Chapter 11
Jo woke up to a buzzing sound of her alarm..Heavy head, and a blurry vision didn’t allow her to get up instantly, so she let the annoying sound buzz and after a minute or so got up reluctantly to quieten the clock..The dawn had broken, and she could already hear the mild sound of vessels and a tempting aroma of breakfast, coming off from the kitchen..Shibani must have already woken up, or who knows, if she slept at all? Recalling the sour conversations of last night, Jo released an exhausted sigh, and reached out to pick her phone up, as to scroll down the day’s schedule..A weak smile erupted looking at the message inbox..Six messages!! all from Jalal..
Msg#1 (2:30 Am)- You up?? I cant sleep…
Msg#2 (3:15 Am)- Are you really asleep..Unbelievable..
Msg#3 (4:05 Am)- Jo?? this aint fair..I’m sleepless here and you’re off to a sound sleep…I’ll make you pay heftily..
Msg#4 (4:25 Am)- Jooooo????…My heart is still hammering and I can still feel you on my lips…Arghhh!!!! Why you had to go?? :(
Msg#5 (4:50 Am)- God when the day is gonna break??I need to see you..
Msg#6 (5:15 Am)- Shall we pick up, where we left off last night??
Jo (replied)-In your dreams..You didn’t sleep like at all? How are you gonna present the proposal with that drowsy head of urs..I’ll kill you, if we lose..
Jalal: FINALLY :) What a sleepyhead..What if we get the bid?? Shall we pick up THEN, from where we left off last night??
Jo: Gosh, you sound like a pervert…Get ready, ain’t replying anymore..
Jalal: Wait….Will pick you up in an hour and half??..
Jo: Nah! I’m gonna be late..all the files are with Mirza, you go ahead..I’ll see you right at the venue..
Jalal: But HOW on Earth, will I be able to prepare without you around??
Jo: Thats the only way, you would able to prepare :) I really need a few hours off..Please go ahead without me..I’ll be there, just in time, I promise…But, I cant right now….
Jalal: Jo?? Is everything okay?? Are you okay?? You not feeling well??
Jo gave an exhausted sigh, she wished she could pour her heart out, share the unbearable burden, but this wasn’t the time to unveil her state to Jalal…He needed to stay focussed for the upcoming bid…And what was she gonna tell him anyway?? She still didn’t know what happened all that long back?? What is the medical condition she has?? With all these vague questions pounding her head, and no certain answers at all…She would only instil panic in Jalal’s head…So, yes now was not the right time…She would rather wait for Shibani, would hear out what her sister has to say, and only then she would talk to Jalal….She controlled her shuddering breath, collected her spirits, and replied back….
Jo: Yeah! All good…what can go wrong now that I’ve found YOU <3…….. Good luck!!…Although, I’m pretty sure, you wouldn’t need one…
Jalal was quick to respond back,
“Hey! I need every single ounce of the tiniest tinyest thing that you can spare for me…Just like a man in the desert..
I love you to the worlds afar…Never forget <3
With an elated and overwhelmed heart Jalal got up to get ready for the day..Despite having spent a sleepless night, he was more spirited and euphoric than ever…The COSMOS was scheduled for presentation at 6’O clock in the evening…And Jalal couldn’t wait, to get the bid sealed and thereafter to spend the rest of the evening with the love of his life..
On the contrary, Jo kept looking at the last message…She touched the words on the screen, “ Never forget <3”…A tear rolled off Jo’s lashes, and she muttered to herself, “I WISH”….
Not willing to get up, with that drowsy head of hers, Jo took her meds, the suppressants that she had been prescribed to take, during bouts of severe headaches and went back to sleep…Hours passed by and somewhere in between the heavy sleep, Jo felt someone’s finger combing her scalp and tresses…must have been Shibani or she could be dreaming…
Shibani hadnt woken her sister today at all, instead she let her stay in bed…The breakfast that she had left by Jo’s side was untouched…the lunch hour passed by, and Jo was still asleep..With an exasperated sigh, she combed her fingers across Jo’s tresses and mumbled inaudibly:
“My sweet lil one…I’m causing you more harm, keeping things hidden, than I could have ever imagined..Even if you couldn’t forgive me..I need to tell you everything…I wish you would understand but even if you don’t, its okay..I deserve it”..
While Shibani was still by Jo’s side, her phone rang, it was Adi,
Adi (concerned): Are you okay??
Shibani (weakly): Yeah..I’m fine…
Adi: Is Jo well? I didn’t see her with the team of COSMOS here??
Shibani: She is at home…sleeping..I think its exhaustion…
Adi: Did you talk to uncle, in UK?
Shibani: I havent…I didn’t want Jo to hear the conversation…Adi, I'm so scared..
Adi: I’m coming over…Lets talk to him together…Don’t talk at home..I’ll see you at the cafe that is next to your place..??
Shibani: What about the bid? Who is presenting Singhaniya’s…You would be needed there…
Adi: Shibani…its okay…I was never directly involved with it…The vice GM would be presenting it…I’m not even in the loop…and I don’t think, my presence or absence here would be that much noticed…Lemme come over, please…I don’t want you to go through this alone…
Shibani: Ru really sure??
Adi: Undoubtedly..
Shibani gave a meek nod, “Okay..I’ll see you at the cafe by 4”..
Jo woke up, and looked at the clock hanging by her bedside..It was 4:30…She gave a glance around the room, and saw what looked like, probably her lunch on the table..She left the bed with sluggish steps and reached to the table to get the glass of water for her parched throat…There was left the note, probably by Shibani, “Please eat something..In the wrapper are the after-meal meds..Take them and rest…I’ll be back in couple of hours..And I promise we’ll talk tonight, hon…Everything…”
Jo looked at the note and gave a content and hopeful sigh…She washed up, ate a roll of chapati and veggies that Shibani had left for her, and dressed up to leave as to attend Jalal’s presentation…The clock struck 5:30 and Jo checked her phone as to make sure the time and venue where the bid event was happening..
Jo (to herself): I guess it was 6’o clock, what was the name of the hotel??
Jo looked at her inbox, and there…she could see COSMOS’s slot was 6’o at Hotel Del Luna…Just to make sure that she had sent all the files to Abdul and Mirza, Jo opened her “sent” messages and the topmost one was the same “COSMOS Proposal” thread, that she had directed to Abdul and Mirza the previous evening…BUT wait, the email was reforwarded to some other email id as well…
Not able to understand, and having no recollection of having sent the file to anyone else but Abdul and Mirza, Jo focussed on the email Id to which the file was sent…It was not the official ID of COSMOS…
Jo’s heart skipped a beat, and her fingers trembled..She focused on the organizational signature of the recipients account, and to her horror she could recall it…It was the email signature of SINGHANIYA’s employees…How the hell on Earth could that have happened…Why would she be sending such a confidential and crucial file to the rival company’s employee…She doesn't even know anyone working for Singhaniya’s other than Shibani and Adi…So how could she even know the ID of anyone else at Singhaniya’s….
Jo gave a quick search, just to confirm, but never she had added Shibani or Adi’s account to her Cosmos’s official account…There was no chance that she could have forwarded the file by mistake, that too, to someone unknown…Jo looked at the time the file was sent…It was yesterday past midnight…and Jo hadnt logged in her ID after she left work…
Fifteen more minutes had passed..It was 5:45..She scrolled through the bid invite brochure and looked at the slot that Singhaniya’s were given to present their proposal..They were right before COSMOS…That meant that Singhaniya’s were already presenting theirs…In a fit of disbelief, she called Adi, but the phone rang and rang…No one picked…
Horrified, Jo dialed Jalal’s number but the call didn’t connect…She was sure that probably Jalal had gotten his cell turned off, since the event had already started…Jo kept on trying Abdul, Mirza…But no answer…
Tears strickled down her face, and with frozen legs she called again and again, when finally Abdul’s cell connected…And he picked…
Jo (almost shrieked): Abdul….The proposal….
Abdul: I know…They just finished presenting our proposal..I don’t understand Heer, how on Earth could they be presenting the same …exact same thing as ours…Its a leak..I’m heading back to office…Jalal has gone up there, to deliver a withdrawl of our bid…
Jo (broke): The leak, Its…its from my account…The file was forwarded to someone at Singhaniya’s from my account….How is this even possible…
Abdul (shocked): What?? Its impossible Heer, its impossible to hack into our firewall, unless…
Jo: What?
Abdul: Unless someone from our organization….That cant be…who amongst our people…
Jo: I swear Abdul, I never sent it to anyone…I swear I…
Abdul: I know Heer…Calm down…I’m heading to the office…Jalal and Mirza will handle our withdrawl here..
Jo (wiping her tears off): I’ll see you at the office…You would need my credentials, to trace the source server…
Jo rushed off to COSMOS and so did Abdul…
On the other hand, the news of COSMOS withdrawing from the bid had spread like a wildfire…The media was trying to trace even a glimpse of Jalal as to know from the CEO himself that why he withdrew at the very last minute..Were they not prepared??If that was so, why did they even bother competing??Was there any security leak??How does COSMOS feel losing to Singhaniya’s for the first time ever, since their rising??The flashes of camera, sea of journalists and bombarding questions would have left Jalal all riled up…But Jalal managed to keep his calm, and addressed both, COSMOS’s withdrawl of the bid and an upcoming official release of the statement, as professionally as he could..
The deeper and darker concern for Jalal was the message that he received from Abdul, “The leak is from Heer’s account..I’m on it…Don’t worry…Take care of the withdrawal and stay calm”…
Jalal was unnerved, who would target Jo??He wanted to reach out to Jo as early as he could, but even if he tried getting all the formalities done, it would take him atleast an hour…He was stunned when Singhaniya’s presented COSMOS's proposal, and knew that someone from the COSMOS itself had ditched…But more so, he lost his cool, on receiving the message from Abdul that meant someone was trying to get Jo framed..But, there was no other way, he had to complete the official takedown of his claim to the bid, before he could reach out for Jo..
Back at the COSMOS, Jalal’s office…
Abdul rushed onto the 30th floor…He had to trace the external source server that might have cracked into Jo’s account…and if it was from within the organization, Abdul was sure he would be able to track the person responsible..
The moment elevator opened up to 30th floor, Abdul headed to the staircase leading to Jalal’s office, when he felt someone already there at the waiting area..Expecting it to be Jo, he called, “Heer? Is that you??”
But to Abdul’s surprise, it was Ruks,
Ruks: Abdul? Its me..
Abdul (surprised): What are you doing here, Ruks?
Ruks: Oh! I was waiting for Jalal? Didn’t he come back with you..He must be in an awful mood…
Abdul: You know, we lost…How do you know??…The official statement is yet to come out..
Ruks gave a panicked shudder, “I just heard, some of my friends were there at the bid venue as well”…
Before Abdul could say anything more, Jo came barging in…
Jo (gasping): Here..here is my login key…
Abdul without any word, took the USB key from Jo’s hand and went up the staircase to Jalal’s office, to connect to the company’s main server…leaving Ruks and Jo behind…Jo tried to follow Abdul into Jalal’s office when Ruks Interrupted,
Ruks: Its the first time, he has suffered defeat professionally…Thanks to YOU..
Jo halted in her steps, and with dried tear stricken face looked back at Ruks, “You’re mistaken Ms. Khanam, I didn’t do anything”…
Ruks: Its really amazing how shameful you can be…Do you really think, jalal will let this betrayal slide??Nothing has ever been more important to him than this COSMOS…he’ll himself kick you out…I suggest, you should leave before you get to face that humiliation…
Jo listened to the abuses hurled her way, and spoke meekly, “Its not your call to make me leave..Its his…I would do what he would want me to do”…
Ruks gripped Jo’s wrist, in rage, “After what you’ve done…You dare have the audacity to talk about him…Its because of you ditching him, that he has suffered such a huge setback..Don’t you get it..His trust in you would have shattered..Leave Girl, before Jalal makes you…I would never let someone like you hurt him”…
The words hammered Jo’s emotional state. Yes indeed, it was the second time that Jalal was at harm because of Jo…Firstly, she was the reason for his grief, ten years back, and now again, she is the reason that COSMOS’s reputation and integrity was at risk…Jo stayed silent..
Having lost the temper, seeing Jo unresponsive, Ruks spat again, “Jalal is mine…He always has been…I was the one who stayed by his side, when he was completely lost ten years back…I’ve been the one, he had always confided in, until you came…How dare you laid your hands on what is mine”….
That struck Jo’s memory again, she looked back at Ruks but all she could see was Shibani..Short of breath, Jo closed her eyes, and suddenly Ruks voice subsided and instead the clear memory from ten years back shook Jo’s mind again:
“It was the same night…Ten years back, the backyard at the Singhaniya’s house..Jalal confessing his love for Jo..An enraged Shibani leaving the garden, when Jo had caught a sight of her…Jo running after Shibani leaving Jalal back…and then finally she had gotten hold of Shibani at the parking lot,
Jo: Sis…wait for me..listen (trying to grab hold of Shibani’s arm)..
Shibani (yelled): Don’t touch me…What were you doing in the garden with him?? How dare you set your eyes on someone that I LIKE??How dare you laid your hands on what is MINE…
Jo: What?? I swear sis, I didn’t…It was jalal who …
Shibani (furious): SHUT UP…Don’t make it seem as it was his fault…ITS YOU…ITS ALWAYS YOU…Always behaving like the perfect YOU, snatching the attention from people whom I crave…First father and now HIM…I WISH I NEVER HAD A SIBLING LIKE YOU…
Jo broke down in tears..She tried to reach out again, but Shibani was not sober, she pushed Jo hard, and got into her father’s car, speeding her way off..
The next memory flash hit.
Jo now could see her teen self, sitting in the car with her father, who was trying to speed up as to catch up with Shibani…
Jo (wailing): Its my fault father…I angered her..Would she be okay…
Father: Stop hiding her faults Jo…She is elder to you, and yet such a brat..For once, if that girl could keep her anger in check and listen…and worst of all, she dared to drink and drive..what a fool..
Jo: Nothing would happen…right??
Father: Its okay my child..Its okay..We’ll catch up with her..
And then Jo could see her father’s car (that was being driven by Shibani), “Father! There I could see your car..Sis is right there”..
He sped up the car, but to his horror, realized that Shibani mistakingly or under the influence of alcohol had entered the wrong lane, and was in direct line of collision with an approaching heavy vehicle…He sped up the car as to push Shibani’s car out of line…
The car did crash, but it was not Shibani’s…It was the car, in which Jo and her father were…The memory began to dissolve and the last thing that Jo could see…herself being gravely wounded whispering out to her father who seemed to have fatally succumbed to his injuries in the accident, right infront of her ”…
The thread of the memory broke again, and Jo came crashing in the present…With beads of sweat covering her entire body, she looked back at Ruks who was still in the expression as if spitting venom on Jo…
Jo mildly wailed in agony as the stinging pain racked her brain.. she pulled her wrist from Ruks grip, and pushed her harshly, “LET ME GO”…
With this Jo turned her back, and with trembling feet and dazed mind entered the elevator to leave COSMOS..Shibani’s words and the car crash were still resonating in her head loud and clear…
Ruks fumed at the retreating Jo, “I wont let you have him..whatever it takes”…And in a fit of seething rage and hatred followed after Jo, exiting COSMOS…
Back at Jalal’s office,
Abdul ignorant of the conversation going on between the two women, was banging his head on the central system of COSMOS to crack down the culprit…But it was not any easy task…To screen down all the employees as to find the one responsible, that too without any suspect…It sure would take a lot of time…Probably he should wait for Jalal and Mizra, or he can atleast take the help of Heer (Jo)...But where is she??why didn’t she follow him here…Suddenly Abdul recalled that Ruks was here…Still not able to put his finger on the nagging feeling about Ruks…He came out of Jalal’s office and found the waiting lounge empty…There was no sign of Ruks or Jo there…
Abdul called the security guard at the COSMOS’s exit, and the guard confirmed that Ms. Shekhawat left in a taxi, and Ms. Khanam who looked very angry, soon left, right after her, in the same direction…
A dreaded thought, rolled through Abdul’s head, “Could it be Ruks…could she be trying to frame Heer??”
Not able to figure anything else out, Abdul pulled off the security footage of COSMOS from the past week, and searched for Ruks footage…Other than him, Mirza and Jalal, there was only one other employee, Ruks was seen with in the footage…Abdul knew him..He was in Mirza’s team…Suddenly, panic rose in Abdul’s heart…he left a note with the employee’s name on Jalal’s desk, “He might be the one…Trace his server and also his CCTV footage”…
And ran towards the exit to follow Ruks…Abdul was pretty sure that she was following Jo, and God forbid if in her adamant vengeful spirit, she did any harm to Jo…That would be a disaster, beyond redemption…Abdul got into his car...Searched for where Ruks was headed in his GPS, and he was right…she was on the same route that led to Jo’s place…
Originally posted by: kriya_12
Oh dear , u were soo busy....😭
We will wait , so write with all your passion & the way this story has to go because we want to get it’s worthy completion .
Late again...n you wouldnt believe, I took a day off today, and then managed to write the part...God its really hard to wrap anything up...
I'm so sorry...Thanks a lot for waiting though...
Concluding part is yet to come :)
thanks again
Ok dear, will wait 1 more week😊
Surely it will worths the wait...
Thanks for informing.
Take Care🤗
I'm so sorry it took longer than a week :(
the update is here..I would go for one more chapter though..couldnt finish...
I hope you enjoy..
Thanks for waiting :)
Originally posted by: PBDcrazy
Hey no update from you 😭
So sorry...was struggling at work, and you wouldnt believe...even after I got some time ...couldnt write given the exhaustion...but managed to pen down something...still isnt complete...one last chapter required...but I unveiled the secret in tids n bits...thanks for checking in...doin better now :)
n im so sorry for having kept you all waiting...
yup dearie..im so sorry..I tried last week but couldnt come up with a thing...here is the update..hope you like it,,thanks so much for waiting...
It was an amazing update. I am a person who is against abuse, but for a change would love to see ruks getting kaan ke niche 😵😆
Originally posted by: divyadaya13
It was an amazing update. I am a person who is against abuse, but for a change would love to see ruks getting kaan ke niche 😵😆
😆😆
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