Page 114 of The Ex Factor

I looked him in the eye. “Sameer wasn’t your mistake, Papa. You didn’t push us together. You never forced me into the relationship. If you are carrying the guilt of that breakup, I want you to stop. It was not your mistake.” When he didn’t respond, I took his hand in mine and reiterated, “Papa, it wasn’t your mistake. Not your burden to carry.”

He returned a slow, resigned nod.

“What happens now? You plan to move to New York?” he asked with his trademark frown.

“I’m already there,” I teased.

He sighed. “It’s good in a way. Now I have a trusted employee to take care of my operations in that region,” he teased back, and we chuckled.

AARTI

The moment I landed in New York the next day, I texted Sujit. But before I could call him, I found a voicemail on my phone.

“Hey, it’s Manoj. I was hoping we could meet up one of these days…. just…give me a call. You have my number.”

My temper flared. After what Tara had shared with me, I was determined to cut Manoj down to size. He would never bother Sujit when I was done with him.

I called him the moment I was back at my condo, and he answered on the first ring as if he had been expecting my call.

“Hey, how is it going?” he said in a pleasant tone that irked me.

Shrugging the warm coat off my shoulder, I grabbed my bag and walked toward the bedroom.

“Going well. Did you call for a reason?” I was done playing games with him.

“Right to business, huh?” he teased, and I chose to ignore it.

He cleared his throat. “Well, I was hoping we could meet for dinner sometime?”

“I’m afraid that’s going to be difficult. It has been pretty busy lately. But if you email me your requirements, I can have someone working on it promptly.”

He laughed a nervous laugh. “I thought…youwere going to help me find a place.”

“It’s still my company, so itwillbe me helping you find the place,” I replied in a vacant tone.

He laughed again. A vicious one this time. “You are making it difficult, aren’t you?”

“Making what difficult? You need a rental space for your business. I assure you, you’ll get one.”

“I wanted to have a chat with you. Over dinner.”

“Sounds like a date.”

Having put away my clothes during this short conversation, I stowed my luggage, and was eager to step into the shower. I put a hand on my waist and waited for his response.

“If you want that, sure,” he said, attempting nonchalance.

But I was adamant. “I thought I already told you I don’t go out on dates with people I have business associations with.”

“You did.” His voice reflected a smile. “So, not a date then. Consider it a dinner with a friend. Like you do with Sujit.”

The tiny hair on my neck stood on edge now. He knew that mentioning Sujit was a sure-shot way to touch my Achilles’ heel.

“Sujitisa friend,” I said, making a point. Manoj wasn’t.

“All right then, consider it a business dinner. I have something important to show you. It’s about Sujit’s pictures in the tabloid.”

“What does that have to do with me?” I asked, as my anger rose and my nerves jangled.

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