SS | Judas Kiss [Ishqbaaaz AU]

Two

Six months were almost over. She stared at the calendar in Priyanka's room and mentally checked off one more day.

'One more day. Only One more day.'

She turned around and picked up her bag, full of all kinds of essentials and nonessentials to exit the room. Her duffle bag was already packed with her clothes and placed by the edge of the door for easy runaway.

Her slippers made a clacking sound as she stepped down the stairs and walked out of the doors of the Oberoi mansion.

She started her scooty, flinging her bag behind her. It took three tries altogether for it to live up to its talked-about glory by Anika when Shivaay Singh Oberoi's car exited the doors of Oberoi Mansion.

He stopped seeing her and may have once again gotten out to offer her a ride to her work but dear old chameli was getting quicker in her own instincts as well, starting itself up just as he had shown up.

Anika looked at him with a peculiar sadness tinged in her eyes. She didn't waste any more time and drove off, seeing him reaching a conclusion of her unspoken words.

Bombay air with its noise and air pollution coupled with clear skies presented itself bringing an ideal day of new beginnings. Anika smiled as she drove on the busy roads and made her way from in between the hectic traffic towards her office.

The small office space she had rented successfully without any external loans was her own. Her very own event-management company stood out and today it was going to open its doors to everyone.

Anika entered smiling with satisfaction. Her face had somehow managed to retain the youthful energy and innocence she had about a year ago before meeting the man who had thrown money in her face yet her eyes told another story.

The void of loneliness that had surfaced inside her after meeting Shivaay and his family has been crushed with bitter truth about the reality that she had grown up with. With twinkling pleasure dancing in her eyes, she placed her bag onto the table and marveled at the shelves places with the new books she had bought with tips on business expansion and management.

The plain walls looked more beautiful to her with their fresh coat. The shelves lined behind her desk and her desk, oh it was beautiful with space for organizers and planner sheets.

The local carpenter from Sahil's neighborhood had volunteered to craft the furniture for her and only accepted 20% of the payment. Apparently, she had once offered him and his family food that she had brought back from the canteen and the man hadn't earned a nickel in three weeks which had put him in a compromising situation. Good deeds paid off, and remembering the unknown incident, Anika smiled to herself for not allowing herself to lose her touch.

The chairs lined up before her desk and few, by the wall added an unknown hint of the beauty that was beyond Anika's own understanding. She took up her bag from the chair and placed it behind the desk, taking out the old diaries and journals with her scheduling from Tia and Shivaay's wedding to Malika's birthday bashes, on one of the shelves behind her desk. She took out the list of vendors she knew and stuck it inside the planner.

She looked around and decided on only adding a phone line into the office. She can have Sahil working the line for the weekends and maybe she'll have to decide on hiring someone to represent once two of her current clients would have given in their payments.

"Dekha Anika. Apni kabiliyat ki wajah se tu kahan se kahan pohanch gai hai!" she praised herself, chuckling internally. "bas aab aik aur din rehta hai aur phir, AAZZAADIII!!!" she jolted uprighted and started dancing on her own abrupt rhythms.

trans. [See Anika. Your effort took you toward uncharted heights.]

[Just one more day left. Then it's freedom!]

Six months. It only seemed like yesterday when she had challenged the Oberois to the worst possible that she could bring when she was humiliated and it had worked. They all knew better than to underestimate her. After all, a person who has nothing to lose loses nothing in any battle life wages.

She twirled in the empty room, surrounded by the trophies of her own achievements and illuminating sun rays bringing the warmth of new beginnings that awaited her.