ArHi FF: Yeh Saali Zindagi
Chapter 34-B
Grinning madly as his ears picked up on the whispered
discussion going inside the conference room, Arnav stood outside the door for a
moment, waiting to hear what all the twelve people gathered inside had to say
about him. He smirked catching few curses aimed at him, few idle threats of
what should happen to him and his family.
"Sir..." Raising a hand to stop his secretary, Arnav turned to
face her and motioned for her to lead the way, glancing as she walked past him.
Watching her hand hover over the doorknob, he straightened, wiping any animated
expression from his face quickly, switching to his arrogant, business-like
posture at once.
As the door was pushed open, a sudden silence fell inside
the room, anticipation mixed with fear rising in the air. Following his
secretary just inside the room where she stopped abruptly, Arnav strolled
ahead, not giving anyone present in the room his attention as his eyes fell on
the vacant chair at the head of the table for him and sat gracefully, steepling
his fingers together under his chin as he rested his elbows on the table.
Staring at the file lying in front of him, he ordered his secretary "You may
start..."
Making a show of picking up that file and flicking the pages
of it, he listened attentively as his secretary started speaking professionally
"Good morning everyone. I know that my boss, Mr Raizada here, has invited you
all for a meeting all of a sudden and I thank you for coming here on such a
short notice. The topic that he wants to discuss is rather a political one.
What my boss here wants to discuss is the fact that of all the CEO's of the
real estate companies present in the market, has been called here, a major
portion of it supports Vikrant Chaudhary's party." Pausing for a moment for the
dramatic effect, she announced firmly "Mr Raizada wants you all to stop
providing funds for his party."
A stunned silence followed her announcement, to be broken
only by the raised voices speaking together as a response to it.
"This is insane..."
"Why the hell he thinks that he can order us around like
dogs..."
"The cause of this meeting is bullshit..."
"He wants to start a war here..."
"Everyone please stop. I am ready to answer all your
questions if you all just act professionally and speak one by one." His
secretary hollered, her voice full of alarm as she waved her hands in the air
to gesture for everyone who has stood up, to sit down.
Dropping his act altogether, Arnav sent a text from his
phone, his eyes catching every reaction and word directed at him before the
doors were pushed open once again, a dozen men dressed in black suits stumbling
inside, taking their position at the door, around the both ends of the table
and behind every chair where businessmen dressed in their best-tailored suits
were seated. Protests dying inside their throat as their eyes followed the
strange arrangement, their expressions turned curious riveting silently to man
sitting at the head of the table.
Leaning back in his chair, Arnav murmured to his secretary
"Your work is done here. Now you can go..."
Acknowledging his words, she smiled gratefully before
fleeing from the room, aware of the eyes focused on her retreat. As soon as the
door closed behind her, Arnav stood up, slipping his hands inside the pockets
of his trousers before he drawled lazily "Now, can we discuss this topic like
the businessmen we all are?"
Not waiting for an answer, he started speaking, meeting
everyone's eyes confidently "Now I know that the CEO's of five companies
present here actually support him, provide funds for every activity of
Vikrant's party. But I also know the reason behind it. I know how he influenced
the government contracts in the past, giving them to you as an act of mutual
benefit while all he did was writing everything down on the papers about how
illegally your company has managed to beg it. And now, he is blackmailing you
five into providing funds for his party, threatening to reveal all and have
your license revoked if you refuse to act like his puppets. Am I right here
concluding that none of you willing support him?"
As everyone turned to look at each other in astonishment, a
businessman sitting on the right side leaned forward, clearing his throat
loudly before speaking "You are right."
His lips curling in a smile, Arnav announced triumphantly
"Well, you don't need to fear him at all. I have those evidences in my
possession now."
"WHAT???"
Chucking darkly, Arnav moved to walk around the table,
looking amused "You all don't need to look so frightened about it. I will
return them back to you eventually. But first we all have a deal to discuss."
As everyone raised an eyebrow at it, Arnav returned to his
chair, picking up the file he was looking at earlier "This is the file which
contains something very important to you all. It includes all the papers that might
have triggered you all to support any party except Anuj Raizada's party.
Thankfully, my father isn't one of the politicians to sink down to this level.
My company was enough for him."
Throwing it in front of them, he let them read the papers
inside it, watching their eyes darken in frustration and fear before passing it
to the others. The moment everyone was done reading it, Arnav rubbed his hands
together in anticipation, announcing rather loudly, standing at the head of the
table authoritatively "I propose you all stop supporting Vikrant Chaudhary's
party and in return, I will allow one of you to collaborate with me at every
major contract my company gets in next 2 years as payment to it along with a
minimum amount of 80 lakhs being delivered to you now as an advance payment in
your personal account. I will give the original evidence back to you at the end
of the meeting once you all agree to it..."
"And what if we don't agree to it?" One businessman braved
to ask.
Arnav smirked wickedly as he proceeded to answer "Then I
will be the one blackmailing you for the same reason. Look, I don't want a
fight here. I just want you all to stop funding Vikrant Chaudhary's party and
by agreeing to it, I am ready to compensate you in case anyone of you continues
to associate with him only for the purpose of advertising your company to the
people."
When no one chose to respond to it, he looked at his watch
and announced dryly "You all have 30 minutes to sign on the dotted lines before
I move the matter to the blackmail phase..."
Looking around, he nodded at everyone meaningfully as his
men standing behind them bent forward, placed the document to sign in front of
them, a legal contract drawn for everyone separately.
Towering over them, Arnav watched in satisfaction as
everyone hurried to sign the papers, hiding his satisfied smile behind the hand
covering his mouth.
The first phase of his plan was already complete, with the financial
support Vikrant Chaudhary thrived on being broken completely with one clever
move, and gaining more power.
Arnav thrived on the feeling, reveled in it, knowing it was
exactly what he feared someday he will come to as a kid. He never wanted to be
powerful, knowing how much destruction he would bring along with it.
"Do not tell me what you think. Just inform me what the
Council has decided." Getting out of her car, Khushi growled, dressed in
turquoise zaree saree, stalking confidently towards the hospital entrance. Deciding
against it suddenly, she stopped, leaning against her car to conclude the
conversation first.
As the person on the other end started replying heatedly,
she smirked, clucking her tongue in mock sympathy. Rolling her eyes, she
commented dryly "I just said the truth alright. I pay you to give me the inside
information not what the opinions you have in your mind regarding the
matter. So have they decided who is
going to supervise Nia Sharma's case yet?"
Narrowing her eyes as the answer came negative, Khushi asked
curtly "But why? What is stopping them from assigning a new judge to the case?"
Hearing the explanation to her question, she laughed,
looking up at the sky. Still laughing, she asked "So no judge is ready to take
the case because they fear that I will ruin them if they ruled the case in
favor of the defending party and Vikrant will do the same if they announced him
guilty of the charges against him. Is it about right?"
Not waiting for an answer, Khushi said excitedly "Oh this is
good. So good. According to what I know, if all judges refuse taking any case,
the Council will assign the case to anyone if they volunteer for it willingly
right?"
Smiling at the affirmative reply, she said cheerfully
"Thanks for the information. You will get your money."
Disconnecting the call quickly, Khushi resumed walking with
a sudden bounce in her steps, giddy at the news she has just received. The fact
that the Council of the Supreme Court is facing difficulty in assigning a new
judge to the case, she knew that the hearing will be delayed for few days more.
And if luck favored her, she already knew who is going to be the new judge.
It pleased her very much. Because she knew that they are
going to win the case if the judge she thought of, is going to supervise the hearings.
The moment she walked out of the parking lot to look at the
entrance gate, her smile fell quickly as a curse escaped past her lips "Hell!!"
Watching as the reporters crowding the front area of the
hospital spotted her the exact moment, Khushi quickly donned her sunglasses,
wiping her face clean of any emotion, realizing that all of them are running
towards her and will corner her soon. Not waiting for another moment, she
dashed to the fire escape nearby, picking up her heels in one hand to climb the
steps hurriedly, bursting past the first door she spotted to enter inside the
hospital.
Smiling grimly, she quickly wore her sandals before moving
towards the ICU, anxious to see her best friend. If only Aman was conscious,
they would have laughed at the current situation of the court. But he was not.
But he will wake up soon. Assuring herself, Khushi entered
inside his ward, her eyes softening in affection and love for her friend.
"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE??"
Roaring inside his house, Vikrant turned to look at the men
standing in front of him, their head hung low in shame. Placing his hands on
his hips, he prompted heatedly "Well?"
A man standing to the right, looked up fearfully and
answered "We don't know, Sir. We kept a watch on her house since the morning
but when no one came out till afternoon, I went inside to see that it was
empty. She was gone along with her family."
Cursing under his breath, he demanded arrogantly "WHEN???"
"Considering that we all keep strict watch on her house till
midnight, she must have escaped before sunrise. They left everything behind,
otherwise we would have realized the moment they were planning to run." His
hired man answered apprehensively.
Whirling around, Vikrant kicked a chair, toppling it over
with the force behind it before throwing his head up, staring at the ceiling
"THAT BITCH TOOK EVERY IMPORTANT PAPER KEPT IN MY LOCKER. YOU ALL DIDN'T NOTICE
THAT EITHER?"
Flinching at the volume of his shout, all three of them
shook their head collectively, shame burning in their eyes and face. Striding
over to his desk, Vikrant threw a single wad of cash at them separately before
issuing his final order "FIND THAT BITCH."
The moment they ran out of his sight, Vikrant leaned against
his desk, closing his tired eyes at once, pressing his fingers against it
instinctively. He groaned softly "Arnav, you still haven't learned your lesson,
have you?"
Falling silent, he contemplated over his failed plan grimly,
knowing that it was his biggest mistake to have missed killing Arnav Raizada
yesterday itself and was paying for it now. Anjali and Anuj sure were major
threat to him and his party but not the way Arnav is capable of ruining him.
Smiling darkly, Vikrant murmured slyly "Well, I guess I have
to make my next plan with caution. Right, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada?"
"Doctor, how is my sister doing?" Surging to his
feet the moment he saw the doctor existing his sister's ward, Akash asked
anxiously. Watching from the corner of his eyes as Shyam chose to stand beside
him quickly, he focused back on the man.
Placing the stethoscope around his neck, the doctor sighed "Nothing has
changed in the last two hours since my previous checkup, Mr Raizada. I told you
that cases like these take time in showing any improvement in the patient's
condition. Just calm down."
Nodding, Akash questioned hesitantly "So can we see her now?"
Shaking his head with pity in his eyes, the doctor murmured his answer "I
am sorry but I cannot allow you to enter inside the ward. We don't think that
any visit from the family will be good for her."
His face falling in disappointment, Akash turned to sit in the chair outside
the ward again when he heard Shyam's furious question "But why? It's not
like we are going to do anything. We just want to see her."
Looking over his shoulder in surprise, Akash witnessed the doctor fidget with
his white coat under Shyam's intense gaze before repeating his answer "I
cannot allow you to see her. I am sorry."
Staring up at the ceiling in exasperation for a moment, Shyam snapped "But
why? What is it that you aren't telling us?"
Taking a step back, the doctor looked around helplessly watching as Akash turned
back to stare at him, his expression mirroring the frustrated yet curious ones
of the man questioning him. Grappling at the last straws, he stammered "I
just think. .."
"Let them visit her." A familiar feminine yet strong voice ordered
grabbing everyone's attention. Looking behind their backs together, they
watched as Khushi Raizada strode toward them, her stern gaze fixed on the man
wearing the white medical coat.
Crossing her arms under her breasts the moment she stopped in front of them,
Khushi commented dryly "You really don't want me to complain about you to
the administration now, do you?"
Raising his hands, the doctor backed away from them as he hastened to rectify
his statement "All right, one of you can visit her but you shouldn't say
anything to her at all."
Flashing them a triumphant smile, Khushi turned to Shyam "Go now. What are
you waiting for?"
Smiling gratefully at her, Shyam hurried behind the doctor to follow him to
Anjali's room while Akash stared at his sister-in-law in admiration and awe.
The moment Shyam disappeared inside the room, Khushi met his gaze, firing her
question at him instantly "Did you talk to my sister? How is she
doing?"
"They all are fine. I instructed them to keep out of everyone's view for
few days. I intended to talk to her everyday but then Arnav asked me to not
call them again in case someone is tapping my phone so I won't talk to her
again." Akash explained, meeting her eyes.
Nodding her head, Khushi commented dryly "He is right. Their safety is our
main concern for now."
"So has Arnav told you anything about what he is planning?" Akash
asked hopefully.
Khushi scowled "Not a damn thing. Do you think that he might risk his life
while implementing this plan?"
Ignoring the doubts in his mind, Akash answered "I don't think so."
About to voice her own concerns, Khushi stopped abruptly as a Police officer
walked towards them nervously. Nudging Akash in the same direction, they
watched him bridge the distance in between before standing stiffly in front of
them.
Clearing his throat loudly, he started speaking "Mr Raizada, we have
conducted the DNA test of the dead body we had discovered yesterday."
Akash prompted nervously "And?"
Stiffening further as Khushi scrutinized his face, the officer answered warily
"It's not Anuj Raizada's body, Sir."
Leaning against the wall, Akash breathed in relief while Khushi thanked the
officer profusely, her tone curt and polite as ever. Watching as she called
Arnav to inform him about the same, another question popped in his mind.
If it wasn't Bade Sahab, then where is he?
As much as he wanted to be happy about the news, his instincts raised red flags
in his mind urgently, making him conclude to the main question. Anuj Raizada
had never been the person to run away or hide from the whole world no matter
what problem or situation his life tossed at him. Until now.
It was not like him to just disappear one day suddenly. At
all. Then, what exactly is it that made him do the same?
And why?
Staring down at the cup of tea in her hands blankly, Divya
sadly thought of the way her husband's behavior had changed over the last week.
She thought of the way he had started paying attention to her, her opinions and
her likes or dislikes. She thought of the way he was beginning to care for
their children like she always wished for.
She thought of every change that she had encountered in his
behavior recently. But then, Divya frowned, why he had to go and undo
everything? Why whenever she thought about yesterday, she felt like she is
missing something important?
Everything was going so well, why when Anuj came back after
a meeting, did he cancel the party arrangements abruptly and instructed her to
not inform anyone about the change? Why did he said that if anyone asked about
the party, she should tell that it is supposed to happen today, when she didn't
even send invitations to anyone?
She knew there wasn't going to be a party, then why the
pretense? And why didn't her husband come back yesterday night after leaving in
the evening abruptly?
Everyone was hiding something from her. She didn't like that
fact even a bit.
Snapping out of her thoughts as someone rang the doorbell,
Divya placed the cup down before getting up gracefully, calmly pulling the
front door open to see Shashi and Garima standing in front of her, their faces
grim yet full of apprehension.
Despite her calm, composed state of mind, she suddenly felt
afraid, knowing that something was very serious if they had come to visit her
without any prior notice when Anuj wasn't even at home.
Garima tried to smile "Hi Divya, can we come in?"
Stepping back, Divya nodded slowly, letting them walk inside
before exchanging the usual greeting with each other. After seating them in the
living room, she instinctively asked what they would prefer to drink when
Shashi leaned forward, cutting her usual role of perfect hostess short.
Meeting her eyes hesitantly, Shashi whispered "Divya we are
here because you were calling Akash again and again to ask about Anuj and
everyone else. We thought to explain everything to you personally."
Leaning back, Divya smiled gratefully "Thank god, you both
are here then. I take it you know where is Anuj then? I was so worried about
him since he left the house last evening and didn't come back? Even the crowd
of reporters outside the house is more than usual. I was so scared, thinking
something must have happened. Is everything alright?"
Closing his eyes for a moment, Shashi shook his head in
denial "No Divya, everything is not alright. I don't know anything about where
Anuj is right now. He is not taking anyone's call and his security detail is
missing along with him. But that's not it Divya. There's something else that
happened yesterday..."
Divya froze, her heart thudding loudly in dread, choking a
single word out "What?"
Placing a hand around her shoulders, Garima sat beside her
and murmured softly in her ears "Anjali was shot yesterday, Divya. She is in
coma."
Her face crumbling at the news, Divya broke down, clutching
Garima tightly as her friend patted her back in support, lending her shoulder
for her to cry on.
Staring out through the window, Arnav smiled, resting his
forehead against the glass as his car continued racing ahead, giving him a
fleeting glance of the shining lights through the night, darkness consuming
about everything.
Having broken through the first powerful support of Vikrant
Chaudhary, he felt euphoric, his lips curling in a deathly smile at what he has
planned for tomorrow. After signing the contract with every businessman he had
called and met this morning, he instructed them to not reveal the new
developments to anyone just right now. He asked them to wait for his message
before declaring their withdrawal of monetary support from Vikrant Chaudhary's
party.
No it wasn't the right time, he knew. First he needed to break
through all his supports and funds before Vikrant even realized what he was
doing. And then...
Chuckling at the thought, Arnav took his phone out, pressing
the call button as he glanced at his wife's smiling face. Waiting patiently as
the dialer tone rang four times, he closed his eyes the moment Khushi's sleepy
voice reached his ears "Arnav?"
"Congratulate me." He said gruffly, smiling as he imagined
the frown that must have appeared on her face at his words.
"For what?" She questioned, saying the words he already knew
she would utter.
Rolling his eyes, Arnav answered enthusiastically "For
winning. You will know what I mean by this soon."
Huffing loudly, Khushi replied, her voice full of sarcasm
"Still being vague about everything, I see. What did you do?"
Arnav chuckled "What he deserves as
payment."
Falling silent for a moment, Khushi asked softly "You won't
leave me alone here. Would you Arnav?"
Closing his eyes, Arnav groaned silently.
Realizing that he isn't going to answer, Khushi whispered "I
love you, Arnav."
Sighing deeply, Arnav whispered back eventually, knowing
that he was fighting a lost cause "I love you too, Khushi."
Edited by uv-crazyfan - 9 years ago
comment:
p_commentcount