New MG FF: Living A Double Life updated:Mod note pg14 - Page 8

Amazing story. Just came across this. Please add me to your PM list. rhanks

A very enigmatic romantic thriller.

This reads like very professional writing...are you a novelist, by the way? If not, you ought to be...you should complete the story and have it published right away!


Who is Helen that you mentioned in the first part?
Edited by pippa - 12 years ago

Originally posted by: pippa

A very enigmatic romantic thriller.

This reads like very professional writing...are you a novelist, by the way? If not, you ought to be...you should complete the story and have it published right away!


Who is Helen that you mentioned in the first part?

Originally posted by: alu5123

Amazing story. Just came across this. Please add me to your PM list. rhanks

Alpa

Originally posted by: amzu32

amazing update!!
Mystery hi mystery but i luved it:)
Maan or an imposter??
Waiting 4 next part.
Thanx 4 pm.

Originally posted by: JayaR

hey Simran... really a nice part...but I think that the story is a little slow...

I think u should speed up the story a little... its just a thought...hope u dont mind me...

anyways...thanks for the PM...

Originally posted by: KaSh-Maneet-Fan

hiii

awesome update

loved it

sooo much mystery

was that maan or an imposter

cant wait 4 more

con soon

thanks 4 da pm

Part 3

 

He pulled down a slap in the blinds and stared out at the parking lot. Heat rose from the asphalt and shimmered like a mirage against a backdrop of drooping palm trees and a few scraggly oleanders. He could see his beat-up Chevy at the end of the lot, the most recent dent barely discernible in the rust and corrosion that had accelerated in the salt air. The car needed a transmission overhaul, a muffler and a set of new tyres. But the lawyer was right. Arjun Singh didn't have two nickels to rub together. He let the blinds snap back into place as he turned. "Even if I do manage to fool this women—my grandmother—you said she has two sons and a daughter. Someone is bound to demand a DNA test." Adi shrugged. "That won't be a problem."  The imposter sat down at the table and folded his arms. "How can it be not a problem? They can't be so gullible as to accept my word for who I am. I wouldn't." The lawyer smiled. "Don't worry about that. Your appearance is different, but, as I said, we can explain that way. The resemblance is still quite striking, and after we're finished, you'll know things about Maan—about the family—that only he could know." "You've thought of everything, haven't you?" "As much as humanly possible, but even as thoroughly as we prepare, some will still have doubts. They've believed for years that Maan was dead and now for you to turn up out of the blue..." he paused. "One or both of the uncles will demand further proof...you're right about that. But it won't matter because we have a sample of real Maan's DNA."  We?Someone behind the scene was pulling the strings; Adi was just a puppet. And that someone needed Maan Singh Khurana alive...for the moment. A premonition of dread settled over him as he stared at the lawyer. "Do I want to know how you got the real Maan's DNA?" Adi grinned, displaying rows of perfect white teeth. "A few hair from the comb, an old toothbrush. You don't need to worry how I came by the sample. Suffice it to say that when the time comes we'll simply substitute your DNA for Maan's." "As easy as all that." "Money makes anything possible because everyone has a price. You're living proof of that, aren't you?" anger tore through him. He clenched his fists at his sides, resisting the urge to toss the creepy little lawyer out of his ass. He wouldn't do that, though, because Adi was right. He did have a price.  "There is one thing I don't understand." He said. "Just one?" he ignored the lawyer's sarcasm as he slowly got to his feet. "What are you getting out of all this?" "I'm being handsomely compensated, I assure you." "Who's paying you?" the lawyer hesitated. "I'm not at liberty to say." "But it has to be one of the uncles. Or Savitri Devi's daughter." "As I said, I'm not at liberty to divulge my client's identity, but I wouldn't even if I could. You might give yourself away if you knew. It's better this way. You won't run the risk of letting down your guard with anyone. Now—" Adi stuck the folder back in his briefcase and closed the lid "—any more questions?" "Just one for now." He turned back to the window. "When do we start?" "Immediately. I've already begun laying the groundwork for Maan's return, but you won't make an appearance at the mansion for at least another month. It'll take us that long to prepare." The imposter reached for the cigarette pack in his pocket, then let his hand drop to his side. The sun bouncing off windshields was blinding. He squinted, trying to decide if he had the huts to go through with this or not. But what choice did he have. If he walked away from Adi's offer, what kind of life would he have?  "What do you want me to do for now?" "Pack your belongings and give notice at your job. We need to get you out of there before someone else spots you. For the next few weeks you'll be staying in a cabin. I've rented in the Hill Country. It's completely isolated. No phones, no television, nothing to distract you." "What about the nightlife?" he quipped. "Don't worry; you won't have time to get bored. I'll provide everything you need in order to immerse yourself in Maan Khurana's life. But no matter how hard we prepare, there's bound to be unforeseen complications. I hope you're good at improvisation, Mr Arjun, because you'll have to be very quick on your feet. Savitri Devi is nobody's fool." He turned from the window. "Were you talking to me? Because I don't know anyone named Arjun. My name is Maan Singh Khurana." The lawyer beamed. "I think this arrange is going to work out just fine for everyone concerned." Not everyone the imposter thought grimly.

 

He took the lawyer advice and started to think himself as Maan Khurana. It wasn't that hard to do because Arjun Singh was not someone he'd ever particularly admired. In some way shedding that persona was like lifting a heavy weight from his shoulder. Arjun Singh was a screw-up, a two-bit con, a man who never seemed to catch a decent break. But Maan Khurana was educated and well-bred; a rebellious hell-raiser who'd chucked a fortune to go off searching for his place in the world.  Maan Khurana was a man who would command respect wherever he went. Arjun Singh was invisible. Or hr had been until he'd been spotted on a construction site by someone close to the Khurana family a few weeks ago.  His mind drifted to the fortuitous day.

He and couple of other guys had been framing the beachfront condos when he first noticed a black Mercedes drive slowly past the site, the car made another appearance the next day and again on the following day. For nearly a week the car showed up at the same time and drove slowly past the site. He and the guys joked about it first—one of them obviously had a rich admirer—but as the week wore on, uneasiness settled over job site. At the end of the week, another car appeared this one silver jaguar that pulled to the side of the road. Arjun was the last one to leave that day since he had trouble starting his car. As he worked under the hood, a man got off and approached him. "Maan? Maan Khurana? It is you, isn't it?" he glanced over his shoulder as he continued to scrape away the corrosion from his battery post. "Sorry. You've got the wrong guy buddy." "You're not Maan Singh Khurana?" "Will it get me a jump if I say yes?" "Forgive me," the man said with an apologetic smile "I thought you were someone else." "Yeah I got that," he replied dryly. "Now what about that jump?" "Tell you what. I'll have my auto club come out and get your car started if you'll give me a few minutes of your time." When he hesitated the man said "I'll even throw in a new battery." "Now why would you do that?" "Because I have a kind soul." The man said but his smile was anything but pleasant. "I assure you Mr Arjun, if you'll give me few minutes, it will be worth your while." A shiver of dread snaked up his spine as he straightened up. "How do you know who I am?" the man beam, pleased with himself. "I think you'll find that I know a great deal about you, including the fact that you have done some prison time. Does your current employer know you're an ex-con?"  He grabbed the man by his jacket lapels and shoved him up against the car. "Who the hell are you and what do you want from me?" fear flicked in the man's eyes but he quickly got his emotions under control. "My name is Aditya. I'm attorney." "An attorney?" he said with contempt and dropped his hands from the man's coat. "I don't have much use of lawyers." "No. I imagine you wouldn't after the raw deal you received, the prosecution's evidence against you was circumstantial at best.  Any competent defence lawyer would have gotten you off, but you were unlucky enough to get saddled with Romeo Bates as your public defender. According to the records, he didn't even cross-examine any of the witnesses, nor did he object to the so called evidence that was admitted against you. He just sat there and watched an ambitious prosecutor and an overzealous judge railroad you, and now for the rest of your life you'll have to contend with the fact that you're a convicted felon. But if it's any consolation, Romeo Bates has since been disbarred." He listened to lawyer all the way through his exposition and then turned back to work on his car without a word. "You're down on your luck since you've got out of the prison, isn't it Mr Arjun?" "Get lost." He said without looking up. "I would go far to say the ill-fate started since you were born to an alcoholic father and a drug addicted mother. But your luck is about to change." "Oh yeah?" he slammed down the hood and wiped his hands. "And who are you? My fairy godmother?" "In a manner of speaking. I'm here to offer you a great deal of money, young man. And all you have to do is pretend that Arjun Singh never existed."

 

That part of the job had been easy. Arjun Singh could stay dead for all he cared, but the rest of con wasn't so easy to swallow. Adi was right. He'd been down on his luck longer then he cared. But deceiving the people who cared about Maan was a new low even for him. He was a lot of things but never deliberately set out to be cruel or cold blood. However desperate times called desperate measures. He could do this he told himself as he saw his reflection every morning in the mirror. Adi was true to his words. The cabin where he'd been staying was isolated. He had been provided with a mountain of documents and photographs to go through, as well as several home videos to inspect for facial expression, manners and any unusual tics. He had started to look more like the picture of Maan that Adi had provided as he rehearsed himself. He also spent a lot of time practising the voice that he heard on the videos. By the end of the month the lawyer was impressed with the outcome. "We're nearing the D-Day," Adi said as they set out on the back deck watching the sun sink below treetop. Arjun would always sit and think about the con he was about to perpetuate on an unsuspecting family. No matter how he justified his actions, when all was said and done, a lot of lives were going to be changed, maybe even destroyed if he wasn't careful. "When do I make contact?" without answering Adi opened his briefcase and took out a sack of photographs. "These are new," he said. "Go through them carefully and make sure you recognise everyone in all the shots." He did as the lawyer told him. He went through each photo as he recited the names of people in it. He continued through the photographs which included more shots of the family, as well as the staff. He paused on a picture of a young woman who'd been caught in the same frame as the caretaker, Mohindar. After studying for a moment he passed it to Adi. "Who is this woman?" Adi glanced at the picture then tossed it back. "That's Geet Handa. She is the caretaker's daughter. You've seen picture of her," he said. "She may even have turned up in one of the videos I gave you. I know I told you about her. She works for Savitri Now." Arjun reached for the picture, his brow furrowing as his gaze fastened on the young woman's face. "She looks different," he muttered. "That's to be expected. She was just a teenager when you left. Now she must be...what? Nearly 30, I would imagine." He couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from the picture. The woman had her head turned away from the camera, and the way she stood near the edge of the frame made him wonder if she'd tried to take herself out of the shot. He couldn't see her face clearly but he had an impression of sadness. She was far away from the girl captured in the videos along Maan. Adi had said the two were inseparable when Maan had first come to live with his grandmother, but as they grew older Savitri had made sure both knew their places. She had sent Maan to boarding so that he could cultivate the right sort of friendships, and when he was home for holidays, she filled his time with lavish parties and glittering soirees. According to Adi, Maan had outgrown his friendship with Geet, but she'd worn her heart on her sleeves in those videos. The way she gazed at him when she thought no one was looking was a dead giveaway. The video camera had captured a quietly beautiful girl with long dark hair and wide, soulful eyes. But as he stared at the woman she'd become, something akin to pity stirred inside him. She'd have a difficult life. A bad divorce, a tragic love affair. Something had etched the unhappiness deeply into the delicate curves of her back and shoulders. As he stared at the picture, he felt an unexpected connection with her, a bond that he couldn't deny. He glanced up and found the lawyer's eye on him. Adi said softly, "I know what you're thinking. But don't get any ideas." "What are you talking about?" "Geet Handa. She's still pretty enough, I suppose, but she's not the sort of woman that Maan Khurana would ever be attracted to." "And you know this how?" Adi reached over and snatched the picture from his hand. "Don't complicate things. You need to put all your focus on Savitri." "Don't worry about me," the imposter said with a frown. "I know my part." And God help him, he intended to see this thing through, no matter what it cost him.

 

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fabulous part

awesome part...am so happy u updated this ...arjun...wait a minute...