Previous Chapter Chapter List Next Chapter Book List
Hastakala was scanning through news articles as she rode the train to work on Saturday. It was 2nd Saturday of the month, and banks were closed for the bi-weekly additional weekend holiday, as were most of large corporate offices. Trains were relatively empty.
Girish Variava marries his sweetheart, Jagruti Narayan, Socialite Heiress from Bengaluru.
Marriage of Kritika Jagasia and Lakshay Luthra today. Day fixed after Variava wedding to make it easier for guests who travel from out of the country. Jagruti Narayan – Variava to attend the wedding, even though religious rituals require her not to leave the house. Mrs. Variava Senior gave approval, said those rules don’t apply to modern times.
Children to accompany newly-wed Variava Couple on honeymoon?
Shiva Narayan appointed head of Auto-OEM Business in Variava Group. Division spun off as a subsidiary of Metals Group. Former CEO, Ramesh Gulshan, promoted as CEO-Metals Group. MD of Component Subsidiary not resigning, says happy to be Dy-CEO and ‘marg-darshak’ as younger generation takes over.
Is Jagruti Variava working during her honeymoon? Krasselt-Leibinger Creatives GmbH global meet in Munich planned next week. Chairperson will attend, says CPO and Director, Anna Schumacher. We will have her wedding celebration in Munich. Have booked the venue.
Variava Global Germany plans major expansion through acquisition in Europe, confirms Group CFO to Stock Exchange. Group signs second major European car brand as client. Also acquires third Turkish client through subsidiary Turuke Tuzle Altisano.
LVOE opens 8th India Store, 1st HK Store. Tokyo next. Other garment brands show sharp growth. Profitability shoots up as cheaper supplies from India augment global business.
New owners take over scandal ridden Gems-Bank. RBI gives approval to new Board of Directors to take over. Rahul Patadia arrested for fraudulent lending practices as ED expands investigations.
P Sarabhai declared Associated Enterprise of Variava Group. Joint Promotor Group protest Income Tax Appellate Tribunal decision. May go to Supreme Court in appeal. Variava CFO says they have no objection but feels it unfair to company as it is running independently. Says Variava Global will make public offer if NCLT orders, but committed to have P Sarabhai Group widely held in the long run.
Jagruti Narayan Variava resigns as Director of Bestie-Books. Company says it’s because she is busy, hasn’t lost interest in the company, will not sell stake. Co Promotor, Anupam Adhikari proposes Hastakala Thakur, Jagruti Variava’s EA to be appointed in her place.
Hastakala sighed as she shut the iPad. Jagruti wouldn’t be in office for 15 days, but she had still a lot of work to do. Fortunately, Girish approved an assistant for her. She felt proud she got an assistant before her mentor Priyanka. But to be true, she herself was Priyanka’s assistant. And Priyanka was actually a secretary not an EA. And she dared not to cross Priyanka, as the later had a lot of ways to take revenge…
She thought back to the previous day, when the wedding took place. Unfortunately, she had to return and couldn’t stay back to see Kritika’s wedding with Lakshay Luthra…
In view of monsoon season, Advika ordered wedding to take place in Jaipur, in the Rajasthan Desert, rather than Mumbai, where rains may play spoilt-sport. Unexpected flooding occurred in Mumbai a couple of times in the monsoon.
The event was handed over to Oxymoron Events division. It was so successful, the division was eventually spun off as a separate subsidiary and taken worldwide. Knowing it was the wedding of their promotor, the team had jumped into the activity with gusto!
Lakshay also handed over preparations for his own wedding to Oxymoron and asked them to decide the venue, etc., but it needed to be in the same city so people could stay back and attend the event next day.
Variava’s main wedding was to be held at Shahapur Havili, a massive, 150-year-old royal residence located outside the main Jaipur city and reception was at Jai-Mahal Palace, since the haveli didn’t have enough space to accommodate expected guests. Lakshay’s wedding would be at the Mandawa Haveli, and reception was at Oberoi Raj Vilas Palace.
At Jagruti’s request, festivities which would have gone for a week, were reduced to one lavish event on the previous day at ITC Rajputana Palace. Guests came from all over the country and the world, as Girish had many friends and business associates. All hotels in the city were full, some deciding to stay at Delhi and drive down for the reception.
Among those specially invited were the Leibinger family, Schmitt Family and Mikhailov Family from Europe and the Sumberlands from USA. They were staying at the Havili with Variavas and participated in every event connected with the wedding. Naturally, Jagruti ensured Ingrid was also invited. Since Ingrid was introduced as ‘Nidhi’s friend’ and Nidhi followed her around, Anaita also followed her around. Ingrid, on the other hand, followed Soumen everywhere he went and thus he had 3 girls trailing him. He wasn’t happy about the fact as Natasha’s friends teased him as having a ‘Harem’.
Jagruti’s friends and their families had to be accommodated at the Rambag Palace as there wasn’t enough rooms in the Haveli. They didn’t mind, and her friends anyway spent every possible minute with Jagruti except when they had to sleep at night. They came 2 days before the event and were spending the entire week with her. Vanshika had special approval to join them, thought her new family, the Patils, were coming only on the day before the actual wedding. She wouldn’t miss being a part of the ceremonies!
In addition, the fact that Kritika’s wedding was a day later, enabled them to have many of the ceremonies together. Variava had no problem sharing the prominence with Luthras, who were old friends and very close business partners.
Subhi had already shifted to Delhi office of the Variava group and therefore, for her, the venue was the closest. She had called the entire gang over to her grandmother’s place before they went to Jaipur, which added 2 more days to their time together. It annoyed Ramesh a little, but he had to give them approved leave so as not to annoy Girish (through Jagruti). Jagruti couldn’t stay over at Subhi’s house as there were ceremonies to complete in Mumbai.
Jagruti’s entire family was invited and there was no scope for any of them to refuse. Jagruti was upset her sister and younger brother were invited, but Advika made it very clear they couldn’t be excluded. She didn’t want their dispute to be made public.
Shruti, acting on behalf of Jagruti, sent business class tickets for entire family, much to her annoyance. She didn’t want to give any benefits to her younger siblings, but there was no option. Social norms dictated actions of Variava Family, and that said, bride’s family had to be given proper respect. The matter was more important to Suresh Variava, as he did not want anyone alleging that he had bullied the Narayans due to his wealth and power, which was several notches above theirs.Narayans flew down to Mumbai and Shruti send the best cars she could arrange for getting them home. Soumen’s Merc was dispatched along with Kishore’s as she couldn’t have 5 of them travelling in a cramped car. Shailendra and Shiva were, in any case, entitled to separate cars, being directors of group companies. Thus, a car came for Shiva, one for Shailendra and Veena and a third for the younger children.
When the flight landed, an airline official met them at the aerobridge and escorted them to baggage counter and then to the cars. Shailendra and Veena had experienced even more luxurious travel when they came with Jagruti for the Gandhi Wedding. Shiva, on the other hand, knew of how much power his sister had accumulated due to Girish, but for Bhargavi and Niranjan, it came as a surprise. Neither was new to air travel, but they had never been treated like kings before.
Seeing the cars that had come for them, they were surprised. They knew Jagruti had a Merc, as it was reported in social media posts, but 2 more Mercedes cars was a surprise for them. After an hour’s drive, they arrived at Akanksha. Shiva was prepared for something grand, but size and design of the villa shocked him. For Bhargavi and Niranjan, surprise was even more. Though Bhargavi was clueless, Niranjan kept himself aware of matters and knew how expensive homes were in Mumbai. He in fact, failed to even compute value of such a villa in the poshest part of the city.
Butler Rajguru, met them as they alighted, and servants ran to take bags from the cars. Seeing respect they were given, Bhargavi had started to feel a little arrogant. She knew Jagruti disliked her, but she was still given utmost respect, and she began to assume that it must be because she is pretty and important. After all, her father was a rich businessman.
Her joy was short lived, however, when the first person she met on entering the house was Nidhi! Nidhi also recognised Bhargavi, and her eyes narrowed. It was the girl who had tried to hit her with a stick! The one who had torn and damaged her mommy’s dresses. She took an aggressive stand, with her hands on her hips. She asked, “Why are you here?”
Bhargavi shrank back a few steps, bumping into Niranjan who was confused as to why his sister seemed scared of a baby girl. In the meanwhile, hearing her, Soumen came out of the inner room, a cookie in his hand. He also saw Bhargavi, and his temper flared. He looked at her and asked, “Oh, you! Well, do you want to try again? This time you don’t even have a stick. Wait, I’m sure there must be one with the security! Shall I get it?”
Bhargavi lost whatever courage she had. This little boy had put her and her friends in hospital! She ran and hid behind Niranjan, who slowly understood the situation. He had heard of how his sister was beaten up by 2 persons from Variava Family, but Bhargavi had not told him they were… a baby and a small boy of 5 years!
He almost laughed, till he realised the murderous looks the boy was giving, was not just a look. He seemed he’d just carry out his threat. And, he recalled, his sister was in hospital for 4 days after being beaten by the siblings.
Shailendra quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation. He said, “Soumen, Nidhi, we are your guests, right? This how you behave with guests? Think your mommy will be happy?”
Soumen’s eyes narrowed more, and he asked, “She’s a guest? Who invited HER?”
“Yes, she’s your aunty. Her name is Bhargavi. You both got off to a bad start when you met first time. I think it’s time you let the old fight go and start anew. How about it? She will apologise for trying to hit you. Will you forgive her?” Shailendra asked.
“NO!” Soumen replied firmly.
Bhargavi got more scared and decided she must leave the villa immediately. Unfortunately for her, Natasha happened to walk into the villa just then. Bhargavi turned and saw her, and her eyes widened with fear. Natasha had forgotten who she was, but Nidhi immediately pointed out that it was the ‘Didi who slapped me’, and Natasha looked at her in distain.
But they couldn’t hit Jagurti’s sister just like that for no reason, so she told Soumen to behave himself and welcome the guests to his home. Soumen reluctantly backed down… Natasha invited them inside the house. Though Advika had ordered Natasha to return home, her cousins refused to leave Jagruti, and would be at Akanksha with Narayans.
As they passed, Soumen pulled Bhargavi’s hand gently, making her bend down so his lips were next to her ears. He whispered, “I hope you don’t lock your room at night. I know where sticks are in THIS house and you better watch out. How many days do you want to be in the hospital this time? Actually, I can do it even without stick…”
Bhargavi slept with door securely locked the 2 nights she was in Akanksha.Akanksha had been declared temporarily as Jagruti’s ‘Maike’, meaning parental home. So, ceremonies were conducted there. Girish couldn’t come to that house till their marriage took place, except on invitation of his Father-In-Law .
Ceremonies relating to groom’s side was done at Shiv Shakti. And Jagruti couldn’t go there… For Jagruti, that meant she’d be away from him for quite a few days…
Three days before the wedding, they all flew down to Rajasthan. Naturally, entire Narayan Family, along with Nidhi and Soumen flew in one of the Falcons. Niranjan was astonished at the luxury, but Bhargavi was bitter. It was becoming clearer to her, how much her elder sister had, and that made her very unhappy and jealous.
“You know, Bhargavi ‘Aunty’, my father has 4 such jets in the company. Mom is a Director and therefore whenever she wants to go anywhere, she can just ask for one of these, even if she is going alone. She has so much money, she can even pay for it. But she doesn’t need to, because Papa loves her and will give it to her whenever she needs.” Soumen made a point to tell Bhargavi. “How many do you have, Aunty? Can you give me a ride sometime?”
He wanted to tell more, but an angry warning from Jagruti stopped him. He sat back in his seat, satisfied on seeing how his ‘Aunty’s’ face had changed. He had pure distain for Bhargavi, but since Natasha had told him not to do anything, he held back.
He invited her to join in gym for ‘exercises’, but unfortunately, she declined. He took her for a ‘jog’ to Nariman Point, claiming since he and Nidhi were small, they couldn’t go alone, and his mom was busy preparing for the wedding. Expecting Nariman Point to be close if 2 children were jogging to it, Shiva ordered Bhargavi to accompany the children. He was sure Bhargavi would be able to keep up. Sensing a trick, Niranjan also accompanied them, though he wasn’t sure if he could protect his sister.
Soumen’s expectation was Bhargavi wouldn’t be able to jog uphill (last 1/3 of the return lap) when they returned, and he’d make fun of her. To his surprise, by the time they reach ¼ of the trip, Bhargavi had already given up. That was first downhill and then on flat ground… Niranjan had tried to keep up with them after Bhargavi stopped, but beyond halfway to Nariman point, he also was forced to give up.
Soumen had no dispute with Niranjan, and didn’t harass his ‘uncle’, and instead told the security guards to accompany them. Niranjan walked back to where Bhargavi was and then took a taxi back to Akanksha. Soumen understood his uncle and aunty had no stamina.
He still wanted revenge for Bengaluru as he was not satisfied with what he had done, and tried to think of more that he could do at Jaipur. He flipped through the details of the venue on the iPad and idly wondered Bhargavi Aunty knew how to swim and if there was a chance to throw her into the lake…A team of attendants were getting Jagruti ready for the wedding, making her feel like she was a royal queen of olden days (and Havili was technically a palace, though of a lesser king). Her protests were ignored and her dress, style, makeup, hairdo, all were decided by Advika in concurrence with Veena. Jagruti was a little worried, but she had forgotten Veena Narayan was always conscious of her public image and was exceedingly nice to Jagruti in presence of outsiders. Therefore, in presence of her future in-laws, Veena was like a proud, loving, caring mother, wanting the best of her daughter’s most important day in her life.
The door opened, and a beautiful girl entered cautiously. She was dressed in an exquisite and amazingly beautiful lehenga (traditional dress) that was obviously designer. Jagruti began to wonder if her own lehenga would stand up to the standards she set. Jagruti estimated the girl would be 23-25 years of age. Jagruti had never seen her before, but in her current state, she couldn’t move or even properly greet her visitor.
“Hello, you’re Jagruti, right? Of course, you will be! Who else would be center of attraction today?” The girl gave a nervous laugh. “Well, I’m Raila Advani. I wanted to meet you for a long time, but never got a chance. I even asked Natasha to take me to meet you.”
Jagruti relaxed a little thinking the girl was Natasha’s friend. Raila continued, “How do I introduce myself… Well, easiest thing to say is my current status. I’m Paurav Shivdasani’s girlfriend. Incidentally, I study in Christ. You’re famous there too…”
“Current status? You have an older one too?” Jagruti asked, chuckling at her own humour.
“He he he. Yes, I have an older status. I hope you’ll not take it wrongly, else your hubby will probably kill me…” Raila giggled. “I’m Girish Uncle’s ex-girlfriend.”
Jagruti froze for a few seconds before she recovered. “Uncle and girlfriend, huh? Where did you meet him? And for how long was he your boyfriend?”
“He was my lover, not just boyfriend.” Raila giggled. “I met him in Hongkong. Well, unfortunately, he didn’t stay lover for long. Just 2 weeks… I guess I wasn’t up to the mark, and too young to catch his attention, but then you’re even younger. So, I guess it wasn’t the age. But don’t worry, he’s not interested in me anymore.”
Jagruti looked her up and down and bit her lips. She was so beautiful, it was hard to believe Girish wouldn’t be interested in her! Raila saw her look and raised her hand in defence. “Wait! I’m telling the truth! He’s actually my mother’s friend… I caught him in a vulnerable moment after his divorce n he succumbed to my… charms. Then he told me off for ‘trapping’ him. Anyway, before my parents died, they made him my Guardian, so now he won’t consider me at all, because apparently, you aren’t allowed to make a move on your charge.”
Jagruti still looked sceptical. Raila continued, “I wanted to meet you, not only because I wanted to be your friend, but also because you’ll be my guardian now. The will states that when he marries, his wife will be a co-guardian… So now my life and happiness depend on you. If you decide to cut off my spending money, I’ll have to go beg Paurav for funds!”
“Sorry, what? Why am I a guardian? That too, of someone older than me? When does this nonsense end?” Jagruti asked in concern.
“Apparently, never… The will says Girish uncle and his wife will be my guardians for life. I think my parents didn’t trust me, and they felt someone will scam me for my wealth if they aren’t there… So, this way, no one can marry me for money, because I don’t have any… Only Girish and you are obliged to ensure I have enough to live my life. I suppose Girish will make you a director of the company my parents left me… uhh… left him.”
“What rubbish! What kind of parents do things like that? Are you sure you aren’t scamming me? Some sort of elaborate pre-marriage joke?” Jagruti asked.
“Nopes. They thought this out. And I guess they were smart. Cause, now I’m an orphan, unprepared for life and it’s easy to scam me. Well, it’d be best if Girish married me. But he already rejected me when my parents were alive.” Raila said, and Jagruti saw tears in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was for her parents or Girish’s rejection. She remained wary.
“Anyway, you’re my Guardian, and I hope you’ll be my friend. I have no friends here except Paurav. Girish Uncle introduced him to me… He’s so sweet. This is like some cosmic revenge, huh?” Raila said, suddenly brightening up.
“Revenge? Shit! What have you done?” Jagruti almost stood up, irritating her attendants.
“Well, you snatched away my boyfriend, so I snatched yours. You’re getting married, for heaven’s sake! Surely you don’t plan to keep both!” Raila replied with a laugh.
“What do you mean, my boyfriend? I never had any.”
“I mean Paurav Shivdasani. Everyone knows you were in a relation with him before Girish stole you from him. I don’t know what he saw in you, because I’m more beautiful, and he rejected me. So, Guardian, will you teach me how to charm people, so I can keep Paurav under my control and not let him stray?” Raila asked.
“What carp! I don’t know any such thing that I can teach you. Just be yourself, I’m sure Paurav will never let you go. You’re too beautiful. As for as Girish is concerned, he’s… well… I don’t know why he chose me. So, I can’t help you take him back.”
“Guardian! I don’t want him back! For heaven’s sake! I intend to marry Paurav! Don’t say such a thing in front of either of them, please!” Raila cried out.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, stop calling me Guardian!”
“Ok, then can I call you sister? Will you be my friend?” Raila asked.
“Ok, I have no problem being called your sister. I don’t know about the guardian thing, so don’t bug me with it please… And you can keep Paurav, I don’t want him and yes, he was never my boyfriend. If you tell that to Girish, he’ll kill your boyfriend and you have to start again…” Jagruti replied in irritation.
“Ok, then we are sisters! Goody! I was the only child… Never had a sister…”
“Hey, there you are! What are you doing here, Raila! Oh, you know Jags?” Natasha came into the room and asked.
“Yes, I know her now. She’s my sister now. She will be my Guardian tomorrow when she is Girish’s wife.” Raila said happily.
“Yeah, Yeah, poor orphan girl without wealth. Stop cribbing about things, ok. You’ll never be short of money because Girish Uncle will give you enough. Now come, we have to get ready also.” Natasha said as she dragged the older girl away.
Jagruti looked on after them as they went. She was unhappy meeting another of Girish’s beautiful ex-girlfriends. But then, she realised, there must be so many more. Sluts threw themselves at him all the time. She hoped Paurav will keep her busy, but decided to keep an eye on the girl. She didn’t trust her at all!The wedding went off perfectly. They got married in Gujarati style as Variavas were Gujaratis. Narayan Family had no quarrels with it as long as it followed Hindu Vedic rituals. They followed instructions of the Priests without protest.
Once Saat Feras (ritual 7 rounds around the sacred fire) were over, Jagruti Narayan became Jagruti Girish Variava. Apparently, in Gujarati family, husband’s name became the second / middle name of the wife. Hearing herself being called, Mrs. Jagruti Variava for the first time, she felt goosebumps. It was like a dream come true.
Her mother-in-law was first to hug her, and Jagruti saw tears in the old lady’s eyes as Jagruti called her “Maa-ji” and bend down to touch her feet and seek blessings. She took blessings from Suresh Variava and then from Advika and Vikas, as they were elder to her, both in age and in status in the family.
Then she turned to her parents, in uncertainty, unable to guess how her mother would react at the moment. Her father hugged her tightly and congratulated Girish on his choice. He asked him to ensure that his daughter was always happy. Girish promised to do so.
She turned to her mother. To her surprise, Veena Narayan was smiling and while she didn’t hug Jagruti, she held her hand and said, “I’ve been waiting for many years to see you married. It’s always a proud moment for a mother to see a daughter marry a worthy man. And you have one who’s more worthy than any I’ll find in half the world… Cherish him… Don’t fight… don’t come back to me, because I’ll always support him. Be good and make me prouder. And Girish, I can call you by name now, because I am your mother-in-law and therefore elder to you. You have full right punish her if she does anything wrong. And yes… I hope I’ll have my first grandchild soon… Don’t behave like modern couple who say there is no hurry. There’s a hurry… for all of us elders, understand?”
Jagruti gaped at her amma. Though there were some things that could be interpreted as a threat, it was the sweetest thing her mother had ever said to her in 19 years of her life. She couldn’t control herself and broke down. Crying, she fell at her mother’s feet, seeking her blessings. Girish also bent down to touch Veena’s feet. Veena lifted them up and embraced them and gave her blessings.
Next was her brother, Shiva. Seeing Shiva, her supporter and backer throughout her life, the only person who helped her before she met Girish… she just couldn’t take it anymore.
“Anna!” she cried out and fell into his arms, much to the concern of her ‘attendants’, who rushed to correct her makeup.
“Jagruti, are you ok? Come on, this is the happiest day of your life… so far, that is. There will be more happy days to come. Don’t cry! Girish is there, he will make sure your life is good all along now. Come on. Hey, I just realised you are supposed to touch my feet! Don’t try to escape by crying, bend down! Bend Down!” Shiva tried to console her with a bit of humour. But he put his arms around his sister and caressed her.
He had been worried about her for a long time, concerned that Girish Variava would use her and discard her. He sat throughout nights and made plans, back up strategy of what to do in case she is forced to leave. Most of the time, he realised he was ill equipped to help her. On one hand, he knew his mother disliked her, and on the other hand, Girish Vaiava was too powerful to be an opponent. And Variava bought over their business too, leaving him with little option to oppose Girish’s wishes if they ever clashed with his sisters.
But finally, it turned out his fears were unfounded, and Jagruti called breathlessly one night to say Girish had proposed to her and she was engaged to him. At first, he thought she was just being delusional, but then he knew Girish had no reason to fool her. When he heard it was in front of entire family and top executives had been called for the celebration, he relaxed a little.
Next morning, at 8 am, Pinki Shah barged into their house, bringing gifts on behalf of Variava Family, and formally asking his father’s approval for the marriage. Just the value of the gifts she brought exceeded his annual salary… And he always wondered afterwards where she got the gifts from because the engagement was very late in the night… Did Shah family know Girish was going to propose immediately after the exams?
Now, standing next to Shiva were her 3 closest friends and Vanshika Gandhi, who were like family to Jagruti. But she didn’t need to touch their feet. They had just hugged her all together and congratulated her.
Later, as Jagruti took blessings of other elders, she thought back to what her mother said, and was not sure if it was in her support or she was just happy to get rid of her… But she decided to take the positive. After all, her mother had introduced her to Girish…
Pinki Shah and her husband were the next in line, followed by Nanda couple and then other relatives on both sides. Then she took the blessings of all couples of the Variava Clan, who she knew were older than her, and she had no problem in bending down to touch their feet in reverence. They may be Girish’s business partners, but for her, she had to make them realise she had respect for them, and she wasn’t arrogant. Most of them, naturally, refused to let her touch their feet and instead embraced her and congratulated her. A few of them asked in whispers whether she got pregnant as they had suggested. She shook her head shyly.
She then went and greeted foreign guests. Again, most of them were older than her, so she touched their feet. That was an extraordinary act for them and most of them were puzzled. Their guides had to explain the significance. Kristina was most excited and kissed her on both cheeks in true Russian tradition. Entire Leibinger family was there, of course. The Sumberlands had been a part of the wedding ceremony, recording everything on video-cams and when she went to them, they greeted her more enthusiastically than anyone else.
“You are such a liar, Jagrr-uti Nar… Vari-ava! When we met, you said you were on vacation and not for work, but you bought 1 company there and then another on the way back home. Ha Ha ha. We found out! Then you said, you were not sure if you were going to get married, and if so, it would be many years later… and what? 4 months, and you are married! Congratulations! But is very sad you’re refusing to let us give you wedding gifts!” Robin Sumberland cried out, embarrassing Jagruti who turned pink.
“Your presence, and your love for my wife is the best present we could have, Mrs. Sumberland. Thank you for taking time out of your busy life and coming all the way here. I know the American way of life. Taking time out like this is extremely difficult and you can’t imagine how much I appreciate that. What more could we ask for as a gift? I hope you like the set up and accommodation, by the way. I’m sorry, I couldn’t come and see to you earlier.” Girish replied on behalf of Jagruti. The Sumberlands gushed over his words and assured him there was nothing missing.
After she finished with the guests, she greeted the youngsters who were eagerly waiting to congratulate her. First in line were Nidhi and Soumen.
Nidhi leaped into her arms, almost causing her to fall, and her attendants had to rush to put her garments back in proper shape. Nidhi shouted in glee, “NOW YOU ARE MY MOMMY! REAL STEP MOMMY! YEAH! I HAVE MOMMY NOW!”
Jagruti kissed her on her cheeks and then handed her over to Girish. She turned to Soumen who was waiting uncertainly and, Jagruti could see, irritated by Nidhi’s behaviour. Jagruti extended her hand, and Soumen hesitated. Then he discarded all proprietary, threw down the bag he was carrying and rushing into her arms. She lifted him up and took him in her arms. He was shocked as he never expected that. He had, in fact, to the best of his memory, never been carried. He started sobbing and put his arms round Jagruti’s neck and gripped it so hard, that Jagruti couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. Then seeing him breaking down emotionally, she also started crying. She knew the children loved her, and she loved them in turn.
It took almost 10 minutes for the children and Jagruti to compose themselves and get down and allow Jagruti to proceed with greeting others. They both pushed Girish to the side and stood on either side of Jagruti, accompanying her as she met others, holding on to her skirt to show their ownership of her as their mother.
It was an emotional moment for everyone as they realised how much the children had suffered before and what relief Jagruti would bring to their life.
Previous Chapter Chapter List Next Chapter Book List
All time total visits: 11253