Part 3 : Russet Maroon

The term "maroon" is named after the French word "chestnut". It is often used to represent intense and passionate things such as; confidence, creative thoughts, excitement, strength, risk, passion, love, ambition, courage, strength, warmth and beauty.

._._._.

When she gained her consciousness next morning, it was not some warm sunshine or chirping of birds, but an annoying ringtone of an unfamiliar mobile phone, lying on the floor to her side.

Stretching her hand, she tried to grab it, without opening her eyes fully. Clutching her throbbing head, when she swiped the screen to right, a familiar voice from other side hit her harshly.

"Where the fuck were you all night? Do you know that there is police in that area! We have to abort the mission!"

Gauri frowned as she opened her mouth to speak something, but before it could happen, a rather rough hand snatched the phone from her.

"Oh shit..." Omkara swore seeing the calling id, before talking on the phone.

Gauri was totally in senses till then as she realized what had happened last night. They were still in sheets, stark naked, in the same room on the same bed. Tough a little dazed she realized it slowly, 'I slept with a stranger!'

She wanted to cry, but there was surprisingly no remorse and hence no terrible feeling and obviously no tears.

"Ohk, I am leaving, I am leaving!" Gauri heard him say to the other person as he switched off the phone, removing the sheets hurriedly.

"You are not some assistant designer...and the juice was spiked by you!" It was all a calm statement as she saw him finding his boxers under the bed.

Getting no reply from him she got irritated, "Was it all planned?"

"Planned?...Yes. But it all got spoiled!" Om mumbled as he finally got his shirt, buttoning it up. "I had to just alcoholise your drink, wait till you get faint and then take all your jewellery and cash which was reported to have been kept in your cupboard!"

He put his legs in his pants zipping it up while she looked in horror as he spelled his plan coolly.

"But before it could happen, you just seduced me and I got carried away!" Now it was too late for it and he had to leave the area soon to not get caught.

Gauri couldn't help but blush at the seducing comment, her memories coming back in fits, as she pulled up the blanket more to her body, 'How silly I behaved last night!'

She saw him packing all his things to not leave any clue behind, "So you couldn't rob anything now!" She again initiated the conversation.

"No. Didn't you hear him on the call? Mission is aborted." He was tying his shoe laces, as she thought about the phone call, the familiar voice making the sense. Before she could confirm it, he continued, "Yes, it was your fiancé, Ajay, who had hired me to do so!"

"But why?" She was shocked now, "It was all anyway going to him, why did he have to steal it?"

"I don't know!" He himself was not sure, as he closed his bag, "I hope there is no clue left here!" He put a glance in the room.

'Clue?' She remembered something.

"Uh...we didn't use protection last night!" Gauri herself was surprised on her comment. 'Of all my worries, am I really discussing that thing with a stranger, with whom I slept allegedly?'

"Oh..." Even Omkara was stumped but he sobered up, "You should use morning after pill then. Should I buy it for you now?" He asked genuinely, contemplating whether he had time for it.

"Won't you get caught if you come back again to give it?" Gauri again reprimanded her consciousness for having such a casual but weird communication with a robber, "Are you a famous burglar?"

He waited a minute as a smirk played on his face, "Didn't you get it? I am the OSO! The famous thief roaming in your city!" He repeated her sentence of last night.

'O. S. O. The famous high profile robber hired by renowned personalities for anything to be done without leaving any clue!!!!' She had her eyes out of socket as he came towards her.

"Forget it. And don't ever try to give your life for a petty scumbag of Ajay. He doesn't deserve you!" He winked before stealing a kiss on her cheeks.

The tingling sensation on her cheeks was still there as he went towards balcony, not before retrieving the blade from dustbin and jumping out of her room.

"OSO, the robber!" Really a fraudster one, she couldn't help but blush more.

._._._.

"Hmm, so the burglary of 50 lakh in cash, and the jewelry, all kept at a single place!"

Inspector Rudra was called as soon as Sharmas found about the robbery.

"Yes, Inspector Sahab. It was all kept in my daughter's room, she is the bride!" Tej was already panicked, sitting in the verandah, while Gauri was standing by his side supporting him, holding his shoulder.

All the guests were worried on the development, while Ajay and his parents were also present there.

'OSO had told me that he didn't steal anything, then who did it?' Ajay was trying to think, keeping his face straight as much as possible.

"How could you let it happen Tej Bhaisaab? Wasn't there any lock there?" Shakti Malhotra, Ajay's father was seemingly furious.

"We hope you got the money back by evening. Otherwise we have to cancel the wedding!" Ajay's mother scoffed making Tej and Jahnvi worried, while Gauri was calm and composed.

"Cancel? Was money kept for the dowry?" Rudra was suspicious, "I hope you know Mrs. Malhotra that dowry taking and giving, both are crime!" He was authoritative.

"Oh, not dowry Inspector! There were all gifts. Mr. Sharma is giving it willingly to his own daughter!" Shakti tried to cover up.

Rudra was not satisfied but he turned to Tej, "Do you have doubt on anyone Mr. Sharma!!"

"No Inspector Sahab. All are our friends and relatives, no one could stoop so low in our acquaintance!" Tej was too straight a person to recognize the crooked people around him.

"Actually...I am suspicious of someone!" Gauri uttered her first word since the investigation started, "There was a man, had come on the excuse of customisation of my wedding lehanga!"

"Oh, at night?" Rudra noted it, "He had come into your room!"

"Uh yes!" Gauri tried to stop her cheeks from heating, "He also had a call that time and he was discussing some mission!!" Gauri looked at an uncomfortable Ajay.

"Hmm, seems we have a strong suspect!" Rudra was hopeful.

"I also noted the phone number from which he was getting the call, here it is!" She forwarded the note to Rudra who removed his phone to dial the number.

Ajay's face went white as his mobile started ringing, while everyone looked surprised.

Disconnecting it Rudra redialled to find Ajay's phone ringing again.

"Excuse me, I have an important call from office!" Ajay tried to excuse and run from there but Rudra was fast enough to catch him.

"Let us see Mr. Malhotra, what important call you have!" He snatched the mobile phone to confirm the number while Shakti Malhotra and his wife looked in horror.

"Tej Bhaisaab, what is your daughter doing? Does she want to accuse my son for this robbery??"

"I don't want to accuse Auntyji!" Gauri came forward, "I just want to prove it."

"Gauri bitiya, what are you saying!" Janhvi tried to stop her.

"No Amma. Let me speak!" She came to Ajay, "So, tell me Ajay, didn't you hire OSO!"

While Ajay gulped his anxiety, his mother who was unaware of all the scandals by her son, came forward, "Don't you feel any shame girl, accusing your would be husband?" She had clutched her arm forcefully.

"Mrs. Malhotra leave Gauriji! You are physically abusing her!" Rudra tried to intervene.

"Not only physically, Rudra, even mentally. Last night she had called my parents and demanded a Mercedes, in addition to 50 lakh rupees and 5 Kg.of gold as dowry!" Gauri also disclosed about the threat of calling off the wedding.

"Mr.Sharma, did you call us here to insult us? Ask your daughter to apologize my wife and my son, or consider this marriage nulled!" Shakti was hyper now.

"Gauri beta, ask for forgiveness, this is not what we taught you!" Jahnvi tried to solve the matter but before Gauri could say something Tej came forward.

"Jahnvi, Gauri won't do any such thing."

Gauri looked at her father with pride as he supported her, while he moved towards Shakti, "Shaktiji, my daughter never lies. Ask your son if he really intended to rob the money!"

"Seems you have forgotten that you are father of a bride, Mr. Sharma!" Shakti was offended, "why would my son, attempt such a disgusting thing!"

"Don't worry. He himself will spill everything after I take him to police station and warm him with third degree!" It was Rudra who was still clutching Ajay, less he ran away, "His phone indeed has 32 calls, dialled to an unknown number last night, which we suspect of the same robber!"

"What, no, please not to police station!" Ajay who finally opened his mouth, "I admit I had called him but nothing was robbed, trust me!" He was panicked as he started speaking like a parrot, explaining his plan.

"Ajay beta!" His mother was shocked as he continued.

"Yes Mom, I can't marry Gauri, as I am already married to sister of Kali Thakur!" He uttered making everyone including Gauri gasp in horror. Kali Thakur was an underworld don, and if he came to know that Ajay was cheating his sister, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him coldly.

"I was planning to run away before marriage but I also have to pay a loan which I had borrowed from Kali!" So Ajay had thought to rob the money and pay back the loan. "But trust me Inspector, I didn't get even a penny! OSO told me that he didn't get a chance to steal anything!"

Ajay was really horrified as he looked at Rudra with pleading eyes.

"Right, OSO told you truth!" Gauri replied as all the occupants saw in confusion, "Because nothing is robbed from our house!" She finally told to surprise all.

"Gauri?" His father was frowning as she explained.

"Babuji I had come to know about it today morning that Ajay was planning the robbery, so I decided to bring his true face before everyone and then I contacted Inspector Rudra, Bhavya's friend!"

Bhavya was a lawyer and knew Rudra professionally, which soon turned into friendship. Gauri had met him a few times.

"I asked him to act into it with me!" Gauri replied much to the shock of everyone specially Ajay's parents.

"See Mr. Sharma, how crooked your daughter is!!" Ajay's mother didn't leave the opportunity to insult them, "She could have asked directly, but here she raised all this act!" She was screaming at the top of her voice finding that inspector wasn't there officially.

"Sometimes we have to be a bit crooked for the people like you! My daughter did the right thing!" Tej said proudly.

"Exactly aunty, first get it checked how many wives your son has, before telling anything to my sister!" Bhavya retorted back, making the Malhotra family to burn in fury as they took their son and went away before they could face any more embarrassment.

"I think you should really make a complaint to police. It's really a case of cheating and dowry, they should be punished for it!" Rudra suggested while Tej nodded.

But the lovely guests they had, could never stay calm but suggest their opinions.

"Oh no Tej bhaisaab, what would people say!" It was Pinky, "I still can't believe that the marriage has broken!"

"Should I pinch you Mami so you could believe it!" Gauri said sarcastically, "And please don't talk about the two-face people and society who have nothing to do but talk about others!"

"Bitiya, you are too young to understand it!" It was her Nani, "It seems an evil eye has caught this home!" She was about to cry on the broken marriage and wasted preparations, when Gauri sighed coming forward.

"Rudra will you marry my sister Bhavya? Today evening there is an auspicious mahurat!" She asked unabashedly making him stun, as he looked at an equally stunned but blushing Bhavya.

Well it was not expressed openly but Gauri knew that Rudra liked Bhavya and vice versa. Rudra was an orphan raised by his grandmother and as far as Gauri knew, an ideal man for her sister.

"Uh Gauriji, actually I'll have to seek permission from my Dadi and..." He said innocently.

"And?" Gauri asked.

"It is my night-shift today, so have to ask for a leave from Additional sir!"

Gauri couldn't help but smile on her benign 'would-be-brother-in-law'.

._._._.

The couple had completed the wedding rituals and were seeking blessing from elders.

Everything had sorted beautifully and Rudra's grandmother had agreed for the marriage happily. So did Mr and Mrs. Sharma as Gauri had assured them of Bhavya's happiness.

"Congratulations Jijaji!" Gauri teased as she greeted Rudra, hugging Bhavya.

"Thank you Gauriji for this." Rudra said with a shy smile while Gauri giggled.

If she hadn't initiated, Rudra and Bhavya would have never expressed their feelings, owing to their shy nature.

"No need to thank. After all, I didn't do it for free, Inspector Sahab!" Gauri said with a smirk.

Seeing a confused Rudra, Gauri whispered, "I want you to catch a famous robber for me!"

"Who Gauri? What did he rob?" Bhavya asked in confusion, watching her smirking sister, while Abhi approached them.

"Gauri Didi, there was a Bhaiyya outside who asked me to give this to you!" Gauri's 10-year old cousin Abhi handed her a packet.

Smiling on him she took the small paper packet, going to her room to find what was in it.

There was a letter accompanied by a tablet and a rose. Gauri opened the letter,

"Sending the morning-after pill Ma'am! Hope I am not too late. Next time will come prepared with balloons (all flavours). 😉"

._._._.

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