“Incredible,” Jaya whispered, tugging her hair back against the wind. “So you broke my sister’s heart, nearly destroyed my family’s reputation and my parents’ peace of mind, but that wasn’t enough for you. Because of your obsession with power, you’ve now come after the man I love. I knew you were an asshole, Kiran, but I had no idea you were so bloody evil.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but Jaya continued. “You will call the newspapers immediately and issue an apology to my family. You’ll confess what you did—both the initial scandal and the pregnancy rumors—and say you had no right to go after a young girl, that you’ve made mistakes of your own, and that the Rao family name is still imbued with honor and dignity as far as you’re concerned.”

Kiran scoffed. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I’ve recorded this conversation,” Jaya said simply. “I’ll send it to every newspaper in India. I imagine every journalist who might be interested in—how did you put it? Oh yes—taking the Hegde family down a peg or two would clamor for this clip. Don’t you think so?” She smiled a little. “Plus, once I send this to my father, I imagine he’s going to have a few political moves up his sleeve that likely won’t benefit the Hegdes. As I recall, the Raos are still very much the most powerful royal family in Karnataka. No thanks to you, of course. I imagine your father won’t be too pleased with whatever punishment Appa metes out.”

Kiran’s face was absolutely furious. “You wouldn’t do that. Isha was still at fault for those pictures. I didn’t force her to do anything!”

“Maybe, but she was fourteen. And besides, she’s not the heiress to the throne. What’s your excuse, Kiran?”

They stared at each other, unsmiling for a long moment. Finally, Kiran said shortly, “Very well. I’ll release a statement.”

“I’ll send you the exact wordage via email,” Jaya said serenely. “Just so you’re clear on what to say.”

He kept staring at her. “Fine.”

“Goodbye, Kiran,” Jaya said, and pressed “end.”

Dawn was fast encroaching. The sky was now a faded purple, and a chorus of birds began to sing. The world was waking up, bit by bit.

Grey