Chapter 2

Aditi

@desidillse

Shilpa's POV:

I was trying to sleep but wasn't able to, my concentration was on the same question which has fastened me tightly, since the whole day. I was constantly switching off and on the table lamp, while lying on the bed and trying to find out the reason of my recruitment in such a prestigious and eminent business empire, that too for the job of executive manager. After all, I wasn't working for a year.

But as usual I wasn't getting answer, and when the slumber did enveloped me.

Armaan's POV:

It was just a usual night for me, as in, there was no night when I slept at time, but still this was something new. I recruited a girl without taking her interview, I didn't even check her resume out, and just appointed her like that. I was so anxious with that, because it was so unexpected by me for the other shareholders, especially Riddhima and top of that, for me. Even, I had never ever expected that from myself.

So, I had to think something, to escape myself from the situation with which I was dealing through, as in I was not at all in situation to answer the major share holders, if that girl... Uhh!! I didn't even remember her name... well whatever it was. The significant dilemma which has occupied my mind was, what if that girl will not worth the job of executive manager, which we were offering her, so I'd to decide something from which I can escape from this situation very well and heads I win and tails she loose.

I didn't want to lose my reputation and the value of my verdict in front of the whole management, so I needed to find the loophole so she can be employed as well as I wouldn't lose my reputation.

And after being tired I searched for the TV remote to switch on the television set, just to mislead my concentration from the topic which has shrouded my mind from the whole day. Alas! I didn't find it anywhere and after getting pissed off I switched it on using the thumb pads on the TV set, and suddenly a grin changed my expressions from the worry and angst.

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Shilpa's POV:

Phew!! I have got ready for the first day of my office and was peacefully having breakfast on the dining table when suddenly a hand came towards my platter and snatched the slice of bread from it, and without having a look over the face, I understood who it was, as in it was HIS daily habit. Oops! I mean Sid's daily habit.

I pointed the sharp knife all stained in butter in his direction and screamed, "Give my toast back"

"Not done yaar! I'm feeling hungry", Sid replied back in his signature not-so-funny tone.

I pouted back and rolled my eyes, and Chote Papa came to my vision suddenly, who was sitting beside me, as I was so sure that what may ever happen in the universe, he will going to be my side not on his son's, so a mischievous trick collided to my brain.

"Chote Papa! I'm going to shift in a PG next month", I mimicked as I was so serious about that and then grinned my lips, in a manner so no one can witness my expression with which I lasted.

Chote Papa literally dropped his spoon on his platter which clanked loudly when destined to it, as it was pin drop silence.

"What happen?", Now I'd realized that this has become too much and now I wanted to correct myself but no one looked at me as in my trick played back on me, for the first time.

"Padma!!", Chote Papa called loudly.

"Yes!!", she replied worriedly as she has understood that this was my foolish prank so everyone can scold Sid and now I have caught.

"Pack the bags, now!", he ordered as if he was so serious and will now throw me out of the house.

Sid banged his head at the whole situation and I coughed with moist eyes and left the chair, "Cho--", but before I could utter a word he interrupted me, "Padma! Didn't you get me, pack the bags of this boy and throw him out of the house".

Now my eyes popped out from the sockets like soccer balls, "Please don't ...", but suddenly I realized that he wasn't talking about me, he was talking about a boy and there was only boy in the house, Sid.

I bit my tongue when he realized after a minute that his father has decided to throw him out of the house and he jumped from the chair with disbelief.

"Papa!! Kuch bhi! Why are you throwing ME out of the house", Sid objected with his father's decision and continued defending himself, "Tantrums throw kare ye, pranks kare ye, drama kare ye... And you are throwing me out of the house", he made a gloomy face as someone has snatched a chocolate bar from the hand of a 5 years old child.

 I opened my mouth, as if someone would have measured it, it would be in a perfect O shape. I patted his shoulder as if I will beat him, "Main tantrums throw karti hoon, pranks karti hoon, drama karti hoon...", I behaved as I was so innocent and made a gloomy face and Sid was giving me a jaw dropping reaction and kept his hand on his waist but I avoided him, "See Chote Papa! Your son always blames me", and I pouted again.

"Because he is an idiot... my Shona is so innocent", Chote Papa mimicked but I believed that it was his genuine words.

I smiled widely and looked at him, "Hai na! ye mujhe humesha pareshan karta hai", at which he nodded and Choti ma bit her lower lip to stop her fits of laughter.

But the situation was going over the head of Sid, he snatched my hand so I can look towards him, "Oh overacting ki dukaan! Is ghar mein na hum dono ek sath reh bhi nahi sakte"

I retorted back, "Haan to jaa na, who is pleading you to stop. In fact we are throwing you out of the house", and tilted my head up.

"No ways! You're going out of this house", he pointed finger towards me.

"you"

"you"

And so on, the argument goes on and suddenly a loud scold stopped us, "Shut up you both!"

We two looked in the direction from the voice has came and closed our eyes tightly as in we knew that it was the time for getting scold.

"No-one-is-going-out-of-the-house, Do-you-both-get-that", the elders of the house clarified in unison.

"Jee!", both of us looked down to the floor.

"And you Sid! Don't you dare to irritate her again", Chote Papa warned him at which he obeyed and spontaneously a laughter left from my mouth but this was my time to get scolded, "And you! Don't you even try to prank these kinds of disgusting jokes over me...ghar chod ke jayenge", he scolded both of us hardly.

"Sorry Papa! Chote Papa", we both apologized in unison.

"Better!", he replied.

"We wouldn't repeat it again", we again said in unison.

"Okay okay! let it be, bahut hai aaj ke lie", Choti ma said to three of us and Chote Papa agreed.

"Ap teeno ko office nahi jana?", Choti ma again bombarded and we all realized that how much time we have wasted in all these.

Chote Papa replied, "Main aaj thoda late jaunga"

But I and Sid had to left for office and hospital respectively, so we started hurrying up, I snatched my handbag and Sid snatched the apple at the same time. All of them wished me a good luck for the first day of office and when I was finally at the main door, Sid replied from the back while biting the apple, "Hai Shona!!"

"Kya", I turned back.

 "Remember! I'll definetly throw you out of the house, one day, by myself, and that's the promise", Sid chuckled while leaving with me.

"Shut up Sid!", all the three of us shouted at him and then broke into the fits of laughter.

We two left together, as in Sid was going to drop me to the office, but a conversation has just started between my foster parents'.

"I just loved the bonding these two shares with each other", Choti ma smiled while collecting the dishes from dining table.

Chote Papa smiled, "Hmm!", and she replied back immediately, "What Hmm!... She is like my daughter but I want to make her my daughter in real soon"

"I too want the same... and I think this is the right time to make her the bahu of our family", Chote Papa replied.

"Sid aur Shilpa ki shadi, is family aur un dono ke lie best decision hoga ... right", Choti Ma replied and gave a smile to Chote Papa.

But someone witnessed all this from the door with moist eyes, who was none other than ME. My hand bag slipped from my hands and when it destined to the floor, the two pairs of eyes realized that I was there.

I tried to relaxed myself, as I've not heard anything and collected the bag from the floor and barged inside, "Actually --- wo -wo mera purse room mein reh gaya tha... I - I am just here to pick it up", I sheepishly replied.

"Ohkay!", Choti ma said but their faces have faded.

I collected my stuff and when I was running out of the house Choti ma stopped me, "You okay!"

"Yeah! What will happen to me... wo...wo first day hai na office ka so... a bit nervous I am", I lamely excused and immediately left with another topic stuffing my soul.

 
And the last sentence echoed in the house was, "Will Shilpa agree for the marriage"

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Armaan's Pov:

I was looking out of the French wooden window of my cabin when a question was constantly bombarding my ears.

"Ammy! Okay you've employed her, but without taking interview...", Riddhima was constantly barging the question and this time she added something, "Have you gone nuts?"

I immediately turned back and rested my arms on the glass table to answer her back in the same tone but a sugar coated voice distracted me and I heard a knock on the door as well, both of us spontaneously looked into the direction of the owner of voice. Riddhima left her seat immediately; this was the last thing I remembered of my surrounding, except that I forgot everything, as it was SHE.

She was looking nervous; indeed it was her first day, so she closed her eyes tightly and gulped the fresh saliva formed in her throat.

"May I come in sir?", she asked looking at me and I, who was all lost in a Lala land, just nodded my head in affirmation.

She tip-toed inside and smiled at me and then a voiced took me out from the trance with a jerk, "Yes come inside", it was Riddhima who smiled back to her and I felt that someone has stole my right to welcome her inside.

"It's okay ma'am, I'm fine.", the girl politely replied to Riddhima.

"No its okay. I treat my employees as my friends not slave", Riddhima showed her the direction of chair to get seated and glared me with corner of her eye, as she was taunting me and ended herself by giving a wide smile to her.

She hesitantly gets seated on the chair and so Riddhima took a seat and sweetly asked, "So nervous?"

She smiled back and nodded affirmatively, but I was keenly noticing their expressions, the girl was so confused with her surroundings and Riddhima was trying to distract her, after all they say, women have some secret hidden talents, and to understand the inner feelings of a person was Riddhima's.

"Well! I am Riddhima Gupta, the partner in crime...", she cut her words and giggled, "I mean the business associate of The Armaan Mallik", she introduced herself and bit her tongue, "Oops!! I just forgot to ask your name"

"Shilpa! Shilpa Malhotra", she sweetly replied.

Shilpa!! The name echoed in my ears and registered in my mind as if I was never going to forget it anymore, and who knew, this name would become the meaning of my life.

I was quiet nervous firstly in my whole life when Riddhima started, "Oh!! Congratulations Shilpa, for the new job of...", but before completing someone interrupted her, and I took a deep breath because I would have been lost the battle, if this would haven't been done on the time, and I would have left with no clarification and option, and what the next was going to happen is going to skim out.

A wide grin replaced the tension and worry from my face and spontaneously I closed the eyes tightly and blew the breathing of relaxation.

I have never believed in God but I don't know why, today I wanted to believe in that idol of stone or may be of metal, but quickly, hardly in a second, I called back myself in the reality from the bullshit which people have named as GOD.

Anyways, I was the lucky one who was completely away from all this nonsense and I was happy with that, and again I started witnessing the present and actual situation of my surrounding, because I was the only one who was going to be, spectator.

-----

Shilpa's POV:

I was in mixed feelings today, first I shared, such a beautiful and regular moment with the whole family of mine. Yes! Mine. After all, I've shared almost all of my life with those people, and they were more than a family to me, if today my own parents would have been there, even they wouldn't have been love me this much. But, for that did I'd to pay the tax, and get married to Sid? If I see from the other side of coin, no one has ever forced me to do that, but what if they will force me in future and ask to pay the tax of their love? Do I really treat Sid as a friend or something more? In fact I've not think anything for him with that meaning.

I was mentally present in these thoughts but a question of hers realized me that I should be mentally present on the place where I am physically present, in my office.

"Oh!! Congratulations Shilpa, for the new job of...", but before completing someone interrupted her.

We both turned in the direction from the interruption has came, the main door of the cabin of Armaan Mallik. I couldn't identify the person in dim light and so Riddhima Gupta, but after a second when he skimmed out of the layers of dim light, her confused expressions get replaced by shock, and she immediately left her seat.

"What're you doing here?", Riddhima asked curtly.

"You should ask that to Mr. Mallik, apko bataya nahi kya unhone", he replied in an over sugar coated tone as if he was trying to indicate something but hiding it too.

Riddhima rolled her eyes and stopped her last glance on Mr. Mallik, "What the hell is this Ammy? Mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa rha hai, ho kya raha hai?", she was confused but angry too on the whole situation, and I was figuring out what was happening.

He took out his palms from his pockets and stepped towards both of the ladies, "Argh! I forgot to inform you something", he said sounding quite relaxed.

"What did you forget to inform me?", Riddhima arched her brow and crossed her hands on her chest as if she was in damn bad mood right now, and I might be the only one who wasn't aware of the whole scenario and was just witnessing it, as if I was an spectator, but his answer faded all colors from my face.

He rolled his eyes and uncrossed her hands and tried to relax her as well, "Relax! Nothing big has happen, it's just, I have reappoint Mr. Sinha, as our executive manager", he said as if he has only changed the dinner of his menu, not the employee to whom he has appointed less than 24 hours back, but I, became numb.

"Are you mad? What the hell are you talking about?", Riddhima chewed each and every word of her whole question and I who was living in the dream that I am recruited without even taking the interview has just fired, before my joining, and may be this is the way he recruit the employees in his company.

He rubbed his eyes and asked her being carefree, "Why are you over-reacting?"

"Because, he is the person who has done some deeds which aren't good for the reputation of G&M and you, yourself has fired him... if you remember now", she fumed in anger as if it was something personal to her as well. I understood, as they say, that we the women have secret, hidden talents, and to understand the tone was mine.

"I wanna ask something", I raised my voice because I was done with all this. I didn't want to know what that person has done and why Mr. Mallik has re-appointed him, my business was just to stand for myself.

Mr. Mallik looked here and there and asked, "Yes"

"If you remember, your company G&M builders have given an advertisement for the job of an executive manager, and many candidates applied for that...but I was selected...", I strongly raised my point as in I have never been  a chui-mui kind of girl. I am strong and can stand myself, without any support, but before I could complete myself that man, the ex-executive manager interrupted me.

"So what? Now you aren't joining na... kaam to kiya nahi tumne yaha why are you over...", he was saying as he was the head of the company but even before he could complete himself, Riddhima screamed, "Shut up! If she is saying something then let her complete"

"Sorry!", he lamely apologized as it was a formality for him.

"She is right Mr. Mallik, you have cheated on her", Riddhima courageously opposed his business associate and friend.

He shrugged his shoulders and kept his palm on her shoulder to calm her anger, "Calm down ladies! Let me explain myself"

"What do you have to explain?", I asked fearlessly.

He took a deep breath, "Look ma,am! There is a misunderstanding"

"Misunderstanding", both of the ladies asked.

"Yeah! That's the problem of all of the ladies... Ap log sunte kam hai bolte jyada hai", he replied.

I retorted back, "Okay!  Then, we are listening"

He took the newspaper of last morning and threw on the table to show us, "Look at the advertisement carefully, indeed there is an ad for exe. Manager, par kuch or bhi hai"

We both examined the ad carefully and found that the ad was for 2 designations, not 1, another was personal assistant.

"Ye dikha ke proof kya karna chahte hain ap, you've not cleared out, that for which job you're taking my interview", I bombarded on him.

"Apne interview diya tha?", he shut my mouth with his only question in soft tone but then he didn't stop, "Ms. Shilpa Malhotra, what do you think, we recruit employees for exe. Manager without even interviewing them?"

He slipped his hands inside his pockets and I was wordless, "How can you even assume that we THE G&M can employee a person for such a higher management post, who isn't employed for an year", he emphasized all his words which immediately forced me to shift my eyes from the floor to his eyes, and this humiliation rooted me into the ground.

My self-conscious didn't allow me to stand there for a second and I collected my bag and I left the spot immediately, exchanging an unwanted look with Riddhima, who seemed helpless at that moment.

Please ignore my mistakes as I just finished writing it...do leave back your reviews please ... waiting  And please refer the next post for the regular PMs of my storiea