When I came back home, the shocking news of Shreya's disappearance was still stuck in my mind. It felt like it refused to leave.
Mummy was sitting in the living room watching her favorite show, completely normal and relaxed. Papa was not at home. He had gone to meet his group of friends, just like he used to earlier.
I stood there for a moment and suddenly realized something. Nothing had changed here in the past three years. Everything was the same. The same routine. The same evening calmness. The same house.
But I was not the same.
Those three years away from home felt like many years. Even though I talked to them every day, this feeling was different. Living alone in Mumbai, managing everything by myself, handling responsibilities, fighting for my career, somewhere in between the once little careless Vedika had changed into a disciplined and responsible Vedika. I do not even know when that happened.
I went and sat beside Mummy. She asked about Mihir, and I told her everything. About meeting him. About Shreya.
Her face changed instantly.
For Mummy, Shreya was like her own daughter. We had grown up together. Either she was at my house or I was at hers. Our childhood was shared.
After some time, I went to my room, but my thoughts again went back to Shreya. I opened my laptop and searched about Zyvora Systems. I hoped to find something. Any news. Any article. Any small detail related to Shreya or her disappearance.
But I found nothing.
Instead, the internet was full of praise. The biggest IT firm in Jaipur. One of the top twenty firms in India. Government tie-ups. International projects. Awards. Achievements.
Everything looked perfect.
Too perfect.
There was not a single negative article. Not even one small controversy. No red alert.
I felt confused and tired. If the company was so clean, then what had happened to Shreya?
I decided that the next day I would visit her parents and try to understand more. After that, I changed, had dinner with Mummy and Papa, talked for some time, and then went to bed. But even after closing my eyes, my mind kept thinking.
The next morning, after getting ready, I went directly to Shreya's house. I met her parents, Manisha Mathur and Parag Mathur.
The moment I saw them, my heart felt heavy.
We sat together and talked about Shreya. They told me that she had been very tense for a few days before she went missing. They had asked her many times what was wrong, but she avoided the topic, giving strange excuses.
On the day she disappeared, she had video called her mother. Aunty told me that Shreya looked very stressed and scared during the call. When she asked her what had happened, Shreya said it was only work pressure. Nothing else.
But her mother felt something was not right.
And she was right.
They were completely stressed and broken. Aunty started crying while talking. She had fallen sick after Shreya went missing. I could not bear to see them like that. They were like my parents.
I held their hands and promised them that I would find Shreya and bring her back. I also told them to take care of themselves until then.
Then I asked if I could see Shreya's room.
I started checking everything. Her table, shelves, books, drawers. I was trying to find anything that could help.
At first, I found nothing.
Then, in one drawer, I found a blue file.
I opened it. Inside were some documents related to Zyvora Systems, the company where she worked. There were some printed sheets and some codes written on them.
I knew she was a software engineer, so having codes was normal.
But hiding them was not.
All her other files were kept openly near her study table. This one was hidden inside a drawer, almost like she did not want anyone to find it.
That did not feel normal.
I quietly kept the file with me.
After that, I went to the police station wearing a burkha. As a crime journalist, I have seen many cases where even the police are involved. I did not want to reveal my real identity.
I introduced myself as Saniya Baig. I still had the identity card from my previous cases. I never thought I would use it again, but today it helped.
I asked the inspector about Shreya Mathur's case. They told me it was still under process and no solid proof had been found. It was almost the same thing Mihir had already told me.
I came back home disappointed.
I went straight to my room and sat on my bed, thinking about everything.
Why would someone kidnap Shreya?
What was the motive?
Who was behind all this?
There were too many unanswered questions.
Then suddenly I remembered someone. Mohan, my khabri.
How could I forget him? He was the person who had given me some of the biggest news leads in Mumbai. A very kind and helpful friend.
I immediately called him.
"Hello, Mohan."
"Hello, Vedika ma'am. You have not called in three or four days. I have such big news. If you hear it, you will be shocked."
"Mohan, wait. I do not need Mumbai news right now."
"Why? What happened?"
"I left my office. I will tell you everything later. But right now, I need your help."
"Ma'am, just say it. I can find anything in ten minutes. You know that."
"I know. That is why I called you. I need information about my friend Shreya Mathur. She was working in a Jaipur IT company called Zyvora Systems, and now she is missing. Last time she was seen in her office."
"Ma'am, if it was Mumbai, I would have already collected everything. I know every inch of Mumbai. But Jaipur is outside my area. I cannot help directly."
"Oh. It is okay."
"Wait. I cannot help directly, but my friend Suraj can. Just like I know Mumbai, he knows every inch of Jaipur. He can definitely help you."
"Thank you, Mohan. You do not know how important this is for me. Please send me his contact information."
"Ma'am, this is nothing compared to what you have done for me. I am sending you his number right now."
"By the way, how is your sister now? Has she been discharged from the hospital? I could not talk to her for many days."
"Yes, ma'am. She is absolutely fine now. She was remembering you. She is fine because of you. If you had not helped me, it would not have been possible."
"That was not help. She is like my sister too. Now you take care of her. I will come to meet her after I find my best friend. I want her to be happy and healthy."
"Yes, ma'am. I will take care of her. And I will pray that you find your best friend very soon. You also take care of yourself."
"Okay. Bye."
After the call ended, I received a text message from Mohan with Suraj's contact information.
I looked at the screen quietly.
Maybe this was the first real step toward finding Shreya.
Author Note:
First of all sorry for the delay 🙂
And now how was the chapter 3 tell me in the comment section and be ready for the upcoming chapter it would be really interesting ✨.