TS: Table number 33 (part 2 now updated on page 2) - Page 2

Originally posted by: SEA05

God, it's so good)) The development of relationships at a difficult point, two equal, similar and at the same time different people. Well, let's go dancing for the rest of our lives?

Yes, sister, I can’t kill the author inside myself) In my own language I write poetry more often than prose)

An endless dance of Ram and Priya, that would be so beautiful. I really want to see a new dance in the series, not mental, real, I need to go to Mrs. Ekta with a request))

Such a fun piece to read,😆 I enjoyed it a lot. I am so looking forwards to more of your work. I have read the other you have made. You really have an amazing talent with your words and creativity.👍🏼

Dekhiye Ms.Bones Ji, hosake to continue kijiega warna itna bhi kaafi hai. Kaafi Accha laga yeh AU Humein ❤️

I loved how Priya didn't have her own Family forcing her to treat her Father's other family well. Waydika ko bina naam diye Way dikha diya🤣

Ofcourse, Ram already aware'bt Vedika's intention makes him a more sensible person than the dufferhead we have to see on the show most days. Gosh! I miss the initial sensible person I used to see through his dialogues 🤡

And Priya drinks by herself here - Gosh! Should have wished for something else too before venturing into this OS - Probably my Bank Account would have been happy with me 😆

Part 2 -

Priya was rushing out of her hotel at breakneck speed. She had woken up late (something that hadn’t happened in years), and was now at risk of being late for her meeting with potential investors.

She was a slightly annoyed as she wasn’t able to meet them yesterday at Kiara’s engagement. In fact if she hadn’t met Ram Kapoor and had to sit through last night without meeting the investors, she would have been apoplectic.

Her thoughts flicked back to Ram and she unknowingly blushed at the memory of the evening. Priya’s work and expansion plans had not given her the time to go on many dates the last few years. The ones she had been on had been underwhelming and made her think she was not missing much.

Last night however was different. Technically it wasn’t a date, but there was an undertone of flirtation that extended towards the latter part of the evening and she couldn’t deny that their chemistry was great! Making a mental note to let her assistant find her a contact number, Priya finished getting dressed and set off for her meeting.

Priya entered the plush offices of ARB financing. It was one of the few funds in Mumbai that invested heavily in tech outfits led by women. Priya needed some seed capital to make her entry into India and figured the best way would be via Indian investors.

She had spoken to Adi Shroff and his wife Brinda briefly over the phone. It was Brinda who suggested they meet at the engagement since they were attending too, and it would give her a chance to talk them through the core demographic she was planning to target in India.

The receptionist directed her to a conference room and as Priya entered she stopped still. Sitting ahead of her was Ram Kapoor poring over some files! The same man she had danced and laughed with a few hours ago. She did a double take to check if she had the room right when he looked up. Ram looked equally surprised and confused when he saw her but then broke into a smile.

“Priya, are you stalking me now?”

“Very funny Ram, I’m here to meet my prospective investors, what about you?”

“Oh boy this is awkward. I’m waiting for my partners Adi and Bri to meet with a prospective company to discuss their funding needs. I guess that makes you my 9 AM!" He scratched his head and looked a bit lost.

"So you are ARB?"

"Guilty, I am the R and the bridge between the A and B. Adi and Bri handle most of the operations while I look at growth, financial diligence and some of the scouting."

Priya felt like she was sucker punched when she heard this. Her anger flared and she lashed out (politely) at Ram.

“So, last night was a test? You could have told me upfront. You knew I was there to meet investors, what is all of this cloak and dagger business. What did you gain by the obfuscation? Did you want to see if a woman CEO would stand up to her name?”

“Calm down Priya.i didn’t know you were meeting ARB last night. I’m more of a silent partner in the firm and when I introduce myself, I go with my dad's company that I run.

I’ve been trying to get Adi and Bri to chat with you for a while and I was so excited to meet you yesterday under what I thought was fortuitous circumstances. I even texted them saying I had met you!”

He picked up a glass of water and downed it and Priya looked sheepish for jumping to conclusions. He seemed really genuine and equally surprised with the turn of events.

“And now that this is out of the way, let’s start the meeting? Would be good to hear what you are proposing?”

Priya was amazed at how astute and pointed Ram’s questions were. They spoke about market dynamics, differences between Australia and India and options for scaling. If she enjoyed the conversation yesterday in a casual setting, she was exhilarated with the pace of the business conversation.

“Priya thank you for your time and walking me through your proposal. I’ll have a discussion with Adi and Bri and I’ll get back to you in a weeks time. My team will send over a list of documents we’ll need for diligence. Does that sound good?”

“Sure Mr. Kapoor, it all sounds fine. I’ll leave the details of my core team with you.”

He shut her pitch deck as she unplugged her Mac and looked at her with the twinkle in his eyes returning.

“Soooo, coffee or any other beverage you prefer? There’s a great place I know we could go to.”

“Mr Kapoor, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

“Hardly, I keep my personal and professional matters quite separate. Additionally with ARB, it’s really Adi and Bri you’d be dealing with.”

She mulled over the ask and while one part of her brain wanted to refuse, her heart went back to how much fun she had last night.

“Btw did you hear this morning’s news. Sid has apparently eloped with the person managing the event yesterday. If rumours are to be believed, he and Kunal the organiser are currently on their way to Maldives.”

Priya couldn’t believe what she was hearing and giggled. While Kiara didn’t deserve this, she was an atrocious brat and maybe the experience would sober her up a bit.”

“Surely that deserves a coffee and a discussion?”

She smiled at his persistence and gave in.

“Lead the way, Ram. Also in addition to discussing the elopement, would be great this time around to hear more about you! For starters how in a company named ARB is the R silent. Shouldn't you be AB if you were truly silent?”

Ram saw the mischievous grin in her eyes and loved that she challenged him so openly. As Ram stood to gather his blazer, his phone buzzed. It was from Bri.

“Well done Jaan, go woo her! Hope you didn’t mind us cancelling our meeting with her last night but you left us no choice after setting the floor on fire with her. Added bonus was Vedika puri tarah se jal ke raakh ho gayi. Love you!”

Ram nodded his head in disbelief on Bri’s ability to pull strings, but for once he didn’t mind her interference. He had truly struck jackpot this time.

*******

Notes:

1. My original plan was to end the last part with her realising that he was one of the investors but it seems so much more fun if both were unaware
2. This therefore is a less fun part and bridging the gaps
3. do we know what Adi’s last name is?
4. Bri is the best
5. On special request from Shibani, SiNal are back
6. I’m clearly away with the fairies and none of this is remotely related to the show
7. I will now be retiring and leaving you all in peace

❤️Loved it !! Loved it!!Loved!! ❤️This is so beautiful. Brilliantly articulated and Loved the pace.

Please do write more stories. And thank you for sharing your stories with us. I am sure I am going to read it again and again 😳

Originally posted by: SONIA441

Dekhiye Ms.Bones Ji, hosake to continue kijiega warna itna bhi kaafi hai. Kaafi Accha laga yeh AU Humein ❤️

I loved how Priya didn't have her own Family forcing her to treat her Father's other family well. Waydika ko bina naam diye Way dikha diya🤣

Ofcourse, Ram already aware'bt Vedika's intention makes him a more sensible person than the dufferhead we have to see on the show most days. Gosh! I miss the initial sensible person I used to see through his dialogues 🤡

And Priya drinks by herself here - Gosh! Should have wished for something else too before venturing into this OS - Probably my Bank Account would have been happy with me 😆

Originally posted by: WeRockTheWorld

❤️Loved it !! Loved it!!Loved!! ❤️This is so beautiful. Brilliantly articulated and Loved the pace.

Please do write more stories. And thank you for sharing your stories with us. I am sure I am going to read it again and again 😳

Originally posted by: oye_nakhrewaali

Bring Kunal, make him ka assistant or something... Kidding, aapko jo thikh lage Yes, I watched the movie, I am a fan of Yash🙈

Yay, can't wait for p2🙈

PriRa🥺🥺🥺 Priya(not you🤣)having a crush is such a foreign concept to me, but I LOVE IT! 😍😍😍

Plus, her asking him about ARB name was exactly my thoughts throughout the revelation 🤣

Haaye, my Bri being the best wingwoman on the earth😍😍😍 And SidNal in Mauritius 😍😍 they have adopted a kid and they are living happily every after😍😍😍😍

I love how smooth Ram is with his flirting, literal goals🤩🤩🤩