Chapter 247 - Learning About the Truth (10)

|Innaya|

Debt? If my in-laws were in debt, why would he ask me for my bank account number? 

No. I shook my head. Agreed, Eshan had been busy with business, and his workload had also increased over the past few days, I knew the company was not in loss. I would have noticed it, or read it somewhere.

Dad narrowed his eyes, throwing another cushion at Arjun's face. "This is your apology gift to your sister."

My jaw almost hit the ground with shock. Five lacs? Apology gift? And, that account number had nothing to do with me. 

"What? No. This is extortion."

I almost covered my ears because of Arjun's shout. Was he trying to turn me deaf? I glared at him for making my ears irritable with his high-pitched voice. 

"Yes, I'm extorting money from you. What will you do?" Dad folded his arms across his chest. He was such a bully. He was extorting money in the broad daylight without feeling a bit guilty of his actions. And, his attitude truly resembled the gangsters. He did not even need a weapon to make his words impactful.

"Don't be a bully here. You haven't taken a penny from your son," Arjun shook his head, keeping away his wallet in his pocket stealthily. 

"I'll be a bully. And, who said I haven't taken anything from him?" Dad said smugly.

Arjun leaned forward in his seat, asking excitedly, "Did you really take money from Eshan?"

"Ha! As if I need his permission to take money. I just transferred our property in Goa on his name to Innaya."

What? On my name? Why would he do something like this?

Before I could voice my objections, Eshan's figure coming down, caught my eyes, and I promptly swallowed back my words. 

"Eshan, you just lost the property to Innaya. Haha…" Arjun shifted his focus to Eshan. "Come and sit. I need to start the story soon. We'll be waiting for you."

Eshan glanced at Arjun but ignored him and walked to my side. Sitting between the space between his father and me, he made himself comfortable on the sofa. 

"Hey, go sit somewhere else." Dad pushed Eshan, but he just sat like a stone- unmoving, unrelenting, and stoic. 

"Your meds." He put the strips of medicine in my hand. 

My eyebrows were drawn together. "Medicines?" I asked because I did not remember the doctor writing to me some on a timely basis. All he gave was the pain relief spray and painkillers, which were to be taken when I could not bear the pain.

"Supplements and vitamins." Eshan did not elaborate further, and I did not need him to once he mentioned supplements. Because once I probed further, Eshan was bound to lose his patience. The drop in my hemoglobin was the result of my carelessness. Eshan's reaction in the hospital to my low hemoglobin scared me. I did not want the repeat of his cruel words; no matter he was angry or hurt.

I silently took the medicines without making a fuss. His concern warmed my heart, slowly pushing away the cloud of insecurities that he was creating walls around his heart. He did not walk away because he was angry but for bringing me the medicines. Despite the situation, he still remembered about my health. Which girl would not like to get pampered by the man she loves?

"You can't take your anger on me, Uncle," Arjun's cry or protest made me aware of the people around us. I straightened up and avoided looking at Eshan. He was causing my heart to flutter, and I did not want to end up revealing all my feelings on my face. With the heat I felt on my face, I knew it already revealed what it should not. 

Eshan unconcerned of what I was thinking, kept his hand on my shoulders, and again pulled me to his chest.

"Go on, and just finish everything. Innaya needs to take a rest," Eshan ordered Arjun as if this matter had everything to do with him and nothing with us. It gave me the feeling that a news report was being read in front of an audience. 

I sighed. Instead of struggling, I let Eshan hold me because I knew that I would need his warmth to keep my demons away. No matter what Arjun would unveil, it would bring back the memories of the past month. The agonizing period had left quite a few deep wounds on my heart. That time I did not have the liberty to lean on Eshan for support. So, when the opportunity was before me, I would not waste it.

"Okay." Arjun readily agreed, looking away from dad. 

"Well, Karan helped Aunty in the investigations. I won't go in the details of how he got to know who was behind this or what the purpose was. We all are aware that this happened because of Ayesha's interest in Eshan and Singhaniya industries," Arjun said, casting a disapproving look to Eshan.

"See what kind of admirers you attract," he taunted Eshan. 

Eshan's chest rose and fell rapidly. He was trying to control his temper. Secretly, I reached for his hand and tapped on the back of his palm. Eshan could not do anything to the feelings others might harbor for him. He had explicitly made it clear to Ayesha that he would have nothing to do with her. 

"Arjun, please continue," I interrupted. giving Arjun pleading look to just not provoke Eshan.

"According to Karan's investigations, Ayesha's mother had devised the plan in the action. They hired a professional photographer and detective. The detective followed you for almost three months."

I sucked in a cold breath.

Three months? 

I was being tailed for three months, and I never noticed it. Could I be any denser and absentminded than this?

"Relax," Eshan murmured in my ears as he rubbed my arm. 

"Breath, Innaya. Though he tailed you for three months, he could only do so from the distance because of the tight security around you. Because he was a professional detective, he knew how to dodge security from a distance. If he had trespassed the boundaries, he would have been caught," Arjun explained further.

"Security?" I did not realize that my voice was barely audible to everyone. Each detail Arjun exposed was pushing me in the corner. How dumb could I be? 

"I have hired a professional security team after Karan had kidnapped you," Eshan said, and that just blew out my mind, turning me speechless.