Murderer & Princess

1. She is something.

Kaira is a 24-year-old girl who finished her MBA a few weeks back, and she is looking for a job in a suitable company.

Rohan is a 25-year-old man who is the CEO of Riya enterprises.

Kaira woke up excited in the morning since it was her most awaited meeting at the Riya enterprises. Ever since she started understanding business, she has had the determination to work at Riya Enterprises, because she knew she would gain a lot of experience there which she may not learn while working with her family. Raised in a business family, her father, although concerned for her, left the choice to her to decide if she wanted to work in their firm, or not. While Kaira was beyond grateful, she politely declined his offer. She did not really know who the CEO was, but she surely had heard one thing: that he is absolutely ruthless, but his knowledge of business is above par. He is the youngest CEO to be awarded for his work in such a short span of time.

She did not believe the information she got that he had killed his family, neither did she want to involve herself in this information, because she was joining the company to work, not to get into the CEO's personal life. She got ready for work and decided to be 15 minutes early since she did not want to face any issues on the day of her interview. She styled herself in a pair of black formal pants with a white satin shirt with black pumps, minimal makeup, and a pair of hoops for her ears. She decided to let her hair loose.

She walked down with a file and a purse in her hand. She smiled, seeing her father and mother - Raj Vedant and Nalini Vedant. She hugged them and briefed them about the company but did not tell them anything about the CEO yet. She wanted to work there and knowing her parents, they wouldn't let her give an interview in a workplace where the CEO had been tagged as a murderer. Raj tried to convince her one last time so that she works with him but she clearly refused and told him, 'I want to get experience and that will only happen if I work elsewhere, because I know that if I work with you, you will make my workplace into a palace, and I don't want any more silver spoons, dad.' He smiled and respected her decision because he knew she studied not just for the sake of a degree, but because she really wants to work and learn this profession.

On the other side, Rohan woke up at 6 am and went out for a jog, came back in an hour, and went straight to the gym. He always chose the gym as his sacred place only because he could remove his frustration there without hurting anyone else. While he considers himself incapable of loving anyone, he also often feels the hollow spaces in his life like a punch in the gut. He started his exercises by keeping all his thoughts aside. He stayed there for about an hour and went into his room to get dressed for work. He, being the CEO, was never late for work. He would always be on time. He valued time more than anyone or anything else, because time played the most crucial role in his life, it taught him what he needed to value so that he got back the same value.

He rushed to the breakfast table and ate the food kept on the table. He would never demand food, neither would he complain if the food was not good. Behind the evil, there was a soft heart, but that soft heart was seen by barely few people who work in his house - the cook, cleaners, guards, and driver. None of them ever had a single complaint regarding their boss. He would always help them in the need of the hour.

He left for work and on the way, was going through the people who are going to interview today. He saw around 20 people and decided to assign HR to take care of it and decided to work on a pending deal.

He called HR and said, 'Ms. Mehta, I will not be taking the interviews and want you to do the first round. I guess 2–3 candidates shortlisted would do for me.' She replied affirmatively, and he continued with his work. He reached his office and went directly to his cabin. He made a few calls and had a few online meetings that he attended. He stood by the window and was thinking about how his life had changed in about 7 years. A slight hint of tear formed in his eyes, but he brushed it off quickly. He called the canteen and ordered some food for himself as the time flew today, and it was already 3:30 pm. He ate his lunch and then called HR to ask about the interviews and she said that they have just a couple left but they have already found around 2 candidates who will be best for the post.

He stopped her and said, 'Ms. Mehta, I am good with 2 candidates. Send them to my cabin after informing them that they would be interviewed by me for being their PA.' She seemed shocked and tried to tell him that they were looking for a different post but he stopped her and asked her to do as he wants her to do. She gulped in fear and did as he asked her to do.

He called the first girl inside and looked through her CV. She looked decent enough for this post through her CV but decided against judging her just by that. He interviewed her and did not seem that intrigued by her personality but asked her to wait till he would finish the other interview. He saw the CV of another girl and was absolutely shocked to see her surname. He looked up to her and asked her to take a seat in a daze. He asked her to interview herself and she smiled nodding.

'Good evening sir, my name is Kaira Vedant, and I am looking for a job potential enough to teach me basic skills required in business. My hobbies wouldn't matter here since I haven't come here for a leisure purposes. I am good at management and leadership, which will surely be an added plus point that you would surely require in your PA. I will be very particular with my work timings, but if you want me here beyond my working hours, I will be there. That is my assurance.' He looked highly impressed because she did not try to do any sort of buttering here and was curt to her point.

Rohan: Kaira, how many interviews have you given before giving an interview to us?

Kaira: None, sir. This is my first one.

Rohan: I must say, you are good for the first one. Why Riya enterprises and not Vedant industries? If I am not mistaken, that is your father's company right?

Kaira : *smiled* Yes, sir. It is my father's company. I have been wanting to work with Riya enterprises ever since I started learning business, and I am not saying this just because I want to get selected. You know best who is suitable for this job. Not Vedant industries because I studied business because it was my passion and working under my father will show me only the good side of the business world, but I am here for the bad side as well.

Rohan: Alright, you can leave your file here. You shall get a mail by the end of the day if you are selected for this job or not. Thank you.

Kaira: I can drop all the copies of all the documents you will want to go through. I shall leave it here, sir. It was a pleasure meeting you sir, thank you.

She walked out saying this and went home straight. It was already 6 pm so she decided to take a shower and freshen up. She changed into her night suit and went down to the hall. She saw her mother was in the kitchen, cooking, and decided to join her. She went and talked about random things. Nalini did not ask her anything about the interview because she knew Raj would take every small detail of it. She received a call from an unknown number and it turned out to be the HR's number. She asked Kaira if she had checked the contract but Kaira was absolutely confused and told her that she shall revert to her soon.

She went to her room and checked her mail and saw a job confirmation mail from the company. She couldn't contain her happiness while she read through the contract and signed it. Her work timings were from 10 am to 6 pm, and she was completely okay with it. Her work was supposed to start after a week, but she decided to join from the next day itself. She went down and saw that Raj had come back and she broke the news to her parents. Both of them were so happy for her. Raj asked her joining date. She informed them that it was supposed to be from next week but she would join from tomorrow itself.

Raj felt so proud of her. She did not take this job for granted even though she knew that she did not have to work and would still get all her wishes fulfilled. He knew that they had raised their daughter the right way, as she chose the tough path which could teach her life lessons. They all had dinner and then she asked Raj, 'Dad, when is Bhai (older brother) coming back?' Raj told her that he must be coming back by the weekend. After talking for some more time Kaira excused herself and went to the room.

After reaching her room, Kaira called her best friend, Jia.

Jia: Kaira and Jia have known each other for 20 years. Jia is the only one who knows every bit and detail of Kaira and her life. Jia is more like family to Kaira than a friend. Jia is one of those friends who would scold you if you do something wrong, no matter what. She was the same with Kaira as well but she made sure that no one would ever try to hurt her. She stood by Kaira like a rock and nothing broke that rock.

She told Jia about her job confirmation but she seemed doubtful about it. Kaira knew it and said, 'Jia, I will be fine there. If I do not get involved in his life, he will also not do anything to me. Plus who are we to judge anything related to his past. I will be fine. And if anything happens, I assure you that I will come and tell you, is that okay?' Jia agreed and said okay. They spoke about random things and after a while, Kaira decided to get some sleep.

After cutting the call, Kaira tried to sleep but she couldn't because her mind was roaming around Rohan. She was wondering if such a beautiful face and charming personality could really kill someone. But she kept all these thoughts aside and decided to keep his personal life away from herself and put on some music that could put her to sleep.

On the other hand, Rohan was in a different state of mind since the interview with Kaira took place that evening. He had decided quite instantly that he would hire Kaira as she was the perfect fit for this job, seeing her confidence. But he could not get Kaira out of his mind. Surprisingly he had left office later that usual since he was busy reading Kaira's documents again and again. He left for his house and as soon as he reached, he rushed to the gym because he had to get Kaira out of his mind. He could not let his soft side come out, no matter what. He would be firm and strict with her.

He directly went to his room after he got Kaira out of his mind and got the hatred towards human beings back. He refused to have dinner and went to sleep with a slightly injured hand. Rohan was always scared to close his eyes and go to sleep, because what if he woke up and it was all a dream? As a 16-year-old child, being sent to juvenile jail, for killing his family, his name being tainted with a word, he yet made good use of the created opportunity. He always wants someone on whose shoulders he can cry for hours and reduce his pain. He craves for someone's hand which is reliable. But, he knows he is alone and only deserves to be alone.

Deep down, Rohan knew that she was something, but he swore to never let that come out because that would weaken him, and he could not afford it. He found an unusual spark in her, but he swore to never let any spark light up his dark world. But the important question remains the same. Is his world really that dark, or does he portray it as being dark?

He decided to end his thoughts right there and get some sleep. The only thing that kept him motivated every day was, he was lucky to have such a life even after the sin he committed, so he respected it to the maximum. He knew the value of life after life gave him a second chance. He is one of those who would never waste time on absurd unnecessary things, he would live his present like it's his last day. He respected every morning and every breath he took.

The next morning Rohan woke up and followed the same routine. On the other side, Kaira woke up at 8 and decided to take a shower and then go downstairs. She wore a black formal dress that reached below the knee. She put on a beige pair of stilettos and a nude lipstick with some eyeliner. She took her bag with a small diary and a pen and a few necessary things and moved down to the breakfast table. She saw the breakfast ready and decided to feast on it and hurry up so that she wouldn't be late. She had a few slices of bread and a few cut fruits. She had a glass of orange juice and quickly wished her parents a good day and took off to work. She decided to drive herself to work rather than taking the driver.

Rohan was having breakfast when the cook, Mahesh came and asked him, 'Why didn't you have dinner yesterday? Riya would always make sure you would eat every meal of the day, why have you started skipping it? You wouldn't want her to feel let down.' He sighed and just nodded. Riya has always been a mystery person in his life. No one knows who Riya is, but he would always make sure no one said a word about her. After breakfast, he left for work and felt an intuition that his day will go well, but he just decided to get that off his mind.

He reached the office and was extremely surprised to see Kaira there. He went to her and said, 'Good morning, Ms. Vedant. How come you are here? I suppose your joining date was on Monday right?' She got up from her seat and said, 'Good morning, sir. Yes, I was supposed to join from Monday, but I decided to come down and ask if I could join today itself. I didn't want to and couldn't wait for Monday. Can I join today, sir?' He was surprised at her dedication and smiled putting out his hand for a handshake and said, 'Most definitely you can, Ms. Vedant. Welcome aboard.' She smiled and shook his hand saying thank you. He asked her to follow him to his cabin. She collected her bag and followed him.

They reached his cabin and she followed him. He walked in, kept his coat on his chair, took a photo frame, and said good morning. Kaira kept looking in shock seeing him attached to a photo frame. He suddenly realized Kaira was with him in the cabin and was wondering how to cover up for this but decided to not speak about it since he was the boss and he knew anyone new would obviously not dare to ask their boss any personal question.

He turned to her and said, 'So, Ms. Vedant your cabin is attached to my cabin to the left and I don't have any work as of now since I wasn't expecting you till Monday. But, you can surely look around the office if you would want to. Ms. Mehta can help you if you want any help or even I would be available, but only for work-related help.' She nodded and asked him if there was anything else. He nodded his head in a no and asked her to take a look at her cabin.

She went to the cabin and breathed a sigh of relief because she had heard a lot about his anger but she saw a different side of him as that described to her. She kept her bag and suddenly rushed back to Rohan's cabin. He looked up from his laptop and asked her 'what' to which she said, 'Sir, do I bring you coffee or tea? Or anything else sir?' He sighed and said, 'Ms. Vedant you are my employee, not someone who is working in the canteen. You don't have to do this, you just have to take care of my professional needs.' She gave an embarrassed smile nodding her head and walked back to her cabin.

She took her cellphone and walked out of her cabin through the main door. She went to take a look at the office but first headed to the canteen to get some juice. She took the juice and as soon as she turned around, she bumped into someone and some of the juice fell over both of them. She looked up and said, 'Oh my god, I am extremely sir. I did not look at you, I am sorry sir.' He stopped her and said, 'Hi, you're Kaira Vedant right?' She nodded at him scared and shocked. He laughed and said, 'Relax, there is nothing to worry about. I am Rohan's best friend, Aryan. I am working with Riya enterprises for a deal and Rohan had told me about you. It's a pleasure meeting you.' He shook hands with her and she relaxed. She said, 'Sir, I am so sorry for this. I shall get a tissue paper for you.' She said this and rushed back to the counter and came back with tissue paper.

Aryan was laughing his guts off and as soon as she came he said, 'Kaira, firstly stop calling me sir and please call me Aryan. Secondly, don't worry about it. Thank you for the tissue paper, I shall manage. It's your first day so don't get so scared. I am not as strict as Rohan is, or wait I am not at all strict or scary.' She said, 'Alright, I am sorry again.' He wiped the juice off and it yet left a little stain on his shirt which he said isn't a problem at all. He asked her what she was doing here in the canteen when she knew she just had to call someone if she wanted something. She told him that she was planning on looking around the office. He asked surprised, 'Rohan hasn't given you any work?' She said, 'No, in fact, sir asked me to take a look at the office since I have come 4 days before my joining date and he didn't have any work for me at the moment.'

He nodded and offered to give her a tour of the office since he had nothing to do. She agreed since she was new and didn't want to be lost. They left from canteen and Aryan took her to all the departments and floors and gelled with her nicely. He got a call from Rohan asking him to come to his cabin for the official meeting. He asked Kaira to excuse him and gave her the reason. She asked him if she could join so that she could get an experience. He smiled and nodded in a yes. They reached Rohan's cabin and walked in. He saw Kaira also entering and said, 'Oh, Ms. Vedant good to see you here. Let me introduce you to Mr. Aryan Singhania. He is here because we have an ongoing deal with Singhania enterprises. Also, it would be a great help for you if you could join the meeting we would be having in another 10 minutes.'

Aryan jumped in before Kaira could say anything saying, 'Bro'. Rohan stopped him giving a "shut up" look. He did not want anyone in the company to know Aryan is his best friend but Aryan shrugged it off and said, 'Relax, I met her around 45 minutes back in the canteen and I was showing her around, and also, she knows we are best friends and as far as I have got to know her, she would not be saying anything to anyone in the office, right Kaira?' He turned to her and she smiled at him nodding in a yes. She turned to Rohan and said, 'Sir, I will keep this secret, you need not worry.' He nodded his head and Aryan said, 'Also, she is quite enthusiastic for her first day. She offered to attend this meeting when I was coming on top.'

Rohan was quite impressed already on her first day but did not let that show on his face. He collected his coat and asked everyone to come to the meeting room. Everything was set up while Rohan and Aryan sat down and seeing Kaira standing on one side, asked her to take a seat to which she said she was okay there. He said, 'Ms. Vedant please take a seat. My PA plays a major role in the company so please sit down and take notes.' She nodded and took a seat.

The meeting ended in about 45 minutes, and not for a minute did Kaira lose concentration, which was being observed by Rohan. After the meeting, Kaira went into her cabin without telling anyone. Rohan found it extremely rude and weird but did not want to blast her on her first day so decided to talk to her later on about it. Aryan and Rohan went to Rohan's cabin and were talking when Kaira knocked on the door and entered his cabin. Before Rohan could say anything Kaira said, 'I am sorry for disappearing from the meeting room without informing you, sir. Here.' and passed him a file. He looked confused but opened the file and saw detailed notes on the meeting which will make it so much simpler for Rohan.

He looked up to her in shock and said, 'Wow. This is really good. I did not expect this. Thank you for this.' She smiled and said, 'This is my job sir, not expecting a thank you for this. Anyway, I'll leave you both alone. If there is anything, sir, just let me know.' She walked back to her cabin and called the canteen to ask if Rohan's and Aryan's lunch was done to which they said it will be reaching them anytime now. She had her lunch and was wondering what to do. She walked up to the window and was just staring out of the 24th floor of the building thinking about Rohan. She expected him to be rude, but his behavior was completely opposite. Maybe because it was her first day? Or maybe he actually is not rude? Time will give her answers.

Rohan knocked at her door and she opened the door and said, 'Sir, it is very awkward if you knock at my door, please walk-in anytime.' He said, 'I might be your boss, but only till a limit, I do not wish to enter your privacy and this cabin is given to you for your privacy, so yeah. Now, I came here to tell you that you did a really good job on the detailed notes of the meeting, but a few changes, so I thought I could tell you what they are.' She nodded and said, 'Sorry for those mistakes, sir. If you could assist me with this, I shall make sure this will not repeat.' He nodded her and they moved to his cabin.

The work went on for about one and a half hours and it was 6 in the evening by then so Rohan said, 'Ms. Vedant, it's 6 pm. You can leave for home now. There is no work anyway. This week we will barely have work. Next week we might have a lot of work.' She nodded and moved to her cabin to pack. She came back with her bag and said she would leave. Just before she could leave his cabin, Rohan called her. She turned around and looked at him with questioning eyes. He said, 'Actually there is an informal party at Aryan's house this weekend with a few friends and close ones and he really wanted you to be there because apparently, he considers you a friend, so would you be there?'

She smiled and said, 'Sure sir, I would love to be there. Is there any reason for this party? And also, I don't know his house.' He smiled and said, 'Well, it's his birthday. About his address, if you don't have a problem I can pick you up since your house is on the way. I know your house because I have heard a lot about Mr. Raj Vedant and his house is quite famous, so yeah. ' She hesitated a little but agreed since that was safer than traveling alone. She bid a goodbye and went back home.

*************

Hey everyone!

I hope you all liked the first part.

Love,

Janvi Jain