The Secrets Of Meera

Meera Thakur – An average height, pretty, curvy girl with brown eyes and armpit-length black hair. She is the CEO of Spriha, an NGO. She is one of the richest people in India and established the NGO with her family money.

Neha Singh – A beautiful, tall, slim girl with brown eyes and short hair. She is Meera's Junior from college. She works in a world-renowned company Guild Corporation and lives with her fiancé Vivek.

Vivek Sharma – A baby-faced, tall man with a killer smile who is Neha's fiancé. He too is Meera's junior. He and Neha met in college. After finishing college, they got engaged and now they live together in NY.

Oliver Spaulding – A short man with rugged features, blue eyes, and a well-toned body. He is Meera's friend (nickname Liv) who was her classmate during their graduation days in India. They are best friends.

Arthur Guild – A tall, lean, muscular man with curly black hair. He is the owner of Guild Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. He is egotistical, condescending and a strict boss. The entire corporation is scared of him except Ryan Brown.

Ryan Brown – A rectangular-faced, heavy, athletic man with blue eyes who is Arthur's friend, guide, and confidant. He is the corporate secretary in Guild Corporation. Wherever Arthur goes, he follows.

Daniel Westside – A bulky man who is always dressed in dapper suits. He is the Director of Corporate Responsibility of Guild Corporation. He invites Meera to increase the efforts of his company to improve social responsibility.

Alice Colfer – A happy girl who is the embodiment of sunshine. She was shot dead a year ago but her murderer is still walking free. She was Arthur's fiancé.

Abhirati James – A tall, highly competent, nimble person who works as a Detective in NYPD. She is responsible for handling Alice's murder case. It's been a year but there is progress regarding the same.

Mateo Gideon – An average height, bald, bulky man who is Abhirati's partner and working meticulously on Alice murder case.

Captain Abena – A tall, slim, lanky woman with bushy hair who is Abhirati's and Mateo's boss. She meets Meera on the flight to New York and they become friends.

Anthony Hunt – A handsome man with blue eyes, in his early forties. He is the Chief Financial Officer of Guild Corporation.

Jordan Pear – A very capable doctor who is the Chief Medical Officer in Guild Medical Centre and he is also Arthur's family doctor.

Aura Guild – Arthur's mother who loves to embarrass him at every turn. Her only mission in life is to get Arthur married to a rich sophisticated woman.

Holly Sebastian – A pretty, full-figured girl who is Arthur's secretary. Many people are under the impression that Arthur is dating her.

Maurice Jade – A lawyer friend of Oliver's who helps Meera in need. So, she hires him to work for her till she is in New York.

Samuel Lopez – An old, homeless man who befriends Meera after she comes to New York. He came to New York to find his daughter.

Meera exuberantly took out her smartphone from her light blue, full-sleeved jumpsuit and dialled a number. The display read 'lovepie'.

"Hey, Era!" A voice from the phone shouted.

"I am going to tell him, Liv," said Meera heartily. She was bursting with joy, it felt like her feet barely touched the ground.

"That you love him?" asked Liv in a shocking voice. Meera could tell from her friend's shaky voice that he was sitting and instantly stood up in disbelief when she gave him the news.

"Yes." Her voice was ringing with happiness.

"Are you sure?" The sudden news was hard to digest for Liv.

"Yes, I just had a chat with Ryan. He was happy and no one knows Arthur better than him."

"Ok. But what if he doesn't reciprocate?" He teased her. One could easily hear the bliss in his voice for he was over the moon for his best friend.

"I'll break his neck. If he doesn't love me after all this time, that means he is an idiot and he deserves to die," she mocked him back.

"Will you be able to kill him?" Liv was in no mood to end the back-and-forth teasing.

"Yes, his death will break my heart, but I think I am capable," she said sarcastically.

"Wow! That's what I call true love."

"I know." They both kept laughing and giggling all through the conversation.

While she was on phone, two shabby-looking men crossed her on the sidewalk where she was waiting for her driver to bring the car. One of them was a tall man in his early 40's and was walking a few inches in front of the other while staring at his phone. The second one was an average height man with a big paunch. He was drenched in sweat and was breathing heavily which concerned her soft heart. She followed him with her eyes and saw the man walk a few inches and collapse in front of her. The other man ran towards him, knelt, and leaned over him and the next moment she heard the shouting.

"Please help, someone please help," the man cried.

"Liv, I will call you back," said Meera. She disconnected the call and ran towards the man who was screaming for help.

"Era! What happened? Is everything OK?" He asked in a concerned tone, but Meera had already disconnected the call by then.

"Is he alright?" asked Meera.

"I don't know, one minute he was fine, another he just collapsed." He was continuously shaking his friend and trying to revive him.

"Let me call 911." She unlocked the phone and started typing the numbers.

"There isn't time, he has a weak heart, what if he dies. Please no, I can't lose you too." The distress in his voice was heartbreaking. He kept waggling his friend to wake him up.

"My car is near, let me take you to the hospital," suggested Meera.

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much." The hope and relief were visible on his face.

Meera immediately placed a call to his driver giving him her exact location. A speeding car approached and halted beside them with a screeching sound. The driver got out of the car and stood beside Meera.

"Toby! Please help this gentleman," she requested. Her driver helped the man to put his friend inside the car. She sat in the passenger seat and two men were safely sitting in the back. Before Toby could start the car, both Meera and Toby felt a cold metal pressing at the back of their head.

"Not a sound. If anyone of you moves, I'll shoot. Hand your phones over to me," the fainted man suddenly sat up and spoke. Both gave their phones to the thugs.

The tall, gun-toting goon got out of the car and dragged Toby outside. He pistol-whipped Toby at the back of his head and left him on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, the second goon kept staring at Meera from the back seat with his gun pointed towards her.

"No, don't hurt him," cried Meera but Toby was lying unconscious on the pavement. Before she could react further the tall man came to her side, opened her door, and forced her into the back seat of the car. The second man never lowered his gun even for a second.

"Who are you? What do you want? I have money, just take it, please let me go." She somehow gathered her courage and spoke in a quivering voice.

"Money! We don't want your money," said the second man. In the interim, the first goon made his way to the driver seat, started the engine, and activated the child lock.

"Then what do you want?"

"To make our boss happy, after almost a year he gave us a job, which is to kidnap you. We thought he was going straight, but you forced him to break bad." The second thug batted his eyes at her.

"What are you guys talking about?" The meaning of the whole conversation was lost to her. She knew no such person who would want her kidnapped.

"Our boss is obsessed with you. All he talks about is you."

"Who is your boss?"

"He said you talk a lot. I don't like people who talk a lot, so could you just shut up," he shouted.

"Where are you taking me?" Meera continued her interrogation.

"That's it."

"Hey calm down, Angry. She must not be harmed. He gave us clear instruction," the goon in the driver's seat interjected.

"I know. Do you think I have a death wish? I am just shutting her mouth and covering her eyes."

"Oh yeah, he said she should not find out."

"No," shouted Meera and frantically tried to force the door to open. The second assailant lowered his gun, grabbed her arms, and pulled her towards him. She tried hard to escape from his grip, but he easily overpowered her and tied her hands behind her back. He then gagged her and put a thick opaque bag over her head.

She felt the car moving for a long time and kept struggling and screaming over her gag for the whole journey. After a long time, the car stopped, and they dragged her out of the car. One of them threw her over his shoulder and started walking. An electronic key beeped and she heard the opening of a door. No matter how much she squirmed, the assailant never loosened his grip. They soon entered a second door and the next moment she was softly placed on a very comfortable bed.

They removed the bag that was covering her head. As soon as she saw them, she crawled to the end of the bed and stopped only after a wall crept behind her.

"Relax! We are not going to hurt you. We already told you that," said the tall man.

"I am going to approach you so don't freak out, I will just remove your bondage. Do you understand?" The short man raised his hands with his palms facing towards her to prove that he meant her no harm and moved forwards in her direction.

He cautiously approached her and removed her gag and bondage. Once she was free, she ran towards the door, but the tall man lifted her with one hand in an instant.

"Let me go, let me go," she kept shouting and fighting her way out.

"Stop struggling, we don't want to hurt you, else our boss will hurt us." The short man shouted at her.

She went mad with anger at the constant talk of 'the boss' and shouted back at them in an irritating tone, "who the hell is your boss?"

"You know him, you have met him." Evil smiles played on the assailants' faces.

"What?" She was shocked beyond her imagination that she knew someone who was capable of kidnapping.

"Ha-ha. Now just stay here. You will see him soon. He just needs to complete his plan," said the man with a paunch.

"Plan? What plan?" Asked Meera. Sweats of fear were dripping all through her body.

"You are the first step of his plan, congratulations," mocked the tall man.

"I don't care about your boss; I don't care about his plan. Oh my god, Toby. I have to make sure he is alright. Arthur... I just want to see Arthur; I have to tell him something. Please let me go," pleaded Meera.

"Woah! Don't take his name in front of Boss. He absolutely hates him," said the tall goon.

"But I love him. I have to tell him I love him, please," begged Meera.

"You can say that to his dead body. Forget about him, you belong to Boss now," scolded the short man.

"No!" Meera shouted and started sobbing.

Both thugs left her alone and locked the door behind them. She curled herself in a ball and kept crying for long reminiscing about the day she came to New York. If she would not have come to NY, she would not have met Arthur and she would not be pining for him now. In the present moment, she was not thinking about getting out or escaping from her kidnappers, she was thinking about Arthur. She was thinking about what would happen to him after he gets the news of her kidnapping and what the goons meant by Arthur was going to die soon. What was the plan that was set in motion by her kidnapping?

"Where is she?" Neha said to herself while searching for Meera in the sea of people exiting the arrival gate at terminal 4 of JFK International Airport. It was late Saturday summer afternoon, and she was eagerly waiting for her beloved senior to arrive. So many years had passed since they were studying in the same college and staying in the same hostel. Neha was two years junior to Meera. She moved to the US after her graduation but kept in touch with her favourite senior. The big bouquet in her hands was getting heavier with every passing minute.

Unanticipatedly her phone rang.

"Did she arrive?" The voice from the phone enquired.

"No Vivek, her flight has landed but she is still inside."

"Maybe she got delayed in processing. She also has to get her bags. Be patient, your Di is not going to get lost in an airport," said Vivek.

"Shut up!"

"Don't tell her I said that. She will beat me into a pulp. She loves hitting me."

"That she does. Oh, I see her, talk to you at home. Bye. Love you."

"Love you too."

Neha frantically waved to get Meera's attention, but she was busy talking with a smart-looking middle-aged woman. Both women were beautiful, but their appearance was the stark opposite. Meera was an average-height, curvy woman with straight black hair and chestnut brown eyes. Even the ugly dresses looked beautiful on her hourglass figure. Whereas the woman she was talking to was almost 6 feet tall, slim, lanky, sharply dressed and her bushy hair was complimenting her diamond-shaped face beautifully. They both talked to each other for a few minutes, smiled, shook their hand, and said goodbye.

Meera scanned the crowd near the arrival gate of the huge airport and spotted a beautiful, tall, very slim girl dressed in a yellow summer dress. She was looking like a beautiful sunflower. Meera ran towards her, dragging a heavy suitcase behind her, trying to avoid the hustle and bustle of the airport.

They hugged each other tightly. Neither of them was ready to let the other one go, so they kept hugging for a long time. Tears of happiness were racing from their eyes.

"Hi, Di! It's so good to see you," said Neha while in a big bear hug.

"Oh! I missed you so much. Where is Vivek?" replied Meera, hugging Neha tighter.

"Vivek is waiting for you at home. He is making a special meal for you."

"Great. I'm famished."

Meeting a close friend after so many years was heart-wrenching for them. No matter how much they tried, they just couldn't loosen their grip.

"You know, we need to stop hugging and start moving, else Vivek will have to come and end our hugging competition," said Meera still refusing to let Neha go.

"I know but I just can't let go. I missed you so much. And you smell like nostalgia."

"Missing India?"

"I miss all of you."

Meera placed her hand inside Neha's hair and caressed it with love. After a few more minutes of hugging and crying, they broke the embrace.

"This is for you." Neha handed her the bouquet. It had white Calla lilies and white Tulips, her favourite flowers, in a beautiful arrangement.

"Aww... thank you." She kissed Neha on her cheeks, and they moved towards the exit.

"When is your team arriving?"

"After I access if this is the right partnership for me and my NGO."

"Guild Corporation is the best and Daniel Westside is amazing at his job."

"Yeah, you will say that as it is your company. And if this Mr Westside is so amazing at his job, why does he need the help of an NGO to improve his social responsibility."

"He does not want you to improve, he wants your help to restart, he wants someone to give him ideas to help more people."

"Yeah, right."

While talking they exited the airport. The summer sun greeted Meera by shining on her face. She looked up and soaked in the sun, took a deep breath in and the smell of sweet flowers in her hands mixed with vehicle smoke and hot asphalt hit her nose.

Neha opened her phone and ordered a cab from an app. The display showed two minutes waiting time.

"Di, you know no one in NY except Oliver and us, right?" Asked Neha curiously.

"Why? Do you want me to stay with them and not you? And don't even mention that idiot. Some hotshot actress was more important to him than his best friend."

"What? No, stop teasing. It was you who said no to staying with us. You said yes after so much pestering. And you know how important Oliver's job is for him."

"Yes, more important than his best friend and I didn't want to impose on you guys that's why I said no to staying with you. I still think I should stay in a hotel, that will be better for everyone."

"I used to spend my days and nights in your room disturbing your peace during our hostel days, now it's your time. Please take advantage of us for as long as you want." Neha placed her head on Meera's shoulder lovingly and spoke.

"Stupid girl!" said Meera lovingly. "But why did you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just curious as to who was that woman you were talking to. You both looked as if you guys were old friends."

"Jealous?" teased Meera.

"Di!" exclaimed Neha.

"Her name is Abena, she was my seat neighbour on the plane. We talked nonstop during the whole journey, and we had a blast."

"Only you can make a friend in a day." There was a hint of pride in Neha's voice.

"What can I say, I am just so attractive?" They giggled like two little girls. The joy, happiness, and excitement were oozing from every single pore of their body. The twinkle in their eyes was from glee or due to sunshine, no one could tell.

The taxi arrived and Meera was ready to begin a new journey. The whole way they kept reminiscing about how fun their time was during their college days. The two years she spent with Meera during their engineering was exciting and amusing and fun-filled. Neha used to spend more time in Meera's room than her own room.

They had no idea they were approaching Neha's locality as they were immersed in laughing and talking and recalling and living in their fond memories. Meera suddenly noticed the well-planned beautiful society filled with high rising apartments.

"Wow! This place is beautiful," exclaimed Meera.

"Yeah, this part of town is known as Guild City, named after my Boss's ancestors. It's like a small city inside a city."

"City inside a city?" asked Meera, confused.

"Yes, we have five different localities inside Guild city. Aura Environs, Alice Vicinity, Arthur Turf, Ormond locality and Virtue Suburb. See that tallest building closest to the river?" explained Neha.

"Yes."

"That is in Arthur Turf, that's where my boss lives. And that grey building is in Aura Environs, that's where I live."

"Nice. Your boss's name is Arthur, and he lives in Arthur Turf. Narcissistic much?" taunted Meera.

"No, just a little." They both started laughing hard. Neha continued, "not only Arthur Turf but every locality is named after members of Guild family. Ormond Guild was the big boss, but he died a few years back due to cancer. Aura Guild is my boss's mother. Alice Vicinity was known as Dream Vicinity but after her death, it was renamed to honour her. She was my boss's fiancé. And Virtue is just virtue, no relation to Guild family."

"So many deaths in a single family," said Meera in a sad voice.

"Yes, my poor boss. Now, back to your tour of localities. You know every neighbourhood is a planned community with a gym, a spa, a swimming pool, a clubhouse, a business centre, a fitness centre, coffee shops, a party hall, movie theatre, restaurant, and lounges, convenience shops, grocery stores, medical shops. You name an amenity; every residential area has one. We also have a hospital, a school inside Guild city. The best part is we have an equality centre where people from different religions go to worship. We have rooms designated for individual religions under the same roof." Neha finished her exposition with glory and delight.

"Wow, it's like a mini country." Meera sounded impressed.

"And my boss is the king of the city," boasted Neha.

"Right the narcissistic and arrogant man you could not shut up about over the phone," said Meera, annoyed.

"Yeah, the same man you will work with if you say yes to Mr Westside. This will be beneficial for your NGO too. A new branch with the help of Guild Corporation will put Spriha on the map. You will be able to fulfil your dream to help people all around the world."

"Stop selling your boss and his CSR team. I am here, aren't I?"

"I can't, no one can. He is not only brilliant; he is the most handsome man you would ever see but completely formal and wooden. He rarely smiles and when he enters the office it feels like a dictator is entering his army camp, but we all know he has a soft heart. That's why he tries to give back to the community whenever and however he can. But after he lost Alice, the love of his life, a year back he stopped everything which spoiled our public image and diminished our brand value. We really need you to help us in our CSR programmes."

"Hey, calm down! I promised you I will help, and I am here because of you, not because of Mr Westside or your boss, because of you. So, you need to stop being afraid of your boss. I will handle him." She side-hugged Neha lovingly and assured her.

"It's easy for you to say. He has become worse after Alice's death; he has turned into a complete devil."

"He is just a human being and after losing someone you love anyone will lose their mind, nothing new in that."

"Tell that to everyone working in GC. Every single person is afraid of him except Mr Ryan Brown."

"Oh, name drop! Who is this new person? Tell me more."

"There's nothing much to tell. He is the corporate secretary, my boss's right hand. He keeps to himself most of the time but is polite, kind, and yes, very handsome. Why do you want to know? Finally decided to get married."

"Who? Me? Please!!!"

Meera detested marriage. Every time anyone talked about marriage, she would walk out of that conversation immediately. She was always an independent girl, and her freedom was the most important thing for her.

The car slowed down and stopped at the gate of Aura Environs. Neha flashed her ID card, and the security guard opened the gate for the cab to enter. The whole locality was surrounded by beautiful green trees. Red Maple Trees, Silver Maple Trees, Norway Maple Trees were planted all around to blanket the Environs with greenery. Small gardens were scattered with beautiful, vibrant, delightful flowers. The cab halted under the grey building where Vivek was standing at the curb with the cutest smile on his face to welcome them.

Meera got out of the cab and ran towards Vivek and hugged him.

"Welcome Di! I missed you. How are you? How was your flight? How is everyone in India?" Vivek hugged her tightly and kept swaying her side to side affectionately and bombarded her with questions.

"Thank you. I missed you too. I am fine. The flight was very tiring but looking forward to a delicious meal. And everyone is fantastic in India because you are in the US." Meera answered chronologically to tease him.

"Di!" He exclaimed and pushed her away slightly just to show that he was hurt due to her tease but pulled her instantly to hug again. "And yes, the meal I prepared is delicious because I prepared it, Hungry?"

"Yes." Meera could not control her laughter and she burst out laughing.

*****

Wiping her tears, Meera smiled after remembering her first day in NY. The warm welcome she received from Neha and Vivek reduced her fear slightly. She stood up and placed her ears on the door, there was complete silence. She was just an NGO owner and the kidnapper told her they had no interest in money, then what was their motive behind keeping her captive. She racked and racked her brain but was unable to think why someone would be interested in her.