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Arshad picked a speck of something from his cuff. “The law is a cruel mistress,” he said with another dazzling smile across the table. “But it does choose its favorites. Dina and I work together at Haq Law, and with our expert legal work, we’ve helped triple the firm’s business in five years. I guess you could say we’re a power couple. Our skills certainly complement each other, both in the office and at home.”

Dina tried not to throw up in her mouth at this description. Across from her, Lucky was moodily moving around his cutlery and not meeting anyone’s gaze. Dina noticed Aliyah take this all in, her expression thoughtful. She was clearly no dummy. But if Arshad meant to score points with Samir’s parents by putting Lucky down, he had grossly miscalculated. Overhearing their conversation, Yahya spoke up.

“The law’s loss is our gain. Lucky is the best project manager we ever hired at Crescent Construction,” he said, beaming at the younger man. “I myself studied theoretical physics in university. I even went to graduate school. Now look at me—instead of writing equations on a whiteboard, I work with my hands to build things. We never know where life will lead us. I would wager my work is more demanding than sitting inside an office, sending memos all day,” he added. Dina had to look away to hide her smile.

Rabia rolled her eyes. “Every job has its merits, jaan,” she said, affection for her husband clear in her warm tone.

“When your pipes burst at midnight or you need to fix your furnace, I doubt your first call would be to a lawyer,” Yahya retorted.

Their party chuckled politely—though Dina noticed that Arshad’s laughter sounded forced, which was delightful. Her ex-husband’s charm offensive was so far finding no purchase with Samir’s family, a rare occurrence for him, and she was enjoying the hell out of the experience. Arshad kicked her under the table, reminding Dina that she wasn’t just here to revel in his discomfort. With an inner sigh, Dina joined the conversation.

“The wedding was lovely. I think Samir will be very good for my sister. They seem to balance each other,” Dina said.

“Balance is important in any marriage,” Rabia agreed, looking at her husband fondly. “Yahya and I have always worked well together because we each bring different strengths to the company.”

“Do you also work at Crescent Construction?” Dina asked, trying to hide her surprise. She had assumed that Samir’s mother kept busy serving on various boards and charitable endeavors, like her own mother.

Rabia nodded. “Yahya and I started Crescent soon after he finished graduate school and it became clear that academia was making him miserable.”

“My wife is being modest,” Yahya said. “She registered the company, laid out our business plan, and steamrolled me into following her into the precarious world of entrepreneurship. I don’t know where I would be without her,” he added fondly.

“Still dealing with undergrad students not entirely clear on Newton’s laws yet,” Rabia joked. “Besides, you had the connections and skills to launch our business. I always knew you would be happier building actual things, instead of contemplating the mysteries of the universe.”

“And now you’re being too modest,” Lucky spoke up. “You’re the real powerhouse couple. In twenty-five years, you’ve built Crescent Construction into one of the largest private home-and-business construction companies on the East Coast.”

Yahya waved a hand at Lucky. “We worked hard and had some fortunate breaks; plus, with my wife’s superior planning skills, success was almost guaranteed.”

Watching this interaction, Dina felt a pang of loss. Yahya and Rabia were a good team, and their modesty felt real and authentic. But what struck her most of all was the way they seemed to be each other’s greatest supporters and cheerleaders. She had never felt that same energy in her own marriage. If anything, Arshad had always felt like a competitor.

“The best part of working for yourself is being able to choose who you spend your time with every day,” Yahya added now. “We’re most proud of the team we have assembled. And now, in addition to Lucky, we have my niece Aliyah, who just accepted our offer to be our brand-new head of accounting.”

This seemed to be news to Lucky, his congratulations to Aliyah sincere. Dina gripped her fork tightly in her hands; Aliyah would be moving to Chicago, closer to Lucky.

Aliyah smiled with genuine delight. “Yahya Mama and Rabia Mami finally wore me down. My mom and Yahya Mama are siblings. I grew up near C-U,” she explained, referring to Champaign-Urbana in Illinois, “but went east for school. I never thought I’d trade California sunshine for winter, but here I am.”

“My sister made my parents happy by continuing with academia,” Yahya said. “She teaches anthropology at the university. Always eager to make me look bad,” he added with a smile, but there was no rancor in the words, only pride for his sister. “We wanted Aliyah to join our company right after she finished her MBA, but she insisted on working in the corporate sector first.”

“I wanted to get some real experience,” Aliyah said. “If I’m going to be a nepo baby, the least I can do is be useful.”

Rabia snorted. “A nepo baby who graduated at the top of her class and who was scouted by a dozen different accounting and consulting firms before she graduated. We weren’t sure we could afford you, my dear.”

Aliyah ducked her head in embarrassment. “What you offered was more important than money, though you’ve been generous with that too,” she said. “After years of working for tech companies looking to optimize profits, I was looking for family, connection, community.”

From the sincere expression on her face, Aliyah seemed to mean every word. Dina caught Arshad’s eye, and for a moment they were on the same page, like they had been during the early days of their marriage. Back when they would laugh over the same things and make fun of people and . . . generally act like jerks, Dina thought now.

Lucky reached out to squeeze Aliyah’s hand. “Welcome to the Crescent team,” he said, and she beamed at him. Dina looked away.

Arshad jumped in to make his pitch. “To be honest, Yahya Uncle and Rabia Aunty, Dina and I have been blown away by your family from the moment you got here. I can see how important family and community is to your company, which is why I think Haq Law and Crescent Construction have a beautiful future partnership ahead, just like Samir and Hania.”

“Isn’t Haq Law a Canadian firm?” Rabia asked. “Our business is based in the United States.”

“We’re planning to expand,” Arshad said smoothly. “In fact, we’re going global, with offices opening up in London soon. My mandate, ever since I became senior equity partner and managing director at Haq Law, is to expand our scope and reach. We would be honored to take this step with you as our very first clients in the US. We are a full-service firm and can manage all of your present and future business needs.”

“Well, I’m not sure,” Yahya began. “We’re happy with our current legal team . . .”

One reason why Arshad was so good as a salesman, Dina thought as she watched him make his pitch, was because he knew how to read his audience and then make adjustments accordingly. In the face of Yahya’s hesitation, Arshad immediately pivoted.

“Of course, I know this is not the right time to discuss business. I was just so excited and energized by the beautiful wedding yesterday, and after watching my dear sister Hania marry your son, my mind naturally wondered how else we could strengthen the bond between our two families.” He laughed fake-deprecatingly. “I suppose I can’t turn my business mind off. I’m sure you have the same problem, Yahya Uncle and Rabia Aunty.”