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"Tanuja!,'" Abishek Khuranna's voice rang over the phone that she had to move the phone a few inches away from her ear."Hah Sir ji, good afternoon too. What can i do for you?", she replied sarcastically.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry! It's very important,'he sounded tensed," I forgot the usb for today's meeting, it should be on the first bottom drawer on the right side of my bed. Please bring it over yourself. The meeting will start in 20 minutes."
Tanuja blink,"Uh-oh, i need to pick up Natasha from school. Can't you send one of the office messengers over?"
"I'm sorry really, everyone's indispensable at the moment. Please na?,"he pleaded.
She will be late if she dropped by at AK's office, not to mention that it was going opposite Natasha's school but she had no choice. She knew how much AK has been looking forward to this acquisition deal with someone he harbored a grudge for a long time, saying that person is the cause of his grief. She sighed in resignation. " Okay, expect me to be there soon. Bye!,"with it, she ended the call.
Hurriedly she gathered what she needed including the usb and headed for AK's office. It was located at a high rise in Mumbai downtown occupying the whole 8th floor. AK is a generous employer and always made sure one car stays in the house for her use. She sent a message to the principal's office that she might be late and to please see to her daughter's welfare for the moment while slowly backing the car out of the driveway.
AK called himself a fortunate man the day he impulsively helped Tanuja. It was on his way home from a disastrous date when his car hit something with a loud, sickening thud. The street was poorly lit when a figure came out of nowhere and while he tried his best to step on the brakes, the sudden jolt sent the car skidding sideways hitting the figure.. He immediately got out of the care and looked around to see what it was but what he saw were two youngsters who stopped on their tracks and are now retreating in the dark, a luggage on top of one of the boys' head fleeing. The headlights cast a bright light on the heap thrown a few feet from the car. Then he saw the long end of a red dupatta. It was a woman! He couldn't see her face properly but he saw what looked like liquid glistening under the woman's head. He tried waking her but she has been knocked out flat cold and it seems the wound above her eye was a bad one with blood profusely flowing. He crouched and picked her up, settling her on the front seat buckling her in.
He drove as fast as he can to the nearest hospital emergency while calling on a doctor friend of the family who happened to work there. Luckily there weren't much patient when they were taken to the ER. When the woman finally regained consciousness, she only stared at them and would not speak. AK now understood that she has been mugged and was trying to get away when she ran across his car. There was no way to identify her except call the police. It was the lady cop's gentle persuasiveness wherein the woman answered some questions including her name but kept mum when prodded deeply. When asked about her address and family, she only blink and stared ahead. The doctor suspected she may have a mild case of selective amnesia caused by the accident. And then came the surprising news that she was pregnant. It was a miracle the baby did not suffer from the accident.That did it!
AK, the shrewd businessman that he is, took matters on his own hands. He asked permission from the police and hospital to take her home and left them his contact details should any one come find or ask about her. There was no need for media announcement since nothing was known about her, at least until she got better. And as she got better, they settled into a routine of the woman called Tanuja taking care of him as a live-in personal assistant. He initially meant for it to be temporary but when the cute little girl they named Natasha was born, AK knew he will never want to let the mother and daughter go, related or not.
AK's reminiscing was cut short when his phone rang. It was Tanuja.
"Hello dear," his good mood was back on upon seeing the call.
"Acha! Meri baat sonu, i'm already here in the parking lot but i won't go up to your suite. I'm going to leave this at the information desk and please ask someone to come and get it." she fired away," i don't want to be late to fetch Natasha."
"Okay, thanks a lot and take care on your way." his tone turns naturally sugary whenever it is for Natasha's well-being.
Rushing towards the building, Tanuja almost collided with a well-dressed man who was also hurrying when the automatic glass door opened. Without looking at the other party, she bobbed her head in acknowledgement and muttered a whisper of 'I'm sorry".
Rishi Singh Bedi came prepared to face this new player in town named Abishek Khurana. RSB has only read about him in the rotary magazines. It seems the guy inherited his fortune from his parents who died an untimely death 10 years earlier. He is prepared to double the amount, even triple, if he won't give in to the bank's suggestion. Bedi Enterprises needs to make this company takeover or else Poorab might appear to bid and cause more complications. Today was the designated meeting.
He has five minutes left to meet the man. The empty space on the parking lot his driver was eyeing as they approached the building was smoothly taken over by a black car and he had the urge to shout at it but forced himself to remain calm and save his breath for the meeting ahead. Instead, he opted to climb out of the car right there and told the driver to wait for his call. Picking up his briefcase, he walked long strides a few feet behind a woman who looked like she was racing for the door. A faint familiar citrus scent caught his nostrils causing him to wrinkle his nose instinctively and made him inhale. It seems everyone is in a hurry, he thought to himself, as he noticed he was almost instep with the woman. And when the glass door started to part, they both tried to step inside, bumping quite forcefully by the shoulder which caused the woman to drop a small envelope she was holding.
"I'm sorry." She said just enough for him to hear.
Her voice! There was no mistaking about it. And the smell of fresh orange blossom came from her. He looked at the woman who had bent down to retrieve the fallen packet and recognized that long, flowing silky hear.
"TANUJA!", he exclaimed in pained shock and recognition. The woman abruptly straightened and looked at her with bewildered expression
Without a thought of what he was about to do, he grabbed her both by the arm to embrace her but the woman resisted and pushed him away.
"Who are you?" The woman looked confused as she backed away from him. There was no recollection in her face and the packet left forgotten on the floor...
*This is how i imagined the first meeting š³
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
