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Chapter 9
It was well past midnight as Sheetal paced up and down the living room at her temporary abode. Ever since Khushi had so rudely interrupted her in Arnav's office earlier in the day, she had not gotten a moment with Arnav at all, and to make matters worse, the two were conspicuously absent from the dinner table; something she had not witnessed since she shifted to Shantivan. She couldn't fathom the idea of Arnav and Khushi getting closer to one another when thoughts of Khushi staying with Arnav only for his money kept running through her brain. It was only a matter of time until she exposed the true nature of Mrs. Raizada to Arnav, and then her perfect little family would be complete when Arnav would come running into her arms, Sheetal gleefully thought to herself. Tired of walking around just to get a chance to talk to Arnav before they all retire for the night, Sheetal settled herself on the sofa with a magazine in hand, hoping the time would pass by.
The loud shrill of Khushi's ghastly laugh brought Sheetal out of her trance, making her quickly glance up to witness the unpleasant sight of Arnav and Khushi walking in through the front doors; Khushi's hands securely wrapped around Arnav's arm, Arnav looking down at his beautiful wife with the most genuine smile on his face as she retold a funny anecdote and then Arnav using his free hand to hold down Khushi's shoulder, stopping her from proceeding further into the house so he could place a passionate kiss on her lavish lips, effectively taking her breath away. It wasn't everyday that Arnav could kiss his wife in the common areas at Shantivan but knowing that everybody would be deep in slumber by now, he couldn't let the opportunity go by. After enjoying one of the best nights in a long time, kissing her to show her a glimpse of what was to come in the privacy of their bedroom seemed only appropriate.
Taking Nani's advice fully to heart, Khushi opened herself up to Arnav as she had done in the past. In order for them to move forward as a couple, they needed to be themselves; and that was only possible if they were with each other in all ways; mind, body and soul. Khushi was pleasantly surprised that Arnav took her to a quaint restaurant that specialized in dhaba style food, but hygienic enough for him to fully partake in the meal. She marveled at how her husband found such a place to reconcile both their preferences. In the midst of enjoying a tasteful meal, Arnav and Khushi immersed themselves in light conversation, intermittent kisses and the happiness of knowing that nothing could come between the bond they shared. Arnav suggested going back to the farmhouse in order to keep their night alive without dealing with untimely interruptions, but Khushi squashed the idea, too embarrassed that the family would become aware of their nocturnal activities if they spent the night away, or worse, make teasing comments. However, to placate her disappointed husband, she hinted to prolonging the night in their own home. She herself had missed the unique intimacy she shared with her husband since the storm named Sheetal surfaced into their lives. After paying the bill, Arnav and Khushi walked out hand in hand, in a blissful state.
Lifting Khushi into his arms, Arnav proceeded to walk up the stairs to their room only to be interrupted by a loud shrieking voice.
"Arnav!"
"Sheetal, what are you doing awake so late?" Arnav asked exasperatedly.
Embarrassed at being caught in a compromising position by Sheetal, Khushi tried to free herself from Arnav's arms; an action that prompted him to tighten his hold on her. This was a clear message to Sheetal that they were together, even through these tumultuous times.
"Arnav, I wanted to talk about coming up with solutions in order to fix the mishap we had today. I know you have a lot of pressure to succeed at any cost," she said, glaring at Khushi.
"Don't worry about it, Sheetal. This kind of stuff happens throughout the course of doing business. It just comes with the territory. I had forgotten all about it, after spending the day with Khushi," Arnav said lovingly, looking at Khushi's reddened face.
"Anyway, we will take your leave now. Good night." With that Arnav carried Khushi to their bedroom, leaving a fuming Sheetal by herself.
First she pressurizes him to sustain this lavish lifestyle for her own selfish reasons, then she distracts him all day in the office, and now brings him home so late on a weeknight. How is the man supposed to keep up with her? Hopeful that Khushi would be out of the picture soon, Sheetal made her way upstairs to catch up on her much needed beauty sleep.
As the first rays of sunlight hit their bedroom, Arnav opened his eyes to look at the woman who was splattered inelegantly all over him; the taekwondo pose was back, he mused him to himself. After the amorous night he shared with Khushi, it seemed like things were going back to normal, if not better. Gently prying her arms off of him, Arnav prepared to go for his daily jog; an act that reinvigorated him and kept him going throughout the day. Smirking at Khushi's obvious dissatisfaction at the loss of contact, he was tempted to wrap his arms around her lithe body and join her in deep slumber once again, but decided against it, as he needed to regain his composure before heading off to work.
Khushi opened her eyes slightly to witness her handsome husband get ready to go out for his run.
"Good morning," she mumbled sleepily.
Walking over to her to place a quick kiss on her tempting lips, Arnav responded, "Good morning to you too."
Just as he was about to head out, Arnav stopped and turned back to look at Khushi.
"I think you should go back to sleep. After last night, you need to rest." Seeing the blush spread throughout her face and down to her neck Arnav couldn't help but smirk at the obvious effect he still had on her.
"I'm fine. I have a lot of work to catch up with today, so I should get up soon anyways," she responded coolly. After he left, she allowed herself to rest in bed for a few moments, recollecting the events of the previous day and night. She has vowed to Arnav that she would remain by his side forever, and with Nani's guidance, she made a resolve to close the distance between Arnav and herself, which she initiated the day before. After the wonderful time she spent in Arnav's company, Khushi finally felt like things were headed in the right direction. With a spring to her step, Khushi got out of bed, tidied up the room, went for a shower and then dressed in an elegant red anarkali suit; she knew it would please Arnav to see her in his favorite color. After finishing the morning prayers and preparing breakfast for the whole family, Khushi was finally able to make plans for the day, which started with getting more information about the failed business meeting that took place the day before.
"Amanji, I want you to track down that PA that was suspended temporarily. You said she went out of town, but surely, she must have a mobile on which we can reach her." Knowing that Aman would steer her in the right direction, Khushi placed her first phone to Arnav's right hand man after her husband left for the office. Fully aware that her husband's anger clouded his judgment many a time, she didn't want a woman to suffer further without hearing her side of the story.
"Yes, Ma'am, I will contact the HR department and see what phone number we have on file for her."
Calling Khushi back after receiving the proper information, Aman told Khushi he would message her the contact details for the employee in question, Simran Kapoor. Khushi was ecstatic that she could start with her investigation immediately.
After receiving the phone number from Aman, Khushi dialed Simran's number. After a few rings, a soft voice answered, "Hello."
"Namaste, this is Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. Is this Simranji with whom I am speaking?"
Filled with trepidation after receiving an early morning phone call from the boss' wife, Simran hesitantly replied, "Yes, Ma'am, I am Simran."
"Oh I'm so glad to finally get a chance to talk to you," Khushi proclaimed cheerfully, confusing the young woman on the other side of the line.
"I want to get to the bottom of what happened yesterday; so I need you to tell me exactly what happened."
"That's fine Ma'am. Yesterday, I was told by Sir to make copies of various documents that would be presented at the meeting. Right before I headed out to the copy room, I was intercepted by Miss Sheetal who assured me that she would complete the task. Due to her insistence, I gave her the documents. At that point, my involvement with the said documents ceased, and I know nothing else."
"But why would a fashion designer want to complete your duties? Has she done this in the past?"
"No Ma'am, this was the first time."
After fishing out a few more details from Simran, Khushi finally got off the phone and thought to herself that something was not adding up. What is Sheetal up to? She would now need to probe further into her own investigation.
A/N: Sorry for the delay; asli duniya really crept up on me.
Thanks for all the wonderful comments we have received thus far; it's truly a great motivation!
And of course, thanks to the fellow writers of DC...you are all brilliant writers and your continuous support means a lot to me😊
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
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