Leaning about her

Chapter 3: Learning about her

"Why did you even send the proposal when you were not sure?" Silas angrily scolded the international delegates after looking at their proposal. He usually would control his anger in these situations but today he was dragged away just because of this meeting and the other party didn't even put sincere efforts. 

"I don't care. I want the revised proposal by tonight. Or else the deal is cancelled." And he left the conference room. 

"Boss.. Boss. When should I schedule this meeting tomorrow? Your afternoon is free. Should I.."

"The meeting will be tonight. And from now on, keep all the important meetings for the night. I want my office hours free." Silas ordered and went into his cabin, leaving George in a headache. 

But George also understood another thing. That he should take special care of intern Ayesha in the finance department. Maybe she could bring some positive changes in his boss.

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"How about you Ayesha? Are you joining?" Sophia, another intern, asked during the lunch. All the interns were planning to hangout somewhere during the weekend to bond well.

Ayesha hesitated. Being a typical introvert, she wasn't so eager to go out with strangers. But she also knew that making connections was important. 

"That depends on the place. Where are you planning to go?" Ayesha asked as she enjoyed her seven star lunch. 

"Let's go to the first nightclub." Another intern suggested as he looked at Ayesha. Few other interns agreed instantly. It was a famous spot to hang out among the youth. The club also had a good reputation with no scandals. 

Everyone started making plans while Ayesha thought for a while. She didn't like spending time outside during the night. And definitely not in a nightclub. The sound, smoke, sweat, smell, it was everything she would take a U-turn from. 

"You guys carry on. I will join you some other time. That nightclub is quite far from my place." She politely declined. 

"Come on Ayesha. It will be Saturday night. How does it matter even if we get a bit late?" Sophia said as she tried to convince Ayesha to join them. 

"I know. But it is still far from my place. And my family won't allow it."

"Huh? You are a graduate intern Ayesha. Why do you need parent's permission for a night out?" Sophia questioned. Even other interns gave the same expressions and gazes. 

"What has it got to do with me graduating or interning? And isn't it normal? Any parent will be worried if their kids go out at night and don't give an exact time of returning."

Everyone at the table looked weirdly at her. One of the reasons was that they never bothered to inform their parents how exactly they spend their time and where. But they didn't press on it anymore since Ayesha already made it very clear that she wouldn't attend. 

Soon the discussion steered towards other matters and Ayesha was glad that the people were mature enough to not outcast her and include her in the discussions. All the while, she was completely unaware that her secret admirer was listening to her across the partition in the room. 

—-------------

"Did you note down everything?" Silas asked George after the interns left the restaurant. George looked down at his note pad filled with useless things and nodded. 

"Yes boss. Anything else?" He silently hoped nothing else to come. He was already given the task to analyse these notes and come up with the things Ayesha will like and dislike. 

George tiredly looked at his boss who was seriously thinking about something while taking huge gulps of his beer. 

"Cough cough.. Boss?"

"What?"

"Do you want to pursue Miss Cloven?" George asked carefully. If yes, then he wished his boss would become serious with his life and make some good changes in his lifestyle. 

Silas blinked. He was so into Ayesha all this while that he hadn't thought about anything else. Not even to give a name to his feelings. 

"What should I do to pursue her?" He asked immediately. He has plenty of money to shower her with expensive gifts, but he didn't want to do that because he had done the same with all other girls before. 

George put away his notepad and leaned forward. "Boss.. You heard everything Miss Cloven said right?" Silas nodded. 

"She comes from a family where she had to take permission to go out with friends. And did you notice the drinks on that table? Everyone took a sip of wine, but Miss Cloven didn't even touch it. She only took water."

Silas frowned, understanding what his secretary was trying to say. 

"Miss Cloven's food choices, hobbies, the way she talks, the way she dresses, everything indicates that she comes from a very conservative family. And.. And you have observed for over 2 months now. She never indulged herself in anything extravagant."

Silas nodded. Seeing that the boss was listening, George cleared his throat and continued. 

"So Boss.. What I am trying to say is, you might have to change your lifestyle a bit if you want to impress her. Also work a bit on your reputation."

Silas pursed his lips. Yes. He had to do that first. But only recently did he realize how much damage he had done to himself. Drinking - he was somewhat addicted to it now. Sleeping around - even if he stops, no one will believe him. He had absolutely nothing that a girl would expect in a life partner except for money.

Even George realized this fact. In fact, he had seen the look on Ayesha's face in the morning when Silas entered the conference room. She was not awestruck or excited like other interns. She carefully looked at him from head to toe before losing any possible interest in Silas. 

—-----------------

"I am at the bus stop. And there are a lot of groceries with me. I cannot video call you now" Ayesha said as she squeezed the phone between her ear and shoulders as she struggled to hold the grocery bags.

"Ryan!! Can't you understand? My hands are full and I am waiting for my bus. Just cut the call if there is nothing else."

Ayesha sighed hearing the other person ramble on and on. This was her fiance Ryan, the one who her mother had set her up with. 

She never liked Ryan. She didn't have any feelings for him. In fact, she told this to her mom and Ryan on many occasions. But they didn't care. Her feelings didn't matter to them, and she had slowly learned to hide her emotions in front of them. 

"Think whatever you want. I am busy. Bye." Ayesha cut the call without any delay. It was so irritating talking to this man. He would either keep throwing orders at her, or tell her what a proper lady should be like. And the saddest part of this was that she could feel insecurities creeping into her slowly. 

HONK.. HONK…

Ayesha looked at the dark blue shiny customized sports car in front of her. The window slowly rolled down and her heart skipped a beat when she saw those blue orbs full of adoration staring back at her. 

"Hii Miss Cloven. I saw you were waiting for your bus. I can drop you at your home." Silas said. His excitement was barely hidden. 

George slapped his forehead in embarrassment after hearing his boss. Of course he can drop anyone at home with this car. He was supposed to ask, not declare.

"Huh.. T-That's very generous of you sir. But my bus will be arriving soon. I will have to decline your offer. I hope you don't mind." Ayesha refused. 

"You have so much luggage with you. Going on public transport will be troublesome. I can drop you off"

Now Ayesha was having doubts on his intentions. Who knows what all happens inside this car of Silas Fitxgerald. 

"No sir. Thank you. My bus will be here soon"

Silas was slightly disappointed but then tried to put himself in her shoes. It was good that she was aware and alert about her safety. That was more important. 

"Fine then. Good night Miss Cloven. See you tomorrow."

"No please' Ayesha thought. The car then drove off, making her take a breath of relief.

Meanwhile, inside the car, Silas was thinking how to get close to her and gain her trust. He sensed that showing off his riches made her uncomfortable. 

"George, release that bus now."

"Yes boss." George immediately dialed his subordinates to release the bus from the hijack. 

"She doesn't seem to like my presence. How will I be able to pursue her?" Silas asked aloud so that George could hear. 

"Boss. You are a complete stranger to her, to like or dislike. But Miss Cloven did seem to have made a few judgements regarding you. We should start working on them first."

"How?"

"We can start with the drinks first. How about we clean out that alcohol factory at your place and make a social media post. At least she will be aware that you are trying to change."

Silas nodded. His social media was managed by his PR and every announcement there was purely business. But yes, this can be a good start. Whether she believes it or not, he had already decided to change.