The Royal Fling - Part 26A

PREVIOUS PART

Chapter 26A


Three days passed that Arnav Singh Raizada had not returned back to Shantivan. After Angad’s birthday at the farm house he left for some urgent official work. Khushi was suspicious of his absence. Though he gave work excuses to Daadi and others, Khushi wasn’t convinced. Either he was upset over their last fight or he had got her words loud and clear. She had no plans to stick to this marriage ever and he had got that hint. So, the last two days went well for Khushi. She enjoyed being alone in Arnav’s royal bedroom, using the entire bed to herself. She was enjoying his absence and using it to her extreme benefit. Daadi was neutral to his absence, Shyam didn’t care either but Anjali was doubtful. She even tried to poke Khushi and make her spill the beans but Khushi was too strong willed to reveal anything to her. The date of the Advertisement promo on the television had finally arrived. Khushi planned to sit before the TV the whole day and check how she performed in the Ad, only if her father hadn’t intruded her plans by calling her home. She didn’t know what he wanted to speak to her so urgent that he didn’t approve when she agreed to meet him in the evening. He wanted to see her like right now which was unnatural. It had to be important and as far as she knew her father, whatever he wanted to share with her was going to piss her off for sure. Yet she dressed up and left to Gupta Mansion.
“Your father called you here?” Garima asked Khushi after welcoming her home. She had no clue about any of this.

“Yea” Khushi sighed. “I am equally shocked. Where is he?”

“In the drawing room. Go see him. I will get you some coffee and snacks”

“Thanks, Mumma” Khushi quickly hugged her mother and strode to see her father.

Shashi Gupta was reading some important documents. Being a government servant was not easy for the old man. He had been striving to live up to the mark and prove his worth to get promoted.

“Dad” Khushi called him as she entered the room. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes” he put the papers away and gestured her to get inside. “How is Arnav?”

Khushi rolled her eyes.

“Seriously Dad? That’s what you called me here for? To know how my husband is doing?”

“Nothing wrong in that. Who else than you would know about him?”

“I don’t know” she slipped her hands in her pant pockets. “He is not in town from past 3 days”

“Where has he gone?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him that? Just call him up and shoot your doubts. Free me” she snapped.

Shashi clenched his jaw.

“Such an attitude doesn’t suit a wife” he muttered. “You act like he forced you to marry him”

Khushi tried to calm down.

“Didn’t you, Dad? You almost pushed me into that family”

“I did, yes. But you could have slipped away. In fact, you had eloped on the day of the wedding I know. But he found you. Yet when the media asked you why you were absent that morning you lied to them about being in the temple. You could have revealed the whole situation to them and easily escaped from marrying that man. But.. you didn’t. That moment, it was you who took the stand Khushi. I didn’t do it for you”

Khushi swallowed. Yes, she lied that day to everyone. Despite escaping she came back because Arnav Singh Raizada lied to her about Payal’s wellbeing. She was worried for her sister and that made her accept the marriage. Wish she could tell that openly to her father now. But she wouldn’t. Her father didn’t want to talk about his elder daughter at all ever since she eloped. Why would he care to even know how she is doing now? Or would he care if she tells him that Payal married one of the Raizada Royal? Probably that should tighten his collar again. Both his daughters married to Royals would surely earn him double respect. But nope!! She wouldn’t inform him this and bring unnecessary burden to Payal’s future.

“I didn’t call you here to discuss all that” his words got her attention back.

“Then what have you called me here for?”

Shashi got up from his chair and reached her.

“I called you here to discuss about Raizada’s property”

Khushi was dumbfound. What the hell did her father have to do with the Raizadas property?


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

After another 20 minutes of argument, Khushi barged out of the drawing room, totally annoyed by her father’s plans. Garima stopped her.

“Khushi? You leaving? I made coffee for you”

Khushi rubbed her forehead.

“I don’t want anything. I got to leave”

“Wait. You look stressed. What did he tell you?”

“Don’t ask” Khushi snapped. “He is gone insane and if he thinks I am going to part of this, then I better stop coming in this house”

“Why? What did he ask you to do?”

Garima couldn’t understand a thing what Khushi was telling her.

“Mumma. I got to go. I …”

Suddenly the Advertisement played on the Television. It was the same Baby product Ad which she shot in Bali.. but.. wait.. this… this wasn’t anything that she shot for.. neither the model was her… She was someone else. Why? Where was her Ad? Did they .. did they shoot another one with other model? Why?

“How can they do this to me?” Khushi groaned.

“What happened?” Garima glanced at the TV screen and then back at her. Khushi couldn’t wait there anymore. She wanted answers from her Ad manager and she wouldn’t relax without getting those.

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

An hour later

“Ma’am, please calm down” the woman on the other end of the call pleaded. “Bakshi Sir is busy right now”

“You better connect me to him now. I cannot show any more patience. I have been calling him from past an hour. Why is he ignoring me?”

The woman stumbled to give her a reply.

“Bakshi Sir isn’t ignoring you Ma’am. He has some back to back meetings aligned”

“Don’t lie. Just patch me to his number or else I will have to take some serious legal help here”

“Sorry Ma’am. Please give me a moment, I will check with him”

After a pause of 2 minutes, Khushi’s call was finally patched on her client Bakshi’s phone.

“Bakshi here”

“Bakshi” Khushi tried to keep her volume calm. “This is Khushi Gupta”

“I know. Tell me Khushi, how can I help you?”

“Help?” she scoffed. “Why is someone else modelling in the same Ad which I shot for you in Bali? I cannot believe you did this. We had a contract Bakshi and you ..”

“Wait” Bakshi snapped. “You don’t need to remind me about the contract. I know that already and if you recall, you have received the full payment. What is bothering you then?”

“Excuse me? What is bothering me? How can you ask me that Bakshi? I was the model in your Ad. Why is someone else playing my role now? What happened to the scenes we shot in Bali?”

“We deleted that clip” he answered.

Khushi skipped a beat.

“Deleted? Why?”

“Because we found a better model than you. And don’t worry. We are not going to ask for the refund. You can keep the money. We don’t need it back. Anything else?”

Khushi felt like strangling this man’s neck from the receiver of the phone itself. Why did he do this to her? Or.. was he made to do this? She had a faint guess who could make that possible and she thought of asking him that.

“I know you Bakshi.. you wont leave the money or pay anyone without getting work done. So tell me. Who paid you to do this? To throw me out of your Ad? To replace me?”

Bakshi was quiet.

“Tell me Bakshi because I don’t think it will do any harm to you. It is me who is facing the dirt”

Bakshi sighed.

“Your husband Arnav Singh Raizada. He paid me to delete all that we shot in Bali”

Khushi’s hands squeezed into fists.

“The next day of our shoot in Bali he came to see me. We were packing to fly back to India. I don’t have any grudges against you Khushi. You are still a top model and anyone would like to work with you. But he forced me to hire someone else for the Ad. I… I couldn’t deny when he paid me double the Advertisement is even worth for. How could I deny his offer?”

Khushi hugged herself. She felt weak all of a sudden. Arnav did this? How did he get to know she was shooting in Bali? His sources..!! Yea.. he would have made someone follow her. Damn it!! She is not going to end this matter here. She needs answers from Arnav and he better gives her that before she decides to punish him, his way.

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

Late Night

After talking to Bakshi, Khushi dialed her assistant Millie to check on her future projects.

“Khushi? You alright? I never received your call so late”

“What is my next assignments Millie?”

“Uhh..” Millie was confused what to reply.

“We had a few but most of them have either been cancelled or postponed”

“What?”

“Yes, Khushi. I was going to tell you this tomorrow. I am not sure why this is happening. Some producers don’t want to cast you because you are married now. Others have postponed their dates so much ahead that we cannot even be sure if they want to do the shoot with you or not. And the rest, they just cancelled the contracts without any reasons”

Khushi tried her best to suppress the anger but failed.

“Don’t lose hopes, Khushi. I am there with you in this. I will fetch some other contracts and we will see how this goes. Okay?”

Millie’s hopes didn’t work for Khushi. She gripped the phone and stayed like that even after Millie dropped the call. She was losing not just her stardom, but her cool and the ability to set this right. If she doesn’t act now, nothing could be saved.

That night Khushi couldn’t sleep well. She was frustrated that Arnav Singh Raizada was screwing her career. She hated him so much that it had started affecting her badly. She couldn’t keep waiting here for him to show up. Talking to him on phone over this issue was not going to sort her problem. She would do this face to face and every minute delay in his return was torturing her. She opened her social media account for a diversion but she couldn’t focus much. She was about to logout when there was an article tagging Arnav Singh Raizada. There were pictures of him with the Hotel staff in Mussourie which is where he had been now. Now that she knew where he was, she couldn’t stay back here. She got up from the bed and strode out making an online reservation for a cab to drive her there.


To be Continued.

NEXT PART

________________________________________________________________________________

Also Read the Post: Stranger in the Dark 

______________________________________________________________

Two Cappuccino

Khushi, a software Engineer is waiting at a Cafe Shop to meet the man her parents have selected through a matrimonial site. When Arnav, a banker,  introduces himself as the same candidate she is here to meet, conversation begins and sparks fly over two cups of Cappuccino. Are they really meant to be for each other or is there a twist in the tale? A romantic tale which will make you fall in love with blind dates all over again.

Read on Amazon Kindle HERE

PDF Copy by Card. Click HERE 

 PDF Copy by Paypal Click HERE