Page 28 of No Boss
“I am trying to. There is a complication.”
“The estate manager,” Raghav added, unable to hide his amusement.
Abhinav had told him about it the night before over the call.
He glanced at Raghav. “The bane of my existence. An ancestor hired her family generations ago. The current manager seems to have forgotten the difference between managing and owning.”
“What is her name?” Ishani asked.
“Meera Chauhan. Apparently convinced she has more right to the Haveli than I do.”
“How is she stopping the sale?” Vikram asked.
“Ghost stories scared the first buyer. A protest blocked the second. Old records surfaced for the third, full of legal trouble.”
“So you are going to India for her,” Vikram lifted his glass.
“For a few weeks. Enough to deal with her, complete the sale, and return. I am not letting an estate manager stand in my path.”
“Have you met her?” Kavita asked.
“No. Papa handled everything there.”
“Maybe she has reasons,” Divya offered.
“Maybe she does. It changes nothing. The estate is mine. I have every legal right to sell it. Her job is to manage it until I do.”
“People who have lived on a property for generations form deep ties,” Vikram added. “It might help to understand her before you confront her.”
“I am not interested in understanding. I need cooperation.”
“That approach has never failed anyone,” Raghav replied.
“This is not only business,” Kavita stated. “It is also home. Her family has given their lives to it.”
“And that is why she should respect the family’s decision. Sentiment cannot dictate this.”
“When do you leave?” Harshit asked.
“In three days.”
The conversation moved on. Dubai’s heat, Vikram’s shoot in the desert, their pet Pista chasing a peacock through a hotel garden and terrifying a groundskeeper. Laughter came easy, full, untouched by grief.
When they stepped outside to leave, Raghav pulled him aside. “Call me. No matter what happens.”
“I will.”
Raghav held his gaze. “Whatever she is protecting matters to her. Remember that when you walk in.”
Abhinav did not answer. He did not argue either.
Chapter 5
The servant quarters sat in the western wing of the Haveli, close to the entrance. Simple, well-kept. Two rooms for the Chauhan family, with carved wooden doors and windows that opened into a smaller courtyard.
Outside, voices drifted across the courtyards. Orders passed from one end to the other. A heavy object scraped against stone as workers moved it into place.
By noon tomorrow, the owner would arrive.
