London, UK

Khushi Kathie Gomez has successfully completed surgery again. It's been three months since she got into an accident and gained her memory back. Her father was back from India too a few weeks ago, getting her the needed information. Although the information saddened her she is Khushi, and she can never jeopardize her happiness and be sad. She doesn't hold grudges from her past. She was happy knowing at least there was someone who took her in for a year, taking care of her and owning her responsibility.

Who does that these days?

Although they had a reason, especially Payal, still they were too kind to accept a total stranger. Even if Payal claimed to know her.

She remembered her conversation with Payal a few weeks ago. The information her father had given her had her phone number.

"Hello!" she greeted the other person on the phone.

"Hi, Doctor Khushi," Payal doesn't know what else to call her. When she was with her, she treated Khushi as she should be treated, being protective of her, although she is aware Khushi is almost 7 years older than her.

"Thanks for taking me in when I was suffering from amnesia, Payal! No one would do that these days," Khushi thanked her from the heart. Payal could have taken advantage of the situation, and demanded money from her after what she had done. But she didn't. She simply helped wanting nothing in return and all for what?

Just because she was a Doctor and saved Payal when she was on the verge of death?

"No need of thanks, Doctor. I did what I could. If I'm alive today, that's only because of you!" Payal had always admired Khushi and her nature from the time she know her. Although for Khushi, Payal was just another patient.

"You know what, Payal? I don't even remember the faces of my patients once I'm done treating them. But you? You remembered the one who treated you and saved her when she was on the verge of dying. You're a very good human, Payal. Thank you so much! You have my respect," Khushi was genuine when she said that. She will always be grateful to Payal Gupta for saving her, taking her in, and protecting her in all the ways she could. It's just that she seemed stubborn, making it tougher for Payal.

"I know for you, I'm just another patient. But for me, you are my god. No patient can ever forget their doctors who are no less than gods. And when I got the chance to show my gratitude, I didn't back off. You don't need to thank me for that, Khu-" She stops herself from uttering the name and continues, slapping her forehead, "I mean, Doctor!"

"You can call me Khushi. I don't mind having one more friend," Khushi chuckles at the slip Payal made. She must have been very close to Payal. She must sit with her someday and know whatever tantrums she has shown to Payal. Handling her is tough for anyone!

Her dad did the best job of raising a troublemaker like her. She knows that for him, she is his whole world. His profession is on the other side and his princess is on another side.

Now two more persons had been added to her list, Shashi and Payal.

She had a conversation with Shashi who looked nothing less than her father in showing love, adoration, and care. After which she is conversing with Payal.

"No. I'll go for Jiji if you don't mind. You're elder than me. I know I called you by name before, but that was necessary. Now that it's no more, can I call you Jiji?" she waits in impatience.

"Sure, you can!" Khushi chuckles again accepting her offer.

"Princess, time for lunch!" Her caretaker, Stella had come to call her and she nods dismissing her.

Payal who heard the conversation on the other side replies, "Ji, hum rakte hai. Aap lunch pe jayiye!"

(I'll cut the call. You go to lunch!)

"No, wait, Payal. I heard because of me, your marriage broke. Isn't it?" Khushi asked hesitantly. She heard her father say this but isn't sure yet. Payal's mother seemed to accuse her of such a thing. If she was indeed the cause, she doesn't know what could she do to undo the damage.

"No, Jiji. It wasn't because of you. The boy was asking for more dowry during the last moment. You just tried to help me and my father. Don't bother about what my mother said to AG. She's just worried for me," Payal tries to comfort her. It wasn't her fault that her marriage broke, she would have eventually broken her marriage if Khushi's action didn't break it. She's a working woman, earning bread for herself, and because of her mother and Bua-ji, agreed to the dowry arrangement a bit reluctantly. If they're asking for more, in the end, she is sure they wouldn't stop asking for some more after marriage. She doesn't need that kind of marriage and before she could actually break the marriage, Khushi did. She was thankful for that although her Buaji and Mother were furious about it. Her Buaji calmed down but her mother still had a little grudge even after she started working again.

"Are you sure or are you just trying to comfort me?" Khushi put forth her doubt.

"Whatever I said is true. If not for you, I'd have broken the marriage myself!" Payal was confident when she said this.

"Alright. If you say so but still I'd like to say sorry!" Khushi didn't want to throw away the 1% of her guilt with no apologies.

"There's no need, Doc- I mean Jiji," she wondered if it'd take time in calling her like that.

"Okay, fine. Call you later, bye!" Khushi sighs and cuts the call. It was lunchtime and she need to follow her diet.

Payal on the other hand had cut her call too, who was sitting in the office car on the way to her Buaji's home. Her office was over and it was 5:30 in the evening. She's working as a Software Engineer in Infosys with a decent package for the past four years. Although she had to resign during her marriage and apply in her husband's city, Mumbai but when the marriage was canceled, she rejoined and her Manager was too happy to take her back. Delhi isn't new to her and she's used to its traffic for four years. So, when the car had stopped at the signal her company had offered for employees to pick them up and drop them off, she wasn't surprised. She know it'd take an hour or more to reach her home.

"Hey, Doctor KK. Hope surgery was successful," another doctor who came into her view had asked her, looking at her coming out from the operation theatre.

"Yeah. It was successful, Dr. Jack. I thought today was your night duty," Khushi wondered looking at him during the day. It was morning and seeing him in the hospital had surprised her.

"I'm replacing Dr. Mathew. He had some kind of emergency in his home it seems," he replied, playing with his stethoscope and shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh. Alright, see you later, then. Bye!" Khushi nods at him, smiling as she raises her eyebrows and walks away.

Their whole conversation had a pure Britain accent.

Doctor Jack too walks away in the direction of the ICU to check on the patient Dr. Mathews was supposed to check.

The day went busy for all the doctors with patients — some were lying on their death bed and some were lying on the lifeline. The same hospital would see the cries of some people and the smiles of other people. The corridors of the hospitals must have seen more people praying from their hearts chanting for miracles to happen than people who would pray for the same in churches and temples. A place where people either consider the doctor a god or cry blaming them. A place that has seen every emotion of people.

...

It was evening in London and Khushi was done with her day in the hospital and so is Ziya.

"Babe, I'm done for the day. I had one surgery and a few appointments. Are you done? Or is there any emergency?" Ziya entered Khushi's cabin, after making sure Khushi was alone and not with some patient of hers.

"I'm done too. No emergencies. Just winding up. Done with surgery just half an hour ago. Gimme two minutes," Khushi who was checking her files replies to Ziya, wanting to get changes before she winded up for the day. She goes to the changing room and gets back in her casual clothes, dumping her hospital uniform in the bag.

Ziya meanwhile sits on the sofa lying on the corner waiting for Khushi. Ziya is a doctor too —a cardiologist, working in the same hospital as hers. Well, they have even studied at the same university along with Arjen and James. They were inseparable and of the same age — 32. With just a difference of a few months among them. While she and Khushi opted for medicine, Arjen opted for Fashion Designing and Management to carry his father's company forward. James took up while different path — Hollywood. He had opted for Art, Film, and Visual Course at the same University — Harvard. His handsome looks just helped him more and he's now a great actor and model. 

Khushi had come out changing her dress and they winded up for the day, taking their pagers in hand, they had started for the home in their car. The same car was being followed by two other cars ahead and behind, with a lot of distance in between. For people, they were just random cars on the road. Not at all giving away the fact that it was the tight security for Khushi Kathie Gomez — the only daughter of Adam Gomez.

...

Gomez Mansion,

"Stella, my drink!" Khushi screams for her caretaker, after arriving at home and makes her way upward to the room, dismissing a few guards on her way.

Stella, a woman in her late fifties had started making the drink for her princess already. She had been taking care of Khushi since her childhood whenever her boss, Adam Gomez wasn't available. Khushi is always used to drink mixed fruit juice in the evening.

She soon switches on the juice mixer, after cutting fruit pieces and serves it with a few snacks, and keeps it aside, waiting for Khushi to come down.

She is used to eating her snacks in the hall, her bedroom is strictly for bedroom activities unless there was a need. She doesn't like eating in her bedroom and Stella is well aware of this fact.

"Stella, is it ready?" Khushi comes down in her night dress and inquires Stella. Stella walks with the drink and snacks as Khushi settles down on the single sofa which is a little away from the rest of the furniture.

"Thank you, Stella!" Khushi smiles taking it from her and looks at Stella who's still standing.

"What happened?" Khushi asked. Normally Stella would sit on the other sofa and talk to her princess about her day. Even though Stella know she was just a servant in the home, servants were never treated with disrespect in the Gomez family. They're like family members, especially Stella since she has been working for more than decades.

"Nothing, princess. I want to visit my home once. So thinking to take leave for a few days." Stella was just 24 when she started working here. No education was given to her by her ex-family and Mrs. Gomez was kind enough to take a woman who was forced into prostitution by her own parents. Her family is an NGO run by the Gomez family again. So many people like her get a new life there. When she was offered the same, she instantly denied it, wanting to take care of a pregnant woman who had given her shelter. Mrs. Jennifer Gomez, who was Adam's wife had died during childbirth. She was more determined to take care of the kid than take the offer for her better. Still, she did her studies part-time, only that her certificates lay in the cupboard safely and she chose to take care of the tiny motherless baby girl. Her gratitude towards Jennifer, a sincere police officer was more than anything. She was well-versed with everyone in the NGO which was set up by Jennifer and her family decades ago and wanted to stay there for a few days. It wasn't like she wasn't happy here, taking care of Khushi had always given her contentment. Whenever she misses them, she goes and stays there.

"Okay, baby! What's there to ask? Go and tell my hello(s) and hi(s) to my lovelies there," she grinned shaking her head. Stella can never change, always treating her as some royal princess.

"Now what? Have to go now itself?" Khushi asks looking at Stella still standing and not sitting.

Stella immediately comes out of her thoughts, shaking her head, and sits on the other single sofa, talking to Khushi about her day and all the new dishes she tried today.

While Khushi got engrossed in eating and drinking, Stella immerses herself in talking.

There was still time for Adam to come home.

...

Gravity Fashion House, London

Adam Gomez, a 56-year-old man, the empire of the Business world. He owned a lot of businesses in many fields. If ASR was king in the fashion world, Adam Gomez was the empire, not just in Fashion Industry, but in a lot more sectors. He is the AG for the world but for his daughter, a simple and loving father. He loved being called a loving father than the richest man on the earth. Alas! His riches were only the reason why he had to hide his princess from the world. Yet there are some vultures behind him who had to target his baby girl! And he had to work hard to keep them away.

Presently done with a few more features added to the security strategy for his daughter, he now concentrated on which companies were participating in the Fashion Gala — a collab event. Their company has been organizing it for years to give a name to true talent. Many companies would register and participate, but only those get to present themselves whose sample designs are worth Gravity's quality. He is now going through the list the management has pre-finalized and his words were left to finalize it.

He goes through the companies and their sample designs. Dreams FH, Vague FH, Pearls FH, AR FH. Adama stops at AR and reminds his visit to India where he got to know her daughter had worked for some time in AR and that Arnav Singh Raizada might be the reason for her daughter to stuck in a collapsing Guest House.

He so wanted to remove the name from the list but he had to be professional. Their samples were really worth it this year and he sighs finalizing it after checking a few more companies and removing some which didn't attract him.

His gaze again went to AR.

He didn't want to judge a 26-year-old young man whose face he didn't even see. He might have been the King of Fashion in India but not in front of him. Adding to it, the things he did with his daughter, he so wanted to smack the young man's face. He isn't the one to lose his cool easily. He was wise enough not to judge people and he taught his daughter the same. But Arnav Singh Raizada was special. He so wanted to break the rule and curse him without even knowing or interacting with him.

He was that mad at Arnav Singh Raizada!

"Boss, signature on the checks!" His secretary had come halting his thought process and he gestures to her and she puts the files on the table. He approves the Fashion Gala's file which his secretary acknowledges and walks out of her boss's cabin.

AG was soon seen signing the checks.

...

The next morning,

AR Fashion House,

Arnav Singh Raizada along with his brother were busy arriving early in the office, working hard for the Fashion Gala that is up in a few months. He was damn sure they'd be accepted this time. ASR had kept a meeting after an hour and was seen discussing with his designers to buckle up and design their best for the collab. AR had to show their talent. The designers would get recognized individually. Their names would get the deserved recognition.

"But sir, are you sure we would get selected this time? The last three times we were rejected!" One of the employees remind their Boss, ASR who had glared at the employee.

"This time we will!" He was confident. The sample designs that were sent to Gravity had a lot of story behind it. He fired three designers and hired a few more to just work on the sample designs. He had contributed his ideas too in the designs and the best was selected out of it which was sent to Gravity.

The designs were worth in quality — a match to Gravity. He is sure they'd be accepted.

As if god had heard his thoughts, his Manager barges into the conference room.

"What the!" Arnav utters glaring at Aman Mathur.

Aman Mathur was affected by the glare but he was sure once his boss would listen to the news, he'd be happy. " Sir, our designs were accepted!"

He delivers the happy news and everyone in the conference grinned in happiness congratulating their boss and gushing about it. While Arnav had a smirk on his face. Akash grinned too adjusting his spectacles. He and his brother always looked upon AG as their inspiration after all.

They have to work more to stand out — Fashion Gala will keep them on their toes. 

Before that, they need to attend a meeting soon. The meeting would be organized among the companies which are selected for the Gala.

Which means they had to travel to London soon!

To be continued..,

Let me know what you think about the update. 

Don't ask me why Payal made a 32-year-old woman her little sister, you'll know as the story progress.  

But honestly, I'd blindly believe if someone would say Sanaya is indeed 18 while she doing IPK. ;-)

Regards,

polymath_land

19/12/2022