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Did their picture get posted on page three?
She cleared her throat, and that made him look up. “Did they write about us in the papers too? My sister was saying there are pictures of us on the internet.”
He slowly turned one of the newspapers. There were no images but an article with the headlineThe Royal Storm. She blinked as she read the summary of them storming the city. “There will be no pictures in the papers without our permission, and the social media posts will be sanitized very quickly.”
“Oh, okay.” She kept her eyes on the article and was curious as to what they said about her. If she looked lost and confused.
“If any of these bother you, we can make it go away and—” His voice was lost when he heard the ever-so-gentle knock on the glass of the patio door. “Come in…” he said and added, “… we can chat later. Our breakfast is here, along with a special guest.”
“Good morning.” Sanjana heard the voice of an elderly woman. To her surprise, the prince got up to greet the person, and that made her stand up too.
“Jaya aunty, so good to see you.” Sanjana smiled as she saw her husband put his arm around her. “Meet Sanjana, my wife.”
The older woman beamed at her. “No wonder your mother was gloating about her new daughter-in-law. She is beautiful.”
“Sanjana, this is Jaya aunty, Mamma’s friend from school who lives in the city and is my mother’s designated spy.” He laughed as the woman narrowed her eyes at him at the mention of the word spy.
The older woman shook hands with Sanjana. “So good to meet you, dear.”
“Likewise.” Sanjana smiled warmly, feeling at ease in the presence of the older woman. “Please join us for breakfast.” She looked at the large spread the staff lay in front of them.
Jaya aunty laughed, shaking her head. “Your husband here refused to eat without you, so you two should enjoy your meal while I make sure these fancy chefs this boy has hired don’t mess up the food for lunch.”
Jai only laughed as he hugged his mother’s friend. “I’ll see you, aunty.”
Jaya aunty left, and the staff member who waited on the other side of the glass doors quietly shut the doors again. Sanjana sat and noticed a cold breeze she hadn’t felt earlier, only to realize an air cooler was set up close to where she sat.
“Let’s dig in and get dressed to receive your sister.” She nodded in response to his words and went on to take a bite of her food, letting out a moan that was louder than she had expected. She heard him scoff. “Glad to hear you like the food.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, feeling embarrassed. “It would have been nice if Jaya aunty could join us for lunch too.”
He shook his head. “She’s too busy to hang out with us. I’m sure Mamma told her about our visit, and she stopped by to check on us. She is also my best friend’s mother.”
“Oh, how sweet.” She chewed her food slowly, enjoying every bit of the flavors of what seemed to be a traditional dish with a variation—a classicjalebiwith a hint of rose and the shredded coconut adding a bite to the flaky dish.
“Indeed.” He paused before adding, “About the social media posts, most of the trolling or overly dramatized ones will be sanitized or brought down, and, in the future, if something bothers you, let me know.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t bothered since she didn’t check social media as much as the folks around her.
“Also, we have a major event that I’d like for you to attend with me. There will be a lot of coverage for that function as well, so don’t be surprised.”
She nodded. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be prepared.”
“Good.” The man was brief with his responses, but she appreciated his concern for his fake wife. Maybe because he didn’t want a record of his fake marriage for when he tied the knot for real. Better for her, too, so she could go back to being a nobody, no—a pilot.
Good thinking, Yuvraj!
*****
“What the fudge?” Her sister was in awe of the setup in the closet and bathroom. “You have a duplicate setup of everything you use here as well. Why can’t you just be here, then? Close to me?”
“No. The idea is to be close to his family.” Sanjana was giving her sister a tour of the multi-level penthouse after lunch. The guys decided to settle into the media room to watch the cricket match.
“So,” Deepika asked, rubbing her palms together. “Tell me everything about the party. I heard the town’s top celebrities were in attendance. Siddhant Vastav showed up to greet you despite the big match today?”
A blush crept up her cheeks at the thought of her being star-struck when she saw Jai’s friends. “It was fun. You would have totally screamed, and I had such a tough time not squealing.”
Deepika wiggled her shoulders and clapped her hands. “I so badly want to go to such a party. Ask Jai for me, please. He’ll do anything for you.” Her sister winked.
