Omerta - Ch 11, Pg 29, 10/Sept - Page 12

Originally posted by: sia221

At least u didn't say NO...!! so there is some hope... !!! 😆😃

Originally posted by: -Sookie-

It's like those TV shows where the push-pull between the male and female lead goes on for months... 😆 😆 In the end...what happens?

Chapter 6:

The manager wasn't kidding when he reiterated several times regarding the invitees. She was slammed with orders but she had managed. People in the gallery were too self-absorbed to pay her any attention and she preferred it that way.

"Thank you," she heard a familiar voice tell her. She looked up to see Maan peering at her without an emotion on his face. He showed no sign of recognition and just picked up the drink and walked away. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. What the hell was he doing at this party?

"What are you doing here?" She asked him walking in step with him. He looked surprised. Even she looked surprised given how she had initiated a conversation with the man who had spooked her.

"I was invited," he said containing a smile. He hadn't expected Geet to recognize him in open let alone initiate a conversation. Knowing what she had done, she quickly recovered and nodded. She walked away briskly offering drinks to other patrons as he stood in a corner and observed.

He didn't understand why he was invited to this party. This was the first time Damodar Deshmukh publicly acknowledged his presence and he didn't know why. Maan disliked it when he failed to read the telling of the other party and this time he had completely misread Deshmukh. He twirled the liquid in the glass and the ice clinked around. There were too many known faces on the floor admiring the paintings from afar and at times talking at lengths about it. He idly mused if they would all be charged as accomplices to the man who was evading government as the goods that were on display here would definitely be out of the country in coming few weeks. First of all, they weren't even legally purchased.

"Maan Singh Khurana," an older voice called out to him. He looked up to see Damodar Deshmukh standing three feet away from him two men flanking his sides. He was right after all.

"Mr. Deshmukh, thank you for your invitation," he said politely.

"No need to thank me Mr. Khurana since I didn't invite you," he said. Maan knew that Deshmukh wasn't lying because he was equally surprised to see Maan there. For a moment, both men just stared at one another and wondered what was going on.

"Father, I take that you met Mr. Khurana here," Vikram Deshmukh slid in smoothly between them and smiled charmingly. "We have heard your name a lot Mr. Khurana and it was such an odd thing that we never actually met one another given how….our businesses tend to complement one another."

Maan looked at him blankly while Deshmukh had a thunderous expression on his face.

Like Maan, he knew that there was time and place for everything and these sorts of parties weren't the places. Damodar Deshmukh had no intention of associating himself with Maan in public just yet. Though he desperately needed Maan's resources, he would have preferred doing their business in private as there were outstanding allegations on Maan which he hadn't bothered to respond to.

"Thank you for inviting me to this little soiree," Maan said shaking Vikram's offered hand.

"Have a good time at the party Mr. Khurana," Damodar left the two men alone.

"I should have told my father about you joining us tonight but I guess it slipped my mind," he said with a secretive smile. Maan very well knew it was to test waters with his father. First it was Varun who booked an hour of his time in Istanbul and now the older brother was up it by a notch by inviting him to the party. Maan knew he was an important piece in Deshmukh's Europe expansion plan but he hadn't anticipated the two brothers going all out to impress their father.

"I think you should have," Maan said and clinked glass with Vikram.

"Mr. Khurana, it's a surprise to see you here," Varun said looking from Maan to Vikram. "I wasn't aware that you were on father's invite list," he added glaring at his half-brother.

"Your brother invited me. I am happy to be here, nevertheless," he said looking between the brothers. There was something off-putting about their dynamics as if they were two predators eyeing the same prey. Varun was just trying to impress his father and gain his respect while Vikram had a much larger agenda. The brothers were glaring at one another while he just looked on solemnly.

"I will see you soon," Varun said raising his glass to Maan. Vikram looked curious at that. Maan deduced it could be because Varun had just managed to confirm the rumor that has been floating around.

Vikram bid good bye moments later and let Maan to tend for himself. The whole evening was getting boring for him and he could see Vikram watching him from his peripheral vision. He had come alone that evening as Khan was finalizing a deal.

"You look bored," Varun said handing over a drink to Maan and sliding into the seat next to him. People were still looking around and now the gallery had grown more crowded than earlier. He had spoken to few people – women, mostly who told him on his face that he looked more like a movie star than a business man with questionable legality. He didn't know how to respond to that. Instead he spoke about art and theater and things that those women understood or at least pretended to understand. His charm reduced the fear in those women and Geet once even blatantly rolled her eyes at them. He had hid a smile behind the glass of champagne then.

He took the drink from Varun who probably wanted to figure out what his brother wanted from him. He was stuck right in the middle of some family drama and was the prize the brothers were trying to win.

She had never seen so many celebrities in her life before unless she counted magazines and page three. It was going on well for her for most part of the evening as she was serving alcohol and entrees to the guests. Varun had motioned her over and picked up two glasses of scotch. She had walked away after giving him the drinks but curiously had peeked in thus she had turned around to see Varun drop a packet of white powder to one of the glasses.

What surprised her even more was when the drugged drink was offered to Maan and Maan taking sips of it without suspecting anything. What was she supposed to do now?

To be continued.

Music Companion of the day: Franky Mr. Shankly by The Smiths

Originally posted by: ivre

Geet is stuck... or is she? of all the waitresses, varun picks her. too much coincidence...

Originally posted by: -Sookie-

Let's see it this way:

It's an exclusive party and there are about say 70 guests. There are about ten stewards/waitresses, three people at bar, a manager, etc. Now on the floor, there are ten people out of which let's consider 50% are women - 5 girls then. As per Skoda's manger in last chapter, he recommended only Geet for the job. Varun would have scanned the floor and would have seen Geet. Recognition sets in and calls her.

This act is involuntary and is driven subconsciously... 😆

Originally posted by: ivre

how many of those 5 waitresses.are being stalked by police for information on varun? also, I can safely assume that they dont read a shit load of newspapers and are paranoid about their safety and draws out msk