Vansh threw a look at Hari and Mariel, who were watching with rapt interest. The doors to the other two offices were closed, so either Sadiya and Makayla were listening at the doors or they were out today.

Vansh threw a glance at the open door between them. Just come in and shut the door, you’ll thank me later.

Her eyes narrowed. Fat chance I’ll be thanking you for anything, and the door stays open.

Fine, if Naina wanted to do this with an audience, he had no choice. “If we don’t come up with a way to work together, you’re going to lose your funding.”

Chapter Sixteen

Naina had taken hits in her life. Really, she had. Waking up in her home every day had been like popping up in a game of whack-a-mole. Her father had never hit her. At least not that she remembered. Given how healthy her physical fear of him had been, it was possible that he’d hurt her when she was very young but she’d repressed the memory.

All her life she’d had dreams where she felt physical pain associated with him. Like her bones being crushed in a vise grip. The memories had never been clearer than that. So it might’ve been her physically taking on her mother’s pain. She rarely had the dreams anymore.

In college she’d seen a therapist for a while, and she’d suggested hypnotherapy to dig into the memories. Naina had seen no value in knowing. She already knew all she needed to know: she hated her father, and that meant hating a small part of herself. Therapy had helped her be aware of this, and she worked every day to not let that part get big enough to consume her ability to live with herself.

It also meant never expecting anyone to take care of her and always expecting to be betrayed. Still, hearing those words coming from Vansh hurt. They hurt enough that she had to keep from wrapping her arms around herself.

He’d promised he wouldn’t let harm come to her work. How had she been stupid enough to trust him?

Before she could react, Sadiya and Makayla rushed out of their offices. “We’re losing our funding?” all three of her employees said together.

Naina turned back to the reception area and faced her team, their accusatory scowls falling on her as though she were the one who’d betrayed them. She couldn’t bear to look at Vansh right now.

It wasn’t easy to keep her tone confident. “We are not losing our funding.” But she understood philanthropy and philanthropists enough to know that anything was possible based on the whims of those who bankrolled their work.

They did not look in the least bit placated.