Two more days passed like this without any crucial job to do. He didn't meet her in his office. On the third day she was so fed up that she didn't even feel like going to the office.
"No I had to talk to him. It can't go on like this." She decided.
She felt like those layabout people who love to sit and take money without doing anything though she's not like that. No, she used to earn her position in anything. She knew Arjun was trying to pity her in his own twisted way. He knew this would make her question her self-value.
She finally made her decision and that's why she found herself standing in front of his cabin. This was not going to be easy but she had no other option.
"Come in."
When she entered he looked too absorbed in his works. But her eyes fall on a new girl in his cabin going through his files.
"Yes" the other girl asked her instead of Arjun.
"You?"
"Oh, I'm Ayesha, newly joined PA." The girl extended her hand for shaking with a smile.
But Ananya couldn't even respond, she was so shocked that words didn't come out of her mouth.
The other girl felt a little awkward when Ananya didn't return the gesture.
"Ayesha, arrange the meeting first. Talk to the clients and inform me."
"Yes sir" Ayesha nodded at her boss' order and left.
Ananya finally gathered herself and opened her mouth. "It might sound rude but this is unprofessionalism Mr Singhania." She couldn't help but said with all the seriousness.
This time Arjun's gaze fell on her and it's like something returned in her chest. Though probably he's going to insult her this was worth it.
"So now I have to learn about professionalism from you," Arjun said in a mocking tone while leaning in his chair, one brow tugging upwards in amusement.
"You hired a new PA. So, what am I doing here? For the last three days, I am just sitting here like a useless fella. I guess you are not happy with my work. I got it. But it would have been nice to tell me what I have done wrong." She said directly looking into his eyes. Both of them just couldn't remove their gaze from one another.
"Did I submit any wrong report? Or had arranged the wrong meeting. Is there any client of yours who complained about me being misbehaved?"
"Are you done?" He finally asked in a bored tone.
"Huh?" After, all she said he just acted like she is one annoying stupid girl wasting his precious time.
"Go ask Ayesha, maybe if she had any job she will give you." He said and again got busy in his work.
Ananya sighed. Arjun was going to be a total jerk. She knew what she has done was wrong but letting it affect on her job life, this was low, even for him.
Ananya knocked on his cabin's door next day and entered. The atmosphere inside was enough to people run for their headphone.
"If you don't know how to do your job better learn and come rather than wasting mine and anyone else's job. Sir actually Ananya supposed to..."
"Ananya supposed to what?" Arjun threw the file and it landed near Ananya's feet. She looked up to see a very angry looking Arjun who would love to eat his employees as dinner if possible. His eyes were red, veins coming out in full force.
"Ah, Ms Roy, so you do come to the office? Don't worry your salary will reach your account, afterall you are doing us a great favour by gracing us with your precious presence. Well, we shall really be grateful if you also bless us by doing some work." Arjun mocked her angrily. Ananya was stunned to see this side of the soft gentle, considerate man who was arranging dates for her.
"Ah, now I have to beg you for speaking also?" His booming voice threw her out of her thoughts.
"Sir, you gave all my works to Diya and others. I ..." Ananya tried to express herself softly but Arjun banged his hand on the table making all of them jump.
Ananya tried to keep her stand infront of him though from inside this suffocating feeling to burst out in tears was threatening.
"Oh yeah, ofcourse I didn't give you job, why not. Afterall I have started a charity work to appoint people in my company and give them salary for no reason because this damned people couldn't do a simple job with their stupid brain. Let's do one thing, none of you have to work, I shall do everything and you people can play excuse-excuse game, who is better at it, ha?"
He shouted at the top of his voice.
All of them lowered their head in fear. It's better to just listen to him than trying to talk. It's like there was a raging Bull had possessed him and coming out through his mouth.
"Out, all of you."
At that time there was a knock and the next moment Shriya entered the room.
"What a timing!" Ananya cursed in her head. The three of them turned to leave but again his mad voice stopped them.
"Oh hello, do I need to give another invitation to make these reports and presentation correctly?"
"Sorry sir" Ayesha and Diya ran out with the files and Ananya just looked at him one last time before taking the file from the floor and left.
"You sure, you told me about the same guy. You said, Arjun sir was so cool. Well, this certainly isn't a sign of being cool, this is like a hot pressure cooker has been opened." Ayesha said in her timid voice as they strolled to their office.
"Honestly, he was always so serious about his works, but when I joined first he was a little short-tempered and had the tendency to give death stares too but was beareble. But recently he was good, I mean not that he wouldn't scold for making mistakes but was more easy to talk to. But now he seemed unbearable." Diya stated feeling stressed.
Ananya listened to them silently. She needed a moment.
"Umm, guys, let's take sometime and read and check everything and then sit together and finish it, ok?" Ananya quickly said and excused herself.
As soon as she entered her office the barrier broke. Today she wasn't just hurt but embarrassed. She always did her job efficiently, sincerely but his behaviour had been questioning on her workability and self-confidence. He was attacking her professionally. Where had she landed herself?
As she looked at the file, they seemed like a poisonous snake. One mistake and Arjun would start firing. Her head started paining from all the shouting.
At that time Shriya was passing, her eyes fell on the stressed Ananu holding her head in his hands, through the half-opened door.
She knocked and entered. Ananya felt like her pain increased seeing the intruder.
"Why don't you guys work carefully when you know your one mistake can cause loss to the company?" She said as she stood while folding her hands checking her office.
"I thought you might be a little mean minded and has issues of not knowing how to talk to people but I never thought you are weak in intelligence department too. You are all barking no biting. Why don't you guys first learn to do your job properly?"
Ananya finally looked up. Her ears were already seemed to release fire, now Shriya's words felt like burning it totally.
Ananya started making confusing faces, checking her watch, tapping her chin as if thinking something.
Ananya'd weird behaviour suddenly made Shriya feel awkward. "What?" She asked consciously.
"Nothing, just trying to remember when did I asked for your opinion or advice?" Ananya asked standing up from her chair.
Shriya felt embarrassed at her words but controlled herself the next moment.
"Oh please. Arjun has built this company by working hard day and night. I just don't want people like you to drain away his efforts with your stupidity."
"First of all, I don't need you to tell me how much Arjun was dedicated towards his job and company. Second of all, why don't you join his company and show everyone your efficiency
and third of all, you should leave my office." With that she dragged her by her hand and came out of the room.
"Stay in your limits, Ms Roy. You are misbehaving with my guest." Arjun's deep voice boomed in the corridor attracting both of their attention.
"Leave her hand, Ms Roy." Arjun orders sternly looking into her eyes. Those eyes, once they used to crave her like a man search water in the desert, but now they looked void, as if there was a protective spell which won't allow anyone to see within.
While Shriya looked at him with a dreamy eyes while her heart filled with a pride and affection seeing him being protective of her, Ananya wanted the earth to part and swallow her whole and hide her in the darkness so that Arjun could never see her with such heart wrenching way.
"Shriya, give us a moment. Maybe you can go and decide the menu." Arjun suggested still looking at Ananya.
"It's ok I shall wait near the lift." Though she didn't want to leave but Arjun's voice seemed can't be disobeyed, so she left.
"Let me remind you once again, Ananya, don't even think about hurting her. I won't warn you again next time. As much as good I can be to the people I love, you have no idea what a pain in the ass I can be to the people trying to harm them. So, don't repeat. Stay away from her. Or the monster might be unleashed." Arjun gritted out the words.
Arjun's word felt like a dagger to her heart. He might have threatened her but rather than getting feared she felt a loss. The Arjun who once vowed to protect her now thought her as a threat, to his loved ones. She didn't fall on that list anymore.
"What about me?" Before she could control the words were out. She asked as the tears made their way down her cheeks. Her feets took her close to him. Slowly, her hands clutched his shirt. She thought he would resist but he didn't. Her warm hands make his life returned in his body. Their heart beating together, getting mingled with each other. His brain protested to threw away those hands but his heart and body craved her touch, the warmth that comes with. In the war of heart and brain he just stood their like a dead man.
"Didn't you say you love me, then why torture me like this? I know I have done a mistake but I do love you now. Please forgive me one last time." Ananya sobbed keeping her head against his chest. Arjun felt like the wall crumbling inside him. He just wanted to damn everything of this world and took her breath away by kissing the daylight out of her. Her tears soaking his shirt, made him want to consume her every tears within the whiteness of his shirt and hid her within his arms from the whole world. But the next moment her cruelty reminded him, how her indurated heart played him for a fool all those time without a care.
"And what will I get by forgiving you? Will all my hurts heal?"
Arjun asked stoically. His palms making fist to stop from touching her, loosing his fingers in the wildness of her lustrous hair.
"What do you want? I will do anything. I will give you anything. Whatever you ask." Ananya's croaked voice sounded against his shirt as she rubbed her face against it.
"If my word of forgiveness made you stop attempting to manipulate me with your lovely words then here, I forgive you." Arjun's mocking voice heard.
Ananya felt like she had been shot by some invisible arrow. She slowly removed her head a little and tilted her face up to look into his face. His emotionless handsome face, which could make any girl's heart flutter, stared back, there was some hair still attached to his shirt. His beard seemed to grow a little these days but he was just as good looking as before but the voidness in his brown orbs scared her.
"Manipulate you? You think I am manipulating you?" Ananya asked, begging him to say no in her mind.
"Yes." Arjun said with the same calm voice, like nothing about her touched him these days.
This time Ananya removed herself completely and took back some steps. Her palms missed the touch of him already. And with the distance Arjun felt the warmth leaving his life and a coldness replacing it.
"Thanks, for understanding. I hope next time you wouldn't make a scene like this, especially in the office. Don't want people to spread false rumours." Arjun left without looking back. Ananya looked at his back until his long figure got lost behind the wall. How far they had gone from each other.
Shriya noticed Arjun's tensed face sitting across the table. She had come to have lunch with him alongside congratulating him as she couldn't come to the party.
"Hey, everything is ok?" She asked looking at him carefully
"What were you doing in Ananya's cabin?" Arjun asked frowning.
"Umm, I was just talking to her." Shriya replied playing with her fork.
"Regarding what?" Arjun asked again curtly. This time his attitude annoyed her.
"God, Arjun, are you interrogating me?"
"Do you hate her?" Arjun questioned ignoring her earlier question.
Shriya got a little stunned at his direct approach.
"I don't know, I just don't like her. Since she has come things have changed. You and Rahul don't talk like before. Nothing is like before, Arjun." Shriya kept her left on his right one while saying the last sentence. "Our group isn't the same anymore, Arjun. Vishal, Rahul, You, me. You don't come to meet me anymore, Arjun. It's been a long since we had a family get-together." She pressed her hand on his, as if trying to convey the emotions she was feeling to him.
"You remember how my family and your family used to have dinner together on weekends. And the whole night we would spend watching movies. I miss them, Arjun."
Arjun could detect the sadness in her voice but didn't know how to react. It's just life had made everything like that. He also missed them but career, office everything had made the situation like that. With growing age, people gets drifted away from each other. Their dreams get separated, destination are different, but that doesn't mean he didn't miss their old times.
"It's not like that. Maybe we could go to a trip next month. All of us." Arjun proposed smiling at his old friend. Shriya was junior to him in their school, but with the family connection they become good friends. And he had always felt a little protective of the little girl who had brought small moments of happiness in his lonely life.
Shriya's face lightened up hearing his words. She came to hug him.
"But you still didn't tell me, what were you telling Ananya." Arjun mentioned the earlier topic once again as she seated for the lunch.
"Ok, I was just telling her to do her job properly so that your hard work doesn't go waste for their carelessness."
"Ok, but you don't need to do that. They are efficient, if not they wouldn't be working here at the first place." Arjun's stern voice was laced with finality which can't be ignored.
" Ok Daddy, now can we talk about something else, please?" Shriya tried to cheer his sore mood by changing the topic. She knew Arjun didn't like someone else poking in his business. But she was just happy that he defended her infront of her.
One thing Arjun could understand Shriya felt jealous and somehow he knew the reason. It's her possessiveness for him. But what's Ananya's matter. Just because she had insulted her she would go to this extent. It didn't look normal, she doesn't seem to be the type of person to hate people so fast. Then, why?
God, what was he doing? No, she wouldn't think of her now. Whatever it's between them, she had no right to betray him like that.
He wouldn't make the same mistake his Dad made. NEVER!
*****
Ananya came to the office next day looking like a corpse. Her inner strength had collapsed like a house of cards.
But the another biggest hit came to her at the later part of the day when a peon came to her.
"Ma'am there's someone, he is asking for you. He's waiting in the canteen."
"Ok, I will be there." Ananya wondered who wants to meet her here, in her office.
But when she entered the canteen, the person looking at her made her go dumbfounded, startled her to the core.
Dibakar Arora, he was.