Tiana wiped a tear. Tony held his wife’s hand. “Rodrigo came to live with us in Mumbai after they passed away. That was when we told Roy and Rodrigo their truth. Roy had always been the naughty one, the loud one. He accepted Rodrigo in his life, and to be honest, he wasn’t that impacted to learn th
The day count had reached twenty-four. It had been twenty-four long, lonely days since he’d first told Jade that they were finished. Rodrigo looked at the vacant seat in the conference room, a seat that should have been occupied by her but was not. He was in a regular update meeting with the FF team
Rodrigo stopped his Range Rover in the driveway of Sehgal Plaza Delhi and handed the keys to a waiting valet as he climbed out. He looked at the façade of the hotel, the same one where they were supposed to have their very first date before everything had gone drastically wrong. Fuck. That felt like
He noted several familiar faces in the crowd. He avoided them all and headed straight to his parents. They were chatting with an elderly couple. His mom’s face brightened when she spotted him. His parents excused themselves and came to him. “Rodrigo, you’re here!” She stretched on her toes and kis
A tight lump formed in his throat. His mother was right. He and Jade were different, but none of those differences had mattered to him when they were together. He and she had fit like two pieces in a puzzle. His reasons for leaving her had nothing to do with them being different people. A lady inte
“Are you staying with your mom and stepdad?” Rodrigo asked.“Would they have it any other way?”Rodrigo smiled. Nirvaan was one of the few people in the world he trusted and called a friend. They’d met a few years ago in Delhi through some common acquaintances, and by a strange stroke of luck, had h
“Not everyone,” Anthony clarified. “After you broke her heart, she decided to confide in Jule. He’s always been able to give her direction. Jule told Shane and Rhea. They are her closest friends, after all. Your parents know, and of course, Nirvaan. That’s it.”“Breaking up with you was hard on her,
“Hey, you all go ahead,” Nirvaan said. “We’ll join in a bit.”“You better,” Shane said. “Else, I’ll come and fetch you myself.”“Hey, Shane,” Anthony said. Mischief trickled from his eyes. “You didn’t ask me to come. Is there a problem?”“Why would I have a problem with you joining us?” Shane retort
“Rodrigo and Jade are perfect for one another.” Jule smiled. Tony chuckled. “I think everything we did for them worked out, starting from that text you sent me telling me to encourage the dinner plan. After Rodrigo mentioned where he was going for dinner, I ensured we went to the same restaurant he
“Why?” “It was named ‘Playing by Her Rules’.” He smiled, understanding her hint. “And just like that lioness in that painting, I will always protect you.” Now it was his turn to laugh out loud. And she loved it. She loved seeing him like this, carefree and so much at ease. “You are magnificent,
The horse pushed further into her hand as if in agreement again. She smiled. Xerxes reinforced her belief that he understood what she was saying, always. “I love how you communicate with my horse.” She looked sideways and found Rodrigo leaning against a pillar, watching her, arms crossed. “He’sou
He turned to Kabier and Sameer. “Thank you for your support that day. You guys stood by me when you didn’t need to. You were ready to battle your wives for me, and I appreciate that.” Kabier shrugged. “We all needed closure on your silly and childish squabble with our women.” Sameer nodded. “Besid
Soon after Jade had proposed to him, Rodrigo had whisked her off to Delhi and to his home. He’d finally slept properly again with her in his arms. His insomnia was a thing of the past now. Jade had even returned to work at FF. His woman was brilliant. One day, he was certain, she’d head the FF team
Three months later Delhi The late afternoon sun rays washed over his stud farm, casting a golden light over everything they touched. Summer hadn’t set in yet, and a light cool breeze was blowing, adding to the surreal ambience. The weather was perfect, just as his wedding had been. A few hours ago
Aisha and Jade laughed. Rodrigo felt like his chest would split open with all the happiness he was feeling. Jule and Anthony approached them. “I’m so proud of you, Jade,” Jule said. “You are brave and strong. You battled hard to win him, and now you have.” Anthony patted Rodrigo’s back and hugged
He swallowed through the lump in his throat. “I’m glad you pushed me away. Seeing you with Ayden opened my eyes. I hated it when he touched you. My heart burned when he touched your hair. Seeing you with him made me realize what a colossal fool I’d been. I figured that to get you back, I had to try
“Yes.” “Uh, okay…” He couldn’t for the life of him understand what was going on. She tilted her head to study him. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who fell in love with a prince, and they were happy for a while. But then he rejected her. Again and again.” His muscles tightened. He understood