Chapter 3
"Where's everybody?"
Kushi asked when she found herself walking into an empty floor. The office boy informed her that Rohan had taken everyone out for a treat to a nearby restaurant. Dumping her bag on the work desk, she glanced at Mr. Seth who could see her though his glass cabin.
"I have to get them on my side," she gritted her teeth and fixed her gaze at the clock until the whole team returned.
Convincing and grabbing their attention was not as easy task. Kushi was finding it difficult to project herself as their team leader since Rohan was popular and had already struck a cord with each employee.
"Next saturday we'll head to the bar down the road,"
Kushi heard Rohan making plans for the weekend and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"You missed it, did you walk in late?" Rohan noticed her frowning in her seat.
"No, I was on time. If i'm not mistaken, this is the 5th time you're treating them, right?" She wrinkled her nose. "I wonder what Mr. Seth has to say about this. All play and no work."
"I don't care what he's got to say about any of it. You're the one who should be concerned, 3 months is quite impressive...to procrastinate," he mocked her challenge and left her fuming in anger.
Kushi knew she was way behind and had to pull up her socks, but first she had to get the team on her side who were swooned by Rohan's chilled out attitude towards work. When she sent a reminder mail for the reports she had ordered, everyone replied with vague answers. This wasn't the first time they were ignoring her.
"What is it with you guys? You report to me along with Rohan, then why the difference in attitude?" she complained to Annika during lunch break.
"Hey, don't accuse me! I'm on your side, it's just that Rohan isn't as pressurizing and dominating as you are."
"You mean everyone finds me dominating, while I'm just trying to bring some kind of discipline and maturity around here?" Kushi flared her nostrils. "Is that what Rohan said..." she added and looked suspiciously while Rohan smoked with his mates.
"No, Divya said. You know...Queen bee," Annika pointed toward the over sized lady who was a single mom and a gossip queen.
The team consisted of 9 members with a ratio of 3 females to 6 males; out of which half of them were over the age of 35. The only three females were Annika, Divya who influenced the males and Classica who was too occupied with her looks. Kushi figured out that if she had to win over the whole team, she would have to gain Divya's trust first.
Hence the following days she tried warming up to her and even got a present for her son on his birthday. It wasn't long before the tables turned and everyone seemed to find a better leader in Kushi. Rohan noticed the changes and decided to ruffle up the mood. He left a sticky note on her pinup board and watched her from a distance as she read it.
Seems they've finally found a liking towards you.
You're only making it harder for them to forget you when you leave Chemour.
It wasn't rocket science to figure out who had written it. Kushi looked in his direction and met his gaze before clinching the note in her fist. When the day ended, Rohan was surprised to find a sticky note on his desk.
Nice handwriting, are you good at preparing tea?
Coz this future manger would need an assistant pretty soon.
He laughed heartily after reading the note and aggravated Kushi. While he left for home on his motorbike, Kushi sat there wondering how anyone could be so over confident. She checked her mails and read the one sent by Mr. Seth. He wasn't impressed by either of them and had called them over for a meeting the next day.
"It's been a month and sales haven't picked up. Does anyone have any logical explanation for this?" Mr. Seth asked with his arms crossed.
"I was thinking about ..." Kushi opened her mouth, but was abruptly interrupted by Rohan.
"I was thinking about ting up with a foreign brand of chocolates to boost sales," He exclaimed. "Our brand will get an edge over the rest plus people will connect more to a product that's associated with a foreign brand." he explained proudly.
Mr. Seth found it interesting and asked if he had planned whom to tie up with, but as expected it was all in his head without any homework or research. Rohan fumbled. he was yet to decide that and knew it would take months before both the parties could come into an agreement. Noticing how Rohan fumbled for words, she grabbed the opportunity and pitched her idea instead.
"I was thinking of going local. Why not source lost recipes of traditional sweet dishes found in rural India and incorporate the flavours in our chocolates?" She asserted and saw how Mr. Seth's face lit up. "Consumers will connect more to the flavours of their motherland, rather than something foreign..." she took a dig at Rohan and smirked
"Good, I see both of you have got some interesting ideas, but only one can be considered by the management. Hence I would like you both to present your ideas to Mr. Kapoor and Parth, the Ceo," Mr. Seth suggested and dismissed them.
Annika waited patiently for Kushi to return and asked her about the meeting. While Kushi narrated everything, they were distracted by the owner, Mr. Kapoor whose heavy footsteps resonated on the floor. They saw his shadow cast over the blinders of his cabin as he paced inside.
"So you've got to make a presentation, right? I'm not sure about this though, the owner has a soft corner for Rohan. There's every possibility of your proposal getting rejected," Annika commented and alerted her.
"I know what you mean. I've seen him frequenting his cabin every now and then. I wonder if he's related to him in anyway," Kushi sighed and pulled her hair up in a bun. "Anyway, Mr. Parth will be there too, i'm sure he will give a fair verdict," she added and thought dreamily about the Ceo.
The next three days went in channelizing her energy towards building the perfect presentation. While Rohan lazed around and took things lightly, Kushi did her research and finally pitched her idea to the management. When Rohan learnt about her presentation, he pulled up his socks and hastily presented his idea too.
It wasn't long before their immediate boss, Mr. Seth announced whose idea had been considered. Crossing her fingers, Kushi prayed in anticipation while Rohan planned how to go about collaborating with a foreign brand.
"I'm happy to announce that the management has decided to go with your idea," he looked at Kushi and expressed his delight while Rohan made a face and excused himself.
"This is just the first step, remember you've still got to achieve the set target," Mr Seth reminded her.
Elated, she promised she would achieve it and secure her position in the company. As she walked back to brief her team about the new idea, she noticed Rohan scrolling through his phone. Deliberately walking past him, she slapped a sticky note on his pinup board and smirked as he raised his eyes to meet her gaze. Kushi smiled mischievously and gently withdrew her hand before turning to head to her team. Curious, he pulled the note and read the message before breaking into a smile.
I like my tea black...without sugar
The next two months, Kushi and her team mates worked extra hard to translate her idea into results. They worked relentlessly and even stayed back late though she often suggested them to take things easy and not feel pressurized. Rohan however played the role of an imp in the midst of all the tension and distracted everyone. He tried shifting their focus away from the target on the pretext of buying them a drink or treating them to the latest movies, but much to his surprise, Kushi always managed to bring them back on track.
Soon enough, it was time for the result and everyone including Kushi was anxious to find out if their efforts had paid off. After all her position as the brand manager depended on it. They were all aware about the challenge set by the management for Kushi and prayed she'd won, for they had grown accustomed to her style and couldn't picture anyone else but her as their manger. While everybody was present, Kushi noticed Rohan's absence and wondered what was keeping him from coming to work that day. Mr. Seth disturbed her train of thoughts and called her into his cabin before handing over an envelope.
"What is this?" Her lips twitched, dreading it was a rejection letter.
"Why don't you open it and read it for yourself. It's from the management," He appeared grim and scared her further.
With trembling hands, she opened the letter only to find them congratulating her for achieving the set target and increasing their sales. The had also mentioned that she had officially been declared as the Brand Manger of Chemour Inc. Overwhelmed, she thanked her boss and expressed her excitement. "Today is your day, celebrate it with a day off," he smiled while she jumped around in joy.
"I couldn't have done it without my colleagues! We are a team," Kushi asserted and requested him to give them all a day off to celebrate.
After much hesitation he agreed before she rushed out to share the good news. Proud that their efforts had paid off and that she had finally earned the position, Kushi decided to throw a party. "I'm relieved to know we won't be working under that snob, yay to our new manager," Annika exclaimed and congratulated her when all of a sudden Rohan came over.
"Congratulations! I heard you got the post and achieved the target," he brought his hand forward, but Kushi snubbed him.
"Congratulations to you too, I heard you got the job as my assistant," she lightly shook hands with him and turned to leave before he held it tight. Taken aback, Kushi gasped and glanced at her hand and then at him. Too confused to say anything, she looked into his eyes until he gently released her hand and smirked. There was something in the way he looked at her that always gave her goose bumps.
That night while they partied in the club, Kushi scrolled through her facebook wall. Though she was physically present there, her mind was wandering elsewhere. Thinking about Rohan and they way he usually behaved with her, she thought a bit of stalking his profile would do no harm. Unaware of his last name, she filtered all the guys in the search list with the name Rohan until her eyes watered. Exhausted, she decided to give up until she recognized his profile picture and clicked on it.
"Hey come in a shake a leg with us!" Classica came over to pull her back to the dance floor.
"Just a sec..." Kushi replied and scrolled through his photos before turning pale.
"Oh my god, were you aware of this?" She broke into a cold sweat and showed Classica the photos where Rohan was seen posing with the owner of Chemour. Inc, Mr. Kapoor.
Classica zoomed them and went speechless. "Oh, no wonder the big boss favours him so much,"
"What do you mean? Are they actually related?" Kushi's heart pounded against her ribs as the beats in the club dropped.
"Of course they are, he's his bloody son," Classica pointed at his profile name where the initial of his last name was K.
"K for..." Classica widened her eyes and paused.
"Kapoor...Rohan Kapoor, the heir to Chemour Inc..." Kushi twitched her lips and ran her fingers through her hair.
"No wonder he keeps throwing his weight around. He's the future; damn he was fooling us all. I bet his father wanted him to learn the ropes at grass root level, hence they kept his identity a secret," Classica stated and ordered a drink.
"But then why pit me against him? Mr. Seth told me that that..." Kushi paused and finally understood the reason behind Rohan being present during the interview. It wasn't a competition but a test that Rohan himself had set to assess her capabilities. He wasn't competing with her, but was merely weighing her skills and testing her patience right from the day she had been selected. After all it was his company and he had every right to know his employees better.
"Shit, I've been throwing shades at him all this while and even called him my assistant this morning," she bit her lower lip and felt extremely stupid.
"You what?" Classica seemed too drunk to care and just pulled her back to the dance floor. While the gang danced the night away, Kushi contemplated how to face him the following day.
The clock struck 9 and Kushi cautiously stepped out the elevator. Praying she shouldn't encounter Rohan, she hesitantly walked towards her desk and peered through the corner of her eyes to see if Rohan was around. Finding his desk unoccupied she heaved a sigh of relief and sat in her seat. Feeling the urge to pop something sweet in her mouth, she recalled Divya gifting her, a big bar of chocolate the other day. Having kept the bar in her drawer, she quickly reached for it and was disappointed at not finding it.
"Where could it go?" she wondered and rummaged through her desk until she gave up.
Feeling thirsty, she instead walked towards the water cooler and froze when she came across a notice that read
Dear Chocolate Owner,
Your chocolate is under my possession.
Sorry for stealing, but it was too tempting to ignore.
Yours Truly,
Chocolate Lover
"Who on earth steals candy from a girl!" Divya fumed and grabbed Kushi's attention when she read the note. "Is this about the chocolate I gifted you?" she asked and sounded really mad.
"Divya it's okay. Whoever stole it has apologised already,"
"They can keep their apology to themselves for all I care. This is a criminal offense, I'm going to report this to the Hr department," Divya expressed her displeasure and prepared to leave before Kushi held her back.
"Let it go, you can buy me another one...I don't want to cause an issue for just a chocolate,"
"Just a chocolate? That was a limited edition, fine I won't report this, but we've got to teach that thief a lesson,"
"How?" Kushi felt puzzled.
"We'll demand it back! Write a letter and stick it here!" Divya instructed and pulled her along.
Kushi found it ridiculous and childish, but Divya was adamant and peered over her shoulder while she drafted the letter. Annika walked over with Classica and enquired what all the commotion was about before Divya explained.
"Good, now let's show that thief we won't give up without a fight!" She clinched her fist and forced Kushi to stick it on the water cooler.
Dear Chocolate Thief,
That chocolate doesn't belong to you.
Return it to me
Yours truly,
Chocolate Owner
Kushi read the note and cringed before heading back to her desk. She happened to see Rohan in his seat and forgot all about the chocolate thief. Recollecting the photos she had seen last night, she lowered her gaze and hurriedly took cover at her desk. He being too occupied with work, failed to notice her presence and carried on with his duties. As the day progressed, the ladies broke for an evening break when all of a sudden Annika screamed.
"Look the thief responded with another letter!" she pointed at the letter when the rest hurriedly gathered around the water cooler.
Dear Chocolate Owner,
The chocolate is better off with me.
See how happy it looks?
Forget you ever had one, coz this one is mine!
Yours truly,
Chocolate Thief
"Can you believe that? He's even taken a picture of the chocolate," Divya flared her nostrils.
"Hey can you really tell if that chocolate is happy there?" Classica scratched her head while Annika giggled.
"This isn't funny! The thief has some never to write that. Kushi come up with a fitting reply, I want that chocolate back in your possession," Divya sounded firm.
Irritated, Kushi went back to her desk and sat to draft another letter. As she typed, she glanced in Rohan's direction and found his chair unoccupied. She wondered who the thief was and fixed her gaze on his desk. "Was it him?" she asked herself quizzically but wasn't quite sure. This thief was a smart cookie. He had printed the letter rather than manually writing with a pen which made it impossible to trace the source.
Dear Chocolate Thief,
The chocolate appears sad, you have clearly choconapped it.
Return it to me and nobody gets hurt.
Yours Truly,
Chocolate Owner
Kushi read her letter and broke into a soft laugh. Though at first she found it childish, she couldn't hide the fact that she was beginning to enjoy the craziness. The next day, the minute she stepped out the elevator, she rushed to the water cooler expecting a reply from the thief.
Dear Chocolate Owner,
Now that you've realized it, I'm going to hold it hostage.
Give me the ransom and I'll set it free.
Yours truly,
Choconapper,
Kushi burst out laughing reading the letter and grabbed the attention of other staff members present near the water cooler. She heard one of them asking the other if they knew who was sticking those letters on the water cooler. Pursing her lips, she pretended to act innocent and walked away grinning like a kid.
The following few days went in exchanging letters. The more Kushi refused, the more the thief tortured the chocolate and sent pictures of the chocolate in adverse situations. The one with the chocolate hanging by a thread above a dog's jaw cracked her up. "Whoever this is, sure knows how to torture a chocolate," she laughed and finally decided to give up. More than the chocolate, it was the exchange of letters between them that excited her. Every day she would look forward to a reply, but this time she decided to bring an end to the craziness
Dear Choconapper,
Please don't torture it any further. I'm ready to pay the ransom.
Tell me what you want?
Yours truly,
Chocolate Owner
"Are you an idiot? You will pay a ransom for something that belongs to you?" Divya found it absurd, but Kushi was curious to know how much the thief would quote. "No big deal! It's not like I will pay," she assured her and waited in anticipation for the next letter.
It wasn't long before night set in and everybody prepared to leave. Kushi had made several visits to the water cooler during the day, expecting to see a reply from the thief, but in vain. "Hurry up, Kushi! We'll miss the bus," Annika called out to her as they all squeezed into the elevator.
"Wait outside, I'll be down in a minute," Kushi replied and reluctantly cleared her desk. Brushing out the tangles of her hair, she picked her bag and decided to make one last visit to the water cooler. When she walked in, her face lit up seeing the letter. Her excitement knew no bounds until she began reading it.
Dear Chocolate Owner,
How about joining me for a cup of black tea...without sugar?
Just the way you like it...
Yours truly,
Choconapper.
"It's him...freak it's Rohan..."
Kushi bit her lower lips in anxiety until it bled. Shocked by the identity of the thief, Kushi felt nervous and confused. The heir to Chemour Inc wanted to have a cup of tea with her, but why? She felt lost and started thinking of all the possibilities until she stepped out of the building and looked around for her colleagues.
"Where did they go?" She frowned when all of a sudden, Rohan rode past her on his motorbike. He stopped to put on his helmet and glanced at her. Kushi's heart skipped a beat as they locked eyes for a brief moment before he sped away. Unable to recover after what had transpired in that brief moment, Kushi stood there feeling numb until one of her colleagues noticed her and took her where the rest were waiting.