Dream and Destiny:The Saga of Love, Faith and Betrayal. *Editing*

Chapter Forty Four

Precisely a week after the announcement for shekawat's construction company broke out into the city, the day for auction arraived. Never in that week sanyukta had seen randhir. Not even once. Randhir never visited either his home or his parents'. He began to spend most of the nights at parth's, still believing that he tried his best to help him, boozing, trying to hate sanyukta and digest the fact that his unborn child was killed. But he failed terribly at doing the both.

Anyway on the day of auction sanyukta reached Randhir's office along with Raghu and entered the auditorium where the auction was supposed to be held. There were a bunch of CEOs from top notch companies and then there were the bank officials, auctioneers on the dias seated along with Harsh, who sat tight lipped and grim faced. Sanyukta looked around but couldn't find Randhir. She sighed in disappointment and began to steer herself forward when she thought she saw a familiar notorious smile. She paused for a moment and looked in the direction where she thought she saw a familiar smile and suddenly she felt her pulse drop as she saw Parth sitting at the far other corner of the room.

She froze. She felt like some one stumped hard in her pit and couldn't move forward. Her jaws clenched tight, her veins bulging at her temples and her eyes bloodshot with surging ire.

"Sanyukta?" raghu placed his hand on her shoulder, perplexed at the sudden change of her demeanor. She was silent, staring at a particular direction.

"Are you okay?" Raghu looked at her face and instantly his eyes followed the direction in which she was staring, only to see parth sitting at a corner, smirking at them. Raghu's palms balled into fists and he began to swear as soon as he saw him.

"That bloody son of —" Raghu took a step forward but stopped in his tracks as sanyukta clasped his hand to halt.

"Not now" she muttered.

"Fine" he rolled his eyes gritting, pushing her wheel chair rather strongly. A moment later they settled in a row, few rows before the one parth had seated. The whole auditorium was noisy with people chattering on their cell phones, skyping on their laptops.

A moment later, a stout, pot bellied, bald headed man on the stage rose up from his chair and nearly shouted. "So!"

The noise died at once and a deadly silence occupied the auditorium.

The pot bellied man made a grunting noise as if fixing his tone and said "we all gathered here today in response to the advertisement that appeared in news paper a week ago about the auction of Shekawat's construction company" he paused and looked at the faces of the people staring at him intently and then continued "very well then, as you all seemed ready, we shall start this bid now!" he looked at Harsh for once and continued, "the banks bid is for 3 crore" he announced and settled back in the chair.

There after the bid started shortly and all the CEOs began to bid, Sanyukta and Raghu waited all along till the bid reached 8 crore, there after no one bid more than that. The auctioneer then announced "8 CRORE"

The auditorium came to still. Everyone waited for someone to speak. But none did. The auctioneer waited for five seconds and bellowed again "8 CRORES"

Still silence.

The auctioneer shook his head and began to bellow again "8 CR-" but he was interrupted by a feminine voice shouting back from the last rows

"10 CRORE" Sanyukta bellowed back and suddenly the crowd dissolved into whispers. Raghu seemed shocked and surprised at the sudden change of their plan that he couldn't comprehend what actually had happened just then. For, it was not their plan to participate in the auction but just to spectate things going there.

"Who's that?" The auctioneer bellowed.

This time sanyukta raised her hand and shouted even more louder "10 CRORE"

"Are you crazy?" Raghu pulled her hand down and pressed it tightly "we aren't here to buy this sanyukta we don't have cash and we still have seven projects to go with. Mad girl you are. See what you are doing!" Raghu sneered at her through his gritting teeth.

"I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING!" sanyukta said clenching her jaws forcing her hand out of his grip.

"10 CRORE" she shouted again. The auctioneer stared at her for a second and nodded

" Raindeer group of companies 10 CRORES" he announced and the whole auditorium looked back at her at once.

"10 CRORES"

Silence.

"10 CRORES"

silence. Sanyukta waited with batted breath while raghu seemed disgusted. The silence prevailed.

The auctioneer shook his head and said "so! Shekawat construction company now belongs to Raindeer group of companies. Mrs. Sanyukta won the bid for 10 crores" he announced

The crowd seemed disappointed and began to dissolve slowly whilst Raghu stood up and began to push her wheel chair forward jostling the crowd, reluctantly towards the stage where the auctioneers were,preparing the requiring documents.

There after sanyukta signed the papers after Harsh did. Harsh thanked her in a low voice, very low that only she could hear. Sanyukta smiled and pressed his Hand reassuringly.

.........................

Soon after the bid had completed sanyukta tried searching for parth but he was no where to be spotted. Then with nothing to do, they left for her office. All the way Raghu sat silent trying hard not to lose his temper. All the way sanyukta's mobile kept buzzing with texts from her well wishers congratulating on her accomplishment. Sanyukta ignored their texts but her heart leapt every time when her mobile buzzed, anticipating a text from parth. But there is no word from parth.

Once they reached their office building Raghu silently helped her out and carefully placed her in her wheel chair after which he escorted her to her office on seventh floor.

As they entered her office, Raghu left her at the threshold of her cabin and walked back "good bye sanyukta" he said with quivering voice.

"What? Wait!" Sanyukta clutched his hand tightly with both her pert fists.

"you think am a fucking side kick here?" Raghu shouted at once

"No Raghu... I didn't mean to...." As she sensed that her decision to buy shekawat construction company had driven him mad and that too not telling him till the moment had hurt him, Sanyukta tried to explain with her trembling voice but Raghu cut her words off.

"I don't care what you mean. You are one such of stupid arrogant, ignorant and over confident. You never cared my advice! Not when I asked you not to meet parth... And not even today! And why do you think I will still be with you?" Raghu fumed. Sanyukta had no answer for that. For, she thought Raghu would be the only one who'd trust her no matter what and never thought that her actions would plant such thoughts in his head.

She left his hand at once and slumped back in her chair "I thought you would stand by me when everything fails" she mumbled.

"Not when you treat me like a waste sheet of paper." He waved his hands animatedly in air.

"Alright!. Am not going to stop you" she muttered.

"Fine. Good bye. Forever." He said and walked out of her cabin. May be forever.

Now with Raghu left and Randhir hating to see her, sanyukta sat in her cabin wondering how to face parth all by herself and how to bring the two most important men of her life back to her life.

"Bringing them back" she said to herself and for some reason it felt impossible and suddenly she had a strange feeling of loneliness for the first time after years.