Faisal was dragging his feet because his pride was injured. Hem relaxed in his seat and grinned at his opponent. Here he was, CEO of a successful midsize business, having to work with an outside law firm on a negotiation. Hem could understand executives that were level-conscious. He’d been the same way when he first started working with his father. It had taken him some time to learn that Deepak Singh didn’t care what position a person held in his company. They were all treated with respect. That didn’t mean executives outside Bharat agreed with the same philosophy, though.

“Tevish’s family has deep connections with mine. I worked as an executive for my family business for years after law school so he knew that I could handle something as important as your agreement.”

“Oh? What’s your family business?”

“Bharat, Inc.”

Faisal’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “Your father is . . .”

“Deepak Singh, yes.”

“Why aren’t you still working for the company?”

“Because my father’s business is growing and I need to expand my experience to help it along. Having the right industry knowledge is important in the technology space.”

He’d repeated those words so many times and they felt stale on his tongue. Very few people knew of the heartache, the pain that had triggered his decision to leave. His parents and their involvement in his life were part of the reason why he’d lost his fiancée. Working closely with them was too difficult after he’d gotten his heart obliterated. On top of that, he needed to follow his passion. He’d only ever known Bharat, and it felt too unstructured, too relaxed for him. He wanted more, needed more, and starting his own law firm and investment group had been the best thing he’d ever done.

“Come on, Faisal,” Hem said when he was met with silence. “You can’t be scared of me now that you know my history.”

Faisal’s fingers fluttered over the edges of the tablet he’d been referencing. “I’m scared of nobody, kid. I’ve been at this for a lot longer than you. Honestly, I simply wanted to know how you got so damn good at bullshitting. Now I know. It makes sense why Tevish sent you now.”

Hem grinned. He was closing in on the win. He could feel it. “You should’ve never doubted him.”

Hem felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he discreetly reached inside his jacket and silenced the device. “Sign the contract. You’ll make a shit ton of money if you do.”

“I’m beginning to warm to the idea. Only because I have a feeling you’ll never stop bugging me until I do.”

Hem’s phone began to buzz again.

“Do you need to get that?”