Bab 17: CHAPTER 17: THE DOUBT
THE DOUBT
Amavas was cleaning the mess in the canteen when he was summoned by Mr. Ram Malhotra, the principal of the college. He put down the mopstick, washed his hands, and moved toward the principal's office. Mr. Malhotra was waiting for him when he arrived.
Seeing Amavas, Mr. Malhotra stood up from his chair and stepped forward to greet him. "I've heard about you before—the mysterious and attractive canteen worker. And today, what you did was truly remarkable. The entire college is indebted to you. The families of all the students who were in the botany class have been informed, and they have all expressed their gratitude. As you know, all the students here are the children of billionaires, and they, too, have said that they are in your debt."
He paused, looking at Amavas with a mixture of admiration and seriousness. "We held a meeting with all the teaching staff and the parents of the students via Zoom. The incident was discussed in detail, and everyone came to a unanimous decision. The decision is to make you the security in charge of the college. No one will question you, and you will be answerable only to me. I understand that this security role is not suited to a man of your caliber, and that canteen work certainly is not. So, what do you say?"
Amavas stood silently for about a minute, his face expressionless, then shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. Malhotra, but I must decline. I prefer to keep a low profile; I don't like attention."
Mr. Malhotra frowned, clearly taken aback. "But Amavas, your skills are invaluable. We need someone like you to ensure the safety of our students. They are at an age where they can easily put themselves in danger, and we don't have anyone with your abilities to watch over them. Please, reconsider."
"I am not a babysitter, sir. And as you also know, these students are the cherished children of billionaires. I'm sure their parents can arrange for someone more suitable. Believe me, I am not the person they're looking for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a whole canteen to clean," Amavas replied in his usual cool and calm manner. He bowed slightly in respect and left.
Mr. Malhotra stood there, hesitating, feeling the weight of the billionaires' request on his shoulders. He had an idea and decided to call Vikram Raheja, the most influential and richest among the billionaires. He explained the forest incident, shared his and the other parents' opinions on appointing Amavas as the head of the security, and mentioned how Amavas had declined the offer.
"Hmmm... he sounds like an interesting fellow. So, he declined the job offer, and now you're asking me to talk to him and persuade him to accept, right?" Vikram Raheja replied calmly. "Yes, sir," answered Principal Ram Malhotra. "Very well. Call him again to your office tomorrow and have him speak with me," Vikram Raheja instructed before hanging up the phone.
Anya was deep in thought as she looked at the injured professor when a sudden realization struck her like a lightning bolt. "According to the students, they were at least one or two kilometers inside the forest. Nobody in the canteen heard or saw anything. So how did Amavas know about the leopard attack?" With this unsettling thought, she quickly started walking toward the canteen, her pace accelerating with each step.
Raj and Meera noticed Anya leaving, exchanged puzzled glances, and then shrugged simultaneously. When Anya reached the canteen, she found Amavas just finishing his cleaning, preparing to leave since his shift had ended over an hour ago.
She approached Amavas, saying, "I'm sorry for the mess I created here," while looking into his eyes with an inquiring expression. Amavas stared at her silently for a few seconds, his face expressionless, then attempted to leave. Anya grabbed his wrist, prompting him to look back at her with piercing eyes. She quickly let go and said, "I want to ask you something." Amavas continued to gaze at her without any expression.
"The botany class students said they were about one or two kilometers inside the forest when the leopard attacked them. How did you know about the attack? We were all here with you, and nobody heard or saw anything. How did you find out? Is there something you're hiding?"
Amavas turned to face her completely, his cold, piercing eyes fixed on hers. In a heavy, chilling voice, he replied, "Do you think I am answerable to you?" He continued to stare at her for a few more seconds before turning to leave.
He had taken only a few steps when Anya called after him, "You don't know about me. If my mind gets stuck on something, I don't rest until I figure it out. And this time, my mind is stuck on you, Mr. Amavas." Amavas paused for a moment, then left without looking back.
"You may be a savior in everyone's eyes, Amavas, but I know there's something big you're hiding. Was the leopard attack pre-planned by you? Are there other people involved? Is it possible that you have a team that orchestrated this, using a pet leopard and timing everything perfectly so you could show up as a trustworthy hero? My dad always says there are people out there who try to harm or kidnap people like us for money or power. They can go to any lengths to get to us."
Standing at the window and watching Amavas disappear into the forest, Anya's mind raced like an express train, trying to piece everything together.
She was lost in these thoughts when Raj and Meera came looking for her. "See, I told you, with the speed she left, she'd definitely be in the canteen," Meera said to Raj with a triumphant look.
"Yeah, yeah, you're always right," Raj replied, teasing her.
"Hey, what are you doing here alone? Waiting for the hero of the day?" Meera asked Anya, breaking her train of thought.
Anya turned to them. "Nope, not waiting. Actually, I met him already. And do you know why I wanted to meet him?" she said, looking at them with a knowing smile.
Raj and Meera exchanged puzzled glances and shrugged. "Because you wanted to apologize for your behavior," Raj guessed.
"Well, in all this chaos, nobody noticed what I did. When I talked to Shrishti about the accident, I asked her how far into the jungle they were when it happened. She told me they were about one or two kilometers inside. Now, do you remember how Amavas ran into the forest? The whole canteen was pin-drop silent. Did you or anyone else hear or see anything about the leopard attacking the botany class? Because I didn't, and my senses are pretty sharp. We couldn't have heard or seen it because it was happening far deep inside the forest. So how did Amavas find out? He was here with us. How could he know? How was he able to hear or see it happening? Or," she emphasized, "was he involved in all this somehow and knew it already? Was the whole thing pre-planned?"
As her words sank in, Raj and Meera's eyes widened with realization. Together, they exclaimed, "Oh... my... god…"
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