Shadows of control { Under Editing }

2.The Insult.

SOFAI'S POV:

Since that intense interview, I hadn’t crossed paths with him again. I drowned myself in work, earning admiration from everyone. And yet, he never acknowledged me. Never even looked my way.

Then came the meeting—a high-stakes gathering of all the companies under his control. I was tasked with addressing share-related discrepancies. My moment to shine. But the thought of facing him again twisted my stomach into knots.

Antonio, his secretary, shattered my illusion of control with a single statement.
"Corruption. South American offices. Internal. Our own people."

My fingers tightened around my pen.
"Our own people?"

"Yes,"
Antonio said, almost bored.
"And if you don't find out who, the boss will find out for himself."

I didn't need the warning.

I knew what his version of finding out would look like.

I went home with a pounding headache and a mission. My laptop became my battlefield, my fingers my weapons. Documents, transactions, statements—I tore through them all. No breaks. No sleep. Just cold, ruthless inspection.

And then, at the crack of dawn—I found them. John and Clara. Their fingerprints were all over the fraud.

I exhaled, exhausted. Finally.

The Meeting

I overslept. Damn it.

Jolting awake at 7:00 AM, I threw on my clothes, grabbed a slice of bread, and bolted.

By the time I reached the office, the entire staff was already seated. Eyes turned toward me, shocked. The meeting was in two minutes, and I had just arrived.

I didn't care. I wasn't late. That’s all that mattered.

I took my seat and grabbed the water bottle kept in front of me as I took a sip the door behind me creaked open.
It was him .

Ansh Oberoi.

And just like that—the room froze.

I had just met him once and I could recognise him immediately by his distinct and divine scent.

Suddenly, everyone stood up to greet him. His presence was undinieable, filling the entire room with a commanding aura that sent a shiver down my spine

He walked past me, not sparing a glance. Settling into his chair, he leaned back, exuding an effortless dominance that made the atmosphere stifling.

The meeting began. Excuses flooded the room. Denials. Justifications.

Then—my turn.

I stood, passing the reports through the people seated between us. My voice was steady.

“The corruption wasn’t a sudden act. It was a carefully planned betrayal.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. He said nothing, letting me continue.

“John and Clara...though absent today..manipulated our transaction records. Fabricated expenses. Misreported GST figures.”

"I've traced unauthorised transfers and suspicious financial activity directly linked to them."
One by one I tried to explain. His gaze bore into me

Silence.

And then—his voice.

Cold. Calculated. Razor-sharp.

“So, you finally decided to do your job you were paid to?”
His eyes darkened.

I clenched my fists beneath the table.
"I acted as soon as I found the evidence."