Chapter 12
“Life is like a game of chess. To win you have to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with in-sight and knowledge, and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way. We become every piece within the game called life! I'm a chess piece. A Pawn."
Ridhima said
'I can be sacrificed, but I cannot be captured. To be captured would be the end of the game"
Ridhima says with venom dripping from her lips.
“Chess is all about maintaining coherent strategies. It’s about not giving up when the enemy destroys one plan but to immediately come up with the next. A game isn’t won and lost at the point when the king is finally cornered. The game's sealed when a player gives up having any strategy at all. When his soldiers are all scattered, they have no common cause, and they move one piece at a time, that’s when you’ve lost"
says Ridhima by locking her eyes towards the CCTV in the room and leaves Sher in his thoughts. Sher reaches to the place of King and bows before him. King notices him with smug on his face,
"Tell me, Sher?"
asks the Lord
"Ridhima has CIPA,"
says Sher with vulnerability
"I know, what next?"
asks Badshah
"Apart from her, I know another person who has CIPA,"
says Sher looking directly into the Collector's eyes.
The Stewmaker smirks seeing his face and says,
"So what?"
"CIPA comes with hereditary,"
says Sher loud enough to break the walls of Emperor's room which rages him yet he controls his anger. The Man gets up from his chair reaches to Sher. He catches hold of Sher's collar and reaches closely near his ear with a smile on his face and with a deadly warning voice, he says,
"You don't know me, Sher,"
he says, not smiling this time.
"People always think that they know other people, but they don't. Not really. I mean, maybe they know things about them like they won't eat doughnuts or they like action movies or whatever. But they don't know what their friends do in their rooms alone at night or what happened to them when they were kids or if they feel ****ed up for no reason at all.”
"I don't want to know you, Boss. You are everything to me. However, I want to know her"
says Sher by bowing his head before King.
“Sometimes it is better not to know. Sometimes when you do know you just fold up"
says King with a smile on his face and authority in his voice
"Her CIPA... "
Sher gets cut in the middle by Badshah,
“All your knowledge meets an end at the question '...Why? and I'm not here to answer Why of yours. You are dismissed and from now enter my room when I call you,"
says King by going to his work leaving Sher to leave the room.
***************
Sher leaves the cabin and reaches to Ridhima's room. He knocks her door while she opens with dead eyes which started piercing him. He stands against her locks his eyes with her.
"Now, what Sher,"
says Ridhima the way earlier King said making him realize they both have many similarities. Ridhima claps her hands and asks him again raising her eyebrows.
“I thought you wanted me to teach you how to play(train/fight)? Now listen very carefully Ridhima. I'm going to repeat these words only once. As you considered life as Chess, let me tell you in the same way.
Each possible move represents a different game. There are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the universe. No one could predict them all, even you. Which means that the first move can be terrifying. It’s the furthest point from the end of the game. There’s a virtually infinite set of possibilities between you and the other side but it also means that if you make a mistake, there’s a nearly infinite amount of ways to fix it so you should simply relax and play. Don't be an impulsive player and don't let fear consume you"
says Sher making Ridhima remember Vansh.
Sher sees Ridhima has lost in some deep thoughts while he pats her head and bring her back to reality and asks her,
"Lost in Vansh thoughts?"
making her disagree with his question.
"What do you like so much about him that, you love him so much Ridhima? Will you ever able to move on from him?"
asks Sher
“Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you have control over is yourself"
says Sher while leaves her in Vansh thoughts once again.
*************
Next-Day in King's Cabin
"It has been a week since Ridhima staying with us, yet she neither learned how to punch someone nor the technical things. Now you all are left with three weeks. I don't want what you're doing to do, make sure she is ready before every Mafia don enters the cruise. I don't want someone to take advantage of her. Over and above, if you guys want the same, then go ahead and pamper her a lot. But bare the consequences of it"
says enraged with King anger leaving all the four in silent.
"I will make sure she trains properly,"
says Sher by taking a step ahead.
King walks towards Sher and says,
"I want you to be a strict teacher and teach her. Not her soulmate. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Lord,"
says Sher by taking his position
"Disperse everyone, Richie, you stay"
says the King while looking at Ridhima at the deck of the cruise who enjoying the ocean breeze.
"Lord,"
says Richie
"You know what I wanted Richie, start now,"
says Lord
"As you predicted Vansh has appointed Dr Malik to treat Sia. Also, as we told him to say, once they will be on the cruise Ridhima will be taking care of Sia's treatment. Over and above, I have removed all the record of Sia just like we four, she also doesn't have any records. She is a ghost until unless she wants to go back to the world"
says Richie in one single breath
"Good, keep me posted all the new activities of Vansh and most importantly that Ba***** Kabir. I cannot wait to have him on my ring"
says King making Richie tremble as the previous is speaking with the devil's tone.
"King, Ridhima, I got to know that her being part of... "
King cuts middle and catch hold of Richie and pushes him to the wall. He throttles Richie's neck,
"Now, Richie, I hate if you use too much of your brain. I said remove records of Riddhu, I didn't tell you to dig deeper. Did I?"
asks Stewmaker with digging his nails into Richie skin.
"No, Lord,"
says Richie with fear evident in his voice
"Then? How come you able to crack this? Now, let me be frank on this Richie. If you ever open your bloody mouth and tell about that part of Ridhima to even Riddhu, I'm going to kill you. I will forget the promise I gave you that I will protect you and simply Kill you. Understood?"
says King pushing Richie more to the wall causing his ribs to break
"Sure, Lord. I promise on my loyalty towards you that no one and Ridhima will ever know about it"
says Richie with a squeaky voice as King caught with his neck
"Good and yes remove those files the data from where you read about it. I don't want no one to ever find about it"
says King leaving Richie from his hands and making him fall on the ground. Richie runs out of the room with a shiver in his body which got noticed by Aliza, Sher and Tarzan yet, none comes to check on him because this is how King behaves which things doesn't work in his favour.
***************
All the four reaches to Ridhima's room to have their breakfast with her as promised to her. Ridhima is so happy to see all four them however she notices some nail marks on Richie's neck and asks,
"What gave those nail marks Richie?"
Richie doesn't know how to lie to her,
"I gave him those marks"
says Sher while sipping juice.
"What?'
Ridhima asks with shock written on her face
"Yes, he deserves for it for not doing the work which he had to,"
says Sher
"This is absurd,"
says Ridhima
"Well, tomorrow if you don't do your work, you will receive the same,"
says Sher with arrogance.
"However, I won't feel pain whereas he does,"
says Ridhima by pouring juice in her glass-making another look down with guilt.
"You lack pain, Ridhima. Not emotions. The day I throttle your neck, do you think you will be able to handle? Never Ridhima. Because you're used to receiving the care, not hatred"
says Sher with annoyance dripping from his mouth.
Ridhima doesn't know how to answer his question. Yes, she cannot feel pain but she can feel emotions. She just lost one emotion that is Pain. But the rest exists.
"Are you willing to bait your emotions, Ridhima?"
asks Richie
"Bait? As in?"
asks Ridhima
"Lot of things happened in recent times, will you able to enter into your mind once again and see whether you can handle your emotions?"
asks Richie
"I'm not sure,"
says Ridhima
“Sometimes what hurts us is not what we fear but what we use to defend ourselves from what we fear,"
says Aliza by locking her eyes with Ridhima.
“Ridhima: Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.
Aliza: Fear cuts deeper than swords
Ridhima: My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.
Aliza: Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.
Ridhima: I have accepted fear as part of life – specifically the fear of change... I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back...
Aliza: The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.
Ridhima: Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.
Sher watches the banter happening between Aliza and Ridhima. He knows if he doesn't intervene now the exchange of words goes on and leading to what? He doesn't know.
Sher: Stop! Enough. Both of you are right in your places. None is wrong. You both are just different."
Ridhima and Aliza look at Sher with surprise effect on their faces and laughs.
"What?"
asks Sher
"It's a girl thing,"
says Aliza
"Now, what's that,"
asks Tarzan
"Well, we just exchanged our thoughts while you all thought we are having a war of words,"
says Ridhima with a smile on her face leaving the men in the room with fool faces.
"So ready Ridhima to get into your mind once again,"
asks Richie
"No Richie. Not because of fear and all. Now, I don't have fear of abandonment anymore. However, I don't have skills. Train me and then leave me in my mind. I promise I will emerge as a winner"
says Ridhima with determination making others feel proud.
*****************
Ridhima wakes up before everyone today. It's 3 AM. She walks into the washroom and closes the door and enjoys the breeze from the ocean from the washroom window.
Now she has nothing to lose. But she knows when there is nothing to lose then the cost rises. It means she might have something to lose later which she is unknown to it now. She looks herself in the mirror. The girl in the mirror doesn't know about the world. However, she is her core self. Now it's time to say goodbye to this Ridhima and welcome a new one with open arms. She picks scissors from the drawer and starts cutting her hair. With every strand falling, she is closing her eyes by making all her memories vanish. She doesn't want to remember her past. For every strand, she is ready to lose her memory of the past. Now once she is done, she sees the new Ridhima.
Now, this Ridhima is going to face the world in the way it is. Not as some white or black - but in grey form. She is going to be something which they always wanted from her. Yes, but the twist is her heart going to be calculative and vicious not her brain. She will not let her mind play games with her. She will train her mind into something on which she can master.
Whereas her heart will play the games. Yes, it will give pain to her but that what makes her happy because, emotionally she lost the effect of the pain, but, until she has a heart within her, she is going to take it. She will give back what everyone gave it to her. Now, it's time for payback.
Ridhima reaches to the ring by 5 AM sharp leaving all the four shocked with her new look. Aliza is the first one to reach out and hug her and say
"Hot sexy baby"
while the men just blush to see her in return making Ridhima laugh more along with Aliza.
"Ridhima, until now we said a lot and we don't know what you learnt. We always told you to defence position. However today you will take an attack position. Attack me. I'm not saying use skills and attack. Attack with whatever way you want and I will dodge it. Okay?"
says Sher while rest started training themselves outside the ring.
"Okay,"
says Ridhima
Ridhima stepped back, balancing her weight on her left foot, and threw her right fist out in a curved punch at Sher temple. Turning ninety degrees to the side, Sher brought his right forearm up to counter the blow and blocked her.
"Good Ridhima. Now let's start fighting. As said I told you right use your observing skills while Aliza is fighting. Now, get those all memories and try to fight accordingly"
says Sher
Ridhima strikes the side of Jonah’s neck with all her fingers held straight and tightly together. Sher responds by using the heel of his palm to strike up under Ridhima's nose. Sher throws the whole weight of his body into the move causing Ridhima nasal bones to crack. But Ridhima rallies and brings up her knee and swiftly turns her hip over, snapping her right leg outwards from the knee to deliver a strike to Sher’s head with the ball of her foot.
"Bravo, Ridhima"
shouts Aliza while Tarzan and Richie join too.
"Wow, Ridhima you have copy-pasted my move like a pro,"
says Aliza while side-hugging her.
"Is it?"
asks Ridhima with enthusiasm
"Yup, that's exactly how Aliza does if I do that. However I broke your nasal bone, now let's go to the doctor for the treatment,"
says Sher
"Wait, but I didn't felt any...."
says Ridhima
Aliza side hugs her and says,
"It's fine. I don't know the pain you are going now. But yes, we will overcome everything, Ridhima. We are with you now."
*********************
"Yes, King,"
says Dr Malik
"Ridhima has CIPA,"
says The Man
"What?"
says Dr Malik
"Yes, it's a new development which I want to share with you,"
says The Man with a smug on his face
"King, I have no idea about this. Trust me that day.."
he gets cut by King,
"How dare you? How dare you, Malik? You lied to me until now. Now tell me the truth if you want to live, I don't bloody if you are in VR Mansion. I will kill you right now"
shouts the Man
"No, please. Listen to me. I have no idea about CIPA. Lord, please trust me"
begs Dr Malik
"Trust and you? Never. You're alive because I need you to be with Ridhima. If not you would have been dead by now for whatever you did. Now, what all you did that day, I want to know. If you miss a single thing, then I will kill the son of yours who is with me"
says the Man with devil voice.
Dr Malik falls on the chair with covered in sweat and prays to God while Vansh Rai Singhania has watched everything. The way Dr Malik has changed from dare to being a coward can say that call is from The Man himself.
Until the next update - be safe, kind and courageous :)
Chapter 13 - https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/5196200?pn=61#155304357
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