Chapter 2
"Hi, you're the new recruit, right? Have you seen the view from the top?
The receptionist asked eagerly. She was a plump, dark lady with heavy makeup, who brazenly proved her marital status sporting a long mangalsutra that went down till her belly (a chain worn by married ladies), a heavy red border of red vermilion running across her head and her long manicured nails painted in red. Kushi noticed her nails and wondered how she managed to maintain their length amidst all the typing and paperwork she dealt with.
"Where do you live? Do you have any siblings?" She asked and sounded louder than ever.
"I live in the suburbs, and no I'm the only child."
"So you're the spoiled brat huh! Congratulations on the new job, Mr. Seth, your new boss is waiting for you on the 5th floor." She informed and caught her off guard with the spoiled brat remark.
Thanking the loud receptionist for directions, she strutted towards the elevator and turned heads. Kushi was like a breath of fresh air in the dull workplace dominated by middle aged, old employees who were on the brink of retirement. There were a few young ones, but were scattered out in different departments. Unfamiliar to her new surroundings, she felt a little exploring wouldn't hurt and took the receptionist suggestion.
Hence, Instead of reporting to her boss that morning, Kushi stepped out on the roof top and embraced the gust of wind that blew in her direction. The view at the top was breath taking. To her right was the city skyline and to her left was the Arabian Sea. Looking over the sea, she lingered her gaze over the Sea Link that connected the suburbs to the metropolis.
"New year, new beginning ..." She gave a pat on her back and felt happy to be begin her new innings at Chemour.
When she turned to leave, she ran into the guy she had encountered during the interview.
"Whoa, careful! You would have dropped my pizza," he complained.
"Who brings pizza up on the roof?"
"Rohan, of course,"
"Rohan, who?"
"Rohan, me!" He winked and bit into a slice. "I realized I didn't introduce myself the other day, I'm Rohan," he added with his mouth stuffed.
Kushi shook hands with him and checked him out. He was well built, tall and had Greek God like features that made him look all the more attractive. Not to mention his hazel eyes that gazed unabashedly at her legs.
"Yeah I recognized you...con artist," she commented and crossed her legs.
"Con artist, who?"
"Con artist, you!"
He broke into a laugh and looked at her. "You're funny, by the way don't your feet hurt in that?" he gazed down at her red stilettos and made her conscious.
"No they don't. So why were you pretending to be a candidate the other day?"
"Care to have some? It's fresh from the fridge" Rohan offered her the half eaten slice while she frowned.
"Who eats cold pizza?"
Rohan charmingly raised the collar of his magenta shirt that complemented his fair complexion, implying that he did. "Don't tell me you've never tasted one, how old are you?"
"Twenty five and no I have no appetite for frozen food," she remarked. "Why are we even having this conversation, you were supposed to answer my question?"
"Listen Miss...."
"Kushi!"
"Miss Kushi, I'm not obliged to answer anybody, especially new comers!" he snubbed her.
Kushi wasn't going to let him go that easily especially after labeling her a new comer. Just as she cleared her throat to give a proper comeback, her phone buzzed. It was a call from Mr. Seth, her boss who had been waiting since the past twenty minutes.
"Shucks! I'm late on my very first day!"
She panicked and forgot all about his little insult. Their shoulders brushed as she ran past him. Rohan turned round and chuckled seeing her struggle in those pair of heels. Girls, why do they wear stuff they aren't comfortable in, he wondered and rolled his eyes. Meanwhile Kushi barged into what seemed like a neat and spacious cabin. She apologised for keeping Mr. Seth waiting and gasped for air.
"Have some water?" he suggested and appeared concern.
Kushi noticed the young man and was awed by how immaculately he was dressed. She was surprised Mr. Seth didn't turn out to be the middle aged grumpy man she had expected to meet. Is he single? She thought and made a mental note of how suave he looked. Working under him was going to be interesting or so she assumed until he asked her the unexpected.
"So how can I help you?" he raised his brows and peered into her eyes.
"I'm Kushi, your assistant...urm...the new brand manager..." she exclaimed and felt unsure when he appeared clueless.
"I'm sorry, I think you're mistaken" he smiled.
It wasn't long before her phone buzzed again and she figured out Mr. Seth wasn't the hot suited dude sitting before her. He saw the number flash and instantly recognized the caller. Being a gentleman that he was, he escorted her to the real Mr. Seth's cabin. "Enjoy! And welcome to Chemour Inc," he wished and left Kush with butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Mr. Seth however, drew her attention towards him and expressed his displeasure. "Being Punctual is the first step towards success," he remarked and appeared disgruntled.
Kushi tried to give a proper excuse, but in vain. Mr. Seth was a man of principals and had dedicated half his life to the company. It was but obvious he expected an equally dedicated and hard working assistant, especially when it came to managing the confectionery brand. "With position comes responsibility, I hope you get what I mean. The owner of Chemour Inc has entrusted me with taking the business to a whole new level in the industry. If my team fails, I fail and the owner hates failures," he explained and made it clear she would have to play by his rules.
"I promise, I'm here to contribute to the growth of the company. You won't regret your decision," she confidently stated.
"Regret or not, that's for me to decide. However I hope you are aware about your role in this company..." he took a brief pause and pulled out his phone.
"Of course I do. I'm the Brand Manager," she said it without a doubt.
"Not yet...you're on probation period, remember?" he was quick to correct her.
"Umm...yes but..." She shifted in her seat and found it weird that he would say bring that up. "I'm still the manager, right?"
"Not until you prove you deserve it," he commented and startled her.
"What is this supposed to mean? You took the interview and I cleared it, so I deserve it," she protested.
"Explain that to the owner of Chemour. Indeed I did select you, but he's not convinced you're fit for the job," he replied and sensed her anxiety. "I know it sounds upsetting, but we're giving you a chance to prove the management that we've made the right choice by hiring you," he added.
"And what is that chance?" she felt restless as he spoke in riddles.
"See them there, that's the team you will be heading," he swirled round her chair in the direction of the employees sitting in the cubicles. "What you've to do is increase Chemour's sales by 2 Cores in 6 months time," he said while Kushi stared in bewilderment.
"What happened? Given up already?" he sniggered.
"No, I'm up for challenges. In fact I'll give you those numbers in 3 months time," she challenged.
"Great I like that spirit, just ensure it translate into results," he seemed impressed with her confidence. "Oh and before I forget, just remember you're not alone in this," he added.
"I know, you'll always be there to support me," Kushi smiled excitedly.
"No I meant you have competition," he paused and noticed her excitement fizzle out. "Have you met Rohan? I think he's in a meeting right now, but I'm sure you will meet him soon. He's due for a promotion this year, but the management decided to put him to the test as well."
Kushi heard the name and recalled Rohan's face. "That obnoxious guy with the cold pizza?" she muttered in exasperation and wondered what she'd got herself into.
"And what if he wins?" she twitched her lips.
"Simple, you'll work under his lead as his assistant just like the rest of them," he showed her the cubicles again.
"So right now he is their team leader?" she asked hesitantly and frowned when he nodded his head in response. "Then why would anyone listen to me?" she argued.
"Because you're their team leader too," he stated and puzzled her.
"Wait, how is that even possible? There's no way they're going to take orders from two team leaders,"
"That's your concern not mine. I just want results and since you've promised to give them to me in 3 months time, I can't wait to see how you do it," he quoted and called in his personal assistant to guide her out to her work desk.
Disturbed, she deliberated if she had made the right choice by joining Chemours. The challenge laid by Mr. Seth was absurd, especially since she had cleared the interview for the said post. "Hi, my name is Annika, what's yours?" a friendly voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Kushi glanced at the young girl and found her to be like one of those hyper energetic interns, balancing college and their career. She introduced herself to Annika, but refused to reveal what post she held. "I'm a part of the team."
"Oh, so you're under Rohan, as well." Annika commented and made her shift in her seat. "He started off with us you know, we all were under Mr. Seth until they considered him for a promotion," she added.
"So how long has he been working here?" Kushi asked inquisitively.
"Barely 4 months, I wonder when they will officially announce him as the Brand Manager?" Annika sighed while Kushi stayed quiet for only she knew the real reason.
As Annika and Kushi got to know each other better, the guy she had mistaken for Mr. Seth happened to pass by her desk. "How's it going? I hope you're liking it here," he asked and gave her a warm smile that swept her off her feet. Floored by the attention he gave her, she wondered why she never met him before.
"He is Parth, the CEO...charming isn't he? But how does he know you?" Annika scratched her head and watched as he left.
"The CEO!" Kushi's heart raced as she felt all the more excited. "I guess I made the right decision after all..." she smiled goofily and day dreamed about him. It wasn't long before she was distracted by the office boy who came over and offered her a slice of freshly baked chocolate cake.
"Hmm...this tastes so good, I wonder what the occasion is?"
"Nothing much, just the C.E.O's first wedding anniversary," Annika replied and in a fraction of a second broke Kushi's heart.
"He's married?"
The morsel refused to go further down her throat as she sat there in utter disbelief. Her dreams of flirting with the C.E.O shattered right then and there. Finding it unfair, she even recalled the names she had planned for their kids and cried about losing out on all the right guys.
"You said something? You look upset..." Annika found her sulking on her desk.
"I'm just having a bad day," Kushi replied and began arranging her desk. She placed a photo frame of her friends on the edge of the desk when all of sudden Rohan walked by and accidentally hit it with his elbow.
Kushi caught it in the nick of time and gave him a nasty look. "It was on the edge, things are bound to fall if you keep them so clumsily," he quoted and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I know why you were present during the interview," she remarked and caught him off guard.
Sensing that she was speaking the truth, he glanced at Mr. Seth's cabin and figured out he had explained everything. "It's better late than never! I don't want you crying foul when I win," he smirked and aggravated her before showing her the thumbs up
"Who does he think he is?" She clenched her teeth.
"A snob..." Annika replied from the adjacent cubicle. "Rumor has it that he was rejected twice by Mr. Seth during the interview, but the owner got him on board anyway."
"So he's got an admirer in the owner, huh? This makes it all the more challenging," Kushi crossed her legs and watched Rohan as he strutted around greeting everybody.
"What does that mean?" Annika asked feeling puzzled.
"You'll find out soon...very soon," Kushi paused and circled the last day of the third month on the calendar.