Kaun Kiska ✔️

five: Dusk and Dawn

"Ok, leave that out" she told Neel. "Aur jahan saboot ki baat hai, toh haan- mere paas ek locker box mein Ashok ki kai illegal deals ki paperwork hai. I know how to protect my interests and Ashok was very careless in leaving his papers around. Meri phone par in documents ki samples hai, mein abhi tumhare paas email karti hoon."
(Ok, leave that out. As far as proof is concerned, then yes, I have a locker box full of paperwork which detail Ashok's illegal deals. I know how to protect my interests and Ashok was very careless in leaving his papers around. I have some sample documents in my phone, I'll email them to you now)

"You seem to have thought of everything Shagunji" Neel's voice had a begrudging admiration to it. "I'll prepare the papers now, and ask Ashok Khanna to a meeting tonight. Say at 7.00pm, at the Oberoi. If you will come here at 6.00, we can finalise everything and go to the Oberoi from here."

Raman had been waiting for Shagun to finish telling Neel about her plan to entrap Ashok, so that he could return to the issue of Adi's custody.

"Shagun" he now said impatiently. "Sign the custody agreement "

Shagun looked at Raman in distate before she grabbed the document being proferred by Neel, and signed on the dotted line. He was distracting her by bringing in this custody drama about Adi, she fumed to herself, when what she really needed to do today was to focus on how to consolidate her position in Ashok's life. Anyway, this shared custody was no big deal. Adi would always do her bidding in any event, whether he stayed with Raman a few days each week made no difference in the long run.

She handed the signed agreement back to Neel. " You need to keep this with you, Neel. This only comes in effect when I get married to Ashok. Raman has promised. "

Raman looked with deep satisfaction at the agreement. Finally, he could begin to repair his relationship with his son. There was just one hurdle to overcome now - to get his ex-wife's absconding fiance to agree to marry her.

He grinned wryly at the irony of the situation - to think that there had been a day when he had pleaded with this woman not to leave him, and now he couldn't wait for her to marry the man she had left him, Raman Bhalla for. He shook his head in wonderment at the change that time and his madrassan had brought, and glanced at his watch. There were hours to go until 6.00, and he could think of only one person he wanted to spend those hours with.

He stood up abruptly. "Mihir, tum Shagun ko drop kar aur office chale jao. I will meet you there later" (Mihir, you drop Shagun and go to the office. I will meet you there later)

"Saturday hai Bhai. Kya office? Lekin aap kahan ja rahe ho Bhai?" (It's Saturday bhai, what office? But where are you going, bhai?)

"Kuch zaroori kaam hai mujhe" (I have something important to do) he said, striding out of the room without a backward glance.

Interlude
Ishita sat at her desk twirling her pen.

She was excited about Adi coming to live with them. More so because she knew how happy it would make Raman to regularly spend time with his son, to share in the mundane day to day activities of life with him, to influence his thinking and try to undo the years of damage that life with Shagun and Ashok had caused to him.

But truth be told, she was apprehensive too.

She knew that with Adi's entry into their home, the entire dynamics of their family would change. Raman's overwhelming guilt about Adi, Adi's misguided hatred for her, Ruhi's insecurities, Raman and her newly expressed feelings for each other, and above all these, the sceptre of Shagun and Raman's past affecting their current lives.

No, it would not be easy, but basking in the glow of Raman's love, she knew that they would be able to make it happen, that they would find a way to make things work.