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EPISODE TWENTY-THREE
Next day Rahul took Riddhima with him to his office for the interview. As they reached the building his phone rang "Hello... kya... right now... alright... I will be there in 20 minutes" he closed his phone and turned towards Riddhima "Riddhima mujhe bank jana hai, something urgent has come up..."
"Koi baat nahi bhaiya main khud chali jaongi" she replied.
"theek hai... tu ek kaam kar, wo dekh" he pointed towards the huge high rise building on the other side of the road "Wo hai office... tujhe 6th floor pe jaana hoga... baaki ki details is file main hai..." he handed her a file.
"Alright..." she left his car
"All the best..." he wished her and drove away.
She saw his car disappear and turned towards the building. She waited for the traffic to slow down so that she could cross the road. An old woman was struggling to cross the road at some distance.
Walking towards her she asked the lady politely. "Excuse me" the lady turned towards her "Kya main aapki madad kar sakti hu Aunty?" she asked graciously.
"Wo... beti, mujhe sadak paar karni hai... lekin ye kambakht traffic" she spoke cursing the heavy traffic.
"Koi baat nahi main aapki madad karti hu... aap mera haath pakad lijiye aur ye bag mujhe de dijiye..." as the lady looked at her suspiciously, she smiled again "Aap chinta mat kijiye main leke bhagungi nahi... aur waise bhi aap mera haath bhi tp pakada hua hai... sadak paar karte hi wapis le lena... beech mein aapko problem hogi"
The lady smiled and handed her the bag. Holding her hand, Riddhima helped her cross the road. Riddhima gave back her bag, while the lady thanked and blessed her. Bidding a bye, Riddhima turned back towards the building and entered it after clearing the security.
It was a high-rise multi-story building, an amazing piece of Architecture built with a combination of neat cream walls and sparking navy blue glasses. The premises had a wonderfully maintained garden area decorated with thousands of flower bushes arranged in beautiful patterns. A huge Glow-Sign board around 15 ft tall stood at the top of the building which said "MARVELS - The Malik Empire" indicating its ownership.
She read the name as she walked through the concrete path directing towards the building entrance. As she stood in front of the big glass door at the main entrance, she took a deep breath and put her right foot forwards as instructed by Padma. Padma always asked her to put her right foot forward while entering some new and important place.
She went to the reception area and after making a visitor's entry in the register, she was given a temporary entry pass. Taking the pass with her she searched for the Elevator. She saw a pointer for the elevator and walked towards it. As she waited for the lift to open, a tall, fair and handsome man came and stood besides her.
Suddenly a small screen besides the elevator's door flashed and a message popped up.
"Lift Under Emergency Maintainance... Please use the stairs... We apologize for the inconvience caused - Maintainance Dept."
"Oh no..." she whined and looked at her watch. "Ab to jaroor late ho jaaongi" she looked around nervously to find the way to the stairs. The man saw her trying to find her way. As she glanced towards him and smiled, he smiled back and signaled towards her left. She saw the pointer indicating 'Stairs this way' and mouthed thank you to the gentleman.
Both moved to the stairs and climbed their way up.
"Good Morning..." Riddhima spoke in order to start a conversation. He smiled back in answer and nodded. Riddhima sighed relaxingly seeing a warm smile. "mera aaj interview hai yahan pe..." she informed. "aur apko pata hai, main late ho gayi hu... how stupid of me... bhaiya ko pata chala to bahut naraaz honge... Suna hai ye Marvels wale bahut punctual aur discipline ke bahut strict bhi hain..." as she said that his brow wrinkled while she kept blabbering "aur agar main late pahunchi to kahin wo log mera interview hi cancel na kar de... oh god... Sir... please pray for me... atleast wo mujhe interview to dene de... I swear to god I will never be late again... "
It was clear that she was nervous. No she was actually very-very-very nervous. She kept prattling and muttering some or the other things without any pause or waiting for an answer, while the gentleman kept listening to her patiently observing her cute, nervously animated face which kept changing expressions with every sentence she spoke. He had seen her on the road helping the old lady cross the road before entering the building premises.
After climbing 4 floors, the man started feeling restless. As Riddhima turned towards him still rattling her talks, she didnt see him walking besides her. She looked around to find him and saw him on one of the lower stairs at some distance bending downward. She realized that something is wrong. Immediately stroding towards him, she placed a hand on his shoulder to find him panting. "Sir... are you alright?" she asked worriedly.
He couldnt speak as his breath was lowering. She pulled his face up to see clearly and found his red eyes going dizzy. He was huffing as his breath shallowed further, he was sweating and his limbs looked as if they will give up any time.
She rubbed his back to calm him "Aapke paas pump hai?" she asked realizing he had an asthmatic attack. He nodded positively indicating towards his pocket.
She helped him sit on the stairs and slipped her hand in the inner pocket of his coat to search the pump. Finding the pump, she immediately pulled it out and placed it in front of his mouth, but when she pushed the pump lever, nothing came out. She shook it vigorously but nothing happened. She looked at him to find him struggling hard.
He pointed upstairs "My office... 7th floor..." he spoke with great efforts.
Hearing that, she dropped her bag there and ran upstairs.
As she entered 7th floor, she was stopped by a guard . "Kahan jaa rahi hain madam... ye restricted zone hai..."
"Bhaiya... wahan neeche ek buzurg hain... unki tabiyat theek nahi hai... please madad kijiye... its an emergency" she spoke hurriedly between her breath.
The guard glance her carefully and then nodded "Theek hai... chaliye..."
They strolled back towards the fourth floor. Riddhima literally ran downwards almost tripping a few times followed by the guard. They found the man sitting with his head bend down.
She sat besides him and held his head up "Sir... aap theek to hain?... guard bhaiya" she looked up at the guard.
The guard came down and gasped seeing the man's face "Sir aap?" he ran towards him and held him with his shoulder and placed one of his hand around his waist to help him up. Riddhima supported him from the other side and picked up her as well his bag. The guard punched in his card and they entered 5th floor. They helped the man sit on a couch placed in the waiting room.
Riddhima saw him still restless. She loosened his tie and opened 2 buttons of his shirt, and helped him took off his coat. She asked the guard "Bhaiya thoda gunguna paani mil sakta hai? Aur peene ka paani bhi, lekin jyada thanda nahi..."
"Jee main abhi lata hu" the guard went away. After a while he came back with a slightly warm water and another glass with normal drinking water "Ye lijiye..." he handed it to her.
Riddhima took it and looked around to find some cloth. Not finding anything, she held her dupatta and dipped in it the water and wiped gentleman's face with it. She rubbed his back trying to calm him. "Please kisi doctor ko bula dijiye" she spoke again.
The guard nodded and went to make a call.
She saw the guard talking to somebody on the phone from the helpdesk there.
"Sir... aap jaldi yahan 5th floor pe aa jaiye zaraa... Omang sir ki tabiyat achanak kahraab ho gayi hai..." the guard informed Atul.
"Oh god... Theek hai... tum unka dhyaan rakho... main abhi aata hu" he replied and ran downstairs while calling the doctor.
Riddhima made Omang drink some water and within few minutes he started feeling a little better. She asked him to lie down and relax.
The door flew open and Atul came there running. "Oh god... what happened?" he asked the guard seeing him standing besides Omang who was lying on the couch with his head on Riddhima's lap by now.
"Wo ab thoda theek hain..." she informed as Atul observed Omang. "his pump wasnt working, I guess it was empty... but you still call the doctor please..."
"I have already called one..." he spoke to the guard "Inhe upar le chalte hain"
"Nahi... abhi inhe yahin araam karne dijiye... it wont be good for him to walk right now and the lift isn't working" she interjected, while Atul nodded.
She placed Omang's head down on the couch and fixed his head properly "Umm... I am sorry... but I have to go... I have some important work..." she told Atul, who was still busy looking down at his father. Then bending down towards Omang she spoke "Sir... I need to go... you take rest... if I get time, I will come back to see you." Omang smiled and wished her good luck. She left to go to 6th floor where she had her interview.
As soon as she left Atul handed him his other pump and spoke "Dad... what happened?"
Omang told him that he had an attack as he was coming through the stairs. "Dad... this isnt right... and why did you took the stairs?"
"Arey wo maintainance walon ne lift block kar di thi" Omang informed him.
"Wo mujhe pata chal gaya hai... but, you know you have this problem... then why did you take the chance?"
"Bete aaj interviews hain... how could I skip them... waise bhi mujhe kya pata tha ki mera pump khatam ho jayega"
"But still, you know the doctors have strictly instructed you not to take any stress... aur agar lift mein problem thi, then you should have informed me... agar Armaan ko pata chala to jante hain na kya hoga?" he glared at his father.
"Arey nahi... Armaan ko kuch mat batana bhai... bekaar mein pareshaan ho jayega... achcha theek hai main aage se dhyaan rakhunga"
"hmm... aap ab relax kijiye... interviews main handle kar loonga. Chaho to aap 'Live cam' pe direct video observe karte rahna..."
"Theek hai... main andar se dekh loonga..." Omang agreed
"waise wo ladki kaun thi? I could see her face properly" Atul asked him.
"Pata nahi... shaayad koi visitor hai... tum jao apna kaam karo... itne saare logon ko wait karana theek nahi... main tab tak araam karta hu... abhi Doctor ka lecture bhi sunna baaki hai..."
"Theek hai... main upar jaake interviews shuru karta hu. Aap pahle doctor se milenge, uske baad hi Theater room mein jayenge... got it" he instructed his father again.
"Achcha theek hai yaar... tu jaa na ab" Omang replied with an annoyed face. Omang had Level 3 moderate persistent Asthma. He would often get reprimanded by his family for his careless behaviour towards his condition. Especially Armaan, who always blasted on his seeing his casual conduct about his health. Omang would sometimes get annoyed coz he felt that they treat him like a kid. But he could never say no to Armaan.
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Their family doctor Kirti arrived arrived after a while and checked him.
"Bhai saab... you are being very careless about your health. You know you have Level 3 Asthma, and you are not supposed to climb stairs, then why did you take risk... kahin aapko kuch ho jata to?" Kirti scolded him.
"Arey Kirti bhabhi ab aap mat shuru ho jana... Atul pahle hi lecture de chuka hai mujhe. And the fact is nothing happened to me"
"That's coz of the person whoever attended you at the immediate time of attack... if not for him or her whoever it is, anything could have happened".
Omang recalled the girl's face as Kirti said that and smiled. "Wo to ek ajnabee ladki thi..."
"Ajnabee ladki? Shukr manaiye wo thi... lekin agar aapne phir se aise hi laaparwahi ki to main Armaan ko bata doongi"
"Arey ye tum sab log Armaan ki dhamkiyaan kya dete rahte ho mujhe... main kya darta hu us se... and by the way 'I' am his father he is not mine" Omang was irritated.
"Haan wo to hai... lekin theek hai, agar aap us se darte nahi ho to main use sab bata doongi jab wo wapis aayega..."
"Bhabhi... no this is blackmail"
"Seedhe tareeke se aap maante bhi to nahi"
"Hey bhagwaan... kaash mera saath dene wala bhi koi ho... all you people are just my ememies" Omang prayed.
"To phir Armaan ki shaadi karwa dijiye... shayad bahu ke roop main aapko ek saathi hi mil jaaye... phir Armaan ki umar bhi to ho gayi hai shaadi ki, aur kitni der aise hi rahega... uski umar mein to humaare-aapke bachche ho gaye the... Atul bhi to baap ban chukka hai aur Rahul, Armaan-Atul ka dost wo to dusari baar baap banne wala hai." Kirti suggested.
"Kirti bhabhi..." Omang sighed "aapko kya lagta hai, we don't want to get Armaan married? Hum sab to mare jaa rahe hain uski dulhan ki shakl dekhne ke liye... kab se to koshish kar rahe hain, lekin Armaan hai ke manta hi nahi. Aur Armaan ko sambhal sake, aisi koi ladki bhi nahi mil rahi... phir aap Anjali aur Atul ko bhi jaanti hain, they wont allow any ordinary girl in Armaan's life... especially Atul."
"Wo to hai bhai saab... its not only Atul-Anjali, even we want a special girl for Armaan... after all Armaan is Armaan..."
"Haan lekin jyada der karne se uski jaan pe na ban jaaye... Maaji ne guruji ki baat to batayi hi hogi aapko" Omang said grimly while Kirti nodded.
"Fikr mat kijiye bhai saab... sab theek ho jayega. Armaan ko kuch nahi hoga. Aur uske laayak ladki bhi jaldi hi mil jayegi. Aap kahein to main bhi apne circle mein dekhu koi ladki ho to?"
"Arey neki aur puch-puch, bhabhi dekhiye na please... shayad aapke zariye hi koi baat ban jaaye"
"Theek hai main aaj hi ye khabar apne janne walon mein faila doongi" she assured him.
She left after giving him some strict instructions.
Omang rested for a while and then left for the Theater room where he would be monitoring the interviews through the CCTV live cam.
Atul started interviews within half an hour after seeing off Kirti. He interviewed a number of men and women. Many of them got selected, but he still wasnt too convinced. Finally 3 were shortlisted. He knew that Omang was observing the sessions live in theater room, so he decided to discuss the final selection with him. As it is, it was Omang who was to take the final decision on this. He went to meet Omang.
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Outside, Riddhima sat restlessly shifting in her seat. She glanced towards a number of smartly dressed-to-their-best men and women sitting and waiting for the final verdict. Her session went very smoothly and she knew she had done an excellent job. Her interviewee looked quite impressed by her. But she was not carrying any experience and got a little apprehensive about her selection as she saw such professionally dressed smart looking people carrying desirable amount of experience.
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On the 5th floor, in theater room, Omang observed all the interviews carefully. He himself was impressed by a number of applicants and was proud to see that his company was admired by so many young and talented people. But his eyes got stuck on the screen seeing one particular face. She was the same girl who had helped him. Omang didnt tell Atul about the girl intentionally as he didnt want it affect the selection procedure.
Of course she was Riddhima. He closely studied her mannerism, her body language, her expressions... She might not be the best dressed & presentable outward, but there was something in her which glued his thoughts to her. One would have thought it is... but actually it wasnt the impact of her help, but it was herself. She undoubtfully was an extremely talented girl.
Omang was thinking about the short-listed 3 candidates, whose names, profiles and scores were already forwarded to him by Atul, when he heard a knock on the door.
Atul entered the room with three files in his hand and spoke. "So... what do you think?"
"Hmm I have seen all three profiles and I must say, you have done a great job son. All three are talented. But I wanna know who do 'you' think is best suited?" Omang said.
"Dad! I dont know... I am little confused... all three are equally good... but I think this girl Malaika is good... she has a very good track record and is very well experienced."
"Hmm... but she isnt the top scorer and she also made a few mistakes in the technical sheets" Omang said as he checked the relative scores.
"Ya she isnt... but the guy... I found his attitude a little overconfident and i-am-the-best sort... though he scored a little higher, but his way of getting the work done doesnt sound convincing, he sounds unethical. I mean his opinion about certain things doesnt go with the company's moto and principles... you must have realized it and' we cant conciliate on that as' that's the most important thing Armaan look for..."
"What about the other girl, she has topped the scores. Whats her name..." he looked down at her profile "Riddhima... Riddhima Gupta?"
"I dont know dad... yes she has scored highest, she was a topper in her academics, she also has an amazing track record. Her credentials are the incomparably best, but she doesnt have any experience. Her profile says she was working on a different job profile. Besides, she hasnt mentioned anything about her last employer and reason why she left that job." Atul reasoned.
"I understand bete... but sometimes, a few things have their own genuine reason. I am sure there must be some with her as well. We can let our HR team to follow up if required and they can find the reason behind all this. But I think she is the best candidate for the job. About her being inexperienced... well... we can get her trained for it. Rashmi is still in the town, we can ask her to come over and train her for the job. The girl is talented and I am sure it wont take her too long to learn everything. We cant compromise on the quality just for the sake of a small reason. We have lot of employees who were freshers initially, but now look at them, what they are. You and Armaan were also inexperienced when you people started off." Omang explained
"Ok dad... if you say..." Atul paused a little and looked at her profile again. Then continued "Actually even I like the girl a lot. After I finished up all the interviews and went through the session recordings once again, I dont know why but I felt as if there is something about her which was compelling me to hire her. But I wasnt too sure looking at her experience scales..." he sighed "ok then... my job's done... now that you have shown green signal for this young lady, I will ask Sunaina to hand her the appointment letter."
"Alright..."
Atul informed his secretary, Sunaina to get the paper work done and inform the applicants about the result. He also asked his HR team about the new appointment to get the follow up done. He wasnt aware that Riddhima was Rahul's sister.
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When Riddhima was informed about her being selected she felt on the top of the world. She was very excited and wanted to share it with someone. After taking her appointment letter, she decided to go and see the old man she had helped. But to her disappointment, he had already left. She called Muskaan immediately and informed her about the good news who was overjoyed by the information.
When she reached home, she was firstly greeted by Yash.
"Bua congratulations, mumma kah rahi thi ki aapko bahut achchi job mil gayi hai?" he asked her sitting on her lap as soon as she sat on the couch in her living room.
"Haan... mumma ne bilkul theek kaha... aur pata hai jahan ye new company bahut badi hai..." she informed him.
"Really?... but you didnt bring anything for me" he made a sad face.
"Aise kabhi ho sakta hai ki main apne cute se Yash ke liya kuch na laon" she took out some chocolates and candies for him.
"YAYY... bua, you are the best..." he kissed her cheek joyfully, while she laughed.
"Yash, bua ko ab araam karne do" Muskaan told Yash as she brought water for Riddhima.
"Koi baat nahi bhabhi... mujhe achcha lagta hai aise" Riddhima defended Yash.
"Wo sab chod, ye bata tujhe tera naya office kaisa laga? Aur kaisa gaya tera interview?"
"Offo bhabhi... agar appointment letter mere haath mein hai to interview to achcha hi gaya hoga na... aur rahi baat office ki, to maine pura office to nahi dekha, bas thoda sa hi dekh payi... but you know what bhabhi jitna dekha us se lagta hai, it's probably the best one in the country." She said excitedly.
Shashank and Padma too were happy with when they came to know about her selection. They didnt have to worry much about her now, since she will be working in the same office as her brother. Rahul was also more than happy himself. His confidence in Riddhima's capabilities has proven itself right. He gifted her a new office bag and instructed her about few things.
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EPISODE TWENTY-FOUR
Next day Rahul looked very happy as he entered Atul's office, but seeing him Atul's face fell as he remembered about his sister. Coz of everything that happened yesterday, the thought of Rahul's sister slipped completely off his mind. First Omang's attack, then the hectic Interview schedules. He got so busy and then so very tired that it didn't even hit him that he had been waiting for Rahul's sister just before the interviews which were initially programed to be taken by Omang.
"Hi Atul" Rahul greeted him cheerfully.
"Hi Rahul" he replied weakly.
"Kya baat hai bada thanda 'Hi' kiya?"
"Wo... ummm..." Atul fumbled "sorry yaar..."
"Sorry? Kisliye?" Rahul asked puzzled.
"Wo... actually we have already hired Armaan's secretary... Actually this girl was simply wonderful, she deserved the job completely... so... we couldnt let her down and we hired her..."
"Haan mujhe pata hai ki appointment ho chuki hai... but whats sorry about it?"
"Teri sister ke liye main kuch nahi kar paya... but its not completely our fault, your sister never showed up" he tried to be defensive.
"What do you mean never showed up? Of course she did..."
"Kya? But I never met her... and when did she come?" Now Atul was confused.
Rahul realized that Atul still dont know that the girl they had hired is none other than HIS sister. He thought of playing along "Oh... then she might hadnt... she didnt tell me either... but anyways, what can you do... I understand yaar... you dont have to feel sorry for it..." Rahul made a sad face. "By the way Omang sir finalized the appointment right?" he asked.
"Yep... he did."
"Did he meet the new hire?"
"I dont think so... actually I interviewed all of them, dad ki tabiyat achanak kharaab ho gayi thi"
"Oh god... is everything ok... does Armaan knows it?"
"Arey nahi yaar... pitwaayega kya? Dad will kill me if I inform him, aur tu bhi mat batana, otherwise 'Armaan' will kill me then for not informing him..."
"Ok... but then how come Omang Sir finalized the hire?"
"Oh... wo theater room se live interviews observe kar rahe the"
"Hmm... can I meet the new 'wonderful girl' YOU hired" Rahul asked.
"Of course you can... she might have arrived and must be on the 5th floor. I had asked her to submit some of her paperwork and guarantee certificate today... lets go, we will meet her there."
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At the same time let's see what was happening on the 5th floor.
As she entered the office the lady at the help desk asked for her papers and asked her to wait for half an hour while she finish up with the formalities. Riddhima handed her details and required paperwork to her and went to the waiting room. After around 10 minutes, the lady informed her that the formalities will take a little longer, so if she wants, she can go to the cafeteria. She handed Riddhima her entry card as well as her ID card.
Riddhima went to the cafeteria and was surprised to see a beautifully furnished hall with numerous types of healthy eatables available. She wanted to check out the rest of the places, but then she remembered the old man she met last day. Her thought sobered and she wondered if the man was fine or not. She decided to go and see him.
She went to the 7th floor as she remembered that he told her his office is located there. She didnt find any problem entering the floor this time as she showed her entry pass as well as her ID card. The guard saluted her as soon as he saw her designation. She definitely was hired for one of the most prestigious post. Also he remembered her from the last day.
When she opened the glass door and peeped inside to find the man, he saw her. She stood near a table looking around for him, while he came behind her and asked "are you looking for me?"
She turned around startled "Oh god... aap? Baap re... main to dar hi gayi thi"
"I am sorry I scared you..." he smiled "what are you doing here?"
"Wo... I wanted to give you a good news" she replied.
"Really? Lets sit there" Omang signaled towards a sofa placed in the lobby. As they sat on the sofa he asked "so whats the good news?"
"I am hired here..." she beemed like a kid "Mera Executive Secretary cum PA to Chairperson ke liye appointment hua hai kal hi..."
"Really? Congratulations to you bete" he shook hands with her which she returned with a wide smile.
"Main to aapko kal hi batana chahti thi, but by the time I came to see you, you left"
"Koi baat nahi... aaj to mil liya na" he said.
"Aise nahi... main aapki good wishes lene aayi hu..." she bent down to touch his feet to take her blessing.
"Arey ye kya kar rahi ho beti?"
"Aapki blessings le rahi hu. Aap bade ho na... aur aapne mujhe good luck bhi wish kiya tha kal"
Omang smiled at her cute and simple gestures. He knew that she is still unaware of his identity, but he was touched by her respectful behaviour "Betiyaan paav nahi chuti... and all my good wishes are with you" he placed his hand on her head.
"Thank you" she smiled again.
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Rahul and Atul went to the 5th floor, but were informed by the helpdesk that Riddhima is in the cafeteria. They searched her in the cafeteria, but when they didnt find her there, they got a little worried, but were relieved when informed by the liftman that he left her on the 7th floor.
As they stepped out of the elevator on 7th floor, they heard someone laughing. It wasnt very common to hear anyone laugh so loudly like that at such time... and that too in the office area...
Realizing that the sound was coming from the lobby area, they turned towards it, but were surprised to see Omang sitting on the sofa laughing and joking with a girl, her back was facing them. They moved forward to have a look at the lady who made Omang laugh like that.
"What are you doing here?" Atul asked Omang.
"Oh Atul... I was talking to this beautiful lady... she is the new ES-PA to Chairman you see"
Hearing which both Atul as well as Rahul understood who she was, but were still confused about a few things. How come she knew Omang?
"Riddhima beta, meet Atul and Rahul..." Omang added.
Riddhima turned around to see Rahul standing with the guy who took her interview last day and smiled at him "Hello Sir" she greeted Atul who smiled awkwardly still confused.
"Rahul this is the girl we hired yesterday... Riddhima this is our Finance head Mr. Rahul Gupta" Atul introduced them.
"Hi Bhaiya" she waved Rahul.
"Hi baby" Rahul smiled widely.
Atul smiled looking at Rahul and Riddhima who came forward and hugged Rahul. His eyes widened as he saw them behave like that. "You know her?" he asked Rahul.
"Of course he knows me. He is my bhaiya, sir" before Rahul could say anything Riddhima informed him.
"WHAT?" is what came out of Atul's mouth as he looked at them shocked, while Omang also looked at them equally surprised.
Riddhima glanced at their surprised faces and asked "Is there something wrong?"
"Kya yaar... tune mera plan kharaab kar diya baby" Rahul said nodding his head.
"Maine kya kiya?" she asked puzzled.
"Tum sach mein Rahul ki behen ho?" Omang asked to assure he heard it right, while Atul stood still with the same shocked expression. Riddhima nodded positively and Rahul smiled in agreement.
"Saale kameene" Atul came back to reality and slapped Rahul's back strongly "Meri taang kheench raha tha tu..."
"Hua kya?" Omang asked him.
"Dad iski to aaj main taang tod doonga... He knew that the girl we hired is his sister still he didnt tell me. He has been mocking at me ever since he came. And here I was feeling guilty that I couldn't do anything for his sister..." he glared at Rahul, while Rahul laughed looking at his face.
"Sorry yaar... mujhe laga thoda mazaa le lu, main to saara din Bank mnager ke saath meeting mein busy tha... aur phir tune bhi to ek baar bhi mujhse pucha nahi..." Rahul said still laughing at him.
"Arey main bhi to interviews ke chakkar mein busy tha... par dekh loonga tujhe beta, mera bhi time aayega..." then he turned towards Omang "But dad how did you know her?"
"Arey, tune shayad notice nahi kiya but she is the same girl who helped me yesterday..." Omang replied explaining the fact.
"What?" both Rahul and Atul exclaimed.
"Was it really her?" Atul tried to remember. "But you didnt even tell me after the interview..."
"I didnt want any of you get affected by each other's identity... aur maine socha ki tumhe aaj khud he pata chal jayega..."
Riddhima who was listening to their conversation was now very confused, so she asked "Excuse me... lekin mujhe bhi ab koi batayega ki yahan kya ho raha hai?"
Omang said "Oh I am sorry bete... Rahul ko to tum janti hi ho, tumhara bhai hai... ye Atul hai Chief Business advisor to your Chairman, his right hand and..."
"His son" Atul finished for him indicating toward his father.
Now it was Riddhima's turned to be surprised. "Aap Sir ke papa ho?" she gasped standing straight and then shifting her gaze towards Atul. Omang nodded. "I am sorry sir... mujhe pata nahi tha..." she made a sorry face shifting uncomfortably thinking that she was being overfriendly with her one of her senior's father who probably was also like her boss, seeing which Omang replied.
"Arey sorry kis baat ki bete... you havent done anything wrong. Balki tumne to meri kitni help ki... I should be the one thanking you and saying sorry for the trouble I created for you" Omang pacified her.
"Nahin sir... that's ok... it was her duty to do all that" Rahul said. Atul had told him about the whole incident but till now both of them werent aware that it was actually Riddhima who helped Omang. He turned towards Atul and said proudly "so... didnt I tell you that 'baby' will crack it in a wink of eye..."
"Bhaiya... main baby nahi hu..." Riddhima retorted.
Omang, Rahul and Atul laughed at her while Atul added "Haan baba maan gaya... lekin abhi mera hisaab abhi baaki hai..."
After a while they all went back to their work. Atul took Riddhima to the training room on the 5th floor where she met Rashmi, who was Armaan's ex-ES and left back with Rahul who was still accompanying him.
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As they sat in Rahul's cabin, Rahul laughed at Atul "Kya yaar... maine tujhe bataya tha ki meri behen interview ke liye aayegi, phir bhi tu use pahchaan nahi payaa?"
"Mujhe kya tune uski photo dikhayi thi... bas bol diya ki meri behen aayegi interview ke liye..." Atul said.
"Arey lekin uske naam se bhi pata nahi chala tujhe... Riddhima 'Gupta'...Rahul 'Gupta' ya phir common address se..."
"tu to aise kah raha hai jaise tera khandaan dinosaurs ki eklauti bachi hui peedhi hai... Abey duniya mein mein pata nahi kitne 'Guptas' honge... mujhe kya sapna aya tha ki ye wali 'Gupta' teri wali 'Gupta' hai... aur waise bhi humne use appointment letter on the spot diya tha, to I didn't pay much attention to her address details, as it is, its not my job but my secretary's..." Atul said irritably.
"Oh..." Rahul pursed his lips understating his point.
"Ek baat to mujhe samajh mein aa gayi, lekin doosari nahi aayi abhi tak..." Atul said looking at Rahul "I understood why couldn't I figure out that she is you sister..." Rahul narrowed his eyes so he continued further "dekh tune kaha ki wo teri behen hai right?" Rahul nodded in yes "but as far as I remember, the father's name in her CV was different... How come?"
"Oh wo... actually Riddhima is my cousin... Wo mere swargwaasi chacha-chachi ki beti hai... bahut choti thi wo jab unki ek accident mein maut ho gayi, tabse Ridhdima humare saath hi rahti hai..." Rahul replied seriously.
"Oh... I didn't know that" Atul remorsed.
"But she is more than a real sister to me Atul... wo bahut kharaab halaaton mein hamare paas aayi thi... humne saalon tak bahut bura saluk kiya tha uske saath... lekin uske bholepan, uski masumiyat aur uske saaf dil ne humein haraa diya"
Rahul told him everything about Riddhima. Atul was really surprised to hear all of it. He was amazed to know that how a slender looking simple girl suffered so much, and managed to win everyone's heart. He was very touched by her story and had tears in his eyes as Rahul finished his narration. Finally wiping his eyes Atul smiled and spoke "Wow... she must be really a patient girl"
"Of course she is" Rahul replied.
"Hey... you know what Rahul, we have something common in our lives..." suddenly Atul said.
"And whats that?" Rahul raised his brow.
"Armaan aur Riddhima" he stated.
"Armaan aur Riddhima? Matlab?" Rahul asked.
"Dekh jaise teri zindagi mein Riddhima teri sagi na hote hue bhi sagi se badhkar hai, waise hi meri zindagi mein Armaan hai... Both of them have struggled like hell all through their lives... but now look at them, both have emerged as winners... Isnt that great?"
"Haan yaar... absolutely right" Rahul replied thinking about them.
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Rashmi narrated Riddhima all the details of her job and helped her with her paperwork.
About 3 hours later, she took Riddhima on the 10th floor, where Armaan's office was located and where she will be working now onwards.
As they punched in to enter the prestigious and the most important Floor of the building, Riddhima was astonished to see everything. The complete floor was meant for the staff who worked directly under Armaan. Though the floor was as big as the others, but there were only a very few employees who were allowed there.
Rashmi smiled at the Floor assistant and introduced her to Riddhima. Then she took her towards Armaan's office. Riddhima read the steel plate hanging on the outer wall who told them who does the cabin belonged to. It said ' Armaan Malik 'Chairman & CEO'. Since Rashmi didnt have an entry card as she had resigned, she asked Riddhima to use her's to open the door. Riddhima punched her card in the slot and entered her boss's cabin following Rashmi.
The first thing they saw was a stained 6ft tall glass wall which saved the direct view of Armaan's work place. She looked around the huge Cabin in amazement. The office was beautifully decorated with the best and the most expensive furnishing and accessories. There was a semi-circular glass table in the at South-East corner. There were shelved Cabinates built on the front and the eastern walls. A set of big couch with a matching coffee table ornamented with silver stones was placed at the South-West corner of the room.
There were four doors in the room. One was the main entry through which they just entered and was at the north-east corner of the room, second was on the eastern wall which opened towards the Balcony just behind Armaan's table. The third and fourth door were on the Southern wall, one of which was behind the couch, which was the way to his Gym cum Dressing area cum Bathroom and other one at the West side, which opened to his Secretary's cabin, now going to Riddhima's cabin.
Rashmi explained Riddhima everything and told her the fixed places for specificed things. She toured her to the complete cabin and then opened the door towards 'HER' new office.
Riddhima was ecstatic to see her new work place. Everything in her cabin was equally beautiful. She looked aorund and checked everything.
Then Rashmi showed her the record room, where all the confidential files were stored in the form of hard and soft copies. Only two people had an access to it one of which was none other than ARMAAN MALIK and the second one was his PA. Riddhima didnt have that privilege yet as she had to prove herself for that first.
Once done, they went to have coffee in the cafeteria. In the cafeteria, Riddhima met few more employees of the company. As usual she clicked with almost everyone in a short span of time.
Over the next few days, Rashmi also told her a few things about Armaan and his schedules. Riddhima noted everything carefully. She learnt everthing taking utmost interest. She even learned a lot about the huge empire and was impressed by everything. She felt elated knowing that she is now working with Country's biggest Business Empire and that too as the ES-PA to the Owner cum Chairman.
Within a week's time she was perfectly ready for the job and started taking care of everything independently.
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"I dont know anything... you are coming and that's final..." she spoke firmly.
"But Anjali bhabhi I just started my job and have loads of things to do..." Riddhima reasoned.
"Arey kaam to hota hi rahega... but you have to come. Its Vaibhav's B'Day..." Anjali said.
"Haan lekin..." before she could continue she heard Vaibhav's voice.
"Riddhima aunty, please aaiye na, Yash bhi to aa raha hai... we will play together..."
Vaibhav had developed special liking for Riddhima all this time. She had become his favorite after Armaan, while same thing happened between Yash and Armaan.
"Vibhi... I would have come, but I have a lot of work to handle"
"Ok... if you dont come, I wont talk to you ever... you both are same... even chachu is not there..." he sounded really low.
Riddhima's heart melted at his tone. She couldnt say no to him so finally agreed "Ok baba... I will come... now happy?"
"YEPPPIEEEEEEE... very-very happy" Vaibhav jumped in joy.
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Hi Friends, i know that this wasnt the one you had expected. But i tried to clarify a few confusions through this episode. I hope it has answered your questions. And so you also saw Men's reaction when they found Riddhima's reality.😊
I am really greatful for all your support and comments and its only coz of them i try to update faster. Thanx a loads lovely friends 🤗 love you all a lot.
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Edited by Wild.Aimee - 15 years ago
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