Mere sapnon ki Kalpana, meri haquiqat!
Prologue
"Gauri, you will be fine, just take deep breaths, we will reach the hospital soon!" Said the panic stricken Mr. Singhania as he drove like a maniac to the hospital. Gauri, on the other hand was calm and amused at her husband's reaction to the whole situation. All she had said to him earlier was that it was"time"!! They reached the hospital, checked in and were in the prep room before the blink of an eye, for a man of such powers gets special treatment, but it seemed like hours to the great Mr. Singhania!
The pacing on the floor came to an abrupt halt as he heard the door swing open and the doctor come out with a wide smile! "We have your heir Mr. Singhania! Your son is waiting for you with your wife!"
He rushed in to see his wife holding a bundle, their bundle of joy, their son, the one they will cherish and protect till e is old enough to take care of them! Little did he know that fate had something else written for this child, something he ,would not even dream for his worst enemy's child, let alone his own!
They looked at the tiny baby in their arms and said, "welcome to our world, Raghav"!!
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In a different part of the city, a wedding was going on, the bride was peeking through her veil to see the groom. They had not met each other before except when he came with his family to "see" her and accepted the alliance. He was a construction worker and had no intentions to make his wife work. He could earn just enough to support his small family, his mom, and now his wife!
The day Vitthal married Kamla was the day Raghav was born! Just a few miles away but a whole world apart!
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Chapter 1
Kalpana
Some eight years later...
"Raghav baba, come look what has happened to sahab!" Screamed the terrified maid.
Raghav rushed to the study to see his father drunk and throwing things in the air breaking whatever came in the way! He was raging mad. Fury, frustration, disappointment, embarrassment were just a few emotions he was going thru. On the table was the note Gauri had left that morning. A one liner. "I am leaving"
Raghav was terrified to see this side of his father. He had no clue his father could have this side too. His fun loving dad who never raised his voice was yelling and screaming! He moved closer to his dad in hopes that he will be able to calm his father. But his father paid no heed to the teary eyed child that came to support, for support. In his rage, he pushed Raghav and Raghav stumbled off and grabbed the table for Balance. And that is when he noticed the note! The note that broke the bubble their family lived in. The note that took his childhood away. The note that changed the course of his life!
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The community hospital was bustling with activity. It was more like a bazaar than a hospital. But this is all Vitthal could afford with a growing family for the birth of their second child. His mother was sitting on a bench with his son, Pakya, outside the labor room. He was pacing the floor in anxiety. Will he finally get a princess? Will their dreams come true?
He was lost in his thoughts thinking about the past few years of their life. The last eight years were a roller coaster for their family. His married life was a bliss and his job was great at the beginning. But after two years of their marriage, their troubles started when Kamala started getting worried about not being able to get pregnant. Then they found that if they get the treatment done, she would be able to get pregnant. That meant money. Money that they did not have. Vitthal made enough for them to live without starving, but that left them with no savings for a rainy day. He went to his boss, Mr. Singhania who was kind enough to give him a loan to get his wife treated, but that needed to be paid back. Kamala had to start working as a bai to slowly pay off the debt while getting treated. All their effort paid off when Pakya was born. And now their happiness was going to get doubled with the birth of their second child!
Vitthal was brought out of his deep thoughts when the nurse came and told him that he was yet again a father. A father of a little girl. His princess.
He held the hand of four year old Pakya and took him into the ward to meet his little princess. She was prettier than any imagination! They named her Kalpana! Their Kalpana who was now their reality!!
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And such was the day when Kalpana came into the world. Making their family complete. Unaware were they that in a house not too far, a family was being broken and shattered into pieces that would no longer fit together...till she will make it a whole again!
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Chapter 2
The Cry
One month has passed. Both Raghav and Kalpi are crying in their own world unaware of each other's existence.
Kalpi, because she is hungry and her mother is busy feeding the "other child". Memsahab's baby. Paakhi. This is where Kamla had been working for the last six years. She was hired to be a nanny to Prem, their son and now their daughter Paakhi. Coincidently Paakhi and Kalpi were born on the same day. Vitthal and Kamala had paid off their debts but now with a growing family, it had become necessary for her to keep working and bring in the second income. And thankfully Neetu memsahab had agreed that she could bring Kalpi with her to work as she was still too small to be left alone with the ailing mother-in-law.
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Raghav, because his mother has been gone a month and his father is hardly sober anymore. His mother's disappearance has shattered their world. Raghav was no longer an innocent boy of eight. In this past month he has matured way beyond his age. In this past month, he had physically lost his mother and emotionally his father! Could life get any worse? Little did he know, it could...and it would!
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The door bell rang and the maid opened the door for Mr. Kapoor. Raghav is sitting on the couch doing his homework. He watches as Kapoor uncle goes into the study. He hopes that maybe papa will listen to his best friend and come back out of his depression. The Kapoor family had been so helpful this past month. Little did he know that it was all a farce. A very well staged drama.
It was the gunshot that shook him. He ran to the door and found Kapoor uncle running out screaming my friend took his own life! What he saw in there was pure horror. His father was lying in a pool of blood with the gun in his hand and a gaping hole on his head. His father not only took his life, he killed the child that was Raghav Singhania.
The next couple of weeks went in a haze as Raghav saw his home, his heaven become a haunted house. A child so small with no idea what was happening suddenly found his maids helping him pack. The lawyers declared that according to the will Mr. Kapoor will be the caretaker of the Singhania Empire and Raghav's guardian. He will be leaving his house tomorrow. Forever.
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Chapter 3
First meeting
A scared Raghav entered the Kapoor mansion. He is beyond sad. His grief is unparalleled. A month ago anyone would have envied his life. Today, anyone would shudder just thinking how this past month has changed his life. He is led to the couch and he just sits there. Everyone goes back to their business and somewhere in the background he hears someone being instructed to show him his room. He was lost. Sitting with a blank mind unconcerned about what would happen next.
Raghav was startled to feel a comforting hand rest on his shoulder. It felt like his mother's! The eight year old hopefully lifted his eyes up to see not his mother to his utter disappointment but a smiling face nevertheless. He had unconsciously call her "ma"...
Kamla's heart cried looking at the adorable kid. He stole a part if her heart when he looked up with so much longing and need to see his mother and found a stranger instead. She kneeled down on the floor near him and squeezed his hands. "My name is Kamla, Raghav Baba. I am the nanny for the kids here. If it makes you feel any better, you can call me Kamla Ma", said she.
"Kamla!" Came the screeching voice of Neetu Kapoor. How dare you say such things to him. You are not his mother. His mother ran away and you are just a bai. She turned towards Raghav and said, "call her Kamla Bai". Raghav was lost, in more ways than he could count at his tender age. "And Kamla, take the boy to his room!" she ordered walking away. Gone was the friendly Neetu Aunty he had seen at his house in the past.
Kamla picked Raghav's suitcase and trotted it up to his room and showed him what would go where. After helping him unpack she excused herself to go take care of other chores of the house. Raghav was too much grief stricken to venture out into the house so he just sat there trying to understand the events of the past month.
He didn't know when he had started crying over the departure of his mother and the loss of his father. He felt he was the only kid in the world left to cry and console himself when he heard someone's crying. He felt drawn to the voice. He tiptoed out of his room and went in the direction of the cry. He entered the room and saw a baby sleeping in a bassinet and another one crying on the couch. He ignored the one in the bassinet and moved to the one on the couch. Their eyes met and both stopped crying. She lifted her hand and he reached out and held it. She smiled, he reciprocated.
This is how Raghav and Kalpana entered each other's lives, bringing smiles and comfort not only to each other but also to themselves!!
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Chapter 4
Till we meet again
Kalpana. Raghav found out that the girl to make him smile was called Kalpi by everyone. But he liked calling her by her real name. Kalpana. Yes, he never called her Kalpi. She was his Kalpana.
Whenever he would get sad thinking about his lost family, he would go sit with Kalpana holding her hand. It would give him immense calm and comfort. She was his angle. And she in turn would smile at him as if telling him, "I am there. For you." They were too young to understand the bond between them, but they knew that they just had to look at each other's face to feel all turmoil of their hearts fleet away.
Apart from going and sitting by Kalpana, Raghav would keep to himself. It did not take him long to understand that he was an unwelcome addition to the Kapoor family.
There is a saying that when you are happy time flies faster than you can blink but times of sorrow drag their feet along the way. This was how the next seven years of Raghav's life passed. It was as if a beast had its claws on his back and with each passing day, the wound just got bigger. He had started to see the evil in his dad's so called best friend. He started asking questions. Not a very smart thing to do when you are 15 and still too young to protect yourself!
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Parallel to his life was Kalpana's. she had her own set of setbacks and insecurities. Her mother would always put Paakhi before her. She had to make innumerable sacrifices just to make Paakhi happy. She could never choose what she could do or play. It was always decided by the memsaab's daughter. It didn't take too long for Kalpana to realize that she was the Bai's daughter. Those things come easy when you see the rich remind you of your status day in and day out. The only reason she was allowed to come into the house was because that was one condition Kamla had put while accepting the job. She could not leave her baby alone to take care of the memsaab's daughter as a baby that small needs a mother. And later Paakhi needed a playmate and so Kalpana was accepted into the house.
When it came time for her to go to school, she would go to the charity school nearby and come back to the Kapoor house to spend the rest of the afternoon. While Paakhi and Prem had tutors to help them with their studies, Raghav became Kalpana's mentor. She would go to his room after school and sit by his side to do her homework while he did his and he would help her with her problems. They both now understood that they were not a priority in anyone's life and so stayed away from other's eyes. And so they learnt to find solace in each others company.
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Their friendship was so that they did not feel the need to pretend to be happy in front of each other like in case of others. They would be the only ones to see each other cry and wipe the tears off with a determination that this will be a thing of the past soon. They just didn't know how soon.
It was a little after Kalpana's seventh birthday, one day she overheard Sahil Kapoor tell someone on the phone that they need to take of Raghav as he is becoming too smart for his own good and asking questions about his father's business. Kalpana did not understand hat it all meant but because Raghav's name was involved and the tone that was used made her shiver with fear. She confided with him and also her parents. More spying on the Kapoors resulted in the ugly unveiling that try meant to get Raghav involved in an accident and kill him. This shook everyone. Kamla took a loan from Neetu saying that her mother in law was really such and needed treatment. They bought a ticket for Raghav to go to USA to a friend's house that had kept in touch with him over the years. As the night of his departure, Kamla stole his passport from Neetu's drawer and pretended that they were taking the kids to their home for a sleepover as sometimes Paakhi would force them to do it. This way they could take a bag of Raghav's stuff out too without anyone getting suspicious.
Raghav spent the evening sitting with Kalpana and giving her instructions on how to take care of herself in his absence. He gave her his abacus and his pen. His two most prized possessions. She in turn had nothing to give him. all she could think of was her pencil sharpener that she had just gotten for school, so she gave him that! He took it with a smile at her innocence and promised that he would be back. For her.
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Chapter 5
Strangers
In the next seventeen years, Life took a lot of twists and turns for Raghav and Kalpana. After getting out of the clutches of the Kapoors, Raghav made it a point to not attach himself to anyone. He was very grateful to his uncle, mr. Raizada who gave him support during his initial days in US. But he had learnt a lesson not to trust anyone, so he worked very hard to earn scholarships to sponsor his studies and started part time jobs to support his other needs. He moved out of their house within a month of reaching there. The only thing that he took from there was his friendship with Sammy. Because he knew what his mission was. In all this he never let the fire for revenge dwindle. His focus was the end of the Kapoors. Everything else was just a means.
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Kalpana's life took a nose dive in the next seventeen years where her family relationships were concerned. There was an incident where it was made to look like Kalpana was going to harm Paakhi. So she was sent off to a boarding school to keep her away from Paakhi. Truth be told the Kapoors thought that she wasa bad influence on their daughter. Moreover they could not tolerate that she was smarter than their daughter.
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Sitting on the first class seat of his India bound flight, Raghav was thinking about the last time he had crossed the world the other way. How life and circumstances had changed in these last seventeen years. He was no longer the scared teenager running for his life. In his place was sitting a strong man if thirty two! Now he was a successful business tycoon with a place of his own in the stock market. He had offices and houses in almost all major cities of the world. He was a very sought after ad world icon. Known to the world as RS. Now he was headed back to the country of his birth. To claim what was rightfully his, his dad's empire. And revenge.
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Kalpana was on a train back home. After seventeen long years. Yes, she used to come home during her summer breaks but she never left her home during those two months. She stayed home and studied. Her only goal in life was to make her mother's dream come true. Become a memsahab. For that she had to study. Nonstop. Fun was for other kids to have. She had a mission to achieve and play was worse than a crime.
Since all she did was study, and being as bright as she was, she was able to get scholarships and be able to go to a very reputed college to do her CA and post graduate at no cost. It was her first feat when she was invited by several colleges to come study there. Unfortunately for her though, it was not important enough for her mother. She just didn't understand what a great achievement it was to be recognized like that! That didn't really make her a memsahab.
Now she was returning back home with the topper's degree and an amazing job as an intern for the CFO (chief financial officer) of one of the best advertising agencies in the word, RS industries. She was supposed to report to someone called Samar Raizada. She wondered if RS was his name spelt backward - Raizada, Samar. Yes, that has to be it. She remembered someone telling her that it was very common in United States to spell the name that way. So she was happy she would be working right under the big boss!!
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Both Raghav and Kalpana were relentless in pursuit of their goals. Their minds never wandered to anything else except the eye of the fish. Unfortunately for both of them, the other was a long forgotten memory.
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Chapter 6
Homecoming
Kalpana was very excited about being back home. And that too with a job in hand that would pay her good money and let her prove her worth to her mother. "Maybe then aai will love me more, more than Paakhi". She was hopeful. Surely her seventeen years of exile would pay off.
The last time she was back home was after her 12th grade. Before she got into college. Once in college, she took up summer jobs just so she could avoid coming back home. That was six years ago. She never came back during college as she could not stand that even after so many years, Paakhi came first for her mom. She knew that her mother loved her immensely but she needed that affection to be articulated. She wanted that in front of everyone her mother would choose her over Paakhi. A part of her knew that aai did that because Paakhi needed that mother figure as her own mother was too busy partying to pay attention to her daughter. Kamla just assumed that Kalpana understood why she was doing so. She never thought that Kalpana was suffering because of that. If Vitthal ever pointed it out, she would just brush it off saying that you dont understand, Kalpi understands.
She has requested her parents and Pakya not to come to the train station to get her. When she reached home she was welcomed by all three with a lot of happiness and excitement! She felt on top of the world. She had barely hugged her brother and dad and moved on to her mom when Kamla squealed with more excitement, "look who is here to meet you Kalpi, my other daughter, Paakhi, isn't that so sweet of her to come running the minute I told her that you are coming?" Paakhi stepped forward to hug Kamla ma and then took Kalpi's open arms to hug her. Only Vitthal had noticed that his daughter's open arms were for her mother, not her mother's other daughter! It went unnoticed by everyone how Kalpi held back her tears and masked her emotions. Seventeen years of living alone had taught her a lot of skills. And putting a happy face for display when your heart is raging wars topped the list.
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Raghav wanted to go straight to office the morning after he reached India but Sammy made him stay home a few days before starting so he is out if his jet-lag. Sammy had come a couple months in advance and had set up the office while Raghav wrapped up some major deals around the globe. So, not many knew that there was someone else too. Everyone thought that Sammy was the boss. Moreover, Raghav was not yet ready to reveal his identity publicly. That is why he didn't even try to contact Kamla Ma as she was the only person he felt he needed to express his gratitude. In her own small way, she was one of the reasons why he was able to become the man he was. But meeting her would have to wait. He was not yet sure how her circumstances were. He mused, "Was she still working for the Kapoors? Her cute daughter would have grown up by now, who knows, maybe she was even married by now!! ". He felt a little twitch in his heart at that thought but dismissed it as concern for Kamla ma.
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Chapter 7
RS industries
Kalpana was headed to office for the first time. Finally the day had come for her to start a new journey. The journey to fulfill her mother's dream. Yes, she will be a memsahab soon. She was super excited to make her own identity in the big world.
It was not a surprise that she reached office ten minutes early. She always wanted to be ahead of the game. The receptionist showed her the spot she would be sitting. Right outside Samar Raizada's office. She had met Sammy sir during the interview and they had instantly clicked. She was looking forward to working with him. He was very supportive and friendly and would be a great mentor!
Once she settled her stuff on her table and got situated in her seat and started the computer, other people started coming in. She noticed there was another large room with the name RS right across where she was sitting with her back to Sammy's office. She wondered who this RS was as it couldn't be Sammy sir since he had his own cabin and why the glass walls were tinted so she could not see inside! Before she could ponder anymore, Sammy came in with a broad smile! And not long into the day, she felt that she had always meant to be under Sammy sir's wing. He was so awesome to work with!
In the next whole week, she got involved with many aspects of the company's finances. She was amazed that the company that was fairly new to the country was doing amazingly well in other parts of the world. Having the insiders looks she admired the way the company was doing its business.
In this one week, she also found out that RS was the sole owner of this company and was awed at what a shrewd businessman he was. She had not met him yet, but really wanted to meet him and tell him that she absolutely respected his sense of business.
One day, at the lunch table with her other colleagues, somehow the conversation came about RS and everyone said that they had no clue who he was. Kalpi speculated that it might be someone with lots of years of experience or even Sammy sir's father figure as Sammy talked very highly of RS. They would often see him closing the sorts to his cabin to have phone meeting with RS.
Kalpi was finishing with her day's work on Friday and looking forward to the weekend when Sammy called her on his way to the cabin and asked her to call his home and tell RS to get ready to go out for dinner.
She was surprised that RS was here! She asked Sammy if it was the same RS and he said yes. "You all will meet him on Monday as he is starting then!"
And so Kalpi picked up the phone to call Sammy's home...
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Chapter 8
Voices
And so Kalpi picks her phone to call Sammy's home... She was sure that Ramu kaka will answer the phone. She had called his home once and Sammy's help, ramu kaka had answered the last time. She was hoping this time too she will be lucky to get ramu kaka and will not have to talk with RS sir. She was not afraid, but felt kind of weird to talk with her "boss" the first time, without having met him!
Kalpi waited patiently when the hone started ringing. After four rings, a male voice answered that was definitely not ramu kaka. Kalpi had no idea that just a hello from a phone's mouthpiece could sound so husky and sexy. She suddenly felt her heart beating faster than she could count! She went totally blank just hearing a hello.
"Hello?" Came the voice again and thankfully broke the spell that kapli was in! She managed to control her raging heartbeat in the next couple of seconds and let out a meek hello is response. "Who is it and what do you want?" Came the response from the male voice. Kalpi was sure it could not be RS sir as this was clearly a much younger man's voice. A voice that sent shivers down her spine. Strange. She never felt like this before! "Hello? Did you vanish again?" Came the oh so sexy response again! Kalpi mentally reprimanded herself and collected her thoughts and before making a fool of herself, she asked gently, "can I please talk with RS sir? I am calling on behalf of Sammy sir." "Speaking", said the husky voice that gave her another blow in the guts, but she composed herself quick and passed the message for Sammy. And before she could understand what was happening, she heard an "ok" and then the engaged tone of the phone. Apparently RS sir had hung up on her!
She went and conveyed to Sammy sir that she passed the message and asked if she could go home. He waved her goodbye and her thoughts drifted to the weekend ahead. Later that night, in the depths of her slumber, she heard his voice again, "hello". The next moment, she was awake. Wondering. "Where did that come from? How come she dreamt of RS sir's voice. Then her thoughts drifted to the fact that he sounded so much younger for his age. After all, she and her colleagues had concluded that RS has to be at least 65 for all the wealth he has amassed! Then she shrugged that maybe with so much money, you can not only make yourself look younger, but also sound younger! With those crazy thoughts, sleep engulfed her once again!
The weekend was as busy as it could be for Kalpi and she totally forgot about RS till she was on her way to work Monday morning.
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On the other hand, when Raghav received the call, he was irritated that he had sent ramu kaka to run some errands for him. He did not want to take the call but realized that it could be Sammy calling him for some work. His cellphone had broken down this morning and Sammy was going to pick a new one up on his way back from work. When he got no response for his initial greeting, he sharpened his voice and said hello again. And when he heard her voice, his heart stopped beating. So calm, so soothing, so gentle, so Devine. And then he realized he was feeling feelings for a voice, a voice! He got super agitated with himself to have felt all that just hearing a voice for crying out loud! So he asked the question, got the message and responded a quick ok and hung up without saying bye or anything else. His heart was now beating a mile a minute! He was shocked at his behavior. The shrewd businessman, the Raghav Singhania could not keep his hormones under control just hearing a voice! What was wrong with him? Why was he behaving like a teenager? As ramu kaka came back, he just shrugged off the feelings and went about getting ready for dinner with Sammy.
The weekend was spent with both Sammy and Raghav setting up Raghav's penthouse. Even though Sammy wanted Ragahv to stay with him in his house, Raghav insisted that he needed a place of his own as he would be bad company in the long run. Moreover they both knew that Raghav was a loner and needed his space. Sammy was the only other human being, Ragahv would allow to see his true self. But he did not want to impose himself on his best friend. He had spent more than half his life living alone, on his own terms and allowing someone into his personal space was unthinkable, even if it was Sammy!
On Monday morning, he told Sammy to go ahead and not pick him up. He wanted to get a car from the dealer and drive on his own. So he will come in later. He didn't want t be dependent on Sammy for driving around anymore. It was time to start putting things in order.
Finally around 11 in the morning, he entered thru the gates of RS Industries and asked for Sammy's cabin. With long strides he headed in that direction.
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Chapter 9
Do I Know You?
When Kalpi reached the office, she was greeted by Sammy sir. Sammy would usually come after her but today he was at work before her. That's when she remembered that today RS sir was going to join the office. She consulted Sammy sir and started working on the projects that RS sir would like to discuss that day. No one had gone into RS's office till now except Sammy and the cleaning crew, so when Sammy asked Kalpi to go put some files on his desk, she was a little apprehensive. She was scared that she would somehow mess up. He sounded so formidable on the phone. And she did not want to be in his bad books. The old man could be a great asset for her to learn from so she wanted to be perfect in his eyes!
She carefully laid down all then files on his table, sorting them in order of importance for the company. She then made an effort to look around the huge cabin. There were a couple of doors on the side wall which she wondered where they led to, but didn't dare to venture out to see. It would be an insult to call this room a cabin, it was so huge! Heck, it was probably four times bigger than her whole house! She could have never imagined looking from outside that the door marked "RS" was so big. She had thought, that it would be more or less like Sammy sir's cabin. But now she knew who the real boss was! The lavish sofa on the far wall screamed wealth and good taste! The huge reading chair by the window was probably the focal point of the room. She imagined a huge, pot bellied, bald and shriveled up RS sir sitting there with files on projects and his team standing and taking orders in front of him!
With a sigh, she turned around and noticed how the glass wall was a one sided looking glass. From outside it looked like a black glass wall, but from inside it had a clear view of the entire office outside! Her seat was in direct line of vision from his chair. This sent a shivering chill down her spine! But she to,d herself that its good for her so he wont forget her and hopefully will notice her skills and become a mentor for her just like sammy sir. In fact he would be even better as he has so many more years of experience that she can learn from!
She slowly walked out, gently closing the door behind her and started working on her computer. A little before 11 Sammy came to her and told her not to disturb him or let anyone come into his office as RS would be coming anytime and he needed to prepare some documents before he arrived! Since she was right outside Sammy's cabin, she promised to guard his door!
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Around 11 in the morning, Ragahv entered thru the gates of RS Industries and asked for Sammy's cabin. With long strides, he headed in that direction. The first thing he noticed was her hair shielding her face as she was buried into a file. Out of nowhere he felt his heart constrict. Brushing it off, he moved forward and that is when she lifted her face to see him heading towards her. If his heart had constricted before, it did several flips as their eyes clashed! He chides himself mentally, "gosh Raghav, it has not been that long since your last girlfriend, that you get affected by the next hot girl you see. And she isn't even my type!" As he tried to ignore her and move towards Sammy cabin door, he heard her shrill voice, "and where do you think you are sneaking off to mister?"
He turned around to look at her, with her hands on her hips and the bangs now behind her ears, he had a clear look at her eyes. For a moment he forgot where he was and what he wanted. He just wanted to put his hands where her's rested and drown himself in those orbs! And those lips, would they taste sweet or as tangy as her words? While all these thoughts were reeling thru his mind, it would easily be noticed by anyone that he was shamelessly ogling her!
He was brought out of his trance with the sound of snapping figures in front of his eyes! Raghav was shocked at his behavior. Even as a teenager, he had never reacted so transparently in front of a girl. He had never had a shortage of girlfriends. With his good looks and charm he could pretty much have his own pick. But he had learnt girlfriends were a status symbol, not someone you marry and have kids. Have fun and change before you get attached because he had vowed that he will not repeat his father's mistakes! This train of thought, brought back the rude, arrogant Ragahv Singhania back in a blink. "Sammy, I am here to meet Sammy, Samar raizada." He said.
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The sharp and confident sound of masculine shoes penetrated thru to her mind, she was just in time to stop the intruder from going into Sammy sir's office! What was he thinking, he would just stride in and no one would ask questions. She was not going to mess her chances of impressing the big boss. If she has to skip her lunch and guard the door, she will do so. But will not let anyone go in thru that door till RS sir came. And then both her bosses will be proud of her!
So when she stopped this stranger and he started drooling over her, she was sure that he was trying to use his good looks to get thru her to meet Sammy sir and spoil her chances to prove her worth to her bosses! She was not going to let his amazing sex appeal cloud her brain and do something senseless. So clearing her throat she took a step further and snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "Have you never seen a good looking girl, you road side Romeo? Or you think, just because you have good looks, I will let you go thru the door?" She snapped at him.
"You cannot meet Sammy sir without an appointment, you jerk." She retorted when he asked to meet Sammy. She was clearly angry at his behavior. But she was also angry that she felt an unknown attraction towards him. She was mentally scolding herself to be drawn towards a man who was shamelessly checking her out!
"Woah, lady, calm down." He responded. "Just tell Sammy, your Sammy sir that I am here. My name is..." Before he could complete, she cut him off and said, "sir will not meet anyone today as he is waiting for RS sir and you are clearly not him! Now get going before I call security and if you want to meet Sammy sir so desperately, take an appointment on your way out!" Saying this, she sat down on her chair and glared at him.
By now, Raghav was raging mad. At her. And a little more at himself. Under any other circumstance, he would have fired her for her audacity and behavior. But what annoyed him more was his reaction at her attitude. If he didn't know himself better, he would think that he was amused at her reactions! But that can't be true, right?
He took a deep breath and looked straight into her glaring eyes and pulled the chair across her table and sat down. Before she could react, he lifted her hand to signal that she sit down. He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Sammy's cell phone. "I am outside your cabin" was all he said and kept his phone down. Before he could lift his head or Kalpi could respond, the door to Sammy's cabin opened and he greeted his best friend with open arms and a broad smile, "ah, RS, you made it!"
Kalpana, stood, shocked, and looked at Raghav, her mouth open and eyes wide! Raghav, gave his friend a manly hug, turned around with a smirk meant for her eyes only and then turned back to his friend saying pointing towards Kalpana. "Do I know you?"
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Chapter 10
Introductions
"Oh my God, what have I done", was all Kalpi could think. No word escaped her mouth! Sammy on the other hand was totally unaware of what had transpired between the two. So he of course did not read between the lines and introduced them, "oh, yes, of course RS, this is K, and K, this is RS, our big boss!", he responded smiling. Then turning towards Raghav, he said, "Well, you don't really know K, but you know her. I mean you have never met her before, but have talked with her." Looking at their confused glances, he paused, laughing, and then continued, "remember, she is the one who called you on friday to get ready for going out for dinner!"
"Ah!", came the unified response from both of them. Their glances met one more time. His with arrogant pride and hers with a silent plea seeking forgiveness and acknowledging the blunder she had caused.
Finally, she found her voice. Barely. Kalpi, who took pride in her confidence at dealing any situation with a stride was astounded at the lack of the same today. Somehow it had all vanished at this moment. Phoof! What she heard coming out of her month did not sound like her at all! "Sir, I can explain..." Raghav was not sure what he felt. Under any other circumstance, he would have fired the person and moved on. Why was it that he wanted to listen to what she had to say. Getting back his composure, he turned to Sammy and said, "you go ahead yaar, I have a couple of question for Miss K and I will join you in a minute." His tone did not give out any of the raging emotions he was going thru because of this excuse of a girl standing in front of him.
A confused Sammy looked at one and then the other and went back into his cabin shrugging his shoulder. Had he known what had happened, he would have stayed back to aid Kalpi as he knew Raghav could be pretty nasty when angered and rash in taking decisions! And Kalpi was a great asset to the company that he did not want to loose.
As the door to Sammy's cabin closed, Raghav paused looking at the closed door and with deliberate delay turned around and looked straight into Kalpi's eyes. Kalpi could see the wrath dripping out of his glare! "Sir, I can explain..." She muttered again. Darn it, she sounded so feeble. So not like herself. Gone was the lioness that had attacked him a few moments ago! Raghav glared at her for a few seconds and said, "you have exactly 30 seconds to explain, or else pack your bags."
Kalpi's tongue hung out at the words and the sockets of her eyes bulged. 30 seconds..."now only 20" came his voice. "But you are supposed to be an old man" she blurted out." And then mentally kicked herself for having said so! Now it was his eyes that bulged and mouth agape! "What?" He managed to respond.
"I mean..., you see..., I mean..., I mean..." She muttered. "Will you speak something woman? Your time is already up anyways" He growled. Now, if something can stir a lioness, it's a lion. She concluded that she has already lost her job, so might as well give him a piece of her mind! "Listen sir, well, you are not my boss anymore, so listen Mr. RS, like I said before I can explain. I thought that RS was a much older man, you know like your father, in late 60s or something. After all, you must have inherited it all from him, right? No one can make on their own to this stature at such a young age! I am sorry that I mistook you for someone just trying to sneak in to meet Sammy sir. He had asked me specifically not to let anyone in as he was waiting for you, I mean RS, I mean you that I thought was not RS but then you turned out to be RS and made my life miserable and now all because of you I am jobless as you came in as not you but you proved to be you and you became all wrong and fired me for being you when I thought you were not you but you were an imposter that was not supposed to be you! Yeah, I think I said it all!" Having said all that in one breath, she turned her back to him and started packing her bags.
Raghav just stood there speechless wondering what the heck was this girl rambling on and on about him being him, eh? And had she just shown him attitude? Again? What the heck! This awakened the monster in him. No one, no one can do this to The Raghav Singhania, he thought to himself. Chest flaring, he was now ready to attack. But fortunately for both of them, Sammy choose that very moment to step back out of his office to check on Raghav. One look and he knew something was amiss! "What's going on here? " he asked, breaking the glares of the two beasts ready to attack each-other!
"Oh, nothing yaar Sammy, Miss K and I have come than understanding that we can't work together, so she has decided to quit, since I can't technically quit my own company," he said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow at Kalpana. "Ooo, not a very nice thing to say Mr. RS, I am not a quitter, you fired me, that too for a very small misunderstanding!", she retorted!
"Hold on guys!" Sammy held up both his hands and spoke with a certain amount of firmness that stopped both of them from looking at each other and turn to Sammy. "You both are behaving like kids, not mature adults!" He continued. "You are not fired and not leaving K, RS and I need to talk something in private! You just wait till we are done. Please." He said smiling apologetically at Kalpi and then turning at Raghav, "RS, inside, NOW!"
Ragahv stormed into Sammy's office not happy how his friend had talked with him, specially in front of that girl! Had it been anyone else, he would have been fired, no scratch that, would have been dead, he mumbled as he entered Sammy's office. There is no way he is going to convince me not fire her...
Kalpi on the other hand was so grateful that Sammy sir had come to her help. She knew that she hated this RS but really needed the job! And from the looks of it, Sammy sir seems to be a sensible guy, unlike their big boss. Thank god they were friends, she muttered! She sat down on her chair and started fiddling with her fingers wondering if Sammy sire would be able to convince RS not to fire her!
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Chapter 11
Who is who and whose?
Sammy had no idea what had happened but mentally calculated that Raghav was so mad that he won't rest in peace till he fires Kalpi. He needed to think something, really quick, to save Kalpi from getting fired. He had seen her work relentlessly this past week and in such a short span of time, she had shown how exemplary her work ethics were! She was an asset to the company to be cherished, not sent away packing, for some stupid misunderstanding.
So when Sammy asked Raghav, "ok, tell me what exactly happened outside?", he was a tad restless. Raghav noticed his friend's irritation, mistook it for unnecessary concern for this miss K and related the whole story that transpired between the two outside his office.
Sammy could see how serious and upset Raghav was with the whole episode and mistook his restlessness for anger. But none of that could help him from breaking out in a full blown laughter when Raghav told him that she expected Raghav to be some old guy in his 60s or 70s!
"How can you laugh at such a serious matter, Sammy?" Raghav retorted. "What does she think of herself. Me, me? An old man of wealth or more worse, a yang man who just happened to inherit from his dad! So she thinks that even if I am younger now that she has seen me, I am no good to earn my own money! Instead she thinks I got it from my father!" And now getting really angry, he added, "it is not funny Sammy, I am really upset with such people who speak before knowing the whole truth! And you are not being a really good friend by laughing it off!"
Sammy, though still laughing inwardly, sobered up a bit for the sake of his friend! "Ok baba, I know it was not right for K to speak such with you, but trust me she had no bad intentions! She is a really sweet girl. Always focused in her work and not wasting her or anyone else's time! She is a real gem, you will realize soon! Gosh, I just love her work!"
Raghav was taken aback with his friend's outlandish praise of K. "She must mean a lot more than a mere employee to him! That's why he is going on and on about her. But why is he hiding that from me. We always share our flings with each other!" While he was thinking these thoughts, he felt a twinge in his heart. Why was he feeling bad about how Sammy was talking about this K girl? Then he realized, it must be because his friend was hiding his true feeling from him for the first time in life!
"Ok, fine! I am going to let your Miss K stay. But remember this has nothing to do with all the crap you just told me about her work ethics and all. It's just because YOU asked for it and you know I cannot refuse you! Now make sure you don't take unnecessary advantage of me!" Saying this and without waiting for Sammy to say anything or explain or even counter question his weird statements, he got up and said he was going into his office and didn't want to be disturbed!
Kalpi saw him storming out of Sammy's office and thought, "time to pack bags Kalpi, here comes the monster to kick you out the door!" She got up as he approached and gulped, he stopped looking at her and cleared his throat to make sure his voice did not carry any of the emotions he felt, "you can stay miss K, that is if you are still interested to work for RS industries! YOUR Mr. Sammy vouches for your work. But remember, one little mistake and you are out the door!" Saying that he picked up his pace and went in the door marked RS and banged the door shut.
The words, "Sammy sir is not MY Mr. Sammy" stuck somewhere between her brain and her mouth!
Raghav on the other hand plopped in his big comfortable chair and wondered why he was so mad, was it because Sammy did not let him fire K or was it because of the obvious affection Sammy displayed for this Miss K!
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Chapter 12
The businessman and his employee
Raghav on the other hand plopped in his big comfortable chair and wondered why he was so mad, was it because Sammy did not let him fire K or was it because of the obvious affection Sammy displayed for this Miss K! Thankfully the businessman in him took over quickly and he got engrossed in the files laid on his table. He was impressed that Sammy was well aware of the order he wanted to review his projects in not knowing that it was Kalpi who had done that!
It was around one o clock that Sammy decided to go check on Raghav and see if he would like to go out for lunch. Knowing him, he would just work thru the day without a break! And as luck would have it, Raghav choose just the same moment to look up from his file. And he was not happy with what he saw!
Sammy paused at K's desk and smiled at her engrossed figure. He had been working with her for only a week but with each passing minute that he saw her dedication to work, he fell in love with her. Not the romantic man and woman kind of love, but on a very platonic level. Her ways of working were very similar to Raghav's and Sammy knew that with time Raghav will not only see what an asset K was but also start to like her. Little did he know.........
"I am sorry about the way RS behaved with you K", he said looking apologetically at Kalpana. Trust me he may seem like a really rude guy, but he is really a nice person. As you get to know him, you will also start liking him and his strange ways!" Kalpi laughed at his comment and said, "don't worry sir, it all happened because of my over imaginative brain and misunderstanding, so I take no offense in RS sir's reaction. I totally understand his getting offended in being stopped by his own employee in his own company!" She exclaimed.
Sammy laughed out loud at that and said,"when you put it that way, it doesn't seem that bad. You are so sportive K. That's what makes you a class apart!" He patted her shoulder with sheer affection and headed towards Raghav's office.
"Romancing in my office during office hours! Humph!! If only you were not my best friend Sammy, I would have fired you and your miss K both right now!" Raghav muttered to himself as he saw the two interact so amicably. He shrugged off the pang of jealously chalking it off as wastage of office time!
So when Sammy entered Raghav's office his temperature was already a few notches up. "How much work are you going to do in one day RS, let's go out and eat something." Sammy spoke as he came into the office. "Oh, there is so much to catch up on Sammy, lets just order something. " he responded. "Sure" said Sammy and picked up the phone and called Kalpi, "yes, K, can you please do an online order for a pizza for us.....yes, the usual toppings.......and make sure you order an extra large so all three of us can eat! I am pretty sure you have not eaten either.........and hey, don't forget to charge the company for it as you are also working thru the lunch hour!" He laughed and hung up only to see a glaring Ragahv whose thoughts were stuck on the fact that K even knew what toppings Sammy liked!!
"What?" He smirked at Raghav. Raghav couldn't help but smile at his friend's playfulness of making the company pay for lunch if working thru lunch. "You will never give up Sammy, one little promise I did years ago and you still take advantage of that!" He said in mock anger momentarily forgetting everything else.
As they waited for lunch to arrive, they started discussing the files that were left on Raghav's table for his perusal. They looked up only when Kalpana entered the office with the pizza box in her hands! She kept the box at the edge of the table and said, "I will be outside if you need anything else sir", to no one in particular. "Stay" uttered Ragahv even before he could stop his actions. It seemed like his tongue had a mind of its own. A shiver ran down Kalpi's spine with just one word. Did she imagine it or was it the sexiest word she had ever heard!
Before either could say anything else or react, Sammy saved the day by saying, "yes K, stay and have lunch with us. We would also like to discuss some of these projects with you as you are so involved in them." Then turning towards Ragahv. He got up and pulled a chair for K beside himself. Ragahv tried hard to ignore that but could not help himself. He stood up and circled around the table to where Kalpi was now seated and picked up the pizza box and walked to the couch and sat it on the table. He strategically seated himself on the couch so that Sammy would end up with him and Kalpi would be on his other side on one of the sofa chairs.
Mentally congratulating himself on his cunningness, he steered the conversation back to work. And soon the three of them got involved in work and Ragahv saw and admired the passion Kalpana had for her work. She seemed to have forgotten everything except the few files in front of her. And her detailed knowledge on each project really certified what Sammy had said earlier that her dedication for her work was unparalleled.
Before any of them realized, it was close of 6 in the evening and people had started drifting out of the office. There was a file that Raghav needed that was in Sammy's office and so he got up to go get it. He looked at the time and said to Kalpi, "K, it's 6' you should be going now! Don't worry, I will update you on the rest tomorrow" to which she responded, "don't worry sir, I can stay another hour of two, let me just call home and let them know. She quickly makes the call and gets back to work while Sammy goes out to his office to get the file.
Raghav is awestruck at her dedication and "extremely happy" that Sammy is going to leave them alone for a little bit. "So, tell me about your family" he asks surprising her a little and a lot more himself. She looks at him baffled, thinking, "did he just ask about my love life". "Huh?", she manages to utter. "Family?" He says again wondering why his voice is sounding so raw. "Family?" She questions. And then as if just understanding the meaning she tries to respond, all flustered, "yes, family.....family, family......yes.....my family......family.....yes, I do have a family.....family!" she ends with a sigh as if she has just given a detailed answer to a very complicated question and her life depended on it! Raghav looks at her equally flustered, as if they are talking not about family but about some taboo subject! "Oh, excellent, nice, wow, you have a family! Brilliant, so tell me about it! ". She realizes her folly and wonders how to respond when Sammy walks back in and Raghav mentally curses him wholeheartedly while posing a perfect smile for both of them. Kalpi takes a sigh of relief that does not go unnoticed by Raghav!
The next time they focus on the time, it's almost 9. Raghav decides to call it a day and looks apologetically at Kalpi who responds it's ok with her eyes. They communicate seamlessly thru their eyes as if they have done it a thousand times before! And suddenly they both become aware of this and it stirs feelings they cannot comprehend. Sammy who is oblivious to their eye lock and talk, just says, "K, get your bags, I am waiting. I will drop you home on the way as you are on my way to home. And RS now that you have a car, see yourself home!" he says smiling to his friend with a wink. Raghav misunderstands it and thinks that Sammy wants to have some alone time with his girlfriend, Miss K! He just nods and storms out the door leaving a bewildered Sammy and Kalpi behind!
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