He Loves Me Not - Part 22

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Chapter 22

Shantivan

Sheetal gazes at her newly painted nails. She didn’t get time to do her manicure today. Revati Raizada’s phone call about Arnav’s health forced her to come here.

“Get your hands work fast Hari Prakash, how much time do you need to make one juice?” she shouts.

Hari Prakash hurries.
“2 minutes Ma’am”
Sheetal notices Revati coming towards the kitchen and pushes Hari Prakash away.
“Move.. I will make it”



Hari Prakash frowns at her behavior. This is not the first time she has ill treated the servants of this house. She wants to show the family how good she is, only if they were capable to see her true face.
“Hari Prakash, where is Sugar?” she asks loudly so that Revati notices her putting efforts in making the Juice for Arnav.
“Arnav Sir doesn’t have sugar, I will get the sweetener” he replies.

Revati comes inside the kitchen, little surprised.
“You should remember he is diabetic, Sheetal” she exclaims.
Sheetal fakes a smile.
“I know, just that Arnav’s worry is messing with my mind. I hope his fever is gone”
“It is.”
Hari Prakash is still looking for the sweetener which is not in its regular place.

“What are you doing HP?” Revati shouts.
“Madam, the Sweetener bottle is missing. I had placed it here”
“Maybe it is misplaced” Sheetal adds. “Someone must have kept it elsewhere”
“No.. I don’t think Khushi Ma’am would have used sweetener last night”

His reply shocks the two women.
“Khushi?” Revati asks.
Hari Prakash finds the bottle at the lower drawer and quickly hands it to them.
“Khushi had come here last night in our absence?”
“Yes Ma’am. The file which I gave Ayush Sir last night, Khushi Ma’am had got it here”

Revati gently nods but Sheetal has doubts.

“She came to give the file, why would she enter the kitchen then?”
“Actually when she came, she saw Arnav Sir’s health worsening. She cooked for him as the Chef was on emergency leave”

Sheetal grits in anger. Revati is totally surprised. Hari Prakash leaves out.

“I don’t understand why would she do such favors on Arnav” Sheetal comments. “She could have left giving the file”
“She knows this family and our house from her childhood, Sheetal. I don’t think you should worry about it.”
“Aunty, you might not sense any of this, but I do. She always had this eye on Arnav”
“Sheetal” Revati interrupts. “Being jealous of other woman is fine, but don’t drag this. She is just an employee for us”
“Employee? Really Aunty? Who pays for sponsorship for a mere employee’s daughter to get her education complete in London?”

Revati is speechless.
“How did you know that?”
“Dad told me. Maybe Ayush uncle told him this once.”
“Sheetal, Ayush and Shashi are really close. So whats the matter if Ayush pays for his daughter’s education?”
“It matters Aunty, because Ayush Uncle didn’t do this himself. He was asked by Arnav to do it. Ayush Uncle told this to my father long back and I got to know about this just a week ago.”
“Arnav?” Revati is surprised. She didn’t know this. Neither Ayush told her anything about it.
“I am telling you Aunty, this girl is not what she looks like. She always had an eye on this family, on Arnav. Otherwise why would she jump back after so many years exactly on my engagement? She wants to break us apart.”

Revati feels those vibes now after getting to know so much from Sheetal.

“You are going to be my Bahu, nothing is going to change that truth. Now take this juice and meet Arnav”

Sheetal grips the glass of juice and heads out. Revati continues to think deeper. Is there really any link to what Sheetal told her just now?

*****************

“Thank you” Arnav sips the juice. He is really not liking the attention everyone is giving him.
“So, you are going to rest at home today, aren’t you?” she asks.
“Hmm. That’s what Dad has warned me to do”
“You should listen to him” she replies. It is clear she is planning something and hence wants Arnav to stay home.

Arnav gulps the juice and keeps the glass away.

“I need to talk to you something important. There are few things you should know before we marry” he gives her a polite smile. She gulps hard and shuts his mouth by placing her finger over it.
“We can talk later. You don’t need to tell me anything at this moment”

Arnav removes her hand from his mouth.

“It’s already late. I should have told you before the engagement”
“Doesn’t matter” she snaps. She is afraid if he is going to reject their marriage proposal. “We will talk later. Not now. As it is, I am getting late. Have some urgent work to do. Will see you today evening”

Arnav sighs in disappointment. He really wanted to tell Sheetal about the financial aspects that he has no intentions of having any share in the Raizada property.

“Fine.. We will talk about it in the evening”

She smiles and gives him a quick hug. He feels uneasy. This time.. he really feels like he is cheating this woman. Because Sheetal is not the one his heart beats for. He never feels anything apart from guilt when she comes closer.

“Bye” she murmurs and heads out.


*****************

AR Office 

Khushi is stunned to see Sheetal Mathur at her office desk. Khushi keeps the files away and crosses her arms, shifting her eyes on this arrogant woman. She could say that Sheetal is not very happy coming here. Maybe she got to know Khushi took care of Arnav last night, tended his fever. But that was nothing intentional. It was just a coincidence that she reached Shantivan when Arnav really needed someone to look after him.

Without beating round the bush, Sheetal removes a box from her handbag and places it on Khushi’s desk.

“Take it” she mutters.
“What is this for?”
“I don’t know what to call this exactly. But you earned it. So… Keep it”

That’s confusing for Khushi.
“Unless I know what this is for, I won’t accept” Khushi continues being adamant.
“Oh, is it? Maybe I should have kept some cash instead. You would happily accept, wont you?"
"Mind your words Miss Mathur” Khushi scowls.
“And you mind your own business, do you understand?” Sheetal snaps. “Arnav is mine. Tending him… attending his needs is my problem. Not yours. If you think by showing such kind gestures, you can lure him, break my engagement then you are wrong. You should be shameful to think of trapping the man who made you what you are today. Or should I say you are selling yourself to return his favors”

Whilst Khushi is still trying to absorb which favors she is talking about, someone grips Sheetal Mathur’s hand and turns her around, only to slap her hard on her cheek.
“Dad” Khushi shouts, hurrying to her father who raised his hand on Sheetal Mathur.
“How could you speak to my daughter like that?” Shashi scowls at Sheetal. He is hurt. “We might not be rich, but we still have dignity in this society. I will not let anyone snatch that from my daughter”
Sheetal stares angrily at Shashi Gupta. No one ever dared to slap her so far and she never even dream that a mere employee of her in laws would do that.

“You will have to pay for this Gupta” she scorns and heads out.

Shashi keeps glaring at her and once she is away from his sight, he turns back to Khushi.
“Dad..  you shouldn’t have done that” Khushi sobs. Tears rolls down her cheeks as she knows whatever her father did is not going to be lightly, neither by Mathurs nor the Raizadas.
“How could she speak so low about you?”
“Dad… please calm down” she makes him sit on the chair. Thankfully, no one witnessed any of this drama but Sheetal Mathur is not going to remain quiet. She knows. Khushi makes her father drink water. Once Shashi relaxes a bit, other questions start clouding his mind.
“What happened at Shantivan yesterday? What was she blaming you  for?”
Khushi swallows her tears. Things are coming up in open now. She can sense a storm coming in their lives. She had been hiding all of her feelings for Arnav from her father but now if she doesn’t speak up, he will get to know it from outsiders and it will hurt him even more.

“I cooked for Arnav last night because he was sick”

Shashi takes a minute to absorb that.
“Is that why she was blaming you for? Is that it? How could she think you are trying to snatch her place? I don’t … don’t understand”

Khushi gets speechless.

“Dad.. we will talk later. Right now, I feel you should apologize to Sheetal.”
“I won’t” he snaps. The father in him is adamant to bend before his Boss’s family.
“Dad.. you slapped a woman.. its wrong. However bad she spoke to me, you shouldn’t have slapped her. It wont go well with your reputation in this company. Before things worsen, you should apologize”
“Mr. Gupta” the peon comes inside, interrupting their conversation. “Ayush Sir wants to see you urgently in his cabin”

Khushi freezes. Shashi gets up from the chair.
“I am coming along” Khushi demands.
“No.. Don’t get involved. I know what I have to tell Ayush Sir”
“Dad.. All this happened because of me. I will accompany you.”

She walks out first and her father follows her. He knows Khushi will not let him alone in this situation.

*****************

As expected, Sheetal is inside and she has fed Ayush’s ears enough to make him look so agitated when Shashi and Khushi enters the cabin.

“Shashi.. what is wrong with you? Why did you raise your hand on my daughter-in-law?” Ayush scowls.

This is the first time Shashi has witnessed his Boss so angry on him.
“Sorry to interrupt here, Sir. But I can explain” Khushi speaks on her father’s behalf.
“No” he snaps. “I am expecting answers from Shashi. Not you”

Khushi lowers her eyes. Sheetal is sitting on the couch, rubbing her hurt cheek.
“Uncle.. I want this man out of this office. Just fire him” she shouts.
“Sheetal.. Wait. I am handling this” Ayush replies harshly. “Shashi. I hadn’t expected you to do something like this ever. Why did you do this?”
“She spoke ill about my daughter” Shashi answers.
“I spoke the truth” Sheetal intervenes.
“Can you please let him speak Sheetal?” Ayush snaps. “I heard your side, now let me hear his”

Sheetal groans and looks away. Shashi explains how he heard Sheetal disrespecting Khushi, which is why he couldn’t control his anger and slapped her. Ayush is disappointed by Sheetal’s choice of words but he also cannot tolerate that Shashi misbehaved with her.

“That’s not the way you handle it, Shashi”
“I am sorry Sir. But I am a father and anyone who speaks so low about Khushi, I cannot tolerate. Yes, I do agree that I shouldn’t have raised my hand on Sheetal Mathur. I apologize for that”
“You should apologize to her” Ayush replies.
“I don’t need his apology” Sheetal gets up. “I want this man out of this office forever and until that happens, I am not going to step here again”

She picks her phone and hurries out. Ayush tries to stop her but she doesn’t. Khushi feels horrified of the entire situation. Her father’s career is at stake and only she is responsible for it.

“Go home for now, Shashi. Both of you if possible” Ayush says looking at Khushi. “Sir…?” Shashi looks at him confused.
“Let me see what I can do here. Sheetal is my daughter in law. If she is not respected, I wouldn’t like it obviously. But she did wrong too. I don’t understand why she connected Khushi with Arnav like that.  I am not mistrusting Khushi but if there is anything that we both should know, then this is the time to speak Khushi”

Khushi is speechless. Speak what? About her feelings for Arnav since her childhood which he never accepted openly? Even if she has seen his love for her in his eyes, she cannot express it to these two men. Things will complicate even more. Maybe she should take the entire blame on her and save him… She loves Arnav and she cannot put his dignity or relationships at stake.. especially the ones he cares about!! His Parents!!

To be Continued.


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