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Chapter 23 (B)
Truth.
Truth is such a misleading word. It sounds so simple, so small. As if truth was something simple, small and absolute. As if truth did not depend on the mind wording it and the tongue telling it.
What was Rishabh's truth? That he was a fool who had been taken for a ride by a single woman, the consequences of which tens of thousands of people will suffer. Or that he was a simple, trusting, noble man who wanted to do good, who believed in people and whose heart had been crushed in a betrayal by the woman who called himself his wife? Was he the man who many called a ruthless businessman, or the man who had been so emotionally damaged he had dragged an innocent soul into the mess of his life? Was he the man who was responsible for saving 35000 families, or the man who didn't have a family and couldn't even do justice to the one woman who had saved his life? Was he the son, who had promised his father to do everything in his power to preserve his legacy, or the man who had promised an angel sleeping in his arms that he would keep her safe and happy forever?
"She can't live in your house." Mr Agarwal asked as soon as they sat down in the Bangalore board room again as RK's meeting finished. Three hours earlier, RK had told him everything about Madhu.
"At least until the case is on. Dipali has seen her there, and if she finds proof about her occupation..."
"Hmm. I can move her to one of my properties, or better yet one of the hotels we own until the case gets over."
"Let's discuss that in a bit. I need to know how you paid for her"
"Cash. For the first fifteen days, I paid daily. 50k for the first night, 10k thereafter. Personal account. She gets another 5k a day as expenses ever since she came to live with me - same account."
"Ok. That's not a big deal. Small expenses are not traceable."
"I paid Tony ten lakhs the day I brought her home. I took out money from my bank account and paid cash."
"This was before Dipali sent you the official divorce papers requiring you to list your assets, right?"
"Yes."
"Ok. I got the date. I will double check, but it looks like we can get lucky. My people are checking all past records. Any expense that looks suspicious, we have to be ready to defend. But since you never did anything wrong...if there's no traceable financial transaction...we can get this dismissed as slander."
"I need to pay 1 crore for her."
"What? When?"
"Tuesday. When I bought her, it was only for 3 months. Now I need to pay 1 crore by Tuesday to keep her forever."
"1 crore! For a girl! Are you out of your mind?"
"Mr Agarwal!" RK lost his temper "My Madhu is worth a lot more than 1 crore."
"Mr Kundra, sit down. I am sorry. Relax. But you have to understand. We can't hide 1 crore. Not right now. All your assets and bank accounts are listed in the courts. Any big transaction, we have to send proper receipts and explanation. As far as the court is concerned, part of this money could potentially belong to Dipali and without her knowledge and assent, you can't spend it."
"But it's my money! What do you mean I can't spend it?"
"It is your money. But you don't have 1 crore lying around in cash that no one knows about. In fact, and this is the only time I feel sorry for all the honest compliance we have been running in the Kundra group, you're probably among the few firms in the country that pays full tax and conducts all business above-board. There is no way you can pay 1 crore to a pimp and not have to explain."
"What do you mean? I can't keep Madhu. I have to send her back to that...that hell! No way, I can't do that! Mr Agarwal, Madhu is not that kind of a girl. I don't know how she ended up there but..."
"Try to understand Mr Kundra. If their lawyers get to know about this transaction, not only can you potentially lose the case and this factory, Madhu's name is sure to be picked by the media. Her picture would be all over national 24x7 and the world will be calling her a prostitute. It's better to let her go."
"I can't do that. She will die!"
"But isn't that where she comes from?"
"No...no my Madhu isn't...I can't explain you. Look, I am okay if I have to let her go to some other country or some place, wherever she wants, wherever she's safe...we can keep her away from the media...even if she's not with me, she'd at least be safe."
"It's not just about the media. How would you pay that Tony guy? Why would he let her go?"
Unable to come up with an answer yet unwilling to accept the idea of sending Madhu back to Tony, RK stood up and called Tony in an attempt to renegotiate the arrangement.
"Tony, this is RK."
"RK sir. What a surprise. How can I help you?"
"Listen...about Mitasha...I know I told you to come take the whole money on Tuesday, but I can't take out the full amount this week. How about a new deal? I'll pay you every day for the next two months - just like we used to do earlier...in fact I'll pay you double every day - and after that I'll pay you the full amount."
"That's not going to work with my bosses. I told you earlier, they're leaving a lot of money on the table. The Zest deal is worth 15 lakhs in 5 days. Who knows what we can get after that? The only way I convinced them to let go of Mitasha was the lure of 1 crore in hand. If you can't pay then...then let me take Mitasha...after two months, we can talk and renegotiate."
"No way. Mitasha stays with me!" RK yelled.
"RK sir. I have adjusted a lot for you already. Our trade also has some rules. Just like you're a businessman, so are we. This is the deal, take it or leave it. Either give me a crore on Tuesday, or I am taking Mitasha."
"Tony..."
"You have until tonight. Let me know what you decide. I have to make arrangements accordingly."
RK threw his phone in frustration. Helpless tears threatened to fall out of his eyes. Saving Madhu meant risking the whole township and God knows how many lives. Not saving her meant giving up his own life...
"Rishabh..." the lawyer softly called his name, now more a fatherly figure and less a lawyer.
"He doesn't want to renegotiate. I have to either give him a crore, or give him Madhu back for at least two months, or howmuchever the case takes to die down."
"Two months is not bad, you know. You can bring her back."
"Do you think she would want to come back to me after I do this to her...after I send her to that hell where God knows how many men..."
"You brought her from that hell. You..."
"I did nothing Mr Agarwal. She is the one who brought me back to life from the hell I was living in. And now...now after using her...you want me to send her back! She saved me! How can I not save her?"
"You cannot be the hero of her life, Rishabh, "but you're not the villain either. It's unfortunate, but you didn't do this to her. You just couldn't save her. But she isn't yours to save."
"She is", he muttered to himself, but didn't say aloud.
"You are not the one who's selling her, Rishabh."
"Why does it feel like I am?" Rishabh slumped on the chair, his heart heavy with the realization of the inevitable.
"Is there nothing else we can do?" he asked after a couple of minutes.
"We will not stop trying. We have try to let Dipali's case be dismissed because of lack of evidence. If it reached the courts, we would have to strengthen our case a lot more than what we have now to prove that Dipali was never faithful or committed in the marriage from the beginning. But that's going to be hard. Still, my people are looking for Sikander. If he co-operates..."
"He won't." RK sighed.
"Yeah, most likely he won't." He said and stood up, then added before leaving the room.
"It's the right thing to do. Your employees...your father...you've done so much good Rishabh. We've won many battles, and we will win more. But, you can't save everyone Rishabh. You can't win this one."
What was Rishabh's truth? How could he be a heartless man and a heartbroken man at the same time?
Truth is nothing more than one story, one narrative. And each story is a slave to its story-teller. In Rishabh's story, there was no one to blame but him for everything that was happening to him and Madhu. That was the truth.
Rishabh walked to his room and sat on his bed. His dad's picture hung on the opposite wall.
"Why, dad, why?" he screamed at it. "What did I do to suffer such a fate? Why is my destiny keen on turning me into a monster? Why is the choice between saving Madhu and saving all those people and your legacy?
It's not a real choice, you know. I am destined to fail, either way. Either I will destroy everything you worked all your life for - tens of thousands of people - of I will kill an innocent soul, the only person who's cared for me without a selfish motive after you and ma.
What did I do that I do not deserve any happiness in my own life?"
Hiding his face in his palms, he lay back on his bed and hoped that his life which was no better than a nightmare would end soon.
Agar Mile Khuda To
Poochhoonga Khudaya
Jism Mujhe Deke Mitti Ka
Sheeshay Sa Dil Kyon Banaya
Aur Us Pe Diya Fitrat
Ke Woh Karta Hai Mohabbat
Wah Re Wah Teri Kudrat...
Precap: Prologue đ
Veer Hanuman
Kumkum Bhagya
