The meeting wrapped up in exactly an hour. Chairs scraped back as everyone rose, instinctively waiting.
Bharat stood.
She waited for him to put on his sunglasses and leave.
He held the sunglasses in his hand, but his gaze lifted.
Intense golden-brown eyes locked onto hers across the room.
Yamini froze.
Her heart slammed hard against her ribs.
She forgot to breathe. She stood frozen, her fingers numb around the camera strap.
For a long, suspended second, he simply looked at her.
Then, without a word, he turned away.
He reached up, slid his sunglasses back into place, and walked out of the conference room with security and assistants falling into step behind him.
The door closed softly behind him.
Only then did Yamini release the breath she’d been holding, her lungs burning as reality rushed back in.
She stared at the space he’d occupied, her heart still racing.
Did he recognize me?
???
Yamini didn’t speak until she was out of the ministry building and back on the street.
She flagged a cab and slid into the back seat, giving the driver directions.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
A few minutes later, the cab stopped at the café where she was meeting Pooja for lunch.
Pooja was already seated inside. As soon as she saw Yamini, she waved, her face lit with excitement.
But something on Yamini’s face must have shown because Pooja’s smile dimmed.
“Okay, what happened?” Pooja asked as soon as Yamini sat across her. “You look like you are about to faint or throw up. And you aren’t the kind to do both.”
Pooja was right. She rarely got shaken.
Yamini exhaled slowly. “Bharat Jogra attended the meeting at the chief minister’s office.”
Pooja blinked, then leaned forward. “Oh wow. That’s… interesting. Maybe the rumors about him and Tina Mehta are true. But why do you look shaken?”
“Because I might get fired from the project.”
Pooja was shocked. “What? Why would you get fired?”
Yamini met her eyes. “He saw me.”
Pooja looked confused. “Okay… so?”
