CHAPTER 3
The ceiling fan was noisy.
Yamini switched it off, but the heat rose almost immediately, thick and suffocating. With a sigh, she turned it back on and resigned herself to the squeaky noise while she applied for jobs in her tiny rented apartment.
She leaned back in the flimsy wooden chair and looked at her laptop resting on the folding table that doubled as a desk. The apartment was just enough for one person. There was a narrow bed against the wall, a folding table, and a small kitchenette that somehow made the space feel even smaller.
Pooja had insisted she stay with her until she saved enough money for a better place. But Yamini refused. Although her friend meant well, Yamini didn’t want to rely on anyone but herself. She had been doing so for the past five years.
Barely a few weeks after she had impulsively left home, she had realized that the man she married made a fun companion, but he was far from being reliable.
With a sigh, she pushed those thoughts away. No point in hashing the past.
She was just about to return to the job hunt when her phone rang.
Pooja.
With a small smile, she answered. “Good morning… or rather afternoon.”
“You’re famous,” Pooja announced.
Yamini groaned, leaning back carefully against the wobbly chair. “Please tell me you mean my photography is famous.”
“Oh yes,” Pooja said cheerfully. “You are completely irrelevant. Your photos, however? Chaos.”
Yamini let out a relieved breath. “What happened?”
“Whatdidn’thappen?” Pooja replied. “The environmental group is thrilled. The minister’s office called twice. And—” she paused dramatically “—the gossip pages are on fire.”
“About…?”
“Abouthim!” Pooja said excitedly.
Yamini didn’t need the name. She recalled the previous day’s event. The helicopter, the dark suit, the sunglasses, the way he stood out in the crowd like a king while being fawned over by the elite crowd.
“I sent you the links.”
Yamini pulled her phone away from her ear and opened the message thread that had three links.
All different publications. All with dramatic headlines.
ROYAL RUMOURS: IS MAHARAJA BHARAT SINGH JOGRA THE NEXT ROYAL TO BREAK TRADITION?
WHO IS THE WOMAN BESIDE THE STEEL KING? WILL RANI SUCHITRA APPROVE?
AFTER RAM KRISHNA DEVARA, BHARAT SINGH JOGRA? RANI SUCHITRA’S ROYAL FAMILY BUZZES WITH SPECULATION.
Yamini tapped the first one, and slowly a photo filled the screen.
Bharat Jogra stood tall, posture straight, sunglasses in place. Beside him stood Tina Mehta, the chief minister’s daughter, looking at him as though the sun rose because of him.
The news article speculated about their relationship and possible impending wedding.
“People are obsessed with Rani Suchitra Devi and her maharaja sons,” Pooja said. “Although Rani Suchitra provides glimpses of her philanthropic work and is seen socializing in the elite circles, the royal family’s private lives remain highly guarded from the media.”
Yamini was glad that Rani Suchitra kept a tight leash on the private lives of the royal family.
Or the scandal from five years ago would have been made public.
