Chapter One
As the first rays of the sun streamed into a certain room of the Gujral Mansion, a young woman flapped open her eyelids, and sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes. It was morning. To any other person, it would seem like just another day, but for this woman, it was the day she'd been waiting for since many years... She, Damini Gujral, was finally going to be a part of the most coveted 'Gujral Enterprises'...
As she got out of the bed, and made her way towards the washroom, Damini couldn't help but acknowledge the spring in her steps. Yes, she was happy, happy to have been able to live up to her parents' expectations and get here. But even then, she knew she was going to embark upon a bigger challenge today, and was determined to find a way through it.
Lost in all these thoughts, Damini hardly realized that she had come down to the hall, dressed in a turquoise blue suit, having a confident look on her face. She met three other people there, all of them looking at her with admiration.
'So then, here she is, our new CEO!', Damini heard her father declare with a smile.
Damini responded in the same manner, and went around hugging her parents and brother.
'Good luck, beta. I know you'll fare well.' Ila said with a kiss.
'Thank You, Mama.', Damini replied.
With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, her brother Aditya quipped in, "Vaise Mama, I think you should warn all the male executives at office to avoid going past the CEO's cabin from today onwards'", and broke into a full-fledged laugh, when he felt a hit on his arm from Damini.
'Bhaiya, don't you think you're getting late? Your patients must be waiting!'
'Ok ok, I'm sorry sis!', Aditya said, trying to control his laughter.
The four of them then sat down for breakfast, and were having their regular discussions on random things, when Aditya sat up with a jolt, as if he had suddenly remembered something of great importance. Breaking through their ongoing conversation, he said, "I nearly forgot to tell you all. Last night I received a mail from Prithvi... you remember him, don't you, Mom and Dad?"
"Is he the one with whom you used to hang out all day long during your school days?" his father Arun asked with a chuckle.
"Yes, Papa, you see, we were best friends!"
"Oh yes, I remember him quite well. He was a nice boy, had more sense than you, Adi!" Ila said animatedly.
"Whatever you say, Mama!" Adi said with a laugh. "Anyway, coming back to the point, Prithvi said he's shifting back to India. He has received a good offer here, and if things go as planned, he is expected at Mumbai by next week. But since his family had sold out their flat when they shifted out from here, he apparently does not know where to put up, and thus asked me to arrange a rented house for him. But if you all don't have any objections, I plan to ask him to put up with us here until he finds a suitable house for himself."
"Oh, we shan't be having any objections to that, Adi. I quite liked that boy... you should straightaway present him with your proposal." Arun said.
"I'm of the same opinion, Adi," Ila said with a smile.
"That's decided, then," Adi contently declared. All this while, Damini had been sitting quietly at her corner of the table, listening to all the ongoing talks. She couldn't believe her ears when Adi said he wished to invite Prithvi to put up with them. Was her brother out of his mind? Prithvi??? ...
It was the last day of school for the 12th graders of St. Xavier's High School. Tear strained faces could be seen all around ... school will indeed, be missed'... And in the middle of all this, stood two boys, with a disturbed look on their faces...
"I tell you Adi, I don't like the idea at all... Why does Dad need to shift to USA?"
"I know Prithvi, it's hard on you... especially when you love Mumbai so much... but Uncle's at the peak of his career right now, so I think he's right in accepting the offer,"
"I guess you're right. But still, I'll terribly miss this place... and of course, you brother..."
In an attempt to lighten the situation, Adi said with a chuckle, "I know you'll miss your best friend, but won't you miss his sister?"
"Oh, not again Adi, why do we need to discuss that awful girl even on my last day at school?"
"Mind you Prithvi, that 'awful girl' is my sister!"
"Can't help it!' Prithvi said, shrugging his shoulders.
Damini, who was in the same school, was just passing by, when she was stopped short by their discussion. She'd since been listening to their conversation from a corner, and had got furious when her arch-rival, Prithvi, called her 'awful'. She couldn't take it any more, and thus came out of her hiding, and said, "Look who's talking!" with a scorn in her voice.
"Oh, so you'd been eaves-dropping, huh? Bad manners, though it's quite expected of you", Prithvi said.
"What exactly do you mean by that? You think you've the best manners in the world?"
"Stop it, both of you! Don't get it started again!" Adi helplessly tried to intervene between his best friend and sister, but in vain. The storm had just set in, and was in no mood to cease...
Prithvi and Damini had never got along well with each other, right since they were toddlers. Nobody knew the actual reason, though everyone at school was aware of the fact that they were arch-rivals at everything they did. They'd never leave the chance of humiliating each other in front of others, and simply hated each other's sight... And very often, Adi would find himself in a dilemma of whose side to take... his sister's, or his best friend's. Sometimes, he would just laugh at their silliness... And as he found himself engulfed by this thought upon seeing those two fight even on their last day of meeting each other at school, a smile escaped his lips...
Meanwhile, the battle of words, had been raging on...
"I'd be glad when you're gone,"
"Wow, great, this is the first time we actually thought alike, Damini! That's an achievement!"
"Shut up!"
"Are you talking to yourself?"
She'd had enough of this stupid idiot! So to end the conversation, she screamed,
"I hate you!"
"Not that I love you any better!"
And that was it. They stomped their feet, and walked off from the spot, with their back to each other, with a firm resolution, that they'd never meet each other again... No, never again...
Damini was brought back to the present when she heard her brother call her name.
"DAMINI! Are you listening? What's your take on this?"
"I don't want to comment on it. Do whatever you think would be the best."
And with that, she finished the last bite of her breakfast, and bidding good-bye to three dumbstruck faces, set out for her office.
"What happened to her?" Ila asked, surprised at such a reaction from her daughter.
"I think I know..." Adi said, as finally he realized what had been the cause of his sister's disturbance. As a smile escaped his lips, he assured his parents, "Don't worry, it's nothing much. So then, I'll mail Prithvi about our decision?"
"Yes, please do so." his father said.
On her way to office, Damini was fuming. How she hated the idea of meeting that infuriating man again! But she was helpless, as there was no one on her side to speak against the idea. 'Ok then, if it had to be like this, then let it be... let Prithvi Saxena come... Damini Gujral would make life hell for him', she thought with a smirk...
Part two of the 'Great Battle', is about to begin...
Edited by ishaan11 - 15 years ago
Arjun
