FF: The Road to Redemption- Step 9- Negotiate from Nothing- Pg 38 - Page 5

please do continue

bye sumi

Aman Mishra was on edge. His boss, the seemingly infallible Shivaay Singh Oberoi had been busy for the past month settling into married life and introducing his new bride to their society. Making the rounds, if you will.

Shivaay had therefore entrusted the handling of the deal with the Kapoors, the contract supposedly worth 36 crores, to Aman.

Aman's first move had been, of course, a feasibility study. When he had asked Mrs Kapoor to arrange for Kapoor & Kapoor's accounts and financial reports to be sent over, the woman had immediately become defensive, asking why he needed them and that Shivaay had already approved all the finances so all Aman needed to do now was draw up the contract.

That was red flag number one.

Of course, a man trusted by someone as punctilious as Shivaay did not need Mrs Kapoor's cooperation in order to get his hands on the materials required. And when he did, the state of them had sent his head into a tailspin. Forget 36 crores, Oberoi Industries would be lucky if Kapoor & Kapoor could afford to sign a deal for 36 rupees.

Red flag number two.

Utilising some less than scrupulous contacts and methods, Aman used the Oberoi name to acquire not just Kapoor & Kapoor's records, but records of the personal finances of Tia Kapoor and her mother. He had also asked for the records of Robin Kapoor, Tia's brother... only to be told that such a man did not exist.

Tia Kapoor was an only child.

So who the hell was Robin?

Red flags numbers three, four and five.

As he analysed the spending habits of the two Kapoors who actually were Kapoors, something started to become very clear to him.

Not the infeasibility of the deal- that had been obvious to him from day one- but something else. Something which took Aman the better part of the month to confirm.

Credit and debit card receipts were analysed, electoral rolls were consulted, restaurants and hotels were visited, marriage registries were checked.

And checked again.

And checked one last time, just to be sure.

Aman even trawled social media accounts for Tia and her socialite friends, going back years and wading for days through the mostly inane drivel they considered necessary to share with the world. But oh boy did he eventually hit the freaking jackpot.

It took him another week to compile all of the evidence into one fairly substantial binder. It was a 'Binder of Betrayal', he told his wife who told him she didn't care and to stop talking about work because it was boring.

And now Aman Mishra sat downstairs in the Oberoi Mansion, letting the cup of tea in front of him go cold as he anxiously waited for Shivaay to come downstairs. He could have simply had the binder couriered over, but having seen one too many of his wife's much-beloved Star Plus dramas where important evidence such as this was intercepted and destroyed by the vampy villains, he decided not to take the chance.

"Mishra," Shivaay called out as he walked down the stairs, fixing his sleeves. "What the hell are you doing in my home at 6:30 in the morning?"

"I er, have the feasibility report on the deal with Kapoor & Kapoor."

"Again, why the hell are you giving it to me in my home at 6:30am?"

Aman held out the binder and watched as Shivaay opened it, eyebrows raising immediately. Aman watched as his boss sat down on the sofa and slowly turned the pages, taking in every line and processing every word.

Realising what it all meant.

Aman wasn't sure how he expected Shivaay to react, but laughter was not something he had even contemplated. But that was exactly what was happening. Shivaay Singh Oberoi was laughing. It started off as small splutters, and then eventually became a chuckle which developed quickly into full blown guffawing. By the time he closed the binder, he was laughing so hard the man was actually clutching his stomach and wiping away tears.

"Er, Sir?"

"Aman, oh Aman. I didn't think I could possibly fall any lower or feel any stupider, and then in you walk, at 6:30am with a binder that just confirms that I am, quite literally, the biggest c word who has ever walked the planet."

"Well, I wouldn't go-"

"Of course you wouldn't because I'd fire you, but I can and will. Oh dear, my wife's going to kill me."

"Well, I'm not really even sure she is your wife. Since she's already married to this Dushyant character, your wedding probably isn't-"

"Oh I'm not talking about Tia. I'm talking about my wife."

Ah, okay. Aman knew why Shivaay was laughing. He'd snapped. Lost the plot. Gone completely and utterly crazy.

"But Sir, Tia is your wife."

"No. No she isn't. But I'll explain that later. Tell me, this exact amount of money went in to Mrs Kapoor's account three days after my wedding?"

"Yes? But why is that important?"

"Because, Mishra, that is the exact amount I paid to get Tia back from a 'business rival' who had apparently kidnapped her minutes before our wedding."

A sudden realisation. "But... if Tia was kidnapped, who did you marry?"

Shivaay didn't say anything, but Aman could see the wheels turning in his head. When he eventually spoke, it was with a smile so sly and a look in his eyes so menacing that it actually sent a chill down Aman's spine.

"Organise a press conference. Here. Tonight. And get me a list of all Kapoor & Kapoor's suppliers. I have some things I need to do."

"""""""""

Anika would never understand why the Oberois insisted on colour coordinating outfits for all their press events.

Soumya had come into her room a few minutes earlier and dropped two orange and gold dresses on the bed. Anika picked up the one meant for her.

"Are you kidding me? What's the colour scheme today, gajjar ka halwa? Who in the history of ever has ever looked good in bright orange? Seriously. Who picked this?"

Soumya scrutinised her own outfit and frowned. "Are we allowed to just not wear them?"

"Well," Anika said, folding the dress and placing it back onto the bed, "since I have no intention of attending this stupid press conference, I won't be."

"But Bade Bhaiya said everyone had to go. Including you."

"Don't you think the press will find it odd that the wedding planner is still hanging around the Oberoi Mansion, that too in an outfit that matches the family, a whole month after the wedding? Do you think that's what this is? Do you think he's going to celebrate his one month anniversary?"

"I wouldn't put it past Lady Baba." Soumya pulled a duck-face pout and pretended to take a selfie. "Shivaay Baby, we absolutely must share our happiness with everybody."

Anika giggled before standing up, swinging Chikni over her shoulder as she did so. "Well, I have an event to cater so I genuinely can't attend, even if I wanted to. I'm sure Jaanu will be more than happy to carry on playing the role of Mrs Shivaay Singh Oberoi in my absence."

Giving Soumya a quick hug, Anika said goodbye and left the room. Instead of turning left, which would have taken her directly to the main staircase and out through the main entrance, Anika quickly went right and then right again. It was the long way out and led to a small back exit frequented by the staff, but it avoided all of the family bedrooms which meant that so long as Omkara wasn't working in his studio facing outwards with the door open, it was her best chance of escaping the Oberoi Mansion without running into any Oberois.

Slipping through the back door, she pulled on it to make sure that it had locked behind her. Certain that it had, she rooted through her bag for the keys to Champa, who she kept parked back here for quick and easy escapes.

But it seemed kismat remained determinedly not on her side, for there, leaning against her scooter wearing a burnt-orange and black kurta was none other than Shivaay Singh Oberoi. Seeing her, he stood up straight and cleared his throat. "I thought I made it very clear that the entire family was to attend this press conference."

"Yes, you did. Mrs Tia Singh Oberoi is waiting inside. Now please move, I have a job to get to and I don't want to be late."

"But-" Shivaay took a deep breath, seemingly having some sort of argument with himself before finally sighing and stepping aside. "Okay."

Surprised and more than a little suspicious at how quickly he had given in, Anika quickly put on her helmet and sat down. "You haven't like, cut the breaks or something?"

"What kind of monster do you think I am?!"

Anika looked into his eyes. Really, what colour were they? In the afternoon sunlight, they seemed to shift between pale green and silver. "The kind of monster who abused me into marrying him, pretended to blow up my little brother and since then has forced me into a home I don't want to live in with a family who treats me like I don't exist while making me watch as you parade another woman around as your wife. A woman who isn't even- you know what. I'm over it. And I need to go."

She watched as Shivaay's fists clenched so tightly the veins and tendons looked ready to pop through the skin. But his face gave nothing away, was a carefully controlled mask.

Again. She was over it. As she put the key into the scooter and turned it, she felt a warm hand on her arm.

"Did you need something, Mr Oberoi?"

The flinch he still couldn't quite control. "Watch the news tonight."

Something in his voice, something in his eyes, something in the set of his jaw... something made her pause as the engine ran noisily in the background, demanding that she start moving. She nodded. "Okay."

""""""""""""

"Ladies and gentlemen, honoured members of the press. As you all know, the reputation of the Oberoi family is a fearsome one. We are known for being ruthless in business and ruthless in society. As you will all discover over the next few weeks, I made quite a few ruthless decisions on behalf of Oberoi Industries today. My marriage to Tia Kapoor was as much a business decision as it was an emotional one- Oberoi Industries and Kapoor & Kapoor have a lot of industry overlap, we have many suppliers, distributors and purchasers in common... together, our businesses had the potential to dominate the entire sector. However-"

His voice suddenly changed from the practiced warmth and confidence he usually utilised for press conferences to one which cut through the crowd with its chill. "Today, certain things were brought to my attention which warranted a drastic change in strategy. Oberois do not like to be played. And if you're going to try to play the biggest players in the game, you better not get caught. As of tomorrow morning, Kapoor & Kapoor will be signed over in its entirety to the umbrella of Oberoi Industries. All remaining profitable operations will be under our control, and all other assets will be liquidated. We foresee huge profits in the next quarter."

From the corner of his eye, Shivaay saw a flash of orange hurtling towards him. "What are you doing, Shivaay Baby! How can you do this to your wife?"

"Dushyant."

The name froze Tia in place.

All the colour drained from her face.

"Miss Kapoor, thank you for joining me. I hear the police already have your mother and lovely older brother in custody." With a look as dispassionate as one he might give a fleck of lint on his sleeve, Shivaay tilted his head towards a police officer waiting in the crowd. "Take her away please, Officer."

"What do you mean 'Miss Kapoor'?" Called out a reporter.

"Ah yes. That's the other announcement I wished to make. Many of you speculated as to why my beautiful bride remained so determinedly hidden underneath her ghoongat on the day of our wedding. The official explanation was that the pandit said it would be inauspicious for anyone to see her face prior to the Muh Dikhai. The unofficial rumour was that something had gone horribly wrong with Tia's makeup. The truth, however, is that it wasn't Tia underneath the ghoongat at all."

Shivaay shrugged, thankful that the camera flashes and spotlights were so bright he could not see a single person's reaction.

Only one mattered right now anyway, and she wasn't in the room.

"Moments before the wedding, Tia Kapoor disappeared. And so another woman took her place, a woman who has done more for this family and for me than any of us could have ever expected. A woman who after the wedding stepped aside and let me and my family preserve our egos and our pride by maintaining the facade of my marriage to Tia. A woman to whom I will never be able to apologise enough. I will introduce her as and when and if she is ever ready. Today is not that day."

The reporters went crazy. Questions were being hurled at him so quickly and so loudly that it all just sounded like white noise. Shivaay lifted a hand and silenced them all. "For the Oberoi family, izzat has always been everything. I don't really know what effect this press conference will have on that, but I think it's about time I took my wife's izzat into consideration. I'd like to end with this- call me what you like, say whatever you want about me. I can handle it. I don't care. But if any of you so much as draft an article badmouthing any member of my family, including my wife, I will destroy you. I will destroy you and I will destroy everything you hold dear. I will destroy the computer you typed it on and the newspaper that printed it. I will destroy the editor who approved it and I will destroy the business that editor's father-in-law has spent his lifetime trying to grow. In one day I have brought Kapoor & Kapoor crashing to the ground and sent its entire dynasty to prison. Including the woman I was supposed to marry." Shivaay Singh Oberoi swept a his trademark arctic glare over the crowd. "What do you suppose I'll do to you?"

And with that he nodded to the reporters, and stepped off the stage.

Anika was stunned. She had numbly ladled so much soup into a bowl that it had overflowed and was spilling all over the table. She ignored the gasps and yelps of protest from the guests, didn't even register their presence. She just continued to ladle as she stared, astounded, at the TV screen.

This couldn't be happening.

This couldn't be real.

This wasn't Shivaay Singh Oberoi.

It couldn't be.

Could it?

Anika shook her head, coming to her senses and realising what she had done. She apologised profusely to the guests and to her boss and quickly went about tidying up and replacing the tablecloth. She wanted to go home. Had to go home...

But she had a job to do.

She didn't know what game Shivaay was playing, but surely he was playing something. And she wasn't going to do him the honour of prioritising him and his stupid games over her job and her independence.

Not anymore.

But as Anika drove home at 11:30pm that night, she couldn't help allowing herself to think, just once, what it meant if this was sincere. If this was Shivaay honestly attempting to make amends?

She felt her heart skip a beat, and then, just as quickly, her mind took over. Her own words from earlier that day came back to her: "the kind of monster who abused me into marrying him, pretended to blow up my little brother... forced me into a home I don't want to live in with a family who treats me like I don't exist... making me watch as you parade another woman around as your wife..."

It changed nothing.

It fixed nothing.

It meant nothing.

Even so... let it never be said that Shivaay Singh Oberoi was a man who did things by halves.

Step Four- Learn Your Limits

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I'm so glad you're all enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. The show right now is 🤢 so I hope this helps even just a little in getting you through. Let me know what you thought of Shivaay's "grand gesture". I was like "Is a man like Shivaay really going to cast aside his izzat for Anika's? Sure. But he'll damn well make sure nobody else's is drawn into question along with his own!" 😆

Haha aman...Mishra ji deserves the bonus.

You might want yo copyright this...cause the cvs might just use it to dig themselves out if the hole they have dug.

Amazing job.

Am gonna read again

This freaking amazing, damned brilliant update.

Words. No words for this update.

Just so awesome.

If I had even 10% of your writing talent I would be writing novels and minting the money.

This was simply superb! Thank you for salvaging my beloved Shivay and Anika and recreating them for us, fans. Uff! This was so good. I loved Aman's wife's reaction the best though! Work is boring and I suspect, Mishraji does have a tendency to talk about his work A LOT!

I wonder why these oh-so-powerful-and-well-informed-heroes (I was about to type 'herpes' 😉)

are so bad at running background checks on those out to get them.

And that colour-coding outfit was spot on! 😆 and yes, seriously, ORANGE?! 😕

Can't wait for the next update... want to see what Shivay does to get her to change Anika's mind... You seriously weaved magic. From me hating the very prospect of ShivIka, I am now all eyes for the plot development (only in fanfics though) about this pair! This fic was actually therapeutic!!

But yup on a serious note it was fabulous

Loved loved loved it