"Hi," said the stranger on the next barstool.
Slightly annoyed due to the interruption in his chain of thoughts, Rishi looked over to see who it was. This guy was unusually handsome. Tall. Well built. Handlebar moustache. Gelled hair. Black tuxedo. Shiny shoes. Rishi was not used to handsome guys starting a conversation at the bar counter.
"Hi," replied Rishi.
"Deep thoughts?" asked the stranger.
"Yea. I guess so."
Rishi's annoyance was increasing at this nosey stranger.
"I'm Raj."
"Hi, Rishi."
"100 bucks if I guess correctly what you're thinking?"
"I'm not interested in a magic trick. Thanks."
"No it's not a magic trick I swear."
"I really don't care." Said Rishi as he got off the barstool and started to walk away.
"Yes, Giselle is cheating on you."
Rishi stopped in his tracks. And turned around in a jiffy. "What did you say?"
"Well, in her defence, she's really tired of your ego. And. This might hurt. Karan does last a hell of a lot longer in bed than you. I could show you a video but no man should have to see that."
Rishi was too stunned to speak.
"See? I guessed correctly didn't I?" grinned Raj shamelessly as he broke the silence.
"What makes you think I'll just believe you?"
"You know you want to. You knew it was true somewhere within."
"Who are you? And how do you know all of this? How do you know us?"
"I know everybody. It's a part of my job description."
"What!? Who are you?" enquired Rishi as he settled himself on the barstool again.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Yaman Raj. Or widely known as Yam Raj."
Rishi couldn't help laughing even in a situation such as his. For the first time since they had met, Raj was maintaining a straight face.
"Yam? Like the God of Death, Yam? Come on man. You did make me laugh but you really should reconsider your comic timing. Not really a good time for me right now. You of all people should know that."
"No you don't. But I'm not kidding. I knew you might react similarly, so let me give you a demo."
"You see that waiter? In exactly 5 seconds he's going to trip over and spill over the drinks on that lady in red dress."
Rishi couldn't believe his eyes when the events unfolded exactly as Raj predicted.
"Pure luck." Exclaimed Rishi.
"Really? Even the blue Mercedes that will pull up in 10 secs with number plate ending with 6550?"
Rishi looked out and in exactly 10 seconds, the Mercedes arrived.
"You had a life-threatening fever when you were 12. Nobody knows that. Except your mother. Lovely lady. Anyway, an executive decision was made not to take you that day. We picked up Manan from the next ward."
"Ok what the hell is going on?" enquired a really frantic Rishi.
"I told you who I am. The sooner you believe me the quicker we get to my business, the better for you."
"If you really were Yamraj why are you so impeccably dressed? Why do you look so handsome? And yes, where's your bull?"
"Call it an upgrade. It's the 21st century my man. It doesn't just apply to humans. And yes, riding a bull these days? Seriously? I do have a black SUV parked out though. It's better than any other car on this planet."
"I am not sure if I should be saying give me a ride. What is it? Are you here to take me?" asked a nervous Rishi.
"It's complicated. Here me out."
Rishi didn't say anything. Raj began.
"Well, how do I put this politely!? You have just 24 hours to live. I'm not supposed to be telling you this. I'm not supposed to be here. In fact I've to pick up Kumar from Jhansi in 3 mins. I'm forewarning you because I like you. You're an asshole with an ego the size of Jupiter but I do have a soft corner for you."
"Right, being Yamraj's blue eyed boy wasn't really my life-goal."
"Shut up. Who do you think enforced that executive decision to let you live when you were 12?"
"I don't really care, you're not human I believe now. You've just told a man he's gonna die the next day and you expect normal conversation."
"Don't you get it? I've given you 24hrs to live your life before you die. Nobody. I repeat, nobody, gets that. You're extremely lucky. Do what you've wanted to do always that can be done in a day. You can also do what you want and not face the consequences. Do charity. Anything. Really not going to give you anymore ideas. By 7.07 pm tomorrow, I'll pick you up. It's time. Yam out."
With that statement, he just went out of the door. The next second Rishi spotted a black SUV zooming away.
He sat there finishing his drink. Not sure what to make of whatever transpired in the last 10 mins. He never thought he'd get just a day to live out his life. He didn't know what to do. He had saved up a lot of money for his future. His business was booming. He smiled. How futile. He had no dependents. Except Giselle.
"That bitch." he thought. "She had the nerve to cheat on me. I'm sure it's his money. He can't outperform me elsewhere. I'm sure." His anger surged. He had to calm himself down. He ordered another drink. And then another one. He sat their going over his life. Could he have done anything differently along the way. He didn't regret much, except marrying Giselle. He finally checked his watch. 11.34 pm. He downed the last drink, left the place, took a cab back home.
Giselle wasn't home. Still. He checked his phone. She had texted him. 'Baby I'll be late today again. I'm sorry. This pitch is killing me. Don't worry Karan will drop me. You sleep. Good night.'
He dug his head into his palms and cried. Cried profusely. Cried his heart out like there's no tomorrow. In his case, there literally wasn't any.
Crawling up on the bed, he realised that he felt a lot sober for the amount of alcohol he had consumed. 'Perks of last day? Oh god. I'm going to die tomorrow. I can't believe that.' With that thought, tears started to roll out of his eyes again.
He woke up early next morning. 6.40 am. He had no hangover whatsoever. Giselle was fast asleep beside him. She always looked extremely beautiful while sleeping. Today was no different. The first rays of the sun, escaping through the curtain gaps illuminated her face, and that mole under her ear. Her beauty had always astonished him, even made him forget his situation. She was wearing his favourite satin nightie that barely came up to her knees when standing. Currently, the way she was sleeping, it barely covered her modesty. It arroused him. It clouded his memory about her deeds behind his back.
He leaned over and gave a peck on her cheek. To his surprise, she opened her eyes.
"I was beginning to wonder how long before you do something." she said with the most sensuous of morning voices that always made him go weak all over.
"You were awake?"
"Ofcourse. You know I can always sense you looking at me mister."
He just stared in her eyes, unable to form words.
"Now what are you waiting for?" She winked with intent.
Before he could lean in again, she grabbed his head, and pulled his face towards her. They kissed. They kissed like they hadn't kissed for ages. They kissed like it was the last time they were kissing. Her tongue was clearly dominating, and he had no problems playing second fiddle. He wasted no time in taking off her nightie. And she got rid of his pesky boxers the next instant. The next hour was spent with the most passionate love making either of them had indulged in, in an extremely long time. They were all over each other. Giselle was sitting on top of Rishi when they were finally done, naked, full of sweat dripping from every inch of her body. They looked at each other and laughed, as they both gasped for breath. She leaned over and lied on him. They both loved the unison of each other's wet naked bodies. Wrapping his arms around her, he couldn't stem the flow of tears. He tightened his embrace. They fell asleep.
After a few of hours, she woke up, which woke him up too. She got up and proceeded towards the shower. He couldn't take his eyes of her. Her long tresses. Her back. Her ass. Her legs. She was perfection for him. She suddenly turned around and caught him staring.
"Stop it." she said playfully as she entered the shower.
He replied, "Not a chance." Rishi seemed to have totally forgotten about her actions, and his timeline. He decided against telling her anything, considering it pointless.
He got up and followed her in the shower. He couldn't hold himself back. As he opened the door, he found her under the shower in her most fabulous self. He tiptoed inside, and grabbed her from behind.
"Wow what's gotten into you today baby!?" enquired a visibly surprised Giselle.
"Why don't you find out yourself?"
He turned her around and they started kissing again. The struggle for dominance began again under the shower but this time he decided to take charge. He overpowered her easily. It was worth it.
He exited the shower with her still inside. Quickly dressing up, he collected all the necessary documentation, and just before leaving the house opened the bathroom door slightly, to see her. Possibly for the last time. Satisfied, he left.
11.30 am. His first stop was the orphanage that was just a kilometre away from his house. He always saw it, but never cared enough to explore. It had been there since a year, but he never found the time. Today, he decided, was the day. He spoke kindly with the staff, announced his intention to make a donation and requested to spend time with the kids. With the amount of money he had donated, he was allowed to spend as much time as he wanted with the kids. He donated every last penny he had, emptied his accounts to zero. He spent close to 4 hours with the children. It didn't take them long to open up to him, after all he had bought the most amount of toys anyone ever had. Rishi was thoroughly surprised with himself. He never knew he had this side to his personality. That he had to figure this out on his last day dampened his mood a bit.
He couldn't believe he was shedding tears while bidding adieu to the little angels.
4.14 pm. He headed straight to the coffee place he frequented. He wanted his favourite beverage, made just the way he liked it, by his favourite barista. Natalie. A beautiful French national. She owned the café. They had become good friends since a client had decided to meet Rishi here, 8 months ago. The prospective client was a no-show. But he hit it off instantly with Natalie. Turned out she did back in France, what Rishi did for a living here. But she gave up that life, sold off everything and had come settled here 2 years ago. She opened this café a year ago and has been very happy. Her timely inputs had helped Rishi expand his business exponentially. She was the best thing to have happened to him professionally. And that she made mind-blowing coffee was a bonus. She always took time out for him.
"You seem different today!" stated Natalie.
"Good different? Bad different?" enquired Rishi.
"Good. Definitely good. Why were you not this way always?!"
"If only I had known," Rishi murmured.
"What?!"
"Nothing. I'll get going."
"So soon?" asked Natalie.
"It's been almost two hours. I have to go, do a thing."
"Fine. But will you stop by later? I like talking to the 'new' you."
"Sure." With that reply he took his leave.
6.13 pm. He was at the waterfront. He had decided to spend the last hour with himself. He gave away his phone to a beggar on the way, wanting no interruptions. Picking a random bench, he sat. Took a deep breath. And enjoyed the view. He loved the feeling of fresh air on his face. He reflected back on his life. Thinking how he could've done things differently, and some things he could've done, way too differently. Eitherways, he wasn't happy about his conduct much. He sat remorseful.
Suddenly he wondered, "How am I going to die? Is it going to be a heart attack? Or a car losing control and coming this way?" He never bothered about it till that instant. Suddenly a chill ran down his spine. His heart was beating at a pace it never did before. He was scared. Finally. He had never thought about this all day. Now he was genuinely afraid.
7.01 pm. He felt a tap on his shoulder
He half anticipated the person standing behind. He turned around to find Raj.
"Ssup bro?! What the hell?! You look so pale." asked Raj.
"I'm going to die in the next few minutes and you expect me to look fine?"
"Hahahahahahaha ohh man. What the hell! You're so gullible. Hahahaha you have to look at your face at this moment. How can a well educated, successful businessman buy that even for a second?"
"What do you mean?" enquired a puzzled Rishi.
"You still don't get it you moron? You're not dying. I'm no Yam. And certainly no God. Obviously. We were hired to prank you. We specialise in this."
There was a massive shift in Rishi's mood. His eyes widened. He didn't know what to say.
"That. Can't be. What about all the predictions you made in the bar? Even about my personal life"
"Those? They're so easy. We had rehearsed the same scene 16 times before we executed it with you. The waiter fumbling, the Mercedes, everything was timed perfectly to my cue. Everyone, except you, in the bar was our crew. And as for your personal life, well, nothing is personal in this digital day and age. Everything is available online, especially with the kind of IT strength our organisation possesses. And to know you were thinking about Giselle's affair was obviously a part of that. Your chat history clearly suggested there was only one thing on your mind after that fight on WhatsApp."
"But has she been unfaithful?" Rishi asked, shivering, dreading the answer he anticipated.
"Never. You're stupid to even think that."
Rishi fell down on his knees. Dug his face in his palms. Then looked up and wailed loud enough for the other side of the world to hear. He let out all of his emotions at once.
He got up and charged towards Raj with all his might. Raj, had seen this kind of reaction coming from a mile away. All he had to do was step aside at the right moment. He did. Rishi went and dashed into the ground. Raj, maintaining a straight face, preferred to tighten his windsor knot and adjust his cuffs.
At that exact moment, a police van arrived at the scene. Two constables and an inspector descended from the van. The constables headed straight towards Rishi. The inspector headed towards Raj.
"Sir, do you know this man? Was he bothering you?" enquired the Inspector.
"No I don't and no he wasn't. He just lost his balance while running and tumbled."
"We have been looking for him the entire day. He's our prime suspect in a murder."
"His wife. She was found dead in the shower of their apartment. Somebody tipped us off. Prima facie it looks strangulation. But we'll let forensics decide that. Anyway, now that we have him, I'll be out of your hair. Thank you."
"Thank you officer. I think you arrived in time or else he might've harmed me as well."
"It's our job sir. Thank you."
Just as a handcuffed Rishi was being taken to the van, he happened to look at Raj. He was casting an evil smile back at him. That smile somehow assured Rishi this was anything but a prank. This was much more sinister. What, he knew not.
An expensive sedan arrived in front of an old, abandoned warehouse. The man, in a well fitted suit, got down, looked around and questioned himself regarding the credibility of the information. Just at that moment a woman appeared from behind one of the pillars and asked him to follow her to an elevator door which wasn't visible due to its camouflage.
Atleast 15 floors below the city, this organisation functioned like normal. There could easily be around 500 employees across various departments. They were known as 'The Agency' to the elite.
"I'm sure the government knows about this. There's no way you guys exist without nobody in power knowing about it." said the man.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that sir." the woman replied and led him to the most important cabin in the entire organisation.
"Please come in. I've been expecting you. Let's not waste time in pleasantries. Tell me what can we do for you." said the impeccably dressed man behind the table.
"Hi, ummm, I don't know how to explain this." said the visitor.
"You don't need to. You just need to tell us what do you want done, and I'll tell you how we can get it done."
"Ok. I want to put someone in the ground. Destroyed professionally and personally. I hate him."
"Ok. Any personal rivalry?"
"He raped, & killed my sister 13 years ago. And got away with it. She rejected his proposal in front of his friends. His ego couldn't handle it. I've been wanting to get back at him ever since."
"Fine. I've got what i needed to know. I'll now redirect you to our Research Department. You'll be asked to give a complete download of your knowledge about Rishi, however little. We'll do the rest. You'll be again called after a month. We'll take you through our plan, basis our research and how we plan to execute it. Be advised, our plans involve long term planning and execution. It's not going to be a quick fix that you'll have your result within a week. Our last assignment spanned over 3.5 years."
"No I don't expect it to be quick. I just want it to be done."
"Be assured. Nothing will be traced back to you or us. See you in a month. Tanya will see you out."
"Welcome back. Let's get to it without wasting further time." Said the man in the tuxedo.
"Nothing I'd like more." Replied the client.
"Firstly I'd like to tell you that your story about your sister's rape checks out. He did get away with it. So we decided to proceed with your assignment."
"Our Survellience teams have backed up your claim of his gigantic ego. He hasn't changed at all if your word is anything to go by. We are going to use his ego to bring about his downfall. This will be executed in 3 stages.
Stage 1 - His sub-conscious
We will subject his sub-conscious mind subtly over the next few months or so with our propaganda. We have scanned his residence and the area around. We buy out the big supermarket outlet, and open up an orphanage. We want him to notice this orphanage everyday during his commute. Our child actors will engage his attention every now and then he passes on front of the orphanage. This will be imprinted in his brains. Why an orphanage, will be answered later. Or you'll figure it out.
While his sub-conscious mind is being worked upon, we will begin work on stage 2 simultaneously. It's a good thing you have the same profession as his wife. I will get you employed at the firm his wife works. And also in her team if possible. Your job, Karan, is to get as close to her as possible. Don't try to flirt. Just be nice. Be a friend. A very close friend. Friends, husbands are jealous of. It's a good thing you are handsome. We could use that to our advantage.
He needs to feel he stands a chance to lose his wife. Harmless flirting is fine. But be very careful. You can't be anything more than a friend. You have to be chivalrous, get her coffee, the occasional lunch, etc, without overdoing anything. We will make sure Rishi finds out the right way. All we have to do is plant a seed in his mind. And for that we have our newest recruit. Natalie. Her professional background being similar to his, is our advantage. She will own the café, which also we open a few blocks down his house. Her primary role will be to befriend him, gain his trust by sharing business tricks. Let him succeed a bit. The higher the flight, the harder the fall."
"But how will he trust her about his wife's affair? She doesn't even know her."
"Nothing we do is direct. She is not going to be the one to tell him. Natalie will just be showing him some photos she clicked in her phone during one of their casual meet-ups. Those photos, in the background, will have Giselle and you having lunch and appearing a bit too 'comfortable'. It will appear that she has inadvertently blown the cover of his wife's affair. Once the seed is planted it is going to be cakewalk.
This will be the final nail in the coffin. We only execute this stage, when we think it's time. No matter how long it takes. One wrong move and all falls flat. We will stage an act in a place he frequents, so he doesn't suspect anything thanks to the familiarity. Mostly a bar we have seen him go thrice in 20 days. His alcohol will be diluted. We don't need him sloshed. Also, his drink will be mixed with a drug which will make him susceptible to suggestion. He will have negligible capability to question the happenings. His ego and suspicion have already got him to the edge. Now all he needs is a little push. I will provide that myself. I will playing 'Yamraj'. The primary objective of this act is to make him believe he has only 24hrs to live. This will create a sense of urgency in him. That will be all as far as our part is concerned. Rest will now be up to him. Which I'm sure he'll act exactly as we expect him to. Killing his wife for instance. That will nail him down for murder."
"What?! No. Why does the wife need to die? She's innocent in all this."
"What! What do you mean?" asked Karan as his very foundations were shaken.
"Who do you think invited your sister to the library that day? Giselle was madly in love with Rishi and would've done anything he asked. And she did. You never found out because it never occurred to you to look in that direction. And there was no way anybody thought of her, if the killer himself got away. You just assumed your sister happened to visit the library that night because of her exams. Her closest friend betrayed her. But I wouldn't blame you to not know about her. You had just returned to the city a day ago. But we dig up everything. Absolutely everything.
So, that's the plan. Do we have your approval to proceed, or are you having second thoughts?"
