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It was almost 5 pm when Smriti reached for her phone extension and called Amit. She asked him to move to the conference room number 1101 to discuss some urgent matter.
When Amit entered Room 1101, he couldn’t help but marvel at the Victorian style buildings of Connaught Place, nicely divided in outer and inner circles that were clearly visible from the big bay windows of the conference room. Traffic was building up on the streets below. The sky was still a hazy orange.
As the room was still empty, Amit walked over to the window to enjoy the aerial view of Central Delhi’s skyline.
“Hi Amit. You seem lost...” said Smriti, suddenly walking into the room.
Amit turned to greet her. Smriti sat down at the glass table in the middle and ask him to take a seat.
“Oh I was simply enjoying the view,” Amit said.
“Yeah I know. The view is pretty awesome,” said Smriti.
“Ummm...Amit, we need to discuss the ‘Risk Factors’ for our client today. Do you know what ‘Risk Factors’ are?” Smriti asked coming straight to the point.
“Oh yes, as the name suggests,” Amit replied after a little pause, “it is all about the potential threats that can harm a company’s business.”
“Absolutely correct,” Smriti said, her eyes lighting up. This guy was smarter than she thought initially. And this is when it was only his second day in office.
“The company is planning to list its shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange. But before the general public is allowed to trade in these, SEBI ( the Securities and Exchange Board of India) Regulations prescribe that the company discloses all the potential threats to investors in their offer document which could harm their business and affect the value of their shares,” said Smriti.
“We disclose all these potential threats in a chapter named ‘Risk Factors’. And yes, the Legal Advisor usually drafts the chapter, which means us,” she explained.
“Sounds interesting,” said Amit.
“There are certain risks that are generic in nature. Such as the stock market going up and down that could affect the value of the shares, the seasonal nature of the business, terrorist attacks, global warming, natural disasters, blah, blah, blah...” said Smriti.
“And there are others that are very specific to the company. Such as....”
“An illegal office in the middle of a residential area that authorities could shut down at any time,” Amit interrupted.
“Yah. I had completely forgotten about that. Thanks for reminding me. Yes, we may need to put that down in the chapter but after I consult my partner, the client and the merchant bankers,” said Smriti. She was now realising that Amit was quite sharp and had a good memory.
“I have some other draft offer documents here from where we can pick up some generic risk factors. I thought we should work on this together. ‘Risk Factors’ always come out better when two minds work on it than one,” said Smriti with a smile.
“That’s being very methodical. I’m sure your bosses would be valuing you highly,” Amit was quite impressed.
Smriti looked at him. The colour of her face suddenly changed. Her eyes became teary again, and she took out a hankie to sniffle.
“I think you already know the answer,” Smriti said in a choked voice as if she was about to cry.
“And the answer is....NO,” said Smriti, with a tear rolling down her cheeks.
Amit was totally caught off guard at this sudden emotional reaction. He didn’t know what to say.
“I’m actually looking for a change. I have been working with this firm for the past five years but I don’t want to continue any longer,” she said blowing her nose in to the handkerchief.
“I have already applied to Amarchand & Mangaldass which is the topmost firm in this country. Had I worked there, my quality of experience would be much higher than what it is today,” said Smriti.
“Oh we’ll miss you if you left us,” said Amit.
“Thanks, I hope my boss also shared this sentiment,” said Smriti.
She looked at her watch.
“Oh my God, it is already 6 P.M. I better leave. Mom’s not well,” said Smriti.
“Amit, just do me a favour. Why don’t you draft an e-mail and circulate it to everyone including me, Mr. Ram Kapoor, and the officials of our client about the points we discussed today,” said Smriti.
“Will do,” said Amit.
“Thanks. Really appreciate it,” Smriti said. She picked up her purse and got up to leave the conference room.
“By the way when you are done with the e-mail, you are free to call it a day,” said Smriti.
“Thanks,” Amit said and returned to his desk.
Amit started reading and typing at the same time, at more than 40 words per minute which used to be his normal typing speed in London. He knew that in India typing was considered a menial job generally entrusted to “typists”. Senior lawyers took notes in long hand and then “dictated” those to the “typists”.
But Amit considered it faster and more efficient to “take notes” on the laptop itself. The research was done in about 30 minutes. Amit took another 10 minutes to proof read the draft, which he then attached to an e-mail broadcast and hit the “Send” button.
Amit was done for the day. Now he needed to recharge. Get out of the office prison. He needed to take Jeff for a walk, enjoy the cool breeze and get some exercise. He looked from the corner of his eye at Naina. Surprisingly, there was a mild smile on her face. It appeared that she too was looking forward to calling it a day.
Amit suddenly saw Arshad appearing out of nowhere.
“Naina...We need to discuss the agreement this evening. Let’s meet at 7:30 P.M.,” said Arshad.
Naina didn’t say a word. Amit could see the colour of her face draining and her smile disappearing. Amit knew that now she would be stuck in office for a few hours more. It sounded like sheer torture. At that moment, he felt bad for her. Naina was certified wild, but even then she didn’t deserve this kind of a treatment from Arshad.
Amit switched his laptop off, put it back in his rucksack and left the office. He didn’t even dare wave a “bye” to Naina, lest that led to another explosion.
