A Tale of Two Countries - Prologue

I stand in the balcony holding a glass of champaigne in my hand and wearing a pale lemon yellow saree.

I wish I did not come to this party. I think inwardly while taking a sip from the glass.

Suddenly, I hear a noise behind me and slightly turn around.Ugh I groan inwardly. It is Adam Dralin- my tormentor.

"Well well well. Who do we have here? Its the Brownie."

I do not respond to his jabs. From the corner of my eye, I can see him approach me. His gait is a bit unsteady. He is drunk. I did not want to cause a scene and I turn to go out of his way and try to leave.

I see a hand snake around my waist and push me to the hard wall. But it is not a wall but a hard muscular chest.

"You third-world low-born brown b*tch, do not ignore me."

"Let me go. You r*cist scum."

He does not let go. But his grip has become tighter. I need to take matters in my own hands. I elbow him in his solar plexus.

"Oomph"

His grip loosens.

"You will pay for that, you b-".

I do not wait for him to complete the sentence and give a hard punch to his groin.

He clutches his bits and falls to his knees.

He looks at me with murder in his eyes.

Unfazed I reply, "Adam you try to touch me again, I will report you to the HR for improper conduct. Let this be a warning to you. Oh and one more thing, I expect you to address me professionally. My name is Aishwarya. Use it."

"You think you can come to my country and boss me around? What did Chris even see in you. I bet he hired you to do some after-work personal favors", he grins maliciously.

"That is where you are wrong Adam. I was hired because I have skill and talent. I work hard, smart and efficiently. I get the job done. And on a slightly different note, I expect the reports to be on my desk by tomorrow afternoon so I can begin the analysis for the client. Any delay, I will have to report you to our team lead for incompetence. Have a pleasant evening."

Without a backward glance, I leave. I am close to tears but I hold them back. It pains me to see people think low of me even after I put a lot of effort. They judge me before they even know me. I try to keep the pessimistic thoughts at bay and go inside. I go to Chris- my team lead and congratulate him and his wife one more time on their third anniversary and say my good-byes. I wait for my cab and when it arrives, I open the door to get inside.

Before getting in, I glance up. I see Adam watching me from above with an unreadable expression. I quickly get inside the cab and we drive off to my home.

I want to erase this dreadful experience. I reach my home and take off my clothes and get into the bathtub to relax after a long day. I shut my eyes. The soothing bath salts are a wonderful remedy and thoughts of Adam and his green eyes and his jet black hair are long forgotten.

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