SOLACE, SERENITY, SOULMATE

Chapter 18: A Subdued Celebration

   

     Mr. Rathi and Riddhima already reached their house. 

    "Riddhima, as today is your birthday, I bought a gift for you. Let me just bring it from my room, wait here till then.", Mr. Rathi said. 

    Riddhima smiled at him. 

    He came back with the gift and handed it over to her with an overwhelming birthday wish for her. She took it and started opening it and found the costliest cell phone in her hand. She kept looking at it and her mouth remained open. 

    "Uncle, how can I take this as a gift from you? I mean it's the costliest cell phone of today's date.", Riddhima stammered. 

    "Riddhima, you are just like my child. I bought another one for Ritu but will give her the day she will leave for Prague.", Mr. Rathi said convincingly. 

    "Don't think much, just take it. You should never deny a gift from elders.", he said while smiling. Riddhima nodded her head and went to her room.

     She inserted her phone sim card into the new phone and switched it on. Riddhima felt happy and blessed to get someone like Mr. Rathi who was indeed a father figure to her. 

    A message popped up in her new phone which read, "CONGRATULATION" sent by Mr. Raisinghania. She thought for a while and replied with a thank you message. Then she kept her phone aside and went to the kitchen to have something for lunch.

    During the evening, Riddhima stood by the roadside window for a few hours and thought about her parents, their murder, the darkness in her life, and the court case that was getting more complicated day by day. Although she had no idea about her enemies, she could tell that they were economically, politically, and socially very powerful. She was missing her birth place, her house, where each and every corner seemed to give her the solace, the serenity, the bliss in her life.

    Her thought was broken by Ritu, where she came with a simple gown, the way Riddhima liked and gifted it to her. 

    "Don't deny. I bought it with my savings and a lot of love for my best friend and soul sister too. While I know it is that day when you lose very important people from your life, thinking about those things won't help us give them justice, but if you try to be happy, you will be able to think more rationally about your life.", Ritu tried to convince her at her best. 

    Riddhima smiled sincerely because she didn't want to see her best friend sad who was her support in a difficult period of her life. 

    "That's my girl. Now you will get ready and come down. We will celebrate only as a family and no outsider. I'm waiting for you in the living room.", Ritu smiled and then closed the door of Riddhima's room to give her privacy. 

    Riddhima took a deep breath and did whatever Ritu wanted. Then she came down within half an hour. Mr. Rathi and Ritu were captivated by her aura and personality. Their hearts went out to her and they wished her the best. 

    Suddenly, a man came inside the house and said, "Sorry to interrupt, the house will be under the security of Raisinghania Security Pvt. Ltd. Boss will arrive in 15 minutes." 

    "No problem.", Mr. Rathi said to the security personnel of Mr. Raisinghania. 

    Riddhima stared at Ritu. 

    "What? Don't look at me like that? He indeed belongs to our family only.", Ritu said, avoiding Riddhima's gaze at her.

    Just 15 minutes later the very man, with an extravagant personality, exotic scent, dressed in a style that proclaimed his wealth and lavish lifestyle, entered the house.