The aftermath of Mehak's betrayal didn't leave Sia celebrating. For her, the "Silent Takeover" wasn't a moment of victory—it was a change in frequency. With the "scavengers" cleared from the inner circle, the true work began. Sia was no longer just the protégé; she was the architect.
At seventeen-and-a-half, Sia stopped being a shadow and started being the sun around which the Malhotra Group orbited.
The 4:00 AM Audit
While her peers were navigating the social complexities of their final year of school, Sia was redefining the logistics of the Arabian Sea. She had moved her primary office into the Malhotra headquarters—a glass box that hovered over the city.
One morning, long before the sun hit the Gateway of India, Sia sat at her desk. Her pale, porcelain skin seemed almost luminous in the blue light of her monitors. Beside her was a fresh bowl of Rasmalai, the saffron-milk a ritualistic fuel for her long hours.
Rohan walked in, yawning, carrying two cups of black coffee. He had traded his party shirts for a tailored navy blazer, acting as Sia's "eyes and ears" in the social and street-level markets.
"The Vardhan family is officially bankrupt, Sia-paa," Rohan said, dropping a file on her desk. "Vikrant's father tried to save the firm, but once the news of the espionage hit the wires, their credit lines vanished."
Sia didn't look up from her copper disc. "The Vardhans weren't the target, Rohan. They were the case study. I wanted the board to see what happens when you prioritize greed over data."
The "Sia Protocol"
Sia's first major move as the heir-apparent was the implementation of what the media called the "Sia Protocol." She didn't just want to run the company; she wanted to automate the integrity of it.
She developed a proprietary blockchain system that tracked every single rupee of the Malhotra Group's spending in real-time. It eliminated the "dark corners" where people like her Uncle Sameer had hidden their kickbacks for decades.
"This is going to make you very unpopular with the old guard," Aryan, her older brother, warned during their weekly lunch. Aryan was already managing the Singh (Paternal) assets with a steady hand, but he watched his sister with a mix of awe and concern.
"I'm not here to be popular, Aryan," Sia said, her black high ponytail swaying as she leaned forward. "I'm here to ensure that when you and I merge the Singh and Malhotra legacies, we aren't merging two piles of rotting wood. I'm building a steel foundation."
The Maternal Wound
The family dynamics had shifted into a quiet, respectful harmony, but the scar of Mehak remained. Sia's Maternal Aunt, Mansi, had become a recluse, shamed by her daughter's actions.
One evening, Sia visited her aunt. She didn't go as a businesswoman, but as a niece. She wore a soft peach-colored knit sweater, her "baby-innocent" face stripped of its corporate mask.
"I didn't want to destroy her, Auntie," Sia said softly, sitting at Mansi's feet. "I wanted to save the company she was trying to burn."
Mansi looked at Sia, seeing the brilliant, cold woman her niece had become. "She was the eldest, Sia. She thought she was the sun. She didn't realize you were the gravity holding us all together."
The Expansion
By the time Sia was three months away from her eighteenth birthday, the Malhotra Group's valuation had increased by **22%**. She had successfully moved the company away from traditional shipping and into high-tech "smart-ports."
She was no longer just a "Master's graduate"; she was a pioneer. She began appearing on the covers of international business magazines—always the same "classic beauty" with the sharp ponytail and the unreadable eyes.
But the journey wasn't over. The more powerful Sia became, the more the world watched for a crack in her porcelain mask.
"They're waiting for you to stumble," Rohan said as they prepared for a major board meeting in London. "The global competitors don't care about your family history. They just see a teenager they want to crush."
Sia adjusted her copper disc, its blue glow reflecting in her dark eyes.
"Let them watch," Sia whispered. "I've spent seventeen years learning how to be invisible. Now, I'm going to make sure I'm the only thing they can see."