A very Happy New Year to my family 💖✨ Wish this year bring you all lots of happiness 💕 and hope that all your dreams come true 🧿

Sameer placed a call to Pandit.

In just one ring, Pandit's animated voice rang through, 'Mausam ne badla hai rang ya aaj meri shaamat aayi hai... aakhir hua kya hai jo naye aashiq ko purane yaar ki yaad aayi hai.'

'Pandit yaar.' Sameer chuckled, 'Tu Javed Akhtar banne ki koshish mat kar, Pandit ban ja wohi bohot hai tere liye.'

With a sheepish grin, Pandit answered, 'Thori bohot koshish kar raha hun bhai. Shayad sher-o-shayari se hi koi ladki pat jaaye. Mujhe toh darr lagne laga hai ki kahin main kunwara hi buddha na ho jaun.'

'Tu apna dukh dard baad mein sunana pehle meri baat sunn.' Sameer shifted the conversation to the reason of the call, eager to fix the plan, 'Yeh bata Delhi wapas kab aa raha hai?'

'Kal subah.' Pandit said excitedly, 'Shaam ka program banayein? Munna ko bhi call kar de. Ek hafte se...'

Sameer interrupted him in urgent voice, 'Program parson rakhte hain. Kal mujhe tera office chahiye.'

'Hein?' Pandit gasped in shock, 'Bhai ab toh tuney shaadi bhi kar li fir bhi dadaji ne ghar aur business se nikaal diya kya?'

'Pandittt!' Sameer uttered in a frustrated drawl, 'Kabhi toh serious hua kar yaar.' Rubbing his forehead, he explained his requirement in detail, adding in the end, 'Main yeh meeting apne office mein nahi rakhna chahta, na kisi hotel ya cafe mein. Mujhe usse akele milna hai, aur tere office se better jagah nahi ho sakti.'

Pandit readily agreed to make all arrangements.

Sameer had decided upon the place after a lot of contemplation. Pandit's factory was in the outskirts of the city. Within the gated premises was a large area which included godowns and different units for production, welding, polishing and other processes. The office was situated in a newly constructed structure that was equipped with all amenities and designed with modern facilities. Outside the office building, the place was bustling with activity and noise... the rumbling of machinery, constant movement of trucks carrying trailers for transportation, screech of metal as forklifts zipped around with raw materials or finished products. However, the din of outside chaos was not carried through the soundproof office walls, making the place a perfect choice for this meeting. It served his purpose to meet Anuj where he could talk without the need to ensure that no prying eyes or ears were lurking around. He did not want any known person walking on them either. This place would allow him to maintain control over the situation, without leaving any opportunity for Anuj to walk out before he was done with the latter.

Satisfied, he sent the location to Anuj the next morning.

'Yeh kaisi jagah hai?' Anuj gaped at his phone in tension.

He had not revealed anything about the meeting or Sameer's call to Tina. Else Tina would have insisted to come along. Or even if she agreed to not go with him, she would have followed him secretly. She was always ready to support him, he was aware. But sometimes he wished she would let him handle things himself. All of the present issues had cropped up because Tina had been hell bent upon letting Naina know of the decision to sell their flat. He could never understand the reason. Once Naina was out of their lives, he wanted her to stay that way. The unnecessary interaction had created one problem after the other. He feared his father in law would get a whiff of Sameer's relationship with his sister, and it would lead to a new set of complications in his life. No matter how much Anuj cared for Tina or respected her father for giving him a foothold in life, he couldn't ignore the uncomfortable truth that both of them were self-centered, their love for him mainly depending on what was most beneficial to them. He knew Bansal wouldn't hesitate to exploit the situation. Anuj was also aware that he was in no position to influence Maheshwaris regarding the ongoing deal of the hotel chain. But he could not say so to Bansal. Not after his failure at Ahmedabad.

He glanced at the address sent by Sameer. The place would be at least two hours away from here. As much as he knew, it was an industrial area. Did Maheshwaris own some industrial unit there? Probably that was the reason. Or did Sameer have some sinister plans? Could he be similar to Bansal in his dealings... ruthless and using people as pawns?

A chill ran down Anuj's spine.

*****

It was fifteen minutes past four when Anuj entered the premises of the factory. Upon giving his name to the guard, he was shown the way to the office.

'Hi Anuj.' Sameer smiled pleasantly the moment he entered the plush room.

Anuj slightly nodded, cleared his throat and looked around. There was no one besides the two of them. He diverted his gaze back to Sameer, curiosity lacing his voice, 'Tumne mujhe yahan kyon bulaya?'

Sameer's smile was intact as he pointed at the comfortable sofa chair, 'Milne ke liye. Aur kuch baatein karne ke liye... jinmein hum dono ka faayda ho.'

When Sameer settled on one of the chairs, the one adjacent to what he was gesturing at, Anuj slowly took the seat, his brows furrowed as he looked at Sameer, 'Faayda? Maine tumhe pehle hi bataya tha ki hotels ki deal ki saari terms final ho chuki hain. Ab unmein koi change nahi ho sakta.'

'It ain't over... till it's over.' Sameer gave him a mysterious smirk.

Anuj adjusted himself in the seat, trying to mask his discomfort, 'Dekho Sameer, tum papa ke saath business kar rahey ho. Main unke kaam mein interfere nahi karta. Isliye woh sab discuss karna useless hai. Rahi baat hamari, toh meri tumse na koi dushmani hai na dosti. Achha hoga agar aisa hi rahey. Tumne Naina se shaadi ki hai, toh uske saath rishta rakho. Mera na usse koi lena dena hai na uski nayi family se. Yeh baat woh bhi achhi tarah jaanti hai, isliye shaadi ke baare mein bataya tak nahi.'

'Toh tumne usey ghar sell karne ke baare mein kyon bataya?' Sameer shot the question instantly, his tone serious.

Anuj was taken aback for a few moments. He had not expected Sameer to talk about the house, since Naina had already stepped back and had not called him in this regard since long. Sameer's dark eyes bored into him, demanding an answer.

'Main... main kyon chupata? Kuch galat thori kar raha tha. Bas inform karne ke liye bataya.' Anuj stammered a bit, looking away.

'Hmm.' Sameer nodded in understanding, 'Yeh bhi sahi hai. Ghar toh tumhara hi hai. Naina ka usmein koi share tha hi nahi.'

The statement gave Anuj some confidence. He asserted in a stronger voice, 'Correct. Mere papa ne sab kuch mere naam pe kiya tha. Fir bhi Naina ghar ke liye jhagda kar rahi thi. Uska right hamari kisi cheez par nahi hai.'

Sameer pressed his lips to suppress the wave of anger that flashed within him. If he had to take the game ahead, he couldn't show his true feelings yet. Bringing forced sympathy in his tone, he asked, 'Lekin shayad tumhe paison ki zarurat aa gayi hai, jiske liye Naina tumhe apni salary se ek amount transfer kar rahi thi, kuch mahino tak.'

Anuj swallowed nervously as he stumbled over his words, 'Na... nahi. Woh actually... woh Tina ne kaha tha... I mean, Naina ghar khareedne ke liye... matlab... usne mujhse kaha ki woh chahti hai ki main ghar usey de dun isliye...'

'De do?' Sameer quirked up a brow, his face blank, 'You mean, woh tumse free mein lene ki koshish kar rahi thi?' He then rolled his eyes, 'Inn ladkiyon ka bhi samajh nahi aata. Jab main kehta hun ki chalo Naina tumhare naam pe ek naya ghar le lete hain toh saaf manaa kar deti hai aur tumhe ek chote se flat ke liye instalments mein payment kar rahi hai.' Looking at Anuj, he scrunched his nose, as if sharing a secret, 'Tumhari behen shuru se aisi hi hai kya? Mujhe bhi bohot confuse kar deti hai.'

Anuj wasn't sure Sameer was taking his side or was defending Naina.

Getting no answer, Sameer let out a sigh, 'Anyway, yeh sab choro. Waise mujhe tumse kehna tha ki agar tumhe koi financial help chahiye toh mujhe batao. Tumhe jitne paise chahiye main dunga. Naina se thora thora karke kab tak business ke liye paise juta paoge. Tell me, how much you need.'

Again, Anuj was shocked at the offer. Nervously running his hand through his hair, he muttered, 'Nahi aisa toh... aisa kuch nahi hai. Maine manage kar liya.'

'Oh!' Sameer's eyes widened in appreciation, 'Itni jaldi manage kar liya? Tum toh bari pohonchi hui cheez ho saale.'

At Anuj's startled expression, Sameer laughed and smacked his shoulder, 'Arey gaali nahi de raha hun. Hamara rishta hi aisa hai toh aur kya kahun tumhe. Tum meri wife ke bhai ho isliye saale hi hue na. Saale ko saala hi toh bolunga.'

Anuj shifted uncomfortably in his seat, 'Uh... actually mujhe ab nikalna chahiye. Tina ke saath dinner par jaana hai. Uske friends...'

'Abhi se kaise?' Sameer interrupted him, the smile not leaving his face, 'Abhi toh kaam ki baatein shuru hui hain.'

'Kaam ki baatein?' Anuj narrowed his eyes, 'Kaunsa kaam?'

'Tumhara business.' Sameer stated calmly, 'Main usmein invest karna chahta hun. Tum itne smart ho ki itni jaldi funds arrange kar liye iska matlab achhe businessman bhi hogey. Mera bhi kuch faayda ho jaane do saale sahab. Aakhir ghar ki hi baat hai. Batao, kya structure hai tumhare kaam ka. Kis stage par hai, kya plans hain, financial projection kya hai, kis market ko aim kar rahe ho... tell me about it.'

Anuj's stared at Sameer in disbelief.

Suddenly, Sameer leaned ahead, and pressed on, 'Bolo Anuj. Aisa kaunsa business hai jiske liye tumhe achanak apna parental home bechne ki zarurat par gayi? Aur fir achanak funds ka arrangement bhi ho gaya. Agar itna easy tha toh tumne Naina par paise dene ka pressure kyon daala, yeh jaante hue bhi ki woh apni salary mein se tumhe paise degi?'

Anuj stayed quiet. He could fool Naina, but this was Sameer... Sameer Maheshwari. He wouldn't even try.

Sameer straightened up, his expression hardening as he remarked in a low but menacing voice, 'Business kar rahey ho toh ek advice hai... Ahmedabad wali galti dobara mat karna.'

Colour drained from Anuj's face. His eyes shot up to Sameer, searching his expressions. Sameer kept looking at him, his face stoic.

Anuj blinked, trying to appear nonchalant, 'Ky... kya galti? I don't know what you're saying.'

'Oh really?' Sameer leaned back, crossing his arms as he studied Anuj with a scrutinizing gaze, 'Ahmedabad wala hotel tum hi dekh rahey they na. Aisa kya hua jo Mr Bansal ne tumhe wahan se wapas bula liya? Aur achanak usey bechne ka plan kar liya. Kyon?'

Anuj's confidence, which was already oscillating, cracked at this unexpected turn. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple as he chewed his lower lip, wondering how Sameer got a whiff of it. He had managed to hide the Ahmedabad incident from everyone, even Tina. It had costed him a fortune, but he did not care, as long as his name was not linked to the whole thing.

Then how the hell did it reach Sameer!

Sameer's voice sliced through the silence in the room, 'Let's make a deal.'

Anuj blurted in shock and alarm, 'Deal? Tum mujhe blackmail karoge?'

Sameer's lips curved into a mocking smile, 'You think so? Well, tum isey blackmail ka naam dena chaho toh tumhari marzi. Main ek businessman hun isliye isey deal kahunga.'

Anuj fell silent. He fished out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat on his face, which the strong air conditioning failed to curb.

Sameer laid out the bait in carefully planned words, 'Main kisi ko kuch nahi kahunga. Na Mr Bansal ko na Tina ko meri wajah se kuch bhi pata chalega. Hotels toh hum khareed hi rahey hain. Sab kuch pehle ke jaisa hi chalta rahega.'

'Mujhse kya chahte ho?' Anuj countered, knowing fully well that his side of bargain was yet to be revealed.

Sameer took a deep breath before uttering in a heavy voice, 'Apne parents ka ghar Naina ko de do.'

The words did not elicit a response from Anuj immediately. He kept staring at Sameer, a look of confusion prevailing in his eyes. Sameer realised the reason for the same when he finally spoke, 'Matlab tum woh ghar Naina ke liye khareedna chahte ho?'

Sameer clenched his fists. Had it been that easy, had Naina let him buy the house, none of this would have been required.

With his eyes fixed on Anuj, he said in a cold, detached voice, 'Nahi. Tum apni marzi se woh ghar Naina ke naam karoge. Yeh koi sauda nahi, balki ek bhai ka gift hoga, apni behen ko.' And then he added in a tone of sarcastic humour, 'At least sabko aisa hi lagna chahiye.'

It took a while for Anuj to let the gravity of Sameer's offer sink in. Giving away the house to Naina would be a defeat, in the eyes of his wife. Tina would not be able to accept it. Not that he wanted to do anything for his sister ever, but Tina would see it as a blow to her pride. She wasn't used to losing control. And letting Naina have the house would appear as though he had taken Naina's side against her. Anuj clenched his jaw, the scenario of Tina's reaction playing in his mind. He wasn't sure which was worse... dealing with her wrath or giving in to Sameer's demands.

Sameer noticed the flicker of fear in Anuj's eyes, combined with uncertainty. While Anuj was struggling to find a way out of the mess that had unfolded, he tightened the noose. In a challenging tone, he declared, 'I'm not forcing you. Accept karna na karna tumhari marzi hai. Lekin uske baad, mere paas jo information hai uska kya karna hai... woh bhi meri marzi pe depend karega.'

A hint of desperation crept up in Anuj's voice as he pleaded, 'Kya hum kisi aur cheez ka exchange nahi kar sakte? Kuch bhi... uss ghar ke alava.' A sliver of hope shone in his eyes, 'Main ek better flat de dunga Naina ko. Woh society toh kaafi purani hai. Ghar bhi purana hai. Usse bara ghar, better location, zyada value ka.'

Sameer almost laughed at Anuj's naivety, but when he spoke, there was no trace of humour in his threatening tone, 'Naina ek aankh uthakar jis ghar ko dekh le usey main ek din mein Naina ke liye khareed sakta hun. Tumhe kya lagta hai, yeh ghar usey iski monetary value ke liye chahiye? Anuj, tum shayad value ka matlab jaante hi nahi ho. Jo cheez paison se toli jaa sakey woh kitni bhi keemti ho, zarurat parne par bechi jaa sakti hai. Lekin kuch cheezen priceless hoti hain. Unki keemat lagayi hi nahi jaa sakti. Kam se kam unke liye nahi jinke liye woh dil ka ek hissa ban jaati hain.' He scoffed, looking away, 'Par tum yeh sab nahi samajh sakte.'

He paused, letting the silence of each second amplify the tension, then stated in a steady, authoritative voice, 'Ya toh yeh ghar ya tumhare karnaamon ka khulasa. Faisla tumhara hai.'

The stakes were too high for Anuj to even argue. He nodded, a look of defeat stretched across his face. A slow smile eased Sameer's features. He pulled out a document from under the table and placed it in front of Anuj.

Anuj's eyes filled with surprise as he glanced at the paper. It was a notarized document which stated that he, Anuj, was willingly transfering the parental house to his sister as a gift. He would have no stake on it in future and would not claim any right on it henceforth. No other family member could claim ownership on the property either since the house solely belonged to him through his father's inheritance. The document already bore signature of two witnesses, neither of whom Anuj was familiar with. But he knew better than to raise a question on it. Quietly, he took the pen Sameer offered and signed on the dotted line over his name.

Sameer placed the document back in the folder and carefully put it in his bag.

Leaning back in the chair, he flashed a smile, 'Agar tum apne hisse ka bargain poora karoge toh main bhi apni baat se peeche nahi hatunga. Kisi ko kuch pataa nahi chalega. Lekin agar tumne kisi ko bhi... kisi ko se mera matlab koi bhi, chahe woh tumhari biwi hi kyon na ho... kisiko bhanak tak lagne di ki hum miley they aur hamare beech kya discuss hua toh Ahmedabad ki saari baat sirf Mr Bansal hi nahi, police tak bhi jaa sakti hai. Aur yeh sirf dhamki nahi hai. Mere paas poori file hai jismein tumhare kiye har karname ka saboot hai.'

'Nahi.' Anuj quickly shook his head, his face tight with fear, 'Main kisi ke saamne koi baat nahi karunga. Yeh topic aaj yahin khatm... mere liye bhi aur tumhare liye bhi.'

'Done.' Sameer shrugged, 'Mujhe bhi tumse dubara milne mein koi interest nahi hai. Aur Naina, usey toh tumse koi umeed hai hi nahi.' A strong streak of contempt shone in his eyes as his lips thinned in anger, 'Hoti bhi kaise tum jaise bhai se. Jisey na kisi rishte ki kadr hai na family ke maayne pataa hain.'

The sour taste of defeat made Anuj snap out in a bitter voice, 'Naina ne tumhe kya bataya hai mujhe nahi pataa. Par yeh toh nazar aa raha hai ki usne tumhe koi aisi kahani sunayi hai jahan usne mujhe villian aur khud ko ek bechari, kamzor, sataayi hui ladki dikhaya hai. Sach baat toh yeh hai ki rishton ki, family ki kadr usey nahi hai. Isiliye aaj uski wajah se mera future, Tina ke saath mera rishta, Tina ki family mein mera status... sab daanv par lag gaya.' A dry smile appeared on his lips while his eyes filled with hatred, 'Naina kya hai yeh main jaanta hun. Woh ek zeher hai, jis cheez ke paas jaati hai usey khatm kar deti hai. Pehle mummy ko, fir mere dreams ko, papa ko... usne sab kuch jalaa daala. Dekh lena, ek din woh tumhe bhi...'

Sameer had been holding himself back with immense difficulty, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles had turned white. But hearing the last lines, his restraint snapped. Like a bolt of lightning, he surged ahead, his fist colliding with Anuj's face in such a forceful blow that the latter tumbled over and crashed onto the floor on the other side of the sofa.

Sameer bent down and picked him up by collar, his eyes burning with fury as he hissed through gritted teeth, 'Naina ke liye ek shabd aur kaha toh yahan se zinda wapas nahi jaa payega. Woh ab akeli nahi hai jisey tu aur teri biwi apna punching bag samjho. Meri warning hai, tum dono ke liye... bol dena apni wife ko... agar dubara Naina ke saamne toh kya uske peeth peeche bhi uske baare mein kuch bola toh tum dono ka aisa haal karunga ki tumhare paas na paisa rahega na yeh tevar. Jis class aur status pe itne itrate ho na, usey tumhare pairon ke neeche se carpet ki tarah kheench lunga. Jab muh ke bal mitti mein giroge tab asliyat samajh ayegi, ki asli zeher kaun hai.'

Anuj's eyes widened, panic setting in as he realized that it wasn't an empty threat. There was a resolve beneath Sameer's rage that left no doubt in his mind. He gulped, staring into Sameer's venomous eyes.

For a moment, Sameer contemplated whether to release all his frustrations and beat this man to a pulp. But as his gaze fell upon Anuj's pale, terrified face, he held himself back. The sight of Anuj trembling, his shoulders hunched in defeat, stirred an odd sense of triumph within him. He didn't need to resort to violence. What he needed was done. He had procured Naina's house for her, without breaking the promise of not buying it himself.

*****

Anuj gritted his teeth as he drove back towards the city. He had never dreamt that the same mistake would resurface to haunt him again. If not for that one blunder, Sameer could have never pressurized him to give up the house. The humiliation stung, but the fear of his carefully constructed life falling apart was worse. The thought of revealing the news to Tina filled him with dread. She wouldn't be able to accept it, more so when she had no idea what was bought in exchange of it. She did not care about money, but the loss of control, of power over Naina was what would make her go mad. If only he had a way to make her believe that he had sold the house to someone and not given it to Naina.

Anuj's eyes narrowed. The idea seemed feasible. For now, he would say that he met a buyer who was ready to make the deal. And later he would get fake documents prepared, a false sale deed. Tina would not be able to identify the fake documents, just like she couldn't at the time in Ahmedabad.

Anuj drew in a long breath. It was his greed that had prompted him to go ahead with such a risky preposition at that time. In his defense, it had sounded quite lucrative then.

He had been given the charge of the Ahmedabad hotel since two months when it happened. Tina mostly stayed in Delhi because she didn't want to put her social life on hold. It gave Anuj more freedom to run the place, away from Tina's controlling habits. On one occasion, he was informed by the manager about a party being hosted in the basement club which required liquor to be served. Gujarat being a dry state, liquor wasn't readily available. But the hotel had permit to serve it to its guests so it wasn't an issue. The party was thrown by a boy in his late twenties, to celebrate his birthday. His friends mostly looked like college going students though. Anuj asked the manager about their age and he showed the id confirmation that they were all above the legal permissible age to drink. While the party was on, Anuj went down to check if everything was going smoothly.

That is when he overheard the conversation of a group of youngsters which revealed that they were school students. At that time, he panicked and rushed to the manager who was equally shocked. When they confronted the host, the boy shrugged it off, saying that they were friends of his younger brother and were here just to see what a five star party looked like. But when the younger lot was denied drinks at the bar, the same guy came to Anuj's room to let the party go on for now, saying that they would settle the matter between them after the party. A commotion would have drawn everyone's attention to this, so Anuj had stayed quiet for the time.

Later, the boy offered Anuj a lucrative offer. He and several of his friends needed a place where they could hold such parties. Since the club in the hotel was in the basement area, it did not disturb regular guests, making it a convenient option. The boy assured Anuj that the deal between them would remain a secret. All Anuj had to do was to keep his own staff away. They would bring their own helpers, and serve themselves. In return, they would pay him a steady amount every month. Anuj was initially hesitant. But when the boy placed a thick envelope in his hands, and pressed his arm to thank him for cooperation, Anuj felt a sense of importance that he had never felt in his life. Money made the deal easier. He even agreed to arrange for fake id for the the ones who were not of legal drinking age.

Once the parties started in the club, he was approached by some friends of the same boy, who also wanted to plan their parties in the same manner. They all treated Anuj like a king. When the matter of drugs came to his attention, Anuj turned a blind eye after being paid an additional amount to remain silent. The manager, who was not involved in these events once complained to Anuj that he feared the boys were getting underage friends and probably serving them drinks too. But Anuj assured him that he was keeping a check on things and showed him the ids that he had procured for the group. The manager believed him because Anuj was the one who was worried about the same matter initially.

All wrong things come with an expiration date and for Anuj that date arrived in the form of a police officer one morning, a few months later. He told Anuj that he was aware of the shady business that was going on in the hotel and threatened him with consequences, saying that he was planning a raid on the hotel with his team. Seeing the ashen look on Anuj's face, he smirked, and offered to turn a blind eye if Anuj shared half of his earnings with him. Having no option, Anuj agreed.

But within a month, the officer called up one night, telling that someone had complained about the parties and he couldn't avoid the raid anymore. Anuj barely had the time to hide some youngsters and stash away the drugs that were being consumed openly before a police team barged into the club. Since all those were present had required ids, the fake ones of course, police could not find anything objectionable except a group that was caught in the backside garden area with a few bottles in their possession. By rule of the state, bottles were not allowed to be handed to the guests. Anuj was threatened with a case against the hotel for flouting this rule. He had to part with a lot of money to get it dismissed, without letting the news go out. But he had to surrender the liquor permit of the hotel, barring him from serving it at the hotel.

He had gotten away by telling Bansal that everything was in order in the party. It was only because of the boys who smuggled in their own bottles that had caused the trouble. His father in law had been preoccupied with his health issues at that time. He did not pry much and took his word for it. Since the profits spiralled down after losing the liquor permit, he decided to sell the property. Tina, obviously did not get a whiff of it either.

In order to keep his own misdeeds under wraps, Anuj had to pay a huge amount to the inspector, and also to some of the hotel staff. Over the months, he had started to get comfortable, thinking that the issue had died a natural death. He wasn't aware that a staff member whom he had paid was the one who had provided all this information to the private investigator from Delhi. If Anuj could buy him with money, so could others.

Next update on Tuesday or Wednesday