Vodka on the rocks

His Father's Son [Ft. OC]

Arjun Rao was furious! Well that surely was an understatement! It would be closer to the truth if it is said that he was apoplectic. The twenty-six year old son and heir to Hyderabad's most notorious and richest corporate shark, Raghav Rao couldn't remember when was he so angry last time. He always had a passive sort of anger, he became very quiet and reserved in his own self, drawing into his own shell if he was angry. He was more like his mother in his rage. But today he couldn't seem to see past the red in his eyes so to speak. A typical strain of his father's infamous temper.

It was his second deal cracked and because of some over enthusiastic PR member of his company and some dirty politician he might've pissed off due to reasons unknown had made a Royal fool of him in front of National media.

It took some awesome and terrifying level of VR and photo morphing to produce absolute false news about him sleeping around with his client's celebrity wife and the media ate it fully with flourish and excreted out a humongous deal of smelly shit of it. The market crashed and most of his investors opted out, his company had officially decided to cast for the Titanic, James Cameron be damned!

No one dared to comfort him, not even his precocious little sister. He was aware of his mother trying desperately to bring him out of his room but frankly he didn't care today! He was mad! Awfully maddeningly despondently stark raving mad! He had built his company from scratch and a few vengeful monsters managed to take it down with a false gossip and humiliating accolade. It must have been ages when he silently slinked off his room treading towards the bar.

He needed a drink. Frantically! Thank God no one was in sight! It was one am in the night. He reached the bar and immediately spun around with dizzying speed to rabbit away before the person sitting caught his sight. But it was too late! He had already heard him approach rather than seeing him.

"Arjun?"

Raghav called patiently. Sometimes his father would become like this. So, patient. As calm as the ocean. As if nothing in this world can ruffle him. Like he was beyond normal human hysterics. Arjun always admired his father's albeit occasional quality of remaining perfectly composed even in the direst of emotional situations. Very rarely though and uncharacteristically panic becomes an emotion practically alien to Raghav. But today that very quality was irking him to no end.

"Dad don't even star.."

"I hate this shit! Why do we drink this anyway? I bet most of it is overrated anyways."

Raghav eyed the glass of scotch in his hand suspiciously before gulping it down without flare or fervour. Arjun came back with unsure and halting steps.

"You know drowning your sorrows in the drink is a bit outdated now though, isn't it?" He supplied too cheerfully for Arjun's present mood.

"Well, that doesn't stop you from ruining your liver now, does it!"

Arjun snapped back not feeling a least bit of regret at the rancour in his tone. Raghav didn't look perturbed at all. He smirked at him sideways as Arjun poured himself a generous amount. Still so maddeningly calm.

"Don't go harping about it to your mother now. She'll have a fit."

He added as an afterthought. Arjun smiled involuntarily thinking about Pallavi's reaction about their impromptu midnight choice of beverage. They sat together for some time in companiable silence. Finally, he broke the quiet grudgingly.

"How do you do it?"

He asked peering down into his half empty glass. He felt Raghav's gaze at him, not boring, neither pitying but a familiar soothing aura beaming at him.

"Do what?"

"Remain so calm in testy situations."

"I introspect. I cannot change anything not in my power, I cannot undo what I've done but rather I can speculate about how to not sink into the problem more than I already have..."