Fatima's Cozy Corner 2 - Link to New Corner on Pg 152 :) - Page 56

Originally posted by: bhagyashree2011

Thanks for the pm fatima

Wonderful but sad update.

Meher will be suffering so much I didn't expected that. I mean seeing the good side in the earlier chapter I thought she must be living a happy life but it turned out to be completely different.

She's a sweetheart...but the riches belong to Ash.

So in this ff even teji is dead and kujeet is meher's step mom, now this is a serious twist. But she is at her evil best she tortured our meher so much. And Meher can't even say anything to balraaj. Even though kuljeet does not have kids she can't even show a little live to her.

Kuljeet is holding a grudge...we'll find out later why.

And even balraaj is not taking his side, he is under an impression that kuljeet takes good care of her but he is so wrong. But y is he not taking a stand for meher's university. He can't let her suffer so much.

He knows Kuljeet and Meher don't get along, but he tries to refrain from choosing between the 2.

Poor meher even bought present for her but she would care less about it when she had ash and her expensive presents. I hope when preet meets meher all her misery comes to an end.

Let's see.

Coming to preet well today I saw gaurav behaving more like preet and Mr.Preet Juneja was actually calm and adjusting wow. This is a new side of preet and I am loving every bit of it. I am looking forward to read about this new side of preet. And our hero preet is already dreaming about our heroine awww that's so cute. Keep on dreaming preet because only dreams come true.

Yeah...I wanted to show a different side of Preet in this story...someone who is quite capable, regardless of what others think of him.

So basically both the mothers are dead so heer definitely have to play a very imp role. And ash is rishabh rampaal's daughter so does that means daljeet is his wife lol that would be a weird and funny couple.

Heer and Preet are very close as you can imagine. We've gotten a small glimpse of that. And yes Daljeet is married to Rishabh Rampal.

So far story is going really strong looking forward for meet meeting and their romance to start.

Originally posted by: foxi

I am already addicted! :)

Please update as soon as possible. Meher is soo sweet <3

Originally posted by: kiran_28

just started reading fatima..its amazing..

Chapter 4 - The New Boss

The next morning...

Preet and Gaurav walked into one of the conference rooms in the Juneja's Luxury hotel and came face to face with a worried looking staff.

"Good morning everyone," said Preet, smiling as he checked his watch. "Well, I'm not late, so you all must be early. I'm Preet Juneja by the way and this is my associate...Gaurav Sherma."

"Good morning sir, it's a pleasure meeting you both," said Balraj. He shook Preet's hand, then looked quizzically at Gaurav before shaking his. "If I may say so Sir, you bare an uncanny resemblance to Prem Sir."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," grinned Gaurav.

"I'm Balraj Maan, the head manager of operations here. I'm so very pleased to welcome you both to Ludhiana, in fact, we all are," said Balraj. He motioned to the small group of men and women standing behind him. "And we're all very anxious to have the hotel reopen as soon as possible. As you can well imagine sir, we would all like to get back to working full time. Now that you're here, I'm certain that it won't be long before we can do so."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Mr. Maan," said Preet. He motioned towards the conference table. "Everyone, please take a seat."

Preet could see some of the staff members swallowing nervously as he came around and took his seat at the head of the table. "Shall we begin? As you all are well aware, reopening this hotel is exactly what I came here to do. However, from the current state of things, the progress of the renovations are far behind what was being reported to our head offices in Delhi. Any reason for the discrepancy?"

"If any false reporting has been done, it is from the building contractor's side Sir," answered Balraj. "He has been giving me a hard time too. Just the day before yesterday, I had him remove windows from several floors because of shoddy materials and workmanship."

"That explains the windows missing from the room we stayed in last night," remarked Preet.

"You stayed here?" another staff member asked. "But the rooms aren't ready yet."

"Actually Sir, we weren't expecting you for another few days," Balraj explained apologetically. "If we had known you were coming sooner, we would have made better arrangements for your stay."

"It's alright," said Preet. "You were saying something about the contractor..."

"Yes Sir," nodded Balraj. "Despite my efforts, he is being very uncooperative. In my humble opinion, I feel like he is taking liberties with this project because he's been given a free hand with very little questioning or interest shown from the owners or upper echelon of management. It's been almost a year since Prem Sir or anyone from the head office came by to inspect the hotel."

"I see," said Preet. "Mr. Maan, I'd like you to set up a meeting for me with this contractor immediately. If he can't meet our expectations, then we'll have to find someone else who will."

"Yes Sir," smiled Balraj. "Right away Sir."

For the remainder of the meeting, Preet went on to discuss with the staff at length about the agenda given to him by the head office as well as his plans for reopening the hotel in the upcoming weeks. After the meeting was over, Balraj Maan approached him and Gaurav and took them to one side.

"Mr. Juneja Sir, I just wanted to apologize once more for any inconvenience you may have faced in staying at the hotel last night," said Balraj.

"Mr. Maan, there is no need for you to apologize," smiled Preet. "It wasn't your fault."

"Still," said Balraj. "You can't continue to stay here."

"Yeah, you're right about that," sighed Preet. "But don't worry, I plan to check into another hotel."

"You want to stay at another hotel?" said Balraj. "No no Sir, that will never do."

"Why not?" asked Preet.

"Well, think about it sir...what if news about you staying at a competitors hotel gets out?" said Balraj.

"Mr. Maan, where I spend the night on a business trip is hardly newsworthy information," said Preet.

"It is if our competition can use it to start up useless rumors," said Balraj. "It's a dog eats dog world out there. And people don't hesitate to kick a man while he's down, especially if it proves to be to their advantage."

"He has a point Preet," said Gaurav.

"Yeah well...", began Preet.

"I may have a solution though," continued Balraj. "If I may be so bold, I'd like to invite you both to stay in my home."

"I don't think...", tried Preet.

"It's actually the company house, and it has a separate annex that can be used as a guest house. I'm certain it's nothing compared to your elegant mansion in Dehli, but I can guarantee that you'll be comfortable and have complete privacy," said Balraj. "Then in a few days the rooms in the hotel will be ready, and you can feel free to move back here."

"Hey that is actually not a bad idea," said Gaurav.

"Both my wife and daughter are excellent cooks," added Balraj.

"Ooo...ghar ka khana (home cooked food)," Gaurav rubbed his hands and smiled.

"Mr. Maan, I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to impose...", Preet said hesitantly.

"It's no imposition. My family and I would love to have you over," said Balraj. "Please Sir, give us an opportunity to show you our hospitality."

Preet grew quiet in thought.

"Um...how about if you and Gaurav Sir come to my home for dinner tonight," suggested Balraj. "You can meet my famiy and see for yourself if the accommodation there suits you. After that, I'll leave it up to you to decided whether you want to stay or not. You can at least agree to that can't you Sir?"

"Alright," sighed Preet.

With a large smile on his face Balraj quickly wrote down his address for Preet and then left to arrange a meeting with the building contractor.

"Nice guy," Gaurav remarked after Balraj had left the room.

"Hmm, real nice," said Preet.

"Well big guy, I'm really proud of you," smiled Gaurav, as he threw a playful punch at Preet. "We're always goofing off, but here you put on a suit and tie and walk into the conference and BAM! You're Mr. MBA all of a sudden."

"Yeah well, I'm sick and tired of everyone automatically assuming that I'm stupid. Sure I like to have fun, but there is a time and place for everything," remarked Preet. "Did you see the look in those peoples' eyes? They so desperately want their jobs back full time, and I'm sure there are plenty more waiting to be rehired."

"A boss with a heart, I'm impressed," said Gaurav. "And I'm sure if your father was here he'd be impressed with how you handled your first official business meeting."

"I don't care what my father thinks!" cried Preet. "Just like he could care less about me. I'm only here because Prem Bhaiya trusted me with this assignment, and there's no way I would ever let him down."

"Okay...so...um...what now?" asked Gaurav.

"I have a meeting with Dev Dutt, the new author we're about to launch," replied Preet. "It shouldn't take long, maybe half an hour to an hour tops, and then we can go for lunch."

"Alright!" Garuav said excitedly. "So, have you made reservations? What did you have in mind...Japanese, Italian, French...?"

"More like fast food from the food court at the mall," chuckled Preet.

"Huhn?" Gaurav was confused.

"I have a meeting today with an events manager at a shopping mall across town," explained Preet. "In fact I have several such meetings scheduled over the course of the next few days. It's to scope out the best possible location to kick off Dev's book signing tour. After that, I start on bookstores. So, for the next couple of days, lunch is going to be anything we can just grab and go."

"First roadside dhaba and now shopping mall food court, my stomach has definitely seen better days," Gaurav said with disappointment. "I'm beginning to appreciate Mr. Maan's dinner invitation more and more already. Speaking of which, should I pack my things now or after we come back from the mall?"

"Don't worry about your stuff," said Preet. "We're going to Mr. Maan's place for dinner but nothing more."

"You mean we're going to continue staying here?!" cried Gaurav. "Why? The guy said he has plenty of space."

"Because he's an employee Gaurav," explained Preet. "I don't think it would be appropriate for me to be taking favors from him. I doubt if Bauji would approve either. Now come on, let's go."

"I thought you didn't care what your father thinks," Gaurav mumbled under his breath as he followed Preet out of the room.

Later that afternoon...

Preet walked out of his final meeting for the day. "Thank you for your time Mr. Mehra," he said shaking the mall manager's hand. "The premises here are most impressive, and your staff is very organized and efficient."

"Thank you so much Mr. Juneja," smiled Mr. Mehra. "It will be a great pleasure doing business with you. We look forward to serving your company's needs, and I assure you we will not disappoint."

"I do have one or two more malls that I need to visit," explained Preet. "I'll be in touch with you as soon as I've made a decision. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day."

As Preet walked away, his phone rang. It was his younger sister. "Hey Veera, what's up?" he asked.

"Oh you know, just the same old stuff," replied Veera. "I got a great deal on a Gucci bag."

"You're calling me to to discuss handbags?" Preet rolled his eyes.

"Not exactly," chuckled Veera. "I was wondering if you're going to be back home this weekend."

"What's this weekend?" asked Preet.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you don't remember my birthday!" exclaimed Veera.

"Oh that...uh...of course I remember," lied Preet. "Finally hitting the big 21 milestone right?"

"Not only that, I seriously think Nihal is going to propose!" Veera said excitedly.

"What?! No way!" cried Preet.

"Yes way," laughed Veera. "Anyway, I'd like you to be here to help make my birthday bash a rocking event. Because right now it's just Heer Bhabi and Kulraj Didi doing all the planning and...well...they're not exactly up to date on what's hip, if you know what I mean."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't touch that party with a 10 foot pole," said Preet. "You know how Heer Bhabi is. Her guest list will be full of old aunties with very eligible' daughters, and Kul Di is like her right hand man. I mean woman. If Nihal really does pop the question, I'm going to be the only target left on their hit list. Besides, I just got here and I'm already up to my elbows in work. I really can't leave things and come back to Delhi."

"Oh no!" sighed Veera. "And Prem Bhaiya is out of town too."

"Hey I'll make it up to with a really neat gift," Preet offered, as he eyed a jewelry store nearby. "Something nice and sparkly."

"Ooo...okay done, iss bar maaf kiya (I'll forgive you this time)," giggled Veera. "But the gift had better be good."

"It will be," Preet assured her. He hung up then walked into the jewelry store. A sales person offered to assist him. Preet explained to him that he was looking to buy a birthday present for his sister. The sales person promptly led him to several display cases show casing various pieces of jewelry. After some careful deliberation, he settled on a pair of beautiful yellow diamond drop earrings, set in white gold. He paid for the earrings, and was in the middle of instructing the sales person where to have them sent when his phone rang. This time it was Gaurav.

"Hey man where are you?" asked Gaurav. "I've been sitting in this coffee shop sipping on the same cup of coffee for over an hour. The waiters are beginning to give me funny looks."

"Sorry Gaurav, I forgot all about you. I finished my meeting and then Veera called. It's her birthday this weekend and I forgot all about it. Luckily there was a jewelry store right here, and I was able to...," Preet stopped mid-sentence as his eyes caught sight of someone.

"Preet? Hello! Earth to Preet," cried Gaurav.

"Gaurav you'll never believe this...I just saw that girl," Preet said excitedly.

"Girl? What girl?" asked Gaurav.

"You know...the one from the museum in Delhi," Preet reminded him.

"Wait a minute," said Gaurav. "You're saying the girl you saw in Delhi, and then in Ambala, is now in Ludhiana. Preet are you sure you're not imagining things?"

"No! Dharti Ma ki kasam, I just saw her go into a flower shop," said Preet. "Look I have to go after her. Meet me down here on the main level."

"Sir, what about your earrings?" the salesman called after him as he headed out the store.

"Just hold onto them and I'll be right back," replied Preet.

Preet quickly walked over to the florist shop across from the jewelry store. As he entered the small but well lit shop, his eyes frantically searched the premises for the young woman with the long brown hair, but she was nowhere to be found. Maybe Gaurav is right, he sighed in disappointement. Maybe I am imagining things. Just then an older woman with a pleasant smile approached him.

"Hello young man, welcome to our shop. I'm Mrs. Sexana, the owner. May I be of any help?" she asked.

"No...I mean yes...I mean I was looking for someone," stammered Preet.

"Aren't we all," Mrs. Sexana sighed wistfully.

"No, I mean...there was this girl," Preet tried to explain.

"Ah yes, you've come to the right place," smiled Mrs. Sexana. "There's nothing more a girl loves than getting flowers from a young man."

"You don't understand..." sighed Preet. "How should I explain this..."

"You don't have to say anything at all," said Mrs. Sexana. "You know what our motto is? Don't say it with words, say it with flowers. That's the name of our shop. I'll be happy to have a lovely bouquet readied for you."

"I don't think so," said Preet as he turned to leave.

"Wait young man," Mrs. Sexana called out. "Business has been so slow all week, surely you can't leave without buying some flowers. There must be someone you'd like to give them to."

The old woman was looking so imploringly at Preet that he hated to say no to her. "Well...I do have a dinner to go to tonight," he admitted. "I suppose I could take some flowers with me..."

"Perfect!" exclaimed Mrs. Sexena. "I'll have a lovely mix of flowers made up for you right away."

Preet nodded quietly as she walked to a room in the back of the shop.

In the room, Meher was putting away containers of flowers into the refrigerater. She smiled as her boss approached her.

"Oh Mrs. Sexana, I'm glad you're here," said Meher. "The last of the morning deliveries have been sent out, and I've finished cleaning up back here. The fresh flowers have all been sorted and put away in the refrigerator, and I placed the older ones in those buckets over there. It's kind of slow because it's a week day, so I doubt there will be any large orders placed this afternoon. If there isn't anything else, may I please be excused early today? You see my step-mother just called. We're expecting some very important guests this evening, and she needs my help at home."

"There is a customer outside who needs a bouquet made," said Mrs. Sexana. "Go and whip something up really quick and then you're free to go home after that."

"Alright," said Meher.

"Oh and Meher, put in some of the more expensive flowers," Mrs. Sexana instructed her. "He looks like he can afford it and I do have to pay my electric bill."

"Yes Mrs. Sexana," sighed Meher.

Meher had just begun work on her bouquet, when she got a call from Ashlesha. "Hey Ashlesha, where are you?"

"I'm heading inside the mall," said Ashlehsa. "You ready to go?"

"I've got one last customer to take care of," explained Meher. "Give me just 10 minutes and I'll be right out."

"Take your time," said Ashlesha, as she spotted a jewelry shop and began walking towards it. "I know exactly how to keep myself occupied."

In the shop a salesperson approached Ashlesha and offered to help her. She nodded and took a seat in front of one of the jewelry cases. "Show me some pendants...no...on 2^nd thought, show me some earrings," she said. The salesman showed her one pair of earrings after another but she didn't like any of them. "No No...this is so last year...show me some new designs," she insisted.

The salesperson nodded and was about to reach for some other pieces of jewelry, when Ashlesha spotted the earrings Preet had purchased for Veera. "Now that is a beautiful set of earrings!" she exclaimed. "They look expensive too. I'll take them!"

"I'm afraid those have already been sold," the salesperson explained. "And they were one of a kind."

"Perfect!" cried Ashlesha. "I don't want to wear what everyone else is wearing anyway."

"Yes, but like I told you, these have already been sold," the salesman said apologetically.

"I don't care. I still want them," insisted Ashlesha. "I tell you what, I'll pay you twice the price of the earrings."

"I'm afraid not," said the salesperson.

"Three times the price," offered Ashlesha.

"I'm sorry, but it would be against our store policy," said the salesperson. "We can't sell something if it's already been sold to someone else."

"Oh fine!" frowned Ashlesha. However, her frown was soon replaced by a sly grin. "Look, I know you've sold those earrings, but can you at least show them to me up close so that I can get a better look at them?"

The salesman thought for a minute.

"Please...", pleaded Ashlesha.

"I guess there is no harm in that," sighed the salesman. He handed the box with the earrings to Ashlesha.

"Ooo...they are so lovely", she cooed. She took an earring, held it up to her ear, and glanced happily at her reflection in the mirror. "And they look so good on me. It's as if they were made with me in mind." She placed the earring back in its box, snapped it shut, and then took out a bundle of cash from her purse and dropped it on the counter. "I'll take them!"

"Hey you can't do that!" exclaimed the salesman.

"I just did!" laughed Ashlesha.

"But they've already been bought by someone else!" cried the salesman.

"I don't see anyone here," said Ashlesha looking around.

"That's because he stepped away for a few minutes," explained the salesman.

"Well then his loss is my gain," laughed Ashlesha.

"Ma'am, why don't you understand, this isn't right!" cried the salesman. "If you don't give them back I'll be forced to..." He tried to take the box from Ashlesha but she pulled it back out of his reach.

"Did you just say that you'll use force?" demanded Ashlesha in a voice loud enough for other customers and staff to take notice. "How rude?! Is this how you behave with paying customers?! Will you snatch an item I already paid you for from my hands?!"

"Ma'am please...," pleaded the salesman. "Please keep your voice down."

"I will not keep my voice down!" cried Ashlesha. "My father could buy me this entire store if I wanted and you're arguing with me over a tiny pair of earrings! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"A spoiled rich girl with absolutely no manners," said Preet.

Ashlesha swung around only to come face to face with Preet and Gaurav. "Tum (you)!" she said in surprise.

"Yes...me. And those earrings are mine," Preet glared at her.

"What do you want with a pair of earrings?" asked Ashleha. She looked at Gaurav with a raised brow and chuckled. "Don't tell me they're for your boyfriend."

"Not that it's any of your business," Preet said flatly. "But they're a birthday present for my sister."

"Oh...", said Ashlesha. She looked at the earrings then looked at Preet. "Look, I really like these earrings. Why don't you let me have them, and you can pick something else out for your sister? I mean, these are a one of a kind design and..."

"I know, and that's why I bought them," Preet said with his hand outstretched. "Now give them back."

"I'll pay you more than what you paid for them," pleaded Ashlesha.

"No," Preet said firmly.

"Ugh! Why are you making such a big deal out of this? Why can't you just let me have them?! I mean, your sister won't know what she missed out on...," reasoned Ashlesha.

"No," Preet said again.

"But...," tried Ashlesha.

Preet pulled out his phone and a piece of paper from his pocket. "If you don't hand those earrings over to me right away, I'll call the police," he frowned. "I'll be happy to show them the receipt showing I paid for them, and you'll be charged with stealing." He glanced over at the salesman. "We can add harassment of sales staff and disturbance of the peace to the list too."

Ashlesha frowned but continued to clutch the box with the earrings. Just then she saw Meher waving to her frantically from outside the shop's glass windows.

"You want to settle this down at the police station? Fine...," continued Preet. He began to dial a number on his phone.

Ashlesha looked at Meher jumping up and down trying to get her attention, then looked back at Preet. "Ugh! Fine...take them!" She tossed the jewelry box at Preet and ran out the store to meet Meher.

"Geez Ashlesha! What's wrong with you?" cried Meher, as her friend joined her. "Main tumhe kab se haat hila rahi thi (I was trying to get your attention for so long)."

"Meher you'll never believe it, I saw the most perfect set of earrings, but that mean guy from the restaurant bullied me into giving them up!" complained Ashlesha.

"Mean guy? What mean guy?" asked Meher.

"You know...the one whose friend spilled ice cream on me the other day," explained Ashlesha.

"Hai Rabba (Good Lord)!" said Meher, as she slapped her forehead in frustration. "You're always getting into fights with someone or the other."

"If only you had seen the earrings, you'd go gaga over them too," Ashlesha said with a pout.

"Ashlesha, would you please think of someone else for a change...like me, your friend, for instance," pleaded Meher. "Kuljeet-Ma has already called 3 times to find out if we're on our way home or not. She just told me it's Papaji's boss that's coming home for dinner. If everything isn't ready by the time he gets home I'll be in a lot of hot water and Papaji will be embarrassed in front of his guest. There is no way I'm going to let that happen. Ab chalo (Now let's go)!"

Gaurav watched through the jewelry store's glass front as Meher dragged Ashlesha away. He shook his head and turned back to his friend, who was busy writing down the address to where he wanted the earrings sent.

"I can't believe you made such a fuss over a pair of earrings," said Gaurav.

"Not just any pair of earrings," Preet corrected him. "They're Veera's birthday present. She's turning 21 you know. I can't be there in person on her special day, so I wanted to send her something really nice."

"You just have it in really bad for that particular girl, don't you?" chuckled Gaurav.

"You're complaining after the way she treated you at the restaurant in Ambala?" Preet asked in surprise. "Gaurav, she had no right to try to take something that didn't belong to her. It was a matter of principle".

"Hey, I'm with you all the way," said Gaurav. "So...um...I guess since Veera is your baby sister that makes her my baby sister too."

"Just what are you getting at?" asked Preet.

"Is there room on that gift card for my name?" grinned Gaurav.

Originally posted by: kksoap

so adorable and lovely ❤️ Fatima 👏

Originally posted by: AASUS

Hi Fatima yaaay Xmas gift from you Love you 🤗

Page 73

Wow I just love the update 😆 So far story is going so well,😃

At the office the intro is quite hilarious. Gaurav is PB's look alike 😲 I didn't know. I thought u just like the name. 😆

Gaurav Sherma is not a name I made up...that was the name of Prem's character in Kis DEsh when he was pretending to lose his memory. That's why I use that name and that's why I have people say that he looks alot like Prem, because he does. 😆

Preet is absolutely wonderful in office scene. Convos were fab.👍🏼

Preet has kind heart - thinking of all employees and also observing how eager they are to come back to work.

Aww Preet loves PB 🤗 ok I see later on he talks about Bauji to Gaurav so we know he thinks about his dad a bit.😆

Preet loves Prem and Heer, and hates his father...we'll learn more as the story goes on.

Balraj he says everything that's supposed to be said to Preet. Inviting to his home. But I still don't like him. :P

Preet met Meher on his own - he doesn't really need Meher's dad's invite *smug smike*

Ummm so we the true Veera - ok I know she never think much of Heer and pretty much looks down in show, Here she's similar too😲 Heer invites old ppl 🤣 for party and Kul Di is the right hand woman? Seriously 😲 Their age difference is that much huh oh dear!

Veera is exaggerating here because she wants Preet to come back for her party. The age difference is not so much...Heer is around 5 or 6 years older than Preet and 8 years older than Veera...but Preet and Veera are under the impression that her priority is to see them settle down and so she would invite "aunties".

Hahaha Ash is this bad 😲😆 Sigh I actually liked her - but not after the way she behaved with Preet. :( The entire scene was hilarious Fatima. Sure I hated Ash for it😆 but fun to see her tantrums - just increasing by the minute.😆

Ash is someone who is thoroughly spoiled and only thinks of herself.

Ummm so we see

Aww the florist lady is sweet and she's focused on sales. I guess she thinks it's fair may be thinks Preet is rich guy.

So bouquet Meher made - her step mom will receive or Ash. I doubt either of them will let Meher get any type of gift hmm.

Gaurav wants to add his name - don't blame him. If he buys something Veera is likely to make fun of it.

It was fun reading. Laughed a lot 🤗