Their Lost Gem

Chapter 19

Author's POV:-

Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Nestled a bit away from the busy city of Mumbai stood the 'Malhotra Estate', all majestic and breathtaking. The afternoon sun shone upon the tall glass windows which in turn reflected the light in all possible directions. With the bright bricks formulated in Victorian architecture, the passerbys could only gawk at the marvellous structure and feel jealous of the owners.

Of course! Who wouldn't?

The posh looking building was built in between acres of land which spread out for kilometres - with distinguished flora enhancing the place. Tall, mighty oak trees - which probably looked about a couple of centuries-old, cast shadows of the afternoon sun on the porch of the building. In general, the view was just a chef's kiss.

On the walled-fence of the vast estate was a golden plate with “The Malhotra's” carved in beautiful calligraphy - the name which made the entire corporate world shudder. The name which is always made a sensation among the citizens. The name which bought many glories.

The mansion which was once home to a lively, happy family - now only had one person residing in it.

The elder Malhotra - Maheshwari Ashok Malhotra.

.

Clad in spotless white saree with beige border, the 'elder Malhotra' sat in on one of the maroon divans while folding a betel leaf.

"Maaji, here are your tablets.", a man in his 30s rushed to her with her meds which were usually taken after her meals.

"Aah yes, thank you, Ramesh.", she replied, taking the bunch of pills and the glass of water from the said male's hand. After taking the medicines, she handed the glass and leaned back on the divan, popping the betel leaf into her mouth.

"Maaji? I have news from Delhi estate.", he said, keeping the glass on the table and folding his hands over his chest as a sign of respect.

"What is it?", she asked curiously, as she rarely heard news of her son, that too from a source rather than her son. It wasn't like he didn't call, he was just always busy and drowned himself in work and never paid attention to anything. It was always her who would call him.

She wasn't mad or anything, but she was deeply worried for him. Ever since his wife died, he had been living a life of hell and she was witness to that. He rarely took care of himself. He would go to the Malhotra Headquarters early in the morning and return late at night, or sometimes he would even stay in the office. If he came home, the only sound to be heard was the sound of glass breaking and his cries. He even neglected his sons while mourning for his life. He loved his wife a lot and she meant everything to him, and her leaving this world felt like tearing away every single organ out of his body with bare hands.

That's why he left Mumbai and established multiple branches in Delhi and started a new life there. The day he left with his sons was the day the mansion became gloomy. Nothing was to be heard except for the Bajans Maheshwari sang in the morning and the usual ordering of the servants.

"I don't know if it's true Maaji, but... Uh..... A source said that Sahib has remarried.", he said, looking down at the velvety carpet.

"What?!", she shot her head up "He is married?" It was indeed a shocker for her.

15 years. It has been 15 years since the horrifying incident had happened. 15 years since her daughter-in-law died. It would be a lie if she said that she didn't mourn for her even now. Her daughter-in-law was one of the purest and kindest souls she had ever met. Though they both had a feud in the early years, they overcame their misunderstanding and built a very strong relationship. She was more like her daughter. Her leaving this world created a huge hole in her heart. God knows how her son went through it.