Chapter 5
As she stood there watching his face turn pale with shock, Khushi knew a moment's satisfaction about the fact that at last, she could throw the truth in his face.
"What?! How do you know her.."
He stopped abruptly, and she knew that he had just remembered that her surname was the same.
She could already see the questions forming in his mind, and she hastened to answer them before he could speak.
"Payal Gupta was my Jiji. Her parents, Shashi and Garima Gupta adopted me when I was eight years old."
"Payal is your sister?"
"Don't you dare take her name! And she was my sister.."
"Was?!"
"She's dead, Mr.Raizada. She committed suicide four years ago."
His eyes widened in shock, and his face became even more pale.
"She is..dead? But how.."
"Why is this such a surprise for you after what you did to her?"
"What I did to her? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Are you going to pretend that you don't even know what happened four years ago?"
She watched him take a deep breath, and then he stared at her with a serious, intent expression as he spoke.
"Khushi, I know exactly what happened with her at that time. But I don't think you do. Why don't you tell me what has been told to you? What are the lies that have apparently made you seek revenge?
"They were not lies! Jiji would never lie to me! Tell me, is it a lie that you hired her only because you wanted to sleep with her?"
"What?!"
"Can you deny that, Mr.Raizada? Is it a lie that you pursued her at every step of the way while she was working for you, and didn't take no for an answer? Is it a lie that you made unwanted advances on her, and when she complained about it, you managed to convince the committee that you were innocent? Is it a lie that you fired her because she dared to fight you? Which of those is a lie, Mr.Raizada?"
"All of it! There is absolutely no truth in any of those things at all! Khushi, you have to believe me!"
"Believe you? Why would I do that? Why should I listen to anything you have to say, when you are the man who is directly responsible for my sister's death?"
"Stop this! I had nothing to do with.."
"Why? Is the truth too bitter for you, Mr.Raizada? Well, I have had to live with it for years. I have had to face the reality of my sister committing suicide, because she couldn't face the fallout of what you did to her.I had to see her husband succumb to an addiction, and I lost my mother as a result...my entire family, gone..just like that..and it was all because of what you did to her!"
Even in the midst of her own turmoil, she caught the change in his expression as rage took over.
Before she could do anything, or say a word, he was in front of her, his hands bruising her arms as he held them in a tight, unforgiving grip.
His words came out in a low, angry tone that sent goosebumps across her skin.
"Listen to me, and listen well. I did not do any of those things that you have accused me of. Samjhi tum?!"
She could say nothing in reply, his anger sent fear through her for the second time today..
His grip was very painful now, and she tried to pry his fingers away.
He looked down immediately, and pulled his hands away with a jerk.
She stumbled back, and rubbed at the red marks on her arms.
When he spoke again, his voice was calmer, but the undertone of anger was still present in every syllable.
"I don't know why she said the things she did. But I do know that I am guilty of nothing except taking her out on one single date! And I only did that because she had been so persistent in her attentions, and Ididn't want to hurt her.."
"She had been persistent? Now that's a blatant lie, and you know it!"
"I am not lying. It was she who pursued me, not the other way around. And that was common knowledge around the office! "
For the first time ever, a small sliver of doubt went through her.
Common knowledge?
"After that one date, I politely told her that it would be better if we didn't see each other again. But she never gave up. She continued to throw herself at me, and everyone could see that too!"
"This..this can't be true..you are trying to turn this around to make her look bad, just like she said.."
"Apparently, she told you a lot of things that weren't even true. And that's what she did at A.R too, when she filed that complaint against me. No one was more shocked to hear about that than I was, because apart from anything else, I had never even touched her! Not even once!"
Why did she want to believe him?
Why did she want to believe in the honesty of his eyes?
How could she forget what her sister had gone through, how much she had suffered at the hands of this man?
No!
He was lying.
She wouldn't trust him.
"I cannot believe this. How can you stand there and continue to deny everything?"
"Because it is the truth, dammit! But you aren't going to believe me, are you? You have obviously made up your mind a long time back, and decided to play this game of revenge..You have made yourself judge, jury, and executioner, haven't you?"
"Why would I believe you? You have lied about this before, all those years ago..and my Jiji was destroyed as a result!"
Arnav took a deep breath, and turned away from her.
Because it hurt to look into her eyes, and see the distrust.
It hurt to see the hatred in that clear gaze.
And he hated himself for feeling that pain.
He didn't even know what to think anymore.
The ache of betrayal was making him lose focus, and he felt adrift on a turbulent sea of turmoil..
Through it all, one thought emerged with blinding clarity.
He had to convince her of the truth.
He had to make her believe in him.
He didn't know why, but he had to.
But how would he do that?
She wouldn't believe anything he said..
And she wouldn't believe NK or Aman either. Or any of his employees, for that matter.
A memory came back to him, and he suddenly remembered someone who might be able to convince her..
He turned back to her, and said abruptly,
"Come with me."
"What? No! I..Where are you taking me?!"
He paid her no heed, pulling her along with him as he went out the door and through the hallway, heading for his office.
"Let me go!"
But he didn't even pause until he reached his office, and then reached for the intercom as soon as he go there.
"Aman? Come to my cabin right now!"
"What are you doing? What has Aman got to do with.."
They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a worried-looking Aman entered immediately.
"ASR, the board members are asking for you.."
"One moment, Aman. I need you to pull out some old records for me. I need the contact details for an employee named Preeto Gupta."
Khushi was shocked to hear the name that had just been said.
Preeto?
She knew who she was, of course.
Preeto was Jiji's distant cousin, and had also worked at A.R before her wedding.
But why was he talking about her?
As if he could read her mind, he answered her unspoken question.
"If you won't believe me, you can ask her instead. She has no reason to lie, and she knows the truth, just like everyone in this office does."
Khushi had no time to ponder this startling statement, because Aman had just returned with a piece of paper.
"I got her new number from a family member, ASR. Here it is.."
"Give it to Khushi."
She took the paper, but continued to stare at him.
Was there a chance that he wasn't lying?
NK's voice interrupted the charged silence.
"Arnav, I can't push things off any longer. You have to come into the meeting now! And so will she.."
"Khushi will join us after she has made this phone call."
"But Arnav.."
He pushed past NK, and went out the door, but turned back to face her once more.
"Make that call. Whether you choose to believe her or not, it's up to you."
And then he left, with NK and Aman right behind him.
Khushi sat down heavily in the leather chair behind his desk, staring at the number written on the paper she held.
She still couldn't believe any of this..why would Jiji lie to her?
She had to know the truth.
So why wasn't she making that call?
Because she was afraid.
Afraid that Preeto would confirm her worst fears , and shatter the image of her beautiful, perfect sister forever..
But she couldn't sit here all day, could she?
She had to face this sometime..
She had never run away from reality, and she wasn't going to start now.
Before she had time for second thoughts, she quickly picked up the phone and dialed.
A half hour later, she put the phone down and stared into space as the truth sunk in.
Everything that he had said was true.
Everything, and more..
Preeto had told her everything,and had started by telling her that she was surprised that Khushi didn't know this already.
She didn't know how to react to that.
She had believed her sister's words, why wouldn't she?
But now she knew that it was all a lie.
Preeto had painted a disturbing picture of an obsessed woman who had started flirting with ASR the moment she had been hired at the fashion house.
Jiji had confided in Preeto, telling her that she was sure that ASR was interested in her too..
But Preeto had never noticed any such signs, and she was surprised to learn that ASR had asked her out.
She had even shared the details of that first date at a restaurant, and Preeto had been happy to see her excitement..
But then Preeto had noticed that ASR seemed to be actively avoiding her, and one night, Jiji had tearfully confessed that ASR had told her that he didn't want to see her again.
Preeto had tried to console her, but had become worried when Jiji seemed to lose all interest in her work..her sole focus was to try and get ASR back..
And then she had shocked her by informing her of her engagement with Akash Mehra.
At first, she told Preeto that she was marrying him because he was a nice guy, and she thought that a rich NRI might help in turning Khushi's dreams into reality.
But then, one night the ugly truth had spilled from her lips.
She had screamed and cried her heart out, and Preeto had been stunned to hear that Jiji had hoped that the news of her engagement would make ASR jealous..
But it was clearly not working,and he still paid no attention to her..
So Jiji had gone ahead with her wedding, and for a while, Preeto had thought that things had changed for the better.
But then she had learned how wrong she was, when Jiji had filed a sexual harassment complaint against ASR.
Preeto had gone to her immediately, with the intention of offering her support..but then she had learned that there was no truth to this either.
The complaint was a last-ditch attempt at revenge, and Jiji had done it to get back at him for ignoring her all this while..
An internal inquiry had quickly determined that Jiji was lying, and she had immediately been dismissed.
At this point in time, Preeto's own marriage had been fixed, and she had left A.R, and she hadn't been in touch with Jiji after that.
Khushi knew what had happened after that, of course.
Jiji had lied to her husband, and her family about what exactly had happened at A.R. She had told them that ASR had pursued her, harassed her, and finally fired her when she had dared to fight him.
And they had believed her.
Why wouldn't they?
They had never known the real Payal at all..
And so they had done everything they could to help her, including going to New York when Jiji had slipped into severe depression..
Jiju had even suggested that they could file another case against ASR, but Jiji had convinced them that they couldn't fight a powerful tycoon.
And they had believed her again.
And when disaster had struck, Khushi had been in shock at losing her entire family..and then she had decided to take revenge on the man she had held responsible for all this.
She had never once sought to question her Jiji's story..she had never once sought the truth..
And as a result, she had wasted four years of her life in bitterness, anger and resentment.
And now, she had betrayed a blameless man in the process..
Khushi laid her head on her hands, overwhelmed by all the emotions beating down at her.
Anger at her sister for all the lies..
Anger at the cowardice that led her to take her own life, and anger at Jiju for turning to drink..
Anger at herself for not trying to find out the truth..
Guilt..and shame for doing this to him..
And through it all, she kept fighting the overwhelming urge to go to Arnav.
She wanted to throw herself in his arms and forget everything except the unknown thread that bound them together..
But she couldn't do that, could she?
She had lost the right..and she had brought this upon herself..
The minutes turned into hours as she remained that way, trying to come to terms with the mess her life had become..
Arnav and NK finally left the conference room after a grueling couple of hours which they had spent in answering the questions of the board members, and discussing the ways in which they could deal with a hostile takeover.
NK handed Arnav a thin black file, and when Arnav looked at him questioningly, he finally spoke up.
"This is a complete report on Khushi Kumari Gupta.A few days back, I hired investigators to dig into her past, and I just received it this morning.."
Arnav looked down at the file,and didn't quite know what to think.
He didn't even have the energy to take NK to task for doing this without his knowledge, because in the end, NK had been right to order this, hadn't he?
He opened the file with trepidation, and a curiosity to know more about this woman who had manipulated him, betrayed him, and threatened A.R in the process..
Khushi Kumari Gupta, aged twenty-five years..
Orphaned at age six..adopted by the Guptas at age eight..
One sister, Payal Gupta, who was a junior designer at A.R Fashions before moving to the USA..married to Akash Mehra..
Khushi's schooling completed in Lucknow..but dropped out of college for a while after Shashi Gupta passed away..
Rejoined college after her sister's wedding..lived with her Buaji and mother then..
Moved to the states a few weeks after her sister went there..took her sister to two different psychiatrists for treatment of depression..
And within a few days , Payal Gupta committed suicide..
Akash Mehra had been unable to deal with the death of his new bride..and had turned to alcohol for solace..
A week after that, her mother and brother-in-law killed in a road accident.. Akash Mehra was drunk at that time..
She had been nominated as the sole heir of the Mehra fortune..but she had done nothing with that money for a few months..
Joined the MBA program at NYU..graduated with honors..
Worked on wall street for a few months as a trader on the stock exchange..abruptly quit to return to India two months back..
Her Buaji had suffered a leg injury..Khushi had stepped in to help her at the shop..
Buaji had never accepted financial help from her..
He knew what was coming next, of course..
Announcement of engagement to Arnav Singh Raizada..
Buying shares of A.R.Fashions almost every week..
Marriage to Arnav Singh Raizada..
Flight from Lucknow to Delhi yesterday..checked in at the Hyatt..
He looked up suddenly when NK spoke to him.
"Arnav, I know that this report is important , but we are really running out of time now.You managed to postpone things until tomorrow..but we have to focus all our energies in finalizing a strategy to neutralize the threat of a takeover.."
Khushi stood up as she heard Arnav and NK approach the cabin, and caught the last sentence of their conversation.
As they entered the cabin, they stopped immediately when they saw her there.
She spoke quickly before either could say a word.
"The Singhanias will no longer be a threat to A.R.Fashion house. Because they will not have the support of the majority stakeholder after today."
Arnav just stared at her in apparent confusion, but NK clearly had no reservations about asking her questions.
"What are you talking about?"
She took a deep breath.
She had given this a lot of thought, and knew that it was the only way to right the wrong that she had committed.
Through all the turmoil, she had been able to decide on this one thing..
"I'm going to sign all the shares over to Mr.Raizada, making him the principal stakeholder again. And I'm willing to do that right now."
The confusion cleared from Arnav's face, but suspicion now took it's place.
And she hated that he still thought the worst of her, even though he had reason to do so..
"So you finally found out the truth...And what do you want in return in for the shares?"
"Nothing. I want nothing."
"Well I'm afraid I can't take them, then. I've never accepted charity, and I'm not going to do so now. I will buy the shares back from you at full market price."
"What? But you don't have to.."
"What's the matter, Khushi? Don't you want your life's savings to be returned to you?"
He allowed a half-smile to cross his lips at the look of surprise on her face.
"Yes, I know that you have poured every cent of your money into this plan of yours. And I know that because I finally read the investigator's report on you, something I should probably have done a while back.."
"I don't want your money.I'm not going to take any of it."
"If you don't want it, then burn it, for all I care. But I am going to buy those shares back, and I will not stand here and argue about this right now. I have many things to take care of, and I'm not going to let anything take top priority over A.R. Not anymore."
"But I.."
NK cut across what she was going to say,and she knew that he had done so deliberately.
"Let me make the paperwork for the share transfer right now. I'll be back in a half hour or so."
Arnav nodded, and NK left immediately.
An uncomfortable silence descended between them, and neither one knew how to break it.
Finally Arnav turned towards his desk, and she moved towards the door immediately.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
His words froze her in her tracks, and she faced him with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"I..I'm just going back to my hotel."
"Oh yes, I forgot. That report did say that you had checked in at the Hyatt while making your master-plan yesterday. But there's no need to go there now. My driver will take you home."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Home?"
"Yes, my home, Shantivan. You haven't even seen it yet, have you?"
After all that had happened, he wanted her to go home with him?
Just what was going through that mind of his?
"No..and I don't think there's any need for me to see it now, either. It's not like I'll be living there.."
"Why not?"
Was he doing this deliberately?
Did he want to make her squirm before letting her go?
He probably had every right to do so, but she didn't quite know how to handle this cold, sarcastic side of him that she had never seen before.
She was reeling under the revelations of today, and she didn't want to face this, not right now..
"Because I thought..after everything that has happened..I thought you would.."
He moved towards her, and she immediately took a step back,
He crossed his arms over his chest, and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I would..what,Khushi?"
She took a deep breath, and called on all her reserves of strength.
"I thought you would..immediately file for divorce."
He didn't say anything for a moment, and his expression didn't change either.
And when he finally spoke, ice dripped from every word.
"Really."
"Y..yes..that's why it doesn't make sense for me to go to your home.."
"Wait just a minute here, Khushi."
He took two steps forward until he was close enough for her to see the coldness in his eyes.
She steeled herself to stay where she was, and forced herself to look him in the eye.
But his next words slammed into her like a ton of bricks, and she stood there paralyzed with shock ..
"If you think that I am going to file for divorce, then you are sorely mistaken."
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