"No, you're not going anywhere Anku.", Jiya's mom, Renuka said. "Instead, let Jiya do this work for you." Ankit looked at his younger sister while Jiya just spit the coffee she was drinking.
"What the hell mom? How can you drag me into all this?", she inquired. Renuka's mother came beside her and sat in one of chairs adjacent to her. "Beta, Anku is unwell, he had prepared a lot for today and if he does not go, all his work would go in vain. You know he has 102 degree fever. Now, you tell me is it okay for him to go to work today?", she asked sweetly.
"No, it's not and I understand that. Let Bhaiya take a day off from work. He can do his work tomorrow.", Jiya suggested as a matter of fact. "No, he can't postpone it to tomorrow. That's what he has been telling me since. Apparently there's this multi billionaire he has to interview, who also turns out to be the owner of the company wherein he works. So, you see, it's like he is gonna meet a celebrity. And, you don't postpone celebrities, right?".
"So, alright. What do you want me to do?", Jiya asked tired of arguing to her super strict mother. "Oh, it's nothing. You just have to take his notepad and go to this hotel wherein the meeting slash interview is supposed to happen. Here, this is the notepad, it contains the questions. You may write the answers down or record them as and when he answers you.", she instructed.
Jiya nodded her head and got up rolling her eyes. She didn't want to do this. It was a Sunday for god's sake. But, her first priority is her brother and she can go to great lengths to help him.
She went to her room and stepped inside her closet. She pouted as she moved her eyes on each and every dress in there, her hands on her hips. She finally decided to wear the blue knee length dress. Neither too revealing, nor too boring. She combed her hair and tied it in a high ponytail. She applied minimal makeup, not being an ardent fan of beauty products.
"Okay mom am leaving.", she said grabbing the car keys. "Jiya, you look so beautiful, princess. And, don't scream or yell on that billionaire. Keep in mind that he, indirectly is your elder brother's boss. Speak and behave politely.", her mother said in a deep voice. "As long as he is polite, sure! By the way, what's his name?", she asked while wearing her heels.
"It's, it's yeah, it's Samarth Saxena. Yes, I guess.", Jiya stopped buckling her heels as soon as she heard that name. There was no way in her sane mind she would ever be going to cross paths with him. He was a devil and the way he had behaved with her last time was even more devilish of him. But, she couldn't deny that she loved her brother and was only going to see him because of her Bhaiya. "Okay mom, see you.", she shouted.
"I will send you his picture so you could identify him.", Renuka shouted. "No, it's fine. I've seen hi-", Jiya stopped mid sentence as she saw her mom's curiosity rising. "You've seen him?", she repeated. "No, I was guessing I would have seen him but you may send me the picture. That would help, you know." She forced a smile at her and sat in her car. She beat her fist on the steering wheel and eventually started the car.
Her phone pinged indicating a notification. It said, an image was sent by her mother. She sighed as she opened the message and looked at the image. Her breath was really stuck in her throat as she looked at him with an unknown emotion rising in her heart. He really looked handsome with his hair set back and in an Armani suit. His smile, well, smirk captivated her heart and made her smile. "He looks good but, only in pictures. Wait, he looks good in real life too but, until he opens his mouth.", she stated and continued driving to The Royal Imperial Hotel.
She entered the hotel and instantly realized it was big no, vast. She walked inside to see the floors polished to the extent where she could see her reflection on them. She saw the pillars around and concluded that the owner of this hotel was an extremely rich persona. "Of course", she sighed, "that devil will obviously book a room in one such hotel only.", she muttered.
"Umm, I am here to interview Mr. Samarth Saxena. May I know where he is?", Jiya sweetly asked the receptionist. The receptionist looked at her in utter disgust as if Jiya had asked for her property to be handed over. She stopped filing her nails and typed some letters into the computer. "He's in room number 204. Go straight and on the left side will be a lift, he's on the 12th floor.", she announced and returned back to whatever she was doing without glancing at her even for one bit.
Jiya smiled and began walking. She looked at the dining hall, the great paintings carved on the walls of the hotel. She even remembered the receptionist's dress. Also, she saw the ladies who had come here, they looked gorgeous. Suddenly, she began feeling out of place. As if, she didn't belong here. She took a deep breath and stepped into the lift. She pressed the button to the 12th floor and the lift took her up.
It was a transparent elevator. She could clearly see the view outside and to say it was beautiful would be an understatement. It was ravishing. She cursed under her breath when the lift stopped. It had reached the 12th floor. She stepped out and began walking looking at the number plates hung over each and every room and began finding the one with number 204.
She quickly came across one such room and smiled in accomplishment. She stopped outside the room. She took a deep breath. She would be meeting the devil soon, she needed to have patience to deal with that person the way her mother had told her to. She knocked on the door. After few minutes, the door opened.
She saw a man, around 40 years of age. She smiled meekly. The man's face remained blank. "Actually, I am here to interview Mr. Samarth Saxena. Could you please-", before she could even complete her sentence the man stepped aside and gave her way to come in, all the while bowing his head down. She smiled at his manners and came inside. She took a look at the room and saw two bodyguards standing in each corner of the room. She smiled at them and began looking around nervously not knowing what to do next.
"Ma'am you may sit here. Sir will come in a few minutes. He's out in the balcony making few calls.", the man who had opened the door for her replied. She sat down and smiled at him guessing him to be his personal assistant. She kept her fingers on her lap and began fidgeting with them nervously. She was a doctor. Did she waste 5 and a half years in the University to end up interviewing someone here.
The assistant left the room while signaling the bodyguards to follow him. Jiya felt a little at ease as the sight of the bodyguards was scaring the hell out of her. She again began looking around the room but as she heard the balcony door opening and closing she knew, he was here, the devil was here.
He came inside and looked shock seeing her. "As far as I remember, you were a doctor. When did you take up this interviewing the billionaire's profession?", he mocked as he came and sat on the couch adjacent to hers. She looked at him and opened his mouth to argue but remembering her mother's words to be polite she closed her mouth back and took a deep breath.
"Turns out, that the person who was gonna interview you is my elder brother. And, he has fallen ill. So, he told me to take this task in my hands and ask these questions that he had prepared for you. I hope you don't mind.", Jiya spoke professionally.
Samarth during her whole mini speech was staring at her with his elbow on the head of the couch, his body inclined at an angle facing her and his fingers on his chin. "No, I absolutely don't. You may start with the task."
Jiya smiled professionally and opened her small booklet of questions. The mobile slipped from her hand and fell down. Fortunately, it just fell on the carpet which protected its screen. She looked at him and picked the mobile up. As soon as she picked her mobile up, the booklet fell down. She looked at Samarth embarrassingly who was trying hard not to laugh at her clumsiness.
"I am really sorry.", she apologised as she bent down to pick the booklet up, this time keeping the phone on the couch safely. As she was ready with everything, she turned the sound recording on. She kept the phone on the couch and opened the booklet.
"So, Mr. Saxena, how did you get started in this business?", she asked the first question. "Apparently, my father had always wanted me to be successful and make him proud by being the richest business man in town. I first started off with a small start up but eventually due to his blessings and obviously, my hard work, well, here I am." came the answer.
Jiya listened intently to him. She never knew he respected his parents this much. She smiled slightly as she moved on to the next question. "What one word would you use to describe where you are and what you have accomplished?", she asked.
"Contented. I am contended and satisfied with whatever I have today. It's really cool to be able to order people, isn't it?", he asked with a small smile and his eyes narrowed. Jiya looked at him and smiled nervously while looking into the notepad for the next question.
"What is your biggest joy in life? Why?", she asked and looked at him. He thought for a moment before he replied, "To see the happiness on Pari's, my daughter's face whenever I get back home is the most joyous thing. I don't earn for myself rather for my beautiful princess. Seeing her cheerful makes me ecstatic too."
Jiya, for the first time after she met him today, smiled genuinely. He really cares about his daughter. She mentally praised him for his thoughts. "What is your greatest fear? Why?", this question sounded really interesting. What was that one thing which could make the most desirable multi billionaire of the whole country afraid?
"Seeing my daughter cry. The most dreadful thing for me would be if my daughter gets hurt. That is because, she is all I have.", he replied sounding a little weak. Jiya smiled but was confused on one thing. He never mentions his wife. Is his wife nothing to him? She wondered.
"Name the best book you have ever read. Why was it the best? How did it influence your life?", Jiya interviewed further. Samarth came a little closer to her and said, "It's Fifty Shades of Grey." He looked at her flustered and wide eyes face and smirked. He moved back.
"It's the best 'cause it has influenced my life in several aspects. One being, I have became this successful and rich because I gained motivation from Christian Grey there. That's not the only thing, I have gained motivation from him in other fields too.", he winked at her. She looked at him ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks. She gulped the water kept on the side hurriedly and then again looked at him and found him smirking.
She patted her head as if trying to wipe out sweat beads from her head. She mentally smacked herself for overreacting. "What are some of your goals right now?", she asked and didn't look up at him this time.
"Firstly, when you're talking to me, look at me.", he demanded darkly in his husky voice. Jiya lifted her gaze and looked up at him cursing herself to have been mentally stuck here. "Yeah, so now coming to the question. My first goal is to give my daughter the best future I can. The second is to raise higher in my business and bag deals with various other nations to establish friendly relations with them. And, my third goal is to-", his eyes lowered from hers to her lips.
As if on cue, Jiya licked her lips. She frowned when he looked back into her eyes. "My third goal is a secret, you know, let it be a secret for good.", he smiled in the naughtiest way ever. Jiya was getting really uncomfortable vibes from him and wanted to get over with this stupid interview as soon as possible. She reminded herself that she was just doing it for his brother and proceeded with the other question. She beamed in happiness when she found that this was the last question.
"So, this one is the last question, Mr. Saxena. You don't reveal much about your wife and your personal life with her. Have you divorced her or something or did she leave you due to some personal reasons and are you in a relationship again with someone else?", she read the whole question in a reading tone. She didn't realize what she had asked when she looked into his pitch black eyes which had now turned even darker and angry.
"Don't you think it's too personal Miss. Mathur?", he asked closing his eyes as if trying to contain his anger. She looked down at the book but smiled on seeing that he remembered her last name. Her smile dropped when she again looked up at him to find him calm this time. He was a really too confusing persona, she couldn't ever understand his thought and feelings.
"I am not in a relationship with anyone else right now. But, yeah my wife doesn't live with me and my daughter.", he said casually. She looked at him and before she could stop the words coming out of her mouth she had uttered, "Why? She didn't like you? Is that the reason why?", she asked curiously and then covered her mouth instantly and regretted asking that question.
Samarth got up with a smirk. He came closer to her and switched off the sound recording first. He then hovered over her and looked deeply into her eyes. She was not able to articulate his next move and sat looking into his black orbs.
He traced his one finger on her nose, then her lips and her chin. Jiya closed her eyes not being able to handle the touches and his dark gaze. She wanted to push him away but it felt as if she was frozen in her seat. She again opened her eyes only to find him dangerously close to her lips. His lips were only few inches away and his hot breath was fanning her face. It felt as if they both were breathing the same air.
She involuntarily licked her lips and closed her eyes. He whispered in his husky, rough voice, "You really want me to kiss you?" Jiya's eyes opened on their own accord. She looked at him and he stepped back with his hands in his pocket. He behaved as if literally nothing had happened just now.
"Now, you dare not say that she left me 'cause she didn't like me.", he said and looked at her, narrowing his eyes. Jiya's mind wasn't able to process anything. She sat there gaping at him.
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