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“Jiji… TV ON karo naa…!!” Khushi pleaded ‘n’th time.

“Kitni baar Kaha hain, Khushi….! No TV…! Not good for you and the new born…” Payal reprimanded…!

“Jiji… News lagao naa….” She pleaded.  Jiji shook her head and turned off the lights…. A sole teardrop  rolled down her cheek.  The baby stirred a bit and Khushi wrapped her arms protectively….!  Hopelessness crept in….Confidence drained out… She wouldn’t manage all alone…. She needed him.. Her Laad Governor…!

The Divorce petition papers flashed… She stifled her sobs… She had signed them, after all….! Nothing was going right for her….

“Shuuu…. Stop Crying…. Shuuu….” Someone consoled her in her sleep…

*****  ***

“Biwi…. “ Papaji called his wife in distress….! He couldn’t see Khushi’s plight…!

“Humm….” Mummiji sighed knowingly….

“Balwinder…. Don’t worry…. This happens… She delivered  two weeks earlier than the due date… May be there is some  mistake in calculating the days….But this happens…. “ She paused contemplating…

“Biwi…” Papaji called out hoarsely…

“Humm… Baby Blues… Don’t worry, Balwinder… She will pull through…. Make sure someone is elderly is always there with her….” Mummiji said calmly.  She could understand Khushi’s turmoil…!

“Yeah.. Ok.  I will be there with her always…” Papaji said with determination…

“NO… For godsake… Balwinder… You will spread more panicky around… You get that? Let her family members be with her…” Mummiji flared up at once…

“I am her family…” Papaji roared defiantly….

“Yeah… We are a family… But Balwinder… Let some elderly lady be with her…. You understand?” Mummiji said consoling him…! He disconnected sulking…!

****  ****  ****

“ASR… I am so happy…” she said clasping his hand on the table sipping her drink.  He looked away for a fleeting second and smiled at her…! Her dream to settle in Paris with her ASR had come true.  They were planning to fly next week….!

“Finally we are going…. “ she said sighing…! He looked into her eyes…!

“Oh!... No.. wait ASR… I will pay…” She had sensed his empty wallot, and kept her card on the table.  He swallowed hard. 

“You remember? Once you had asked me… What if you lost everything …. And I was like shocked… Taken aback…” she said  locking her fingers in his.

“But then… I had realized… there was nothing more important than you, for me, ASR…! I don’t want anything from you…” she said earnestly.  He looked away pitying his own miserable condition…!

“And Everybody else…. They just walked away….” She blurted and he realized where is discussion was heading…! He sighed….   She pocketd the card signing on the bill and they both walked out hand in hand…!

“ASR…. She clutched his arm… holding on to him.!

“You had sent her the papers….” She stuttered a bit referring to Khushi… He just gave her a nod…

“She returned with her signatures…” he said gravely…! Her heart took a somersault  happily…! Finally, ASR was freed from Khushi’s clutches….!  She hugged him tightly sympathizing with him…!

“Where were you, last week?” she asked sweetly.   

“Lavanya… I may need your car… I have some urgent work to attend to…” he said sidelining her thoughts….

“Ofcourse…”  she handed over the keys…

“I will drop you …” He said opening the car door.  She nodded happily.  She watched him race away at the door and came in grinning… Finally she had made it…

Round the corner, at a public parking place, ASR parket the car and vanished in the darkness…!

******  ****

“Khushi woke up with ringing phone bell… Payal had picked up the phone….

“Khushi… Aman…” she said Khushi snatched the phone ….

“Aman Sir…”

“Khushi…. What’s going on?” Aman asked and Khushi’s excitement died out…!

“I don’t know…” She said with a pale face…!

“You think, we should go ahead… without waiting for…” Aman asked and Khushi swallowed… All her planning would go for a toss….! But she couldn’t wait longer… She must act… Strike back…Aman was her only accomplice…!

“Aman Sir, Another week?” she asked hopefully and Aman fell silent, lost in thoughts….

“Khushi… Suspicion is on the rise…. You know…. I can’t keep it safe anymore…” he said gravely.

“I know…But Aman Sir… Just for a week then we will not wait for anyone…” she said hiding her disappointment….All her trusted people have failed her…. Including Raj Bhaiyya and this Laad Governor…!  She frowned angrily.  It was time to act, not waiting for anyone else…

“Darpoke…. “ She spat angrily determined to teach them a lesson….!

“Sab Ko Dekh Loongee…” She clutched her fists in rage….!

 

*******   *****   ****

“You don’t worry, Aakash…. You will still remain as CEO… Only the ownership will change hands…” Mehra patted on Aakash’s shoulder glancing at smug Rattan Singh Thakur.  He had offered to bail the company out of losses and take over with majority shares buying ASR’s Stake in the company.  Aakash had no other choice.  He looked at his father for support but Mamaji was walked away refusing to sell his stake. 

“Look… Nobody will buy this loss-making company for more than what he is offering right now…You have the due diligence papers with you… You have the numbers, Aakash…. Think about it…!” Mehra tried his best to convence reluctant Aakash to go ahead on his plans… Aman walked in with the files and dockets.  Mehra waited for Aman to walk out of the meeting room and looked at Aakash questioningly.  Aakash looked equally confused.  He picked up the dockets….!

“Oh! Sealed Tenders for bidding…” he blurted and Rattan shifted in his seat a bit, though was confident that his bid wouldn’t be matched…! Mehra smiled knowingly….! Aakash flipped the dockets… Few few bids…. His heart sanked…! Mehra collected te dockets and opened them one by one….! All were much below what Rattan had offered.

“A what?” Mehra blurted in shock…. ! “What is this?” he looked up ghostly…. Rattan almost snatched the tender …

“What?” he shot up, shocked….  Aakash looked more confused.

“Armani…Giorgio Armani…” Mehra turned ghostly…. The Milan based fashion house of the big designer Armani’s bid….!”   Aakash  too got up in shock….

“What?” he tried to take the docket.  “Armani’s bid?  How?” the bid was by invitation and only a select few were asked to bid… The scanned the bid hurriedly….! A small fashion house from Chennai had bid jointly with Armani….! Aakash breathed a relief… ! The bid was far better than the offer made by Rattan Singh….! Aakash saw his father walking in with his mother and Dadi…!

Mehra shifted nervously… The meeting must be postponed to have a closer look at the credentials of this fashion house in Chennai…! Rattan was impatient… He was running out of time…!

“This can’t be done… Aakash has already accepted by offer… “ He turned aggressive…!

“Aakash is one of the stake holder in this… We all are shareholders… and we have the right to choose the best bidder…!” Mamaji put his foot down…. The meeting dismissed in chaos…! Aakash clutching his head, not understanding anything about what had just happened… Mamaji triumphant to have retained the control… Mehra puzzled with this new twist and Rattan restless for having lost one more opportunity….!

……  ……  …..

“Khushi….” Aman almost screamed in the rest room…. He couldn’t wait for the meeting to get over… he hurriedly rushed to the restroom and dialed Khushi’s number…

“Aman Sir?” Khushi was surprised….!

Time for Dhamaka…” he screamed and she grinned knowingly….

“Yeah… Go ahead… All the best Aman Sir…. Devi Mayya hain Aap ke saath…” She said grinning and disconnecting pulled up the sleeping bundle…!

“Ab Dekhenge….” She grinned wickedly….!