32

He was staring at the ceiling of his room. The plain white ceiling made him shudder. He turned on his side and looked at his bag. He got up with a jerk and dug his hand in the bag. He took out an old file and smirk appeared on his face.

"Your fall is here... Arnav!" he said menacingly. His eyes spat loathing and anger. His face contorted with rage. He came back to his bed with the file. Holding it to his heart he said under his breath..

"Now you are gone ... Mr. Raizada! You will die a painful death, mentally and physically! Everything is in my hands!" he laughed like a manic. 

"You will never be happy in your life. I am going to ruin everything, shatter all your dreams! I will see both of you at my feet!" he said taking out a photograph. He looked at it and tore it off in rage. "You can't be together!" he clenched his fists.

"What you and your family did to me, Arnav , will come back to you in manifolds! I will wait and watch your fall!" He spoke to the torn photograph. He closed his eyes in satisfaction. 

Though, Anjali's marriage was annulled, he murder case of Rama and her child, was still going on. There was no clear evidence to prove his involvement in the deaths. He had managed his alibi. He would walk away free. He had the confidence to handle the financial offence cases himself as he knew all the loopholes. He was confident,... Or overconfident? He was waiting for Khushi's cross examination. Sham Manohar Zaa was waiting for Khushi ... he was waiting for Khushi to confess her love to him... waiting for Arnav Singh Raizada to break down on every front!! He had all the controls in his hand. "Now this game is interesting! This is of my standards...!" he thought to himself. He had everything managed properly, he had taken care of every minute aspect of his game plan. 

Anjali was never on his plans. He used her as a gold mine to siphon out money out of Arnav Singh Raizada to be used against him! She was never of any importance to him. He never loved her. He never loved anyone for that matter. He just used people for his ulterior motives and threw/finished them. Anjali was just one of them. 

But Khushi? She was a challenge to him. She was of his type. Wild, bold and operating alone. She would be the best accomplice I would ever have. "We can rule this Raizada Empire together!" thought Sham. He was dreaming about her. "She is the one for me! Not for you Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada! I know she loved me. Its only my small error which took her away from me. That does not mean she is your's Arnav! You married her! It doesn't matter. She will come back to me, once you are finished! I know when and where to drop the bomb!! I am right on target" he stood before the mirror and spoke loudly! 

"Am I missing something?.... Naa...." He thought confidently. He was not missing out on anything. He was confident.

But his arch enemy, Mr. Arnav Singh Riazada had other plans. He had started preparing for the final battle. This time, with full force and all the deadly weapons. He would never do the mistake of underestimating his enemy, Sham Manohar Zaa!" He had leveled the scores by annulling Anjali's Marriage. Arnav smiled closing his eyes. 

******** ***** *****

"WOHAA! What the...!" the boy stopped dead in his tracks. Someone had jumped just in front of him from the tree. He saw a small figure with dupatta, heavily bulged with fruits, hair sprawled over her face. She stood before him guiltily holding a guava in her hand. "Amrud..!" she said sheepishly looking at the stick in his hand. He looked at the girl from top to bottom with disgust in his eyes. The girl rummaged in her dupatta and took out a particularly ripe, big, fresh guava. She held out it to him and said "Amrud... from your garden..have one!" he kept staring at her.

"S..Sorry! I climbed and plucked the fruits without your permission...! Mali kaka was not there... so...!" she said guiltily still holding out the fruit.

"Take one! No... I mean ... have two... I mean... take all...!" she dropped all the guavas on the ground and stood there glancing at the stick.

"Pick them up!" ordered the boy. She started gathering them hurriedly. She straightened herself and asked "Can I take them all?" he nodded and turned to continue his stroll. She ran after him. He stopped again. "What?" he asked angrily. 

"Have one!" she thrust one in his hand and jerked her head back. He kept looking at her amazed. "How dare she offer me the fruit from my own garden?" he thought angrily. She sensed his anger and holding out her palm said "punishment!" he looked at her. She was pointing at the stick with her other hand and had closed her eyes to get the beating. He walked away ignoring her. 

"Where are you going?" she asked from behind.

"Shut up, and go home!" he ordered angrily. 

"Ok!" she said and ran away from him lifting up her ghagara (long skirt). 

"Please don't tell this to Mali kaka! He will complain and mother will beat me up!" she shouted running away.

"Pagal!" he smiled and woke up!

Arnav had started enjoying his dreams of the girl and the tall boy, as Khushi used to call them. He was amazed how vividly he remembered those dreams. "Am I making up these stories?" he wondered. He smiled and opened his laptop. 

************ **********

"Mrs Raizada, please take oath!" the Court Clerk had told her to put her hand on "Geeta". She did. The defense lawyer started off with his opening question.

"Mrs. Raizada, how old are you?" he asked her. She was confused.

"21 years!" she said. "Everything is written in my deposition!" she said, looking around.
"Please answer the questions, Mrs. Raizada!" came a stern voice from the sessions Judge! She nodded. 

"And when did you meet Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada?" asked the lawyer

"In Lucknow!" She answered.

"Where exactly in Lucknow?" 

"In fashion show!" she answered getting little nervous, anticipating the further questions.
"What was the reason?" he asked.

"I went there by mistake!" she said.

"You spent the night with him?" asked the lawyer. There was a murmur in the audience.
"No!" she said raising her voice a little. 

"Ok. Then, per your deposition, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada confined and locked you up all night, right?"

"Yes!" she said weakly.

"Then in the morning you came back home! And what did you see?"

"I saw that my elder sister's marriage was called off!" she said.

"Is she your real sister?" asked the lawyer
"No!" came the answer.

"So you are not gupta!" came a statement
"yes!" she said.

"When did your parents died?" he asked.
"When I was 8!" she answered.

"And since then you stay with Gupta!"
"Yes!" she said.

"You met Arnav Singh Raizada, during fashion show, and then kept meeting him! Right?" asked the lawyer!
"by coincidence?" asked the lawyer.

"Yes!" came the nervous answer. "Point to be noted my lord! Coincidences can happen as many as four times!" said the lawyer sarcastically.

"Then you met Mr. Sham Manohar Zaa!"
"Yes"

"How?" asked the lawyer.
"He saved me from the goons!" she said.

"After the fashion show tapes were aired?" asked the lawyer.
"yes!" she said. 

"How many times you met him before coming to Delhi?"
"I don't remember!" she answered.

"You could remember meetings with Arnav Singh Raizada!" came a statement from the lawyer.
She did not answer!

"Then you came to Delhi! And started hunting for a job!"
"Yes!" she said.

"And you met Mr. Sham!"
"Yes!" she answered. 

"Again by coincidence?" asked the lawyer smiling.
"Yes!" she answered.

"It seems your life is full of coincidences, Mrs. Raizada!" he made a statement. She stared unfocused.

"Then he offered you a job! Right?" he asked.
"He helped me find a job!" she answered

"Where?" he asked
“Warehouse..!” she answered.  

"AR Designs?"  “No!”  she answered nervously.

"Then you kept meeting Mr. Sham!" he asked
"Yes!" she answered.

"How many times you met before he started staying with you as paying guest?" asked the lawyer.
"I don't remember!" she answered. 

"Were you harassed in your work place?" came a sudden question.
"No!" she answered.

"Were you sent to a dilapidated under construction building?”  He asked.   "Yes!"

"Did you resign after the incidence of harassment?" he asked her.
"No!" she said.

“Were you alleged for fraud and theft?” he suddenly changed the track,  looking into the papers.
“Yes..” she said drawing a deep breath. 

“And?” he looked up.
“The enquiry was done and I was proved innocent.. not guilty!” She said firmly.   

"And then you started working in Shantivan, that is Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada's house, is it right?" he asked
"Yes"! She answered.

"What was your job profile in Raizada house?" he asked
"To train Ms. Lavanya in Indian culture!" she answered.

"Who is Lavanya?" he asked.
"Arnav ji's girlfriend!" came the answer.

"Point to be noted your honour! Mrs. Raizada left the job for harassment and joined the house to work for same Mr. Raizada!"

“I was relieved from the job after the enquiry…!” she said calmly, knowing where all this was headed.

"Do you used to work in a particular room or used to roan around the house?" asked the lawyer.

"I had free access!" she said.

"How many times did you enter Mrs. Anjali's room during your tenure?" asked the lawyer
"I don't remember!" she answered.

"Did you not see the life sized photograph in the room of Sham and Mrs. Anjali?"
"No!" she answered

"Point to be noted. He had free access and did not notice the person in the photograph."
"When did you come to know about Sham?"
"I saw Anjali ji and Sham ji in the temple together!"

"Did you confront with him?" he asked
"No!" came the answer.

"You said your Buwaji forced you into engagement with Sham!"
"Yes, I thought so!" she answered.

The cross examination was adjourned till next day. They came back. The lawyer was ok with her answers. I will cover up the loose ends in my argument. He said.

Khushi felt doomed. This was only the beginning and she felt filth on herself. She hated herself. She did not talk to anyone and went straight to her room.

************* ************** ******