Part 40
As the sun set, the glorious day dwindled into a chaotic night. The ladies congregated in the kitchen arguing over what was best for dessert while the men went to discuss matters of the less frivolous kind.
A mere few hours ago, Anil Chopra witnessed the two arguing with such intensity his curiosity couldn't help but be beyond peaked. To satiate his wonderment, he walked out to question them and it wasn't long before they gave up their secret. In all reality though, it was anything but a secret since every major network was covering it under the enticing title, breaking news.
While the astonished media speculated and exaggerated the situation's elements, the equally astonished occupants in Maan's library now sat either deliberating or bellowing into a cell phone. The dark room usually gave off warmth and comfort but with icy vibes flowing between two individuals in particular, Rohan and his ever formidable uncle, such an environment was deemed impossible.
In all of his years as a businessman this was the only thing yet to be seen. Back in his and Mohinder's day business was business, clean and not distorted by any form deception, manipulation or resistance. But that was in the 1970s, now he and those of his age were considered old timers that didn't know how the game was played. Having the information unfold to him more through the voice of the media than Rohan's, he agreed with the youngsters but highly disapproved of the new practices.
Hearing an angry thud his focus turned away from the mahogany bookshelf he too attentively stared at. The noise's source was Maan, who had just thrown his phone on the coffee table. His eyes scanned the rest of the space and saw Vicky glued to the television while Rohan stood in the corner screaming into his phone at someone.
He walked towards the oversized leather chair Maan occupied to gain some insight about this colossal mess. "How much of this did you know?"
Maan broke away from the screen, glanced his way momentarily then immediately shifted his gaze to the floor. Never before did have this feeling of wanting to be swallowed whole and all because of the intense stare uncle was giving him. "I knew basics but the plan was supposed to be carried out a few days after Rohan got here."
Shaking his head with disappointment he sat down in the opposite chair. "I'm at a loss of words with you both. Did neither of you see the need to inform me about any of this?" Maan hung his head in discomfort knowing he should have been informed but at the time it was the last thing on his mind. Besides, he thought Rohan would have taken care of that.
Rohan got off the phone right then and immediately began to pace like a high strung animal. As each minute passed, his anxiety and impatience multiplied tenfold because no one could explain exactly how this happened. All he could presume now was that this was the result of an extremely disastrous and ill-fated miscommunication. Holding his head in frustration he attempted block out the incessant background voice that stemmed from the television and find a solution but the chaos was too great even within to let him think clearly.
The last thing he needed was a lecture from his uncle but that was exactly what he was going to get he thought when he heard his name being called in that all too familiar brash voice. Turning his head, he released an exasperated look and leaned back against the wall. "I'm ready…just give to me and let's get this over with Uncle."
The carefree attitude only aggravated him further. Did he really think it was all a game? "What reaction do you expect me to have after seeing this?" He fumed angrily pointing at the screen.
Rohan rubbed his forehead annoyed. Why was he so upset about this? It's nothing near to what Walters had done to his sister, at least not in his mind. "I don't understand what the big deal is! I'm not only helping Geet but also all the other people he is scamming money from right now!"
"But there was a better, a less reckless way of going about this and you know it Rohan!" He couldn't help the terseness in his voice. "Can you fathom the consequences of this storm if it gets out that you were involved?"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you…all of you! Nothing will happen. The chances of our connection being leaked are impossible!"
He snorted shaking his head. "How can you be so certain Rohan? According to you, this wasn't supposed to go down until two more days. Yet here we are with it all out and you having no clue how it happened!"
Hearing a slight tone of incompetence directed towards him in the accusation Rohan's nose flared. "It was just a miscommunication. I've talked to Yash and…"
"And what? Now it's going to be okay? Rohan how many times do I have to remind you to work with a cool head!"
Seeing this wasn't going down the right path Maan intervened before the next world war exploded in his library. "Let's all calm down, yelling isn't going to get us anywhere. Our focus should be on what we have to do next. But for that we all need to be on the same page." He then looked directly at Rohan. "I think you should tell him everything from the beginning."
Rohan grunted knowing by giving every detail not only would the questions keep coming but his uncle's anger would also rise. However, he really had no other choice. "Since the beginning I knew something was not right with the lawsuit, mainly the monetary request which is exceedingly high even for a billionaire's death. My first instinct was to dig out every detail about Walters but couldn't risk the case from the outside. Only after receiving Geet's blank call did I move forward. I realized then that no matter how much she might deny it to herself, she needed me."
Rohan pushed away from the wall and went to stand by the window. "So that very day I had Yash and Michael, my private investigator, probe Walters's life. Sadly, I had previously heard of the name years ago through investment circles but didn't pay much attention. Now though I wish I had."
Rubbing the back of his neck Rohan began to pace once again around the library feeling the anxiety come back. "Anyways, a few days later we found two key things that allowed this whole puzzle to make sense. Primarily, Walters's is a fraud and second he's knee deep in debt."
As Maan was already privy to this information, only his Uncle and Vicky had doubtful expressions. "Don't look surprised, the investment strategy Walters firm utilizes is nothing but a scam. Even Yash and I couldn't believe it ourselves at first but we raked through it four times and even had a third eye look at it."
Seeing his Uncle hold his temples in frustration Rohan quickly dissipated his fear of having an untrustworthy outsider involved. "I wasn't that rash Uncle. I understood how sensitive the matter was so I only had Mehta examine the numbers."
He turned to Maan and Vicky clarifying the connection. "He is retired now but was my father's most trusted financial analyst. In less than 3 hours of sifting through financial records and trade patterns of the stock market he agreed that it was impossible. Walters's entire business is a con. There is no feasible way those returns are possible with the numbers Walters's projects."
Chopra felt a little bit of relieve hearing Mehta's confirmation because his expertise could be trusted and guaranteed of no mistake. But he couldn't overlook the fact that Rohan was the mastermind of his and in a quest to crush Walters in one blow he was also at risk of crushing not only Geet's life but his own too. And that's the speculative thought that caused anger to rush with full force inside. "Did it not seem like the best thing right then was to call the Securities and Exchange Commission? Or hell I don't know Rohan call me at least?"
Rohan held his angry gaze with equal determination. "There was no way I could call the SEC! The fraud is so transparent that they had to have known for years what was going on. I suspect they either fear Walters or he's cutting a deal with them. Regardless of which it is, wasting time with them wasn't an option." He paused momentarily before disappointedly replying to his second question. "As for you, I knew you would've stopped me."
Quickly shifting his gaze Rohan finished his narration. "Anyways, we needed more information and that was only possible through firsthand contact. Of course, the possibility of me going in as a potential client for Walters was impossible, Yash volunteered but he's too close to us. So instead, I had Micheal, my PI go in with an alias. During the entire meeting Walters mentioned nothing about the actually strategy, stating it was too complicated and leave all that to him. He claimed there was no reason to worry and just plan on ways to enjoy the profits when they came."
"So basically this guy is running a Ponzi scheme guised as an investment firm?" Vicky questioned.
Rohan nodded his head in assent. "In all simplicity yes, he gives money from new clients to old clients and repeats the cycle."
"I still don't understand how you know all of this." Uncle asked skeptically.
Rohan diverted his eyes knowing this was probably going to blow the top off of his Uncle's head if realistically possible. "Michael wiretapped his office."
If everything else wasn't enough to cause Chopra to have a heart attack this definitely would have done it had the man been of a weak constitute. Instead, he clenched his fists and tried his hardest not to burst into a rant at Rohan.
Seeing his expression Maan tried to defuse the situation despite being equally angry with Rohan on this matter as uncle. "With all of the hard evidence, was the bug really necessary?"
Rohan's shoulders slumped deeper hearing a hint of irritation and disappointment in Maan's tone. "Honestly, I didn't think so but Michael thought otherwise. We all know how easy it is to tamper with evidence so he believed if by chance we were able to obtain a physical admission from Walters then there would be no doubt in anyone's mind about the truth."
As Rohan glanced at the screen a little relief washed inside. It showed the media spectacle that occurred a few hours earlier of Walters being led away from his mansion in handcuffs by police escorts. "The evidence was detrimental. Walters spoke about everything from his bogus investments to details of Geet's case. In one clip, you can hear him blatantly trying to bribe Harvard's Medical School Dean about the allegations."
Maan held his temples in disbelief at how deep this had become. When Rohan called him stating he had a plan to save Geet's career the last thing he expected a plan this detrimental. "What guarantee do you have…" Midway through questioning about traceability concerns Maan's phone rang cutting his words short. His frown deepened reading the name and signaled the others to continue while he took the call.
Seeing his uncle's narrow eyes focusing on him, Rohan rubbed his hands and swallowed hard realizing the whole situation really wasn't reflecting well on him. And to make matters worse, he still wasn't done opening his can of worms. Chopra recognized this immediately when he saw him fidgeting with his hands, a habit he hadn't grown out of since adolescence. "I'm getting tired of this Rohan, spill the rest of it."
Since he was already on the edge, Rohan didn't need to be told twice. "I contacted Geet's lawyer and…"
Chopra held his head wondering why he didn't see that one coming. "I can't believe this Rohan! How many times have I told you to stay away from lawyers?"
Rohan opened his mouth to defend himself but quickly got cut off. "Don't you dare say it's an exception! Every time I turn my back you have lawyers involved!"
"It doesn't really matter now!" Rohan grumbled. "The lawyers drafted and sent the libel suit days ago!" Chopra held the bridge of his nose wondering why kids these days were so impulsive.
Vicky shook his head at their situation but looked on the bright side. While they may be in trouble, it was far less trouble than Walters's was in and he vocalized his conclusion. "This guy has more problems than debt now. He's going to have lawsuits coming from everywhere…clients…Rohan…Harvard…the government and who knows where else."
Rohan sighed and nodded dismally. "I know. We suspected that once the news was released Walters's days of freedom were going to be in the single digits."
"I guess you got one thing right in this plan of yours Rohan." His uncle's dry response cut him but it was true Rohan realized. This premature release of the recordings threw the entire plan out of order. It was supposed to happen after tomorrow once the medical board meeting was over so Geet didn't have to worry about everything all at once. But it seemed forces of the universe wanted to make their life harder.
"Sitting here isn't getting us anywhere. We need to figure out what to do next." Vicky voiced.
Uncle agreed and gazed at Rohan. "When are you going to tell Geet?"
"I was going to tell her when the time was right but now…."
"Now you have to stop planning and start playing Rohan." He hated to say that but it was the only way out. "You started this game and now finish it."
"I understand but we should wait until after the medical board meeting tomorrow is over." Rohan voiced.
Maan had just hung up the phone and picked up the end of their conversation. "That's not a good idea for two reasons. Firstly because the last time I didn't tell her about the allegations she had a massive breakdown and second because we have no choice but to tell her."
All three curious faces stared at him wondering what he meant. He dejectedly walked back to his seat and slumped into it. "It was Mr. Klein on the phone. The judge has ordered emergency court hearing tomorrow."
Sitting here listening to their explanations and excuses, he couldn't take it anymore. Despite being brilliant young minds they proved to him tonight they were not immune to stupidity. He gruffly cleared his throat attracting the attention of all three but directed his message especially to Rohan and Maan. "It's clear you both have done more than necessary. So starting now, I will make the decisions and we will be on the same page. Is that understood?"
Maan nodded feeling like a scolded child. Similarly, Rohan assented and felt not only the disappointment but could see it from the fire in his uncle's eyes. The man was practically his father and it grieved Rohan to see he had let him down. "Good. Now this is what's going to happen. Rohan, I want you to go see Mr. Klein first thing in the morning with Vicky and take care of any remaining legal matters before the court hearing. Maan, you take Geet to the medical board meeting like planned then go to court. I will take care of the remaining mess. Clear enough or any questions?"
Each of them shook their heads despite having a single question hovering in their minds. They awkwardly looked at each other hoping the other would ask until finally Maan built the courage and got it out. "So are you going to tell Geet?"
Chopra only glanced at each of them one by one before shifting his gaze to the door with a sad smile. With all three facing him, none of them knew that she didn't need to be told by anyone.
Edited by Limerance - 12 years ago
Arjun
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