Chapter 3 | Fashion Show: Part 1/3
Loud chopping sounds magnified as he opened the door to the helipad custom-built on the terrace of his penthouse apartment in Delhi. He was scheduled to fly to his long awaited fashion show in Lucknow, in his private jet. He opened his phone to give a quick re-check of the itinerary his PA had shared a week ago with him.
The order of the events for the day was already familiar to him. He just needed to ensure everything was still in order and that there were no last minute updates that might have popped up in the schedule.
Any other day, he wouldn't mind such changes dropping in once in a while. He understood that in this fast-paced business of fashion, order and consistency required a proportional amount of flexibility. But today was too important for him to be derailed by any unavoidable urgent tasks. So, his thorough self went through the schedule again.
First, he was supposed to take the chopper to Delhi's IGI Airport where a swanky black Raizada Jet waited to fly him to Lucknow.
Then he would take another chopper from there to the show's location: Shaastri Nivas Out House, Sheesh Mahal, Sheesh Mahal Lane.
The show won't begin until the next day 3 pm but he had to make an early stop at the venue for an urgent personal business.
Ideally, he wouldn't want to be having to run this errand this close to the event. It was a huge deal to for his textile industry and fashion label - Raizada, which was in the middle of an international expansion.
The world had transformed upside down since lock down, the fast pace had somehow turned even faster, the insignificant formalities of the design processes had been dropped, workflows had become more refined and realistically demanding, communication had become more direct and less stingy, the work-spaces had become hybrid, attention span had decreased and online media consumption had increased. During the pandemic, the world had become as close digitally as it had become isolated physically. India was at the cusp of a global change. The country and its businesses had now drawn a level of scrutiny that was never seen before. Not as a widely and unanimously recognized worthy competitor or collaborator.
The time was now.
He had spent the better part of the year carefully networking, working with his PR team, assembling a roster of potential marketeers and influencers, connecting and reconnecting with the owners of his peer brands to collaborate with, hiring agencies to understand his new audiences, preparing a bullet proof strategy for making the launches, gathering intel on the audiences from his prospective global market - beginning from New York, then moving to London, Paris, Los Angeles, Rome, Naples, Monte Carlo, New Jersey, Chicago, Houston, Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Glasgow, Sydney and Melbourne - in that order.
This intensive research had led to the next major step his label would take.
A show that was going to be pivotal in announcing his plans of re-positioning Raizada as a global brand.
Just the way he established its repertoire in the Indian market - with clever strategy and execution.
He strongly believed that the brand was more than ready to scale its success at an international platform. So, naturally, his perfectionist self didn't leave a stone unturned to ensure that everything goes smoothly for this event. Much to his PR team's detriment he had never bothered to indulge in a public image - outside of his work-related activities - let alone worry about public engagement for his.
To indulge in social media relations as a prominent personality for once instead of the usual Raizada campaigns particularly was really out of his comfort zone.
From doing a media purge to running campaigns on social media for the purpose of harnessing sustained favorable media impression was the most weirdest concepts to him.
This strange process was quite a journey and revelation to him, given how little he had cared about his media representation in any shape and form, except if it was directly concerned with the perception of his fashion label or constructive criticism of his designs or negative press that had serious potential to impact his business. Otherwise, he didn't care much about any media speculations or entertainment gossip which he now was belatedly realizing might have been a mistake. The paps seem to have gone through too much trouble to dig information on his personal life. He was both impressed and horrified with their ability to spin regular bullsh*t about popular personalities and make it sell like hot cakes. It's all about content for views these days it seemed. And he has been a subject of way too many deranged speculations judging by the headlines and content that have generated the most strongest impression of him as a prominent personality in India.
Headline
King of Indian Fashion named Man of the Year by GQ magazine
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Headline
ASR spotted working out shirtless. Click to see pics!!
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Arnav Singh Raizada spotted jogging at these places!
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ASR's dating history and background
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IG Reel
SPOTTED: ASR leaving filmfare's after party early with Lara Kapoor on his arm
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Headline
Abuzzfeed India: 25 thirst tweets on ASR
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IG Reel
ASR being the most drooled over celebrity on this season of Toffee with Taran
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IG Reel
All the moments on Toffee with Taran where guests were gushing about their crush on ASR
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Headline
King of Indian Fashion set to design wardrobe for Lara Kapoor's next bollywood venture
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Headline
Lara Kapoor says she is excited about hottie ASR designing for her next movie
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IG Reel
Raizada khandaan spotted attending Lara's film release
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IG Reel
Arnav Singh Raizada spotted taking prasad from Nani Devyani Singh Raizada at the Raizada family's frequented temple Kuldevi Mandir
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IG Reel
SPOTTED: ASR hugging his sister Anjali Singh Raizada while leaving the Diwali Party at Raizada Mansion
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Headline
Fashion and hot men: Is ASR too good looking to just be an owner of Raizada fashion label
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IG Reel
Should ASR start modeling? Click on caption to vote
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Headline
Source claims that ASR might be dating his PA
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IG Reel
Raizada family spotted at Kuldevi Mandir
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Headline
15 things you didn't know about Arnav Singh Raizada, India's Most Eligible Bachelor
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Headline
SPOTTED: ASR jogging in Shantivan streets at 4 am
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Headline
What does ASR do in a day?
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What does ASR eat in a day?
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IG Reel
SPOTTED: Arnav Singh Raizada smooching an unidentified beautiful woman at Delhi's most posh rooftop restaurant
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Headline
What does ASR wear in a day?
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Headline
Top 10 pictures of shirtless ASR working out in his gym
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Headline
Mensvp Mag: Top 10 sexiest billionaires in the world
"F*ck this is too much random, most irrelevant bullsh*t to sift through" he swore in front of his team on work video call. He had given up half way through the most viewed headlines indexed in the report made by his PR team.
F*ck this is mortifying, he had thought rubbing his facial stubble, especially after reading a few of those thirst tweets in one article. Did his family read this kind of stuff about him?
F*ck ignorance is indeed a bliss, he thought wishing for the time to come back when he didn't know about any of this.
No wonder curosity killed the cat, he thought rubbing his face in an attempt to center himself from this madness.
However, it was something he couldn't ignore apparently. The reports showed the highest ratings for these kinds of gimmicky click-baity headlines filled with half-truths.
What is with people and their obssession with other people's lives? he grumbled in annoyance, wishing there was a way he didn't have to do any of this in the first place. If this was what he was seeing on the news just by googling himself or searching his name on Instagram, he was afraid to see what else would have come up if he dived further. Trying not to shudder at that thought, he focused back on the zoom call meeting he was having with his PR team.
Arnav asked his PA to task Raizada's PR rep to collaborate with a third-party PR firm with specializiation for wider and meaningful insights into the Indian media landscape. He had to get this sorted to have a sustained customer retention.
And for that he needed to be thorough. May be he could forumulate a strategy while dealing with this - for future re-use? Arnav had to admit that whether he liked it or not, if he is to re-caliberate his brand's path to international horizons, he needed to first figure out where he, as an individual or a 'celeb personality' - as his staff refers - stood in terms of media impression outside the Raizada realm.
Because though he would be building new bridges with the international expansions, he still wanted to make sure that his current presence in the Indian market is not compromised in that process.
As per the current media impressions that were conveyed to him by his team, he needs to - to say bluntly - clean up his act. Clean up his act forgodsake. He didn't realize him mind his business and living his life on his own terms - however private it may be - would require any cleaning up. Well not clean up exactly, but shaping a persona around this non-sense of a perception.
It baffled him to say the least, how intrusive the paps were regarding his personal life, capitalizing on the views they would get for such clickbait sh*t. On top of which, the Indian public seemed love to eat that sh*t up.
According to the media report drafted by his freshly formed joint PR team, a trend had been observed for celebrities and brands trying to expand their careers/businesses beyond their country. It didn't seemed necessary right then but it significantly helped long term to protect himself from potentially sabotaging news that might impact his business expansion. The earlier, the better given how volatile is our country's media climate, his PR head advised him.
So, long story short, the concluded solution was that he needed to tie up loose ends where needed and leverage his perceived persona in the media(he couldn't help but roll his eyes every time the term was brought up in a meeting). So, ultimately, Arnav came to accept that if he couldn't control it, might as well leverage it to his benefit.
The only effort he had made regarding his image in the media was to remove all traces of his ancestral lineage and connections to his native birthplace: Lucknow.
He was no longer a Malik since he was17 and he had needed it to stay that way for as long as he could manage.
However, he had been told that with the scale of media coverage his brand required to achieve their business goals, they had to plan for this piece of information as it was bound to come out. Better it come from them than for it to be leaked from an unknown source and lose control of the narrative.
So, he got on a zoom call with the joint PR team to work through strategies of media purging, nudging news coverage, launching online campaigns and re-shaping his media image for preemptive measures to prevent future mishaps and evade the possible risks.....for whenever they find the opportunity to disclose this fact.
Once he stepped onto the rooftop, he switched off his phone as part of the protocol to prepare for the take off. Reaching into his pocket he took out his RayBans and deftly put them on while climbing into his private chopper. He settled in the passenger section at the back, put the headphones on and clicked the seat belt in.
Outside, it was a rather sunny morning today, a huge contrast to his glum mood. He wished he wasn't feeling so restless for the meeting. He wondered if he should have driven the chopper himself. May be having something to do would have kept his nerves at bay and prevented his thoughts from straying too much.
He hated that feeling of.......of.......uncertainty, the helplessness that follows it and the waves of panic it tends to morph into.
No, he reminded himself before his thoughts could go further haywire. He couldn't afford to be distracted today. So taking a deep breath in, he tried to relax the muscles in his shoulder and neck as he let the breath out. Once, the chopper was in the air he took off the headphones and switched on his phone.
He reached for the sleek glove box beside his seat handle and took out his pods. Plugging them into his ears, he played his go-to guided meditation recording for brushing away the uncomfortable feeling that has been breeding since morning. He had ten minutes until they had to board the jet anyways. So, Arnav tried to focus on his breath through out the journey, pausing for awhile as he got on his plane to Lucknow.
It wasn't until he heard someone greeted in a hindustani dialect when he was getting into his car that the weird feeling from the morning came back again.
Arnav went back to his meditation app. He put on an advanced level session for extra measure.
Except this time, when the calm soothing voice said "Close your eyes and settle into yourself with a deep gentle breath", his mind immediately traveled to the day when his entire life changed.
The day he changed.
Scenes from that fateful afternoon kept ruminating. The imagery so vivid, as if it had happened just yesterday.
Suddenly, he was back at the goddamn dining room of his goddamn ancestral home: Sheesh Mahal.
*Flashback to the brunch scene at Sheesh Mahal*
Arnav had just finished the funeral rites for his parents. There were two variations of them. Each to honor their own ancestral cultural beliefs.
He was sitting in their family dining hall, halfheartedly trying to convince himself to eat. His appetite had been long gone before the wedding days. Seeing his parents argue non-stop had taken a toll on him.
He had seen them fight now and then when he was younger but these fights, that weirdly began during his Di's wedding, were something else. He couldn't help but constantly get dragged into their fights. And he would let himself be dragged too. Mostly because he felt a misplaced guilt when they fought and by some unfathomable logic felt responsible to diffuse the tension.
His mom would usually be the one always picking up the bickering. He knew she was a sensitive person so initially Arnav would always take her side. But there were times he would feel bad for his Baba too; poor man was equally frustrated as him that his Ma would rarely be satisfied with a resolution.
He wondered if her hypertension was getting worst because the arguments she would usually have - with due respect - were silly. Arnav had kept this to himself. His Di was already overwhelmed sick with worry about her wedding and all that entailed her professional practice as a Law Advocate. He didn't want to worry her further. So, silently he had endured, secretly trying to put out the constantly re-emerging fires between his parents. Although, he wished he hadn't waited until the wedding ceremony was over before following his parents to their room.
He only endured their drama for so long to make sure things went smoothly for Di's wedding. He was already guilty with the way he reacted to their engagement announcement. The least he thought he could was to ensure smooth sailings for her D-day. That day, at the mandap, the wedding ceremony was almost over when his parents left. So, he thought what's more a few more minutes. But boy oh boy was he wrong.
He had also purposely delayed until the wedding was over because at that point, Arnav had become frustrated with his Ma. He tried extra hard to be patient but day by day it was wearing his patience thin. It seemed like she always had a bone to pick with Baba whenever they were in the same room.
He got so knee deep into their constantly quarrelling sh*t that he had low key started developing a resentment akin to fear to the idea of marriage. Which is....if it - by any long shot - had to develop into this sham of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, then he was better off without it he had figured. Baba claimed that he loved Ma.
Hell, he had grown up hearing stories of Ma and Baba's romance. He had seen it plenty too.
But was that really enough?
Does love really trump all?
What people really don't reveal is, love poisons all.
The poison so cruel and vicious that it lowers your guard with a false sense of security and renders you defenseless, where you are helpless to do nothing as it makes you blind to the reality, compelling you to do things that you don't actually want to do.
Little did he know the intensity of their conflicts will lead to such gruesome....
He wasn't sure what to think of that anymore.
It took everything within him to not loose his sh*t on the dining table and curl up on the floor. It was an effort to sit still and eat his lunch like he hadn't just returned from cremating his mother and burying his father.
Like it didn't take his whole conscious being to concentrate hard on not letting his hand shake and voice quiver while lighting his mother's pyre and reciting mantras.
Like he didn't almost bawl over again when he saw his father's face lying in their family's royal grave. He had to give his shovel to Akash mid-way through the burial process before his legs gave up. Atleast Di wasn't there to witness. That was a small relief he thought. Jeeja Ji was there with him on his side throughout.
Somehow he managed to complete the rituals with whatever dignity he had left since the panic attack episode.
But for the near crippling fear of the same reaction while performing the rituals for her mother, he couldn't make himself see her face one last time on that pile of wood.
Not again after the way he saw her last in her bedroom.
Not after the way she had stared at him as she pointed the gun at herself, finger trembling against the trigger. The fight of shock, devastation and grief in her eyes when she pulled the trigger.
And the empty stare after she pulled the trigger as she slumped on the ground on top of where his father was already lying face-first on the -
Arnav balled his fists hard to snap himself back from that memory to the present. He let the feel of the cool steel of the spoon in his right hand guide his focus back to where he was.
Earlier, he wished he was alone so he could go straight to his room to sit if not mourn in quiet but now he was almost glad for the company of his cousins and the rest of his family. The low hum of chatter around him was helping him stay tethered to the moment and away from the uneasy barrage of his thoughts.
All this, while appearing to keep his composure, had felt like a feat. He looked up to notice his Di quietly observing him jostling his food with spoon. It was the same knowing stare she had been giving him since the funeral rites. Jeeja Ji must have snitched on him. Arnav knew she only wanted to make sure he was alright or if he needed someone to talk to. But it was aggravatingly mortifying to say the least. She thought he was throwing a fit for nothing but if only she could really see how much she was smothering him with this mental health non sense.
It was unbearably stifling. He needed some space to sort out himself!
Unlike, what his Di thought - though she claims otherwise - his one breakdown doesn't make him weak and sensitive to the point of requiring any therapy. He was NOT SO WEAK.
So, he finally began eating out of spite. To show to her and himself that he was capable of taking care of himself and be spared of another lecture about it.
Akash and NK were asking him about his coursework for Harvard and for some tips on applying. He didn't feel like talking but it was easier to keep himself from spiraling while he was occupied with the conversation.
He was still discussing about colleges with Akash when he sensed a slow shift in the room.
The hum of chatter had quieted to a pin drop silence. His attention first went to his Di who was clutching Jeeja Ji's arm tightly and staring at the dining hall entrance. Arnav bent forward to see clearly who it was.
Chacha Ji stood there with a bunch of papers and lot of security. He recognized a few of them as their newly appointed guards, the others were policemen. Arnav had vaguely noticed his absence at his father's funeral, but didn't think much of it as he was preoccupied with the challenging enough tasks. But the way his Di and Jeeja Ji were reacting to his uncle's presence caught his special attention.
Jeeja Ji's face looked shocked and then contorted into silent fury as he looked from Di to Chacha Ji. A whole silent dialogue seemed to be going on between them.
What is going on? Arnav wondered in wary.
Chacha Ji strode in with a determined expression. Everyone was still seated at the table. But Jeeja Ji was the first to inercept him, Di had beelined right after and came to stand beside.
"Chacha Sahab, kahan the aap? Saari reethi rasme toh hogayi" Shyam said.
Di's expression was unreadable as she chimed in "Haan, saari batein ek taraf aur ghar ki baatein ek taraf rakhni chahiye. Hai na?" His Di asked in a tone that Arnav knew too well had meant that she was trying to get information on something. He got the sense that she was being vague on purpose.
"Kya kehna chahthi ho tum?" Chacha Ji got offended. It was funny that defensiveness was his first reaction instead of an apology or some semblance of guilt. It was his own brother. They didn't see eye to eye on most occasions but blood is blood, they were family, weren't they?
His Di's face hardened.
"I thought it's clear lekin aap itne confused lag rahe hain toh khule mein bol hi deti hoon. Aisa kya zaroori kaam aya tha joh aapne Baba aur Ma ki funeral hi miss kardi? Apne sagey bhai ki barsi pe tak apni haaziri nahin de sake?" Anjali inquired with accusation.
What is Di getting at? Arnav tried to figure out. Something had happened. He had never seen Di like this before. She was cryptic at best but never so confronting - not outside the matters of the court at least.
"Tum uski fikr math karo, sab samhalna meri responsibility hi toh hai abse" Chacha Ji patronized.
"Abse?" Jeeja Ji echoed, "Kya matlab hai aapka?"
Chacha Ji took out the papers and waved them condescendingly at his face. "Puchhna batana hogaya toh padhlo ise"
"Humein patha tha" Jeeja Ji said in fury that was borderline wrath, after going through the papers.
"Kya likha hai isme?" Anjali almost snatched them from him and started reading.
"What is going on?" Arnav finally spoke out.
But Anjali didn't seem to hear him as cold fury broke over her face, " Hum sirf ek sawaal karna chahtein aapse" her posture changed, her expression changed to a eerie calm that was scary. Arnav had the better sense to not interrupt her. It was scary when she was like this. He was bracing for a blast to rip out based on her silent ominous stare that was throwing daggers at their uncle but all she asked was -
"Kyun?"
"Kyun ki haq hai mera" Chacha Ji responded immediately, sneering.
"Kaunsa haq?" Anjali shot back maintaining the same tone of calm and cold fury.
"Shayad aapko yaad nahin hai Anjali, kyun ki chhoti thi aap, aapke Baba ke vaaris hum the"
Arnav's eye brows rose at that.
"Vaaris the" Di seemed to be reminding him.
"Zabaan Samhaal ke" Chacha ji warned.
"Bilkul Chacha Ji. Theek usi tarah jaise aapne yeh saazish rachayi hai" replied calmly.
"Tumhe andaaza bhi hai ki tum kya keh rahi ho?" Chacha ji reprimanded condescendingly.
"Uski aap fikr math kijiye Chacha Ji. Andaaza hai aur sabooth bhi" Jeeja Ji said in the same reprimanding tone at the way Anjali was being spoken to.
"Bakwaas math kariye, kis baath ke liye sabooth ki zaroor padhi aapko?"
"Yahi ki aapne jis tarah se apne bhai ka murder kiya hai" Jeeja Ji said with disgust dripping in his voice.
Chacha Ji opened his mouth to reply but Di cut in.
"Jis ke liye you used my mother to play your dirty game" she almost sneered.
"Kya bakwaas kar rahi ho" he said, his expression showing astonishment.
"I wish I was but unfortunately the evidence - evidences suggest otherwise. Dekh toh aise rahein hai aap jaise you didn't exploit my Ma's mental health for your own gain."
"Kya -"
"Unki jazbathon ke saath khel kar, jaise aapne unhe emotionally manipulate nahin kiya" Di continued
"Kuch-"
"Unki dawayion ko rukwakar jaise apne unki health condition ko weaponize nahin kiya" Di added
"Jaise ki aapne unhe Baba ka murder karne ke liye badhava nahin diya" Di added
Arnav was shocked to say the least, so much was happening and so much was being said.
Ma had a health condition? Manipulated? Mental Health? Kya dawaiyan? Arnav was finding it difficult to process the accusations being thrown. It was too shocking to analyze it all.
"Dimakh kharab hogaya hai tum donon ka!!!" Chacha Ji hollered at them.
Di gave a sweet smile that didn't look like anything but lethal, and said "Phir toh aapko koi problem nahin hona chahiye agar hum aapke finger prints lenge for...you know, for proof."
"This is ridiculous! Main samajh sakta hoon ki aap log apne ma baap ke guzarne ke gham mein ho upar se ghar chhodna padh raha ha lekin unki mauth ka zimmedar mujhe kyun thehra rahe ho."
"Shayad aapne theek se suna nahin Chacha Sahab, aapke khilaf sabooth hai humare paas" Shyam pointed out.
"Jhootein ilzam!" Arnav's uncle spat back. "Evidence bol kar kuchh bhi kehdeinge aap log?"
"Theek hai phir, pakki baath karne ke liye humare saath co-operate kar lijiye. Finger prints hi toh dena hai, kaunsa hum se chheeni hui jaaydaath wapas maang rahein hain aapse." Shyam reasoned albeit with an underlying shade.
Arnav couldn't fathom how things could get from bad to tragic to horrific in a matter of twenty four hours. Was it just yesterday morning he was running around helping with wedding arrangements? He felt like he had lived an indistinguishable amount of time in a day.
Chacha Ji's face contorted to rage like he could burst at everyone at a tiny pin prick. But Jeeja Ji got to him before that as he called in the nurse his dad had personally hired take care of his Ma.
Arnav recognised the lady immediately. He should have known something was amiss back then. It was strange to have hired medical help on a daily basis just for hypertension.
"I will do you a double Chacha Sahab.....jaisa aap ke betting aur gambling ke mehfil mein karte hain, evidence report ke saath saath witness bhi haazir hai aapke liye. Ab batayie, aur kya chahiye?"
For the first time, Arnav noticed that his uncle looked a bit off-guard. His demeanor a little unsure of himself.
How was this supposed to do any justice? Arnav wondered.
"Here are the official reports from the investigation I conducted - date aur time bhi hai uspe...kafi detailed hai. Fikr math kijiye." he handed him the papers and gestured the nurse to come forward.
"Haan toh Zulfiqar Ji, kya keh rahi thi aap aapke confession mein?"
"Ji..." she hesitated. "Woh..inhone" she said pointing at Chacha Ji," Humein paise diye the...dedh lakh rupiye...inka kaam karne ke liye. Haan kehte waqt humse ghalati hogayi ki humne nahin poochha kis kaam ke liye yeh humein keh rahe the. Lekin jab tak yeh baath humare khayal mein aaya tab tak humne contract sign kardiya tha ki hum is deal se nahin peechhe nahin hatenge aur kisi ko kuchh nahin kahenge. Inhon ne jab kaha ki patient ki dawayi rukwana hai. Humne rokne ki koshish lekin contract ki wajah se yeh sab karna padha."
"Jhooth!!!" Chacha Ji spat.
"Hum sach keh rahe hain!" the nurse insisted then pulled a copy out of a bag she was holdinng and waved those papers towards Anjali. "Yeh dekhiye humne in kagaz ko unki study se churaya tha, hum tang aagaye the inki contract ki dhamkiyon se. Toh hum in papers ko churakar bhaag gaye taki yeh humare peechhe na aa sake."
"Bas karo yeh drama, main toh pehle tumlogon ko teen din ki due time dene wala tha ghar khaali karne ke liye par aur nahin, abhi ke abhi nikal jao yahan se."
"Badi meherbani aapki!!!" Anjali screamed at him. Her eyes were swollen red now, devestation written all over her face.
"Badi meherbani Chacha Ji ki aapne humein teen din ki mohlath ke layak samjha. Aur maaf kijiye aapki sacchayi samne laane ki beizzati karne ke liye ki kis tarah apne yeh ganda khel khela hai hamare Ma Baba ke jazbaathon ke saath. All this...AND FOR WHAT? Money??? Property????" her voice was raw with hurt.
Arnav's throat felt tight seeing her Di like that. All sibling rivalry aside, he would rather die than to see his sister in this state.
Chacha Ji snorted, apparently not bothering to be subtle anymore.
"Chacha Ji" he echoed, "Chacha Sahab. Aapko patha hai? Kisi ko humara naam bhi nahin patha hai. Humare bade bhai, Nawab Sahab aur sabke liye hum sirf Chacha Sahab ya phir Chhote Sahab, jaise hamari koi pehchaan hi nahin hai unke bina! Jab aapne' he said gesturing to Anjali "Bhai Sahab ki vaaris hone se mana kardiya tab unhon ne humein wapas apna vaaris banane ka vaada kiya tha. Phir humein jab kuchh paison ki zaroorath padhne par, unse madad maangne gaye, tab hamara saath dena toh duur unhone hum se humara haq bhi chhin liya apne chhote bete ko vaaris banakar. Isliye jazbaathon se khelne ki baath toh tum math hi karo" he said bitterly.
"Funny how you mentioned ki sirf kucch paison ki zaroorath thi, because Baba toh bata rahe the ki 50 crore maang rahe the aap unse" Di said.
"Aur nahin toh Rani Saheba, koi mamuli sa karza thode hi tha. Juwa khelne aur betting karne ke karz, humari society mein aise hi kahan saste chukte hain. Aur phir mafia wale aise thodi maaf karenge inka karz."
Everyone gasped. Di looked shocked at that too.
Chacha Ji paled. It was enough to prove that he was guilty as charged.
Di laughed without humour breaking the silence then sobered up quickly to look at their uncle with disgusted determined gaze. She was about to say something but stopping mid-way turned to Jeeja Ji and said " Shyam kya aap police ko phone kar sakte hain, hum bas aur nahin kheechna chahte hain inki 'dukh bhari kahani' ko. Bohot hogaya, aagey ki jitni bhi inki safai hogi hum court mein sun lenge."
Nani and Mami Ji gasped.
"Phir? Aur Phir kya kaheingi aap court mein?"
"Ki aapne Baba ke murder ke liye conspire kiya hai, aur investigation puri karne ke liye co-operate bhi nahin kar rahe hain. Phir yeh sab ke liye witness bhi toh hai. Shayad pura evidence toh nahin lekin enough toh available hai arrest warrant ke liye" Di said reverting back to the ominously calm yet authoritative tone.
"Dhamki kise de rahin hain Anjali, police saath laya hoon mein aur guards bhi hain yahan."
Di was seething. Her expression was still cold but tears were streaming down her face. Jeeja Ji put a hand on her shoulder, to remind her that he was there - the same way he had kept company with Arnav during his Baba's burial. Anjali looked at him again, seeming to silently communicate him something. Her husband nodded.
"Theek hai Chacha Sahab, mubarak ho aapko. Malik industries ke 60% shares aur yeh" Jeeja Ji looked around gesturing the space he was standing in "Sheesh Mahal....aapka hua."
"WHAT" Arnav exclaimed loudly. Everyone else roared, asking Anjali and Shyam to not do this. But his Di, continued her face hardening "Bilkul mubarak ho....lekin ek sharth par"
Chacha Ji didn't reply, waiting for her to continue.
"Ek aur contract sign kijiye, state karte hue ki aap hamare aur Chhote ke kisi bhi asset ko collateral nahin rakh sakte aur ek baar contract sign karlene ke baad, mere aur chhote se aapki aur aapki biwi bacchon se humara koi association nahin hoga. Not on papers and definitely not via any media recognition. Kyun ki...." She gestured to Shyam who handed her another set of papers "...agar aapne kabhi bhi, kisi bhi favour ke liye pareshaan kiya toh phir I am going to stop at nothing to make sure you are behind the bars. By breaking this contract, you would be agreeing to confess your crimes and motive for murder. And furthermore as part of its consequence, you would also have to pay 50 crores in law suit as a consequence for the grave loss and distress you have caused."
Chacha Ji kept staring at her, seeming to really notice her for the first time. Like he had underestimated how ruthless and cunning she could be even though she is a f*cking lawyer. It seems typical of his mysogynistic mindset that Arnav had seen glimpses during of what little time had spent at Sheesh Mahal when he was on vacation from his boarding school.
"Aise hi nahin banaya tha Malik Sahab ne humari Rani Saheba ko unka vaaris" Jeeja Ji said standing tall beside Di with a glimmer of pride in his eyes.
Chacha Ji, the monster that he was, somehow understood how he had no way out of these legal threats but to accept the proposal to sign the contract.
"Manzoor hai" he had grunted out vehemently.
"Good. Ek ghante mein papers aapke paas honge" was the last thing his Di spoke to their uncle before she stalked out of the room.
The rest of the family save for hi Chachi Ji and her daughters had left the room. Just one other person was left besides him. His Nani: Devyani Singh Raizada.
Nani stared at his uncle, if he didn't know any better he would think that she was trying to figure out what to say next but knowing his grandmother, Arnav understood that she was letting him know that she sees him truly for the heartless and selfish b*stard that he was underneath the mask he tried to hide behind and all the lies he tried to spin that day. Chacha Ji - surprisingly to his credit - also understood the depth in her gaze given the way he was squirming under it.
"Hum kuchh nahin kahenge aapse, kyun ki aapko aapke paapon ka phal toh upar wale ki kripa se mil hi jayega. Bas dekhna chahthe the hum, hamari beti aur damaad ke khooni ko...ek akhri baar"
Something in her gaze and tone, gave chills to Arnav.
His Nani's response was the epitome of the saying 'Anger is better than disappointment.'
"Chaliye Chhote" she said still looking at his uncle.
And then they left.
......to be continued in Part 2/3
Edited by Rizz-ington - 4 months ago
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