Tortuous Love

Chapter 7

Another day at work , and just to spite Mr Anand I wore a dress and paired it with a blazer. I know it would get a reaction out of him and this was me definitely playing with fire. I wasn't usually like this , I never intentionally antagonized anyone. But annoying him and setting his eyes ablaze with anger were a form of retaliation. Agreed he was my boss , but he had no right to be privy to my personal life.

I reached with 10 minutes to spare as usual , ordered his coffee from the place he often frequented and settled into my work limbo. In a matter of minutes he stormed in and he did not seem in a great mood. I quickly grabbed his coffee and our days plan. Entering after him I placed his coffee on his desk. He seemed preoccupied as he was talking to Jackson over the phone.

"What do you mean that you cannot identify the breach? Why do we have an arsenal of investigators over our panel? For this very job. Do not give me this answer Jackson. " he barked before hanging up.

"Good morning Mr Anand. " I said not wanting to annoy him further.

"Get me the head of our security team and legal team in London over a conference call. Only keep appointments which are of utmost importance and cannot be rescheduled. I want the jet ready by two, Jackson is unable to handle matters at hand and we need to get to London." he stated. 

"Ah.... okay I will do that. There is one appointment which you should not miss , it's the Prism deal." I stated quickly going through his schedule. 

"Would it be okay if I grab an overnight bag before we head out?" I asked him with caution. 

He nodded his head as he began going through his personal email. " I will setup the call in the main conference room." I said before walking out. 

"London would be chilly around this time. I advice you to carry weather appropriate attire." he said giving me a once over. 

I just rolled my eyes , it did get a reaction out of him. Although this was a bit overwhelming to me, it had been stated in the contract that I would need to travel with him as and when necessary. I loved travelling to be honest it was my solace. But travelling for work always made me anxious and to top it off, I did not know what issues were making him so angry. In the few weeks that I worked here I tired to analyze him, he was an introvert, he worshipped his work and he had a short temper. And that was something I was petrified off.

And this was the moment I understood how important having the company car at my discretion was. Within half an hour I was back with my small bag of clothes necessary for three to four days. All his meetings were over and we were soon headed to the airport. He was still in a foul mood and seem pre occupied. I was going through his work emails when he suddenly asked me "Have you been to London?"

"Yes I interned at an organization during my summer break. It is one of my favorite cities." I replied remembering my time there.

"Good. I am not sure how long this would take. My cousin looks after the London office but he was in an accident a month ago and has been recovering since. Everything was fine but a few weeks ago we lost two of our projects, one in Asia and one back home. They were old trusted clients so we were taken a back. But the project Jackson has been working on, well the client rejected it as they were offered better prices. He suspects something isn't right. "

I nodded understanding the gravity of the situation. 

"Schedule a meeting with the clients tomorrow. All three of them. Start with the most recent one. " he said.

"Okay. " In no time we were scurrying towards the boarding gate. I had never flown in private jet before and to be honest I was really excited. I eyes lit up the moment we entered and we were greeted a the crew. As soon as we settled in we were heading towards the runaway. I felt at peace amongst the clouds, it was serene and a certain calm within the chaos. I vaguely remember someone putting a blanket over me and those words "Sleep well darling" .