Hues Of A Bloom- Chap-1-contd.
Sam was too tired now. Too tired to the bone to go after the man who took away her boutique. A month had gone since she asked for him to consider giving back the one thing that was only hers and she kept going to his office every day and week to get a meeting fixed with him but he never talked to her nor he cared about her presence.
She had worked hard for the place. Worked three part time jobs. Sweated around it. And finally with the help of her friend she set it up into a full time running shop. Now it was gone. She was sad. Very much because it was her possession and nobody else’s.
Frankly though, she didn’t expect for him to relent because her father and her family had really done the damage. They betrayed the company people and her father had sent his colleague to prison and had got involved in many scams and frauds after it. A dying man wouldn’t lie and her father confessed to her everything before his heart gave out two days later.
She was devastated by the knowledge of it. That she had been living a luxurious life with the money earned by the destruction and sufferings of others. It had suffocated her and she was ashamed. Now with nothing around her the vile presence of her past she needed to live her life a clean one now. But her eyes drew away in fear thinking about facing the world where her father had hurt many. How could she ask the forgiveness now?
She could start with him but
Her eyes winced each time she observed the dark pain and anger in his eyes. His wounds were old and hers were fresh. She had every night cried to sleep knowing that her life was pretty messed up now and that people hated her in the world. Her past had put that in there. What should she do but accept his punishment in meek silence. She felt deserved for such a treatment.
She sighed while wiping the cloth over the table. Waitressing job was so tiring. Even if falling down in a faint one should do it smilingly. It drained her completely.
“So, did he relent?” Resha, a dear friend that Sam made asked her while putting the salt shakers in a row over around the tables.
Sam gave a shrug.
“Not exactly.” She said sadly while turning around to face her.
Resha sighed again and she gave her an apprehensive look. Sam smiled at the concern colouring her face deeply.
“What are you going to do?” She asked in a worried tone.
Resha was tall and slim. She was gorgeous and resembled a magazine model. She should though stop waitressing and get into that profession. Her mind as contradiction to her innocent face was very cynical, practical and sarcastic but her heart was golden and she was a sweetheart.
Sam smiled squaring her shoulders bravely.
“I’ll keep on persisting him until he relented.” She said determinedly.
Thank god her mother wasn’t there while the boutique too went out of their hands. She would have been devastated. Thank god, for the relatives but she wouldn’t be back home for two months. That was a good thing. Mother needed distraction from the acute loneliness and the pain curling around their head these days. Of course, she didn’t tell her about this and make her see Sam differently. She had enough of her past moving over around her now. Resha only knew about this person who took over her shop and that’s it.
Resha laughed while moving towards another table.
“And get a restraining order instead. Yeah, great going on that persistence. It finally will land you up in the prison. Your most favourite place in the world.” She said sarcastically while giving her a rebuke.
Dear god, Sam gulped hard. Would he really do that. He had warned so last time. She shook her head while moving to attend the now crowding customers near the door.
The thoughts circled around her mind all day long while she worked.
He wouldn’t do that. He surely was a better man than that.
*********
Neil walked slowly to his cabin but not before looking around cautiously outside into the lobby. He got inside frowning heavily. She wasn’t here in the morning. Strange. He always did find her sitting in the visitors room and on the one of the plush sofa’s. The cabin and the glass wall were carefully designed. Everything can be seen from the outside but not from the outside.
He looked across narrowing his eyes at the empty room. She would come in morning. Pester his secretary about fixing a meeting with him and then wait determinedly to talk to him. She would leave late in the night when the office closed. The light dying out and disappointment colouring her face by the evening.
Now she wasn’t there. He frowned. He had the habit of seeing her shining eyes and face in the morning. The coffee seemed bland today suddenly. He put the cup back on the tray in complete distaste.
Maria came in just before he twirled his chair towards the table.
“Good morning, boss. These are the papers that you need to sign today.” She said in a robotic meekness.
Neil nodded.
“Morning.” He greeted back curtly.
He held the pen while she slid a few documents into his vision. Immediately as the words slid into his mind his hand froze over one such document.
His eyes moved sharply.
“What’s this one?” He asked curiously.
Maria’s face coloured in surprise. Usually he wouldn’t enquire after the company documents but suddenly he needed to know this now. He knew the answer to it but he didn’t know if he could decide whether or not about a few things now.
“The papers to the new property that was bought under our company, Sir..” Maria answered instantly and promptly.
Neil’s jaw ticked and his face turned grave. He looked across at the empty room. He found his cabin missing something nice this morning. It didn’t set well about into his space. He needed to cut of the tendril of something curling in his chest before it firmed into a root.
He decided and slid the pen to the right.
“Give the papers back to the owner. The company doesn’t need the property anymore.” He ordered curtly and finally.
Maria faltered to reply and she blinked in surprise.
“Oh, alright, Sir.” She replied readily and took those papers hurriedly back into her hands.
He called her back before she reached the door.
“And fix a meeting with the man who sold the place to the company. ASAP.” He said in a hard tone.
She nodded her head before walking out of the door.
Neil sighed. He twirled to the glass wall. Rohit Khanna, the man, the nephew of the person Neil destroyed had sold off his cousin’s boutique without her knowledge. Why wasn’t he surprised. He had been when rich a complete brat and a useless slug mooching off his uncle’s money for a long time now. He had all the vilest of habits. Addict. Alcoholic. Womanizer. All things bad can be described as his personality. Maybe, that’s the reason he went berserk and without money and with such a hurried habits to get satisfied he had stole the papers.
Neil could have been a bad man here. He could have taken the property but her face so sweet ran into his vision time and again. She was right then. The shop was a hard earned one and he knew very well what goes into a hard work. He could hardly take away someone’s sweat and blood. He wasn’t still capable of being completely bad.
She wouldn’t be here again to waiting day and night for a chance to speak to him. Good riddance. But the thought wasn’t all that great. Her absence brought many things to his mind. Not one was satisfying or smug. He didn’t like the thought of her not being in his life. He squelched those thoughts right from its roots before it culminated into something more….
*********
To be contd.
Credit to: Blue