A bulky man pulled a knife from behind and as Priya watched helplessly, he stabbed her father from behind.

"No!" Priya screamed, tears falling from her eyes continuously.

Manish looked behind at the man, lifted his hand to throttle him, but grunted in pain as the green-eyed man stabbed him in the stomach. Though he tried his best to resist, the man continued to stab him two more times until Manish fell to the ground on his stomach. He craned his neck with effort to look at Priya and she was staring at her father with tears in her eyes. He gave a small smile before he left his last breath.

"Noooooo..." Priya screamed in agony. She felt helpless, laying paralyzed on the ground, and watching as the men murdered her father.

As she watched her father's lifeless body, the green-eyed man approached a woman with a smirk on his face. She was the mystery woman of her dreams. He crouched in front of her supported by his heels and raised his hand to touch the woman's face. But she moved back, disgust evident on her face. He said something to the woman and the woman replied something, but it was all gibberish to Priya. Whatever the woman said, angered him and he slapped her hard, making blood come out of her mouth. Even during that time, the woman held on to Priya's hand. The man held the woman by her hair and hit her head on the car's door again and again. When he had enough and she started to lose her consciousness, he raised to his feet and ran a hand through his hair, shouting like a mad man. He looked back at the woman, after a minute of contemplation, he held a rod and struck her hard once. Priya could only watch as the woman slowly fell next to her.

"I'm sorry," Priya whispered with an effort.

The woman just smiled and squeezed her hand in hers as if saying it wasn't her fault. "Thank you," she said, before she died with a smile on her face.

Priya stayed like that motionless. She felt useless, as she watched herself laying there but doing nothing to save her father or the woman. She looked at those cruel men, and they were in a word fight pointing at their bodies. There was a slight movement from Priya and the green-eyed man glanced at her with a frown. He approached her and stared at her paralysed form. He lifted his leg and with his booted foot, pushed Priya's head to face him. Her eyes started to droop close but she tried to hold back. She looked at him, like really looking at him, imprinting his face in her mind. She flinched as he caressed her face with the rod. He stared at Priya's face as if he pitied her. But she knew what was going to happen. He lifted the rod and swung it to her face...

Priya woke up with a start, her heart racing and her whole body sweating. Momentarily, she was confused, and looking around she realized she was in her bedroom. Running a hand over her sweaty face, she muttered a curse.

"What the fuck was that?" she wondered out loud, removing the tangled covers and swinging her legs out of bed. For a while, she sat there pondering over the vivid dream she just experienced. Was it really a dream? She frowned, her hands fisting as another thought occurred to her. Or was it the missing part of her memories? She thought.

"How can anyone think to hurt my Papa?" She shook her head in denial. "This cannot be possible," she stood abruptly and walked out of her room. She went towards the kitchen to fetch some water and when she came out, she saw her mother sleeping on the couch in the living room. Priya sighed. Though Indira has a bedroom, she always ends up sleeping on the couch.

Priya bit her lip, thinking about the dream. Her heart squeezed when she thought of her father being stabbed. It did not feel like a dream but real. Never her nightmares were this vivid and clear. She has to talk with her mother in the morning. Didn't her mother say that the cause of her father's death was head injury? Then why was she dreaming of him being stabbed? Then again, who was that mysterious woman? She has to find out what really happened on the day of the accident?

If what she saw in her dream was real, then she wasn't going to sit calm.

She came back to her room tired. Her exhaustion could also be the reason for the trigger. She was stressed from thinking about the dues she had to pay and her job. She was glad Abhay denied her resignation request.

It was after coming home yesterday that it hit her. She needed this job. There was the landlord knocking on her door for the month's rent, Aditya reminding her about the new semester fees, Indira's medicine refills, and endless bills and chores that just continued to pile up. Her savings wouldn't cover even a fifty percent with her present predicament. So, she decided to continue working for Abhay. At least for the meanwhile, until she found a new job. She was slightly relieved as she wouldn't have much contact with Abhay because she would be under supervision of Vijay.

She wasn't angry with Abhay. But at herself. When she saw the momentary doubt in Abhay's eyes yesterday when Tina accused her, it broke her heart.

In startled retrospect, she realized she had fallen for the man. She couldn't exactly say why, she fell for him hard. Which had become a huge problem for her.

How could she fall for a married man? She was feeling guilty and embarrassed at herself. This was wrong. That was why her hasty decision to resign her job and stay away from him. He was a danger to her heart.

She would stay away from him as much as possible. She decided to close her eyes and let sleep consume her.

∞∞∞

Ready for the day, Priya stepped out of her room, looking fresh like a daisy. Though her eyes were still pale and sunken from the lack of sleep. She wore a pale blue blouse paired with navy blue pants and a blazer. She tied her hair into a loose ponytail and held her office bag in hand. Bobby reached her as usual and she patted him on his head. She walked to the kitchen and saw Indira cooking breakfast.

"Morning, Maa," Priya said, placing her bag on the dining table and going to make coffee.

"Good morning," Indira said, continuing her work, while Priya continued with coffee, silent with her thoughts and staring at her mother. She wondered how to open her nightmare topic as Indira always reacted sensitively to her father's death.

"Oh, Priya," Indira said, a few minutes later, gaining her attention, "Guess what..."

"What?"

"Your cousin, Sharmila's marriage got fixed."

"Wow! With whom? When?"

"The boy's name is Rajesh. He is a software engineer settled in America. The wedding is next month."

"So soon?"

"The boy liked our girl very much. He wanted to get married before he left for America."

"Hmmm... Happy for her."

"I will be going to Lucknow next week."

Priya frowned.

"Why?"

"What why? How can your Maasi take care of preparations all alone? If only her husband is alive... Your Maasi must be anxious now thinking about her only daughter getting married and how to take care of all the wedding rituals by herself. I know how she feels," she gave a pointed look to Priya. Priya rolled eyes, thinking her mother wouldn't leave a chance to taunt her, "I am going to be by my sister's side," Indira said emotionally.

Priya shouldn't have asked that question. She knew how much her Uncle and Aunt helped their family, when her father died and she was in coma.

"Okay, Maa," Priya said, taking her coffee and sipping her phone, "Let me know the date, I'll book the tickets." Indira looked extremely happy about her niece's wedding. Seeing the smile on her mother's face, Priya decided she wasn't going to ask her about the accident. Not yet.

Priya took her coffee and sat at the dining table. She took her mobile and started checking her emails before she left for the office, which was her daily routine. She was scrolling through the priority emails when an email subject caught her attention.

'Personal Assistant Contract - revised.'

Priya jerked violently, as the words registered in her mind, her inner awareness ringing warning bells in her head. With bated breath, she opened the email to read and she heard her own heart beat, fast and pounding against her ribcage, as she stared at the screen.

"Congratulations on being promoted as the Personal Assistant to Abhay Sinha," the letter said.

She looked up at the ceiling and her facial expression changed from shocked to anger, as she muttered to the invisible entity.

"My God! Strike me with lightning if I ask you anything. Ever!"

∞∞∞

There was a knock at the door. Abhay opened one eye, glanced at the clock, and was tempted to close his eyes again to gain a few moments of sleep. It was quarter to eight in the morning, but he reached his office in the early morning having to attend an important phone call. He hadn't slept the previous night, having his thoughts occupied by a phone call he received last week and also thinking about Priya.

The soft knocks turned insistent and he sighed, knowing who was at the door. He had locked the door from inside not wanting anyone to barge in during his meeting. Not that anyone would dare to except for his family members and friends. Muttering a curse, he stood up and walked to the door. He clicked the lock and opened the door. His friend and partner, Varun Mehra, stood in front of him.

Varun lifted a perfect brow as he studied his face. "Aunty is damn disappointed with you it seems," Varun said. He was perfectly groomed, as usual, dressed in a crisp gray suit and white shirt and sleek hair.

"Anjali," Abhay didn't ask but stated, rolling his eyes, annoyed at his sister.

"Why blame her?" Varun asked, pushing Abhay aside and strolled inside. Abhay shut the door with a bang.

"What is with you? She says you are leaving home early and going late at night," Varun halted, and turned around as he asked, "What is it that I hear about your assistant?"

"What did you hear?" Abhay asked seriously.

"You kicked one ruthlessly and hired another instantly who was the reason."

"Should I keep that shameless woman even after her nasty act?"

Varun shook his head and said, "I did not say that. I am curious about the other one. What is her name?" he asked in confusion, "What is your hurry in hiring her?"

"She was going to resign. I did the mistake. She did nothing but protect my daughter. So, why should she suffer?"

"You could have just let her continue working with Mr. Sharma. I heard you said that she has to pay compensation if she resigns."

"She is a prideful person. She will not work there even if I say so."

"Then, you could just say sorry. Why hire her as your assistant?" Varun said exasperatedly, "Oh, sorry. For a second, I forgot that you don't have that word in your dictionary."

Abhay glared. "I have my reasons," he snapped.

Varun stared at his friend frowning and asked belatedly, "Do you have coffee ready?"

Abhay almost sighed, glad that Varun did not prolong the topic. "No," he said, wishing he did. But he was bad at making coffee and there was no peon when he arrived since it wasn't the working hours.

Varun narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "You call at six and demand to be in the office immediately. You should at least have coffee as a compensation for pulling me out of my bed early in the morning."

Abhay yawned. "You still took your time," he pointed, though he was on his way outside, "Where is Ramesh?" he asked.

Varun followed him hurriedly. "Where are you going?"

"To make coffee."

"I should be blessed to have the coffee made by our Chairman. But, I strictly avoid this blessing," Varun said horrified.

"You just now threw a tantrum for coffee," Abhay pointed, turning to face his friend and placing his hands on his hips.

"I did. But something from Starbucks or Cafe. Not your handmade. I still remember how poor Ramesh had to take a leave from his office because he did a marathon in the bathroom," Varun visibly shuddered, remembering the day Abhay made coffee. "I still remember my visit to the emergency department and giving him fruits."

Abhay glared offended. "I thought it was powdered sugar. Who knew it'd be detergent powder."

Varun gave him an unbelievable look. "Truth is bitter, my friend," Varun said, rubbing his head, "You go. I'll take the privilege to make coffee. I want something better in the morning. You call Ramesh and find where he is."

Abhay did not argue. Varun was right. He was good at most of the things, but not cooking. Abhay couldn't drink his own coffee, then how could he expect others to. Only his friends had mastered that skill except for him.

He left Varun to make coffee and returned to his cabin, calling Ramesh. It went to voicemail and Abhay thought he might be on his way. He came to his seat, opened a drawer and pulled out two files, red and green in colors. He opened the red file and picked the photos. He stared at the stark photographs, his hand changing to the next photo, examining each minute detail over and over again though he'd gone over those photos and statements an infinite number of times over the past week. His private detective had done a good job in digging out the dirt, the past events and had given a precise report. But there was something amiss. At this thought, he opened the green file and picked a particular photo. Particularly, a certain person, as his eyes took in the sheer details of the person. He let his thoughts free range, the possibilities taking a negative turn which he did not like. He again returned back to the red file, thinking he'd missed any details but he again ended up with that person.

The door opened and his friends walked inside with their usual cheerful chatter. Ramesh already has his coffee mug while Varun carried theirs. Abhay smiled at them as Varun placed his coffee on the table.

"What's the matter?" Ramesh asked as he settled in one of the visiting chairs. Varun followed suit occupying the other chair. Ramesh and Varun chit-chatted casually for a few minutes when they realized Abhay was silent. Abhay's lean, dark face was thoughtful. Both the friends shared wary glances.

"Abhay?" Varun called and Abhay looked at him. "You asked for us to be in your office. We are here and you are silent. Is there anything bothering you?"

"It's high time I come clean with you," Abhay said strangely.

"What is it?" Ramesh asked.

He looked at them. "The thing which I am going to tell you both now... is going to concern my family and our business. If anything happens to me in the future, I need your help."

Varun and Ramesh sat straight curiously, hearing the seriousness in their friend's voice.

Abhay continued. "Remember the time I got into an accident nine months back?"

"How could we forget?" Varun shuddered, "It was like history repeating itself. Thank god nothing happened to you."

Ramesh stayed silent. But from his expression, Abhay could say that he was also remembering that moment.

"We all thought it was because of the car brakes failure. But it was... a pre-planned murder attempt."

"WHAT!" Varun and Ramesh voices echoed in the room. They stood up while Abhay looked at them calmly. He gestured back to their seats and continued.

"When I got my consciousness back, two days later, I received an anonymous call," there was a cynical smile on his face as Abhay recalled the phone call, "It was interesting. The man was anxious to say how sorry he was and how he shouldn't have done that to my family. He said he was getting punished for his sins and his time had come. I'd have brushed it off as a prank call, but..." Abhay paused, observing his friend's face, "He mentioned my brother and sister-in-law... and the desperation in his voice... those were the root of my suspicion."

Varun and Ramesh shared glances and looked back at Abhay.

"How does he know them?" Ramesh asked.

"He was involved in killing them," Abhay said, fisting his hands and their faces changed.

"Kill?" Varun murmured.

Abhay nodded. "It wasn't a hit and run. The whole scene and evidence were fabricated."

"What the hell are you talking about Abhay? Who will kill them?" Varun asked.

"I made Tyagi track the phone number. Unfortunately, that person was dead," Abhay pushed the red file towards them to see. Ramesh picked the file and opened and Varun moved closer to see what it was.

"He is David. 40 years and has a history of murder, petty thefts and blackmailing. He died on the day when he called me. The situation was too suspicious. The anonymous call soon after my accident and his death after calling me... It made me think of bhai's accident and mine. Something was off. So, I appointed a private detective. He started from finding this anonymous person, David and tracing his calls..."

Ramesh turned a page and looked at the marked phone number with red. Varun frowned seeing the familiar phone number.

"Isn't this...?"

"You're right," Abhay said, confirming his suspicions.

"That bastard," Varun bellowed angrily.

"Are you sure about this?" Ramesh asked.

"No. But I have proof for his other crimes," Abhay said, "This file contains his whole crime history. This is the reason for my Mumbai visit. In the last three years, using ASO, he is involved in money laundering, smuggling, women trafficking, which I wasn't aware of," he said furiously, "Anyway... this doesn't contain the proof for my brother's murder. We don't have a shit over this. I want to find out whether he was behind my brother's death. I want him behind bars for killing my brother."

"Why do you think he did this?"

"Would I be sitting here if I knew?" Abhay asked. "My detective had found a few things. The funny thing was basic investigation wasn't done," he looked at Ramesh a bit hesitant. Ramesh fisted his hands in anger. "There was nothing you could do Ramesh. You weren't even in the force that time." Ramesh didn't say anything. He too knew that but he was disappointed as a police officer.

"I want to reopen the case," Abhay said, looking at Ramesh. "I want to pull everyone out who was involved in fabricating the evidence. I cannot do this without you."

"Do you have to ask?" Ramesh said, closing the file, "I am not going to let the person go easily who hurt our Rahul bhai and Ramya."

Abhay smiled slightly. "I know you won't." After a few minutes of silence, Abhay added, "He's going to strike again. Before that I want to make him fall hard and strong... In this process, if I am hurt, I want you," he looked at Varun, as he said, "to take care of my family. I know I am asking a lot. As Anjali's future husband, I know you will, even if I do not ask. But..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Varun frowned.

"If he succeeds, before I can get him..."

"You are talking as if it is the end of the world. Nothing like that will ever happen... I have faith in you and us," Varun said. Ramesh agreed by nodding his head. "Don't ever talk like this," Varun demanded.

Abhay shook his head, but smiled.

"It is going to be hard as it was five years back. David, the key witness, is dead..." Ramesh looked thoughtful, "We are at square one. We need to collect strong evidence to make our case strong."

"We do have one," Abhay said.

"What?"

Abhay smirked, and pushed the blue file towards Ramesh and he picked up. Ramesh's eyes widened when he saw the picture.

∞∞∞