Originally posted by: Mayashelly
Hy LM, it's mystery again... 😕
Awesome chapter and waiting for17 th. Loving finch more now... when this mystery gonna releave..
Waiting for next dr...
Keep smiling and rocking 😉
Take care 😳
Originally posted by: dvprt418.py
ok it seems LM is ready to fulfill every demand wait this isn't going to be the way you have done in this whole ff whenever there was happiness it was witnessed that an equally destructive storm followed it but still i want all those sizzling things most importantly and the other i will let you know meanwhile.Jungli billi
jealous ishveer
sizzling chemistry and huge compensation for all the tears we shed during this ff
Originally posted by: RoshniSingh
The way he was acting with Shanella, I want to see a jealous Ranveer😈Sizzling chemistry Ofcourse😳😳And their passionate romance.😊😊We know we are besharams😉😃 but can't help it when it comes to IshVeer😉
Mysteries, Mysteries and only mysteries, this chapter is all about mysteries. What is going on in the mind of the cunning fox. Seriously LM you're a package of mysteries and surprises. 😉 😉
So, thank God Ishani didn't start her antics with the scalpel. Atleast even at a time of such emotional turbulence she remembered her promise given to Ranveer. I just hope that this continues till the end and Ishani doesn't start the freak show again.👍🏼 👍🏼
And Finch is a sweetheart, Ranveer is really lucky to have a friend like him, it is really difficult to find a true friend in today's time who takes care of you, breaks your fall, and gives the necessary pushes when you fall weak. 😛 😛 But I hope Ranveer keeps his promise given to Finch and takes care of his health and leaves the insomniac habit of his.
And what were those antics with the vase and chair? God these two need to consult a psychiatrist immediately, otherwise they would end up murdering someone in their fit of rage.🤣🤣
What's this Pettigrew now, and whose phone call is Ranveer expecting? God so many questions without any answer. I think I will tear off all my hairs in all these mysteries.
And now comes the part of the world's most sensual girl. Oh God does she really need to hover all over Ranveer 😡 😡, she doesn't even know what she's playing with. The day she does she will regret working for Chiraag the most. And she should be thankful to God that Ishani was not present there, otherwise she would have cut her into pieces for all those hugs and kisses. 😆 😆
One question LM, since you're taking many incidents from the show in your book, so are you planning to pen down the MMS fiasco of Chiraag during the Karvachauth incident. Please don't do that, Ranveer questioning Ishani's virtue is still a sore point of the show.😡 😡 Except that you can make your book as much angsty as you want, but not that. As you have already penned Chiraag sending Ishani and Finch's photos to Ranveer, I am getting bad vibes that you can do that as well. 😕 😕
PS-| Thank you for the pm.
PS-|| Please update soon.
Originally posted by: PrinceAsif
again a great chapter...but there's something i need to digest...y Ranveer is assuring shanella that he will take revenge...& on whom he'll take revenge??? i hope there will b nothing wrong with both Ranveer & Ishani...i hope ISHVEER will stick together & sort out every problems...& most of all i hope nothing goes wrong with Ranveer & Ishani...marvelous update sis... wtaiing for ur upcoming epi
LM when will you reveal how Chiraag got that book. 😡 😡
Originally posted by: dvprt418.py
I knew it the sadist in you is the most dominant and can never give a moment of happiness with long pain and now to i want all the demand with extra addition from your side
A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D
Happy Reading! :D :D
She ran through the wilderness of the mystical realm of dreams as she found her world in a blur of mist, directionless and clueless as to how to move ahead. It had been years since she'd been running down this path, and yet the three embodiments still hunted her down to this date with the same ferocity like it did for the first time when she was nine. Her heart seemed to beat violently as her feet came to a halt, the cruelty of the world dawning upon her. She now stood alone in an alley way, hopeless and despondent as she craved for a solace only one man could ever give her.
The three faceless men closed in around her as she fought them off with all her life, kicking and thrashing at them with all her might as her heart roared in fright, hoping desperately for a hope that was draining away slowly yet steadily like the adrenaline rush she felt coursing through her veins. And even as she managed to throw off the two men, the third one managed to knock her down, suddenly holding her at gunpoint.
Fear was tantamount in a moment fraught with a lethal tension that the air remained witness to, but it was only when the light shone upon the eyes of her assailant when her heart froze. The same lunacy... the same black of them... the same cold hatred in them. It was him, she knew. The man who'd destroyed her life all those years ago. And it was him who stood in front of her today. The one who'd finally snuff the last breath out of her as well. Her mind ran at the speed of lightning as she pushed herself upon her feet, her gaze refusing to budge no matter how hard she tried.
The cold hatred was all she'd see upon her dying breath even though she yearned to feel to warmth of another's eyes graze against her own.
The gun was aimed right from the kill when it went off into the still silence of the night like an explosion. And yet all she felt was blood splatter upon her face as her eyes shut in surrender. She felt the drops trickle down her face sickeningly as she realized that her heart still beat, although with a different pain this time. A pain that didn't afflict her physically and yet it tore her soul apart singularly as she dared to open her eyes, trying to fathom what had just happened.
And yet she'd died without even being hit as she saw someone stand before her like a shield, the bullet ripping through his own body before catching her square in the shoulder. But it didn't matter what hit her for the night had fallen into a dead silence after the crackling gunshot. She needed to know who'd stood before her and made her death his own. She needed to know who'd saved her as she watched the unknown man remain standing in the suspended limbo of shock, the spell ready to break at any moment.
And then the basis of her existence in the world found itself crashing around her as the man finally turned out, his feet tangling between themselves unsteadily. His eyes finally looked at her, the same pair of eyes whose warmth she'd been craving for the entire time as she ran through the mist. And yet she could see the warmth seeping out from them as his knees hit the floor in a lifeless thud, his eyes half-closed. The softest gasp of pain escaped his lips while all she could do was stare at him, horrified, the scream never leaving her lips.
She never realized when she'd fallen upon her knees to break his fall. But nothing mattered as his head remained limply upon her lap, staring at her with all the love and strength he could muster with in what they both knew were his dying moments. The tears from her eyes fell upon his face as the cornflower blue of his shirt had been hit with a blast of crimson around his chest, staining it a gory red. She could feel the sickening fluid of life upon her hands as she tried to stem the flow.
He tried to breathe and choke out words as his fingers gingerly found its way upon her face, wiping away the tears that were the only way she seemed capable of emoting. There was too much blood upon her hands and upon him... His face flickered with a pain only he was capable of bearing every few seconds, making the moment a reality she knew there was no escape from. And yet there was a warmth about his fingers that froze her heart even more, knowing that in a few moments it was going to be snatched away from her very, very soon.
"Thank you..." was all he coherently managed to whisper with a love that ended her world the next moment as he shut his eyes one final time.
His fingers trailed across her cheek before falling to his side limply, the pain upon his face turning into a peace that nothingness brought with it. The blood still left the gaping wound upon his chest and through her fingers as she yelled out for him at the top of her voice, her tears knowing no boundary now.
She clung on to his lifeless form, begging of him to come back and take her along as well. Her head fell upon his chest in resignation as she could feel the fire of her revenge kill her soul, shouting out the one name who was now her dead soul in her arms. Just like always, he'd stood in front of her like a shield even today. And like he'd promised, he was with her to the end of line.
And the warmth of his oozing blood against her face was the fulfillment of that promise.
"RANVEER!" yelled Ishaani at the top of her voice as her eyes opened abruptly into the dim-lighted haven of her room.
The tears still left her eyes as she shut them again, crying unabashedly into the pillow for an indefinite amount of time. She tried to take solace from his left-behind vest that now remained beside her until she realized that it didn't smell of his blood anymore. Just his scent. Gradually opening her eyes after a few more minutes of crying even though she suddenly remained unsure of why she was crying in the first place, she looked around to realize that she was no longer in the alleyway.
She was safely tucked in her bed, clinging on to not Ranveer's lifeless form but his vest instead.
She pushed herself up to lean against the backrest of the bed as she wiped away her tears. She took in deep breaths to remove the nauseating images of the nightmare that mysterious seemed to return after ten years' worth of dormancy, the feeling of the blood upon her hands and face still not abating entirely. Twenty years had elapsed since she'd seen this particular dream for the first time and it still had the ability to make her heart cease as the sickening images would never left her mind hours after the nightmare had passed away.
And tonight was no different as she finally mustered to courage to get up from the bed and stand upon her feet even though she felt like she'd collapse any minute. She walked up towards the mirror and stared at herself, realizing that she'd forgotten to take off the pendant from around her neck. Ranveer's promise band remained against the exact spot where her heart beat as she let her fingers trail against her face, realizing that she looked exactly alike the way she looked in her dreams.
Not a single detail remained in contrast except for the band that remained upon her finger in the dream instead of around her neck. But that didn't matter. What did was the fact that just like herself, even Ranveer had the same identical appearance that he did right now. And it certainly did not help that both of them looked just as broken and lifeless in their dreams as they did in reality.
Ishaani had the urge to throw up not unlike from years earlier whenever she'd have the crude nightmare, and yet her mind was too paralyzed to even do so. She could feel her hands shiver in tremors as the daunting brutality of her dream suffocated her, pressing against her from all ends. And the fact that it was Chirag at the end of the day who was going to take away her soul from herself once again now sent her mind into a swirl of panic.
Walking back towards the bed when she couldn't meet eyes with herself anymore, she picked up the phone and brought her finger upon Ranveer's caller id. She did not hesitate even once as she pressed upon it, waiting for the phone to go by. She didn't care about her ego or his ego anymore, neither about what he thought about her. All she needed to know was that he was alive and safe and healthy in that very minute for her heart didn't seem too sure about anything just like every time she'd have her nightmare. And yet somehow, something felt terribly wrong.
"The number you're trying to dial is currently switched off. Please try again later..."
"The number you're trying to dial is currently switched off. Please try again later..."
"The number you're trying to dial is currently switched off. Please try again later..."
When Ishaani heard the same thing for the twenty-third time, she finally did what she thought was a lost habit from years ago. She picked up the first thing that came in her hand - a vase, and threw it across the wall with all her might, the delicate piece exploding into smithereens just like her patience.
-x-
Ranveer looked at the clock and sighed. It was four in the morning when he'd finally finished working upon the saving grace of the plan he'd formulated, noting in amusement that Finch and Piyush that both fallen asleep awkwardly upon the chairs they were seated upon. Twenty-six hours' worth of sleep had left him charged to a hundred percent, and in spite of the fever that he still had, sleep was the one thing he didn't feel in need of.
Shutting the files and quickly arranging them back in the bureau drawer of the study room, Ranveer re-entered the room and now walked towards the window from where he could see the entire Queen's Necklace. He sighed, recollecting all the times when he and Ishaani would go over for a long drive in the nights whenever they were happy or when either of them wanted to vent their frustration or bad mood. In the monsoons, those long drives would only mean scrounging for samosas and chai at their favourite tea stall located in one of the more intricate lanes of the city.
But like everything, even those memories were something he only could reminisce about for long gone were those days. The innocence of youth was lost when it stepped into the prime of adulthood and just like with others, the same had happened with both of them. Memories from the past were now childhood and teen tales to recount, not to relive. But that didn't mean that a blast into the past wasn't allowed occasionally, stealing away moments that weren't meant to exist in the first place.
And Ranveer knew in that moment which memory he wanted to relive.
Smiling to himself, he quickly walked over to his closet and pulled out a simple pair of shirt and jeans along with his jogging shoes. It had been years since he'd gone for an escapade to his paradise and back, the solace of which no other place could ever give him. Quickly leaving behind a note for Finch and Piyush (who he knew wouldn't wake up till before ten in the morning atleast), he switched off his phone as planned and set out of the room. He could feel the tingle of excitement turn his legs into jelly as he began making his way towards the bridge of his only heaven.
It was time to run back towards the wilderness.
-x-
Ishaani sat in her cabin as the clock struck eleven, her mind still at unrest even though it now belonged to Miss Parekh. Phoning Ranveer had yielded no result whatever, so she sought to call the next best person - Finch. But that didn't fetch anything better either. He sounded sleepy and groggy, and when she'd asked him about Ranveer's well-being, he didn't sound too confident himself.
She could sense him making tattle-tales with her.
She had half a mind to drop a surprise visit at their hotel but Finch had discouraged her from doing so. He'd informed her that their flight was due to leave for Sydney by eight in the morning and that Vaghela was in no mood to entertain her after what had happened the other day. Ishaani couldn't help but notice that Finch sounded extremely vexed for some reason, but it seemed apparently obvious to her. The pressure from whatever was happening since the past few days must have been getting to him as well. So she let go of the conversation by simply wishing him a safe flight, asking him to give her a call once they reached.
But from where Ishaani's troubles ended began Miss Parekh's the moment she stepped into the office. The fact that so much had been going wrong with the consignment delivery only seemed to set her on edge. And everyone who crossed her the path the wrong way bore her wrath for she didn't bother being courteous with her language anymore. Everything was at stake over here and for the sake of her father and her own sanity, she had to get this legacy under the tier of the Parekh Empire!
And as she sat segregating and reading the contracts and the bills related to the consignment, her mind constantly kept wandering to the scene that had happened in the conference room the other day. Something did not click right in the entire equation. The lightning struck tower she now understood, but there were several things that she didn't. Knowing that her mind wouldn't come to rest until she figured what was going on, she pushed aside all the papers from upon her desk, letting out a deep sigh.
She pulled out a fresh sheet of paper now, deciding to retrace their conversation in the conference room in the form of pointers. It a habit inculcated since she was thirteen to understand mysterious dreams that were beyond her, not entirely sure whether what she had in mind would even work or no. But it was worth a shot to atleast segregate and organize her thoughts for the time being.
Sketching the entire conversation with all the key words used after twenty minutes' worth of brain wracking, Miss Parekh stared at the paper, deep in thought. The lightning-struck tower had easily meant disaster and calamity on the way, and the Horcrux in question remained the diamond consignment. Malfoy and Voldemort she knew without even having to second guess, but what was Ranveer up to with believing Malfoy the way he was beat her.
Unless...
-x-
Ranveer let his feet come to a halt as he arrived at the cradle between earth and paradise, gasping for breath. He caught his side, feeling the stitches get pulled after running non-stop for the indefinite amount of time that he did. He felt the nostalgia of the moment overcome his senses, the same euphoria bursting into his heart that would happen years ago whenever his feet would come to a halt upon that particular spot. The breaking dawn was always a moment worth cherishing as it embraced the thicket of nature, blowing into it a life that was electrifying and mystical.
Ranveer sat upon the rock as he watched the water splash across it with the same subtlety that it would all those years ago, enjoying the prism of colours break upon it as the broad rays of the sunlight kissed its droplets lovingly. It was day now as the warmth of the sun penetrated the shade of the greenery partly, leaving it cool enough to enjoy even though there was sufficient warmth to snuggle into as well.
As Ranveer watched wave after wave splash upon the rocks with a foamy froth, he wondered what life had ahead in store for him. This may be the last day when he was walking around as a free man. Tomorrow's dawn would decide what course his life took in spite of knowing that he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do. He'd have his revenge upon Chirag Mehta and make him suffer in a way he knew would crush and kill his ego agonizingly.
But whether he walked out from it unscathed himself, he didn't know.
Like his Mota Babuji would always tell him, the fire of revenge often ended up consuming you as well. And in that moment, Ranveer could see that truth dance before his eyes in a sickening tandem that made him afraid to jump off the cliff, just like he was years ago when Love asked him to. But he knew that if it came down to make a choice, there was no choice at all. It was always going to be her above him. And that's why he knew that he had to do what he was going to do.
Ranveer pulled his knees up to his chest and admired the nature around with all his heart and soul, letting it heal his wounds slowly yet effectively as he drank in the magical sight in greed. There was a breathtaking beauty about the way the sun kissed him in homecoming, about the way the birds sang for him in welcome, about the waters that splashed upon the rocks in joy, and about the way the sheath of green embraced him not unlike a mother.
It was all there today.
And he may have suddenly been fourteen when he'd stumbled upon this heaven in a moment of serendipity, finding an escape away from the cruel world. Almost everything had changed in all these years except for the beauty of his paradise that still remained the same, if not become even more so. And even though nature's beauty left him in awe and tranquility, the fact didn't change that this was going to be yet another turning point of his life, what he was going to do tomorrow. And its dawn was going to decide where life took him from that path forth.
For better or for worse though, only time would tell.
-x-
Miss Parekh let her finger trail ahead until it stuck upon the term 'secret keeper'. And with that came two names - Pettigrew and Black. The idea that Ranveer had proposed to her and she'd blindly replied to without even giving it a second thought. And as though struck by the same lightning on the Astronomy Tower, she kicked herself mentally when she realized what might have just happened, recollecting what he'd told her that day.
Malfoy was on the tail of the Horcrux and had nearly sunk the Dark Mark into it.
But she didn't heave a sigh of relief. She'd just gotten the confirmation of what she'd suspected all along. But the question still remained - what was Ranveer playing at, really? She still couldn't fathom anything, especially when she compared the two conversations back in the conference room. One had been so full of promise, and the other? It had stripped away everything from her.
How she craved to break his nose that day just to make him see sense!
Ishaani's finger halted upon the sheet abruptly once again as her mind suddenly flew into overdrive, each word creating a link to the other until she finally came to a stop. She couldn't believe how wanting to break his nose could end up making her tumble upon something so extraordinary, and yet it all made perfect sense as it fell in accordance to the situation.
It was all feigned, Ranveer's anger that day!
The same way he'd feigned his Oscar-worthy performance all those years back, pretending to lose his memory after their accident back when she was nineteen just to keep her from driving. The same accident that had given him a deviated septum. Cursing underneath her breath fluently, Miss Parekh let herself fall back upon the chair as her mind now fully dissected the infamous conversation from two days ago. It was a planned scenario that he'd staged, she realized grudgingly.
Harshad Parekh had taught them well that the personal and professional strands of a person's life were never to be mixed together. And neither Ranveer nor RV ever did that. And yet in the conference room that day, he'd done it so messily that it had been a surprise to her. But it was only now that she now realized what he was playing at.
He was banking upon her own reactions that he could predict from a mile off, something that he could do even back when they were kids. And he was a brilliant dramatist to it pull off, just like everything else he was perfect in. And it left her extremely chagrined, knowing what he'd done.
He'd tricked her into believing what he wanted her to believe.
Suddenly feeling her heart fall light at the fact that she'd cracked open some part of the mystery, she brought the scribbled sheet closer to her, studying it more carefully. Even though she'd figured out that what Ranveer had done the other day was a feigned act, his motive still remained unclear as she missed several blocks of the equation. She couldn't believe that even after all those years, Ranveer could act so effortlessly and lure her into a trap as stupid as that.
But she knew now that she wanted to break his nose for certain.
Scanning the paper for more fragments, her eyes landed upon the only two terms that remained unresolved. The two terms that she knew would be the key in figuring out what exactly was concocting in RV's mind, crooked as it was. And she had to admit in that moment that Finch had only spoken the truth to her the other day at lunch - RV was indeed a cunning fox. But as the two terms sat in front of her smugly, the mist of mystery began fading away on its own, the revelation astounding her.
Pettigrew and Black.
The switch in the secret-keeper.
Uh oh.
As though hit by another bolt of lightning, Miss Parekh picked up the phone and quickly dialled the number that she was in dire need of after finding it upon one of the bills. She knew it in her heart that she was right and that only one person could confirm the whole thing apart from four definitely unwilling men who she knew were in it from the start with a doubt. The receiver on the other end picked up the call after a few rings, the heat of her discoveries making her heart beat floppily.
"This is Ishaani Parekh here, from the Parekh Diamond Trading Company. I need to talk to the Customs Officer in charge, please." A click was all the response she got before her call was transferred, putting the man in question on the line instead.
"Yes ma'am, how may we help you?"
"I need to know whether there's been any recent consignment from the Parekh Diamond Trading Co. that has been sent to London via Sydney," asked Miss Parekh, secretly thankful that her company had such good ties with the customs officer to have such easy access with favours like these that were otherwise confidential and an extreme pain to extract.
"That's a little difficult to determine, considering how we have thousands of shipments and air cargo packages," replied the officer hesitantly. Ishaani put on her sweetest front now, keeping her tone in check to make sure that she didn't sound impatient at all.
"I'll narrow it down. Comprehensive cargo - Parekh Diamond Trading Co. - 14th October - Sample of 100 diamonds weighing approximately 250 cts in total," she specified, and a couple of clicks were all she got in reply. She assumed the officer on the other end to be narrowing down the results upon his computer. Exactly a minute later, he replied.
"No, we don't have any such entry registered. The last consignment from the Parekh Diamond Trading Co. is listed on the 16th of July to London via Shanghai."
Miss Parekh felt her heart sink in disappointment, annoyed that her theory had been wrong before a third bolt of lightning struck her again. She mentally slapped herself for being so stupid and not seeing the facts that were right before her eyes. The motive was right there all along!
"Wait, wait, wait. The same entry, but check it under Mehta & Sons Co. ranging from the 7th to 14th of October. We've recently acquired the firm so there's been quite some mix-ups," she added rather apologetically and the officer sighed before another round of clicks could be heard.
This time, his response was quicker.
"We have two entries for the same weight and specification. One is dated on the 14th of October to London via Beijing now en-route, and the other is dated on the 12th of October to London via Sydney," he replied and Miss Parekh banged her palm upon her desk in triumph, unable to contain the smile of her breakthrough that crossed her face unabashedly.
"Thank you so much, officer. That's all I needed to know."
Keeping the phone down, Miss Parekh stared at her scribbled list with an evil smile. She still didn't understand the other half of the equation, but she knew that this was definitely much, much murkier than she assumed it to be, having been ousted from the game like a mute spectator to simply wait and watch. She had half a mind to call Puneet and Rishi and make them come clean on this right that very moment for even though she finally had a few answers, the questions still outdid them all. She spent nearly twenty minutes in contemplation about the same before she finally buzzed the intercom across their lines, calling them in her cabin.
"You called for us?" asked Rishi and Ishaani nodded.
Both the men entered her cabin timidly, neither of them able to fathom why she looked so calm and good-natured all of a sudden. Her calm was more frightening than her storm.
"Take a seat," she requested and both of them did so, suddenly suspicious at the kindness of her tone. Miss Parekh perched her chin upon her interlocked fingers, scrutinizing the two men before her with utmost interest before she finally decided to go with the flow.
"Now I need you to be very honest with me because I cannot even begin to imply how serious this is."
"Ma'am, we don't-" began Puneet, looking worried suddenly when his speech was interrupted by a door knock. Miss Parekh looked beyond the two men and allowed the mysterious knocker an entry, who happened to be one of the peons with a parcel in his hand.
"Yes?"
"There's a courier for you, ma'am," he replied, handing the brown parcel to her as she turned it over, searching for any kind of address.
"Who is it from?" asked Miss Parekh as both Rishi and Puneet looked curious as well, wondering where the new mystery box came from. The peon shrugged his shoulders unhelpfully.
"I don't know, ma'am. Somebody just dropped it outside the office and asked me to give this to you."
"Okay, thank you," she muttered as the peon left the room, all three pairs of eyes upon the parcel now.
Miss Parekh nodded her head and took a deep sigh as she ripped open the package, curious to see what lay within. And out fell a pristine copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This time, Miss Parekh couldn't control the twitch of her lips, knowing the page she was supposed to target and she wasn't disappointed. Opening the book to the dedications page, she found the message she was looking for even though it left considerably vexed.
Take the leap of faith and walk down the path I've set, alone. You'll find the light at 9:30AM tomorrow.
Roonil Vazlib
Miss Parekh rolled her eyes at the signature, mentally commending Ranveer for his creativity, especially since he'd conveniently enough replaced the 'W' of the Wazlib with a 'V'. It was a joke upon Ron Weasley in the book, who was tricked by his brothers into using a spell-check quill whose charm had faded away so that his name ended up being written as Roonil Wazlib. She remembered how she'd roared with laughter when she'd first read that part for it oddly reminded her of how many people would spell Ranveer's surname with a 'W' instead of a 'V'.
But apart from the exceptional planning, she knew that Ranveer must have somehow tipped the Customs Officer into letting him know if anyone came poking around with the kind of questions she did. He must have predicted her to do that as well.
But with it, she stared at the word alone', feeling annoyed at her ill-fate. She couldn't ask Rishi or Puneet or anyone associated with this stint about it. She'd have to wait until tomorrow. Although how Ranveer could know her every single move at the back of his hand like that beat her. She wondered whether he was actually en-route to Sydney right now or whether even that had been a lie. But she'd get to that soon enough. If she'd been patient enough to let Ranveer fool her the way he did for so long, then another day wouldn't hurt.
She wanted to see where this leap of faith led her to, after all.
"Who is it from?"
"None of your business, Puneet," she replied, unable to keep the irritation out from her tone in spite of her mind-boggling breakthroughs from just half an hour earlier. Rishi contemplated speaking thrice before he finally found his voice to do so.
"Ma'am, you called us here regarding something serious-" he began, letting his sentence trail awkwardly as though afraid that Ishaani would scorch him up for even speaking. Contrary to his belief, she simply let her head rest back upon the chair, looking at her two most trusted employees nervously.
"Do you think we'll be able to pull off this consignment without another hitch and fulfill my father's legacy?" asked Miss Parekh, and Puneet and Rishi were taken aback with the genuine fear in her voice. They suddenly felt sorry for keeping their boss in the dark even though they knew that it was essential to do so.
"If everything goes our way, yes," replied Rishi sincerely, and she gave him an appreciative nod. Understanding it was all that she wanted to know, both the men were about to take their departure when Miss Parekh called Puneet back.
"One more thing - tell all the employees to come to work from ten tomorrow morning. Not a minute before that," she emphasized and Puneet nodded his head, secretly thankful that one more condition in RV's plan had been satisfied.
"You got that."
-x-
Ranveer returned to his room at around three in the afternoon, rejuvenated from his escapade into the forest and with better spirits at the same time. The smile upon his face faltered however when he opened the door to find Finch sitting in wait for him, looking ready to pounce.
"Where the hell were you?"
"I left you a note, mate," replied Ranveer calmly, and Finch instantly gawked at him, surprised.
He hadn't seen his friend this calm in a long, long time and it made for a good change, considering the amount of pressure and stress they were all under in that moment. When Ranveer plonked upon the bed tiredly, Finch did the same, knowing that he had to get him up to date with whatever had happened in his absence.
"Ishaani had called up at four thirty in the morning to ask about you. Whether you were okay or no. She sounded like she was having a hallucination of her own," added Finch rather awkwardly, and Ranveer wondered what might have happened out of the blue.
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her you were alright. We supposedly had a flight at eight in the morning," explained Finch, and Ranveer gave him a grudging smile. So Ishaani and Shanella had both been lulled into a false bit of information.
"And she bought it?" asked Ranveer, surprised that Ishaani believed him so easily.
"She sounded reluctant, wanting to come and meet you at the hotel but I told her that you didn't want any further drama, and that we were on the way to the airport already," explained Finch and Ranveer relaxed considerably. Finch was always good with spontaneous lying, being the reputed lawyer he was for his wit and resourcefulness.
"Any other developments?"
"The Half-Blood Prince has been delivered," replied Finch, not bothering to elaborate any further. Ranveer looked impressed.
"I knew she'd put two and two quick enough after what happened that day."
"She hasn't asked anyone about it so I'm taking it as a positive sign that she's got your message loud and clear, weirdly cryptic as it was. Although how the hell you predict her every move beats me," he mused, and this time Ranveer did grant Finch a genuine smile.
Finch couldn't help but notice that it was beginning to match the old Ranveer's smile although there was still a long way to go for it.
"When you've lived all your life trying to read through Ishaani Parekh's silence, you eventually learn the art of it," replied Ranveer, staring at his hands as he remembered all the times he'd try understanding her incoherent gibberish.
They'd indeed come a long way in those twenty years.
Finch didn't bother breaking the silence as he watched Ranveer bask in the solace of those long-lost moments with Ishaani, letting him enjoy the same. And it was when the clock chimed four that Ranveer finally snapped out from his thoughts, realizing that Finch was still sitting beside him patiently. Ranveer wondered what good he'd done in his life to get a friend like Gregory Finch, trying as he was at times.
"The phone call came in, by the way," informed Finch, realizing that conversation could resume once again. Ranveer's eyes widened in surprised.
"And you're telling me about this now?!" he exclaimed, feeling a new wave of anger sweep across his mind at the thought of the much-awaited meeting that was to happen after exactly six and a half years.
"I fixed an appointment for eight in the morning," added Finch, and Ranveer nodded his head in approval.
"And what about the employees?"
"Ishaani oddly asked them to come to work after ten in the morning tomorrow," he replied. Ranveer heaved a sigh of relief, glad that Ishaani had once again done exactly what he'd hoped that she would do. This had to be contained between as few people as possible.
"I need you to stall her till 9:30 by hook or by crook. She's a person who'd arrive an hour before a meeting like this," he warned Finch, who in turn gave him an assuring nod. He could only imagine Ishaani's expression when he landed upon her doorstep the next morning.
"I'll try my best."
"What about the supplier?" asked Ranveer, his heart now beating slightly faster. He really wished that this part of his nightmare went off in a jiffy as hundreds of scenarios now buzzed in his mind about what could exactly go wrong here. And it was beginning to worry him.
"He'll file the FIR first thing tomorrow morning."
"How long does it take to file a bloody FIR?" asked Ranveer, feeling the strain of the situation get the better of him. Finch couldn't help but feel sorry for the sacrifice that his friend was about to make, empathizing with what he must be going through in that minute.
"Don't get edgy now. I know you're freaked out of your mind."
"You're not the one risking your entire career and its credibility upon this," shot back Ranveer, unable to control himself. Finch gave him an understanding smile that made Ranveer regret his outburst.
"More the risk, more the reward, right?" assured Finch, and Ranveer did something that he hadn't done in well above five years - pull Finch into a bear hug, letting the latter console him warmly as he patted his back.
"What would I have ever done without you?" whispered Ranveer once he broke apart from the hug, flashing Finch a faint smile. Even though the latter tried to put up a sarcastic look upon his face, his eyes had gone dewy in emotion.
"We're not doing the goodbye speeches because we don't need them. Rishi told me that Lupin would be in his custody by tomorrow morning for sure," added Finch confidently and Ranveer sighed.
"And what about Black?"
"It's reached London safe and sound, and it's good to go," replied Finch, and he was happy to see RV return into Ranveer's eyes. Only the cool-headed RV could tackle the situation now.
"What about the London customs with regards to Pettigrew?"
"I've spoken to Frank. He was one of my pals back in Oxford and is currently the head of the customs at Heathrow. He told me that if the FIR was retracted within twenty-four fours, the situation would be easily contained with no records," replied Finch, thanking his stars for his time at the Oxford and the unbelievable contacts he'd made. RV breathed a little easier.
"And the ace of spade?"
"Should be yours in two hours. Sanghvi had gone to get the legal approval stamp and certificate in the morning, so he should be back any time now," replied Finch, sighing tiredly.
RV let his head fall upon the pillow, staring at the ceiling above him with a sudden rush of adrenaline at the thought of what was to happen the next day.
"Then I guess we're ready to play a game of poker tomorrow."
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Chapter 9
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