The Runaway Bridegroom (22 page)

   He looked at Samrat and asked him directly, “Are you telling me all there is to say?”

   Samrat eyed Abhimanyu. Why would he give the man all the information? What if he turned out to be a gossip and told everyone that Chanda had been married as a kid? Samrat thought on his feet. Well, the Maheshwaris had trusted him - Samrat - with that information. So why not one more person, even if he was Chanda’s office colleague? What in case he could help him? If nothing, Abhimanyu had given him a lot of time, listening to his tale. Samrat decided to tell him some more.

   “I hope I can trust you with a top secret,” he said.

   Abhimanyu wondered what he had to say. It looked like he had become a confidant lately, what with Ranveer telling him his life story and now Samrat wanting to tell him about Chanda’s, probably. He just nodded.

   “The information I’m giving you cannot go beyond these four walls. I hope you understand. Otherwise, I’ll be compromising my client.” Abhimanyu nodded once again.

   “Well, actually, Chanda had been married as a kid. She was eight when she got married to Veerendra Choudhry. Only, the bridegroom ran away immediately after the wedding ceremony.”

   “What makes you think that you might find the errant bridegroom at RS Software?” asked Abhimanyu, not having caught on the mine of information that was being imparted to him. He had failed to add two and two together.

   “I know this might sound odd, but then the whole situation is extremely peculiar. I don’t know whether you have heard of Vidyasagar, the famous astrologer in Jaipur. Well, he has predicted that Chanda would get back together with her missing husband. The clue he has given to Veerendra Choudhry’s whereabouts is that the man should be living or working around in the same area as she is.”

   “Wait a minute here. You are a detective, right? Are you telling me that you’re going about your investigation based on the words of an astrologer?” asked Abhimanyu, mild sarcasm tingeing his words. He just couldn’t believe this foolishness. He, for one, didn’t believe in astrology. He thought that it was something that was followed by people who didn’t want to take responsibility for their lives. Such people would rather run their lives based on an astrologer’s predictions and wait around for things to happen. That would never suit someone who believed in action like Abhimanyu did.

   “To be truthful, I do believe in astrology for one thing. Again, there is nothing else to go on in this case,” replied Samrat quietly.

   “I suppose you need to make a living too,” said Abhimanyu, the mockery quite evident now.

   Samrat was not one to be easily shaken by anything. He shrugged before saying, “Well, Mr. Abhimanyu, I’d like to know if anyone you know would fit the description that I’m giving you. But of course, I don’t know how many guys in this office would have been married in his teenage. It’s a tall order. But—”

   A sudden excitement shot through Abhimanyu as he absorbed what Samrat was telling him. The detective was looking for a man who had been married as a kid. And only yesterday Ranveer had confided that he had been married at thirteen. Ranveer hadn’t even been able to recall his child bride’s name. Could that be Chanda?

   Samrat saw Abhimanyu’s face light up and waited for him to tell him what he knew. It looked like he had finally reached the end of his investigation. He didn’t rush Abhimanyu. He had all the time in the world.

Thirty-five

   It was almost 7 pm when Samrat left RS Software with a satisfied look of a cat who had had a bowl full of cream. He called Ram Maheshwari to check that the brothers were at their hotel and promised to meet them in about an hour.

   In the meanwhile, a thrilled Abhimanyu kept dialling his boss’s cell phone only to find out that it was unreachable. It was pretty galling that he was sitting on such a mine of information and was unable to give it to the man concerned. Abhimanyu looked up when Shikha walked into his cabin.

   “What’s up? How come you’re still at work?” asked Abhimanyu, surprised to see her.

   Shikha settled down comfortably on the chair that Samrat had recently vacated. “You tell me. You appear quite happy about something and I see that you’ve been conducting a number of strange meetings while the boss is away. What are you up to?” she accused, her body language aggressive. She was quite miffed that Abhimanyu hadn’t allowed her to be a part of anything that day. After all, she was Ranveer’s secretary and needed to know what was going on in the company.

   Abhimanyu grinned, unfazed. “Will you go out for dinner with me? Any place of your choice,” he tempted.

   Shikha glared at him, refusing to take the bait. “You haven’t answered my question Abhi. Are you doing something that you shouldn’t be?” she asked again, dying of curiosity. Wouldn’t she be thrilled to find that Abhimanyu had feet of clay! He strutted around giving the impression of Mr. Perfect and Ranveer seemed to trust his executive assistant completely.

   “What do you want to know?” asked Abhimanyu, busy packing his laptop into its case. He was done for the day and was leaving whether Shikha went with him or not.

   “Who were all those people who came to meet you today Abhimanyu? You’ve been quite secretive and now you look like the cat that’s got the canary. What’s up?”

   “I don’t think it’s any of your business Shikha. Shall we leave? That is, if you want to go out to dinner with me. Otherwise, allow me to leave,” said Abhimanyu, getting up from his chair.

   Shikha gnashed her teeth in frustration. “Sit down Abhi,” she ordered. She waited for him to seat himself before asking, “Why did you have to meet the two guys today afternoon? They had an appointment with Ranveer and I was going to meet them in the boss’s place. Couldn’t you keep your big nose out of it?” Anger boiled within her as she glared at Abhimanyu. The whole of yesterday and today morning she had been looking forward to get to know the two men and Abhimanyu had spoilt her chances.

   “You know very well that Ranveer’s not in town this week. Where was the need to give them an appointment?” asked Abhimanyu logically.

   Shikha lowered her gaze as she couldn’t meet Abhimanyu’s straightforward one. While she made her accusations, Shikha was well aware that she was just picking up a fight and Abhimanyu was too honest to cheat Ranveer in any way. But she did need a punching bag and he was available.

   “Abhi, you do understand that I need to survive, right? I am trying to find a rich guy to get married to and I felt these two men fitted the bill quite perfectly. See what you have done! You destroyed my chances by meeting them yourself,” she said quite honestly.

   “If it’s a rich man that you want to marry, then come on, let’s get married,” said Abhimanyu, quite seriously.

   Shikha laughed bitterly, sure he was joking. For one thing, she didn’t believe that Abhimanyu was rich and for another she was sure he was pulling her leg. “Just get lost Abhi,” she said before getting up from her chair.

   Only to find him standing in front of her, too close for comfort. Shikha had never noticed how tall Abhimanyu was, at least five inches taller than her and she was 5’ 6”. He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her, much to Shikha’s shock. She had always thought Abhimanyu to be a mild person, insipid in fact. She would have never believed him capable
of violence. She felt an unexpected buzz of electricity zinging between the two of them as she saw the temper in his eyes. Did she know the man at all?

   “You get this straight Shikha. I’m not in the habit of repeating myself. I am the man for you. Not everyone will put up with your tantrums and attitude. While I’m extremely patient, it doesn’t mean I’ll let you drive me up the wall,” he said, glaring at her.

   Red colour flared up Shikha’s cheeks. Was he threatening her? Then why was she not scared? Shikha felt a sudden urge to be held close to Abhimanyu. She had had a couple of affairs and they had all been about sex and not hugging. She had neither friends nor family. Shikha shut her mind and followed her instincts and just pressed her body close to his.

   A shudder went through Abhimanyu as his arms went around Shikha’s slim figure and he held her close. That was a gamble he had taken and it seemed to have paid off. He had been a mite worried that she would walk out in a huff. Oh God, it was so blissful holding her in his arms and he had been waiting for this since the day he had set eyes on Ranveer’s secretary.

   They were the perfect yin and yang - he was cool and collected while she was brash and loud. While life together might not be easy, it would never be boring.

   Abhimanyu put a hand under her chin to raise her face to his before placing his lips on hers. What followed was the most passionate kiss that Shikha had ever experienced. She shuddered as she tangled her tongue with Abhimanyu’s, feeling feverish with ardour. How did she ever think he was staid? It was a while before Abhimanyu raised his head to place his forehead against Shikha’s to ask, “Your place or mine?”

   Was that a trace of disappointment he saw on Shikha’s face? The sensitive Abhimanyu could see that she had mentally withdrawn from him even though her body was still close to his. What had he said wrong?

   He ran his fingers through her hair as he studied her features minutely. “Shikha?”

   For the minute there she had believed that he had meant it when he said that he wanted to marry her. Now it seemed as if he was just one more in a string of men who thought that she was good enough for his bed partner but not for life.

   Shikha moved away from him to consider her options. Having an affair with Abhimanyu promised to be hot, even sizzling, considering the kiss they had shared. Their chemistry was simply mind-blowing. Why would she want to marry him anyway? He wasn’t rich enough for her. Shikha came to a decision and replied, “Yours.” After all, she was curious to know where he lived while her apartment was too tiny.

   They went directly down to the car park to Shikha’s surprise. She didn’t know that he had his own vehicle. Her jaw dropped when he opened the white Toyota Fortuner that was parked in the slot for the company Vice President. Could that be true? And the shiny SUV seemed to suit Abhimanyu’s personality somehow. An amazed Shikha got into the passenger seat as Abhimanyu held the door open for her.

   He had a mysterious smile on his face as he got into the driver’s seat and drove a silent Shikha home to his penthouse apartment. Shikha finally lost control and let her jaw drop when she saw the swanky interior decor in Abhimanyu’s four-bedroom apartment. The hall itself could easily fit half a dozen of Shikha’s whole flat within it. Then there was the kitchen and dining area. It was simply amazing.

   All thoughts flew out of Shikha’s mind when Abhimanyu walked from behind her to gather her within his arms. “Do you think I will make a rich enough husband for you, Shikha? This flat is all mine and I don’t have any other family to share it with.” He turned her around, removing his arms from around her.

   Shikha watched in wonder as Abhimanyu moved a few inches away from her to go on his knees
. With his right hand extended towards her, he asked, “Will you marry me?”

   The hardheaded Shikha broke down as tears flooded her eyes. She nodded wordlessly as she placed her right hand within Abhimanyu’s.

   Abhimanyu got up to lift Shikha into his arms and walked to the master bedroom while Shikha felt an overwhelming sense of having arrived home after all these years.

RAM AND LAKSHMAN WERE SIMPLY AMAZED at what Samrat had to tell them. The detective had finally managed to trace Veerendra Choudhry. And even better than that, it looked like Veerendra was none other than Ranveer Singh. Talk about coincidences! Lakshman was quite happy for his sister and could just imagine her thrill on finding the truth.

   The brothers managed to settle Samrat’s account and thanked him for a job well done. Then they sat back to call Chanda only to find that her cell was unreachable. Both men were clear not to call their parents before talking to Chanda. She deserved to know what was happening before they did.

AT THAT VERY MOMENT, Ranveer had managed to find his ancestral home in Jaswantpura. He had parked his BMW a couple of compounds away. The two streetlights were quite dim and there wasn’t a single soul out on the streets while it was barely 8 pm. He was sure that his parents and the rest of the family must be awake. They usually were up till at least 10 pm. What had stopped Ranveer from going ahead was an attack of cold feet. He was quite worried about their reactions. How much ever he had assured himself on the way here, he was still not feeling very confident. He automatically checked his pocket for the non-existent packet of cigarettes that he used to smoke.