"You make me cry so much...yet I can't get mad at you."
"No," she whispered to herself, her heart pounding wildly in her chest and her mind reeling at the obnoxious thought. She couldn't fathom the idea of him being gay. It wasn't because she was against them but it would be really, really awkward to have a gay spouse. Surely mixed-orientation marriages existed but they never lasted longer since it was hard to summon affection and love other than physical intimacy.
She stifled a groan and massaged her head with the tip of her fingers, letting her mind drift to the first time she'd found about Atharva. Although she knew him from the media and news as the world of business began and ended on him, she had never browsed about him. He held no significance in her life.
If only she knew the agenda of fate.
It felt like yesterday when she was relaxing in her room after work, watching a Netflix show. She was called downstairs to the drawing-room. Her family was there and she was shown a picture. His picture. He looked gorgeous even when he wasn't smiling. There was something so compelling about him, one could stare at him for hours and still not get enough of him. She couldn't forget his face. It was imprinted in her heart and mind. Without hesitation, she had agreed to the arranged marriage.
The day she married him, her pinky finger entwined with his as they walked seven times around the sacred agni and made solemn vows to love, cherish and honour each other till death did them apart. The wedding reception after their marriage ceremony where he was dressed in a tux, looking no less than the front page model of a fashion magazine, the CEO he is, so edible.
But in all this, it dawned upon her as to how he never glanced at her. How stiff he was around her. How he never interacted with her. And he wasn't shy, of course.
Now she didn't like Pranav anymore. She wanted females around him, only females. The thought was kind of stupid but she had to confirm it. Then there was this idea on her mind which made her grin devilishly.
A knock on the door pulled her back to the present.
"Sir wants you to look into these papers and submit a report by lunch hour." Pranav walked in with a few files and placed them on her desk in a neat pile. Upon her silent nod, he stepped back and walked out. Instead of going through the files right away, she let her eyes dance around her cabin. It was spacious and similar to that of Atharva's, the same colour of walls to the same pieces of furniture, yet she felt upset.
Letting out an audible sigh, she dragged the files closer to her and opened the first one. It was about the new mall in Bangalore, the equipment and construction costs.
Since this was the work she'd been doing for as long as she remembered, she was finished within a few hours and she felt proud of herself. She called Pranav and handed him the report. She was tempted to go and see Atharva herself, but again, he wouldn't like the gesture as much as she did.
Coming to think of her idea, she sent a short email to Maria and within seconds, her ringtone buzzed.
"You want to hire female candidates?"
"Yeah. Can you please send me the list of vacant positions?"
"Are you sure? What about Atharva-"
"I don't think Atharva will mind," she said reassuringly to ease Maria's panic, very well knowing Atharva would explode in fury if he got a whiff of her idea. But she didn't care. She needed proof and this was the perfect shot. "Women have potential too, so I don't see why not."
"Alright, dear. I'll publish a recruitment ad in a few hours."
"Thank you, Maria."
Aahana set the phone on the table and checked her watch. It was time for lunch, so she decided to grab a cheese corn sandwich from the nearby cafe. She collected her bag and keys but before she could leave, there was another knock and Pranav dashed inside.
He looked like he'd ran a marathon, and she was sure he'd taken the staircase and not the elevator which didn't surprise her. Pranav seemed to do such things when he was nervous and right now was no different.
"Ma'am, your presence has been requested by sir." He sounded scared as if he'd witnessed a crime.
Her eyebrows shot up. Atharva wanting to see her was unthinkable. "Why?"
"Sir had some argument with sir. They are waiting for you."
His words made no sense to her.
"Who is the other sir?" she asked as they stepped into the private elevator.
"Harshvardhan sir."
"Oh." Aahana was sure they argued because of her and that made her feel awful. She did not want the father-son duo to ever have any problem.
Knocking softly, she nudged the door open. Atharva was glaring at his laptop screen, and in turn, his father was glaring at him. Aahana wasn't sure what to say, so she stood quietly, not wanting to be the one to break the silence.
"Come in, Aahana dear." Harshvardhan got up from his seat and smiled at her. "How are you?"
She bent down and touched his feet to show her respect. He placed his hand on top of her head to give her blessings. "I'm good, Dad." She smiled back and straightened up, peeking over his shoulder at Atharva who looked ready to murder.
"I am sorry about my son's behaviour," he said, following her gaze. "You don't have to worry anymore. This is your cabin too, so if he says anything, ignore him or give me a call, alright?"
Aahana nodded dumbly, her eyes wide. She watched Atharva's jaw clench, his face as hard as a stone while he listened to their conversation. She knew he didn't favour her presence near him and that broke her heart a little more. If they couldn't be lovers, they could at least be friends?
"I have to go now. Take care, dear." He left, leaving Aahana alone to face the wrath of Atharva.
She swallowed, hesitantly shuffling in the direction of her desk. She plopped down in the chair, her eyes never leaving him, following his moves with sheer concentration.
Blast.
Blast in 3...2...1...
Okay, now?
She waited for him to erupt like a volcano and scorch her with his angry words. But it never came. He made some phone calls and walked out, not even bothering to glance at her.
She blinked, stupefied by his actions. He was so unpredictable, she felt like banging her head against the wall. He went on like nothing happened and that irked her. She wanted him to react in some manner, be it anger.
A knock reverberated in the room, waking her up from what just happened. Pranav made his way towards Atharva's table and gathered the files along with the car keys.
"Sir is leaving for a three days business trip to Bangalore to check on the construction progress, till then, you are in charge of everything here."
"Great, he couldn't inform himself," she muttered under her breath, then narrowed her eyes at Pranav when a thought struck her mind. "Is he going alone?"
"No, I'm travelling with him."
She nodded and waved at him in dismissal. She knew it. PA or not, she did not want him to go with Atharva. But it was always Pranav. Everywhere.
Her throat constricted and tears welled up in her eyes. She pushed them away and angrily stormed out of the building. Once inside the cocoon of her car, she couldn't control herself any longer. Tears flowed freely as she sat there, all confused and helpless. She wanted to call her mother, the woman who had a solution for all her problems but she couldn't confide in her. It would only cause more tension, and she didn't want her family to regret their decision like she did.
For the first time, she felt lonely in a world full of people. Wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands, she started the car and drove off.
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