Janani was lost.
She wandered around the huge mansion trying to find her way to the room allocated for her and Advi
Its pitch dark and all the Hollywood horror movies Richa had forced her to watch had started playing a screen roll through her head
God!! Why now?? She groaned
She peeped into an open room and saw it dark and empty
How is she going to find her way around
Advi is alone in the room
What if he wakes up and cries for her...how will she reach him
She had left her cell phone in the room ,so can't even contact anyone
She will ask for a map of the place when she sees that arrogant Verma again
"Miss Janani" she gasped in horror as she heard the voice and let out a breath of relief when she saw the same maid smiling at her
"Oh thank God you are here....I'm lost" she said looking around the place
"It happens...when I started working here three years ago I used to get lost too. The place is too large"
"Can you take me to my room...Advi is alone" she asked politely
"Sure Ms Janani....this corridor leads to the staff quarters...I was just leaving...I will lead you to your room and will leave" the girl smiled
"Thank you so much...er..what's your name??" Janani asked
"Payal" the girl smiled politely...she must be in her mid twenties
She was walking alongside Payal when she heard the loud screams of a child
Advi!!!
Her heart stopped for a second at the agonising screams
Then she realized it couldn't be Advi
It's a little girl!!
The screams only grew louder
Janani winced and looked at Payal
"Payal ,who is that crying??"
Payal shot her a nervous smile
"Its Ava Ms.Janani" she murmered reluctantly "Mr Verma's little girl.She is only three and is very high strung.She sometimes has these bad dreams.The nanny finds her difficult sometimes"
Another nanny??
Mr Verma's little girl?
He has a daughter??
Why hadn't he told her??
If he has a little girl of three...why did he go for a surrogacy
The screams intensified and Janani felt the tension rise in her
Surely ,someone is going to stop the child crying
"So if the nanny finds her difficult, what about her mother?" Janani asked in a tone as casual as she could muster
Payal locked her hands together, her features carefully composed
"Baby Ava's mother is not here Ms Janani"
"Right" Janani digested that and told herself firmly that it is none of her business. She had enough to deal with in her life without adding any more
The screams grew more frantic and she clenched her jaw and gave up the fight
She could no more leave a child screaming like that than she could walk naked through the halls of Verma Mansion
"Alright " she looked at Payal in exasperation and walked towards the direction where the screams come from
"So who cuddles the little girl if her mother is not here" Janani asked
"Baby Ava is quite attached to her nanny"
"So her father ,Mr Verma doesn't gives her cuddles and kisses?" Janani asked frowning
How could she leave her little Advi in his care now
"Ava is not much close to ..er...her father.She just came to live here a few months ago" Payal admitted uncomfortably
"Ms Janani ,you shouldn't go to her.She is in good hands " the maid said urgently as she saw Janani walking towards Ava's room
"Well ,it certainly doesn't sound like it" Janani muttered "and if no one else is going to stop that screaming ,then I am"
Without waiting for permission, she walked along the corridor until she located the sound and pushed open the door, her gaze immediately homing in on a little figure in the middle of a huge bed.
She looked round the huge room and found the two Verma brothers standing there looking on helplessly
The child sobbed and screamed and a young woman tried to calm her.
The woman looks as warm as an iceberg
"Give her a cuddle ,will you" the words shot out of her mouth and she saw three pairs of eyes turning to look at her
"She wouldn't let me cuddle.She keeps thrashing and kicking ,it is impossible to cuddle" The nanny said defensively
The child's screams intensified and she drummed her hands and legs on the bed
"She is scaring herself.She needs to be cuddled" Janani said firmly ,slipping off her bunny slippers and sliding on to the bed.
It was the only way to reach the child
The bed was simply large
Who would assign a king sized bed for a three year old little girl
Ofcourse, the answer is standing in front of her with a look of disbelief plastered across his face
Having settled herself comfortably, Janani placed the baby monitor on the bedside table and scooped the child onto her lap and cuddled her close ,ignoring the flailing arms and kicking
She hugged her tightly and talked softly to her ,singing nursery rhymes
Finally ,when she was ready to give up and try something else ,Ava gave a sob and flopped against her exhausted
Janani let out a breath
"Gosh!! That must have been an awful dream" Janani murmered stroking Ava's hair from her face with a gentle hand
Her face was scarlet and damp from crying and she looked utterly pathetic that Janani's heart went out to the child
"Do you want to tell me about it??" Janani asked softly
"Tigers..." the little girl hiccuped "and more tigers"
Janani frowned and rocked her gently in her arms
"And what were the tigers doing??"
"Chasing me" she hiccuped again "They were going to eat me.Just like the story"
Janani felt her shiver and tightened her grip
"Just like what story??" She asked softly
"Like the story nanny liddi told me " she looked at the young woman and shrank closer to Janani
"I see" Janani said glaring at the young woman looking at her with complete hatred
"Nanny liddi told me if I talk to dada tigers will eat me" the little girl said as she snuggled closer for Janani's warmth
She heard a sudden intake of breath and looked up only to see the stricken look on Armaan's face
Payal's words of the little girl not being close to her father came back to her mind
Was the nanny manipulating the child all along
"She has dreamed up all that.Give her to me" the nanny came forwards trying to take Ava away
"Get out" Janani whispered furiously
"She is my charge Miss..I can handle her" the nanny said
Janani turned around to look at Armaan
"Will you kick her out or do I have to do that??" She asked
The fury she saw in his eyes when he looked at the nanny was a warning for Janani
Cross him ..you are dead!!
"Riddi Kapoor....Out" He said and walked out first
Then she glanced around the room.
"Well, there are no tigers here, but it's pretty dark, isn't it? What you need is a light" she said
"Nanny liddi says that lights are for babies" she said in a small voice and Janani smiled.
"I like a light on at night. Do I look like a baby to you?"
The little girl stared at her with wide eyes and then shook her head.
"No. You look like a princess" she said with a shy smile
"Do you like princesses" she nodded and Janani smiled.
"Alright Ava...I'm going to tell you a different sort of story. My favourite story" she said beaming at the child
"About tigers?" She asked ,looking at her doubtfully
"Definitely not" Janani pulled a face just to show what she thought of that idea
"Its about a princess "
Ava's face brightened
"Is she pretty like you??" Ava asked
"Much prettier.Like princess Ava" Janani said poking the little girl's nose with a smile
Ava looked doubtful for a moment and then nodded
She stuck her thumb in her mouth and looked up at Janani expectantly
Armaan stood in the doorway of the room after firing the nanny with a negative reference so long that she wouldn't be able to find a job in the next decade
His eyes zeroed in on the two figures lying on the bed ,both totally engrossed in the story .One telling it and one listening
"And the prince said, Save me, save me ..." Janani was saying in a soft voice "and so the princess climbed up the side of the building and handed him the key that she'd stolen from the guard."
Ava's eyes were like saucers. "Did she kill the guard?"
"Kill?" Janani put a hand to her throat, horrified at the suggestion.
"Goodness, no! The princess was very kind girl. She used far cleverer ways to get what she wanted."
Armaan gave a cynical smile.
Of course she did.
Wasn't that what women always did?
A sword was much too direct for them. They used other, more devious means of getting their own way.
Like trying to fool the prince with a show of feminine innocence.
"Aren't princes supposed to save the princesses??" Ava asked doubtfully because all the fairy tale stories she had heard has the prince saving the princess
"That's years and years ago.Nowadays princesses are the ones who saves the princes" Janani said beaming
Ava nestled closer to her,clearly enraptured by the story
"Did the princess in your story have a sword??" Ava asked
"The princess hated violence" Janani said firmly, her brown eyes twinkling with laughter. "She used a water pistol."
A water pistol? Armaan struggled not to laugh along with her, his eyes still on the little girl and the woman who was cuddling her
He had been intending to sort out the issue of Ava's nanny next day and had prepared himself mentally for a long and difficult night as he had already been informed about Ava's nightmares
Instead he found the child calm and happy and snuggled tightly in the arms of Janani Trivedi .
Surprise rippled through him
This is one development he had not expected
Blissfully unaware of his scrutiny, she was curled up on the bed, happy and relaxed, totally at ease with the child.
Against his will, Armaan's eyes raked the soft curve of her breast and her rounded hips and he felt an inexplicable surge of lust.
Her hair flowed loose over her shoulders and she was still wearing that ridiculous set of pyjamas
He saw Aadesh standing there leaning against the wall as enraptured as Ava is
Ava let out a yawn
"I like that story.The princess is very clever " she murmered, her eyes drifting shut and Janani shifted slightly so that she could pull the blanket over the child
She lay next to Ava ,stroking her hair until she was sure his daughter was asleep
Armaan frowned lightly as he observed her patience and gentleness with the child
He was surprised by how easily she has built a relationship with the little girl within a ridiculously short space of time
Something he has failed to do in three months
But then ,the nanny was to be blamed for that!!
Women are manipulative , the cynical part of his brain pointed out
The nanny had manipulated his daughter so that she would be dependent on her and that gave her access to his life for as long as she wanted
And this woman here had already cast a magic spell on his daughter
It was hard enough to separate his son from her ,and to add his daughter too into that.
How had his life come to this
A/n
Hola lovelies
Finally Ava met Jqnani...How was that meeting...
Might be wondering how a child as reclusive as Ava got attached to Janani so easily....
But then she was so vulnerable after the awful dream that the little warmth she got ,she couldn't reject.
And Armaan's brother's name is Aadesh. Initially I had named him Advay, but then it was so similar to advi so changed it. I might have missed some places while editing.. Sorry for that
Hope you guys like the shot
Pls do vote and comment
Love you guys❤️