Best Laid Plans (Published)

Mumbai. The city of dreams. With shimmering Arabian Sea, glittering skyscrapers, glamorous Bollywood; everywhere sun hits here, this city dazzles. But beneath this warm dazzle, there is another Mumbai. The cold Mumbai. The dark Mumbai. The stronghold of mafia. Where narrow alleys are splattered with gun-powder and blood. Where lives are discarded like tissue papers. Where innocence and honesty are a waste of everyone's time. Where obscene amount of money circulates unaudited. Where star power does not fluctuate every Friday. And since years now, this formidable underworld is under Lala Amarnaath Vaghela's thumb. The powerful mafia kingpin who started his ascent from the slums of Dharavi years back, today he controls most of the Indian subcontinent's illegal dealings and organized crime with an iron fist.

But not without help.

Akash Ranjan Vaghela. Lalaji's grandson and his heir apparent. Apple of his grandfather's eyes, he is calculative, sly and cold-blooded.

Arnav Singh Raizada. Lalaji's indispensable and cunning protege. Ruthless, he is as unapologetic as they come in this business.

Everything is working smoothly in Lalaji's world. Like a well oiled machine. Or is it? Because apart from sharing Lalaji's trust, apparently these two capable young men also share an undisguised hatred for each other. Not above playing dirty in this high stakes arena, both are merely bidding their time to tear one another down. And it won't be long before lives will be pawned, loyalties will be questioned and the already shady line between right and wrong will completely disappear, crumbling everything around them like a house of cards. But no matter who emerges the winner out of the two, there is someone who will only lose. A torn heart which refuses to take sides. A girl who dared to love them both.

Stubborn and loyal-to-a-fault Khushi.

Full name Khushi Ranjan Vaghela. Akash Vaghela's beloved pampered baby sister. And the beautiful confusion of Arnav Singh Raizada's life.