"Uncle ji, one more please. Make it extra spicy." Geet told the street vendor, Gupta ji, selling pani puris.

"Here, Geet bitiya," the man made a plate of spicy pani puris and handed it over to the young girl.

The girl and her family recently moved to their housing colony. The people living here in this colony have been here for years and they were a close knit unit. So when Shukla ji informed them about renting one of his houses to a family migrating from a distant village, they were all apprehensive of letting new people in. They didn't want any sort of disturbances.

But Geet with her sunny nature, bright smile and chirpy talks won the hearts of them all within a matter of few days.

Yesterday Shuklaji even talked about asking her hand in marriage for his son.

But Gupta didn't want that to happen.

Geet bitiya is too young to be married to Shukla's son. Moreover Geet bitiya is too beautiful for Shukla's son. Geet bitiya deserves nothing less than a charming prince.

"This is so tasty, Gupta uncle ji. I will come again tomorrow. Here," Geet said and extended her hands with the three twenty rupees notes.

"Keep it bitiya. It's free for you today." Gupta said with a fond smile.

"Momma will scold me uncle ji.." She said with a pout and Gupta reluctantly took the money.

"Geet didi! Geet didi!" A little boy, a member of Geet's kiddo gang in the colony came running to her all breathless.

"Chintu? What happened? Why are you running like this?" Geet asked.

"Nalini aunty is calling you home. Haresh uncle met with an accident." Chintu said breathlessly.

"Papa..." Geet cried and ran to her home, only to see her father sitting with his bandaged legs propped up on the tea table.

"Papa, what happened?" Geet ran to him crying.

"Nothing, Chutki. Papa is okay. I just fell down and sprained my ankle. Doctor saab said a few days of rest will cure it." Haresh said softly.

"How did you fall?? You should always be careful papa." Geet chided her father for his carelessness.

"Okay darling. Sorry, I will be careful from now on." Haresh promised his daughter, who was glaring down at him now.

"Haresh ji. Drink this." Nalini Jha, Greg's mother, handed over a glass of homemade concoction to her husband as a remedy for his pain.

"Nalini, if the lunch boxes are ready, Lal will be here in an hour. You go with him." Haresh said, worried about their new clients.

Usually it's him who takes the food to the Khuranna Industries. As he couldn't move his leg for a few days ,he asked Lal, the rickshaw driver living in their colony to take his wife to the office to deliver the food.

***

An hour later.

Geet tried to take her father to the bedroom so that he can rest, but she wasn't strong enough to support him.

Nalini came forward and helped them.

"Geet, do one thing. You go with Lal ji." Nalini said, shocking both father and daughter.

"Nalini, she is a child. How will she manage alone?" Haresh asked worriedly.

"Haresh ji. We are in the city now. We need to let her do things on her own. Else she wouldn't be able to cope in the city." Nalini said and Haresh knew it was true. This place is so different from the village they had lived in all these years.

"Papa. I am a big girl. I can manage." Geet said, frowning at her father for calling her a child.

"Chutki. I am just worried. It's a big company. Be careful, okay. I have heard the bosses of the company are very rude and arrogant. If one mistake happens ,they will cancel our contract." Haresh said, anxiously.

"Don't worry papa. I won't make any mistakes." Geet promised.

"I hope you won't bump into KK or VK." Haresh said, making Geet frown.

"KK and VK??" She asked with a confused frown on her face.

"Yeah. They are the bosses," Haresh said and Geet broke into a fit of laughter.

"What strange names they have, papa. Who names their children KK and VK?" Geet asked, laughing at the hilarity.

"Don't go there and say this Geet." Haresh warned his daughter who has no control over her tongue.

****

Geet stepped out of the rikshaw and looked at the skyscraper building in awe.

"OMG! How big is this building?" She gaped at the very tall building with her wide eyes.

"They are one of the richest families in India, Geet. Very powerful too." Lal said, taking the boxes out of the rikshaw, helping Geet.

They reached the canteen and saw a lady shouting at another lady.

"What do you mean by lunch has not arrived yet. There's an important meeting in an hour. It's your responsibility to make sure the office cafe runs smoothly. You are not paid for nothing," the lady shouted and Geet shuddered hearing it.

'Today you are gone Geet Jha. What was the need to stop in between to buy the cotton candy? Papa had warned you not to make any mistakes and see what you did?' Geet spoke to herself.

"Hello Madam, I am Geet Jha. Haresh Jha's daughter," she introduced herself to the lady who was screaming a moment ago.

"So?" The rude lady asked, looking at her in disgust.

"We came with lunch, Madam. What happened is, papa got into-" she was rudely cut off by the lady standing in front of her.

"So, you are that irresponsible idiot who couldn't do the job they are hired for properly?" The lady shouted at her angrily.

Geet gulped in fear. Nobody has ever screamed at her like this.

"Sorry madam ji. I was..-"

"Shut up. Don't know who hired you. And what the hell are you wearing?" The lady looked at her outfit with evident distaste.

Geet looked down at herself.

She is wearing one of her favorite outfit. A yellow kamiz with red salwar with all the pompoms attached to it.

Her eyes filled up and tears started running down her cheeks listening to the lady still shouting at her

"Tanya ,that's enough," Mayur who came down for lunch said not liking the way Tanya was bullying the girl who seems like she would burst out into loud sobs any moment.

"MK. If we don't point out their mistakes, they will take it for granted and repeat it." Tanya said.

"Stop it Tanya. Bhai is coming down for lunch. Don't bring this into his attention. The girl is already crying. If bhai says something she will definitely faint or something." Mayur warned her about Ved.

"VK is coming?? Great." Tanya looked at Geet and smirked.

Maybe this is an opportunity to impress VK. To let him know that PR is not the only field she could deal with. If he marries her, she could stand by his side and help him run the company smoothly.

Ved walked into the cafe only to see a group of people surrounding someone.

"What's happening here?" He asked to no one particular and the people moved aside, giving him a way.

Geet, who was having palpitations at the mention of the rude arrogant VK, heard the very familiar voice and turned around to see her Ved ji standing there.

A big smile broke out on her face realising that she is not alone.

"Ved ji," she called out loudly and ran to him and hugged him tightly.

Ved froze for a moment along with all the others in the cafe.

Everyone held their breath waiting for the explosion.

A chit of a girl had dared to hug VK. And dared to call him Ved ji.

The girl is dead today.

But to their utter shock, VK wrapped his arms around the still trembling girl and looked down at her face.

They stared transfixed seeing the always thunderous face softening. The eyes that always spit fire at them turned tender when he looked at the girl in his arms.

Are they dreaming??

Did VK go mad??

Or is it them who went mad??

Ved's breath hitched seeing the tear stained face of his Geet.

"Geet, why are you crying? What happened, bacchha?" He asked, wiping her tears with his thumbs.

"I am so happy you are here. I was so scared that VK would come and scold me. Do you know VK, Ved ji. Please tell him I didn't come late intentionally. Papa fell down and sprained his ankle. That's why I had to come." Geet said in between her hiccups.

"Relax, bachha. It's okay, it's okay. Come with me," he took her hands and guided her to the elevator to take her to his cabin.

"Somebody, pinch me please." Mayur whispered and Drishti who stood next to him pinched him hard.

Mayur hissed.

"Who was that??" Mayur asked, still in daze.

"Geet. That's what she said," Drishti said, still staring into the space they had occupied a moment ago.

"Not the girl. Who is that guy? That couldn't be my brother. No way!" Mayur mumbled more to himself.

He had no idea what all they were going to witness in the coming days!!

A/n

Here goes the next shot!

Please do vote and comment!!

Love,
SF ❤️