THE (UNSOUGHT) BODYGUARD

JEALOUSY & DISAGREEMENT

The next morning, as expected, when Annika got back from her regular morning run with Shivaay, Viren and her father cornered her in the kitchen 'to talk'. The girl sighed, merely continuing to eat her cereal, but she felt a thrill of nervousness when they abruptly dismissed Shivaay. He disappeared silently and Annika licked her lips, trying to remain impassive. "What do you think this is about?" Harsh Trivedi asked, sitting in Shivaay's empty seat beside her. Viren folded his arm across from her.

The girl forced a shrug. "If it is what I think, then something that's not your business," she said easily, nibbling a marshmallow moon from her cereal.

"How is it not our business, Annika?" Viren demanded. "Do you realize what could happen if this gets out?"

Annika lifted her brows. "Ask me if I care," she snapped back.

"Now, honey," Harsh said, going the Good Cop route, "we know it's obviously ultimately your decision, but you have to know that as a family, we have to present a united front. You know your brother's stance on this kind of thing."

Annika frowned. "How is that even remotely relevant?"

Viren glared, then pulled a booklet from his jeans pocket and slapped it on the counter. Annika glanced at it, frowning when she realized it was an Up and Coming pamphlet from the gallery she sold her pieces through. "Page three," he snarled.

Annika picked up the pamphlet, flicked to page three, the center, and her brows lifted when the latest piece she'd brought in to be sold was displayed in bold, full-spread glory. "Oh wow, they never told me I'd get the feature. Nice," she said. She almost laughed, because she'd been certain her father and brother were going to confront her about Shivaay disappearing into her room for almost an hour yesterday, or maybe the incident that happened with the stalker.

"That's all you've got to say?" Viren demanded. "That's it?"

"Viren," Harsh said equably. "Her name isn't mentioned."

The girl snorted. "Of course it's not. They know I'll go to another gallery if they did that." It had happened before and Annika had indeed abruptly switched galleries. She didn't wish to be any more famous than she had the misfortune of being already. She ate some more cereal. "So what's the big deal?"

"Annika, it's a goddamn painting of a naked woman." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Not quite," she murmured. "She could be wearing bottoms." The girl smirked a little because Viren looked so pissed. "Come on, seriously, it's not like all of us here haven't seen boobs before, right? It's not even provocative." Annika glanced back at the pamphlet and the photo of her painting.

It was indeed of a nude woman, from the waist up, but only the side view of one of her breasts was visible and the main focus of the painting was actually of the woman's hair, and the way the light caught it. She smiled a little, because it was technically a self portrait, although Annika had changed it to be black and white, so the hairs wouldn't be a giveaway. Shivaay had taken it on her phone the first morning he'd ever seen her entirely naked, and she'd seen him naked, and she'd turned her face away just in time. Of course, she'd taken artistic liberties, and improved the lighting and focus and given herself a slight boob job.

"The thing is," Harsh said when Viren looked apoplectic, "your brother just recently, and publicly, turned down a very lucrative offer to star in a film because of above the waist nudity."

Annika bit back her smile. "Oh?" she said, arching a brow. She couldn't resist smirking at her big brother. "I didn't know you were such a prude, Vir."

He glared. "I have no desire to pretend to have sex with a woman who's comfortable with fifty people watching her tits bounce around during filming," he snarled. Annika wondered if it was really because the rumoured female lead in the proposed movie was a woman he'd dated a few years back for a brief time.