30 ~ Irresistible Closeness
Chahat's POV.
His phone suddenly rang.
Dadi.
He answered immediately.
"Hello, Dadi?"
(Hello, Dadi?)
Her worried voice came through faintly.
"Tum log Rajasthan se abhi nikle nahi ho toh mat aana. Yahan subah se bahut tez baarish ho rahi hai. Raste mein kahin atak gaye toh problem ho jayegi."
(If you haven't left Rajasthan yet, then don't come. It's been raining very heavily here since morning. If you get stuck somewhere on the way, it could be a problem.)
Kartik glanced at me before answering.
"Okay. Hum thodi der baad nikalte hain."
(Okay. We'll leave after a while.)
"Dhyan se aana."
(Come carefully.)
"Haan."
(Yes.)
He ended the call.
I frowned. "Aapne unhe bataya nahi ki hum nikal chuke hain aur raaste mein hain?"
(You didn't tell them that we've already left and we're on our way?)
"Unnecessarily pareshaan ho jayenge sab ghar pe."
(Everyone at home will get unnecessarily worried.)
He returned his attention to the road.
For another twenty minutes, he tried but eventually he seemed to understand that we weren't getting home tonight.
The traffic had barely moved. The rain had become heavier and the road ahead was disappearing beneath muddy water.
He pulled the car over.
"Tum andar hi rehna." He opened his door.
(You stay inside.)
I immediately looked at him. "Aap kahan ja rahe hain?"
(Where are you going?)
"Dekhta hoon aas-paas koi safe place hai ya nahi."
(I'll see if there's any safe place nearby.)
Before I could answer, he stepped out.
Within seconds, the rain soaked through his clothes.
I watched him disappear into the darkness beyond the headlights.
Ten minutes passed then fifteen.
I started feeling uneasy.
The forest ahead looked darker now, the trees bending violently under the wind. He finally returned, breathing heavily, his hair dripping with rain.
He opened the door and got inside.
He shook his head. "Aas paas koi jagah bhi nahi hai aur yaha network ka bhi issue hai."
(Looks like there's no place nearby, and there's a network issue here too.)
He started the engine again.
The road ahead was barely visible, but staying there wasn't an option either.
We drove slowly towards a different route.
The car bounced over potholes, mud splashing against the doors. Every few seconds, the tyres slipped slightly before Kartik regained control.
Then after a loud jerk the car stopped.
He tried the accelerator but nothing worked.
He exhaled sharply and leaned back.
"Great."
He tried reversing. The tyres spun uselessly in the mud.
He switched off the engine.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The rain hammered against the roof.
We had no signal. The car wasn't working. The road wasn't clear and darkness was settling rapidly around us.
Eventually, there was nothing left to do except get out and find a way out or a place to stay.
He came around and opened my door, immediately shielding me with his jacket as much as he could.
"Careful."
I stepped into the mud, clutching his arm.
The forest around us seemed endless.
We started walking.
Every step sank slightly into the wet ground. Rain soaked my clothes despite his attempts to keep me covered. I could hear nothing except the violent wind, the rain and our hurried footsteps.
We walked for sometimes and I was shivering because of the cold. My feets turned numb. I wasn't able to walk properly.
I tried to walk but he can see how I wasn't able to walk properly because of the rain.
I sneezed and he pulled me closer to him as if shielding me from the rain.
Then, through the trees, I saw something.
A warm golden glow.
I pointed ahead. "Kartik... look."
We moved closer.
A beautiful property appeared between the trees.
Is this a resort?
It wasn't a huge luxury resort. It looked almost like a private retreat. It was a wooden architecture, warm lights, a sloping roof, flowering plants around the entrance and a wide veranda protected from the rain.
I couldn't help the small breath of relief that escaped me.
He followed my gaze.
For the first time that evening, I saw his shoulders loosen.
"Thank God."
We hurried toward the entrance.
An elderly watchman stood beneath an umbrella near the gate.
He approached him.
"Kya hum ek raat yahan ruk sakte hain?"
(Can we stay here for one night?)
The watchman immediately shook his head. "Sir, yeh possible nahi hai."
(Sir, that's not possible.)
Kartik frowned. "Why?"
"Yeh private property hai. Malik ko pasand nahi hai ki koi bhi aake yahan thehre."
(This is private property. The owner doesn't like anyone coming here and staying.)
I looked at Kartik.
Rainwater was dripping from his hair and jaw, his shirt clinging to his body, but his expression remained composed.
I was feeling so cold. He looked at me shivering then he glanced once toward the warmly lit property.
He turned towards the watchman.
"Owner se baat karwa sakte ho?"
(Can you get me in touch with the owner?)
The watchman hesitated.
Kartik's gaze hardened. "It's urgent."
Perhaps it was Kartik's tone. Or was simply the way he asked the question as though refusal wasn't something he was accustomed to hearing.
The man eventually pulled out his phone and made a call.
A few minutes later, the main door opened.
A middle-aged man stepped outside, holding an umbrella over his head. He looked irritated at first, clearly displeased at being disturbed in the middle of such terrible weather.
"What is it?"
Kartik stepped forward.
"We need your place to stay tonight. I'll pay whatever you ask."
The man's expression hardened. "Aap samajh nahi rahe hain. Yeh property rent pe dene ke liye nahi hai." He turned towards the guard looking pissed, "Bataya nahi kya tune unko."
(You don't understand. This property isn't available for rent. Didn't you tell them?)
The watchman nodded.
"I heard you." His voice remained unnervingly calm.
The man seemed to expect him to argue.
Instead, he simply looked at him for a few seconds.
Then he said, "Then I'll buy it."
Silence.
Even I forgot about the rain for a second.
I turned toward him. He couldn't possibly be serious. But there wasn't even the slightest hint of a joke on his face.
The owner blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You said it's not available for rent." Kartik's gaze remained steady. "Fine. Sell it to me."
The man's lips parted, but no words came out immediately.
He looked toward the property then back at him
"Aap mazaak kar rahe hain?"
(Are you joking?)
"No."
One word. Flat and final.
The owner swallowed.
"Who are you?"
"Kartik Singhaniya."
The man's expression changed completely.
"The Kartik Singhaniya?"
He didn't answer immediately.
He merely looked at him. "CEO, Singhaniya Globals."
I almost sighed.
Of course.
Of course Kartik would introduce himself like that.
But the owner's reaction made me realize that the name meant far more to him than it did to me.
The man's fingers tightened around his umbrella.
His gaze travelled over Kartik once again, this time with something that looked suspiciously like caution.
It was as though he had suddenly realized who was standing in front of him.
I saw him gulp.
"Sir... aap andar aa jaiye. Aap ek raat ruk jaiye. Property kharidne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai."
(Sir... please come inside. You can stay for one night. There's no need to buy the property.)
Kartik shook his head. "No. I meant what I said." He took another step forward. "If you're uncomfortable having guests here, I won't force you to change your rules for us. I don't want you to feel pressured into letting us stay because you recognize my name."
His gaze shifted briefly toward me.
I was standing there soaked, shivering slightly despite trying not to show it but he noticed.
"Are you okay..." He held my hand and found how cold I was.
Something about his voice changed when he said that.
It wasn't tenderness. It was something more possessive.
He looked back at the owner. "So tell me your price fast."
"Sir, really, there's no need..."
"Your price."
The owner hesitated.
Then, perhaps believing he could take advantage of the situation, he named a figure.
"Three crore..."
My eyes widened.
Three crore.
For a private property like this, it wasn't entirely absurd depending on the land, location, size and construction but the man's expression made it obvious that he was deliberately quoting high.
Kartik didn't even blink.
The owner seemed almost surprised that Kartik hadn't reacted.
Then he added nervously, "Actually... considering the land and the property, four crore."
I stared at him.
Four crore.
The owner was testing him, Kartik knew it.
And still...
"Done."
My mouth actually fell open.
The owner stared at him.
"Four crore."
The man looked completely stunned.
I couldn't believe what I was witnessing.
He wasn't negotiating.
He wasn't even questioning the valuation.
He was simply buying the place.
Right there because we needed somewhere to sleep.
"Kartik," I whispered.
He didn't look at me. "Ssshhh... you're not well. Let me handle it."
The owner asked us to come inside.
We stepped inside the property, and I followed him. The warmth of the place immediately felt comforting after standing in the rain for so long.
"Yahan network hai?" He asked.
(Is there a network here?)
The owner assured him that the property had a stable network connection.
Kartik nodded.
"Bank details?"
The man gave them to him, and Kartik immediately forwarded them to Ayaan, instructing him to transfer ?25 lakh as the advance under his name.