Legally Yours
Chapter 2
Radhika was nervously fiddling with her bag, throughout the cab ride. It was her first date at work and that too at such a big firm as legal ease. She was getting cold feet as she neared the office. What if she is unable to adjust there? What if everyone starts to hate her? What if she isn’t able to complete the work assigned to her in a proper and fair manner? Hundreds of questions clouded her mind.
She took three deep breaths and regained her calm and composure.
She got out of the cab and paid the driver. She looked at the board “Legal Ease” it read proudly. She looked at it and her eyes shone bright.
“here I am, mom and dad.” She muttered softly. She sighed and drank a little water from the bottle she pulled out of her bag. She couldn’t really afford to start on a nostalgic journey, reminiscing her parents…or whatever she remembered of them. She walked in gaining her confidence back.
She walked over to the reception, introduced herself and asked for directions to Arjun mehra’s cabin.
Once, outside……she raised her hand to knock but pulled it back the next instant. She took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face and then knocked.
Neil, who had watched all this from his cabin, unknowingly smiled. For once, he was very curious to know more about this girl, the girl he had chosen as arjun’s associate. Her innocence, those big brown eyes reflecting her purity, just played magic on neil……he felt as if he knew her from a long time.
“come in.” said a gruff voice.
Radhika’s spine shuddered at the sound. She felt like running away. Damn this nervousness……why does it happen to me always?….
She turned the knob softly and entered in. She moved forward a couple of steps towards his table.
“good morning sir! Sir, I am Radhika Mishra, Your associate.” She spoke trying hard to inflict confidence in her voice.
She hated herself for this. She knew things, was extremely intelligent and knowledgeable…but cursed herself when it came to confidence.
The persona of her new boss, seated on a majestic black chair, behind a huge mahogany table in a cabin completely clutter free and systematically arranged in the most extreme manner, was just enough to give her cold feet.
Arjun pushed back his chair a little and turned around. He gave Radhika, one good through look.
With one look at this girl, he was impressed, but not in complete and thorough manner. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and black formal skirt, which skimmed her knees with black high heels and her long hair slicked back in a high ponytail, she looked every bit of a lawyer.
He motioned towards a chair, Radhika nodded and sat down.
“so miss. Mishra, its your first day at job. Can we directly begin or would you require a training format first?”
Radhika smiled, “sir, I am familiar with most of the job requirements here, formats, methodology and all……so, I guess we are safe to begin. And please call me Radhika.”
“okay, in case of any questions. Contact Samaira Khanna.”
Radhika nodded. But this struck her as odd, she was exclusively his associate, so wasn’t he supposed to address all her issues? She shrugged it off, thinking of it to be some kind of a arrangement between the two.
Arjun handed over a thin file to her.
“this a brief on latest acquisition case, I am handling. We are aiming to negotiate the agreement in a manner which maximises the profits of our client, The Victor Textiles ltd., which in turn is profitable to us. So basically, I want you to go through the case and research on it. I want all the dirt and details on the other party, one of the major shareholders, Mr. Alfred Fedder. Everything……absolutely everything. Even the things you may find absurd or useless. Am I clear?” he asked in a loud and crisp manner. His eyes were locked with her unconsciously.
Radhika picked up the file and left cabin. She moved to her own cubicle and sat down reading the file. Her eyes widened. Arjun mehra was out to completely destroy Mr. Fedder, the terms he was imposing were clearly very harsh and not at all fair. Mr. Fedder happened to be a major 60 percent share holder and Arjun was out to bring him to 5. She sighed……deciding to work on it first before talking to her boss about it. She didn’t want to leave a bad impression on day one itself.
She worked diligently through the file. She made footnotes regarding the case and when to the library to jolt down the possible law of contracts or case files applicable. Her eyes widened in surprise a second later.
According to the agreement between fedder and victor textiles, fedder was to give 20 percent of his overall profit to the company funds. But this cause had been overlooked for all these years. She was surprised how that such a hot shot lawyer overlooked such a major technical glitch?
She picked up the source and the agreement, and walked back to his cabin to tell him about it.
She was about to knock but his words “contact samaira, in case of any questions.” Kept ringing in her ears. She changed her plan and decided to approach samaira first.
She looked at the door of her cabin, it was a semi glass one, with the name Samaira Khanna, paralegal and Human Resources in black and silver.
Radhika smiled as she saw a beautiful girl of around 25, sighing as she looked at the enormous pile of pending files.
Radhika instantly felt at ease. The feeling of her being the boss, just didn’t creep in. It was as if Radhika was comfortable with her, just by one look.
Radhika knocked once. She smiled and walked in without waiting for a reply. She smiled and spoke in a cheerful voice, “may I help you with that?”
This caused, sam to look up. She gave her a tired smile, mouthing “please.”
Radhika smiled, “mam, I am Radhika, Arjun sir’s associate.”
Sam responded as she forwarded her hand, “I know…and call me sam.”
Sam smiled, she was thoroughly impressed by her confidence and even more by the fact that she was still cheerful and smiling, well, even after meeting Arjun.
Sam smiled as Radhika too picked up a file and started going through it. Sam explained her through the first. She was to look for any loopholes or loose ends in the contract.
Radhika quickly caught on. And both the girls started working…..exchanging a few words in between. Sam called for coffee for both of them. They worked for a couple of hours. And were already quiet comfortable with each other……it was almost awe inspiring the way they just clicked and instantly connected.
Well, in a way legal loopholes made them friends.
After about another hour, they were almost finished with the files when Arjun stormed in her cabin. He was up in a storm, all angry. His eyes focused on sam and he ignored the surroundings.
“where the hell is that goddamn associate you guys hired for me? I gave her one job and she is missing for hours.” He spoke angrily.
Sam tried to motion him to stop but he was way too up in flames to understand.
“what are you trying to do?” his voice clearly reflecting his annoyance.
He was interrupted by a soft voice.
“hello.” She said.
Arjun’s eyes shifted from sam to Radhika. His face was flushed for a second but regained his grim expression the next instead.
“what are you doing here?” he demanded.
Sam suddenly decided that she was tired of his mood swings……and could no longer handle them. What was he?……Bipolar??!!
Sam spoke before Radhika could, “helping me.”
Arjun turned to her, “she is supposed to be helping me.”
“I thought you didn’t require any help……additional baggage.” She said air quoting the words additional baggage.
Radhika surpressed a smile. It wasn’t a everyday sight to watch two law firm giants fighting like kids.
Radhika stood up, with her hands In the air, “okay…okay…”
Both sam and Arjun turned their attention to her.
She spoke softly, “its okay……sam, you are done with the files and sir, your work is also done. In fact, that was the reason I came to sam.”
Arjun looked at her with disbelief clearly written in his eyes…..this girl hadn’t been one full day in office and yet, she was on first name basis with the head paralegal, and his own best friend.
“sam…what sam…??”
Sam smiled mischievously, “its okay Arjun….i only asked her to call me sam.”
Arjun was taken off guard. He was planning on using this to scold and scare Radhika.
Sam understood his game and smirked at him.
Arjun regained his composure and asked, “so, what did you find?”
Radhika opened the file and the source and explained the entire finding to them. Arjun studied it for a little while.
He asked, “where did you find the copy of the agreement?”
“storeroom” Radhika clipped.
Sam patted her back.
Arjun was impressed. He hadn’t ever came across another employee in past two years, who was willing to go to the old dark back building just to find a loophole. Well, sure enough, this girl, Radhika worked hard. But he couldn’t admit that……well, it was against his male chauvinistic ego.
He stared at her and spoke in a eerily calm voice, “I was waiting for this file. But you…you were busy with sam.”
Sam looked at Arjun with disbelief file eyes.
Sam composed herself, “Radhika, you go and keep this file on his table. I’ll join you in a minute and we’ll go for lunch.”
Radhika nodded and walked out.
Sam took a couple of steps towards Arjun. She glared at him. She angrily muttered, “don’t you dare trouble her. She is a beautiful soul and diligent at her work……and you know it. You wont find another associate like her even If you go out looking with a laser light.”
She turned around and walked towards the door.
She warned him, without turning back, “Arjun mehra…take it as a warning or a threat……I will chop into pieces, if I ever find you troubling her unnecesaarily.”
Saying so, she walked out.
Radhika had in a couple of hours had made friends which sometimes, even takes a lifetime to.
Sam hadn’t known her before, but her big brown orbs reflecting her purity, morals and her beautiful soul. It was her nature which made sam feel like she had known her from ages. Sam knew, she wouldn’t find a friend like her again.
She walked out, and found Radhika waiting for her outside the door.
Radhika passed a her grateful smile. Sam cocked her eyebrows, mouthing what?
Radhika looked at her deep in the eye, “thanks for pitching for me in front of the tiger.”
Sam laughed hard, “tiger?”
Radhika innocently added, “yes confused tiger. In The morning, he told me to go to you in case of any questions and when I did, he shouted on me.”
Sam giggled, “don’t worry…..your tiger is good at heart, it just the outer layer which needs a wearing down.”
Both sam and Radhika chatted and giggled like old friends. Suddenly, they both felt a arm around their shoulders. Sam smiled but didn’t bother to turn around, knowing it would be neil. But Radhika did. As soon as neil saw her face, his arm automatically dropped. An embarrassed smile glued on his face. Both sam and Radhika laughed seeing his expression.
Neil looked at them with an amused expression, cocking up his eyebrows, “done?”
Radhika nodded, she almost had tears in her eyes with all the laughing, “yeah…hey…”
“I seriously cant remember when was the last time I laughed this hard.” Sam spoke in between giggles.
Neil forwarded his hand to Radhika, “hello, I am neil.”
Radhika took his hand, “I am Radhika, sir.”
Neil pouted, faking innocence, “don’t call me sir yaa…..it makes me sound like 45. Lets just be friends.”
Radhika suddenly engulfed him in a hug, surprising him thoroughly.
Looking at neil’s surprised expression, she passed him a sheepish grin, “when we are friends, then whats with all the formality?”
Neil chuckled. He took an instant liking to this girl. He could easily see that she was comfortable in her own skin. And she was the ideal combination of beauty and brains….fun and hardwork.
They walked a little further, when neil suddenly winked at Radhika and passed her a careless smile, “let all the arjun bashing begin.”
But neil didn’t notice., the looming figure of Arjun Mehra walking towards them.
Precap : Arjun and Radhika at war.
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Finally, it is complete….i had been meaning to post for some many days. But I don’t know, but I am almost always tired these days. So sorry for the delay.
And please let me know, what would you guys like more of……the characters solving legal issues or want them in the background with the characters occupying the foreground.
Please let me know, will write the next one accordingly.
Hope this chapter was long enough.
And please ignore any mistakes you may have come across, as I didn’t get any time for proof reading. Hell, what? When I do I ever proof read anything? ?
NO PROOF READING.
Silent readers please give your reviews.