Lying For A Living

16

"Let me see what we can do for you," Khushi Mittal said as she took out some files from her drawer. Vansh and Kabir had disguised themselves as south Indian millionaires here to invest and open a multinational account in order to maintain hassle free international transactions. Posed as brothers, they had demanded for the manager on the front desk and had been sent to her.

"Right. So if we can get the account to be a joint enterprise between multiple banks, your monies can be transferred to international accounts without any dues or fees paid to the international governments. How many countries do you wish to deal in?" The woman continued.

"Seventeen," said Kabir in a deeply accented southern voice. "Mostly Asian, but also the UK and Spain. You'll find a list in the file." He smiled warmly and the woman checked on it and looked up at the men, obviously flustered by the huge amount of money the file showed they were ready to invest in their startup.

The woman focused back on the file and flipped through the pages. "Right, but you cannot get the money from across international markets without paying enormous dues," she said.

"Yes we can, if it is properly finessed," Vansh said with a smile.

"You mean laundered?" Khushi said, with a perfect poker face.

"No, we mean finessed," Vansh said, with a devilish smile.

"And...?" The woman continued.

"And the bank will get it's share of the pie," Vansh said, leaning back in his chair. There was a quiet moment between the trio.

Then a sly smile creeped its way on the lady's face. "We can help you out, I will be passing the proposal on to my seniors, and we will start in a few weeks," she said.

"Lovely! Then we can start the job in a few weeks time," Kabir said.

"When can we meet to be sure of the arrangement?" Vansh asked, who was posing as the serious, calm and professional elder brother.

"In the evening? I'll get my boss and we can possibly have a good dinner at a restaurant, possibly at 8?" She said.

"All right then," Vansh said as he rose from his chair. "The Peter Cat? At 8?" He asked.

"Then see you in the evening, gentlemen. Hope that we can come to a possible agreement and I can then get a much awaited promotion," Khushi said.

They shook hands and then the duo of impersonators exited the bank.

.......................................

Sharp at 8pm, Kabir and Vansh drove to the incredibly famous restaurant of the city and waited in the small waiting area outside the restaurant. They met Khushi and her boss there and together they reserved a table for four.

"Its a famous restaurant, we'll have to wait," Kabir said on knowing that Khushi's boss had been only recently transferred to the city. As they waited, a homeless child came and asked Khushi for money. The woman, obviously saddened by seeing children in such a condition, fished a few coins from her purse and handed them over to the child. He smiled, thanked her and ran away, perhaps to get something to eat.

"You know, you should really prefer giving them something to eat rather than money. It is all an organised scheme to earn money by men who hire them. They are suffering, but they don't even get the money," Vansh told Khushi as Kabir and the other man engaged in a conversation about the international stock market.

She smiled at him pleasantly and said, "I know, but it just gives me satisfaction. Sometimes it is good to pretend that the world is a good place with good people who have nothing but good intentions. It helps keep you sane."

Vansh was surprised by the answer. Maybe it showed on his face and Khushi started laughing lightly, her hand covering her face. Vansh felt a strange tugging in his stomach. She looked really good in the red dress she was wearing. The minimal jewelleries and makeup gave Vansh the impression that she was not used to flaunting her beauty. She tried her best to suppress her good looks. And she reminded Vansh of someone. The woman looked at him and smiled. He smiled back and let his gaze wander on the streets, yet in his mind, he was twenty years younger, seeing his to-be-bride for the first time. Khushi reminded Vansh of her.