The fraud at the firm initially surfaced as a dark whisper in Spring. It persisted as an insidious issue over Summer and Fall. Finally, it morphed into a full-blown controversy in Winter when one of the independent directors quit the board after an alleged 바카라misalignment of values바카라. Overnight, the Shukla brothers 바카라 Ashish (CEO) and Bhavesh (CFO), who were popularly referred to as Shukla A and Shukla B, turned from business bravehearts into vulpine finaglers in public opinion. The change in their personal circumstances was even more dramatic. They went from hosting lavish parties and having an army of servants to chopping vegetables for their meals and ironing their own business suits for the string of court appearances. And after their sins were formerly established and confirmed, they found themselves behind bars in the appalling company of petty smugglers, high society pimps, aging pedophiles and corrupt politicians. What a disgrace! In jail, Shukla A struggled with a crimson red itchy rash while Shukla B complained of swollen toes.
But listen, this story is not so much of a pair of common greedy lowlives previously hailed as dynamic entrepreneurs as it is of the crack team that worked directly for them. This core group which was termed 바카라The Mavens바카라 included five members. While the media wrote at length of the loss to the investors and the altered fortunes of the Shukla duo, the human cost to this bunch largely went unreported. The Mavens took pride in being amongst the brightest minds of the young generation of the nation, but they were as shocked as the next person when the company collapsed. They felt silly and redundant that the scam had carried along right below their noses and yet they had remained utterly clueless. Weren바카라t they supposed to be caretakers of the corporate affairs? Their initial sense of disbelief slowly turned into anger, rage and dismay. Feeling let down by the Shukla brothers, they glumly moved out of the shipwreck to seek opportunities elsewhere: Gaurav and Saurabh left in quick succession, followed by Kavita and Rahul. Only one person stayed on longer to literally turn off the lights and hand over the keys to the bankers 바카라 Maya.
In 1966, when Motown Records released Jimmy Ruffin바카라s single 바카라What becomes of the brokenhearted?바카라, it instantly hit a chord with the listeners and continued to offer comfort decades later. While the song spoke of the pain of a departed love, it resonated with this group dealing with the misery of dashed career aspirations. The ballad ended with hope-filled lines: I'll be looking everyday/I know I'm gonna find a way. In Maya바카라s case, she eventually pivoted to a career in investments and also, found a lovely bloke to marry. In the process, two years had passed by. The wedding date had been set and as Maya was drawing up the guest list for the marriage, she thought of her former colleagues. And for the first time in two years, she reached out to the other Mavens. Their response was very enthusiastic. They latched onto the idea to meet up for drinks before the wedding. After much deliberation, they agreed upon the recently opened bar in BKC.
Maya was the first to reach the bar and grabbed a table at the far end of the room. Soon, the others arrived as well. They were quick to note that physically not much had changed in their appearances, except that Gaurav had piled on a few extra pounds and Rahul바카라s hair had started thinning at the top. They attributed that to the stress they faced in their consultancy work. Meanwhile, Kavita had started her own real estate business and Saurabh had altogether abandoned corporate life and was managing a gym training studio. Having gathered the general updates from everyone, the conversation then turned to the Shukla duo.
바카라Does anyone have the latest on Shukla A and B?바카라, Saurabh asked.
바카라I heard they are both still in prison. Fortunately, we have all managed to land on our feet,바카라 Rahul replied.
바카라What simple souls we all were. Still can바카라t believe none of the Mavens knew of the fraud spinning around us,바카라 Maya said.
바카라Well, one of us did,바카라 Gaurav replied casually.
Kavita바카라s elbow fell off the table.
바카라You mean to say that someone around this table was involved?바카라, Kavita asked sharply.
Gaurav nodded empathically. The others gave Gaurav a long stare.
바카라Who?바카라, Rahul asked.
Gaurav shrugged his shoulders.
바카라Who?바카라, Rahul repeated.
바카라How does it matter now?바카라, Gaurav replied.
바카라It does바카라, Rahul said. 바카라I still occasionally have nightmares over what happened back then and I wake up in a sweat.바카라
Gaurav continued to sip his drink. The mood around the table turned grim and somber.
바카라How do you know that one of us was part of the fraud?바카라, Maya asked of Gaurav.
Gaurav set his drink on the table and rubbed his fingers pensively. Just then his phone beeped. His boss wanted some file. They waited impatiently as Gaurav retrieved the file, made some amendments and then sent it across. They glanced at each other anxiously.
바카라Yes, where were we?바카라, Gaurav asked, putting his phone aside.
바카라How do you know that one of us was part of the fraud?바카라, Rahul inquired again.
Gaurav crossed his arms across his chest and lowered his voice. 바카라I was an early member of the Mavens. During those initial days, I worked very closely with Shukla A and B on a project. That바카라s when I discovered that Shukla B was rather feeble as a CFO. He had a background in architectural design and had done a handful of courses on finance that were talked up. But it seemed to me that he lacked deep understanding of the finance subject and had been given the position of the CFO on account of family ties.바카라
Gaurav paused for a drink as they all leaned in closely. 바카라And yet most of the scam was perpetrated through elaborate financial schemes,바카라 he continued. 바카라Someone else had helped him and that someone has managed to remain below the surface.바카라 바카라For months after the firm dissolved, I racked my brains as to which Maven was part of the scandal. Each day I would come up with a suspect and then reject the notion by the end of the day. Finally, I convinced myself that it was not worth bothering about and got on with my life.바카라
Kavita바카라s jaw dropped. 바카라What!바카라, Kavita exclaimed.
바카라If I could get my hands on that person, I wouldn바카라t hesitate in dragging him or her to jail right now,바카라 Saurabh muttered in an exasperated tone and looked around.
바카라Holy Jones! To think the person sitting next to me is a cheat,바카라 Maya said stroking her forehead.
Gaurav drained his glass completely. Suddenly they all fell very silent. They let the information soak in. The Mavens were not that innocent after all. One of them had been part of the malfeasance all along. Finally, Rahul broke the silence with a huge sigh.
바카라I think I바카라m going to have another round of nightmares,바카라 he announced.
Saurabh shifted uncomfortably and in an attempt to break the tense atmosphere, suggested that it was time for more drinks. The others promptly agreed. They then switched subjects and talked about the preparation for Maya바카라s upcoming nuptials, the global tensions, the economy in doldrums and how they still managed to soldier on. It was getting late. The folks by the bar had started turning off the taps. 바카라We shut in five,바카라 someone announced loudly. They rose to leave. They hugged each other and said that they looked forward to meeting again at the wedding. Maya watched as Gaurav, Rahul and Saurabh exited the bar. Kavita was about to leave when Maya caught up with her.
바카라Are you going towards the car park?바카라, Maya asked.
바카라Yes indeed.바카라
바카라Then we can walk together,바카라 Maya replied.
The night was beautiful with a mild breeze and light shower. The moon was a tiny crescent over them. The street was deserted except for an odd speeding car. They walked in silence for a while before turning towards the parking zone.
바카라I know it was you, Kavita,바카라 Maya said.
바카라What?바카라, Kavita replied, nearly stumbling.
바카라I know it was you,바카라 Maya repeated with more conviction.
바카라What makes you so sure?바카라. Kavita turned and stood in front of Maya.
바카라You were the CFO바카라s lover. Isn바카라t that true?바카라
바카라What makes you think that?바카라.
바카라I was once hunting for a meeting room on the floor and stumbled across the two of you huddled over a laptop. The proximity of the two of you had bothered me then but I had dismissed it till now. Just as Gaurav was talking this evening, I pulled back that image and I vividly recalled that you had an arm around him. Am I right?바카라, Maya asked.
Kavita remained silent. 바카라You can바카라t prove anything,바카라 she retorted.
바카라Perhaps not,바카라 Maya replied. 바카라But what I would like to know is what motivated you to be part of the fraud. Was it money or love?바카라
바카라It was money of course. In fact, it was my brainchild,바카라 she revealed proudly. 바카라But marvel at the stealth with which it was perpetrated. Even the investigating agencies couldn바카라t identify my name,바카라 she responded.
바카라What about the CFO?바카라, Maya asked.
바카라What about him? He바카라s paying for his greed. He바카라s a closed chapter for me now. Besides, who would want to romance a jailbird?바카라
With that, Kavita then turned away and continued to walk towards the car park. Maya watched her till she took off in her sedan and then picked up her phone. 바카라Gaurav, we have the rogue Maven.바카라 With that, Maya then turned off the audio recorder on her phone.
