"Get me the file for Tuesday's meeting." Viraj spoke on phone to Gaurav.
"Viraj, it's Sunday! Why do you want to work today?" Gaurav whined as he entered the parking lot of Natasha's apartment to pick her up for the auction.
"I have nothing to do. Simple. Better work than waste time." Viraj answered and grasped the coffee that the maid left for him. It was almost 11 in the morning and he had dropped his parents at the airport himself.
"Okay! I'll ask Raj to bring it for you." Gaurav sighed.
"I asked you." He insisted.
"I have somewhere to go with Natasha. I can't come right now. Does the work demand my presence?" He asked, clearly hoping he'd say no.
"No. But, where are you going?" Viraj asked. Why was it that everyone had some sort of appointment today, except him!
Gaurav thought of his question. He realized that Viraj didn't know about him attending the auction. So, he decided to play along.
"There is an auction at Ananya's college. So, we are attending that." Gaurav answered.
"Why are you attending it? Isn't it for the students of the college?" Viraj asked, clearly confused.
"Someone close to me invited me. Thus, I have to go." Gaurav intentionally tried to provoke him.
Viraj sensed his playfulness. If Ananya had invited him, he would have directly told her name. Who was this 'someone' then? Viraj wondered.
"Who?" He asked.
"I am getting late, Viraj. I have to go..." Gaurav lied and attempted to cancel the call.
"Who...invited you?" Viraj asked in a pissed off tone.
Gaurav faked a sigh.
"Sneha invited me." He answered.
Viraj clenched his jaw tighter and his hold on his phone became deadly.
'She invited him but not me.' He thought irrationally.
"I am going. Bye." He heard Gaurav say before he cancelled the call. Gaurav smiled all the way as he entered Natasha's apartment.
Viraj slumped on his chair. His eyes focused on nothing in particular. His blood was boiling. He hated Sneha's partial treatment.
'You really know how to piss me off.' He thought angrily while referring to Sneha.
"Fine! It's not as if I care that she asked Gaurav and not me. Why would she ask me anyway... Why didn't she ask me? Did she think I don't have the money to buy whatever she is selling today?" Viraj scoffed at the thought.
'But why Gaurav and not me?' He wondered angrily! Clearly, he had more assets than Gaurav did!
'Someone needs to be taught a lesson.' He declared to himself and started walking towards his room to change into formals. He knew what he had to do.
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"10." Viraj's voice echoed in her ear as he made the bid.
It didn't take Sneha much time to spot the new bidder. Her eyes met his and she took a sharp breath. He still had that cold attitude as he sat in a relaxed way, somewhere in the audience seat.
'What is he doing here? And, 10? 10 crores?' She desperately wondered the reason for it.
Last night, while in bed, she had thought over the dance that she shared with Viraj. It was true that he had forced her to dance and also had been highly rough initially. But, she also couldn't forget the gentle manner in which he laid her almost parallel to the ground with the support of his arms. And the look in his eyes... It made her doubt his intentions and for a fraction of a second, she thought he had romantic feelings for her.
Seeing him bid such a stupendous amount for her product made her doubt him further.
'Does he...Does he really like me?' She couldn't help but conclude. And, it was a complete shock! She didn't want to have anything with a man like him.
"10 crores, sir?" The moderator confirmed and Viraj only nodded. His eyes remained at her, though. And, she didn't fail to give him a confused look.
"Whoa! A man can seriously go to extremes for a woman!" Natasha chuckled as she looked at Viraj who was sitting some rows behind her.
Gaurav chuckled.
"I wonder how he will explain his action later." He mumbled. If there was any doubt in his mind regarding his feelings, it was clear now.
Meanwhile, Ananya and her friends stared at Viraj in equal astonishment.
"Should I provoke him too?" Natasha asked Gaurav sarcastically.
"Don't, Nat. Let him win this one easily." Gaurav added.
The moderator called for the bid thrice and then confirmed it to be sold to Viraj. This time no one clapped for Sneha. Everyone was taking their sweet time in processing the bidding amount.
Sneha walked away from the stage slowly. Her mind was in a haze right now. She wanted to know why Viraj was here and why did he bid such a huge amount for her product. Nothing was making sense to her.
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"Hey! You okay?" Jyoti asked Sneha as she finally caught up with her out of the auditorium.
Sneha looked at her with a frown.
"No, I am not. Why did he bid on my product? That too 10 crores! It's not worth it!" She mumbled.
"Maybe because Gaurav was bidding on your item and he didn't want Natasha to feel bad?" Jyoti continued with her earlier hypothesis.
Sneha thought over it again.
"Does he really think that I am trying to seduce Gaurav?" She asked, almost to herself.
"I don't get any other reason... Oh, there's Ananya. I'll go and give her this. Meet me in the parking lot. Okay?" Jyoti said and Sneha nodded.
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Walking towards the parking area, she instantly spotted Viraj. He was leaning on his car with shades on. He had spotted her as well. Seeing her come towards him, he stood straight and a very small smile grazed his lips. A proposal of taking her out for lunch came into his mind. It was Sunday and she wouldn't be able to give any excuse.
Taking a deep breath, she started walking in his direction to give him the item in her hand. However, a voice made her halt on her way.
"Sneha!" She heard Abhishek's voice. Sneha looked at her left and saw him coming in her direction. She contemplated whether she should give Viraj the item first or take Abhishek's item first. She decided to go with the latter, since Viraj was still far away.
So, she turned in the direction of Abhishek and gave him a warm smile.
"Hi, topper!" She greeted him in a friendly manner.
"Hey!" Abhishek shyly replied.
"I...wanted to thank you for bidding on me...I mean...my item." Abhishek said and she chuckled at his choice of words.
"It's alright! I was curious to know what you were selling." She said in order to not hurt his esteem.
Abhishek put his hand in his pants pocket and retrieved a small oval-shaped item.
"I couldn't explain about this on the stage... You know I have stage fear. It's embarrassing...But anyway... Here, it is yours now." He said and passed her the item.
Sneha held it in her right hand while keeping her own item in the left.
"It's a beach stone, right?" She asked as she inspected the dark-golden coloured, super soft stone.
"Yes, but it is kind of...special." He added and Sneha looked at him in confusion.
"How so?" She asked.
"My grandmother had it. She says that it is a wishing stone. It can fulfil any three wishes of its owner." He explained.
Sneha chuckled at it.
"Abhishek, it's a myth. You know it, right?" She said and for a moment forgot that someone was impatiently waiting for her.
"My grandma's wishes came true. So, she gave me this to sell for the auction. She has complete faith in its power." He added nervously.
Sneha didn't want to burst his bubble or question someone's faith. So, she smiled widely with a nod.
"In that case, I'll make my wishes too." She promised with a smile and kept the stone in her sling bag.
"One more thing..." He stopped her again.
"Yes?" She asked.
"The wishes have to be...about..." Abhishek nervously scratched his neck.
"What?" She chuckled, seeing him getting all flustered.
"Don't get me wrong... But my grandma said that the wishes that this stone fulfils...must be related to one's love life." He explained.
Sneha stared at him in confusion before she burst into laughter.
"Okay! I'll ask for my love life, then." She said in between her laughter. It sounded comical to her...especially when her love life was practically non-existent.
"Great! Bye." He shyly said with a nod.
"Bye." Sneha replied with a gentle smile.
When she returned back to her normal state, she faced her destination again. Since Viraj was wearing shades, she couldn't see his evident anger.
He was angry...again. Why wouldn't he be?
First, she invited Gaurav to the auction and not him. Perhaps, because she thought he didn't have enough money!
Second, she gave preference to that boy over him.
And, third, she was laughing with him and taking her own sweet time with that boy, when clearly, he was waiting for her!
Not aware of his new emotions, she walked towards him with a straight face. The afternoon sun was exactly in his direction, such that he appeared fairer than he already is.
She realized how he didn't remove his shades, even when she stood before him.
"Hi..." She greeted him formally and waited for him to reply. However he didn't...and, it didn't amaze her. He was an egoistic king, after all.
"Uhh...Thank you for..." She started to deliver the usual thanking remark for bidding on her product. But, he interrupted her out of nowhere.
"Who was he?" He asked and she knew who he was referring to.
Taken aback by his question, she still replied.
"He is my classmate. I successfully bid on his item...So..."
"And you think you can make me wait for someone like him?" He asked, clearly in a pissed off tone and her face fell.
Sneha still didn't understand the reason for his off mood. He was almost scaring her.
"I...I didn't make you wait." She answered.
"I was waiting for you, here. You should have met me first before you met him." He added, confusing her even more.
"He came to me first." She replied, trying to be polite since she knew his power to affect her job...and life. He had warned her yesterday, after all.
"So? I saw you first!" He said irrationally. And, they both knew how stupid it sounded.
"I don't understand...Why does it matter? I mean...I am here, now. And, it didn't take me even 5 minutes to...!" She said, with narrowed brows.
"Exactly! You wasted my 5 minutes." He added quickly making her go speechless again.
'Why is he angry?' She wondered.
"I won't waste any more of your time, then. Here is the item that you bid on. Thank you for bidding..." She was about to complete when he snatched the item from her hand, making her go dumb.
His action was rough and uninvited.
Viraj was furious. He was angry at her for not giving him the importance and attention that he deserved. He had left all his work to attend this stupid auction, just for her. He had given his hard-earned money like water, just to get the thing she was selling. And, the least she could have done was to come to him as quickly as she could to meet him. He rationalized in his mind.
So, he took the wrapped item from her hand and literally, tore the wrapper harshly. Sneha was dumbstruck by his actions.
'What is the matter with him?' She wondered.
Viraj threw the wrapper on the ground, not caring that it was a no-litter zone. It didn't go unnoticed by Sneha, though. She stared at him in more confusion.
Viraj opened the box and removed the content out, while throwing the box on the ground too.
It was a pine cone.
"I paid ten f****** crores on this sh*t?" He asked, in a straight, yet insulting tone.
Sneha was taken aback by his response. A strange pain went through her heart as she heard him swear. It hurt her!
Gulping any snarky reply, she explained her efforts.
"It's a perfectly shaped pine cone with a flat base. I also painted it with varnish paint. So, it will give a shiny and glossy look for a long time." She explained calmly, so that he'd understand its value.
"And you think it's worth 10 crores?" He asked again, seriously.
Sneha's brows narrowed. She knew the answer to it. It was a big 'no'! But, she couldn't accept it.
"I... didn't...ask you to...bid on it." She said slowly, in order to not make him angry further. But, it was the truth.
"So you could have shown this directly to us instead of puzzling around. I would have never bid on this." He said in a scolding tone.
Sneha didn't like it...a bit. He had no right to talk to her like that! Why was he talking like that, anyway?
"I..."
"I wasted my money on you." He concluded and somehow, it hurt her even more. She stared at the pine cone in his hand, not knowing what to say and kept on blinking at a higher rate.
'Don't cry, Sneha! Are you crazy?' She told herself continuously. The fact that he didn't appreciate her little effort, hurt her.
"Every other item out there was still better than this. I could have bid on them and got a fine thing to keep at home. This...is not even worth giving a servant!" He added angrily while shaking the pine cone in his hand.
This time, Sneha couldn't stop her eyes from getting moist.
Where do all the snarky replies go when you desperately need them!
'It's not that bad!' She wanted to say. But, she didn't. The fear of him going crazy and taking away her job again scared her. And, also that, she couldn't think of anything to say, right now.
Her self-esteem was deeply hurt!
"You can...ask for a refund...from the management." She suggested slowly while not meeting his eyes. Her voice was quiet and she was barely managing to not cry and give him the satisfaction of winning this yet another argument.
"And make a fool of myself?" He asked angrily.
"Then what do you want me to do?" She desperately asked.
"That's the problem, Sneha. You just can't do anything right." With that said, he threw the pine cone on the ground, harshly, and opened the door of his car.
Sneha's lips wobbled at his insults and finally, a tear escaped her eyes. She was thankful that he was already inside the car or he would have seen her cry!
Quickly wiping her tears away, she kneeled on the ground to pick up the pine cone and the discarded box.
"Drive." Viraj ordered his driver and looked at her little form in the rearview mirror. Her hair was in a ponytail, so, he could easily see the strain of tears on her cheek.
His fist clenched painfully tight as he realized that she was crying...because of him.
His eyes didn't leave her till the moment she vanished from the mirror.
'She deserved it. No one insults me. And, no one must ignore me.' He told himself as he reflected over his reaction just a moment ago. The driver, who had witnessed everything, didn't comment on anything.
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Sneha carefully picked up the pine cone. One of the topmost wooden leaf-like structures got a crack due to the sudden impact on the ground. She sighed after seeing it.
"Hey..." She heard Jyoti's gentle call. Of course, she has seen everything. And so did Ananya, Tina and Shruti along with other college pupils.
Sneha wiped her tears clean again and stood up with the discarded items.
"Let's go?" Sneha asked, giving Jyoti the signal that she didn't want to discuss what happened just now.
Jyoti wanted to ask her...console her...but, she just nodded. Sometimes, no words are the best therapy.
"Come." She said and Sneha followed her towards her scooty.
The entire drive was quiet. Sneha was repeating the entire conversation that she had with Viraj in repeat mode.
She still didn't understand why he was so angry? Sure he had talked rudely with her numerous times, but, today, he crossed all the limits!
'Is he always like that? Or is my pine cone that bad?' She started doubting herself.
Sneha noticed her house coming in her line of sight and she sighed. She ignored Jyoti completely because of that moron! That was so irresponsible of her.
After jumping off the scooty, Sneha faced her friend.
"Wanna come in?" Sneha asked.
Jyoti shook her head with a pitiful expression.
"Relatives at home." She gave her reason and Sneha nodded.
"Hey..." Jyoti slowly called for her attention and Sneha looked at her slowly.
"He is an a******. You know it, right!" Jyoti added.
Sneha couldn't help but chuckle.
"I know." She answered.
"Just don't feel bad because of him." Jyoti added and Sneha nodded again.
"I just... He said that every item out there was better than mine. Is my pine cone that bad?" Sneha asked in a low tone. Indeed, she was embarrassed.
"Are you crazy? If I had wealth like him, I would have bid 100 crores and not just 10 for your pine cone! You know a monkey doesn't have good taste, right. He is the monkey here." Jyoti explained quickly.
Sneha smiled again.
She opened her sling bag again and brought another small box. She then gave it to Jyoti.
"What's this?" Jyoti asked and opened it.
"Aww! This is so cute!" Jyoti exclaimed as she looked at the baby pine cone that Sneha gave her.
"This is painted by Priya. She told me to give it to you." Sneha smiled, feeling happy at her reaction.
"Is she home?" Jyoti asked.
"She must be." Sneha said while looking in her house's direction.
Jyoti came out of her scooty and took the key in her hand.
"I must thank her personally then." Jyoti said and walked excitedly in the direction of Sneha's house. Sneha chuckled again and followed her.
At least she forgot about Viraj's insults for a while.
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Sneha had just had her supper with her family. She was taking out clothes for tomorrow when her phone rang.
"Who is it, Priya?" Sneha asked.
Priya looked at her sister's phone and her eyes widened.
"The pine cone breaker!" She exclaimed when she saw Viraj's name flashing on the screen.
Sneha had detailed everything to her family during the supper. And, everyone was upset with Viraj's attitude. She just hid the small fact that she cried after he threw the pine cone. It was super embarrassing for her, after all.
Sneha looked at her sister in complete surprise.
"I am serious. See." Priya said and showed the screen to Sneha.
Sneha narrowed her eyes and took the phone in her grasp.
'Why is he calling me now? Are there any other insults left?' She thought and decided to not answer the call. She completely disregarded the warning he had given her the last time she ignored his call.
However, he called again and again and again.
"Power off your phone, di (an endearment for elder sister)!" Priya suggested.
Sneha nodded and switched off her phone. If Viraj could get angry, so could she. Sneha thought and threw her phone on the table gently.
However, not even a minute later, her house bell rang. Sneha completely froze and looked in the direction of Priya, who had the same expression.
"Is it him?" Priya asked.
Sneha looked at the wall clock. It was 10 pm for heaven's sake! Why was he here...if he really was it.
Sneha quickly ran towards the drawing-room again. Her parents were home, for God's sake! What will her father think of her if the guest was really Viraj!
"Let me open the door." Came her father's voice who was quickly wearing his T-shirt to see who was at the door at this time of the night. It further increased her heartbeat. She really didn't want to get scolded by her own father.
Sneha stood behind the sofa to see who it was. She didn't realize that she was biting on her lips in anticipation.
Sneha's father, Shankar opened the door and her heart skipped a beat at the sight.
It really was him.
"Mr Khatri?" Shankar questioned in a confused tone.
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(Hi!
Damn! What would you do if something like this happened to you?
)