Codename lotus, p.25
Codename Lotus, page 25
Saanya.
Naomi Dec 5, 8:03 PM
We need to talk. I know you’re there.
Naomi Dec 7, 3:22 AM
Saanya, did you truly just leave? Sidharth tells me you are safe. I’d like to know for myself. I have returned home.
Naomi Dec 20, 7:27 PM
The sun must be rising in Mumbai. I’ll catch it from New York in a few hours. We have a pending conversation. Are we leaving it like this? Answer your phone.
Naomi Dec 28, 9:58 PM
Please…
My thumb hovered over a drafted reply:
SAANYA DEC 28, 10:02 PM
I am okay, and in so many ways I am not. I’m sorry I left without saying anything but I had to keep you safe. My babu’s fine, kicking like mad. I miss you. I’m dying to see you.
My hand trembled as I stared at the screen. It would only take the smallest movement.
Press send, Saanya.
Press…
I deleted one word, then the next, until the box was empty. Tears fell and my thumb kept tapping the screen. Delete, delete, delete.
“Madam.” Anjali appeared with the landline handset. I quickly wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand.
Her brows drew together. “Are you okay, madam?” She was still covering the receiver. “It’s for you.”
The sound of a phone ringing earlier hadn’t been my imagination, then. I thought I was starting to lose my mind.
I barely managed a murmur. “Who is it?”
“A lady. Her name is Naomi.”
My heart stumbled. With everything still liquid in me, I shook my head.
Anjali nodded. “So sorry, madam. Madam Saanya isn’t available,” she said into the phone as she walked away.
And that’s how it went on for weeks until Naomi’s calls and text messages stopped.
It was for the best. I kept telling myself, over and over.
Of course it’s for the best. Naomi was now safe.
Dinner with my in-laws was a seminar in silence—Baccarat chandeliers, ceiling-high windows overlooking Mumbai, velvet drapes, marble everywhere. I knew excess; I’d grown up around it. But this house was grand and just…airless. Unlike my parents’ table, which had warmth, genuine conversation, and laughter. Here, it was like the water-torture drip, except dressed in vicuña wool and manners. There were no visible bruises, just a slow loss of oxygen.
Devika was Mohan’s mirror in pearls. Manish’s mother. “You must eat. Wasting food.” She huffed, sawing at the paneer tikka. “How many dishes have you turned away? Think of the child. Not your selfish moods.”
Moods. As if grief and fear were whims.
“Stupid girl,” she muttered.
The tightness in my chest felt alive—heavy. I kept it bottled, corked, and ready to burst the moment I allowed myself a single, honest exhale.
“It’s right for you to be here, with Manish’s son,” she said, “as you should have done from the very beginning.”
“No, no, Devika,” Mohan said, forking a bite. “She’s free to go.”
My blank glare went from the food on his plate to him. He shot me a cautious warning with his eyes. Not a word to my wife.
He had no empathy. Or perhaps he’d spent it all on Manish’s memory.
“But understand this, your son is all we have left of him. Our grandchild.”
“And if I don’t comply?” I asked. “Will you take him from me?”
A nerve jumped in his cheek. His eyes dark, fixed on me—a void. “A mother’s place is with her child, but not always so. If Devika raised Manish, she can raise his son too.”
Rage trembled through me, a torturous fire that lately was all I felt. I was angry all the time, and if it wasn’t anger, it was tears.
Devika and Mohan resumed their eating, chewing in that same damn loud silence that had been grating at my soul for years. The eyes of two complete strangers who couldn’t care less if I dropped dead after their son’s legacy had been born.
My babu. You are mine only. Over my dead body would I leave you here.
I picked up my fork, only to set it down again. I rose from my chair and retreated to my room. Or, as I had been calling it, my gold cage.
In the hall, a ghost from my old life materialized: Meera. My former maid. Young, pretty, and carrying a vase of jasmines. Her eyes widened, then narrowed into something I remembered.
Manish had hired her early on. I had stupidly hoped for a friend. Until I'd learned where her loyalty lay—first with Mohan, then with Manish.
Surely now she was Mohan’s and Devika’s little spy, reporting on my every move.
“Good evening, madam,” she said, her tone dripping with a politeness that felt more like a thinly veiled sneer. “Can I get you anything? Perhaps some tea?” Her smile was sugar, her eyes those of a snake. She glanced at the flowers. “Oh! These aren’t the bad variety, right, madam?”
Oh, she’s charming, isn’t she? I stifled a scoff. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction. “No. And no thank you,” I said coldly. I had learned long ago not to accept anything from her. Too many times I’d felt a pang of unease after she handed me a cup of tea or a plate of food. Manish had never allowed me to fire her, and now I understood why.
Meera’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she nodded and continued down the hallway. I watched her go with my stomach in knots.
Later, once the house was asleep, I snuck to the kitchen. Every counter was lit to a mood.
I pulled leftovers from the fridge and ate at the island, listening for footsteps. Everything here was a grandiose display. Yet, here I was, sneaking around like a thief in the night to eat in peace.
I sat at the kitchen counter picking at my food. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. It was a house of ghosts, after all. All of them, Devika, Mohan, Meera, and even Manish’s face plastered on frames in every room. They were like jackals, picking at my brain and calling it concern.
My mind was a mess. I was a mess. But I remembered why I had chosen this. Let them pick at my skin all they want. I needed my mind and my will intact. For the sake of those I loved, and most of all for my son.
NAOMI
“Why is she doing this?” I rose from my chair, exasperated—no, frustrated. Hurt?
I crossed to the glass wall framing the New York skyline. This office was a flashier version of my smaller one in Geneva, which somehow made it all more bitter. Saanya had been screening my calls for two months. She didn’t want to talk to me. I was slowly learning to live with that.
“She barely talks to me, Nadee. Don’t take it personally. And even then, it’s only been a couple of times she’s answered. She takes Mum’s and Baba’s calls once a month, just to appease them.” Sidharth sighed. “I know she’s doing it to protect them. To protect us. You included.”
Of course she was. That was Saanya—always putting everyone else first. And still, the thought gave me no comfort. “And these people, Sid? She always sidestepped any mention of that bastard’s family, and what little she told me was concerning.”
“They’re…complicated people. At first, Saanya’s life was between Mumbai and London. Mumbai meant Manish’s family. London meant her board duties. She tried to bend for him, but he and his parents were unbearable. So she moved back to Kolkata. After that it was Kolkata and London—teaching and family there, GlobalLink here. Manish refused to live with our parents, so she bought a house near Mum and Baba. Her doing, mind you—he had no choice. I don’t know. I think they resent her.”
The more I learned, the clearer Manish’s intentions became. If he’d gone along with her wishes, maybe his parents weren’t as powerful as the Hazras. Saanya had to know she held the cards. And still, she’d agreed to go with them. Why?
“I know they don’t care for my sister. Not truly.”
“Then how the hell could you let her do this to herself?” The bite in my voice wasn’t for him, but he was the only one here. I’d been breathing fire for weeks—my employees taking the brunt of it—yet each time I lost my temper, I could almost hear Saanya scolding me. “I’m sorry, Sid. I’m just tired.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I know this bloody mess is taking a toll on all of us. You and my sister became so close in the end,” he said. “You’re good friends, so I know you care. You don’t have to apologize.”
Friends. Good friends.
Saanya was more than a friend. I knew that now. But this forced separation—and everything that came before it—had burned clarity into places I’d tried to keep guarded. And yet I was boxed in. How was I supposed to tell my best friend that the person I couldn’t stop thinking about was his sister? Where would I even start?
Not that it mattered. Saanya had already decided that nothing could ever happen.
I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing the office. My head was a knot I wasn’t ready to untangle. “Anyway. These people—you were saying?”
“They may give her some hell, but nothing she can’t handle. Behind that sweet exterior, my sister is strong and clever.”
“And she is also selfless, Sidharth. A dying breed in this sick society we live in—and people like the rest of us abuse that.” I sat in my chair.
“She’ll be fine. I won’t stop trying to convince her to leave. But remember she’s still Baba’s other heir, and she’s carrying their only link to that inheritance—at least for another two months. They won’t harm her.”
Saanya. Carrying the only link to Vikram Hazra’s power and money.
That she is.
“We’ve got people watching their house, incognito. It’s keeping Baba somewhat at ease. Look, I know you care for her, and I’ll always be indebted to you for what you’ve done for my family. But this is me taking it off your hands. There’s no point in you endangering yourself further.”
“What?” I pushed back from my desk and stood. “No. I don’t accept that. You dragged me into this, so you deal with me.”
“I—Nadee, think of—”
“I am thinking, Sid. And I’m not about to stand by while Saanya suffers in silence.”
A sigh came down the line—part relief, part defeat. “Fine.”
Before I could respond, Allison stepped in. “Naomi, Victoria Hale is here to see you.”
“Sid, I’ll call you back.” I hung up. “Send her in.”
“Are you sure? You haven’t even slept.”
“How do you know that?”
“You’re wearing the same clothes from yesterday. Did you even go home last night?”
“Camaraderie doesn’t make us friends, Allison. I’m your boss, not your project. Remember that.”
She nodded, looking down longer than necessary. Guilt flickered. Lashing out never led to anything useful. I rubbed my forehead. “Send her in.”
“Of course, Naomi.”
If there was one thing I loved about my office, it was how absolutely open it was. It gave me a sense of freedom I relished.
I took my seat, and straightened as Victoria sat across from me.
“Thera Corp is thriving, surpassing our projections, all thanks to the business plan you helped refresh. It’s been a remarkable turnaround.”
Small talk was unavoidable, but I hadn’t called her in for pleasantries. I clasped my hands on the desk, gave her a measured smile. “I’m glad to hear it, Victoria, but a status update isn’t why I called you in today.”
Victoria sighed, her knowing gaze lingering on mine. Clever and cunning. It always came down to this moment in each deal. It was as if we were having a telepathic showdown—two women on guard, fingers on the holstered guns to see who would shoot first. But there was only one winner here, and Victoria knew it.
“Well, Naomi, I am here to express my gratitude personally. But if there’s anything you need, consider it done.”
There it was, the perfect segue into the heart of the matter. My lips curled. “Actually, Victoria, there is something. You mentioned being in my debt, and I intend to cash in on that favor now.”
The shift was light, but she straightened. “I stand by my word, Naomi. What can I do for you?”
“It’s delicate, and it requires complete discretion and a particular set of skills you once mentioned,” I said evenly. “It involves finding someone who doesn’t want to be found, dealing with individuals who operate above the system. Very, very dangerous individuals, though I’m only interested in one.”
Her composure didn’t falter, but I saw the moment she put it together. “Ah. My brother.”
“Well?”
“Wait—you’re making this sound like life or death.”
“It is. For both your brother and me, potentially. Though I am confident in his…unmatched skill, as you advertised. It shouldn’t come to that, should it?”
“But this goes beyond any business favor.”
“And I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. This is about protecting someone who can’t protect themselves right now. Your brother has the capabilities I need. His…expertise is the only resource at my disposal that I have not exhausted.”
Because it was at my disposal. After all, it was thanks to Saanya that Victoria’s little company still existed. Only because Saanya had wished it.
Victoria’s eyes narrowed, then softened. “I see. This is personal.”
“Very. And time-sensitive. I need to move without setting off alarms.”
Arjun had explained that the dark web didn’t automatically mean “criminal activities,” but that one always walked on a razor’s edge. I didn’t know how clean Victoria’s brother’s dealings were—I only knew protecting Saanya came first. Even if it came with slight guilt.
She studied me a moment longer, then nodded. “You’ll have it. I’ll speak to him today. You’ve done a lot for Thera Corp—it’s time we returned the favor.”
And return it, they did.
Jake Hale wasn’t what I expected. Young. Barely twenty-two. Clean-cut but with a gaze that measured everything. For a second I almost had him thrown out of Vertex Group’s headquarters—he looked like he’d wandered in from some start-up daycare. A child in a business suit.
But when he spoke, his words carried weight. “I’ll do what I can. No promises beyond what’s possible.”
It was the kind of honesty most people never dared give me. I respected it.
And that’s how it started: the chain of events that would lead to the end of me, my company, and GlobalLink itself.
24
ANSWERS
NAOMI
In the silence of my New York penthouse, I allowed myself a moment of vulnerability before Allison returned from Gabriela Hearst with my gown for tonight’s dinner. I wasn’t in the mood for cocktails and shallow talk, but I had been canceling events for the past eight months. Perhaps getting back into my old rhythm would pry Saanya out of my head for a second.
Her message still stung, even knowing it was a lie meant to protect me, not to push me away.
SAANYA JAN 3, 8:11 AM
Naomi, I’ve taken this time apart to think, and I have something to ask of you. If our friendship ever meant anything to you, please forget about me and move on. Consider this a clean start. Nothing happened that night. And nothing ever will. Goodbye.
As if we’d ever had a real chance. Saanya would never go against her father. Yes, this…attraction had to die, and I now had the difficult task of killing it.
Attraction.
Who am I kidding?
I felt hollow. I hadn’t slept properly in months. My longing for her rose and broke like a tide—each crash reminding me she was gone. That they were gone.
Wrapped in a black silk robe, hair still wet, I poured a glass of Merlot and stared at the city—thousands of windows glittering like indifferent witnesses to my solitude.
Ending my engagement had been liberation, in more ways than one.
I sank onto the sofa and picked up the folder on the coffee table—the final lawsuit papers. It had been three weeks since my meeting with Victoria—and two months since Ethan’s father served me with a breach-of-contract lawsuit for damages and expenses.
Oh, but I’d countered. Vertex had filed for breach of confidential information. Thinking of him squirming made me almost cheerful. Let him drown in the legal hell my board members had unleashed.
Peace and freedom from that scoundrel were worth the cost.
And yet, that was when the rest began to unravel.
A soft ping pulled my gaze to the laptop on the kitchen island. The sender’s handle made me roll my eyes.
From: Nebulon
To: Naomi
Date: Mar 4, 2026, 5:40 PM
Subject: Information you requested
Naomi,
As discussed, I conducted a comprehensive search on the individual employing Joseph Cuthbert a.k.a. “The Hawk.”
Attached is a dossier. The trail converges on one Mohan Singh, with transactions and communications that reach back to the 1980s and knot into Manish Singh’s recent dealings.
What? I looked up and stared at the stainless-steel refrigerator right across from the kitchen island. I took a deep breath.
It is imperative to approach this information with caution. The implications are significant, and the connections run deep, suggesting a long-standing association between the individual you seek to understand and the authorities.
You were correct to think he is above the system and the law.
I trust this information will be of use to you. Please ensure its security and consider the next steps carefully.
— N.
My hand shook. I opened the attachment.
Dossier Subject: Edward Harrow
Nationality: Scottish
