The Poor Girl Who Became A Lioness

The Rich Girl's Jealousy

The morning in the Singhania mansion office was completely different from the servant quarters. The AC was so cold that Riya was shivering. But she was not shivering because of the cold. She was shivering because of fear.

Aarav Singhania was sitting in his big black leather chair. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and a black coat. He looked like the king of the business world. He did not even look at Riya when she entered.

"Come here," he ordered without looking up from his laptop. "Let me explain your work."

Riya walked slowly towards him. Her old sandal was making a small tak-tak sound on the costly Italian marble floor. She felt embarrassed.

He showed her a big table outside his cabin. This table was made of expensive glass and imported wood. It had a big Apple computer and many costly files.

"This is your desk. From today you will sit here. You will manage all my meetings, my calls, my files. You will come at 9 AM sharp. Not 9:01. You will go only when I tell you to go. You will not talk to any staff uselessly. And most important, you will not touch my personal things without permission."

Riya looked at the desk. It was bigger than her whole servant quarter. Her entire house could easily fit under this desk. She nodded slowly.

"Yes, Aarav Sir. I understand."

"Good. Now clean this desk. There is dust on it."

Riya did not have a duster. She started cleaning the desk with the corner of her dupatta. Her hands were rough from years of washing clothes, but she was cleaning with full honesty and sincerity. Aarav was watching her from the corner of his eyes. He was surprised to see her dedication.

At that exact moment, the office main door opened with a very loud sound. BANG.

A very beautiful and rich girl entered like a storm. She was wearing a short red designer dress and very high heels. Her face was full of expensive makeup. Her lips were bright red. Her costly perfume filled the whole office in one second. It was Nisha Malhotra, daughter of Singhania Group's biggest business partner and Aarav's fiancee for three years.

Every staff member in the office stood up instantly. They were all scared of her anger.

"Aarav, baby, where were you last night?" Nisha shouted loudly. She did not care that all the staff were listening. "I called you twenty times. You did not pick my call. You were with someone else? Tell me!"

Aarav's face became even more cold and stone-like. "Nisha, this is my office. Don't shout here. This is not your bedroom."

Then Nisha's eyes fell on Riya. Riya was standing there in her simple white salwar suit which was washed many times. Her dupatta had one small stitch near the border. She looked very poor in front of Nisha.

"Who is she?" Nisha asked, walking closer to Riya. She looked at Riya from top to bottom. Her nose scrunched like she smelled something bad. "Who is this servant girl in your office? Oh wait, I know her face. She is Sunita's daughter, right? The maid's daughter? Did you hire a new maid for your cabin, Aarav? For cleaning?"

Riya felt like someone slapped her hard on her face. Her cheeks became red with insult and shame. Her eyes became wet with tears. But she did not look down. She remembered her mother's words from childhood. Never let rich people see your tears. They will think you are weak and poor.

All the office staff was watching this drama. Some lady staff were smiling secretly. They were enjoying Riya's insult.

Aarav stood up from his chair. His face was very serious and full of anger. His voice was like ice.

"Nisha, mind your language," he said in a very cold and dangerous voice. Everyone in the office became silent. Even the AC sound could be heard. "She is not a servant. She is my new personal assistant. Her name is Riya Sharma. And from today, she will be working with me inside my cabin. You should respect her. She is my employee."

Nisha was shocked. She could not believe her own ears. Aarav Singhania had never shouted at her for any other girl before. For three years of engagement, he had always been silent, even when she created a scene.

"Personal assistant? Her? A poor girl from servant quarters? Are you joking, Aarav?" She laughed loudly, a fake and cruel laugh. "What degree does she have? She must have passed from some cheap government college with third class. My father will not like this at all. I am your fiancee. I have the right to know who works with you day and night."

Aarav came out of his cabin and stood between Riya and Nisha, like a wall protecting Riya.

"We are engaged because of our fathers' business deal, Nisha. Not because of love. And I do not need your father's permission to hire my staff. This is my company. My decision is final. No one can question it."

Nisha's face became red with anger and jealousy. She could not fight with Aarav directly. So she turned all her poisonous anger to Riya.

She came very close to Riya and whispered in her ear so only Riya could hear. Her voice was like a snake hissing.

"Listen, you poor thing. You think you got a big job? You think you became a madam by sitting on a big chair? This is not your world, darling. You will not survive here even for one day. This office will eat you alive. Aarav is just playing with you. He will use you for a few days and throw you away like trash. Just like he threw many girls before you. You are just a timepass for him."

Riya's whole body was shaking with anger. But she did not cry. For eighteen years, she had heard these same words everywhere. Servant's daughter cannot become anything. Now she was tired of listening to the same insult.

She looked straight into Nisha's expensive kohl-filled eyes. Her voice was clear and loud so everyone in the office could hear it clearly.

"Thank you for your advice, madam," Riya said loudly and confidently. "But I do not need advice from someone who is shouting in a corporate office like a market lady. This is a billion-dollar office, not a fish market. Please maintain silence. Some people are trying to work here seriously."

The whole office became pin-drop silent. All staff were shocked. Their mouths were wide open. No one, no one in three years had ever talked to Nisha Malhotra like that. Even Aarav had never said such things to her.

For the second time in two days, Aarav Singhania smiled. And this time, it was not a small hidden smile. It was a full, genuine smile because of Riya's bravery. He was impressed.

Nisha became red with anger. She raised her hand to slap Riya. "You... you middle class gold digger

"Enough, Nisha!" Aarav shouted loudly and held her hand in the air. His grip was tight. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare touch my staff. Please leave my office right now. I have important work. We will talk at home in the evening."

Nisha picked her Gucci bag angrily. Her high heels made a loud noise on the marble. She left, but before leaving she looked at Riya one more time with full revenge in her eyes. She said in her mind, I will destroy you, servant girl. I will show you your real place within one week.

When she left, all staff quickly went back to their work. They were scared of Aarav's cold anger.

Aarav came to Riya. His voice was now surprisingly soft.

"You are very brave," he said softly. "You just insulted the most dangerous girl in Mumbai. She can ruin your life and your career in one phone call."

"She insulted me first, sir," Riya said. Her voice was still shaking a little. "I cannot tolerate insult of my poverty. I am poor, but I am not a beggar. I have self-respect which money cannot buy."

Aarav looked at her hands. They were still rough from kitchen work and washing clothes in cold water. But today they were holding a costly office file of fifty lakh rupees deal.

"You did well today," he said. "Now go and bring me black coffee. Without sugar. That is your first official task as my personal assistant."

Riya nodded and went to make coffee in the pantry. Her first task as an assistant.

But while making coffee in the pantry, she heard two lady staff talking behind her back near the sink. They thought Riya could not hear them.

"That new girl is Sunita's daughter from servant quarters. How did she get this job? Definitely she must have trapped Aarav Sir. These poor girls are very clever. They trap rich boys for money and luxury."

Riya stopped. The coffee mug in her hand started shaking. Her eyes again became wet. But she wiped her tears quickly with her dupatta.

The real fight had just started. It was not with Aarav. It was not with Nisha. It was with the whole rich world that would never accept a poor girl as an equal. A girl from servant quarters sitting on a CEO's office chair. They will never accept it easily.

She took a deep breath, made the coffee perfectly without spilling a single drop and walked back to the cabin with her head high and confident.

Aarav was waiting for her. Riya placed the coffee on his table very professionally.

"Your coffee, Sir," she said in a clear and confident voice.

Aarav looked up. He saw her eyes were a little red, but her face was strong and brave.

"Did someone say something to you in the pantry?" he asked. His voice was cold for others, but his eyes were worried for her. He had already seen everything on the pantry CCTV camera on his laptop.

"No, sir. Nothing. Everything is fine."

Aarav stared at her for two seconds. He knew she was lying, but he liked her self-respect and her habit of fighting her own battles.