Subtle Endearment

9. Mission: Successful

Kira

On the first floor of our hotel the FixedTexh staff all sit at the long glass table awaiting EnviroStem. Nearly twenty minutes had passed since we had arrived in the spacious room. Even though the meeting wasn't for another ten minutes, we had arrived early. It was "a form of courtesy" Ian had reminded us via email the night before.

At this point I was now struggling to keep upright. I'd accidentally slept through breakfast after hitting snooze on my alarm this morning. Aside from the nearly unbearable hunger, I'm prepared for this meeting.

I need to prove myself an asset to the company. If I can prove myself, maybe Ian will hop off my case and I can take it easy... who am I kidding, there's no taking it easy at FixedTech.

"They're here, everyone rise," Ian says handing the file he'd been reading to Violet. The glass windows show five people walking towards the entrance. In front of them walks a man who looks to be around fifty years old.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dewan. Shall we begin?" The man says as he takes a seat at the opposite end of the table. His employees follow behind him fill in the remaining seats on either side of him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kurt," Ian says taking his seat at the opposite end of the table. We file behind him taking our seats as well. "As we discussed before, the deal is to put out an ad that incorporates the visions of both EnviroStem and FixedTech in order to encourage the use of FixedTech devices in India," Ian states signing off on a document before him. "That's correct, but upon viewing more of your latest collaborations, I think it might be best for EnviroStem to reconsider it's pledged expenses," the old man says.

"May I ask why that is?" Violet asks. Underneath the glass table I can see her scrunch the side of her dress in obvious anger. She quickly releases it just as fast as she's scrunched it.

"It seems, not many of your past collaborations abroad have brought you favorable outcomes," a man says from beside Mr. Kurt who I assume has the same position as Violet. Ian who sits two seats away from me doesn't seem fazed by the words. Instead he lets out a sigh and props his arm under his head. "Kya tum saste ho? Yah mat socho ki jab tum is kamare si baahar nikaloge, to main tumhen barbaad nahin karoonga, Rayaan," Ian says casually causing Mr. Kurt's employees to turn to him in doubt.

What the heck does that mean? I turn to Violet but she seems just as confused as I am. Disappointment is also written on her face as well as the other FixedTech employees' hinting that this wasn't the first time he's switched the language in the middle of a meeting and that whatever he said wasn't good.

The old man clears his throat clearly taken aback by Ian's words. "Can you even explain the failed collaborations?" One of Mr.Kurt's assistants asks rising from her seat. "Mrs. Torlei," Ian states. "Me?" I say pointing to myself. Why is he signaling me out? "Can you respond to her question?" He asks tilting his head in curiosity.

The look on his face makes me want to uppercut him. Just one good time right in his pretty face. "Yes," I respond rising to my feet. "The past two collaborations accepted by FixedTech were nearly six months ago and as a continuously growing company, the financial statements don't accurately reflect the current influence of FixedTech." I hand the financial document from the end of last quarter to the guard Ian had hired. As he brings the document to Mr. Kurt I continue talking hoping that the sudden rush of adrenaline in my veins doesn't die before I can finish my analysis.

"In the document you can see that FixedTech has more than doubled their influence in that time and continues to grow. The past two collaborations were not necessary for earning a profit but expanding the name of FixedTech within the industry. FixedTech was successful in these collaborations when assessing the goal. Please do keep this in mind when evaluating the situation." I say the last part in one breath of air just before returning to my seat.

Ian nods in approval at my objection. "Given this new information, do you still want to object or can we go ahead and sign the documents now?" Ian asks signing his name on the contract. His guard takes the document delivering it to Mr. Kurt. "I suppose it's not such a bad deal," he grumbles.

"To celebrate such an occasion, let us drink," Mr. Kurt says upon signing the contract. "Of course," Ian says as if he hadn't just minutes ago said something that could potentially damage future partnerships.

The EnviroStem team rise from their seats following Mr. Kurt out the door. "See you in an hour," Mr. Kurt says his back turned to us as he walks out. Ian watches the group walk out the door and down the hall through the glass. When they're out of sight he lets out a breath. "Good job everyone, we made progress today. I'll meet you all at Keaton's Grill around the corner in about an hour. You're all dismissed," He says.

Ian hands the signed document to Violet. "Put this with the other documents and make copies before we leave tomorrow," Ian says. From where I stand I can see the bags under Ian's eyes. I haven't noticed them before, he must've worked hard to prepare for this meeting still, I wonder what he said earlier. Before I know it, nearly everyone has left the room. "Kira, stay back for a moment, I want to give you feedback," Ian says rubbing his temples with a hand.

With everyone else gone Ian looks back up from his lap to me who stands before him. "You did a good job today. You came well prepared and were able to secure the deal even with the pressure of being called up randomly," he says beaming from ear to ear. "My only suggestion would be to be more consistent throughout. If something doesn't seem right to you then don't be afraid to address it... of course you're the last person I should be saying this to," he says leaning on his arm again.

A mixture of weariness and admiration settle y his face and I dying know whether to be worried or flattered. "Thank you Mr. Dewan, you should really get some rest," I say. "I will after this celebration. It seems we go to the same grill every time we sign a deal here," he chuckles. A sudden flash of annoyance is present in his gaze for a split second. "Don't drink too much, Mr. Kurt likes to buy the strong stuff when he treats. It's a way of getting information out of the company," he says folding his arms. "You don't have to worry I'll watch out," I assure him.

"Good, I wouldn't want my most valued employee to spill all our secrets, especially when she's as beautiful as you," Ian compliments. I can feel my cheeks flush as he says the words. He looks at his watch adjusting it. "Thank you, Ian," I respond to the man who refuses to look up.

"I should get going so that I can get ready," I say. "Kira-" Ian begins. "Yes?" I ask expectantly. "Never mind," he says rising from his seat. "I'll see you in an hour," he says before carrying on through the glass doors.