FF: MCH Chapter 1

My Cindered Heart- Chapter 1

“Bhai we lost this deal to Mosby’s Group...” Akash said calculatedly, knowing very well what the reaction from his bhai is going to be. “Bhai, i see some sort of suspicious transfers from our company to the Mosby’s Groups...” Akash kept telling him the details, that might be useful to divert Arnav’s attention from the lost deal, but all in vain. Arnav did not hear anything except the word “lost” It kept echoing in his mind over and over, his palms fisted, knuckles white, nose flared in anger. He had urge to rip something apart right that moment, to be precise, rip the Mosby’s apart. But he knew that the issue was more severe than it seemed. He has never lost any deal, whatever he sets his eyes on, is rightfully his, no matter what he has to do. Whatever it was, Mosby’s end was near. He knew some sort of suspicious transfers has been going on from past few weeks between his company’s accounting department and Mosby’s law department, but did not had a solid proof, so decided to wait. And now it all made sense, the lost deal for sure had to do with these transfers. He needed to get to the root of this problem, whoever was involved in this, would be a dead piece of meat now. “Akash i need you to get to the very root of this. Check all our employees’ activities with Mosby’s. More precisely our accounting and their law department, I need the information on my desk the first thing in the morning. Get our team of investigators to work on this. This matter is far deeper than I thought. ” He storms out of his office to an attached room and decided to calm his nerves down, and that could only be done one way- kickboxing.

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“Kate free for lunch?” Payal asked excitedly over the phone to a busy khushi.

“uh...yeah in ten minutes?” Khushi said working on a file.

“Ok then, meet you at our favourite place in ten minutes then? and i have a very exciting news to share as well! ”

“yeah, i’ll be there and i can guess what that news can be related to!”

“aye aye, don’t be late!”

“I should be the one saying that, u lazyhead!”

“Okay fine kate, now bye, gotta go!”

“yeah, bye!”

Khushi wrapped up the file she had been working on, tucking a pen in the file where she left off reading it, picked her bag, and walked out of her office, exchanging smiles with her co-workers.

**************************************

The poor punching bag went back and forth countless times from the powerful blows Arnav was giving it. Sweat formed on his forehead and dribbled down his face, slowly continuing its trail down his neck, joining other beads of sweat on the way to his chest. His muscles flexed through his vest and hairs bounced on his forehead as he gave another blow to the punching bag. His phone rung on the table placed in the huge room of his personal office. He saunters towards the phone while taking sip from his energy drink and answers the phone.

“yeah di” Arnav said over the phone.

“Where are you chotey?” Anjali said.

“At the office” came the curt reply from her brother.

“Oh, is everything alright chotey? You sound worried”

“Everything is fine di, just some work related stuff, you don’t worry”

“Have you been kick-boxing again?”

“A little” Answered arnav in meek voice.

“And did you have your lunch?” Asked a fuming sister.

“Uhh….di I was just about to…..”

“Chotey, HOW MANY TIMES DO I REPEAT THAT TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH! But you don’t listen do you? You don’t want me living peaceful isn’t it” said a furious and mad Anjali, the only person who could yell at the great ASR.

“Sorry di, I’ll have lunch right now, please don’t be mad, I really miss you these days, and you just keep scolding me!”

“Awwww chotey, you know I was just worried about you.”

“Di, you should worry more about jijaji than me” Teased arnav.

“Enough of the chit-chat, now do me and yourself a favour”

“Sure di”

“Okay, so I went shopping for the puja tomorrow, but forgot to order sweets, and now their shop’s phone is having problems it seems, and i have to do so many preparations, so i can’t sit with the phone while I have ocean of work to do! So would you please go to the shop and order in person? Your favourite restaurant is really close from this shop, so since you have not had your lunch, eat something from there”

“Sounds good di, I haven’t eaten there from a while. Tell me what to order”

“Thank you so much chotey! Okay, so, Order jalebis, rasgulle, gulab-jamun, and ras-malai, and it should be enough for a 100 people”

“Okay di, i’ll order”

“And have your lunch too!”

“Alright di!”

“Okay Chotey, take care, bye”

“Bye di”

He dials Akash’s phone, and he picks up on the second ring itself, lest he makes his already mad bhai madder.

“Akash”

“Yes bhai, everything okay?” Akash asks

“Yeah, everything is fine, and what are you doing now? Got any special plans for lunch?”

“Nothing special bhai, why?”

“I am leaving office for lunch, and I’ll probably be late, di has asked me to order sweets for tomorrow’s puja and I’ll have lunch from restaurant too, you could join me if you want”

“Oh, its okay bhai, I have work to do here at office, you continue”

“Okay then, bye”

“Bye bhai, happy lunch”

He disconnects the phone and puts it back on the table and goes to washroom to freshen up.

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Khushi pulls the door to the restaurant, and the sweet and fresh fragrant hits her senses, refreshing her mind of all the work issues momentarily. Payal waves at her from the table which she had just reserved. Khushi walks towards her direction, and takes the spot opposite payal, and adjusts her grey pencil skirt and pink ruffle blouse.

“Hey Kate, look I am early!” Said an elated payal to khushi.

“I see, and is that the only reason you look so happy?” says khushi

“Oho! Kate-the-lawyer, miss nothing do you? Yeah there’s another reason too, for me being too happy today, I told you over the phone I have a news for you, remember?” A slow crimson blush creeps across her cheeks.

A waiter walks upto their table, takes their order and leaves.

“Oh yeah, the news! Now it totally makes sense what makes my friend this contented! Its about him! The Raizada!” Khushi says in playful tone.

Payal blushes hard, and nods.

“Okay, now stop blushing like a newlywed bride, and shoot the news!”

“So you know how me and him” Payal blushed “I mean akash and me, have been in a relationship” She says shyly.

“Yeah, and?” Khushi said in an encouraging tone.

“So he proposed to me last night” A scarlet blush spread across Payal’s face.

“Oh my god! Are you serious?” Khushi says excitedly.

Payal nods.

“Oh my! That’s a great, great news!” Khushi was contented seeing her friend happy. She knew how hopelessly payal was in love with akash, and finally he proposed her. Seeing her best friend ecstatic, the day can’t get any better for her. “So…. You guys were together last night huh?” She says teasingly to an over joyed payal.

“Um..uhhh” Blush creeped across her face and she started looking around the room to distract khushi from teasing her. “Look, food’s here! Its been so long since we’ve eaten here!”

“Yeah that’s right! But don’t think I forgot that you guys were together last night!” Khushi giggles.

“Okay stop and eat now!” Payal scolds.

They start eating their food, and payal notices that there is something going on in her friend’s brain. She looked lost to herself, as if in deep thoughts, a gloom overtook her beautiful face. Payal knew what it was. “Is it the nightmares again?” Payal asks curiously.

“Uh, yeah, last night too, I had nightmares, but you don’t worry yourself.” Khushi said trying to give nothing away about her nightmare. She did not like sharing this aspect of her life with anyone. She was very secretive and reserved when it came to her past, and the nightmares were all about them.

“You wouldn’t tell what it was about, would you?” Payal said with a slight hope in her voice.

“You know Payal, I don’t like talking about it”

“Oh c’mon kate, we’re besties, and I don’t know anything about your past!” Payal said frustrated.

“Payal I told you it’s that dark part of my life that’s done-over! I don’t wanna talk about it now and destroy this good day!” Khushi said annoyingly. But it was the truth that she did not want to talk about her past, it was in the past, but there was a lot that she can’t remember. In a way that’s good, because whatever it was, she was sure it wasn’t pleasurable, so why need to know. But one part of her said, who was she? Khushi, like her nightmares call her or Kate, the lawyer? Where did she belong? The only memories of her childhood were directed from her nightmares, and she had no idea what to make out of those faint clues.

Payal’s coughing dragged her out of her inner thoughts to the reality. This was reality. She was Kate, the lawyer, but then why is she called Khushi in her nightmares? She did not know, and she did not want to know either at this moment. Payal’s eyes repeatedly look at the door and around the room, as if waiting for someone. “What? Are we expecting someone for lunch?” Khushi asks, following Payal’s gaze.

“Umm actually yeah, akash was supposed to come here, and I wanted you to meet him” Payal says. “Oh! There he is!”

Akash enters the restaurant, and spots his lady, and walks over to their table.

“Hey akash, you are late! Where have you been!?!” Payal says annoyed.

“Sorry sweetheart, i was stuck in office with some work.” Akash said apologetically. But payal was still mad at him for being late. “Babes I ditched ASR for you and you still mad at me?” Payal’s face overtakes shocked expression.

“You ditched sir?” Payal says shocked.

“Yeah, and you know I am gonna be in trouble if in any case he finds out.” Akash jokes. Payal giggles.

“Oh and akash, this is my friend kate, kate this is, um, akash” She blushes.

“Oh hey akash!” Khushi says smilingly.

“Hi! If I am not wrong, you are, Ms. Kate, the brave lawyer?” Akash syas stunned.

“Yes I am the lawyer, not sure about the brave bit though.” She giggles and the three sit there discussing how in khushi’s last case the opposite lawyer ran taking his tail in between his legs. They were having light-hearted conversations while having their lunch, and khushi sensed that the love-bird needed some privacy at a point and she also needed to fetch her phone from her car, so she excused herself.