Part 2
"Aarti, I am surprise you asked me out on a date," Aakash said as he seated himself opposite Aarti at Tiffany's Restaurant, an upscale eatery. She was in her Gucci suit, immaculately dressed, make-up still intact and not a hair out of place even though it was after work. She was his competent assistant. Aakash thought that she was very hot that he had always trying to ask her out but she flatly refused him. He wondered if she finally realised that he would soon be the owner of Scindiya Jewellery that she was making her move on him. The waiter came to take their order and poured them their champagne.
"Cheers," Aakash clicked his glass against hers, excited at the prospect of spending the rest of the evening with Aarti.
"Tell me about Yash Scindiya," Aarti spoke after sipping her champagne.
Aakash nearly choke on his drink. Why was she interested about Yash Scindiya? What did the old man tell her? He heard from his secretary that the old man had an appointment with Aarti that afternoon but Aakash had assumed it had to do with the IPO.
"Why are you asking about him?"
Aarti smiled at him. Her smile never reached her eyes and Aakash could not help feeling she was mocking him.
"Because..."she left it there as their food arrived. Aarti ignored Aakash persistent questioning about Yash Scindiya and her meeting with Mr Suraj Scindiya earlier that day. He was obviously worried about his position in the Company. Akash was just too damn transparent with his emotions that he would never make a good businessman. There was also the fact that he was not smart and being the illegitimate son, he felt like the world owes him one big apology! She was wasting her time having this dinner with him. She put her cutlery down, picked up her bag and stood up. She should have known Aakash was always useless.
"Where are you going?"
"I came here to eat and find out more about Yash Scindiya. Since you are not telling me anything about him and refuse to allow me to enjoy the food in peace, I see no reason to stay. Tell me how much my share is tomorrow and I will pay you," Aarti sauntered away.
"Do not be too haughty Aarti. I am your boss and you act as though you are above everyone else. I can fire you anytime you understand! How dare you walk out of me? You are embarassing me!" Aakash shouted after Aarti and she rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the restaurant. That's... your problem!
"I am not doing this Ma."
"Then do you really want to let your father bequest the Company to Aakash? After all of Pankaj's hardwork? You know he would throw me out of the house and he would..."
"Then stay with me. I have told you to leave the house so maybe getting chased out would finally make you come to your senses." With that, Yash Scindiya switched off his iphone. His mother has been bothering him since the past one week about marrying the Aarti Dubey which would only happen over his dead body. The great Scindiya Jewellery, which was established from his forefathers' sweat and tears, would meet its destruction in the hands of his father's illegitimate son. Yash would sit back and watch the cookie crumble!
"Are you sure about this?" Aman, his best friend since high school asked as he stepped into Yash's office.
"About what?"
"Not even considering to meet the Aarti Dubey to see what she is like before deciding? I thought she emailed you?"
"The only reason she is doing that is because I am her ticket to the high life. I have hired a PI to give me her dirt. She grew up in St Mary's Orphanage and was adopted by some Indian couple when she was three. Her adopted mother died when she was ten and her adopted father died when she was eighteen. She went to New York University on scholarship and majored in Accountancy. She worked part time as a sales girl at Elegance Solitares while studying and after she graduated at twenty-two, she joined Scindiya Jewelleries as an Accountant. And five years later, apparently she is the CFO's Assistant. Either she is sleeping with Akash or the old man to get to where she is today."
"But I heard that she is very capable so maybe..."
"Something must be going on that he wants me to marry her! But there is no way I am going to be his puppet. I do not give a damn about the great Scindiya Jewellery and you know that."
Yash stood up and went to the pantry to get himself coffee. It was two in the morning and he desperately needed caffeine. He and Aaman were still working on a proposal and they still have a long way to go. They both had set up Drilling Solutions, a Company to supply drilling equipments after they graduated from college eight years ago. He majored in Business Studies while Aman majored in Engineering so he was the brains of the business while Aman provided the service. They struggled a lot during their early days and Yash could only afford to rent a room in Manhattan's run down district then. But eight years later, Yash was the proud owner of a luxury penthouse in Midtown, Manhattan. And he has just rewarded himself with a Maserati from the profits they made last year. He did not need his father's money!
"Are you really willing to let your late brother's hardwork go to Aakash? What about your promise to him?" Yash sighed. Why did he make that promise to Pankaj bhaiyya that he would come back to Scindiya Jewellery if it was necessary? Did Pankaj bhaiyya had a premonition that he would be gone too soon?
Yash brood over this matter for another week before he finally responded to Aarti's email. Her email was clear and concise:
"Dear Yash Scindiya
I have something to discuss which would be of interest to you. Let me know when is convenient for you to meet up.
Yours sincerely,
Aarti Dubey
And his reply was curt as well:
Meet me at Season Hotel's Aqualite Restaurant at 1pm this Saturday. You only have til 2pm.
When Saturday finally arrived, Aarti was seated at Aqualite Restaurant fifteen minutes to one waiting for Yash Scindiya. When it was one o'clock and Yash has not shown up, she was annoyed. And when the clock stroked one thirty and he was not there, she wondered if he had stood her up. She debated whether to make a move when she saw him strolling in. He was dressed in a white Burberry polo t-shirt and jeans. He was tall, muscular and good looking, like a hero in the mills and boons novels foolish girls read, and the way he walked told her he knew his effects on the opposite gender. He has his Ray-ban on and she could not tell his expression and she hated that.
"I waited 32 minutes for you and I do not appreciate tardiness."
Yash cocked his eyebrow and he took his seat opposite the Aarti Dubey. She was something else! He did not expect to be greeted that way. Her voice was cold and business-like and everything about her was way too rigid to his liking. Her hair was too tight in a perfect bun, her black dress was too formal for a Saturday lunch and her stance too stiff. But he would have to admit that she has a pair of eyes which were beautiful despite being expressionless, full lips that he could kiss all day, a long neck that he could... Wait! Where was his mind wandering to!
The waiter approached them and he took his time flipping the menu. He could sense her eyeing him coolly and the only thing that gave away her irritation was the tapping sound she absentmindedly made with her fingers on her glass. Ten minutes later, Yash finally placed his order and was surprised she did not lose her cool yet.
"I come and go as I please and I do not think you are in a position to tell me about your displeasures."
"Since I only have 18 minutes left for this meeting, I am going to make it quick. I have a proposition for you which..."
"You have a proposition for me?" Yash sneered. "What do you have to offer when your are just an employee at Scindiya Jewellery? I have done my checks on you and I know there is nothing you can offer that I would be interested in. Not even if you offer yourself." And Yash took off his Ray-ban and boldly ran his eyes over her body to prove his point. She stared regally at him and not a single muscle on her face reacted.
"Your father is offering me twelve percent of the Company's shares to marry you. I am willing to sell them to you once I have my hands on them and if you combined that with what your mother owns, that would make you the second majority shareholder after your father. Currently, Akash and his mother are more powerful as they have more shares but you can change that soon. And if you refused this marriage, I will end up with Akash and I will make the same deal with him. It should be self-explanatory what would happen to you and your Mother then."
"Wow, you must be really good in bed that the old man is willing to give you such a huge share."
Aarti was startled by his accusation but luckily Yash's order arrived and that gave her time to compose herself, "I have my merits."
"I do not need my father's money. I am a self-made man unlike you who is willing to sell yourself for money."
Aarti cocked her eyebrow, "Really? You like to believe you are a self-made man but have you seriously not depended on your father all this while? After you left home, who was the one that helped you pay for your school fees? And whom did you borrow from to start your business venture? Where did Pankaj Sir get the money from? He was working at Scindiya Jewellery so need I say more? And who provided you contacts to help your business prosper? The only reason you had those sales was because your late brother knew people who knew people that wanted your service. As much as you like to believe you made it all on your own, you have just been living in the shadows of your father's name and wealth. I did my research too."
Yash glared at Aarti. He paid every single penny he took from Pankaj bhaiyya but why should he explain himself to this woman.
"I have not cared about this Company for the past ten years. You must not be very smart to think I would start caring now."
"Well, Pankaj Sir has been very good to me and he never wanted the Company to end up with Akash which is why I rather sell my shares to you than him. But you should be smart enough to know it does not matter whom I sell them to eventually."
"How noble of you! When will you get the shares?"
"In seven months time cause that is when the Company will IPO. We just have to be married for seven months and once I get the shares, I will transfer them to your name and you pay me ten percent above the subscription price and we will be divorced. This is just a business deal."
"How can I trust you? Show your contract with the old man to my lawyer and he will follow up with you from there. I am only willing to offer you five percent above the subscription price. If not, you can go sell your shares at the share market."
Aarti was silent and Yash could not read her expression. Yash took out a name card, placed it on the table and stood up.
"You are taking more time than you are entitled to. That's my lawyer. Call him and he will know what to do with the likes of you. You will not get a single cent more than money for those shares. What about Payal after we divorce?"
"She is your niece so you can keep her. That's...your problem."
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
