Scarred Love - Chapter 9

Rudra stood up in attention the moment he heard Mayank. His jaw clenched hard as his eyes become sharp with determination.

No time to waste!

He was out in a flash followed by Mayank.

Viman looked at the door as he heard the sound of the Hummer starting.

“Find out who Umesh Verma is,” he told Kabir who was already pulling out his phone to inquire.

Manna shook his head and said in a small voice, “He owns a land in Hauz Khas.”

“What’s that got to do with Bhaisa?”

Manna looked from Kabir to Viman not able to decide whether he should be telling them the truth. Eventually, they will know but it would be too late by then.

Better now than never!

“That’s where Children of Joy is located.”

Both brothers looked at him not quite understanding his context.

“Manna!” Shekher Sangawat commanded sharply.

“Children of Joy is an NGO. It’s owned by Ishani Raijdas, Thakur Baldev Raijdas’s granddaughter.”

The spoon fell from Shekher’s hand and hit the floor with a clank the moment he heard the names.

For a minute nothing seemed to move in the whole room then suddenly Viman stood up looking at his father.

“Baba?”

Shekher closed his eyes and tried not to scream out of pain. The Raijdas name had awakened memories that he had thought to have wiped out from his brain but unfortunately, he was wrong.

Getting his composure back, he opened his eyes and said, “I am fine,” sighing hard.

Viman flicked his gaze at his mother who was sitting completely motionless. Suddenly, she clutched her husband’s hand, the pressure of her finger giving away her rising anguish.

Patting her hand reassuring, Shekher said, “Pray nothing happens to our son.”

********************

Rudra reached office and strode inside his cabin with purpose. Now that he had almost closed the deal on Umesh Verma’s land, he needed to plan his next move.

He was still pacing agitatedly when Mayank walked in. He handed him the papers for the land and as Rudra took them his mouth slanted in a sly smile.

********************

Ishani was sitting in her office when her phone rang startling her. She looked at the screen and sighed.

“God, Annie, you scared me,” she said answering the call.

“Then, this will scare you more. Umesh Verma has sold the land to SGH.”

Ishani’s hand trembled the moment she heard her friend. Shaking, she stood up and clutched the table edge as she tried to calm her nerves.

“Ishani?”

“I am here,” she replied her voice quivering with anguish.

“Don’t panic. I’ll be there in an hour and then we will talk about this,” Annie quickly added.

The phone line had long gone dead but Ishani was still holding her mobile to her ear. Her mind had already pressed the stress button.

SGH! Sangawat Group of Hotels!

Sangawat!

The phone fell from her hand as she collapsed on the chair. She shivered and her hands shook uncontrollably as that familiar horrific fear started to chill her bones. She could feel her lungs heaving for air and her heart skipping beats. Someone was groaning in pain and the acrid smell of something burning spread through her. She cringed away closing her eyes and stopped breathing.

However, the smell remained.

And then, that shrieking wail, which had always scared her, started to resonate in her ears.

Okay, calm down, she willed herself.

This will stop, you know it will.

Breathe in, breathe out!

But nothing happened. She could still hear that shriek following her as mentally she tried to run away. Slowly, it started to fade out and finally stopped with a loud bang.

Strangled sobs of defeat and agony escaped her as she covered her ears to block the deafening silence around.

Annie rushed through the gate and made her way through the playing children. As she neared Ishani’s office, she knew something was wrong. The door was open as always, but there was complete silence, which was a little out of place. Ishani always had some Indian classical music playing in the background. She said that it calmed her mind while she worked. But right now there was nothing. Dreading the worse, Annie stepped inside the room and froze.

Her dear old friend was sitting in her chair with her hands on her ears.

Dammit!

Annie slowly crept inside and placed her hand on Ishani’s shoulder.

The moment it touched, she jumped from the chair and tried to move away but couldn’t as the chair was blocking the way. But still, she tried and stumbled back towards the wall and would have fallen if Annie hadn’t caught her.

“Ishani, it’s okay. We will figure something out. Don’t panic.”

“San.....San......Sanga.....wat!” Ishani stammered, her voice shaking with torment.

“Shhhhh! It’s okay. Calm down!” Annie said as she hugged her hard trying her best to ease the pain. 

Ishani pressed her eyes shut and let the warmth of her friend’s embrace spread through her. Slowly, the rising panic lessened as her mind calmed down.

Annie helped her to the nearest chair and offered her a glass of water.

As she gulped down the water thirstily, she looked up at Annie and tried to smile.

“We need to do something,” she said, her voice still shaky.

Annie just nodded reassuringly. Her mind was already thinking of different ways to break the second part of the news to Ishani.

While she was frantically trying to reach, she had received a call from SGH and after speaking to someone called, Mayank Goel, she had agreed to a formal meeting to discuss the matter.

But the difficult task was convincing Ishani to go with her to meet them. And, stubborn as she was, Annie knew too well she wouldn’t.

Sighing, she sat down next to her friend and clasped her hand.

“I have to tell you something. But promise me, you would hear me out first and then bring the house down.”

Ishani looked at her with suspicion and instantly knew what Annie was about to say.

“We are not meeting them.”

“Please, just listen to me.”

“No, I am not,” Ishani said as she stood up from the chair and glared at her.

“I am definitely not begging anyone for the land. I have enough to buy them out.”

“Ishani, I……”

“We are not meeting them and that’s final.”

“I have already said yes for the meeting.”

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