Interlude 13: The Personal Agenda
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Ishaani shot up awake abruptly, screaming. She looked around the room frantically, as though expecting to see the alleyway where Ranveer now lay dead in her arms, the weight of his limp head upon her lap. But all she got was the darkness of her room. Switching on the light beside her, she felt her body shake with the lingering horror of her dream, her heart still beating irregularly. She'd not dreamt about this for ten years now, and the presence of the dream was unnerving.
She could feel the sweat and tears cling upon her face as she hugged herself, shutting her eyes to rid herself of the gruesome image. Oh, it was the same dream with the exact same details - nothing changing even in the slightest. The same mist that she escaped from until she ended up in the alley with three masked men behind her... The same fight, the same gunpoint... And the same saviour in the form of Ranveer.
It was exactly the same.
Ishaani sighed as she felt another couple of tears leave her eyes, her shoulder aching her terribly. The bullet had ripped through his chest and lodged into her shoulder... Wait, if that was in her dream, why did it ache her so much in reality? She blindly let her finger trail upon her shoulder and she gasped. Blood. She swung herself off from the bed and hurried in front of the dressing mirror to take her appearance in. She was bleeding through the bandage on her shoulder.
There was no scalpel, but she'd chosen a blade for the job this time. She'd bled through the bandage. Damn it, she cursed. Feeling her breathing come back to normal, she sighed as she walked into the washroom and pulled out the first aid box from the cabinet, now feeling angry. What was the occurrence of her dream supposed to mean? She swiftly pulled off the bandage and washed her wound with antiseptic, thanking her stars that it wasn't infected.
The dream... She thought it was the end of it when they'd been victims of the 26th July floods. It had never returned back after the night when she'd given him those eighteen promises.Then why now? Ishaani looked into the mirror and recoiled. She looked identical to her dream self now. Identical in all ways. Did Ranveer look the same now? There were no photos available of him - neither on the web nor in person about how he looked now.
Ishaani gulped uneasily, re-doing the bandage around her shoulder once she was satisfied that the wound had stopped bleeding. She'd have to be careful the next time. The blade wasn't suited for her. It may have been a little too strong for her than the scalpel but it would have to do for now. Atleast she felt in control. She looked into the dustbin where the bloody blade stared at her maliciously, turning away angrily, disgusted with herself. She'd sworn not to ever go down that path again.
Why was she doing it then?
Ishaani looked up and stared at her reflection, her face lit with the human emotion of fear. Her frame shook again as the pictures flit into her mind sickeningly and no matter how much she tried to rid her mind of them, they stuck on with more determination. She opened her eyes weakly as she saw them turn red, oddly reminding her of all the blood upon her hands. His blood.
She threw up in the basin as she felt her knees wobble, the mental exhaustion getting the better of her. She clumsily supported herself upon the basin with her elbows as she turned on the tap and splashed water upon her face, hoping for the sudden dizziness to fade away. If anything, it only intensified. Ishaani was barely aware of her eyes falling upon the now-clean basin as her hands blindly navigated in the direction of the tap to turn off the cool water when she felt herself fall into a quiet blackness, her mind finally clearing itself of the bloodcurdling images.
-x-
Ishaani opened her eyes, her head aching fit to burst. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, the dim lights of the washroom a relief. She stood up shakily once she felt better, taking the support of the wall as she propped herself upon her feet. She felt terribly sick of the freak show that her mind was playing with her.
Why couldn't everything end once and for all?
She left the washroom shakily as she eyed the clock on the wall - 5:45AM. Sleep no longer hovering upon her senses, she halfheartedly sat upon her desk, eyeing the photo frame in front of her eyes. It was a photo of herself, Disha, Ranveer and her parents all together in her room while the camera was set upon a timer. It was the picture from her seventeenth birthday. All of them were laughing carelessly, the candles burning brightly upon the cake.
Another photo sat beside it of Ishaani having her arms around Ranveer in a side-hug as they both stared at each other intensely while their rings sparkled, a huge smile on both of their faces - hers mischievous, his coy. But their customary smiles that made the others' day. This photo was taken days before he left for Sydney. The photo brimmed with passion.
Passion.
He'd taught her what it felt to be passionate about life. Passionate about every single day, passionate about the zest of living. Passionate about becoming something in life, passionate about succeeding and achieving your dreams. She had to pull herself up - this kind of human weakness would not do. There was a lot she needed to achieve yet, a lot more she needed to make a mark upon.
The rays entered the room powerfully as the perfectionist got up from her chair, leaving behind the darkness of her mind along with the end of the night. The dawn had fallen; the dark waters had to embrace light. And so she did, walking up towards her armoire and pulling out the files pertaining her office work. The wait for him was her reason to live, but her passion to become the woman her father and he dreamt of her becoming was what kept her driving.
There was no time to be weak - it was time to complete a legacy. And this time tomorrow would determine whether the next step to completing it would be successful or no. But even before that, she had the Saxenas to break her head behind. The deal may have been finalized with Saxena Jr., but she'd rather throw herself off from the roof than work with the boy. He thought he could become the next Ishaani Parekh in terms of the mind-boggling success and grandeur she received in those four years.
Stupid boy.
Not everybody had the destiny of Ishaani Parekh.
The boy was intelligent and smart, no doubt, but just like with all inexperienced freshers, he thought himself to know everything and to be perfectly equipped for the job. There was less application of common sense and more of theoretical academics, something that life had not yet taught him how useless it was. This was the real war-field where experience and instinct helped, not marks. The only plus point he had was his father's financial power and backing, but even that was useless in her eyes.
The power of his brain mattered to her, not the power of his money. And since like he was grown into learning to abuse his father's power, he was arrogant, lazy and ignorant - all the three of which were a big no-no for her. Nobody screwed with Ishaani Parekh and walked away scot-free. And since it was the first meeting today after the two companies signed the contract for the residential complex construction in Parel, she knew that she'd have to bear with Saxena Sr., who was no better than his son. But atleast he had the humility of his experiences to compensate for.
Humility or not, she knew how to get the job done.
-x-
Miss Parekh sat upon her desk, a relaxed look upon her face.
Her day was going as well as she could have hoped for it so far. The meeting with Saxena Sr. had just come to an end and she let her back fall upon the chair tiredly. For once, Saxena Sr. seemed to talk something sensible and the genuine gusto he showed for the project was something that sparked a little more enthusiasm into her as well. His ideas were innovative and reasonable, and by the end of the discussion she felt relatively more confident in her decision to go forward with the deal.
Mr. Sengupta had seen Mr. Saxena out, discussing a few finer details of the project animatedly before they got into contact with the architect and the PMC firm to be appointed for the same. Puneet and Rishi both entered the room after taking her permission, looking exhausted.
"Well?"
"The supplier's agreed for 3%," came back Rishi's immediate response. Boss and employee shared a look of common understanding.
"Tell him it's 2.5% and we both walk away happily."
"But ma'am-" began Rishi, now sounding exhausted.
"Trust me, Mr. Rishi. Even he knows what's going to be the final price. If he could slash off 7%..." countered Miss Parekh, looking at him keenly.
"Thanks to my convincing skills..." muttered Rishi under his breath for Puneet to hear. Ishaani cocked her eyebrow at the two men who gave each other a sly smile, getting a gist of what went through between them.
"Yes, well, get this to 2.5% and I'll bump in a bonus," added Miss Parekh and Rishi stared at her, flustered.
"What?"
"Mr. Rishi, I'm not even that arrogant or heartless. I recognize and appreciate efforts when I see them," she added coldly, but neither of them missed the warmth in her eyes. Both the men now looked embarrassed as she continued. "How long has it been since you've last slept properly?"
"Four days..."
"You and Mr. Puneet both can take the day off once you're done with the supplier. I need you at your best tomorrow and the two of you have earned it. We're ready with all the documents and presentations, so you needn't worry about that," added Miss Parekh, the tiredness betraying its way into her voice as well.
Both of them looked at each other as she got up and walked towards the frame of her father upon the wall, his photo smiling at her broadly. She trailed her fingers upon them gently, looking lost.
"My father told me loads and loads of stories upon Harshad Parekh. How he was a legend and that he was a man in a million. My father was his chief associate. I wanted to work and train under him as well, but before I got the chance, he passed away. But I did meet him several times... I've never seen a man like him," spoke Puneet as he came and stood behind Ishaani, staring at the photo in reverence.
"Yes, he was always like that - giving, selfless, passionate about his work," came Miss Parekh's lost reply. She didn't turn behind.
"I only ever had the chance to interact with him once, during a seminar. He was my role-model and my idol. I wanted to become just like him... But my father always told me that nobody could become Harshad Parekh because he was one of a kind. If we ever learnt 1% of his experience, we were set for life," added Rishi, now joining Puneet.
Silence prevailed for some time before Miss Parekh spoke, her voice suddenly carrying a purpose.
"As a child, my best friend and I both idolized our father. We stayed with him all the time and always kept learning so many things from him. It wouldn't be wrong if I said that my father loved him more than me. He trained him personally under his own hand since he was fourteen. Papa could take no business decision without him and he became the life and soul of the Parekh Empire behind the scenes. He never liked being in the limelight. Papa wanted to make him the next King of Dalal Street."
"What happened?" asked Puneet, now curious.
"I killed him," whispered Ishaani and the two men gasped unconsciously. Ishaani smiled bitterly in spite of herself and continued. "He loved me so much... but I thought I loved Chirag. He lived because of me... for me. I took away his reason to live that night when I pushed him away. I killed him."
"Where is he now?" asked Rishi cautiously after some time.
"At the topmost pinnacle of success," came the dreamy reply. Both the men stared at their boss in pity. "A success even crazier than my own. Papa would have been so proud of him had he been alive. He must be very proud of him wherever he is, if he's watching over us."
"He'd be extremely proud of you as well, ma'am," came Puneet's instant reply. "My father and I always have a debate on this - he says that another Harshad Parekh would be born in another lifetime. I tell him that I'm working with Miss Parekh, who is as close as she could get to being her father."
"That's sweet, Mr. Puneet," replied Miss Parekh, her voice gratuitous. "My father would be proud of me professionally, oh yes. But personally? I think he would have died with shame if he was alive to see what I did to my best friend that night."
"Even you loved him now, didn't you?" asked Rishi, his voice now laced with understanding. She sighed.
"I think I've been in love with him since the moment he saved my life when I was eight. I was just too stupid and oblivious to realize it and by the time I did, my ruined life was thrown back at my face. I have no one to blame for this but myself."
"What happened to him, then?" asked Puneet.
"I don't know. His personal life is not known to anyone. That's how he always was - very private about his personal life. His professional achievements and milestones are no secret though," replied Miss Parekh, the pride evident in her voice.
"When did you find out about him?" question Rishi curiously.
"Six months, ago." When both the men shuffled their feet, not knowing how to ask the question they so badly wanted to ask, Ishaani eased them from their plight. "He's a widower now, I think."
"Why didn't you ever try reconciling with him?" asked Rishi swiftly, instantly regretting his hastiness. iss never entrusted her secrets. But somehow, today seemed like an exception.
"When he completed his graduation, he received a scholarship from the Sydney Business School for completing his Masters in Financial Economics. He was so thrilled to take up on the offer because that meant getting a step closer to his dreams and ambitions. I was so happy that he was getting the chance, but I was selfish. I didn't know what I'd do without him. I was supposed to go to the US for my higher studies, but there was still another year for that. I'd never stayed apart from him for so long and I didn't want him to go and leave me alone. He'd been protecting me for so long that without him, nothing felt right. Nothing felt good."
"I'd made up my mind with all sorts of plans to keep him from going. Anything it took. Oh, I was so selfish, but Papa found out. I'd never forget that conversation that the two of us had that day. Papa had locked himself and me into the room and we'd had the most serious conversation that we'd ever had until that point. He explained it out to me - how I was always a distraction to him and how I was the only thing that would hinder him for achieving what he wanted in life. Goodness knew how much I wanted him to succeed and how much I wanted to see him become a big man."
"How did you agree?" asked Puneet, now spell-bound like his colleague.
Both the men knew that Miss Parekh was the most stubborn woman anybody could lay eyes upon. If she wanted something, she would only rest when she had it.
"It was Papa, afterall... He knew how to get his point across. In the end, he took a promise from me. To quote him, he asked me 'to always be his support in his fight for success and if I couldn't, then to stay in the shadows and let him fight. He is a fighter, he'll emerge victorious. Be his inspiration, not his obstacle'. I couldn't face him after what I'd done to him that night. I didn't deserve him. I didn't know where he was or whether he was even alive. I didn't know where his parents were, either. All I could do was begin upon the path that both my father and he knew that I could accomplish and become in life with the hope that wherever he was, he would be happy and well."
"I think they would both be proud of you," added Rishi compassionately. Miss Parekh nodded her head slowly, speaking now in an entrancing monologue.
"Ten years ago, my father missed out on a final legacy before his retirement. Something he was always sore about. He'd missed out upon the London monopoly back then in a similar diamond consignment to London with the exact same scenario. At that time, the two of us had sworn that we would complete his legacy, and Papa just smiled at us. We were just children, but I don't think he underestimated us even for a minute. And here we are today, on the brink of completing a long-lost, incomplete legacy."
Both the men gasped as they learnt an intimate secret about their boss, something they believed would never be possible. Miss Parekh was an enigma that could never be unveiled. Feeling a shiver run down their spine, Puneet asked slowly.
"So now that he's achieved everything that your father hoped for him to achieve, why didn't you try contacting him about this?" Miss Parekh turned around, an ironic smile upon her lips as both the men stared at her, surprised.
"I have. And we have an appointment scheduled for four in the evening tomorrow."
Both the men gasped loudly as the shock of the statement echoed around the whole cabin, hitting them with one powerful wave after another. They couldn't believe it and yet it all made sense. The legendary RV and the acclaimed Miss Parekh had a history that ran through years. Two peas of a pod - both marked for greatness. Trained under the same man whose legacies were glorious in the stock markets as well as the diamond one.
But in reality, they were his two biggest legacies.
"I knew there was a catch when you were telling us such a personal story," coughed Puneet awkwardly as he flushed red. He looked awestruck.
"It's ma'am. There's logic and a reason behind everything that she does," said Rishi, his eyes now staring at his shoes as though he would blind himself if he looked at her.
"Well, logic is the driving force of everything," said Ishaani good-naturedly. "And since the two of you now know, you also know how important it is that tomorrow's meeting goes off well. Everything depends upon it. Not personally, professionally," emphasized Ishaani and both the men looked up at her and nodded, looking serious.
"Wow, and I thought the pressure couldn't get any worse," whispered Rishi to Puneet, but it was loud enough for Ishaani to hear as well. She smiled slyly, making the two men stare at her in even more awe.
"Cheeky as that was, Mr. Rishi, I'd still be needing both of you well-prepared by eleven tomorrow morning. No margin of error can be allowed now that we are so close."
Both the men nodded their head as they understood their dismissal, leaving the cabin immediately.
-x-
'Sarah, look at me," whispered Ben as he cupped her face, his eyes too powerful to turn away from. She nodded her head as tears rolled down her cheeks, the green of his gaze burn through her brown ones. Ben smiled weakly as he wiped her tears away with the sleeve of his shirt, his voice now hoarse.
"I want you to remember something for as long as you are alive. I may not live in myself any longer after a few days, but I live in you. You will never be able to physically find me, but whenever you need me beside you, know that all you'd have to do is look within your heart... your soul. In your memories... in every single breath you take. We are not bound by any relationship... simply by each other's soul. I trust you to know and remember everything - everything I say, everything I do... Until we meet again at the doorstep of another world. I love you, Sarah... More than anything else in this world. You are my greatest treasure, my only source of happiness...'
Ishaani kept the book down and smiled in spite of herself, her breath hitched in her chest. This was her favourite part of the book. There was such a ruthless agony latched in this moment that broke her heart, the tears automatically brimming up into her eyes as fate tore apart these two lovers. They didn't deserve that fate, she did not deserve that fate. Not after everything she'd been through.
But when was life ever fair again?
Ishaani shut the book and sighed. She'd taken to reading the book every night ever since she knew about the mystery behind Ian-Hake Parish, the book keeping Ranveer's essence alive in her just like Ben promised Sarah right now. How could Ian-Hake Parish not be him when every word bled of his essence?
But she wouldn't need either Caffeinated Love or her diaries anymore. Tomorrow, he was returning back to her. It was the homecoming of an old friend. Whether or not that friend existed, she did not know, but it was worth a shot. There was always a right time for everything, Ishaani. Nothing ever happens before or after. It happens when it's meant to happen. This was what her father always told her.
A knock on the door snapped her out from her thoughts as she looked at Mala standing outside, a bouquet in her hand. Blue-purple orchids. Ishaani looked at Mala stupidly as the latter stepped inside and handed over the bouquet to her, looking awkward. Ishaani threw her a bewildered look, and Mala spoke quickly.
"The flower-boy came to deliver this. He didn't say who it was from."
Ishaani nodded her head, waiting for Mala to leave before she searched around the bouquet, finding for a note. Finding one hidden between the flowers shoddily, she pulled it out and stared at it curiously, wondering who they were from. Her preference of her favourite flowers had changed from the blue-purple orchids to the white-purple ones, but nobody knew that again. Wait... could it be... him? Opening the note now with gusto, she found her blood go cold when she saw the untidy scrawl upon it, a handwriting she'd just read through the previous night upon.
I'll be using these when they cremate you. Soon.
Ishaani stared at the note for five whole minutes, her mind refusing to believe what she was seeing. For a moment there, she was so sure that it was... But since when did life give her pleasant surprises anyway? As she stared at the death threat, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Even Chirag could do better than that. Rolling her eyes at the note, she got up and walked up towards her cupboard, where most of her read diaries remained stacked.
Pulling out the three dreaded ones, she flipped through the pages angrily as she saw her own neat cursive running across the pages, every word singing a praise for him. And now that she flipped through those pages, she could see Ranveer's entire knowledge being radiated from Chirag. The illusion... the perfect illusion. He studied her so well and blended into the role of Ranveer so well that it was sick. Oh... he was just being a nice guy who was trying to give her company... good manners, modest, decent, honest... just what she admired in people.
Friendship gradually happened but he never forced himself upon her as her best friend. He always mentioned Ranveer and how lucky she was to have him and she'd go on talking about Ranveer for hours and hours, until he nearly knew his entire life story. And then begun the slow manipulation... all of Ranveer's traits packed in him that he revealed little by little, leaving her bewitched and her heart fluttering. It was just the perfect amount at all the 'supposedly' innocent moments.
Giving the drivers and house help their due leaves and bonuses, helping an old lady on the road, helping his cousins out with something or the other, helping Papa with a difficulty or two in business and not taking any credit for it, defending her from Baa and all the others, and giving her ice-cream when she was sad and taking her on long drives to make her mood alright. He even helped the valets' park cars, for crying out loud! He was humble, ground-to-earth and had a humility that was uncharacteristic of any rich family's heir. But the truth did not change - he was an illusion of Ranveer in another face. How could she have been so stupid?
How smart of him to just replace the image in her head but keep her love for him alive.
Friendship gradually changed into liking and with it came the little nuances that Ranveer would do for her - tucking her hair back when she was occupied, or ready to become the butt of jokes when she was sad, or crack jokes and make her happy. Talk about his ambitions and goals and about how much he trusted her to do something extraordinary in life and that too with such heartrendering conviction that it made her like him just a little more. He made her parents happy and would stargaze with her. But he knew where to draw the line. Had he said he loved samosas, he would have lost the game.
He retained his lifestyle changes and yet knew where to blend in Ranveer's. That son of a bitch. And then he played a masterstroke.
She'd been going through a terribly low phase for two months. And one fine day when things had reached a new all-time low, Baa had insulted her at a public gathering of over a 1000 people and she'd left the place in tears - tired, frustrated and hurt. It was raining and she had been walking carelessly on the road, unaware about anything. A car was about to hit her when somebody pulled her out of harms' way, holding her in a protective embrace. She shrieked and fought against the grip for her to be let gone off, but the grip remained firm until she looked up and saw Chirag.
He deserved the Oscar for his performance. The horrified expression, the "supposed" pain and love in the eyes, his grip upon her hand strong, but warm. His gaze had washed her brains of all her senses. Oh, and then she'd fallen silent and he'd cupped her cheek, the intensity in his gaze never wavering even once. He'd bridged the gap between them and kissed her forehead as she shut her eyes, the rain and her tears mingling amiably.
"Ishaani, I don't know whether anybody else loves you or cares for you. I don't care whether the world hates you. You think that nobody loves you but you're wrong! I love you, Ishaani, and I cannot even imagine having to live a day of my life without seeing you. So don't ever say or do anything like this again, okay? I'd... I'd die without you..." he'd whispered in fright, his voice soft as he let a tear fall. And how it worked like a charm!
She'd succumbed in his arms, meaning those three dreaded words as she looked up and whispered them to him. I love you.
And from there began the final stage of the manipulation where his love for her was highlighted, along with Ranveer's absence at a time when she was so vulnerable. I don't blame him, but how can his dreams be more important than you, Ishaani? I could never, ever do that. She was still reeling from the shock of everything that had happened and her own emotional issues. And like he had predicted, the dart had found its target.
She did not resent it or hate it, and had even asked Chirag to shut up, but all he had to do was leave her alone with the thought when she was emotionally vulnerable. And just like a termite, a little more of his views and promises were warped and spun around her carefully, never once overdone, never once unsatisfactory. By the time Ranveer returned, his minion was ready. Ready to destroy Ranveer as well as herself. Two birds with one stone. And then he played the final stroke after her father passed away.
Ishaani shut her eyes as she slammed all the three diaries on the floor, now livid. For a maddening moment, she wanted to personally take out all the pages of the sick diaries and shred them into pieces and set them on fire, but then she gained back her senses. The day would come when she would burn away all of those, but that was when Chirag's chapter would end in her life.
The day was soon, anyway. Taking in deep breaths, she picked up the books and threw them in the cupboard with the least bit of mercy along with the new note. Turning back, she saw the flowers staring at her innocently. She definitely hated the blue-purple orchids now. Years ago, a single flower had made her day. Today, a bouquet of them had destroyed it.
Calling Mala back into the room and instructing her to take the flowers away from her sight, she shut the door behind her and fell upon the bed tiredly. Her body shivered slightly as she tried letting the disgusting memories and knowledge fade away from her mind. But when nothing worked upon her an hour later, she opened the drawer and pulled out the last diary that was to be read again.
This was it. The wait had almost come to an end.
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Interlude 14
Edited by LadyMeringue - 8 years ago