" This is some nonsense! I don't pay you for this nuisance and you dare to walk up to me with this! We are less than 2 months away from the presentation day and this is everything you have! Get those lazy horses working or else...brace yourself for the downfall!" raucous voice bombarded to the meek soul's eardrums making a shiver run down his spine, he trembled contemplating the uncertainty of his Master's action.
" Sir..this..is the final output with the necessary changes as advised by you.." his voice fragile held all the traces of fear, the little mustered up courage went downhill when a pair of rage-filled eyes gawked at him in utter disbelief particularly displeased by the audacity at the display.
" So...this is what you and your useless team think makes up for being presented as a representation for my company! Dare you blame your incompetence on me!" his furious voice roared through cabin walls, making the employee shriek.
" Sir...We are..sorry!" he spoke meekly letting his ego feed on his self-esteem.
Although that didn't suffice enough, the bosses' nose flared in anger refusing to let go of the matter at hand making him brace himself for the coming round of profanities.
He squirmed uncomfortable sighing at his utter bad luck. Before the voice could reach his ears once again making him wish for being deaf instead the door creaked open and walked a poised man.
Oh, the relief that spread at his chagrined face! The person's eyes changed faces from the grim one to the meek despondent one trying to contemplate the happenings.
The employee's languid self was enough of a word for him to comprehend the latter.
" Dad! What is it...you do know losing calm is going to get you nowhere right?" the man spoke suggestively moving towards the former's rigid self.
" Dhruv! Our everything is at stake and these fellows have no professionalism...is this how we are going to get that million-dollar of an opportunity!" Randhir Shekhawat spoke in a rough voice glaring at the employees' sweating self.
" Dad! Hold up...Anuj has been religiously working for the company for so long..I am aware of how crucial a deal it is, if that calms you I will be specifically attentive here on about every little step in progress...don't worry dad we've got this...the outcome is gonna be the beat Shekhawat's ever put forward.." Dhruv assured his father who still had uncertainty screaming from his tall posture and clenched fist.
The poor soul ran out at the very first gesture from Dhruv.
" Dhruv...I don't want Shekhawat's best! I want our presentation to be better than Malhotra! He mustn't at any cost snatch this from us. Already the mother has done enough, we are in debt, our investors are backing out. We'll be doomed if at all we lost this! You have got to be better than Manik." Randhir affirmed with a stern voice looking right at his son before walking back to his chair.
Dhruv slumped over the couch parallel to the Randhir's table, resting his head dejectedly his eyes closed and wary screaming through his posture.
To say that he has had enough of the enmity between the two would be an understatement, the constant back and forth drained him to his utter core, he was done! Done being compared constantly to Manik, done being the ' bad guy!', done being his unreal self fighting for his father's supposed pride cost him his life!
The one figure he looked up to from the very start was Randhir Shekhawat, idolizing him to a point where nothing he says or does can be opposed or questioned by him and he to claimed to love his son beyond limits although ironically Manik was so much more on his mind than his son.
The rage he held for him overshadowed his love for his son leading to nothing but years of loneliness bestowed in his son's fate!
Dhruv chuckled dryly at this very thought, he was quite used to with his father's obsession with Manik! It bugged him the constant comparison, the pulling down, that inferior feeling birthed in him jeopardizing his own identity.
With Manik resurfaced the thought he was struggling to keep at bay for a long time now, Nandini...every word said by the lady before she aggressively walked out on him stayed alive in every cell of his. As if those what-if has colonized a part of his brain or more so all of it, he couldn't start or end his day without struggling to justify his deeds years back which lead to a long internalization a dreadful thought of him living in a mirage for that long.
His dad wouldn't do that to him! He knew Avya was everything he craved, why would he ruin his only child's life, No he wouldn't do that or...would he!? His mind now had been a home to many such unanswered speculations some with the power to flip his being and that petrified him to the soul. The more he tried justifying whatever happened back then to turn things in his favor the more loopholes he came across with each one of them he shuddered with the possibilities.
Being the obedient kid he was, he never really walked up to his dad to seek answers or clarification. Although since the past few days it was extremely difficult for him to neglect those uninvited thoughts, every night he would twist and turn his way to morning without a hint of sleep. If at all those little forty winks blessed him he often found himself huffing, in the ocean of his sweat.
He looked up to catch a sight of his father to see his eyes stuck at the mac book's screen probably finding a way out from the mess he was in.
" Dad.." he uttered in a croaky voice, his father hummed still very much indulged.
" Were we right about Avya!?" Randhir Shekhawat's world stopped the moment these dreaded words slipped his child's lips, this was the worse of the worst things said for him to see it coming.
Maybe at the moment, Randhir sensed his son to trace a path he never wished for him to sniff, for the elder Shekhawat everything took a backseat neither the crucial deal nor the messed up employees mattered enough Dhruv's harmless query made his mind wallop the dreaded incident happened years ago one heinous thing led to another and before they could realize hell broke loose.
Visibly sweaty his fingers shivered and sweat beads poured profoundly, horror could be seen running right through him even the icy breeze from the air conditioner made him feel suffocated..or maybe it was the daunting gaze of his son, the numerous questioned he found in his son's eyes those he didn't dare to answer.
He has rediscovered the forbidden whatever caused him too should have to be buried down right away tied in the shackles of fear before that encourages him to dig deeper which will jeopardize what took him so long to hide from the predatory Scrutiny.
" Of course..we were right son! You had it all before your eyes didn't you have enough proofs for making a decision! I am surprised you even brought this up after these many years didn't you have enough of a humiliation back then!? She made a mockery out of your love for her cheated on you and when her guilt took over her killed herself, ohh what coward! But here look at my son years passed and that vixen of a woman is all he could think about! I am not sure what made you think about this but do not let your guilty heart take over your sane mind son!" his words although as affirming had layers of fear in them, constantly changing vocals from shrill to rough to deadpan uncertainty was comprehensive. Like most humans, he chose anger as a substitute to mask his fear.
Albeit his father yelling at him about how ashamed he was of his doings it was one of those uncommon situations where Dhruv paid the least attention to his words and more towards him. He has had quite an observational skills from tender years owning to his less for words nature, being a witness to almost all of his fathers' professional faces and some even personal he could read in between his postures, with time he even sensed the unsaid which helped them buckets in the field they worked in but maybe here..it became a disgrace...Dhruv could see it lucid, he could feel the fear in his voice...a thing he hoped wasn't an unvoiced prophecy for worse.
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Nandini's' pov:
Slopping warily against the recliner worn out from the ceaseless hustle of the entire day I sighed gawking at a load of pending work gracing my table, it was a long day ahead. The entire week has been no different each day the hectic office schedules and pending files demanding your attention made it arduous to grab a meal.
The office has been a hustling ground lately everyone tirelessly working for days with overtime knocking at the threshold every alternate day whining and grumbling everyone kept slogging on their assigned work.
It was my overtime today, half the building was vacant due to after office hours it was just us handful of employees especially those working for the A&H project it was still days until The Day and the situation ain't gonna be better any sooner.
Manik has been breathing under people's neck scrutinizing the trivial of the mistakes, although comparatively calmer with a mature approach to things as had he has been an ally or a mentor more than a boss which did show spike high rise in the rate at which the work was done the efficiency rose faster than a bullet.
To say that I felt proud of him would be an understatement, the amount of dedication he possed was impeccable, I was amazed by the grace and awareness he held about the client's supposed likes and dislikes that helped so much with the output.
After I confessed somewhere down the line I had braced myself for the random air of awkwardness anytime we were alone but he made all my walls of misconceptions wreck by being nothing but extremely affectionate, although he never confessed his actions gave me the reassurance my insecurities needed. This haphazard work priority did take a drastic toll on the time we spent together but our bond remained unfazed we managed to sneak out one meal together for the least, spending some time on quality conversations about things besides work. I was grateful to see the chaos not hampering us.
Reminiscing sweet lunch memory of earlier today my lips curved at its own as the image of his accidental drenched self appeared before my closed eyes.
" Am I the reason of this heavenly smile" his manly colleague filled my nostrils instantly calming me as he hushed close to my ears. I smiled more eyes still closed.
" You wish!" Teasingly I spoke smirking knowing he had a similar reaction.
" Achaaaaa!" he stretched the 'aa' teasing me.
" Tired?" his fingers slightly massaging my temples as he stood behind my chair making me shift comfortably under his touch.
" Exhausted!" I left a sigh.
" I know the schedule has been a ride to hell and back lately and there's no-one to blame but me!" he spoke maybe I heard him sighing a little.
" Of course not! Itna free fund main guilt nhi lete..You aren't doing on purpose the situation demands this and all of us are aware!" I spoke holding his hand on my temple slightly, looking up at him.
He blessed me with a warm smile which still makes my heart flutter and stomach home to uncountable butterflies, he has the most comforting smile of all times for me at least.
He leaned forward letting his slightly rough and perfectly thin lips rest on my forehead...
My heart couldn't help but smile..
Aapki yaad aati rahi raat bhar,
Chandini dil dukhati rahi raat bhar,
Ik umeed se dil behlata raha,
Ik tamanna state rahi raat bhar.
~ ScoopWhoop Pinterest
Hey guys, I hope you liked the update extremely sorry for being this late but was rigid in the head for a long time so couldn't write a word. Please do vote and comment-❤