Page 18 of One Hellish Passion

He wiped his lips and got up to leave. Laura made a note of the agenda and kept following him to the private elevator. They both got in. This was Laura’s daily routine – to remind him of all the personal and household-related matters. While Aman took care of his official agenda, Laura looked after the rest. They reached the basement where his Audi was parked.

“I will drive,” he barked at the driver, who immediately handed him the car keys. Laura waited until he drove out of the building, the driver following him in another car.

************

Maya was preparing her mother’s breakfast. She was running a bit late for work, but she had already informed Vikram about it.

“Mom, are you done with your shower?” she yelled from the kitchen.

Garima came out, wiping her head with a towel.

“I have. Where is the newspaper? I haven’t seen it since morning.”

“The newspaper is on the table,” Maya yelled back.

“Okay.”

Within a minute, Maya heard Garima calling her out.

“Maya, look at this. This girl resembles you so much.”

Maya was confused. Which girl was her mother talking about? She took the sandwich plate and kept it on the dining table. She found her mother keenly reading some article in the newspaper.

Garima showed her the article, making Maya skip a beat. That was her photo. Although it was not very clear, and no one could recognize her distinctly, she knew it was her. It was the same night when she had been to Paradise to meet Ranveer Malhotra. Drenched and in his robe, she was at the basement to get inside his car. She had felt a flashlight on her at that time, but she couldn’t confirm it. Who clicked her picture? She swallowed hard to drive off the uneasiness forming on her face because she didn’t want her mother to read her mind.

“This man, Ranveer, is your Sponsor, right?” Garima asked. Maya was still speechless. Garima very easily joined the dots. “And this is the same night when you came home late, isn’t it?” she added.

Maya had no ears for her mother’s raising doubts because right now, she was reading the misleading title of that article on the newspaper.

‘Ranveer’s yet another fling. A mystery woman in a mysterious state.’

Maya threw the paper away.

“Maya? What’s wrong?” Garima tried to seek answers from her, but she faked a non-bothered look.

“Mom, stop reading such articles. These people put in anything these days without knowing the head and tail of the matter.”

“Okay. I know. But why are you so tensed?”

“I am not,” Maya faked another smile. “It’s just that I didn’t expect to read something about my Sponsor this early morning. Now come on, have your breakfast. I have to go to work.”

Maya hurried into the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Garima was even more suspicious seeing Maya’s behavior. Was that girl in the newspaper her daughter?

Malhotra Group

Aman showed the article to Ranveer, who sipped his coffee while keeping his eyes fixed on the picture.

“Any idea who clicked this?” he asked.

“Not yet, Boss. It’s from a freelance reporter for sure. Whoever clicked it shared it with the Celeb Bytes Media communications, who got the article printed today. Even last time, the picture of you in the Pub with a pole dancer was clicked by someone from that same group,” Aman replied.

“Is it just in this paper? Or anywhere else too?”

“I have searched. It’s nowhere else, just here.”

Ranveer kept his coffee down. Aman’s phone buzzed, and the moment he read the caller ID, he gave a confused look to his phone screen and then at his boss.

“Who is it?”

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