Chapter 19:Twisting the Dagger
"We are rich" Akash was hearing the words for the tenth time now and it only worsened his mood.
"This was not about getting rich!" He snapped at his father who looked at him for a second but then went back to staring at the papers Khushi had left with them not even an hour ago.
Akash ran a hand through his hair and kicked the lamp-stand.
"This was supposed to make me feel better" He shouted and finally got the attention of Girish Sharma.
"It might have felt better if you had executed my original plan instead of going with this long con" The man commented but Akash ignored it.
"I need more. I need to see his face and the face of everyone in that house when they find out they are penniless and then, then I am gonna rub it in their faces, confront them and finally kick them out of that house" Akash went on with his tirade.
"No. Now is not the time to do that, son. First, we need to get these documents filed with the help of my lawyer. After that..."
"How can you be so calm?" Akash seethed, whirling towards his father.
"I am not calm. I am being careful. The Raizadas already took twenty years of my life. I was rotting in a jail for killing my wife. They framed me. I want them to suffer more than you do, lad. But we need to be smart" Girish said heatedly, his cool mask slipping away and Akash narrowed his eyes.
"These people have been lying to me for twenty five years. And most of the times, I feel that you too are not being fully honest with me. And, if you too are lying about something.."
"LYING?" The man bellowed.
"I have already told you everything. I have told you that Surendra Singh Raizada raped my wife, YOUR mother. You were only a kid. And that broke Geeta..she was so ashamed she couldn't face me. I told her it was not her fault. I told her that I would make that son of a bitch pay for his sins, but Geeta was already lost to me. While I struggled day and night to get us justice, Surendra Singh Raizada lived luxuriously in his mansion, with his wife and children backing him, their money protecting them. They did not care. And in the end..money and power won. I couldn't get my wife justice..which only battered whatever life was left in your mother. She killed herself. But Surendra Raizada was not done wreaking havoc upon our family. He made sure I was sent to jail...he framed me in the murder case of my own wife. I was given life imprisonment. But as if, all of this was nothing...as if I was not destroyed completely! He and his family then took you from me. They adopted you. It was their way of putting the last nail in the coffin, of finally erasing the Sharma family from existence. And now that we have the chance of getting our vengeance, you stand there and doubt me?" Girish Sharma huffed, his breaths coming irregularly from speaking too fast and too loud.
Akash looked at his father and apologized for being inconsiderate. Even though Girish Sharma had told him everything in the first few days he had met him, there were moments when Akash wished all of this to be false. Yet it was not. Akash had verified everything he had been told by this man and only then he had been filled with a deep sense of hatred for the people he had called his family for two decades. These people who had watched and stood by Surendra Singh Raizada who committed sins after sins. And then they had taken him in, to pretend how big their hearts were, or maybe it was out of whatever little guilt they were capable of, but Akash wanted only thing from them. Revenge!
So, whatever he was doing today to teach them a lesson, he was doing the right thing by his mother. By him.
**
Khushi reached home feeling heavier than ever. But no sooner had she stepped in the drawing room than she found another heavy silence settled between the occupants.
She noticed that her Babuji was finally out of the bed and her Amma was standing next to him. Her buaji was seated in a chair, her head in her hands. And Payal was standing in the center of the room. Her eyes were moist and her face was a painting of anguish.
Oh no! Did Jeeji...
"Jeeji, what is going on?" She immediately reached to Payal, her bag dropping at the door.
"Stop pretending to be so gullible, Sankadevi. Do you think we are fools here? We know that you knew about it. Your sister has dragged the Gupta name through mud with her antics. But do tell us, have you too been sullying our honour behind our back?" Buaji's voice grew more and more frenzied with every word and Khushi felt her face warming with mortification. So, Payal had told them everything. Khushi couldn't decide if she was happy or sad.
She looked at her Jeeji and watched as two tear drops fell from her eyes.
"Stop it, Madhumati" Shashi Gupta said in a worn-out voice and Khushi's heart squeezed with pain.
She knew none of this was her mistake but she still felt guilty seeing her family go through this. She only wondered what her Jeeji must be feeling. But to Khushi's surprise, Payal didn't look broken by the words. She looked guilty; she looked sad, but not broken.
"Buaji, I know the mistakes I have made and I am ashamed of it. I am ready to bear any punishment for it, but please do not talk ill of Khushi. She is the reason I am still standing here, facing you all. If not for her, I would have given up a long time ago. She has made me strong. And now, I have realized that there is no running from my mistakes. I have wanted to tell you all about this for so long. I have wanted your comforting hand on my head, Babuji, telling me that this is not the end. I have wanted your comforting arms, Amma, hoping you'll forgive me for all of this. And, Buaji, I have wanted to be punished by you for making this huge mistake; I have wanted to be scolded by you, to be slapped by you...and I could not keep it in any longer" By the time Payal finished she had broken into soft sobs and it was only the measuring gaze of her father that kept Khushi glued to where she stood and not reach out to Payal to hug her and comfort her.
Garima looked at the shaking form of Payal and then she looked at her husband who was solemn.
"Who is this boy?" He finally asked.
Payal controlled her soft sobbing and wiped her tears.
"Akash Singh Raizada" Payal replied.
He is not a Raizada. Khushi's mind beeped as it wandered back to the flat Akash had taken her to and the man she had met there. Akash wasn't Arnav's real brother. Khushi was still grappling with this new revelation.
"Raizada?" It was Buaji's voice this time.
"As in Arnav Singh Raizada? Khushi's boss?" Garima asked with a shock evident on her face and Khushi realized another truth was about to come out. One where she was the villain and deceiving a good man!
"Yes. Akash is Arnav's younger brother. But, Arnav i.e., Khushi's boss doesn't know about any of this. Khushi hasn't told him. Arnav is a good person. He is nothing like Akash" Payal continued, looking towards Khushi and Khushi realized she wasn't going to tell them about Akash's blackmailing. At least not now! One bad news at a time!
"I don't know who to blame and who to spare! But then what's the point complaining about the dirty pond when it is your own fish who is making it dirty?" Buaji's face was still taut with indignation but Garima's face was also a picture of anguish along with indignation.
"Garima, take Madhumati to her room. I want to talk to Payal alone. Khushi, get fresh and change. You must be tired." Shashi Gupta's voice was weak but it still held command and after giving her Jeeji one last glance, Khushi left for her room.
***
Arnav dumped his coat on the recliner and loosened his tie. Then, he took a seat and let all his thoughts roam free.
He had paid his private investigator a visit to get things up to speed but whatever had come to light was exactly as disconcerting as he had wanted it to not be.
He had been told by the PI that not only Akash knew Khushi far longer than he has; but the two had also exchanged several messages and calls over the period of last two months.
But how was this possible? How come she never mentioned this to him? The more Arnav thought about it, the more complex it was becoming for him.
The PI had also said that Akash was frequently visiting a certain flat in a certain building and from the details he had been given by the investigator, Arnav suspected that most possibly Akash had bought this flat. Nothing about this looked good and there was something seriously amiss.
Arnav realized that things were slipping out of control. For years, he had worked so hard to keep those ugly scars hidden from Akash but it looked like that decision had not mattered much. Irrespective of everything, Akash was going down the wrong path. With Khushi!
***
Payal had known what she was doing when she had decided to tell her parents about her ill-fated relationship with Akash and how it ended up in pregnancy. She knew that her Babuji was still recovering from the heart attack after Akash had sent him those pictures. He had never asked her a thing about it. Maybe he too had been waiting for her to come to him. And now, Payal knew she had to tell her Babuji and her Amma everything about Akash and the pregnancy.
So, she told them how Akash had refused to stand by her upon learning about the pregnancy and dumped her. The anger and the disappointment that she had seen in her parent's eyes was something she had anticipated but she had failed to anticipate just how much it would hurt to see it. The same eyes that had once looked at her with love and affection were now filled with disappointment and pain. And as much as it hurt her to be the cause of all that pain, Payal knew this was the only way to start mending her life.
After seeing Aman again Payal had found the answer to the question she had been seeking for some days now. In fact she had known the answer but she only needed someone to tell her she was doing the right thing. Hearing Aman tell her that she should follow what her heart said, Payal had decided to stop thinking and start acting.
This is right. This is the right thing. She told herself as she watched Khushi leave the room and it was only her father and she left in the room.
"Why didn't you come sooner to me?" Her father's question was direct and Payal didn't know what to tell him. She still couldn't imagine what her father must have felt when he found those pictures of her and Akash.
"I wanted to tell you, Babuji, but I did not have the courage to face you or Amma. I..I knew that Akash had sent you those pictures. And you were so ill because of it. I couldn't bring myself to face you. I was waiting for you to get better before I could confide in you" Payal said and her voice had broken by the end of the sentence. Shashi Gupta did not speak anything for a minute, while Payal collected herself again.
"Whatever happened with that boy..I know it was not your fault. But it was your fault that you did not trust your father and came to me for help. I waited and waited. But..I saw it was difficult for you to talk about it. But what is done is done. The only thing that I want to know is that what do you plan to do now?" The question was asked with such quietness that for a moment Payal only blinked. How could her father be so understanding? Why isn't he shouting and screaming at her? Maybe she should have told him sooner. Maybe they wouldn't have been in this situation if she would have trusted her parents enough to tell them about her situation. But now there was no point in beating oneself over it. So, Payal composed herself composed herself and said what she had in her mind.
"I will get a job. And I will raise my baby"
There was silence in the room for another minute which was broken by his father's coughing.
"And the boy? Are you sure he wants no part in this?" Shashi Gupta asked after the coughing fit died down.
Payal thought of all the hurtful words Akash had said to her in the AR building and she had to force herself to not burst into tears.
"I am sure. I have to do this alone" She replied in a small voice.
Hearing that, Shashi Gupta walked to her and placed a hand on her head saying, "Not alone. We are with you".
Payal hugged her father and she finally cried to her heart's content while Shashi Gupta held her telling her everything will be fine.
***
After freshening up Khushi sat on the bed and tried to listen to what was going on in the drawing room. She could hear nothing. She wondered why Payal decided to tell everyone without discussing it with her first. But it was a good thing that now the family knew. Thinking about the family had Khushi's mind drifting back to Akash and the man in his apartment.
She will have to tell Arnav everything she had heard there. He needed to know what Akash was planning behind his back so he could watch out. Khushi still didn't know half of the things and it was clear that it was something related to the Raizada family's past. Something that had Akash hating his own family!
Before she could further mull over it, she saw Payal coming in with a tear-dried but contented face.
Discarding everything Khushi rose from the bed and hugged her sister.
"What did Babuji say?" She asked as Payal hugged her back.
"He said he is with me. I am going to have this baby, Khushi. This will be my baby" Payal replied, fresh but happy tears rolling down her face again.
Khushi couldn't help but cry too. Having your loved ones behind you through the worst of situations can make things so much better, Khushi understood it now. Suddenly she too could feel the weight lifting off her shoulders. Although, her heart still remained heavy for everything that was yet to come. She could feel the heartbreak Arnav would go through upon learning what she had done to him, and what his brother wanted to do to him.
She will have to talk to Arnav as soon as possible, before Akash could make his move.
But for now, she pulled back from the hug and smiled at Payal through the tears.
"I have a little something too" She whispered and as Payal watched, Khushi removed the pen drive from her bag and gave it to her.
"What is it, Khushi?" Payal asked with an ashen face as she looked at the small device in her palm.
"I got it from Akash" Khushi replied.
"Does that mean you..." Payal asked her voice shaky and her eyes wide.
Khushi did not answer.
"Oh god, Khushi! You didn't have to! That is why I told Babuji and Amma about Akash and my pregnancy. So, you wouldn't have to do what Akash wanted you to do. I don't care if he leaks those pictures everywhere...as long as you, Babuji, Amma..as long as my family is with me, I don't care what he does" Payal said in a breath, her face turning pallid.
Khushi still didn't reply. She didn't know how to begin telling Payal what she had done.
"This is my fault. I should have told you I was planning to tell Amma and Babuji. But, I wasn't sure how to tell them..I just did it today..If only I had the courage to do this before..Oh god! I can't seem to do one right thing, can I?"
Khushi moved on the bed and hugged Payal.
"It's okay, Jeeji. It is really okay. The only thing that matters now is that we have this pen drive. Here" Khushi said, placing the pen drive in Payal's hands.
"Maybe we should check.." Khushi murmured softly and Payal shook her head.
"I can't look at it"
"But we need to be sure, Jeeji..that it is what it is.." Khushi said and after a minute, Payal nodded slowly.
***
As soon as Akash reached Raizada Mansion he felt the house eerily silent. He made his way to the drawing room and he found Devyani Raizada sitting there all by herself.
"Nani, why aren't there any pictures of me with Papa?"
"Because Papa was always busy in work, beta. He had no time for pictures!"Devyani Raizada said.
"But there are so many pictures of him with Anjali Di and Bhai"
"Look what I made for you, Akash..Chocolate cake" Pushpa Raizada said with a smile, appearing from the kitchen and an eight year old Akash ran towards her, forgetting all about his questions.
The memory surfaced to Akash and he found it difficult to smile back when Devyani Raizada noticed him approaching and smiled at him.
Liars! That's what these people were. They had not only hidden the vileness of their family but also made him a part of it.
"Should I tell Hari Prakash to serve your dinner, Akash bitwa?" Devyani Raizada asked and Akash shook his head, shooting straight towards Arnav's room.
Let's see what the big brother' wants to say!
As Akash reached to Arnav's room he found Arnav in the poolside tending to his plants. Making sure Arnav was aware of his presence in the room, Akash walked up to him.
"Gardening! Never understood why you like it so much. Getting your hands dirty with the soil and the manure, the pain of watering them regularly, when you can just go out and buy flowers anytime you want..Bhai" He commented snidely, his standing form towering over Arnav as he was sitting on his knees, turning over the soil in the pots with a spade.
Arnav placed the spade aside and stood up to his full height, dusting the soil from his hands as he looked at his brother. And then smiled.
"It is about the peace of mind, Akash. The feeling of growing something yourself and then watching it grow, bloom, spread fragrance" He replied, moving towards his room.
"How profound!" Akash scoffed.
Arnav ignored the remark and moved ahead to wash his hands in the bathroom.
When he emerged out, Arnav knew he had played it right.
Akash was staring at the photo that Arnav had placed on his night stand. It was a picture of Khushi from their Nainital trip. He had gotten it framed after coming back from the trip but hadn't still placed it in the room.
"That's Khushi!" He said and Akash immediately tore his gaze from the glass frame.
"She works at AR as my personal assistant. But of course, you know that already, don't you?" Arnav said and Akash whipped his head in Arnav's direction.
He noted how Arnav's eyes were fixed on his face and how he assessed him. Akash didn't know how Arnav learnt that he knew Khushi but this was going to be fun. At least for him! Now that he had what he needed, he was going to level the playing field. It's only fitting that he twist the dagger a little before driving it home.
"Of course! I know Khushi very well. In fact, we are very close" He answered in a dawdling tone, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Arnav's eyes narrowed just a little and his breath was sharp as he gave Akash a long stare, trying to get into the depth of the implied meaning of the latter's words.
"What do you mean?" He finally asked, this time all the pretense gone from his voice and it was only dreadful calm that remained in it.
Akash's smile became lopsided and he grinned. He was getting exactly what he wanted. Now he just had to play this smartly.
"Come on, Bhai. You don't really need me to explain you the meaning. You know me. How would I know Khushi, a beautiful and an attractive girl? I know her in the same way I have known all my past...how do I put it? Yes, my past friends'" Akash replied, grinning and winking at Arnav like he had no clue of what was going through Arnav's head. But he could see every single thought churning in his brother's head.
Arnav, on the other hand, could feel his heart closing in around itself. There was so much silence and so much noise in his head at the same time. How can any of this be true?
"How long has this been going on?" He heard himself ask. A question to keep him from doing what he so badly wanted to do, to punch something, to break something! To shout!
"Over two months, why? I know what you're thinking, Bhai. That why didn't I tell you this? Believe me, I badly wanted to ever since Khushi told me she landed a job in your office. But, she didn't want me to. She thought it would make you treat her differently because she was involved in an affair with your brother. How dumb, right? I knew you wouldn't. You're such a fair man, aren't you, Bhai? You never do anything wrong, do you? You're as great as brothers come. Loving, kind, truthful, and most of all, trusting" Akash went on and by the time he finished, the words left a sour taste in his mouth.
He noticed how Arnav's face had become a brick. There was hardly any emotion left on it. One last twist, Akash thought.
"But why is there a picture of Khushi on your nightstand, Bhai?" He framed the question with right amount of curiosity and incomprehension on his face and watched Arnav's hands clench into fists. An inward smile broke on his face.
"Suffocating, isn't it, when someone changes your world with just a few words?" He thought before making a move towards Arnav.
"What happened, Bhai?" He placed a hand on Arnav's shoulder who immediately stepped away.
"Leave" The word was a command and Akash realized his work here was done.
As he turned and left, he heard the sound of glass breaking.
He didn't have to turn to know that it was Khushi's picture.
~~~
The promo was a perfect prompt for me to write something in my ishtyle! ...
Amidst the tumultuous storm of a high-stakes trial, Anushka Raisinghani, a ...
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