Adira Bellona

[ AT A TELEVISION INTERVIEW ]

The host, "Please welcome the most promising entrepreneur of our time Miss Adira Bellona, Founder and the Managing Director of NYX Investment Bank."

The camera's focus shifted to the confident woman sitting on the comfy sofa with a look of indifference as if nothing could faze her. She appeared to be in her early thirties. She had a tall, slender body with curves at right places. She looked seductive yet elegant at the same time, two contradictory features blended beautifully in her, making it hard to not notice her.

The brunette with red ombre hair looked confident, fiery and a sharp look concealed in her eyes as if she's got everything under her control, like a reigning empress looking down on insignificant humans.

One glance and you could tell she's someone you definitely would not want to mess with. Because only one look from her was enough to intimidate anyone but yet at the same time one couldn't help admiring her.

"Ms. Bellona," said the host, "Welcome to the show. Thank you for sparing your valuable time to come here. We are very grateful to get the honor of having your presence for the first time in a broadcasting media."

"The pleasure is mine. Your media's well known reputation is acknowledged by all. I believe I will be able to have a peaceful interview here. Thank you for inviting me," replied Adira.

The host, Elena gave a professional smile and said, "Ms. Bellona your name represents the goddess of destructive warfare, does it apply in your real life as well? I mean you are known as the Iron Lady in your field."

Adira gave a small laugh and said with a hint of glee, "Yes it's true I guess. It's sometimes necessary to be ruthless. What you call being ruthless, for me I see it as a way to increase my work efficiency.

Time is money my dear and for us business persons it is an absolute necessity. Every second matters. Just a second of negligence can cause your downfall. Years of efforts can turn into dust if you are not careful due to being soft hearted. I don't have the leisure to put up a nice front pretending to be a pure deity."

Adira took a short breathe and looked directly at the camera emphasizing, "I am not a saint. I am a business woman. For me time matters, money matters and most importantly making profits matter. In order to achieve my goal I can persist to do anything, even if it means becoming the devil myself."

"Ms. Bellona you are quite a serious person."

Adira chuckled, "We may live in peaceful times now but Ms. Elena the business market is a war zone itself. No matter which industry, you will have to face off against hundreds or even thousands of competitors. In business we are all trying to gain the advantage against our opponents, this is known as 'competitive advantage'.

Let me help you understand. I am sure you have watched a football match, all 22 players vying to get that one football. Now imagine that 1 piece of football as a 'competitive advantage' and all the players as competitors. Remember the struggle of 22 players to score a goal against the opponent in a normal football match? Now think what could be the scenario if instead of only twenty-two there were hundreds and thousands of players, all in the same field, all of them fighting for that one piece of ball! "

The host Elena's eyes widened at surprise and she looked like her jaw's about to drop but she managed to stop herself at the last moment. Then she hid her surprise and once again showed her professional smile,

"Thank you for enlightening us."

Adira watched amusedly how fast the host managed to control her facial expression, thinking she's a professional television host no wonder.

"Ms. Bellona you started your career as an investment manager and later founded your current company, NYX Investment Bank. What was your early inspiration? What made you choose this line of work?" asked the host Elena.

Adira replied with glittering eyes,

"Com'on the idea of using someone else's money to gain profit yourself sounds very appealing, right?"

Elena became speechless at Adira's casual reply. The lady tycoon, Adira Bellona even winked at her when she gave the last reply. Elena wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. The woman grinning from ear to ear, was this the same Iron Lady who was talking so seriously as if she were a devil? Why was she looking like an amused person who just played a mischief successfully!

"Your company's been listed as one of the top ten companies capable of changing the flow of National Economy single handedly. Almost all the large corporations of Z Nation are one way or another dependent on your company. How did you manage to pull a small company into today's NYX Investment Bank? Please share your secret to success with us. Everyone here is interested to know."

Adira's playful look was gone, replaced with a seldom seriousness, "I have only one word for you, it's called staying 'persistent'. In life you are bound to fall, get hurt but you are not allowed to give up. Because once you give up on yourself it's game over for you. So stay true to your goal and persist to reach it again and again. If you fall, get your ass together and get up. Fall and get up, fall and get up, fall again but only to get up, remember that you must always have the will to get up, that's how you defeat life and emerge victorious."

"That was motivating," said the host Elena.

Adira chuckled and said, "Yes, it is motivating but no one actually listens to it. Everyone knows the proverb 'Industry is the key to success' but how many actually follows it? These are just well known talks that everyone knows but no one does."

Hearing Adira's sarcastic words Elena became at a loss of words as how to continue but then she heard Adira continuing,

"If you think you are unlucky because your life's so hard, then sorry to break it down to you but by moping and keeping your ass there your life is going to turn even worse! If you think it's the worst as it can get, unfortunately you are wrong. And just how wrong, life will soon prove it to you. So my dear fellows take control of your life before it takes control over you. Do it while you still have the chance."

"Thank you Ms. Bellona. I am sure your fans will be benefited with your encouragement. They will follow your foot steps to become as successful as you one day."

"You are flattering me Ms. Elena."

The host then asked about some ongoing projects and future plans for the company and discussed a few miscellaneous topics before finally ending the show.

"Thank you once again Ms. Bellona for joining us today."

"It was my pleasure, I had a wonderful time."

*****

[ AT THE BACK STAGE ]

"Ah excuse me Ms. Bellona, can I please have your autograph?"

Adira turned her head hearing the voice to find the host Elena. She said shyly, "I am a fan of yours too. You are one of the richest women of Z Nation. I dream of becoming a self-made rich successful woman like you. Your motivational words moved me today."

Adira smiled and teased, "O my! I only said those long boring talks to bore you so that you will end the show quickly." and winked at her.

Elena became speechless for the second time today.

"My dear you have a pair of pure eyes, untainted by the world's dirt. Don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing that you are still protected from the cruelty of life. But I hope you will continue staying this way. It's just that I could not help teasing you, hehe. You remind me of my son. It was interesting to meet you," said Adira with a kind smile and signed her an autograph.

*****

[ AT NYX INVESTMENT BANK HEADQUARTERS ]

In an all-white furnished office room, Adira was seating behind her desk and reviewing documents. The room looked simple with a touch of elegance. At the top floor of a multistoried building, the free wind currents were gently blowing the light warm coloured curtains, while the sunlight peeped on the small daisy plant pots by the window side.

Adira called her capable assistant through the intercom, "Linda, please come to my room."

"Yes, Ma'am. I will be there right away."

There was a knock on the door and Linda entered the office room. Adira finished reviewing the document at her hand and signed it, then motioned a small eye gesture for Linda to take it back.

"Linda, did Ash call while I was at the interview?"

"No Ma'am, I did not receive any call from him."

"Ok, carry on with your work. Clear up my schedule for the next hour. I am having a bad headache. I will take rest for a while."

"Understood, Ma'am."

"Linda also contact Ash's class teacher about the competition he wants to participate and please gather all the info about it. Give it to me today before 5 pm."

"Yes Ma'am, it will be done before time. I will take my leave now. Have a good rest."

Adira nodded at her. Taking the signed documents, Linda left slowly closing the door behind her.

The office once again became quite with Adira alone working in there. Only the sound of pen moving and pages turning accompanied by the wind shuttering the curtains from time to time could be heard.

Feeling sored muscles all over her body due to tiredness, Adira sighed. She leaned back on her chair closing her eyes to take a short rest. But as she tried to relax, today's interview memory flashed into her mind.

"Fall and get up, huh?" she said mockingly, opening her eyes to reveal the melancholy hidden deep inside her. Only after being alone did she dare to show those emotions.

How many falls did it take for her to be here today... she wondered. Maybe she had to fall till there was no ground even left under her to stand on.

She didn't want to remember the past because it would only cause more pain. Even if she had already overcome them but it didn't change the fact that they still felt bitter. No one knew what she had to go through to reach here or how many times she had to pick up her broken shattered pieces and struggle to keep them together all by herself.

Struggling... fighting... all alone.

No one knew. Because there's no place for the young naïve Adira in this cruel world.

Yes, only Bellona, the Goddess of Destructive Warfare can survive and emerge victorious.

Aah.. she felt her head throbbing with pain with these thoughts.

Swallowing down the bitterness and sour feeling, Adira tried to close her eyes and forget all these.

How she wished all these bitter memories would just go away ...