Chapter 22

A chauffeur-driven car was already there at seven in the morning to take Khushi to the studios. Anjali, Shyaam - who had stayed back and spent the night in the living room - and Saira sent her off with lots of cheers and wishes.

"Good luck, Khush!" she heard Anji shout as they drive away.

She sighed internally in pure bliss. Today would be a great day in her life. The car reached Maida Vale, where the studios are found thirty minutes later. Khushi walked in, stiff with her jumpy nerves.

"Hello," she stuttered to the receptionist. "I'm here for First Hour Tea. I mean-"

The middle-aged woman smiled. "I know."

She called up someone and soon Khushi found herself escorted by a blond guy with sea-green eyes. He seemed cute, but for some reason, a small irritating voice in her head was bleeping, not better than Arnav Singh Raizada...

She frowned furiously to herself. She shouldn't think about that two timing idiot!

"Hello, Khushi! It's a pleasure meeting you."

Khushi gasped, recognising Madeleine Hein at once. They shook hands enthusiastically.

"Oh, thank you very much, Madeleine. I'm so happy too," she blubbered.

"Please! Call me Maddy!" Another woman came up to them. She had short cropped red hair and a kind of mean smile. "By the way, this is Annie. She'll be in charge of your make up."

Maddy excused herself when her phone burst out ringing. She returned a few minutes later, an excited smile plastered on her face.

"So? Are you ready for the debate?"

"Debate?" Khushi spluttered in utter shock.

"Yes," Maddy nodded enthusiastically. "The high powered debate we'll be having on the show!"

Khushi blinked in confusion. Giles was so dead!

"And against whom... is... this debate?"

Maddy raised her brows mysteriously. "A representative of the insurance company, of course." Then her phone rang again and she disappeared down the corridor.

***

As Annie walked her to the green room, Khushi's ears buzzed so loudly that she couldn't hear anything else. She didn't ever dare to look up from her feet. She kept muttering things even she could not comprehend under her breath as she walked.

Until she walked into something. Someone.

"What the-?" was the first thing she heard as her eyes closed tight and her hands closed around a rough piece of cloth.

Hands wrapped around her waist, holding her from falling to the ground.

Faintly, she did recognised that catch-phrase from somewhere. But where?

That voice too was very familiar.

He Devi Maiyya!

Her eyes popped open in stark shock.

***

He gazed down at her face in admiration. God, she was beautiful! So beautiful she couldn't tear his eyes from her for a quite long time. Her face was bare of make-up, her eyes scrunched shut and her lips drawn in an adorable pout as she waited for the ground to hit her.

But he had made sure it wouldn't, binding her to his body with his arms around her.

His eighth wonder of the world. Arnav bit down a smirk as her breath hitched. He could bet everything he owned that she had recognised him. Almost immediately, her eyes snapped open and he registered the surprise, crystallised in a complicated mesh of horror, that emerged, clouding her expression.

He decided to play it cool, so, as nonchalantly as he could, he disengaged her from his hold but did not step back. He, as the arrogant business tycoon he was, would not back out from her, a mere journalist. Because that was the way things would go till the show ended.

He had personally called up Madeleine after he had dealt with Fakhreen Sukhmani when he had learnt from his very reliable source that Khushi Gupta was to come on First Time Tea, as he had sworn Khushi would be next on his hit-list. He had 'requested' the anchor of the show to try put this up as a debate between the article's writer and him, the representative of OurSupport Company Ltd.

Arnav had to prove his client blameless by hook or by crook. It would save his image and he would win. The incident back in Lucknow, during Ulka's wedding, flashed again in front of his eyes. He had underestimated her, Khushi Kumaari Gupta, but she had cut his nose and danced her way faultlessly to her victory which generated his own loss.

But history would not be repeated, he assured himself, smirking internally. He was prepared this time and would defeat her, on the television, when over a billion of people would be watching. He had made sure Khushi would never know he would be on the sets, never get the hint that a debate would be held, and reach here unprepared for the shock.

He allowed his lips to stretch into an evil smirk when he realised it had dawned on her.

"Hi, Miss Gupta," he said coolly.

Now let's see who'll win.

***

She gaped at him in disbelief.

This was a trick! A trap!

He wanted to insult her in the worst way possible. On TV!

He Devi Maiyya! What to do now?

All the time Annie was painting her face with make-up, her eyes remained fixed on Arnav Singh Raizada. He walked all over the place as if he owned it without sparing her the briefest glance. In fact, it appeared that his whole London branch office had been squeezed inside the green room of the studios, with all the staff bustling around.

His jacket, vest and tie lay discarded on a desk for until later and he had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows as he bossed around. He had his Bluetooth plugged into his right ear. Sometimes, he was checking some documents, sometimes barking orders on the phone, sometimes insulting someone out of stress and frustration.

Khushi shuddered. Life would be hell if one day she had to work under him. And she prayed that day would never come. But it was itching her. The fact he was so prepared, that is. She had nothing on hand. No preparation, no notes, no facts, nothing.

What the hell! Why hadn't Giles or anyone informed her? She wanted to murder someone. Anyone!

But she would feel better if she had one particular person.

Arnav Singh Raizada.

And she would definitely give him the most atrociously painful death anyone could have imagined!

Laad Governor that he was...

Khushi closed her eyes and calmly reminded herself why she was there. To help Saira and her family. She was not there for herself but for three other people. Their lives were practically depending on her...

So she couldn't just let herself get trampled over, right?

Had it been just her, she would probably have shrugged the shame away but now? No.

Arnav Singh Raizada could not win and make his client appear to be the innocent. Because OurSupport was not. It was a leech.

She took a deep breath in and opened her eyes in determination.

She had to have to have to make it through... at any cost...