Page 94 of The Ex Factor

“Thank you for the rasam,” I said, attempting to rush her back out.

“Unh, unh, you’re not getting rid of me this easily,” she said and stepped over to the couch in the living area.

“Did Amma call you?” I asked.

“Yes, she called me and your aunt and coordinated this whole thing. Asked me to pick up the rasam from her and get it delivered to you.”

“It’s convenient that our extended family is spread in every corner of this state,” I deadpanned. “How did you know where I was?”

“I called Imran,” she said. “Is she the same woman from the magazine?” her voice inflected up an entire octave.

“Amma asked you to pry out a confirmation from me, didn’t she?”

“What do you think?”

“Who else has seen it?” I asked, then quickly added, “I don’t care. It’s a gossip rag anyway.”

“Tech Billionaire, the New Playboy?That headline gets a lot of attention when it’s a brown man and an unknown, gorgeous brown woman on the cover. Especially when Peddamma is trying to sell you as the most eligible bachelor to our community.”

“Well, at least they put a question mark,” I said wryly. “Who has seen it?”

“Who hasn’t?” Padma said, then after a pause, added, “That family lunch on Sunday isn’t a coincidence, bro. You’re getting an earful, and I’m forewarning you because I like you.”

I nodded. What else was I going to say? I had predicted it the moment Devi showed me the tabloid that morning. I was wondering how to break it to Aarti, and now Padma and I were having this conversation right here in her living room.

“Is she the one on the cover with you, or are you truly juggling women like the tabloid suggested?”

“Seriously, Padma, do you think I’ve got that kind of game? Or time, for that matter.”

There was a soft chuckle from Padmaja.

“I don’t know about time, but you’ve definitely got game, big brother. Glad you don’t use it, but you’ve got it, trust me.”

“Did you just roll your eyes at that?”

“Yes, because all my friends keep swooning over you, and I have to work hard to keep them at bay.”

“Thank you, I guess,” I said with a grin.

She took my hand in hers. “I love you, Annayya. I love who you are. But this?”

“I really hadn’t foreseen it,” I said with all the guilt that wore me down.

“You might be powerful, but you certainly aren’t almighty. You can’t foresee everything.”

I raked my hand through my hair. “I should have planned better.”

Padma looked around. I nodded at the bedroom. “Aarti is resting.”

“Does she know?”

“I don’t know. Considering it came out this morning and that she’s been sick all day, it’s safe to assume she hasn’t.”

“Good thing Aarti’s face isn’t in any of the pictures, and they don’t know who she is yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The rats will dig out that information soon enough,” Padma observed.

“But it is curious that they got multiple pictures of us over the entirety of the evening, yet none of them show her face.”

“What does that mean?”

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