Tangled || ArShi FF

Chapter 3 - Not that Naive

(May 2, Tuesday)

"Nice to meet you again, Ms. Gupta," Arnav said the words coolly and waited for her reaction.

When Khushi saw him in the meeting room and understood that he was the new MD, for a split second, shock had been etched on her face and she had let it show. But the next moment, she composed herself and gave him a smile. The strangeness of the interaction was barely noticed by any of the other 10 people except for Arnav and Khushi.

He admired the way she had quickly collected herself and was now addressing the heads about him- the new addition as company MD.

He reflected to their first interaction, an hour back. He had recognized Khushi the moment she walked in the café. He had done his due diligence on the company as well as her since she was the soul of the company. She was in a grey skirt with a peach shirt. Her eyes were puffy- indicating lack of sleep but her face and the way she smiled and greeted the barista didn't let her exhaustion show.

He expected her to have done her homework too. But she didn't recognize him. He noticed her wait impatiently for the coffee and on being told that the machine was not working, she looked so disappointed. He had never seen anyone look so disheartened at not getting a cup of coffee. It was amusing.

When he had offered her his coffee, the confusion and happiness on her face, intrigued him. He even had a little banter with her. Arnav wondered if Khushi would even talk to him, let alone accept his coffee if she knew who he really was.

"Mr. Raizada?" Khushi's voice cut through his thoughts, "Would you like to say something?"

He cleared his throat, "Thank you Ms. Gupta."

"Please call me Khushi," she informed him.

He nodded, "Thank you, Khushi." He then glanced at the people sitting around the table and began his introductory speech.

The meeting went on for a couple of hours with each head talking about their department and the work in general. When it was over, Sheetal left the office, right after showing Arnav his corner office.

He sat on his plush leather chair and went through some files kept on the table- mainly about the company financials. A knock on the door drew his attention to a girl with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"May I come in, Sir?"

Arnav nodded and the girl walked in, "I am Lavanya, Khushi Ma'am's PA. She, on behalf of Magnolia, sent you this." Lavanya extended the bouquet and placed it on the edge of the table. A "welcome" card was tucked among the flowers.

"Today's meeting was rescheduled without notice so she wasn't able to send them before," Lavanya informed him.

Arnav deduced that Sheetal was doing everything in her power to make this transition as difficult as she could for Khushi.

"Please thank Khushi for the flowers," Arnav replied to Lavanya, "And tell her I am looking forward to working with her."

He noticed the doubtful look the PA cast on him but she didn't linger. She thanked him and exited his office.

Arnav plucked the card from the bouquet and read it. It was a standard welcome message handwritten by Khushi. She had signed it personally too.

He was assuming that she would perceive him to be her adversary. Even if that were the case, she wasn't letting her personal feelings show. He appreciated her professionalism- that she could engage in basic civility and courtesy despite of being wary of him.