Chapter 33

BurakZeynep

@BurakZeynep

Hello Everyone! Burak here! So chapter 28 is here. Ideally I should've released it this Friday. But something came up, so I won't be posting anything until next week. So here's the latest update. Do tell me how u like it. Will be looking forward to ur valuable feedback. Stay home stay safe.

Chapter 28: Prerna v/s Rishabh Bajaj

~Next day 10:30 a.m at Taj Bengal hotel~

Mr.Bajaj sat down on the chair of his poolside table, as the waiter served him breakfast. He opened the newspaper. He turned to page three, when Prerna caught his eye. The Basu's Head For A Divorce- the headline read. Underneath the headline, there was a picture of Anurag and Prerna. Oh, toh yeh log finally alag ho rahe hai, Mr.Bajaj thought reading the article, Well, good for Prerna she deserves better. Mr. Bajaj took a bite of the pineapple lying on his plate and again his eyes fell on Prerna- but this time it was the real one. Catching his eye, standing on the other end of the pool was Prerna Sharma in the flesh. Waving at him, she headed towards him. Mr. Bajaj was pleasantly surprised and to his wonder extremely pleased to see her coming his way. As she approached him, he couldn't help noticing her appearance. Prerna was looking resplendent in a burnt orange saree with a sleeveless black blouse. With just a small bindi adorning her forehead, Prerna wore no make up. Not that she needed to, her pregnancy glow more than compensated for it. As Mr. Bajaj saw her walking towards him he thought to himself, I must say Mr.Basu is a really lucky man. Sorry was.He chuckled  at his own joke. As Prerna reached his table, he got up and greeted her,"Good morning Mrs.Basu". Mr.Bajaj extended his hand. Prerna took his hand, shaking it she said,"It's Prerna Sharma, Mr.Bajaj". Mr. Bajaj courteously apologized,"Oh, I am so sorry I forgot.". Prerna smiled,"It's ok." He was impressed by how coolly she treated the news of her impending divorce. Any other woman would've been mortified at the stares and murmurs Prerna was getting  as she sat down in the chair opposite Mr.Bajaj. Just relax, Prerna pacified her restless heart, yeh sab log jo tumhe ghoor rahe hai, tumhe leke baate kar rahe hai yeh log important nahi hai tumhare liye. Tumhare kakababu important hai tumhare liye, tum aaj yaha unke liye aayi ho, uspe focus karo. Mr. Bajaj's voice caught her attention,"Toh Prerna, kahiye aap yaha kaise?". Prerna smiled at him,"Woh main aapko flowers ke liye thanks kehna chahti thi.". Mr.Bajaj waved his hand away,"Uske liye aapko mujhe thanks kehne ki koi zaroorat nahi, waise aapko flowers achche lage?". Prerna nodded,"Ji, mujhe flowers bohot pasand aaye. In fact, mujhe woh flowers itne achche lage ke iske badle main bhi aapke liye kuch laayi hu.". Curious, Mr.Bajaj asked,"Kya?". Prerna took out a box of packaged mithai and presented it to him. Mr. Bajaj took it from her hands, and looked at the mithai box in wonder,"Ghevar?!",he exclaimed. Prerna replied,"Yeh aapko bohot pasand hai na? Party ki raat bhi maine notice kiya aap isse dekh ke kitna khush ho rahe the.". Mr.Bajaj gave her a childlike smile,"Thank you so much Prerna. Aapko nahi pata aapne aapke iss gift se mujhe kitna khush kiya hai.". Mr. Bajaj opened the box and took a bite of the Rajasthani sweet. "Mmm..it's awesome. Meri Ma bilkul aise hi banati thi, bilkul authentic Rajasthani hai! Aap nahi jaanti main kabse Kolkata mein iss cheez ko dhund raha tha, lekin mujhe mil hi nahi rahi thi.". Prerna agreed,"Haan, aapko yaha pe itni aasaani se yeh nahi milegi- at least authentic dish toh bilkul nahi.". Mr. Bajaj offered her,"Aap lengi?",Mr.Bajaj said."No it's fine.Aap khaiye",Prerna replied. Once he was done, Mr.Bajaj smiled at Prerna. "So,Prerna tell me. Aapne jo mujhe itna achcha surprise diya hai, uske badle main aapke liye kya kar sakta hu? Aur haan, aap mana nahi kar sakti. Yaad rakhiye ga, iss mauke ke liye bohot bade bade businessmen taraste hai!". Prerna smiled at his words,"Soch lijiye Mr. Bajaj, ho sakta hai ki main aapse aisa kuch maanglu jo shayad aap mujhe de nahi payenge?". Mr.Bajaj raised his eyebrows at her, amused"Impossible!". Then Prerna got down to business,"Mr. Bajaj aapne uss din office mere Kakababu ke saath bohot badtameezi se baat ki. He didn't deserve that. I think aapko unse maafi maangni chahiye.". There was a minute's silence in the table when Mr.Bajaj was staring  at Prerna, disbelief written all over his face, and then he laughed at her. ". He laughed so hard that people in the neighboring tables started staring at them, making Prerna go red in the face. A moment later, she gathered herself, "Isme itni hasne waali kya baat hai?" she asked firmly. Controlling his laughter, Mr.Bajaj said,"Isme hasne waali baat kya nahi hai, woh mujhe bataiye? Ek toh sabse pehle, aapki family- sorry soon to be ex family ne mujhe cheat karne ki koshish ki, mujhse crucial information chhupake. Maine rightfully uss deal ko roka. In fact, Mr.Moloy Basu  ki izzat karke maine Basu Publications ko  report nahi kiya. Aur aap mujhse keh rahi hai, ki maine galat kiya, mujhe aap logo se maafi maangni chahiye?Have you lost it?!". Prerna shook her head,"Bilkul nahi, lekin aapne apne pita ke umr ke aadmi ko unke bina kissi galti ke unpe jhoota ilzaam lagaya, unke values unke parvarish pe sawaal uthaya! Aapne galat kiya. Aur iske badle mein mera aapse ek sorry expect galat toh nahi hai na, Mr.Bajaj?". Mr.Bajaj shook his head, and said,"Nahi, galat nahi hota agar aap conveniently yeh nahi bhool jaati ke aapke pati ne mere saath kya karne ki koshish ki thi?". Prerna replied heatedly,"Aapke saath jo hua, woh galat tha main maanti hu. Lekin iska yeh matlab nahi ke aap bina sach jaane iss tarah mere Kakababu ko sabke saamne humiliate karenge!Aapko pata hai aapke wajah se unki tabiyat kitni kharaab huyi thi?". Mr.Bajaj defended himself,"Aur iss liye maine apne secretary ke haathon unke liye fruit basket bhijwaya tha. (Sighing)Par ab lagta hai maine galat kiya...". Puzzled, Prerna asked,"Toh aapne woh flowers aur fruit basket iss liye bheja tha kyuki aapko apne behaviour pe afsos hai?". Mr Bajaj looked at her incredulously,"Bilkul nahi! Maine woh sab sirf apne well wishes convey karne ke liye bhijawaya tha. Mujhe Mr.Basu ke saath apne behaviour par koi afsos nahi hai, kyuki maine kuch galat nahi kiya tha. Balki apne saath galat hone se rok raha tha. Aur rahi baath inn sab mein Mr.Basu ke innocence ki? Toh frankly speaking, agar Mr.Moloy Basu ko yeh tak nahi pata ke unke apne bachche unki apni company kaise chala raha hai toh shayad unhe Basu Publications ke chairman ke post resign kar dena chahiye!".As he said this, Mr.Bajaj watched Prerna closely. She was staring back at him, looking visibly hurt and angry at his words. No matter how much he tried, Mr.Bajaj couldn't hate her for her coming here and defending a man's honour who was(from what he understood)  like a father to her. Oddly enough, he could see where she was coming from. If someone had offended his beloved Ma, even he would've been on their case trying to teach them a lesson. But that doesn't mean Prerna would get him to apologise especially for something that was not mistake. He had come to India expecting a fair deal from the Basu's, but they were the ones who tried to cheat him, and now they are going to pay for it. Rishabh Bajaj valued fairness and justice above everything. They were some of the few virtues he could afford to practice in his life and business. Thus, whenever someone tried to take advantage of these qualities of his, he brought them hell. And Mr.Bajaj also felt that he wasn't wrong about what he said about Moloy. Of course, he was well respected in the business world for having a clean reputation. But if he doesn't  even know what's going on in his own company that is run by his own children, then maybe it's time he hung his boots. Prerna's voice broke into Mr.Bajaj's thoughts, "Mr.Bajaj, mere Kakababu ek self made man hai. Unhone pichhle tees saalon se Basu Publications ko honesty aur dedication ke saath chalaya hai. As a result, digital media, fake news aur alternate facts ke iss zamane mein jab almost har publication apne readers kho rahi hai, including Daily Blitz jisme- if I am not wrong-aap invest karne waale hai , Basu Publications ki readership din ba din barti jaa rahi hai, sirf iss liye kyuki mere Kakababu ne humesha sach ka saath diya hai. Unhone apne ya apne faide ke liye kabhi koi galat raasta nahi apnaya. Haan, Anurag aur Nivi Di se ek galti huyi jiski sazaa apne unhe de di yeh deal todkar....(trying to control her anger) lekin uss din aapne jo bhi mere Kakababu ke baare kaha woh aapne sahi nahi kiya.... Aur aapko jab itna pata tha ki Basu Publications aur Basu Bari mortgaged hai toh phir aapko yeh baat bhi pata hogi na ke mere kakababu abhi abhi coma se uthe the. Uske baad bhi aapne unhe itni buri tarah se treat kiya..". In the end Prerna's voice broke, as she contemplated on the possibility of the worst happening. Wiping a lone tear from her eye, she questioned the man in front of her,"Agar uss din unhe kuch serious ho jaata toh? Tab bhi aap mujse yeh sab kehte?". Prerna clutched the edge of her chair trying to catch hold of her emotions. Closing her eyes, Prerna took a deep breath trying to calm herself. She had no intention of crying in front of a stranger but these days she was having trouble getting hold of her emotions. So much had happened in the last one month with her near death experience and Komolika's arrest, plus her pregnancy, her emotions were all over the place. She opened her eyes and saw Mr.Bajaj staring at her, concerned. "Aap theek toh hai na?",he asked softly,"I am so sorry, aap mere liye mithai lekar aayi aur maine aapko pani tak offer nahi kiya..excuse me!". Mr.Bajaj called the waiter passing them. The man came in front of them,"Ji sir",the waiter asked courteously. Mr. Bajaj ordered,"Madam ke liye ek  lemonade". Prerna intervened,"It's fine, Mr.Bajaj. Mujhe nahi chahiye-". Mr.Bajaj cut her off,"Arre, aap ek baar try to kijiye.Yeh yaha ki speciality hai. Aur waise bhi aap logo ne apne ghar mein meri itni khatirdaari ki, main aapke liye itna toh kar hi sakta hu.". The waiter bowed and left. Mr.Bajaj and his guest sat in silence, each immersed in their own thought, as they waited for the drink. Right now, Mr.Bajaj was experiencing one of those few instances in his life when he was at a complete loss for words, all thanks to this confusing woman sitting in front of him. The more he got to know about Prerna the harder it got for him to figure her out. What does she want from him? And why was she here defending a family she was soon going to leave? Did they send her? That's would make no sense, especially since Mr.Moloy Basu called him this morning to thank him for the flowers and fruit basket. Shayad, Mr.Bajaj contemplated, inhe inke pati ne yaha bheja hoga. Mujhe emotional karke, guilty feel karake mujse wapas deal sign karana chahte hai yeh log. Yahi plan hoga inka, kyuki inhe doosra investor toh milne se raha. Lekin inn sabse Prerna ko kya milega? Yeh toh Anurag ko divorce dene waali hai! God! Inn Basu's ne to mera dimag kharab kar diya hai! Across the table, Prerna sneaked a look at her host. Lost in his own thoughts, Mr.Bajaj was playing with the food in his plate. Yeh aadmi kitna confusing hai, Prerna thought, Kuch der pehle toh aise mujhpe has raha tha, aur kya kaha tha isne mere Kakababu ke baare mein? Ke agar unse company nahi sambhalti toh unhe isteefa dena chahiye! Aur uske baad achanak mere se itne sharafat se pesh aa raha tha, kyun? Shayad...shayad isse darr tha ki main yaha sabke saamne rokar koi scene  create kardungi aur iske image pe bura asar parega. Well main abhi iske misunderstanding ko dur karti hu. Prerna started,"Listen, Mr.Bajaj-". Just then the waiter came with the drink. "Please, Prerna drink lijiye",Mr.Bajaj said kindly. Prerna politely accepted the glass and took a sip. Taking another sip, Prerna said appreciatively,"You were right. Yeh wakayi bohot refreshing hai. Thank you Mr.Bajaj.". Mr.Bajaj smiled at her words. Then, he finally got down to business,"Prerna",Mr.Bajaj said,"Main aapki feelings samajta hu. Agar main aapki jaga hota, aur kisine meri ma ko hurt kiya hota toh shayad main bhi aise hi react karta. But Prerna, yeh business hai yaha dil nahi, dimaag se faisle lene hote hai. Yaha pe emotions nahi, facts dekh ke decisions lene padte hai. Main maanta hu, ke aapke pati ke intentions pure the woh bas apni company bachana chahte the, apne dad ki legacy ko bachana chahte the. Lekin anjaane mein hi sahi woh mujhe cheat toh kar rahe the na. Toh maine apne bachaav ke liye agar yeh deal toda to kya galat kiya?". Prerna calmly replied,"Mr.Bajaj main yaha aapse iss baat ka jawab sunne nahi aayi hu ke aapke woh deal kyu toda. Agar aapko lagta hai ke main yaha Basu's ko defend karne aayi hu, toh aap galat samaj rahe hai. Mera aisa koi iraada nahi hai. Aapke saath galat ho raha tha, aur yeh deal todkar aapne bilkul sahi kiya.".  Puzzled, Mr.Bajaj asked,"Toh aap yaha kis liye aayi hai Prerna?". Prerna replied simply,"Maine aapse kaha na, aapne jaise mere kakababu se baat kiya woh mujhe theek nahi laga. Main bas iss liye yaha aayi hu, aapko aapki galti ka ehsaas dilane.". "Sirf mujhe apni galti ka ehsaas dilane?",Mr.Bajaj asked skeptically. Prerna replied earnestly,"Haan, Mr.Bajaj, main jaanti hu, ke uss din office mein jo bhi hua shayad woh aapke liye ek mamooli si baat hogi, lekin mere liye woh ek bohot badi baat thi. Deals toh aate jaate rahenge, lekin uss din jo mere Kakababu ke saath hua hai, aur baad mein jo unki tabiyat kharab huyi woh nahi hona chahiye tha. Aapko bina sach jaane, sabke saamne unse aise baat nahi karni chahiye thi". Inke sasural waalon ne inke saath itna kuch kiya aur yeh phir bhi unhe defend kar rahi hai, Mr.Bajaj thought perplexed, I don't believe this! Ho naa ho yaha aane ke peechhe zaroor inka apna koi agenda hai. Mr.Bajaj gave her a long hard look, trying to see if she was hiding something.  But he couldn't find anything except the simplicity and honesty reflecting from her eyes. He tried another tack, he said smugly, "Aap mujhe apne father in law ke condition ke liye responsible maanti hai, lekin aap shayad nahi jaanti Prerna ke aaj subah hi aapke father-in-law ne mujhe call kiya, mere bheje huye fruit basket ke liye thanks bolne ke liye. Unhone bohot achche se baat ki mujse. Unke kahe kissi bhi baat mein mujhe mere liye gussa nahi sunai diya. I am sorry to say Prerna par aap  apna time waste kar rahi hai, shayad aapke nazro mein main galat hu. Lekin aapke Kakababu ke nazro mein, jinke saath maine (raising his hands in air quotes) allegedly yeh badtameezi ki, woh mujhe galat nahi maante. In fact, phone pe jab maine uss din ka zikr kiya, he told me that he perfectly understands my position.". Mr.Bajaj had expected Prerna to be surprised at his words, embarrassed even but instead she just gave him a serene smile,"Yahi toh mere Kakababu ki khasiyat hai",Prerna said,"Life mein itna kuch achieve karne ke bawajood unn mein ego bilkul bhi nahi hai. Par unhone aapki baaton ka bura nahi maana iska yeh matlab toh nahi ke aapse galti nahi huyi. Galti Anurag aur Nivi Di se huyi thi aapko unhe bhala bura kehna chahiye tha, mere Kakababu ko nahi!", Prerna finished heatedly, leaving Mr.Bajaj stunned at her sudden change in demeanor. "Magar aapne kya kiya?",Prerna asked in an accusatory tone,"Bina unse kuch poochhe, bina kuch jaane aapne sabke saamne unhe beizzat kiya. Agar aapke saath koi aisa karta toh aapko kaisa lagta!".  "That enough!",Mr. Bajaj snapped. Rishabh Bajaj finally lost his patience. He had had enough! For almost one hour, he had tried to deal with Prerna patiently, courteously. But not anymore! Whether he was right or wrong to accuse Moloy Basu that day at the office, he couldn't care less! The Basu's were trying to take advantage of him. Period.  Everything he did that day, he did it to protect himself. And Prerna?  Even if he was wrong who gave her the right to come here and talk to him like this?  Whatever little sympathy he felt for her was gone now. "Mrs.Basu",Mr. Bajaj addressed her angrily, completely ignoring her earlier request. As far as he  was concerned she was  one of them  now. Gritting his teeth, Mr.Bajaj continued," Main apne business associates ke saath kya karta hu, unse kaise baat karta hu. That is none of your business!". Prerna was about to protest when he raised a hand silencing her. His eyes were mocking and his tone was lowered in a harsh whisper, "Main jaanta hu aap kya kahengi ke woh aapke Kakababu hai, koi unse aise baat kare aap bardasht nahi karengi! But guess what, Prerna? Nobody cares! Shayad aapke liye Mr.Moloy Basu aur unka parivaar bhagwan honge. Lekin mujhe unse koi lena dena nahi hai! Aur haan! Ek aur baat, jo jaan bujhkar ho usse galti nahi beimaani kehte hai. Aur beimaani ka koi excuse nahi diya jaa sakta! Aapke pati and nanand ne mere saath beimaani karne ki koshish ki! Aur aapke sasur, company ke chairman hone ke bawajood iss cheez anjaan rahe, won unki gair zimmedari thi! Aur Rishabh Bajaj beimaan aur gair zimmedar logo ki izzat nahi karta!". As he finished, Mr. Bajaj waited for Prerna to fight back. He stared at her warily, mentally challenging her to contradict him. But instead of rising to his bait, Prerna leaned back on the chair. She gave him a sad smile,"I am really disappointed in you Mr.Bajaj.",she said," Yeh sach hai ki main aapko theek se nahi jaanti. Lekin humne ek saath jitna bhi time spent kiya hai aur jitna main aapko samaj paayi. Mujhe laga tha, ke aap ek fair aur honest aadmi hai, jisse logo ki pehchaan hai, jo logo ko samajta hai. Main galat thi!". Mr. Bajaj bristled at her words,"Pehli baat toh main ek fair aur honest aadmi hu. Secondly, mujhe logo ki parakh hai, iss liye to aapki family mujhe asaani se cheat nahi kar payi. Thirdly, aap please jo kehna chahti hai saaf saaf kahiye, mere paas aapke riddles ke liye time nahi hai.". Looking at him squarely in the face, Prerna said,"Mr.Bajaj aapko koi haq nahi hai Anurag, Nivi Di ya Kakababu pe ungli uthaane ki jab aapne bhi past mein wohi galti ki jo uss din unhone ki.". Mr.Bajaj said sternly,"Aap mera time waste kar rahi hai. Please point pe aaiye.". Prerna took out a piece of paper from her bag and quietly placed it in front of him. Mr.Bajaj leaned in to see the paper. He winced as he saw the piece of paper. Staring right back at him was a chapter of his past he had spent his hard earned money trying to hide from the world.