Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Tring...Tring...
"Bo abaaz kai hein?!" Asked Sanam. He was sitting on the lawn chair smoking a Cuban.
"Telephone baj rahi sa sarkar!" replied the servant boy who sat on the floor facing his master.
"Toh.. chaloge ya rengoge tamaatar?" Sanam asked calmly without even looking at the boy.
The servant boy suddenly understood his master's words and ran towards the phone and picked the cordless reciever and rushed back to his master.
"Kun hein?" He asked.
"Mei koni jano Sarkar!"
"Poocho fir tamaatar!"
He pressed the recieve button and asked, "Hello?"
"Hello ni gadhe!!! Ajmer Royal Palace bolo koi!"
"H-ha-haan j-ji-ji m-maafi sarkar!" He apologised to his master and then got back to answering the phone, "Ajmir Rol Palace!"
"Give me Raja ji!" A foreign voice said fromt he other side of the line.
"Sarkar aapke liye hein!" The servant boy extended the reciever to his master.
"Kun hein?" Sanam asked without moving a muscle to look back at the boy.
"W-woh n-ni bataaya!" It was evident the boy was scared of his master.
"Dhai poocha kai tamaatar?" Sanam raised his voice.
"N-ni sarkar!" The boy replied nervously.
Sanam frowned. He stared at the boy. He was silent. He extended his hand for the phone and snatched it out of his servant's hand. "Hello?" He spoke on the phone.
"Helén is dead! Its all over!! I am gone too! Don't try to find me! Do svidaniya Raja ji!" The line disconnected.
"Hello?! Vitali? Hello? Saala tamaatar!" He started connecting another call. "Bilal? Jaldi aa jao yahaan!.."
...................................................................................
Mumbai.
Rinni weds Varun.
Sangeet day.
Rinni's parents had taken a backseat since maximum heavy work of arrangements were carried out by her friends, Team D3. From the decorations to catering to music to the designer clothes to seating arrangements were smoothly carried out by the wedding organisers arranged by Sharon. She had promised her friend the best wedding day as one dreams. The entire house was colorful with different shades of lighting and flowers. Rinni was getting ready for sangeet helped by her cousins, Neha and Visakha. Simmi was met with Rey while running to get the priceless earrings the team had bought as a wedding gift for their friend.
"Simmi tumne Sharon ko dekha?" Rey asked Simmi who was all excited about the wedding.
"Haan! ..Second door on the right!.." she smiled pointing to the stairs. She was glowing in her purple glittering saree.
"Oh okay!" He smiled back and looked behind him once more. Then he climbed up the stairs.
He knocked on her door, "Sharon?"
"Rey!" He heard her responding from inside. "Mein tumhe neeche milti hoon!"
"Sharon I want to talk to you now! Its important!" He said moving closer to the door.
"REY! I'll meet you downstairs! I need some time alone!" She shouted back.
He turned around and sighed. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and turned back to face the door. "Mein wait nahi kar sakta I told you it is important and it is not like I haven't come in your room without..." he barged inside all the while babbling about the history between him and his best friend turned fiancee Sharon but got lost in his own words seeing the person of familiar face sitting beside Sharon.
"Kria..." he breathed. He stood there by the door frozen.
"Hello Rey." She said with a sad smile.
Her voice brought him back to reality and his only move was either to stay there and listen to her reasons or move on by leaving. He glanced at Sharon.
Sharon's face was blank. She knew she had nothing to contribute. She knew nothing was going to change. She knew that time would tick away after all. Sharon wasn't that haughty, fragile and easily exploitable little girl she used to be once.
Kria studied her ex's face. She knew she was late. There was nothing that she could say for him to forgive her. Moreover he would probably get more pissed with her future decisions.
"I'll be down.. Sharon ready hoke aa jana!" He said and started walking outside.
"Rey!" She called out. This time in a familiar emotion mixed in the voice that made him stop.
"Why are you here?" Rey asked without turning to look at her.
"Uh.." Kria took a long pause. She needed to think of what she should say. And then she gathered her courage and said, "Um! ..Rinni ki shaadi hein!!"
"So?" He was pissed. All three of them knew how lame her answer was.
She stood there silently. Honestly what could she tell? But there was indeed something they both needed to know. And she was here to tell them. Warn them.
"Zara iski himmat toh dekho! Out of all the days aaj hi ki din aani thi ise yahaan?!" Rey's words snapped her out from her thoughts. She knew he was hurting inside. The fake indifference he tried hard to showcase.
Kria didn't want to waste the oppurtunity. She had to let them know. He needed to know. She took a hard breath, "There is something you need to know..."
"Waah! Mujhe dump karne ki kahaani hein? Kya socha tumne? Ki hum sab saare betaab hein yahaan? Kya intezaar chal raha tha yahaan? Ki tum kab yahaan padhaare aur humaari kami poori karein? What did you think huh?" Rey couldn't stop unloading on her. Even though he looked so pissed-off his insides screamed to hold her and not let go.
"Rey..." she said softly. It was evident she didn't want to argue.
"Seriously why are you here? And where were you? Ab kya chaahti ho? Shaadi mein kya dhol bajaane aayi ho?"
"Rey..." Sharon called his name as a warning to stop chiding Kria.
"What?" He glared at Sharon. "Sharon humaari bhi soon shaadi hone waali hein aur ise raha nahi gaya ki aa gayi apni selfish, complicated mentality leke yahaan!! And Sharon!! Tum toh kabhi isse pasand nahi karti thi... so why did you even let her in?"
"Rey you need to stop!"
"Why? Why the hell should I stop?? Nobody has hurt me the way you did! The one person! ...You should be proud of yourself! ...Kria Ghai! Reyaansh Singhania ki dil todne waali the great Kria Ghai!! ...Aaj sangeet hein! Aao shehnaayi bajaayenge? Aao, aao!! Pe pe pe!!" Rey was losing his mind.
"REYAANSH!!" Sharon shouted and that made him stop completely.
After a long pause Rey broke the silence, "I'm sorry Sharon... this is too much for me to take! Anyways I have to go.. Mujhe ek last minute call aaya hein office se! There is a new client and I have to go... enjoy the Sangeet!"
"Don't go Rey! I came here to tell that!" Kria jumped in to reply.
"What?...Why? Why do you care?" Rey asked.
"I know who your client is... its Rudra Singh Shekhawat!"
"You mean the new CEO of..."
"Shekhawat Industries! Yes! And guess who was your Delhi program sponsor? Rudra! They are NOT good people Rey!"
"WHY DOES THAT MATTER??" Rey yelled after a brief pause. "Tumhe yahaan hone ki haq nahi hein!"
"Haan shaayad! But for god sake Rey this is not just about you! Kuch bada hone waala hein! There are so many players! Nikethan Misra... Gajraj Thakur... Kamal Agnihotri... they are all behind Rudra!"
"Why should I care? I don't know who these are!"
"But I do! ...I do Rey!" Sharon said strongly.
Rey looked at Sharon. He remained silent waiting for her. So did Kria.
"All of them worked with my Dad! Nikethan Misra ki wajah se hum bankrupt huye dhe. He used to be a key partner at Rai Prakash Holdings jisne humaare naam se bahut saare bade loans liye hein. And then he sold his shares to Shekhawats. Kamal Agnihotri used to be a distributer for RP Industries. He was a regular visitor to our house! And Gajraj Thakur is our current financial adviser and currently works with Alok bhaiya."
"They all work for Shekhawat Enterprises!" Said Kria.
"But that can't be! Thakur uncle aisa nahi kar sakta! Woh hamesha humein support ki hein! Unhone Papa ko loan apply karne se roka bhi dha!!"
"Toh Misra ne loan liya dha! ..Magar yeh toh fraud hein?! Tumhaare Dad ke naam se loan lena and then paisa gaayab kar dena... nice story girls!!"
"That loan money was used to import drugs!" Said Kria.
"Oh really? And they told you this?" Rey asked.
"Meine unhe yeh sab baat karte huye suna." Replied Kria.
"How convenient! Kya tumhaare ghar ke baahar khade dhe woh sab?"
"At Agnihotri house. I live there now." Kria said in a monotone. Rey got silent. Why would she live there? What happened these past 6 months?
"Kria... sirf yahi teen dhe yah koi aur bhi hein?" asked Sharon.
"Rudra. Aur Kamal ka bhai Shekhar. Ek aur hein magar woh ghar ke andar nahi aata! Sirf gaadi mein baithkar baat karta hein! Kamal calls him Bhaisaab! Ek baar baaton ke beech Kamal also spoke in Arabic." Kria replied without meeting her eyes with Rey.
"Kria tum sirf yeh bataane ke liye nahi aayi hein... what are you really worried about?" Sharon asked while keeping a gentle hand over Kria's.
"Woh log Amar ke saath kuch karne ka plan banaaya hein. And they were also talking about Taani. Last they said something about needing more funds and leaking it from your companies. The RP-Singhania Enterprise. Rudra aapko ek business proposal dega. Some investment opportunity. Woh sirf aapka paisa chaahta hein! Aur yeh aapke liye ek financial burden ban jaayega!" She told Rey. That was when he stared back at her.
"Tum Agnihotri ke ghar pe kyun rehti ho?" He asked.
"Rey..." Sharon started but was stopped by Kria.
"Its okay Sharon..." she said. "Rey.. I am Kria Agnihotri now. I got married." She smiled sadly.
"To who?" Rey asked in a faint voice unable to comprehend her words. He felt his mouth dry.
"Shivam..." It was Sharon who said it. Kria already informed her before Rey interrupted them.
"Jaise ki meine kaha aapse... I know they are doing it all for one main reason... to find Swayam!" Kria continued saying without addressing Rey's emotions. She knew he wasn't processing well of what she revealed and if she was to reveal further then he would probably go all white.
"You got married..." Rey said and sat down on the chair beside the door. "Huh!"
Without giving attention to him Kria asked Sharon, "Sharon kya aapko pata hein Swayam kaha hein?"
"No." Sharon said. The tension in the room was palpable. Rey was in his own world.
"Sharon.. I think Swayam ke parents ka accident ke peeche bhi inhi logon ka haath hein!"
"Kria if it is so... then aren't you risking your safety coming here?"
"Yeah.. but I had to say it to someone. Meine socha ki aap abhi bhi Swayam se... uh.. but you both are happy together!" She paused. "Can't believe your wedding still hasn't happened!" Kria nervously giggled.
"What do you mean?" Rey asked.
"Um.. I didn't mean it like that! But its just.. you know.. It-It was the reason!" She nodded sadly smiling once again.
"For breaking up?" Rey asked.
Kria glanced at Rey. Their eyes met. She felt it. He was trying to connect to her. But she knew it was too late. Without wasting another second she decided to reveal the remaining truth and stood up from her seat causing the shawl in her lap to fall uncovering the small bump in her abdomen. "I am pregnant!"