Payback

Chapter 2

The auction of Raizada Mansion began and buyers started calling out their prices.

"So the bidding starts at 1 crore!"

"2 crore"

"8 crore"

"10 crore"

"50 crore"

Everyone turned and saw a dashing young man who called out the price. 50 CRORE!

Raizadas looked at the man. They have never seen him in the business world. Who is he?

"So Shantivan and AR industries goes to AKR Corp." The bidder said aloud.

AKR Corp. Akash stood frozen. The best fashion house of the world. They also have a catering business name AR catering service. Many companies work under them and they have been the winners of best businessman of the year award for the past 8 years. But the owner of AKR is a very private person who never faces media. He always sent a representative from AKR to receive the award and the PR head handles the media. Even the owner's name is not revealed to the world. Yet, AKR is the best in the world.

"Akash, what happened?" Shyam shook him.

"Jeejaaji, AKR corp. bought our house. They are the number 1 fashion house in the world. I have heard that the owner is very arrogant. Will he allow us to stay here?" Akash asked.

"Akash, main hoo na! I'll manage! After all I'm a lawyer!" Shyam assured him.

The young man signed the papers from the bank authority who had conducted the auction and moved to the Raizadas for the key.

He extended his palm to Shyam and said, "You must be Akash Singh Raizada!"

Akash took the man's hand and said, "I'm Akash. This is my brother-in-law Shyam Manohar Jha!"

"Oh, nice to meet you Mr. Raizada and Mr. Jha!" the man shook hands with both.

"Err...you are...owner of AKR?" Akash asked doubtfully.

He laughed and said, "Of course not! I'm Karan Singhania, legal advisor of AKR!"

Shyam and Akash smiled and Karan said, "Now, can you please give me AR's and Shantivan's keys?"

"Yeah sure!" Akash handed him the keys and Shyam asked, "Actually we've a request!"

Karan looked at him and Shyam said, "Can we meet your boss? We need to put forward a request!"

"Why? And what request?" Karan asked

"Wo...we request him to let us stay here, in this mansion!" Shyam said in his fake-polite tone.

Karan was taken aback, or acted as taken aback, and said, "Why should he let you people stay here? This house is no longer yours. You have to move out!"

"Karan ji" Anjali came there and said, "This house is our ancestral house. We cannot leave this and go. Please, let us meet your boss. We'll fall at his feet! Please!"

"Ma'am, I know that this house hold many memories for you but you should have thought about it before taking loans from banks. Now this house is no longer yours and you have to move out!" Karan said sternly.

"Please bitwa...please tumhare boss ko bulavo!" Dadi said in her fake-soft tone.

Karan sighed and said, "Let me call him" and he moved to side to call his boss.

"Hello sir, it's Karan. Yes sir, auction is complete and we have the house and company. Err...sir, there is a request from Raizadas."

"---------"

"Wo sir, they would like to stay here, in the house."

"---------"

"Err...I think this house has many emotional values attached to them that they don't like to move away. What should I do sir?"

"---------"

"Okay sir, okay...Sir, can you please email me the details that I can prepare the contract?"

"---------"

"Okay sir, thank you!"

Karan finished the call and turned to Raizadas.

"Sir agreed!"

Everyone smiled and then Karan said,

"On some conditions!"

.

.

Everyone sat in the living room of Raizada Mansion and Karan's PA handed him a file.

Karan thanked him and said to Raizadas,

"You all can stay here but not as the owners of Shantivan but as the caretakers of Shantivan!"

Raizadas looked at each other and Shyam said, "We're ready."

Karan nodded and said, "Sir and his family would come here in the evening and I want all the rooms to be neat and clean. Plus, they need the master bedrooms so you'll have to shift your belongings to the guestrooms!"

They nodded helplessly.

"Call the servants!" Karan ordered and HP, OP and JP were summoned.

Karan looked at them and said, "From today onwards you'll not work for these people (pointing to Raizadas). You are my boss' and his family's servant." Turning to Raizadas he said, "You cannot order HP, OP or JP for any of your works. If you need food, you have to cook. If you need your rooms and toilets cleaned, you have to clean it! Got it?"

As if there is a choice! They nodded.

Turning to servants, Karan said sternly, "You should obey your boss and not the Raizadas. Got it?" They nodded.

Turning to family, he said, 'They'll come here today evening. So, shift your belongings and HP, OP and JP should clean the master bedrooms. And always remember one thing, you are not the owners of this house. You have to respect my boss' and his family's privacy and should be an ideal caretakers."

Raizadas nodded.

"Boss and family would be here for only two months. After that they'll go back. So after they departure, you'll have to be extra careful about the house. Boss won't like the house unclean!" Karan said.

Everyone nodded.

"Okay then, Mr. Akash, can you sign this contract?" Karan extended a paper.

Akash read the paper which states that they are now the caretakers of RM and do not have right on anything in the mansion. Without any choice, he signed it.

"Okay now, I'll take my leave. Remember, the house must be extra clean when the boss comes. If he is angry then no one can stop him from throwing you people out!" And Karan left.

"Arrogant jerk!" Anjali muttered.

"Hello hi bye bye! Now we're their servants huh?" mami asked.

"Akash, it's all because of you!" Dadi said, "If you were a little more careful, the company would have flourished!"

"Dadi ji, leave it na!" Shyam said, "We've the house for us!"

"But Shyam ji, we're just caretakers. We are their servants!" Anjali said.

"Aur nahi to ka, we have to cook for ourselves, clean for ourselves..." mami said.

"Mami ji, we have a place to live!" Shyam said, "And the owners who'll come in the evening, we'll impress them! We'll make them dance on our tunes!"

"Exactly! You would do it well! After all you're doing it for the past 10 years!" Nani said.

"Devyani!" dadi said, "It was not damad ji, but that middle class girl who was making you all dance on her tunes. Everyone here knows her true face but you...you are denying it again and again!"

Nani glared at everyone and stood up and walked away.