Chapter 3 : Himterview

Next day morning, the dining table at Deshmukh family was painfully silent. No one spared a glance at Pari and she didn't have any problems with it. Once she was done with her breakfast she wanted to speak about her plans to start working in London and she announced her interview notice to her family. 

" What do you mean by working in London? Do you know how far that place is? Do you think it's funny to play with your parents feelings? What's wrong with your job in Pune? Why are you making our life complicated Pari? Why can't you think of your parents for once in your life? " Shilpa immediately questioned Pari's decision.

"Maa... Not this time please. All these years I have only kept you as my priority. I rejected every job offer that wasn't in Pune just because you both wouldn't appreciate it. But this time, I want to live for myself. I want to breathe freely for once. Let me live my life for my sake too. " Pari defended her stance. 

" But it's just an interview, Pari. What if you didn't qualify? What are you going to do in an unknown land? Rather than losing what you have in hand it would be better to stay here, at least you have us here to support you" Her father tried to convince her. 

" I haven't yet resigned from my job Papa. I would attend their interview and it would take time. I might come back if I fail to get in or look for some other job. Anyways, I need a change in my life. Please try to understand me too" She spoke with her confident tone.

Actually she had already submitted her resignation mail to her higher official while applying for an interview, as it takes time to proceed. But she couldn't speak about it now as she didn't want her parents to worry about it. She was confident about the interview and even if she failed she could try for another job there. As a management studies graduate, London would never leave her with empty hands and she could easily get in with her working experiences. So she finally decided to walk away from her labyrinth-like life in Pune. 

After a long hour of discussion, she was finally able to convince her parents but she earned new terms for description, snobbish and arrogant from her relatives. But she hardly cared about their opinion. In 15 days she would be in London starting a new life away from all her judging relatives and she was expecting her days to roll quickly so she can live a happy life ahead. 

After flying for 3 hours, Pari was in Delhi waiting for her flight to London which was soon to be announced. This was her first time travelling outside the country and her nervousness was at its peak. Too many thoughts were continuously running in her mind and suddenly there was an announcement of Virgin Atlantic airways flight to London which would take off within 30 mins. 

After the security check, she boarded her flight and settled in her seat. It was a window seat which instantly eased her mood. Though Pari had too many flight journey experiences in her previous job, this time the overwhelming feelings were at a complete new level. 

After a quick dinner, she settled with a business magazine. It was a 9 hour plus flight journey so she had a lot of time to kill. So she started listening to music after some time and ended up drifting to sleep. Then she woke up after listening to the announcements about landing and she fastened her seatbelt like her fellow passengers.

Sonal was waiting in the Heathrow airport early in the morning to receive her best friend. It was around 7.30 when Pari finally finished all the security procedures and received her luggage. After driving for an hour in Sonal's car, they were in her apartment at Basil st, Knightsbridge. Pari settled in the guest room and freshened up quickly. Sonal was ready with breakfast in the meantime. 

" Indian breakfast at this hour? Must be tough for you, I could have had something simple Sonu" Pari said looking at the steaming hot parathas she served on the plates.

" Actually I was craving for some Indian food lately and making it for one serving is really a waste of time. Now that you are here, I can enjoy some good Indian food. I really miss those days when we used to cook together and eat with too much gossip. Those were the golden days" Sonal sighed plopping on the chair with the plate. 

Those were indeed the best days of their lives. Hostel days were an entire adventure on its own. Cooking maggi in a kettle or sneaking out to eat chinese food at midnight and what not..... Life was quite colourful those days. 

"Don't worry Sonu, now that I'm here, let's enjoy our time together. I will feed your hungry soul with some good Indian food." They talked for some time and had their breakfast. Since it was an off day for Sonal, she decided to take her friend out for shopping and a city tour. They visited different shops and some other places and enjoyed the entire day. Both of them had their lunch and snacks in between the travelling and Pari instantly fell in love with the city. 

It was around 9 at night when they reached their apartment, since they were already drowned with too many varieties of food, they decided to skip dinner. Pari called home to talk about her day with her family. Around midnight, Pari and Sonal finally decided to sleep. Next day Sonal had to go to her work and Pari was free as she had her interview on the next day. So she decided to stay home and watch TV and unpack her luggage completely. She had a plan to stay in London till she got her job confirmed and then go back to India to complete her resignation process later. 

Pari prepared dinner for both of them and continued watching the series she started in the morning. Around 7 Sonal finally came back and after freshening up both had their dinner. 

" So all set for the interview? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have many problems. You're damn good with words and logic. I'm sure you will picked" Sonal asked her nervous friend.

" Hope so.. This is my chance to escape my problems. Hope things will work out and I will get settled here. At this point, walking back empty handed is really the most embarrassing thing for me. I already spoke high and mighty about getting a job here, if I can't get in....." 

" Hey Pari, don't worry. Everything will be fine. Sleep well. You have a big day ahead." Sonal pacified her tensed friend. After exchanging good nights, they went to sleep. 

"I haven't asked too many things with you dear God, please don't disappoint me this time... Please" Pari sent a quick prayer to God and slept after that. 

Next day came early and Pari got up and got ready for her interview in her white shirt and black pencil skirt and tied her hair into a ponytail for a professional look. She grabbed her black heels and applied an extreme thin layer of makeup. Once they both were done with their breakfast, she picked up all her necessary documents and Sonal decided to drive her to the I&E office in Lambeth which was hardly 15 mins drive from the apartment. 

Sonal worked in the digital marketing team which is on the 12th floor and Pari's interview was held on the 20th floor. She wished good luck to her friend and went to her workspace. Pari followed the directions given by the receptionist and walked towards the meeting room where the interview was held. 

At 9.30 her first round of interview began and it was a written aptitude test, next she had a break after which the next round GD was held to the candidates selected from the first round. Both the rounds went quite well for Pari, since she had good experience in the field.

The final round was a personal interview and a set of business analysts were interviewing the candidates. During her interview Pari was asked about the basics of management and other scenarios of crisis management. Pari was satisfied with her performance and she walked out after her interview. Candidates were informed that they would receive a mail regarding the details of work if picked. Pari texted Sonal about the details of the day and Pari decided to wait in the longue, so that they could get back to the apartment together. 

Pari was in the waiting longue and out of boredom, she picked up the business magazine laying on the table and started flipping the pages to brush her knowledge. 

As she turned the pages she stumbled on the list of most mentioned CEO's of the term and the name Ian Evans was on the top of the list. 

Ian Evans... would be her ultimate boss, if she gets selected for this job. She had heard a lot about him ever since she joined working in the corporate field, since he is one among the powerful names in the business field across the globe. Working in I&E is a prestigious thing for anyone on earth. 

Next pages had his interview and photos which Pari shamelessly checked since she had nobody to judge her now. She was still in the process of checking the details of the Adonis, when the entire floor became pin drop silent. She cautiously checked the entrance to check the cause of sudden commotion. 

Holy cow...... The man in the magazine was walking straight from the elevator in front of her. Her respiratory system required some extra supply of oxygen to balance the breath loss that she felt at the moment when she saw him walking with his mighty six feet perfect physique, golden brown perfectly styled hair and expensive clothing. He was the breathing definition of the term 'Sex on legs'. Not even the costliest camera in the world could do the ultimate justice of capturing his powerful aura. 

'He looked Hot and....Spicy?? ' Stop comparing your potential boss into some food article for heaven's sake, Pari. He isn't the luxury cuisine you should crave for. You're here for a purpose and please fuckin focus on it' Her brain started brainwashing her thoughts and she decided to change her focal point to prevent further embarrassment. 

He walked away listening to the rants of his subordinates and didn't even spare a glance to others and focused on his walk. After the royal parade of the CEO ended, Sonal finally came down and both the girls went to their apartment. 

Over dinner they discussed their day and Sonal started ranting about her team lead and Pari enjoyed the dissing session. 

"Forget about that bitchy lady, she must be on her menopause. Did you see him?" She asked with utmost curiosity. 

" Him as in?" Pari asked her with clear confusion. 

" Oh girl.. You're useless, Him means Ian.... The devil himself... I heard the entire office gossiping about his visit. He pays a monthly visit to every branch once in three months and guess what.....his casual visit sometimes becomes the last working day for some people. One silly mistake and you're kicked out. Ufff.. He's really a strict boss...... If not for his hot looks, he could have had an entire anti fan club. If ruthlessness had a human body on earth, then it would be Ian Evans" 

Pari was literally horrified after listening to her description about him. He did look strict, but this is too much to the power two. 

"Actually...... I saw him when he walked in...." Pari mumbled slowly.

" Damn yaar Pari... First day and such a visual treat...." 

" After hearing your version of description, it's no more a visual treat, it's literally a visual threat. I'm definitely not planning to get kicked out just because I was drooling over his looks. This job is important to me, Sonu. I can't lose it" 

" Who said you will lose it my girl? Anyways he doesn't visit that often. You know... it's practically impossible for him to visit every branch in his tight schedules. So take a chill pill. Anyways, how was your interview? Did they crack your braincase by the end of it or was it normal?" 

" I think it was quite fine. The usual 3 round thing like any other company. But there were some nasty questions too. Of course they do pay a lot, so they need tough people. Fingers crossed" 

" Let me include you in my prayers too. Hope we can rock in I&E together"

" Hope so" Ofcourse hope was the only way of survival for Pari at the moment. They continued to talk for some more time and decided to sleep later.