Shackles of Desire - Chapter 26

One day ago

Viman flipped through the papers that Ishani had signed. Well, his sources were definitely correct. 

The haveli doesn’t belong to Ishani. It is part of the trust set up by Gayatri Raijdas. Even if she has the joint ownership of the trust, the haveli is not the part of the deal.

Although he hadn’t been able to find out how they can get their hands on the haveli, eventually he will.

Ishani’s lawyer, Subhash Gaikwad was a tough nut to crack. But he will crack.

He flicked his gaze at Rudra’s sleeping figure and frowned. Another couple of hours and his brother will be fully awake and then all hell will break loose. He kept the papers back on the table and got up.

Better to catch on some sleep till he can.

Amar sat down near Rudra’s bed after an hour and a half, and started to check his pulse. It was way more than normal. Suddenly he felt a pull on the hand and flicked his gaze at his friend’s face.

Rudra’s eyes were open and they were looking straight at him.

Amar jerked his hand off and stood up from his chair.

“How long?” Rudra asked groggily straightening up on the bed.

“More than 24 hours.”

Rudra slanted his foot on the floor and sat up on the bed. Then he suddenly stood up. Although he swayed a little, still he brushed Amar’s offer of help and started to walk towards the bathroom.

“Rudra I think you should—”

Amar stopped the moment Rudra glared back at him. He watched him step inside the bathroom and sighed.

This guy will never change no matter what happens.

Ram was on the phone with Mayank when he saw Rudra entering the Genus drawing room. He was fully dressed and ready to leave. Amar had already apprised him about him waking up so he wasn’t surprised at all.

“Where’s Viman?” Rudra asked checking his phone.

“Office Hukum,” Ram replied picking up the car keys.

Just as the lift arrived, Rudra stepped into it and Ram pressed the ground floor button.

The moment they reached the parking, Rudra slipped on his sunglasses and held out his hand towards Ram. Ram blinked and then gave him the car keys. He watched him put on his driving gloves and climb behind the steering wheel.

Knowing him, Ram gestured to the men standing behind him, who got into the back seat. Then Ram slipped into the passenger seat and the car started.

“Where’s Manna?”

“He has gone back to the house, Hukum. Should I call him?”

“No there’s no need. Have you done what I had told you to do?”

Ram looked at Rudra and looked outside the window. The last couple of days had been the hardest for him. Biting his lip, he tried to frame his answer but words failed him.

“Yes Hukum!” he finally replied knowing well enough that if he didn’t answer then Rudra would ask again.

Ram looked at him and realised that he didn’t actually care about her at all.

Do you?

I don’t but—

But what? If you care about what happened to her even after knowing what she did then you have no right to live.

Your father lost everything he had because of her and died.

You stayed away from your one and only brother for 14 years because of her.

You spent most of your childhood behind bars because of her.

And you still have compassion left?

And that too for her?

Every word sliced through him making him fidget in his seat.

In the past days, he had only followed orders without even thinking about them. He had got the security removed from the NGO and her house. He had called off the security following her.

He hadn’t even checked whether she had reached Delhi or not.

All because Hukum had ordered him to do so.

Suddenly he sat up straight on his seat and looked at Rudra.

Hukum hadn’t asked him to anything about the tracker they had put in her phone.

Why?

Had he forgotten about it?

Knowing him, Ram knew he wouldn’t have.

Then?

He was about to ask him when suddenly the car stopped outside Sangawat Towers. Sighing, he quickly got out of the car and followed Rudra who was already entering the private entrance.

Rudra entered his office and pressed the desk intercom.

“Coffee!” he ordered.

Next, he picked up his desk phone and dialled Viman’s extension.

“In my office. Now!” he commanded and ended the call without waiting for an answer.

On the other side, Viman looked at the receiver and put it down. He looked at the papers lying in front of him.

Explaining all this to his brother would be a mammoth task. Quickly he picked up his mobile and typed a message to one of his sleuths finding the details of the trust.

‘Hurry up! We don’t have much time.’

When Viman entered Rudra’s office, he was already pacing and by the look of it, his brother’s anger had already reached the boiling level.

Dammit!

“When you have everything then why haven’t you started the legal proceedings?” Rudra asked coming near him.

Viman looked at him and then sat down on the nearby sofa. Keeping the papers on the table he tapped the space next to him.

“Sit down first.”

“Viman!”

The warning tone was a couple of notches higher than usual.

Taking a deep breath, Viman looked at the papers and then said, “We don’t have the haveli.”

Rudra’s eyes darkened just as he heard him.

“What do you mean we don’t?”

“It’s not in these papers.”

Rudra picked up the papers and looked through them. Then he pulled out one of them and threw it in front of Viman.

“Then what is this?”

“Rudra she had just signed it over to you.”

“VIMAN!”

This time the warning tone was more than a couple of notches higher.

Viman again took a deep breath and said, “She can’t transfer the ownership because she is not the owner.”

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING?”

Viman winced hearing his brother thundering tone.

“The haveli belongs to the trust set up by her grandmother, Gayatri Raijdas. I haven’t been able to find out the full details till now.”

This time his brother did not say anything but stared at him and every passing second his gaze was turning more menacing than ever.

“Her lawyer, Subhash Gaikwad has all details but he is a hard nut to crack. But I’ll have the details. My men are working on it don’t worry.”

“Time?”

“Give me till maybe 4ish?”

He saw Rudra nod and then sit down behind his desk. As his brother opened his laptop, Viman picked up the papers.

Mihika came inside with Rudra’s coffee and Viman hurriedly slipped out.

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