Ch-80
Just then Arjun, Raghuram entered the house along with Krishna Uppalapati.
"Annaya, why is he here? Didn't he just break the marriage?" Rama Krishna asked with anger.
"Babai, he didn't say no. He said he would marry her after he returned to India which is after six months. But we convinced him now to marry Nandini on the usual date," Arjun said.
"Why didn't you pick the call?" Rahul asked.
"We were talking to Krishna. I kept my phone in silent," he said.
"Very good! Shall I applaud your family now?!" Rahul said in anger.
"What happened, Rahul?" Arjun asked feeling confused.
"Don't you know! I trusted you guys and left for the office. Only to get her insulted. If he called off the wedding what is Laya's fault!? You guys called her a bad omen for no reason! Now… she went missing for the last damned one and half hours. If I find something bad has happened, I won't let you guys off!" Rahul roared and stormed out of the house.
The moment he went out, he called his father and sister to inform them about Laya's condition.
"Dad, I don't know what to do," Rahul said feeling helpless.
"Okay. Let's check the CCTV footage near her gate. If she hired a taxi we could see it. Then with the number plate, we can track it down and find where she is," Harish Chandra said.
"Dad, what if something happened to her?" he asked with a frustrated sigh.
"Nothing will happen to her. Trust me. Now… I will get people to check the things for her. Wait for my call," Harish said and hung the call.
Saranya ran to her dad's place feeling worried about her sister-in-law's condition.
—----
On the other hand…
Arjun and Raghuram were stunned at Rahul's words.
"What happened, Sita?" Raghuram asked.
Sita narrated everything for them.
"Sita, are you joking?" A worried and shocked voice sounded from behind. It's sharada.
She didn't know that Laya was kidnapped. But now she was worried.
"I warned you, to cut ties with that woman long ago! And because of her, she left the house!" Sharada yelled at her husband for the first time in her life.
"Vadina (sister-in-law), stop crying. We will find her," Rama Krishna said.
"Annaya, Rahul said she left in a taxi, Right?" Rama Krishna said as he turned towards Raghuram.
"Hmm," he nodded.
"We could check the CCTV footage and find the taxi and its the number plate. If we can track the car, we can find her," Rama Krishna said.
"We should do that, dad," Arjun supported.
They went to the security room. Even Krishna went with them. He felt guilty for his actions. His hasty actions made a woman blamed without her fault and she even went missing. Directly or indirectly it was his fault. All he could do was do something he could to help them. Rahul was there already checking the footage.
"Stop. There. Check the car's number plate," Rahul said to the security guard.
"Sir, this is OLA taxi services." the guard said.
"If you call the Ola services and ask them about the driver with this number plate, they will give his details and the routes he went today, sir," the guard said. Rahul nodded and noted the number plate.
Just then, Rama Krishna's phone ringed. He frowned when he saw the familiar string of numbers. His heart burst with anxiety when he tried to think. But what if his predictions were right.
"Everyone, stop. I think you will know where she is if we listen to this call," Rama Krishna said.
They turned silent at his words.
"You may leave," Rama Krishna said to the security guard. The security gaurd nodded and left closing the door.
Rama Krishna picked the call and put it on speaker.
"Rama Krishna," he heard the same annoying female voice.
"I know she is with you," he said.
"I am glad. I don't need to strain myself to explain what I did," she said with a chuckle.
"Didn't I say not to play with her anymore? Why did you do this?" he asked.
"What? Are you pitying the bitch?" Maha Lakshmi asked with annoyance evident in her voice.
Rama Krishna almost smashed the phone but he held it tightly. Rahul wanted to go and ask what does she want to do with her for god sake.
"I am not. Just tell me, why?" he asked.
"I felt this is a good chance to kidnap her," she said.
"Oh, then what do you want to do now?" Rama Krishna asked her.
"I will let her sign the divorce papers and will sell to a brothel," she said lightly.
"How do you have connections with those people," he asked clenching his fist. Rahul, Arjun, Krishna, and Raghuram felt their blood boil. How could a woman think to sell another woman like that?
"My brother will take care of it," she said.
"Oh, then why did you call me? Don't you know I am busy?" he asked.
"Nothing. I want you to divert the attention of my son for a day," she said.
"Maha Lakshmi, don't you know she is pregnant with your grandchild. How could you be cruel to her like this?" Rama Krishna asked.
"What?! She is pregnant?!" Maha Lakshmi sounded surprised.
"She is in the second month," he said.
"Then why did she didn't tell me. I appointed her in your house twenty days ago," Maha Lakshmi sounded as if she was talking to herself.
"I won't sell her then. Will keep her with me till she gives birth to the baby and then sells her," she said as if she made a kind decision.
"Aren't you afraid of police or others would find you?" he asked.
"If they find me, I will kill her and run away," she said. Ramakrishna sighed. He placed a hand on Rahul's shoulder stopping him from smashing the vase on the table.
He placed a finger on his lips asking him to be silent. Rahul could only nod.
"I am coming. Where are you?" he asked.
"And why would I tell you?" she asked him back.
"So that we can share her properties 50-50," he said with a smirk on his lips.
"Can I trust you?" she asked.
"You won't call me if you can't trust me," he said.
"And yeah… trust me. I will never tell where is Laya to anyone," he said with a sarcastic smile on his face. Indeed, he wouldn't tell anyone but she will tell them on her own.
"How much is my share in rupees?" she asked again.
"More than thousand or so crores. I don't remember her property valuation now. I didn't calculate after this years profits," he said.
"Okay!" she said with laughter. Maha Lakshmi was very happy with what she heard.
"I am at…" she said.
"I am coming then in half an hour. Don't torture her," he said.
"You are pitying her," she said sarcastically.
"Not her but the child in her womb," he said and hung the call. Maha Lakshmi realized she should take care of her because of her grand child.