I began to get a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why was Suketu acting so strangely? Why wasn’t he coming up on stage? And what was Shiv telling him so intently?

I suddenly noticed that Yudi was there too, standing next to Shiv, but looking straight at me. ‘Please come too,’ I mouthed silently but Yudi smiled and shook his head. I gripped the mike tightly. I knew what I had to do.

‘There is someone in my team who deserves a special mention today,’ I said, looking straight at Yudi. ‘He is an integral part of the team and actually if it hadn’t been for him I probably wouldn’t be here myself. You all probably know him for his creative brilliance so I don’t need to introduce him to you. Please join me on stage, Yudi.’

The Blue Strawberry and sales team guys roared loudly. After a moment’s hesitation Yudi walked up the steps to the stage and stood beside me.

‘Sorry,’ I said before Yudi could say anything, ‘but I needed you to be here. If it wasn’t for you this film wouldn’t have been the success it is.’

Yudi ran a hand through his hair and smiled down at me. ‘Okay, my little firecracker. You’re doing great so far.’

I felt a little tingle run down my spine. Had he just said my little firecracker?

‘Dude,’ Neil hissed in my ear, ‘I think we should get on with the presentation!’

I turned back towards the audience, gripping the mike again. ‘And now,’ I said enthusiastically, ‘for the grand finale! The new super hit Bright Biscuits film!’

The ballroom began to thump with the opening beats of the AV we had prepared for the presentation which showcased the build-up to the film and finally the film itself. The audience began clapping in sync to the beats as the tempo built up, and loud cheers rang out when the film came on. Many screamed ‘Once more! Once more!’ as the film ended, but we had strict instructions on not exceeding the time limit. So, feeling like a total spoilsport, I clicked to the last slide which showed the launch performance results for the first two months that we had been in the market.

‘And now, last but not the least, let me take you through the fabulous sales performance we have seen on Bright Biscuits so far.’

The audience perked up again as the sales graph appeared on the screen, clearly showing Bright Biscuits’ brilliant sales performance. It glowed and spun around and then shattered into smithereens, making me nearly jump out of my skin, but the audience loved it. They began to cheer and chant the Bright Biscuits tagline: ‘Munch Smart, Stay Sharp’.

As I listened to them cheer, the numbness that had descended on me ever since the meeting in Shiv’s office slowly began to lift. This was my moment! I had spearheaded one of the most successful launches in GF’s history! This time I wasn’t watching from the sidelines as someone else walked away with the accolades, woefully wondering if it could have been me—this time the success was mine to savour. And I knew that wherever he was right now, Papa was feeling proud of me.