Chapter 57

"Alright!!!!"

Purvi bobs her head vigorously, spinning around the imposing entrance of the bungalow.

"This is Vicky Grewal's house?" She whispers in awe, examining the palatial house in wide-eyed fascination.

It is late Saturday morning. Purvi has come here on my request, as I want to discuss about our working arrangements.

After that unknown phone call, which I disconnected saying it was a wrong number, and blocked immediately, I figure my tormentors are closing in on me. I have to leave this city as soon as I can.

I know she won't be happy to hear I am leaving, since she has just quit her job. That is why I needed to meet here, face to face and explain the situation. But first, she wanted a tour of the house where Vicky Grewal lived. So, I am giving her one, of the external areas on the ground floor.

"And you live here? With him?" Purvi is still trying to wrap her head around this news.

"I am only a tenant, staying in another house altogether. I did not know this place belonged to him, when I moved here," I explain, walking back home.

"But still! Living in the same building as Vicky Grewal is awesome!! Do you get to see him often?" she asks eagerly.

"Sometimes."

"Is he the same serious, no nonsense guy like in the office or does he have a different personality at home?"

I think about all the tender, goofy and fun moments we have spent, but instead of disclosing anything, I raise my eyebrow at her, "Babe! don't forget you have a hot boyfriend at home. Oliver won't be very happy to hear this investigation you are conducting, of your soon-to-be-former boss," I mock admonish her.

"Oliver need not know. Besides who doesn't want some tea on their boss?" she waggles her eyebrows at me.

Purvi looks like a kid in an amusement park, exclaiming in delight at the beautiful garden around us. Looking from her perspective, I can see why she is so fascinated. The manicured and well-tended lawns have some huge trees including Peepal, Ashoka, Gulmohar and Rain tree. There are fruit trees such as custard apple, mango and jackfruit. The flowering plants adds a rainbow of colour to the area, with roses, hydrangeas, peonies, dahlia, rajnigandha, jasmine, bougainvillea, hibiscus and dozens of other flowering plants all laid out, in careful design for maximum visual effect.

She scampers toward the fountain, to study the sculptures. I suggest we sit on the bench, as it is cooler here, than inside my house.

"Now, tell me," Purvi turns towards me, "What was so important that you could not discuss over the phone?"

I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly, "I am leaving this city for good this week. Don't ask where I will be moving...it's best if no one knows."

Purvi's head jerks back in shock and confusion, "What? are you kidding me?"

"Unfortunately, no. That is why I wanted you to come over to discuss our new system of operation. It should be relatively easy, as everything is online."

"But why?" Purvi asks, obviously still confused. "We have such a good thing going. It's much more practical to stay here. The business is picking up very well. Why do you want to throw it all away and move somewhere else?"

"It's.. complicated. It is for my safety."

Purvi narrows her eyes, "Wait a minute? Does this have anything to do with that call from Mahendra?"

I simply look down and nod in reply, confirming her suspicion.

Purvi grabs my arms, "Taru, I have never prodded about your personal life before this, as I could see you were very uncomfortable discussing about yourself. But I would like to believe I am your friend. If you think so too, can you please tell me what is going on? Maybe I can help?"

I look at Purvi with dismay. She is a good friend, one of the few real friends I have in Mumbai. It is only fair to tell her the truth, as she is also my business partner and she needs to know everything that can affect our business.

I narrate in brief, the incidents in my life that led me to Mumbai.

Purvi's eyes and mouth grow wider and wider as my story unfolds, slapping her hand over her mouth when I finish.

"Holy shit Taru! Looking at you, no one would tell that you have been through hell! You are so strong not to let this experience turn you bitter and disheartened." She hugs me tightly.

When we break apart, Purvi has a confused look on her face. "Why didn't you not go to the police? They would have arrested your uncle and his family."

I shake my head. "There were many factors. First, I had no proof. It would be my word against theirs. They played their cards very well and never did anything before, to raise any suspicions. They took such good care of me and showed so much affection, everyone has a high opinion of them. Second, they very subtly, had kept insinuating to our neighbours and friends that I suffered from a mental breakdown after my parents' passing. Looking back, I realise it was a ploy to dismiss accusations I could level at them. No one would have believed me. Third, I was still a minor and they were my guardians. The police would have promptly handed me back to them."

"Why didn't you go back once you became an adult?" Purvi asks. "You could have kicked them out."

"I could have, maybe. But once they knew I was alive, I would be a sitting duck for them. Nainital is a small town. What is to say, they would not attempt another attack on me in future? They have got the taste of wealth and power. They already proved that they will stop at nothing, to hold on to it."

I let out a short breath, "I have gone through my options. The only one where I would be safe, is somewhere unknown and away from them," I sigh.

Purvi shakes her head, "I cannot believe that you have to keep running like this, your whole life. There has to be some other way."

I open my mouth to reply but stop when I catch a slight movement behind us, from the corner of my eye. We turn around to see Jeet standing behind us. His lips are drawn in a thin line, his eyes, hard as ice, fixed on me.

"Vicky!" Purvi squeals, more in delight than in surprise.

Jeet's eyes briefly dart to her, before settling their hard stare on me once again.

"I..I. was just telling Tarana, how lovely your house is..!" Purvi tries to break the awkward silence hanging between us.

Jeet turns towards her, giving her brief smile. "Thank you, Purvi. I am sorry to interrupt your discussion, but," he turns to me, "I need to speak to Tarana, when you finish," he gives me a pointed look.

"We have a lot to discuss and it's going to take a long time, maybe the whole day," I reply, flicking my thumb towards Purvi and me.

I can see a vein ticking in his temple as he tries to control himself. "What I have to discuss is important too. I shall wait for you, no matter how late," his voice is deceptively calm, but his face said something else.

I suppose, Purvi sensed the tension between us, because she quickly spoke up, "Hey listen Taru, I didn't know we would take long, and I have to pick Oliver from the airport. How about we postpone our discussion, for another day? Let's decide a time later this evening." She is already retreating backwards, looking back and forth between Jeet and me, who are glaring at each other.

"Um..ok..bye.." she says hesitantly.

"No! wait!"

"Bye!"

Both Jeet and me speak out at the same time. Purvi gives us a confused look, then as something clicked in her head, she flashes a knowing smile at me and leaves.

"We had a lot of things to discuss..." I start, but before I can continue, Jeet walks ahead beckoning me to follow him.

"Come on," he says.

"Where are you going?" I ask visibly irritated, standing my ground.

"I am taking you to my office, where we are going to clear out things between us."

"There is nothing to clear between us", I reply stubbornly, feeling a sense of deja vu, like I have said this to him before, "There is no us, only you and me. Besides, I don't want to discuss anything with you."

Jeet's face turns red with frustration, he exhales slowly from his mouth to calm down before speaking, "As long as we remain married, there will always be an us. You cannot get rid of me so easily," he scoffs.

"Legally, I am still your husband. Anything that affects you, affects me. For better or worse, we are in this together, till the end. So we can either talk in my office or continue to argue here, but I am not leaving you..." he pauses for a beat, "till I know what is going on."

"Fine, let's go," I concede, remembering that the grounds are being monitored and I don't want to make a spectacle in front of the staff.

"So? Who or what are you running from?" Jeet cuts to the chase, looking out at the sea from the massive windows in his home office.

"You had no right to eavesdrop on our conversation."

"Stop playing games Tarana!" he bellows turning to me.

His eyes soften, when I narrow my eyes in retaliation, "Please, just level with me here. I know you are troubled with something that happened in the past. I have seen you having nightmares. What are you afraid of?"

I seat myself on the couch, rubbing away the pain in my temple that appears, every time I recall the incident. Jeet seats himself next to me, twisting himself a little, so he can look at me directly.

Inhaling a deep breath, I describe in detail everything that happened from the time of my parents' death. My relatives' deceit, the attempt on my life, my escape in the forest, my life in the orphanage, the recent calls.. everything. For once, I did not hold back or try to hide anything.

Jeet listens with a grim expression, showing no emotion except clenching of his jaws and his hands. When I finally finish, he gently wipes the trickling tears with his index finger. He pulls me in an embrace, settling his chin above my head. I wrap my arms around his waist. I listen to his steady heartbeat, while he softly strokes my arm.

"You will shed no more tears because of those bastards," he says, still holding me in his embrace. A gentle warmth creeps up in my heart at his assurance.

"I miss my parents so much. I lost everything with them. I just.. want them to be proud of me."

"You parents would be incredibly proud of you, seeing the way you have so bravely handled yourself," he says softly.

I turn my head up to look at him, smiling into his captivating eyes. His lips are turned up into a soft smile. I realise we are so effortlessly moulded into each other. I remember all the other times it felt so right, so natural. I remember..... Zenia!

I blink hard to curb my emotions, pushing myself away. "I..I.. have to go.. prepare lunch."

"Have lunch with me."

"I have to pick up some stuff from the market. I better go now." I hurry out of his office.

At home, I splash cold water on my face to cool off the heat in my cheeks. I grab my shopping bags and head out to the vegetable market down the road.

Since it is almost lunchtime and being a weekend, there are not many people in the market at this time. Perhaps that is the only reason, I notice that a man with a cap pulled low to cover his face, has been following me, since I left the building.

At first, I did not pay attention, but my I sensed something was off, when I noticed him halting a few stalls away, every time I stopped at a vendor. Just to clear my doubt I cross the street, to buy vegetables from the vendor on the opposite side of the street. Sure enough, the man crossed too.

I tried to get a look at him, but he had kept a substantial distance between us. The polo neck t-shirt pulled up to his chin, the oversized sunglasses and the low cap, that covered most of his face disguised him enough to be inconspicuous and unrecognisable.

To rule out any chance of this being a simple coincidence, I cross the street again and step inside a grocery store. On the pretext of picking up a bottle of jam, I peek out the glass window. There he is! Waiting on the opposite side, his gaze fixed at the shop's entrance. Now there is no doubt, I am being followed.

I know I cannot stay inside the shop forever. Nervously gulping down the fear bubbling inside, I leave the shop, quickly walking back home. Stopping a little further to remove an imaginary pebble from my shoe, I sneak a glance behind. The person tailing me, is still there but has made no effort to close in. I increase my pace of walking, slowing down only after I cross the humongous solid iron gate of the bungalow, heaving a sigh of relief when it closes behind me.

Dropping my shopping bags, I call Jeet on his phone, who picks up at the first ring.

"I think, no, I am quite sure I was being followed by someone in the market."

Exhaling audibly, he says with urgency in his voice, "Get your things and come up here right away. You are going to stay with me and, please don't argue about it," he adds when he hears my loud intake of breath, to start a counter argument.

"But..."

"Please Tarana, trust me! Just come up right now!"

"Alright!!"