the blue-eyed prince of natlife (the first 5 chapters)

THE BLUE-EYED PRINCE OF NATLIFE

By SWARUPA N. OVALEKAR

Self-Published Edition

Copyright © Swarupa N. Ovalekar 2011

All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of

the copyright holder.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be

re-sold or distributed. If you would like to share this eBook with another person,

please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this eBook

and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please

return to the author’s blog at http://thegr8wall.wordpress.com and purchase your

own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Warning/Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places and incidents are either products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance of characters

to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This book contains mature

content that may not be suitable for persons under 18 years of age.

This eBook is presented solely for entertainment purposes. The author/publisher

shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to

any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the

information contained in this book.

Other titles by Swarupa N. Ovalekar:

Discovering Mexico

Mexico: The Country, Its History & The Maya World

A Guide To Mexican Cuisine

To my family

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Swarupa got into book writing in 2008. This was four months after her return from Mexico

where she had spent nearly nine months, some of them travelling solo across the country. She

dedicated a year and a half to her labour of love – an epic book on Mexico – which she finally

completed in June 2010. Hoping to get her book ‘Mexico’ published in the traditional way, she

waited for over two years looking for a publisher who could do justice to her hard work.

Her book received warm appreciation from H.E. Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico.

While she waited for responses from publishers, she wrote a romance fiction novel ‘The

Blue-Eyed Prince Of Natlife’ in 2011.

In January 2012, she created a Facebook page for her book, got her book edited and

converted it into a three book series on Mexico titled ‘Discovering Mexico’, ‘Mexico: The

Country, Its History & The Maya World’, and ‘A Guide To Mexican Cuisine’.

In mid-September, she finally decided to self-publish all her books.

Apart from her books, Swarupa is an intrepid traveller and a polyglot. She speaks

English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Indian languages like Marathi and Hindi. She is a

passionate foodie, a huge fan of salsa and ballroom dancing and a great lover of history,

cosmology and world culture. She lives in Mumbai.

CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR

Facebook: http://facebook.com/TheEpicBookMEXICO

Twitter: http://twitter.com/theepicmexico

Blog: http://thegr8wall.wordpress.com

OTHER TITLES BY THE AUTHOR

Discovering Mexico is Swarupa’s chronicle which

began with her new life in the Mexican city of

Guadalajara and her wide exploration of the country she

lived in for nine months in 2007-08.

Cosmopolitan Mexico City, world-class beach resorts,

charming mountain resorts, beautiful colonial cities,

amazing archaeological zones, mesmerizing Maya ruins,

colourful indigenous markets…there is never a dull

moment for her as she explores each place with immense

gusto. At each turn, new situations arise, requiring keen perception, quick thinking, and

ingenuity. When she explores new places and meets new people, she paints each of them with

rich descriptions. Her incurable wanderlust leads her on a three-week adventurous trail covering

seven culturally-rich southern states of Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas,

Oaxaca and Veracruz, the first five of which fall under the region of ‘the Maya world’.

Discovering Mexico is both a celebration of the joys and revelations to be found in this

inexhaustibly interesting country. This immensely pleasurable and entertaining eBook falls into

many categories…it is about Mexico, Mexican memoirs, Mexican travel, Mexican history and

culture, Mexican food and drinks and of course – Mexicans!

With more than 100 coloured photographs, black and white political and geographical sketch

maps of Mexico, a black and white sketch map of Swarupa’s three-week trip, black and white

sketch maps of the seven southern states and two extensive glossaries – of Spanish words used in

this book and their Mexican Spanish pronunciation – this thoroughly informative eBook is a

must-read for everyone.

Format: PDF

Pages: 422

Price: 16.97 US$

Mexico: The Country, Its History & The Maya World

is a comprehensive guide to the diverse aspects of

Mexico, including its indigenous people, its long and

colourful history and the mysterious Maya civilization.

This excellently researched eBook offers a wide glimpse

into the rich and varied cultural heritage of

contemporary Mexico, detailing the country’s history,

from the pre-Colombian period to modern times, and

providing deep knowledge of the glorious Maya culture,

including the much-famous end of their calendar. With

over 75 coloured photographs, and black and white political and geographical sketch maps of

Mexico, this insightful eBook will appeal to every person interested in learning about Mexico –

aficionados, travellers and scholars.

Format: PDF

Pages: 140

Price: 7.97 US$

A Guide To Mexican Cuisine is a small no-frills guide

with a big purpose: to briefly describe everything about

Mexican cuisine to the readers. Native Mexican diet,

staple ingredients, foreign influences on Mexican

cuisine, daily meals and customs, popular meals,

regional meals, festive meals, drinks and beverages,

desserts and candies, a few popular recipes…this eBook

has it all!

From native Indian cuisine to the current flavours, this

guide tells it all like never before with more than 65

coloured photographs, two extensive glossaries – of Spanish words used in this book and their

Mexican Spanish pronunciation – and a few simple and easy recipes of popular Mexican food

and drinks.

Format: PDF

Pages: 112

Price: 5.97 US$

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This is my first-ever romance book and required a tremendous amount of inspiration and

imagination. I would like to thank my family for their love and support, without which this book

would most definitely never have been born. To my parents, brother and sisters.

Thank you to Juan Becerra for allowing me the use of his photograph on the cover page of this

book. Thank you to Sahid Cervantes and his wife, Karina, for gracing the cover page of this

book.

Last but not the least, thank you to Writer’s Side for editing this book.


SWARUPA

Chapter One

‘Damn it, Naina!’ Sid muttered angrily as his Blackberry buzzed for the fourth time. He jabbed

his finger on the reject button, his face betraying disgust and intense displeasure at the caller.

Sid’s assistant, Rohit looked up from his laptop. He tensed when he saw the deep scowl

on his boss’s face.

Sid hated being disturbed by personal calls when there were important tasks to be

completed. He knew that if the matter was urgent, Naina could’ve just sent him a message

instead of calling him incessantly – and that too of all days, on a busy Friday.

Bloody bitch, he cursed under his breath.

Sid had met the glamorous and upcoming fashion model three months ago at a high-

society bash. As usual, there had been many beautiful girls around, but his attention was drawn

to the sexy Naina, who was dressed to kill, in a blood-red figure-hugging dress that emphasized

her slender body.

Tall and handsome, Sid always generated attention around him with the sandy hair and

stunning blue eyes he had inherited from his beautiful English mother. In India, he was always

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mistaken for a white-skinned foreigner. His hot looks and cool charm made sure that women,

more often than not, fell for him.

Naina had wasted no time in getting introduced to him through a common friend. Since

then, they had spent a lot of time together, sometimes sneaking out of the city on weekends when

he wasn’t travelling on work.

Sid had made it very clear from the start that he wasn’t keen on a commitment, and he

knew that this arrangement suited Naina as well. Her glitzy career left her no room for serious

relationships.

Lately, though, she had become demanding and possessive. His proximity to beautiful

girls seemed to make her insecure. She called him up so often that it made him think that she was

checking up on him; this irritated him no end, and they had argued over it many times. Her latest

demand was to accompany him on Natlife’s annual international trip to Maldives. She was

adamant about it, despite his arguing that he didn’t want their relationship to be open to the

scrutiny of those at Natlife or their distributors.

Distracted by thoughts, Sid left his cabin for the coffee station located around the corner

of the sprawling floor of the commercial area.

Each floor in the office, except for the ground floor’s reception area, was more or less

similar in design. All the cabins and meeting rooms were built of transparent glass. Three arrays

of well-designed tables occupied most of the floors. The tables were arranged in a way that two

faced each other but were separated by a thick green-tinted opaque glass partition, thus making

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six long rows of ten tables each. The ladies’ and men’s restrooms were at two opposite corners of

each floor. One end of the floor housed the cabins of the Commercial Director, Vijayraj Singh;

the Director of National Operations, Daljit Ahluwalia; the Director of International Operations –

Asia, Randhir Bhatia; and the Director of International Operations – Europe & North America,

Deepika Kapur. Sid, the Brand Manager of Natlife, had his cabin at the other end, near the

meeting room and the elegantly designed staircase.

The coffee had a soothing effect on Sid. He had made up his mind. This evening, I’ll have

a serious talk with Naina and will tell her that it’s over between us. Then, I’ll be free again , he

thought.

‘Any calls for me?’ he asked Rohit, on returning to his cabin.

‘No, Sid’ was the quick reply.

The answer eased off few lines from Sid’s broad forehead. Looks like she still has a bit of

sense left in her, to not call on my office line, he thought. A wry smile graced his handsome

features as he remembered his strong warning to her against making calls to his office in the

early days of their relationship.

Placing his coffee on the desk, he got back to work. A stack of papers lay before him.

“Relay”, one of the two major annual events of Natlife was going to start in two weeks’ time,

and he had yet to finalize the presentation for it.

As Natlife’s Brand Manager, Sid had excelled himself beyond expectations, winning the

confidence of the Chairman of the US$ 8 billion Natlife Group, Dev Maurya, and Natlife’s

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Managing Director, Gautam Doshi. This was no mean feat for anyone to achieve at the age of

twenty-seven, but then there was a little something extra in this charismatic young man that

distinguished him from the others. He was extremely dynamic and professional, with a strategic

yet creative mindset, and keen business acumen.

Siddharth ‘Sid’ Oberoi had been only six when his mother, Samantha, had died of cancer.

He studied at the famous Doon School in Dehradun before proceeding to London to graduate

from the Oxford University. From there, he went to the USA to pursue management studies at

the Wharton School of Business. Upon graduation, he was flooded with lucrative job offers from

the topmost international companies. He was all set to enter the exciting world of high-paying

salaries when a chance meeting with Dev Maurya at a business conference, changed everything

for him. Maurya was impressed by what he saw in Sid and invited him to join Natlife, one of

India’s largest conglomerates that manufactured and distributed nutritional supplements, herbal

remedies, and beauty and personal care products. So, Sid threw aside the most sought-after

position at a top American Company, to return to India and work for Natlife.

Based in Mumbai, Natlife’s operations were widespread throughout the country and in

eighteen other countries including Asia, Europe and North America. The company’s business

arrangement was very simple just like any other direct-selling business. People joined the

company as distributors by paying a small fee that gave them the right to purchase the company

products at wholesale prices from its conveniently located distribution centres, and then, sell to

others at retail prices. If they bought and sold enough, they got bigger discounts on their

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purchases.

The long-term gain was in forming an organization or distribution network by recruiting

people interested in the business or interested in consuming products at a discounted price. For

every purchase that the newly recruited distributor made, his sponsor or recruiter distributor

received royalties for life, as long as his recruited distributers continued to buy. The more one

recruited distributors, the more his or her royalty increased. Not only did the distributor have

control over their income but they also got incentives. Based on points awarded for sales volume,

star distributors got qualified each year to win grand prizes like cars, national and international

trips, luxury cruises and even houses. The top echelons of distributors operated their own support

centres and training sessions, presiding over networks that could extend to thousands of people.

Maurya encouraged his leading distributors to participate in Natlife’s annual events and travel

abroad as his representatives, with the objective of establishing his business in new countries.

More than fifty-percent of the company’s distributors were women, for they found

working at Natlife a convenient way to balance their time equally between earning a living and

carrying out household duties. At the woman’s training workshops, they were taught to become

self-confident and, independent thinkers.

The far-flung Natlife enterprises, most of which served its distributors and employees,

acted synergistically and reinforced each other. Before launching new products or services,

Natlife tested them on its employees, then on the distributors. Financing for employees’ and

distributors’ housing and automobiles was tied in with insurance policies. Natlife’s Bollywood

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box-office hit, Suhana Safar, was seen by thousands of their distributors in hundreds of theatres

before being released to the general public.

Natlife’s strong national distribution structure, with more than 4000 distribution centres,

innumerable mobile–store vans and home delivery systems, allowed the channelization of all its

products, from a music CD to a rose bouquet. Marketing expenses were non-existent as Natlife

distributors independently marketed the products.

Maurya wanted his distributors to feel cared for and protected, to the extent of making his

mobile number public and getting it printed on every welcome letter sent to the new distributors.

He liked to be kept in constant touch with his employees and distributors. His ability to identify

with the common man of India played a key role in Natlife’s success story. Like a true alchemist,

he sought profits out of every business he conceived and his Midas touch ensured that he always

met with success.

Sid was glad that he had accepted Maurya’s invitation to work for Natlife and had no

reason to regret his decision to move back to India. As a new recruit, he had started by working

in the Events Department which was responsible for planning and organizing the company

events including meetings, presentations, conferences, national and international trips.

One day, in the course of a discussion with the Events Director, Debbie Garcia, he came

up with a concept of a prepaid rechargeable card with mobile-banking functions. It would enable

Natlife distributors to shop for Natlife products at their distribution centres as well as make other

purchases at shops affiliated with Visa. The objective was to reach out to the segment of

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distributors who didn’t have a bank account. With the mobile-banking function, the distributors

could place their orders for Natlife products by simply sending a message from their cellphone.

The total amount of their purchases would get debited instantly from the card and the products

would be delivered at their doorstep. This would avoid carrying cash or standing in long queues.

Not only could they withdraw the card’s balance amount at any ATM, but they could also make

cash transfers to other card holders merely by sending a message from their cellphone.

Impressed by Sid’s ingenious idea, Debbie advised him to present it to Gautam, who in

turn found it interesting and called it to the attention of Dev Maurya. The proposal was given a

go-ahead, and Sid was placed in charge of executing the entire project. He was given the

independent position of Brand Manager for Natlife’s strategy development and promotional

development and was asked to report directly to Gautam. The financial product was called

“Goldfinger” and was developed by a leading company that had pioneered the development of

prepaid debit cards for online purchases in the country.

Goldfinger was launched during “Extravaganza,” Natlife’s biggest annual event, amidst

great fanfare and intensive publicity promotions. Sharing the stage with Maurya, Sid explained

to his 16,000-strong audience how the entire process of Goldfinger worked. A Goldfinger loyalty

programme entitled the distributor to receive reward points for mobile purchases beyond a

specified amount. The accumulated points were to be exchanged for free gifts or front row passes

at company events. The strong hard sell worked and the concept was a resounding success with

sales increasing by more than 15% after the campaign.

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A gentle tap on the glass door made Sid glance up to see Vijayraj Singh.

‘Are you busy, Sid? Dev wants to have a word with you,’ he said with a friendly smile.

Sid was surprised. He wasn’t aware of Maurya’s return from his European trip.

Maurya was always on the move, travelling in his private Boeing 737 around the world,

to meet his distributors at various scheduled events, leaving him with little time at the office. He

highly trusted Gautam Doshi, who was an old hand of his; so, the few days that he spent in the

corporate office every month were mostly occupied in meetings.

‘He came in today morning,’ said Vijayraj, answering Sid’s unspoken question.

‘But I’m still working on the final presentation for Relay.’

‘Don’t worry, it isn’t about the presentation,’ Vijayraj reassured.

Sid’s curiosity was aroused.

The two climbed down the stairs in silence and entered the reception area.

The glass facade of the two-storied building of Natlife was beautifully designed,

contrasting with the rest of the building that was painted in white, like the other small buildings

that housed the various departments within Natlife’s sprawling premises. The striking and

luxurious red leather couch near the staircase was the centrepiece of the simple yet classy

reception area. One end of the hallway led towards the conference room, ‘Crystal Salon’, outside

which there was an ATM and a restroom. Another end led towards the inner ring of the company

building, which accommodated the second conference room, ‘Blue Salon’, the yoga room, the

cafeteria, the Japanese mini-garden and the offices of Dev Maurya, housed within the cosy

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collection of small buildings that looked more like ski chalets than a corporate centre.

They walked past the tropical patio, graced with ferns and palms, and pushed open the

glass door to enter Maurya’s office area.

The smiling receptionist quickly called up Maurya’s secretary, Sheena Singh, informing

her of their arrival. They climbed up the stairs and reached another reception room where Sheena

was waiting at her desk with a smiling face. After exchanging pleasantries with her, they entered

Maurya’s meeting room and took their seats at the huge rectangular meeting table. Gautam

joined them a few minutes later.

‘How’re things going on with the presentation, Sid?’ Gautam enquired with a warm

fatherly look. He had a soft corner for the young man, who had endeared himself to everyone at

Natlife since he first stepped into their offices three years ago.

Sid was about to reply when the door connecting Maurya’s room to the meeting room

was pushed open. A deep and assured baritone commanded their attention and they immediately

rose to their feet.

Dev Maurya was overpowering in every way. His superbly tailored clothes emphasized

powerful shoulders and long legs, the white shirt contrasting with his tanned face, black hair and

compelling eyes. An unconscious air of command and hard-edged authority had always made

him stand out in the presence of well-dressed, sophisticated men, while a potent charisma made

women swoon over him, sometimes even forgetting their own husbands.

The gossip magazines were always full of stories of his various affairs and dalliances

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with women, wherever he travelled, while envious men described him as a buccaneer and an

arrogant billionaire far too smart for his own good.

Sid had found such adverse comments to be distasteful and lacking in wisdom. He prided

himself on being close to such a wonderful person, who had brought about economic and social

wealth as well as joy and happiness in the lives of more than ten million people all over the

world.

*******

‘How was the Paris trip, Dev?’ Gautam asked.

‘Fabulous, as usual,’ Maurya’s eyes sparkled.

The conversation in the meeting room was centred on Maurya’s recent tour to Europe

which included a week-long trip to Paris with fifty lucky young Natlife distributors.

‘After the trip, I asked them to draw what impressed them most about the city,’ Maurya

began, ‘and you know what? Instead of the Eiffel Tower or the Seine, most of them had depicted

the Mona Lisa and the paintings at the Louvre.’ He sounded immensely pleased.

‘They were the first-ever paintings that they had seen in their lives. Doesn’t this prove the

strong impact of art on people’s mind?’

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Maurya considered the extensive travelling that he had done with his father, a Mumbai-

based businessman, during his childhood as his greatest inheritance. It had broadened his

personal horizons and taught him certain values, which he liked to share with his family,

employees and distributors.

For Maurya, youth were an important part of Natlife, and he had always supported

projects encouraging their growth and progress. There were three virtues that he loved to see in

the younger generation: passion, sensitivity and fearlessness.

Looking at Sid, his eyes twinkled. ‘You must be wondering why you’re here, right?’

Sid responded with a slight nod and watched in silence as Maurya exchanged secret

smiles with both Gautam and Vijayraj. Squirming impatiently in his seat, he waited to hear what

Maurya wanted to share with him.

‘We’ve received Deepika’s resignation letter,’ Maurya said shortly.

Sid reeled under the impact of the unexpected news. So, this explains Deepika’s week-

long absence from work, Sid thought. He recalled her worried face when they had last met. The

untimely death of her two-year-old son, her only child, about three months back, had made her

depressed.

‘Gautam put your name forward for the vacant position,’ Maurya’s clear voice cut

through his thoughts. ‘We’ve already seen how valuable your impressive work and abilities have

been to the company. So, I personally wanted to give you the news.’

Maurya stopped for a while and then smiled, ‘Congratulations, Sid. You’re the new

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Director of International Operations for Europe and North America.’

Sid couldn’t control a surprised blink. The incredible blue of his eyes deepened as he

thanked Maurya and Gautam.

‘As you know, we’re launching new operations in Mexico very soon. With it, we’re

slowly planning to enter the vast Hispanic continent,’ Gautam informed. ‘You’ll be in charge of

overseeing the Mexican Operations.’

Sid responded with a confident nod.

‘When is the new trainee from Mexico arriving, Gautam?’ Maurya asked.

‘On Monday,’ Gautam replied. ‘Hema has told me that the girl will be reaching India

tomorrow.’

Hema Salgaokar was Natlife’s Human Resources Manager. Her department took care of

recruiting international trainees through the international internship programmes run by IYI, a

renowned international students’ association. Presently, Natlife had two international trainees:

Sandra Singh from UK, who was with Natlife for the past year and a half and worked in the

Human Resources Department, and Shivani Kumar from the USA, who had joined just a month

back and was placed in the International Expansion Department.

Gautam turned to Sid, ‘The Mexican trainee will be working in your department in the

area of Mexican Operations.’ Then, as if he was reading Sid’s mind, he added, ‘The Strategic

Operations Department will take over your current responsibilities.’

Maurya was in a hurry to end the meeting. ‘All the best to you, Sid,’ he intervened, ‘and

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we hope that you’ll continue to rise above our expectations, as always.’

‘Thank you very much, Dev. I’m truly very honoured by the deep trust and faith that you

and Gautam have placed in me,’ Sid acknowledged his gratitude.

Maurya smiled along with the others. ‘You deserve it, Sid.’ He rose to his feet.

‘Well, gentlemen, I’ll have to take your leave now. I’ve to give a couple of interviews to

international TV channels this afternoon.’

He shook hands with the men and left them immediately.

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Chapter Two

It was a bright and sunny Friday morning when Sara Velasquez left with her family for Mexico

City’s Benito Juarez International Airport.

She sat beside her older sister, Laura, in the backseat of the car while their mother was

seated in the front, as their dad drove them all to the airport to see her off. Laura’s fiancé,

Miguel, was going to meet them at the airport to wish her goodbye.

‘Sara, are you sure you’ve carried your passport with you?’ Jorge asked his younger

daughter for the third time since they left home.

‘Yes, Papa,’ Sara groaned. ‘I’ve told you a million times that it’s right here.’ She pulled

out her passport from her handbag and showed it to him. ‘I’m not a baby anymore, you know.’

Jorge snorted, and this made Sara pout like a child. ‘You won’t have to put up with me

for much longer,’ she grumbled.

Everyone in the car went silent as they realized the truth in her words. Sara would be in

India for God knew how long, and they would all miss her. ‘Mi niña...’ her mother said softly,

twisting around in the passenger seat to give her a broad smile while Laura put an arm around

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her.

An hour after leaving home, they reached the airport in what should have only been a

twenty-minute drive, thanks to the snail-paced traffic.

Sara’s flight was at 2 pm, and it would take her to Paris, from where she had to catch a

connecting flight to Mumbai. In total, she had to cover twenty-one flying hours till she reached

Mumbai.

They arrived at the airport and piled out of the car while Jorge hauled Sara’s suitcase out

from the boot. Miguel, who was already at the airport, greeted them with a smile.

‘You’ll be careful now, won’t you?’ Jorge asked Sara worriedly, ‘Don’t do anything

stupid over there.’

‘Papa, of course I’ll be careful,’ Sara said, mildly frustrated.

Jorge ignored her. ‘Because it’s one thing messing around over here but you can’t act like

that in India, you know.’

‘Papa,’ Sara said, wrapping her arms around his neck, ‘It’s not like I’m going to live

abroad for the first time. I’ve spent more than two years in New York and a year in London,

remember?’ She gave him a kiss. ‘So, you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be perfectly fine in

Mumbai.’

‘Preciosa, keep in touch with us a lot more this time, won’t you?’ Rebeca pleaded with

her daughter as she hugged her. ‘India is very different from the other countries that you’ve

travelled to so far.’

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‘Of course I will, Mama,’ Sara said, and gave her mother a warm kiss.

A lump formed in Laura’s throat and she fought back the tears. She would miss her sister

very much, but she understood that Sara wanted to go to India to work for the company that had

caught her fascination. There was nothing that she or her parents could do or say to make Sara

change her mind, especially after the major setback she had suffered six months ago, when she

had lost her job as well as her fiancé in a span of two days.

‘Miguel, look after my big sis,’ she said, smiling at Laura. ‘Ooh, I’m going to miss you

so much,’ she then added, sadly, squeezing her sister’s arm tightly.

‘Me, too,’ Laura’s voice shook. She knew it was best that her sister went to India, but a

part of her wished she would stay back.

‘Okay, I’m leaving now, before you all make me cry,’ Sara said, trying to sound cheerful.

‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t want you to do, Sara,’ Jorge warned, but with deep

concern.

Sara laughed, kissing him and her mother on the cheeks again. ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure

you’ll want me to do something very interesting in life,’ she teased.

Laura stood in silence, with her parents and her fiancé, and watched Sara walk into the

departure lounge. They all waved her goodbye as she walked on, as Sara looked behind at times

to wave back at them, they waved till they could not see her anymore. Jorge held his wife close

to him as she waved, while tears rolled down her cheeks. Laura held onto Miguel’s arm.

Sara paused as she entered the departure lounge and took in a deep breath. She could

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sense a feeling of anticipation in the pit of her stomach, as if she were about to do something

exciting.

She loved the atmosphere at airports, as people walked around happily, tugging their

luggage, looking forward to their holidays or to heading back home. Queuing at the boarding

gate always felt like waiting to go on a roller coaster ride at a theme park. The arrivals area also

excited her, for she loved to see people being greeted by their families, people welcomed back

with a big cheer, followed by emotional hugs and kisses.

As usual, the alarm went off as she walked through the security scanner, and she was

thoroughly frisked. The metal button of her pants or jeans always ensured that she passed

through the ritual.

She was proceeding towards her boarding gate when the unexpected sight of a familiar

face made her freeze in her step. It was Ricardo, her ex-fiancé.

She felt as if she were going to have a heart attack. She quickly dived into the nearest

store she could find. The man in question was accompanied by a tall, blonde beauty with

aristocratic features – his new fiancée, Liliana, Sara thought, as she saw the huge diamond

sparkling on her ring finger. Assailed by an emotion closely bordering on jealousy – no,

corrected Sara herself, envy – she took in the other woman’s beauty with a deep sigh.

Six months ago, she had couriered Ricardo’s engagement ring back to him when she had

received an apologetic email from him, breaking off their year-old relationship. His ex-girlfriend,

Liliana, who had dumped him to pursue her acting career in the US had returned to him after two

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years and had wanted to settle down with him, much to his delight. So he had dumped Sara just a

day after she had lost her job.

When she had read his email for the first time, shock and disbelief had engulfed her, had

made his words dance crazily on the screen before her.

Dear Sara,

I’m so sorry, I’m a complete coward for doing this by email, but I don’t

know how else to tell you that Liliana is back in my life. It’s not your

fault, and I feel terrible about it, but I can’t help it. Please forgive me.

I wish you all the happiness for your future.

Regards,

Ricardo

She had fought back tears and told herself that she was fortunate that Liliana had returned

to him before they gotten married, that things could’ve been worse for her. To relieve her

sorrow, she had taken up a job as an English teacher at one of the city’s reputed language

schools.

One day, she had come across a post on the school’s bulletin board that announced that

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an Indian company called Natlife was looking for English-speaking trainees for their corporate

office in Mumbai. She had been instinctively drawn to the post, but had then noticed that the

internship programme was routed through the IYI association, which meant that the applicant

had to be a member below twenty-five years of age. She was twenty-six. Still, hoping for the

best, she had emailed her CV directly to the Chairman of the company.

After two weeks, she had received a reply from Natlife’s HR Manager’s assistant as well

as an email from the IYI association in Mexico City: the company was interested in taking her as

a trainee. It had taken over four months for her to get the visa. In the meantime, she had brushed

upon her Hindi skills, a language which she had learnt as a hobby during her student days in

New York.

‘Can I help you, ma’am?’

Sara turned to see the store’s sales assistant at her side. She quickly realized that she had

been staring for a while at the selection of chocolate bars displayed in front of her.

‘Thanks, but I’ve made up my mind,’ she replied, smiling sweetly at the young girl.

Her arm sprung up to the shelf to grab four king-size chocolate bars. She began adding a

few more chocolates, packets of crisps and sweet goodies into the proffered basket.

‘Anything else, ma’am?’ asked the sales assistant.

‘No, thank you, that’ll be all.’ Sara followed her to the payment counter.

She paid her money and left the store, looking around to see whether the way was clear

for her. Satisfied, she started towards her boarding gate when she was startled by a voice behind

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her. She turned around to see a tall, gorgeous man approaching her.

He looked to be as old as she was, if not a year older. She noted his straight and even

features, his thick mane of dark hair and his deep green eyes. She squinted at him and took a

closer look at his eyes.

He cleared his throat.

She blushed, realizing that she had been caught observing him.

‘Hello,’ he laughed, ‘You left this on the counter.’ He handed her the boarding pass that

she had absent-mindedly left behind at the store.

She recognised his cute Scottish accent. ‘Oh, thanks,’ she said gratefully, suddenly

feeling like a fool.

‘I’m Chris,’ the guy introduced himself, holding his hand out.

‘I’m Sara,’ she answered, and then took his hand.

‘I was wondering if you’d like to go for a coffee.’ He pointed to a nearby cafe. ‘You still

have some time left for boarding just like me.’

He looked very confident with his hands in the pocket of his jeans, only his thumbs

resting outside, his green eyes returning her gaze.

‘Um...I....,’ she stammered, taken aback by his direct and relaxed manner, as if he thought

inviting a stranger out for coffee was the most natural thing to do. Oh, what the hell, she thought.

‘Sure, why not?’ she blurted loudly, which brought out a broad grin on his handsome

face.

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Regardless of his good looks, Sara craved for company, and he seemed like a nice guy to

talk to.

Sara smiled to herself as she took a seat at the table and waited for him to get the coffee.

She relaxed back in her chair and gazed at the people walking past the cafe. She suddenly felt

confident within herself about reaching out for what she wanted. She was leaving familiar shores

to venture out into a new and faraway land, a land with a totally different culture. Whatever lay

ahead, she knew she was ready for it, for new experiences, for new love and for new memories

to live life by. And coffee with the gorgeous Chris was going to be the start of those lovely

memories.

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Chapter Three

The boisterous Saturday-morning crowd of kids splashed around merrily in the large swimming

pool of the BCB Club, while the others basked in the sun after a peaceful early-morning swim.

‘Hey, dude, how’s it going?’

Stretched out on the sun bed, Sid peered over his stylish sunglasses to see a familiar

figure looming above him. It was Ajay Jaiswal, his close friend and loyal tennis partner at the

club.

‘Hey buddy, how was Wednesday’s match?’ Sid drawled.

‘Well, let’s just say you were missed,’ Ajay replied, settling himself in the adjacent sun

bed, ‘Sunil wasn’t in good form. His faulty footwork and weak volleys wrecked our best

chances. We lost the match pathetically.’

Sid sensed bitter disappointment in his friend’s voice. He was partly to blame for it. Ajay

had told him a week in advance about the match he had fixed with the two Sharma brothers, their

main rivals on the club’s tennis courts. But as luck would have it, just a day before the match,

Sid had to travel to New Delhi for an important business meeting that had cropped up suddenly.

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It had left Ajay with no option but to turn to a fellow club-member, Sunil, who was a

good player, but was not in the same league as Sid.

‘If only you’d played,’ Ajay grumbled. ‘We could’ve beat those two douchebags. You

should’ve seen them gloat over their victory.’

‘I’m sorry, man, but you do know that work is priority for me. Try and fix up a match

next Saturday, and I promise you a good revenge,’ Sid reassured. Then, he suddenly remembered

something. ‘Give me a moment, and I’ll be back with some great news for you.’

He gave a sly wink to his friend before sliding off the sun bed. His bare torso displayed a

light tan which lent a rugged tone to his lean and muscled body, drawing openly admiring

glances from women as he passed them by and made his way to the changing room.

Ajay was comfortably sprawled out on a chair at one of the pool-side tables when Sid

returned, looking fresh and relaxed in a pair of white shorts and a lemon-yellow T-shirt. He

settled himself into a chair and took a sip of the mojito that Ajay had ordered while he was away.

‘Guess who I bumped into at Marco’s during my New Delhi trip?’ he asked cheerfully.

‘PRIYA RAI?’ Ajay leapt up, excited.

Sid nodded with a grin.

Ignoring the curious glances thrown their way, Ajay continued in a loud and high-pitched

voice, ‘Don’t tell me! I thought she was still in the US.’

Sid wasn’t surprised by Ajay’s reaction. The practicing lawyer had been Sid’s best friend

at boarding school. They had spent most of their vacations together, and their strong bond of

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friendship had remained even after Sid had gone abroad.

In their school days, Ajay’s family and Priya’s family had neighbouring houses in the

residential area of Greater Kailash in New Delhi. Whenever he was at home during the holidays,

Ajay would coax his younger sister to ask Priya to join them in family outings. Since Priya was

his sister’s schoolmate and both their families shared friendly relations, the two got to know each

other very well. Sid had met Priya a few times when he was at Ajay’s place during their

holidays. Marco’s, then a small place to hang out for ice-creams and other goodies, had been the

favourite haunt of the teenagers. Then, one day, after about five years, Priya’s family moved to

Pune. As years passed, Priya and Ajay drifted apart: Priya went to the US for her studies and

later, got a job there, while Ajay stayed back in India to study law. But, he still remembered her

all those years.

‘She told me that she returned to India some three months ago, for good this time.’ Sid

continued. ‘She was visiting a few relatives in New Delhi when I met her.’

Sid paused to sip on his drink and grinned wickedly at Ajay, who was waiting for him to

continue. ‘She’s moved to Mumbai and owns a pad in Andheri,’ he said, ‘and no, she isn’t

married.’

He handed Ajay a business card: ‘Priya Rai, Director, Mumbai Food Bank,’ and then, her

contact details.

‘She’s running a charitable organization to feed the hungry.’

‘Wow, this is incredible,’ Ajay exclaimed with a soft, loving look in his eyes, ‘I’ve

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always known she was so caring and generous towards the needy.’

He looked at Sid with a dreamy expression on his face. ‘Is she the same? I mean she was

always very beautiful.’

A beep sounded from Ajay’s mobile and announced the arrival of a message.

‘Go on, take a look!’ Sid smiled, ‘That’s my answer to your question.’

‘Oh my God, it’s her! Priya! The love of my life,’ Ajay gasped for air, like a fish that had

been pulled out of water. His eyes were glued to the photo while he gushed over Priya’s beauty.

Suddenly, he got up and gave Sid a fierce hug. ‘Dude, you’re the best,’ he said, oblivious

to the attention he was drawing towards them.

Sid laughed, pulling himself out of Ajay’s tight embrace. ‘I told her that you’re also

single and living in Mumbai.’

Ajay’s eyes grew big and wild with joy. ‘I want to meet her. Should I call her right

away?’

Sid couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He hadn’t, yet, been able to understand how a

grown-up man, when in love, could end up behaving like a child.

Ajay realized that his friend had something up his sleeve.

‘She’s meeting us here at the club tomorrow for lunch,’ Sid announced.

‘You sly devil! You had this all planned up for me, right?’

Sid shook his head and laughed again.

‘You’re just too good, man,’ Ajay said, and then as an afterthought he asked, ‘Naina’s

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going to join us, of course?’

It was more of a question than a suggestion. But it drastically changed the expression on

Sid’s face.

‘I called it off with her last night,’ Sid said in a matter-of-fact tone.

‘What?’ Ajay asked, looking shocked, while he tried to secretly hide his joy at hearing

what he considered to be good news.

He’d never really liked Naina, ever since the first time he had met her. But he hadn’t said

this to Sid because he knew his friend had never let any of his previous girlfriends get too close

to him, not emotionally close to him, that is. He listened quietly as Sid told him about Naina’s

insistence that she accompany him to Maldives.

‘I think she needs help,’ Sid snorted, as he began describing the previous evening’s

incident. ‘We met at Jojo’s, where I told her about my decision. I knew she would create a scene

so I had asked Jojo to arrange a table in the green area, you know, so we could be hidden away

from the other diners. Thank god, I thought of that!’

He took a deep breath, and continued, ‘I told her that I had enough of her incessant

demands and tantrums and wanted to call it quits. She burst into tears and accused me of being

cold and uncaring. Can you imagine this coming from a woman over whom I’ve spent almost

25% of my monthly salary over the past three months?’ he rasped out angrily.

Ajay shook his head and mumbled his disapproval.

‘She agreed that the bond between us had weakened and then she started her cranky

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stories, half of which I’m sure she had just concocted to gain my sympathy.’

A slight tinge of red rose to his face. ‘When she realized that she wasn’t getting

anywhere, she began pleading that we could at least remain friends. I told her that I wasn’t

interested in knowing her anymore, and that was my final decision. “Do me a favour,” she then

said coolly to me, “at least put in a good word about me to Dev Maurya so I get a chance to

feature in the Natlife swimsuit calendar 2012.” That really bugged me.’

The red of Sid’s face had deepened perceptibly.

Every year, some of the hottest girls in the modelling industry vied with each other for

the coveted assignment of featuring Natlife swimsuit calendar, the models for which were

personally selected by Maurya. Naina knew that Maurya would gladly consider Sid’s personal

request, thus most definitely assuring her a place on the calendar.

‘This was bound to happen someday and I did try to warn you about it. She wanted to get

to Maurya through you,’ said Ajay, shrugging his shoulders in disdain.

Sid knew his friend was right. ‘I lost my temper and told her off. Then, she left in a huff,’

he finished with a smile. ‘Oh, and by the way, there’s another piece of good news.’

‘Whoa, slow down, man!’ Ajay grinned. ‘Don’t tell me, there’s a new girl in your life!’

Sid laughed. ‘Natlife has appointed me as the new Director of International Operations in

Europe and North America,’ he announced happily.

‘That’s awesome, dude!’ Ajay exclaimed, landing a soft punch on Sid’s shoulder. ‘Wow,

what a day! Things can’t get better than this.’ He pulled Sid to his feet. ‘Come on, let’s go inside

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for a celebratory drink.’ He waved a few hundred-rupee notes at the table attendant to cover the

bill, and then they made their way to the club’s lively bar.

*******

‘I’m so proud of you, my son.’ Bikram Paul Oberoi greeted Sid with a warm embrace as the

latter entered his father’s sprawling house on Carmichael Road in South Mumbai.

On Friday, Sid had called his father to give him the good news of his promotion and his

father had insisted that he come over for lunch the next day. It had been more than a week since

the two had met.

Although Sid’s sea-facing penthouse on the fourteenth floor of a Breach Candy high-rise

was barely a few minutes away from his father’s house, his busy schedule and the heavy

evening-traffic made it difficult for him to meet his father as often as he would’ve liked. They

spoke more often on the phone.

‘Congratulations, Sid! We’re all very happy for you,’ said Sid’s step-mother, Maithili, as

she hugged him.

Maithili, an alluring woman and a painter, was responsible for bringing light back into

the life of reputed garment-exporter Bikram Oberoi, who had sunk into a deep depression after

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his wife’s untimely death. Sid, who had been deprived of parental love by tragic circumstances

during his childhood and growing years, had readily accepted Maithili’s presence in his father’s

life.

A loud and familiar shriek echoed in the large sitting room as fourteen-year old Kaya,

Sid’s half-sister ran across the room and jumped straight into his open arms. Sid laughed along

with the others as he hugged his teenage sister.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and blue denim cut-offs, young Kaya looked every bit a

rebellious tomboy, especially with her short, boyish hair-cut.

‘So, how’re your studies going?’ Sid asked her.

‘They’re going fine,’ she smiled proudly, glancing at her parents for confirmation.

‘She’s dying to show you her latest trophy,’ Maithili laughed.

Kaya took Sid’s hand and led him to her room; they were followed by Bikram and

Maithili.

‘Very good, Kaya, I can see that you’ve finally cleaned it,’ Maithili said, throwing an

appreciatory glance around her daughter’s room. ‘Sid, you should visit us more often. At least

this way I won’t have to be after Kaya all the time to get her to tidy her room.’

They all laughed.

Sid looked at Kaya’s collection of teddy bears and dolls arranged on a corner shelf.

Another corner shelf was decorated with her framed certificates, cups, trophies, medals and other

awards she had won in various educational and sports activities at school as well as at her

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various clubs. Each time she won a new trophy, she would proudly show it to him. He looked at

one he hadn’t seen before: It was a beautiful five-inch hand painted resin scholastic trophy with a

golden Aladdin cup resting on a decorative paper design over which was written ‘Outstanding

Student’ with a feather placed next to it. The plate at its base carried the following words: Spring

Rose High School, Academic Achievement presented to KAYA OBEROI.

‘This is amazing news, Kaya!’ he said with pride in his voice.

Kaya beamed with joy.

‘Wait a minute, I’ve a surprise for you,’ he smiled, making Kaya jump around excitedly.

He pulled out an envelope from his pocket and gave it to her.

She immediately grabbed it and ripped it open. ‘VIP Passes to Justin Bieber’s concert!’

she squeaked. There were two of them, for her and her best friend. ‘Oh Sid, thanks a ton!’ she

cried excitedly, throwing her arms around him again.

Sid smiled. He was glad that he had thought about it. He knew that his sister was a die-

hard fan of Bieber and had a big crush on him. It had been easy for him to arrange for the passes

for Kaya and her friend.

Natlife’s own Nat Entertainment was behind the idea of flying the popular international

teen sensation to Mumbai for the closing night of Relay, and was organizing and providing all

the required arrangements and infrastructure for the forthcoming concert.

Bikram and Maithili exchanged quiet smiles as they watched the beautiful display of love

between Sid and his doting half-sister.

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Chapter Four

Stepping out of the arrivals hall of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Sara

looked around for someone carrying a placard with her name or that of the IYI Association.

‘Sara Velasquez?’ enquired a female voice amidst the crowd.

Sara turned her face to the direction the voice came from. A young woman, in her early

twenties, rushed forward towards Sara, fighting the crowd that surrounded her. Dressed in jeans

and a white T-shirt she was of medium height with long, straight and black hair. Her broad,

welcoming smile reached her kohl-lined eyes.

‘Hi, I’m Kamini,’ she said holding out her hand. ‘Welcome to India.’

‘Hi, Kamini,’ Sara smiled back in quick recognition of the name and took the

outstretched hand, shaking it loosely.

Kamini was the local manager of IYI, and the two of them had been in touch through

email ever since her internship with Natlife had got confirmed.

‘This is Jesse,’ she said, as she introduced a guy, who looked to be about the same age as

her. ‘And this is Meera,’ she said, pointing to a short girl dressed in a traditional salwar kameez.

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Both of them smiled and greeted Sara in turn.

Meera drew out a small and round metal box containing vermilion and applied a pinch of

it on Sara’s forehead.

‘It’s our welcoming tradition,’ Kamini explained.

Sara smiled in acknowledgement. She bent her head to receive a garland of marigold

flowers around her neck. She was touched by the warmth of the threesome. It was nearly 11 pm,

and yet they were so welcoming and enthusiastic.

‘Is this your first time in India?’ Meera asked.

‘Yes,’ Sara nodded with a smile.

‘You’ll soon find yourself falling in love with our country.’ Kamini laughed reassuringly.

‘I’m looking forward to it,’ Sara laughed back, as they walked towards Jesse’s car.

They instantly cleared the airport’s parking lot and hit the night-time highway, for Jesse

drove like a man possessed.

‘I didn’t know India drives on the left hand side of the road.’

‘It’s a legacy the British left behind,’ Jesse smiled. ‘Though, in some parts of the city,

you’ll find people driving on whichever side of the road pleases them.’

Everybody laughed.

The blurred scenery along the highway was a sensory riot of sounds and scents, with

dust-coated old trucks, bellowing and blaring their horns, and belching exhaust. Jesse’s car shot

past it all, moving only inches away from other vehicles, stray dogs or people crossing the road

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right in the middle of traffic, till they drove up the driveway of a large bungalow housing the IYI

interns.

Sara noted with a smile that during the twenty-minute ride that it took to reach the house,

Jesse hardly touched the brake.

The house was located on a lovely tree-lined residential street.

‘We’re now in an area called Bandra. The nearest landmark, the Jogger’s Park, is just a

minute away from here,’ Kamini explained. ‘We’ve to warn you though that, like every other

Saturday, tonight too, there’s a party going on inside.’

Sara sighed to herself as she stepped out of the car. After the long and tiring journey, the

last thing she wanted to do was attend a party.

Beyond the front garden, few youngsters were smoking on the porch. After a quick round

of introductions, Sara followed the others inside the large house.

The ‘party’ was in full swing, everyone enjoying their drinks and socializing loudly.

Music and the buzz of people filled the house.

The new arrivals drew everybody’s attention.

‘Guys,’ Kamini yelled, to be heard above the noise, ‘Please welcome Sara Velasquez,

your new housemate from Mexico.’

Once another round of introductions and greetings was over, Kamini turned to Sara. ‘You

must be very tired. I’ll have Sandra show you to your room.’

She addressed the crowd once again. ‘Someone please help Sara in moving her suitcase

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upstairs to her room,’ she yelled, pointing to the luggage that Jesse had brought in from the car.

Sara thanked Kamini warmly.

In the course of their email communication, Kamini had already informed Sara about the

other two Natlife interns in the house, Sandra Singh from UK and Shivani Kumar from US, as

well as about the five other house-residents with whom she was going to share the large,

furnished house. The cost of the rent and utilities were split equally between the housemates.

‘I’ve got to make a move now,’ Kamini said, glancing at her watch. ‘I’ll pick you up on

Monday morning for your first day of work.’

‘Have a great weekend,’ Sara gave her a warm hug before joining her roommate, who

was waiting to give her a quick tour of the house.

Sandra led her past the rooms adjacent to the living room. They started with the well-

equipped modular kitchen. ‘We do our weekly shopping on Sundays, which is tomorrow,’

Sandra informed, on their way back to the living room. ‘In all, we have five bedrooms, three on

the upper floor and two on this floor. One of the two rooms here is occupied by Bruno from

Brazil, and the other is shared by Shivani and the Italian girl, Carla.’

Sandra showed her the laundry room and then led her upstairs. A small staircase stood in

a corner. ‘That’s the way to the terrace. You’ll get a full view of our surroundings from upstairs.’

There were three closed doors on the floor. ‘This one,’ Sandra pointed to the door closest

to the stairs, ‘is occupied by Michael, the guy from Hong Kong. It’s got an attached bathroom.

Next to it is a girls’ room shared by the French girl, Marie, and the German, Claudia. Our room

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is adjacent to theirs. The girls’ bathroom is at the end of the corridor.’

Sara’s bags were already in their room when they entered. She looked around the

pleasant and tidy room. Thank God, she thought. Having had a bad roommate experience in New

York, she was a bit apprehensive about the nature of her future roommate and her tidiness. Now,

on seeing how neat the room was, she put her mind at rest.

There were two single beds in the room, two huge wardrobes, two corner shelves and a

ceiling fan. The only window in the room was screened to keep away mosquitoes.

After showing her the two bathrooms on the floor, Sandra said, ‘I’ll leave you now. In

case, you need anything I’m downstairs.’ As an afterthought, she added, ‘If you want to, you can

join us.’

‘Thanks, but a warm shower and a bed is all that I want right now.’ Sara replied,

suppressing a yawn. ‘I’ll be fast asleep after that.’

‘Okay then, goodnight and sleep tight,’ the other girl smiled.

‘You too, have a great night.’ Sara returned.

Next morning, when Sara went downstairs to the kitchen, she was pleasantly surprised to

find Carla there.

‘Good Morning.’ They greeted each other.

Carla threw a searching look at Sara’s face for signs of tiredness or strain. ‘How did you

sleep?’

‘Very well, thanks,’ Sara smiled. ‘You’re up rather early for a Sunday.’

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Carla laughed. ‘I don’t like to miss my morning walks, even on Sundays.’

Sara strode towards the coffee maker to prepare her coffee, finding her way around the

place by instinct. ‘What are you having for breakfast?’ she enquired.

‘Eggs and bacon. Do you want some?’

Sara shook her head. ‘Thanks, I’ll make some French toast.’ She looked around for the

water dispenser.

‘We don’t use bottled water. We’ve a water purifier instead,’ Carla said pointing to the

wall-mounted unit.

Sara looked on with interest.

‘You know, I was in Mexico last year on a six-month internship in Guadalajara,’ Carla

started.

‘Nice to hear that,’ Sara smiled. ‘Guadalajara is a lovely city.’

‘Oh, Mexico itself is a lovely country!’ Carla grinned. Then she quickly added, ’But,

India is my first love. I had first arrived here two years ago on a six-month internship with

Dulcet Industries. Thereafter, I went to Guadalajara. When I got a wonderful job opportunity at

Dulcet Industries, I returned here.’

‘I’m very happy with the company and the work atmosphere. Next month, I’ll be

completing a year with them.’ She let out a sigh of contentment. ‘Time flies so quickly.’

‘What about your family? Do they live in Italy?’

‘Yes, in Verona. There are four of us in my family – my parents, my younger brother,

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Carlos, and I. In the past two years, I have visited them just twice, but we keep in touch online,

through video chats. What about your family?’

Sara described her family while expertly placing the slices of French toast on a plate. She

carried the full plate and joined Carla at the table. ‘Tell me about your Mexican experience.

What were your first impressions of Mexico?’

‘Well, there were some moments of anguish but I loved the country.’ She paused to thank

Sara for the proffered plate of French toast. ‘Mmmm....this is delicious!’ she gushed.

‘Thanks,’ Sara smiled, pushing the small bowl of sugar before her. ‘Here, you can add

some more of it, if you want.’

Carla continued. ‘When my flight landed in Mexico City at around seven in the evening,

I was dead tired after spending an entire day travelling. I was dying for a shower and a bed when

the two IYI student managers received me at the airport. Instead of taking me directly to my

accommodation, the girl took me to the IYI office. The guy had to attend a party while the girl

had to finish off some urgent work in the office along with another girl, a Colombian intern, who

was waiting for her. It was almost eleven-thirty when they wound up their work...By then, I was

on the verge of collapsing. I didn’t even take a shower, for fear of falling asleep in the

bathroom.’

Sara turned up her nose in disgust. ‘How terribly insensitive of them. I bet they must have

never travelled abroad on a long distance flight, and so didn’t know how tiring it could be.’

‘That’s exactly what I thought. Sometimes, you’ve just got to bear with ignorance. But,

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that’s not all.’

‘No?’ Sara stared at her in mock horror.

‘A day later, before embarking on the eight-hour-long bus journey to Guadalajara, I told

them to pass on my arrival details to the IYI local team in Guadalajara. But, they didn’t bother to

do so, and I was left waiting at the bus terminal with nowhere to go.’

‘That’s just too much. Let me assure you that I’m not a regular IYI member and I’ve

nothing to do with them in Mexico. Natlife contacted the IYI in Mumbai about my CV who in

turn contacted the IYI in Mexico to arrange for my internship formalities. That’s all I have to do

with them.’

‘Aw, sweetie,’ Carla consoled her. ‘It’s not like I’ve anything against you just because

some people from your country treated me badly.’

‘What about your stay in Morelia?’

‘It was overall good, but...’ Carla grimaced as she suddenly remembered another bad

experience. ‘The local IYI team in Guadalajara had fixed a temporary living arrangement for me.

Luckily, an office colleague helped me in getting a paying-guest accommodation through her

friend. Unfortunately, the landlady was a huge miser. Even though my rent covered drinking

water, she would keep a watch on the water level of her water dispenser. There were just the

three of us in the house – she, her son, and I.’ Carla paused to catch her breath before she

continued. ‘I had to remind her all the time to place an order for a new dispenser. Once, there

wasn’t any water left in the dispenser when I returned home from work and there weren’t any

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shops nearby to buy one from. From then on, whenever the dispenser was about to get empty, I

would carry a bottle to the office to have it filled there before I left for the day.’

She sighed and continued. ‘Few of my colleagues would make a noise about it, but I

chose to ignore them. It was fine till I was working. But after my internship was over, I was

stuck at home for about ten days. One day, I reminded her about the almost empty dispenser so

many times, and she told me that she had ordered for a new one, but that the delivery man could

be busy. “Why don’t you buy yourself few bottles?” she suggested. I told her that I’d rather call

up to enquire about the non-delivery instead and asked for the telephone number. “No, I’ll call

him again,” she said, and within an hour, a new dispenser was at the door.’ Carla ended her story

with a cheerless smile.

‘My, my, you sure did run into some mean Mexicans,’ Sara teased.

They both laughed together.

‘You’re starting work from Monday, right?’

‘Yeah,’ Sara replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

‘You’ll get to see a bit of the city today when we go out for our weekly shopping. This

way, you can get yourself oriented to the surroundings.’

‘How do you travel for work?’

‘An office colleague, who’s also a close friend, lives just two blocks away from here. He

picks me up on his way to office.’

Sara noticed Carla’s coy smile when she spoke about her friend.

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‘Bruno’s office is close to the Natlife office, so in the mornings, he drops Sandra and

Shivani to their office. It’s....’ Carla stopped mid-sentence when her cellphone suddenly started

to ring. She blushed when she saw who was calling.

Sara guessed that it was the same colleague-cum-close-friend and grinned at Carla when

she excused herself to take the call.

Fifteen minutes later, when Sara was on her way to the terrace, Carla was still talking on

her cellphone, comfortably lounging on the living room sofa.

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Chapter Five

Late in the afternoon, Sara and her housemates bundled themselves into two cars and drove away

for their Sunday shopping.

The drive proved to be an eye-opener for Sara. She looked out through the window, her

attention captured by the chaotic scenes on the road: Cars, taxis, overcrowded buses, bikes,

scooters and the three-wheeled rickshaws, they all jostled each other for space, wedging

themselves into the tiniest gap they could find on the road, frequently coming within a hair’s

breadth of each other to move ahead, each vehicle in a desperate rush to reach its destination.

The traffic didn’t stop for anybody, she noted dryly, when she saw people sprinting

across the road, narrowly escaping the moving cars. The constant honking added to the chaos on

the roads. At the traffic signals, beggars and street vendors scurried along the waiting cars, from

one car window to another.

Coming from Mexico City, one of the most populated cities in the world, Sara wasn’t

particularly shocked at the sight of the enormous human mass. But, she still watched with

interest as they moved around in all directions.

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Dinner was a McDonald’s combo-meal at one of the sprawling malls where they had

finished their shopping. By the end of the evening, Sara got to know each of her housemates. She

was the oldest amongst them while eighteen-year old Shivani was the baby of the house. Later at

night, in their room, Sandra talked about herself and her experiences with Natlife.

Born and brought up in London, the twenty-year old British citizen came from a mixed

parentage of an Indian father and an English mother. With her long and black mane, her fair skin

and dark eyes, she could easily pass off as one of the fair-skinned girls of India but for her thick

British accent, which gave it all away. After spending a year and a half in the company, Sandra

had become quite familiar with the staff.

‘My internship will be over by the end of September,’ Sandra informed. ‘Then, I’ll be

returning home to work in Natlife’s UK office.’

Sara didn’t fail to notice a tinge of sadness in Sandra’s voice when she talked about

leaving India. To change the subject, she said, ‘I’m so eager to start work from tomorrow.’

‘You won’t be put to work immediately,’ Sandra smiled. ‘For the first two weeks, you’ll

have to undergo training sessions, where each and every aspect of the company will be presented

to you. There will be workshops, audio-video presentations, and tours to Natlife’s factories and

main offices. You’ll get the opportunity to interact with managers, even directors.’

‘Wow, it all sounds very exciting,’ Sara exclaimed.

‘It’s every bit as fun as it sounds,’ Sandra winked. ‘This way, the new employees get

familiar with the company, get to know its group businesses and activities.’

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SWARUPA

She continued. ‘You’ll love the group activity sessions held at the Natlife School. There

are lots of games, brainstorming sessions and other cool stuff for the new recruits to do together.’

Sara smiled. She always enjoyed group activity sessions. It provided her with some

laughs, gave her mental exercise and even tested her communication skills.

‘Right now, I’m working in HR and help in the training of new recruits. I’m assisting in

the preparation of the training plan and schedule,’ Sandra said excitedly. ‘Every now and then,

we organize training sessions even for the existing employees who have been newly promoted or

have been shifted to a new country. This may include even directors within the huge Natlife

group.’

‘I’m already looking forward to tomorrow,’ Sara grinned.

‘Brace yourself then! We’ve a totally different work atmosphere at Natlife.’

‘Will I get to meet the Chairman?’

‘Yes, of course! But, he’s usually travelling on his umpteen tours around the country as

well as abroad, holding audience with thousands of Natlife distributors at a time. But, you’ll get

to meet him personally some time during your internship.’

Sandra chuckled. ‘You should see how the distributors go crazy on seeing him. They

clamber over each other to get close to him. He’s like a rockstar to them.’

She continued. ‘However, tomorrow, you’ll surely meet the prince of Natlife.’

‘Prince of Natlife?’ Sara asked incredulously.

‘Yes,’ Sandra winked, ‘the hot and hunky Sid Oberoi.’

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‘Is he related to Dev Maurya?’

‘No, Maurya’s only son, Nik, is in the US. Sid’s the blue-eyed boy of Maurya, as well as

Natlife’s Managing Director, Gautam Doshi,’ Sandra gushed on, ‘and literally too, a prince he

is...he’s got the most stunning blue eyes.’

‘I bet he has all the girls in the company falling for him,’ Sara joked.

‘Almost everyone,’ Sandra laughed. ‘He’s quite a charmer.’

‘Has he got a girlfriend?’ Sara asked, a little curious.

‘Well, if he has one, he’s not open about it.’ Sandra said matter-of-factly and then added,

‘And no, he’s not gay.’

With that, Sara’s unspoken question was answered.

‘I’ve heard that he’s never been serious about any girl.’

‘So, he’s a womanizer?’

‘No!’ Sandra denied vehemently.

‘I can see that he’s cast his spell on you too,’ Sara teased.

‘Let’s see how you fare with him tomorrow,’ Sandra laughed.

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A Big HI to all my readers! Thank you very much for reading the first 5 chapters of my first-ever

romance fiction eBook. I’m sure you enjoyed reading the sample chapters :-) Now you can read

the remaining 32 chapters of this eBook (of 257 pages) in PDF format at just US$ 4.99 or the

equivalent cost in your currency. Just click on www.thegr8wall.wordpress.com/the-blue-eyed-

prince-of-natlife and go through the instructions.

To buy the eBook, click on the “Add To Cart” button on the sidebar. A new window will open

displaying the cost of the eBook. If you’re interested in my three eBooks on Mexico, click on the

relevant buttons. To make the payment, click on the “Checkout With PayPal” button and you

will be directed to the PayPal site where you have to enter your credit card details. In case, you

have a PayPal account you just have to log in to your account to complete the purchase.

On making the payment, you will receive the download link to the eBook through email.

For those in India, you may place your order for the eBook (at Rs 275) by sending an email

to [email protected] or [email protected] along with your name, address,

email and phone number.

If you’ve any questions, please do not hesitate to send an email

to [email protected] or [email protected]

Cheers :-)

Swarupa

the blue-eyed prince of natlife (the first 5 chapters)

Education