As she entered the office, Mr. Roy gathered around everyone to introduce the new managing director. He picked up a microphone and started speaking, " Everyone, meet our newly appointed managing director, Ms. Sharmishtha Singh. You all know her outstanding career as an investigative journalist. She was the one who lead out the sting operation programs against Davon Group of Industries. Arjun and I once shared an opportunity of working with her. " As he was about to tell more about her, Rohan came running and uttered something in Mr. Roy's ears. Mr. Roy turned to Ms. Singh and said, "Madam, there's an urgent call for you."
"Did you take the person's name?" asked Ms. Singh. "No, Madam. He didn't give any name. He says it's urgent. I told him to wait, but he keeps insisting."
" Alright, which way?" asked Ms. Singh. Rohan took her to the office they had been preparing for her. Ms. Singh answered the phone, " Sharmistha here, who is it?" A man started speaking on the other side with a low voice, "Rajiv here, I couldn't reach your phone. Thank god you reached safely. I was worried sick."
" Oh, I forgot to turn it on. Why were you worried sick?" asked Sharmishtha.
" Oh yes, Sir, yes. Just a moment, the report is ready. I was chatting with my mother here. "
" Rajiv? Rajiv? What are you saying? Hey?" asked Sharmishtha buzzing with confusion. Rajib answered, " Listen, there has been...I can't tell you right now. Just don't go out anywhere alone. Be safe. I will call you later. Be careful for now."
" Hello? Rajiv? What happened?" asked Sharmishtha. But, there was no answer. Rajiv has already hanged up. Sharmishtha stood lost with a dilemma when Mr. Roy asked," Who was it, Madam?"
" Oh, that was one of my colleagues from the UK office. He just checked to call if I arrived already. You see, a lot of work is overdue. So, the office is urging to take up the work as soon as possible. I believe there's some official documentation left to do," said Ms. Singh.
" Yes, Madam. I shall send it to you as soon as possible. Shall I send some coffee as well, Madam?"
Ms. Singh smiled hearing that. " That would be great, Roy."
"Very well, Madam," replied Mr. Roy and left. Certain things might have changed, but her coffee addiction hasn't gone in all these years. Sharmishtha looked around her office. It was a large room with a glass door on the entrance and giant glass windows to the south with an attached washroom. The room had a comfortable couch, coffee table, multiple cabinets on the north wall, a round-shaped desk near the window. The desk was not well set up yet. A lot of stuff was still scattered here and there in her office. Although Sharmishtha hated the mess and like things nice and tidy, she wasn't feeling up to clean it. She was rather tired from her journey. So, she put down her bags near the sofa and went to freshen up. She took off her glasses and washed her face. She came out and went right to the couch to rest.
While Mr. Roy prepared the documents, he ordered Rohan to send a cup of cappuccino to Ms. Singh. Sharmishtha almost fell asleep when a person arrived with a cup of cappuccino. She woke up as he called from outside, " Your coffee, Madam."
" Come in, place it on the table," Sharmishtha replied.
" Will that be all, Ma'am?" asked the boy.
"Yes, thank you," Ms. Singh responded.
"Very well, Madam," said the boy and left. While sipping her coffee, Sharmishtha kept thinking about Rajiv's words. She kept asking herself, " Did something happen in the UK office after she left? Did someone find out about the case that she had taken? No, that can't be it. Very few people know about the secret investigation she has been operating. Well, I can't be sure of anything until Rajiv calls again. " At that moment, Sharmishtha remembered that she had not turned on her phone yet. She put the cup down and quickly reached for her purse. She took out her phone and turned it on. The phone started ringing immediately after. She answered the call, "Hello? Sharmishtha here."
" What were you doing? I have been trying to call you for the past three hours!" screamed someone from the other side. At once, Sharmishtha recognized the voice. She smiled and replied, " Sorry, I was exhausted. I forgot to turn on my phone. I should have called you. I am very sorry. "
" That's alright. I just got tensed a bit. That's all. Nothing else, call me after getting home. I have to attend a meeting. I shall arrive next week. Take care of yourself. Don't forget to take your medicines", replied the man.
" I will. Take care of yourself too. "
"Alright, I have to go. Bye Dear."
" Goodbye, Rey," said Sharmistha. The call got disconnected.
Just then, Rohan called from outside, "Ma'am?"
"Come in," replied Ms. Singh. Rohan entered with some files in his hands. He put it down on the desk and left. As she was signing some documents on the desk, Mr. Roy knocked on the door. She looked up and nodded her head. Roy entered along with Rohan.
" We have to set up your office lock with your biometrics. Hope you aren't too busy," said Roy.
" That's alright," replied Ms. Singh.
While they finished uploading her biometrics on the new security system, a man came to inform Ms. Singh that a person named Rubina was waiting for her. Ms. Singh asked the man to call her in as she was her assistant. Ms. Singh went back to her office. Mr. Roy and Rohan left. A few minutes later, Rubina came and knocked on the door. "Come in, Ruby. What happened?" asked Sharmishtha.
"Madam, I am here to take you home. Sir called me," replied Ruby. "But I still have some work to do. Besides, you know he can't interfere in here, and you can't come here. I just lied that you are my assistant," said Sharmishtha.
"Sorry, Madam, Sir told me it was urgent, and you were not feeling very well. So, I came without informing you in advance. "
"That's alright. Just keep in mind that this doesn't happen again. Get the car ready. I will come down in a few minutes."
"Very well, Madam. Also, your friend Rajiv called about half an hour ago, said he had something crucial to discuss", said Ruby and left. Sharmishtha got tensed again hearing that. She couldn't understand what he wanted to discuss, why it was so urgent. She thought she would call him once she gets home.
Sharmishtha came down after chatting up with Roy. Ruby opened the door for her, she got in, and they left. They were passing by the buildings that stood high in the skyline of Calcutta. Sharmishtha was looking out of the car window, lost in thoughts. The city has much more skyscrapers now than it used to. They passed by the Fort William Golf Course and took the road of Casurina Avenue. By their left stood the magnificent Victoria Memorial Palace, one of the many marks of the British Raj that covered this area of the city. It is still considered one of the poshest of localities. Alipore contained the historical landmarks of the city. The outside views of the car window had made Sharmishtha nostalgic, not just because once she visited this place but also it remains to this day, her homeland. As she reminisced her past days, she had a leaden feeling, far away from happiness or sadness. It was a different feeling, a feeling she can't explain in words. The city was losing its cosmopolitan edge, but some things have remained the same. Finally, they arrived at the house that Sharmishtha bought about a year ago. Sharmishtha looked at her watch. Seven minutes past six. They left the office just twenty minutes earlier, yet these twenty minutes felt so long.
As the car arrived, the security guard quickly opened the front gate. Their car entered, took a cut by the fountain, continued one the broad pebble pathway around the front garden, and stopped in front of the front door. Sharmishtha got out. Ruby instructed the driver to take it to the garage as they won't be needing it today anymore. As they walked inside, Ruby told Sharmishtha, " All your belongings are in your room, Ma'am. We have also prepared a nice hot bath for you. But we haven't prepared the food yet. What would you like to eat?"
"That is very nice of you. I want some Dum Aloo and Lucchi*", replied Sharmistha delightfully. Ruby smiled and said, "Sorry, Ma'am, but you haven't eaten anything all day, so, Sir strictly told us not to give you Dum Aloo and Lucchi*. You can have that tomorrow in breakfast."
" If you won't make what I want, then why did you ask? Also, about your Sir, I am going to tell him that he can't control my life", replied Sharmishtha annoyingly and stormed off to her. Ruby tried but couldn't stop her room. Sometimes, her behaved so childishly. Sharmishtha entered her room and got surprised as it was covered with flowers and found a note on the swing chair. She picked it up and started reading, " I will arrive the next week. Till then, take good of yourself. Yes, you can't have Dum Aloo and Lucchi* if you don't eat anything all day as it would give you a headache, and I am not there to take care of you. I love you tons, my darling. I shall try to arrive even sooner. Yours ever, Rey." After having read the letter she smiled. She liked that he wanted to take care of her, but she hated it when someone tried to control even the most little of things. She sighed. She was exhausted.
As Sharmishtha enjoyed a nice bath, Ruby prepared some hot soup for her as advised. After having soup, Sharmishtha laid down for a while. It was a long day. Suddenly, she jumped out of bed. She had to make some calls. Rajib had something crucial to discuss. She picked up her phone and dialled Rajib. After three more tries, Rajib finally answered her calls. As soon as he picked up, Sharmishtha asked eagerly," What is going on?"
Rajib lowered his voice and asked," Where are you? Are you still in office?"
"No, no, I am in my house at Alipore. There is no one around. Don't worry, tell me."
" Alright then, listen, authorities have found a body in Siliguri, by that lake of the so-called haunted house. We believe it's that man, Subodh's. We have reasons to believe it's a murder to covert something; that is going on around the house. But, the authorities, along with the locals, want to pass it off as another paranormal story. They fed them a lot to keep their mouth shut and threatened as well. I think your suspicions were right. You should give Siliguri another tour."
"Alright, Manmohan will return within tomorrow. I shall begin next weekend. I can't just leave right now."
" But it's urgent. Don't you know someone there who could operate this covertly?"
"Alright, I will see about that. Is there anything else that you would like to share?"
"Yes. I should have told you this earlier. Someone sent a bouquet of roses for you."
" That might have been Rey, but he already knew I was not going to be in office. He might have forgotten or something."
" At first, I also assumed it might have been Rey, but it's not. I checked it there was no note, also the strangest thing, there were four black roses amid the red roses. I also called him up to confirm that, he told me that he did send you flowers but not here. Lian was pretty much scared to see the black roses. She urged me to tell you to be careful and not roam alone. I figured it had something to do with the case we have been working. So I was trying to be careful that no one else gets a hunch of it."
" Excellent, Rajiv."
" Thanks. But do you know why Lian panicked?"
" Well, she was scared cause she knows what it means. Tell everyone on the team to be careful. Something big is coming."
"What do you mean? "
" Be careful, Rajiv. I need to make some calls. You could have told me that sooner. I will elaborate on the topic later."
Sharmishtha hung up and quickly dialled another number.
" Hello?"
" Hello? Manmohan? Where are you?"
" Just having some evening snack in a Dhaba** here in Rampurhat. It will take me ten more minutes to finish. Then, I will continue my journey."
" No, it's not safe to travel at night. Why don't you take some rest in a nearby hotel and then continue tomorrow morning."
" Alright, Ma'am, then I shall visit arrive tomorrow afternoon."
" As you wish but do not stay out too late and be careful."
" Alright, Madam." Sharmishtha then hung up and dialled another number. No one picked up. Sharmishtha tried again, no answer. After five more tries, Sharmishtha started panicking, tears rolled down her chicks, she couldn't stop herself from thinking the worst. Just when she was about to try again, her phone rang, it was Rey, after seven missed calls, he called back.
" Hello?"
"Hello? Rey? Are you alright? " asked Sharmishtha in a broken voice.
" Seven missed calls! Sharmishtha I am in an important meeting. Of course, I am alright. You just talked to me an hour ago. What can possibly happen?"
As she heard his raised voice, Sharmishtha could tell he was a bit mad about it. Maybe he was distressed. She didn't say anything. Although she tried to understand his side, She felt battered by the fact that Rey yelled at her. She wanted to tell him that she was worried about him. She was unbelievably happy to hear his voice and felt incredibly hurt because of his yelling, but she couldn't say anything as all her feelings had mixed up. These days, his sweetness seemed to be rotting very quickly.
"Hello? Do you have anything important to say? Sharmishtha? Are you there? Look, I am busy. I will call you back later. Alright?"
There was no answer. Annoyed by it, Rey hung up. Overwhelmed by her feelings, Sharmishtha started crying. She sobbed and wiped her tears. She thought to herself that she might had been overreacting. She had been oversensitive lately. She was never like this. Not until Rey came. Maybe, she was right. She should not have considered this. Anyway, she had better things to do than cry over this. She then got up, washed her face, and drank some water. After pulling herself together, Sharmishtha called Rajiv.
"Hello? Rajiv?"
" Yes."
" Did you inform anyone on the team?"
" Yes, I told everyone."
" Very well. Take care of each other. "
" Sharmishtha?"
"Yes?"
"What's going on? Why are you so tensed?"
" If I am right about the roses, then it's a threat."
" What!?"
" Yes. If I am right about this, then I think our suspicions are true."
" Well, they might be. But don't you think you are overreacting over those roses. Someone might have sent it mistakenly, or it got delivered to you mistakenly. What does a bunch of roses represent anyway?!"
" It is a bad omen."
" What?! Do not tell me you believe in omens. I mean, who do you think send that? God?" asked Rajiv in a manner of sarcasm.
" Well, a person who believes in omens might have sent it."
"Well, jokes aside, do you believe someone has sent a threat?! Cause that would mean someone has a hunch of our secret project."
" Yes, Rajiv, I am sure that someone has sent it with the intent to warn us that we are putting ourselves in harm's way. I have seen this before, last time someone sent me four black roses, one of my team members almost died, I succeeded in rescuing him that time, but I don't think I will be able to do that always."
" Do you know who sent it?"'
" No, but we must find out before anything serious happens."
" Alright, we will all be careful. One more question, who are you sending to Siliguri?"
" Contact Arjun Singh, the head of the investigative department here."
" Are you sure that we can trust him?"
" Yes, he was the team member I saved. He is very courageous and trustworthy. You only send him an offer. I will take care of the rest of it."
" Alright, I will do my part sincerely. Hey, can I ask you something?"
" Yes, what is it?"
" Promise me you won't get mad."
" Is it about Rey?"
" Well, yes, will you get mad?"
" That depends."
" Sharmishtha, you are behaving scary again."
" Alright, I won't get mad."
" He is calling me constantly. Did something happen between you two?"
Sharmishtha kept quiet for a moment and replied calmly," Why don't you ask Rey?"
" I don't know why but the way you said that you sound pretty mad. I think I will pick up the call and say good luck to your husband."
" Why?"
" Well, first for marrying a woman like you and second for getting on her nerves."
Hearing that, Sharmishtha laughed and said, " Alright, bye, it has been a long day. I need to take some rest."
Sharmishtha hung up. Rajiv had lightened her mood. But, she couldn't stop thinking about the whole black roses matter. The last time it happened, it followed up with a flood of unfortunate events.