Part 2

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Anika's heart pounded against her chest.

The loud crash echoed through the mansion before silence settled once again.

An uneasy silence.

The kind that made every sound seem louder than it really was.

Meera's face had gone completely pale.

She instinctively grabbed Anika's wrist.

"Please, Madam."

"There is nothing upstairs."

"But I heard something," Anika replied, her eyes fixed on the grand staircase.

"It could be someone who needs help."

Meera quickly shook her head.

"No one lives on the third floor."

"Then who made that noise?"

The maid opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.

Instead, she lowered her gaze.

"I... I don't know."

It was obvious she wasn't telling the truth.

Anika gently removed Meera's hand from her wrist.

"I'll just take a quick look."

"No!"

The sudden firmness in Meera's voice startled them both.

Realising she had spoken too loudly, Meera stepped back and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Madam."

"It's just..."

"Mr. Raichand doesn't allow anyone to go there."

Anika frowned.

"Not even family?"

Meera silently shook her head.

That only made Anika more curious.

What could be hidden on a floor that even the family avoided?

Before she could take another step, a familiar voice echoed through the hallway.

"What are you doing here?"

Aditya.

He stood a few metres away, still dressed in a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms. His expression remained calm, but his sharp eyes moved from Meera to Anika.

Meera immediately bowed her head.

"Good morning, Sir."

Aditya ignored the greeting.

Instead, he looked directly at Anika.

"You've barely been here a day."

"And you're already trying to break the rules."

His tone wasn't angry.

It was controlled.

That somehow made it even more intimidating.

Anika crossed her arms.

"I heard something."

"So did I."

"You did?" she asked.

"Then why aren't you concerned?"

"Because I know what it was."

"What was it?"

He held her gaze for a long moment.

"You don't need to know."

His answer irritated her.

"I have every right to know."

"This is my home now too."

For the first time, something almost resembling amusement appeared in his eyes.

"My home."

"My responsibility."

"My rules."

The words were simple.

Yet they carried the weight of absolute authority.

Anika refused to look away.

"And if I don't follow them?"

A faint smile tugged at one corner of his lips.

"Then you'll learn why they exist."

The hallway fell silent.

Neither of them blinked.

Neither of them stepped back.

Meera stood frozen between them, praying someone would end the conversation before it turned into an argument.

Finally, Aditya looked away.

"You'll be attending tonight's family dinner."

"It starts at eight."

"Wear something formal."

Without waiting for a reply, he walked past them and disappeared into another corridor.

His footsteps echoed until they faded into silence.

Anika let out a slow breath she hadn't realised she was holding.

"He never answers a question," she muttered.

Meera gave a nervous smile.

"No, Madam."

"He usually doesn't."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Later that afternoon...

Anika wandered into the mansion's library.

Unlike the rest of the house, this room felt warm and inviting.

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves surrounded the room.

A large window overlooked the gardens, allowing soft sunlight to stream across polished wooden floors.

She ran her fingers along the spines of old books.

History.

Architecture.

Business.

Classics.

There was even an entire section dedicated to rare manuscripts.

Someone clearly loved books.

As she reached for a volume on historical palaces, another book slipped from the shelf and landed on the floor.

Thud.

She bent down to pick it up.

Something thin slid out from between its pages.

It was a photograph.

Old.

Slightly faded.

Anika turned it over.

Three young women stood together in elegant sarees, smiling brightly at the camera.

They looked happy.

Carefree.

One of them...

Looked strangely familiar.

Before she could study the photograph further, a shadow fell across the page.

"You shouldn't touch things that don't belong to you."

Anika looked up.

Aditya stood at the entrance of the library.

His eyes were fixed on the photograph in her hand.

For the first time since meeting him...

She saw genuine emotion on his face.

Not anger.

Not coldness.

Pain.

He walked towards her, took the photograph gently from her fingers, and stared at it for several seconds.

Without another word, he slipped it back inside the book and returned it to the shelf.

"There are some memories," he said quietly, "that are better left undisturbed."

Then he turned and walked away once again.

Anika watched him leave, more confused than ever.

Who were those three women?

Why had one of them looked so familiar?

And why did a single old photograph affect Aditya so deeply?

Outside the library window, dark clouds slowly gathered over the Raichand Mansion.

A storm was coming.

And Anika couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just the weather.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

To Be Continued...

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***