Chapter 10 Deepak

Chapter 10 Deepak

VEERA: SOS. THE AUNTIES ARE HERE.

The message flashed on the screen just as he walked into his office.

"Shit," he said. He should've stayed behind and taken another day off. Veera shouldn't be handling the aunties by herself.

Not that she couldn't if she wanted to, but it was unfair.

He thought of her surprised expression when he kissed her wrist, felt her pulse jump under his touch, the rich earthy scent

of her mehndi hands and the clink of her chuda when he nudged them farther up her arm and out of his way.

Deepak was close enough to see her lashes flutter in surprise, and despite how much he wanted to stay, he had no choice but

to head out for the office. And now he had to deal with the board.

He was halfway across the room when he heard the familiar gruff Punjabi. "Watch your language in front of your mother."

The words were said with such a swift delivery that Deepak's spine went ramrod straight to face both his parents, who were

occupying the chairs positioned in front of his desk. They glared at him the same way they used to when he brought home a

report card that was not up to their standards. Or that time he took his father's Bentley without permission and got into

a fender bender at the end of their driveway.

Now, as he faced his parents, his father had been the one to chastise him, but his mother had murder in her eyes. Like she'd told him multiple times before, just because she could only give birth to one child didn't mean that she couldn't borrow one to be her successor if she needed a replacement.

Both of them stood, his father in his elegant charcoal suit, and his mother in her slacks and blouse with a loose cardigan

that fell to her knees. His father's hair was still thick and streaked with gray and white while his mother's hair was the

same shocking black it had been since she'd found her favorite hairdresser.

In his mother's hand was a silver tray from her home temple. Deepak swallowed hard when she approached him and he saw the

om symbol in red powder, the candle, rice, sweets, and the small Ganesha statue.

She began reciting mantras that he had never heard before, but all his years of training by her side had Deepak bowing his

head and folding his hands together. When her voice hitched, he knew that he'd hurt his mother's feelings, too.

"Ma, I can explain—"

Without missing a single word of her mantra, she reached out with her free hand and smacked him upside the head.

He rubbed the spot of impact more because of the shock of it than because it hurt. He resumed his silence and waited with

his head bowed, refusing to look at his father and mother until finally, she pressed her ring finger into the small well of

water on the tray, the raw rice granules, and the deep red vermilion. Then she pressed the tip of her finger between his eyebrows

to bless him.

When her mantra ended, she picked up the small chum chum, his favorite Indian sweet dessert. It was oval shaped and bright pink and was like chewing on a saffron sugary cloud saturated in syrup and coated in coconut flakes. He opened his mouth automatically, and with more force than he expected, his mother shoved the entire dessert into his mouth.

Then, she smacked him upside the head again and began to rant in very colorful Punjabi.

You have the brains of an ox.

Why is your mission in life to murder your mother with your bad decisions?

No, you only think of yourself and then you sit on my head and make me deal with it.

He was pretty sure that if he pointed out how she wasn't making any sense, he'd only get reprimanded again. Deepak just swallowed

his pink chum chum, the taste sour in his mouth, while his mother finished flaying his hide the way only a Punjabi mother

could.

"I'm sorry," he said when her tirade was over. He turned to his father first who stood at a distance with his hands in his

pockets. "I know this is a bit of a mess, but I promise I won't lose your legacy over it. I'm going to bounce back."

His promise seemed to calm the old man. He wobbled his head back and forth. "I'm not worried about my legacy, Deepak," he

said. "I'm worried about my son. And I'm worried that your mother is going to make me spend that money on a wedding, anyway,

when we've just escaped a massive expense."

His mother's string of Punjabi swearing was harsh enough to have both Deepak and his father looking contrite.

"I don't need another wedding, I promise." Then Deepak turned to his mother. "I know your first choice was Olivia, but Veera

is special, Mom."

His parents looked at each other, sharing that silent communication that Deepak had come to expect. They had never encouraged the match but when Deepak had asked them for their support and guidance in securing the best partnership for his future position as leader of the family business, they had shared how much they liked Olivia as a person. More importantly, she came with significant leverage on the board. She may have inherited the seat, but she'd been invaluable in providing advice and offering connections. She was a welcomed asset in all the strategy presentations that she'd been a part of.

Because Deepak respected his parents' opinion, he'd done as they'd recommended and contracted with Olivia.

"Deepak," his mother said. "We told you that this decision is yours and if you had feelings for someone, we would embrace

them with excitement and love. But Olivia has power on the board. Your goal has always been to lead the company, which is

why we encouraged a partnership. We didn't want you to feel like you had to choose between your career and your heart."

"I am responsible for the decisions I've made," he said. "I took your advice, but I now realize that Veera is the best partner

for me in my personal life and in business." He swallowed, hoping that he sounded convincing. "We may have acted a little

rashly in our elopement—"

His mother scoffed.

"—but once we realized how much we've missed each other and how much of a mistake we made by not being together, we didn't

want to waste any more time."

"Have you even seen each other in the last year?" his father asked. "I'm happy for you, puttar, but when we walk into that

boardroom, you're going to receive quite a number of questions. Your position is already tenuous, and this rushed wedding

made it even more difficult."

"We've been working together since the day we merged Illyria Entertainment with Mathur Financial Group," he lied.

His parents glanced at each other again, then back at Deepak.

"What have you been doing?" his mother asked.

"Ethical lending," he said. "We merged with a finance business to expand our media empire. Ethical lending is a new field, and Veera is the expert. She and her sister have made extensive connections in global marketplaces. I want the board to hear what she has to say, too. I really think that she's onto something and I was working with her to bring her plans to Illyria Media Group as my first big initiative as CEO."

Thank god he'd rehearsed his response with Veera the night before.

Deepak's father stood and adjusted his suit coat. "We're having dinner this weekend where I will hear this plan for myself,"

he said. "But more importantly, we want to see Veera and welcome her in our home. This time as our daughter-in-law. I'm sure

the Mathurs will also want to come."

Deepak shook his head. "I don't think that Veera is ready to forgive her father for what he did. But you can invite her mother.

Mom, I'll bring Veera to the Hudson Valley house, and maybe we can stay with you overnight. We already talked about it, and

Veera's okay with the plan."

"Good," his father said, as he squeezed Deepak's shoulder, his grip firm and strong. "Badhai ho," he said. There was a sheen

in his eyes, and Deepak's throat tightened at the sight.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. His parents had been looking forward to a wedding, and he hadn't realized until he'd faced them

that this would impact them so deeply. Then his arms were full, both his parents hugging him the way they used to huddle together

as a trio when he was younger. He felt their strength, smelled their familiar scents of Giorgio Armani and Burberry perfume

and cologne.

When they pulled back, his mother was wiping tears, and his father was sniffling.

"Chal, puttar," he said, then squeezed his shoulder again. "If you are going to go into the board meeting and defend your decision to marry Veera, then you have our support."

At that moment, Kim knocked on Deepak's doorframe and cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but the board is waiting

for you in the conference room." Her mop of black hair framed her face and swung back and forth as she popped in and out of

his office.

"Okay," Deepak said. Then he cleared his throat again. "I'm ready to face the music."

Minutes later, the Dattas entered the boardroom as a unit, side by side, with Deepak's father in the middle. Around the table

were twelve familiar faces; many of them had sour expressions as they focused on him. Behind them, the Hudson River sparkled

in the early fall morning.

Although the company had merged with Mathur Financial Group, the offices remained in the original Illyria Entertainment buildings

with two new floors added on the lower levels. The board was also primarily Illyria members with both of Veera's parents sitting

at the far end of the table, along with two longtime business partners of Malkit Mathur, Margaret Ginsberg and Ming Hsu.

"We're sorry to keep you waiting," Deepak's father said, his voice commanding everyone's attention as it had for years. "Now,

as this is an unscheduled meeting that was called by a few of our members, I'm going to open the floor for conversation."

Narinder Patel, an old colleague of Deepak's father, raised his hand. "I am standing in for Olivia Gupta as well."

There was a hush that spread through the room. Olivia was voting by proxy and she'd somehow convinced Narinder Patel to be

her eyes in the room? Deepak clenched his hands into fists as he lowered into the high-back leather chair to the left of his

father.

Narinder was one of his biggest opponents on the board. He had bright orange hair he dyed with mehndi, and his suits always smelled like mothballs, even though he made millions in early tech investments and could afford a decent suit.

Deepak remembered a time when Narinder would bring lollipops to the office for Deepak. Then he'd taught Deepak how to use

the procurement system during his first internship. When had that worn away to this bitterness that now existed between them?

It was obviously intentional that Olivia had selected him as her proxy. She'd known how difficult their relationship was ever

since Narinder retired from his executive position to assume a full-time board role.

"There is one more thing," Narinder said. He opened the padfolio in front of him and swiped across the screen. He then cleared

his throat and averted his eyes from Deepak's father. "Olivia is calling for section 2168 of the bylaws."

There was a whisper of conversation now. Margaret, a member from Mathur Financial Group, was the first to speak. "Narinder,

can you please remind us what 2168 is?"

Narinder leaned forward so he could see Margaret farther down the table. "It's the, ah, it's the need to interview two qualified

candidates for any vacant executive leadership position. The board then must have two-thirds approval on the chosen successor.

However, if the vacant position in question is the chief executive officer role and the president of the board, then the vote

must be... unanimous."

The room erupted in conversation.

Manoj, one of Deepak's peers and a colleague with wealthy parents who was a few years older, leaned over to mumble under his

breath, "You've really screwed up this one, kid."

Deepak didn't respond. This was exactly what he was trying to prevent with his engagement to Veera. His marriage was supposed to help, not make it worse.

Damn it, Olivia.

No, he thought. No, he couldn't blame Olivia for all this. He was definitely part of the problem.

His father called for attention at the front of the room. "Section 2168 requires a vote. Two-thirds of the board must agree

that we're to begin searching for outside candidates." He glanced in Deepak's direction. "I want us to be sure about this.

Although Deepak isn't perfect, no one is, are we making decisions based on outdated cultural norms instead of smart business?"

"Please," another board member said. "This is about business, not diversity or culture. We're talking about a multibillion-dollar empire. I, for one, would like to be sure the captain of the ship is

appropriately qualified."

Deepak's father pursed his lips. At one time in his life, his employees would have trembled, but he was on his way out, and

Deepak knew that people felt safe in voicing disrespect because of it. "Let's call a vote. All in favor of initiating 2168?"

Deepak clenched his jaw so hard that he swore his teeth were going to crack. One by one, each of the board members raised

their hands. Save for Manoj and two others, every other hand in the room went up. Deepak glared when Veera's parents both

raised their hands as well.

If his parents were in their position, they would've done everything in their power to support Veera and her marriage. They

would've reached out beforehand to address concerns, but in public, be staunch supporters.

Damn the Mathurs for never seeing the value in their daughter the way they should .

"The truth is," Narinder said to Deepak's father, "looking at all qualified applicants is smart business. Deepak has done well for Illyria Entertainment, but competition is a necessity in our world. Deepak, you understand?"

Deepak stood and buttoned his suit coat. He'd had enough of this.

Fine. Announcing his marriage to Veera hadn't worked exactly the way he'd hoped. In the long run, he hoped the board would

see how lucky, how incredibly fortunate he was for having Vee in his life.

He remembered she used to wear fitted pantsuits and adjust her reading glasses before she would deliver information in such

a deadpan tone, followed by a sweet smile that just flattened her competition. If only she was here now. She'd do the same

to everyone in the room.

"I find it interesting that I had most of your support less than a week ago," he said.

"Deepak," Margaret started, "the PR nightmare happened in the last week. We're all wondering if this what we're going to expect

from your tenure?"

He looked at her from down the table, and then at the rest of the faces in the room. "Olivia and I were to be married for

the betterment of the company. It didn't work out. She chose to make our breakup public. Remember, she's a member of the board,

too."

"The CEO position requires a bit more maturity," another member said. "Maybe in a few years, you'll be able to—"

"I have more experience and knowledge about the company than most of you combined," Deepak said, his tone frosting over. "Certainly

more than you, sir."

The room silenced again at his hardened tone. "I've prepared for leading Illyria since I was a child. And for those of you

who have forgotten, my wife had been preparing to lead our corporate partner Mathur Financial Group before the merger. With her by my side, I am, and always will be, the most qualified candidate moving forward. But if you insist on bringing in an outside candidate, then challenge accepted. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. I've been away at my wedding and need to catch up."

He turned to walk toward the door, then paused when he gripped the handle. "And one more thing," he said to the room at large.

"We're hosting a wedding reception. An invitation will be delivered to you within the week. I hope you can all find it in

your hearts to be happy for us."

Deepak stormed out without another word. He dialed Sana's number the minute he closed his office door behind him.

"Hey, brother-in-law," she said, answering the third ring.

"Any luck?" he said.

The humor died in her voice. "No, but something tells me shit went down. What's wrong? Is it Veera?"

"Olivia used Narinder Patel as a proxy."

"I don't know the guy."

"He was a part of Illyria Entertainment's board. With the bad press, the board is now looking for another candidate for the

role. They're going to try to take my birthright."

Sana let out a deep whoosh of air. "Olivia is angry at you and now she's playing dirty. But even though she knows I'm here

now, it looks like she doesn't want to see me. Not yet anyway. Do you have a message you want me to give her that could change

her mind?"

"Just that I'm sorry, and I really want to talk to her."

"Done," Sana said. "And Deepak? Good luck. I mean it."

"Thanks," he said, then hung up the phone. He walked over to his windows, the views similar to the one in the conference room

at the end of the hall. What was Veera going to say when she found out the news?