Shape of the Sun

The dish best served cold

Unfortunately, not everyone shared those sentiments of victory. Shakti Bhatt topped the list.

He had woken up in a hospital bed, surrounded by a son who was crying so much that his eyes were bloodshot and mucus ran down his nose. And for a moment, Shakti felt a little warmth inside. Was this not his own? No matter how many bastards forsook him, his son wouldn't, and there was no need to tell him otherwise, because he was aware of the state of affairs. All of those other board members would be scrambling to Bhairav's door at this moment, not his.

It made him sullen.

"Dad! Dad, you are alive! They seized my car, and you have to call the shots for me!" Anand had rushed to him, joyful to see him awake. His father, however, was not so pleased.

"...Shut up, you bastard!" What type of greeting was that?

Shakti sneered, taking back the little fatherly love his selfish heart had overworked itself to raise. This unscrupulous idiot was still talking trash when his father was at risk to be jailed anytime soon. A total waste!

"Guards! Guards!"

His voice alerted those standing out front and they came in, along with the doctor who was doing rounds. He rushed to Shakti to calm him down, his restless state causing the attached machines to beep.

"Mr. Bhatt, you need to calm down. Please, calm down."

Shakti didn't even look at him, all attention on the guards who were awaiting his commands. And under the doctor's surprised gaze, he instructed them to drag Anand out. If they didn't do it, he might kill the useless thing with his own hands.

"Drag this bastard out of here!"

"Dad?" Anand's eyes were as round as saucers. Was it fun to drag him out like this in front of others?

Shakti didn't care for his thoughts, and if he had known them, he would have choked to death in disbelief. This bastard still didn't know what he had done wrong!

"Shut up your mouth!" he turned to the guards, "I said to drag him out of here. Are you deaf?"

At his affirmation, they laid hands on Anand and dragged him out of the ward, despite his struggle. Ironically, it felt like as the distance between him and the bed increased, the beeping machines beside Shakti lowered in intensity.

"Dad!"

"Shut the hell up!"

The doctor still stood frozen, shocked at the brute display. He couldn't believe this man allowed others to drag his own child across the floor like that. Shakti noticed his expression, and he felt even more sullen. Would he have done that if his son wasn't so incompetent? Tch.

It felt like a breath of turbid air was just filling his lungs by the second.

"Get out." he ordered, relaxing on the bed. He needed to be alone for what he planned next.

"Eh?" He hadn't done what he came here for yet?

Shakti narrowed his eyes at his hesitation, sending chills down his spine. Was he still safe here? Probably not.

"Either get out now, doctor, or just stay here forever."

The doctor quit hesitating and hurried out, stethoscope in hand. Whatever this man meant by staying here forever, he didn't want to find out yet. It was better to get the hell out of here and plead for a transfer to another ward.

He had made the right choice because the present Shakti was just oozing murderous intent. It could hit anyone, but the majority of it was directed at one person.

Bhairav Singh Reddy.

Today, this man had ruined him and all he had worked hard for, reducing him to a semblance of a rat crossing the street, not knowing how many minutes till freedom was over for him. Well, he thought, if he was going down tonight, he had to drag him into the water too, hit him hard where he would hurt the most and the hardest.

Shakti grabbed the phone on the bedside cabinet, relieved to see that it was still turned on, and speed-dialed a number. Unlike the other times he had done this in the past, the person on the other end didn't pick up until the third ring, and when they did, it was with a voice laced with mockery.

"Yo. Why is the mighty Shakti Bhatt calling me at this time? Is there phone access in prison?"

Of course, word had gotten out about his present condition. How could it not with his nemesis behind the scenes? But Shakti didn't mind, all his attention on gaining back this pound of flesh that bastard had cut off today. Yet, it didn't mean that he didn't feel grief. He might be fine in prison, but would Anand, that useless, worthless son of his, be? The brief heartbreak he felt was agonizing enough to raise more hatred for Bhairav. If he didn't pull this off, he wouldn't be able to face Mahira, that loud-mouthed woman, when she chased him about with a knife in his nightmares.

"Vishal." he began very calmly, "Mahesh Sharma had just received 2 crores from his father-in-law." The news traveled fast in the hall, and after careful thought, it wasn't something unbelievable. His nemesis was capable of offering his son-in-law money to keep calm, the black sheep of his disgustingly perfect family.

He could hear the greed filter into Vishal's voice, despite the other man trying to sound calm. Shakti knew that it took a whole lot of effort, and how could it not? Mahesh Sharma walking around with such a large amount of money was terrific news! How could he allow such a great harvest to escape him?

Still, he was cautious.

"Are you sure about this?"

Shakti sneered at this question, thoroughly offended. What was the meaning of this, twenty questions? With him?

"How dare you, Vishal? You'd better be careful."

"Sorry, sorry. You know how these things are."

Vishal uneasily tried to diffuse the tension. Even though this Shakti Bhatt may be going through a rough time, he still wasn't someone that he could deal with. Who knew how many backups he had? For one, there was no way that he was going to leave that empty-headed son of his a total pauper while he was away.

And he was right. Shakti did have plans to support Anand, but of course, it wasn't his place to know. All this man had to do was to be one thing, the knife in his hands.

"It would be better if you don't let him go this time."

The person on the other end subconsciously shifted, leaning towards his left on the chair where he sat, the creaking sound entering into Shakti's ears. He was uneasy, this gift was rather big. Was there anything Shakti wanted in return? He was not comfortable owing favors, especially to a ticking time bomb.

"What is this information worth?" He wanted to know.

And Shakti obliged him, after a short pause, the request surprising him.

"Protect Anand, just for three months."

That was all he needed. Three months was more than enough time for his son to see his father's revenge come to fruition. If he was going down, Shakti thought, a wicked light in his eyes, he wanted to drag Bhairav Singh Reddy to hell along with him. It was impossible for him to suffer while the other man was merry, reveling in his pain.

It was better that they both suffered together. Or how else was he going to vent this anger in his heart?