Kumar's Pov
The numbers looked at me, bleeding across the desk in that nasty red colored ink that makes your stomach turn. Seriously, I've never hated ink so much. Gujral Industries, my dad's company, my inheritance, the only freaking reason to get out of bed in the morning was going down right in front of me, and I'm basically gluing together the cracks with duck-tapes
Investors? They were all gone. They'd just hung up, one by one, all those clipped "thanks" and fake "we will get back to you" messages.
I just sat there, staring at the black rectangular table in the dead meeting room, listening to nothing but silence.
Yeah, they were all out. Every last one of the shareholders.
And of course, the press swam in the news of my downfall. Like, vultures they were. "Gujral Industries Faces Collapse." "Kumar Gujral Fails to Deliver." "From Powerhouse to Liability." Great. Just what I needed. I couldn't even scroll through the finance section on social media without seeing my own train wreck.
I wanted to just end it all, the noise, the headlines, and then there's the guilt I keep feeling in my heart, because to be for real, I did this.
Or, well, maybe I undid it.
Then there was a knock at the door. Soft, but precise. It was from Priya, my assistant, who poked her head in.
"Sir, he's here."
I already knew.
"He?" I asked, but c'mon. Like I already didn't know.
"Victor Flair," she said, "He came in early."
That was expected of him, of course. Flair probably plans his bathroom breaks with a stopwatch.
I stood up, yanked my tie a little tighter, tried to look more like a "CEO" than "guy who's about to cry into his whiskey." My reflection in the glass said otherwise: I had dark circles, just the sight of me tells you that I've been through the most, and man, I looked rough.
Victor Flair didn't wait for an invitation, he just strolled in, owning the place already. Seriously, this guy's presence could fill a stadium. He was wearing a black suit, it was crisp as hell, and his shoes were probably worth more than my first car. He even smelled rich, like cedar and, I dunno, and his confidence was smelling.
"Kumar," he said, he sounded so confident like he knew what he was here for.
"Two years," I answered. "Since Singapore. Tech Expo."
He nodded and sat down as if it were his office. He glanced over at my desk, which had a whiskey glass, papers, a mess, and you could see the subtle judgments in his eyes.
"Business has been... challenging," he said, folding his hands like some Bond villain about to make an offer I can't refuse.
I snorted. "If you're here to gloat, Victor, don't bother."
He just smiled. "Not at all. Actually, I have a way out for you."
I looked up. "Go on."
He slid a folder across the desk. "A Merger. Flair Tech and Gujral Industries."
I blinked. Wait, what? Flair, Mr. Lone Wolf, talking about a partnership? The guy's MO is basically eat-or-be-eaten.
"Why?" I asked back, squinting to see if I would see any hidden expressions on his face. "Because I know you don't merge, you simply take over."
He smirked. "That's true. But then your company needs cash while I need your Mumbai facilities. It's a win-win situation."
"Win-win." I couldn't help repeating it, I was filled with doubt. "You mean you get all my stuff for pennies?"
He didn't even bother denying it. Typical. Victor doesn't lie, he just twists the truth.
I glanced through the folder. All neat, all perfect. Forecasts, contracts, escape hatches sewn shut. Guy must've done his homework in his sleep.
But something felt off. Too perfect.
"What's the catch?" I asked.
He smiled, "Always straight to business, Kumar. I respect that."
"That's not an answer."
He leaned back against the chair, fondling his fingers. "It's just one condition. Before we sign, I need to know you're not chaos in a suit. So... you'll live with me. One week."
I just stared. "You're kidding."
"I don't joke about business."
A laugh escaped my mouth, I was in disbelief, also a part of my panic. "You want me to move in? What is this, college?"
He didn't blink. "Call it a compatibility test. I need an order. Discipline. If you're impulsive, I need to see it. A week together should do."
I looked at him like he'd lost it. But the scariest part? He was dead serious.
"This is nuts," I said, pushing the file back at him. "If you think I'm...."
He cut in, straight to the point "You're out of time, Kumar. In a month, your accounts freeze. Your people leave. Gujral becomes a footnote."
My jaw tightened because deep down I knew he wasn't wrong.
He stood up, buttoned his jacket, and always looked so put together. "Two choices: drown with your pride and bankruptcy, or swim with me."
And with that, he left. The room felt a whole lot colder.
Man, the silence? It made my office unbearable. My brain wouldn't shut up, kept putting out the worst scenarios, most especially the red flags. Still, under all that panic, there was this weird feeling I had. Curiosity, you know? The kind you hate yourself for.
Because now I was wondering why Victor Flair was even bothering with me? Why roll out the red carpet and keep me in his line of sight? What did he get out of it, besides, I dunno, a new toy piece to mess with?
Priya came back in, barely making a sound. "Sir, should I let the legal team take a look at the merger contract?"
I just glanced at the folder she opened in front of me on the desk. His signature, looked so perfect, you just know the owner is so damn sure of himself.
My hand? Shaky as hell as I grabbed the pen.
One week. That's all he'd given me. Just seven days.
My pride was screaming at me to toss this thing in the trash, but yeah... my family's company couldn't afford that kind of pride. Not now.
I put my name down next to his anyway.
The ink bled a little, like it knew this was permanent.
Leaning back, it all crashed over me at once. I'd just signed up to move in with Victor Flair. The guy's basically the Iceman of Silicon Valley, could wipe me off the map without lifting his fingers.
But then I was curious, aside from saving my company I really want to know what this was.
Because if Victor Flair thought he could break me?
He was about to learn I don't crack that easily.
