Raj saw the reason in Ajay’s logic. She would be trapped like a sitting duck at the brownstone.
With a quick gesture at Kaka, Ajay scooped up Khunda and passed the dog over. “What else can I do to help you get your things?”
“Nothing,” she said. “You need to get out of here. I’ll go to your penthouse, but it’s already looking bad for us with the way this article has positioned our relationship.”
“Ask me how much I care about what other people think.”
“Sometimes you have to so that you can protect the people you love.”
He cupped her face and leaned his forehead against hers. She breathed in his clean, masculine scent and let out a breath.
“There is nothing,” he said softly, “that could make me ashamed of being with you. I know your secrets like you know mine. And remember what I said?”
She nodded, her heart clenching with fresh, new love. “We’re partners.”
“That’s right. We’re partners, Raj. We’ll handle this.”
“Together,” she said.
His phone buzzed again, and this time he didn’t hesitate in answering it. “Rafael.”
Raj watched his face morph from determination to surprise and then to anger. “Fine. Set up the meeting for two o’clock today. I’ll be in the office soon.”
He hung up and reached for her again. “The board has called an emergency meeting. Those who can’t make it have assigned Frankie as their proxy.”
“They’re going to try to block your father from naming you the next CEO of Bharat because of this,” she said, already knowing the outcome of the call. “I am so, so sorry.” This was all her fault. Her secrets were hurting him.
“Raj, don’t even think about blaming yourself,” he said. “Come on. We don’t have time. We need to get ahead of this.”
She nodded and followed him upstairs. Her anger mounted like a horse trapped in a pen, ready to race.
Whoever had decided to mess with her life, whether it was Robert, Sri, or some other idiot, they were going to find out exactly how she dealt with her enemies. How dare someone use her secrets against her? How dare they try to hurt Ajay?
As a plan began to form in her mind, she knew that she was about to play the biggest game she’d played in business and in her life. She just hoped that Ajay’s promise for partnership would stay steadfast when it was all over.
Fifteen minutes later, Ajay slipped out the basement apartment exit, and Raj put in a call to Harnette.
“I need to know what your email inbox looks like.”
Harnette let out a whoosh of air. “Let’s just say that the sales team is getting a few calls from our clients, and that’s the good news.”
Raj’s heart clenched, and she hated herself for it. She lived her life according to her own terms, and no one had the right to judge her.
“I need you to set up a press conference.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Harnette?”
“Raj, you don’t even agree to interviews. You’re going to do a press conference?”
She looked at the half-empty bag packed and sitting on her bed. “Yes,” she said. “Today. This evening.”
“Okay, then. I trust you, boss. I’ll make it happen.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ajay
Ajay thought about kindergarten as he rode into the office. It was his earliest memory of knowing what he wanted to be when he grew up. His teacher had asked him to do a project where he dressed up and spoke to the class about his dreams.
He’d worn a suit and said he planned on leading a business like his father.
As he grew older, he knew his class project had just been a pipe dream. His brother was being groomed for the position. Besides, he couldn’t code like Zail or negotiate like Hem. All he had was determination and passion.
Now, as Ajay stepped out of his car and strode directly into his office building, he knew he needed to stop dreaming, to stop thinking that he couldn’t do the job that he’d always aspired to. He came from a long line of warriors, and he had to fight for what he wanted.
Rafael met him at the front entrance of the office, tablet in hand. “I cleared your schedule from now until the two o’clock meeting except for one commitment. The land developers out in Napa Valley need an answer today, so I left them on your calendar. Hopefully that’s a quick one.”
“Thanks,” Ajay said. He strode directly to his desk, dropped his bag, and booted up his computer. “I need to know the minute any family member walks into this office. Bhram. Hem. My mother. Mina. Zail. Literally anyone.”
“Done,” Rafael said. “Do you need me to stall?”
“No,” Ajay said. “But don’t let them come back here. Send them to the conference room. I have to do some research, follow up on a hunch about our leak.” He sat down in his high-backed leather chair and looked at the one friend who had always been by his side. Rafael had started as a consultant, worked his way up the ranks to executive assistant supporting his father, and now he was supporting Ajay. He was driven, smart, loyal, and a friend.
“Rafael, can you close the door?”
Without a word, Rafael did as Ajay asked. “What’s going on?”
“I was just thinking how long we’ve known each other.”
A hint of a smile curved at the corner of Rafael’s normally stoic face. “Long enough for us to have a few drinking stories together.”
“That is unfortunately the truth.” Ajay leaned back in his chair and straightened his tie, trying to think of the right words, the right thing to say. “If you were in my position, and you had an article written about your partner, what would you do?”
Rafael let out a breath. “Probably ask you for advice, I suppose.”
“No, seriously.”
“I am,” Rafael said. He sat down in one of the companion chairs across from the desk, tossed his tablet aside, and leaned back in his seat. “Ajay, you’ve always been the most levelheaded out of all three of your brothers, recent fistfight aside. You are a strategist, your memory is practically eidetic, and you make clients and competitors nervous because your brain can figure out the odds faster than most geniuses in the tech industry. If anyone has advice on how to clean up a shit show and do it right, it would be you.”
Ajay wanted to believe Rafael. He needed to believe it. But sometimes having faith in himself was his biggest challenge.
Which was why he needed to surround himself with the best talent, to make sure that he was always focused on the possibilities and not the doubts that circled his mind like vultures.
“I need to ask you something.”
Rafael readied his tablet again. “Okay.”
“Will you be my chief of staff starting in January when I take over the CEO position?”
Rafael’s jaw dropped. Ajay had never seen him so surprised before, and the reaction made him grin.
“Is this because I just gave you a compliment?”
“No, although that was a nice touch. You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had, but I’m going to need to lean on you more. We’re three months from the end of the year. Work with the head of HR and ask them to source résumés for a team. You build out that team for yourself. Set it up according to your specifications. Work with our experts in-house if you need help. Then find me a replacement for you. You’ll work longer hours but your pay will be triple.”