What keeps the world moving? Love? Certainly not. Hope? Not really. Money? Absolutely, and no one knows it better than the rich upper class elites of India. But money is not the only thing you can earn. In fact, these elites will tell you there is o...
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The early morning light casts soft shadows on the floor. Stillness weighs heavy in the air, and every movement sounds too loud as I inch my way off the mattress. It's fifteen minutes past seven in the morning. My alarm is going to ring in forty five minutes to signal the start of another work day. But that's not the reason I am hurrying- I need to leave before Vihaan wakes up. My feet graze the rug when a voice sounds from behind me.
"Where are you going?" The rough, sleepy rumble of Vihaan's voice touches my back. I freeze, my toes curling into the plush triple ply while my heart takes off on a gallop. Stay calm. Stay cool. Even if his voice sparks a host of X-rated memories. I attempt a neutral expression as I turn around.
Vihaan sits up against the headboard, charcoal silk sheets rumpled around his waist. A smooth expanse of olive skin stretches over the naked, sculpted planes of his shoulders and tapers down to a lean waist. His V cut arrows beneath the sheets like an invitation to pick up where we left off last night. I force my gaze up only to find his eyes waiting for mine. A knowing smirk tugged on his lips as he leans back, oozing casual arrogance and pure male satisfaction. Smug bastard. Yet it doesn't stop butterflies from erupting in my stomach.
"I'm going to work," I say assertively, remembering his question. "I have a deposition to prepare for." Today is the deposition with Shivam Jindal and his lawyer, Harish Luthra. "Oh, and by the way, guess who we're deposing? Jayesh Poddar. Turns out he doesn't hate Shivam Jindal as much as you thought." I say and turn around, clutching the sheets to my chest and walking out the door. I don't turn around to see Vihaan's expression or the sheets slipping off his body, leaving him naked.
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(A deposition is testimony made under oath and taken down in writing by an authorized officer of the court, typically in an out-of-court setting and before trial. It is to gather information for the trial and straighten all the fact, called the discovery process.)
The car ride to the Luthra Law headquarters was tense, to say the least. Something shifted between us yesterday. Even though we've had sex before, I know that our married life wouldn't be the same anymore. Our arrangement of ignoring each other would not be possible. And I did not mind that one bit, I realize.
The car comes to a stop in front of a towering glass building, its sleek exterior reflecting the bright morning sun. It feels weird, I decide, standing here in front of Harish Luthra's law firm as an opponent. After all, Harish Luthra was one of my mentors- not a great one, but a mentor all the same. However, me and my partner (now, ex-partner) overthrew him and his two partners, and took over control of the firm that I run now, because that's how the game is played in our world. Loyalty only lasts as long as it's convenient, and alliances shift with the tides of power. Harish Luthra might have been a mentor, guiding me through the labyrinth of the legal world, but in the end, ambition speaks louder than loyalty. The legal profession is a battlefield, and I've learned to be ruthless when it counts.
