Hello, all! Have never felt so relived before posting a chapter cause I know it's really too late. :D And my sincere apologies for the inconsistencies which are found. Chapter 50
Ishani stood at the window of her room, the warm air after the twilight mildly swirling across the trees in the woods and sighing slowly about the house. The stars sprang forth in the velvet sky, lightly covered with clouds while a faint shimmer of the silver moon filtered through them. Ishani stared at it, unblinking for a while, and tried not to think of the day that had been far more adventurous than she could have asked for and endured. The only thing that could let her breathe was her confrontation with Chirag. One of the three days had passed and quite unpleasantly so, leaving her confused, battered and craving for a single bit of comfort while she only found herself weighing down under the ponderous mountains of the questions. He would take her away the day after tomorrow.
Didn't she love Chirag? Why would he behave so strange that all the image of his that she had admired in her heart 2 years ago appeared to be a mere shadow of something that never really existed? Wasn't it Chirag himself who had helped Gauri and the reason her cousin was happy now was Chirag only? Wasn't it Chirag who had rescued Ranveer as well from the ruthless clutches of Baa and police in the police station back then? Though why Ranveer himself would go to jail like that remained an unsolved mystery to her even today. Wasn't it Chirag who had been there for all the time when no one probably was? The incidents of the past that made her fall in love with Chirag seemed to be a myth today, for Chirag himself appeared to be a completely different image of his own self.
She had ignored Chirag's calls since afternoon and thankfully he had made no other attempt to talk to her either. Though there had been a few more flower bouquet sent to her by him and an apology letter but she could not bring herself to admire that. After all had happened in here, Ishani found her decision to leave the place quite selfish and unreasonable, though she knew someone else would find it otherwise. But she did not care. Countless thoughts ran in her mind like an impenetrable darkness, leaving her in painful anxiety while her heart struggled with various feelings simultaneously. The crux of every thought of hers was whether she really wanted to leave for India? Did she need time? If so, what would that be? Today, tomorrow, a week later, a month later... or perhaps never? A vicious fire would erupt in her heart as if begging her not to go away everytime she thought of leaving London. Was Chirag so important that she could not think of a life without him?
The question crossed in her mind like the pang of a painful wound: Was Chirag really important in her life as she had assumed him to be all these years? Her heart could only yell a loud no' but it felt an impractical thought striking her in that moment. Ishani returned to her bed and lay herself down. After a tiring day, she could welcome sleep any moment only if it would come. She had to make her mind and clear things up before it was too late. Ishani slowly closed her eyes, and drifted into an uneasy sleep. Her dreams were disturbed by Chirag and his pleas to follow him back home. In some parts, he seemed to be threatening her with his cruel glances and when she denied to do so, he tried to blow her away with what felt like an invisible but powerful cloud which left her quivering with fear and dismal, and suddenly from somewhere Ranveer entered her dream like a knight in shining armour, and soon she was by his side once again as they headed back to somewhere in a familiar place. She could hear Chirag call her by her name but she did not care, and walked alongside Ranveer, now oblivious to any fear that could be plunged in her wounded heart. How she was saved from Chirag, she could not tell but that was not what she wanted to bother with. And the last thing of her dream she remembered was she was back in the Chester Residence, in the same garden and in the night. She could feel Ranveer's lips upon hers just like she remembered him do the last time while his arms curled around her waist and this time he pulled her closer as though never wanting to let her go. His eyes bored into hers and the dream then blurred into a gentle night as the stars danced furiously across the purple sky, and the silver moon mounted higher. In her sleep, Ishani caught hold of a pillow and held it close to her heart, while on her lips a small smile gleamed like star-motes in a distant galaxy. Now she was far off in her sleep and no Chirag tormented her.
Ranveer placed the glass of whiskey, dimly radiant in the lights of the room, aside. He glanced at his phone which shone with a dying glimmer of the sign of having just received a message. He did not bother getting up to check who it was sending him the messages so late in the night and let the things be the way they were. Night was warm tonight but being alone felt reckless. He missed the sound of his mother's footsteps that would come to him whenever he would return early home and his father's jokes that would make him smile no matter how tiring the day was. Tonight loneliness felt more tedious. His parents were on their one week stay in India and today first day had somehow passed and the house had already missed their presence. It was for the first time the house witnessed his parents' absence and Ranveer could not imagine how the upcoming days would pass.
Glancing up at the watch he saw the time was 1.35 now and Ranveer made his way to his bed. His eyes fell on his phone once again and the same light shone at its screen. He took it up to see 7 text messages from an unknown number reading, "I want to talk to you right now," or "You can't ignore me," or "We need to talk," were flickering on its screen. Raising his eyebrows in a quiet annoyance he kept the phone aside and went off to sleep. Few people did not know what it was to be RV.
Ishani suddenly got up, blushing lightly, as the remnants of her dreams returned back from the chasm of the sleep and her eyes searching for the events that took place a few minutes back. None could be found in reality and Ishani relapsed back into her bed, her thought lingering in her dream that sometimes felt like a desire that her heart wanted to fulfill. She turned over and her eyes fell on the moon, still drifting across the sky valiantly. The freedom with which it could float every night adorning the evenings of the Earth surprised her, and its ability to appear after every waning marveled her. Nothing in the world was meant to be confined and nor was she. In that fleeting moment of the night Ishani made up her mind. The decision that she should have taken long, long ago for her own sake, for conflicting the obvious thoughts now felt wrong. She knew what was to be done and why. "I'm not going back to India. Not going back with Chirag," she whispered to herself and all of a sudden a heavy burden from her heart was lifted. And she smiled to herself. The time of her confinements had come to an end.
Perhaps in many years she was welcoming sleep for the sake of taking rest.
Ranveer entered his cabin, his thoughts troubled by the matters that had to be solved immediately, and the headache that he so often felt did him no good. The messages from the unknown caller still peeped in, and to Ranveer's surprise more frequently so. The last one he had received had a surly air of threatening. He did not pay any heed to it even now and set his jacket aside while walking towards his favorite place. On Ishani's continuous insistence, Ranveer was back to his old cabin a week ago but the only difference now was that he could not see Ishani everyday like he was accustomed to. She did not visit the office regularly anymore but often he hoped she would come for the meetings and he knowingly kept them in his own conference room, and to the surprise of others, he attended them himself more than anyone could have expected him to. Ishani was indeed pleased to see him there back again and he could see somewhere she felt guilty. That, however, was overridden by her happiness to see him back in front of her. Return from Edinburgh had caused the changes in various things in their lives, most being the pleasant ones.
Ranveer stared out of the window, the peaceful looking green fields carried the fragrance of the fresh flowers of spring. The rill beyond the trees across the western side of the field poured out diligently, its sound resonating a magical aura about the place. He missed it all in these weeks but today it felt like coming home. It wasn't long when a coarse knock on the cabin was heard. Ranveer turned back and saw Chirag stood there on the rim of the entrance and his features puckered in a repulsive grimace. Ranveer walked further, as though unaffected by the newcomer and sat on the chair. Chirag seemed offended.
"What the hell is this?" Chirag yelled. Chirag's voice made Ranveer's expressions turn in a careless irritation as he looked away from him. "Why did you not answer my messages? Do I look like a fool?"
"First of all, who let you in?"
Chirag laughed, his face still clad in the grimace making him look both funny and ugly. "They know me by Ishani Parekh's fianc, if you don't remember that."
"Oh," Ranveer agreed. "I wondered how someone like you could enter my cabin without my permission. After all, your hard work has been good for nothing." Ranveer feigned pity in his saddened expressions. "I had absolutely nothing to do with your messages."
Chirag, rather violently, leaped towards Ranveer but stopped dead at Ranveer's face turning grave. "Stand where you are or you will not know where you might be the next moment." A cold threat could be noticed clearly.
"How could you?" Chirag said painfully. "You snatched the last opportunity from my hands to make up for my loss in my business."
Ranveer laughed. A cold, frightful laugh. "Did I?" he said, glaring at Chirag. "You would know the business tactics better than anyone, wouldn't you?"
"How does that change the fact you took over my shares and won the project without doing anything? That was betrayal."
"Do you really think, Chirag, that I spend my entire time "doing nothing," as you phrase it? I am surprised, though, that you put all your strength in this particular project. It's not how they work." Ranveer shrugged his shoulders.
Chirag came further, his gaze menacing. "That's none of your business," Chirag roared. "Weren't turning down my offers back in India enough that you had to take away my last hope too?"
"Your offers?" Ranveer laughed again. "I'm sure you do know there has to be a proper deal in the first place. What you came up with was nothing more than a child's play and that was what you did with Mr. Gupta as well but with more cunning and wicked intentions."
"I don't understand," Chirag said. "How come having a business deal is having cunning and wicked intentions?"
"Oh, don't be so pretentious. I'm sure you know more than you admit."
"I don't," Chirag said, his eyes gazing intently at the floor.
"Well, in that case, let me let you know since you seem to have been suffering from a short term memory loss. You think I don't know why you never married Ishani? It's simple. You never loved her and her having lost the property after her father's demise did no good to you. You would've given up on her but before you could call off your relationship with her, she won her property back and opening the ways for you to succeed through her, and you remained stuck with her all this while thinking she will brighten up your future and get you and your family out of the crisis that you found yourself in years back and have yet not found a way out. You came here, saw her thriving without you and doing much, much better than you did in last many years. There is definitely a possibility that she would have survived without you had you given up on her now.
"You come to London with full preparation of cracking a deal with one of the most high profile businesspersons in the international market but that somehow takes the back seat because your golden egg that is Ishani is getting out of your grasp. Now, you bring out your last ray of hope and work with your entire power to win the partnership but at the cost of that of Ishani's. You believe once she crumbles she will run back into your arms, begging for help and support since you would be in better position than her, but you don't realize that she is made of tougher stuff. Oh, I just talked to the men who helped you conspire against Ishani, and if you will, I can provide you with the evidence too. Ishani too will soon find out why those guys are in jail."
Chirag wiped sweat off his face.
"However well prepared, but final decision was to be taken by Mr. Gupta himself and thank your stars, Chirag Mehta, that you were not chosen as the final candidate since that would have been the last time you would ever have been able to work upon anything."
"You're lying," Chirag shrieked. "Why would I plot against Ishani?"
"Ah, I've heard that before," Ranveer answered, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. "You don't need a reason to do stupid things, they come automatically. It's like they're in your genes."
"H-how did you know?" Chirag said, confession etched on his face.
"You have been in my scrutiny ever since you set your foot in my office. I know what you do, I know where you go and who you meet. Your intentions were crystal clear already; they just needed the final touch of truth."
Chirag laughed loudly. "Oh, my," he cried, "and you think Ishani is going to believe your fairy-tale story?" As he spoke, Chirag waved his both arms as though making a shape of the wings of the fairies.
Ranveer smiled. "I have more evidences than you can deal as of now," Ranveer assured Chirag. "Let the time come and you will be surprised. Are you alright?"
Chirag nodded his head. He looked defeated and his face turned grave more than it had ever appeared to Ranveer. It was good indeed that things came on terms without much unwanted drama. Now everything looked as easy as a professional skating on the snow. Ranveer looked at Chirag who seemed to be contemplating- perhaps- where he went wrong and how could he have avoided his own exposure.
"You couldn't have done that," Ranveer said softly, sneaking Chirag out of his thoughts. "I mean, there was no way you could have saved yourself."
Chirag groaned lightly. "Ishani is mine and give me time I will make you realize what I can do."
Ranveer's face turned dark for a moment and then returned back to its original spirit quickly.
"I assure you, you cannot do anything to Ishani," Ranveer said. "After your madness in this room you can easily be sentenced for a longer time than you would wish to be in jail. Threatening someone of great importance like this is taken as a crime. And for whatever you might think of doing to Ishani, I myself will make sure, after you get out of this room your feet take the final rest in a local jail instead of your luxurious hotel room."
Chirag looked worried for a few moments and then continued again. "Hah, she wouldn't care about that," he said. "She didn't care you were her friend 2 years ago, and ran to me crying, Chirag, marry me please. I love you. I will never doubt on you again,'" Chirag said imitating Ishani's voice, and folding his hands in a sort of deprecating apology. "You should've seen that, buddy. And in these years our bond has grown stronger."
Ranveer raised his eyebrows. "That's news to me," he said, irritated and disgusted at Chirag's remarks. "Now, one more word from your mouth against Ishani and you""
"You don't believe it? Fine, you will see it yourself when we will leave and I will never let you come back," Chirag said.
"Get the hell out of here if you want to see yourself in one piece," Ranveer retorted angrily, and when Chirag did not move he shouted again. "Get out!"
Chirag started at once and took a few steps back. "Fine, fine," he said, now indecorously amused, and walked out of the room. Ranveer turned back as he heard again Chirag's voice coming from the corridor but now he could hear someone else speaking too. It wasn't a big deal for him to recognize Ishani's voice even from this distance as he waited for a while and in a moment or two Chirag entered the room again, now a triumphant grin on his face, and after him walked Ishani. For a moment her eyes met with Ranveer's but she seemed anxious and her eyes could not hide the fact. Ishani withdrew her gaze away as if she had noticed what he thought of her, and sniffed the air lightly.
"Baby," Chirag said in a loud, cheerful voice, and came closer to Ishani. "It's good you came here as well, I had just come to invite Mr. RV for a dinner party with us tonight. He after all has been a great help to you as well as fiercely loyal like always. Wouldn't you wish that bit as well?"
Ishani did not say anything and avoided looking at Chirag, and neither did Ranveer speak.
"Oh, one more thing," Chirag squeaked again, "there's news in the town you have a girlfriend! Please don't mind and get her along with you. I'm sure Ishani will be delighted to meet her, will you not, Ishani?"
Ishani shook her head lightly as her mouth opened to deny the proposal but before she could say anything Ranveer ejaculated, "Sure! We will definitely come."
"You have a girlfriend?" Ishani asked, shocked. "What is this, Ranveer? And who is she?"
Ranveer shrugged his shoulders. "Well, she is a girl and a good friend of mine and I myself have been wanting to you two to meet each other for some time. Tonight it's going to be the best occasion then, and she will be glad to see you both as well."
"Fine then," Chirag said and gave Ranveer his usual sinister smile, and left.
"Ranveer, who is your girlfriend?" Ishani asked as soon as Chirag had left the cabin. "Who is she?" Ishani said more urgently when Ranveer did not at once answer.
"Media often takes things too seriously," Ranveer said, smiling, "and this one rumour is a product of that seriousness and impatience."
"She is not your girlfriend?"
"Of course not. But she is one of the most important factors in certain things that you will get to know tonight."
Ishani felt relieved for a while and looked at Ranveer. "What's so important that we cannot discuss it now?"
"Surprise!" Ranveer said while Ishani shook her head.
"What is wrong with you?" she said suddenly.
"What?"
"Didn't you take a proper sleep last night?"
"Wh- what happened?"
"Look at your face. You look so tired. Your eyes look like they'd drop any moment you lie down on the bed."
"Nothing is wrong with me," Ranveer said with a hesitant smile. "Probably I should've taken rest yesterday. Anyway, what brings you so early here? I don't think we had any meetings planned now?"
"No, nothing about that. It's just that..." Ishani began, hesitantly, contemplating over how to tell Ranveer about her decision of breaking up with Chirag which had already been taken but not realized. She could think no reason except that she wanted to, and now Chirag did not feel like the one for her. The more she tried to think herself as the old Ishani that once claimed to love Chirag, the more it felt unreal and intensely suffocating. She couldn't afford Chirag's company for one more moment. Her eyes gazed at the floor and as she looked up she saw Ranveer staggering on his feet and trying to catch hold of the nearest support his hands stumble upon. He struggled to keep his eyes open as his feet buckled suddenly and his head crashed on the floor. Ishani leapt towards him hurriedly, throwing the things in her hands aside, and took him in her arms and lay him down on the floor.
"Ranveer, what--" but he did not speak and his eyelids dropped lower and lower.
"Somebody, help!" she cried, lightly slapping his cheeks, but no answer came from outside. Ishani, however, in a while managed to get Ranveer stand on his feet as he, too, seemed to be briefly gaining consciousness. She dragged him to the couch and made him lay down on it carefully.
"Ranveer, wake up!" she cried, and looking about him in disbelief as though in her heart an old memory had been stirred. She rubbed his palm and undid the jacket so that he could breathe properly. His body temperature was quite normal which to her surprise felt a great help in the moment. Ishani took a glass placed nearby on the table and sprinkled its water heavily on his face. It was after 5 minutes did he stir and through his tired eyes looked at Ishani.
"What happened, Ranveer?" she said, taking his face in her palms, as tears for a while blurred her vision. "I just told you. Why don't you look after yourself?" Ishani shouted and Ranveer slightly jumped on his seat at the sudden change in her tone.
"I don't know what had happened to me," Ranveer said, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
"You need rest and a check up from the doctor. First we need to get that done. I'll just call the doctor and-"
"Don't worry, Ishani. It could be out of weakness. I'll be fine."
"Shut up! Do as I say," Ishani yelled.
"Trust me," Ranveer said. "I'm alright."
"You always say that," Ishani returned impatiently. "I can't trust you on that. You're such a liar."
"Trust me, Ishani. It was just weakness. I'll soon be fine."
"You had had your breakfast today, did you?"
Ranveer embarrassingly looked at her.
"And dinner last night?"
Ranveer lightly shook his head.
"And why that might be?"
"I got home late yesterday."
"Fine. You were busy with your so-called girlfriend, right?"
"Ishani, listen to me! I couldn't have avoided that."
"Alright," Ishani said, getting up. "You're going home now and take rest. We'll see the rest later."
Ishani texted Rishi who within 15 minutes came muddling down as though caught by an impulsive confusion.
"Is everything alright?" Ranveer asked him.
"Yes, sir, I was caught up with something. A puzzle that I just took up turned out to be quite a disaster." Rishi smiled.
"That can wait," Ishani said. "Take your boss home and make sure he doesn't go on talking to his friends' when he needs this proper rest."
"I will, ma'am," Rishi smiled.
Ishani saw them off and walked steadily towards her own cabin. Somehow, it still belonged to her.
Edited by Elvish_Hobbit - 9 years ago
