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Here's the third chapter of "Dastak"
Feels good to update a chapter in the middle of the class.
Happy reading 🩷
I sit in front of my brother sipping my black coffee.
"Bhaiya, we need to look for some lawyer as soon as possible or else the court will assign us and that really won't help us much,"
I hear him and my mind goes to the lady I met in my office.
Giving an interview in exchange of having a lawyer doesn't sound as a bad idea.
"I have someone in my mind. Arjun Sharma," He tells me further and he's talking about the that reporter's brother.
I have checked her family background and came to know that her father is a politician, her brother is a emerging lawyer and she's a reporter.
I have met her father in multiple business meets and parties and he seems a honest man but you can't judge someone based on how they talk and behave.
About her brother, he's good at his work. Won 44 out of 50 cases till now. He can be a good choice but he isn't much experienced.
It's been around 2 or 3 years since he's practising and my opponent have the best lawyer of this country.
"Bhaiya," I come out of my trance once my brother calls me.
"We can talk to him, maybe he's ready to take out case." He look at me with hopeful eyes.
I divert my gaze and that lands in the living room and I see my elder son walking downstairs.
He walks into the kitchen and after some time comes back with a bread In his hand and run back into his room. He have lost his charm in last few months.
And god forbid if I couldn't win this case, I'll be away from him and more than anyone else needs me at this moment, my son needs me the most.
"Call him and schedule an appointment with him." I tell my brother and get up after keeping my cup of coffee on the table.
I see a smile forming on Manish's face. '
I just hope Arjun Sharma agrees to fight my case.
With a sigh, I climb the stairs and my eyes falls on Ahaan and Shivam, who are sleeping peacefully.
I move forward and knock at the door of Ayansh's room before moving inside.
I saw him sitting on the chair while he was writing something in his notebook probably.
I silently sit beside him without disturbing him and pick up his notebooks to go through them.
He's a bright student. Not the brightest one who will always top the class but the one who studies well and that's enough for me.
As I go through his note copy, I see "Fail" written in front of the assignment sheet which is completely empty.
"Ayansh," I call him and he stops writing and looks at me.
"Why didn't you complete your assignment?" I ask him and he goes back to what he was doing.
"We were asked to write a essay on Mother," He tells me in the coldest tone I ever heard from him without looking at me and my heart sinks into my stomach.
I don't have any words that I can say to him so I just nod my head.
I sit beside him until he completes his homework and then, picking him up, I tuck him in the bed and was about to leave when I feel a tug on the fabric of my kurta.
"Dad," I turn around to face him when he calls me.
"Sleep here," I nod my head and removing my sleepers, climb up the bed and lay beside him
. He scoot close to me and hug me which isn't usual.
"You need to fight Dad, and I'm sure you will win." He tells me taking me off guard. I'm trying my best to keep my son away from this shit but how did he got to know about this.
"What are you talking about?" I ask him, patting his back to help him with sleep.
"I heard it in school. They were talking about some case that I couldn't understand. The only thing I understood is you have to fight. So win and come back," I nod at him as my heart feels heavy.
I'm going to do anything to win now. No matter how many interviews I have to give or how many money I have to spend on my lawyers or people to collect the proofs in my favour.
"I have been framed. From the past few months, I wasn't paying much attention to my company due to personal reasons and some people took the opportunity to defame me but day after tomorrow is the hearing. And I have faith in god that nothing but the truth will win,"
I take the remote and switch off the TV screen that was playing my interview before I throw my head back on the chair and close my eyes.
Things are finally working out step by step. Arjun Sharma agreed to fight my case, I gave multiple interviews and finally my team have found some proofs in my favour. I hope the result comes out in my favour.
I hear a knock at the door which interrupt my not to peaceful sleep and I ask whoever is at the door to come inside and there she walks in.
Dressed in White suit with pink floral design. How is she able to pull any colour so beutifull- Shut up Naveen.
I straighten my posture and ask her to take a seat. She sits in front of me with a smile before flipping her hair back revealing the earrings she is wearing.
How many pairs of these Jhumaks she have because everytime we meet, there's always a new pair.
"How are you doing Mr. Rajvanshi?" Her question snap me out of my thoughts and I realise I have been staring at her for too long.
"We'll know that after the hearing," I shrug it off and watch her nodding.
"Why are you here?" I ask her and she looks at me if I have offended her in someway.
"Can't I?" She keeps her purse on the table that's between us and raise her eyebrows. I have no answer to her question.
If it would have been someone else, I'd have asked them to leave immediately but with her, I don't know why I can't be rude anymore.
Maybe because she gave me a reality check that day or maybe I'm grateful that when no one was ready to take my case, her brother did.
"Kya soch rhe hai aap?" She asks me and that bring me out of my own thoughts. I shake my head and open my computer.
I can't work but at least I can pretend so she might leave after that without me asking her to do the same.
I press random keys on the keyboard while looking at her through the corner of my eyes.
She sits there with her chin resting on her palm and her gaze capture every corner of my room and then finally fix at me.
I immediately look at the screen.
"Your office is boring," She comments and I squint my eyes at her.
How the hell a office room can be interesting, it's not a movie that can have plot twits to make it interesting.
"The color of the wall, it's dull. You should paint some colour that lighten up the mood, like sea green and you can also have small plants in the balcony and a radio so you can listen to the music," She start saying.
"This is my office not some sort of movie set," I tell her and saw her looking at me if I have said something wrong.
"Your workplace should be always interesting so you can feel happy when you walk inside." I stare at her as she says with so much of enthusiasm and happiness that reflects through her eyes.
"When their home shatters into pieces, People don't search for happiness anymore." I mutter under my breath and don't realise how loud I was until I see her smile disappearing.
"You can leave, I have to work." I clears my throat and look back at the screen.
She stares at me for some time before her smile reappears which was rather a forced one.
"I have done so much for you, the least I deserve is a Chai with Kachori but you're asking me to leave even before treating me." I pick the landline before she completes her sentence and dial my assistance who might be sitting outside.
"One Kachori and one Chai, In my room in 5 minutes," I tell him and hang up immediately.
"Why one? Won't you have some?" She questions and I heave out a sigh and rub my fingers on my temple.
The work and the case is making my life too hectic, not like I'm complaining because the more busy I'm, the more I'll forget everything.
"Sorry," She stands up all of the sudden and take her purse from the table. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion when she turn her heels.
"Ruko," I say immediately and realise it later. Why am I even stopping her. She can leave if she wants to.
She turn to look at me I notice a bindi between her eyebrows and kohl that complements her big doe eyes and due to the same, her hair flips a little along with her earrings.
"You're getting disturbed because of me. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and I should have understood that some people love their solitude." She smiles at me genuinely, trying to understand my perspective but I see hurt behind those eyes.
"You can sit." I tell her. I wasn't getting disturbed, just that I'm too tired to respond to her.
Too tired to think about anything else other than the case and my kids.
"No, it's fine. We can have Chai some other day." She tells me honestly but isn't enough to convince me. Maybe when she'll be here for some time and talk to me, I'll feel less lonely.
Been a long time since I sat down randomly over a cup of chai. I pick the phone and dial my assistant again.
"Two cups of Chai and 4 Kachoris." I tell him before hanging up and look at the woman in front of me who looks astonished by my actions.
"Kya hua?" I ask and she continue to stare at me, fluttering my heart a little but I shrug of the feeling as soon as it knocks in.
"4 Kachori kis liye?" She questions while keeping her bag back on the desk and I shrug it off.
"1 kachori is never enough," I tell her and see her lips curving upwards and finally that turns into a grin.
"So you like kachoris as well?" She asks with so much enthusiasm that I couldn't deny her and end up nodding my head and her hand proceed towards me for a fist bump.
I stare at her and then at her hand. Her gesture is too friendly that I couldn't bring myself to reciprocate the same and pressing her lips into a thin line, she retreats her hand back.
A thick silence and awkwardness surround the atmosphere until she opens her mouth to speak again.
"So khane me kya pasand hai aapko?"
"Aren't we getting too friendly, It's just our 2nd meet," I tell her and sit leisurely on the chair since things are turning light.
"Correction, 4th meet. You asked me to get out in our 1st meeting, you met me to schedule the interview in the 2nd one and I interviewed you in our 3rd meet. So this is our 4th meet," She tells me and smiles proudly.
Her smile, it is warm like the morning sun, something a person might need in a cold winter morning.
She have that aura which radiates happiness wherever she goes.
"You're a keen observer," I tell her, impressed by how she remembers everything.
"Of course I'm and honestly, this isn't out 4th meet. Like if you look from my point of view, I have seen you a number of times in business meets and press conferences. The first time I saw you was on 16 March 1994, exactly 3 years ago-" She speaks without a break and bit her tongue when she realise her words and stops.
"You can continue, I'm so much into this," I tell her but she shakes her head while pressing her lips together.
"I wish you were into me," I hear her mumble and her eyes widen the very next second.
She picks up her bag and immediately turn around to leave even before I can process what is happening.
But at the same time, I hear a knock at my door and my assistant walks in with a tray having chai and kachoris and she halt on her steps.
"Ms. Sharma," I call her but she starts walking again and disappear within a blink of the eye.
To be continued:-
I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter.
Any guesses, what's going to happen next?