SIX: EAGLE AND HAWKS
1215 Words
SIX: EAGLE AND HAWKS
Gradually the party came to a beautiful end. Ishanvi and her colleagues had managed to secure a few deals with some of the renowned publishing houses of India.
Ishanvi was happy that everything went smoothly without any hiccup, and a satisfied smile was adorning her lips by the time the event reached its conclusion. As the party had continued longer than they had expected, Ishanvi wanted nothing more than a long, good sleep to relax her taut muscles from being on her foot, that too in three inch heels for most part of the party.
Although she didn't like mingling with the people and was successful in avoiding for a while as the party began, Ishanvi knew she couldn't do it forever and had to entertain the guests as well as create more opportunities for her company— that was their motive behind inviting the big shots of the publishing world at this party, and her colleagues were more than willing to execute the plan. They had come prepared, and that's how they managed to seize the opportunities and secure the deals.
Almost all of the guests had already left and some of her colleagues were gone as well. Ishanvi looked for Onir to share the happy news with him but didn't find him anywhere. So, she decided to break the news to him tomorrow at the office.
She then saw Anna sipping her mocktail under one of the canopies, so she went to her.
"Enjoying the calm all by ourselves, aren't we?" Ishanvi said as she took a seat beside Anna.
Her voice brought Anna out of her reverie and she gave her a small smile. "I'm glad everything went well."
"Me too."
"And I'm also impressed with how you and everyone else managed to find and seal the deals for our company," Anna said with a knowing look.
Ishanvi was surprised. "How do you know?"
"Do you want me to remind you that I'm not only an editor-in-chief but also a keen observer and an attentive listener as well?" Anna slightly raised her eyebrows.
Ishanvi pursed her lips. How could she forget how vigilant Anna was, nothing was hidden from her, not even their emotions if they didn't mask it properly. Anna called herself an eagle because she was as alert and attentive as the bird itself. What else can you expect from someone who majored in human psychology and behavioral sciences along with world literature. Anna had learnt to read people from an earlier age and that's why human psychology fascinated her and she took it up as one of her major subjects in the college.
"It was meant to be a surprise for you and Onir," Ishanvi mumbled in a low voice.
"Oh, Onir is going to be ecstatic about it," Anna assured her. "And as for me, I'm impressively amazed. You guys did a brilliant job today!"
"I just hope we can take Écrits to the greater heights."
"Together, we'll do that."
Just then, Ishanvi let out a low whimper which instantly caught Anna's attention.
"What's wrong?" Anna inquired, putting her mocktail aside on the table.
"It's nothing much," Ishanvi replied in a dismissing tone but she winced again.
Anna glared at her. "Clearly it's not 'nothing much'! So, spill it right now!"
"I just got a few blisters on my feet and they are hurting pretty bad now. And you know I'm not used to wearing heels, so it's also making my feet ache all the more," Ishanvi confessed in a low voice.
"If you know you are not comfortable in heels, why did you choose to wear them today?"
"To balance the trail of my gown," Ishanvi replied in a duh tone.
"Oh, how smart. Now don't aggravate the blisters anymore, and go back and rest," Anna ordered, before taking something out of her clutch. "Here, put these blister band-aids on your blisters first, it'll soothe the pain. Take as much as you need."
"Always so prepared," Ishanvi muttered as she took a couple of band-aids and put them on her sore blisters.
"I have to be. Especially when I have kids like you around,” Anna said in a mock-motherly tone.
Ishanvi rolled her eyes at Anna's response. "Thank you for the band-aids though. I already feel slightly better."
"Anything for you, babygirl."
"I won't hog your time anymore, and will let you enjoy your temporary peace," Ishanvi joked, and got up. "I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, Ishanvi walked away from the terrace and towards the elevator. As she waited for the elevator, a man came to stand beside her.
"Miss Ishanvi?" he asked hesitantly.
Ishanvi turned to look at him. He was an attractive man with over 6’ height and well kept beard that defined his cheekbones and jawlines. His hair was trimmed short and he was wearing a polo jacket with denim jeans. Ishanvi found him charming enough, just not her type.
"Yes. And you are?"
"Hello! I'm Alex from the Asian News Agency. I was wondering if you could spare me a few minutes for a quick interview for our monthly magazine?" he put forth his proposition. "We can go to the hotel cafeteria. It won't take too long, I promise," he hastily added when he found Ishanvi frowning.
Ishanvi was amazed by his proposition. She began to contemplate her decision. It was obvious to her that an interview with one of the leading news portals of the country would surely be beneficial for their company, and she must not miss such an opportunity, especially if it had walked up to her on its own.
Just then the elevator came up.
"Okay," Ishanvi agreed to Alex’s proposal. Although her heels were killing her, she couldn't miss this opportunity to reach out to a wider audience, that too through such a renowned press.
"After you," Alex said politely.
Ishanvi entered the elevator and stood in a corner. Alex stood in the opposite corner after pressing the button for the fifth floor where the cafeteria was situated. And they both stood in silence as the elevator began to move.
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As Alex had promised, he didn't take more than twenty-five minutes and had wrapped up the interview in that short amount of time without appearing like he was rushing through it.
He had eloquently asked the questions about her company and what all they do, what's their USP and stuff like that. And Ishanvi had answered all his questions with patience.
Alex was awed to see how passionate Ishanvi sounded when she talked about her work.
"If you love what you do, there's nothing to not be happy about," Ishanvi had told him.
Once Alex was satisfied that he had asked everything he needed, he thanked Ishanvi for her time and patience while Ishanvi too thanked him for this opportunity and for his hospitality (Alex had ordered coffees for them and had made sure Ishanvi was comfortable throughout the interview). Afterwards, they got up and left together.
As they were walking towards the elevator from the cafeteria, they were seen by two pairs of eyes who followed them like hawks until they disappeared into the elevator and left.
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A/n
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