The Secrets of the Elements

Chapter 28: A New Beginning

"Okay," said Tej as he closed a file. "I'll talk to the clients," he assured, adjusting his tie.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I'll see you in a bit," he said and left the conference room, heading towards

the washroom.

He let out a sigh and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

White formal shirt, black trousers, black blazer, and a black-tie.

"You look dapper," said a voice which made Tej swivel.

"You? What are you doing here? Who's with dad?" he questioned.

"Relax, bro," said Ray and hugged Tej. Tej dropped his shoulders and closed his eyes, hugging his best

friend.

"Advika's near uncle," he said. "Your aunt had called."

"And?" said Tej.

"She said she will come here and handle-"

"All bullshit," spat Tej. "She just wants dad's property."

"Forget all that," said Ray and removed a locket from his pocket. "Advika went to this temple on the NôvelDrama.Org owns this.

outskirts of the city."

A shiny gold rudraksha dangled on the delicate silver chain.

Tej smiled and wore it around his neck.

"Ohhhhh," teased Ray and playfully punched Tej's arm. "You don't believe in such stuff, but now, as

Advika has sent it."

Tej smiled. "Once everything is fine, I'll confess my love to her."

~~~~~~~

Rishi sat on his bed, staring into the sky.

"Rishi," said Rutuja as she entered his room. "Daksh and I are going for-"

Rishi wiped his tears and painted a smile on his face.

Rutuja sat at the foot of the bed. "Missing your parents?" she asked and kept her hand on his hand.

Rishi nodded his head. "I miss my parents too," said Rutuja and pursed her lips.

"Where are you both going?" asked Rishi.

"Just roaming, with Rio," she said. "You haven't met Rio, right? Rio, the horse."

"No, I'm good," he replied and shifted towards the other side of the bed.

"Rishi," said Rutuja and got to her feet. "Step out, you'll feel better."

"I'll come by myself if I feel like," said Rishi and hugged the pillow.

"Okay," said Rutuja and left him alone with his thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~

"How can you be so sure about it?" asked Zarna as she drew the curtains of the hospital room. The

sunlight flowed in the room, falling on Swarna's face.

Maya glanced at Swarna and removed a small device from her pocket. "The meter," she said.

"Should we tell this to Tej?" asked Zarna and tied her hair into a bun.

"No," replied Maya. "He's already got so many things going on. But we'll tell Ray and Advika, I'll call

them."

~~~~~~~~~

His black robe swept the ground as he marched towards the rock throne placed against the wall of the

dungeon. He was welcomed by the smell of alcohol and gush of excitement.

Men and women dressed in red robes sat on their knees as the masked man bowed before an elderly

man sitting on the throne.

"My dear son," said Azazel and smiled as he got up from his throne. "Welcome, welcome home."

The masked man smiled removing the black mask he wore. His fair skin, developed calf muscles, thick

eyebrows, high cheekbones, and tensed arms attracted the attention of all the women present in the

dungeon.

His blue eyes glistened as Azazel stepped down from the throne and motioned him to sit in his place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Long live the Prince! Long live the Prince! Long live the Prince!"

Echoed the entire dungeon as he sat on the throne.

Azazel closed his eyes; a bejewelled crown appeared on the Prince's head, which he adjusted with a

bright smile on his face.

~~~~~~

"Hey, bro," said Ray as Tej, who was dressed in formals, stepped inside the hospital room. His gaze

fixed on his mom.

Advika looked at him and noticed his swollen eyes.

Without uttering a word, he sat next to his mom and held her hand.

"How are things at work going?" asked Advika. Tej nodded his head. "Lost the potential clients," he

uttered. Advika had to strain her ears to understand what he was speaking.

"This is the reason I never wanted to enter the business, it's not my cup of tea," he added.

"Nobody succeeds in the first attempt, stop being so hard on yourself," she said.

"How did you manage to run your business, Advika?" asked Tej and looked at her.

Advika slightly smiled at him. "Tej," she started. "It's a small business, it's not a huge company like

yours, there's a big difference."

"But still," he insisted.

"I have failed n number of times, Tej," she replied. "I was going to give up, but then, that's what I

wanted. I wanted to own a business. It's different in your case."

"And if you think I'm making profits, then no, you're wrong," she added. "You don't always get clients.

Failure is inevitable, Tej. But getting up and facing challenges is a must."

"I wish I had half the determination you had," he said.

"You have a lot of determination, Tej. It's just not for the business," she clarified.

"Tej," said Zarna as she entered the room. "It's dad," she said handing him her phone.

~~~~~~~

"Rishi!" called Rutuja as she scanned his bedroom, living area, and the entire house.

"What happened Ru?" asked Daksh.

"Rishi," she said as she tied her hair into a bun. "He's not there in the house."

"Relax," said Daksh. "He's not a kid."

"He's injured, Daksh. He can't walk properly," she said and touched her head closing her eyes.

"Okay, okay," said Daksh and fetched some water for her.

"We'll find him before Dad and Dai Ma returns," he assured.

"Find whom?" said a voice.

"There he is," said Daksh as Rishi rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

Rutuja stared at him. "Where were you?"

"In my bedroom," he said and yawned. "Why?"

"No, no, you weren't there a few minutes ago," said Rutuja and took a step towards him. "I searched

the whole house twice."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ru," said Rishi and kept his hand on her shoulder, almost

leaning on her.

"Rishi," said Rutuja as Daksh stepped forward to keep him from falling.

"Sit," said Daksh as Rutuja adjusted the cushion on the sofa.

"Ru, he can't even stand," said Daksh. "How will he step out of the house?"

"Exactly," said Rishi dryly.

Rutuja switched her glance between Rishi and Daksh, clearly not convinced. She nodded her head.

"Fine," she muttered and marched towards her room.

~~~~~~~

"This is serious," said Ray as he handed Advika her favourite iced coffee.

"I brought two more lockets from Guru Ma for Uncle and Aunt," said Advika and sipped the coffee.

"I drew a protection circle around Tej's house," said Maya and rested her head against the pillow.

"Do you guys think that those three are involved in this accident?" asked Zarna and sat on the chair.

They all had gathered at Ray's house.

"I don't think so," said Advika.

"Why?" asked Maya.

"That girl, Rutuja, she's too noble to attack from behind like that," she replied. "Last time, they came

home and attacked us."

"I agree," said Zarna. "Those guys don't seem to be that type you know."

"But they failed," opposed Maya. "Maybe that's why they choose to attack Tej's parents."

"Well," Ray hopped in. "We'll find that sooner or later. But what about our mission now?"

"Our priority is Tej," said Advika. "Once his parents are fine, we'll resume our mission."

"I agree," said Maya. "We'll find the attacker soon."

~~~~~~~

Tej stood at the terrace of his office and saw some of his employees smoke.

"Hey," he heard a familiar voice say.

He smiled at her as she stood next to him and followed his gaze.

"You know," began Advika. "At my office, even Interns join the seniors for this smoke break. They say it

helps them deal with stress."

"I wonder how?" said Tej and turned to look at her.

"Don't you ever get into all these bad habits, Tej," she said and put her hair behind her ear as the air

blew them on her face.

Tej slightly smiled. "Never," he assured.

"Aunt is fine," she said and held his hand. "Doctor's said we can take her home tomorrow."

Tej smiled and removed his phone from his pocket.

"No, no," said Advika. "She can't talk on the phone. It's not advisable. But you can meet her tomorrow

after you meet with the International clients."

"We're going to have a zoom meeting," he said and looked down to the ground.

"Did you go through the presentation? The requirements? Your company's stats? Their company's

requirements?" she showered him with questions.

He nodded and felt his throat go dry.

"Here," she said and removed a small water bottle from her sack. "Have some water."

Tej gulped it down and took a deep breath.

"Tej, the result is not in your hands, but trying is," she said. "Just be honest, clear, and don't sound like

you need them, or this is your only chance. They don't need to know about the crisis you're going

through."

"I've already lost a few potential clients, Advika," he said and gazed at the sky.

"Tej, you're new here," she consoled. "It will take time plus, Aunt is just recovering, you cannot expect

her to be here with you. She can be your advisor, but, it's not good to put that kind of pressure on her."

"I will give it my best," said Tej.

"All the best," she said and hugged him. "I know you will get this deal."

He closed his eyes and hugged her back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~