Story of Our Life

Chapter 28

"Shivani, jaa dekh kar aa Priyu ko itni der kyun lag rahi hai?" Veena asked her daughter exasperatedly and Shivani huffed, looking at her upcoming brother-in-law.

"Aap hi dekh aaiye na!" She whispered and winked at him, making Rishabh sigh loudly. 

Walking to the stairs, Rishabh took his time to walk towards Prerna's room, making sure he gave ample time to her parents to stop him if they wanted. But his slow speed went in vain as they appeared to be busy in the preparations of the quickest roka ceremony of the year, he was sure.

If someone would have told him last night that he was getting engaged the next day, Rishabh would have not even reacted to a news as lame as that. But life and destiny always had new plans and thus, Rishabh had found himself proposing to Ms. Sharma. Not that he had mind.

Knocking at her door, he entered to find her sitting on the bed with a sombre expression. She had changed from her avacado pyjamas to a plain red suit, with borders of silver and gold adorning the dupatta. Her bed was littered with red and golden bangles, her lips were adorned with the slightest shade of red and her hair were in a bun, loose tendrils framing her lost face.

"Ms. Sharma?" He asked as he entered the room and she looked up, blinking hard. "All okay?"

"Haan, of course." She smiled a little tightly and sighed. "Samajh nahin aa raha kaunsi bangles pehnu."

"Hmm." He nodded and sat on the bed beside her. "What else were you thinking about?"

Prerna looked at her fiance (that sounded so weird now) and shook her head, focusing on the bangles. Rishabh nodded in understanding and picked up a few red ones, and held her hand.

"Well, aap mujhse kuch bhi share kar sakti hain. If you want." He said and slipped the bangles onto her wrist smoothly. "Okay?"

Prerna's heart welled with something heavy and she nodded, a soft smile appearing on her lips. For a second, Rishabh had the strong urge to drop a peck on them but her the bedroom door was wide open and Rishabh knew, once their lips touched, who knew what would happen?

"I was just thinking...kal raat wali baat...how did that rumour fly?" Prerna said and looked confused. "Aisa kaun kar sakta hai?"

"Well, agar aap chahein toh hum pata kar sakte hain." Rishabh said and Prerna frowned.

"Main chahu toh? Aap nahin janna chahte?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Well, ye kisi ka bhi kaam ho sakta hai. Paparazzi, media, a business rival, a random person...you never know. What do you think?" He asked and waited for her response, as she looked deep in thought once again.

"Agar paparazzi yaa media ka kaam hota, toh ye baat newspapers ya social media mein aati. Agar business rival ka kaam hota toh business community mein zyada phailti...aur agar koi random insaan hota toh baat yaahan tak aa hi nahin paati." Prerna explained and stood up. "Par ye news sabse pehle mere parents ko pata chali, from some friend in the club. Unko bhi kisi society ke friend ne hi bataya, and god knows unko kaise pata chala."

"You know what, ab tak I was thinking ki inn sab ka target main tha." Rishabh said, the confusion in his head clearing up. "But aapki baatein sunn kar lag raha hai, it was you...or rather, your family."

"And you know what...jab Maa-Baba ne mujhse kal ke baare mein sawaal puche...they didn't know about you. Uss rumour mein aapka naam tha hi nahin, jabki aapko kaun nahin jaanta? Hum dono mein se recognisable aap hain, main nahin." Prerna said all of a sudden, as a realisation hit her. "Iska matlab jisne bhi humein dekha, they must have recognised me and not you. And mujhe kaun jaanta hai? Humari society wale hi na?"

"So you think ye kisi society member ka kaam hai?" Rishabh asked, his head gears working quickly, as Prerna nodded. 

"Ho sakta hai... koi chhota-mota member nahin, koi important figure, jiski baat ko seriously liya gaya. Jiski baat par itna trust kiya gaya that people were confident enough to share this information." Prerna shook her head and looked at Rishabh with question, wondering if he would believe her.

"Hmm, that's very much possible." He said, and stood up. "I'll call my team and immediately get this done. Don't worry, agle 24 hours mein we'll know who was behind this."

"I just want to know ki aisa kaun hai jo humaari reputation kharab karna chahta hai, mere Maa-Baba ki iss tarah insult karna chahta hai-

"What do you want to do Ms. Sharma? Tell me." Rishabh asked, his voice resembling not of her fiance but the businessman he was.

"I want to punish them." Prerna said clearly, without an ounce of hesitation.

"Then that shall be done." Rishabh said and smiled, his dimples shining once again.

Relief washed over Prerna and she knew, this would happen. His words of reassurance was all she needed, they were a promise in themselves.

---

Mr. Mehra shook his head in despair as the informant shared his news. Nodding his head, he took the pen drive and pocketed it, a low laugh rumbling in his stomach.

"Mohini Basu, you called this upon yourself!" He mumbled to himself and walked out of the cafe. 

Fishing out the information had been relatively easy. He just had to call a few connections, and let the team go through a few CCTV footages and within five hours, the culprit's identity was disclosed to him. He decided to share this 'good' news with Mr. Bajaj and Ms. Prerna ma'am the next day; after all, they had all the right to enjoy their engagement ceremony.

It was a surprise to him, when his Boss had called him to announce his upcoming nuptials to the media, but Mehra was not an idiot. He had seen the proximity Mr. Bajaj shared with Prerna, she had shared his room and home since many days. But a marriage? That was what was unexpected to Mehra. His boss had had multiple affairs, but not a single one had culminated in this. And he knew, Mr. Bajaj would never agree to marriage if it was not something he himself wanted.

"What should I gift them?" Mehra wondered as he drove off. " A lavish honeymoon in Switzerland sounds good!"