SS: Keeping Khushi: Thread 6 Part 59 Pg 110 - Page 67

waiting for your today's update!!!!!!!!!

smitsss am stalkin u nw...update soon !!!

Part 59

"Amma & Buaji have been asking me to contact you for the past 5 years, ever since the business became viable.", Anand said. "They were scared that you would agree to marry someone else."

"Amma & Buaji? They know about me?", Anjali's eyes were wide & round.

"Yes.", Anand laughed. "My sisters and their husbands know too. My five partners know about you. In fact, some of them have seen you."

"Seen me? How?"

"They came with me to Delhi at various times. As you come to the temple daily, it was easy for me and them to see you."

"And I never got a chance to see you!", lamented Anjali. "You never thought of giving me a glimpse of you! Do you have any idea how much I wished to see you, Anandji?"

"I know.", his voice was soft and loving. "I know. In fact, we all know.", Anand smiled. "Babuji used to see you loitering outside our house, and he would tell my mother, Shanti, your bahuriyya has come to see your son. Why don't you take the aarti thaali and welcome her in? Amma used to laugh and say, Ask your son to take saat phere with her instead of making her walk around our house seven times daily. Then I will take the aarti thaali and welcome her in."

"Your father knew?", Anjali flushed.

"He did. And he liked you very much. He would often tease me about you.", Anand smiled. "In fact, 2 months before he fell sick, he went to Kanpur to meet some relations. When he returned, he brought 4 sarees with him. He gave 3 to my sisters, and one to me, asking me to give it to you when we got married."

Anjali's eyes filled with tears. "He did?"

"I have it with me. I have been carrying it around with me for the past ten years.", Anand said quietly.

Anjali wiped her tears away.

"When he heard about the proposal, he asked me to marry you. Amma and my sisters asked me to marry you. Because they knew that if our wedding didn't happen then, it wouldn't happen any time soon. And because they knew how much it would hurt you if I refused, and how much I cared for you."

She looked at him anxiously.

"No, they didn't know about the money that Mamaji offered me to marry you. I didn't tell them..."

Anjali nodded. "I am glad."

"Will you marry me, Anjali?"

"Yes."

Anand smiled. "Now I can afford to keep you in the style you are accustomed to."

"It is not important.", Anjali said.

"I want you to have a comfortable life, Anjali. I will meet Arnav tomorrow. If he agrees, I will come to your house with my Amma and Buaji, and ask for your hand."

"Ji.", Anjali smiled. "And please give me my sari that my father-in-law left for me. I will wear it to get married in."

Anand looked at her in surprise. "Anjali, it is a simple silk sari, not grand like you would normally wear for a wedding."

"I don't care. I will wear only that sari for my wedding."

"As you wish.", Anand smiled.

Arnav Singh Raizada stopped at Mishra's main office on his way to the office. He was sick and tired of the ineptitude of the private investigators. And the delay. And NK's long face. And Khushi's anxious glances at NK's drawn face...

He walked into the spacious hall, and stood looking around. Well-dressed employees manned phones & worked on laptops, walked around preoccupied with work, dealt with customers in large numbers...It was a very busy day.

He moved towards the reception desk.

"I am Arnav Singh Raizada. I would like to meet Aarti."

"Do you have an appointment, Sir?"

An appointment to meet a chauffeur/ mechanic?

"No.", Arnav frowned.

"I am afraid Madam is away at another of our offices today."

Madam? Why was the receptionist referring to Aarti as Madam? There was something fishy here. Maybe there were two Aartis.

"The Aarti I want to meet is short, slight, with closely cropped hair." The receptionist nodded.

"She is a mechanic and a chauffeur."

"Ji. Madam is not here right now."

What was happening here?, Arnav wondered.

"Shall I pass on a message, Sir?"

"Yes. Just tell her that I wanted to talk to her."

Now the ball was in her court or rather car park. How would she react?

As Arnav left his office in the evening, and moved to his car, a black SUV came to a stop near his vehicle. The door opened, and Aarti emerged from the driver's seat.

Arnav felt immense respect for her at that moment. So she had decided to take the bull by the horns.

She was wearing a loose black shirt with full sleeves and a pair of black trousers. As she pocketed her keys and looked up, she saw Arnav Singh Raizada standing near his car, looking at her.

She walked up to him, an even, pleasant expression on her face. Quiet confidence oozed from her. This was no ordinary girl. He could vouch for that.

"They called me from the office and said that you had come to meet me today morning, Mr. Raizada. How can I help you?"

"I need to talk to you, Aarti. Can you spare 10 minutes?", he asked.

"Of course."

"Let's use a conference room."

"Ji."

Arnav walked to the entrance of his office with Aarti. The security guards opened the door for them. Arnav led her to a small conference room on the ground floor. It had a round table with chairs grouped around it. He offered her a seat, and sat down facing her.

"Coffee, tea?", he asked.

"Nothing, thank you.", she replied.

"We met for Akash's wedding...", Arnav began.

"Ji."

"But I didn't get an opportunity to talk to you. Your family is in Delhi?"

"Ji."

"Your parents?"

"Just my mother. My father is dead."

"Oh! How is your mother?"

"Not very well."

"She is taking treatment?"

"Ji."

"It is just you and your mother?"

A grim look passed through her eyes for a moment. "Yes."

Then Aarti decided to take charge of the conversation. Otherwise, she would have to sit here all night.

"Mr. Raizada, I was hoping to see you. There is something I need your help with."

Arnav looked at her, surprised. "Sure. What is it?"

"I came as a chauffeur to transport your Buaji and Payalji from Laxmi Nagar to Omkar and back for 2 days. My association with your family is slight, and it ended on Friday night when I returned Buaji to her house."

Arnav looked at her with expressionless eyes, unable to imagine where she was going with this.

"Your brother, Nand Kishore, proposed marriage to me." Aarti's face was equally expressionless.

Arnav felt his breath stop.

"I told him that I am not interested." Her voice was low and sure.

Arnav's facial muscles tightened.

"He seems to find it difficult to accept 'no' for an answer. He came to my office asking for me." Aarti was very matter-of-fact. "It would be a great help if you could talk to your brother and dissuade him from pursuing me."

Arnav looked at her for sometime in silence. The memory of her slumped shoulders and pale face flashed through his mind.

Finally, he said, "Aarti, are you married?"

"No."

"Engaged?"

"No."

"Involved with someone?"

"No."

"Then why...?"

"Ji?"

"NK is handsome. Cheerful. Has a good heart. Is well-off. Then why are you refusing him?"

Aarti swallowed, but did not lower her eyes from his.

"You should be thrilled, Mr. Raizada. I wouldn't really be an appropriate bride for your brother, you know."

"Why not?"

"I live with vehicles. I repair them. I drive them. I have a mother to take care of, a family to run... Not really good bride material for the brother of a well-known businessman."

"As long as NK wants to marry you, and you want to marry him, all these don't matter." Arnav leaned back in his chair.

What was wrong with this guy? Couldn't he behave like a normal millionaire and be horrified at the thought of an ineligible marriage for his brother? She sighed silently.

"But I don't want to marry him, Mr. Raizada."

"What do you dislike about him?"

"I am not interested in marriage, Mr. Raizada.", she evaded his question.

"Why not?"

"I don't believe in it for myself."

"I am not trying to push you, Aarti. You are entitled to your beliefs. But it is possible that you can change your mind. I just want you to know that our whole family would welcome you with open arms as our bahu. And NK is a wonderful man. Why don't you take some time to know him?"

"I have no desire to get married, Mr. Raizada. So spending time knowing him is not an option."

"I see."

"Was there anything else, Mr. Raizada?"

"Yes. I wanted to tell you that I would be honoured to call you my sister."

Aarti smiled sadly. "You don't know me, Mr. Raizada. Your brother too does not know me."

"Call me Arnav. Or if you don't want to call your Jetji by his name, call me Arnavji, like Payal does. Or Bhai as Akash does. Or Nannav as NK does."

Aarti swallowed.

"You are not my Jetji, Mr. Raizada. And claiming unknown females as your sisters might prove very dangerous to you."

"I am willing to take the risk, Aarti."

"I am not, Mr. Raizada. I suggest you make your brother understand that he does not stand a chance."

"Oh! I am afraid I can't help you here, Aarti. You will have to make him understand why you dislike him."

Aarti sighed. She leaned back, waiting for his next sally, knowing that the end was near.

"I wanted to ask you something.", said Arnav.

"Ji?"

"I arranged a private detective agency to find out more about you."

Aarti hid her surprise. She hadn't expected him to admit to it.

"The agent tried his best, but failed to even confirm that you were an employee at Mishra's. Everyone he asked said that they had never heard of an Aarti. Why?"

As Arnav watched, astounded, a soft light flashed in her eyes. And a small smile bloomed on her lips. "They are very loyal. They are like family.", she said softly.

"Why did the receptionist call you 'Madam'?"

Aarti drew in a deep breath. This was the moment.

"Maybe because I am her employer.", she said softly.

Thread 7: Part 60:

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/3334536/ss-keeping-khushi-thread-7-part-67-pg-129

AND I CAME TO KNW BOUT UR FF...I STARTED READING THIS YEST...ND R8 NW UM OLREDY EXCITED FOR PART 59...U R OSUM... UM IN LOVE WITH DIS FF THIS MUCH...EAGERLY WAITNG FOR NEXT...👏

Res

smita superb update honey !!!!!

So Arnav Singh Raizada decides to take the bull by the horn.😉

So finally Aarti confesses...She's their employer! She's one tough girl...wonder how she will manage as a bahu of a traditional family...I am sure Khushi will be the role model for her. 😛

God, I just love Arnav! How does this guy manage to shoulder all responsibility and look after EVERYONE?!!! He's AWESOME!!!! ❤️