The Grand Event at Redbury

The Grand Event at Redbury

Redbury Hotel, nestled in the remote hills of Northern India, welcomed people of each and every sort. They even went so far as to keep five rooms dedicated to the people who had lost their way in the dense forests or sometimes people who had no money. However, the limit was two days of free stay and the food was free of cost regardless.

The proprietor, Mr. Dheeraj Sethi, was a stout man in his late forties, he was indeed quite proud of the ‘Best Hill Hotel’ award he had bagged a few months ago at the National level . His hotel was now nearing completion of fifty glorious years in service and the day would be a grand event, if planned correctly, of course. Mr. Jai Gupta, the loyal hotel manager, was head of the ongoing preparations, and so was Sana, Mr. Sethi's twenty four year old daughter, meticulous to the core, a no nonsense person who would gladly give her life for the hotel if need be. She had long, slender legs, rosy cheeks and a perfect figure, people called her the ‘beauty of the town’, and her life was perfect. Until one fateful day, two years ago. Sana's lover of three years, Aarav, had left her in the lurch and gone missing. To look for him, Sana too, had gone missing. She had secretly lived with a friend in Delhi, one her parents did not know of, and no matter how many of his contacts Mr. Sethi employed to search for her, but they all returned empty handed. She came back home one day, after not being able to locate her missing boyfriend. She was heartbroken, but she decided to throw herself into her work to get out of her head. Now, the Redbury Hotel was bustling with activity, as it was April, the busiest month of the year. All the rooms and suites had been booked and the guests were all over the place with their friends and family to witness the serenity of the gorgeous forested hills.

"Mr. Gupta, what happened to the florist I called to meet today in the afternoon, will he be showing up or not?” She asked impatiently.

“As you had asked, I have already begun the upkeep of the gardens, which will remain untouched by guests until April 30th, the day of the event.” Said the thin manager.

“I thought I asked about the florist, not the garden.” Said Sana. “Also, who will be managing the stage decor?’

“Both the things will be managed by Ishaan Sood, the new Assistant Manager.” Replied Mr. Gupta.

“Oh, is he the one I saw in the dining room the day my father brought guests from Delhi?” She questioned. He nodded and continued to look through the paperwork in his hands.

“I must say, madam, he is a hardworking, handsome young lad, quite a catch, hard to find good folks in the hills nowadays. The competitive pay package in the cities draws people who are looking for jobs away from the hills. The boy has no parents and his maternal aunt, Chandrika Thames, had no children, and her husband recently passed.”

“Wait, Mrs. Thames? Wow, he must've truly hit a jackpot, I myself had an eye on her villa for years, I wanted to open a yoga and fitness center there, I made her all sorts of offers, but she refused so I backed down.” Sana whistled. “But if she really was leaving him all that land, why does he need a job?”

“He still needs to sustain himself.”

“I see, just please tell him to hurry up, I have to go see Li Xing, I always go to see her once a week.” Sana left the hotel only to bump into Ishaan at her friend Li Xing's store.

Li Xing was a good friend of Sana's, who ran a pretty store in the market downhill. She was a sweet Chinese girl with dark hair.

“Wait, aren't you Ishaan?” Asked Sana, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, madam.” He smiled. “I didn't know our first meeting would be quite so informal. Anyways, I am Ishaan Sood, age 26 years and I have recently been hired by your father to work as the Assistant Manager. Most of my studies were in Delhi though and….”

“Hello everyone!” Interrupted Li Xing, she was holding a tray of pineapple tarts for them. Soon after, Ishaan, Li Xing and Sana started to chat over tea and the delicious pineapple tarts, and that evening, the duo became a trio. After bidding goodbyes, Ishaan hesitantly offered to walk Sana home.

“Okay, I shall send my driver Prakash back, so that we can walk back.” Sana smiled and blushed a little. Every weekend when Sana would go to visit Li Xing, Ishaan would be there, prepared to walk her back. Sana would roll in her bed dreamily at night, as though Gautum reminded her of Aarav and how caring he was. Was she falling for Ishaan already?

One such evening, after dropping Sana home, Ishaan overheard a few youngsters praising a new boy band called Octane, it seemed like the young lot had attended Octane’s concert in Mumbai and were enamored by the band. Almost instantly Ishaan called Sana and sought her approval to book them for the grand event. A week later, Ishaan's workload almost doubled when Sana left to visit her ailing grandma in the foothills and didn't return for days. She simply left a note for Ishaan that read, ‘Grandma may not make it, trust you with the rest at the hotel.’

Finally, the grand day arrived. The media was there and so were the distinguished guests along with Octane. Sana looked ravishing in her bedazzled purple evening dress and Ishaan couldn't take his eyes off her. Octane, with its eight members, took over the stage and began singing their rocking numbers. Just then, as all eyes were on the stage and loud music echoed through the sprawling lawns, Sana rushed out towards the back gate of the lawn. Ishaan sensed trouble and followed her only to find her crying near a quiet corner under a tree.

“What's the matter, Sana?” He asked, perturbed by her scream. It seemed as though no one had heard her as it was way too loud. She looked like she had seen a ghost. He asked if she was alright, only for her to have a manic episode, she then described seeing Aarav in the boy band, yes, Aarav, her boyfriend, the love of her life, in search of whom she had gone missing for a year, just about the time they got secretly engaged as her father never approved of Aarav and his music. Mr. Sethi had always seen Aarav as a wagabond whereas Sana was deeply in love with him and his music until one day he disappeared into thin air. And this time, just as she was on the verge of teaching her heart to love again and let bygones be bygones, here was Aarav, right before her performing at her very hotel. Perhaps, he did not decline the invitation because he may have felt it was a chance to get back at Mr. Sethi, who had despised him for ages. Was Aarav here to showcase how his music turned him into the star that he was today and little did he care about Sana's feelings. He didn't even consider how she might feel seeing him as the lead guitarist of the band playing at her hotel. Due to her grandma's passing away, Sana had left most of the responsibilities to Ishaan and so she wasn't even aware of who the members of the band were. The thought hadn't remotely crossed her mind that Aarav could be a part of it. Ishaan was confused as he was oblivious of her past. Most of the stories concerning Sana had died down by the time Ishaan had joined the Redbury Hotel. So, rather than a thumbs up, or a hug for all his hard work, he received a mighty push as he tried to pacify her.

Sana was sobbing inconsolably. She still had to pull herself together after a few minutes, powder her nose again and be a part of the celebrations. Although her stomach still crumpled with pain and her heart sobbed deep within, she had to smile. Octane was the center of attraction that night but the performance was planned in two halves, the second half was to resume after Mr. Sethi's presentation on the legacy of the Redbury Hotel and how it had come to be the first choice of many travelers over the years.

Ishaan led Octane to their Suite for their break of an hour or so. And just as he was coming back, he noticed Sana rushing towards the suite. She was furious because it was Aarav due to whose sudden disappearance she had to bear the brunt of her family and be the center of stories flying around town. Her good friend in the media, Kia, had betrayed her and published her sad love story and Sana had to deal with straining her relationship with her because of that. All this for her whereas Aarav seemed happy and unaffected, along with the audacity he had to come and perform here.

Sana pounded her fist against the door. Piyush, the leader of Octane, answered the door. “Is Aarav around?” Sana asked, fuming. “And who's asking?” Questioned Piyush as they hadn't formally been introduced. “Well, it's Sana, the hotel owner's daughter.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Just then, Aarav appeared from the bathroom and she took him by the arm, dragged him to another empty room, then she slapped him hard enough to ensure his cheek didn’t need a blush for the next half of the performance. “How are you this happy? Where were you all this time?” Sana snapped. Then there was a knock and this time Sana answered. A girl in her early twenties with a weird punk look and cunning eyes called herself Nasha and asked to see Aarav.

“Are you a part of his band?” Sana inquired, not liking her very persona. “Well, I am Aarav's girlfriend and Piyush's little sister, also I am not in his band officially but I travel with them and help around like a roadie.” Nasha glared at Sana. Sana couldn't believe her ears, he already had a girlfriend. Then she thought about how Aarav spoiled her big night, whereas Aarav was rather feeling proud as he was successful now and the crowd had been madly cheering for them.

“I am rather lucky for your hotel, I think.” He grinned proudly but those words pierced Sana's heart. So profound was her love for him, many dreams were shattered the day he just vanished without even caring to tell her.

Nasha was in the room now as Aarav had invited her in. “Did you follow us from a distance?” Sana raised an eyebrow threateningly. “Well, how would I know if some flirt was going to steal my lovely boyfriend?” Nasha shot back with her sharp tongue.

“Well, stay out of it Nasha as you may not even know a thing.” Sana exclaimed. “You think everyone is like you, affluent and flirtatious who would leave a guy like Aarav for another rich guy and his money?” Nasha sneered. By now, Sana understood that Aarav hadn't been honest with Nasha as he had painted an entirely wrong picture of Sana's before Nasha. When Sana refused to leave, Nasha began swearing out loud and the heartbroken Sana lashed out at her in return. They fought bitterly and Aarav wasn’t even allowed to intervene. The fight about Aarav took an ugly turn, when Nasha pushed Sana hard, hard enough for her to hit her head against the corner of a wall and her forehead began to bleed. Aarav panicked and left the room hurriedly to catch some first aid before things got worse, the only mistake he made was to leave them both fighting hard. But, he was scared that if someone saw, their show could get cancelled and his career would be gone. Aarav cut his hand on purpose and got a bell boy to give him some first aid, showing that it was meant for him, but he was shocked when he returned to the room. There lay his ex-girlfriend in a pool of blood.

“What have you done, Nasha? Oh my god, Nasha, w-what have you done..?” Aarav stuttered. Nasha sat on the bed, pale with fear. Aarav grabbed the fruit knife from her hand, the one she had used to kill Sana and he hurled it into the thicket overlooking the side window of the room. “What will happen now? We need to run, Nasha, before someone comes looking for us!” Aarav shook her by her shoulders. “I won’t run, I shall surrender.” Said Nasha.

“Are you out of your mind?! This place is bustling with not just guests today, but the media too and you will go to jail for life.”

“Even if I run, Aarav, they will find me with all their contacts and you are a popular person, they will find you too and grill you until you reveal what happened.” Nasha explained. “This doesn’t tally with your personality Nasha, I have known you to be wicked and cutthroat which is what I liked about you but I didn't know you could be murderous too. Anyway, now is not the time to discuss, let's jump out the window and run. Everyone is busy right now.” “But you didn't do it Aarav, I did, so why are you scared?” Nasha sighed. “Yes, but it happened because of me and I may have not loved Sana truly, but I sure never wanted to wish death upon her in any way.” Aarav whimpered.

“I love you, Aarav and I would not let your career be harmed in any way. Let them do what they have to.” And at that, she hugged him and began sobbing. Ishaan, on the other hand, had seen Sana with Aarav and went looking for her only to discover her body. He instantly knew that Aarav had done it but couldn't lead himself to believe what could have compelled Aarav to do something that could ruin him, Ishaan thought that maybe it was in a fit of emotion, love and betrayal could lead people to do all kinds of things. Nasha and Aarav had left the room by then and until later when the hotel corridor cameras revealed, no one knew Nasha was even in the room with Sana and Aarav. With the rest of the event canceled that night, guests were sent back and the property cordoned off. Sana's parents and Li Xing were beyond broken and Ishaan was too shocked to even react. Police arrived and all were interrogated. Ishaan had to point a finger at Aarav. The police commissioner, Shubham Saxena was a close friend of Mr. Sethi's and he assured him of leaving no stone unturned until the murderer was punished. “Since when have you been dating Aarav, Miss Nasha.” Mr. Saxena stopped in front of her.

“Since he joined my brother Piyush's band, sir.” She replied.

“Well, do you think Aarav has a murderous streak to his personality, can he ever murder someone?” Asked Mr. Saxena. After a moment's pause, Nasha answered. “Yes, he can, sir.” Aarav stood there frozen at the turn of events. “When we fought, he often hit me, sir, but later he would apologize. Aarav is not just hot headed, he also likes to win. The evening of the event when I followed them to that room, Aarav had already killed her. I do not know what had conspired but then he ran out trying to fetch first aid for her whereas she was already dead. I held myself from screaming. When I asked, he threatened me too and said he would kill me if I told anybody, but, sir, my brother and his band are more dear to me than Aarav. I wouldn't want a murderous guy to ruin our reputation.” Nasha cried crocodile tears. Aarav pounced at her and grabbed her neck. “You are a nasty woman, you killed Sana!” The police dragged him away from her as he squirmed.

“Well, I had no reason to! Y-you are the one who left her and vanished. You said you never even loved her but dated her for her money.” Nasha trembled. Mr. Sethi would surely approve of this as he disliked Aarav from the start. “I'll kill you Nasha, I truly will!” He screamed. Aarav gave himself in by proving to Mr. Saxena and the others present that they were right about him and his anger issues. Ishaan too was confident that Aarav had done it and the rest of the band, along with Nasha, were released without any action. Aarav was put behind bars and Sana received an honorable cremation. Ishaan, who had fallen for Sana, was shaken by the turn of events and had to bury the grief in his heart. After the investigation was over, Ishaan put in his papers and left the Redbury Hotel forever. After Sana, it was never the same for her parents, they were devastated. Mr. Sethi sold the property as well as his house and relocated permanently to South Africa after leaving his lovely daughter's ashes resting on a blossoming hillside right behind his hotel. To this day, on the 30th of April each year, the day of the grand event, Sana's spirit has been spotted by people in and around Redbury Hotel.