Ajay thought about his family’s vineyard. It was better than ever. They were now thinking about opening up a boutique B and B on the premises. The properties in Europe were thriving, and the other luxury investments were producing profits at exponential rates. He’d been personally responsible for making decisions about every project under the HAZ Industries umbrella.

“Bharat is the only one,” he finally answered.

“Then no one is going to question your decision to fire Sri except you,” she said, and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.

“Yeah. Okay.” He felt marginally better but couldn’t decide if it was her words or the kiss that did it. He let her get back to her emails and knew that he had to use the rest of their travel time to work, too.

They’d attended to business for the rest of the drive to New Jersey. Raj worked on her phone, Ajay on his laptop. She asked him his opinion on various investments, and he asked hers as he thought about his impending CEO nomination and the patent application that still needed to be addressed. As weird as it sounded, sharing so many things in common and talking to Raj in the same language was comforting. He felt closer to her in some ways, and it was another layer of her personality that he felt intimately connected to.

The car turned into the long driveway, and Raj shifted forward until she sat at the edge of her seat to look out the window.

“Impressive,” she said.

Ajay grinned. “That’s the point.”

They pulled in front of the main house, and Ajay led Raj up the stairs to the front doors. After they kicked off their shoes on the entranceway mat, they walked barefoot down the tile corridor, past the arched opening, and into the expansive living room. His father staggered to his feet from his spot at the end of the long cream-colored sectional in front of a TV with international business news playing on low. His smile was bright, even though there was still worry in his eyes.

“Puttar? We weren’t expecting you today. Is everything okay? You brought company.”

Ajay rushed forward to grab his father’s arm. “Why don’t you sit down?”

“Nonsense. We have a guest!”

“Well, this handsome gentleman looks even more dashing since the last time I saw him,” Raj said smoothly. She crossed the room as quickly as Ajay had and took his father’s hands. “You can greet me just fine from this wonderful couch you’ve been sitting on. Just like your name suggests. A king on his throne.”

Deepak laughed, his cheeks turning ruddy with pleasure.

“Hullo, beti,” he said, referring to her as daughter.

“Why don’t you get comfortable? We’ll go dancing later when you’re up for it.” She gently urged him back onto the cushions even as she gave him a quick wink.