yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Thirty Two

Kaveri Poddar was a formidable woman, always had been. She was not the only woman to lead her own law firm in the entire city for nothing. Yes, Poddar & Associates had been bequeathed to her by her late husband & she hadn't started it from the ground up, but she had led the firm successfully for decades. That was an achievement in itself, one that could not be undermined. 

Kaveri prided herself in taking the firm to new heights, in the legacy she was building for her family. The legacy that she was going to pass down to Rohit, her heir, her beloved grandson. Ever since the day Rohit had been born, the entire family had known that Poddar & Associates would one day belong to him. He was, after all, the eldest. Armaan wasn't good enough, would never be, with that woman's blood running through his veins. He might be Madhav's son, but he was Shivani Damani's son as well, and Kaveri could never forget that. It was enough that Armaan had been accepted into the family. He would never be more than Madhav's elder son. He would never be Rohit. 

Yes, Armaan was an extremely capable lawyer, but he had had years to hone his skills. Rohit was just starting out. With time, Kaveri was sure he would outclass Armaan easily and go on to become a better professional. Rohit understood the weight of the family legacy he had to carry forward, after all, he'd been made aware of it as a child. He would not disappoint her, Kaveri knew. 

But, to take Rohit there, she would have to make a few sacrifices. She had always known that. Nothing in the world was free, and this wouldn't be either. She just hadn't expected to pay such a steep price. Accepting that girl as her daughter-in-law? Pigs would fly sooner.

That girl had no sense of decorum or discipline. She was raised by a single mother, whose origins might not be a mystery any longer, but were dubious still. Yes, she was Manish Goenka's great-granddaughter, but she had been raised away from family. She did not have any of the values that were imbibed in girls of families such as theirs. Instead, she was a career-oriented, free-thinking girl, who did not think twice before getting into fights with her own family members. That was definitely not the kind of person who Kaveri wanted in her home, poisoning the minds of other family members as well. 

What guarantee did Kaveri have that her influence wouldn't turn others rebellious? Already, Armaan was following in her footsteps and talking back at every opportunity. Was this the same man she'd raised? The man she'd moulded into her perfect puppet who would not even breathe if she didn't give him permission? No, he was not. Swayed by that girl and her family, Armaan was now defying her. Together, the two of them might be able to cajole the rest of the family into behaving like them too. 

And then, where would Kaveri be? She had spent her entire life in making this family what it was today. She had painstakingly raised all of them to be ideal kids in their own capacity. She had built a standing in society for herself and for her family. They had a stellar reputation. The perfect family that everyone looked up to. She could not let that image shatter.

But, at the same time, what else could she do? It was imperative that Rohit started taking his responsibilities as the heir seriously. He needed to accept his position and start working in that capacity. She could not wait any longer, because the longer she waited, the bolder Armaan became. It was important to remind him who the true heir was. Just because Kaveri had let him misbehave a few times with her and the rest of the family, writing it off something that would not be a regular occurrence, Armaan had taken her complacency as her weakness. He was determined to change the status quo and she could not let that happen. If things continued this way, there would be no need for Armaan to marry that girl. The other members of the family would be influenced anyway. But, maybe, just maybe, if she agreed to let Armaan marry that girl, they would both quiet down, so grateful to be accepted into the family that they would not create problems for her.