Serendipity

43

"Sir, I believe there has been a security breach," Anuj's head of security, Pankaj Mathur told him. Pankaj had requested an urgent meeting with Anuj and had literally forced his secretary to cancel a very important appointment to accommodate himself. 

Anuj frowned in confusion. There were only four sets of keys that allowed access to the 30th floor. He had one, his secretary had the second, GK had the third and the fourth was a spare one that contractors used. Since the other three were still with their respective keepers, Anuj correctly assumed the missing one to be the contractor key

"Last week, the elevator was playing havoc and a contractor was here to fix it. Although the contractor hasn't reported anything with regards to a missing key, I'm guessing his key was either lost or stolen or worse he sold it for a sum."

Anuj's forehead furrowed. "But why? We hardly keep paper copies of tenders and contracts anymore and our digital vaults are protected with the best of security."

"That's what's surprising, Sir. We have been unable to trace any hacking or theft. I'm pretty sure that if something in this room were amiss, you would've noticed."

Anuj nodded, but the theft nevertheless left him perplexed. He could have the access key panel on the elevator replaced, but that would cost him a tidy sum.

"What prompted your suspicion," he asked Pankaj.

"Sir, someone accessed the 30th floor at 1.25 pm on Thursday. 

"Every time someone uses an access key, the insertion time gets clocked. On Thursday, at 1.25 pm, you were already in your office and your secretary was out having lunch. Her card scanned out at 1.15 pm and she only returned at 2.25 pm."

"Is there any security footage we can look at?"

Pankaj Mathur shook his head. "Unfortunately, for privacy reasons all elevator cameras automatically turn off when the key is inserted.

"But I have a team working on this. And we soon hope to discover the identity of the perpetrator. In the meanwhile, I just wanted to let you know to keep your eye open for suspicious activity."

"Thank you, Pankaj."

After Pankaj's departure, Anuj pondered on whether he should inform GK about this development. Not wanting to worry the old man unnecessarily, Anuj decided to keep it to himself for now.

However, he had a discreet security camera installed in his office that broadcast a live feed to his phone. Should someone enter his office again, he would have video evidence. But until then, all he could do was wait and watch.

*****

"5,6,7,8...." Anupama choreographed the girls selected for the Modhera Dance Festival. 

She'd been appalled with the selection process of the final troupe because neither she nor any of the other teachers seemed to have a say. When the parents discovered that the school had been selected for the Dance Festival, emails and phone calls had begun pouring in for Mr. Patel, offering incentives and threats, and reminding him of their past goodwill to have their daughters placed in the group. 

The final list of participants came from the Principal's office, an obvious indication of the influence many of these parents exuded.

Anupama was disgusted. Didn't a fair evaluation process exist anymore? She momentarily thought about sharing her concern with Anuj but stopped short. She didn't need to bother him for every little thing in her life. This was her battleground and she would fight it her way.

And so she'd walked to the Principal's office and curtly reminded him that she was the trustee's fiancé and that if her name was to be associated with the project, then she would need the freedom to at least select two dancers who were capable in her opinion.

Mr. Patel, caught between the devil and the deep sea relented and Kinjal Dave and Sushmita Chatterjee joined the troupe - two girls from middle-class backgrounds with not so influential parents but immense talent. Given the right opportunity, Anupama firmly believed that both these girls would make a mark for themselves. She hoped the Modhera Dance Festival would be one of them.

*****

Kavya Shah was terrified. She'd heard about the investigation with regards to the missing key. Details and conjecture as to what was happening and how it would all end could be heard in whispers across the building. 

As she clutched the key firmly in her palm, she momentarily considered going up to the 30th floor and returning it. But then, the key would clock in the time she'd make the trip, and then she'd be caught.

She walked around aimlessly wondering how to extricate herself from this mess that she'd walked into. And then an idea struck her. Anupama was in Anuj's office when she'd made the trip. If the key was found with Anupama, no one would question Kavya. Anuj might even suspect Anupama of foul play and distance himself from her.

Kavya smiled, while she pat herself slightly on the head. Why didn't she think of this earlier? It was the master solution to all her problems. Once Anupama's relationship with Anuj was broken, she could move forward and lend him her shoulder to cry on. And once her relationship with Anuj was cemented, she could tell Vanraj to go to hell. Anyway, his mother was making her life hell right now.

Thinking about Vanraj and Leela angered Kavya and yet she pat her heart to calm herself down. She couldn't afford to lose control of her emotions, yet. She would have her time, and when that time came, the Shah family would pay dearly for all their actions. Anuj would make them pay.

Smiling, she picked up her phone and dialed Anupama's number. When the call went unanswered, she sent her a text message asking Anupama to meet with her tomorrow at the coffee shop right across from the AK Group building.

Confident that Anupama would come, she placed the key into her purse's secret pocket and began humming a tune. Her days as Mrs. Shah would soon come to an end. Very soon, she would be known by a different name; she would be known as Mrs Kavya Anuj Kapadia.