BEYOND THE CLOUDS (Completed)

Chapter 13

Soon as they touched down in Delhi, she switched her phone on and found a message waiting for her.

“Leaving for work, I have a heavy day. Text me when you reach Delhi. I miss u” the text read.

“Reached Delhi. Don’t stress, take care” was all she could manage while gushing with her new found feelings.

There was no reply for quiet a long time and she stowed her phone back into her bag, thinking he might be busy.

Post lunch her phone dinged,  and she eagerly opened it

“Can I see you tonight?” it read.

“Sidharth I am going to be late and tired. But I have the next two days off. We can meet up then” she texted, awaiting a reply. But there was none.

Dismayed, she resumed with her work.

*

Sidharth’s expression was acidic.

His monthly trust meeting with his parents was scheduled today nd that was enough to sour his mood from the moment he woke up.

Getting ready in record time, he left for work and tried calling her number.

But it was switched off obviously, so he just texted her.

In the noon when her reply came, the genuinely caring words made him smile.

But soon enough, his emotions had hit a rock bottom when he had a brief encounter with his parents.

“I need some more money this month. I am taking a vacation to Bali with a friend” his father shamelessly put up a proposal irking his mother and earning a smirk from Sidharth.

“if he gets extra money I want it too. I have certain things to take care of as well” his mother growled at his father angrily.

They had a stare match for a moment until they both ganged up against Sidharth.

“It is because of you that all this is happening” his father’s index pointing to Sidharth.

“I was supposed to own all this..but now I have to beg u for my own money” an angry Ajay Shukla continued while Sidharth kept staring at him.

Sarika Shukla pushed her husband aside and came forward “The old man had too much spite for me and gave that to you too as inheritance I guess. I don’t believe I lost 9 precious months of my life and butchered my body to give birth to a scoundrel like you.” she lashed out at Sidharth.

“Just look at his coldness. I am sure he is enjoying making us suffer like this.” His father began again when Sidharth checked his watch.

He was getting late for a meeting. Promptly rising from his seat, he spoke

“Badepapa decided an amount for you guys. And that is what you will get. Not a penny more, not a penny less. I have signed the cheques, Hariharan, please hand it over to them” he directed his accountant, looking one last time at the both of them like he wanted to tear them apart and walked out of the board room, leaving his parents to curse his back.

It felt like someone was squeezing the life out of his heart.

As was his habit, he didn’t want to drink, so he texted Shehnaaz, hoping for a respite he might get if he meets her, but she too denied scalding him.

If he had felt unwanted earlier, her denial aggravated it further.

He wanted to wrap up his work quickly and hit the bar, but it wasn’t until late evening that he got free.