1 The day began like most Mondays in Gurgaon—grey towers cutting into a hazy sky, the hum of elevators, the staccato rhythm of heels on marble. Ira Mallick stepped into the 24th floor of SysCore Solutions, coffee in hand, her ID badge swinging against her chest. The HR bay was as sterile as ever—white partitions, motivational posters, the faint scent of lemon disinfectant. She took her usual corner seat, adjusted her ergonomically-assigned chair, and opened her laptop. Outlook pinged to life. Buried among the calendar invites and onboarding queries was an unread email titled simply: “If I’m Gone – Read…