There's another side that you don't know, you don't know

I can't wait to get you all alone, all alone

Once I'm in there, ain't no letting go, letting go

Watch me turn your mind into my home

~Mind Games by Sickick

Happy Reading!!!

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_A V A D H_

The day began at 5:30 am. Long before the sun could rise through the horizon. Normal to be honest considering Nikhil Sir had his South Asian conference scheduled according to the EST.

I stood behind him, My Ipad in my hands as the meeting went on for the next three hours. "Such a productive start to my day." I whispered to no one but myself as the meeting went on.

By nine am, I was seated across Nikhil sir reviewing the blueprint for Shanaya's upcoming engagement party. The groom was the youngest son of a renowned politician who was going to be running for the chief minister candidature the upcoming year.

Which meant that this wasn't just a wedding, but a high stakes political merger. First steps of Nikhil Sir stepping out from the confinements of the corporate world and entering the board game of Politics. Since his wife, Rima Mam too belonged to a political family, he had the ultimate support.

"The local police shouldn't be handling the security even if they insist upon it." He made himself very clear, "I don't trust them even to the tiniest bit. "

I nodded along, reviewing the security background check , "The minister's private convoy will overlook their arrival. I have already bypassed them sir. The VVIP lounges will be looked over by our inner cordon. I've personally audited the wiretap sweeps for the venue."

The ceremony was supposed to be happening in one of Bombay's elite hotels, the Oberoi Emporium. Old allies of Raisinghania.

He finally looked up, adjusting his gold rimmed glasses once , "Good. I pay you to think three times ahead. Don't disappoint me, Avadh."

"Never sir."

Working with Nikhil Raisinghania for over a decade teaches you some of the most important life lessons no school would offer you with.

1.Never trust anyone , Not even your own blood. Which in the Raisinghania world, is non-negotiable.

2. Life is full of people who are shit towards you , But if you want to gain something....you have to cater to even the most idiot of a person.

3. Not everyone is worth your time. Don't waste a single second, on someone who cannot offer you returns.

By midday, the scenery shifted to the top floor of Raisinghania Trading Headquarters. I stood behind Nikhil Sir, composed as always. To the members, I was a ghost of a person with broad shoulders. A human shield holding an iPad.

Only if they knew , I was rewriting their entire bloodline while being one of them.

Shaan sat across the large Mahogany table, presenting the acquisition strategy for a new logistics firm. He was my best friend since forever. A brother to me. But boardrooms didn't care about childhood loyalty. Not when everyone was desperate for one single lead.

As he talked, his voice was confident from years of experience. But I noticed a slight problem. I noticed a slight error on the projected EBITDA on slide eight. Without saying a word, i pressed a few keys on my iPad , running a quick python check the cross verify the company's debt to equity ratio. And then slid the iPad towards Nikhil sir quitely.

His eyes narrowed down to the screen. Before abruptly interrupting Shaan.

"Did you yourself audit the third quarter compliance liabilities of this firm, or did you let your interns do it?"

Shaan was caught offguard, as he looked at me once. He knew I was the one who would notice that. " I....our legal team personally reviewed it. It's Solid."

Nikhil sir looked at me. So I knew it was my turn to speak. "If we sign the contract by Friday," I fixed my glasses "we inherit a thirty crore tax litigation suit in Delhi. The entire acquisition becomes dead weight."

Shaan's face became pale. As he glanced at me again. Maintaining a brief eye contact. I kept my expression completely neutral. Looking ahead at the projected screen. I felt sympathy towards him , but in the world of power starved vultures like ours....one single mistake meant weakness. Failure.

By eight pm, the executive floor was almost empty. Just me in Nikhil sirs cabin reviewing through some files while he nursed his skotch. The stress of the upcoming political alliance was wearing him thin, shattering the usual stoic mask he wore.

He took a large gulo of his drink, then without even looking at me he said "sometimes Avadh.." he murmured , then finally glanced at me "I look at Shaan, and I see a boy who had it too easy. Someone born into comfort. And then I look at you. I look at your drive, your intellect... and I wish you were my own blood. I wish I could hand the keys of Raisinghania Industries to a man who actually knows how to fight."

The words would have made someone happy. But they meant nothing to me. Because I didn't trust those words. Nikhil Raisinghania was a dictator in disguise, who loves testing waters. A very dangerous trap. To identify one's hunger. To see if I fold in. But then I remembered rule no.1 Never trust anyone.

I knew exactly what he was doing, checking my ambitions. Seeing if the dog he fed had outgrown teeth or not.

Without any words, I poured water in a glass. Then slide it towards him. "You have drunk too much tonight, sir," I said, my voice entirely neutral, "That is why you are thinking such things. Shaan is your heir. I am simply the man who ensures his inheritance remains intact."

He stared at me for a second too long, then put on his armour "Always so well calculated." He took a gulo of water

"Today is this massive dinner at the Estate. My niece is back from the US for the engagement." He informed me.

"Who exactly?" I asked, despite the fact that I knew the answer.

Kaira Raisinghania.

The exiled princess of the Raisinghania family.

"Kaira. Naman's younger daughter. She flew in today."

I made a mental note. The name hit me harder than whiskey ever could. Immediately, My mind drifted back in the past. Twelve years ago. I remembered her. The same sixteen year old girl with grey eyes and chubby cheeks. The same girl who always walked beside Shanaya and always argued over the tiniest things with Shaan.

The same girl who would shove her thick glasses back high over her nose bridge in anger. Red lips and rosy cheeks.

A grin touched my lips ,as I involuntary adjusted my own glasses "I remember her sir." I murmured "I'll ensure her security arrangements are added to the guest protocol."

By 1:45 am , the large estate had already gone quite. Working late in Nikhil sirs study in the north wing was one of my habits I couldn't break in.

The projections of the upcoming acquisitions, the legality, the transitions were all displayed on the screen.

Because, apparently, successful people believed in working till late at night.

Finally, I packed my briefcase, checked my watch, and turned off the office lights, preparing to walk across the courtyard to my own private quarters on the edge of the property.

As I walked through the Central wing, my gaze flickered to the faint light coming through the main kitchen.

"Who must be here so late ..?" I wondered as My steps unknowingly followed the faint hum coming from there.

And As I stood outside of the kitchen, my gaze lingered upon the familiar face.

Kaira .

My chest tightened at the sight of her. As i peeked towards her through the doorway.

Humming a melody I couldn't recognise. Surfing through the cabinets. Doing something so mundane as warming up milk for herself.

She wore a pair of night shorts, an oversized tshirt. Her hair fell messily down her shoulder. No glasses. The chubby cheeks I remembered no more.

Not the same girl I lost years ago. But now a transformed woman. Someone grown. Matured.

She cleaned up, turned off the lights and started walking out. I quickly hid in one of the hallways.

But within two minutes, it was clear. She had somehow lost her way in her own childhood home. Which somehow I found entirely cute.

Before I knew it, she rounded a Corner and went left. Then right. Then returned back.

And just then, a single notification popped through my phone screen. I got distracted from her only for a millisecond. And then....

Thadam

She collided directly into me. Into my arms. Her leg slipped onto the marbel floor and she was falling back when my arms tightened around her waist. Squeezing it and holding her close to me. Against my chest .

Her heartbeat was fast. Mine too.

Her warmth filled in my senses, her perfume lingered upon me.

Vanilla. Soft. Sweet.

"Careful" I murmured, while she was still against my chest. And every instinct of me wanted to keep her there for longer.

She broke free from my hold, gazing upwards to look at me. Same grey eyes.

She squeezed her eyes shut in sheer embarrassment. Then again Opened up. And finally looked at me properly.

Our eyes locked for a brief moment.

"Who are you...?" She asked, ruining the moment. Sounding a little too authorative. Cute. "Are you trying to intrude here?"

I couldn't help but smirk , as I slowly let my arms call off her waist. Taking a slow step back. Then, slowly I put the lights on. And immediately, I noticed how her gaze stayed on me. Studying me.

And her gaze lingered.

Naturally, I cleared my throat "I shall ask you the same Miss."

"I am not here to intrude. I am a guest here." She clarified. But I was caught off guard when she addressed herself as A 'guest'. Because I knew she was a Raisinghania. A family member. Even though staying away for over a decade changed everything.

So , I mouthed her name. Her name sounded sweet on my lips. "Kaira Raisinghania."

Her eyes narrowed at that . "You know me...?"

More than you could ever think.

"Of course." I said calmly.

She scanned my build for one more second, then said something entirely hilarious "you must be one of the staff."

"Nahh. I work under Nikhil Sir." I corrected.

"Ah" she almost looked puzzled,"you must be the bodyguard then." She looked proud of her conclusion "are you on twenty four seven stand by?"

Highly Disrespectful actually. But I couldn't care more about it. Because my gaze stayed on those eyes. On that pretty face of hers.

As if I was still not over the fact that she was here. Back. I shrugged once "I am not a bodyguard Miss, more like a Right hand man "

She seemed completely unbothered by the corrections. "So. Are you attached to my uncle all the time? Because I don't think you are supposed to be working at such an odd hour. That's against the labor laws."

Laws. Ofcourse. Adorable.

I looked down at her, my gaze steady over hers as I leaned in just an inch. "Miss, unlike some people, successful people believe in working till late."

She rolled her eyes. "Yah yah. Go go. Continue with your standby or whatever," she scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "Good luck handling successful people."

Then, she disappeared around the corner of the central wing, but the faint scent of whatever shampoo she had used lingered in the hallway. Enchanting me.

Kaira Raisinghania.

The exiled princess. The girl who was packed off to the United States twelve years ago within a week of her father's demise. I hadn't expected her to be this defensive. To her , I was just one of the staff who made sure her family sleeped peacefully at night. Let her think that , because being underestimated was the highest form of leverage you could achieve in such Empires.

For me, she was the missing piece of the puzzle I had spent a decade solving.

I had taken over the reigns of being Nikhil Raisinghania's personal assistant aka right hand man a decade ago.

Twenty three.Freshly out of college. After getting my bachelor from IIT Bombay, I was of course approached by many giant techs, Scholarships for masters from USA, Germany, Uk.

But after witnessing my father's brutal death, My only dream was to find the person who destroyed the life I once had.

I was just ten, when my mother passed away. Breast Cancer. I didn't understand much at that time. But after that , I spent most of my time with Dad. Or placing it correctly, At the Raisinghania Estate. At the beginning it was because my dad was loyal to Nikhil sir and His family.

That's how I became friends with Shaan. Unlike the kind of rich kids they show in the movies, Shaan and his sister Shanaya were kind, to me. They didn't care that I was just an assistants son, for them I was their play buddy.

My childhood was spent with the Raisinghania kids. Shaan became my best friend. Shanaya, Maya and Mihir called me 'Avadh bhai' like I was their blood related. I wasn't.

For a single child like me, being with Raisinghania kids was the highlight of my childhood.

I was close with other Raisinghania kids, but Naman Raisinghania's kids...they were the ones I was unfamiliar with. Because the family lived abroad for most of the years I remember.

Apparently there always were conflicts in between the two brothers, after a scandal regarding Naman's marriage to Shivani Verma. Naman was formerly engaged to Shivani's elder sister Swarna Verma.

But later on, He had fallen in love with the younger sister Shivani, igniting a huge scandal. Because in the world of business politics, Having a love match was rare.

Later on Swarna had married into the Oberoi family. Marrying The younger Oberoi brother Vishal Oberoi. The same family owned many luxurious hotels and resorts throughout the country and also internationally.

So , I wasn't close to Kaira or her siblings. Perhaps a reason she doesn't recognise me.

Nikhil sir later on got me enrolled in the same IB school as Shaan and other Raisinghania kids. That's how I got exposed to the rich kids culture in a wide spectra. Me and Shaan were of the same age.

Same grade , Same friends.

But despite no matter what , There was always a difference between both of us.

He was the heir, And deep down I knew ..someday I might end up serving him the way my dad did to Nikhil sir. They weren't cruel to us , but I didn't want to inherit the same fate as my dad.

Maybe that's why I knew, I was the one who could change my bloodlines future entirely.

That's why I threw myself in my studies. Extra curricular's, Sports. Everything. To prove myself .

And God I loved Tech. Machines, Robots...they were something I enjoyed.

That's how a fourteen year old me decided on a random Wednesday after returning from school

"I want to work around Technology."

I searched how I could do it the entire evening. And finally I got my answers,

Computer Science was the closest to it. Artificial Intelligence was not quite developed at that time but it would take over the world in future. I knew that much.

So, I started preparing for JEE Mains from ninth grade. And in my first attempt, I cleared Mains. Then Jee Advance.

AIR 35 Avadh Shekhawat.

IIT Bombay Computer Science branch. Finally I knew That I could change my life. "A dragon from the stream."

They called me. And honestly, it didn't matter . I worked hard for it.

My life felt set after that. The plan was simple. Go To a Foreign country like the USA or Germany . Complete my masters, Earn in dollars or Pounds in starting, then return back to India and Start my own company. From scratch. Completely mine.

But When you think that everything is going fine and nothing could go wrong now, worse happens. Always to the people like me who had to burn themselves to be able to get them stood. Who had to do everything to achieve their goals.

For me , My father was my whole world. He had become my mother and father, Playing both the roles. All while working for one the countries most prestigious Conglomerate.

And then , One day the business world shook. 'NAMAN RAISINGHANIA PASSED AWAY IN AN ACCIDENT'.

I still remember that day. The news had shook the entire business world because for weeks there were tensions about the competition between Naman and Nikhil Raisinghania for the succession. And his sudden death was unsettling.

That day after the funeral , My father stayed awake the entire night. He was restless. He told me that he was still unable to believe, But I knew he was hiding something.

My doubts were confirmed when I overheard him talking to someone on call two days later saying "I know who killed Naman Raisinghania."

Everyone believed it was an Accident, except for my dad. And maybe that was what his mistake was. He knew too much about a family. And that's just how he himself got killed.

His fall from the apartment rooftop was declared accidental, some rumours said it was suicide . But I knew my father. He wasn't a person who would ever take his own life.

He was the kind of man who sang old Hindi songs while taking a shower. Made bad jokes just to lighten the mood. A man who would help someone elderly cross the road and buy chocolates for apartment kids.

He loved his life. He quoted random hindi film dialogues during a normal conversation. Suicide was unbelievable.

And accidental death?? It seemed too fake. Because who would even take a stroll on a rooftop in rainstorm.

And his final words still echoed in my ears , "Stay away from the Raisinghania family ".

Why will he tell me to stay away from a family which he himself had served his entire life. The same family which Let me play with their sons. The same family who got me enrolled in a school which my father could other else never would have afforded.

Naman's death and My father's fall , all within a span of a week. And then Naman Raisinghania's daughters exile to USA just after a few days of his funeral....it didn't add up. At all .

And the idea that all of this was connected, Maybe the culprit was the same.

The idea that someone like my father, who never had enemies died such cruelly unsettled me.

Police had concluded it as an accident. The case was closed. Everybody moved on. But i couldn't let my father's death go in vain. He knew something, which got him killed.

And maybe it was my love for him or the idea that the life of people like me, who had to earn everything from the bottom was so easy to buy. That lowlifes like us could be just shut with money or lose our lives for such rich people.

That's when I vowed, I had found the culprit. I will seek justice.

No Masters degree could Satisfy my hunger for justice.

And that's how I , The boy who was never supposed to enter the mess my father warned me about, still got in the Raisinghania World. Not as an employee's son, But as the only person who would know too much. And had too much dirt on every one.

Because people with power think they can buy everything with money. Jokes on them , cause some people like me don't care about money.

We are wounded, And so we are Most Dangerous.

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___________________

Writing his pov made me search corporate terms at midnight cause I don't know

what EBITDA meant. And anything.

Did you like Avadh's pov?

Writing revenge and suspense has never been my cup of tea. But I really want to step out of my comfort zone.

Also there are minor details hidden in here. Let's see if you find it.

Vote and Comment!!!!