Chapter 12
Abhay stood near the windows, leaning against it with his arms crossed loosely, eyes fixed on the staircase. He had to fight every instinct in his body screaming at him to go upstairs and check on Siya. The only weapon he had against the overwhelming need was that Meera was upstairs with her.
Even now, his hands ached with the memory of how her body had trembled in his arms last night. She’d held onto him with the desperation of a drowning person. It had scared him, and he’d never wanted to protect anything more in his life.
His gaze flickered to the server who’d just clapped her hands as a countdown reminder until the brunch began. Uniformed servers lined up flutes along the marble bar, the cabinet behind gleaming with assorted and vintage drinks.
The room was decorated in pink roses and earthy tones of curtains over the sharp-angled floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
The chandelier above refracted the late sunlight as if it contained raindrops full of rainbows.
Glass-topped centre tables with legs shaped like antlers were scattered across the massive room.
For the tenth time today, Abhay wondered whether this place would ever feel like home to Siya.
When he’d first bought the penthouse, he’d told himself it was what a man of his stature should own.
But a part of him had known even then that it was a place built for prestige, not peace.
That was why he kept ending up at Raghav and Meera’s home.
This apartment had every luxury a man could possibly need and Abhay would give it up in a second because it never smelled of her or echoed with her laughter.
Abhay didn’t notice Luv until his hand landed on his shoulder with a soft thud. He strolled in with a grin. ‘You look to be about three steps away from being a wedding planner or a spy. All you need is an earpiece and you’d totally look like someone planning a covert mission.’
‘Nah, I’ll tell you what he needs. Oversized binders full of colourful tabs and stickers, with a special focus on the meditation section,’ Swayam added, appearing from behind Luv.
Abhay’s lips tugged up into a smile as he said, ‘I’d ask if you two came here to help or heckle, but I already know the answer.’
Luv dropped onto a curved couch, stretched his arms and gave an exaggerated yawn. ‘Helping sounds like a lot of work. I’m here for vintage scotch. Swayam is here because the dessert catering is by Louvre.’
‘Bloody freeloaders,’ Abhay taunted, shaking his head.
‘Hey!’ Swayam interjected, hooking his sunglasses into his open collar. ‘Listen, only Meera gets to call us that since she has been feeding us for a year. You don’t earn the right to taunt us just because of one brunch.’
Abhay took in their casual appearance. Luv was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and ripped jeans.
Keeping in line with him, Swayam wore loose tan pants and a black shirt.
He mocked. ‘Both of you do realise that this is an elite social event with media present and not an afternoon on a golf course, right?’
Luv reached forward and grabbed an untouched pastry from the silver tray. ‘We’re here to celebrate with our friends, not to be interviewed for a magazine column. Besides, we’ll be hanging out at the bar, anyway.’
Just then, Abhay heard the elevator doors open with a soft chime, and his father walked in. Clad in a navy three-piece suit which was pressed to perfection, the silver tie tucked under his vest, Mihit Agrawal pulled the attention of every person in the room, even in his sixties.
He nodded once at the servers and shook hands with the manager as he scanned the room with his sharp, detail-oriented eyes, then crossed the room toward Abhay.
He greeted Luv and Swayam, then placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and smiled.
‘Everything looks great, beta. Your team has done a splendid job at such short notice.’
It untangled a thread of worry in his chest, and Abhay said lightly, ‘My team is terrified of you, Dad. They began setting up at four in the morning.’
Mihit chortled. ‘That never worked on you.’
Luv joined in and said, ‘It may not have worked on him, Uncle, but he has taken after you. I can safely tell you that he has already begun planning for the year-end fintech conference.’
Abhay said, ‘It’s one of the most important events of the year so it’s obvious that prep work will begin well in advance. Do you know we’ll be hosting foreign delegates? I’m only doing what’s—’
Mihit interrupted his passionate self-defence. ‘You must tell me which caterer you are considering. I never wish to have a repeat of last year’s Diwali gala.’
Abhay nodded with a serious expression and then caught Luv and Swayam snickering among themselves. He made an inquiring sound and Luv said, ‘It’s a great pleasure to see yourself be proved right in real time. You’re an exact copy of Mihit Uncle, just in a taller body.’
‘I aim to please,’ Abhay said, then a thought struck him. ‘When is Mom getting here? She was boarding the jet when I last spoke to her.’
‘She’ll be here in an hour. After that, God help you,’ Mihit wished him luck.
The second elevator chimed and everyone turned around to see the Kashyaps. Kartik walked out first, wearing a light cream blazer over a black shirt. His pocket square was gold-threaded, and his cufflinks were made of gemstones, but his fake smile outshined it all.
Dhruv walked in behind him. In contrast to Kartik, he had decided to wear a bespoke and designer Armani suit, looking wildly overdressed for a brunch. His eyes flickered around the room with a quiet calculation that Abhay didn’t miss.
Kashvi came out last, soft in every way the two men couldn’t be.
Her peach-coloured jumpsuit had delicate flowers embroidered in thread, tied with an ivory beaded belt.
Paired with minimalist jewellery and a practised smile firmly plastered on her face, she looked every bit of a generational heiress.
‘Mihit!’ Kartik greeted loudly, striding across the marble floor with his arms spread open for a hug, with Dhruv and Kashvi following close behind. Abhay noticed the stiffness in his father’s shoulders as Mihit turned around to accept his hug.
They hugged and held long enough for the photographer to snap a few shots. Abhay met Kashvi’s gaze and subtly gestured to ask if she was okay. Kashvi answered back with a smile.
Mihit pulled back and said, ‘Welcome, Kartik. You’re here early.’
‘Ah, you know me,’ Kartik replied smoothly. ‘I didn’t want to miss greeting the crowd. Preparation is never a crime, right?’
‘Preparation may not be a crime, but deliberately underbidding over a common project just to steal the deal from us should be a crime,’ Mihit stated, and Abhay noted the strain around the edges of his eyes and a muscle ticking in his jaw.
He’d known that losing the annual Patterson’s Gemstones auction bid last year had bothered his father, and evidently, it still did.
Kartik dramatically clutched his chest and said, ‘You wound me. We pushed each other to be better. Besides, if I hadn’t challenged you, would you be as sharp today?’
‘Your challenges weren’t professional, Kartik.
You even dragged our families into it at times.
That is a line you don’t cross, not when you understand the value of family,’ Mihit said firmly, and Abhay heard the echo of anger in his voice.
Even as a child, he’d known that when his father spoke in this tone, the other person had seriously messed up.
Kartik let out a merry chuckle. ‘Damn, good old times. We had an epic rivalry, one for the history books. But we aren’t rivals anymore, are we? Today, we’re family,’ Kartik asked, and Abhay saw when his bright smile slipped for a moment.
Kartik hated Mihit, and evidently, he hated everything he stood for.
In spite of that, he stood next to Mihit, acting as if they were childhood friends.
That told Abhay that he would be friends with the devil if it benefitted him.
His loose morals and lack of values made Abhay realise that he could never respect his father-in-law.
‘Right, family,’ Mihit scoffed.
Kartik must have understood that Mihit was a hard nut to crack so he tried his tricks on Abhay. ‘What a wonderful home you have, son. It’s impressive how you pulled together this brunch in a couple of hours.’
‘I do my best,’ Abhay muttered, because he knew it would be useless to teach Kartik to appreciate the management staff who put in the real effort.
‘My daughter will be very happy living here, I’m sure.’
His mind immediately went back to last night. The way Siya had gasped for breath, her nails digging into his arms, had made him feel so helpless. I’ll make sure she’ll be happy, he vowed to himself.
Kartik continued, ‘She has very expensive taste so be warned, because you might end up spending a good percentage of your net worth on her whims.’ He laughed as if making a joke at his daughter’s expense was so funny.
Even if Abhay hadn’t seen the modest way she lived in a rented apartment, he wouldn’t believe Kartik’s remark.
A spark of anger burned in his chest as he said, ‘You may have been too busy with work, Uncle, because you seem to remember Siya as a little girl dependent on someone to take care of her. But the woman she is today is successful and capable enough to fulfil her own whims.’
Kartik’s gaze hardened. Abhay felt Luv and Swayam shift closer in silent support, and he continued, ‘Besides, I work days and nights to be a wealthy man who can afford her needs and whims, so you can be rest assured. I know how to treat my woman well.’
Abhay noticed how Kartik clenched his jaw and held his gaze a moment before turning to Mihit. ‘Mihit, so many of our friends have arrived. We should go greet them. It sends a strong message if we do it together, wouldn’t you say?’