‘Their office is in Bandra. I was just there for my first interview.’
Rhea looked at me, her eyes widening. ‘They moved offices a week ago, babe. It was in the news. They now work out of their own building in Fort.’
‘No.’
‘Yes.’ The confidence in her voice shook mine.
‘No,’ I repeated, but pulled out my phone, went straight to their email and began reading it aloud.
‘Dear Ananya, you have been selected ...’ I skipped to the address part. ‘... House of Advani, Fort, Mumbai ...’
‘Shit.’
I wanted to be early for the interview. To freshen up. To give myself a last-minute pep talk. But now, I’d be lucky even to make it on time.
Rhea grabbed my shoulders, grounding me. ‘Ananya, breathe. You’re going to be fine. You can still make it,’ she said.
I nodded. ‘Yes. I can still make it.’ But I didn’t have my jewellery on yet. I needed to call a cab. Grab Maa’s lunchbox. Spray perfume. All the construction in the city was going to make me late.
‘Grab what you need to finish getting ready. I’ll book your Uber.’ Rhea’s voice snapped me into action. ‘Go!’
‘You’re my saviour.’
‘I know. Nowgo! I’ll text you the cab details. Oh, and give him some extra cash and tell him to fly there, but safely.’
‘Got it.’
I scrambled – snatched my jewellery, stuck on my bindi, spritzed perfume, grabbed my tote, stuffed in Maa’s lunch, shouted a quick goodbye and yanked up the hem of my sari as I bolted down the stairs.
I spotted the cab right outside my building.Perfect.
I reached out to open the back door, but another hand shot out and grabbed the handle.
Who the he—I looked up into eyes the colour of warm honey.
They would’ve been attractive if they weren’t looking at me like I was an inconvenience. The man was tall, had broad shoulders and wore a navy suit that probably cost more than my rent. Of course, my cab thief looked likethat.
‘If you are done staring, please move to the side so I can get into my cab.’
My hands clenched into fists at my sides.
‘If you are done blocking my way tomycab, please move aside so I can stopglaringat you,’ I flung back.
His lips twitched in annoyance as if I were a pesky fly bothering him. With his eyes trained on me, he popped open the cab door. ‘Who is this cab for?’
‘Um … it’s for Jai,’ the driver replied.
The man gave me the most infuriating ‘I told you so’ look before sliding into the car.
‘It was a mistake. There was no need to be such a dick about it!’ I fumed.
As I watched the cab speed off, I got a sudden, violent urge to smack him. God, that man was such an asshole. It was a simple mistake; did he have to be such a jerk?
I exhaled loudly.Focus on better things, Ananya. Like your future job. And getting to the interview on time and acing it so you actually land it.
2
Desperate Measures
