Chapter 160 - Your Deadline Ends Tomorrow

|Eshan|

I sighed feeling helpless.

Innaya's cries pierced my heart yet, I couldn't help her. Shedding tears was a good choice to relieve her troubled heart. There was no other alternative. On other days I would have said some comforting words to make her stop crying, but today I could not. When I, myself, wanted to cry out my pain.

I knew grandpa's death anniversary would be a difficult day for her. That was why I didn't want to leave her alone. In front of her insistence, I had no other option. I had to leave. I decided to give her space and some alone time. I needed it too. Which was why I had left for the office. 

However, I couldn't leave no matter how much I wanted. Thus, I had driven out of the house but instead of going to the office I had parked the car at some distance away from our house. I spent two hours in the car, controlling my own emotions. I did not want to fall weak before Innaya. She had only me to rely on. If I were to fall weak, who was going to be there for her? 

I had returned very soon, knowing too well that she would be a crying mess. I was so right. I had found her crying miserably. She had cried herself to sleep. 

I had moved her to our bedroom after she fell asleep. I patted her back, holding her sleeping figure in my arms as we both lay on our bed. Her eyes had swollen. I would need to remember to put ice on it. 

Innaya stirred in her sleep, occasionally whimpering. My heart went out for the little girl in her who wanted her grandpa. I couldn't fulfill this wish of hers, no matter how much I wanted to. I just hoped that she wouldn't fall sick because of all the stress she was taking. She had just recovered from her fever not so long ago, and her being anemic made her more prone to infections.

"Grandpa," Innaya whimpered in her sleep.

"There there." I wiped the tears that still rolled out from her close eyelids. Running my fingers in her hair, I gently massaged her forehead to remove those frown lines.

My mobile vibrated inside my pants pocket. I had no intention of answering it, but it continued to buzz. The woman nestling so trustingly in my arms, not masking her vulnerabilities was too important than any call. However, I was afraid that the continuous vibration would disturb her. So, reaching out on the right side of my pocket, I pulled out my mobile.

The screen came awake when I slid my thumb across the lock.

5 miscalls.

Just who the hell was so desperate to continue calling? 

I clicked on the call logs. I could not help but feel irritated when I saw the caller ID. All the calls that went unanswered belonged to the good for nothing cousin brother of mine. Just as I was about to lock my mobile and keep it out, a message arrived. I suddenly had an urge to throttle him.

"Brother, your deadline ends tomorrow. I'll be waiting for the papers."

I had actually forgotten about him. His insignificant presence in our life was no more than that of any annoying fly that kept buzzing around my ear. I knew his threats were harmful, but I had a way to counter him. Giving him his shares back was not a big deal. I could have it done at any time. What I wanted to know was how much information he had in his hands.

I shared a very good relationship with Nikhil uncle, his dad. Moreover, he knew about my marriage. So, if told him about his son's action, I knew he would handle the matter for me. But, I never planned to get him to involve. Rey was nothing but a spoiled brat I could easily takedown. I just wanted to be assured that he was only that.

I sent a text to Carl asking him to come to my place with the results of the task I had entrusted him to. Before going ahead with my plans regarding Rey, I wanted to tie all the loose ends. Rey had dared to put his foot into forbidden territory. I would make sure that he paid the price for it.

***

I glanced at Carl as I tapped my fingers on the armrest. We were sitting in the living room. Very reluctantly I had detached myself from Innaya once she had stopped crying and whimpering. Handling things before she woke up was the best choice. 

"Your time limit is up," I commented, caressing Fortune. Fortune had jumped on the sofa beside me once I had taken my place. His inquisitive eyes would time and again glance around as if searching for my wife.  

"I'm done with the work too, Mr. Eshan. Here is what we have found. Everything has been wiped out from Mr. Rey's laptop, mobile and his house. He doesn't have anything to hold against you," Carl answered, forwarding me a black file.

"Are you sure?" I asked just to make confirm that nothing was left behind. I would hate it if something went wrong because of him.

"One hundred percent." Carl confidently nodded.

I nodded in satisfaction after I went through his findings and the work he did. "Good job. Continue monitoring him, and take actions if he crossed the line."

"Yes, sir."

"What about that man on the beach?" I looked in his eyes. Even after a week, I couldn't forget that man. I wanted to know more about him. 

"Yes, sir. We found about him," Carl replied. 

My eyes narrowed down. Thankfully, they found about him. I could finally have answers about my worries.

"He was the local ruffian. He was arrested by the police three days ago. The details are in this file."

Ruffian? My heart skipped a beat. I literally snatched the file from his hand. 

"It's his strategy. He scares off people with horror and scary voices and then rob them," Carl explained what I was reading.

I had not expected that outcome honestly. It was a good and bad finding. Good for the reason that he was not someone following us for some animosity. Bad because things could have gone in a very wrong way had things taken an ugly turn that day.

However, why even after reading the details and knowing that the man was behind the bar, my heart wasn't accepting it?

I kept having the feeling that something was missing. That day, the feelings I got after looking at that guy, weren't letting my mind to feel at ease.

Maybe, I was overthinking. I hoped that it was that case only. I hoped that it was only my mind overthinking, and there was nothing more to it.