"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞."
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Vegas. What could go wrong? Party. Music. Dopamine and that undeniable attraction between two strangers.
Both of them agreed to keep it casual as they enjoyed each others company, e...
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"What the fuck is wrong with you man?!" Alex burst into the office making me reel back a little at his expected outburst.
"At this rate you'll make me deaf Alex." I sighed.
"What the hell man, where were you?" His voice raised in frustration. "Why didn't you show up for the Peters deal meeting today? Do you have any idea how much that contract was worth?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Lower your voice, Alex. And close the door, please."
He complied, but resumed his tirade at a slightly lower volume. "That was one of the biggest client meeting of this quarter! Your father is livid that you blew it off. Tujhe hua kya hai?"
(What happened to you?)
From behind his desk, I sigh wearily as Alex continues to rant. I pinched the bridge of my nose, still feeling mentally and emotionally drained from the turbulent morning.
I sighed wearily. "Enough Alex, something came up. It was important."
Alex threw his hands up. "More important than securing this multi-million dollar deal? Do you have any idea how much this could set us back?"
The concern in his eyes gave me pause. I knew he cared deeply about our family company's success. Slowly, I explained, "A... friend needed my help. It was a personal emergency."
My cryptic response only seemed to frustrate him more. "Friend? What friend is more valuable than this company?" He froze then, studying me intently. "Wait... is this about that Meher girl?"
"Woman." I sighed again but didn't confirm or deny. After a pause, Alex surprised me by saying gently, "She must be something special to make you ditch a meeting like that."
"No she isn't." I snapped. "It was a family matter."
"Just... be careful, yeah? Don't lose sight of your goals."
Alex sighed as I offered no further details. Sinking into his chair, I run a hand through my disheveled hair. I smiled wanly. "Noted. And thanks for understanding."
He nodded solemnly. "Well, you'd better hope the Peters guys are feeling merciful then."
I ran an anxious hand through my hair again. "You're right, I'll need to do some serious damage control. Hopefully they'll understand a personal matter taking priority, just this once."
Alex nodded supportively. "Want me to make some calls, see if I can smooth things over?"
Grateful for his efforts, I replied, "That would be a massive help, thanks." I paused in thought. "You know, it may actually work to our advantage if I phrase it as having prioritised a client emergency."
Intrigued, Alex leaned forward. "Go on..."
"Well," I began, "I've been thinking about pitching Meher Arora's new startup for investment. If I spin it that assisting her today was part of building goodwill in our partnership..."
