Chapter 57: chapter 57

CHAPTER-23GOWRIIt is been two weeks since our wedding reception. Things have become normal.Normal for me and Shiva is minding our business and maintaining a good distance between us.  The only time we see each other is during the morning coffee time. Either he makes me a cup of coffee or I would make him some. We would silently sip our coffees and start our day. The silence with him is not awkward like most silences are. In fact, it is nice. There is no pressure for both of us to make conversation. It is comfortable to just sit there with him and have my cup of coffee.Something between us has changed. Our conversations are formal and as if we have an unspoken agreement, we both never speak about those three days. And God! Those three days seem like we were in some other universe. But this distance and aloofness between us are the best. If this continues then soon my crush on him will vanish. My heart would stop fluttering whenever he enters the kitchen in the morning. There are exactly nine months before our first wedding anniversary and then nope, I do not want to think about what will happen after that. I know very well what will happen and thinking about it gives me a sad feeling. So, until the time comes, I will just cherish every moment in this house.🍀🍀🍀🍀SHIVAI keep scrolling through the photos of our wedding reception on my mobile. Something I am constantly doing when I get thoughts about Gowri. I smile at a photo. It was taken when I whispered something into her ears. She blushed and the moment was captured. We both look amazing in the photo. I sigh thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't proposed divorce to her in the first place. Maybe things would have been different. I would not be sitting like this in my office cubicle and staring at her photos like a stalker. Even though I maintain a distance from her physically but it is mentally impossible for me to do so. She keeps occupying my mind every few minutes. It is really difficult to stop thinki-The door to my office suddenly opens. I look up from my phone to snap at the person who barged into my room but stops short as I take in Bala uncle's grim face.“What happened uncle?” I ask deadpanning.The expression on his face sends chills down my spine. It is not a good expression. It is grave and even before he could answer my question, I have a feeling that he has brought with him bad news and is struggling with how to say it to me.“Shiva, the investors... they are withdrawing their investments all of a sudden,” Bala uncle says.HOLY HELL! DID I HEAR HIM RIGHT?The situation is grave. If they withdraw the investments, then this company would go at loss and have to be shut down.“But uncle, why?” “I don't know Shiva. All the investors have mailed that they are not satisfied with our company but you know what that is bullshit. They are afraid of you. They are frightened of your tremendous success in a short span. They want to ruin you,” he says with anger.“That cannot be possible,” I say.Bala uncle shakes his head vigorously, “You are still new in this business world. Everything done here is calculated. Only if there is profit do they do things. They wanted to ruin you that is why they agreed to that sum of the money at the beginning of the year and now they know that our company is dependent on their investments. So, they are withdrawing now to make this company go bankrupt and finally shut down. I shouldn't have fallen for those people's trap. I should have known better and warned you.”“Uncle, don't blame yourself. I am the head of the company and I must have been on alert. It is my fault that I succumbed to their tricks. Can we negotiate with them?”“It is no use, Shiva. I tried but they are rude. We have to find new investors soon. Or else..,” he trails off without finishing. But I know what will happen if we don't find new investors. The Company Will Shut Down. 🍀🍀🍀🍀“What about this proposal uncle? Will this work?” I ask.He shakes his head. It is eight at the night but we both are still working out the issue of finding new investors. After the initial shock of the bad news was over, I started taking action to find another investor for the company. The hope I had in the morning is diminishing slowly. I am starting to feel frustrated. This is an unexpected obstacle in my life. I wasn't prepared for it and that is what makes me more frustrated. I should have seen this coming.I glance at Bala uncle and realize that he is tired. The whole day after delivering the news to me he never left the room. He is helping me prepare a draft of the business proposal to send to possible investors who may be interested in investing in the company.I close my laptop abruptly. Bala is startled by it.“Uncle, I think you should go home. It is already time. You are not a youngster to pull an all-nighter.”“I will leave this office only if you leave it,” he says in his stubborn tone. Over the five years, I have learnt many things about him. One of that is if he is stubborn then you have to relent to his wishes. No matter how hard you argue, he will always win in the end. He is a master arguer.I shake my head and agree, “Okay, I will.”🍀🍀🍀🍀“Don't tell my mother about this uncle,” I say when we are heading to the car parking. “I don't want her to worry more. She has already a lot on her plate with Nithya's board exams approaching.”“Okay, but remember, we have to do something quickly. Find a solution soon. Or else everyone will soon know about this,” he warns me getting into his car.“We will find a way,” I say confidently but I don't feel confident enough.🍀🍀🍀🍀I start my car but instead of heading home, I go in the opposite direction. I want to clear my mind. I want to find a solution. I have to do something about this mess. My hard work of five years from bringing this company from a nameless one to one of the most prominent ones in the state will not be ruined by some people's politics.I drive and drive but no, my mind is still a mess. I feel like I am in a dark cave with no light ahead. If I don't save this company then all my employees would go unemployed. They have families and this sudden unemployment would affect them very badly.Nope, I can't lose hope now. I have to do something. I have to find a way. There is no time to complain. Something must be done.I SHOULD SAVE THIS COMPANY! THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION LEFT.🍀🍀🍀🍀