CHAPTER – 8
Filling his face with blood, bruises all over the body, blood oozing out from every cell of his body, making cuts all over torturing the BEAST by giving all kinds of physical pain to him... That's what his enemies thought of doing to him when they first planned to capture Abhyansh Singh Ranawat, the man who controls more than half of the globe and maintains a very good relationship with the rest of it. They thought of having the upper hand after having him at their mercy but it didn't take much time before they realized how wrong they were.
In front of them, there sat Abhyansh Singh Ranawat with his signature confidence not wavering even for a second. It had been 4 days since he was captured by his enemies, he did not have his weapons with him, no gun, no sword, not even a single thing to defend himself yet he sat there on the chair crossing his legs one over the other like a king he is without a tinge of fear or uncertainty. He still looked so much in control and that had made his foes burn in jealousy and fume in anger but did he care ? Absolutely no f**ks given in turn he enjoyed it.
Though he was captured by them, they couldn't harm even his hair strand, they so wanted to kill him but were they capable of it ? Honestly, he was disappointed with his foes, he didn't expect them to turn this stupid, did they think they could kill him ? Him ? He pitied their naivety. He was the kind of man who thinks for at least next 1-2 decades before investing bulk in any business, did they really think that such a man wouldn't have thought about his own safety and the probable threats that would be mounted on his head ? A careful and clever person would anticipate the dangers and create backups for worst-case scenarios, but he was an ultra-smart man, he not only had backups for the worst-case scenarios but also devised plans to divulge the worst-case scenarios and that's how he got control of the whole situation despite being in his enemy's territory.
-------- 4 Days Ago --------
When Abhyansh's own men backstabbed him, he got a clear picture of the whole thing. All of them backstabbing him wasn't expected by him, it did come as a shock, because some of them were very loyal to him, but if his rivals got even his most loyal men to backstab him, he understood their network was much more than he was aware of, and the mad desire to take them all at once doubled, till then he was thinking of getting his hands on just Neil Singhania but after this, he wanted to take down everyone and end this fiasco for once and all. His initial plan was to go with them, letting them think that the ball was in their court. They threw a trap called Neil Singhania to capture the BEAST, they thought it would lure the BEAST into their net and Abhyansh knew it very well, so he let them think so.
Just when he was about to play his part, he got to know about the attack on his family, and that broke his resolve to end his enemies. He tossed away his plans and immediately left for the airport to leave for Ajmer telling Mr. Khan. And that's where things went south, his foes took control of the whole airport and that's when he realized that the president of the European nation he was in, whom he just met a day prior was ousted a few hours ago and a new regime was established. He understood it was a very big trap laid to end BEAST's dominance and his family's existence. In fact, it was the biggest trap laid for him in his whole life, he was sure there were multiple governments' hands in this as well and he very well knew who they were as well. Most of the ruling, as well as opposition parties in most of the countries across the globe, favored him, there was no doubt about it but there were a couple of countries who antagonized him too, But would he be called a BEAST if he didn't learn from his mistakes, this might be the worst trap and the worst attack on him and his family in his entire life but he wouldn't let the consequences of this turn worst because he wasn't the same Abhyansh Singh Ranawat who didn't hold much power to defend himself and his family from deadly and treacherous attacks decades ago, he changed, now he was the BEAST and he didn't know what was defeat. His strategies never fail, he wouldn't let them.
Abhyansh had a plan in mind but before executing it, he needed to know if his family was safe. He badly wanted to leave for Ajmer, to take his wife in his arms, to console his family, to calm his mother's panic attacks, he was sure she might be having them if she didn't see him after the attack. His mother developed this kind of fear after his sister's death, after an attack or even the thought of it, she needed to see her children in front of her eyes, otherwise, she would suffer an attack. Though he kept his distance from his mother, he always had an eye on her health report.
And his Rani sa ? He knew she might be acting so brave and he knew she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice herself to save any of his family members, and that's what was expected from the queen but what about his wife ? No, he wasn't ready for even a scratch on her... He was hell scared, furious over his foes for even thinking of harming his wife... Damn! they are so dead, the wildness he was trying to hide within himself was unleashing with every passing minute. He wanted to go to them but he knew his foes took the whole control of the airport and he couldn't leave it now. He hated for his miscalculations, damn! his emotions, as soon as he got to know about the attack, he lost his mind and the only thought was to see his wife and take her in his arms, console her and his family, and those emotions overpowered his rational self and that was why he was now stuck in airport.
He called Mr. Khan, and through him, he got in touch with his spies, he had them across the globe and he developed such a fine network that he was now sure they might know about his family's condition despite the seclusion the back palace had. He believed in his wife's abilities, he was sure she might have succeeded in saving the whole family but he couldn't be at peace until he heard it.
"Maharaj... Exactly 12 minutes ago, a call went from the back palace to Yuvraj Ranveer Rajput", This was the exact message he received from his spy through Mr. Khan and that's when Abhyansh allowed himself to get captured by his foes, sure they outnumbered him but they could never outsmart him.
He was taken to a very private place with his eyes tied, he smirked internally at how every man around him didn't dare to look into his eyes despite him being captured and in their clutches.
"Ah! Finally ? His Royal Highness, Abhyansh Singh Ranawat at my mercy", Neil Singhania gloated...
"Um... No, Not His Royal Highness, it's The Royal BEAST...", his biggest rival, Marcus Rizzo muttered, sarcasm dripping from his tone...
"Rizzo... didn't think you need people like him to trap me...", Abhyansh said pointing at Neil who fumed at his audacity to mock him standing in his territory, well, that's what Neil Singhania thought.
"Every fisherman needs both a bait and a net to trap the fish, well, Neil Singhania was my bait and an attack on your family was the net", Marcus replied surprising Abhyansh.
His words clearly meant that Marcus did consider the probability of his people failing in harming Abhyansh's family, yet he sent them, and now Abhyansh understood why ? Damn! it was to divert his attention, and he was successful at it.
"Well played Marcus...", Abhyansh couldn't stop himself from appreciating his adversary.
"I had to be smart if I'm dealing with a man like you BEAST...", Marcus replied, Abhyansh smirked at how Marcus, his arch rival still didn't look into his eyes, and neither did his other foes who were present in the room just to watch him miserable did but bad for them, they could never see him miserable.
"You are so full of yourself Marcus, You definitely played well but the ball is still in my court, it will always be in my court...", Abhyansh said shocking everyone...
"What do you mean ?", Neil asked, he couldn't believe the confidence on the BEAST's face despite knowing there was no way out for him...
Abhyansh ignored Neil and looked at Marcus carefully before opening his mouth again...
"Are you over your brother's death Marcus or is it still stinging ?", Abhyansh asked fueling Marcus's anger... Alvizze Rizzo, the second largest supplier of arms in the entire globe, was killed by Abhyansh sometime ago. Marcus was his elder brother and Abhyansh knew he would come after him but he didn't expect him to gather this whole a** network of his foes and then attack him but nonetheless, he was all prepared.
"BEAST... I won't let you live...", Marcus lunged at Abhyansh but before he could reach him, the message they received snatched the ground beneath them...
Abhyansh smirked knowing what it was... He remembered his conversation with Mr. Khan
"Khan saab... if I don't contact you for straight 4 hours, send this code to this number... and yes these are 10 other codes, and keep sending these codes to these numbers... Remember, You need to trust your guts and decide the time intervals all by yourself, No one can touch even a hair strand of mine until you keep sending these codes, these are like my lifelines and I'm sure, I'll find a way out before these codes expire...", Abhyansh said, Mr. Khan didn't understand what are the codes for but he trusted Abhyansh's planning... That man was extremely clever... His smartness is unmatched...
Abhyansh particularly said 4 hours because he considered all the bases of his foes, and if at all they capture him, they should take him to a place which was at a maximum of a couple of hours distance from these bases, as even if Abhyansh was successful in overpowering all of the men there, it should be flexible for them to send more men from the bases. He very well knew how his enemies thought, so the maximum time it would take to the farthest of their base was 4 hours, so he exactly mentioned 4 hours.
"There was a bomb blast in our St.Louis street factory", the message read which startled Marcus... That was their largest arms manufacturing factory and breaching the security there and causing an incident like this was impossible... well, it was possible for only one man, that is Abhyansh Singh Ranawat, but in all these years he never started a war by himself, he had never done something like this ever, so this came as a shock to Marcus.
"How did you do it when you were here ?", Marcus muttered still in shock, his partners received the same message and everyone was shaken up because that was a huge shock for them...
"Good to know that you at least figured out that I was behind this", Abhyansh said with a smirk, he enjoyed seeing the horror-stricken faces of his foes...
"How...", Marcus couldn't form any sentences...
"Told you, ball is in my court, it will always be... You should have known Marcus... I don't boast, I just state facts...", Abhyansh said lazily stretching his back... "Now... even if you touch my hair strand, the damage will keep multiplying...", Abhyansh added
"I won't harm you, none of my men would... Stop these, BEAST... We can talk like mature adults", Marcus said refusing to show his inner fear but the moment he agreed to Abhyansh's demands, his fears were out in the light. Abhyansh enjoyed how his foes addressed him 'BEAST'. Well, he was one... he just hoped his wife wouldn't hear them, otherwise she would kill them...
"What are you saying...", Neil started but Marcus held his neck choking him with fury...
"Don't utter a word, or I'll choke you to death... I mean it", Marcus said pushing the old man who fell on the floor gasping for air... Abhyansh just smirked at how things were turning in his favor, the only thing he didn't like was imagining his wife's worry for him...
"You have to continue paying a heavy price for the time you keep me here Rizzo... so these blasts continue happening in irregular intervals till I'm here... if you harm me, they get more frequent and it won't take more than a day, or two to burn all your assets... I'm sure you don't want your family home inLiechtenstein to be next eh ?", Abhyansh said and the sweat on Marcus's forehead showed how terrified he was...
He didn't expect Abhyansh to be this clever or plan so much, he knew the BEAST was obsessed with staying in control but he didn't imagine he would go to this extent to stay in control...
"You won't play unfair BEAST, I know... So leave my family alone", Marcus said, trying to show that he was in control but Abhyansh knew he wasn't...
"Then why the hell did you send 100s of men at my family ?", the BEAST roared making everyone there startled...
They knew Abhyansh Singh Ranawat or more popularly known as BEAST was ruthless, but they took this risk because they thought they had the upper hand, this move by Abhyansh was unexpected and a huge shocker for them. Abhyansh knew they wouldn't let him go as they risked everything they had by capturing him, now if they let him go, he would come at them, and his allies would too and that includes most of the countries and they weren't ready for it. At the same time, they couldn't even harm him as they were afraid of more blasts, and this time, their families getting involved were scaring him.
Now the only thing his foes had in their hand was Abhyansh himself, but they couldn't even hurt a hair strand of his to get any information out of him.
With the blasts and their timings, Marcus and his allies believed that there was definitely a mole in their group but they failed to realize that it was Abhyansh Singh Ranawat's perfect planning and his timing that was making these exemplary moves, not to forget his team's flawless execution. His brain starts working from the point where his rival's ends... Trying to defeat him was just baseless and by now they might have understood this, but they were stuck... Abhyansh knew they wouldn't let him go by themselves as he was their destruction, so he had to figure a way out for himself but he must agree, they arranged the security tightly, and fighting all these men wasn't a big deal for him but they have weapons, he wasn't afraid of bullets, he got them multiple times, but this time, he was scared of his wife, she wouldn't spare him if he got hurt so he had to think through a road of non-violence. He mentally groaned at it and that non-violent path was what that was taking time.
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It was already 4 days and he was still stuck at his rival's camp... But, except for his worry for his wife and family, and the fact that he missed her handmade food terribly, everything was so perfect there. He enjoyed seeing anxiety, depression, distress, and whatnot on his rivals' faces. Their frustration was quite visible. With each of their asset turning into ashes, their confidence wavered into thin air and the BEAST was getting the entertainment of his life seeing all of it. But, he needed to get out of there despite the fun he was having.
They needed to find the moles in their men and kill them, then they could kill Abhyansh and soon these attacks would stop, that was the only way out of this problem, well, that's what Rizzo and his allies thought, but only Abhyansh knew there were no moles in them.
"I was disappointed in you Rizzo... I thought if not equal to me, you would be smart enough to figure out a solution to the problem I created, if not actually implement the solution but here you are still stuck at figuring out the problem... huh... Extremely disappointed... you don't deserve the title of my biggest rival... Someone smart deserves that place", Abhyansh infuriated Rizzo even more so that he completely stopped thinking in the right direction and so far it was working... Because he needed to buy some time as he realized soon the 10 codes would expire and it wouldn't take much time for Rizzo to figure out what Abhyansh was up to, and that would end his game...
"You were enjoying too much BEAST... But the moment I find the ones I'm searching for... Your game is over... I'll have my own sweet time torturing you before ending your life", Rizzo said indicating about finding the moles among his men.
"Good luck then", Abhyansh gave a snarky remark... He tried to help him, he even hinted saying they couldn't even figure out the problem yet but if his enemy was too egoistic to take his advice then it wasn't his problem... Abhyansh shrugged...
"You'll kill him and I'm happy about it, but the thing that's pinching my heart is his Rani sa", Neil said walking inside, throwing a smirk at Abhyansh...
"You bas***d...", Abhyansh screamed, lunging at him, he was left free but around him were tens of men holding guns at him but he cared the least, hearing Neil Singhania talk about his wife got him furious... That man was partially responsible for his inhumane behavior towards his wife, he wouldn't leave him for it ever...
Tens of bulky men guarding him had to hold him back from lunging at Neil.
"Calm down BEAST", Marcus told Abhyansh, throwing a glare at Neil Singhania but would he care, no. That man was as shameless.
"You shouldn't be so aggressive, I'm just worried about your sweet wife, she wouldn't look good in a white saree without vermillion, widow face doesn't suit her... how about I get her re-married to my son", Neil Singhania said, and that's it... Abhyansh lost it...
He broke out of the men's clutches and slapped the old man hard on his face. Unable to hold the intensity, the Neil fell on the floor with blood oozing out of his lip, Abhyansh held his neck choking him with his one palm while the other was fisted and indulged in handling the men who tried to stop him... Abhyansh's grip on Neil's neck didn't loosen even when tens of men were pulling him, he was called beast for not only his actions but for his physical strength as well. His maddening rage only fueled his vile grip... The men were able to pull him but his vile grip on the old man remained.
"BEAST... let him go...", Marcus said from behind but did nothing to separate Abhyansh from him because he knew that would be futile...
Neil's eyes rolled back as if he was struggling hard to stay alive. The oxygen supply was cut off and he wouldn't be surprised even if his larynx and pharynx were damaged permanently.
"Talk about my wife again and I would chop your son into pieces in front of your eyes and stuff them in your throat", Abhyansh said coldly, his tone ruthless and by his stern expressions, he knew he meant every word he uttered.
"BEAST... he would die", Marcus said and that brought Abhyansh out of his rage, he decided to leave him as he had some other plans for Neil Singhania, he couldn't let him die without suffering much. With that thought, his grip loosened and soon he left him free and Neil collapsed on the floor gasping for oxygen.
Marcus called for the doctor at the base immediately and he was there within the next 20 minutes and treated him, till then the expert men gave first aid to Neil to keep him alive. Abhyansh made his own calculations with that, if the doctor took 20 minutes to reach there, the base would be at max 10 minutes away from the place he was kept. He heard the chopper sound when the doctor arrived so he was sure they had to travel by air. He planned to escape from there by killing or injuring everyone guarding him, he would reach the base before more assistance reached from the base but that plan would be fruitful only if his men were already present in all the bases that belonged to the enemy.
It was impossible for Khan to decipher the total number of bases and their locations, it could only be done by Bhairav, but how would Bhairav know that Khan would know anything at all ? Abhyansh himself took measures to hide his meetings with Khan in order to keep Bhairav away from the truth regarding Ilir's death.
Abhyansh couldn't understand what to do now to guarantee his win, he just hoped he would succeed in defeating the men at the base as well, but if thought practically, no matter his extreme capabilities, defeating or even fighting with a battalion of armed men with no arms or weapons at hand was a hard task and Abhyansh had no choice of succumbing. No, he cannot die and let his wife live with that grief for life, he knew she would be shattered and she might even succumb, even the thought scared him. What about his family ? God, his brother was soft, no doubt he was a good businessman but not ruthless. If something were to happen to him, he could trust his wife to handle the family, his grandmother to guide them, his brother and brother-in-law to handle his business, and Bhairav and John to protect his family but who would handle his wife? No one could and with this conclusion, Abhyansh knew he had to fight this war and win it no matter what.
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Isha walked to her husband's cabin on the first floor and soon Ranveer, Avyan, Bhairav, John, and Bharat joined her. She massaged her forehead as it started throbbing heavily with the things that were taking place around her. It's been 4 days yet they couldn't figure out her husband's whereabouts, now she started worrying about his state...
"The local government had started their game... We need to tackle this soon Rani sa", John said
"I'm surprised at their audacity to come here and accuse us, even in Rana sa's absence, I didn't think anyone is capable of doing it, Rana sa created walls so strong that no one could break them", Isha expressed her doubts...
"They have been like this always Rani sa... The majority of the ruling party members belonged to royal families and they craved the respect people gave Hukum, but they never succeeded... This was one of their dirty moves to malign Hukum's name", Bhairav explained...
"I won't let them succeed though", Isha said, Ranveer raised his brows at his sister... If his sister so confidently declared she wouldn't let them succeed, then he was sure she must have had a plan, so he waited for her to vocalize it... "People... ", Isha said and Bhairav looked at her with wide eyes getting what she was planning... Isha wanted to spread the news regarding the games played by the ruling government to malign and destroy their beloved king. She knew the people loved Abhyansh and respected him a lot, they would never tolerate such plotting against him.
"Forgive me Your Highness but Maharaj didn't like involving people in these games...", Bhairav said, Isha knew her husband was against using people's emotions for his benefit. Even, she wasn't in favor of doing it but they didn't have a choice now, and she would do anything to protect what her husband had built with his sweat and blood... He protected his empire from getting blackspot in all these years, and she wouldn't let anyone malign his and his company's image in his absence now.
"You think I like going against Rana sa's principles Bhairav ? But we have no choice now... I can't let R Empire's reputation be tarnished, this firm provides employment and livelihood to millions. Rana sa doesn't like taking people's help because he is capable of dealing with things in his way without anyone's support but I can't especially in this situation", Isha said and Bhairav lowered his head in sorrow hearing Isha's words, he didn't like Isha's words for herself, their queen was extremely capable and how she concealed her pain and handled the family, people and the empire in these 4 days was enough proof for it. He always had immense respect for her and it only multiplied tenfold during this time.
"Forgive me Rani sa...", Bhairav said, Isha shook her head with a small smile seeing his loyalty for her husband that he didn't hesitate to oppose her on her face.
Bhairav instantly got offended when someone suggested going against his king's values or opinions, his brain was manufactured that way, he was quick to respond even without hearing the whole thing and he did the same just then when Isha proposed that but hearing her words, he thought about it, and realized they really didn't have a choice, they could use force to stop all that but that would only increase the speculations.
"Bhairav, I'm not asking you to manipulate people by feeding them lies, Spread the word about what was happening in Rana sa's absence, the truth, I repeat only truth. It shouldn't look like we are doing this, but the news should reach people... We have other ways to handle this but right now we are short of loyal people who would help us, we can't waste resources here, we need to use them wisely in finding Rana sa's whereabouts, so for now, let people handle this", Isha said and Bhairav realized she was right. Finding Abhyansh was more important now.
Isha looked at Ranveer and Avyan for their approval... They both nodded agreeing to her idea, and then Isha gave a final go-ahead to Bhairav, John, and Bharat. Isha asked Bhairav to detail John and Bharat on how to make this work and then come back as they had to discuss more important things related to finding Abhyansh. Bhairav nodded, bowed his head and left from there with John and Bharat.
Isha leaned her head on the table, and two tears slipped her eyes thinking about her husband's condition. She hoped he wouldn't be hurt in any way... Every day, she carried prayers in the temple on his behalf, Rajmata asked her to leave it to the priest but she denied, she wanted to do the puja and Abhishek to Mahadev in her husband's absence. She prayed for his safe return, she offered her life instead if it was necessary for Mahakaal to take a life.
Ranveer walked to his sister, ruffled her hair and Avyan sat on his knees wiping her tears...
"We'll soon find him... He is fine, don't worry bacha...", Ranveer said
"He should be fine bhai... I don't know how long I can hold myself or handle all these things... he needs to return and free me from these responsibilities, free you and Avyan as well... My Avi is still young to take so much stress... Rana sa should have thought about it...", Isha said cupping Avyan's cheek and Avyan sobbed laying his head on her lap, hell-worried about his brother's well-being...
Isha shook her head, wiped her tears, and ruffled Avyan's hair consoling him...
"Don't cry... Your Bhai sa would be fine... I'm sure... and see how I torture him for making you cry...", Isha said and Avyan let a small laugh while tears still fell from his eyes... Isha wiped his tears, cupped his cheeks, and kissed his hair. "Don't worry, We'll soon bring your bhai sa back... then you can hug him tightly and cry as much as you want but till then, no tears... okay ?", Isha said and Avyan nodded...
"I'm scared of bhai sa getting hurt... Bhabhi ma, promise me, you'll bring back bhai sa... Promise me", Avyan asked stretching his palm and Isha promised him...
"I promise... your bhai sa will be back soon... I trust in his abilities, he would be fine... We all would bring him back soon...", Isha said and Avyan nodded wiping his tears. "Now, go and take some rest, you have loads of work to handle in your brother's absence and you need a clear head for it, so take a nap for some time, hm ?", Isha said and Avyan nodded and left from there...
Isha hugged Ranveer while he ruffled her hair softly, he couldn't even imagine what his sister might be going through inside because he very well knew how much she loved her husband. He knew she was holding up for the sake of everyone...
"Not just Avyan, you need a nap too...", Ranveer said, she was about to protest but he cut her words off... "Just a few minutes, I'll be right here and wake you up soon", he assured her and she nodded tiredly...
Ranveer went to the couch and sat on it, while she lay on the couch, her head on his lap, he slowly ruffled her hair and she dozed off wondering where her husband could be, she sent a silent prayer to Maa Kali to show her some way...
"Finish him up Khan... Lucky bas**rd, getting an early release from hell... Do not let Bhairav know... "
" Khan... Do What I say"
"Burn him alive along with the place Khan saab "
Isha woke up with a jerk with what she recollected in her sleep... She always cursed her head for retaining all her husband's conversations after waking up from her sleep. Her ears captured everything that came out of her husband's mouth even when she was asleep and it was registered in her head. Surprisingly, this only happened with her husband's tone... Her brain gets conscious when it comes to him always and she hated that habit until now.
Ranveer rushed to his sister seeing her scared form...
"Ishu... What happened ? Was it a nightmare ?", Ranveer asked rubbing his sister's hair softly, calming her down... He gave her a glass of water and she gulped all of it...
"Bhai... I got a lead... We need to find Khan... whoever he is but I'm sure he must know about Rana sa's whereabouts...", she said taking a deep breath... Isha believed her husband wouldn't leave everyone clueless, he sure might have let someone know about his plans, if not Bhairav, then maybe this 'Khan' Whoever he was. Ranveer was about to ask something but Isha shook her head... "Please don't ask me anything now, we don't have much time... ", Isha said and Ranveer sighed deeply but nodded...
"Okay, I'll call Bhairav in...", Ranveer said instantly as they couldn't waste any more time...
"Not Bhairav, first let's ask Avyan, if he doesn't know anything, then we'll ask Bhairav, for now let's keep Bhairav out of it", Isha said, from the conversation and her husband's words she remembered, Abhyansh clearly mentioned not to let Bhairav know, and she didn't know the reason but she wanted to follow his words as much as possible. She knew if Abhyansh was hiding something from Bhairav then it must be for Bhairav's benefit so she decided to keep it from him for now.
Ranveer frowned but followed his sister's words, he knew there was some good reason behind it and he determined to find out but for now he called Avyan and asked him to come to Abhyansh's 1st floor cabin.
"He is on his way", Ranveer said and Isha nodded... "I know many Khans among Ranawat's close staff among all the sectors, how would we find out which Khan it is ? We can't even detail them the whole issue, as it's supposed to be confidential", Ranveer expressed
Avyan came there and Isha asked him if he knew anyone known as 'Khan' his brother has close ties with...
"Yes, Bhabhi ma... two people meet your requirements... One is Mr. Ahmed Khan and the other one is Mr. Zahid Shah Khan...", Avyan said
"Abhyansh addresses both of them as 'Khan' ?", Isha asked and Avyan nodded, making Isha sigh in defeat... "We can ask Bhairav... I'm sure he would know who could be that person with which bhai sa could share his whereabouts", Avyan said and Isha thought they couldn't proceed without taking Bhairav's help now but suddenly something stuck her...
"Does your bhai sa address either of them Khan saab ?", Isha asked and at first Avyan shook his head as that's impossible but then he remembered something.
"Yes Bhabhi ma... When I was a kid, I remember hearing bhai sa calling Mr. Zahid Shah Khan 'Khan saab', and now that I think of it, he was very brave and he is closer to bhai sa than Mr. Ahmed Khan is", Avyan said
"That's it... I think he might know about your brother's whereabouts", Isha said and Avyan gave her a perplexed look... "We don't have time to waste Avyan... Arrange a call for me with this Khan saab immediately", Isha said and Avyan went out to do the needed.
"Now will you tell me what was that all about ?", Ranveer asked her seriously and she sighed deeply before telling him what she recollected. At first, Ranveer stood shocked to learn his sister's ability to retain his brother-in-law's words even asleep then appreciated their unique connection.
"Are you sure you are not mad ?", Ranveer teased her earning a glare from her... "No, seriously, only crazy people display such odd behaviors, I know your husband is one odd human but you too Ishu ?", Ranveer teased her further, this time earning a hard slap on his shoulder...
"You really think so ?", she asked after a while and this time he got the seriousness underlying her question...
"No... this happens with many", he said
"Well, I don't care even if it's odd behavior or I'm crazy, because this is what is helping us find Rana sa", Isha said shrugging and Ranveer nodded with a smile.
Avyan was back with his phone and handed it to Isha...
"Hello Khan saab, Namaste... This is Isha Abhyansh Singh Ranawat...", Isha said confidently...
"Rani sa...Assalamu Alaikum... Of course, I know you... Tell me, how can I help you ?", Mr. Khan asked, perplexed at why Isha called him...
"I know you were the last person Rana sa met before his disappearance... Where is he ?", Isha asked without beating around the bush shocking the old man.
Zahid Shah Khan didn't expect someone to call him, let alone Isha. He was supposed to keep Abhyansh's meeting with him discrete. So, he was sure no one knew Abhyansh came to him then how did Isha know ? he wondered
"I don't know what you are talking about", Khan tried to downplay but Isha was having none of it
"Either you tell me or Bhairav will make you", Isha said in her no-nonsense tone... she didn't have time...
"No... Not Bhairav", Khan said immediately... If Bhairav got to know about it, Abhyansh would kill him. "Does he know I know ?", Khan asked, and now Isha knew she was going in the right direction.
"No... I know Rana sa doesn't want to let him know so I didn't involve him till now ... But, if you don't utter anything, I will be forced to involve Bhairav", Isha asked
"No... I'll tell you Rani sa... But make sure Bhairav doesn't know anything...", Khan said before narrating Abhyansh's plan of ending all his foes at a time, then how his plan was disrupted by Rizzo and his partners. Isha sat down on the chair, tears flowing from her eyes imagining her husband captured by his foes for 4 days.
"When were you going to tell me all this ?", Isha screamed in anger...
"I was ordered by Maharaj not to contact anyone Rani sa... Trust me, I wanted to... Because only Bhairav knew all our enemy's bases and his help was much needed in finding Maharaj but I couldn't go against Maharaj's orders, I am supposed to inform you and Bhairav about all this if he didn't return before a week, so I was waiting", the older man said and Isha was furious, here her husband was in danger and this man was still loyal to their king's word, other than trying to save him? Seriously, her husband has some crazy loyalists. Isha so wanted to bang his head somewhere but she didn't have time even for that...
"Okay, tell me the details...", Isha asked and he gave all the details and cautioned her to not let Bhaiarv know that she got these details from him and she understood how serious her husband was in not letting Bhairav know about it, whatever it was.
"I'll take care of it... Don't worry... Bhairav, Avyan, and I will be coming there... We'll take care of the rest, make sure you hide your involvement in this by then", Isha said and hung up...
"Bhai... we'll go there, you stay here with the family... It's important for someone to be here", Isha said
"Okay... then you stay here... I can't allow you to go there... it might be dangerous for you", Ranveer said but Isha was adamant... She was determined to get her husband back safe and sound. The brother-sister argued and Isha won at the end. Later, they decided a story about how they got the details.
Bhairav was called in...
"Bhairav... We are leaving for Europe right away...", Isha said
"Any lead Rani sa ?", Bhairav was quick to get alerted...
"Yes... I want you to arrange our journey and our trusted men for our security... Before anything, Find these people's bases there... all of them, and send our loyal men to every base without leaving a single one", Isha said handing a list to Bhairav which consisted of Abhyansh's top foes... Bhairav was about to question regarding how she got the list but Isha stopped him from questioning, citing their time crunch to discuss all of it.
Bhairav and Avyan started with the work and they soon began their journey to Europe... Ranveer reluctantly let his sister go with a heavy heart, he wanted to go with her but he had to protect the family by staying back... Isha took Avyan as she remembered her husband telling her that for some key places and lockers, Avyan's fingerprints and iris scan were a must. Also, she knew her brother-in-law might have some idea of things like he had an idea about whom his bhai sa called 'Khan saab'. Avyan's knowledge might be helpful so Isha asked him to tag him along otherwise she wouldn't have risked his life... Same with Avyan, he didn't like his sister-in-law travelling to Europe that too when his brother was captured by enemies... But he knew she wouldn't listen to him, so he promised to protect her with his life.
It's Day-5 of Abhyansh's missing, and Bhairav planned everything, found out all the bases, and distributed their loyal men around all the bases. 9 blasts were already done and he knew 9 codes had expired, he was left with only one code and before it expired he needed to kill all of them and leave from there. Tackling with men guarding him wasn't a big deal for him, his biggest challenge was at the base where there were a huge number of armed men. He planned perfectly and executed it, as per plan, he tackled the men there at night and left to the nearest base in the chopper available. As he expected, the actual problem started at the base, he was attacked, and injured but as per Rizzo's orders, none shot him, so he managed to fight them, irrespective of their number, courtesy, his years of practice in swordsmanship, and other strenuous physical activities he took part in daily.
He was fighting alone, he knew dominating all these men was far from easy, despite his beastly nature but then, he witnessed his loyal men there, and soon shootouts took place there. He was surprised to see his men there, how were they here ? Only Bhairav knew all their foes' bases and the thought that Bhairav could have known about his 'lie' crossed his head distracting his attention for a microsecond and it cost him a lot.
Abhyansh was shot twice, one on his shoulder which pained him a lot but it was manageable for him, he got shot many times but the other bullet was near his chest area, he knew it was a sensitive area, he just hoped it didn't hit anywhere near his heart otherwise his wife... No, he refused to think about it. He ignored his increasing pain and shot back his foes but it didn't last for more than 5 minutes, as the BEAST collapsed on the floor. His men wanted to finish this war as soon as possible and take Abhyansh to a safe place but things were getting hard. That's when Bhairav got there with Bharat and other men and immediately airlifted Abhyansh.
"Bhairav...", Abhyansh breathed in looking at his most loyal friend, his best friend's brother and his right hand man, more than anything, his family member.
"Hukum... Please... You'll be fine...", Bhairav said, his eyes welled up for the first time in years. He had seen Abhyansh in a worse state years ago when his sister was killed, then his injuries were deep and grave. His condition was worse but Bhairav had hope but this time he was deeply worried looking at the bullet and its location. Abhyansh tried to stay conscious but his eyes were dropping, Bhairav didn't know what to do, his feet turned cold... They were already in their chopper moving towards their mansion where the medical aid was arranged for safety purposes but Bhairav knew it would get difficult if Abhyansh lost consciousness. "Maharaj... Rani sa is here...", Bhaira said, only Isha and her thoughts could keep Abhyansh conscious now...
"You shouldn't have...", Abhyansh said furious...
"Yuvraj Avyan is also here... your brother-in-law wasn't here, he didn't care enough...", Bhairav said, he blabbered anything and everything to keep Abhyansh conscious... Bhairav's unfiltered and emotional voice instead of his usual robotic tone brought a small smile on Abhaynsh's face.
"Tak...Take out this bullet", Abhyansh said pointing toward the bullet on his shoulder... Bhairav nodded and tried pulling it out... They have years of training and practice in first-aid. Soon they reached the mansion and Abhyansh was rushed to the medical facility there where a team of expert doctors was waiting for them...
Isha and Avyan rushed there knowing about their return, she was smiling widely with tears running from her eyes, she thought her husband might have gotten some cuts and must be getting first aid before she saw the depth of it. It was his habit to hide the depth of his injuries to keep her from worrying. She thought of torturing him a lot for doing so, for now, she was happy that he was back safe and sound. But, only when she got there did she notice the condition of the room, which was dead silent but tension was filled all over. What scared her the most was Bhairav sitting on the floor as if he lost everything.
"Bhairav... where is Rana sa ?", Isha asked, her tone indicating her fear... She tried to conceal a lot but nothing worked...
"Maharaj was shot twice Rani sa... He is getting treated", Bhairav said, his tone cold, not robotic like always... Isha was startled to hear it...
No No... No... She kept screaming at herself for all the worse situations her head was picturizing... Avyan held Isha by her shoulders but Isha didn't stop shivering... Her fear got the best of her... She stared at Bhairav once and then at the medical room where her husband was getting treated... She walked towards the glass door to see her husband, Avyan tried to stop her but she didn't budge, she walked, her steps steady, her eyes took in her husband's unconscious form with doctors around him treating him, several machines attached to him monitoring his condition. She stood there like a stone for 5 minutes, Avyan side hugged her, tears flew from his eyes but he held them.
"Bhabhi ma...", Avyan said shaking her slowly... "Bhabhi ma...", he called again since she didn't respond the first time, and this time she did... she looked at Avyan blankly as if she was deliberately blocking the condition of her husband from entering her head. "Bhai sa would be fine...", Avyan said and Isha nodded...
"Who shot him ?", Isha asked after an hour of silence... Not a drop of tear left her eyes in this one hour... She and Bhairav sat like cold rocks... Avyan called Ranveer and informed him of the situation who was utterly shocked. He called Anuj and all his loyal men and asked them to guard Ranawat palace, he informed Rajmata about the situation and asked her to stay in the back palace with Amruta and Pratap and lock it from inside till they return. He assured her that Abhyansh was doing fine though he didn't know that, he didn't want the elder woman to worry at this age though he knew she was a very tough woman. Ranveer left immediately for Europe as he knew his sister needed him more at that time.
"Neil Singhania", Bhairav answered in the same tone
"Did you capture him ?", She asked again and Bhairav shook his head lowering it. "Aren't you ashamed Bhairav ? The man who shot Rana sa was still roaming free ?", Isha roared, extremely furious... If it was her in her husband's place, by now Abhyansh would have captured everyone who was responsible for the attack on her but here incompetent she, sat there like a rock. Her blood boiled thinking about the people who dared to hurt her husband, for the first time in her life, she wanted to give immeasurable pain to someone, torture that 'Neil Singhania' whoever he was, and she promised herself, she would introduce him to a hell no one would have ever known or heard of...
"I'll go, hunt him the next minute I know Hukum is fine, Rani sa", Bhairav answered.
"HE IS FINE... Stop thinking otherwise... Go and capture those bas***ds before Rana sa comes into consciousness", Isha shouted, ordering Bhairav and other men. Bhairav bowed and left from there. Their Rani sa is right, their king would be fine, he has to be, but he would be so disappointed to know that the men responsible for his condition were roaming freely. Bhairav is determined to show hell to Neil Singhnaia, Marcus Rizzo, and everyone involved in this deadly attack.
Bhairav got numb before but now he wasn't anymore... He believed in Mahadev, he wouldn't let anything happen to his beloved devotee, Bhairav thought strongly and started his hunt.
Isha sat outside the Operation theatre along with Avyan... It's been 6 hours since Abhyansh was taken inside but there was no news, every second was torture to her. She was scared, she couldn't think of anything, her head was blank, a couple of doctors kept moving in and out of the OT and they briefly told her that Abhyansh's condition was critical.
"Bhabhi ma...", Avyan called but Isha didn't respond, she was in her own thoughts...
Finally, doctors came out after the strenuous surgery, and Isha and Avyan stood up to know Abhyansh's condition. Isha just wants to hear them say 'He is fine'. Just that and nothing else.
"The surgery was fine Your Highness, we removed the bullets and thankfully there wasn't much blood loss but enough to cause him weakness for many days... We'll conduct further tests after His Royal Highness will be conscious", the doctor who headed the surgery briefed...
"He is fine right ?", Avyan asked with anticipation... Isha couldn't gather any words... She felt peace wash over her hearing her husband was fine, at the same time she was anxious, she just wanted to know that there wouldn't be any further complications.
"Yeah, his life isn't threatened anymore, but we aren't sure of further complications", he said and Isha frowned.
"Is something wrong ?", Isha asked
"We are not sure Your Highness, We need to run some more tests and that could be possible only after His Royal Highness is conscious", he said and Isha nodded...
"Can we see him ?", Isha asked
"Yes... You can stay with him, there is no issue... Please give us some time, we are shifting him to the ICU", he said and Isha nodded.
"Avyan... Stay here... I'll be back in 5 minutes", Isha said and Avyan nodded.
She ran to the other wing of the mansion where Bhairav showed Abhyansh's room to Isha before. She shut the door and broke down into tears. Loud sobs escaped her throat, the fear of losing her husband, the man she loved more than her life gripped her heart, and these 6 hours of mental torture, fear of losing him and those 5 days of uncertainty of his whereabouts scared her a lot and the facade she had to wear showing her fearless form when she was dying every second in fear and pain from insidewas the hardest.The ache in her chest only doubled with every passing second imagining her husband's pain.
With the thought of Abhyansh's pain, an unexplainable rage formed in her head, a strange desire to end the person who did this to her husband. That second, that minute she determined to give so much pain to those bas***ds. For a second, she couldn't recognize herself for the kind of inhumane ideas she was having to punish them but the very next second she admonished herself for even thinking like that. They deserved only cruelty for suffering her husband and now they will get only cruelty. Till then they only experienced the BEAST's brutality but now they would they would see his wife's, they would answer her husband's physical pain, her every tear, every second she spent in fear, with their blood.
She wiped her tears, washed her face with water, and rushed to the other block where Abhyansh was getting treated in the medical facility center there. She saw Avyan standing outside the ICU. By seeing her red eyes, he knew she had a breakdown.
"Bhabhi ma... They have shifted bhai sa to ICU, he is still unconscious...", Avyan said and Isha nodded walking to the intensive care. "Bhabhi ma, aap teekh hai na ? (You are fine right ?)", Avyan asked, his tone held pain and worry for her, she knew how much he adored and respected her.
"Hum teekh hai Avi(I am fine Avi), and so is your brother... Don't think so much, go and take some rest in your room... I'll stay with him", Isha said
"I'll be with you... At least till bhai sa opens his eyes", Avyan said
"You are tired Avyan", she protested
"So are you bhabhi ma", he was adamant but at last he had to give in.
She went inside to sit with Abhyansh while Avyan went to take some rest asking Isha to call him immediately if needed.
Isha kept staring at her husband's unconscious form, she didn't know how many hours passed, tears kept flowing from her eyes and she kept wiping them. Hearing a knock on the door, she straightened her posture, shielding her face with the tough facade.
"Your Royal Highness...", the doctor greeted Isha with a bow, Isha acknowledged him with her straight face.
He started checking Abhyansh, took note of his vitals, and was about to leave when Isha asked about Abhyansh's health and probable complications.
"He is doing fine for now, The bullet shots were at places where it could have caused heavy damage to vital organs, but it's his Royal Highess's good physical health that saved him, in fact, his extreme physical as well as mental strength is the main cause he is out of danger now... But about the complications, we still need to observe... As per my experience, there shouldn't be any, but we'll have to wait till he gets conscious", the senior doctor said...
She specifically asked only him because she felt the old man was very experienced and good at his job, and also he respected the Royal family but didn't fear them like the other doctors, so she was sure he wouldn't conceal or sugar coat anything, he would be transparent about her husband's condition and that's what she needed at this time.
"Thank you", Isha said giving him a nod. He acknowledged with a smile and a little bow and left from there.
It's 4 more hours later that Abhyansh came into consciousness. Isha sprang from her seat to him seeing his eyelids moving, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw her worried eyes meeting his gaze...
" Ansh... ", she whispered, taking his palm in hers... Her eyes welled up but she controlled herself...
"Isha... I am fine...", he said softly...
"I know... You need something? Water ?", she asked ruffling his cheek and rough beard.
"Hm...", he hummed, she took the water glass and helped him have some water.
"I'll call the doctor...", she said and was about to go out but he held her wrist with his one hand and pressed the button with the other. "Sorry... I didn't know that", she said, her tone hoarse with all the tears she shed. "Any pain anywhere?", she asked worried for him... and he shook his head observing her red eyes, he so wanted to kill Marcus and that bl**dy Singhania right away.
"Aap teekh hai ? (Are you okay ?)", he asked after observing the fine lines marring her forehead. 'You were shot not me' she wanted to answer but didn't... she knew worrying for her comes to him naturally, and she couldn't stop him from doing so, ever.
"Yes... Now that you are fine... I'm relieved", she said kissing his forehead... "Take some rest...", she said and just then a team of doctors entered, and checked him. Isha waited anxiously for the doctors to say something, Abhyansh noticing her anxiety cleared his throat hinting at the doctors and they instantly got the sign. They had known Abhyansh for years, they treated his multiple bullet wounds, and they very well knew his body, as well as his hints. They understood he wanted them to clarify his health soon, but his impatience surprised them nonetheless the senior doctor opened his mouth to do the needful, completing their examination.
"Maharaj is fine now... We'll soon conduct the remaining tests and let you know the results, Your Highness", he told Isha who nodded with a small smile. After that, they informed her that the tests would be done after 2 hours, and citing some instructions to Isha, they left from there.
"Sleep for some time...", she said closing his eyes with her palm...
"You too...", his tone was soft, but still it held so much power that she wondered how he managed to sound like that despite being in that condition and she felt proud of his strength and prayed to keep him that way always.
"I will... but not now", she said giving a small smile.
"I'm proud of you", he said suddenly... and she looked into his eyes and the extreme pride in his eyes brought tears to her eyes... She knew he was talking about how she saved the whole family...
"You know ?", she asked and he nodded
"I didn't know in detail and I want to hear it from you... Each of them will receive their punishments accordingly...", he said with his clenched teeth.
"I'll tell you everything but not now... I want you to first recover completely...", Isha said hiding her tears from him by turning her face... she couldn't see him in bed like that, it was hurting her too much and the pain and fear she faced while rescuing her family during that attack on the Ranawat palace flashed in front of her eyes, that was the most terrified experience she had in her life, after the nightmare she faced where she saw her Kaku sa torturing her and confessing her to that he had killed her father. To date, she couldn't understand why she saw such a nightmare and why it had so much effect on her.
"I will... and don't cry... Everyone will get what they deserve, I'll make sure of it, just know this I'm proud of you, so damn much", he said
"I did nothing except follow your instructions, you were prepared and created all the safe paths for us... Like always, you protected us, but I failed to protect you", she said and he could see the dying guilt in her eyes and he shook his head...
"Don't be stupid Isha...", he scolded her, he couldn't let her blame herself. She wasn't the reason... Then it struck him, how did Bhairav know? Definitely, Khan must have given the details, does that mean Bhairav now knows? Dread filled his eyes and she frowned seeing the change of emotions in his eyes...
"What is wrong Rana sa ?", she asked him
"How did you guys find me ? How did Bhairav find me ?", he asked and she frowned at him...
"I know your Bhairav is so very capable but this time it's your wife who found you", she said with a teasing glint, she knew he had extreme trust in Bhairav and she was sure he might be thinking that Bhairav found him.
"Isha... Don't play with me, detail me everything...", he said with impatience.
"I heard your discussion with some Khan saab while I was asleep, I suddenly recollected it, and you clearly asked Mr. Khan to not let Bhairav know something... and by joining the dots, I understood, if even Bhairav didn't know about your whereabouts, then this Khan should be knowing about you for sure... Because I know you aren't that stupid to not let any of your trusted men to know your whereabouts...", Isha said and started explaining everything in detail, he was astonished at how his wife found him... Damn! That was unexpected... He always found her habit of only hearing him and responding to only him even in sleep weirdly satisfying but he never imagined that habit could save his life one day...
After hearing her, he knew if his wife knew that something must be hidden from Bhairav, she must have taken measures to keep it that way but he wasn't sure, what if she in her urge to save him, disclosed Mr. Khan's involvement to Bhairav and now Bhairav digs the truth ? Abhyansh feared Bhairav's reaction and his pain.
"Isha... Bhairav knew that Khan knew where I was ?", he asked
"What do you think ?", she asked in return... She wanted to know what he thought of her.
"My Isha can compromise with my word for my life at some point... But my Rani sa wouldn't... My word is dearer to her than anything and she would go to any extent to protect it", he said confidently and she nodded with tears in her eyes at how well he understood her.
"As always, My Rana sa knows me the best...", she said and he gave her a proud smile... "I didn't know why and what you are hiding from Bhairav, but if you are, then I was sure you would be doing it for him, and I thought it's better to let Bhairav not know Mr. Khan's involvement... I didn't know who 'Khan Saab' was, so I asked Avyan and luckily he remembered you addressing someone 'Khan saab' when he was a child and through him, I got in touch with Mr. Khan and got to know who is involved in this, I gave all the details to Bhairav and he found out all the bases... Mr. Khan told me only Bhairav knew all the bases so I had to involve him there, otherwise I wouldn't have... I don't want Bhairav hurt Rana sa... I tried my level best but somewhere I couldn't conceal everything from him... He asked me how I got all those details, I dodged that question and he too left it for the time being as reaching to you was more important then, but you do know that he would come back with that question right ?", she said and he nodded, taking her palm wanting to kiss it, she understanding his wish, moved her palm near his lips. "I'm sorry, I couldn't do enough to keep him away from the truth", she said and he shook his head...
"You did more than enough... I can't even imagine what you might have gone through all these days when I disappeared... Even with so much fear and pain inside you, you handled everything so well... I'm proud of my Rani sa... So damn proud", he said and she could see the pride in his eyes and she gave a lite smile but he still found guilt in her eyes... "What is it Isha ?", he asked, she could sense his weakness, he needs rest but she knew he is stubborn and wouldn't let it go until she tells him.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't protect you... I failed", she said, tears welled up in her eyes...
"Despite doing all this, you are blaming yourself for not saving me ? Such an idiot you are Rani sa... Don't you still understand ? I'm alive because of you", he said and she shook her head...
"I didn't do enough... I'm sorry", she said sobbing, hiding her face in his palm... He let her sob as she needed to get her guilt and pain out... He couldn't even imagine what she must be feeling seeing him in that condition, he couldn't even imagine a scratch on her body and she was dealing with so much pain. He felt so helpless...
After she calmed down, he gently wiped her tears with his one palm while his other one was connected with wires and drips.
"You have let it go now... and it's done... I don't want to hear this anymore... The only truth is what I'm going to tell you... You, my Rani sa saved me... I know you saved me for yourself but still, you did...", he said and she smiled shaking her head at his poor attempt to crack a joke.
"I didn't... Bhairav saved you... He found all the bases and sent men to all of them with perfect planning", she said and Abhyansh nodded
"I know what Bhairav is capable of... but what would he do if you didn't get the info from Mr. Khan ? They reached at the right time and it's because of you, so stop blaming yourself, If you didn't act on time, I would have been dea...", he was about to say but she slapped his lips with her palm tightly...
"Ah! I'm a patient", Abhyansh whined at her harsh slap... Well not too harsh but the king and his tantrums...
"Then behave like one... why speak nonsense? Patients should rest... Go to sleep...", Isha said and Abhyansh glared at her but closed his eyes to take rest because of the sedatives... "Wait wait... Don't sleep... Avyan is on his way... Meet him and then sleep... Poor he, was so worried for you... I had to forcefully send him to his room to take some rest, otherwise, he wasn't ready to leave you", Isha said and Abhyansh nodded...
As in cue, Avyan stormed in, and seeing his brother conscious, Avyan got so emotional...
"Bh...Bhai sa... You are okay", It wasn't a question but a statement as if he is assuring himself...
"Yes... What will happen to me ? And how many times did I tell you not to fumble ?", Abhyansh scolded and tears made their way from Avyan's eyes... He dropped on the other chair and hugged his brother...
"I was so scared Bhai sa... Very scared...", Avyan said, he loved his elder brother a lot... He could give away his life for him and seeing him fighting for life scared him... Isha got up and walked to Avyan and rubbed his shoulder consoling him... She took Abhyansh's free hand and kept it on Avyan's head, blinking her eyes... Abhyansh knew what she was saying... He wanted to console his brother too but this attack and situation taught him to make his brother strong... For the family's sake... Life is uncertain and he has to find another way to secure his family's life and that starts with making his brother strong.
"Avyan... Go back and handle things in the office... I'm fine now", he said coldly pulling his palm away from his hair, Isha glared at him...
"I'm handling work from here bhai sa...", Avyan said getting up from his seat...
"Do what I say Avyan", Abhyansh said sternly and Avyan had no option but to bow... He knew this attack on his family and him(Abhyansh) had shaken his brother and he wanted to make him strong... And something in Avyan changed too... Seeing his elder brother who was everything to him in such danger, his bhabhi ma protecting him and his family like a shield while he was not very helpful created pain and shame in him making him a different man. There was this urge in him to become ruthless but he knew that wasn't his innate nature, but situations didn't leave him a choice, if he couldn't become one, he could at least pretend to be one right ? That's what Avyan thought and decided. He needed to become tough and ruthless for his family's sake.
"I understand what you want me to do Bhai sa... And trust me... I won't disappoint you, from today, I'll take responsibility of the CD and soon take charge as the managing director of R Empire just like you always wanted... I'll work hard and make you proud... I want to take some load off your head... I also want to get involved in our relations with the Middle East and African nations", Avyan said surprising Abhyansh... He looked at his brother's face and Abhyansh understood that these terrible attacks and compromising of the family safety replaced that childish and kind brother with this tough and hard man, Abhyansh didn't like it a bit but he didn't have a choice either. If it was in his hands, he would want his brother to never change, that's why he kept him away from all the things that could hurt his mental peace but for the family's survival, it's important now.
Isha understood that there was a dire need for the brothers to talk now... She held Avyan's shoulders and made him sit beside Abhyansh.
"You both have 10 minutes, after that, you'll sleep and you'll go to your room to take rest... understood ?", Isha said, first order to her husband and second one to Avyan, both of them gave a nod and she left from there closing the door. She also needed to inform Bhairav about Abhyansh's condition so she left.
Both the brothers sat in silence for the first 5 minutes... Time was ticking and Avyan badly wanted to listen to his brother... and Abhaynsh wanted to express what he felt but didn't know how to... he cursed his habit of hating communication especially verbal.
"You don't have to involve in our diplomatic relations, I'll take care of that, you stay away", Abhyansh said, that was vital and dangerous work and he didn't want his brother to get hurt in any way. He wouldn't have to deal with them ever, with him alive and even after his death... He would make sure of it... He became a BEAST so that his brother could have his childhood and enjoy his life like a normal person, and just because of this one attack, he wouldn't let him lose it. Yes, he sure wants him to take more responsibilities but not so much that he loses himself in that vicious cycle.
"Bhai sa... I'm fine, I'm doing all this with my will", Avyan said knowing what his brother might be thinking, sure he didn't speak to him much ever, but Avyan always understood his brother because he knew him.
"I know... but I don't want you to, take CD's responsibility and prepare to take over as the MD completely, that's enough for now...", Abhyansh said...
"Till when will you keep protecting me ?", Avyan asked gathering his courage... He didn't know why but for the first time after 2 decades, he felt as if he was talking to his bhai sa, who wasn't a BEAST, just his bhai sa and with that feeling, his courage followed.
"Till the time I'm alive, and even after my death... I won't let anything happen to you...", Abhyansh said ruffling Avyan's hair... Tears slipped from Avyan's eyes, he never expected his brother to show his love to him again but here he is...
"But I feel so ashamed bhai sa... When they attacked us... it's bhabhi ma that saved our family, me... whereas it should be me who should have protected all of them, but she did it risking her life... It was my duty to protect her, not use her as my shield", Avyan said and Abhyansh shook his head... He understood that Avyan was feeling ashamed as a Rajput for being unable to protect his family, he needed to remove his guilt otherwise these regrets would eat him up all his life like they did to his and Abhyansh didn't want that for his brother, he knew how painful they were.
"You said it to me, but never utter such words in front of your Bhabhi ma... she would get so mad at you...", Abhyansh started and Avyan looked at him in surprise at his casual conversation... "It's your bhabhi ma's responsibility to protect you all... A mother always protects the child Avyan, that's nature... and for me and your bhabhi ma, you are our first child... More than me, she thinks so, she did everything because of her motherly love, not as a responsibility, don't hurt her feelings by uttering such words", Abhyansh said... he meant every word he uttered... That was what he was thinking when he taught Isha all those tactics and secret routes to escape in case of danger... The responsibility to protect his family was his and as his wife it's hers as well and more than that, it's her extreme love for the family and her motherly instincts to always protect Avyan and safeguard him that forced him to teach her everything that came in handy.
Avyan took his brother's palm in his and put his head on the back of his folded palm, his tears on Abhyansh's palm. What's with his wife and brother wetting the back of his palm with tears, BEAST wondered.
"Mother is supposed to protect children only till a certain age, after that, the child needs to become capable enough to protect himself and his mother, if not, people say his parents raised him to be incompetent, I don't want that tag for my family, especially ma, you and my bhabhi ma... It's time I grow up bhai sa", Avyan said without fumbling, the determination underlying his tone told Abhyansh the whole story. He understood this brutal attack and successfully managed to change his brother... This was why Abhyansh kept all the previous wars and shootouts hidden from his family, especially his brother. Though this was the first time his family's safety was compromised so badly after almost 2 decades, attacks on him were frequent, but he always managed to stay 10 steps ahead of his foes, but this time they managed to outsmart him for only some time but now that time has ended. He wouldn't leave them for being the reason for this transformation in his brother and the pain and tears shed by his wife. He will make them pay, self-promised BEAST.
On the other side, Avyan too determined to punish the ones who did this to his beloved bhai sa. He would no more be that kind prince people knew of, or that incapable prince that their enemies thought him to be. He would become their nightmare instead, Avyan determined.
Avyan walked out and Isha saw his worn-out form.
"Avi... Your bhai sa is fine... You just saw him right ?", Isha asked him softly ruffling his hair. Avyan nodded at her with a soft smile on his face.
"Bhabhi ma... Ranveer will reach here in an hour... I'll leave after he is here...", Avyan informed
"I'll talk to your bhai sa, he can't send you to India without your will. I know you want to stay with him", Isha said but Avyan held her hand shaking his head.
"Bhai sa is right and I need to go there", he said and Isha sighed
"I know you don't want to go, so I won't let you", Isha said, she knew how badly Avyan wanted to stay with his brother till he recovered so Isha told him to stay but Avyan was stubborn to leave for India. He convinced Isha and at last, she gave in. She could fight either of the brothers but not both and she knew she could do nothing when both the brothers were on the same page so she gave up.
Avyan left for his room to pack his bags while Isha left for her husband's ward, which looked nothing like a ward, but instead a luxury suit. She rolled her eyes at her husband's thoughts. She knew the ward was built based on his preferences as if he would be staying there instead of his chamber in the mansion, Only if she knew that he spent many weeks there because of the bullet wounds he got every time there was a war... Whenever there was a war situation, Bhairav assured that he could handle it but Abhyansh always tagged along as he hated to let his men go alone and sacrifice themselves for his ambitions, he wanted to lead them always, and he was sure he could win it, some minor wounds here and there didn't matter to him as he always won, courtesy his meticulous planning. The injuries were fatal this time because Abhyansh didn't have a plan this time.
"You didn't sleep yet ?", Isha asked entering inside and settling beside him.
"I was waiting for you", he said
"I'm here... sleep", she said and he nodded. He wanted to ask her about a lot of things but he knew he needed rest first, he felt a bit weak which had never happened in about last 2 decades, the last time he felt like this was when he was grievously injured and when Advaita was killed. And his weakness told him he had lost a lot of blood and the injuries were fatal this time as well. He slowly drifted into sleep.
After an hour, Ranveer reached there and Avyan left for India after taking Abhyansh's permission.
"Ranawat... How are you feeling ? Good to see you alive", Ranveer said, Isha glared at her brother. Abhyansh rolled his eyes at his idiotic brother-in-law's choice of words
"Is that a way you greet your injured brother-in-law Rajput ?", Abhyansh asked
"What did I do now ? I asked you how you are feeling. What's wrong with it ?", Ranveer defended himself
"Bhai... let him rest, don't irk him please", Isha said and stopped their bickering. She knew her brother was glad to see Abhyansh fine but he wouldn't express his feelings ever... Abhyansh too was glad that Ranveer stayed with his family during these tough times and supported the family and business but would never admit it.
The doctor just walked in to take samples for tests, Isha and Ranveer walked out to discuss some other things while the doctor conducted tests, as she knew she wouldn't get alone time to talk to her brother since Abhyansh ordered her to stay with him 24*7.
"Bhai... What's the update about the state agency ? Did our plan work ?", Isha asked, for now she thought not to disturb her husband by telling him about the audacity of the state agency to do what it did, her husband had the power to dissolve the government with just a few phone calls, but she didn't want him to take that task on his head now, he needs rest and she made sure he got that.
"Our plan worked...", Ranveer said and detailed how the government was now facing troubles for its move against R Empire. The people got so aversive to this government that now it became tough for them to get re-elected.
Isha, Ranveer, Bhairav, and Avyan made sure that their involvement in leaking this news stayed hidden and the anonymity acted in their favor. Isha sighed in relief hearing her brother, as at least one issue was resolved for now.
Now she waited for those bas***ds to get caught and then she would show them a personalized hell.
After the tests were done, Isha walked back to her husband's ward followed by her brother, to Abhyansh's dismay.