God Help Me!
Jai
I glanced at my wristwatch.
Suraina wanted feedback on how the festive line was doing. She liked physical papers, so I sent Ananya to print and drop off the seasonal merchandising report. It was a ten-, maybe fifteen-minute job, but Ananya had been gone for over an hour.
It was unlike Suraina to hold someone this long, and Ananya wasn’t the one to wander around for no reason.
I called her. No answer.
Where is she?
I left my office and went straight to Suraina’s studio.
I paused at the doorway.
Inside-out outfits, saris and crumpled sketches carpeted the floor. Half-dressed mannequins were draped with mismatched fabrics held together with pins. The desk had been covered with fabric swatches, a measuring tape and sketchbooks.
Suraina sat in the middle of the chaos, rubbing her temples.
‘What happened here?’ I asked, stepping inside.
‘This is a nightmare,’ a voice came from the back. A girl in her late teens stomped out, wearing a sari from our latest collection. ‘Chachi, this is not working.’
Ananya trailed behind her, two bunched-up saris in hand, looking half-disappointed, half-exhausted. She broke into a smile as soon as she spotted me.
‘This is my school graduation party we’re talking about. I need to stand out. To look better than everybody else,’ the girl huffed. ‘I need more of … everything.’
‘Navya, meet Jai, House of Advani’s COO. Jai, please tell her that this sari is perfect,’ Suraina said, her voice carrying a slight edge.
‘Do you really think that?’ Navya raised a brow, a hand on her hip.
I needed out. Now. ‘Yes. But we have more outfits if you’re looking for something else,’ I said carefully.
‘She has tried and rejected everything,’ Suraina said through gritted teeth.
‘I think last season’s—’
‘Last season?’ Navya looked appalled. ‘I might as well wear the school uniform.’
I’d survived hostile boardrooms. But melodramatic teenagers? God help me. ‘Good luck finding the outfit,’ I said and gave Suraina a nod. ‘Ananya, let’s go.’
‘Actually …’ Desperation coated Suraina’s voice. ‘She said she’s not very busy today. Do you mind if I borrow her for a couple of hours?’
I didn’t need her, per se. I just missed her, and we were supposed to work on Rivaayat together. ‘Where is Krisha?’
Suraina’s face soured. ‘She’s taken a day off. Again. If she weren’t your mother’s pet project, I’d have fired her months ago,’ she said, a rare bite in her tone.
‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
‘Rekha dropped her in my lap and told HR she’d train under me. Out of respect for her, I’ve kept her on. But she’s a disaster, Jai. I’m so tired of babysitting.’
She did what? My jaw locked. ‘Feel free to fire her,’ I told Suraina, my voice clipped. ‘And remind me. Which employee did Mom say this to?’
‘Um … Kavisha? Lavisha. Something like that.’
‘Thanks,’ I said crisply. ‘Ananya—’ Her head was bent over a sketchbook as she drew something. Navya leaned closer, saying something in a hushed voice.
Then, she shot upright, practically dancing with excitement, waving the paper in her hand. ‘This is it! This is what I want,’ she said, shoving it towards Suraina. ‘Chachi, please make this for me?’
Suraina took the paper, her focus divided between the design and Ananya. ‘This is bold.’ Surprise replaced her exasperation. ‘Good work.’
Ananya blinked, as if the words didn’t compute. Her fingers tightened around the pencil, knuckles white. Bewilderment etched across her face.
‘Such an important event deserves an outfit that is given special care and attention. I think Ananya will do a great job,’ I said.
‘She can draft and construct it herself?’ Suraina asked.
Ananya remained frozen.
‘Yes,’ I said steadily, pride filling me. ‘And she’s brilliant at it.’
Suraina held my gaze before nodding. ‘Perfect.’ She turned to Navya. ‘You two can exchange numbers and talk about it all you want. I need to get back to work.’
Once they did that, Suraina all but kicked us out.
Even as we made our way up in the lift, Ananya was in a daze.
The doors opened on the third floor.
‘Can you tell Lavisha from HR to see me?’ I asked.
‘Yes.’ She stepped out.
‘And type up a dismissal letter once you’re back at your desk.’
Her eyes widened, but the doors closed before she could get a word in.
Dad wasn’t around enough to teach Ayaan and me much.
But one thing he instilled in us was the importance of working hard to achieve our goals.
Even though we had been prepared all our lives to run the company one day, Ayaan and I had to work our way up the corporate ladder.
I believed it was a value Mom shared, too.
Unbuttoning my suit, I took my seat.
I glanced at the frame on the desk. It was a gift from Dad when I became COO.
Ayaan and I stood in the middle, Dad and Dadaji beside me and Rekha Mom next to Ayaan.
I’d graduated top of my class from Oxford that day – I was still in my cap and gown, but I remembered Mom being prouder of Ayaan for being accepted into Jai Hind Junior College.
That’s how she was when she favoured someone. Even Krisha. But I thought that when it came to HoA, she followed the rules. Which was why I assumed she had recommended Krisha for the job, not handed it to her.
Frustration and disappointment flared in tandem, quick and biting.
Once she learnt I was behind Krisha getting fired, I’d become the focus of her ire for the next few weeks. But I didn’t care. It was against everything Dadaji believed in. House of Advani was about providing opportunities to people and recognising their work. I wasn’t going to let her change that.
Exactly six minutes later, there was a knock on my office door.
‘Come in,’ I said, leaning back in my chair.
A woman I assumed was Lavisha entered the office hesitantly, her heels click-clacking loudly. ‘Um … your assistant told me you wanted to see me?’
My fingers drummed on the desk. ‘Yes. Please take a seat.’
She sat down, looking nervous.
I had no intention of dragging this out, so I got straight to the point. ‘Who asked you to hire Krisha?’
‘Umm … Rekha ma’am did.’
I pressed my lips together. ‘Interesting. Does she work at the company? Have any authority over you? Or the power to hire people?’
‘No.’ She swallowed. ‘But she—’
A knock interrupted her reply. The door opened, and Ananya walked in. She looked uncomfortable as she placed the letter on the table.
‘Breaking hiring protocol on unofficial instructions is a violation I can’t overlook,’ I said, sliding the paper towards her.
‘But … but I had no choice.’
‘I wish you well for your future.’
‘I …’ A tear streaked down her face, and she quickly swiped it away. With a trembling hand, she picked up the dismissal letter and left.
‘Why did you fire her?’ Ananya asked, stunned.
‘She hired Krisha just because Mom told her to,’
I said, turning on my laptop.
‘Are you serious?’ Ananya asked, her hands slapping the desk. ‘That’s not her fault! Rekha is the owner and the CEO’s wife! She was trying to keep her job. You can’t punish her for that.’
‘Right. And if tomorrow Ayaan tells her to give his friend a job as the company CFO, should she just nod and obey?’ My voice hardened. ‘No questions asked?’
‘That’s not the same!’ Ananya said. ‘It was an assistant’s position. Not a role that makes or breaks the company.’
Irritation flared. ‘The position doesn’t matter. I fired her because she didn’t have the spine to say no to interference. Every employee depends on HR to be fair and protect them from bias. She broke that trust. And once it’s gone, it’s gone.’
‘This is someone’s livelihood!’ she hissed through gritted teeth. ‘The owner’s wife isn’t exactly a person even a model employee could say no to. You should have given her a warning!’
‘Ananya, she had to go. How I run my company isn’t up for debate,’ I snapped.
She pressed her lips together, her face flushing with anger. ‘I’ll be at my desk.’
The door swung shut behind her.
I sighed loudly, running a hand through my hair.
This was the first real argument we’d had as a couple. It was absurd that it was because of such a ridiculous reason. But she would realise I was right once she had cooled down.
My phone pinged.
It was a text from Harish uncle, asking me to confirm if I was coming over for dinner next Friday.
I typed out my reply.
He had been bugging me to bring Ananya to dinner. I was sure she would like to meet him as well. I toyed with the idea for a moment. This was a big step. I’d never introduced anyone to him before. But Ananya was … different.
With her, I felt enough. Like I belonged. She made me happy in a way I didn’t think was possible.
I returned to the presentation deck for Rivaayat.
This week was very important for the company and me.
The final shipment for Harrods was going out this evening.
We were flying in the Mahalas tomorrow, and they were going to stay for the rest of the week.
We were going to sign the deal and officially iron out the final details.
The actual work on the line would start next week.
Ananya came in at four with a cup of chai, but unfortunately, I was on a call and couldn’t talk to her.
By the time I was done, it was almost eight.
I turned off my computer, freshened up and stepped outside.
Ananya was at her desk.
She had put her hair up in a messy, sexy bun. A loose strand of hair grazed her cheek. She flicked it away absentmindedly. Her teeth were digging into her lush bottom lip as she focused on the screen in front of her.
I should’ve been nicer to her. Snapping at her, even during an argument, was dumb.
I leaned against her desk. ‘I’m craving Anna Dosa for dinner and then a nice walk on the beach.’
‘No, you’re feeling guilty for fighting with me,’ she said. ‘I trust your decision-making skills, especially when it comes to business. I don’t agree with this one, but I understand it,’ she murmured. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘That was a disagreement at best. It’s water under the bridge.’
‘And I know you don’t want to go out. You want to go home and prepare for tomorrow.’
Warmth sluiced through my veins. ‘You know me well.’
‘I do.’ She smiled.
‘Walk out with me?’
‘I’m not done yet.’ She made a face. ‘I’m going through the summary of next quarter’s predictions. Could you take a look? Finance has approved it, but something isn’t adding up.’
I circled behind her and leaned down to look at her screen. It seemed fine to me. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘The numbers show profit, but also say we’re going to be negative in cash flow. How is that even possible?’
I gave it another quick read. ‘Profit is earnings on paper, but cash flow shows how much money we actually have to spend. They’re two very different things. It’s negative because of the investments we’re planning to make in Rivaayat.’
When I turned to her, she was watching me. Her eyes had an undeniable hunger.
‘I see you’re distracted right now,’ I murmured. ‘I’ll teach it to you in depth later … in a way you’ll remember.’
She inhaled sharply. ‘Excellent idea.’ Her gaze dipped to my lips. ‘Seriously. How do you smell so good after a twelve-hour day?’
‘You always smell amazing to me, too. It’s pheromones,’ I murmured, sliding a hand under the desk to stroke her thigh. ‘Studies suggest that people who are more biologically compatible smell better to each other. It’s nature’s way of matching pairs.’
‘I love it when you tell me things I don’t know. Makes you sound smart. And hot.’
‘So, you’ve got a professor–student fantasy?’ Very interesting. ‘Good to know.’
Her hand gripped mine, her nails digging in. ‘What are you going to do about it?’
Fuck. I needed her. All I wanted was to claim those lips and have them scream out my name. ‘Come over, and I’ll show you.’
‘The presentation?’
‘It’ll be fine,’ I rasped. ‘But I won’t be if I don’t have you tonight.’