For the first time in 3 months, Zen Kohli felt like he could maybe possibly breathe. It had taken up till now to achieve a semblance of normality in their lives.

His dad’s heart attack had thrown their lives and everything in it, haywire. No one knew how to act or react for a few days afterwards.

Grief and pain had left them all helpless for a while. But life has to go on and go on it did.

Thanks to the relentless efforts of the doctors, his own strong will, and everyone’s heartfelt prayers, within 3 weeks of that horrific night, dad came home to us, safe and sound.

The nightmarish days following dad’s hospitalization now feel like a really bad dream. But thankfully, those days are past us now.

Dad was home but that did not mean that he was fit to go back to his old hectic lifestyle. His attack was a wake-up call for all of us.

No one, least of all mom and grandmom, wanted him going back to his stressful job. 3 weeks in the hospital had made dad come to the same conclusion himself.

He too now wanted to spend the rest of his days revelling in the life he had painstakingly built with his family.

That meant that he, Zen Kohli, had to step up and take up the mantle and that the ‘fun’ part of his life was now officially over!

Responsibility had come knocking and he couldn’t refuse. His dad’s health scare had taken years off his life. He didn’t want to go through something similar ever again.

If changes in his lifestyle can help his family be stress free and healthy, he will do that and more. For him, there was no one above his family!

That’s why for the last 3 months he had been cramming about the job while on the job. Sleeping and breathing were commodities that he could ill-afford these days! And even then, he still had so much left to do.

Besides learning the job, he was also busy finding out what happened the day his dad fell ill.

He had an inkling and a hint of suspicion. But that was not enough to vent out his anger. He needed proof and a concrete one at that!

Then he would make the perpetrator regret the day they decided to target his dad for their nefarious purposes!

But that time hasn't come yet.

As it is, he was stretched too thin these days. His circle of life was restricted to the lab, his dad and his health, his home, and the ladies at home, that’s it.

48 hours were not enough to do things he had been accomplishing in a day recently!

Sleep and rest were commodities he could ill afford these days. But he wasn’t complaining.

‘Anything for his family’ was what Zen Kohli believed in and the ‘mantra’ he lived by.

He wanted his dad back on his feet soon.

He wanted him to come to the lab to see how Zen had been managing the lab behind his back. He wanted him to assess and see where he needed to improve.

He wanted him to come; not to work like before, but to guide and mentor him, so that Zen could accomplish things his dad could be proud of.

No matter how frivolous people thought his life was, Zen had it on hold to come take care of the lab in his dad’s absence.

For the past 3 months he had been tirelessly taking care of things at all ends possible, while his dad was home, enjoying his forced ‘retirement’ by getting pampered by his mom and wife.

Zen knew that his dad’s return to work would be dependent on the 2 ladies in his life; his mom and his wife, i.e., Zen’s grandmom and mom.

And Zen also knew that that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon!

The scare had been too huge for them to forget the shock of it so soon and easily. The fear in their hearts hadn’t dissipated as yet.

No matter what the doctor says, his dad’s life hereafter would be arranged by the aforementioned ladies!

They didn’t want him to go back to work and frankly speaking, his dad too didn’t look too eager to return to his corporate ways just yet either!

Seeing his whole family together and behaving normally after the medical scare of 3 months ago gladdened Zen’s heart like nothing else!

He didn’t mind the extra work nor the lack of sleep. Seeing his entire family together, laughing and smiling was the best stress-buster Zen could ask for.

But just because he had been burning the midnight oil for a while now, does not mean it was the right way. He was way in over his head and he knew it.

A sign of a good leader is when he knows when to ask for help. And help was what he needed and needed it badly!

The work and home situation had put his mind and body under extraneous circumstances. So much so that now they constantly reminded him that he was neither a comic book superhero nor an AI, fervent wishing notwithstanding!

He had no choice but to accept the fact that no matter how much he wishes for it otherwise, at the end of the day, he was just a normal human being with an ordinary body whose normal functioning depended on his level of care towards it.

That is why he had finally given in and opened up a position for a Personal Assistant for himself.

What he needed was a knowledgeable and an efficient person by his side who could share some of his professional burdens so that he could spare a bit more effort in finding clues and proofs against his dad’s instigator.

Mrs.Lobo, his dad’s PA, was already doing an excellent job handling all the daily administrative tasks like the pro that she was. But he needed someone that could work exclusively on the recently won defence contract with him.

Their lab’s partnership with the defense ministry was not a new one. They had been pioneers in providing the government with various bio and chemical bases that had helped develop their defense system, weapons, and other equipment.

His dad’s honesty and work ethics over the years were the primary reasons why the ministry chose their lab for almost all their important projects without any bias or bribe.

His dad’s work spoke for itself. He never had to resort to tricks and plans to get jobs.

That is why Zen’s job was that much more important. His dad’s and the lab’s reputation was at stake here.

Zen’s job was not just to get the work done, but to get it done right, and in the way, manner, and standard that matched their lab's previous work.

So the person he was looking for didn’t just need to have the educational qualifications required for the post but also the ability to maintain utmost secrecy, caution, and vigilance, throughout their tenure with Érevna.

But getting a trustworthy and experienced PA was proving to be a lot more difficult than catching a criminal!

This was already the fifth set of interviews he was attending.

The position was too important to make any mistakes in hiring the correct personnel. That is why, unlike the last 4 times where he was just a spectator of the process, he had decided to sit in on the interviews of the final 2 applicants himself!

He was hard-pressed for time, but it was too important a position to solely rely on others to make this decision.

Zen had promised to do the job to the very best of his ability, and he didn’t want to worry his dad by screwing up at this crucial moment.

With that thought in mind, Zen increased his pace towards the conference room where the two candidates waited for their fate.

Though unknown to him, his hurried steps were taking him towards his destiny as well!

A destiny that he didn’t plan for himself nor thought about before, yet was waiting for him, just across the door!

A destiny that was inexorably his.