Shikha felt more conscious than ever when hushed whispers surrounded her. She looked at her reflection in the spotless mirror-like glass of Vikram's office to look for anything that could attract the attention that she was receiving.
She appeared flushed, but nothing outlandish. Shikha pulled the scarf tightly against her, covering her more than she would normally prefer, as she walked towards the office assigned to her by Vikram.
She opened the door as quietly as possible, to avoid garnering any more attention than she already was. The immaculate designing of the room had left her in awe. The office was much smaller than Vikram's office, understandably, but larger than her own bedroom, which she shared with her sister. She could not understand the lavishness bestowed upon her, but she had no reason to complain.
She settled onto the luxurious leather chair behind the mahogany desk filled with everything she could need, letting excitement and nervousness wash over her senses.
He had been the first one to appreciate her talents and place his implicit trust in her abilities. An irresistible urge to impress him and make him proud overpowered every other emotion running through her mind. She had to prove him right, and prove those who underestimated her wrong.
She opened the laptop placed in front of her, one of the high-end models and the latest launches of the year. She deduced employee satisfaction ranked very high on Vikram's interests.
The idea of satisfaction made her delve into the concept of sentiment analysis, which she could use to develop a project for his company. He had mentioned that his company catered a large number of clients, and they touted sentiment analysis to be path-breaking in customer service. She began browsing the net to help her customize her idea to cater to the needs of the company.
A tall and confident lady walked into her cabin. Shikha jumped to her feet out of fright. "Hey Shikha, I am Sukriti. Vikram Sir asked me to guide you about your project. How is it coming?" she asked.
Shikha turned the laptop towards her. "I was thinking about developing something related to Sentiment Analysis. We did something similar in our college, and I thought it could be useful to the company as well."
"Well, I think you should choose something easier, Shikha. Our data set is humongous. For a beginner like yourself, I don't think that's right. We have the top brains of the state working on something similar to our company. I have seen your grades in the college. Choose an easier project," said Sukriti.
Her condescending tone made Shikha's skin crawl and her eyes stung with tears. "Okay, ma'am. I will think of another project soon," said Shikha, trying to cover her disappointment at the discouragement from her supposed advisor.
"Yes, hurry. I'll be on the first floor, if you need me," stated Sukriti, before walking out of Shikha's cabin.
The broken pieces of Shikha's confidence, which she had painstakingly rebuilt after listening to Vikram's kind words, had disintegrated once again. Her self-esteem crumbled and her mind reeled with the words she had heard from Sukriti. Vikram's words resonated in her ears, but Sukriti's derisive words soon overpowered them.
She stared blankly at the monitor, hoping to be salvaged from the demons ravaging her mind. She did not want to let Vikram down, and she had already let him down. Like clockwork, the door opened suddenly, revealing the man himself.
"Hey Shikha, I thought you would appreciate an early lunch, and maybe we could discuss your ideas over some appetizing food," he drawled, stopping midway as he analyzed her expressions and her broken state.
"Hey, what happened? Is everything alright?" he prompted, stepping closer to her side as she rose from her seat as a mark of respect.
"Nothing, sir. I was just overwhelmed by everything," she said, hoping that he would accept her lie and praying that he would not - that he would question her about it and erase her worries once again. Like he did that night. Like he did when he chose her for the internship. Like when he trusted her capabilities, unlike the surrounding rest.
"It does not look that way. Someone said something, isn't it? Who is it?" he demanded, leaning towards her, allowing her earthly fragrance and barely there perfume to overwhelm his senses.
"It's fine, sir..."
"I need a name, Shikha."
"Sir, Sukriti Ma'am said that I should try a project which is in my league. She is right. I was trying for the unattainable," she answered, looking down at their feet, realizing how close they were and taking a step away from him.
Vikram pulled his phone from his blazer and quickly dialed a number, without replying to Shikha. "In Shikha's cabin. Right now!"
"Sir? Sir, it is not her fault," argued Shikha, realizing he had called the woman, who had broken her newly formed wings. A part of her relished his protectiveness, and the other was scared for the woman, who was going to be at the receiving edge of his fury.
"I had sent her to guide you to the path you have chosen. If she cannot do that, she should restrain from demotivating you as well. She needs to know that," retorted Vikram, his lips set into a thin line as his eyes conveyed his fury to her.
"May I come in, sir?" muttered Sukriti, peeking through the slightly ajar door with petrified eyes.
"What is it I am hearing, Sukriti? You discouraged her instead of providing proper guidance. Is this the way you motivate our interns, Sukriti?" he demanded, leaning against the desk as he scanned her whimpering form.
"I am sorry, sir. I was just being straightforward," replied Sukriti, almost moved to tears.
"Apologize to her."
Shikha would never admit it aloud, but she knew she wanted to hear to that apology from the woman who thought she could get away after damaging her self-esteem.
"Shikha, I am sorry," mouthed Sukriti, looking at Shikha impassively.
"Great! I fire you. You have one hour to clear the premises. We don't need services of someone who does their job as badly as you do," announced Vikram, pushing himself off the desk and straightening his blazer, as if he had just commented about the weather.
"Sir?" the ladies questioned in unison. Shikha did not want the matter to cause the other woman to lose her job. her heart sank at the prospect of the woman going to bed hungry, bereft of hope, like they did before Sunaina had landed her job as a lecturer. Every day would pass like an eon, and she did not want that for Sukriti, for bruising her ego and trampling her esteem.
"You heard me. Get out of my sight!" barked Vikram, sparing her one last glance before she nodded her head curtly, and walked out of the cabin.
"Sir, you did not have to fire her. She just did what she thought was right," argued Shikha, knowing the importance of employment very well.
"Oh, I had to fire her after what she did. She had no right to hurt you or your feelings. She deserved it. Now, can I offer to treat you with some amazing dessert from the nearby cafe to elevate your mood?" he asked, leaving her with a loss of words.
So far, he had been her knight-in-shining armor - a relentless one - and after what he had done for her, she did not have the heart to refuse him nor the guts to see what would happen if she disappointed him.
As she picked her purse up, Vikram smirked and noted internally to reward Sukriti lavishly for her participation in the act which helped him secure his image in her heart, and also an impromptu date.
आप पढ़ रहे हैं
The Rose & Her Thorn
रोमांस"I will accept your resignation but under one condition," said Vikram Singhal, playing with the paperweight akin to the manner he was playing with the woman trembling in fury. "And why are you under the impression that I will respect that condition...
