Tanmoy tried to soothe his sister's mood but his efforts went in vain. Ankita only replied with a "Hm." or "Okay." Once they reached home Ankita directly got off the car and headed towards the door. Tanmoy texted Mr Chakraborty who was then at home about the situation and told him to talk to Ankita till he comes back. With that, he drove off to the firm in a ruined mood. On his way, he spoke, "Call Anulekha." His watch lit up and a dialling screen was seen. The call was picked up within a few rings and a soft voice sounded "Hello sir?" "Where are you?" Tanmoy said. His voice carried a tinge of roughness.
"I'm at the office sir. Is something wrong? You don't sound good." Anulekha said over the phone. Tanmoy was quiet for some seconds and then replied in a milder tone. "Nothing. Just asking. Mr Bakshi called me some time back 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 asking. I was busy sorting out the documents of our last case that we closed and I've been inside my cabin since. Please give me a minute I'll call you back with the info." She said. Tanmoy could hear the screeching of the chair and her slightly hoarse voice.
"No need. You were working for a long time. Get some rest. I'm almost there. I'll know everything eventually. Bye." Tanmoy said and cut the call. "Sir how did you...." She wanted to ask how he knew she did not take a break since she started working but the call was already disconnected. Anulekha stared at her screen and bit her lips. The corners of her lips were curled in a barely noticeable curve. 'I know Sir. Although you keep a strict appearance you're very caring at heart.' She thought. She then shook her head and closed her laptop before going to get a glass of water.
Tanmoy arrived at the firm and got off the car. He walked straight to the owner's office. He was going to knock on the door when a familiar voice called out "Sir." Tanmoy turned his head towards the source of the voice and saw Anulekha. Today was a day off for Anulekha and she only came to sort out the documents and submit them to Mr Bakshi so she was also in non-formal attire. She was wearing a white kurta-pyjama with a rose pink gradient at the bottom and a white dupatta. Her straight hair was set with a barrette clip. When her eyes landed on Tanmoy she was momentarily stunned. This was the first time she was seeing him in casual clothing. Her fair cheeks became slightly pink. She lowered her head and said, "Good afternoon 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 and lowered her head. Her face was like a strawberry. She tucked some loose hair behind her ears and walked in. There was a smile on her face. Although it wasn't uncommon there was a hint of shyness in it today. "Mr Chakraborty come in. We were waiting for you." Mr Govind Bakshi said it in half Hindi and half Bengali. "Oh, Ms Mondol. You're here too. Very good very good. Come sit both of you." He said upon noticing Tanmoy's assistant.
Tanmoy sat down on the sofa. Anulekha also came and sat beside him. 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 did not expect you to be under this firm. I'm honoured to meet you." Mr Chauhan said. Tanmoy was a little surprised to hear such clear Bengali from him. "I'm honoured to meet you too. And your accent is really surprising." Tanmoy said. Mr Chauhan laughed.
They were both renowned lawyers. But Mr Chauhan did not appear in court for a very long time. So Tanmoy was surprised to see him here today. Although they never met their tones were very respectful towards each other. "So Mr Chakraborty let's get down to business?" Mr Chauhan said. Noticing the change in his tone from amicable to seriousness Tanmoy straightened up. Knowing how distinguished of an advocate Mr Chauhan was it was not a matter of joke that he personally came to their firm. Moreover, Tanmoy respected this man a lot and considered him as one of his idols so he listened even more attentively.
"Here's the thing. I work for Jet. But due to some personal reasons, I need a long period of vacation. It is an emergency and can't be delayed. So I'm looking for someone who can be the head of Jet's legal department during that period." Mr Chauhan said. "You mean you're looking for a substitute?" Tanmoy said. Mr Chauhan nodded. "And... you said you work for Jet?" Mr Chauhan nodded again and said "Yes. India's number one business company." There was a hint of pride in his voice.