Chapter 20

Khushi was sitting on her bed working furiously on her laptop when Anji came in with two large mugs of coffee.

"Still worried about Saira?"

Startled, Khushi looked up with wide eyes and relaxed when she saw it was her friend only. "Hey, listen! I've read a bit about this insurance company and I think there's something really fishy going on."

"What?" Anji climbed in hurriedly as her interest peaked.

"Yup! See, Saira is not the only one. There are many other people throughout Britain who had received this deal and it seemed quite promising. And all of them missed out on their windfall!" as Khushi spoke, she felt the determination to help these people rise in her.

Anji gasped. "Oh my God! They've all been conned? By the insurance company?"

"I guess... Anji... Kuchh jal raha hai?" (...Is something burning?)

Anjali jumped off the bed shrieking. "Oh dear! The scones!"

She skittered out of the room hurriedly. Khushi sipped on her coffee, absorbed in her thoughts when it suddenly hit her. Her eyes widened with excitement. Quickly, she hopped across the room to get her mobile from her handbag and when she had found what she needed, she dialled the number, bouncing on her tiptoes.

"Hello, Giles Clifton from the London Times? This is Khushi Gupta here. I have a story which might interest you..."

***

Anji pushed the door open and stared at her friend. Never in her life she had seen Khushi work this hard in her whole life. Not even in her dreams.

"Khush?"

"Yeah?" she had replied without bothering to lift her eyes from her laptop screen.

"Saira and Shyaam are here."

Khushi nodded and fiddled with the mouse. Finally she looked up with a bright smile.

***

"So, Saira," Khushi sat down on the couch beside Anji. "I've written an article on what happened to you and all those people out there. It will be published tomorrow if everything goes well. I just need to make a few phone calls to your insurance company."

"What for?" Anji asked incredulously.

"Put them on their guards and let them get their defences ready?"

Shyaam frowned. Actually, it was Anji who had summoned him to help Saira. Benevolant at heart, unlike many other lawyers they knew, he had agreed to fight the case, if ever the matter reached court, for Saira.

"What defense?" he blurted out. "They cannot defend themselves for whatever they did, not just to your friend here, but also all those clients they conned!"

Khushi smirked and raised a brow at the three of them as she reached for the phone. "Exactly."

Adrenaline pumping hard in her veins, Khushi dialled OurSupport Company Ltd. She sighed angrily when the lady on the phone gave her another number. Her eyebrows knitted together while she noted it down. It seemed vaguely familiar. But she shrugged and went on with her work as Anji, Shyaam and Saira chatted with a little more joy than earlier.

"Hello, AR Communications. How can I help you?"

Khushi's smile fell, horror freezing her mind. AR Communications? Arnav Singh Raizada's company? She bit her lip nervously. Why did she have to collide with that shaitan in every step of her life? Why? Why him, Devi Maiyya? She raised her eyes to the ceiling with a pleading expression.

"Hello?" the voice brought her out of her silent prayer so unexpectedly she nearly dropped the receiver.

"Yes, umm... This is Khushi Gupta, I would like to speak to someone... about the OurSupport Company Ltd?" she croaked, her heart pounding.

"Let me check, hold on... Yeah, ASR's client. Wait a minute I'll just put you on a line."

Not him! Not him! Please Devi Maiyya! Just this once, not him!

"Khushi!"

A second time after having dialled the same number, Khushi froze as her jaw dropped open, her mind recognising that sickly sweet but sardonic voice. She could not believe it! Fakhreen Sukhmani?

"Long time no see, darling!" Khushi ground her teeth together at the piercing voice. Bitch! Now I think about it, talking to Arnav Singh Raizada would have been a great deal better... and easier!

"Fakhreen," she replied, dripping each of the words in equal amounts of syrup and sarcasm. "Indeed. I did not know you worked for AR Communications." Else, I wouldn't have called.

There had been a time when Fakhreen and Khushi had been good friends. Or that was just for Khushi. Sometime later, Khushi had learnt that her so-called good friend was just a jealous, backstabbing bitch, who enjoy circulating false gossip about her. That had been the end of the camaraderie but the start of a sour and very bitter relationship, close to enemity.

"Stella told me you wanted to talk about OurSupport? Oh darling, ASR is not here actually, or you could have talked to him. But don't worry, I'll be able to answer all your questions myself."

"But they're not your client, are they?"

"Who cares? It's for your article, right? What did you want to know?"

"Actually-"

"Do one thing, will you? Send all your questions by fax. I'm a bit busy right now."

Fakhreen disconnected before Khushi could say another word.

"Khush? What happened?" Anji got and walked to her friend. "You look like someone ran nails on a blackboard, magnified that sound over a thousand times and blast that in your ears."

Khushi frowned at Anji's worried face. "Remember Fakhreen Sukhmani?"

"F**ker Sucker?" Anji spluttered. Khushi burst out laughing at the reminder of the sobriquet they had given to the bitch.

***

Finally, today was the day! At eight in the morning, Khushi was already on the streets, jogging towards the nearest WHSmith.

"A copy of today's London times, please."

She leafed through it hurriedly until she found her article. He Devi Maiyya! 'Single Mother of Two Cheated by Hungry Cats at OurSupport!'

She could have died of joy!

***

After zillions of calls of congratulations for the very well written article and several offers of jobs, Khushi finally sank in the sofa sighing. Anji had just left for a date. The phone rang again.

"Good morning, Khushi Gupta here," she said in a rehearsed, business-like manner.

"What the hell is so good about this morning?"

Khushi near dropped the phone as she recognised the voice.

"Would you like to explain to me what the f**k does this mean?"

"M-M-Mr R-r-r-raizada? W-w-what are y-y-you..."

Arnav sighed in frustration. "This bloody article published in the London Times, dammit! What the hell does this mean, Miss Gupta?"

Khushi nibbled on her thumb nervously as Arnav Singh Raizada's angry words poured down around her.

Ab kya? (What now?)