Forget-Me-Not: Taste of Freedom

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

One Day Later

      It should have been a usual, busy day, except that it wasn't. It was a horrible day. It started with Vidhi reaching her office late, something she never did, and managing to miss the beginning of a very important crew meeting. It was the day she was supposed to go on-camera and host a talk show with the very eminent and famous businessman, Satyajit Mehra—founder and CEO of the Canoe Industries, a leading name in the water transport and water vehicle development sector. Instead, she ended up arriving late, displeasing her boss and in her nervous state, spilling coffee on her newly pressed shirt and coat. It was a minor disaster compared to some other things she could have done, but she was screwed all the same.

      As Vidhi tried to wash off the stain of coffee from her clothes, in vain, she looked up at Aparna and said, "Can you please arrange for a change of clothes? It's a big event, and I need to do it. I need to."

      "I know; relax. I'll see what I can do," Aparna murmured. Squeezing her shoulders once, she hurried out of the women's washroom, leaving Vidhi alone, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

       How could she have been so careless? There was no excuse for her to explain her readiness to jeopardize her career with some gross negligence on her part. No matter what the circumstances, her commitment to her job was the biggest thing—the most important thing in her life. Damn it, she thought to herself. I can't believe I did this to myself. She was going to miss her first on-camera appearance because of her tardiness. If Aparna couldn't manage to find her a decent shirt and coat to change into, her opportunity to talk to the successful owner of Canoe Industries would be blown apart. It was all her fault.

      The door swung open, and Vidhi looked up with hopeful eyes. However, it wasn't Aparna who came in. It was her ex, Siddharth Ahuja.

      Her stance hardened, and her eyes turned cold at his sight. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

      "Poor Vidhi," he crooned, his handsome face crafted into a sympathetic expression. "So nervous, so distressed due to what happened." For someone who had been so dissatisfied with her during the time they were together, Siddharth looked damn chipper to see her in her miserable condition. The bastard still behaved like he owned the world, damn it. There was not a hint of ill-meaning in his eyes; he was confidence personified, she had to give him that.

      "Get out," she snarled.

       "Come on, you won't even let me be your friend?" he said, stepping closer, gazing into her eyes. "I'm not that heartless."

      "I know exactly how heartless you are," she hissed. "This is the ladies' washroom. You're not supposed to be here. Get out."

      "Don't worry; I'm only here to give you a fair warning."

      She didn't reply; she only stared at him with an unflinching gaze, with a stiff spine and a proud chin.

      "Because of the unusual stunt that you pulled this morning, I've been offered to take your place at the talk show with Satyajit Mehra."

      Vidhi's fingers clenched into fists, and her teeth ground together in utter loathing. However, ignoring her reaction as if he'd never seen it, Siddharth went on.

      "Mr. Garewal wants me to handle it in my own way. Which means, your questions don't get asked."

       "You asshole," she whispered, seeing red. "You unbelievable bast..."