Posted:
Awesome :-) can't wait to read on KKG screaming on ASR and we are so close to the most awaited chapter 25 please update soon ;-)
Originally posted by: cineraria
Hi amus5, thank you so much for your kind words. Frankly, I was in two minds till June the 6th, I wondered whether anyone would really be interested in reading something so similar to the original. But it was the lure of third anniversary that had me in.I am so glad here, amu, you caught the essence of A Hundred Flukes which is to relive the magic minus bloopers and have a sound background for every character. Of course there are a few twists planned that might change the course of the story but at a much later state.All I can say is your words relieved me to a great extent. 🤗
Hola loved ones. I sincerely hope it comes up to your expectations.
Chapter 23: Names Of Pride
Khushi
Believe my kismet, here I am paving my way back to his dreaded castle to see him, hopefully for the last time in my life. How much I hate to say it, but he was right in one regard, he did manage to make my life hell. But I am Khushi Kumari Gupta from Lucknow, the girl who played tabla on the headmaster's table at school (and got rusticated for a week) and I have no dearth of guts. I am doing what is right and I will say what is right. The servant opens the huge door and like before, for one moment I am struck by the grandeur of the place. But as I enter, my eyes spot him on the far off stair case and life's beauty fades away in the very same moment.
I tread ahead, his gaze is on me, I know it, and it's making me wary of my steps. Gurgles of apprehension rise in my gut and all of a sudden I feel nervousness creeping upon me. It's all because of that stupid dream I saw yesterday, Devi Maiyya I beg you, please don't let me see any of his dreams again or I'll stop sleeping. He climbs down the steps, looking at me (or glaring again, I can't make out.) and now he stands right in front of me.
I stare at the ground, how do I start? Annoying nervous wreck that I become every time in his presence, where is my voice? Where is my anger? Why am I curling my fingers around my dopatta again? As if it's going to give me back my recently lost nerves.
His eyes slowly leave my face and move to where my right hand is and stop at my bruised wrist which he is very much responsible for. He furrows his brows, shockingly not in anger. Wait what is that expression called, which he now has on his face?
My first discovery of the day, he has an expression on his face. Applause. This expression doesn't look like anger. Double applause. Now what?
" You alright?" he says in what I reckon to be the kindest tone he must have ever assumed in his life and mind you, it's his kindest tone, don't expect it to sound like what you usually associate 'kind' with. Wait, what did he say? I jerk my head up, my eyes widen slightly as I stare at the biggest hypo...hypokrut? Whatever that word is, that all politicians in the world are- people whose actions and words don't go together. That's what Arnav Singh Raizada is, hypokrut. And asking me the lame question is his first mistake of the day, it makes me lose it.
"What did you say? Am I alright?" My voice trembles in anger, he opens his mouth to say something, "NO" I scream silencing him, "You talking over, it is only me speaking today". I say that line in English, he seems to understand this language better.
"After all that you have done, only Arnav Singh Raizada can have the balls to ask that question." yup, I use that word, he has balls, cocks, bats, rackets everything to ask that. "then have your answer Mr. Raizada that I am good and in a few minutes I'd be even better, for I decided that I am leaving this job."
If he is stumped by the revelation, he doesn't show it. Instead he folds his hands in front of his chest, that irritating stance again. I search his eyes and meet with nothing. I rummage through my bag and produce the resignation letter, "Here is my resignation." His eyes dart at the paper, something akin to a slight shock evident in them.
I take a deep breath, summoning all my strength, "Now before you start ranting about my status and how dare I entered your house or get this idea that I am leaving this job because I am scared, let me tell you, I am not quitting because I am scared. I am not quitting because I can't work, I can work and I have always done hard work, a lot of it, because my life depends on it, but I can't be somebody's servant."
"From correcting your name on thousands of papers to assisting in parking cars when it was raining cats and dogs, then staying awake the entire night typing reports and delivering them to your house, early in the morning, I did all the work you assigned me, quietly, without complaining, because I knew the worth of that contract, and I respected it, for it had my name over it."
He visibly stiffens at that, but I am not finished yet.
"It bore my name Mr. Raizada and I gave it all the worth it deserved. It deserved my dedication, my honesty and I gave it all that and more. You cannot question my dutifulness, I did not shirk away from any task you assigned me, I saw it till completion without a fail."
"But you Mr. Raizada, while practicing your rights, forgot that with every right, there comes a responsibility. And the moment you forgot your responsibility, your rights and my duty, both ended."
"Last night I was locked there for a long time, I got enough time to think, understand and the conclusion to all my thoughts was one, that is, TO HELL WITH YOU, TO HELL WITH YOUR JOB AND TO HELL WITH YOUR CONTRACT." I scream loud enough. My voice booms within walls of the large hall.
"Don't you, just don't make the mistake of taking this as your victory. That I am resigning before fifteen days is not your victory Mr. Raizada, the fact is that you are a loser. A sour loser and you lose badly, for even after losing you will never accept your mistake, and by doing the last deed you have proven just how low you can stoop."
"I am quitting this job because I can't work for a man who purposefully endangers my life. My life is more precious than any contract and any amount of compensation money, and how precious is my life is something the people who love me know, not somebody who tries to kill me and then have the guts to ask me that am I alright?"
"Then hear it Mr. Raizada that I am FINE, not because of you but DESPITE YOU, I am fine and now you are free to do whatever you please. You are free to take any action against me."
I exhale, wow I said all that. And he heard all that. I look into his eyes again, alas, nothing. I mean NOTHING. After all that I said, even stones could show an ounce of guilt, remorse, sorry feeling or something genuine, but his eyes? Unapologetic as ever, not even the faintest hint of any genuine emotion can be found in them. Sorry, I forgot, no emotion as in ignoring the most important ingredient of his eyes. For normal people, there are three important ingredients of the visible eye- cornea, iris and pupil. For ASR, there are four ingredients- cornea, iris, pupil and anger. Anger is there in his eyes right now, and a hell lot of it can be seen, but nothing beyond that.
"All said?" he says through clenched teeth. All said? All said! Is that all he has to say? He will never cease to surprise me. He extends his hand for the resignation letter.
"All said." I say in my firmest voice and thrust the paper in his hand.
"Khushi bitiya?" I hear an elderly female voice, I turn around, boy, I didn't realize there were people around, hearing my speech. I find the three Devis in a row, Naniji, Anjaliji, Mamiji; all three of them staring open mouthed at me. Mamiji blinks rather stupidly, "When did this goat become a lioness." I hear her whisper.
"Namaste naniji." I wish her joining both my palms together, "sorry I came to your house like that. I must leave now." I say and head for the door.
Holding the door knob, I realize, I can't just yet... I don't understand this... this sense of loss, this sense of longing? Somewhere in me, something in me, feels the urgency to look at him again. I give in, after all, this the last I'll see of him, so I turn my head back and caste a last glance at his six foot something, which is somewhat bent forward right now, broad shoulders appearing broader, his hands are firmly to his sides, and in one of them is my resignation which he's obviously crumpling. His left eyebrow is cocked up and he's glaring dangerously at me, his face stiff as hell and he handsome as hell!
I jerk my head forward, crap, I am not looking at him again. Hey Devi Maiyya of all the people on earth you found only this creature to waste those looks on?
^^^^^^
Her steps out from the door were weighed down by restlessness, fatigue and discontent.
All said?
The battle of words had been one sided, this time her side had leverage over his and for once she had wanted him to react. If he really had intended to threaten her life, he wouldn't have swooped in to save her, she knew. But he did not care to explain when she accused him of wanting to kill her! No maybe, all of last night was pre-planned, it was his ploy to play God again. He loved to play God, didn't he?
All said?
In answer to all her accusations, all her allegations, inculpation and condemnation, all he had to offer was All said'? It was a mockery of her charges, he had proven that he had indeed meant all the insults he had thrown her way so far. That he did not consider her worth his explanation, this in her eyes was the biggest injury to her pride.
She did not realize she was still inside the gates of his mansion. Her legs felt weak from yesterday's exertion, she sat on a stone bench near a small water fountain, staring at her lap.
But he hadn't demanded the compensation as well.
She was brought out of her reverie when her nostrils were affected by a very faint woody smell of masculine cologne. Her eyes shot up to find his much above hers. They held a grim expression, for a long moment neither spoke or moved. Finally she stood up and stepped away from him to leave.
"Khushi." She heard him say lightly.
When she turned to face him again her eyes were met with the sight of a vibrant yellow and orange, held out in his hand was the torn piece of her dopatta that had gotten stuck in the hinge of his rear view mirror the previous day.
He hadn't thrown it away?
"Your things have a habit of getting stuck." Arnav was aware his words betrayed a lot more than their literal sense. "...with me." The last words were spoken to himself. She was too shocked to make anything out of it. She reached for the thin fabric and jerked it slightly. His fist was still tight around it. She shot him a questioning glance and he let go of the cloth. He took a step back, ran his fingers through his hair ruffling it a little more and walked away hastily.
Leaving her reeling under a new found confusion. He had easily dispensed with her and she was still withholding his tiny key.
*****
He held the letter in front of his eyes, but he need not read it. Even a casual skimming through the document revealed the humungous spelling mistakes in it, he stared at it hard, stared at the handwriting of the girl who had called him 'loser'. The girl had some galling nerves, he mused and crumpled the letter bunching it in his fist and chucked it away, the paper ball landed somewhere far on the exotic wooden floor of his room.
Residual memories of the night before were too stark for his taste. He had assimilated her previous outburst, it wasn't uncalled for he agreed, but this morning he had been sincerely concerned and her verbal lashes were least required. Damn it. He shouldn't have cared at all. Sometimes his mind seemed too convoluted to even him.
The ripped dopatta had stuck to his car for 100 yards and then he had stepped out, jerked it away in frustration but had been unable to dump it somewhere on the road. Basic Civic Sense he had reasoned, roads were not to be littered and thus the cloth had found its place in the glove compartment of his car. But why he hadn't flung it in a trashcan later was something he did not dwell upon. The very thought drove him insane.
His nostrils flared up in anger, her voice was still resounding in his ears driving him madder by each passing moment. He grabbed an expensive china flower vase kept on the side table and flung it angrily in the air. It crashed against the wooden floor, breaking into a million little pieces. He clenched his fists tighter and next lavish elegance of three vases in a row was dropped to the ground. He forced himself out to the pool side lest his temper ravaged the entire decor of his bedroom.
Picking up a tiny scissor he paved his way to his favorite French potted plant- an extinct species which had been artificially cultured and five specimen were produced, one of which he was the proud owner. He busied himself in pruning it's tender over growth, hoping to calm down. Yet again to his utter chagrin, her accusations found their way to torment his mind, I am quitting this job because I can't work with a man who purposefully endangers my life...Then hear it Mr. Raizada that I am FINE, not because of you but DESPITE YOU, I AM FINE...and you lose bad Mr. Raizada for even after defeat you will never except your mistake.
He picked up the French potted plant and dropped it on the ground, the pot shattered, next he flipped the scissor to a corner.
"Though she be, but little, she is fierce." said a voice behind him. He turned to find his sister, staring at the mess he had made. Excellent, his sister chose this moment to quote Shakespeare.
"At least there is one thing that is common between you and Khushi." Arnav looked away. "Anger." She continued ignoring his scowl. "But what is it that angers you, is it 'how dare she talk to me like that?' or that she didn't give you a chance to explain."
"Whether you accept it or not but in your anger I sense some kind of contrition. Somewhere you felt bad and wanted to apologize..."
"Di, I never give anyone, any sort of explanation." he said flintily, "What she said or did, does not make any difference to me."
"Really? Then why do you react like that whenever I speak of Khushi?"
Silence.
"Di please leave me alone."
"Fine. Come down for lunch once you have savored your solitude."
****
Devyani Raizada appeared incredibly tensed as she paced in her room. Her trouble was not the present, nor the future nor the past, her trouble was the diminishing line that separated the three.
"Anjali, it's not just about that girl, although I don't like that Kasyap one bit, still my worries about Arnav are not plainly due to that girl. She is not the issue, it is Arnav's general disposition that perturbs me. I can see what you all are unable to see. Arnav is driving himself to the same abyss he had fallen into years back.
Ten years ago he was immature but now he is a complete man who is capable of much more destruction than before." she said, her wrinkles made prominent with foreboding.
Anjali hung her head, "In any case Nani, I will not go against him. For in a bid to decide right or wrong for him, I can't lose him." she said quietly.
"That's the cause of my distress Anjali that somewhere all of us are responsible for Arnav's attitude. We have always been excessively liberal with him, nurturing his whims for the fear of losing him if we didn't. Feeding his anger and ego, to the extent that now he presumes he can get anything he wants and anyway he wants."
"And what I saw happen today, brings all the more sorrow. He's not the Arnav I had hoped to bring in him, he is but very much Dushyant Mallik's brat."
"Nani please, don't."
"No Anjali, he is no different from your father. The same anger, the same attitude, the same rebelliousness. It is his father's blood that runs through his veins, that acts within him. It is not the years of my upbringing that has achieved fruition, it is what he has been carrying with him. His past which he is not letting go."
Anjali stared at the door, horrified, for who stood at the door was none other than her brother and who should not have heard this conversation. His head shook slightly as he glared at the elderly woman, "It was between you and me Nani, you should not have dragged him in this." he fulminated, "You hate me, don't you? You are derisive of my ways and everything that I do is unacceptable to you, then why not let me end your misery now. I shall leave this house, leave you so that you can be peaceful and so can I be."
"Are you threatening me Arnav?" Devyani berated.
"No. I am stating a fact."
"And where would you go, to that girlfriend of yours?"
"Yeah, I'll go to her and live with her. Cohabit to be precise." he said bluntly.
Devyani glowered, but was rendered speechless at this fallen sense of morality in her grandson. Arnav strode away towards his room, frustration doubling his pace with things, he grabbed a small travel bag, dumping a few essentials into it, his insides revolting with threatening measures as images from his past began dancing in front of his eyes, yet again life became that abominable hell, from which escape seemed obscure.
He brisked out of his room, towards the long corridor that led to the back door where Anjali grabbed his hand. "Di please don't stop me. I can't live in a house where I am not allowed breathe at my own accord."
"Arnav please, can't you wait just till tomorrow? MJ's coming, I am sure he can think of a solution. Please I beg of you, don't leave."
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "Okay." he said with all the reluctance that was possible to display.
****
that is one of the many aspects of IPKKND which has drawn us to it - to revisit each and every scene again and again ... infact at times i go back to YouTube to watch a few scenes of IPK 😉 so reading the original scenes with a background to every character/scene, infact, strengthens its flavour ... that is why we love arshi and cannot stop reading about them even today after 3 yrs of shutshop... call it crazy or anything else but that is the fact with all us arshians ... so great going dear...bring it on 😃
Originally posted by: Venicestar88
**edited** well i didn't see the update but now that i have... Boy it was good!! Keep going. Wonder what "gul" Shyam is going khilao next?!!! A, loved the updates but you already know that:). I'm looking forward to how Khushi literally rips his head off when she resigns! Hehe that's one of my fav scenes for so many reasons and then the look on everyone's faces. *Rubs hands in glee* I know you'll put ur own stamp on it so bring it on!!
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