“As if anything can ever make him happy,” Shauna muttered.
Akash tilted his head. “I can. He likes me. Didn’t you hear him say it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. No one likes you.”
“Most people like me. A lot,” Akash insisted. “Ask Janak, I’m his favorite.”
Shauna snorted. “Absolutely not. Everyone knows my brother Rishi is his favorite grandchild.”
Akash shrugged. “Rishi is his favorite grandchild, yes.Iam his favorite. Full stop.”
Janak burst out laughing and shook his head. “You are simply incorrigible. Leave Suveer to me. I’ll meet you again at two. We need to talk more. Right now, I need time with Shauna.”
Akash’s expression gentled. And without a word to her, he left.
Shauna turned to face her grandfather, ready to ask every burning question she had, but one look at his solemn face stopped her cold. His phone rang and soon he was engrossed with the person at the other end of the line. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was definitely going on. Something she had no clue about.
8
Akash stepped out of Janak’s office, the air in his lungs feeling heavier than when he had walked in. He gave Reema a brief nod as she sat working at her desk and opened the door to the corner office beside Janak’s.
The room was vast and empty, not a single piece of furniture in sight. Late morning sunlight filtered in from the floor-to-ceiling windows on his right. Dust motes danced in the air, drifting lazily through the sunlight, the only movement in a room that felt untouched, waiting for someone to finally claim it.
This office was far bigger than the one Janak used, and yet it remained unoccupied. Old loyalties, promises, and memories had kept Janak away from this space.
Akash rubbed his forehead where a pain had lodged itself. He hadn’t been sleeping well again. The days after changing cities and beds always made sleep difficult for him. He sighed. He hoped this time the shadows would quiet sooner.
He moved toward the other glass wall, the one overlooking the buzzing newsroom below, and studied the flurry of activity beneath him. This was the heartbeat of Sehgal Media and the home of their news channel, GVN: Global View News. Brightstudio lights illuminated the stage where a prime-time segment was being filmed, the GVN logo gleaming in the background.
This… all of this was what he had worked toward. What had once begun as a single news channel had since expanded into Sehgal Studios, a major film and digital production house redefining mainstream storytelling, and SEHVA, a streaming platform that stood toe-to-toe with global streaming giants. All of it operated from the thirty-floor building he stood in, a crown jewel of Mumbai’s skyline and the beating heart of Sehgal Corporation’s media empire. All of this expansion and success had been possible thanks to the vision and foresight of one man—Janak Sehgal.
The door opened behind him. He turned, and his chest warmed on seeing Keya walk inside. Keya wasn’t just his elder sister. She was his anchor, his safe place, his entire world. His happiness began and ended with her and her children.
A small smile tugged at his mouth. “Hey, sis.”
She smiled back with that familiar gentle affection that had soothed him since they were children. They’d all returned from the Maldives together the previous night, and she’d told him that she’d meet him here today.
Reaching him, she rose onto her toes and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re back here where you belong.”
He held her close for a long moment before kissing her forehead. “I’m happy too.”
He needed her steady presence today. She, more than anyone else, knew what he was feeling. Knew the enormity of the decision he’d finally taken. She supported it and him, as always.
Keya held his arms, studying him carefully. “What’s wrong? You look like you haven’t slept well.”
He exhaled, his shoulders easing. They had spent their whole lives protecting each other, and even now, years later, that instinct hadn’t changed.
“You know how it is for me,” he said quietly. “It takes me a few days to settle whenever I’m in a different city. Even if I’m… home. Even if I’m in my own bed.”
After the disaster with Shauna, sleep had completely eluded him that night. And returning to Mumbai, to yet another bed, hadn’t helped in the least. Hopefully, tonight would be better.
Keya nodded, a wealth of understanding in her eyes. Neither of them had escaped their childhood unscarred. Keya still fought nightmares from those years, but Kabier had steadied her in so many ways. Thanks to him, she had mostly healed.
She turned to look down at the newsroom below, splaying her hand out. “How do you feel about all this?”
“It feels surreal. Monumental, even.”
“It is big, Akash. You’re back home, and you’re finally ready.”
