|| THE PURPLE HEARTS ||

39. Queries and Worries

The week found Annika completely immersed in her work. With barely enough time to submit the proposal to the board and secure their approval before her impending wedding ceremonies, she navigated through a whirlwind of tasks. Annika met numerous potential collaborators and investors, conducting interviews to assemble the crucial team this project required. 

The wedding, just weeks away, added another layer of stress to her already bustling schedule. Her mom would arrange some puja at home everyday and insisted her presence. Struggling to balance wedding preparations with her demanding job, Annika found herself fatigued throughout the day.

In Shivaay's absence, off to Dubai for a crucial meeting with Tej, Pinky had wanted Annika to attend a few pujas and gatherings she had organized. Frustration simmered within Annika as she felt cornered into this situation. She wished Shivaay had handled things differently, sparing her from the additional stress. A simple conversation with his mother to postpone the pujas until his return would have sufficed, but Shivaay opted for the path of least resistance.

Despite her inner turmoil, Annika refrained from expressing her frustration to Shivaay. She didn't want to disappoint Pinky any further. The week prior, when Annika addressed the Daksh fiasco and sought to clear misunderstandings within the family, she was taken aback by the overwhelming support she received. During her apology for prioritizing work over wedding preparations, Kalyani Dadi reassured her.

"You and Shivaay are no different in this house," Kalyani Dadi declared. "If he is working, then you have all the rights to do so as well."

***

The day before the board meeting had unfolded unexpectedly when Shivaay had called her later in the morning, when she was making the last minute corrections to the presentation.

"Annika, I'm really sorry, but I completely forgot to reschedule the meeting with the interior designer for our room. Can you go and handle it? I trust your taste more than mine, anyway." He asked her.

The unexpected request caught Annika off guard, and the pressure of yet another task added to her already overflowing plate. Trying to maintain her composure, she took a deep breath before responding, "Shivaay, this is too much! I have my hands full with the wedding preparations and product launch, and now you want me to play interior designer too?"

"Annika it's just a matter of few hours, you can very well handle it if you wanted to." He reasoned.

Frustration boiled over, and she couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. "You can't keep piling on tasks like this without considering what I'm going through. I need your support, not more responsibilities!"

"I just thought you'd want to have a say in how our room is designed. Forget it Annika! I'll figure something out, okay!"  With that he had cut the call.

An hour later, Annika's phone buzzed again. This time, it was her mother calling, and that meant trouble. She was ordered rather told to meet with the interior designer and ensure that the work was completed by the end of the day. Completely drained, Annika found herself too fatigued to argue. She promptly asked Vidhi to reschedule her meetings, delegated her tasks to the team, and left the office.

Upon reaching the Oberoi Mansion, Annika was greeted with surprised expressions from Jhanvi and Pinky.  Sensing her exhaustion, they offered their support. Grateful for their understanding, Annika, along with Jhanvi and Pinky, engaged in a discussion with the interior designer.

Once the initial brainstorming session concluded, Jhanvi took charge. She instructed the designer to wrap up for the day and schedule another visit once Shivaay returned. Contrary to Shivaay's insistence on rushing the process before the wedding, Jhanvi emphasized that there was no need to hurry.