Dually Devoted ✓

Chapter 3

Arpita breathed out, her hand resting on her hips. She looked at the conference room, considering every detail. All the needed documents, scribble pads, pens, glasses of water were neatly placed on the table. The presentation that was going to be presented was checked and approved by her boss. All the chairs were perfectly placed around the circular table. The screens were pulled together and the projector was checked beforehand too. There was still ten minutes left for the lunch time to end. She took out her pocket notebook and started checking in the boxes of the list of things she had to prepare. With a satisfactory smile, she turned to leave when she bumped into a hard chest.

She looked up. On seeing her boss, all color drained from her face. She wanted to be the perfect assistant. But his sharp eyes always seemed to catch her at the moment of clumsiness. Over the two months that she'd worked for him, she had been caught in her imperfect business mode numerous times. "Sorry, sir," she stepped back, biting her lip.

Siddharth scanned the room, but not as keenly as he would have normally. He was starting to take things lightly, believing she would have done it well. He wanted to warn himself to stop trusting anyone so easily. To stop being what he never was. He had been observing her every movement, trying to find a fault, a reason to distrust her. He didn't know if it was fortunate or unfortunate, that she had shown no weakness. He didn't expect perfection from anyone, for he knew perfection was but an illusion. He just expected the will to learn and improve, from his employees. The attitude to work hard and the ability to focus. Not having that kind of thinking and skill, to him, meant weakness. And he couldn't deny, she really had no weaknesses. She was exactly the kind of assistant he had searched for. A business partner, even.

He never needed to repeat things to her. He remembered, he had told her just once, to listen completely before strolling away. Everytime from then on, she would wait for two seconds in silence before executing his command. She was impressive, like that.

All the assistants he had had till date were either flirtatious women or lazy ones. He hadn't minded that they were new to the job. He was ready to wait for them to learn, but they just weren't worth his time. They themselves didn't want to learn. They wanted everything to come easy. Giggle, laugh, show off your curves and you can go for the day. Or, sit with your mobile, as if it's your leisure time and learn new things at the pace of a snail, but get paid. After the fifth secretary he had dismissed in the first few months, he had never thought he would agree to appoint one more. Yet, he was glad he did.

Arpita worked at his pace, surprisingly. He knew it was hard for her, but she never complained. Sometimes, he wondered if he should take it easy, just for her sake. But he knew she would catch that. And he'd never want her to.

"Where will you be seated?" He raised his brow at her.

Her lively brown eyes widened. Her face was always very expressive. It was his own little pastime, to observe the change in her expressions as she read the emails or sat entering the data. Sometimes it would be so entertaining, that he would forget there is a one-way glass partition between them. That he was inside his office, she wasn't.

"I didn't know I would be attending, Sir. I'll bring an extra chair." She looked up at him.

At his curt nod, she stumbled away. Not once had this woman spoken to him without using the word 'Sir'. It amused him. Where was he to find such people nowadays? He knew he had gotten lucky.

He rechecked the slides of the presentation in his laptop. Rethinking his decisions of what to and what not to highlight. Concluding on what to summarize and what to emphasize, he turned to Arpita placing the chair where she wanted it to be. So far away, he thought. How was he to communicate with her, in any required case? He ran a hand over his face discreetly. How can I start depending on her this much? This is insane. He shook his head, expressing his regret.

Two minutes later, he could feel her presence behind him. She was mutely standing there, as his shadow. And he was getting used to it, all because she was like this, he blamed. "Note down the important points, suggestions or mistakes anyone will point out."

"Okay, Sir."

Soon, the conference began. His attention from the presentation at hand didn't falter. Arpita faded away in the background, without once making a noise.

Things went pretty well, until everyone started to move out. He observed the president of Dev and Co. conversing with her. He would have waved it off, if he hadn't heard of various rumors about that man. No one knew better than him not to trust rumors, yet, you could never be too careful. He strode towards her, but stopped as he saw Arpita taking a step back from that man. Her jaw was clenched, and her brown eyes held his, not afraid to show her rage. Siddharth's lips curved upwards at the sight. She spoke, her voice merely louder than a whisper. Siddharth tried to figure the words out but couldn't. All he saw was that the man raised his brow, scoffed and turned away. As his eyes met Siddharth's, he gave him a thin smile, which Siddharth gladly returned with a slight smirk.

The man hurriedly left the place, as Arpita followed Siddharth's satisfied steps.

***

Siddharth was taking off his socks, sitting on the bench inside his house. He could see his father watching a TV show, relaxing on the sofa, and he could hear Yovela behind him, taking his office bag from Joseph- his driver and her son.

Yovela was a simple housekeeper and cook, but Siddharth and Mr. Tripathi had always treated her as family. She found herself fortunate to be of help to them. Walking towards Siddharth, she strained her small neck to look up at him, her eyes softening with motherly love as she chirped, "Go freshen up, Sid. I'll set the table."

He nodded, obeying, and walked upstairs to his room.
By the time he reached home, the other two maids would have been dismissed for the day, and they weren't called in on the weekends. Siddharth liked it that way; not seeing any extra faces when home. Just him, his Dad, Joseph and Aunt Yovela.

As Siddharth ate, the fifty-six year old lady took in the sight and smiled warmly. Siddharth was much more relaxed these days. She had seen him working day and night, coming home late, worn out and completely exhausted. She had been so worried that she had even spoken to Mr. Tripathi about it. But, Sid listened to no one, drowning himself in his work. Now, seeing him reach home by nine thirty and eat his dinner so peaceful with his father, she felt elated.

"Son," Mr. Rajiv voiced.

"Ya, Dad?" Sid chewed his food.

"I was thinking... you should meet Priya, Mr. Naga's daughter." He suggested, expectantly.

Siddharth was strictly against business marriage. True that, in his quest to find a woman whom he could trust and feel compatible with, he had gained the reputation of a player. He didn't mind that much, as long as he wasn't stuck with a woman who can't make his house feel like home to him. "Dad, I told you, I'm not interested in a bu-"

"It's not a business marriage, Sid. I'm just asking you to meet her. It's the same as the random dates you go to." Mr. Rajiv shrugged.

"With parents involved?" Sid lifted his brow.

Mr. Tripathi sighed. "We won't be involved. Since you're free this weekend, go to dinner with her. You can decide the rest afterwards."

It was Siddharth's turn to heave a sigh. His father wouldn't listen. Going on a few dates with the woman, to just get to know her enough before deciding to date her, was different from meeting a woman with marriage in mind from the very beginning. He hadn't even found any woman he felt like dating... Marriage? He started to pick on his food.

***
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