by P. G. Van
“We should get married on the same day,” Mini said, surprising her, especially because her best friend did not believe in marriage.
“Married, really?”
“Yes, I think I can marry Marc,” Mini thought out loud.
“Seriously, Mini, especially after the drama you created when Marc proposed to you a year ago, now you want to get married?”
Mini blushed. “I wasn’t ready at that time. I never thought I would be ready to get married until now.”
Naina smiled, looking at her ring. “I guess you will have to ask him to marry you.”
“I will ask him tonight.” Mini’s eyes twinkled with excitement.
Naina hugged her best friend. “We will be engaged on the same day.”
Mini shrieked with joy. “Yes. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Shortly after, Naina sat next to Mini in the back seat of the car, a nervous wreck. Samraat left early for a meeting and said he would meet them at the party. Naina had called him a few times but could not reach him, adding to the chaos.
“You two look amazing in those sarees.” Marc turned to look at them from the front passenger seat and blew a kiss to Mini.
Mini blushed, and Naina smiled at the man who she had grown fond of like a brother. “Thank you, Marc.”
“Naina, you okay?” Marc asked.
“I’m… I can’t reach Samraat. I don’t know where he is.”
Marc smiled. “He messaged me just before we left. He is already at Mini’s father’s place. He is part of the welcome party for Mini.”
Naina smiled, letting out a sigh. “Are you excited, Mini?”
She scrunched her nose. “I have mixed feelings. Papa promised me no one will ask me why I left home, and if they do, I will then elope with Marc.”
“That’ll make a cute story,” Naina managed to say, but she was still nervous. She needed to be with Samraat for the queasiness to settle. She settled into her seat, tuning out Marc and Mini’s conversation as she looked out the window. She didn’t recognize the city, but she felt like she belonged there. Although she was away for so long, she realized her roots were here. She then knew she had made the right choice of wanting to be back in India, even if it was initially for Samraat.
“We are here, and oh my God, look at all those people.” Mini let out a surprised cry.
“Is that your family, babe?” Marc looked at the people gathered outside in the open garden decorated with lights in front of the house.
“Yes, and I don’t want to get out. Let’s go back.” Mini sounded anxious.
Naina held her friend’s hand in hers. “Mini, they are family. They love you.”
Mini swallowed nervously as the car came to a stop. “Naina, stay with me. Don’t go anywhere.”
Naina nodded and looked at Marc. “Don’t leave her alone, Marc.”
“I got her.” He winked as the door opened, and he slid out. Naina’s eyes searched for Samraat as she waited for the door to open, but he was nowhere in sight. She hesitated for a moment, debating if she should stay in the car as Mini and Marc mingled into the sea of family and friends.
Just as she was feeling an odd feeling envelope her, the door on her side opened, and she looked into the eyes she had longed to see all evening. “Samraat…”
He ran his arm around her waist and pulled her off the seat, kissing her. “I missed you. Stay by my side for the rest of the night.”
She laughed, enjoying his hot breath on her skin. “That’s my line.”
He chuckled. “Looks like we lost M&M. Do you want to sneak away for a moment?”
“I want to be with you.”
“You will be. Every moment.” He led her away from the crowd and into the house where only a few people were mingling, most of them were staff working the party.
“Where are we going?” she asked, holding the hem of her saree from the floor as they went up the stairs.
Samraat didn’t respond. Instead, he pulled her closer leading her through a brightly lit loft area and stopped in the center of the room, right under the massive chandelier. He turned to look at her, his eyes taking in the sight in front of her. “Beautiful.”
She blushed. “I told you. This is my first time.”
He moved closer and ran his palm over the bare skin that was exposed at her midriff and said, “This is a first for me, too.” She smiled against his lips when he brushed them over hers gently, running his hands over her curves. “I’m one lucky man.”
Naina felt her anxiety melt away as he took her into his warms, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, making her want an encore of their afternoon tryst. She clung to him as he led her outdoors onto a massive balcony that had a view of the entire party area.
She immediately spotted Mini as she moved through the crowd holding her father’s and Marc’s hand. “Her father looks so happy.”
Samraat smiled. “He is figuring out how to convince Marc to stay back in India with Mini.”
“Marc would do it in a heartbeat if that’s what Mini wants.” Naina was confident.
“I will let you in on a secret,” Samraat said softly.
“What?”
Samraat chuckled as the crowd let out a gasp, and he gestured for Naina to look at the group gathered outside. Her eyes widened at a distant sight. Marc was on one knee holding out something to Mini. Naina let out a squeal. “How did you know?”
“Know what?”
Naina could not talk as happy tears rolled down her cheeks, and she looked at Mini nod and let Marc slip the ring on her finger. “She looks so happy.”
“You look happy.”
“I have never been so happy.” She smiled, looking up at him and looked away when she heard Mini call out to her waving her hand to show the ring.
Naina blew her a kiss and smiled, looking at the ring on her finger. “Never in a million years did I even imagine I would find love.”
The music picked up, and the crowd went back to being noisy as Naina and Samraat enjoyed their time on the balcony watching the people. A sudden commotion caught Naina’s attention, and she let out a gasp when she saw the man she dreaded to see all those years.
She froze, looking at his tall structure, remembering how loving he was despite being the reason for her loss, the man who was the reason she was an orphan in this world. She felt Samraat’s arm tighten around her as she sat next to him and realized she was not alone. She had Samraat, and that’s all that mattered to her.
Naina turned to look at Samraat. “I don’t want to see or talk to him, not because I am scared, but I don’t care anymore. I would let him have everything he cared so much about, but I will face him for you.”
Samraat smiled. “It’s not about the money, it never was. For me, it is about seeing the sparkle in your eyes, the glow that is born out of sheer joy. That’s what I want.”
Naina couldn’t help but smile. “You think talking to him and telling him I give a rat’s ass about him will make you happy?”
“Yes,” he hissed.
She held her chin high. “I’ll do it. Even if he doesn’t recognize me, I’ll be sure to tell him who I am.”
He chuckled. “I can’t wait.”
Naina looked at the group and saw a smaller group break away to walk toward the entrance. She saw Mini, Marc, and Mini’s father as part of the group where the man who was a monster she hated all these years was at the center.
“Showtime, baby.” Samraat smiled before planting a kiss on her cheek.
Chapter 25
Naina waited, gathering a lot of patience and calm, running through every method her Guru had taught her how not to get agitated. The years of pent-up anger and her training to control her emotions clashed as she sat next to Samraat, waiting for the man she hated most to appear in front of her. Despite everything she felt when she was away, when she saw him, she felt sorry for him. He may seem like a successful man on the outside, but guilt and a level of fear of her returning were probably keeping him up at night.
When she heard the voices, she tuned out every other voice but his, and she could hear the happiness in his voice, the happiness he didn’t deserve for what he had done to her family. She kept her eyes lowered to her hands that were clasped in her lap as Samraat stood up to greet the guests.
Naina heard Samraat greet him, the man she dreaded to see all these years, but there another voice of a young man, one she had never heard before. All the other voices were of ones she knew and cared about. She kept her eyes downcast and did not look up, but she felt a lot of questioning eyes on her giving her a new high.
“Naina,” Samraat’s voice made her look up at him. He smiled and added, “This is Mr. Nayudu and his son, Nitin.”
Naina averted her eyes from Samraat to look at the man who she hated. When she saw the surprise and confusion in his eyes, it only made her smile. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Nayudu.”
The man nodded and looked at her in silence while the young man standing next to him reached out to introduce herself. “Hi, Naina, Nitin, CEO of the RC Group of Companies.”
The RC in the name of the corporation being the initials of her father’s name, Ramachandra. Nitin was no stranger to her. She spent her teenage years with him and his younger sister when he visited from London where he was studying business.
She smiled at the man who turned to look at his father. He seemed to be lost. His son had to nudge him to shake out of his stunned expression and thoughts.
He cleared his throat and looked at Samraat. “Nitin and I would like to speak to you in private. Would you please meet with us for some time?”
Samraat nodded and gestured everyone to sit down. “Mr. Nayudu, the people around me are the people I care about most and my well-wishers. There is nothing I would keep as a secret from them. Please feel free to discuss anything in their presence.”
Naina felt her enjoyment bubbling up just at the first sight of his uneasiness at Samraat’s words. “We would like to discuss this with you alone.”
“Mr. Nayudu, if our conversation is not business-related, then please sit down.” Samraat’s voice held a command, and the man looked at his son before settling into one of the patio chairs next to her.
Mini walked to sit next to Naina while Marc sat next to Samraat with Mini’s dad at the chair next to him.
“I am glad you were able to join my daughter’s homecoming party.” Mini’s dad was the first one to break the awkward silence building up as the man continued to stare at Naina.
Nitin jumped in realizing his father was not going to be talking. “Mr. Sharma, thank you for inviting us. It was the only way we could meet with Samraat.”
“Why did you want to meet with me, Mr. Nayudu. What is so urgent?” Samraat asked the dumbfounded man who could not take his eyes off of Naina.
Nitin cleared his throat to alert his father, and he finally spoke. “Samraat, you and my daughter have met a few times, and from what my daughter, Nalini, tells me, you guys are extremely compatible. She is impressed by you and how you have built your empire from nothing.”
“Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Nayudu.”
The man smiled as if encouraged by Samraat’s words. “I am here to propose a marriage alliance for the two of you. You two will make a wonderful couple.”
Mini squeezed Naina’s hand, but she was not nervous. She was enjoying every moment of the conversation. Samraat had given her a preview of how the conversation would go, and she could not wait for the part where he would introduce her. “Mr. Nayudu, Nitin, I like your candor, and I appreciate you two being upfront about your intentions, so I will be candid as well. I am not interested in an alliance with you as I am engaged already. Naina here is my fiancée.”
Naina smiled politely, looking at the man who looked lost again. She was expecting him to say something, but it was Nitin who was quick to react. “Who is Naina? When did this happen?”
“Nitin, watch the tone when you are referring to my fiancée.”
“Are you marrying her because she is a pretty face? You have no idea what you are missing out on with our alliance. I am the CEO of the multimillion-dollar corporation, and you will benefit from being endorsed by the RC Group of Companies. You have no idea what wonders we can do to your company and your growth. You will get what my sister will inherit from the company.”
Samraat took Naina’s hand in his and patted it before looking at Nitin. “As I said, I am already engaged, and I am because I want to spend the rest of my life with the woman I love. I am not looking for a business deal.”
“So stupid, Samraat.”
Naina was taken aback by Nitin’s words, but Samraat was not going to back down. “Watch what you say, Mr. CEO of a company that you don’t own.”
Nitin looked shocked, and the man’s eyes gleamed like he immediately recognized who Naina was. “Excuse me?”
“Just because you are the CEO of RC Group of Companies, nothing makes you and your sister heirs to the assets,” Samraat repeated as Naina looked at the man, a small smile playing on her face.
Nitin stood up taking a step closer to Samraat. “Samraat, I can explain everything. Let me know when we can meet to discuss this in private.”
Samraat chuckled. “Nitin, the legal heir to the RC aka Ramachandra Group of Companies is Nayana Tara Ramachandra.”
The man looked like he had seen a ghost, but his son was quick to respond. “Nayana is no longer the sole heir. She turned everything over to my father years ago. She is living abroad with her husband.”
“Great, have Nayana come tell me that you are the heir to the RC Group of Companies, and I will break up my engagement with this pretty face.” Samraat looked at Naina.
“Enough,” the man finally spoke, his eyes trained on Naina. “So, you finally returned? What do you want now?”
An eerie silence fell over the group as the man stood up, his eyes trained on Naina’s face, but she kept her calm. Years of training her mind to stay calm kicked in, and she looked at the man in front of her with pity. “Samraat, I have no intention of responding to his questions. Can we leave?”
“You should have stayed hidden like you did all these years. It’s not safe for you anymore.”
Naina smiled. “Go ahead, do what you can. I know you won’t kill me because the moment I die, everything you claim to be yours, will no longer be yours.”
“Then why did you come back?” he growled.
Naina smiled at Samraat. “Thank you.”
“I will see that you live a tormented life, not just you, every one of you,” Nayudu threatened. The group showed no emotion to what he said, and that only angered him more.
“I can’t believe I ran away from such a wuss.” Naina looked at him with pity.
Nitin stood rooted to his spot as his father huffed in silence, unable to find the words to retaliate. “Just because I have modified my ways, it doesn’t mean I cannot go back to my old ways. You will see the same end your mother saw…”
“Nayudu,” the booming, loud voice of a man made him lose his words, and everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.
A tall man stepped toward the balcony with a larger group of men behind him. Naina’s eyes fell on the elderly woman who walked next to the man who called out to the monster. Naina stepped closer to Samraat as the group moved closer to them. “Who is the woman?”
“Your grandmother… your mother’s mother.”
“What?” Naina let out a silent sob.
Samraat leaned closer to her. “The man next to her, he is your uncle. Your mom’s older brother.”
“You are done, Nayudu. I wanted to kill you myself when I found out what you did to my sister, but…” Naina’s uncle turned to look at Samraat and nodded, “I’d rather have you rot in jail.”
Nayudu was suddenly bold. “Jail? For what? Do you know who I am?”
The older woman spoke up. “You are a nobody. A thief, at best.”
Nayudu tried to retaliate with his words, but Samraat raised his h
and to silence him. “You are done, and it is time for you to pay for making her spend the past ten years in anger and pain.”
“What do you mean?” Nayudu sounded scared.
“The media has the proof they need as to who the real heir of the corporation is, and you will get nothing. Plus, there are charges against you for fraud and illegal business activities you have been running under the pretext of importing and exporting, all exposed. The police are probably looking for you right now.”
Nayudu looked unfazed. “I have no illegal activities, and I made RC Group of Companies into a multimillion-dollar company. It is mine, and I will fight for it.”
“You have bigger things to fight for. Let’s see what you have to say in court.”
The older woman stepped closer to him. “For what you put my daughter through, you need to die a horrible death in jail.”
“Nobody can touch me. I am…” Nayudu’s voice faded when he heard his phone ringing.
“Take it, Nayudu,” the man who stood by the elderly woman barked.
The man who stood in front of the crowd looking indestructible was suddenly shaking. He held his head as he sat on the nearby chair.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” Nitin demanded, but Nayudu did not respond.
“Nitin, be prepared to explain everything. The real heir to RC Group is not in America, at least not anymore. This is Nayana.” Samraat looked at Naina.
“What?” He was shocked but had the presence of mind to instruct the men who accompanied them to assist his father to stand up and walk.
Naina watched as the man who had looked scary was carried away like a weak old man, and that did it for her. She felt the pain and anger leave her, and then she knew why Samraat wanted her to see him—she needed the closure.
“Mrs. Tarakan, this is your granddaughter.” Naina recognized the woman’s last name was similar to her middle name her mother had chosen for her.