The Undoing of a Billionaire

Ramesh looked sideways at Smitha as he drove along the steep mountain road. They were on their way to the resort at Kodaikanal where they planned to spend the weekend. To the left of the road, there was a  steep ravine and to the right, the Kodai hill stretched upwards sharply. The mountain air was fresh and the steady breeze blew Smitha's lustrous hair across her face.

'Oh, darling, it was so nice of you to plan this surprise vacation for me,' Smitha said rubbing her hands in glee.

'You really deserve it, Smitha. It has been a year since our marriage and we have not vacationed much,' Ramesh replied.

'Thank you so much, darling,' Smitha said, sliding up to Ramesh and planting a kiss on his cheek.

'How could I have ever fallen for this drink of water?' thought Ramesh to himself, his mind in a turmoil. Ramesh had met Smitha in a suburban night club on a drunken Sunday night. Smitha had been employed as a singer in the night club. He found himself immediately attracted to this fresh-faced young girl. After he had seen her the first time, he began visiting the night club often. After a few days, he had walked up to her and introduced himself. Soon Ramesh felt she was the love of his life, the one person who would fill the vacuum and boredom that was his constant companion. They married soon.

For the first six months after their marriage, everything was hunky-dory and Ramesh was completely wrapped up in his new bride. But soon, he realised that Smitha simply did not fit into his circle of friends. Ramesh was the billionaire owner of the vast Nishant Mehta Steel empire. His circle of friends and acquaintances came from the highest echelons of society. More than once he had felt embarrassed by Smitha's naivete and her blunders in the various parties they attended as a couple.

Ramesh began tiring of her. Soon his dislike grew so great that he began devising ways to get rid of her. Divorce was out of the question as Ramesh was sure he would have to pay very high alimony and monetary settlement if he tried that route. Because of Ramesh's image as a high society playboy, any court would take Smitha's side. In their eyes, she would be the unspoiled young girl who had been exploited by a wealthy philanderer.

That was when it occurred to Ramesh that he could simply kill her. He had taken her on this vacation to the Kodaikanal hill station with the express aim of getting rid of her. His plan was very simple and he had it all worked out in his mind. He would stop the car by the side of a ravine and suggest having some tea and snacks. He was sure Smitha would want to step out and stand at the edge of the ravine and take photographs. She loved natural scenery so much. And all it would take would be a swift push on her back to finish her off once and for all.

'Shall we stop here to have tea, darling?' Ravi asked as soon as the car reached the spot he had chosen for the job.

'Sure. Oh, this place is so beautiful,' Smitha said.

The two of them stepped out and stretched. Smitha picked her camera from the back seat and said, 'I am going to take some snaps of this precipice.'

Here it comes, thought Ravi to himself.

The two of them walked to the edge of the ravine and looked down. Suddenly, Smitha quickly stepped behind Ravi, placed her hand on the small of his back and pushed hard. Ravi stumbled, lost his balance and plummetted down to the bottom of the ravine. After some time, Smitha looked down and could see his body lying motionless at the bottom. She walked back to the car and opened the boot and said, 'You can come out now, Rajan. He is gone. We are billionaires now.'

Rajan stepped out of the boot and the two of them made their way to the back seat of the car and made love madly.