Rab Rakha

Chapter 40

"Mere parents ke family friends hain, Raichand uncle. You might know him?" Ajay asked Sidharth over dinner.

"Ha, tune milaya tha." Sidharth nodded.

"Mummy Papa ki anniversary pe Uncle mile the. They're looking for someone for Ridhima, their daughter." Ajay kept his point right away.

"Hm." Sidharth simply nodded, not reacting much.

"She's a chef. Milega usse? Tera number share kardu?" Preeti asked.

"Nahi." He replied.

"Ek baar mil toh le? Seedha nahi?" Preeti asked, slightly enraged.

"Maa, dekho na." She looked at her mother for help.

"You're not getting any younger Montu! What are you planning next?" She asked him.

"I'm not planning anything, I just don't want to see that girl! Simple. Keep your concerns to yourself!" He snapped at her for ruining his mood at the dinner table. He had been planning to introduce Shehnaaz to them soon, but not before informing Madhu. He had been thinking about it but his sister's words right now didn't feel right.

"Montu, aram se baat karna. Preeti galat nahi hai." Rita Ma intervened, watching her children quarrel suddenly.

"Ab maine mana kiya toh 'kyu' puchne ke bajaye ye 'not getting any younger' ki baat kaha se aa gayi? I know how old I am, right?" He replied to his mother.

"Pucha hoga kisi ne mere bare me, isliye tu embarrassed feel kar rahi hogi." He shrugged and Preeti looked up at him in surprise.

He knew that would have been the matter, ever since people didn't like the way he rejected a girl they suggested, since then they had been assuming him to be an arrogant man. Because there was a rumour spread that he was looking for a girl who had to be beautiful but dumb enough so that he could get her into a marriage alliance with him and keep fooling around with girls he met. Just one refused proposal because he thought they weren't compatible enough and his name was tarnished in the close circle they shared.

"Tu na pagal hai. Tere bhale ke liye sochna bhi bekar hai! Jo marzi kar!" She replied and left the dinner table.

"Montu, Preeti, ya hum se koi bhi embarrassed kyu hoga tujhe leke. Why would you say that?" Ajay calmly told him, walking after his wife.

"How's it?" Shehnaaz asked her colleagues with whom she was preparing the draft of the advertisement for the new store launch.

"I think it is good. Tell me kon present karega yeh slides?" Kriti, the manager asked.

"Shehnaaz karegi? She's leading the team." Aisha answered.

"Wha- mai?" Shehnaaz looked at the girls, she couldn't just walk up and start like there was an extempore.

"Shehnaaz, you present this. Kal aa rahe hain na CEO sir, shaam ka time hai tumlog ke pass. PPT is a 10/10, just save it as it is and be prepared yadi wo tumlogo ko kuch suggest kare toh unke according changes kar sako." Kriti told them, making her way back to her cabin.

"Bas yeh draft banane ki baat thi na, mai iska presentation kaha se du? Isko toh bas play karna hai, posters ko accept karo, na pasand aaye toh reject kardo!" Shehnaaz complained once it was just them.

"Yaar, yaha aisi hota hai. Tu kya CEO ko bolegi, yeh lo.. dekh lo?" Riya joked and they all giggled.

"Zyada mat soch, mauka mila hai presentation dene ka toh use this opportunity! Relax." Aisha told her as they made their way to the cafeteria to grab some coffee.

"Hey there! Aaj ka din kitna busy tha na, hum ek baar bhi nahi mil paye?!" Naman passed the girls a smile when they saw him across the corridor.

"Hi Naman, come join us." Riya called him, all of them sat down and had a few sandwiches along with coffee as they continued to talk around and about their day.