Journey of Hope

CHAPTER:- 23

Pratik's Pov

"Arav! Is the presentation for tomorrow's deal ready?" I asked my PA.

"Yes, Sir! The team has done a fabulous job." Arav exclaimed in happiness. "I guess we are going to get the deal for sure."

"This is not a silly college seminar, boy. Don't be so excited. In the world of business, a little push is enough to fall under the ground." I said, carrying an serious expression. "Tell your team mates that I want all of them to give their best job. In the last month, I have already lost a number of projects due to this foolish presentation team of ours."

"Pardon me, Sir. But our presentation team is the best. They captured the perfect points through their presentation." Lowering his eyes he continued to say, "Sir, I have worked with you for almost six years. But for the first time I saw an equal opponent of yours, infact they are better than us."

"Mind your tongue, young man. I am not giving you salary to praise my rival in front of me." I sternly said.

"Sir, First of all you are not doing any noble act by giving me salary. I worked hard for the company and you will accept this fact." He said and I nodded. He was right. He was the loyal and trust worthy employee of mine. "Sir! From a month we are loosing contracts, despite of having one of world's best presentation teams. Still I examined their works again, but didn't find any fault. So I replayed the winner company's presentation. And that's when I realised, that our team was better than everyone, but the winner team is the best."

"And that's where we lost. When you are already impressed by the Rival's strategy, I could imagine how much confidence would have been left in you." I indirectly mocked him.

"First of all Sir, I won't hesitate to say the truth. My honesty is something that you can't buy. I am not praising them unnecessarily. A month back, we have captured the stock back. Then entered the 'Hope' foundation, which is originally a NGO. They open a new branch in the field of business and from a month we continuously started loose our projects to them." He kept chanting their praises like a parrot.

"I see. You have memorise there whole biography, aren't you?" I taunted.

"No, Sir. I just keep a tab on our rivals. This hospital project is your dream. I have seen you from six years. You always want to expand our business towards health and education. And being your trusted employee, It's my duty to help you to achieve your dreams. But this time the ways to your dreams are not smooth. A month back, I would have confidently said that Government of India was going to collaborate with us for the new hospital project. This will boost the health care system of country and on other side, we will have a profit. But, now situations are different. The 'Hope' foundation is preparing a step away from us. So I want to know each and every move of there, so that we can predict their next move. You only said Sir, 'To win the war, we just have defeat the enemy.' I am just following your advice." He said and I heard him patiently.

"Arav Singh. The first day when I took your interview, I was impressed with your honestly and loyalty. You never praised me for your promotion. But you never left any chance to criticise me. And your this bluntness always kept me rooted, that's always beneficial for me. It's the main reason why I haven't change my PA from last six years. You are the best." I said patting his shoulder.

"I am glad to hear your opinion about me, Sir. Then for now, I think we should concentrate on our project." He reminded me about our work. I smiled and nodded.

Soon we became busy with our upcoming presentation. Discussing our pros and correcting the cons, finally we made the presentation. I personally verified each and everything.

This was a huge project. If we will successfully grab this project, then it will take our business to new heights. According to the new health care scheme of Government of India, there are thirty super speciality hospitals are going to be made. I wanted that project at any cost.

Two decades back, I had dreamt off becoming a billionaire like Raghav Bharadwaj and I achieved my dreams. My net worth become 70.3 billion dollar. But then a month back, everything started to change. A new NGO had decided to expand their branch in business. Hope - that's what its name. They had made our company loose almost 12-15 projects in a month. This had a huge effect in stock market. Our Company's share was increasing. The shareholders were started to question my capabilities. And now this was the last chance for me to earn my employee's trust.

The project was like a 'do or die' option for me. It was not only Arav, but I too studied our Rival's strategy. The main rival of ours was 'Hope' foundation. I did research about its origin and expansion. And the most shocking factor about this was, the foundation was started in USA by a teen age girl during her high school days. Soon it turned out to be a reform, which helped the needy ones.

Then suddenly a year back, it opened a branch in India. And a month back, it started to snatch projects from me - the Pratik Ahuja, the leading businessman of India. It was really surprising for me, when I saw their presentation. The tactics was so perfect. This kind of perfection belonged to only one man in my recognition - Raghav Bharadwaj.

Then after seeing their other presentation, I realised that they were slightly different from Raghav Bharadwaj's style. He only cared for money in his business, while the top most priority of the 'Hope' foundation was the people. But that won't change the fact that, I had seen the reflection of Raghav Bharadwaj in every presentation of the 'Hope' foundation.

Raghav Bharadwaj - the man whom I once admired, envied and got jealous. I married his daughter, he helped me in my business. Then at once everything got snatched from me. My happiness, my honor... Everything was at stake. And the reason was... The Bharadwajs.

I still remembered those days. I was numb hearing the news of Adyasha's death. I had started to have feelings for her. I was hurt knowing that she hid her pregnancy complication from me. I was her husband. I had every right to know about her. But, she knowingly hid this from me. And then, she died giving me a shock, leaving our baby girl alone.

At that moment, I was broken. Mom patted my back and become my strength. After giving fire to Adyasha's body, I didn't come out from my room for two days. I heard my baby crying. But, I had no strength to hold her. Maybe she was also missing her mother.

Then suddenly, one day I didn't hear my her cries. At first, I thought she slept. But there was a different kind of tension going inside me. I felt a void inside my heart. It was heavy, as if something was going away from me, something very precious to me.

"Mom! Mom!" I shouted, coming out of my room.

"Pratik!" Mom happily exclaimed coming towards me. She caressed my face as tears flowed on her cheeks. I wiped them out. I would have ignored them before, but then I was also a father. I was also feeling my child's pain. "Thank God. You came out. I was so worried for you." She said, hugging me.

"Mom, Where is my baby?" I asked, detaching myself from her.

"Sunanda Bharadwaj has taken her away." She said, looking side way.

"What!" I said in shock. I felt the void growing inside my heart. I recalled how happy I was, when the doctor informed me about me being father. I held her. She was so soft and delicate. She was my daughter, completely mine. Her nose and cheeks were like Adyasha, but her eyes were same as mine. "No. They can't take her. She is my daughter."

I shouted. Mom tried a lot to hold me back. But, I was not her son at that moment. I was a father. I had no worries of the world. I wanted my daughter only. I have to hold her soft palm, otherwise she will stumbled on her way. I will taught her how to walk. I had to protect her path from thrones and filled the way with flowers. Her feet were so delicate. She was my princess. I had to get her back.

I started my car engine and drove towards Bharadwaj mansion. The guard didn't open gate for me.

"Tell them that Prati Ahuja has come." I yelled at the guards.

"Raghav Sir has asked us not to give entrance to anyone from Ahujas, specially to you, Mr. Pratik Ahuja!" The security head shouted back at me.

"You stupid guard!" I was enraged to get my daughter back. And I didn't even think once before raising my hand on Raghav Bharadwaj's security.

I was alone and weak. I had mourn over Adyasha's death for two days. I had no strength left to fight with those bulky body guards. But I didn't loose hope.

My life had taken a u-turn. Adyasha was no more. The wealth and fortune seemed nothing to me. I wanted someone to call as mine. And she was my daughter, whom Raghav Bharadwaj had kept.

They beat me mercilessly. And then Raghav Bharadwaj too joined them. I was already weak and they took advantage of this. "You killed my Princess. I won't leave you, bastard. How dare you to touch my princess?" He yelled and kept punching me.

"I didn't kill her. She had hidden about her complications in pregnancy. She left me alone too. She didn't think about me and left me." I said, wiping the blood out of my mouth.

"You dared to say against my daughter?" And another punch landed on my face. "You had raised this hand on my princess, right?" Raghav Bharadwaj said, holding my right hand. He twisted my hand and I yelped in pain. "You only killed her. You killed my princess. Now why are you here? Get out. Get out of my house now." He said, kicking me on my abdomen.

"Give me my daughter. I will go now." I said, trying hard not to fall on the ground.

"She is my grand-daughter. You can't have her. You don't deserve my princess' daughter. You are a monster. Now you will get what you truly deserve." He said. His eyes spitted fire. "Commissioner! Take this man out of my sight." He pushed me, as the police van arrived there. "Make sure that he will be charged with such a accuse, that has no mercy judgement in the constitution of India."

"Calm down, Raghav. I will take care." The commissioner said, patting his shoulder.

"At least, Let me see my daughter once. I want to hold her. I have only seen her once. Please... Let me see her once." My voice fainted, as they dragged me into the police van.

But I kept pleading to each and everyone to let me see my daughter once till they locked me up in the jail. I was charged with domestic violence, attempt to murder case of Adyasha. Mom came to meet me. She told me, how Raghav Bharadwaj had made us bankrupt. Soon our house was going to be auctioned.

That moment, I realised how helpless I was. I had a plan to be the richest man, but it destroyed from when I started to care for Adyasha. I had started to love her, and that was the worst mistake of my life. I was tortured with third degree to accept the crime, I had never did. But, I never accepted. Each push was making me stronger than before. The world was not meant for beggars. You have to demand what you want, you have to snatch what you deserve.

"Sir! It's time. We are ready to give a demo of our presentation." Arav's voice pulled me out of my trance. I was so lost in my past to realised that I was in office.

"Yeah. Let's start." I said nonchalantly.

"Sir! Everything's ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, Let's go to conference room." I said, hiding my inner turmoil.

Holding my head high, I, Pratik Ahuja kept walking. Past was now past for me. I had made myself. Sitting on the floor, I had designed my future on the walls of prison, with only a piece of stone. And now, I was not going to loose at any cost, at least not after coming this far.