Winter's End T2 - Epilogue - 15.7.14 - Page 8

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Chapter 34

The first day went by slowly. Everyone was reassigned to different projects, departments or tasks. As Maan was not told by Geet which projects he will overlook, he used the time to shadow Geet. He realised that she was a strict boss who expected the work to be done properly but at the same time she did not breathe down people's necks as he did. Most importantly, she never got angry without a good reason. He could see that over the first few days, KC employees started to like and respect Geet. Even Maan admired her working style. He used this time to reflect upon his mistakes and wanted to improve himself. And he wanted to be closer to Geet. She didn't mind Maan following her, in fact she even asked him to help her. Maan had to make sure that the Vardan Project was going fine and when he got the first report he started to blast at his employees. But to the surprise of all, one angry glare of Geet shut him up. He cleared his throat and said in the kindest voice he knew to possess:

"Veena, please redo this part of the blueprints as per client requirements. Mihir, I need more detail in the report. Clients always use this report for further querires and that is why everything needs to be in here." Both thanked Maan for the positive feedback and returned to their desks.

Maan saw Geet still glaring at him. He gulped.

"Woh, sorry Geet. I usually yell at people..."

"This won't do now Mr Khurana. I want not only employees to respect us as employers but also the other way round. So, please keep your temper in check. I think, this will be your first task by me. Be friendly. If I deem you not capable of conversing properly with everyone, I will not give you a project to supervise." Maan looked shocked at Geet's bossiness but didn't comment. He wanted to prove to Geet that he was not as bad as she thought him to be. What the employees saw in the coming days took their breath away. Maan smiled and didn't yell. Once, when one of the junior employees failed to produce her final report by the given deadline she started to cry out of fear of Maan. Maan saw Geet observing him while reading a file. He saw this as the final test. He was more nervous than during his first deal. He got up and patted the girl's head. Assuring her that he will not be mad he asked her where she is having problems and aided her. The girl thanked Maan and happily went off to finish the work. Geet was visibly pleased by Maan's change. She had not only observed him trying to be more polite but reflect upon his mistakes.

Slowly, Geet's hostility towards Maan reduced. She still did not forgive him completely but she realised that behind the big mask of MSK was only a human. By the end of the first week, both offices were working well. Maan was glad to see KC gaining strength. On Friday afternoon at seven sharp, everyone went home. Dev left as well, thanks to Geet's insistence that he should also spend some quality time with his wife and child.

"Geet, will you dine with me tonight?" Maan asked once they were alone.

"What is the occasion?" she asked back.

"KC is saved from closing. Didn't you feel like celebrating once MC was doing better again?" she smiled at his tactics.

"Yes I did. Fine then, I agree." Maan was overjoyed. He had been sure that Geet would refuse but now that she had said yes, he wanted to make it special. One phone call and twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the Italian Village at a private table.

Someone was watching the two eat. For so long had he thought of having lost her but seeing her in front of him, he couldn't believe his eyes. Actually, if it wouldn't have been for the public announcement about the new MD of Mishra Constructions, he wouldn't have known. Geet knew well to hide about her new position. But now that he knew where she was, he could meet her again. Maybe now?

"Geet, it has been long." Geet looked up when she was interrupted. Her eyes became wide and she almost screamed.

"Nikhil? Where have you been?" Much to Maan's anger and hurt, Geet hugged the newcomer tightly and stayed in his arms longer then he deemed necessary.

"I left the company shortly after you resigned. I did some random jobs and have signed a contract with Lab Tec recently."

"LAB TEC?" Geet jumped up and down, totally excited. Maan just gaped at her; this side was totally unknown to him. Till now, he had seen the serious and temperamental Geet but now she also seemed to have a childish side.

"Yeah, I know. It took me a lot of work but I managed to get a post there."

"This is unfair. I wanted to work there, too." Geet pouted and hit Nikhil with her fist.

"Forget that, you seemed to do pretty well. I saw that you took over MC. How is Sohan?" Geet's happiness vanished within a second. She went back to her seat.

"Ah Nikhil, I am sorry. Meet Maan Singh Khurana, MD of Khurana Constructions. And Maan, this is Nikhil Arora, a very old and good friend of mine." Both men shook hands.

"Geet?" Nikhil asked her again.

"Sohan died in a car accident some time ago now. That is why I took over the company." Maan saw Nikhil sit still, his face blank. Then, after a pregnant pause, he said:

"I am so sorry Geet. I didn't know." Wow, what a thing to say, Maan thought sarcastically.

"It is ok. Things are moving on. Give me your number, we have to catch up on things."

Over the next few days, Nikhil came to visit Geet daily. He gelled well with Riya and Armaan and even Adi and Vicky found him to be nice. However, the more time she spent with Nikhil, the less time she had for everyone else. It didn't escape anyone's notice that how comfortable Geet was with Nikhil and soon after, rumours started to spread about their close friendship. When those rumours reached Maan's ears, his patience came to an abrupt end. On the same day, he called for a meeting, informing everyone that he will not tolerate any gossip about Geet or any other person. Vicky, who was also present, knew how badly it affected Maan. The woman he liked was being linked to someone else and he couldn't do anything about it. Maybe it was time for his Dadi's intervention.

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Hi everyone, sorry for the long delay. Here is the next chapter. I will try and post the next chapters soon but please bear with me if you have to wait a little.