Chapter 4

Why was Chandni in his car? But the distress he felt was no match to the utter shock he observed on her face as she just sat there, unable to move.

But something about her close presence after the aftermath of their sudden and chaotic meeting made him snap!

"Chandu!! Why did you come back into my life? Haven't you and your family punished me enough? Haven't I bled enough for you, that you still feel this sadistic pleasure in seeing me suffer!!" Aryan choked at her.

Chandni's eyes welled, and their locked gaze finally got broken, just as they both heard someone knocking on the window.

"Chandni Bitiya, this is not our car, our car is over there." Aryan heard a driver in his early fifties calling out to Chandni, his face partly visible from the car window.

Aryan saw Chandni get up unsteadily from her seat and almost run back towards an exactly similar looking car, parked further away from his own.

Chandni didn't know how she reached her car. Their most trusted and elderly driver, Rashid Khan held the door open for her, and she just collapsed in the back seat, trying her best to control her tears.

"Rashid Chacha*, let's go, quickly." She choked.

"Of course Bitiya **." Rashid Chacha revved the car out of the parking lot and in no time, their car was on the way towards their new home in Malabar Hill. (** Bitiya means daughter, in an endearing way, * Chacha means Uncle))

As Rashid Khan had been their family driver since she was a toddler, he had always treated her almost like a daughter and had supported her all through the ups and downs in her life, perhaps even more than her own parents.

Chandni's heart was filled with such extreme emotions right now. The initial shock of meeting Aryan after so many years was quickly replaced by anger and hurt at the way he ridiculed her. But she was not the same shy and docile Chandni anymore, to be bullied by anyone and she hoped that Aryan had learnt that by now.

She could never hurt anyone by being nasty to them, even if she tried. She tried to intimidate him by barraging him with questions, but she had to reluctantly admit that he had in depth knowledge of their products, judging by the way he answered each of her questions with so much detail that, she was impressed with those products and their potential. By the end of the presentation, she completely forgot she was with Aryan and was asking questions genuinely, rather than to catch him off guard.

But it didn't take long to come out of that trance and make a run to what she thought was the safety of "her" car only to find Aryan inside, in tears.

And his words still haunted her. What did he mean when he asked whether she and her family haven't punished him enough?? When did she or her parents ever do that? Her life had been nothing but penance for the damage he did to her, and he had the audacity to blame her instead. What a joke!!

Somewhere inside her, a small voice whispered, "but Aryan seemed genuinely in distress..." but she shut off that voice firmly, by reminding herself about all those days and years she spent, shedding tears.

Arrgh!! She literally groaned in frustration as she tears finally escaped her eyes, no matter how much she tried to hold them back. But she quickly wiped them away, as she noticed Rashid Chacha's worried looks at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Bitiya, if you want to cry, don't hold them back because of me." He said sympathetically.

"No Chacha, there is no point shedding tears for someone who doesn't deserve it. No matter how hard I try, I still haven't learnt my lesson, and continue to get hurt by people who mean nothing to me." She smiled ruefully.

"That argument does not hold water in many cases Bitiya. It is only those who are close to us, and mean a lot to us, who can hurt us. You may lie to the whole world, but it is never good to lie to your own heart. Was it Aryan Beta in that car just now?" He asked sombrely.

"Yes Chacha." Chandni admitted in a small voice.

“I don't understand how this happened. I am 100% sure Vikram Ji didn't know that Aryan was part of this company we have just bought. Otherwise, he would have never asked me to become the CEO of the company. It was just the shock of meeting him after all these years. Some wounds are too deep and raw and continue to hurt us, no matter what." Chandni's voice trembled.

Rashid Chacha sighed deeply and he took his time in responding to her, as he manoeuvred the car in Mumbai's ever busy traffic. “Your generation must learn that there is no shame in feeling hurt or tearful. It is better to be hurt than feel resentment, better to feel anguish than bitterness, and sometimes it is better to be even hated than being neglected."

"So true Chacha!!! Better to be hated than being neglected, which is why Aryan never bothered to get in touch with me all these years, after he disappeared from my life." Chandni said bitterly.

Rashid Chacha sighed as he parked the car on a side line and turned to face Chandni.

"I said this back then and I say it even now, don't make judgement without knowing the other person's story. The Aryan I knew would never betray anyone Bitiya, but I may be blinded by own prejudice and affection towards him. Do you honestly believe that Aryan was a crook?" Rashid Chacha demanded emotionally.

Chandni's eyes sparkled with fury and hurt as she replied back, "You still think that he is innocent? Why can’t you see the truth? Anyway, it doesn't matter what I think or you think Chacha. Actions speak louder than words, and if we go by what happened, I can feel nothing but hatred towards him. But what can I expect from you, you always sided with him than me." She spat back angrily.

Rashid Chacha chuckled slowly, much to her annoyance.

"Arre Baba!! Chandni Bitiya ka gussa ab kaise kam hoga ? (How can we calm Chandni, now that she is so angry?) I know!! Let's go and eat your favourite Baraf ka Gola# " (# Coloured and Flavoured Crushed Ice on sticks, sold by small vendors near beaches and streets)

Rashid Khan started the car and drove fast to reach Chowpatty beach. He parked the car and forced Chandni to come along as they walked along the pavement filled with make shift cafes and street vendors selling different snacks. They stopped near a street vendor selling Baraf ka Gola and ordered her favourite flavour.

"Chacha I am not a kid anymore to eat crushed ice and all." Chandni smiled petulantly, even though her mouth watered in the anticipation of eating her favourite treat.

The next few moments were spent happily in consuming the chilled ice, as they walked along the sunny beach, observing the colourful crowds at the beach.

As always, once they both finished eating the Baraf ka Gola, they checked their tongues to see whose tongue was the most colourful one!

Chandni's was hot pink while Rashid Chacha was a blazing yellow.

"Remember Bitiya how you and Dev always used to fight with each other and make me declare whose tongue was the brightest?" Rashid Chacha chuckled loudly as he reminisced old times.

For a moment, Chandni completely forgot her trauma, and travelled into her past and talked with the same animation and excitement as an eight year old.

"Yes Chacha! He always bought the blue bubble gum flavoured one, and I used to call him the Blue Tongue Lizard. Hahahaha!! Remember how he used to stick his tongue out between his lips, whenever he was seriously thinking..." Chandni's face fell again, as she remembered her childhood friend.

Rashid Chacha looked sadly at her, regretting his slip of tongue about old times.

*****

Around the same time, Aryan was deeply immersed in his task, with his tongue stuck between his lips, as he kept searching through some boxes at his home.

The moment he reached home, he hurried to his bed room and pulled out a stack of boxes stowed away under his bed, where he kept all the information he stored over many years.

For the next half an hour or so, he impatiently went through the contents.

He finally found what he was looking for.... Chandni's wedding card.

He was grateful he didn't burn it or chuck it in the bin back then, considering how traumatised he was, when he found out that she was getting married. He eagerly opened it and checked the groom's name. It said Rahul Singh Ahluwalia. He chucked the card back into the box, and started pacing around the room restlessly... wondering what happened to Chandni's arranged wedding, and how did she end up being married to the business magnate Vikram Mathur.

He was still unable to process all the frustration and anger he had felt ever since he saw her in the morning. And in that presentation room, she was so spiteful in the beginning, but as he began to explain more and more, he could notice that she genuinely began to show more interest in their products. He was quite impressed as to how much research she had done about Sigma and their products too. Arrgh!! Why can't he just shut his bloody mind and heart from her thoughts!! He began to curse himself as soon as the presentation ended.

And he ran, literally, from the office.

Just when he thought he had finally escaped from her tormenting eyes, and sought his refuge in the car, she was there again, catching him at his worst moment. He promised himself that he would NEVER EVER let her watch him cry again. She was not worthy of any more tears; he had shed them enough.

****

Soon, Chandni's car pulled over in the driveway of their newly built bungalow and just as she was about to get down, Rashid Chacha stopped her.

"Bitiya ! Looks like Damad ji (Son in law) I mean Vikram Sahib is back home earlier than expected. Don't show your frustrations on him right now, but talk to him later, when you have calmed down. He is a good man and his intentions are always for your best. Don’t you think? Please listen to me." He spoke soothingly.

"Yes Chacha, I will keep it in my mind. Come inside, I will make some tea." Chandni requested.

"No Bitiya, some other day. I promised my wife that I will be home early today, because I have to take her to the Dargah. She has some Mannat to fulfil." Rashid Chacha replied with a smile as Chandni slowly climbed the steps to go inside.

Workmen were still finishing the last-minute jobs in the new house and it was still chaotic.

She found her husband talking to their manager, giving him precise and slow instructions as to what would be the items required for the upcoming housewarming party.

The moment he saw her, he greeted her warmly.

"Welcome to our humble abode Madam CEO!! So how was your first day in your company?" He asked enthusiastically, his eyes boring into hers.

For a few moments, Chandni was tongue tied. She didn't want to lie to Vikram, but at the same time, she was determined to show that she can handle the job, and not come across as weak woman.

"It was really good, I got so many things to tell you and I will do that in detail later. But first tell me, how was our trip? You left so suddenly yesterday, I didn't even pack anything properly for you. I was so worried." She replied, in a concerned tone.

Vikram walked slowly towards her, smiling, and made sure that her sharp eyes didn't catch the butt of the Cigar he smoked earlier.

"Chandni, I have told you so many times. You don't have to pack anything for me. We military men are accustomed to pack everything within two minutes and be ready for anything. I was absolutely fine. Stop worrying about these small things. Concentrate on the big picture. You are now, an owner of a small organisation and are responsible for the livelihood of so many employees. Leave your poor husband alone," He laughed aloud.

"If by that statement you are hinting that I shouldn't ask you about how many cigars you smoked and how many drinks you had, you are sorely mistaken." Chandni's face looked as if she was ready for an argument.

She couldn't help but notice that their manager, twenty eight year old Pramod was observing their exchange with amusement. He was still new and not quite used to their banter.

Vikram looked helplessly at him.

"Pramod, are you married?"

"Er... No Sir" He replied shyly.

"Good!! Don't ever make that mistake my man. This is not just for you, but it is my advice to all the bachelors."

"I tried to avoid it for a long time but felt compelled to get married. But since then, my life has been hell. Where do I even begin? Everything begins slowly, you know. And they mask it as love towards us, they say it's purely out of concern for us, and then they start the real drama. Don't smoke, don't drink, don't go to clubs, don't stay up late and so on and so forth." Vikram poured out his sorrows.

"Why are you scaring that poor guy out of his wits? Pramod, don't worry about your Vikram Sir. As much as he loves to exaggerate about how we try to control his bad habits, he knows and even the entire staff knows, that it is completely untrue." She smiled slightly at Vikram before making her way towards the kitchen to prepare some tea.

"By the way Chandni, I have a surprise for you." Vikram called from behind.

As she turned around, someone came rushed towards her and hugged her tightly around her waist with their tiny hands, calling out loudly "Mummy!!!"

"Atharv!!" Chandni's face broke into bright smile as she looked at her bundle of joy.

***

A/N

Who is this Dev that Chandni and Rashid Chacha are talking about? Is it Aryan? How do they know each other? You will find out as you read on.

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