Posted:
HI there! Surprise!!! 😆
Updating as per schedule, dearies...this one's for all those who were missing my OSs...
Hai re Nandkishore will be resumed from the next update...
To those who left all those wonderful comments, thank you... And those who have not, can you tell me why my PM list has grown longer but the number of comments become less?
Anyways, here's the next Vignette...Enjoy! ...And do leave your comments, please!
There's very minimal Hindi in this one, so no translation...Sorry, Vi!!
19. Unprofessional rivalry
Prateik Raina was used to being at the top. After taking over from his father, he had taken the tailoring business from being mere suppliers to readymade dealers to one of the biggest textile names in Gwalior. Setting his sights higher, he had ventured into designing and found his niche as an exclusive fashion-design house, catering to the cream of the society. He was secure in his success, the king of his castle.
Then, deciding to venture into an unknown territory, he started a trial run in Lucknow. And, that's when he met someone who he had only heard of before - Arnav Singh Raizada.
Now, Prateik had long admired AR Group, albeit with a tinge of jealousy. The stuff of legends, the MNC that was AR, had had its origins in the hands of a fresh-out of college youngster, helped only by his uncle and a younger brother. In the seven years since the opening of its first business, the group had extended its reach into six continents and many, many businesses. It irked Prateik that although he was a well-known name in fashion, he lagged much behind the brand name that was AR Fashions. It irked him even more that AR Fashions was just one of the minor businesses of the group, though it was one of its more visible ones.
The biggest thorn in his side was that, his achievements couldn't compare to the success achieved by the enigmatic founder-managing director of the AR Group. It had taken Prateik ten years to establish himself in the world of Indian fashion. It had taken ASR seven years to establish a presence across the world.
Meeting the dynamic ASR in a pre-launch conference of an event in Lucknow, Prateik watched the fawning attention he commanded enviously. Seeing first-hand the ruthless determination and shrewd business accumen that made the 27 year old Arnav Singh Raizada the success that he was, Prateik made a vow to himself. This was his target - to reach the position occupied by ASR, by hook or crook.
Becoming an obsessive follower of any and every news about the Raizada empire, he kept himself updated about the Lucknow fashion-show drama that came the next year, and the surprising news of ASR's sudden wedding to the same girl about six months later. Running into Arnav at a function a few weeks later, he noticed that ASR was harsher, colder and looked deeply disturbed.
His shrewd brain recognising a chip in the armour of the mighty ASR, Prateik Raina decided to place a mole in AR Fashions. Now was the time to start preparing to overtake AR in the world of fashion, and that would be his stepping stone to reaching the zenith. The mole, who took up a small position in the headoffice, was an efficient informer. He conveyed with amazing regularity the apparent disturbances in the personal life of his MD, and how there was talk that it had started affecting his work as well. Then, one day, ASR stopped coming to office, apparently due to his extended stay in London.
Starting his work behind the scenes, he made plans to steal the three major contracts AR had been working on. Coming to a grinding halt when he couldn't break through the legal and official channels, as ASR's younger brother had stepped in to hold the reins in his absence, Prateik started hunting around for an alternate loophole, someone who would get him board-level information. The revelation that ASR's brother-in-law was available to be bought at a price was a God-send. And then came the sweetest of all victories, Shyam Jha confided in him that ASR's wife too would help if the plan was meant to fetch money and ensure AR's ruin.
Disbelief giving way to the thrill of getting one-up over the greatest of his rivals, Prateik hatched his masterplan. The details having been conveyed to his team and Shyam in advance, he waited for the D-day, which was decided by Shyam. He was to reach at a meeting point with ASR's wife, carrying the necessary papers. When he didn't turn up, it was assumed that there had been some hindrance and that Shyam would contact them soon.
The initial confidence giving way to uneasiness as days passed by, the final nail on the coffin was when Prateik was served a legal notice for infringement on intellectual property rights by the lawyers of AR. With the full force of AR's legal team out to get him, Prateik Raina spent a considerable amount of time and huge amounts of money in reaching an out-of-court settlement.
And now, six months past the settlement, Prateik came face to face with ASR himself, at a party hosted by a fashion magazine. Staying out of his way, Prateik was standing to a side, near the refreshment stand, and scowling at ASR who was chatting with his brother when he heard a soft voice saying, "Excuse me..."
Turning around to see at a glowing beauty dressed in a stunning blue saree, obviously a designer creation, he said, "Oh, sorry. Please go ahead."
Smiling her thanks at him as she took a glass of lemonade, she looked past him, holding the gaze as she took a sip, her soft smile and look of utter fascination mingled with something else, absolute pride. Following her line of sight, Prateik saw that she was watching ASR. Fury arising at the attention commanded by ASR, he snapped, "Is it that he's so rich? What do you women see in him anyway? Why do you throw yourselves at him?"
Startled, the lady turned back to him. "Excuse me? Aap aise kyun bol rahe hain?"
Sneering at her, he replied, "Hamesha dekhta hoon, auratein paise aur fame ke peeche bhaagte hain. Shayad aap mujhe pehchaana nahin. I'm Prateik Raina. ASR ko ghoorna chodke mujhe bhi zara dekh lijiye."
Stiffening suddenly, she took a long look at him, "Aap Prateik Raina hain?"
Pleased that he had secured her attention, he bowed, "Yes, M'am!" and straightened, extending his hand to take hers. Flicking her eyes down at his hand, she leaned forward and before he could realise what was happening, had smacked him across his face. Stepping back, she replied calmly, pleasantly, "And I am Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada, who you thought could be bought a few months ago."
Sensing his wife's presence as usual, Arnav looked over, only to see her staring at a man standing stunned before her. Suddenly recognising him to be the owner of some fashin house who had tried to steal his contracts, Arnav started forward, only to slow down as he took in the flaming look on his wife's face.
A smile of pure satisfaction blossomed on his face as he realised that Mrs. ASR was on the warpath. Not many realised that the lioness was more ruthless than the lion, especially when it came to defending her home and hearth. She had finally gotten her hands on someone who had dared to do damage to her husband. "Poor bloke won't even know what hit him", he thought, with a fond, proud smile .
As for Khushi, at Prateik's stunned gaze, she smiled tightly. Suddenly sensing that her husband had come up behind her, she continued, "And this was for trying to cheat my husband. Lekin aap ko iss dhappad ke saath ek advice bhi de doongi, mufth mein. Kabhi bhi, business mein, rishtedaaron ke beech ke chagde ka istemaal nahin karna chaahiye, iss se wapas aapko hi nuksaan hoga."
Smirking now, her husband added, "Tum AR ki oonchayiyon ko choona chaahte ho, nah? Toh yeh bhi sun lo. Never place a mole in an opponent's office until you make sure that he cannot be bought. And never trust innocent-looking wives who claim to be harassed revenge-seeking wenches, that works only in movies. How did you even think that Arnav Singh Raizada's wife would be such an easy prey?! Espionage karte ho toh professionally karna seekho!"
Turning to look down at his wife, he asked, "Chalein."
Throwing a burning glance at Prateik Raina of PR Designs, the formidable Mrs. ASR replied, "Ji, Arnavji. Chalo."
Taking a few steps, she turned back, her intense gaze piercing right through to the man standing frozen, "And remember, the next time you try anything crass on my husband, you'll have to deal with me. Aur Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada se takraana aapke liye achcha nahin hoga!"
Turning to her husband, who stood waiting, his pride in her shining out of his eyes, she tucked her arm under his and smiled up at him, "Chaliye, Arnavji."
Author's Note:
:-)
Waiting for your feedback...
Updating as per schedule, dearies...this one's for all those who were missing my OSs...
Hai re Nandkishore will be resumed from the next update...
To those who left all those wonderful comments, thank you... And those who have not, can you tell me why my PM list has grown longer but the number of comments become less?
Anyways, here's the next Vignette...Enjoy! ...And do leave your comments, please!
There's very minimal Hindi in this one, so no translation...Sorry, Vi!!
19. Unprofessional rivalry
Prateik Raina was used to being at the top. After taking over from his father, he had taken the tailoring business from being mere suppliers to readymade dealers to one of the biggest textile names in Gwalior. Setting his sights higher, he had ventured into designing and found his niche as an exclusive fashion-design house, catering to the cream of the society. He was secure in his success, the king of his castle.
Then, deciding to venture into an unknown territory, he started a trial run in Lucknow. And, that's when he met someone who he had only heard of before - Arnav Singh Raizada.
Now, Prateik had long admired AR Group, albeit with a tinge of jealousy. The stuff of legends, the MNC that was AR, had had its origins in the hands of a fresh-out of college youngster, helped only by his uncle and a younger brother. In the seven years since the opening of its first business, the group had extended its reach into six continents and many, many businesses. It irked Prateik that although he was a well-known name in fashion, he lagged much behind the brand name that was AR Fashions. It irked him even more that AR Fashions was just one of the minor businesses of the group, though it was one of its more visible ones.
The biggest thorn in his side was that, his achievements couldn't compare to the success achieved by the enigmatic founder-managing director of the AR Group. It had taken Prateik ten years to establish himself in the world of Indian fashion. It had taken ASR seven years to establish a presence across the world.
Meeting the dynamic ASR in a pre-launch conference of an event in Lucknow, Prateik watched the fawning attention he commanded enviously. Seeing first-hand the ruthless determination and shrewd business accumen that made the 27 year old Arnav Singh Raizada the success that he was, Prateik made a vow to himself. This was his target - to reach the position occupied by ASR, by hook or crook.
Becoming an obsessive follower of any and every news about the Raizada empire, he kept himself updated about the Lucknow fashion-show drama that came the next year, and the surprising news of ASR's sudden wedding to the same girl about six months later. Running into Arnav at a function a few weeks later, he noticed that ASR was harsher, colder and looked deeply disturbed.
His shrewd brain recognising a chip in the armour of the mighty ASR, Prateik Raina decided to place a mole in AR Fashions. Now was the time to start preparing to overtake AR in the world of fashion, and that would be his stepping stone to reaching the zenith. The mole, who took up a small position in the headoffice, was an efficient informer. He conveyed with amazing regularity the apparent disturbances in the personal life of his MD, and how there was talk that it had started affecting his work as well. Then, one day, ASR stopped coming to office, apparently due to his extended stay in London.
Starting his work behind the scenes, he made plans to steal the three major contracts AR had been working on. Coming to a grinding halt when he couldn't break through the legal and official channels, as ASR's younger brother had stepped in to hold the reins in his absence, Prateik started hunting around for an alternate loophole, someone who would get him board-level information. The revelation that ASR's brother-in-law was available to be bought at a price was a God-send. And then came the sweetest of all victories, Shyam Jha confided in him that ASR's wife too would help if the plan was meant to fetch money and ensure AR's ruin.
Disbelief giving way to the thrill of getting one-up over the greatest of his rivals, Prateik hatched his masterplan. The details having been conveyed to his team and Shyam in advance, he waited for the D-day, which was decided by Shyam. He was to reach at a meeting point with ASR's wife, carrying the necessary papers. When he didn't turn up, it was assumed that there had been some hindrance and that Shyam would contact them soon.
The initial confidence giving way to uneasiness as days passed by, the final nail on the coffin was when Prateik was served a legal notice for infringement on intellectual property rights by the lawyers of AR. With the full force of AR's legal team out to get him, Prateik Raina spent a considerable amount of time and huge amounts of money in reaching an out-of-court settlement.
And now, six months past the settlement, Prateik came face to face with ASR himself, at a party hosted by a fashion magazine. Staying out of his way, Prateik was standing to a side, near the refreshment stand, and scowling at ASR who was chatting with his brother when he heard a soft voice saying, "Excuse me..."
Turning around to see at a glowing beauty dressed in a stunning blue saree, obviously a designer creation, he said, "Oh, sorry. Please go ahead."
Smiling her thanks at him as she took a glass of lemonade, she looked past him, holding the gaze as she took a sip, her soft smile and look of utter fascination mingled with something else, absolute pride. Following her line of sight, Prateik saw that she was watching ASR. Fury arising at the attention commanded by ASR, he snapped, "Is it that he's so rich? What do you women see in him anyway? Why do you throw yourselves at him?"
Startled, the lady turned back to him. "Excuse me? Aap aise kyun bol rahe hain?"
Sneering at her, he replied, "Hamesha dekhta hoon, auratein paise aur fame ke peeche bhaagte hain. Shayad aap mujhe pehchaana nahin. I'm Prateik Raina. ASR ko ghoorna chodke mujhe bhi zara dekh lijiye."
Stiffening suddenly, she took a long look at him, "Aap Prateik Raina hain?"
Pleased that he had secured her attention, he bowed, "Yes, M'am!" and straightened, extending his hand to take hers. Flicking her eyes down at his hand, she leaned forward and before he could realise what was happening, had smacked him across his face. Stepping back, she replied calmly, pleasantly, "And I am Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada, who you thought could be bought a few months ago."
Sensing his wife's presence as usual, Arnav looked over, only to see her staring at a man standing stunned before her. Suddenly recognising him to be the owner of some fashin house who had tried to steal his contracts, Arnav started forward, only to slow down as he took in the flaming look on his wife's face.
A smile of pure satisfaction blossomed on his face as he realised that Mrs. ASR was on the warpath. Not many realised that the lioness was more ruthless than the lion, especially when it came to defending her home and hearth. She had finally gotten her hands on someone who had dared to do damage to her husband. "Poor bloke won't even know what hit him", he thought, with a fond, proud smile .
As for Khushi, at Prateik's stunned gaze, she smiled tightly. Suddenly sensing that her husband had come up behind her, she continued, "And this was for trying to cheat my husband. Lekin aap ko iss dhappad ke saath ek advice bhi de doongi, mufth mein. Kabhi bhi, business mein, rishtedaaron ke beech ke chagde ka istemaal nahin karna chaahiye, iss se wapas aapko hi nuksaan hoga."
Smirking now, her husband added, "Tum AR ki oonchayiyon ko choona chaahte ho, nah? Toh yeh bhi sun lo. Never place a mole in an opponent's office until you make sure that he cannot be bought. And never trust innocent-looking wives who claim to be harassed revenge-seeking wenches, that works only in movies. How did you even think that Arnav Singh Raizada's wife would be such an easy prey?! Espionage karte ho toh professionally karna seekho!"
Turning to look down at his wife, he asked, "Chalein."
Throwing a burning glance at Prateik Raina of PR Designs, the formidable Mrs. ASR replied, "Ji, Arnavji. Chalo."
Taking a few steps, she turned back, her intense gaze piercing right through to the man standing frozen, "And remember, the next time you try anything crass on my husband, you'll have to deal with me. Aur Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada se takraana aapke liye achcha nahin hoga!"
Turning to her husband, who stood waiting, his pride in her shining out of his eyes, she tucked her arm under his and smiled up at him, "Chaliye, Arnavji."
Author's Note:
:-)
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