Meant To Be✔

From darkness to light

It was past midnight, Annika sat alone at the railway station, waiting for the last train from Ranchi to Mumbai. It was getting really cold but Annika was indifferent to physical pain now. She thought of the challenges that lay ahead of her. She would not give up like her mother come what may. She would work till she had enough money to sponsor her education. The train finally arrived at the platform and Annika as she headed towards her coupe , she took her first steps towards success. The train reached Mumbai the day after. Annika was scared of the fast pace of the city. Everyone and everything seemed short of time and always in a hurry. She clutched her small bag which had her money , her  proofs and one pair of clothes. With her feet trembling yet her head held high she hailed for an auto and told it to go to Happy Chawl , a name she had found on the papers on the train.She rented a room there and without wasting time she washed up and set out to look for work. And this time it seemed that luck was traveling with her .

She got a job at the first place she set foot in. It was a three star restaurant and she had to work as a waitress as the business was in full swing at that time of the year and the restaurant was falling short of employees. Annika's eyes gleamed. She was getting a monthly salary of ₹1000 and an off on Sundays. Her working hours were from ten in the morning to 7 in the evening.She was also told that if her work was appreciated then she might get a pay rise.Annika was a quick learner and very soon she was working like a pro in the restaurant. She got herself enrolled in a night school and used her Sunday's not to relax but to revise her school work. She juggled her work amazingly well. She kept to herself and never spoke to anyone unless she was spoken to.The teachers loved her performance and the manager of the restaurant was so pleased with her that  within three months of her service she was promoted to head waitress with a pay of ₹6000. And when things just couldn't get better for Annika she got called for a meeting with the owner of the restaurant Mr.Aditya Shekhawat.
Aditya told Annika that he had rarely seen anyone work so hard and meticulously for so long at such a young age.He told her that he also knew that she went to study at the night school. He was a man who appreciated hard work and told Annika that if she didn't Mind he would like to sponsor her college education when the time comes. Annika looked at him surprised. She asked him , why would he make such a proposal to a girl he barely knew. Suddenly she got scared but asked in a hard voice whether he had any ulterior motive in mind. Mr.Shekhawat smiled. He told her that maybe she won't believe his story but for years he had been looking for a person whom he could educate in the best possible manner. He had got separated from his wife years ago due to some personal and professional differences. And this has resulted in his separation from his daughter as well. His wife had made sure that she and his daughter were never financially dependent on him and his wife had closed all doors for him to meet his daughter. His daughter had also stood by her mother and never wanted to visit him. He had always cherished a dream to be a dad who had given his daughter the best of education and professional qualification so that she could hold her head high in the society. But unfortunately he had never got even near to fulfilling his dream. Ever since then he had made up his mind to help unprivileged children and to sponsor one person's entire college education. But that person should be prepared to do whatever it took to reach the top. He didn't want mediocrity in his vicinity. And after a long search he had found the spark in her , Annika.
Annika had always prided herself in being correct with judging people. And her instincts told her that Mr.Shekhawat was telling a true story. She told him that she was honoured that she had been chosen for this. Mr.Shekhawat told her that she had to work really hard to make him give her college fees. Any slack in her work and he would withdraw her privileges. He told her to come to him after she had completed her 12th grade.
After a year Annika came to him. She had topped in her school with a whooping 98%. As Mr.Shekhawat looked at her result sheet he knew that he had made the right choice. He asked her would she like to go overseas and get a sound knowledge of the subject she was interested in or study here. She chose the former. Mr. Shekhawat made every arrangement for her, from her visa to her lodgings in The United States Of America.
Annika settled quickly in the States. She worked laboriously and worked on her language first. She had an amazing sense of business and shone in it. In her third year of her college she had built  a startup. And after few months of struggle her startup got recognition. Very soon it was worth 2crores. She sold her company and built another one . The two crores she had made was sent to Mr.Shekhawat with a heart warming thank you note. Annika had settled her debt with him. And with that she went on climbing the steps of her success ladder. There was no stopping her now. It was like even money and success had bowed down to her. She became a rage in the business world.
After a few years she received a big blow , Mr.Shekhawat had passed away but he had left his chain of restaurants to her for taking it forward. Though sad by this shocking piece of news Annika had set to work and soon had conquered the food and entertainment sector too. But one thing that troubled Annika still was the lack of a surname. She needed a father anyhow, or a person who could pretend to be her father and give her his name. She knew where words failed money spoke.She hired a lawyer and told her that she needed an affidavit to be made with a fake surname and a fake father. The lawyer who was known for getting every under the table work done told her it could be managed if she paid a huge sum of 10 crores now and paid him 25 lacs every month to keep his mouth shut and forget that this deal has ever happened.Annika agreed to this because it was a small sum to pay for not being talked about for not having a father. And that led her to become Annika Mehrotra, daughter of Mr.Harsh Mehrotra. She neither asked the lawyer who Harsh was nor did she ask him how he had managed this unbelievable feat. She gave him the money she had settled for and sent him 25 lacs every month till today and never saw his face again. This was how Annika Mehrotra was born from the ashes like a Phoenix

Annika got  up for her day dream of the past and took her phone to call Arjun. She had arrange a meeting with Shivaay Singh Oberoi before it was too late.

What had made Annika call SSO after rejecting his offer? Stay tuned for the next part.
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