To Not Love Mr. Perfectly Fine

10

ARYAN

"The event prep is coming down nicely. All the VIPs have also accepted our invitation. However, the media people could bring some problems, since it's your first time being present for the event. Also, there is..." Pragya updated me on the event happening tomorrow. There was a reason Rainbow Publications' annual book fair made headlines every year.

I couldn't be physically present last year. Or better if I said I didn't want to. But this year I would be experiencing it and meeting everybody as the CEO of Rainbow for the first time. Which was why everything had to be perfect. So far it sounded good. Each and every employee had done their job exceptionally well.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I dismissed Pragya with a final word to keep me updated every minute. "Mr. Barton! To what do I owe the pleasure?" I tried to sound as genuine as I could.

Last week, my meeting with this man went nothing like I thought it would go. He was the most inflexible and boastful person I'd ever met. Kissing people's ass was something I've never been good at. I believed in fair deals. If something benefits my company, I'd definitely go along with that. I wonder how he founded Ivory Publications with that attitude. Or maybe money made him blind.

"Haha. You are a funny boy." The forty-something man said in his posh British accent. "I was wondering if you have thought about my offer." My jaws clenched. "I'm afraid there is nothing to think about. What does a collaboration have to do anything with company shares?" My own words infuriated me. Mr. Russell Barton had demanded forty percent of my company shares in exchange for this collaboration. How on earth was I supposed to hold my company shares at stake just to crack the foreign market? No other Indian publication had made a collaboration this big till now, which is what had me wanting to make Rainbow the first one to break the market overseas.

He sighed. "Then I don't think there is gonna be any deal, my boy. Because let's be honest, you are too young to know what you're doing." He scoffed. "The report my research team gave me about your company, impressed me enough to go for the meeting. But Ivory is my blood and sweat. I can't just let any name tag along with it. A bit more security and we can close the deal."

My free hand formed a fist. The fact that he called Rainbow "any name", boiled my blood. I could see his point. I really did. But there was no way I was giving away my shares. If that meant losing the opportunity to collab with Ivory, then so be it.

"Well, then I guess I have nothing left to say. It was a pleasure talking to you Mr. Barton. Maybe we can have an agreeable deal in the future." I said and hung up. Pressure built inside my chest at the thought of losing a bit of my vision. This wasn't the only deal of my life. I was determined and positive to bring a lot more lucrative business for Rainbow. Yet, it didn't help ease the knots forming in my stomach.

I stood up from my chair and went out, into the space right in front of Ira's cabin. I watched the trees and the clouds meeting the tall buildings on the horizon. But the scenery wasn't very bright it always looked. Maybe because the sun hadn't shown up yet, while the day was about to end. Or maybe because my days were mourning Ira's absence.

It had been over a week since I spoke to Ira myself. Last week, when I left her with that tent man for their "date", I didn't know we would develop this unbreathable distance between us.

I had gone there to pick her up and maybe ask her if she wanted to try out this cool Lebanese restaurant that had opened recently. But the moment I saw her with him, my good mood turned into ashes. Fury coated every working bit of my brain. And the fact that she wanted to have this date with him, blew the last straw. I was literally screaming inside. What was I lacking? Why wouldn't she consider going on a date with me? It should have been me. Not him!