Armaan-Abhimanyu part 16

Shash: Aap sab log jaante ho ki Sanjeevani mein financial crisis hua … lekin aap yeh nahin jaante ki yeh crisis ek fraud ki vajah se hua tha … koi trust funds ke saath speculate kar raha tha. Abhimanyu Modi yehi investigate kar rahe the … aur unka shaq mujh par tha … kyunki … (he holds up a hand as there is an angry buzz and everyone looks at Abhimanyu resentfully) … main is trust ka signatory hun. Lekin …

Flashback to the morning of Dr. Shashank’s suspension:

Armaan sees the announcement on the notice board and is as speechless as the rest. This was not supposed to happen … Abhimanyu had promised him …
He strides to Abhimanyu’s office, anger making him walk faster. He knocks perfunctorily and enters …
Abhimanyu looks up.
Abhi (pleasantly): I thought I would have the pleasure of your company sooner or later this morning …
Ar (not listening, angrily): what the hell is going on??? You said you would give me some more time to look …

Abhi: what you found already … and what I have found … abhi ke liye kaafi hai …

Ar: Mujhe aisa kuch nahin mila … jiski vajah se tumne yeh step uthaya hai … there’s still nothing concrete! Aur unhone apne personal funds Sanjeevani mein transfer kare hain … not the other way around …
Abhi: And why would he do that? Pakde jaane ke darr se … to replace what he had taken out … it’s very clear, Armaan! Aur mujhe jo bank se documents mile hain … well, both put together are enough …

Ar: They are not!!! I’m telling you … documents jaise bhi hon … tumhare conclusions galat hain …
He stops … Dr. Shashank has entered quietly. Both the men stare at each other, then Armaan’s gaze falls. He makes to leave.

Abhi: Ruko, Armaan. Kahiye, sir.
Dr. Shash (ironically): ab to mujhe aapko Sir kehna chahiye …
Abhi: Aisi koi baat nahin hai … aap abhi bhi mujhse senior hain … please, baithiye …
Dr. Shashank sits down – he looks at Armaan and gestures at the other chair. A little surprised, Armaan also sits.
Dr. Shashank looks back at Abhimanyu.
Sh: So … aapne kar hi diya. Now what?

Abhi: Now you tell me …
Sh: Maine aapse pehle bhi kaha hai … jabse mujhe pata chala hai, main bhi pata lagane ki koshish kar raha hun. Aur rahi paison ki baat … main vapas daalne ki koshish kar raha tha … that’s all.
Ar (starts): I told you …!!! (he stops at Dr. Shashank’s look)

Abhi: That’s not good enough. Papers par aapke signatures hain. Ya to aap mujhe proof dikhayiye ki yeh sab aapne nahin kiya … otherwise …

Sha: I don’t have proof, Abhimanyu … if I did, to tumhe mujhse yeh kehne ki zaroorat nahin hoti.
Ar: Abhimanyu … tumne kaha that tum muhe vaqt doge … give me some more time, man … main proof dhoond dunga … there must be something … I’m telling you … this is a mistake …

He pushes his hands through his hair in agitation. Abhimanyu looks at him consideringly, and then back at Dr. Shashank.

Abhi: theek hai … I’ll give you the benefit of doubt … lekin main bahut zyaada vaqt nahin de sakta. I have to meet the trustees next week … tab tak tum (looking at Armaan) koshish kar sakte ho.

Sh: Thanks, Abhimanyu … mujhe pata nahin ki iska kuch fayda hoga par …
Ar: Sir, don’t give up hope! Hum koshish to kar sakte hain …
Sh (shrugs his shoulders, but it’s obvious he is not optimistic): … theek hai … tum koshish kar lo , lekin one request - Yeh baat … ki yahan fraud ka maamla hai, yeh baat is kamre se bahar nahin jaani chahiye. Main nahin chahta ki meri betiyon ko pata chale ki mujhe … I am being suspected of dishonesty … voh sambhal nahin payengi. Agar Armaan kaamyab nahin hua – I will resign.

For the first time, he looks seriously upset. Armaan swallows. Now he knows exactly what Riddhima went through … hiding this from her is not going to be easy … for both of them … He nods briefly.

Ar: Ji, Sir. I understand

Abhi : Agreed … is kamre ke bahar, kisi ko bhi iss baat ki bhanak tak bhi nahin pade ki asli mamla kya hai. Dr. Shashank remains suspended …

Armaan and Dr. Shashank both nod.
Ar: it’s better that way, Sir … jisne bhi kiya hai, use lagega ki aapko pakad liya hai … shayad voh relax karke kuch galti kar de …
Dr. Shashank looks at him.
Sh: Armaan … tum bahut sure ho ki kasoorvar main nahi hun … (he ends with a question in his voice. Armaan looks directly back at him.)

Ar (simply, firmly): Yes, Sir.


All three get up … Armaan makes for the door, followed by Dr. Shashank. As he opens the door, he freezes.

Anjali and Riddhima stare at him accusingly.


Back to present :

Sh (looks at them all): So … Armaan yeh koshish kar raha tha … yeh dhoondne ki kaun yeh sab kar raha hai …

Abhi: I’m sorry, Dr. Shashank … agar main aapko aur achchi tarah se jaanta, to main yeh kabhi nahin sochta …

Sh: It’s all right, Dr. Abhimanyu …you were doing your job … aur saare signs meri hi taraf point kar rahe the … so I don’t blame you. And I’m grateful to both of you … tumne mujhe sab ke saamne accuse nahin kiya … aur Armaan ko vaqt diya … aur Armaan … he had complete trust in me … aur akhir usne proof nikal hi diya, asli gunehgaar ko pakadne ke liye …

Anj: But who was it, dad? And hua kya?

Sh: Anjali beta … it was my broker … jise main tees saal se jaanta hun. Tees saal se voh sab personal investments kar raha hai. Mujhe uss par itna bharosa tha ki main use blank forms sign karke de deta tha – issi ka usne fayda uthaya, aur Sanjeevani ke funds ko invest karke, profit nikalkar, funds vapas replace kar deta tha. Phir economic crisis hua aur paise banne ki jagah, losses hone lage, voh darr gaya aur bhi zyaada speculate karne lag gaya taaki paise replace kar sake … which never happened … The problem was that I had signed blank forms which he had used, the signatures were mine, so the finger pointed at me … I could not prove ki maine yeh nahin kiya hai … although shaq to broker par tha, as he was the only other person apart from me, who could have done this.

Rid (impatiently): phir … kaise …?

Dr. Shashank looks at Armaan smilingly.

Sh: Armaan … he went through all the documents … each and every one … aur ek bahut hi simple mistake saamne aa gayi … Broker thoda greedy ho gaya tha aur mere signatures forge karne lag gaya tha … aur kuch investments usne forged signatures ke saath uss time par kare, jab Padma aur main Paris mein honeymoon par gaye hue the. So I could not have been responsible … voh forgery samne aayi, to humne baaki forms bhi handwriting expert ko dikhaye … and bas, we got the proof we needed!!! Broker ko confront kiya … aur usne sab confess kar diya.

He breaks into a broad smile, and the others all crowd around him and Armaan, congratulating them. Rahul, Anjali, Muskaan, Atul and Nikita come up to Armaan and very shame-facedly apologise … they make up, but Riddhima stays on the periphery … looking at Arman, willing him to look back at her … how she wishes she had managed to tell him before all this that she did trust him! Now will he believe her? Will he forgive her for not trusting him …?) ….


The END

Dia’s note - Hey … end kaise … no AR???!!!!
Ok – last pre-cap … next part - will Armaan forgive Riddhima? (Is that really a question??!!)