He Loves Me Not - Part 26

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Chapter 26

“Today’s day was full of resignations” Ayush sighs in disappointment, sharing his day with his wife.

Revati is clueless but she knows something is happening at AR which has made her husband and son restless from past two days.
“Who resigned?”
“Shashi”
“What? Shashi? Shashi Gupta?” her voice pitched high with surprise.
“Yes.. he resigned today. But he has to serve 3 months’ notice period”
“Why did he resign? He earned well”



Ayush recollects that he has still not told his wife anything about Arnav – Khushi’s feelings for each other. He has to keep a hold over his tongue until he sorts his matter out with Arnav first.

“Everyone has rights to move on Revati. Let him.”
“This is unbelievable. Shashi is a man whose loyalty towards us and the company can never be compromised. There must be a big reason why he is quitting. What are you hiding Ayush?”

Ayush gets up from the couch, keeping the tea cup away.

“I need a shower. We will speak later darling. Where is Arnav?”
“He isn’t home yet” Revati frowns. “But Sheetal had called me up. Seems they are going out for dinner tonight”

Ayush is not very shocked to hear that. Arnav is fixing things now. Either he is concentrating on his settled future with Sheetal or he is going to break it for Khushi Gupta.

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

Hotel – Dinner time

“Why are you so silent?” Sheetal places her arm over Arnav’s on the table. He withdraws from her touch.

It was no coincidence that he had got Sheetal for dinner. He wants to talk to her, clear things out which she should know. Being her fiancée, he has to tell her what he actually feels about this alliance.

“I want you to hear me out very seriously tonight”
Sheetal raises her brow.
“I am always very serious when the matter is about you, Arnav. We are partners, aren’t we?”
He doesn’t respond to that.
“Sheetal, I know your past, a lot of it, about all your Ex’s and all that” he pauses.
Sheetal freezes. He knows? How? Damn!! AMAN!! She is going to kill him tonight if he has told Arnav anything bad about her past relationships.
“Arnav… That’s my past”
“I understand and I don’t want to judge you by it” he replies. “This conversation today is not about your past but mine” he admits in a serious tone again.

Sheetal is confused. His past? What past? This man never lived his life to the fullest, there is no chance he would have a past in terms of women.

“I have feelings for someone else”

Sheetal’s jaw drops in shock.
“And this is not any recent matter. I have felt for her from past 8 years. But I never admitted. I had my own reasons to do so.”
“You are dismissing our marriage?” she angrily asks. “Your parents have given a word to us. Will you break that?”
“Breaking their word is much better than seeing them broken some time later. I don’t think I will ever give that place to you in my heart which I have already given to someone else. It is my fault that I delayed so much in telling you this truth. I was proving myself something which I am not. I cannot do that anymore. I am extremely sorry for creating all this mess and dragging you in it.”
“Arnav” she clutches his arm. He is rejecting her? How dare he do that? “We will work this out. Think about our fathers. They have such a good friendship. It will not be the same anymore if you back off from marrying me. Your mother, she will never get to be the President of the United club, which is her dream from past so many years. She needs my vote in her favor to be the President of that club and flaunt her status, dominate the crowd there, which I will give her only if I become her daughter-in-law. And AR Group? You know Mathurs and AR Group have so many ventures together. They all are going to suffer heavy losses if you retreat from this alliance. The Shares will go down and I am sure you do not want your adoptive parents to suffer any of these”

Arnav is quiet. He has just learnt something totally out of the box today. Now he knows why his mother was pushing him so much for Sheetal Mathur. She had her own benefits to attain. He places his arm over Sheetals.

“Fine.!!” He fakes an agreement. “If you know so much about me, my ethics and affinity towards my adoptive parents, then you should also know that I am not going to inherit any of their property or businesses going ahead”

She freezes again. What is that supposed to mean?

“I have already rejected Dad’s will to bestow his entire property and Businesses on my name after him. I might be staying in that house, but becoming my wife you will have to lead a very simple life, deprived of any luxury and high-class parties that you might be favoring at the moment. Obviously for a man who has rejected his paternal monetary rights, will never want his wife to engage or utilize her maternal side comforts either. I am not saying this to threaten you Sheetal but are you ready for all of this?”

Sheetal withdraws her hand from his. Arnav smiles with sarcasm.

“I am nothing but a common man, devoid of fancy life and luxury by my own will. Are you prepared to settle down with a Salaried man like me who can afford to give you all the comforts which a normal wife deserves, but nothing over the brim”?

Sheetal gives him a scorned look. Why didn’t Revati Raizada tell her that before? That he is nothing but a handsome beggar!!

“You can’t” he exclaims. “And I am not surprised. A girl who has lived her life with all these amenities will never want to give it up so easily. We don’t have any match Sheetal Mathur. Only being the Raizada’s adopted son doesn’t make me fit in your Prince charming status”

She looks away from him.
“It’s Khushi, isn’t it?” she snaps after a minute of silence.
Arnav knew she would guess this name soon. Sheetal doesn’t need any confirmation now. She can read it on his face. She gets up picking her phone from the table.
“I am going to sue your family for staining Mathur’s reputation like this.”

Arnav is not very surprised either. She is being rejected. She will go to any heights to tarnish his image. She makes her way out.

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

An Hour later – Gupta Apartment

“This is insane” Shashi growls. “Why didn’t you tell us before booking your flights?” he snaps at his daughter again who is very calmly explaining him and Buaji that she is leaving back to London the next day.

“Dad, whats so surprising about it? My work here is over. I got the cheque, I repaid the Raizadas. Now I have to look for a permanent job in London. And it won’t happen if I sit here. I have to go back”

Shashi is not convinced by her reply neither is Buaji.

“Shashi Babua” Buaji interrupts. “She came here without informing us and now she is leaving with such a short notice. Your daughter is expert in giving us surprises”
“Buaji” Khushi hugs Madhumati and kisses her cheek. “I insist you and Dad join me there in 3 months. Let Dad finish his notice period and then I want you both in London. We will chill and hang out together. What say?”

Buaji frowns but she likes that idea.

“Yes, we will come there soon after all we have to fix your marriage with the Sharmas too” she replies.

Shashi and Khushi both go limb at the mention of Khushi’s marriage to Akash Sharma.

“Jeeji” Shashi speaks. “Let her get settled first. Marriage can wait”
Khushi smiles at her father for understanding her state. He blinks at her to be rest assured. He won’t be hurrying over her marriage for now. And he realizes Khushi needs to go away from this place. Staying here she will always yearn for the man she loves.

“What time is your flight tomorrow”
“Night. 08:15. Don’t come to drop me at the airport. I won’t be able to go otherwise” she strictly mentions.

Shashi has tears in his eyes. He gets up and pats Khushi’s back for being brave enough to get a grip on her life again. This suits her. This will heal her from all the pain she had been going through so far.

Khushi retreats to her room to finish the packing. It is not going to be easy to wind up all her memories from this place and leave. She is going to miss each one of it; especially those related to Arnav. It’s hard to believe she has given up chasing that man, not because she is tired of doing this, but because he is unwilling to change and break the chains that has been binding him to obey each and every command of his adoptive parents. And even if he does that for her, she knows he will always be guilty and in pain. It is better to see him happy with someone else than in pain with her. She zips her luggage and then her gaze falls upon the rose which is almost dead in the vase. She takes it out and starts plucking its petals one at a time.

“He loves me”

She plucks another.
“He loves me not”

She keeps doing this until the last one is left.

“He loves me not” she murmurs holding her sob, plucking the last petal and throws the twig away. In numerous times she has done this and not even once she got a positive outcome. She should lose that hope now, put it behind her and move ahead. Arnav will always be the one she loves so deeply, doesn’t matter how many men come in her life ahead.

She decides its time to get some sleep. The next day she has plans to see few of her friends here and bid farewell to them. She is not going to come back to India anytime soon. She has no such plans, no such reasons to be here again. Getting up from her bed, she walks to the window to close the curtains. While she does that, her gaze falls upon a car parked at the same corner where Arnav had met her last night. She hides behind the curtain.

It is his car. She can point out his vehicle even without seeing its number plate. But why is he here? The black tainted glasses of the car are not letting her see if he is sitting inside or not. Why will he come back here again? She has made things clear between the them last night. He chose his path and so has she. Why is he still trying to give her some hope by loitering around her apartment then? She keeps hiding behind the thick curtains of her room window. Did he get the cheque? Is that why he is here? To discuss with her why she did that? However hard he tries to return her that cheque, she is not going to accept it, neither she is interested in having any conversation with him. His silent moves of strolling around her house is not going to change anything. Better he leaves. She slowly pops her head again to see if his car is still down and to her surprise, she finds the man himself, leaning against the vehicle, with arms crossed on his chest, looking at her window.. through her. Even though he is meters apart, she can feel his eyes blazing at her. Why all this attitude? Why show off this possessiveness? Why? Why now? Why when she has made up her mind to end it for everyone’s good? However hard she wants to look back at him, she decides not to. She switches off the lights and draws the curtains close. She has closed this chapter. There can be nothing between them again!! Nothing!!

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

Shantivan

Arnav returns back home dejected and heads to the private bar counter adjacent to the dining room area. He is not very much into hard drinks but on an occasion like this, he deserves one. He sits on the high chair, about to make a drink when his father pats his back and takes the next chair.

“You look exhausted” he complains.
“I feel like one” he nods in response.

Ayush smiles.
“Drink?”
“Please”

Ayush makes a drink for the two and serves it to Arnav who gulps down in no time.

“I broke my engagement with Sheetal” he finally confirms that looking straight in his father’s eyes.
Ayush is blank. It’s like someone pushed him from the top of a 100-floor building. “Hmm” he gulps his drink too and pours some more for himself.
“Dad.. I ..” Arnav is about to give reasons to him but Ayush pats his back again.
“I understand. This was not going to work for anyone of us in the longer run. I am glad you took that decision now and didn’t stretch it further.”

Arnav feels relieved that his father understood his decision.
“Sheetal is pissed off. She is not going to take this lightly” Arnav warns. “Plus, I don’t need to mention how the media is going to react. And the share price of AR group is going to fall too if the Mathur’s back off their projects from us”

Ayush has all that calculated in his mind much prior to Arnav informing him. He shrugs.

“We will handle it together. I will talk to Raj tomorrow.”
“I think I should talk to him too” Arnav points out.  “I owe him an apology”
“Fine then.. We will go see him tomorrow. Don’t worry, will sort it out. Cheers”

Since his father has taken things normally, Arnav gets some strength back but he knows it is not going to be easy talking to his mother, then the Mathurs followed by sorting their business again. Last but not the least, the Guptas. That’s going to be one tough war which he has to win!!

To be Continued.


NEXT PART



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