Chapter 2
As it turns out, he didn't have to try to get rid of her. She handed in her resignation when they got back to the office. She had to work out a 2 month notice period in order to complete the projects that she was busy with. He did not ask her to assist in his latest contract as he had said for obvious reasons. Luckily he was not office bound so he stayed away from the office as much as possible to avoid her. Not that she came anywhere near him. She normally made wide circles around him, only greeting him when other people were around and only very slightly. His lifestyle did not change. He still had his fair share of sexual exploits. In fact he was almost insatiable. He wanted it all the time. He kept craving something and it seemed that none of his lady friends could give him what he wanted. He was craving something different. He wanted what she had given him that night in Mumbai. He never knew it could be that good and he had been around the block a few times. He often found himself imagining her even when he was with someone else. He had to remind himself constantly that it was only because the sex was great that he could not get her out of his mind. It couldn't be anything else.
Yet here he was in her office. All her personal possessions packed up in a box. It would be her last day at Scindiya Functions and Dcor tomorrow. Most of the staff had left early for her farewell dinner. He had politely declined. It seemed that she very well liked and many people were sad to see her go. Her direct superiors had even tried to persuade her to stay and had asked for his help. He had agreed that they can offer her a raise but he never spoke to her. I felt a tinge of disappointment when she didn't accept. After all he did not want to lose one of his best employees. He didn't know what he was doing here in her office now.
He decided to leave, and in the process, he knocked of an A5 sized envelope off her desk, and the contents fell out. He bent to pick it up and he battled to figure out what it was. He had seen these before. When Vidhi was pregnant. It seemed to be a pregnancy scan. As he looked closer and saw that it said. Baby Dubey, 8 weeks.
8 weeks! He made the calculations in his head. Could it be? The timing would be about right. His mind could not comprehend what was happening. He was about to be a father. He did not want this. He was not ready for this. What did she expect of him. His head was reeling.
"Mr. Scindiya. What are you doing in my office?"
He spun around.
"What is this?" he demanded.
She was shocked.
"What gave you the right to look through my personal belongings!?"
"What is this?!"
"It is my personal business. I has nothing to do with you."
"Are you pregnant?"
"Must I tell you again that my personal business has nothing to do with you?"
"Is it mine?"
She hated the callous way he referred to the baby as it.
"No Mr. Scindiya. I had 100 lovers after you."
"Aarti!"
"What! Ok fine, I am pregnant. And no IT is not yours. My child has no father."
"Who are you trying to fool here? I think this was your whole plan. To get me to marry you or to extort money out of me."
"Really, and that is why I ran to tell you immediately when I found out." she said sarcastically.
"And you give yourself too much credit to think I would want to marry a man who has the emotional intelligence of a rock! As for your money, I don't need it. I have come where I am on my own, with only the help of my Creator. I will do the same now. I would rather not have someone of your lack of morals and values in my child's life."
"Oh now I have the emotional intelligence of a rock. The other day you couldn't wait to confess your love to me. And low morals? Who wrapped her legs around me when I wanted to stop? So can you really take the moral high ground here?"
"You are despicable for bringing that up but it is not untrue. And I regret it with everything within me. I was stupid and naive. But you remedied that. I will never be that ignorant again"
"How. Just how are you going to afford to look after a baby with no job?"
"That is none of your concern."
"Are you keeping it?'
"For someone that has no interest in us you sure are asking a lot of questions.'
"I want to know what your plans are. You know you have options right. You don't have to keep it."
"Are you suggesting I abort this child simply it doesn't fall into your plans?"
"Or maybe you have a better plan. Like leaving it an orphanage. Like mother like daughter right."
That statement was the ultimate knife in an already open wound. She opened her mouth but there was no fit response. She just turned around and left.
How could he say that? He didn't mean it. Why did he lose control so completely when she was around. Any other woman would have jumped at the chance at marrying him, at having access to the Scindiya fortune but she was happy to raise the child on her own. He didn't want that. And he didn't want to the child either. He didn't want them to suffer because of him. Finally he had a plan.
Aarti did not go back the next day, she did not want to risk running into him. She couldn't believe that she had gotten it so wrong. She had really thought that he had feelings for her. But he was an unfeeling stone hearted shallow bas***d. She had been upset at first when she found out about the baby. That was not what she wanted. In fact, as she was an orphan and she had promised herself that her children would not be in the same boat. They would have 2 loving parents. Now she had lost herself to this man and she had unknowingly taken that option away from her child. But she had already grown to love her little peanut. She would be the best mommy in the world to him. She would make sure that he or she would never feel the absence of a father.
What he said to her last night had hurt so much. She would never give her child up like her parents did with her. She would do everything in her power to look after this child. She lived in this ladies hostel for the past 6 years, even though she had earned a good salary at SF & D. She saved a lot of her salary as she never really had a social life, and sent some to Shoba-ma at the orphanage, the only mother that she knew. She would also get out a severance package from work. So they would hopefully be fine until she was able to work again.
There was a knock at her door. "Miss Dubey there is a gentleman at the door for you." Men were not allowed in the hostel. She wondered who had come to see.
"What are you doing here?"
"I had to talk to you" he had found her address in her employee file when she had not come to work today.
"We have nothing to say to each other."
"This is for you." he handed her a bank cheque."
She took it. The amount made her gasp.
"What is this for? Services rendered. Clearly I have been in the wrong profession for the last 6 years" she said scornfully.
"Aarti please. This will help you out with the baby. You could be comfortable for long while. When it is finished you can just let me know and I will get you more." He was dealing with his problem the Scindiya way, by throwing money at it.
"Oh so you are buying a clear conscience. Well sorry I can't help you there." She tore up the cheque. "I told you I don't want anything from you. I don't need anything from you. You have no obligation here. You don't have to feel guilty. I will be ok. This baby is my responsibility and mine alone. If I can just ask you for one thing that you can do for me and the baby?
Aah, here it comes he thought. Everyone has their price. What would be hers, a car, a house maybe even shares in SF & D for the child?
"What?"
"Please leave us alone. Stay out of our lives. That is all I want from you." She turned around and left him standing there.
He had tried everything. He felt terrible that she would not take the money. At least she would have been comfortable. He would just give her what she wants and leave her. At least she was not expecting him to be a father to the child. He was happy with that. Or was he?
Edited by B-onesie - 9 years ago