Ishqana Dil

Part 19

"Amayaji," the peon stopped her in her tracks as she was entering the office. "Aapko Dev babu bula rahe hain."

Frowning, she dropped her bag on her desk and went to her boss's cabin. "Yes, sir?"

"Come in," Dev replied, looking away from Mukherjee Dada. He was beaming at her but something about his eyes told her something was off. Still, she entered the cabin, uncertain. "Come in, come in. sit down, Amaya. Don't be so shy." He waited until she had taken a seat next to Mukherjee Dada to continue. "I have to say, Amaya, I am impressed. The past couple of weeks, I treated you so harshly, I gave you so much work with almost impossible deadlines, and you did everything without a complaint. That was commendable. You must have thought it was strange, no? Well, I was testing you, Amaya. And you have passed the test."

She knitted her brows together, glancing from him to Mukherjee Dada, then back at him. "Test?"

He chuckled. "Yes, a test. I wanted to see if you were capable of a promotion."

That made her more suspicious. "Promotion?" So soon? She had only just started working in the company...

"Yes, a promotion." Was it just her, or did he look a bit unsettled now? "I would like to give you the post of my personal assistant."

Amaya looked at Mukherjee Dada for... for help, for a hint, something... But Mukherjee Dada looked genuinely happy for her. "This is truly a golden opportunity, Omaya. It usually takes people years to get a chance like this."

Exactly her thoughts... Dev tapped his fingers on the table. "You will have to sign a contract of three years with the company, Amaya. You will receive a substantial raise in your salary but do keep in mind that before these three years end, you cannot resign. And if you do, you will have to serve a notice of five weeks and reimburse us the equivalent of your salary for three months."

Her eyes widened as he started giving her the information. "Sir," she interjected quickly. "Sir, I am sorry but... I have not agreed yet."

His eyes seemed to darken just slightly. Or maybe it was her imagination? "What do you mean?"

"I would like to consult with my mother first," she said carefully. "I do not like making decisions without discussing with her first, Sir."

***

"Aaj khaana nahin khaana?"

His voice broke her concentration and she looked up from her computer screen. There was something strange about him but she was too tired to analyse him to know. "Huh?" she merely breathed.

He waved the tiffin at her and realised it was lunch time. She got him and followed him, her movements almost mechanical. Mantu sneezed again just as they were about to sit down at their usual table. It suddenly reminded her about the footprints in her room. How could she find out if it was him or not? He was already starting on the food without saying another word to her.

"Kal raat kuchh ajeeb hua," she tried to say casually. He raised his eyebrows at her inquisitively. "Mere kamre mein na, chor ghuss aaya!" And then, she got the reaction she had expected from him. He choked on his food and she had to hid her smile as she pushed the glass of water towards him. "Are you alright?" she feigned worry.

He had gone red in the face, and Amaya was sure it was not just because he had almost suffocated. "Hmm."

"Yeah, I was telling you, a thief slipped into my room last night. And it was such a strange thief, Mantu! He even covered me with a blanket and closed the window and door after him."

"W-who s-says it was a... a thief? It c-could have b-been s-someone in y-your house, na?" he stuttered adorably, and she smiled, this time a real and happy smile.