chapter 26

SerendipityEpisode-26‘How did he know... Of course, Twitter and the media... What should I even say?’They glanced between Megha and Rajiv, and she thought, ‘How do I explain what happened? I ran into your ‘Great Rajiv Mehra,’ argued with him... Typical of Rajiv, throwing a characteristic remark about the ‘hotel staff.She glanced slowly at Rajiv. He too seemed confused, but as he noticed her pensive expression, his face grew serious.“Sanyal Sir, it was my mistake,” Rajiv suddenly admitted. Megha looked at him in shock. ‘Oh no, what’s gotten into him? Please don’t say anything, at least not in front of Gupta Sir and Sanyal Sir... Please.“Your mistake?” Sanyal Sir was now eyeing Rajiv with curiosity.“Yes, sir… actually…”“He was late... He came late to give the award,” Megha interrupted, finishing Rajiv’s sentence. She looked at him, silently pleading with her eyes, ‘Please don’t say any more... just stay calm… please.’“Miss Joshi, I mean to say... what really happened was…” Rajiv began to explain.‘Rajiv, why don’t you understand? I don’t want to talk about this right now,’ Megha continued to glance at him, her eyes practically begging him to stop.“Mr. Mehra, I’m telling you what happened... You were late to give the award. I stood on stage for five and a half minutes... waiting for you,” she said, interrupting him again and changing the subject, her eyes meeting his with an expectant stare.Rajiv stood silently, still trying to figure out what she was saying. ‘This isn’t the reason, Miss Megha,’ he thought, ‘I saw the anger in your eyes... That wasn’t just for being kept waiting... Why won’t you let me talk?’ He felt lost for words.They stood looking at each other for a moment, until suddenly, Sanyal Sir’s booming laugh echoed through the room. Gupta Sir joined in, laughing heartily. Megha was confused—had she said something funny?“Five and a half minutes... unbelievable! Rajiv, you were late... Megha, this is great! This is the first time someone’s called Rajiv out,” Sanyal Sir laughed. Megha couldn’t help but smile, even as she avoided looking directly at Rajiv.Rajiv, too, smiled subtly, thinking to himself, ‘Well done, Miss Megha... You managed to change the subject... But I still owe you an apology... I guess I did it indirectly. She didn’t let me explain, but at least she’s not upset anymore... for now.’“So what do you think, Prakash? We’ve got a very punctual VP here. She doesn’t waste a minute. I told her to be here at 10.30, and she made it to Supreme House in an hour,” Gupta Sir said, as he began his usual praise.“No one beats Rajiv when it comes to punctuality. That’s why I said, Megha, you and Rajiv are alike in this regard,” Sanyal Sir confirmed.“I’m not so sure about that... He was 29 minutes late for the presentation today. Usually, he’s punctual, but I guess it depends on the meeting,” Megha said, indirectly addressing Rajiv with a glance.Rajiv just stared at her, speechless. ‘Unbelievable… Does she really keep track minute by minute? How many more times will she mention this? God knows..’ His raised eyebrows and smile said it all.“Miss Joshi, I will definitely try to be on time for your next presentation,” Rajiv said with a smile.“See, Megha! I think you might be the first person Rajiv actually listens to. That’s why I want you both to work together on this project,” Sanyal Sir added.“Umm... but sir…” Megha wasn’t sure what to say next.“Good, Megha. See you in our next meeting. The Technosys project starts in the first week of April. If you need to discuss anything before then, feel free to contact Rajiv or me directly,” Sanyal Sir announced. Megha was stunned. ‘But how is this possible? What about JPM’s contract? Doesn’t he know about the decision Rajiv made? How can he say to start work immediately?’ She stared at the floor, lost in thought.“Okay, Megha?” Sanyal Sir asked when she didn’t respond. She glanced at Rajiv in disbelief. ‘Why isn’t he saying anything? Tell Sanyal Sir that this project won’t be given to SWC!’“Yes, Prakash, of course... Megha will handle this project,” Gupta Sir stepped in when he noticed Megha’s hesitation.She looked seriously at Gupta Sir and nodded, thinking to herself, ‘Gupta Sir thinks we’ve secured this project. Meanwhile, Rajeev Mehra is just standing there, wasting time. If we weren’t dragged into this meeting, I would’ve gotten the Sehegal project by now.’She smiled and greeted Sanyal Sir before turning to Gupta Sir. “I’m heading out now, sir. My next meeting is in the afternoon. Will you be heading back to the office?” She casually asked while glancing at her watch.“No, no... Bhaskar, you wait. Let’s have lunch together. Megha, why don’t you stay too? We can start discussing the Technosys project and then have lunch afterward,” Sanyal Sir suggested.“I’d love to, Sanyal Sir, but I can’t make it today. I can’t cancel my next meeting. I’m really sorry,” Megha politely declined, thinking, ‘Having lunch with someone as important as Sanyal Sir and Gupta Sir is fine... but with Rajiv Mehra? No way... never.’“Go ahead, Megha. I’m having lunch with my friend after a long time. I’ll see you later at the office,” Gupta Sir smiled. Megha nodded in agreement.“Don’t forget to take your pill. Is it in your bag? Should I call the office and ask for it?” she habitually reminded Gupta Sir about his pre-meal diabetes pill.“Yes, it’s in the bag. Don’t worry, I’ll take it. You see, Prakash, they both keep an eye on me all day, reminding me about medicines,” Gupta Sir chuckled.“Gupta Sir, it’s because you forget! Sanyal Sir, you’re with him today, so you remind him,” Megha quipped, feeling at ease with Sanyal Sir, sensing he wouldn’t get upset.“Don’t worry, Megha. We’ll both take the pill together—I have mine too,” Sanyal Sir laughed. “We’re all senior citizens. Diabetes is my best friend too” Megha giggled, realizing how warm and jovial Sanyal Sir was.She said her goodbyes and glanced at Rajiv, who had been silently observing the conversation. ‘Why didn’t he say a word? What’s with this arrogance? Never mind, it’s not my concern,’ she thought. She shook her head, gave him a brief nod, and picked up her laptop bag, walking out of the conference room.As she walked through the long corridor, she thought, ‘What a waste of time… After all this hard work, we still won’t get the Supreme project.Just then, she heard a voice behind her. “Miss Joshi, wait a moment...”Megha froze, recognizing Rajiv’s voice. She turned to see him walking toward her, still on his phone. He hurriedly finished his call and slipped the phone into his pocket.“We need to talk... It’s important,” he said with a slight smile.Megha’s face, however, was slowly filling with anger.To be continued....© ®️ Meghna_Yadav 2021Special Thanks to friend Gayatri and my loving daughter, my buddy.Hello Readers,Illuminate the five stars of ratings with your gentle touch. Do let me know your thoughts via comments..Thanks and Regards,Meghana Yadav... Â