Without making a noise, she moved to the room two doors down. Similarly, she opened it and took silent stock of the situation there. Her brother was sleeping, and his male nurse was dozing off in the comfortable chair in the corner of the room. These days her brother didn't require much nighttime care. Satisfied, she closed that door as well.
Maahi's heart turned over in her chest as she looked at the peacefully sleeping infant in her arms. From day one, she had felt an inexplicable tug towards him. Fallen in love with him at very first sight. So cute, so innocent, so tiny, and so very dear to her. Vansh, Swapnali and Jayant's son. The reason everyone didn't fall apart after Swapnali's demise. The reason that had compelled her to walk back into Samar's camp. The reason his Samar kaka has found his smile again.The reason why his uncle JK and his aunt Madhura were getting married right now.Maahi clutched the little-swaddled baby a little tighter to herself, overwhelmed with a peculiar possessiveness. However, she didn't want to demean the sacrifice these two young people were so selflessly making, even in her thoughts. But it was true that from today onwards her role in Vansh's life as one of his caretakers, like it had been since the last month, would cease. And it hurt. Swapnali's younger sister, Ma
As the aircraft touched down, Maahi started winding up her long chain of thoughts, as long as this flight from Zurich to Delhi. And what thoughts they had been! It was like she had relived her whole life in her mind in those scant hours. Having just left her brother permanently at a facility in Switzerland had left her feeling rather poignant. The feeling, she guessed, similar to when one left their parents at an old age home.Tiredly, she collected her hand baggage and stood up to deplane. Luckily this time there was no extra security check-in her honor. Vaghela name had lost almost all its steam in the past year. It was a brief respite, she knew, for she was going to get a new surname soon, the one that was all the rage these days in power corridors. Jagtap.And sure enough, her future husband was waiting for her as she exited the airport. Patiently waiting next to his car, emitting a strong fuck-off vibe to four very wary policemen standing a few
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"The large gathering inside the lavish banquet hall of a seven-star hotel of Mumbai gradually turned to face the stage at Samar Jagtap's courteous request. This was one of the few highly sought parties of the season and the elite of the Mumbai business community was present tonight here. It was no secret that people hadn't always clamored for an invite for a Jagtap do. In fact, in the distant past, an invite from Jagtaps instated fear rather than prestige in the recipient's heart. But gone was that era and these days Jagtap's name was synonymous with success, respectability, and philanthropy. They had their profitable fingers dipped in every conceivable pie - property development, manufacturing, trading, and so on; and they generously passed their fortune on to the less fortunate ones. The only business that reminded people of Samar Jagtap's murky past was his extremely
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry ~ Robert BurnsAs the aircraft speedily floated downwards to touch the ground, Maahi stared outside seeing nothing, clutching the armrests of her first-class window seat with dear life. When, after an eternity, her flight landed on the airstrip with a muted thud and a slight jerk to her person, she sagged back in relief. Thanking God for landing safely, she instinctively turned her head to check on her brother. He was smiling at her from across the aisle, shaking his head. He always found her fear of flying amusing. Maahi grinned back trying to hide her unease. He did not know that while she hated flying, she hated airp
In the darkness, muffled moans pierced the silence of the room. Samar looked at the body that writhed beneath him without a trace of emotion on his taut face. He got no satisfaction from this, but he couldn't possibly avoid it too. As a bead of sweat trickled down his face, to his neck, into his undervest, he increased the pressure. The resulting scream, and a rush of uninhibited words, however, were pleasurable to his ears. Slowly he pulled off his booted foot from windpipe he was choking in the strong room under his club. The man who lay bound and bloodied on the floor lost consciousness. "Make sure he does not die," picking a small towel draped on the back of the lone wooden chair in the room he instructed his two men who were standing in the shadows before leaving.Outside, in a bare ante-room with a small table and chair, laid his shirt, cotton blazer, mobile, wallet and gun holster. Wiping the sweat off his face and blo
Saved by the bell. Truer words have never been said.Samar's threatening step towards the maddening girl halted when her cell phone rang loudly.Maahi seemed to figure her good luck as well because the relief that dawned on her face rivaled the light that dawns on the sky at daybreak. But it was a little short-lived. Looking at the name blinking on her phone Maahi looked torn, then looked at the surly man standing in front of her, only to stare back at her phone. After a split second of deliberation, with a defiant expression, pressed the green button."Hey sweetheart," she said turning around for some privacy.Earth dropped away from below Samar's feet.Sweetheart?"I was just going to call you," Maahi said as sh
As Samar stopped the car in the premises of the apartment complex where Jayant lived, his neck automatically craned up. His eyes zeroed down on the illuminated window of the corner flat on the third floor in the third building. Jayant's house. Samar knew exactly which flat to look at because the flat above that one, on the fourth floor, was where he used to live with his mother. The flat was still his, thanks to Ranjan uncle, but it was locked now. He seldom opened it, unable to face the memories of his kind and loving mother. After what he has become in life, after what all he has done, after what all he plans to do, his mother wouldn't approve. He knew."Is that Kaki?" shrugging off the gloom he asked Jayant, who had rounded towards the driver's side to take his leave, pointing towards the figure pacing in the small un-lit balcony of Jayant's flat. Jayant looked up too."Is she up waiting for you?"Jayant scratched the back of his head. "Umm... yeah."S
Happiness.The singular embodiment of this word for Kunal for the last twenty-four years had been his baby sister, named Maahi, by his not-so-happy parents. His midget, his Gudiya. He had fallen in love with that little life from the very day she was brought home from the hospital. He cannot explain his attachment to the tiny soul, but whatever it was, it was instantaneous. She looked up to him from her crib with her wide hazel eyes, and he fell in love with the drooling wrinkly pink infant on the spot. He had felt so important whenever he'd been allowed to hold her milk bottle while she sucked on it.When she grew up, she took to following him around the house like a shadow and trusted him above everyone else in the house to come and share her troubles with. Her faith in him to solve all her problems
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"The large gathering inside the lavish banquet hall of a seven-star hotel of Mumbai gradually turned to face the stage at Samar Jagtap's courteous request. This was one of the few highly sought parties of the season and the elite of the Mumbai business community was present tonight here. It was no secret that people hadn't always clamored for an invite for a Jagtap do. In fact, in the distant past, an invite from Jagtaps instated fear rather than prestige in the recipient's heart. But gone was that era and these days Jagtap's name was synonymous with success, respectability, and philanthropy. They had their profitable fingers dipped in every conceivable pie - property development, manufacturing, trading, and so on; and they generously passed their fortune on to the less fortunate ones. The only business that reminded people of Samar Jagtap's murky past was his extremely
As the aircraft touched down, Maahi started winding up her long chain of thoughts, as long as this flight from Zurich to Delhi. And what thoughts they had been! It was like she had relived her whole life in her mind in those scant hours. Having just left her brother permanently at a facility in Switzerland had left her feeling rather poignant. The feeling, she guessed, similar to when one left their parents at an old age home.Tiredly, she collected her hand baggage and stood up to deplane. Luckily this time there was no extra security check-in her honor. Vaghela name had lost almost all its steam in the past year. It was a brief respite, she knew, for she was going to get a new surname soon, the one that was all the rage these days in power corridors. Jagtap.And sure enough, her future husband was waiting for her as she exited the airport. Patiently waiting next to his car, emitting a strong fuck-off vibe to four very wary policemen standing a few
Maahi's heart turned over in her chest as she looked at the peacefully sleeping infant in her arms. From day one, she had felt an inexplicable tug towards him. Fallen in love with him at very first sight. So cute, so innocent, so tiny, and so very dear to her. Vansh, Swapnali and Jayant's son. The reason everyone didn't fall apart after Swapnali's demise. The reason that had compelled her to walk back into Samar's camp. The reason his Samar kaka has found his smile again.The reason why his uncle JK and his aunt Madhura were getting married right now.Maahi clutched the little-swaddled baby a little tighter to herself, overwhelmed with a peculiar possessiveness. However, she didn't want to demean the sacrifice these two young people were so selflessly making, even in her thoughts. But it was true that from today onwards her role in Vansh's life as one of his caretakers, like it had been since the last month, would cease. And it hurt. Swapnali's younger sister, Ma
Maahi smiled at the night duty nurse and quietly closed the door behind her after checking up on her grandfather. He was sleeping peacefully, under the effect of painkillers probably, for it has just been ten days since he had been shot. He was moved back home as soon as he was out of danger. In the business, to which their grandfather had dedicated his life and sacrificed everyone else's, it was considered wise to recuperate in one's stronghold. Lying helplessly in the public building, where security arrangements could never meet the rigid standards, no matter how meticulously they were made, was akin to tempting the fickle fate.Without making a noise, she moved to the room two doors down. Similarly, she opened it and took silent stock of the situation there. Her brother was sleeping, and his male nurse was dozing off in the comfortable chair in the corner of the room. These days her brother didn't require much nighttime care. Satisfied, she closed that door as well.
That night, Samar tiredly staggered up four flights of stairs to his mother's apartment. He generally preferred to stay put at his club until six in the morning to supervise the change of employee shift, but today neither his heart nor his brain was in the business. In fact, after his chat with Rizwan last evening, he had spent all his time devising scenarios where he could revive his interactions with Maahi.It was a difficult situation, he conceded after many hours of contemplation. He cannot present himself at Vaghela House without ensuing explosive violence or at the least, giving Lalaji a coronary. Maahi seldom ventured out of her house these days, the proof of which was she hadn't taken her best friend out anywhere in the city yet. The phone call and messages were clearly not getting through her anger towards him. He was at his wit's end.He would have preferred
Six Months LaterMaahi leaned on the muscular shoulder with a sigh as a reassuring arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer into the warmth of security. How she'd missed him! They were sitting against the headboard on her bed in her bedroom in the Vaghela House. It was very early morning and although it wasn't totally dark outside anymore, the light hadn't arrived either."I missed you so much," she confessed."I missed you too, sweetheart. I would have come way sooner had you let me," Archer Calhill replied affectionately."I know," Maahi said. She had asked him to come the day before and within thirty-six hours, he was here. In fact, he had landed in Mumbai a few hours back itself. Ever since bhaiya had been shot and she bowed out of Samar's l
Kunal sat at the woven cot made out of coarse jute at the oddly placed and thus, a deserted tea stall just outside Virar. It was his regular meeting spot with Shetty for the past few months. Like always, the sensible owner of the almost out-of-business tea stall asked if he needed anything and then left the small kiosk quietly. His reward would be waiting for him on the table at the end of their meeting.He was satisfied how the business in regard to Jayant Kirloskar had turned out. Not only had he exacted the revenge from the Bastard for turning his sister against him, but he had also cut his crucial arm away. Two birds with one stone. Now what was left was to silently ride this chaotic aftermath. His temper was famous, but his cunning was not and he was going to use it in his favor. He was not going to ever fess up to his role in Jayant's murder. He was not going to lose his birthright, his inheritance for anything. That was why
Samar paced outside the small bedroom at Jayant's flat. JK stood tensed in a corner. Half an hour back, Swapnali had collapsed. Just like that. She was sitting on the bed and bam, keeled over, and dropped on the floor unconscious without any prior warning sign. Samar panicked. JK grew hysterical. It was kaki who finally emerged out of her five-day-old stupor and rushed to her daughter-in-law's side. The doctor was summoned and was presently checking her inside.The vibrating phone burned a hole in his pocket. Out of sheer irritation, he fished it out and barked, "What is it, Maahi?"He knew it was her without even looking at the caller id. She had been doggedly persistent in calling him since the last five days. But she was the last person he wanted to talk to right now. He had realized how easy it was to say that her family name didn't affect his love towards her. It did. W
"I DIDN'T DO IT!!!!"Maahi sat up with a start."IF I FIND THAT YOU HAD A HAND IN IT, I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS KUNAL!!!"Alarmed, she jumped out of the bed and rushed to her door. The voices were coming from the corridor outside."I SAID I DIDN'T DO IT!!"She peered outside, quiet like a mouse, trying to make a sense of all this commotion. Loud noises had been permeating her sleep since the last couple of minutes and had more or less woken her up, but she wasn't any wiser regarding the topic of this argument as her groggy brain took time to pull out of the dreamland and catch on to what was actually being said.It was very early morning going by the hues outside