chapter 43

SerendipityEpisode-43Rajeev picked up the contract from the table and reviewed it one last time, his eyes lingering on the newly added clause, number eight.He couldn't help but recall that day, seeing Megha’s face in his mind. Her eyes had held a mix of anger, disappointment, and frustration.The way she’d looked at Sanyal Sir, laughing freely, and the way her face fell at the mention of JPM… as if someone had betrayed her.Her words echoed in his mind: ‘You don’t see anything beyond JPM. All my hard work has been for nothing…’ He closed his eyes momentarily, then, with a steady hand, signed the contract, handing it over to Geeta for confidential delivery. With that done, he asked her to prepare for the press release and busied himself with other tasks.*@*@*@*@*When Megha peeked into Purab's cabin, she noticed an empty pizza box and realized that Arya and Purab must have indulged themselves.Arya was happily playing games on a laptop. Megha gave Purab a look as she entered, slightly annoyed."Arya, this is the office. Are you playing games here?" she asked, a bit stern.“But, Mom! Purab Uncle said I could!” Arya replied, as Purab looked up from his laptop and gestured for Megha to sit down. He was on the phone with Subodh and didn’t respond directly."Whose laptop is this?" Megha asked Arya quietly, noticing it wasn’t the same one Purab usually used for work.“Purab Uncle brought it from someone,” Arya replied innocently.Megha glanced through the glass window and saw Meenal, a senior consultant on Purab’s team, struggling with her desktop.Megha realized, Purab must have taken Meenal’s laptop so Arya could play!“Arya, close the game now and give the laptop back to Meenal Didi,” Megha instructed firmly.“But, Momma…”“Arya, this is the office. If Megha Ma’am’s daughter is sitting here playing games, no one will work! Hand over the laptop now.”Megha’s discipline was clear. Arya looked a bit annoyed but eventually handed over the laptop, knowing discipline was part of why her mother was so strong and successful.*@*@*@*@*That evening, as soon as Arya got home, she enthusiastically shared every detail about her new school with the family.They’d all seen the school once on the website, but Arya’s excitement added a new dimension. Showing off her new uniform and books, she announced,"Let’s put the covers on, Grandpa!" Grandpa and Arya took out plastic covers, tape, and scissors to begin her favorite ritual before school started: covering her books.Arya was thrilled to go to her new school. When Megha had first mentioned Singhania School, she’d wondered if Arya would hesitate to leave her old friends.But one look at the football field had made the decision easy for Arya. “This is the school I want!” she had said.“Once she’s set her heart on it, it’s bound to happen,” Megha’s mother said as she lit a lamp in the Mandir.“Yes, I knew it! I’d prayed for Arya’s admission while offering a lamp to the Ganges at Haridwar. This is the result,” added Radhatai with a content smile.“And Megha Tai, I also lit a special lamp for your important meeting. I even told you to wear your lucky saree that day,” she reminded Megha while preparing a dinner.Megha paused, her fingers hovering over the laptop keys. If we get the Sehgal project, maybe Radha Tai’s prayer was answered…But wasn’t that the same day as the Supreme meeting? Sehgal seemed more interested in Supreme than Effertus. Could the lamp’s blessing bring success in the Supreme meeting, too?Despite her efforts to push it out of her mind, the thought lingered. Supreme is a closed chapter, she reminded herself. But a nagging feeling remained.Why couldn’t she let it go? Her mind kept drifting back to that presentation with Supreme, feeling as if it could somehow change her life. Why was she so restless?Is it because of Supreme? Whenever she thought of Supreme, his face came to mind.Would they meet again? Whether or not she secured the project, she wanted to see him once more and apologize.Maybe that would finally calm the turmoil within her.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