Rhea looked at her son with a stern expression.
Her brows tightened almost imperceptibly.
She spoke with the seriousness of someone demanding an answer.
“Akhil, I believe you have a lot of explaining to do.
So, explain before I search for broomstick?”
Akhil swallowed hard, but on second thought, why was he afraid of her?
What did he do wrong?
Nothing.
Akhil’s expression shifted into confidence.
He spoke, his tone clear and filled with confidence.
“You see, Mom.
A girl from our college had died recently.
Naturally, the police came to our college to investigate.
But the college, afraid of ruining its reputation, did not give a satisfactory response to the police.
That’s when I met her.
She asked me to show her around the college so she could collect the relevant details.
I led her around the campus.”
Akhil took a breath and continued with a lazy smile.
“So, we coincidentally met on the street.
She invited me to the supermarket and offered to buy me anything I wanted because she wanted to repay me for helping her.
That’s all.”
Rhea’s brows did not ease, still furrowed even further.
She felt like there was something off.
She locked her gaze on Akhil, who looked back at her with an innocent smile.
Her frown deepened.
Her mind raced as she thought about the situation Akhil had explained.
Why would an IPS officer voluntarily offer to treat her son?
Most police officers don’t even bother to say thanks.
But an IPS officer willingness to repay her son…
Is it a joke?
If anyone else told her something like that, she might just laugh it off.
On second thought, maybe I am overthinking this.
What if she’s just a good person who genuinely wants to repay someone for their help?
They had simply met by coincidence.
So, for now.
Let’s drop this matter.
She said to Akhil while walking toward the kitchen.
“Go change your clothes.
I am going to make dinner.”
Akhil heaved a sigh of relief, and his expression shifted into a smile.
“Luckily, I didn’t mention how I wanted to befriend her just for ice cream.”
At dinner,
Suddenly, she recounted the details of her day to Ramesh, who listened with patience of someone who had already done this many times.
He usually listened to Rhea whenever she complained about her day.
But today, when he heard what she said, he nearly choked.
He looked at Akhil, who was looking back at him with the same, harmless smile.
His expression shifted several times before he finally spoke jokingly.
“Son, I will give you my blessing.
If you want to pursue her, then go ahead.
If you marry into her family, maybe our family’s standing will increase.”
As he said this, Rhea took the spatula and hit him in the face.
Ramesh screamed in agony and pointed a finger at her.
“You… I was just joking with him!”
Rhea ignored him and focused her gaze on Akhil.
She spoke in a tone that left no room for discussion.
“Akhil.
Go to your room.”
Akhil nodded his head and frantically fled the room.
Ramesh watched this with a puzzled expression.
Why was she shooing Akhil?
“So, what is it you want to talk to me about?”
He had known his wife for years, so he realized that she wanted to tell him something, and did not want Akhil to know about this.
Rhea’s eyes never left Akhil, only shifting to Ramesh when his figure disappeared into his room.
Her expression turned uneasy as she spoke,
“Husband, I believe there is something wrong with that IPS officer.”
Ramesh narrowed his eyes at her, his demeanor shifting from playful to solemn.
“Why do you think so?”
Rhea explained her thoughts to Ramesh, who listened with a serious expression.
When she finished speaking, his expression turned bewildered.
He commented after a short pause.
“I think you are watching too many dramas.”
He rested his chin on his hand, and looked at her in disbelief.
“What you’re saying only happens in drama.”
“I mean, there are lot of good police officers are there.
Yes, it’s true, there are also some police officers who are greedy and negligent.”
He stood up from his chair, walked over to her and patted her head.
“So, don’t overthink it.
She’s just a good person.”
Rhea also nodded back at him, a small smile playing on her lips.
Her doubts vanished completely after hearing Ramesh’s reassurance.
……
The next day,
At college,
Sanjay, Mukhi and Rajesh were all playing ‘free fire’ on their phones.
The sky outside hung heavy with gray clouds.
The gust of wind whipped through the trees in wild bursts, bending branches and scattering leaves across the ground.
The sudden thunder startled everyone in the classroom.
Akhil and his friends looked at each other, their eyes carrying a silent message only they could understand.
“Then it’s decided.
We’re eating samosas on the way home.”
After school,
The four of them sprinted toward the nearby samosa shop.
Rain poured down violently, as strong gusts of wind swept through the streets.
Sanjay cursed.
“Fuck!
The rain has been pouring down for hours.
If only it had stopped for a few minutes, we would have reached the shop ages ago.”
Finally, they reached their destination, only to find the shop had closed.
“What the fuck?
Why did they close the shop?”
All four of them were frustrated.
But there was nothing they could do.
Soon, they all headed toward their respective houses.
………..
Meanwhile, in a five-star hotel,
A middle-aged man sat in his chair, listening to reports from his subordinates through a video call.
He nodded and said.
“Good.
I expect great results from you.”
With that, he ended his video call.
Before he could place it on his desk, it rang again.
He glanced at the caller’s name, immediately answered the call and asked,
“Have you found the person I am looking for?”
The person on the other end of the call confirmed that they had found him and sent over the list of the students matching the description the middle-aged-man had provided.
“Sir, this is the list of the students who fit the criteria you mentioned.”
“I see.”
He looked through the list of students and immediately found Akhil’s name.
He said to the person on the other end of the call.
“Ok.
The money will be transferred to your account in ten minutes.”
With that, he ended the call.
He looked over Akhil’s details and smirked.
“Heh… How dare this poor bastard go after the women I like?”
“I’ll make your life hell.”
“Akhil.”