Shades Of Possession

Ch: 2 Part One

Farheen's Pov:

I entered my office while greeting the guard. In return I received a smile from him. Palette Productions was an art agency which sells artworks on national and international level.

It is one of the most prestigious agencies in India and is even famous for its standard art pieces that speak volumes, in the western world.

Getting a job here was easy for me. All I had to do was submit four demo artworks on the themes instructed by them. And the prompts were not at all easy. I had so many nervous breakdowns while creating them.

But I pulled myself together, gave my best and here I am, Palette Production's Art Director and their most demanded artist too.

To say that I am grateful would be an understatement. I am beyond grateful and honoured to have this role, after all, this was my dream job.

"Good Morning, Tanya. How's you?" I smiled at my junior artist. She joined last week and has a beautiful style. Her art resonated with a lot of people when her first piece was showcased at an art gallery.

"Good Morning to you too, ma'am. I am fine. How are you?" She gave me a warm smile.

"All good, all good. Has Gagan arrived with his piece?" I enquired while walking alongside her.

"No, but I called him, he said he's on his way. Said his car broke down." We reached my cabin door and entered inside.

I sat down on my seat and huffed. "Inform him to meet me when he arrives. And give me all the details of your latest artwork by today. Okay?"

She nodded and left the room.

My phone chimed and I immediately picked it up. A smile automatically formed on my face seeing Azhar's name. But it vanished as soon as it came after remembering my mother's words from early morning.

"Good Morning, darling. Don't forget about our date today! Be ready at 7. xoxo"

Our long scheduled date was finally happening today. It was also the perfect time to talk about the future with Azhar.
Flicking my thumb across the keyboard, I crafted a reply that perfectly captured my current mood.

"Morning, handsome. And how can I forget about our date? After all, you begged me to say yes."

A chuckle escaped my lips. Azhar didn't beg me. He didn't even ask me. He just informed me about his plans and said, "I won't take no for an answer, Farheen darling." while typing away on his phone.

Azhar made decisions swiftly, his plans rolling out like an unstoppable wave, and I often found myself swept along. While a part of me appreciated his decisiveness and take-charge attitude, another part craved a bit more space, a chance to voice my own opinions. Yet, over time, Azhar's dominance had become a strange comfort, a familiar routine for me.

He didn't reply after my text, though he has seen it. He must be fashionably busy in a meeting or in a conference, or at a factory visit.

Coffee fueled my focus as I meticulously edited a series of photographs, each click of the mouse a brushstroke on the digital canvas. The clock ticked by, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the cluttered desk. My gaze flicked between the vibrant images on the screen and a spreadsheet listing upcoming exhibitions and deadlines.

Hours melted away unnoticed. By the time the insistent chime of the 6 pm news broke the silence, I realized I was running late. With a jolt, I glanced at the clock, the red digits mockingly displaying 6:15 pm.