The Billionaire's Vengeance (On Hold)

3

Two years later.

The shrill of the phone startled Sanyukta, making her drop the paint brush from her hand.

She has been so engrossed in her painting, making her forgot about the world in which she is residing. She bends down to pick up the brush, kept it on the stand and took out her phone from her pocket.

It was Venya, who was calling her.
"Hi! Veny, how you doing my friend? I am surprised that you even remember me." She said sarcastically. Venya got placed in the PR department in oneof the best organization in the country. But unfortunately, it belonged to Sanyukta's arch-enemy Abhimanyu Pratap Chauhan. It's been two-years, since their first and hopefully last encounter, but even to this date, his name makes her blood boil in anger.

But she is happy for her friend; she has worked really hard to be placed in such a reputed organisation.

"Cut the crap, queen of sarcasm. I've called you to remind that in about an hour you are suppose to have lunch with your parents. And knowing you, I can bet, you are still in your gallery lost in your paintings." She stated.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Couldn't you've called me like an hour before?" She whined to her. But in return, all she heard was her laughter.

"It's okay. It'll take you only around half an hour to reach there. Go meet them and please talk to them nicely, this time." She pointed out.

"You are saying as if I am some cruel person. You know, I talk to them nicely or as nicely as I can." She muttered. "The only good thing they did for me was to give me Dai Maa."

"Stop your drama. You and I both know that you love your parents. Now go and meet them. I'll come and meet you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye." She took a long deep breath and slipped her phone back in pocket.
Her parents are a sensitive topic for her. She has hardly ever seen them together. Both of them are always away on their business. But, there is one person who's always been in her life and she is thankful to her parents for that. That is her dearest Dai Maa; she is more like a mother to her. She was hired as her nanny, but when her parents saw that she was getting way too attached to her and the feelings were reciprocated in the same manner. They kept her as the caretaker of the house, instead of letting her go.

It's been almost a year, since she has met both her parents together and that to only for a lunch. She quickly went to the washroom and freshened up.
She picked her bag and checked everything is in there or not. Since morning she has been in the backroom, of the art gallery, trying to finish her latest piece.

She has been working here, for the last one year; as an assistant, to one of the best artist in the country.

It was out of sheer luck, that she got this opportunity through a competition. Avantika Aggarwal, renowned painter and owner of the gallery, liked her work so much that she hired her on the spot. Along with the perk, that, a year later she'll provide a small section in her gallery to display her work, if she will perform well. Hence, making her so lost in painting that she totally forgot, she has to go out for lunch with her parents.
"Shashi Uncle! I am leaving. Please close the gallery for me today." She hollered to him. As it is her responsibility to close the gallery, but today she has taken half day leave and asked him to do the chore.
Shashi Srivastava is in his late fifties and has been managing this art gallery since last ten years; he is like a father figure to her.

She didn't wait for his reply and exited the gallery from the back door hurriedly.
*
Surprisingly, she reached the restaurant before her parents did. she took the corner seat facing towards the entrance, so she could see them, when they enter.
Five minutes later both her parents arrived together. But, something was off today. Both of them were looking tensed. Usually, when they have these once in a blue moon lunches or dinner together as a family, both of them would act like happy teenagers, but today they looked, as if they've just come back from someone's funeral, which made her worry a bit.

She caught there eye and waved at them. Looking at her they both gave a beaming smile, making her relax a bit. They walked over to her table and both of them crushed her in a tight hug; making it difficult for her to breath. Something is definitely up with them today. She thought.

"Mom! Dad! It's good to meet you again. I love you guys too. But could you please let me go. I can't breathe."
They both loosened their hold on her and mumbled a sorry.

"Okay. Come on, let's sit and have lunch first. My princess must be hungry." Her father said in his deep baritone.
They took their seats and ordered there special. This pizzeria is like there go to place, whenever they have family outings they'll either have lunch or dinner from this place.

There food was placed and Sanyukta like a hungry bear attacked the food. She looked up after a couple of bites and found her parents smiling at her antics. She just shrugged it off and went back to gobbling her food.

"What? I am hungry and both of you stop looking at me and eat your food." She said with my mouth full, when she found that still her parents are looking at her in amusement.

Once they were done eating the pizza, they ordered their favourite dessert.
"Now that you've filled your empty tank." Her father teased her. "Your mum and I wanted to talk to you about something serious. Please, listen to us first, before saying anything. Okay?" He asked. She just nodded my head in agreement. She knew that something is off with them today, what with their long faces and then bone a crushing hug.

"You already know that we are facing some losses in our business." She nodded her head for him to carry on. She knew that something has gone wrong in the business and they've been very tense for the past one year. "We thought that our last deal will help us, get back up. But unfortunately things didn't go as planned and now we are at edge of declaring ourselves bankrupt." Her father waited for her to digest it.

She don't know what to say or how to react, she felt bad for her parents; they've spent their entire life building up this business, sometimes it made her feel as if this business was there child instead of her. She can't even imagine what they might be going through right now.

Sometimes she is angry with her parents, because she hardly gets to see them or be with them. But she has never wished for them, to go through such a difficult time. She felt someone took her hand in theirs, and looked up to find, it was my mother. She squeezed her hand back in support.
"I don't know what to say. Don't worry. Mom. Dad. We'll survive together." She tried to encourage them. But her parents gave her a sad and helpless smile.

"I wished if it was that simple, my child." Her father said making her confused. "I took the loan in an unethical manner, to be more precise from a businessman and he is linked with the Mafia. When I took it, I thought I'll be able to pay it back easily as there was no way this project will fail, but unfortunately I was wrong; and that man doesn't care if I am bankrupt or not. All he wants is his money, back."

She couldn't believe her ears. She never dreamt that her dad will take such a risky path.

"Who is he? May be we'll go together and talk to him. How can we give him money, when we don't have it ourselves?" She exclaimed.

"Princess, we've done everything we could have done. That man-" She cut him mid sentence.
"You tell me his name first."

Her father closed his eyes, for a while as if to gather himself, took a long breath, opened his eyes and looked at her dead in the eye.

"Abhimanyu Pratap Chauhan."

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How's it do let me know.