RAJ: Yes. She showed up at the penthouse with food. She’s been tremendous. You’re so lucky to have a family that keeps you grounded.

Ajay smiled at the text. His family had a lot of quirks, but Raj was right. They kept him grounded. He stood in front of the flat-screen in his office, watching as the press conference was about to begin. He hadn’t spotted Raj yet, but there was what looked like quite a gathering in front of RKH Collective’s office building.

He felt a hand grip his shoulder.

“How are you holding up?” Bhram asked.

“I just want this shit to be over,” he told his cousin. “I feel like I got half the battle left to go.”

Bhram nodded. “You did great in the board meeting. You put Frankie and those other assholes in their place.”

“I just hope it worked. We’ll see how next month goes.”

Bhram leaned in and lowered his voice. “I have a question for you. Did you know when you asked Sri to look into Raj that—”

“No,” he said. “Hell no. I would never do that to her intentionally. It was an unfortunate accident that I had to use to my favor.”

“What did she say about it?”

Ajay rubbed the back of his neck, hating that he hadn’t been able to talk it out with her before the board meeting. “I let her know the minute I confirmed it was Sri. She wasn’t upset, but . . . God, I can’t help but feel bad about it.”

“You can’t take responsibility for everything, brother,” Bhram said. “You have to know that.”

“I do.” Ajay couldn’t help feeling obligated, though. Raj was so new in his life, and his feelings for her were raw and fresh. He waited for the press conference to start as his cousin stood vigil at his side.

“Just a few more minutes,” Bhram said, motioning to the screen. “Looks like she’s arrived.”

Ajay surveyed his office, and discovered it was surprisingly empty.

“Where is everyone? They don’t want to watch?”

“Your father is talking to some of the employees. He hasn’t been here in a while so he wanted to check up on a few people. Hem and Mina are with him to make sure that he doesn’t overdo things.”

“And Zail?”

Bhram shrugged. “He’s been quiet. I think he went to go check with Damany in Finance about our budget restraints.”

“No, he’s here,” Zail said from the doorway. He had bags under his eyes, and he appeared more haggard than usual. He pushed up the flannel arms of his button-down shirt and strolled over to stand on Ajay’s right side. “Let’s see what she says,” he murmured.