Silent Whispers

Chapter 25: Collateral Damage

"Who are you?! You can't come in like this! Stop!!" Jaya shouted.

The Gupta household was filled with commotion on what was otherwise a usual Saturday morning. Shyam was just sipping his morning tea, reminiscing the events of his evening with Anjali the previous day, when he heard his maid. Worried, he had just set down his cup, when the doors to his study were thrown wide open.

He paled upon seeing his visitor.

"Bhaiyyaji!" Jaya called, pushing past the intruder into the room. "He just barged in without-"

"It's okay," Shyam interrupted. "I will take care of it."

Jaya stopped short, confused to hear his emotionless tone, but she knew better than to question him in front of a stranger. So, she obediently retraced her steps and left the room in complete silence.

Grudgingly, Shyam turned to the intruder. Dressed in sweatpants and a running jacket, he hadn't changed one bit since the last time they met outside the Supreme Court of Delhi, on a morning quite like this one.

Shashi Joshi appeared to be the same old clever and calculative person. And judging by the cold fury emanating out of him, Shyam knew his father had only grown more shrewd over the last sixteen years.

"Well," Shyam said, breaking the icy silence. "How can I help you?"

Shashi glared at him. "As if you don't know!"

If it wasn't for his many years of legal practice, Shyam would have very well torn apart the room at the sight of his father, such was his hate for the man who destroyed them all; but Shyam knew better than to throw a fit. Shashi Joshi always came with an agenda, today was no different.

"You are going to have to be more specific than that," Shyam said, patient.

Shashi reached into his jacket and pulled out a rolled up newspaper. "Is this specific enough?"

Shyam hesitantly took the paper. He knew it wasn't good news –his father never came with one– but at the same time, he didn't understand what could be so bad that Shashi decided to talk in person.

His questions were answered as soon as he unrolled the paper.  Staring innocently back from the front page was a picture of his sister, looking almost unrecognizable in a peach-colored floor length gown. Beside her stood the ever so famous, Arnav Singh Raizada. Stunned, he quickly read the accompanying article:

Love and scandal; ASR never fails to stun the city

Notable business tycoon Arnav Singh Raizada is known for his extravagance. Whether it be his grand parties or ambitious deals, the city's most eligible bachelor never does it without a show. The most recent of these spectacles is his argument with Mr. Rajeev Prakash at the latter's own party late last night. Onlookers claim Mr. Raizada was furious when his date for the event was insulted by Mr. Prakash's son. What followed was a heated exchange of words that finished with Mr. Raizada ending his partnership with Prakash & Co. and storming out.

"It was his girlfriend," said a guest at the party. "She got into an argument with Gaurav (Mr. Prakash's son), so naturally Mr. Raizada came to her defence. I guess love does that to you."

The girlfriend in question is Khushi Kumari Gupta, a student of Delhi University, currently interning in Mr. Raizada's widely acclaimed company, AR Designs. It is rumoured that the two began dating in secret after spending many late hours in the office, working on numerous projects.

"They are very close," said an unnamed employee of AR Designs. "ASR always includes Khushi in all of the important projects. He favours her opinion the most... I guess they have been together for a long time."