Chapter 2 #3
His eyes were drawn to the girl from the lobby earlier.
She had regained her composure and looked fine.
In fact, her earlier distress was nowhere in evidence, as she regarded him with confidence.
He didn’t know which one of them was Neha and which one Aisha, but he would go with naming them the bold one and the nervous one for now.
It was quite amusing how the bold one was staring at him as if their chance encounter had never occurred, while the other one was so nervous, she kept fidgeting and wriggling on the chair.
Well, he’d find out which one was which eventually.
“Let me start by thanking both of you for doing a stellar job managing everything while I’ve been away. However, I’m back now and I plan to be in town for some time, so things should be easier for all of us.”
His eyes flitted from one to the other. The bold one was observing him carefully.
She pushed her black-framed cat-eyed glasses to settle them properly on her nose.
His eyes skimmed across her and he noted that she had dark lustrous hair that was severely knotted at the top of her head and a fair, clear complexion.
Keen intelligence shone out of her eyes, but there was a haunted look in them that couldn’t be hidden.
She was also tall, he recalled from their previous encounter.
The nervous one was prettier, with charming features and dark brown hair that was liberally streaked with gold.
Thankfully, they both were quite capable and had fit in seamlessly with him.
“So, if you haven’t heard the news yet let me inform you that the buy-out of the film production house was immensely successful. It has now been renamed Fortuna Productions,” he smiled at them.
“Congratulations, Sir,” the bold one offered, returning his smile.
“That’s great, Sir,” the other one added.
“And I have to thank you for the long hours you put in to close the deal. Which one of you is Aisha?”
The bold one raised her chin. “That would be me, Sir.”
“Thank you, Aisha. Great work indeed.”
Rithwik took a moment to study her again. He appreciated that she had worked long and hard along with him, albeit remotely, to help him close the deal for Fortuna Productions. Her reports were impeccable and on time, and every task he’d allocated to her was done adeptly.
“I would like you to carry on working on this for me,” he informed her. “The deal may have been signed but the work is far from over.”
Aisha nodded feeling an absolute sense of relief.
She thanked her stars that their earlier encounter had not altered her boss’s opinion of her or diminished any of the hard work she had put in.
He was giving her a chance to continue to prove her worth.
Working with Fortuna Productions was a great opportunity.
Who wouldn’t want to be closely associated with cinema!
This was the most exhilarating thing she’d ever done in her life.
She sneaked a peek at Neha who sat still beside her.
Neha had envied her ever since Rithwik had involved Aisha in this project and kept her out of it.
Aisha hoped that this new announcement would not become a bone of contention between them.
Rithwik continued. “However, this news has already been leaked to the media and I need you to organize a meeting with our communications team at once to draft the necessary responses.”
“I’ll get on that right away,” Aisha acknowledged.
“Alright, call me once they’ve come up with something.”
“I’ll do that, Sir.”
Rithwik went on to give some more instructions to the two of them. At the end of half an hour he checked his watch. “That’s enough for now. I’ll let you both return to your work.”
They both stood up. Giving him a slight nod, Aisha turned and walked towards the door.
Rithwik’s eyes latched on Aisha’s retreating back. He tilted his head as he noticed a few black lines etched into a design creeping above the collar of her shirt. Interesting! She had a tattoo inked at the base of her neck!
“Aisha,” he called out.
She paused, turning around to face him. He waited for Neha to leave and once she was out of sight, he asked, “Are you okay?”
Her face flushed a deep red and her gaze dropped to the floor. Her hand flew to the back of her neck for a moment and then she raised her eyes to his.
“I’m fine, Sir. I didn’t expect to see you there in the lobby and I was so overwhelmed I forgot to thank you for your help.”
Before he could say anything, she added quickly, “And Sir, if I may, can you please forget the incident ever happened? I would really not like to talk about it ever. It’s...it’s a humble request.”
His brows furrowed, but then he dipped his head. “We all have our demons to battle with, Aisha. There’s no shame in that.”
When she stayed quiet, he changed the subject. “Where’s my report for Nexflix?” he asked her instead.
“It’s due in the evening, Sir. But I can have it ready within two hours.”
“Make it one. I need it ASAP. I have a conference call in the next hour. I won’t have time to go through it, so ensure it’s perfect.”
Saying that he went back to his emails, dismissing her.