The Waves Whisper ✓

6 | money, power, glory

3
𓂃𓊝𓂃

Rathore House was one of the households my stepmother worked in, which was also the biggest in that place. I stood in front of the house the day I went to work there, taking in its splendour for a whole minute. The whole house felt like a dream that I couldn't afford to watch. It somewhat resembled a palace, but without tourists wandering around. There was a huge gate in front of the house, which looked like it would take three people to open. Three cars were parked on the porch, which I didn't know the names of.

"Stop gawking and come inside." My sot maa (stepmother) said, noticing me from the first floor.

Inside the house, it was majestic. My whole house would fit inside the smallest room there. There was a staircase in the middle of the living room that went in two opposite directions. The handrail was made of the shiniest metal. A Persian carpet was laid on the floor, and above it was a chandelier. I saw servants roaming inside the house when I entered, which had me wondering: why do they need so many staff? Later, I found out that each of them had different jobs. Some cooked food, some cleaned the house, some looked after the pets and livestock, and some looked after the old people in the house. Rathores were always busy. Since they had so many businesses in different sectors, almost every member of the family had at least one business to supervise. They were prominent in the textile, tourism, and mining industries. The job my brother got was in their enterprise. At that point, my whole family was dependent on Rathore Enterprises. I met Shyamanand Rathore and his wife while passing by the kitchen on the first day. He controlled the whole family business. He was well-known and powerful. When I say powerful, I really mean it.

My first job was to tidy up and organise the library. It was enormous, much to my surprise. Even the library at my school didn't have this many books. But the room was empty, and the eerie silence got to me. I was scared to be alone there; it was dark and cold. I had to climb up a small ladder to reach the top shelves of the library to dust the books. During my work in the house, I read a lot of them. I had the full liberty of reading whatever I wanted because the library was the least visited place in that house. No one would come into the room other than that one person.

"What are you doing in my house?" The sound reverbed in the room. It shook me to the core. Hearing someone ask a question out of nowhere while dusting old books alone in a dingy room that looked a century old wasn't the best feeling. I lost my balance and dropped the books I was holding. I glanced down to see Apoorva looking at me, bewildered. I was dumb for not realising that it was his house even after hearing the teacher call him 'Apoorvanand Rathore' while taking attendance. It was what I feared-meeting someone from school in the house where I go to work.

"Aren't you supposed to be studying? To outperform me?" He mocked.

I looked around. "What? What are you looking for?" He asked.

"Oh, I can't see him. Jagdish. Isn't he the one who talks on your behalf while you stay silent?" I scoffed.

"At least I've got a friend."

"Then I've got news for you. Your friend is a bully." I climbed down the ladder to collect the books that Apoorva had already picked up.

"You're going to ruin these books." He examined the books in his hand.

"I was forced to dust these crusty old books while you lay on your softest mattress doing nothing. And you're telling me that I ruined these?" I wanted to punch him in the face. I wished I could do it. So that I could see his tiny little nose become like an apple.

"Oh! Nobody is forcing you. Come on now."

"I don't want to talk to you. You're so stupid."

"Stupid? Me?" He raised his eyebrows.
"If you think I enjoy inhaling the dust in this library, which is older than your great-great-grandfather, yes, you're definitely stupid." I pulled the books away from his hand and climbed up the ladder.

"And I really hate talking to you. I just want to do my job peacefully during my time here." I said while placing the books back on the shelf. And when I glanced down after a few seconds, he was gone.

...

Hope y'all liked the update. If yes lemme know. :)