CHAPTER : 4 :
The body-guards quickly ushered Brijraj and Komal back to their car as the Devgarh people protested violently against the Royals. They were angry about the quarantine , they were distraught about losing loved ones and were not willing to give the Royals , the respect they once commanded. The villagers wanted answers ; but they wanted , or rather ; they were willing to listen to only 1 person ... and that RajMata Mrinalini Devi . Some even thought her illness - to be a lame excuse for not meeting them. Instigators that were "PUT" amongst the crowd to "SWAY" them against the Royals ... had done their job. Every single person believed that the mine was responsible for the "MURDERS" ... thus , BRIJRAJ WAS THE MAN , ACCOUNTABLE.
Komal as usual ... remained her quiet self. Even when Brijraj howled like a mad-man , she had very little to say. THAT BLOODY STANLEY! I TRUSTED HIM , he screamed as he dialed Stanley's number. JUST VOICE-MAIL! I HAVE TO CLEAN THIS BAS***D'S MESS NOW!!! I was such a fool to trust him. MaaSahib had warned me about him ; even UdayVeer voiced his objections ... but I thought I knew better. DAMMIT!!! I can only imagine what the members of the Mahasabha are thinking right now.
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WAH BETA ... kya naam socha hain aapne , Giriraj spoke with pride as he patted his son's back. Haan Dada ... not only is it beautiful because it has the first 2 letters of your name and the last 2 letters of Bhabhisa's name ... but it also has such a wonderful meaning. UDITA - the 1 that has risen!, said all 4 together. Indeed Dada ... she was the 1 that had risen THAT DAY , she began remembering that day when Manyata tried to take her own life.
We have yet to find Major Veer ... and thank him for saving Manyata and Udita , Giriraj stated solemnly. Baba , Major Veer is right here! , Manyata announced as she smiled at Uday , it was Uday that saved us!!! Unnati & Giriraj were shocked by the statement and asked many questions about it. Chotti , Dad ... I said before , it's a long story and I'll tell it to you ...1 day.
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Congrats Dad ... another mini-victory for us , toasted Aditya. Yeah Beta ... did U see how the Maharaj and Maharani of Devgarh , got booed out of their own estate. It was a brilliant idea ... planting those guys in the midst of the crowd and letting them "CONVINCE" the villagers that Brijraj was the person, guilty , for all their woes. But Beta ... I have this feeling , that even after getting this close ... we're NOT getting Devgarh.
Oh come on Dad - nothing can go wrong now. From the time u found out that they were mining Gold in Devgarh ... U WANTED IT ; and I'm getting it for you. So , just chill ... by the end of the week ; we'll be ruling Raigarh AS WELL AS DEVGARH! , Aditya explained.
Aditya - are u sure no-one will suspect us for all the deaths , Maharaj Joginder voiced his concerns. Only UdayVeer would've known , Aditya thought silently ... as he began recalling 2 events from his past.
FLASHBACK 1 ...
Uday & Aditya were in the same college. Whilst Uday was an ace in chemistry , Aditya was a complete dud. He was only passing each year , because of the hefty contributions his father was making towards the educational institute. But as with all "WEAK" students ... there is always 1 lesson in that subject ; that they take an immense liking to. And the lesson that caught Yuvraaj Aditya's attention was ... THE PROPERTIES OF POTASSIUM CYANIDE. He was so intrigued by the chemical ... that it became an obsession ; and this was soon found out by Uday , when 1 day ; he caught Aditya in the school's lab ... trying to formulate the substance. Aditya - it's after-hours , what are u doing here? Aditya didn't answer Uday , instead he tried to block what he was doing; but Uday was too sharp for him and figured out the matter. Uday disposed the stuff and dragged Aditya out by his collar and warned him sternly : Aditya ... I don't know what's going on in that sick mind of yours , AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW! I'm not gonna report u THIS TIME ... but don't let me ever catch u again ... I SWEAR YOU'LL BE SORRY! , Uday threatened.
FLASBACK 2 ...
Through the grape-vine , a couple months later ... there was news of Aditya's girl-friend's death. Uday found her death to be very suspicious and confronted Aditya : Did U do it? Aditya - did u kill her??? N - no - no way Uday ... it was not me ... why would I do that? he answered. Aditya - Rashmi was poisoned! And to me - it looks like cyanide-poisoning ... CYANIDE - AS IN YOUR FETTISH !!! Uday was fuming with rage and pushed Aditya onto the ground. Aditya grabbed Uday's leg and pleaded : Uday - I did nothing ... Rashmi was pregnant with my child - U THINK I'LL DO THAT TO MY OWM KID? , he said with tears flowing. Uday bought the story and even felt sorry for Aditya. He even apologised for wrongly accusing him.
END OF FLASH-BACK!
Stupid , stupid ; STUPID UDAYVEER , he grinned slyly , as he swirled his glass of Brandy. Obviously it was me ... I POISONED RASHMI ... I just wanted to have fun with her. How was I supposed to know , that the couple times we f**ked ; would lead to her getting pregnant! No way , was I ready to become a father at 17 years ... so , I GOT RID OF HER. U were right UdayVeer ... but I didn't know you were so weak - U SAW MY CROCODILE TEARS AND U BELIEVED ME!
He walked out to his balcony and held his glass up , to the heavens , and toasted : CHEERS UDAYVEER , I'm so happy that you're dead! MY SECRET IS SAFE. Nobody will point a finger in my direction ... Devgarh will be mine! He took a sip from his glass and upon remembering something - he held up his glass again : Uday - say HI to Rashmi for me! , and he began laughing like a psycho: HA - HA - HA - HA!
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Manyata noticed the slight movement of Udita , and knew that she was waking up soon. She carefully lifted her in her arms and passed her onto Uday. Be careful with her head , Dada ; Unnati said as she corrected the baby's positioning on Uday's arm. Uday was excited about holding his child for the first time ... but he was also scared about the baby's reaction to him. And right he was ... once Udita's eyes opened ; and seeing an unfamiliar face in front of her - ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!
The child screamed loudly and tears flowed like a cascade. Uday , in a panic , quickly changed her position and started to rub her back to calm her down. Don't worry Uday , she did the same for me ... but now , she recognises me ... hain na Beta , Giriraj tried consoling Uday , while at the same time ; pacifying Udita. Unnati grabbed the teddy-bear , that Uday brought and held it in front of the baby. Udita , lovingly carressed the bear's soft paws and stopped crying for a few seconds, but that was short-lived.
As soon as she realised in who's arms she was ... she started howling again. With her tiny feet , she started kicking into Uday's chest. Sshh , shhh Beta ... mat ro Baccha ; chup ho jao Sona! , Uday tried to quieten her , but failed miserably. Manyata , who had stood aside , waiting for Uday to "handle" the baby , was losing patience fast.
Dad - this is the first time ... a girl can't get away from Dada fast enough! , Unnati joked and Giriraj laughed. Shut-up Chotti , Uday scolded. The fear was evident on his face , but he wasn't ready to give up yet : Chup ho jao meri Pari , hum aapke Papa hain! , he continued saying to the baby.
The agony of hearing her baby cry , coupled with the repressed feelings of anger towards Uday ... was reaching its peak. Manyata moved to take the baby from Uday. Wait Princess - she'll come around just now! Give her to me Uday ... CAN'T U SEE SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU!!! Her words were harsh and it stung like an arrow. Uday remained as still as a statue , while Manyata pulled Udita from him and took her out of the room, leaving Giriraj and Unnati in shock.
Tears welled up in Uday's eyes and he swallowed hard at the lump in his throat. Manyata's words replayed over and over in his mind. She had said , what he was fearing. His daughter had just rejected him ; and his wife ... crushed his spirit. Taking large strides , he walked out of the nursery and entered into a room , which resembled his study back in India.
A half-drunk bottle of Whiskey was kept on the mantle-piece ... probably brought by Giriraj. Uday grabbed the bottle , unscrewed the cap , poured some into a glass and took it to his mouth. I don't like when u drink Uday , Manyata's words from the past , rung in his head , and he put the glass back down.
Manyata was breast-feeding Udita in the bedroom , when Unnati walked in. Bhabhisa'- are u alright? , she asked softly. Manyata just nodded. Bhabhisa' - why did u say that to Dada? Manyata didn't answer , instead ; hot tears started to roll down her face. I don't know why I said it Unnati - I don't know what's wrong with me! , Manyata sobbed. Bhabhisa' - obviously Megha , I mean Udita would cry ... she doesn't know Dada. She did the same thing when she saw Dad, but now she's used to him. It's natural for babies to do that!
I KNOW THAT UNNATI , Manyata yelled. Then why were u so cruel to Dada? OH MY GOD ... Bhabhisa' - are u blaming Dada for all that happened in the last year? , Unnati asked as she figured out the psychology behind Manyata's outburst.
Uday stood lifelessly , staring out of the window. Manyata's shrill tone was still echoing in his mind. There was so much more to that single sentence she said. There was that fire in Manyata's eyes , which led Uday to believe that her outcry was a whole lot more , than just Udita "not liking" him. A hand on his shoulder , disturbed his thoughts. Dad - I didn't even get a proper look at my child , Uday spoke tearfully. Beta - tum samajdaar ho ... I don't have to tell u , that what Manyata said ; and what's on her mind ... ARE 2 DIFFERENT THINGS. Uday nodded. Beta - 1 thing u should always remember - MANYATA LOVES U MORE THAN U CAN IMAGINE! I had so many doubts about u marrying her ... but in this last year - I came to realise ... THERE WAS NO OTHER BETTER CHOICE FOR YOU , THAN MANYATA! Get her to talk to you and tell u , WHAT'S REALLY BOTHERING HER.
Unfortunately , Manyata was not ready to talk to Uday and made every effort to stay out of his path. Uday was staying in the guest-room from the time he got back. Every time Unnati or Giriraj took the baby to Uday , she screamed. A dejected Uday , would just move away - so that Udita would quieten down.
It was 3 days , since Uday was back and he had barely shared 2 words with Manyata. He stood by the window of his room and looked at the gloomy skies. A tempest was brewing. On the baby-monitor , he heard Udita cry. He rushed to the nursery , but Manyata got there first. She was seated and feeding the child. Udita's eyes followed Uday's movements till he sat beside them. Seeing Udita so calm ... he couldn't help raising his hand to touch her.
Manyata , in a flash ; covered her bosom and the baby's head , by pulling her shirt over. Uday apologised for interrupting and left the room. Manyata cursed herself for doing what she did. She should be ammending what she said the other day ... but now ; SHE JUST MADE IT WORSE! After feeding , she went to see Uday.
Uday - I ... she stopped and sat on the bed. Uday sat beside her and held her hand. Tell me Princess ... I'm here now! EXACTLY UDAY ... YOU - ARE - HERE - NOW!!! Where were u when I needed you? U were not her when I needed u the most! , she pushed his hand off and slumped to the floor on her knees. He also kneeled beside her. Princess - U can't blame me for that. It was NOT BY CHOICE ; that I had to leave you! Then who should I blame Uday? AKASH??? U know about Akash! , he asked ; shocked. Akash took away MY LIFE ... so , I TOOK AWAY HIS!!!
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NEXT UPDATE - 15th APRIL (midnight)
PRECAP - MANYATA OUTBURST CONTINUES.
REMINDER - 45 "LIKEs" ensure the next update😃.
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WRITER'S NOTE - My next update is scheduled for next Monday ... however ; if I find any person posting an "RES" and not editing it by the next day ... chapter 5 will be post-poned by 30 days . ( THAT IS 30 DAYS PER EACH "RES" I FIND) !!! I HATE SEEING empty posts on my thread especially when I could've used that space.
I'm not sure how the other writer's feel about this ... but (for me) it's damn annoying😡 ; considering I took so much time to post a chapter ... and the other person doesn't have the decency to post 2 words. I know for a fact , the RESERVES I have for chapter 1 & 2 will NEVER be edited NOW. And frankly ... I don't want it to be!!!!
I have 3260 posts to my name ... and not 1 of them is a "RES" . I don't to this on your threads ; SO PLEASE DON'T DO IT ON MINE.
I would rather , U DO NOT POST A COMMENT .
TAKE IT AS A THREAT OR A REQUEST ... whatever suits you.
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Edited by ...navina... - 12 years ago
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