Fatima's Cozy Corner 2 - Link to New Corner on Pg 152 :) - Page 107

Fatima I was thinking about your update then thought it's best to wait until you're better.
We will wait until u get better 🥳 You shouldn't be afraid of anyone we are not running any where. 🤡

Absolutely right what Athi is saying...Fatima first your health, we are all here always <3

Chapter 25 - Borrowing Time

A few days later...

Preet was sitting at a desk in the family study of the Juneja mansion. Several files lay open before him, but his eyes were focused on his phone instead. No Answer. Again! He tossed his phone to one side in disgust. He had been trying to reach Meher for the past several days, but she wasn't answering. In fact, no one at her home was answering. On top of that, Mrs. Saxena had informed him that she was no longer working at Say It With Flowers. Sam had no clue of her whereabouts either. So where was she? Preet exhaled loudly in frustration then began to pour his full concentration on the files before him.

A short while later, Prem walked into the room with a small stack of papers in his hand and sat down in the chair opposite Preet. "So, did you find anything?" he asked pointing to the files lying open in front of him.

"A lot of bad choices by Bauji," remarked Preet. "I bet you warned him against them, but then he's not a very good listener is he?"

"I was referring to the last few bids we lost," sighed Prem. "We've lost 3 in a row, all to Rishap Rampal. I don't know how he does it. I did all the research and prepared all the figures for the last one myself, and yet he still managed to out bid us. We must be doing something wrong."

"Well, there may be something," said Preet. "I looked over all our previous bids and compared them to the data our sources gave us about Mr. Rampal's bids. Everything looks solid from our end, and it turns out each time we underbid every single competitor, except one."

"Rishap Rampal," said Prem. "That's old news."

"Yes," nodded Preet. "But what's odd is how narrow the margin has been each time. I mean take a look at this. He pointed to some figures in the file. "The last contract, he outbid us by just 100 Rupees."

"You're kidding," said Prem, as he picked up the file to take a closer look.

"It may sound like something out of a movie PB, but it's almost as if he's got someone working on the inside to tip him off about our bids," said Preet.

"What did you say?" said Prem.

"I think he may have someone tipping him off," suggested Preet. "That would explain how his bids are so darn close to ours. Have you hired any staff recently?"

"We hire and fire people all the time," said Prem. "But it's definitely something worth looking into. Listen Preet, do me a favor and don't say anything about this to Bauji. I mean, not until we have something concrete to go on. He's under a lot of stress these days and there's no point in giving him any more unless..."

"How can I not be stressed out!" declared Lalit as he and Herman walked into the room. Lalit glared angrily at Preet. "I just got off the phone with Rishap Rampal. He wanted to know what your intentions are regarding his daughter. Veera's engagement is just 2 days away. I have to tell him something or we'll lose this golden opportunity."

"Tell him no," Preet said flatly.

"Why you!" cried Lalit. He made a motion to run towards Preet.

Preet and Prem immediately stood up, while Herman held their father back.

"Bauji please, calm down," said Herman.

"How can you expect me to calm down Herman?" demanded Lalit. "I'm about to lose everything I've worked for and this ullu ka patta (moron) just shrugs his shoulders and says to tell Rishap Rampal No'!"

"Bauji, maybe we can work something out," suggested Prem.

"There is nothing to work out Prem!" cried Lalit. "Stop behaving like an ostrich with his head buried in the sand! You know what the reality on the ground is! Everyone in the business community has turned their backs on us! No one wants to touch a sinking ship! You're delusional if you think something is going to miraculously happen overnight to change it! There is only one thing that can save us in a timely manner, but this laad saab (spoiled brat) here refuses to step in and do the right thing for his family! Then again, what can I expect from someone who has never done anything purposeful with his life!"

"That was uncalled for Bauji," Preet said gritting his teeth.

"Was it?" scoffed Lalit. "Then prove it! Prove that you are worth something to this family by saying yes to the Rampal's proposal."

"I wouldn't have to prove anything, if you knew how to run a business," Preet shot back.

Lalit again lunged for Preet, but both Prem and Herman held him back.

"There's not going to be any announcement about me and Ash, because my answer to your deal is 'No'," Preet continued defiantly. "My answer has always been 'No' and it will remain 'No'. If I'm ever going to get married it's to Meher. No one else, and that's final. I won't put my heart on the line because you don't know how else to cover up your mistakes."

"You idiot! I'll teach you a thing or 2 about how to speak to your father!" cried Lalit.

"Go ahead and hit me," Preet challenged his father. "What else can you do?"

"Let me go!" cried Lalit, as he struggled against Herman and Prem.

"Bauji please!" pleaded Herman. "Preet is a grown man, not a 6 year old. You're not going to convince him to do what you want by putting him down all the time."

"Preet! Ab toh bhi chup reh (You also hold your tongue)!" ordered Prem.

"Fine!" cried Lalit as he took a deep breath and stepped back from his sons. "I apparently don't know how to do anything right these days, so you 2 convince him to change his mind."

"Look Preet," sighed Herman. "No one in this family is in favor of forcing you to marry someone you don't want to just to save the business."

Preet glanced towards his father then threw his brother a skeptical look.

"However, no one in this family wants to lose the business either," said Herman. "Maybe there's a way we can have our cake and eat it too."

"What are you talking about?" asked Prem.

"Veera's engagement is only 2 days from today," said Herman. "A lot of our business associates, investors and important clients will be there that night. I propose we take the opportunity to announce that Preet and Ashlesha's engagement will take place...in 6 months."

"What?! No way!" cried Preet.

"Wait a minute Preet," said Herman. "I'm not saying that you should marry the girl, just give the Rampals and everyone else the impression that you are. The announcement alone will create tidal waves in the business community. Investors who were sitting on the fence will come over to our side. It will also buy us some time to see if some of the deals we have in the pipeline are going to come to fruition."

"Well now, finally someone is beginning to talk some sense here," smiled Lalit. "That sounds very reasonable Herman. Very reasonable indeed."

"No it doesn't," Preet shook his head. "If I don't want anyone playing with my future, how can I toy with Ashlesha's? I may not like the girl, but I won't lead her on like that. It's not fair."

"You hear that!" roared Lalit. "He won't agree to anything at all! We're doomed I tell you. And it will be all your fault Preet! All your fault!" He pointed an accusing finger at his youngest son, then stomped out of the room.

"Why did you have to do that?" Herman asked Preet. "You know how anxious Bauji is about this proposal, and it only adds to his stress because you're either defiant or avoid him completely. You could have said yes, and gotten him off your back for 6 months, while buying us the time we need."

"I already told you it wouldn't be fair to use Ashlesha like that," said Preet. "More importantly, what would I say to Meher? She is Ashleha's cousin. She's already rejecting me to save the family business, if I use her cousin as a doormat, she'll think I'm a complete low-life! Besides, what's to keep Bauji from continuing to blow away any investment anyone makes with more of his bad decisions? Will he then be making deals with one of his grandchildren's future?"

"Everything is really messed up," sighed Prem.

"Yeah well...I'm afraid they just got worse. This came by courier earlier today," said Herman. He pulled out an envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to Prem.

"What is it?" asked Prem as he opened the envelope and pulled out a letter.

"We just lost another bid," sighed Herman. "Any guesses, to whom?"

"Rishap Rampal," Prem said as he crumpled the letter in his hand then threw a worried glance at Preet.

"It's ridiculous isn't it," said Herman. "That's the 4^th time in a row he's beat us. It's like he knows our every move."

"It's funny you should say that," said Prem. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Bauji, but Preet and I were reviewing our old files to see if we could figure out what we were doing wrong. He picked up on a pattern of consistently close bids made by the Rampal Corporation. Some undercutting us by as little as 100 rupees. He doesn't think it's a coincidence, and after this new loss, neither do I."

"What do you mean? You think someone on the inside is giving him information about our bids?" asked Herman. "One of our employees? I mean, there is always turnover in a large coorperation like ours, but we put all new staff members through rigorous background checks, and our older staff is very loyal."

"I'm not accusing anyone per se," said Preet. "But the Rampals' bids have consistently been too close to ignore them as just chance. There's no harm in looking over the employees who had access to our company information and making sure everyone is on the up and up. You never know, there may be someone new...or even a disgruntled old employee with some grievances."

"I agree, there's no harm in checking," said Prem. "At this point we can't afford to take a chance with anyone."

"Speaking of afford," sighed Herman. "I don't mean to pressure you Preet, but there are only 2 days until Veera's engagement, and a month before her wedding. An announcement about you and Ash in between would help us a lot more than suspecting our employees. It may not seem fair to use their daughter like that, but if the Rampals are using someone on the inside of our company, as you suspect, well then, we're just borrowing a page from their playbook."

Preet grew quiet in thought.

Herman placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "At least think about it, he pleaded. "Oh...before I forget, Heer Bhabi and Kulraj Didi need our help."

Later that day...

Preet was pacing in his room. What to do? What to do? He wondered. Should he agree to Herman Bhai's idea? His gut feeling was telling him not to, but it would get his father off his back. More importantly, it would buy his family some much needed time. It wouldn't be fair to use Ash. But then again, her family didn't play fair when it came to business either. Besides, she was Rishap Rampal's daughter. There were probably a 100 guys ready to step in the minute he walked out of the picture. What about Meher? He would have to first make her understand that none of this was going to be real. His intention was not to hurt her cousin, it was just going to be a temporary fix to help his family. Six months, and then they could be together. He would agree to Herman Bhai's idea only if Meher would understand. He picked up the phone and dialed her number. No answer. Damn! What would he do if he couldn't speak to her? Skipping out on the wedding preparations again by making the 5 hour drive to Ludhiana or even catching a flight would definitely not make Heer Bhabi happy. He had no idea if Meher was coming to Veera's engagement on Saturday. Everything was so screwed up!

Just then there was a knock on his door.

"Hey," smiled Heer. "Got a minute?"

"Uh...yeah, I know you asked me to make sure we booked the right DJ for the party," sighed Preet. "I'll give him a call right now."

"Actually, I stopped by for something else," smiled Heer. "Guess what I got in the mail today?"

"Another bill for Veera's wedding," joked Preet.

"Yeah well...aside from that," chuckled Heer.

"I don't know, what?" asked Preet.

"An R.S.V.P. from a very special person," smiled Heer, as she waved a small card in her hand.

"Let me guess, one of your childhood friends is coming for the wedding and you want me to add her name to the list of guests that need to be picked up from the airport," guessed Preet.

"Wrong," said Heer. "It's from the Maans. It says they'll be here on Saturday! Isn't that great?!"

"Let me see that!" cried Preet as he snatched the card from her hands and looked it over thoroughly. "It is from them! They are coming! Meher is coming! Do you realize what that means?!"

"That you and Meher have patched up, and you'll be able to see her again," said Heer.

"Yes," smiled Preet. "Thanks a lot Bhabi, you don't know how much this means to me."

"Hey the real credit goes to Meher for accepting our invitation. I'm just the bearer of good news," smiled Heer. "Anyway, I'm glad to see that frown you've been wearing all day finally turn upside down." She ruffled his hair lovingly then walked out of the room.

Preet watched his sister-in-law leave then looked at the card he was holding in his hand and smiled again. Yes, this was the 1^st piece of good news he had gotten all day. But how could he explain to his sister-in-law or or anyone else that it meant so much more than that? He had told Meher that he was going to make an announcement about them and wanted her by his side when he did. Her coming meant she had finally decided to quit denying her feeling for him and accept his proposal! Of course, there was going to be a slight change in plans now, but at least Meher would be there, and it would be a lot easier to explain things to her in person.

Two days later...

Preet stood on the top of the stairs chewing nervously on one end of the dupatta of his fancy wedding outfit, as he watched the guests slowly pour into his family's luxury hotel for Veera's engagement party. He checked his watch. The party was in full swing but there was no sign of the Maans or Meher anywhere. Where is she? He wondered. He had to talk to her and tell her about the compromise he had made with his father before she heard about it from someone else.

He went back to chewing on his dupatta when his sister Kulraj passed by. "Bhook lag rahi kya (Are you feeling hungry)?" she joked. "Why don't you go down and eat something?"

"No Kul di, I'm not really hungry," sighed Preet.

"Preet Juneja not hungry, since when did you start suffering from a loss of appetite?" teased Kulraj. "Wait a minute, this is something serious. There must be a girl involved, right?"

Preet threw his sister a pained smile.

"Heer mentioned you were finally serious about someone," continued Kulraj. "Apparently everyone except me has met her. Is she coming tonight?"

"Kul Di...I really don't want to get into this right now," sighed Preet. Just then he saw the Rampals make their entry. Not too far behind them were the Maans, Sam's family, and Gaurav. Although he couldn't see her yet, he knew Meher couldn't be far behind.

"Lekin Preet...," said Kulraj.

"Sorry Di, I've got to go," said Preet, as he excused himself from his sister and raced down the stairs. He had to get to Meher immediately.

Preet had just reached the bottom of the stairs when he bumped into another young man. "Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," smiled the young man.

Preet tried to walk past him, when he extended his hand and offered it to Preet.

"You're Preet Juneja right?" asked the young man. "Congratulations on your sister's engagement."

"Thanks," Preet gave him a soft smile and shook his hand. Medium built, golden hair, and semi-rimless glasses. The young man looked awfully familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"I'm Viren by the way," smiled the young man. "We've met before, at Dev Dutt's wedding, remember?"

Oh yeah, Preet thought. No wonder he looked so familiar. This was the same jerk that had been ogling Meher. What was he doing here? "I didn't know you knew Veera," Preet said with a raised brow. "Or are you a friend of Nihal's?"

"Neither," chuckled Viren. "But don't worry, I'm not some wedding crasher. My family and I are guests of the Rampals."

Why were the Rampals taking the liberty of inviting their personal acquaintances to a private function being held by the Junejas? Frowned Preet. They were expecting an announcement about him and Ash. Maybe that's the reason. In any case, this Viren guy had better stay away from Meher this time or else! Meher! He had to find her! "Right...I...uh...I've got something important to take care of. Excuse me."

It took some time to locate her through the crowd of guests wandering the banquet hall, but as soon as Preet saw her, he stopped in his tracks and stared at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. She was dressed in a gorgeous turquoise blue and white lengha sari with zari work in floral and paisley patterns embroidered on the fall, neckline and shoulders. Her long brown hair had been left open and cascaded in waves over her shoulders down to her waistline. Light jewelry and make-up accentuated her already pretty features. He always knew Meher was a beautiful girl, but tonight she looked absolutely stunning. There was no other word to describe her. She was standing in a corner trying to look interested in the conversation Sam and Gaurav were having, but the way she was wringing her hands hinted at the her state of nervous anticipation.

"Hey Cinderella, you finally made it to the ball," smiled Preet. He walked up to her without taking his eyes of her face, and took her hand in his. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you look tonight?"

Meher blushed a deep shade of red as her gaze darted from Preet to her friends. She slowly pulled her hand back and used it to push some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Um...Preet please, I need to talk to you," she said. "It's very important."

"I have to talk to you too," agreed Preet. "But not here. Come with me."

Gaurav smiled at Sam and cleared his throat. "Thanks for acknowledging our presence man," he joked.

"Sam, Gaurav...Hi...," Preet smiled apologetically. "You guys don't mind do you? I really need to speak to Meher in private."

"Of course," smiled Sam. "We understand completely."

Preet thought for a minute. He could take Meher upstairs to one of the changing rooms his family had used to get ready. No one would disturb them there. He took Meher by the hand and began to leading her through the maze of guests, when Kulraj and Heer stopped them.

"Meher," cried Heer as she hugged the young girl. "I'm so glad you decided to come tonight. This is Kulraj. Preet's elder sister. Kulraj Didi. This is Meher."

"So we finally meet," grinned Kulraj. "Heer can't stop singing your praises. And you're even more beautiful than she described. Good going bro." Meher's face turned red as Kulraj nudged Preet teasingly with her elbow. "Just look at her Heer, she's blushing! There is nothing sweeter than young love. Well Meher, I hope you and I can become good friends too."

"Ji...uh...woh..." stammered Meher.

"Kul Di, I'm sure you and Meher will become the best of friends, but if you don't mind, right now, I've really got to talk to her," said Preet. He quickly walked away pulling Meher along with him before his sister could protest.

As the young couple continued on their way, they came under Lalit Juneja's notice. "What the hell is that girl doing here?" He fumed.

"I invited her," Daljeet said matter of factly, as she came up behind him.

"You invited her? Why? Do you have any idea who she is?" demanded Lalit.

"She's my step-niece, and Preet and Ashlesha's friend," replied Daljeet.

"Friend? Hmph! More like a wolf in sheep's clothing!" cried Lalit. "Do you realize that she is the reason my son has been refusing to marry your daughter?!"

"Relax Prah Ji," smiled Daljeet. "After tonight she will be of little consequence to us.

"But...," tried Lalit.

"I said relax Prah Ji," insisted Daljeet. "Come, let's get you a drink and let's go find Rishap. I'm sure he would love to talk to you about an investment he's just dying to make."

Preet and Meher had just reached the base of the stairs when they ran into Ashlesha.

"Hey you 2, where are you going?" she smiled. "Isn't this a great party? Everyone who is anyone is here!"

"Ash, this is really not a good time," sighed Preet. He tried to get past her, but she stopped him.

"I'm sure you're happy your friend is here tonight Preet," smiled Ashlesha. She noticed Preet holding Meher's hand and her smile was replaced with a questioning look.

Meher saw the change in her expression and immediately pulled her hand free of Preet's grip.

"Uh...you...you should really thank me and mom, you know," continued Ashlesha. "If it weren't for us, Meher and her family wouldn't even be here."

"What are you talking about?" asked Preet as he glanced from Ashlesha to Meher.

"They've been staying at my house for the past few days," explained Ashlesha. "Mom even bought Meher her outfit. How else do you think she could have afforded something so expensive to wear?"

Daljeet was Meher's step-aunt but she had never been close to her. Why was she suddenly being so generous? Wondered Preet.

"So Preet, tell me...how do I look?" asked Ashlehsa. She turned around slowly so he could get a good look at her evening gown, but he wasn't interested. "Mom wanted me to dress all predictable and traditional like Meher, but I had my dress flown in from Paris just for the occasion. Isn't it great?"

Before Preet could answer, there was some commotion at the top of the stairs. All eyes looked up to see Veera standing there with a wide grin on her face. Heer and Kulraj were by her side. Ashlesha also hurried up the steps to help walk her down. Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd, as the guests marveled over how beautiful the bride to be looked, as well as tried to guess how much her designer dress must have cost.

Just then Herman and Maya walked up to Preet.

"Preet, where have you been?" asked Herman. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Who invited you here?" Maya asked Meher sternly. Not waiting for a response, she turned to Preet and frowned. "I hope you weren't going anywhere, because it's time to lead Veera to the stage. Nihal and Prem Jiju are already waiting there for her. It's showtime Preet. Your sister...and your family needs you."

"I'll be there in a minute," said Preet. He turned to Meher and put his hands on her shoulders. "Meher, I was hoping to get to talk to you, but I guess it's not going to happen. I want you listen to me very carefully. Nothing that happens tonight is going to be for real. I'll explain everything to you as soon as I can, but for now you're just going to have to trust me." Reluctantly he let her hand go and walked off in the direction of the stage.

FANTASTIC UPDATE FATIMA!!!!

Now, this was a totally 'Dhamaka' update.

Finally a ray of hope that Mr. Rampal will be caught and Juneja's will get deals to crack again. Oh moreover, I totally loved the fact that Preet did not want to play with Ashlesha's life. Proves, what a wonderful soul he is.

I love this episode because finally Preet could at least say something before leaving, so maybe no more great misunderstandings in future at least and the biggest reason for loving this episode is, MEHER BLUSHED ON PREET'S WORDS AND PREET'S FAMILY'S APPROACH. ONE MORE THING, SHE LET PREET GRAB HER HAND TOO :D All these are like truly so wonderful. First time I felt Meher and Preet are in a relationship.

But I do have a feeling that Daljeet is upto marrying off Meher to Viren.

Love you Fatima ❤️ You are great my Meet soul sister. Hugs and kisses.

Originally posted by: lazychick.maria

FANTASTIC UPDATE FATIMA!!!!

The whole update gave me goosebumps *again* 😲

So Preet might finds out the truth soon... who's cheating them...😲 way to go Preet!😎 Ok Viren yahaan kya kar raha hai... kuch garbar hai ... 😕🤔

The way Preet fights for his love is definitely epic!!! He tries to find a fair solution and not to use Ash, that would be unfair...way to go Preet! You rock!!!!😎

Loving him being so angry and so possessive about Meher *blush* 😳

When Preet saw Meher, awww such a love moment!

He wanted to talk with her but they got disturbed! ERFFF! 🥱

Can't wait for the next update, Is Preet going to accept that 6 months challenge, or is he going to tell everyone that he wants to cancel his engagement with Ash????😕 Oh no don't want the first option to happen!!!!!😕😕😕

Glad to see you back Fatima🤗

Originally posted by: Nikhad003

Now, this was a totally 'Dhamaka' update.

Finally a ray of hope that Mr. Rampal will be caught and Juneja's will get deals to crack again. Oh moreover, I totally loved the fact that Preet did not want to play with Ashlesha's life. Proves, what a wonderful soul he is.

I love this episode because finally Preet could at least say something before leaving, so maybe no more great misunderstandings in future at least and the biggest reason for loving this episode is, MEHER BLUSHED ON PREET'S WORDS AND PREET'S FAMILY'S APPROACH. ONE MORE THING, SHE LET PREET GRAB HER HAND TOO :D All these are like truly so wonderful. First time I felt Meher and Preet are in a relationship.

But I do have a feeling that Daljeet is upto marrying off Meher to Viren.

Love you Fatima ❤️ You are great my Meet soul sister. Hugs and kisses.

I m jyst nt lking d whole idwa abt preet ash engagement

Originally posted by: sherma

I m jyst nt lking d whole idwa abt preet ash engagement

I guess dakjit lied n gt meher in d engagement

N virennn,y is he bck . thnks fr pm.do cntinue soon

So little traffic on this thread...🥱