The early morning sun of Delhi kissed Rachna's plump face softly, its light penetrating her eyelids and causing her to groan. Wasn't it bad enough that she had an alarm to interrupt her sleep?
Wait a minute. She was always up before sunrise. But she was late.
Her eyes flew open as she jumped off the bed. The figures shown on her alarm were enough to make her cry. She was going to be late!
She didn't even have the time to recite her morning prayers as she rushed into the bathroom. She was out in less than three minutes, her towel hanging loosely around her slender body. Flinging the doors to her wardrobe open, she hurriedly searched through her closet. She regretted not picking out an outfit like she always did the previous night. She settled for a skirt and blue chiffon top, matching the colour with white sandals and black bangles.
She grabbed her purse and rushed out of her room, having no time for breakfast as she headed towards the front door.
"Oh, Rachna, you're still here," she stopped and faced her mother, who seemed to have just finished praying.
"Good morning, ma," she greeted.
"Morning, dear. It's good that I caught you. Suman is ill, and I have to rush to the bank. We will be having Guptaji as a guest this evening. Do you mind tidying up the house quickly?"
What?
"Mother, I am running late to work. I really can't-"
"Remember, Rachna, your main duties are to this family before anything else. I don't know why you even bother having a job when Vicky is more than capable of providing for the family," her mother ranted.
"But mother-"
"No buts!" She snapped, causing Rachna to slam her lips shut, "I want this house to be sparkling by the time I return, understood?"
With slumped shoulders, Rachna nodded solemnly. "Understood."
The house suddenly felt more significant than usual as she cleaned, her eyes occasionally going to the clock hung on the wall. She spotted her elder brother, Vicky, on his way out.
"Vicky bhaiya!" She called out, earning a nasty glare from him.
"What?"
"Can you please help me out with the cleaning? I'm getting late for my work," she pleaded, joining her palms together.
He rolled his eyes in response, "Well, so am I. Don't be selfish." With that said, he began to walk away.
"Vicky!" Rachna screeched out. And then, he was out of sight.
Just her luck.
By the time she was done, over thirty minutes had passed. She sprinted out of her home and into the busy streets as she hailed an auto-rickshaw. She reached SL airlines, the company where she worked in a mess.
Rachna arrived nearly thirty minutes late after the usual time. She rushed out of the auto and headed into the company. As she emerged into the building, all eyes turned to her, both customers and workers. She shrank back. She hated being the centre of attention, but she couldn't help today. She passed by the receptionist, who greeted her but didn't return the greeting as she ran toward the elevator.
Getting into the elevator in haste, she pressed the fifth-floor button with her palms clamped together as she said a silent prayer to prepare her for what she was about to face
She rushed out as soon as the elevator doors opened when it got to the fifth floor. She took a deep breath as she walked toward her boss's office. Rachna was faced with a fuming Preeta, her assistant.
"Where have you been? The boss called for you!" Preeta seethed. She didn't give Rachna a chance to speak before shoving a tea tray into her hands, "He's in a meeting. He requested this. Go!"
Still trying to catch up with the world that seemed to be running faster than her, Rachna wobbled towards her boss's door. She gave a slight knock, and a 'come in' followed.
Her boss, Mr Solanki, was a very proud and intelligent man. His high status in society made him almost untouchable. Almost. He was a short, plump man with a bald skull and grey moustache. His tiny eyes turned to Rachna as she entered with the steaming cup tray.
"Good morning, Sir." Rachna greeted her boss and adjusted her red skirt and blue chiffon top. She knew she would get an earful from her boss Mr Solanki, the most annoying man on earth.
Solanki, who had the temper of a lion, raised his head and eyed Rachna. "You came late again!" He shouted and removed the glasses from his eyes.
Rachna comprehended how much he hated tardiness. Once this meeting was over, she knew she was in huge trouble.
"I'm sorry, sir. I-"
"Sorry!" he stood up and pointed fingers at Rachna. "You came late last week, the week before too! Are you the only one with a mother to look after!" He yelled.
"I don't care, drop the tray and get out." He said, dismissing her rudely.
She bowed her head in resignation and headed for his desk to drop the tray. Rachna tried getting a glimpse of Mr Solanki's business associate.
Unlike Mr Solanki, anyone could tell he was very tall and lean despite being seated. He looked around the same age as Mr Solanki but with fewer wrinkles and grey strands on his head. Rachna found him quite attractive for his age.
During her inspection of Mr Solanki's business associate, Rachna lost her footing, resulting in the cups tumbling over and spilling their content on Mr Solanki's lap.
Rachna wished more than anything she could disappear at that moment.
Mr Solanki shot to his feet, screaming in pain as the hot liquid burned his limbs. He pointed his red, rage-filled eyes at Rachna as he yelled, "You're fired!" He dropped the bombshell and sat down.
Rachna fell to her knees in an attempt to plead forgiveness for her mistake. "But sir, please. I'm so sorry-" Rachna begged. "If you could give me a chance to prove myself again. I'll do it in a heartbeat," Rachna promised. "I swear on my late papa."
"Get out, you filthy witch!" Solanki yelled and threw a folder in his hand towards her, but Rachna dodged it before it could land on her.
She knew there was no way Mr Solanki would agree to her pleadings. She knew it'd be better not to argue with someone like him. His anger was the last thing she wanted to experience.
"Okay, sir," Rachna bowed and turned to leave. Rachna stumbled to her feet and ran out of the office, clutching her head. Preeta gasped at the sight, "What happened to you?"
"I have been fired," Rachna coldly informed as she packed her stuff from her desk, placing them all in a box.
"But-"
"Goodbye," she said before walking into the elevator, a trail of cold sweat dripping down her face. Once she got to the ground floor, all eyes were on her again. Only this time, they stared at her in shock and worry.
"Oh my God, Rachna, are you okay? You're sweating profusely!" Ameer, one of SL's customer attendants, asked. When her colleagues saw her, they asked her questions, but she didn't reply and walked out of the company with a heavy heart.
"Y-yes, it is okay. I'm fine," was all she could say as she hurried out of the company.
After some time, Rachna found herself having lunch on a bench in the park outside the company's office building as she didn't want to go home. This was all too much for her. She tried and recalled all the earlier sequences of events.
Rachna sat on the bench in a sitting position, and her legs were folded underneath her as she placed her work bag on it and rested her rear against the bench's backrest.
Recalling how life has been unfair to her, how she has been unlucky in life in her twenty-five years of being on earth, Rachna never imagined that her family responsibilities would fall on her ever since her father died.
Ever since her father died, everything in her life changed. She became clumsy at work and got to work late because of her mother, who wouldn't stop crying.
"Ma'am, we did all we could, but the bleeding was too much to control, I'm sorry, but your husband is gone."
And there it was, the doctor's words that silenced all of them. Rachna and Vicky didn't even have time to process the news of their father's death as their mother fainted that day.
It was as if her whole world had come crashing down. At that moment, she felt crumbled and wished for the ground to open up and swallow her. Her father had suffered from a brain haemorrhage.
Two months ago, her father had been diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage. They had done all they could to get the money needed for his treatment, and after a while, it looked like he was fine and that he would return home with them but now this. How come? What was supposed to do now? Move on without her dad, just like that?
And they did move on, but it wasn't easy for them.
Her elder brother Vicky, with pure luck, was able to get a job in the department where her father worked with the government. It was one of the government's rules on getting a job on compassionate grounds to have concerning death, and Vicky became the breadwinner alongside their mother, who had lent money from Guptaji, using their small plot of land as collateral if she failed to pay back the money he lent her.
While Vicky was away at work and barely came home early, Urmi, her mother, has been the one going up and down, finding ways to make ends meet, and Suman, her brother's wife, has been doing all she could to manage the house affairs.
Her younger brother, Raja, who acted like he didn't care for anybody, was a college student that preferred to show off on social media and spent time in the gym shaping his body features. He was considered the black sheep of the family.
Rachna exhaled loudly. Hands akimbo, she straightened her legs out in front of her as she continued to ponder about her life. Her father's death changed her life, including getting her fired.
Rachna used to work with an airline company owned by Mr Solanki. As a hardworking and easy-going human, she did her best to be on her boss's good side and keep being punctual at work because Mr Solanki hated lateness.
He would always say, "What if the time you came late, a customer had come and left? What would be your excuse?"
Mr Solanki was temperamental and overly strict regarding office work, so Rachna did all she could to be on his good side, but it didn't work out.
That morning, Rachna had done all she could to get to work on time, but luck wasn't on her side.
Since she lost her dad, she had assisted her brother Vicky in caring for the family. With no job for her, Rachna wondered how her family would survive.
"Hello, Rachna, right?" Snapping out of her world of thoughts, she turned her head to the right to see none other than Mr Solanki's business associate.
"Oh, hello," she quickly picked up her water bottle and took a sip in an attempt to hide her fluster. The man sat at the far end of the park's bench.
The man returned his attention to Rachna, his eyes on her worried face. "He honestly shouldn't have done that to you. Your actions weren't deliberate."
Rachna didn't know how to respond to that, so she took another sip of water and focused on anything but him. He noticed her reticent behaviour and smiled.
"I'm sorry for asking, but I was just concerned about you. Are you okay?" He asked, and when Rachna didn't reply, he introduced himself. "I am Rahul. Rahul Acharya." He introduced himself.
"R-Rachna," she stuttered before taking another sip, her lips lingering longer for water this time.
The man nodded slowly, with a small but charming smile, "I know that."
Rachna summoned all the courage in her to take a good look at the man while he dug his hand into his pocket. From the wristwatch alone, one could tell he was a man with high status, just like her former boss. It made her wonder what a man like him was doing on a bench in this park. She grew suspicious.
They sat together in silence. Occasionally, either one of them would glance at the other.
Rahul, finally, decided to get straight to the point. "And what would an employee be doing out here?" he asked.
Rachna burst into tears and quickly wiped her tears in order not to look weak in front of Rahul. "I am no longer an employee. I have just been fired for coming late to work since I started working here," Rachna explained and sniffled.
Rahul stared at her for a few seconds and felt pity for her. Apart from that, Rahul had seen some great qualities in her and had decided that he would employ her. "I truly am devastated at the loss of your job, which is why I'd like to offer you a spot in my company."
Rachna froze before looking at Rahul with eyes filled with shock. "Pardon?" She asked, not sure whether she had heard correctly.
"If I give you a chance, will you take it?" He asked.
"What chance?" Rachna wiped her face dry and raised her head to look at Rahul.
"A chance to work in my company," he brought out a card from his pocket and handed It over to her.
Rahul nodded once again, "You heard me. In fact...." He rummaged through the inside of his suit jacket, pulling out a card and placing it on the bench beside Rachna. "Here, take my card. I will be expecting you tomorrow, at 2 pm, for a quick interview. Don't be late."
Rachna, still speechless, could only nod in response.
Pulling back the sleeve of his jacket, he checked his diamond-encrusted watch. "I will take my leave now, have a lovely day." With that said, he decided to leave Rachna alone to ponder his offer. "Call me," Rahul smiled at her, got up and walked into the office building.
She thought, why would he want to employ her? Did he not see how tardy she had been? Not to mention clumsy? Why would anyone want to hire someone like her?
It all didn't make sense to her.
No, she decided she wouldn't take the offer. It was just too risky.
Rachna stared at the card, still untouched as it lay cold on the iron bench. Rachna stared at the blue card and smiled when she saw his name on it. "Rahul," she whispered.
She wasn't going to accept his offer, right? So why was she picking up his card and putting it in her purse? The answer was unknown to Rachna herself.
The sun cascaded an orange light upon the bustling city as it began to set. Rachna had attempted searching for work elsewhere but was found unlucky, just as always.
She returned home with slumped shoulders only to be met by her mother's lender, Guptaji. Their conversation ceased when they saw Rachna, catching their attention with her depression-like facial expressions.
"Namaste, Guptaji."
He replied with a nod and a smile. "Rachna, how was your day at work?" Her mother asked, and Rachna had the sudden urge to scream.
How can she ask that after brutally making her go late? Which resulted in her getting fired. All this was her fault!
"Fine." Was her only response before heading up to her room. She didn't come out for the rest of the day, and nor did anyone bother to come to check on her.
Rachna was out of her house as early as six in the morning, wishing to start her job hunting early. Again, she was unlucky. She had been to several customer service offices, airlines, and companies, but they rejected her. News and rumours travelled fast in Delhi. This was how the story went, a young woman gets fired after terribly injuring her boss. He is lucky it was nothing major, but who knows what could happen next time. As if she wasn't a victim as well.
They made her look like the wrong person! How could Mr Solanki sit back and allow such news to spread? He was plain wicked to her.
But the damage was done. That night, Rachna pondered on whether to take the job. When she explained everything that happened to her to Urmi and Vicky, they agreed that she should take the job for the sake of the family's survival. And the following morning, she headed for the one place in all of Delhi that would save her from the cold hands of unemployment and poverty. Rachna walked into the company that was an airline, just like the SL at her previous workplace. At the top, most floors of RH airlines was a great office with the best view of the city. Its sparkling white walls and marble floors gave it an angelic touch. A black, large desk was placed in the middle, accompanied by one spinning chair behind it and two in front.
Rahul sat behind his desk, buried deeply in his laptop, as a call came through his office telephone. He picked it up as his secretary informed him of Rachna's arrival. "Send her in," was his reply before returning it and continuing with his paperwork.
Shortly after, a knock came through his doors. "Come in," he said. He was not taking his eyes off his work. Rachna stepped in and met a busy Rahul, typing rapidly on his computer and simultaneously reading various contracts and business propositions."Please, have a seat."
Rahul, still not bothering to spare her a glance, gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Th-thank you," she stuttered before taking a seat.
"Now, unto business," he dropped the file into his hands with a thud. His gaze was sharp, pinning her to her seat.
"I'm sure you know what is being said about you. It would look not very good for business if I were to employ you. You are tardy, clumsy, and terrible at speaking properly." His words made Rachna bow with sadness. However, his following terms were enough to make her want to run for the heels, "Give me one good reason why I should hire you."Rachna looked at her hands and fiddled with her fingers. She was not even sure if she knew the answer herself.
"I don't know, i-it is all up to you."A moment of silence passed between them, followed by the all-important statement: "You are hired."Rachna's head snapped upwards, her eyes bulging out. She stared at Rahul with her jaw slack, "W-what? Why? I mean- thank you, but why?"Rahul sat back in his chair and did a little spin, his pen raised to his lips as he pretended to ponder over her question. "Well, as you said, it's up to me.
"You are hired!" Those words changed her life forever, and since then, her life became better. For her family, Rahul was an angel sent to rehabilitate them. The next day, Rachna started working as a file manager at Rahul's company. At first, she found it hard to cope with the new job, but she soon became acquainted with it and her new surroundings.
When Rahul called her and told her to get ready, Rachna didn't know exactly what. She just put on the first thing she saw when she opened her wardrobe. Because she lacked the necessities for a girl, she never found dressing to be a difficult task.With denim jeans and a turtleneck blouse to protect her from the wind that had been whirling all morning, Rachna stepped out of the front door to meet Rahul, who was waiting. She got into his cosy car and greeted him happily.He looked her over. "You had breakfast?" He asked.She thought it was delightful."Yes," she said. "Suman made soup. It was delicious."Rahul nodded. "Okay, then we are good to go.""Yeah, where are we going?" Rachna asked, realising she didn't even know where they were headed."Somewhere cool. Just enjoy the ride."He asked her to pick the music she would love to listen to, but she insisted she loved the quiet and just wanted to enjoy everything natural. They drove to the centre of the town and stopped at the huge mall.
As the months passed, the intimacy between Rachna and Rahul kept growing. Despite their busy schedules, they always yearned to have little private moments together. Rahul would offer to drop her home after work or take her to lunch during breaks. During most of the weekdays, Rahul had more time with Rachna, and during their time together, Rahul trained Rachna in and out of the office. He taught her the art of confidence, pride, and high self-esteem. He led her constantly to keep her head high and let no one look down on her. Rahul had resolved to groom Rachna into a fine classical lady. He trained and taught her to work professionally, and she grew better with time. Rachna became better at doing jobs. She even took a professional course, which he paid for, to enhance her working abilities. To Rachna, Rahul was like a god, and she always did what he said to crown his efforts. From being a secretary, she ranked up to Senior Manager. Rachna blossomed into a beautiful, strong, and indep
Rahul pulled her back to him and said, "Whatever you have to say, you are free, but don't leave me. I want to feel you. I want your breasts pressed against my chest all the time." Rachna smiled. "Oh, Rahul, I am not going anywhere. You can have me as much as you desire." He pulled her face to him with his fingers in her sleek hair and kissed her wildly. His hot, demanding lips pressed on her soft, luscious lips, and Rachna quickly opened her mouth, surrendering to his demands. "Yes, Rahul, yes. We are one now." Rachna whimpered, absolutely loving how he was taking charge of her. His tongue entered her mouth while his hands caressed her breasts, and his dick was pulsating against her cunt, and the multiple attacks were again becoming extremely erotic for her. The movement of her heaving breasts indicated what was happening to her. Whatever was happening was just the thing the two of them wanted. Rachna whispered, "I am lucky to have the most loving, caring, and understanding frien
Ring! Ring!! Ring!!! Rachna's phone ringing and jingling could be heard even outside the bathroom. Rachna smoothed her wet hair out behind her ears as the water from the shower sprinkled on her. She puffed air and droplets of water from her lips, squinting her eyes as she quickly stretched her hand downward to turn off the shower's tap. Rachna exhaled profoundly and reached out for her body towel, wrapping it around her nakedness and folding the ends into themselves over her breasts. She tied a towel to her head and slid into her fuzzy cat slippers. It was one of Rahul's cute gifts for her the other day.Within a month or so, as part of Rahul's grooming programme, Rachna had already visited several beauty parlours, workout gyms, and clubs. She was fast becoming an esteemed customer of these. She had already changed and filled her wardrobe at Rahul's place, getting a few more dresses with distinctive styles and designs from different collections. Footwear, purses, handbags, undergarme
"Rachna, you have made me so happy today. I am by all accounts the most fortunate individual on the planet." He said. She kissed his cheek. "I wish you realised how honoured and fortunate I feel now. I feel so complete." They had spent almost an hour lying together on the bed after another round of lovemaking. Rahul wanted to catch up on things that he had planned earlier. It was a significant shift in their lives. They both needed to relish what had just happened between them. Her mobile phone started vibrating in her pocket just then, and as her laughter died down, she excused herself from taking the call. "Hello?" "Rachna?" "Yes. Bhabhiji?" "Rachna!" Suman's voice suddenly turned to a sobbing one. "What is it, Bhabhiji? What happened? Tell me what happened." Rachna's voice had become threatening as her heart suddenly began to beat fast and hard. Why was her sister-in-law sobbing? What was happening? "Come over quickly, Rachna," Suman's voice continued in a sob. "Your neph
"You're sure you want to do the dishes, Rachna?" Urmi asked, watching her daughter. "Yes, mother," Rachna replied, smiling. "It has been a long time since I did this." She chuckled. "And besides, I want to take care of the house today. I'm here for Manan, remember?" "Of course." Urmi smiled. It has already been about three weeks since the incident with Manan. He was fully healthy now and back to the normal Manan everyone knew, but Rachna still visited the family house to check on him, and this day was one of those days. She had brought him some vanilla cakes and some chocolates. And now he was out playing with some kids in the neighbourhood. Rachna continued with the dishes as her mother watched her, and soon she was done. She dried all the plates and then cleaned off the washing area before washing and drying her own hands. Her dress for the day was a grey-coloured tunic with grey trousers underneath the same material. The scarf was made from the material lying loosely over her
On Rachna's insistence, Rahul went with her to her home in Khadan Basti, thinking about what Rachna and her family had asked for. On his arrival there, everyone warmly welcomed him.Rahul again met her mother, Urmi, and Rachna's two brothers, Vicky and Raja. Rachna's elder brother, Vicky, talked to his mother about some domestic matters. He said something about financial problems but stopped when she told him to discuss that later.Urmi was wearing a sleeveless blouse with a simple but lovely saree. Rahul tried not to stare at her too much, but he had to admit that she had the figure for it and looked stunning in a sleeveless, low-back blouse. Rahul noticed the admiration in Vicky and Raja's eyes as they greeted him. It was clear that Rach's family had high expectations for their relationship. As the evening progressed, Rahul engaged in lively conversations with Urmi, realising that she was beautiful but also intelligent and well-spoken. He wondered how Rachna had inherited such grace
Rahul intended to return to work, but Urmi invited him into her home in the same Khadan locality. She reminded him that he hadn't stayed long the last time he'd been at her house and refused to take as little as a drink. After much persuasion, he finally followed her to his parked car and asked her to lead the way. Once inside the car, he asked her to put her paper bag into the car's drawer. As she did it, he said, "Leave your worries, Urmi. Your papers have reached a more secure place." Urmi was feeling a tremendous sense of relief. "How many times do you want to thank me?" Rahul laughed as he discussed it with Urmi in his car. The air conditioner blew cold air into their bodies. "I just feel I haven't thanked you enough yet for all you've done," said Urmi, shaking her head with a smile. "There's nothing more you can do to thank me, really, " said Rahul. I want you, Rachna, and your family to live happily and command social status." "Hmmm. I see. But what will you get in return