Hi. I am updating part 5. Just a word of caution. For those expecting a love story to bloom soon, I'm not inclined to make that happen. Rishabh is a hard man and Prerna is a foolish naive girl. They both need to grow individually before anything can happen. I hope you guys like part 5.
PART V
The card had instructed her to take down her hair and so she had. Prerna walked from the study room with her hair trailing down her back.
He had come to her just once, after all the guest had left, to escort her to his study on the first floor. He had handed her a few toiletries, shown her the way to the pantry, provided her access to his library of books and tv shows. He then handed her another card with a few instructions and had left her alone for the rest of the night. Prerna had fallen into a fitful sleep whilst reading a Faulkner novel on the makeshift bed that had been installed in the study for her.
As she walked out of his study was on the first floor and into the hall outside, she came upon a maid—who stared at her and then looked quickly away again, back to her work of mopping the floor.
“This way, Ma’am,” a male voice called.
She looked up and saw an armed guard waiting for her. His eyes tinged with pity.
Prerna straightened her shoulders. “Thank you. What is the time?”
“8.45 am, ma’am.”
Good. She had been instructed to leave through the front gates by 9 am. He turned and led the way down the curving marble stairs, out of the main doors and into the front lawns, where a few reporters were milling around, having set their cameras up for recording.
The press conference for the anticipated announcement.
It had been scheduled for 9.30 am, but a few small time journalists had gathered already in order to get some additional scoop. They stared at her openly as she walked past them. Mr. Bajaj had been quite explicit in his instructions, so she placed one foot in front of the other and walked up to the gate, her long hair blowing in the wind. She didn’t look left or right but kept her eyes focused straight ahead, even when one of the reporters whistled crudely at her. She closed her ears and heart and heard nothing, saw nothing except her failure to anticipate his moves. He had wanted her to stand out at the party so his guests would not forget that Anurag Basu’s fiancée had been present at the party that evening. He had wanted her to leave the mansion in the same clothes, in slight disarray, at a time where reporters were expected to be present on the estate. He had wanted to provide fodder for the gossip, without being seen as openly responsible for it. He had played her. The grapevine would now carry this news like whirlwind that Prerna Sharma, fiancée to Mr. Anurag Basu – head of Basu Industries, was seen coming out of the Bajaj Estate in the early hours of the morning. The shame of it all.
She’d followed his instructions, done everything he’d said, and he’d honor his part of the bargain as well. As they came to the front gate, and a guard held it open for her.
“Do you need me to call you a cab, Ma’am?,” he asked politely as she passed.
“No, thank you,” she replied ,
“Can I get you anything else?”
Prerna smiled humorlessly “I have everything I came for.” And she walked into the merciless sunshine.
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“Do you need a doctor?” Her mother finally asked.
“No. No, I’m fine,” Prerna whispered.
That was so obviously not the case that Prerna felt fresh tears start again. She swiped at them fiercely with her wrist. Now was not the time to succumb to her own horror and regret. She had to be strong for her mother.
“What”—her mother had to stop and inhale—“what did he do to you, Prerna?”
“Nothing at all,” Prerna said tonelessly. “He never even touched me.”
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In the last few hours, it felt like the world had set itself on fire. Mohini Basu had been mortified when the first caller of the day had informed her that her future daughter-in-law had been seen emerging out of Bajaj’s mansion earlier that morning. Mortification had swiftly turned to visceral anger and she and Nivedita had stormed into Sharma house. There had been volley of accusations hurled before Prerna had a chance to explain the contract with Mr. Bajaj to them.
Nivedita was the first to break the silence after a bit. “Why did you go to that man? Why didn’t you come to me first? We could have discussed it, perhaps found another way to help Anurag.”
Prerna tried to keep her anger under control, but she knew some of the residue was going to leak through. “Do whatever it takes” she said quietly. “That’s what you said to me. Do whatever it takes bring Anurag home. I did just that. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway,” she added, closing her eyes. “I had to go to Mr. Bajaj alone. I had to make the bargain I did with him alone. And it worked, you know.”
“How the hell do you know it worked? For all we know, that man is laughing at the Basu family and the disgrace that your stupidity has brought us!” Mohini screeched.
Prerna closed her eyes. She hoped that that man would keep his word, but even if a miracle happened and he did, that would not change things for her. The whispers would not fade.
She was a fallen woman.
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"The charges have been dropped. The CCTV footage was entered into evidence yesterday afternoon." Anupam declared. Rishabh Bajaj had kept his word. And as Anupam stared at jubilation of his family around him and took in the sounds and moans of relief and joy, he thought about Mr. Bajaj’s treachery and honor and the price a woman had paid for the man she loved.
Cheers,
Sohaa.
Okay thats it. Thank you for reading. Let me know if the story has you interested.
Your writing is beyond beautiful. I have read all the 5 chapters in a go.
I like the way you characterized Bajaj and Prerna. But anupams thought in the last part of chapter 5, gave me some satisfaction. At least, someone is understanding the game from the outside, or so it seems.
Continue soon.
