I Sharmi Diamond Ep39

 

39. Me

This time, the door wasn't knocked; it sounded like it was being rammed open, as if they had decided to break it down. The faces of those inside showed increased panic. The manager gave the tray and the velvet pouch on the table to the person who had come in, whispering, "Hey, hide this, hide this." There were no shelves or holes in the wall to hide anything in that room. It was an empty room with a single light in the middle, a table, and a sofa. That was it. With no other option, the manager tried to slip it into the newcomer's pants pocket, but while he was trying to resist, I started shouting, "Sir... help me! Help me!" The moment my voice was heard outside, the door was rammed open loudly. In a panic, one of the bodyguards abruptly opened the door and tried to run out. Unaware that an entire force was waiting outside, he was caught the instant he stepped out.

The police force that entered saw my naked state. They immediately picked up the clothes from the table and gave them to me. "We have information that you have hidden smuggled diamonds on your person. Can we check you?" the inspector asked.

The next day, the entire media was in an uproar about smuggled diamonds in a famous jewelry store. The store owner released a statement from abroad claiming political vendetta, but the continuous news reports about the police seizing unaccounted diamonds worth over a hundred crore, along with gold and platinum jewelry worth several crores, kept the excitement high.

My name was never revealed in the media. Based solely on the confidential information received about such a large institution, a series of investigations were conducted. It was discovered that this jewelry store was not only involved in hoarding but also that over forty people, including several foreign individuals and brokers involved in this business, were arrested. The entire network was disrupted. The jewelry store company, which was rumored to have connections even to Dawood Ibrahim, faced simultaneous raids from the Income Tax department and all departments of the Indian government, causing utter chaos.

I was kept in safe locations within Chennai for a week. Even when they took me, they blindfolded me. I was moved to a different location every two days. It was only after a week that I was released. "The police will continue to follow and watch you," they said.

The moment I was released, I went straight to my sister's house, took my clothes, and went to Pondicherry. I checked into a resort there. From the phone in the resort lobby, I called Sharmi and gave her the cell phone number of the hotel in-charge, telling her to come to Villupuram and call. Within the next three hours, she arrived in Villupuram and called. The in-charge gave her the hotel address and asked her to come.

I was waiting at the entrance. The moment she saw me, she ran and hugged me tightly. The in-charge in the lobby watched and continued with his work, smiling. She kept crying while hugging me, and I gently led her into the room. She remained silent for a while without saying anything. "Do you want a beer?" I asked. She hit my back and laughed. "I was so worried, and you're asking if I want a beer?"

"Well, you've been crying like a wife since you arrived," I said, laughing. She didn't react to that.

"I haven't slept this whole week. There was no information about you. Once the news about the raid started to come out, I only got one message from Amsavalli: 'Any news?' That's all. I called Vairam. The minute the news broke, Siddharth and his men disappeared. Vairam spent the whole week searching frantically for the cocaine they had. In the end, they had hidden it in a hole where the swimming pool water comes in. He asked what to do with it. I didn't understand either. I just told him to bury it in the ground without saying anything.

Okay... what happened? What do we do now? Siddharth has spent lakhs believing in this plan. Since it failed, will we have any problems? Will he come back? How do we escape from this?" Sharmi bombarded me with questions.

"Nothing will be a problem."

"How?"

"Do you trust me or not?"

"I trust you."

"Then just be quiet. Everything is over. No one will come now. For a few days, let's maintain our usual normalcy. I'll be back in a week or ten days."

Sharmi hugged me, tears welling up in her eyes, and asked, "Will it really be okay?"

I kissed her forehead and said, "Sure."

"You've been very cool since this whole thing started. How?"

I took a long, deep breath and said, "Really?"

"There's something you've decided not to tell me, isn't there? Good. Can I just stay with you today?" There was a pleading tone in her voice.

"We can't leave the room, is that alright?"

Sharmi hugged me and said, "I'll just keep looking at you," and embraced me. I hugged her back supportively and reassuringly. But inside, my heart was pounding.