Tangled hearts in love

Chapter 12 - Ghost

Riddhima was puzzled by Vansh’s statement. Vansh turned off the light in the room while Riddhima was thinking.

“Why are you turning off the light? “ asked scared Riddhima.

Vansh remained silent, he didn’t answer her question. Riddhima was tensed and scared at the same time. On one side, she couldn’t understand Vansh’s motive. Another side, What message came from her phone? These were the question running through her mind.

Riddhima realized that she was alone with a man in this room without light. Is this safe to be with a man at this midnight? What will the society people around her think about her character? Her mind was filled with dirty thoughts.

“Boss, I know what are you trying to do. I won’t let that happen,” told Riddhima switching on the light and sitting on the sofa.

“Riddhima, Do you have a brain?” mocked Vansh turning off the light again.

In the dark, she couldn’t see anything. She searched for her phone by patting the table nearby her but she realized the phone was with Vansh.

“Boss, Where are you?”

“I am near you. Stop talking loudly.” He whispered in a cold tone placing his index finger on her lips.

She immediately took the phone from his hand and started to read the message sent by Angre. But she failed to notice Vansh staring at her beautiful face in the phone’s light. Still, his finger was on her lips. He slowly removed his finger from her lips, while Riddhima was busy speculating the message on the phone.

“A5- ymnwd ujtuqj xzwwtzsiji wniiimnrf’x mtzxj bnym wnkqjx” was the message on the phone.

Riddhima pleaded with him to explain it. He refused to do it.

“A indicates Angre, and 5 indicates the replacement cipher text from plain text. Next, I can’t understand anything.” Told Riddhima worriedly.

“Riddhima, look at the first word, ‘ymnwd’. Now split the first letter ‘y’ from the word and reverse it back from y till the fifth letter. Ok, now tell me in reverse from ‘y’ in the alphabet but remember only till five alphabets.” Elaborated Vansh.

“x,w,v,u,t…”recited Riddhima but was suddenly halted by Vansh.

“So ‘t’ was replaced by the letter ‘y’, isn’t it correct? “ queried Riddhima getting a thumbs-up signal from Vansh.

She slowly found the words in the sentence and wrote the words in her notes app on her phone. Finally, She decrypted completely. She screamed in happiness with a smile on her face.

“Thirty people surrounded Riddhima’s house with rifles” she read the message happily but suddenly her entire face turned pale knowing the meaning of the message.

“What happened to you? Why are you looking sad? You had decrypted the message correctly.” stated Vansh.

“Boss, Do you want me to laugh in this situation? After knowing the message, how could I be happy? Please, boss, I am requesting you to stop this mission on Kabir. Ahana is also present here today. You know that she is pregnant." requested Riddhima to Vansh.

“Riddhima, before that I need to talk with Angre. Is there a back gate in your house? Do you know the way to it? If you know the way, go outside and bring Angre through the back gate. I think he must be standing at the end of the street.” Pronounced Vansh.

Riddhima followed Vansh’s instruction and somehow managed to bring Angre into her room. She observed the people surrounding her house with a rifle. But something was weird in that people.

Her room was approached by Angre and Riddhima. When Angre saw Vansh's predicament, he attempted to commiserate with his bodyguard. Vansh, however, hated it when others expressed worry for him. He didn't want to demonstrate his weakness to anyone. Vansh and Angre strike up a discussion using the phone's flashlight.

“Boss, the entire Mumbai is thinking that you are dead. Your family members are sad.” Mentioned Angre.

“Angre, Just leave that. I don’t want anyone to know that I am alive. Now, what is the problem with going outside? Who are the people surrounding Riddhima’s house with the rifle?” questioned Vansh.

“Boss, I've never even met them. However, the group of individuals was wearing a red mask over their faces and a black t-shirt with a red design on it.” Replied Angre.

“So, it is not your clan people.” Predicted Riddhima from Angre’s statement.

“Then who?” asked Vansh with frustration.

“It must be Kabir’s air clan.” Suggested Angre.

“No, it is not Kabir.” Told Riddhima and Vansh in unison.

Angre looked at both of them confused and finally agreed to their opinion.

“I think from Kabir’s words, the people surrounding Riddhima’s house are going to kill Rishab or Kabir tonight.” Assumed Vansh.

“Are you sure about it?” doubted Riddhima.

“Yesterday night, the same gang wearing the red mask attacked me,” told Vansh.

The trio realized someone walking sound outside and followed by a knocking sound on the door.

“Why are you knocking on the door? Just broke it.” Said a woman’s voice to a man standing near him.

The trio was able to hide behind the sofa after hearing the woman's voice because Vansh was holding Angre and Riddhima's hands. A guy and woman wearing masks entered the shattered door and surmised that it was dark inside. Riddhima now realized why Vansh switched off the light.

“Boss, what will happen to us now?” whispered Riddhima to Vansh who was near to her.

“They'll murder us. We'll die soon. I and the boss will go to hell, but you will go to heaven.” Replied Angre in a husky voice who was sitting beside Vansh.

Riddhima’s body started to shiver, and Vansh noticed it. But he couldn’t know how to build confidence in her. Suddenly, the woman who asked to break the door turned on the torch light in her phone.

Riddhima’s pressure was increasing, She didn’t want to die at a young age. She wanted to live in this world to complete her medical degree, save Ajay and Uma, kiss a man whom she loves the most and marry him, and finally live a happy life with her future husband and children. Her next ten years of life were passing in her mind but it was disturbed when that woman started to talk.

“Search the entire room. If there is anyone in this room, just finish their life.” Told the woman by passing the torch to the man.

“But I think this room must be a*****e room. Look at this room, Who is going to live in this room? Only ghosts can live in this room.” Said the man shooting the rifle pointing in the upward direction.

Riddhima closed her ears and moved closer to Vansh's side while Vansh and Angre stayed silent in response to the rifle's firing noise. She started crying in panic as soon as she heard the rifle's sound.

All of a sudden, laughing could be heard across the space. Due to the darkness, the sound reverberated throughout the whole room. They were astounded by the sound since they were unaware that Riddhima had a pseudobulbar effect. Vansh studied her health and realized that she wouldn't stop laughing, so he thought of a plan.

“Is a ghost laughing in this room?” asked the man to the woman.

“Yes, Your guess is correct. we are a ghost. I and my wife died in this house before six months. Now, My wife is laughing because tonight we are going to have a feast by eating you both.” Voiced Vansh in a dark tone still hiding behind the sofa.

Riddhima was chucking and giggling which made the man and woman run from that place. Angre appreciated his boss's idea.

Vansh placed his left arm around her shoulders and gave her a side hug. He tried his best to pacify her. Still, she was crying and giggling,

“Riddhima, I am with you. Stop giggling.” Told Vansh wiping her tears.

Riddhima was aware of her and Vansh's proximity, and his shirtless chest warmed her. She began to breathe deeply and unwind in his arms. Angre was unable to see anything because of the darkness.

“Boss, I think there won’t come to the garden area. So I will bring the car to the back door we can go away from here.” Stated Angre and left the place.

Still, Riddhima had placed her head on his shoulder. He wanted this moment to continue in his life. He didn’t want to go away from this room. Riddhima's tears stopped and speculating his closeness, she quickly moved away from him and felt embarrassed for her behavior. Vansh turned on the phone torch light.

“Boss, Angre will come and pick you up. These are the medicine you want to take.” Denoted Riddhima giving a medicine bag to Vansh. Angre also arrived back at the room.

“How could I come out? I want my shirt and blazers.” Told an adamant Vansh.

Riddhima took a deep breath and went near her cupboard. She gave a white shirt to him.

“Whose shirt is this?” asked Vansh raising his eyebrow.

“This Shirt belongs to my father.” Told Riddhima trembling with the word father.

He saw an embroidered pattern and the word "Rishi" inscribed in the shirt's corner. He had a loose shirt on. On the side where the gunshot occurred, he was unable to wear it. He put it on in some way. However, he left the shirt unbuttoned.

“Are you coming with us?” interrogated Vansh.

Desperately, he wanted Riddhima to be with him. But the answer given by Riddhima paved the way for astonishment.

“I want to save Ahana and my family from the red mask-wearing gang. You go safely.” Expressed Riddhima by asking them to return home safely.

While Riddhima pondered how to free Ahana from the group, both men fled the area. She entered the home quietly after crossing the garden area, where she assumed the gang was waiting with guns in hand.

She went inside Ahana's room and saw the couple sharing a kiss. When Riddhima received a reprimand from Kabir for her misconduct, loud gunfire could be heard. The couple now realized why Riddhima entered the room without knocking on the door. They hurriedly exited the home through the back entrance. However, two gang members followed them through the back entrance.

While rushing on the street road, Riddhima realized Kabir was their primary goal. After the gang shot at the wrong target, the gunfire noise stopped.

To murder Kabir, the two men now used their knives. Since Ahana couldn't run quickly, Kabir joined her and kept up with her pace. Riddhima saw that the pair was not following her. She turned and saw a guy trying to stab Kabir in the heart with a knife. But Kabir was holding the knife in his hand. His blood was all over his hand. Once more, the guy yanked the knife from Kabir and intended to kill the latter. The other man pointed his knife toward Ahana, but both of them fell to the ground instantly.

Kabir observed the gunshots that struck the two men, Riddhima became aware of a shadow in front of her, and She turned around to see Vansh standing behind her with a pistol in his left hand. She realized now that Vansh had killed the victims.

He gestured for Riddhima, who was standing far away, to bring the pair to the car. The pair was finally escorted to the car by Riddhima. Kabir hesitantly endorsed the idea.

Kabir was given first aid while seated in the back seat by Riddhima. Between Riddhima and Kabir was Ahana. She assisted in fastening Kabir's bandage.

“I thought you were dead.” Pronounced Kabir.

“Lie. You know that I am alive.” Vocalized Vansh sitting in the front seat while Angre was driving the car.

“Riddhima, Why did you save me from that gang?” asked Kabir.

“Riddhima saved you because I will only kill you. Do you think I will let some other people kill you? Remember your soul will depart from this world from my hands” yelled Vansh.

“Same to you.” Replied Kabir who was breathing heavily.

He wasn't in a position to debate with Vansh. The ache in his hand caused tears to well up in his eyes. Ahana was questioned by Riddhima about her Rishab uncle and Mayuri aunt. The two of them had traveled to Bangalore to see Shankar's uncle, claimed Ahana.

“Where are we going?” questioned Riddhima.

“We are going to the police commissioner’s office and asking for protection for our coward Kabir.” Denoted Vansh with a smirk.

“Boss, You told me that police are also trying to arrest and kill you. It is not safe to go to the police station.” Uttered Riddhima.

“You will come to know the reason soon.” Assured Vansh with a calm voice.

When they reached the police station, Angre halted the car. Vansh rushed to open the car Dicky. Riddhima wanted to know what made Vansh come to the police station so she also rushed to the back side of the car.

Inside the car dicky, two young men who were wearing police dresses were lying inside in an unconscious state. He pulled them out of the car dicky, there landed on the floor with a thud sound. Angre pulled them into the police station.

“These two men are fake police officers while returning from Riddhima's room to the car with Angre. We listened to their conversation. These two fake police tried to kill me yesterday.” Screamed Vansh fisting his fingers, he couldn’t believe that fact there have tried to cheat him.

“Boss, just calm down. Shall we go in and talk with the police commissioner?” asked Riddhima, Vansh nodded his head.

Riddhima seized his wrist and pointed her index finger at his unbuttoned shirt before he could go. Vansh didn't respond, and she could see that his arms were suffering.

Vansh was admiring her lovely fingers as she soon began to fasten the shirt buttons, always eager to help him. He overheard Kabir and Ahana discussing their activity at the moment. Vansh winked at the pair, making Ahana pleased while making Kabir jealous.

Riddhima rubbed the name "Rishi" onto the shirt as Vansh was annoying Kabir. While stroking her father's name, tears welled up in her eyes.

Vansh adored it when she touched the clothing he was wearing. She restricted her emotions as she and Vansh entered the police station. Kabir and Ahana went after them.

The police commissioner was informed of the entire occurrence, and he verbally promised to take the required measures against them. The policeman visited Riddhima's residence to look for evidence.

Vansh said that he shot two individuals after they attempted to stab the couple. The police commissioner acknowledged that he did it to protect the couple.

As Kabir and Ahana were being driven back to the house by Kabir's security men, Riddhima exited the building to wait for the cab, but Vansh disregarded her plan and tugged her into his car.

He wanted Riddhima to be with him, Riddhima refused but he told her that it was not safe for her to stay in her house.

Reaching the mansion, Vansh witnessed Ragini and Mahendra Pratap sitting in the living area.

“Vansh, While the gang of people was trying to attack you, Ragini had a sprain in her leg. She was ready to even give her life for you.” Orated Gayathri, the elder person in the fire clan observes the shirt Vansh which was Vansh wearing.

“I am not in a situation to talk with everyone. Mrs. Chanchal, arrange the guest room for Riddhima.” Yelled Vansh.

“Vansh, listen to your grandmother once. Ragini was sobbing the entire day, only for you.” Uttered Anupriya.

“Please understand the boss's situation. He needs some rest.” Advised Riddhima.

“Riddhima, stop your nonsense talk. Vansh, Ragini’s father wanted you to marry her soon.” Confessed Gayathri.

“I am not ready to marry Ragini now. Riddhima, carry that medicine bag and come to my building.” Told Vansh giving a shocking everyone.

Riddhima was so impressed with Vansh's attitude that she was unable to even attempt to blink her eyes. Vansh was gripping her hands and heading toward his building without her even being aware of it.

Only Vansh's room was open to Angre and Mrs. D'Souza. Gayathri and Anupriya had not even entered there once till today.

“Is Riddhima more important to you than your family?” asked Gayathri halting Vansh to move further.

“Yes, Riddhima is more important to me than my family.” Revealed Vansh gazing at Riddhima’s face still tangled her hands with his hands firmly.

What made Vansh tell everyone that Riddhima was important to him?