Being back to work brought him some normalcy. After a month of absence, he was back in the fray and going by the status of various projects, not a moment too soon. Rajeev, although the senior partner and much more experienced, lacked the chutzpah to keep things moving. Deadlines had passed without anything to show for them. Budgets were being overrun, the pace had become so sluggish their clients had begun complaining.

Sitting in his fifth-floor office in the posh locality of Delhi’s Vasant Vihar, Darsh scrolled over the quarterly summary report as Rajeev sat in a leather chair across from him drumming his fingers on the polished acrylic table. It was mid-morning and as was their custom, they were having a catch-up over a cup of coffee. Shruti, Rajeev’s personal assistant, sat next to him typing furiously on her laptop and taking notes. Her eyes were narrowed on the screen but Darsh knew a moment ago they were watching him.

Her eyes held that look - the special moony-eyed look girls reserve for men they have a crush on but were far beyond their reach. In Shruti’s case, maybe she thought he was within her reach at least until a few days ago. Maybe it was not her fault, the kind of life he’d lived for the past six years, many girls were led to believe that. He could see the hurt on her face, the implicit accusation that he had somehow been unfair to her by ignoring her and marrying another woman. The frenzied tic-tic-tic of her keys as she jabbed at her laptop got on his nerves, it was as if the woman was poking her manicured fingernails into his eyes to extract her just revenge.

He kept his attention on the report but could feel his irritation building. He wished he did not have to see the girl on his first day back. She was pushy, nosy, just the kind of girl he preferred to avoid. On more than a few occasions, he had found her where she should not have been - like loitering near the men’s restrooms when he was about to enter or exit, printing out documents near the cafeteria when he wanted to grab a quick drink (this, when she had a special printer solely at her disposal being Rajeev’s PA), and in the office long after Rajeev left when Darsh had stayed back working late. This last one was quite common as he had a habit of burning midnight oil, and so it seemed she also had made it her business to be available at all hours.

Luckily for him, he had other assistants who were equally dedicated and did not mind keeping him company. The woman made him uncomfortable as if she was always on the lookout for an opportunity.

“Get me another coffee, will you?” He said glancing at her, careful not to leak his irritation into his voice or face. “And please get this quarter’s accounts reports from Mr. Bakshi.”

“But it’s not even the tenth of the month yet!" the woman had no such inhibitions. "You know Mr. Bakshi does them around the twentieth…”

“I need them urgently, Shruti. If he hasn’t done them yet, do them yourself but do not return without them.”

The woman got up and left, shutting her laptop with a louder-than-necessary clap. Rajeev raised an eyebrow.

“Go easy on her, pal. The girl is heartbroken,” he curled his lips once the door was shut behind his PA.

“If she is, it’s her own fault," Darsh rolled his eyes. "The mental state of your PA is none of my concern.”

Rajeev raised an amused eyebrow. Darsh retaliated with an unamused shrug. To hell with that woman, Rajeev had spoilt her rotten.

“And now back to business. May I know what’s going on? The Imperial City project is still not signed, Emerald Towers is in amber. We still haven’t signed the dotted line with Mr. Gujral for the partnership in his new shopping mall and these are just the first few on the list. What’s happening, Rajeev?”

It was now Rajeev’s turn to roll his eyes. The man looked positively irked.

“Well, what did you expect? It would have all been well if you hadn’t gone on your month-long expedition out of the blue. You left discussions mid-way, clients were confused. Do you know how difficult it was to fend off their queries? It’s not my fault if they didn’t want to proceed without you.”

Really? Darsh sighed. Rajeev too was part of those discussions, he could have easily taken a lead and seen the projects through. But apparently, Rajeev had other ideas.

“Moreover, you diverted all our resources to Palampur,” Rajeev pointed at him with an accusing finger. “I had to scramble at the last moment and recruit whoever I could find to make up the slack. Do you know how hard it was? I had to get whoever I could find and pay them much more than what we would have otherwise offered. It screwed all our finances for this quarter. What were you even thinking?”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Fair enough, Darsh accepted defeat gracefully. There was some truth in it. Their Palampur projects now consumed almost sixty percent of their resources. It was his decision but he had done it knowing it would cause a crunch in Delhi. Delhi projects were run-of-the-mill jobs while Palampur was an unexplored gold mine. Granted, the work here had suffered but he had no qualms, at least it made Rajeev get off his lazy ass and do something productive.

Sighing, he threw the report on the table. It was time he got off his own ass. He’d have to go visit the sites and make sure the new workers were up to the mark. Another item for his to-do list, this time his professional list rather than personal. A shadow passed his heart. He had never made two different lists before, what was professional was personal and vice versa. He had never made the distinction before - a big mistake, he knew that now.

“By the way, talking about Palampur, how do you propose to manage the Palampur projects now that you are here? I hope you are not going to leave them to that green boy?”

“That green boy is the owner of half that land, Rajeev," Darsh shook his head. He didn’t know what Rajeev had against Mohit, but for some reason, the boy had made a not-so-favorable impression on his partner. This was very unlike Rajeev, the man was usually reasonable, sometimes even overly generous to people, his pompous secretary was a great example. "I find him capable enough. And I have left Mishra and Naik there, they will be doing the chunk of the work while Mohit is under their guidance.” Not to mention he himself was monitoring the work, he had daily video calls with Mishra and Naik - his two best managers that he’d recruited and groomed himself over the past years. Their reports were good. The boy was a fast learner.

Rajeev hummed, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair. After a short pause, his eyes narrowed and Darsh braced himself for the inevitable question.

“So, how is it going…at home?”

“It’s fine. Aditi is settling down.” He answered with a straight face.

“So, all okay?”

“Yes, all fine.” Darsh smiled as he watched his partner. Although no longer hands-on with clients, Rajeev was still a seasoned player. He was fishing for information, but for what reason, Darsh couldn’t gauge. “So about the Imperial City…”

“Imperial City can wait. I am thinking of throwing a party,” Rajeev cut him off.

Darsh frowned.

“Party? For what?"

“To introduce your wife to our clients. They are quite curious, you know. You were gone for more than a month without any trace and returned with an heiress wife. Everyone wishes to meet her. And I think it's a good time to cash on your newfound status.”

He felt his color rising, yet he didn't know why. Wasn’t that the very reason why he'd married her? To cash on her status, to bask in the borrowed glory. To parade her in front of people and earn their pseudo respect. A burning gag built in his throat, bile pulsing at his diaphragm to erupt in a rush. He swallowed it somehow yet the acid reached his mouth, souring its taste.

"There is no rush. It's not even two days we are here. Parties can wait."

"But why wait? I think it's time to flaunt your wife in front of our clients."

“I have no wish to flaunt my wife to anybody Rajeev. If you are suggesting…”

“I am not suggesting anything Darsh.” Rajeev continued serenely. “All I am saying is - the clients are curious. It’s time we introduce them to Aditi and put the matter behind us.”

He slumped back in his chair and wiped his face with an unusually damp palm. He would be more than happy to take his wife to a party if it was just a matter of introducing her. But that was kind of impossible when he was barely on talking terms with her. She would never agree, he just knew it.

“I'll think about it," he said pursing his lips. Rajeev gave him a curious look, then shrugged.

“Well, think fast. If we can get this done in the next few days, maybe Bakshi will have something positive to report for this quarter.”

Rajeev's reminder stayed with him for the rest of the day. Darsh kept busy, going over project reports; reconnecting with clients with regard to pending items. Rajeev was right, they were curious to meet his wife. Darsh had a hard time explaining why he’d not introduced her yet.

Sometime in the late afternoon, his detective emailed him another folder. This time too it was small, but not as small as Aditi’s had been. Darsh clicked on it to check the introduction summary - the stranger who’d dropped Aditi home yesterday was none other than Gaurav Dhaliwal - her college friend and the owner of the famous Dhaliwal Diamonds with stores all over India. He was also a doctor and unmarried.

As expected, his day went downhill from there. He called urgent meetings and demanded reports that he knew were not due until the end of the month. Had a couple of more arguments with Rajeev, just for the heck of it, and shouted at his PA a few more times, just because he could. The girl finally left his cabin almost in tears. Exasperated, Rajeev threw his hands up in the air and asked him to take an early break.

Relieved, he slumped back in his chair and loosened his tie. He didn't know that was what he needed - an early break to go back home, to his wife. To see her sweet face and if he was lucky, a shade of smile in her eyes.

Come five o’clock and he did just that, he packed his bag to head home. On his way out, he heard some whispers, some suggestive giggles. This time too his pulse raised but not in anger. A strange eagerness gripped his heart as he rushed out and got into his car.

***** *****