Can you direct me to the executive suite please?, her voice resounded in the silent foyer of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai.
This way maam, the lady at the reception pointed, your guest is already in , she added.
Ishita took in a deep breath and steadied herself. She had done a bit of homework before this meeting in a sit in with Mani's consultant and had learnt that owing to the sensitivity of the deal and the ruckus over the contract with Ruhaan, the client had chosen to operate anonymously. But she had persisted and though she didn't yet have a name for the man she was going to meet , she had a fair bit of understanding of his persona she thought. The consultant had told her that the CEO of this rival company was cold, calculated and downright ruthless when it came to acquiring deals which he fancied. He was ethical in a twisted way though and could not be bought, the consultant had repeatedly warned. But what struck her most was the advice the consultant gave her while she was making her way out, "maam, don't try to play the emotional card with him about the state of our company or employees. I have heard that the man is as hard hearted as a cold piece of stone and cannot empathize - talk to him only in the language he understands, that of money, he said.
Noone can be that stone hearted, she thought to herself, there is always a story , always a way into their heart to understand reason. I hope I can find that.
Her heart hammered at the thought of the risks and had taken to get to this meeting. The lies to Mani, aliya. The frantic booking at the hotel suite. But she had to meet this man, she had to set everything right for Mani's sake. He had lost his company because of the years he gave her and his long stay in hospital. She had to repay that debt, at any cost. This man had to be convinced, she told herself, as she reached the floor and stepped out of the lift. One last time, ishita, one last time, she thought.
He was pacing the length and breadth of the suite meeting room like an angry beast. Which professional company comes in late for the meeting they themselves asked for, he muttered. And they had the audacity to double their stakes when their value is not even half of what they quoted, bunch of losers.
Damn you Mihir, why did you have to convince me to come here for this joke, he rambled on, glancing at his watch repeatedly.
And then the man doesn't come himself but sends his wife to finalize such an important contract, no wonder the business is in doldrums, he smirked.
Pity the people who write off their companies in their wives names, he said, and immediately felt a stabbing pain in his gut. He thought of the day he sold off his stakes in his company , his and her company, he thought. It had felt like losing her all over again, and he had systematically killed the last link to using her name again in any business dealing. 7 years back he had started Pihu industries, yes Pihu -pure and uncorrupted like his little daughter, their little daughter. His company too was as old as her, and like little pihu , did not know his past, his ugly loathsome past he thought wryly.
Why was he thinking of her again, he shook himself.
Time is up buddy he said , time to leave this place. I guess I have given these guys a fair chance for mihirs sake.
He prepared to leave as he heard the lock on the door click open and looked up and froze at the vision in front of him. ..
She opened the door with trepidation, mouthing a silent prayer to murugan to help her this one time, to set things right, and started mouthing an apology for coming in late. .
I am so sorry,...she said and she looked up, straight into the eyes of the man she had come in to meet, the eyes of the man she loved.
Her hand stopped in mid air as she had tried brushing her hair back and she tried to speak but her throat constricted and her vision blurred..but her eyes didn't leave his. She held his gaze as she saw a multitude of emotions in his eyes.
Was it really her, he was still staring like it was a dream, which would end when he woke up, alone in his bed as he did for the last 7 yrs. Were his eyes playing tricks again, like they had on multiple of his binge trips. No, he was sober and he had been thinking clearly, until now.
She hadn't changed much, he noted, as he took in every feature and every contour, almost caressing every part of her. His eyes making sure she was her..her..Ishita.
His mind and heart did a painful recoil as he thought of her. .her name. He allowed himself to say it aloud in his mind. His Ishita ...his ishita was here, in front of him, right here in front of his eyes and his heart exploded in happiness.
He wanted to make up, make up for all lost time, make up for everything they lost, shower her with all the love he wanted to give her in all these years, hold her tight, close to his heart, touch her, caress her to his hearts content, kiss her senseless and make love till they could no longer be apart , never again seperated, never again, never again will he lose her and his Ru...he thought and he took a step ahead and then stopped as it all came crashing down.Ruhi... their daughter had died, their Ruhi and Ishita had died too, but she was here..alive and breathing..?
It hit him like a tonne of bricks, she had 'chosen' to stay away all these years. She had 'chosen' to be dead for him and his family, she had 'chosen' a life without him.And she had 'chosen' someone else to live her life with. She had 'chosen' to be someone else's wife. The frost set in hard this time , as his eyes froze back to their rigid coldness..
She had seen him on the television in Australia, that evening of the award function, but nothing prepared her for the sight of her husband, her Raman.. after all these years. She couldn't help looking him over ..again and again. .his face, his eyes, his firm jaw, his lips, his broad shoulders and those hands that she adored...she used to spend sleepless nights thinking of how she wanted to remember every tiny aspect of him , of their life together and would anguish over what if she didn't remember how he looked like or how he felt like when she touched him.
But she was amazed by the rush of adrenaline just looking at him gave her and how minutely clear she remembered every detail of his. He looked fit, she smiled within, oh what she could give to hug him close, closest she ever could and feel his musky cologne and feel his stubble graze her cheek, the way she always insisted he did. It's like life and it's worries were far far away when she was in those arms of his.How she wished she could erase everything and just have him..have him all for herself for these few moments, she sighed. He had not changed at all, she thought again, or had he. Her eyes gave him a once over, and stopped at those eyes.
Did she see shock, did she see disbelief,did she see happiness, did she see love. .no...she dived deeper... did she see love..no..he hated her.. didn't he say that. ..and now his eyes said nothing , they were cold and distant. .yes he hated her, loathed her. What was she even thinking few seconds ago. This was no longer her place. She was no longer his. That place was Shagun's now. His wife, the mother of his kids, his lover?...she shuddered visibly as felt her insides clam up.
She had a job to do still, she felt herself say, while all her heart wanted was to sprint..as fast as her legs would take her far away where no one could find her..again..all over again.
Raman Kumar Bhalla, he put his hand out to her.
Ishita...she said, her eyes now mirroring his, cold, distant and closed, she extended her hand to clasp his.
Their first touch, first contact in 7 years. It was a beginning , or was it.
But it was going to be a long night. A very long night before dawn broke.
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Book Talk
Anupamaa
Vasudha
10