Tanmoy tried to soothe his sister's mood by offering to buy her favourite cake or icecream, but his efforts went in vain. Ankita either ignored him or only hummed in response.
Once they reached home, Ankita jumped out of the car and almost ran towards the door. Tanmoy texted Mr Chakraborty, who was then at home, about the situation and told him to talk to Ankita till he came back. Then, he drove off to the firm thinking that if all that was for nothing, they better be responsible for ruining his day out with his sister.
On his way, he said to his watch, "Call Anulekha."
It lit up and a dialling screen appeared with Assistant A written on top.
The call was picked up within a few rings and a soft, respectful voice sounded, "Hello sir?"
"Where are you?" Tanmoy asked.
His voice carried a tinge of roughness.
"Why, I'm at the office sir. Is something wrong? You seem annoyed." Anulekha stopped her work and asked with a mixture of confusion and worry.
Tanmoy went quiet for a few seconds, then replied in a milder tone.
"I'm sorry. It's nothing. I was just asking. Mr Bakshi called me some time ago and asked me to come to the firm for some urgent matter. Do you have any idea what it is?"
"Sorry, sir I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I was busy sorting out the documents of the last case that you closed so I've been inside my cabin since morning. But if you kindly give me a minute, I'll call you back with all the info." She said jumping to her feet.
Tanmoy could hear how hoarse Anulekha's voice was.
He shook his head thinking, 'She probably forgot to even hydrate herself while working.'
"No need. You must've been working for a long time. Get some rest and drink some water. I'm almost there. I'll know everything eventually. Bye."
Saying that Tanmoy cut the call.
"Sir how di..."
Anulekha wanted to ask how he knew that she had been working non-stop but the call was already disconnected. She stared at the screen and bit her lips that curled into a barely noticeable curve.
'Sir, you may keep a strict appearance but you're so very caring at heart. Okay, since you said so I'll take a break.'
She quickly closed her Board and went to the canteen to grab something to eat and drink. Tanmoy was talking about some important matter on the phone and she wanted to be ready for assistance.
After arriving at the firm Tanmoy headed straight to Mr Bakshi's office.
He was about to knock on the door when someone called out.
"Sir."
Tanmoy turned his head towards the source of the voice and saw his assistant. It was a day off for Anulekha and she had only come to sort out the documents and submit them to Mr Bakshi, so she was also in a non-formal attire. She was wearing a white and pink blend kurta-pyjama with a matching dupatta. Her straight hair was set loose with a barrette clip. There was an overall refreshing feeling to her look. When her eyes landed on Tanmoy, she got momentarily stunned. That was her first time seeing him in casual wears. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.
She bowed her head and said, "Good morning, Sir."
Tanmoy nodded and said, "Let's go in. By the way, you look good in these clothes."
He smiled politely and went inside. Anulekha stood there for a moment, blankly staring ahead with her face tinged like a strawberry. Then she stood a few deep breaths, tucked some loose hair behind her ears and walked in with a professional smile on her face, trying her best to hide the blush threatening to escape.
"Mr Chakraborty, come in. We were waiting for you." Mr Govind Bakshi said in a mixture Hindi and Bengali.
"Oh, Ms Mondol. You're here too. Very good, very good. Come and sit, both of you." He motioned towards the sofa opposite him.
Tanmoy greeted him with a small bow of his head and sat down. Anulekha also followed suit.
After they took their seats Mr Bakshi said, "Let me introduce you. Tanmoy this is Mr Suresh Chauhan. Mr Chauhan this is Tanmoy Chakraborty. Our ace lawyer."
Tanmoy saw an elderly man seated opposite them in a formal suit. He got up and joined his palms in greeting. Mr Chauhan did so too.
"Mr Chakraborty, I've heard a lot about you in the past few years. Now that I get to see you up close, needless to say, I'm honoured to meet you." Mr Chauhan said in clear-cut Bengali.
Tanmoy widened his eyes in amusement.
"I'm honoured to meet you too. And your accent is really surprising. I have to admit you probably have the best pronunciation I have ever heard from someone whose mother tongue is not Bengali." Tanmoy said.
Mr Chauhan laughed.
They were both renowned lawyers of their generation. But unlike Tanmoy, Mr Chauhan did not make public appearances in a very long time. So his visit that day came as a big surprise to Tamnoy. Nevertheless he could understand why Mr Bakshi called him on an urgent notice.
"So, Mr Chakraborty, let's get down to business?" Mr Chauhan smiled.
Noticing the shift in his tone to seriousness, Tanmoy straightened up. A distinguished advocate such as Mr Chauhan had no reason to personally drop by their firm. They did not have that cordial of a relationship.
"Here's the thing. I am the head of the legal department at Jet. But due to some personal emergency that can't be avoided, I am in need of a long vacation. So I need a substitute capable enough to handle my position during my absence. And I come here with that proposal for you." Mr Chauhan said.
"Mr Chauhan... I'm very grateful that you think of me as such but..." Tanmoy sighed.
"My specialization in crime..."
Mr Chauhan patiently waited for Tanmoy to voice his thoughts.
"And... I suppose you're talking about the Jet?"
Mr Chauhan nodded proudly, "Yes."