Prejudice

36. More Questions

Shraddha realized something and ran out of her bedroom, only to see Jay walking down the stairs.
Her fears became true. He was leaving... Again.

"Jay?" She called him out.

Jay halted in his tracks and looked back at her, with questions swirling in his eyes. She was lightly panting, with her baby in her arms.

"Where are you going?" She whispered, loud enough to be heard.
He could see the fear in her eyes, but took it otherwise.

"Why do you ask?" he replied without an emotion.

She walked a step towards him, and held his gaze with her tearful one.
"Please don't do anything that will put Pranav in anymore trouble. He is really in a bad shape."

Jay blinked at her. Only he knew, how much Pranav had suffered. His features hardened. He climbed the step towards her and stood in front of her. She blinked and he sucked in a deep sharp breath.

A painful smile curved his lips. He placed his left hand on her head and she froze. He had never touched her.

"Don't worry about anything." He stepped back after a light pat on her head. She could not bring herself out of the shock.

"I know what and how Bhai has suffered. I am going to lessen his troubles." He whispered.

Shraddha stood rooted to her place. She did not know why his words sounded like a threat.

"He might not get back what he lost, but he gets to treasure what he has. I will make sure of it." He added with cold eyes.

She could see an inhumane rage slither in his eyes and she shivered internally.

He blinked and the carefree young man was back, she had seen after she got married.

"I am sorry for putting Bhai through all the misery. But I promise, I will make the future beautiful for him. Go and eat something. Take rest. I will be back before dinner." He assured her in a silky smooth voice.

He was gone in a blink, leaving Shraddha confused ever than before.

She had never seen this version of Jay. 

This Jay was not that carefree Jay she had seen in the mornings.
This Jay was nothing compared to the one who was madly and deeply in love with Diya.
This was not his version, that followed his brother's every command ardently.

This Jay was focused. He was determined, and appeared scary. He was burning with passion. His eyes held pain that was masked with fury.

But his short encounter filled her heart with unexplained solace. She realized a strange aura of safety in that same house. A positive energy was enveloping her, like a miracle. It was not there sometime ago, but she could see it with naked eyes.

As promised, Jay came back before dinner. But that night, Charu Villa witnessed a new version of Jay.

Thereon, everyone could see a change in his persona. He was still as carefree as he was before he got married. But, he was more focused on getting most out of the diamonds and other gems. He was burning with a desire to earn more... For whom.. was unknown.
He did not spend his nights out of the house, but he was seen studying the gems and researching on something, holed up in his room.

In the past few months, he had called Tara and she was secretly working with him in his room.
Once or twice, Pranav tried questioning her, only to receive an answer that she was learning to work with diamonds. But Pranav knew better and had no reason to believe her. But she was firm on the same answer.

Pranav was not ignorant towards Jay's changed behavior. He had an inkling that Jay was up-to something. That something could be really dangerous.
But he had better things to deal with.

Pranav was discreetly working on finding Diya. 

Slowly, he was losing hope that the poor girl was alive anymore. There was no clue from his father. Kite could not provide any specific detail that had anything to do with Diya. Pranav would play the recordings picked up by Kite's recording devices, again and again, in a hope to get a smallest hint that he might have missed about Diya. But it was like, his father had nothing to do with her kidnapping and he never tried to kill her.
Thoughts of Diya being dead was an ultimate fear that gripped his heart and mind.
Pranav needed a confirmation about her situation. That would at least put an end to his quest. But life was never that easy for him.

Months slowly passed by.

Diya would have been in her last days of pregnancy, had she been alive. Jay pretended to be possessed by work, but he could not help himself from wandering in his past, when he had his wife and unborn child with him.

He blinked back his tears as he thought of his lost wife and mirthlessly laughed at the thought of naming his child 'Kabir'.

He wiped his tears harshly and a wave of fury slithered in his eyes. He knew what he was about to do was wrong on many terms. But he was prepared to take the after shocks. It was necessary for the better future of his elder brother and the young boy, after whom he wanted to make his own child.

Prithvi was residing on the island from last few weeks, anticipating the birth of Diya's baby.
He wanted the situation under control. He wanted both Diya and the baby safe.

She was his responsibility. She was sister of his brother's friend.

And.. She was an innocent victim.

Prithvi had known, how much Jay had suffered after the incident. He was sure that Jay had nothing to do with that and needed justice, just like Diya herself.

Prithvi had been keeping close tabs on both Jay and Pranav and was aware that they were suffering in their own way.

While he was silently observing Jay, he had realized that Jay was interested in an electronic robot and was ready to spend a fortune for the same.
According to his sources, Jay had been secretly approaching many companies that were manufacturing and dealing robots with artificial intelligence.

Prithvi kept wondering, why a gemologist would have interest in an electronic robot.

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Another chapter up.

Apologies for the delay.

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