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When a knock sounded on the office door, Rakesh stopped pacing and turned as the door opened. Vipul Sahib peeked inside. “It’s seven, Rakesh. You should go home.”
“I don’t know what to do, Uncle.” Rakesh headed toward his desk. “Selling the family shares was my last choice, and Naina refuses to sign over her shares.” He sank onto his chair. Not only did that bastard Arvind find Yash, he tracked Sheetal down, too. “Maybe this is how it’s supposed to end. An empire crushed by the very family that built it.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“There’s no choice.”
“If there’s one thing I know, you’re a survivor. A fighter. You’ll figure a way out.” Vipul Sahib smiled.
He’d figure out a way to deal with Arvind. “I hope so. But you shouldn’t have stayed back so late.”
“And leave you alone?”
“I’m used to it. Anyway, I’ve been meaning to ask, what happened to Girish’s sister?”
“We loaned him the money, just like you said, and it’s done wonders for us. News spread within a week. Girish speaks of nothing but your good nature, your understanding, and his loyalty shot through the roof. But we’ve had more employees approach us with their wish list and now I don’t know who to turn away and how.”
“Help the weakest first, like someone with a sick child or an ill mother. We don’t have an open account, so you’ll have to think through each case.”
“Just as I feared.”
“Did our attrition rate go down?”
“Substantially. Everyone believes in you and the company again.”
Rakesh nodded. “That’s a start.”
“Girish wants to meet and thank you for—”
Fear frayed his nerves. “No. I don’t need to get involved.”
“But—”
“I need to be alone, Uncle.”
Vipul Sahib nodded and sighed. “Sheetal must be waiting. Go home. Being alone never helps.” He left and shut the door.
For the fourth time in an hour, Rakesh made his way to the matching side cabinets, added another ice cube to his crystal tumbler, and watched the ice shrink as he poured in scotch. What did Vipul Sahib say about Girish and employee loyalty? Rakesh pressed a palm against the back of his head, trying to push the thought forward, but the white buzz only got louder. What did Dr. Kishore say?
His fingers trembled as he reached for the drink. The cool glass filled the width of his palm and he curled his fingers around its curve. “Like you, Dad. I want to be just like you.” Is that what Arvind said? No. Vipul Sahib? Couldn’t be. Girish? Did Girish want to be like him? He shook his head so the buzz would stop. Yash wanted to be like him. Yes, that’s right. Or did Yash want to be like Arvind?
Rakesh let go of the drink. The stuff would kill him one day, and he couldn’t afford to lose control.
***
On his way home, Rakesh stopped at a coffee shop and ordered black coffee.
At home, he popped into Sheetal’s studio and found her at work on another painting. One of the rejected Himalayan Mountains covered the broken window he should have had fixed. “I came to remind you of the charity dinner at seven on Thursday. Don’t embarrass me again by running off to your father’s.”
Sheetal glanced at him and resumed her work.
“How is your father, by the way?”
“He’s lonely with no one to talk to and finds it difficult without Mama.”
Rakesh leaned against the doorframe. “If something happened to me, would you miss me?”
“I fast every year on Karva Chauth. Nothing will happen to you.”
He entered, circled to the back of the canvas, and faced her. “We can’t prevent or predict the future even if we don’t want something to happen. Like how, despite knowing your mother had cancer, there was nothing you could do to prevent it.”
Sheetal’s jaw dropped. “How can you even say something like that?”
“It’s a fact. Anyway, you’re going for Yash’s concert?”
She gave him that stare again, like he didn’t make sense. “We’ve talked about this before. It’s the same day you have the meeting with the Japanese in Delhi. Of course, I’m going. Are you sure you can’t make it?”
“I made your booking at the Plaza Royale this time. I didn’t forget. But sounds like you don’t want me to go.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Which way did you?
“I was just asking.”
“Checking, Sheetal. You were checking.”