Chapter 7

Vikram on the other side of the call had just finished a sumptuous breakfast cooked by Chandni. She was sitting next to him at the breakfast table, trying in vain to make Atharv finish his breakfast, listening patiently to him, while he talked nineteen to dozen. He kissed Atharv affectionately on his head before grabbing his coffee, and went back into his study.

Vikram was feeling more relaxed now, after Chandni confirmed to him in the morning that she was happy to continue as Acting CEO of Synergy Inc. He knew that the steely grit on her face belied her internal fears and turmoils, but he was proud of her resolve to overcome those, for the greater benefit of the family business.

Vikram Mathur was not the type of guy who would let grass grow under his feet. Now that he was sure of his wife's decision, he immediately put his action plan into motion. An action plan to make sure that his wife's tenure as acting CEO at Synergy Inc goes without a hitch and will result in the overall benefit, both for Chandni and Synergy.  Chandni would gain confidence in her new role, as well give a fresh direction and leadership for the company, which had been run so far like a family business rather than a corporate.

Also, it was high time to meet Aryan Kapoor and judge for himself what sort of a person he was, and make sure that he doesn't trouble Chandni unnecessarily.

He called Raj Singh straight away from his study.

"Namaste Raj Singhji" He greeted him in his usual way.

"Vikram Ji so good to hear from you. Hope your trip was okay. I too have returned from Dubai yesterday evening, so I couldn't meet Mrs Mathur at the office yesterday. What did she say of our small company?" Raj Singh spoke rapidly, trying to cover up his fluster.

Vikram laughed aloud, as he could sense the nervousness in Raj Singh's voice.

"She was very impressed with the company's portfolio and the range of products you guys make so much that I felt compelled to meet you guys straight away, after all her enthusiastic talk. What do you say for a short meeting today, say at my home in the afternoon? Please bring that young protégé of yours, Aryan along with you. I just don't want to come to the office and trouble all the staff with my presence. They must be tired after all the elaborate arrangements for Chandni’s welcome party yesterday." Vikram spoke soothingly, and hoped that Raj Singh felt more confident and assured now.

"Meeting? At your home and you want Aryan to come?" Raj Singh paused, as Aryan signalled ferociously a big NO to him.

"Vikram Ji, it’s no trouble at all for us, if you visit the office today. I will tell the staff not to make any special arrangement today. That way, you can have a look at our new prototype models that we are developing for the Army. You, of all people, would appreciate their value and features." Raj Singh tried his best to push back Vikram's proposal for a meeting at home.

"All Right!! Yes, if you put it that way, it makes perfect sense. Expect me at 1600 hours then. I am looking forward to the meeting." As Vikram ended the call, he hoped that he had taken the right decision.

**** 

All day, Aryan was besieged with sympathetic enquiries from his female colleagues as to why he left office so suddenly the previous day. Chandni had already been given choicest nicknames for taunting and insulting their "dear Aryan".

He tried his best to put everyone at ease, and warned them not to speak about their new CEO in such belittling way. Much as his heart felt amused at the ingenuous and funny nicknames, he also felt bad for Chandni to be the butt of their jokes for no fault of hers.

She didn't direct her anger towards anyone but him, that too after considerable provocation from his end, he admitted inwardly with a pang of guilt. But she was equally mean in taunting him back and even insulted his talent as nothing more than a heart throb of female employees. His blood boiled at the very thought, but he controlled himself, as he remembered the promise he made to Raj Singh. He must keep his head down and deal with this situation, somehow or other. What happened yesterday must not happen again. Not just him, but they both must deal with it, in privacy and not become part of office gossip.

Once he got over this initial meeting with the famous Vikram Mathur, he knew what to do. He decided not to involve himself in any dealing with Chandni unless absolutely necessary, which itself will act as deterrent to further conflicts, along with subduing any unwanted attention from the rest of the staff.

Vikram Mathur arrived at the office sharp at Four O' clock and was warmly received by Raj Singh and Namrata. Aryan didn't even bother to come anywhere near him, with a welcome excuse that he was working on the urgent project model that needed to be submitted for approval.

Once the initial talk of company portfolio, current P&L balance sheet and other business matters were discussed, Vikram and Raj Singh relaxed together and had a quite drink, in spite of protests from Vikram.

"Raj Singh Ji, where is that Protégé of yours, Aryan? I was very keen to meet him since I have heard so much about him from you. Is he not in today?" Vikram enquired casually.

"No Vikramji, he is very much here, it's just that he is working on an urgent project at the moment. I will call him now."

Raj Singh's flustered behaviour reinforced Vikram's doubts that Aryan was avoiding him, and Raj Singh too was probably aware of Aryan and Chandni's past relationship.

Soon after, Aryan was duly summoned and Vikram rose from his chair to greet the talented young man.

"So, I finally get to meet the elusive Mr Kapoor or do you prefer if I call you Aryan?" Vikram asked with a smile.

"Erm… Yeah Aryan would be fine Sir." Aryan looked around, trying to avert his gaze from the man, who evoked a sudden and deep sense of jealousy inside him.

"Come on, have a seat here, I have to talk to you about so many things." Vikram pointed to a chair at the table next to him, but Aryan chose to sit as far away as possible, on the other side, nearer to Raj Singh.

Vikram smiled inwardly.

"Raj Singh ji, is our privacy guaranteed here? I would prefer if we are not disturbed by any of the staff for the next half an hour or so. Is that possible?" He asked in a low voice.

"Of course, it is." Raj Singh left a Do not Disturb sign outside the board room door, and also texted Namrata to make sure they were not disturbed.

"Hmm… I am sorry if my behaviour is causing any alarm for you both, but I just wanted to discuss a slightly delicate matter, which is outside the preview of a strict employer employee relationship. That is why I was keen to meet you both outside the office, but anyway that doesn't matter now." Vikram began and looked straight at Aryan.

Aryan had a shrewd guess what this was about. But he was in no mood to discuss this with anyone, especially " her" precious husband, and so, he swiftly rose to leave.

"Aryan, please, sit down. I know you may not want to talk to me, but let me assure you straight away that I am not a judgemental, inquisitive or narrow-minded person who enjoys digging into other's personal problems. I am here purely to clear misunderstandings, if any. Please sit down and listen me out." Vikram requested.

Aryan sat down slowly, against his better judgement, still unsure as to why he hadn't left the room just a few moments ago.

Vikram Mathur continued as if there was no interruption.

"I am a very straightforward person and never believed in beating around the bush. You and my wife Chandni were in a relationship, a long time ago. Am I right?"  He asked bluntly.

Raj Singh felt stunned at this sudden question from Vikram.

Aryan's eyes bore into Vikram's face, as he tried to assess what was behind that calm veneer. How could he talk so casually about all these things? Was Vikram really here to talk to him out of genuine concern, or was he just being a forceful employer, trying to dictate even his personal life. Aryan took a deep breath and tried to look at his current position more objectively. Why was he feeling such a surge of anger in front of this guy??  Was it pure jealousy that Vikram was living a blissful married life with the very person, he always thought of as his soulmate??

Perhaps his natural animosity towards him was forcing him to prejudge his behaviour.

Aryan finally decided that come what may, it was best to be open and frank with Vikram, and see for himself if Vikram was really as disaffected as he seemed to be, or if it was just a façade. He felt cheap and distasteful that he would have to talk about his personal life with a complete stranger, but realised that he had no choice, as the stranger also happened to be his ex-girlfriend's husband and his current boss.

"Yes Sir, we were. But as you said, it was a long time ago, and I have never seen her or talked to her again till yesterday." He hastened to clarify.

"Thanks for that candid answer Aryan, I really appreciate it. Now, you might be thinking why and how I know all this. I believe yesterday there was some kind of verbal to and fro between you two initially, before things got a bit settled down. That was perfectly understandable. Chandni was very upset when she came home yesterday and she finally told me everything."

Aryan smirked and tried to hide his cynical smile. Of course, she would have blurted out everything to him, now that she had no choice. She probably made it sound as if everything was his fault and she was the angel of innocence. He wondered what she might have said, perhaps pictured him to her husband as this monster, who took her to Goa...

Vikram observed Aryan and hastened to clear his misunderstanding.

"Oh Aryan!! I meant she told me everything about what happened here yesterday. But she explained about her relationship with you much before our marriage."

******  

A/N

So, Vikram knew about Chandni and Aryan's relationship. I am really interested to know what your thoughts are on Vikram Mathur. 

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