He stepped up. “What?”
She held up a finger, tipping her head towards her door — “Everybody has gone silent outside…” She kept her ear out, and her eyes widened. She reached out and began to close the shutters. He held them — “What happened?”
“Iram has come outside asking for me. Don’t knock again!” She pulled the shutters and locked them shut. Samar stood there, the thrill of the last minute drained. And then he heardhervoice, chirpy and happy, and his blood boiled again.
Vande… aatram…
Sia Chaturvedi had not been able to even let out that scream. How did Iram Haider get to go around with that happy voice?
Aamir Haider had sent an entire platoon to their deaths, sent Chaturvedi to that torment where death was easier than breath. How did his daughter get to enjoy and roam around freely in this very estate?!
“Atharva wants me to go with him for some function tomorrow…”
Samar’s ears stood to attention.
“Atharva?” Amaal was just as shocked as him. “He… asked?”
“Why is that so horrifying?”
“Because it is the Kohli charity dinner tomorrow, one of his major business associatesanda big potential funding partner for KDP. Kohli is a very important shark. But the most shocking…” Amaal paused.“Atharva has never taken a plus one to any of these functions.”
Samar hated that Iram Haider was changing that. What was Atharva thinking? Being a chivalrous fool and helping her was one thing. Taking her with him like a bloody girlfriend was…
“What’s going on?”
“Amaal,” Iram’s voice went deceitfully low.“There is nothing going on, are we clear? I think the invite just slipped out of him and now he can’t recede it. I just don’t know what to wear tomorrow… I mean, what kind of clothes do you wear to such functions. Is it formal or Indian or what?”
Samar knew these tricks. Women like these, they started innocent and then climbed to the highest rung of the order. But now he knew her endgame. It wasn’t’ spying for her father’s party. It was to get to Atharva. For what, he did not know. But it was too damn coincidental that she came in with her innocent charm and naive words and ‘speech-writing’ talent and suddenly Atharva was putty in her hands. She just knew which buttons to push and he was carpet. Rolled out.
Not on his watch.
“I don’t want to spend too much on a dress I may not be wearing again.” She was acting the poor little girl with Amaal.
“Don’t worry, we will work around your budget.”
“Will you come with me tomorrow? Show me there?”
“Try and stop me. Tomorrow is Sunday anyway…”
Samar wanted to smash the window shutter with his bare hand. Amaal had time to go shopping with this girl, but not to sit through his interviews?! He turned and stalked off, trying to work around this new development.
Iram Haider was turning his people, one after another.
————————————————————
“What’s wrong with you again?”
Samar glanced up from the makeup artist who was using her finger to cover his under eyes. He never gave these things much heed, but apparently the camera did. As did Amaal, because she stood there, eyes down on him, mouth thinned. That dimple was missing now, and he jerked out of that thought.
“Why is your face like that?” She snapped, not caring that they were surrounded by party members, crew and people of the press. Something had definitely snapped inside her that night when he had crossed the line.
“They are working on it.” He tried to settle the matter smoothly.
“I am not talking about the dark circles.”
Samar raised his brows.
“Come with me, please.”
