Babysitter for the CEO

The said party was three streets away. The street where the party would be held is called Greshan Locks. The venue was a beautifully furnished bungalow with lots of space around it. The owners purposely left their main gate open for the ceremony.

Aarti’s grandma was in front of her and greeted the others already waiting on seats at the venue under a canopy. Aarti looked uncomfortable but still managed to smile at each person that her grandma introduced her to.

“Grandma Binita, nice to see you.” one of the guests, a red-haired middle-aged woman in pink Saree greeted. She was just arriving at the venue too with her husband who donned a black and white suit combination.

“Oh Aanya, long time no see. How are you? And Reyansh, I can see you’re taking good care of my girl.” Grandma said happily, her eyes forming two half moons.

“Thank you for the praise. But I think it’s Aanya who’s taking care of me. That’s why I still look 40 instead of 50.” said the husband and they all laughed.

“Oh right, Cynthia, come and say hello to Grandma.” Aanya turned to beckon a pretty young girl who’s barely 15 to come over.

The girl came and greeted Grandma.

“Oh my, is this…” Grandma gasped in shock. The young one looked like Aanya!

“Yeah! Heavens blessed our union finally. We have a big, sweet daughter now.” Reyansh said and placed his hands on the girl’s shoulder.

“This is good. This is good! Come, let me take a look at you.” Grandma was very excited.

The girl obeyed and touched Grandma’s feet. Grandma raised her up and caressed her hair gently.

“Bless you, child. You are going to be campus queen soon. Hehe. Aanya, please don’t forget to invite me when she’s ready to err… You know…” Grandma giggled with the couple.

Aarti who stood behind was going through some vital stuff on her phone.

“Oh, lest I forget, this is Aarti, my granddaughter.” Aarti immediately flashed a fake smile.

“Hi, Auntie, Uncle. I’m happy to meet you guys.” she said.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“This is Aarti? Look at her. Very beautiful!” Aanya praised. She walked towards Aarti and shook hands with her. While smiling, she exerted force, wanting to squeeze Aarti’s hand but unfortunately, she found that the situation

was different from her imagination. Aarti nearly broke Aanya’s hand and still smiled brightly.

“Ma’am, your hand is so soft. What’s your secret?” Aarti asked, seeming envious.

“There’s none. But I can help look for creams that can make yours as soft as a baby’s.” Aanya smiled despite being on the verge of tears.

“Oh, thanks in advance, ma’am for your kindness.” Aarti then hugged the terrified lady and whispered in her ears: “Ma’am, know your damn place. I won’t be so merciful next time. Hypocrite!”

Both parted with smiles and stared at their family.

“This is my child, Cynthia.” Aanya introduced.

“Haha, she’s so cute. You’ll make stars fall just to gaze at your beauty when you grow up.” Aarti laughed and touched the little one’s cheek.

“Oh, the party is about to start. Let’s find seats!” Reyansh said.

“Alright!” Grandma waved them. And the trio left.

“Aarti, sit down and put away your phone for once.”

Aarti frowned but obeyed. The party soon started.

It was two couples celebrating 25 years of happy marriage.

The two came out on the host’s request clad in stunning magenta traditional clothing. The woman was in Saree while the man had a turban, brocade and trousers.

They looked like a match made in heaven- beautiful lady and handsome, gentle husband.

Aarti scoffed when she saw them.

“Hypocrite!” she muttered in disapproval.

Grandma turned her head to look at her granddaughter.

“Dear, did you say something?” she asked.

“Well, I did. They look good together.” Aarti replied with a fake smile.

“Baby girl, you should indeed smile more like this. Then gentlemen can approach you. Who knows, maybe your right man is here?”

“I’ve heard you, Grandma. But my patience is thinning. This party had better been over before 6pm. I have important stuff to do for my boss.” Aarti complained and stared away at the others.

Grandma Binita sighed and shook her head. When will her granddaughter learn?

**********

2 hours later, Aarti excused herself to the bathroom and finally sighed in relief.

“I can’t stand this party of hypocrites. Tsk, tsk tsk! It must be so hard for them to smile all day. My jaws are aching.” she murmured.

One of the restroom doors opened and surprisingly, it was Aanya.

She was complaining about Aarti’s strength.

“That little bitch! I’ll make her pay!” she swore as she closed the door. When she turned around, she saw Aarti staring at her with folded arms.

She sighed and yawned

“This party is already boring. I can’t believe that someone would actually make me want to go home so fast and hug my teddy bear tightly.” Aarti said.

“You… What are you doing here?” Aanya asked.

“Oh wow! So, you mean I should have gone to the men’s restroom instead. You have opened my eyes, ma’am.” Aarti looked amused in contrast to the scared Aanya who clutched her Safari tight.

“Ma’am, no need to be scared. I hold no grudge against you. Relax and go see your family. They must be very worried.” Aarti said and entered

one of the restroom and closed the door.

Aanya gritted her teeth and clneched her fists. Why was it that that bitch is so strong? What is her

The last time she saw her, was five years ago while on a business trip. Aarti bumped into her and apologized but Aanya slapped her. Then they met at a party again 5 months later and she pressed Aarti’s hand hard when they exchanged pleasantries.

Now, it seems Aarti was holding back at those times. That damn wrench who looks exactly like her late bitch of a mom. A restroom door opened and Aarti came out. Aanya was so shocked that she fell to the floor on her butt.

“You…” Aanya couldn’t find the words to say at this moment.

“Seeing you again, this demon who caused my dear mom to die along with my beloved dad because of your scheme. You know, when I see your daughter, I feel like choking her to death. But on second thought, she is innocent. So is your husband. I won’t harm your family. But I will love to hurt you. This way I can say I truly that I enjoyed this damn party.” Aarti walked to Aanya who kept shifting until her back touched the wall.

“What are you going to do? You… Stay away from me!”

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t kill you. I just want you to taste your own medicine. I promise, it’s gonna be very sweet and memorable.” Aarti squatted and petted Aanya’s head.

It seemed light but in effect, Aanya felt like something hit her head. What kind of strength does this Aarti have?

Aarti held the scared lady’s chin and rubbed her face.

“So smooth!”

She then slapped Aanya’s right cheek hard. Five palm prints appeared on her cheek. Aanya wanted to cry.

The pain from the slap made her dizzy.

“Ma’am, don’t fall asleep yet. You must complete your dose.”

“Please, let me go,” Aanya cried.

That one slap really hurt, you know! Someone should hurry and come save her.

“I can’t let you go till you take your medicine. Take this.” Aarti slapped Aanya’s left cheek hard and continued repeating her actions; slapping both cheeks like her life depended on it.

Aanya wanted to die. The pain and humiliation was too much.

Aarti took out scissors and began to cut Aanya’s hair till it was barely neck-length.

She cut off her pearl necklace and removed her fake eyelashes.

She then held her by the throat.

“Aanya, I want to kill you so bad. But I won’t. I’ll let you off easy this time. But if you dare do anything stupid and I get wind of it, just kiss your ‘perfect’ family goodbye.” Aarti finally warned and kicked Aanya’s stomach hard causing her to cry out in pain. Blood flowed out from between her legs.

“Oh my! I didn’t know you were with child. I’m so sorry. But that way we should be even. You know my mom was 5 months pregnant when she died. Consider it your karma, bitch.” Aarti spat on Aanya and left the bathroom. Earlier she had ruined all security cameras and audio recorders. Plus, she had rendered Aanya unable to speak. Attempt to treat it will cause memory loss! A life worse than death was what she deserved. She should have expected this to happen someday.

Aarti returned to the party, all-smiles!

“Child, what took you so long?” Grandma Binita asked.

“I met an acquaintance and received a call from my boss. I have to leave early. See you later, grandma. Love you!” she blew her a kiss and left.