themasquerade
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Goldenhaze Fiction<br />
The Masquerade 1
The Masquerade 2<br />
PROLOGUE<br />
“I want the veil down!” He purred his voice thick and smooth.<br />
“No….” she said looking away.<br />
“Now!” He growled.<br />
“I told you No!”<br />
She said evenly.<br />
“Why?” He asked her.<br />
“————. No!” She said very firmly.<br />
“I will give you a lakh more!” He baited her.<br />
“Keep it and buy yourself a toy!” She said and pushed him away.<br />
“No! You are not going anywhere until I am done with you” he said…<br />
holding her hand as she slid past him. She tried to wriggle her hand free,<br />
but he was far too strong in his hold on her hand, crushing it so hard that she winced.<br />
“What Arnav Sen Randhawa wants he gets” he said very coolly.<br />
“Well, you have news! Not always! Not this time!” Khushi spat and said,<br />
“Even if you pay me double the amount,<br />
“I won’t!” “Well that’s bad isn’t it? Coz I bought your company for the next three hours,<br />
and you are supposed to be at my bidding” he said smugly. Khushi gasped and said,”<br />
Right! But I am not a slave! I …er…. she just looked at him, as he drew her closer to him,<br />
and simply said,<br />
“Aren’t you? Then we shall make you one! You will make<br />
…lets say, a very interesting slave!”<br />
He drawled. She was drowned into his eyes.<br />
And just looked into their depths which she could not fathom!<br />
“I want you!” He said without any preamble.<br />
“And that’s why I bought you offering double the prize!”<br />
He purred. “But this is not some…deal!”<br />
Khushi paused, as he said,<br />
“It is…” “You can’t make me…!”<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 3<br />
Khushi said weakly. “I can! Believe me! I can make or break everything!”<br />
He said coldly. “But I already belong to someone else!”<br />
She said garnering some last minute courage.<br />
“No you don’t… not anymore! When I bought you…<br />
that very moment you were just mine, and the others are eliminated by default!”<br />
He said suavely. “You…arrogant…”<br />
Khushi could not think of a suitable word.<br />
“Son of a $%^#&? …or …Whatever?”<br />
He supplied much to her annoyance.<br />
“Thank you, but let me have you know that…”<br />
he paused and went on…<br />
“This Masquarade Ms. Mystery Harem girl, is over!”<br />
Arnav Sen Randhawa folded his arms in front of him, and then he said some thing that<br />
made Khushi dizzy with fear.<br />
“Now you belong to me, and I am not letting you to go! Not now!<br />
…not after three hours! NOT EVER!”<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 4<br />
DISCLAIMER<br />
All the work on these novels is a work of fiction.<br />
These are novels that are penned by the author Goldenhaze. All the names,<br />
characters, locales, businesses & professions, events and incidents are the<br />
product of the author's imagination.<br />
The religious or cultural rituals or any situations or any scientific or sociological,<br />
legal and super natural assumptions made are to be understood as concocted as<br />
part of the fiction and not otherwise.<br />
Some facts may have been used for authenticity, but it may be understood that<br />
these are used for purely fictional purposes and not for any other reason,<br />
whatsoever.<br />
ABOUT GOLDENHAZE<br />
Goldenhaze is the pen name of the author AnuRam who is a doctorate in<br />
Business management and writes fiction for hobby. Her first novel The Mirage,<br />
was set in the back drop of Rajasthan and highlighted the theme of women<br />
empowerment, woven into romance and intrigue. The sequel of the Miirage, The<br />
Pursuit was again a romantic thriller which was much appreciated. Goldenhaze<br />
has also written several novels including The Masquerade, An Evening with U,<br />
and The WhisperValley and Vaishali.<br />
Known for the variety in her story settings, and the usage of local flavors &<br />
languages Goldenhaze is also known for her blog goldenhazefiction.blogspot.in<br />
which has many ongoing works of her like A Dialogue in the Dark, The<br />
Inexplicable Attraction and the Contrivance.<br />
Currently Goldenhaze is working on the launch of a new stream of intense<br />
romance, under the name Destiny series, with Deepthimaan- a character she<br />
created in Mirage as the lead, who also happens to be the pivotal character in<br />
her much acclaimed novel Destiny U&ME.<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 5<br />
ASR looked at KK levelly and asked," She will call me?"<br />
"Yeah!" KK said.<br />
"She want's me to wait for the call?" ASR asked incredulously.<br />
"Yeah!" KK confirmed.<br />
"What makes you think I will? ASR never waits for a call!" He said smugly.<br />
"Well! It’s in your interest, and you are a shrewd business man so I<br />
guess..." he shrugged his shoulders and said," So I think you will wait for<br />
her<br />
call!"<br />
"This "Her" does she have a name?" ASR asked KK.<br />
"Of course!" KK said smiling! Was this chap smitten by his baby sister?<br />
"So what is it?" ASR gritted between his teeth.<br />
"I am not supposed to tell you" KK said nervously.<br />
"KK is the mafia into it?" ASR mocked him for not revealing her name.<br />
KK just stared at him and said," Nope! But many emotions are! " What ever<br />
made him<br />
say that he thought later.<br />
The phone rang, and ASR looked at KK, and KK left the cabin crossing his<br />
fingers as to what his little sister had in store, for the ASR.<br />
5/3<br />
"Hello!" Her voice came crisp and clear.<br />
"Hi there, my Harem girl!" Arnav said cautiously.<br />
"You wanted to talk to me?" Khushi said savouring his voice. Somehow<br />
she began to like it!<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 6<br />
"I wanted to thank you!" Arnav quipped.<br />
"For what?" She asked with a sharp intake of breath.<br />
"For saving me at the apartments! For saving my go downs, and for saving<br />
so much of my money, and Your KK!" The last words came out very<br />
sharply.<br />
"---------------"<br />
"You there?" He asked smugly. She thought he didn't know?" Well she had<br />
news!<br />
" Yeah!" She said breathing heavily.<br />
"Why?" He asked her a simple question.<br />
There was a long pause, when she answered," I dunno! May be I can't<br />
stand deceit!"<br />
" Oh! Is that all, this is about?" He asked softly.<br />
Khushi felt her pulse quickening, but she just could not come round to tell<br />
him that she liked him in spite of all the negative publicity his personality<br />
garnered. She liked him for his genuineness. True, he was boorish and<br />
arrogant to the point of being rude etc., but he was also righteous and<br />
straight in his approach.<br />
There was Lalith who appeared very correct and with all the right<br />
manners and demeanor, but downright filthy at heart. But there was him,<br />
who was compassionate and considerate, and even shrewd, but with a<br />
heart! After all if he hadn't pressed those charges against KK, they would<br />
have never known what Lalith was up to actually.<br />
"Hey...! " He was asking her something.<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 7<br />
"Yeah?" She asked in anticipation.<br />
"I want to see you!" It was not what he said, but how he said that which<br />
ran shivers down her spine.<br />
It took all her courage to ask, " Why?" Which she did eventually.<br />
"May be I want to thank you in person," he baited her smiling at his own<br />
stupidity. She knew!<br />
" ...er... There is no need, you know? I just did my duty!" She brushed him<br />
off infuriating him.<br />
"Then let me tell you that I find you interesting and useful. So I want to<br />
meet and explore further association with you…" he put it very succinctly.<br />
" Sorry I don't want anymore associations with anyone!" She said her voice<br />
shaky.<br />
" Why? Your KK won't approve?" His voice turned caustic.<br />
Khushi was taken aback.<br />
What was he saying!<br />
"What I do, is none of your business or KK's!" She said.<br />
"Are you still tied to him, and what's your tie up with Maadhwaani?" Arnav<br />
finally asked her straight.<br />
" What?" Khushi could not hide the inflection in her voice.<br />
"Yeah! If you are still tied to KK, just say goodbye to him! And Maadhwaani<br />
is a fraud, so I don't think he is worth it!<br />
Come to me! I...er... want you!” There he said it.<br />
It hurt him to make that offer, coz Arnav Sen Randhawa never made such<br />
an offer. Women flocked round him! He did not go after them! But this<br />
one was different, and he was not willing to loose her. True she was with<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 8<br />
the wrong people, but one fire accident had taught him that she was good<br />
at heart, and courageous and loyal. Even after the event...she tried her<br />
best to do good to him.<br />
Even at the cost of her own associates!<br />
" Come to me Harem girl" he called her.<br />
Khushi went still. No! She could never settle for less! She was not from his<br />
league, and it would not be in her interest, as after seeing the man, she<br />
knew she would be completely overwhelmed by him. In a way, men like<br />
Lalith were better. They did not take over you in such a way that you lost<br />
yourself in their charm. But this man, he was danger spelt with a big ‘D’!<br />
She would loose her identity and her self in him.<br />
Oh! Who was she kidding! She was afraid of her own self! First it was her heart!<br />
She was experiencing something new and it was scary! She never felt that way<br />
for a man before! Not even Lalith! She never felt like drowning into the very<br />
depths of the eyes of a man and felt like she would never come up! No! This<br />
was not for her!<br />
Secondly, she touched her right collar. Her scar! No doubt in time they<br />
would heal! But one look at all the women who he was seen with, and oh!<br />
She had done some research in past few days, and what she saw told her<br />
she was a no show! As far as ASR was concerned, she was definitely a<br />
mismatch and absolute bad choice!<br />
HA! She closed her eyes, as tears welled up. She would always love him,<br />
but it was not possible for her to get together with him, as they were<br />
worlds apart!<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 9<br />
More over he was famous for his use and throw policy, as La had pointed<br />
out, and she was not for casual flings. Once her heart was set, it was for<br />
eternity!<br />
Khushi held on to the receiver tight.<br />
"What is the problem! I can take care of you better than KK." His voice<br />
made her flinch, and she just stared at the receiver.<br />
“Listen! You can pay him back if you owe anything to him. I shall do that,<br />
and you can be relieved." Arnav was talking, and she spat at him saying,"<br />
What rubbish! I would never sell my loyalty! You can give me all the money<br />
you have in the world, but I would never leave KK! Just shut up and stop<br />
thinking you can buy anything!" "Listen..." Arnav tried to reason, and she<br />
yelled back at him, "Now you listen! I helped you as I thought you were a<br />
man with integrity and compassion. I wanted those aspects of you to rule<br />
you, which accidentally were showcased in the accident, rather than those<br />
phony ones which you wear on you as a shield. I helped you out thinking<br />
that your faith in humanity would be restored. Not all of us are breathing<br />
on this earth to syphon you off!<br />
But if you think that would make me go against my own, then you are<br />
mistaken! Just let KK go free. This would be the payback for me, and just<br />
one more thing... Don't let go off Lalith! If you really want to pay me back,<br />
just give him a very memorable experience so that he would never play<br />
with so many people and their emotions!<br />
....and as a last minute gesture, she said, “Good bye ARNAV!"<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
The Masquerade 10<br />
And cut the call.<br />
How dared he thought he could buy her and her love! Had he no respect for<br />
human feelings? She fumed!<br />
Goldenhaze Fiction
Goldenhaze Fiction<br />
The Masquerade 11