The Sinister

14.

Sita wakes up with the worst headache of her life. A sharp pain throbs inside her head and her hand automatically moves up to hold it. Her body feels heavy and sore.

As her eyes slowly focus, she looks down at herself and realizes she is sleeping on the floor, wrapped in a duvet with a pillow under her head. Confusion fills her for a moment.

Then she turns her head slightly and sees Tara lying beside her on the floor, asleep, just as exhausted.

Suddenly, the events of last night rush through Sita’s mind all at once. Every word, every image, every emotion hits her together. Her breath becomes uneven.

She sits up with a sudden jerk, her eyes moving around the room in panic, searching desperately. But he is not there.

“Sita, are you okay?” Tara’s worried voice reaches her ears. Tara quickly sits up and comes closer, holding Sita’s hand tightly, as if afraid to let her go.

“I was so scared last night” Tara says softly. “And you were crying so much” She pulls Sita into a tight hug. Feeling Tara’s arms around her, Sita’s chest tightens and she feels like crying all over again.

“T… Tara, I’m fine now” Sita says, though her voice is weak. “I was crying just because I saw him like that” She gently rests her head against Tara’s shoulder, trying to calm herself.

“W… where is sir?” Sita asks after a moment. Tara slowly loosens the hug and looks at her.

“He woke up early in the morning” Tara says. “He is in his room now” She stands up and walks toward the cupboard, opening it to take out clothes.

“Sita, freshen up fast and have breakfast” Tara says, glancing at her with concern. “Then I’ll give you medicine. Just look at your condition”

She takes out both her own and Sita’s dresses and places them neatly. Sita gives a small, tired smile. She slowly gets up from the floor, carefully placing the pillow and duvet back properly.

“Why do you care for me so much, Tara?” Sita asks softly, her eyes fixed on her. Tara pauses, then turns around with a warm smile on her face.

“Because you are my sister” Tara says with a wide, genuine smile. She gently pushes Sita toward the washroom.

“Go and take a bath. Till then, I’ll arrange everything” Tara says. Sita smiles again. She looks at Tara for a moment longer, then walks inside the washroom.

“Bhai, I told you to take care of yourself but look at the condition you are in now” Om shouts angrily as he watches the doctor clean the wounds on Zayran’s back and carefully apply medicine.

“Why did you both leave him alone in the first place?” Shaurya shouts at Yuv and Om, his voice sharp and filled with anger. His eyes burn as he looks at them, unable to control his emotions.

“Bhai, we thought someone was trying to take the truck, so we went to save it” Yuv says, his head lowered and guilt clearly visible on his face. “If we had known they came to kill bhai, we would never have moved away from there” His voice trembles slightly as regret weighs heavily on him.

“Ishi, stop crying” Zayran says, his eyes closed. Even lying there, his voice carries authority, though it sounds tired.

“You are in pain, bhai and we can’t do anything” Ishi says, tears rolling down her cheeks. She looks at him with worry-filled eyes.

“You all are reacting like this is my first time getting these injuries” Zayran says a little loudly. His tone is firm and irritated, instantly making everyone fall silent.

“Zayran!” Everyone hears Liyara’s voice from outside the room. At the sound of her voice, all of them roll their eyes, except Zayran, who keeps his eyes closed.

“Who informed her?” Ishi asks irritably, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

“Dadi” all three of them answer together.

“Don’t open the door” Zayran says firmly, his eyes still closed, just as the doctor finishes bandaging his wounds.

“Sir, try not to put pressure on your back” the doctor says seriously as he stands up and starts collecting his things.

Zayran slowly gets up. He wears his shirt. He then looks toward Grover. Grover meets his gaze and nods his head, immediately understanding what his boss means.

“Bhai, where are you going?” Shaurya asks anxiously as he sees Zayran walking toward the door.

“Downstairs for coffee” he says casually and opens the door. Liyara is standing right there.

“Zayran, how are you? I heard about your injury. I was so worried about you” she says. She moves her hand forward to touch him but the moment Zayran looks at her, her hand freezes in the air and slowly goes back to its place.

He walks downstairs without another word. All four of his siblings follow him closely, along with Grover. Liyara walks behind everyone.

The entire Kaalver family is sitting in the living room. The room is filled with voices, all of them talking about Zayran and what happened to him. The moment he steps down, all eyes turn toward him.

“How are you now?” Kavita asks, rushing toward him with worry all over her face.

“I’m fine, chachi” he replies calmly and sits down on the couch. Before Liyara can sit beside him, all the youngsters quickly occupy the space next to him.

Gauri and Neelam glare at them, clearly annoyed by their behavior.

“Zayran, why...” Virendra starts to speak but he stops mid-sentence when he sees that Zayran is not paying attention to anyone at all. His face shows no reaction, as if the voices around him don’t matter.

Sita walks out and the first thing she sees is the entire Kaalver family sitting together in the living room. Her eyes fall on him. Her heart tightens.

She immediately looks away, gulping hard, trying to stop herself from crying. Without saying anything, she walks toward the kitchen with Tara.

But before she can enter, his eyes fall on her.

“Make coffee for me” he says, looking directly at her.

Every head turns toward Sita at once. Feeling everyone’s gaze on her, she lowers her eyes and nods silently. She walks into the kitchen and starts preparing coffee for him.

From the living room, his eyes do not leave her even for a second.

Everyone notices this. Some faces turn dark with anger as they see the way he keeps looking at her.

“Zayran, Liyara is here and she is sorry for her behavior” Gauri says carefully. But he does not look at her, nor does he react.

His eyes are closed now, his face calm, while his fingers tap lightly on the side of the couch.

She takes the tray and walks out of the kitchen. She is scared to death right now. Her hands tremble slightly as she enters the living room and carefully places the tray in front of him.

His eyes are fixed on her face, while she keeps looking down not meeting his gaze even for a second. Her heart beats loudly in her chest. She turns around to go back to the kitchen but suddenly stops.

Every head turns toward the main door as police officers suddenly enter the mansion.

Panic spreads in the room within seconds.

Not one, not two, not three but more than fifty high-ranking officers walk inside, followed by over a hundred trained commandos.

Their heavy footsteps echo in the hall as they come forward and stop, all of them looking directly at Zayran.

But there is not a single line of tension, worry or fear on his face. He sits there calmly and lifts his coffee cup, taking a slow sip as if nothing unusual is happening.

Sita panics on seeing so many officers. Her body trembles with fear, her breath turning uneven. Then suddenly, relief rushes through her, hitting her hard. Her eyes turn moist as she recognizes a familiar face.

“Baba” she says softly, her voice breaking as she runs toward her father.

Anil Tiwari opens his arms and hugs his daughter, Sita Tiwari, tightly. Fear for her safety and pride for her strength are clearly visible in his eyes as he holds her close.

Everyone present looks at Sita in confusion, unable to understand what is happening.

“We are here to arrest Zayran Kaalver for running illegal businesses and the crimes he has committed” the commissioner says with a satisfied smile on his face.

But what shocks everyone is how calmly Zayran is still sitting there, completely unfazed.

Finally, his eyes lift from the floor. He looks straight toward her.

Sita feels his gaze on her skin and tightens her grip on her father’s hand. Her heart pounds painfully. She lowers her eyes, unable to meet his gaze.

“What proof do you have against him?” Rajiv asks the commissioner, anger dripping from each and every word he speaks. His jaw is clenched.

“We have not one or two but numerous solid proofs against him this time” the commissioner says confidently. He throws a file onto the table with force.

The sound makes the room fall silent. Rajiv picks up the file and starts reading it. As he goes through the papers, his face slowly turns stiff.

After finishing, he has nothing to say. He lifts his eyes and looks at Zayran.

Everyone looks at Zayran, waiting for him to react or say something. But he says nothing. His face remains calm. His eyes are fixed on that one girl standing there.

Sita never imagined that she would feel like this in such a situation. She always believed she would feel proud the day he got arrested. But now, everything feels different.

“Wait… Sita, y...you're a spy?” Yuvan says. His joyful and bubbly nature is nowhere to be seen right now. His voice shakes as disbelief fills his eyes.

“Yes, she is” the commissioner says with a victorious smile on his face. “And she gave us every piece of information about him” He places his hand on Sita’s head in a praising gesture.

“Let’s go” Zayran says calmly. He gets up from the couch after taking the last sip of his coffee.

Sita tightens her hold on her father’s hand. What scares her is not his anger, he is calm and that calmness makes her restless and uneasy.

Everyone holds their breath as they watch this. For almost ten years, Zayran has been a mafia. But this is the first time the police are going to take him away.

But every single soul present here is unaware that Zayran Kaalver is the mastermind of every game he plays. Every move, every silence, every loss is part of his plan. And when Zayran Kaalver is in the game, he is always the winner.

“Alexa, play Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” Om says quietly, watching everything unfold. His eyes look hurt as he sees how their ship is getting chura chura.

“Maine toh socha tha yeh pulao bana rahe hain, par yahan toh kuch aur hi chal raha tha” Shaurya says with a sad face.

(I thought they were cooking something but something else was going on here)

“I’m feeling bad” Ishi says softly. Her voice is heavy with emotion. The three of them turn to look at her in shock.

“Not for bhai” she adds quickly, her eyes serious “but for Sita… for what he is going to do with her.” Her words hang in the air.

Slowly, all three of them nod their heads in agreement, fear and concern clear on their faces.

Sita walks out of the mansion behind him. Each step feels heavier than the last. She can feel Tara’s eyes on her back but she doesn’t have the courage to look back even once.

Helicopters fly above the mansion, their loud noise filling the sky. Officers stay on high alert everywhere. Every single news channel in the country is standing outside the mansion gates.

This is not something normal. It feels like this date is going to remain memorable till the end of the world.

He sits inside the police jeep. Sita sits in another vehicle with her father. As the cars move out of the mansion, chaos begins outside. Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of him. People shout, cameras flash and the noise grows louder.

But Zayran’s eyes remain fixed on her through the mirror, unblinking, unreadable.

As the cars leave the mansion behind, both their destinies change completely, changed in a way neither of them ever imagined.

I knew everything. Every move she made, every plan. But it was not from the beginning. When she entered the mansion, for an entire week, I had zero clue that something like this was happening right under my roof.

Not a single doubt. Not a single shadow of suspicion. And when I finally came to know about it after one week. I was surprised as hell. She gathered so much information about me in such a short time that it genuinely amazed me.

She is not the first one who comes to my mansion with hidden intentions. Many have tried before her. But she is the first one who stays for so long. She lives here for more than forty days, breathing my air, walking my corridors, watching my world from the inside, without me knowing a thing.

“I told you, Zayran, I’ll arrest you one day” the commissioner says, a proud smirk sitting confidently on his face.

My eyes do not move toward him. They stay fixed on her. She is sitting there, talking to her father. Her father is shouting at her. Worry is clearly written in his eyes, the fear of a father who almost lost his daughter to a world too dark for her.

“It’s not you. It’s her” I say calmly.

The commissioner grits his teeth, his jaw tightening in frustration.

“But I’m the one who sent her” he says again. “And you weren’t even able to find out that someone was living under your roof for more than forty days”

This time, I do not reply. I stay silent. Not because he is right but because silence suits the moment better than words.

The jeep stops right in front of the police station. The brakes screech slightly, drawing attention. Media cameras are already everywhere, flashes going off, lenses pointed like weapons.

I step out of the jeep. Without looking around, I walk straight inside the station.

If I hadn’t come here, her hard work would have gone in vain. And I can’t let that happen, can I? That is exactly why I am here.

“We have the most awaited guest of ours here” the commissioner says, a satisfied tone in his voice, as he opens the cell door for me.

I step inside. The metal door closes behind me with a heavy sound. A moment later, she walks in with her father. Her eyes are downcast, her shoulders slightly tense, as if she has committed a crime.

That exact posture, is what I want her to feel.

“We are so proud of you Sita” one of the senior officers says loudly. “And salute to you, Anil, for raising such a brave daughter”

Her father smiles, his chest lifting with pride and walks toward her. They keep praising her, their voices filled with admiration. She stands there silently, accepting it all, her lips curving into a soft smile.

Her father then turns and comes to stand right in front of me. I slowly take a cigarette out of my pocket and light it. As I inhale, I notice his jaw clenching, the muscles tightening with restrained anger.

“Remember me?” he asks, his voice firm. I take a slow puff and finally look up at him, meeting his eyes.

“How can I forget you?” I say, a slight smirk appearing on my face.

“I told you that I would catch you one day” he says.

I chuckle, slow enough for him to hear, sharp enough to irritate. I take another puff of the cigarette, letting the smoke curl in the air between us.

“Didn’t you fear sending your daughter into my den?” I ask, my eyes shifting back to her. She is smiling at everyone around her.

“I didn’t send her” he replies immediately, pride clear in his voice. “She chose this herself. And she fears no one”

For a brief moment, I admit it silently, he is right. “What if I destroy her?” I say, my gaze still fixed on her.

“Her innocence is her biggest weapon” he says coldly. “Don’t underestimate her, Zayran”

I nod my head slightly, closing my eyes for a second before taking another puff of the cigarette.

“I want to talk to her” I say. He looks at me for a moment, measuring my intentions, then turns toward her. He says something to her in a low voice.

Slowly, she lifts her head and looks at me. My eyes do not blink. They do not leave hers.

She walks toward me with slow steps and stops at a small distance. I take another puff. The smoke reaches her face and she coughs lightly, her eyes watering.

“You told me your Kanha taught you to stay loyal, speak the truth and never betray anyone” I say quietly.

Her head shoots up instantly, her eyes locking with mine in shock. I throw the cigarette away, crushing it under my shoe and look straight into her eyes.

“But you betray all of them” I continue, my voice calm “and you lie to every single one of them”

I lift my hand and point toward the officers and then toward her father. All their eyes are fixed on us now. But they are not able to hear us.

“I didn’t betray anyone” she says firmly. Her words make me chuckle slowly.

“You did” I say. “Yesterday, that file of mine was right in front of you. You could have taken it. You could have made me hang till death. But you didn’t” I pause, watching her closely. “Why?”

A victorious smirk appears on my face. Her fists clench at her sides, her knuckles turning white.

“I’m not like you” she says, her voice filled with anger. “I don’t give pain to others. I don’t make people’s lives hell”

“You’re right” I reply. “You’re not like me” I take a step closer, lowering my voice. “But you could have sent me to death. You could have saved countless lives from me” I tilt my head slightly. “Yet you chose to save me”

She glares at me, her eyes filled with too many emotions, anger, confusion, conflict and something she herself doesn’t want to accept.

“You’re living in your dreams” she says sharply. She turns around and walks toward her father without looking back.

Just then, Grover walks in with the lawyers. The officers look furious, their frustration clear on their faces but they have no choice. They step aside, forced to let this happen.

She walks out with her father. My eyes follow her every step. I don’t look away, not even for a second, until she completely fades from my sight.

The cell door opens again. I step out of it.

“Ab to aana jaana laga rahega” the commissioner says, looking straight at me.

(Now you’ll have to keep coming and going)

“And this is just the beginning” he continues, his voice full of challenge. “Soon I’ll destroy you and your empire. Take it as a challenge”

I don’t stop. I don’t turn back. I just walk outside. But before I can leave completely, Grover’s voice comes from behind me.

“You’re right, aana jaana to laga rahega” Grover says coldly, stepping forward. “Par agli baar, mere boss tum sab ki laashon par se hokar jayenge”

(But next time, my boss will walk over your dead bodies)

He walks out behind me and opens the car door for me. I stop before getting in. My eyes get fixed on her. She is sitting inside another car.

Slowly, I open my half man-bun, letting my hair fall loose. I sit inside the car. The door closes.

The moment I enter my home, my mother pulls me into a tight hug. Her arms wrap around me like she’s afraid I might disappear. My eyes close on their own, my body finally relaxing.

“Kaise hai meri bacchi?” she asks immediately, her voice trembling with worry.

(How is my child?)

I smile with moist eyes. “Beautiful hoon main” I say softly.

(I’m beautiful)

She chuckles, breaking the hug and kisses my forehead lovingly.

“We are so proud of you” she says.

I smile, my heart feeling warm.

“Oh my God, look at the news channels!” my brother and sister shout together from the couch.

“Aree, why are you wearing my T-shirt?” I shout, noticing Ananya wearing my T-shirt.

“Aa gayi yeh” Ananya says casually, rolling her eyes.

(She’s back)

I glare at her. “Baba, look at her” I complain, making faces. Baba chuckles, sitting on the couch and pulls me into a side hug.

“Bahut miss kiya hum sab ne tujhe” Aditya says softly.

(We all missed you a lot)

I smile proudly, my chest filling with warmth.

“But that Zayran is already out of jail” Ananya says suddenly. “You didn’t do such a great job” My smile slowly fades.

“It doesn’t matter” Baba says calmly. “Even if we had more proof against him, he would have come out anyway. And we have planned many things for him, to hang him to death”

I lower my gaze, my fingers tightening slightly in my lap.

“Why did you told me to come early?” Baba asks, looking at me closely.

I lift my head to meet his eyes.

“I wasn’t able to find anything. That’s why” I say. It is the first time in my life that I lied to him.

“No worries” Baba says after a moment, his tone softening.

“But the proof you collected is a jackpot for us” His face brightens with pride.

“And you know what, Sunita? My seniors and juniors was praising me, praising how brave my daughter is” A proud smile spreads across his face as he says it.

“You’re all over the news, di” Aditya says, his eyes fixed on the TV screen, a proud smile on his face.

I look at every face in my family, my mother, my father, my siblings. Their eyes shine with happiness and pride. Seeing them like this makes my chest feel warm. I am happy. Right?

I sit alone in the balcony of my room. It is four in the morning. The city is quiet but my mind isn’t. Sleep is nowhere near my eyes.

I'm missing Tara badly. But I don’t have the courage to face her. I don’t have the courage to talk to her.

Four months ago, Baba was in deep depression, all because of him. His crimes didn’t stop. The illegal trades kept growing, spreading like poison everywhere.

Baba’s seniors indirectly tortured him every day, pressuring him to find even a single clue against him. Their words, their silence, their expectations, everything crushed Baba slowly.

One day, the commissioner uncle came to our house. He shouted at Baba for something that felt impossible. They wanted my Baba to find proof against him and arrest him. Everyone know Baba is not a corrupt police officer. He is honest.

And that honesty was exactly why they wanted him to do this, why they pushed everything onto his shoulders.

Before anyone could even understand what was happening, I told commissioner that I would go and find proof against Zayran.

Baba was not ready at all. He stopped talking to me completely. But at that time, nothing else mattered to me. Not his anger. Not his silence. I just wanted my Baba back, the Baba who smiled, who laughed, who felt alive.

My family was on the verge of breaking apart because of my father’s condition.

After a lot of convincing, arguments and fights, he finally agreed. They gave me proper training, preparing me for everything. And then I went there.

But someone from the mansion was already working with us. That was the only reason I was able to enter the mansion. Otherwise, it would have been impossible.

I wanted him behind bars. I had two clear reasons. One, my Father’s condition. And second, he is a criminal who deserved to hang till death.

But I was so wrong.

I never used to believe that there are always two sides to a person. I saw everything as black and white. Good or bad.

Now, I believed it.

That day, he told me he was going on a mission and would come back late. The reason was simple, his most important file was inside the locker and he wanted me to take it. He gave me full access.

But I didn’t.

And even now, I don’t know the real answer to why I didn’t take it. Or maybe I knew and I just didn’t want to accept it.

Somewhere deep inside, I knew one thing for sure, he knew. He knew why I was there. I didn’t know how he found out but he did. Still, he didn’t do anything to me. Not even once.

The commissioner and Baba told me clearly that if they got that particular file, no one could stop him from hanging to death. That file was enough to end everything.

Then why? Why did he give me access to his locker when he knew everything about me? He knew who I was. He knew why I was there. He could kill me anytime. He could stop me easily. But he didn’t. Why?

He is not someone who fails. He never loses control. Then why does he come to the police station himself? Why does he surrender like that? Why?

These questions don’t leave my mind. They keep eating me from the inside, slowly.

She forgets one important thing, he is a manipulator.

He moves exactly according to their plan but his words, his actions, everything has a reason. Nothing he does is without purpose. His plan is working perfectly right now.

Sita is standing in the exact place he imagines for her.

Everyone forgets that he is sinister. Even playing in their game is part of his own plan. And now, his real game is about to begin.

A game where everyone will move according to him.

And his most favorite player is going to be, Sita Tiwari.

Dhappaaaaaaaa??