IPKKND SS: How Kunal Roy Won (Chap. 10) UPD:8/02 - Page 18

This so damn hilarious!! I almost fell off the chair laughing!!

CHAPTER FIVE

Kunal Roy heard the horrible song, and knew exactly who it was who was mangling his eardrums. He knew enough about Anjali's family to know that Khushi Singh Raizada was going to show up like a homing pigeon to whatever location her husband was within moments of being in his vicinity. So, even though there was pin drop silence at the poolside after his speech, he knew that he was about to meet his biggest challenge within the Raizada family-their adored Khushi. Controlling his laughter, Kunal quickly fixed a look of virtuous indignation and pain onto his face.


Just in time, too, since within seconds of changing expressions, Khushi Singh Raizada burst through the poolside door and tripped right into his arms. Kunal sighed, as he caught Arnav's wife by her shoulders to prevent her from falling. Of course, within seconds of Khushi's arrival, Arnav had darted forward, and reached her side. Clearly, Arnav's own homing beacon when it came to his wife was also very much in place. Arnav snatched Khushi away from Kunal's hands, and was now alternating between glaring at Kunal for helping his beloved wife and glaring at his beloved wife for needing Kunal's help.


When he was sure that he was not needed to stop Khushi from tumbling into the pool, Kunal warily turned to Anjali, who was still standing right behind him. She had not spoken, nor moved a single muscle. She had not reacted at all-- not when Khushi showed up in such a spectacularly clumsy manner. She kept staring at him, unmoved as Arnav grabbed Khushi away from Kunal to agitatedly check her all over for imaginary bruises that the evil journalist may have already inflicted on his precious wife.

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"So, Ms Raizada. Can I assume that you will be coming to The Delhi Sun offices bright and early tomorrow morning? I have already paid the first installment of our payment plan, wouldn't you say? I really need you there, Ms Raizada. And after the events of this evening, you owe me that much, don't you think?" While Kunal's tone was even and calm, he knew exactly how thin the ice was that he was skating on. So, he held his breath, internally, while his face reflected nothing but confidence, and some faint boredom as he waited for Anjali's response.


"Please Anjali.." Kunal thought silently. "I know you don't want to do this. You've refused me before. But I do need you. And you need this. Please.."


Anjali Raizada smiled, and if Kunal had any doubts about whether this was the woman for him, the way his blood froze at the naked threat in that smile would have reassured him. Yes. There it was. The glint of devious intelligence, the sweet promise of payback. The eyes that promised revenge even as the plump lips curved into a sweet smile. This, indeed was his woman, the one made just for him---God help them both. His tigress, now in complete control once again, spoke in her soft, dulcet voice:

"Mr Roy, you have been invaluable this evening. Such compelling arguments! I feel like I really have taken advantage of your good nature. Now I know that you do need my help, and I know to what lengths you will go to get it. I am quite ashamed of myself, for using you the way I did...Honestly, I don't know what came over me...You must be so shocked by my behavior. I really think I was a bit confused, maybe the sudden shock of seeing you this evening made me overbold, or over-eager to hurt you. I am truly sorry, how you must have suffered as we...kher choriye! You were so sweet about it too !! Confessing everything, and that too, to Chote! I cannot say no to you, now, can I? I will see you tomorrow, Mr Roy. Bright and early."


Anjali's voice was syrupy sweet, but there was an element of suppressed excitement in it. As much as she tried to hide it, the idea of going to meet Kunal Roy at The Delhi Sun, even if he had said all this just to mess with her, was strangely appealing. She liked the idea of contributing to whatever this enigmatic, intelligent man was doing with his story.


Anjali then turned, and greeted Khushi, who had finished reassuring Arnav that no, she wasn't a clumsy fool and yes, she was perfectly fine, and no, she had no immediate plans to kill Arnav by giving him a heart attack. Khushi had by now realized exactly who it was who had caught her this evening, and was now staring at Kunal Roy as if he was a ghost.


A smile, this time one of genuine affection, greeted Khushi, as Anjali gently took her arm away from Arnav, asking her questions about the Guptas and Bua-ji. Kunal smiled as he watched Khushi keep turning, straining her neck and goggling at him with her mouth open, as she was gently led away by her Anjali Di. "That was...wo journalist Page Three wala banda...evil man...Arnav-ji will kill....why is he holding aapke wo silk nightie jo gift tha ...koi naya chaal....chupke aya hoga....he is stealing your nightie, Di...." Khushi's agitated words floated back to Kunal as Khushi and Anjali disappeared.


Once again, Kunal Roy was left alone with Arnav Singh Raizada. Kunal sighed to himself as he stretched his arms above his head, rolling his neck to release some of the tension. He could feel those chocolate eyes burning holes into his back.

This was going to be good.

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"I don't know what you think you are doing, Roy. But I can guarantee that you are not going to be using my sister or getting through to me or to Khushi through her. My Di is not available for you to hire. You might as well forget about her taking on any case you have, because she doesn't need to work, and she even if she was interested in going back to a law practice, she certainly won't be working for you."


Arnav sneered at Kunal, longing to throw this bas***d out of his house. Something was stopping him, and it was only later that Arnav realized what it was. Right then, he was feeling angry, confused, and not a little stunned. It was only later that he realized why he had not immediately kicked the bas***d out of his house---it had been Anjali's response to Kunal Roy's offer---the aliveness he had subconsciously heard in his calm, almost too docile sister's voice.


Kunal smirked, an expression that made him look almost eerily like Arnav.
"Mr Raizada, does the presence of your wife immediately wipe your brain clean of any intelligence? Were you not right here when your sister not only accepted the job offer, but promised to be there at the Delhi Sun offices tomorrow? It's a genuine position, she is ideally suited for it, and frankly, I think she will be goddamn fantastic at it. It will be good for her, I'm glad she accepted. I'll take your leave now, I have to get ready for tomorrow."

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Kunal turned to the stairs, his mission done. He had come to Raizada House this evening with a completely different agenda, but he could not deny that things had worked out very well. While the job offer he had made to Anjali had been done on the spur of the moment, the serious circumstances behind his offer were absolutely real. He really did need a lawyer, and the story he was covering was so sensitive, he needed someone he could trust, and who would be a brilliant partner, and not just a paid flunky. Someone smart, tough and in tune with his own razor sharp instincts.


Anjali Raizada fit the bill. Unconsciously, he had chosen the exact thing she would be perfect for. He wanted to spend time with her, out in the open, and this was an excellent excuse. But aside from that, he wanted this for HER--he wanted her to explore what she could do, for herself. He wanted her to use her abilities, her intelligence and education so she could see for herself how capable, how amazing a woman she truly was, even without Arnav by her side. By her response, Kunal sensed that Anjali would relish the challenge professionally, even if he would have to tread carefully when it came to them personally.


Then, just as he was about to stride down the stairs, Arnav's words brought him to a halt. In that arrogant, sneering tone that made him long to beat the goddamn bas***d up, Arnav said, without even realizing how demeaning he was being to his own sister:

"She is my sister, my responsibility. She is vulnerable, and she needs to be protected, and not harassed and brow beaten into agreeing to absurd things, like you just did with her. She made a mistake with you, this evening, but I know she will not do anything that I tell her not to do. I can speak for her when I say she won't want to have anything to do with you once she cools down. I don't want to know what happened between you today, but whatever it is, I wont have her exposed to someone like you, and she will herself realize this was all a mistake in a few hours. "

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No one would be able to tell from his expression, but by now, Kunal Roy had well and truly lost his temper. With ordinary men, such fury usually came out through fists and via violence. In Kunal's case---well, suffice to say, he wasn't an ace journalist because he pulled his verbal punches, or because he backed down from a physical fight. The many corrupt, greedy or media-hungry people he had ruthlessly exposed or annihilated in his interviews were actually firmly divided into two distinct groups.


One group, those people who had attacked him physically for some piece he had run, stated loudly that when it came to dirty street fighting, no one could beat that athletic, powerful Kunal Roy. Then there was the other group--those who had tried to intimidate him, talk down to him, make him cower through their insults-these people held the view that when it came to poisonous, cutting verbal beat-downs, no one had truly been flayed alive until they had had Kunal Roy talking to them in that special, cruel, drawling tone of his.

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Kunal had begun to realize exactly how much the siblings were entwined, and how crippling this over-reliance had become for his Anjali. Some part of him wanted to rip this debilitating co-dependence into shreds. But doing that, again, was not his place.


Verbally beating down this arrogant, pompous young ass, however, was.
So, right now, giving in to his worst instincts, Kunal Roy did just that.

"The last time I checked, India doesn't have any law that prevents fully grown adult women from taking their own decisions without needing their younger brother's permission. Maybe you should be reminded of a few facts, Mr Raizada. Anjali is your older sister, she is a trained lawyer, she is an independent, smart, intelligent woman, and if she wants to, she can accept any goddamn job offer or do any goddamn thing she likes.

What I asked her to do is between her and me. She could have said no, and she chose to say yes. You don't really factor in this situation, now, do you? I don't think she took your permission for what she wanted from me a few hours ago, and I didn't see her take your permission right now, when she agreed to come to work for me. But then...

I mean, I don't know...we should probably check, since you seem so sure that you control your sister with an iron fist. Should we go to her bedroom to check whether she will listen to your decisions for her? I confess, I'd like to go back to her bedroom, Mr. Raizada....I probably should, actually.I think I'm missing a sock. Why don't you wait outside while I go check with Anjali one more time, exactly what it is she wants to do....you can come in with your questions after I'm done.

She might need...convincing...again. So, this time, before you burst in on us, maybe you'll knock?"

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CHAPTER 6 : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/2997408/ipkknd-ss-how-kunal-roy-won-chap-10-upd-8-02?pn=35