TWO HALVES OF A WHOLE

6. CHECKMATE!

Shilpa Rajvardhan's POV:

It's officially the day I will sign the contract with AS Signatures. 'AS Signatures' is one of the reputed chartered accountancy firms in the country. They were at the top of the list of Forbes of India. A few months back, they announced their expansion in business by launching their clothing brand logo, 'La Fiesta'. The news is still fresh and young in articles and newspapers. Why wouldn't it be? Their CEO, Ms Annlin William, is one of the fashion icons most fashion bloggers and influencers get inspired by every day. She sets trends and creates fashion statements effortlessly. She would have been a supermodel if she had chosen that field. So I'm here waiting for her in her company's meeting room.

After a few minutes, I heard the door opening. Annlin William entered the room like a queen with a girl on her behind and a man opening the door. I stood up and shook my hands.

"Good Evening, Mam. It's my pleasure to meet you in person and my honour to work for your company." She shook my hands and asked me to sit down with a nod.

"Ms Rajvardhan, I hope my team have given you a sum up of the reason for why you are here." She said in her bold and powerful tone.

"Yes, Mam. La Fiesta is something people like me are waiting for months."

She nodded with a pleasant smile, and said, "I suppose there is no doubt in the clauses."

"No, Mam." The contract was the perfect balance for a promisor and a promisee.

"Then, let's sign the contract, shall we?"

"Sure, Mam,"

"Sam, hand over the contract." I heard her ordering her secretary.

Her secretary placed a file in front of me. She nodded to me to go through it when I looked at her. But the moment I opened the file, my eyes widened. My hands flicked through every fucking page as fast as I could, and they went to my mouth immediately.

"Very informative contract, right." Her fierce voice made me look at her, and there was a deadly smile on her face. The information she was talking about was my fucking life. All the dirty deeds I have done in my 23 years of life, with photographs. Blood boiled in my entire body as she awakened the other side of me, which I always try to hide under the mask of an ambitious girl everyone knew.

"How does it feel to watch the tables turn from exciting to terrifying, Ms Shilpa Rajvardhan?" She asked, getting up from her seat and encircling around the table like a predator. But why is she doing these things? What rivalry does she have with me?

"When something exciting gets snatched from your hand, you are utterly helpless because you cannot do anything to get it back. Tell me, how does it feel?" She paused and looked at me. "Don't you think that's something Aniket Sharma would have felt when his father asked him to marry a woman for his father's benefit, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it because he loved his father so much that he was ready to sacrifice his career, dreams and even love of his life for his father's greed."

So this fuss is all about him. But why? Who is he to her? I was so afraid for a moment that I couldn't bring myself to ask her the questions I had.

"So tell me, Ms Rajvardhan, who should I handle the file first? Mr Reyansh Sharma? Nope. How about the police? That's better. No, let me think." She paused again, and my heart stuttered. "Wait, how about NIA? That's an amazing idea. Guys, don't you think?" She asked her secretary and bodyguard, and they both gave me a pathetic smile in their nod. She explained every threat with so much calm and excitement that she was suggesting a destination for a vacation. It is, though. A trip to hell, to be exact. "We are going to lock Option C, Ms Rajvardhan."