Mark and Anushka stood outside Emily's door again, this time with a clear purpose. Mark raised his hand to knock, but before his knuckles could hit the wood, the door swung open. Emily stood there, her arms crossed and her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement.
"You know," she said, her tone dry, "most people knock before barging into someone's room."
Mark smirked, unfazed. "And most people don't leave their door unlocked when they're… busy."
Emily rolled her eyes, but there was a faint blush on her cheeks. "What do you want, Mark?"
"We need to talk," Mark said, his tone serious now. "It's important."
Emily's expression shifted, her playful demeanor fading as she stepped aside to let them in. Jerry was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hair slightly disheveled and his cheeks still flushed. He glanced at Anushka, his usual easy smile faltering for a moment before he recovered.
"Hey, Ruhi," he said, his voice casual but his eyes avoiding hers. "What's up?"
Anushka forced a smile, her heart still racing from the earlier scene. "It's Anushka," she corrected gently but firmly. "You know I prefer that."
Jerry raised an eyebrow, his grin returning. "Right, right. My bad, *Anushka*. But seriously, why does Mark get to call you Ruhi? What's up with that?"
Anushka froze for a moment, caught off guard by the question. She glanced at Mark, who was busy handing the folder to Emily, then back at Jerry. "I… I don't know," she admitted, her cheeks flushing. "It just… stuck with him, I guess."
Mark, overhearing the conversation, glanced over his shoulder with a small smirk. "What can I say? Ruhi just fits her."
Anushka shot him a look, her tone teasing but firm. "Don't encourage him, Mark."
Jerry's grin widened, and he leaned back on the bed, clearly enjoying her discomfort. "Uh-huh. Sure. Sounds like there's a story there."
Anushka crossed her arms, her tone teasing but firm. "There's no story. Now, can we focus on the actual important stuff?"
Jerry held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. No more teasing. For now."
Emily, who had been flipping through the folder, glanced up at them, her brow furrowed. "Are you two done? Because we've got bigger problems to deal with."
Mark nodded, his expression grim. "She's right. Let's focus."
Jerry sat up straighter, his playful demeanor fading as he turned his attention to the folder. "Alright, what's the deal?"
Mark handed the folder to Emily, his expression grim. "We found this at the last known location of the mystery number. It's tied to Dr. Otim, and it's not good."
Emily flipped through the documents, her brow furrowing as she read. Jerry leaned over her shoulder, his eyes scanning the pages. "What the hell…" he muttered. "This looks like some kind of money laundering scheme."
"Exactly," Mark said, his voice low. "And if Dr. Otim's involved, it's possible he's tied to something bigger. Something that might explain what happened to Mom."
Emily's hands tightened around the folder, her knuckles turning white. "You think he had something to do with her death?"
"I don't know," Mark admitted. "But we're not going to stop until we find out."
Jerry sat back, running a hand through his hair. "This is insane. If this gets out, it could blow up in our faces."
"Which is why we need to be careful," Mark said, his tone firm. "No one outside this room can know about this. Not yet."
Emily nodded, her expression serious. "Agreed. But what's the plan? We can't just sit on this."
"We'll figure it out," Mark said. "But for now, we need to keep digging. Ruhi's going to help us track down more information, and we'll go from there."
Anushka nodded, her mind still partly distracted by the tension in the room. She could feel Jerry's eyes on her, and it took everything in her not to look at him. Instead, she focused on Mark, her voice steady. "I'll do whatever I can to help."
Emily handed the folder back to Mark, her expression softening slightly. "Alright. Let's do this. But if things get too dangerous, we're pulling the plug. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Mark said, his tone resolute.
Jerry stood up, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by something more serious. "Count me in. Whatever it takes."
For a moment, the room was quiet, the weight of their shared mission settling over them. Then Emily sighed, breaking the tension. "Alright, enough of the heavy stuff. Who's hungry? I could go for some pizza."
Jerry grinned, his playful side resurfacing. "Now you're speaking my language."
Mark rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "Fine. Pizza it is. But no pineapple this time."
"You're no fun," Jerry said, nudging Mark with his elbow.
As the conversation shifted to lighter topics, Anushka found herself relaxing slightly. But as she glanced at Jerry, her heart still fluttered, and she couldn't help but wonder what might have been if things were different.
The smell of pizza filled the living room, and I couldn't help but grin as I watched everyone gather around the coffee table. Mark had ordered enough pizza to feed an army—pepperoni, veggie, and even a weird one with olives that only Emily seemed to like. But that wasn't all. Sitting in the center of the table was a box of Anu burgers, their golden buns glistening under the living room lights.
Jerry was already digging into the pizza, his mouth full as he argued with Mark about pineapple on pizza (again). Anushka sat cross-legged on the floor, nibbling on a slice and trying to look like she wasn't stealing glances at Jerry. She totally was.