Kamila was speechless. Literally, there were no words in her entire body, possibly for the first time in her existence.

Her? A partner in Hussain, Nasser, and Suleiman? Was that even a possibility?

She found something to say. “You would be willing to give up Dad’s shares?”

He nodded. “I would. Our fathers built the company. It would be pretty amazing if we continued it together. Zayan is on board with this idea, too. We’d need to convince your dad.”

“Seriously? Me? This isn’t the small firm our fathers built anymore. It’s the third largest accounting firm in the province. It’s massive.” She frowned. “How would I pay for the shares?” Dad was only planning to give her part of the money from the sale, not all of it.

He pulled out a printed spreadsheet. “I ran the numbers—your father would technically loan you the money to buy him out, which you would pay back gradually from profits. It wouldn’t even take long, especially if we increase the client load in your division.”

She raised a brow. “Division?”

“Zayan and I have been impressed with Emerald’s growth. The original plan was to absorb Emerald into HNS, but what if instead we grew it? We’re proposing starting a whole line of small neighborhood-based offices geared toward financial literacy and services for millennials and Gen Zers. This is a perfect project for someone with your skills and talent.”

“Rohan, we’d be working together.”

He nodded. “We did well with the momos—we could do well here, too.”

Kamila blinked, not sure what to say about this. She’d meant it when she claimed HNS wasn’t for her. Rohan, Zayan, and their father, when he was still active there, had grown the small accounting firm into a sterile, massive organization. She preferred a small grassroots practice like Emerald.

But maybe Rohan was offering her the best of both worlds—the security and wealth of the large firm, and the opportunity to continue to do what she was doing at Emerald. Actually, she had the opportunity to do more—to grow Emerald.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just think about it, Kam.”

She looked at him. Warm eyes, soft hair. He was sacrificing a lot by making this offer—literally sacrificing one-third of his company.

He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t have faith in her, or if he didn’t think she could bring value to HNS. Rohan was generous, yes, but he was a businessman, too. He would never do anything to put HNS at any risk. This offer meant he trusted her.

He also wouldn’t be doing this if his feelings for her went anywhere beyond friendship. What was it he said to her weeks ago? Work isn’t living…I’m never getting involved with a colleague again. It distorts the relationship.