Page 57 of Power

All employees were welcome to attend—everyone from janitors to the most-senior board members. It was the Sethi brothers’ way of thanking their staff for working hard all year. Everyone looked fantastic and more relaxed than during work hours. Laughter and small talk filled the room over the music. The vibe was carefree and cheerful.

I had decided on a sleeveless gown that skimmed the floor. It had looked unassuming on the hanger in the store, but wearing it, it hugged my curves perfectly. The deep-red color, almost the shade of blood, brought out my green eyes. The neckline scooped a little low, showing a hint of cleavage. And when I walked, it revealed a deep slit that reached the top of my thigh. I had paired them with some strappy black heels, figuring there would be minimal walking involved at this party, so I could power through the night with something a little high on my feet.

My hair was in loose waves, draped over one shoulder. I felt like a bombshell. Shyam hadn’t been able to keep his hands off me on the ride here. I knew I’d be going home with him tonight, so I had packed a bag of clothes for tomorrow. He’d seemed glad when I had handed the driver an overnight bag, instead of looking nervous about us getting too close.

I stared at him across the room, talking to some of the other board members. He looked like James Bond in his black Armani suit and crisp white shirt. He was much taller than the other men in the group. Even deep in conversation, he managed to ooze sexiness and confidence.

I studied him as he moved his forefinger to his top lip as if deeply considering what one of the men was saying. His ring shone from a distance. I fingered the necklace he had given me; I hadn’t taken it off since. It meant a lot to me that he considered me to be a partner in his search for Tarun.

I suddenly remembered to check the progress of the decryption on my phone. Jai had set up the coordinates to be decrypted using the most common method of decryption. He assumed that Tarun would have usedsymmetric encryption to encode the coordinates of where the photo of Salena had been taken.

Everyone used symmetric encryption these days. It was more secure, thus making it more difficult to crack. That was why it took a long time for the decryption software to cycle, and it still hadn’t found a result. It was virtually impossible to decrypt, even with the most advanced and powerful computers. It could be months before we cracked the coordinates, if at all.

On a whim, I had decided to try an older decryption method from the seventies, one that no one used anymore. It had fallen out of favor in tech security because it could only encrypt small amounts of data. However, the coordinates were small pieces of data, so it was worth a try.

I had set up the software a few days ago, and it had been cycling since. I hadn’t bothered with permitting notifications to be sent to Shyam or Jai.

I logged into the app, to check on the status.No match yet.

“Bored already?” Jai walked up to me, looking like a model in his suit. His appearance was usually more relaxed than his brother’s, as he opted for jeans and t-shirts. Even though he was dressed up tonight, he had kept some of his trademark style—no tie and loosened top buttons.

“No, I was just checking the status on the decryption software,” I said, tucking my phone back into my clutch.

“I really doubthewould be using older encryption methods, but maybe he’s just trying to fuck with us,” he said in a low voice so that no one could overhear us.

“Maybe. But I figured it would be practically no effort for us to at least try,” I said.

“I agree. Any results yet?”

“Nothing. The cycle has six more hours before it starts over again.” At least we would find out soon if it had worked or not.

“That’s not long at all. Well, maybe something will surface.”

I hoped it would. “What are you doing here, anyway? No cute girls around?” I nudged his arm with my elbow.

“Nah, I can’t dip in the company ink,” he said, giving me a sly smile.

“Has that ever stopped you before?” He was the biggest playboy, and owning his own company was the biggest playing field he could have asked for.

“Careful. You know who signs your paychecks.” He winked at me.

“Richard from Accounting?” I teased.

He pointed at me, flashing his most charming smile. “You’re too smart for your own good, Becker. Come dance with me.” He extended his open hand to me.

I took him up on his offer. “Sure.”

He led me through the crowd to the front of the stage and twirled me around to an upbeat tune. It was fun letting loose with Jai. We had become like family in such a short period of time. He was easy to like.

The song ended and we stood facing the band, clapping.

“Mind if I cut in?” a familiar deep voice asked from behind me. I turned to see the most handsome man in the room grinning at our dance performance.

“Be careful. This one’s a wild one.” Jai bent over, pretending to catch his breath. “I think I need to rest now.”

Shyam slipped his hand around my waist. “I’m familiar with her wildness,” he said to his brother.

Locking our hands together, we swayed to the music. The band played a slow, romantic song that matched the energy between us. The entire company was probably looking at us, but I didn’t care anymore. It didn’t matter what anyone thought. I just wanted to feel this moment—remember it forever.

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