PRECAP:

He started to kiss her neck and earlobe. He whispered into her ears,"Are you liking it?"

Author's note: Enjoyyyyy 🥰🤫

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The cold dread from the previous night had solidified into a block of ice in Abhinav’s stomach. The board meeting, a blur of numbers and projections, felt distant, almost irrelevant. All he could see was Mareena’s face, her finger pressed to her lips, and the ghostly image of the old security blind spot on his screen.

He’d spent the rest of the morning locked in his office, ostensibly working, but his fingers danced across the keyboard, opening old files, searching for anything on the original disappearance that might have been overlooked. The official police reports were meticulously filed, dry and factual: *Missing Person, Presumed Deceased, Case Closed after two years.* But Mareena had been an enigma, a puzzle even to him. How could they have found nothing for fifteen years?

He pulled up the Roy Mansion’s current security schematics, overlaying them with the older diagrams. His stomach tightened. The blind spot Mareena had once pointed out, a tiny gap near the large banyan tree at the north gate, was indeed still there, masked by foliage and a strategically placed antique lamp post. It wasn't visible on the main monitor feeds unless someone knew precisely where to look, or knew the system’s weaknesses intimately. Mareena had known.

A knock on his office door startled him. Riya, his assistant, peered in, her brow slightly furrowed. "Sir, Mrs. Roy called again. She wants confirmation on your dinner tonight. And... she asked if you were feeling quite well. You seem a bit... preoccupied."

Abhinav forced a smile, the muscles in his face protesting. "Perfectly fine, Riya. Just a lot on my mind with the new launch. Confirm with Mother, please. And could you discreetly pull up any archived news articles, no matter how obscure, related to missing persons cases from fifteen years ago, specifically targeting young women in the Delhi area? Use broad search terms."

Riya’s eyebrow arched slightly, but she simply nodded. "Of course, sir. Anything else?"

"No, that will be all. And Riya, no one is to know about this particular search. It's... for a personal project." He hated lying to her, but he couldn’t risk Mareena’s reappearance becoming public, not yet. Not until he understood.

He watched her go, then turned back to his screen, his gaze falling on an old, grainy photo in his personal files. Mareena. Young, vibrant, her eyes full of the fire he remembered. He touched the screen, a phantom caress.

**FLASHBACK - Fifteen Years Ago, Just Before The Engagement Party**

The city lights blurred into streaks of gold and ruby as Abhinav drove, the windows down, the cool breeze whipping Mareena’s hair around her face. They’d just left his family’s opulent jewelry store, where they’d picked up Mareena’s engagement ring. It wasn’t the grandest diamond his family could afford, but the one she’d picked—a delicate cushion cut, simple yet radiant—had captivated them both.

"It feels... real now," Mareena whispered, holding out her hand, watching the diamond catch the light. "Like a promise, solid and sparkling."

Abhinav reached over, taking her hand, his thumb tracing the cool metal. "It is real, Mareena. It's everything." He drove with one hand, his gaze constantly flicking to her, unable to get enough of her presence. Tonight was their engagement party, a grand affair at one of his family's sprawling estates, but this quiet drive, just the two of them, felt infinitely more precious.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, her warmth seeping into him. "I still can't believe it. Mrs. Roy actually likes me." A hint of a tease in her voice. Abhinav’s mother, a woman of formidable will and expectations, had initially been wary of Mareena, a girl from a more humble background.

Abhinav chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound. "She loves you, Mareena. She just has a… unique way of showing it." He remembered the intense grilling Mareena had endured, the sharp questions about her family, her ambitions. But Mareena, with her unwavering integrity and quiet strength, had won his mother over. Or so he’d thought.

He pulled the car to the side of a quiet, tree-lined road, cutting the engine. The sudden silence was profound, broken only by the chirping of crickets. He turned to her, his heart pounding a familiar rhythm.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice soft, sensing the shift in his mood.

"Nothing," he murmured, his gaze sweeping over her face—the curve of her lips, the slight tilt of her nose, the endless depth of her eyes. "Everything." He reached out, cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing over the soft skin. "I just... I can’t believe how lucky I am."

She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment. "It’s not luck, Abhinav. It’s fate. It’s always been you."

He lowered his head, slowly, deliberately. He wanted to savor this. Her breath hitched. His lips brushed hers, soft at first, a gentle question. She responded instantly, a silent affirmation, her hand coming up to tangle in his hair. The kiss deepened, becoming hungry, desperate. It tasted of nascent promises, of a shared future, of a love so potent it felt invincible. His hand slid from her cheek to the nape of her neck, pulling her closer still, wanting to absorb her, to make her an inextricable part of him.

He started to kiss her neck and earlobe. He whispered into her ears,"Are you liking it?"

Mareena blushed and responded in a shy tone,"Hmmm yes".

Abhinav started to caress her chest and they both hugged eachother.

*Forever.* The word echoed in the confined space of the car, a silent vow given and received. A vow that would soon be shattered by the cruellest of fates.

***

**PRESENT DAY - Evening, Roy Mansion**

Abhinav, you're unusually quiet tonight," Mrs. Roy observed, her voice smooth, but with an underlying steel. "Is everything in order at Roy Enterprises?"

"Everything is perfectly in order, Mother," Abhinav replied, forcing a polite smile.

Mrs. Roy set down her glass, the crystal making a sharp, final sound. Her gaze, usually fixed on the business, settled on Priya, then back on Abhinav.

"Good. Because what I have to discuss is far more important than the balance sheet. It concerns the legacy." Mrs. Roy paused, letting the weight of the word settle on the table. "And the heir."

Priya shifted uncomfortably in her seat, placing a hand tentatively over Abhinav’s on the table.

"Mother," Abhinav began, irritation creeping into his tone. "We've discussed this. We are planning—"

"Planning is for architects, Abhinav. Roy Mansion requires continuity. You and Priya have been married for ten years now. The shareholders, the associates, I—we all require assurance that the dynasty will continue." Her voice was low, yet commanding. "We need a legitimate heir, and we need one soon."

Priya offered a tight, forced smile. "We are trying, Mother. We both want a family."

Mrs. Roy's attention sharpened, focusing solely on Abhinav. "Trying is not enough. The family line is paramount. Especially now." She leaned forward, lowering her voice until it was barely audible above the gentle background music. The intimacy of the subject contrasted jarringly with the sudden shift in tone.

Abhinav's blood ran cold. He met Priya's eyes. Her expression was now a mask of fear, the fear of losing Abhinav, or perhaps, the fear of Mareena.

Abhinav said," What about Mareena? I cannot cheat on her."

Mrs Roy replied,"Forget her please! She is no more".

Abhinav said," We are not sure Mother. Her disappearance is very mysterious and the case was purposely closed".

Mrs Roy angrily said,"That means you couldn't forget her? You are destroying Priya's life."

Abhinav said,"No I cannot. I cannot cheat on the girl I love."

Priya's face became extremely pale and sad after hearing to her husband's declaration of loving his old flame.

Mrs Roy said,"That means you guys never had any conjugal relationship?"

Priya was feeling embarrassed and lowered down her head in shame. She felt that she had failed as a woman. She was feeling like a looser who couldn't chain her husband in the marriage of 10 years. Abhinav was stood silent. His expression could say that the answer was yes. They never had any physical relationship. It's not like Priya never tried, but Abhinav never wanted. Abhinav had spent his lonely nights fantasizing about Mareena and Priya was busy in nightclubs.

Abhinav continued," Do you have any information about Mareena's case?"

"Not entirely, Abhinav. A family friend recently passed away. Among his effects, a letter was found. A letter concerning Mareena's disappearance. A letter addressed to me, but never delivered." Mrs. Roy’s eyes darkened, filled with a knowledge she had guarded for fifteen years. "It suggested Mareena's disappearance was merely a murder. It was orchestrated. And the orchestrator, Abhinav, was attempting to destabilize the Roy family through you. They saw you as a weak link, and Mareena... she was collateral."

Priya was feeling annoyed. She felt happy that the woman who stole her husband had died, but still he isn't hers.

"Who orchestrated it?" Abhinav demanded, the sophisticated CEO facade completely gone, replaced by the desperate young man Mareena had known.

"The letter hints at an old rival, a family who envied our power: The Khandelwals." Mrs. Roy confirmed, naming the defunct rival industrialist family. "They merely went underground, biding their time. And Mareena stumbled upon something that made her a liability. Not because of who she was, but because of what she knew."

Mrs. Roy looked Abhinav directly in the eye, her voice firm. "They tried to strike at your father through you once. They might try again. This is why the heir is so vital, Abhinav. You must solidify our line. You must show them we are not vulnerable."

Abhinav felt a chilling realization. Mareena had appeared outside his gates, demanding silence. His mother had just revealed a fifteen-year-old conspiracy tied to the Roy legacy. His present was a ticking clock on two fronts: the threat to his dynasty, and the ghost of the love that caused it all.

"Mother," Abhinav said, his voice strained. "Who else knows about this letter?"

"Only me, Abhinav," she stated, her tone final. "And now, you and Priya. For fifteen years, I kept this secret to protect the family. But now, it seems, Mareena's past can no longer stay buried."

The demand for an heir and the reveal of the conspiracy were now fused, giving Chapter 4 a tremendous emotional and thriller payoff.

SPOILER ⚠️

FLASHBACK:

He hovered over her, his face was just one inch apart from hers. He kissed her jawline, neck then her chest. She was blushing and he started to throw the rose petals on her. His mouth was devouring her skin.......................

Mrs Roy entered the room and slapped her.............