Chapter 70: Chapter 70
"Ava Verma?" Drishti exclaimed happily
"Yes. Oh my god! It's been so long, Drishti" Ava squealed happily and bent down to hug Drishti.
"Yes yes. Never met even once after I left to the boarding school." Drishti said
"Well, you cut ties with me. You refused to stay in touch" Ava said dryly and Drishti huffed
"That's because you cheated me" Drishti said accusingly, making Ava roll her eyes.
"I didn't cheat anyone" Ava said
"You did. You said you will join the boarding school with me. But you didn't" Drishti complained
"I said I will try" Ava defended
"You didn't try hard enough" Drishti said
Ava let out a sigh.
"You never let me explain Drishti. You just hung up the phone and never took my calls again" Ava said
Now when Drishti thinks about it all, it seems all silly. Her ego had come in between and ruined the beautiful friendship she had with Ava.
"I was just too angry back then. After Mom's death, that was when I first met Maa. I was finally becoming happy again and your refusal to join me made me angry. I didn't want anything to hamper my happiness again. So I let myself forget you and move on" Drishti said
"I understand, Drishti. Similarly I expect you to understand me too" Ava said
"What?"
"I don't know if I ever mentioned this to you when we were kids. But Janani Verma is not my biological mother" Ava said and Drishti looked at her childhood best friend in horror.
"You gotta be kidding me! Janani Ma'am isn't your mother? No way! Stop joking" Drishti said with a scoff.
"Well, she is my step mother" Drishti said
"Armaan uncle?"
"He is my father. He married Momma when I was three years old." Ava said
"Your real mother?" Drishti asked softly
"She is no more. I came to live with dada after my Amma's death" Ava said
"Hmmmmm"
"When I told my parents about going to the boarding school, momma almost had a breakdown. She is very over protective. She always wanted us in front of her eyes" Ava said
"Oh. But the boarding school was nearby only. Not too far from home" Drishti said
"I know. I got into a fight at home and hurt my momma pretty badly. After that incident, I just couldn't go leaving her" Ava said
"What's the point of worrying over spilt milk? It's over. I am happy we are getting a second chance to rekindle our friendship" Drishti said
Before Ava could respond, she heard small muffling sounds from behind the table. She looked ahead and saw a baby inside a baby bassinet, next to Drishti.
The baby slowly opened his eyes and the familiar emerald green eyes made Ava gasp in delight.
"Oh my god! You have a baby?" Ava asked in delight
Drishti laughed and little Dhruv, waking up to his beloved mother's laugh, laughed happily.
"Oh my god. I have never seen a baby waking up laughing. Mine wakes up wailing the house down" Ava said ruefully.
"You didn't bring your baby?" Drishti asked curiously.
"No. Daddy daughter day out. Since I was meeting up with you, my husband planned a day out with his daughter" Ava said, rolling her eyes fondly.
"That's cute. You don't look jealous at all" Drishti said teasingly
"Hey. That's my husband. Of course I get jealous when he pays more attention to another girl" Ava said
Drishti could very well relate to that.
"I can feel you girl," Drishti said.
They spend the morning catching up on the missed part of each other's life and playing with little Dhruv.
*****
Shravan and Mithran were going through the resort plans when Vihaan Malhotra walked in.
"Hey boys" Vihaan greeted and they both stood up.
"Paa. You are on right time" Shravan said with a smile and hugged his father in law briefly before guiding him towards the couch.
"How are you Mithran?" Vihaan asked
"Going good uncle" Mithran said with a smile
"And how is Chaahat?"
"She is fine. Busy with an upcoming show" Mithran said
"Good good. Take a break and come to Mumbai, all of you. Stay there for a few days" Vihaan said
"Once we sign this deal, we will take a short break before flying overseas for the project" Mithran said.
Mithran and Shravan had been discussing things and they had come to an arrangement. They will delegate all the work within India to trusted employees and take a short break, before their new project starts.
"Good decision" Vihaan said.
"And where is my darling daughter?" Vihaan asked
"Meet up with old friends" Shravan said
"Oh yeah. She mentioned yesterday. I totally forgot" Vihaan said
"Uncle, just go through this proposal once. Let us know if it needs any change. We are a little nervous as this is our first international project" Mithran said
"Right! We need your guidance the most now, Paa" Shravan said
Vihaan appreciates how down to earth these boys are, even after being self made billionaires.
"Sure. That's why I am here. Let me check" Vihaan said and took the file from Mithran.
He went through the file in detail and noted the points which needed to be discussed.
"I see, here you mentioned something about cartoons. What's it?" Vihaan asked
"Arabian Nights, Paa. Since the country is in the middle east, the people there would appreciate the Arabian Nights theme for the resort." Shravan said
"Moreover, people who come as tourists will be interested in the history of the nation too. So, we thought, once we go there, we will study the national history in detail and include that too as sculptures, carvings and murals on the resort interiors" Mithran added
Vihaan was impressed.
"That's a great idea. I am sure the Sheikh will appreciate your ideas. Go ahead guys" Vihaan said and stood up from the couch.
"Thank you uncle"
"Wish you all the best. So, dinner at our place tonight. Diya will love to cook for you all" Vihaan said and left from there, leaving the two men to continue with the last minute preparations before the presentations.
"Mr Maheswari, Mr Yadav. The clients has arrived" Anjali, the receptionist informed
"Please take them to the conference room, Anjali," Mithran said.
"Let's go crack the deal" Mithran said and they both walked out with the necessary files and the pendrive which contains the presentation.
"Mr Maheswari, Mr Yadav." The other man in suit greeted them
"Good morning, Sheikh Ahmed al Zidra. Please make yourself comfortable"