Lucky didn't face much trouble finding the address. However, as she walked along the streets, she noticed everyone staring at her. It was clear that her current dressing didn't quite suit this new place. Out of necessity, she entered a mall and purchased some decent clothes. Yes, she bought them because, for now, she didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention. She freshened up at a hotel and then hailed an auto to head towards her destination.
"So... you've come for the dog walker job?" Mrs. Badola asked, removing her sunglasses and giving Lucky an appraising look. Lucky felt like she was discussing her impending marriage with her future mother-in-law.
"Yes, I saw your advertisement," Lucky replied with a shallow smile.
"Hmm... have you worked anywhere before?" Mrs. Badola inquired, taking off her diamond earrings. Lucky couldn't stop lingering her gaze at those earrings; they were exquisite. Mrs. Badola carelessly placed them on the table.
"No, I haven't worked anywhere. Actually, I'm a student. I'm doing this job for some extra pocket money. During the day time, I'll attend college, and in the mornings and evenings, I'll take care of your dog..."
"Excuse me? His name is Tuffee," Mrs. Badola interrupted sharply.
And here it comes. If you Insult these rich women once, they might forgive you, but calling their dogs a 'dog'? There is no forgiveness for this sin.
"Oh Yes, I was saying the same thing. In the Morning and evening time, I'll take your handsome Tuffee for a walk." Lucky quickly corrected herself, and finally a softness crept into Mrs. Badola's expression.
"Alright then... Tuffee's complete responsibility is yours from today. You'll get a room in the servants' quarters here." lucky gets instant relief by hearing mrs badolas words. Now she don't have to worry for foods or shelter. But she also realized that maintaining the standards here would be challenging for her.
Maintaining standards here meant keeping her long tongue in check and her dressing neatly. When she had stepped into this posh locality, she immediately realized that all of Palampur's treasures seemed to be locked away in the vaults of these grand mansions. Mrs. Badola's house was no less than a palace. A precious velvet carpet was laid on the floor of the living room, and designer chandeliers and lamps were hanging from the ceiling. Each showpiece present in the living room was worth millions."
"Today is your first day, right? So you should take him to the nearby park right now. It will be a good opportunity for both of you to get acquainted," Mrs. Badola said and called out to Tuffy.
"Tuffy baby... come here..." And the next moment, a German Shepherd dog about 6 feet tall with big fluffy hair came wagging its tail in front of Mrs. Badola. Seeing the size of the dog, Lucky felt a hiccup stuck in her throat.
"Is this really a dog or the monster in dogs shape? I wonder which fool gave this wild creature such a chocolatey name," she grumbled to herself.
"Take him. If he likes you, I'll confirm your job."
'Now dogs will choose whether a human is fit for a job or not. Life is really playing with me.' she grumbled inside. Reluctantly, Lucky took hold of Tuffy's leash.
"Tuffy baby... come on, let's go... We're going for a walk," Lucky said, trying to sweeten her voice as much as possible. But Tuffy seemed indifferent. He looked at Lucky once and then went back to Mrs. Badola.
"Tuffy Baby... go... good boy..." This time Mrs. Badola said affectionately, and obeying her, Tuffy immediately headed outside. Lucky's eyes were still fixed on those diamond earrings. Well, is it fine if both disappear together? Maybe Mrs. Badola would suspect on her, but what if only one goes missing? It could fall anywhere... or she might forget where she placed it... right? Anyway, it's not like she had a passion for wearing earrings. In the end, these earrings were destined for the black market. But for now, Tuffy didn't give her a chance to think about all this and ran outside quickly. Being tethered to his chain, Lucky had no choice but to drag herself with him.
"What the heck... If I could have gotten even one earring, all this drama wouldn't have been necessary." Lucky was left ruing her luck. As soon as they got outside, Tuffy, true to his dog nature, began sniffing around everywhere. Lucky, out of compulsion, just dragged herself behind him. It had rained heavily the previous night, so water had collected in places on the roads around the colony. Trying to avoid them, she kept looking around as she walked. The air was quite chilly. She kept rubbing her hands together, trying to warm them up. Suddenly, Tuffy stopped near a big car. "What's wrong with you now? Come on, move..." Lucky kicked him absentmindedly in his back. But as a result, Tuffy turned around and started barking loudly at her. In panic, she stepped back. Seeing this, he growled and went back to the car and started sniffing it. And finally, he pulled his leg and did what every dog does, from the smallest to the largest, from the branded to the stray.
"I thought these rich people's dogs would have some manners. But they also have to go and relieve themselves on the car tires." Watching him do the same thing with every tire, Lucky started to get angry, "You little dog... are you trying to flood the whole car with your pee? If the car owner sees, I'll be the one who clean your mess." Lucky tried to pull him away from there by tugging hard on his chain, and this time Tuffy not only barked but also started chasing her. Lucky now saw her imminent death in this dog. She had no choice but to run away as fast as she could, but Tuffy didn't stop chasing her. Suddenly, a big red SUV appeared in front of Lucky. She tried to turn away, but due to the slippery road, her foot twisted, and she fell to the ground.
"Shhh...! What could be worse than this?" she hit the ground in frustration.
"Hey... are you okay?" Hearing someone's voice suddenly, Lucky looked up and was left speechless. The man standing in front of the door of the SUV she had just narrowly avoided colliding with was wearing a casual red shirt and black trousers. There wasn't much sun, yet he wore blue sunglasses that perfectly suited his fair complexion. But Lucky's gaze was still fixed on his SUV, which looked more like a moving luxury house than a car. Seeing that Lucky didn't respond, he took off his sunglasses and put them in his shirt pocket.
"Let me help you..." he said, bending towards Lucky and extending his hand, and only then did Lucky seem to come to her senses. She stood up, holding his hand. But before she could say anything, Tuffy came close and started barking loudly.
"I'm going to kill this..." Lucky opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it upon seeing the man looking at her with confusion. She then tried to quiet Tuffy down by grabbing his leash again. Seeing her struggle, he smiled and bent down and started petting Tuffy on the head, and as if by magic, Tuffy calmed down and started wagging his tail in front of him.
"I haven't seen you here before. Are you new?" he asked, turning towards Lucky.
"Yes... I just arrived today," Lucky replied with a bit of embarrassment.
"Are you Mrs. Badola's new dog walker?"
"Do you know her?" Lucky asked, surprised.
"Of course... I live nearby," he answered with a smile. "By the way, my name is Kavya Khurana. You can call me KK."
"I am Lucky..." Lucky said, forcing a smile. After seeing KK's SUV, her attention was momentarily diverted from that diamond earring which she saw at mrs badola's house earlier.
"I'm really sorry your clothes got dirty because of me. If you want, you can come inside and clean up. We can also have a cup of coffee together." The man seemed wealthy and also humble, so Lucky didn't refuse and went inside his house with him. KK asked her to wait in the living room and went inside himself. Like the other houses in the colony, this one was also quite large and beautiful. The doors of each room were at least eight feet tall. The house's architecture seemed more from the colonial era. A beautiful carpet was laid on the floor. As soon as Tuffy entered, he shook his whole body, and droplets of water fell from his fur onto the carpet. He also started rubbing his back against the sofa.
"You moron! This isn't your father's house... Atleast show some manners," Lucky muttered through gritted teeth, looking at Tuffy, who gladly returned the same expression to her. Lucky then began to look around the living room. The house was very clean and well-arranged, but there was no sign of anyone else living there, which struck her as odd. KK seemed to be in his late thirties and quite rich. She really wonder if he is still single at this age. I mean Where could you find such single people who is good looking plus wealthy and also have good nature.
"Looking for something?" KK's sudden voice startled her.
"No... I was just admiring your love for books."
Now it was KK's turn to be surprised. He looked at Lucky questioningly, and she pointed towards a room. The door was slightly ajar. It was actually a small library.
"You have sharp eyes," he said, looking her up and down, and for a moment, Lucky's face lost its color. He handed her a towel, "Here, clean your clothes." Lucky quickly wiped the mud and water off her jacket and jeans. Tuffy had settled down on the sofa and started dozing off.
"So... what kind of coffee do you like?" he asked, heading towards the kitchen.
"Black..."
"You are really tough..." He chuckled. "girls usually don't like black coffee". Lucky's heart raced at his smile, but she ruthlessly suppressed her feelings, reminding herself that such people couldn't be single. And he was right. Lucky didn't like black coffee either, but it was the cheapest thing in the cafe, and a good thing to keep her awake all the night So that's what she had blurted out first today as well. KK made two cups of coffee and handed one to Lucky.
"So, Miss Lucky... tell me something about yourself?" he asked, sipping his coffee and looking at her.
"I'm from Mandi. Staying in a college hostel and studying here is quite expensive, so I do part-time jobs," Lucky lied smoothly. She couldn't digest the fact that such a rich and handsome-looking man would bring a dog walker home without any reason. Specially a girl he had met less than half an hour ago. Even the heroine of a fictional story wouldn't be this lucky.