Rashmi had left in an indignant huff.
There were now only two people at the table meant for four: Shehnaaz and
Kartik, seated opposite each other.
Kartik did not speak. He leaned against the sofa, his arms folded across his chest. He looked at Sana critically.
"Why are you always so eager to provoke Miss Desai?"
"She's trying to provoke me, Professor Sen! How can you turn this on me?" Shehnaaz could no longer control herself.
"Unless you think there's nothing wrong with installing spy cameras in your student's apartment?"
Kartik's eyes flickered to the gift box that Rashmi had forgotten to take with her. He said, in a low voice, "Make no mistake, I will get to the bottom of this. But before that…" Kartik looked at Shehnaaz expressionlessly; if his tone had been cold before, it was now below freezing point. "You shouldn't be so emotional. A good lawyer must have self-control—that's one of the basic requirements. You must be able to keep your emotions in check, no matter the circumstances. I am very disappointed in your behavior today. It seems that I have overestimated you."
Shehnaaz pursed her lips as she inwardly rolled her eyes.
She said, her expression deadpan, "Thank you, Professor Sen, for the invaluable lesson. I am still a student, however. I can't be expected to act as convincingly as Miss Desai, or be as aloof and detached as you are, Professor Sen. Still, I will do my best to learn, and strive to surpass my teachers in the future."
Kartik could not help smiling at the indignant expression on Shehnaaz's face. He shook his head and said, "Okay. Just remember your lesson."
"In any case, it is wrong to install cameras in a private apartment. My feelings have nothing to do with it." Shehnaaz refused to let Rashmi off the hook. She was now certain that Rashmi was out to get her, and no longer saw the point in keeping things civil.
She would rather have it all out in the open, than continue to act like everything was fine and dandy between the two of them. She wasn't going to suffer in silence while Rashmi walked all over her.
Shehnaaz knew this was the only way to put Rashmi in her place.
Any sane person would have learned by now not to mess with Shehnaaz. It simply wasn't worth the risk and effort.
Rashmi would think twice before trying to mess with her again.
Brother Khatri, who had been hovering at a safe distance, finally shuffled back to the table when he saw that Rashmi had left.
Kartik and Shehnaaz did not bring up the matter again.
Shortly after, the waiters brought them the food they had ordered. Shehnaaz and Brother Khatri chatted amiably as they tucked into their food. The awkwardness at the table quickly dissipated, thanks to their merry conversation.
Kartik barely touched his food: he seemed more interested in the wine. A faint blush crept across his fair cheeks, complementing his bright almond eyes.
It was hard not to lose yourself in his eyes when he looked at you.
Shehnaaz was full now. She smiled at Kartik. "Professor Sen, I didn't expect you to not like onions either."
The original recipe for Philly cheesesteak included chopped onions, for maximum flavor.
Kartik raised an eyebrow. "Why? You don't like them either?"
"Yeah, I hate the taste of onions. They stink so bad." Shehnaaz pinched her dainty nose and made a disgusted face as she took a sip of her lemonade.
Kartik had ordered the lemonade for her. He kept the wine away from her, as she was not yet 18, and therefore
still under the legal drinking age.
"I don't like them either." Kartik smiled lightly. He turned to his food, and quickly finished everything on his plate.
Brother Khatri could drink like a fish.
He had been a big sake drinker back in the India; the red wine he was having
now was nothing more than a soft drink to him.
He was eager to talk about his own projects back in the India, and would not stop asking Kartik for advice.
Shehnaaz saw Kartik frowning at this, the wrinkles on his brow deepening with every passing minute. She inwardly chuckled.
Kartik probably subscribed to the American belief that anything work-related should not be taken out of the workplace.
Brother Khatri had most likely violated one of Kartik's taboos by taking up his valuable private time to talk about work.
Kartik interrupted Brother Khatri's long-winded exposition. "Little Khatri, I was just telling Sana—you'll have the next two days to rest and recover from your jet-lag. Classes will begin on Monday. I'll send the class schedule to the both of you when I get home, check your inbox." He put down his knife and fork and wiped his mouth with the white table napkin.
Brother Khatri saw that Kartik had finished eating; he hurriedly shoved the rest of his food into his mouth.
Shehnaaz had made the least progress with her food, but she did not hurry to finish it. She called for the waiter and
asked for a container for her leftovers, so she could have them for supper later that night.
Kartik drove them back to their apartment in his Mercedes-Benz.
Along the way, he listened to Shehnaaz and Brother Khatri laugh and trade jokes. The atmosphere inside the car was casual and relaxed.
Kartik did not say much; nevertheless, he helped stave off any potential awkwardness by chipping in whenever there was a lull in the conversation. Brother Khatri was
encouraged by this: he launched into a lengthy, breathless speech delineating his views on the Chinese and American judicial systems.
When they arrived at the apartment, Kartik did not get out of the car. He merely waved at them before driving off.
Shehnaaz rubbed her cheek, and rolled her eyes at Brother Khatri. "Brother Khatri, did you have to go on and on like that? That was so exhausting, having to keep up with you."
Brother Khatri gave a wry smile. "Sana, aren't you the least bit afraid of Professor Sen? My legs turn to jelly
whenever he frowns."
"Why? Is he that scary?" Shehnaaz was dumbfounded. She wondered how sheltered Brother Khatri must be, to be afraid of someone like Professor Sen…
So what if Professor Sen was scary? No one could ever be as scary as her Uncle Sid.
And she wasn't even afraid of her Uncle Sid, so why would she be afraid of Professor Sen?
Shehnaaz was proud of being so fearless. She mentally gave herself a pat on the back.
The two of them took the elevator and returned to their respective apartments.
Brother Khatri was shrewd enough to not ask Shehnaaz about the cameras.
His gut feeling told him that the matter with the cameras was nothing short of a minefield, waiting to explode. He was just a passer-by, and it was none of his business—it was best to pretend not to have seen anything.
He was reminded of the saying: when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. He could not afford to provoke the elephants, so he had better lie low…
Rohit breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Shehnaaz had returned, safe and sound. He said, "Back so early?"
Shehnaaz swapped her shoes for her indoor slippers at the door. She said, dejectedly, "…You win. Brother Rohit, you're psychic."
"Yup. One hundred dollars, please." Rohit extended a hand towards her. "I told you: showing them the cameras
will give Miss Desai a good scare, but you won't get Professor Sen to punish her in front of an audience."
He had foreseen the outcome, and had therefore told Shehy to take only two of the cameras with her. They would keep the other three.
The reason was simple enough. The Special Operations Forces had been trained to hang on to their cards; they
never revealed their entire hand.
It was much more terrifying for Rashmi to see that Shehnaaz had brought only two of the cameras, instead of all five.
"Forget about punishing her, he didn't even want to talk about it," said Shehnaaz indignantly. "I totally wasn't expecting that… I thought he was supposed to be honest and fair…"
Rohit tousled her hair. "…Save your breath, kiddo. You still have a lot to learn. Did you really think you could
win in a bet against me? Care to try again? You can put up your pocket money for the next six months."
"Okay, okay, I get it already." Shehnaaz quickly ducked out of the way. "I'm going to take a shower. Night, Brother Rohit!"
There were two bedrooms in the apartment, each equipped with an ensuite bathroom. The bedrooms were on opposite ends of the apartment, separated by the living room. It was
convenient and comfortable for Shehnaaz and Rohit to share the apartment.
...
Rashy was already waiting at the door when Kartik returned to his house.
The mansion Kartik lived in was so big it was practically a castle. Two white pillars made of marble flanked the front entrance, majestic and imposing.
"There better be a very good reason for what you did. If there isn't one, pack up—I'm sending you back to your folks." Kartik walked up the steps without looking at her.
His expression was cold and ruthless.
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I hope you enjoy reading it.
Love you all.