Fasih wasn’t a public speaker, and it showed. Abhijat watched with a combination of gratification and pity as he fumbled through the oath, and the speech that followed. He was uncomfortable in the limelight and made no particular effort to hide it.

Which, oddly enough, gave him an air of earnestness and sincerity that was noticeable because it was so rare in the world of politics. The lack of artifice had an appeal of its own, making him seem trustworthy.

As the applause began, Abhijat joined in. A performance like that deserved appreciation, after all. Turning even your weaknesses into an advantage was a skill he needed to learn from the Prime Minister.

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As they were about to leave the building a couple of hours later, they were accosted by none other than Rinisa Rayeek. Abhijat was walking a few inches in front of Fasih, who was flanked on each side by two other guards, with two more bringing up the rear.

Ruqaiya had warned him this might happen, but that didn’t keep the hair on the back of his neck from standing on edge. He had been trained to detect and neutralize threats. And his fingers itched to put a bullet through the woman.

Still, she was the Deputy Chief Minister of Eraon. There was no reason why she couldn’t speak to the acting Prime Minister if she wanted to. And she did nothing more objectionable than sidling up to Fasih’s side and wrapping her fingers around his bicep.

If Fasih found this to be objectionable, he gave no indication of it. He smiled beatifically and offered her a ride back to her hotel.

Rinisa nodded, smiling coyly. “Sure. We can talk there.”