THREE
"Bajaj!" The man in the tan suit cheered. "What brings you here to my humble dwelling?"
He got up from the couch and went forward to greet the visitor.
Rishabh looked around the lavish study room, filled with antiques costing thousands, expensive wine, tasteful decor, and smirked at him, giving him a knowing look.
"Humble dwelling, huh? Modesty does not become you, Vish," he remarked, dryly, while shaking Vish's hand in greeting. "I see you've been busy."
Vish snorted, "Hardly, my friend. But a man has got to do something. Or we wither and die."
"Everything dies, Vish. What matters is what we leave behind in our wake. Our legacy. And you've got quite a mess to leave behind," Rishabh sat down on the opposite couch and crossed his legs.
Vish shook his head in fake remorse, "Oh, Rishabh. Leave it to you to talk of legacy and honour and stuff. I'm telling you, you've aged. What happened to the Rishabh who loved to live in the moment?"
Rishabh gave him a bitter smile before answering, "He died."
And the mood of the room turned somber because for once Vish had nothing to say. He was bereft of words, so he got up and walked to the bar cabinet.
"I need a drink if I have to get through this conversation with you," he muttered. He poured himself a scotch. "Can I get you something?"
"A glass of Chardonnay."
Vish offered him wine and sat in front of him. "How's Prerna? It's been a while since I last saw her."
"she's good. She's in Kolkata right now," Rishabh took a sip.
"Kolkata, I see," Vish smirked at him.
"What do you see?"
"Anurag Basu, Moloy Basu's son lives in Kolkata," Vish muttered the name with slight nonchalance, trying to gauge his friend's reaction.
"I'm pretty sure the entire Basu family lives in Kolkata. What is your point?" Rishabh asked.
"Is this another of your schemes to get back at the Basus?"
"I will never use Prerna to meet my ends. She's there for business of her own."
"If you say so."
"I don't own her, Vish. So she can have business of her own."
"I'm sure she does," Vish swirled the scotch. "But what is your business coming here?"
Rishabh met his gaze, "I need something of yours. I need Andromeda."
Vish spluttered the expensive scotch. "You must be bluffing. This is blasphemy. I've worked on Andromeda for years. I've worshiped it. I won't sacrifice my life's work for your petty schemes."
He got up and started pacing like a mad man, muttering to himself.
Rishabh smirked at him. "Two things. You don't have to be so dramatic and I don't make petty schemes. I'm a grand master of chess. I think 15 steps ahead. So I have a deal of a lifetime for you. One that will serve both of our purposes."
Vish calmed down a little bit but he was still wary.
Rishabh Bajaj was a storm not to be reckoned with. He could give the gods a run for their money with his determination.
Rishabh Bajaj will give his life for those he considers his friends. But his enemies have a better chance at surviving a pride of lions all at once rather than facing him.
But the problem was that no one but him knew who was his friend or foe. Often those lines blurred.
Vish sat down, "Tell me."
Rishabh took out a manila envelope from his jacket. "I'm sure you have heard about Moloy Basu's niece."
"Niece? Which one?"
"The one who hates his family more than anything."
"What's her name?"
"That's for me to know and the Basus to find out. You will remain in the dark for your own safety. Follow the instructions and you'll get your designated reward. Dare to cross me and you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Whatever limited life I will grant you."
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Kukki was laying on her mother's bed in the mansion they had rented for two months.
Her mother was in the bathroom, showering and singing at the same time.
Her mother was blessed with iridescent qualities, but singing was not one of them.
As she belted out the lyrics, she sounded like a teenager, not a 33 year old entrepreneur, mother of a 14 year old.
She smiled fondly, as she skimmed through the pages of the novel she was currently reading.
War and Peace. Her mother had been skeptical when Kukki said that she was going to do her summer report on analyzing War and Peace.
Kukki loved literature and history. And politics, weirdly.
Her father literally looked dumbfounded when she asked him to vote for the candidate of her choice in the upcoming elections. He had asked all his close staff members to vote for the candidate should they deem him worthy.
So, Kukki Bajaj was a weird girl, in a nutshell.
Her mother's phone rang, she was still singing so Kukki picked it up.
"Dad," she chirped.
"Kukki, where is your mother?" came his urgent question.
She rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too, dear beloved father. I've settled in comfortably in the mansion, thank you for asking. How are you." Her voice dripped with fake sweetess.
She could hear her father smiling, "I'm sorry, Kukki. I overlooked about my fatherly duties,forgive me. I'm glad you've settled in. I just had something to tell Prerna."
"You're forgiven." She got up and went to her room.
She added casually, "So, are you finally going to confess your undying love to Prerna?"
She asked, annoyed.
"What?!" her father exclaimed. "Kukki."
"Oh, come on, dad. Anyone with half a brain could see that you're utterly and irrevocably in love with her. And you're not particularly discreet. I'm 14 and I see it."
"Is it that apparent?" came his pensive voice.
"Yes, you're pathetic. People don't do the things you've done for her if they don't love them. I'm pretty sure that you were thinking about her in her room, looking at her picture. Just tell her," she snapped but not rudely.
There was a sigh, "It's complicated."
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"It's complicated," Rishabh sighed.
He couldn't believe that he was sharing his weals and woes with his 14 year old daughter. But who did he have except her. He was proud of Kukki and the young woman she was growing up to be. Every time he looked at her, he would feel as if he'd done something right. He was blessed for a man like him did not deserve to have a daughter like her.
She was determined, not obstinate. Diligent not overworking. She never let obstacles stop her from achieving what she wanted. She was 14 and yet she was well informed and had an opinion about everything. She was kind and yet clever. And she could be vicious if her family was threatened.
She kept her cool like a boss but once her anger took over, god help them.
She broke the nose of a senior when she was 13. He had some crude remarks about Prerna.
When asked why she behaved so aggressively, she simple replied that she was too young to break that bully's will so she broke his nose instead. Rishabh had thrown his head back and laughed while Prerna glared at him. She was so much like him, but better.
She was the best of him, Menaka, Prerna and his mother. She was the best of everything good there was in his world
She sounded a thousand years old when she replied, "Love always is."
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Prerna missed him. She missed Mr. Bajaj. It had been over three days since she came to Kolkata and she hadn't been able to talk to him once. She was eager to tell him everything that had happened.
Buying the shares, finding out about Anurag's daughter.
She wanted him to revel with her in her happiness and share her sorrows.
She was sitting in her office in Bajaj Enterprises, furiously typing on her laptop. But her gaze kept going back to her phone.
Why hadn't he called her? Was he busy?
It was so unlike him. She had thought, that given his protective nature, he would keep disturbing every few minutes. But her phone was silent and it bothered her.
Should she call him? But what would she say? She had no reason. She just missed his comforting voice. She was lost in her dilemma when Shivin, her secretary barged in.
"I'm sorry ma'am, to barge in so unceremoniously," he was sweating profusely. His face was pale and immediately warning bells rang in Prerna's mind.
"What's the matter, Shivin?"
"Mr. Basu, he......"
"What did he do?"
"He had planted a mole in our midst. The mole gave him all the necessary information about the upcoming tender. We've lost the 200 cr deal to him."
"That b**tard!"
Anurag had just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life by crossing Prerna and he was going to regret it.
His phone rang.
He answered it, "Yes, I'm Shivin Chauhan, Ms. Sharma's secretary. Yes....A moment. Ma'am there's a call for you."
Prerna took the phone, "Prerna here."
"Prerna, I just found out about your loss," a woman replied.
Prerna was dumbstruck. How could this woman know?
The woman continued, "We both have same goals, Prerna. We both want to watch the Basus burn. You're going to need an ally if you're to wage a war against them. They have their connections everywhere. If you're interested, call me tomorrow. Or we can both forget that this conversation ever happened."
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Author's Note
So, here it is. The third chapter. I know it isn't that good but I needed some proper buildup if the story is to progress smoothly. Rishabh and Prerna will meet in the next chapter.
Tell me what you think about this chapter and how do you like my fan fiction so far.
P.S. What in the world do you think Andromeda is? Is Mr. B planning something big?
P.S.S Who do you think the mysterious woman is? Do let me know.
Love,
Aria
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
