Chapter 9: Check and Mate

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A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D

Happy Reading! :D :D

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Chirag Mehta walked along the gravel path of the parking lot, deep in thought. Yesterday had been a very strange day, and the unexpected triumph that had fallen into his lap was something he was still drunk in the reveling glory of. Ishaani Parekh was never going to be a match for his wits no matter how hard she tried. And like he'd hoped, she caved in almost instantaneously the moment it came to the servant.

After being spoonfed the way he was the previous day, shelling out 50% of the profits didn't seem too bad of a bargain even though he knew that he'd find a way to worm out of that deal. The profits from the consignment would be more than sufficient to get Mehta & Sons Co. rolling again, especially after his life's biggest enemy had made sure that the intercept on the Beijing port had failed. But it only truly became a sadistically sweet victory after Ishaani Parekh had shed tears of defeat upon his feet, begging him to right the wrongs. 

And her tears had only been the balm to his bruised ego.

But even as Chirag Mehta entered the premises of the Parekh Diamond Trading Co., he couldn't for the life of it imagine why Ishaani Parekh had called him at eight in the morning to discuss something urgent with respect to the consignment. Didn't she know that he always slept till ten in the morning? But he could make exceptions today for he was going to be pulling off the second biggest heist of his life, so effortlessly like always.

Chirag Mehta strutted across the corridor leading to the office as he entered with a bang, only to find it deserted. He couldn't help but contain a smile as he wondered what awaited him within the cabin he was supposedly invited to. Maybe he could rattle Ishaani up a little to cave into some more of his demands if luck favoured him! Well, the sunlight had broken out at long last, so it was only obvious that he'd try making his hay!

Finding the door to her cabin slightly ajar, he threw it open like every bit of the royalty he felt, high upon the horse of pride. And that was the last of it. The smile was instantly wiped away from upon his face when he saw behind the desk not Ishaani, but the last person he'd expected to see seated in her place.

Ranveer Vaghela.

-x-

"Ah! Come in, Mr. Mehta," remarked RV, sitting upon the chair not unlike the prince he was reputed to be in the European markets. Chirag looked gobsmacked for a couple of minutes before he finally regained his voice.

"You? You're still here?"

"Well, you aren't daydreaming, don't worry. I'm here in flesh and blood," replied RV, amused at the look of horror and conflict upon Chirag's face as he entered the cabin, shutting the door behind him with a timid grace. It was a perfect contrast to the kind of entry he'd made, RV was glad to notice.

"What do you want?" spat out Chirag after some time, cursing his luck mentally. What were the odds that he was forced to talk to the man whose life he'd so mercilessly ruined back when he was nothing more than an insignificant servant?

And like the circle of life Ishaani Parekh would boisterously yap about, he was today at the mercy of the servant who now had the backing of an unimaginable bank balance and the relics of undeniable fame at various leading stock markets of the world. He was direly regretting his decision to come to the office already.

"Why're you still standing? Have a seat," requested RV in the same chirpy voice as he sprung up from his seat not unlike the host he'd play during several of his business gatherings. Somehow, his spring frightened Chirag into taking a seat quickly, worried that the servant would do something to him. He could see an eccentric flame burn in the servant's eyes that made him gulp in fear.

"I was supposed to meet-" began Chirag hesitantly, wondering why he was so tongue-tied. 

There was a time when he could shoo away the servant with just a look of his eye, and today he found himself incapable of even looking up to him. The fire in the latter's eyes made him shiver in an unknown gust of uncertainty about what was going on in his mind, and that in itself bruised his freshly healed ego a little more.

"-me. Ishaani hasn't a clue about this," replied RV as he returned back with two glasses of scotch. 

He handed over one to Chirag, who took it gratuitously, knowing that he would need a pick-me-up to help him pull through the entire meeting. He was about to take a sip when he noticed Ranveer look at him eagerly, the look killing his spirit of wanting to take a sip of the alcohol that smelt so rich.

"I thought that you were in Sydney," stated Chirag pointedly once RV sat back in his chair. He took a sip of his scotch and smacked his lips appreciatively.

"Yeah, that's what Shanella thought so too. She does her job well, I must admit," replied RV smugly, and his tone didn't put Chirag at ease anymore. There was definitely something fishy going on over here, heightened by Ishaani's absence and the fact that he hadn't heard her mention anything about Ranveer staying back in Sydney.

"No, not just that," added Chirag uncertainly and RV smirked, bringing something out in the open for both of them to see.

"Are you referring to this?" asked RV as he brought out a bug from underneath the desk, flashing it in front of Chirag with an amusement that was nowhere evident upon the latter's features. He looked rather ashen-faced and surprised.

"You know about it?"

"About the bug in this cabin and the conference room? Yes, found them the first day itself," replied RV dispassionately as though someone was giving him a sum on simple division after making him work upon a sum of long division. Chirag didn't look too happy as he sat back into his own chair, looking at Ranveer coldly. He couldn't bear the silent jeers and insults anymore. It was killing him!

"What do you want, servant? The game's over anyway. I win, you lose. Like always," he added and RV simply cocked an eyebrow at him, bemused.

"Really? And how do you win?"

"The two of you hate each other, the consignment flopped and you still aren't going to complete this legacy anytime soon. You shed your money and I take away all the profits," replied Chirag rather proudly, and RV was reminded of the time he'd seen a white peacock strut along the path in one of the forests in Sydney before it tripped upon its own wings the next moment. He thought it to be a dire insult to compare the white peacock with Chirag though.

"That's intriguing. Because oddly enough, there's a consignment from the Parekh Diamond Trading Co. sitting in a bank locker safely in London, sent via Sydney. It arrived yesterday and is in perfectly safe hands. What're you talking about?" asked RV in feigned innocence as though clearly seeing Chirag for the first time as he took another sip from his glass. 

Chirag looked at Ranveer stupidly, his mouth agape as his overconfidence was suddenly obscured by mists of confusion, leaving him bamboozled. RV couldn't help but enjoy the sadism he was deriving by seeing Chirag suffer right before his eyes the way he was.

"That's not possible... The- the Beijing-" stuttered Chirag as he ran his fingers through his overgrown hair, feeling beads of perspiration trickle upon his temples while his eyes bulged in fear. What if Ishaani had tricked him into it? No... no...

"Oh, that. Yeah, that's intercepted, I know. Fake diamonds, like you ingeniously planted. The real ones are on the way back to Mumbai and will be back in our custody any minute," informed RV in the same cool voice, and Chirag felt his blood go cold.

"No... No... That bitch!" he yelled out rudely as he banged his fists upon the table and shot up from his chair, making everything jump upon it. The only exception was RV, who kept looking at him with the same calm that was beginning to unnerve him. There was something about his eyes that contradicted his body language, leaving Chirag with the certainty that was coming his way soon.

"Sit down, Mr. Mehta. This is my office, not your personal whodunit," commanded RV in a booming voice that struck Chirag dumb. He wondered whether this side to the servant had always been there that seemed to leave him dumbfounded every time he opened his mouth to speak.

"Your office?" asked Chirag, the incredulity not gone amiss by either. RV shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm the 51% owner of the Parekh Empire this moment, Mr. Mehta. Implications are to come my way, not hers. You wanted to destroy her by intercepting the diamonds and bringing out fakes so that you could defame the Parekh Empire in the international markets. But guess what, smarty? That's not happening anytime soon because you have to face me, not her. And the consignment is safe and sound," added RV, relishing the effect every syllable had upon Chirag, who seemed to be struggling whether for words or air, RV couldn't determine which.

"No... No... This is not possible..." whispered Chirag, more to himself than to Ranveer, who only seemed to find the entire proceeding extremely amusing. He watched with satisfaction as Chirag fell from his horse of pride, his back crippling rather excruciatingly.

"Surprised at being beaten at your own game?"

"You two... The two of you have been playing me all along... That means that day at the conference room-" spoke aloud Chirag, staring at Ranveer in outrage but the latter saved him the trouble of completing the sentence.

"An act. I'm sure you're more than familiar with the concept, seeing your expertise upon it," added RV snarkily, and Chirag got the hint of what was being implied. He could feel himself shaking in ire at the fact that his entire plan had come crumbling around his ears, but he tried to keep his voice at level just so that he could let his mind run fast enough to see what his last route of escape was.

"And what about Shanella?" asked Chirag quietly and RV understood what the real question was. He smirked.

"It doesn't amuse me that you put her to the task of seducing me as the first way to break me down. There's a difference between a dog and pig, Mr. Mehta. And just because you like to wallow in the dirt, it doesn't mean that everyone else do too," replied RV, the disgust and disdain in his voice evident. Chirag no longer looked afraid or overconfident - he looked plain angry.

"How did you find out about this?"

"Unfortunately, it was Shanella herself who was the give away," answered RV, taking another sip from the glass. Chirag's glass remained untouched. He leaned slightly forward, looking menacing.

"What did she-?"

"No, she didn't say anything," elaborated RV and Chirag gave him a confused look. He continued. "It was her eyes. She was the same girl who I'd seen with you in the park all those years ago. I do not forget faces. I knew immediately that it was too much of a co-incidence. A little digging around proved me right."

"And how did you come to know about our plan?" asked Chirag, wondering how someone so stupid like the servant had actually grown brains when he was a man who used his heart. It disquieted him extremely.

"Ever heard of SpyChat?" asked RV in return, and Chirag felt his face drain away of what remaining colour it had.

"You hacked our messages?" spat out Chirag, feeling violated and offended as he stood up again. RV only bothered moving his eyes at the sudden change before he let out a disinterested sigh. Chirag sat down in spite of himself, wanting to know more.

"Hers. And how beautifully you discussed the whole scam in it! It was a clearcut plan - create rifts between Ishaani and myself by sending the consignment through Beijing instead of Sydney, and then intercept them with fakes when the time was right. So I gave you exactly what you wanted - the rift, the consignment through Beijing and the intercepts in the name of Mehta & Sons Co. Only, I kept backups ready so that our consignment was still sound and would eventually come under the Parekh tier," explained RV calmly, noticing every flicker of anger and disappointment cross Chirag's eyes. He enjoyed the bestial pain in them.

It was after the silence of a quarter of an hour that Chirag finally mustered the courage to speak.

"It doesn't matter though. The fake consignment was sent at the time Mehta & Sons Co. was under the Parekh Empire which means that this is still upon your head should the news be leaked that fake diamonds have been smuggled internationally. Ishaani's finished! Because she's sure as hell going to jail!" he ended in a triumphant yell as his brains worked fast, knowing that he'd manage to save himself with the technicalities of the law. And Chirag noticed with glee the slight flicker of momentary worry upon RV's otherwise smooth face before it went back to the way it was.

"That's what you think," replied RV and there was something about the way his eyes gleamed manically that left Chirag unsettled. It was the burning flame of some unannounced triumph.

"I don't believe this..." whispered Chirag to himself mentally, but the words escaped his lips nonetheless. RV let out a mirthless laugh.

"The clock's ticking, Chirag. And the doors are going to close upon you very, very soon."

"You have no proof!" yelled Chirag, suddenly frightened as he could feel everything cornering him into a trap he'd already fallen headfirst into. 

He couldn't believe that he'd fallen for Ishaani's tears the previous day! She was always a terrible actress! When did she get so good at it? And it all seemed so sensible and legit that he was ashamed to admit in that moment that his ego had gotten the better of him. And so had Ishaani, again.

"It's about time that you started paying off what debts you've picked up from the market for this, Chirag. Because you're drowning in them and if we don't kill you, they will. You have no money to run or hide underneath. This is over," spoke RV in a quiet voice as he stood up. Walking around the table and stopping right before Chirag, he indicated that the conversation had come to an end.

But for Chirag, it had only just begun.

"You servant! You'll pay for this!" he roared as he sprung up from his chair for the third time that day and caught Ranveer by his collar, looking every bit the demented psychopath that the latter knew he was. RV pushed him off with a simple nudge of his fingers, wiping away the specs of imaginary dust from upon his grey blazer as though Chirag's hands had tainted them.

RV gave Chirag a look that made him nearly fall back into his chair in shock. He now spoke in a voice that captivated the latter's attention.

"I just ended what you began, Chirag. When you decided to make a thirteen-year old grudge bear fruit, you didn't know what we were capable of. You saw us as two outcasts of the society that made us weaklings in your eyes. But in all reality, you don't know what we're capable of. You don't. The next time you even as much as raise your eyes towards Ishaani or myself or anybody we love, you won't have any eyes left. The fire of our revenge will turn you into ashes."

"You-" began Chirag, but this time Ranveer continued as though there had been no interruption in the first place.

"That's my promise to you. I'll make you burn in jail for every single day you've made Ishaani's life hell. Every single day when she thought she wasn't good enough because of you. I will not kill you, Chirag. But I will kill your pride as you sit in jail day after day, knowing that we made you look so petty with what you thought was a brilliant heist. You're good, but we're better," added Ranveer, and Chirag snorted aloud in a repulsion that had no effect upon the latter whatsoever.

"What do you think, servant? You're roaming in an Armani and that gives you class? You're still the same dog who'd lick our shoes back when you were a servant. And it doesn't change the truth about who you truly are at the end of the day - a loyal dog wagging his tail at his mistress whenever she calls him at her beck and call," spoke aloud Chirag, hoping that his words tortured Ranveer the same way the latter's words tortured him.

The only thing RV did was laugh.

"And do you know what's the funniest thing about people like you? You may be a guinea pig to the world, but deep within, you're just that - a pig. Even though you strut like royalty, it's what you are within that doesn't change. A deceiver. A psychopath. A gold-digger opportunist. A child."

Chirag looked outraged enough to slam Ranveer against the wall but felt too afraid to do so for a reason he couldn't determine himself. He knew that say what he would, the man before him was just as dangerous as he himself could become. And the manic fire in his eyes was proof of the same.

"I have class and stature that comes from birth and rich blood, unlike you," insinuated Chirag, and RV gave him a sympathetic look.

"And I have money and brains that you sadly seem to have used up entirely when plotting and planning the revenge of your lifetime. Go out and see where you stand today in front of RV. Oops, you can see it right now as you stand shivering in front of me. Like a child," he added for the second time. Chirag let the jibe get the better of him this time as he got offensively close to the latter's face.

"Child? And what are you, a boss?" spat out Chirag in derision, but all RV did was stare at him in the same stance. Chirag backed away eventually.

"You're a child because what you'd achieved in all these years was of your father and my mentor's. That's why you're a child. What I've earned is with my own sweat and blood. That's why I'm the boss of you. Grow up, baby. Be a man and face it," tormented RV as he could see the anger contort Chirag's face, his fingers curling up into balls of fists. 

Until suddenly, the anger changed into a sickeningly evil smile.

"All this is just ball talk. Nothing really comes to light when you mistress is concerned," began Chirag, and RV felt his blood boil, knowing who Chirag was talking about. Chirag noticed the change in his annoyingly blank face and continued boldly. "Shanella showed me the papers - Ishaani will still have to go to jail for authenticating the Beijing transaction, come what so may. Rishi's signature may have been faked, but not hers," he added, suddenly sounding as cold as he did when he first entered the cabin.

RV didn't bother keeping his ire in check.

"Worry about your own well-being because this may be the last day you walk as a free man. And as to Ishaani, she's my lookout," added RV, making sure to give proper emphasis upon Ishaani's name. But all Chirag did was laugh with pleasure as he let his voice dip to a sickening whisper.

"Oh, now I see what all this is about. Revenge. And you played a masterstroke, Mr. RV. As good as my own one with that beloved mistress of yours. Oh, she was so gullible... Fell right into my trap in two minutes," added Chirag sadistically, enjoying pressing RV's sore nerves as watch him writhe in pain for the first time that day. Oh, the pleasure of a lost victory...

"How did you find that book?" asked Ranveer in a quiet voice, keeping it steady with great difficulty. Chirag sighed, shutting his eyes in apparent happiness as he recounted the entire tale.

"That was just serendipity. She asked me to search for a novel underneath your mattress since you kept them all there. And then you can imagine the power I must have revelled in when I found not the novel, but your book instead. Ishaani Parekh: The Enigma Unveiled. More like The Golden Key for Chirag Mehta. You handed me every single sickening defense to take her down, and that's what I did. I took her down, and you came along crumbling alongside. You had to pay for what you did as well as those years back, stupid that you were."

Ranveer remained quiet for the next few minutes as he shut his eyes, trying to control his anger that only made him want to wring the latter's throat and watch the life get snuffed out of his eyes for what he'd done to Ishaani.

"And you left her after bankrupting the Parekh Empire?" asked Ranveer in the same voice. Chirag nodded happily, knowing the best way to make Ranveer lose control now that he knew his weak spot.

"Oh, that is one day I'll always cherish in my life. The day I divorced her and threw her out from the house," added Chirag with relish, noticing that Ranveer's face had now lost all colour. Putting a hand upon Ranveer's shoulder, he continued with the same nauseating lust that seemed to set Ranveer's temper on another height entirely.

"Ishaani didn't tell you? Yeah, looks like it, seeing your shocked expression. Oh, it was a blissful day, that. When I told her the entire truth and watched her bleed tears of pain and heartbreak. Especially her form writhing against my own when I'd pinned her to the wall-"

Before he could continue any further, Ranveer caught hold of Chirag's head and slammed it upon the desk in a hammerlock, pulling his hand behind his back in a sickening crack of bones.

"-ah, hurts, doesn't it?" cried out Chirag as his eyes streamed from the pain in his arm, unwilling to give Ranveer the satisfaction by accepting defeat. He wanted to watch Ranveer suffer the pain he was suffering from with the hundred deaths that Ranveer had killed him with by foiling his entire plan once again for destroying Ishaani Parekh.

"Take her name upon your lips one more time and I'll smash your skull in the wall. And I swear to God, I mean it," threatened Ranveer into his ears as he twisted his arm a little more, Chirag yelling out in pain in spite of himself.

"God, let go of me, you loon!" begged Chirag when Ranveer only intensified his hold upon the former's arms, his face stillmashed against the table in an agonizing hold. Ranveer pushed him away from his grip as Chirag fell down, feeling positively terrorized by the eccentric fire in Ranveer's eyes now.

"Get out. Now," spoke Ranveer in a quiet whisper and Chirag didn't take twice to know that his life was in mortal danger, picking himself up from the ground and leaving the cabin without another word. On the way out he saw Ishaani make her way towards the cabin, who stopped abruptly in her tracks when she saw Chirag holding his left arm awkwardly along with his temple bruised and bleeding.

Ishaani looked into the cabin to see Ranveer fall upon the chair limply as he head fell in between his hands, taking deep breaths as though just having emerged upon the surface of the water. Ignoring Chirag completely, who somehow remained shell-shocked with whatever had just happened with him, Ishaani ran into the cabin just as Ranveer looked up, stunned to see her suddenly.

She was still early by fifteen minutes and she wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place as planned. And yet he was never happier to see her looking healthy and alive as she stood before him in a simple royal blue halter neck falling to her knees. And even as Ishaani walked up to him with her face doused in worry, Ranveer stood up quickly and was about to bridge the gap between them when he caught Chirag watching the two of them out of the corner of his eyes.

"Ranveer, are you okay?"

"Don't hit me, please," breathing out Ranveer softly as he cupped her face, Ishaani looking bewildered.

She was about to speak again when Ranveer pulled her into his arms, letting his lips capture her own in a slow, heated lock as he poured all of his worries, care and love into it, holding on to her for dear life after what Chirag had just told him. Ishaani felt all words melt upon her lips into a silence as her arms automatically found itself around his neck, letting her fingers trail into his hair as she let him devour her lips with the slow pleasure they'd both come to love about the moment. There was a yearning and warmth about the way their lips connected today that had been missing the previous two times, and it only made the sun shine brighter into the room as they didn't bother to hide away their emotions this time.

Ranveer eliminated what little space remained between them as his arms locked around her waist in a protective curl, lifting her off her feet slightly as their noses brushed against each other's. Ishaani felt herself flow away into the heat of the moment as Ranveer continued to kiss her with the same passionate desire, driving away all thoughts from her mind. She let her thumb trail upon his face that made him involuntarily shudder in spite of himself, her fingers continuing to trail enticingly upon the side of his neck. When the need of air grew greater with the heat of the passing moment, Ranveer and Ishaani parted ways reluctantly, their forehead still touching.

Both of them stared at each other, surprised and flustered before Ishaani noticed what Ranveer did in the first place, and along with it a look of complete loathing that only seemed to make her smile in spite of herself in a sadistic solace. She could see the ego crushed in Chirag's eyes that only seemed to send her into a euphoric high before she turned back to stare at Ranveer.

Ranveer, in turn, flushed heavily as he let go of his arms from around her, turning his back rather shamefacedly at losing control upon his emotions the way he did. Before before he had time to digest any of it, Ishaani held on to his blazer and pulled him back, his lips colliding against her own one in surprise this time as she gently held them apart with her tongue. This time, he let her take lead as she kissed him with a heightened sense of purpose, letting her lips linger upon her own for longer intervals as he pressed her back against the table, taking the support of the same on either side.

Ishaani let her fingers roam upon his chest and to his neck in a gentle yet electrifying trail before circling them around him for support. She let her lips trail across his own haphazardly, tasting them with a worship as though finding for the holy grail. He moaned against her lips involuntarily, astounded by the course of emotions he could feel in his veins at what she was doing to him. Time held no importance in the minds of either as they continued to remain in the other's embrace, this newfound world a brighter heaven. Until a loud slam of the door from somewhere distant snapped them out of the moment, their kisses decelerating until they parted away with a gentle peck.

"He was still watching," whispered Ishaani, sounding dazed by the power of the moment they'd just had. Ranveer had an identical look upon his as they separated from each other, straightening their hair and clothes consciously before his eyes fell upon the clock. 9:30AM. And with it returned the realization of the moment that was on hand. Ishaani noticed the change in his expression as reality dawned upon her as well.

"Ishaani, I need you to listen to me, okay? I'm going to be gone for sometime, but I need you to remain calm. No doing anything stupid or reckless. I've got this, okay?" assured Ranveer as he looked upon Ishaani's shoulder and saw a party of four approaching their cabin.

"Ranveer, what-" began Ishaani, but even before she could frame her question, the door to the cabin opened. A loud booming voice forced them to stare at the party who'd gatecrashed upon their moment.

"Mr. RV, you're under arrest for fraud and malpractice. We need you to come with us right now," spoke aloud the lead inspector, Ishaani staring at them incredulously as wondered what hit her. Both Ranveer and Ishaani looked beyond the lead inspector to see two constables standing there, one ready with handcuffs. The fourth member of the party was Finch, looking harried.

"What for?" asked Ishaani, looking afraid.

"For supplying fake diamonds in the international markets," came the cold reply from the inspector and Ranveer sighed.

"I'm the owner of the Parekh Empire, not him!" exclaimed Ishaani but the inspector shook his head.

"Standing yesterday, Mr. RV here is the 51% stake holder of the firm, making him the main owner," countered the police and Ishaani shut her mouth as the inspector gave her the documents in question to verify. She pursed her lips and stared at Ranveer disbelievingly.

"Excuse me, what-" began Ishaani, but Ranveer turned her around gently so that their eyes met. Ishaani noticed the brown of his eyes shine for the first time warmly, even though they seemed extremely tired. Ishaani suddenly felt Ranveer's skin burn against her own in what she was certain was a fever as he cupped her face, looking worried.

"Ishaani, trust me, okay? I've got this," he assured her, but Ishaani shook her head, looking panic stricken. She still had to tell him about what she'd done and that all was not lost!

"Ranveer, no, please! No!" she urged but he shook his head, looking exasperated as he kissed her forehead, letting a tear slip upon her face. He took in her scent that still exuded the same essence of vanilla and roses that he so loved about her.

"Do whatever Finch tells you to do, okay? He'll explain it all out. I have to go now," he added, sighing as he let the inspector cuff him. Finch came and caught hold of Ishaani's arm when she tried to put up a fight, begging for her to remain silent with a look as she let her head fall upon his shoulder.

And even before she could speak up, the police had taken Ranveer away.

-x-

"Would you mind telling me what the f**k is going on?"

Miss Parekh sat in her cabin with Puneet, Rishi, Piyush and Finch in front of her, ready to let her into the loop about whatever had happened so far. Miss Parekh had a cold look upon her face that made all the four men shiver, their hearts beat irregularly in spite of themselves. She was in a much, much terribler mood than they'd expected her to be in.

Rishi gulped slowly before taking the initiative to speak.

"On the first board meeting of the JV itself, RV Sir realized that there was a mole in between us. He had his suspicion upon Shanella right from day one, so he asked me to find out everything upon her. Turns out that she's Chirag Mehta's wife currently. Comes from a very rich family and will legally be the heiress to her father's estate when she turns thirty, which is next year. It was obvious enough that the co-incidence was too much."

"Typical. How is she even with him?" asked Miss Parekh, wondering about how stupid the woman could be when Puneet answered her question.

"She thinks that he loves her truly. They've been together for twelve years now. High school sweethearts. She saw his 'revenge' motive and understood. She believes that he truly loves her with all his heart and did whatever he did with you because it was necessary to fulfill his revenge. But she believes that she's his doll. More like a Joker and Harley Quinn story, if you know what I mean."

"And you people know this how-?" asked Miss Parekh, and Puneet answered her question rather shamefacedly.

"PI. We hired a PI to do some digging since we needed answers really quickly."

"How cliche," she remarked, not sounding even remotely amused. Rishi gulped nervously and continued.

"So Sir decided to spin a web for them. He asked us to scan our respective offices for any kind of bugs since he had some kind of experience with them back in Sydney, although he wasn't too specific. It turned out that only the conference room and your cabin were bugged so having any kind of conversation with you wasn't possible. At the same time, he'd hacked Ms. Carvalho's phone with a spy app to keep tabs on all her messages."

"He had all the opportunity in the world to tell me," remarked Ishaani bitterly, feeling her blood boil at how stupid Ranveer could still get even after all those years of separation. Rishi guessed what was going on in her mind.

"But he couldn't, because he didn't know till what extent was Chirag Mehta trying to implicate you. He knew that whatever it was, he'd have to do it on his own. He was trying to save you the mess."

"He did give me a hint on the second day when he called me into the conference room," agreed Miss Parekh grudgingly, making it a point to ask Ranveer about this once he came out from jail. Rishi continued.

"Yes, he told us about it. He knew that you'd figure it out, which you did. Anyway, after a detailed screening of myself and Puneet, he finally explained the entire scenario to the two of us. Till then, he'd managed to learn that the plan was to create a war between you and himself because you were both overly egoistic and had already had two altercations. The conflicts would lead to an eventual split, especially after your history."

"What would be the linchpin for the same?"

"Beijing was to be warring factor, seeing how the two of you remained conflicted upon that. It was the day before your hospitalization that RV sir had given me the authority to send an unofficial consignment under the Parekh Diamond Trading Co. banner via Sydney, holding a sample of hundred diamonds. He said that this was to be code-named Black."

"And the Beijing one?" asked Miss Parekh, and Puneet took over from there.

"RV Sir told Rishi to sign upon the papers Shanella brought him but to make significant errors when signing upon them because he knew that there was going to be something fishy. As to your signatures, he needed you to sign upon them because it had to be authentic. The consignment wouldn't be passed any other way since you were technically the 51% stake holder in Mehta & Sons Co as well. Unfortunately, unlike with my signatures, Shanella managed to get yours upon the implicating authorization as well."

"What happened next?"

"The consignment had just left for London when we came to know about what the next step was - replace the originals with counterfeits that had happened back on the Surat port itself. We were too late to stop the consignment so RV knew that only one option remained."

"Break off the JV by pretending that I'd backstabbed him," spoke Miss Parekh to herself and Rishi took over.

"No, that was something he had been planning ever since he knew about the threat to the Beijing consignment, but yes the interception was an extra reason. None of us supported his plan but he urged us to go with the flow because there was no other way. He needed time away from the office without your scrutiny upon him 24x7 so that Chirag would relax and be off his guard, over confident that he has always been."

"So what was the plan basically?" asked Miss Parekh, and for the first time, Finch spoke up.

"RV wanted to send two consignments- the original from Sydney and the target one through Beijing, but under the name Mehta & Sons Co. as the registered name. His motive was exactly what he accused you of, except that he was the one wanting to take his long-standing revenge with Chirag with this. He was a 100% sure that the consignment was going to be taken down, so he kept all contingencies on hand."

"What happened then?"

"Everything was as per plan. Black was safely on the way to London by the 12th and Pettigrew scheduled to leave for Beijing on the 14th morning as per schedule when we learnt about the intercept. But it was already too late to do anything about it so RV knew that the big show down had to happen then and there. He had to throw you off the trail entirely until he didn't have everything figured out."

"His plan was sound proof until Chirag dropped the bomb upon us with the surprise interception that wasn't mentioned in any of the messages until after the deed was done, I'm assuming," said Miss Parekh and Finch nodded. But Rishi beat him to the explanation

"He tried to save you from what he knew was very soon going to turn into a case of fraud and malpractice the moment the consignment touched London. So he staged the entire scene instantly with several deviations that left us all confused and worried for a moment. It seemed so far away from the plan until he explained otherwise, or rather Mr. Finch did since RV sir wasn't..."

"Wasn't?" asked Miss Parekh, suddenly suspicious as she remembered about his fever.

"Wasn't available," completed Finch, shooting Rishi a glare. Miss Parekh was about to speak up on it when Finch continued hastily. "Anyway, he was leaving sufficient hints for you as breadcrumbs along with giving Shanella and Chirag the assurance that everything was going their way."

"But there was a blaring flaw," piped in Miss Parekh and everyone sighed, giving Piyush the chance to speak.

"You would be the one going to jail, because of your signature, yes. An individual and a business are two separate entities in the eyes of law and accounting conventions. So even if you weren't responsible, this was coming upon your head since you did own 51% of Mehta & Sons Co. by ways of shares. When you signed on those papers, we didn't know about the intercept to happen. And by the time we did, the consignment had left in the nick of the minute. And you would be going to jail for something that wasn't even your fault in the first place and something that you weren't even aware about. Ran- RV didn't want that happening at any cost."

"And I handed him over the ace of spades," she spoke in a quiet voice as she slapped her head, wondering from where Ranveer got the brains to do so much.

"Yes, the 51% stakes of the Parekh Empire. He'd signed upon them already and they were just pending approval so he staged his plan of saving you around that. It only needed the final legal stamp before it was in his name. So he decided to save you by taking the blame upon himself for the time being while trying to find a way out from it at the same time."

"What did that moron concoct?" she asked angrily and this time, Finch replied.

"Not him, but Sanghvi here. It was simple, really - since the Beijing records hold the consignment details as per the fake diamonds and not the real ones, both upon entry and exit, we decided to up the game. We asked the supplier back in Surat to file an FIR against the missing diamonds because as per the legal documentation, it would mean that the interception had taken place back in Surat itself. Since Mehta & Sons Co. comes under the Parekh Empire, the extension of the same comes under RV's name since he's the 51% stake holder."

"And?"

"We managed to get the officials in Surat to cave in at twice the rate to return the originals back to us since it was in their custody until further orders from Chirag. Lupin has just reached us and is in my pocket. And now, we show these to the police and the 'supplier' and he retracts the FIR tonight-"

"Tonight? Why do we have to wait until tonight?" cut in Miss Parekh, and Piyush replied.

"To not make it look too suspicious, that's why."

"Ingenious," replied Miss Parekh, even though she didn't look remotely amused. "And what about the London customs?"

"I have a contact there. He said that the consignment will be detained for 24 hours, within which if the FIR gets retracted, he'll pass it on without having to make any record against it. But under the title of a hypothetical diamond sample for structure."

"So the news gets contained and remains only in this cabin," concluded Miss Parekh and everyone nodded their heads.

"And that's why we wanted the office empty. We didn't want anyone knowing about the arrest," added Finch and Ishaani rolled her eyes at him.

"All hushed up. Brilliant."

"And that's why RV Sir didn't want you involved in any of this and asked us not to let you come to the police station as well to try and bail him out. We have it all under control and he'll be out in a couple of hours. The supplier gets his diamonds, the FIR is retracted, it's a shut case and the Parekh name is upheld," added in Rishi, the four men looking relieved now that everything was out in the open finally.

Miss Parekh remained quiet for an indefinite amount of time as she scrutinized the four men in front of her, before speaking up at long last.

"If you hadn't saved the reputation of the Parekh Empire this very minute, the three of you would have been fired right now. Mr. Finch, I can't really fire you because I have no authority, but you just meet me outside this office and then we'll talk," threatened Miss Parekh and all the four men felt the relief slip away as they saw the fiend awaken in her eyes again.

"Ma'am, there was nothing we could tell you about because RV sir took us under his confidence," urged Puneet helplessly but Miss Parekh raised her hand up as a cue for him to remain silent.

"If any one of you had told me about this before letting that self-sacrificing fool get himself arrested in place of me, you'd have come to know that there was no need for any of this bullshit."

"What do you-?" began Piyush, looking confused like all the others. Miss Parekh huffed rather haughtily.

"As of today, I do not own Mehta & Sons Co. anymore. I sold it back to Chirag Mehta the previous afternoon," she spoke aloud. A quiet silence rented the air as all the four men stared at her in stunned disbelief of what she'd done without their knowledge. Finch found his voice first.

"What?! You- RV told you not to do anything reckless!"

"I'm not going to talk about your RV-," began Miss Parekh and all of them could sense the anger in her tone as she continued. "-because that's how he's been for all these years. He's a hopeless fool when it comes to me. But had any of the four of you not been egotistical like a typical man and thought me incapable of handling this, he wouldn't have had to go to jail at all. But now that he did, it works better for my entire plan. Everything falls into the block brilliantly."

"Your plan?" asked Rishi, confused. Miss Parekh nodded her head and recounted her side of the story now.

"I figured it out yesterday when the Customs Officer told me that there were two consignments due to London under Mehta and Sons Co. It was at that time that I realized that something was amiss for RV wouldn't do that. It made no sense. And when I got his message in the book, I realized what it meant. One was a decoy. So I decided to improvise on the plan for I knew that it would lead up to something like this."

"What did you do?" asked Piyush, wondering whether she'd done what he silently prayed that she'd done even though it was a long shot for someone who didn't know the plan and didn't belong to the legal world either.

"I had on me the 100 fake diamonds of the sampling structure from six months ago during the meeting in London on the consignment requirements. I called the customs in Surat and got them to fax me a false document stating that it had come from Surat itself, since Chirag doesn't have the finances to do something like that in Beijing. It helps having excellent ties with the customs officer and he was rather sympathetic when I explained the scenario to him. He mentioned about this Lupin to me as well, but I told him to stick to schedule, since I didn't want any of you on my tail," she added, looking annoyed.

"Then?" asked Rishi and Puneet together, wondering how many plans were actually being concocted to drive them all crazy.

"The two of you had both left for the day by one, which was a relief. I then called Chirag over and struck him a deal. 50% of the profits from what Mehta and Sons Co. would be getting on the consignment since he was under the obvious misconception that there was only one consignment due to London and that was through Beijing and through his company."

"Didn't he intercept them himself?" asked Finch, bewildered. Ishaani smiled.

"I showed him the original billing as well as the one I got made for the fake diamonds being in the custom's custody. I 'supposedly' gave him solid proof then and there that I'd managed to re-intercept the diamonds so that it were the original ones itself going via Beijing. He looked rather put-off at being outsmarted like that but that fax was damning evidence."

"And?"

"As a bargaining sacrifice and with a heavy heart, I told him I was willing to make a compromise by selling him back Mehta and Sons Co if he let the consignment go off without another hitch. And obviously 50% rights on profits since I didn't have enough finance to go all out on the consignment without the money from the RV Group of Companies now. It was ready-made work and free diamonds and enough to send the company rolling back into business. A poor, despondent, heartbroken woman, deep neck in trouble after the humongous task of handling everything alone, and doing a terrible job at it since this could not be done single-handedly."

"And he bought that?" asked Puneet, sounding disbelieving.

"He didn't really, so I did the next best thing - talk about my regrets on losing my best friend upon this once again and how I wouldn't stand having anything got to do with Chirag anymore because it tainted all my good things in life. My tears worked better upon him for he thought that I'd gone back to being my gullible self, obnoxiously proud that he is," replied Miss Parekh rather proudly, and the four men looked startled.

"Wow..." whispered Finch, unable to control himself. Miss Parekh pretended not to hear him as she continued.

"And so the previous afternoon, I got him to sign on a couple of papers after a little bit of an act myself and did a quick electronic transfer of the 51% shares while he had Shanella wire the amount to me, I guess. That's the only place where he could have gotten that much money from. I did make an 85% profit on the price at which I sold the shares back to him, though he was too greedy about the 954 crore deal and 51% stakes in his own company to notice that. I'm sure that he must have been thinking uppn ways to break his promise of splitting the profits into 50% at the first go," she added as an afterthought, while the men stared at her in reverence.

"Holy shit. This is brilliant!" spoke aloud Piyush finally as he and Finch shared a knowing look of relief.

"This is even more so," stated Ishaani as she handed over a bunch of documents to him.

"What is this?"

"An undertaking declaring Chirag as the owner of the company from the 12th of October and it's CEO as well. Rishi has nothing got to do with this anymore since he was acting on the CEO's orders, as claimed here. The fool never reads his documents well. It's why he went bankrupt in the first place," she added rather unsympathetically and Finch whistled in relief.

"This simplifies everything! God, you are the finest woman with brains I've met in all my life!" he exclaimed, not caring that he had a wife back home. 

His friend now had the double backing that would ensure him not being jailed and would save his career and credibility in the market as well. All of them stared at her with newfound respect as she sank into her chair, looking at all of them purposefully.

"You follow the original plan. My plan will begin once RV is out of jail," emphasized Miss Parekh, leaving all the men bewildered. They didn't have the mental capacity to pull off another plan after what RV had made them do in the first place.

"What plan?" asked Finch quietly, and Ishaani smiled in spite of herself.

"The final check and mate for this entire shindig that Chirag began in the first place."

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Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D

Next chapter:
Chapter 10

LadyMeringue2016-12-28 03:38:43