ARYLIE FF: My Everything and Beyond

Chapter 1 - "I have morons working for me"

Aryan loosened his tie and got into the driver's seat of his car. It had been a long and mostly unproductive day. This deal was high stakes for him. His company had won the contract to build a chain of long stay vacation rentals in the hill town of Shimla, and just when the work was about to start, the worker's union declared a strike, influenced by local social workers. He spent the entire day trying to negotiate terms, but the union was adamant that the project was not in favor of the town.

Generally, the CEO of Rathore Group of Industries wouldn't worry himself with these minor matters and let his staff handle the situation, but this one was personal. Shimla was his father's favorite vacation destination, and this was his dream project. Aryan had to make it happen, for Paa's sake.

He ran a frustrated hand over the back of his neck and turned the ignition. Rolling through the winding roads of the hilly town, his thoughts wandered to the summers when he visited Shimla as a kid with Maa, Paa, and Di. They made a point to visit almost every year. Wasn't that why Paa had decided to build a vacation home here? Off a high cliff in Kufri, 15 km from Shimla, he had a massive but cozy villa built, which served as the perfect summer home for the Rathore family. Back then.

Aryan reminisced the crisp, cold mornings when he would hike the mossy trails of Kufri with Paa, stopping at their usual tea stall for a cup of morning tea. He would buy Aryan his favorite pack of cookies there and they would sit on a bench at their regular lookout point, overlooking the valley.

Aryan would listen intently as Paa educated him about varied topics - history of the city, different types of trees found in the valley, why the endangered species of animals in these hills must be preserved. He listened and absorbed all of it with an air of awe for his father. Those mornings with Paa were some of Aryan's most treasured times with him. Paa was his best friend.

He brought himself back to the present as he steered the car into an obscure curve that hid the steep downhill lane leading up to the said villa. He hadn't visited Shimla since Paa died. No one in the family had.

A property manager and a handful of staff has been hired to manage the property. Aryan would have informed them of his arrival, but he never planned on staying at the villa. How could he? The memories were too painful.

It was a last-minute trip, and amid the many arguments he was having with the union leaders all afternoon, he had distractedly typed an email to his secretary, Shilpa, to book him a room at the best available hotel in Shimla. He didn't realize that the email never left his outbox.

At the end of the meetings, in between quick bites of dinner with his construction manager and lawyers, he called Shilpa to confirm the details of the stay. Sounding confused, she said - "Sir, you are in Shimla?!"

"What the hell do you mean by that question? I asked you to book me a stay, Shilpa! Did you do it?"

"S-sir....I am sorry if I missed a communication, but I didn't know I had to book you a stay in Shimla!"

Aryan let out an exasperated grunt. I have morons working for me, he thought.