Shehnaaz laid her eyes on the handsome man who looked dapper in his complete police uniform. He wore dark sun glasses covering his expressive eyes yet she could make out that he was anxious.

She noticed he wore a coat over his uniform shirt, with his medals & badges clung on it. She felt a sense of pride seeing him sport his achievements as if he belonged to her.

(So sorry sidharth itni bakwas editing k liye 🙈)

She walked ahead still lost in staring at him, not realising that someone was calling her name behind.

"Shehnaaz... Shehnaaz... Wait..."

It was Nisha who was calling her, she walked fast to match up her pace.

"Hellooooo..." Nisha cooed gasping for her breathe.

"Oh Hey Nisha... Itna haaf kyu rhi ho?" Shehnaaz asked.

"Oh fo! Bhag ke aayi na apke pichhe... I was calling you shayad apko sunayi nai diya" Nisha explained now stabling her breathe.

"Oh I'm sorry, pata hi nai chala...waise how did you come?" Sana enquired.

"Papa drop karke Gaye... Unko pata hai late hogi Aaj toh he's like either Ravi bhaiya ko bhejunga or else mei khud aunga pick up karne so scooty pe Jane ki koi zarurat nahi. I'm a 20 year old kid you see" Nisha whined blinking her eyes.

Shehnaaz giggled "Chahe 50 saal ki bhi ho jao na papa log apne betiyo ko bachi hi samajhte hai... Mujhe dekho aaj CEO banne wali hu but still papa sees me like a kid"

"Haw! Sweet! Sunne mei acha lagta hai but khud experience karne mei Haye tauba ho jata hai" Nisha said giggling & shehnaaz couldn't help but join along.

Sidharth looked at them from far as they walked towards him. He smiled looking at these beautiful girls whom he had the urge to always protect & keep safe. This was the first time he was seeing his niece and his "just friend" together but he felt like he's always seen them this way. He didn't know why but It felt such a homely sight for him to behold, like this young girl always belonged among his women.

While he was lost in thoughts,Shehnaaz & Nisha reached him.

"Hey Sidharth" Shehnaaz waved her palm. Her soothing voice and closer look of her smiling face brought him out of his trance.

"Uh hey Shehnaaz... All good?" He asked completely unseeing his niece right next to her.

"Uff Yeh mama mujhe itna kyu ignore mar rhe. Abhi dikhati hu.." Nisha thought to herself.

"Ya all good. Sidharth meet our protegé intern Nisha... Nisha Khanna. She's brilliant for her age" Shehnaaz introduced her with a smile on her face & Sidharth had a proud smile listening to praises his child got.

"Nisha this is Sidharth, the strict Deputy Commissioner jinke bare mei mein bol rhi thi..." Shehnaaz said and both chuckled.

"Oh Hi... Sir... It's an honour to meet you. Bohat suna hai apke barei mei"  Nisha said faking her smile.

"Abey yar... Chal Bandh kar nautanki..." Sidharth ran his fingers in hair as he said.

"Sidhhhaarrthhh" Shehnaaz gasped not knowing why would he say that to her intern.

And both Sidharth & Nisha started laughing further confusing her. She looked at them with a blank face then they stopped.

Sidharth wrapped his arm around Nisha's shoulder and twisted her towards him while she screeched & laughed both.

"Dramebaaz... Aise darati hai tu apne boss ko bacha?" He said in a soft voice.

"Oh so aap log jante ho ek dusre ko..." Shehnaaz mumbled still seeing them both with confusion.

"Arre kya yaar mama mein toh apko taunt mar rhi thi..." Nisha whined.

"Nishu ki bachi chup. Ab shayad mujhe introduce karana padega tum dono ko. Shehnaaz, this protegé of yours is my own naughty niece" He said.

"Woah, small world hun... Nisha, kabhi bataya tak nahi ki yeh khadoos police officer tumhare mama hai?" Shehnaaz giggled & Sidharth's face turned surprised mixed with a proud smile when he heard her call him Khadoos openly.

"You know my beliefs ki independent rehna hai, Jo bhi karna hai khud karna hai and all that... I learnt from him. So kabhi inka naam use nahi karti kahi bhi... More so cuz weirdly he feels we're safe if people don't find out that we are related to him"
Nisha told seriously.

Shehnaaz stared at him searching answers in his eyes for what Nisha just said & Sidharth being the smarty pants changed the topic in a blink.

"Abey yar! Yeh Jenny abhi tak nahi pahunchi. Dekhta hu kaha hai voh... Excuse me ladies" He smirked,a very sly one and escaped the two of them.

"Yeh kaun hai Jenny?" Shehnaaz asked Nisha who kept staring at her mama who walked away in swag.

"Jenny? Oh she's Mama's childhood friend. Voh bhi police mei hai...abhi abhi promotion huyi hai unki to Assistant commissioner of police. How cool na? I love women in police kya swag aur power hoti hai unke paas!" Nisha exclaimed clearly showing off her admiration.

Shehnaaz fell in her thoughts about this swagger police woman who had already paved her way into the Shukla family. She felt a bit annoyed at herself at how she was judging a lady without even meeting or knowing about her but she was only human.

"Oh yeah" she sighed.

"Chale andar?" Nisha asked while Rahul, Shehnaaz's associate ran to them and greeted.

He explained her all the arrangements done and the schedule of the event while walking along with them towards the huge space canopied with a white waterproof roof that had a stage all set with the big banner written as "Welcome to the Annual Event of Pioneer Corp Ltd"

There were few single sofa's for the guests on the stage & a podium towards the right end for the anchor to compere the event.

A plush carpet was spread across the entire floor of the space, silk curtains hanging on the sides & round tables with clothed chairs, light refreshments & water bottles all set for the employees & guests. Although the decor was minimal it exuded absolute class.

Shehnaaz walked around checking the last minute details personally before the chief guests & audience started to flood the place. Nisha excused herself and went on to join her colleagues who were performing a dance during the cultural events.

***********

It was time for the formal announcement to begin, the board of directors were seated on the dias & the hall almost full with the paparazzi, employees, security personnel etc.

Shehnaaz sat in the first row, fidgeting her phone. Shehbaz, her maternal uncle Rakhwinder, her maternal & paternal grandparents sat next to her. It was a proud moment for them all as these were the people who loved her immensely. Her parents were seated among the Board of directors on stage silently, not even looking at each other's eyes.

"Motto, Thand pa... Relax kar na. Tension na le tu vadiya karangi" Shehbaz pressed her palm that held her phone tight. She felt better listening to her younger brother instill positivity in her.

"Sorry sorry sorry... Late toh nai ho gya?" Sufi rushed to sit on the sofa next to Shehnaaz.

"Khoteya aaj bhi late, kuch toh sharam kar le" Shehnaaz chided as the anchor started the event.

"Ladies & gentlemen, our guests, dignitaries on stage,dear employees & their family, the media, everyone we heartily welcome you all to the 50th Annual Meet of our prestigious Pioneer Corp Ltd"

A round of applause by everyone echoed in the hall.

The program began with speeches of how well the company had done in the past year. The achievements,the CSR activities done, the agenda of the coming year etc everything related to the business.

After what felt like an eternity, finally the emcee announced.
"Ladies & Gentlemen, now is the time we have all been waiting for. Please put your hands together for our superlatively talented, immensely knowledgeable, independent, strong and the much deserving, Miss Shehnaaz Kaur Bhalla!"

Shehnaaz looked towards her people who sat beside her,her brother,her grandparents,her beloved mama ji & her best friend. They all had huge smiles & pride on their faces.

"Puth... Ja hun. Waheguru ji Meher kare" Dadi said.

"Waheguru..." Shehnaaz whispered.

An audio visual was shown about her, amidst the voiceover that spoke her accomplishments,the thunderous applause, clicks of the shutterbugs & flashes by the media present, Shehnaaz walked towards the stage confidently, head held high.

Her father Randheer Bhalla & her mom Vimaljeet Kaur Dhillon stood up with pride as she stepped on the stage.

"That was quite an introduction, Sheena. Thank you" Shehnaaz said to the emcee.

Her father walked to the podium and began the much awaited announcement.

"Ladies & Gentlemen, it gives me & Vimaljeet immense happiness & joy to officially announce that my daughter, Miss Shehnaaz Kaur Bhalla has been unanimously voted as the Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Corp Ltd for it's overall operation regions. Not to brag about my daughter but she has achieved quite a things. I'm glad she agreed to take over the company as I take a back seat now and take forward the legacy of Pioneer & her maternal grandfather Paramjeet Singh Dhillon ji who is the founder chairman of Pioneer. I'm sure she will take Pioneer to greater heights & spread her wings. Also, not to forget she is now the youngest CEO of an Indian multinational company. I request you all to give your support & work along with her in achieving better in the years to come. Thank you all"

Shehnaaz had tears in her eyes as she heard her father speak so highly of her openly for the first time. It's not that he did not ever praise her but publicly praising her wasn't his forte. She wanted to hug her father but couldn't. Her mother also had tears in her eyes. She was indeed proud of her daughter too.

She mumbled "I'm proud of you Sana"

Shehnaaz's tears threatened to drop when she heard her mother who hardly ever accepted that she did anything good say this. She turned back and wiped her tears quickly.

Everyone gave another round of thunderous applause for the announcement. 

"I now request the new CEO of Pioneer Miss Shehnaaz to speak a few words. The stage is all yours now Ma'am" the emcee urged Shehnaaz to give her speech.

"Oh! This is overwhelming. Thank you all" Shehnaaz began.

"Today as i embark on a new journey in my career I'd want everyone to know few very important people in my life who are the reason for whoever I am today...

My mother, Vimaljeet Kaur Dhillon, my dad Randheer Bhalla, my maternal grandparents Mr & Mrs Dhillon, my dear Mama ji Sukhwinder Dhillon and my little brother Shehbaz Bhalla.

These people have been my rock solid support throughout my journey till here... and I'm sure will continue to do so. I promise to uplift and put in my 100% efforts & expertise in taking Pioneer to greater heights. I understand that I have a huge responsibility but I shall not let this decision of making me the CEO go in vain. I shall work for the betterment of not only the company but the soul of the company, our employees & their well being too. Thank you all"

Shehnaaz ended her speech amidst the applause & camera flashes.

She was then asked to pose with her parents, single, with the board of directors etc. The media clicked numerous pictures.

"I request the press to stay over for the media interaction that will take place in some time while everyone else can move ahead for a break before the cultural programs begin. Thank you" The emcee announced giving some breather to Shehnaaz.

In no time the media interaction began and tough, demeaning, difficult questions were asked her but she answered them all with dignity and elan which mighty impressed the paparazzi.

**********

I saw Sidharth walking towards me with a woman I guessed was in her mid 30’s beside him. From her uniform and the friendly rapport they exuded, I knew she was Jenny, about whom he & Nisha fondly spoke about. She was tall & had amazingly fit physique, I loved the way she walked with confidence & power. They approached me with huge smiles on their faces.

(I imagine Jennifer Winget as my Jennifer D'Souza)

“Congrats Shehnaazzz!” Sidharth said in his ever so charming way, but I somehow felt he was overjoyed for me because of his excited tone and I had started liking the way he stressed the last letters of my name. Nobody had taken my name with such sheer adoration.

“Thank you Sidharth” I smiled back and extended my arm for a handshake as I noticed him extend his arm a bit and pulling it back.

We shook our hands and he continued “Shehnaaz, meet the Assistant Commissioner of Police & meri bachpan ki dost Jenny, Jennifer D’souza. Aur yeh toh tumhe janti hai pehle se hi”

Jenny smiled and extended her arm to wish me “Congratulations Miss Bhalla”
“Please call me Shehnaaz, Thank you so much Jenny. Bula sakti hu na?” I asked shaking her hand.

“Of course, Shehnaaz” Jenny replied.
“Arre wah mere congrats pe sirf thank you aur in madam ke same congrats pe thank you so much? Sahi hai” Sidharth made a fake miffed poker face. He looked too cute.

“Haha ekdum bakwas Sidharth” I sighed

“Kabhi bada hua hi nai yeh, sirf age badi hai… thirty…” Jenny was interrupted in between by him with his signature “Abey ey chup kar na…” and we all laughed but I knew probably he didn’t want her to reveal his age, understandably so.

Because as much as some women wouldn’t like to admit their age even men should not be judged if they don’t want to. Until then I had not given a thought of how much would be our age gap but now that he purposely stopped Jenny, I wanted to know.

But boy! I was wrong in gauging him. Because what he replied next changed my perception.

“Ha 39 ka hu, bachha tha, AB. NAHI.HU, theek hai?” he knocked her head playfully.

“Arey! Shehnaaz,ab dekho isse,bina uniform ke koi bol sakta hai ki yeh itna sakt dikhne wala launda aise bacho wali harkathei kar sakta hai?” Jenny questioned while she hit his arm that didn’t hurt him one bit.

“Bilkul nai, I’m surprised today. I mean pehle Nisha ke sath aur ab aapke sath, kitna change hai inke attitude mai” I said and saw him, he was smiling like I did. I liked how Jenny was trying to include me too in their banter so that I don’t feel left out.

“You should see him with his mom and sisters. Kutte billiyan better hai in logo se. Neetu di ka beta Vedant, 4 saal ka hai aur usse yeh mahaan insaan gym ke exercises sikhata hai” Jenny complained.

“Ha mera poora pol khol de abhi khade khade, chup kar bey” Sidharth chided as if he is a kindergarten kid and his teacher is complaining to me.

I laughed wholeheartedly after a really long time & they joined me along.

“You are so cute!” I mumbled in between my giggles “What?” They both said in unison as if they heard it wrong & I realized what I had said.

“Uh I mean tum log bohat ache ho… Mujhe pasand hai jo khud khush rahe aur dusro ko bhi khush rakhe. Sabko aisi family naseeb nahi hoti” I mumbled feeble tone which didn’t go unnoticed by the two of them.

“Oh Shehnaaz, you should visit us sometime. I mean jab tumhe time mile & if you don’t mind of course. Shayad,tumhare ghar ka living room plus Kitchen milake mera pura ghar hai, meri family thodi pagal hai but they’ll love to have you over” Sidharth said & held my arm, perhaps he knew I needed this. His gentle press on my arm calmed me so much that nothing had ever.

“Yes Shehnaaz, kabhi aana. Promise sab maze karenge” Jenny joined too.

“Umm okay, kabhi aungi. Thank you guys” I nodded affirming their invite. Jenny excused herself as someone called her.

“Abhi smile karogi?” Sidharth asked out of the blue, still holding my arm.

And I could not stop from forming a faint smile on my face for his cute request.

“That’s like my girl. Abhi jao, After party enjoy karo. It’s your day!” Sidharth said & continued “oh batana bhool gaya, tumhare answers jo media ko diye the were amazing” This man never let a chance to praise me or uplift my spirits whenever I did something right in this short span of time.

“Thank you so much Sidharth” I mumbled & gave him a friendly hug. This was involuntary from my side perhaps due to how much I needed some human warmth & affection at that moment.

He was initially taken aback by my gesture but eventually hugged me back lightly & patted my shoulder.

Unknown to us, we were spotted by a pair of eyes from a distance.

We broke our hug, not an ounce of awkwardness. I guessed by now, we were aware of our growing fondness for each other.

"Sanaaaa..." I heard a familiar voice from behind. It was Sufi.

"Sufi... Aa ja" I called him over, I wanted to introduce my people to Sidharth.

"Dhoond raha tha yaar kab se, tu Tera phone phek de" Sufi started complaining.

"Chup kar ja ek minute. Sidharth, yeh mera bachpan ka dost Sufi... Sufiyan Zaidi. Unfortunately Doctor bhi hai" I introduced giggling at the way I spoke of him while Sufi fumed.

"Sufi yeh Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr Sidharth Singh Ranawat hai... He's become a good friend of mine in past few days. Friend ho na aap?" I asked him giggling again. 

"Uh yes of course Shehnaaz" he replied smiling widely.

"Nice to meet you Mr Zaidi" Sidharth shook his hand while I said "Itni respect dene ki zaroorat nai hai isse. Aap isko sirf Su bhi bulaoge toh bhi chalega" and I burst out laughing.

"Sana meri ma sabke samne aise bezzati na kar" Sufi folded his hands.

"Good aise hi mujhe pranam karte rehna theek hai" I raised my palm as if blessing him like a goddess & Sidharth chuckled.

He looked serene when he laughed throwing his head back.

"Pleased to meet you Sidharth. Aap mujhe Sufiyan bula sakte ho, please iska mat suniye jab se paida huyi hai mujhe tang karna iski aadat hai" Sufi said shooting daggers at me by his eyes.

"Of course Sufiyan. Don't worry about that meri bhi ek namooni dost hai so I understand. Kitni achi baat hai na Aaj hum dono ne apne best friends se mil liye...." Sidharth said.

"Hai na...!" I exclaimed.

"Haan acha theek hai sun na... Ek zaruri baat karni thi tumse isiliye dhoond raha tha..." Sufi whispered.

************
Thanks for reading guys & sorry for the delay.

Next chapter is ready so please do hit line and comment so that i update it quick.

Love,
Avni