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Her heart sank. “Fun,” she managed.

Azeez Haq had not become the most sought-after family lawyer in Mississauga West without being able to pick up cues, and he smiled kindly at his daughter now. “I know you prefer to stay behind the scenes. Arshad told me he is happy to answer any questions or pitch in as needed. He’s a real charmer, your husband.” He beamed at her.

“He can charm the pants off anyone,” she agreed. She took a deep breath. Lisa was right—she had delayed telling her father the truth for long enough. She had to rectify the situation, no matter the fallout.

“Dad, there’s something I need to talk to you about—” she started, when there was a knock at the door. Speak of the devil, she thought as her odious ex strolled inside.

“Did you tell Dina the good news, Dad?” Arshad asked, and Dina glared at her ex-husband. How dare Arshad call her father “Dad.” He had no right. She had opened her mouth to tell him so when Azeez spoke.

“Dina is excited to be part of the Vogue Arabia shoot, and of course this will ease the path to opening our very first global office!”

Dina blinked. What was her father talking about? As far as she knew, her father’s expansion plans went no farther than downtown Toronto. She knew the city was a global destination, but she had a feeling that wasn’t what Azeez Haq was alluding to.

“Your father and I have been discussing the idea of opening up a location of Haq Law in the UK. Most likely London,” Arshad said, smiling at her pleasantly. “I offered to lead this particular initiative. As long as you won’t miss me too much, honey.”

Dina gritted her teeth at the endearment before turning back to her father. “You never mentioned this to me. I’m a partner at Haq Law too. I’m the second Haq, remember? Not Arshad.”

Her father patted her on the shoulder. “I know how busy you have been with Hania’s wedding planning,” he said.

Her sister had hired a wedding planner and had point-blank told Dina her services were not needed and her taste was basic, but okay.

“That’s no reason to exclude me from firm business,” she said.

“Dina, beta, don’t be upset. This is a good thing,” Azeez said, his voice taking on a warning edge. “When Haq Law does well, we all benefit. What does it matter if I tell you or my son-in-law? If I have to repeat myself, I will be doing nothing but summoning you to my office. Easier if I just tell Arshad, and then he will tell you.”

She inhaled slowly, trying to keep a lid on her temper. “How about you tell me first, and then I’ll tell Arshad,” she said, smiling at her father. The expression must have been alarming, because Azeez took a step back, looking at his beloved son-in-law—ex-son-in-law, she thought viciously—in confusion. She could practically hear the words “Women, amirite?” in a word bubble above his head.

Lisa had been right all along. It was time to rip the Band-Aid off and tell her family the truth. Right now. She’d opened her mouth once more to do just that, when Arshad interrupted.

“Dina knows you never meant to sideline her, Dad,” he said smoothly. “We’re a family firm.”

“That’s right. A new office in another country will be good for all of us, Dina. You see that, right?” Her father turned suddenly anxious eyes on her, and she felt the familiar feeling of guilt and a desire to please him engulf her. It had always been this way, no matter how good a game she talked with Lisa or how many Post-it Notes she wrote to herself. She would always be the reliable one, the low-maintenance daughter, the eldest child who conceded, even when it cost her dearly. Behind her father, she could see Arshad smirking. Damn him.

“Sure, Dad. I understand,” she mustered.

Azeez beamed at her, and she felt herself smiling back. “Good. I’m glad that’s sorted. I want to make sure your generation is blessed with the options I never had,” he said, his voice taking on a reminiscing tone. Dina was familiar with the lore of Haq Law: how her father had graduated at the top of his law class in McGill University in Montreal, on a student visa from India. How his family had been forced to sell their ancestral land to afford his tuition. Yet when it came time to interview at local firms, he had watched his classmates—“all absolute dullards,” he assured Dina—be offered jobs at prestigious firms across the country, while not one hiring manager responded to the dozens of calls he made or applications he sent out. That was when the dream of Haq Law was born, out of desperation and spite. Since then, Azeez Haq had worked tirelessly to make his firm among the finest in Canada—and now, apparently, the world.

“This will all go to you someday, Dina,” Azeez said. “And Arshad too.” Dina narrowed her eyes at this. “I’m getting on in age, and I want to enjoy my retirement, and my grandchildren. Not that I’m putting any pressure on the two of you!”

Dina thought she was about to be sick.

Azeez continued, “I can share with you both that I worried about Hania when she first told us about this social media business. I still do not understand how she makes any money. Now that she is marrying Samir, I can rest easy, knowing that both my girls are comfortable and my responsibility as a father is done.”

Dina wasn’t sure how to respond to this; she hadn’t considered herself her father’s responsibility in years, and Hania could certainly afford to pay her own way as well.

She opened her mouth to tell him the truth—that actually, one of his daughters was not settled after all. As she looked at her father’s beaming, happy face, her courage failed. Again.

Telling him the truth about her and Arshad would ruin not only her father’s mood but also potentially the mood of the entire celebration. Didn’t he deserve to enjoy this moment, at least until after Hania’s big spectacle of a Bollywood wedding?

“You deserve all good things, Dad,” she said instead, and Azeez embraced her.

Her gaze traveled to Arshad, who was watching her carefully from behind her father’s back. Was it her imagination, or had his shoulders dropped a fraction at her words, as if he were relieved she had kept silent after all? Her ex-husband gave her a sardonic thumbs-up. She gave him the finger.

When she returned to her office, she made sure to bypass Lisa and ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach that warned her of danger ahead. Before she settled down to work, she called a local locksmith and arranged to have him change her locks tomorrow. At least she could make sure Arshad wouldn’t infiltrate her house again, the way he had infiltrated every other aspect of her life.

Chapter Three

Luqman “Lucky” Latif strained, his face grimacing as he leaned his entire weight against the wrench in his hand. Finally, the stubborn bolt let go, and the rest of the job proceeded smoothly. Within twenty minutes, the new kitchen faucet was installed, much to the delight of his girlfriend, Mariam.