CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
'So sorry I am late... I had to take care of a few more things than I anticipated...'' Said Romi who walked in with a wrapped gift in his hand
'Is everything okay...'' Said Ishita
'Yeah... Why do you ask?'' He said
'Nothing... It is just that Boss told me that you needed me for some work but he didn't tell me what it was...'' Said Ishita
'Oh right... He didn't even talk to you...'' Said Romi
'Nope... He said we should wait for you...'' Said Ishita
'Oh alright... Where is he?'' Romi asked
'Upstairs in his study...'' Said Ishita
'Right... I will go talk to him...'' Said Romi
'Oh and please ask Neelu to please get me something to eat... I am starving...'' He added as he made his way upstairs
'She isn't here... He gave her a day off...I can check if there is anything for you to eat'' Said Ishita causing him to smile
'Ishita, everyone in this house knows you can't cook...'' He said
'Wha... Sir... I ...'' She began defending herself
'It is fine... Aditya and Ruhi told Raman a couple of weeks after you were hired but he still didn't fire you so your fine...'' Said Romi calming her fears
'How about this... Call Mihir and ...'' He added but she interrupted
'Raman gave him the day off as well... I am the only one here... So send me and I will take care of it...'' Said Ishita
'Are you sure...'' Said Romi
'I can't cook but I can order food... ' Said Ishita and Romi chuckled saying
'Fine... 'He said giving her his order before he walked up stairs while Ishita walked out
Romi walked upstairs expecting Raman to maybe be working or scribbling down some designs but he was shocked. Raman was just seated on his table staring at almost nothing with a bottle of scotch in one hand and glass in another.
'Oh God Raman... You can't begin doing this given what we have at stake...'' Said Romi
'I am fine... Have you handled it...'' He said
'Yeah... She still has no idea given you didn't talk to her... You were supposed to talk to her...'' Said Romi
'I will... I do not need to justify myself, she works for me and therefore she is supposed to do what I tell her...'' Said Raman
'Raman... That is your excuse... That is what you're going to say to her'' Said a baffled Romi but Raman just ignored him
'Anyway... The dress you asked for is here...'' Said Romi handing him the wrapped gift
'Good... And Suraj Mohlotra, will he be there...'' Said Raman
'Yeah he already confirmed...'' Said Romi sitting down as he said
'You realize you are going to have to convince her to come with you not as a nanny but something... She can't be there in the same capacity because she won't have reason to be...''
'I know that and I will take care of it...'' Said Raman who clearly wasn't in the mood to talk about any of this
'Fine... You have to do it soon because the party begins in about an hour or so... ' He said
'I will...'' Said Raman and with that Romi walked out
He came down stairs and he could see Ishita just picked up the order from the deliveryman
'Oh ... I will be taking that...'' Said Romi taking the food from her
'Aren't you hungry anymore...'' She said
'Nope I am, I am just going to have this on the way... I still have a few things to take care of...'' Said Romi as he grabbed his jacket
'Hold on... What job am I supposed to be doing'' She asked
'Raman will fill you in. I really have to go am late... I will see you later...'' He said
'Okay...'' Said Ishita as she watched Romi ran out of the house
Curiosity was really killing her and she just wanted to know what the hell they were planning. In her gut she had a feeling all this was somehow connected to Suraj. He had tried this before, trying to convince her to go back home after he found her working for a tech company in Mumbai as an IT Assistant.
He tried to convince her and of course she said no, so he asked that they fire her with the hope that she would run out of ideas and come back home, but Ishita being Ishita wouldn't do that. She instead left Mumbai and headed for Delhi staying away from Tech Companies because she knew this was an easy way for them to find her.
She wasn't mad at him, she knew it came from a good place and he did what he thought was best for her but there was just too much at that time for her to ever change and the gap just grew bigger and bigger and she never turned back.
She walked upstairs wanting to check on Raman but once she got to the door that led to his study, she couldn't bring herself to. She knew he wasn't doing too well and wanted to help in some way but she also understood that he needed just a few hours to himself. Every one dealt with grief and pain in different ways and maybe this was his. She more than anyone knew how unhealthy it was but she also knew it was needed because once he walked out of that room, she wasn't allowing him back in.
She decided to give him some space and decided to walk back into her room. She figured once it was dinner time and he still was in there, she was just going to storm the room and force him to come out one way or the other.
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Ishita had been in her room the entire day and she was completely happy being there. She had been writing a program that was supposed to improve and completely change the one she and her mom wrote almost 8 years earlier. She knew once she did that it was going to change everything entirely and it would open up a world of new possibilities for her mother's legacy. So in that moment, while she was in the zone, she forgot for a moment that she was actually supposed to be on duty doing her job as she had promised Aditya.
Raman on the other hand wanted to drown his pain in that glass of vodka and gin. He missed her and he couldn't quite believe it had been six years. He among other things was feeling a bit guilty because for the first time in over 5years he had actually forgotten that date. I mean how that was even possible was beyond his comprehension.
He knew in the back of his mind that the only thing that changed in his life was that crazy nanny who had walked into his life that year and turned everything upside down. He wasn't working as much because for the first time he actually enjoyed taking time off. His kids were happy, he was slowly getting back to that place where he was at peace and he felt guilty about that.
Since Shagun passed he had been carrying the guilt around because he didn't think he deserved to live while she got to pass away, he got to see their kids grow up and she didn't. That guilt had been eating away at him since she passed and when he realized he was beginning to forget about her, the guilt and the pain and the loneliness all came back in one font and he didn't know what to do but just drown his pain in a bottle of scotch.
The deal with IYER Technologies was a huge deal for them because they wanted to partner with them. To grow their business and give it an online presence that would not only make it international but also one of the best around. It was a huge deal for him and he knew he couldn't mess this up as a lot of people were depending on it.
Mr. Mohlotra made it clear that he needed Ishita in that proposal and as curious as he was, he just wasn't in the mood to figure out why unlike his brother. This Charity Event that they held every year was going to be the night he got to introduce Ishita to Mohlotra as someone on his staff and he just hoped that it all worked out.
He got up and cleaned himself up sipping as much coffee as he could with a couple ofparacetamol tablets to cure his headache. He got all dressed up in a navy blue Alexander Amosu Vanquish II Bespoke Suit that was form fitting in all the right places. He walked out of his room heading straight for Ishita's room expecting her to be ready bit when he got there, she was just seated on her bed her hair in a pony with headsets on mumbling as she kept on typing on her computer
'What the hell... Ishita ...'' He called her but her attention was so taken and with the headphones on her head, she couldn't hear him
'Ishita...'' He called again but she wasn't barging so he walked to where she was tapping her shoulder causing her to turn a bit startled
'Oh... Sorry...'' She said removing her headsets
'Why the hell aren't you dressed? We are getting late...'' He said a bit irritated
'Dressed for what Sir...'' Said Ishita confused
'I told you that we had to handle some work and you needed to get ready...Why aren't you ready? You never take anything seriously'' Said Raman even more irritated
'No... You asked me not to leave as you had some work for me. No one told me to get dressed for anything or that we were going somewhere...'' Said Ishita
'Didn't Romi handle this...'' He asked
'No... So instead of snapping at me can I at least know what I am supposed to be doing...'' She said causing Raman to simmer down a bit
'Right... I need you to come to this charity thing with me...'' Said Raman
'Why...'' She said
'What do you mean why? Because I asked you...'' He said
'Uhhh are there going to be kids at this party that I am going to be taking care of? If there are, we need to talk about over pay...'' Said Ishita putting her laptop aside as she looked at him noticing how unbelievably handsome he was actually looking that it almost distracted from the smell of alcohol on his breath
'Wow... You look... Wow...'' She added looking at him from head to toe
'I will pay you just get dressed and come with me and No there will be no kids... ' He said
'Whoa... Hold on... So you're asking me to go with you like... As your date ...'' Said Ishita and he turned looking at her for a second or two before he said
'Something, like that...''
'Why...'' She said
'Why are you all of a sudden too inquisitive? I do not have time for your childishness...'' Said Raman snapping again
'Now hold on a minute, by the look of things seems to me you need my help. Snapping at me won't help your cause and I can as well say No... I mean it is not in my job description to go on fancy charity thingies with you...'' Said Ishita and Raman not wanting to argue sighed saying
'Just... Please... Dress up... Let us go... I will pay you 3 months worth of your salary for the night... Just please, come with me...'' And Ishita feeling sorry for him said
'Fine... But''
'Now what...'' He said
'I sort of do not have something fancy enough here for an event like that...'' She said
'Right...'' He said walking out and back in the study where he picked up the wrapped box that Romi had earlier and walked back handing it to her
'Here, wear this... There are shoes there as well, not sure you can manage those. So am sure you will figure it out. In case you don't have, there are a couple of Simmi's shoes in her closet I am sure you can find something comfortable there...'' He said
'Oh... What is wrong with these shoes...'' She said as she looked at the shoes putting down the dress
'There are stilettos in there...'' He said carelessly
'So...'' She said slightly offended for whatever reason
'I just... Well... I am...'' Said Raman stammering
'Oh My God you think I don't know how to walk in heels...'' Said Ishita taken back a bit
'Am sorry but in my defense I have never seen you wear anything other than sneakers or sandals...'' He said
'Yeah Right... Give me a couple of minutes let me get ready...'' She said shaking her head as she walked to the bathroom
Raman walked the living room and patiently waited for her. He knew he couldn't quite be upset with her because he didn't tell her that he was going anywhere with her but never the less he was a very impatient man. He kept on looking at his watch every 5 minutes as he looked at the direction of Ishita's door. She was taking longer and a couple of minutes had quickly turned into an hour and it felt like he had been waiting for ever
'Why the hell is she taking so long...'' He said talking to himself as he looked at his watch again until he heard her voice
'I am here... Sorry I took long...'' Causing him to turn and to say he was at a loss of words would be an understatement
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