When Naina Mittal walks into the pristine Headquarters of The Maurya Group, one of the world's largest conglomerates, to meet the CEO AKA the most admired billionaire bachelor in town, she expects to find a cocky, rude playboy; not the sexy stranger...
Rohan snorted, receiving a smack on his head from chachu. "These kids won't understand bhaiya. Girls used to line up just to get even a glimpse at us."
Papa nodded sagely. "Of course. I used to look like Devanand. Girls as beautiful as Madhubala would vye for my attention."
I saw Ma come up behind dad and a smirk curled up my lips. "Oh really, papa? Did you give anyone of your Madhubala's any attention?"
Ma was about to tap his shoulder but paused to hear his reply. Papa smirked at me in pride. "Oh, yeah. Plenty."
Ma's eyes narrowed at his words. "Is that so?"
Papa's smirk vanished. Rohan, Raina and l burst out laughing at the oh-shit look on my dad's face. Papa turned around abruptly. "No, of course not." He said quickly. "l was just joking with the kids."
When my lovely mother decked in pretty silk saree merely scowled at my father, he turned to me. "You can ask Naina. Haina beta?"
I smiled sweetly at my parents, "Hanji, Ma. Papa was just telling me how many girls used to line up just to get look at him."
Papa's eyes widened in horror as my mother's narrowed further. 30 years of marriage and my dad was still scared of my mom. I aspired to be like my mother.
"अच्छा!" Ma crossed her arms across her chest. "ज़रा मैं भी तो सुनु कितनी लडकिया थी आपके पीछे।" (Very well. Let me also hear Just how many women were after you.)
Laughing nervously, papa turned and put his hands on my mother's shoulders. "Does it matter how many women were behind me, Megha? There was only one woman who I went after and she is the mother of my daughter." His small smile turned to a scowl, the moment it landed on me. "The daughter who is about to get herself thrown out of this house,"
My smile widened. "Ma will have you thrown out of this city before you can even think about it."
Papa was about to retort when chachu spoke from the couch. "Oho bas, you two are always keep fighting like kids."
A protest was right up my throat when chachu interrupted. "No. Not a word. If you two start now then we will here for another hour picking sides." Coming to stand between my father and l, chachu handed papa his phone and my clutch to me. "Bhaiya, call the cars and Naina stop trying get your parents divorced."
Papa and l scowled at chachu feeling oddly chastised. But when he didn't remove his glare from us we huffed and moved to back. My family collected their phone and wallets. We locked the door and made our way towards the cars.
Papa, Ma and l were in one car. Rohan, Raina, chachu and chachi in another. Just as l stepped into the car, l heard chachi ask. "How many women were after you by the way?"
And l smiled.
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