Removed the story - Page 9

Originally posted by: Onlooker

New dimensions in the story with new characters..getting more interested..;) Anjali's character is entirely different here..will and wait and see if there is more to it..

Anjali not aware of Shashi gupta's friendship with her chacha..

Chapter Eight

A week had gone by and Khushi was still getting used to living in Delhi and the new job. She had worked in an MNC before and this work set up was way different. It did take some getting used to; people were very friendly and less guarded, not weighed down by endless corporate baggage, yet very professional. Her team was small, apart from Akash and herself, there was Farhan the chartered account, Virat the company secretary, Rahul the other AM and Geetha, the executive assistant. They did work closely with the Accounts and Payables team and the Payroll team, but Akash's small team kind of stuck together. The team was a young one, except Geetha who everyone including Akash refered to as Auntyji.

She was working on a report when she was called to Ajit's cabin, surprised at this, picked up her BlackBerry and walked to his cabin. He did not meet or talk to her after the lunch on her joining day and she did not find it odd either. He maintained a healthy distance which she appreciated, she was aware he spoke to her dad occasionally; she did not bring this up with either of them. It was lunch time and she guessed she may be asked to join him. The door opened before she could knock and in front of her stood the man who was the reason behind her move to Delhi, Mahendra Sharma.

It was nothing short of an Olympic achievement the way Khushi handled herself in those 30 seconds, wishing she was forewarned about this. Ajit came to her rescue and holding her by the elbow guiding her to a seat. "Mahi, you scared the girl, who opens the door that forcefully, sit Khushi" he said, giving Khushi some time to recover. "Beta, you are new here, Ajit was talking about you a few minutes ago and I asked him to get you over to join us for lunch. I hope you don't mind, I have ordered for us." Had he just refered to her as "Beta"? Really? Mahendra was clueless about the torture he was subjecting Khushi to at the moment. He sat himself at the couch letting the staff serve the food. Ajit continued to hold Khushi's elbow, till she indicated that she was fine and got up to move towards the couch to have lunch.

Khushi had waited for a while now to meet Mahendra and she had to get used to seeing him often in the office, he was after all the Legal Head and oversaw all related matters. He was married to Ajit's younger sister Manorama. There was a strong bond between the gentlemen, not only were they related through marriage, but professional associated. Through the introduction and initial bit of their conversation, Khushi was told about their friendship, then alliance through Mahi and Manorama's marriage and finally Mahi coming to work with them. She had heard all this before from Ajit and was now hearing the same thing from Mahi, his version thought Khushi.

She marveled at her ability to handle the lunch, she kept her mouth full to avoid saying something stupid. Glad to have Ajit answer most of the questions Mahendra threw her way. He would be observed keenly, going forward. He seemed have a scholarly air about him, dressed a lot like Arnav off course according to his age. Now she would just eat and get out. But as luck would have it, the man seemed to want to know everything about her that day itself. She found herself looking at Ajit at regular intervals, seeking guidance to handle the conversation, God bless that man he did his best, but the lawyer that Mahi was, would just not relent. She too added to the conversation, barely but enough to ensure she appeared mildly interested and not rude.

If he noticed Khushi's discomfort he did not mention it, he could be intimidating at times although this situation would not count as one, he let it pass. He too noticed the warmth with which Ajit interacted with the girl and he found himself mirroring that feeling. He had to agree, this girl was the kind one would want as a child, cultured and respectful. He never regretted not having children of his own however today he felt he was missing something, looking at Khushi. If he had a child, she or he would be about her age, if only.

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Thanking the gentlemen for the lunch, Khushi excused herself to get back to work. Bolting to the washroom, she was sick throwing the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She felt drained and was leaning against the door to steady her weak self before she walked out to wash her face. She spent a good 15 minutes in there before she stepped out to walk to her desk. She could not be weak; she had to do this, owing this to herself and no one else. The day went by soon enough and she gathered her things to head home, no trusting herself behind the wheel, she chose to take a taxi home, leaving her Bua's car in the office.

Bua sensed something amiss and Khushi came into her room with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Putting down the book she was reading Bua called her in "about time we had a heart to heart." Khushi told her about her meeting with Mahendra and how she felt about it. Bua listening dispassionately sipped her wine offering no comment. Once she finished Khushi she refilled their glasses and sat down looking at the red liquid. "It will get better with time bachche; you have to hang in there."

"I thought I would hate him, I don't and feel I am betraying dad, not to mention defiling mom's memory. He seemed………….. Don't know Bua, everything is so messed up" Khushi gulped down the contents of her glass and Bua took the glass from her hand and ordered her to freshen up for dinner. "No more crying" she said and "no more crying" Khushi agreed. She would have to tell dad about this, but another time, she was not up to it now; it would have to wait for a few hours. No secrets, was the promise he had extracted from her and she was going to stick by it.

Shashi was expecting her call and her hello told him something was not right, he asked and she just started crying. He waited helplessly for her cries to die down and speak. He knew before she could start that it had something to do with him. She stopped crying and spoke "I met him today Papa………………….he was…………..I don't……….." "Khushi, we can talk about this another time if you are not comfortable, I am here for you darling. Take your time" soothed Shashi.

There were silent for a minute or two and then Khushi spoke "Mahendra Sharma does not know about Maa or me. Ajit Chacha told me so and has left it to me to decide whether I should share the fact that I am his biological child."

"It is not about him darling it is about you and yes I agree with Ajit. You have to decide if Mahendra should get to know you are his biological child. It was Garima's wish too; that you meet him once at least, the way you take this forward is entirely up to you. I will not say anything; however I am always going to stand by your decisions. It is something only you can take a call on and honestly I can't even say it will all be ok, because even I don't the answer to the future" Shashi said softly, hoping his words would dull his child's pain and fill her with a fair amount of confidence to brave this storm.

"I don't want to tell him anything as of now Papa, just want to understand the whole thing before I decide. It is not as simple as I thought it would be, need time to sort myself out. This will have to wait for some more time."

"Take your time darling, I am with you all the way"

"Thanks Papa, love you and good night."

"I love you darling, good night."