Here was the true Joshi. The one he showed outside of the public eye.
“How dare you threaten me?”Joshi redirected his rage from Mia to me, clenching his fists.“Are you willing to ruin your relationship with Neil over a little girl you barely know?”
As if hearing his name, Neil stepped into the room behind his oblivious father.
Anyone unfamiliar with his moods would believe the relaxed mask he wore conveyed disinterest or boredom. When in fact, it was the exact opposite. He held his temper in check by a thread.
The two people Neil cared about were his mother and sister.
I hoped Neil held it together long enough to resist killing his father in front of a roomful of people. It would completely compromise this case.
Hell, I’d already compromised this case by punching Joshi.
Shit.
We were fucked.
No. I’d think of something. I’d gotten out of more harrowing situations than this.
First, I had to get this douchebag handled.
Turning my nose up at Joshi, I said,“Absolutely. She is a child. You are an adult behaving like a child. No, you are worse.”
“Have you looked into your family secrets? If any of those go public, my son will walk away without a second glance.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at this pathetic attempt to intimidate me.
“Big deal. My family sucks. Do what you have to, spread whatever you want about them.”I leaned forward, getting in his face. “I don’t care. I’m the Queen of Diamonds. I know my value. You need me to hold your position in society. I know it, and so do you. I’m the prize all of you assholes want in your treasure chest. Too bad no one can own me. I’m fucking priceless.”
“Neil won’t stand for this type of behavior.”
“You really are going to beat this dead horse. Go ahead and believe what you want.”I turned, taking Mia’s hand.“Mia and I will have some bonding time away from here.”
The way she grasped my fingers and the utter sadness in her eyes made me want to pull her into my arms.
Mia and I stepped around Joshi, and I purposely kept myself between him and his daughter.
As I passed him, he said,“Neil is my son. He will choose me over you, any day. Family loyalty is everything to us.”
My gaze flickered to Neil, who moved in our direction. His arms opened, and Mia immediately released my hand and ran toward him.
“Are you so sure about that, Papa?”Neil asked as he wrapped his sister in a tight hug, and she buried her face in his chest.“How will you get this heir from me if I don’t have my chosen bride?”
Without looking in Neil’s direction, Joshi answered,“There are many other candidates to replace her.”
“She isn’t replaceable. She isn’t a commodity.”
Neil kissed the top of Mia’s head and then gestured for her to leave the room. She nodded, glancing at me, and then rushed away. I had the urge to follow her, but I knew Neil needed me more at this moment.
From the beginning, our personal agendas ran side-by-side with the objectives of the case. Until now, I never truly understood the depth of Neil’s hatred for his father. His motivation never centered around Joshi’s corruption or the destruction of the company but on Neil’s existence and his mother’s pain.
It gave me one more reason to take these fuckers down.
Joshi for Neil.
Shah for Sam.
Sam.