CHAPTER-30

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Radhika along with Aruna and Savitri was enjoying tea on Sunday morning while Aruna was babbling excitedly from Sharma's son admission in IIT to breaking off her village wali chachi's son's engagement again. She had gossips related to anything and everything under the sky. Radhika mentally cringed thinking about the source of her mother's daily updates of everybody's personal life around the globe. Who the hell in this fast life has so much time to put the nose in someone's life?

Well, it had been her morning routine and sometimes evening routine too for the last ten days and unfortunately, it was expected to remain the same for the next 10-15 days.

Vivaan had gone on his business tour for one month and since he didn't want her to be alone for such a long duration, he left her with Chandra family.

The ladies of the house would sit in the garden in seek of fresh air and gossip about something or another. Though most of the talks were directed by her mother. While Savitri and Radhika mostly remained silent audience, except the junctures where they time to time nod in between her chatter or sometimes gave monosyllabic replies, silently praying for this torture session to end. Savitri had never fond of being part of such buzzes which Aruna always claimed them to tangs a life.

Radhika silently looking at a corner unattentively, but Savitri's sudden words, ignoring Aruna's talk, made her swirled in surprise. Her wide eyes turned towards the source while she kept her hand above her heart and to calm rapid heartbeats, she repeated deep breathing techniques.

Savitri rolled her eyes at her drama and stood up.

"Radhika, follow me."

As she too stood up from her seat, Savitri marched upstairs towards her daughter's room. Radhika, all the way, was confused, silently praying for her that day adventure still to be a long-buried secret.

She opened the lock, hung in front of her door. As they entered inside, Savitri in an authorized voice order to sit on the bed while she turned towards the cupboard, while searching for the correct key among the bunch of keys.

"No, I am fine."

But one stare from her was enough to drop the idea of any rebellion. She very reluctantly sat on the bed as if some bomb was planted there.

As the door of the closet opened, Radhika eyes bulged in revelation.

"You had keys!!" She shrieked in horror.

Savitri who seemed to search something there now halted for a second in suspicion but replied without turning to her with a sense of pride and a bit ego.

"I have keys of every lock under this roof."

She slowly nodded despite knowing her back was turned towards her while wiped the sweat beads on her forehead as she watched her every movement doubting her next action.

Did she know everything? She wondered anxiously.

"Take them."

Savitri's firm voice brought her out of her dreamland, she frowned seeing a pile of sarees in her hands.

Before she could ask anything, she cut her off, "They are the gifts that came from your husband's side as shagun."

She placed the pile beside her and when she was about to bring her more possession, Radhika interfered, "But they belong to Sneha di."

Savitri was taken back but soon composed herself and replied in a cold voice, "No, it belongs to Vivaan's bride who you are."

"You always open her cupboard?"

Savitri raised her bows in question and retort she raised her grudges higher while trying to clear her point.

"No I mean it is so tidy, unlike mine." She ashamedly and quietly added the last part.

She opened the sections where jewellery boxes were kept but Radhika's gaze instantly fixed to the wooden box, kept in the front, which hid a part of her elder sister's dark secrets. She mentally smirked and hurriedly rushed to her side.

"Badi maa, can I have look inside that box? It looks beautiful."

She forwarded her hand to pick the box but thwarted in between when her Badi maa's stern voice roared.

"No. Don't touch her commodities."

She gave an impish smile, not in a mood to quit and before she could protest more, she grabbed the box and trotted to another corner of the room crossing the master bed with a fit of laughter.

Savitri huffed witnessing her childish antics. Savitri rolled her eyes in disbelief. Like mother, like daughter.

"It is not like I will destroy it..." She muttered in between but seeing her hand on the waist with a demanding composure and stern face, she too stopped smiling but in the meanwhile when her eyes were locked with hers, her fingers ably opened the lock, without grabbing Savitri's attention to it.

Radhika gradually approached her with an innocuous yet sheepish smile plastered on her face, forwarding the box ahead but in the meantime, when it was to come in contact with Savitri's forwarded hand, she purposely loosen her grip and the box, in a millisecond, fell on the ground, leading its contents to get dispersed on the ground.

"Oops..." She faked an expression, and hurriedly bent down to gather the fallen items.

She mentally grinned at the sight of a few pregnancy kits scattered around she looked up and found Savitri too noticed them. Well, what could be missed from the eagle's eyes?

"Badi maa..." She mumbled in an aghast voice with a surprised yet shocked face. Everything should have looked natural. Shouldn't it?

Savitri remained still at her spot. With her impartial face, she couldn't guess much what was running in her mind but it was guaranteed, Sneha had now landed herself in deep trouble, unknowingly.

"Get out..." She yelled, all of a sudden.

Radhika frowned at her sudden order but and had turned paralyzed witnessing her fierce eyes fixed at her. Before she could be a bearer of her rage, she hastily sprinted outside her room.

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Knocking the door of her father's study room, Radhika entered inside.

"Hello, dad."

She smilingly approached him and settled on the couch placed perpendicular to the study table at a distance.

"Hello, bacha..."

Gautum tore his gaze from the file and replied to her enthusiastically. He closed the file and after stretching up a little, he too approached her and settled on the couch beside her.

How your morning is going?" He genuinely asked.

She giggled thinking how her day could be spent with two crazy women around.

"Dramatic."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement but resisted himself from commenting on something which could cause him trouble in future.

"I wanted to discuss a few things."

She said in a serious voice and soon the happy surrounding turned into serious. He frowned at the sudden change.

"Say." He encouraged her to speak her mind.

"Mom told me something about selling most of our assets. I want to know the details."

As soon as he heard the matter, he stiffed and it didn't go unnoticed by the other. A silence followed for the next few minutes. A slow mutter laced with guilt followed.

"It was a lie."

It didn't surprise her because she was very well aware of it. She now just wanted a reason.

"Why?"

His head hangs low, deciding silence as a better option but she wanted her to answer that too now. She pressed his edge more in a serious voice.

"Why nobody knows about the real contract and why did you lie?"

"Noone knows about that contract Vivaan signed with Sneha except me. If she would have married, it was not at all necessary to lie but since the matter turned worse, I had to weave a web of lies."

"Why?" She again said in an authoritative voice.

"For not letting the matter go out of my grip."

She scoffed at his comment. What he was talking about not letting things out of his grip. But the highness didn't know that the beans were already spilt.

"You are well aware of the scam committed in di's administration. Still...why...why are you silent when you should be queried her."

Though the talks were business-oriented, her voice cracked in between, knowing how he took all their blames on his head. He gradually nodded his head with a confirmation.

"Though I was looking at the business from afar, I also discovered the sham just a week before the wedding. And do you think I sit idly after knowing everything? I too try to investigate on my level keeping the matter away from media's holds."

He sounded defeated and tired. She took a long sigh and stated in a monotonous voice, "What has been done can't be undone but the future can be changed."

Gautum turned his gaze at her suspiciously, trying to find what was running inside her brain.

"What you want to say?"

"File case against the suspect."

He rolled his eyes, hearing it and taunted, "You too very well know who is it."

"I know very well." She replied with a smirk.

He shook his head in disbelief.

"Why will she do it?"

"Why will she not do it?"

She countered back with the same fierceness.

"Because we are a family. It is not like I didn't question her. She assured me she will explain everything after she handles some issues."

She huffed at his devoted reply. Why everyone around her had closed his eyes when the needle of accusation landed on Sneha.

"Then how your deary daughter handled her issue - by running away. Well if you want to remain blind, then be so but always remember truth will one day come in limelight. Then how will you save her?" She narrowed her eyes on her father with utter disbelief.

"You saved Vivaan from his deserved humiliation and for months you are hiding Sneha's wrong deeds by taking every blame on your head. Who you are? My father or theirs!!" She couldn't help but shout at his inequality. He lowered his head, silently accepting all the blames.

"Because I am a fatherly figure in their lives too." She grimaced.

"What about me then? Silently watched your blood thrown out."

His eyes went round, hearing this accusation. He could accept anything but not this accusation.

"You were not thrown out. You chose fate. Instead of apologizing decided to leave the home a better option. What could I do when both of you were equally stubborn? Say did I not try to believe you? I did but those proofs just crushed all my belief. I was heartbroken."

She sadly smiled, seeing how he defended himself in this matter.

"What could you not have done, father?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep his tears on the bay.

"You think I really closed my eyes to you and at the end called you for my selfishness." He forwarded his hand to caress her cheek but she slightly moved away from his touch. Nothing could have hurt a father more than witnessing her daughter's eyes full of fury and distrust. But unfortunately, he had gained it. He deserved it.

"You are my daughter and I do have a responsibility to make you feel safe and secured."

His expressions dulled, seeing her father this much defeated. But she was not going to give him false hopes. She told what she thought was right, though with great difficulty.

"Well, you failed in it."

He looked away and painfully he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Why do you think Kavya' brother was doing outside our house?"

"It was a coincidence." She replied with reluctance.

He let out a humourless chuckle.

"Really a planned coincidence. I called him there to take you to your best friend, thinking any of you might change the mind with some time. But no Savitri was rigid on not letting you enter without an apology and you were not conceded to it, in any case. What we could do when you did not even want to talk to us despite every effort. It was you who cut us off, not vice-versa. Leave that you tell who has been paying you all expenses there."

How easy it was to blame others! She was too scared to even see any family member, getting their judgemental stare on her.

She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. She knew who was it but still her heart was not ready to accept this piece of information. Why? Maybe because her ego hurt.

All the time, Mr Gupta, belonging to a middle-class family, was asked about the source of a lump of money for their education, but he always diverted the talk, telling it is their educational loan. Little did she knew it was a facade. Everything was connected.

"You." She replied in a hoarse voice.

"No, Sneha didn't even let me send me a single penny. She, all these years had been timely sending her most of the income selflessly for you and Kavya's education."

Radhika remained silent because she was aware of this fact. That day in the office, Norah provided her with the accounts holder's details. She instantly knew it was she, Always.

"That time you had completed your senior secondary education so I thought maybe a few years of separation will melt everyone's heart and bring everything to normal. But trust me I am very ashamed at what situations our reunion was held."

He sighed and passed her a half-smile. She looked away with a loss of words.

But there was more question which had been bothering her.

"Why you lied that our company's loss only to mom. Why Badi maa is unaware of the loss, her ideal daughter's misdeeds and everything. All the time she was taunting me to grab her daughter's position clearly when in reality, you both begged to return and at last served a very emotional story to trap me in the drama. How naive I was!"

Her lower lips trembled, thinking how easily she was fooled.

"Are you not happy in the marriage?" Her gaze darted at him with a sad smile.

"It doesn't matter now."

"If you want I can talk to Vivaan." He replied with sincerity but she shook her head, refusing his offer.

"No need. Things are going well."

"You dodged my question."

He took a deep sigh tiredly.

"I didn't want to lie to Jiji and resisted Aruna to tell anything about this issue to her, claiming it will increase the unnecessary load. If she ever comes to know I lied, she will never forgive me. Moreover, they don't need to get themselves involved in business matters."

She sneered at his comment.

"You didn't lie but hid the truth."

"No one is guilty until it is proved." He retorted back in a low audible voice.

"You think I will forgive you for everything." She said with great bitterness in her heart.

He took her hand in him and painfully looked into her eyes.

"Don't break this poor heart."

She uncomfortably took her hand away with a loss of words. Never in her life, she has witnessed her father overthrew but her being a reason behind it, anguished her more. She looked away, unable to look into his eyes for one more second.

Soon she composed herself and with a professional voice, said, "My second last question, why you played weaved this series of lies to trap me. If you had ordered, I would have heartedly got married. But you had to make it a business deal."

"I had to lie to make sure that marriage happened without any hurdles, not because of business. That wedding never was a deal to start with. Not for me. I married you off with the same sincerity a father will ever do. The alliance never happened because Vivaan started giving threats about some breach of contract they both signed which would have affected. More than my children's happiness nothing matters. She could have talked before and I gave her a chance to back off much before but she decided to disappear one day before the wedding. You know what condition we were in. All the relatives and friends were present and spicy talks started blowing in the air." He continued.

"Aruna was not able to handle the situation locked herself in the room miserably. Savitri Jiji who always used to walk head high in the society, lowered her head in shame that day, blaming her upbringing. Gayatri's health was not good." He looked at heavenward as his eyes turned glossy.

"Whereas Arun bhaiya and I tried to handle the situation but like that day as your mather said, never once I thought to drag you in the mess but couldn't help but think when bhiya recommended your name."

She looked at his every action keenly with a pained expression. She never thought a day will come she will witness her father defeated in the battle of life.

"The wedding was not to stable the business but to prevent let the names of two mighty families said with laughter and of course not to disappoint a lady who unknown to every going was waiting enthusiastically for her daughter-in-law."

He turned his gaze towards her for a second and found her head lowered. He gradually put his hand on her shoulder to gain her attention.

"Maybe Jiji thinks you grabbed the opportunity. Why don't you try to talk to her and explain how uncalled everything was. Or wait I will talk to her and try to make her understand."

She frowned at his appeal. She did not need him now, maybe not anymore in her life. She considered herself well equipped to face this world alone now. Knowing how her innocence was used, she again felt betrayed and could never get over that guilt of trusting everyone around. She could never forgive herself for being so selfless that others always tried to get benefitted from her.

"No need. Everything is fine between us. Now if you try to talk, she will think I am complaining behind her back."

She stood up and was about to get out of the room, where she felt a strange kind of suffocation now. She stopped in her way when her father's voice was heard.

"You said that was second the last question. What is the last one? End every drama now only and promise these things will not be mentioned again".

She slowly nodded and asked him the question which had been bothering her all the while.

"Are you or bade papa involved in some mafia business?"

He froze hearing her question and scrutinized her for a few minutes.

"What question it is to ask. We are too decent people to mingle with such people." He hesitantly replied.

She scoffed at his comment and taunted him.

"Then why mafia goons are roaming in the office."

He looked at him shockingly and with a stammering voice, he tried to verify if what he heard was right.

"Mafia... In our office."

"You know some data-stealing incidents in our office. Some mafia is behind it."

He quickly took a deep breath and composed himself. He let out a humorous chuckle and commented in a wide fake smile to prove her wrong.

"What mafia will gain in our office?"

"This is the question, I want you to answer." She countered back in a stern voice.

"I am telling last time we to have no such connections with them. You must have mistaken." He replied in an angry tone, realising she was not going to back off. She rolled her eyes at him and ultimately made a verdict.

"You are again aiming to disregard it. Nevermind. Truth doesn't hide for long. I will use my own sources to dig it."

He stood up and approached her promptly.

"No, you are not doing anything." He said in a frightening tone.

"Try me." She smirked and replied with the accelerated intensity.

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