This story used to get 70+ votes. I wonder if readers have left reading it.

It's my fault for discontinuing for so many months I guess. 😂

Moving on...💃💃💃

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

Chapter 36 - Who's She?

"WATCH OUT!"

Ragini heard the squeaking of tyres and the smell of burnt rubber hit her nostrils. Her eyes opened when she heard a loud smash hear her. She gasped as she noticed the damaged car. Ragini rushed towards the broken car which just collided with the broken wall of the alley. 

Shew coughed as the smoke entered her lungs through her nose. 'I hope whoever is inside is alright.' She pulled open the door of the car with all her might. As it opened, the body of the driver of the car fell out. Ragini quickly caught her with her arms. "Oh no! She's unconscious." Ragini looked if there was any other injury on the girl. Thankfully, she looked unharmed apart from the gash on her forehead.

Slowly and carefully, Ragini got her out of the car and laid her on the ground. "Hey! Is anyone around?! Please help us! Help!" she shouted as she continued patting the girl's face with her hands, hoping to wake her up. "Wake up please. I hope you're okay. Someone help!"

She dialed the ambulance hoping they would reach there soon.

"Ma'am, what happened? Are you alright?" came a voice from nearby as a man and his wife approached them.

"Please help me. She met with an accident. I have called the ambulance."

"I don't think it's necessary ma'am. She's not injured except the the hit on her head. We should make her lie somewhere comfortable and treat it with first aid."

"My place is nearby." Ragini exclaimed.

"Okay then Miss. Can you take us there. I'm a nurse. I can treat her." said the woman.

Ragini nodded and got up to let the man carry the injured woman.

#Maheshwari Mansion#

"You're home early today? You usually don't return before 5pm." Sujata remarked on seeing Ram at the mansion. "Good good. Today you can have your evening tea with us. Go and sit down. I was just about to bring tea to the living room."

Ram Maheshwari had a lot of things riunning through his mind right then. Thoughts about the conversation he had with Sanskar in the Dobrial enterprise. After their chanced encounter, they had a grave argument. The entirety of it kept playing over and over in his head.

He simply nodded and walked towards the living room without a word.

More like dragged his feet towards the living room. Sujata dismissed it as him being exhausted from the day's work.

"Brother, you're back early I see."

Durgaprasad's gruff voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Yes. I...I thought of retiring sooner for the day."

"It's okay Devarji. Come have tea with us. Sujata was just about to bring it." Annapurna stated, seating herself beside her husband.

"And here I am with mouth salivating, mind refreshing tea!" Sujata exclaimed as she placed the tray on the table, proceeding to pour the tea from the kettle.

"MAA! BABA!"

The shout was so loud, it made Sujata slip the tea from the cups. "My goodness! Who could that be?"

Durgaprasad's face darkened. He would recognize that voice anywhere. "How dare he enter this house again? How dare he!?" he roared and stood up to face the new arrival. "Get out right now!"

"Awww...that's rude."

Annapurna, Ram and Sujata turned to look at Laksh in shock and anger.

Hearing the commotion, Uttara, Parineeta and Adarsh came out from their rooms as well.

"Lucky? What are you doing here? You're not welcome here. Get out!"

"Don't raise your voice against me Adarsh Maheshwari."

"You dare speak to your brother like that? Get out this instant I said!"

Laksh chuckled. "Baba, don't shout so much. You'll burst a vein. Then who's gonna look after this big mansion of yours?" Laksh acted like he was thinking hard. "Oh wait! I'm there to own it!"

"You? Don't make me laugh! Like Baba would ever give it to you!" Parineeta taunted.

"Oh, but he already did."

Durgprasad glared as hard as he could. "First a disgrace, an now a liar too? Laksh, I did no such thing. Stop lying!"

Laksh's face seemed grim. However, he chuckled darkly. "Baba, you really did. I think old age is finally starting to get to you. Here, let me refresh your memory." Laksh came over and showed them a printed paper. "This is the declaration which states that every property that belongs to the Maheshwaris is now under Laksh Maheshwari...which is..." Laksh smirked at them. "Me."

Everyone was shocked at his words. Sujata snatched the paper from him and read it out loud. It was indeed true. "But...but Bhai Saa, how could you?!"

"I didn't sign it Sujata." Durhaprasad assured.

"Then how did your signature get here?"

"Give it here!" Parineeta took the paper and ripped it to pieces. "There! Now, it's gone."

"Aww...you had to do dirty the floor, didn't you?" Laksh took out another paper from his pocket. "I've got the original somewhere else. These are all just copies."

Adarsh could do nothing but fume in anger. "Baba, how could you?!"

"I...I..."

"Don't blame him my oh-so-honourable bhai. He didn't even know about it." Laksh answered with a sneer. "Remember the official documents you signed this morning Baba?"

Durhaprasad indeed recalled signing some official papers. They were given to him by Uttara. He didn't think he needed to go through them since she said she rechecked them. He turned to look at Uttara in question.

Uttara shrugged. "I guess I left that little detail. Oops!"

To Durhaprasad's shock and everyone else's, she smirked and went to stand beside Laksh.

"Uttara? What is all this?" questioned Ram, her father.

"It's obvious, isn't it Papa?" she stated as a matter of fact. "We're taking over the Maheshwari property. Laksh has promised to give me 30% of it."

Sujata teared up at the betrayal from her daughter. "Uttara no. T-tell me you are lying. Uttara...bacha how could you do this to us?"

"I'm not doing any wrong to you Maa, or anyone else for that matter. We're simply bringing everything under our name."

"You're right Uttara. I can't thank you enough for getting Baba's signs for me cousin. There was no way he would have trusted any outsider without reading the document first."

"You're welcome Lucky bhai."

Parineeta glared at Adarsh, pulling him to the side and whispering. "What is this? I thought you were planning to take over! And now look! Those brats have beaten us to the game dammit!"

"I didn't know Uttara would be capable to such treachery?! She seemed so innocent and gullible."

"Now you know she's a snake disguised in a butterfly's skin!"

"Calm down, Pari. We will get the property back in our name, somehow or the other!"

#RagSan's apartment#

Ragini jerked awake at the sound from the roof. It was a cat. 'Get a grip on yourself Ragini!' she mentally scolded herself. She looked at the couch where the woman lay. "I wonder if it was a good decision to refuse the care of the ambulance."

After the couple helped her bring the woman inside, she told them to place her on the couch. The woman brought the first aid box and began treating the injured woman's wound. Seeing everything under control, they left after telling Ragini to get the girl a blanket.

'It's good to see there's still good people out there.' Ragini smiled to herself and got up to get some tea.

However, the woman groaned, making Ragini alert. "Hey? Hey, wake up ma'am."

The women scrunched up her face and slowly opened her eyes. However,the glare of the lights made her shut them again.

"Open them slowly. You're safe."

The woman blinked a few times to adjust to the lights. "W-where...where am I?"

"You're at my place. I'm Ragini. Ragini Gadodia."

"Ra-Ragini?"

"Yes. And you are?"

The woman sat up slowly and tried to sit comfortably. "I'm Ma-Manisha."

"Mamanisha?"

"No. It's...it's Manisha."

Ragini nodded. "Okay Manisha. I hope you're alright. You don't feel lightheaded now, do you? You hit your head pretty hard on the steering wheel of your car."

Manisha raised her hand to touch the white bandage around her head. "You brought me here to help me? Thank you so much."

"It was the least I could do after you did everything to save me and hurt yourself while doing it. It was you who shouted "WATCH OUT!" to me, didn't you?"

"Yes. I didn't know what else to do. My car went out of control all of a sudden."

"Thank you for not hitting me. But sorry too. Because of me you got hurt."

"It's okay Ragini. No hard feelings. Besides, you helped me, didn't you?"

Ragini smiled and stood up straight. "Would you like to eat something? Or a drink perhaps?"

"Um...if it's not too much, can I please get a cup of coffee?"

"Sure! Why not? Stay right here, alright?"

She nodded and watched Ragini head towards the kitchen.

As Manisha looked around, she noticed various pictures of Ragini, an elderly couple which she concluded could be Ragini's parents, and also of another man.

She got up slowly and reached out to pluck his picture from the wall. She got it in her hands and looked at it carefully.

"That's my Sanskar." came a voice from the door. Ragini came near with a smile. "I forgot to ask how much sugar you liked in your coffee."

"None. Thank you."

"None? But it will be bitter then."

Manisha shrugged. "I'm used to it. Besides, I like it that way."

"But it's not so good as when you add some sugar. Have some today. I insist."

"Haha...okay Ragini. If you want to add some sugar to my coffee, then fine."

Ragini smiled and left for the kitchen, leaving Manisha to stare at Sanskar's picture again.

She rubbed her hand over his face and smirked. "Oh Ragini, if you would be so generous as to add some sugar to my life as well by giving me Sanskar." she sighed dreamily and hugged the picture. "Sanskar, Sanskar, oh Sanskar! What have you done to me, huh love? You've cast such a charm over me that I came rushing from America to India for you. Handsome hunk, you!"

He was the main reason she was here. In fact, he was the only reason she was in India. Otherwise, she had left the country years ago!

But the moment she saw his pick while snooping through the Dobrial industry files, he caught her eyes.

High cheek bones, manly face, cute smile, dark brown eyes...all in all, he looked like a statue carved for perfection to her.

And she wanted him.

She needed him to be hers!

That was why she tried to find every detail about him. She searched and searched and finally found out his whereabouts.

But she met with disappointment as she realized he had a girlfriend. But it wasn't something she couldn't handle. All she had to do was remove her from the way.

That was why she had purposefully tried to kill Ragini, making it seem like am accieldent.

But at the last moment, she rethought. 'If Sanskar's first impression about me is his girlfriend's killer, it won't make him love me. In fact, he will despise me. I have to try to get close to him by some other means!' she got an excellent idea for it.

"I won't harm you Ragini. Instead, I'll use you to get closer to Sanskar. I'll get him through you!"

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

A girl in America. How did she find out Sanskar?
What connection does she have with the Dobrials?
What happened after Sanskar met Ram at the office?

Stay tuned to find out! 😉

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹