Page 37 of Every Move You Make
“No. The board would never agree to a split,” he said, shaking his head again. “And even if they did, I would not. I built the new companies because GVN succeeded. Without Dhiraj’s legacy, without that foundation, none of the rest would’ve been possible. I didn’t build this empire alone, and I didn’t create it for myself.”
His gaze softened, but his conviction didn’t waver. “I created all of this for my friend’s grandchildren. For Keya. For Akash. Itwas my way of honoring a promise to Dhiraj. Hence, I will never split the business. Not while I am alive.”
The words hit her like a cold wind. She swallowed hard, feeling the hope drain out of her as quickly as it had come. Her chest tightened, a mix of hurt, disappointment, and disbelief twisting inside her.
And beneath it all, something darker unfurled. A sudden wave of hot, blinding anger rose in her. Anger at the unfairness of it all. Anger at herself for never listening to her family when they tried to dissuade her from pinning all her hopes on Sehgal Media. Anger at the years she’d spent dreaming of a future she’d never been allowed to reach. And … anger at Akash because he now stood where she’d always imagined herself standing. He’d stolen her lifelong dream from her, and the bitterness of it burned through her like acid.
“No matter what I did,” she said, “I was never going to be part of any of it.”
Her grandfather looked at her with quiet sadness, the answer etched into every line of his face. There was nothing she could say, nothing she could do to change it. Hope withered, and despair sank deep into her bones.
“So Akash is now ready to take over,” Shauna stated.
“Yes.”
“What exactly does that entail?”
“For starters, we will need to tell that board and make a formal announcement about this.”
“Doesn’t the board already know?” Shauna asked him. “I mean, it was rather obvious that Suveer Malhotra knew.”
He shrugged. “He and a few others in the board have always known this day would come. But we need to make it official. Which means I will take a backseat, and Akash will completely take over for me. Of course, he’s asked me to handhold him for afew months. But I know he will do a fabulous job and take Sehgal Media to even greater heights.”
Hearing her grandfather’s utter faith in Akash twisted the dagger further inside her chest.
“You can continue in your current role,” he said. “In my mind, no one is better suited for that job. That doesn’t need to change.”
Except she would be reporting to Akash. Every instinct in her rebelled, and a cold dread crept up her spine. If she stayed at Sehgal Media, this outcome was inevitable, and given their complicated history, the idea of working under him felt like a nightmare.
She swallowed.
No. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t.
Which meant walking away from the one place she had always believed was hers. The ache that followed was sharp, almost physical, but there was no escaping it now. Sehgal Media would never belong to her. It was Akash’s.
And in that moment, she hated him even more for claiming the one thing she’d always coveted.
10
One week later
The newspapers were screaming his name. His face stared back at him from every headline. Akash sipped his tea, his eyes skimming the print, while the television ahead replayed Janak’s announcement on a loop. He rose and walked to the large window of his new office, looking down at the newsroom, where nothing had changed. The familiar buzz of activity hummed steadily below, while upstairs, he was still coming to terms with everything.
He let his gaze travel around the office. It had been freshly painted now, fitted and ready for use. New furniture had replaced the emptiness: a broad desk, shelves lined with files and books, and a leather chair. Beyond that was a small seating area, arranged with plush armchairs, a compact couch, and a low coffee table between them. Yet beneath the newness lingered the quiet of a room that had waited a long time.
This had been his grandfather Dhiraj’s office. After his death, Janak had refused to use it, preserving it out of respect for hisclosest friend and leaving it untouched for decades. For Dhiraj’s heir. Forhim.
Akash stood there, the realization settling deep in his chest. This wasn’t just an office. It was a legacy finally claimed, one carefully protected, and one he was now expected to live up to. The weight of power and responsibility pressed heavily on him. He would succeed in this job. He would live up to this destiny he had been born into. And he would make Janak proud.
Just yesterday, Janak had told the world he was stepping back from Sehgal Media and handing over the reins to Akash as the new managing director. He’d spoken at length about the company, its beginnings, its history, and its legacy, laying it all out for everyone present at the press conference.
Almost instantly, the media had gone into a frenzy. The spotlight had shifted to Akash, reporters firing questions at him while cameras flashed relentlessly. In a matter of moments, he had gone from obscurity to becoming the focus of the business world’s attention.
He had answered their questions calmly and politely, assuring everyone how grateful he was to inherit such a mammoth business and how deeply thankful he was to Janak for nurturing and safeguarding it for all these years.
The board had been informed a few days earlier, and all of them had been there to support Janak’s decision. The entire senior management had been there too. Except Shauna. He knew she’d taken a week off from work. Janak had told him that she hadn’t taken the news well, that she’d gone to Delhi and was refusing to talk to anyone in the family.
He sighed. Despite everything, he wondered how she’d felt when she finally learned the truth about him. He had known for years that her dream of running Sehgal Media stood in direct contrast to his own, and he regretted that she’d been forced to hear the truth from Janak the way she had.
