The meeting
Without bothering to knock, she stormed into his office in a mounting fury, a sight to behold with her eyes blazing fire, mouth set in a thin line , trailing destruction with her every move. He looked up from the screen and pushed back his chair,crossing his legs and reclining against the head rest, gazing lazily at her. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? ' He drawled, his smirk mocking and eyes hard. She looked at him with disbelief.
'You know very well why I am here, Mr Gupta.' She said through clenched teeth. Smirk still in place , he replied 'Actually I don't. I think we have pretty much settled all issues with you. So please enlighten me . ' She laughed bitterly. 'Settled. Yea right. U really think so? First of all, I don't 'settle. ' Aapki fitrat mei hoga settle karna. The only thing I want to settle with you is THE SCORE. ' He raised an eyebrow but gave no other reaction to her rant. 'Did u come here to give me a lecture? '
'I came here to tell you that I am not going to be pressured. I am not going to back down, no matter what u all do. So u can go ahead and carry out your threat. I considered your so called 'offer ' which u made to the producers and me. AND I REJECT IT. I am not going to bow down to injustice. I am not going to adjust nor withdraw my complaints. That's not me. I'd rather lose everything. So yea. That's it. ' She burst out, getting angrier by the minute.
Only the slight clenching of his jaw betrayed any reaction he had. 'Very well. You may leave the show then. ' he said smoothly. Although this had been what she wanted, her heart still sank with disappointment. It whispered 'You are gonna let me go? Just like that? Not even a bit of a fight? ' Outwardly, she just nodded. 'Thank you. I'm glad we 'settled' that. ' The words were dripping with sarcasm and unconcealed spite. They stared at each other for a couple of minutes before the inevitable.
Strangers to the world. Soul mates to the celestial skies. Both determined. Both strong.
Both helpless. Strangers. Strangers who knew each other's deepest, darkest secrets. Strangers caught in a strange fate.
The chime of the midnight clock broke their trance. She raised her chin. 'I am leaving. I don't want to stay anyway. U have always misunderstood me. Aapne mujhe hamesha galat hi samjha hai. Good bye Mr Gupta. Pleasure knowing u. ' She turned and walked out.
A voice followed her,making her insides shake just a little bit. ' Maine galat to samjha. Aapne to Mujhe kabhi samjha hi nahi '
When she was out of his sight sighing, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
'Ramji ?' he said to his driver. 'Shilpa just left here in a tearing hurry. She must have reached the parking lot by now. Please follow her car till her home. ' The driver was stunned. Over the years, he had gotten used to many odd requests from his employer, but he wasn't sure how he felt about stalking someone. 'Errm..sir? ' he stammered. Vikas chuckled once. 'Ramji, follow her car and make sure she reaches her home safely! It's midnight and she is driving in a worked up state. ' Relieved at this, the driver left to carry out his instructions.
Vikas just sat there and clutched his head, wondering where fate had landed him and what was going to happen next.
As she furiously drove to her home,in the rearview mirror Shilpa saw Ramji following her and shook her head, half in exasperation and half in sadness. That damned man. She was a grown adult. She could reach home on her own!!
Aapne mujhe galat samjha
Aapne mujhe kabhi samjha hi nahi...
