Story of Our Life

Chapter 29

HAPPY 2024 EVERYONE!!!

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Rishabh Bajaj and Prerna Sharma got engaged in a very intimate ceremony a few hours later and social media flooded with the news and a single picture of the couple. Rishabh, dressed in a royal blue kurta and Prerna, donned in a light pink and silver anarkali suit, looked at each other with soft smiles with diamonds on their fingers and the picture went viral on social media. Within minutes, Prerna's phone was ringing non-stop and she had to put it on silent mode to calm herself down.

"Are you okay?" Rishabh asked as he sat beside her with a glass of water. 

"Haan, just overwhelmed." Prerna said and took the glass, gulping its content in seconds. "Thank you."

"Well, you're going to be in the spotlight from now on, but don't worry, I'll make sure the media doesn't bother you much." He said and held her hand. "Do you want to know a good news?"

"Of course?" Prerna said and looked eagerly at her fiance, who gave her a smirk. "What is it?"

"We know who was behind the leak. Mohini Basu." He informed Prerna and her face changed expressions immediately, going from curious to furious.

"That bitch." Prerna murmured but Rishabh heard it nonetheless, almost chuckling. "Mr. Bajaj, I want to-

"I know. But let's plan it out? We can sue her for defamation but that won't be much fun, right?" Rishabh said and Prerna frowned, shaking her head.

"But I want to punish her. She tried to defame my family-

"Our family." Rishabh corrected and sighed. "You know Prerna, the business world is brutal. We gain enemies every day and we learn how to deal with them every day as well. We just need to find a way to deal with Mohini Basu in a way that'll hit all the right points. You know her well, what is most dear to her?"

"Hmm." Prerna bit her lip and thought hard. "Many things. Anurag, her reputation, her money?"

"Okay...so what can we target from these that'll work the quickest-

"Her reputation!" Prerna interrupted and Rishabh nodded. "I have got a plan!"

"Already?" He asked in surprise and she nodded, planting a searing kiss on his lips. "I love it already."

Prerna's laugh echoed in the living room and Rishabh smirked, gathering her in his arms.

---

Mohini Basu was enjoying a cup of tea the next morning when her phone started going off with notifications, distracting her. Sighing loudly, she picked it only to scream out loud in shock.

"Kya hua?" Her husband asked, looking up from his newspaper. "Subah subah kaunsa toofan aa gaya?"

"Mom! What is this?" Anurag came out of his room laughing, scrolling his phone. "Is that really you?"

"What...how did...what-

Mohini was unable to form a coherent sentence as she scrolled her phone, her screen lighting up with her videos. Videos from her beauty parlour. Videos in which she was screaming like a banshee while getting waxed. Videos in which she was getting her grey hair dyed (the same hair she claimed she never dyed in front of her friends). Videos of her threatening the manager for not giving her a discount. There was a video in which she had spilled hot tea on herself.

And a video of her in which she was picking her nose.

"Mom, what the hell is this?" Nivedita entered the hall, chuckling. "Aap manager se lad rahe the 5% discount ke liye? Aur chai kaun girata hai aajkal, are you a kid?"

"What the hell!" Was the first thing she could say, eyes filled with tears of humiliation. "Who did this?"

"Kya pata, I received them just now." Anurag said and kept scrolling, laughing out loud as he showed the videos to his father, who laughed as well.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Mohini screamed, gasping for breath. "Oh my God, meri saari friends ye videos bhej rahi hain...they have all seen it! Oh my God, Moloy do something!"

"Main kya karu?"Her husband shrugged and Mohini shook her head, breathing hard.

"Get these deleted for God's sake-

"Kaise? Internet se videos delete karna aasan hai kya-

"Toh pata lagao ye kisne kiya-

"Main koi IT cell ka head hoon? It's impossible to know-

"Mom." Nivedita tried to calm her mother down. "Dekho...har video ka angle alag hai...har video mein aapka outfit different hai-

"How the hell does it matter Nivedita-

"Listen na! It just means ki ye videos alag alag logon ne liye hain, maybe customers and all. We have no way to know who recorded what-

"I am gonna sue them...I am going to sue the parlour-

"Ek second!" Anurag interrupted. "Ye toh aapka purana parlour hai na? I used to drop you here a few months ago. It's closed now, that's why you switched parlours two months ago."

"What?" Mohini grabbed Anurag's phone and sure enough, this was her old beauty parlour which had shut as the owner shifted to another country. "Oh God, what should I do now?"

"Just lay low." Moloy said and sipped on his tea. "Sab bhool jayenge-

"Are you serious right now Moloy? I am humiliated aur tum bas chai pee rahe ho? Tumhein bilkul bhi tension nahin ho rahi ki ab kya hoga?" Mohini screamed and her husband sighed.

"Kuch nahin hoga-

"How do you know-

"Tumhi socho, kal Prerna ke saath kya hua?-

"What?" Mohini mumbled, looking away. "Kya hua uske saath-

"Arey, uska bhi toh koi video leak ho gaya tha na...ab dekho, pata chala uski uss aadmi se sagai ho gayi...jo hua acche ke liye hi hua na-

"Oh for God's sake!" Mohini screamed yet again and left the room, whilst her family members remained there.

"Baba...kal Prerna ki engagement ho gayi...and Rajesh uncle ne kisi ko invite nahin kiya." Nivedita said and sat down. "Ajeeb nahin laga?"

"Ajeeb kya...ek buddhe se sagai ki hai Prerna ne...sharam aa rahi hogi sabko dikhaane mein-

"Shut up Anurag." Moloy scolded his son. "Wo koi buddha nahin hai, bas Prerna se umar mein thoda bada hai. Let me tell you, main bhi tumhari Maa se umar mein gyarah saal bada hoon. Tumhein sharam aati hai mujhse?"

"Nahin Baba, you know mera wo matlab nahin tha-

"Tumhara jo bhi matlab tha, usko apne paas rakho." Moloy said sternly. "Aur rahi baat kisi ko naa invite karne ki, ye unka personal matter hai."

"Par kya aapko pata tha...Prerna Rishabh Bajaj ko date kar rahi thi?" Nivedita asked and Moloy shook his head. "I doubt Rajesh uncle ko bhi pata tha...otherwise wo aapko kuch toh hint dete?"

"Ho sakta hai Prerna ne hi naa bataya ho...aajkal sab sure hone ke baad hi family ko batate hain." Anurag said and popped a piece of apple. 

"Mujhe pata hai ye sab kisne kiya!" Mohini's sudden scream made them look up, as she almost ran down the stairs. "Ye sab uss Prerna ne kiya hai...I am sure of it!"

"What? Why would Prerna do this?" Nivedita frowned, shaking her head.

"Because I...