The ten-thousand-dollar purchase of Microsoft stock was a pebble dropped into a vast ocean. To the Hong Kong broker, it was a trivial order from an anonymous shell company. To Harsh, it was the culmination of a thousand smaller battles, the first tangible proof that his grand design was not just a fantasy. He watched the confirmation slip from Rakesh with a feeling that was neither excitement nor triumph, but a cold, deep satisfaction. The mechanism worked.
This tiny, initial foray into the American market coincided with a period of explosive, legitimate growth for Bharat Electronics. The "Sargam" cassette player was a phenomenon, and the "Swaranjali" radio, now a household name, continued to sell in staggering volumes. The river of rupees had become a flood, and the newly established Harsh Technologies International (HTI) provided the perfect, legitimate-looking delta for it to flow into international waters.
Bharat Electronics - Quarterly Snapshot
· Revenue: 11.7 Crore INR
· Net Profit: 3.1 Crore INR
· Cash Reserves: 6.5 Crore INR
The numbers were a public triumph. Newspapers ran profiles on the "Chipman's" Midas touch. Minister Shinde called him a "national asset." But Harsh's focus was on a different set of numbers. The BH-1 account in Singapore now held $7.8 million. The steady, monthly flow through Soni's golden bridge was compounding, creating a pool of capital that was beginning to have its own gravitational pull.
The success, however, widened the fissure within his own ranks. Deepak, true to his word, had Harsh's full attention on the factory floor for exactly one day. They identified the bottlenecks in the speaker factory construction, and Harsh's direct intervention broke the logjam. But as soon as the crisis was averted, Harsh was pulled back into the world of international finance, of encrypted calls with Rakesh and complex discussions about currency hedging.
Sanjay, ever the enthusiast, saw only the glory. "Harsh Bhai, the orders are coming from the Middle East now! A distributor in Dubai wants five thousand 'Sargam' players! This is all because of our international push with HTI!"
Harsh didn't correct him. Let him believe the fiction. It was cleaner that way.
But Deepak was not so easily placated. He found Harsh reviewing a thick report from HTI on potential acquisitions in the Taiwanese semiconductor packaging industry.
"The new capacitor supplier from South Korea is demanding a letter of credit," Deepak stated, his tone flat. "It's a standard request, but it requires your signature. They don't want to deal with anyone else. You are the face of the company, Harsh Bhai. But your face is turned away from us, towards these." He gestured at the stacks of foreign reports.
Harsh looked up, meeting Deepak's unwavering gaze. The unspoken accusation hung in the air: You are leaving us behind.
"I am building a future where we will never be at the mercy of a South Korean capacitor supplier again, Deepak," Harsh said, his voice low and intense. "Every one of these reports, every minute I spend on this, is to ensure that one day, they will need a letter of credit from us. Do you understand? The battle we fought with Doshi was for a street. The battle I am preparing for now is for the world."
It was the closest he had ever come to revealing the true scale of his ambition. He wasn't just building a company; he was building a sovereign entity that could operate on a global stage.
Deepak absorbed this, his expression unreadable. He was a man of machines and processes, not global finance and shadow wars. But his loyalty to Harsh was absolute. "I will handle the capacitor supplier," he said finally, a quiet acceptance in his voice. "But the men on the line... they ask for you. They remember the man who soldered circuits beside them."
The words were a dagger. They reminded Harsh of the cost of his ascent. He was becoming a legend, but he was losing the connection to the people who made the legend possible.
Later that night, alone with the financial statements, he made a decision. He instructed Rakesh to execute the next phase. "Take one million dollars from the BH-1 account. Divide it. Sixty percent into Microsoft. Twenty percent into a company called 'Intel'. Ten percent into 'Cisco'. Keep the rest as cash."
It was a calculated diversification based on the ghost of knowledge from his past life. He was planting seeds in the most fertile soil he knew.
Rakesh, as always, was the picture of efficiency. "It will be done. The broker reports that this 'Microsoft' is gaining significant traction with its new 'Windows' operating system. Your timing appears prescient."
It is, Harsh thought, but said nothing.
The orders were placed. A significant portion of his secret war chest was now legally, albeit opaquely, invested in the future of American technology. He owned a microscopic, invisible piece of the coming revolution.
He stood up and walked to the window. The Dholera facility was a testament to his will, a monument to Indian industry. But his mind's eye was now fixed on a different landscape: the sprawling campuses of Silicon Valley, the frenetic trading floors of Wall Street. The first seed had been sown in foreign soil. The harvest, he knew, would be beyond anything India could offer.
The emperor was no longer just ruling his kingdom; he was quietly acquiring the lands beyond its borders. The double life was a prison of his own making, but the view from its highest tower was of the entire world. And he intended to claim it. The isolation was the price, and he was learning to pay it without flinching. The boy from the alcove was gone, replaced by a sovereign of the shadows, and his reign was just beginning.