CHAPTER 43
Maya
OUR CONFRONTATION WITH CHARLES WHITAKER WAS the domino that tipped the rest over. Once we cornered him into confessing, everything else fell into place.
He kept his end of the bargain and admitted to his wrongdoings during a highly televised press conference the following Monday. He also resigned as CEO and fled New York, disgraced. In the wake of his confession, Whitaker Farms’s stock nosedived so hard, they were still picking pieces of its carcass off the ground.
Unfortunately for him, their stock crash was the least of his troubles. The journalists who’d witnessed our showdown at the steakhouse had spent the weekend sniffing around for dirt. One of them hit the jackpot soon after the press conference and published an exposé about Whitaker Farms’s food fraud practices, which included unapproved additives, mislabeling of origins, and false claims about their products’ organic status.
Once that story took off, the other media piled on, and the truth about his other crimes unraveled like a cheap sweater. It only took a month for all this to come to light.
The Whitaker saga was the biggest scandal to hit the
business world in years. It also meant that both Singh Foods and the Laurent Restaurant Group were cleared of any previous suspicions regarding food safety.
That made it easier to plan our second launch. It was a much more intimate, no-frills affair held at the Vault’s private event space. We’d scheduled it for the end of July, nearly two months after our original launch.
Everyone we’d invited to our first launch RSVP’d yes to this one as well. Sebastian and I also invited our families, who were seated at their own section near the kitchen.
This time, there were no fancy place settings or sweeping views. It was all about the food.
“I have to admit, this wasn’t how I’d imagined your story playing out,” Hollis Miller said upon arrival. He didn’t say hi or acknowledge the greeter trying to hand him a welcome drink. “Good job. Guess you deserve your reputation as a marketing genius after all.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “But in the spirit of brutal honesty —since that’s your catchphrase—I’d like to assure you that I do not care what you think of me personally. You’re a jerk, but you’re a jerk who gets a lot of views, which is the only reason you’re here.” I took the drink from the greeter and handed it to him. “Enjoy your dinner.”
Shock crossed his face before it dissolved into laughter. “I like you, Singh. Keep up the good work.” He took the drink
and walked away.
What a dick.
At least he hadn’t taken offense at my jab. I’d couched it in a way that I knew he wouldn’t, but it had to be said.
Plus, as much as he irritated me, I appreciated that he hadn’t joined last month’s media pile-on. His video about our first launch had been surprisingly fair, though I guess it was easier to gloss over all the vomiting when you yourself hadn’t been a victim of it.
Once everyone was seated, Ezra gave me a thumbs-up from his spot near the kitchen.
The doors opened; dinner was served.
I held my breath the entire night—if it went off the rails, we wouldn’t get a third chance—but everything went flawlessly from start to finish. Sebastian had tweaked the menu so we didn’t serve the same courses as last time, and the reception was phenomenal. The guests enjoyed tonight’s menu even more than the first one (pre-laxatives).
Three hours later, they left, stuffed and satisfied, and I
was weightless with relief.
We did it.
I didn’t know what the critics’ final reviews would say, but fuck it, we’d planned and executed this event in less than amonth. That was worth celebrating, no matter what happened next.
The kitchen door swung open again, and Sebastian walked out, looking tired but hopeful. When I smiled, his
face broke out into a relieved grin.
“You ready?” he asked.
I nodded, my cloud of bliss dissolving into nerves.
The night wasn’t over quite yet. We had one item left on our agenda. One more mountain to climb, and then we were home free—hopefully.
I’d asked our families to stay after the other guests left.
Everyone was here—our parents, my grandmother, my sisters, my current and future brothers-in-law. I’d also invited Diya, who looked like an old-school film star in her all-black outfit and gold jewelry. We paid her extremely well, and she’d accumulated a large jewelry collection over the years.
Sebastian and I walked over to where they were seated.
After the requisite greetings and congratulations, they fell silent, their faces expectant as I took a deep breath.
“Thank you all for coming. Your support means a lot to us,” I said. “I realize it’s been a long night, but before you leave, Sebastian and I have something to tell you.”
Neha’s eyebrow arched, the only other visible emotion in
a sea of curiosity. She hadn’t pushed me to tell our parents about Sebastian after my father and Michel made up, but her silent disapproval had telegraphed loud and clear.
I wasn’t doing this for her, though. I was doing this for us.
I cleared my throat, anxiety filling my veins. I wasn’t so nervous about my father’s reaction anymore since he and Michel were thick as thieves again, but this was my first time officially introducing a boyfriend to my family. It was a huge deal.
Sebastian let me take the lead like we’d agreed. I’d had a whole speech planned out, but I scrapped it and went for the simple truth instead.
“Sebastian and I are dating,” I said. “We’ve been dating since March. We wanted to keep it a secret until after the launch so it wouldn’t distract from our work, but then the event turned into a disaster, and Dad and Michel were still fighting, so… we kept it a secret for a while longer. But now that everything’s calmed down, and you’re all here, we thought it would be the right time to tell you.”
It wasn’t my most eloquent speech, but it got the job done… I think?
My father frowned. My mother looked confused. Michel sat back and crossed his arms while my grandmother squeezed a wedge of lemon into her tea. Everyone remained silent, like they were waiting for more details.
“Um.” Sebastian and I exchanged befuddled glances.
This was not how we’d imagined their reaction. Where was the shock? The crying? The happiness and/or anger? “That’s it,” I said. “That’s what we wanted to tell you.”
More silence.
I was starting to panic over whether they’d been body- snatched by pod people when Neha’s husband, of all people, spoke up first. “Cool,” he said.
“Wait.” Priya held up one hand. “You’re dating? Like dating dating?” She pointed to Sebastian with her other hand. “You and Sebastian, the boy you once made a voodoo
doll of?”
Sebastian’s eyebrows winged up. He’d had no idea about the voodoo doll.
“I wish people would stop bringing that up,” I grumbled.
“I was fifteen!”
Diya harrumphed. She’d never quite forgiven me for that stunt.
“It’s true that Seb and I haven’t always… seen eye to eye,” I said. “But we’re not teenagers anymore, and we got, um, closer while we were working on this launch. One thing led to another, and…” I shrugged, my skin burning hot enough to fry an egg on it.
I spared my family the details. I was sure no one wanted to know except for maybe Priya, the nosiest one in the bunch.
“Technically, I’ve liked her since we were teenagers,”
Sebastian drawled. “I always knew we were meant to be together. It took her a while to reach the same conclusion, but she got there.” He grinned at my little huff of annoyance, but I melted when he wrapped an arm around
my waist and kissed the top of my head.
That shook my mother out of her stupor.
“So this is real?” Her eyes darted between us. “You’ve really been dating since March?”
“Yes. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you earlier, but like I said, there were extenuating circumstances…” I trailed off when I spotted the tears glistening in her eyes. “Um, Mom? Are you —”
“Oh, Maya!” She barreled toward us and nearly knocked me over with the force of her hug. “I’m so thrilled! You have no idea. I was really worried you’d end up like your Meera Aunty, but my goodness, Sebastian Laurent. You were always so adorable together, even when you were fighting.”
She pulled back, her eyes narrowing. “This is a real, exclusive relationship, right? Not one of those, what do you call it,situationships that your generation is so fond of?”
Where the hell had she learned the term “situationship”?
“It’s real,” I assured her.
“And exclusive,” Sebastian added, a tiny note of possessiveness in his voice. Warmth licked at my insides.
My mother started crying again. She hadn’t been this happy since her rose garden beat her frenemy Aisha’s for first place at the International Gardening Show.
Her unabashed display broke the tension, and everyone came up to speak with us and offer their congratulations.
Sebastian’s parents were way more chill about us dating, though his mother did threaten to excommunicate him if he hurt me in any way. He laughed and promised that would never happen.
My father was the only one who remained seated.
“Excuse me.” His mustache bristled with irritation. “You’ve been dating sinceMarch? So you were sneaking around while Michel and I were fighting? How—”
“Shut up, Neal,” my mother snapped in Hindi. “You are not going to ruin this moment for me. Now get over here
and congratulate your daughter.”
He shut up and did as she asked.
I suspected he didn’t want my mother to ice him out again after the Laurent drama. Some battles were better left alone.
Once the excitement died down, I brought up the last issue on our agenda. “There’s one more thing,” I said. “I know you’re eager for me to get married, but Sebastian and I would like to go at our own pace. We’ve only been dating for a few months. We want to enjoy it without any, um, additional pressure.”
My mother was so over the moon about our news that she didn’t argue. “Of course. Take your time… as long as it’s not too much time. I’m not getting any younger, you know.” A devious smile snuck across her face. “Oh, I can’twait to tell my gardening club. Those snide remarks Aisha made about you being an old maid—as if her boring son-in-law is some
big catch—she’s going to eat her words…”
“What are the odds she secretly starts planning our wedding tomorrow?” Sebastian asked after my mother dragged Yvonne back to their table, no doubt to start plotting revenge against Aisha.
“Tomorrow? This is my mother we’re talking about. I bet she starts tonight.”
He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling as Priya wandered up to us. “I’m happy for you, but I’m also so annoyed with you right now,” she said. “I was hoping Mom would get so distracted planningyour wedding that she’d forget about mine. But no, you got her to hold off on your wedding prep.” She heaved a deep sigh.
“Sorry,” I said sympathetically. “If it makes you feel better, I’m sure she’ll be busy with the prep behind our backs.”
“Maybe,” Priya said morosely. My free-spirited sister was having issues with our mother’sextremely hands-on approach to her wedding. “Ben and I should’ve eloped. I wanted to, but Mom… anyway, enough about that.” She perked up again. “I can’t believe you two are together! What a shocker. I mean, I hadno clue.”
“What can I say? We’re good at keeping secrets,” I deadpanned. Sebastian coughed out a laugh and quickly hid his grin with his fist.
Between her interrupting our first kiss and her being present for our lovers’ spat during Radhika’s wedding boat ride, Priya had received themost clues out of anyone in my family. But that was my sister for you—constantly lost in her own world.
I loved her anyway. Her obliviousness was part of her
charm.
Neha approached us next.
Sebastian tensed—he hadn’t forgiven her for threatening me at the bowling alley—but I was curious about her reaction to our announcement.
“So.” Her gaze flicked between me and Sebastian. Her expression was unreadable. “I guess I have my answer.”
“No. I never answered because it was a false choice based on a flawed premise,” I said. “You were assuming I’d have to sacrifice everything for an uncertainty. It was an overly rigid way of viewing something that’s not so black and white.”
Are you willing to throw it all away for a relationship you’re not even sure will last?
I’d agonized over the answer for weeks, too afraid to commit to a side, but the launch crisis had imbued me with crystal-bright clarity.
When I thought about who I wanted to celebrate with, commiserate with, and spend my life with, there was only one answer.
It was Sebastian. It’dalways been Sebastian.
He was my emotional anchor, my one constant in the chaos. He made me stronger, and more importantly, he made mehappy.
I loved my family, but Neha’s question was a false choice because I wasn’t “throwing away” anything. My achievements would always be mine, and my family would always be my family, even if they were mad at me.
Even if Neha’s question hadn’t been hypothetical, and my father had iced me out because he was still feuding with the Laurents, I would’ve chosen Sebastian. I’d overcome enough obstacles to stop doubting myself. Whatever consequences came with that choice, I would’ve figured them out and
found a way to land on my feet.
I always did.
Neha issued a small huff. “It’s just like you to pick apart a simple question.”
“It wasn’t that simple.” The question was; the underlying emotions weren’t.
The crease between her brows softened. “I know.” She pursed her lips, her expression hardening again. “I still think
your decision to keep your relationship secret was foolish.
There were a lot of external factors that worked out in your favor. If they hadn’t, we’d be having a very different conversation right now. But… I understand. Sort of. It’s just not the way I like to do things.”
“That’s because we’re different people,” I said gently.
“You’re my sister. I love you, and I know you meant well. But sometimes, I’d appreciate it if youacted like my sister instead of the parental police. I’m not asking you to commit crimes for me; I’m just asking you to see things from my perspective and trust me to handle things on my own. I
would do the same for you.”
A long bout of silence followed.
“Fair enough,” Neha acknowledged. It was the best concession I could hope to get out of her. “I can’t guarantee anything. I am the way that I am, but… I’ll try. Iam glad things worked out for you, Maya—especially because I’ll no longer have to listen to Mom bang on about your love life.”
Laughter built in my throat. “That makes two of us.”
“I’ll leave you two to your celebrations. I need to go home soon anyway. I have an early morning tomorrow.” Neha inclined her head toward Sebastian. “Sebastian.”
“Neha,” he said, his tone neutral. Once she left, he glanced at me with open curiosity. “What answer were you guys talking about?”
“I’ll tell you later,” I said. “We have one more incoming.”
My grandmother beelined toward us, her face alight with glee. She addressed Sebastian first. “Finally,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I was running out of jewelry to lose.”
Ha! Iknew she’d been lying about her missing jewelry.
Sebastian grinned. “I doubt that, Mrs. Gupta,” he said easily. “You have the best jewelry collection in the country.”
She cackled. “I do, don’t I?” She patted me on the cheek, her eyes softening. “I told you, beti. It’s not always about new people and places. Sometimes, it’s about new perspectives.”
I smiled at the reminder of our post-birthday conversation. “How long have you known?”
“That you and Sebastian would eventually end up together?” She snorted. “Since you created that creepy voodoo doll of him. You don’t spend that much time thinking about someone unless you’re obsessed. Trust me. I was the same way with your grandfather before I married the idiot.”
My grandparents had been happily married for decades before my grandfather died of a heart attack three years ago. She didn’t say it, but I knew how much my grandmother missed him.
Diya called her away soon after. Once she was gone, Sebastian slid a side glance at me. “What’s this voodoo doll everyone keeps talking about?”
Heat crawled across my face and neck. “It’s not important.”
“Was it anatomically correct? Because I’d be offended if you made an ugly voodoo doll of me.”
“It was anatomically correct…and it was ugly.” I let out a squeal of laughter when he grabbed me and hauled me to him.
“You’ll pay for that later,” he growled.
“Is that a promise or a warning?”
“Don’t push me, Maya, or I’ll haul you into the kitchen and fuck you right on the counter where everyone can hear.”
Delicious heat pooled between my thighs. “A promise, then.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened. I wasdefinitely going to pay
for teasing him in public later.
The perfect end to the perfect night.
I couldn’t wait.