Chapter 6

Since Poornima insisted on taking her car, they went to the parking where a red Chevrolet Beat was parked. It was a small car that Poornima could afford. She loved her car and according to her, it moved like a bug on the road and looked rather cute. Poornima went behind the wheel while Dhruv settled in the passenger seat. She set the location on the map and drove following the GPS instructions. It was around an hour's journey. The Zenith Hospitality Services was a newly established food provider company who provided, breakfast, lunch and dinner services for corporate offices. Poornima was mentally making note of various criteria based on which to assess the vendor. This way she could not only ignore the charming aura of the person accompanying her but also be prepared for the sudden task assigned to her.

Dhruv broke the silence by asking, "Why aren't you in training today?"

"It is a course on advanced MS Excel. As I already have a certification on MS office I did not attend the training. Meanwhile I was making use of the time to analyse the trend for office supplies procurement for the past quarter. I am not lazy like you think." She replied sullenly.

Sensing her mood from the reply Dhruv laughed helplessly. "I am sorry for being rude yesterday. I was in a sour mood due to Lisa. I ended up venting my anger on you. Also, the approval delay for the expense report has nothing to do with you. It was finance team's fault." He explained to her.

Poornima could sense the guilt in his tone and softened a bit. "Hmm" she said.

"I am really sorry for putting you through the stress." He added.

"That's okay. Its just that I have always put my best front at office. Yesterday I couldn't figure out my mistake. I was kind of boggled." She said forcing a smile.

"So.. friends?" he asked hesitating, extending his hand for a handshake. Why am I doing this? He raked his brains for any damage.

With one hand on the steering, she extended her other hand to him. They shook their hands like two kids after a fight. They seemed to realize this and laughed simultaneously. "Oh those eyes!" She sighed controlling her urge to touch his face.

For the first time Dhruv saw her laughing happily and couldn't take his eyes off her. He couldn't help notice how serene her face looked as her lips curled into a genuine smile. He gulped making his adams apple bob.

He reluctantly looked away from her and happened to notice something strange in the rear view mirror. "Hey that black Scorpio! They can't be following you. Can they?" he asked her.

"What do you think? For all I know, it could be Lisa following you." She teased in reply.

He didn't believe it could be Lisa. On careful observation, he found that there were two men in that car whom he did not recognize. They were wearing black hooded jackets. He couldn't make out their features but their faces were pale and white.

"Why don't you like Lisa? You both would make a good match together." chimed Poornima. Owing to Dhruv's apology, the environment between them seemed to relax.

"Is this lady not jealous?" he thought and replied with a grumpy tone. "Not only Lisa, I wouldn't want to get into a relationship with anyone because I want to remain single."

"Oh! That makes sense. I was wondering why would someone not fall for a woman as attractive as Lisa." She smiled in realisation.

The rest of their journey they were silent but Dhruv couldn't help notice the black Scorpio tailing them which seemed odd to him. They stopped at the entrance of Zenith Hospitality Services. Poornima requested Dhruv, "Dhruv! Will you please park the car and wait for me there. I would like to review the vendor on my own. I am experienced at stuff like this." Sensing his hesitation, she added, "Do you still doubt my capability?"

"No. No." Dhruv replied and added, "Fine. You can go there alone. I will wait for you in the car." He did not doubt her capability. In a very short span of her joining the company, he realised that all her reports were much more refined than her peers. Not only that he also heard other teams mention that she dealt with various issues with greater proficiency than the others. The reason he came here with her was because he was alarmed when Lisa brought it up that it was risky for a woman to go alone. However after listening to Poornima's request, he felt that if he did not give her a chance to prove her skills, he would feel guilty for what he did yesterday. So he agreed to stay behind.

Zenith Hospitality Services office was located far from urban population of the city. It had a huge compound wall with lot of open area and a huge garden. There were many trees and from the size of their trunks they seemed to be very old. At the other end from the entrance, was a small one storey building which had an office room and a huge kitchen.

Poornima had to walk through the huge trees to reach the office. When she stated the purpose of her visit, she was taken to the kitchen and shown various segments there. She reviewed the surroundings and noted down things like hygiene, quality of raw materials used, types of packaging etc. She questioned the incharge from time to time. She discussed with the chefs and found the menu available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, coming up with rough estimates for each of them. After the review she slid the notepad in her bag and stepped out.

She wanted to discuss the pros and cons of this vendor with Dhruv on their way back before delivering her final feedback. She was walking by few trees when a pair of cold hands sneaked from behind, closed her mouth and grabbed her by the waist. She was quick to regain from the initial shock and nudged her elbow backwards sharply. This hurt the assaulter's stomach causing him to stumble back. She quickly turned behind to see the man and kicked him hard on the groin. He curled up on the ground in pain. She quickly went upto him and pressed the side of his face with her foot exerting pressure. She heard the crushing of dry leaves behind and sounds of hurried footsteps indicating someone running towards her. But as he jolted towards her, she bent low and pulled him to the front from the top of her shoulders making him fall on his back with a thud on the first person.

"Who are you? Who sent you here? What do you want?" she yelled. But her questions were met with silence. She kicked both of them from time to time so that they wouldn't attempt to get up and attack her again.

Meanwhile she heard a known voice, "Oh you are here. I have been looking for you." Dhruv came from behind. Due to the dense spread of trees he could only see Poornima with her back facing him. Only when he went closer did he notice two men sprawled on the ground squirming in pain. He at once recognized them. They were the men in the black scorpio. They were wearing the same hooded jackets. Though the lower half of their face was now covered with mask revealing only their eyes and forehead which seemed to be sunburnt, he was sure that they were the same ones from the black scorpio that had followed them. They had an oddly pungent scent.

"Are you alright?" he asked Poornima with worry written all over his face. He scanned her for injuries. She turned to him and tried to explain. Seeing her distracted, the assaulters scurried to their feet quickly and ran away limping. Had they not got the orders to bring her safe without hurting, they would have fought back and saved themselves from the humiliation today.