Sometimes Hate is Enough

Chapter 36

Arnav

She has changed. A lot. She never ever talked rudely to anyone, but now she's taunting me. And that too in front of my employees. If she's doing business, then she should know when to keep a professional attitude. She can't just go around and insult me like I work for her... And why was she gossiping with Neha? When did they get this close?

I sighed slowly as I parked outside my office building and walked inside with Aman, who was standing in the lobby like he does every day.

"Is Ms. Awasthi here?" I asked as I walked up the stairs that led to my office, with Aman following behind.

"Um, I'm not sure." He hesitantly answered as I pushed the glass door to my cabin open and walked inside.

"Send her to me." I replied and went to sit on my chair behind the desk, but I looked up at the still-standing Aman. "What?"

He just hurriedly shook his head before heading out.

I'll have to ask her to behave herself because I can't let her insult me while she stands on my ground. Although I could let this go and not make a big issue out of this— but if I'm honest, I just want to see her.

I really missed her over the weekend, and I had no reason to meet her, nor did I know where she lives, so I could make something up to give her a visit. But above all, there's no reason for a CEO to meet with a department head of their collaborating company. If I had any problems or suggestions with the collaboration, then I would have to meet with Suraj, not Khushi. Because she's a partner, not the CEO, and she won't understand the finances and other things unless it falls under the branch of her specialty...

The sound of the door opening reached me, and I looked up happily to see Khushi standing there, but soon my face fell and my temper heightened as I saw Aman entering.

"Where is Ms. Awasthi?" I asked as my brows rose with irritation, and I stared at him.

"She—" Aman stammered before he wiped his creased forehead with a handkerchief and looked almost too scared to speak.

"What?" My voice rose.

"She said," Aman paled. "She's busy and can't come." I raised a brow. "Also said—if it's that important, then you can—" He swallowed nervously, and my temper flared inside me. "Go talk to her yourself."

I pressed my tongue on my gums before slowly nodding and standing from my seat before asking, "Where is she?"

"De-Department." He answered as he stepped aside from the door, and I dashed downstairs.

How dare she say no to me under my roof?

I stormed down the hallway that led to the design department, then pushed the door open with so much force that it banged loudly on the wall behind, and the whole room fell silent as they looked at me.

I took a glance over the people working and found most of the designers missing from their desks, and amongst them, Khushi's was one. She's already bunking instead of working?

I sighed before I entered the room, and everyone present there stood up from their seats.

"Where are Ms. Sharma and Ms. Awasthi?" I asked loudly as I pushed my hands inside my pockets and waited for an answer.

When they just stared at me instead of answering, I lost control over my head, and I shouted, "Where are they?"

A girl with files in hand pointed at the glass door on the other side, where there was a meeting room for the designers.

I stared at the door for a second before I walked up to it and pushed it open.

Neha looked back at me from where she sat at the head of the conference table, while Khushi, from where she stood next to the mannequins dressed in AR fashion, and the other designers stared at me alarmingly before they stood up from their seats. Excluding Neha.

I walked inside before I asked, "What's happening here?"

"A meeting?" Neha suggested with raised brows while she played with a pen in her hand and stared at me but didn't stand up.

I looked at Khushi, who was now looking at me with confusion on her whole face, before she slowly shook her head and turned back to the mannequins before starting to fix the jewelry around one of their necks.

"And how is the progress?" I asked as I stepped closer to the table ahead and tried my best to avoid feeling like an idiot. I should've waited for her to come! I should've had some patients!

"We're done with the samples and were preparing to show them for approval since both the bosses are already here at AR." Neha answered as she pointed at Khushi and me, and murmurs started around the room among the employees.

I nodded before saying, "Let me know when you're ready for the meeting!" And I glanced at Khushi, who had her back turned to me, then left.

*

It was almost an hour later before Khushi walked inside my cabin and stared at me with a blank reaction on her face.

I motioned for her to have a seat, which she took, then again stared at me and waited.

I closed the file that I was reading and said, "How is the work going?"

"I think your secretary called the wrong person." She said. "I'll send Ms. Sharma." And with that, she stood up without giving me a second to speak.

"No, I called for you!" I said it in a hurry as she reached the door, but when she heard me, she turned.

"If you called me here to tell you how work is going," Her white heels clicked on the floor as she walked up to the chair she formerly occupied. "Then let me tell you, I'm not your employee. You should be asking these questions to Ms. Sharma, who is your department head, like in SK, Suraj asks me, because I'm the department head there." Always Suraj. Never, Mr. Agarwal.

I stared at her for a long moment before saying, "Right, my bad!"

She curtly nodded and turned to leave, but I spoke up again as she wrapped her hand around the metal bar on the cabin door.

"You shouldn't have spoken to me like that in the meeting room full of employees that day!"

She looked at me with knitted brows before her face softened a little bit, and she said, "Right, my bad!" Then she again turned to the door, and this time she pulled it open.

"Khushi?" I called again and stood. Because I wouldn't be able to breathe as long as this question remained inside me.

"What?" She asked as she left the door and turned to me, completely looking irritated.

I licked my lips as she stared at me with raised brows and waited for me to speak.

"Is he the same one?" I asked as my heartbeat quickened.

Her brows scrunched up while confusion laced her face as she asked, "Who?"

"Suraj!" I answered. "Is he the same one from seven years ago?"

She stared at me for a few seconds with the same reaction until it turned into a look of realization, and she asked, "That's what you wanted to talk about?"

I didn't answer; instead, I just stared at her and waited for her to answer.

"Well, that's none of your business!" She said that and left the room.

It is him, then!