Chapter 5 - Shadows of Doubt
The threat from Dev was not an empty one. Within forty-eight hours, the atmosphere around the Malhotra mansion grew tense.
Suspicious cars were spotted parked near the main gates. Mira, who had been moved to a beautiful suite in the main house, felt the sudden weight of eyes on her whenever she walked near the gardens with Arav.
One afternoon, while Arav was taking his nap, Raj called Mira into his study.
"Mira," Raj began, stepping out from behind his desk to offer her a chair. "My legal team has prepared a trust fund for you and your family. It will protect you financially for the rest of your life. But we have a bigger problem. The media and several major pharmaceutical groups have got wind of what happened. They are trying to find out who you are."
Mira looked down at her hands, her face filled with anxiety. "I don't want any of this, Sahib. I only want to live my life quietly. If my grandmother's medicine causes so much trouble, maybe I should just go back to my village."
"No," Raj said quickly, more urgently than he intended. He softened his voice. "If you go back now, you will be alone. They will follow you there. In the village, you won't have the security or the legal protection I can provide. Here, you are safe."
"But for how long, sir?" Mira asked, looking up at him with her honest, brown eyes. "I am just a village girl. I don't belong in this mansion. The other servants... they look at me differently now. They think I used some black magic to win your favor. They whisper when I walk past the kitchen."
Raj felt a pang of guilt. He had protected her from the outside world, but he had failed to realize the isolation she was experiencing within his own walls.
"I am sorry, Mira," Raj said gently. "I didn't think about that. You should not have to face their jealousy."
"It's not just that, Raj Sahib," she said, using his name instead of 'Sir' for the first time, her voice cracking slightly. "I miss the mountains. I miss the smell of the pine trees after the rain. Here, everything is beautiful, but everything is made of stone. Even the air feels like it has been bought and paid for."
Raj looked around his study—the leather-bound books he never read, the expensive paintings, the heavy mahogany furniture. For the first time, he saw his home through her eyes: a luxurious golden cage, built to keep the world out, but also keeping warmth and life from getting in.
"Then we will leave," Raj said suddenly.
Mira blinked in surprise. "Leave, sir? To where?"
"To your village," Raj said, a genuine smile spreading across his face for the first time in years. "Arav is strong enough to travel now. The doctors say a change of air, especially clean mountain air, would be excellent for his lungs. We will go to Joshimath. We will see the place where this miracle came from."
Mira’s face lit up with a joy so pure it took Raj’s breath away. "Really, Sahib? You would come to our mountains? It is very simple there. There are no five-star hotels. No luxury cars."
"I don't care about hotels or cars, Mira," Raj said, and to his surprise, he realized he actually meant it. "I want to see the place that made you who you are. And I want Arav to run in the wild grass."
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That evening, preparation for the journey began. Raj personally managed the logistics, ensuring maximum security and discretion. They would travel by private jet to Dehradun, and from there, take a private helicopter up into the mountains to avoid any pursuers.
However, as they prepared to leave, a shadow was looming. Dev Malhotra had hired a private investigator to shadow Mira's family in Joshimath, hoping to find the source of the herbal compound before Raj could secure it. He was determined to steal the secret, regardless of the cost.
