Manjha A String of Complicated Relations

The Meeting With Narayan Vashisht

It was a bright morning when Aniket and Yash were out on a run. Yash had gotten a surprise when Aniket knocked at his door and asked for the run. Apparently, Aniket had seen him and Shambhavi late at night and thought it was best not to disturb their walk at that time. So, naturally, he was here to tease Yash about it.

It was good to see Aniket this happy. When Yash had met him, he was barely a teenager who had lost his parents and was spiraling out of control. He had felt responsible for him because while it might well have been an accident, it had been an accident with his little sister at the wheel. She had left to go to the States after that even though it was not her fault really. Narayan Vashisht had been distracting Sugna all the way and heavy rain did not help either. Sugna could not use her left hand to her full capacity anymore. Aniket's parents were dead but of course, Nayaran Vashisht had endured minor scratches.

Yash was happy to see Aniket on the right path. Their run was a nice way for Yash to see the difference in Aniket while he had gotten his life together. Aniket was always missing a light in his eyes. While they were running, Aniket had spotted Shambhavi laughing at something one of her friends had said and he stopped running. Yash saw the way Aniket's eyes lit up, filled with awe and wonder, and full of life. Yash made a promise at that moment to not let his father ruin this for his children as he did for Yash.

They went on to have breakfast and Yash was enjoying himself like this after a long time. He and Aniket had breakfast and went on to discuss their classes. Soon the cadets also joined. Yash was drinking cold juice when Aniket took it from his hands. Yash looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Order from higher up, Sir. You can't drink anything cold. Either let the juice rest or get a cup of hot tea," Aniket said while looking behind him.

Yash turned to look at Shambhavi, showing a notepad with this written on it in bold letters. He shook his head at her, turned at Aniket who was trying not to laugh at his senior and his junior.

"Sometimes, I wonder if I am her father and am supposed to take care of her, or is it the other way around?" Yash asked rhetorically while waving at an orderly to order warm tea.

Aniket did laugh at his comment and it was a jovial morning all in all. That was until an orderly came in to inform him that his father was there to meet him.

Yash and Aniket's faces instantly turned sombre and they both exchanged one look with a silent agreement to prevent Shambhavi from meeting Nayaran Vashisht at all costs. They both left the mess to meet him.

Shambhavi had spotted Yash and Aniket as soon as she entered the mess hall. They were talking and having what seemed to be juice. She immediately thought about going to Yash to give him a piece of her mind, drinking cold juice while he was down with a cold. But then she noticed where she was. She did the next best thing. She sat at a bench from where she could clearly see Aniket with Yash's back facing her. She waved at Aniket and got a notepad. She wrote a note in bold letters, telling him to take the juice from Yash.

Aniket seemed thoroughly amused and did as he was told. He also passed her message to Yash. Yash turned to look at her antics before she could get the notepad out of his sight. He had a twitch in his lips and shook his head, leaving Shambhavi a bit embarrassed.

Yash said something to Aniket and he laughed. Oh, what a wonderful sound it was! Shambhavi sighed and got her breakfast. She had kept an eye on them, so she had noticed when an orderly came to tell Yash something.

Shambhavi saw the color drain from both the Brigadier's and Captain's faces. They both looked as if someone had punched their guts. Yash looked more forlorn than Aniket and they exchanged a look, had a conversation of sorts, before abruptly leaving the hall. Aniket looked wary while Yash was fierce. He looked like someone whom everyone would fear.

Shambhavi had seen this look on him before. She just could not remember properly who had inspired it in the past.

Shambhavi had waited a total of 3 minutes before following the duo wherever they had gone.

Aniket was not looking forward to this encounter. Narayan Vashisht was a man that would put snakes to shame. He had not been ready for this and neither was Yash Sir expecting this visit. He was sure that was exactly what Narayan had wanted. To blindsight them and get a hold of Shambhavi.

They went towards the waiting lounge and found Narayan Vashisht sitting along with some tea and Advith also seated there. He saw them coming and welcomed them.

"What a pleasant surprise! Khamaghandhi Raja Sa! I did not know that I would have the pleasure to get an audience with you as well," Narayan said with a serene smile on his face. To anyone who did not know him, Narayan Vashisht would seem like an honorable senior citizen of the country with an arms contract with the Indian Army. He was the epitome of everything classy and sophisticated. But he was worse than Shakuni from Mahabharat in his schemes. He was shrewd, diabolical and sometimes downright evil.

"Let's not pretend that this visit was not planned out meticulously by you, Aap Ji Sa," Yash said and Narayan raised his eyebrow at his clear expression of disdain. Usually, Yash would refrain from this kind of behavior out in the public but it seemed he was comfortable here with these two men witnessing their family dispute.

"Now, Yash, I would be careful with your words," Narayan in a sickly sweet manner.

Yash was going to retort in full anger when Aniket stopped him. They could not make a scene here at the academy.

"Mr. Vashisht, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Aniket asked calmly.

"I just wanted to meet my son, Raja Sa. Can't I have one meeting with my son without any reason?" Narayan replied as calmly as he could, although his words seemed to agitate Yash more, which Aniket thought was the purpose.

"Of course, Mr. Vashisht, But is that all?" Aniket asked in a similar, mean way to get something out of him.

Narayan smiled and looked at him. It felt as if he was making out whether Aniket was a threat or not.

"I would be careful with your tone, Raja Sahab. We would not want students of the academy to see you like this," Narayan said with a bit more emphasis on the word 'student'.

Aniket and Yash got the meaning of his words as soon as they were uttered. He was warning them about Shambhavi being a student here. Aniket was simmering in anger while Yash looked ready to punch his father.

"I think it would be better if you leave right now, Mr. Vashisht. You would not want your arms deal with the Army to be jeopardized, would you now?" Aniket bit back, trying to keep the anger out of his voice but it was a fruitless effort.

Narayan looked like someone had knocked him on the head. He seemed a bit baffled and confused. So, he asked, "What are you trying to say Raja Sahab?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I am trying to say, Mr. Vashisht. Imagine if the General gets an anonymous tip about the latest arms deal with Vashisht group of companies about the fact that it has been getting carried through illegally, it would compel the general to investigate the matter. Even though it would be false information, it would delay the deal which would definitely be bad for the share which has already been falling low. Is it not true?" Aniket said sweetly to prove a point.

Now, it was Narayan who was angry, "Now listen to me, young man," Narayan started saying, losing all sense of where he was and who might see him.

"No, Mr. Vashisht. You listen. While I know this is not true, it would definitely delay your latest projects and other deals. I would again strongly advise that you leave," Aniket said with a fire in his eyes that left no room for argument.

Narayan had received the message clearly and he straightened himself up. He looked at both Yash and Aniket and knew that they both were well aware of his intentions. He had made the mistake of undermining his opponents. No matter, he thought, it wouldn't happen again.

"Very well," Narayan said, getting the files he had brought along with him, "I would also strongly advise keeping a lookout on things you care about. You never know when an accident might happen," Narayan said as a last parting warning and left.

Aniket was well aware that the meeting had made the game more palpable. If anything, everything would change for better or for worse but he had no idea. He just knew he had to protect the Vyas girls now more than ever.


Shambhavi had overheard the entire conversation. She had been left dumbfounded. Yash's fury and Aniket's anger had made Shambhavi question everything that she knew.

She had recognized the man,but could not remember who he was, just that he was someone who inspired fear in her. It was not until Aniket had called him Mr. Vashisht that Shambhavi had fully known who he was. It was her grandfather.

To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. The clear tension between her father and grandfather could be felt even if you were a stranger. The way they addressed each other was also a clear indicator of their not so good relationship.

But what surprised Shambhavi the most was Narayan's clear threats to her and her sisters. He had all but told them to be careful. She was sure that both Yash and Aniket had planned something and they were going to keep the girls in the dark about this plan. Shambhavi would not let herself be in the dark though. She would talk to Yash soon because she had to know. Was Narayan Vashisht the outsider in their story?

Yash had spent enough time with his father to know that they were out of time. After the meeting, Yash had rushed to his room and calmed himself a bit. He then called his friends on the board of his father's company to know the progress and he was pleased to know that his plan was progressing as he wanted. He told his friend about the meeting and told them it was time to enter the last phase of the plan.

Yash and a few other board members had been planning this coup for at least a few years, now working slowly from the inside, but with the girls in the play, Yash and all the others had thought it was best to move ahead with the plan with full speed. The last phase was near and it would be a matter of days now.

Next, he called Aarti and told her everything. Aarti had been more concerned about Narayan being so close to Shambhavi and told him that the lawyer was more than happy to help them. Yash was relieved to hear this and said he would call again later.

Yash turned to see Shambhavi standing there in his room and judging from her expressions, he was in big trouble.

Shambhavi had gone after Yash to get her answers. Yash had not noticed when she had entered or that she was going to say something. She heard him talk to Choti Ma and thought it would be better to wait for his conversation to end. It also did not hurt to eavesdrop on the conversation, so that she could question him more.

When he did finish the conversation and turned, he looked like a kid caught red handed while stealing candy.

"So, Nayaran Vashisht was here," Shambhavi said, immediately throwing Yash out of his game. If it were not such a serious matter, Shambhavi would have laughed at Yash's comical expression.

"You followed us. You should not have, Bhavi. He could have seen you," Yash said, gaining his composure back.

"Well, you and Captain Chahuhan seem to love to play hide and seek. You hide and so I sought," Shambhavi said with a bit of sass. "Now can I get a clear answer as to what is going on? No lies and no beating around the bush," Shambhavi asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"I can not tell you right now," Shambhavi was about to protest against Yash's statement but he stopped her by proceeding, "Nothing is concrete as of yet. I am working and I need a few more days. But you can't know about it yet. I want you to concentrate on your exams right now. I will let you know everything as soon as your exams are over. Do we have a deal?" Yash asked.

Shambhavi thought about her options and knew that her exams were much more important, so she agreed to whatever it was. Clearly Yash and Aniket had a lid on it for now. She could get more involved after her exams without any reservations.

But Shmabhavi was determined that as soon as those 25 days would be up she would know the truth. The countdown began.