Choti Si Duniya - ArShi FF

83. An erstwhile CEO

The staff at AR was very excited today, despite it being a Monday i.e., start of the week and despite their strict CEO coming back to office after a week when he was away for his cousin's wedding. The reason for their happiness was this was a week of year-end performance reviews and appraisals, the much-awaited salary raises would be declared for each of them sometime this week. (a/n - Year end appraisals happen in March/April in most companies.)

The board of directors at AR were also quite looking forward to their 9 am board meeting, chaired by their action-oriented strict CEO of AR industries, Mr. ASR himself. Wearing their best of business formals -Lee Coopers and Prada's., they were seated in the giant conference room situated on the top floor of AR's new building, 10 minutes before time!

The first surprise, however, came, when ASR's former assistant and now MD of Delhi branch, Aman Mathur informed them that ASR was going to attend this meeting virtually from home, on a video conference.

They were not that surprised though. Knowing ASR, they were sure that he could take meetings from anywhere on this Earth or even outer SPACE! No kidding. They knew the Raizadas could afford space travel for sure!

The meeting started sharp at 9. Arnav began with his formal leadership speech highlighting AR's year end performance at a high level, their new challenges this year and his vision for AR group. The board members that consisted of industry stalwarts, in their 40s and 50s of age, who had come to join AR in the past few years seeing its unprecedented success, nodded in agreement. They knew AR had been doing bloody best this past year, especially after that setback they had followed by the launch of the kids' line, AHA.

But ASR had been delivering all that with a poker face. There was not a single trace of a smile or any other emotion on that stern face!

And then something happened. ASR looked down at something, or rather someone and his facial expressions changed. Softened even.

They all saw with curiosity when ASR picked that 'someone' lovingly, her face becoming clear to them all as she was at their eye level now. She was ASR's daughter, Shriya aka Pari.

One of the board members who was a young lad almost fell off his chair seeing this transition in ASR's expressions. The others however were used to this. In the last 4-5 years this was a much familiar sight for them, one which they all could relate to, and felt their respect for this man increase if anything, as he was a loving father!

Arnav excused himself; turned off his microphone, and started talking to his baby girl who was showing him what looked like a painting!

There was some color smeared across the milky skin of her cheeks and she was ardently giving her own "update" to her father! And Arnav keenly listened to her with a very proud expression on his handsome face.

And then, they saw Mrs. CEO Khushi enter the room with an apologetic smile and she probably mouthed the same to Arnav for letting their kid disrupt his important meeting. ASR assured his wife through his eyes and they both looked at their baby girl and then exchanged looks that only parents understand. All the board members who were watching this with amusement and awe couldn't help but bless this little family, not a bit minding for this interruption.

Mrs. CEO, Khushi Singh Raizada who was also their pseudo boss as she held majority shares at AR, then picked up Pari in her arms. Pari was reluctant to leave her father at first but then Khushi said something to her which made her agree. But before going to her mother's arms, Pari scanned the entire audience on the video call, her chocolate brown eyes which were so identical to her father's studied each of them!