On a rainy night

A shady and a grungy bar dimly lit and playing the low notes of a jazz number is almost nearing its closing hours with only a few people and some office goers sitting in their respective corners and enjoying the drink and basking in melancholy.

A hand reaches out at the counter and the voice little slurry asks for a refill. The guy, ordering a refill seems like a 40-year old dressed in a wrinkled white shirt and his tie lowered, speaks up…

"May I have another drink?"

"I'm sorry sir, but we're about to close" replies the bartender.

"Ah, come on man! Just one more drink. You can't close yet; the people are still sitting." He waves his hand across the pub to show people sitting and cozying up around different corners of the pub.

"But sir, you've had one too many drinks. You have been drinking since evening."

"Ah, fuck that! Are you gonna educate me about my capacity vis-à-vis alcohol?" And right then at that moment, a soft and gentle voice breaks the conversation between the two men…

"May I interrupt?"

The man dressed in the white shirt turns towards his right and sees a gorgeous woman dressed in a blue satin gown. She had a cigarette in her hands. The man, drunk enough to forget all the courtesies and manners, saw the smoke emerging off her cigarette. He just steals it from her hand and takes a drag. The woman looks at the man with a smile on her face while the bartender is all perplexed. The man takes a few more drags and gives her the cigarette. He looks at the smoke that had the impressions of her red lipstick and her lips. On noticing the impression, he licks his lips and lets a puff of smoke in the air.

"I'm sorry, but you were saying…"

"I was just asking if I could interrupt."

"Well, now that you already have; why don't you go on and tell how can you help both of us get out of this current predicament?"

"You feel like a drink, don't you?" asks the lady to the man in white shirt.

"Fabulous! Wasn't that obvious from the little verbal volley that we had? Oh, you get brownie points for guessing this one, madam!" says the man.

"I was hoping if you would want to join me for one… Probably at my place..." Asked the lady

The bartender sensing the conversation steered clear of the place and started with the proceedings of closing the bar.

"So, shall we?" asked the lady.

The man nods his head with a wry smile on his face. He fixes his tie and picks up his long black overcoat. He picks up a pack of smokes, lights one. The lady also marches out with the man following her. Outside the pub, the night is dark and the street lights cast an eerie and yet a seductive silhouette. The valet just signals for the car to be pulled over to the curb. The car emerges, and the valet opens the door and allows the man and the lady to sit in. The chauffeur then speeds up the car as the man sitting at the back continues to look out the window at the rain washed streets.

While the man is busy looking at the rain pouring down mercilessly and nonchalantly on the already filth-laden streets, the lady sitting right beside him…

"Care for a smoke?"

"Sure, that would be bliss…"

The lady just pulls out a couple of smokes from the pack, when

"Just pull one. We'll share."

"Alright"

She pulls out a cigarette and lights it when the guy shoots back at her again while looking at the cigarette clenched between her red lips…

"May I know the name of my benefactor?"

"Charlize, my name is Charlize" she says letting out a puff of smoke and then passing the stick over to the man.

"That's a beautiful name, Charlize. And you can call me Nick. My name is Nicholas."

"Nice to meet you, Nick" says Charlize.

"You seem to be quite fixated with the sights outside the window. Do I appear less interesting? Asks the lady

The man while shifting in his seat and arranging his coat says "No! In fact, you're too appealing, and that's why I'm refraining myself."

The car makes its way through the lanes and the bylanes as the rain continues to lash the city. The wiper swivels across the wind screen while the chauffeur keeps driving and also stealing looks in the rear view mirror of the scene at the back seat.

Both Charlize and Nick exchange glances and smokes. Nick letting out the puff of smoke on the moist window by his side and asks Charlize "Do you stay towards the end of the world or somewhere?"

Letting out a puff of smoke, and straightening her flowing black hair, she says "The apartment is just another 10 minutes away."

The car takes another turn and this time pulls into a huge building. It stops at the parking lot and the doors open and both of them step out. Nick pulls out and just shakes his coat to drop off all the water and rain drops.

The chauffeur leaves the keys with Charlize and he walks off. Charlize then leads the way for Nick and they reach the escalator. A few minutes later, they find themselves on the 13th floor of the building. Charlize opens the door and escorts Nick into the flat.

"Just give me a moment. I will switch on the lights right away." She says as she finds the switch. She switches it on and the flat lights up to a cozy setting. The walls are in the shades of pastel red and yellow. The living room is adorned with a couple of huge round lounge sofas and a home-theater system along with a wall-mounted LCD TV. Charlize walks around the room while removing her ear rings and keeping them on the dining table and she looks at Nick still standing.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable, while I just loosen up? There's a lot of CDs there… Surf through the music collection and see if you like something. Feel free!" she says and disappears into her room to change.

Nick removes his overcoat and "Can I get a hanger or something to hang my overcoat and let the water drip off?"

In a muffled voice from the room, she says "Come over to my room and take it"

He walks over to her room and she lets her hand out. Nick takes the hanger and then goes up to the closet and hangs his jacket there. He then returns to the living room and fetches a smoke from his pocket and lights it up. He reaches the music player and opens the shelf.

"This is very interesting. You like Fosse and Sinatra? You into Jazz?" asks Nick.

"Yeah, I am. I love jazz and the melancholic and yet the hypnotic sounds of this music form."

Nick takes out a compilation of Sinatra and plays it while still surfing through Charlize's collection. The living room adorns a replica of The Starry Nights by Vincent Van Gogh and some other abstract paintings. He also stumbles upon some crime fiction novels by James Hadley Chase and some Noir collection from such authors as James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, and Cornell Woolrich.

"Hey! I'm back"

She emerges from her room dressed in her white satin and flowing night gown with a little white coat to cover the top of her gown. She comes and stands next to Nick while he is looking at her books collection. The scent of her makes him turn toward her. "You've quite a collection. Quite unlikely for the kind of woman you appeared." Says Nick

"And what kind of woman, you think of me to be?" asks Charlize while moving towards the bar. Nicholas just leaves the book at the shelf and then walks behind Charlize. He moves around and gets to the other side of the bar.

"What would you prefer?" asks Charlize hinting at the bottles.

"What have you got back there?" asks Nicholas.

"I've got everything that you need back here"

He fetches a bottle of Glen Fiddich and taps on the bottle cap. "Make me a large one, will you?"

Charlize fetches 2 whisky glasses and puts a couple of cubes of ice in each of them. She then fills the glass with large pegs of pure golden Single Malt. She then closes the bottle and walks over to the lounge sofa where Nicholas is already seated. He pulls out a smoke from his pack and lights it. Charlize comes with the drinks and bends down to hand him over his drink.

"Could you please just turn the volume a bit louder?" asks Charlize, but Nicholas says that the music is loud enough for both of them to hear it and yet soft enough to keep the mood alive.

Charlize takes a sip and then keeps her legs on the table. She stretches them and sits easy. She asks for a drag and Nick passes her his cigarette.

"Is your drink fine?"

"Yeah, it's perfect!" says Nicholas.

"So, why don't you tell me something about yourself?" asks Nicholas sipping into his drink.

"Alright, why don't you ask me what you want to know?"

"Come on; let's avoid this "allow-me-to-introduce-myself" shit. Let's get on with it. I've had a little too wonderful an evening by my usual standards. And I guess you've been a mystery for a bit too long now; albeit a pleasant one! But, I guess, I do deserve to know the name of my benefactor" says Nicholas.

Charlize takes another sip of her whisky while Nicholas smokes and looks at her with expectant eyes.

"Ok, first off – I'm married." Replies Charlize.

Nicholas sips into his whisky and looks at her and smiles. He raises a toast to her and then takes another sip – this one finishes his drink.

"What? You don't have anything to say?" asks Charlize.

"Make me another drink, thank you!" is all that he says.

Now, slowly warming up to her revelation, he gets up and follows her to the bar and stands there alongside her. He starts tapping the bar counter with his fingers replicating as if he is playing the percussion for the music track playing in the stereo. He then says…

"Charlize, you think that was a tough guess? Not really. Such things only act as a surprise in movies and books; but are never one in real life. And to boot, your behavior and gestures only made that fact clearer. However, what I wanted to know was something else."

Charlize fixed their drinks and they walked back to sofa. They lounged again and continued with their drinks while

"I was under the impression that the news would be shocking at the least!" says Charlize.

"Not one bit" replies Nicholas.

A couple of more drinks later, Charlize asks…

"What about yourself, Mr. Smart Pants?"

"There isn't anything that can be called sensational in my life. I used to work as a typewriter salesman for this company. Got frustrated and quit. Moved on to another job a few months back and quit that as well just this evening and was at the bar."

"Hmmm, a quitter?" retorts Charlize.

"Not exactly, more of a seeker" replies Nicholas.

'Splendid. But what do you seek, Mr. Searcher or seeker or whatever…?"

"Opportunities"

"Impressive. What kind of opportunities?"

He lights up another cigarette and gets up to fix another drink for himself for the first time this entire evening. While moving, he says

"Perhaps I'm looking for something like today. Something that is shaking, provocative, and startling. Something that makes me wake up and question and also admire the beauty of uncertainty in life."

"But you should be looking forward to something, right? There has to be something that drives you. Isn't it? You ought to have certain expectations of your life." Says Charlize

They now stand at the bar counter and talk there. "Life is too big an object for me to even comprehend; let alone expect anything out of. And to be very frank, who're the people who have everything figured out and sorted out in their lives. If people had things sorted and resolved, the world would have been a better place, won't it?"

"Hmmm, a cynic?" retorts Charlize.

"A realist, rather" comes the reply from Nicholas.

He finishes his drink and then asks for the lady's leave. He picks up his jacket and then leaves for his place.

Back home, he lays down on his bed and his phone buzzes. He opens it and reads the message "Good Night, Nick! It was a pleasure having met you. Look forward to seeing you soon – Charlize"

Next morning, Nicholas gets up and looks out the window. He sees it raining and the streets are filled with the rain water. There're portions of the roads where the gutters have over flown. From his window, he looks at parents bringing their kids back home and he sees a barrage of people moving around. The weather and the climate out there in the city are gloomy and bleak. He walks over to the loo and fills a glass of water and drinks it while moving around in his messed up room. The bed is messed up and the walls are painted in dull, washed-out gray. The walls also have the paint peeling off. He looks at his phone and opens the message he had received last night. He reads the message and looks out the window. He calls Charlize and she doesn't pick up.

After a little while, he gets a message. "Stuck with Bruce, so will call you later. By the way, it was good to receive your call."

Bruce finishes the lunch with Charlize and then asks his chauffeur to drop him to the office and the take Charlize home.

The chauffeur brings the car and both Mr. and Mrs. Bruce get into the car. They move across the rained out streets while Charlize keeps looking out the window at the rained out streets. His phone buzzes and he sees its Charlize's call. He picks up the call…

"Hey there!" says Charlize

"You wanna meet?"

"I guess that won't be possible. I am not sure if I can make it."

Meanwhile Bruce reaches his office. It's a tall building and he gets off his car. Dresses in a black suit, he wears his overcoat and then steps into the building. He catches the lift and reaches 7th floor. He steps out and walks into his office. He gets into his cabin straight away where his secretary comes into the cabin. She pulls the curtains down and she locks the door. She walks over to Bruce's chair. She dumps the file on the table and then walks across the other side and sits down on the chair and says

"Sir, you have a meeting lined up with the MCA today. They've already summoned you" says the secretary.

Charlize continues to speak to Nick and asks him to meet her in the evening. After about 15 minutes of persuasion, Nick relents.

"Let's meet at the same bar where we had met yesterday. Make it at 8.30 sharp." Says Nicholas and hangs up the call.

It's 8.30 and in the same bar, in a dimly lit ambience, Charlize waits for Nicholas at a corner table. She looks at her watch when a voice interrupts her

"I'm here; not in your watch" says Nick.

Outside, at Bruce's office, the MCA officers visit him and they're escorted by Bruce's secretary to the meeting room.

Bruce gets up and shakes hands with the 4 officers from MCA and then makes them comfortable in his plush meeting room.

"Whisky for you, gentlemen?" asks Bruce and everyone nods. He signals his secretary to get the drinks organized.

60 minutes later, the 4 officers walk out of Bruce's cabin and while moving out, the leading officer just shakes hands with Bruce and steps out.

In the pub, Charlize and Nick order for another drink when Charlize's phone rings. She answers the phone. Nick sees the change of expression on her face. He gulps down his whisky and then she gets up to leave.

Charlize, before getting into the car, says that she will call him in the night.

Nick goes home and Charlize also reaches home. Back home, Charlize sees Bruce is already home and is watching the news regarding his company. He gets up from the sofa and gives his PR Company a call. He also calls his law firm and he gets the reassurance that all is being done to mitigate the damage and to re-establish the company image.

He finishes his whisky and turns to face Charlize while the maid comes over and she prepares the dinner. Bruce goes into his room for a wash and changes into his night clothes. He comes out and asks

"What took you so long to get back home?"

"I'd gone shopping and then felt like a drink, so went to this pub downtown." Says Charlize

They sit down together and then finish their dinner. After a little while, Charlize goes off to the bedroom while Bruce stays glued to the news.

The next morning, Bruce gets up and picks up the newspaper and reads the cover page. The headline puts a smile on his face.

"Essel Mining Corporation Limited sacks 75 in Orissa including the General Manager"

He goes to the office and calls up his PR firm and also his litigation firm partners.

At the office of Essel Mining Corporation, behind the closed doors, Bruce Dickinson, the Manager, Operations, meets his PR associates and his litigation partners.

"Gentlemen, we all present here have come to a common understanding that the organization will have had to fire a few of its resources considering the damage that has already been done to Essel's reputation here. And what we also need to foresee that not only are we as partners here responsible of clearing Essel in the books, but also we need to bring it back to the top in terms of its brand perception." Just as the litigation partner finishes speaking; the PR associate also speaks up…

"The Orissa Pollution Control Board and State Mining Board, along with local NGOs have already filed PILs not only indicting the company on the grounds of profit-making and illegal mining; but also corruption and environmental hazard. Hence, the firing of resources along with the location manager was of utmost importance but also the slant of the article showing the company to be a loss-making enterprise was necessary. These are times of recession, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, Charlize calls Nicholas and asks him to sync up with her. They meet at Nick's dilapidated place. They talk for some time and then Nick asks her if she is not getting late to go home, and right at that moment she chucks her cigarette and kisses him. Nick just keeps his glass aside and joins in. He grabs hold of her and then smooches her for almost 20 mins. She then pulls apart and then she looks at the street out the window. The window is still moist and has drops of water, thanks to the excruciating rains.

Breaking the silence, Charlize fixes herself a drink and walks over to the window and stands there. She looks at Nick and then she says

"I might have an opportunity for you, Mr. Seeker"

"Before you even quote me the offer, I just wanna say – I'm game." Says Nick

She then kisses him, finishes her drink and then she leaves. Over the next few days, Charlize and Nick reduce their meetings, and the action picks up at Bruce's office.

Thanks to the public litigations and NGO involvement, the demonstrations outside Bruce's office go on a surge. People flock in and out of the office. Continuous calls and demands for press conferences, clarifications and media interactions keep Bruce busy. Charlize is busy chalking out the final modalities of the operation while Nick whiles away his time drinking and hanging loose.

One day, Nick gets a call. He is summoned to an apartment. He goes there and opens the door – much to his surprise, he finds an arms dealer there. A small guy roughly around 25-something picks up his huge suitcase and lands it on the bed. He opens it and Nick is startled to see the contents. The bag had everything that one could carry in a suitcase. It had a Walther, a Smith and Wesson, and a Colt, Webley and other semi-automatic pistols and stuff. Right then, he gets a call from Charlize. She says that the gun dealer is there at the apartment at her instructions.

He picks up a Webley and then pays the guy off. He also scores some grass and some coke. He goes back home. Back home, he removes his wet clothes and then changes in to his night attire. He fixes a drink for himself and then snorts a layer of coke. He drinks his whisky and then goes to bed. He then suddenly gets up in the middle of the night and goes to the window. He looks at the degenerating city lanes and people just scoffing at each other. He looks at these inhabitants from a certain height and that makes them look like insects. He takes out his gun and aims at these people. He takes a dummy shot, a fake one. He shoots them while creating a sound-effect from his mouth. He does this practice for almost half-an-hour and then goes back to bed.

Over the next few weeks, Bruce practically stops coming home. He spends late hours in the office with his secretary keeping him company there along with the litigation firm and PR firm partners. They work relentlessly toward pumping in articles and solving the problem for Essel Mining in the mining scam case, but little seems to be happening there as the mining scam leads to temporary shutdown of mining activities in the region, lack of jobs for the mine workers, poverty and frequent grilling of the innocent miners by the local and central investigation authorities.

Charlize also starts getting calls at home that threaten of killing Bruce as a reaction to the mining scam and public outcry. She starts having panic attacks and Nick visits her home.

"What happened to you?" asks Nick

"I'm a little disturbed at this point of time. Last few weeks have been really trying and excruciating. Have you been following the news?" replies Charlize.

"Yeah, the mining scam seems to have become the fodder of the media. Everyone is making a hue and cry of this issue. Both you and I know that this is not the first scam that has rocked the society and the political machinery. And this is also not the last. For all you know, this scam has also been committed… and right then he is interrupted by Charlize who says…

"Screw your cynicism! I didn't call you to discuss the political scenario of the country. I called you because I wasn't feeling well and wanted to talk to you."

"I just got a call this morning." Continues Charlize

"And what was it about?" asks Nicholas.

"It said that they want to kill Bruce."

"Who was it? Who wants to kill him? You didn't probe for details?" asked Nick.

"Ah, you think whoever that mad fuck was; he would tell me the reason? Brilliant thought!" retorts Charlize.

Continuing in the same breath, Charlize says "But" and right then she is interrupted by Nicholas who says "You told me that Bruce works as an Operations Manager for Essel Mining Corporation, right?"

"Yes, he does" replies Charlize and then asks "But what're you arriving at?"

This one reply from Charlize springs Nicholas into action. He goes up to the bar and fixes a drink for himself and also for Charlize. He lights a smoke and sits on the bed with her. He takes a drag and lends her the smoke. He then starts talking…

"I've been following the news and the newspapers for a few weeks now. As I said, the mining scam has become the fodder for everyone, I'm certain this event itself is the one that has the way cut out for us. You're aware of the fact that there are strikes and all sorts of demonstrations going on outside your husband's office, right?"

"Yes!"

"Brilliant. Here's what we can do. We can monitor Bruce's movements in and around the office and then make way in to the crowd and shoot him. Or probably on his way back home from the office. This will obviously be buried soon as a case on the grounds of it being a reaction from the public on the fallout of the mining scam."

After he finishes saying this, he just strikes his glass with Charlize's and then both gulp down their whiskies.

Nicholas gets back home and then starts preparing himself.

A week later, Charlize gets a message in a letter. Posted from an anonymous address, this letter reads "Time to celebrate. Target taken off!" On reading the letter, she smiles and then goes back to her room. She switches on the AC and just gets ready to sleep when a phone call stops her. She walks over to pick the phone when the door bell rings…

She picks up the phone and asks the caller to hold on. She gets the door and sees a few cops. 'What's the matter, officer?"

"Are you Mrs. Bruce?" ask the cops.

"Yes, I am."

"You'd need to come with us. We're afraid your husband has been shot at and he is critical. He is at the hospital. You'll have to come with us right now."

Charlize breaks down on hearing this and goes up to the phone and says she will call later. She changes into something more appropriate and then goes to the hospital. The door of the ward opens and Bruce's face is covered. Doctors declare him dead.

A week later, after the burial and the religious rituals are over, the cops come over to Charlize's place. They ask her many questions pertaining to Bruce's death and if she has any doubts or if she suspects anyone or if she thinks this could be an offshoot of the mining scam and the public outcry.

She says that she has no idea and would want to believe that it is indeed the result of the public anger. The cops leave assuring her that the killer will be brought to justice.

Almost, a month later, Charlize is called to a restaurant. She goes to the restaurant and finds Nick sitting by the window. She walks into the family room and gives Nick a call asking him to join her in the family room. Nick, who is busy enjoying the gloomy weather and rains, gets up and goes to the family room. There he sees Charlize and smiles at her. They hug each other and then sit opposite each other. They order for a sizzler each and a beer.

"So, how've you been Mrs. Bruce?"

"Not too bad, Mr. Seeker"

"So, I guess now you would have gotten the insurance money and all that, right? Time for us to leave this filthy place and go somewhere else? What do you think?" asks Nick.

"Not really, Nick. We're not yet comfortable. In fact, we are far from it." Replies Charlize.

This shocks him and he keeps his beer back and looks at Charlize with a hint of suspicion for the first time.

Charlize, looking at the expression on Nick's face, says "I just thought that he was embroiled in this mess and getting him out of the way would not only solve his problems; but also clear things for us as well."

"Yeah, it did" retorts Nick when he is interrupted by Charlize who says "No, it didn't. He was embroiled in something much bigger than I could ever have visualized."

Adding to her previous point, she says "His Corporation and his team were involved with the aircraft building consortium and aviation industry. They were his biggest customers. The nexus has been proven and the department of justice is looking in to his affairs and his dealings with the aviation ministry. Even I'm being watched. Hence, we're far from being cozy, dear Nick! Wake up"

This revelation baffles Nicholas no end. He bangs his fist on the table and then gets up to leave when he is interrupted by Charlize again.

"Don't worry. It's just a matter of time. I'm working with an associate of mine who is looking into getting me a clean chit and also get us the insurance claims. So, I will keep you posted. And till that time, we need to reduce our meetings. I can't afford to be seen with you. Not too healthy for both of us."

Nicholas leaves as soon as she finishes.

In the night at around 8.15 pm, Nicholas is at his dilapidated room. He rolls a joint for himself and then stands by the window looking at the gloomy signs outside. He sees the rain and all the filth overflowing out of the drain. He smokes the joint and then stands there looking at the sights out the window.

Meanwhile, at around the same time, Charlize's door bell rings. She is dressed in her white satin gown and she walks towards the door while tying her hair. She opens the door and sees a man standing there dressed in a black suit and a wet overcoat.

"May I come in, Mrs. Bruce?" asks this man.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" asks Charlize

"My name is Bob Fergusson and I'm here to meet you. The rest of the details, I'm afraid are not the kinds that can be discussed at the door. So, may I?"

"Please do" she says while allowing him to come in. She shuts the door behind him. "Care for a drink?" she asks.

"Sure, make me a whisky – on the rocks!" says Bob

She gets the drink for both of them and comes and sits on the lounge sofa. "You've quite a taste, Mrs. Bruce" says Bob looking at the living room, the paintings, the books and the music while sipping his whisky.

"This is a good drink" compliments Bob.

"Now that you've praised me and my taste, Mr. Fergusson, may I know the purpose of your visit and who do you represent?" asks Charlize.

"I represent the Department of Justice" says Bob settling down on the lounge sofa.

"I'm here to ask you something regarding your husband and his corporate affairs"

"You could've called me to your bureau, Mr. Fergusson. I stated on record that I am available for interrogation at anytime." Retorts Charlize

"If only the things were about going on-record, I surely would have called you to the bureau, Ms. But what if the discussion is something that both of us would want to be kept off-record?" asks Bob.

"I don't follow" says Charlize.

"I have been following you ever since the assassination of your husband and have been studying you quite deeply" says Bob while sipping his whisky and fetching a smoke from his pocket. "Do you have light?" asks Bob cutting his previous conversation.

Charlize gets him the light. He lights his cigarette and then continues "Yeah, sorry for the little deviation; but yeah I was saying that I've been studying you ever since your husband was murdered you seem to make a very interesting subject to study."

"Oh, thank you for the compliment, Bob. Would you care to come to the point?"

"Absolutely, Charlize. So, coming back to you – I've been studying you and what my study reveals to me is that you're interested in your husband's insurance money and you hired someone to kill him. You projected the entire murder as an offshoot of the mining scam."

"Is that correct, Charlize?"

Sensing that there's no way to lie or the futility in the attempt of even trying to lie, she admits to the accusation.

"Awesome! Now, what I have to offer here is a deal…"

"And what is that?" asks Charlize while taking a drag of Bob's cigarette.

"I will make sure that you get a clean chit and get the insurance's money and complete detachment from your husband's corporate deeds; but you'll have to…" says Bob

"Is that an agreeable solution?" asks Bob while crushing the cigarette.

"Yes, that is. I think we have a deal" replies Charlize.

2 weeks later, at his dilapidated apartment, Nick is busy rolling a joint when he gets a call. He picks up the phone and he is summoned to an empty apartment. He gets excited; he smokes up and finishes his half lying whisky and rushes toward the apartment.

Nicholas steps out of his apartment when a voice distracts him. He turns back and sees a man pointing a gun at him.

"Turn yourself in. We know you're the murderer of Bruce Dickinson. Turn yourself in. Don't do anything hasty" warns Bob and right at that moment Nicholas pulls out his gun and shoots at Bob. Bob escapes the shot, and then shoots Nicholas down in self-defense. Nicholas' body lies on the pavement along with all the filth and sewage around him as the gloomy cloud continues to pour rain drops on his body.

Next day, the newspaper headlines read "Mining Scam Mastermind's Killer Shot" Charlize reads the paper and drinks her morning coffee.

3 weeks later, Charlize gets a call. She goes to the insurance company and collects her claims cheque. She comes back home and gives Bob a call.

Bob leaves his office in the evening to meet Charlize. He drives out of the bureau when a fast-moving trailer rams into his car. He is dead on-the-spot.

6 months later, Charlize gets a letter. She opens the envelope and sees an airline ticket. The destination is Paris.

She packs up and leaves India for good and goes to Paris. At the airport, a man, holding a placard reading her name, picks her up and drives her up to a huge penthouse. She rings the door bell and is opened by the maid.

Charlize goes to the balcony and sees Bruce standing there with a drink in his hand.