Riya exited the restaurant with a mixture of relief and unease. Her conversation with Dev had been straightforward, but the implications of their agreement weighed heavily on her mind. As she stepped into the evening air, the bustling sounds of Mumbai barely registered. She needed to clear her head, and there was only one person who could help her do that—Naina Kapoor, her best friend since childhood and the one person who had seen her through every high and low.
Riya pulled out her phone and dialed Naina's number. She knew Naina would be busy with her work—organizing the largest esports event in the country—but she needed to hear her voice. If anyone could help her make sense of this bizarre situation, it was Naina.
The phone barely rang twice before a familiar, enthusiastic voice answered, "Hey babe!"
A small smile tugged at Riya's lips. "Hey."
"What happened, baba? You sound exhausted," Naina asked, her voice softening with concern. She always knew when something was wrong with Riya, even if Riya hadn't said a word.
Riya let out a sigh, her shoulders relaxing slightly at the sound of Naina's comforting voice. "Heh, you'd go crazy if you knew what's happening here. When are you coming back?"
Naina chuckled. "You know lady, this meeting of all the esports players in the country is very important to me. Once the formalities are done, I'll be back. Now, what's the tea over there?"
Riya bit her lip, wondering how Naina would react to her news. "I'm saving that for when I see you in person," she said with a small smile. "But you're not going to like it."
Naina groaned playfully. "Hmm, sounds dangerous. I'll see you soon, babe. Love youuu!"
"Love you too," Riya replied, feeling a little lighter as she hung up. Naina had a way of grounding her, even from miles away.
With the call over, Riya turned her attention back to the reality of the situation she had just walked out of. Dev Kapoor. The arranged marriage. It was all so surreal. And yet, here she was, making decisions that would change the course of her life. It wasn't about romance or love. It was a calculated decision, one she had made after weighing all her options.
Riya shook her head. She couldn't dwell on it now. There was work to do. She called her driver, instructing him to take her to her company. As the car wove through the busy streets of Mumbai, she leaned back in the seat, her thoughts wandering to Naina once again.
Naina had always been her rock. Their friendship had deepened over the years, evolving from childhood playmates to sisters in every sense except blood. They were different in many ways—Naina was more spontaneous, adventurous, and extroverted, while Riya was methodical, career-focused, and private—but their bond had only strengthened with time. They didn't need to talk every day or see each other constantly. They just understood each other.
Recently, they had made a big decision together—buying a condominium where they could both escape from the pressures of their lives. It was their sanctuary, a place where they could be themselves without the weight of expectations. Riya loved that space, and the memories they had built there were some of her happiest. It was the only thing keeping her sane lately.
As her car pulled up to the office building, Riya's calm demeanor shifted. Something was wrong. The tension in the air was palpable, even before she stepped out of the car. She hurried inside, heading straight for her office.
The moment she walked in, her assistant, Meera, rushed over, her face pale. "Riya, we have a problem."
Riya's stomach sank. "What's going on?"
"There's been an internal audit breach," Meera explained, her voice shaky. "One of our major clients flagged discrepancies in their financials. They think someone from our team might be involved."
Riya's heart skipped a beat. A breach in the audit process? This wasn't just a small issue. If this got out, it could ruin the company's reputation—and, by extension, her career.
She had built her entire professional life on her integrity and expertise, and now everything was at risk. Regardless, her voice was poised and professional her expression could not betray what she was feeling inside.
"Which client?" Riya asked, her voice tight.
"Sterling Group," Meera said, handing her a folder.
Riya's eyes widened. The Sterling Group was one of their biggest accounts, a conglomerate that was responsible for over 30% of their firm's annual revenue. If they lost Sterling, it would be a catastrophic blow.
"We need to do a thorough investigation," Riya said, flipping through the documents with practiced precision. "And I want to handle this personally. No one outside of the core team should know about this until we have more information. Understood?"
Meera nodded, clearly relieved to have Riya take charge. "Understood."
Riya moved quickly, setting up an emergency meeting with the investigation team. As they gathered in the conference room, she outlined their next steps—review all communications, check financial records, and investigate every potential lead. She had to get to the bottom of this before it spiraled out of control.
But as she looked over the initial reports, something didn't add up. The breach wasn't just a mistake or an error in judgment. It was deliberate, and whoever had done it had gone to great lengths to cover their tracks. This wasn't an internal mishap. It was sabotage.
And that's when the second, more unsettling realization hit her. The Sterling Group's financials were tied up with one of Dev Kapoor's subsidiaries. If she wanted to investigate thoroughly, she would need access to data from his company—data that wasn't easily accessible.
Her mind raced. She knew what had to be done, but the thought of asking Dev for help made her stomach churn. She barely knew him. Their relationship was still in the stage of formality and politeness. Could she really go to him, the man she had agreed to marry for convenience, and ask for access to sensitive financial information?
She could feel her pride clawing at her. She had worked her whole life to be independent, to prove she didn't need anyone to solve her problems. Asking for Dev's help would mean admitting that she couldn't handle this on her own. And that wasn't something she was willing to do—not yet.
As the meeting wrapped up, Riya leaned back in her chair, her mind racing. She knew the stakes were high, and she couldn't afford to make the wrong move. She had always prided herself on her ability to solve problems logically, but this… this was different.
Her phone buzzed again, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Dev.
"How's work going?"
Riya stared at the message, the weight of her situation pressing down on her. She could ignore it, keep pushing forward on her own, but deep down, she knew she couldn't do this alone. Not this time.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, indecision clouding her judgment. She had never been one to rely on others, but maybe—just maybe—this was the moment to ask for help.