Utopia

Chapter-10

The goons talked. They talked about a man named James Conan. They told us it was not his real name. No one knew his real name. He didn’t like to tell it. He came to them two years ago with a suitcase full of money and asked for their help. The six goons and the other gangs in the city had worked for him. They blackmailed various corrupt business personalities in the city and hoarded money. They blackmailed important people in the media and then started a movement. A spiritual movement with James Conan as its leader.

People who were always ready to follow any leader like sheep followed Conan too. He made a lot of money from their donations and fees. Adrian didn’t have a role in it until then. He didn’t have a reason to interfere with Conan. But then Conan made a mistake. He occupied a remote island in the middle of the Pacific ocean. He and all his disciples followed there to pursue their spiritual activities far from the world. No one from the outside knew what was happening there. The island’s name is Utopia. The problem was it belonged to Scott industries. Adrian’s dad, Joseph Scott, the chairperson of Scott industries bought it to develop a resort there for the rich. But before they could develop the venture, James Conan illegally occupied it and was refusing to evacuate.

My head swam when I took all this information in. After the goons had told everything they knew about the illegal activities of Conan, Adrian walked briskly out of the factory, closely followed by me. We got into the car and it moved towards the office with godspeed. Adrian was quiet. He was thinking deeply, looking out of the window. I didn’t like this broody Adrian. He was always so sure of himself that it was disconcerting to watch him be so unsure. I looked at my fingers in my lap, thinking if there was something I could do or say to please him.

“It’s yours legally. You can challenge him in the court, can’t you?” I mumbled. I felt quite silly, advising a man who ran a business empire on a single hand.

"So, now you're talking," Adrian turned towards me, his hands crossed across his chest, and regarded me as though I was a rare specimen he had to observe. "This is the first time you have actually talked to me without me talking to you."

I blushed furiously. This blush was my kryptonite, telling everyone exactly what I felt inside. I wished I could take my words back. I wished I didn't start this embarrassing conversation.

"Oh, I didn't realize that, Mr. Scott," I said, brushing a few errant strands of hair behind my ear. 

"Why are you so afraid of me, Hannah?" he asked, leaning forward. He gently took my hand in his hands and brought it to his lips. "Do you think I will bite?"

He gently bit the tip of my index finger, and I gasped. This was not what I had expected at all when I started talking. Now that it happened, I was not sure if I wanted it to stop. His perfect teeth, biting down on my finger, his blue eyes staring into my brown ones, and the eerie feeling that the world had gone crazy. Everything had combined to make my belly ache sweetly and my legs turn to jelly. I thought I would combust if his gaze wouldn’t leave me, just like I did, imagining him on me last night. I wondered if he could read it in my eyes- the forbidden thing I did last night. I thought about how easy it would be to shift into his lap now, pull him by his collar, and kiss him. I didn’t even care about the driver in the front city. I had never wanted anyone so badly than I wanted him at that moment. His eyes darkened for a second like he wanted the same thing as me. To get a room.

That moment went on forever in my mind, while it was only five seconds in reality. Then his teeth left my finger, and I gently tugged my hand out of his grip. All this while, our eyes had not left each other as our lives had depended upon it. 

“I made your fears come true. I bit you.” He said, chuckling. His mood was infectious. I chuckled too. It was hard to believe he was sitting there brooding a few moments ago. The tension in the air was slowly dissolving and I could breathe normally again.

“And about your question. Yes, the land legally belongs to me. But there are powerful people in his grip, Hannah. People who can play with the law like it is their chew toy.” There was disgust in his voice as he said that. I thought he would have very much liked to crush them in his mighty fist if he got the chance.

“So, are you just gonna leave it like that? An island like that must cost a fortune. And you are powerful, Mr. Scott. You have money and more than that, you have power in you. I saw you back there and I bet all the sissies who support that Conan guy doesn’t have the power you got. You made them quiver in their pants even before you mentioned the security forces.” I said. I didn’t know why, but I liked talking to him like this. For the first time, there was a speck of control in my hands and I liked it.

“You are a talker, Hannah.” He shook his head in amusement. Everything I did seemed to amuse him. Why was that? Maybe it was because I was young. I was just twenty-one while he was twenty-seven. I must look like a toddler giving life advice to him.

“I’m not gonna leave it. And I already have a plan in motion. You’ll know about it soon.”

He squeezed my hand as he said it. Like we were a team, and we were in it together. I liked that feeling.

***************

It had been a week since that meeting. I was slowly settling in the office. I was getting to know my colleagues. They were a lovely bunch. They treated me to lunch one day. I had mostly hung out with Nancy, the receptionist, that week. She was a skinny redhead who liked to talk. She reminded me so much of Millie. But there was one person I still hadn’t talked to. It was Ethan, the guy who smiled at me the first day. He smiled the same charming smile the whole week whenever we lay eyes on each other. But we didn’t get to talk. I was intrigued by him.

Adrian was drifting off. The amiability we achieved the car didn’t extend further. He was mostly holed up in his office while I sorted out his files, managed his calls, and set up video conferences. He drank lots of coffee, which I had to buy from the nearby Starbucks. He immersed himself in piles of files, among which I watched his handsome face set in that mop of jet black hair. The weirdness of my interview and the first day was nowhere to be seen. I was doing the normal secretarial jobs. I hoped for that strangeness to go away earlier, but now that everything was normal; I found myself craving for it. An amusing smile from Adrian, a sudden act that would pool up the desire in my belly and words that would make me fear. Like a junkie, I craved that from him.

Today, everything was maddeningly normal, just like every other day after the meeting in the abandoned factory. It was lunch hour. Through my little glass cabin, I could see people leaving in groups to get lunch. Sighing, I got up from my chair. I didn’t know I could get that tired from just sitting in a chair all day and typing away. I approached the connecting door between Adrian’s office and mine and turned the knob. He was in the expected position. Reading a file and then typing something on his computer.

I bet he didn’t even know that it was lunchtime and he was supposed to eat. I wondered at Adrian’s peculiarity again. It was impossible to doubt if he was a human and not an alien- a handsome alien of some sorts. I tapped the door with my knuckles, making Adrian raise his eyes. His blue eyes were as intense as ever, but there were shadows under his eyes as a result of sleep deprivation. My heart went out to him. I knew that he was not a fragile little child and he could look after himself. But the instinct to comfort him was too strong. 

“Are you here to take my lunch order, Hannah?” He asked. I usually brought his lunch for him when I returned to the office after lunch. That was actually correct. But after seeing those shadows under his eyes, I decided to do something more. I decided to talk to him. To persuade him to take a break.

“Yes, Mr. Scott, but I want to tell you something more. May I?” I asked. He seemed to be taken aback by this request. It was on very rare occasions that I talked to him out of my turn. I had a feeling that he liked it when I broke my habit.

“Yes, you may.” Mr. Scott said, propping chin on his entwined fists.

I sauntered towards his table and stood in front of him.

“Mr. Scott, I’ve been noticing you for a week now and I must say you are draining yourself with all this work,” I said, gesturing towards the pile of files and papers on his desk. “I know your work is important. But you have to take a break now and then. It’s good for your mental and physical health. It’s my duty as your personal secretary to make sure you are fine in all ways.”

I said what I had to say. But I was not sure if he liked me giving advice to him. His face was unreadable. For a few moments, he made me squirm in my place, wanting to get out of his sight. I hoped he wouldn’t scold me for taking too much lineage. But then his face broke into a grin. A grin as fresh as the first leaf of the spring, and I found myself mirroring it.

“Thank you for thinking about me, Hannah,” He said, leaning back in his chair. “I have no choice but to work on this project non-stop because of a time constraint. But let me assure you that in a few days, I will not only take a short break but a vacation.”

“Vacation?” I said. I had no idea about this. There was nothing in his schedule that hinted at this.

“And Hannah, I think it’s time you pack those vacation clothes I bought you in the mall. You’ll be joining me. I’ll let you know the date, one day prior.”

“Oh,” That was only I could manage at this bomb he dropped on me. “Very well, sir. What would you like for lunch today?”

I asked, remembering the real reason I was there. I was bursting with questions about this vacation and I knew if I stood there any longer I would start rambling and would embarrass myself.

“Surprise me. Like I surprised you.” He smiled and then jumped back into his files.