Chapter 45

Something wasn't adding up. Few things seemed off. I just couldn't place my hand on it. Jaideep's arrival had definitely thrown off my practical mind in a frenzy, it had gone on an overthinking spree trying to work out the logic of every decision he took. Using interns for such a sensitive project! Eh? Making us use burner apps. Double the ehh? While I sat and contemplated things, people had started working and planning out things for the story.

Prashant moved out the fastest from the conference room as if his life depended on working out this story. It could be because this was once in a lifetime story and getting it correct would set off all the right buttons in his career.

Agam waited for me in the conference room patiently, showing no signs of anger or agitation after our fallout. I was continuously chewing the pencil end and had still not been able to come up with convincing answers, I knew I had to make a move for the better or worst.

"Done?" Agam"s gentle tone brought me out of my reverie.

"I am sorry?" I was quick to ask.

"Overthinking! If you're done I would like you to do some research."

I nodded my head.

"Let's go" He murmured.

Quick on his heels, he left the conference room, asking me to join him on his desk. But before I could comply with his orders, Jaideep called me in his cabin. I decided to be open-minded and let things roll at their own pace. I couldn't let Jaideep intimidate me. Moreover, this was a professional space, he would not attack me for personal reasons in the office.

I walked into his cabin confidently. He did not look up from the mobile screen and gestured me to take a seat before him.

"How are you?" His question threw me off guard."I hope you will be a valuable resource in this project."

I merely nodded despite knowing well that his eyes were continuously reading and had not stopped to look up. When he finally did, his eyes were glinting. His gaze and scrutiny were uncomfortable and made me flinch. I was desperately hoping for this interrogation to end soon. Surviving him in such proximity was fatal for my senses.

I waited in silence for him to speak while his eyes continued to linger on me with no singular aim.

"Anything else, sir?" My words were a reprimand because he immediately stood up and showed me out of the door. His hand on my back gliding me out wasn't welcome but I could do nothing. The relief that washed across my mind and body when I left his office was paramount.

I went to Agam. Though I had started my day with the resolve to avoid him, I had ended up right onto him in an irony of the worst kind.

His hands were fervently typing and did not halt despite my presence near him.

"Take a seat." He instructed. He unlocked his drawers to remove a stack of files and placed them in front of me. "I want you to go through the transactions of the banks and note down the names of the people. If they ring a bell or anything is alarming, please mark it with a colour. We can go through it together."

I gathered the files and began to move. "Where are you going?" He asked suddenly, taking in my presence.

"To my...office," He squinted his eyes, then pointed out to the table next to him.

"Here."

I was angry about being withheld. I banged the files in disgust wanting to argue but had to keep my mouth shut due to Mansi's sudden arrival. She looked at me and then Agam trying to gauge god knows what, when she could not, she addressed me.

"Abhilasha, that was downright rude." I saw Agam massaging his temples in worry while I prepared myself to be chastised. "You take undue advantage of Agam's nice behaviour."

I sniggered enraging her more. "Apologize right now."

Instead of apologizing, I was emboldened by her outrage. I remained indifferent.

"Apologize," but her rising voice and her rising anger did not elicit any reaction from me. I remained taciturn. Agam who saw things blowing out of proportion butted in by taking Mansi with him to the corner of the studio. I heard her telling Agamhim that I was out of line and need to be put in my place.

I was surprised at my outlook. I hadn't been so brave during any confrontation in my life. I had put my foot down to her and for the uninitiated let her know that I won't be bullied by her seniority or her closeness to that man.

Agam came back stoic as ever giving nothing away. I sat next to him and buried myself in the files. It was painful to look at the transactions, the only respite was the number of zeroes, making me wish furtively that someday I should have this kind of insane money to splurge.

I had not used the coloured pen in hours. My watch indicated it was time for people to go back home. Agam had no intention of leaving. Hence, I was stuck.

A plate of hot samosas and coffee at my desk was a relief. Since I had not lost my good manners I thanked Agam for his kindness.

"Did you find anything?"

"Nope, nothing except the endless zeroes."

"Any names that could..."

"Not a single...and large transactions have been validated by proofs. It is solid."

The crowd was thinning. A few of Agam's colleagues waved him as they left.

"What are you working on?" The lines between Agam and me were always blurred. I took too many liberties with him because I never saw him as a senior. I could not define our...relationship...friendship.

He didn't hesitate to divulge details. "I have been stuck with a name called Punj. The name is Indian but the owner on paper is Nigerian and... He spoke passionately but I had lost touch in-between as he lapsed into core financial terminology and corporate jargon.

I stifled a yawn. He looked at me with affection.

"You're tired! Let's call it a day."

I was ecstatic. But it didn't end there. "You need to get a hang of these financial terms and concepts to understand the information in the future." I was disappointed and deflated. I took my phone and quickly typed a message to Jigar about being stuck at work. Jigar did not reply immediately making me worried.

We left the office together and I did not mind a quick ride. However, I was surprised when we stopped in front of Barista. The joy and excitement to be able to finally eat at my favourite coffee house were huge. The grin on my face was a total giveaway. My lips continuously twitched to express my happiness.

He ordered his patent double shot espresso, a chicken calzone and an iced hazelnut frappe.

We took a seat in a faraway corner. Agam started his tutorial soon after, explaining the terms and their meanings.

"How did I get chosen for this project?" I had to ask this sooner or later since I was itching to know the answer. His, I don't know much look, didn't sit very well with me.

"Rohit picked you up."

"Not Jaideep?" I wish I had not opened my mouth. My first name basis with the Editor-in-Chief I had met today in office would give away our familiarity and I wanted to conceal this fact as long as possible.

"Not Jaideep!"

"So, Rohit knows about the story?"

"Yes!"

"Wow. The instructions that were bombarded to us in the afternoon..."

"This story was being planned long before Jaideep unc..."

Did I hear him calling uncle?

"Jaideep came into the scene. He is just fast-tracking it."

"Listen," Agam started, dropping the beats of suspense "The other day with Manto's parents... was..."

"Agam, listen I don't need your excuses or justification. It's over for me and I would rather stay away from this plotting than become a part of it as your pawn." Wow! I said this so straightforwardly.

Agam was dumbstruck at my openness. He stared at me before moving his hand on the table in frustration and finally banging it in a punch. The loud thud neither his stance unnerved me.

"Abhilasha..."

I turned around to find Sameer Sir. We high fived each other.

"Sir again!" Sameer pouted in a trademark diva style while I giggled at his antics.

"Come sit." I offered politely.

He waved to Agam. "I thought you were with Mansi..." and he let that thought linger on. I glared at him for doing the unspeakable while Agam seemed perpetually perplexed and disoriented at that remark.

"Why is everyone asking me about Mansi?" He looked at Sameer confused. And before Sameer could humour him, I pleaded with my eyes to save my ass. I had been the one going around telling people in the office that there is something is cooking up between the two and the gossip spread like wildfire. It was the truth, however, no one ever wants to get caught being the mole.

Sameer whispered, "What's cooking?" in my ear discreetly.

"Hot and strong potpourri," I whispered back with gusto. His eyes danced with mischief while I continued to giggle like a schoolgirl.

Sameer was fun to hang around with. We met occasionally at the office and stopped for a chit chat. He had been hooked to art galleries courtesy of our impromptu gig and often told me about his shenanigans with his friends.

"Any art galleries you visited recently?"

"I will be going to one with my friends from here. Do you want to join us?" He pinpointed his group of friends talking loudly at one of the tables. They were not from the office. I couldn't recognise anybody.

"Have to pass it this time. I have a date." I winked.

Sameer's eyes lightened up.

"You're are a guy stealer?"

"Eh?" I scrunched my nose and made a weird face. Agam was getting irritated every passing minute, not being included in our conversation.

"I am on work with him and spare me the torture." He stifled a laugh.

"Done?" Agam's rebuke set both of us straight.

"Sameer, next time we can hang out together," I said this more out of spite for Agam than genuinely meaning it.

"Cool! Yeah, I will text you about the next art exhibition in town."

"Yep, I will see you two in office." Agam forced himself to smile in and answer in politeness.

As soon as Sameer left, we were back to the basics. He was patient with my questions, never tiring himself from answers. My phone beeped. Jigar had texted back to meet him at Marine Drive.

"I need to leave," I told Agam. "I will work on the files tomorrow and clear my doubts if any."

"Fine, " Agam managed to say.

He offered to drop me home which I refused.

"No need. I need to be somewhere else." He did not lask but his look was enough to explain he needed answers.

"Marine Drive."

"I can drop you."

"Umm, I will manage.'

Agam insisted like always being it in his way of some work. This was faster and I could cut some slack.

Once in the car, Agam refused to stay quiet.

"Can I explain what happened with Manto's parents?"

"No need. It's a close chapter for me. Aunty and uncle were very clear about not digging things that didn't exist."

"Abhilasha...let me do the talking for a change. Please." He beseeched. I stayed quiet awhile. "Manto was adopted, not legally. Her parents have no official record of her adoption and they did not want to divulge much about it too.

Plus it is confirmed she was undergoing therapy for depression. They didn't reveal many details but I did my digging and found out she had suffered sexual abuse in her childhood."

I was shocked and outraged to know this. The stinging tears in my eyes were not out of empathy but anger for being useless and collectively failing her.

"She had suicidal tendencies in the past, however, post her treatment she had no such signs. This was narrated by her parents. No official word on this."

"And did she ever mention Rasik to her parents or any untoward incident at the office that could have been a trigger?"

"Mansi tried talking to them about this but she could not get any information. They remained elusive and did not want to pursue this. They feared unnecessary scrutiny and decided it was best to bury this matter here."

The fake 'izzat' ( societal status) that every one of us cared so much about that even in the 21st century and today's emancipated times all we could offer was our sympathy to victims and the sense of shame, while we let the perpetrators of such heinous crimes go scot-free.

"So, it is over?

"For them? Yes. For us? I don't know what we can do without any evidence. And there is practically nothing at this stage."

"Why Mansi?"

"I didn't...I had reasons...though..." He hesitated all this while to put up a coherent excuse.

The ringing phone brought this conversation to an abrupt halt. For a second I wanted to ignore the call but it was Jigar.

"Hi," I said clearing my throat and gaining my sense of semblance.

"Everything good?"

"Yes,"

"What do you want to have for dinner?"

"I can go home and eat."

"Nah, how about zinger burger, cookie shake and fries?"

"Sounds great! I am hungry as af provided it's your treat."