“That’s exactly what I was doing,” Akash replied, keeping his tone calm while inside he was fuming. “For years.”
Suveer’s expression hardened. “And yet he also sent you away, to other businesses, other interests.”
“He sent me there to learn, to gain more experience so I could run Sehgal Media in the best way possible.”
“Exactly. You’ve been away for too long. Then you return, and suddenly you’re in charge. Abrupt changes are rarely good for a company.”
Akash exhaled slowly. He saw it then, that nothing he said would change this man’s mind. Suveer wasn’t going to budge.This traditional old man wouldn’t change his views no matter how much Akash tried to convince him otherwise.
Which meant the board never would either. Which meant he had a fight ahead of him. A brutal one. Unless?—
There was a knock, and then the door opened again.
Shauna stepped in and stopped short when she saw Suveer. “Oh. I didn’t realize?—”
“Shauna,” Suveer said. He didn’t acknowledge her beyond that.
Akash felt a flicker of irritation. So this was what Amara had complained about till date. She’d worked in the family business for years and was still never taken seriously by her grandfather. Never credited. If it had been up to him, Amara would never have worked at all, but she had put her foot down. Suveer, however, thought he controlled her, but Amara was too smart and knew exactly how to handle him. Even so, that didn’t change the fact that women, in Suveer’s world, were observers, not decision-makers.
Suveer rose. “I came today to warn you that the board is watching you carefully. One mistake and…”
He let the threat hang unfinished in the air before turning and walking out. The door clicked shut behind him, and Akash stared at it for a long moment.
“Fuck,” Shauna swore. “Did he just come here to deliver a warning in person?”
“Looks like it,” Akash said.
“He’s awful.”
Akash shrugged. “He’s always been difficult. His grandchildren have had a hard time convincing him of anything. Hence, this isn’t out of character for him. But I never expected him to turn his guns on me.”
“Well, forget him,” Shauna said. “If you and I work everything out, it will shut him up forever.”
He liked that she was already talking about the two of them as a team. Hopefully, whatever came next would reflect that same spirit. Sighing, he turned and finally took her in. Shauna was dressed for work in tailored black trousers, a crisp ink-blue sleeveless blouse tucked neatly into them. Her hair was pulled back into a knot at her nape, and her makeup was minimal. She looked sharp. Poised. Beautiful as always.
Her eyes landed on him, and he saw the determination flicker in her gaze.
He pointed to the seating area, and she crossed the room to drop into one of the armchairs. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a slim folder, extracted a single sheet of paper, and held it out to him.
“These are my terms,” she said, immediately turning businesslike.
His mouth curved. “No hello? No How are you? That’s no way to treat your future husband.”
“This is not a social call,” she shot back.
But he didn’t miss the slight tremor in her fingers as she pushed the sheet toward him. He was happy to know that she wasn’t as unaffected as she portrayed.
“I’m happy to go over any terms you may have considered,” Shauna said as he took the paper from her.
He smiled. “Not to worry. Mine are rather simple, and I have them all in my head. We’ll discuss those too. But first, shall I get you some coffee?”
“Yes, please,” she replied.
He went to the coffee machine in the corner and made her a cup. Black, with a dash of milk and one teaspoon of sugar, just the way she liked it. He handed her the cup and made some black tea for himself.
She winced as he stirred his tea. “I’ve never understood your obsession with black tea. It’s vile.”
“It really isn’t,” he chuckled. “Besides, we all have our quirks. This is mine. You’ll discover more if you marry me.”
