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“I am. Devani is more than a prize to show off. She is the head of her family’s company. After she took over the management, profits increased exponentially.”
“Maybe one day you can assist Neil with our enterprise in the same manner.”Shah and Arun Joshi nodded to each other.
It was almost on the tip of my tongue to ask which enterprise he meant, the one the public knew about, or the underground one used to aid the kidnapping of girls.
Instead of saying anything, I gave a noncommittal shrug.
“I was just telling everyone about the deal you made with Jayna to excavate the diamond pipe on our property in Botswana. Because of that endeavor, we’ve increased interest in our mineral subsidiaries.”
It amazed me how men like Ashok Shah rewrote history.
He’d thought that he could keep his wealth hidden by transferring his worldwide assets to Jayna when she turned eighteen. And then, he’d tried to force her to marry Joshi’s oldest son, Luke, as repayment for Joshi financing the purchase of said assets.
Jayna marrying Kir derailed Shah’s agreement with Joshi. So now, Jayna solely owned the diamond pipe and all the profits that came with it.
“Jayna is a hard negotiator. But in the end, we both came to a place where our companies benefitted.”I glanced in the direction where Jayna stood with Kir.
As per her reputation for pushing fashion, Jayna wore a one-shoulder gown seemingly held together by giant safety pins on the sides until it reached her waist. Beside her, Kir’s custom tuxedo should have looked too formal and drab. Instead, his clothing choice gave him a sophisticated and dangerous vibe, especially with the slight hints of the tattoos peeking up along the column of his neck and clear as day on his hands.
“Jayna is smart and knows business,”Arun added to the conversation.“It’s a family trait. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I’d leave this all to Neil. Complimenting Shah was where I drew the line.
On cue, Neil jumped in.“You’re absolutely right. You and Auntie Monica did a fine job with her education.”
Shah’s jaw hardened for a second at the mention of his ex-wife, then eased.“Yes, my daughter is brilliant. Too bad I couldn’t influence her to make a better match when it came to marriage.”He shook his head as if he had failed.“I guess I can’t win all the fights. If only the Father above had given me more children. Perhaps a son. Then my legacy would live on.”
Everything inside me heated, rapidly growing to a raging boil.
He had a son. A son he’d thrown away.
Arun patted Shah on the back.“Neil will carry on our legacy, my friend. He is as much your son as he is mine. And once these two make it official, I’m sure they will produce more than enough children for both of us to spoil.”
I shot Neil a mock glare, but his eyes took on a hard edge I hadn’t expected. I’d always known he hated his father, but the venom he flashed toward Shah surprised me.
I laughed, giving him a joking jab.“I have to get him to propose first. I think we still have some time yet.”
“On that note, I think we should get a drink.”Neil steered me toward a server with a tray of champagne flutes.
“Want to tell me what that look was all about?” I asked under my breath in English.
Neil grabbed two flutes, handing one to me. “Nothing, really. These evenings are becoming mundane. It’s the same old song and dance every few days.”
I wanted to call him out on sidestepping my question but decided to let it go. “All they care about is us shagging and making babies.”
He smirked. “I saw your face when Shah made his son comment. The flames in your eyes looked lethal. You may want to keep that under wraps.”
“You only know my tells because we trained together. No one else can figure out shit about me. Cold as the diamonds in my mines, remember?”
“Why do you play that up so much? You’d have a hell of a lot more friends if you thawed a little.”
“I have friends. I’m selective, that’s all.”
“Yes. Yes. Separation of church and state. Where do I fall into this?”
“Besides my replacement?”
“Yes.”
