30

A gift

Kabir quietly closed the office door.

Aman placed a thin brown file on the table.

Kabir didn't open it immediately.

Instead...

He looked at Aman.

"You said you found a lead."

Aman nodded.

"I did."

"But..."

"It's strange."

Kabir slowly sat down.

"Explain."

Aman opened the file.

Several photographs.

Property records.

Financial transactions.

Company documents.

Everything appeared completely ordinary.

Until...

Aman slid one particular page toward Kabir.

Kabir frowned.

"This page is incomplete."

"It was made incomplete."

Aman replied calmly.

"Exactly."

Kabir's eyes narrowed.

Someone had deliberately removed a section.

Not torn.

Not damaged.

Professionally removed.

As though...

Someone never wanted another person to know what had originally been written there.

Kabir leaned back.

"Can it be recovered?"

Aman shook his head.

"The original copy..."

"...is no longer available."

Silence.

Kabir slowly tapped the table with his fingers.

Thinking.

After a few moments...

He asked,

"What about the duplicate records?"

Aman replied,

"I've already checked."

"Nothing."

"Every official record says exactly the same thing."

Kabir smiled faintly.

"The more someone tries to hide something..."

"...the more valuable it usually is."

Aman nodded.

"I thought the same."

Kabir looked at him.

"I don't care how long it takes."

"I want the original truth."

Aman answered immediately.

"You'll have it."

Then...

He hesitated.

"There is one more thing."

Kabir looked up.

"What?"

Aman slid another photograph across the table.

Kabir looked at it for several seconds.

Then quietly placed it back.

"So..."

"Someone has already started moving."

Aman nodded.

"It appears so."

Kabir stood up.

Walked towards the large glass window overlooking the city.

His hands slipped into his pockets.

His expression became thoughtful.

"This isn't about one company anymore."

Aman remained silent.

Because he understood exactly what Kabir meant.

Whatever they had discovered...

Was much bigger than Kapoor Global Ventures.

Much bigger than a corporate rivalry.

Kabir looked outside.

Somewhere...

Pieces of a puzzle were slowly coming together.

He just didn't know...

Who was arranging them.

---

Meanwhile...

At City Care Hospital...

Professor Menon walked into Chahat's cabin.

She immediately stood up.

"Good morning, Sir."

Professor Menon smiled.

"Sit down."

She obeyed.

He placed a file on her desk.

"You've completed all scheduled surgeries for today."

Chahat nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

Professor Menon smiled knowingly.

"Then..."

"You may leave early."

She blinked.

"Early?"

Professor Menon chuckled.

"Doctors also have personal lives."

"For once..."

"Go home before sunset."

A small smile appeared on Chahat's face.

"Thank you, Sir."

Professor Menon stood up.

Then suddenly looked back.

"And Doctor Chahat..."

She looked up.

"Hmm?"

He smiled.

"I hope whoever is waiting for you today..."

"...knows how lucky he is."

For a brief second...

Chahat froze.

Then...

A soft blush spread across her cheeks.

She smiled.

"So do I, Sir."

Professor Menon simply smiled and walked away.

The moment the door closed...

Chahat slowly looked at the calendar once again.

A smile appeared on her lips.

Then...

Very gently...

She opened one drawer of her desk.

Looked inside for only a second.

Then quietly closed it again.

"No...

She whispered.

"Just a little longer."

"Let him wait."

Meanwhile...

At Rathore Mansion...

The afternoon had settled into its usual silence.

Most of the family members were busy with their own work.

The long corridor outside Virendra Rathore's study was completely empty.

Madhavi Rathore quietly looked around.

Left.

Right.

No one.

She slowly walked toward the study.

The door wasn't locked.

She gently pushed it open.

The room was exactly as Virendra had left it.

Perfectly organised.

Every file...

Every book...

Every document...

In its proper place.

Madhavi carefully closed the door behind her.

She didn't waste even a second.

Walking straight toward the large wooden cabinet...

She unlocked a small compartment using a duplicate key.

For a brief moment...

She simply looked inside.

Several files lay neatly arranged.

Her eyes immediately stopped on one particular file.

Without hesitation...

She took it out.

Her heartbeat unconsciously became faster.

She carried it to the table.

Opened it.

Page after page...

Her eyes quickly moved across the contents.

Maps.

Official seals.

Property-related documents.

Several handwritten notes.

Some pages made her eyebrows rise slightly.

"So..."

She whispered.

"That's how it is..."

She didn't continue reading.

Instead...

She quietly took out her phone.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Only a few pages.

Not the entire file.

Only the ones she wanted.

The photographs were perfectly clear.

A few moments later...

She placed the phone back into her handbag.

Carefully arranged every page exactly as before.

Closed the file.

Returned it to its original position.

Locked the cabinet again.

She looked around the room one final time.

Nothing looked disturbed.

No one...

Would ever know the file had been touched.

Satisfied...

Madhavi quietly left the study.

The door closed behind her without making a sound.

---

Meanwhile...

Inside the hospital parking area...

Chahat slowly walked toward her car.

She had officially left early.

For the first time in years...

She wasn't going home immediately.

Instead...

She instructed the driver,

"Let's go to City Centre."

The driver looked slightly surprised.

"Yes, Ma'am."

The car quietly drove away.

Nearly thirty minutes later...

It stopped outside a well-known shopping district.

Chahat stepped out.

Adjusting her dupatta, she quietly entered one of the stores.

Unlike her usual visits...

Today she wasn't looking at prices.

Or brands.

Or luxury.

She was searching...

For something meaningful.

Something that only Kabir would understand.

Nearly an hour passed.

The staff politely showed her dozens of options.

She rejected most of them.

Not because they were expensive.

But because...

"They don't feel right."

Finally...

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

"This one."

The shop assistant smiled.

"Excellent choice, Ma'am."

Chahat quietly nodded.

"Please pack it carefully."

The assistant immediately began wrapping the gift.

Watching the beautiful wrapping paper slowly cover it...

A smile unknowingly appeared on Chahat's face.

Very softly...

Almost like a secret...

She whispered,

"I hope you like it, Hubby."

She carefully collected the packet.

Held it close to herself.

And quietly walked out of the shop.

No one noticed...

That the smile on her face was brighter than it had ever been.

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