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The disappointment

Navya was only 10 years old when her parents died in a tragic train accident. After that incident, her uncle Nitish Mehta took care of her and her brother, Nakul. Nitish Mehta was a good man and took care of them as a father, but Pushpa never liked them. Due to the fear of her husband, she didn’t mistreat them in the presence of him. Under Nitish’s protection, Navya never felt that she lost her parents, but her happiness didn’t last long. Nitish was diagnosed with blood cancer and died when she was 20 years old and after his death, for the past 3 years, her life became like a living hell. Pushpa treated her as a maid and let her do all the household works. If she did the slightest mistake, then Pushpa didn’t hesitate to beat her as though she was venting her anger on Navya that was suppressed for so many years. Nakul escaped from this torture as he got a scholarship for medical studies and went to another city.

Navya was working hard to earn money to pay the fees of her and Nakul’s study. Though Nakul got scholarships, they needed to pay half of the tuition fee and for Navya, that amount was quite high. She was in her final year of her master’s degree and after her classes, she worked as a part-time waitress in a hotel. All these were very stressful to her but without complaint, she did all the household works too and in the end, she was scolded and beaten by her aunt.

Recalling these, Navya cried for a long time placing her head down on the dining table. She hoped that once Nakul finished his studies and became a doctor then she would leave this house, but till then she needed to be strong. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and went to the kitchen. Taking some food on a plate, she came to the dining area to eat. After finished eating, she washed the dishes with lots of struggle. Her hand was paining so much but still, she needed to do that. Otherwise, her aunt would punish her again.

After that, she went to her room and applied medicine to her wound. She didn’t know how long she cried before sleep engulfed her completely. During her sleep, she murmured shaking her head “No… don’t… don’t do it… don’t kill…” after murmuring these words for few times she sat up abruptly. Her whole body was drenched with sweat and she was panting heavily. Her hair stuck on her sweaty face. She pushed her hair to the back of her ears and wiped her sweat. Every night she was haunted by the same dream for the past year. She placed her hand on her chest to dissipate the fear in her mind. She picked up the phone to check the time. It was 5 in the morning. Inhaling deeply, she got up from the bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

After finished cleaning the house, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. She made orange juice, a bowl of fruit salad, and Poha (Indian breakfast). By the time she finished cooking breakfast, Pushpa came out of her room yawning widely. Glancing at Navya, she asked, “Did you make fruit salad for Tanvi?”

“Yes, Chachi.”

“Then why didn’t you give it to her till now? Go and give that in her room. She is going for a photo shoot today. Don’t make her late.”

Navya hurriedly picked up the bowl of fruit salad and a glass of orange juice and rushed to Tanvi’s room. Tanvi was trying her luck in modeling and she was very cautious about the food she ate. She never touched any fried items and stayed far away from sweets. Pushpa always hovered on Navya to make sure Tanvi’s daily diet. After serving breakfast to Tanvi and Pushpa, Navya gulped down the orange juice and walked to her room to take bath. After taking a quick shower, she strode out of the apartment to go to the university.

On the other end, Atharv called Karan the moment he entered his office and within a minute Karan came there with a file. He knew why the CEO was calling him so urgently. Passing the file to Atharv, he started explaining “Her name is Navya Mehta. She is doing her master’s from Mumbai University and working as a part-time waitress in Exotiq’s branch that is near to our head office. Her brother is studying medicals in Chennai. Their parents died in a train accident when they were very young and since then their paternal uncle took care of them, who also died 3 years ago. She is now living with her aunt Pushpa Mehta and her cousin Tanvi Mehta. Pushpa is an owner of a small salon and Tanvi is a struggling model.”

“Hmm.”

Atharv was studying the file minutely turning the page one after another. After checking, again and again, the information, he concluded that Navya was only a look-alike of Tina. Disappointment hit his heart. He expected this result though, still, he felt heartache because somewhere in his heart he thought, Navya was none other than Tina. He closed the file and threw it down on the table. Leaning back on his seat, he closed his eyes and said “Leave.”

Karan then turned and left immediately. Atharv rubbed his forehead for few times and sat up straight. After encountering Navya, her beautiful face flashed in his mind whenever he closed his eyes. He was restless and wondering how she could attract his attention so much just in a few hours of meeting. Was it because she looked like Tina? But his love was for Tina, not for her look alike. In his life he only loved Tina then how could Navya create ripples in his heart. Since last night, he couldn’t stop thinking about Navya and now also he couldn’t concentrate on his work. Her face was always coming in front of his eyes. Feeling suffocated he loosened the tie and walked to the one-way glass wall. Putting his both hands inside the pocket, he looked out and fixed his gaze at the tall building of ‘Exotiq’ which was visible from there. This was the place where Navya worked.

Just as he was lost in his thoughts, his office door was pushed open by his secretary, Anaya. “Good morning Mr. Ahuja. Someone called Arnav Mathai is seeking permission to meet you. He is saying it’s urgent.”

Atharv frowned deeply and turned around to look at Anaya. “Send him in.”

Anaya nodded and left. Atharv’s expression was gloomy as though he was not happy. He sat down on his seat and leaned back, shooting a cold gaze at the door. Within a minute a tall man in his late thirties, who was wearing a black long coat and a gatsby cap, came inside the office. His facial feature was stoic with a serious expression. He greeted Atharv the moment his deep black eyes landed on him “Good morning Mr. Ahuja.” His voice was deep and heavy.

Atharv’s gaze was as cold as ice. There was no courtesy in his expression as though he was not happy by his presence. He didn’t even offer him to sit and directly asked “Why are you here? I told you to not come here. We could have met in another place.”

Arnav Mathai chuckled and said while sitting down on the opposite chair of Atharv “You are becoming more and more arrogant day by day. At least you can ask me to sit down first before asking questions.”

Atharv had no mood in beating around the bush. He rolled his eyes and said impatiently “Come to the point. Why are you here?”

Arnav Mathai’s face darkened and said, “I can’t find anything suspicious against Veer, but I do find something about Vicky.”

“What? Vicky?” Atharv looked at him in shock, mouth agape.

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