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“Keep a track on him…! I want every detail…!” Krishna Kant ordered a group of six persons. 

“He is in Delhi, now…! Will file his petition soon…! He is hired a lawyer..!” The man said.  Krishna Kant smirked.

“I know… He is playing the same good old tactics..! Distancing himself from the family to safeguard the family…” He smiled wickedly.  

“But he doesn’t know me yet…. I will see to it that he sees his empire burning down to ashes…! He will be all alone staring at the debris…! I will destroy his family…..!” He thought stroking his chin. 

“Uski family to uthaa letain hain…!” Pappu said excitedly and Krishna kant contemplates the option.

“No..! They will trace it back to us…! “ he stopped Pappu.

“Call our man… who is that?” he couldn’t remember the name of the person he had managed to induct into AR group of companies in the administrative department.  

“Karan…!” Pappu helped him with the name.

“Yes… Karan… Phone lagao…!” he ordered…!

*********  *********  ********8

“He thinks he can handle everything alone….!” Khushi blurted with sadness.  Sighing, she dialed Regi’s number.

“Regi sir… can we meet please?” she requested. 

“No.. Not here… Avadh Palace…!” she suggested and he agreed  dropping his bag.  He was about to leave Lucknow…! 

“Regi sir… I know… why he sent you …” she said and he looked up. 

“He has gone back to his old time girlfriend….” She said gravely and he gaped in horror… How could he do this? Leaving a pregnant wife behind….! He clenched his fists in disgust… The ASR he knew would never do that…! 

“He sent you here, only to make sure I am alright…!” she said running her finger on the rim of the glass.  He just gaped.

“Tell him that I am ok and ..” She gulped her hurt. 

“No.. Khushi….!” Regi gripped her hand.  She shook her head sadly.  

“Why do I feel…. He has gone…. Forever… far from me…. He.. he will never return…” Khushi pressed her hand on her mouth to stifle her sob.  Ragi didn’t know how to console her…! 

“You know? In these three months, he didn’t even call me once…!” she felt a stab…!

“Khushi… Stop thinking about it… And listen to me…!” Regi said firmly, making up his mind to tell her the truth that her Arnav ji would never return and she should be strong enough to move on in her life…!

“You know him, Khushi…! He is hurt…. By your words… your accusation…. He had never thought you would say something like that…. He just wanted to reestablish his business relations with Lavanya… “ Regi said and Khushi shook her head in denial.

“No, Regi sir… He … he has gone back to her… He has had enough of me… I am not a match to his class…” she hid her face in her palms.

“Khushi… Stop… This dejection is not good for the baby…. Think about it… move on… Khushi…!” Regi had no words…

“You said he is hurt… what about me? Has he ever assured me about his love? No! I always assumed that he loved me… I could be wrong… He has guarded himself for so long… that he has lost all his emotions…. .! He feels Lavanyaji is a better partner… He feels safe.. not exposed in her company… He keeps himself guarded… And she is fine with it…!” Khushi went on blurting her thoughts…

“And you? What does he feel in your company, Khushi?” Regi poked her to speak up… She wrapped silence for a while sipping her sweet tea….

“May be he feels exposed…. He feels I see him through… I read his mind….” Her eyes flashed as she looked up ..

“But infact… he always manages to read my mind… “ faint smile appeared as she recollected her encounters with him ending up with his “Suna maine..” phrase!.  Regi watched her changing expressions…! 

“Yes.. Khushi… he always read your mind…” he said softly hinting that he understood her love for him.  Khushi smiled…

“Humm… I don’t know… I can’t read his mind….!” She said dropping her shoulders, defeated….! Regi clutched her hand….!

“Khushi… !”

“Its ok. Regi sir… I am ready to face it…. I am strong… Devi mayya hain na… “ she joined her hands praying her Devi Mayya…! Regi crossed and kissed his cross Locket handing around his neck…! 

“God bless you… Khushi!” he kept his hand on her head as he left her at her home…! The last ray of hope that her Arnav ji would return to her was put out with engulfing darkness…! The buzzing phone brought her back ….

“Haan..” she picked up absentmindedly…!

“Khushi….!” Aman’s voice boomed and she stopped…!

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

The stormy emergency board meeting  ended in a heated discussion with Mehra raising doubts about Aakash’s abilities and Mamaji defending Aakash…! Four of the tenders were leaked out to the competitors and they had lost on the contracts…! Someone was hostile, leaking the confidential information of the company.  They were not able to trace out…! Someone who had access to all the information had turned hostile…!

“ASR has the access to all the data, right?” Mehra sowed the seed of doubt.

“He had…! We have deleted his authorization….” Aakash said flaring up.  Mehra was quiet for some time…!

“Who are his loyalists here?” he asked and Aman shuddered.  “What is he trying to imply? Is he going to oust us all?” he looked at Aakash who just gaped in disbelief.  In fact everyone in the office was ASR loyalist…including Aakash.  But the things were different now… ASR was no more involved in the company affairs and the loyalties were expected to change from ASR to Aakash. 

“Aakash… I feel you need someone with you…! You can’t handle everything alone…!” Mehra had made up his mind…! 

“But Babuji… is there with me… he handles marketing…!” Aakash protested.  Mamaji looked up apprehensively.  But Mehra shook his head…!

“You need a dynamic person with you… Like Rattan Singh… He is well connected… You know what I mean….!” Mehra looked at Rattan Singh and he nodded grabbing the opportunity…! 

The downfall of AR designs at the hands to Rattan Singh Thakur had begun….! Aakash and Mamaji gaped helplessly… missing ASR badly….! 

Far Away from AR designs, in South Delhi, with Lavanya assisting him, ASR was busy explaining his business model before a panel of investors, hoping for investment for his construction project …!  

**********   ********  ********

“Aman Sir… Thank you very much… and you know what to do next…!” Khushi said gratefully before disconnecting the phone…

Aakash was deep in trouble so was ASR’s AR group of companies…! The next target would be BRT group in Kolkata….! Papji was chairing the full house emergency board meeting to brief everyone about the crisis…! The simultaneous Income Tax raids on all the offices and residences of the heads of the units including Mr. Balwinder Singh, Shondeep Banerjee, Mr. Raghu ayyer… had shattered the morale of every employee of BTR group.

Khushi, oblivious to this new development and crisis was worried about her jiji and Aakash Jijaji and her Arnav ji’s AR designs…!