Hello readers! I am so sorry for this huge delay but I was stuck up with my co

Hello readers! Does anyone remember me?

I am so sorry guys for being so late in updating the stories. I know you people must be frustrated with my delay. But guys right now I am having my second year annual exams. You know right final exams are so important that you can't risk it with anything. My exams will get over on 25 April so after that I will be regular and I have a little extended break between these two exams so I will update all three stories once and then will see you after 25 April.

I hope you understand!

Sanyukta twisted her lips in annoyance when she heard some voices, to be exact people's voices. She slowly opened her eyes and looks around and found arnav scolding the peon. She looked around and gathered all the events of the last night. She stood up on the place and adjusted her clothes. She cleared her throat catching their attention.

Peon: I am so sorry ma'am for all the inconvenience you had to face because of my carelessness but please don't snatch my job from me. I am the only earning member in my family.

Arnav (in a stern voice): don't you hear it at once! You are not forgiven! You are fired! Just collect your money of the month and get lost.

Sanyukta: no need to fire him sir...and you, apologize to him and dare you do this again!

Peon: I am really sorry! Thank you so much ma'am for forgiving me

Sanyukta (interrupting him): who told you that you are forgiven? Because you are not! As arnav sir said you will not be forgiven without a punishment. And you punishment will be you have to one week of the month without a salary of that particular period.

Peon: (widening his eyes) but ma'am

Sanyukta: either you will be fired or get ready to cut down your salary for one week. The choice is absolutely yours!

Peon: okay ma'am! I am ready to cut down my salary for one week.

Sanyukta: good for you! now get back to work.

The peon left them alone. Sanyukta was too about to exist when she felt a tug on his wrist. She turned around to find arnav looking at her with a knowing look.

Sanyukta (giving him a confused look): what?

Arnav: you are too smart for your own good. What do you think I won't understand your trick?

Sanyukta: what are you talking about sir? By the way I am getting late. We have the meeting in next two hours so I will go home and get freshen up.

Arnav: you did this deliberately right? You acted to punish that peon so that you can save him from me. You thought that like this he neither he will lose his job and nor I will remain mad on him. Right now that idiot must be cursing you for cutting down his half salary but what he didn't knew was that you actually saved him from my wrath. Am I right Ms. Sanyukta?

Sanyukta: No! You are wrong sir! I didn't do anything to save him from anyone. Though I don't find it necessary but still let me clear this confusion of yours. Yes I saved him from losing his job, not because I felt pity on him but I felt pity on his family who will suffer without any fault. But he deserves to be punished! May we both were lucky that we didn't had some major problem. But he needs to be taught a lesson so that no one faces any similar situation. Now excuse me please!

Arnav left her wrist looking directly in her eyes. sanyukta left from there after collecting her stuff. Arnav kept looking at her retreating back. He smirked thinking looking in her direction. He shook his head and left for his cabin.

Sanyukta ended the presentation and the lights were on. She expectantly looks around at everyone. She sighed in disappointment when no one made a move but soon that disappointment turned into happiness when she saw people passing her a smile and applauding for her. Her eyes immediately landed on arnav who passed her a satisfactory smile. Soon the meeting got over and sanyukta made her towards her cubicle. She was passing by the corridor when her gaze fell on a small girl sitting near the reception. Sanyukta couldn't help but made her way towards the girl who was dressed in a school dress and was sitting with a grumpy face. She could very well make out that she is here to meet someone, may be her parent work here for whom she is here.

Sanyukta: hey baby! What's your name?

The little girl looked at her with her chocolate eyes. sanyukta for a moment felt that she has seen those eyes somewhere. She shook her head to clear the thoughts. She looked at the girl expectantly but she didn't say anything.

Sanyukta (forwarding her hand): hey little doll! My name is sanyukta....and people who like me call me sanyu...you can call me sanyu too...by the way what is your name?

Girl: (twisting her lips) I am told not to talk to strangers

Sanyukta (raised his eyes): ohhh...okay so you don't tell me your name but may I know the name of this pretty doll?

She pointed out toward the doll which was in the hands of the little girl. The girl looked at the doll and then at sanyukta. She blinked her eyes cutely. She pouted her lips as if debating whether she should tell her name or not?

Girl: okay! I am telling you her name but please don't tell papa about this. Otherwise he will scold me very badly. She is jalebi.

Sanyukta could not contain her laugh and she burst out laughing too loudly. The girl narrowed her gaze and frown at her.

Sanyukta (breathing heavily): ohh god...jalebi....okay okay I am sorry pretty girl....but this name is actually so sweet just like a jalebi (she chuckles) now tell what is your name? imarti or barfi (she again chuckled but this she shut her mouth immediately earning a glare from the girl)

Girl: you are so bad! You are laughing on my jalebi.

Sanyukta (holding her ears): I am so sorry baby! But I was not laughing on your jalebi. You know I too like jalebi. You also like eating jalebi?

Girl (nodding her head cutely): I love jalebis...they are so sweet and yummy...

Sanyukta: not to forget they so crispy....ummmm (she moaned) now you can tell me your name right? See we both love jalebi....

Girl (grinning): okay....my name is pia..I am five years old and I study in little scholar's school. I l love painting and dancing and I hate maths (she twisted her lips in annoyance)

Sanyukta: hawww...same pinch (she lightly pinched her chubby cheeks) I too hate maths and I too love dancing...now that means we can be friends...what say pia?

Pia (tapping her chin): okay but on one condition...you will bring jalebis for me...so deal (she said stretching he hand)

Sanyukta looked at her stretched hand and chuckles. She took her small hand in her big one and shook it lightly. Both the girls giggle looking at each other. Sanyukta was about to mouth something more but pia left her hand and stood up from the chair. She stretched her arms and ran in a direction.

Pia (running): papaaaaaa

Sanyukta turned around to find the most shocking site in front of her. Little pia was in arnav's arms with her hands wrapped around arnav's neck. Arnav caressed her hair and pecked her both the cheeks.

Arnav: how is my bacha?

Pia (pecking his cheeks back): I am good papa...you know I got highest marks in today's test and today I made a new friend too. (she turned her neck towards a shocked sanyukta and called her by small hands) come na....meet my papa...and papa she is my new friend...her name is...yes..her name is shanyu...papa she too love jalebis...

Sanyukta looked at arnav who adoring his daughter whereas she was blabbering something about jalebis. She smiled looking at the father and daughter duo and now she knows where she has seen those chocolaty eyes.

Arnav: now now princess...enough of your stories. My baby must be hungry and since baby scored this time in test so papa is going to treat his princess with double cheese pizza at her favorite place.

Pia's eyes twinkle after hearing pizza. She grinned from ear to ear and started jumping in his arms only. sanyukta chuckled looking at her.

Pia: yayyy....party time! papa pia has one more request...papa can we take shanyu too with us...please papa..shanyu is my friend right and you only says that we should share with our friends. So I want to share my pizza with shanyu.

Sanyukta (awkwardly): no pia...you should go with your father this time. I promise we both will party next time and will have our girl's time too.

Pia : (shaking her head) NO...no...I want to go out with you today only and if you won't listen to me then I will not talk to you again...please shanyu we four will have so much fun.

Sanyukta: four? But baby we are only three right?

Pia : no we are four...(pointing towards arnav) papa...(to herself) pia...(to sanyukta) shanyu (and then raising her doll up) and jalebi...we four shanyu...you need to lean counting shanyu otherwise you will get bad marks in your class and then you papa will scold you

She tried to make a horrific face to scare sanyukta just like the way she gets scared whenever her father is about to scold her. arnav looked at his daughter amusingly whereas sanyukta was awed with her cuteness.

Arnav: if she is insisting so much then why don't you accompany us Ms. Sanyukta?

Sanyukta: I thought you won't like me interfering in your personal family time

Arnav: until and unless my pia is happy, I am happy too and can do anything for her happiness. So you are in?

Sanyukta smiled at him giving her confirmation. Pia jumped in happiness and they both laughed out seeing her antics. They went for a restaurants and arnav ordered pizza for them according to their likes. He looked at pia who was constantly chatting with sanyukta or to be precise with her shanyu sharing all her little secrets and likes. He then shifted his gaze from pia to sanyukta who was keenly listening to all her blabbering with all due interest.

Soon their order came and they started opening the boxes. Pia was sitting with her hands kept in her laps waiting for her papa to make her eat as the food was hot and she was still not much habituated to eat on her own. Arnav opened her packed first and was about to pick up the slice when his phone rang. He gave pia an apologetic smile and left to attend the call. After around ten minutes he returned back to their table and was shocked to find pia sitting on sanyukta lap and sanyukta was feeding her the pizza with her own hands.

He knew pia liked sanyukta but to this extent and that too in their first meeting because he knew how choosy his daughter is regarding people just like him. She never open up to everyone and that is the reason she don't have much friends in school too.

Arnav (murmurs): no doubt sanyukta knows how to win hearts.

He made his way back to his seat whereas sanyukta passed him a smile. He looked at his daughter who so busy in eating and talking to sanyukta that she forgets about his father existence. And arnav for some strange reason felt good about it.

Soon they finished their food and left the restaurants. They were on their way back to office and pia was now sound asleep in sanyukta's arm who was caressing her hair.

Arnav: you liked pia?

Sanyukta: she is so adorable! How can someone resist her? But I am in doubt. Pia though shares some characteristics of yours but still she is not much on you.

Arnav: she is on her mother...

Sanyukta: oh wow! But why didn't she come along with her in the morning?

Arnav (in a low voice): I and pia's mother are not together now. We both got divorced when pia was one year old and since then I am pia's papa also and her mumma also.

Sanyukta : oh! I am sorry sir. I shouldn't have ask you something so personal

Arnav: no it's okay! There is nothing like no one knows.

Sanyukta: it must be so hard for you to single handedly raised a child

Arnav: I won't say that it is not because trust me sometimes it is really pain in the ass (he chuckles) but yeah just when my wife thought that our daughter will hamper her career that was the moment I decided to moved out of the marriage along with my baby. She was then all free from our side to do anything and after that day she didn't looked back at us.

Sanyukta (looking out of the window): you are lucky that after everything you at least have your daughter with you

Arnav (confusingly): what?

Sanyukta (shaking her head): nothing..But I must say you are doing an amazing job. Your daughter adores you so much that show how perfectly you are able to bring her up.

Arnav smiled at her direction and looked at his sleeping princess who was snoring softly snuggling her head in sanyukta's chest.

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aashi