Chapter 35
The boys grabbed Shukla before he could fly out to meet Markaat. Grabbing him a cage, they took him to Singhania Mansion.
âShuklaâŚ. Welcome back.â Veer taunted as he stayed in Monilâs body. Shukla wasnât a fool. He knew it was Veer. Before Shukla could run, Veer grabbed his throat. âItni jaldi kya hai, Shukla ji?â
Daksh started beating him black and blue. Sam grabbed him and kicked him in the gut.
âKaafi purani baras hai, Shukla, and this is just the start. Abhi toh bohot saara hisaab pura karna hai.â Sam commented.
âIsse baat kya karna?â Daksh growled. The boys made him bend down before Veer. âAbh bata kon hai humare Rajkumar?â
âMâŚmujhe baksh dijiye⌠Veer babaâŚâ Shukla tried to make him emotional. Veer raised an eyebrow.
âShukla⌠ShuklaâŚ.Shukla.... Aisa kyu lagta hai tumhe ki tumhe dekh ke main emotional ho jaaunga?â Veer asked tauntingly.
âVeer baba, maine toh aapko bachpan se bada kiya hai.â
âHaan. Shukla, sahi baat toh hai. Tumne mujhe bachpan se bada hota dekha hai. Toh yeh bhi jaante hoge ki Veeranshu Singhania kitna sanki aur ziddi hai. Tu toh first part hai. Tere partner Jay ko bhi jald hi pakad lenge. Meri sweetheart ko abhi lagta hai ki woh uska dost hai but I know better. Woh Chandrakala ke saath hai. Usne jo kiya hai uski bharpaayi toh woh karega.â
Bani stood at the top of the stairs and saw the boys beating Shukla. Bani winced. He was thrown left and right. She watched Veer sitting on the throne like chair as the boys were taking out all their anger on Shukla. He was whistling like it wasnât much of an interesting matter to look into. His ankle on his other knee. He was sharpening his talons with a sharpening tool.
Monil wouldnât seem kingly but Veer, in any body, can manage to give out that kingly aura. The bad boy prince.
For a moment, Bani let herself look at his crazy antics. She was amused. Someone who seemed so emotional a while ago at seeing his mother was now back to the same old Veeranshu Singhania. At a point, Shukla fell before his feet, he simply kicked him away like he was dirt.
âBas karoâŚâ Bani told them when she thought if she didnât involve herself, theyâd just kill him. âWoh mar jaayega.â
âWho the bloody hell cares? He can die and go to hell. I donât care. Clearly, none of us care.â Veer answered shrugging his shoulders. He continued sharpening his talons.
âHe isnât going to be of any use if he is dead.â
He tilted his head and looked at her.
âAisa kya hai ismein jo mere kaam ka hai? Not like he can be of any help. Jo ek baar dhoka kare woh phir se dhoka kar sakta hai. Bewakoofi hoti hai phir se us par bharosa karne mein jo ek baar tumhe maarne ki koshish kar chuka ho aur tumhari maut ki tayari kare. Iâm far from an idiot.â
Bani felt the jab he took at her trust on Jay. She took a deep breath. She canât deny it. He checked the sharpness of the talon on the chairâs cover. His look showed his dissatisfaction. He continued sharpening it. That side of him reminded her so wildly of Aakesh that it would sometimes overwhelm her. Veeranshu Singhania can be intimidating when he wanted to.
The boys didnât stop beating Shukla.
âRuko tohâŚâ Bani tried to tell them. They looked at Veer and he signalled to continued.
âKya? Chutti hai kya? Continue. Iâll let you know when I change my mind about what to do about Shukla. Kaafi susti aa gayi hai tum sabh mein.â
Bani stood before Veer and changed into her Naagin eyes, trying to threaten him to stop. Veer grinned and stood up. The boys stopped to check the interesting scene. All of the Singhanias knew that Veer was in his mood. He was going to be pretty insolent. Whenever Veer Singhania was in mood, he was going to do what he want without a care for anyone's opinion.
âPata hai tumhari Aankhen aur is dagger mein ek similarity. Dono dil ke aar paar nikal jaati hai.â Veer flirted grinning. He clicked his fingers to his brothers, ordering them to continue their work. Daksh was more than glad. Balwant was more than happy to have his son back in his form. He was grinning.
âBani, better hoga ki tum beech mein se hat jaao.â Balwant told her. Veer looked right into her. She canât intimidate him. She should have known.
âVeeranshuâŚâ
âUff⌠kitna accha sound karta hai tumhare muh se mera naam. You can go on saying my name as much as you want.â
Bani walked to the boys and stopped them from beating Shukla.
âBas bohot ho gaya.â
Veer grabbed her by her arm and pulled her out of the way. He signalled them to stop. Shukla was already in a bad shape. He casually put his arm on Baniâs shoulder and looked at Shukla.
âIsse bura haal toh tumne iske beto ka kiya tha aur mujhe bol rahi ho?â Veer called out on her hypocrisy.
âBadtameezi nahiâŚâ Bani told him. He chuckled. She pushed his arm off her.
âVeer bhai, please. Yeh romance mat karo. Kaafi disturbing image hai. Monil and Bhabhi⌠quite a disturbing imageâŚâ Sam complained, pushing away Veer from Bani.
âYeh 3-foot distance maintain karna please.â Ponky added, agreeing with Sam.
âBhabhi, how about we prepare with the plan. Aap toh waise Shukla ki jagah jaane wali hai.â Daksh decided to keep her a little prepared about anything Markaat might throw at her. âKuch bhi usne kaha aur aapko samajh nahi aaya ki kaise karna hai. Mujhe call karna.â
Veer reminded her of the locket she gave him long ago.
âBracelet hai?â
Bani showed him on her hand.
âUse doubt nahi hoga agar Shukla bracelet pehne toh?â Ponky questioned.
âKoi ring nahi de sakte kyuki Markaat itna bhi bewakoof nahi hai. Ki he canât recognize the stone.â Veer reminded them. He took the bracelet from her and made her wear the locket.
âTum bracelet pehnoge?â Balwant asked.
âDad, what does it matter. The important part is that we need to get the job done. Agar mere bracelet pehene se kaam ho raha than whatâs the problem?â
Veer wore the bracelet. He rubbed his hands on her arm.
âAcha, okay. Be careful. Donât try to be Jhansi ki Rani kyuki Markaat ko chota sa bhi doubt hua toh woh sochega nahi attack karne se pehle. Tum toh us attack ka karara jawaab dene se rahi nahi because youâre so damn attracted to my hotness.â Veer told her. Bani rolled her eyes at him. How in the world did she end up liking someone like Veeranshu Singhania so much? Nonetheless, she smiled.
âGood luck, Bhabhi.â Sam gave her a fist bump.
âJust donât worry. Just try to be Shukla as possible for you.â
âYeh sahi nahi haiâŚâ Shukla cried.
âAbe chup⌠Soch le. Abh toh Bani bhi jaane wali hai. Tu toh yahi rahega. Zyaada bolne ki koshish toh yahin gaad denge. Bani bhi bachane nahi aa paayegi.â
Bani grabbed Veer by his collar.
âThoda sa focus kare? Shukla se pyaar baad mein ladana. Abhi important kaam hai.â Bani pulled him away from Shukla. Tapish chuckled. No one can deal with Veer the way Bani does.
âBani, tumne socha kya hai? As such toh tumhe Veer ka plan sahi nahi lag raha. Chalo tum zeher dena nahi chahti toh aur kya kar sakte hai?â Tapish asked her.
âTapish bhai. Zeher and all I can do. Zeher ke baare mein mujhse better kon jaan sakta hai but it wouldnât be safe. Matlab, it can work adversely. Kuch bhi hua toh main yeh bardaash nahi kar paaungiâŚâ Bani explained.
âUff⌠itna pyaar. Bas woh teen words bolne mein aapka ego hurt ho jaata hai.â Veer teased her.
âEk minute. Chup raho toh.â Bani shut him up.
âMushrooms.â Bani suggested.
âHain??â Ponky asked confused.
âVeer ko mushrooms se allergy hai. Ek taraf toh yeh baat already Veer use bol chuka hai ki Veer ki apni body kamzoor ho gayi hai. Toh agar thoda sa allergic reaction hua aur body react karegi toh first thought uska allergic reaction pe nahi jaayega. Heâll only think of the weakened state.â Bani suggested. âMatlab weâll keep it to a basic level. Abh Markaat ko konsa itna information hai Veeranshu ke baare mein.â
âTumhe bohot haiâŚâ Veer teased her.
âTum serious nahi ho sakte kya?â Bani asked.
âNahi⌠nahi ho sakta. Sarphira⌠sarphira âŚ. Sarphira. Sarphire log bekaar ki tension nahi lete. Aur tum, Jhansi ki Rani, jaa rahi ho jung ladne. Toh kis baat ki tension? Relax.â Veer answered. Bani gave him an exasperated look.
âSabse pehle toh ise baandh ke rakho. Pure ghar ko pagal kar rahka hai. Yeh bhi pagal hai aur iske plans bhi pagal hai. Matlab koi khud ko zeher deta hai kya?â Bani complained to Tapish about Veer.
âTapish bhai tumhari saas hai kya jo unse complain kar rahi ho?â
Tapish and Bani both gave a look to Veer.
âBani, tum ek kaam karo. Stay on your plan. Try with allergy reaction. Agar usne kaam nahi kiya toh phir hum Veer ke plan ke saath chalte hai.â Tapish agreed with her. Bani looked a bit worried.
âWhat if this fails?â Ponky asked.
âPonky, failureâs not an option. Veeranshu Singhania kabhi nahi harta. Aur main khud ko harne dun, yeh possible nahi hai.â Veer answered with a tone that was clear. He wasn't going to tolerate failure.
âHaan par waha toh Bhabhi jaa rahi hai. Unse nahi hua toh? I mean agar Bhabhi use dekh ke emotional ho gayi aur nahi kar paayi toh?â
Daksh hit him on the head.
âIdiot. Tujhe kya lagta hai. She hasnât thought about that? Bhabhi ko bhi pata hai yeh baat ki possibility hai. She knows what she has to do.â Daksh answered. Bani was preparing herself. The brothers took away Shukla inside to the basement room.
âBani, just relax. Donât get too emotional.â Veer tried to tell.
âPonky galat bhi nahi hai. What if I donât get it done?â
Veer started laughing. Balwant and Pawan looked at him surprised. Veer laughed like crazy.
âCan you stop laughing?â Bani asked, slightly offended.
âI realize what this is. Ek baar maine tumhe hara kya diya, tum toh puri tarah darr gayi, yaar. Ek baar Aakesh se panga laga aur tumhari himmat phuss?â Veer taunted her. âAccha hai. Yeh darr accha hai.â
âMind itâŚâ Bani tried to warn her. His expression went from taunting laughter to a challenging one.
âKyu? Sacchai hazam nahi ho rahi. Bani, youâre just too scared.â He taunted her. Bani felt her temper creeping up.
âTum khud ko samajhte kya ho? Jo muh mein aaya bole jaa rahe hoâŚâ Bani commented. Veer scoffed.
âAur kya kahun, sweetheart? Ek baar haar taste kiya aur darr baith gaya? The thing that differentiated you from Markaat, Chandrakala and me is that hum mein woh jazba hai jeetne ka. Failureâs not an option and defeat isnât a possibility. Sabh kuch daav pe laga ke jeetne ka jazba nahi hai tum mein, Bani Sharma. Thatâs why you lose. Tum us din isiliye haari thi, Nageshwari. Tum mein woh gussa aur aggression hai but that spark of wanting to win at any cost is absent. Unless you have that spark, Bani, life mein jeetna impossible hota hai. Especially jab tumhare saamne koi aisa ho jise pagalpan hai jeetne ka. Tum Chandrakala se ladne wali ho na? Par woh jazba hi nahi hai ki har haal mein jeetna hai. On the other hand, she does. Yeh khud ko kamzor karke jeet nahi sakti. Jitna yakeen tumhe apne bholenath par hai, utna yakeen khud par bhi hona zaroori hai. Jab tak khud par itna confidence nahi hoga toh jeet ke sapne na dekha karo, Bani. Bani, agar tum Aakesh se haar ke darr gayi toh Markaat ke saamne toh mat hi jaao. I'll find someone else to do it.â Veer answered and walked away.
Bani just watched. He walked like he was a demigod himself. Something she had also noticed in Markaat. Markaat called himself god of death. Both Veer and Markaat had similarities in the way they could be really harsh, cruel and uncaring. They both saw themselves as the best. They both can't tolerate failures.
Bani sat outside. Veerâs words stung her on the inside. That wasnât her husband Veeranshu. That was the prince of cheels, Veer Singhania.
âVeer ki baton ka bura laga hai kya?â Tapish showed up next to Bani.
âIt hits at the weak spot, Tapish bhai. Woh haar aaj bhi mere dil mein baith gayi hai. More than anger on the way he killed them all, there was anger on how he won even after I killed him. That last look in his eyes, I canât ever forget it. That confidence that he still won. Marr ke bhi jeet gaya. Woh haar dil mein baith gayi hai. Anger was easier than admitting that I failed. Anger was easier than admitting that I didnât stand up to the title of Adi-Naagin. Anger was easier than guilt that I couldnât protect my people.â Bani explained to Tapish. âMera weak spot tha my emotional capacity. That small point feeling that Aakesh was someone to me. Someone I felt I knew. Isiliye, sabke kehne ke baad bhi maine uss par bharosa kiya aur andar aane ki ijazat di. The first heartbreak, Tapish bhai. Uss dhoke ne sabse bada jhatka diya mujhe. Aaj bhi when I think of it, mujhe dhoka hi yaad aata hai. Uss dhoke ke wajah se haar gayi. Ek baar ke liye, I let my emotions make the judgement and I failed. Darr lagta hai ki wahi galti phir se kar dungi. Phir se yakeen kiya Jay par aur usne bhi dhoka hi diya. Main kaise khud ko samjhau, Tapish bhai?â
Tapish patted on her shoulder.
âBani, ek baat batao. Tumhe kya lagta? Veer hota toh yeh kar paata?â
âHaanâŚâ
âBas. Jitna tumhe Veer par yakeen hai, utna ek baar khud par karo. Phir bas saans lo and let yourself do the work.â
Baniâs failures had always gripped her tightly to let herself breathe. At first, she used to work with her anger against Veer. Now when that had melted away, she didnât know what to hold on to.
âBani, if you fail, Veer will never be able to come back. Everyoneâs relying on you.â Tapish added. Tapish knew that Bani works her best when she has something at stake or she is in an emotional sentiment with the situation. He knew well that he had to pick on her spot to make her confident to do her work. âHum sabh Veer se bohot pyaar karte hai, Bani. Hum use har haal mein wapas chahte hai. Utna hi jitna tum chahti ho.â
âTapish bhaiâŚâ Bani hugged him. He was like an elder brother to her. She knew he cared for her like she was his younger sister. Tapish patted her head.
âBani, mujhe na pura yakeen hai ki tum kar logi.â
âAgar use dekh ke kamzor pad gayi toh?â
âBani, bas yeh yaad rakhna ki Markaat tumse tumhare Veer ko cheenna chahta hai. Tum yeh hote hue dekh sakti ho?â
She nodded a no.
âBas yahin sochna agar kabhi aisa lage ki tum kamzor pad rahi ho.â
Tapish never had a sister. Bani felt to him like his younger sister. Instead of seeing her as his sister-in-law, Tapish saw her as his sister. The affection he held for his brother, he held for Bani. Bani was relatively easier. She was one of the people who would at least listen to him. Veer had always been someone who did as he pleased.
âI promise, Tapish bhai. Main haarne nahi dungi hume.â
âTum Adi-Naagin ho, Bani. Tum haar nahi sakti. Agar woh Aakesh tha toh tum bhi Nageshwari thi. Ek failure ko dil pe leke mat baitho. Veerâs insecurity was that maybe youâd never accept him as someone who loves you. Kisi cheez se use fark nahi padta par koi usse yeh kahe ki usne tumse pyaar nahi kiya, woh baat use chub jaati hai. Tumhe insecurity hai ki tum Adi-Naagin title ke kaabil na ban paao. Darr theek hai, Bani, par uss darr ko apne success ke raaste pe mat aane do. Your fears are valid. It is foolish to say that your fears are baseless but what you do about something that scares you is what matters the most. Sabse zyaada andhera sunrise se pehle hota hai.â
âEhm⌠ehmâŚ.â Someone fake cleared their throat. Veer stood there. âYeh kya ho raha hai?â He asked teasingly as he saw Bani hugging Tapish.
âApni behen ko himmat de raha hun jise tu pareshaan kar raha hai.â Tapish answered. Veer raised his eyebrow.
âTapish bhai, Bani is not your sister. She is your sister-in-law. Pata chala madam mujhe bhai bolne lagi.â
âBhaiyaâŚâ Bani teased him. Veer winced at the sound of that.
âAjeeb pagal hai. Apne pati ko bhaiya bol rahi hai.â Veerexclaimed. Tapish laughed.
âSahi toh hai. Monil ko bhaiya bol bhi de toh kya fark padh jaayega?â Tapish commented. Veer rolled his eyes at the reminder that he was in Monilâs body. "Aur apni biwi se zara sharafat se baat karo. Pata chala offend hoke chali gayi toh zindagi bhar royega."
"Oh, please. Main rounga nahi. I'll go get her back. Kitna hi time lagega?"
Tapish shook his head at his brothers antics and left. Veer looked at Bani.
"Meri baaton ko bhul jaao. Shayad thoda sa zyaada ho gaya. But mera point yeh hai, Bani, ki uss cheez ko khud se dur rakho jo tumhe apne par rehne waale confidence ko tode. Agar main kar sakta hun toh tum bhi kar sakti ho. Kuch toh socha hoga na tumhare Bholenath ne tumhe choose karne se pehle. Aisa toh hai nahi ki iss duniya mein tumse zyaada kisi ne Bholenath ki bhakti aise nahi ki hai, right? But inn sabke bawajud bhi agar unhone tumhe chuna hai toh there's a reason. Shikaar karne ke liye saanp ko bhi bahar aana padta hai uss situation mein saanp bhi shikaar ban sakta hai cheel ka. Shikaar ban jaayega iss darr se agar bahar nahi nikla toh andar bhook se marr jaayega. Maro toh aise maro ki sabh kahe ki khud apni jeet kisi ko tofe mein deke mare hai. Maare nahi gaye."
"Jaise Aakesh ke baare mein sabh kehte hai."
"Sweetheart, mera comparison hi nahi hai. Woh bhul jaao. Bas, you be careful."