Indian Mafia Romance SAMPLE only

CHAPTER 2

"I know my father, Rahul. He won't say no."

Aditi Somraj smiled at the handsome man on her phone screen. She was video chatting while seated inside a car that was taking her to her childhood home from the airport.

She knew her father would be surprised and happy with her visit. She also hoped his good mood would make him receptive to any other news she had to tell him.

"I don't know, Aditi," said the concerned voice of her boyfriend. "Maybe you shouldn't have kept us a secret. You should have told him about us beforehand."

Aditi shook her head. "I couldn't just spring such a thing from London, Rahul. I wanted to tell him about us in person."

"What if he doesn't like me or agree?" Rahul asked.

She smiled in assurance. "He will like you, especially when I tell him you are the man I decided to spend the rest of my life with."

Rahul still looked uncertain.

Her eyes briefly looked up and recognized the familiar neighborhood. "Take the next right and drive through the gates," she instructed the taxi driver.

As soon as the familiar tall, black wrought iron gates came into view, a feeling of nostalgia hit her hard. It had been well over a decade since she last came home. After her mother had died, she was sent to London to stay with her mother's brother and his wife who treated her as they did their own daughters. And since her uncle's family didn't visit India, neither could she. Her father preferred to visit London twice a year to check on her.

"Right here?" the taxi driver asked.

"No. You can drive through the gates and stop in front of the house," she instructed.

But the gates weren't opening automatically, and the car had to stop in front of the gates where a couple of uniformed armed guards stood waiting.

She frowned. During her childhood, there was just one security guard near the gates who also worked as the gardener. She knew her father's businesses had expanded over the years, but it didn't occur to her that he would need armed protection.

A twinge of guilt pierced her heart. While she led a normal life in London, her father was leading a life that needed armed protection.

"Who are you here to visit?" one of the guards asked.

"I'm Aditi Somraj."

The guard immediately became alert. "Mr. Somraj's daughter?"

"Yes."

He looked uncertain. "Wait here for a minute, madam." He went back to the small room near the gate and spoke to someone before getting back to her.

"Please go in," he said. "Sorry, madam. I haven't seen you before. So I had to check to make sure."

"No problem," she said as the gates were opened.

Aditi was surprised at seeing her childhood home. Although the house had always been a fairly large structure, it wasn't the gigantic structure it was right then. Her father must have razed most of the previous structure and built over it. Even though it looked beautiful from outside, she felt a twinge of regret that it no longer looked like her old childhood home.

Memories of her mother's laughter while chasing her in the garden area where they played together made her more nostalgic. She also recalled spending time a lot of time on their porch swing at the front of the house.

There was no swing now. And more armed guards stood outside at the entrance of the house.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the house, a few of the armed guards surrounded them.