Vartika was relieved when the man took her safe and sound to a house but it was short lived since the house she was in looked shady with a number of security guards roaming around.
For a moment she thought of going back, but then with each step ahead she grew more curious to find what this was about.
The man who brought her there led her to a hallway which had a typical big chandelier hanging in the centre, a u-shaped couch, a coffee table, and plants in the corner.
She moved her eyes to the other corner of the hall, when a voice came out of nowhere startling her.
"Are you Vartika.?"
She looked up to the stairs the voice came from, and found an elderly man in his late 50s scooting down with a newspaper in his hand.
The man looked oddly familiar.
"I'm Kamal Dixit."
The old man said walking to the hallway, took a seat on the couch, and motioned everyone to leave.
Vartika watched as every guard left the room, except her, the secretary and the old man who she still couldn't figure out why he looked familiar but the surname "Dixit" rang a bell.
"Are you-"
She started to ask but was interrupted by him.
"That's right. I'm his father."
All of a sudden, she wasn't curious anymore, rather she grew anxious and eager to leave the place.
"I called for you yesterday but you didn't show up. can I ask why.?"
Mr. Dixit asked, while she stared at him confused.
"I didn't know you called to meet me.
Why am I here.?"
She asked moving her gaze around wondering if his son would show up at any moment.
"I don't have time for this.
I just have one question for you.
How much.?"
She fixated her eyes on the old man, even more confused by his question.
"How much you need to disappear from my son's life.?"
Mr. Dixit explained, making her stare at him sceptically before she spoke.
"I think you called the wrong person here sir."
Till the date she had only seen these kinds of scenes in dramas where a wealthy father would throw a blank cheque at the face of girl's boyfriend and would ask him to leave his daughter.
Even if the roles are reversed here but she wasn't even someone's girlfriend to get a blank cheque.
"No. i got the right person."
Mr. Dixit replied taking some photographs out of the newspaper he was holding and threw them on the coffee table.
Vartika moved closer to the table and peeked over the pictures only to be stunned.
"What do you have to say now? That these are edited.?"
She released a deep breath, then answered.
"No. These aren't edited.
But I think you got the wrong idea, we aren't in any kind of relationship sir."
"Not for now but soon you will be. who knows.?"
She chuckled at his question.
"Sir I'm not in a mood to explain anything but I think you got some misunderstanding here.
I suggest you to talk to your son first."
"What made you think I didn't do it?
But he refused to listen to me.
I assume he is already blinded by someone's bunch of lies and fake promises.
How dare an average person like you wooed my son in your messy life.
Just because he opts for an ordinary life, doesn't mean he is an ordinary person.
I have high expectations from him and I'm not letting someone like you, ruin it."
Mr. Dixit shouted.
"First of all, sir your son is not a kid who will get wooed against his wish.
Second -I was really not going explain it but, I confessed my feelings to him and he rejected me.
Seems like his standards are higher than your expectations.
So now if you are done, then please excuse me."
She turned to leave, only to be stopped by his voice.
"Even if I believe you for a moment, how can I trust you to not come back in his life again?
So just tell me an amount and disappear from his life forever."
Vartika eyed him in disbelief.
"Didn't you hear me? He rejected me already, what are you offering money for?
Even though I don't have money, that doesn't mean I will sell off my self-respect to roam around him."
"But he will.
He said he will not lose a friend.
He will not leave you just because I said so."
'Friend my foot'
She thought.
"You can work you whole life and still can't earn the money, I can give you with just one sign.
I hope you are wise enough to make a decision."
Vartika stood thinking, re-thinking his words before releasing a deep breath speaking up.
"15lacs."
"Only.? Think again."
"15lacs-Only."
She repeated.
"You won't come around and ask for money again.?"
Mr. Dixit asked carefully.
"You can get my sign on a paper with all your conditions."
"Deal."
"But I have a condition too."
She said looking straight at him, as if she was already determined.
1Year Later:
"Aren't you getting late.?"
Pooja asked standing near the door, watching her rummaging through the drawer.
"I am.
But I can't find my watch."
Vartika replied without turning to her.
"You have 5 more watches to go with, but you are stuck with an old one that keeps missing and breaking every other day."
Pooja murmured.
"But I can't find it for 2 days now."
Vartika whined.
"Fine. i will search it for you later, now go unless you want to run a marathon.
You know the neighbour aunty asked me recently
'Why does she run like she has to save the world every morning?'"
"Stay away from the neighbour aunties, will you?
I'm sure most of them are spy."
Vartika groaned closing the drawer and walked to her bed to grab her bag.
Time was indeed running out.
"I think so but I don't know how do they find me every time I go out for something.
Anyway, you go on, and take this first."
Pooja said forwarding the lunch box to her.
She put it in her bag along with the water bottle and hurried out.
"Please find the watch for me."
Pooja heard her voice, before she closed the door at her back and left.
The main road was a 5min walk from the alley but it felt like half an hour to her, since the sun was too bright for the early morning.
She hated summer with passion.
Apart from the walk getting a cab in time was the real hard job for her, which she was yet to get used to since the last 6months.
'Found your watch'
She read the message from Pooja with the watch's photo attached to it, as soon as the cab reached her office building.
She paid off the driver, zooming in and zooming out the picture to make sure the watch was in good condition, while making her way inside.
The watch seemed to be in a good condition, much to her relief.
'And make sure the lunch box is empty today.'
She read another message from she received from Pooja and rolled her eyes.
She bet it was some khichdi, or vegetable soup with fruits inside the box she was getting threatened for.
"Hello you have a parcel in your name."
The receptionist said as she put her id card up to the card holder.
"okay."
She nodded walking up to the desk to receive the parcel, when she heard the employees chitchatting.
"You heard our director is in huge debt, and he is going to give up this company."
"What?
But I saw him just yesterday and he looked fine."
Another employee exclaimed.
"So what did you expect him to do?
Sit in the middle and cry.?"
"That's not it.
But it might not be true."
"I don't know but someone from the accounts team said there have been a lot of visitors to the director these days.
So, it could be true that he is selling off the company."
Vartika quietly made her way to upstairs, thinking over the gossips running around the company since a few days.
There wasn't much of her direct interactions with the director, but she knew he was a good- and warm-hearted person.
The probability of the rumours to be true was high, since the director avoided the monthly meeting along with other important occasions.
Reaching her desk she put her bag, turned on her desktop and could sense her department wasn't quiet either.
Her colleagues were formed in groups gossiping about the ongoing rumours, some happy about getting leisure time, some tensed about their future.
"I think we all need to find new jobs."
She heard Vivek say to no one particular, as he arrived at his desk.
Vivek was said to be the news broadcaster of their department.
Being close with the director's secretary he was the one who always got all the fresh news first and would broadcast it if in the right mood.
It was also said none of his news were false till the date.
"What? Did you hear anything.?"
Preksha the other employee asked curiously, moving her chair close to Vivek's.
"Yeah, but don't go around spreading the gossip about what I am about to say."
Vivek warned.
"Oh, just say it."
Smriti insisted, thus Vivek sighed before speaking up.
"I heard our director is not willing to give up the company easily.
He would rather shut it than giving it off."
"But is not the company doing it well?
Then why is he in debt.?"
Mihir asked.
"it's not his.
I heard his brother took off a lot of money forging company document.
Now his brother has disappeared to somewhere with all the money and the one who is left to pay the debt is our director."
"Oh, that's bad.
But what do we have to do now.?"
"I think we will have to wait till the announcement is made.
But guys don't be too hopeful and keep your options open."
Vivek sighed again.
"Don't you guys have work to do?
Why are you all gossiping.?"
The manager's voice suddenly broke in and everyone went silent that instant.
"Sir, is it true that we are-"
"Don't you have pending work Jenny.?
What about the report I asked you to make.?"
"Uh sorry sir, I will do it right away."
"There are so many works, but you guys have all the time to chit chat."
The manager scoffed and went away to his cabin.
"Gosh. Is he not bothered about his own job.?"
Jenny murmured to herself groaning.
"Hey Vartika, if you want, I can recommend you to some really good --"
Before Vivek could complete his words, Vartika beat him to it.
"I don't need it."
He shut his mouth instantly looking away from her to his desktop, when Jenny spoke up.
"You are always ready to favour someone so arrogant.
Why don't you recommend my name instead.?"
Vivek kept mum ignoring her comment, to which Jenny scoffed.
Vartika ignored them trying to focus on her own work but couldn't concentrate well.
Maybe it was really the time to look for a new job.