I looked at her. There was a calm strength in her gaze, a conviction that shone through the red haze in my mind.
I felt myself unwind. I exhaled. ‘You’re right.’
Outside, I waved at Dilip, my driver, and he handed the ticket to the valet.
‘I have a burning question,’ Ananya said.
‘Shoot.’
‘Kavita had made a note next to our lawyer’s contact saying I’d need to book two slots whenscheduling a meeting with him. We’ve, in fact, finished early,’ she said. ‘Why?’
‘That must be for Pritesh, our main counsel,’ I replied. ‘Almost thirty years in this business and still hasn’t learned the difference between a meeting and a podcast.’
Ananya laughed, and I suppressed a smile.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out.Dad.
‘Hello,’ I said.
‘The deal is done!’ Dad’s voice boomed on the other end, ecstatic.
I froze, his words echoing in my ear. Exhilaration pumped into my veins.
He was in London for a defining moment in House of Advani’s history – finalising a deal with Harrods for year-round placement of our couture line.
It had been my idea. My pitch to the board. My months of chasing meetings, refining collections and sitting through gruelling meetings across time zones. I had travelled to London eight times in the past year to build a relationship and negotiate the terms. The final round was a formality: a signature, a photo and a toast. I’d wanted to do it, to see all my hard work finally come to fruition, but Mom thought that as the CEO and president of the company, it would be more appropriate for Dad to attend instead. That, and she wanted to go along and shop in London.
He didn’t disagree. I was disappointed. But I let it go.
Getting this deal was important, not who shook hands after signing on the dotted line. Knowing thiswin was all mine, and getting promoted to COO for it, was enough.
I smiled. ‘Congratulations, Dad.’
‘No. Congratulations toyou,’ he said. ‘You’re the reason we did it. I’m so proud of you.’
When I got my position three months ago, many thought it was premature. A part of me did too. This was the validation I was looking for, concrete proof that I deserved to be where I was. Not because of my surname, but because of my hard work and performance.
My grip on the phone tightened. ‘Thank you.’
I’d been wanting to hear these words from him for so long. When I finally did, they didn’t land the way I thought they would. I was elated, naturally, but I expected the moment to feel bigger. It was like a high that never came.
‘Your mom and I are coming back next week. Let’s celebrate over dinner, all of us.’
I forced a little smile. ‘Of course.’
The car rolled to a stop, and Dilip opened the back door for us.
I waited for a moment, surrounded by valet traffic, the low hum of engines and the distant smell of salty sea air. I’d just closed the biggest deal of my career.
Why did it feel like I was waiting for something else?
‘Jai?’
Ananya was looking at me, half-concerned. I gestured for her to take a seat before I circled the car and slid in.
‘What was that?’ she asked.
‘We got Harrods,’ I replied.
