Tangled Fortunes

Chapter 2: The Queen of Silicon Valley

The sleek, black car sliced through the morning's traffic with a precision no knife edge could boast of, its motor humming in satisfaction. In the backseat, Arya Mehta stared straight ahead into the road, her thoughts a thousand miles away, tangled deep within a maze that never loosened its clutch. Skyscrapers hiding the sun, just a semblance of light on the horizon, and the city was only just waking up while Arya had been wide awake for several hours, her mind racing with an endless list of things to be done, people to meet, and decisions to be taken.
Arya always remained a decade ahead of something or somebody. That was what made her "The Queen of Silicon Valley"-whispered in respectful awe in boardrooms across the world. Solaris Tech, which she had built brick by brick, was indeed her little fiefdom, and indeed with an iron fist she did rule over it-an acute mind her sword and shield. There was no room for mistakes, no margin for error. In her world, success catapulted one to greatness or relegated them to invisibility.
Arya's eyes hardened as her car slid to a stop in front of the towering glass edifice that was representative of the Solaris Tech headquarters, and her driver-man, long since trained to keep his thoughts unto himself, hastened to step out and open her door. Arya emerged with the fluid grace of a woman long used to commanding a room. In a tailored black suit molding onto her athletic physique, with the sharp lines of the jacket expressing in their cut the acerbity of her eyes, a heavy tumble of raven-black hair had been pulled back into a severe no-nonsense bun, and she had no need for embellishments. Her presence herself was enough to claim a proper circle of attentions.

The lobby of Solaris Tech was abuzz with hustle and bustle, but as Arya stepped into its environs, all seemed to lapse into a reverent quiet. Every employee knew her by sight, and though they may have seen her only in passing, all that had anything to do with the day-to-day work felt the weight of her influence. She doesn't have to say a word to command respect, for that was part of her aura.

Arya didn't break stride, crossing to the private elevator at the far side of the lobby. Her heels struck against the marble floor with clockwork rhythm. The doors slid open, soundless, and she stepped inside. Alone. As the doors slid closed and the elevator began to ascend, Arya let her eyes slip closed and drew a deep breath. It was the only concession she would allow herself, just a moment to collect her thoughts before the workday began.

The elevator opened directly onto the executive floor: a fortress of glass, steel, and sharp angles. It was space reflecting, in so many ways, the woman who designed it. Arya walked briskly down the corridor, ignoring the hushed greetings of the staff she passed. Her destination was the conference room at the end of the hall, wherein lay the most important meeting of the day about to begin.

The door to the conference room flew open, and Arya stepped inside, drawing all eyes to her instantly. Filled with the top executives of Solaris Tech, all were standing by the time she was in. She gave a curt nod, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the view across the room.

"Sit," she said; her voice cut like the cold, sharp clarity of the air in the room. The executives moved to sit at once-their movements stiff, controlled, as if one wrong move was an invitation to some sort of catastrophe.

Arya sat down at the head of the table, and with one quick flourish of her hand, the wall screen behind her came alive with an elaborate presentation. It was a new project-one involving state-of-the-art technology that if pulled off would once again place Solaris Tech in the lead of the pack. It was Arya's idea, and just like everything she did, it was big, bold, and probably earth-shattering.

"We have exactly six months to bring this to market," Arya said, allowing no compromise in her voice. "We cannot afford to fail. I want updates every week, and if there is some kind of problem, I will expect to be informed immediately. Now, let's get to work."