64 Grand Ballroom (1)

A tall boy with a Greek god physique, whose bicep muscles seem to almost tear the rolled up long sleeves of his exact fit maroon formal shirt, was holding a slender, elegant glass filled with Sutter Home Fre Brut Non-Alcoholic Champagne. He stood in a side of the grand ballroom as he twirled the glass as he greeted and conversed with other elite youth with a polite expression.

The boy had a classic look with his clean gentle square face, angled Caesar hairstyle and tucked in shirt paired along with beige colour trousers. After some time, he turned to look at the tall, lanky guy with slightly drooping shoulders who sat on a chair with an archaic design and fiddled with his phone and said, "Jatin, what are you doing?"

"Catching some fish,"Jatin said as he loosened his dark green tie and crossed one of his legs over the other while kicking the dangling foot lightly, he yawned, "Bhadra, I really don't understand why we have to attend the Chief Minister's son's birthday?" he was wearing slim fit Khaki trousers along with a regular fit white cotton shirt and black Oxford dress shoes. He turned his head slantingly as he winked at a girl who was eyeing with curious eyes. The girl blushed and averted her gaze hurriedly.

"You do know that the birthday party is just an excuse for the elite to get together to discuss the central government's approved Investment region. As for us, our parents hope that we build reliable social relations so that we would be able to take up their mantle when they retire in the future. You should also go out there and make some friends," Bhadra advised although he knew Jatin would not listen.

"How do you know I am not making friends, "Jatin smiled at the girl while eyeing her legs. Bhadra looked at this and rolled his eyes. He also sat down beside Jatin as he was also a little tired. This was usually the time that Bhadra would sleep, so he felt drowsy as he tried to fight the sleep.

Actually, Bhadra was also not that enthusiastic about social interactions either as he did not like having to deal with people who usually hide a knife behind their fake smiles but he did it anyway as he wanted to help his father as much as possible while Jatin did not share his passion. Jatin's ambition was something totally different, 'I want to spend all of my father's hard-earned wealth right in front him as he watched on helplessly.' it was no secret to Bhadra and Aditya that Jatin hated his father.

"Is Kavya coming?" Jatin asked as he checked the time in his watch.

"Yeah, she told she was going to accompany Anupama. You know girls, they tend to be late," Bhadra said.

"Why is she still in contact with that proud peacock?" Jatin said as he creased his brows. No person would appreciate a girl if he found her looking down on his friend. Kavya had revealed to both Bhadra and Jatin that Anupama had once told her that Aditya was not a reliable guy and that's why she did not favour him even if she knew that he liked her. Anupama had also taken the example of Aditya leaving the school to work in a garage to prove her point.

"Well, what can I do? I tried to tell her but Kavya said that besides the fact that she is judgmental and a little proud, Anupama is actually a good person," Bhadra shrugged his shoulders as he drowned his drink in one go. Bhadra was the one who was most infuriated when he heard those words of Anupama but Jatin had held him back from going have a go with Anupama reasoning that Aditya had already given up on her and it was no use trying to argue with her on the merits of Aditya.

To tell the truth, even Bhadra and Jatin did not truly understand why Aditya was working as a mechanic at such a crucial time for a student's successful career. Even they felt it was a foolish move but that did not mean they would accept it when others pointed it out. They would defend him in front of others no matter what he did but will grab hold of him and ask the same questions and beat him up if he doesn't agree to change his ways.

"By the way, when are we going to get that bastard, Adi, back?" Bhadra asked a little excitedly as if he was ready to go anytime as long as Jatin said 'go'. His eyes were filled with fondness when he talked about his best friend. He missed him a lot these days.

"That idiot is currently relaxing, I thought we could give him some time till Christmas and New year as we are also having trouble adjusting with the new school. That was what we had agreed on, right? Anyway, it is a new school, I don't think it matters joining now or after a few weeks." Jatin said as he remembered the call Aditya had made asking for a doctor in the middle of the night.

Also, he did not worry whether Aditya would change his ways or not as his confidence was not based on himself or Bhadra but on 'that' woman. He would prostrate himself before Aditya if he could escape from her 'grasp. If elder sister Maahi said that he would return to school, Aditya would return. The only relevant question was whether it was willingly or unwillingly. It was as simple as that.

"Yeah, when he comes back, let us get that Yu Yan to pair up with him. She seems to have taken a liking for him," Bhadra said with a smile as he took another drink.

"You think that Aditya needs our help with getting a girlfriend? He could get anyone he wants, well, except for anomalies like Anupama. Who knows, he might have already got a ..." Jatin paused as he looked at the entrance of the grand ballroom with his mouth left hanging open.

A stunning woman in a purple dress walked in while holding the hand of a young, tall lean teen with a clean, handsome, symmetrical face with sword-like eyebrows and almond eyes containing deep, dark pupils. One look could tell that boy was a lot younger than that gorgeous woman but the woman seems to have given the lead to this boy and the boy led her gracefully without losing to her in elegance and charisma.

"Adi..." Jatin muttered in shock when he looked at the tall boy who seemed to have gone a tremendous transformation since he last saw him. Aditya's eyes which used to be mild and gentle have been replaced with a sharpness that seems to have the power to penetrate a person's inner feelings and thoughts. His gait, demeanour, smile, poise, everything seem to have evolved. It was like how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly.

Jatin with all his experience and innate discretion can tell with his hands on his heart that the woman that Aditya was holding hands was very dangerous. The alarm bells in his heart rang putting this woman on the same level as Maahi elder sister but the feeling was totally different.

If Jatin was asked to compare these two women with inanimate things, he would compare the woman who was with Aditya right now as a sword made of ice while he felt Maahi elder sister as a whip coated with poison. 'Why did this fellow hung around with these dangerous characters rather than soft and gentle ones like Yu Yan. Did this fellow have some kind of S-M fetish?' Jatin wanted to give Bhadra a heads up as he turned around only to find an empty seat.

"Bhadra,"

Aditya still did not know why Taarini held his arm with no prior notification. Didn't she know that according to the gentlemen etiquette this meant that she likes him (at least to some degree) and wants to show everyone that he is her man? He could not rudely pull his arm out of her arms as that would be totally discourteous. Anyway, he was the one who got all the advantages as his elbow touched her body twice already. So, he played along with her act.

When Aditya passed the giant wooden doors filled with intricately carved designs of elephants and horses, he immediately activated 'Slow Timing' and 'Sensifull'. In one instant, Aditya had registered all the people, their facial features, expressions, gestures, dress details. He was happy when he discovered Jatin and Bhadra sitting in a distance. He had also seen that both of them also found him. He wanted to meet his friends but he felt this was not the time as he was with Taarini and he knew she had her plan for him.

His eyes expressed helplessness and warmth when he saw Bhadra rushing towards him with excitement written all over his face. He turned to Taarini and said with a soft voice that only she could hear, "Mentor, my friend is coming here to meet me, is it alright?"

Taarini looked at Aditya coldly and followed his vision to see a tall person with taurine shoulders rushing towards them. If Aditya did not notify her, she would have attacked him without a second thought. Her brows relaxed as her eyes sparkled when she saw Bhadra. This was her first time contacting Aditya's real identity which she was not able to completely uncover before. She wanted to know everything there was to know about Aditya.

"It's alright, my objective is already achieved," Taarini stated icily as she found some figures looking at them from a corner. Aditya also turned to look in that direction to discover an old man and a middle-aged person nodding towards Taarini with a smile as they looked at Aditya with interest."Also, didn't I tell you before to only call me a mentor when there is only the two of us? From now on address me by my first name."

"Adi, long time no see buddy," Bhadra stopped in front of him as he hit Aditya's shoulder, he turned to smile politely at Taarini who was looking at him and asked," and this is?"

"Taarini, this is my best friend Bhadra from the school I previously studied in," Aditya turned and introduced Bhadra to her first. It felt a little weird for him to address her like this. Since the day Taarini had given him her contacts and the information of the underworld, Aditya's attitude towards her and trust increased considerably. Aditya had already studied the full information and knew that if he wanted to get Taarini arrested or if he wanted to dupe her or to get her killed, it would be a cake-walk for him.

It would be a lie if Aditya said he was not affected by her gesture. It was a true leap of faith for her and Aditya kept this in his heart. From the moment she gave that USB drive to him, the relationship between them was no longer an exchange of favours or benefits. It evolved into a more deeper and subtler relationship which Aditya treasured.

That was the reason he did not protest or disobey when he saw Taarini acting differently or keeping her real intention in bringing him here today, a secret. So, Aditya did not try to hide anything about his past from her as behaving otherwise would be equal to betraying the trust placed on him.

Aditya smiled brightly at Bhadra as he turned towards him and said, "Bhadra, this is Taarini, she was the one who looked after me for the past two weeks." He did not give out any unnecessary information as this was not the right place.

Taarini did not show any kind of expression as she looked at Bhadra and nodded slightly. Bhadra also nodded back with a smile as he said, "Thank you very much for looking after him these few days. Since his parents went missing, I have not seen him been normal. Although he smiled and did most of his work, as usual, I could sense that he was suffering silently inside his heart. But today, I can see that he has truly come out of this shadow. Though I am not someone great and influential, if you ever need help then I shall be the first one there to do my part."

Taarini ice cold expression changed when she heard that Aditya's parents went missing. When she investigated Aditya's background, she had found that he was an orphan. She turned to look at Aditya who gave a small smile to her and stared at Bhadra. 'loose mouth'