“Maa! My phone! Arrey not so much butter on my toast! Hey, where are my files? Armaan, where’s the laptop charger you borrowed last night? Maa! Where’s that blue scarf… uff woh green blue waala nahi blue white waala! Ar…” Ananya abruptly stopped her chatter, as the headline flashing across the television screen caught her attention. She turned up the volume and listened to the live news report.
“Actor Hridhwaan Kapoor has been accused of rape by his ex-assistant Sheetal Sahay. She has filed an FIR with the Delhi Police, in which she claims to have been forced into non-consensual sex by the actor, while they were on an official trip to Goa. She claims to be pregnant with the superstar’s child too. Stay tuned for…”
Ananya turned the television set off angrily and brought her fist down on the table angrily. “What bullsh*t!” she said, quite frenzied. “This can’t be happening… Ri is innocent! I know it!”
“Di, pleef don’t let your fan lof for ‘Ri’ cloud your jufment,” Armaan said, with his mouth full of bread. He scowled, as his mother hit him on the head for speaking with his mouth full.
“Listen, Armaan, it’s my instinct… and a woman’s instinct is never wrong. Waise why am I even explaining all this to my lovely, insignificant brother, who is still a minor for the law!” Ananya said, enjoying her brother’s angry expressions.
Playfully slapping her brother on his back, she swung her sling bag onto her shoulder, and headed to Hridhwaan’s residence.
~*~
“Why should he entertain you?” Hridhwaan’s secretary snapped at Ananya. Ananya took a moment to assess the slim young lady, dressed simply in a pastel peach work suit. She had a no-frills look about her, and looked quite honest and sincere.
“Let me tell you that I am as upset as you are,” Ananya said, and half-smiled as the lady’s eyes widened. “I know that he is being framed wrongly, and that there is no truth, whatsoever, in these charges. Zara, you are the only one who can help me. Staying mum won’t help - we need to prove his innocence to the world.” Ananya said, softly.
“Hridhwaan is inn...” Zara Rehman began, but stopped abruptly, when her phone vibrated. “Ananya, I am sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me now. I have a few more meetings to attend, but maybe I would like to have a chat with you later today.”
Ananya looked intently at Zara’s retreating figure, and was all the more convinced that she had approached the right person, and was determined to uncover the rest of the truth.
~*~
Ananya got off the cab and walked into her new office, to be met by a young, hassled Punjabi boy at the reception, “Oye!” he hailed her. “You are Ananya na! Tera to meeting tha! Half an hour back! Now go fast! Siyapaa ho jayega! Bhagwaan teri raksha karein from Kabir sir ji! By the way, I am Sunny and if you are single toh number de de tera.”
Ananya laughed at his introduction and shook her head. She wondered why he was so dramatic about Kabir Sir. She quickly pushed open the glass door, and ran towards the conference room. Stopping for a moment to gather her courage outside the door of the conference room, she nervously pushed open the door and stepped in.
The moment she entered the room she found herself faced with cold, hard stares - stares of anger, irritation, confusion and annoyance. One look at all of them and Ananya Kashyap knew she was dead meat.
“I…” she tried to explain.
“Did you enjoy your beauty sleep, baby doll?” Malavika snarled.
“Sorry, I had gone to cov…” Ananya tried again, but was interrupted by Khalid.
“Before you were even assigned a job, you left to cover a story. You make it sound as important as the Hridhwaan story!” Khalid was taken aback as Ananya smiled on hearing his last words.
“It was about the Hridhwaan case, sir.” she said, half smiling. She perceived Kabir’s eyebrows shooting up slightly as she mentioned Hridhwaan’s name.
“Miss. Kashyap, it would have been nice if you had been responsible enough to collect your appointment letter and informed your seniors of your activities before you left… you are no longer a freelance journalist now,” he said in a cold voice.
Ananya winced at Kabir’s clipped tone. His frigid words and expressionless eyes sent a shiver down her spine.
“Sorry…” Ananya whispered, and pulled a chair next to Ronnie who squeezed her hand gently, by way of reassurance.
“So, Miss Kashyap, please do share your findings, without wasting any more of our time,” Kabir impatiently tapped the table, his annoyance quite evident.
Ananya found herself all nervous and shuddering, as she beheld his angry countenance.
“Ss..s… I ff…” Ananya stuttered, very annoyed with her tongue for betraying her.
“If I had known you stammered, I would have thought twice before I appointed you, Miss Kashyap,” he said in the same cold voice.
Ananya stared at him in disbelief. Was this the same Kabir Sharma who was oozing with charm and flirting with her just the previous day?
Ananya pulled herself together with some effort. “I had a chat with Ri’s secretary - Zara Rehmaan. She doesn’t believe Ri is guilty, neither does his team,” Ananya said, and got skeptical, unimpressed stares from everyone in the room.
“Probably she’s Hridhwaan’s current fling, which makes her make so sentimental.” Malavika said, while Ananya squirmed. “Nice to see your unbiased view, Ananya.”
“But she might have a point! It is nice to have someone expressing different views.”
“I like you!” an unfamiliar male voice caught Ananya’s attention. She turned to see Manav Gupta of ‘To The Point’ fame, looking at her, with a smirk on his face.
“Thank you…” Ananya replied hesitatingly, not knowing what to say. Kabir coughed.
“So yes, I do feel that he is being framed. Ri…”
“Ri?” Kabir asked
“I mean, Hridhwaan. Er, he is Ri to his fans.…” Ananya said, embarrassed. “I really don’t think he is responsible for this, despite his colorful lifestyle.”
“See, Miss Kashyap, I really don’t want you to get biased. We need to play safe with this case, at least for now. I need something than just your instincts,” Kabir said, shaking his head.
“But sir we can’t telecast something…” Ananya began.
“But Ananya, right now that Sheetal Sahay has more proof to her story. Her pregnancy reports are confirmed, and she being a woman, people will be more inclined to trust her story. And given Hridhwaan’s colourful ways, I don’t know if we’ll be doing the right thing supporting him. Sir, her medical reports haven’t been covered by any channel till now. I can secure all the documents by tonight. Can we telecast them in one of our primetime slots?” Richa asked.
Ananya stared at her crossly, she wasn’t used to being sidelined and interrupted.
“Excellent, Richa! We shall telecast that tonight in my 9 PM show. Be there in the PCR…” Kabir said.
“B..” Ananya began, feeling let down on her first day at work.
“Kabir, I do think Ananya has a point to make,” Manav spoke up again, scratching his chin and resting his elbows on the table.
“And what is that point, Manav?” Kabir said in an icy voice. Ananya frowned as she noted the slight rivalry between the duo.
“Every channel is talking about how characterless and perverted Hridhwaan is. What difference will our channel make if we say the same thing? I think we should take Ananya’s point into consideration and put forth another side of the story,” Ananya’s happiness at someone supporting her was short-lived as she noticed Manav smiling at her, a bit too brightly for her comfort.
“Manav, I truly appreciate your thinking. But what evidence do we have? We don’t even have a statement or something Hridhwaan or his office. News is business, Manav ji, dirty business.You may be making sense to us but not to the public because there’s no proof at all,” Kabir said, while Ananya sighed.
“Well other superstars are supporting him, like Rishi Khanna and Randhir Singh” Ananya said.
“So, you are saying I should take Hridhwaan to be innocent just because a few superstars are supporting him?” Kabir frowned.
“Why not? If you can’t handle it, Kabir sahab, then do leave it to me,” Manav continued. Kabir tilted his head and looked amused at the tense Ananya and the smiling Manav.
“Manav ji, don’t worry! I’ll handle it just fine. Ananya, meet me in my cabin after the meeting, and be at the PCR today and tomorrow night during my bulletin,” Kabir said, while Ananya’s heart soared. Perhaps, Kabir Sir did acknowledge that she had a point, and would give her a chance.
And, he just called her Ananya!
The gratified Ananya smiled through the rest of the meeting, and walked out of the room with a bounce in her step, to have Manav stop her with his card and drop her a few more sugary sweet words.
“Slimeball!”Ananya grumbled, as Ronnie tapped her on the shoulder “How does anyone even tolerate him! And he looks at me as if I am some Paradisian beauty!”
Ronnie laughed at Ananya’s annoyance. “Annie, Manav sir is like this to everyone. He tries everyone, but stays on with Malvika ma’am to keep his job secure! And Malvika ma’am tolerates him because he’s the only good enough single man out here. Other than me!”
Ananya punched him on his chest and laughed. “Yaar Ronnie! Tu bhi na! Honestly speaking, today’s meeting did freak me out!”
“Oh, this is just the beginning, Annie!” Ronnie laughed. “By the way, congratulations on becoming the latest scapegoat in the Manav-Kabir rivalry! Before you ask, Kabir Sharma got the chair Manav thought he should rightfully have got, and the rest is history.”
“Anyway, I don’t think Kabir sir is angry now. He called me Ananya! Eeks!” Ananya said, excited.
Ronnie just raised his eyebrows. “Ananya… let me tell you one thing - if Kabir Sharma ever changes the way he addresses a person, that just spells T.R.O.U.B.L.E. So… God bless you.” Ronnie smiled and walked away while Ananya gulped.
Trouble? Again?
Damn!
~*~
Ananya bit her nails as the show went live. The meeting in his room was terrible. He wasn’t abusive - not even remotely angry.
He was just cold, plain ice cold.
And that threw Ananya off her charts.
“Yes sir,” I said, taking a chair and looking at him, my heartbeats escalating for all the wrong reasons. He was angry, and yet I was busy drooling at him. Grow up Ananya Kashyap!
“Explain,” came his curt reply. He offered me a cup of coffee and didn’t wait for an answer as he took a sip.
“What?” I asked him, confused.
“Explain how much you know about this case.” Kabir sir’s voice was very different from what I had known it to be. Not soft or expressive. Rather cold and business-like.
Was this the real Kabir Sharma?
“Confused what to make of me?” Kabir half smiled while I gaped at him. Was he reading through me?
Embarrassed, I shook my head. “Sir, according to me someone is framing Ri. And the basic facts of the case don’t add up! Sheetal says she is three months pregnant, but she quit her job five months ago. Plus, Ri has been in Thailand and Indonesia shooting for his latest project for the last five months. So, I don’t see how he could’ve molested her three months ago. I can arrange for all the evidence that Ri hasn’t been in India the last five months. Also, I could sense that Zara seemed very troubled about the team he travels with. Well, I don’t know for sure, but I felt that Zara holds in very high regard, and knows that someone in his team is acting against him.” I paused to take a breath to find his deep brown eyes staring intently at me.
I felt my mouth becoming dry, and my pulse quickening, though there was no perceivable reason for the increased tension in my body.
Strange.
Suddenly, he shook his head and muttered something incomprehensible. He flexed his fingers and continued staring at me. “Get me the statements of all those stars who have shown their support to Hridhwaan,” he said, his displeasure evident in his tone.
I exhaled in relief, and tried to calm myself, when I suddenly felt him holding my wrist very gently. “Let me remind you one thing, Miss Kashyap,” he said, in a low, drawling tone, that caught me off guard. “If anything goes wrong with this, I won’t spare you. Do you understand?”
Anger bubbled in me, and I found it hard to conceal my rage when he bent lower, his nose almost brushing against mine.
“Too bad you don’t trust your own team, Mr. Sharma!” I said, from between my teeth, and stood up, forcing him to retract. “I never disappoint myself, and it isn’t my fault if you can’t figure that out for yourself.”
“Zubaan sambhalo apni, Miss Kashyap! You work under me!” I noticed a muscle in his sharp jawline twitch, as he continued to maintain inhuman control on his wrath.
“Exactly, I work under you… not for you,” I retorted, and stormed out of his cabin. As soon as I was out of his cabin, my wobbly knees and cold fingers gave way, and I rushed to my desk to collect myself.
Her phone beeped, disturbing her reverie. Ananya was confused. Should she stay in the PCR or take the risk of leaving?
She turned towards Richa, a journalist who wasn’t in her favourites, but was the most capable of them all. “Richa, I need your help. Please guide Kabir sir through this show. I have to be somewhere urgently.” she said, and rushed out of the PCR, while the ever focused Richa nodded, sat at Ananya’s place, and looked intently at her files, skimming through the notes.
~*~
“The truth is not always visible, and what is visible is not always the truth. Every coin has two sides to it. When we return after this short break, we’ll attempt to take you through the other side of the Hridhwaan Kapoor case. Don’t go anywhere! We’ll be right back!”
The smile on Kabir’s face vanished the moment Ronnie signalled him of the break.
“Where the hell is Ananya?” Kabir yelled and stormed into the PCR.
“Sir she said she had something important to do,” Richa said, flatly.
“Does she even know what it is to do a live show? How can she think of going in and out of the PCR, when she is on duty to guide the anchor through a live show? Irresponsible! The minute she comes her tell her that…” Kabir unleashed his wrath, but was interrupted by a voice to his rear.
“Tell her what?” Ananya panted. “I don’t know why I have become the object of your constant ire, on my very first day here! Let me tell you why I had left! Probably you will be less inclined to yell at me then! I have proof that Hridhwaan can’t be the person involved in this scandal!”
Kabir cursed himself as he let his focus go astray for a few seconds and his eyes rested on her flushed cheeks and heaving…
Get a grip, Kabir Sharma!
“What is it?” Kabir asked.
“Sir, first of all Hridhwaan hadn’t been anywhere near Sheetal since the past four months as he was busy shooting for Do Lehre. I have confirmations from several reliable people for this. Secondly, Sheetal has tried to prove that they were in a relationship, on the testimony of two people seeing them in a club once and two others seeing them at a romantic dinner together. What is surprising is that just two people from each place have testified. Hridhwaan is a superstar, and if he was seen in a club or a restaurant or practically anywhere, a lot of people would have noticed, and it would have even been all over tabloids!” Ananya said. “Also, Sheetal shows no signs of being a rape victim. It’s written all over her face that she’s lying.”
Kabir muttered irritatedly, “Miss Kashyap this is not a Lie To Me show, that I can use her face as evidence of her guilt! And anyway, your views won’t make much difference here...”
Kabir was interrupted by a deep masculine voice from behind him. “Would my views be of any use?” asked an extremely handsome, suave man, dressed impeccably in casuals. Malvika’s jaw dropped. Richa looked extremely shocked, while Trisha swooned as the superstar walked coolly into the PCR.
Hridhwaan Kapoor cleared his throat and smiled charmingly at the ladies. He gave Ananya a soft look and a reassuring smile, and Kabir frowned looking at them. “I want to have an interview tomorrow with Mr. Sharma… that is if you don’t mind,” he said.
How the hell had she managed this? Something made him want to snap at Hridhwaan. Of course the slight hug and soft looks exchanged weren’t the reason at all.
“Sure!” Kabir smiled and walked back into the studio. “In five minutes we’ll call him in.”
“Thank you...” Ananya whispered, while Hridhwaan shook his head.
“If only what you promised happens…” he said.
Ananya nodded and called up Zara, “Hey…”
~*~
Zara slept fitfully. She couldn’t believe that the man she had respected for so long had actually done something so terrible.
However, knowing Hridhwaan wasn’t easy. Hridhwaan was a complex person. It was only her gut feeling that told her he was innocent, and worthy of every bit of her respect. Even though she had been working under him for so long, she barely knew him as a person. It was always like the real Hridhwaan was always hidden under several layers… like he had an impenetrable wall around him always.
But she knew that the woman was a fraud. Sheetal probably wanted to rake in lakhs and gain publicity through all this. She knew her quite well, and knew her to be an ambitious but unscrupulous woman, who could go to any extent to achieve her own ends.
She felt beads of perspiration roll down her temples, as she thought about the impact all this would have on his reputation and standing in society. His career, name, fame and hard work would all be reduced to dust. Guilt gnawed on her insides. Should she call Ananya and tell her the truth?
But how could she trust this journalist? What if she was pretending to be supportive of Hridhwaan, but actually just wanted more information to further implicate him? But then hadn’t she been the only one who actually wanted to help Hridhwaan? Hadn’t there been that honest gleam in her eyes, as she spoke about him?
Deciding to follow her heart, she picked up her phone and called Ananya, despite the late hour, and asked her to come over. Zara knew that this was the time she could tell Ananya the truth. If she postponed this to the morning, she probably would be too scared to speak up. No, she had better do it when she had the courage. She couldn’t live with the guilt of not having helped Hridhwaan when she could have.
She slipped out of her lace negligee, and pulled on another of her formal pastel dresses.
The doorbell rang, and Zara took in a deep breath. Wow, she thought. Ananya was fast! She walked upto the door and opened it with a plastered smile on her face and a resolve to tell her all. But all that escaped her lips was a whisper of disbelief. “Aap?”
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