she said,


    "So you really don''t want to know. You are ready to put the life of this new found love of yours in danger."


    His footsteps halted the moment he heard her words.


    He turned back all frustrated and walked back,Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "You better be telling the truth here."


    "And I hoped the same from you too. Why are you scared of epting that you have feelings for her?"


    "That''s all that your tiny brain can think about Dr. Oshana? Is that how shallow your thinking is about anyone?"


    With loath filled in his voice, he pinched the space between his eyebrows and then said,


    "A moment before you asked why was I upset. Didn''t you? That was your true self. Not this. Don''t be this person that you are bing slowly. I was kneeling in front of the altar because that''s what I do every time I go to any church."


    "To pray for my sins. To pray for forgiveness that I couldn''t save my wife. I didn''t kiss her Dr. Oshana, but I was incapable of saving her. And that guilt is something that will stay with my for my entire life. She was the love of my life and she always will be. And if you seriously think that I would trade her ce for a new face, then I am really sorry to disappoint you Dr. Oshana, because that is so not the case."

 Chapter 422: The vengeful Dr. Oshana - 2

    <h4>422 The vengeful Dr. Oshana - 2</h4>


    "So standing in this church, in thend of God, you are going to lie on my face that you have no feelings for her?"


    "You are going to tell me that all this that you are doing for her, is a selfless act?"


    "Like seriously you are expecting me to believe it?"


    Dr. Oshanamented him sarcastically.


    Dr. Nelson, even though he was irked with her statement kept his demeanor cool and said,


    "It is easy for a normal person to understand stuff like that. But if you are only concerned for yourself, then this whole concept might sound alien to you. I cannot help you out with that."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Dr. Oshana took a deep breath, trying hard to believe in his words and then came forward a few steps and said,


    "Let''s talk business then. I have zero concerns for your new-found love anyways."


    Unable to believe the unhealthy words he was hearing, he took a deep breath and said,


    "I am listening."


    But then instantly his eyes went towards thetex gloves she was wearing. He found it weird but then realized that maybe she would have left from her clinic in a rush and would have forgotten to remove them.


    "So are you aware that Mr. Sebastian is ready to put a bullet into the head of Akira?"


    "What? But why?"


    "Well I guess apart from Mr. Sebastian himself, I don''t think anyone else knows the right answer to this question."


    "Why do you think so?"


    "Because I know so."


    "Mr. Sebastian hates Akira from the bottom of his heart and all this that he has done, I mean asking me to make false reports and stuff, is just a way to steer him away from her. He expected him to think that he is all broken and damaged and that way he made sure that his son stayed away from her so that he could have a better future."


    Dr. Nelson heard each and every word that came from her mouth but he was unable to process, why a father would go to such an extent to harm his own son.


    "So you knew all this. You knew how desperate and ridiculous his n was and you still decided to help him?"


    "Which part of trying to protect my reputation you do not understand Dr. Nelson? And it is not just about protecting my reputation and dignity. It''s about protecting my life as well."


    "Huh..."


    Dr. Nelson said all sarcastically.


    "You think all of this is a joke? You think by bringing Akira and Raymond together, you will be the messiah in their life? You have no idea what Sebastian will do, once he gets to know about your involvement in it. You may be silenced for life."


    "I do not want to be anyone''s Messiah. I just want to help two people toe together, who deserve each other. That''s all. End of the ..."


    "But you will end up killing Akira and then Raymond too, as he won''t be able to live without her. Sebastian is unforgiving, he is relentless. Hope you understand that. Raymond knows it well, so he has asked me to let the things be the way they are."


    "Can youe to the point?"


    "The point is, if you are thinking of using that video as leverage against Mr. Sebastian, then don''t do that. It will be a mistake."


    "Why? Are you scared that you will be the first one who will not be spared by him?"


    Dr. Nelson asked and folded his hands in front of his chest.


    "Spared? If he gets to see this video, then first he will leak my video and kill whatever self-respect is remaining inside of me and only after that he will move ahead to kill me. Oh, but before he kills me, I think he would have killed Akira."


    "The woman, for whose sake you are risking it all, will be dead before she knows it."


    "And why are you so sure about it?"


    She looked at him all intensely and then came close and said,


    "If he doesn''t then I will. And trust me, I will not hesitate to put a bullet inside of her."


    Getting all agitated Dr. Nelson was just about to say something when she took out the scalpel and just ran it over the skin of his hand.


    "You..."


    Dr. Nelson winced in pain, but with a smirk on her face, she said,


    "This was just a teaser of what might happen if you try to expose me. You are a neurosurgeon, one of the best in America. But how will you operate without your hands? So next time you try to mess with me, remember that if I can just slice the skin, then I can go deep and hit the nerve too."


    Saying that she strutted away immediately.

 Chapter 423: The vengeful Dr. Oshana - 3

    <h4>423 The vengeful Dr. Oshana - 3</h4>


    But suddenly her body paused hearing his thunderous tone.


    "You shall do no harm to her. You will not dare to think about doing anything to her."


    His voice soared through the church, reverberating against the dpidated walls.


    "You can think of ruining my life and I can''t think of even putting a finger on her?"


    "You will not dare to do any such thing because I still have a copy of your video and I will submit it to the ''Federation of State Medical Boards'' and you know what will happen after that."


    Her confidence took a hit and he could see that in her eyes.


    He pulled his handkerchief and wrapped it around his bleeding right hand and said,


    "There... the thing that you are feeling right now is fear. And I want you to remember that because the board will not only cancel your medical permit but will also put you behind the bars immediately. So think twice beforeying a finger on her. You will rot behind the bars where no one would be listening to your yelps."


    She looked at him all murderously and said,Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Then I better do the deed right now."


    Saying that she tuned back but he stopped her.


    "Wait."


    "You do not have to stoop so low Oshana. You do not have to do all this. This is not who you are."


    "No you are right, this is not who I am. But a glimpse of who I will be if you try to double-cross me."


    Saying that she left the premises.


    Dr. Nelson stood there all baffled for a moment, trying hard to grasp what had just happened.


    He was a normal man, with a normal secluded routine life, after his wife had passed away. So all this was like some action-packed movie that doesn''t happen in real life. So it was hard for him to digest all the sequence of events which had happened in thest couple of days.


    Taking a deep breath, he walked towards his car.


    Even though the cut wasn''t deep, it was long and had caused considerable bleeding.


    But his concern right now was Akira. So he immediately picked up his phone and called her up.


    "Hello"


    "Hello Akira"


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson. Everything ok?"


    She asked as she could hear him panting heavily.


    "Everything fine with me. But just stay safe. Dr. Oshana might try to physically harm you."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "She had called me to meet her alone, at this ce and then she gave a threatening that..."


    But before he could evenplete his sentence, a passerby who was worried seeing his bleeding hand asked him,


    "Sir, you need any help? Shall I take you to the hospital nearby?"


    "No.. no..It''s all fine. Thank you."


    Dr. Nelson replied all politely.


    "But the bleeding is ..."


    "I am a doctor, I will handle."


    Dr. Nelson spoke all softly to the random stranger, blocking the phone so that Akira didn''t hear the conversation, but unfortunately, she did hear it all and when he went back to the call, she was almost hysterical,


    "What did she do? What happened? Are you all right? Tell me where you are, I will send an ambnce."


    Saying that she picked up her car keys and walked towards the lift.


    "Hold on Akira. do not panic. It''s just a cut. Nothing serious."


    "Did she do this to you. Did it happen because of me?"


    She asked all apologetically.


    Taking a deep breath he said,


    "It''s just a minor cut. I injured myself while lifting an old table at this church. Didn''t know it had a nail underneath. That''s all. I am totally fine. I am going back to my hospital. You do not have to worry about anything. Just stay safe and don''t wander off alone. She will not dare to do anything to you in a crowded ce."


    "Ok, I will. Please take care."


    She said and disconnected the call, but instead of going back, she went down and started her car and went straight to his hospital.


    The receptionist was about to block her from entering Dr. Nelson''s room, but Ste stopped her from doing so. Looking at a worried Akira, she said,


    ''What happened?"


    "I need to see him urgently. Please."


    "You can go-ahead !"


    She knew that one of the doctors was doing the stitches on Dr. Nelson''s hands and normally she wouldn''t have allowed anyone to go, but since she had heard everything about Akira from Nelson, she let her in.


    As Akira entered the room, she saw Dr. Nelson''s hand ced over a sterilized pad, and another doctor had just finished giving him stitches. Suddenly she felt like she had a lump in her throat.


    That cut was no not from a nail like he had mentioned.


    He was startled to see her there in the room and said,


    "I told you not to go wander off alone."

 Chapter 424: No Goodbye

    <h4>424 No Goodbye</h4>


    Unable to believe what she was seeing in front of her, Akira took a deep breath.


    She was instantly regretting her decision of involving Dr. Nelson into all this. She never expected him to get hurt because of her decision. She had no clue that Dr. Oshana would try to take revenge from Dr. Nelson.


    He could see the amount of deliberation that she was going through. He could sense the amount of disappointment that had spread on her face.


    He knew that she had realized that his getting hurt by a nail in the church was a bogus story and there was no point of lying any more to her. So he said,


    "I just didn''t want you to get worried. I knew this was exactly the way you would have reacted. It is just a small cut."


    "Small cut? Then why you have to take so many stitches for that?"


    "Eleven stitches to be exact."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    The junior doctor quipped.


    "Why you have to add fuel to the fire?"


    Dr. Nelson asked and looked at his fellow doctor all disappointedly, who in turn just smiled at him and left the room.


    "See it''s all fine now."


    Dr. Nelson said and showed her his hand.


    Akira looked at his hand and then looked into the dust bin near him, which was filled with gauze and cotton soaked in his blood.


    She remembered exactly a simr scene when Raymond was attacked by Anthony when he was trying to save her.


    She turned back at him and said,


    "Dr. Nelson, you have done enough. I already have many people around me, facing a lot of troubles because of me. I don''t want to add your name to that list."


    Dr. Nelson was shocked to hear her address him all formally. Suddenly from being Jaby, he had be Dr. Nelson.


    "I know you mean well, but can you imagine what would have had happened if the wounds would have been a bit deep? All this name and respect that you have earned, would have gone into drain. Your hands are the most precious thing that you have and you can''t lose them because of me."


    Before Dr. Nelson could even say a word and interrupt her, she continued,


    "I will call Dr. Oshana up and fix a deal with her. You are not to be involved in any of this."


    "Just stop Akira."


    His voice although soft, but was stern at the same time.


    "Which part of not dealing with her do you not understand?"


    "You do not have to worry. I have other ways of dealing with her. She cannot get to me, Dr. Nelson. I will amicably settle things out with her. I think more than feeling scared, she is feeling deceived. I shouldn''t have involved you at all. All this is my fault. Completely mine."


    Saying that Akira again looked at his hand onto which he slipped on a covering bandage to protect it from any dust and water and from her eyes as well.


    "It was all my fault. I was unprepared. I didn''t know that she was capable of physical assault. Now that I know, don''t you think I will be able to take care of myself Akira?"


    Saying that he looked into her eyes which had turned all misty and he suddenly softened.


    "I am really fine Akira. Just not fine with the way you are calling be Dr. Nelson again."


    Saying that he smiled.


    Hearing that she also smiled briefly and then sat on the chair in front of him and said,


    "You have no idea about my life. All the people whom I ever brought close to my life, have always been affected in some manner or the other. I have lost my parents, a friend, my love, too, which I have found back just because of God''s grace. And you Jaby, you are a really nice person. I thought I could be friends with you. I really did. But I guess, its better for both of us if we stay acquaintances as well."


    "Why are you saying such negative stuff Akira?"


    "That''s because right now it''s ok. But what would have happened if she would have damaged a nerve of your hand? You would have been handicapped for your life Jaby. And trust me at that point of time, you would have loathed me. Probably you would have cursed your fate for bringing me into your life."


    Saying that she got up from her seat and then looking fondly towards Dr. Nelson she said,


    "So I guess its better that, our paths really don''t cross with each other Jaby. God forbid, if anything happens, you might forgive me, but I cannot forgive myself."


    Jaby stood there all speechless, as she picked up her bag and left.


    She didn''t even turn back to say goodbye.

 Chapter 425: Stitching up the situation

    <h4>425 Stitching up the situation</h4>


    She was a bit emotional, but she was firm with her decision. She could not bear to see more people getting hurt because of her.


    With her head hung low as she was dashing out of his room, she bumped against someone''s chest. Someone''s firm and broad chest. But without even bothering to look up at his face, she just said sorry and was about to walk ahead, when she felt his grip around her wrist.


    All surprised, she turned and a familiar-looking bearded man.


    A man whom she loved from the core of her heart.


    "Raymond !!!"


    "Shhh !!! Let''s go inside."


    Saying that Raymond pulled her back to Dr. Nelson''s room where he saw him sitting all upset with his one palm resting on his forehead and the other on the table.


    "What happened Dr. Nelson?"


    Dr. Nelson raised his eyes and looked up at him for some time and then asked,


    "What''s with this disguise?"


    "I guess I am hiding from some people. But that''s secondary. What happened to your hand?"


    "It''s all because of me."


    She said and entered inside the room.


    He was surprised and ted at the same time to see her back. For a moment he had thought that she had drifted apart for real. So when he heard her voice, it was all again prettyforting for him.


    Raymond turned back and looked at her entering inside the room with nothing but guilt on her face.


    She slumped on the chair and then looked at Raymond and said,


    "I thought I was capable of handling it on my own. I thought that I will be able to set things right. But I was overconfident and I undermined the people with whom I was messing up with. And this...."


    Saying that she pointed towards Dr. Nelson''s injured hand and said,


    "This is the aftermath of my uncalcted approach. I am sorry Raymond, I should have told you about it. But now things are really getting out of my hand. I am sorry for going behind your back, but I didn''t want you to see or face any of this ugliness Raymond."


    Raymond took a seat next to her and held her hand.


    "It''s ok. Tell me what happened. Are you in trouble? We can set things right. Akira, look at me. We promised yesterday night to be open with each other. No more secrets ok."


    Akira was almost tearing up and said,


    "You have to calmly listen to me. Each and every word that I say and trust me on it."


    "I trust you with my life Akira."


    Then, taking a deep breath, Akira said,


    "The false reports that you got from Dr. Oshana, are not because of medical negligence. It''s because of the fact that your dad had asked her to do so."


    "Actually, I asked Dr. Nelson to take advantage of the soft corner that she had for him and to make her utter about the whole plot. We gave her truth serum to tell about it all, as in what and why she was doing all this. We recorded the whole conversation and used it to our advantage so that she would stop all her wrongful activities."


    "Then?"


    Then Akira looked at Dr. Nelson and then turned back at Raymond and said,


    "But I think she is scared that we will use it against her and probably tell Sebastian or Medical authorities, which we do not intend to do. We just made the video as leverage against her so that she would rectify the treatment for you, without you knowing the reason behind it."


    "But that backfired?"


    Raymond asked with his intense eyes.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "I... I just wanted to shield you, Raymond. There was enough negativity around you. So I didn''t want to add in one moreponent into it. But she misunderstood our intentions and now she is hell-bent on revenge. And to be honest, now I am scared because I really don''t know what she will do."


    "I can''t see people getting hurt around me. I just can''t. It''s all happening because of me."


    Raymond immediately wrapped his arm around Akira, and then looked at Dr. Nelson all apologetically. He was also feeling bad that a third person, was getting hurt for no reason.


    "Raymond, at least you do not make a scene out of it now. It''s just a cut. Nothing serious. But she did give a serious threat about harming Akira and that''s what worries me."


    "It is serious Dr. Nelson. We have a situation here and I would like to correct it as soon as possible. Dr. Oshana is a gaping wound. We need to stitch her up. I don''t want another loose end to worry about."


    "Where is the video, I want to see it."


    Akira immediately retorted,


    "We don''t have a copy of it."


    She still didn''t want him to see the video and get hurt.


    But Dr. Nelson looked at Raymond and said,


    "I have a copy with me."

 Chapter 426: The disturbing video - 1

    <h4>426 The disturbing video - 1</h4>


    With nothing but dread spread on her face, Akira looked at Dr. Nelson and he clearly understood her plight. So looking at her, Dr. Nelson said,


    "He has every right to know about it. The more we hide, the more we bring inplications."


    "What is there to hide from me Akira?"


    Raymond asked looking at Akira.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Akira dipped her head low and said,


    "I am telling you that she was pressurized by your dad. Is that not enough to know? I am not trying to hide anything."


    Akira said and tried to hold Raymond''s hand but her plea went in vain.


    "The Video Dr. Nelson."


    Dr. Nelson switched on the video and then handed over the phone to Raymond along with the air pods to listen to the recording. Raymond immediately plugged in into his ears and started listening.


    Five minutes into the video...


    -----


    "So just one fine day he asks you to change the prescription and you do it?" - Dr. Nelson


    "I had no other choice. He gave me no other choice." - Dr. Oshana


    "Does he have something on you? Did he threaten about the job or something?" - Dr. Nelson


    "No, he has my weakness with him." - Dr. Oshana


    "Weakness? What weakness?" - Dr. Nelson


    Dr. Oshana slumped into the sofa and holding the cushion tight to her chest, she looked fondly at Dr. Nelson and asked,


    "Will you judge me if I tell you?" - Dr. Oshana


    "I am no one to judge you Oshana." - Dr. Nelson


    "But I guess you will judge me after hearing my story." - Dr. Oshana


    "Enough with the riddles Oshana. Can you tell me what happened? Maybe I can help you out." - Dr. Nelson


    "Help me out !!!" - Dr. Oshana


    She snorted and then said,


    "It was just my second day. To be honest, I had fallen for him, the moment I saw him waking up and given that Mr. Sebastian was his dad, I was a bit extra courteous with him. I think he could sense my feelings for Raymond, so he called me to his ce saying that he wanted to discuss about the condition of his son in detail." - Dr. Oshana


    "And then... " - Dr. Oshana


    "Then what?" - Dr. Nelson


    "Huh... I was stupid ok. I was really stupid to go to his ce all alone. I just thought of him as a concerned father. But he was something else together. He started with discussing about his health issues and then before I know, his hand was resting on my thigh.."


    -----


    "That''s enough Raymond. Why do you want to watch it? Why do you want to torment yourself?"


    Akira said and tried to take the phone away from his hand. But Raymond raised his hand, directing her to stop and he continued watching it.


    -----


    "His hand was resting on my thigh and before I could say anything I could feel his thumb slightly grazing on my skin. His eyes had a weird charm and looking deep into my eyes, he asked me to take the discussion to his room." - Dr. Oshana


    "I told him I wasfortable in the hall. And then a few minutester I suddenly started feeling all hot. Maybe there was something wrong with the air conditioning and he offered to take my jacket off. His hands again grazed across my skin and before I knew I was in his arms." - Dr. Oshana


    "You might be thinking, I wanted it. I was begging for it. But no, I didn''t. It was him all him. His hands were all over my body and somehow I don''t know, what happened and I was there in his bedroom, lying on his bed." - Dr. Oshana


    "He defiled me in the weirdest possible way and I somehow just couldn''t resist. Probably I shouldn''t have taken that mint cooler which he had offered in the beginning. But it was toote for anything. He was all over me. Filling me in the weirdest possible way that I can imagine." - Dr. Oshana


    "But what I didn''t know was the fact that he recorded all of it. I have seen the video myself and in that, I do not look like I am drugged. My eyes are all open, I look calm and I look like I was having fun out of it. But I didn''t Jaby. I didn''t." - Dr. Oshana


    "I know I went with an evil intention of pleasing the father of the man for whom I had developed a sense of liking. But that was all that I had intended. But I guess God had some horrible ns for me. All the fake hopes of getting close to him havended me in such a swamp, that there is no way of getting out." - Dr. Oshana


    "The only thing that happens is, I keep sinking deeper and deeper." - Dr. Oshana


    Saying that she broke into sobs.

 Chapter 427: The disturbing video - 2

    <h4>427 The disturbing video - 2</h4>


    The courage with which Raymond had grabbed onto Dr. Nelson''s phone to watch the video, slowly started falling down. His own brain went all numb, unable to believe what he just heard.


    He didn''t have any more courage left to watch it any further.


    He paused the video and returned the phone back to Dr. Nelson.


    "Raymond talk to me. Raymond, look at me just once. Please !!!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Akira begged, but Raymond''s nk eyes were unable to disy any emotion. He started walking towards the door and then turned back and said,


    "I need some time alone Akira and do not follow me now. Someone might get suspicious."


    "Raymond please don''t go, talk to me. Please. I told you not to watch it."


    A desperate Akira, held his hand to stop him from leaving in such a disturbed state.


    "I really need some time alone Akira. Please understand."


    Saying that Raymond left the room and Akira slumped on the chair. She wanted to go behind him, but the Raymond that she knew, would not like to shed tears in front of her.


    Dr. Nelson looked at her and her broken state and he wasn''t able to understand if he did the right thing or not. He was scared for Akira''s safety and given that he was aware of his capacities, he thought it was better for Raymond to know about the whole issue.


    He looked at Akira all apologetically and said,


    "I know you must be mad at me, but it''s for the best. Trust me."


    Akira lifted her tearced eyes up and looked at him. The way she looked at him, with usation filled in her eyes, was extremely painful for Dr. Nelson to bear.


    And before he could say anything, tears started pouring from her eyes, like pearls of rain. So he knelt down in front of her and said,


    "Let me tell you about something Akira, he is a strong man. He already knew that the reports were all faked by Dr. Oshana."


    "What?"


    "Yes, he somehow got to know about it. He knew that she had duped him. He was aware that it was all done by his father. He knew about it yesterday itself. But he decided not to tell anything to you because he was respecting your discretion Akira. He was respecting your decision of keeping the whole thing away from him. He would have happily kept it that way if today would not have happened."


    "He knew it all yesterday itself?"


    She was lost in the thoughts of yesterday. The way he was calm even after knowing it, the way he hid his pain underneath his smile. God knows what courage it would have taken to embrace it all. She couldn''t even fathom in the wildest of her dreams of the pain that he was going through right now.


    "He is way more strong than you give him the credit for Akira. He has every right to know about it not because the man who did all this was his father, but because the person who was at the receiving end of it was he himself. So don''t you think he has the right to know about it."


    "But I broke him."


    Akira said and looked at him.


    He wanted to hold her hand and tell her that everything was soon going to be ok. But he didn''t have the courage to do it.


    So he just looked at her in aforting way and said,


    "Hang in there Akira. Give him some time to process it. It''s one thing to know that your father is an evil man, but it is whole another thing to know about the brutal realities."


    "I understand it all, I get what you are saying, but are you realizing what I am doing? I am turning a son against his own father. I should be the one who should be patching things between them, but instead of that, I am destroying any chance of them getting together. You know right, how severed their ties are?"


    Saying that Akira covered her face in guilt and embarrassment.


    "I should have destroyed the video. I should have."


    "Akira, get hold of yourself and think of what next can be done. Crying here will not solve any of your problems. Think about the next strategy. Think about how to use it in your favor Akira."


    Akira looked at him and said,


    "Will he be disappointed with me for doing all this."


    Dr. Nelson let out a sigh and then said,


    "You have got your man all wrong Akira. He was actually happy to see that you were so concerned about him. He was happy to know that you were the one who tried to figure out this whole fiasco."


    "Really?"


    "Just hang in tight for him toe back Akira. Because I know he will. You are his home Akira."

 Chapter 428: At the graveyard

    <h4>428 At the graveyard</h4>


    He was kneeling in front of his mother'' grave.


    His fist was all clenched up and there were endless tears in his eyes. Unable to understand what all his mother had to suffer because of his demonic father, a petrified and disgusted Raymond was cursing himself endlessly for not being able to help her mother out.


    She suffered in silence and when she couldn''t take it anymore, she decided to leave silently.


    His father was a monster, and he knew it. But he had no idea that his insanity ran this deep. He couldn''t fathom the cruelties that his mother had to bear. She shielded them well, both him and Katherine. Not even once she had said anything bad about their father to any one of them.


    His heart was all vengeful now.


    He wanted to avenge the death of his mother.


    He wanted to settle the debt fair and square, for this man had troubled everyone enough.


    Calming his heart which was brimming with vengeance, he sat there for a couple of more minutes before returning back to his car.


    Once seated inside, he took a deep breath and called up David.


    "Hello, Raymond."


    "Hello, David."


    "What happened? You don''t sound well."


    "It''s nothing. Can you call up Mr. Baker for me? I need to have an appointment with him today."


    "Ok, but... But didn''t we n to meet him after we had all the necessary papers?"


    "We did, but I can''t take this dy anymore."


    "Raymond, I hope that you have all the things nned out. We have just this one shot against him."


    "I know. I would like to break the news tomorrow as its Friday. It would be nice if I can attend my sister''s Hospital inauguration, I can''t hide behind this facade anymore now."


    "Think about it carefully Raymond."


    "Oh yes, I have. I will make him fall in his own trap. We have multiple proofs against him right now."


    "Multiple proofs?"


    "I think you must be aware of the video taken by Dr. Nelson."


    Hearing that line David was shocked for a moment. He was unable toprehend what his condition was after seeing that video. Probably all this n to expedite the mission was an oue of that video.


    But he couldn''t me him for it.


    Had it been anyone else, they would have also resorted to the same.


    Sensing the silence from David''s side, Raymond said, "It''s ok David. I know it all. I know you all hid it from me to protect me. But I don''t need any protection now. I need your support to bring him down for ance and for all. All this time he has been dictating my life in the way he wanted to. But this has to end now."


    "I will always have your back Raymond and you know that. Don''t worry. I will set the appointment. You don''t have to worry about it."


    "Thanks, David."


    "But where are you right now. Where should I ask him to meet you?"


    "Ask him toe to your ce and I will be there in the evening."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Sure"


    After Raymond disconnected the call, he decided to go to the ce where he knew for sure, that she would have gone to seek sce at that moment.


    -----


    After leaving Dr. Nelson''s hospital, Akira went to the office. No matter how battered her condition was, she decided to go back as theunch of project MEDUSA couldn''t be avoided. She couldn''t jeopardize Raymond''s dream at any cost.


    So after checking the current status and deciding on the task list, she went back to her office room. She checked her phone, but there was no reply from him. So she dropped in another desperate message to Raymond, asking about his whereabouts.


    But she was getting all restless and edgy. No matter how hard she tried to focus on her work, she just couldn''t. She was constantly haunted by the face of Raymond, which was filled with disgust and pain after seeing that video.


    So getting all restless, she went up to the terrace. The only ce where even though she stood alone, she always foundfort.


    The wind was caressing her hair, but her soul stood there all ripped, all hurt, cursing itself for her ipetence, for not being able to shield him from all the pain.


    She was trying hard to do everything right, but somehow she was failing and this whole thought was bringing her down. The weight on her chest was increasing exponentially and then suddenly looking up into the sky she mumbled,


    "Can you please turn back the time. Please, God !!! Just for this once."


    And as if her prayers were heard, she was soon embraced by his hands around her waist.


    She was surprised at first, but in a second she recognized his touch and his smell.


    He leaned in close and softly whispered into her ears,


    "I am ok."

 Chapter 429: Pepper Spray

    <h4>429 Pepper Spray</h4>


    Sensing his breath on her skin, she was more than relieved.


    She closed her eyes and let that stray drop of tear fall down. She didn''t say a word and neither did he. They stood there all silently amidst the cool breeze, in each other''s embrace.


    She had no questions for him, nor he had any answers. All that was present was a mutual understanding and respect for each other, that needed no words to be conveyed. She didn''t want him to say anything. His mere presence wasforting enough for her.


    "I am done with hiding Akira. I will end this soon."


    She turned back to look at him. His eyes were also moist and she knew that he had been hurting.


    "Are you sure about it."


    "I was never this sure about it Akira."


    "What are you going to?"


    "Whatever I am going to do, needs your help in achieving it."


    "Anything for you Raymond, just say the word. But how did youe inside? No-one recognized you?"


    "With this beard? Huh... no one did. Plus I had David''s help in unlocking all the doors."


    "I see."


    Akira said and smiled looking at him.


    "I need to leave now. I have an appointment with mywyer. But I need you to immediately schedule for a press event for your project MEDUSA and inform about the scrapping of project RENAISSANCE."


    "That will alert Vikram right."


    "Let him be alerted. I do not care now. He is the least of my concern at this moment."


    "But Raymond."


    "I am telling you. Do not worry about him. It''s time to push him to the brink instead of worrying about him."


    "After that press conference is done, I need you to dress up all nicely as tomorrow evening you need to attend a party which will be hosted by my father."


    "But I haven''t received any invitation and I am not even aware of any such event being organized in the first ce."


    "You will hear about it soon. By the end of today evening."


    "Raymond what are you doing? Are you sure about it?"


    "Just hold tight Akira. We will sail through it all."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "I trust you, Raymond."


    "I just hope, I can keep up with your trust."


    Saying that Raymond quickly gave her a warm kiss on her lips and lingered there for a second before he turned back to leave.


    Akira took a moment to recollect herself and then she also went back to her seat as soon as possible. After all, she had to prepare for the press conference.


    -----


    After reaching her seat, the first thing that she did was to call up Dr. Nelson for she had a hell lot of apologizing to do.


    "Hello, Akira !!!"


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson !!!"


    "I cannot tell you how relieved I am feeling after hearing your voice."


    "Why, you thought for real that I will never call you back?"


    "Nothing like that Akira. I was just tensed to see you both suffering like this."


    "Don''t worry about all that. He just came to my office to meet me. You were right. He needed to know."


    "Well, I will never say - I told you so."


    Akiraughed a bit hearing his cheeky reply and then took a deep breath and said,


    "But I will still stick to my words. I seriously do not know what I would have done without you."


    "You don''t need to explicitly say that."


    "Well, I am saying that because I need one more help from you."


    "Anything. Just let me know."


    "Erm... I don''t know how you would react to it, but I was thinking of going and visiting Dr. Oshana today. I don''t want to face her alone, given her erratic and unpredictable nature."


    "Why do you want to meet up with her? Are you insane? have you forgotten what all she has done?"


    "I haven''t forgotten a thing. But being a woman, I still feel for her. I want to talk amicably with her. We can sort this whole matter peacefully. I should have done it this way in the first ce. But I was a bit blinded with anger."


    "I will apany you, but I still think it is a bad choice."


    "Don''t worry, there will be people around to help us out in case things go west."


    "Fine, then. I wille and pick you up."


    "No way Jaby. You are hurt and your hand needs rest. God knows how many operations have been stalled because of me."


    "Oh, will you stop feeling sorry for once?"


    "Ok Ok ... I cannot go there as Akira. I need to camouge. I will take a taxi and I will text you the details."


    Then immediately interrupting her, Dr. Nelson said,


    "Pick me up from the hospital. Her house is nearby."


    "Sure thing."


    "One more thing, Akira."


    "What?"


    "Carry some pepper spray with you. Will you?"

 Chapter 430: The untapped memory

    <h4>430 The untapped memory</h4>


    "Tap Tap"


    There was a knock on the car door.


    Akira pulled the window screen down.


    "Do I have permission to get inside the car?"


    Akira smiled and opened the car door for Dr. Nelson to get inside.


    "Drop us at the 24th."


    Dr. Nelson said and adjusted himself.


    "How is the pain in your hand? I am so sorry I was so caught up in everything that I just forgot to ask about it."


    "I poped some painkillers. So it''s totally fine as of now," saying that he gave aforting smile to Akira.


    Akira just nodded her head.


    "Well this might sound like I am trying to intrude, but what is the deal between his father and you?"


    "I seriously have no idea about it. Something rted to some memory and stuff."


    "What memory? And whose memory?"


    "Well, that even I don''t know. But that''s all the information that we could extract from Dr. Oshana. Even she doesn''t know what exactly the reason is."


    "Can you borate?"


    "Well, apparently Dr. Oshana overheard Mr. Sebastian talking to someone about some memory, rted to Raymond. That is the sole reason behind this behavior of his."


    Dr. Nelson went into deep thought and then said,


    "Is he sacred that Raymond has seen something that he shouldn''t have and if he remembers that, then it will jeopardize the monopoly of Mr. Sebastian."


    "Maybe !!! Maybe that''s the truth. Maybe that''s why he never wanted him to get well in the first ce and gave him memory suppressants in the first ce."


    "But the thing is, how am I linked to it? If I was a part of that memory, then I should also be aware of that memory right? Initially, I thought he might be trying to keep us away so that Raymond doesn''t remember something by seeing me. But then, even I am not aware of any such dreadful memory."


    "So I am assuming it''s something else."


    Akira said and took a deep breath.


    Dr. Nelson looked at her all quizzically and then said,


    "There is something that I wanted to share with you."


    "Regarding?"


    "Regarding Raymond."


    "What is it?"


    Akira asked with a hint of worry reflecting in her eyes.


    "During our session, I was trying to tap in to his powerful memories. And there was one memory rted to his mother which I guess was quite powerful because I saw a spike in the waveforms as he recollected it."


    "Oh, that I am aware of."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "What is it?"


    "Actually his mother hadmitted suicide when he was quite young and that left a big scar in his life. He was very much attached to his mother and given the way of living that Mr. Sebastian had, I think when she couldn''t bear it anymore, she took that dire step."


    "Raymond always hated his dad because he thinks that he had pushed her to the brim, making her vulnerable to take that step. Ever since that incident happened, there is a friction in between them."


    Dr. nelson thought for a while and then looking at Akira he said,


    "It might sound very very wild to you, but is there any chance that his memory have been tampered with? I mean, maybe he remembers what he has been asked to remember. Maybe there is some other facet to the story, that is hidden under theyers of memory, which Mr. Sebastian doesn''t want him to remember."


    "But how can anyone tamper with his memory?"


    "Trust me there are hundreds of ways of doing it. But maybe first I need to tap into that memory of his and extract what he knows."


    "Well that can be tried, but how am I linked to that memory in any way. I just met him two years back."


    "How old were you when this incident had happened to Raymond?"


    "I must be in primary school."


    Akira replied all confused, unable to understand what was running behind Dr. Nelson''s mind.


    "Then I guess all that we have to do is to figure out what he doesn''t remember about that night."


    "I guess."


    Akira replied, still not convinced, but all hopeful.


    "That would be the 24th."


    The driver said as he halted the car in front of an apartmentplex.


    "Where are your so-called men Akira?"


    Akira smiled as she got out of the car and then pointed towards the two cars, which halted behind them.


    Dr. Nelson, turned back and looked at the two ck SUV''s and saw five well-built mening out of the car and taking the perimeter around the apartment.


    "Are you convinced now with my arrangements?"


    Akira smiled and looked at Dr. Nelson.


    "Well as long as no one is hurt !!!"


    Saying that Dr. Nelson smiled back and walked along with her towards the apartment lift.

 Chapter 431: In a day or two

    <h4>431 In a day or two</h4>


    "What is with this sudden dinner party invitation, Peter?"


    Vikram asked looking at the email.


    "I am not sure. But it''s a piece of floating news that these days he hasn''t been keeping good health."


    "Well, I just hope that the party is a harbinger of good news. I need to settle my ties right with him, which I have severed once."


    "This is the right opportunity for you then. Before he decides to give hispany to his public trust or his daughter, maybe you can step in and ask for a role in the Joint Board."


    "He has a daughter?"


    "No one knows. She is an estranged daughter. She left him when she was young. But that''s just what people think. Maybe she is back to take care of his business. But as per my inside information, there is no such information. And recently I have heard that he is transferring the ownership of all the smallpanies owned to the mainpany trust."


    "And why do you think, he will give me a role in the Joint Board?"


    Peter smiled and then crossing his hands, he leaned on the wall and said,


    "He is a visionary. His dream was to raise hispany to great heights. He is a ruthless businessman. Even after the death of his wife, he didn''t waste a day in mourning. So don''t you think that such a man will be worried about the fate of hispany."


    "What are you trying to insinuate?"


    "Maybe we can give him an unofficial proposal for a merger. He knows your reputation and your business acumen. So maybe he will give a thought to add you into the core group. I have prepared a study report on their recent production venture MadXLabs. You can give some ideas and impress him."


    "Are you always this prepared?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Well, not as much as you are. I have learned everything from you. Also, you can tell him about your recent venture into the new gaming project RENAISSANCE. He might be interested to hear about your credibility. He basically has no heir right now. So maybe he will be interested in having people in the coremittee who are visionary and ambitious like him and... "


    "And shrewd like him. Is that what you wanted to say?"


    Vikram said and smiled.


    Peter smiled and then said,


    "By the way, I have heard that Akira is holding a press conference tomorrow morning. I am assuming it will be about the release of?project?RENAISSANCE. So this press conference will be of added advantage."


    "Looks like everything is falling into ce.dy luck will soon shine on us."


    Vikram said and looked at Peter all happily.


    "Well, you might not want to miss this opportunity to take Akira with you to this dinner party. She is a well-known businesswoman and if Mr. Sebastian gets to know about your alliance with Delphie then he might be further impressed."


    "Well, indeed we will be the power couple at the event."


    Saying that Vikram smiled all smugly and then said,


    "Let me call her up and see if she has received the invite or not."


    -----


    [Meanwhile at Dr. Oshana''s ce]


    "Look Oshana, I do not have a personal vendetta against you, unlike you. So I want everything to be dealt with peacefully."


    "No personal vendetta? Then were those threat calls hoax? Why would you coax Dr. Nelson to do such a thing? Why would you set me up?"


    "We just wanted to know the truth. That is all. We just wanted to know about the why factor."


    Dr. Oshana was still not convinced. She was feeling all cornered by the two.


    Akira looked all helplessly at Dr. Nelson and he just gave her a nod to calm down. Then getting up from his seat, Dr. Nelson said,


    "We totally understand that what you did was under pressure. Probably anyone would have done that to protect their honor and job. What we wanted, was to stop the wrong medication and the wrong diagnosis. That''s all. Nothing more than that."


    Dr. Oshana looked up at him and said,


    "Really?"


    "Yes, really. But somehow things became all tangential. And we have ended up like this."


    "Like what?"


    "Like you running out in the open with a scalpel," Akira muttered.


    Dr. Oshana stared at her and then said,


    "I am not talking with you right now. So please do not give your valuable inputs."


    Akira cursed her under her breath and looked at Dr. Nelson who shrugged his shoulder and said,


    "Look Oshana. We do not want anything else from you. We just wanted to know who was behind this. Now that we know and now that we have stopped the medication, we have nothing to do with you. Just pretend that everything is normal for a day or two. After that just forget that we even existed in your life. Our paths will never cross."


    "What is going to happen in a day or two?"

 Chapter 432: The answer is NO

    <h4>432 The answer is NO</h4>


    Dr. Nelson heard her question but preferred to stay silent. So Dr. Oshana asked again,


    "What is going to happen in 2-3 days?"


    "What are you guys nning?"


    But they both stayed tight-lipped about it.


    So she turned towards Akira and said,


    "Fine if you don''t want to tell me then it''s ok. It''s totally your business, but let me remind you once again, that Mr. Sebastian isn''t an easy man to deal with. Even if his body is revolting against him, he is still as evil as before."


    "What do you mean by his body is revolting against him?"


    "I thought you guys knew."


    "Knew what?"


    Dr. Oshana looked at Akira and then said,


    "Mr. Sebastian is suffering from ''Ischemic?heart disease''. His heart is slowly giving up. So I guess he is doing everything possible to set the things right for Raymond. So Akira, if he wants you out of his son''s life, then he will stop at nothing to achieve that, as his days are quite numbered."


    Hearing her words, Akira suddenly went all silent.


    Somehow even though she hated that man, he was still Raymond''s father and there was no way in which she would whitewash that fact.


    So looking at Dr. Nelson she said,


    "Is there something that you can do to help him out?"


    Dr. Nelson was shocked to hear about her response. Instead of worrying about her own safety, she was worried about the health condition of the man who was almost ruining her life.


    He looked at her all amused and asked,


    "Well not my domain, but given his stature and his repute, I do not think he would havecked any doctors."


    Hearing that Akira''s face fell and seeing the way she reacted, Dr. Nelson understood, what a pure and kind soul she was. But he kept his thoughts to himself and just smiled tofort her.


    But this didn''t go unseen by Dr. Oshana, who was watching the two talking with each other.


    "Oh bollocks !!! Now I know why Raymond is after you and slowly this man is also getting smitten by you."


    "Dr.Oshana !!!" Dr. Nelson thundered.


    "Are you out of your mind," Akira yelled and got up from the chair and walked towards her and said,


    "I came here to help you. I came here to extend an olive branch to you, but looks like you are not interested in making any peace with us."


    "Peace!!! Huh...?You have my video confession and you expect me to believe that you came here to make terms with me. I am not in kindergarten Akira."


    "I mean well for you Oshana. No one knows how much it hurts when you lose the one man you love more than anything else in your life. So I know that you are hurting, but I beg you to not to do anything stupid and regretter."


    Hearing her Oshana calmed down a bit and sank in her chair and said,


    "This world is a difficult ce to trust people, so forgive me if I don''t."


    "I do not me you Oshana, but just know that we will not do anything that will put you to risk. So we hope a simr co-operation from your side as well. No one needs to know what happened. That''all. You need to get your thinking straight."


    And hearing that she just broke.


    "I do not know how my life has turned like this. I am sorry Dr. Nelson, I never wanted to hurt you. But I don''t know what got into me. I just..."


    "Just wanted to rip off anyone in your way," Akira said.


    "Yeah !!!", Oshana said and tried to catch her breath.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Take care Oshana."


    Saying that Akira got up from her seat and walked towards the door. As she crossed the foyer, she saw a scalpel with dried blood on it, ced on the table next to the foyer.


    She didn''t say a word and walked outside, thinking about how bad it could have be for Dr. Nelson if Oshana had been a bit more careless and ruthless.


    As she took the stairs, she put the hood, of her sweatshirt back on her head and then got into the cab. Dr. Nelson got into the cab from the other side. The moment the cab started, Akira looked at Dr. Nelson and said,


    "We did the right thing, Right?"


    "Yes, we did."


    "She badly needed to hear that from us, Right?"


    "Yes, she did."


    Dr. Nelson smiled as he was amazed that in one moment the confident-sounding girl, was needing his affirmation to feel that she did the right thing.


    "I wanted to ask something else as well."


    "Go on."


    "Erm... about what she said...about your feelings."


    But before she could ask anything else, Dr. Nelson looked at her and said,


    "Whatever you are thinking in your head, the answer is NO."

 Chapter 433: You are going to be so sorry

    <h4>433 You are going to be so sorry</h4>


    Looking at Akira, he asked,


    "Are we cool then?"


    She nodded her head with a smile of relief on her face. Even though she knew that Dr. Oshana''s usations on Dr. Nelson were preposterous, but she just wanted to confirm for the peace of her mind.


    Then, taking a deep breath, Dr. Nelson said.


    "Akira, I am way past the age at which the heart gets excited about silly things. And to be honest, I have known only one woman in my life and I will worship her till death."


    Saying that he didn''t turn to look at her and neither did she, as she was feeling all silly for even having such a thought in her head. There was silence, that spread in the cab, only to be unmuted by the sound of Akira''s mobile phone''s vibration.


    "Hello, Vikram."


    "Hello, Akira. How have you been doing?"


    "Well, I was just busy with the new project. What about you?"


    "I just came back to town today morning."


    "How is uncle now? Recovering well?"


    "He is stable now, but vitals are not up to prime. So it was better that he stayed at the hospital."


    "Oh, I see. So, you will go back to Das soon?"


    "Yeah. I hade here to get some official work done. Once that is over, I will travel back to Das on Monday."


    "I see. I will try toe and visit him on Tuesday or Wednesday."


    "No need to travel Akira. Once I go there on Monday, I will shift him back to New York."


    "I see. Then let me know when youe back. Wille to visit him."


    "Sure I will do. By the way, I called you for a favor."


    "Anything for you."


    Akira said, but her fists were all balled up.


    "The thing is, I need to attend a big party tomorrow night, and I would really like to introduce you to some of the pirs of the business world, who will being to the party. That will be good for our new project."


    "I see."


    Akira said all casually, but her fingers were running on her forehead as she was unable to decide if how to say no to him. Blocking the mouthpiece of her phone, she looked at Nelson and mouthed,


    "HELP ME, PLEASE."


    Dr. Nelson was startled at first, but then he realized that she wanted to dodge the call. So covering his mouth he said,


    "Ma''am, the report is ready. We all are waiting for you in the meeting room."


    Just after he finished his dialogue, Akira said,


    "Hey Vikram, I will call you in five minutes. Let me just reschedule the meeting. I don''t want my folks to waste their time waiting for me in a meeting room."


    And saying that, before Vikram could even say a word, Akira disconnected the call.


    She looked at Dr. Nelson and then smiled and said,


    "Thanks."


    Dr. Nelson, leaned back a bit towards his side and looked at her and said,


    "That''s a new problem I suppose?"


    Akira smiled and shrugged her shoulder, before calling up Raymond.


    .


    .


    "Hello, Akira."


    "Hello, Raymond. Where are you?"


    "I am meeting someone. Tell me."


    "Actually Vikram just called. He was asking me to apany him to the party, I mean your dad''s party."


    "Hope you said yes to that !!!"


    "You want me to go with him?"


    "Totally !!! His fate is always bleak whenever he ns to go out with you."


    Akira chuckled at his sarcasm and then said,


    "Well, I stalled him. Wasn''t sure if I should go with him or not."


    "To be honest, I am not sure what his condition will be after your press conference tomorrow morning. So I am not sure if he will still be ready to go with you. But chances are high that he will go."


    "Don''t worry, no matter what I announce at the press conference, he will not be angry with me. He will never be able to imagine that I will make him bankrupt."


    "And how is that?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Leave all that to me, Raymond. You focus on your work. I will manage all this."


    "God should forgive me for turning you like this Akira."


    Raymond said and sighed.


    "Like what Raymond? Sharper, smarter, wittier?"


    "You know what I mean Akira."


    "I know that Raymond. It''s not you. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I am not going to be ashamed by anyone Raymond."


    Saying that Akira disconnected the call and texted Vikram.


    "The dinner is on. Hope you wille and pick me up." - Akira


    A smug smile spread on Akira''s face after she was done texting.


    Dr. Nelson looked at her and asked,


    "What''s with that face?"


    "What face?"


    "That, you are going to be so sorry face."

 Chapter 434: All for you, Raymond

    <h4>434 All for you, Raymond</h4>


    "I am not making a sorry face."


    "You know it well that it was not what I asked."


    Dr. Nelson asked and looked at her intently and then said again,


    "Your face looked all smug like you are soon going to make someone else feel all sorry."


    Akira looked at Dr. Nelson and then said,


    "Yes... Tomorrow at my press conference, I am going to make someone go all bankrupt."


    Dr. Nelson didn''t say anything for a moment. He was a nobody, who had no right to interfere in her personal life, her decisions or her course of action. So he looked at her and said,


    "Ok. Just stay safe and ... "


    "And?"


    "In case you are in any trouble, then you can always count on me. As a friend."


    Dr. Nelson added it to the end of his sentence.


    Soon they had reached Dr. Nelson''s hospital and Akira dropped him off and went back to the office.


    The moment she stepped inside the lift, she saw Daviding from Upper Ground Floor.


    "Hi, David !!!"


    "Were you with Raymond in his meeting."


    "Yes, but don''t worry. everything has been set for the press report tomorrow. And two channels will be rying you live as well. So you better prepare what you are going to say."


    "I see. I thought it was just going to be an announcement for the press."


    David smiled as they arrived on the first floor and said,


    "You are no more just Akira. You are The Akira Peyton. When you speak, people want to listen to you."


    Akira smiled looking at David and then said,


    "But a part of me is really feeling guilty for doing all this."


    "What is wrong Akira?"


    David asked, feeling all concerned.


    "The thing is, I have to do all this to Vikram when his dad is just recovering from major surgery."


    "So?"


    "I mean, I am not concerned about Vikram. I am just worried if his father''s condition will deteriorate after seeing the plight of his kid."


    David looked at her for a moment and then said,


    "I understand your reasons and I totally understand the state of your mind. But the thing is, you cannot stray Akira. Not now."


    "I know David. I know that everything is important. Every single step is paramount for Raymond to seed, but just that the cost involved is way too high. Hope at the end of everything, we are stranded all alone."


    "Nothing like that will happen Akira. Trust on Raymond''s discretion and have faith in yourself. That''s all I would like to say."


    "Sure !!!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    Akira said and entered into her cabin.


    She picked up the file of project Medusa and gave it a good read again and started scribbling her lines on a piece of paper.


    She wrote and discarded and repeated that a couple of times until her final draft was ready. She wanted to kill Vikram, but she wanted to kill him kindly and her lines were the perfect recipe of this wishful murder.


    She gave a final look at her lines and then took out the contract which she had signed with Vikram. She read the loophole uses again and again just to console herself that there was no way for Vikram to escape. The contract was irond, fail-proof.


    Taking a deep breath, she kept everything back into their respective ce holders and removed her hoodie and shoes and switched back to her corporate attire as she was ready to go home now.


    But before she left for her house, she opened her drawer and opened an envelope. She looked at the contents inside the envelope and then muttered,


    "All for you Raymond. All for you."

 Chapter 435: The morning affair !!! - 1

    <h4>435 The morning affair !!! - 1</h4>


    As she woke up that morning, her shoulders felt heavy with the burden of the herculean task that she had to aplish.


    She wasn''t scared, neither was she unsure of her own capabilities, just that she was unsure of the predicaments of the whole situation.


    Taking a deep breath, she went to the washroom and took a hot bath and when she returned, she saw her mobile screen blinking.


    It was Raymond''s call.


    Feeling all fluttery in her stomach, she picked up the call.


    "How are you doing?"


    She took a deep breath and said,


    "Was a bit unsure before. Felt a bit low too, but now that I have talked with you, it feels all ok."


    "For real?"


    "Uh... Huh..."


    "How do I know that you are not making this all up, just to make me feel good. Maybe it''s an attempt to just boost my male who."


    "And why would I need to do that?"


    "That you should be knowing. Wouldn''t you?"


    "What are you insinuating?"


    "Well, maybe you have be all greedy. Maybe you want something and just to get that you are trying to boost my ego."


    "And what could I possibly want from you Mr. Raymond?"


    Akira giggled and asked, although she clearly knew what Raymond was talking about.


    "Ahhh... the nket of naiveness. Doesn''t suit you anymore Akira. Not after ..."


    Raymond said and stayed silent becasue there was no need of words and he knew that she would understand. Something had changed in between them after that night of intimacy and they both knew it. It was like their hearts were connected and talked with a secretnguage of their own.


    Sensing a pin drop silence from her side, Raymond knew that she was clearly lost in her thoughts. So to snap her out he said,


    "Back to earth Akira."


    "What?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    "Stop thinking about it. After tonight, you do not have to think about it. You just need to say it and I will be there for you."


    "No running and hiding?"


    "No running and hiding after tonight. I promise."


    "That''s all I ever wanted Raymond."


    "That''s all?"


    "Yup !!!"


    "Doesn''t your heart desire for something more?"


    Akira blushed just hearing his question, becasue she knew that he was reading her mind.


    And suddenly his tone became all raspy and brazen and he said,


    "After the dinner party today, what are your ns?"


    Holding her breath she said,


    "Nothing in particr. Why? Do you have something in mind?"


    "What about spending the night with me?"


    Akira''s ears burned all red, just hearing that sentence. She gulped her own spit and said,


    "You are totally messing my head with these thoughts. Don''t make me all giddy."


    Raymond chuckled and said,


    "I wish I could just kiss that red nose of yours right now."


    "I am gonna keep the call, Raymond."


    "You are such a mood killer. Anyways, just give your best ok. I will handle the rest. Trust me on that."


    "I trust you. I trust you blindly. But I don''t trust myself."


    "Akira, just remember one thing. Nothing can go wrong from now on. Absolutely nothing. All that you need is to wait for the next morning. That would be our morning."


    "I know Raymond. I know."


    "Let''s get everything straightened up Akira." Saying that he gave a soft kiss to her over the phone and then disconnected the call.


    Akira took a long deep breath and then took out the envelope from her bag. She looked at it for a while and then picked a pen from her desk.


    Holding the pen, she deliberated for a while but then she wrote.


    "To Raymond"


    .


    .


    "With Love, Akira."

 Chapter 436: The morning affair - 2

    <h4>436 The morning affair - 2</h4>


    As Akira arrived at her office, she could see a couple of press vans already parked outside thepany premises.


    There was one more hour to go before the press conference.


    Taking a deep breath she went inside all determined.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬


    On the other side of the line, Vikram was all eagerly waiting for the press conference, expecting it to be in for of the new project into which he had invested. So he decided to call her up and wish her luck, but all his calls went unanswered.


    He didn''t bother much thinking that she might be busy with the preparations.


    On the other hand, Akira called up a quick meeting and checked up on all the stats before going to the press conference.


    With her chocte brown suit dress, she looked like a bossdy as she entered the conference room where the reporters were waiting for her. With each clickety-ck of her stilettoes, she garnered the attention of every single being present in that meeting room. There was a gracious yet straight look on her face like she meant nothing but business, but deep down only she knew what this facade was all about.


    It was all about revenge.


    It was all about payback.


    As David looked at her, he knew that she was ready, ready to tear Vikram all apart.


    She took a deep breath and looked at David, who gave her a small nod like he was telling her to go for it. So she braced her face with a smile and began the battle of words.


    "Ladies and gentlemen !!!"


    "It gives me immense pleasure to inform you all that ourpany Delphie International is going tounch one of the most awaited game of this year after two months and today we are going to reveal the first look of our game."


    Saying that Akira pointed towards a huge board which was covered with white silk cloth and as she directed, the cloth was pulled down to reveal a huge poster of Project MEDUSA.


    ps !!!


    Shutter Clicks !!!


    sh !!!


    There was a huge uproar and the entire room was filled with cheers and photographers started clicking pictures of the new poster endlessly. After all, it was the most awaited game of the season and was touted as the biggest ever release by Delphie.


    People started throwing questions about what and how and Akira was answering them all in a calm and patient demeanor even though her heart was racing, knowing that she had snubbed and stabbed Vikram in one go.


    The whole thing was being telecasted live.


    Sittingfortably in his chair, Vikram was also tuned into his television to see the live telecast of the press conference.


    A smug smile was spread all across his face, the moment he saw Akira, enter the room. He was happy and proud to see her carrying herself in such a poised and gracious way. Thatdy, whom everyone was admiring in the room, was soon going to be his girl. Just that thought itself made him happy.


    But that happiness didn''tst long.


    The moment the poster was revealed, he was shocked to see the name of the game. That was so not the poster that he was expecting to see. He was baffled up. His jaws tightened and his fist was clenched in an instant and his face turned all cold.


    He turned towards Peter who was equally surprised and asked him controlling his temper,


    "Can you exin to me, what the hell is going on?"


    Gulping his spit, Peter looked at the screen and then looking at Vikram he said,


    "I am sorry Vikram, I have no idea about this. Maybe this is something else that they are nning to do. I seriously have no idea what is going on."

 Chapter 437: The morning affair - 3

    <h4>437 The morning affair - 3</h4>


    Taking deep breaths, Vikram closed his eyes and tried to rx for a while and then picked up his phone and dropped Akira a message.


    "We need to talk." - Vikram


    "It is urgent" - Vikram


    Akira could see her phone screen buzzing up with his message, but she chose to ignore it and started exining people about the concept of the new game.


    The whole concept of 3D projection was new and was the most awaited buzz word for both gamers and non- gamers. She exined the concepts in a very lucid style such that even the reporters who were not having any prior experience of gaming were also able to understand.


    She presented the whole technical aspect in a non-technical way such that even ayman could understand what she intended to say.


    She wrapped up the Q&A session in another fifteen minutes and then ended the press conference.


    Sitting in his office he saw her look at her phone and ignore his message.


    His heart burned.


    But considering the fact that she was at the press conference, he let his anger subside till the press meet was over. The moment he saw the conference end, he picked his phone and called her up.


    But all his rings went in vain.


    In a fit of rage, he threw his phone away and leaned on to his desk and mumbled,


    "She can''t ditch me... There has to be some reason behind it. There has to be."


    -----


    Reaching her cabin, the first thing that Akira did was to call up Raymond.


    "Hello."


    "Hi there."


    "How was I?"


    "wless. Even I couldn''t have done this well Akira. I am so proud of you."


    She blushed hearing hisment.


    On her way back to her cabin, everyone had praised her performance, David, her team members, and even some press reporters, but she cared about just one person''s opinion and that was all that mattered.


    She took a deep breath and then asked,


    "So what next?"


    "Well, that depends on how he reacts. Has he reacted?"


    "If you consider a stream of message and call as a reaction, then yes."


    "Well, then you need to dupe him well. You need to make him believe that all this wasn''t nned. It was all an idental choice and youpletely intend to return his money."


    "I will try, but I am not sure if he will be that stupid and gullible."


    "We have to do that. We have to disturb him so that he acts all desperate at the dinner party today."


    "I will try Raymond. I will try my level best."


    "I know you will Akira. The thing is, he still thinks you are all alone. He still thinks of you as his naive childhood friend who will never try to deceive him."


    "Just like the way I thought of him. Just like the way I never expected him to deceive me, right?"


    Raymond could sense the pain in her voice. He could sense that she was still rummaging through the bitter memories of the past.


    He wanted to hold her tight and tell her that everything was going to over soon. But he still needed tonight to be over for that.


    Taking a deep breath, he said,


    "Let''s not dwell in the past Akira. The whole aim of tonight is to get our lives back. The life that we deserve. And that can only happen if these two people are out from the scene. You have already dug the pit for Vikram. Now just give him time to fall."


    "It will be a hard fall for him Akira. I am just waiting for the evening so that he realizes how hard he has fallen."


    Akira heard his words and found a bit of sce.


    Then, taking a brief pause, she asked,


    "What are you going to do with your dad Raymond?"

 Chapter 438: A visit to Dr. Nelson - 1

    <h4>438 A visit to Dr. Nelson - 1</h4>


    After Akira heard about the borate n of Raymond, she waspletely dumbstruck. She couldn''t fathom in the wildest of her dreams that Raymond had jotted down such an borate n to set everything all right.


    She took a long deep breath and then paused to think.


    "Are you with me Akira?"


    "Yes, I am. It''s just that, its too much information to process in a day."


    "It''s going to be all right. Life will be just the way that we wanted to."


    "Are you sure about theplete transfer of the whole empire to a trust? I mean this is all blood and sweat of your father Raymond. Don''t you think it will break himpletely?"


    "There are certain things that you will know when the time is right Akira. He is still the man who dared to ask you to spend the night with him. He is still the man who had put a bounty over you. I will never forget that. So even if the hells ascends the earth, I am not going to trust this man."


    Even though the conversation was over the phone, Akira could still sense that acute resentment in his tone. Unable to say anything she just whispered softly into the phone,


    "I just don''t want you to hurtter becasue of your decisions."


    "I have never regretted, any of my decisions Akira."


    "Then I have faith in you, Raymond."


    "That is all I am asking for."


    Said Raymond and then took a deep breath, before disconnecting the call and got up from his seat.


    Head rush !!!


    Suddenly his whole past came swimming back to him. For thest couple of days, he had changed his medications and as a result of which he was getting some shbacks of his childhood days which he couldn''t even connect.


    This was the third time it happened, so he decided to call up Dr. Nelson to check about it.


    "Hello, Raymond."


    "Hello, Doctor."


    "How are things with you?"


    "Things are good, but I needed some medical consultation."


    "Everything ok with you?"


    "Well, sort of. I am not sure if it is the side effects of the new medicine or what, but I am getting these weird shes."


    "Wait !!! Since when are you getting them?"


    "A day or two."


    "Um... I will try to clear my schedule. If possible can you try to visit my hospital now?"


    "Ermm... there is something really important that I need to attend this evening. Can we do it some other day, if it will take time?"


    "Sure, but it won''t take long. I just need to do some basic tests."


    "Ok, then, I will be there in thirty to forty minutes."


    "Ok."


    After disconnecting the call, Raymond wanted to call up Akira and tell her about it, but then he was worried that she might overthink into it and decided not to inform her about it. Picking up his car keys and jacket, he opened his phone to check the picture of Dr. Nelson again and started for his hospital.


    On his way to the hospital, he called up David and asked about the status of the final arrangements. He just wanted to be sure that everything went as per his n.


    ----


    After his call ended with Raymond, David took a deep breath and looked at the file on his desk and then dialed a number.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, Mr. Sebastian."


    "Hello, David !!!. Did you do what I had asked?"


    David hesitated for a moment and then said,


    "It is done, sir !!!"


    A smile spread on the face of Mr. Sebastian and he said,


    "I always knew that your loyalties lie with me, David."


    "I am not sure where my loyalties lie these days sir."


    Mr. Sebastianughed a bit and then said,


    "Well, no need to question your conscience over this. Just know that you have helped an ailing father."


    "That was the only reason why I took his signatures on this piece of paper Mr. Sebastian."

 Chapter 439: A visit to Dr. Nelson - 2

    <h4>439 A visit to Dr. Nelson - 2</h4>


    "Hello, Raymond."


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson. I am so sorry to disturb you out like this and your schedule."


    "Well, you are my patient first Raymond. So you need not feel apologetic about it."


    "You are trying tofort me here and I am fully aware of it."


    Saying that Raymond took his seat.


    "Ok so tell me, Raymond, what''s the real issue here?"


    "The thing is I am having these weird shes of memory every now and then and I am not sure why. I am seeing these bits and pieces of my memory. Some I can connect, but some I just cannot."


    "Let''s figure it out. Come lie on this bed. Will run some tests to monitor."


    "Sure."


    As Raymond rested himself on the bed, Dr. Nelseon connected the electrodes and sat next to him and said,


    "Slowly try to remember about the shes and try to tell me about each and every one of them. But first of all, try to rx. Calm yourself with a couple of deep breaths and close your eyes."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson switched on the music system in his room which started ying a piece of calming music.


    "Feeling rxed, now we?"


    "Yes."


    Raymond said with his eyes still closed.


    "Now tell me what was the first sh that you saw."


    Raymond took a deep breath and said,


    "I saw ake or a pond sort of a thing. Birds were flying way high up. The sound made by the pping wings was almost deafening for a moment and then there was sudden silence. I was, I don''t know, probably I was doing something with the pebbles near theke. And I see a couple of lounge chairs. There are some people sitting there, and then someone calls my name. Someone sitting on the lounge chair. I guess it is the voice of ady and somehow the voice makes me happy."


    Suddenly Dr. Nelson started observing a small spike in the monitor as Raymond started talking about that voice.


    "Do you remember anything more about the voice?"


    "Nothing more. I get up and start running towards the lounge chairs and then that''s it."


    "Was the voice familiar?"


    "For a moment I thought it was my mother''s voice, but since it was a happy one, I don''t think that was my mother."


    Saying that Raymond opened his eyes and looked at Dr. Nelson.


    "Well, we need more Raymond. Concentrate now and give your best. Don''t miss out on any details."


    Dr. Nelson said and took a deep breath becasue deep inside his head he was recollecting the previous conversation with Akira about the memory of Raymond. He was more than sure now that something was there, buried deep inside the back of his head, which Mr. Sebastian was averse to.


    Raymond closed his eyes and started recollecting.


    "The next one is a memory inside my house. My dad''s library. I guess I am just ying around. It''s nothing significant I feel."


    "No Raymond. Focus on the details and tell me what you have seen."


    "I am just roaming around in the room looking for something and I just open a draw in my fathers'' study cab. He sees me and just shouts at me to stay back. That''s all. See I told you it''s nothing special."


    "Where is this cab? Is it still there in your father''s house now?"


    "I am not sure. I moved out of my dad''s house long back. God knows if he still has the cab or not."


    Saying that Raymond got up.


    "Then I think we need to figure out if it''s there or not."

 Chapter 440: Akira vs Vikram

    <h4>440 Akira vs Vikram</h4>


    Flipping the coin in front of her for quite some time, Akira called up Vikram. She knew that he would have hoards of questions for her, but she was more than ready to face them.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, Akira. So you finally got time to call me up?"


    "I saw your texts and calls Vikram, but I was so caught up that I just couldn''t call you back. Didn''t want to rush through the call, so I thought, it would be better if I called you after dealing with everything over here."


    Her voice was all soft and mellifluous and Vikram just couldn''t get angry with her. It was like as if she sprayed a can of water over him with her voice.


    "Well yeah, but can you please help to exin what just happened at the press conference? I thought it was for our project RENAISSANCE but it turned out as the old project MEDUSA. I do not get it. You changed the name to RENAISSANCE and we signed all documents for this new project, then what is with this old project Akira?"


    "Oh, so you have been frantically calling me for this? I thought you were just worried about uncle''s health."


    "Well that''s there, but will you care to exin the whole deal to me? My PR department is clueless. They had no idea that this was going to happen."


    "Oh yeah, this was just internal news. I hadn''t informed your PR department about the specifics. So how can they know about it?"


    "Well, you are asking me questions now. I am supposed to get the answers from you Akira."


    Vikram squirmed as he was on the brink of losing his patience and it was clearly reflected from his voice in which he was trying to mince his words to suppress his anger and frustration.


    "See Vikram this project has nothing to do with the new project for which we had signed the deal. This is another project altogether."


    "But how is this possible? The details, 3D projection usage, it was all part of?RENAISSANCE project right?"


    "Yes, it is and it is also part of project MEDUSA as well."


    "Are you kidding me Akira? How can both the projects have the same theme? And how can you take up a new project when the old one isn''t evenplete yet?"


    "Excuse me Vikram, but I guess you have got it all wrong. MEDUSA was always our first project and then came?RENAISSANCE."


    "Yes, that''s what I am talking about. The project was named as MEDUSA andter you told me that you wanted to change the contract as you wanted to rename it as?RENAISSANCE."


    "Did I?"


    Akira asked all casually trying to y with Vikram''s nerves.


    "Stop mixing your words Akira."


    "I might have said by mistake Vikram. You invested in our new project?RENAISSANCE which we will be starting from next year and MEDUSA is the one which we are working on currently for next quarter release."


    "What about the deal? Mypany has already released the funding for?RENAISSANCE."


    "Yes and that is being used for?RENAISSANCE just like the project terms. I think I gave you the whole file to read before taking your signatures. Also, a copy of it was sent to Peter as well in which we have clearly mentioned that it was our new project."


    "Come on Akira. the money I invested was huge. You mean to say that the whole chunk of money is locked now till next year?"


    "I am afraid so. Those were the conditions Vikram."


    "Did you trick me Akira?"

 Chapter 441: Pre-dinner jitters !!!

    <h4>441 Pre-dinner jitters !!!</h4>


    "Trick you? What are you talking about Vikram? I definitely think there is a misunderstanding between us."


    "Misunderstanding?"


    "Seriously Akira? How can this be a misunderstanding?"


    Vikram almost grunted.


    Akira knew that it was time to bring out her best weapon aginst Vikram.


    "Why are you yelling at me Vikram? I am already feeling so sick. I haven''t eaten anything since morning. I am too stressed out and ton top of that you are yelling at me. I told you the investment was for our new project and that''s all. If you do not want to invest then fine, I will look out for some other investors for our new project."


    Her words had the exact effect that she was expecting.


    Vikram calmed down a bit and took a deep breath.


    "I didn''t mean like that Akira. Why are you taking it in the worst possible way?"


    "Becasue, you are making it sound like that."


    "I am also stressed out Akira. Huge money is invested in this project and I am answerable for that. Hope you understand that. I just got a bit worried becasue I thought that the investment was for this current project. Maybe I misunderstood you."


    "I don''t know Vikram. I was all excited about tonight dinner and you just... "


    "You just spoiled my mood."


    "Come on Akira !!! Can you please let this pass?"


    Akira stayed silent for a while and then looked at her watch. It was almost afternoon.


    "I don''t know Vikram. For a moment after everything, I thought we were in a good ce. You know?!!! I mean, after all that we have been through, I thought for a moment that things are going towards a better direction. Byt why you had to ruin everything Vikram? Why?"


    Akira broke down into small sobs and Vikram couldn''t bear to hear her all broken like that. The moment she said about moving towards a good ce, his hopes were set all high. He always wanted to be close to her and this was all that he wanted to hear.


    So forgetting about the whole situation that he was in, Vikram said,


    "Akira, just forget it for my sake. Will you? I really didn''t mean any of the things that I said. I was agitated, on my nerves becasue of all the questions. I had to ask you. Come on Akira, you know me. You know how much I trust you. You know we are in this together. For a moment I felt like you stranded me and went ahead, all on your own Akira."


    Peter was listening to the sudden change in the tone of Vikram and wandered inside the room all curiously as he was not able to understand, what spell that woman was conjuring over his boss.


    His phone was ringing non-stop as the PR department was unable to reach Vikram and he was in no position to answer them. So all that he could do was to dodge the calls and wait patiently for Vikram''s call to end. But one thing was clear to him now. Something was going terribly wrong and his boss was being all naive about it.


    Hearing his softened tone and all worried demeanor, Akira was pretty sure that she had yed all safe now. And that it was time to wrap it all up.


    So looking at the dress hanging behind the door, she said,


    "Let''s just forget about this whole thing Vikram. We have a dinner party to look up to."


    "Oh yes !!! I will make it memorable for you."


    "Me too !!!"


    Saying that she disconnected the call and then looked at the dress again, before taking a deep breath.


    David looked at her gaze which was fixated on the dress and asked,


    "Pre-dinner jitters?"


    "Jitter? What''s that?


    Akira said and gave out a devious smile.

 Chapter 442: Digging up the dirt - 1

    <h4>442 Digging up the dirt - 1</h4>


    Raymond looked at Dr. Nelson all quizzically.


    He was so not expecting him to give this as a solution. He was expecting him to write out a prescription for new pills and stuff but instead, he was asking him to go and dig into his disturbing past.


    "Under what pretext can I enter that house? My father is smart enough to know if anything is suspicious. Everything that I have nned for today will fail."


    Dr. Nelson crossed his fingers and stayed silent for a while. Then looking at Raymond, he said,


    "I do not know why I am feeling this, but something was present in that drawer, that holds important information. I can feel it, Raymond. Maybe that will have some strong memory associated and will help to get your memory back. So you have to try."


    "I have a party to attend tonight, which is being hosted by my father."


    "Then that''s your window. When your father is away at the party, you need to enter his house and figure it out. Handle the security though."


    Raymond took a deep breath and got up.


    "Looks like I have to break-in into my father''s house."


    Dr. Nelson smiled a bit and said,


    "Sounds quite ironical. Doesn''t it?"


    Saying that Raymond left Dr. Nelson''s clinic and called up David, to make adjustments in his n.


    -----


    On the other side, Sebastian was all excited and prim about the party that he was going to host. After all, it was the time to announce that his son was going to hold the helms of his empire. He knew that his son would never want to inherit hispany, so he had no way other than taking a twisted approach of threating Akira so that Raymond would agree to take up the inheritance.


    Even though the party was not going to start for another couple of hours, he was busy selecting his suit and shoes for the asion.


    Being the kind of the business empire, he wanted to retire in style before handing over his legacy to his son, whom he had hidden from everyone till now.


    His face looked all pleased, all settled, but then suddenly his phone rang. He looked at the ID of the caller and took a deep breath. It was a call from his brother Conrad.


    "Hello, Conrad."


    "What am I hearing Sebastian? What have you done? How can Raymond agree to take yourpany? My son will never do such a thing."


    "Your son !!! Huh, he has business acumen in his blood Conrad becasue he is my son. He will rule the world. My days are numbered, so maybe I won''t, but you stay alive like you always have, to see him in all glory."


    "I thought this whole thing will make you realize the value of life. I thought you will take this opportunity to rebuild your rtionship with Raymond. LIfe gave you a fresh start and look at what you have done."


    "What I have done? Seriously you are asking me this question?"


    "All that I have done in my entire life was to hide away your mistakes and everything that you have done to ruin my family. So don''t you dare ask me that question again."


    "I ?"


    "Seriously ?"


    "After all these years ?"


    "You still think I am the one who was wrong? I tried to save your withering family Sebastian."


    "I did whatever was humanly possible to keep your family together."


    Sebastian tried hard to calm himself and then said,


    "You tried to clean up the mess. I agree. But who created the mess in the first ce, Conrad? Who was the first to run away from responsibilities?"


    "You were always a runner."


    Sebastian said and with a heavy heart, he disconnected the call.

 Chapter 443: Digging up the dirt - 2

    <h4>443 Digging up the dirt - 2</h4>


    After disconnecting the call, Sebastian closed his eyes, trying to suppress the burning pain inside of his heart.


    Even though Sebastian was his brother, due to the happenings of the past, they could never reconcile. They barely tolerated each other''spany. They had turned worse than acquaintances who never met even for Christmas or Fourth of July.


    As his brother was linked to him by blood, no matter what, he couldn''t cut him like a poisoned limb. He couldn''t discard him out of life, because of the heavy debt. The debt that always weighed him down. The debt which had sealed his mouth forever and bonded his hands together, rendering him all helpless.


    He drained the ss of water and then went to his desk. Taking a deep breath he pulled the desk drawer and took out the framed picture of his beloved and sighed.


    "See what days I have to live to see."


    "If you are still there and you can see what I am dealing with then just give me a sign. Anything. Anything to tell me I am doing ok. Tell me that I am taking the right path. I do not care what the world says, I do not care how bad my image bes, I just want him to be ok. I want him to have it all. Why can''t he have what is mine? After all, I did everything for him. Whatever is mine is his."


    Saying that his voice almost broke.


    He felt a sudden heaviness in his heart and slumped into a chair nearby.


    There was a knock on his door and he turned to find David outside his study.


    He took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves and said,


    "Come inside David."


    "What happened Mr. Walker? You do not look so well."


    "Nothing !!! Did you get the file?"


    "Yes, here it is !!!"


    Saying that David handed over the file in which Sebastian had asked David to get Raymond''s signature.


    "Did he know?"


    "He had no clue. He is still happy with his own ns."


    Sebastian nodded and looking up at David he said,


    "I knew I could always count on you no matter what happened. You have really shown me what ountability stands for."


    Saying that Sebastian smiled looking at David.


    David looked at him and then said,


    "My loyalties are still with Mr. Raymond. I just got his signatures because right now he doesn''t know the amount of power that this single file will give him. Maybe once he has an idea, he will not let it go. That''s the one and only reason why I tricked him into signing this file, Mr. Sebastian."


    "What do you mean David?"


    "What I mean is, I am done ying all the games. I am done with batting for both the sides. I have always been loyal to Mr. Raymond. So this is thest time I am helping you with anything becasue I know this will help him in return. So I guess it will be better than we severe any and all the ties that we have."


    "What is wrong with you David?"


    "Nothing is wrong Mr. Walker. It''s you and your ns and plottings which is wrong and I am sick of doing your bidding. That''s all."


    Saying that David stormed out of the room.


    Unable to believe what had happened, Sebastian stayed put in his chair.


    David had always been his go-to handler. So when he secluded himself from his shadow, it was unbearable for Sebastian. Like someone took away a vital organ from his body.


    His eyes turned back to the picture.


    He looked at the woman all lovingly with tears in his eyes and said,


    "Now do you see, what all is happening?"


    "Do you ROSE ?"

 Chapter 444: Digging up the dirt - 3

    <h4>444 Digging up the dirt - 3</h4>


    Holding the picture of Rose close to his chest, Sebastian took a deep breath and then fondly ced the picture back on to his study table.


    Then he ced histest medical report next to her picture and said,


    "I couldn''t be together with you on our time here, but I hope you will ept me when I go up there with you. Look for me when my time is up here Rose. Look for me before I am sent to hell for all my sins. Look for me, Rose !!!"


    "Just look for me !!!"


    Saying that Sebastian Walker broke down.


    The man who usually broke people down into pieces was actually broken today and not just broken, he was shattered into a thousand pieces.


    He was unable to gather himself. Not after the back to back assault, by Conrad and David. But before he could sober himself up, he heard the knock on his door once again.


    "What again David?"


    Sebastian said and turned back but he found Raymond at the door instead.


    "Oh, Raymond !!! What brings you here?"


    "Why would you think it was David? Was David here before? "


    Raymond asked. His expressions looked all sharp like that of a loan shark which hade to extract for nothing but information.


    Regaining hisposure Sebastian took a deep breath and channeled his Sebastianess back and said,


    "That is none of your business. David is my employee as well, so I do not think I need to answer that."


    "Huh..."


    Raymond said and smirked.


    "Well of course. The Sebastian Walker is not answerable to anyone as far as I understand. God knows why I even dared to ask you that question."


    "I am d that you have realized your folly. So do tell. What brings you here at this odd hour?"


    His question interrupted Raymond''s quest fro that wooden shelve. From the way, he remembered, it was a dark mahogany wood color finish based, and a three-drawer tall small cab. His mother had gotten it crafted from a carpenter who was in acute need of money but was too adamant to take her help for free. So she had asked him to design that piece and in return of it, she had paid more than five times the market value, to help that man out financially.


    When she had brought in that not so good looking piece, which didn''t go with the interior of their house, Sebastian got it ced in the study room, away from the eyes of people. People who judged people based on their home decor.


    But right now the entire room was of Butternut color finish. So he was pretty sure that his dad had dumped away that storage shelve.


    A hint of disappointment was clearly spread on his face.


    "Did you inhale poison, Raymond?"


    "What?"


    "I asked you, why you havee over to my ce. Given the equation that we share, I think its highly improbable that you havee over here for a friendly father-son chit-chat."


    "You wish Mr. Walker !!! You wish !!!"


    Saying that Raymond smirked but then suddenly his gaze fell on the photo frame ced on the table.


    "What''s that?"


    "Why is that here?"


    Screamed Raymond at the top of his lungs.


    "What do you mean Raymond?"


    Sebastian asked all surprised.


    "You have no right to have the picture of my mom on your desk. No right. Do you understand that?"


    Saying that Raymond stormed towards the study table and picked up the picture of his mom. But he was surprised to see a few almost dried drops of water on the frame.


    "Could it be?"


    Raymond thought in his head. But preferred to stay silent.

 Chapter 445: Remembering Rose !!!

    <h4>445 Remembering Rose !!!</h4>


    Raymond picked up the picture frame of his mother and then turned when he heard the stern voice of his father.


    "Put it back down !!!"


    Raymond smiled sarcastically and said,


    "This is a picture of mom. My mom and not some piece of interior decor that you want to ce on your study table. Plus whom do you want to dupe? Do you want to show people how much you loved yourte wife? Is that what you want to do?"


    There was nothing but pure rage filled in his eyes, but instead of getting hurt with his son''s words, Sebastian''s face was filled with surprise.


    "You are sure that is your mother''s picture?"


    "What the hell are you asking?"


    A smile spread of Mr. Walker''s face and he said,


    "Do you not see? You could recognize her own your own Raymond. You could identify her face. Are you recovering?"


    He asked with his eyes filled with hope.


    For a moment Raymond stood there speechless, unable to contain what just happened. Beforeing inside the house, he had just checked the face of Mr. Walker on his phone, but he hadn''t checked the picture of his mother.


    But he wasn''t sure if he knew that she was her mother becasue he could recollect her face or just because he saw the picture there.


    Seeing his son standing there all speechless, Mr. walker came forward and took the picture frame from his hand and then said,


    "I will ce it safely inside this drawer if you dislike the notion of me cing the picture on my table. Meanwhile, I think it would be better if you could just take a seat and rx for a while if all this is too overwhelming."


    Saying that Mr. Walker opened the drawer and ced the picture back.


    But as he did so, Raymond saw something weird. That study table had just one drawer at one side. But the drawer set looked oddly familiar. The color and finish was different but the shape, it was exactly the same as Raymond had recollected.


    With a staggering voice, Raymond looked at Sebastian and asked,


    "Is it the..."


    "Is it what?"


    "That..."


    "What are you asking Raymond?"


    "That drawer of yours."


    "What''s wrong with it?"


    "Is it the one that mom got from that old carpenter?"


    Raymond asked and stared into his eyes like he was prying for an answer using them.


    Standing all rooted at his ce, Sebastian took a deep breath and looking at Raymond, he mouthed the words,


    "Yes."


    Since the drawer was still present, maybe that something important was still in there. All that he had to do was to open the drawer and figure it out. But How? was the impending question.


    "Why did you still keep that drawer? You could have gotten rid of it, just like mom."


    Sebastian couldn''t believe that the painful charade of questions was starting again. Usually, he would deflect them with his Sebastianness, but today somehow he was tired. Tired of putting that mask of the facade over his face all the time. Trying to pretend to be rock solid, even though his insides were crumbling.


    He looked at Raymond and said,


    "Why should I be answerable to your questions Raymond? Just becasue you think you loved your mother the most, does it give you the right to mutte the feelings of others?"


    "Just becasue you believe that something happened in some way, doesn''t mean that you can be the man of justice and go around questioning people."


    Saying that he picked his medical report which was ced on the table and continued,


    "If you really do not have anything else important to say or ask, then I would rather retire back to my room peacefully so that I can have some ''me time'' before getting ready for the party. Becasue unlike some people, I like to entertain my guests all pleasantly with a smile on my face. And, believe it or not, this whole conversation has made me rethink about my smiling capabilities."


    Saying that Sebastian stormed out of the room, leaving Raymond all alone.

 Chapter 446: That letter

    <h4>446 That letter</h4>


    He had always hared his father.


    Like always.


    But somehow today as he left the room, he suddenly felt all weird.


    "Did he really care for her?"


    "Were those tears or water?"


    "Had he really formed a strong and wrong opinion about his father?"


    All these thoughts clouded his thinking and standing there all alone, he wasn''t able to decide what to do next. He pulled that drawer again and saw that there was nothing in that drawer except for the picture of his mother.


    Then he pulled open the other drawers and saw nothing but files and a couple of envelopes.


    All the contents looked like his father''s work-rted stuff, so he skipped the files and started searching inside each and every envelope. He was almost through more than half of the envelopes when suddenly Sebastian came back into the room.


    He had returned back becasue he remembered that the file which David had given with Raymond''s signature was ced in the drawer and he just wanted to make sure that Raymond didn''t see it. So he came back to his study.


    But seeing Raymond, going through his drawer was something that he didn''t expect. Not even in his wildest dreams.


    "What the hell are you doing?"


    Raymond waspletely startled as he didn''t expect his father toe back into the room so early to catch him red-handed, going through his personal stuff.


    But thinking out quickly he said,


    "I am looking for the agenda for the evening party."


    "What agenda?"


    "Since David came here, I am assuming he came to give the agenda to you. Apart from that what other interaction do you and David have?"


    Raymond asked rhetorically.


    Sebastian was taken aback with his response as he thought that Raymond would have forgotten the way he had mentioned David''s name in the beginning.


    "Oh yes. He came for that purpose. But that was just a verbal discussion. He didn''t hand me any file or anything."


    He said it all tantly, but deep down, Sebastian was already dreading if Raymond had seen the file. But seeing the way he was reacting, he was somehow feeling that he had not. Becasue if he would have seen the file, then he would have definitely bent the heavens by now.


    So taking control of the situation, Sebastian said,


    "Now if you are done, then I would like to have the room to myself."


    Saying that he showed him the direction towards the door.


    Taking a deep breath, Raymond started towards the door without saying a word.


    And just when he was about toe out of the study, Sebastian asked,


    "By the way, you did not say for what reason you came here?"


    He stood there for a second, trying hard to think of a probable reason which he could offer his father on a tter, but as he couldn''t think of anything, he said,


    "It was for something that I thought you could make happen. But then I had forgotten the fact that you are Sebastian Walker. THE Sebastian Walker. What was I even thinking."


    Saying that he left the room and burdening Sebastian with nothing but acute pain.


    Sebastian saw him leave the room and looked at the opened drawer. He gathered all the stuff up and ced it back and then looked at the third drawer which was locked. He lifted the vase from the table and took the small key underneath that and using the key he opened the third drawer inside which lied the bitter truth.


    Taking that letter out, he first closed his eyes and then read it.


    As he read, word after word, his eyes started getting all moist again.

 Chapter 447: The Devil is Awakened !!!

    <h4>447 The Devil is Awakened !!!</h4>


    As he walked towards his car, there were thousands of questions running at the back of his head. But most importantly, he wanted to know if he could remember the face of his mother. He closed his eyes as he put on his seat belt.


    His hands were on the steering wheel at the ten o''clock position. He was gripping the wheel tightly and tried hard to collect the first memory of his near theke.


    That familiar sound of someone.


    And suddenly he felt all lightheaded before he recollected one sh of the memory.


    On those lounge chairs, it was her mom who was resting all leisurely and next to her was his uncle, Conrad. His mother seemed all happy. They were talking about something and that man, his uncle Conrad, surprisingly he could make his motherugh.


    The sound of her giggles rippled through his ears.


    And then she turned with her hand covering her mouth as she was trying hard to suppress herugh and she called his name.


    "Raymond !!!"


    "Let''s have lunch. Call Katherine too."


    "Raymond !!!"


    He opened his eyes all shocked. He immediately opened his phone and opened his contact list. He browsed for Conrad and then opened the contact image.


    He couldn''t believe that he was able to recognize faces now in his memory.


    Feeling all esctatic he tried to rethink hard again. About all other memories that he had. But nothing. Zilch. Nowhere he could connect the faces of people except for this memory.


    He gulped water from the bottle in his car. This was too much information to be processed in a day. He couldn''t understand why his mother was there with Conrad. She was never this happy at home. Then he recollected the Christmas dinner scene. Thest dinner that they all had together as a family. The one in which for the first time, his mother seemed happy sharing the table with his dad.


    But was it becasue of dad or was she happy becasue of Conrad?


    There was only one person who could have answered these questions. And that was Katherine. But given the circumstances, he had to just wait for tonight for the big reveal.


    If he pondered about it anymore, then he would definitely have gone mad. So he decided to push the whole thinking part for tomorrow and started the car.


    He was feeling eternally grateful to Dr. Nelson for pushing him to try to find out. Had he not instigated the curiosity within him, or pushed him to think about the memory in detail, he would not havee this far. And above all, his memory could never have worked, with the memory suppressants that Dr. Oshana had prescribed.


    So in short, he felt like Dr. Nelson came as a lifesaver in his life and he was brought by none other than the love of his life.


    "When I think I love you this much, you make me fall in love with you all over again."


    He mumbled and drove back home to get ready.


    -----


    Just after Raymond left, Mr. Sebastian first called up David so that he could cover the reason for his presence at Sebastian''s ce, in case Raymond enquired. Then second of all he called up Dr. Oshana.


    "Hello, Mr. Sebastian."


    Oshana answered all timidly after picking up the phone on thest ring.


    "Hello, my favorite doctor !!!"


    "What are you up to these days?"


    Sebastian asked with his overly sweetened voice.


    "Me? Nothing !!!"


    "Then do something, you moron !!! Increase the dosage or work something out. I do not want a hint of the past toe back into my son''s life. Do you understand that?"


    Oshana trembled, becasue she knew that it was the voice of the devil which had been awakened.

 Chapter 448: The memory suppressan

    <h4>448 The memory suppressan</h4>


    "Yes, Sir !!!"


    Oshana trembled and spoke all nervously.


    "What a Yes Sir will do? Huh !!!"


    "I paid you more than you could think off. Your study loans and everything has been waived off. I gave you afortable living so that you could take care of a small thing. But looks like you do not have the talent to even do that."


    "Ermm...."


    "Can you tell me exactly what happened? probably I think of suitable medicine ordingly."


    Oshana suggested with her faint timid voice, afraid that he wouldsh out on her again.


    "He could recognize his mother''s picture."


    "Really? That''s great right."


    "Well, this part is great. What worries me is a memory which is deep down buried inside of his head. Something that happened ages ago which should not have happened. But anyway, due to the trauma associated with it, he had forgotten it all. But right now, the way in which he is able to remember the faces back, I am scared that the suppressed memory mighte up."


    "So the memory depressants were to suppress an unpleasant memory?"


    "Unpleasant? Huh... That would be an understatement I must say. I would rather call it a catastrophe. Do you get it?"


    Mr. Walker thundered.


    "I am warning you Dr. Oshana if my son is able to recollect that memory, then that would be the worst thing that has happened to him. Knowing the fiber with which my son is made of, I am pretty sure, he will be destroyed."


    "His life depends on not remembering the memory."


    "What is that memory, may I know?"


    Mr. Walker paused for a while and chuckled.


    "Woman, do you think I am that stupid to give away leverage to you? Huh..."


    That pause itself had killed Dr. Oshana and to top it off the tone at which he spoke was too much for her to handle. So she started to vehemently apologize to him and said,


    "I am sorry Mr. Walker, I had no intention of doing anything like that. Sorry for my curiosity. I will ask Raymond toe over to my clinic and I will increase the dosage of the memory suppressant."


    "He cannot go to your clinic now."


    "Why?"


    "Because today is a party which will be hosted by me. So he will being there. Today is the day when the word will know that my son is back."


    "Oh, that''s ... that''s wonderful."


    "I know. So do one thing. Get the new medicine ande to the party. Talk with him and know his status. Ask him what all he remembers. He might call you in some time as he shares everything with you.?I will try to get the caterer to incorporate that in his food or drink. God knows what all he will remember if his memories aren''t chained."


    Saying that Sebastian disconnected the call."


    Dilemma...


    A moral Dilemma...


    To do or not to do...


    Dr. Oshana stared at her phone for a while as she was contemting whether to tell about this whole thing to Dr. Nelson or not.


    After quite some deliberation, she picked up the phone and dialed his number.


    One ring...


    Two rings...


    "Hello"


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson. Is it a good time to talk? I need some good five to ten minutes of yours."


    "Depends on what the matter is about."


    "This is about Raymond and Sebastian."


    "Ok, Shoot !!!"


    "Mr. Sebastian had called me just now, wanting me to increase the dosage of memory suppressant for Raymond."


    "And why would he want that all of a sudden?"


    "Because he can remember faces."


    "He can what?"

 Chapter 449: The third drawer

    <h4>449 The third drawer</h4>


    "Are you serious?"


    "Well it''s first-hand informationing from Sebastian himself, so of course it has to be true."


    Dr. Nelson thought for a while and then he said,


    "Is he able to remember everything? Did he talk about any memory?"


    "Why is everyone so obsessed with this memory? He has asked me to give him appropriate medicines to block out any further recall."


    "You got to be kidding me !!!"


    "No, I am not. Sebastian is furious and he wants me to go to some party tonight where Raymond is also going so that medicines can be given to him today itself."


    "So you are going?"


    "Of course !!! I have to go. My life is on the line for this one. I need to take the medicines, although don''t worry I will not be giving them real medicine."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well, there will be no harm if I can just give some paracetamol tablets. Sebastian will think that he has drugged his son well. You, on the other hand, ask Raymond to zip it up even if he remembers anything. Vi !!! Win-win for everyone."


    "So basically you want to save yourself."


    "Of course Dr. Nelson. I think you are forgetting it is Sebastian Walker that I am talking about."


    "Ah, I have received my invitation as well."


    Dr. Oshana spoke as she looked at the email notification from Sebastian''s personal assistant.


    Dr. Nelson hesitated for a moment but then given the scenarios, he didn''t trust this woman. So he asked,


    "Is there an option for bringing a Plus One?"


    Dr. Oshana scrolled down on that invitation and said,


    "Oh yeah !!! There is."


    "Great then. I will pick you up and we can go together."


    "What do you mean Dr. Nelson?"


    "Which part of my sentence was iprehensible for you? The, ''meing with you'' part or ''picking you up'' part?"


    Dr. Oshana fell all silent because she understood that, he just wanted to be with her to keep a tab on what medicine she was going to administer to Raymond. But to be very honest, she was dreading to go there alone and even though she knew that she was no friend of Dr. Nelson but he was far better than the wolf pit that she was going to enter."


    "Fine then !!! You can pick me up."


    "What is the dress code?"


    "Formal, Tux for guys."


    "Okay, then Dr. Oshana. I will see you in another hour."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson disconnected the call just to make a new call to Raymond.


    -----


    Raymond had just reached his ce and wasparing in between a couple of shirts to go with his tux when the screen of his phone turned on.


    As it was a call from Dr. Nelson, he immediately picked it up.


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson."


    "Hello, Raymond."


    "I was about to call you in a couple of minutes doctor, something miraculous has happened today."


    "I know. You were able to recognize the face of your mom on your own."


    "The news travels fast. doesn''t it."


    "Well, it''s you, Raymond. It has to travel."


    "But I bet no-one would have told you that the first memory that I had described to you this afternoon.."


    "What about that?"


    Dr. Nelson asked all impatiently.


    "I was able to see more into it. Thatdy was none other than my mother."


    "Are you sure Raymond?"


    "I was never this sure before. I have these memories in bits and pieces and this man... Well, he is my uncle. I need to join these fragments and figure this puzzle out."


    "Were you able to see what was in the drawer? Was the drawer there?"


    "Surprisingly yes. Looked like my father had still kept that ugly looking piece of furniture safe. Why? I am not so sure. But I couldn''t find anything in there."


    "Did you check all the drawers?"


    "Yes, I had checked the....."


    Saying that Raymond suddenly went all silent.


    "What happened Raymond? Did you remember something?"


    "No no... "


    "Thest drawer. I still hadn''t checked it. There was no knob on it. But now that I remember, there was definitely a third drawer."


    "Then I guess that''s what we are looking for."


    "I guess so too. I need to sneak inside my father''s house tonight, but I think the moment my presence will be revealed, there will be thousands of questions and ....."

 Chapter 450: The party begins - 1

    <h4>450 The party begins - 1</h4>


    "What are you scared of Raymond? This was all that you wanted right? Toe out in the open."


    "It''s not that simple doctor. What I am going to say to my sister? What good reason shall I give her for hiding myself away from her?"


    "I am pretty sure your sister will understand the reasons behind such a dire decision of yours. But I guess right now you should worry more about finding out the truth. The truth behind all of this. Sebastian is trying hard to suppress your memory again. He has asked Dr. Oshana to get new medicines for you. He is trying everything humanly possible to prevent you from remembering something, which I feel might trouble him the most."


    "I think this memory can be my biggest leverage against him. But now I am not sure what to do at the party? What if the are sessful in giving me the medicine? I can''t go to the party and not eat and drink. Plus I do not want my father to be suspicious of that poor doctor. He has already made her life hell. I do not want to get her into any more trouble."


    "That will not happen."


    "How?"


    "Because I am getting my tux ready."


    "You will go to that party? But the invites are exclusive and... Oh, wait !!! You are going as Dr. Oshana''s plus one?"


    "Exactly !!!"


    "Then I have one more request !!!"


    "Yesh, tell me."


    "Take care of Akira. Please. She going as plus one of one my so-called sworn enemy."


    "That would be Vikram isn''t it?"


    "Yeah, that''s absolutely correct. But how do you know?"


    "Even I am amazed. It''s such a short span of time, but I fell like I am aware of all your enemies in the town. Quite ironic I must say."


    "Isn''t my whole life ironic."


    Saying that Raymond chuckled and both the men had a goodugh about it.


    "Well, the thing is, he might try to get close to her, given the history that he had already proposed her once. Akira is good enough to handle him, but she is too nice of a person. So just make sure that he doesn''t get all close and stuff with her."


    "Acting all possessive huh. But hey, do not worry. I will take care of you both."


    "Go and get ready now. You have a big night uing. You need to steal the show well."


    Raymondughed at his joke and then he disconnected the call to go for a quick shower before getting dressed.


    -----


    He took out his favorite pair of onyx cufflinks and paired it with his crisp white shirt. His hair was all gelled and set. He looked all prim and polished from top to bottom. His whole aura looked like that of a show stopper. As he opened his tie drawer, he looked at the small box stuck in the middle, containing the same ring which he had given to Akira almost two years ago and took it out.


    He wasn''t sure if Akira would ever remove her old engagement ring and ept him and his love. But he was hopeful. Hopeful that things will go his way.


    So today he was not dressing to impress her, but to win her, her heart and her mind. So keeping that engagement ring inside his tux jacket, he adjusted his bowtie and gave himself a final look.


    He looked nothing less than a million-dor prince. Satisfied with the final oue, he called his driver to take out the limo. After all, he was going to pick up his dream girl.

 Chapter 451: The party begins - 2

    <h4>451 The party begins - 2</h4>


    As she heard the sound of the doorbell, she hurried and packed everything that she needed into her delicate clutch. Her brother had already gone ahead and opened the door.


    "Hey, dude !!!"


    Mike faked a smile on his face and said,


    "Sup man !!!"


    "You tell me. Its been long that we met or talked. I understand that she has be very busy, but why the hell you have been ignoring me?"


    Saying that Vikram stepped inside.


    "Jesus forget that. Man, you are looking something else today. Ready to rock the worlds of people huh !!!"


    "No just one. I want to rock the world of just one person."


    Saying that Vikram sighed and looked towards Akira''s bedroom door as it creaked open.


    She definitely looked ethereal in her royal blue gown dress which looked like had absorbed the ink of the darkness of the oceans. That stark color contrast of her dress made her skin look even fairer and dewy. Her dress snugly fit her body in a ssy way, entuating her assets in the best possible way.


    Seeing her halter neck, Vikram knew that it was a backless dress and a smile spread on his face just thinking about that fact that she chose it to wear for him.?She smiled at Vikram and strutted towards them, holding a jacket in one hand and her clutch in another.


    But surprisingly instead of looking at her sister, Mike was busy looking at Vikram. He was repelled with the way he was looking at his sister. Being a guy he could tell that there was definitely a hint of desire. He knew that Vikram will never dare to touch his sister against her wishes, but tonight she was looking something else altogether.


    Her thigh-high slits at both the sides of her dress, graciously showed her toned legs as she walked and Mike could see Vikram''s lips part a bit with happiness. And that was it.


    He lost all his cool.


    "It''s freaking cold outside and you are going to wear this? Can you at least put your jacket on?"


    Mike said and looked at Akira un-approvingly.


    Seeing the way her younger one behaved, she smiled and ruffled his hair before putting on the jacket.


    "I have made some sandwiches for you and have kept them in the fridge. And I have also stocked up your kombucha too."


    No matter how old they grew, no matter what position she held, she was always that loving and doting sister who cared for every single meal of her brother. Somehow it hit the right nerves of her brother and he pulled her to give her a tight hug.


    "Stay safe. Do you want me toe over there? I can stay outside?"


    Mike whispered into her ears as he hugged her.


    Akira smiled and as she detached herself from him, she said,


    "I will be fine. Sleep well ok? Will you?"


    Mike then turned towards Vikram and said,


    "Take care of her and bring her back home before midnight."


    Vikram smiled and said,


    "You definitely have grown up kiddo."


    Saying that he extended his hand to ruffle his hair just like Akira did, but he ducked and said,


    "No more messing with my hair people. Now chop-chop."


    As they left the house and went towards the limo, a part of Mike cringed with the way Vikram was escorting her sister. But knowing her sister, he was pretty sure that it must be a part of her n, for he knew that she despised him more than he could ever do.


    So, taking a deep breath, as he was about to turn back inside, he saw a blue rover parked at a distance. It was exactly the same car, parked at the same spot which he had seen a week back. But before he could even set his foot down to go and check the car, it sped past him, following the limo.


    And heavens know that he could swear and tell that the man in the rover, looked like Raymond.

 Chapter 452: The party begins - 3

    <h4>452 The party begins - 3</h4>


    Mike returned back inside and paced in the drawing-room. He knew that he wasn''t hallucinating, but there was no way for the thing that he saw to be true. Last time when he thought he had seen him, he dismissed himself, thinking that it might have been his wishful thinking, but today...


    So he immediately called up Akira.


    "Hello, Mike. What now?"


    "Akira sh...."


    "Listen to me. Can you see a blue rover tailing behind your car?"


    Blue Rover meant only one thing for Akira - Raymond. So she couldn''t even dare to turn back to see if he was actually there. And without even wasting one single minute, she said,


    "No Mike. What happened?"


    "Oh !!! I just thought I saw someone. Nevermind. Stay safe."


    Saying that Mike disconnected the call.


    For now, she had dodged the bullet from her brother, so she moved her eyes towards the rearview mirror and she could clearly see a blue rover following them.


    Her heart skipped a beat just knowing that he was close. That pit in her stomach that she had been carrying from the moment she had seen Vikram at her ce, slowly dissolved. Her eyes gleamed of hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. A tomorrow of togetherness.


    As she ced her mobile back into her clutch, she could see Vikram ncing at her. Even though she knew that Vikram wanted her more than anything else in the world, he never made her feel vited, he never made any lecherous attempt. His nce was all subtle and aperiodic.


    "What are you looking at?"


    She asked getting a bit annoyed, becasue no matter how much she loathed him, he had always been a gentleman to her. So for once, she wanted him to leave that gentlemanliness so that she could hate himpletely and not regret a bit for what she was going to do with him at the party.


    "Nothing !!!"


    Vikram replied all sheepishly with a hint of a smile on his face.


    Just a couple of hours ago becasue of her, millions and millions from hispany ount were locked into Delphie, yet here he was, sitting next to her, probably dreaming of having a dance with her.


    Definitely love has its own cruel ways.


    Thinking that Akira sighed and held on to her pendant as if her life depended on it.


    Around twenty minutester, they arrived at La'' Roche Gardens, the premium property at which the party had been organized. The moment the car halted, he rushed out of the car to open the door for her and as she did, he extended his hand out for her to hold.


    With his car parked a few meters away from theirs, Raymond sat inside his rover, waiting for them to go in. He saw Akira walking hand in hand with him, but just a few stepster, she turned back. Her wandering eyes, trying hard to locate him. eagerly hunting him for just one glimpse.


    He took a deep breath and then wore his face mask to cover himself up and waited in the car for David to arrive.


    ----


    As they entered the main hall, Akira removed her jacket and she saw him gawing at her.


    "What Vikram?"


    "You know this right?"


    "What?"


    "That you are looking ridiculously gorgeous today?"


    "Come on. It''s all makeup and this, this slutty dress."


    "Say what you have to say. But no dress can make you look slutty. You always look beautiful. Always."


    "Are done givingplements or shall I wait here for some time more?"


    Saying that Akira giggled a fakeugh and then marched ahead. But suddenly that smile was wiped away from her face.


    "What the hell is she doing here?"

 Chapter 453: The party begins - 4

    <h4>453 The party begins - 4</h4>


    "Who?"


    "Who is here Akira?"


    Akira suddenly turned and realized that Vikram was next to her and that she had to be very careful with what she spoke. So she tried to steer the conversation somewhere else, even though her mind was still troubled after seeing Oshana upstairs.


    "Erm... nothing. One of the waitresses looked totally like one of a sophomore friend of mine."


    "We can go upstairs and check."


    Vikram said as he could see that Akira''s eyes were again fixated on someone upstairs.


    "Ah, no need. We were not that close."


    Saying that Akira smiled and then said,


    "I need something to drink. I am too thirsty."


    "Ok then,e let''s get seated then."


    Saying that Vikram took Akira''s hand and escorted her upstairs into the seating area.


    With every step that she took on the stairs, the number of eyes that were admiring her beauty increased in manifolds. Her body moved like poetry, like a paper boat sailing in the rainwater, which brings nothing but joy to the eyes of the beholder.


    All the attention was unwanted, but somehow looking at all the people who were admiring her, made Vikram gloat from the inside, as she was with him. His face was all smug like he wanted to shout out at them,


    "Watch out losers."


    But she waspletely deaf and blind to what was happening around her. Her only concern was Dr. Oshana right now.


    Even though Akira tried hard to calm her expression, the mere presence of Oshana was driving her crazy. Her head started to get filled with all sorts of negativity.


    "Is there something going on?"


    "Has Sebastian nned something to happen?"


    And just when a nervous Akira took the final step to reach the seating area, she saw Dr. Nelson sitting on a couch with his gaze fixated on Dr. Oshana.


    Seeing him at the party, she was taken aback, but she didn''t want to go ahead and ask him about it. So she decided to n something quickly.


    She held her hand on her stomach and looked at Vikram and said,


    "Ahh... I forgot to take my medicine Vikram. It is in my jacket. Can you please help to get it. My stomach has started to hurt."


    Saying that she made an extremely pitiful expression.


    "Ah let me get you seated somewhere first."


    "That I will manage, tablet first Vikram."


    Saying that Akira grabbed on to her belly tightly.


    "Ok, don''t worry hold tight."


    Saying that Vikram rushed downstairs. Taking that window of opportunity, Akira started walking towards the area where Dr. Nelson was sitting and just when she was about to reach him, he turned.


    He was looking in her direction all stunned like his jaws were about to be dropped.


    She was looking extremely beautiful.


    "Jaby !!!"


    "Jaby !!!"


    ''What are you doing here? What is she doing here?"


    "Jaby !!!"


    Saying that finally, Akira poked on Dr. Nelson''s shoulder a bit.


    "Oh, I am sorry. I didn''t mean to stare at you like that. I mean you look ... Ermm... I am sorry."


    Dr. Nelson apologized vehemently for gawking at her all unfazed. He didn''t know why he did that, but somehow he wasn''t able to take his eyes off her. She was constantly reminding him of the days when his wife used to dress up for him for all the medical seminar after parties.


    He hung his head low, but his mind was still recollecting every image of Alita, frame after frame.


    Akira was for a moment got annoyed as she was not getting any answer from him. But then she could see that his eyes were getting all misty.


    So she ced her hand on his shoulder and said,


    "What is Jaby? Are you guys in any trouble becasue of us? Please tell me what is going on for God''s sake !!!"

 Chapter 454: Akira gets to know

    <h4>454 Akira gets to know</h4>


    "Erm... it''s nothing."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson moved his shoulder coldly, becasue God forbid, he didn''t want to have any weird thoughts about Akira inside of his head.


    "Ok, then why you both are here?"


    "Becasue... First, you sit down. I can''t talk loudly about this," saying that he checked upon Dr. Oshana again and was relieved to see her busy with a couple of healthcare sector investors.


    "Ok."


    Saying that Akira sat next to Dr. Nelson on the couch but as she sat, one of her side slits, disyed a gorgeous length of her leg all generously.


    "So what is going on !!!"


    "Erm ... ok. First, can you cover that up?"


    Saying that Dr. Nelson pointed at her slit.


    "You kidding me right now. I am worrying the hell out here and you have the time to parent me now?"


    Saying that Akira pulled the side of the gown and covered her leg.


    Taking a deep breath Dr. Nelson said,


    "The thing is, Raymond is able to remember to an old childhood memory of his, in bits and pieces, which were buried deep inside his memory. And somehow Sebastian became aware of this and asked Dr. Oshana to increase the medicine dosage immediately. We think there is some memory which was buried deep inside Raymond''s head, but it is slowly resurfacing now becasue of the ident impact."


    "So she is here to give the medicines?"


    "Yes, and I am here to make sure that she gives fake medicines to Sebastian."


    "And how did you get to know about this?"


    "She called me up and told me herself."


    "So seems like she isn''t that bad after all."


    "Well, I hope so. Plus I have one more task assigned to me as well."


    "And what is that?"


    "To be your guardian angel, till your man arrives."


    "So the whole parenting thing was included in the instruction manual?"


    Akira smiled and asked.


    "Well, that would be me. All me. Call me traditional or an old man. It''s up to you."


    Akira turned towards him and smiled and said,


    "You clean up well Dr. Nelson !!!"


    "Well, I was quite the charmer back in my time."


    "I beg to differ !!!"


    "You think I am not presentable enough."


    "Geez... Jaby. More than presentable. I meant you are quite a charmer even now."


    "And why would you say that?"


    "Because madam Oshana has been eyeing you on and off, for quite a while. I think even after all this, she still has feelings for you."


    "You got to be kidding me Akira."


    Akira raised her palms up to her shoulders and said,


    "Hey, don''t attack me. I am just saying. She is the one who is eyeing on you."


    "By the way, how did you send the douchebag away?"


    "He has gone to the coatroom to get some stomach pain medicine for me from my coat."


    "You have medicines in your coat?"


    "No, I don''t."


    "Then he will be suspicious."


    "I guess, but I had no other way to send him away."


    "Damn !!! he ising."


    "Take this Ibuprofen strip?and say that you found it in your clutch. You can pop one in front of him. No side effects. It''s just a muscle rxer."


    "You are my lifesaver."


    Saying that Akira quickly ced the strip in her clutch and held her stomach and slumped in one corner of the couch.


    "Hey, are you ok? Your coat didn''t have any tablets."


    "I am sorry. I wanted to call you and tell that I found tablets in my clutch. But I couldn''t call."


    "Great !!! Did you eat a tablet?"


    "I wanted water or juice to take the tablet. But they are serving alcohol here."


    Vikram annoyingly looked at Dr. Nelson as he sat there all unperturbed by the things happening next to him.


    "Good God !!! Where are the helping habits of people."


    He couldn''t understand - how a man could sit there without even having a dime of concern when the person next to him was yelping in pain."


    "Waiter !!!"


    "We need some juice or water here please."

 Chapter 455: Rendering someone speechless

    <h4>455 Rendering someone speechless</h4>


    Akira popped a tablet and rested on the sofa and Vikram sat next to her, holding her hand the whole time.


    Unable to see the cringeworthy scene anymore, Dr. Nelson got up and texted Raymond about everything happened and that was happening, to which Raymond replied.


    "And that''s why I need you more than ever to stay next to her. The dance floor will open soon." - Raymond


    "No need to worry. Your girl is sitting in one corner of the couch with stomach pain. Did you forget that part?" - Dr. Nelson


    "Ah... I know she is a smart one. Always has an escape route well nned ahead." - Raymond


    "But given that she has to join the discussion next, she will stop her stomach ache drama soon. Then you need to help her out." - Raymond


    "Sure thing." - Dr. Nelson


    After finishing texting, Dr. Nelson went to Dr. Oshana and called her for a quick chat.


    "Anything from Sebastian?"


    "Nopes. Neither he nor his men have contacted me."


    "Whatever. Now take these tablets, in case they call you."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson took out a small pill jar containing paracetamol tablets in them, but with fake medicine name on top of it.


    "So, you trust me now?"


    Saying that Dr. Oshana looked at Dr. Nelson.


    "Regarding what?"


    "Regarding Raymond''s life, his memory? Don''t you think I can swap medicines anywhere? Don''t you think I could have already given the prescription to Sebastian and his men would already have procured the medicine?"


    Hearing her words, for a moment Dr. Nelson felt that he will lose his cool, but then he gathered himself and said,


    "You put a cut in my hand, and you threatened to kill her. But she still came to your ce to make amends with you. Becasue deep down she felt bad for you. Even though you had done so many hideous and heinous things to her, she still thought that you have been gravely wronged and that whatever you did was under the circumstances."


    "That woman right there, sitting on the couch, came to your ce even though you had threatened to kill her, becasue she believed in you. And becasue she does, so do I."


    "And I guess you also believe that you are not that person Dr. Oshana. Else you would not have called me. But still, if you want to prove all of us wrong then go ahead. Be our guest."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson ced the medicine container in her hand and turned to walk away.


    But before he could take a step forward, Dr. Oshana asked,


    "Is that why you like her? Becasue she sees the good in people? That''s all? What is so great in her that I do not possess?"


    Exhaling a deep gush of air, Dr. Nelson tuned back to face Oshana and said,


    "Let''s not go in that direction Dr. Oshana, becasue you can never understand what I feel for her. I guess it''s the problem of your generation for whom the definition of any human feeling is very restricted."


    "What do you mean? What is this our generation? You were clearly smitten by her the moment she entered. I dare you to say no to that."


    Dr. Nelson chuckled and said,


    "There... Right there you proved my point again. Just becasue something is beautiful and you want to admire it, doesn''t mean that I want to own it."


    "Answer me in yes or no Dr. Nelson. Were you or were you not smitten with her?"


    Taking a deep breath Dr. Nelson said,


    "Yes, I was."


    Dr. Oshana scoffed and said,


    "And there goes all your righteousness into the drain."


    Dr. Nelson smiled and said,


    "I wasn''t done talking, Dr. Oshana."


    "What more is there to tell after your tant confession of your feelings for her?"


    "I said yes, I was smitten. But that was becasue she looked really elegant and gorgeous. Even you won''t say no to that. But my eyes only admire her. It doesn''t have lust or desire in them."


    "I hope I have made myself clear now."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson walked away after rendering Dr. Oshana all speechless.

 Chapter 456: The dance floor opens - 1

    <h4>456 The dance floor opens - 1</h4>


    So, taking a deep breath, she ced the medicine into the clutch and checked her phone again to see in case she had missed any message from Sebastian or his handler.


    After feigning the stomach pain for good five-ten minutes, Akira started to pretend to be feeling better again.


    "I swear I am feeling fine now Vikram."


    "I don''t trust you and your swears."


    Then directly looking into his eyes, Akira said,


    "I am totally fine now Vikram. Go ahead and meet people. You didn''te here to sit with me here on the couch."


    Rubbing his thumb on her hand that he was holding, Vikram said,


    "Everything can wait. Youe first for me on the list. I guess you know that already Akira. Don''t you?"


    Hiding away her difort after hearing such words, Akira said,


    "I know and that''s why I am stressing on it. I am absolutely fine. It was just a cramp. A regrdy thing Vikram. It''s totally fine now."


    "Fine fine... If you insist...."


    And then suddenly the lightings in the are changed from formal lighting to a dewy sort of romantic night. And the announcer said,


    "Ladies and gentlemen, now we invite you all one the dancefloor, to enjoy a couple of minutes of this beautiful music,posed by our very own R. R. Murray."


    Everyone flooded the area with ps after hearing R. R. Murray''s name as he was one of the bestposers of New York. Mr. Sebastian definitely knew how to make things on a grand scale.


    "Shall we?"


    Vikram said and extended his hand.


    But this was something that she was dreading the most. Listening to his cheesy lines and his bearing his close proximity was one thing. But dancing with him? All the evil memories of the old g night starteding back. She was ok to dance with anyone but Vikram. But now there was no route to escape.


    Vikram couldn''t read the difort written on her face, but one man clearly did and that was Dr. Nelson. So he waited for Akira to apany Vikram so that he could follow behind her.


    Reluctantly she pasted a smile on her face and ced her hand on his extended hand and walked downstairs with him. But the moment she turned and Dr. Nelson saw her bare backless dress, he knew that saving her wasn''t going to be easy.


    So he immediately turned towards Dr. Oshana and took her along with him to the dance floor.


    "You remember right what we have to do?"


    "Yes."


    Dr. Oshana replied and then turned towards Dr. Nelson and said,


    "I am sorry for misunderstanding you. I thought that you wanted to be more than friends with her. My apologies."


    After reaching downstairs, Dr. Nelson stood just next to Akira, holding the hands of Dr. Oshana and that was quite a surprise for Akira, as she didn''t know that he woulde to the dancefloor.

 Chapter 457: The dance floor opens - 2

    <h4>457 The dance floor opens - 2</h4>


    So he moved a step ahead and inched the gap between him and Akira and extended his hand for her to hold on to, and the moment she did, with his other hand, he pulled her a bit close and his hand continued to rest on her back.


    It waspletely normal, like the protocol of dance. Any other day, any other human being as a partner and she would have been ok. But not today and not him. She was all dressed up for Raymond. Her entire body cringed as time passed, and she was just waiting for the music to end.


    Faking a smile on her face, she twirled and swayed with the beats of the music. The only thing that was calming her nerves down was the presence of Dr. Nelson next to her, who was reassuring her just with his eyes.


    But Akira could see that Dr. Nelson and Dr. Oshana were dancing all clumsily. Neither there was rhythm, not feel. Maybe it was because of the fact that they eternally hated each other. But she couldn''t understand, why did they evene to dance in the first ce.


    Before she could think any further, as Oshana twirled, she collided slightly with Vikram.


    "I am so sorry."


    Dr. Oshana quipped and stopped dancing. She moved towards Vikram and then apologized again.


    "I am so sorry. It''s just that I am very enthusiastic about dancing, while my partner is not."


    As she was talking to Vikram, he had to stop the dance, much to the pleasure of Akira.


    "It''s totally fine. It''s not like you killed me or something."


    Oshana smiled briefly and then suddenly said,


    "Then may I have a dance with you? I am a doctor and I am pretty sure, I will never be invited again to something like this."


    Each and every cell inside of his body wanted to scream NO.


    "Oh, sure. Vikram is an amazing dancer. He will show you how it is done."


    Akira said with a smile on her face and moved a bit away.


    Now he had to say yes. Not because he didn''t want to disappoint thedy, but he didn''t want to disappoint Akira. He nced at Akira and then looking towards Dr. Oshana he said,


    "Sure thing."


    As Oshana took Akira''s ce, Dr. Nelson didn''t waste any time and extended his hand in front of Akira and said,


    "I don''t dance well, but I can give you mypany."


    "That''s way more than what I need right now."


    Saying that Akira smiled and held his hand.


    Dr. Nelson, as being the perfect gentleman, held her with the slightest possible human touch that he could and guided her on the dance floor.


    The beats of the music, which once sounded like the hymn of mncholy, now resonated in her body like a happy feeling. Dancing was something she was always passionate about, and with the music, she blossomed and flowed in the hands of Dr. Nelson.


    "Thanks for saving me."


    "Again."


    "Oh please. I get to dance with the most gorgeousdy tonight, what more do I need."


    "Oh, please. Just stop with the fake ttering."


    "I am not kidding Akira."


    Dr. Nelson replied with his face looking all serious and Akira realized that he was actually being sincere with it.


    "Then why are you dancing with me, like I am some fragile untouchable stuff?"


    "Or did you take a vow that you will never dance with any woman?"

 Chapter 458: The dance floor opens - 3

    <h4>458 The dance floor opens - 3</h4>


    "I am sorry. I overstepped."


    Dr. Nelson took a deep breath and said,


    "It''s ok Akira."


    "You are missing her terribly. Aren''t you?"


    She asked, looking into those distant eyes.


    Dr. Nelson smiled and finally dared to look into her eyes and asked,


    "Have I be that predictable for you?"


    "It''s not about being predictable Jaby. Your eyes speak the tale of your heart. And somehow, even though you are present here, dancing with me, I can sense that your mind is somewhere else. You are dancing with just your body. But your mind is busy imagining someone else."


    Dr. Nelson hung his head low and then said,


    "I am sorry for ruining this dance for you."


    "Oh,e on Jaby. Give yourself some credit. At least my gut doesn''t want to scream and belch right now."


    "Now I am really not sure if that was apliment or an insult."


    Akira giggled and swayed with the music, trying to ignore the fact that the man in front of her was being tormented every passing second, for he was a nobleman. A man whose eyes could never betray the thought process going on inside of his head and reflected them like a mirror.


    He saved her, so she knew that she had to save him from the downward spiral of painful memories. So to distract him, she knowingly misced her foot just a bit and caused him to step a bit on her, purposefully.


    "Ouch !!!"


    Akira winced in pain and pounced on his shoulder.


    "I am so sorry Akira."


    Saying that Jaby bent down and knelt on the floor to check if she was hurt and when he did, Akira also bent slightly down and said,


    "You are not going to propose to me now are you?"


    And with a giggle, she slightly kicked his foot with her own.


    But this man had only one face. A heavily apologetic face.


    It seemed like her n backfired. Instead of cheering him up, she had made his mood even more sullen. So out of all her wits, she ced her hands back on his shoulder after getting up and said,


    "I deliberately did it."


    For a moment Dr. Nelson couldn''t decipher what she meant, but then he realized, all this long, that poor girl had been trying hard to lift up his spirits. So for a moment, he felt bad for going back into his shell and looking straight into her eyes he said,


    "I am sorry for spoiling your mood Akira. It''s just that you look ..."


    "I look what Jaby?"


    Dr. Nelson sighed and then taking a deep breath he said,


    "You look extremely pretty today, just the way my wife used to."


    "Well, I will take that as apliment, but then I guess you are lying."


    "Lying?"


    Saying that Akira waltzed a couple of steps away,


    Dr. Nelson couldn''t stop smiling.


    Then extending his hands he pulled her close.


    His hands weren''t gentle anymore.


    As he traced his hand on her back before resting it just above the small of her back, he whispered into her ears,


    "The real reason is, once you dance with me, you will not feel like dancing with any other man in this room."


    Saying that he swayed her to the side and then pulled her close.


    All amused with his moves, Akira smiled looking into his eyes and then said,


    "Technically true, because right now Raymond isn''t present in this room."


    "I am totally aware of it. Why else will I give such a cheeky statement?"

 Chapter 459: The dance floor opens - 4

    <h4>459 The dance floor opens - 4</h4>


    As she twirled, the fabric of her dress swayed around revealing her slender long legs. The sight was something that was difficult for anyone to resist and neither could Dr. Nelson.


    First, she was amazed to see his moves and next she caught him looking at her legs. Had it been any other guy, it would have weirded her out, but it was Jaby. A man upon whom she could entrust her entire life.


    So as she rolled back close to him, she looked up into his eyes which were looking at her fondly. But her one look was enough for him to avert his gaze. He felt all weirded out for a moment and did everything possible to avoid looking into her eyes, whose ocean-like depth was way too overwhelming for him at this point in time.


    "What are you thinking?", Akira asked, trying to read his mind through her eyes.


    He gasped for air as he heard her question and turned his eyes to look at her for a moment and then simply shook his head in negation.


    "Well, that didn''t look like nothing."


    Dr. Nelson heard her speak but he kept looking at her, still unable to believe the resemnce even though he waspletely aware that she was not the one whom his heart desired.


    Even though his heart was racing in a wondend of his own, his mind was constantly aware of the prying eyes of Vikram. Even though that guy was dancing with Dr. Oshana, he knew that his eyes were constantly following every move of theirs. He knew that it was his job to save Akira, but he didn''t want to create any suspicion in the heart of Vikram, for he knew by now that he was nomon enemy of Raymond.


    Taking a deep breath, he started wheeling Akira around himself for a couple of turns and then finally pulled her extremely close to himself. There was nothing but an inch of air in between them and he inched the gap even lower when he whispered into her ears,


    "I guess I have proved myself enough. Haven''t I ?"


    And before she could even attempt to reply anything, he tightened his grip around her waist and said,


    "I am sorry. It''s going to hurt just a bit."


    Unable to understand what he meant, Akira looked at him with her eyes filled with questions, when he suddenly bent her with the support of his arm for a second and then took away the support in the other.


    "Thud"


    "Ouch....."


    "Akira !!!", screamed Vikram and jumped to pick her up even before Dr. Nelson could.


    "Oh my God, miss are you ok?" Dr. Nelson asked and when Akira gathered herself up and looked up at him, she saw him mouthing,


    "I am sorry."


    And at that moment she understood that he had deliberately injured her so that she didn''t have to dance with Vikram afterward.


    "Are you hurt anywhere Akira? Are you feeling any pain?", Vikram asked as he helped her to get her bnce back.


    "I am really sorry. I told you before, he is awful at dancing." Dr. Oshana said and came forward to lend a helping hand.


    "I am really sorry. I should have just ... "


    "Yes, you should have better been a mock spectator", Vikram interrupted the apology of Dr. Nelson curtly.


    "We are really sorry but he is a real doctor. If you have any pain then he can check."


    Dr. Oshana said and looked all helplessly at Dr. Nelson.


    "No, I will get her checked with my own doctor", Vikram said getting all annoyed with the clinginess of the weird couple and started escorting Akira upstairs.


    "Vikram wait."


    Akira muttered wincing in pain.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "I feel like I have pulled something in my leg Vikram."


    Saying that Akira tried to bnce herself hard, but the pain was evident on her face. Seeing her hurting this way, Vikram got even more annoyed with Dr. Nelson.


    "Look at what you have done!!!"


    Dr. Nelson hung his head, unable to see Akira in pain. Somehow that hint of pain in her eyes brought back all the old memories of his beloved, the way she had struggled with pain, the way she was defeated eventually by the pain.


    "Can you at least do something about it till my doctor arrives?" Vikram asked in a demanding and annoyed tone while he texted his family doctor toe ASAP.


    And suddenly Dr. Nelson came back to reality. He took a second to get a hold of himself and then immediately removed his jacket.


    "What are you doing?" asked a puzzled Vikram.


    But without even bothering to reply to him, Dr. Nelson moved ahead and covered Akira from the waist down with his jacket and lifted her up in his arms and quickly took her towards the nearby sofa.


    It was then that Vikram understood that he had covered her with a jacket as she was wearing a thigh-high slit dress and that he was saving her modesty.


    "Seems like a clumsy idiot, but acts sensible."


    Vikram thought in his head.


    Dr. Nelson started pressing at a couple of points to locate the point of pain at her ankle and while he did so, both Vikram and Dr. Oshana hovered around like eagles.


    So Akira looked up with a smile on her face and said,


    "I am all fine Vikram. Trust me. The dance party is over. I think you better go and socialize with the people you intend to."


    "I can''t leave you alone in a condition like this", Vikram said and stood there without even budging an inch.


    "Vikram seriously. Please go ahead. It''s just a small sprain."


    "Yes, Dr. Nelson will handle it. She is in good hands. Plus I will be here till your doctor arrives. Let us do this much for you guys." Dr. Oshana added.


    Vikram looked at her helplessly and then looked up and saw that Mr. Shaw and Mr. Sebastian engaged in deep conversation.


    "Vikram, just go," Akira repeated with an assuring look in her eyes.


    "Fine. But don''t go anywhere till Dr. Fredrick arrives ok. He will be here in 20 minutes." saying that Vikram suddenly bent down to give a small kiss on Akira''s head and left.


    Repulsed with the recent touch of the man whom she loathed with all her heart, Akira could feel the bile reflexing back into her mouth. Her face turned all serious and the expression of disgust was written all over her.


    Dr. Nelson looked at her and then looked at Dr. Oshana and said,


    "Can you please give us a moment?"


    "Yeah sure !!!" saying that Dr. Oshana left.


    After a brief moment of silence, Dr. Nelson moved his hand and touched her ankle all tenderly.


    "Does it hurt here?"


    His hand was ced over the probable point of pain. His touch was as gentle as possible but the pain rippled in, but still, she stayed all silent.


    "I am sorry for ...."


    But before Dr. Nelson could evenplete his sentence, Akira asked,

 Chapter 460: Fire and Ice

    <h4>460 Fire and Ice</h4>


    Even though that entire ce was bustling with people and their chatter, all that Dr. Nelson could hear was a deafening silence. It took him a while to gather himself up and he said,


    "I will get some ice for your ankle. It will help to reduce your pain. Just stay still till Ie back."


    "Jaby !!! Can you at least look at me when you are speaking?"


    She looked at him getting even more ufortable, but the only answer that she got was silence.


    "Fine, if you don''t want to address the elephant in the room, then I will also not bring it up, but at least stop looking so miserable. I don''t know what is going on in your head, but you know that you can share it with me."


    He heard his words, but he didn''t want to decipher it. He didn''t want to get lost in her voice and neither did he want the nket of past dictate the thoughts of his present. Something weird was happening to him and it was slowly getting out of his control.


    The sight of Vikram kissing her forehead was still piercing him, enraging every single fiber of his body and he had no clue how to calm that rage down when all his might was going in avoiding her questions and her gaze.


    So, taking a deep breath, he got up to get some ice, but he could feel that his hands were locked in hers.


    "Stop running away Jaby !!!"


    "I have no other choice."


    Saying that he gave her a cold and distant look and went towards the bar counter to get some ice.


    "I hope one day you can open up your heart in front of me Jaby¡­"


    Her words trailed away unheard and all that she could do was look at his figure disappearing amidst the crowd.? Taking a deep breath she looked up and she could see Vikram approaching Mr. Sebastian and having a talk with him. But she could clearly see that half of his attention was still on her.


    A shiver ran down her spine as she dreaded the thought of himing down again. She didn''t want his attention or care. She wanted him to disappear from her life and she knew that it was going to happen. Raymond was going to make it happen.


    Her eyes once again scanned the entire ce in search of him while she muttered under her breath,


    "Where are you, Raymond? How much more do I have to endure him?"


    Saying that she tried to move her leg for a moment.


    "Which part of staying still, you didn''t understand?"


    Saying that Dr. Nelson knelt in front of her and applied the ice cubes which he had wrapped in a couple of tissue papers.


    "Ouch !!! It''s cold."


    "It''s ice Akira. It''s meant to be cold."


    Dr. Nelson replied in a distant tone with no hint of sarcasm and hearing which Akira snatched the icepack from his hand and started applying it herself.


    "At least it''s not as cold as you."


    He got irritated for a moment and looked all around helplessly in search of Raymond. He was his only savior because he was the only person in whose hands he could entrust Akira. And right now his absence was pinching him like anything.


    He looked at her struggling with the ice pack over and over again and when he just couldn''t bear it, he snatched it from her hands and ced it on her ankle.


    His hand was steady. His fingers didn''t even tremble once. A weird calmness and determination were spread on his face which Akira couldn''t understand. But she could understand only one thing - that she affected him. In what way, she had no idea, but somehow the woman inside her knew that something was going on inside his head.


    She was repulsed when Vikram kissed her, but she knew that he was affected even more.


    She wanted to know why. She wanted him to be honest with her feelings. But she knew that today was not the day to poke. Today was meant for only one thing - for Raymond toe back into the world, back from hiding behind the mask.


    So she took a deep breath and locked all the questions that she had in her mind inside her heart.


    "I feel much better now. Thanks. You can keep the pack down. Your hands must be freezing."


    Saying that she tried to pull her leg away, but she failed.


    "Jaby, your hands must be freezing. Just let it go."


    Saying that she finally managed to pull her leg away by exerting all the force that she could.


    "I am fine. Really, I am," and saying that she took away the ice pack from his hands and ced it on the carpet next to her.


    His hands looked all numb, so she immediately took his palm in her hands and yelled while rubbing them,


    "I told you not to hold it for too long. Now, look at what you have done. You are a surgeon Jaby. Your hands are your most valuable asset. Why do you keep risking them for me? First a cut and now this."


    "I am fine Akira. You are overdoing it."


    Saying that he withdrew his hands, but Akira could see the hint of moisture building up in his eyes.


    For a moment she had thought that she knew what he felt about her, but right now, she had no idea.


    Turning towards her Dr. Nelson said,

 Chapter 461: To Trust or not to Trus

    <h4>461 To Trust or not to Trus</h4>


    She wanted to ask a million questions. She wanted to find out what was going inside his head. She wanted to know what was wrecking his heart. But that look on his face stopped her from asking anything.


    "Jaby !!! Are you ok?"


    "Will you just promise me that much Akira?"


    He asked her again and this time he didn''t hold back his eyes. He was looking straight into her eyes. This time he was tapping to find out an answer.


    She could see that he was in pain and she just couldn''t let him endure it anymore.


    "I promise Jaby. I promise you that..."


    But before she could even finish her sentence, he pulled her close and hugged her tight as if his life depended on her.


    She found a strange confirm in the warmth of his chest. If felt like home. It felt like she could rest there forever. But before she could get morefortable, he got up and kissed her on her forehead exactly where Vikram had kissed before and said,


    "I will not let any pain touch you Akira. I will guard you with all my heart. I will remove any mark that hounds you."


    Saying that he rubbed his thumb over her forehead where he had kissed and said,


    "You are all that I got in this life and no one else can dare to touch you if you do not consent. It''s my promise to you. Now if you will excuse me, let me find Raymond. I need to make sure that he stays safe as well."


    Even though he didn''t want to leave her, he decided to go because he could see that Vikram wasing downstairs along with a man who clearly looked like his family doctor.


    Unable to understand what happened in thest few seconds, Akira sat there all stupefied. She knew that Jaby was always concerned for her, but today she could actually feel every ounce of it. But apart from concern, she could feel the depth of pain that was present in his heart.


    Taking a deep breath she turned around and saw Vikram almost approaching her and she just couldn''t stop cursing her fate.


    ------


    "Hello"


    "Hello, Raymond. Where are you right now?"


    "I am almost reaching my dad''s ce. Why? What happened doctor?"


    "Nothing much, but I guess it''s time that you shoulde back else your dad might suspect."


    Dr. Nelson replied while wiping away the sweat from his temple.


    "Don''t worry about that, I have handled it well."


    "I hope so too."


    "I got one waiter to spill some champagne all over me. And my dad being my dad, wanted to present me to the world, in nothing less than perfection. So for him, I have headed back to my ce to change my suit."


    "But then will you have enough time to get the suit?"


    "David has already taken care of. Ok, I will disconnect the call now. Have to go inside."


    "Is this girl really on our side?"


    He still hadn''t forgotten the cut that she had given him. That day he had realized how devilish she had be. Even though she had opened her heart in front of them, somehow he still couldn''t bring himself to trust her.


    -----


    Raymond entered his father''s house from the out-house side so that the guards wouldn''t know. When David had visited the house before, he had already employed the security camera jammers so that Raymond could enter safely sharp at 8:15 pm. He slowly tip-toed and reached the target room again.


    First, he tried to slowly pull the third-drawer out, but it was as usual locked. So, taking a deep breath, he searched the top drawers again.


    His frantic search ended in nothing. All disappointed he got up and started searching all around and suddenly he noticed that the picture of her mom which was earlier kept on the top desk was there no more. So instead of the key, he started searching for that picture. But that search was also not sessful. So getting all irritated, he banged his hands hard on that table.


    The impact was hard.


    And that caused the small flower vase on top of the table to topple over, revealing the key underneath.


    "Finally !!!"


    He eximed and grabbed the keys and rushed to open the drawer.


    The moment the key got aligned with the keyhole, he gave the knob a firm twist and opened the drawer.


    The very first thing that he saw was the same picture of her mother which he was searching for. He wanted to hold that picture tight to his chest but now was not the time. He had to act fast and get hold of the secret that his father had been hiding.


    After theirst encounter, somehow he felt that no matter how much his parents hated each other, there was something that was hidden to him, something that he wasn''t aware of. Seeing those drops of tears earlier, somehow his anger had melted and deep down he was searching for a reason to find out that his dad was not as bad as he had assumed him to be.


    But to his disappointment, there was nothing inside the drawer except a photo album and a folder.


    He immediately opened the folder and saw the will papers of his father and he started reading page after page.


    With every page that he read, his fists started tightening. His heart started turning all heavy and when he reached thest page, he just lost it.


    "This can''t be happening."


    "This can''t be happening."


    His hands reached for his phone and he immediately dialed a number.

 Chapter 462: That Will

    <h4>462 That Will</h4>


    "Nothing seems alright to me."


    "Why what happened? What did you see in there?"


    "My dad''s will."


    Dr. Nelson took a deep breath as he heard Raymond speak. Neither he knew his dad well nor he was aware of what he owned. But he was pretty sure of one thing that he was one hell of a rich guy, whose sole aim was to screw up with the life of his son. So getting all concerned he asked.


    "What''s written in there?"


    "Half of his will goes to a trust which is going to support people who are battling depression in their lives. The ''Life goes on'' foundation."


    "Oh, I know about that. We refer people battling with depression and who have suicidal tendencies to this organization."


    "My mom battled depression and took her own life."


    Saying that Raymond halted.


    Dr. Nelson heard his words but was unable to make any connection. For him, the dots were still scattered. He wanted to be more understandable for Raymond, but right now he was out of his wits. He could clearly hear a hint of pain and remorse in his tone but he couldn''t figure out what was triggering it. So finally after a few seconds of silence, he asked,


    "Why do you feel wronged about this part of the will?"


    "It''s because I always thought that my father was the reason my mom had to kill herself. I could never see a hint of regret in the eyes of that man. He used to nder his wealth and enjoy thepany of other women soon after my mom passed away. If he had no regrets then, why he has done all this now?"


    "Calm down Raymond. Calm down. Forget this will. Search for what you need to find. You need that missing fragment of memory."


    "There is nothing in this drawer except for this will and my family photo album."


    Dr. Nelson thought for a while and then said,


    "Get that photo album. No, wait... He will know about it if he finds it missing. Take pictures of all the photos with your phone. Then we can check them and reflect on it."


    "Ok. Then I will call youter."


    "Raymond wait. Where does the rest of his will go? I mean apart from the trust?"


    "The rest has been split into three equal parts. One part to me, one to my uncle Conrad and thest part to some person Mike."


    Saying that Raymond halted.


    "No way."


    "What happened? Who is this Mike?"


    Dr. Nelson asked.


    "It''s Mike Peyton."


    "Who is this Mike Payton now?" Dr. Nelson asked. His voice sounded almost irritated as every single word that wasing out of Raymond''s mouth sounded encrypted to him.


    "Mike is Akira''s bother. As in Akira Peyton."


    "That''s not possible !!! This man would trade anything to kill Akira. Why would he will his assets to her brother then?"


    Raymond thought for a while and then said,


    "Well I am not sure about that, but you better start taking pictures ande back as soon as possible. It''s high time to end all this high voltage drama. Let''s get back to normal life for once and for all."


    "So you mean to say you are already fed up with us?"


    Raymond said and chuckled.


    "No jokes Mr. No jokes right now. But still, we need to figure out who this Mike Peyton is."


    "Leave that to me and David. We will dig it up. Must be the illegitimate child of him with one of mistress. After all, there should be some oue of his unruly nights."


    Said Raymond while grinding his teeth under his own breath.


    "Calm down Raymond. Take the pictures ande back as soon as possible."


    "Yeah, I am doing that. Hope everything is ok with Akira."


    "Well, not everything."


    "What do you mean? What did Vikram do?"


    "Hold on ... Hold on ... Not Vikram. I deliberately made her fall on the dance floor so that she didn''t have to dance with Vikram. So in return, her ankle was twisted a bit. Just a bit, not much."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson went all silent waiting for a reply from Raymond but even after a few seconds of silence, there was no reply from him.


    "Well, now would be the time to say something Raymond. I am feeling so guilty about it. Do not pull me into that downward spiral of guilt any further."


    "To be honest I have no answer for you right now. I thought doctor''s aren''t supposed to hurt people."


    Saying that Raymond chuckled.


    "Good God. For a moment I thought you were going to pounce on me through this phone."


    "Just bear with us for this one night Dr. Nelson. Don''t let the wolvese near my girl. I aming back soon. Sebastian''s clock is ticking. It''s time for him to go behind the bars. He had enough of merrymaking. It''s now my time to take revenge. In a few minutes, I will hispany eat the dust. It will go all public. Let''s see what he can do about that. And let''s see how he can threaten to touch my girl, from the penitentiary."


    "I hope so too. I gotta go now. Vikram''s family doctor hase to check Akira''s sprain."


    "Make sure Vikram stays. He too needs to see as to what happens when you try to mess with me. Just give me 15 minutes and I will be there."


    Saying that Raymond disconnected the call and shifted his attention to the family photo album.


    He was partially dreading to open it because now that he was able to recognize his mother''s face, he was afraid to back down the memoryne. He wasn''t sure what all gates of pain that will open up.


    So taking a bit of courage, he opened up the album.


    .


    .

 Chapter 463: Time to PEE

    <h4>463 Time to PEE</h4>


    Akira ranted in one single breath as she was getting immensely irritated in the presence of Vikram and his family doctor, Dr. Neil.


    "Don''t listen to her Dr. Neil. Just check if everything is ok. We can leave now if an x-ray is required. Plus that person who put ice pack is just an acquaintance. God knows if he is even a doctor. Might be some quack, who knows?"


    Vikram muttered and his tone clearly reflected his anger towards Dr. Nelson, but the disrespect that he showed was a bit too much for Akira to bear. So she retorted,


    "To me, he seemed like a proper and well-learned doctor with a fair degree of knowledge of what he was doing. Dr. Nelson cannot be a quack."


    Vikram was shocked to see the way Akira was getting all protective about him, but more than him, Dr. Neil was surprised.


    "Dr. Nelson? You mean Dr. Jaby Nelson?"


    "Ermm... that I don''t know."


    "Well if that''s Dr. Jaby Nelson then he is one of the finest neurosurgeons of New York."


    Dr. Neil babbled as he tried to put mild pressure at multiple points of her ankle.


    Afraid of getting caught in her own ocean of lies, Akira said,


    "Well, I don''t know. We didn''t socialize much."


    "No worries Mr. Vikram, madam is all-right here. The immediate ice-pack application has helped to reduce the swelling a lot. It''s a minor sprain. She will live."


    Saying that he softly patted on his shoulders and left.


    "See I told you, it was nothing serious."


    Akira said and smiled at Vikram.


    "Well good for that guy, else would not have spared ...."


    And suddenly their conversation was interrupted by a call from Peter.


    Akira knew that Peter was never a good omen. So she immediately improvised.


    "So you are going to do all the office work here. I thought we could spend some time here. It feels so long that we connected with each other and had a normal conversation. How''s uncle?"


    "Well... he is doing a bit better now. Just fingers crossed."


    Vikram said and dodged the call from Peter. Then he put his phone on silent mode and ced it back in his pocket. Then he sat close to Akira and asked,


    "So what do you want to talk about? Tell me? Even I have so many things buried deep inside of my heart that I just want to let out in front of you."


    "Well, first of all, how did your conversation with all the big-shots go?"


    "Eh... nothing serious about all those things. And plus you only told me just now - no talking about work. Now, what is this, my love?"


    And before Akira could even reply, she got a text notification on her phone.


    "You need to go to pee in exactly 10 minutes."


    And her face suddenly brightened up like it was illuminated by a thousand stars.


    "What?"


    Akira asked absentmindedly.


    "Who was that text from?"


    "Ughh... Something rted to work. So let''s ignore it."


    But deep down somehow Vikram wasn''t convinced with her answer.


    "Didn''t look like an office work-text to me. Your face instantly beamed after seeing the text. What are you trying to hide from me Akira?"


    "Hiding? Good God !!! It was a work-rted joke. There is this new joiner who didn''t know that I was the owner of thepany and tried to hit on me. I think his peers informed him about it. He had sent an apology text."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah see..."


    Saying that Akira shed her phone screen in front of Vikram.


    There was a text message from an unsaved number.


    "I am sincerely sorry ma''am. I had no idea about your name. I will work twice as hard and prove that I am a good hire. Please do not fire me for this mistake. At least give me a chance to prove myself." ----- Rupert.


    "Now you believe me?"


    "Well I always believe you Akira, but you could have simply said so in the first ce."


    "So that you would have threatened to break his head."


    Saying that Akira giggled and continued.


    "So all happy with the party tonight?"


    "Oh yeah, totally. You know you are always lucky for me. If everything goes well, then I might get a spot as one of the trustee board members of one of thepanies that I always dreamt of."


    "Really?"


    "Yeah, I told them about my vision and they really like it. All that now I have to do is to provide the required funding."


    "What funding?"


    Akira asked acting up all innocent.


    "Well getting into this board is like getting into an elite club. Your membership isn''t free. To enjoy the perks and power you need to pay the membership fee. The same is the concept here. To be a board member, you need to ce a substantial amount as input to thepany funding. And as thepany grows, you grow and you enjoy the power."


    "I see. But didn''t you park most of your fundings into my new project? From where will you get the funds for this membership?"


    "Oh,e'' on Akira. You and I, both know how profitable this coboration will be. Plus your project isn''t starting for a year. So I guess we can figure something out. Just pull out that money and give it back to me. And in a few months, I will be able to invest twice the amount that I have invested now. So it''s a win-win for both ourpanies and our future."


    "Pull the money out?"


    "It''s not a fork in spaghetti that I will pull out. As I said, the contract is binding Vikram. The money can''t be pulled for a year."


    "It''s yourpany Akira. You can do anything with the contract. It can be considered void with just a signature of yours. Can''t you do this much for me?"


    Vikram asked.


    "I believe that as the CEO of thepany, I should think about the well being of thepany and it''s people."


    "But I am..."


    "I know you are my FRIEND. But I will never betray my principles for anyone. Let alone you."

 Chapter 464: Under maintainance

    <h4>464 Under maintainance</h4>


    Vikram asked getting all irritated.


    "I am just telling you about my boundaries Vikram. For you, I am ready to take a bullet. But this? This is totally uneptable."


    "But Akira, this is my only way to get into Walker Enterprises. And without your help, it''s not possible."


    "What has gotten into you Vikram? I always thought of you as the righteous one. The one who always inspired me. I always wanted to be sessful as you because I thought the pirs of your sess are built on the foundation of honesty. But today I am not even sure."


    "Akira stop it."


    "No, you stop it Vikram. You are getting on my nerves now. After all that had happened, I figured we can start fresh on a clean te. But looks like your ways were never going to change."


    "What are you trying to insinuate here Akira?"


    "What I am trying to tell you right now is that I am done being your puppet Vikram. Done with your wicked moves and your lies and your dramas. I am just done."


    "Careful Akira !!! Don''t walk. I think the pain has gotten into your head."


    "Huh... seriously? You will seriously push it all like that. Unbelievable."


    Saying that Akira stormed out in pain.


    Unable to believe that the whole episode was happening with him, Vikram held her hand back and said,


    "Forget my deal with Walker Enterprises. Let''s just let it go. You are far more important to me. Let''s just forget this conversation happened. Let''s go back home. Ok?"


    Saying that Vikram tried to pull her close, but in the very next instant, he felt someone''s hand gripping his arm.


    "I guess you know that she is injured. Pulling her like this isn''t the right thing to do."


    "Gosh, what now doctor? Haven''t you meddled enough? Can you let our personal matter be our personal matter?"


    Saying that Vikram gave out a disgusting look to Dr. Nelson who was blocking him.


    "Let me go Vikram. I need to use the washroom."


    But Vikram didn''t loosen up his grip even by a millimeter. Seeing that Dr. Nelson said,


    "I am a nobody to interfere in your personal matter but I think it''s better that you let thedy go. Don''t try to create a scene here. Might have a bad impact on your so-called reputation you know."


    Getting all annoyed, Vikram let go of her hand, but he turned his intense gaze towards Dr. Nelson and asked,


    "Who the hell are you?"


    "A doctor who is simply concerned about his patient."


    Saying that he turned back and looked in the direction of Akira who was rushing towards the washroom.


    -----


    Her heart was beating fast as she rushed towards the washroom.


    She went near the women''s room and looked around, but he was nowhere to be found. She thought of getting inside the washroom but she saw the sign - "Under Maintainance" and refrained from getting inside.


    Getting all upset she picked up her phone to give him a call. But before she could dial his number, she got another text message.


    "Turn around."


    And without even wasting a second she turned back.


    He was there.


    Standing all tall in front of her. His face hidden under the shadow of an oversized hat, but still, she knew it was him. His silhouette was enough for her to know that it was him.


    She smiled looking at him and said,


    "Where were you all this time?"


    And saying that she tried toe close to him.


    Before she could even take a step further, he came forward and with one swift move with his right hand and wrapped it like a climber around her waist.


    "Let''s ease out that pain of yours."


    Saying that he lifted her in his arms and then went inside the women''s washroom.


    "Hey, hey ..... It''s under maintenance."


    Heughed under his breath because he had already made sure with the help of his signboard that no one was inside the washroom.


    "That''s the whole point."


    He said and marched inside.


    After entering the washroom, he ced her on top of the sink-b carefully and then knelt down.


    "What are you doing?"


    He silently removed the strap of her heels and held her injured ankle in his hands with the utmost care.


    "Ah, so the doctor ratted on me."


    Raymondughed hearing her usatory tone and said,


    "Well, he is an honest man. Couldn''t lie even a bit to me," and saying that he softly ced his lips on her ankle and he mumbled,


    "I am sorry."


    "But why do I sense that you are hiding something from me, Raymond?"


    "What are you saying?"


    She bent down and held his face in between her palms and said,


    "Look, if any part of you doesn''t want this, if any part of you wants to just live the way we are right now, then just say the word. I will walk away right now."


    "You are not walking away anywhere without me. Do you understand that? There is no I anymore. It''s just us Akira. Just us."


    Saying that he got up and immersed his lips with hers.


    His kiss was urgent, hungry and deep one, rendering her all moist and as he detached from her, he could see her chest rising in harmony along with the paced beats of her heart.


    It took her a moment to gather herself and when she did, she looked at him and said,


    "That was rushed."


    "Well, you can''t expect a man to keep calm when you wear a dress like this."

 Chapter 465: End of miseries

    <h4>465 End of miseries</h4>


    And like a reflex, her palm immediatelynded on his hands.


    "What is going on Raymond? Avoiding it isn''t going to help you in any way."


    "Erm... there is nothing. Erm... a small thing actually," Raymond said while trying to graze his thumb on her thigh.


    "What is it?"


    She whispered into his ears, resting her head on his shoulders. She knew that Raymond hated his own father, but going against own blood and that too to the level of putting him behind the bars was something else. It could break anyone.


    "Nothing serious. I mean I just wanted to know if in any way you guys knew my parents? Or maybe your parents knew mine? Any connection between our families?"


    "How on earth is that even possible?"


    Akira replied instantaneously.


    "Just a random thought in my head."


    "Can''t be a random thought, Raymond. Tell me what is bothering you."


    "Hm... It''s my dad''s will."


    ''What about it?"


    "Approx seventeen percent of my father''s assets are going to a person called Mike Peyton."


    "Mike Peyton? As in my brother Mike Peyton?"


    "Well, yeah !!!"


    "Raymond !!! Just clear your head out. It''s not possible at all. Can''t be my Mike. He won''t even know how your dad looks like."


    "Yeah, that''s what I thought. But just that the whole thing troubled me a bit so just wanted to get everything cleared up. I didn''t want to assume or keep anything inside my head."


    "That''s good. But now tell me where were you. I was looking all around for you. And by the way, breaking news - Vikram is devastated knowing that all his money is blocked for a year. He was aiming for a chair in your dad''spany."


    "Well, he definitely dreams big. Doesn''t he?"


    Saying that Raymond softly kissed the tip of her nose. And then said,


    "Sorry that you had to bear him for so long. It all ends today. The scoutingpany people, whom my dad had employed to be behind our back 24X7, have been already pulled out."


    "For real?"


    "Yup, because I signed the agreement given by him. So now he thinks I will be taking the entire control of hispany. Plus Vikram has already told literally everyone that you guys are getting together. And my dad believes that you are already over me. So this is the right time to take back everything into our control."


    "You think so?"


    "I know so baby."


    "So what are you going to do?"


    "Just wait for the drama to unfold."


    "Ok, then I should run back. I have already pissed Vikram to his core."


    "Well tell him, the worst is yet toe."


    "Looks like you are wearing something ck today."


    She bit her lips as his words echoed inside her head. His hot breath tantalized her skin in an instant. But that fiery girl was not going to melt so soon.


    So she held his cor and pulled his face closer to hers and said,


    "Come home tonight. You might find me wearing ''nothing''."


    "I kinda like the whole sound of it."


    Saying that he softly bit her ears and then said,


    "Tonight !!!"


    Akira closed her eyes and inhaled that musky smell of his. There was whole impending chaos, waiting to happen in a few seconds, just outside the doors, but right now all that she could think of was him.


    Shaking her head a few secondster, as she opened her eyes, she found him gone.


    So taking a deep breath she muttered,


    "Please give him strength God !!!"


    And saying that she came outside the washroom and saw Dr. Nelson waiting outside for her.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Waiting to escort someone whom I injured."


    "You don''t have to do all this Jaby."


    "I know, I don''t. God, sometimes I even curse myself for attending that seminar in the first ce. But that''s how it is Akira."


    His words somehow pinched a part of her heart. She knew that he had to go through a lot because of her, but she never expected that he would consider it equivalent to a curse.


    "I know that I have alreadyplicated your life. I made you break so many rules, which you probably wouldn''t have. Even your life was at risk because of me."


    Saying that she took a deep breath and said,


    "But as you know, it all will end today. You can go back to your normal life like it was before. Like I never existed. I would love to be friends with you even after today, but if you don''t want to then I willpletely understand Jaby. You have already done more than enough."


    Saying that she tried to look into his eyes, which she had been avoiding.


    "I came here because Raymond had texted me."


    He said with a blunt expression on his face and then extended his arm for her to hold as she strapped on her heels.


    Once she was done, she looked at him and said,


    "No matter how rude you act or behave, I know that deep down you are concerned about me. And probably you are just acting all mean so that it doesn''t weird me out when we part our ways."


    Saying that she walked along with him, holding onto his arm.


    All that he could do was to take a deep breath and count his blessings. He knew that he had to part ways with her because he had started to realize that she had open the flood gates, which he had been gating up for so long.

 Chapter 466: And he enters ...

    <h4>466 And he enters ...</h4>


    And he understood that it was time.


    Time for the man of the hour to be introduced to everyone.


    Time for the enemies to bite the dust and the loved ones to cherish the moment.


    So looking at Akira, Jaby gave out a smile and said,


    "This is the moment that we all have been waiting for !!!"


    Even though she had this moment imagined inside her head, a thousand times over and over, somehow in just a second, her heartbeat paced up. Even though she had been with Raymond for thest couple of weeks, it was not the same as before. It was always in hiding, always with fear at the back of their heads.


    So when she saw Sebastian taking that mic into his hands, a smile spread on her face instantly, as all her miseries were going to end, for once and for all.


    "Ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I want to thank and each and every one of you for attending this party on such short notice. It means a lot to me because this party is a bit personal. There is something that I would like to announce to you all, and I am d that you all could be a part of it."


    Saying that Sebastian took a deep breath and then took out his reading sses to put them on.


    Taking a paper out from the file which was held by David, he looked at all his stakeholders, trustees and friends and spoke,


    "Last year had been traumatizing for me. I lost my sonst year, a part of heart, a part which I thought would take my heritage ahead."


    "Good God !!! This man can act."


    Dr. Nelson muttered under his breath and Akira couldn''t stop smiling. Her eyes were constantly scanning the entire ce, waiting for Raymond''s dramatic entry, but as she scanned the hall, she saw Vikram standing in a corner, going through a file, standing next to Peter.


    But that didn''t bother her, because she knew that coteral damage had already been done. No matter what Peter tried, he could never save Vikram from the impending mysteries.


    Getting all antsy she started biting her nails and seeing her doing that, Dr. Nelson smiled for a moment and then asked,


    "Do you want me to hold your hand?"


    "What?"


    But before she could understand, Dr. Nelson had interlocked his palm with hers and gave a gentle squish and said,


    "It is real and it is happening."


    Akira smiled back and turned her focus to the man that she hated the most.


    "So for a moment, I felt that my legacy is going to end. For a moment I felt that I should leave all this behind and seek sce somewhere in some remote corner of the world. I think many of you would have heard the rumor that mypany was going public. My stocks went down and whatnot."


    As soon as he finished the sentence, there was dead silence in the room at first and then sudden apuse. Half the crowd was happy as they were going to be benefited as board members of the trust to which thepany would go to.


    "But as you know, I built this empire with my own sweat and blood. So giving it away to a trust? - Not happening in this life people. I am sorry to disappoint you."


    Sebastian said and a wicked smile spread on his face seeing the pale faces of people who were stunned to hear his announcement.


    "Then to whom is this legacy passing to Mr. Sebastian?"


    A reporter asked.


    "Of course to my own sweat and blood."


    "To your daughter? We never knew that she was into business." - Another reporter added.


    Vikram was half stunned and asked Peter,


    "Get all the information about Katherine. How can this happen? She is busy opening her own hospital right now. Did this father-daughter duo try to trick me? and where is Akira? Her phone is unreachable and I can''t see here anywhere."


    "Let''s wait for the announcement to over and we can find her."


    Peter replied with a hint of remorse in his tone as he couldn''t understand how after everything that had happened, his boss was still looking out for her.


    Meanwhile, Sebastian took a brief pause and said,


    "Not to my daughter. She is kind of pretty busy with her own life to handle all this."


    Hearing that, the whole crowd started whispering and talking. People started specting about the presence of an illegitimate child, given his reputation.


    But without letting the people have any second thoughts he said,


    "My empire goes to the one and only son of mine, the one who defied death and the one who will always stand tall with the test of time - (pause) Raymond Walker."


    The air just froze in the main hall.


    People couldn''t speak or blink.


    All that they could do was to watch a handsome figure walking down the staircase with all the poise and attitude in the world, looking all dapper in his custom made suit.


    As he climbed down the stairs, he adjusted his cufflink and scanned the room for that once face, which beamed as he saw her and then without even looking at anyone else he descended the stairs to stand next to his dad.


    The cameras didn''t stop clicking.


    People couldn''t recover from the shock.


    But amidst all this hurricane, there was one man in that room who stood speechless, glued to the floor, unable to believe the catastrophe that has happened.


    "This can''t be happening."

 Chapter 467: Pin drop silence

    <h4>467 Pin drop silence</h4>


    Obituaries after obituaries were published when he was considered as dead by the world and right he was standing in front of everyone in all flesh and blood.


    It was nothing less than a miracle for the onlookers.


    That man had reallye back from the dead.


    They started asking questions after questions for this was going to be a piece of news that was probably going to break the inte in seconds.


    "Are you the real Raymond Walker?"


    "How did you survive the fall?"


    "Where were you till now? In hiding?"


    "Are you sure you are not a faker, trying to take up the ce of Raymond Walker?"


    "Did you get back here today?"


    "How could the search team not find you?"


    "What is the reason for such a dyedeback?"


    Narrowing his eyes, Raymond tried to look at the faces of all the reporters whose camera had been clicking non-stop and then he looked towards his left most side and found a man shaking his head vehemently like he was in a denial.


    His reaction was something that his eyes wanted to see for all these days.


    A victorious smile waved on his face but wiping it all away, he went ahead and stood next to his father who seemed more pleased than him. His father definitely knew how to create a dramatic entrance.


    "Welldies and gentlemen, to answer all your questions in one single shot reply, I am just going to say this - He is my son. No one can dupe a father. And he wasn''t hiding from anyone. He is a Walker. We walk out in the open and we prey."


    Saying that Sebastian gave out a wicked smile to everyone and then continued.


    "Now enough of me talking. I would like my heir to do all the talking now."


    Saying that he took a couple of steps back, handing over the mic to Raymond.


    The moment he held the mic, again the flood of questions started rushing in. The reporters were getting all restless.


    But he, he didn''t flinch a bit.


    With a slight but definite smile on his lips, he said,


    "Well, never in my life I imagined that I could be a center of so much attention. But now that I am, I want to thank you all for pouring in all your concerns."


    "But Mr. Raymond we need the answers."


    Hearing those antsy voices, Raymond slowly raised his hand, his palm facing the audience. And suddenly there was a pin drop silence. Not just the father, even the son knew how to handle the crowd.


    Even though Akira had met him just seconds before, he looked different, he sounded different. She had never seen such an aggressive and definite version of him. He looked maic and his charm waspletely out of the world.


    "Is he your Raymond?"


    Even Dr. Nelson asked looking all surprised with the change in the demeanor on Raymond in a split of a second.


    "He seems¡­." And her voice trailed off.


    "But good different right?"


    Akira asked, but to which Dr. Nelson didn''t prefer to reply and just tightened his grip around her hand andforted her with his eyes.


    And then they could hear his voice echoing in the room.


    "I was not hiding from anyone. I was just trying to wait for the right moment toe back because I know that it''s basicmon sense to hit the iron when it is hot."


    Saying that he smiled deviously and looked towards a disheveled version of Vikram.


    "So how did you survive the fall?"


    "It was not a fall."


    Saying that Raymond went silent.


    "You mean to say, someone tried to kill you?"


    "You reporters have a knack of pulling X out of Y, don''t you?" Saying that Raymond gave out a soft chuckle and said,


    "But yes that''s the truth. There was an attempt on my life but because of someone, I survived. I didn''t slip and all. Instead, I was made to fall so that I could stand back all tall in front of you guys again. There were a generous hand and a multitude of prayers that enabled me toe back again."


    Hearing his son speaking highly about him, brought in immense please to Sebastian. It had been a long wait for him. After all these years finally, his son had spoken something nice about him and that too in front of a crowd. Sudden moisture started appearing in the corners of his eyes. Unable to believe what he was hearing, he came forward and tapped on his back and said,


    "That''s enough my son."


    "I am not even one percent done, Mr. Sebastian Walker."


    And suddenly with that once sentence of his, he distanced Sebastian miles and miles apart. Suddenly the warmth that Sebastian had felt as a father disappeared and he could see that in front of him was standing his own son.


    How could he forget that being ''UNFORGIVING'' ran in their blood?


    Raymond turned his attention back to the crowd and then looked at David, who immediately came up and handed him a file while looking all apologetically at Mr. Sebastian.


    "As in from this moment, I will the sole owner of Walker enterprises and all its sub-holdings."


    Then taking out a paper from the file and showing that to everyone, Raymond said,


    "And as of now, I am dismissing the existing trust body of thispany and a new trust body wille into picture starting from now. All the existing board members are taking voluntary retirement and we will be forming a new Governing Body starting tomorrow."


    Sudden shock and fear gripped all the board members who were part of the party and they was a vehement opposition that started spiraling its form.


    To which Raymond replied.


    "A message to all the board members. Please help to check your inbox, before voicing any concerns in public. Any form of snarly remark will be pped with a defamation case. So chose your actions wisely."


    And then there was Pin Drop silence again.

 Chapter 468: Lost it all

    <h4>468 Lost it all</h4>


    Both Raymond and David had very meticulously tracked down each and every board member and dug up all the dirt that they could so that it can be used as leverage against them. He did so to dismantle the existing lead directory of thepany so that they couldn''t oppose his decision when he would decide to go public.


    And all the events were happening just as he had expected.


    But everything buting as a shock for Sebastian. He took a step forward and asked in a hushed tone,


    "What is all this Raymond. I thought we had a deal about you taking ownership of thepany. That''s it. Why are you tearing down the baseline of my empire?"


    "I would like to call these as additional benefits father."


    Then turning towards everyone, before anyone could utter anything he said,


    "And starting from tomorrow, Walker Enterprises is going Public. I have relinquished the entire control of thepany to the new governing body. All the holding assets shall be dissolved and ten percent of the profit will go to all the governing bodies and the rest ny percent will be merged back to the parent trust board."


    "Mr. Raymond¡­. "


    "Mr. Raymond. The wholepany will be dead in a second. Why are you doing this?"


    And true to the spections of people, the stock prices of Walker Enterprises started plummeting down as the news of Walker enterprises going public was online in seconds.


    Unable to see the future of hispany, getting ruined like that, Sebastian went ahead and took the file from Raymond''s hand and quickly skimmed through the papers.


    It was only then that he realized that his son was hell-bent on destroying himpletely. Even in the wildest of his dreams, he didn''t imagine that Raymond would do such a thing. All broken and disappointed, he looked at David, the man whom he trusted, but he hung his head low and didn''t even look at him.


    Then it started to dawn into him.


    David was never his man, to begin with. His loyalties always stayed with Raymond. For the first time in his life, he did a mistake, his instincts had gone for a toss. Unable to bear anything anymore, he turned back, wanting to leave as soon as possible. But his march halted as he heard,


    "Can you just wait for a moment, dad?"


    "You see, I am not done here."


    Saying that Raymond shed a wide smile at his father and then said,


    "But that is not the entire reason, why I have decided toe here in front of you."


    Saying that Raymond paused and looked at his father again.


    His eyes were trickling with rage and fire of revenge. Sebastian couldn''t even imagine what instigated him to this extent.


    Sebastian screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Drinking up that insult, Raymond turned and said,


    "You should not have said that."


    "You of all the people, should not have said that."


    And saying that Raymond took out another paper from the file and said,


    "Attention pleasedies and gentlemen. You have heard many breaking statements and probably you hope to see them as the headline in tomorrow''s post. But please hold that thought because the breaking news is yet toe.


    Then pausing for a second, Raymond looked at Akira for a moment and then said,


    "I, Raymond Walker here solemnly dere that Sebastian Walker isn''t my real father. We are not rted by blood."


    Period.


    As if all the shock before wasn''t enough.


    As if all the damage he had done wasn''t enough.


    The media went into frenzy catapulting questions after question to Sebastian and Raymond. But Sebastian wasn''t able to hear anything. The only thing that was reverberating in his ears was Raymond''s words.


    The secret that had been buried deep in his heart for all these years hade out in the open, only to mock and bite him back. The son, who even though was not his real progeny, was all that he counted throughout his life. Every single action of his, every single thought of his was for the well being of Raymond. But today, that same son, for whom he could stake his life, had reduced him to a joke.


    But most importantly, he wanted to know, as to how he hade to know about it.


    Unable to feel his legs, Sebastian was about to slump to the ground when he could hear the sirens wailing outside the hall and before he could try to infer what was happening, two officers came inside and showed Sebastian a warrant and cuffed him up.


    "What is all this for?"


    "Mr. Sebastian, threatening people and making an attempt to kill someone is also a punishable offense in our country. So I would now advise staying quiet as whatever you are going to say can be used against you. You can inform yourwyer and we can settle it outter."


    "Is that the only offense that you have against me? An attempt? And for that, you are publically humiliating me? This will not go well with your career officer."


    Sebastian hissed as the officer cuffed him.


    "Well seeing the way things are, I think, you need to worry about your career more than me."


    Saying that the officer, dragged Sebastian out of the hall and while he did, he whispered into his ears.


    "The list of your sins is extremely high. Just that we do not want to disclose in public. Your son had asked us to keep it discreet."


    "Discreet !!!"


    Sebastian muttered under his breath and turned back once to look at the demon that his son had be. His chest was heavy and there was an indefinite amount of pain that bore through his chest. But he saw Raymond standing there all unperturbed, all unapologetic.


    He realized, he had lost it all.


    First Rose and now Raymond.

 Chapter 469: Fox News

    <h4>469 Fox News</h4>


    "Why are putting him behind bars?"


    "Is that a way for you to take away all his assets?"


    The crowd went into a frenzy, unable to handle the whole episode.


    But Vikram went into panic mode. He had no idea that Raymond could be this ruthless. He had no idea that he would be unforgiving to this extent that he wouldn''t hesitate to run over his own father.


    He looked at Peter and found the same dread, swarming in his eyes as well and at that very moment, they both realized that it was time for them to flee. He could sense that he had been duped. He could sense that he was already trapped in his web, which was intricately woven by the one woman, who meant everything to him.


    The feeling of betrayal and fear surrounded him and getting worried about his own future, Vikram fled the main hall along with Peter.


    But as he left the hall he could see Akira standing hand in hand along with Dr. Nelson and as he crossed the door, he could sense nothing but a smile of victory and mockery spread all over her face.


    And from the way he looked at her, Akira knew that Vikram was going toe back to take a bite. He was not one of those people who could sit all quiet after being rattled to this extent, but she was assured of the capabilities and nning of Raymond,


    She knew that he would take care of Vikram as well, just that today was not the day for him to go behind the bars.


    -----


    The news of hiseback has spread like wildfire.


    Raymond knew that hiseback will throw many people away, but he knew that there was one family that would be affected the most. Her sister Katherine''s. So before his sister could hear the news from the media, he had nned to tell all about it to her.


    He had requested David, to record a small video of him at the main hall and he got his old mobile number activated and using that old number, David sent a text to Katherine''s phone number.


    -----


    It was 8:45 pm in the night, but Katherine was still busy handling some of the quotations for medical equipment for her hospital. Sitting just next to her, Shawn was helping Kate to finish her Geography project. They were the perfect example of a happy family.


    Just when she was about to get up to get some water, her phone buzzed with a new WhatsApp message. But she decided to ignore it and went ahead to get some water. A few secondster there was another message. Thinking that it would be something important, Shawn just decided to check the notification bar on her phone.


    But the moment he did, he got the shock of his life.


    "What happened Shawn?"


    Kate asked all curiously as she saw him staring out at the phone as if some cmity had happened.


    "Whose message is it?"


    But she didn''t get a reply from him.


    ''I wanted you to know that I am all fine before the world would tell you so.'' - Ray


    "Mum, dad is checking on your messages."


    Kate screamed to inform Katherine as she had herself been reprimanded a couple of days back for sneaking into Katherine''s phone.


    Hearing Kate''s shrill voice, Katherine came back rushing to the living room and saw a stupified version of Shawn, looking at her mobile phone.


    "Shwan you are supposed to practice what you preach. What kind of example are ...."


    But cutting her sentence mid-way, Shawn said,


    "He is alive."


    "Who is alive? What are you talking about?"


    "I am talking about Ray. He is alive."


    Katherine heard him and stood there all still for a moment.


    "Uncle Ray is alive? Are you telling the truth dad? Are you serious?"


    "Tell me Shawn, this is not a joke. Tell me that this is not a dream. I swear to God I will never forgive you if this is your idea of a joke."


    Katherine asked while she tried to fight against her own tears.


    Shawn came forward and hugged her and kate tightly and said,


    "Miracles do happen and this is one of them and then he showed the video to both of them."


    Unable to believe it, Katherine started ying that video, again and again, trying to figure out if it was any prank by someone.


    When David didn''t get any reply for a while, he sensed that either the family went in shock or denial. So he sent another message,


    ''If you still don''t believe me then check the media. You will know I am telling you the truth.'' - Ray


    The moment the new message popped, Katherine''s hands started shaking.


    Shawn immediately rushed to switch on the television and switched to Fox News.


    BREAKING NEWS


    ''Raymond Walker returns - In flesh and blood''


    ''In the recent turn of events, Raymond Walker, the newly appointed heir of Walker Enterprises has shocked the entire world. The one who was considered dead a year and a half back has stunned the whole world as he waltzed into the press conference held by his father.''


    ''But that was not the only shock that he brought in along with him. He decided to triple the effect as if hiseback wasn''t enough. Seconds after getting the throne, he has decided to make thepany go public and to top it up he has disclosed that he is not the biological son of Mr. Sebastian Walker.''


    ''Spitting on the te that gave him food, Mr. Raymond has decided to put his own father behind the bars for reasons that are currently not public. But stay tuned for more updates as we try to find out the reason behind this whole family drama.''

 Chapter 470: His company, her company

    <h4>470 Hispany, herpany</h4>


    She couldn''t understand why he didn''t contact her if she was ok.


    She couldn''t understand why he had be so vengeful.


    But all that didn''t matter for her as of now. The only thing that mattered to her was that her brother was alive and that he was back.


    "Tell me mom, is uncle alive? Why did you all lie to me? Why?"


    Saying that Kate started shaking Katherine, but looking at the way how stunned her mom was, she started looking up at Shawn.


    "Tell me Shawn !!!"


    "Even we don''t know my sweetheart. But we will figure it out."


    "Shawn, can you call him? Can I talk with him?"


    Shawn looked down at Katherine and ced his arm over her shoulder tofort her and then said,


    "Yes, we will call him."


    Saying that Shawn took Katherine''s phone and pressed the call button.


    ''One ring....''


    ''Two rings ....''


    .


    .


    No answer ....


    And then it went to the machine.


    When he shifted his attention from the phone, he could see both Katherine and Kate looking all glum.


    "Hey don''t worry. I am going to try again."


    Saying that Shawn dialed the number again.


    ''One ring....''


    ''Two rings ....''


    .


    .


    No answer ....


    And again it went to the machine.


    -----


    And just when Raymond turned back to get down from the mini-podium, the restless reporters started asking again.


    "Mr. Raymond, what is your n for the future?"


    "Mr. Raymond, will you be a part of the governing body of Walker enterprises?"


    To which very patiently Raymond replied,


    "It''s been a long time because of some external forces that I have been able to spend any time with my loved ones, so my first priority is to spend some time with my family."


    "What about work Mr. Raymond?"


    "Well, I have my ownpany to go back to if you guys remember."


    "But Delphie is now one of the biggest gamingpanies and is being led by Miss. Akira. Do you think she will relinquish the control back to you? I mean she has worked a lot to expand it to this level."


    Akira''s mouth was opened in astonishment to hear the level of audacity that these reporters possessed.


    "Can you believe them? It''s hispany, to begin with. I was just taking care of it. do I look that greedy to them?"


    Akira muttered.


    But before she would resent any further, Raymond replied.


    "I would really appreciate it if you guys didn''t nder the name of someone who has been selflessly taking care of mypany like her own. And for your kind information, it is ourpany. Akira Peyton is my fiance."


    "When did you guys get engaged? Was it before or after that incident."


    With a smile of his face, Raymond replied,


    "Does that even matter?"


    And then he looked at Akira again, who was clearly still reeling under the shock. She never expected a public promation. And here he was, proiming her to be his, in front of the whole world. For a moment it felt weird but in the next, she was filled with a sudden surge of happiness.


    As she moved ahead and took a step, she felt the tight grip of Nelson''s hand, still holding her palm. But she was too upied to even understand what the grip meant. She just turned back and smiled at him and let go of her hand. It was time for her to stand next to the man whom she loved more than anything else in the whole world.


    She steered through the crowd and went ahead.


    With every step that she took, Dr. Nelson felt like he was getting dumped deeper and deeper into the grounds of nothingness. A part of him was happy, extremely happy to see that she was finally going to have the moment of happiness that she deserved all along. But deep down a part of his died, as she left his hand. A part that was still trying to find his Alita in her, a part that wanted to understand love all over again.


    But being a righteous man, he knew that he had to kill that part of his heart as soon as he could.


    As she stepped closer and closer to the podium, the crowd started parting, giving her the way to reach him and as she did, he extended his hand for her to hold.


    She held his hand and took a step up on the podium and when she did, she exposed her slender long legs through her thigh-high slit. The poor man in front of her could do nothing but his blessings silently as he made a mental note to not allow her to wear such dresses anymore. He couldn''t let anyone else enjoy that view. It was his, all his to begin with.


    He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled at her to ease her in front of the crowd as the shutterbugs couldn''t stop taking pictures of the power couple standing in front of them.


    All nervous, she looked at him and said,


    "Do I look ok?"


    He gave out a side smile and said softly,


    "When did you ever look bad?"


    She narrowed her eyes at his yful reply and all that he could do was to take a deep breath.


    "No more hiding !!!"


    Her heart just beamed to hear that. She took a second just to absorb it and then said,


    "But I loved that tango with you."


    Hearing that, hepletely turned towards her and he could see nothing but desire burning in her eyes. That fire was consuming her and the moment he looked at her, it started consuming him as well. That heat was capturing them slowly, making them want each other like never before.


    So he slowly bent down and whispered into her ears.


    "You will have even better things to remember me by."


    ---------


    [Author here -?I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 471: Who is the father?

    <h4>471 Who is the father?</h4>


    She lowered her eyes and fiddled with her shoes and see her curling up like a touch me not, brought a pleasant smile on his face, assuring him that this whole jaunt had been worth it.


    Slowly his hand moved from her waist and rested on the small of her back, making her ache for him even more. She looked up at him and saw himpletely unmindful of the presence of people around him. She could see that his entire focus was undivided and targetted only towards her. His eyes reflected some wishful thinking, running at the back of his head and that made her whisper,


    "Raymond please."


    Hearing which, Raymond immediately turned his attention towards the crowd and said,


    "Now if you would excuse me and my fiance, we would like to spend some time with each other and prepare ourselves for a better tomorrow."


    "Wait wait Mr. Raymond."


    "Ma''am, were you aware that Mr. Raymond was alive?"


    "Were those tears fake when you took over hispany?"


    "Were all those decisions taking Delphie to great heights were taken by Mr. Raymond in the background?"


    Akira was shocked to hear the litany of nonsense that these people were blurting out, without even thinking for a moment that how brash and how insulting they were, but someone was angered to the core after hearing those bullshit usations.


    He was almost ready to leave the stage but hearing such nasty questions thrown at Akira, he just couldn''t control his anger and he said,


    "Let me answer this question on her behalf as she has been dealing with all my crap for thest couple of years."


    "I was not conscious and I had no cognition. She had no idea that I was alive, but she never lost hope. She continued to take care of mypany because it was my dream and she wanted to continue my legacy. She did it all on her own with the help of the members of mypany and especially with the help of this man."


    And saying that Raymond directed his hands towards David and continued,


    "So please stop spinning such stories without even knowing about the reality. My PR department will soon release myplete statement. So please wait for it, before throwing such below the belt questions at anyone."


    Saying that he looked at Akira with warmth filled in his eyes and then said,


    "That would be all from our side."


    Saying that they both left the main-hall, without even caring for the frenzy that they had created.


    As their silhouettes left the main hall, one man stood there calmly for a while and then walked towards the bar counter. It was time for him to chug his sorrows.


    .


    .


    "Are you ok?"


    Raymond asked, seeing her sitting all silently in the car.


    "Yeah, I am."


    "Where are we going?"


    She asked, looking at Raymond.


    "To make some serious level amends."


    And saying that he showed his phone, using which David had texted Katherine. There were 13 missed-calls and numerous text messages.


    He had not read the text messages, but he was pretty sure that if he read them, then he would probably lose the guts to go and face his family. So he let them all unread and continued to pace up his car.


    But more than him, Akira was scared to meet Katherine, because she was not sure as to how to own up to the lies that she had spun.


    "How am I gonna face her?"


    "Just like I am going to do right now."


    Raymond replied with a smile.


    "But you are her brother. She will forgive you. But what about me. I sat like a stone when she cried for you. She might think I am an emotionless, dead ...."


    "Shhh.... "


    Saying that Raymond ced his index finger on her lips, which was earlier resting on the steering wheel and said,


    "No more feeling guilty. No more lies. No more of anything that is going to eat us from the inside Akira. Let''s face the world as is."


    And saying that he moved his hand and rested it on her thighs lightly like he was assuring her with all the warmth and positivity that he could.


    Then pausing for a moment Akira asked,


    "Are you really going to relinquish all control from Walker Enterprises? I mean, I do understand that it is your father''spany, but he built it with his own sweat and blood. Is it really right to make it go public?"


    "Well, I do not care about the sweat and blood of a man, who pretended to be my father for all these years. I don''t even know who my dad is. I don''t even know why my mother had to put up this man when she clearly was in love with someone else."


    "What are you saying, Raymond?"


    "I am telling you the truth Akira and I need to know if Katherine knew about it as well. Some of my memories are very faint and I don''t even remember most of them. It''s like a timeline that''s deleted for some years in the middle and I have no idea what happened in between."


    "You lost those memories after the fall?"


    "No, not after the fall. Most of them were not present even before the fall. Do you remember I told you about my uncle once, about that thanksgiving dinner?"


    "Your uncle Conrad right?"


    "Yes him...."


    Saying that Raymond took a brief pause and then said,


    "My mom was in love with him and not my dad. She was married to this monster, but her heart was with that man. I could recollect some old memories when I saw my family album. The only happy memories that I have with my mother always involve him and not my dad."


    "So by any means, is he your....."


    "Conrad !!! I wish he was my father too. But that''s just not possible."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 472: Crying like a baby

    <h4>472 Crying like a baby</h4>


    "Yup, I am pretty sure that''s not possible."


    "Why so?"


    Akira asked with all the curiosity of her mind reflecting through her eyes.


    "That''s because he was doing his time in state penitentiary when I was born. So technically it''s not possible. I so wish he was my dad. I just have a few shes of memory, and I could see that my mom was happy with him."


    "He could have been just a good friend of your mom, Raymond."


    Raymond heard her silently and then unlocked his phone to show some pictures to Akira.


    They were pictures of hand-written lines written on the back of photographs.


    ''I wish you were here today Conrad. You should have seen the first steps of my son.''


    Then Raymond swiped left and showed a picture of two women. Then pointing at the picture of one of them, he said,


    "That''s my beautiful mom."


    "And who is thisdy?"


    "This is Conrad''s girlfriend. Now you know the reason why I am pretty sure that Conrad wasn''t my father?"


    Akira looked at the picture for some time and she could see that Rose was almost seven months pregnant in that picture. She immediately swiped left again and saw the picture of the note behind that photograph.


    ''I met your fiance today. It seems she is having second thoughts. I just pray to God that somehow you clear your name ande back as soon as possible.''


    Akira looked at the note again and then looking at Raymond she said,


    "So your mom had been writing all these notes for Conrad. But why? If Conrad had a fiance then did he ever get married? But if Conrad isn''t your dad, then why did you say that Sebastian wasn''t your father? What made you do all this?"


    Taking a deep breath, Raymond kept swiping left, till he reached one particr note.


    ''I saw him looking at my son like he was his own blood and sweat. Sometimes it scares me so much. I never knew he had this side of him. I am thankful, yet every single day I feel more and more obliged. The debt is mounting on my head.''


    "What does this even mean?"


    "Even I have no idea, but one thing is clear. Sebastian isn''t my dad and I am really thankful to God about it."


    "Then who is your father Raymond?"


    "That is something that we will worry about tomorrow."


    Saying that Raymond switched off the disy of his phone and took it away from Akira''s hands, safely putting it back in his jacket. Then, taking a deep breath, he looked out for a moment and then looking back at Akira he said,


    "Right now, at this very moment, I really don''t want to find out anything. I just want to go back to my old life with you and my small family. That''s all that I want right now Akira. All this drama that is happening right now, let''s just get rid of it."


    Akira held his hands tenderly in her own and then taking a deep breath she said,


    Saying that she moved her hand slowly and ced it on his cheeks and whispered,


    "Just us."


    Raymond closed his eyes, trying to absorb her tender touch, trying to seal his wounds of past that were lying gaping, but before even he could rx himself for a fraction of a second, he heard her say,


    "We have reached Katharine''s ce."


    Raymond took a deep breath and then interlocked his fingers along with hers and said,


    "Is going to be alright. We are going to make everything alright."


    As they got down from the car, and headed towards the pavment, dekho to see that the lights of the living room where on. Katherine was seen pacing up and down the room and Shawn was sitting on the sofa with Kate in his arms.


    "Shit!!!"


    Said Raymond and his walk just halted abruptly.


    "You were supposed to stay calm and handle everything. You cannot be the one panicking right now."


    Akira said and tightened her grip around his hand.


    With all the courage that they both could muster up in their entire life, they took each and every measured step towards the doorbell. Raymond''s hands trembled a bit before he pressed the bell.


    RingRing


    Hearing the doorbell ring out of the blue at that ungodly hour Katherine was startled at first but then she rushed towards the main door because a part of her told her that her brother was waiting for her outside that door.


    Seeing her rushing towards the main door, Shawn said,


    "Let me open the door Katherine. You wait here with Kate."


    "No Shawn, it might be him."


    Saying that Catherine rust towards the main door without even waiting for any response from Shawn.


    Every single minute that Raymond spend standing outside the door, waiting for sister to open, was stinging his heart like a needle. He had no idea how she would react. He had no idea how much angry she would have been. But the only thing he knew right at that moment was that he was going to meet his family. The only family that he had apart from Akira.


    With anticipation and a question mark in his heart, he stood there counting his breaths, tightening his grip around Akira''s hands, with every passing second. And then the door was swung open.


    He saw her standing right in front of him. Tears were running everywhere on her face. Her hands were trembling and she stood there speechless shedding tear after tear.


    "Kat !!!"


    He said and took one step ahead.


    But she stood there, motionless, unable to believe that her brother was standing in front of her.


    Tears started to cloud his eyes as well and he took another forward and slowly embraced her in his arms.


    "I am sorry Kat."


    That voice of his broke every single bit of resilience that she had. She hugged him back tightly and started crying like a baby.


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 473: I need to know everything !!!

    <h4>473 I need to know everything !!!</h4>


    Sounded a voice muffled along with droplets of tears. Her voice slowly faded away and got entangled in her soft sobs. Her little one came running and twined on Raymond''s thighs.


    There were tears of joy, in the eyes of the little one too.


    Shawn stood there, just a couple of feet away and anyone could tell that he was so moved by this union that tears were just about to flood his eyes too.


    Raymond slowly lifted his arm and started patting Kate''s head and said,


    "I am sorry my love. I know you missed your uncle. I know uncle didn''t do the right thing by hiding, but your uncle had to. And uncle promises that he will make it up to you."


    Saying that he cupped Kate''s chin and slowly caressed Katherine''s back to calm down her sobs while Akira stood in the corner, wiping away her tears silently.


    A momentter, when Shawn realized that, if he didn''t intervene, then probably everyone was going to worsen their condition. So he took a step ahead and slowly embraced Katherine and pulled her towards himself.


    "It''s ok my love. He is here. Right in front of you. He is here for you now."


    "But then why did he leave me?"


    "Why did he note back to me?"


    Then turning towards Raymond she said,


    "Why did you y with me, Raymond? What wrong did I do to deserve this?"


    Saying that she tightly hugged Shawn and started sobbing again.


    Raymond took a deep breath to suppress the pain in his heart and then picked up his niece in his arms and said,


    "Tell mommy that I never meant to stay away from her. Tell mommy that I was equally hurt when I had to stay in hiding. Tell her that every single time she had cried, I part of me also died from within."


    Saying that Raymond looked at Katherine with guilt, filled in his eyes.


    But being a sister who doted on his brother, she could see that apart from guilt there was an unsurmountable pain underneath. She wanted to yell at him, even punch him a one or two. But seeing his eyes, seeing him standing in front of her, broke her apart.


    She slumped on the floor.


    Raymond put Kate down and rushed to her sister.


    Akira, who was standing away from them, trying to give them a bit of space also came in to support her. They all sat on the floor silently next to her, unable to figure out the right thing to say, the right way to console her.


    Then after a few seconds, sheposed herself and said,


    "Well, all of this doesn''t matter. It doesn''t matter. What matters is you are here."


    Saying that she held his brother''s face fondly in her palm and kissed on his forehead.


    Then she looked at Akira and said,


    "I do not care for what reason you guys tried to hide from me, but from now on I need to know what is going on. Ok?"


    That oneforting look of her meant everything for Akira. All that she sought at that moment was her forgiveness and when she found it, she didn''t care for anything else in the world.


    She inched closer to Katherine and started crying, with her head resting on her shoulder.


    "I am so sorry. I am so sorry Katherine. I really am."


    "I know dear."


    Saying that Katherine hugged them both together tightly and then said,


    "But first exin what is going on. What is all this that I am hearing? Why did you tell that..... "


    "Tell what Katherine?"


    Katherine hesitated for a moment and then said,


    "It''s just we saw in the news that..."


    "All of that is true. Sebastian isn''t my father..."


    Saying that Raymond took out his phone and started narrating everything from scratch to her sister. everything that had happened over thest one and a half years.


    ------


    "How could this happen to me?"


    "How could she ruin me like this?"


    "I should have killed him when I had a chance."


    Vikram yelled sitting in the backseat of his car.


    Then holding his head in his palms, with a pensive look on his face, he started reflecting back on everything. Every single lie that Akira had told him, every single act that she had pulled to hide the existence of Raymond.


    The more he started to dig the past, the more vengeful he started to be. He knew that Raymond definitely had something against him. He couldn''t forget the look that he gave him in the main hall when he had unraveled himself. That man didn''t forgive his own father, so he was pretty sure that he would show no mercy to him.


    So he knew that he had to think smart and act fast.


    He knew that he had to up his game and hit back on Raymond in every possible way first so that he would have no room left to destroy him. And then suddenly his face beamed.


    He looked at Peter who was sitting in the front seat and said,


    "Get me the sale deed of Avenue 52nd Road."


    "What do you want to do with that sir?"


    Vikram gave out a shadyugh and said,


    "I had given it to someone because I wanted to rise in her eyes, but I don''t want that anymore. No matter what I do, she is never going to give me that ce."


    Saying that Vikram went all silent.


    -----


    "Ring Ring"


    "Who is calling you at such an ungodly hour?"


    Shawn said and went to pick up Katherine''s phone.


    "Must be some contractor panicking over something. Gosh... this opening is killing me."


    Saying that Katherine stretched her hand to take the phone from Shawn''s hand.


    Little did she know, what ungodly message she was going to get.


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 474: Benjamin Walker

    <h4>474 Benjamin Walker</h4>


    All worried, Raymond asked,


    "What happened? Who was that on the phone?"


    But Katherine didn''t say a word. She slowly started to tighten her grip around the fabric of the sofa.


    "What happened Kat?"


    Asked Shawn and got her a ss of water.


    She looked up at Shawn, paused for a while and then said,


    "Everything is finished. All my dreams are finished. It''s all gone now."


    Getting all confused and restless, Raymond asked,


    "What is finish Kat?"


    "My dream, my future ns, everything depended on this hospital. Tomorrow was supposed to be the inauguration of my hospital. But now thendowner has refused to lease that piece ofnd. Apparently the contract that I have signed, is invalid."


    Unable to understand what she was saying, Shawn asked.


    "How can a deal be made invalid which was valid just a couple of hours back? let me talk to him or maybe we can get somewyers to sort it all out. Don''t panic, we can figure it all out."


    Saying that Shawn looked at Raymond, unable to understand how to cope up with all this. But before anyone could say anything more, Akira''s voice echoed in the room,


    "It''s all because of Vikram."


    "What are you saying?"


    "I know it for sure. I am so sorry Katherine for trusting that man. I thought he was overall this when he said that he honestly wanted to help. For a moment I felt that he wanted to set the score right, by doing something good for you. I thought that he was genuinely trying to help us."


    Saying that Akira held her head in her palm. Lines of worry started getting etched on her temple.


    "So thatnd that was leased to Katherine, belongs to Vikram?"


    "Well it''s not Vikram''snd but it''s one of his working partners."


    Akira said and looked at Raymond.


    "And I think after all that had happened today, he is not going to bend."


    Saying that Raymond got up and started pacing up and down the room.


    As the environment of the room was getting more and more tensed, Shawn decided to pick up Kate and took her to his room to put her to sleep.


    "What to do Raymond?"


    Akira asked with plight in her voice. For a moment she had felt that everything was falling into ce and then in the other, Vikram came and disrupted the entire sanctity. She was very well aware of his capabilities and was pretty sure that he would now make the ends of the world meet to take revenge. But the most unfortunate part of this whole episode was that the recipient of his wrath was Katherine, who had nothing to do with the whole scenario.


    -----


    [Inside the state reserve pentiary]


    He turned to look towards the source of the sound and found that a man was approaching his cell, along with a guard.


    "You have got exactly fifteen minutes."


    Saying that the guard left.


    Sebastian stood up and walked towards the cell entrance and saw an apologetic face standing outside.


    "You havee to see my plight."


    Sebastian said and chuckled.


    "No, Mr. Sebastian. I have no intent to do any of that."


    "Then what is your intent? I trusted you more than anything else in the world. Trusted you with everything. My empire, my life, and even my family. But what did I get in return?"


    His face fell and for a moment he had no idea what to reply to his usations.


    He knew that whatever he did was a rightful decision, but there was no way in which he could exin this man the rationale behind his choice and his actions.


    So taking a deep breath he said,


    "Can I exin?"


    "Exin?"


    "What is there to exin right now?"


    Sebastian asked sarcastically and then turned his face away to look towards the wall.


    Then, taking a deep breath, he asked,


    "Why David why? Why did you do this? You know that everything that I ever did was for the betterment of my son. I did everything wrong so that I could set his life right. Then why after all this you ruined everything?"


    David hung his head low and then said,


    "I just did what I thought was better for Raymond''s future. I don''t know what you have against that girl, but Akira is the best fit for him. He will stay forever happy with her. You will see it. Maybe once you see that, you will realize that I took the right decision."


    Hearing his words, suddenly Sebastian''s expressions changed.


    He turned towards David and said,


    "Happy? My son can never stay happy with her. Just because some of the things are hidden in the dark, everything is looking all peaceful and calm like an ocean to you David. But let me tell you, she will bring nothing but clouds of darkness into my son''s life. She will destroy him one day David. She will destroy him."


    Saying that Sebastian slumped on the floor.


    Unable to understand what Sebastian meant, David asked,


    "You always tell this Mr. Sebastian and I guess you think so because she belongs to a normal family. But she is not with Raymond for the money. She was never with him because he was a Walker."


    Sebastian took a deep breath and said,


    "You think so because she doesn''t know about Benjamin Walker."

 Chapter 475: The face of Benjamin Walker

    <h4>475 The face of Benjamin Walker</h4>


    But the moment he turned back and looked at the television screen, he got the shock of his life. Unable to believe what he was reading on the news-reel, he got up from his seat and went close to the television set to have a closer look at it.


    He heard the voice of Raymond and he saw the look of shock on Sebastian''s face as he was being handcuffed. It modified him in an instant. He threw a $100 bill on the table, picked up his phone and rushed outside to hail a cab.


    "Where to sir?"


    "Today state penitentiary now."


    "Sure sir."


    "I will double the price if you step on the gas."


    There was a sense of urgency in his voice and the cab driver understood it and immediately responded to it.


    -----


    "Who is Benjamin Walker?"


    David asked as he was out of his wits.


    He had been working for the Walker family for more than a decade now, but he had never heard of this name.


    Sebastian took a deep breath and said,


    "I don''t know how many days I have with me. I don''t even know if I will ever get to say this to my son, but please let him know that even though he wasn''t my own blood, I never treated him any less."


    "Why are you telling all this now Mr. Sebastian? Probably you should have done this much earlier. I always told you thatmunication was the key. You should have talked with your own son before all this happened."


    "Earlier? Huh... I have given them enough pain in their life. I don''t want to add one more item to feel sorry about to their list."


    "Ok, let''s forget that. Can you tell me who is this Benjamin Walker? What connection does he have with Akira? How is this all rted? Can you at least tell me the reason why you want to push that girl away from Raymond? Maybe at least if I tell him the real reason, he can figure out what is the right thing to do."


    "Figure out? My son will die one more time if he finds about it. I can''t let him go through this again. He came back from the dead once. I can''t throw him into the same pain and torture again David. He won''t be able to live with himself. I know my son. He might try to do something like...."


    "Like Rose?"


    David interrupted.


    Sebastian didn''t say a word but turned his face away, trying to tell David that he wasn''t interested in that part of the conversation anymore. But David was determined to find the truth. He had enough of this game. He couldn''t afford to have a divided loyalty anymore.


    "When my own son couldn''t have faith in me, then why would you bother? You can leave and go, David. But trust me, if anything happens to Raymond, then it''s on you now. You can avoid this. Just take that girl away from my son. Don''t let my son remember anything from his past. Let his memories be suppressed forever. Bribe, kill, impeach, do whatever you need to do David. It''s a dying father''s request."


    "But I need to know why."


    "I cannot trust anyone with the WHY. The more people know, the more I am risking the life of my son."


    "Then I cannot help you with any of that."


    Saying that David moved a bit away from the prison cell entrance and said.


    "If that is all from your side, then I would take your leave, sir. Yourwyer is on his way and he will take care of the formalities."


    "I don''t need anywyer. Even after having all the power in my hand, I couldn''t do anything when I was outside, what more can I do? I can''t see my son destroying his won life anymore."


    "Then I cannot be of any help for you, sir."


    Saying that David turned to leave but he stopped as he heard the voice.


    "I thought at least of all the people, you would understand me. Have you ever seen me doing anything to harm my kid, David? How can you even think that whatever I was doing was not in his best interest."


    "That''s because the viewpoint of yours and mine are different."


    But their talk was interrupted by the warden.


    "Your time is up. You need to leave the premises now."


    David gave one final look at Sebastian, with a question mark on his face. But the only thing that he got in return was his silence.


    Disappointed with his silence, David paced ahead.


    Multiple thoughts were running in his head. After seeing Sebastian''s state and his words, David was forced to think WHY?


    ''Who was Raymond''s real father?''


    ''Who was Benjamin Walker?''


    ''What was the link between Raymond, Benjamin, and Akira?''


    The questions were haunting him. Even though it was none of his business, but his heart and his mind were unable to rest in peace. He came outside the cell area and started walking towards the main entrance when he heard a familiar voice.


    "I want to meet Sebastian Walker."


    He heard the voice and paced towards the main control room and found a restless version of Conrad leaning on the desk, talking with the parole officer.


    "Tell me your name and please sign on the register here."


    Conrad picked up the pen and said,


    "I am Benjamin Walker. Sebastian''s Walker''s brother."

 Chapter 476: Gaping wound

    <h4>476 Gaping wound</h4>


    But Oshana wasn''t dumb. She could clearly see how the previous episode was affecting him. She had a typical pr equation with Dr. Nelson, but deep down she knew that he was a man with a golden heart and it was difficult for her to see him getting affected like this. No matter how much he denied, she knew that he had a soft corner for Akira even though he knew that she was never going to be his, to begin with.


    Wanting to end the awkward silence that had crept in, she said,


    "So much happened today. I have no idea how all of them are handling this."


    "Hm..."


    "I mean I had met Raymond a couple of times before, but I never knew that he was so capable of going behind his own dad. Well, technically not his dad."


    "Yeah."


    "And like you had instructed, I didn''t give any memory suppressant to Raymond. I am not that evil as you have imagined me to be in your head. I hope I have shown my loyalty to you."


    "No."


    "No?"


    Dr. Oshana eximed in surprise.


    "No was for the not picturing you as evil part."


    Dr. Nelson replied nonchntly.


    "Oh, ok."


    And then silence prevailed again till they reached Dr. Oshana''s house.


    "There you go. Thanks for all the help today and I sincerely hope that in the future our paths don''t cross. And even if they do, let''s not have any bitterness in between us. What happened, let it rest in the past. I will not be bothering you anytime in the future."


    Dr. Nelson spoke in a very robotic and formal way which Dr. Oshana found very demeaning but she knew that she deserved every bit of it. He was not even looking at her, as he said those words. He was still looking to the front as if he wanted to flee the moment she set her foot out of his car.


    So without saying anything further, Dr. Oshana unlocked the car door and stepped out. And true to her thinking, he sped through, the moment she closed the door. Drinking away that insult, Dr. Oshana took a deep breath and then started walking towards her door but her steps halted when she heard a screeching sound.


    Panic started to immerse her heart as she saw Dr. Nelson''s car rammed through a tree close to the pavement. Without even caring about her heels, she ran towards the car which was a few meters away from her. The airbags had been deployed, but his head had crashed onto the window pane.


    He was still breathing and semi-conscious and was mouthing some words. Dr. Oshana bent her head to go close to his mouth to hear what he was speaking. But she could hear only some faint and frail noises,


    "Ali.."


    "Forgive me ..."


    "Ali.."


    But as a doctor, she knew that it was not the right time to waste her energy in figuring out what he was speaking, and she immediately opened the first aidpartment and tried to press the gaping wound with all the gauze that she could find to stop any bleeding before the ambnce arrived.


    She called up even the hospital where Dr. Nelson worked to figure out the contact details of anyone from his family, but she couldn''t find any. for a moment she thought of calling and informing Akira, but something selfish inside her stopped her from doing so. She wanted to take care of him by herself. Now all that she could do was to wait for the ambnce to arrive.


    -----


    "Do you have any insurance to cover you up? I mean insurance for any such unfortunate events? You have locked in so much money for this hospital Kat."


    "I didn''t even think in the wildest of my dreams that such a thing could happen. The insurance was pretty expensive and so I didn''t opt for it."


    Hearing her words Raymond started pacing up and down in the room, unable to understand what he could do to stop Vikram.


    Akira looked at their worried faces for a while and then got up and said.


    "It''s all happening because of me, so I will rectify it."


    "What do you mean Akira?"


    "I mean that I am going to talk to him, Raymond. If he has enmity against me, then he should harm me and not others. If anyone has to face the consequences, then that should be me. I can''t see Katherine and her dream taking a hit because of my actions."


    "Your actions? Since when you and I have be separated Akira. We did this together, so we will handle it together."


    "No Raymond. for just this once let me handle it."


    "What are you going to do Akira? Beg him?"


    Raymond asked furiously because he was unsettled by the fact that Akira wanted to face that monster alone.


    "Beg him? Seriously Raymond? You think I will ever beg in front of him after all that he has done to us?"


    "Then what and how you are going to handle this? Tell me."


    Taking a deep breath Akira opened her purse. There was an envelope inside her purse. The same envelope that she had been guarding for quite some time. Taking out that envelope, Akira paused for a moment and then said,


    "Read this."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 477: He is your blood

    <h4>477 He is your blood</h4>


    There was a hint of anger in Raymond''s statement. He was trying hard to not to let his anger rule over him.


    Drooping her eyes low Akira said,


    "I had it for quite some time. But I was just waiting for the right moment to release it. His dad just operated recently and I already had this n. So didn''t feel like taking leverage of it. I thought I should just give him a chance to prove himself."


    "What does it say?"


    Saying that Katherine took that letter from Raymond''s hand.


    "What transaction is this?"


    Akira turned towards Katherine and said,


    "Vikram drew money from thepany fund to pay for the lease, which is technically illegal. I thought, he will just rece itter from his personal ount, so I didn''t probe much about it. After all, we were just worried about thend."


    "And now?"


    "And now I can use it to threaten him. If the board of directors from hispany will notice the transaction, they might not like it. It will add up to the fact that he has already locked a huge chunk of money in a project in mypany, which is not going to start fro another 1-2 years."


    "So you think you have got him?"


    Raymond asked in an unusual tone.


    "I can at least try."


    "Oh,e on Akira. When will you understand that this man can go even lower than what you can imagine? You show him this and then he will be ready with another dirty trick. Probably he will y the emotion card on you."


    Hearing him say those words, Akira fell silent for a while. For a moment it felt like he was using her of this current situation. But that was all that she could think of right now. That was all that she had in her armoury and she was ready to give it all for the sake of Katherine.


    "Shall I call the media and cancel the inauguration coverage?"


    Shawn came down and asked.


    "You guys don''t worry about it. Let me handle it."


    Saying that Raymond picked up his phone to call David.


    -----


    Before Conrad could see him, David hid strategically behind a pir. A few secondster Conrad walked past him and reached the cell where Sebastian was present.


    He saw his brother sitting in a corner. His confidence, his aura, everything reduced to dust because of own blood.


    "Sebastian !!!"


    "Conrad !!! Why you are here? Did anyone see youing?"


    "Seriously? At this point in time, you are concerned about this?"


    "Just answer me, Conrad."


    "No, only the policemen."


    "Did David see you by any chance? He left a few minutes back."


    "Then he must have left the premises. I didn''t see him inside."


    Hearing that Sebastian took a deep breath of relief.


    Sebastian took a deep breath again and then looking into the eyes of his brother he said,


    "I failed brother. I failed."


    And suddenly David felt the earth beneath him sink. Just the thought of Sebastian Walker crying gave him chills. He was now determined to figure out what went wrong.


    "How did he get to know? Who told him? What all does he know? Does he remember...?"


    Saying that Conrad went silent.


    "I don''t know how he got to know about it, but I am pretty sure he knows only the surface. But I know him. He will not rest till he gets to the core of it, Conrad. I am not sure what can I do now. There was just one man, whom I trusted and I thought that he would help me out, but turned out he was more loyal to him than me."


    "Are you talking about David?"


    "Yes. He was myst hope. But even he turned his back."


    "Does he know about the.... About everything?"


    "No, I couldn''t risk it, Conrad. Anything could go wrong with Raymond if he remembers about that night. That night that finished us all."


    "Maybe that''s where you went wrong Sebastian. Maybe you should have told David. If he is that loyal and that good of a friend of Raymond, then he would have understood. He would have kept our cover safe."


    "I have already risked enough. I cannot let one more person be a part of it."


    "We are already inside thendmine. So it doesn''t hurt to get some legs extra. If it has to go off, it will go off Sebastian. There is nothing that you can do about it. So I guess before he gets to know about everything from someone else, it''s better that I tell him about it by myself."


    "Have you lost it, Conrad? Tell him everything? Then what will happen when he slowly remembers everything and starts to hate himself. Will you be able to handle him? Will be able to handle all the anger that will brew inside his heart? But above all, what will happen when Akira will get to know about you? She may forgive you, but she will never forgive my son. I know that woman. She is righteous. Even under the worst of the circumstances, she will not bend her morals. She will rip her own heart and then rip the heart of my son."


    "You think she is that capable? Do you think the fire of revenge will burn all the love that she had in her heart for him?"


    "Everything Conrad everything. I have seen the amount of love that she has for my Son. And I know how mad is my son for her. You don''t know what madness can do."


    "Maybe you are over-specting Sebastian."


    "Am I? Are you forgetting the extent to which you went for the sake of love? He is your blood, Conrad. His love is way ahead of yours."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book -?The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 478: That unfortunate nigh

    <h4>478 That unfortunate nigh</h4>


    ''Raymond is Conrad''s son.''


    ''But then who is the mother? Is Rose is Raymond''s mother then ...''


    He felt like his head was about to burst, but he channeled all his attention so that he could hear the conversation.


    "Let''s not go there, Sebastian. That was my past. I havepletely gotten over it."


    "Have you?"


    Sebastian asked in a mocking tone but Conrad stayed silent. He went close to the bars and asked,


    "Tell me, Sebastian. Tell me what to do. I don''t want my son to live a life as you did."


    "Our fate was twisted. We could never find love even if it was right in front of us. I do not want my son to suffer the same fate as mine. So you will do exactly as I said. Do whatever it takes to eliminate that girl. He will greave for a year or so but then he would be able to start a new life eventually. But if he gets to know about what happened that night, if he gets to know what he did that night, then I don''t think he will ever be able to live with himself. So do whatever it takes in your capacity to get rid of that girl."


    Saying that Sebastian looked at Conrad with nothing but eyes filled with pleading.


    "But I don''t have the means or medium to do it."


    "You will find some way. It''s for our son Conrad. Let''s do this for Rose. Else I will never be able to face her when I depart."


    "Stop spouting non-sense Sebastian."


    "You know it very well that my days are numbered, Conrad. So let''s not beat around the bush. Mywyer is about to reach. So you better leave now before he arrives."


    The moment David heard this sentence, he quickly tiptoed himself out from the hall and exited the penitentiary and ced himself a couple of feet away from the main entrance. Now, all that he had to do was to wait for Conrad.


    While he was waiting, he heard his phone buzzing and took his phone out to see a call from Raymond, but just then he saw Conrad walking out. So he ignored his call and slowly walked towards Conrad, so as to not to scare him out of the blue.


    "Hello, Mr. Conrad."


    He was shocked to hear someone calling his name out of the blue. He wasn''t expecting anyone to find him outside the penitentiary. So when he turned back and saw David standing outside, he was shocked for a moment but quickly capturing back his senses, he said,


    "Erm... I need to leave now David. If there is anything urgent you can just drop me a text. I am in a rush now."


    Saying that Conrad rushed ahead, trying to avoid any further conversations.


    "But I have something really urgent. Cannot discuss it over text, Mr. Benjamin."


    Saying that David gave out a sly smile and he could see that slowly color started fading away from Conrad''s face.


    "How do you know my real name?"


    And sudden panic started gripping Conrad.


    "Everything?"


    "Yes, everything. And you must be clearly knowing that my loyalties lie with Mr. Raymond, but in order to protect him, if I have to go against him, then that also I can do. But for that, you need to tell me about that night."


    Saying that David inched closer to him and said.


    "You know it very well that you will be needing my help. Even after having all the power Sebastian couldn''t do a thing. So if you want to save your son, then I am the guy who can help you with it. You know it well, how much Raymond trusts me."


    The night was getting darker and the wind was getting heavier for Conrad. He knew that David was telling the truth. Even though he had promised to save Raymond, he had no idea how to do it. So he decided to go against his own brother for the sake of his son. He decided to bare his battered soul in front of this man because he was already out of his wits.


    David could read his expressions.


    He knew that Conrad was going to break. So to ease the soul of a troubled father and o gain his trust, David said,


    "I promise you that whatever I hear today, will go to my grave."


    Conrad heard his words and a new sense of hope started swarming in his eyes. taking a deep breath, he said,


    "It''s not a five-minute short story that I can summarise and tell you. But still, I will try my best to keep it short and breeze you through it."


    "I am all ears and we have the whole night."


    Saying that David pointed towards an empty bench across the road.


    Conrad hesitated for a moment and then followed David and sat on the bench. He then gently looked at his watch and taking a deep breath he said,


    "My real name is Benjamin Walker. Everyone knew me as Benjamin until that unfortunate night when I lost everything."


    He sighed and then said,


    "It was not like I had a huge reputation like my brother, but whatever name I had, it got erased on that unfortunate night."


    "Which night?"


    David asked getting all impatient.


    Conrad looked at David, trying to gauge him onest time before he bared it all.


    "The night that Akira''s parents got killed."


    For a moment David couldn''t register what he heard. At that moment, he felt like the wind had stopped blowing. He felt like there was nothing except silence that existed all around and even the silence was starting to be deafening.

 Chapter 479: Mad pusuit - Chapter 1: !!!

    <h4>479 Mad pusuit - 1 !!!</h4>


    "June 11, 1995."


    "That was the day when Akira''s parents got killed."


    "But as far as I know, her parents got killed in a car ident. What did you have to do with any of it?"


    David asked impatiently.


    Conrad jerked his head off, trying to erase the horrid image of the past and said,


    "Beforeing back to New York, I was in Michigan."


    "Yes, I am aware of it. You wanted a simple life and you were a basketball coach in some?state-funded school. But let''s not deviate from the topic. It''s not like we have infinite time in our hands."


    Seeing him getting impatient, Conrad smiled and said,


    "I was never a basketball coach in my entire life. I never taught in any high school for that record."


    "Then where were you all these years? What were you doing?"


    "I was serving my time at the Michigan State Penitentiary."


    "Serving time? What for? Did you...?"


    And the words just stopped.


    "Yes. I was serving my time because I was driving a car which caused the untimely death of two people. The two people who were supposed to take care of the girl...."


    But before he could evenplete his sentence, a bbergasted David got up from the bench and darted his words,


    "You...You killed Akira''s parents?"


    "It was your car that rammed against theirs, wasn''t it?"


    Then holding his head between his hands, David sat back on the bench. His legs were shaking, unable to believe what he had just heard.


    "Yes, it was my car, David."


    Conrad spoke with a voice devoid of any emotions. He looked into the distance like he was recollecting the whole episode in his head. Then he let out a sigh and said,


    "It was a mistake David, an honest mistake and nothing else."


    "Were you, were you drunk or under the influence of something? Or did you absentmindedly look at something else?"


    Conrad didn''t reply and preferred to stay silent.


    "Will you tell me at least something? Were you alone? What happened that day?"


    Conrad looked at his watch again, before narrating his story.


    "It was one of the best days of my life which turned all tragical. A bright Sunday morning and we all had gone to the beach."


    There was a question mark on David''s face and Conrad quickly noticed that and added,


    "By we all I mean my son Raymond, my daughter Katherine and ..."


    "And?"


    "And my wife Rose."


    "Rose was your wife?"


    "Yes, we were the sort of people drowning in each other''s love. I had a small and happy family. I had no desires like my brother who was struggling hard at that time to build back our father''s forgotten empire."


    "We had packed all our food and a couple of toys in my Toyota and we reached the beach. But the biggest surprise was waiting for us at the beach. A brand new Acura NSX was standing there at the beach, waiting for us."


    "That was Sebastian''s new ride and to be honest, I will not lie, I was a bit jealous to see my kids and my wife marveling the new car. Somehow sometimes I had felt that he had a soft corner for my wife, but I could never confront him. I could never dare to do anything to ruin our trust, but that day when I saw Rose smiling, looking at him, something inside of me snapped. So I was d when he told us that he had decided to move out of our house."


    "You know David, I acted like I was sorry that he was leaving, but deep down I was d that he would soon be gone because I didn''t want my kids to think of me as a failure. I sound too weird right?"


    "Ermm... no."


    "You don''t need to act polite in front of me. You do not work for me, David."


    Saying that Conrad chucked and then continued.


    "To be honest I loved that car. I wanted to drive it a bit and as if he could read my mind, he threw the keys towards me and said - ''Give it a whirl brother''. "


    "I asked him toe with me, but he said that he wanted to walk in the water, so I took my boy along with me for the ride. Maybe a part of me wanted to show my boy that even though I didn''t have a nice car, I was an awesome driver."


    "I was teaching my Ray how to switch gears. I was teaching him how to steer. The road was pretty less crowded and he was listening intently to all my instructions. Somehow whatever I didn''t have in terms of money, I was trying topensate in terms of the lessons that I was imparting. I just wanted to be enough for them. But that thirst to be the best was raging so high inside me, that Ipletely forgot that even though it was a town road, it was still a road and not a yground."


    "I was totally unprepared. The road was narrow and suddenly from the opposite side, I saw a car approaching us at a speed of 80 miles/hour and I just couldn''t do anything."


    "You could just have braked."


    David blurted out.


    Conrad sighed again and said,


    "I could have. But it wasn''t me who was sitting on the driver''s seat."


    "Wait, what?"


    "A selfish father, in his mad pursuit of proving himself as the best had given the car to his young boy to learn driving."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 480: Mad pursuit - Chapter 2: !!!

    <h4>480 Mad pursuit - 2 !!!</h4>


    David almost screamed when he heard the statement of Conrad.


    "How could you?"


    "I told you, David, I was just trying to prove myself. I didn''t want my kids to tell me on my face someday that they wished Sebastian to be their father."


    David stayed silent after hearing him speak. He was still trying to process the information. He was still unable to believe that it was Raymond whose hands were stained in blood. Now he understood, why Sebastian was so hell-bent on preventing this memory of Raymond from resurfacing.


    "My mad pursuit turned my son into a murderer. It was not his fault, not at all his fault. It was all me. Everything was on me. My madness resulted in nothing but chaos."


    Saying that Conrad got up from his seat.


    David could see that his hands and legs were trembling as he stood up. So he immediately got up from the desk and gave him support by holding his shoulder.


    He pressed his shoulders gently trying tofort him and said,


    "It''s all in the past Conrad. It''s all in the past. There is no point in thinking of what had happened. Raymond doesn''t remember a thing about it. I know if for sure. It''s a memory that has beenpletely erased from his mind. So you do not need to overthink."


    "That''s not the truth."


    "What do you mean?"


    Conrad turned towards David and said,


    "That day when you saw Raymond waking up in the clinic."


    "Yes, I remember that."


    David interrupted.


    "That was not the first time that Raymond had gotten up from thea."


    "What do you mean?"


    David asked with his voice filled with astonishment.


    "What I mean is, the very first time that Raymond got up, his first memory was the memory from that crash which had happened. Because the first person that he called for was me."


    "He screamed and asked people to get an ambnce. He was yelling that he had killed a couple. He went all frantic and went into a shock. And it was because of this shock that he couldn''t recollect anyone''s face afterward. Probably a kind of safety mechanism that his brain had built for him."


    "What, How, Why? I have no idea."


    David was stunned after hearing his statement. He had stood up earlier tofort Conrad but right now, he was in dying need offort himself.


    He sat down on the bench, trying hard to build a timeframe in his head.


    "Mr. Conrad, so let me get this right. What happened that day, Raymond had no memory of it since childhood days. But after that ident when he woke up, his mind was stuck in that memory which sort of pushed him to the edge. So right now, that memory is blocked again. Is that right?"


    "I served the term for the mistake I did. I lost my family, my love, my career, everything. In the eyes of the whole world, I was the one who was driving. My son had gone into trauma and my daughter couldn''t bear to see me serving the term. She started retracting from everyone. There was chaos everywhere and my wife was unable to handle it alone."


    "While Raymond was getting treated from the trauma, my daughter was getting bullied in her school because of me."


    Saying that Conrad wiped the streams of tears, gushing out from his eyes.


    "My daughter shunned everyone and stopped speaking with everyone. My brother wanted to help out, but that big ego of mine didn''t let me take any of his help. I pushed Rose to handle everything on her own in the merciless world outside. But how much she could have done. No matter how hard she tried, my family was splitting apart."


    "Is that why Rose married Mr. Sebastian?"


    Conrad chucked, even though his heart was brimming with pain.


    "One fine day, my daughter got so much bullied that she decided to end her life. It was then that Rose decided to take the help of Sebastian. And my magnanimous brother epted them all with an open heart. He helped in Raymond''s treatments and got Kat into a private school. He used to drop her every single day to school without fail and I don''t know when and how she started looking up to him as her father. She even started calling him ''father''."


    Saying that Conrad went into silence for a while.


    "My kids were young and their mind was like a bare te which was filled with happiness andfort by Sebastian. He was close to them, so in no time they epted him and slowly started recing me. It was all working out fine for them, but I had no idea that all this was going on outside."


    "Slowly Rose started avoiding our conjugal visits with some reason or another. The frequency of our meetups also reduced. Sebastian was on the verge of building his empire, so he stopped visiting me altogether. I think he was worried about his reputation. But all that started pinching me. I started feeling like an unwanted page in their lives. It pinched me big time. But what hurt me the most was the day Rose had visited me along with my daughter. I cannot tell you how bad it hurt me that day David."


    "Even though I was in prison, I stayed alive because my hope was my family, which I thought was waiting outside for me."


    "What happened? What did Rose say to you?"


    "It wasn''t Rose, it was Kat. She came close to me and when I was about to hug her she said - How are you uncle?"


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 481: Mad pursuit - Chapter 3: !!!

    <h4>481 Mad pursuit - 3 !!!</h4>


    Saying that Conrad wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.


    "Don''t stress yourself, Conrad. It''s all in the past."


    "The past? Huh !!! My daughter and my son still call me their uncle David. Even after a decade and more had gone by, the pain never reduces. You just learn to live with it."


    "You didn''t say anything? I mean when your daughter called you that way?"


    "I didn''t have anything to say. Actually I couldn''t say anything because I saw Rose standing there silently. SHe didn''t say a word. She didn''t correct our daughter, so I felt that maybe she wanted to give a better life to her kids. And I assumed that she had already chosen one side and that was Sebastian''s. The pain and anger that was inside me, prevented me from saying or doing anything."


    Even though the man was telling everything patiently, David could sense how restless and uneasy he was feeling with every passing moment. He wanted to console that old man, but he didn''t have the words that would serve the purpose. So he just looked at him withpassion trying to express his warmth through his eyes.


    Conrad could see that his words were sort of worrying David, so he shrugged it off and said.


    "Well I deserved that, didn''t I? All the anger and hatred from my kids, I deserved it all. I still deserve it all."


    Saying that Conrad got up. He wanted to wrap up the conversation and focus on what next.


    "Let''s not dwell so deep in the past David. Let''s focus on the present. Let''s focus now, as to how to prevent the memory froming back."


    "And how do we do that? No, wait... but why do we need to do that. Akira and Raymond''s love isn''t that weak that it will sway because of something that happened in the past. Plus that was not Raymond''s fault, to be honest. Akira is mature enough to understand that."


    "You think so, David?"


    "Just because you have been with both of them for a couple of years, you think you can predict how they will behave?"


    David heard his words and stayed silent. He had nothing with him to contradict Conrad''s words.


    "That girl, even under the dire circumstances, even under the worst of the situations, never left her morals. Sebastian once asked her to spend the night with him, in return for all the help to find out where Raymond was."


    Saying that Conrad sighed and looked at David whose eyes were wide open in disbelief.


    "Don''t overthink. That was just a test. Sebastian already had known by then about her background and family. So he just wanted to know, how far she could stick to her morals. Even for the sake of Raymond, she didn''t bend, so do you think she will be the same with Raymond, once she gets to know about what had happened in the past?"


    "So what are you suggesting?"


    "I am suggesting that medicines should go on. He needs to take them to keep his past memories froming back. He is doing fine in this current state. He just can''t remember a couple of faces, but that''s fine. He will live with it. At least he will stay happy with her."


    David heard it all and tried to reflect within.


    He was torn between saving his memories and his loyalty.


    On one hand, he was a friend who deserved to know every single thing, but on the other was an ailing father''sst request. So finally after a lot of thinking, he said,


    "Fine then. I will somehow persuade Dr. Nelson to give him the medicines to keep his old memory from resurfacing again."


    "Really !!! You would do that? I can''t thank you enough, David. I really have no words for you. Sebastian was right. You really are a trustworthy person upon whom I can count."


    David gave out a faint smile and then said,


    "But he already must be doubting many things. His curiosity is not the generic one. He will not rest till he uncovers everything."


    "And that''s why we need you more than ever. You can guard him and provide him dummy information as an when needed. Make this a dead end. Give him papers that I was his father and as for reason, tell him that I abandoned them and went into gambling and all those dark things."


    "He might hate me for this, but I guess that would be for the best."


    David thought for a second and then said,


    "I think so too. I need to n something and tell him. He has already called me up earlier. Let me handle him for now."


    "Sure, go ahead."


    "Will you be ok? Or shall I drop you home?"


    "Drop me?"


    Conrad chuckled and said,


    "My eyes have seen every worse thing in the world. This is nothing for me, David. This is nothing. Trust me, I am fine. I ampletely fine."


    Hearing his words David started walking towards his car, but then he paused and turned back,


    "I have one question though. If your kids admired Sebastian so much, then why do they have only bitter memories about him? Why your kids never stayed with him? Why Raymond hates him the most in the entire world?"


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 482: That smug smile

    <h4>482 That smug smile</h4>


    "Are you ok Mr. Conrad? Did I ask something wrong?"


    Hearing him getting worried, he turned back and looked at David for a while and then said,


    "That''s something that we need to deal withter on. It''s not the top priority right now. Let us focus on my son right now."


    "Sure thing !!!"


    David said, but he was convinced that there was something more to the story that was not being told to him by Conrad. He could sense his reluctance so he decided no to pry in. He knew that there were other means to dig into the past.


    So he bid him goodbye and started his car. But before he could even press the gas, his phone started ringing again. It was Raymond. He could sense that it was urgent as he had already called him a couple of times. So without wasting any time he picked up his call.


    "Hello, Raymond !!!"


    ''Where are you, David? I have been trying so hard to reach you?"


    "What happened Raymond? Is everything ok? You don''t sound so good."


    "We are right now in the middle of a huge mess David."


    "Can you just tell me what happened?"


    David asked anxiously and then heard each and every word patiently that Raymond had to say. After listening to the whole issue, he understood why Raymond was panicking out.


    "How''s Katherine doing? Hope she is ok?"


    "Yeah, she is devastated but she is somehowposing herself for our sake."


    "Can you send me a copy of the lease agreement. Let''s see if I can talk the man out of it. Maybe I can convince him to go ahead with the lease."


    "He has been paid off by Vikram. I do not think that will work out. He would have paid a huge chunk."


    "What about insurance? She is going to lose a hell lot of money. That hospital was a huge investment from her side."


    "I know David, I know. Today I thought I was setting everything right but looks like instead of me, my sister has to pay the price of it."


    "Calm down Raymond. Just calm down. From today you are supposed to go in an upward spiral. Going down isn''t an option. If you trust me, then just go home and sleep tight and ask Katherine to sleep well and prepare for inauguration tomorrow morning. Call all the press members. David should see with whom he has messed with."


    "David... It''s time tond on earth. Enough of revenge talk. We just can''t n in the air. We have nothing concrete."


    "Have I ever let you down, Raymond? Can you just trust me with this one? Let me just make a few calls. I will handle this I promise. You guys take rest and get your fancy pants ready for tomorrow."


    Saying that David disconnected the call.


    "You evil Sebastian, you thought this through, didn''t you."


    -----


    The next day morning, none of them had any heart to go for the inauguration. None of them wanted to face the media, the cameras and the utter humiliation that was going to follow afterward. But since they all trusted David, they decided to get ready and go to the site hoping that he would be able to draw in a miracle.


    Before getting into the car, Raymond decided to call up David again,


    "Hello, David."


    "Hello, Raymond. Don''t panic. Just go there. I have handled everything."


    Saying that he disconnected the call.


    Half-convinced, Raymond started his car and reached the site in twenty minutes.


    "Come, Katherine, it will be fine. David will not let us down."


    Saying that Akira opened the car door for Katherine.


    Katherine nodded and got down from the car. But as she turned towards the main entrance, she was shocked to see a huge battalion of reporters.


    "Raymond... Raymond... Are these many reporters supposed toe for just a hospital inauguration? Something doesn''t seem right. Let us go back."


    Even Raymond was shocked to see the number of reporters outside, but then he saw David''s car parked outside and breathed a sigh of relief. Then looking towards Katherine he said,


    "David is here. Let''s talk with ...."


    But before he could evenplete his statement, David came in with a person along with him. He had a file in his hands and his face was beaming with a smile.


    "What is going on David?"


    Katherine asked impatiently.


    "Ah, nothing. This gentleman, who had previously given you thend on lease, wants to transfer thisnd to your name for just an additional twenty percent more price."


    "Wait, what? Yesterday he said he didn''t want to continue with the lease. Is all this a joke?"


    "What is going on David?"


    "It''s not a joke Katherine. He has already signed on the property papers and I have got the notary signatures as well. Just sign on these papers and thend belongs to you. Problem solved I guess."


    Saying that David handed over the file and a pen to Katherine.


    Taken aback with the recent development, Katherine looked at Shawn and then looked at David and asked,


    "How did this man turn overnight? Is this a new trick of Vikram? Won''t I get into bigger troubles after signing this David? Is this man even trustworthy?"


    Saying that Katherine looked at the man next to David disapprovingly.


    But before David could say anything, that man came forward and said,


    "Forgive me for not knowing your identity ma''am. If I would have known earlier that you were Raymond Walker''s sister, the owner of Walker enterprises, then I wouldn''t have done this mistake."


    "But I am not the owner. Yesterday night itself ourpany has gone public."


    Saying that Raymond took the file from Katherine''s hand, intending to return it to the man to avoid any further issues. But his hand just halted when he saw that smirk on David''s face.


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 483: I can vouch for tha

    <h4>483 I can vouch for tha</h4>


    "What happened Raymond? Just give him that file and let''s end this whole charade."


    Saying that Katherine turned towards the car.


    "Wait, Katherine. Don''t you want to see you dreame to reality? The crowd has already been waiting for more than an hour. And as you can see that certain people have so much interest in the inauguration that they havee here themselves."


    Saying that David looked behind Raymond and they all turned to see Vikram walking towards them. He had a weird look on his face. An expression of triumph mixed with hatred.


    As he came closer, he looked at Akira and then looked at Katherine and asked in a mocking tone,


    "What happened? Aren''t you going to cut open the ribbon Katherine? Or did something happen? Are you just escaping? Or did someone ruin your dreams?"


    Saying that he gave out a smug smile and then came close to Raymond and said,


    "All these years, trust me all these years, I really regretted my actions. When I saw her broken because of you, I really thought that I had done something wrong. But today I feel that I should have just hit the bullet through you. And I regret that I just couldn''t."


    Saying that he turned towards Akira and said,


    "Of all the people in the world Akira? Seriously you? You sided with him to the extent of destroying my life. All that I have, everything that I could ever have, you just needed to ask me once. I would have given you everything. But you..."


    "You decided to take it all away from me because of this man. A man who just entered your life and you decided to forget everything that was between us?"


    "What was there between us Vikram? Trust, respect, and honesty. But you urself broke them all. I gave you a second chance. I wanted to belive in you, but you stabbed in the back by trying to harm the one person whom I treasure the most in the world. You tried to take away my entire world and you think what I did in return is injustice?"


    "You have the guts to be speaking like this Vikram."


    Saying that Akira shook her head in disbelief. She had nothing but utter disgust smeared all over her face. Raymond came next to her and slowly wrapped his arm around her waist, looking straight into the eyes of Vikram.


    And it exactly had the effect that he intended.


    Vikram''s face turned sour in the sh of a second but in the next, the fire of revenge ignited his heart. Looking at the man standing next to David, he said,]


    "Mr. Mitiyoshi, I hope we are not wasting too much of your time here. I guess we can leave now as we have nothing more to do over here. And as for these people... Let them face a bit of the scary facade of our media."


    "Now that''s what I call as match point."


    Saying that Vikram started marching back confidently towards his car, expecting Mr. Mitiyoshi to follow him. But after a few seconds, he realized that he was walking all alone. So he turned back and was surprised to see Mr. Mitiyoshi still standing next to David.


    "Mr. Mitiyoshi, we can leave now."


    "Erm... Mr. Vikram, I have... I have changed my mind."


    "You have what?"


    "Erm... I have decided to sell thatnd to thisdy."


    Mr. Mitiyoshi''s words got stuck in Vikram''s throat like a fishbone. He suddenly felt like someone was choking him down. Getting all flustered, and agitated he started reprimanding him.


    "What the hell are you talking about? Didn''t we discuss about it yesterday?"


    "That was yesterday Mr. Vikram and this is today. And as of today, he has decided to sell the property to Katherine."


    Saying that David took the file which was still in Raymond''s hands and gave it to Katherine whose blood had already boiled after seeing the treacherous face of Vikram. So without even wasting an extra second, she signed the document and then looking at Vikram she said,


    "Now let''s face the so-called media that you were talking about."


    Within a minute the entire set had changed for Vikram. A minute back he was ready to walk all over them but right now they had cornered him and were ready to reduce him to dust. Unable to understand where things turned he charged towards Mr. Mitiyoshi and thundered,


    "This will not go well. Do you think yourpany can survive after stabbing me? Let me see who wille to save you and yourpany from bankruptcy. If this man has promised you with business support then let me tell you what mistake you have done. You have probably signed a deal with a guy who has turned his entire empire public yesterday. So he has neither a dime nor a nickel to support yourpany Mr. Mitiyoshi. So I guess you can very well realize now in what deep waters you havended yourself."


    Hearing his words, Raymond felt bad for Mr. Mitiyoshi and he turned towards David and said softly,


    "We have unnecessarily dragged Mr. Mitiyoshi into this. Now how do we protect this man from Vikram? "


    David smiled and turned a few pages in the file and showing the end section to Raymond he said,


    "Like this !!!"


    Raymond stared at the paper for a second. Then looked at the signatures at the end of the paper. One by Sebastian Walker and the other by himself. With a face filled in utter disbelief, Raymond said,


    "Is this for real David? Do I still ... ?"


    "Oh yes, Mr. Raymond. It''s very much real. I can vouch for that."

 Chapter 484: THE WALKER ENTERPRISES

    <h4>484 THE WALKER ENTERPRISES</h4>


    .


    Even though he heard David''s words, he still started at the piece of paper in disbelief but after a few seconds, the look of astonishment slowly melted away. A soft smile spread on his face and looking at David he asked,


    "You did this didn''t you?"


    "Guilty !!!"


    David said and raised both his hands.


    "And somehow I feel that my father had something to do with this."


    The moment David heard this statement from Raymond, he started getting a bit worried. He was now unsure as to how Raymond would react to the breach of trust. He had got his signatures without his knowledge. That was the only way to stop thepany from going public and to establish Raymond as the rightful heir of Walker enterprises.


    "Erm... Yes. But it was all for your benefit."


    Raymond gave a weird look to David and turned towards Vikram, who was unable to understand what sort of conversation was ongoing. Seeing the expression of anxiety written all over Vikram''s face, gave a weird sense of sce to his heart.


    Holding the file in his hands he took a step forward and said,


    "From today onwards we will be supporting all the transport needs that Mr. Mitiyoshi''spany has. And apart from that, I am willing to add hispany as one of our sisterpanies. I am very much interested in his publishing house these days."


    Saying that Raymond turned slightly towards Mr. Mitiyoshi and gave a slight nod and seeing that an obliged Mr. Mitiyoshi''s face beamed with a smile.


    "Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound Raymond?"


    Vikram retorted.


    "I thought of you as an impable businessman with a keen eye and acumen. But hearing your decisions, it looks like you are going to bankrupt Delphie just for the sake of thisnd, or maybe just for the sake of your pride."


    Thening closer to Raymond Vikram said,


    "It hurts your pride, doesn''t it. Does it hurt you so much that you are willing to sacrifice the future of Delphie for it?"


    Saying that Vikram gave out a smug smile.


    But that smile didn''tst for long when he saw Raymond smiling back, even after hearing the harsh reality. Instead, he looked even moreposed than before like he was holding the reigns of the entire universe.


    Shaking his head a bit, Raymondughed at the illusion that Vikram was swirling in and then said,


    "Mypany is not going to take any hit. We have enough resources to support it."


    "Haah... Do you? Then why did Akira need all my funding for Delphie''s new project?"


    "Who said I am talking about Delphie?"


    Raymond said sarcastically and folded his hands in front of his chest, just waiting to find the right moment to show Vikram the taste of dust.


    "Didn''t you say that you are going to support Mr. Mitiyoshi''s transport needs. Delphie doesn''t have the resources for that. Even ayman knows that."


    "But when did I say Delphie is going to support Mr. Mitiyoshi''s transport needs?"


    His words struck Vikram like shards of ice. Unable to process anything he stood there rooted to the ground.


    "What happened Vikram? Do you have any issues if mypany - THE WALKER ENTERPRISES supports Mr. Mitiyoshi?"


    .


    .


    .


    There was a dead silence that prevailed in the atmosphere.


    Vikram felt like he had been hit by a tight p on his face. He couldn''t believe that Raymond was still the owner of thepany.


    "But didn''t yesterday night thepany go public?"


    "Well to be honest even I thought so."


    Saying that Raymond opened the file and showed it to Vikram.


    "SO as you can see, I am still the rightful heir of Walker Enterprises. So it will be nice if you can just let me do my work. Else you know what can happen right?"


    Saying that Raymond turned towards Mr. Mitiyoshi and asked,


    "What did he tell you about the future of yourpany Mr. Mitiyoshi?"


    "That mypany will go bankrupt."


    Mr. Mitiyoshi quipped.


    "Exactly... The same can happen to yourpany Mr. Vikram. So if you are... Erm ... What did you say? An impable businessman with a keen eye and acumen, then you know it would be best if you steer clear of me."


    Then looking towards Katherine, Raymond said,


    "Come sister. Let''s go. The so-called media is waiting for you to cut those ribbons. Don''t make them wait for too long."


    Hearing that an ted Katherine walked ahead with her hand interlocked in the hands of Shawn. His dream was waiting for her to be turned into reality. A dream that a few seconds ago looked like a bubble that was ready to be burst. But all because of David, she was saved. She thanked her heavens and marched towards the entrance.


    Vikram watched her walking ahead, trampling on his wishes, turning them into mulch.


    "So much for revenge Vikram?"


    Vikram turned suddenly hearing her voice.


    She had been silent for so long, still unable to believe that so much darkness was there inside the heart of the man whom she adored the most in her entire life.


    "You disgust me Vikram. You literally disgust me."


    Saying that Akira also walked ahead to join Katherine and Shawn for the inauguration.


    That one line of hers battered his soul, his very existence. He felt like he would sumb to death at that very instant as her words were cutting him deep.


    Raymond saw him wincing in pain because of the insult, but that was not enough for him. That man had intended to kill him, but still, he had kept all his anger at bay. But now he had tried to touch his family and that somehow had turned him unforgiving.


    He picked up his jacket from the car and wore it slowly in front of Vikram, with his eyes fixated on him. And as he was done buttoning it up, he walked past him but halted just after a few steps. Turning back he said,


    "You know what, when you had the chance, you should have put the bullet in me."


    And then before Vikram could understand anything he turned ahead and as he walked he said,


    "Because I am not going to think twice before shredding you now."

 Chapter 485: The sky looked pretty

    <h4>485 The sky looked pretty</h4>


    .


    With nothing but smile smeared on her face, Katherine walked towards the main entrance where the media was going frenzy. Many reporters had been hired by Vikram as he wanted to capture the fall of the Walker family, but instead, he had to taste the dust.


    Walking towards the media, hand in hand with Shawn, Katherine''s face looked like she was at her peaceful ce. A moment hack a hurricane had hit her life but now there was nothing but tranquility and a promise for a new happy beginning.


    As Shwan handed her the scissors to cut the ribbon, she held it in her hand for a while and then turned back in the direction of David and looked at him with nothing but gratitude-filled in her eyes. Then she looked at Shwan and he immediately understood what she wanted and nodded his head to support her wish.


    His support was all that she wanted, so looking at the media she said,


    "Today if I am standing here, to be able to realize my dream into reality, then it has been possible because of this one person."


    Saying that she extended her hand in David''s direction.


    Taken aback by her statement, David took a few steps back to avoid the re of the media, but Raymond stopped him by cing his palm on his shoulders and gave him a smile.


    "It would not have been possible without you David. We are not rted by blood but I have always considered you as my family, always and deep down I have always felt the same from your side. So I would be really d if you can share this moment with me and turn my dream into a reality today."


    "Come on David. Just go."


    Saying that Raymond gave David a nudge.


    As he walked ahead to join Katherine, his eyes started to sting. He was overwhelmed by all that gratitude that was showered onto him. So much so that his voice was chocked and he was unable to even utter a single word as he stood next to Katherine.


    With a smile on her face, Katherine gave the scissors in his hands and asked him to go ahead with the ribbon cutting.


    The whole atmosp[here had turned so magically emotional that Akira couldn''t stop the tears from running on her face and seeing that Raymond couldn''t stop but admire how pure was her heart. A warm smile spread on his face and he took a step to his right to stand next to her.


    The moment Akira realized that Raymond had inched the gap, she quickly wiped her face so that he couldn''t see her crying out of happiness, but little did she know that in front of him her soul was all bare. So just when she was about to adjust her hair, she saw his hand extended in front of her, holding a handkerchief.


    And before she could turn towards him, he came close and whispered into her ears,


    "I think you might need this."


    Akira shook her head to steer clear from the thoughts of his lips.


    "Where is my focus?"


    She mumbled and tried to look at the press conference that was happening.


    Katherine was answering all the questions elegantly with a smile brimming on her face. Time to time even Shawn was responding to queries. They both gave a lot of details about their goals and ambitions and the media was extremely happy to hear about their association with charitable trusts and support funds.


    Akira was admiring the way they both looked so good as a couple, dealing with issues together, enjoying the victories together. Automatically a smile etched on her face as she looked at them but suddenly she was startled as she sensed someone''s warm palm resting on her back. In a split second, she knew it was him and she blushed hard.


    "Raymond no !!! We are in front of the media. Can''t you see all this crowd?"


    "No for what? What did I do?"


    Raymond quipped innocently.


    Akira turned her face towards him and raised her eyebrow. It was her way of forbidding him from doing anything. But he was in no mood to listen. After this whole jaunt, finally, he was able to stand next to the one person that he loved the most without the fear of his dad.


    So ignoring her looks, he slowly started grazing his thumb along her spine, sending her chills.


    "Raymond stop !!!"


    "Seriously you want me to stop?"


    Raymond whispered with a smug smile pasted on his face.


    "We can do all this at home. Not here."


    "So you have already nned to invade my bedroom and my privacy?"


    Saying that Raymond gave her a mischievous look and withdrew his hand.


    Unable to bear his touch and his teasing, Akira blushed all scarlet red and hung her head low. Before she could even calm her nerves, he softly blew air into her ears and then said,


    "Hope you haven''t'' forgotten your promise."


    "What promise?"


    "Well, you had promised me somethingcy and ck when all of this was over."


    "But we have so many things to handle. Yourpany matters, ourpany matters, and Vikram."


    "I will handle all that during the day. Don''t you worry about that ok? I just need you to focus on tonight."


    Saying that Raymond smiled and then pointed his hand towards the sky.


    A huge bunch of balloons had been released to mark the opening function. Shades of yellow and pink were making the sky look even pretty.

 Chapter 486: Davids heart just stopped

    <h4>486 David''s heart just stopped</h4>


    .


    As the evening dusked in, Raymond started looking at his watch eagerly at Katherine''s ce. They all had all huddled up at her ce to celebrate the grand opening.


    "Hey Katherine, by any chance can you give me the keys to my old house? I am tired of staying in recluse at a ce that doesn''t feel like home."


    "Then stay here with us."


    Katherine said enthusiastically as she still had so many unanswered questions for her brother. But Shawn pinched her arm slightly trying to prevent her from making her brother stay overnight because he clearly knew that Raymond wanted to be with Akira. He had seen then exchanging longing nces and texts to each other and he could see Raymond getting impatient every now and then looking at his watch.


    "Ouch, that was uncalled for."


    Katherine winced and Shawn had to lower his head in disappointment. His wife was too naive to even catch the needs of the couple sitting in front of them.


    Akira giggled seeing the naiveness of Katherine. Finally, after so many days, she lookedpletely happy. Even though earlier she used tough and talk, it used to feel like a part of her was still absent. But today she looked really happy and blissful and so did Kate.


    Seeing that his sister was unable toprehend the hidden meaning of his words, Raymond shrugged his head and said,


    "Kat... It''s been a long day and I just need to unwind by myself. So, please... The keys."


    "Ok, Ray uncle you go home. Let me y some more with Akira. Do you know how much she used to avoiding to our ce? It was like I got to meet her once in a blue moon. And and and she needs to help me n for my next birthday party as well."


    Quipped Kate.


    Both David and Shawn looked at each other, utterly amazed by the naiveness of Kate and Katherine. Actually they were having fun to see the expression of Raymond changing with every word of Kate.


    "You will n the party for me right Akira?"


    "Oh, yeah. For sure."


    Akira said and gave out a gentle smile to Kate but as hse turned to look at Raymond, she could feel that he was mildly ufortable. And to add spice on top of it, Shwan decided to y.


    "Yeah Raymond, I have heard so much about Akira''s party ns. Kate couldn''t stop yapping about the fun events."


    "Oh, so true Raymond, she is a godsend party nner."


    Katherine added up.


    Hearing their requirements, Raymond shot an angry look at Shawn as he knew that he was ying with him. So he decided to stop the act and told tantly, like his Raymond self,


    "What I mean is, I need some time alone with Akira. I think you must be knowing that ..."


    Shawn immediately covered Kate''s ears and said,


    "Sorry Kate, today your uncle needs Akira to n a lot for the future. So maybe tomorrow?"


    "Ughh... tomorrow is Monday. You adults will get busy with your office work and no one will have time for me."


    Saying that Kate got up from the sofa to storm out but Raymond pulled her close and gave a fond kiss on her forehead and said.


    "Don''t run away from me Kate. You have no idea how much your uncle missed you all these days."


    Saying that he hugged her tight and then looked at Akira.


    She gave him a nod, telling him through her eyes that she understood what he wanted. His warm andforting hug was enough to melt her nice and she broke into sobs.


    "Do you even know how much we missed you? I didn''t even go for a single Karaoke night because I didn''t want to miss you, uncle Ray."


    Saying that Kate started to sob again softly.


    "Ok now, you are a big girl and big girls don''t cry. You don''t believe me then ask your best friend."


    Saying that he gave a tap on her chin and said,


    "This year your birthday will be nned not just by Akira but also by me. And I promise you a live Karaoke night at the house party. How does that sound?"


    "For real."


    "You know your uncle never breaks his promises. And to top that up, Akira will stay with you tonight to n everything out. Ok?"


    Kate thought for a while and then said,


    "Well, I don''t think Akira can beat the karaoke party. So I am going to let you have her."


    Saying that she winked at Raymond and then whispered into his ears,


    "I think Akira wants to be with you more than she wants to be with me. So you better treat her well."


    Raymond was amazed by her words and he looked at her in disbelief as she marched upstairs to her room after waving everyone a good night.


    "What did she say to you, Raymond?"


    "Something that you should have understood like thirty minutes back !!!"


    Hearing that everyone burst into augh but Akira died from within. Her face was all flustered and her nerves were all wrecked but someone was very happy to see the color change on her face and that was none other than Raymond.


    ---


    After David sat in his car, he called up Dr. Nelson to discuss Raymond''s memory issue with him. He knew that he was a trustworthy man upon whom he could count. Even though he knew that Dr. Oshana could just administer the same medicines, but somehow he could never trust that woman.


    But even after he had called him up thrice, no one picked up.


    "Looks like he is busy somewhere else."


    David thought to himself and started for home. But five minutester he got a call from Dr. Nelson.


    "Hello, Dr Nelson."


    "Erm... sorry. I am not sure of the owner of this phone. I did so many pickups yesterday, I do not know which hospital the patient might be."


    "Patient??? No, this phone belongs to a doctor. Dr. Nelson."


    "I am sorry sir. I am an ambnce driver. I think this phone belongs to someone ...."


    David''s heart just stopped.

 Chapter 487: Your husband is all righ

    <h4>487 Your husband is all righ</h4>


    David stuttered as he was unable topose his thoughts after hearing what the ambnce driver had to say.


    "Lenox Hill Hospital. I am getting an SOS now. Got to go. I will give it to the Lost and Found section of the hospitalter."


    Saying that the ambnce driver disconnected the call.


    Things were gettingpletely out of the way. David was unable to understand that when everything seemed to be going fine a cmity was striking their lives. He didn''t want to disturb the love birds that night, but this situation was imperative. So without wasting any extra second he immediately picked up his phone again and called up Akira.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, Akira."


    "Yes, David?"


    "Erm... Dr. Nelson..."


    "Ah... that man has disappeared like a ghost after the party. I sent him so many thank you texts but he didn''t even bother to reply. I will give him a call tomorrow morning and ...."


    "Akira listen..."


    David interrupted her monologue and with a heavy heart he said,


    "Come as soon as possible to Lenox Hill hospital."


    "What happened? Are you all right?"


    "I am fine. It''s Dr. Nelson."


    "What happened to him?"


    "He met an ident yesterday night while returning from the party. I will see you guys there."


    Before Akira could disconnect the call, and tell Raymond about it, he had already taken a U-turn and gave voicemand to navigate to?Lenox Hill Hospital.


    Deep down in her heart, there was a strange panic that was gripping her, trying to bereft her from sanity. Neither of them spoke anything on their way to the hospital but Raymond''s mind was racing fast. A few minutester, breaking out from the coffin of silence, Raymond said,


    "He came there with Dr. Oshana. I mean at the party. So he must have left with her. Call her and get the status."


    "Oh yes yes. Why I didn''t think about it earlier."


    Saying that Akira called up Dr. Oshana but she didn''t pick up her call. She attempted a couple of times more but the result was the same. All her calls went to the voicemail.


    "I don''t know why she is not picking up my calls."


    Saying that Akira started fidgeting with her hands and the phone and seeing that Raymond lifted his right hand and ced it over hers, lending her all his warmth and care.


    "He will be all right. Don''t worry. He is a good soul and nothing can happen to good souls."


    "Even my parents were good souls."


    Saying that Akira froze.


    The painful memory of the road ident involving her parents shed in front of her eyes and she couldn''t do anything but panic.


    "Don''t corrte Akira. Please don''t. Let''s just get to the hospital first ok."


    ----


    [At Lenox Hill Hospital]


    Staring at her phone screen Dr. Oshana thought for a while and then switched her phone from Vibration to silent mode. Given that Akira had called her five times, she could sense that somehow Akira had got to know about the ident. So she wanted to dy her arrival as much as possible. She wanted to be the first person whom the doctor would look at when he would open his eyes. There was a strange sense of possessiveness that had started to grip her.


    She was perfectly aware that her doing was not right, but her heart wanted something else, a ceholder in Dr. Nelson''s heart.


    He was out from surgery which had happened sessfully but was currently under the influence of anesthesia, so they had put him in ICU under observation. His wounds were not that serious but because of heavy blood loss and a huge blow to his head, the doctors had spected about concussion.


    Sitting next to him, Dr. Oshana held his hand and rubbed her thumb against his, tracing along the cut mark that had happened because of her scalpel. Feeling deeply apologetic, she softly kissed on his hand and then hoisted herself up to kiss on his forehead.


    But before she could do so, the hospital staff came into the room.


    "Maam, all the belonging''s of sir can be collected from the reception. We had removed everything inside the OT. There might be valuables in that, so kindlye and collect it."


    "Erm.... yeah. Will do. But not now."


    "Umm... I can guard for sir here. You can collect it from the reception in the meantime. I mean, in case you are scared to leave him alone."


    Getting a bit irritated because of he insistence, Dr. Oshana replied curtly,


    "As I said, I will collect itter."


    "Well, there is no need to be so fussy about it. Don''t me me if anything goes missing."


    "Gahh such fussy wives."


    The attendant mumbled and went back to the reception. She opened up the packet just to make note of all the valuable things so thatter on it didn''t be a problem for her. And as she flipped through his wallet, she saw the picture of another woman in his wallet instead of the woman who was waiting next to him in the ICU.


    She pondered for a while and then kept the wallet, watch, etc back into the packet and continued with her work. But before she could fill out the formalities on her system, she saw two people rushing in.


    The face of the female looked very familiar to her. But before she could say anything, the female blurted,


    "Excuse me... Can you tell us where Dr. Nelson is admitted? I mean which room he is in? Please please, it''s urgent."


    "Erm... your husband is on the second floor ICU ward. Room number 217. I just came down from there. Nothing to worry, the surgery has gone well."


    Saying that she took out two visitor ID cards for them but then she heard the man say,


    "Husband? Whose husband?"

 Chapter 488: Alita !!! You are alive?

    <h4>488 Alita !!! You are alive?</h4>


    "Husband !!! Whose Husband?"


    "I guess you are deluded. We are just his friends."


    Akira said and then looking at Raymond she added,


    "Can we rush?"


    "Totally!"


    Saying that Raymond pointed towards the elevator and extended his hand for Akira to hold on to. And then they both rushed upstairs.


    The moment they got into room number 217, they saw a pale looking Dr. Oshana sitting next to Dr. Nelson, holding his hands tenderly.


    Hearing the sound of the door being opened, Dr. Oshana got startled and she turned towards the door and saw them both and her lips muttered a silent curse. Her life had been perfectly fine like s straight line, but ever since they entered into hers, it had been nothing bus chaos.


    Leaving Dr. Nelson''s hands she got up from his seat and before she could greet them both or say anything, a worried Akira barged in with urgency.


    Coming close to Jaby, Akira inspected him, his stitches, his hands which had pricks because of all the needles that had been pierced, the bandages and small bruises which were scattered across his face because of the broken ss.


    "Why is he not waking up?"


    Akira asked looking at Dr. Oshana with her eyes almost brimming up in tears. But somehow that didn''t raise any sympathy in Dr. Oshana''s heart. She wanted to scream at her and say on her face that it was all because of her. But somehow she refrained from saying anything and muttered.


    "Anesthesia takes some time to wear out."


    "What?"


    "What I mean is, he is still under the influence of anesthesia from the procedure. It will take another hour or so to wear out."


    "I see."


    Saying that a troubled Akira looked at the vital monitor, trying toprehend all those signals.


    Setting her acting all pathetic, Dr. Oshana said,


    "There is nothing to be worried about. The surgery went well. All that you need to do is to wait."


    Akira meekly nodded and continued to look at the face of Dr. Nelson. She was trying to remember herst conversation with him at the party. But her thoughts were interrupted by Raymond''s voice.


    "How did it happen?"


    "I have no idea."


    Oshana replied curtly to Raymond''s question.


    "No idea? You were there with him."


    Raymond asked and from his tone, Oshana could understand that he was getting irritated. So she added up.


    "He was all fine. He just dropped me at my ce and turned back to go to his. Then I heard a noise and I turned back and I see that he had crashed his har all by himself."


    Raymond thought for a while and then asked,


    "Where is that car now? Was it picked up by the agency?"


    And before Raymond could even reply, David came in.


    "Shit."


    This was the first thing that came out of his mouth after seeing Dr. Nelson in that state.


    "We need to check his car, David. It''s with the state NY agency."


    "Are you suspecting someone? Why would anyone harm him? He was like..."


    "A nobody. A nobody who had nothing to do with people like you and he lived his life happily. But ever since he met you, you have eclipsed his fate Akira."


    Oshana blurted after losing all her cool.


    "Me? What do I have to do with this? You were with him when he left. Till he was with me, he was all fine."


    "Was he Akira?"


    "Yes, he was. What did you tell him on your way back? What did you do to upset his mind?"


    Akira questioned her with an enraged tone, but then suddenly she turned after hearing a faint sound.


    It was Dr. Nelson.


    "Ali..."


    "Alita....."


    "Shit," and saying that Akira moved close to him.


    "Call the attending doctor."


    Raymond said looking at David and rushed to the other side of Dr. Nelson,pletely sidelining the existence of Dr. Oshana in the room.


    His fingers moved a bit and Akira immediately held his hand without even thinking for a moment and said,


    "Jaby, it''s all ok. We are all here. See.. everyone is here for you."


    "Alita..."


    "Alita I am sorry ..."


    Saying that Jaby opened his eyes and looked at the worried face of Akira.


    "Alita... You are here !!!"


    And suddenly his voice sounded happy.


    Getting a bit worried, Akira looked at Raymond first and then she said softly,


    "It''s Akira, Jaby. Do you remember me? We met in London at the ...."


    And before she could evenplete her sentence, the faint smile on Dr. Nelson''s face disappeared and suddenly it was reced by grim. His grip which had tightened a bit around her hand also cked to an extent that it seemed as if he didn''t want his hand to be held by her.


    "Jaby, are you ok?"


    Akira asked again, bending a bit closer to Jaby''s face and that irritated Dr. Oshana and she said,


    "Can you stop asking questions. He would be groggy right now and his throat might be all dried up. Just wait for the doctor to arrive before you start your questionnaire."


    Feeling insulted Akira turned towards Dr. Oshana, for she wanted to ask her about her unruly behavior. But before she could someone had already stormed towards her.


    "Do you have a bone to pick with my Akira?"


    His voice had a weird rage and his hands were curled up in a fist. Even though Oshana was helping them out these days, he couldn''t tolerate anyone talking back at Akira like that. Akira could see the fire in his eyes and decided to cool him off before he burst.


    "The doctor is here Raymond."


    Saying that Akira turned towards the doctor, but the moment he saw her face, the stethoscope fell down from his hands.


    "Alita !!! You are alive?"

 Chapter 489: You love her. Dont you?

    <h4>489 You love her. Don''t you?</h4>


    "I am not Alita, I am Akira."


    Akira turned towards the doctor, trying to exin any confusion.


    "Oh,e on Alita. Do not y with me now. What dirty trick you and Jaby have yed with us? He cut us all off after you..."


    Suddenly his words took a pause inside his mouth as he saw Alita''s hand intertwined with that of a stranger.


    "I think you have a misunderstanding. I am here as a friend. I think you are confusing me with his wife. She has indeed passed away a couple of years ago. Even just now when Jaby opened his eyes, he confused me as Alita. I am Akira, Akira Peyton."


    "She is just a friend Leonard."


    Suddenly a faint voice was heard, cutting through the conversation.


    "Wait Jaby. Don''t get up."


    Saying that Leonard rushed to his side and helped to adjust the pillow properly.


    "How do you feel?"


    "Mighty fine I must say."


    "Don''t act all tough in front of me ok?"


    Saying that Leonard bumped his chest mildly with his fist and continued to check his vitals.


    "You are recovering well. Will discharge you in a day or two."


    "Ohe on Leonard. I know I can be discharged now. It''s a minor procedure after all. I too possess a Doctor prefix in front of my name you see."


    Saying that Jaby tried to make the conversion inside the room all lively, trying his way best to distract everyone from the conversation that had happened before. His heart was racing fast. He never wanted Akira to know that she looked like his wife because he knew that the moment she will know about it, she would belittle the bond of friendship that they had shared. He knew that she would feel that he did everything for her not as a friend but just because of what her face looked like and that would have broken her because he knew that she trusted him, considered him as one of her own people. So no matter into how many pieces his own heart was shattered into, he was determined not to let even a rose prick her heart.


    But little did he know that the seed of doubt had already been nted in the mind of Dr. Oshana. She immediately tried to google about Alita, but to her dismay, there were no pictures of her avable.


    "How is he? Will he be ok?"


    "Don''t worry Ali.... erm... Akira. He is all right."


    "That''s a relief."


    "Can you guys give a moment with Dr. Leonard? I need to discuss my issue with him as a doctor. Will be ufortable in front of you guys."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson gave an apologetic look to everyone in the room.


    "Is there anything serious with you that we don''t know?"


    Akira blurted out.


    "This is the exact reason why I want you out Akira. There is nothing serious, but the medical terms might scare you out. Please, just give us five minutes."


    Saying that Jaby looked at Akira with a gentle smile on his face.


    Akira said and returned his smile with another on her face.


    "But I will stay. Your medical terms won''t scare me."


    Oshana said and gave a look to Dr. Nelson and he could easilyprehend her intention and said,


    "Yes, you may."


    As Akira left the room along with Raymond and David, Dr. Leonard blurted,


    "Who is she? What is this joke?"


    "Leonard hold on. Quiet. Just let me exin."


    Then looking at Dr. Oshana, Dr. Nelson said,


    "I wanted you to listen to this because I do not want to give you any false hopes."


    "What are you talking about?"


    Dr. Oshana asked all irritated. She knew that he had no feelings for her, but she didn''t want him to rub salt on her wounds again and again.


    "Don''t beat around the bush Jaby. Who is she? Is she Alita?"


    "Why are you calling someone else as Alita. Why are you torturing a man who is already wounded?"


    Dr. Oshana said and turned towards Dr. Leonard. Her face was clearly showing her anger.


    "That''s because she looks exactly like his wife. This happens only in drama or maybe if his wife had an identical twin. And given that I know them personally, his wife didn''t have an identical twin. So can you exin to me what is going on."


    "Even I don''t know how to exin to you Leonard. Probably it''s a cruel joke that life had yed with me."


    Dr. Nelson said and sighed.


    For a moment Dr. Oshana couldn''t digest what she was hearing, but then suddenly everything started falling into ce. That conference in London to that incident where she had hurt him, everything started making sense.


    "Now I get it. You were doing everything for her because you are in love with her. This is not friendship Dr. Nelson. Are you so blinded by just her face that you can''t see my sincerity?"


    "This is exactly why I wanted you to know this. Because I think now you can understand that no one can rece my wife from my heart. I am friends with her because she reminds me of my wife when she was young. And I don''t have any feelings for her. I like being with her because it makes me feel like I am close to my Alita. That''s all. No one can rece Alita from my heart. No one."


    His words pierced her ears like darts.


    She was dumbfounded. She couldn''t believe that such men existed. Men who could love their one and only throughout their entire lifetime. Men who were hopelessly romantic. Tears started rolling down her cheeks because she had fallen for a guy who could never ever even acknowledge her.


    So without saying another word, she wiped her tears and stormed out.


    Dr. Leonard looked in her direction for a moment and then turning towards Dr. Nelson he asked,


    "You love Akira. Don''t you?"

 Chapter 490: Couldnt you cure my heart a bit earlier?

    <h4>490 Couldn''t you cure my heart a bit earlier?</h4>


    "What is going on Jaby? What have you gotten yourself into?"


    "I don''t understand what you are talking about Leonard. As I said, she is just a friend."


    "Just a friend?"


    "Are you kidding me?"


    "I have never seen you smile at someone like that. You are in freaking pain but you were smiling for her like a fool you idiot. Don''t you see that? Why are you trying to deny it? You are in love with her. Or are you in denial because she is with someone else?"


    "Was I that obvious?"


    Dr. Nelson asked nervously and looked at Leonard who leaned back on the wall and kept looking at him without saying anything.


    "Can you stop torturing me, Leonard."


    "Ok, Ok I give up. Maybe you have feelings for her because she looks like..."


    "No."


    His voice was firm.


    He let out a deep breath of air and then spoke again.


    "I don''t like her because she looks like Alita. Maybe initially I was drawn to her because of that. But she is very different from her. She is a young, confident, and passionate woman. I like her because she is someone who never gave up on her love. Maybe that''s why I rte to her more. maybe I feel we are alike, hopelessly romantic people if that''s what you call us."


    "Does she know?"


    "She has no idea and I would like it to be that way."


    "Why?"


    "Because ..."


    "Are you scared of losing her? Scared that she might think that you are with her because she looks like your wife?"


    "Losing her !!!"


    Saying that Dr. Nelson chuckled.


    "I never had her in the first ce, Leonard. She was always in love with the man next to her and he loves her more than she can even fathom. I am just... just a sidekick in the story. I just want her to be happy and her happiness lies with that guy, Raymond. They make quite a good couple."


    Saying that Dr. Nelson sighed.


    Leonard looked at his friend for a while, trying to map his eyes, trying to tap into the depth of his heart to find out the real truth because he could clearly figure out the pain and despair in his voice.


    They both looked at each other in silence for a while. The silence was so intense that they could hear the sound of the second hand of the clock, ticking away to clock a minute. Finally unable to bear the whole drama, Leonard said,


    "Whom are you trying to deceive Jaby?"


    "I am not trying to deceive anyone. I like her. I admit it, but that''s my problem, not hers. Why she has to bear the guilt of hurting anyone? After all these days of waiting, today finally she has gotten the opportunity to be with the man that she loves. She already has too much on her te man. She can''t know about this."


    "But don''t you think she has the right to know about your genuine feelings?"


    "Over my dead body Leonard."


    "Fine, fine. You and your saint attitude. Don''te crying to me when you ..."


    "I will never cry for her. She is in her happy ce now Leonard. And my heart is in peace because of that. Call her in else she will start bawling outside thinking I have a tumor or something."


    "Fine, I will zip my mouth. But what about thedy who darted out. Won''t she tell her everything?"


    "No, she won''t. She has her own pride to handle."


    "If you say so. Call me for a beer at your ce once you recover."


    Saying that Dr. Leonard ced the chart back and went outside to call Akira back into the room.


    -----


    "Do you think he is all right?"


    "I mean they could have told us what is wrong. Why did they send us out? Does he have a brain hemorrhage or something?"


    Saying that Akira started biting her fingernails as she paced in the corridor.


    Raymond also stood there all tense, but there was something else that was eating his head up. He couldn''t digest the fact that why everyone was referring Akira as Dr. Nelson''s wife. First the nurse at the reception and then Dr. Leonard. He was unable to understand what was Akira''s connection with Alita.


    So he looked at David who was sitting on the bench quietly, trying to hide his worries so that it didn''t pile upon an already worried Akira, and said,


    "Check my message."


    Saying that he walked towards Akira.


    She was talking to herself and when she turned she collided with him.


    "Errr... Sorry I wasn''t looking."


    "I didn''t mind."


    And saying that he took her hands in his own and gently interlocked his fingers with hers and said,


    "Just stop worrying. He is a good man, nothing will happen to him. They are old friends and maybe they have something to discuss with each other."


    "Then why Oshana stayed inside with them and why did she storm away without telling us anything? You know that she has feelings for him. Why would she be upset if everything was ok?"


    Taking a deep breath, Raymond pulled Akira close. her head rested on his chest and he slowly started running his fingers through her hair and said,


    "Don''t jump into conclusions. Let''s just hang in there for a few minutes. I have asked David to get hold of his reports. If anything we will get to know. Just give me some time. But before that don''t conclude anything in your head."


    Saying that he gently ced his lips on her forehead.


    A soft smile curled up on her lips and she hugged him tightly.


    "Feeling better now?"


    He asked, tilting his head a bit, trying to see those beautiful expressions on her face. But suddenly she looked up at him and said,


    "Couldn''t you cure my heart a bit earlier?"

 Chapter 491: Like how?

    <h4>491 Like how?</h4>


    Asked Raymond with a bit of yfulness in his eyes.


    "Just like this. How you did now."


    "Is that all you want? I thought your list would be long tonight."


    Saying that Raymond tried to suppress his smugugh and kept patting her head.


    "Don''t poke me now."


    "Ok ok... Now rest for a while till the doctores out."


    Saying that Raymond slightly turned to look at the door and then looked at David. Looking at the way an expression of disbelief was etched on the face of David, Raymond realized that something wasn''t right.


    Although he badly wanted to know what was wrong, he suppressed his curiosity because he wanted to know about it first before revealing anything to Akira. He slowly picked up his mobile phone from the pocket of his pant and was about to text David when he heard the door swung open.


    "Aaah, Dr. Leonard."


    Akira immediately opened her eyes and looked in the direction of Dr. Leonard. it looked like he was about to say something but before he could even after a single word Akira asked,


    "Will you tell us honestly what is wrong with him? We are not as chicken-hearted as he thinks us to be."


    "Chicken hearted? God no. He waspletely right about you. He told me to leave the room as early as possible otherwise you would be spending all your time thinking about the worst possible disease that he could have."


    "I did not."


    Akira retorted.


    "There is nothing to worry about. Actually we just wanted to discuss a medical paper. Nothing else."


    "Then why did you guys fall on such a big drama? Why did Dr. Oshana storm out of the room?"


    Akira asked as she was not at all convinced with his replies.


    "Well, that''s becasue she tried to confess something in front of Dr. Nelson and he didn''t like that. End of the story. now if your question is done then I''ll take my leave as I have to check up on other patients. You can go in and visit him he is perfectly fine right now."


    Saying that Dr. Leonard walked ahead and Akira entered into the room.


    Raymond stayed behind to have a talk with David.


    "How you feel now? Gosh, I was so much worried about you. If you wanted to discuss the new property that you want to invest, you could have talked in front of us. Why did you ask us to go away? Since when have you started scaring the shit out of people."


    Akira asked and sat next to Dr. Nelson.


    "Well ... Erm ... It''s a small property. I just want to open a basic clinic. Nothing final yet so didn''t want to disclose in front of you."


    "I see... "


    "What are you looking at?"


    "Nothing, just trying to understand what on earth these numbers mean."


    "You want to learn?"


    "Well yeah."


    "Well, the numbers in yellow are for my oxygen saturation, the numbers in green ..."


    But before he couldplete his sentence, Raymond stormed inside.


    He looked restless, like a child who is scared that his favorite toy would be taken away. Coming close to Akira he said,


    "The visiting hours are over now. We need to leave."


    There was a sense of weird urgency in his voice and it was telling everyone loud and clear that there was something wrong with him.


    "Are you ok Raymond?"


    "Erm... I am not. I feel too tired. It''s been a long day and I was just wondering if I could just rest for a moment in my life."


    "You feel ok Ray?"


    Dr. Nelson asked with his voice filled with concern. He was worried if he had any new memory sh and if that had made him restless.


    "I am all fine. Completely fine. Akira is with me now, so nothing can go wrong with me. As long as she is with me, I am fine."


    "But shouldn''t I ..."


    "David is going to stay overnight. If anything we are just a call away."


    "I am totally fine Akira. All my vitals are stable. They are just keeping me here so that I rest well. Go home now and rest well. You guys need it way more than I do."


    Even though she was reluctant to leave her friend in such a condition, she was equally worried about Raymond. She knew how many sleepless nights her man had spent just to achieve this day when everything had been set right. So with a heavy heart, she left the room along with Raymond.


    As they walked towards the car, Akira said,


    "Do you know both Dr. Leonard and Dr, Nelson they were lying to us. They are trying to hide something. I guess there is something wrong with Jabya and they are not telling us. Can you please check with David, if he can find out anything?"


    For a moment Raymond didn''t say a word. He was trying hard to battle between his insecurities and the value of friendship.


    "Well yeah, David will check and let us know. But as far as the basic reports go, he seems all fine. Maybe they were discussing some personal matter which has no corrtion with us and maybe that''s why they just wanted to discuss alone."


    "Well could be, but why Dr. Oshana was there?"


    "I am not sure about it."


    Saying that Raymond mmed the door close after Akira got into the car.


    "Are you seriously ok Raymond?"


    Akira asked all worried and she could sense that there was something clearly bothering him.


    With his hands on the steering wheel, Raymond tried to take a couple of deep breaths. It was hard for him to digest what he had just heard from David. He tried hard to maintain hisposure but then he caved in.


    "I can''t even fathom to lose you in the wildest of my dreams."


    "Not now, not ever."


    And before Akira could realize what was happening, her lips were sealed with the warmth of his.

 Chapter 492: His urgent kiss

    <h4>492 His urgent kiss</h4>


    She was taken aback for a while. She was not expecting such a hungry kiss from him. But her body went under his trance in seconds. Her hands which initially tried hard to grab the leather of the seats now were grabbing his hair.


    Even she had the same longing for his touch.


    They had been through a crazy bull ride of ups and downs in their life and all she wanted was to immerse herself at that moment.


    His hand which was supporting the back of her neck came down and rested on the crevice of her neck. But that was not enough for her. She wanted him now, then and there. Somehow when she was with him, she always forgot where she was, what was happening around her. He had the power to captivate her in seconds.


    She held his hand in hers and slowly pulled it down from her neck and ced it on her chest.


    Raymond was taken aback.


    He disconnected from her for a moment and looked deep into her eyes. All that he could see was a profound amount of love and trust.


    "What was I even thinking?"


    Saying that he sighed and let out a deep gasp of air.


    "What happened? What were you thinking? Why did you stop? Do you not feel like doing it anymore? I mean... Did it turn you off? I mean what I did?"


    There was so much worryced in her voice that Raymond couldn''t stop but getting mad at himself. For a moment he had second thoughts that someone could steal her away from him. For a moment he felt insecure because someone had no negative qualities in him, because that someone was a reliable, kind and genuine man, because that someone was Dr. Nelson.


    Even though deep down he trusted Dr. Nelson, the episode of Vikram had taught him not to trust even best family friends. He knew that Dr. Nelson was helping them because he genuinely cared about them, but a part of him was scared to lose her.


    "Raymond. What happened? Why are you spacing out? Did I do something wrong?"


    She hadn''t done anything wrong. It was all Raymond. Yet here she was pondering how she had offended him. Her questions tore through his heart. He was angry with himself for making her question her actions.


    So he looked at her and said.


    "Let me take you home."


    And saying that he brushed a couple of loose hair from her face and tucked them gently beneath her ears and said,


    "I might lose myself here."


    He hid his emotions perfectly with his words and sped through. The night was dark but for them, it was still young.


    With a smile on her face, she opened the mirror p in the car and checked herself out.


    "What are you looking at?"


    "Nothing... Just that my lips look a bit pale."


    "What happened? Do you feel unwell?"


    Asked Raymond, and ced the back of his palm on her forehead to check her temperature. His face reflected his worried heart.


    "Erm... I think you took my statement south."


    "What do you mean?"


    Her cheeks started burning because of the naiveness of this man. Even after years of being together with each other, his silly questions still made her feel giddy.


    "What I meant was, my lipstick is all gone now."


    And saying that she opened the windows shield and started looking outside. Things were bing too mushy for her to handle.


    He was taken aback for a moment. Embarrassment came pouring in, but soon seeing her getting affected like this made his heart get even more restless.


    "So do you want to stay like this here for some time? Or...."


    "Or?", asked Akira and turned towards him.


    "Or do you want to go home?"


    Biting her lips in anticipation she said,


    "Let''s go home."


    That was the answer he was looking for. That was all that he wanted to hear. So with a grin on his face, he sped through.


    -----


    Soon after Akira and Raymond left the hospital, David went inside to check upon Dr. Nelson. Now that he was aware about his situation, about his past, he was curious to know what was going inside the head of the man.


    He knew that he was a good man, but for him, Akira and Raymond were a priority.


    "How do you feel doctor?"


    "I feel ok."


    "Erm... the thing is. I just wanted to know..."


    "About my wife Alita?"


    Dr. Nelson asked before David could even finish his sentence.


    "Erm... well not exactly that. The thing is ..."


    "Look, David, I know that you guys know about the fact that Akira looks exactly like my wife, but trust me that is all that is. Nothing more nothing less. I treat her as a friend and that''s all that I can do. So no, if you think I am in love with her. No, if you think whatever I did was because she reminded me of her. She does sometimes but that is my problem. I am not going to let that affect anyone else. Especially not her or Raymond."


    "I know Dr. Nelson, you are not that sort of a person."


    "If you know that then please help Raymond understand it as well. He came in like a paranoid a moment before and dragged her away as if like the world wasing to an end."


    "I hope you can understand his state of mind."


    Taking a deep breath Dr. Nelson replied,


    "Just let him know if he is notfortable, then I am ok to cut off all ties with her."


    "Dr. Nelson !!!"


    "Don''t worry David, I am also a well-wisher of hers, just like you. And I would do anything for her."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 493: Back in the house - 1

    <h4>493 Back in the house - 1</h4>


    "What are you thinking?"


    Raymond asked and gently unbuckled her seat belt.


    Taking a deep breath, Akira replied,


    "Nothing much. Too many memories. Everything is flooding in."


    Saying that she looked at Raymond and he could see her eyes brimming with tears. He wiped her tears gently and stroked her face lightly with his fingers and said,


    "You promised me that you won''t cry anymore. All that we will have is happy memories together."


    Akira smiled and nodded her head vigorously as he cupped her face in his hands.


    "Come let''s go."


    Saying that Raymond got out of the car and quickly went to the other side to escort hisdy. Although deep down his soul was troubled, it was being soothed every single moment by her. Her profound love for him and her deep faith was something that he could read vividly from her eyes.


    So pushing away his thoughts, holding her hand in his own, he opened the door and asked,


    "Do you remember the first time you hade to my ce?"


    "Of course I do."


    Akira said and blushed all scarlet.


    "By the way, I didn''t tell you a secret."


    "What? What? tell me now."


    "That day that you were supposed toe, I couldn''t sleep all night. I got up early and cleaned the entire house by myself. I even changed the sheets in my bedroom in case..."


    "In case what mister? You were hoping to get lucky on day one itself? Huh?"


    "Well, I was just hoping. I mean just in case..."


    "You jerk..."


    Saying that Akira pushed Raymond away.


    "Ohe on Akira. I was just being frank. Don''t lie that you didn''t feel anything that day?"


    Asking that Raymond sauntered close to her.


    Holding her hand he ced it on his chest and asked,


    "Didn''t you feel what I was feeling when we danced? Didn''t you feel like your heart was burning with desire?"


    Akira looked up into his eyes, but he was looking at her so intently that she couldn''t stop her cheeks burning crimson red.


    "What? Why are you blushing so bad? Is that a yes?"


    "I am not saying anything."


    Saying that Akira quickly raced upstairs and Raymond followed right behind her after closing the main door.


    "Where do you think you are trying to escape into?"


    Saying that Raymond caught her from behind, encapsting her waist with his slender long arms.


    "Come with me."


    He said and pulled her into his bedroom.


    "Why are we going into your bedroom?"


    "It''s our bedroom Akira. Everything that is mine is yours now."


    "Do you know how much I waited for this day to happen. A day where everything is normal. A day where I don''t have to hide anymore. A day where I don''t have to worry about dodging a bullet. A day when I can touch you, kiss you the way my heart wants."


    Saying that she epassed all the fire within her heart and tiptoed to enable her lips to reach the limits of his cheeks. She locked her arms around his neck and then let her tender lips touch his cheeks. The moment her tender lips brushed against the stubble of his cheek, she let out a faint gasp of air.


    "God !!! I missed this so much."


    Saying that she moved to his left side and ced another warm kiss on his other cheek.


    The touch of her lips had aroused the primal desire that was hidden deep in his heart. He looked into her eyes which were burning with want and leaned closer. Brushing her lips close to her ear he whispered?


    "What else did you miss .... ?"


    Before he could even add punctuation to his question, she turned towards him and gently ced her lips on his.


    A sudden warmth splurged through their bodies and a sudden hunger resurfaced. In a split of a second that soft warm kiss turned into a passionate one, kindled with longing and craving. Their lips fit perfectly with each other, dancing in a symphony. They drowned themselves in the moist embrace, their bodies aching for more with every passing second.


    But for her, she had reached her paramount. So she suddenly pulled herself apart, panting for breath. Wetting her lips, she gulped and said,


    "Give me a moment, please !"


    Clutching her chest with her hand, she slowly bent her head down, gasping for air. But he was in no mood for a break, not after when she had shown him such an intense preview that his mind was wandering for more. But seeing her trying hard to catch her breath, he passed. He paused and took deep breaths to get a hold of himself.


    It was already dead in the night and from the looks of her, he could guess that even though her heart wanted something, her body wanted something else.


    So he lifted her up and said,


    "Come, rest in my arms."


    She didn''t know how he could understand her better than she did herself. She was literally tired with the entire jaunt that hadsted throughout the day but was too shy to speak about it to him. All that she wanted was to kiss him but also to curl up in her bed.


    A smile etched on her lips and she asked while touching the corners of his lips with her index finger.


    "Howe you don''t look tired?"


    He gently ced her on his bed and adjusted the pillow for her and said.


    "I guess it''s a guy thing. I guess I can never get tired of ...."


    "Of what Raymond?"

 Chapter 494: Back in the house - 2

    <h4>494 Back in the house - 2</h4>


    "Nothing !!! You just rest. I will get you some water. You need to stay hydrated."


    And then he got down from the bed.


    She looked at the mighty fine man in front of her and her lips curved in a smile. She saw him going downstairs to the kitchen and thought,


    "Even his back looks sexy."


    Biting her lip she giggled as funny thoughts started creeping in her head. So she shut her eyes close and pretended to fall asleep before Raymond came back. She knew that he would definitely take some time to prepare lukewarm water for her.


    And just like she had expected, after ten minutes, Raymond came back to the room with a sk and a ss in his hand.


    "Akira !!!"


    "Akira !!!"


    cing the sk and ss on the side table he moved close to her and realized that she had been fast asleep.


    Taking a deep breath, he pulled the duvet and tucked her in before giving a light good night kiss on her forehead and then on her lips. He sat next to her for quite some time without saying a word and then got up to change his clothes.


    After freshening up, he came back and slept next to her on the bed.


    "I wish I could know what are you dreaming about right now."


    Saying that he stretched his arm and gently pulled her close so that she could rest her head on her arms and so that he could feel her breath on his chest.


    "What is he going to do next?", Akira pondered.


    He let her rest on his arm like that for quite some time and then with his other hand he gently started stroking her hair, softly humming a silent luby. Every single touch of his finger was melting heart away.


    "Will you always love me this much, Raymond?", she thought.


    Then suddenly he stopped running his fingers through her hair. He let out a gasp of air and started teaching her face with his fingers. She could hear him talking to himself in a muted tone.


    "You have to remember this face."


    "You can never dare to forget this face."


    "Wake up tomorrow and remember this face, Raymond."


    And saying that very carefully he ced a kiss on her forehead. Then slowly his lips traced down and kissed the corners of her eyes. He touched her softly, tenderly, scared to disturb her sleep, but little did he know that she wasn''t sleeping at all. Rather she was trying hard to control her emotions from sprouting out.


    Next, he kissed the tip of her nose and slowly moved down to kiss her lips. He ced his lips briefly on hers for the split of a second and was about to retract, but in the next second, he found his lips bound in the warm embrace of hers.


    Taken aback he opened his eyes and saw that the corners of her eyes were moist.


    "Baby !!! You weren''t asleep."


    She shook her head and wiped the tears away.


    "I wasn''t sleepy."


    Raymond replied and pulled her close.


    She knew that he was afraid of sleeping because the next morning he would forget what she looked like. Perhaps the thought of the next morning was freaking him out.


    "Why did you pretend? I got your water. Drink it. It''s in the sk."


    Saying that Raymond propped her up first and then helped her to pour water into the ss.


    As she gulped the water, she saw a sense of satisfaction on the face of her man and she wondered, "How can such a small thing make him happy?"


    After keeping the ss back on the side table, Akira said,


    "I just wanted to see what you do when I am asleep, Mr. Pervert," Akira said and then lightly tapped the tip of her index finger of his lower lip.


    "So I am a pervert now?" Raymond asked with a tone filled with a bit of annoyance and hearing which she took a deep breath and then inched close to him and said,


    "No, I am."


    She then held his face in her palm and gently moved forward to kiss him. He was sitting on the bed and she hovered atop him, parting his lips with hers. His hands which were resting on both sides of his leg now moved up to hold her waist. As the intensity and wetness of the kiss increased, she perched on hisp.


    His restless hands started pulling her shirt which was tucked in her skirt. He swiftly lifted the fabric of the shirt and slid his hand underneath to touch the bare skin of her waist. As soon as his hands made contact with her skin, she whimpered and sucked hard on his lower lip. That had an instant tantalizing effect on him.


    Pulling her close, he rested his palm at the back of her neck and slowly bent forward to make her lie t on the bed. And as shended on the bed on her back, their lips momentarily disconnected but their eyes locked with each other.


    "I love you so much."


    "Undress me," she reciprocated.


    He smiled and bent down to kiss her again.


    Clubbing both her hands together he lifted them above her head and held them together with his one hand while the other was busy unbuttoning her shirt. Under that white shirt of hers lied her rosy pinkces.


    He looked at her and then let out a smallugh.


    "Why are youughing? What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing !!!" he said while trying hard to bite his lip to stop himself fromughing.


    Annoyed she propped herself up with her elbows and asked,


    "Are you going to tell me or not?"


    "Erm... It''s nothing."


    "Raymond !!!"


    "Ok fine! Fine don''t fidget."


    "What is it?"


    Suppressing hisugh Raymond said,


    "Actually you are looking cute like a barbie."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 495: Back in the house - 3

    <h4>495 Back in the house - 3</h4>


    Freeing herself from the grip of his hands, she said with a toneced with irritation,


    "You are supposed to say that I look hot and sexy and you are hereparing me with a freaking barbie."


    Clearly, she was annoyed.


    "You look even cuter when you fight with me like this," he said while trying hard to suppress hisugh.


    Buttoning back her shirt, she looked at him scornfully and said,


    "Congrattions !!! Your cute girl now wants to cutely sleep on the cute sofa downstairs."


    "But my sofa is very manly like me. Not at all cute."


    "You," sneered Akira and then pickingup the remote she undimmed the lights of the bedroom and stormed ahead. Deep down she knew that even before she could cross the threshold of the bedroom, he woulde and pull her back. But oddly that didn''t happen.


    "Wow, he didn''t evene to stop me from leaving? That''s a new," she wondered and perched herself up on the sofa downstairs.


    ''Damn he was right. That royal blue Chester sofa didn''t look cute at all,'' she thought and made a mental note to kick herself before speaking up such absurd things.


    Not even ten seconds had passed and she sneaked up to the stairs to see if he wasing down. But to her dismay, she saw the lights of the bedroom switched off.


    "Jesus, he is going to sleep now?" Muttered Akira and then went back to the sofa and tried to go to sleep herself. But sleep was like miles and miles away from her. A few minutes back she was feeling exhausted becasue of the events of the day, but right now she was brimming with anger. Raymond had gone to sleep without her and that too when she was under the same roof as he. That was something that she wasn''t able to digest at all.


    So she got up again and sat on the sofa.


    She wanted to back in the room and pounce on him, but how? She had made such a dramatic exit so she began to think of a way to back into the room while saving her face.


    "Maybe I can go in the pretext of getting a rug."


    But then she looked to her left. Two rugs had been neatly folded and stacked upon each other next to the sofa.


    "My phone. I will go in to get my phone. Yes. Yes, that will work."


    She thought and started climbing up the stairs.


    "Did he really sleep already?"


    Her thoughts raced in every possible direction. as she reached the door. At first, she thought of knocking but then upon second thought, she just barged in. In her head, she was somehow imagining that he would be sitting in the room, waiting for her, but to her surprise, he had already slept off.


    "Is he kidding me right now?"


    Thought Akira and went close to the bed and found him sleeping in the most peaceful way. She sighed seeing his beautiful face and muttered,


    "Damn your face !!! I can''t be even angry with you."


    "Raymond !!! You weren''t ...."


    "Yeah, just like you weren''t...."


    He said and pulled her close and flipped her on the bed.


    "Jesus, you are so vengeful," she said and pushed him away.


    "Oh,e on now Akira. We have already done too much drama. I can''t take this anymore."


    "You can''t take any more of what?" She asked in a coy tone and got down from the bed on the other side.


    "You are not escaping this time," Raymond said and moved quickly out of the bed, inching close to her. Holding the waistband of her skirt, he pulled her close. his thumb ran all over her lower lip and he whispered,


    "All I can dream about is your lips. All-day."


    He then made her moan with the warmth of his lips on her. She couldn''t keep calm and her hands went up to grab his shoulder, his hair. His hand slowly moved to her sides and found the bare skin of her waist and her shirt had already ridden up in an attempt to hold him close. He pulled her body even closer while kissing her lips as deep as he could.


    Slowly his lips trailed down, grazing her chin andnded at the sides of her neck and that made her moan.


    "Mmmmhhhh....."


    Her moans delighted his heart. As she gasped for air, he brought a second to look at her face which lookedpletely flushed.


    "You ok?" He asked, grazing his slender fingers over her lips.


    "Don''t stop Raymond!!!" She begged and her lips parted in response to the sensuous touch of his fingers. Her hands were clenching on to his shirt and her breath was heavy. He could tell how badly she wanted him and for him, there was no best feeling in the world other than this.


    So he pulled her even closer and hugged her tight, wanting to never let her go, nting kisses all over her body. Then he moved his hands back to the sides of her body and slowly inched up, reaching thecy fabric inside. Resting one hand on the side, with the other he traced his fingers along her spine.


    She dug herself in his chest as his fingers continued with the fireworks. He gently smiled to see her switch with every single stroke of his fingers and then slowly turned her back. Now her back rested on his chest and his hands worked quickly to unbutton her shirt.


    Off went the fabric andnded on the floor and in the next second, he unhooked herce and freed her chest from its capture. She crossed her arms and covered her chest and seeing that he smiled and have a quick kiss on her shoulder and said,


    "Still running with the revenge n?"


    Before she could even answer or react, she could feel the warmth of his hands on her midriff. In the next second his hands were tugging the waistband of her skirt. She knew it was sooning down too.


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 496: Back in the house - 4

    <h4>496 Back in the house - 4</h4>


    Withered from inside, she leaned back on him, leaving her bodypletely at his mercy and said softly,


    "Kiss me, Ray."


    Even though his hands wanted to wander somewhere else right that moment, he was a man of her woman. And her woman wanted to be kissed and he knew nothing in the world other than pleasing her. So off went his hands which were wandering down and slowly they started tracing her asking upwards.


    Her breath hitched as his hands came up towards her chest. She had been crossing her hands till that time, but the moment his fingers roamed on top of her hand she could feel all her energy draining out. Discing her hands slowly he covered her chest with his warm palm.


    "God, you are so beautiful," whispered Raymonds as his fingers touched


    "Turn your head back," he said and the moment she did, he slowly sucked her lower lip into his mouth and then licked it with his tongue. His hands didn''t rest silently. They kept circling around her chest. The peaks of her chest had hardened with his touch and every time his fingertips touched them, she could feel the heat searing within.


    The way her body reacted to his touch, made him happy and he rewarded her exactly with the type of kiss that she wanted. A wet and hungry one.


    Then all of a sudden he stopped kissing her lips and started trailing his tongue along the edge of her neck.


    "Aaahhh... Raymond."


    "So would you dare to run away from me again?" He asked and pinched her right peak while his other hand kneaded the left rise of her chest.


    "Take me to bed," she begged as she had already started getting wet underneath. She wanted him inside of her that moment. She was longing for his warmth.


    "Right now," she said and turned to face him.


    He looked into her eyes and he could read the longing in her heart.


    "Come close !!!"


    He said and she obeyed leaving just an inch of air in between. With a single stroke of his hand, he pulled the zipper of her skirt, freeing her from the fabric, leaving her with nothing but just a delicatece that barely covered her modesty.


    He had never seen her wearing a thong and that too a one which was barely holding anything. All embarrassed she looked aside, but from the corners of her eyes she could see him licking his lower lip and she heard him say.


    "Sweet mercy."


    Before she could dare to look at him, he had already knelt down. Holding the small of her back, he slowly started kissing around her navel.


    "Ahhhh..."


    He could see thecy fabric getting wet. There was a sudden surge of moisture between her legs. Just the sight of that was hardening him. he ran his index and middle finger atop her wetness, in between her legs and then he rested his face there, trying to inhale the smell of her body.


    "You smell delicious Akira," he said and pulled the thong away, making her stand naked in front of him.


    "Pull your legs apart," he asked while holding her by her hips so that she didn''t lose her bnce. She spread her leg open for him and when she did so, he slowly inserted his middle and ring finger inside her. As he traced the moisty warmth inside of her, he felt the rise of warmth inside him.


    "Deeper !!!"


    She begged and he went all-in but the very next second he suddenly pulled his fingers out, teasing her like never before. Her face turned all scarlet and she pulled her legs together and closed her eyes shut.


    She had nevere like this before.


    "It''s ok. It''s ok," he said and slowly rubbed her in between her legs with his thumb.


    "Aaahhhh Raymond !!!"


    She moaned as his thumb brushed against her lips underneath. There was moisture all around her and he was getting intoxicated with the sight of it, knowing that only he had the power to make her feel that way.


    "Stay still," he said and with the swift movement of his tongue, he started cleaning the wetness away, driving her crazy with every stroke of his tongue. His heart yearned for her, every inch of her and it was evident as he didn''t let even an inch of her skin go untouched.


    She started arching her body back with his touch and he deftly supported her back with one arm of his. He understood her well and understood her body even better. So when he was done licking her up dry, he slowly blew a whiff of air with his lips.


    That tantalized her, made her fidgety in his arms.


    "Stand still I said," and when she loyally responded he rewarded her by kissing her lips down there with his own.


    "Oh Gosh !!!"


    Akira crumbled and moaned like her world was crumbling down. He then gently sucked in between her legs before diving his tongue inside her warm interior.


    "Oh my !!!" she moaned and clenched her fist.


    He stopped for a second and then slowly he lifted his head up and looking into her eyes he asked,


    "May I?"


    He knew what her answer would be, he knew that she would never say a know, yet he always asked and she nodded the way she always did.


    Holding her in his arms he took her where she wanted to be.


    His bed.


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 497: I look like her

    <h4>497 I look like her</h4>


    "Dr. Nelson !!! Are you listening to me?"


    "I am fine David, I ampletely fine. You go home and take rest. You also have been through the same ordeal as them. Nothing is going to happen to me in a couple of hours."


    Taking a deep breath, David said,


    "I am not going anywhere, Dr. Nelson." Then pinching the space between his brows he continued,


    "Fate has a weird way of twisting everyone''s life."


    Getting slightly annoyed, Dr. Nelson said,


    "I know that David. I know that. Her,ing back into my life is nothing but a joke of fate."


    David paused for a while, trying to contemte if she should share everything that he had gotten to know about Raymond. He had to share it with someone because it was indeed a big deal and the only person whom he could trust right now was this man in front of him.


    "I am sure you will understand why I had the fear that Raymond might lose Akira after I tell you this."


    "Tell me what?", Dr. Nelson asked all puzzled. He didn''t know that there was something more to it.


    "The real reason why I am scared that something might happen to those two is not because of how Akira looks. Not because you might have a soft corner for her. It''s because...."


    "Becasue of what David?" Dr. Nelson asked impatiently.


    "Becasue Raymond is the real reason why Akira''s parents died in the car crash."


    "What nonsense are you talking about?"


    "It''s true Dr. Nelson, it''s true. Didn''t I tell you that their fate is twisted...."


    Said David and told him about everything that he heard and learned about Raymond''s past in the penitentiary. The entirety of all the details stumped Dr. Nelson. He couldn''t believe that those two had more bitternessing back into their lives.


    "She cannot know about this David! She cannot know about it !!! It will shatter her. Hope you know that David."


    "I know. My lips are locked. But what will happen when Raymond himself will remember everything? What will happen when he would realize that unknowingly he had destroyed the life of the girl with whom he has fallen in love?"


    "Oh ! Damn !!!" Suddenly Dr. Nelson muttered.


    "What now?", asked David.


    "I have been helping him recollect the memories of his past. He can remember bits and pieces of couple of things from the past. I thought I was helping him try to find out more about his family, helping him find his memory back, but I have been throwing him into the ravine myself. God! What have I done," Dr. Nelson said and looked at David with worry etched all over his face.


    "Can we do some damage control?", asked David.


    David hesitated for a bit and then said,


    "Well yes !!! I think that would the best thing to do. Anyways he had adapted to his illness and no good wille if he can start remembering faces. We can bury everything from the past with us and let them live a happy life."


    "But that might not be a permanent solution."


    "Then do you have any better way?" David asked sarcastically. "Don''t you know what will happen if he remembers? He will tell everything to Akira. And do you know what Akira will do? No, you don''t, because I do. She will shut herselfpletely because even though it was a mistakemented years ago, she will never forgive him. Never." David said and got up from the seat impatiently.


    This perennial calm man who was never budged by any situation seemed disturbed.


    "David !!! Calm down! Nothing like this will happen. I can change Raymond''s medication, no issues in that, but the problem is, will he visit me after knowing about my past? Will he trust me the same way that he did before? I am a bit doubtful about it." Dr. Nelson said and let out a gasp of air.


    "Leave that to me. I will exin everything to him. I know Raymond for long. He will understand your predicament. I know that it''s cruel of me to expect help from you regarding their situation. I know it''s really selfish, but apart from you there is no one who can really help me out here," said David and looked at Dr. Nelson with hope.


    -----


    "Ummhhh..... Where are you going?" Asked a groggy voiced Raymond.


    "The bathroom silly," said Akira and nted a kiss on his head before getting down from the bed.


    "Come back fast ok. I can''t sleep alone on this bed," mumbled Raymond.


    Akira giggled hearing words and said,


    "Will be back in a sh. Sleep tight."


    As she entered the washroom, she saw his phone next to the sink.


    "Gosh !!! How forgetful this man is," she thought and went to pee.


    After washing her hands and wiping it with a towel, she picked up his phone, and somehow when she did, her hands touched the main screen and it lit up. There was a couple of notification of his screen and one of them was a Gmail notification from David with subject line Alita.


    "What does David know about Alita," Akira thought and just out of whim, she unlocked the phone and opened the email.


    The moment she opened the attachment, she couldn''t believe what she was seeing. There was a picture of a newspaper clip in which Dr. Nelson was attending a charity event along with his wife Alita.


    "This can''t be her !!!"


    She muttered in disbelief.


    She could feel the air around her freeze. Her mind was going nk, unable toprehend what she was seeing.


    ''Thud''


    She slumped on the bathroom floor holding her head in her hands and hearing the sound of her fall, Raymond came rushing towards the bathroom and opened the door.


    With tears in her eyes, she looked up at him and said,


    "I look like her !!!"


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 498: I look like her - 2

    <h4>498 I look like her - 2</h4>


    "Akira I never meant you to find this way," he said and bent down to hold her.


    "You knew before me. Didn''t you? And that''s why you seemed so disturbed in the car."


    "Akira, let''s talk in the room," Raymond said and tried to hold her in his arms but she shrugged him off by moving her hands away.


    "That''s why you pulled me away from Dr. Nelson''s room? Didn''t you Raymond?"


    She said and looked up into his eyes, unable to understand why he had to hide it from her.


    "Why did you hide Raymond?"


    "Why did I hide? You are asking me this Akira? For real? Why did I hide?" Raymond asked with a disturbed voice.


    "Do you not know how difficult it was to get you back in my life? Do you not know how many people are out there to take you away from me? Do you think it is easy for me to digest to see another man added to that list? And that too a man like Dr. Nelson !!!"


    "What do you mean Raymond?" she asked, unable to understand what was going on in his heart.


    Raymond sighed and stopped pacing around. Pinching the space between his eyebrows he again let out a deep gasp of air and then said,


    "I was scared because Dr. Nelson is different. He is a good man, in fact, a great man whom I can''t even hate even after knowing all this about him. Don''t you think that it will scare the hell out me?"


    "But why?" asked Akira and she got up from the floor.


    "Becasue when I myself am unable to hate him, how can you?"


    All the anger and resentment that had built up inside her, washed away after hearing him speak. Coming close to him she asked,


    "Are you scared that ..."


    "Don''t even say it Akira. Don''t you even dare," said Raymond and pulled her close to himself. Hugging her tight in his arms, he said,


    "I am done fighting with people. I don''t have the strength for another battle. I can''t fight a good samaritan like him. I am not perfect like him. So just forgive me from keeping this away from you because my heart can''t even let you think about anyone except for me."


    Pulling him even closer, she whispered into his ears,


    "Who told you that I need a perfect man in my life? You are the only man I need Raymond," she said and buried herself in his warm chest. That was all that he wanted to hear. He had been constantly worried that she might develop a soft corner for Dr. Nelson, given the entire situation. He had been worried because he didn''t want Dr. Nelson to emerge as the bigger man here.


    If he would have said or done anything against him, then that would have made him look weak. So he didn''t know what to do in the situation. But her words were enough to givefort to his troubled soul.


    "Do you think he was kind to me because I look like her?"


    Raymond looked at her for a moment, contemting whether he should speak out his mind, or avoid the question altogether. But then he decided to speak out the truth.


    "I do not think so."


    "You think?" asked Akira with hope in her eyes.


    Raymond hated to that glimmer of hope, but being a man of honor he said exactly what he felt.


    "Maybe initially he would have been trying to know you, because of ...." and his voice trailed.


    "Becasue of how I look like her," and Akira finished the sentence.


    "I mean yeah. Maybe initially. But he knew you were with me. If he had any intention of taking you away from me then he wouldn''t have helped me to this extent. Maybe a part of his might be wanting you..." saying that he paused to look at her reaction.


    "But I think he was a genuine friend, not just yours but mine as well. I couldn''t have done some much. I couldn''t have been so giving like him Akira. Probably the reason why he hid it from you was not to hurt you."


    Akira heard him silently for a while and then asked,


    "Was he hurting then? I mean did it hurt him every time he saw me?"


    Taking a deep breath Raymond said,


    "Probably yes, probably no. I am not sure Akira. I really don''t know what he had in his mind," he said and sat on the bed.


    Akira stood there for a while trying to understand everything that she had heard. She understood why he hid everything from her. She understood why it was bothering him. But right now she was bothered because of something else.


    She remembered each and every incident and suddenly everything started making sense.


    ''The way Dr. Nelson''s staff, Ste had frozen seeing her at the clinic.''


    ''The way Dr. Delson called her Alita when he opened his eyes.''


    ''The way people mistook her as Dr. Nelson''s wife. The bartender, the nurse.''


    Everything started falling into ce.


    "I was probably stupid not to notice the hints," Akira thought to herself.


    She then remembered the scene at the party.


    ''That protective look on his face on the dancefloor that said that he would her no matter what.''


    ''The way his eyes were longing for someone when he was dancing with her.''


    But in the end, she could clearly remember the way the grip of his hands had tightened around her when she left him to go to the stage to join Raymond.''


    It all came shing back and looking at Raymond she said,


    "I need to visit him, right now !!!"


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 499: Creating distance

    <h4>499 Creating distance</h4>


    "We can go in the morning. He must be resting right now. You can ask him whatever you want to ask about when we go to the hospital together."


    But she looked up at him helplessly and said,


    "But I don''t feel well Raymond. There is this pit in my stomach that I can''t get rid of. It feels like ...."


    "What do you feel Akira?" Asked Raymond, with his heart in his mouth. He was scared to know her reasons, but at the same time he wanted to ease her condition as well. He knew that deep down she was going through a turmoil, which probably she didn''t want to show on her face. But her thoughts, her fears where are already known to Raymond and probably that was the reason why he was so ufortable after knowing the truth.


    "Erm...," she hesitated at first, and sure of the fact that how Raymond would take it. But then she decided to open her heart in front of him, because she knew that apart from her if there was any one else who knew her better then that was Raymond.


    "Somehow I feel that.... I don''t know probably he felt a connection with me. I mean on the dance floor I saw him looking at me with a weird longing in his eyes. At the time I just thought it was all because of the music, the mood but now that I think of it..."


    "He likes you, doesn''t he?"


    "Not me Raymond. Not me. Perhaps he just likes me because I looked like her. So I need to get my thoughts cleared up. I need to make him understand that it''s not going to happen. I don''t want a man like him to live with a false sense of hope," she said and he could see that her eyes were slowly welling up with tears again.


    "Come here!!!" He said and stretched his arms.


    "You don''t want to hurt him right?" He asked as she perched in hisp.


    "I just want to tell him to live in the present. Even after knowing everything about him, I just can''t make myself to hate him for what he did. He didn''t have to lie. At least not to me," said Akira and curled up in hisp.


    "We will visit in the hospital in the morning. Can you please try to sleep at least for a few hours for my sake?" Raymond said and lifted her up in his arms and put her to sleep on the bed.


    He switched the light off in the hope that she will fall asleep. But sleep was miles and miles away for both of them.


    After tossing and turning for the rest of the night, he next morning as Raymond got up, I found a note on top of Akira''s pillow.


    It read,


    "Have gone to talk with Dr. Conrad. It would be weird to confront him in front of you. Hope you understand that.


    P.S. I am yours and only yours."


    He had mixed feelings about it.


    Even though every single time Akira tried to ascertain that she had feelings for him and only him, somehow doubt and uncertainty kept creeping inside his heart.


    ------


    "How is he?" Akira asked with her tone filled with concern.


    "Well he is sleeping right now. That''s why I came out of the room. Didn''t want to disturb him," said David and closed the door behind him.


    "He is sleeping now? Isn''t this the time for his breakfast and medication?" Asked Akira all puzzled.


    "Wow, I did not think about that," thought David and then said.


    "Well actually he slept quitete yesterday night."


    "Why did he sleepte?"


    "How would I know Akira? I was sleeping here in the waiting room," David replied, trying hard to shrug off her questions.


    Akira turned to look at the waiting area and then looked at his face. Then letting out a gasp of air she said,


    "Raymond texted you right? You knew that I wasing to hospital right now. Didn''t you?"


    "Akira !!! We just..."


    "We just what? We don''t want you to enter inside the room? Or we don''t want to talk with you right now?"


    Asked Akira and then stormed inside the room before David could evenplete his sentence. As she entered the room, she saw Dr. Nelson sitting and having his breakfast. For a moment she couldn''t believe that her rtionship with him hade to this sort of sad phase.


    Shocked to see her inside, Dr. Nelson eximed,


    "Akira!!! You are here?"


    "Why Dr. Nelson? Why shouldn''t I be here? Are we in avoiding terms with each other?"


    Dr. Nelson stayed silent without saying a word.


    "So is this how you want things to be?"


    "I am not the one who is saying anything here Akira? Am I?"


    "Well then what was all that about. Why did David lie to me about you sleeping right now?" She asked and looked at him with her eyes filled with hope. She did not want to lose this friendship at any cost.


    "How can you ask a ''Why'' after knowing everything about me Akira?"


    "That''s because I know you and I understand you and I expect you to do the same. I do not want you to create a distance between us," said Akira and sat next to him.


    He looked at her for a while, trying to understand what exactly she was feeling through her eyes, and then said,


    "It is not me who is creating distance between us. It is you?"


    "Me? How is it me?" She asked with a tone of surprise.


    "Why have you started calling me Dr. Nelson? I think until yesterday I was Jaby for you."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book -?The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 500: Creating distance - 2

    <h4>500 Creating distance - 2</h4>


    Seeing her all embarrassed and stumped by his question, Dr. Nelson said,


    "It''s ok Akira. You don''t need to answer that question," he said and looked at her withforting eyes.


    Lowering her eyes for some time, she licked her lips while pping her eyelids out of nervousness. She wasn''t expecting him to catch her in her own trap.


    Seeing her still struggling with herself, Dr. Nelson said,


    "Aren''t you going to ask me how I am feeling right now? Do I feel pain or not? I hope you still intend to find out how I am doing, right?"


    "Yeah, I was just about to ask you that," said Akira and then finally looked up at him.


    "I am doing fine. Will be discharged tomorrow."


    "Oh !!! That''s really great," she said and finally a smile etched on her face.


    But somehow seeing her like this, was hurting him. Because he never wanted her to be in any sort of issues because of him. He never wanted to be the reason why she couldn''t sleep well at night.


    So, taking a deep breath, he decided not to beat around the bush and said,


    "Give me your hand Akira."


    "What?", she eximed.


    "Just give me your hand," he said and looked into her eyes with affection.


    Akira hesitated for a while and then ced her hand on top of his palm. Then with his finger, he traced a the semi-circr heart line on her palm and said,


    "This is your heart line. It goes straight, un-deviated anywhere till the root of your index finger."


    "So?" Asked Akira, unable to get the point of that statement.


    "So it means that in your life there would be just oneponent of love, an intenseponent of love. No deviation means, no matter what you will stay united with the love of your life till death will do you apart," he said and traced her heart line again.


    "Wow, I didn''t know that you knew palmistry."


    Akira said and listened to him as he continued,


    "Now look at mine and tell me what does it say?" Dr. Nelson said and showed her his palm. Akira looked at carefully,paring that with hers and then after a few seconds she replied,


    "It''s exactly the same as mine. Single love till death...." and her voice trailed away.


    "I know Jaby, I know it all... But I just wanted to know if..."


    "If what Akira?"


    "Does it hurt you to see me? Does it hurt you when you see me in the arms of someone else?"


    Dr. Nelson smiled and held her hand tightly and said,


    "There have been times, that I wanted to ask God why he yed with me? He could have created you and just let you be. Why he had to pull you in my life? I would be honest, I was really mad with my fate when I met you. But then I realized the only thingmon between you and her is your face. But apart from that, you both are so different. You are a whole different person Akira. A kind but an equally confident one. I admire you as a person and thus wanted you in my life not because I have feelings for you, but because it''s nice to have a person like you in life."


    Her eyes welled with tears as she heard him say those words.


    "Hey don''t cry and please don''t look at me with those pitiful eyes. It makes me feel like a charity case Akira."


    And she giggled as she heard him say that. It was weird. He had the capacity to make cry andugh at the same time.


    Then taking a deep breath she asked the one thing that she was really hesitant about.


    "Well, do you... Do you remember our dance together?"


    And the moment she asked him that, his heart paused for a while.


    "Yes, vividly. What about it?" He asked, trying to sound casual.


    "Well, that night, now that I try to recollect, I felt like you had an untold emotion in your eyes. I can''t decipher what it was, but there was something that you were feeling. I am pretty sure about it."


    She said and looked into his eyes, expecting a genuine answer.


    This question was the reason, why she couldn''te here with Raymond, becasue no matter what, he was still a hot-blooded man, and she couldn''t have dared to ask it in front of him.


    Dr. Nelson took a deep breath and looked at her for some time and then said,


    "I think we have really be close friends. That night I was wishing that it wasn''t you but her. I was wishing if she could juste back and rece you. I am sorry, I was there dancing with you, but in my mind, only her image was there. It was hard for me to concentrate. I couldn''t tell you, but I am d that you could notice the conflict within my heart."


    Akira faintly smiled after hearing him say those words.


    "I am now d that I have someone with whom I can talk about all these things now."


    "Anytime Jaby, anytime," said Akira, and then with a smile on her face she tried to divert the conversation to a happy note.


    "I must say, your palmistry skills saved us from having an awkward conversation."


    Dr. Nelson smiled a bit and then said,


    "I was just bluffing. I don''t know any palmistry Akira."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 501: Creating distance - 3

    <h4>501 Creating distance - 3</h4>


    "What was all that heart line stuff then you told me about?" Asked Akira, unable to believe that Jaby had tricked her.


    Lowering his tone this time, Dr. Nelson answered,


    "I did it because I know deep down there was something that you want to ask, but you dare not. Something that even I want to know, but I dare not."


    Akira looked into his eyes for a second and then said, "I have already asked whatever I wanted to ask. I don''t need to know anything more."


    "Then maybe just listen to what I have to say," Jaby requested, still holding her hand in his palm. Then taking a deep breath he continued,


    "When I held your hand, did you feel anything, I mean even remotely did you feel anything?"


    "Erm.. no. Was I supposed to?"


    Asked Akira, looking at Dr. Nelson.


    "Great then, because even I didn''t feel a thing," saying that he retracted his palm back and continued,


    "I hope this answered all your questions."


    Dr. Nelson said and leaned back.


    Akira stood there for a while and then understood that this man had so simply exined her and had cleared the whole thing. Feeling much lighter she then looked at Dr. Nelson and said,


    "So what should we do about your breakfast?"


    Momentarily Dr. Nelson had forgotten about everything else when she had entered the room. His breakfast had run cold. The bread in his sandwich waspletely soggy now, but he didn''t want to crib about it in front of her. So picking up his sandwich back he said,


    "I am a neurosurgeon Akira. Do you even know what is a surgeon''s best friend apart from a scalpel and movie?"


    "No." she replied quizzically.


    "It'' either a cold turkey or ham sandwich. That''s all that you get from the vending machine and yeah, the awful coffee."


    Akira giggled and seeing her bright smile sort of eased away all his pain.


    Then taking a deep breath, Akira looked at him and said,


    "I will leave now and wille to see you in the evening. Ok?"


    "Ah great, then bring in some nice food with you. Hospital food sucks !!!" he said and smiled.


    Akira looked at him one more time and a smile etched on her face. When she had entered the room, she had thought that she was going to lose a friend, but right now she was going back from that room with everything cleared up.


    "Life is good," she thought and walked out to go to the main entrance to hail a cab. But to her surprise, Raymond was waiting for her outside. Relieved to see the face of her man, she ran towards him and gave him a hug before saying anything.


    Raymond hugged her back tightly for a few seconds and then opened the car door for her.


    "Can''t hug you anymore, else I am gonna have to pay the fine."


    She wanted to exin to him, why she came alone, but before she could even utter a vowel, he said,


    "Eat !!! There is long day ahead of us."


    "I will, but I need to exin something to you. I really do. I mean for what I did today morning and why I did that. There are things that..."


    "It''s ok Akira. I really don''t care. I mean he is your friend and you wanted to deal with him in your own way. That''s totally fine by me," he said and lifted his hand from the stick for a moment and brushed her cheeks with the back of his hands.


    Akira paused for a while before speaking and then she quipped,


    "Wait a minute. You sound extra cheeky. David has told you everything right?"


    "Erm... " said Raymond andughed.


    "Aaahhh... that man heard everything, didn''t he? Gosh, David, you are setting new standards of loyalty."


    She then slurped on the coffee as it was indeed going to be a busy day for them


    ------


    After David left the room, Dr. Nelson picked up his mobile phone and opened an old folder in his gallery. He had been dreading to open this folder for long as it had all the happy memories that he had with Alita. He was scared to switch from those happy memories to the appalling reality in front of him.


    But today he felt broken, so broken that he wasn''t even scared to look back at those pages again.


    He scrolled through every image recollecting the memories associated and once he was done he took a deep breath and clicked on the Recent images folder. There was a picture of Akira from that party that he had taken secretly.


    A smile etched on his face as he looked at her picture and then he mumbled.


    "I am sorry for lying to you Akira."


    Closing his eyes he remembered the happy memories of their dance. Then he remembered how he felt when he touched her hands. He had lied when he said he felt nothing because he had always felt something with her, not just today but whenever he was there with her.


    But his love for her was not the overbearing kind. It was the most genuine form of love where he wanted nothing more than her happiness. He was lost in his thoughts when suddenly his phone rang.


    "Hello Bishop", said Dr. Nelson after picking up the call.


    "Hi there Jaby," replied Dr. Bishop in a very cheerful tone.


    "Where are you Jaby? At the hospital?" Dr. Bishop asked.


    "Well, technically yes," replied Jaby and then asked, "I hope you have called me to give me some good news."


    "Oh yes, Jaby!!! You guessed it right. Start packing your bags. You have not only got in, but you will be the Head of the Department of Neurology and Cranial Sciences here. How about that for a news?" asked Dr. Bishop cheerfully.


    "Well this is the best thing that has happened to me in thest couple of weeks," Dr. Nelson said and took a breath of relief.


    "Well then pack well. London weather isn''t as forgiving as NewYork."


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 502: To the new beginnings - 1

    <h4>502 To the new beginnings - 1</h4>


    Akira looked at him and she could understand that he was getting emotional. So she stretched her hand in his direction and said,


    "Together?"


    Taking a deep breath, Raymond came forward and held her hand with his and they walked ahead together. As they entered the lift, Akira asked,


    "Do you remember once...."


    "In the lift? Yeah, I do," answered Raymond even before Akira could evenplete her sentence. Akira pursed her lips and looked at Raymond as there were other people in the lift along with them.


    "What?" Asked Raymond with a hushed tone close to her ears.


    Turning all scarlet, Akira looked at him from the corner of her eyes and that brought in a warm smile on his face. All the memories from the old office came flying back. They both remembered those initial days when they were trying to get close to each other and a smile etched on their faces.


    "Here we go," said Akira looking at Raymond when they reached the 7th floor.


    As they got out from the lift, Raymond pulled her hand, making her turn back in his direction.


    "My Delphie was just a dream, but you made it turn into reality," he said with a tone filled with gratitude.


    "Oh,e on, like I don''t know about the shindig," replied Akira sarcastically.


    "Shindig, what Shindig?" Asked Raymond looking at Akira. She looked at him scornfully and said,


    "Now stop acting like I don''t know. David had already told me about it. You were mostly aware of what was happening in thepany, I mean of course after you were discharged from the hospital. And I also know that the whole VR project was your idea and not Kirk''s."


    "What? Who told you that?" Raymond asked all surprised and then he smiled and lifted his hands up and said,


    "Guilty as charged, miss. But I hope you know that nning isn''t everything. Execution is equally important. You got clients, pulled in funds. I mean you were amazing Akira. Do you know how proud I was when I saw you handling everything with such ease?" he said and slowly got his arms down and ced them on her shoulders and said again,


    "Let''s not lose any more time Akira."


    "I am done fighting with people too, Raymond," said Akira and inched ahead to ce her head on his chest, but then she remembered that everyone was waiting for Raymond''s arrival at the office.


    "Ermm... Let''s go to the main hall now. Everyone is dying to meet you in person," said Akira and led him towards the main hall. It was arge meeting room where they used to hold their exhibitions and Technical Conventions. Having a room like that was a dream for Raymond and he had shared it once with Akira years ago when Delphie was just a startup. But Akira had turned his dream into reality by designing a state of the art main hall with all the facilities, starting from multiple projectors, live 3D prototype builders, robotic assistance, voice-assisted AI demonstration, and whatnot. She was waiting for his reaction, once he entered inside.


    Taking a deep breath, Akira halted for a while outside the room and then turned back to look at him and asked,


    "Ready?"


    Raymond nodded his head and Akira opened the door of the room wide open without even touching it through voice guidance.


    "Smooth !!!" uttered Raymond, impressed with the usage of state of the art technology. And then he entered inside and saw his entire staff waiting for him. When he had started Delphie they had hardly 60-70 members but right now it employed more than 2000 people across the world.


    His entire team that he used to work with at Delphie was present there.


    But before he could walk in even one more step or even utter a single word, Kirk came running and hugged him tightly.


    "I can''t tell you how good it feels to be able to hug you right now."


    And then came in the entire group, Simon, Brian and all, they came forward and hugged him. Slowly that one person hug became a group hug. Standing at the door, Akira couldn''t control her tears. She could see the joy in the eyes of the people to see their boss alive, in flesh and blood.


    But then her attention was diverted by the sound of approaching footsteps. She turned back and saw David behind her. He didn''t say a word and stood their silently for it was not their moment to speak. It was a moment between Raymond and his staff which had still stayed loyal for him. Who worked their ass off, to turn his dream into reality even after he was gone.


    She amazed to see the camaraderie that Raymond brought in.


    She was proud to have fallen with a man like him.


    Then, taking a deep breath, she turned back and said,


    "He brings in a stage loyalty among people, doesn''t he?"


    David nodded and said, "I thought most of them would resign when you came and took the reigns of thepany. But they stood firm to support his dreams. We really do have good people at Delphie."


    Akira listen to him and smiled and then she slightly licked her lips and sighed, "I was talking about you David !!! We need to do something about your loyalty."


    Saying that she tapped on his shoulders and left for her office.


    She knew it was going to take a while.


    ----------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 503: To the new beginnings - 2

    <h4>503 To the new beginnings - 2</h4>


    "You know why I did it right?" David asked her with a low tone as she started to walk away.


    Turning back Akira let out a gasp of air and then said,


    "I know it well. You have always rooted for him. And I am d in a way that you did that. I didn''t want him to have any misunderstanding and you helped to clear it up as fast as possible."


    A slight smile etched on the face of David as he heard her speak.


    "Don''t smile yet David. I haven''t forgiven you ditching me and supporting Raymond. You even nned along with Dr. Nelson to block from his room. Gosh !!! you have be a Brutus for me," said Akira and paced next to him along the corridor.


    Holding a long face, David asked,


    "I never intended to hurt you. If there is anything that I can do to help..."


    And suddenly Akira''s eyes lighted up in a twinkle.


    "Then follow me and redeem yourself," said Akira and marched ahead.


    "Gosh what is going on in her mind," thought David to himself while following her silently because whenever she had that smile on her face, she was never up to something straight.


    Akira started walking towards her chamber and David followed. But Akira could sense that he was texting someone, so she halted abruptly and turned back,


    "Seriously David, after all this talk you are again going to tell him about this meeting as well? I gave you a chance to redeem yourself, but it looks like you want to throw it away out of the window."


    "Erm... I wasn''t texting. I was just paying my postpaid bill. See.."


    Saying that David shed his phone screen in front of her. It was indeed the T-mobile payment page.


    "Oh... I see," she said and stormed ahead all embarrassed for using David out of the blue.


    "Looks like you in for a roll today," thought David and entered inside.


    As David sat on the couch, Akira who was still pacing in the room, came and sat next to him and said,


    "See David, this time, I swear to God, this time you can''t tell Raymond about it."


    "Okkaaayyyyy...", stuttered a nervous David and then asked, "But first I need to know what is it about."


    And then Akira started narrating the whole idea that she had. The more she spoke, the bluer David''s face turned. And at one point even with the air conditioning, he started sweating.


    "Are you ok David?"


    "Well.. um.. yeah. Perfectly fine."


    "So you can keep it a secret and help me out, right?" Asked Akira with a voice filled with hope.


    Taking a deep breath David said, "Totally ... Mum is the word. But Akira are you sure you want to do this?"


    "Yes, David... and you got to help me out with it." Akira pleaded.


    -----


    The next morning Conrad came to visit his brother again at the penitentiary.


    Seeing him arrive, Sebastian''s eyes lit up with hope and he asked,


    "Did you convince him?"


    Conrad nodded and said, "There is a doctor, Dr. Nelson, he has agreed to help us out. David has already convinced him and even though he was the one who was initially helping him to recover his memories, he has agreed to block it again for the sake of my boy."


    "Your boy?" asked Sebastian with a bit of resentment in his voice.


    "Yes, my boy. Why can''t you ept that he is my son Conrad? Why can''t you ept that no matter how you tried to shape him, he got my characteristics?" Asked Conrad and came close to the bars of the prison.


    Seeing his brother who had spent more than half of his life rolling on money in such inhospitable conditions, the rage that had just pent up inside of him, cooled down.


    Taking a deep breath he continued,


    "Let''s not fight over these silly things brother. There are more important things in life to deal with. Did you talk with yourwyer?"


    Sebastian also calmed down a bit and replied,


    "Yes, I have met him. I will be out from here in a couple of days. But just tell me for sure, you have taken care of it for real right?"


    "Yes Sebastian, I have. The whole past will stay locked between us. Anyways even with his syndrome, Raymond has been able to cope up with his day to day life perfectly. Once his memory is suppressed then all of this will just go away."


    Sebastian listened to him in silence and then asked after a brief pause,


    "What about that girl? Are we going to let him be with her? Are you not going to do anything about it?"


    "No, Sebastian !!! Do not even dare to have that thought in your head. You have no idea how does it feel when you lose someone whom you love madly. He will break if he loses Akira. She is like the blood that makes his heart, beat. So shrug off these thoughts from your head. Nothing will happen if Raymond doesn''t remember a thing about the past."


    Conrad said and then decided to make a move.


    "Think about what I just said, Sebastian. Think form the perspective of a human. I know once you are out from the shackles, you will be free to do anything, but just think before doing anything rash. Don''t do something that you can''t even look into the eyes of Raymond.


    "Just think about it", saying that Conrad turned towards the main room to make an exit when he heard his voice,


    "I also know what it feels like losing someone who you love more than anything else in your life. I have lost her too."


    Said Sebastian and walked back to the deste corner of the cell, to continue starting at those nk walls.


    ---------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 504: With all the secrecy - 1

    <h4>504 With all the secrecy - 1</h4>


    David bit his lip and then he opened them to let out a faint gasp of air.


    "Akira are you sure about doing it. I mean I am not against it but don''t you think it is better if it happens the other way around?"


    "I am not the girl who is going to wait for a knight in shining armor. Are you going to help me out or not?" Asked Akira with a slight;y irritated voice.


    A perplexed David looked helplessly at Akira and then asked,


    "What about Sunday? Sunday should be better. It''s God''s own day."


    "No, I need it done this Saturday. At any cost. I have set my mind on it," replied Akira shaking her head.


    "Why are you so hell-bent on Saturday?" Asked David.


    "That''s something that I would like to keep to myself," said Akira and then continued. "I will send you all the details via an email. And don''t you dare to try sending it to your boss or anyone else. Oh, and btw did you check upon Dr. Nelson?"


    "Yeah, I had texted him and he said he was fine. He is getting discharged tomorrow."


    "Mmm.... he had told. Anyways, I gotta go now and I hope this time you are loyal to me," said Akira and left the room.


    "Argghhhh... "


    Grunted David and started pacing inside the room. He would have hardly made threeps when Raymond knocked on the door and entered.


    He had never seen David pacing like this. Tension lines were etched all over his forehead.


    "Did you see a ghost, David?" mocked Raymond and settled on the chair.


    "I bet that would have been a happy encounter," muttered David.


    "Is something bothering you? Has anything happened? Tell me," asked Raymond. This time his tone was normal and his concern was genuine.


    "It''s nothing that concerns you. It''s something.... Something personal."


    "Hmm.... ok. Then I won''t poke further if it''s something personal. But just so you know I am always there for you. Right?


    "By the way, how is the n for Saturdaying up?" asked Raymond.


    "Well about that...." replied David with a bit of hesitation, "Can we push it to Sunday?"


    "Sunday? No way. Not even one day I would like to push. Saturday is the max that I can wait for David. I have been waiting for it like forever," replied Raymond and got up from the chair.


    "By the way make sure that none of this information is known to Akira. She is quite smart to figure out anything that is odd around her. You need to be very cautious. Everything needs to happen right under her nose," said Raymond and left the room.


    David stood in the room for a while, thinking about how toplete the onerous task that had been bestowed upon his soldiers and that too when it was supposed to happen on the same day.


    After finishing her meeting Akira texted Raymond,


    "Where are we going for lunch today?" - Akira


    "We are not going for lunch today. Instead, we are going for lunch today along with the entire staff." - Raymond


    "Well, I won''t mind. I am a very amodating girlfriend." - Akira


    "See you at the bay. After lunch, I need to head back to Walker Enterprises. There are some legal work pending for the transition" - Raymond


    "Yeah, yeah... I get it. You are a big shot now. :P" - Akira


    "Come how tonight. I am going to show you how much of a big shot I am." - Raymond


    Akira giggled in the hallway as she saw thest text from Raymond. Two staff members passing by looked at her all amazed, as she was known to have a serious face at all times.


    Zipping up herugh Akira channeled her zen mode and walked ahead with a serious face and went to her chamber. Then she went inside the bathroom attached to her chamber and made a phone call.


    "Hey, Akira !!!"


    "Hey there !!! I will be quick as I don''t have much time. Raymond cane into my chambers anytime soon."


    "What happened? Everything ok?"


    "Yeah, yeah... Everything is fine. Just that I wanted to tell you about something and saying that Akira narrated the whole thing that she was nned for this Saturday without even taking a breath.


    "So how does it sound?" asked Akira.


    "Umm... Err.... are you sure about this Akira.


    "I was never this sure in my entire life. Never !!! I will manage everything. You don''t need to worry about it. David is going to help me out with it," said Akira assuringly.


    "And David agreed to this? He was ok with it?"


    "Well he was hesitant at first, but then somehow I persuaded him," beamed Akira.


    And then she heard the doorknob and whispered,


    "I think Raymond is here. Gotta go but promise me you will not say a word to Raymond about this."


    Holding the phone in her hand, Katherine couldn''t believe for a moment what this girl was about to do. She couldn''t believe that David was helping her out too when David was already aware of Raymond''s ns.


    So she called up David immediately.


    "Hello, David !!!"


    "Hello, Katherine. How are..."


    But even before David could exchange pleasantries, Katherine screamed,


    "How could you David? How could you agree with Akira''s ns?"


    "I had no other option. I swore in front of both of them that I will not tell about it to either of them. So what do I do tell me?", asked David.


    "Damn it, even I promised that I won''t say a word", muttered Katherine.


    "I need to make arrangements. What shall I do?" asked David.


    "What arrangements will you make? How on earth are you going arrange for two proposals for the same two people, on the same day at two different ces?"


    "Aghh.... these love birds are making me go insane."


    ---------


    [Author here - I have a new surprise for you guys. A new book - The rise of the saviour


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 505: With all the secrecy - 2

    <h4>505 With all the secrecy - 2</h4>


    "Now whom will you tell? Akira or Raymond?" asked Katherine getting a bit frustrated. Then she muttered,


    "Anyways he had already proposed to her on my wedding day, so let''s give Akira a chance this time. What say, David?"


    "I guess... that''s fine. I will somehow jeopardize something and try to manage it," said David with a heavy heart but deep down he didn''t want to mess with the ns of Raymond as he had nned for this evening so well.


    "My poor brother though !!!", said Katherine and sighed before disconnecting the call.


    Then she called up Raymond,


    "Hey there !!!"


    "Hello Kat !!! What''s up?", asked Raymond as he pressed -2 on the elevator.


    "Nothing much, just wanted to go over the drill. I forgot which wine you wanted to be ordered for Saturday," said Katherine.


    "Well she is not much of a drinker, so I would prefer something sweet from Bordeaux maybe for her. A 2003 Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux might be a good option. What say?" Asked Raymond.


    "A good choice but maybe we should opt for something more delicate for her like 2003 Latour Bordeaux. I somehow prefer this one over Lafite-Rothschild. So I will ce an order for 4 bottles. That should be fine right?" Asked Katherine.


    "Are you nning to get us drunk at your ce? That''s not happening Kat. After proposing her, I will bring her down to your ce for maybe like half an hour, and then we will take off," said Raymond.


    "Jeez, can''t you even spare her for one freaking night?", Katherinemented and then added, "You know what I was thinking. The next weekend we have this wine festivaling up. So maybe you can take her for a romantic wine tasting and then slip the ring. Won''t that be exquisite? Mom''s estate would be ready by next week as well. So you two can spend the night there afterwards."


    "I can''t dy any further Katherine, I want to propose her this Saturday and next weekend I want to get married to her. I want to give her the dream wedding that she has always wanted. You already know how when everything seems to be going fine a stormes up and destroys everything in my life. So even if everything else looking good right now I just don''t have the heart to wait. I am just scared that something might happen and ruin everything. It is like my life is filled with narrow escapes," sad Raymond and then let out a deep gasp of air.


    Hearing his words Katherine''s heart felt heavy. She was feeling bad for trying to sabotage the ns of her brother, but she knew that Akira was going to keep him happy. Even though it looks like he was rushing into things, in her heart she knew that even Akira wanted the same.


    So trying to divert the topic she asked,


    "Where are you going now?"


    Then hesitating for a bit Katherine asked,


    "Did you... Did you check up on Sebastian?"


    "What should I check upon Katherine? Should I go and check if he is doing ok? Should I go and ask him if his ns are going ok? What should I go and ask him Katherine?"


    "Fine calm down... I just asked out of curiosity. Nothing else. Still believe that whatever you did was the right thing to do," said Katherine trying to pacify her brother but her curious mind against threw a question.


    "Are you going to find out who...?"


    "Who is my father? You think right now I want to find that out? If that person didn''t want to meet me for thest 30 years, then do you think you would like to meet me now?" said Raymond, cutting through her question abruptly.


    "I didn''t mean it in that way Raymond. Just that after knowing everything about Sebastian, I just cannot keep ponding about who it was. Who left us without even bothering about how we would feel about it. That''s all. But it''s not like my life is going to stop if I don''t," said Katherine and took a shallow breath.


    "Then let''s not talk about it. As in, like ever."said Raymond and then disconnected the call.


    Taking a deep breath he started the car and started for Walker enterprises. That sudden question from Katherine had sprouted so many questions inside him that he didn''t want to think about. He didn''t want to dig the past anymore. Didn''t want to know what and why and how. He just wanted to live in the present now.


    Parking his car, he went inside the Walker enterprises. He thought it was going to be a small affair, just a couple of signatures, and he would be done, but little did he know that his first day at Walker enterprises was not something that could be a mellow affair.


    The lobby was lined with reporters and media people who were gathered for more spice, more news, and more answers. But he was not someone who was going to feed them anything anymore. The moment he stepped in two bouncers came forward and shielded him from the media that was going frenzy.


    He hade to this office once before, and he was familiar with the whole setup, but this time when he entered, the whole vibe was different. When he walked people stood there in ce, giving a gentle bow. The air and the aura, everything had changed, after all he was the CEO of Walker enterprises now.


    But he chose to ignore everything.


    He chose to walk with the same straight face that he entered the building with in the first ce and went up to go to the room for board of directors. But his pace halted and looked towards the room to the left.


    A gasp of air slid out through his lips !!!


    ---------


    [The rise of the saviour - My new book


    Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 506: Raymond Walker - The CEO

    <h4>506 Raymond Walker - The CEO</h4>


    That was the room where his father used to sit. The room for the CEO and chairman of work enterprises - Sebastian Walker. But overnight the name holder had been reced. He saw his own name outside that wall instead.


    ''Raymond Walker''


    ''CEO and Chairman, Walker Enterprises''


    Somehow the sight of his name over that name holder stung him bad. He knew that what he had done with Sebastian was justified but this was his Empire. An Empire that he had built with his own sweat and blood from scratch.


    He was supposed to go to the board room and deal with the paperwork, but something inside him stopped him from doing so, and he turned to enter his father''s room instead.


    That room screamed of luxury and opulence. The woodwork done in the room looked simr to that of what he had seen at Sebastian''s house - dark, indifferent, and reserved. Raymond wanted to reach for his desk and look at the pictures which were ced on the table but before he could do so, he heard someone addressing him.


    "Chairman Sir!!! The boardroom is waiting for you."


    "Of course !!!" said Raymond and came out of the room and started following that man.


    "This way sir !!!", he said and held out the door open for him.


    Raymond was a bit hesitant as he was not used to this extreme level of courtesy. No one had ever held a door open for him, albeit David used to do it sometimes but that was like once in a blue moon. But this was the next level.


    So taking a deep breath he gave out a smile to the person holding the door for him and entered inside. The setting of this board room was no different. Cold, distant, and something that depicted solitude. The room was already inhabited by eight people who were part of the board and as he took a couple of steps inside, they stood up to show their respect.


    They were all in their fifties or sixties and here he was, a young man in his thirties, receiving their respect just because he had a Walker surname. This was the very reason he sometimes hated being known as the son of Sebastian Walker. He always had to live under his shadows.


    He could see from the look that the board members gave him that they were unhappy about a youngd being their superior. But there was nothing that he could do and also there was nothing that they could do.


    He looked at the chair in the center, and he immediately understood that it was meant for him to upy. So giving out a gentle nod, he sat on the chair. The other board members also followed him and then took their respective ces. Mr. Whittle, who was the representative of the board, started exining the purpose of the meeting and gave details of the ongoing work.


    "Mr. Whittle, can you please go back to the previous quarter projection please for our textile industries?"


    "Mr. Raymond, if you want to understand the terms and details of these slides then I will send you a detailed document via email. It will take us long to exin all our industries to you. We are running short of time as we have other important activities toplete as well" Mr. Whittle said and Raymond could see that there was a slight smirk on his face.


    This was a mandatory presentation as the CEO needs to know which all industries are part of thepany before giving his signatures for the next quarter development budget. So even though neither Raymond nor the board members wanted to attend it, both the parties had to bear through it.


    "I don''t have any issues with the terms, Mr. Whittle," replied Raymond politely.


    "Oh, then do you have some valuable insights?", Mr. Whittle asked sarcastically to which Raymond replied,


    "Maybe! Why don''t you let me humor you." He had a still and unperturbed look on his face and somehow seeing that look on his face, reminded Mr. Whittle of Mr. Sebastian. So he swallowed his own spit and said,


    "Sure Mr. Raymond"


    And saying that he moved back two slides.


    "Yeah, right about there." said Raymond, indicating him to stop moving back the slides.''


    "As you can see that you have projected investment of thirty percent our profit back into buying small manufacturers."


    "Yes, what about it Mr. Raymond?", asked Mr. Whittle with a hint of annoyance in his tone.


    "The thing isst year''s profit from the textile department was 270.6 million USD. If you deduct the R\u0026D cost which you mentioned as 34.7 million USD, we have a gain of 235.9 USD. Deducting tax we have approx 153.3 million USD and if my math is ok then thirty percent of that would be approximately 46 million USD.


    "But in your presentation, you have mentioned 50 million USD. So my question is where is this deficit of 4 million USD? Did it just vanish into thin air or an unwanted typo?"


    Mr. Whittle looked at his slides back and forth and opened the calctor app on his system as well which gave him 46.0005 million USD as the thirty percent their profit.


    Beads of sweat started forming on his head. He was for sure going to fire his analyst. Loosening his tie, he looked at Raymond and said,


    "I will re-check the numbers again. Just give me one more day."


    He was palpitating and his hands started bing all sweaty. This was no mere young man, he was definitely a Walker Blood. Sharp, witty, daunting with a keen eye for detail. Mr. Whittle looked at other board members, but they were not even trying to have eye contact with him. No one was now ready to present and be a bait in front of this ruthless man.


    Without saying anything else, Raymond got up from his chair and was about to leave. But then he remembered the sarcasticment that Me. Whittle had given him a few minutes back and said,


    "Make sure you do it properly this time because even I have a job as well. It''s really tuff being the CEO of twopanies at the same time."


    Then without even waiting to see the reaction on their faces, he just walked out of the room.


    [A little help please - Thank you for all the support. But your author needs a bit of help with votes for a new book - The rise of the Saviour. Please help to vote for my new book and help to increase its rank. I would be really grateful if you could give this book a chance as it would be an epic saga of love across the realms. A love that would transcend time. I have put my heart and soul for both the books and I promise you this book will not disappoint you.]

 Chapter 507: Raymond Walker - The troubled lover

    <h4>507 Raymond Walker - The troubled lover</h4>


    Even after silencing the entire board of Directors, there was the same indifferent look on the face of Raymond. As if nothing had happened. He smiled at the man again who opened the door for him and walked back towards his father''s office which had now be his.


    Somehow he was curious about his belongings. He was curious about how he lived and worked there night after night, without worrying about his family which always had dinner without him. The thoughts of the past came crowding in.


    He opened his mobile before entering the room, to look through the face gallery to jog his memory, but when he entered the entire setting of the room had changed. His books, the picture frames on his table, all his belongings that made the room like his den, had disappeared.


    ''Is it the same room?'' pondered Raymond and then his eyes locked on a person sitting on the couch.


    "Why are you here?" And words just sprang out of his mouth seeing Dr. Nelson sitting on the right side of the room.


    Dr. Nelson got up cautiously as Raymond entered the room and said,


    "You sound bitter !!! Was the meeting with the boards that bad?" A genuine friendly smile was etched on his face and Raymond just couldn''t hate him for trying to be friendly.


    "No, the meeting was so-and-so. I am just surprised to see you here now as I thought that you were getting discharged tomorrow. I guess my tone was misleading," saying that Raymond went close to him and asked him to take a seat.


    "You could have just called me. I would havee to visit you," said Raymond because he was really notfortable seeing a man who had just recovered from an ident, sitting in front of him, trying to make peace for things which were not his fault.


    "Well, I just don''t want things not to get sour between us Raymond. You can''t even look at me or talk with me properly," said Dr. Nelson looking into his eyes as he was trying to avoid his gaze.


    Even though everything was clear from the side of Akira, even though deep down knew that everything was clear from Dr. Nelson''s side as well, a part of him just couldn''t rest in peace knowing the fact that Akira looked like his wife, and he had hidden the fact from both of them. He had tried hard to douse the fire, but it always crept back in.


    Doubt was indeed a seed, that once sowed couldn''t be done away with.


    "That''s a doctor''s duty Raymond. There is nothing great about it," said Dr, Nelson and adjusted the cushion behind him, so that he couldfortably lean on it.


    "Well, but to me, it was more than that. So I am sorry if in any way my behavior seemed weird to you in the past or in the present as well. I am not that sort of man who would ask you to stop being friends with my wife. I know you value her as a friend, and she thinks the same way. So there is nothing to be cleared out." said Raymond and finally looked into the eyes of Dr. Nelson.


    A warm and hearty smile spread on the face of Dr. Nelson after hearing his words. He knew that Raymond was mature and understanding, but he didn''t expect the hatch to be buried smoothly, without any casualty to their rtionship.


    Then, taking a deep breath, he said,


    "Well, that went well." to which Raymond also had a smallugh.


    Then Dr. Nelson looked at Raymond for a while and said,


    "There is something else as well that I needed to talk about. That''s why I came here all rushed."


    "What''s the matter?" asked Raymond and looked at him and thoughts ran wild inside his head,


    ''Is he really sick?''


    ''Is that why he came here to tell me about it, so that it can be hidden from Akira?''


    And unable to pace along with his thoughts, Raymond asked before Dr. Nelson could speak a word further.


    "Are you fine? If not you can tell me. I will do everything possible in my control. All my resources..."


    "Raymond stop... Gosh !!! You and Akira just need a spark and you can convert that into a full-blown fire. I am totally fine, health-wise. Ok?"


    "Ah... I see," Raymond said and calmed his nerves which had gone haywire a couple of second back.


    "There is a new test that was held in Mexico. A drug trial with around 135 people from around the world and 131 people out of the 134 could recover from Acquired Prosopagnosia."


    "Is that for real?" asked Raymond, unable to believe his stars.


    "Yes, Raymond. I had been closely monitoring the progress of this research for long but didn''t want to give you false hopes before the study came to any conclusion. But now that it has, we can try for it."


    "I don''t know what to say to you right now !!!" said Raymond standing there speechless as the man in front of him kept doing good after good even without expecting anything in return.


    Then he got up from the couch and said,


    "Well, that''s all that I came here to tell. The medicine won''t start working instantly. It takes some time. For some, it can be as long as 3-5 years. So you need to be patient and take the pills regrly;y. I have already given the prescription to David, and He will help to arrange for it."


    With nothing but gratitude in his eyes, Raymond said,


    "I am indeed?a lucky man to have people like you in my life."


    Dr. Nelson didn''t say anything, He just smiled and patted on his shoulders and walked ahead. Just before leaving the room he turned back and said,


    "You are a lucky man indeed Raymond. Take care !!!"


    [A little help please - Thank you for all the support. But your author needs a bit of help with votes for a new book - The rise of the Saviour. Please help to vote for my new book and help to increase its rank. I would be really grateful if you could give this book a chance as it would be an epic saga of love across the realms. A love that would transcend time. I have put my heart and soul for both the books and I promise you this book will not disappoint you.]

 Chapter 508: The unrequited love

    <h4>508 The unrequited love</h4>


    He felt bad to lie to him, for he was a good man, but the thought that he was doing it for the sake of Akira pushed him and gave him the courage to do it. It was against his medical oath.


    ''I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.''


    He remembered those lines as he went down the stairs and tried suppressing his guilt.


    As he went outside the Walker Enterprises, his cab was still running the meter.


    "Next where to sir?" asked the cab driver.


    "JFK airport."


    But before he could open the door and get inside, he heard the voice of Raymond.


    He hade running from his office.


    "What happened? Why are you here?" asked Dr. Nelson with a surprised expression on his face.


    Holding his breath for a second, Raymond said,


    "You are a good man, so I don''t want to hide anything from you. I am going to propose Akira this Saturday and the week after I n to get married to her. It''s all a surprise. I mean, of course, David is my best man without a doubt but I would really like it if you could grace us."


    The was a brief moment of silence that lingered for a while and then, Dr. Nelson cracked a joke,


    "Not as the second-best man I suppose?"


    A smile spread on Raymond''s lips and shaking his head, he asked,


    "No, I would like you to be my ring bearer if that''s ok with you."


    With a smile on his face, Dr. Nelson let out a deep gasp of air and then tapped on Raymond''s shoulder slightly and said,


    "You will make a really good husband and I wish you guys all the luck in the world. But I am really sorry, I have to say no to that. I have some really important priormitments that I can''t shrug off. I hope you would understand me and I hope you can tell the same to Akira. Maybe a bitter. She will understand too."


    And then looking into Raymond''s eyes, he said,


    "I really mean it when I say that I wish you guys all the happiness."


    And before waiting for him to reply he went and sat inside the cab. His little speech had rendered Raymond speechless. so he knocked on the window shield and asked,


    "I don''t understand you. What work do you have? Conference? Seminar or any surgery? You haven''t even recovered well. Why are you taking up work?"


    Dr. Nelson looked at Raymond, but this time his face carried no expression and he said,


    "It''s something really personal, Raymond. You and I aren''t that close for me to tell you about it. Good Luck."


    And the next thing that he did was to ask his driver to start the car.


    "Hello, Raymond !"


    "Hello, David !"


    "I just saw your pictures posted on various social media sites. Looks like your first day at Walker Enterprises was ..."


    "David, David listen. Did Dr. Nelson tell you anything about any seminar or something?" asked a restless Raymond cutting David''s words short.


    "Seminar? I don''t think so. He is yet to be discharged in the first ce," replied David.


    "He is already out of the hospital. He came to visit me to tell me about the new cure."


    "Oh! Man... Did he get so excited to tell you about it that he got himself discharged just for this? He had already informed to get the medicines for you. Why did he have to get himself discharged?" queried David.


    "Even I don''t know. The way that he talked... There was something weird," said Raymond and started walking back towards the office.


    "I will call him and check upon him. Give me some time," said David and disconnected the call.


    As the cab caught up speed, Dr. Nelson took a deep breath and took out his mobile phone. He opened his gallery and looked at the picture of Akira that he had taken and suddenly it started buzzing. It was a call from David and he realized instantly that Raymond might have called him.


    He picked up the phone and said,


    "Hello, David!"


    "Hello, Dr. Nelson. How are you? I heard that you took an early discharge. Why?" David asked.


    "Ahh... So Raymond asked you to check up on me. Am I right?"


    "Please do not escape my question, Dr. Nelson. If anything is bothering you then let me know. I don''t understand where do you have to go this urgently?" asked David.


    "Erm... There is this symposium that I need to attend to and there are a couple of operations that are pending at other hospitals. These patients have been waiting for more than three to four months. If I dy it then they will be again on the waiting charts David. Hope you understand that," said Dr. Nelson, trying to persuade David.


    "I see... But you are injured. How will you be able to perform surgery?" asked David again.


    "Well I have some time to heal during this three-day long symposium and two of the surgeries will be done by a robotic arm. I just need to guide it well. So don''t worry about that David."


    "Hm... well if you say so. Just take care of your health and stay in touch," David said.


    "Thanks, David. Take good care of yourself man," said Dr. Nelson and disconnected the call and switched his phone to flight mode. He didn''t want any further distractions that could bind him back to New York.


    He then switched back to the gallery and deleted the picture of Akira after looking at it for a while.


    ''You will always have a special ce in my heart Akira!''


    Dr. Nelson said to himself and ced the mobile phone back in his pocket and let a puff of air out of his lips, trying to force his eyes not to well up like his heart was.


    [The rise of the saviour?- My new book. Please give this book some love with your reviews andments. I sincerely hope you will love this new book as well.]

 Chapter 509: The unrequited love ...

    <h4>509 The unrequited love ...</h4>


    It was azy Saturday morning but they both were up early, after all, there was so much to be said and done. It was the day that they were going to propose to each other, although neither of them knew that the other was nning to do the same secretively.


    "You look pretty today!", said Raymond as he came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He came close to her and gave a kiss on her neck as she was getting ready in front of the mirror.


    "Mmmm... How will I get ready, if you are like this?" said Akira and pushed him away with her hands on his chest. Her soft warm hands pushed him till the walk-in closet area and then she came back to her dressing table.


    Raymond smiled looking at her and then picked up another towel to pat dry his hair and as he did, he marveled her from behind.


    She was one hell of a fine woman, perfect from every perspective. Just the thought of having her forever as his wife made his heart flutter with bliss.


    ''You are going to be all mine,'' he thought and smiled.


    "By the way where are you going out so early in the morning? I had checked there is no meeting scheduled for you today," said Raymond as he wore his T-shirt.


    "Ah... so the boss has already started snooping on his employees huh!", Teased Akira and then said - "Well there wasn''t but thenst minute yesterday I scheduled a meeting with an overseas client from South Korea and you know how hardworking they are. They were ok to have a meeting today and were pretty eager about our new project and I couldn''t say no to it," she said and continued curling her hair.


    "But you will be off by 5 pm, right? We have a dinner nned for today at Katherine''s ce. You can''t bete for that. And we need to buy something for Kate so we need to have some buffer time in hand," asked a worried Raymond and now he was skeptical if she would make it in time.


    "Oh don''t worry about it. It''s just a meeting for one hour or so."


    "Well good to know that," said Raymond and put on his jeans and zipped it up.


    But then turning towards Raymond, Akira asked,


    "But where are you going? Didn''t you say you had a day off today."


    "Well, I have some more formalities at dad''spany."


    "Still calling it dad''spany huh!," joked Akira to which Raymond just cornered his eyes and put on his jacket.


    "I like this semi-formal look on you," said Akira and traced her hand along the V-cor of his T-shirt, trying to feel the warmth of his skin.


    "What else do you like?" asked Raymond and put his arm around her waist, rubbing on her waist lightly with his thumb as he looked into her eyes.


    "Raymond no....."


    "Don''t spoil my...."


    Pulling her closer, Raymond asked, "Spoil what?"


    Akira looked up and said, "You know what I mean... yet you are still asking about it? How shameless you have be. Now let me go. I need to be there on time."


    Saying that she escaped from his fort and picked up herptop bag and her purse.


    "I can drop you at the office. Just give me ten more minutes," said Raymond and leaped in front of the mirror to adjust his hair.


    "No way. Go and have your breakfast first. I have ced in on the counter table. I have made blueberry pancakes for you," said Akira and inched close to him and gave a kiss on his cheeks.


    "Oh,e on. Don''t be so stingy," cribbed Raymond.


    "Bonus for tonight mister!", giggled Akira and left.


    A smile etched on Raymond''s lips and he went towards the window to check on her. She waved at him again before leaving in the car and the moment she did, Raymond immediately went to get his phone and called up David.


    "Hello, Raymond."


    "Hello, David! Is it done?"


    "I am trying to get hold of the shopkeeper, but he isn''t reachable," said David with a fake reluctant voice.


    "What do you mean David?", asked Raymond.


    "I mean to say, I don''t have the ring with me yet. I am trying to track him down. Don''t worry I will get you the ring before 5 pm today, no matter what," said David.


    "Agghhhh! I do not like such corner scenarios, David. Why didn''t he give it yesterday itself?" Raymond asked.


    "The thing is, there was a dy in shipment. The diamond that you had ordered was stuck at the custom. That''s why we had this dy," said David.


    "Ok.. ok.. fine. What about the wedding preparations? Are they going well? I don''t know. You might feel that I am nagging too much, but I just want to give her a fairytale wedding," said Raymond and sighed.


    "No no Raymond, Ipletely understand your intent. I am working on it. Trust me, it will be a memorable day for you all. Oh... by the way, your suit is ready," replied David.


    "Yeah, I had got a text from them. I am going to pick it up now. And hey! Thanks for the gorgeous dress that you have picked for Akira. I had no idea that you had such great taste in clothes," said Raymond and put on his belt.


    "Ah... well...." stuttered David because he had nothing to do with the dress. It had been picked by Akira herself, but how could he tell him that?


    "Fine then, I am gonna go and pick up my suit. Thanks for everything David. Just check up once on the ring," said Raymond and disconnected the call.


    As David kept the call, he took a deep breath and muttered,


    ''Sorry, Raymond. Sorry for deceiving you but the ring isn''t happening today!''

 Chapter 510: Saturday Affair - 1

    <h4>510 Saturday Affair - 1</h4>


    It was 4:30 pm in the evening. Raymond had changed into his suit and he looked absolutely dapper in it. He adjusted his tie and then checked his watch again.


    ''When is David gonna get it?'', he mumbled and once again checked his hair.


    Getting restless, he called up David.


    "Hello, Raymond!"


    "Hello, David. Where are you? When will you get me the ring?"


    "Erm... Raymond, I was just about to call you. There is a slight glitch in the n."


    "What glitch?", asked Raymond. He didn''t like the sound of it.


    "The thing is, there is some issue with the jewelry. The ring can be ready by tomorrow. So shall we shift the n to tomorrow?"


    "What are you talking about David? It was all nned for today. Oh crap! I feel like my destiny doesn''t have anything written with convenience," said Raymond with a dampened tone.


    "Don''t say like that Raymond. I will fix everything for tomorrow. It would be exactly the same. Just wait for one day more, That''s all," said David apologetically, not because he didn''t have the ring, but because he was lying about it.


    "What should I do then? What about the n for today''s evening? My sister is already sitting at home with wine and whatnot. What about the piano artist? Will he reschedule?" asked a worried Raymond.


    "Leave all that on me Raymond. Do one thing, go out with Akira, and enjoy the day," said David, taking a deep breath.


    "If only !" said Raymond and then disconnected the call.


    With a heavy heart, he called up Akira.


    "Hey there!"


    "Hi there. Are you done with the meetings?"


    "Yup and I am ready with the dress that you had sent for me. By the way, is that dinner going to be this fancy? Are a lot of peopleing?" asked Akira knowingly acting all ignorant.


    "Well, I guess a few important people an maybe her colleagues," said Raymond and went down to start the car and then said, -"Will pick you up in ten minutes ok?"


    "Ok!" said Akira and giggled in her head. She had a pretty sky bluece dress nned for today evening which she had chosen for herself and very cleverly she made Raymond think that it was he who had chosen it.


    Then looking at herself in the mirror, she winged her eyeliner a bit and then smiled,


    "You are so trapped Raymond!"


    Holding onto her purse, she came down and stood in front of the office, and within a minute Raymond arrived.


    His car slowed down as he saw the ravishing version of her from distance.


    "Christ she looks beautiful today!" mumbled Raymond.


    "Are you nning to kill me today or what?"


    Akira bent down to his level and with her faces inches away from his, she said,


    "Well, that''s the n for today. Are you interested?"


    "I am interested if you let me touch you!" said Raymond unabashedly as his eyes lingered on her and a smile etched on his lips, knowing that she will blush the moment she hears it.


    And true to his assumptions, she did blush. Turning all hot and scarlet she ruffled his hair and said,


    "Forst let''s focus on buying the gift," said Akira and then got in the car. But before she got in, she opened her purse to check it one more time if the contents were in ce.


    Raymond took a deep breath and said,


    "Well, no need to buy anything for Kate now. I have ordered a keyboard for her online. Should be delivered in a day or two."


    "I see, so we are going directly to Katherine''s ce now?" asked Akira and when Raymond nodded, she quickly texted.


    "Will be there in 20-25 mins" - Akira


    And immediately, as if Katherine was waiting for a signal, she sent a reply back.


    "It''s all ready." - Katherine


    "Who are texting?", asked Raymond before starting the car.


    "Texted Katherine to check if she needed anything for the party," said Akira and then put her phone back into her purse.


    Throughout the drive, Akira just couldn''t keep calm. She was nervous about the arrangements. She wanted everything to be perfect to the T and tried hard to take deep breaths to put a leash on her excitement level.


    "All ok with you?" asked Raymond as he saw her taking deep breaths. "Should I warm the car a bit? You look awfully pale and cold suddenly."


    "No no... there is no need. Just a tad bit tired. The meeting stretched for more than three hours today," said Akira and touched her cheeks.


    "Allow me," said Raymond and softly brushed her cheeks with the back of his palm.


    "Mmmm.... focus on the road please," said Akira and held his hand and interlocked her fingers around his.


    "Well my stick needs my hand a bit!", said Raymond with a mischievous smile. Akira wanted to retort back, but by then they had already reached Katherine''s ce.


    "Looks like we have arrived early. There are no guests yet," said Raymond and parked the car outside and quickly went towards the other side to open the door for Akira.


    With a bright smile on her face, Akira held his arm and then started walking towards the main entrance. As they reached there, Raymond rang the doorbell but even after a couple of minutes there was no response.


    "Where have they gone?" muttered Raymond.


    "Hey looks like there is a note here," said Akira and picked up a sticky note attached to the doormat which read - ''Hey guys, we have gone out to buy some groceries. You can unlock the door and get inside.''


    "How are we supposed to get in without knowing the keybination? Let me call...", but before he couldplete his sentence, he saw Akira punching the door passcode.


    Then turning back, she looked at Raymond and asked,


    "Would you like toe in with me?"

 Chapter 511: Saturday affair - 2

    <h4>511 Saturday affair - 2</h4>


    "What are you up to Akira?" asked Raymond as he could clearly see that she was up to something. She was unable to hide the nervousness on her face. She was not good at hiding her emotions, at least not in front of him.


    But she didn''t answer him. Taking a step back she came close to him and held his hand in hers and took him inside and he followed her without saying a word like a lost child.


    As they entered the foyer, Akira removed her heels.


    Seeing that the living was pitch ck dark, Raymond moved his hand to switch on the lights but Akira blocked his hand with hers and said, "Not yet!"


    ''It''s not even my birthday today? What are these people doing?'' mumbled Raymond in his head.


    "Follow me", said Akira and switched the shlight on her phone. In that faint light, Raymond could see that there was a sparkle in her eyes, a strange curiosity and innocence like that of a kid. And with a smile on his face, he just followed her.


    They had hardly taken a few steps when Akira stumbled on a cushion that was on the floor.


    "Ouch!"


    But before she could fall, he wrapped her waist in his arms and said,


    "Can you be a bit careful?"


    Flustered that her efforts were not going the way they should have Akira said, "Not my fault. You keep breathing so close to me. I got distracted."


    Trying hard to suppress hisugh, Raymond loosened his grip around her and raising her hands up in the air he said,


    "Fine fine my mistake. Won''t dare to take a breath now."


    "Oh,e one..." said Akira and then holding his hands she walked ahead, till they reached the center of the living room. She switched off the shlight and then said,


    "I am till now not sure how this will turn out, but I just hope that you will like it."


    ''What surprise have you nned Akira?" asked Raymond as the itch was getting on his nerves now.


    "Close your eyes," she said and with her palms, she covered her eyes and gave a teasing kiss on his lips and whispered,


    "On the count of one, two, three !!!"


    She said and removed her palm.


    He opened his eyes and he couldn''t believe what he was seeing in front of him. On the big white wall, the following words were projected,


    "WILL YOU MARRY ME RAYMOND?"


    Unable to believe that his girl was proposing him before he could, he looked at her. There were tears brimming in her eyes and she was looking at him as if he was her entire world.


    Taking a deep breath she opened her palms in front of Raymond


    "Will you?"


    "Now would be the time to say something!" she said and wiped away an unruly tear that didn''t get tamed.


    He heard her, but he couldn''t speak, because he could feel that his throat was almost choking him. He had an borate and intricate n in his mind, but this girl swept away his feet with her simplicity.


    Some he inched close, lightly holding her waist in his hands, he pulled her a bit towards himself and kissed her. It was a light tender touch at first and then slowly it became moist and warm. Their tears streamed and joined each other in unison.


    Taking a deep breath, he detached for a minute and then licked the moisture off her lower lips and said,


    "This is all that I have dreamt of Akira. Do you even think I can say no to this?"


    "Yes, I want to marry you and yes I want to spend my life with you and yes I want to be with you in my sickness and in health."


    She couldn''t resist him after hearing those words and she tiptoed to kiss on his lips again and he kissed her back with a passion like never before.


    But suddenly he paused and looked at her,


    "Wait a minute... Is somehow David involved in this?"


    Akira smiled and said,


    "Ha ha, this time he was my guy. Not yours!"


    "Indeed!", eximed Raymond and then leaned in to kiss her again, but was distracted by a voice.


    "Ohe on Raymond, get a room for yourself. There are kids here."


    He knew who it was, of course, it was no one other than Katherine. Only she had this weird sense of humor.


    "So you were also involved in all this. Huh...," asked Raymond with eyebrows raised up.


    "Of course, I am her godmother. Don''t you know that?" said Katherine and then she yelled,


    "Kate, Shawn, these guys are done. You cane out now."


    "Sometimes I have a doubt if you are my sister or not!" eximed Raymond. he was about to say something more, but then he heard a knock on the door.


    He opened the door and found David standing outside.


    "Ah ... Wee my backstabbing friend. Thank you for jeopardizing my ns!" Said Raymond as he let him in.


    Hanging his head low, David came in.


    "What ns did you have?", Asked a surprised Akira.


    "Ditto as yours," replied Katherine as she came to the living room.


    "You mean...."


    "Oh yes my love, my brother also wanted to propose to you again. Gosh! I have never seen two people, so eager to marry each other. Have you Shawn?" To which Shwanughed and nodded.


    But hearing that Akira''s eyes worked up again. Looking at Raymond she asked,


    "Is it true?"


    He just shrugged his shoulders. What else he could say?


    "I had ns, but someone ruined them as they were rooting for you."


    "Well, I will never deceive you, Raymond," said David and took out a beautiful hand engraved box from his pocket and ced it on Raymond''s palm.

 Chapter 512: Saturday affair - 3

    <h4>512 Saturday affair - 3</h4>


    David nodded with a gingerly smile on his face. Raymond looked at him in disbelief and then turned to look at Katherine who also had a grin on her face and eximed.


    "All this time David?"


    "All this time!"


    David just shrugged his shoulders and gave him a gentle push with the tip of his fingers and said,


    "Well, to be honest, I didn''t do any of the arrangements that you had asked for. But I definitely did this one. Make it worth it."


    Holding the ivory box in his hands, Raymond looked at Akira and then taking a deep breath, he knelt down and said,


    "Aren''t I the luckiest man to be kneeling twice in front of the woman I love," and saying that he opened the box which contained the epitome of his love for her. A beautiful handcrafted pink diamond ring in a band of gold which the words ''Till Eternity'' engraved in it. He had specifically customized it for her starting from the shape of the diamond to the cuts. It was a beautiful teardrop diamond that could move anyone with its beauty.


    Akira couldn''t believe her fate.


    Where do two people who are madly in love with each other decide to propose each other on the same day? What were the odds?


    Seeing her getting so overwhelmed with happiness, even his eyes became moist. He coughed a bit to get hold of his voice which waspletely shaken. He looked up again trying to dive into her eyes and then said,


    "Would you....."


    "Yes yes yes... thousand times yes Raymond," said Akira even before Raymond couldplete his question.


    A smile etched on his face as he slid the ring onto her finger which was already carrying a mark of his possession from a couple of years back. He held her hand in his own and looked at her long slender fingers which were now graced with two rings.


    He kissed her hand and said,


    "I want to remember that even in the past I loved you and also in the present I love you. The old me and the new me, they have always loved you and only you. I hope you are ok with the new imperfect ''me''."


    Akira slowly lifted her hands and looked at both the rings and said,


    "I don''t care how imperfect you are now. I don''t even care how perfect you were before. All I know that you are the same guy who took a knife wound for me. You are the same guy who risked everything for me. You haven''t changed Raymond, then how can you think my love will change for you?"


    Hearing her words, Raymond couldn''t control his emotions. He got up and grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her. Her hands slowly wrapped themselves around his neck and shoulder. In no time the kiss deepened and Akira could feel her heart already skipping beats.


    Covering the eyes of her daughter, Katherine screamed,


    "You two, there are kids here for Christ''s sake. Watch out!"


    Akira lowered her eyes as Raymond said, "I am sorry Kate, but it''s all your Mom''s fault after all. She should have told me everything then I would have chosen a better venue and then we wouldn''t have blinded you guys."


    Pulling away from the hands of her mother Kate yelled,


    "But mom why are you asking them to stop? I have seen you kissing Shawn exactly like this. You know Raymond yesterday my mom took a grape and ..."


    "You tiny evil...." screamed Katherine and covered Kate''s mouth to prevent her from blurting out any more stuff.


    "Aha!" eximed Raymond and then said, "My niece is the smartest. Thanks for saving me my Robin."


    "I love you batman!", mumbled Kate under the grip of her mother''s hand.


    "Let her go, Kat! Let''s have dinner," said Shawn and tapped on her shoulder. "Come on people, let''s eat!", said Katherine afterward and walked towards the dining area with Kate.


    Interlocking his hands with her, Raymond smiled looking at Akira and then whispered into her ears, "I am hungry but I don''t want to eat food here."


    Akira blushed like a peach and untangled her hands from his captivity and said in a hushed tone, "David is behind you. Can you just... Gawd...."


    And then she stormed into the dining room.


    Raymond chuckled and stood there and turned back at David and said,


    "You know what, I am happy that you sided with her this time!"


    Without saying anything more, they both walked towards the dining area. As Raymond sat on the chair, David handed him a pouch containing his prescription and the medications.


    "Your new medication."


    "Aaah... thanks..." said Raymond and kept in in his jacket.


    "What new prescription?" asked Akira to which even before Raymond could reply, David, barged in,


    "Dr. Nelson was following up on a new drug trial that was being held in Mexico. The recovery rate was pretty good and since the trial was concluded, he procured it for Raymond. The effect will be slow but we may expect a recovery in a couple of years."


    "Really! Is that true Raymond?" beamed Akira.


    "That''s what Dr. Nelson said," replied Raymond and held her hand.


    "I cannot believe everything that is happening today," beamed Akira and looked at Katherine, who was in all smiles, thanking her stars for there was a new hope for her brother.


    "I am gonna call up Dr. Nelson and thank him," said Akira and went to the living to get her mobile phone. She pressed the dial button and stood and wait.


    All she heard was,


    "The number that you have dialed has been switched off. Please leave a message after the beep....."

 Chapter 513: Saturday affair - 4

    <h4>513 Saturday affair - 4</h4>


    "Akira!"


    "Akira!"


    "Jesus Christ, Akira!," screamed Mike.


    "Wh... What?" asked Akira rubbing her eyes as she got up.


    "You have drooled over all the invitation cards!," said Mike and pulled the stack of cards on top of which Akira had been sleeping.


    "Oh no!" she yelled in disappointment and snatched the cards of Mike''s hands to see how much she had damaged them. The ink was smudged for the topmost card and a few were just wet.


    "We can dry these off," said Akira and ran upstairs to keep those cards under the sun and when she came back, she saw her brother leaning on the wall with his hands crossed in the front.


    "Gaahhh! What lecture now you are going to give me?" asked Akira and scrunched her nose.


    "Tomorrow is your marriage and I cannot believe you are still not acting like a grown-up person!"


    "Excuse me! What did you just say? Not a grown-up person? Oh my! Are you forgetting I am not the same old Akira anymore? I am admired by people for my business acumen. I was even featured in Times Ney York as the most promising under 30 to look out for. And yet my oh so smart brother thinks that I am not grown up enough!"


    "So grown-ups drool over things like that? Do grown-ups pack like this!" said Mike and pointed out of the suitcases of Akira, which was zipped up and yet had a piece of fabric hanging out. That was her pajama!


    "Cut me some ck man! I was dead tired. I had just 6 days to get ready for marriage. Do you know how less six days are?" said Akira and showed her open palm and her thumb to her brother.


    "I pity Raymond! But then I pity myself. What is he marrying? Gaah hope he doesn''t think that I haven''t taught you well," said Mike and went towards the kitchen.


    "Yo Mike that was below the belt!", yelled Akira.


    "Oh really! Then bite me!" said Mike craning his neck out.


    "Oh so now you remember mom! She must be feeling privileged now. Even though I am alive in flesh and blood, you hardly have time to talk with me," sulked Mike as he opened a can of orange juice.


    "From where is all thising from Mike?" asked Akira.


    "From here!" said Mike and pointed towards his heart.


    "Mike!" said Akira with a hushed barely-there tone.


    "You are never here! Ever since Raymond is back in your life, you are never here. It''s like you have forgotten that I even exist. And reaching out to you is so difficult. You are always in meetings, like always and at nights obviously you do not pick up my phone calls. Why would you? You are always busy. I mean do get it Akira. You are a big shot now, but what about me? For me, you are my only family."


    "Mike! You know it''s not like that. You know how much you mean to me," said Akira and came inside the kitchen.


    "I know that, but I feel that these days you don''t share much. So much happened yet you didn''t tell me a word. Also, you know it well that you wouldn''t havee here yesterday night if you didn''t have to pack up your stuff," said Mike and poured the juice into a ss and held it out for Akira.


    She picked the ss and ced it on the kitchen counter and said,


    "Things have been crazy around and you know that too, but all I wanted was a bit of sanity. So many times I wanted to tell you everything, I wanted to get rid of the weight on my chest, but always, MIke always, I stopped myself.


    "I am trapped in a life where there areplications that I can never avoid, but I didn''t want the same for you. I just wanted you to enjoy your life like a normal kid," said Akira.


    "Normal! This looks normal to you?" asked Mike and to which Akira had no reply and she hung her head low.


    Mike wanted to yell so much more, but seeing her face all dull and unhappy, he couldn''t say anything more.


    Taking a deep breath, he changed the topic and asked,


    "So is everything ready for tomorrow?"


    A small smile crept on Akira''s face as knew it well that the question was an olive branch from her brother. So widening the smile she replied,


    "All done but I am just looking for something old and something blue. Maybe I can use ..."


    "Come!" said Mike, interrupting her chain of words and stretched his hands out.


    "Where?", asked Akira.


    "Will you just follow me?" asked Mike.


    Quickly gulping the juice, which was ced on the kitchen counter, Akira held the hand of her brother who took her to their basement.


    "What are we looking for?" asked Akira.


    But Mike didn''t reply and pulled out a small box from the top shelf of the basement.


    "Ah... your geeky stuff box," eximed Akira and then asked, "What is so special in there that you never let me touch it?"


    Mike took a deep breath and then said, "You will see."


    And he opened the box and pulled out a pale blue colored velvet scrunchie. It had a little blue satin bow and two white pearls dangling from the bow joint.


    The moment Akira saw it, her eyes lit up.


    "That''s mom''s", she said and picked it up from Mike''s hand. Tears started brimming in her eyes in an instant. It was her mom''s favorite scrunchie as it was a gift from her father.


    Wiping the stray tear from Akira''s face Mike said,


    "I was hoping you could use is at your something old and ..."


    "My something blue!", replied Akira and hugged her brother.

 Chapter 514: When the baby brother nags

    <h4>514 When the baby brother nags</h4>


    And it was the day that everyone was waiting for.


    The afternoon looked magically perfect. The sun was bright and was spreading its gold all around. The grass looked greener than usual. The breeze was gentle as if its whole purpose was to tickle everyone softly. And along with the breeze spread the enchanting fragrance of magnolia and gardenia flowers which lined the entire area.


    The beautiful countryside house of Raymond''s mother had been repainted and decked up for today. A ssh of ivory white on those old walls had brought the house alive. That house along with the grasnds next to it looked like a picture taken straight from a book.


    The huge backyard had been cleared up for the ceremony, except for that rickety swing. It was kept intact and was decorated with flowers instead and name cards were ced on them.


    A temporary stage and a dance area had been made using wooden frames and were covered with silken rugs to give it that old school look.


    They wanted a wedding that was intimate, low key, yet very personalized. And the wedding nner whom David had hired, took care of it perfectly. Nothing was shy and loud in there. Everything was subtle, homely yet elegant from every perspective.


    The entirewn which had been freshly mowed looked all prim, like a gigantic green carpet that had been spread on the floor of the backyard. But still, tiny crickets kept crawling here and there, camouging themselves in the greenness.


    In the middle and on the corner side of thewn, chairs had been ced for the guests. The seat covers were embroidered and in the corner was the symbol of their evesting love - RAF [Raymond and Akira Forever]


    Even though the weather forecast said that there was no chance of rain, they were still prepared for it. In the southernmost corner, a huge tent had been erected, to house people in case the Gods of rain decided to act upon.


    That tent also housed a juicing area and an exotic fruit counter, which was Akira''s idea by the way.


    Linens, tables, silverware, china, ssware, and everything possible had been ced in perfect order. The only thing missing out was a jolly crowd and the two love birds.


    After inspecting the decorations, David called up Raymond who was stationed in the bedroom of his mother''s countryside house.


    "Hello."


    "Well, hello David! So tell me, how does it look?" asked Raymond aftering out from the bathroom, taking a shower.


    "It looks absolutely perfect Raymond. Just look out from your window. It''s just the way we had nned. Perfect to the T," said David and moved to check the bar counter.


    Raymond went towards the window and opened the frame and he was weed by the breeze.


    "Yeah, isn''t that perfect?" he asked and looked up to check the sky. There were clouds here and there, but those were the white cotton candy ones, the ones that just keep floating.


    Looking at the path to the stage, which had been strewn with carnations, a smile spread on Raymond''s lips, as he started imagining her, walking down to the stage in that beautiful white dress of hers.


    "Raymond! Raymond! Can you snap out of it?" asked David as he could see from there that Raymond''s eyes were glued on the stage.


    "Yeah, Yeah. You had to say something?" asked Raymond.


    "No..." said David andughed mildly as he could hear from Raymond''s voice that he was slightly embarrassed. "Just get ready. It''s your day today," said David and disconnected the call before walking towards the house which was bustling with voices now.


    "Tell me one final time. Are curls going better or straightened hair?" asked Katherine as she stood in front of the mirror along with Akira, holding her hair in her hands.


    "Anything... Just whatever pleases you, Katherine. I guess we went over this back at your ce, right?" asked Akira.


    "Yeah, but here it is breezy and I don''t want your pictures to be ruined with your hair all over your face, ok!" said Katherine and started pacing around the room, gathering all her tools, a straightener a curler, heat protector, setting gel and what not.


    "You look like you are going to war," chuckled Akira.


    "Aren''t we. You gotta look your best today and I have the responsibility. I need to kill it big time!" said Katherine as she started plugging all her gadgets into the sockets.


    Looking at her picking out of her wits, Akira said, "Well I don''t mind a couple of strands on my face though. Plus the veil will guard me. So let''s just keep it natural. Just soft curls will do Katherine."


    "Are you sure?" asked Katherine as shethered her hands with a heat protector.


    Akira simply nodded and sat on the stool like an obedient child, ready to be pampered by her personal hairdresser sh bridesmaid.


    As Katherine started applying the heat protector on her hair, she observed that Akira was awfully quiet. Even during lunchtime, she didn''t eat much and had left the table early saying that she wanted to take bath.


    ''Probably pre-wedding jitters,'' thought Katherine and picked up her curling iron.


    Katherine wanted to ask her about the stuff that was eating her up, but she was scared that it would probably make her break down. She didn''t want the bride to cry just hours before her wedding. So she kept her questions to herself and thought about asking something else to divert her attention.


    "So, what did you get for your something old and something blue?"


    "My mother''s scrunchie!" she replied with a mellow yet discreet voice.


    Switching off the curling iron, Katherine ced both her hands on her shoulder. She now very well understood what was disturbing her soon to be sister inw.


    "Things of the past will always haunt us Akira. So always remember the good part. Remember the fond memories, remember the time well spent. Cherish what you had instead of thinking about what could have, my love," she said with a soft voice.


    "How can I not think of ''what could have''? Everything would have been different if not for one man,'' said Akira and wiped away that stray tear which had been stinging her eyes for long.


    "Who?"


    Akira didn''t say anything. She had stopped resenting the man who was the reason her parents were dead for long. She thought she had forgiven him.


    But today she realized that she never could.

 Chapter 515: Backyard Tales -1

    <h4>515 Backyard Tales -1</h4>


    She could trade anything to have her parents here today.


    Anything!


    She started going back and forth into thenes of memory when she heard that knock on the door. Katherine quickly retracted and wiped the tears away from Akira''s face and said,


    "Come on in!"


    And in came the father-daughter duo, Shawn and Kate.


    "Whoa! You are still not ready Akira?" asked Shawn as he closed the door behind him.


    "She is gonna unless you guys disturb us," said Katherine as she resumed her work.


    "We are not here to disturb you. We are just going to watch you," said Kate and perched herself up on the bed. Narrowing her eyes Katherine looked at Shawn as she didn''t want to be disturbed.


    "Hey, it was her idea. She was missing you guys and she dragged me here. Don''t look at me like that!" said Shawn and raising his hand in his defence he started walking back towards the door.


    "What about you?" asked Katherine with a sly look in her eyes.


    Shawn stopped there for a moment and then turned back.


    "Well, I kinda miss you too...," he said and shrugged his shoulders.


    "Arrggghh... you guys are going to do gross things again. Aren''t you?" said Kate rolling her eyes and rolled upside down on the bed? Somehow that tiny monster cracked everyone up.


    "This one!" eximed Katherine and rushed towards Shawn and gave him a quick kiss and when she was done, she wiped away the lipstick stains from his lips and winked.


    "Eh... Hm..." Shawn cleared his throat and left the room and Katherine went back to business. Kate kept hopping inside the room as the girls focussed on getting ready.


    "Where are you guys going for a honeymoon?" asked Kate.


    "Kate!", eximed Katherine unable to believe the audacity of the little one but Akira blushed and said, "I don''t even know. Raymond told me that it is going to be a surprise."


    She fiddled with her pyjamas as she spoke. Her fingers busy with the threads and her eyes lowered, she was clearly turning all scarlet. And seeing her blushing like this Katherine poked her finger on her back and whispered into her ears,


    "It''s not like you are going to do something new that you haven''t done! Why turn red?"


    Holding her cheeks in between her palms, Akira got up and said, "I need to use the loo. Excuse me!" to which the mother and daughter had augh. Coming close to Katherine, Kate asked - "My ten dors! I told you, she would run to the bathroom if you mention the honeymoon."


    "Yeah, yeah!" said Katherine and took out a ten-dor bill from her wallet and stuffed it inside Kate''s jeans, and said- "Fine. You win. Now off you go!"


    Two-three minutester, when she came out of the washroom, she saw a lot of cars approaching the house from the window and stopped to look at who was who. She saw her team-mates, Mike''s friends, Walker enterprise people, all crowding up and walking towards the backyard.


    Seeing her looking out of the window curiously, Katherine asked, ''Are you looking for someone in particr?"


    "Erm... no...", said Akira and came back and sat on her stool. People had started flocking in, and she had so less time to get ready. So with all seriousness, Katherine started givingst touches to her hair before moving on to makeup.


    And while Katherine was busy with her locks, Akira opened her phone and opened her WhatsApp. All her messages still had a single tick.


    "Howe he hasn''t even switched on his phone?" wondered Akira for a while and but then kept the phone away as Katherine was about to prep her face.


    Her wless, ss skin didn''t need any foundation, but still, in order to make her look like a princess, Katherine dabbed her face with a lightyer of the foundation after concealing a few stray freckles. Se then lightly powdered her face and bronzed her cheeks. A light mauve pink shade of eye shadow added a touch of drama. And to top it off Katherine added the perfect winged eyeliner. The only thing that was pending was lipstick.


    "Which one?" asked Katherine as she opened the box containing myriad shades of colour.


    Mover her fingertips over a couple of shades, Akira pouted and said,


    "I can''t decide," and then like Bambi with huge doe eyes, she looked at Katherine, pping her eyelids.


    "Gosh!!! No wonder my brother is head over heels in love with you," said Katherine and picked two shades to mix, relentlessly red and ruby woo, two of her favourite shades from MAC cosmetics. She traced the bullets on her lips with the utmost care, not to stay even the fraction of a millimetre and when she was done, she arched herself back and took a good look of her beforementing,


    "Damn you look pretty! My brother is a lucky dog."


    "Jeez, Katherine, at least for once take the side of your brother!",mented Akira and turned towards the mirror to take a good look at herself. She wanted to look pretty today and Katherine had indeed done a fine job. She was looking no less than a Disney princess.


    A bit overwhelmed, she tuned towards Katherine, but before she could even speak a word, Katherine flipper her hair back like a diva and said,


    "Yeah, Yeah... you can thank meter!"

 Chapter 516: Backyard Tales - 2

    <h4>516 Backyard Tales - 2</h4>


    A picture-perfect poster boy was going to marry the girl of his dreams. Nothing could be more perfect than this.


    As he walked toward the altar, he saw his man David, all dressed up to the T for the asion.


    "You clean up well David!" said Raymond with a genuine smile on his face. His eyes crinkled as heplimented him.


    "Well, I can''t dare to disappoint you today, can I?" said David, with a sly smile on his face, to which Raymond lightly tapped on his shoulder and asked in a hushed voice,


    "Have you seen her?"


    Davidughed at his question for he seemed like a tiny tot who just couldn''t keep calm. His curiously was clearly visible in his eyes, as he was unable to contain it.


    "Well I have and boy, you are going to be stunned," David replied.


    "What is with this rule - can''t see the bride on the wedding day. How much longer do I have to wait?" muttered Raymond.


    "Patience Raymond, patience!" said David and was about to excuse himself when Raymond asked.


    "Where is Conrad by the way? Haven''t seen him since morning. He told me yesterday that he will be here by morning."


    David stood there speechless for a while, trying to think of a reason that he could give.


    "David! Hello! Where are you lost now?" asked Raymond as he snapped his hands in front of David who looked dazed.


    "Oh yeah! Let me check with him after a while. I need to check up on some other arrangements and I will be back in just some time," said David and excused himself. Raymond sighed and then moved ahead to meet with the guests before the formal event started.


    .


    .


    "Seriously Akira?"


    "What? I am just looking at the guests!" replied a flustered Akira as she was caught by Katherine while gawking at Raymond from her window.


    "You would have drooled after a couple of seconds!",mented Katherine and lightly smacked Akira''s back.


    "Ouch! What do I do? He looks way too handsome!" gushed Akira as she rubbed her back where Katherine had smacked her.


    "Man, I have never seen such desperate people. One is ogling here and the other is begging me for your pictures. Can''t you guys just hold on for like thirty minutes?" muttered Katherine as she started gathering all her makeup product and brushes.


    "He texted you for pictures?", eximed Akira.


    "Oh no no no no... let me correct myself. He begged me for your pictures!" said Katherine and smiled looking at Akira who was bursting with happiness. Then looking at the pretty bride for a while, Katherine said,


    "You are going to make me cry now!" said Akira and tried to fan her eyes, to avoid those unruly tears from dripping down.


    "Oh.... no. Don''t mind me. Don''t you dare shed a tear," said Katherine and rushed towards Akira with soft tissue in her hand and took a deep breath to see the situation under control.


    ''Knock Knock''


    Katherine walked ahead and opened the door to see Mike standing outside.


    "Oh wow!" said Katherine as she saw Mike in his suit.


    "Oh please!" said Mike and then asked, "Is she ready?"


    "Yup, yup. Come in," said Katherine, and they both walked in. Mike had literally taken just a few steps in when he saw her sister. He stood speechless for a moment and then rubbed his nose. It was a signature move whenever he didn''t want to get emotional and Akira could read it from his face.


    Lifting her gown a bit, she walked towards him and said,


    "Are you going to make me cry now?"


    "Gosh! No," said Mike and then after deliberating a bit, he asked, "All set then?"


    "Yup, all set. I just need to wear my shoes though," said Akira and pointed towards the stilettos which were ced next to the study table. It was white strappy stilettos with rhinestones embedded in it.


    Mike bent down and got those shoes.


    "I can do it myself, Mike. Don''t want another lecture from you," said Akira and extended her hands to grab the shoes.


    Mike pulled his hands back and said,


    "Shhh.... just let me do it," he said and knelt down. He unbuckled the straps of one of the shoes and Akira lifted her gown slightly and ced her foot in the shoe. Mike then pulled the strap up and buckled it in ce. Then he repeated it with the other foot and while cing her foot in, Akira got imbnced a bit but the deft hands of Mike caught her sister in time.


    He looked up at her and said,


    "You and stilettos!"


    Akira giggled upon his remark and ruffled his hair a bit as he strapped her shoe. As he got up, he just couldn''t stop himself and hugged her tight.


    Seeing them on the verge of getting emotional, Katherine came forward and said,


    "It''s not like she is moving to another continent, Mike. She will be still here in New York," and saying that she patted on his back.


    "Erm... yeah. I guess," said Mike and coughed a bit.


    "Oh now you are missing me?", asked Akira pouting her lips as she adjusted the hair of her brother which she had ruffled a couple of seconds back.


    "Oh please!", said Mike and moved Akira''s hands away.


    "And this one, just yesterday was yelling at me as I was packing my bags and people say that girls have mood swings,"

 Chapter 517: Backyard Tales - 3

    <h4>517 Backyard Tales - 3</h4>


    He disconnected the call and looked at Akira and taking a deep breath he said,


    "It''s time," and saying that he extended his hand for he was the one who was going to walk the bride.


    Akira held on to his hand gingerly and then looked at Katherine nervously and asked, "Do I look ok?"


    "You look perfect my dear," said Katherine and looked at Akira with eyes filled with warmth, for she was not just a girl who was going to marry her brother, she was also a dear friend who stood next to her during the toughest phase of her life. So seeing her a bit nervous, Katherine said,


    "My mother would have loved to see you. Gosh, if she was here now..." and then came forward and clicked a picture of Akira quickly.


    "Seriously Katherine! Are you going to cave in?" asked Akira.


    "Oh, please!" I am not going to send this to Raymond. It''s for my mom.


    Both Akira and Mike stood there perplexed. Rose had been dead for years, so they couldn''t understand how Katherine was sending a picture and most importantly to whom and seeing them all astonished, Katherine said,


    "Oh, don''t get baffled up!"


    "I am just sending it to my mother''s old Gmail ount. Might sound crazy to you, but that''s how I live. Clinging to just a thread of hope that''s alive. Hoping against hope that she can somehow read my mails and know what''s going on.


    "Kind of twisted! Isn''t it?", she asked, wiping away an unruly tear away from her face.


    No one could understand her pain better than the two people standing in front of her, who had also lost their parents and who were also yearning for them to see this day. Before Akira could take a step ahead and say anything to Katherine, Mike acted up like a perfect gentleman and offered his pocket kerchief to Katherine and said,


    "Your mother is seeing everything up from above. And you know that. She would not like to see tears in your eyes on such a day."


    The agony of the past strangely was acting like a glue that was binding them together. They had considered each other as their own for long, but at this very moment, they could feel the profound depth of love and understanding that they had for each other. It was not just a marriage of two people, it was now a marriage of two families. A family of togetherness that was going to stand next to each other through sickness and in health.


    They all looked at each other and then suddenly burst into augh.


    "We are nuts, aren''t we?", said Akira and tapped the corners of her eye with the tip of her ring finger.


    "This wouldn''t have been possible without you all," said Katherine. Deep in her heart, she felt like cuddling up with the two, but that was going to ruin her dress and the brides too. She was about to say something more when she heard the best man,


    "Oh, David! David! Don''t you look dashing today!" said Katherine as gave out a gentle appreciating smile in his direction to which David blushed a bit before asking,


    "Are you ready Akira?"


    "Umm... I am," she said and walked towards David all by herself. Before David could understand why she wasing towards him, she *opened up her arms and hugged him tightly.


    "I can''t tell you how indebted I am to you," she said and then pulled herself back slightly.


    "Ahh.... never mind Akira!" said David, trying his best to hide his emotions.


    "I mean it David," said Akira, and looking into his eyes she said, "It''s because of good people like you and Jaby, we could have this day. We owe this day to you David."


    Taking a deep breath, David started looking at the wall, trying his level best not to let the emotions surface up.


    So she gently tapped on his shoulders and changed the topic,


    "Where is Jaby by the way? Hasn''t hee back from the seminar that he has gone to? What is wrong with his phone? Will he note? I mean, it''s my wedding day David."


    Taking a deep breath David said, "Even I am unable to reach him. But don''t worry. He is not going to miss your wedding at any cost and I know that. He will make it here in time. Don''t you worry about it."


    Hearing her words, Mike looked at Katherine as he was asking what was wrong, to which Katherine just shrugged her shoulders, as she had no clue what was going on.


    So after his phone buzzed with a text message, Mike walked ahead and said,


    "Akira! Your man is going to die if you keep him waiting any longer!"


    .


    And then taking a deep breath, the bride walked out of her room, towards the backyard.


    The moment Mike opened the door, a gentle breeze weed Akira.


    A mellow waft of rose and plumeria weed her.


    "Oh my God!" was all that she could say after seeing the beautiful decoration. She had seen the flower vendors going in and out and knew that there were going to be flowers in the backyard, but she didn''t expect this.


    There were arches made of flowers that harmoniously assimted with each other. The entire path through which she was going to walk was strewn with carnations. Everything was so white and dainty, just the way she had wanted her wedding to be.


    "Shall we?" asked Mike looking at her, before giving her a moment to absorb and gave a nod at the band to start the music.


    "No, wait," yelled someone from behind.

 Chapter 518: Backyard Tales - 4

    <h4>518 Backyard Tales - 4</h4>


    "Hold on a second," yelled that voice again, and they all turned back as they were familiar with that voice. The voice of the little one who was the flower bearer for today.


    "Umm... give me some space now," muttered Kate as she moved past Katherine, David, and finally crossed Mike and Akira to stand in front of the bride to be. Wearing a faint e dress and holding on to a small wicker basket filled with plumeria to the brim, Kate looked like a little bride herself.


    "You look so pretty Kate!" cheered Akira from behind and the little one turned back and said,


    "I know right!"


    She giggled and her pureugh was nothing but sheer joy for everyone around her.


    "You have again started with your recklessness sweetheart," came another voice from behind and Katherine turned back for it was the voice of her man.


    Coming close to her, he gave a peck on her cheeks and locked his hands with her. The entourage was now ready for the march.


    [A thousand years - by Christina Perri started in the background as Akira took the first step]


    Hearing the first note of the song, Raymond turned towards the backyard entrance, and his eye locked onto hers even from distance. Her girl was slowly walking towards him, looking all pretty in white.


    All the people who had previously settled into their respective seats also stood up and turned back, for the bride was arriving. Holding her breath, Akira tried to calm herself with every single step that she took ahead. Her heart was pounding incessantly, and she could hear even amidst all the music and all the cheering.


    Taking a deep breath, she gulped her own spit.


    She couldn''t understand what was making her so nervous. A moment before she was dying toe out of the room just to have a closer look at Raymond and now that she was walking towards him, towards the stage, suddenly everything was starting to be too overwhelming.


    Glimpses of the past started reeling in front of her eyes.


    The GCG, the trip to London, thatkeside dinner, everything came back flooding. She couldn''t believe that it was all real. Closing her eyes shut, she halted her pace for a moment and then opened her eyes again. But nothing changed.


    Kate was still strewing her path with those plumerias and the music was the same. Even the man who was looking at her from a distance was the same.


    Turning back at Katherine, she said,


    "Pinch me! Tell me this is real!"


    The tears in her eyes couldn''t stop this time. They deceived her for they had a mind of their own. They rolled down her cheek before soaking the ground underneath.


    "This one!" eximed Katherine and wiped her tears.


    They were just a hundred meters away from the stage now. So Katherine took out the veil from her bag which was attached to the tiara band.


    "You guys!" yelled Kate, as she realized that they all had halted, and she had been walking all alone.


    The voice of the little one warmed them up, and they started to walk again.


    As they crossed the arched pathway and entered the path lined with the white carpet, which ended just in front of the stage, Raymond took a deep breath, for the view was breathtaking.


    The wait, which had appeared like an eternity was worth it!


    Wearing a strapless wedding gown with embroidery on her bodice, she looked nothing less than an angel. As the afternoon sun spread a hint of thest of its gold, her gown which wasced with the work of exquisite pearls and rhinestones, glittered with magnificence.


    Holding a bouquet of baby''s breath in his hands, Kirk gave a nod to Akira before handing her the bouquet as she entered the main entrance of the wedding venue.


    The pastor, the clergyman, a couple of other people also stood on the stage, but her eyes were fixated on the man who was standing one step below the stage, with his heart pounding in anticipation.


    The moment she reached close to the stage, the music slowly faded out.


    Standing just a foot away from him, separated by that thinyer of veil she mouthed - "Sorry I waste." Then she looked at him, expecting him to say something in response, but that man stood there in awe. Without blinking an eye, he kept looking at her for a while and then finally said out loud, "I love you."


    Akira blushed all red and the guests in the front row also burst into augh after hearing his tant confession.


    "Ahem... Ahem...." the clergyman cleared his throat and adjusted the mic.


    "Come here," said Katherine and escorted Akira to the left side of the stage. Raymond stood there looking at her as she walked ahead, like apletely mesmerized person in love. He just wanted to run to her right now, rip that veil apart and kiss her on her lips, for she was looking breathtaking today.


    But following the elbow nudge by David, Raymond followed suit and walked towards the right side of the stage.


    "Dear family members, friends, and cherished guests. I would like to thank you all on behalf of these two beautiful people, who will be united for eternity today in the presence of God. Now I would like to invite the pastor...."


    The voice of the clergyman echoed all around, but they couldn''t hear a single word. Their mind was busy, trying to figure out a way to get done with the entire process faster. Their restlessness was evident in their eyes.


    Their eyes spoke nothing but longing and love for each other.


    They were just holding their breaths to say the words "I do" and kiss each other.

 Chapter 519: Backyard Tales - 5

    <h4>519 Backyard Tales - 5</h4>


    Holding a bible in his hand and Rosary in the other, he looked that couple growing in love for each other and smiled, for he could reckon that theirs was a marriage that was going tost. He then looked at the crowd and urged them to pray for two who seemed nothing but the blessings of everyone around.


    As everyone stood up and bowed their head, saying a silent prayer for their happy reunion, a man stood there all alone in the distance. Hiding behind the trunk of a tree, he looked at Raymond and then at Akira, and a deep gasp of air left his chest. His lips also moved in silent prayer from the bottom of his heart.


    His heart was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, happiness, joy, a strange bitterness, and agony. His lips quivered and he clenched his fist, for he was trying hard to reconcile with the present.


    After the prayer was over, the priest asked both of them, to join him on stage. He looked at both of them fondly and led them through their vows and then asked, "I assume that you have something to say to each other," to which Akira nodded.


    "Then you go first my child," said the priest.


    Akira looked at Raymond nervously for a moment and then closed her eyes topose herself, to give coherence to her thoughts. And when she opened her eyes, she smiled looking at him and said,


    "There was a version of vows that I had written in my head a couple of years back. But then suddenly everything changed. You were gone. My vows were also gone. But there was one vow that stayed with me even when I tried to make myself believe that I had lost you..."


    Her throat was chocking but she didn''t stop.


    "Every single day of my life, with every single breath that I take, I promise you that I would love you with all my heart. No matter what happens, no matter what future we have in store, I promise you, Raymond Walker, that I will love you till my heart stays alive."


    Even though the veil was hiding her away, it couldn''t hide her tears, her emotions, and her feeling away from Raymond. He could feel every single word that she said. He could feel every pause that she took, the amount of love hidden behind every single of her pause, and the warmth that her heart had for him.


    Taking a shallow breath he looked up towards the sky, unable to believe his luck, unable to believe that there was someone in this world who loved him to this extent. But he soonposed himself and on the cue of the pastor he began,


    "This is not part of my vow but just wanted to say..." and holding his hand on his heart he let out a faint breath and said, "God you look beautiful!"


    She blushed hearing his words and squeezed her toes. A smile spread on her face instantly and that brightened her up like a daisy.


    "I Raymond Walker promise you that there will not be a day when I will not try topensate for the time that we have lost."


    "I promise you that I will love you more and more as the day pass by and from this day onwards you are the owner of my heart, my body, and my soul. I promise to be with you no matter what happens. Even if the worst of the worsees, I promise to stick with you, I promise to guard you, I promise to fight against every single tear that tries to run down from your beautiful eyes."


    "Good God!" mumbled Katherine and wiped her tears away for her brother was making her all emotional. She didn''t know how Akira was holding up.


    But without moving an inch, Akira stood there all stupefied for those words were golden. Those words meant everything to her. She wanted to etch them into her heart. She didn''t want to miss a single vowel of it. That man had gotten her breath all hitched.


    "I Raymond Walker, promise thee, Akira Peyton, that I would love you from my soul even after my heart leaves me."


    "Damn it''s heavy!" muttered David and to which Shawn replied in agreement, "Totally! This man is setting the bar way high. Time to learn Mike."


    Not only the guys, but even the pastor was moved with the vows of Raymond and he looked at Akira, who was clearly stumped.


    "Raymond !!!"


    Quivered her lips in reciprocation and he just nodded softly, asking her to hold tight for it was now the time to exchange the rings.


    "May I now request the ring bearer to bring upon the rings to the stage," the Pastor requested, and upon hearing which, Shawn and Katherine went up on the stage carrying the rings which would soon be the testimony of their love.


    It was the moment that they had been waiting for.


    The pastor then directed Raymond to pick up the ring in his hand and asked,


    "Do you Raymond Walker, take the Akira Peyton as yourwfully wedded wife, in sickness, and in health?"


    And without even waiting for an extra second, Raymond answered,


    "I do."


    And the backyard roared with ps and whistles.


    He extended his left palm and held her left palm in his hands as his right hand attempted to slide the ring into her finger.


    "STOP"


    Echoed a voice from afar.


    That voice was loud and clear and it silenced the jubnt crowd in a second.


    Irked with the voice, they all turned around to see him walking towards the stage.


    "No way!" muttered Akira.

 Chapter 520: Backyard Tales - 6

    <h4>520 Backyard Tales - 6</h4>


    .


    .


    .


    The pastor inched closer to the mic holding a bible in his hands. He was a man in his mid-seventies and his generously sized robes couldn''t hide his frail body underneath.


    Holding a bible in his hand and Rosary in the other, he looked that couple growing in love for each other and smiled, for he could reckon that theirs was a marriage that was going tost. He then looked at the crowd and urged them to pray for two who seemed nothing but the blessings of everyone around.


    As everyone stood up and bowed their head, saying a silent prayer for their happy reunion, a man stood there all alone in the distance. Hiding behind the trunk of a tree, he looked at Raymond and then at Akira, and a deep gasp of air left his chest. His lips also moved in silent prayer from the bottom of his heart.


    His heart was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, happiness, joy, a strange bitterness, and agony. His lips quivered and he clenched his fist, for he was trying hard to reconcile with the present.


    After the prayer was over, the priest asked both of them, to join him on stage. He looked at both of them fondly and?led them through their vows and then asked, "I assume that you have something to say to each other," to which Akira nodded.


    "Then you go first my child," said the priest.


    Akira looked at Raymond nervously for a moment and then closed her eyes topose herself, to give coherence to her thoughts. And when she opened her eyes, she smiled looking at him and said,


    "There was a version of vows that I had written in my head a couple of years back. But then suddenly everything changed. You were gone. My vows were also gone. But there was one vow that stayed with me even when I tried to make myself believe that I had lost you..."


    Her throat was chocking but she didn''t stop.


    "Every single day of my life, with every single breath that I take, I promise you that I would love you with all my heart. No matter what happens, no matter what future we have in store, I promise you, Raymond Walker, that I will love you till my heart stays alive."


    Even though the veil was hiding her away, it couldn''t hide her tears, her emotions, and her feeling away from Raymond. He could feel every single word that she said. He could feel every pause that she took, the amount of love hidden behind every single of her pause, and the warmth that her heart had for him.


    Taking a shallow breath he looked up towards the sky, unable to believe his luck, unable to believe that there was someone in this world who loved him to this extent. But he soonposed himself and on the cue of the pastor he began,


    "This is not part of my vow but just wanted to say..." and holding his hand on his heart he let out a faint breath and said, "God you look beautiful!"


    Then looking at her with a face filled with seriousness, he began,


    "I Raymond Walker promise you that there will not be a day when I will not try topensate for the time that we have lost."


    "I promise you that I will love you more and more as the day pass by and from this day onwards you are the owner of my heart, my body, and my soul. I promise to be with you no matter what happens. Even if the worst of the worsees, I promise to stick with you, I promise to guard you, I promise to fight against every single tear that tries to run down from your beautiful eyes."


    "Good God!" mumbled Katherine and wiped her tears away for her brother was making her all emotional. She didn''t know how Akira was holding up.


    But without moving an inch, Akira stood there all stupefied for those words were golden. Those words meant everything to her. She wanted to etch them into her heart. She didn''t want to miss a single vowel of it. That man had gotten her breath all hitched.


    "I Raymond Walker, promise thee, Akira Peyton, that I would love you from my soul even after my heart leaves me."


    "Damn it''s heavy!" muttered David and to which Shawn replied in agreement, "Totally! This man is setting the bar way high. Time to learn Mike."


    Not only the guys, but even the pastor was moved with the vows of Raymond and he looked at Akira, who was clearly stumped.


    "Raymond !!!"


    Quivered her lips in reciprocation and he just nodded softly, asking her to hold tight for it was now the time to exchange the rings.


    "May I now request the ring bearer to bring upon the rings to the stage," the Pastor requested, and upon hearing which, Shawn and Katherine went up on the stage carrying the rings which would soon be the testimony of their love.


    It was the moment that they had been waiting for.


    The pastor then directed Raymond to pick up the ring in his hand and asked,


    "Do you Raymond Walker, take the Akira Peyton as yourwfully wedded wife, in sickness, and in health?"


    And without even waiting for an extra second, Raymond answered,


    "I do."


    And the backyard roared with ps and whistles.


    He extended his left palm and held her left palm in his hands as his right hand attempted to slide the ring into her finger.


    "STOP"


    Echoed a voice from afar.


    That voice was loud and clear and it silenced the jubnt crowd in a second.


    Irked with the voice, they all turned around to see him walking towards the stage.


    "No way!" muttered Akira.

 Chapter 521: Only one word

    <h4>521 Only one word</h4>


    "Not today Vikram! Please not today!" she mumbled as deep down in her heart she was scared of his presence. He had been at one point of time the strongest anchor of her life, but then he had suddenly turned into the one who was the root cause of all the problems of her life.


    More than fear, her tone had a hint of a cry for mercy which didn''t go well with Raymond.


    He looked at David, who was very much aware that such a cmity could happen. David already had bouncers employed around the wedding stage, in in clothes just in case anything went awry Three of them covered Akira and Raymond as they stood in front of them, blocking them from any imminent danger and two more walked towards Vikram to take the man away from the venue who was nothing less than an eyesore.


    That man who was always prim and poised looked dishevelled and devastated. His hair was unkempt and from the way his shirt was hanging loose Akira could guess that he had not changed his clothes for a day or two.


    But before the counters could get a hold of him he took out his gun and pointed it towards them.


    "Don''t you dare!" yelled Vikram but the bouncers walked towards him unfazed, and he immediately realized that they were wearing bulletproof vests underneath. So thinking quickly, he grabbed the person next to him and ced the gun on his head.


    "Now this would make you stop!" he hissed.


    "Teddy!" yelled Akira and Mike at the same time. Mike wanted to run and save his friend but David held him back.


    The pastor also had taken a step back for the ruckus had taken an ugly turn but undaunted and undefied by what was happening in front of him, Raymond pulled Akira close and slipped that ring in her finger.


    With a mix of fear and relief in her eyes, she looked at Raymond, whose eyes gave her an assurance that everything was going to be ok. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the worst to happen.


    The bouncers halted their pace to see a civilian in danger.


    "Vikram no... Don''t do this. You can do so much better than this. You don''t have to drop to this level Vikram," said Akira, with her voice filled with a plead for she couldn''t see Teddy being the one who had to suffer because of her.


    "Then ask your men to move away!"


    "Move away!" screamed Vikram.


    "Vikram listen!"


    "Akira, I am telling you. It will be all your fault," Vikram screamed again like a madman. He was screaming at the top of his voice and those bubbles of froth which formed around the corner of his mouth were the evidence of themotion that''s as going inside his head.


    "Move away!", said Raymond with a solemn voice.


    All that they had to do was to stall him for a couple of minutes.


    Upon the order of Raymond, the bouncers moved aside and that assured Vikram a bit, but he still kept Teddy under his grip.


    Teddy''s mind was going berserk as he had no idea what was wrong with him. Given that he was a close friend of Mike, and he literally used to perch most of the time at their ce, he had known Vikram too in person and knew him as a kind gentleman. He was surprised to see him all violent and lunatic.


    "Let him go now Vikram, he will choke!" said Akira and took a step ahead as she wanted to get down from the stage and go close to him, but Raymond pulled her back, holding her hand. That man''s gun was loaded, and he wasn''t sure what devil had got inside him.


    Akira turned and looked at Raymond who looked quite disturbed now and then turning towards Vikram she asked,


    "What do you want? Just tell me what do you want. I cannot see anything happening to anyone any more."


    "Here! You don''t want me to marry him right? Here, I am taking out the ring," she said and yanked the ring out of her finger in one pull and continued, "happy now? Can we talk? Can we not have a bloodbath on my wedding day Vikram? Please! I beg you please!"


    She said and knelt on the stage, crying her eyes out. She couldn''t believe that eventually her perfect day had been ruined.


    Vikram froze for a moment seeing her broken like that. He released Teddy from his grip and said,


    "I just want to talk with you Akira. I just need your five minutes. That''s all. For old times sake Akira," said Vikram, still pointing the gun at the guests.


    "Vikram please don''t do this...! Please!" cried Akira as his gun now pointed towards the guest like a dangling pointer.


    "Akira, listen to me Akira. We need to talk. If you just listen to me once then probably you are never going to marry this man. You will hate this filth Akira... You will regret Akira... This man ...." but before he could utter a word further, someone hit on his head from behind with a champagne bottle.


    Blood gushed from his head and everything started to swivel for him and in no time he just slumped on the ground. The gun that he was holding fell down along with him.


    Only one word came out from the mouth of Akira,


    "Jaby!"

 Chapter 522: No loose ends!

    <h4>522 No loose ends!</h4>


    He was unable to stand the ruckus that was being created by Vikram. He wanted to do something about the whole situation. He had dialled 911, but he knew that it was going to take some time before the police could arrive and anything could happen between now and then.


    He didn''t want toe in front of her. Didn''t want to look her in the eye for he knew that he would not be able to hide his feeling any more. Hiding away from her was the best thing that he could do, but when he saw her slump on the stage, his heart just stopped.


    He could not think of right or wrong any more and his head was clouded when he heard a familiar voice in his head.


    "Help her out!"


    "Go and help her Jaby!"


    "You cannot be a coward now!"


    So he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. Mustering a bit of courage, he walked towards the stage area when heard the vile man say those words.


    "You will hate this filth Akira... You will regret Akira... This man ...."


    He knew the consequences of those words. He knew the weight of that ugly truth. He knew it was something that could destroy them both. He had left everything in New York for her sake but this man was going to ruin everything.


    So he looked around to find something handy and his eyes targetted the champagne bottle that was left unattended by some staff members who had probably fled the scene. So in the next second without even flinching for a bit, he lifted that bottle and struck it on his head.


    He made sure that he had just hit him hard enough to knock him out.


    ''Thud.....''


    And fell down Vikram, without being able toplete his sentence that stayed unuttered at the tip of his tongue.


    He immediately bent down to hold him, as his head had started to bleed a bit because of the impact but before he could even look at his wound, he heard her voice amidst all the chaos.


    "Jaby!"


    And it seemed like the world had just stopped.


    He looked at her, and he could see that beneath that surprised look on her face, there was a part of her that was happy, that feltforted seeing his presence.


    Without saying a word he just gave a nod to that stunning bride for he didn''t dare to look at her for a second more. Not because he didn''t want to, but because next to her was standing a man who probably would mind it.


    "Can anyone fetch a medical kit? Or any emergency kit avable from the car? Anything?"


    Hearing which a couple of people ran towards their cars.


    "Just let him be! Why are you trying to save someone who could have killed someone if you hadn''t intervened!" queried Teddy.


    "A doctor can''t distinguish between a murder and amon man. It''s my duty to save him," said Dr. Nelson as he applied pressure on the spot.


    "Ladies and gentlemen. We are really extremely sorry for this interruption, but everything is under control now. So please do not crowd the area and please be seated. The police team is about to arrive, and we would like you to stay calm till then," said David and looked at Raymond who now bent down to pick up Akira.


    "It''s OK! It''s all OK Akira."


    Said Raymond and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.


    She staggered a bit but then got up with his support for she was too shocked with the recent events. Even though her heart was happy to see Jaby back, a part of her was pained to see Vikram hurt even after all that he had done to her.


    She looked into her eyes and asked,


    "Why today Raymond? Why today?"


    He had no answer with him. All that he could do was to hold her. She slowly tilted her head on his arms and asked,


    "Will he be all right?"


    "I guess! It''s not that big of a wound," replied Raymond and turned a bit so that she didn''t directly look at the area where Dr. Nelson was treating Vikram.


    "Call for an ambnce," said Raymond looking at David who just gave him a nod. An equally shaken Katherine came close to Akira and asked,


    "Do you want to go back to your room?"


    "Go back? But... But what about the ring exchange? What about that part where I say - ''I DO''?" asked Akira, with a look of desperation in her eyes. She wanted to get married today. Not any other day, TODAY.


    Even Raymond wanted the same. But given the circumstances, given that police were on the way, given what had happened, he didn''t want the marriage to be tagged along with unhappy memories.


    So he looked at the priest, who stood in the corner, unsure about what was to be done next, and asked,


    "Father! Can we continue the ceremony tomorrow?"


    "Not until I investigate the im of the man," replied the priest.


    "Investigate?" eximed Katherine. "Didn''t you see that state of mind of that person? That man is madly in love with her and just to get her that man even had hatched a n to kill my brother. He had a narrow escape but has been scarred for life. And you want to still consider the words of that vile man?"


    Even though the tone of Katherine was extremely disrespectful, the priest kept his demeanour calm as before and said,


    "I am no God to distinguish the right from the wrong. That would be the job of God. He punished him already for his sins. You, too, need to let the past go and start a new beginning."


    "A beginning that has no loose ends!"

 Chapter 523: Dr. Nelson to the rescue - 1

    <h4>523 Dr. Nelson to the rescue - 1</h4>


    "What do you even mean by that?" she asked looking all astonished after hearing those unpleasant words that came out of the mouth of the father.


    "My child, I mean no harm to you. It is just that when a man objects for the unification of two souls, isn''t it right to let the man put forth his words?" said the priest, even though he knew that his words would offer no peace to the tormented couple.


    But before Raymond could give out some vile remark, David intervened and said,


    "Father! Once the man gets up, I will personally make sure that he narrates his tale to you. But as of now let us not brood over this. Maybe you should rest for a while now. We had a room prepared for you. My assistant would lead you there."


    And saying that David snapped his fingers at one of the wedding organizers to escort the priest into the resting areas.


    A perplexed Raymond looked at David with nothing but despair written all over his face and asked,


    "What now?"


    David looked at both of them for a while and then said,


    "What do you guys want?"


    Akira looked at David and then looked at Raymond. They both looked at each other for a moment and then uttered simultaneously - "Today!"


    David nodded and then said, "We will make it happen!" and saying that he got down from the stage as the ambnce siren was audible from a distance now.


    Even though Dr. Nelson had not hit his head with full force, but still the wound bled quite a bit, but it was all under control now, given the adept hands of the same person who gave Vikram the injury.


    Dr. Nelson had stopped the bleeding and had cleaned the wound already with the avable cotton pads, gauze, and rubbing alcohol. Initially, Vikram was out butter on the stinging pain from the usage of rubbing alcohol made him open his eyes.


    He was all groggy and felt a mind-numbing pain as if his skull had been cracked open, which in reality was partially true.


    "Gaaahhh..."


    He yelped in pain and Dr. Nelson who was holding his head in hisp said,


    "It is going to be fine."


    "Mmmmmhhhh..."


    Vikram kept mumbling in his semi-awake state and by that time the ambnce arrived. David exined the situation to the nurses and also to the policemen who came a couple of minutester.


    As the nurses lifted Vikram and put him into the ambnce, Dr. Nelson got in just to check his vitals. Even though he himself had harmed the man, he wanted to make sure that everything was ok. He checked everything from his heart rate to oxygen saturation and only when he found everything well within limits, he could breathe in peace.


    Out of impulse he had acted up, he had hurt that man, but his conscience was killing him for that. He took a sigh of relief and said looking at David,


    "I will apany him to the hospital. Don''t worry about it."


    "What?" eximed Dr. Nelson in surprise and that was so not how things had happened.


    "Well! That''s what happened. That''s what my men have told the police. Everyone has vouched for it," said David because he knew perfectly that this man was going to hand over himself to the police for what he had done.


    Dr. Nelson sat inside the ambnce in silence trying to contemte what to say. He was overwhelmed with the gesture of David but something kept eating his heart. He felt uneasy. He was definitely not liking the way things were taking ce.


    And then she came.


    Lifting her dress up a couple of inches, she arrived near the ambnce.


    "He will be ok right?" she asked with genuine concern in her voice. But before Dr. Nelson could answer, the nurse who was getting the saline drip ready muttered, "First they drink like crazy and then get aceration like crazy."


    With a nk face, Akira looked at Dr. Nelson who just shrugged his shoulders and then taking a deep breath he said, "Yup just a couple of stitches, and he will be ok."


    Hearing that she fell immensely relieved and then stretched her hands towards Dr. Nelson and said,


    "Then youe out of the ambnce. Stay here. I need you more."


    They were simple words but stirred up a myriad of emotions in the heart of Dr. Nelson. He was hesitant for a moment, but then he saw David who stood behind Akira giving a nod. So he faintly smiled and then said,


    "I guess that works for me."


    And saying that he got down from the ambnce without holding Akira''s hands which she had stretched for him to take the support of.


    She pulled her hand back as he got down as she could clearly sense his weird aloofness.


    She had too many questions to ask him,


    ''Where were you?''


    ''Why were you unreachable?''


    ''Why you didn''t inform me that you were back into the states?''


    ''What changed that you had to cut me off? What changed that you don''t even want to touch my hand?''


    But all these questions she bottled up and ced in one corner of her heart. It was not meant to be opened today. Today was only about her and Raymond, and she was not going to let anything or anybody to ruin that including Jaby.


    So pushing a smile on her face instead, she asked,


    "Do you feel OK?"


    But before he could answer, Raymond hugged him tight and said,


    "I have no words how to thank you. Every time you save us from something bad. I guess God has sent you to us like a guardian angel."


    Dr. Nelson said nothing. He lightly tapped the back of Raymond as a silent breath escaped his mouth.

 Chapter 524: Dr. Nelson to the rescue - 2

    <h4>524 Dr. Nelson to the rescue - 2</h4>


    "What are you doing Jaby!" he mumbled to himself.


    At the spur of the moment, seeing here dampened spirits he had offered to officiate the marriage, but he knew that it was going to be hard. From a distance when had looked at them together on the stage, it was hard.


    And now he had no idea where he was going to hide his pain away even though he had been ustomed to doing so for long.


    He removed his clothes slowly and then started the shower. As the blood got raised away from his hands, he could see the water on the floor change colour.


    He rinsed his face and closed his eyes and let the hot water soothe his body at least for his mind was already in a numb state.


    He was constantly getting hounded by her. The way she looked in that dress, the way her eyes were filled with questions for him, the way her face had saddened when he deliberately avoided her near the ambnce. It all started fogging his head.


    For a moment he felt like quitting.


    He felt like running away.


    Coming back was the biggest mistake that he hadmitted and as if as repentance for his sins, he had to bear through their marriage.


    His palm slightly stung under the water and it was then that he realized that he had injured himself as well. Probably some broken shard had torn through his skin, but that didn''t; bother him at all.


    He switched off the shower knob and ran his fingers through his wet hair, pushing away all the water. He then reached out for the towel from the cloth stand and realized that there were no fresh towels up there.


    He looked at theundry basket near the washbasin and saw all the towels in there.


    So, taking a deep breath, he came out of the shower and then knocked on the bathroom door slightly and then opening the door a bit he said,


    "Raymond! I need a towel or a robe to use."


    He then stretched out his hand from the door, waiting for Raymond to arrange for a towel for him.


    But there was no response.


    "Raymond! Are you there?" asked Dr. Nelson getting a bit worried about his whole situation.


    "Raymond!" Dr. Nelson called out a bit loudly and Akira who was just passing through that room heard him out and entered inside.


    "Is anyone there?" Dr. Nelson asked again.


    "Erm... yeah!"


    Dr. Nelson heard that familiar voice and his heart just stopped. It was her voice.


    "Do you need anything?" asked Akira as he could sense that probably he needed something since he was calling out from the bathroom.


    "Erm... nothing. Can you just send Raymond or David in here."


    "Why, what happened? Is there any problem?" asked Akira and came further inside the room.


    Sensing the increase in the loudness of her voice, Dr. Nelson knew that she was approaching close. So he shouted,


    "I can get that for you. Why do you need their help for a towel?" said Akira and left the room without listening further.


    Taking a deep breath, Dr. Nelson closed the bathroom door, cursing his fate for entangling him in this of unrequited love from where there was no escape.


    A couple of minutester, he could sense her footsteps. She was approaching for the bathroom door and secondster he heard the slight knock on the bathroom door,


    "You can leave the towel outside and go," said Dr. Nelson as he wanted to avoid any confrontation with her. He was scared of her questions because he had no answer for them.


    "Erm... all towels in my room had been used up, so I have got my own towel for you. I hope that''s OK?" asked Akira and stood there waiting for his answer.


    Dr. Nelson literally didn''t care. He just wanted her to leave that room. He was even OK to tale a used towel from theundry basket at that moment. So he just said,


    "Anything is fine."


    "OK," she said and ced the towel on the floor outside the bathroom door.


    Hearing her footsteps Dr. Nelson slightly opened the door of the bathroom and took the towel that was ced outside.


    "Oh jeez," he muttered as soon as he got the towel inside for it smelled like her. That baby pink towel was way softer than any of the towels that he had used before. He gently dabbed his face with it and then muttered,


    "Is there even an end to this misery?"


    He then wrapped the towel around his waist and leaned on the countersink. With his palm, he wiped away the condensation from the surface of the mirror and took a deep breath.


    "Why did you put me in such a mess Alita? Why?"


    Then closing and eyes and gritting his teeth with a solemn resolve he came out from the bathroom assuming that Akira had left the room. But the shock of his life was waiting for himced in all white, perched on top of the bed.


    "Christ Akira!"


    He yelled as he saw her sitting on the bed, fiddling with her phone.


    "What happened?" she asked innocently as she raised her head to look at him.


    For the first time in her life, she was seeing him bare-chested. Even for him, it was the first time that anyone was seeing him all bare apart from Alita.


    "I am sorry!" said Akira and turned her face away but s she could see him in the mirror in front of her, and he could see that he was looking at her. His eyes looked a bit annoyed and his face looked quite tense.


    Her eyes scrolled down from his face andnded on his waist where he had ced his hands, and she could see a tiny spec of red that had spread on his towel.

 Chapter 525: Just before the wedding - 1

    <h4>525 Just before the wedding - 1</h4>


    "Are you hurt anywhere? Is your hand hurt?"


    "No, I am not hurt. I am totally fine," replied Dr. Nelson, albeit his voice sounded a bit irked.


    "Then... Then why..." said Akira and pointed her finger towards his waist and it was then that he realized that while taking bath the wound on his hand had opened again had stained the towel.


    "Ermm... I am sorry... I will make sure your towel is washed up." replied Dr. Nelson as he looked around trying to see how much damage his hand had done to the towel.


    "You really think that my concern now is the towel?" asked Akira and got up in the search for some first aid. Since this was Raymond''s bedroom, she was pretty sure that would definitely find a first aid box in some drawer. So lifting her dress, she started straddling in the room in search of the kit.


    "It''s just a tear Akira. It will just go!" stressed Dr. Nelson, trying his level best to assure her and also to get rid of her. But she was not the one who would listen.


    "Found it!" she said and turned towards him with a kit in her hand. She had already pulled the veil up above her head in the backyard but assuming that it might fall down, she removed it and kept on the bed before applying the first aid.


    Seeing her removing the veil and walking with the first aid towards him, Dr. Nelson could sense her intentions and in no way, he was going to let her do that.


    "Can you please keep the first aid on the bed and excuse me? I need to change quickly. There isn''t much time left until sunset."


    Somehow his words pinched her.


    Till now, she was somehowposing herself, but he gave her thest push.


    She dropped the kit on the bed and taking a deep breath she looked at him and asked,


    "Do we have a problem Jaby?"


    Taken aback by her sudden question, Dr. Nelson took stupefied for a moment. All that he could do was to look at her. The uneasiness was clearly reflected on her face. His silence was bothering her, eating her up in bits and pieces.


    "Jaby?"


    "Erm... What problem are you talking about Akira?" asked Dr. Nelson feigning ignorance.


    "This... This is the problem, Can''t you see, you have been avoiding me since..."


    "It''s all in your head," said Dr. Nelson, trying to act natural. He picked up the first aid box and took out three band aids to cover up the wound.


    "Do you need a hand with that?" asked Akira.


    "I have a degree to do this Akira!" said Dr. Nelson with a smile on his face as he deftly ced the band aid in ce with his one hand.


    After covering it up, he turned his hand towards Akira and said,


    "All done. Happy now?"


    Akira looked at his hand and then nodded.


    And when he came out after a couple of minutes, he saw her standing close to the bathroom with the jacket in her hand. Her eyes were a bit moist, and he could say nothing even though he wanted to ask her what she was doing.


    Without saying a word Dr. Nelson turned back and inserted in hands into the jacket arms and after he did so, Akira pushed the jacket up onto his shoulders.


    He turned back towards her, but she stood there with her head hung low. She knew that he had turned and was facing her, so she said,


    "I don''t know what is going on inside your head Jaby, but I just want to tell you how I am feeling," she said and then dared to look up into his eyes and continued,


    "I feel like I am losing my friend. I feel like I am losing my family. Before Raymond, there was one person upon whom I could rely on after losing my parents but I lost him long back, and then I met you. You came in like a miracle into our lives but right now I can feel a strange distance between us."


    "It''s all because I went to the seminar Akira," Dr. Nelson replied, wanting to calm her down. He didn''t have the heart to see her cry and that too because of him. Her tears were too precious for him.


    "Then why my messages were unread? Why were you hiding during the ceremony?" she asked. Her voice piercing through his heart for he didn''t know that she knew that he had been hiding.


    "I was... I was just..."


    He had no words to exin his situation. How could he exin to her that he didn''t want to be just friends with her?


    Sensing his hesitation, Akira inched a bit close to him and said, "You have already done so much for me, for Raymond and I know that it would be really selfish of us to ask for anything more. But I would like you to do something for me."


    "Anything for you Akira..." whispered Dr. Nelson.


    "Then promise me that you will always be there next to me not because I need you, but because you need me too. Promise me that you wouldn''t be that friend who would just call me once on Christmas or New year.


    "Promise me that we would go back to the days when I couldfortably cry on your shoulders without worrying about the tear stain. Promise me that Jaby. Promise me that we will be good friends forever."


    And tears stung his eyes for he had no idea how to exin that woman in front of him that he could never be just friends with her any more.

 Chapter 526: Just before the wedding - 2

    <h4>526 Just before the wedding - 2</h4>


    "Are you hurt anywhere? Is your hand hurt?"


    "No, I am not hurt. I am totally fine," replied Dr. Nelson, albeit his voice sounded a bit irked.


    "Then... Then why..." said Akira and pointed her finger towards his waist and it was then that he realized that while taking a bath the wound on his hand had opened again had stained the towel.


    "Ermm... I am sorry... I will make sure your towel is washed up." replied Dr. Nelson as he looked around trying to see how much damage his hand had done to the towel.


    "You really think that my concern now is the towel?" asked Akira and got up in the search for some first aid. Since this was Raymond''s bedroom, she was pretty sure that would definitely find a first aid box in some drawer. So lifting her dress, she started straddling in the room in search of the kit.


    "It''s just a tear Akira. It will just go!" stressed Dr. Nelson, trying his level best to assure her and also to get rid of her. But she was not the one who would listen.


    "Found it!" she said and turned towards him with a kit in her hand. She had already pulled the veil up above her head in the backyard but assuming that it might fall down, she removed it and kept on the bed before applying the first aid.


    Seeing her removing the veil and walking with the first aid towards him, Dr. Nelson could sense her intentions and in no way, he was going to let her do that.


    "Can you please keep the first aid on the bed and excuse me? I need to change quickly. There isn''t much time left until sunset."


    Somehow his words pinched her.


    Till now she was somehowposing herself, but he gave her thest push.


    She dropped the kit on the bed and taking a deep breath she looked at him and asked,


    "Do we have a problem Jaby?"


    Taken aback by her sudden question, Dr. Nelson took stupefied for a moment. All that he could do was to look at her. The uneasiness was clearly reflected on her face. His silence was bothering her, eating her up in bits and pieces.


    "Jaby?"


    "Erm... What problem are you talking about Akira?" asked Dr. Nelson feigning ignorance.


    "This... This is the problem, Can''t you see, you have been avoiding me since..."


    "It''s all in your head," said Dr. Nelson, trying to act natural. He picked up the first aid box and took out three bandaids to cover up the wound.


    "Do you need a hand with that?" asked Akira.


    "I have a degree to do this Akira!" said Dr. Nelson with a smile on his face as he deftly ced the bandaid in ce with his one hand.


    After covering it up, he turned his hand towards Akira and said,


    "All done. Happy now?"


    Akira looked at his hand and then nodded.


    And when he came out after a couple of minutes, he saw her standing close to the bathroom with the jacket in her hand. Her eyes were a bit moist and he could say nothing even though he wanted to ask her what she was doing.


    Without saying a word Dr. Nelson turned back and inserted in hands into the jacket arms and after he did so, Akira pushed the jacket up onto his shoulders.


    He turned back towards her, but she stood there with her head hung low. She knew that he had turned and was facing her, so she said,


    "I don''t know what is going on inside your head Jaby, but I just want to tell you how I am feeling," she said and then dared to look up into his eyes and continued,


    "I feel like I am losing my friend. I feel like I am losing my family. Before Raymond, there was one person upon whom I could rely on after losing my parents but I lost him long back, and then I met you. You came in like a miracle into our lives but right now I can feel a strange distance between us."


    "It''s all because I went to the seminar Akira," Dr. Nelson replied, wanting to calm her down. He didn''t have the heart to see her cry and that too because of him. Her tears were too precious for him.


    "Then why my messages were unread? Why were you hiding during the ceremony?" she asked. Her voice piercing through his heart for he didn''t know that she knew that he had been hiding.


    "I was...I was just..."


    He had no words to exin his situation. How could he exin to her that he didn''t want to be just friends with her?


    Sensing his hesitation, Akira inched a bit close to him and said, "You have already done so much for me, for Raymond and I know that it would be really selfish of us to ask for anything more. But I would like you to do something for me."


    "Anything for you Akira..." whispered Dr. Nelson.


    "Then promise me that you will always be there next to me not because I need you, but because you need me too. Promise me that you wouldn''t be that friend who would just call me once on Christmas or New year.


    "Promise me that we would go back to the days where I couldfortable cry on your shoulders without worrying about the tear stain. Promise me that Jaby. Promise me that we will be good friends forever."


    And tears stung his eyes for he had no idea how to exin that woman in front of him that he could never be just friends with her anymore.

 Chapter 527: Just before the wedding - 3

    <h4>527 Just before the wedding - 3</h4>


    "I promise!"


    A fake promise from his side, but the genuineness in his voice moved her. It was all that she wanted to hear. There was no way in which her heart could afford to lose a precious friend like Dr. Nelson. With an ted heart, she inched closer and asked,


    "Then can this friend of yours get a hug?"


    He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath for this was going to be agonizing as hell. He didn''t want to embrace her for just a moment, he wanted to embrace her for life. He was scared of - what if he didn''t want to let her go.


    Amidst all the trials and tribtions of his heart, he opened his arms slightly and took a step ahead. Looking into her eyes, he knew she wanted to beforted. So without waiting for her toe close, he took one step more and wrapped his arms around her and she caved in.


    Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she had found back her lost friend.


    "Why did you ghost me for a week?" she said and pounded on his chest lightly with her fist.


    He didn''t say a word but let out a gasp of air which was the silent spectator of the pain inside his chest. The thought of leaving her tonight seared his heart and he hugged her tighter as he knew that probably this was thest time he would be this close with her.


    She tiptoed in return and wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered into his ears - "I am so d to have you back. You are our knight in shining armor."


    And his heart just stopped when he heard - "Our."


    A second before his heart was warmed up with the warmth of her skin, a second before he found sce in that familiar smell of hers, but in the next second, she shattered him, bringing him back to reality.


    "Erm..."


    "It''s getting kindate. Let''s run!" said Dr. Nelson and distanced himself from her. Then he turned and pulled a face tissue from the box on top of the writing-table and handed it to her and said,


    "Wipe those tears away. You have only happy memories to treasure from now on!"


    Akira beamed hearing his words and wiped the corners of his eyes and when she was done, she looked at his jacket and sighed,


    "Oh no! I ruined your jacket!"


    Dr. Nelson slightly bent his head to look down at the area which had been stained by her tears. A light smile curled upon his lips and he said,


    "This isn''t the first time!"


    Akira giggled.


    "Akira! Akira! Ah! there you are!" eximed Katherine as she entered the room. Looking at Dr. Nelson shemented, "What is wrong with New York? Do they only have handsome doctors around?"


    Dr. Nelson smiled and said, "I would take that as apliment!"


    Akira gently dabbed the area under her chin and then looking at Dr. Nelson she asked, "How do I look?"


    "Perfect as always!" he replied with a genuine smile on his face as he fondly looked at her.


    "Then no touch up needed! I am ready! Somebody just- get me, my groom!" she chirped and Mike entered the room to escort her again.


    The band had left, but Shwan made the perfect arrangement for the song with his iPod and iPod speaker dock. The number of people who stood there for her entrance was few, but they were the ones that mattered.


    So taking a deep breath she walked on the aisle again, her heart pounding non-stop for didn''t know what was next in store for her.


    She wanted an eventful marriage day, but this was too eventful for her. All that she wanted was a normal mundane wedding now.


    As she walked towards the stage, she looked at her man and found the same excitement and same expectation in his eyes as before and that somehow brought sce to her heart. The only thing that was left for her was to say - "I do."


    As they both stood at the center of the stage, Dr. Nelson went up with the mic and stood there for a while trying to calm his frayed heart before he began the officiating.


    "Friends and families!" he said and then looked around as he took a deep breath.


    "A couple of days back this man had asked me to be his ring man and I had denied due to some personal obligations, but little did I know that I would wind up here, as the officiator of their marriage. Fate huh!"


    Everyoneughed and cheered for him.


    Even the couple smiled and looked at him fondly.


    "I am not a man who is good with words and since you guys have already done your vows, I guess we should just proceed with the final part."


    Raymond gave him out a light thumbs-up for his man had justly understood the need of the hour.


    "With the power vested by the state of New York, I hereby officiate your marriage."


    Then looking at Raymond he said, "Since this man has already agreed, I would now question the bride."


    Then, taking a deep breath, he asked her the question that his heart was dreading to ask,


    "Do you, Akira Peyton, take the Raymond Walker as yourwfully wedded husband in sickness and in health?"


    His heart raced and his mind just numbed for he didn''t want to hear what followed his question.

 Chapter 528: "I Do!"

    <h4>528 "I Do!"</h4>


    The tears of happiness. The tears of finally being able to be with the man that her heart desired. So without any further ado, she said,


    "Yes, I do!"


    Everyone pped around, for now, it was official. Raymond''s heart knew no bounds. He knew what she was going to say, but to hear her say those words, to hear her affirm her faith in their love brought profound sce to his heart.


    Everyone rejoiced from the bottom of their hearts except for that one man, who stood there, being the official testimony of their unison. He also knew what she was going to say, but he didn''t know how crumbled he would feel upon hearing it.


    Taking a deep breath, he coughed a bit to adjust his voice which was giving away the state of his heart. Then he looked at Katherine, asking her to bring the ring for Akira.


    Katherine took the little blue velvet box with her on the stage and handed it to Akira, who opened it with a wide grin on her face and took out the band of love.


    She slipped it on his right-hand ring finger and whispered,


    "There, you are enved until eternity."


    "I don''t mind!" said Raymond as he held her hand. Then they both looked at Dr. Nelson with eyes filled with gratitude, waiting for him to say those golden lines.


    He looked at them with love-filled in his eyes even though his heart was aching. If there was any other person who knew that he was in pain was David. Even thousands of deep breaths were not helping him out, but then he heard her say.


    "Just do it Jaby. Do it for my sake!"


    Dr. Nelson closed his eyes and the face of Alita shed back in his mind. He suddenly turned back for the voice was so loud and clear, but saw nothing and no one.


    "Jaby! What happened? Are you ok?" asked Akira as she saw him in a state of panic.


    "Erm... nothing..." he said and closed his eyes again and took a shallow breath and continued, "And now I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."


    Raymond''s heart rejoiced for this was the moment that he had been waiting, since long. He had dreamt about it over and over again and finally today it was happening.


    He looked at his beautiful bride and he could see through the veil that tears had trickled from her eyes. He took a step and went close to her and took her face in his palms. Her face was just inches away from her and the only thing in between their lips was a column of air and that veil.


    The corners of his eyes had crinkled with happiness and tilting her head up a bit he lightly touched the red lips of hers with his own.


    With the way her lips moved, he knew that she was smiling and his hands slowly moved down. His one hand rested on the side of her waist and with the other which he had ced on her back, he slowly pulled her close and gently parted his lips and so did she.


    "Oh! Yeahhhh...."


    Cheered Katherine from behind for finally the moment hade and it was beautiful. Even David who had always avoided his gaze whenever the two were together, looked at them with happiness filling his eyes up to the brim.


    She blushed with happiness and he hugged her tight.


    Confettis and flowers rained all over them.


    Akira beamed and looked at Mike whose face was beaming with happiness. Raymond held her hand in his and they showed their rings to everyone.


    Everyone was joyous, every single one except for the man who was standing behind them, at the center of the stage.


    He was happy for her, he was happy for him, but somehow he couldn''t be happy for himself. stering a fake smile on his face he stood there along with them, trying to act his best.


    Then the saw two familiar figures almost panting and running towards the stage.


    Both Teddy and Kirk had gone to give their statements and when Mike texted them that the wedding was still on, they tried toe back as soon as possible.


    "Oh no! I missed it!"


    Eximed Teddy and then bent down with his palm resting on his knees to catch hold of his breath.


    "She just said - I do and then they kissed. That''s all. You didn''t miss much," uttered Kate as she wasn''t able to understand why such grown-up people had to throw tantrums.


    "But that''s the best part of the wedding!" replied Teddy, still panting and trying hard to get his breathing back to normal for he had literally sprinted from the parking lot to the backyard.


    Akira giggled as she heard Teddy and turned to look at Raymond who was looking at her intently unable to believe that he was now married to the seat no.5 girl. He then turned to look at Teddy and said,


    "Then I am gonna give you a recap because I don''t mind kissing her again and again. I am sorry Mike," said Raymond and pulled Akira close. But this time before locking his lips, he paused to look at her for a second and then lifted her veil.


    "Whooaaahhhh..."


    Screamed the crowd and Katherine ran to cover Kate''s eyes. Shawn alsoughed and joined next to Katherine holding her hand in his own, interlocking his fingers.


    Their lips were locked and unlocked and then locked again. Their eyes remained close as if they didn''t want toe back to reality. They were sailing in the waters of their own world. Their hands hovered around each other''s body and soon the tongue came into the picture.


    "Oh, Boy!" muttered Mike and turned his eyes.


    Now it was too much for anyone to take.

 Chapter 529: Wiping away that smile!

    <h4>529 Wiping away that smile!</h4>


    "Put me down!" whispered Akira as she turned all scarlet seeing the reaction from people.


    "Just close your eyes!" said Raymond and started walking towards the main entrance of the house and like a doll, she obeyed and closed her eyes and zipped her lips hard as she was unable to suppress thatugh.


    "Don''t purse ur lips like that!" whispered Raymond.


    "Why?" she asked with her eyes still closed.


    "It makes me wanna wipe away that smile from your face. I think you deliberately entice me to seal your lips with mine," said Raymond and reached the front porch.


    "No way!" retorted Akira.


    Raymond slowly put her down and then covered her eyes with his hands and said.


    "I am not sure if you are going to like it or not, but wanted to give you something today."


    "No riddles and no surprised Raymond! Didn''t we talk about it?" asked Akira.


    "Well technically since you stole my proposal n, I have decided to take revenge," he said and then removed her palm slowly so that she could open her eyes.


    A swanky new Audi RS7 Sportback car was parked outside the porchced with arge pink ribbon bow at the top. The seats had been custom made out of Italian leather with their initials carved on it [RAF - Raymond and Akira forever].


    The moment she saw the car she yelled,


    "No way!"


    She ran towards it and felt the leather seats with her hands. She ran her fingers where their initials had been carved in and said,


    "You Raymond Walker... You just need to be a step ahead. Don''t you?"


    Raymond lightly shrugged his shoulders and then asked,


    "So what? Do you like it?"


    "Like it? I love it" she chirped and ran back towards him to hug him tight.


    "Only you know how to surprise me well," she said and softly kissed his lips. He ced his hands on her waist and leased back adrift from her and asked,


    "Wanna give a spin?"


    "Oh Hello! Excuse me guys, there are people who are waiting for your dance and you are here exchanging gifts. Where have you sold yourmon-sense?" shouted Katherine as she was someone who couldn''t tolerate when things didn''t go as per her ns.


    "Come on now! March back with me. You can go on a rideter on," she said and took Akira''s hand in hers and started walking towards the backyard.


    As they reached the stage, they saw that the seats in the front row had been cleared away and eveningwn lights had been switched on. The setting sun had colored the whole area in hues of orange.


    People were now standing around in a circle for they were waiting for the first dance and seeing the patient and eager eyes of people, they both felt guilty for even thinking of escaping.


    Akira covered her face with her palms and tried to calm her frayed nerves because dancing with this man meant racing her heart at the top speed. And as he led her to the center to dance with her, she remembered every single time that they had danced together.


    The first dance where he pretended that he wasn''t a good dancer and the next in which he dragged her so close that her sanity had taken a back seat. Every dance with him was special but this was going to be the one that she would cherish forever.


    After all first dances are meant to special.


    Raymond held her hand gingerly as they stood at the center.


    Akira looked up at him and blushed again. So in order to hide she pulled her veil back, but he was not the one who was going to let the veil stand in between now. So he inched closer and with both his hands he slowly unclipped the veil from the top of her head.


    He inched close and brushed his lips close to her ears and said,


    "No more hiding!" and then stepping aside he handed the veil to Katherine.


    He looked into her eyes and inching close he held her hands and lifted them up to twine around his neck and then traced his hands all the way down to her slender waist.


    ''What would I do without your smart mouth?


    Drawing me in, and you kicking me out


    You''ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can''t pin you down.''


    They slowly moved around, inch after inch, their eyes locked in each other''s gaze and their lips speaking nothing but promising each other a union of eternity.


    And as she cornered her eyes to the side, he lifted her chin up,


    "Eyes on me, only me!"


    And she couldn''t dare to look anywhere else for he stood there with the most charming smile on his face ever, singing along the lines of the song for he meant each and every word of that song.


    ''What''s going on in that beautiful mind?


    I''m on your magical mystery ride


    And I''m so dizzy, don''t know what hit me, but I''ll be alright''


    And slowly he rubbed his thumb on the sides of her waist and his lips let out a small whiff of air as he could feel her body twitch and curl with every touch of his.


    He had found a gem.


    He couldn''t believe that he had found a woman who would love him so much that even death couldn''t set them apart.


    She closed her eyes and unable to bear his teasing fingers, she wrapped her arms tight around him and rested her face on his chest.


    He smiled and slowly bent his head to give a kiss on her forehead. A deep wet kiss.


    ''My head''s underwater


    But I''m breathing fine


    You''re crazy and I''m out of my mind


    ''Cause all of me


    Loves all of you''

 Chapter 530: And he leaves...

    <h4>530 And he leaves...</h4>


    As the sweet memories came back, his heart became greedy. He wanted it to happen one more time.


    Kate looked at Shawn who was intently looking at Katherine''s face and sighed,


    "Oh boy! If you want to dance with mom, then just say it! Why are you looking at her, doing some telepathy shit and expect her to understand the needs of your heart? Gawd!"


    And saying that she turned away and walked towards the ice cream counter.


    "Kate!" rebuked Katherine and looked at Shawn who instantly put his hands inside the pockets of his pants even though they were itching to hold Katherine''s hands.


    And as if like heavens had heard the desire of his heart, the song ended and the dance floor was now open for everyone.


    [Next song - "Thinking Out Loud," Ed Sheeran]


    ''When your legs don''t work like they used to before


    And I can''t sweep you off of your feet''


    Akira and Raymond kept swaying even though the song changed. People pped continuously assuming the first dance to be over, but those two had transcended into a world of their own where they didn''t bother about what was happening around them.


    Seeing the two drenched in each others'' love, Katherine''s heart also itched and like a cure to his itch, Shawn extended his palm towards her and with a smile on her face, she two started twining with the love of her life.


    ''And darling I will be loving you ''til we''re 70''


    Seeing everyone getting all lovey-dovey a bored Kate went to the center and pulled the corner of Raymond''s jacket and asked,


    "When will the Karaoke start!"


    A startled Raymond came back to reality, for his mind had beenpletely engulfed in the thoughts of Akira.


    "Erm... once the dance is over," he replied, looking fondly at the little one.


    "Ahhhh...." eximed an exasperated Kate and seeing the level of her boredom Raymond asked,


    "Would you like to have a dance with me?"


    And her eyes instantly beamed and why not. After all, he was her favorite person. Akiraughed to see the instant change in her mood and stepped aside so that the duo could dance. And as she turned around she saw herself surrounded by people she loved and felt blessed.


    But there was one man who was still busy. It didn''t matter to him if hells broke loose. The only thing that he right now cared was the party to be memorable for the two.


    He was still rechecking if everything was ok as per the menu that they had decided since more than half the staff had left the ce.


    "Can I have a dance please?" asked Akira and David turned around in surprise.


    "What? With me?"


    "I would have been dancing like this with my father!" and saying that she rested her head on his shoulder. David didn''t say a word, for he understood that it was natural for her to miss her parents on this very day. So he softly rubbed his hand on her back and said,


    "Life is never perfect Akira. We just have to try to find moments and make them perfect."


    She lightly nodded and rested in his arms, just like a daughter would do in her father''s.


    Standing a couple of feet away, Dr. Nelson took out his phone as it buzzed with a notification.


    "Please start now to avoid any traffic to the Airport."


    Seeing the google notification, Dr. Nelson sighed. It was time to bid farewell to everyone without letting anyone know about it.


    Taking a deep breath he took one final look at the pretty bride and slowly walked away. The night had set in and in the darkness, no one could see the weight of grief that he was carrying in his heart.


    He went inside the house and picked up the clothes that he was wearing that morning and changed into them. He neatly ced the suit of Raymond on his bed and ced a note on top of it,


    "Thanks for the suit and I am sorry I couldn''t dry clean and return. So maybe next time you can wear of suit of mine!"


    Even though his heart was getting shattered into pieces, he drew a smiley face on that note and then left the room but then he came back again and went inside the washroom and picked up that pink towel of Akira.


    A part of him was selfish.


    Part of him wanted to have something of hers to remember her by.


    So he folded the towel and took it along with him and walked silently towards the front porch. He had no courage to turn back and look at the backyard. As he sat on the driving seat and turned the ignition on, his eyes went to the rear mirror for the fraction of a second.


    But he resisted every thread of thought in his head and sped through.


    That pink towel was resting in the passenger seat. He had covered a couple of miles when it started to drizzle a bit and his mind raced back to the first memory of Akira. The day when she took a ride with him to the hotel. That day also it was raining and today as well.


    The only difference being, today the passenger seat next to him was empty.


    But he didn''t want to fill that void. He had no intention of doing so. The only thing that was in his mind now was to go back to London and get settled in his new life.


    A life withoutplications.


    A life without any troubles.


    But a life without Akira.


    [Hey guys! My new book - THE RISE OF THE SAVIOUR needs a bit of your love and support. So please drop by and give a vote]

 Chapter 531: Honeymoon begins - 1

    <h4>531 Honeymoon begins - 1</h4>


    Katherine saw Raymond fidgeting around Akira and she could guess that he wanted his sweet lone time with her. So she quickly went close to them and said,


    "I will take care of everything else. You can go now."


    "How to go? She is still busy signing the thank you cards that are supposed to be sent. She isn''t budging. Do something!" pleaded Raymond.


    "Ok, Ok!" said Katherine and walked towards Akira.


    "Hey, sister-inw!"


    "Oh my Gosh! Are you gonna address me like that?" chuckled Akira and ced the cap back on the marker pen that she was using to sign off the thank you cards.


    "Well, I am gonna if you don''t move out right this moment."


    "I am almost done, Kat. Hardly a couple of letters left. Will be done in a jiffy. I want to personally hand it to all of you," she said and uncapped the marker.


    "Don''t you dare Akira. Put the cap back on!" thundered Katherine.


    "Erm... Okay! What''s gotten into you?" asked Akira and ced the cap back and stacked the remaining thank you card.


    "If you trust me and if you want some really hot and wild happening to you, then you better scoot," spoke an unapologetic Kat.


    And hearing her say those words, Akira turned all red.


    "What.. What are you saying? Please stop. We are going to honeymoon next weekend Kat."


    "Gaahhh! I don''t want to ruin his surprise. I really don''t so just please will just leave for God''s sake. Who says no to some monkey love?" and saying that he pulled her out from the writing corner and called out Raymond.


    "You got a minute brother!"


    Seeing Akira out from the corner and turning all red, Raymond couldn''t imagine what Kat had said to her. He knew that she wouldn''t ruin his surprise, but his heart was itching to know.


    He walked up to them and then looking at Akira he asked,


    "If you are done, then can we go?"


    Akira looked at Katherine who rolled her eyes momentarily and then looking down at her sandals she said,


    "Yep, I am done."


    "Thene with me," said Raymond and took her towards the house, holding her hand in his own. And as they walked ahead he gently squeezed her hand so as to make her turn towards him.


    "What did she say that made you turn all red?"


    "Nothing!" replied Akira and ran her fingers through her hair.


    "Seriously?"


    "Well there might have been a reference to monkey love!" said Akira and sped her lips between her teeth to avoid thatugh from escaping.


    "She said what?" eximed Raymond.


    Akira giggled and tapped on his shoulder and said,


    "Will you let it go? You know how she is right?"


    "But I am kind of getting weirded out."


    "Why?" asked Raymond as they entered the main door.


    "You know... it''s our first night after marriage and since everyone is staying together in this house, they must be... you know... expecting us to do things. That kinda is very unsettling."


    She spoke whatever she had in her heart or her mind and Raymond loved her for that. He looked at her adoringly and then asked,


    "What things?"


    "Ohe on! You know!" said Akira rolling her eyes.


    "What are you trying to insinuate?" asked Raymond with an ''Oh I am so not able to get you expression.''


    "Don''t tease me now. You know exactly what I meant."


    "Aa Aa... I seriously don''t know!"


    "Raymond!" she eximed and punched on his chest softly as she knew it well that he was fond of ying with her.


    He took a deep breath and kept on looking fondly at her and then said,


    "Do you think I will let anyone or anything disturb us on our first night?" And then he gently brushed away the lone strand of hair from her face and traced the edge of her face with the back of his palm.


    "So... So we aren''t spending the night here tonight?" she asked with a childlike excitement written on her face.


    A smile etched on Raymond''s face and he just shook his head.


    "Where are we going? Our honeymoon tickets are booked for next weekend right?" she asked and then seeing the mischievous look on his face she went inside and opened the bedroom.


    Five trolley bags were lined in the bedroom.


    "What is all this? Where are we going? Are we?"


    "Oh yes! Do you think I would let you have our first night anything less than memorable?" he said and then pulled out both their passports and tickets from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to her.


    "Where are we going?" she asked and pounced on the tickets.


    "Venice!" screamed Akira. "We are going to Venice?" she screamed and leaped on Raymond, hugging him tightly.


    "We have just one hour to reach the airport on time. So you better hurry!"


    "But is everything packed in here?" she asked and looked around.


    "Yeah... everything..." said Raymond and smiled looking at her.


    The house help started loading their trolley bags into the car and the driver sped through the darkness of the night.


    Sitting in the back seat, the two love birds had their hands twined around each other. There was nothing better than spending their first night together just like the first time they had met. The Starbucks coffee, the adjacent seats in the business ss, the first conversation, the first touch. It all kept shing.


    She softly smiled and cuddled him tightly. Then softly running the index finger on his chest she asked,


    "What was your first thought impression about me? Tell me honestly?"


    He looked down at her and kissed on her forehead and said,


    "First impression? What''s that? All I could think about was kissing your damn lips in the entire flight. Do you even know how torturous it was?"

 Chapter 532: Honeymoon begins - 2

    <h4>532 Honeymoon begins - 2</h4>


    "Do you like getting kissed here?" he asked and gently touched the tip of her nose.


    "Mmmm...." she mumbled and rested on his chest. He softly patted her back so as to put her to sleep. It had been a long long day for her albeit a magical one.


    She slept like a baby in his arms until they arrived at the airport and when they did, Raymond gently tapped on her back,


    "We are here?"


    "Mmmm....." she mumbled and then she freaked out, "Oh damn! How can I take a flight wearing a wedding gown? That would be so weird!"


    Raymondughed and said,


    "Even I need to change this suit!"


    "Suit still looks decent and ok but..." and she suddenly halted as she could see a big blotch of saliva on his chest pocket.


    "Damn! Why didn''t you wake me up? I have drooled over like a monkey!"


    Raymondughed and shook his head in amusement and said,


    "There are spare clothes for both of us in the cabin bag," and saying that he pointed towards the duffel bag and said,


    "You can change in the lounge once you check-in!"


    "All right!" beamed Akira happily and moved aside so that porter could take care of their luggage. Avoiding the staring eyes of people theypleted the check-in process and went to the lounge.


    "I am gonna change first!" said Akira and rushed towards the washroom. She was in no way in a mood to take on any more staring or the judgment in people''s eyes.


    She carefully lifted her dress and went inside a stall and changed into a yellow floral skater dress. Carefully she folded her wedding gown and ced it inside the duffel bag and then went outside to the washing area.


    Taking a piece of tissue she slowly dabbed the corner of her eyes and then wiped away the mild drool mark from the corner of her lips. She smiled as she wiped it away for there was a man for her in the world who didn''t care how much soever she drooled all over him. It made her happy.


    And as she came out, she saw him leaning just outside the wall, browsing his phone.


    "You are here!"


    He turned to look at her and a smile etched on his face. Afterall he was with his pretty wife.


    "You look beautiful my wifey," he said and brushed the back of his palm on her cheeks. Looking coyly up at him she whispered, "You don''t look so bad either hubby!"


    "Damn! I was dying to hear that!" and saying that he picked up the duffel bag from her and held it in his left hand and with his right, he held her hand and walked towards the resting area.


    They had barely some fifteen minutes before boarding.


    "You rest here. I am gonna get us some coffee!" he said and then walked towards the Starbucks.


    She looked at him walking towards the coffee shop and wondered,


    ''What would have happened if she had not dared to take that business ss ticket?''


    As the thoughts swirled in her head, she kept admiring how handsome he looked even from behind.


    "Triple Venti, Soy, No Foam Latte, and One Basic Latte with hazelnut drip to go."


    He ordered the drink and turned back to have a look at her and found her gazing in his direction. This was something called pure love that did nothing but fill the heart with happiness.


    Picking up the coffee he went close to her and sat opposite to her by pulling a bean bag.


    "So are you excited?"


    She nodded as she took a sip of hertte.


    "Is it good?"


    "Uh..hum..." she nodded looking fondly at him.


    "What is it?"


    "Nothing!" she replied and looked down and started tapping her toes on the floor.


    "Click... ck... Click... ck..."


    "Your legs must be hurting in those heels," he asked looking a bit worried.


    "Not much!" she said as she curled her toes.


    "Come here," he said and pulling the bean bag closer, he lifted her legs and ced them on hisp.


    "What are you doing? Boarding will start in some time!"


    "Susshhh!" he said and removed the strap of her heels. Then cing his palm around his mouth he blew out his hot breath to warm up his palm and then rubbed them against the sole of her feet.


    She giggled as it tickled a bit.


    "It tickles!"


    "Ah! my sensitive wifey. Where all you don''t tickle?" he said and chuckled.


    "Unnnnn...." she muttered a bit irked with hisment.


    "No, I am serious. You are like that touch me not nt. The moment I touch you... You..." but then suddenly he stopped.


    "I what?" asked Akira but Raymond just shook his head and keptughing.


    "Ohe on! As if you don''t tickle," and saying that she moved a bit forward and tickled him around his waist.


    Surprised with the sudden attack of hers he moved back a bit and his hand hit his coffee cup.


    They were back to Day 1 again.


    The airport was different, the scenario was different, the time of the day was different, but it all felt like a deja vu.


    "No way!" Akira almost screamed as she the coffee spill a bit on the floor, but mostly on his hand and his jacket.


    Biting her lips she looked at him apologetically. "Sorry!" she said and took out a soft tissue packet from the bag.


    As he got up and cleaned himself, he looked at her and said,


    "Don''t say sorry. You just filled the gaps in the perfect recreation of our first meet!" and saying that he gathered up all the tissues and the coffee cup and gave a short kiss on her head and walked towards the dustbin.


    She could feel her heart skip a beat!

 Chapter 533: Honeymoon begins - 3

    <h4>533 Honeymoon begins - 3</h4>


    He had gone to such lengths to re-create the first meetup on her wedding night.


    She couldn''t have asked for more.


    Seeing that he had turned back after throwing the stuff in the bin, she quickly wiped away her tears and beamed in his direction. He came back and knelt in front of her. Gently lifting her legs, he buckled up her heels, and when he was done. he got up and said,


    "Remove them as soon as we board, ok?"


    With a delicate smile on her lips, she just nodded and fondly looked at him.


    "What?" he asked, seeing her smiling like that.


    "Nothing! Nothing Raymond Walker! You just..."


    "I just, what?" he asked getting impatient.


    "You just never cease to make me fall in love with you over and over again. Your sweetness is like vani ice-cream and you just keep topping it up day after day. Chocte syrup, nuts, crunchies.... ooofff... I am gonna die someday. Your love will be the death of me someday," and she let out a deep breath.


    Narrowing his eyes Raymond looked at her with a question mark on his face. His jaws had be all taut.


    "Never... As in ever... dare to talk about death in front of me. We just got together and I cannot let you talk or even think about parting away from me. Am I clear to you?"


    "Hey! Hey! I was just saying. I mean just like that," and saying that she tiptoed and kissed him on his lips. Angry that he was, he didn''t part his lips and stood there nonchntly, still angry with the words that she had spoken.


    But she didn''t give up.


    She made a gand out of her hands and wrapped it around his neck. She kissed him a few more times but he didn''t move a muscle even though deep down he was in a state of haywire. So she looked up at him and met his eyes which were still angry.


    But she was angry now for she didn''t get a reply to her kisses. Her lips were taut and she was breathing with her nose which red a bit every now and then. Raymond was amused to see that look on her face but still smeared that poker-face look, on his to see what was that little birdie going to do next.


    And the next second she hoisted herself up and bit his lips.


    "Umm.... Aki... Akira!" retorted Raymond and it was then that she found the gap. Without wasting a single second she locked in his lips in the grasp of hers. She sucked them hard as if she had been hungry for ages, and why wouldn''t she? After all, it was he who had teased her, pushed her to the brink where her desires took control over her.


    They didn''t care where they were, they didn''t care who was looking at them. The me in their heart was burning everything down, inhibitions, shame, awareness, they had all been turned to rumbles.


    "Ah... Ummhhh..... Ray...." she gasped and ced her feet back on the floor. Grabbing his shoulders tightly she closed her eyes and rested her face on his chest as she started gasping for air.


    "I am... I think..." she tried to speak words but all that she could do was shudder in his arms.


    He pulled her closer and caged her tightly in his arms as if he wanted to absorb every tremor that ran through her body. Kissing fondly on the top of her head he said,


    "It''s ok... It''s ok... I am sorry. I took it too far. I am sorry."


    She hugged him back tightly as if she wanted to get absorbed into his body. Given a chance she would have. Their souls were already twined together even though they resided in different physical bodies.


    "I am fine," she said but her voice sounded a bit shaky. It was probably the tension that made her voice sound hoarse. So he rubbed her back for some time, till he could feel her haggard breath easing a bit on his chest.


    "It''s time to board Akira!" he said and softly kissed on the side of her temple. "Go freshen up. I will be waiting for you here."


    It was then that she lifted her face which was burning red hot with embarrassment. She turned and walked towards the washroom, unable to even meet his eyes. So he caught her elbow and turned her around,


    "Hey! It''s me. Look at me!" he said and lifted her chin up. But she still kept her eyes low.


    "Akira look at me!" he said again and this time sheplied and lifted her gaze up but then averted the next second.


    "Man I would take you down this very moment, I swear Akira," he said and kissed her lips gently and said,


    "Don''t do this. Don''t ever hide from my eyes. Just don''t."


    "It''s us Akira. It''s you and me... Together and forever. No hiding!"


    And then she lifted her gaze again. Her Bambi''s eyes and her fluttering ps made his heart skip a beat.


    "Off you go!" he said and gently nudged her towards the bathroom. As she walked away, he instantly regretted his n of spending the night in the ne.


    Because only he knew what demons lurked inside the body of his. It was going to be a very difficult night for him.

 Chapter 534: Honeymoon begins - 4

    <h4>534 Honeymoon begins - 4</h4>


    "Ah great! We would be so lucky if these seats go empty!" she quipped.


    Raymond just gently smiled and softly tapping on her head he said, "I wish so too."


    As the flight attendant helped them keep their bag overhead, they both settled into their seats. Even the seat numbers were the same as before for them, number 5 and number 6.


    Raymond buckled her with the seat belt and mumbled, "Now you can''t run from me."


    "You have already tied me," she said, and extending her hand in front of him, she showed him the marriage ring that she wore in her hand. Seeing her beautiful slender fingers and that ring adorning her finger, he sighed and settled back in his seat.


    ''Life was beautiful again.''


    She removed the armrest in between and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked at her fondly and then asked,


    "Would you like to watch the Notebook?"


    She slowly lifted her head up and looked into his eyes, amazed by the lengths to which this man was going to make her happy. But to his surprise, she shook her head and grabbed on to his arms with her hands and said,


    "I just want to rest my head on your shoulder like this. That''s all I need right now. And I don''t want anyone to be seated next to us," and she checked her watch again and eagerly looked at the door to be shut close.


    He softly exhaled on top of her head and said,


    "No one ising. I have booked even the row ahead and behind."


    Amused, she lifted her head up and looked at him for a second and then whispered,


    "That a hell lot of money in the drain Mr. Raymond Walker!"


    "Then you better make it worth my money!"


    He slowly wrapped his left arm around her, bringing her close to his chest and then said,


    "Can you believe that three years back, we sat apart from each other? Complete strangers who didn''t even know each other''s names! I bet you didn''t even want to see me ever again."


    "That''s not true!" she said and started drawing random lines with her index finger on his chest.


    "Really!" he eximed out of surprise.


    "Uh... hm... I mean you were quite intimidating with your look and all, but ..."


    "But?"


    "Ermm... I found you quite maic!"


    "I am listening!" Said Raymond with a hint of surprise and happiness in his voice. He had always known that he was drawn to her in the first mee itself, but he always had assumed that she hadn''t taken much notice of him, given that she was in a bad state.


    So when Akira said those words, it came out as a huge happy surprise for him.


    "Well, I was never gonna tell you this, but do you remember there was a moment between us when I had walked out of the washroom."


    "I remember!"


    "I know. You went to the washroom to freshen up and when you came out, you had that shiny pink tint on your lips. God, I wanted to kiss your lips so bad!"


    "Jeez Ray! You didn''t even know me then. We didn''t even have our first proper conversation by then."


    "So what Akira? The heart wants what it wants!" he said and ran his thumb over her lips.


    "Umm.... don''t do that. We are about to take off."


    "Sure! I will wait till the lights are dimmed."


    "You piece of shit!" and she pped his face softly with her hand.


    And then there was the announcement as the doors were being closed. The lights were dimmed and the seatbelt sign was switched on.


    As the flight sped through the runway, she sat upright and took his hands in her own and giving a kiss she said,


    "Thanks for the best possible honeymoon that I could ever have imagined."


    He nced at her. The dim lights made her look even more pretty. Kissing her hand, he said,


    "It''s just the beginning."


    And saying that he leaned towards her.


    Holding the side of her face he brought her close and kissed on her lips. Her chest rose and fell like the waves of the ocean. Her hands slowly moved up and grabbed onto his hair. She had to control herself real hard to stop herself from moaning. She waspletely immersed in that kiss when he slowly pulled himself apart.


    "What?" she mumbled and looked at him.


    He gently licked her parted lower lip and said, "You will see!"


    Softly grazing that lower lip of her with his teeth, he pulled the nket out and removed it from the cover and covered her lower body with it.


    "Remove your shoes!" he muttered close to her ears as he covered her.


    "What are you gonna do Raymond? We are in a goddamn flight!" she mumbled as she pulled out the straps of her heels.


    "Tonight we aim to please you, Mrs. Walker. My body is at your service."


    She looked at his eyes and she could see them burning and in the next moment, she could feel his palm on her knees under the nket.


    She gulped on her spit and held on to the side handles firmly.


    Hovering over her face, breathing on her lips he whispered.


    "Close your eyes for me and just feel!"


    A bit scared, a bit excited in anticipation she closed her eyes.


    His hand moved up and softly grazed her inner thigh. She was biting her lips now, restraining that moan inside her that just wanted to explode out from her body.


    His hand was now busy riding up that skater dress of her, slowly lifting it, making her essible to his restless hands, which just wanted to take a deep dive inside the warm wetness of hers.

 Chapter 535: Up in the air - 1

    <h4>535 Up in the air - 1</h4>


    And just when he was about to inch a bit closer, she moaned.


    But he halted because it was not her natural moan. It was more like a moan of real pain. His eyes immediately nced at her face which bore the lines of difort.


    "You ok?"


    "Should I, should I stop!"


    Akira closed her eyes tightly for a moment, unable to believe that uncle red had made an untimely visit.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked at those marble eyes which had zeroed on her and said.


    "Damn it!"


    Raymond''s hand froze underneath her skater dress for a moment but then he pulled his hand back and asked,


    "Did I make you ufortable?"


    "No, God, no... I think I got my periods," muttered Akira and then buried her head between her palms thinking how badly she had jeopardized all of Raymond''s ns.


    The space between Raymond''s brows twitched for the fraction of a second before he wrapped her in the of his arms and said,


    "Are you feeling ok? Do you need anything? Shall I call the Steward...?"


    But before he could hear a word from her, he could feel a bit of wetness on his chest as those unruly tears traced their path from the beautiful face of his wife andnded on his shirt.


    He didn''t say a word further. He didn''t ask a single question. He knew that she was feeling broken, so he tightened his arms around her and softly pushed the strands of hair from her face.


    "I ruined everything. Why today of all the days?"


    Raymond softly patted on her back and said,


    "Maybe it''s meant to be this way."


    Akira pulled herself away for a moment and asked,


    "What do you mean?"


    Her eyes were questioning her and she didn''t look amused at all.


    "Well," Raymond took a pause and continued,


    "Do you feel heartbroken?"


    "Heartbroken! I feel shattered Raymond. It''s my honeymoon. I should be doing all fancy things rather than wrecking my head over the question of where to find a tampon."


    "It''s really like going back in time," said Raymond and looked at her fondly but somehow that irked her even more and she stormed towards the washroom.


    She washed her face and tried to calm her mood. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, "Indeed it''s the same." In her mind ran the shback of how she had rushed to the bathroom to cry her eyes out after colliding with Raymond. And somehow a smile crept on her face.


    ''Fate definitely has weird ways of ying out!''


    As she wiped her face and looked in the mirror she felt as if she saw a ripple on the surface of the mirror. Immediately she ced her palm on the surface and found it all smooth. So jerking off her head she came out of the washroom and went back to her seat.


    "Oh! From where did you get that? Did you pack it with you?" Akira was surprised to see a hot water bag ced on her seat. She happily picked it up and ced it on her lower belly tofort herself from those mild cramps.


    "I had a bit of help!"


    Akira lifted her face up and saw the stewardess smiling at her and gave her a gentle nod.


    She then ced her head back on his shoulders and grabbed onto his arms and said,


    "I am sorry. I fumed."


    He gently turned his head and gave a soft peck on her forehead and said,


    "No more talking. Just rest well."


    Her lips curved as his lips touched her forehead. Wanting for more, she tilted her head up.


    "My greedy one!" he said and softly ced his lips on hers, giving her a feather-like kiss before turning upright.


    "Mmm..." she mumbled and then randomly looked ahead just to see if the stewardess caught her in action. But then she jumped in her seat.


    "Bloody hell!"


    "What happened Akira?"


    "That stewardess looks like me," blurted out Akira with her eyes wide open in panic.


    "Who?" asked Raymond and got up from his seat but he couldn''t see anyone looking like her.


    "Which one?"


    "Her! The tall one. Can''t you see?"


    And just as she finished her sentence, the stewardess bent down to pick up a fallen tissue paper.


    "She doesn''t look like you even a bit!" Raymond eximed.


    As the stewardess got up, Akira scanned her again and all puzzled, she replied,


    "Yes, she doesn''t!" and sat on her seat.


    "What prank are you ying Akira? Or are you..."


    "Am I what?"


    "Nothing!" said Raymond and ced the called hot water bag on herp.


    "Tell me!"


    "Maybe in the back of your head you are still thinking about Jaby and Alita."


    Hearing his words Akira turned silent for a moment. She wanted to tell him about that ripple in the mirror too. But all that came out of her mouth was,


    "Errm... Maybe!"

 Chapter 536: Up in the air - 2

    <h4>536 Up in the air - 2</h4>


    But before her thoughts could race further and make her question herself, she saw him tilting towards her side and working on her disy unit.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Making youfortable!" he said with a smile on his face as Notebook started ying on her screen. He then gently brushed the back of his hand on her face and said,


    "Don''t think about anything else. Just live your life. Our time has begun."


    And handing over the headphones to her he said,


    "Would you like to drink something?"


    "No", and she pressed the pause button on the screen and turned towards him.


    "Would you like to watch it with me?"


    Raymond mentally calcted - 2 hours of rom torture or 2 days of nagging.


    ''2 hours of rom it is''


    "I would love to!" he said and ced the earphones in.


    .


    .


    Forty minutes into that movie and Akira turned and saw Raymond''s eyes tearing up a bit. She paused the screen again and turned towards him.


    "Hey! It''s just a movie!"


    "I know! I know! Just that her parents are way too much," mumbled Raymond and quickly cleared his throat. Akira suppressed herugh and hugged him tight before pressing the service button.


    "Yes ma''am! How may I help you?" asked the stewardess.


    "Two cups of Hot chocte and .... " gazing through the menu she said, "And two Cr¨¨me Br?l¨¦e for now. Thank you."


    "Sure ma''am!"


    And then she returned back to the warmth of his chest and interlocked her fingers in his.


    "Can you believe it''s actually happening! Because honestly, I don''t! I really don''t"


    "It''s happening and it''s happening right now Akira." and he looked at their interlocked fingers, which looked perfect in symphony with each other.


    "So where all are we going?"


    "Well, the first stop is Venice, as you are already aware!"


    "Yeah, my dream destination!" blurted Akira.


    Raymond smiled looking at her childish enthusiasm and then said, "And then we are going to watch the northern light!"


    "Aurora! For real!"


    "Yeah! Just you and me, under the dark nket of the sky. And then..."


    "There is more?" Akira interrupted.


    Raymond paused awkwardly looking at her and then asked,


    "Why? You don''t want to go anywhere anymore?"


    "I want to Mr. Raymond. But are you forgetting that you are not just the owner of ourpany, but the owner of Walker Enterprises as well? Do you know the lives of how many people you control?"


    "Well I like to control just one person''s life and that''s you," saying that Raymond gave out a cursory nce around before softly biting her lower ear lobe.


    But then he hit a pause.


    "Oh Boy! If only you knew what ns I had in my head."


    With her eyes still closed she could sense the proximity of his lips. She lifted her chin up, inching closer towards his lips, and mumbled,


    "Do tell!"


    "Mrs. Akira, I would have made your lips swear my name, I would have made your toes curl in pleasure, I would have soaked you in the wetness of pleasure, I would have..."


    "Stop!" she said and opened her eyes.


    "What happened?"


    "I feel like crying now. I want all of it right now! I want all of you right now. Damn it!"


    And it was then that Raymond realized that he had let out too much information. He cupped her face tight and said,


    "This is not just the n for the honeymoon. It''s the n for every single night that we have my wifey."


    "Every night!" muttered Akira as she gasped.


    "Every single one. The moment you wore this ring, all your nights and days have be mine. All of them Akira!"


    A beaming smile etched on her face and she couldn''t thank her stars enough for that fateful encounter three years back.


    "Uh.. excuse me, ma''am," The stewardess announced her arrival and then served what Akira had ordered.


    "Thank you so much!" said Akira and then picked up a hot cup of chocte and offered it to Raymond.


    "How I hold it? My hands aren''t free. They are too busy holding my wife."


    "Ufff! Will help you have it then." And she took the cup close to his lips, but he shook his head.


    "What now?"


    "I don''t want to drink from the cup."


    "Then how do you want to drink it?"


    "I have my way!" said Raymond and smiled.


    "Aiyaaa! Then let me have it. I am craving for something sweet." She said and then took a sip of the hot chocte. But before she could swallow it, his lips were sealed on hers, trying to pry them open. And as if like a passcode had been punched, her lips parted open in response.


    He picked the cup from her had and ced it in the holder.


    He exactly knew how he wanted to drink!


    .


    .


    [Mid air in another flight]


    He flipped through a couple of pages of the magazine, but nothing was interesting anymore. His mind was clouded by the beautiful image of Akira, in her ethereal wedding dress. What was eating him more was the grief. His state of mind had be weird.


    In a moment he missed Akira and in the next, he was remembering Alita. He could remember her body in pain, her agony, her words on her death bed. And that made him feel even more guilty as to how could he even think about any woman other than her, no matter how she looked.


    He pinched the space between his brows and rested his head on the front seat. But out of despair, he didn''t realize that he had pressed his head too hard.


    "Excuse me!" muttered a voice.


    "I am sorry. I am really sorry," saying that Dr. Nelson leaned back.

 Chapter 537: Up in the air - 3

    <h4>537 Up in the air - 3</h4>


    "Oh no, I think I should be sorry for existing here!" muttered the female sitting on the seat ahead of Dr. Nelson and her words rendered him perplexed. She was annoyed for no good reason, and he wasn''t expecting someone to be so harsh about just a small bump.


    ''Damn economy seats!'' he muttered inside his head and then prepared himself to apologize again but saw the female getting up instead.


    "Since the flight is quite empty I will move and let you bang your head over..." and the forting words just stayed inside the mouth of the irritated passenger for the man at whom she was yelling was one of the UNICEF ambassadors with whom she had the opportunity to work briefly at the Amazons.


    And thus the barrage of words, and her angered expressions switched in a moment,


    "Doctor!"


    "Elina!"


    "What a pleasant surprise doctor! It''s been what? Like four or five years."


    "How have you been?" asked Dr. Nelson.


    "I am good. Busy here and there. So busy that I had to miss my best friend''s wedding today!" and her tone became all sullen.


    "I guess that was the reason of your great mood earlier!" Dr. Nelsonmented.


    "Erm.... so sorry about that. But the thing is she is my best friend and her wedding was sort of like ''the wedding'' of this year and given that she has only very few close ones in her life, I feel bummed."


    "I see!" Dr. Nelson replied and looked down, probably in an attempt to end the conversation and to go back to the world of his thoughts. But before he could do so, Elina, who was still standing came towards his row and sat next to him. Given that she was an outgoing and cheery sort of person, she couldn''t take a hint from the tone of Dr. Nelson''s words that he wanted recluse.


    Thest time she had met him, he was still in a bit of grieving mode as that was the year that he had lost his wife, so Elina couldn''t interact much with him, even though she was very impressed with his noble charity work.


    "So why are you travelling to London? Any seminar there?"


    "Huh!" Dr. Nelson sighed and then replied, "No, I have relocated to London now. Need to breathe fresh air!"


    Elina could sense a hint of sadness in his tone and then asked,


    "Are you still ... I mean. I thought you would have moved on."


    "Move on!" Dr. Nelson chuckled. "I had moved on. Or rather I should say, I was trying to move on. But destiny didn''t let me. It brought my past back in front of me when I was trying hard to forget about it."


    And he let out a deep gasp of air.


    ''What should I do? How should I change the topic? This man is going to sulk to death, and I am going to die along with him.'' Elina thought in her head and then looked ta her watch.


    ''Jesus, three more hours to go. Why did I shift next to him? What should I say now?'' Elina pondered and then said,


    Dr. Nelson again let out a deep breath and then said, "I will think about it."


    "One second!" Elina said and excused herself to her seat to get her purse. She then took out her wallet and her card from inside and gave it to Dr. Nelson.


    "Just in case you want to change the way you live, don''t forget to give a call. We need more doctors like you." and saying that she offered a warm smile. Her smile was so genuine that Dr. Nelson felt bad for a moment for trying to dismiss her earlier. She was girl, still in her prime, yet she had devoted her life to social causes. She was way maturer than her age.


    "Thanks! Will keep it safe," and saying that Dr. Nelson took out his wallet to put the card inside. But then all of a sudden he was bombarded with a question,


    "Why do you, Why do you have the picture of my friend in your wallet? Do you know Akira?"


    And then there was a silence that prevailed.


    There was mark of question on Elina''s face and there was nothing but a tired expression on Dr. Nelson''s for no matter how hard he ran, he could never avoid the shadow of Akira.


    He took a deep breath and then said,


    "That''s my wife Alita. And unfortunately she looks exactly like Akira," and saying that he looked outside through the window. But nothing was visible outside except for pitch ck darkness.


    "How do you know Akira?"


    "I met her at a symposium in London. Andter on I was helping with Raymond''s case."


    "Gosh, seeing her must have been painful for you. No wonder you ran away from New York." Elina said and took a couple of deep breaths.


    "How is that even possible?"


    "Believe me, even I don''t know how is that possible given that they aren''t even rted by blood. Alita''s family has no connection with Akira''s."


    Elina heard him and then paused for a while and then said,


    "Maybe her parents didn''t have any connection, but maybe her real parents did!"


    "What are you trying to say?" Dr. Nelson questioned but when he heard what Elina had to say, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, unable to believe that life had be soplicated for him. In his head echoed Elina''s words,


    "Well she was adopted. She doesn''t know though."


    Co-incidence? Is there even such a thing?

 Chapter 538: Romance in Venice - 1

    <h4>538 Romance in Venice - 1</h4>


    An infinite endless love that knew no boundaries.


    The excitement was visible in her eyes. Even before alighting the flight, she started to ask all sorts of questions to Raymond.


    "Are we taking a gond ride?"


    "Are we staying next to the water deck?"


    "Are we..."


    "Shhh....!" Raymond closed her lips with his thumb and index finger while she was still speaking and said,


    "It''s 8 am. And you need to rest. First we will have breakfast and rest in the room. Sightseeing in the evening."


    Akira frowned and puckered her lips and seeing that Raymond somehow couldn''t bear to keep her in mystery and said,


    "We are staying at the Gritti Pce and it does have beach ess!"


    "Wuuu aaaaa awuuuuuu"


    "What?" asked Raymond and released her lips from his grip.


    "You are an asshole!" said Akira and winked at him even though what she originally said was - ''You are awesome''. She then picked up her purse and got ready to alight holding the hand of the man. She was never going to let it go.


    After going through the procedures as they came out from the airport, a car and an SUV was ready to receive them. On the back of the car was a silken banner quoting - RAF. Akira was more than pleased to see it and ran her finger on the silken material as their bags were getting ced in the SUV.


    Raymond then quickly texted both David and Katherine, to let them know that they hadnded safely and then moved ahead and ced his hand behind Akira''s back who was fondly taking pictures of the RAF banner.


    "I can get someone to do the picture clicking job. Didn''t know you were so much into taking snaps."


    Feeling the warmth of his fingers on her back Akira turned and said,


    "I am not, but I love treasuring super important memories," and saying that she clicked again and took a picture of Raymond.


    "Akira!"


    "Come on. Be a sport now!" Akira giggled and then entered inside the car as Raymond held the door open for her.


    "Are you feeling OK?"


    "Uh huh!"


    "Anything I can do to make you feel better?" asked Raymond as he saw her flinch a bit, holding her palm over her lower stomach.


    "Nothing! It will just go away. I just need a hot shower right now!" Akira said and ced her phone back in the purse and tilted back.


    Raymond stayed silent for a while, trying to munch back the words that he was about to say and turned his face towards the window, but Akira could see that he was smiling.


    "Why did you smile?"


    "Nothing!"


    Raymond turned towards her and sighed and thening close to her, he said,


    "Will tell youter!" Because he didn''t want his private conversation to be heard by the driver.


    But an adamant Akira could never understand the desires of poor Raymond, and she asked.


    "Tell me now. What were you about to say and why did you smile?"


    "Let it go Akira. It was just a fleeting thought!"


    Raymond could swear that his armpits started to sweat hearing that naive girl''s question and on the other hand the driver, who had been bringing thousands of couple into this Romantic destination knew exactly what the young man wanted but was too shy to tell in hispany, so he turned back and said,


    "Madam, Sir is too shy to tell. Maybe he wants to join you in the bath." And saying that the old cabbie let out a chuckle, but both Raymond and Akira turned red. She started fiddling with the strap of her bag while he unbuttoned his wrist buttons and rolled his sleeves up.


    Picking up the phone from her bag she texted Raymond as she was unable to speak anything at the moment.


    ''What else ghastly thoughts you have in your head.'' - Akira


    Hearing the beep and looking at her expressions, Raymond understood that it was a text from Akira. So he unlocked his phone and read the text and then replied.


    ''Ghastly... :( '' - Raymond


    Seeing the sad smiley sent by Raymond, Akira''s heart melted instantly, and she replied,


    ''OK not ghastly, but dumb because you know my state!'' - Akira


    ''I don''t mind and you know that!'' - Raymond


    Seeing his text, Akira''s eyes popped out of her socket, and she turned towards him with nothing but surprise written all over her face.


    "What?" asked Raymond, looking at her as if it was all normal for him. And seeing his nktent response, she replied,


    ''Won''t you be repelled. I am down. How will you have a bath with me?'' - Akira


    Seeing her message Raymond took a deep breath and whispered into her ears. "I have promised to be a part of you in sickness and in health. You are dear to me all the time. Twenty-four seven and three hundred and sixty-five days a year non-stop. No matter in which state you are."


    Akira looked at the man all amazed, unable to believe what he said. She had no idea that the man who was so ice-cold to others had a heart that melted like butter for her.


    She interlocked her hands in his and leaned on his chest.


    The cabbie looked at them through his mirror and smiled. All these years, he had been the cabbie for hundreds of couples and just in twenty minutes with them, he could know if the couple was going tost long or not. And seeing these two he knew that they were meant for eternity.


    He smiled and continued driving.

 Chapter 539: Romance in Venice - 2

    <h4>539 Romance in Venice - 2</h4>


    It was a deluxe presidential suite with an enviable view of the beach and an "en-suite" bathroom with a double capacity jacuzzi. That room echoed for love, demanded intimacy and was a tant disy of a congregation of luxury and elegance.


    The jacuzzi had been pre-filled with hot water and aromatic oil and bath salts. So the moment Akira entered the bathroom and saw the preparation, her ted mood dampened a bit and that didn''t go unnoticed by Raymond. Her slouched shoulders and her head tilted on the bathroom door, easily gave away the state of her mind.


    So after closing the door and the blinds, Raymond came close to Akira and hugged her from behind and asked,


    "What are you thinking?"


    "Erm... nothing."


    Hiding her disappointment away, she turned towards Raymond and took his hand in hers and walked towards therge balcony which had the sea view.


    Inhaling the saltiness in the air with a deep breath, she turned towards Raymond and said,


    "This ce is amazing!"


    Raymond hugged her tight and said, "Uh...Huh."


    Looking at him with her doe shaped eyes, she asked,


    "Don''t you wish right now to have a bath in that jacuzzi with me? Don''t you wish right now that I wasn''t down at this point of time. Tell me honestly."


    Raymond stayed silent for a moment and then said,


    "Well I am not going to lie, I do."


    Akira lowered her eyes the moment she heard him say those words, but then he lifted her chin up and said,


    "But how many times should I tell you that the most important thing for me is to be with you, like this. To hold your arms and to hear every single breath of yours. It calms me down. The only thing that I have ever dreamt about is to have you as a part of my entire life and not just my bed. And to be honest it hurts a bit when you ask me such questions.


    "Do I look so shallow to you? DO I look like I am only interested..."


    But before he could speak any further, her tender lips were on his.


    All that he could do was to close his eyes and kiss her back.


    She lifted her hands and wrapped them around his neck and his right arm slowly moved up from her slender waist to the back of her neck. He kissed her gingerly at first but soon it started to take a toll on him. She could feel him, feel his manhood and thus she quickly detached and said,


    "I am going to have a bath, all alone, all by myself."


    "Hello David!"


    "Hello Raymond! What a surprise!"


    "Surprise? Why?"


    "Well I never expected that you would get time to even call me."


    Raymond stayed silent for a moment hearing his words and pinched the space between his eyebrows and said,


    "Well... I got some time now. So how is the progress on the deal?"


    "It''s going good Raymond. By the way anotherpany from Spain is interested in our tech, and they want to invest in it, given that they get 7% of the royaltyter on. If you have time, I will send their proposal document."


    "Sure thing David. Do send."


    "Anything else Raymond?"


    "Ermm... actually a couple of things. I am unable to reach my uncle. He was supposed to evene to the wedding, but he didn''t. Can you please check on him. Not sure if he is doing all right."


    "Oh, I see..." replied David, but deep down Raymond''s request worried him. Even though Dr. Nelson had already prescribed the required medicines, he was still scared to let Raymond meet anyone or anything that could remind him of the past.


    "Ermm... anything else?" David asked again.


    "Well yeah, one more thing. Do check upon Dr. Nelson. He left the wedding abruptly."


    As if a bone got stuck in David''s throat, he coughed and then containing his demeanour he asked,


    "Raymond, as a friend I would like to suggest you to focus on where you are right now. Live at the moment. Why do you want to untangle the past and pull the nails out of the coffin?"


    "Well it''s just that, it was a bit unsettling. He looked me in the eye and had told me that he had no feelings for Akira, but then why he left?" asked Raymond. His tone now sounded a bit torrid.


    "But how does his feelings matter Raymond? You like Akira and Akira likes you and you guys are married now. So how does a third person liking Akira affect you?" asked David, his tone a bit stern andced with his irritation.


    His words made absolute sense, so Raymond just listened to him and then said,


    "Well I have a third request for you?"


    "It better be something that?am good at Raymond!" cautioned David.


    Raymond chuckled this time and said,


    "Actually I think there is a termitework running in Walker enterprises. I need you trace it down," requested Raymond even though his fingers were busy on the keypad.


    "But that''s your dad''spany, and I am not even an employee there. I can try but it would so much difficult to get inside information from there."


    "Who told you are not an employee in Walker enterprises?" questioned Raymond.


    David stood all confused and couldn''t even ask him anything further.


    Raymond sensed his surprise with his silence and then said,


    "Check your email. As of now you are the Chief financial executive of Walker enterprises. Everything starting from a paper clip purchase to an acquisition. Everything would be run by you."


    David hurriedly opened his inbox and saw the appointment letter.


    ''This man indeed had his own way or working.''

 Chapter 540: Finally he broke - 1

    <h4>540 Finally he broke - 1</h4>


    "Erm... You need to keep your voice down Dr. Nelson. Else you are going to wake up the entire flight." Saying that Elina took out a bottle of water and gave it to Dr. Nelson because it looked like he needed it.


    He immediately gulped the water, almost on the verge of chocking on it and then wiped his mouth with the cuffs of his shirt to get a hold of things.


    "So it was her wedding that you were talking about? The wedding that you missed?" asked Dr. Nelson.


    "Right," Elina replied and then continued.


    "Actually she was quite young when she was adopted. In her family only her parents knew about it. Even her brother doesn''t know. They have a family friend with whom they are quite close..."


    "Vikram?" questioned Dr. Nelson.


    "Yeah! You know him too?" Elina was surprised to see how much Dr. Nelson knew about Alita.


    "Vaguely", replied Dr. Nelson.


    "Erm... so the thing is, when Akira was adopted Vikram and his family knew about it, but they have never discussed it. I got to know about it when I saw that Akira''s blood group didn''t match her either parents. I was about to question her, but Vikram had stopped me from doing so. Later on he told me about it. Buting to the point, this still doesn''t exin how she looks like your wife."


    "Even Alita was adopted!"


    Dr. Nelson replied and took a deep breath.


    "So you mean to say, they both have been adopted from the same source of parents?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe!" and saying that he pinched the space between his eyebrows and closed his eyes tight. He didn''t want to speak or hear anything. He had enough of drama going on in his life already and this sudden new revtion was worsening it because now all that he could think about was her. She was clouding his mind, his thoughts and even his breaths.


    Elina sat there silently for a second and then again blurted out,


    "So does that mean you had been to her wedding? Is that from where you are returning?"


    Dr. Nelson looked at her with a bit of irritation but in the next second he realized that it was a best friend who had to miss the wedding of her best friend for a noble cause. So taking a deep breath and settling the knots inside his stomach he said,


    "Yes. Coming straight from the wedding."


    "Do you have any pictures? I mean how did she look?" Elina asked and Dr. Nelson was just about to open his mouth to answer the question when he heard her say,


    "I am pretty sure she looked fabulous. And have you seen Raymond? Doesn''t he look dashing? They make such a?good pair!"


    "Yes they do!" sighed Dr. Nelson.


    There were a couple of work messages and a few images sent by David.


    And the moment he opened the images sent by David, he was torn.


    David had noticed that Dr. Nelson had left even though he was busy with the preparations. He knew what kind of man Dr. Nelson was. He knew that once he had decided to say goodbye to New York, he was never going toe back. So he had gathered a couple of images which he was in frame along with Akira and had sent them to him.


    There was one image in particr in which the final sermon was happening and Akira was fondly looking at Dr. Nelson for a moment, and he was looking at her too.


    While he was scrolling through the images, it didn''t go unnoticed by Elina, how fondly she he was looking at her.


    So she looked at Dr. Nelson for a moment and stayed silent because inside her head she was having extremely weird notions.


    ''Was he in love with her friend?''


    ''Was he just a consulting doctor? Just a friend?''


    ''Was he disturbed because she got married to someone else?''


    She badly wanted to speak to Akira and ask her all the questions but given the travelling nature of her job, she hardly got time to connect with her. She had heard about a doctor who was helping her and if her guess was right it was Dr. Nelson.


    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t contain her curiosity and asked,


    "Ermm... Don''t take me wrong but did you have... I mean because she looked like ... I mean to say... Does she¡­"


    Dr. Nelson took a deep breath of air and turning towards her, he asked,


    "Do you want to know if I had feelings for her? Then yes I did. Maybe because she looked like my ex-wife, then yes, maybe I did. But if you think this has anything to do with her, then no. My feelings and my thoughts are entirely my own. Yes, she knows that she looks like my ex-wife. And she had these questions too but I could never tell her the truth. And if you might ask why am I telling you all this, then even I don''t know that answer for that. I don''t know why I am bbering all these things in front of you. I have no idea what is going on with my thoughts and my heart. But this is how it is. Later on if you want to go ahead and expose me in front of your friend then be my guest. But I have severed all my ties with New York and that includes Akira too."


    "I want her happy. Trust me I do and that''s why I am running away. There, I think I have answered all your questions. Now if you may, then I would like to spend the rest few hours in peace without being questioned for any actions of mine."


    Elina was shaken for a second because those harsh words wereing from the mouth from one of the best behaved man that she knew.

 Chapter 541: Something important of yours!

    <h4>541 Something important of yours!</h4>


    Seeing the way Elina was shocked, Dr. Nelson realized his mistake.


    He turned towards her and said,


    "I am sorry. I am extremely sorry. I don''t know why I took this all out on you when you had absolutely nothing to do in this."


    "Ermm... It''s OK. Happens. I get it, it must be tough for you, and I am really thankful that you have handled in such a matured way. In a way she is lucky to have amazing people who like her."


    And saying that Elina finally was able to get up from her seat as she was able to feel her legs again.


    "Please sit. Else I would bear that remorse till my deathbed." he said with guilt-ridden eyes and Elina just couldn''t dodge the request.


    She thought for a moment and then decided to change the topic because she could clearly see how painful this whole episode had be for him. So she asked,


    "Have you shifted all your stuff to London?"


    "Well yeah, did that a week back."


    "I see. nning for long term at London?"


    "Yes. As of now I will be joining a hospital and a couple of monthster will start taking a few sses there as a visiting faculty as well."


    "Sounds swell. Looks like you have your career n sorted out!" Elina said and gave out a soft smile looking at him but in the next moment she blurted out,


    "By the way do you know Vikram also liked her since long. Akira had told that he had be very possessive and caused a lot of problems for her too."


    "After 2 weeks when all this work is over, I will finally go back to New York and meet her and Raymond. Had it been any other girl, they would have run?a series of tantrum, but she understands my profession well. She didn''t even say a word because she already knew how bad I was feeling for missing out on her wedding.


    "Boy! Raymond is so lucky to have her."


    "They both are lucky to have each other Elina. They are like the two faces of a coin. Without each other, they are iplete," and saying that he slowly turned the ring on his finger, reminiscing the wedding vows that he had taken.


    And then suddenly he heard a familiar voice in his head, just like how he had heard when he was hiding behind the tree trunk at the wedding venue.


    "It''s all right Jaby!"


    "I forgive you!"


    .


    .


    "Alita?" he mumbled.


    "What?" questioned Elina as he heard him mumble sitting next to her.


    "Nothing! It just felt like... Nothing," he replied, but he quickly turned around for a cursory nce all around him.


    It was going to be a long painful flight.


    .


    .


    .


    [In a hospital in New York]


    He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He could smell Betadine in the air and turned to one side to see the humidifier in action. Then he turned to the other side and his body shivered. Sitting next to his bed on the other side was none other than Sebastian Walker,


    "Are ... Are you out of prison?" he eximed in panic as he saw that old man whose eyes were still as fiery as he could remember, A term behind the bars had rendered him a bit weak, but that man was no ordinary man. He possessed the nerves of steel and the shrewdness of a wolf.


    "Well that I am! Just a few hours before" he replied and crinkled his nose slightly.


    ''Then he must not have got to know about the wedding incident!'' thought Vikram and forgetting the pain in his head, forgetting the numbness in his limbs, he propped himself up on the bed and asked,


    "To what do I owe this visit?"


    "Well nothing much. You had been a dear ally of mine before, so when I heard about your condition, I thought I would pay a visit and..."


    But his statement was interrupted by the visiting doctor.


    "How are you feeling Mr. Vikram? I guess after today you might want to take a sabbatical from drinking."


    Vikram gave out a fakeugh and as there were no policemen around he could guess that nothing about the wedding incident had been disclosed, and he let out a breath of relief.


    "Ermm... was my assistant here?"


    "Yes, he hade but..." replied the nurse apanying the doctor but Sebastian interrupted and said,


    "I asked that poor guy to go back home. He looked way too tired taking care of you!"


    And upon hearing his words and the look on his face Vikram could sense that it was nothing but a bad omen. So all that he could utter out of his mouth was a deluded mumble and a faint nod of his head.


    Pleased with his recover the doctor left the room and so did the nurse after checking his vitals. Eerie silence prevailed in the room. It was so silent that Vikram could hear the sound of the second''s hand on the wall clock.


    "Why are you here Sebastian?" asked Vikram,ing straight to the point.


    "Well, just wanted to know, what happened to you?"


    "Like you heard, overdose of alcohol and slip and vi... here I am!"


    "I see," muttered Sebastian and Vikram could see that he didn''t look pleased. He slowly opened the pouch that he had next to his seat and took out a gun. The same gun which Vikram had used at the wedding venue.


    "I believe you left something important of yours!"

 Chapter 542: Rock Bottom

    <h4>Chapter 542 - Rock Bottom</h4>


    He could almost feel the air running dry from his lungs for that man was not a forgiving one. His shrewdness was well known to the business world. Even though he had briefly coborated with him earlier he knew that right now at that very moment there was nothing that he could say that would please the old man for he had tried his level best to sabotage the life of his son.


    So taking a deep breath and without beating around the bush he asked,


    "So you were there? I mean at the wedding venue?"


    "Whether I was there or not, does that even matter?" and saying that Sebastian got up from the chair, holding the gun all nonchntly in his right hand.


    Looking at his stance Vikram gulped on his spit and said,


    "Whatever happened, I can exin it to youter. Right now I need some rest. So if you would excuse me, I would like to..."


    "You would like to what Mr. Vikram? y another dirty trick of yours to ruin my son''s life."


    Clenching his fists Vikram replied, "That was a mistake. I will never repeat it and I promise you that. Your secret, your family''s secret is safe with me. I was out of my mind and I apologize for that. But that''s never going to happen again."


    Hearing that Sebastian''s expression rxed a bit, and he ced that gun back into his pouch carefully and then asked,


    "So who all apart from you know about it?" asked Sebastian, his tone a bit less rigid than before.


    "Just me and my assistant, that''s all," Vikram replied, hoping against hope that it would suffice his anger.


    "I see. That''s a relief then. I can have the situation under my control!" ;


    There was an unsettling but pleased expression on the face of Sebastian which suddenly spooked Vikram. So he suggested,


    "My assistant is very trustworthy. For all these years he had been a part of all my work and knows everything about me. He has kept all our secrets safe. So rest assured, he will not dare to open his mouth."


    With a wicked expression on his face Sebastian replied,


    "Yes, I know he won''t!" and then turning towards Vikram he said,


    "In fact, he can''t."


    A chill ran down Vikram''s spine, and he looked at Sebastian spitefully because his words sounded nothing less than a bad omen.


    "Nowing to the point. How did you get all this information?" asked Sebastian.


    "I... I heard when..."


    "Oh so you eavesdropped?" asked Sebastian cutting through his words and then with a mocking look on his face, he said,


    "Mr. Sebastian. You have my word on this. I will not utter a word in front of anyone about this. You have to trust me on this. And I am also giving my word on behalf of my assistant. If you want, I will ask him to sign a confidentiality agreement."


    Sebastian chuckled and said,


    "Your assistant? You think I am bothered about your assistant? Huh... how naive you are Vikram. I think I gave you more credit than you were actually worth of."


    "So are you worried about me? If yes then you shouldn''t because right now my focus is my family. I will forget Akira and I will never step in the way of Raymond."


    "And how can I believe that? A couple of nights back you wanted to impregnate into my council. You were hungry for power and hunger for power is a nasty thing. Isn''t that Mr. Vikram Shah?"


    And saying that Sebastian again took out the gun and threw it on his bed.


    Vikram was perplexed because he wasn''t able to understand what the old man was intending to do.


    "Pick it up!" Asked Sebastian sternly.


    "Mr. Sebastian... Please... I am telling you..."


    "Just pick up the damn gun !" yelled Sebastian and that scared the hell out of Vikram, and he hurriedly gripped the gun in his hands pointing it towards the fierce old man.


    "And now I dare you to pull the trigger."


    "Mr. Sebastian!"


    "Pull the trigger you dimwit!" thundered Sebastian and unwillingly Vikram ced his index finger on the trigger. His hand, his entire bodypletely shaking for he had no idea what that man was intending to do. And the moment he did so, Sebastian pulled out the kerchief from his pocket and said,


    "Now ce the gun quietly on the kerchief!"


    "What are you doing Mr. Sebastian?" asked Vikram as he ced the gun on the piece of cloth and watched the old man carefully cing it back inside the pouch.


    "That''s my ammo against you Vikram," spoke Sebastian with a devilish grin on his face and seeing that Vikram still didn''t understand what he meant, he chuckled and said,


    "No I can kill anyone and the me will be on you Vikram. I have already wiped my fingerprints. Someone had very cleverly wiped it before. Maybe they wanted to hush the matter. But I am not a hush hush person you know. The dare you dare to open your mouth, that would be the day you go down. Not just down, you will hit rock bottom Vikram," and saying that Sebastian left the room. ;


    Shell shocked, Vikram immediately asked for the nurse so that he could get their mobile phone to make a call.


    "Ring... Ring... Ring..."


    "Come''on Peter! Pick up the call!"


    But no one picked up the call. The phone kept buzzing in a pool of blood.

 Chapter 543: The tale of Venice - 1

    <h4>Chapter 543: The tale of Venice - 1</h4>


    After taking a hotforting bath, Akira wore her bathrobe and came outside to get dressed. The steam had helped to rx her a lot and all the cramp and difort that he had, had vanished. She was feeling fresh as ark and that reflected on her face. She looked all dewy and fresh like a flower that had bloomed out from a bud, just after the morning sun kiss.


    As she was looking through the suitcases, trying to figure out what all had been packed by Katherine, she felt someone''s hand gently embracing her.


    "You smell amazing", and he nuzzled the tip of his nose in her hair.


    "It''s the shampoo. It is coconut vour and has a hint ofvender too I guess," she said after sniffing a bit of her own hair.


    He took a deep breath holding her tight as if he wanted to immerse himself in her fragrance.


    "I could just quit everything and go on a world tour with you. We should just visit ces and spend time with each other. That''s all."


    "I see. And without working from where will we get the money to spendvishly on suites and flights?" she asked.


    "I could just sell both thepanies and use the money. Should be good enough for at least a minimum of ten years and maybe after that, we might get bored with each other," he said and softly nibbled on her lower left ear lobe.


    "Mmmmm..." she mumbled and then asked, "So you are going to get bored of me after 10 years? You can already see that happening in future?"


    "Yep", replied Raymond and that made Akira turn back towards him with anger. And as she hastily turned back, her wet hair dipped Raymond''s face in that coconuty fuzziness. Her bathrobe had loosened a bit, and he could see the water trickling from her hair to her neck and then even to the south. His eyes followed every drop of water and his lips slowly parted. Closing his eyes he inhaled her again and a smile etched on his face. Letting out a small troubled gasp of air from his mouth he said,


    "You are so predictable. And you know what I love that about you!" and holding her face gently in his hands he kissed her nose.


    "Predictable huh!" scoffed Akira and struggled to get out of his arms. But unfortunately she couldn''t. After all they were shackles of love. The more she struggled, the deeper she got entangled.


    "I was just trying to irk you a bit. You looked way too peaceful after that bath." He teased her with his words but this time she didn''t mind. His masculine scent had started to make her head go all fuzzy and her knees all weak.


    "Kiss me then!" she mumbled. Her voice slightly withered with all the want in her heart.


    And Raymond opened his eyes and saw the look on her face. Her eyes were inviting him into a dark world of pleasure. It was so hard not to cave in. So he took a deep breath and lifted her up in his arms and took her towards the bed.


    "Don''t get your hopes up!" he said and helped her sit on the bed.


    Akira sat on the bed all perplexed and looked at him as he moved towards the suitcases and rummaged through her clothes. He finally found what he needed. A turtle-neck sweater and jeggings.


    "Wear this! We will then go down for breakfast."


    "You want me to wear this on our honeymoon?" she asked rolling her eyes, and he could sense how displeased she was.


    "Yes maam!" he replied.


    "Ohe on Raymond. I want to wear all fancy and nice things on my honeymoon. Not a bloody turtle-neck."


    "It''s for your own good. I am telling you," he said and ced the clothes on the bed as he lightly hovered on her.


    "My own good!" mouthed Akira.


    Coming closer he cupped his chin and said,


    "Don''t tease me now. Go and get dressed. I need a bath now, and I am warning you. You better be in that dress when Ie back. This bathrobe is ying with my mind."


    And saying that he gave her a kiss that made every inch of her body squirm in pleasure. But before she could even dive into that kiss, he got up and rushed towards the bathroom.


    "Oh,e on!" she whined and then looked at the clothes on her bed and sighed. Although it was a beautiful turquoise coloured sweater, she was loathing it.


    With much reluctance she put on the clothes and looked at herself in the full view mirror.


    "Huh! Not bad," she murmured as the sweater was skin tight and was hugging all around her body like a second skin. The stark ck jeggings left no room around her, entuating every curve that she had. A wicked smile crept on her lips, and she started to blow dry her hair.


    She titled her head a bit and looked towards the bathroom and seeing how steamy it was, she knew that he would being out soon. So she quickly rummaged through the makeup box and patted her face with a bit ofpact. She had already moisturized her face and as she possessed a naturally blemish free skin, she didn''t need much makeup. Her face was already glowing, and she knew that Raymond was not the sort of man who liked a cakey look. So she always stuck to moderation.


    Next she picked up a natural tone mascara and slowly entuated hershes and with the same brush she slightly brushed her eyebrows to get them into a nice shape. Then picking up the darkest and s.e.xist shade of red lipstick she looked in the mirror and said,


    "I am going to make you regret every single choice that you have made Mr. Raymond."


    And without dying any further she started painting her lip red.


    ---------------------


    Hey guys your girl needs support for her new book - Heaven Can Wait. Please help to vote and support me. Love Love

 Chapter 544: The tales of Venice - 2

    <h4>Chapter 544: The tales of Venice - 2</h4>


    Five minutester Raymond came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel that was wrapped low around his waist. His hand slightly ruffling his hair as he walked towards the dresser area. Standing in the balcony, Akira couldn''t help but admire his taut chest and abs. A raw gasp escaped her mouth as she looked at him standing behind those satin see through curtains.


    "God help me," she mumbles.


    For a moment she thought she was going to lose her footing. A minute before she was determined to stand there like a sultry seductress and to take the best possible revenge out of that man, but right now only she knew deep down inside her heart that how badly she wanted to yield to him.


    So taking a couple of deep breaths she turned back towards the sea to distract herself from the wishful sight in front of her eyes.


    Raymond brushed his hair and then looked around the room, but he couldn''t find her. Then he turned towards the balcony, and he saw her leaning on the railings, looking at the ocean. Even though the curtain was blocking his view, even though she was dressed from head to toe, there was something about her that made his sigh.


    "You have to take her for breakfast!"


    "Focus Raymond Focus!" he muttered to himself as he tried hard not to let his thoughts drive him crazy.


    He ced his hands firmly on the desk and lowered his head, conjuring every ounce of resistance that he could, and then he got dressed. Matching what she was wearing, he too chose to wear a ck turtle-neck sweater and khaki pants. Then he sat on the bed and wore his socks before putting in his loafers. Sitting on the bed he stole a few quick nces and saw her busy taking pictures of the sea.


    He walked up close to her and lightly cleared his throat but before that he ced his hands on her waist, just in case she was to get startled. She turned back and looked at him fondly and said,


    "The view looks amazing."


    "Yes, it does." He said, but his gaze was fixated on her.


    His hands moved slowly from the sides of her waist to her tummy, and he softly rubbed his palm and said,


    "You must be hungry!"


    She turned back and with a hint of smile on her face she said,


    "Uh... huh..."


    And the moment she turned, Raymond''s eyes were left open in surprise. And why not, the Akira he knew always chose to wear a demure look. Patel shades, mauve or maximum pink. But hot red! That was something that he never expected. That red made her lips look so alluring that Raymond''s hands slipped from her waist, and he had to clench his fists to tame his rabid thoughts.


    "Where are we going to eat?" she asked and teased her hair.


    "Uh... Let''s take a walk around!" he said, averting her gaze but the moment he looked a bit down, he could see her turquoise dded curves and that made her ears almost ring. He took a step back and said,


    "Wait a bit, will get you a jacket."


    "But I am not cold!"


    "But its getting weirdly hot for me," he said and went inside.


    Akira could see that his ears had turn hot red and that brought in a victorious smile on her face. She slowly waltzed in and asked,


    "Are you OK? You don''t look well?" and leaned on the wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest and crossed her foot slightly.


    But he didn''t dare to turn back. From his mouth he let out a gasp of air and said,


    "You think I don''t know what you are trying to do Akira?" and turned towards her holding a lime yellow jacket.


    "Wear it!" he said and flung it in her direction lightly, which she caught with her hands and then smiled.


    "What did I do? I did everything like you asked. I wore the dress you gave and got ready to have breakfast downstairs."


    "Then what about your lips?" he asked, his eyes looking like as if he was drowned in haze.


    "What about them?" she asked coyly.


    "I didn''t ask you to, you know, wear that colour of lipstick. It''s very..."


    "Very? What?"


    "Very distracting!"


    Her lips curved in a light smile again, and she said, "I just wanted to look pretty for you!"


    "But they are very inviting!" he murmured, standing at the same spot because he knew that if he moved even an inch, he would smudge it.


    "Don''t you like them?" she asked, biting the corner of her lower lip a bit and that threw him off the trance.


    "To heck with it!" he growled under his breath and stormed towards her. He didn''t waste a second. He cupped her face in his hands and in the next second his lips were on hers. She staggered a bit, but his one hand immediately embraced her waist and the other supported her neck.


    He sucked hard on her lower lip, almost to an extent of biting her, but then he felt the intrusion of her tongue and opened his mouth wider, letting her tongue to waltz in. She gasped the moment her tongue touched his and m.o.a.ned. Her entire body was withering, and he could sense it from her hot breath that she was crumbling down.


    He mentally started to weigh the pros and cons of the whole situation that they were in. But his rational thinking went for a toss when she wrapped her arms around his neck and made the distance between their chest to vanish. Her soft supple mounds crashed on to his chest again and again. From passionate the kiss turned into intimate. A sudden surge of warmth started to spread in his body, and he could feel his manhood arising as her curves started hitting him like the waves hit the shore.

 Chapter 545: The tales of Venice - 3

    <h4>Chapter 545: The tales of Venice - 3</h4>


    His hands were now running all around her body. His hands raced to have a feel of the softness of her skin paving a way through that sweater which he had pulled up from her waist. Her milky skin was burning hot under the touch of his digits, and she leaned closer in want for more. They had forgotten how to breathe, they had forgotten that they were hungry. It was pure l.u.s.t that lingered in their eyes, which in fact were shut tight. The sense of touch was taking over them!


    As his hands rode up, it was when she m.o.a.ned that he realized that he had gone overboard.


    He immediately detaches himself from her, but that takes the resolve of a mountain to do so. His hands were ced on her shoulder, and he was gasping for air, his eyes clenched tight.


    "Why would you do that?" she asked a bit surprised with the sudden detachment. Her lips half pouting in longing.


    "Because... because I am hungry. Like starving!" saying that he kissed deeply on her forehead. His lips still moist from their kiss before.


    Anger, discontent was written all over her face, but she decided to shut it out because she knew that he was doing it for own good, because slowly she could feel her lower stomach giving her jolts.


    "What happened?" he asked seeing her expression change within seconds.


    "I might need a change of... you know!" she said and looked away.


    "Take your time," he said and ran his fingers through her hair before she rushed towards the bathroom, and he moved towards the side table to chug on water.


    A couple of minutester when she came out of the bathroom, he helped her wear the jacket that he had picked up for her earlier and then interlocked his fingers around hers and asked,


    "Shall we?"


    Akira nodded, and they left the room, out into the streets. They could have had breakfast in the hotel itself, but Raymond knew that Akira was more of a small breakfast ce kind of a person. SO they take a walk around the Rialto Bridge and soon they see a small breakfast ce - Farini and Akira beamed.


    "Let''s try that!"


    "Sure!" he said, and they crossed the road and reached the small breakfast shop on the other side. It was nothing fancy but a small bakery shop with breakfast options.


    The first thing that Akira noticed on the menu was colourful bruschetta.


    "OMG just look at their topping options!" she beamed and out of excitement she ordered three vours- Spinach and eggs, Guacamole mess and the traditional tomato and cheese option.


    "Too much?" she asked as she saw Raymond looking at her all amused.


    He just shook his head and ordered a set English breakfast for himself and added a cup of coffee for himself and hot milk for her.


    After the waitress left, she looked at Raymond, the man who never missed taking care of her even for a second and asked,


    "You really love me right? Like madly?"


    "Is that even a question?" he asked and held her hands in his and then said, "It''s called as stating the obvious."


    But she didn''t reply anything and just kept looking into his eyes. The cool sea breeze started ruffling through her hair, and she looked simply beautiful. He kept looking at her and a sudden thought hit him, and he smiled, turning his face to the side a bit.


    "What? What''s making you smile?" she asked curiously and her curiosity was obvious as she pulled his palms too in her direction along with her question.


    "I was just thinking, how beautiful, innocent and charming our daughter would be, if we have one. She would be like a younger version of you and God I would..."


    But his words stopped when he saw a shell shocked expression on her face and suddenly he could see her eyes stinging.


    "What? Did I go overboard? Do you not want to have kids? If not then I am perfectly fine with that too. I am sorry, if I spoiled your mood."


    But tears kept tricking down her face soon after.


    "Akira! I am sorry!"


    "Please! Don''t say sorry and ruin it for me. I want whatever you said. Even more than that. Just that I never knew if you wanted the same. Our lives had been nothing but a roller coaster ride, so I could never ask you what you had in your mind."


    "What do you mean Akira?"


    "I want to have a family with you Raymond. Make babies with you. Have arge farmhouse where I can see my kids run and y all day long. I want to have a Sunday brunch where the whole familyes together. I want to n my life with you, grow old with you, bring a life into this world with you. Something that would be ours and only ours!"


    Had it been any other man, he would have been worried about his wife crying in public, about the scene that was being made, but not Raymond.


    "Gosh Akira!"


    Raymond said and brought her hands closer to his lips and kissed them.


    "You don''t know how happy you have made me right now."


    Akira smiled amidst her tears, and he slowly got up and used his napkin to wipe them away from her face.


    Then with a candid smile on her face, she asked,


    "Don''t tell me you have a name already if you have a daughter!"


    Raymond lowered his head a bit, trying to hide his embarrassment.


    "You do, don''t you?" she asked. Her curious eyes following his lowered gaze.


    "Well... actually during the time, I mean just after I gained consciousness but I just couldn''t be with you, there was one night when I dreamed about us, I saw us together with a baby girl."


    "How was she like?"


    "Beyond cuteness. A replica of you."


    "Did she have a name? What did we call her?"


    "Caroline!"


    ------------------------------------------------------------------


    A sneak peek into my new book - HEAVEN CAN WAIT


    [Warning: MATURE CONTENT]


    "Don''t look at me like that Morpheous! Please!"


    Her quivering lips begged, but her ignited breath med nothing but sinful desires in him.


    "Ask me anything tonight Caroline, but don''t ask me to stay away from you." Echoed his raspy voice that made her close her eyes as he cupped her chin tenderly. His smoldering amber eyes were fixated on her lips, aching to touch her softness for just a fleeting second.


    But the moment he leaned closer, something got etched on the wall next to her in a hue of yellow and vermilion.


    Taking a step back, he cursed.


    "You!"


    "You need to stay away from me!"


    And she saw his amber eyes burn with a flicker of blue!


    ---------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 546: Pool of blood - 1

    <h4>Chapter 546: Pool of blood - 1</h4>


    The wedding day of Raymond was an emotional day for both Conrad and Sebastian. Since the timing of release of Sebastian and the wedding as shing, Conrad had decided to go alone. He had informed about his visit ns to David earlier and had told that he will just be a mock spectator.


    Standing on the rooftop of the house he was watching the whole wedding. How handsome his son was looking, how beautiful his bride was and how eyes were shining upon seeing her.


    A breath of relief escaped from his lips.


    He had a rough life but in no way he was going to allow anyone to evence a pin in the path of his son. Given that Dr. Nelson had already cooperated with them by giving Raymond the needed medicines, there was sense of relief in his heart, but he was still sceptical till the wedding finished sessfully.


    And his fears came true when he saw Vikram entering along with his gun.


    It was not an ominous sign. He knew that he was after Akira but didn''t know that his love would convert into this kind of rage.


    He immediately rushed downstairs and ran towards the stage. If needed he was ready to take the bullet, but he was not going to let even a scar on the skin of his son. As soon as he approached close and heard those poisonous words from the mouth of Vikram, his heart just copsed.


    "After all these years!"


    "After all these attempts!"


    "No, this can''t be happening. Raymond can''t know!"


    He was on the verge of chocking on his own blood. He was ready to tear that man into pieces with his bare hands but before he could reach there, Dr. Nelson had already hit Vikram down.


    A sigh of relief spread on his face, and he immediately hid himself behind the same tree were Dr. Nelson was hiding earlier.


    Standing there he saw that Vikram was unconscious but upon hearing that an ambnce was called and seeing the way Dr, Nelson started tending to that man''s wound, Conrad''s worries came floating back in. He had to something for once and for all.


    But before he could think anything further, he received a face-time call from Sebastian, and he realized that his brother was out and wanted to have a glimpse of the wedding. So he disconnected and texted him back about what had happened.


    Sebastian silently heard everything and muttered just one sentence.


    "How the hell he knows about it?"


    "I have no clue!" replied Conrad and stayed silent and so did Sebastian for a moment, but in the next he said,


    "Bring the gun. It must be somewhere."


    "I think David has already wiped it up and has taken care of it. They are trying to avoid creating a scene," said Conrad and pinched the space between his brows.


    "Beg, borrow, steal. Do whatever is needed Conrad. If that rat bastard survives, he will surely attempt to spill it out again."


    "I will get it Sebastian," replied Conrad and tried to look at the scene carefully, following what David''s men were attempting to do.


    "Also follow which hospital they are taking Vikram to. His assistant must be around somewhere. He constantly hovers around him and might transfer somewhere else. So follow the ambnce."


    "I am on it!" replied Conrad and walked towards the pantry area where one of the men had kept the gun. He swiftly tucked it inside his fleece jacket and walked towards the patio area and turned his car into the ignition. Even though he was old and frail, his hands didn''t even tremble once.


    And things exactly happened the way he had predicted. Midway when they were just two-three miles away from the province hospital he heard another ring noise. It was another ambnce and seeing the Hospital name he realized it was New York City hospital.


    From inside the ambnce he saw a maning out holding the stretcher with others and that was none other than Peter.


    "Jesus Christ!" muttered Conrad and slowed his pace and after a couple of minutes he saw the other ambnce speeding away, overtaking him. And in the next second his legs pressed hard on the gas till they reach the City Heart hospital.


    Before reaching there, he already updated Sebastian about the route and location, and he was about to reach there in five to ten minutes. But instead of waiting for his brother he went inside. And while walking towards the ward section, he quickly sneaked a janitor''s cloth and a face mask and flicked an ID card from a nurse.


    He himself wasn''t sure from where he was getting all these ideas and the courage. Probably the blind love for the well-being of his son was making him do everything which he wouldn''t have dared to do even when he was high.


    As he reached the ward where the doctor was attending to his wounds, he pulled out a handkerchief and acted as if he was wiping the dirt from the ss door panes, and he overheard the doctor talking to Peter.


    "Don''t worry. Just a couple of stitches and he will be fine. We will take an MRI scan just in case there is an internal bleeding."


    "How are you sure he is OK?" retorted Peter.


    "He is already up and his vitals look good," said the doctor and smiled at Peter, trying to give him aforting smile. It was then that Peter looked down and saw that actually Vikram was up, although he was still wincing a bit and hadn''t opened his eyes.


    He had a breath of relief.


    "Wait here for just a few minutes. Stitches will be done in no time," and then turning towards the nurses the doctor instructed them something and left the room. The nurses also left afterwards after filling information in the chart to get the stuff needed for attending to his wounds.


    Standing alone in the room Peter muttered,


    "Why did you have to pull that stunt in front of so many people? I told you I will take care of it."


    Saying that he looked at his watch and then at the door.

 Chapter 547: Pool of blood - 2

    <h4>Chapter 547: Pool of blood - 2</h4>


    Peter could see a guy outside cleaning the door ss and there was something weird about that guy''s demeanour. So he inched closer, but before he could open the door, that guy was gone but that guy had heard what he wanted to.


    Unable to find the fishy looking man outside, Peter came back in as he saw a team of doctors approaching the room. They quickly tended to his wound while doing a fast scan and then sent him for a CT scan.


    After getting the news that there were nothing serious about the injury, Peter was relieved and finally decided to get something to eat. He waited in front of the lift for quite sometime, but both the times it was filled with patients, so he decided to take the stairs and that was the biggest mistake that he did.


    He had just taken a couple of stairs, when he felt a slight sting in his arm and saw a man brush past him. But he was unable to see who he was and two secondster he copsed.


    Given that it was a hospital, no one suspected anything when Sebastian put him in a stretcher arranged by Conrad and took him to the parking area avoiding all the CC TV instations by wearing masks and caps.


    "He will wake up in another thirty minutes or so. I couldn''t find any high potent one!" Sebastian said and looked at Conrad.


    "That''s OK. That much will do."


    Conrad sighed and put Peter in the boot of his car.


    "You know what you have to do right?" asked Sebastian and gave the exact gun model to Conrad which Conrad had earlier taken picture of and had sent to him.


    Conrad nodded and then took out the gun that Vikram had used and took out one bullet from it and loaded it the gun provided by Sebastian. Then taking a deep breath, he handed over Vikram''s gun to Conrad and said, "Room Number 1102."


    Both the brothers looked at each other without saying a new word.


    There was a silent understanding in between them. An understanding to protect Raymond at any cost.


    "It''s time", said Sebastian and Conrad started his car and left the parking lot, but Sebastian stayed there for some more time till hiswyer arrived and when he did, the first thing that he did was to give a file to Sebastian.


    His experienced eyes nced over the papers quickly just to make sure there were no loopholes in it. It was a non-disclosure agreement for Vikram, if broken then he would have to pay 300 million US dors, which basically way more than the total evaluation of his entirepany and all his assets. And that inherently meant that if broken, he would be on the road, homeless, jobless and penniless.


    A wicked yet satisfactory smile etched on the face of Sebastian, and he said,


    "That would be all."


    .


    .


    Conrad drove his car to an old abandoned dockyard and after reaching there, he tied him to a pole and waited patiently for him to open his eyes because before silencing him forever, they needed to know if he had told about it to anyone else.


    Conrad paced around the dockyard for a moment and then quickly ran towards his car and removed the number te. He had to make sure that he left no trace at the scene. After dumping the te in the boot, he came back and saw that Peter was faintly groaning.\


    "Mmhhhh..."


    "Mmhhhh..."


    "Open your eyes Peter!" yelled Conrad and that very instant Peter opened his eyes all scared.


    "Where the hell am I? Why have you tied me down here?"


    Conrad gave him a loathing look and grunted, "You are not the one who should be asking questions. Answer me well and maybe I will consider sparing your life." His voice instilled nothing but acute fear in the heart of Peter, and he begged.


    "Please! I haven''t done anything wrong to you. What do you need?"


    Conrad''s jaws tightened and he asked,


    "Apart from you, who else knows about the real truth behind Akira''s parents'' death?"


    Peter''s heart just stopped after hearing that question. Even though deep down he was expecting that this was the reason, he still had hope in his heart that Conrad didn''t know that he knew about it. He tried to jerk open the knot, but in vain. It was clear now that the only way to escape from Conrad was to cooperate with him. As far as he knew, Conrad was not ferocious like his brother, so he hoped that he would spare him.


    "Just me! Only me!"


    "And how would I know that you are telling the truth?" asked Conrad.


    Peter stayed silent for a second and then said, "I have no way to prove it, but you have to trust me on that. If anybody else was aware then would I have called them to help Vikram?"


    Conrad went close to him and looked directly into his eyes and yelled,


    "Look me in the eye and tell!"


    "I swear, no one knows. Only Vikram and me!" he panted but looking at his pupils, Conrad knew that he was telling the truth.


    He took a couple of steps backwards, and sighed a breath of relief.


    Seeing the aggression melting away from his face, Peter also felt the weight on his chest reducing.


    Conrad took out his phone and called up Sebastian,


    "Just him!. No one else knows about it brother."


    "That''s good!" replied Sebastian. "Now put a knot at the end of the loose thread."


    The call was disconnected and Conrad slowly walked towards Peter. There was something weird about his walk and his expression that Peter couldn''tprehend. But when he saw him untying him, he thanked his stars that it was Conrad and not Sebastian.


    "I promise you that I will ask Vikram to change. I promise you that we will keep it a secret!" Peter said and without waiting for any response from Conrad he started running as fast as he could.


    Little did he know that one can never outrun a bullet.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------


    A sneak peek into my new book - HEAVEN CAN WAIT


    [Warning: MATURE CONTENT]


    "Don''t look at me like that Morpheous! Please!"


    Her quivering lips begged, but her ignited breath med nothing but sinful desires in him.


    "Ask me anything tonight Caroline, but don''t ask me to stay away from you." Echoed his raspy voice that made her close her eyes as he cupped her chin tenderly. His smoldering amber eyes were fixated on her lips, aching to touch her softness for just a fleeting second.


    But the moment he leaned closer, something got etched on the wall next to her in a hue of yellow and vermilion.


    Taking a step back, he cursed.


    "You!"


    "You need to stay away from me!"


    And she saw his amber eyes burn with a flicker of blue!


    ---------------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 548: The tale of London

    <h4>Chapter 548: The tale of London</h4>


    As soon as the flightnded, Elina walked back to the original seat. She already had enough of awkward conversation with Dr Nelson, and she did not possess the heart to turn back and say goodbye, because all that she could see in the eyes of that man was pain.


    Without saying a word she started walking ahead, but then she heard his voice,


    "Elina!"


    "Yes!" She said and immediately turn back.


    "May I have a small request?"


    "Yes! Sure, anything!"


    "Can you please not talk to Akira about this... I mean it''s actually my problem and I do not want to create any unnecessaryplications in her life."


    "I get it doctor Nelson. Your secret stays with me!" And saying that she smiled softly and then turned ahead.


    Even though he was not sure if she would keep her word, he did not want to pester her. Anyway he was altogether in a different continent and somehow the distance made himfortable.


    He wasn''t scared of her knowing about his feelings, he just wanted to avoid any sort of confrontation. He already had a long day and all that he wanted to do now was to go back to his new t and handle his feelings.


    Afterpleting the formalities at the airport, they both walked in silence towards the baggage im. As Elina had a lot of luggage packed she stayed there longer and in the meantime as his bag arrived he immediately left leaving Elina all by herself to brood over whether to call Akira and talk about that episode or not.


    Upon reaching his t, Dr. Nelson took a hot shower first, trying to soothe the agitation in his mind and a couple of minutester as the water rxed all his muscles, he felt a bit better. After finishing his bath, he wrapped himself in a robe and went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. But there was nothing to eat.


    In a rush to reach New York, he had forgotten to stock his fridge. So he took out a cup of ramen noodles and that''s how his breakfast was sorted. He had a ss assigned at the University of Cambridge as a visiting professor, and he was supposed to give a talk about his current research in the field of acquired Prosopagnosia.


    He looked at himself in the mirror, and he knew that he had to gather himself and start a new life. Probably inspire a few to be noble doctors which the world currently needed. He opened his wallet and looked at Elina''s card. Joining her organization was also now running at the back of his mind. Maybe it would be wee change to serve the people and probably take his mind off the things that were bothering him.


    He quickly finished the noodles and licked thest drop of soupy water and started to get ready.


    He was just about to pick up his keys and lock the door, when he got a call from an unknown number from US.


    "Hello!" he said and straightened his tie looking into the mirror in his foyer.


    "Hello Dr. Nelson!"


    "May I know who is this?" he asked politely.


    "This is Sebastian. Sebastian Walker!"


    And all of a sudden, he could feel the blood draining out from his ears.


    "Sebastian... Walker. As in Raymond''s dad?"


    Hearing his question, Sebastian paused for a second and then said, "Yes."


    "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dr. Nelson asked sarcastically.


    "It would be nice for you if you keep your satirical tone to yourself doctor!" Sebastian said and took a pursed breath and his statement had the effect that he intended to.


    "Erm... Why have you called?"


    "I need you to send the prescription of the memory fading medicine to me. The one that Raymond is using right now."


    "Ermm... you don''t need to bother about it. I had already given a course for six months. Once done, I will send another one to David."


    Sebastian sighed and said,


    "That''s quite presumptuous on your part. Don''t you think. Are you so sure that you will be alive after six months?"


    Dr. Nelson''s jaws dropped and a chill ran down his spine upon hearing his words. Now he understood why Oshana was always scared of him. He took a shallow breath and then asked,


    "So what do you want?"


    "Send that prescription for a minimum of five years and ask David to buy medicines based on expiry dates ordingly."


    Upon hearing his words, Dr. Nelson took a deep breath and then asked,


    "Fine, anything else?"


    "Nothing else, just wanted to thank you for keeping the secret of my family safe with you. And don''t think like I am threatening you, but it would be really nice if you just forget about it."


    "Believe me, I am trying!"


    "Try better! Because if you don''t then I would have to resort to other means to make you forget. Hope would not like me to go through all that trouble."


    Dr. Nelson couldn''t believe his ears that someone could be that ungrateful,


    He wanted to reply something, but decided to go against it and kept his mouth shut. And sensing his silence, Sebastian continued,


    "And may I know what was the need to run away?"


    Dr. Nelson could feel his insides churning because he knew that Sebastian very well knew about the reason. Gathering all the patience that he could, he replied,


    "I didn''t want to be a trouble for Raymond and Akira. And I think you very well know that."


    Sebastian chuckled and then said,


    "If you think running away will make your pain go away then you are wrong. When you love someone, the feeling absolutely consumes you, it drowns you. It doesn''t matter how far you run away from the finish line, you will still be a part of the race. And it''s that race that keeps you alive. Doesn''t it?"


    Dr. Nelson heard his words and couldn''t believe that he was actually giving him words of wisdom!

 Chapter 549: The perfect relationship - 1

    <h4>Chapter 549: The perfect rtionship - 1</h4>


    As she was packing her bags after a five days trip in Venice, Raymond could notice that she seemed a bit edgy.


    "Someone seems a bit off!" hemented, while browsing through his DSLR, admiring the pictures they had taken.


    "Can''t believe that 5 days ended so soon. And now we have to back to our busy schedules. Can I just quit?"


    She asked with her doe eyes looking at Raymond.


    "Well quit anytime you want, but I know after three days you would crib again about getting bored."


    "You!" sneered Akira and threw a cushion towards him.


    "What?" he asked catching the cushion with an evil smile on his face.


    "You know that''s the truth!" he said and threw the cushion back at her, but instead of catching it, she moved a step to the side and the cushionnded on the floor.


    It was then that Raymond realized that she was actually pretty bummed about it. So he fondly looked at her and called her,


    "Come here!"


    "What?" Akira asked irritated.


    "Juste here for a second!" and saying that he tapped on the bed and Akira dragged her feet unwillingly and came to his side.


    "What now?" she asked. Her toneced with a mild hint of irritation.


    "Help me choose a nice wallpaper for myptop and phone!" he said and swiped a couple of pictures.


    Uninterested in the charade, Akira said, "this one! This one is good."


    "Seriously! The picture of an empty boat in the canal?"


    "Looks nice to me!"


    "Dummy I want a picture of either you or a picture of us. Get it?" and he lightly flicked her forehead.


    Hearing his words, she tilted her head and started looking at the images as Raymond kept swiping.


    "Erm... I wanted to ask about something else too!"


    "Go on!"


    She ran her finger through his hair and asked,


    "Erm... That day at the breakfast house. You said you were serious about having a..."


    "What about this one?" and Raymond cut in abruptly through her words.


    It was a picture of both of them having coffee cream all over their lips, looking like a moustache. "I like this one. What do you think?"


    "Looks stunning. Excellent choice." and saying that she got up from the bed.


    "Where are you going?" he asked as he felt abandoned as she retracted her fingers which were ruffling his hair before.


    "I think you too need to get dressed. Our flight leaves in 4 hours."


    "Right, right!" said Raymond and rushed to the bathroom.


    "Dimwit!" muttered Akira under her breath and threw her cushion at the bathroom door after Raymond entered inside.


    Soon after Raymond got ready, they took their taxi and went to the airport. All of their luggage had already been taken before in another car.


    Upon reaching the airport, Akira started walking towards Air France counter but Raymond pulled her by holding her wrist.


    "Where are you going?"


    "To do the check-in!"


    "Are you angry with me or something?" Raymond asked.


    "Seriously? What gave you the hint!" Akira asked sarcastically.


    Raymond shrugged his shoulders and said, "follow me."


    "Why? I am perfectly capable of doing a check-in on my own!"


    "Juste Akira!" he said and this time he pulled her towards himself.


    "Not the time to pull stunts here!" she muttered under her breath.


    "Well what to do when you are hell-bent onboarding the wrong flight?"


    "What wrong flight?" asked Akira and looked at the boarding passes in the hands of Raymond.


    "What is this then?" she asked, showing the boarding pass in her hand.


    "That has been cancelled!" he replied with a light smirk on his face.


    "But why? Are we changing airlines?"


    "No.. We are changing destination!"


    "Raymond! What''s going on?" She sounded exasperated, so he wrapped his other arm holding the boarding passes around her and said,


    "Well do you think we can call this a honeymoon?"


    "What do you mean?" asked Akira. Her eyes, wide open in surprise.


    "How can you call it a honeymoon unless you call my name, begging for mercy?" There was smug smile on his face anding close to her ears he said,


    "How about begging for some mercy under the northern lights!"


    Biting the corner of her lips, Akira asked, "Where are we going?"


    "Norway!" and he handed her the boarding passes.


    "You! So all that drama this morning? You had already nned all this right?"


    Raymond smiled and interlocked his hands with her and said, "What is life without a bit of drama my love!"


    Akira closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. All this time he exactly knew what she wanted. All this time, he had nned to make everything just the way she wanted.


    "How on earth do you do it Raymond?" she asked as they started walking towards their check-in counter.


    "Do what?"


    "Know what I want?"


    "It''s all in your eyes. I can read how bad you want me!" he said and softly ran his finger on the tip of her nose.


    "You do?" she asked battling her eyelids.


    Raymondughed at her silliness and then walked ahead and his gaze got stuck on a Starbucks shop to their left. And he turned to look towards Akira and saw her looking at the same shop.


    "There is something about Starbucks. Isn''t it?"


    Akiraughed and said, "Yes there is!"


    Soon they boarded the flight to Norway.


    As Akira sat next to him after settling her purse, Raymond tilted his head slightly towards her side and asked,


    "How is the situation down there? Under control?"


    Akira''s eyes popped open in disbelief, and she asked," were you keeping a count of the days?"


    "Days! I have been keeping count of hours my dear! And let me tell you, it has been a painful and torturous wait."


    She leaned in close to him and whispered into his ears before the flight took off.


    "I will make your wait worth your every second."

 Chapter 550: The perfect relationship - 2

    <h4>Chapter 550: The perfect rtionship - 2</h4>


    Even though his hands were itching to touch her, he kept them at bay, so that they could have a perfect night together. A night that she would never forget for it would be the night where their souls would twine after marriage.


    An hour and a half flightter theynded at Oslo Lufthavn airport. Holding her hand in his they got down from the flight, only this time instead of feeling sorry about her situation like a week back, Akira was ecstatic.


    In her mind, she pictured which lingerie she would wear out of the four s.e.xy ones that Katherine had packed for her. She shuffled through the images of herself wearing them and then Raymond ripping them apart.


    Her ears burned and so did her palms.


    "Your palms are sweating!" hemented with a smirk on his face, and she tried to pull back her hand, to wipe it. But he gripped her even tighter and said,


    "I like it. It''s more intimate!"


    Even his words made her go weak in her knees, such was the effect of his raspy voice.


    After passing through the customs, Raymond stopped near a souvenir shop.


    "Want to buy something!"


    "No!"


    "I just thought that you might like those snow globes," mentioned Raymond''s as he knew that she was fond of such nice and cute things.


    He was testing her patience!


    She turned towards him and said, "Look! I cannot be more direct than this. Can you please just take me to the hotel? I just¡­ I just want to..." and she looked down at her shoes, embarrassed at her outburst.


    "What do you want to do Akira?" he asked, his eyes shining bright like a dew drop.


    "Do I have to tell? Can''t you just know?" she said and traced random figures using the tip of her shoe.


    Raymond''s face grew serious suddenly for he could read how bad the fire of desire was burning inside her. Yes, he liked to tease her. But this was something so pure, that he just didn''t have the heart to mock.


    Treading through the crowd, holding her hand tight, he immediately walked towards the exit.


    Their luggage had already been taken care of, and they quickly sat inside the car which was supposed to take them to their hotel.


    Upon reaching the hotel, as soon as they got inside their room, Raymond pinned her on the door itself and peeled away that jacket of hers.


    Fire met fire!


    The hunger, the want that was lurking inside both of them, finally showed its real form. Lips on lips, tongue on tongue and hands grabbing onto each other''s hair. But their unison was broken in a couple of seconds, as the doorbell rang.


    Biting that lower lip of her, Raymond muttered, "Should have thought this through!"


    "Thought what?" asked Akira, gasping for a quick breath.


    "We leave immediately for Alta. Need to drive there before it gets dark! I guess, our car has arrived."


    "No..." she yelped,nding her head on his chest which was pounding like anything.


    Arching his head back a bit, he let out a deep gasp of air and said, "You open the door and take the keys!"


    "Where are you going!" she asked.


    He smiled and said, "I am sorry. I need to use the loo." And upon hearing his words Akira''s eyes traversed down, and she could see his manhood peaking up.


    Taking a step ahead, she lightly grazed her hand over it and said, "Tonight I will not spare it!"


    And giving him a mischievous wink, she picked up her purse went outside to collect the car keys.


    A couple of minutester Raymond came downstairs and checked with the hotel manager if their luggage was in ce. Assuming that Akira was sitting on the passenger side, he came towards the driving side, but saw her sitting there instead.


    Pulling the window sses down, she said,


    "How about I take you for a ride. You must be very tired with your recent jaunt!"


    There was a teasing smile on her face, and he liked that. He liked it when took control.


    "Aren''t you being a bit too cheeky?" he said and lightly touched the tip of her nose and went towards the passenger side and got in.


    "Where to mister?" she asked, her hands on the navigation control, ready to key in the destination.


    "Finnmark teau, Alta!" said Raymond and Akira quickly keyed that in.


    "You will arrive at your destination in two hours and seven minutes."


    Akira smiled looking at him as she started the car.


    "Why this ce?" asked Akira, because she knew that the teau would be filled with people as this time of the year was one of the best times for watching the northern lights.


    "Because it has the best view. I had the option for the Arctic Ocean or this ce," Raymond replied and switched on to GPS on his phone as well, just for safety.


    "But ..." Akira started but stayed silent. She didn''t want to be a killjoy by cribbing.


    "Come On Akira! At least now you should feel free to speak your mind in front of me!" heined.


    "I was just bothered that, it would be a bit crowded. I just wanted a bit of private space, you know where you and I could embrace each other without the fear of getting papped."


    Raymondughed and said,


    "No one would know that we are here!"


    "Please Raymond! With that Walker surname of yours, nothing stays confidential. Maybe you don''t notice it, but I do," she said shaking her head.


    "Well instead of noticing people, start reading the news!" chuckled Raymond.


    "News! What''s wrong? What happened?" asked Akira, her tone a little panicky.


    "Nothing, just that in Alta, today the weather prediction is heavy hail storm. So none of the passengers or visitors will be allowed into Finnmark."


    "What?" eximed Akira and their car came to a screeching halt.


    "Then why are we even going there?"


    "With an evil smile on his face, he said,


    "Because, one of my ssmates is the weather department head of Alta! And what are friends for?"


    Akira stared at his face in disbelief.


    ---------------


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 Chapter 551: The perfect relationship - 3

    <h4>Chapter 551: The perfect rtionship - 3</h4>


    "Can''t believe you did that!"


    She said and looked at him in disbelief.


    "Eyes on the road please," he said and slowly turned her face towards the front. "I want to reach there all right!"


    And he lightly winked at her.


    Shaking her head, still in disbelief that he could reserve the entire Finnmark teau, Akira kept driving.


    After a fun drive, they both reached the destination, where a tent with transparent roof had been erected for them.


    "Is that where!"


    "Yes we are going to stay there tonight, under the stars. The sky will be our nket tonight," and he brought her hand close to his lips and gently kissed them.


    "Raymond!"


    "Come On! Akira. You know this is nothing. You know how much I love you and want you tonight. So don''t shed those tears. Not today. Not for me. You have no idea to what extent I can go to make you happy Akira!"


    Wiping that unruly tear from her face, Akira came out of the car and then both started walking towards their tent.


    From the outside it looked like it was made of canvas rug material, but from the inside it was like a small suite with a proper living, dining and bathroom space. The bed was small, queen-sized, but perfect for the love birds.


    Akira''s eyes beamed!


    There was a service guy from Alta International, to take care of everything for them and once settled, he said,


    "This would be my number sir. Please just call me in case you need anything. Dinner courses are in preparation just like you had asked for. If you are hungry then will arrange for it now."


    "Not hungry and thank you so much for all the arrangements. It''s lovely! I like every bit of it."


    And getting the hint, he excused himself and walked away.


    Akira walked ahead to put atch on the door, but standing behind her, Raymond got busy peeling her away from her clothes.


    "Wait! Just wait!"


    "What now?" asked impatiently.


    "Just give me two minutes," she said and ran towards the bathroom after picking up something from her suitcase. But lips curved in a smile because he knew exactly what was there on her mind.


    A few minutester, as she came out of the bathroom, she found him lying on the bed, propped on his elbow, looking towards her, as if he was just waiting for her toe out so that he could eat her up.


    "Surprise!" she said and walked towards him slowly.


    He pulls the open end of the knot of her robe, bringing her closer.


    "What''s the surprise?"


    "Well Mr. Raymond, when you get a gift, you need to unwrap it to see what''s ..."


    But without letting her evenplete her words, he pulled the knot open, letting the ps of the robe part away from each other, revealing what was underneath.


    She had walked in pretty confidently, but seeing the way his eyes were looking at her, she lost it all. Her knees weak, she blushed all scarlet.


    "Come closer!" he said and sat on the bed, his legs touching the floor and his hands around her waist.


    "Do you like it?" she asked coyly, looking into his mesmerized eyes.


    "I thought ck looked best on you. But!"


    "But what?"


    "Red looks even better!" and with a simple tug, the robe was left abandoned on the floor. He brought her close, his lips touching her navel, making her shiver.


    "Uh...mmm!" she whimpered and his eyes travelled up he could see her peaks hardening underneath thatcy and satiny piece of cloth, which was barely able to contain them.


    "Oh Akira! How your body responds to me, baby!" and he pulled her down on the bed.


    Her locks scattered everywhere on the bed, spreading that mild coco nutty smell that he loved.


    He nuzzled her nose along the curves of her neck and her toes curled, making her tug the sheets tight. Seeing her body react that way, he lowered his hand and gently ran his fingers down there, on top of thece.


    "Raymond no!" she screamed, as if begging for mercy, but tonight he was not going to listen.


    With his other hand he locked both her arms above her head and looking into her eyes, he said,


    "Tell me you love me Akira!"


    "I love you Raymond!"


    "Remember my touch," he said and softly grazed herher region again with the tip of his fingers, marking her wither second by second.


    He then slowly ran his fingers through her hair, letting her rx a bit because her body had already started to respond.


    "Tell me you love me Raymond!" and a tear trickled down the corner of her eyes. He kissed that tear away from her face, and held her face in his palm.


    "You are a miracle in my life Akira!" he said and kissed on her forehead and straddled on top of her, resting his weight on his knees.


    Bringing his lips down, he grazed them on hers and whispered, "I love you more than anything else in the world Akira." And slowly he pressed his lips on her, gentle at first, but then eager to part her lips open.


    He gently sucked her lower lips and it made her arch her back. In that arch, his hands reached down and unsped the single hook, which was holding her peaks, and in a second, they were free from the cage.


    He moved his head down and ced a soft at the centre of her chest, making her close her eyes and m.o.a.n. Her peaks hardened again and his left hand moved towards them. He held her left peak between his index and middle finger and squeezed it gently, but that caused a rampage inside her body.


    "Ohhh !!!" she m.o.a.ned and tugged onto his hair, but his fingers didn''t stop teasing her. She brought her thighs close and bit her lower lip.


    Deep down she knew, it was going to be the best night for her!


    ---------------


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 Chapter 552: The perfect relationship - 4

    <h4>Chapter 552: The perfect rtionship - 4</h4>


    "Raymond please!"


    She hissed with a whisper and tugged on to his hand which was teasing her ruthlessly. But he held her wrists and pushed them again above her head, his face just inches away from her, his hot breath firing her sensations.


    Her breath turned haggard and her body tensed. No matter how many times he touched her, it never became easy for her.


    His eyes turn soft, and she had no idea whether to beg him to release her hands or to kiss her lips. She tried hard to tame her breath, but seeing his eyes filled with desire, she knew that there was no respire from that fire that was running inside their bodies.


    She watched his chest rise and fall, same like hers and that coloured her cheeks all shades of crimson.


    His lips parted, and she could hear his raspy voice echoing in her ears.


    "Why are so beautiful? So beautiful!"


    And with his fingertips, he slowly wades away the stray hair from her face. She feels his grip on her wrist loosen as well. And with both his hands he cupped her face, his body almost trembling,


    "Be mine!"


    She brought back her hoisted hands and held his palm in hers and staring into the blue of eyes she softly muttered,


    "I am yours till eternity!"


    Her words did nothing but ignite the fire him even more fierce. And in the next second she was tasting his minty breath, his hands in the gap of her neck. His eyes closed the moment he touched her lips, as if he was capturing the moment deep inside his heart inside a safe.


    But in no time the soft embrace of his turned wild. Gripping her thighs in his hands he lifts her up, making hernd in hisp, but his lips never left hers. Her hands ran all over his broad shoulder, for he gave her no respite, not even a second to breathe.


    Her legs instinctively curl around his body, reducing the gap between their bodies, and he inhales the intoxicating fragrance of her body, driving his passions wilder.


    She could feel him harden and drove her crazy. Her fingers get buried in his hair, tugging them every now and then, as she m.o.a.ned and whimpered under the spell of his lips. No matter how deep their tongues twined, they couldn''t have enough. It was as if their lips were made to mould with each other.


    She takes a delicious bite of his lips and licked it after, as if she was sucking on to a caramel candy. He m.o.a.ned as her teeth grazed on his skin and that evoked a strange pleasure in her which soared in her body. His hands in response dig deep into the skin of her back, but that pain was like the cure to what her body ached for.


    Wincing and m.o.a.ning, her body moves and grinds over his manhood and his lips release her to utter,


    "God Akira!"


    Her name never sounded this good to her.


    For the split of a second her eyes travelled down towards his soaring manhood and in the text she rips his shirt open. The buttons get strewn everywhere. As the fabrds softly on the bed, she gasps for air, her eyes met his, a rendition of pure desire.


    He slowly traced his finger on her back, making her arch and close her eyes. Her locks were now everywhere.


    "What cast have you spelled on me Akira?"


    He mutters as he watches her body curve with his touch. And with a jerk he pulls her body back to his proximity, his thumb now grazing over her bottom lips, squishing them lightly. His words, his touch, his breath, everything made her want to just putty in his arms.


    "Raymond!" her lips quiver, and he could see her body shudder.


    Gently his touches her down there over that barely there redce and with that one touch itself he knew that she was deliciously wet for him.


    "Tell me you want me!"


    She twined against his body, her bare chest touching his, sparking a raging fire.


    "I want you Raymond!" she musters up all her strength to barely mutter.


    Taking her earlobe between his lips, he gives a gentle tug, making her m.o.a.n and twitch again.


    "What do you want Akira? Tell me what you want?"


    "I want... I want you Raymond!"


    "And...?" he asked, his lips still continuing the assault over the arch of her neck, her shoulder de, raging her mad, tossing her into a world of pleasure.


    "Ahhh.... Raymond!"


    "Yes.. Akira... Tell me what you want!"


    "I... I..." and she fumbled to find words as his tongue drew treasure maps over her body like a magical wand.


    "I want the skies to witness how beautiful look Akira!"


    And saying that he trailed his fingers from the cave of her neck till the valleys of her chest, down to where herce was resting. His eyes were locked on her and without breaking that eye contact, he pulls herce down till her knees and slowly pulls it out one leg after the other.


    And while he did that, he watched her lips part, her brows knit and nothing else in the world fascinated him more at that point of time. He could trade his life for that one second with her.


    Feeling all bare, she averted her gaze, looking towards her size, but cupping her chin, he makes her turn towards him.


    "Look me in the eye Akira!"


    "Please!" he adds.


    She slowly lifts those dreamy and shy eyes of hers.


    "This is me. This is us. Don''t you dare turn your eyes!"


    She wanted to say something but before she could, she is shushed by the tip of his finger, and taking her palm in his other hand, he ced it over his chest and said,


    "Can''t you see how madly in love I am?"


    "Can''t you see how much I am aching for you?"


    "I... I just..." her lips brushed against his fingers in an attempt to justify, but that look in his eyes...


    "Make love to me Raymond!"


    ---------------


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 Chapter 553: The perfect relationship - 5

    <h4>Chapter 553: The perfect rtionship - 5</h4>


    Those words!


    Those words were everything that he wanted to hear. Even though he knew how badly she wanted him, even though he had felt the wetness between her thighs, he still ached to hear iting from her mouth.


    The way her lips parted after saying those words, as if they were inviting him in, making his heart lurch.


    Forgetting everything else in the world, he pulled her close to his body, not letting even a hair line gap between. His lips captured the space between hers, and she obliges, letting him mould every inch of her body.


    Her hands now move down tracing his chest, his perfect abs. His stomach is hard, but his skin seemed gentle but raging hot. And slowly as her hands move down further, he m.o.a.ns in her mouth.


    She liked it!


    She liked how much effect she had on him!


    Lying n.a.k.e.d in his arms, she didn''t feel vulnerable now; she felt loved, she felt wanted.


    Her hands quickly moved and freed him from his belt and his trousers.


    Gasping for breath for a second she stopped for a moment and then looking into his eyes she asked,


    "Can I?"


    His eyes looked dazed yet dreamy and his lips parted, panting for a breath.


    But he didn''t bother to answer, instead he took her hands and rubbed it gently over his bulge.


    "Oh Raymond!" M.o.a.ned Akira unable to control the sweet ecstasy that feeling was. She closed her eyes and locked her arms around him, riding a few seconds over his crotch her sweet spot feel the hardness of his manhood.


    "Akira!"


    He gasped, for the surge inside him was beyond his control now, He was almost on the verge of exploding, and she could get that, feeling his length grow underneath her.


    So she gently tugged the waistband of his boxers and tried to pull it out, but struggled, bringing a small smile on his face.


    "Let me help you with that!"


    He said and got rid of the final piece of clothing that was acting as a barrier between them. She giggled for a second but stopped as she saw those eyes filled with want. So she inched closer and wrapped her fingers around his length, making him freeze for a moment.


    And then she gently warms it with slow movements of her hands.


    But suddenly his fingers trace down her body, towards the warmth between her legs. And with a gentle thrust of his finger, he delved inside.


    "Oh!" she m.o.a.ns and loses connect with reality.


    He gently grips her with one hand and helps her rest on the bed. His other hand still inside the wilderness of her sanity, thrusting her, raising her excitement to the peak.


    But that was way more than what she could take in any further.


    Her lips parted and she begged,


    "Raymond! Please!"


    And he obliged.


    He entered inside her, rocking her world like never before, spilling the sweet seed of his love, warming her to the core.


    "Ahhhh...."


    "Oh Akira!"


    "You make meplete!"


    He gasped and then rolled next to her. She moved closer, wanting to rest on his chest. His hands rested on her back and his fingers slowly traced unknown shapes as she buried her face.


    "What are you thinking?" she asked slowly lifting her head, just enough to have their eyes meet.


    "Nothing!"


    He replied with a smile on his face.


    "Tell me! Please."


    "It''s nothing! Just that what would have happened, if I would have not escaped death that day at the GCG. I guess my spirit would have tormented you!"


    "Don''t ever dare to say such things again! Don''t you dare!"


    "I am just kidding Akira!"


    "No! You are not allowed. Not about this. Not about you, not about us Raymond!"


    "Ahh... so you have already started bing a bossy wife. Huh... I thought you would be different!"


    "Raymond!" she whined and pped his chest softly.


    Heughs and then continues to look up towards the sky. The northern lights were yet to be visible.


    Slowly circling her finger over his chest, she asks,


    "Are you happy?"


    His brows get taut, and he looked at her, narrowing his eyes, "Is that even a question Akira?"


    "Come on! Just answer with a yes or no. Don''t ask me questions back."


    "Fine!" he caves in.


    "So tell me, are you happy?"


    "Yes."


    "Do you see a future with me."


    His brows twitch again, but he said, "Yes."


    She contemted a bit but then asked,


    "Have I reached the dreams that you had for Delphie? Answer honestly!"


    "Not yet!"


    "I like that! You are honest with me. But one day you will say for it." She says and lightly pokes his n.i.p.p.l.e with her index finger.


    "OK next question. Don''t you want to help your dad get out of prison?"


    "No!"


    "No?" Akira questions again in disbelief.


    "He must be already out!"


    "I see!" and she continued, "For a moment, just a fleeting moment, have you ever thought of taking care of your father''s business? I mean don''t you think, leaving it just like that would be just¡­"


    "Yes!" he replied before she could evenplete her question.


    "Then why don''t you? Use your privileges to help people Raymond. Why do you want to shut down thepany?"


    He exhaled a deep breath, but didn''t answer her.


    Instead, he turned towards her and asked.


    "Answer this in yes or no!"


    "But I was still ying with you!" she pouted and puckered her lower lip.


    "But I feel like ying now!"


    "OK fine. Ask away!" she whined.


    He smiled briefly and then asked, "Do you think you are killing my mood and the romantic vibe of the night by your silly game?"


    She frowned for a moment and then, said, "I guess yes..."


    Heughed and pulled her up, making her head rest over his left arm.


    "Then instead of ying that game, watch this amazing night with me," and saying that he lifted his right arm, his index finger pointing towards the sky.


    The northern lights had started to colour the sky.


    ---------------


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 Chapter 554: The conclusion - 1

    <h4>Chapter 554: The conclusion - 1</h4>


    They had no idea how days after days passed.


    Nestled in the arms of each other, they watched every sunrise and sunset together. They didn''t even bother how things were in New York. An asional call from David kept them briefly updated, but that was it.


    As it was theirst day in Norway, she was all sullen, she didn''t want to leave that ce at all. She got up early and freshened up to take some pictures for memories.


    "Where are you going?" Asked a groggy Raymond.


    "Will just take some pictures outside," she said and left a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.


    Inhaling that intoxicating fragrance of hers, he went back into sleep.


    .


    .


    An hour and a halfter when he woke up, he didn''t find her in the room. Getting up from the bed, he checked the bathroom, but she wasn''t there.


    He tried calling her, but her phone was switched off and that worried him to death. He rushed outside and called out for her.


    "Akira!"


    "Akira!"


    But there was no reply.


    He came inside and picked up his jacket, ready to call the police when he saw their locker open. Her passport taken and her purse was also gone.


    "What the hell!"


    He called up the site manager and enquired and one of the staff told that he had seen her hailing a cab.


    "Where did she go?" he muttered, a part of him, dying from an unknown fear within. He called up the police and then informed David.


    Ten minutester when his phone buzzed with David''s call, he picked it up on the first ring itself.


    "Anything David?" he asked in a desperate tone.


    "I see a flight to London booked in her name. And that leaves in around 47 minutes from now."


    "But why is she going to London? And that too without letting me know. What happened that she cannot share with me?"


    "I am sorry Raymond, but I have no clue as of now. I am trying to find though," David replied apologetically.


    "Do one thing, check all her call logs and let me know who all have called her in thest one hour."


    "I am already on it Raymond."


    Pinching the space between his brows, Raymond slumped on the floor, still holding the phone in his hands.


    But on the other side of the phone, David''s heart just stopped.


    "Raymond! I will call you after 10 minutes."


    And he immediately disconnected.


    Unable to understand what went wrong, Raymond immediately picked up his wallet and passport and drove his car towards the airport. He had a slim chance of being able to meet her, but still he didn''t want to lose that small window of opportunity.


    Reaching the airport, he purchased the next avable flight to London and rushed through security. David had already sent the flight details to him, and he was just hoping against hope for her flight to be dyed.


    But s, the moment he reached her boarding gate, her flight was already rolling on the runway. There was no way to send her any message now.


    He had no idea what she was up to, he had no idea where she was going to go either.


    His flight was to be boarded another 30 minutester, so he walked towards the help desk and requested to ry a message at the London airport for Akira.


    Restless he called her up again but it was still switched off.


    "Damn it Akira!" he cursed and banged his fist on the railing next to him, drawing the attention of a few around him. But he didn''t bother about what others were thinking about him, because his own world was slowly ripping apart.


    The fear of losing Akira was something that he was not able to take any more.


    So next he called up David, but his phone was busy. Not knowing whom to contact next, under dire desperation he called the number of the one person, whom he never thought that he would call.


    "Hello Raymond!" his smug voice rattled against his ears. "I knew you would call me. Desperate! I like this state of yours."


    .


    .


    .


    "Ring Ring"


    "Hello David!"


    "Hello Sebastian!"


    "What happened? Everything all right with you? Everything all right with my son?" asked Sebastian upon hearing the worried tone of David.


    "Akira has left Raymond without saying a word and I fear that she knows everything."


    "Wait what? Who told her?"


    "I think Vikram. Her call logs show his number twice this morning."


    "Does my son know?"


    "No. Not yet. Not as of now. But I fear that if he has told her, he will not hesitate to tell him as well. I thought you had handled the case of Vikram."


    "That sc.u.m bastard!" Fumed Sebastian.


    David could almost hear his blood boiling.


    "Don''t let Raymond reach her out. I will handle Vikram and Akira on my own."


    "But Raymond asked for a ticket to London and has gone after her. He won''t catch her but will reach London with the next flight."


    "Send your men to London. They should block Raymond at London airport itself. He cannot meet her. He must have ryed a message to London airport for her. Block that out."


    "What do you mean by handling Sebastian? Do you want to¡­" David asked, his voice shaken.


    "I will finish off anyone, mind you anyone whoes in the way of my son. My attorney will handle Vikram. I will make sure he is ruined to dust. And as for Akira¡­ I will see what I will do."


    "The thing that happened to Peter. Did you have anything to do with it?" asked David hesitantly.


    "Let''s just say, I like to keep some things to myself David and it would be better if you mind your own business and do only what is being told. Scratching the surface with only make your ails bleed."


    "Erm¡­ Yeah. I understand."


    And a chill ran down his spine as he disconnected the call. He had to do something to save Akira. So he called up the one man whom he could trust the most.


    ------------------------------------


    Have you read my new book yet? - Heaven Can Wait!


    Please help to vote for - Heaven Can Wait. Your vote matters a lot to me.


    -------------------------------------


    He was a ''Healer'', unlike his brothers who possessed immense angelic powers and craved for more, and she was a ''Mortal'', passionate about doing her best to save human lives.


    Banished from thend of God, when he was thrown to earth; his wings castrated, she entered his life. Pained by the treachery of his brothers and the distrust of his father, the fallen angel was left with no reason to exist, but she showed him that there was more to earth than he knew about. She intrigued him, annoyed him but at the same time made him feel alive again. But the problem was, the more he got to know her, the more he was smitten.


    And angels were not supposed to fall in love with earthly beings.


    He became her shadow, but for her, he was her lifeline. But she had no clue that he had a hidden n all long. What will happen when she gets to know that the man that she was head over heels in love with, was someone who was not even a human, for he was an angel, who had been sired by the devil. What will happen when he has to chose between her and the path to redemption?


    Read more and get swayed in the intense love affair of Morpheous and Caroline.

 Chapter 555: The conclusion - 2

    <h4>Chapter 555: The conclusion - 2</h4>


    "Hello"


    "It''s me. David!"


    "I know it''s you, David. Do you think I have deleted your number from my phone?" asked Dr. Nelson.


    "Erm¡­ well small talk apart there is something that you need to know. There is something with which I need your urgent help."


    "Right now? I have a ss in like four minutes David. Can it wait?"


    "No!" denied David with a heavy tone and Dr. Nelson immediately understood that something was off and his heart dreaded for the worst.


    "Does she¡­"


    "She does. She just left alone in a flight to London. But that''s not the scary part."


    "Then what is?" asked a worried Dr. Nelson.


    "Sebastian might try to harm her."


    "But why?"


    "Does that man have a reason, like ever?"


    "What should I do? Does Raymond know?"


    "He doesn''t. At least not yet because Akira had switched off her phone. They didn''t get to talk," David replied even though he was now worried. If Vikram had dared to speak once, then he could do so again."


    "Then tell me what should I do? I don''t think I can console her or...I mean I don''t if I am the right person here. Can we get Mike here?"


    "There is no time for that Dr. Nelson and if there is anyone who can tame the storm inside her, then that''s you. Please make sure she gets out of the airport, even before anyone gets to her."


    "How can I do that?"


    "I have told Sebastian that she will get down in London. But I have booked the next flight for you both to New York. They will search for her in London and that will buy us some time."


    Dr. Nelson stayed silent for a moment. He was unable to process so much information at one go. But deep down he was torn, unable to imagine what must be going on in her mind.


    Taking a deep breath, he replied, "I will start for the airport now."


    .


    .


    .


    After hearing what Vikram had to say, Raymond slumped on the floor of the airport, dropping the phone from his hand. He couldn''t believe what he heard.


    ''Smash''


    The screen of his phone broke into pieces in no time and as soon as that happened, he started to panic. That phone was his database for knowing the faces of people.


    And just like that suddenly he felt his world had started to crumble. Everything became hazy and the next thing he knows, he cked out.


    Airport authorities immediately took him to the hospital wing, meanwhile, his phone kept ringing. With great difficulty one of the staff of the hospital was able to attend that call.


    "Hello, Raymond!"


    "Hello, who is this?"


    "Who are you and where is Raymond?"


    "Are you a friend of his or family?" the staff asked and instantly David felt a lump in his throat.


    "Friend¡­ What''s wrong with him. Why you have his phone?"


    "Actually, he cked out at the airport, so we have brought it to our hospital wing. Nothing to worry about. No injuries. He will wake up in a few hours. We have put him on a drip. But his phone is damaged so in case you want to contact him, call the paramedic wing of Norway airport."


    ''Come on Raymond. You cannot break. Not now. Not like this. You have to stand for Akira Raymond. Don''t back out now''


    Holding his temple in his hands, David tried to talk with Raymond in his head, but in vain.


    If he had things under his control, he would have teleported himself and be next to him. So the next thing that he did was to book a ticket for himself for Norway.


    About an hourter, Raymond opened his eyes and found himself in a hospital. Panic-stricken he looked at his watch and realized that he had missed the flight.


    Sitting on the bed, he picked up his broken phone and looked at it helplessly before leaving for the help desk.


    "How can I help you, sir!"


    "I need a ticket to New York. The earliest possible flight!"


    "There is one flight that leaves in forty minutes. If you want we can quickly book it and I will request a priority check-in for you."


    Raymond just nodded.


    There was no way he was going back after her to London. There was no way that she will forgive him. Like ever. And he knew very well that if he tried to go after her, then he would be just increasing her pain.


    So even though his heart was dying from inside to have a glimpse of her, to seek her forgiveness, he decided to let her mourn alone with a hope that maybe with time she might be able to forgive him one day.


    "Here you go, sir!"


    "Thank you!" he said and took the tickets from her.


    After his check-in was done, he immediately went to the Apple Store and got a phone for himself, and called up David.


    On the first ring itself, David picked it up.


    "Hello! Is he up?"


    "It''s me, David."


    "Raymond. You are up? I aming there, don''t worry. Will reach in a few hours. I am already at JFK."


    "No need David. I aming back."


    David heard him and stayed silent for a second.


    "You are not going after her?"


    "No David. Right now my presence would be the worst thing that can happen to her. I think she needs some time for herself. Just let her be."


    "You are not angry with me Raymond?"


    "Angry¡­ How can I be angry with you when you have tried to shield me from all this for so long. I should have understood that there was something on me that Vikram knew about that I didn''t. He didn''te to the wedding empty-handed. I should have tried to figure it out."


    David stayed silent again, unable to fathom what sort of love and patience that man harbored in his heart for Akira.


    [Please vote for my new book - HEAVEN CAN WAIT!]


    ---------------------------------


    He was a ''Healer'', unlike his brothers who possessed immense angelic powers and craved for more, and she was a ''Mortal'', passionate about doing her best to save human lives.


    Banished from thend of God, when he was thrown to earth; his wings castrated, she entered his life. Pained by the treachery of his brothers and the distrust of his father, the fallen angel was left with no reason to exist, but she showed him that there was more to earth than he knew about. She intrigued him, annoyed him but at the same time made him feel alive again. But the problem was, the more he got to know her, the more he was smitten.


    And angels were not supposed to fall in love with earthly beings.


    He became her shadow, but for her, he was her lifeline. But she had no clue that he had a hidden n all long. What will happen when she gets to know that the man that she was head over heels in love with, was someone who was not even a human, for he was an angel, who had been sired by the devil. What will happen when he has to choose between her and the path to redemption?


    Read more and get swayed in the intense love affair of Morpheous and Caroline.

 Chapter 556: The conclusion - 3

    <h4>Chapter 556: The conclusion - 3</h4>


    She had no idea how she endured the flight journey. Her welled up red rimmed eyes were a testimony of the pain that she was going through. Had it been anyone else in the entire world, then she wouldn''t have been torn this way.


    But of all the people why it had to be him!


    Why after showing her a dream, a silver lining, God had to snatch it away from her?


    She had no clue how she boarded the flight. She had no clue who sat next to her. Even when the flightnded, she was in so much distraught that she realized about it only when the passenger next to her requested her to alight.


    Feeling all lost, she kept on walking till she cleared the immigration and reached towards the exit. But before she could walk out, she felt a tap on her shoulder.


    Dazed she turned back and saw a familiar face.


    "Jaby!"


    Her dried lips barely uttered his name.


    "Come here!" and without waiting for her to move, he wrapped her in his arms, for he knew that she neededforting.


    She stood still, for a couple of seconds, her hands still near her thighs, but the moment he gently stroked her back and said, "It''s OK! I am here. Everything will be OK!", she lost it all. Herposure, her restraint, her everything!


    Wrapping her arms around him, she started to bawl.


    Everyone around them started staring in their direction, but he didn''t care, and she had no touch with the world.


    "Why Jaby?"


    "Why him?"


    "It''s OK! Don''t think about anything it''s OK," he said and ran his hand softly over her head, brushing his fingers through her hair.


    She kept on sobbing in his arms for quite some time, wetting his chest with her teardrops. It was only when his phone buzzed, that she detached herself a bit.


    "Erm¡­ Sorry!"


    He ignored the call and said, "It''s nothing urgent. Come let me take you home."


    "I have no home Jaby!" she said and looked at him.


    "I am taking you to some ce special. Let''s go away from here. You need your family with you more than ever right now."


    And suddenly her face turned all white.


    "What will happen to Mike if he gets to know? How will he feel that his brother-inw was the one who killed his parents?"


    But without replying to her questions, he held her hand and took her passport before walking towards the check-in gate.


    "Where are we going?"


    "New York!" he said, pulling her close.


    "I don''t want to go there Jaby. I don''t. Please take me somewhere else in the world. Please!"


    "OK! I will. But first I need to show you something important."


    "What Jaby? Tell me now. I cannot take any more surprises."


    Taking a deep breath, he looked at her and then said, "Please Akira!Just trust me this once."


    She wanted to ask him back, but she had no energy left. She waspletely drained. She had no will to see another sunrise without Raymond, but the irony was, she just couldn''t bear the thought of being next to the man whose hands were stained with the blood of her parents.


    As soon as they boarded the flight, he gave her a bottle of juice to drink, and she started feeling all dizzy.


    "Did you spike it Jaby?" she asked, her eyes half opening.


    But he preferred to stay silent and just pulled her close to his chest, letting her rest.


    Meanwhile, he texted David - "She is safe with me. But do not try to reach us for a day. I just need one day with her."


    Switching off his phone, he adjusted her head over his shoulder so that she didn''t get a sore neckter on. He then pulled a nket and covered her before the lights in the flight were switched off.


    And in that darkness, his lips softly touched her forehead, and he whispered.


    "Don''t worry Akira! I promise I will keep you happy."


    But little did he know that fate had other ns.


    As Raymond had missed his flight to New Work earlier and took ater flight, his arrival time exactly coincided with that of Akira.


    He arrived at gate 37B and they did at 41.


    Her head was still heavy, so she rushed towards the bathroom after getting down from the flight and as fate had nned, Raymond too went to the men''s room opposite to hers.


    A couple of minutester, Akira came out after washing her face and walked towards Dr. Nelson who was standing near the main entrance, holding her purse.


    So when Raymond got out from the washroom, he saw her walking towards someone who was holding her purse. He was so much in shock that he didn''t dare to call her name out. Instead, he quickly opened his Google Drive and searched for the face of that man.


    "Dr. Nelson!"


    And he could feel his heart and his throat choke.


    He knew that he was a nice man, but deep down he wasn''tfortable of her being with him when she was this vulnerable.


    "What if¡­"


    And like a mad person he ran towards the main entrance in search of her. But they were nowhere to be found. That two minutes dy, costed him heavy.


    He called up David immediately and asked, "David can you please track Akira''s phone for me. Where is she right now?"


    But David silent for a moment and said,


    "Raymond if you trust me, then please just leave her alone for one day! A few hours back you yourself told that she needs time. Then why are you rushing after her now? You will make things worse Raymond."


    "I don''t care David. I don''t like to see her with Dr. Nelson."


    "What?"


    "I saw them arrive at the airport in front of me. He was holding her purse. That should have been me. If there is anyone who has the right to hold her purse and wait for her, then that''s me. Not him, not anyone else."


    "Raymond calm down. Just calm down. I had sent Dr. Nelson to take care of her. He is a noble man Raymond. Please trust him this once."


    "Trust! Huh¡­ I don''t even know what that means David. My life has been a lie. Every rtionship that I had been in was a lie, except for her. I cannot lose her David. I can''t let her go for something that was¡­"


    "That was not your fault¡­ Raymond, do you hear me. That was not your fault. Snap out of it. Come outside the airport. We will talk. Give her time Raymond, she will forgive you¡­"


    But Raymond didn''t reply anything for quite some time.


    "Raymond! Raymond are you there?"


    "I think before her, someone else needs to forgive me¡­" and he disconnected the call.


    .


    .


    .


    "What happened Akira? Are you sick?" Asked Dr. Nelson and ced the back of his palm on her forehead.


    "No I just vomited. I don''t have a fever Jaby," she said and pulled his hand down.


    "Just let me check your pulse once," he said and grabbed her wrist in between his thumb and index finger, while he walked her towards the airport taxine.


    "Where are you taking me Jaby. If it''s to Raymond, then I don''t want to see his face."


    "I am not taking you to him. I promise," he said and hailed a taxi.


    The whole time that were in that taxi, Akira kept looking outside the window and didn''t even utter a word. She didn''t feel like talking or meeting anyone. She wanted to run to her brother, but didn''t want to upset him either. She felt as if she had been stranded all alone in the world with no one to run to.


    This whole revtion had taken a toll on her. She was nauseated and her head was feeling heavy. She wanted to yell at Jaby for sedating her earlier, but somehow that had helped her not to remember about anything.


    Towards the outskirts of the city, when they crossed a 7-Eleven, Dr. Nelson stopped the cab and went to purchase a few things to eat for her, but she had no appetite. So he forced her to eat just a bagel which she couldn''t even finish.


    A few momentster, they halted near a small school and Dr. Nelson gave 100 dors to the cabbie to keep the meter running.


    "Where is this ce?"


    "Juste," Dr. Nelson said and opened her side of the door. Holding her hand, he walked her towards the back side of the school where a small graveyard was located.


    "Why are we here?" Akira asked looking at Jaby, as she could feel his grip on her hand loosening up, and he started walking ahead on his own silently.


    Perplexed she stood there for a second and then followed him.


    He stood near a small tombstone, his shoulders slouched and Akira had a bad feeling about it. Was it Alita''s grave?


    And as she inched closer, she found it was indeed her tombstone.


    She didn''t understand why he got her there? She didn''t know what he wanted to say.


    "Do you want some alone time here? I can go and stay inside the cab," she asked as she could see his eyes welling up.


    "No stay!"


    He said and then taking a deep breath, he took out his phone for a second and then looked at her with a smile on his face.


    "When I saw you the first time, I was intrigued. Not because you were you, but because you looked like her. We became friends but I always wanted more. I cannot lie standing next to her."


    "Why are you saying all this Jaby? Why of all day today? Why now? Don''t you know what I am going¡­"


    "No Akira! You have to listen to me today," he spoke, his voice a bit stern this time, and she had no option but to stay.


    "Had you been with any other man, then I swear to heavens you would have been mine right now, but you were Raymond''s. A man who came back from life for you. A man who was ready to leave you for your sake."


    "Jaby please!"


    "You will listen Akira," he spoke without even bothering about her tears.


    "The more I saw you together, the more I envied you guys because I didn''t have what you guys have - Time. I didn''t have time Akira. I had no time with her.


    "I had spun dreams with her, thought about a lifetime with her, but we couldn''t have any of that because we didn''t have TIME. And you have no idea what I could give to spend a moment with her. When she left, I was dead. I don''t have the power to bring her back. I have no power to say the things that I wanted to say, because she left me in such a rush that ¡­


    And his throat choked and just couldn''t utter anything further.


    He looked to his side, letting the tears trickle down before he looked at her.


    "So it really hurts me to see you running away from that one man who wants to give you all of his time. It hurts me to see that a thing of the past has be so important that you are ready to ruin your present and future because of that."


    She stood there like a statue, unable to even blink her eyes.


    "Do you remember how you had cried when you thought he died?"


    "Are you OK to go through that again? Are you OK to cut him off?"


    "You were ready to do everything possible to bring his memories back. What happened to that Akira?"


    She looked at Alita''s name on the tombstone and the reality came crashing in. She shook her head with tears in her eyes.


    "I ¡­ I can''t live without him Jaby but I just...!"


    He took a deep breath and came close to her, wiping her tears with his hands. Her brows were twitched and her lips were quivering.


    "What do I do Jaby? It just hurts. What do I do?"


    He softly kissed on top of her head and whispered, "Why don''t you let him ease your pain?"


    "What?"


    "If it hurts because of him then why don''t you let him heal you?"


    "Why do you mean Jaby?" She asked all puzzled.


    "Turn back!" he said, taking a step away from her.


    "Why?"


    "Just turn back Akira!"


    And she turned only to find Raymond standing a couple of feet away from her. Her lips parted when that man kneeled down on the ground.


    She turned back towards Dr. Nelson, her eyes asking him what to do.


    "Go Akira! Go get your time."


    And she ran towards the man whom she hated and loved equally. Hugging him tight, she cried and whispered into his ears,


    "I hate you. I hate you the most in this whole world but I guess I love you more than that."


    "I know!" He whispered.


    That was all that Raymond wanted to hear. That was all that was enough for him for now.


    Seeing the lovebirds together, a strange sce ushered in the heart of Dr. Nelson. Now there was no force in the world that could tear them apart. Not even his own restless heart.


    Taking a deep breath he walked towards them.


    "I am sorry Dr. Nelson. I am sorry that¡­"


    "Let it go Raymond. It''s in a human''s nature to judge and distrust people."


    Raymond shrugged his shoulder lightly not knowing what to say to the man who had literally saved his marriage.


    "I don''t know how to thank you Jaby¡­ I don''t know ¡­"


    "If you really want to thank me, then call me with a good news."


    "What?" Akira asked, unable to understand what he meant by that.


    He smiled and put a small paper bag from 7-eleven in her palm, before walking towards his cab.


    "What is it?" asked Raymond and opened the bag only to find a pregnancy kit inside.


    "Are you?" his eyes beamed, and he hugged her tight. In that one moment, they forgot everything. Every pain, every question, every usation.


    "I don''t know! I was just nauseated."


    "We have a lifetime to figure that out!" He said and kissed her forehead.


    "I love you Akira!"


    "I love you too, Raymond."


    And holding her hand he walked towards his car and even though they walked silently, that silence itself was a promise of a new beginning.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [THE END]


    [Becasue of breaking the non-disclosure agreement, Vikram was ruined as all his assets were seized and unable to take that setback, he lost his mental imbnce. He was sent to an asylum for further treatment. Meanwhile, the sharp mind of David got busy collecting enough evidence against Sebastian and Conrad, and within hours he filed a public petition anonymously to reopen the murder case of Peter. They both were taken into custody and a non-bable warrant was registered for them.]


    [But what happened to Raymond and Akira next? Did they have a daughter? Did she also look like her mother and Alita. READ - HEAVEN CAN WAIT to find out]

 Chapter 557: PART2 OF BOOK - HEAVEN CAN WAIT !

    <h4>Chapter 557 - PART2 OF BOOK - HEAVEN CAN WAIT !</h4>


    PART - 2 [HEAVEN CAN WAIT] What are you waiting for. Part 2 of the book is ready on for you to binge read.


    [Have you ever wondered why Alita looked exactly like Akira? Will Raymond and Akira have a girl baby just like they had nned for - ''Caroline''? If you have then this might interest you....


    [Wee to the first chapter of part2 of the book- HEAVEN CAN WAIT]


    EXCERPT


    [Warning : MATURE CONTENT]


    "Don''t look at me like that Morpheous! Please!"


    Her quivering lips begged, but her ignited breath med nothing but sinful desires in him.


    "Ask me anything tonight Caroline, but don''t ask me to stay away from you." Echoed his raspy voice as he cupped her chin tenderly.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #!_49956393586842082</a> for visiting.


    His smoldering amber eyes were fixated on her lips, aching to touch her softness for just a fleeting second. But the moment he leaned closer, something got etched on the wall next to her in a hue of yellow and vermilion.


    His jaws clenched and taking a step back, he cursed.


    "You!"


    "You need to stay away from me!"


    And she saw his amber eyes burn with a flicker of blue!


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    CHAPTER - 1


    It had been a long tiring night shift for Caroline.


    After finishing up thest round of patient visits, she let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. An overwhelming sense of achievement brought in a tiny smile on her face. Another day! Another battle done!


    Cracking her knuckles and massaging her neck, she went close to the window and pulled up the blinds a bit; her daily habit of watching the early morning sun, shining bright in all its glory.


    "Ready to go home doctor?" asked Erica, the head nurse.


    Caroline turned towards her and with a smile on her face she replied, "Yeah, Dr. Van has already arrived to take over the shift." But that smile of hers vanished as she turned back towards the window again.


    Suddenly the sky which was lit up in brilliant gold, had turned grim. Dark clouds started engulfing it as if they were wrapping it in the shroud of death. The sky thundered like it was rumbling with anger.


    "Ugghhh!!!" she groaned and muttered, "Looks like I am sleeping here again."


    Dragging her tired and weary self from the ER, she walked towards the resting lounge, holding a hot piping cup of coffee.


    After changing her clothes, when she was about to sprawl her legs and straighten her back, she heard her pager buzzing.


    "Not now!" she whined and called up Erica, as she had paged her.


    "What happened?"


    "Sorry Carol, but you have to rush to the ER. Dr. Van is working on another code blue now and this one needs immediate attention too!"


    "Condition?"


    "Perforated abdomen!" Erica replied, ncing at the chart given by the ambnce team.


    "Pulse?"


    "Barely there Carol!"


    "Keep him steady! I aming!"


    Suppressing her yawn, she put on her Crocs back and ran towards the Emergency Room. This was nothing new for Caroline Young. Being an ER doctor in one of thergest hospitals of Seattle, she was used to spending sleepless nights and working odd hours.


    "Vitals?" She asked half panting, holding her knees in her palms as she reached near the patient, but neither the nurses nor the on call first year resident uttered a word. Irritated, she stood upright and looked at the vital monitor and her jaws dropped.


    Red tline.


    He had no pulse.


    And that drove her into a frenzy. "This can''t be happening." She looked at the resident doctor and yelled, "Why the hell are you standing here instead of doing chestpressions? Do I have to spoon-feed you the protocol?" And without waiting for a response from him, she straddled over the man lying on the bed.


    "Epinephrine 1 mg into the IV stat! Run code blue protocol for me!" she yelled and ced her palms over his rib-cage, ready to go for the firstpression; while mentally picturing the patient''s heart between the sternum and spine. But before she could even start, she turned back when she heard the panic ridden voice of Erica.


    "Carol don''t! He is still breathing!"


    "He is what?" and she turned back towards him and saw his chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm.


    She ced her stethoscope on his chest but heard nothing. There was no diastole and systole beat. Confused, she lowered her ear to his chest, but still heard nothing. She checked the oximeter attached to his index finger and his saturation levels looked perfectly fine.


    "How even!"


    "There is a huge puncture wound in his abdomen. The ambnce doctors have already tended to it," mentioned a puzzled Erica and as she looked at equally puzzled Caroline who was still trying to figure out what was wrong with that man''s heart.


    "Anything in the chart about how he got the puncture wound?"


    "Apparently there was a tree branch that caused the perforation."


    "Get me the portable ECHO machine and give him 1 ml of vasopressor. He might go to a septic shock! We need to check for internal bleeding too."


    "On it!" said Erica and sprinted to get the ECHO machine.


    "You! Out from here!" Carolineshed at the first year resident, even though he was nowhere at fault. It was probably an outburst of hers for not being able to figure out what was wrong with the heart of the man.


    The other terrified nurse injected the vasopressor in his C-Line and then left the room to get more medication if neededter. She didn''t want to leave any room for a rebuke from Dr. Caroline - the Cardiology specialist at Seattle High, who was very well known as a perfectionist with a rib rattling temper.


    Caroline got down from the bed and as her eyes traversed up, she looked at his face which bore a weird calmness. It looked nothing less than angelic. His jaws and cheekbones perfectly chiselled as if God had sculpted him in his spare time.


    "What is wrong with him?" she muttered and then lifted the cloth covering his lower body. The puncture wound had been dressed, but the dressing gauze was soaked in blood and didn''t look neat.


    "This needs to be disinfected again," she muttered and put on her gloves. Then with utmost care she gently started to peel the Nico ster tapes which held the bandage in ce.


    "No way!"


    She screamed, as if someone had wrenched away her sanity, for in front of her was a perfect abdomen. No scars, no stitch marks, just dried blood; the kes of which were now sticking on to her gloves. Her eyes were wide open in shock and for a moment she couldn''t fathom the situation in front of her.


    She was having a sense ofpse of judgement because in none of her textbooks, or medical papers, she had read about a case like his.


    "Is this even real!" She was about to pinch herself, but suddenly the monitor beeped, and she could see his temperature spiking up. But before she could take control of the situation, she saw him opening his eyes slowly.


    His amber coloured eyes suddenly gleamed with a flicker of blue!


    ------------------


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