Invoice No. 7

Ek chhota, tight office cabin. Desk lamp ki peeli roshni. Blinds ke through city lights ki blue streaks. Table par ledger book, invoice file, pen drive, aur shredder bin.

SAMEER (36), rolled-up sleeves, ink-stained fingers, pace kar raha hai.

IMRAN (39), tidy glasses, pristine shirt, calmly khada hai.

NAINA (31), elegant blazer, leather folder ke saath enter karti hai.

Invoice No. 7.

Mere paas tha. Abhi kal tak tha.

Aur mere paas iski entry thi. Invoice gayab Sameer ne kiya.

Kya? Main? Tumhari accounting mein hi kuch gadbad hai, Imran.

Ek second. Main yahan blame game sunne nahi aayi. Invoice dikhao.

Sameer aur Imran ek doosre ko dekhte hain.

File mein tha.

File mein tha, par file kisne rakhi?

Ledger.

Sameer ledger uthata hai. Imran pen drive table par rakh deta hai.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Receipt. Email. Shredder bin. Sab.

Aap detective bhi ho kya?

Investor hoon. Aur aaj mood mein hoon.

Beat.

Invoice kal scan kiya tha. Pen drive mein hai.

Toh original kahan hai?

Sameer ke desk par.

Mere desk par? Main office ka dust bhi tumse zyada handle karta hoon.

Enough. Timeline bolo. Subah se.

Subah courier aaya tha.

Main ne receive kiya tha.

Nahi, maine sign kiya tha.

Tum tab chai le rahe the.

Aur tum tab apne “pristine shirt” ko bachane mein busy the.

Naina ledger kholti hai. Pages flip karti hai.

Email.

Invoice attached thi.

Haan, par amount different tha.

Woh typo tha.

Typo? Tumhare typos se aadha paisa gayab ho gaya.

Naina shredder bin ke paas jaati hai. Kuch paper scraps nikaalti hai.

Hmm.

Kya mila?

Panic.

Imran ka jaw tight hota hai.

Main panic nahi karta.

Aapka shirt bhi wahi bol raha hai.

Sameer hansi rokne ki koshish karta hai.

Dekha? Even investor ko bhi lag raha hai.

Main kisi ko lagne nahi, dekhne aayi hoon.

She places scraps on table. One fragment shows “Invoice No. 7”.

Yeh shredded kyun hai?

Maine nahi shred kiya.

Toh main ne bhi nahi.

Phir kisi teesre ne?

Dono ek saath Naina ko dekhte hain.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Kya hua? Main office mein aayi hoon, circus mein nahi.

She flips ledger to a page. Stops.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Yahan dekho.

Imran leans in. Sameer bhi.

Ledger page par Invoice No. 7 ka reference, amount cut aur dobara likha hua.

Maine nahi kiya.

Main ne bhi nahi kiya.

Interesting. Dono ka handwriting alag hai, par guilt same hai.

Guilt? Nahi. Confusion.

Sameer ne cash flow hide kiya tha.

Aur tumne numbers massage kiye the!

Massage? Bahut creative accounting term hai.

She opens her leather folder.

Aapke paas kya hai?

Tum dono ke bheje hue incomplete records.

We sent everything.

Nahi. Tumne jo convenient tha, woh bheja.

Beat.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Aur jo inconvenient tha, woh gayab.

Sameer and Imran go silent.

Naina folder ke andar se stapled paper nikaalti hai.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Invoice No. 7.

Silence.

Yeh... aapke folder mein kaise?

Aapne rakha tha?

Haan.

Par kyun?

Because I wanted to know,

kaun sach bolega.

Yeh test tha?

Due diligence.

Aapne humein trap kiya.

Nahi. Tum dono ne khud ko trap kiya.

She places invoice on table.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Mujhe funding dene se pehle sirf invoice nahi, integrity chahiye thi.

Main... main bas company bachana chahta tha.

Aur main numbers ko clean dikhana chahta tha.

Haan. Aur dono ne pehle lie choose kiya.

She closes the folder.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Funding tab milegi jab written confession, full reconciliation, aur no more lies.

Agar hum maan jaayein?

Tabhi toh baat banegi.

Imran looks at Sameer. Sameer looks away.

NAINA (CONT’D)

Business mein numbers important hote hain.

Par lies ka invoice sabse mehenga padta hai.

She turns and exits.

Door CLOSES.

Silence.

Shredder bin, ledger, aur table par padi Invoice No. 7.

Sameer aur Imran ek doosre ko dekhte hain. First time, no mask.