yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Five

Kaveri sighed as she leaned back against the headrest of the car. It was painfully exhausting to sit back and let someone else drive, especially because none of these people knew how to do it. Ever since her heart attack, she'd been forced to give up driving and it irked her to be carted around everywhere, like now.

Sanjay had taken the wheel and was dropping her home. She'd gone to the firm to discuss the potential ways things could go now that Ruhi had signed the annulment papers. Both her grandsons were such idiots, she was actually surprised. Rohit, who should have tried to mend things with Ruhi, who was a nice girl from a respectable family, had decided to separate from her. And Armaan, who should be running in the opposite direction of that stubborn girl, was sticking to her like glue. 

Nevertheless, Rohit's happiness was of paramount importance to her. So, she would do anything for him, even if it meant giving up the daughter-in-law she always wanted. Once this annulment business was done, she would find another suitable girl for him. After all, who wouldn't want to tie themselves to an illustrious family like hers?

Her thoughts broke when Sanjay manoeuvred the car into the main gate and she saw Abir Rajvansh there. He was sitting on the bonnet of a shiny red convertible, whistling to himself. Of course she'd recognized him instantly despite never having seen him in person, yet she was shocked, and had to squint to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. That he really was there.

The Rajvansh name was synonymous with power and success in the entire country. They came from humble beginnings when Yashpal Rajvansh started a travel agency in Rajkot. His daughter, Meenakshi Rajvansh, stepped in when the business was failing and turned it around, but it had been the unnamed scion of the family, Kunal Rajvansh, who had expanded the business so much that Red Pear was now the most sought after travel service in not just India, but abroad as well. Kunal's cousin, Atul Rajvansh, was one of the most successful names in the Hindi film industry. Atul's sister, Ketki Sethi, was a businesswoman in her own right, and one of the most beloved fashion designers in the country. 

But, it was the eldest of the family, Abir Rajvansh, who was the most sought after. He was a philanthropist who owned the largest NGO chain in the country. As a side hustle, he had developed and sold numerous apps that had made life easier for millions of people. All the money he'd earned in those ventures had been funnelled into the NGO by him and his wife, Mishti Agarwal Rajvansh, who was named the co-founder of said NGO. 

And, it wasn't just the elder Rajvanshes who were so successful. Their kids and grandkids had flourishing careers in their own right, ranging from India's first Michelin star chef to a bestselling author. In short, the Rajvansh family was synonymous with opulence. She'd never met any of the family members in person, so she was a little surprised to see the patriarch of the family twiddling his thumbs in her lawn. What reason did he even have to be here?

Nevertheless, she wasn't about to question a gift horse in the mouth. This was a great opportunity to network and connect with him. Maybe he needed legal aid. If he tied himself to Poddar & Associates, it would be a huge leap forward for the firm. The Poddars were renowned in Udaipur, but their might paled in comparison to the grandeur of the Rajvansh name. Working with them would bring in more high profile clients from all over the country, which they desperately needed.

It was only after she'd already done it that Kaveri Poddar had realized that she'd been a little hasty in taking all of Armaan's cases and giving them to Rohit. She'd wanted to humiliate Armaan for going against her, while also doing something to please Rohit who had come back home after so many months away. It had seemed so easy to do this, hitting two birds with one stone. 

But, after the handover had happened, and clients had complaints, was when she'd realized that she'd made a mistake. In her arrogance, she had believed that all the clients had come to Armaan owing to the Poddar name. She didn't think that it had anything to do with him, but rather, everything to do with her. However, she had quickly realized that was not the case. She'd always known that Armaan was a rather proficient lawyer, but she hadn't realized just how much weight he pulled at the firm. None of his clients were happy with Rohit, barring a couple sycophants who had come for the Poddar name.