The morning sun cast long shadows across the school courtyard as Divya skipped ahead, her uniform was crisp and her backpack was bouncing with each step. Anjali observed the scene from the car window, her fingers were absently tracing the edge of her phone case.
"Papa, look! Meera is wearing the same hair clips as me!" Divya called over her shoulder, pointing excitedly at a classmate.
Ajay crouched to her level, adjusting the strap of her backpack. "Very pretty. Now remember—"
"I know, I know," Divya interrupted with an exaggerated sigh. "Listen to teacher, eat all my lunch, and don't talk to strangers." She leaned in conspiratorially. "But Didi isn't a stranger, right?" looking at the Anjali through car window.
Anjali's breath caught imperceptibly as both pairs of eyes turned to her—Divya's bright with childish hope, Ajay's guarded but curious.
"Go on," Anjali said brusquely, avoiding the question. "You'll be late."
As Divya scampered off, Ajay lingered by the car door. "You could have answered her."
"And say what?" Anjali's knuckles whitened around her phone. "That I'm the woman who essentially owns her father? That's hardly fairy-tale material."
The drive to AM Corporation passed in tense silence, the air between them charged with unspoken words. The moment their car pulled into the underground garage, Anjali's receptionist came rushing forward.
"Ms. Mehta, we have a situation…"
Anjali held up a hand. "Breathe, Priya. Then explain."
"It's Rohan Mehra. He's in the executive lounge, and he's…"
"Early," came a smooth voice from the elevator bank. Rohan stepped out of the elevator, his Armani suit fitting like a second skin. "But then, I always did appreciate punctuality."
Anjali's spine straightened. "You lost your access privileges when you stole from this company."
Rohan's smile didn't reach his cold eyes. "Funny you should mention theft." He produced a flash drive, rolling it between his fingers. "Because I have something you'll want back."
Ajay moved instinctively closer to Anjali, his shoulder brushing hers. The contact sent an electric current up her arm, but she gave no outward sign.
"Whatever you stole," Anjali said evenly, "we've already updated our security protocols."
"Have you?" Rohan's grin turned predatory. "Even for Project K2? The one even your board doesn't know about?"
Anjali's pulse stuttered. K2 was her most classified venture, an AI system that could revolutionize medical diagnostics. Its theft could set her back years.
Ajay's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, then leaned in. "We should take this upstairs," he murmured, his breath warm against Anjali's ear.
Rohan's laugh echoed through the garage. "Oh, this is precious. This is your new toyboy darling?"
Before Anjali could react, Ajay stepped forward. "Actually, I'm her systems analyst. And according to our logs, you accessed restricted files at 3:47 AM yesterday from a device registered to JK Corporation." He tilted his head. "Would you like me to pull up the IP verification?"
The blood drained from Rohan's face. How could this man get the evidence, he was sure to erased all records.
Anjali seized the advantage. "Security! Escort Mr. Mehra to Conference Room B. And confiscate that flash drive."
Just as Anjali called two security guards came and confiscated the flash drive from Rohan and dragged him to Conference Room B. As Rohan was led away, Anjali turned to Ajay. "How did you..??"
"Later," he said quietly. "First, let's see what game he's really playing and who is backing him."