'' I don't know how to prove that he is wrong. In every sense and for her Dadaji. She tends to take a you turn the moment he talks sweet.'' Radhika whined over the phone as she spoke to her grandfather about Sam. She heard him chuckle on the other side. ''I am serious, help me.''

''Choti, why are you trying to prove him wrong. Prove Neil to be the right choice, don't waste your energy on Arjun, he will find a way to Sam's heart and your efforts will go in vain. Instead, make him prove that Neil is important in Sam's life.''

''I didn't get you, why would he favour his competition.'' She asked confused

''He likes you, and Neil considers you a good friend. Use it, the more you get closer to Neil, the more Sam will think and the more Arjun will be jealous. Without you doing a thing, their relationship will break and Sam will look for a shoulder to cry on, which should be...''

''Neil!'' She completed laughing with him. Radhik decide, she would no more try and put Arjun in a tight spot or have Sam see the reality. She would just hang out with Neil, pull him away from Sam so she realizes what's best for her. Radhika dialled Neil, ''So when are you taking me for another  musical date?''

***

Nandini watched as Arjun turned his room upside down in anger, ''Can I help?''

''Yes, if you could tell me how to handle Radhika?'' Arjun replied

''Simple, marry her.''

''That I will. Eventually. For now, my revenge is my priority. Since Jai came back I have been sleeping on nails. ''

''No one asked you too. The pain is self inflicted. there is still time, settle down with the girl you love. Let go the past Arjun!'' Nandini squeezed his shoulder gently.

''Not till I punish the culprit who took my parents away from me.'' He sounded determined

''You will lose her and regret for life. She will marry Saral, he is a good guy and I have a feeling she wouldn't wait even for a year.'' Nandini tried instigating the fear of loss in him again.

''Doesn't matter, I will find my way around her.'' He replied busy with his work.

She smiled and banged a file on the table, ''Though, I don't support your way of handling things. Yet you are my brother  so I did a favour on you.'' With that she left. Arjun frowned at her words and glanced at the folder on the table. He was about to pick it up when his phone went off. Arjun picked the file and kept it in his drawer.

***

Sam decided to spend the Sunday with Neil. A part of her was glad that Radhika had shifted back with her and she will no more have to be worried about their growing friendship . Sam felt bad about being jealous of her two best friends but she couldn't help . Neil was important, she had been his first priority all life but the axis of his attention seemed shifting. She shook her head and checked her appearance once in the mirror. She was planning to surprise him at his home. 

Sam got down her bike infornt of Melhotra Mansion. Straightening her dress she walked in and pressed the door bell, to be greeted by a house staff, ''Neil is around.''

''He is out playing cricket with kids of the locality. Sam grinned wide, Neil was amazing with kids. He would mix with them without any effort.  She knew where he would be. Smiling, she made her way to park in the locality. She felt happy, everything felt in place and perfect. As she approached the gate her smiled broaden, she saw him at the batting position. He waited for the bowler to throw. The guy from the end end threw the ball full speed and Neil took the shot, he ran to score and someone blew the bells off making an appeal. Sam's smile disappeared , Radhika danced with the opposite team, scoring a wicket. Neil threw tantrums at the umpire and Radhika simply stuffed umpire's pocket with a large chocolate gaining the favourable decision.  Sam stepped back, she was late again. 'you lost your best friend and its your fault'.  Screamed her mind. She quickly moved out of the park and ran back to her vehicle. 

Radhika smiled, ''Sorry Sam, this short pain will help you gain the happiness of life.'' With that she went back at her game. She was now preparing to attack Arjun.

***

Neil thought about what Radhika said, she urged him to move forward of Sam. She pushed him to pursue his passion. Something he loved and had left behind only to be with Sam. Neil knew, Radhika had understood his pain of heart break . ''Neil let her go. If she is meant to be yours, she will find her way'' Radhika's words echoed his brain. He had decided to rekindle his passion for music. The concert gave him the much needed glory and his phone had been ringing since then. He smiled, life was going to get busy with music, his mother's business and bird song. He felt energised and excited, oblivious to the turmoil Sam was going through. It was his BS day, he pecked his mom taking his leave. Prerna called out, ''You have to take Radhika on a musical date.''

''She told you too.''

''She wanted to sure so that you don't forget.'' Prerna replied with a chuckle as Neil rolled his eyes. ''She even asked each and every staff of the house to remind you.'' Neil opened then closed his mouth. His brain had now labelled Radhika as mad.

Radhika kept moving her eyes towards Arjun's cabin, he wasn't in yet. She looked around. People looked calm and jovial in his absence. She scrunched her nose realising how intimidating he was. ''Chashni , Khadoos is not in yet! How good it would be if he takes an off'' Teji excitedly spoke, sliding on Radhika's work station.

''He never takes an off. I wonder if he is a human, I mean humans do fall sick and this man is all ways hale hearty. He doesn't even tumble over something.'' Kritika sounded desperate about Arjun every day presence in office.

''But Why isn't he in yet?'' Zubin tapped his chin staring towards the entrance.

'Must be plotting something evil' Radhika thought and then smiled speaking seriously, ''I guess he is really sick today. Otherwise, why he wouldn't be in by now ?'' Then she added, ''I guess it's an excellent opportunity to impress him. Let's do something about the assignment he gave us last week and once he is in and we give the hard bind so that he know of the hard work, and wish him good health , in case he is really not well.'' She spoke the last part rather in a whisper, she had a plan to make him sick. Taking a coffee break, she collected black pepper from the shaker in a tissue. She opened the folder he had forced her to make and sprinkled black pepper on all the pages in a way that it was hardly visible. She smiled, 'you enjoy being rude, today you will pay'

She watched him walking into the cabin and smiled. After few minutes, one after the other employees started walking it with their folders. She smiled, she knew they would do anything to impress Arjun . The folder idea she had given was just to execute her pepper plan. Radhika got up and walked towards the cabin, she had a hard time controlling her laughter watching Arjun's shocked face staring a the pile of folders on the table. She gave him a forced smile and inserted her folder somewhere in between. Arjun couldn't help but smile, he knew it was her idea. He had threaten the staff about an assignment, but never expected them to submit a hard copy, he thought, 'Excellent! She knows how to get me busy.'

''This must be your brain'' He asked pointing towards the pile.

She smiled sweetly at him, ''Yes Sir, but I didn't knew they would blindly follow my steps.'' He raised a brow, he knew she must have said something to make others do the same. Radhika moved to the door, ''Sir, make sure you read all. Sometimes the teacher fails in cross questioning and we have the presentation in 2 hrs.'' With that she walked off. Like others, Arjun too fell for her words. He thought, 'She is right, I unnecessarily pushed an unwanted assignment on them to make them feel pressurised. Now, if I am not able to reason or ask questions during the presentation what opinion they will have of me.'

Shaking his head, he started going through the each folder till Radhika's came in his hand. He was irritated beyond repair. It had been years since he read so many papers in one go. He opened her folder and read the brief. He smiled, unlike many she had kept everything crisp, he liked it and then pulled the folder near his face trying to inhale her scent. He missed that his fingers were continuously swapping over a sweet trap she laid for him.

''I am so tensed about the presentation. It feels like going to back to college. What if he dosen't like my work, will he insult us.?'' Kritika asked Radhika tensed. Radhika just stared at her watch , ''My sixth sense says there will be no presentation.''

Before her friends could ask further questions, a relatively dull looking Arjun entered the room. His nose and eyes were red. He opened his mouth to say something and then sneezed and sneezed again. Tired, he crashed on the chair, ''The meeting is off...Sneeze!!!. You..Sneeze!!..Guys..Sneeze!!''

''Can leave?'' Zubin completed and Arjun nodded. All scattered as if they just escaped the class of most dreaded teacher of the school. The smiles and laughs of celebration were evident. Radhika grinned, ''May God Bless me for doing a good deed!''

''What good deed?''...Sneeze!! Radhika blinked at sudden appearance of Arjun. He sneezed again and she offered him the tissue box, ''Sir, you should see a doctor. My deeds can wait.'' He nodded, sneezed blew his nose, making her cringe. He somehow managed to reach his cabin sneezing and left the next minute. After a quite minute, the office celebrated.

''Tell me, it isn't you.'' Neil asked sitting beside her.

''Who else is capable of such good deeds. You see, I made so many of them happy with just a dash of black pepper. Spices are so needed in life.'' They shared a glance before breaking into laughter.

Sam watched them laughing, she felt hurt. She was planning to follow Arjun home to check on him , but her mood being completely soiled she locked herself into the cabin. The thought of Arjun flew far off her head as fear of losing Neil occupied it completly.

''Sam, Neil is looking for you.'' Radhika barged into the Sam's cabin. She keenly watched as Sam's face sparkled with happiness. ''Is he? Really?''

''Yes, he has planned some fun evening with you.'' She suddenly clasp her mouth. ''Don't tell him, I let the cat out. Please, just look surprised and shocked. Pretend that his surprise is the best.'' Sam watched her drama for sometime and then hugged Radhika.

After a minute, Radhika wrapped her arms around her, ''You have me for all night, for now go have fun but keep yourself safe for me.'' Sam laughed , pecked Radhika's cheek and left

Radhika rubbed her palms together, ''Arjun Mehra'' She uttered his name twisting her lips. ''This is just the beginning, slowly I will create distance between you and Sam.'' She did a little dance leaving from there.

***

''Its  something that  just created some irritation in your nasal channel, all is good Arjun.'' The Doctor said after checking on Arjun.

''Then why this uncontrollable  wheezing.'' Nandini asked worried

''Nothing, looks like he inhaled something strong like perfume, certain dust particles or a spice like pepper of chilli.'' Arjun frowned, blinked, thought and then smiled. The smile turned into a grin and then laughter. The doctor took his leave and Nandini watched her mad brother, she had never witnessed him laughing this way. All years, since she had known him, He preferred restricting his emotions. He would smile , but a full fledged laughter was not his thing. She gently shook him, ''Are you fine?''

''Di, its Radhika. Why couldn't I think this before, it was all the way her. She pushed everyone to submit the hard copies of the ideas to win my praise. She then pushed her file somewhere in the middle of the pile and made me read each one with her words . By the time I reached hers, I was irritated that I didn't see that she had sprinkled something on the paper.''

''So you inhaled the paper to have her scent.'' Nandini asked chuckling

he nodded blushing and added, ''And she had the idea that I will do it. She knows of my liking and is using against me.Such a smart little brat she is.'' He said with a smile stretched over his lips

''And she could make you smile. Don't lose her.'' Smiling she walked out leaving Arjun laughing to his thoughts.

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BS takes its employees to Goa, Arjun gives Radhika a fitting reply. Please do vote & comment . Happy Friday guys