He rose smoothly, slipping on his jacket, adjusting his cuffs with the smooth efficiency she watched each morning.
“An appraisal document for the necklace will be sent to your studio,” he said. “Have it insured under your name.”
He then gave a small nod and walked toward the exit, security already assembling outside the hall.
She watched him go as confusion stirred inside her heart.
She didn’t know whether to feel grateful for the emerald pendant or annoyed by his coldness.
She sat for several minutes with the velvet box open beside her half-eaten paratha, looking at the snowcapped mountainsand feeling frustrated with a man who kept doing things she didn't know how to categorize.
Taking a deep breath, she picked up the necklace and put it on.
The emerald fish settled at the base of her throat, cool and solid and exactly right.
CHAPTER 24
The second Jogra steel plant was located at the outskirts of a coastal town.
The air felt thicker due to humidity and also because she had gotten used to thin, cold mountain air.
The Jogra helicopter had dropped Yamini at a private airport, and Yamini then headed to the steel plant in a separate SUV.
Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the company SUV and adjusted the strap of her camera bag over her shoulder. The protest banners outside the factory gates were similar to those at the first plant.
Yamini clicked a few pictures of the protesters before stepping into the compound.
She didn’t waste time. After checking in with the PR team, she moved through the factory floor, capturing shots of machinery, workers, and inspection processes. She kept her distance, professional and focused.
She was in the middle of capturing a female worker when she heard a familiar voice calling her. It was Tina Mehta.
Tina stood a few feet away in a fitted ivory pantsuit, sunglasses perched dramatically over her perfectly styled hair.
There was visible anger in Tina’s eyes. Yamini knew Tina was furious that she hadn’t won the emerald pendant at the auction like she had boasted she would.
Tina didn’t know who had acquired it.
Yamini suppressed the impulse to pull out the emerald fish pendant that sat nestled against the base of her throat beneath her shirt.
“What are you doing, Miss Dhar?” Tina asked.
“I’m taking pictures of the workers,” Yamini replied in an even tone.
Tina’s smile thinned. “We need structured, controlled visuals today. No… artistic improvisations. Don’t waste time.”
Yamini didn’t react.
She ignored Tina and continued to work.
She knew it pissed the other woman even more. She heard Tina snapping at junior analysts, then at a technician who didn’t respond fast enough, and then at a senior supervisor in front of his staff.
Yamini didn’t interfere until Tina crossed a line.
She targeted an older factory worker who struggled to understand Tina’s rapid instructions and the long, printed technical document.
Tina rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Can someone explain basic compliance language to him?” she said loudly. “Or is this the level of workforce we are working with?”
