Aarya - The Way We Once Were

Chapter 2

The next morning Aarti got to work on time, she stayed by her desk all day long, trying to avoid Yash. There was someone standing next to her, she looked up and saw Pari

"Aarti, Yash sir needs you in his cabin"

Aarti looked on; Yash told her to stay away from him so why is he asking for her.

"You're so lucky. I wish he would ask me to come to his office"

Pari frowned before leaving. Aarti gathered the courage and knocked on his cabin door.

"Come in"

Aarti entered the room and awkwardly stood there.

"I need you to get all the employees and bring them to the conference room. I have a big announcement to make"

He said while his eyes were glued to his computer.

Aarti got everyone to the conference room and Yash was already in the room with the projector on. He made everyone sit, cleared his throat, and then looked at the projector.

"As you know, this company has been number two for a very long time. We're going to change that because I hate being second"

He said and everyone was quiet.

"I have a presentation in Indore in 48 hours. If all goes well, this will make our company number one in India. I need my team to make this happen"

He continued and everyone nodded their head, agreeing to help him.

"We're here for you sir. What do you need us to do?"

Pankaj asked and Yash explained the entire presentation in details.

"I need someone to go with me to Indore and take care of this entire ordeal"

Yash said as he turned off the projector.

"Sir, Aarti is in charge of presentations"

Pankaj said and Aarti looked at him, scared of Yash reaction.

"Anyone else I can take?"

He asked, ignoring Aarti.

"You can take Pari or anyone of the girls. But sir, Aarti is good at her job, she's the best one for this presentation"

Pankaj reassured him and Yash sighed with frustration.

"That's all for now; you can all leave"

They all started leaving.

"Except for you"

He pointed to Aarti and she became anxious. Everyone left the room; it was just Yash and Aarti.

"You're the last person I would want to be stuck with, but I have no choice but to take you with me. Just keep your distance from me whenever we're not working, understood?"

He said and she nodded her head. He left the room and Aarti just stood there, feeling defeated.

She went home that night and her mom met her at the door.

Is this the time to come home?"

Her mom asked while glaring at her, Aarti just looked down and stayed quiet.

"When I talk to you I expect an answer"

Shoba said as she twist Aarti's arm and she cried in pain.

"You're hurting me"

She sobbed but Shoba did not care.

"Then next time you should obey my rules. Office hours end at 6 and it's now 9PM, were you out being a whore?"

Her mom finally let go of her and Aarti sobbed.

"We had to stay back for a big presentation"

She said quietly and her mom scoffed.

"If you say so. Since you're late you can go to bed hungry"

Shoba walked away and Aarti quickly picked up her bag and went to her room. After she closed the door behind her, she broke down crying once again. Her mom hates her and she have no idea why. Her stomach growled but she didn't dare go look for food. If her mom finds out she'll hurt her again.

The next morning Aarti woke up and checked her phone; she was late for work. She quickly got dressed and rushed out of the house, trying to hail a cab. She knew that if she get to the office late, Yash will definitely be angry at her. She finally got a cab and prayed to god she gets to the office in time. As the cab stopped, she quickly paid him and rushed towards the main entrance. She clocked in right on time and she sighed in relief.

She was working on the presentation when she heard someone calling for Yash. Aarti looked up and saw a beautiful woman looking for Yash.

"Who's that?"

Pari whispered and the rest of the girls were clueless. Aarti wondered who this mystery woman is and why she's looking for Yash.

His cabin door suddenly opened and Yash came out, smiling at the woman.

"You're late"

He said and the woman threw her arms around Yash, hugging him tightly.

"Sorry babe, you know I'm not a morning person"

She chuckled before going into his cabin; Yash slammed the door behind him. Aarti, Pari and the rest of the girls were left surprised.

"There was a rumor that Yash sir is engaged; you think that's her?"

Pari asked while the girls tried googling his name. Aarti went back to work, it's not her business who Yash is involved in. But for the rest of the day Aarti's mind was all over the place, she wondered what if Pari is right, is Yash is really engaged?

"I need to stop thinking about Yash and his fiancé. Whatever he does with his life should no longer bother me"

She told herself before she continued working.