Siya's POV:

(Thoughts while walking inside the hotel)

Ok...it was almost 7:45 pm and I was here post closing down my bakery for the day. I had asked Shetty to directly join me here once he finished his work in bakery. I promised Shetty extra package to train these youngsters for a few days but as Shetty was now a friend he directly refused to accept it. And infact was kind enough to also promise me organize a very good chef who knew Mangalorean food well to help these youngsters during day time for a few days. Shetty was a sweetheart ❤️

Soon I went to the reception and asked for Conference hall 2.

The receptionist asked me who I was...
'Hi... I'm Siya... Mr Raghav Prabhu asked me to train your young staff and existing junior staff' I told her.

She smiled and said ' Oh...ok mam...this way ...' she said and escorted me to an open conference hall which had a crowd of approximately 30 folks.

I smiled at everyone and introduced myself.

In no time Shetty joined us and we discussed about the menu, the good and bad both about the menu and team building.

That's when I discovered there has been too much of kitchen politics done here before...the chef had some secretive recepies that he kept secret...the younger trained staff were treated equivalent to waiter inspite of each one being a chef.

Post the conference I asked these folks to take a quick break and join me in the master kitchen.

Soon I noticed Raghav enter the conference hall.

Raghav kept looking at Shetty without a smile...while I introduced him to Shetty...Shetty was a 5.10', well built, short hair, guy with a french beard...
Raghav's eyes jumped from Shetty to me ..from me to Shetty.

Making both myself and Shetty uncomfortable.

Shetty excused himself saying he wanted to go to washroom

While Raghav's first question to me was...

'Is he married???'

I'm like huhhh???🤷😕🤔

Raghav repeated... 'Is Mr Pramod Shetty married???' I noticed extreme possessiveness in his voice and I badly tried to control my laugh...I twinned and pressed my lips.

I smiled at him and said
'Happily and his twin daughters Niya-Jiya both call me aunty❤️' I said

The next minute his question marked face turned into happy face and he smiled 😁 like a maniac.

Isn't he behaving odd 🤦 although I was feeling like laughing at his every stupidity.

Soon Shetty was back and this time Raghav behaved with him like they are buddies since previous birth 🤷🤔

Soon Raghav escorted us to the master kitchen and announced..

'Everyone...we are glad to have two of distinguished chefs help you get trained and have professional menu set up for the newly to be reformed Hotel menu and party menu.
This time like she instructs we make sure recepies are noted down and prepped the same way...no secretive cooking please' I heard him clear and sound.

'By the way.... To everyone... She's not just your MasterChef...
She's also someone dear to me ..he said and I was shocked with his next move...

He suddenly pulled me close to him by my waist and introduced to everyone...

'She is not just Siya ..she is Mrs Siya Raghav Prabhu...my wife ❤️'

Suddenly we saw many mouths open specially young college passout girls in that gang while we heard them say...
'OMG ...Sir is married'...

Guess he broke a lot of young hearts unknowingly 🤣

But his grip still remained firm on my waist I tried to somehow get out of his grip but he pulled me closer.

And I stood there like a doll.

Soon I and Shetty got started and we finally finished our training for the day by 11:30 in the night.

The staff was escorted home safely via Hotel Bus.

Soon Shetty left us waving a bye and giving me a hug. Raghav's eyes followed Shetty hug me and leave me and maybe wanted to shoot him to death right there with the killer expression on his face 🤦

Once Shetty left i turned around to see Raghav look at me ..

I brought my eyebrows together looking surprised at why he stared me like an alien.

'Did you have your dinner?' he asked...

'Ummm...no let's go ho'

'Lets go to a place you will like for sure' he cut me in between and asked me to board the car.

In no time Raghav started driving, soon we were in outskirts of Mangalore and in no time near Padubidre beach...one of most beautiful beaches in outskirts and stopped at a decent distance ...we could see the beach looked beautiful...

Raghav picked a bag which had a few sandwiches in it....
'Not a lavish dinner ..but some handmade non grilled sandwiches for the lady' he said and offered me the sandwich.

I was surprised seeing he made it himself 😍

I started munching the sandwich in silence while the cool breeze from the beach hit my cheeks and my cold body. Although we still sat inside the car.

The sandwich actually tasted great...
'Its yummy' I complimented him...

'Not as much as you'

'Huhhh' 😳 my eyes😱 widened in shock

'I mean ....not as much as how you make them...' he completed his statement and thankfully the sandwich stuck in my throat went down.

Once we finished the sandwich I slowly opened the car door and went and stood outside the car leaning towards the car bonnet just to feel the cool breeze of the beach...

There was no one at the beach...

It was surreal... I never visited beach at night 🌌although all my life I stayed in Mangalore.

The beach looked beautiful and the breeze was fresh yet wind was blowing crazily.

Soon I felt the car lights go off ...now there was only the neon light near the beach area although it was almost dark...then there was ample amount of moon light....and in no time...i noticed Raghav stand next to me...lean next to me on the car bonnet.

My heart started playing it's orchestra again 🥁🎤🎺🎶🎼

I no time I felt a hand snake around my waist...I was so shocked that a
'Uhhhh' slipped out of my mouth...

'Its me' I heard him say in my ears...

And I was silenced... he tried to find my eyes in the dark night with the very little light around us...

And pulled me tightly towards him...

My heart came into my mouth and the next minute I was pulled into a hug...

I was shocked... I felt him breath on my neck and within a few seconds he burried his face into the crook of my neck.

His light stubble touched my shoulders and neck...

While he softly said
'Thank you Jaan'

Jaan,??? Earlier he called me darling...what's with these alternative names he is giving me everyday...

But rather I chose to ask him while still being hugged by him...
.'Wh...Why....' although I tried not to ..but I still stammered at his closeness...

Just then he playfully moved his hands on my waist and said warmly
'For extending your day to help me and my staff when we were in real soup' he said...

'Its fine ...I love cooking... And I understand knowledge needs to be shared... Although Mangalorean cuisine is one of richest we tend to always ignore and never give our cooks due credit who make lip smacking stuff... I have also worked for an year in a hotel... I was lucky to have been working at a place with great salary but I have heard sad stories of extremely talented chefs who don't get their due credit' I explained him...

'I know Siya...when I was 17 I remember our catering business was a such big mess and dad ended up in so much loans that we finally sold our house...my childhood home which was one of my dearest... we were homeless and everyone said Prabhu catering was finisht...all these relatives who try being extra sweet to me insulted and made fun of dad.... the only couple who helped us was Vish's parents...Sunita Aunty and Sumanth uncle....

That's when I started working day and night to make sure my grandfather's hard earned respect my dad's pride ain't going anywhere....

I pitched ideas to investors while still running a small scale catering business while still studying in college... completed my MBA through distance education.... Finally Harsh...agreed to invest into my hotel project...in Chennai, simultaneously I and dad took loans from market to start our hotel here in Mangalore... Slowly...step after step we grew this empire... But while building an empire there are a lot of sacrifices demanded...

Those sacrifices were my social life, my personal space, my vacations...I didn't have time to neither attend my relatives nor make girlfriends nor friends...

When I decided to start my first 5 star hotel I promised myself to make sure to pay my chefs the best because dad's suffering to me was unforgettable....but in longer run my chefs turned out boss me ..and see suddenly they planned this revolt against me... thinking I will break down'

While he explained all his emotional turmoils he still hugged me tightly and his fingers played on my back like a pianist.

I also didn't know why I felt like saying my emotional story to him while still in his arms....

'I always wanted to be a chef ...but when your sister is a topper, 10 times more talented than you... Prettier, smarter and also parents most loved child it's tough to explain your dreams to your parents ...
Just because Aditi was a topper they always expected me to top in my class but I always was interested in creative things like cooking, singing and dancing...

Cooking was my passion... I was very clear from my school days itself that I wanted to pursue this as a career but Aditi being Aditi... Everytime tried to push me towards the typical career that she thought was perfect...she gave me tuitions, worked really hard on me and I tried scoring the best marks ever in my entire career ...80% benchmark which I finally achieved...

But all that Aditi did was analyze, humiliate and say I'm useless...

I knew she cared for me but according to her Bachelor's in culinary arts was a joke... specially for a student who took science in Pre University... I was forced into it...

But later I was clear I wanted to achieve this. All years of my graduation I heard taunts from her and she also made fun of me when I got a postgraduate scholarship to learn cooking at the biggest culinary college of London.

But according to Aditi... cooking wasn't a career at all....Her rejections determined me to grow into what I am...

'Siya's' was not just another bakery chain it was my fight for my self respect and dreams. My key to independence...to show my sister there is a career beyond all MBA's , MSc's and MBBS.

A small droplet of tear escaped my eye to wet his shirt.

In no time I felt him cup my face and pulled me into a passionate kiss....

His lips moved on my lips softly... in ... sucking my lower lip ...while his hand still caressed my neck and my waist freely...it wasn't a deep kiss like last time... although I understood he wanted to console me❤️...

Post his short kiss he pulled me back into the hug again...

Our sufferings were although different...but we both somewhere belonged to the same tint of pain where we didn't care about what world thought about us .... weren't the popular kind ... weren't loved by the world like our siblings...faced rejections....felt unwanted...but we still made a place for ourselves by making our dreams a reality....

Till this minute I felt....I was so different from Raghav....but today I felt...

We both are just perfect for each other 💗

This definitely was a drive to remember 😍