Hem felt as if Ajay had sucked all the air out of his lungs. “Is Dad . . . Is he okay?”
“He’s in the hospital, but stable. We haven’t told any of the extended family or staff yet. We’re keeping it quiet. How soon can you be stateside?”
Hem didn’t see eye to eye with his father, but they were still family, and he would do anything for family. He checked his Rolex. “It’ll take me at least a day. I’m in fucking Manila, Ajay. It’s not like they have hourly flights to the US.”
“Didn’t you take your jet?”
“No, I sold it to pay for overhead costs on my firm.”
“Damned inconvenient, Hem.”
“I didn’t want to dip into my earnings from Bharat or my trust to raise the money.”
“It’s still inconvenient. I’ll check with a supplier to see if we can borrow one of their jets for now. If not, I don’t know, chopper to the next largest international airport and book a private jet from there. There is a board meeting in less than twenty-four hours.”
“Did Dad make that decision?”
“No, the fucking board chatted with each other like a bunch of aunties and decided to establish a compensation committee immediately to address the offer. They’re restless since we haven’t met sales targets after we went public. We’ve got to get them in line before they try to oust Dad.”
Ajay was born to be a leader. He’d done amazing work since Hem had left the business and had shark like instincts. If he was worried, things had to be in bad shape. “I’ll be there for the meeting. Whatever you need. How’s Mom holding up?”
There was a deep, frustrated sigh on the other end of the phone. “How do you think? She’s a goddamn rock, man. Yelled at Dad the moment she saw him in the hospital room. Said that he got what he deserved for eating too much mango pickle at night. As if that’s the cause of a heart attack.”
Hem missed his mother, sometimes painfully. Her predictable reaction made him smile. “Thank god for small blessings. I’m going to get myself to the airport. Let me know what you can do.”
“Got it. See you soon, brother.”
Hem hung up and walked back over to Faisal who was reading the last set of provisions on his tablet again.
“Everything okay?” he said.
“No. Sorry, but I need to go.”
Faisal flipped the cover over his tablet and straightened in his seat. “No problem. This will give me time to review with my team again—”
“No.” Hem picked up the tablet which was luckily still unlocked. He scrolled to the bottom of the page, pulled out a stylus, and held it out. “I know you don’t want to give up control over this financial aspect, but fuck it, Faisal. You’re going to be rich. Stop stalling.”
Faisal gave him an even look but he took the stylus and quickly scribbled his name.
Hem did the same for his portion, and they signed six more sections before Hem saved the document and passed the tablet back to Faisal so he could send it through to Hem’s email.
“Happy now?” Faisal said.
“Thrilled. It’s been a pleasure doing business.” Hem picked up his drink and drained the last of its contents before grabbing his coat and his briefcase. He hated himself for wasting those precious five minutes on this guy when all he wanted to do was get home to his father, but he wouldn’t get this opportunity again.
As he rode up to his floor, he thought about his father and the bitter words they exchanged the last time they spoke. After Deepak Singh meddled in his life so coldly, so painfully, they had never seemed to see eye to eye again.
This takeover attempt and a heart attack changed everything. He still loved his father and despite everything that had happened, he’d do anything to help salvage Bharat, even if it meant coming back to the company.
Hem keyed into his room and booted up his laptop to draft a quick message to his paralegals, his assistant, and the ten attorneys that worked for him.
I know we’re just getting our feet wet, but I need you to divide and take my case load temporarily. I’ll sign all the necessary paperwork to transition it to you, but I’ll be out of the office for the next few weeks. You can still reach me by email and my cell if it’s an emergency.
He gave detailed follow-up instructions to his paralegal and his assistant and then began to pack all of his items in his small carry-on bag.
Dread filled his gut at the thought of letting go of the reins on a business that had been his salvation after Bharat. Hopefully his father could see, after the time that had passed, that he’d made the right choice.
But now wasn’t the time to think about old arguments and family politics. His father needed him, his brothers needed him, and there was nothing Hem wouldn’t do to protect them.
“The eldest Singh has returned like a Bollywood fucking hero,” Hem mused to himself as he zipped up his bag.
Chapter Two
Mina Kohli lay sleepless in bed like she did every year on this day. The muted sounds of an early New York City morning filtered through the open window as a backdrop to the drifting memories of her mother. Mina couldn’t help but wonder what kind of relationship they’d have if she was still alive. It’d been fifteen years since the accident, but that didn’t matter. Every birthday reminded her of the hole in her heart and in her life.
A familiar ping echoed through the bedroom and Mina reached out to pick up her phone.
DAD: You’ll get through today.
Simple, short, and to the point. Her father wasn’t an affectionate man, nor were he and Mina close, but sometimes he managed to say just the right thing at the right moment. She sent back a response.
MINA: Just like I always do. Hopefully I’ll see you at the office.
DAD: No. Working from home. I’ll ask my assistant to schedule a lunch later this week.
MINA: Okay, Dad.
DAD: Okay. Happy thirtieth birthday, Mina.
“That’s as close to a touching father-daughter moment as we’ve ever had,” Mina muttered. With a sigh, she opened up her photos and clicked through the albums until she found the one labeled ‘Mom’.
Pictures filled the screen. Her mother looked like her. Long dark hair, eyes too big for her face, and sharp cheekbones. Mina scrolled through the pregnancy photos, the baby photos, and the pictures of the few times they went to Central Park when she was a child.
Shalini Kaur Kohli had been such a powerhouse her entire short life, with an active career and social life. No matter what, she’d always made time for Mina. She’d been a mother, a wife, a litigator, and a sister who raised two younger brothers to be litigators as well. Her life had ended the day her brothers voted her out of the firm she built from the ground up. She’d gotten raging drunk, then climbed behind the wheel of her sedan. Mina discovered the truth about the accident when she was seventeen. That’s when she began her mission to take back her birthright. Nothing was going to stop her.
Except maybe an arranged marriage.
She shifted against her silk pillowcase, thinking about her uncle’s offer. If she married Virat, the son of the managing partner at J.J.S. Immigration Law, she’d get the equity partner position at her mother’s firm. Her marriage would make way for the union of two of the largest South Asian-owned firms in the country.