Chapter 27 — Thoughts Between Meetings

At Qureshi Industries, Arnav was already back in his office.

Several project files were spread across his desk. His senior team was seated across from him, discussing the company's upcoming expansion.

Arnav: The Bangalore project needs to be completed within the revised timeline. I don't want unnecessary delays.

Project Head: The construction team has requested another two weeks, sir.

Arnav: Give them one week. We will review the progress after that.

Finance Head: And regarding the new investment proposal?

Arnav opened the file and went through the figures carefully.

Arnav: The numbers are acceptable, but don't approve anything until the legal team completes the verification.

Project Head: Understood, sir.

The meeting continued for another half hour.

Once everyone left, Arnav leaned back in his chair.

He took out a cigarette and lit it.

For a few moments, he simply stared through the glass window of his office.

His mind wasn't completely on work anymore.

It went back to the morning.

Ritika sitting beside him at the breakfast table.

The food she had prepared.

Sheera.

Vegetable biryani.

Puri.

Aloo matar kurma.

Raita.

He remembered the brief look on her face when he hadn't commented on the food.

He had noticed it.

He simply hadn't known what to say.

Instead, he had taken a second serving.

And he had seen her smile.

Arnav took another drag from the cigarette.

His thoughts shifted to Ritika herself.

His wife.

The word still felt unfamiliar.

The wedding had happened so quickly.

Yet she had entered his life with a past, a child and responsibilities that were now slowly becoming his too.

Then he thought about Rishi.

The little boy had been quiet throughout breakfast.

Disciplined.

Polite.

He had finished his food properly and then informed Abhram that he was done.

Arnav had noticed.

Now he understood where that discipline came from.

Ritika.

She had raised him carefully.

Even the choice of his school had been connected to his father's wishes and family background.

Kendriya Vidyalaya.

A school connected with Pavan's defence-service family.

Arnav leaned back in his chair.

Arnav: So that's where it comes from.

He understood Rishi a little better now.

The boy's quiet nature.

His discipline.

His reserved personality.

And perhaps even the way he observed people before becoming comfortable with them.

Arnav looked at the photograph on his desk for a moment before his thoughts returned to Ritika.

She had been nervous about entering his family.

Yet she had still gone into the kitchen on her first morning and prepared breakfast for everyone.

She had tried to make a place for herself.

Arnav slowly exhaled the smoke.

Marriage had never been something he had imagined would change his daily life.

But now, somehow, a woman and her son had become part of his thoughts even while he was sitting in the middle of a business meeting.

He glanced at the clock.

Arnav: I should stop thinking about this and finish the project.

He picked up the file again.

But a faint smile remained on his face.

For the first time, his home life had begun following him into his office.