She changed the topic before Mashi bulldozed her any more on the issue. ‘I have got a job at St Joseph’s Convent as a dance teacher.’
Mashi beamed. ‘Dance and kids—that should stop your waterworks.’
Sure, she hadn’t missed her red, blotchy eyes. But, before she could shuffle away, Mashi wagged a finger at her sternly. ‘And if that doesn’t cure you, I’ll send you packing to the hospital. A few doses of bitter medicine should do the trick.’
With a hug and a peck on her cheek, Maya dashed off. As Mashi had predicted, the kids kept her on her toes. She was plunged into the energetic business of training a bunch of ten-year-olds for an upcoming inter-school dance competition. Her days were filled with the boundless energy and chatter of children while her nights were spent in a fruitless pursuit of exorcising Krish’s memory.
* * *
The meeting had gone just as Krish had planned. Rohan had more than impressed the investors with his presentation on the DGE restructuring. As the investors applauded, Krish winked at Rohan and gave him a thumbs-up sign. Rohan beamed back at him briefly before turning to address a question that an investor had raised. Krish had begun to delegate more of DGE’s work to Rohan, who had lived up to the challenge. Soon he would be ready to take on more responsibility. With a whole new management team in place, the DGE restructuring strategy was already beginning to impress clients and customers alike.
And yet, despite the relief, Krish felt restless, almost adrift. He checked his phone yet again to see if there was any message from the investigators. He stopped himself from dialling Akshay to check on their progress. He knew he had to give them time. But he was fast running out of patience. He felt torn between hope and despair. Hope that there would be some news of Maya. Despair that he would never ever be able to find her. It was almost as if she’d disappeared from the face of the earth.
As he threw open the door to his office, the receptionist approached him with a thick envelope marked ‘Urgent’.
‘Sir, this packet just came for you,’ she said before hurrying away.
The packet had the MDS logo on one side. As he tore it open, a thick dossier slipped out. Finally! He collapsed into his chair and avidly began to read the report.
The investigations had led the detectives to the Howrah Government Hospital where Maya’s father, Subodh Shome, had been treated for cirrhosis of the liver four years ago. He’d been under the care of a nurse called Laxmi Sarkar, who still worked in the hospital. She had refused to divulge any information about Maya and her whereabouts, claiming that as far as she knew, Maya had left town after her father had passed away. But the detectives had managed to glean from one of the ward boys the real story about Subodh Shome’s death. On the day he was to be discharged, Shome had asked the ward boy to fetch him a razor as he wanted to shave before he left the hospital. The boy did as instructed and Shome went to the bathroom to shave. Half an hour later, the boy returned to find a commotion outside the bathroom. People were beating on the door and yelling to the occupant to get out. Finally, they broke the door down, only to find Shome lying dead on the floor: he had cut his wrist open with the razor.
Krish’s jaws clenched tightly as he looked away from the document briefly. The investigators had stated the stark facts without any embellishment but they had the effect of a knockout punch. His heart went out to the nineteen-year-old Maya…Not only did she have to face the loss of her father but also cope with the trauma of his suicide. What would she have done? Who would she have turned to? Was there anybody to help her through the police investigations that would have followed on the heels of the discovery of her father’s body? Taking a deep breath, he continued to read.
The nurse had been the only person who supported her through it all, accompanying her to the police station and bearing upon the officials to close the case without further delay as her father had left behind a suicide note in which he’d clearly stated that he alone was responsible for taking his own life.
Krish flipped some more pages, anxious to know if the detectives had managed to find Maya’s whereabouts. And there it was in black-and-white. Her address. He clutched at the page and tore it out of the file. Thrusting it in his pocket, he picked up the phone on his desk and barked into it. ‘Get the G6 ready.’
He texted Rohan: ‘We have a lead. On my way to Howrah. Talk soon.’
By late afternoon, Krish had arrived in Kolkata. Rohan had made sure that there was a cab waiting to drive him to Howrah. He thrust the piece of paper at the driver. ‘Get me to this address as fast as you can.’
As the cabbie deftly steered them through the Kolkata traffic before speeding down the road towards Howrah, Krish wished they could go faster. Every minute that they spent on the road seemed like an eternity. He pulled out his BlackBerry and scrolled to the images folder. The image that flashed on the screen was of Maya at KD’s birthday bash. The day he’d met her. Her lips were turned up in that heartbreaking Mona Lisa smile. He cursed himself for the millionth time for all the things he’d done wrong. He longed to wrap his arms around her, hold her close to his heart and never let go. But his hopes were fast fading away and the fears closing in. Fear that the past would forever stand like a barrier between them. Fear that she would reject him because he was his father’s son. Fear that she would never feel anything but hatred for him. Fear that he was doomed to live a life without Maya—empty, lonely and meaningless.
* * *
Maya’s home was filled with rambunctious ten-year-olds. They had made it to the quarter-finals of the dance competition and their incessant chatter was testimony to their high state of excitement. Keeping them focused on the practice for the next round of the contest was driving Maya crazy. She finally clapped her hands loudly and called for their attention in her sternest voice. ‘Listen up—if you don’t practise now, you may as well forget about beating the St Mary’s team in the next round.’
One pretty little girl whimpered, ‘O Maya-di, please don’t say that.’
Maya gave her a stern look. ‘If you want to win, stop chatting and start practising.’
The kids quickly took their places as Maya turned on the music system. The music blared and the kids were soon absorbed in the ballet that told the heart-rending love story of Shakuntala, the queen who was cursed by an angry sage and lost the love of her husband, King Dushyant.
From time to time, Maya would correct their posture but she was delighted that there wasn’t one false step. In fact, as the leads danced to the climactic scene where the star-crossed lovers reunite when the king recognises his queen after he finds the ring that he had given her she felt her throat choke up with emotion. It reminded her of her own lost love—but unfortunately for her there would never be a happy ever after!
So absorbed was she that she didn’t see the shadow that darkened the door. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled. Just the way they did when Krish was near her. Why couldn’t she get over him? Why did she yearn for him so much that she could actually feel his presence in the room? You’re so pathetic, Maya! She turned to the girl closest to her, who’d stopped dancing and was looking beyond her. ‘What are you looking at?’ she scolded the girl before glancing at the door.
The tall, muscular physique, the whiff of a familiar male scent, his tousled hair falling over his forehead, the stubble on his jaw line, which seemed even more angular and sculpted than she last remembered. Krish! Was she hallucinating? She was rooted to the spot as she watched him approach her. And then that gravelly, sexy voice she had believed she would only hear again in her dreams…‘Maya.’ It sounded too real to be just a dream.
The spell was broken when one of the girls interjected, ‘Maya-di, we’re done.’
She strained to put a smile on her face. ‘Well done. That was a good rehearsal. I will see you all at the hall at ten a.m. tomorrow.’
As the children filed out of the house, excitedly chatting among themselves, they darted looks at the tall, handsome man who had eyes only for thei
r teacher.
Maya turned to Krish, her heart dancing to a crazy beat. ‘What are you doing here? If I remember right, you told me to get out of your life.’
That was when it hit her and her heart sank. Of course, they still had unfinished business between them. There was only one reason for him to seek her out. For a relationship that had begun with the signing of a contract, there could only be one way to end it—the signing of another one. He needed her signature to file for divorce.
‘Maya, just hear me out. Please.’
She couldn’t bear to look at him. The desperation in his voice was enough to freeze the warm feelings that had bubbled within her. It was a desperation born out of his need for freedom. She was a burden around his neck and he needed to break free. Tears squeezed her throat. ‘You couldn’t wait to get rid of me and now you have actually tracked me down. So, what is so important?’
For a moment, Krish seemed lost for words before he said simply, ‘You. You are the most important thing in the world to me.’
Anger flashed in her eyes. ‘Really? Somehow it’s very hard for me to believe that.’
Something stirred in his eyes. Was it pain? But, before she could decipher it, he said, ‘I know…I know you’re hurting…and frankly saying sorry is not enough. Apologising for all the hurt, the pain, the trauma that you and your family have suffered thanks to mine seems so inadequate. It’s too little, too late. But believe me, if there’s anything I could do to change the past I would. If there’s any way that I could repent for my father’s sins, I would.’
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears at the sincerity in his eyes. She turned away from him, walked towards the window, where the curtains were ruffling in the light evening breeze and the sky had turned a soft violet-pink. The magic hour. But right now, there was nothing magical about it as darkness fast descended into her life. Guilt. He obviously needed to unburden himself of his guilt.
She took a trembling breath. ‘What’s done is done. You don’t have to apologise for what KD did. Nor do you have to feel guilty for his actions. We can put that whole sorry episode behind us.’ She clenched her fists tightly, waited for him to take the cue and raise the issue about ending their sham marriage. But his words didn’t come. Instead she felt his warm breath on her back as he gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face him.
He put his fingers under her chin and looked deep into her eyes. ‘Yes, we can put that behind us. But before that there’s one thing I need to ask you.’
There was something unspeakably soft and compassionate in his eyes. She couldn’t take his pity. It was best to get it over and done with—or else she’d shame herself even more by collapsing in a heap of tears in front of him. ‘Yes, I know what you want to ask. And of course I will sign the divorce papers.’
Krish went still and his voice betrayed his devastation. ‘You want a divorce? Do you really hate me so much that you want to break all ties with me?’
Maya gulped hard. ‘Isn’t that what you want? You never wanted to be tied down. And now that you know the truth about me…the deceit, the lies, the—’ Her voice broke and the tears that she had held back gushed forth.
He folded her into his arms with a soft moan, ‘Oh Maya, please don’t cry. I can’t bear to see you cry.’
His frantic words and his warm embrace only made her sob her heart out. ‘I don’t hate you. I love you so much it hurts. If you divorce me, I don’t know how I’ll spend the rest of my life—’ She couldn’t bear to go on.
He cupped her face in his palms and looked deep into her tear-washed eyes. ‘Did you say you love me?’
She nodded, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces. ‘I wanted to tell you but you would never have believed me.’
He groaned. ‘Oh, sweetie. How did we get ourselves into such a mess? It’s my fault—I was too wrapped up in myself, my priorities, my paranoia, and even when I knew I was falling in love with you I resisted it with everything I had. I thought I could just turn you out and carry on with my life. But I was so wrong. So horribly wrong.’
He saw her shell-shocked look and bent to gently kiss her face. ‘I love you, my sweet Maya. I never knew it was possible to love anyone so much. And there’s only one way to make you believe me.’
His lips touched hers softly in a kiss that was as sweet as it was poignant. As fierce as it was gentle. As hungry as it was satisfying. She kissed him back and felt the ice in her heart thaw and melt at his magical touch. She felt alive once again.
After a long while, resting her head against his broad shoulder, she murmured, ‘Are you sure what you feel for me is love…not pity, or guilt or whatever?’
His eyes twinkled. ‘I know I must come across as a blathering idiot, but…’
She put her finger on his lips. ‘No…it’s just that when we were in Deovan…One minute you were so warm and wonderful and then the next it was almost as if…as if you even regretted the fact that we’d made love.’
Maya revelled at the love that she saw in his eyes as he spoke. ‘You’d spun my world off its axis, Maya. Made me feel something so new, so deep, so amazingly wonderful, I didn’t know what had hit me. And, frankly, I was running scared. So when Rohan called to tell me that KD wanted me back in Delhi to do the deal, I grabbed the opportunity…and ran. And you know what, it didn’t work. I couldn’t think of life without you. You’re my life force, Maya. Without you, I may as well be dead.’
She caught his look that was a combination of fierce, passionate and loving and his lips crushed hers in a scorching kiss that vaporised every thought in her mind.
He dragged his mouth away from hers even though every cell of his body rebelled against it. ‘When I was coming here, I thought of something that never quite made sense to me. It was something that my mother would say: when you love someone deeply, you take a leap of faith. The person you love may or may not love you back. But that’s the risk you take. For the first time in my life I understood what she meant. Because I felt that way about you. And when I knocked on your door—it was with the knowledge that, no matter what, I’d always love you. Even if you hated me. Even if you turned me away. Even if you told me that there could never be anything between us. Even if I never saw you again for the rest of my life, I’d love you. Eternally.’
All her doubts blew away like the remnants of mist chased by bright relentless sunshine. ‘For ever mine.’
He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and she watched him take out the ring that he’d given her so many moons ago. ‘Will you be my wife, Maya?’
‘But I already am.’
His warm, loving gaze took her breath away as he said huskily, ‘Yes, indulge me, my precious jaaneman. This is about starting again with a clean slate. No rituals. No contracts. No terms and conditions. Only love.’
She felt as if her heart would burst with love and happiness. ‘Yes, Krish, I will be your wife. To love and cherish you. For eternity.’
He slipped the ring on her finger and sealed the vow with a kiss. ‘For eternity.’
She threw her arms around him as her heart soared—she had finally come home to her soulmate.
EPILOGUE
Two years later…
KRISH SURVEYED THE Suvarna Hill Valley Resort grounds from the window of their personal suite. The resort was finally ready to open its doors to guests. And, going by reviews in the media and critiques by some of the most celebrated experts in the hospitality industry, there was no doubt that it was an achievement to be proud of. It was so fitting that his dream should come true just as his and Maya’s wedding anniversary was coming up. He longed to savour this moment with his wife, his partner, his soulmate.
And there she was—in the garden with Baloo at her heels, enjoying the dew-fresh morning ambience. The lavender roses were in full bloom and in all their brilliant glory gave the resort its unique and stylistic signature. A landscaping marvel like none other. And a creation as beautiful as its creator…His very own Maya.
As if s
ensing his gaze on her, Maya looked up at the window and blew him a kiss. His heart still tripped at the sight of his lovely wife, wondering in amazement if it was possible to love anyone so much and have that love grow ever more intense with each passing day.
The last two years had been hectic as he had sorted out the DGE corporate mess, had brought it back from the brink of disaster and restored its credibility, with the help of Rohan and an incredibly talented team of youngsters. As a board member of the group, he still had to keep a watchful eye on DGE, but he knew that it was in safe hands. With Maya by his side, he had gone about setting up the SHVP project. Kumar had come on board as one of the angel investors and so had a host of others. Everything had gone through without a hitch. It was almost as if the cosmos had conspired to make his—no, their—dream come true.
But, most of all, he had been amazed by the change in his father. Neither KD, nor he, had ever anticipated that it would be Maya who would make the first step towards reconciliation. He would never forget how she’d gone up to him and said, ‘I have come to your house as your son’s bride. But I hope you will love me like a daughter.’ KD had hugged her and Krish hadn’t missed the sheen of tears in his father’s eyes.
That was the moment when everything had changed. When KD had decided to let go. Let go of his control and his drive to rule over everybody. He was at peace with himself now. And with everyone else around him.
The whiff of jasmine alerted him to Maya’s presence even as her arms snaked around his waist and she hugged him to her. ‘A rupee for your thoughts, my dear husband?’
He turned around and wrapped his arms around her. ‘I can’t tell you…it’s a surprise gift for our wedding anniversary.’
The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal Page 15