Chapter 5: The First Yes
Five days felt longer than five weeks.
Suhani had begun to measure time differently since the interview—not by clocks or calendars, but by the way her heart paused every time her phone buzzed. Each notification carried the possibility of change. Each unanswered hour tested her patience.
Delhi moved as it always did—fast, noisy, unapologetic—but for Suhani, everything felt suspended. She helped her mother in the mornings, accompanied her father on short walks in the evenings, nodded politely at relatives who asked gentle yet intrusive questions about “plans.” She answered all of them with the same line.
“I’m waiting.”
Waiting was not unfamiliar to her. She had waited through exams, through decisions, through quiet expectations placed upon her simply because she belonged to a certain family. But this waiting was different. This waiting belonged only to her.
On the fifth morning, the email arrived at 9:17 a.m.
She saw the sender name first.
**Seafigure Essence Private Limited – Delhi HR**
Her breath caught.
For a moment, she didn’t open it. She placed the phone on the table, pressed her palms together, and closed her eyes.
“Shiv ji,” she whispered, voice barely audible, “whatever this is… help me accept it with grace.”
Then she tapped the screen.
---
*Dear Ms. Suhani Singh,*
*We are pleased to inform you that after careful consideration, you have been selected for the position of **Strategy & Market Development Associate** at Seafigure Essence Private Limited, Delhi Branch…*
The words blurred as tears filled her eyes.
Selected.
She read the email again, slower this time. The joining date. The reporting manager. The formalities. The salary—modest but dignified. The tone—professional, respectful, unexaggerated.
This was not charity.
This was trust.
Her hands trembled as she scrolled down to the end.
*Welcome to Seafigure Essence.*
She let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob, and covered her mouth with her hand. Her mother, who had been arranging flowers nearby, looked up immediately.
“What happened?” she asked, concern rushing into her voice.
Suhani handed her the phone, unable to speak.
Her mother read silently, then smiled—a slow, proud smile that carried years of quiet faith.
“You did it,” she said, pulling Suhani into an embrace. “On your own.”
That evening, the house felt lighter. Dinner tasted better. Conversations lingered longer. Her father listened attentively as Suhani explained the role, the company, the possibilities.
“Work with sincerity,” he told her. “And remember—your worth is not decided by titles.”
She nodded. She already knew.
---
The days that followed were filled with preparation.
Forms were filled carefully—bank details, identity proofs, educational certificates neatly organized into a blue folder. She bought two new formal outfits, choosing comfort over trend. Ironed her clothes herself. Set alarms earlier than necessary.
Each small act felt ceremonial.
This was the beginning of a life she was choosing.
On the morning of her first day, she stood once more before the mirror. There was nervousness in her eyes, yes—but also resolve.
She touched the small silver ring on her finger, took a deep breath, and stepped out.
---
Seafigure Essence welcomed its mornings with quiet efficiency.
The Delhi office buzzed with a rhythm that felt purposeful rather than chaotic. People greeted each other with nods and soft smiles, coffee cups in hand, laptops tucked under arms. The environment was professional without being intimidating.
At the reception, the same woman smiled. “Good morning, Ms. Singh. HR is expecting you.”
Radhika Mehra met her in the lobby.
“Welcome officially,” she said, extending her hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Excited,” Suhani replied honestly. “And a little scared.”
Radhika smiled approvingly. “That means you care.”
She guided Suhani through the office—past glass cabins, collaborative spaces, whiteboards filled with strategy maps and timelines.
“This is the Strategy Department,” Radhika said. “You’ll be working closely with Kabir Malhotra.”
Kabir stood up as they entered—a tall man in his early forties, sharp eyes softened by an easy smile.
“Welcome aboard, Suhani,” he said. “We liked how you think.”
She felt a quiet pride at that.
Introductions followed.
**Ananya Roy**, a senior analyst with calm intelligence and dry humor.
**Ritvik Sharma**, energetic, ambitious, forever scribbling ideas.
**Meera Kapoor**, detail-oriented, warm, the kind who remembered birthdays.
**Arjun Mehta**, confident but kind, with a habit of explaining things twice just to be sure.
They greeted her with curiosity, not judgment.
During lunch, they asked about her background, her studies, the New York workshop.
“You asked that sustainability question, right?” Ritvik said, impressed. “It’s been circulating in internal discussions.”
Suhani blinked. “Really?”
Kabir nodded. “Good questions travel far.”
The day passed in a blur—system access, introductory meetings, reading material, observation. Suhani absorbed everything quietly, jotting notes, asking questions only when necessary.
She felt… right.
Not overwhelmed. Not invisible.
Just present.
---
That evening, as she returned home, her mother noticed the change immediately.
“You look tired,” she said.
Suhani smiled. “The good kind.”
She shared everything—the people, the work culture, the feeling of belonging. Her mother listened, eyes warm, hands busy preparing tea.
“I’m proud of you,” she said softly.
Suhani held onto that sentence like a blessing.
---
Thousands of miles away, Dhruv Khanna stood in a glass-walled office overlooking a foreign skyline. Meetings had ended, decisions had been made, contracts signed.
Yet his mind drifted—uninvited, persistent.
A question surfaced.
*What if growth isn’t the goal? What if sustainability is?*
He leaned back in his chair, eyes closing briefly.
He didn’t know why that voice returned to him in moments of stillness. He didn’t know why her calm defiance lingered between his schedules and flights.
Only that something unfinished waited patiently.
And time, as always, would decide when.
Unknowingly, in a Delhi office bearing his company’s name, Suhani Singh had begun a journey that would one day bring silence to completion.
Not yet.
But soon.
