Chapter 17 — Buried Truths

Samuel hesitated before speaking again.

“There’s… one more thing, sir.”

Veeresh looked up from the file immediately. Samuel rarely hesitated unless the information was dangerous.

“What?”

Samuel inhaled carefully. “It’s only something spoken about privately in certain circles. Nobody could officially confirm it.”

“Speak clearly.”

Samuel nodded once. “People say Poornima Rathore killed her uncle.”

The room fell silent.

Veeresh’s eyes hardened instantly.

“What?”

Samuel continued cautiously. “Apparently it’s connected to your sister.”

For the first time since opening the file, Veeresh looked genuinely shaken.

“My sister?”

“Yes, boss.” Samuel opened another smaller document. “Poornima ma’am and Miss Zoya Dreewan were apparently very close friends since school.”

Veeresh stared at him silently.

Impossible.

He had spent most of his teenage years in boarding schools and overseas training under the family empire. Zoya had stayed in India with the family during those years.

He never knew this.

Samuel continued quietly. “There was some incident during Poornima ma’am’s birthday party years ago. After that… rumors spread that she killed her uncle.”

Veeresh’s expression darkened dangerously. “Rumors don’t send someone to juvenile custody.”

Samuel nodded carefully. “She was reportedly sent to a child rehabilitation home for some time. But the entire case was buried unusually fast.”

That caught Veeresh’s attention immediately.

Buried cases meant powerful people were involved.

“And my sister?” he asked coldly.

Samuel lowered his voice slightly. “Miss Zoya’s death was also declared mysterious around the same period.”

Veeresh’s jaw clenched hard.

Zoya’s death had always been unclear within the family. Nobody spoke about it openly. The topic itself was treated like forbidden territory.

And now somehow—

Poornima Rathore stood connected to it.

Samuel carefully added, “After her uncle’s death, all her psychological problems reportedly became worse.”

Veeresh’s eyes moved back toward the file.

Insomnia.

Panic attacks.

Therapy.

Emotional breakdowns.

Samuel continued quietly, “She took therapy multiple times, but according to reports, it never truly helped. In fact… her condition worsened over the years.”

Veeresh remembered last night again.

The desperation in her voice.

“I want to forget everything…”

That wasn’t drunken drama.

That was someone drowning silently for years.

“Keep digging,” Veeresh ordered coldly.

“Yes, boss.”

“I want the complete truth about Zoya’s death.”

Samuel nodded immediately.

“And Samuel?”

“Yes?”

“If anyone in the Rathore family buried this case…” Veeresh’s voice turned terrifyingly calm, “I want every name involved.”

Samuel understood instantly.

Because Salvatore Dreewan was no longer investigating out of curiosity.

Now it had become personal.