Arshi FF: Entwined(T2)-- Completed! - Page 36

Originally posted by: zainza

Pretty pretty please.

Dedication Time!!!

This one is for you... Wafa..Jaan!!

Since yesterday, I found myself wondering, what can I possibly say to you that would make you feel special on this special day... but I really am out of words Jaan...

Aisa kya kahun ki tujhe pata chale, what you mean to me? I really don't know. But I just want to keep this simple and short like most of my messages have been since last night...

I love you and I look up to you in every possible way for reasons quite unknown..

I wasn't kidding when I said we might be destined, yes we are.. and I'm obliged to have you in my life...

Just know that, I'm right here always, and in times when you do need a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, two arms to hug and one fat mouth to argue with your craziness, I'm here.. Always, and for times Undefined..!!

Happy Happy B'day Jaan!! And I wish this birthday and for many more birthdays to come, we stay the same as ever..!! Love you lots!

Entwined

Chapter-31:

Commissioner Office,

Mumbai

10:00 Am.

Shyam played with the tips of finger nails, making them lightly knock on the old wooden table, the clattering sound of which teamed with his persistent gaze almost irritating his spectator even as the other person continued to stare back at him with same amount of determined reluctance.

"Richness, power, the income tax threat, black-money, political carrier, everything of which combined by default makes one prone to illegal activities, right" Shyam spoke matter-of-factly, fixing his gaze concentrating on the change of expressions on the opposite person, if any.

"Who did you say, referred you to me again Advocate Sahb?"

"Ajay Rathod"

"Right..." The inspector of police nodded, his voice dipped in sarcasm, as two tumblers made of glass, filled with tea, have been placed on the table amidst them, making him shift his gaze, to the constable who had bought it, a scorn filling his broad face and he offered one glass of tea to Shyam, all too deviously.

"Central Bureau of Investigation; they sure do have real fun in digging out old cases, don't they? But the problem is Shyam Sir, there is no such case in our records, not to my notice at least..."

"The Singhanias surely are more influential than I thought..." Shyam smirked in his evil way, bringing the tumbler to his lips and sipping on the watery tea liquid. This caused Paresh Chowdary, the inspector of police to throw another accusing look at him while all Shyam did was sit back and see the various reactions from his spectator.

"Over the years of our professional rivalry Mr.Shyam, you sure do know that I'm not usually worth the money you intend to put on my table..."

"...and you surely do know I'm not the ones to use the cheap trick on responsible citizens, such as you?"

Paresh laughed out acknowledging the ongoing debate, sipping on his tea as his one eye met another inspector across the office room, with a smirk evident on both of their faces. "Things that we both can acknowledge, are better unsaid, CBI needs written evidence from us, while all we need is suspect..."

"Are you telling me that there wasn't one case at all filed against them all these years Pareshji, or that there has been no illegal activity at all?"

"-----Oh you are smarter than this! Prove me right..."

"This is ridiculous! Who are you afraid of? When there has been complaints filed, what's stopping you from digging them out?"

"-----and who said there has been complaints filed?" Paresh continued to answer in his nonchalant way, still giving out indirect information, which Shyam although could process the bits and pieces, he definitely needed more confirmed details, or rather actual details.
Frustration filling in his nerves, he huffed, throwing daggers at the police officer, before looking away banging his tumbler of tea on table.

"You are never going to get direct answers from these people Mr.Jha..."

Shyam turned around, just when Paresh shifted his gaze, to come in face to face with a young man almost the age of his brother-in-law, dressed in faded jeans and dark colored T-shirt, a rough beard elevating his face, slightly long hair reaching up to his neck and quite serious dark eyes completing his shaggy attire, making him look completely out of place at the moment.

"Ah! Right person at the right time indeed!" Exclaimed Paresh standing up to give a brief shake-hand to the person entered, who walked up to their table all the time giving knowing glances at Shyam.

"You know the money, power, job, security and things like that, really matters to them, well it does to every one of us of course, and you are wasting your time, these guys aren't of any help"

Paresh laughed again, dismissing the insult completely, as Shyam maintained his silence observing the interesting exchange between the two other people. "You've been working out with me since quite some time now, and you would be lying if you say I wasn't of any help, because if I wasn't you wouldn't still be here ditching your job every alternate week..."

"----that's because I'm responsible unlike you..."

"Well show me the results then Mr.Responsible citizen; I can surely do what I can..."

There was silence in the room, yet again and Shyam could easily figure out something really was cooking between the two of them, something probably useful to him and something unknown to everyone around; something that is being talked about indirectly and something that distantly seemed like an undercover operation.

"So, let me do the honors myself, Mr.Shyam, meet NK as in Nand Kishore, Crime Reporter, TodayYou News; and Nk, this is Shyam Manohar Jha, Public prosecutor"

The two men exchanged a smile while shaking hands a silent acknowledgement passing between them with Paresh shifting his eyes between the two of them thoughtfully.

"You must surely have something that brings you here to investigate about Singhanias Mr.Shyam, and Nk here, has a lot of assumptions about them. So, show me what happens when a media person and a law person come together to find out something. Get me any simple, small, undeniable information that can no longer be termed as assumption, and let me then show you both what exactly this not-so-sincere citizen does...yeah?"

**

"Do you mind?" Nk said, all too casually taking out his cigarette, while showing it to Shyam. When Shyam nodded in encouragement, he gestured offering one before nodding at the refusal while lighting fire at the tip of the white stick, all in quick purposeful actions.

"What do you know?" Shyam asked getting straight to the point just as the other person blew the smoke out and inhaling it thoughtfully.

"I know quite a lot, quite confidential, complicated information as well but..."

"------And what is your source of information?" Shyam cut him off, before he gets to ask questions causing NK to chuckle leaning onto the tree behind him in the open garden Bar Restaurant they were seated in.

"You can never guess the kind of sources we media people can have Mr.Shyam, you better not doubt on that, well, I do realize you have your point of view, so here" he said taking out his ID-card from the back of his jeans and placing it on the table. "You can go ahead and have a back-ground check for that as well, I don't really mind, I don't have to go to work until I figure this whole shit out anyway! Do you have any idea the kind of exposure I would get if I get this story out?"

"I was surely having my second thoughts about making an impression on you going by your Responsibility' lecture in-there, and it turns out I'm right..."

"What can I say? You gotto speak in a certain way to dig out information from certain people, I'm sure you know this Mr.Advocate, but this particular inspector is a complete coward ass himself, so forget about that, what concerns you in this?"

"Uh------"

"Wait! Is this about a girl??" Nk suddenly exclaimed throwing his cigarette away, sitting straight in his place and looking expectedly at Shyam.

"What? Why...why do you ask?"

"It is!! f**k!!! I think I've found the right guy to go forward!! Bloody hell!! You don't know anything about them do you?"

Shyam just remained silent with mixed feelings engulfing him. Nothing of it at all looked simple or rather nothing of it seemed small; his instincts continued to give him bad signals and at the same time, he had this feeling of finality, as he was getting completely close to the mystery. He didn't know what to feel, and it was all evident in his blank look. And Nk seemed to have processed his state as well, because the next moment, saw Nk's face turning serious, his stance determined as he stood in his place, retrieving his handy-cam from the backpack that he had been carrying, before removing a small scan-disk from it and placing on the table, knocking it slightly and all Shyam did was look between the object on his table and Nk's knowing gaze quite apprehensively, completely unaware of the truth that awaited him.

**

Ar-Agency,

London,

5:00 am.

Sitting in the office lounge, watching few of his associates still working on final presentation details, sipping on his coffee, his mind completely stressed out with multiple things, his eyes worn out and tired, all Arnav could remember and think of was her wailing. Her sobs still lingered in his ears, her tight grip around his neck still leaving its effect, his collar still wet from her tears and as he glanced ahead at his room where he had managed to finally put her to sleep he couldn't help the sudden mounting concern and disorientation settling in his nerves.

It was quite evident that there is more to her getting locked up in the washroom, he just knew it but he didn't just knew how to get to the bottom of it. She was running a temperature since mid-night, her non-stop wailing has completely worn her out, dry cough continued to torture her for good part of the night and she had been in this very extreme traumatic state and with each passing minute it just got worse. It surely didn't seem like a right thing to probe her about at this time. Having dismissing the topic every such time for various reasons, it was like he is now almost scared to bring up such things in front of her; he was scared to lose her to her past, if that's what this weird unsettling could be termed as.

He found himself visiting the washroom more than once observing every corner of it for any kind of clues, but all in vain. He had yelled at his staff for leaving her alone, he ticked off the building security and even fired the main people seeking new much attentive ones, all in mere few hours, just for the heck of his suspicion, he called for his technical team to go through the CC camera footage but nothing of it proved to have any yielding results. And even though it all could sum up to something as simple as She might have just gotten herself locked, it didn't feel right and he found himself reaching a dead-end in every possible way, quite frustratingly.

Heaving another frustrated sigh out, he got up in one swift moment and walked to washroom corridor yet again in search of something which he didn't really know what. As he reached the ladies washroom door yet again, he opened and closed it vigorously only to be met by his own image in the mirror ahead, just like he had seen it in the past few times that he took rounds. Instead of walking in the empty cubicle corridor this time, he had settled himself in front of mirror, splashing a hand-full of water over his face trying to relax his vexed up mind, rubbing his hands over his stubble amidst of which his eyes landed on the wooden surface of the closed door.

He turned around in another swift moment reaching the door and there he finally was able to find the traces of hand-writing scribbled over it, sings of someone trying to erase it all and although nothing was prominent enough for him to process it, he could surely process that something was written and then was even erased. Before he could process it all, his eyes going wide with symptoms of panic settling in, his phone vibrated inside his pocket and he answered it instantly.

"Sir, you need to have a look at this"

Arnav found himself in the security room within the next two minutes and he looked at the reading indicating that the security system of the entire building consisting of 24 floors and 10 other organizations have been completely under repair for a good half-an-hour exactly around the time when Khushi was locked up in washroom. Gathering the shocking information, his eyes narrowed attuned to the screen processing it all, a lump formed in his throat which he tried to swallow hard, his hand turned into a fist, all in mere few seconds, and panic combined with rage completely registered in his stance. It didn't take much for him to connect the dots and even as the realization hit him, as a reflex action, he banged the door of the room with his fist and then collapsed into a sitting position on the couch, burying is head inside his hands.

"Sir, are you alright?"

Every other voice zoned out of his senses and he couldn't comprehend any of his surroundings. All he could he hear or think of was her sobs, her frightened state, her worn out condition, the way she was holding onto him all night for her mere life and even as his mind connected all of the dots, he sensed sudden wetness in his eyes. Never before in his life, Arnav singh Raizada found himself so helpless and maybe inefficient even. He couldn't protect her and everything just because he was and had been kept away from a lot of information and it killed his insides to think of the possible past that have started shadowing. As he closed his eyes, the only vision that was captivated in his mind flashed and the mere image of her swollen red eyes, her never ending tears, tore his heart into pieces.

"Sir?"

He looked up from his hands, at the new voice in the room and fixed his eyes on his secretary urging her to continue. "Board room is ready sir, could you please come over and check the presentation arrangements, clients called in and they would be hear anytime..."

Clients, deal, presentation, Khushi was supposed to give demonstration representing the design team, the final date, shoot, Ireland visit...NO!

"Cancel the meeting"

"Sir?"

"Which part of cancel the meeting do you find it hard to understand?"

"But sir..."

"Do you want to be fired right away for not obeying my orders Clara?" he yelled at once, standing up from where he had been sitting directly throwing daggers at his employee. She just nodded a no before exiting herself from the room. He then shifted his gaze to the bewildered looks of the people in security room and rolled his eyes.

"Would you all mind getting back to yourgood-for-nothing works??" He yelled again before exiting himself from the room.

He walked straight ahead to the room in which the meeting was being held only to find that the arrangements have been still going on and it only irked him even more.

"Clara, I think I told you to cancel the meeting..."

"Sir, the clients would arrive any moment.."

"I don't bloody care!!! Just cancel the damn meeting, do you hear it?"

"But sir, Khushi maam..."

"Khushi is not going to do any presentation, so cancel the bloody meeting I don't care what happens, do you get it?" he said his eyes pointedly fixed on that of the blonde who seemed positively confused.

"-------Aman, get a charted flight booked to India this evening, and with top class security" He spoke in his phone before shifting his attention back to the girl standing in front of him.

"What?"

"Sir, Khushi Ma'am just asked me to set up her presentation in the monitor..."

"WHAT??!!"

He entered into his cabin to find exactly what he was not expecting he would. She was all dressed, her files were made ready and arranged at the table side, her hair was no longer messy or rather she had tried to comb it and she had tugged herself completely in her long coat, zipping and buttoning it up. His eyes fixed onto her posture, her face turned away from him and her stance completely worked up.

As his eyes glanced up and down her completely covered attire, something twisted inside his gut and he had this sudden hard feeling, relating to her pain for reasons still unknown to him, the realization just swelled up his heart and in that exact moment he wanted to do anything and everything possible to take the pain away from her life...

But can he?

The question continued to haunt his stilled staring self just as she turned around to meet her tear-stained eyes with that of his tortured ones. "What..what are you doing?" he asked his voice breaking away with helplessness.

"Uh...presentation?" he heard her voice, hoarse and weak and he heard it after so many hours, he realized he had been missing it. He then stretched his one hand, meeting her eyes and gestured her to close the distance between them. She held his gaze, blankness evident in her face, as she walked being captivated under the spell of his molten orbs and just as she reached him, he clasped her hand in his, stepped even more closer in one hurried movement, grasping the files in her hand and tossing them away, he held her face in both of his hands and looked on intently.

What was he suppose to ask and how?

"You...you don't have to do this" he said earnestly arching her face up a little, desperation quite evident in his words, while all she did was look up at him determination filling her eyes.

"Khushi..." he sighed, bringing his face even more closer, as he silently kissed her swollen eyes tenderly one after another and it only made the new stream of droplets accumulated inside her orbs to find their way out which he urgently wiped them away with his two thumbs. "Shh..shh, let's just go home khushi..."

"Home?" she asked innocently.

"Yes, let's go back; I shouldn't have brought you here for my selfish reasons in the first place..."

"You...you have had enough of me already?

"NO!!" he sighed urgently bringing her closer. "No Khushi" he spoke clutching onto her hair at the sides of her face, his own wetness in his eyes surprising the both of them.

"Khushi... I..."

Amidst these simple small words there were unsaid unvoiced silent conversations with their pained eyes communicating it all even as their minds acknowledged the underlying turmoil, she looked up at him helplessness pouring out of her hazels, as she involuntarily clutched the sides of his shirt.

And in that exact instant, he knew he was right about what might have happened. She knew he might have figured it out. He knew she realized that he had figured it out. He definitely didn't have the details of the whole threat, she somehow knew this as well; but he didn't need to ask anymore, she didn't need to explain anymore about what happened the last night, the silent acknowledgement passed between the two as they held each other captivated in their gaze.

"Let's just go, let me handle this all Khushi, for once and for all, running away has been done enough..."

He really wanted to go back, put her under more security and completely indulge in finding out what was going on. He wanted to face it all, and end it for once and for all. Asking her would be such an easy option out, but he could easily imagine what it might put her through. Her wailing, her pain, his pain for her, everything hanging in between him and her past, he couldn't bring himself to push her any further. Not right now at least.

"Arnav I..."

And she broke away into fresh pained sobs, shrieking her eyes shut, tears running down the corners of her eyes, even as he just looked on, helplessly again. But she composed herself in the next moment, sighed suppressing further tears, swallowed hard pushing away any further sobs and looked up to meet him, her eyes suddenly turning determined and he was all but bemused to witness it all. She then clasped his both hands in hers, retrieving them down from her face as his gaze followed her movements as his fingers instantly clutching that of hers holding them captivated between them.

"Will you not take me to Ireland?" she asked getting a forced chuckle out of her voice and he instantly knew what was going on in her mind.

"This bloody deal is not important Khushi!! Listen to me and come home with me!" he snapped, but as expected it didn't make any effect in her determined gaze.

"Do you realize this deal could make a difference to my self-confidence..."

"Don't... don't do this Khushi!"

"I really mean it Arnav, I want to know what I can do, and this is really an opportunity. I didn't let on all these days but it really means something to me, we should complete what we started Arnav, it's all just a matter of week time and then its done...right?"

"Huh?"

"The deal Arnav, it just needs one more week from us and then we are off to wherever we want to go.."

"Do you realize whats going on?"

"We are anyway moving away from here, India, Ireland, how does it matter Arnav, I really want to do this, please..."

She's buying time; he could process that much easily. It could be hasty decisions behind this, or her usual running away? He wasn't really sure about her reasons, but the way her past had come knocking at her door, it wasn't any good, he knew as much and for whatever reasons she was buying time, he didn't feel anything about it.

"Please Arnav, just one more week?"

It didn't sound right at all, but if that's what she wants to do, then be it, but he can only give in, in his own way... "After that, you are coming with me, home?"

"After that, I'm all yours" she stated with new found determination in her voice, and he didn't know to be surprised or to be confused. She wasn't running away? Doesn't want to?

"I don't really want anything from you Arnav, I promise to be with you as long as you would want to keep me, I know I'm not unwanted now...

"Would you just trust me this way with everything?"

"I really want to, yes"

Is she really putting all her trust on him?

Even as the realization dawned onto him, his eyes filled with sudden adulation and he grasped her into his arms, holding onto her all too protectively.

Yes, she was buying time, only to remove the tension of deal from his mind, and may be until then she could get to relive the time little more; for she knew once she confided into him completely, she wasn't sure about what awaited her after that any longer. But she wanted to do it, for the sake of the trust she wanted to impose on him, she finally wanted to talk and confess it all. All she needed was little more courage and gathering of her thoughts, but she was determined, for she knew she dint have much time this time around and she would get there, by the end of the following week.

**

"Merry Christmas!!!!"

The room broke into a loud squeals and applauds with almost everyone throwing their hands up in the air, their faces beaming with undeniable triumph, as the Champaign popped out of the bottle sprinkling itself in the vicinity marking the beginning of a celebration and the deal was finalized. And amidst everything two pairs of eyes were completely attuned to each other, pouring out adulation, making silent promises yet acknowledging the pain even from right across the room, unknown ,unaware and oblivious of truths of the past awaiting to unfold.

Chapter-32

Originally posted by: Nooro

Kya Main b Reserve kr loon...??