About
the Book:
Vikram Oberoi is
found dead in his penthouse. A few hours ago, his involvement in a sex scandal
in NexGen Technologies made headlines across the world.
Who is behind the
sinister conspiracy that destroyed Vikram Oberoi, the philandering India Head
of NexGen? Rivals within and outside the firm? One of his many jilted lovers or
the miffed wife? A mysterious conspirator laying out honey traps to sabotage his
plans? Or, is it the ghost of a sinful past that continues to haunt the
Oberois?
The Sinners is a fast-paced thriller with a shocking twist that unravels against the backdrop of
corporate warfare, illicit relationships, and ruthless seduction games.
Excerpt:
Agastya picked up the call from a private number after the third ring,
taking his eyes off the monitor in front of him.
“Is this Agastya Bakshi?”
“Yes… who’s this?”
“Agastya, my apologies for calling you late. I assure you this won’t
take too long. But, we need to talk in private. Where are you right now?” The
male voice at the other end of the line sounded authoritative. Agastya could
not recall having heard the voice earlier.
Agastya looked around the near-empty office and said, “I am at work, but
we can talk. Not too many people around at this time of the night.” His
curiosity, by this time, was at its peak.
It was past eleven. It was the third time that week that Agastya had to
work through the night. Hired a couple of years back, his work as an engineer
in the Network and Systems Division of NexGen kept him rooted in front of
computer screens through his days and very often, his nights. Agastya did not
have much social life. A clumsy desk littered with pizza crumbs, empty
cartons and soda cans, and a paunch growing at an alarming rate – that was what
his life had been reduced to. But, he did not complain. Agastya loved his job.
“Great! Then let’s talk business. I’m sorry I cannot disclose my name. I
belong to a private investigation agency that’s currently looking into the
dealings of the company you are working for. There are reports of certain
financial irregularities in the business.”
Agastya sat up straight in his chair.
“Okay! But, what - what do you want from me?” Agastya asked
tentatively. “I work in Network and Systems. I don’t think you have the right
number!”
“Agastya, I know who I am talking to,” there was an almost imperceptible
hint of annoyance in the voice of the man at the other end of the line. He went
on, “We need access to the e-mail accounts of some of the top guys in your
company to check their correspondences. And I’ve been told that you are the
right man for the job.”
Agastya took a sip of the cola that had already gone flat.
“Why - why me? You can speak to my Manager in the morning.
He -“
The voice at the other end of the line did not let him finish.
“Agastya, this is a covert operation and we are a private agency. We
cannot turn up at your office with an order to gain access to these accounts.
Also, right now, we’re not sure how many of the big guys are involved and in
what ways. For all you know, your boss – the Systems Manager you are referring
to - might as well be a party! Let’s not forget that, he has access to all
records of transactions. We do not want anyone getting alert and tampering with
the data we are looking for. We cannot risk exposure. It’ll take us some time
to complete the basic investigation. And I’d really appreciate your cooperation
while we are at it. Once we have enough evidence at our disposal, we will make
this official.”
Agastya thought for a few minutes. The whole thing could be a hoax, for
all it’s worth!
“Look… how do I trust you?”
“I knew you’re going to ask, Agastya. We’ll be completely transparent
with you. One of my agents will get in touch with you. You’ll be working with
her. I want you to hand over the details to her in person. This is
for reasons of safety. And also, to make sure that you put faces to names. We
want to win your trust and make sure that you are comfortable
working with us because, as I said, this investigation isn’t going to get over
in a day. We’ll need to work together for a while.”
“I'll need to think this through. What’s in it for me?”
“We’ll most certainly compensate for your time and your cooperation. And
I can assure you that, you will have no reason to complain about the money.
Don’t worry about that,” the voice sounded reassuring. Agastya did a quick
mental calculation of the remaining EMIs for his new car. Almost at the same
time, the full front-page advertisement of the upcoming apartment complex in
South Mumbai flashed before his eyes.
The voice continued, “So I gather we’re good to go here, right?”
Agastya mumbled an uncertain “Well…”
The voice did not seem to care.
“Thanks for your co-operation, Agastya. Ruchika will get in touch with
you shortly. Have a good rest of the night at work.” The man hung up.
Agastya looked disbelievingly at his phone. Agastya wondered if he
should call someone and discuss. The next moment, he decided against it. The
man did sound like he meant business. And, in any case, Agastya was the one in
charge. He was the one who had access to the data the agency was asking for. He
was willing to give it a shot if the money was good. If at any point in time,
he had any reason to doubt the authenticity of the agency, he could always step
back. Maybe even report the guy to appropriate authorities. He could always
make an honest confession.
He put the phone down on his desk and went back to monitoring the data
backup jobs. In a couple of minutes, his phone buzzed.
“Hey, this is Ruchika” – said the Whatsapp message.
About the Author:
Sourabh is the author
of two psychological thriller novels The Colours of Passion:
Unraveling Dark Secrets Behind the Limelight (Readomania)
and In the Shadows of Death: A Detective Agni Mitra
Thriller (Srishti Publishers and Distributors); Romance
Shorts, a collection of dark-romance short stories; a 2-part
series Beyond 22 Yards (Srishti Publishers and Distributors)
on stories of Love and Crime from the world of cricket and a 7-part series of
short stories titled It’s All About Love (Srishti Publishers
and Distributors).
The titles in the series are The Gift, The Cookery
Show and a Love Story, A Special Day, Masks, An Autumn Turmoil, The Hunt, The
Death Wish.
A keen observer of
human behavior and cultural diversities, Sourabh loves traveling and has
traveled widely across five continents. An avid reader of fiction, Sourabh is
equally passionate about photography, movies, and music.
Connect
with the Author:
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