MG | Protect The Boss | Ch.28, pg 48 [20/02] - Page 10

Sipping his 3rd cup of Starbucks, Maan leafed through the papers in front of him in his office, nothing sinking in.

"I can't make a mockery out of myself in this meeting like I did in the last one...," he muttered to no one in particular.

His mind wandered off as he imagined being shipped off to a foreign country by his father, where he lived with little money, no technology & had his privileges stripped away. The mere thought of not seeing his iPhone again caused him to subconsciously grip it in his hand, never wanting to let go of his second most prized possession..

Right on cue to snap him out of his thoughts, Geet walked in, wearing trousers and a honey coloured sweater. The colour matches her eyes, he thought yet they were hidden by shades that were two sizes too big for her.

"Did they run out of shades your size?" he mocked as she sat down before him.

"So hilarious," she said wryly. "These are my hangover glasses, specifically designed to block out all light from tired eyes & banging headaches."

"Then I believe you owe me a coffee, he smirked. "Remember our deal?"

"Fine, fair dos, but you need to get this meeting over & done with first. Are you prepared?"

"Nowhere near-"

He spotted Manish stalking towards them at an incredibly quick pace and sat up straight. Geet frowned at his strange behaviour when the office door opened & Manish's familiar, overpowering scent of cologne was wafted through.

She whipped her shades off & threw them under the desk, as she stood up to face the CEO.

"Maan. It's time, he announced, before walking away.

Maan visibly gulped as he grabbed his file.

"Good luck!" she whispered as she watched her boss leave, his face a contortion of worry & doom.

...

"Now remember what I told you earlier," Pammi said as she fixed Dev's tie before their entrance into the boardroom. "Whatever he says-"

"I contradict it."

"Good, but not to a point where we look suspicious. Just look for loopholes to knock him down, whilst maintaining your business acumen at the same time."

She smirked at her son. "I knew you were the answer to Khurana Constructions being ours."

...

After what had been an intense 2 hour meeting, Manish & Maan left the office, the latter still in a state of shock.

"Well done son, much better presented & handled than last time."

"Uh, thanks, Dad." He had been so underprepared, it was unbelievable. But somehow Maan managed to lead the meeting through effectively without looking like a douche, as had been his previous experiences in the past.

"I'm glad you're learning & taking my words seriously. Don't worry about Dev and his interference, he's just being pulled on the strings by Pammi. At the end of the day, I get the final say in what happens at KC."

...

After narrating Maan's surprising success at the meeting to his mother, Dev clenched his fists as he prepared for the worst.

But to his surprise, Pammi swung around in her chair, her chin balanced on her perfectly manicured hand, with a look of composure.

"Even better. See the bigger picture, my Devendra. See the bigger picture."

...

Geet was filing loose papers & organising them into cabinets when Maan came through the door, looking dazed.

"Maan?"

"It went... well."

"That's great," she beamed. "Why are you so surprised?"

"I wasn't ready for it, he flopped down onto his chair, undoing his tie.

"Sometimes too much preparation can be a downfall. You have to strike the right balance. Know your facts, but be relaxed."

"But I'd had a massive drinking session last night."

She bumped the cabinet shut with her hip. "I know, I was there."

He grimaced. "About last night-"

Geet waved a dismissive hand in the air. "You were drunk, I was drunk, yes it was awkward but let's forget about it. I'll make a note not to go to that bar next time," she said, half joking and half serious.

"I believe you owe me a coffee..."

She groaned. "Ugh, fine. Let's go before the lunchtime rush piles up."

...

Sasha was flicking through a mundane file when she bumped into something solid, sending the file out of her hands. She looked up & beamed at Dev, who adjusted his glasses.

"I'm sorry," she apologised, fluttering her eyelashes, which Dev wasn't immune to she knew that fact all too well. They both retrieved the papers, & Dev smiled at her before moving away, when he felt a hand on his arm.

"I need to ask you something."

...

"Frappucinos are my ultimate guilty pleasure."

Geet sipped happily into the delicious coffee, as she sat on a park bench with Maan, who was stirring his vanilla latte.

"So, how did you find Yash?" Maan asked. He didn't know why but he felt the need to find out Geet's opinion of his casanova friend.

"He's nice," she said, opening the lid & taking a sip. His gaze had been focused on her lips as she sipped, & when he realised where his eyes had travelled, he snapped his head away, glaring holes at his latte. "Not my type though. I think he hit it off with Pinky really well."

"That's good," he stated, relieved. He was convinced himself that he was relieved because he didn't want things to get messy if something had happened with Yash & Geet one being his friend, the other being his secretary.

A silence lingered between them, when Geet heard lively hubbub & light music over the sounds of the city.

"Do you hear that?" she asked him.

"Hear what?"

"Those noises... like a fairground." Her face lit up. "Do they have fairgrounds here?"

"They open it for a few weeks every year," he shrugged nonchalantly, drinking his latte.

Geet grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go."

"Are you crazy? We have work to do back at the office. You're supposed to be helping me become more motivated!"

"All work & no play makes a person very boring."

"But I hardly work," he admitted.

"So last time to play before you get serious," she grinned, as she led him away towards the sounds of the fairground.

...

"Sasha, why are we here again?" Dev asked his colleague as they sauntered through the fairground, pushing past the crowds of families and couples & groups of friends who came to enjoy the attractions.

"We're looking for a plot of land that Mr Manish is interested in buying. To get to the plot, we have to cut through the fairground, it's a shortcut," she looked up at him. "And maybe we can have a go on a few of the rides."

"That wouldn't wash well back at KC if we spent half of our working day on rollercoasters."

"No one needs to know," she purred.

...

"Oh my gosh, they have bumper cars!" Geet was like a kid in a sweet shop. Holding her ice cream in her hand, she beamed at the ongoings around her.

"You're acting like it's the first time you've been to a fairground."

"I haven't been to one since I was 11. She turned around to look at Maan, still walking. "We have to get candy-"

She bumped into someone. Maan's eyes widened, as did Dev's, as Geet found herself face to face with a fuming Sasha. Her ice cream had knocked into her shirt.

"Floss." Geet said quietly, as she awkwardly looked to the floor.