FF: M&G - Protect The Boss 2 - Ch39 pg95 24/2 - Page 15

Manish stormed on through the hall into the living room, with an unmistakable aura of respect and self worth around him - with a face like thunder to match.

Geet glanced nervously at Maan, who seemed like he was bracing himself for his father's impending onslaught; and then at Savitri, who attempted a reassuring smile.

"Where have you been all day, Maan?" he asked, shrugging his blazer off.

Geet bit her lip. "Maybe I should-" she gestured towards the door, asking to be excused but was cut off by Manish's voice. She decided it would be best to keep schtum for now, if she wanted to keep her job.

"I saw you walking out."

Maan frowned. "How?... Are you spying on me, Dad?!"

Savitri sighed at her son's antics.

"Don't sigh Mother, I'm doing this because I know what he's like."

"What exactly am I like?"

Manish shook his head, disappointment etched across his face. "We had meetings with international delegates. I had to tell them you had been sent off to oversee a project outside of the city."

"Did the presentation go well?"

"Do you really care?"

Maan crossed his arms. "Of course I care, or else I wouldn't be standing here. If I didn't care, I wouldn't be training to become CEO. I wouldn't have agreed to join the family business. I wouldn't even have returned from the US."

Savitri analysed her son's forlorn expression & raised an eyebrow. "Manish, Pammi's been feeding you information, hasn't she?"

"Oh what a surprise, Aunt Pammi returns to stir things up once more," Maan added with sarcasm laced in his voice as he craned his neck upwards.

Geet, who had seemingly become as invisible as the wallpaper to the Khuranas, rolled her eyes as she mumbled "They really need to pay Jerry Springer a visit."

"What did you say?" Manish asked, as she looked up to find them all staring curiously at her.

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It was late into the night. He'd tossed & turned endlessly, but sleep evaded him like a plague.

He gave in to his vices eventually, & threw on a shirt & jeans as he left the house, started the car & sped off into the night, doing what he should have done a long time ago.

__________________________________________

"Have I done the right thing, Yash?" Pinky wondered as the empty application form stared out at her from the white crisp paper.

He held her hand. "It's too late for second thoughts now, Pinky."

"But-"

"No buts," he pecked her on the cheek. "I'm sure she'll embrace this with open arms. Now let me fix you up some dinner, then I really have to be heading home."

__________________________________________

"Garry Winger," she blurted out on impulse, resisting the urge to kick herself in the shins for such a stupid reply.

"What?" Maan asked, his lip curling upward in surprise.

"Your, um, well years ago there was this show I used to watch, Garry Winger... where the fictional family also had um, family issues. And your arguing reminded me of that..." she gulped, as Savitri saw through the young girl's quick thinking & couldn't help but smirk.

Manish & Maan seemed satisfied enough, and Geet turned to leave before stopping, turning back to face them.

"It's probably not my place to say this, but I say this with the utmost respect to you sir," she addressed Manish as he listened carefully. "I've worked with Maan for the best part of almost a month now, and if I've learnt anything about him, it's that he always means well."

She glanced at Maan, long enough to see his expression shift into a small smile, one which she couldn't help but reply to with a smile of her own, then she left, breathing a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her.

"Whew, talk about awkward," her feet crunched against the gravel as she strolled on. "I'll have to confront Maan again tomorrow at work. There is no way on this earth that I'm letting him avoid this so easily, not when it's so blaringly obvious to both of us."

"Geet!"

She turned around to see Dadima walking slowly behind her, clutching her precious sari carefully. Geet retreated & covered the rest of the distance, stopping in front of her.

"What is it, Savitri ji?" she asked.

"I know," Savitri smiled.

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"What do you mean, she's left?"

Dev pushed his glasses up as he placed one hand on the doorframe and leaned forwards, glaring at a confused Tasha, who had simply told him the truth. "I mean she's left. She went to her mothers house earlier."

"Is all of her stuff still here?"

Tasha shook her head, her ridiculously high ponytail flying around.

"Where does her mother live?"

She cast her eyes down at the porch. "I-I don't think she-"

"Tell me," he ordered.

"The outskirts of Delhi. I'll write her address down."

She disappeared and returned a few moments later with the address. "Please don't tell Sasha I told you where she was. She gave me strict instructions on not to tell anyone of her whereabouts."

"I won't," he assured her. The door closed shut, & he was more determined than ever to find her.

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"The way you & Maan look at each other is the way me & Rajveer used to look at each other some 40 years ago."

Geet twirled a curl around her finger. "He's more hormonal than a pregnant lady, I never know where I stand with him."

"No one really does," Savitri huffed with a smile. "That's just who he is."

"But what am I supposed to do? I mean, he punched Dev because he found out Dev is also interested in me - but avoids me when I try to talk to him. What am I supposed to make of that?"

"He is?" Savitri couldn't hold back her astonishment. "That explains everything..." she trailed off as an idea formed in her head. "I just need you to do one thing for me, Geet."

"Of course, what is it?"

"Be here at Friday night, 8pm. And be dressed to knock them dead."

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Geet had finally reached home, courtesy of Nakul who had dropped her off on Savitri's request.

Geet had read the Khurana matriarch by her cover - which was always a mistake, as Savitri had proven during their encounter outside the mansion. Geet's jaw had almost dropped at Savitri's suggestions, but she had reassured her that it was a dead cert for success.

Knocking lightly due to the lack of a new key for the door, Geet was still pondering over the idea when Pinky opened up, & the first thing that Geet did was squeeze the life out of her friend.

"You're engaged! Engaged! My best friend Pinky is going to be a bride! Let me see the ring," she pulled her hand forward.

The diamante embellishment sparkled on Pinky's hand, as if it was radiating the happiness & joy that Pinky felt upon wearing it.

"Congratu-freaking-lations so freaking much!" Geet hugged her once more. "We have to go out & party!" she threw her bag aside as she sat down at the dining table. "You'll need to sit down for this, because you'll never believe what Savitri Khurana just asked me to do-"

"Geet, I need to tell you something," Pinky sat opposite her, pushing the brown envelope forward.

"What's this?" Geet asked, pulling out a form from the envelope.

"It's a new job opening, for managing a boutique store in the heart of Delhi. It's your application form."

Chapter 29 - Purple Ink - Page 32