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“One second,” he murmured as he walked over to say something to the security outside the door. A moment later Virat Jha walked in, a folder under his arm.
Raashi stiffened at the sight of him. The man was almost violently good looking, his entire appearance an assault on your senses. And Raashi said this as someone who was married to The Harsh Kodela. But more importantly, Virat Jha was known, in the right circles, as the man who could do anything. He was the mastermind who sat in the middle of an intricate spider web of information, threats, contacts, and more.
He didn’t bother with smiling or greeting anyone. He handed the folder to Agastya and stepped back, no indication on his face that what was in it was going to either detonate their lives or rebuild it. He leaned against the wall, his muscled arms folded over his chest. When he caught Raashi’s eye, he gave her a small smile and wink, reminding her of the Virat she’d met on the terrace during that disastrous games night.
Someone cleared their throat and Raashi looked away from Virat, her eyes snagging on Harsh’s stormy ones. The first flash of reaction she’d seen from him since the dining table. She swallowed hard, raising an eyebrow at him. Did the Stoneman have something to say?
“What are we looking at?” She heard her father ask, his voice sounding like it was coming from very far away. She couldn’t look away from Harsh. There was something there in his eyes, something she couldn’t put her finger on, but it was something that made her heart ache.
“That’s information on Anant Madhavan’s most recent activities,” Virat answered. “He keeps his professional life squeaky clean. There was nothing to fault him with there and I dug several layers deep. I’m assuming the ammunition you gathered and threw at him during the split taught him a lesson.”
Chaitanya Gadde smirked. “I’m good at teaching lessons.”
“Yes,” Raashi’s father-in-law retorted. “We saw!”
Raashi tipped her chin up, a silent question that Harsh left unanswered, his eyes staring right through her and into her very soul. What was going on? What had she said? What had she done?
“So, we have nothing on him?” Veda asked, her disappointment obvious.
“I didn’t say that.” Virat smiled, the shark inside him baring its teeth. “Anant Madhavan is dating again.”
Harsh’s eyes flared seeming to search hers for an answer she didn’t know she had. Raashi frowned. Did he think she still had feelings for Anant? Did it matter to him? Did he also-
“She’s seventeen years old.”
Raashi’s head snapped around, her focus lasering onto Virat’s grim face. “What?” she shrieked.
And for the first time since her tirade at the dining table, Harsh spoke.
“That fucking bastard.”
Forty-Nine
HARSH
Later that night, Harsh stood in front of the gated community that housed the penthouse of one Mr. Anant Madhavan. The entire space oozed plush luxury. The man who’d built it stood beside him, shivering in the cold. It really was an unseasonably cold night.
“You guys ready?” Aarush asked, stepping away from the Maybach he’d been lounging against.
“Yeah.” Ram’s glasses glinted in the dim light of the streetlights. He opened the door to the Maybach and Raashi got out. Harsh’s stomach did a weird double flip at the sight of her with her hair in short braids, loose jeans and a t-shirt that was voluminous enough to envelop her completely. Apparently, this was the look Mr. Madhavan favoured.
A toxic mess of emotions churned in his gut. Jealousy, possessiveness, insecurity and overriding it all…rage. He knew it was all an act and still as he watched her push her glasses up her nose with one finger, he wanted to snatch her up, shove her back into the car and take her home. But his beloved wife would probably knee him in the balls if he did.
And so, he kept his distance. It wasn’t the only reason he kept his distance, but this wasn’t the time for any of the other stuff either. There would be time for all of that later. He hoped.
He hoped that when they’d cleaned this mess up, Raashi didn’t lace up her running shoes and take off. He’d follow her to America if she did. He’d follow her to the ends of the Earth and back if need be.
“Harsh?”
Ram’s irate voice told him they’d been calling his name for a while. He pulled the bill of his ballcap low so no one could see his face and nodded to her brother. “I’m ready.”
He didn’t look at Raashi as they approached the security cabin at the entrance of the community. He could feel her darting glances at him but, the coward that he was, he didn’t dare look back. If he did, he had a feeling he’d never look away.
Aarush cleared them through security without much fanfare. Being the developer of the property and owning several flats there helped. They’d left an annoyed Agastya at home after explaining that they couldn’t go into stealth mode with him and his five thousand bodyguards. Harsh’s guards had been more understanding due to him constantly giving them the slip and disappearing when he wanted some alone time. They weren’t overtly concerned by Harsh wanting to wander off without security. But then, he was the disposable Kodela, wasn’t he?
“Could you guys give Harsh and I a few moments?” Raashi’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts.
“Now?” Ram looked positively aghast, like Harsh was going to defile his sister in the walkway to the swimming pool at Madhavan’s community.
