Hey lovely readers 😃

I m back with another update 😄

Thanks to all those who voted & commented on the previous part 🙏

Now here goes the update.. Enjoy 👍

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Khushi came out of Arnav's cabin, clutching her heart which was beating at a jet speed.

Without a second of delay she descended the stairs with extra springs in her feet, straightaway went to the canteen store room at the same speed & bolted the door from inside.

She stood there with her back plastered to the door, her hand still around her heart, breathing uneven due to the run may be, she thought so but unknown to herself a shy smile was playing on her lips.

She closed her eyes tight recalling whatever happened a while before.

She was busy helping the head chef Manjuji in making a list of monthly groceries & staples to be ordered & which would be supplied the next day, when Amanji had come & had summoned her to meet their boss Mr. ASR.

She had got scared, not willing to go.

May be he was not okay with her working in his company canteen without getting officially appointed & he wanted to chastise her for the same.

She had heard from her mamaji & the canteen staff about his firm work ethics, strong discipline & keenness for appropriate decorum. He is a good hearted boss but when it comes to business he is a sucker of perfection & dedication.

May be he was angry on her for breaking all the rules & entering his territory without his permission.

It won't be actually wrong on his part if he berates her for the same because she had taken the advantage of being the niece of Mr. ASR's one of the trustworthy staff who happens to be her mamaji.

But she had no intentions to get rooted here permanently. Just for a few days till she gets something to do of her interest & liking.

Although this work was the best of her likings as cooking is not only her hobby but her passion still she had no intensions to make this place as her permanent work place without its owner's permission.

But guess she was too liberal in her thoughts & now she was going to hear good from the owner himself even before she willingly kisses goodbye to this place just like she had entered here willingly for some days though.

She was ready to hear & endure anything for her mistake until it doesn't reach or harms her mamaji who had just wished for a good change for his niece & got her here on his own risk.

Hope his job doesn't get affected for his love, care & concern towards his niece.

With all the conflicting thoughts laced with fear she had climbed the stairs to the lion's den, had knocked softly on his door with shivering hands & had waited for his permission to enter with bated breath & downcasted eyes.

After some two minutes of wait she had heard a soft yet commanding tone asking her to enter.

She had then slowly opened the door & had entered with slow, unsure steps.

Closing the door behind she had waited looking down at the floor, near the door fidgeting with her hands for a while waiting for Mr. ASR to say something or rather scold her.

When he hadn't initiated a word for long her fear had increased.

Gulping hard she had slowly raised her downcasted lashes a bit & had noticed him examining her thoroughly from head to toe, pausing at certain points as if making notes of her fashion sense which might had been a disaster in his eyes, being the king of fashion world.

When he had been busy scanning her through & through she had also gathered some courage & had raised her eyes some more to get a proper look of him.

The moment she had seen him sitting on the chair she had been awestruck. Inwardly though.

Who was he??

Was he a Greek God in the diguise of this man sitting infront of her??

His face sculpted to perfection with perfectly shaped jaws, sharp pointed nose, well shaped brows, high forhead, dark shapely lips, well set gelled hair, slight stubble adding more manliness to his masculinity, golden skin tone complementing his perfect features.

But the most prominent feature were his deep eyes having chocolate brown pupils with golden flecks, orbs that were speaking volumes without uttering a word.

She had felt like drowning in them but then the same thought had brought her back to senses & she had berated herself for having such destructive thoughts for a stranger.

Feeling very uneasy with his staring session & her own wayward thoughts, she had decided to break the icy silence by initiating the conversation & had greeted him to get a curt nod in return.

Then he had asked her name in his baritone, voice husky enough to hypnotize you with just a word.

Then the words had flowed from both the sides. Initially a bit awkwardly then rationally.

Then getting up from his chair he had come & stood infront of her at a respectable distance but not safe enough to not let her feel the unknown warmth emanating from his attractive aura.

Gathering some courage she had completely taken his form from head to toe & had noticed his long legs, making him look tall but not much, just a head taller then her.

Lean body with muscled arms & broad shoulders, covered with finest of fabric, apt to his reputation & well suited to his personality.

Then there was this irresistible musky fragrance of his perfume, intoxicating but at the same time keeping her locked at the place.

She had a hard time to control herself from not fleeing away from there which could have been very insulting for him & very embarrassing for herself.

So she had stood almost rooting her legs to the ground, curling her toes hard in her sandals, trying not to make her nervousness obvious to him.

In contrast to her fearful assumptions he had praised her cooking skills & had given her permission to continue cooking in the canteen, unofficially though.

But that was enough of a salvation to her scared heart as he had proved that she had nothing to fear for, though he was the boss but was a very nice, polite & gentle humanbeing as well.

Somewhere in between she had noticed him smirking while asking her to continue cooking tasty dishes for him.

But why had he mentioned for him particularly & not all his staff??

May be because he was very much cautious about his staff's health so he had wanted to convey that whatever would be made by her would be first tasted by himself & then by his staff. She had assesed.

After a few talks again silence had prevailed between them & so had the awkwardness.

Then to come out of it she had asked his permission to leave to immediately see the twinkle in his eyes get dull but he had permitted her to leave with tight lips as if he was unwilling to let her go.

But why so??

Then she had slowly moved towards the door but had felt a strong invisible pull from behind her, precisely from where he was standing.

But why so??

He had effortlessly made her feel some very unknown yet strong feelings which were alien to her till now.

But how so??

After reaching to the door she had felt a sudden urge to turn back & see him one last time before leaving.

So she had turned her face to him with a smile to immediately get back the lost twinkle in his eyes paired with a mild smile on his then repressed lips & she had left his cabin closing the door behind.
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Now standing here alone in this storeroom she was trying to decipher his actions & words alongwith her own weird musings.

There was some hidden meaning behind Mr. ASR's words & his smirk as well.

But what??

Still her mind was clouded with all the what's, how's & why's but she can't stay locked in this storeroom till she gets her answers.

So composing herself & warding off the bizarre thoughts she slowly unlocked the door, came out of the store room straightening her face & got back to her work in the canteen.
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Arnav deleted the email for the umpteenth time in last half an hour.

He was doing nothing else then typing the email & then deleting it.

He wasn't able to type one proper mail & the credit goes to the certain hazel eyed Gupta girl.

Just as he types the mail the flashes of Khushi's smiling face distracts him & he makes mistakes in typing & then he deletes it.

Just all this was going on in the name of work since the time Khushi had left his cabin giving him a heartwarming smile.

Frustrated he shut his laptop & sat back, closing his eyes, resting his head on his revolving chair to again get images of Khushi standing infront of him fidgeting with her dupatta.

Her creamy silky skin devoid of any make-up. Her quivering rose petal lips. Her trembling lashes hiding the fear & hesitation in her hazel eyes.

A proud, dreamy smile crept up on his face seeing her all nervous & fidgety around him even in his imagination.

His imaginative movie got interrupted by the ringtone of his mobile.

Releasing a deep frustrated sigh he opened his eyes, moving forward lifted his mobile to see Rohan - the model co ordinator of THE DIVA'S number flashing.

Clearing his throat he received the call to hear Rohan asking him about his specific expectations regarding the showstopper of the bridal collection.

After thinking for some time Arnav answered.

Yes Rohan. I want a fresh face. Charming yet beautiful. Naive yet enchanting. Soft yet sharp. Innocent yet smart. Hazel eyes. Alabaster cheeks. Cute nose. Jutted chin. Rosebud lips. Pearly white teeth. Creamy, smooth, fair skin. Black, silky, waist long hair. Perfect deeps & curves with right flesh at right places. Tiny, slender waist. Small hands with long beautiful fingers. Medium height. Melodious voice & above all heart warming & life illuminating smile. In short she should be flawless & out of this world. Unknowingly Arnav was describing Khushi's beauty making Rohan's work more difficult to find his kind of a girl as Khushi was the one & only beauty of her kind on this planet.

Woah... Woah... Get a grip ASR. The description you gave is absolutely impossible to get all together in one girl. Such flawless beauty is difficult to find on this earth atleast. But the way you are describing her beauty seems like you have already found her. Instantly Khushi's beautiful face swam infront of Arnav's eyes making his heart flutter.

If that's the case ASR then I would suggest you to sign her this very instant. Also I would request you to introduce her to me & I will make her the top model of this country. All the companies would die to sign her & she will become the heartthrob of all the boys & men. Rohan said excitedly not knowing that he is infuriating THE ASR unintentionally.

SHE IS NOT FOR THE WORLD TO WATCH NEITHER MADE TO RESIDE IN ANYBODY ELSE'S HEART ROHAN. UNDERSTOOD. Yelled Arnav loudly in his phone, standing up angrily from his chair, making Rohan flinch on the other side in fear, on the verge of almost falling down from his chair.

Sorr... Sorry ASR... I... I was just kidd... Kidding. Rohan apologized fearfully as he thought that, that girl might be very close to him & he knows how possesive ASR is for his people & his belongings. Also how devastating it can be to one's career who comes in bad books of THE ASR & he for sure doesn't want to be at the receiving end. So he thought apologizing should be the better option.

Sensing Rohan's scared tone on the other side Arnav composed himself.

That's... That's ok Rohan. Just forget whatever my demands are because I know you won't be able to live upto my expectations. Just find me a fresh Indian face for showstopper. Understood. Arnav said sternly as he knows that there's no other girl in this world matching upto his description other then Khushi. So why make Rohan work hard when he won't be able to succeed in his search ever!!

Ofcourse ASR. Anything else. Rohan asked politely.

No. That's all. Arnav disconnected the call & sat on his chair with a thud.

What am I doing?? Why am I behaving crazy?? He mused rubbing his face with his palms, tired, exhausted & restless.

Neither I am able to concentrate on my work nor I am able to think anything else besides... He trailed off gulping hard.

Better I wind up for the day & join my family at the party. That can be a good distraction against this crazy distraction. He decided & rang up to Aman.

Aman I am leaving. Whatever important is left, will see it tomorrow. Bye. He cut the call without listening Aman's reply.  Winding up his things, placing them back in his bag, he left his cabin pocketing his mobile & car keys.

The moment he descended the stairs of his cabin, his feet had to exercise super human control to not to walk towards the canteen but the exit door.

Comeon man its 9:00 pm. She must have left for her home way before. What do you want to go & see in the canteen now that whether the staff has cleaned it properly or not?? Huh!!

He flagellated himself & then shaking his head in exasperation moved towards the exit door but not before glancing back once at the direction of the canteen.
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Parking his car Arnav entered the party at Mr. Kohli's house.

The party was going on in full swing. Everyone was busy having their drinks, food, chatting, laughing, having a gala time.

He could see many known faces from his business circle as well as personal acquaintances. All were busy amongst themselves.

The dance floor was rocking with the crazy dancers & he knew both his crazy-for-dance brothers must have got their equally crazy dance partners & now they must be busy shaking their hips crazily & breaking their legs off.

He tried to look for his rest of the family but couldn't find them in the crowd.

May be dad & chachu must be busy with their friends, enjoying their drinks talking about business & each other's secretaries & the ladies of my family must be busy gossiping about the recent happenings in their ladies circle or discussing about the latest fashion trend. He thought & smirked at his own assessment.

Ah Arnav. Finally you made it to my party. The host of the party Mr. Sanjeev Kohli came up to him as soon as he spotted Arnav. I am so happy to have you here my boy. It's been long we met on personal level apart from the professional meets & greets. Mr. Kohli said shaking his hand with Arnav & then pulling him in a warm hug.

Yeah uncle. It's been long & I am happy to be here. Its a nice party uncle. Arnav appreciated genuinely, reciprocating the hug with equal warmth. Afterall Mr. Kohli was his father's best friend from past many years & an equally good businessman & humanbeing as well.

Well, the credit goes to your aunty & her exquisite taste. Mr. Kohli replied pulling back from the hug & winked at him.

How are you my boy?? How's business going on?? Mr. Kohli asked thumping Arnav's shoulder slowly.

All's good uncle. How are you doing?? Arnav asked back courteously.

I am doing very well Arnav & with Sheetal taking charge of the company I am sorted just like your dad & uncle. Mr. Kohli replied patting Arnav's cheek lovingly making Arnav smile in acknowledgement.

Mr. Kohli called the waiter who was serving drinks to the guests.

Comeon my boy take a glass & lets raise a toast for my daughter Sheetal grabbing the biggest contract after taking the charge as the Ceo. of my company & this party is organized in her honor only. Mr. Kohli said offering him a glass of his favourite whisky.

But Arnav refused politely.

Thank you uncle but I am not feeling like having alcohol today. But I will definitely have a mocktail. Arnav said picking a mocktail glass from the tray but not before confirming it from the waiter.

That's fine Arnav. Whatever suits you. Mr. Kohli said taking a glass of whisky for himself from the tray & dismissed the waiter. He very well knows about Arnav's not much liking towards alcohol. But still sometimes he joins the group & haves a peg or two of his favourite whisky. But that too very rarely.

Soon they were joined by Arnav's dad, chachu & a few other known guests from the party with their choice of drinks in their hands.

All of them together raised a toast & gulped down their drinks.

Arnav's dad & chachu were happy to see him here.

Arnav moved back from the senior citizens' group & sat on a high table at the bar counter enjoying his mocktail when his dad & chachu joined him.

I am happy you could come beta. Sanjeev was asking for you since long. Amar said patting Arnav's back.

Yes dad. There was not much work to be done today at the office. So I thought better to join you all. Only if you knew dad. Arnav replied to his dad with the last line in his mind ofcourse.

Arnav saw his chachu finishing his drink in his hand & taking another drink from the waiter.

Chachu I guess tomorrow you are going to have a severe back pain. Arnav said to his chachu making a straight face.

Huh!! Why are you saying so Chhote?? I mean I am perfectly fine today. Then how can you say that I will suffer a back pain tomorrow?? Ankush asked sipping his drink, surprised with his nephew's out-of-blew talk.

Because today you will be sleeping on the couch na that's why. Arnav said confusing his chachu all the more.

Chhote, what are you trying to say here?? Will you please state it clearly. Chachu asked annoyed as well as a bit scared because he knows whatever it is, its related to his always-ready-to- blast-on-him wife. His Radhu.

Chachu you see the way you are gulping pegs after pegs you will soon get tipsy & then you will try to become a lion infront of chachi & end up becoming a 'poor puppy', eventually will find yourself on the couch for the night & may be for many more nights for that matter. Arnav said calmly shrugging his shoulders, winking at his father who was trying to hide his guffaws when his brother Ankush spitted his drink, terrified after hearing whatever Arnav said as it was true & has happened many times before.

Also you would have to spend days running behind chachi manofying her. So you better put a full stop to your drinking session if you want to sleep peacefully on your bed, besides your darling Radhu. Arnav said pursing his lips, hiding his smirk took the glass from his chachu's hand & kept back on a table behind them.

Thank you Chhote for saving me from your chachi's wrath & from sleeping on the couch. Ankush said taking the tissue paper from the bar counter & wiped the spilled drink from his lips & clothes. Then he hugged his nephew gratefully. Amar shook his head smirking at his son's prank which looked like obligation to his brother Ankush & both father & son hi-fied behind Ankush's back.

Ankush then pulled back from the hug & darted his eyes towards the groups of ladies just to confirm that his Radhu isn't watching him.

Don't worry Ankush. Radhika must be busy with her friends. Amar said putting his brothers worry at rest. I think we should head for the buffet. It's quite late & I am hungry. Amar said to his brother & son.

Dad, you & chachu proceed. I will get our rest of the family & join you both. Arnav said moving his head in all direction, searching for his brothers & the ladies of his family.

Amar & Ankush agreed & moved towards the buffet area.

Before Arnav could search for his family his eyes were covered from behind by a pair of hands.

Arnav very well knew who it is.

Sheetal. He said removing her hands from his eyes & she came infront of him, annoyed of getting easily caught by Arnav always.

Arnav, how do you do this always?? She said hitting his chest in mock anger. You always recognize me even with your eyes covered. Are you so much familiar to my touch Arnav?? She asked wiggling her eyebrows naughtily, keeping her hands on her waist & swaying herself back & forth in sync to the music playing on the dance floor.

Its preety obvious Sheetal Kohli. Its only you who meets me in this way by covering my eyes everytime. He replied with a lopsided grin & the next moment he was engulfed in a bone crushing hug by Sheetal.

Arnav reciprocated her hug with chivalry.

Afterall she is his good friend.

Both their fathers being best friend since years, their children too had shared a good friendship since childhood.

Both had nothing in comman.

Sheetal was naughty, bubbly, chirpy, talkative. Wheras Arnav was reserved, quiet, polite & a bookwarm when it comes to people outside his family.

But still both Arnav & Sheetal shared a good rapport in terms of friendship

He was very serious towards his studies, career & wanted to join his father's business, only after getting a proper degree & not due to the privilege of being Amar Singh Raizada's son. So he opted for Harvard for his MBA in Finance whereas Sheetal opted for the best university in Delhi itself for her MBA in Logistic management.

Due to which their friendship had got a temporary full-stop.

Both their family's were also very well acquainted to each other due to Amar & Sanjeev's friendship.

So they use to meet very often at professional & personal parties & get-togethers.

After completing their degrees both Arnav & Sheetal had joined their father's businesses & had become busy.

Their friendship had remained intact even after getting busy in their professional lives. Although they could meet very less often now but still their friendship is the same.

I am so happy you could make it for my success party Arnav. Sheetal said happily, pulling back from the hug & holding his hands.

How couldn't I?? Afterall we are friends. Arnav replied with a smile.

Btw congratulations Sheetal for such a huge contract. I am proud of you. Arnav appreciated her genuinely.

Thank you so much. Now my success feels complete after getting your good wishes. But that won't be all as I see, you haven't got any gift or bouquet for me so you will have to compensate with a dance with me. Sheetal said almost dragging him towards the dance floor to get stopped by Arnav himself as he didn't want to dance with her.

Sheetal... Sheetal I am not in the mood of a dance. I had a very busy day & I am very tired & exhausted. I won't be able to match up to your steps. So not today please. Some other time may be. Arnav said making a poor face, trying to reason his unwillingness to dance with her.

Arnav, not fair. Just one dance please. Its my success party afterall. She tried to pester him making a puppy face.

No Sheetal. Please try to understand. Arnav didn't budge & stood his ground, removing his hand from Sheetal's.

Sheetal.... Sheetal your mom is looking for you. I think you should go. Anjali suddenly came out of nowhere startling both of them.

Does she want me right now dii?? Sheetal asked hoping that she can buy some time & have a dance with Arnav.

But Anjali nodded her head in affirmation, repressing her lips pitifully at Sheetal.

Sheetal huffed in exasperation.

Ok Arnav. I guess its next time then. Saying Sheetal went away from there sad, upset.

Arnav felt bad seeing his friend's sad face but he can't help as he knows she has feelings for him since long time.
She is a very good girl & deserves her love to be reciprocated equally. But he is not the one to do it. So he had avoided any possible close or intimate contacts between them, not wanting to raise her hopes high. She has tried to convey her feelings indirectly many a times but Arnav remained nonchalant always as he had never seen her in that light then of a friend. Infact he has never seen any girl in that light till now, until today.... & again that hazel eyed face started dancing infront of his eyes making him smile the same dreamy smile.

Seeing her brother smiling alone like a fool Anjali snapped her fingers infront of his face bringing him back from his La-la-land.

Chhote, what happened?? Smiling alone. What's the matter?? Anjali asked scrunching her brows.

Uuumm... Nothing dii. Nothing. Arnav said clearing his throat & trying to appear normal to hide his embarrassment of getting caught by his dii.

Anjali didn't beleive him but before she could inquire more Arnav interrupted Thanks dii for being my saviour as always. Arnav said gratefully taking his dii in a side hug.

You are welcome as always. Anjali replied forgetting her inquiry, ruffling her Chhote's hair playfully.

Unhh dii!! Don't do that. He whined like a child making his dii giggle & then she arranged his hair properly with her fingers.

Dii, bhai. You both are here having siblings time without us & we were looking for both of you in the whole party. Adi accompanied by Akash complained pouting, coming to Anjali & Arnav.

Oh really. Then who were there dancing their asses off with the girls in short dresses on the dance floor?? Huh!! Arnav asked his brothers lifting his one eyebrow.

Oh bhai. That was so much fun. The girls were full on energetic. Just like us. Adi said gesturing towards him & Akki.

We danced continously for whole two hours. But now we are starving & we know our dii & bhai wouldn't have their food without us. So here we are to take you to the buffet area. Let's have dinner & then we will be back to the dance floor. Adi said rubbing his hands in excitement.

No Adi. I am very much tired now. You can continue with your dance after dinner but I just want to hit the bed after filling my stomach. Akash said making a puppy, starved face.

No Adi. Its enough for today. After dinner we all are heading back to home. No more dancing. Ok?? Anjali ordered slapping Adi's cheek lightly.

Oh comeon dii. As it is, my new semester is starting & I will be joining back my college. I will be hell busy with my studies & office. I won't get time to party this hard soon. So let me make the most out of today's party. Please dii. Adi tried to manofy his dii like a child, making his brothers chuckle at his childishness.

Adi, you are saying as if you don't party at the weekends even if you have college & office. Akash said earning a glare from Adi.

Adi... dii & Akki are saying right. Its already late & its been a long day for all of us. We all are tired & need rest. You too. Arnav said emphasizing on his words. So let's just have our dinner & head back to home. Ok. Arnav said politely, lovingly.

Ok bhai. Adi replied sighing deeply in agreement. Now when his bhai has passed the orders he can't refute.

With dii they have chances for negotiation & pestering but bhai's word is a law for both Akki & Adi. Not forcably but willingly as they both look upon him as their idol & mentor.

All the three brothers with their dii moved towards the buffet counter to have their dinner & then call it a day.

To be continued....

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So how was it??

Let me know through your votes & comments...

You all know that Arnav is neck deep smitten by Khushi & terribly wants to see her, meet her again. But next day being Sunday- a holiday, will he be able to see her, meet her??

Ok let me make it easy for you.

Yes, he will definitely meet her. But how?? Can any body tell??

Ok. Let me make it more easy for you.

There's a hint in the chapter above, creating a situation for Arshi's meet, the next day.

Let me see how many of you are able to guess the right hint.

The one whose guess would be very close to the correct answer will get the next chapter dedicated...

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Dear readers, I want to inform u all that I m working on a one shot called 'JUSTICE... ON THE SPOT' based on the infamous terrace scene on Payash's marriage with a very unexpected & a very shocking twist.

I would be posting it in 2 - 3 days. I want all my readers to read it as its gonna be very shocking but you are going to love it as well. I am sure of that.

Love
Kavita ❤️