Twisting around, she tilts her face up to me. A reserved and cautious smile pulls up on her lips. “Hello, Nathan.”
“Let’s go to my booth.”
“Sure.”
Settling down across from each other, I wait until she drinks water before speaking. “We didn’t get a chance to talk the last time we met.”
“It was understandable. Buried secrets coming to light can shake even the strongest of people.” Resting both hands togetheron the table, she idly plays with the ring on her index finger. “You needed time to think.”
“As happy as I am for you and Kian, it’s not why I asked you to meet me tonight.”
A curious frown eclipses her pretty face. “Is this regarding confronting your father? Kian shared he’s giving you trouble.”
“You worked the longest for him.” Six years, to be exact. He usually fired the other assistants within a year or two. “You know he’s corrupted despite what he portrays to the public.”
“I know it very well. I’m one of his victims.”
“I apologize for being blunt, but he took you on every work trip because of the affair. On one of them, you even shared a suite. I’m sure there was a time or two he let his walls down. You must’ve known every single person he met and interacted with. In and outside of work.”
Apprehension swirling with shame and regret darkens her gaze. “I did stay with him. However, he didn’t discuss anything beyond my duties as his executive assistant.”
“Does the name Javed ring a bell?”
“Uh…” she ponders with a deep frown. “No. I don’t remember anyone with that name working closely with Rakesh. Of course, it’s been more than three decade since I worked at Singhania and Sons.”
Reaching into my suit jacket, I pull out a picture and slide it to her. “Do you recognize this man?”
Dragging the black-and-white image closer, she gazes at the man. Dread causes her limbs to freeze, and she stammers, “He… I know him. I mean, I saw him around at a few parties Rakesh attended in Dubai. Last I saw him, he was in his late forties.”
“Yes.” I take back the picture. “Evil men tend to live longer.”
Javed is a high-profile criminal with ties to the mafia and lives in Dubai. He has both legitimate and illegitimate businesses. I recently found out that he used to be our client when my father was the leader.
The past wouldn’t have mattered to me had my father not brought up signing a new contract with his oldest son, Arnav, who has a worse reputation than his father.
My father and I butted heads when I refused to do business with him. It would be suicide to associate ourselves with them. Once it gets out that we have a criminal family as a client, it would be impossible to curb the hit on our public image.
Of course, he thought I was being insane. “Money is money,” he had said.
The way he kept pushing, I knew something was up.
I ended up opening a can of worms.
“Why are you asking me about him, Nathan?”
“Did you see him and my father together?” I ask rather than answering her question. “Did he talk about him with you?”
“I walked in on them talking once at a club,” she murmurs tightly. “Rakesh yelled at me for interrupting and threw me out of the room. It’s why I recognized his face immediately. Since that instance, I made sure to knock and avoid disturbing Rakesh unless he invited me.”
“So only once?”
“Yeah.”
“Yet it was enough to make you terrified of Javed,” I hum suspiciously. She’s rightly petrified of the man.
An embarrassed flush colors Sonya’s cheeks. “Because Rakesh had never lost his cool with me. It made me intrigued. So, I found the man’s name and looked him up. What I learned rattled me to the bones. He’s involved in messed-up stuff. Is your father still in business with him?”
“Javed’s son has taken over the business, and my father is insisting I hire him as a client.”
