Hey all. Another update. The loongest one yet. I think I am happy with it. However, I wrote it in a rush, since I wanted to post something tonight, so have not had the time to proof-read properly. If anything jumps up, let me know. Shruti, this one's for you. Lo, aagaya aapka ASRji! 😉 As always, please add me if you want a PM, please comment, OR just press like. I really mean it when I say that the comments do shape the story. The story has already been influenced by what you guys think and want, so please please keep letting me know what you think.
Chapter 9B: The Dragon Awakens
It was Wednesday afternoon and the head office of AR Designs was buzzing. Employees stood around in clumps whispering amongst themselves and occasionally staring up towards his cabin. There was a nervous energy in the air, where normally one would feel lethargy and stagnancy. The reason for all this excitement? Yelling roars that had erupted from the conference room around half an hour ago. ASR yelling. Those that were new to ARD didn't quite understand the significance of hearing the boss yell. But those that had been around a while knew what it meant. It meant that he, that is, ASR, was back.
Up in the conference room, Arnav felt liquid rage pumping through his blood. The last time he felt this angry was when Khushi had taken Aarav to Lucknow to Sheesh Mahal without his permission, the year that she disappeared. At this moment though, that thought was far from his mind. All he felt was pure unadulterated rage. His mind briefly registered excitement at feeling such a strong, powerful emotion after a long time. But then his focus shifted back to his brother, who seemed to be, well, cowering in front of his rage. Aakash was actually shaking, huge beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Uh Bhai, I've already given a verbal commitment..." Aakash's voice trailed off as ASR shot him a look of absolute fury. "How dare you, go behind MY back, with KHUSHI'S collection, to...THAT woman?" Arnav bellowed. "I gave my answer two years ago, and you had the AUDACITY to over-rule my decision?"
Aakash wiped his face with a napkin, and with relief felt a soft hand land on his arm. He looked down into the surprisingly calm eyes of his sister. "Sit down Aakash," Di said. Aakash looked at her with gratitude, and sat down with a thump. "Di," started Arnav. "This has nothing to do with you, please don't interfere." Anjali looked at him through narrowed eyes. "This has everything to do with me Arnav. I hold 40% of the shares of this company, and I have signing authority, as per your instructions." Across the room, Arnav stiffened, and Anjali noticed his hands fisting by his side. "So, this is a hostile take-over then? Pirate style mutiny? Staged by my own siblings?" Anjali looked scandalized, outraged and hurt all at the same time. Aakash smothered his chuckle under a cough, and grinned into his hands. "This is no take-over Arnav. You've been busy with other things, and Aakash saw this as a good opportunity. You have the figures in front of you, Arnav. AR Designs needs this. And Satyam's projections are also great. The terms proposed by them are fair. If there's a problem, let's discuss it, but as I see it, there's no real reason to say no." Arnav closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in an effort to bring his anger under control. "The collection," he said hoarsely, and then looked up at Anjali.
She started back serenely at her brother. "Don't forget Arnav, that I too was involved with the development of the collection along with Khushi. I too, would it to see the light of day. And more than me, she really wanted this." Arnav's anger rose, and Anjali thought she could almost see fumes coming out of his ears. "Don't...use her to emotionally blackmail me into doing something YOU want," he ground out. Anjali knew how much effort it took him to not yell. She felt exhilarated. If it would have been appropriate, she would be smiling and giggling away. But realizing the stakes, she kept her face passive, and mind cool. "I am just telling you the truth. Obviously Khushi wanted to launch her collection, which designer wouldn't? She told me about it, and she also wrote to Satyam after you shot the whole deal down last time, telling them she was still interested." Arnav stilled and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Aakash realized that this was his cue. Clearing his throat nervously, he removed a piece of paper from the file, and handed it to Aman, who walked down the length of the room and gave it to ASR. As Arnav glanced down at it, Aakash decided to clarify the questions he knew would be coming, before Arnav got more riled up. "Uh, Bhai, she never sent that letter to Satyam. She gave it to Di to look over, for feedback. Soon after that, she..." he trailed off nervously. They didn't normally talk about Khushi this openly, and Aakash was finding it difficult to be comfortable talking about her in front of Arnav. "Yea, well, we all got side-tracked and forgot about it. When conversations with Satyam started up again, Payal remembered that Khushi had mentioned writing to Satyam. I asked Di, and she dug it out."
These very questions had been swimming in Arnav's mind. Why did he not know, and why had it taken two years for Aakash to give this to him. He clasped the letter in his hands, and greedily poured over the words. Her hands had written this. Rather than words, he saw the childish curve of the letters, the flowery script. He could almost smell the jasmine that was her scent, and it washed over him like a balm, soothing his soul. The angry pounding in his head receded, and he felt calm. He looked up at his Di, with unfocused eyes. "Read the letter Arnav," she said. He looked back down at the letter, and finally the words registered. He read, and re-read it, and stood thinking. After five minutes, he looked up at the group assembled in front of him, and then turned around and walked away. Aakash stared at his brother's retreating back and gulped. Anjali looked at him and smiled, and patted him reassuringly on his back. "Don't worry Aakash. He will say yes." She smiled, and looked up at Aman. "Aman, since I am here after a long time, why don' you bring me up to speed on what's been going on?" Aman looked confused, but obliged her, and went to his cabin to bring the necessary files and presentations for Anjali. When he was gone, Anjali looked at Aakash and said, "Let's hang out here a little while, shall we? I have a feeling that our presence will be required in a short while." Aakash couldn't help but smile at her confidence.
Back in his ivory tower, Arnav was pouring over Khushi's letter, his heart alternating from constricting sharply to flying free like a bird. Certain phrases stood out to him. "This collection is very special to me, as it is not only my first attempt in the international market, but it is also my husband's desire for me to explore my talents and his support that has made it possible." He remembered how she had originally rejected the project when he had first proposed it to her. It was only after she won the Mrs. India title, and gained confidence in herself, that she had agreed to take it on, at his insistence. "When I was young and foolish, I dressed in bright colours with gaudy embroidery, and flashy pompoms. A flash of colour, a dash of happiness. That has been my inspiration for this collection, marrying youth and idealism with elegance and maturity." He felt a smile creep up on him. She had never really given up her flashy clothes. Her chamkili look, they used to tell her. "Although I am generally very confident in my husband's decisions and his business sense, I admit this time to not agree with his decision to not launch this collection with your fashion house. Satyam Creations was and still is my first choice as partner to launch this collection. I am a big fan of the Satyam Sanskaar Collection, and feel that Satyam's creations reflect modern and traditional values in perfect balance. That is my attempt too, with this collection, and I hope you will still consider working together." He was surprised, reading the letter, at her eloquence. Maybe Di helped her write this letter he thought. "I urge you to reconsider this business merger. I assure you of my and Arnav Singh Raizada's Support in this venture." So she was confident that he would support her? He felt himself smirking. Typical Khushi, he thought. She makes commitments first, without thinking of whether he would agree or not, and then she would devise intricate and dramatic plans to bring him on board. Khushi wants this, he realized. He put the letter down, and leaned back in his chair. He reflected back on the time when he vetoed Satyam as a partner for her collection. Khushi had been disappointed, but she didn't push it. He realized now, that she had a plan B. How typical of Khushi, he thought again. He realized that he never quite told her why he had such an issue with Satyam Creations. Saakshi Tanwar, the bane of his existence. Even though he had never met her, he detested her. She was the epitome of professionalism and perfection. Her business ran like a well-oiled machine, and if he had to be honest, even better than ARD. He had been working hard to get a foot in the American market, and every time, he had been thwarted by her. The few deals he did get had wanted him to partner with Satyam, but his ego wouldn't allow him to agree. For the first time, someone else was inching ahead in the race, making him feel like a failure. There was no way he was going to join hands with that person. So he outright refused Satyam's offers.
This time though, things were different. This time, Khushi's wishes were involved. It had been a long time that he had involved himself intimately with new deals and projects. But this one was Khushi's dream, she just never got the time to tell him. He wanted to feel her again, her presence, her spunk, her innocence. In that moment, he made up his mind. He needed Khushi to be alive around him, and for that, he would do anything.
Anjali, Aakashi and Aman looked up as ASR stormed back into the conference room. "Fine," he said. We will go ahead. He looked at them, surprised at the lack of reaction. How was he to know that underneath the table, beyond his sight, Anjali and Aakash were holding hands and waiting with bated breath to see what he would say next. "But..I have only one major condition. I will head this project. NOTHING happens without my consent and my involvement." Aakash felt Anjali heave a sigh of relief, and tried to remove his hand from her grip, but she held on firmly. "But Bhai," he started. "You don't know Saakshi well, and last time you weren't too keen to work with her." Arnav glared at him. "You want this to go ahead? Then I will be in charge. Saakshi will have to go through me for everything. Is that understood?" Aakash nodded, while Anjali looked at him demurely. "Jaise tum theek samjho, Chote." He gazed at her, suddenly suspecting that he might have been played. Oh hell, who cares, he thought. "Please don't call me that here, Di." She flashed a genuine 100 watt smile in his direction. He smiled back, realizing that he had missed this. Her teasing and her smiles. "Aakash, Aman, please set up some meetings to bring me up to speed. Aakash, please make sure that whatever initial formalities required from us and from Satyam are met. As soon as we sort ourselves out, I would like to set up a meeting with Ms. Tanwar. In the meantime, Aman, I'd like to be briefed on the financials and figures of ARD from the last quarter." Aman stood stock-still, not able to comprehend the changed man in front of him. It was only when Arnav shot him a sharp look that he realized he was still ogling at his boss. He sprang into action and led Arnav out of the conference room, while Aakash stayed seated, his arm still firmly in Anjali's grip.
Once Arnav had left, Anjali burst into tears and threw herself into Aakash's arms, while Aakash himself had a hard time controlling the tears that ran down his face. After a long time, he had seen his brother emerge. Bhai, I really hope you're here to stay, he thought. I don't think I, or my arm, can handle much more of all this drama. In the meantime, the woman sobbing in his arms was doing a mental checklist, making sure that no God or deity was left out in the heartfelt thank-you prayer that she sent up to the heavens.
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Thoughts? 😊 With Love, Shy
Chapter 10 here
Edited by st03im - 11 years ago
Udne Ki Aasha
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