chapter 31

SerendipityEpisode-31It was 6 pm. The sun was setting, its golden glow descending toward the Arabian Sea.Rajeev turned his chair to face the window, as he watched the sunset.He sat back in a leather chair, arms folded, legs stretched out, gazing at the crimson sun sinking on the horizon.In Rajeev’s mind, he could still picture Megha Joshi’s face from her presentation earlier that day—a face illuminated with wisdom, achievement, and success.He replayed Megha’s presentation in his mind, analyzing Sanyal Sir’s words and recalling how he'd described it as a good opportunity for both of you. ‘What exactly was Sanyal Sir suggesting?’ Rajeev wondered.Yes, Megha’s credentials are impressive. I watched her present—she’s exceptional. But… I don’t know much about her other projects. Ten years of experience… she must be around 34 or 35, yet she seems so youthful. He closed his eyes, recalling Megha’s words: ‘I believe in giving equal opportunity to everyone. His eyes opened as the thought settled.“Rajiv! THINK! THINK! What to do? Will Sanyal Sir ask tomorrow? If we turn SWC down, I’ll need a reason. But… if we decide to give the project to SWC…” A thought surfaced: “Am I ready to work with Miss Joshi? Especially after everything that happened this morning?” His mind wrestled with conflicting thoughts. And even if I agree to work together… would Miss Joshi be willing?Determined to clarify, he decided to look into Megha’s project history before making a decision.He dialed his assistant, Geetha, and asked her to connect with HR Manager Nidhi. As soon as Nidhi was on the line, he instructed her, “Nidhi, I need the details of Megha Joshi’s VP SWC, projects over the last 10 years. It’s urgent and confidential—email it only to me by 1 PM tomorrow.”He hung up, thinking, ‘Let’s see, Miss Joshi… can we work together? If so, perhaps…’Rajeev dove back into the reports prepared by the Supreme team for the Technosys project, reviewing them on his laptop when his personal phone rang.Seeing "Sweetheart" on the caller ID, he answered immediately.“Hey, Dad!” came the sweet voice on the other end.“Hi, sweetheart!” Rajeev's face lit up with a 1,000-watt smile.“Dad! Today I went to school and got new books and my uniform!” she announced with pride.“Wow! That’s wonderful! My independent little girl! And who did you go with?”“Dadiji and Dheeraj Uncle. And I covered all the books myself, though I had to teach Bharti Didi how to do it. She wasn’t doing it quite right.”“Really? That’s my girl! But who taught you how to do it so well?” he teased.“You did, Dad! Last year, remember? You’re such a perfectionist! Even one misfolded corner isn’t okay.” She giggled, and Rajeev couldn’t help but chuckle along.“Yes, your dad’s a perfectionist, and his little princess is too, isn’t she?”“Yes! I’m my Dad’s daughter!” she said proudly, making Rajeev’s heart swell.“Dad, will you be home for dinner?”“Yes, I’ll come home early today. I have to leave for Bangalore tomorrow morning.”“Oh… another meeting?” Her innocent voice sounded a bit disappointed.“Yes, sweetheart, one more meeting,” Rajeev replied, feeling a pang of guilt.“Dad, there’s a problem with dinner,” she said quietly. “It’s… tinde ki sabzi,” she whispered, sharing her little secret.“Oh no, not again!” he laughed. “Tell Bharti Didi to skip the book covers and watch some cooking shows instead—maybe she’ll learn to make better sabzi.”Rajeev’s laughter was matched by the giggle of his daughter, a sound that filled him with warmth.After a short chat, he hung up, smiling but with a heaviness settling in his chest.Sorry, sweetheart. You wait every night, and I know you fall asleep waiting. He sighed, What am I to do? Endless challenges… managing one after another, leading Supreme to new heights. Yet, your childhood slips away.Despite all the success, the losses can never truly be mended.How I wish we could go back… relive those precious, lost moments.But I’m here, cherishing every memory with you… the way you smile, get angry, laugh so easily.Why do you love this super-busy dad so much?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