Chapter 1
The tall, intimidating figure strode into the executive floor of the sleek and modern premises of Sigma Tech, silently observing the frenzy of activities. Despite his casual attire, blue jeans and a white shirt, the tall man stood out from everyone else.
What beautiful eyes, were the first thought that went through the short brunette’s mind, who absently watched the handsome man come in.
“What’s happening here? Where’s the executive meeting happening? Coffee? Someone’s got some decent coffee here?”
If Tanya wasn’t already in love, she would have fallen for that silken voice alone.
“Hello? Earth to you, whoever you are. Where’s the executive meeting happening?” The man asked again, looking at her in exasperation.
“I..it’s this way.” Tanya indicated towards her right.
“Thanks!” He quickly went towards the meeting room, literally leaving her gaping at his back.
Tanya snapped out of the ‘ at the handsome stranger’ game and quickly started moving towards the said meeting room.Who was he? Whoever he was, he sure was bossy!
Neil Grover, the nerd-turned-tech billionaire, moved towards the conference room, muttering to himself in impatience.No wonder this place is not growing at the pace it should, he thought to himself. Neil entered the conference room where some of the top executives of Sigma Tech were already seated.
Tanya too entered the room quickly, part curious and part apprehensive. Even before she could collect her thoughts, the same silken voice spoke to everyone present in the room.
“Morning! I am Neil Grover. Are all the execs present? Are we waiting for anyone else?” Neil’s sharp glance quickly scanned the room.
“Hmm…Mr. Grover, Ritwik is yet to join us. He is on his way.” A smart man, not more than thirty-five, answered Neil.
Neil simply nodded, his gaze alert and sharp. All the faces around the room were surprised, curious, and apprehensive. Ritwik Chopra was the founder of the fast-growing company that provided engineering services to startups that came up with innovative solutions. Ritwik had called all the executives for a quick, confidential meeting.
Already apprehensive, the occupants of the room were also confused. Who was this man who was bossing around? That was the question in everyone’s mind in the conference room.
There was a brief commotion as Ritwik, the suave entrepreneur of Sigma, entered the room. All eyes immediately turned to Ritwik, who shook hands with Neil. “How are you? All good? Apologies for the slight delay.”
Tanya took in the whole scene in wonder. Her eyes widened endlessly behind her glasses.Why is Ritwik being friendly with the bossy, handsome guy?
Finally, Ritwik Chopra addressed the group of people in the room. “Okay, I know this is going to come as a huge surprise to all of you. Neil Grover, who’s here before you, is also my best friend’s brother.”
Neil Grover…that Neil Grover???Tanya’s shock and surprise doubled. How did the lanky, bespectacled guy grow into this muscular, handsome stranger? Pulling herself away from the distracting thoughts, Tanya looked at Ritwik once more.
“I am not going to beat around the bush. We are looking at bringing in Neil to run the business, and Neil is here to look at Sigma, interact with each of you.” Several people stared in shock. One of them even uttered a shocked “What?”
“Yes! While Sigma has been doing extremely well technically, I cannot, unfortunately, say the same thing about the business. Our quarter ending results hasn’t gone up to its complete potential. Neil, in a nutshell, is a genius who can pull this business into a whole different league. If you do follow the business scene in India, as am sure most of you must already do, you would have heard of him before.
“Of course; he’s the same Neil Grover who took over the social media giant last month, right?” The VP of marketing was spouting his knowledge.
“The very same,” Ritwik answered with a smile.
“Wow!” Shreya, the Director of Operations, exclaimed.
Noticing the dreamy look Shreya darted towards Neil, Tanya simply huffed and pushed her glasses up her nose.Typical, she thought to herself.
Neil noticed all the reactions with a keen glance. He didn’t want to rock the boat the very first day he was here. Yet, he could see many changes that were quite obviously required for Sigma to grow and thrive.
“So, what does this mean for Sigma? For us?” One of the Senior Vice Presidents finally voiced out what was in everyone’s mind.
“Thank you for asking, Vinay. This is the first time Neil is here and I am thrilled to announce that he’s agreed to consider my offer. We obviously haven’t worked out all the details yet. Eventually, Sigma will be taken over by Neo Systems. I will continue as the CTO, while Neil will function as the CEO & Chairman.” Several of them gaped, while more than half of them looked apprehensive.
Neil noticed the sudden shift in the room and intercepted Ritwik smoothly. “Thank you, Ritwik. If I may?” Neil stopped lounging by the wall and stood up to his full height. Immediately, everyone else straightened in their seat.
Tanya simply looked at the byplay with helplessness.
