After entering the house, Ishika angrily flung her jacket on the chair before turning to her grandfather who has lowered himself on the chair. The old man didn’t even look like he was in the least worried about how angry she looked, he was just glad to have had a good outing.
“You must be proud of yourself” she half yelled, “how could you switch off your mobile phone like that, father?”
“I knew you were going to come disturb me, my dear” Elder Bharat answered sincerely, “and you still did”
“Don’t you even worry about your own health?” Ishika was genuinely angry, “do you know how worried I was?”
“I just went out for some fresh air, Ishika,” she told him, “and as you can see, I am fine. I even had a drink with that young man. I can imagine what he is passing through”
“I don’t think that is our business, father” she replied, “you just need to take care of yourself and your health, that is all i expect from you”
“Of course my dear” he flashed her a smile, “this old bag of bones will listen to you”
“Good, I will ask one of the workers to make some hangover soup for you”
With that, she grabbed her jacket and made for the stairs. It was at this point that her mobile began to ring and when she saw the caller ID, she clicked on the receive button and pressed the phone against her ear.
“Tell me”
“Ma’am” her assistant’s voice reached her ear, “a mail from Avanti just arrived ma’am and they are willing to close the deal if you agree to meet with them once”
Ishika rolled her eyes as she threw her door open,
“Tell them I am very busy and I won’t be available for a meeting, they can go ahead and close the deal, they are on the receiving end anyways.
“I have spoken to them and they won’t listen ma’am” her assistant said, as if this was her last resort.
“How much is the compensation fee?”
“Forty million dollars”
“Good, prepare a document '' Ishika was not going to give them the satisfaction of meeting her as they pleased. She was not some roadside company owner, she was Ishika Bharat. The CEO of Bharat group of companies.
“Tell them we will pay the compensation since they are not willing to close the deal since they won’t be able to meet me”
“But ma'am” her assistant was skeptical about it, “that would be a lot of money from our end”
“Once you have your business, Laila. You will know why you shouldn’t be available to all the business owners who want to meet you. Draft the contract and email them to mw, I will have to check it before you send it to them”
“Sure ma’am”
After ending the call, she flung the phone on the bed and made for the bathroom to have a shower. Somewhere in her head, the blue eyes of that divorcée kept lingering.
*******
Kiel kept staring at into nothingness as the thought of Roslyn filed his mind. He couldn’t just wrap his head around the fact that she had the nerves to get pregnant for another man even when she was married.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a fool. How didn’t he notice it from the very beginning? He actually thought Roslyn was into him but he was just a pawn that she used to get her way to the top of the food chain. Kiel felt hopeless and wished it was all a dream.
His mobile began to ring, jolting him out of his musing and when he saw the caller ID, he rolled his eyes to the back of his head. This lady had been calling him since this morning but he was too tired to even answer his phone.
How could he? He was sure to be a laughing stock in society now.
The mobile rang again and when he saw it was a different number, he let out a sigh before pressing the receive button.
“Hello” his deep husky voice resonated in the whole room as he raked his hand through his hair.
“Is this Mr Kiel Anderson?” The lady from the other end inquired.
“You can just send the annulled marriage certificate to the Campbell mansion and stop calling me”
He was visibly frustrated.
“I am sorry” the lady from the other end sounded a bit confused, “someone sent my boss your number and she asked me to call you”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone suggested your name to my madam and even gave her your number. I will send the address, please come to the location”
“What is this about?” Kiel was sure skeptical about it, he didn’t want this to be one of Roselyn’s plans again.
“I think you should meet my madam yourself sir, I will send the address now”
As the line went dead, Kiel slumped back on the bed and closed his eyes. He was feeling a little sick but maybe going out of the room would help him clear his head.
After a while, his phone beeped with a message and when he saw it was the address, he slowly made his way into the washroom.
******
The moment Kiel sauntered into the building, he could feel all eyes on him. Well, he definitely knew why. His news was all over the media and there was nothing he could do about it. Roselyn decided to humiliate him in the worst ways possible.
“Mr Kiel?” A lady walked up to him with a smile on her face.
“Yes”
“Nice to meet you” the lady said again, “my boss is in a meeting but she will be out in ten minutes, you can wait in her office”
“Of course”
With a nod, she led him towards the private elevator and led him into the office.
“Make yourself comfortable, I will bring you some coffee”
“Hmmm”
As she walked out of the office, Kiel used this opportunity to look around and he was impressed. The decorations and everything was top notch. Whoever owned the company was good.
His eyes unknowingly flew to the name tag on the table and for a moment a look of surprise flashed across his face.
“Ishika Bharat” the name rolled out of his lips, he wasn’t sure if it was the same Bharat or just a coincidence.
“Sorry for keeping you” a voice said from the door and Kiel turned to see her walking into the office and for a moment, he was actually stunned.
Dressed in a pair of white skirt that stopped at her thighs and a crisps black shirt which was neatly tucked into her skirt making her look professional and elegant at the same time. Her makeup was mild and her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, she was actually much prettier than most of the Indian women he had come across, Kiel couldn’t lie.
“Mr Anderson?” She stretched her hand towards him with a smile on her lips, “I was in a meeting”
He gently took the hand and flashed her a smile too,
“I just got here by the way,” Kiel told her.
she was the same lady he met that day, he couldn’t be mistaken but it seems she had forgotten about him. Kiel didn’t care though, he wasn’t looking for favors.
“Sorry I should have invited you to the headquarters but I was around the area and decided to meet you here”
“No problem” he lowered himself gently on the chair, “this
is less of a hassle for me” he further added.
“Well” Ishika also perched on the chair opposite him and crossed one leg over another. Compared to Roselyn, she was just too elegant and dignified.
Being able to take over the Bharat empire at such a young age, Kiel was sure she must have put in a lot of work in order to reach where she was today.
“How is your divorce coming along?” She asked him after a while and she was surprised, he thought she didn’t remember.
“Well” he shrugged, “I will get past it”
“Hmmm” she nodded, “well, someone recommended you to me, his father worked with you like two years ago and he said you are good”
“Well” Kiel leaned forward, “that depends on the work you have for me”
The door opened after a while and Laila entered with a tray containing some coffee for them, she set it down on the table and bowed before walking out of the office again.
“Thank you Laila” she called after her assistant before returning her focus to Kiel again,
“Well, I hope you are as good as he claimed you to be, Mr Anderson”
“Try me,” he suggested.
“Hmmm”
Ishika picked up the document that was on the table and handed it over to him.
“I had my assistant draft this contract yesterday night, apparently the said company said they would not close the deal if I do not attend a personal meeting with them. And like I am, I shouldn’t be everywhere or I will lose my value as the representative of Bharat group of companies” she paused for a while to make sure he was listening and she continued when she discovered he was.
“I have already decided to pull out my partnership with them and pay them the compensation fee of forty million dollars. What do you suggest?”
“Hmmm”
Kiel gently opened the document and skimmed through it slowly, he nodded as he read ahead.
Her eyes continued to linger on him as he read while a small smile was gracing her lips.
“Well, you made the right choice” Kiel said as he looked up from the papers
“What do you mean?”
“Well in such a case, showing your dominance is paramount. They will come running back when they see the compensation fee”
“What do you mean?” Ishika was really curious, Kiel sounded intelligent and she loved it.
“Forty million dollars is such a huge amount of money but it is less than what they will be getting when they seal the deal. I am certain the director of the company will be calling you when you send this to him”
“So should I go along with my plan?”
“Of course” he flashed her a little smile, “go ahead with the plan.
Ishita kept looking at him as he sipped on his coffee. There was something about him that intrigued her. She wasn’t sure what it was but it was definitely something. He looked and spoke with a lot of smartness and not to get started on his intellect, he was one of a kind.“What if this falls through?” She asked after a while and he chuckled lightly before dropping the coffee mug back on the table.“Of course not, miss Bharat” he began, “this will definitely be a success for you and I am certain they will be signing the contract by tomorrow. I have worked with such companies before, I know what they want. Avanti is a good company, I have met with their CEO once”His statement piqued her interest and She leaned forward on her chair, her gaze still on him.“You seem very versed in issues like this”“Yes” he responded with pride, “I worked So hard to get to the top of the food chain”“Does that mean your ex wife was a fool to have let a rare gem like you go?” She inquired again and Kiel
Kiel handed his friend a glass of wine before lowering himself on the couch, Winston was seated opposite him and he had a bizzare look on his face. He couldn’t believe what his friend told him over the phone, he wanted to hear from him face to face.When he hears the news that was circulating, that was when he called Kiel and he was surprised to find out it was true.How could rose do something like that? He has known the two of them for years now and they looked like they loved each other so how was this even possible? How could Rose do something of the sort?“Why do you keep looking at me with a weird look on your face?” He couldn’t help but ask Winston, “is there something you want to say?”“You are so chilled about the fact that your wife cheated on you and asked for a divorce Kiel, I mean the whole news is everywhere. I stopped my the office today and people won’t stop talking about it”“It is what it is, winston” Kiel continued, “maybe if I didn’t travel for six months, this wou
A gentle knock resonated on the door and it pushed open. Ishita’s assistant sauntered into the room and she bowed a little.“Ma’am, it is time for the meeting”“I will be there in a jiffy,” Ishita answered, not bothering to look up from the document she was reading.“And ma’am” the assistant cleared her throat again; “Avanti has sent their answer, they have agreed to sign the contract”Finally she raised her head from the paper and turned her attention to the woman in front of her.“Kiel was right after all” her lips curled into a soft smile, “prepare for the meeting, I will be there soon”The lady bowed and made her way out of the office while Ishita leaned back on her chair and picked up her phone before dialing his number.At first there was no answer she just as she was about to end the call, she heard a muffled “hello” from the background.“Hello, Mr Kiel”“Can I call you back?” Kiel asked from the other end, “it isn’t a good time”“You signed the divorce papers and yet you act
Roselyn was taken aback, she didn’t expect Kiel to do something like this in front of her. They just divorced and he was already kissing some other woman? She wanted him to kiss up to her, she wanted him to still be obsessed with her but it seemed like she didn’t even know the man she married. How could he kiss another woman so casually in front of her?The more she thought about it, the more she became furious and wanted to slap him hard across the face.“You are so pathetic, Kiel” she hissed in anger.She slowly disengaged from her and turned his focus to the fuming Roselyn.“What did you say?” He inquired with a raised brow.“You heard me correctly, Kiel Anderson” she growled, “how dare you kiss another woman in front of me? Are you that cheap? Are you so angry that you pick any roadside prostitute and just kiss her? What happened to begging Kiel, like you always do? What happened to kissing up to me?”“You must have enjoyed all of that right?” Ishita began to speak, “you must have
As soon as her car pulled up in front of the building, Ishita alighted and was surprised to see him standing a few feets away from her. Looking at him, her anger skyrocketed. How dare he come back here? Was he tired of living?With a sigh, she began to take slow steps towards him while clutching onto her bag tightly.This was the person she hated the most in this world, the person she never wanted to see again after the stunt he pulled on her.“How dare you come here, Gerald?” She growled in anger, “how dare you show your face to me? Are you tired of living?“Why?” Gerald began to take slow steps towards her, “why shouldn’t I come to see you ishita? You blocked me everywhere and won’t even let me see you, what else would you have me for?”“Get out!!” She hissed, “and the next time you come on my property, o will make sure you pay for it” With that, she turned around and made to leave but he yanked at her hand but before she could snap it off, someone grabbed it and she immediately tu
The moment those words filtered out of her mouth, everyone was silent for a moment. None of them expected her to stand up for him in such a manner.Kiel was the most surprised person of all, why didn’t she think before acting? She was a public figure so how could she act so recklessly?He raked his fingers through his hair, unable to comprehend what she was trying to do.“When did the two of you start dating?” The reporters began to bombard her with questions.“Was it during his divorce?”“Do you really love each other?” They kept asking and asking but instead Kiel grabbed her hand and led her towards the elevator. The reporters wanted to follow them but her security guards were fast to stop them.The moment they were in the elevator, he immediately let go of her hand and turned to her, he was fuming with anger and she could clearly see it on his face.“What the hell was that?” He asked her, “how could you say that In front of everyone? Aren’t you scared of being ridiculed because of
Kiel walked into the cafe and he saw Roslyn seated at the far end, she had a scarf over her head and a dark shade to hide her face. she was a public figure after all and not everyone was opportuned to see her as they pleased and what more, she wasn’t supposed to be seen in the public with her ex husband.Heaving a sigh, Kiel pulled out the chair and sat opposite her thereby covering her from the people around.His mind drifted off of the first date they had and it was in this same cafe. Why did she choose it? Was she trying to mess with his head?The more Kiel thought about it, the more he couldn’t understand what exactly was going on in her mind, what exactly she wanted to do.“Why did you call me here?” He asked after a while, his face was stoic and expressionless.“Care for a drink?” Roslyn asked him and he nodded in the negative.“I am not in the mood for a drink, Roselyn” he retorted, “tell me, why have you called me here”She was silent for a while and how she wished he saw the
“I am sorry, you can not see Mrs Campbell” the guards by the gate tried to stop him. They didn’t quite look familiar and Kiel was a bit disturbed. These were not the guards that were usually stationed at the gate. When were they all replaced?He heaved a sigh and raked his hand through his hair, he was sweating profusely under the hot sun and these people didn’t realize he had to go inside to take a shower.“I am sure you are new here, aren’t you?” He asked them, “you must not know who I am”“Of course we know you” one of them answered, “Mr Kiel”His forehead creased into a slight frown. Why were they trying to stop him if they knew who he was?“Look gentlemen, I am very busy and I can not stay and chat with you. I suggest you let me through”He was still talking when the gates pushed open from the inside and one of the female workers ventured out of the gates, she had the garbage bag with her.The moment she saw Kiel, her face broke into a thin smile.“Young master” she bowed lightly