Next day I reached office early. My stomach was in knots. I had hit the gym really hard in the morning to work off the stress but it didn't work for me that day like it usually did. I kept on thinking if the alcohol had affected me more than and I had imagined the whole evening and its events. I sat at my desk working up the courage and rehearsing how I would say that we accepted Anjali's offer.
All too soon I saw her enter. As the sound of her heels approached my way, I ducked down in my cubicle. Maybe if she didn't see me, she would just call any of the other team members.
Her footsteps stopped by my cubicle. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up, mustered up my best smile and said, "Good morning, Anjali, I mean ma'am"
Her eyebrows rose and she curtly replied, "Good morning. In my office now please."
I looked back at the floor where the rest of the team sat for support. Not a single head showed. I looked up and saw that Anjali had already gone ahead to her cabin.
Taking a deep breath to push down my discomfort and compose my face, I walked to her cabin and knocked and entered as she called me in.
"Yes ma'am?" I asked as she looked up.
"My card?" she asked.
"Oh yes" I almost exclaimed in relief having a safe topic to start with. I retrieved the card from my wallet and gave it to her.
"Ma'am, the topic that we discussed last evening. If your offer still stands, we accept" I said in a quiet voice.
Her face was inscrutable as she held my gaze and replied, "I thought you might. I have set in motion some changes which you will come to know by today."
"Sure" I said and turned to go.
Her voice stopped me. "Was it a tough decision?"
I turned around to see that lovely crooked smile and dangerous sparkle. I decided that I was tired of being toyed with and replied politely, "For me it wasn't. I don't know about the others." I didn't wait for her reaction.
In a few hours we realized that Anjali was as good as her word. We were called to the conference room along with our bosses. Anjali was there as well with the Head of Sales.
It soon became evident that this was no ordinary meeting. Our defiant Area Managers, were being regaled with praise and heartfelt congratulations. They were each designated for "special assignments" far across the country, geographical reassignments that would take effect starting the following day.
The two hitherto separate teams were to be consolidated into one team and be reporting directly to the AVP Sales. All twelve of us were to be Anjali's team.
Anjali's path had been cleared through a series of clinically skillful maneuvers - departures artfully ornamented, chains of command rewired with precision. Like a grandmaster peering dozens of moves ahead, she had reshaped the entire chessboard to perfect her desired outcome.
Right after we got back to our desks from the conference room, we received meeting invitations in the mail for within the hour. Requirements – a full presentation detailing our prospects, actions and progress for that quarter. We were getting a taste of the pace at which our new boss worked.
The meeting went on till two in the morning. The rules were made clear at the start. A few in the team made the mistake of thinking that the conversation at the bar meant that they could take liberties at work. One tongue lashing set them ramrod straight.
The entire team responsibility structure was changed. From an area wise responsibility we would now be working on account priority basis. Accounts were distributed across the team. Everyone would be working towards the common team target.
Anjali took the largest and complex accounts on herself. The boss was a part of the team too.
Finally, the day was over. As we were leaving, she said, "Please don't be late tomorrow. I want everyone here by nine-thirty sharp."
Everyone was just nodded. We were too braindead to even speak.
We were on time next morning. And left at 1 am. And that became our new schedule. If we were not traveling for meetings, we were in office by 9:30 am and were there till at least 12 am. That continued on weekends as well.
By the end of the first week everyone was running on fumes. For me it was even harder. I was still hitting the gym. That combined with reduced sleep, crazy work hours and the additional stress took a toll. Each day became a haze.
Through it all Anjali was an indomitable force, a whirlwind of drive and determination that propelled the entire team into a frenetic action. Her methods were multifaceted, shifting with calculated precision to elicit the deepest reserves of effort from each individual. One moment she exuded warmth that coaxed out our very best. The next she was issuing blistering admonitions and threats that snapped us into unwavering focus.
Her own work ethic was a beacon that simultaneously inspired and humbled. She did not simply lord over her subordinates but instead walked amongst us, toiling shoulder-to-shoulder each day.
And through it all, she maintained an almost preternatural awareness of our limits. Whenever she sensed a team member teetering perilously close to their breaking point, she would act with astute compassion. A simple word from Anjali was all it took - she would send him home for the day. It was a sacrifice of personnel she made willingly, always prioritizing the collective wellbeing over any fleeting momentary gain.
The whole team was half in love with her and happily worked themselves to death for her. Of course, the end reward was always shining at the end of the tunnel.
I was the only one who was immune to her charm even though I felt a powerful attraction towards her. While the others were completely under her spell, I maintained a wary distance, my instincts alerting me to the calculated machinations lurking beneath her polished veneer. This woman was no delicate flower; she was a mercurial force of nature, her keen intellect honed to a razor's edge, her ambition an insatiable juggernaut that propelled her ever forward.
With nearly sociopathic deftness, she could oscillate between personas in an instant – one moment cloaking herself in beguiling warmth that disarmed even the most guarded souls, the next transforming into an unyielding blade of ice, her words slicing through any resistance. It was an unnerving dichotomy that spoke to the staggering depths of her manipulation. Indeed, she had secured the steadfast trust and admiration of the entire team through her charisma – all except mine.
Over the course of those two weeks, her probing questions had gently extracted the deepest secrets, the most intimate vulnerabilities from my colleagues, assimilating this knowledge into her arsenal. But I kept myself shielded, my thoughts and motivations sealed behind an impassive mask. While the others basked in her radiant confidence, I toiled in guarded silence, maintaining a calculated distance that insulated me from her intoxicating influence. For in her brain lurked a mind as fathomless and unreadable as the depths of the ocean.
I prided myself on being the best data analyst in the team though I was no match for Anjali. That woman could do in her head in seconds what it took me 10 minutes to do in excel. Her mind was a finely-tuned computational engine, capable of processing complex data with an almost supernatural fluidity. It was a humbling talent that exposed the boundaries of my own abilities.
But she recognized my skills and started giving me additional data work along with my assigned accounts. It seemed to me as if she was driving me the hardest. My workload was always more than anyone else in the team.
Her strategic manipulations, however, extended well beyond the realms of team management. Anjali's keen eyes seemed to appraise my every move; her gaze perpetually trained upon me through the day. And she kept me in office. Even if I was required to travel, she would have another manager travel for the meeting. And I would always feel her eye on me.
It was a delicate balance of empowerment and confinement, as though she were shepherding me down a calculated trajectory. But I was determined not to follow whatever path she had planned for me. I was sure that there was nothing good waiting at the end. I gritted my teeth and carried on, determined not to break.