A Loveless Arranged Marriage

Chapter 8. Work Stress and Valentine

Previously, Deepa was excited about her first day at work. She went to the office and befriended Suguna, and together, they began training under Yuvraj. During lunchtime, Shahina introduced Deepa and Suguna to Yuvraj. The next day, their training ended, and both Deepa and Suguna were thrilled to be selected for the same department. After work, Shahina, Deepa, and Suguna decided to have a party.

The three of them started searching for nearby restaurants. Suguna suggested McDonald's at Mumbai Central. Shahina and Deepa were fine with the suggestion, so they all headed to the McDonald's at Mumbai Central. Once there, Deepa and Shahina left the ordering to Suguna. She ordered three McCheese Veg Burgers, three packets of French fries, and three iced coffees.

While waiting for their order, they clicked photos and chatted. Suguna asked, "Shahina, sis, how many years have you been working at Deux?" Shahina replied, "It's been almost three years." Suguna then asked, "Can you tell me what the work environment is like at Deux?" Shahina answered, "In my opinion, Deux has a mixed work environment. The staff here are quite friendly, and you'll get contacts from various multinational companies. Many of my colleagues have been placed in top multinational firms. But the downside is the job itself. We face a lot of work pressure due to the monthly targets and overload. If you can overcome that, you can survive in this company."

Deepa responded, "Shahina, you're scaring us!" Shahina smiled and said, "That's just the reality. I faced the same stress in the beginning, but now I'm okay with it." Suguna nodded, saying, "Hmm," just as their order arrived. Then they all started eating their snacks.

On the other hand, we see Rishi getting out of the car. On his way to the flat, he meets Hemant. Rishi says, "Hello, Hemant Uncle," and Hemant replies, "Hey, Rishi Beta, are you just getting home from the office?" Rishi responds, "Yes, Uncle. This morning, I saw the secretary talking to you. What was that about?" Hemant replies, "Oh, it was just a formal conversation, nothing important." Rishi insists, "Come on, Hemant Uncle, just tell me." Hemant says, "I asked the secretary for an advance on my salary this month so I could pay my son's school fees." Rishi asks, "And what did the secretary say?" Hemant replies, "The secretary said, 'I'll see what I can do, Hemant."

Rishi then asks, "When is the last day to pay Suraj's fees?" Hemant replies, "It was the 15th of February, Rishi." Rishi follows up, "How much is the amount, Uncle?" Hemant responds, "Rishi, why are you worrying yourself? The secretary will give me the money." Rishi says, "When will he give it? When will you be able to pay Suraj's fees? Just tell me the amount, Uncle." Hemant finally replies, "It's Rs. 10,355." Rishi then asks, "Do you have GPay on this number, Uncle?" Hemant replies, "Yes," and Rishi transfers the amount to Hemant through GPay.

Hemant receives the money and says, "Thank you, Rishi. I'll pay you back when I get it." Rishi replies, "No problem, just tell Suraj that I asked about him." Rishi then heads to his flat. When he reaches the door, he rings the doorbell, but there is no response. He knocks on the door, but still, there is no answer. Rishi calls out for Deepa from the door, but there's still no response. He tries calling her on the phone, but she doesn't answer. Rishi starts to feel a bit uneasy. He then tries to call Shahina, and as the phone rings, his worry begins to grow.

Shahina, Deepa, and Suguna were heading to the station when Shahina sees Rishi's call. She answers, "Hey Rishi, how are you?" Rishi replies, "I'm fine. Is Deepa with you?" Shahina responds, "Yes, why? What happened?" Rishi, feeling relieved, says, "Nothing serious. Deepa wasn't at home, and she wasn't answering her phone. Plus, she has the house key with her." Shahina replies, "Okay, we've just arrived at the station. She'll be home in about half an hour." Rishi says, "Alright, fine," and Shahina ends the call.

After the call ended, Rishi waited for Deepa near the door entrance. Meanwhile, Shahina informed Deepa about Rishi's phone call. Deepa hurried, trying to get home quickly, but Shahina stopped her, like a cloud blocked by a mountain. She said, "Deepa, why are you rushing? Even if you move faster, the train will still take its scheduled time to arrive." Deepa replied, "But I have the house key, and Rishi will be waiting for me." Shahina responded, "So what? We're all heading home. Let's move slowly and steadily. Rishi will wait until you get there." After hearing this, Deepa stayed quiet.