When the two girls entered the seminal hall, the seminar had already started. They got seats in the last row as many enthusiastic students had come early to take front seats.
"Don't be sad. It just started, " Dove said as they took seats in the last row. From there they could see some professors and guests sitting on the stage. The head of the department of business administration that was organizing the seminar made introductions and then a few other people spoke about the topic like how great their economies had become in recent years since they adopted privatization and blah blah blah. They kept on speaking about this while Dove was doing her best to not roll her eyes.
Aisha was right. The seminar was really torture. About an hour minute later, almost everyone finished their ready-made speeches and the emcee came on the stage to make an announcement, "Now, we would like to invite Miss Phoenix Walsh to come on stage and address the students of the university. Miss Walsh is an alumnus of the university, a successful entrepreneur and has contributed a lot in academics also. It would be our honour to have her here."
While the emcee was announcing on the stage, Dove felt someone was looking at her again. She looked here and there in the hall but it was dark and she couldn't see anyone there. She has that same feeling that she had in the cafeteria. Something was certainly not right, she could feel it in her bones.
She could not understand if the feeling was related to PTSD or if someone was really there gazing at her, not in a good way for sure.
The lady had started her speech on the stage but a restless Dove was still looking for a pair of intrusive eyes in the dark. If she found this person, she wouldn't leave without giving a piece of mind. She died once already. What's the worst that could happen, right?/
Someone tapped on her shoulder and she flinched. The worst could be bee life would be a living hell like last time. Sure as hell she didn't want that at all.
"Are you alright?" Scarlett asked in concern. "You have been lost somewhere for the last ten minutes. Miss Walsh's lecture is going to end."
Dove heaved out a sigh. She was not scared. Nothing could scare her. She had defeated death and come here, how could she let just anyone affect her? Looking at the stage, she saw the lady asking some students questions. The students were happily participating in it. But seeing the lady defending those bloodthirsty capitalists and students agreeing made her blood boil.
"With this, we will conclude the seminar, " Miss Walsh said. "If someone has a doubt or a question, you can ask without any hesitation."
Nobody raised their hands or stood up but the smile on Miss Walsh's face reminded her of the same smile that the asshole Hunter Knightson had on his face which meant he was the God and nobody else was better than him and his ideas. Something stirred in her heart and she stood up. She knew that she would not be visible from the front. So, she fired the question without bothering to get noticed first.
"Miss Walsh, it could be concluded from your speech that Capitalism is the future, " Dove said. "We are moving from a socialist economy towards a capitalist economy. The government has opened the economy for big foreign players. According to you, there is no harm in it. And the agitation happening in the country against such a policy is futile."
Dove paused there to give a chance to Miss Walsh to speak.
"A liberal economy is the need of the time, " Miss Walsh answered. "The less the government interferes in the market, the better it is. There is no harm in opening the economy as it's for the best of the people. The people protesting are not made aware of the pros of it. When they are made aware about the subject, the protests would stop."
"Then, Miss Walsh is hoping for an economy like that of big countries?" Dove smirked in the dark. "Then, we must throw light on the poor and rich gap in those countries. How workers are getting exploited here. How the rich are getting richer by trampling on the lives of the poor. The state doesn't think it has anything to do with it to work for the betterment of the workers because they chose that way. There are so many cons associated with that system. When would we address that? How would we address it? We are losing our very own essence because of it? What about it? Also, what would happen to the country if in a few years recession hits?"
"We have never experienced a recession before, "Miss Walsh answered, ignoring the questions asked before.
"It all comes in the cycle. If we are in an expansion period then the recession will also come, "Dove said. These people didn't know but she knew how badly the world would be hit by recession in the upcoming years and their own country would be the worst victim of it because of the policies favoured by the businessmen. "Our economy is new. We couldn't afford any big changes right now."
"We have to be open to change. Change is inevitable, " Miss Walsh said. "Profit is equivalent to risk."
"So is stupidity, "Dove scoffed. As she said this, there were murmurs in the entire seminar hall. She saw Scarlett sitting beside her looking at her with shiny eyes. Even if someone didn't like this debate, Scarlett sure did.
"The time is ending. We shall continue this debate someday, " Emcee answered. It was clear from Miss Walsh's face that she had no interest in ending it. However, the other higher-ups of the university were in not favour of prolonging the debate.
This was how the seminar came to an end.
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A/N:What else do I have in stores? Hahaha!