The next morning, Shehnaaz woke up in bed, alone and still more than tired but the incessant buzzing of her alarm forced her to peel her eyes open. Siddharth wasn't in bed, which was perfectly normal but since she felt like a literal zombie for a good few seconds, she couldn't bring herself to believe that her man had really managed to pull himself out of bed and leave for the gym.

At 6:30 in the morning. 

Shehnaaz almost cried, pushing herself off the bed, as Siddharth entered the room, breathless. 

Siddharth's shoulders visibly dropped, but he walked up to her nonetheless and pulled her cranky self into himself. 

"I just realized that your alarm would sound. I'd turned mine off, yours skipped my mind." Siddharth told her apologetically. Shehnaaz snuggled into him, "I'm so tired. How is it morning already?" She cribbed.

Siddharth kissed her head comfortingly. "I know little star. I would have let you sleep for another hour and a half if.. the alarm hadn't-- but you know what? We'll take a three-day off from work after today. Bas aaj ka din aur sambhal le mera baccha." Siddharth promised her.

Shehnaaz nodded, still hiding in his arms. They both knew it was a difficult feat to achieve, with the collaboration bringing in twice the work than they were normally used to, however it was worth a try. 

Siddharth broke the hug, leading her towards the bathroom. 

"Coffee?" He asked as she entered the bathroom. She nodded. "Coffee."

"Try not to fall asleep in there." Siddharth told her. Shehnaaz chuckled, Siddharth smirked, shrugged and left the room. Shehnaaz sighed and stumbled into the bathroom. 

Siddharth couldn't keep himself from smiling as he kept a huge pot of coffee for brewing and sat on a dining chair, skimming through a file. 

We're losing the deal, because of you. We're losing millions. We're losing a credible partner--a collaboration that we've all worked on, for months. Why? Because you couldn't respect the man heading the collaboration.

Arti's words rushed back to his mind, her annoyingly squeaky voice causing Siddharth to flinch. 

He blinked twice, turning his attention to the file in front of him. 

This is going to be a great day for you, little star.

A few minutes later, Shehnaaz entered the kitchen, wearing a black top coupled with a pair of baby pink heart dotted shorts. Siddharth looked at her, his eyes stuck on her. She blushed. 

"How can you look so cute so early in the morning, little star? That's not supposed to be happening." Siddharth whined to her, pulling her on his lap.

"I guess you got pretty lucky then, don't you think?" Shehnaaz asked.

Siddharth chuckled. "That is true." He said softly, kissing her full on her lips. 

He stood up from the chair, poured coffee in two mugs and walked up to her. Shehnaaz had opened the file that Siddharth was reading earlier.

"What's this?" Shehnaaz frowned, taking the mug from Siddharth who settled next to her. 

"Dad was telling me that he wants retirement. This collaboration is the last major project that he's heading. I wanted to get the papers approved from Dad." Siddharth told her, taking the file away from her, rather reflexively.

Shehnaaz nodded, "He's not heading this project. You are." She enquired.

"You're working on it too, baby. In official files it's him. Remember? He's still going to be around, just not in full capacity." Siddharth explained. 

"You're getting a promotion. Papa didn't tell me. You didn't tell me." Shehnaaz whined, making a cute cry face.

"I just came to know, little star. The papers arrived in the early post. It was pretty last minute." Siddharth looked innocently at her.

"I don't care. Papa didn't tell me and now I'm upset. He will have to make it up to me." She pouted.

Siddharth chuckled. "Okay I'll pass your message on to him." He kissed her lips.

"Now can we have breakfast, please?" He asked.

***

Last night was a mess indeed. The way Aarti had taunted her, left her in a dark, deep pit of self loathing and if Siddharth hadn't shown when he did,  Shehnaaz didn't know how bad the night would've gotten for her.

Fortunately, Siddharth had shown up. He had handled everything, like always. He had cheered her up and she had almost forgotten about the events of the previous night. 

The keyword being: Almost.

Shehnaaz had entered the office complex in a cheerful mood. She was dressed in a grey top and pink long skirt. She had a skip in her step, a smile on her face. The day was turning out to be perfect.

Till Aarti showed up, wiping the pretty smile off Shehnaaz's face. She smirked. 

"Good morning Shehnaaz." She looked extremely happy for some reason and it really didn't sit well with Shehnaaz. 

The girl could really be up to no good.

"Hello Aarti." She tried to smile at her but her words from last night buzzed in Shehnaaz's ears. 

Last night was suddenly too fresh in her memory. 

Aarti was saying something.

Something about Siddharth-- about the collaboration.

Listen here you sl*t

This is on you..

Miss Gill..

We're having a success party..

Shehnaaz shook her head, as if to get the thoughts of last night out of her mind. She couldn't afford to be distracted right now. At least not because of Aarti 

Fortunately, Siddharth appeared at that moment, rescuing his damsel from the distress of starting a conversation with the woman.

"Miss Gill, I thought I told you to meet me in my cabin, first thing in the morning." Siddharth gave her a look of disapproval.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was about to go." Shehnaaz mumbled out nervously, shooting him a grateful smile. Siddharth returned the gesture.

Siddharth nodded, leading her out of the foyer. From the corner of her eye, Shehnaaz could see Aarti's smile broadening just slightly. 

What's made her so happy?

"You saved me from a headache." Shehnaaz said softly.

"Anytime, little star." Siddharth leaned forward, kissing her hair. 

"Where are we going?" Shehnaaz asked.

"Dad wanted to see you, before the conference." Siddharth told her.

She nodded. "Why?" 

"You're going to find out." Siddharth smiled mysteriously.

Shehnaaz rolled her eyes. "Keep your secrets." 

Siddharth chuckled, "You've got the cutest annoyed face in the world." 

***

An hour later, Shehnaaz entered the conference room carrying a huge stack of files and a laptop in her arms. 

Kushal, who was helping the staff set up equipment, looked up at the woman. He walked up to her, shifting half the files and the laptop into his own arms. 

"We were waiting for you. Do you need a refresher?" He asked.

"No. I just went through those, I'll be fine." She said, gesturing to the files and started to arrange the files into a more orderly manner. 

"What are you even doing here?" Aarti frowned at her. "How dare you enter the conference area?" 

"Excuse me?" Shehnaaz looked surprised at Aarti.

"After what you've done last night. Are you here to cause another mayhem or something?" Aarti asked sarcastically.

"I'm.. what the hell is your problem with me?" Shehnaaz asked, anger bubbling in her stomach. 

Aarti flinched, "Don't talk to me like that." She said firmly.

"Take your own damn advice. I'm not your servant either." She retorted. 

Aarti would have said something else, but Siddharth entered the conference room. 

Siddharth nodded at everyone in greeting, Shehnaaz sighed. 

Siddharth frowned, What happened? He mouthed. 

Shehnaaz shook her head, gesturing for him to carry on.

"Seher Mahajan is going to be here in--" He looked at his watch "Six minutes approximately." 

'Everyone on their very best behavior." He clapped his hands twice. "Naaz. Up here."

Shehnaaz nodded.

"Sir, she's going to ruin everything again. I can understand how hard it must be to ask them to reconsider, after Shehnaaz's stunt with Mr. Sharma last night." Aarti said bitterly. 

Shehnaaz almost flinched. 

Almost.

Because god, help anyone who tries to mess with his woman. 

Or

Ashok Shukla's daughter, his gudiya. 

Siddharth immediately reached for Shehnaaz's hand, "Shehnaaz.." while his father entered the room with the heiress of the Mahajan Empire in tow. 

"What's happening here?" He asked.

Aarti jumped, "Uh. Sir--"

"Miss Aarti was telling me how Shehnaaz would end up ruining everything after her stunt--" She looked enquiringly at Aarti, "--from last night." 

Ashok Shukla sighed heavily. 

"Daddy told me that you were going to get me updated about the collaboration." Seher looked confused. 

Shehnaaz nodded quickly, sharing a brief look with the man standing next to her.

"Let's get back to this later. Right now, it's not important." She whispered quietly.

Siddharth groaned, almost like he didn't want to agree. 

"Ma'am, I think you're mistaken. Shehnaaz isn't a part of the collaboration project. She probably doesn't even know anything about it. Even if she did, I highly doubt Siddharth would let her handle such an important client as you." Aarti told her helpfully. "She almost tripped the proverbial table over, last night with the mess she made with Mr. Harsh Sharma."

Seher frowned, "Harsh Sharma--"

"Miss Singh, first of all, I prefer being addressed formally by my employees, Only my seniors, or my peers can address me with my name and secondly, I'd like to ask you to keep your thoughts to yourself for the duration of the meeting. I'm sure neither of the two involved ladies have much time on their calendars." Siddharth said politely.

"Sir, I was just telling our prospective client that Shehnaaz isn't eligible for this job." Aarti said fiercely.

"Siddharth, we're wasting Miss. Mahajan's time here." Shehnaaz whispered urgently. "This is not the time for petty internal disagreements." 

Seher shook her head. "This is our fault, Shehnaaz. The meeting wouldn't have happened if Harsh could ever behave correctly. Clearly, the employees don't know the whole story and are holding you responsible for the mess that Harsh Sharma made." She sounded sincerely apologetic.

"Miss Mahajan--"

"No. It's our responsibility to get your name out of the mud. We are going to work together for years to come. You're co-heading the project with Mr. Shukla. It would be unfair if you had to face this alone" Seher said softly. 

Aarti looked appalled. "But.. after what she did-- She is a Personal Assistant.  How can she preside over such an important collaboration."

"You seem a little too surprised, Miss Singh. It seems you don't like Shehnaaz's appointment as the co-director of the project. Would you rather have us appoint you?" Ashok Shukla asked.

"If so, can you assure us that you would handle this project with the same efficiency and dedication as Shehnaaz? Could you have kept quiet, just because of the good of this company, even after going through harassment at the hands of Harsh Sharma? Could you keep the reputation of this company above your own comfort?" He asked.

"Shehnaaz could call this whole project off at a snap of her fingers. She could come to me, making a show of what she was going through. She could ask out, file a complaint or do a thousand other things and I wouldn't have stopped her. I would have supported her, gone to the literal ends of the earth to do that and she knew that. She never did any of those things, and even though I'm not happy about it, I understand why she kept quiet." Ashok Shukla smiled rather sadly. 

"Shehnaaz has been working on this project tirelessly for weeks, added to her usual workload. Just because she doesn't go around publicizing her workload doesn't mean she doesn't have any. She practically works as the MD of the company regardless of my presence or absence." He said firmly. 

"These two people right here--" He motioned to Siddharth and Shehnaaz "--are the reason this company is as stable as it is."

"Any disagreements?" Siddharth asked.

Everyone shook their heads, mumbling varying degrees of Nos.

Ashok shukla smiled.

"Siddharth is my son, and I think people here all respect his authority, don't question his actions and decisions. She should and would exercise the same authority and autonomy as Siddharth or I because she deserves it, more than either one of us. She has worked hard for this company. She deserves to be treated with respect." He said firmly. 

"I agree with you Dad. The situation that she was in last night and I suspect for weeks before that, she could have easily gained sympathy by telling everyone and we're all smart enough to know how that would've ended for Shukla Group Of Industries' image. She didn't. She kept quiet just to uphold the reputation of this company. I doubt many people would have the motivation and selflessness to do something like that. I know this brilliant, brilliant girl for the gem that she is, the asset that she is for our company. I doubt we'd ever find someone more loyal, more trustworthy and more forgiving than her. She handle the whole thing with so much patience and grace. We can't be grateful enough of her." Siddharth added to his father's thought, looking straight at Aarti. 

Aarti looked away, embarrassed.

"Does anyone here think she was wrong last night at the party? Would you not slap a bastard who tried to misbehave with you, regardless of your gender or theirs, your position of power or theirs?" Seher looked at everyone questioningly.

A few scattered yes-es sounded from the previously silent room while the others nodded in agreement. 

"Well I honestly don't understand what the fuss was about, then." She said finally. 

Shehnaaz smiled at her in gratitude. The men defending her in front of the world were her family, their protective behavior was although overwhelming, understandably correct, but Seher Mahajan was practically a stranger she had met just today and the way she had defended Shehnaaz, going out of her way, was unexpected.

Seher smiled back.

***

Siddharth, Shehnaaz and their father were standing in the lobby of the office complex. The employees were surrounding them, with curious looks on their faces. 

"Good afternoon everyone, we're here to make some very important announcements. Now, usually these decisions are made privately and there are a bunch of formalities, signatures contracts trial periods, buy in meetings, Vote-In meetings etcetera etcetera, before the decisions are made public but since today morning has been-- for the lack of a better word-- enlightening in more ways than one, we've decided to do this differently." Siddharth said in a polite yet authoritative voice. 

"What is happening, sir?" Someone asked.

"I'm getting a promotion," Siddhath grinned in response. 

"I'll explain as soon as my son quits being a kid." Ashok Shukla said with a fond chuckle. Siddharth stepped back.

"I've been thinking a lot about taking up a more passive part in the Shukla Group of Industries for the last few months. I am proud to say that my children have taken very good care of this place and I hope that they'll continue this way in future as well. I think that it's now time for me to take a step back while my children take up a full-time responsibility. So, I'll be retiring from being the Managing Director of the company and Siddharth would be taking over from me." Ashok Shukla said proudly. 

The room roared in applause. Siddharth was showered in praises and Congratulations. He bowed slightly in respect. 

"There'll be consequences, you guys." Ashok Shukla joked. "I mean, I'm leaving, that can't be easy. Right?" 

Everyone laughed. 

"With my retirement, the Board of Directors will be one person short of their full capacity. I have decided to nominate Shehnaaz Kaur Gill as the new member of the board of directors for the company, up until today morning, I was sure my decision would be welcomed with wide smiles and open arms, but like Siddharth said. Today has been enlightening in more than one way." He added. 

"We will be calling a board meeting on monday next week and she will officially be voted in. As the current Managing Director, my decision can not be officially contested in that meeting, so we've called in a general meeting. If anyone has a problem with the proposed appointment, they may speak their mind." Ashok Shukla said.

A wave of silent whispers spread across the assembled room. Siddharth held Shehnaaz's hand inconspicuously as his father sighed, waiting for the commotion to go down. 

Flashback, That Morning.

"Papa, You wanted to see me?" Shehnaaz entered the room with Siddharth who immediately sat on the chair across from his father. 

"Good morning meri gudiya. Murjhayi kyu huyi hai?" Ashok looked worriedly at her.

"She hasn't slept properly in two weeks. The collaboration was horribly tiring and you know what happened yesterday, it took me a while to calm her down after that episode with Harsh Sharma. Kal bhi kaafi late ho gaya tha sote huye." Siddharth answered, before Shehnaaz could brush it off.

"Stress mat liya kar, beta. Tujhse important kya hai hamaare liye?" Ashok said softly.

Shehnaaz smiled and nodded. 

Ashok looked at Siddharth, "File mil gayi thi subaah?" He asked. Siddharth nodded. "Early morning aa gyi thi." 

"What do you think?" He asked. 

"I get to have an opinion?" Siddharth looked surprised. Ashok rolled his eyes at his son.

"Seriously, I'm more than happy. What came over you, though?" Siddharth asked.

"It was on my mind for a while." He shrugged. 

"You lost me, Papa. Mind getting me up to speed here?" Shehnaaz knocked at the table. 

Ashok chuckled.

"I'm retiring. Sid's taking over as MD. There'll be an empty spot in the BoD. I'm nominating you." Ashok summarized everything for her.

Shehnaaz looked perplexed. "What?"

"I'm stepping down from official business, bacche. Siddharth already has a PA. Kushal is pretty good, isn't he?" Ashok asked Siddharth rhetorically.

"Yes. He's good. He can also murder me if I fire him if only to replace him with my girlfriend/future wife." Siddharth said.

"I can't have you leaving this place only because I'm retiring. You're practically the fourth pole this place is standing on." Ashok told her.

Shehnaaz sighed. "But--"

"Shehnaaz. You're more than deserving of this. You have been shouldering half of my work load already. You'll be perfect." Ashok said hopefully.

Shehnaaz sighed. "As if I could ever refuse anything you said." 

The father-son duo laughed. 

"When do you want to hold the vote-in meeting with the BoD?" Siddharth asked his father.

"I'm thinking of next week. Paperwork will take a while." He replied. 

"Till then, take a break. You can take an off tomorrow or maybe even Saturday." He added, smiling. 

"That's a great idea, we're both in urgent need of 24 hours of uninterrupted sleep." Siddharth chuckled. 

Present.

The commotion quietened down after a few minutes. The Shuklas and Shehnaaz waited expectantly, for the verdict of the team.

"We trust you, Ashok Sir. You will not take a decision that is wrong for the company." A man by the name of Diwaakar broke the silence.

"She is just a Personal Assistant though." Someone else said, unsure of the decision.

"She's been working with Ashok Sir for three years. I'm sure she has plenty of experience for the job." A woman retorted politely.

Siddharth inhaled and exhaled deeply once, before addressing the crowd

"Let's do an unofficial vote." Siddharth suggested. 

"We don't need a vote sir. We aren't against the appointment. We all know how hard Shehnaaz works. She has done her best with every task that she has been assigned with. I am sure she will handle the responsibility with grace." Aadhvik Banerjee said firmly.

"Yes, sir. We might be a little skeptical right now, but I'm sure she will not let you down. We all make mistakes, I'm sure she will make quite a few but we'll all be there to help her through those mistakes and help her learn. That's what counts, doesn't it?" One of the present board members spoke with a gentle assuring smile on her face. 

Everyone agreed with the woman in a huge, borderline deafening chorus of "yes"

There were a couple no's too. But they were drowned out in the positive responses. Shehnaaz smiled wholeheartedly, thanking them as the crowd congratulated her. 

Shehnaaz was getting swarmed in good wishes and Congratulations when Siddharth saw Aarti leaving the room, stomping her feet. He smirked. 

"Congratulations, little star. I'm finally your equal. You're finally where you always deserved to be." Siddharth whispered to her. 

"Thank you, Siddharth." She replied. 

"I have something that needs to be taken care of. I'll be right back. 'kay?" Siddharth said, pressing her hand gently. 

Shehnaaz nodded with a huge smile on her face. It took all of Siddharth's willpower to leave the room without kissing the life out of his woman.

All in good time. Little star. One last thing to do.

Siddharth got out of the room, Aarti was walking a few steps ahead, mumbling under her breath.

"Miss Singh, where are you going?"  Siddharth asked, stopping her in his tracks. She turned on her heels, startled.

"Siddharth--" 

Siddharth raised his eyebrows at her.

"The meeting is still not over." He said coolly. 

"I was just-- I needed to use the washroom." Aarti stammered out a response. 

"I don't need excuses, Miss. Singh. You don't have to lie so blatantly to my face. Your dislike of Shehnaaz isn't exactly a secret to me. I know you don't like her, well news flash, she doesn't like you either but she minds her own business. Does her work in silence and lets her successes speak for themselves while you--" He sighed at her in exasperation. 

"Don't ever come in her way again, Aarti. She is at a much higher position in this company now than she was last night. You got away last night. Next time the scenario from this morning repeats or the night before repeats, the BoDs won't even bother hearing your side of the story. I give you my word for that." Siddharth said curtly.

"Sid--"

"I don't need an explanation, don't you understand? I know what you've done. Last night, so many days before that. I know every single time you've misbehaved with Shehnaaz. She didn't tell me, but I know. Don't try to sabotage her, ever again or there'll be consequences. Don't try to hurt her and don't you dare try to show her down in this office. I swear to God, you won't like whatever will happen next." Siddharth said firmly. 

Aarti nodded, "I'm sorry, sir." 

"Good." Siddharth said, smiling. "You can go, now."

Aarti was just about to leave, when Siddharth stopped her again.

"One last thing, Miss Singh. I don't want to hear a mention of this little chat of ours, anywhere in the office. One word out of your mouth and.." Siddharth gave her a smile that said, just about everything.

Aarti nodded hurriedly.

Hopefully a bigger part comin' up soon enough.

HAVE A GOOD DAY. 
STAY SAFE
STAY HEALTHY.