Randhir had spent the better part of the morning trying to gather his wits and to reach Sanyukta on the phone. When he woke up in his room it was nine in the morning and his head was throbbing. The events of the night were a blur and he struggled to remember, trying to piece them together. He could clearly recall the passionate kiss he had shared with Sanyukta before leaving her in Tanya's room and heading back to his own room for the meeting.

The meeting had  left him feeling powerless, stressed and conflicted. While his parents continued to chat with their business partner he had swigged some shots of vodka from the half empty bottle lying on the side table, trying to come to terms with the challenging new situation. He was used to handling his alcohol and had never lost control. But based on how he was feeling something was surely amiss. He wondered if someone had slipped something into the vodka because as much as he tried he could not recall what had happened afterwards and how he ended up sprawled on the bed dressed only in his boxers. His clothes lay strewn on the luggage rack. 

Mercifully his phone lay next to him on the bed. He tried calling both Sanyukta and Tanya but their phones were switched off. He took a few minutes in the bathroom and put on a set of fresh clothes. When he went across to Tanya's room the housekeeping crew were servicing the room and informed him that the guest had checked out earlier in the morning. He could not stomach the idea of trying Vishad's phone or his room so he returned to his own room and started to pack, continuing to try Sanyukta's number continuously. It was still switched off.

Finally he tried Parth's phone and a sleepy voice answered. Neither Parth nor Vidushi had any clue about Sanyukta's or Tanya's whereabouts but Parth mentioned that their parents had left the resort as soon as the meeting was over. After a brief conversation Parth had gone back to sleep. The young couple had had a tiring day followed by a long night. After a moment's hesitation Randhir called on Anju's number and was disappointed to know that that it was unreachable. Randhir hopped over to the coffee shop to grab some black coffee and breakfast. He downed an aspirin with some orange juice and forced himself to have a little buttered toast with his coffee. After what seemed like an eternity his phone screen came alive, it was a reply from Sanyukta. 

"Hi Randhir, sorry I left early!" The words flashed.

  "What's wrong with you, Mowgli? I've been trying your number all morning! You left abruptly without telling me, I've been so worried!" He was both relieved and agitated at the same time.

"I am fine, I got home safely!" The words seemed innocuous yet something about them made him feel uncomfortable.

"Perhaps it is my fault. Mowgli, I  am sorry I about last night, the meeting just went on and on. The next thing I remember is waking up in bed in that room." Randhir's words 

"I heard about someone called Nicole and you. Is it true?" Sanyukta's hand trembled as the words formed on the screen while she typed. It was agonising to be told about it from a third party.

"Who told you this?" Her heart sank a little more at Randhir's reply. She was expecting an emphatic denial.

"A very reliable source did! Now please tell me, Randhir! Is it true?" She was hoping against hope.

"After I left you in Tanya's room I had a meeting with my parents and Rakesh Garg, our business partner. Nicole is his daughter, younger sister to his son Rohan. Our parents want us to get hitched to cement our business relationship. They have discussed it for some time now but they brought it up just yesterday." Randhir struggled to find words to get the message across. He could not reveal how eager his mother had been to obtain his consent the previous night. 

"And have you agreed to the match?" Sanyukta had to know the answer after what had happened yesterday.

"I have asked for time to mull over the matter!" His reply was brief but for Sanyukta it felt as if her world had come crashing down. Her presence around him was as insignificant as the little magic that had recently experienced. Maybe she had read too much into his eagerness.

"So there never was and never shall be an us, isn't it?" There was no point in beating around the bush, she knew the answer to that question.

"Mowgli, listen, matters are so complicated I am not sure how to negotiate around them. I need time to sort things out." He was not lying or exaggerating,  .

"I am sure you knew what was due, Randhir, I am sorry but I have to go!" She signed off, fresh tears running down her cheeks. Somebody pushed a box of tissues closer to her.

Randhir cupped his throbbing temple with his palms as he shut his eyes in despair. He had never felt so miserable in a long time. Something perfect had been nipped in the bud even before it began. His instinct had cautioned him against drawing too close to Sanyukta, he knew that their distancing was inevitable. Yet a part of him had ached for her and still wanted to spirit her away for himself.

"I suppose you now have proof of what I have tried to explain to you all morning, Sanyukta! Partnerships in business families are always based on parity of stature. It applied in his father's case so it shall be apply in Randhir's case too. He is his generation's largest stakeholder in the Shekhawat fortunes. After so  much time, money and aspirations he has invested in the US his future is at risk unless he marries Nicole. He would have to let go not only what is important for him but also for his father. It was my husband's dream to see the business expanded overseas.

If what you feel for Randhir is genuine then let him soar like an eagle to dizzying heights. It takes a bigger person to let go rather than to cling to someone and limit his boundaries. But as your mother's daughter I suppose you know that already." Renuka weighed every word before expressing herself to the girl who sat before her looking shattered emotionally.

"Had you asked me yesterday I would be prepared to let go. But something changed between us last night. I can feel it in my bones. I am afraid I cannot regress anymore." She could not say it aloud that their bodies and souls had united.

"Do you know how I found out about what happened to you in that room last night? The person you were with came to me and confessed, and it was not Randhir. Randhir never left his room after the meeting. He woke up in his own bed." Renuka's face was impassive as she opened a certain folder on her phone and slid it toward Sanyukta to allow her to view the images. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the girl blanch visibly. 

Sanyukta's blood ran cold as image after image revealed that someone whom she had abhorred for years, in bed next to her naked body. Revulsion hit her along with a wave of nausea and she rushed to the bathroom.

She was white as a sheet when she finally emerged. She noticed that Renuka was deleting the folder filled with those damaging images.

"Sit down, Sanyukta. Here, sip some water!" Renuka poured the girl some water in a glass. She just managed to take a few sips.

"No, these pictures are as fake as they are vile. I knew I was with Randhir last night, I know his presence, I cannot make a mistake." Her face suddenly looked determined.

"It is possible that you wanted to be with him so badly that it you imagined it was him when in reality it was Vishad who was so drunk he did not recognise who he was in bed with. He let himself into the room using a spare key. You were lying in his girlfriend's bed after all, and according to him the act was fully consensual. You did not need any persuasion." The panic-stricken look on Sanyukta's face told Renuka she had found her mark.

"No, that cannot be true. Where was Tanya during the time? She was surely with Vishad in his room!" Sanyukta blurted out her reasoning.

"She was in his room but not with him, she was alone. She waited a long time for him and tried to reach him on his phone but Vishad's phone battery had died. When she asked the hotel staff to use the master key to let herself into the room she found Vishad and you in bed together. She's the one who took the pictures before storming out of the room. She ran straight to me in a flustered state just to show me proof of why she was finally breaking up with Vishad. That poor girl would not listen to any voice of reason even when I tried to convince her that it was merely a case of mistaken identity. So you see, Sanyukta, your little adventure has caused more damage than you could ever imagine!" Renuka paused for a while letting the truth sink in.

"I know we should let this uncomfortable truth slide but if word got out it will shake Anju to the core. In her delicate state I don't think she can bear to know that her daughter, who claims to desire one man, actually ended up spending a night of passion with his cousin." Renuka deliberately concealed another vital piece of information. She did not hint at what would happen if Randhir found out about Sanyukta and Vishad.