Free The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian Page B

yes!’
    ‘I want to do it. It will give me a foothold in this industry. There is so much to do, film, scripts, screenplay. And more books of course. Unless I get the fame and adulation, no one will give me respect in this space.’
    ‘Remember this success comes at a price. The price you pay for this is your self-esteem. Are you ready for that, Aditya?’
    ‘Hmm . . .’ was all Aditya could say as he walked into the bathroom. He and Maya were on different planets as far as his film escapades were concerned.
    A message was waiting for him on his phone, when he walked out of the shower.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    <:) Yes. I know. Later I thought I should have come. But by then it was too late.>
    
    
    
    < Have you completed your manuscript?>
    
    
    
    

20
    T HE NEXT FEW days at work were extremely stressful for Aditya. The impending retrenchment was constantly playing on his mind. The only solace for him was his life outside office. His books helped him escape the agony at work and get into a world where he was the king. And as long as he was at work Shreya provided a welcome distraction. Just talking to her and being in her company calmed him down.
    Over the past few years, he had considered quitting his job many a time to get into writing full time. The intensity and frequency of those thoughts had gone up. But he couldn’t gather enough courage. He was worried that the day he started to rely on his writing to make ends meet, the fun would go out of it. It would become just another job for him.
    That day he was on a restructuring call with the regional head of HR in Singapore. The India team was being represented on the video conference call by Aditya, Sanjay and one of Sanjay’s deputies. It had become a bit of a routine ever since they decided to shut down a business. Aditya was anchoring the call, when he saw Shreya pace up and down the aisle outside his room. He tried to catch her eye, but she refused to look up. She looked disturbed. Aditya couldn’t leave the room. It would have been too obvious had he got off the call to talk to her. He picked up the phone to SMS her but then kept it down instantly. Sanjay looked at Aditya’s worried expression, then looked out of his cabin and made a face.
    The call was a long one. By the time they ended the video conference, Shreya had left. Aditya stepped out of the room and looked around. He couldn’t see her. He stepped back into his cabin. Sanjay was still there, hanging around and waiting for him.
    ‘The person you are looking for is there,’ he pointed to Aditya’s iPhone lying on the desk.
    ‘What?’
    ‘There,’ he again pointed to Aditya’s phone. ‘See that.’
    Aditya walked up to his table and picked up his phone. There were seven SMSs from one person—Shreya.
    Aditya picked it up and swiped through screens to get to his inbox.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    And finally the last message:
    He was worried. Had he said anything which had upset her? Had someone else noticed their closeness? He started sweating as he assumed the worst.
    ‘Whatever you are reading, I presume it doesn’t bode well, eh?’ Sanjay spoke after a long time. Aditya looked at him