They were all worried about the security breach at The Marquis and just a few hours back the hotel GM had brought Sameer up-to-date regarding the theft.
“Actually, yes. The police found the stolen car a few kilometers away from The Marquis, just today. It was left there with the keys inside. Fortunately, no damage was done to it. The car is being returned to the owner as we speak.”
Kabier frowned. “That is strange. What do the cops think? Was it a prank played on the owner or something?”
“We know the owner’s father is an important politician. And politicians have their own share of people waiting to pick a bone with them. Or it could be just a prank like you said or even a car theft gone wrong. Who knows?” Sameer stated.
“Good! Looks like we have nothing to worry about then. I will speak to the boy’s father and ensure they don’t cause any more trouble,” Janak Sehgal said.
He nodded to his grandsons and left.
“I can’t believe he gave away the property,” Rishi said, pacing in front of the two of them, as soon as the door to Sameer’s office shut behind their grandfather.
Kabier shook his head. “It’s quite unlike him to do something so impulsive. I wonder what he was thinking.”
“Well, what do we do now?” Rishi queried.
“Sameer, will you get in touch with Raashi and negotiate a deal with her?” Kabier asked him.
“Yes. Though I’m not really sure about this,” Sameer murmured.
He was extremely annoyed with the situation. He ran an angry hand through his hair, before turning to Kabier and Rishi. “I really fail to understand what Raashi will do with such a prime piece of real estate. She works in a restaurant for heaven’s sake!”
“What are you talking about?” Rishi scrunched his face.
“Raashi works at AquaNox right?” Sameer said, bewildered by the shocked expression on his brother’s face.
Rishi and Kabier exchanged a bemused look.
Raising a frustrated hand, Sameer asked, “Okay. What do I not know?”
“Have you heard of The Nox restaurants?” Kabier asked.
“Of course! Aren’t they the same ones that include Nox- MixGrill, T-Cafe´ and the more recent AquaNox restaurant? They have been doing increasingly well in the last five years, isn’t it? Incidentally, that’s where Raashi works, doesn’t she?”
“T-Cafe´ was once a small cafeteria catering to college kids. Of course, it wasn’t the same upscale cafe´ that it is now,” Kabier began.
“So?” Sameer cut him off. “How is that relevant to us?”
“Sameer, Raashi’s family owned T-Cafe´. Raashi’s grandmother ran the cafe´ after Raashi’s parents died in a car crash. Raashi inherited it after her grandmother’s demise. Our grandfather has helped her ever since her grandmother passed away, until she was capable of running things on her own. And Raashi has turned that one single cafeteria into one of the most sought after cafe´’s in the city. She’s converted a section of it into a book bar where book readers of all ages are welcome. It now has a bookstore and a book club. Book signing and reading sessions happen there frequently. I have heard that you have to book months in advance to hold a reading there. It’s that busy,” Kabier said.
Rishi continued from where Kabier stopped.
“And then she decided one day this wasn’t enough for her. She invested all her savings, took a loan and opened Nox-MixGrill. It opened to rave reviews. That place you have to see to believe. The Friday rock shows she hosts there are legendary. She’s now opened AquaNox and slowly but surely her Nox Group of restaurants is taking Mumbai by storm. RaashiDeewan has made a name for herself and everyone is taking notice now.”
Sameer leaned back in his chair, utterly at a loss for words. Raashi was the owner of The Nox Group. Why had he never bothered to look into what she was doing? Why had he never asked her about her personal life? He remembered being absolutely enchanted by her, but he’d never asked her what she did for a living. He had shown no interest in that part of her life at all.
Suddenly, a lot of things fell into perspective. He remembered the authority she had at AquaNox. No wonder she had thrown him and Natasha out so unceremoniously. And she most certainly was aware he did not know she owned The Nox group of restaurants. She hadn’t even tried to correct his misconception either when he had asked her about AquaNox at The Marquis.
He was so lost in thought that Kabier had to nudge him to get his attention. He turned to look at his cousin and brother, a puzzled look on his face.
“You really didn’t know!” Rishi’s brow wrinkled. “I mean all through Sheena’s wedding and then through Kabier’s, you stuck to her like glue and you didn’t ask her even once what she did for a living or where she worked?”
Sameer shook his head.
“Sameer, I didn’t want to pry, but what did happen between you two back then?” Rishi inquired. “You got along so famously that I thought something more was going on between you two. Then suddenly after Kabier’s wedding reception, Raashi disappeared from all our lives and now you’re planning to...” Seeing that Sameer was about to interrupt, Rishi quickly corrected his statement. “...OK, considering to marry Natasha. I had assumed there was a stronger bond between Raashi and you. What went wrong?”
“Rishi, just stop, I don’t want to talk about this,” Sameer growled.
