Part 18 Mastermind

"The call was from Nigeria," Said Bhashyam.

All of them automatically turned towards Ranjith who panicked.

"Why are you guys looking at me?" he stammered.

"You know very well why we are looking at you," said NK.

"Why?" Bhashyam asked.

"He has a friend in Nigeria, sir,"

"So, what? Just because I have a friend in Nigeria, will you say I corrupted our server?" Ranjith asked.

"Why won't we think so when you could accuse Khushi?" NK said.

"Whaaaat? Did he accuse Khushi? But why?" Bhashyam asked shockingly.

"He said Khushi is the one who corrupted our server as she wants to became the team head, sir," Aman said.

"Is it? How could you blame anyone blindly? Why did you accuse her pointlessly? She just joined our company. How could she think of becoming the team head?"

"Sir, she completed the project alone. That's what made me doubt her" Ranjith said.

"Did she complete the project alone?" Bhashyam asked stunned.

"Yes, sir... she completed it... the project is in this hard disk," Arnav said.

"But... how is it possible?"

"It's possible for her, sir. She helped us with the project yesterday when we asked her. She helped us without hesitation but Ranjith blamed her for the corruption that occurred in our server, sir" Arnav said.

"Not only Khushi, he is always nagging ASR for being the team head, sir," Aman complained.

"But why?"

"He wants to be the team head. That's why, sir,"

"You? But you don't know R language, right?" Bhashyam asked.

Ranjith bowed down.

"Without learning ABCD, how could you write a poetry?" Bhashyam asked sarcastically.

Ranjith was silent.

"Don't you think you wish beyond your capacity? Why didn't you guys bring this issue to my attention?" he asked, looking at others.

"ASR didn't want to create a scene over this issue, sir..." Aman said.

"Do you have a friend in Nigeria?" Bhashyam asked Ranjith.

"He was there, sir. I don't know now if he is there..."

"Give his phone number,"

"Phone number? I missed it, sir,"

"Missed it? How?" he raised his brows.

"I missed it as I formatted my phone,"

"Is it? OK, give me your phone"

"Why sir?"

"To make a call... my phone has no balance"

"I too don't have balance, sir"

"Give me your phone," Bhashyam asked strictly.

"Do you doubt me?"

"Yes..."

"This is not fair, sir. How could you doubt me?"

"If you are not wrong, why are you hesitating?"

"I don't have to prove myself to the ones who don't trust me. I'm resigning my job..." Ranjith said with attitude.

Taking his bag, he walked. Bhashyam gestured to Arnav something. He blocked Ranjith's way. In no time, Aman and NK held his hands on either side. Taking his phone from his pocket, Arnav pressed his thumb on the censor and unlocked it. Bhashyam told the Nigerian number and Arnav typed it on Ranjith's phone.

The name *Ruban* flashed on the screen. Arnav showed it to everyone.

"So, the hacker is your friend..." Bhashyam asked.

"I know nothing about the corruption, sir," Ranjith said.

"Oh... Aman, call the police. They will find out what he knows" Bhashyam said.

"Sir, why, sir?" Ranjith asked.

"I want to know who is behind this issue. How did the hacker exactly call my number and ask for money? Don't I want to know that?"

Ranjith shrugged Aman and NK and clutched Bhashyam's legs.

"sir, please don't call the police. I will tell the truth. It's me who corrupted the server. I'm sorry sir... please forgive me. I will ask my friend to release our server"

All of them looked at him shockingly.

"How cheap...! Why did you do that?"

"To defeat Arnav" he looked down.

"Stupid... this is not Arnav's defeat but our company's... can't you understand this simple thing?"

"No, sir... I asked my friend to hold this for only two days. He would have released it after the last day of the project submission,"

"If it is so, why did he ask ten lakhs?" NK asked.

"I don't know... trust me... I'm unaware of it,"

"After doing all the cheap things, you blamed Khushi without hesitation... don't you have shame?" Arnav asked.

"Sir, please save me. I will get the project back"

"No need... We have the project already..." NK said.

"Wait... I'm giving you a chance. Talk to your friend" Bhashyam said.

"Thank you, sir"

Ranjith called his friend through his mobile but his friend's phone was switched off. Ranjith looked at Bhashyam miserably.

"His phone was switched off, sir"

"What do you want me to do now?"

"Sir, I will give the money to release our server, sir," he pleaded.

Bhashyam looked at him folding his hands.

"Do you know what can I do to you?"

Ranjith gulped down.

"What do you think? You are smart?"

He nodded no.

"Did you call the police?" Bhashyam asked Aman.

"Yes, sir"

"Sir, please, don't do this to me, Sir... I will resign. Please let me go. I won't be in India"

"Will you go to Nigeria?"

Ranjith was stuck.

"You can't go there... it needs a brain that you don't have"

They saw the police entering. Ranjith was horrified.

"Sir, please, sir..."

Bhashyam looked away without giving heed to his plea. The police took him with them.

Bhashyam turned to Khushi.

"By the way, Khushi, congratulations" he shook hands with her.

"Thank you, sir"

"But, how did you do that?" he asked unbelievably.

"She has a supercomputer inside her head, sir," NK said teasingly.

"Maybe..." Bhashyam laughed.

Bhashyam looked at Arnav and said,

"My computer is working. You can add the project to our site through that,"

"I think, Khushi should do that..." Arnav said.

Khushi looked at him getting stuck.

"Will you?" Bhashyam asked.

"No, sir... I DON'T KNOW how to add it to the site" Khushi said hurriedly.

Arnav looked at her with a sarcastic look, like, 'DON'T YOU KNOW?'

Khushi didn't look at him. She didn't want to takeover Arnav's job.

"Do one thing... both of you go to my room. Khushi, learn from Arnav to add it to our site. I'm going to the police station to file a complaint"

Khushi looked at Arnav who nodded ok.

"Good, go and do it. We will send it tomorrow, as per what we planned"

Arnav looked at Khushi,

"Shall we?"

She nodded ok. They went to Bhashyam's cabin. Arnav pushed the CEO chair aside and arranged two chairs in front of the computer. He gestured for Khushi to sit. She took a seat, making herself up not to look at Arnav. Arnav connected the hard disk and checked the project segments. He was awestruck seeing the excellence of her work. He saw her watching the computer screen.

"Your work is amazing," he said.

Khushi smiled mildly.

"You studied at IIT Allahabad, right?" Arnav asked as he wanted to know about her. it would help him to sort the issue between them.

She nodded yes.

"Did you get a seat at Allahabad IIT only?" operating the mouse.

"I applied at IIT Allahabad only"

"Why particularly Allahabad?" he asked looking at her.

"It's my native. I was there until a month ago"

"Is not Delhi your native?" he lifted his brows.

She nodded no.

"Then why did you come to Delhi?" He frowned.

Khushi was stuck. Should she tell him the truth? If she didn't tell the truth to Arnav, to whom she could? Taking a deep breath, she said,

"I came to Delhi for treatment," She said meeting his eyes.

Now, Arnav was stuck. He didn't know asking about her treatment would make sense.

"Actually, it's a psychiatric treatment. It started from the time I got my previous birth memories" Khushi said looking at the computer screen.

Arnav looked at her shockingly. Psychiatric treatment?

"There is a Psychiatrist called Avinash in the next building. After coming to Delhi, I used to visit him every week for counseling. That was when I saw you the other day. Before I met you, my doctor tried to change my mind and make me forget you but he could not...! Now, he gave up" she said rotating her finger ring.

Arnav was looking at her stunned. Was she under treatment? What did that mean? Was her previous birth story true? Arnav became curious to know about her more.

To be continued...