17. Man to Man Talk!

Abhir sat grumpily on the park bench, arms crossed, his usual charm replaced by a brooding silence. Ruhi sat beside him, watching him sulk while little Daksh played in his lap, unaware of the storm brewing in his uncle’s mind.

Ruhi sighed dramatically. “Kya hua tujhe, Billa Boy? Aise muh kyun latkaya hai? Aur yeh tune Abhira ko batane se mana kyun kiya ki main tujhse mil rahi hoon?”

Abhir ignored her and instead picked up Daksh from the ground, holding him close as he swayed the little boy in his arms. “Pehle jaa, ice cream le aa Daksh ke mamu ke liye. Phir baat karenge.”

Ruhi narrowed her eyes at him. He was acting extra strange today. She muttered under her breath, “Dhoop mein pagla gaya hai kya yeh?” before heading towards the ice cream stall.

The moment she was out of earshot, Abhir made Daksh sit on his lap and sighed. "Champ, sun. Mamu ko tujhse ek bohot important baat karni hai. Sirf tu hi samajh sakta hai," he said dramatically, lowering his voice.

Daksh blinked up at him, sucking on his chubby fingers.

"Tu jaanta hai na teri bua ne kya kiya? Usne mujhpe case kar diya, Champ! Akal ghaas charne gayi hai uski. Aise kaise kar sakti hai woh?" Abhir ranted, his frustration evident.

"Ooiii!" Daksh squealed, flashing a wide, toothless grin.

Abhir sighed, momentarily calmed by the little one's innocence. "Tu agree karta hai na mujhse? Tu tha na uss din jab woh mujhse achhe se baat kar rahi thi? Pata nahi usko kya ho gaya... Achanak se ignore karne lagi."

Daksh giggled and reached out to press Abhir’s nose, nodding vigorously.

Abhir chuckled. "Mera champ! Tu mamu se pyaar karta hai na? Toh ab se usse bilkul baat mat karna, okay? Full ignore marenge abse uss nakchadi ko!"

"Kaun nakchadi?"

Abhir froze mid sentence.

Turning slowly, he found Ruhi standing right behind him, an ice cream cone in each hand, looking at him like she had caught him red-handed.

She shoved one cone into his hand and narrowed her eyes. “Kaun nakchadi? Aur yeh kya utt pataang baatein kar raha tha mere bete se?”

Abhir, recovering his attitude, took a bite of his ice cream and shrugged. “Tujhse matlab? Hum man to man talk kar rahe the.”

Ruhi smacked his arm. “Paagal, man to man talk with a toddler?”

Abhir huffed. “Daksh teri tarah buddhu nahi hai. Mama ki tarah smart hai. Haina, mera laddu?”

Daksh clapped his hands, nodding excitedly.

"Awwle, dekha? Mera bacha agree karta hai," Abhir grinned smugly.

Ruhi crossed her arms, smirking. "Daksh, mama pagal ho gaye na?"

Daksh, oblivious to the joke, eagerly nodded again.

Abhir’s smile faltered. "Aye! Yeh kya tha?"

Ruhi burst into laughter. "Billa Boy, yeh toh bacha hai. Har cheez ke liye sar hilata hai. Tu bhi na..."

Abhir shook his head, unable to stop a small smile, but Ruhi caught the tension in his posture.

Her smile faded. “Kya hua tujhe?”

Abhir quickly turned away. “Kuch nahi.”

Ruhi crossed her arms. “Out with it, Abhir. Warna main Abhira ko bata dungi.”

Abhir groaned knowing she wouldn’t back down. His Ruhi chuhi read him too well. There was no escaping her interrogation.

With a heavy sigh, he told her everything—the legal notice, the confrontation with Charu, the confusion clouding his mind.

Ruhi was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained her composure. “Main baat karti hoon usse.”

Abhir shook his head. “No need. I’ll handle it. Aur please, Abhira ko kisi bhi keemat pe mat batana.”

Ruhi held up her hands in surrender. “Arey, nahi bataungi. But I think it’s Sanjay Phupha Sa, not Charu. Aaj woh kuch zyada hi khush lag raha tha… Ab samajh aaya kyun.”

Abhir frowned, recalling the smug look on Sanjay’s face earlier that day.

Ruhi continued, “Abhir, I know you and Charu don’t get along, but she isn’t wicked like that. Tumhari animosity ek taraf, par woh tujhse toh kaafi samajhdaar hai and woh family ko sabse upar rakhti hai. She knows you're one of us now. Yeh pakka Phupha Sa ki chaal hai—he has put her in the maze and made her stand infront of you"

Abhir clenched his jaw. “Tere Phupha Sa ki aisi ki taisi! Yeh aadmi itni shiddat se nafrat kyun karta hai mujhse? Maine iska kya bigaada hai?”

Ruhi sighed. “Bas, ab. Unse ulajhne ka koi faayda nahi. Woh bohot tedhe insaan hai. Apni ego satisfy karne ke liye kisi ka bhi use kar sakta hai—apni family ka bhi. he never spared his own children.”

Abhir exhaled sharply, wondering how low Sanjay Phupha Sa could stoop.

Ruhi leaned in. “Ab aage kya socha hai?”

Abhir sighed. “Pata nahi… Dekhna padega. Yeh Charu bhi na ajeeb hai. Itna sunaya maine usko, bata deti agar usne kuch nahi kiya hota…” he murmured, his thoughts running in circles.

Ruhi smirked. “Lagta hai, Billa Boy, tujhe Charu se sach jaan’ne se zyada usse ladne ka shauk hai.”

Abhir shot her a glare.

Ruhi just laughed, shoving another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

----------

Abhir was dropping Ruhi and Daksh  home .

Ruhi turned to him deliberately trying to rile him up. "Waise soch, tujhe jail jaana pada toh mast celebrity treatment milega. Fans, media, sab tere piche pad jayenge. Exclusive interviews honge—‘Abhir Sharma: The Rockstar Behind Bars.’ Kya tagline hai na?" She wiggled her brows playfully.

Abhir gave her a deadpan look. "Haan haan, aur waha se hi press conference rakh loonga aur 'Jail ki chhatt se live concert.’" He scoffed. "Itna famous nahi banna mujhe, bro. Aur tu jail ko aise describe kar rahi jaise koi vacation spot ho!"

Ruhi smirked. "Arre, history uthake dekh! Har mahan insaan kisi na kisi point pe jail gaya hai. Bhagat Singh, Gandhi ji, Nelson Mandela—ab tu bhi unhi ki list join karne wala hai."

Abhir groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Saare Poddars ka mental checkup karwao yaar jaldi. Dimaag satak gaya hai tera!"

Ruhi shrugged dramatically. "Kya karein? Tere saath rehke effect ho gaya hai."

Ruhi added. “Dekh tu toh already ek celebrity hai. Rockstar, pop sensation, Abhir Sharma—the heartthrob! Ab bas ek jail trip aur tu complete legend ban jayega.”

Abhir scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Haan, aur kya! Waha se nikalte hi mujhe Padma Shri bhi mil jayega, hai na?”

Ruhi nodded sagely. “Bilkul. Phir tere naam ki biography bhi likhi jayegi— Abhir Sharma: The Man, The Myth, The Convict!”

Abhir groaned, running a hand down his face.

Daksh, completely unaware of their banter, clapped his hands in excitement.

Abhir shook his head in disbelief. “Arey champ! Kahan phas gaya tu bhi iske chakkar mein?"

"Teri nanad wahan mera case leke baiti hai shyad max to max usse mujhe heavy compensation  dena pade par tu, yahan meri khudh ki behen mere jail jaane ke sapne dikha rahi hai , perfect. Just perfect! Kaleshi log kam nahi hai mere aas paas"

"Chill kar yaar billa boy. Mazak tha. Aur maine bola naa Charu samajhdar hai and she is a good lawyer woh ladegi toh bhi sahi stance pe ladegi" Ruhi said.

"Mere saamne toh aaj tak uski samadhjari nahi dikhi, aur tu meri behen hai uski side kyun lerahi hai"Abhir scoffed.

Ruhi’s smirk softened as she nudged his shoulder. “Fact bata rahi thi anyways jokes aside, Abhir, don’t worry. Tujhe kuch nahi hone dungi. Main hoon na? Agar situation handle nahi hota tujhse toh please tell me.”

Abhir finally smiled, though it was small. “Haan, meri disaster management team.”

Ruhi winked. “Always.”

---------

Meanwhile, at the Poddar house, Charu sat in her room, her fingers tapping against the table as she waited for Mr. Mishra to join the call. She had already gone through the case files, and something felt off.

The claims seemed exaggerated, and there were inconsistencies in the reported losses.

She needed to hear the organizer’s side directly.

The call connected, and Mr. Mishra’s voice boomed through the speaker. "Ms. Bansal, I hope you’ve gone through the details. We have a strong case against Abhir Sharma, and I want to make sure we win."

Charu leaned back in her chair, her voice calm yet firm. "I have reviewed the case, Mr. Mishra. But before proceeding, I need clarity on a few points. You claimed the event was ruined because Abhir arrived hours late, causing mass cancellations. However, the official reports and ticketing data suggest he was late by only an hour, and most cancellations happened earlier in the day, even before the delay was announced. Care to explain?"

There was a slight pause before Mr. Mishra cleared his throat. "Uh… Well, you see, people lost faith. A delay from a star like him creates uncertainty—"

"Mr. Mishra," Charu cut him off sharply, "did you cancel the show before confirming Abhir’s arrival time?"

Silence.

Charu smirked.

"I-I mean… We had to take precautionary measures! The audience was getting restless, and we couldn't risk a riot!" he defended weakly.

"Riot?" Charu arched a brow.

"The venue security report states that the crowd was well-managed. No signs of agitation. And about the loss claim, you initially estimated damages of 80 lakhs, yet the documented expenses and refunds barely reach 12 lakhs."

Mishra fumbled. "Ms. Bansal, are you working for me or against me?"

"I'm a lawyer, Mr. Mishra. I work for justice, not false claims I need to confirm my client's claims before making a joke out of myself in the court."

A heavy silence hung in the air.

Mishra stammered. "Look, Miss Bansal, I don’t know what you’re implying, but—"

"I’m implying that your claims are exaggerated, and this lawsuit seems more like a vendetta than a genuine case," Charu said coolly.

She had enough experience to recognize a bluff when she saw one.

Mishra was trying to milk the situation for personal gain, likely hoping to squeeze a hefty settlement out of Abhir.

And worst of all, her father, Sanjay Bansal, had pushed her into this case to further his own grudge against Abhir.

She clenched her jaw.

Damn it.

She had already figured he was behind sending the notice to Abhir without waiting for her consent. But now, it was clear that this whole case itself might be framed on his encouragement.

She ended the call with Mishra, sighing as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

What a mess.

Her father was using this case for their personal grudges against Abhir. And she—like an idiot—had let her own irritation with him cloud her judgment.

Damn it!

She had to fix this. But how?

Charu let out a long breath, staring at the ceiling. A confrontation with her father would only make things worse. It would spiral into a family drama where Armaan Bhaiya and Abhira Bhabhi would undoubtedly step in, making it a full-blown Poddar household issue. She didn’t want that.

On one side, it was her father's misdeed, and on the other, it was the firm’s reputation hanging by a thread. If Abhir, in his blind rage, dragged their family name into the media, their firm’s standing would be ruined in an instant.

And knowing him, he wouldn’t hold back.

She sighed and glanced at the pamphlet on her bedside table. Kiara had left it there earlier, excitedly blabbering about the Mahashivratri event where Abhir was set to perform.

This is my chance.

If she couldn’t control the situation from the legal front just yet, she could at least try to contain the damage before it blew up in their faces. And for that, she had to talk to him.

That psycho angry bird might not want to listen, but she had to try.

Even if it meant walking straight into the lion’s den.

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A/N: Thank you all for the love and support so far! ❤️

I pushed to get another update today since many of you requested it, but I can't promise daily updates on weekdays. However, I'll try to post at least every alternate day and drop as many chapters as possible on weekends.

Stay tuned, and thanks again! ✨