Chapter 5 - The Mask Slips at the Dinner Table
🚨 VIRAL HOOK: "During their fake anniversary dinner, the mother dropped a single photo on the table. It wasn't Nolan's ex... it was Priya's dark secret.""To family," Nani said, raising her glass of sparkling apple cider.
"To family," we murmured in unison.
It was 8:00 PM. We had ordered a lavish Indian dinner from a high-end restaurant down the street. Priya and I sat side-by-side on the sofa, our shoulders touching. Meena sat across from us, watching our every move like a hawk.
"So, Priya," Meena said, taking a slow sip of her water. "Now that we have cleared up the... drama with Nolan's ex-fiancée, perhaps we can talk about your life in New York. You told me your gallery was doing exceptionally well."
"It is, Mom," Priya said, her voice tight. "We just secured a new exhibition for next month."
"Strange," Meena said, reaching into her leather purse. "Because I called the gallery this afternoon while you two were 'preparing' the apartment. They told me you haven't worked there in three months, Priya."
Priya froze, a piece of naan slipping from her fingers onto her plate.
"Mom..." Priya whispered.
"In fact," Meena continued, her voice cold and deliberate, "they said you were let go. And when I checked your bank account—the one I still have access to from your college years—I noticed some very strange transactions. A transfer of fifty thousand dollars to a company called Apex Holdings."
Meena pulled out a piece of paper and laid it on the coffee table.
It wasn't a bank statement.
It was a photograph of Priya, looking terrified, being pulled into a black car by a man in a dark suit. The photo was dated two weeks ago.
"Who is this man, Priya?" Meena demanded, her eyes flashing with anger and fear. "And why did you suddenly need a 'husband' the moment Nani and I landed in New York? Is it because of him? Is this whole marriage a cover?"
I looked at the photo. The man holding Priya’s arm had a military posture, his face cold and scarred.
Risk analysis: This wasn't a family drama anymore. This was a threat.
"Priya," I said softly, turning to her. "Who is he?"
Priya covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking as she began to sob.
"His name is Vikram," Priya whispered through her tears. "He is... he was my fiancé in Chicago. Before I ran away to New York."
"Your fiancé?" Meena gasped. "You never told me you were engaged!"
"Because he is a monster, Mom!" Priya shouted, her voice cracking with pure terror. "He is a high-level enforcer for a private security firm. He is obsessed with me. He tracked me to New York. He told me that if I didn't marry him, he would make sure you and Nani lost everything. He took fifty thousand dollars from me as a 'penalty' for running away."
She looked at me, her eyes red and desperate. "Nolan, I am so sorry. I didn't just ask you to be my husband for Nani. I asked you because... Vikram’s men have been watching me. I thought... I thought if they saw me with a husband, a real, steady man, Vikram would finally let me go. I didn't mean to drag you into this."
Before I could answer, the lights in the apartment suddenly flickered.
And went out.
The entire apartment was plunged into pitch-black darkness.
"Nolan?" Priya gasped in the dark.
"Stay still," I said, my actuary brain instantly switching to crisis survival mode. "Priya, get Nani and your mother into the master bedroom. Lock the door."
"Nolan, what is happening?" Meena asked, her voice finally losing its sharp edge, replaced by pure panic.
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"The power didn't just fail," I said, looking out the window. The streetlights outside were still burning. The neighboring apartments were lit. "They cut my line from the basement."
A heavy, slow metallic scraping sound came from the fire escape outside my living room window.
