Originally posted by: themasked
Chapter 33-Jaspal
He surveyed himself in the mirror one last time,praying he looked presentable enough for the lohri celebrations.His Pag was still askew but he didn't have time to retie it properly.Daarji expected everyone by the bonfire in ten minutes.He attempted to smooth over the cloth before heading outside where the rest of the family was gathered.
His eyes smarted as he took in the colour scheme for this year.His daarji had insisted on everyone wearing red and the effect was not kind to his vision.Everyone had chosen the most garish shade they could find.To his chagrin Jassi di was the only person who had somehow managed to look stunning in a cherry red saree.Her husband was missing,he noted,so was Inder veerji.Manveer Parjaai was busy with the preparations while daarji and bebe welcomed the guests.
Angad and Garry were dancing near the dhol players with Prabhjyot.The Brars had always been famous for their lohri celebrations throughout Ludhiana and this year was no exception.His impending wedding had made the stakes higher than ever.There would be extensive media coverage and they couldn't afford to mess it up .
"Jaspal,please try to smile.It will make you look less hideous and maybe a little more appealing."
"Sat sri akaal Jassi di.My heart leaps at the sight of you."
"Aren't you going to touch my feet now? I'm your elder after all."
He rolled his eyes at her before bending down.
"I can't wait to meet your bride to be.We had an interesting conversation last time,I can't wait to see her again."
Jaspal was. His sister taking interest in Gurleen did not bode well for them.As far as he was concerned,Jassi di was a snake through and through.He still wasn't sure why she had informed Gurleen about their attempt to take over the Babbar group of companies.
The brother in him wished to think that she wished to avert an unhappy marriage while the pragmatist scoffed at his notion.Jassi di had always coveted a position of wealth and power ;a hunger which had only increased in magnitude after marrying into a middle class family.While he was not privy to the details,he knew enough to comprehend that her marriage was on the rocks.With Inder paaji drinking his life away,she had expected Daarji to choose her as his heir.Except,he had pinned his hopes on Angad,keeping Jaspal as a chair warmer till the boy came of age.
Since then,she had done her best to discredit Inder veerji and parjaii to inflict all the damage she could on the relationship between daarji and Angad and on the boy himself.Unfortunately for her ,Manveer had seen through her scheme and put up a fight.Now ,the two of them were involved in a tug of war game over the power to control the household and the company.
And if she wasn't careful enough, Gurleen would find herself in the crossfire.As future chairperson of the Brar-Babbar group,she could make or break their dreams with the amount of influence she'd have.They would have to talk about it.
"Jaspal",it was his daarji beckoning him to the entrance.
"You look very handsome today.",his bebe clamoured ,a big smile on her face,she seemed to brighten like the sun.His daarji couldn't stop beaming at her,he noticed with a hint if surprise.It was strange to see Akaal Singh Brar in love.
"The two of you seem oddly happy,"he commented,rather suspicious.
"You're getting married .Why wouldn't I be happy?",his bebe gushed.
"And when your bebe is happy,your daarji is happy."his parjaai interjected ,a stony expression on her face.
He felt uncomfortable;no doubt she was recollecting her not so rosy memories of her marriage with his brother.A part of him worried for her.Since the disaster with his brother ,she had been edging towards a self destructive spiral,dragging Angad along with her.Since then,he had tried to support her unconditionally which was proving to be extremely hard where her son was convinced.
He couldn't counter Daarji's influence and had relegated himself to the side lines,hoping to catch him when he inevitably fell.The sudden click of the cameras and humdrum caught his attention.
The Babbars had arrived.
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"Sat sri akaal auntiji" he greeted his mother in law to be before touching her feet.To his surprise,the older woman smiled gently before wordlessly blessing him and hugging him.He then proceeded to greet Amrit and Parminder Babbar who seemed as hostile as ever.They still hadn't forgiven him for the blackmailing incident .
He heard Prabhjyot squeal as she flung herself into Gurleen's arms.Gurleen herself was being hugged by his parents who seemed genuinely happy to see her.She turned around and their eyes met.His heart plummeted . Something was wrong.He could make it from her countenance and the air of sorrow which seemed to cling to her.It seemed as if part of her had died as she seemed lost amongst the people surrounding her,neither here nor there,stuck somewhere in between.
Seeing Jassi di make her way towards her and the storm growing on Manveer parjaai's face, he decided to intervene.He quietly approached her and touched her arm.
"Sat sri akaal Gurleen . We're delighted to host you and your family tonight."
She nodded politely.Before she could reply,he gently tugged at her hand and made his way to Daarji and Bebe.
"Daarji, bebe,I would like your permission to introduce Gurleen to our business partners and the rest of the board members."
They smiled and nodded.He even saw an approving glint in his Daarji's eye.He walked her to a secluded gazebo and sat her down.
Kneeling in front of her,he took her hands in his own,which he belatedly noticed were bandaged.
His blood turned cold.Fearing the worst,he took a deep breath to compose himself before asking,
"What happened?"
The dam broke.