"She's unprotected. No security detail. If Rajput wants leverage—"
"She's not important enough to target," Samarth said, the words automatic.
But his jaw tightened as he said them.
Abhay studied him. "With all due respect, boss, that's bullshit."
Samarth's hand tightened on his glass. "Excuse me?"
"She's your wife. That makes her important whether you want to admit it or not. And if Rajput has done even basic research on this family, he knows exactly how beautiful she is. Men have started wars for women like her."
"She knows the rules. She doesn't go anywhere that matters."
"She went to a bookstore last week. Alone. In broad daylight. Anyone could have grabbed her."
Samarth turned, his eyes cold. "How do you know where she went?"
"Because I had someone keep tabs on her. Unofficially." Abhay met his glare without flinching. "Someone in this family needs to make sure she doesn't end up dead in a ditch somewhere."
"You're overstepping."
"Maybe. But at least I'm not lying to myself about what she means."
"She means nothing."
"Then why does it bother you so much that Bruno likes her?"
Samarth's silence was answer enough.
Armaan chose that moment to enter, his expression grim. "Boss, we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The kind where someone sent your wife a very expensive gift. Anonymously."
Every muscle in Samarth's body went rigid. "What kind of gift?"
Armaan set a small box on the desk. "Jewelry. Diamond bracelet. Worth at least five lakhs, maybe more."
Samarth opened the box. The bracelet glittered obscenely in the light, delicate and beautiful.
There was no note. No card. Nothing to indicate who'd sent it.
But someone was sending his wife expensive gifts.
The implications made his blood run cold.
"Find out who sent this," he said, his voice deadly calm. "I want a name by tomorrow."
"Already working on it," Armaan replied.
After they left, Samarth sat in the darkness of his office, staring at the bracelet.
Someone was making a play for his wife.
And he was going to tear them apart.
CHAPTER 5
