|| PART 27-i ||
Virat's office, the same morning - Virat's POV:
I was sitting in my office catching up with my technical team. They were briefing me about the happenings of the last few days I wasn't in.
My phone rings and it's my darling wife.
"Hello"
"Virat?"
"Haanji.."
There is a long pause.
"Manvi?"
"Virat, I am sorry, I froze in the morning. I wanted to tell you that, none of it is true. I don't know why he was saying all those things. We never ever talked like that - marriage? relationship? I was not in a relationship with anyone in those three years I was away from you."
"Baby, you alright?" I walk away from my desk to the window.
"Virat, you didn't say anything. You were awfully quiet. That was so unlike you - I mean he was talking all that shit and you were just listening to him. If it was any other time, you would have beaten him dead. I am confused. I thought... "
"Manvi, I didn't say anything because I knew it was another stupid stunt from those assholes. Wasn't it obvious? He said - I have no other way of approaching her. You locked her in this beautiful golden cage away from me. They want you away from me Manvi, so that they can get to you. They are unable to penetrate our security. I was actually feeling happy about it.
It is a feeble attempt to separate us baby, or maybe more. I was trying to read through him. You never know how deep it is with these bas***ds. I beat him up and the next thing I know they will be scrolling it on the national TV - Vadhera beats up his wife's ex-lover. It just wasn't worth it."
"Sir?" Ben, my IT guy was at the door.
I signal him to come in.
"I got to go baby. Are you going to be fine?"
"Virat, what is in that folder?"
"I don't know. I gave it to my IT guy to look through it. He is here. I will call you, once he briefs me."
"Oh?"
She doesn't hang up.
I can feel something is wrong.
Her voice was very low.
"Manvi? Are you crying?"
"Virat, I have to tell you something.. A few months after I went away, Swetha sent me to this support group where people - you know - in the same boat - talk with each other and try to deal with their issues. I went and that was where I first met Ashish. They pair up people as partners and we both were paired. He might have emails from then. Please don't misunderstand me after reading them. I was just..I was in a different world then."
"Manvi, I am coming home."
"No. Please. That is all I wanted to say. I am fine. Swetha is with me. She is as shocked as I. Please finish your work and come home. You will stress after you come back."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"Alright. I will come home early."
"I'd like that. Is your hand alright?"
"Yeah, I feel fine. There is people waiting in my office Manvi."
"I love you a lot Virat. Bye"
"Love you too baby." I hang up and walk back to my desk.
I need to get home as early as I can. What emails is she so worried about?
"Can we continue this in a little bit?" I ask my team.
"Yes Sir, anytime."
"Thank you."
I waited until they left the room.
"Did you go through the folder?" I asked Ben sitting at my desk.
I had given him the folder that Mr. Ashish asshole Singh left behind to check if there is anything in there that could damage me or Manvi in anyway. He did mention about going to the media about something.
"Sir, I checked all the emails in the folder. There are 43 emails in total, of which only 4 are authentic. The others were sent and received at the same IP address. They are sent from an email address created on Mrs.Vadhera's name. These are the four valid ones and the folder has the rest."
I look at the first email.
First email dated 3rd Mar 2013, 8 PM:
Hello Mr.Ashish,
Here is the recipe you asked for. Hope Monty is feeling better. Frankly, I had the same problem with Ria - she hates taking medicine in any form, so earlier this month I tried this technique - I made these macaroons and pushed the tablets in with a toothpick. It worked. Hope it works for you too.
Coconut Macaroons:
2 large egg whites
teaspoon cream of tartar
100 grams caster sugar
30 grams ground almonds
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or coconut essence if available)
250 grams shredded coconut
Best wishes,
Manvi
___
I don't know what to say - I wanted to laugh. "Who the hell is Monty?"
"Monty/Monu is Mr.Singh's son sir"
I try to focus. I put the emails away.
"What about the pictures?"
"Sir, all of them are morphed. These two are from a school picnic and these from your son's football game. But the pictures of Mrs.Vadhera are edited. I tried to work backwards to get the original picture using a computer program - these are those prints. They are a little blurred but we can make out how different they are to these altered ones. Basically, all the pictures are altered to show that Mrs.Vadhera moved closely with Mr.Singh."
I couldn't help glaring at Ben.
"I am sorry sir. I am just stating the facts."
"No, that's fine. This info doesn't leave this room."
"Ofcourse"
I look at the original unedited pictures that Ben recovered. The one that catches my attention is a picture with Nikki. Looked like a little kids football game - Singh was holding Nikki up beside a man dressed like a coach. Nikki had his hands stretched out, holding a cup, beaming and excited. Manvi was looking at Ria in the background and making her clap. I kept staring at the picture. I don't know why this bothers me, but it does - a lot. I look at the next one - a picnic - Nikki along with another guy sitting on Ashish-damn-singh's back - on a piggy back ride. Manvi was seen nowhere in the picture. Ria was playing with another kid. Birthday parties, karaoke, school events. Why is this asshole in all these pics? With my kids?
"Sir?"
"Yeah" I put the pictures away. They are disturbing.
"Mr.Singh has contacted us again. Er, he wanted to make a deal with us. He said he will go to the media, saying that you are holding your wife against her will in your house."
"Don't entertain anymore calls from him. Ask him to do whatever the f**k he wants." I tell Ben looking thought the bunch or pathetic emails he drafted by himself. Why did he do this? Is he that stupid that he assumed I would believe his spineless frame-up? There must be something else to all this.
"What is in these emails?"
"They are messages written from Mrs.Vadhera's account, convincing Mr.Singh to marry her. Some of them are in explicit detail like conversations between lovers."
"Disgusting!" I throw the file away. "Take this away and shred it."
"Yes Sir."
I looked up and Ben was still there.
"What is it?" I ask him.
"Sir, I think we should make a deal with Mr.Singh."
"Do you now?"
"I think so sir. Those four emails, I mean one of those four emails has some very privy information."
I look at him confused. "I read a recipe for macaroons not atom bombs."
"One of the other three emails Sir."
"Ok. I will call you back. Don't lose track of that sleazeball. Try to think of a way where we can keep him alive but he wriggles in pain all day." I tell distractedly. I suddenly have this unbearable urge to smash the bas***d's head.
"Yes sir." He leaves.
"Sir, your security adviser wants to talk with you. He has been waiting." My secretary tells me on intercom.
"Send him in 15."
"Yes Sir."
So, I take out the other emails validated by Ben. There were three more and Ben had highlighted the text and timings for me.
Second email: 20th Dec 2012, 6:40 AM
Mr.Ashish,
I will pick up Monty tonight, at 7? Can you please arrange to pick him up from my house tomorrow morning? Ria has a doctor's appointment, otherwise I would have dropped him back myself.
Nikki and Ria are very excited to have Monty for the sleepover. Please confirm the time.
Best
Manvi
___
Third email: 22nd Jan 2011, 5 PM
Mr.Ashish,
I was a little strange to see you at my work. Sorry, if I sound rude, but if we will be working together now, I want to make it clear that I do not want to talk about the past anymore. It makes me uncomfortable. Hope you understand and it will not be awkward at work.
-Manvi
____
Past? I look at the fourth email, it was long and it was a series of emails written on the same day.
Fourth stream of emails: 4st Jan 2011, 3 PM
Dear Manvi,
You ran away. I am answerable for you, as your partner in the support group. Please reply. Let's meet again and try to give it another shot.
Ashish.
4st Jan 2011, 3:05 PM
Mr. Ashish,
I am sorry I ran away from the group like that. The fact is I cannot talk about these things with anyone. If it was not for my friend Swetha, I would not have even thought about joining this support group. She thinks I should share my feelings and issues with a specialist - in short, a psychiatrist - when I refused, she settled on this weird support group. I honestly don't think this can help. How can talking to a stranger be any better than talking to a friend or family? I am sorry that I cannot share my story. Hope they find you a better partner to hear and help you out of your own woes.
Good luck
Manvi
4st Jan 2011, 3:30 PM
Dear Manvi,
You didn't have any problem listening to my story. I feel like an idiot for sharing now.
Ashish
4st Jan 2011, 3:35 PM
Mr.Ashish,
If it makes you feel any better - I wasn't focusing on half the things you said.
Sorry again,
Manvi
4st Jan 2011, 3:40 PM
Manvi,
Honestly, I feel worse. I poured my heart out and you didn't even listen? Some support group this is.
Ashish
4st Jan 2011, 3:40 PM
Mr.Ashish,
It is not like that. I did listen. I listened to how you hate your wife for cheating on you with your best friend. Trust me, I feel your pain and I do feel sorry for you. The thing with me is there is always a huge part of me in a state of perpetual agitation - I am very distracted. When I sat through the group discussions, you must have noticed that I didn't say a word even as everyone else was sharing their darkest secrets. It is not like I do not want to say anything about my past; it is more like I cannot say anything. Like most of you out there, I do not hate my spouse. In fact, I still love him, very much. I really cannot analyze what I feel. All I know is that I am hurt and there is a constant strain in my heart - it pricks me and I keep thinking that it is somehow my fault - that I didn't do enough for him, that I am not good enough for him. I don't know. I just don't know. So, I am sorry but I don't feel any connection that I am supposed to feel with you all. I actually regret coming in. Hope you understand alteast now. I never intended to hurt you or anyone in the group.
Good Luck
Manvi.
4st Jan 2011, 4:30 PM
Manvi,
How can you say that? You are one of the most sensitive and wonderful people I have ever seen in the recent times. If you are not enough, I don't know who is? You are fool to still love him. You need to forget him and move forward in your life. I am ready to help you. Don't shut down again. If you don't feel like talking, email is fine with me. Write to me. Get it all out.
Ashish
4st Jan 2011, 5:01 PM
Mr.Ashish,
I wish it was that easy. I really am trying to move forward though. That is why I listened to my friend and joined the group - I thought it will help me, give me the strength. You have no idea of how it is for me to even survive and get by every single day. I cannot sleep; I haven't slept in months and I cannot look at anybody in the eye. I feel like a damn loser who cannot do bare minimum to get through the day. I sit on my bed and stare at the ceiling all day. My friend takes care of me like a baby and I feel like a burden on her, my uncle, aunt and every other person in my life.
You want me to get it all out? Fine, get this - the only thing going on in my head all day is how to stop myself from jumping off the top of my apartment. My building has 24 floors and every morning, I go up to the terrace and stare at the road below our apartment for the longest possible time. I stand there and search for reasons not to jump and honestly, that is the only time when I remember that I have a tiny life inside me that is growing and wants to come out into this world. I am not exaggerating the least bit when I say this is the sole reason why I am breathing and not in a f**king grave by now. So, no, I do not care about your wife and anybody else's damn wife or husband for that matter. And frankly, listening to all of you does not give me any strength; on the contrary, it makes me more bitter. So, forgive me if I do not want to sit and bitch about how pathetic my husband is to f**k somebody in our own f**king bedroom - I need strength not weakness. Please do not continue this further. It doesn't help me in any way.
-Manvi
___
4st Jan 2011, 8:00 PM
Mr.Ashish,
I am sorry for my last email. You really didn't have to, but thanks for dropping in with you little baby. It did make me feel better. Talking also helped.
Manvi
__
I hear a knock and look up. "Sir, I am sorry, are you alright?"
"Erm, give me a minute." I tried to compose myself.
My eyes are filled up.
I see James, my security adviser turn away. I think to give me some privacy. I try to clear my heavy head.
"Should I come back later sir?"
"No. Sorry, please sit."
"I didn't think you knew Sir?"
"Knew what?" I got up and gulp down an entire glass of water.
"About Mr.Burns of course. He passed away his morning."
"WHAT?!" I am shocked. I sink into my chair. "How?"
"Brain stroke. I am sorry sir. I know you were close to him."
I close my eyes with my both my hands. Some morning this is turning out to be. My own brain freezes on me.
"Mr.Burns lawyers want to meet Mrs.Vadhera." James continues.
"Also Sir, Ms. Tanya Shekawath is in the city. She visited her brother in the jail yesterday. She tried to disguise herself. Meredith is leaving for Canada in two days with her son. If you have to meet her, it will have to be today or tomorrow."
"Sir?"
"Sir, I really think I should come back later."
I take deep breath and clear my head. I need to focus.
"I am sorry. Can you please have Meredith in here tomorrow afternoon? Tell Burns lawyers that they can meet with Manvi tomorrow morning in my office. I want information about each and every move of Tanya. I cannot get the trustees gathered until a week, until which time, Tanya will still be an employee of this company. She as much as sneezes - I want to know about it."
"Understood. Anything else sir?"
"That will be everything. Thank you."
~~~
note: Guys, there will be a 27-ii and part 28. Then, I am going to end this story. I know this is my more read story but I think it ran its course. It is getting a little monotonous.
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Edited by bluebolt - 12 years ago
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