Silent Whispers

Chapter 7: Blood, Sweat and Tears

"Ms. Gupta? You can go in now."

It was a perfect day, or so Khushi thought as she straightened her blazer for the umpteenth time that morning. The day she dreamed about ever since she decided to pursue a career in business management. The day she eagerly waited for since the beginning of her MBA degree. She was finally giving her first job interview, and that too in the famous AR Designs.

She couldn't have asked for more.

Muttering a quick thanks to the receptionist, she made her way up the small staircase to the second floor, where her entire future lay. Like many things in her life, she was prepared for this interview. Whether it was having relentlessly reviewed every possible aspect of the company or being perfectly dressed in a fitted black suit, she was ready.

And the fact that there was no other candidate who had more experience or interest in the position than her only added to her confidence. So, along with receiving good luck from her brother that morning, she also prepared herself to accept the position the moment it would be offered to her.

All these thoughts paused, however, when she reached the second floor landing and was momentarily stunned to see that it was entirely occupied by a single room – the CEO's office. Surrounded by translucent walls, the room appeared to be well arranged to say the least.

Anjali would be impressed, Khushi thought to herself as she knocked on the glass door.

"Come in," came a muffled voice in reply.

Putting on a determined smile, she entered the office. Her perfect day, however, ended as soon as she walked around the enormous mahogany desk, and stood directly in front of the CEO.

Her mouth hit the floor.

"Well, well, well birthday girl," he said, in a striking baritone voice. "We meet again."

Khushi couldn't believe her eyes – It was the very stranger she had vowed to never see again; the man she unceremoniously kissed the previous night amidst a very poignant confession to who should have been her boyfriend.

All sense of the interview fled her mind as she shrieked, "You?!"

"Yes, me," he answered calmly, the smirk she detested oh so much, wide on his face.

It was as if things suddenly fell into place. "You are Arnav Singh Raizada?! The owner of this company?!"

"Yup, the very same."

If the world stopped spinning, it would have been at the moment. Khushi gaped at him, as she desperately tried to understand the situation at hand. How was Akash's brother the owner of AR Designs, one of leading clothing companies in Delhi? And why did she not know about it? After all, the Raizada's were one of the famous families in town.

"Hi, I'm Khushi... Khushi Kumari Gupta."

"Nice meeting you Khushi... My name is Akash – Akash Singh."

Akash's words reverberated in her mind, as she realized with a jolt that he purposefully hid his identity from the very first time they met. Despite knowing her obsession to make a place in the competitive corporate world for more than two years, he kept his heritage a secret. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was telling him how much she wanted to earn a job in AR Designs?

Khushi felt betrayed.

It was as if someone rudely woke her up from a very pleasant dream. Of course, she felt none of it. She had been through enough in her childhood for things this small to affect her. No, instead what she felt was her own stupidity for overlooking the signs. Why blame Akash for lying, when she willing played along with it? Not once did she ask why he lived in such a gorgeous mansion in one the richest areas of the city or what his family did for a living.