Chapter - 5
Ethan pushed through the revolving glass doors of the Aura Media tower, and it felt like stepping into another dimension.
The first thing he felt was the cool air that hit his face. It sent a wave of calmness through his body.
Ethan then looked around, trying to soak in whatever mini details he could about the company that might help him today.
A massive digital art installation covered one entire wall, with a slideshow of the top talents of the company up there on display.
But what caught his attention was that wherever he looked, he could only see women.
And not just any women, every one of them was even more beautiful than the other. They owned every side peek that came their way.
Their expensive high heels tapped across the marble with every step. Their dresses were designer cuts, and every slit showed enough to tease, and make a man forget what he was doing.
Their smooth legs had eyes trailing as they walked away.
And the very few men that could be seen stood there with their heads down, not with shame, but because they were busy drooling over the legs they could only fantasise about and not have.
There was no man who looked as if he was important in the company. They were either security guards in uniforms, or janitors in dull work clothes.
In this place, they were nothing more than background noise to the women.
It felt like a kingdom where the queens ruled, and every man knew his place was just to watch.
Ethan approached the reception desk. Behind it sat a young woman, her nameplate reading 'Chloe'. She was busy on a call as her fingers typed something frantically on the keyboard.
It took her a few seconds after she finally turned her attention towards Ethan, "How can I help you, sir?" she asked in a professional tone.
"Ethan," he said, "I am here for an interview at ten for the Public Relations position."
A polite, practiced smile touched her lips, as she nodded, "Of course."
"The PR candidate evaluations are being held on the 14th floor. If you could just sign in here, you can be on your way." She slid a sleek black tablet towards him.
"Sure," Ethan reached for it, but just then behind him, there were some hurried movements.
Ethan turned to look back and a man strode into the lobby as if he owned it. Twirling the keys in his fingers obnoxiously while whistling a tune he strolled towards the reception like it was a walk in the park.
Reaching the reception, he pushed Ethan with his elbow and stood in his place, staring at Chloe, totally ignoring Ethan.
The man leaned against the desk like he was in a bar, "Chloe, Darling!" The man said in the sweetest of voices, "Be a darling and tell Anya that I am here."
"My father's already spoken with Jasmine. Now it is just a quick meet and greet formality, you know how it is." The man spoke as if the fact he was here was already doing a favour to everyone else.
And while the man talked to the receptionist, Ethasn was trying to gauge out the man. He was dressed in a ridiculously flashy suit that probably cost more than the car Ethan didn't own.
And the way he talked with swagger, the condescending smirk permanently etched on his handsome face would tempt anyone to punch his face.
And maybe the man felt Ethan's gaze. He turned to look at Ethan, his eyes examining him from top to bottom. And a tinge of contempt appeared on his face.
"Honestly," The man told Chloe, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear in the lobby, "I do hope Anya finishes with the open-call applicants quickly. It really does embarrass me to look at such... Ughh… So much desperation."
"Jasmine is losing her charm."
On the other hand, it was hard for Chloe to keep that polite smile, she could feel her muscles twitching, trying hard not to frown.
"Mr Thorne, Miss Sharma is preparing for the evaluations," she told the man, "I will inform her that you have arrived. Meanwhile I am sure you can wait for her in her office."
But the guy had already turned his attention to something else. His gaze caught the sight of a thick magazine on Chloe's desk behind the counter.
It was a copy of 'The Global Financial Review.'
"You are still reading that, sweetheart?" The man let out a short, mocking laugh, "That's cute."
"But darling, I told you last time you should probably stick to something that's more suited for… you know… you."
"Barbie maybe?"
"Let someone like me do this heavy lifting, yeah. I am sure you can find some strong arms to support you." The man winked at Chloe as he suggested. The meaning behind his words was not hidden to anyone.
Women who looked super busy not too long ago were now totally engrossed. They pretended not to listen, but their elephant ears were trying to listen even the faintest whisper.
Meanwhile, Chloe's lips parted slightly, she wanted to retort but she knew her place. She was just a small time nobody, and the man in front of her was… Well it was best not to compare.
"Here, Thank you." Ethan, who was observing everything silently from the side, pushed the tablet towards Chloie and placed the stylus down.
"Oh! The Global Financial Review, that's cool?" Ethan said casually.
'You too?' Chloe rolled her eyes when she heard Ethan trying to butt in. Guess all men loved to show a woman their place.
The man turned his head toward him, half amused, half annoyed, "It is. Why? You trying to impress someone, boy?"
"Oh definitely not!" Ethan was quick to wave his hands in denial.
"I just thought it was an interesting issue this time. Especially the piece on supply chain fragility and over-leveraged manufacturing portfolios. Brilliant analysis."
The man blinked. "You… read it?"
"Ummm… Just in passing," Ethan said, his gaze steady, voice calm. "They mentioned Thorne Industries in one of the case studies. I am assuming that's about your family."
"They mentioned something about how Thorne Industries had unsustainable exposure in Southeast Asia."
"And if I remember right, the report estimated that even a minor tariff shift in the European bloc could wipe out your Q4 margins. Leaving you guys with almost nothing this quarter."
"But I am sure you guys are smart enough to already account for that."
Hearing an unknown nosy guy spilling his family company's balance sheet in front of the world, the smirk on the man's face froze.
Ethan leaned back and continued, "It's fascinating how these models work," Ethan was totally in the zone, as if he was explaining it to some noob.
"The projections rely on real-time freight index data, consumer credit flows, and take into consideration maritime accidents. Really brainy stuff actually. I don't understand half of it."
"I mean, I did not even know Thorne's dependency on high-interest loans. Man, that was really gutsy of you guys."
And that was the final nail in the coffin. The man's expression cracked first.
That obnoxious, condescending grin on his face was replaced by the red flush of embarrassment.
He tried to speak, but the words tangled somewhere between outrage and disbelief.
People nearby were no longer pretending not to watch. A woman at the reception coughed to hide a smirk. Someone's phone chimed in the background, the sound awkwardly loud in the quiet.
The man's nostrils flared, "Who the hell are you?" he hissed finally, voice low and venomous.
Ethan looked at him for a beat, then gave a small, polite smile, "Just a knight in shining armour."
** ** ** ** **
[
Author's Question: What do you think? This man is going to be a major villain?
A. Yes
B. No
]