Chapter 23 – Arnav’s POV

“What were you planning, Ms. Gupta? Let me see, were you planning on telling me about Sam… Oh wait, it’s Sameer right?”

Her smile fades instantly, along with the color on her face in shock. It isn’t from my words, but the unusual coldness in my tone.

“But… how?” She questions more to herself, looking away at the textured wall behind my desk in search for answers.  

“Does that really matter?” I pause for a reaction, watching her mentally trying to piece it together. “If you must know, Di. She had come upstairs with me, so we could go out for lunch. But instead, she saw him. And it’s because of her that I didn’t barge into the fucking conference room to kick his scrawny ass out of here. Now, what I need to know is why, Khushi?”

She takes a deep breath, and then walks towards me, only to stop after a taking a few steps. It’s visible that she is ready to have this conversation, more to provide a clarification than anything, as she straightens herself.

“Arnav… please understand, I wanted to tell you, but not over the phone. I was waiting for you to come back. This is why I asked you not to come here today- I was planning on telling you tonight.”

“Sorry, but I can’t understand. For two weeks, which is a hell of a long time in my book, you kept this from me. Do you have any idea how I feel right now?”

Running my hand through my hair in frustration, I take a few steps back.

“How could I tell you when you were dealing with so much? I knew what would happen when you found out…”

“I don’t know about you, but I would rather take me at that time, then the way I am right now. But you don’t get it. Do you?”

She shakes her head in disbelief, and it’s my turn to look away, trying to keep myself in control from lashing out further. If that is even possible.

As much as I want to stay within reason, I can’t help but voice out how I feel. And hearing her response it looks like she is as well.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Tell me what don’t I get? I can tell you exactly what would have happened. You would have dropped everything to come back here. Then what, kick him out of here? Now let me ask you, what happens to the issues at AR in Delhi? How about here with Symphony? You have no idea what fucking mess I am trying to clean up. So don’t tell me I don’t get it, because I do!”

“Yes I would have done exactly that! I don’t give a damn what happens. What do we lose… money, those two companies have to fold?  So what! I don’t care, you know why?” I pause for a moment, and glance around my office before continuing. “Sweetheart you come first in my life, I don’t give a shit about all of this. Do you know how I felt seeing you in that room with that asshole looking at you?”

“Wait a minute, you don’t trust me?” The hurt in her voice is palpable, and it hits me hard.

“How can you even think that? I trust you more than myself, and you know that. It’s him that I don’t. I saw the way that creep was looking at you when you turned away. Khushi, all I know is, that man has hurt you before we met. I have seen you come out of that pain, and I don’t want him around you to have it resurface. I can’t sit here knowing all of this and allow for it to continue.  He has to go. Now.”   

There is no way I am allowing him to be near her, and she needs to understand that. I tear my gaze away from her, turning to face the window, unable to see the anguish in her eyes.

This is not what we needed right now, and it seems that neither one of us is prepared to back down.

She sighs, and walks up to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. Somehow I can’t get myself to face her.

This is my fault, bringing him here, when I acquired that company. And, I need to fix this.

“I am sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier. But, there are logical reasons why I did that. And it’s evident you are not in the right frame of mind to listen to them right now. You are going against what I have admired about you. Right now, you are letting your personal feelings for me come in the way of handling your business. I know you are not going to like this, but he has to stay.”

I adamantly shake my head immediately facing her, not ready to go along with it.

“Arnav, I know you are trying to protect me, but I can take care of myself.  Please trust me, and let me handle this.” She pleads softly, taking my hand in hers.

“So, nothing I say or how I feel matters… he gets to stay, and I have to live with it.”

“Arnav, can we please talk about this later?”

“What’s there left to say? You want me to keep my personal feelings out of this, fine I will.” I state in a matter of fact tone, letting go of her hand. Without looking at her, I walk towards my desk, and take my bag from the table.

“Baby, where are you going? Please don’t walk away like this.”

“If I stay here, we will continue to disagree and say things we might regret.”

Not giving her much of an option, she merely nods. I need to get out of here to gather myself and get ready to face what’s next. The asshole, himself.

“Ms. Gupta, I will be back later this afternoon to meet with you and your team.  I want a current status, and a recap from the sessions with Symphony in my absence.”

I shake my head at what our relationship has come down to. If this is how she wants to deal with it, then ASR needs to make an appearance in that meeting.

“Sure, Mr. Raizada.”

I walk out of my office, closing the door behind me with a sharp pain in my heart for leaving her alone. But then, I don’t know what else to do.

“Hi Bhai…”

I stop hearing Aakash, just as I am passing through the open area on my way out. He walks towards me, having come out of the conference room.

As I take a quick glance towards the room, I notice everyone is looking at us through the glass wall including Sameer who is staring at me. Seeing him makes my blood boil, but I hold back for the person who would hurt the most with my actions.

I take a deep breath, turning my back to the room, as Aman resumes the meeting and garners everyone’s attention back to him.  

“It’s so nice to have you back. And congratulations on InfoTech, only you could straighten them out.” He pauses looking around before he whispers. “Also congrats in person. Everyone at home is very excited about latest news. Nani can’t stop smiling, and Di is over the moon.”

I nod giving him a small smile, “Thanks Aakash. Listen can we talk later, I am on my way out.”

His facial expressions change instantly, becoming serious, which is a rarity for Aakash.

“Sure. Where’s Khushi? Lavanya pulled her out of the meeting saying you needed to speak with her urgently. Which was almost an hour ago.”

“She’s in my office working on something. Can I go now?!” I snap at him irritated to be having this discussion, when all I want to do is get the hell out of here.

He parts his mouth to say something, then hesitates for a moment.  

“You know, don’t you?” He asks.

It’s clear what he is referring to, which means Khushi must have confided in him. I am broken out of my thoughts, feeling his hand on my shoulder.

“We need to talk. Let’s go to my office since Khushi is in yours.”

As we walk to his office, various emotions and thoughts run through my mind about him knowing when I didn’t. Forefront than any other is relief. It helps me calm down a bit knowing she wasn’t alone with Aakash by her side.

He closes the door after I walk inside the office. Both of us take a seat on the sofa, and I wait for him to continue.  

“How did you find out? Khushi mentioned earlier about telling you tonight.”

Why is this the first question from both of them?   

Does it matter how I found out?  

“Di.”

He nods, and I gesture for him to continue, interested in knowing what he has to say.

“Makes sense now. I forgot she was coming to the city with Jijaji.” He sighs at my expression that gives nothing away, before he speaks again. “Listen Bhai, I don’t want to interfere between you two but please try to understand. Khushi was only looking out for you and AR. It didn’t seem right to tell you over the phone, with all that was going on. And, I supported her in that decision…”

“Did you both rehearse these lines? You can save the excuses you have lined up to convince me why it was okay to keep this from me, because it wasn’t. But what’s done is done. Tell me why are you both acting like Sameer working here is not a big deal? I don’t want him anywhere near her.”

“Neither do I, which is the reason why I am there at every meeting. I ensure she is never alone with him. While it doesn’t make it okay, you also don’t know all the facts why he is still here. Let her explain it to you, then you can decide if it’s right or wrong.”

I stifle an unamused laugh, since there isn’t anything that will make this right.

“Aakash, I know why Khushi feels he needs to stay. It has to do with Symphony and AR. Which for me comes second after Khushi, so I can suck up the loss. Not a big deal. What I can’t bear is seeing that asshole around her. I am relieved that you were here for her, but it’s hard to swallow that I wasn’t. This was my doing. To top it off, I have to deal with the fact that he will continue to be here, and for Khushi’s sake, there isn’t anything I can do. I won’t make a public spectacle about her past in front of everyone.”

“I am sorry that we kept this from you. But this isn’t your fault. It’s one of the main reasons why Khushi didn’t say anything while you were in Delhi. There is no way you would have known that Sam was Sameer. You didn’t even interact with him during the negotiations, how would you have known?  So please don’t blame yourself. Right now, Khushi needs your support, she might be strong at work and can definitely hold her own. You should see her in there, I swear she reminds me of you.” He chuckles, and then shakes his head, which brings a small smile on my face. “Khushi might be tough in the office, but I know she needs a shoulder to lean on at home. And it’s you that she needs, Bhai. She hasn’t been the same without you. Please go easy on her. And once you talk to her, you will see that he won’t be around for much longer.”

I nod in understanding. But it’s still hard to get past it, that I haven’t been here for her. Unknowingly, I have not been able to protect her from the very man that has hurt her.

“It’s probably best I talk to her later, I am not in the right frame of mind right now. What did you mean about him not being here much longer?”

“Khushi will fill you in with the details when she takes you through the recommendations, but we are…”

Before he can say anything further, there is a knock on the door, and Khushi walks into the office.

“Aakash, I cancelled…”

Her words halt, seeing us together, as her somber gaze meets mine. But she clears her throat, and composes herself, before addressing Aakash.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were in a meeting. If you can let me know once you’re free, there are some things we need to detail out for a meeting this afternoon.”

“It’s fine Khushi, please come in…”

I can see she is ready to bolt, though I know she needs someone to talk to. And right now, that is not me.

“I’m on my way out.” I direct the words at her, then turn to Aakash. “Thanks.” I extend my hand to him, but he surprises me by pulling me for a hug.  Which I reciprocate, grateful that he was here for Khushi in my absence.

When we pull away, I can see the glint in Khushi’s eyes as she tenderly watches the rare exchange.

All I want to do at this point is to pull her in my arms, and eliminate the glass wall that has been put up between us.

“I will see you both later this afternoon.” I say, making my move to walk towards the door. As I approach Khushi, facing the opposite direction, I stop beside her..

She stiffens, as I gently take a hold of her hand.

My gaze locks onto her as she slowly closes her eyes. My hands instinctively bring her hand to my lips, placing a gentle kiss. The slightest caress has her opening her eyes, and I let go. Not because I want to, but I have to. Giving her a small smile, I walk out of the office.

After leaving AR, I decide to head to the park, and get changed into my running attire. I need to blow off some steam, and a long aggressive run is in order to block myself from the world.

As I walk towards the park around Columbus Circle, my eyes are pulled towards the cloudy sky above as a cool breeze caresses my face. And, I welcome it, taking quick strides walking past the entrance to the park.

“Khushi…”

The vision of her saddened face appears in front of me, sending a dull ache in my heart. My kissing her hand as I left Aakash’s office was intended to silently tell her that I will always by her side. No matter what.

Despite my frustration and anger with her for not telling me, I don’t want her to feel I don’t support her.

Because, I do.

But what about Sameer?

How can I be fine with him being around her?

I pick up my pace, running along the path that Khushi and I take together.

Why did this have to happen to her now?

Hasn’t she suffered enough being around him for almost three years, changing to someone she wasn’t…

My emotions are all over the place, as I continue to push myself harder to take out the aggression before I can head back to the office.

An hour later, I finally stop to catch my breath on Bow Bridge. A magnificent looking relic from the mid 1800’s that spans over the lake surrounded by terrific views of the park offering a romantic setting. This is Khushi’s favorite place to stop during our run together.

Memories of her smiling and laughing in this very spot brings a smile on my face.  

“Arnav, isn’t this bridge so beautiful? I love it here.”

“How sweet, look at that couple taking their wedding pictures here. It’s so romantic…”

The mischievous glint in her gaze when she always reminds me she is a better runner than me makes my eyes gleam.

“Baby, you really need to get in shape. Look at you, huffing and puffing after five miles.”

“Tsk… tsk… look at your time, your girlfriend ran here faster than you by ten minutes.”

Her subtle teasing or her boldness always ready to kiss me here leaves my heart beating faster.

“I am not sure those shorts really suit you, I prefer the ones you wear to bed…”

“I think… I want to… kiss you here right now Arnav Singh Raizada.”

And the many promises we have made, serve as a reminder that no matter what I will always be there for the woman I love.

“Arnav, promise me, that when we get old like that couple, no matter where we are you will bring me back here.”

“I promise to always be with you whether it’s here or anywhere, but hamesha together.”

It’s then I realize, no matter how I feel, Khushi is my priority. The woman I love more than life itself. And, I need to be by her side. With her, not against her to help her through this.

It’s time to get back to action and take control. And I know exactly how to handle Sameer.

A couple of hours later, I am back at AR, leaving my personal feelings at the door.  Even though Khushi and I need to talk, which will come later, for now I need to figure out how to get rid of the leech. Sam.

As I am talking to Lavanya at her desk about my upcoming schedule, I notice Khushi deep in thought walking out of her office, but then she quickly goes back inside.

“Thanks Lavanya, you can put that on my calendar for early next week. I am headed to the Symphony meeting for a couple of hours, so we can meet afterwards.”

“I hope you take care of that jerk…”

Before I can ask her, she gestures me to turn around.

I give her a slight nod, and can’t help grin, turning to face her.

“So you’re not a fan of our new employee?”

“That guy is a prick, that’s Khushi nickname for him. I don’t think anyone is his fan here. Do you know what an ass he has been towards her? I am surprised she hasn’t smacked him yet, that woman has some patience dealing with him.  Hopefully, you can set him straight, now that you are back.”

“Oh I intend to take care of him alright. No one messes with my Khushi.”  I wink at her, and smile.

“It’s so nice to have you back, ASR.”

Right as I am about pass Khushi’s office, she comes rushing out and we come face to face.  

“Hi…”  I whisper.

She nods, smiling faintly, then turns to begin walking towards the conference room.

Neither one of us say anything, walking side by side. But it’s obvious she is in her professional zone ready to get the meeting started. As we approach the room, I open the door, gesturing her to go inside.

“Thank you, Mr. Raizada.” She makes her way inside to the front of room next to Aakash and Aman.

Given the circumstances, I am amazed at how efficiently she sets up her laptop on the projector in matter of a minute. The woman is on a mission, and I couldn’t be prouder for her not allowing the issue between us to get in the way.  

As I walk to my usual seat in the front directly across from her, I glance around the room to see the familiar faces that I have met briefly. All of whom I recognize, then I spot the person that I have been looking for seated next to Aman on the opposite side of the table.  

It takes all my willpower not to jump across the table and give him a piece of my mind. But I am forced to look away as Khushi starts the meeting.

“Welcome back Mr. Raizada. I believe you have met everyone here from Symphony, so if it’s alright with you we can skip the introductions and proceed with the briefing per your request.”  

I nod, thankful for her skipping the preliminary introductions since I am in no mood for them.

Khushi begins with a quick overview of how the sessions went while I have been away. It gives me a better insight of what she has been dealing with the day to day business. Then she gets into the summary of the business, calling out the gaps and inefficiencies with the current model.  

She was right, it’s a mess and my head is spinning with the amount of rework that is required.  

“This portion of the presentation completes how the business is being operated today. Before I outline the current client issues that has recently come up. Do you any questions before I continue?”

She looks at me, and just as I am about to respond, someone else speaks up.

“I don’t agree with that summary, Khushi.”

I follow Khushi’s gaze as she looks over at the person, and it’s none other than Sameer.  

What did he just call her?

“It’s Ms. Gupta. She is the Chief Operating Officer at AR, I suggest you address her accordingly. Also this meeting is for Ms. Gupta to brief me. Let’s allow her to do her job. I don’t recall asking for anyone’s opinion. And who are you anyway?”

His eyes widen, taken back by what I have just said. And he has the nerve to respond.

“Sam Mehta. I am the head of Product Development for Symphony…”

“You mean you were. Now that I have acquired Symphony, what you will be doing here at AR is yet to be determined. By Ms. Gupta of course since this is under her organization.”

I wait for a response, but he just blankly stares at me then at Michael who shrugs his shoulder.

The room is filled with tension, as no one from my team says anything. I smile inwardly looking at Aman and Aakash, who seem to be amused. But Khushi isn’t pleased as she glares at me. Not giving a damn, I raise my eyebrow, but she looks away.

“Sam, it doesn’t matter whether you agree or not. These are the facts, and the operating model does not work in it’s current state. I have said this before, but I will reiterate it for you. It’s a piece of crap which is not going to align with the way we run our business here at AR. I suggest you accept it, otherwise you know where the door is.”

She looks at him furiously, who wants to retort back. But it looks like my presence in the room stops him from saying anything further, looking at me. But Khushi gets my attention to her.

“So Mr. Raizada, do you have any questions for me?”  

Holy shit, she is pissed. That’s my girl!

This is going to be interesting, since I have never seen her lash out at anyone. Well, besides me. But that doesn’t count.  

She clears her throat, taking a sip of her water. I can see her fiery gaze directed at me through the glass.  

Guess I should get back to the task at hand.

“Actually Ms. Gupta, I do have a couple of questions, and some comments…”

I watch as she puts down her glass, and nods for me to continue.

The next thirty minutes, I go through my questions and comments which she responds on majority of them, helping me analyze some of the downfalls of Symphony. She does convey silently that there is more to this. Which I assume will be presented with her recommendation when we meet separately. For now she shares what she can with the group.    

When she walks me through the list of issues, saving the best one for the end, I officially lose my cool that I have maintained the last hour.  

“How the fuck did this happen?”

I stare at the three people from my team, Khushi, Aakash and Aman, who are hiding something.

Aakash decides to speak up as I wait demanding an answer.

“It seems the information was leaked in the beginning of the week to only a few clients. We haven’t found the source yet…”  

“So this was intentionally done? Not because there are issues with the product.” I look over at Aman for a confirmation, despite knowing the answer.

“We checked the product again, along with the intensive testing, and found no flaws in the product itself.”

“Who the hell would leak this information?!”  

Aakash and Khushi look at each other, before Aakash gestures me not to say anything further.

What is wrong with these two with withholding this information?

But I can’t question them further, as Sam speaks up.

“The person that thinks this is crap.”

Did I just hear him correctly?

Is he accusing Khushi?

“Excuse me? Clarify for me what you are trying to say. Actually hold that thought.” I pause before saying anything further. “Everyone except my team, Sam and Michael… out of this room now.”

I refuse to do this in front of the broader audience, if he wants to take this route then game on.

Seeing the screen light up on my cell phone, I pick it up to see a text from Khushi.

“Please stay calm, let him say what he wants. I will give you the details afterwards, but for now just end the meeting.”

“If I knew what I needed to know beforehand, then maybe I would be calmer but I guess we will never know. And not sure if you heard him correctly… he accused you for leaking the information. Which you know I will not tolerate from anyone!”

She sighs and puts her phone back on the table, and sits back in her chair defeated.

“Sam, answer my question!” I dare him to voice it out loud, and the bastard actually speaks up.

“Well it’s obvious, that it’s Khu… Ms.Gupta. She has been scrutinizing everything about Symphony, not to mention her dislike for the way we ran our business.”

Once he stops, I glance over at Khushi trying to gauge her reaction, but she has shut herself out, looking down at her folded hands.

Why is she not defending herself?

“So that makes you think she would leak this information?” Aakash confronts Sameer, as I am about to speak up.

“Yes, it seems obvious to me. Who else could have done this?”

“Sam, you have no proof. You need to drop this.” Michael speaks up trying to end this discussion.

“You don’t need proof, she wants all of us out so she is sabotaging the company.  She stands up there acting like she knows it all, but guess what… she has no idea of how to run a business. Mr. Raizada, I think you should reevaluate your staff.”

I say nothing, looking away in disgust. In order to not punch him in the face, I tighten my fist under the table.

And finally Khushi’s eyes lock with mine, and I blink, encouraging her to stand up for herself. It seems to have worked, as she takes a deep breath, then stands up to face her opponent.

Her tone is calm and collected, but stern as she speaks. And I sit there in awe as she puts him in his place.  

“You have some nerve to sit here and point your fingers at me. What do you think that I am stupid just because I am a woman. You do have an ego issue don’t you…”

“You can’t speak to me…”

“Shut up and sit down, I am not done talking. Do you think I don’t know what you are doing? Well let me tell you Sam, I know what fucking game you are playing. If you want to accuse me, have the balls and come with proof. Because right now, it’s your word against mine. And I can bet my career that everyone in this room is on my side. Oh, and I have an idea who did this, and I promise to take that person down very soon. I should fire your ass right now for insubordination, but I want the pleasure of you being here when I bury the culprit with my own hands. In the meantime, I would polish up that resume of yours.”

“You bitch!”

“Michael, take his ass out of here and talk some sense into him before I throw him out.” Khushi cuts him off, and Michael does as she says, dragging him out of the room.

Silence fills the room, as the three of us watch Khushi slump down in her seat. She struggles to take out the projector cord from her laptop. I gesture towards the door for Aakash and Aman to leave us alone.   

As they are leaving, I walk around to her side, unplugging the cord from the laptop and close it.  

“Khushi…” I kiss her forehead, and then kneel down, taking her cold trembling hands in mine.  

For a few minutes, she sits there dazed looking down at our entwined hands in silence before closing her eyes. She takes a deep breath trying hard to keep herself together.

“Arnav, can you please take me home?” She pleads, finally looking at me. The sadness in her tone, her face, breaks my heart.

“Sure Sweetheart, let’s go home.”  

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