Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
VEER
R anvijay had been my classmate at Eton, and I’d always considered him a decent sort of chap. But as I saw him wrap his arms around Isha and twirl her around, I realised I was grossly mistaken in my judgment. He was a sneaky bastard!
I wanted to rip her out of his arms and set her firmly behind me so he couldn’t get his dirty paws on her ever again, but even I knew that wasn’t going to go over so well. Not with Isha and definitely not with the nosy aunties staring at the two lovebirds with approval.
“Hey, you,” murmured Ranvijay, staring into Isha’s eyes like a lovesick fool.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” replied Isha, hugging him tightly.
Seriously? It’s not like he was Vishnu’s tenth avatar who had come to rescue us from ghor kalyug. He was just a lawyer. There was no reason for her to still keep touching him.
I was tempted to kick the backstabbing rat back to Mumbai. He was supposed to be my friend, here to help me out. And not for free. I was paying him a fortune for every minute he was here. He could flirt with Isha on his time, not on mine.
“Can you step away from Ranvijay, please? He’s here to work, not flirt,” I said severely.
As soon as I spoke, Isha, our mothers and Nandini Aunty turned to stare at me in shock. I hadn’t intended to sound so harsh. But I refused to stand by silently while she made googly eyes at my lawyer on my time.
Ranvijay merely raised his eyebrows in surprise and stared at me thoughtfully.
Isha rolled her eyes at me and turned back to him.
“I need your help, RV.”
“Anything for you, darling,” he replied with a warm smile.
“I need you to help me break a will.”
“Sure. Send me a copy and I’ll do whatever I can,” he promised.
Hmph. I bet he would. I growled under my breath and my mother frowned at me.
“It’s an ironclad will, beta,” she informed Ranvijay. “I don’t think even you can find a loophole.”
“Never say never, Aunty. There’s a solution to every problem,” he replied.
“How about finding a solution to my problem first?” I asked sarcastically, and the bastard shook his head disapprovingly.
“Don’t be so selfish, Veer,” he teased.
“Yeah! My problem is as bad as yours,” chimed in Isha. “And just as important.”
She still hadn’t moved away from Ranvijay, I observed furiously. It was unprofessional, that’s all. I mean, I wasn’t unreasonable. Would I be happy if there was a big purdah between them to make sure the bearded brute focused on his work instead of charming my woman? The woman, not mine. I frowned at my mental blip but forged on. Would I prefer that? Sure. But like I said, I was a reasonable man, and I’d settle for them discussing her problem professionally. With the whole length of the room between them.
“I’m sure a house is as important as the fate of a whole state,” I said nastily. “But I called him first. So there!”
“Look, Laajwanti! I know your saviour complex makes you blind to what you think is a first-world problem, but it matters to me,” she snarled.
Ranvijay barked out a loud laugh just as Isha’s mother gasped in horror.
“Isha! You can’t be so rude to our guest,” she said faintly. “Haye, Didi Sa! How will I ever find a husband for this girl when she can’t even control her tongue?”
“Actually, I see a solution for both your problems,” said Nandini Aunty with a crafty smile that put me on my guard instantly.
I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like whatever she was planning.
“Ma, please stay out of it,” warned Ranvijay. “Don’t interfere in my professional matters.”
“I’m just offering a solution,” argued his mother.
“It’s my job to offer the solutions here. And I’m already doing that. We’re sending takedown notices to the websites running those articles and images about Veer. And we’re trying to track down the source of the leak. As for Isha, I’m going to review the terms of her will before I offer my legal opinion.”
“Yes, yes, beta. I’m sure you’re doing your best. But it’s not good enough,” said his mother.
The glare Ranvijay shot at his mother should have turned her to ashes where she stood, but she was clearly made of sterner stuff.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not your fault, beta. You’re looking at both of these situations from a legal angle. But I’m more practical in my approach.”
“I hate to say this, Ma, but my clients haven’t asked you for help,” he snapped.
“But I did,” said Isha’s mother firmly. “Isha is my daughter, and I have every right to ask for a second opinion on her behalf.”
“I agree. Ranveer might not know what’s good for him, but as his mother, I do! And I want to hear Didi Sa’s solution.”
“As I was saying,” continued Nandini Aunty mildly. “I have the perfect solution to both of your problems. Isha needs a husband…”
“I really don’t,” Isha broke in desperately.
“…and from what I understand, Ranveer needs a wife,” said Nandini Aunty with a flourish.
I stared at her speechlessly.
Why… what… Was she out of her fucking mind?
I took a deep breath and bit back my instinctive response.
“Nandini Aunty, I don’t need a wife. My problem is more political,” I said gently, trying not to be rude.
It wasn’t her fault she was losing her mind. Dementia was increasingly common in the elderly, and I wasn’t going to hold it against her.
“Don’t be an idiot, Ranveer,” she said bluntly. “Your main problem is that your public image has been ruined and you can’t be CM with such a tarnished image. The easiest way to fix that is to marry a woman of impeccable breeding and lineage. Everyone loves a reformed rake.”
“I’m not a rake at all,” I yelled.
That was the most important point here.
“I’m not interested in ‘fixing’ my image, Aunty. I’ve done nothing wrong and I will prove it!”
“And Veer is the last man on earth I’d ever marry,” declared Isha angrily.
Ouch! I mean I didn’t want to marry her either, but that was a bit harsh. Sure we didn’t get along, but I would never say such a thing about the little viper.
“What’s wrong with my son? Isn’t he good enough for you?” asked my mother angrily.
“Enough,” roared Ranvijay, and the squabbling women went silent in surprise.
“This is a legal matter, Ma. Please don’t turn it into a business opportunity,” he said coldly. “You can matchmake to your heart’s content, as long as you keep it separate from my work. Right now, we’re here to find legal solutions to both these problems, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
“You can try,” challenged his mother sweetly. “But even if you sue all these media houses, even if you track down and expose the source of the leak, it won’t change the fact that the images are real. They aren’t doctored. You cannot erase the past. And putting a gag order on the media will only work against Veer because you can silence the media, but you can never silence trolls.”
Ranvijay blew out a heavy breath and scowled at all of us.
“I hate to admit it, Veer. But she’s right. You can’t strongarm your way out of this mess. You need to finesse your way out of it.”
When his mother clapped in delight, he turned to glare at her.
“I don’t mean he needs to be married. That’s not going to do much to change his image. He needs something more constructive.”
“Like what?” I demanded.
“Show the world what you do for your people. I’ll arrange for someone to create a documentary about some of your pet projects in Jadhwal, like the schools and hospitals. It can go live within a month. We’ll hire a PR team to build your social media profile. And ramp up your social work over the next few months.”
That didn’t sit right with me because I didn’t do all that for show. My work made a real difference in the lives of my people and I wasn’t going to cheapen that by exploiting it for publicity.
“No,” I said starkly. “My philanthropic work is private. I can prove myself once I get elected. Just do as much damage control as it takes to get me a party ticket with Pragati Party.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not sure they will risk fielding you now. Raman Chandel, the party president, is very particular about keeping the party image clean because he’s positioning his party as the alternative to the corrupt ruling party.”
Nandini Aunty cleared her throat gently.
Ranvijay shot her an irritable glance.
“Yes, Ma?”
“I don’t want to disturb the busy men at work, but did you mention Raman Chandel?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I might be able to help you there. I knew him when he was the principal of the local engineering college. Ranvijay is right, beta. He is one of the most upright and incorruptible people I know. Your only hope is to meet him in person and impress him with the work you’ve already done.”
“He’s already turned down Kirori Ji’s request for a meeting, Ma,” said Ranvijay. “He wants nothing to do with Veer after the scandal broke out.”
“I’ll take care of that, don’t worry. Prof. Chandel won’t turn me down,” she said with a grin. “You boys just turn up for the meeting and impress the heck out of him.”
“Do we want to know how she’s planning to convince him?” I asked sotto voce.
“We don’t,” replied Ranvijay feelingly. “My mother has her ways, and I’m sure we’re better off not knowing what she’s up to.”
“Well, now that that’s sorted, can you help me out, RV?” asked Isha. “I’ve emailed you a copy of the will.”
“Sure. But only if you feed me first. I’m famished,” he cried, putting an arm around her, and any gratitude I felt towards him vanished into thin air.
Isha laughed and led him out of the room, and it took all my willpower not to follow them out. Why did I care what they were up to? But all I knew was that I wanted to rip Ranvijay’s arm out from its socket and ram it down his throat!
I turned around to find the Mom battalion staring at me thoughtfully.
“Ranvijay is really charming,” pointed out my mother.
“And Isha is very vulnerable right now,” added Isha’s mother.
“You better do something about it,” said Nandini Aunty.
“Mind your own business. All of you,” I warned, before I turned on my heel and walked out angrily.
Isha was fawning over Ranvijay in the family room when I walked in.
It rankled to know that I didn’t merit so much as a smile, while that greedy bastard was being plied with moong dal pakoras and hot chai. I grabbed a pakora from the tray and Isha glared at me in response. It wasn’t as if he’d starve to death just because I took one piece. The favouritism on display here was ridiculous. I took another pakora just to spite her and was rewarded with another, hotter glare.
Diya, who was resting in a chair on the other side of the room, beckoned Ranvijay over for a chat, and I took advantage of his absence to grab Isha by the arm and pull her down next to me.
“Did you speak to Dheer about what happened last night? He needs to know, Isha,” I said firmly.
“I know that, but this isn’t the right time, Veer. He already has enough on his plate, what with your problem, and my problem, and Diya’s swelling ankles. The poor guy doesn’t need any more stress. Let’s settle the issues at hand first before we bring up the Goels again because trust me, if my brother finds out that they shot at us, he will declare war on them. And war with the Goels is the last thing he needs right now.”
“What are you guys whispering about? Are you fighting again?” asked Diya suspiciously.
“Do they do that often?” asked Ranvijay.
“They squabble like an old married couple,” replied Diya with a laugh.
“We’re not fighting. We’re talking. Someone has to entertain our guest since you’re too busy playing Maharani on that throne,” said Isha severely.
“Hey, I’m allowed to put my feet up. I’m pregnant,” argued Diya.
“Nice excuse,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Now get your butt out of that chair and ask your husband to carry you upstairs. You need to lie down for a bit before dinner.”
“I could do it,” offered Ranvijay.
“Not if you value your arms. Dheer will chop them off if you so much as touch his wife,” retorted Isha.
“That’s true,” said Diya, pulling herself out of the chair. “He’s getting more possessive by the day. You’d think I was the first woman in the world to ever get pregnant.”
I watched her waddle out of the room and then turned to Isha.
“Is she supposed to be so breathless at this stage?”
“No. She’s only six months pregnant. That’s what’s worrying me. She has a check-up next week. Let’s see what the doctor says,” she replied worriedly.
Nandini Aunty floated into the room, waving her phone in triumph.
“I got you that appointment, Ranveer. Raman Chandel is coming here for dinner tomorrow night. That’s your only chance to impress him. Do your best,” she said.