This event was supposed to be her new beginning. But of course, her life always chose to incline towards drama.
The man she hoped to never see again had just descended into her life in a helicopter.
So bloody awesome.
???
Yamini kept her head down and camera up.
Blend in. Stay behind taller people. Avoid standing alone. And most importantly, don’t stare at him.
She stayed near the side of the lawn, half-hidden behind a decorative pillar. Not hiding exactly, but not standing where she could be easily noticed.
A junior photographer brushed past her, adjusting his equipment, a cap hanging loosely from his bag.
Yamini called him. “Hey, can I borrow your cap until the event?”
He blinked, slightly confused, then nodded. “Yes… Sure.”
“Thanks,” she said, reaching for the cap.
She slipped it on, tugging it low enough to cast a faint shadow over her face.
It wasn’t much. But it felt like something.
Pooja walked past her with a clipboard. “Why are you wearing a hat?” she asked.
“It’s hot,” Yamini muttered.
Pooja frowned. “It’s nearly winter. But I suppose you are still adjusting to the weather here in India.”
Yamini gave a quick nod, latching onto that explanation.
Pooja grinned and leaned closer to whisper. “I don’t know about the weather, but I can’t believe how handsome and hot the Jogra maharaja is in person.”
Yamini resisted the urge to scoff. Instead, she continued to observe him nonchalantly with her camera. “He looks alright, I guess.”
“Oh, please,” Pooja said. “He is movie-star handsome. If he didn’t have bodyguards around him, all the women at the event would be clinging to him.”
Yamini highly doubted it. Even without the bodyguards, no one would dare approach him or cling to him without his approval.
He stood near the center of the gathering, and people automatically gave him space. He didn’t raise his voice or try to draw attention. He knew he didn’t need to.
Yamini knew Pooja was right. Bharat Jogra was quite handsome. Fair-skinned with model-sharp features, he had the kind of face that could have made him a movie star.
But there was nothing soft or emotive about him. He looked too controlled.
She could see him clearly because he was taller than the people around him. She noticed that his dark suit fit him perfectly, clean at the broad shoulders, flat across his chest, and sharp at the waist. He wasn’t wearing a tie. But instead of making him look casual, the open collar somehow made him look even more intimidating.
Her eyes fell on the heavy gold ring on his right hand that caught the light when he moved.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was a loud statement. It held authority, power, and lineage.
The sunglasses stayed on even under the shade.
He didn’t have to remove them for her to know what was behind them. Golden-brown eyes that had never looked at her even once.
Her jaw tightened at the memory.
