Author's POV
"Lekin us ladki ke nahi. Use chune wale gande haathon ke, us par uthne vali gandi nazron ke, uske khilaaf bura bolne wali zabaan ke."
( But not of that girl. Of the dirty hands that touched her, of the dirty eyes that fell on her, of the tongues that spoke ill of her. )
An eerie silence spread around the surroundings when Adhiraaj swiftly changed his words.
"Anath hai bechari. Aur anath ladkiyan bin mali ke us phool ki tarah hoti hai jinhe koi bhi raahchalta insaan tod sakta hai. Kyun Pujari Ji...... Sahi kaha na maine?"
( Poor girl is an orphan. And orphan girls are like flowers without a gardener, which can be plucked by any passerby. Am I right head priest? )
His fierce eyes were more vocal than his words, which made the head priest feel conflicted about his actual personality. Seconds ago, he was a thirsty beast asking for blood. And now....... The most compassionate person he ever met.
"Asha karta hun, ki iske baad main apki jeevan dayani ke rin se mukt ho jaunga. Pranaam !!" He joined his palms together and took his leave from there with his troop following him from behind.
( I hope that after this I will be free from the debt of your life giver. Greetings !! )
On the other side, Rudhvika was walking on the sides of the road when her phone resting inside her Kurti's pocket vibrated. She took it out, only to see a message from Piyali who asked her to reach the orphanage directly because she already took the responsibility of taking Prasad there through her second hand scooty which Rudhvika prepares for the kids every year.
Even though the pay scale of Piyali's job was nice, she always spent money skeptically because like other girls of her workplace, she didn't had any shield standing behind her for her tough times. And it was quite opposite from her carefree character.
The car honks and vehicles speeding sounds brought Rudhvika out from her phone and she looked around to see that the signal was going to turn green soon. So she slid her phone back in her pocket and waited beside the zebra crossing for the busy road to get silent. And when it did, she stepped forward to cross the road.
While doing so, her eyes fell on an old lady coming from the opposite side. Her steps were staggering so Rudhvika accelerated her pace in order to help her but before she could reach her, the old lady fell down collapsing on the road as a speeding car hit her from the side.
Crowd gathered around the lady and a few people started banging the car windows for the driver to come out. Rudhvika sat beside the old lady keeping her prayer plate aside and started looking out for injuries on her wrinkled arms and legs. Thankfully there were none, apart from a few scratches here and there.
But then, she felt furious at the driver's rash driving as it could have taken someone's life. Leaving the old lady with other people present there, she marched towards the group where some men were arguing with the driver.
"I am a criminal lawyer by profession. So back off you beggars. Otherwise I will sue you all for touching me without permission." He yelled arrogantly pushing the crowd away from him.
"That doesn't give you the right to overspeed. That too when the signal was green. You almost killed her." Rudhvika asserted, pointing at the injured lady to knock some sense into that man.
"But she is alive. Isn't she? And people like her don't die easily. Because they do this on a daily basis to extort money from rich folks."
Rudhvika felt disgust and rage running down her veins after hearing him. She couldn't control herself and plastered a hard slap right across his face making the people around her clap at the stunt. But what they didn't see was, that man had a gun tucked to his waistband which he took out abruptly in fury and pointed straight at Rudhvika's forehead.
Crowd started dispersing in fear to save themselves, leaving Rudhvika and the injured lady alone there. To say Rudhvika was scared would be an understatement. She wasn't expecting things to turn out like this even in her worst dreams.
"Bohot garmi chadi hai tujhe? Tere is khubsurat chehre ke itne tukde karunga ki janmo tak kisiko nahi milenge. Tu bas apni ulti ginti gin." He exclaimed furiously and pressed the gun on Rudhvika's temple before pulling the hammer of his revolver.
( Aren't you being bold? I will break this beautiful face of yours into so many pieces that no one will be able to find it for life. You just count down. )
"Mahadev........" The word rolled out of Rudhvika's tongue while clenching her eyes shut in fear as a reflex action.
Surprisingly, she didn't feel pain but something warm splashing on the side of her cheeks. She gradually opened her eyes and touched her cheeks where she felt the movement. Her eyes widened and mouth fell ajar in horror when she saw her fingertips painted in blood. Involuntarily, her gaze went to the person in front of her.
Her heart dropped to her stomach at the gruesome sight of blood seeping out from the bullet hole in the middle of that man's forehead. His lifeless body fell backwards with a thud traumatizing Rudhvika to core. As a result, her legs gave up and she collapsed on the ground with a rapid heartbeat. Her shaking hands flew to her mouth cupping it as her eyes widened in sheer horror.
Her vision started blurring due to the water collecting on the corner of her eyes. Warm tears cascade down her face uncontrollably as she gasped for air looking at the dead body feets away from her puddled in blood, which started trailing in her direction. Rudhvika freaked out noticing the bloodstream on the road and started crawling backwards to escape.
The old lady who witnessed everything came forward to help her. She made Rudhvika stand on her feets holding her shoulder and dragged her away from the scene. They only stopped after reaching a distant point from that place. Lady felt pity surging through her heart for Rudhvika because of her traumatized state as Rudhvika's body was still trembling violently.
She made Rudhvika sit on a nearby bench and took out her water bottle from her jute bag before passing it to Rudhvika. Poor girl was too terror stricken to move a single muscle of her shuddering body. Therefore, the lady had to do it herself. She made Rudhvika drink water and wiped her face with her Kerchief. She could understand Rudhvika's condition as she herself went through the same when she witnessed a live murder for the first time. But now it's getting normal day by day in this city.
"Zyada mat socho Beta. Ye sab aaye din hota rehta hai yahaan. Kabhi raat ke andhere me, to kabhi din ke ujale me." She consoled Rudhvika and asked her about her destination since the young girl was petrified to leave alone.
( Don't think too much, beta. All this happens every day here. Sometimes in the dark night, sometimes in broad daylight. )
Upon hearing the word destination, Rudhvika's mind went to her orphanage where everyone was waiting for her. She sobered up and made herself look presentable to not to ruin the most favourite day of the orphanage's kids.
The lady accompanied Rudhvika to the gate of the orphanage as a payback before leaving her there after handing the prayer plate Rudhvika completely forgot. Though Rudhvika was still shaking from inside, she somehow managed to put a smile on her face just for the sake of the kids in there.
And it proved to be a good decision because as soon as she stepped inside the humble abode, she was attacked by little figures of different sizes. Their small arms wrapped around her waist and those who couldn't reach her midriff, chose to clutch her legs from either side.
"Kitne gande ho tum log. Mujhe to aise welcome nahi kiya tha tumne."
( You guys are so dirty. You did not welcome me like this. )
Piyali grumbled coming out from behind with the caretaker of the orphanage whom everyone calls Daddu since he was quite old enough to be called that. And beside him, few workers who manage the orphanage responsibilities.
"Haan to aap kheer thodi na banate ho hamare liye." One of the little boys spoke.
( Yes because you don't make kheer for us. )
"Aull dansh bhi nahi karlte, Ludhvika Didi ki taral." The youngest girl child of the orphanage commented in her baby language making everyone smile at her incoherent words.
( And don't even dance, like Rudhvika didi. )
Rudhvika smiled widely, embracing all of them. All her fear vanished, tears dried up just by their mere presence around her. Their giggles, their mischiefs, their demands and their smiles. This is what Rudhvika is living for. This is what makes her feel alive and at home.
"Didi kheer kab milegi?"
( Didi, when will we get kheer? ) She heard a kid asking impatiently from her embrace. Before she could reply, Piyali interrupted her.
"Are mere Petumal !! Didi ko chhodoge tabhi to Didi kheer degi. Chalo !! Line lagao sare." She started patting their bums one by one asking them to move ahead.
( Oh my Petumal!! If you leave Didi, only then Didi will give you kheer. Let's go !! Line up. )
Kids cheered joyly, running towards the dining area of the orphanage. Whereas Rudhvika and Piyali took charge of the food counter as usual to serve the kids from their own hands. Liveliness radiated from the orphanage as children happily devoured the sweet made by Rudhvika.
"Till when you are going to do this, Beta?" Daddu asked while stroking Rudhvika's head affectionately, who smiled in return refraining herself from making any comments.
"Jab tak ek ameer launda nahi mil jata. Phir usse shaadi. Aur boriya bistar samet ke desh se bahar." Piyali replied in her habitual tone on Rudhvika's behalf.
( Unless a rich guy is found. Then marriage. And out of the country with the bags and belongings. )
"I didn't ask you Miss Piyali." Daddu asserted sassily being done by the girl.
"I also didn't tell you Mr. Diwakar. Oww...."
Rudhvika smacked Piyali from behind when she called Daddu by his full name which is known to only a few people and that too while pointing the ladle at him.
"Let her be Rudhvika Beta, she's a gone case. You tell me, when are you planning to settle down? Mishra ji was asking your hand for his son. He's a well settled guy. Should I proceed with the alliance?" The old man asked with hope in his heart.
"I don't think so Daddu. Because from our opinions to our lifestyle, there's nothing in common. It won't work out for sure." Rudhvika politely denied the proposal with a smile, keeping her point and continued to serve the kids making Daddu sigh at her not so unusual response.
"I agree. And he doesn't even look good beside Rudhvi. Right golu?" Piyali raised her brow at the kid she was serving. He first looked at Piyali then at his plate, which had a little bit more quantity than usual. He smiled widely, understanding the task and turned towards Daddu with great enthusiasm.
"Yes Daddu. He looks like a villain beside Rudhvika Didi. You should find a Hero for her. A handsome Hero who saves the world." He chirped sweetly running off to grab his seat, leaving everyone smiling at his innocence.
RANAWAT VILLA
Cars aligned at the gate and the troop started getting down from both the sides of black G-Wagon running towards the white Mercedes Maybach. The door was opened and Adhiraaj majestically stepped outside in the same dhoti that he wore earlier while covering his bare body with the cotton angavastram resting on his shoulder.
His family members stood grinning at the doorstep to welcome him, especially his mother. With Aarti thaal in her hands, she drank her son's live appearance through misty eyes after a time period of fifteen years. All these years, she pleased her eyes just by the pictures and videos sent by him. And now when he's here, she can't seem to get enough of him.
"Mera Baccha !!" ( My Son ) She croaked out emotionally when Adhiraaj stopped right in front of her. Lifting the thaal, she did his Aarti quickly because she was dying to hug him and her hands were itching to feel her son closely.
Standing behind Smita, Vedant and Siya were peeking from time to time at their brother's stoic yet handsome face. They almost cowered behind their mother the moment Adhiraaj's predatory eyes fell on them, making the corner of Adhiraaj's lips twitch at their failed attempt of hiding themselves because they bumped their heads with each other in the process.
But the movement of lips was short lived as the next second Adhiraaj bent down and took his mother's blessings, who kept her hand affectionately on him.
"आयुष्मान् भव:" ( Live Long ) She tried to retreat her hand back after giving the blessings but her hand was clutched in the middle air by her son.
"Dena hi hai to यशस्वी भव: ( Be Victorious ) ka ashirwad dijiye Maa. Kyunki bina jeet ke, lambi umar ka kya matlab." There was a strange tenaciousness swirling across his eyes. And the tone he used to express himself was something that scared his own mother.
( If you want to bless me Maa, bless me to be victorious. Because without victory, what is the point of longevity? )
"Adhiraaj......" She called out, maybe to make sure it's her son she's talking to and not an impostor.
"That's like my boy.........." Came a high pitched raspy voice from behind and everyone saw Adhiraaj's grandfather coming towards them along with his father.
Adhiraaj stepped forward taking both of their blessings and later on got engulfed in a hug by his grandfather as the old man patted his own young version's back.
"Finally !! Finally my lion is back. Now all I want is just to see you on that throne which took you away from us."
"He will Dad. He will !! Isiliye to, Sher ke jungle me paanv rakhte hi shikariyo ne jaal bichana shuru kar diya hai. Attack hua hai apke sher par Mandir me." Adhiraaj's father inched close, patting his son's back the same way displaying a gratified smile on his lips.
( That's why, the hunters have started laying traps as soon as the lion stepped into the forest. Your lion has been attacked in the temple. )
"Really !! Hahahaha......." The hall resonated with the sinister laughing sounds of Adhiraaj's grandfather whose chest puffed up due to the dread his grandson's presence held in the game.
Whereas Smita grew worried on the mention of the attack and angry for the way Adhiraaj's grandfather made fun of the serious situation. Since she wasn't in a position to show her anger, she opted for showing her concern and quickly turned Adhiraaj around, checking him out for the injuries. She ushered a few curses to herself for being ignorant in her son's infatuation when she saw some scratches on the sides of Adhiraaj's cheeks.
"Relax Maa...... It's just scratches. You don't need to shed your precious tears for them." He embraced his mother, wiping the wetness streaming down her face.
Breaking the hug after a few seconds, he held his mother's shoulder and uttered solemnly.
"Zara si kharonch dekh kar apki aankhon me aasu aa gaye. To itni badi ladai ladte hue kaise dekhengi mujhe?"
( Tears welled up in your eyes after seeing the slightest scratch. So how will you see me fighting such a big battle? )
"Dekh lungi. Kyunki mujhe bharosa hai Bholenath par. Jis tarah unhone aaj teri rakhsha ki hai, vaise aage bhi karenge." She smiled suddenly as if there was something in her mind that other people were oblivious to.
( I will see. Because I trust Bholenath. Just as he has protected you today, he will do the same in future also. )
The mention of Bholenath compelled Adhiraaj's psyche to go towards those coffee brown orbs that held nothing but softness while gazing at him in confusion just like a curious kitten waiting for the mystery to unfold.
Siren !! An Insidious Siren !!
Those words echoed in his mind owing to the fact how swiftly he had to change his words because of that girl.
"Mamu........" A childish squeal disturbed his thoughts as his eyes went to his five year old nephew, Kush, excitedly running towards him with his football in hands.
The second entity on this earth who could make him go on his knees after Mahadev. He couldn't control himself and knelt down taking Kush in his arms before throwing him up in the air as the child giggled loudly enjoying the little adventure with his Maamu.
"How are you?" He asked the little boy in a soft tone which he must've hardly used with someone else.
"Fine..... Finer..... Finest..... But I missed you. Just like Mumma." His words ultimately reminded Adhiraaj about his sister and the other family members whom he haven't met till now. Therefore he placed Kush down and started moving towards his sister. But Adhiksha scowled at him before hitting his muscular chest through her tiny fists.
"How could you? I am your elder twin. And you forgot me. How dare you?" Adhiraaj gripped her fists and pulled her to his chest before she beat him to the pulp. Although her hands felt more like chicken feathers to his taught body.
"Missed you Dii !!" Those three words of his were more than enough for Adhiksha's anger to melt as she embraced her brother tightly cherishing the moment she waited for so long.
After Adhiksha, it was Shaurya, Adhiraaj's friend and brother in law. The one who functioned as Adhiraaj's invisible eyes when he was away from his home, from his land.
"I also missed you man. Especially our nights." Shaurya exclaimed delightfully giving a smile to Adhiraaj which vanished soon when he heard Vedant's statement.
"Haww Jiju...... Main to apko Aisa samjhta tha. Par aap to vaise nikle." He teased playfully only to get a smack from his brother in law and an ear twist from his elder sister.
( Haww brother-in-law... I used to think of you like this. But you turned out that way. )
But all his playfulness flew out of his body as Adhiraaj took a few menacing steps towards him, choking him onto nothing but air.
"I-I am sorry Bhai. I was just-"
"Kaisa hai?" ( How are you? )
Adhiraaj cut him off in mid stutter of his sentence whilst brushing the baby hairs on his forehead. This simple move of affection from his brother had Vedant conquering his fear and he jumped on Adhiraaj burying his face in the latter's naked chest.
Through the corner of eyes, Adhiraaj noticed Siya standing behind their mother and playing with her pallu in hesitation. She was contemplating on whether to come forward or wait for Adhiraaj to approach her like he did to others. But Adhiraaj halted all her thoughts by spreading his other arm wide asking her to come and join the hug.
It was a surreal moment for everyone because the elder son of the house was finally back to his home for forever. Since before, it used to be a one week stay for the important occasions that needed Adhiraaj's presence.
"Are koi mere ko bhi to hug karo."
( Someone please hug me too. )
All the eyes snapped towards Kush standing on the sofa nearby Adhiraaj and jumping lightly to join the siblings hug whilst whining. Vedant reached his hand out and swiftly pulled him in his arms.
But amidst this, Kush threw the ball away making it hit the wall and bounce back in his own direction with speed which Adhiraaj grabbed quickly before it could hurt his siblings or anyone else. A known look flashed across his eyes as he gripped the ball tightly between his fingers.
"I'll get freshen up." He declared and started making his way towards the stairs but halted before climbing them and turned towards the line of house helps standing around the dining table. Those poor lads and ladies flinched by the abrupt unwanted attention on them. One of them even escaped a fall.
"Bring me a bowl of clean and fresh fruits." He ordered the one who was about to fall, giving the guy another heart stroke before sprinting towards his room.
Familiar scent entered his nostrils making him feel nostalgic the moment he opened the gate of his room. The room was neat and clean and everything was in its original place like it was years ago when he left the house. Nothing was disorganized, not even the pen from his study table.
The sudden urge to relive his teenage moments aroused in Adhiraaj as he kept the things in his hand over the bed and unlocked the drawer of his study table where he used to keep his personal diary.
The diary he abandoned that night along with his hobbies, likes, dislikes, dreams and the most important one, both of his homes. First one where he's sitting right now, and second was them.
He flipped the pages and went through the important dates and incidents of his life which his younger self penned down in the most gibberish and broken language. A photo fell through the flicking papers on the floor making him feel pathetic as he stared at the picture with nothing but longingness in his eyes.
Picking it up, he searched for his phone and gazed at it blankly for a few seconds after unlocking the screen. He finally gathered the courage and punched the digits putting the phone on speaker. In the beginning, it was just a ringing sound. But then a deep voice spoke hello from the other side.
The man was continuously seeking out for a response before growing frustrated and cutting the call.
"Who was it Viraat?" Adhiraaj heard the manly voice asking before the line went dead. A breath of satisfaction left his lips because he got more than what he desired. The intention was to hear both of their voices, but he knew his cover would have blown up if he had called Rehan.
And being the best trio of school once, he had full faith on Viraat's intelligence. Which Viraat himself proved by not recognising him.
( Knock )
Placing the things back to their original places, Adhiraaj sat on his bed manspreading and allowed the much awaited person to enter while he played with Kush's football by hitting it on the ground back to back. The servant stepped inside the dark room, void of any ray of light apart from the brightness behind the drawn curtains of the window.
Sweat beads rolled down the sides of his head and his palm turned cold when he saw Adhiraaj sitting on the bed amidst the darkness like a predator waiting for his prey.
Gathering the courage, he silently kept the tray on the black Ottoman sofa infront of the bed and bowed before proceeding to the exit. Just as he placed his hand on the door knob to open the gate, a heavy object came flying from behind and hit his palm pretty badly making him collapse on the ground. The room resonated with his yelps and the continuous thudding sounds beside his trembling figure.
His fearful gaze went towards the source and he saw Kush's football bouncing up and down wildly on the floor. Then he looked at Adhiraaj sitting majestically over the bed like the king he is. He didn't needed words to tell him what went wrong, Adhiraaj's ravening eyes already did the work.
Stupid of him to think he could fool Ranawat men. Especially Adhiraaj Singh Ranawat !! The most deadliest and the ruthless one.
He quickly crawled towards Adhiraaj's legs and clutched them tightly. In the meantime, the door burst open and Shaurya got inside the room followed by Pranay since they heard the screams and the noises.
"I-I am..... I am sorry Master. They captured my wife and my daughter. That's why I had to obey them and leak all the information. Please forgive me Master. And save my family." The man cried out touching Adhiraaj's feets through his forehead.
"Kill him !!" He threw the instruction at Pranay and jerked his feets away from the man begging for mercy on the ground without an ounce of kindness.
Shaurya stood aside and watched the entire scene unfold before his eyes until he and Adhiraaj were left in the room after Pranay dragged that man away.
"He served us for more than five years. Can't you spare his life Adhiraaj?" Shaurya questioned, feeling pity for the servant.
"What's the use of letting him live when his family is already dead." Adhiraaj threw his tired body backwards on the bed spreading his arms wide.
"What?"
"Since they couldn't kill me in the temple, they killed his family instead. And I bet, even if I spare him, he won't be able to see tomorrow's sunrise. And besides that........" He plopped himself on his elbows and stared deep in Shaurya's with greed.
"Sabko pata chalna chahiye ki Sher kitna bhukha hai."
( Everyone should know how hungry the lion is. )
"No one is left na Piyali?" Kritika enquired before closing the lid of the container as Piyali shook her head in denial. She then started cleaning the mess spread on the counter with a cloth. She was completely invested in the work she was doing until someone forwarded an empty plate before her eyes asking for kheer.
Once again she opened the container and filled the plate before resuming the work of cleaning. But the plate was again put in front of her.
"Can I get some more?" The familiar voice echoed in her ears and she almost jumped on the person in front of her.
"Hriday........"
Just as he rounded his arms around Rudhvika, she felt herself going weak in his warm embrace. No doubt Piyali is equally important for her as much as Hriday is. But being the only boy in their group, he was kind of a shield for her and the relation she shared with him was much more than just friends.
She couldn't control herself and ended up crying, reminiscing about the earlier incident as she was shaken up to the core because of that.
"Tch..... Avi !! I know you missed me. But this much, that you started crying." He caressed Rudhvika's back trying to hush her.
"Teri bhaddi shakal dekh kar darr gayi hai bechari." Piyali remarked from the side since she was aware of Rudhvika's sentimental nature.
( The poor thing is scared after seeing your ugly face. )
"Tu toh chup hi reh surpanakha lite." Hriday sneered back.
( You better stay quiet surpanakha lite. )
"Hriday ke bacche, aaj to tera hriday fail karke hi dum lungi main." She exclaimed furiously and ran behind the guy with a plate as they again started with their Tom and Jerry fight much to Rudhvika's frustration.
( You !! I'll fail your heart today. )
She sighed deeply, wiping her face and decided to visit her favourite place of the orphanage for peace, which is the garden area. She knew they both would also reach there directly after finishing the much needed quota of their fights to know the reason behind her crying. Soon enough, she found herself feeling relaxed amidst the floral greenery and the sweet fragrances of Rose.
After an hour or so, they both also joined and sat on either side of her panting heavily and kept their heads on her shoulder.
"Now tell us, why were you crying?" Hriday broke the silence by initiating the conversation after restoring his breath.
Taking a deep breath, Rudhvika disclosed the terrifying encounter from before. By the time she finished, both of them sat straight giving her concerned looks. Piyali being the curious one, took her phone out and surfed through the news channels until she discovered the one updating the live footage of the crime scene.
"Guys......It's fucked up. The police are saying that....... It's related to the underworld. The man was a criminal lawyer and he had taken a huge amount to bail out a criminal. But when he couldn't, the gang members killed him." Piyali croaked out biting her nails.
"Shouldn't we go to the police then? What if they try to kill Avi? Since she's the main witness." Hriday proposed the idea, feeling worried for Rudhvika's safety.
"Do you really think she would have been sitting here like this, if they wanted to kill her? Be glad that she's away from that mess. Now no need to push her into that by asking her to go to the police." She interjected straight away dismissing his idea, making Rudhvika glance between both of them as they argued further.
"That wouldn't help anyhow. Because the police will track her down eventually."
"They wouldn't !!"
"Yeah just because you said so, right?" Hriday sassed.
"No !! Because someone stole the surveillance camera a month ago."
"What?" Rudhvika and Hriday both shouted together, scaring Piyali by their high pitched voices.
"Yes !! According to these headlines, the nearby surveillance camera of the crime scene has been missing for a month. Which means, no proof, no eye witness. And even if there's one, I am sure no one would come out after hearing the involvement of the underworld." Piyali turned the screen of her phone towards while speaking.
Suddenly Piyali grabbed Rudhvika's hand and pleaded since she knew, Rudhvika can be selflessly compassionate sometimes towards others.
"Let's just stay away from this mess Rudhvi. I don't want to lose either of you."
"I hate to admit this Avi, but I, Hriday, the cutest and the handsome guy of all time, agree with this most stupid ugliest pathetic chimpanzee named peeli. I mean Piyali." Just as he finished, Piyali took her slippers out and started chasing him in the entire garden area.
Rudhvika sighed irritatedly for the nth time at their lack of seriousness towards the situation when it comes to pulling each other's hairs. But then she felt thankful to Mahadev for giving her these two clowns who could make her laugh even in someone's funeral. Shaking her head at both of them, she looked at the sky and asked.
"What should I do Mahadev?"