"Vedika?"
Mihir's voice called from behind me.
I turned instinctively.
When I looked back again, the man I had collided with was already walking away.
For some reason, my eyes followed his retreating figure until he disappeared outside the café.
My chest felt strangely tight.
Then I turned back again and saw Mihir standing a little distance away, wearing a dark blue three-piece suit, waving his hand dramatically like I wouldn't recognize him. His old habit.
Some things never change.
I walked toward him and crossed my arms. "Aur Mr. CEO, aapko apne very busy schedule se time mil gaya milne ke liye finally?"
(So Mr. CEO finally got time from your very busy schedule to meet?)
He smirked. "Oh look who's talking about being busy. You were the one who didn't contact me for the last two months. And journalist madam, I messaged you first and called you here."
I rolled my eyes. "Haan toh, I was working on important cases. Work pressure tha. Isliye contact nahi kar paayi."
(Yes, I had important cases and heavy workload. That's why I couldn't contact you.)
He raised both hands dramatically. "Okay okay, ceasefire."
Before I could reply, he pulled me into a quick hug.
For a second, everything felt... steady.
Familiar.
Safe.
We walked toward our old table near the window. The same one we always used to choose. Somehow, it was empty again.
Lucky coincidence.
As we sat down, Mihir tilted his head. "By the way... who was the guy you were fighting with at the entrance?"
I scoffed. "I wasn't fighting. He bumped into me and then acted like it was my fault. God knows what hurry he was in. You called me Otherwise I would have given him a proper reply to him."
Mihir laughed. "God saved him. Otherwise you wouldn't have let him go so easily."
I pointed at him. "Stop it. He got saved, but you won't."
He immediately joined his hands dramatically. "Okay okay sorry, sorry."
"Stop this drama," I whispered. "Everyone is watching. What will they think? Bajpayee Industries CEO is doing this drama in a café."
He leaned back casually. "So what? I don't care about them. CEO baad mein hoon, pehle mein tera best friend hoon. And honestly, I should be scared of you."
(I am CEO later, your best friend first.)
I shook my head, smiling despite myself.
The waiter arrived.
"One cappuccino and veg cheese sandwich," I said. My usual.
"Latte and veg grilled sandwich," Mihir added.
When the waiter left, Mihir looked at me more seriously. "So Vedika... suddenly Jaipur? Mumbai mein news khatam ho gayi kya?"
(So suddenly Jaipur? No news left in Mumbai?)
My smile faded.
"Mumbai still has news," I said quietly. "But now I'm not a journalist."
His posture stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"I got fired."
"What?" He leaned forward. "How? Why? You were brilliant at your work."
"Because I lost a pendrive with confidential footage," I replied bitterly. "Editor said I'm not made for crime journalism."
"No way," he said immediately. "You're the person who double-checks everything. And they fired you for this?"
Anger crept into his voice. "You gave three years to that company. And this is how they treated you? How can they do this?"
"They didn't even listen when I told them someone tampered with my bag," I said softly.
Mihir's brows pulled together. "You know who did this?"
"Of course the one and only person," I nodded. "Mumbai 24's(My News Agency) star reporter, Shaurya Randhawa. He passed a disgusting comment on me in front of everyone. So I slapped him. And for his fragile ego, he took revenge from me."
Mihir froze.
"What?" His voice dropped. "He said what?"
"Exactly what you're thinking," I replied bitterly. "Something cheap. Something insulting. Something he thought he could get away with because he's 'famous'."
Mihir's expression hardened instantly.
"What?" His voice dropped, calm but dangerous. "How dare he speak to you like that?"
He leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp now. "Does he think a few headlines and cameras give him the right to cross limits?"
His jaw tightened. "If this is how he treats women at his workplace, then he doesn't deserve the position he's standing on."
For a moment, I just looked at him.
Not because I was surprised.
But because it felt good.
To be believed.
To be defended.
Without explanation.
"And instead of questioning him," he continued tightly, "your office punished you?"
I nodded.
He leaned back slowly, trying to control himself.
Mihir added. "You Should have showed his real personality to the public."
I met his eyes. "Exposing him wouldn't bring my job back. It would only create noise. I needed silence to breathe."
He paused, then added more softly, "You shouldn't have gone through this alone."
Silence settled between us.
Then Mihir spoke again, quieter now.
"You know... sometimes I feel we all grew up too fast."
I looked at him.
"Back in school, our biggest problems were exams and studies," he said with a faint smile. "Now people get hurt. Careers collapse. And sometimes..."
He paused.
"...people disappear."
My chest tightened.
"Disappear?" I asked.
He looked at me seriously. "Vedika, there's something I haven't told you."
Something in his tone made my stomach twist.
"What is it?"
"Do you remember Shreya?"
"Of course I do, How can I forget her." I said instantly.
"She's not responding."
I frowned. "Not responding as in busy not responding?"
"No," he interrupted gently. "Not responding at all. No calls. No messages. Nothing."
A strange uneasiness crept into my chest.
"When I came back," Mihir continued, "I tried calling her. At first it rang. Then it went unreachable. I thought maybe she lost her phone. But days passed. No reply on email. No response on social media either."
"I thought maybe something normal had happened. Accident. Family issue. Burnout. Anything."
I nodded. "That's what I would think too."
And then I talked to her Parents and then I got to know that she is missing from whole month and they were in so stress Vedika I can't tell you.
I asked them did they went to police and filed the complain? then they said they had filed the police complain. And her parents told that last time when she called them, she was in her company Zyvora systems. Mihir said.
Yes I knew that company she shared the news of her job with us in the group three months ago, I said instantly.
I stiffened. "So What did the police find?"
"They went to Zyvora Systems," Mihir replied. "And the company told them something strange."
I leaned forward. "What?"
"They said Shreya Mathur was never their employee."
For a second, I couldn't speak.
"That's impossible," I whispered. "She showed us her offer letter. Joining mail. Everything looked real."
"They claimed the documents were fake," Mihir said. "They said someone used their company name for fraud."
My fingers tightened around the coffee cup.
"That doesn't make sense," I said slowly. "Big companies don't forget employees that easily."
"I know," he nodded. "That's what scares me."
Silence wrapped around us again.
Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just uncomfortable.
"So either someone scammed her using Zyvora's name," I said carefully, trying to hold on to logic.
"Or," Mihir added quietly, "someone doesn't want her name to exist in their system anymore."
And its confirmed that the Zyvora System is behind her disappearence, Mihir continued.
"Because When I got to know this I found it very weird and I was so worried for Shreya So I started asking around quietly about Shreya," he said. "Not officially. Just through people I know."
"One of my PA's close friends works at Zyvora Systems," Mihir said. "Different department. Lower level. Not important enough to be noticed."
I looked at him. "Did you find out anything? Where is She?"
"I showed him Shreya's photo," Mihir continued. "Didn't tell him much. Just asked if he had seen her."
"And?" I whispered.
He nodded slowly. "He said yes. He remembered her. Said she was there. Inside the building. On the same day she went missing."
My breath caught.
"So the company saying she never worked there..." I murmured.
"...doesn't match reality," Mihir finished.
"Did you ask him to tell the police?" I asked immediately.
Mihir let out a slow breath. "I did."
"And?"
"He refused."
I frowned. "Why?"
"I even told him I'd arrange another job for him," Mihir said. "Better salary. No risk."
"And still he said no?"
"Yes," he nodded. "He was terrified, Vedika. Not nervous. Not hesitant. Terrified."
A chill ran through me.
"What exactly did he say?" I asked.
Mihir's voice dropped. "He said... 'Sir, please don't drag me into this. If I open my mouth, I won't just lose my job.'"
My heartbeat skipped.
"That's it?" I asked.
"He wouldn't explain more," Mihir said. "Just kept repeating that he can't talk. That it's not safe."
Silence fell between us again.
Not empty.
Heavy.
"So you think something else is going on," I said slowly.
"I don't know what to think," Mihir replied honestly. "But normal companies don't make employees this scared."
"And normal disappearances don't erase people this cleanly," I added.
We looked at each other.
Neither of us said it out loud.
But the same thought was sitting between us.
This wasn't an accident.
This wasn't random.
Something bigger was hiding behind it.
"I don't want to assume the company is directly responsible," I said carefully. "But someone inside knows more than they're saying."
Mihir nodded. "And someone is making sure they stay quiet."
I stared at my coffee, no longer interested in drinking it.
Yesterday, I lost my job.
Today, I walked into a silence that felt too organized to be natural.
And for the first time...
It scared me.....
Author's Note:
First of all Hello Eveyone!
How was the chapter 2 and Are you excited for chapter 3?
And any guesses what will happen next?
Please comment your feedbacks 😊 and Vote the chapter if you like it.