In The Udaipur Market:
"Hear me out before getting all creeped up. I am not into you. Just to make things clear. I just want to flirt around with you." Anya explained and Vikram looked confused.
"I mean....You are really attractive and all. Any girl will fall for you. May be even I would but I don't go beyond flirting. I have my own reasons for that. When you offered me the cigarette, I assumed you were not the judgy type. So, I just asked you straight up."
She elaborated but Vikram still looked confused. He asked out of curiosity, "What do you mean exactly by I want 'YOU' then. Enlighten me."
Anya sighed and started speaking, "Every girl who is of my age has a boyfriend, who looks out for her, takes her out on rides and picks her from anywhere if she asks. Takes her out for shopping, dinners and pampers her.
They dance around in pubs and celebrate each other's success. They always have each other to talk to and to vent out. I want all of that, but I can't have it." Her excitement while describing all the things a couple does faded by the end when she spoke about herself.
Vikram could see where this was heading but he waited for her to say it to just be sure before reacting. "I don't go beyond flirting. I am only all talk and no action. So, I cannot make a boyfriend ever, but I want to have a boyfriend and show him off just like everyone else.
Aisa nahi hain ki I can't have this deal with anyone else. I can but I am mostly never sure around men who freely agree to things which have nothing in them for them.
Here, it's a different case altogether. You need me to help you out for something serious, I am assuming." She looked at him and he nodded.
"You are mature and you called me ma'am. So you know how to respect. You aren't judgy about me being a smoker. You have rejected my offer perceiving it to be something else. That shows you won't take advantage of me.
You warned me to back off. That makes you someone who knows the limits and can stop me if I ever go overboard. In short, you are perfect for what I am seeking and like you said, I am perfect for the job you have for me. So, what's wrong in doing a barter?"
She gave a huge justification and Vikram was very seriously pushed to be thinking about it. He looked at her face which had an expecting expression on it. Vikram was no softie from any angle, but he was when it came to girls who have an interest in him.
He felt flattered by that and enjoyed those moments of attention. Vikram lost his love to a terminal illness and never really moved on not because he wasn't willing to. He just didn't find the right girl yet. With his reputation, finding the one whom he may like is tough.
By principle, Vikram never used women to get shady things done. He had his wicked and unforgiving ways, but he never disrespected women who deserved respect.
He wasn't an idealist to respect every woman just for being a woman, but he knew how to carry himself without making them uncomfortable. His woman taught him well.
Vikram didn't understand what to do with Anya. The girl had stunned him and held his interest for too long to his liking. He knew that he will never look at her romantically. She is a kid to cry out loud. What she was asking was nothing too much and wasn't offensive or demeaning but it was against his nature. It doesn't come easily to him and he had a hunch about it that it may not end well.
Vikram then looked at the odds and knew that practically, this was a great chance. Anya can prove to be quite an asset, given her age bracket. Coming to the contingency, he would just have to be there for her when she needed him, more like a polished errand man and pretend to be her boyfriend in front of people if necessary.
This wouldn't anyway last more than 2 months because he can't afford more time away from his work in Udaipur. Not even for all the contacts Akshara might have for him to explore. So, he was actually considering her offer. He was mulling over it.
"Kya socha hain Mister? Jaldi bolo. I need to go back. My crew is waiting." Anya displayed her impatience.
Vikram revaluated the pros and cons of this arrangement; figured out his expectations; firmed his voice and spoke confidently. "Deal on hain ya nahi woh tumpe depend karega because I have my conditions in place. If you agree, I will consent."
Anya's face flashed with excitement. "So, you are considering the deal. That's a great start. Get done with the conditions. I am sure I will be fine with them." She exclaimed.
"Fine. This arrangement will last till the show lasts. After that we don't contact each other. There are a few physical boundaries I insist on maintaining and you will have to oblige.
I will play pretend your boyfriend only when you have an audience. Family can't be involved. So, you need to keep it low. Hamara bond mere kaam ko hamper nahi kar sakta because yeh sab main sirf usi keliye karraha hoon. No compromise there.
So, at your workplace, keep this under wraps. Except for the ones you can trust completely. I will take care of you like you described but that's about it. I will be a friend more than a boyfriend.
These are my terms. If you agree, we can go ahead and discuss what I expect from you when I say I want you to be a spy. If you don't, this ends here." He laid out his conditions and waited for her response.
Anya smiled a mile wide. "You didn't disappoint me Mr.Detective. I made the right choice. I am really smart, and I know I will be of a lot of help to you. So, I am in. Deal pakki?" She forwarded her hand, and he shook her hand firmly.
"Abhi tum he jaana chahiye. Just give me your contact. I will share mine with you. I will be visiting Mumbai very soon. Phir wahi discuss karenge. I will give you all the details you will need.
Yahan aur ruke aur logon ne hamein yahan saath dekhliya toh bekar ki complications hosakti hain. Scope kam hain but I don't want to risk it. So can I have your number?" Vikram asked her.
"Itni horrible tareeke se aaj tak kisi ne mujhse mera number nahi maanga. Aur main aise hi apna number nahi deti. Especially unko jo mujhe wait karwane wale ho. So, Nope. Itne bade Detective bane phirte ho, find my number and reach out to me once you are in Mumbai.
I will respond. Anya JaiSingh apne wade se kabhi peeche nahi hat ti, khaas kar tab jab usne woh wada apne honewale FRIEND se kiya ho. Good bye!" She sassed at him and walked away from there.
"See you soon Anya JaiSingh." He yelled out not so loudly but loud enough for her to turn around.
"Iss baar sahi tareeke se approach karna. Mujhe gussa jaldi aata hain aur main irritate usse bhi jaldi hojati hoon. Good luck" She kind of ordered him and left to join the crew who were looking for her.
The driver's phone pinged with the notification of the money being transferred and his eyes shone in delight. He was a happy man and would go back to his family with too much money at his disposal. He texted a thank you message to Vikram who asked him not to contact him from his end ever. The driver agreed.
Vikram's phone pinged and the notification made him open it at once. It was from Akshara's team, and he smiled when she sent him details about Anya JaiSingh. There was a picture of her, her phone number and her address mentioned.
They managed to sneak it out of the company's data base where all the details of the employees were stored. He couldn't have been happier. He was determined to make Anya bite back her words and he knew what to do next.
Anya hated waiting and he would exactly make her do that. He knew that she would be expecting him to text her or reach out as soon as he got his hands on the details. She was just trying to play hard to get like most girls of her age. But she did try it on someone who is immune to such things.
Wrong Move! So, she will have to wait it out until he decides to approach her because unlike him, she has no means to contact him.
Anya was enthusiastically waiting for a message or a call from Vikram just like he predicted. She has used her travelling time to the airport to search about Vikram Singh Chauhaan and she was quite impressed by what the internet has to say about him.
All the shady dealings were never for the internet, so everything in it was about his business credentials, his qualifications and his amazing images. She trusted his talent a lot more after the research and was getting impatient with each passing minute.
Anya was even questioning her decision of not taking his number, but it was too late to act on anything. The opportunity was long gone and all she could do is wait for him to seek her out. She somehow believed strongly that he would do that very soon. With those thoughts on her mind, she bid bye to Udaipur.
Vikram, on the other hand, smiled to himself and called up Akshara immediately. She needed to know that he has done his bit and got her a very capable person for her to get things done. It was an added advantage that Anya was a girl and a young one which makes it easier for her to mingle with Roohi.
He was really pumped to see Akshara's reaction. After what seemed like ages, she answered his call and she sounded rather annoyed. Akshara was screening through her social media and people were being really nasty to her. That was upsetting her big time.
To be fair to Akshara, she has never received such backlash ever in her career. She always had the sympathy of the public for being self-made star because she often openly discussed how nepotism demotivated her and pulled her back so many times.
She was really gifted, and she was very smart with her choice of work. Her marketing was on point and it also helps that her company handles a lot of new talent who always praise her personality. Their fans in turn respect Akshara for helping their idols and the pool just keeps getting bigger.
In a way, Akshara always had people rooting for her and praising her. Some criticism and jealousy, a few controversies were all a part of her career graph, but this was the first time it was happening at such a huge level. So, it was natural for her to be irritated and that reflected in her tone.
"Haan Vikram. Boliye. Kuch kaam tha?" She asked coldly.
"Kaam ki hi baat karni thi. Aap kafi chid chidi lag rahi hain. Hopefully, meri baat sunke aapko acha lage." He spoke playfully.
"Kya baat hain Vikram? Please mere patience ko test mat kariye." She sounded exhausted now. Though he didn't appreciate the tone, he let that slide. He was too excited to share about Anya.
"Ok. Seedha kaam ki baat karte hain madam. To be precise, aapne jo kaam bola tha, woh hogaya hain. Maine ek aisi ladki dhoondh nikali hain jo bahut sharp hain aur hamara kaam ache se kar sakti hain.
Woh usi crew ka part thi jo birlas ke yahan Video diaries shoot karne aayi thi...." Vikram was about to finish but Akshara's squeal made him distance his phone from his ear.
Akshara almost leapt in joy. That was the best thing she heard after such a long time. She was overjoyed with the development.
"Thank you so much Vikram. Aapko nahi pata what you have done for me. Agar yeh ladki woh karleti hain jo main usse kahungi, toh mera Beta mere paas is show ke khatam hone se pehle aajayega.
I can't thank you enough. I am just out of words. I can't wait for you to be here. Come soon." She exclaimed much to Vikram's delight. Akshara praised him some more and hung up.
Akshara's happiness brought him joy. She trusted him when he was at his lowest and didn't let his ego get bruised. He owed her at least this much. Vikram didn't know he had it in him to be so grateful until he met her.
That gratitude is the only reason, he was going out of his way to cater to her requirements. He was going to relocate to Mumbai for 2 months to ensure the mission is fulfilled.
Akshara has fixed up his meetings with lots of her high-profile clients during his stay in Mumbai. He is Vikram Singh Chauhaan and he knew how to make the most out of his time and efforts. He wouldn't just move out of his comfort zone for nothing.
Vikram knew his way around making up for the favours he did. That's how he functions and even he cannot help it. He is only true to his business, except for some gratitude here and there.
One has to be a fool to think that he valued people over money.
He had his ethics but his priorities never swayed. If he set out to do something even for personal reasons, he was shrewd enough to make it look like an assignment. After the recent flop show, he was after the Birlas but primarily up against Abhishek for hurting his ego.
If he ruffles up the Birlas under Abhishek's watch, it will soothe his ego. Vikram purposely chose Birlas because Abhishek paid a bit too much interest in them when compared to the others. Hurting him where it hurts the most will be a premise for proper revenge.
Now, if Akshara also wants the same thing that he wants, why not look at it as an assignment and get paid for getting back at his rival. It just makes everything better and the outcome sweeter.
Vikram didn't give you any other impression right. Or did he?
What do you have to say about Vikram and his ways?
Is he contradictive at times?
What's your take on Anya JaiSingh?
Do you like her?
Do you think she will play a huge role in future?
What do you think about Akshara's excitement?
Is she celebrating too early?
What is she playing at?
Will her plan again fall flat like it always did?
Well! Let's wait and see.