Chapter 1: Blind Date

Amidst an important extraordinary general meeting of SITARA Ltd., a unique ringtone pierced through the air. In the silent conference room, the phone played a familiar love song, its melody drifting through the space, causing heads to turn and brows to furrow in confusion.

The phone's owner, Vivian, the company's CEO, felt a flush creep up her neck, spreading across her cheeks. Her face, usually composed and authoritative, now showed a hint of embarrassment.

With an awkward smile, Vivian quickly retrieved her phone from the sleek, platinum conference table and silenced it first. "Hold on a minute, ladies and gentlemen. I need to take this call," she said in her husky yet soft voice.

Her attempt at maintaining professionalism was undercut by the involuntary twitch of her lips as she forced a smile, knowing all too well who the caller was.

The room's atmosphere, previously charged with tension from the high-stakes discussion, shifted slightly as the board members exchanged puzzled glances.

It was unlike Vivian to interrupt a meeting, especially one as critical as this one. But they watched in silence as their CEO excused herself, turning around in her chair to face the opposite side of where the directors sat.

"Why does it always take you so long to pick up my calls?" came the thin, impatient voice from the other end as soon as Vivian answered the call.

Her grandmother's voice, despite its frailty, carried an air of authority that Vivian had known all her life. It always seemed the thinnest in the world to Vivian, a striking contrast to the forceful personality behind it.

"G-ma, I'm in the middle of an important meeting," Vivian explained, rubbing her left eyebrow in irritation. The familiar, almost ritualistic gesture annoyed her as she recognized the all-too-frequent nature of this call. "If it's not urgent, I am hanging up."

"Wait, wait! I've arranged a blind date for you," her grandmother's voice trailed off as Vivian's patience snapped, causing her to cut her off.

"Send me the details in a text," Vivian said curtly, her tone clipped as she tried to keep her frustration in check.

"How dare you? Just because you've become CEO of my company, doesn't mean you can order me around. You're not the chairwoman yet!" her grandmother's voice rose, each word hitting Vivian like a hammer, reminding her of the unyielding expectations that had been placed upon her since childhood.

Vivian, now extremely frustrated, replied firmly, "G-ma, you can talk my secretary on the matter. I'm busy so, I'm hanging up now." Without waiting for a response, she ended the call, her thumb pressing the end button with a wish that these recurring conversations could come to a final end.

She took a deep breath, composing herself before turning back to look at the annoying faces of the board, ready to continue the discussion.

It turned out there was a rat within the company who had been exploiting the chartered accountant under his control to embezzle a significant amount of funds from the recent IPO.

"I believe we should change our chartered accountant and hire a new one before this matter reaches the Securities and Exchange Board," suggested one board member, his voice tinged with the anxiety of someone who knew the stakes.

"He's right. There's no point in investigating this matter further. The more we dig, the more we will lose goodwill in the market," another board member supported, his tone almost desperate, as if hoping to hide the rat from Vivian, unaware that she already knew the person behind the curtain, pulling the strings like a puppeteer.

"So we should just let the rat be?" Vivian asked, her voice slicing through the room's tension like a knife.

She directed her piercing gaze at the elderly man with a head full of silky white hair, whose impressively elderly appearance did no justice to the lack of knowledge he had shown, almost insulting them.

"Ma'am, I—" he stammered, caught off guard by her directness.

"If we let this matter slide, the embezzlement will continue," Vivian interrupted, her voice firm and unwavering.

"Our appointed audit team is also at fault. Yet, it's true that if SEBI conducts a raid, our stocks will fall excessively," she continued, acknowledging the gravity of the crisis they might face if the authorities were to catch a hint of it. "We need to act fast."

"That's why we're suggesting to let it slide, ma'am," another board member said from the opposite row of the other two, his voice shaking slightly as he tried to defend their position.

"Mr. Vas, I'm not done speaking yet," she said sharply.

He froze, his mouth half-open, before quickly muttering, "Apologies, Ma'am," with his head slightly down.

"We will conduct an internal investigation, hire a new firm, and have them audit the year's accounts again," Vivian declared, her words demanding no further argument on the matter. "We must address this issue head-on."

"But—what if it comes out?" a wise board member finally voiced the fear that had been hanging over them all like a dark cloud.

"I understand your concern," Vivian replied, her tone softer but still resolute. "But we must deal with this internally before it spirals out of control. I will be responsible for the press. You will be responsible for the audit, let us all do our part of work" she said, concluding her instructions.

She gave the room a moment to grasp her words, the tension gradually easing as they saw the logic in her approach. "Shall we poll?"

Another extraordinary general meeting was scheduled for the appointment of the new auditor, and the board members slowly filed out, each lost in their own thoughts.

Vivian left the meeting hall with a sigh, followed closely by her secretary, Mrs. Ahuja, who dutifully briefed her on the rest of the day's schedule. The meeting had run longer than expected, starting in the early afternoon and dragging on until the late evening.

"Ma'am, you have an hour before your scheduled blind date," Mrs. Ahuja said, her tone careful and neutral.