"What did you find out?" Shiv asked.
"A lot," Urmila said frowning, "and then again may be nothing."
"I knew I shouldn't have kept faith in you," Ria shot at Shiv.
"You can leave even now," Shiv shot back before turning to Urmila, "Stop talking in riddles and get to the point."
Urmila rolled her eyes. "I guess you all know that Arun bhai and Lav Khanna have been rivals since their college days," she said looking at her audience for confirmation. Seeing most of them look at her blankly she added, "God! You are really blind or self-obsessed."
Ria ignored her comments. "Are you trying to say that this is just an extension of their old rivalry?" Ria asked narrowing her eyes. She didn't believe it, but knowing Urmila's comments would tell her how much to depend on anything she said.
"No," Urmila said rolling her eyes, "I am just trying to establish what everyone knows."
"Something did change then," Shiv commented
Urmila nodded. "A few different things but I don't know which of those got us to where we are."
"What things?" Ananya asked. She was at the end of her patience with these round about talks.
"Things changed between them for the worse a year back," Urmila said. She looked at Ria, "You are not going to like this, but there have been some rumors that Lav tried to pay his way into winning some contracts."
"Why am I not surprised," Shiv muttered under his breath. Both the brothers clearly had crossed some ethical lines.
"Bhai would never do that!" Ria exclaimed, "If this is your information then–"
Urmila looked at Ria with an expression of pity. "I did say you wouldn't like it. You need to decide what is important to you–the truth or some lie which is convenient but one that will not help you solve the current problem."
Ria wanted to throw it back at Urmila. She didn't need any pity. But she didn't. There would come a time when she would judge and prove the truth. Now was not it, she reminded herself. Right now, she needed all the information she could get her hands on.
Taking Ria's silence as a prompt, Urmila continued. "I don't know if Arun bhai was involved in similar dealing," she told Shiv, who gave her a small nod of acceptance, "I don't know what triggered it, but something had changed between them. It was no longer the old college rivalry. There was a definite aggression in their dealings with each other. One that was obvious for others to see."
"You said a couple of things happened," Shiv said, "What were they? Could they have something to do with it?"
Urmila shook her head. "I don't know. They may have actually been a result of this change–a by-product of it."
"But what were these other things?" Ria asked
"For one, both had taken over bigger roles in their respective business–roles that pitted then more and more against each other," Urmila said, "But things were happening in personal life as well."
"Bhai got married a year back," Shiv said almost as a side note
Urmila nodded. "Lav Khanna did as well. I know in fact that if he could, he would have wanted to avoid it, but after the break up..."
"What break-up?" Ria asked
"I thought you might have known," Urmila commented, "He and Shikha were on a break for a month or so. She was angry that he was too focused on work and wasn't thinking about them or their marriage."
So that is what made him give up his plan, Ria thought. "How do you know this?" she asked Urmila.
"Shikha is one of my best friends," Urmila stated
Ria's head snapped up to meet Urmila's. She turned to look at Ananya. Ananya didn't look surprised.
"What does this have to do with Big B? I know that he was happy to marry Preeti Bhabhi. They have been together for a long time. He loves her a lot," Shiv said.
"I know. That is why I said that the other things might have nothing to do with their equation change, though both Arun Bhai and Lav Khanna did have changes in their person lives."
"Something must have changed though for them to take the step of bribing their way through the deals?" Shiv asked
Urmila nodded, "I tried to find out from Bhabhi, but as I predicted she didn't let anything out."
"She does know something is up with Big B though, right?" Shiv asked
Urmila nodded. "Of course she does. I guess she might have tried to bring him back to his old self but it obviously didn't work."
"Did you try Shikha? If you get her into a tirade, she can open up," Ria commented
"I did," Urmila admitted, "There was a time through her tirade when I thought she might have hit on the reason, but she moved back to her usual rants before she verbalized it."
Not surprising, Ria thought. Shikha was never one to give up her point and stick to it even when the obvious was glaring her right in the face.
"So Lav's wife Shikha knows something then?" Shiv asked with a frown, "Cannot you get it out of her?"
Ria looked at Shiv. He didn't remember Shikha. Does he even understand the word memory! Clearly not when it comes to his bad actions.
"Once she makes her mind about something, it is impossible to get her to look the other way," Urmila said, "Wasn't she in your school?"
Shiv shrugged his shoulders.
"He has selective retention when it comes to school," Ria said rolling her eyes.
Shiv frowned, "I remember what I need to and want to. Don't worry I remember you and your actions really well," he said clenching his jaw.
Ria yelled turning to look him, "My actio–"
"Yes!" Shiv shot back
"Argghhh!" Urmila screamed loudly.
Everyone snapped back looking at her wide-eyed.
"Can you give your personal fight some rest? We do have one that we are already trying to deal with–in case you forgot," Urmila said standing akimbo glaring at them.
Ria and Shiv glared at each other but did not comment.
Vicky said tentatively, "Can we agree on what it is we are trying to achieve here?"
Arvind shot back, "Don't you even know that simple thing after listening to everything that we have been talking so far!"
Sam laid a hand on Arvind's shoulder to calm him down, "We are trying to find a way to reduce the aggression that Arun Bhai and Lav feel towards each other so that it doesn't destroy them and their personal lives."
"Do you really think you are going to do that by finding out what caused it in the first place?" Vicky asked again.
"I guess you are one of those great ones who solves problems without knowing the main issue that caused it!" Arvind said sarcastically.
"Watch that tone!" Ananya warned Arvind
Vicky squeezed Ananya's hand before turning to Shiv and Ria, "Look your Bhabhis obviously know some of what has caused this–even if one or both of them don't want to admit it. They have been trying to solve it, but did it do anything?"
"What are you saying? That we should just give up because they couldn't solve it?" Ria asked furrowing her brows.
"No. That is not what I am saying."
"Then what exactly are you trying to say?" Shiv asked annoyed.
"The two of you hate each other. Why are you working together now?" Vicky asked
"What?" Arvind asked standing up now, "Have you lost it?"
"Arvind, give him a chance to explain. He may be on to something," Sam said
"What? The formula for nonsense?" Arvind frowned but sat back down
"They are working together because they care about their brothers and that issue is more important than their fight," Urmila said with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Exactly!" Vicky said with a bright smile.
Ria smiled at Vicky, "Vicky, if you weren't with Anu I would have kissed you!"
Ananya smiled proudly at Vicky, "Don't worry, I will do it for you," she said winking at Ria.
"Will someone tell me what is going on?" Arvind asked, confused.
"We have to find some bigger issue for Big B to focus on. Something that make his fight with Lav Khanna look puny," Shiv said lost in thought.
"But what?" Pooja asked
"How about some big business problem?" Nisha threw in
"'Too big to manage' contract may be?" Rahul commented
Rohan shook his head, "No. You are all thinking things that will make them face an issue separately."
"Exactly, we need to find an problem which will force them to work together so that once it is resolved, they return to their old rivalry in worst case and not this aggression." Vicky said.
"But what?" Urmila asked
"I have something," Sam said tentatively, "But I think you are going to kill me for this."
"What are you suggesting?" Shiv asked narrowing his eyes.
"What if the two of you," he suggested looking between Ria and Shiv, "elope?"
Sorry I haven't been posting for a long time now. Really busy with work and personal commitments.
Hope you like the chapter. Thanks for reading.