Page 68 of Since the Night We Met
‘Not really,’ Shyamlal replied, irritation evident in his tone. ‘You’re making this unnecessarily complicated. Kartik will vouch for me.’
‘But it is complicated. This is a joint launch between Kashyap Luxe and Agrawal Jewels and they conduct a detailed vetting process for every vendor. Besides, I’m sure our investors would love to see these exquisite stones beforehand. Trust me, you’d be giving them a treat, Uncle,’ Siya said with a sweet, diplomatic smile.
Shyamlal argued, ‘You don’t understand. I can’t just leave my rare and valuable products with you. There are a lot of factors to consider, security above all.’
Abhay chimed in. ‘I don’t see any locks on the wooden box containing the gemstones. It’s a very pretty box, but not exactly top-quality security. I’m sure we can find something much safer. It’s only a matter of a couple of days.’
His calm composure fractured and his nostrils flared. He stood abruptly and adjusted his jacket. ‘Do as you wish. I’ll be expecting to hear from you soon.’
He gathered his briefcase and threw a sharp look at his assistant, who hurriedly took it from him. Shyamlal turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. The door closed behind him and the silence felt loud enough to echo.
‘Dad sent a great supplier, but it seems the newlyweds picked today to play detective duo,’ Dhruv spat out, eyes darting between Abhay and her, and she felt her back stiffen with frustration.
She didn’t miss the way the junior members from his team snickered at his jab, and she badly wished to slap off his condescending smirk. But she held onto the last strands ofpatience she could find and argued, ‘You know lab tests exist for a reason, Dhruv. Or else, our dear old Uncle Chaudhary can show up tomorrow with a rock from his collection and claim it's a relic from ancient times.’
‘Business means risk, Siya, and if you’re that much of a coward, maybe you should stick to your cosy married life instead of trying to run a business.’
‘Everyone out. Now!’ Abhay snapped, his voice ice-cold. Startled, everyone quickly filed out of the room one by one.
When the door clicked close behind them, Abhay turned to Dhruv. ‘This is your only warning, Dhruv. Nothing gives you the right to speak to Siya that way, and especially not with an audience in the workplace. You either show her the respect she deserves or I can personally kick you out the door. You choose.’
Dhruv huffed. ‘What do you want me to do, just always bow down to her every whim? Because apparently, she has forgotten how this business works. Dad never asked suppliers to jump through hoops just to gain his trust. She’s dragging her feet over little stuff.’
‘Look at them!’ Siya shouted, and gestured at the emeralds. ‘Fucking use your brain for once in your life, and inspect them before you take Shyamlal’s word at face value.’
Backing her up, Abhay picked up one stone and held it out to him. ‘Or is it that you can’t tell a natural gem from a treated one?’
Dhruv snatched it from his grasp and studied it with the mini microscope. Siya saw the moment he found a problem because he went rigid.
Abhay asked, ‘Do you see how flawless it is? Natural, mined emeralds have inclusions. This stone, which he praised as rare and natural, has absolutely none. You know what that means.’
‘They might be treated,’ Dhruv said more to himself than them. ‘I can’t believe I missed this. But why would Dad recommend Shyamlal if he’s a fraud?’ he trailed off, his voice cracking at the end.
That question was haunting Siya as well, and she couldn’t come up with an answer she wanted to believe.
‘Maybe you should ask yourself that, because either Kartik doesn’t know what’s going on, or he does, and both answers should worry you.’
The colour drained from Dhruv’s face, then burned red with rage. ‘Are you suggesting he’d deliberately screw up the brand he so painstakingly built?’
‘No, I’m calling for transparency, and this incident proves that’s asking for too much from both of you, but we do owe it to every person who trusts our brand. Or maybe you aren’t bothered, because you are in on it.’ Abhay stood his ground.
‘Excuse me?!’ His voice cracked, the accusation laced with wounded pride.
‘You heard me,’ Abhay retorted back. She could feel the tension unravelling in him. ‘You seemed hell-bent on approving Shyamlal under the guise of protecting the deadline.’
Dhruv stood up abruptly, his chair falling to the floor behind him. ‘I’ve worked for this company my entire life. I’ve given everything to it. How could you think I’d risk the reputation of my family for a backdoor deal?’
‘Careful,’ Siya warned. ‘You’re letting your insecurities show.’
He directed his anger at her. ‘Oh please, you want to change everything in Dad’s business because you think your methods are better. You think you can just show up with your fancy presentations and your marriage certificate and take over everything?’
‘I’m not trying to take over. I’m trying to fix what’s broken, and if that includes questioning people Dad brought in, so be it. And if you think it’s smart to insult the man who just saved this company from investing in counterfeit gemstones, I gave you more credit than you deserve.’
‘You can’t reason with him, Siya. He’s too blinded by daddy’s love to see what’s happening right under his nose.’
The sharp jab rolled off his tongue easily, and Dhruv sneered at him. ‘I wouldn’t expect a silver-spooned generational heir like you to understand just what it takes to succeed in a cut-throat business world. Like seriously, who the fuck do you think you are?’
Abhay didn’t take the bait, but Siya could no longer bear Dhruv reducing them to a couple too busy playing house to run a legacy. A burst of rage unravelled in her belly and her chair moved back with a harsh scrape against the polished floor as she rose. She walked up to them, until she came to stand in front of Abhay.
