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“Bhai…!” Aakash tapped on the door and Arnav got up with a start.  He looked at peacefully sleeping Khushi and came out.

“Aakash?” Aakash held his Bhai’s hand.

“Bhai…!” he said desperately.  Arnav took him to the poolside.

“Aakash…!”

“No.. Bhai… I can’t do this…!” Aakash sat down holding Arnav…!

“Aakash… do as I say…!” Arnav said gravely and Aakash looked up.

“No.. Bhai.. I can’t…!” he said.

“We have no other option, Aakash…!” Arnav said gazing in the dark. 

“We have, Bhai… “ Arnav looked surprised.  When he could not find out another solution Aakash was giving him another alternative.

“Yes, Bhai! Merger with KFH…!” Arnav gaped in disbelief.

“Have you lost it Aakash? Amalgamation? Can’t you understand, why we are doing this?” Arnav gaped at his dumbness.  Aakash fell silent. 

“Bhai…!” he was cut off abruptly.

“Do as I say, Aakash, before its too late…!” Arnav got up hinting that the desperate meeting was over. 

Arnav came into his room.  Khushi was fast asleep.  “Thank God! She is not involved in AR designs…!” He thought.  “God? Did he say, God?” he was surprised at himself.  Since when did he start thanking God?  He didn’t know, when!  Surely it was Khushi Effect. 

“Humm…!” he closed his eyes drawing the blanket on his chest.  The next day was going to be the make or break day for his AR group of Industries…!

Aakash sat gazing at the blue water for a long time.

“I will do what I want, Bhai..,! I am a grown up man now…! I won’t obey your Orders this time…! Won’t let you win…This time…!” he got up making up his mind.  He needed to talk to his mother to succeed in his plan.  He came back to his room and was on his laptop for a long time. 

“Humm… Maa will help me….! What about Dad?” he was not sure about his father’s support.  “And what about Dadi? And Di?” he recalculated the numbers and shutting down his laptop, marched towards his Di’s room.  

**********    ********

The members were puzzled to gather for this unusually grave Extraordinary Meeting (EGM) called on emergency basis.  The one liner agenda confused them more. 

“What is this, restructuring of Shareholding patter…?” The other members didn’t know.  Aakash walked in to the surprise of everyone.  Nani shifted a bit in her seat.  Mami looked excited and Anjali looked at the entrance nervously, still in dilemma.  Rattan Singh was equally puzzled.  He was thinking of calling an EGM but was not allowed as per the company rules.  He wasn’t yet became the owner of the shares.  The vesting would take another two years.  But this EGM called by Aakash equally puzzled him.  Everything was not well in the paradise of Raizadas.  “Wait and Watch..” Ratan said to himself. 

Arnav walked in exactly at Four.  Nervousness and Apprehension filled the air.  Everyone waited for Mr. Arnavsingh Raizada to open the meeting proceedings.  But before Arnav could open his mouth.  Aakash got up and started the LCD projector.  ASR looked up surprised.  But Aakash took over the control flashing the slide with declining sales graphs.

“Before we start the proceedings of this extraordinary meeting, I request everyone to see this graph and bear in mind the steep decline in the company’s performance…” Aakash looked at everyone…. They all were busy checking the files given to them…!

“Yes, Go ahead Mr. Aakash…!” Mr. Mehra signaled him to go ahead.  Aakash swallowed glancing at ASR who looked shocked.  “Why is he doing this?” Mamaji too was intrigued. Mamiji smiled proudly.  Mehra glanced at the graph and nodded.  Indeed the sales figures were declining….! Krishna Kant’s face flashed before his eyes.  Indeed he was right.  This called for some damage control measures…! No matter what those measures were…!

“Gentlemen, with the permission of the Chairman, I would like to open the proceedings…! Aakash prayed hard in his mind and went on without looking at his Bhai….! He must do it.  He knew, this time, his bhai was wrong…! 

***  ***  ****

“What was that, Bitwa…?” Nani asked mamaji sitting at the table totally exhausted watching the fierce fight between the inseparable cousins…! “Can power and money draw a person to this level?” She didn’t know.  After the meeting she had come home with others except Aakash and Arnav.  Mamaji didn’t answer but ordered Ram Prakash for a strong tea…!

Aakash had stayed back in the office to take over and ASR had walked out of the meeting after the bitter arguments and fight, clearly causing the divide among the members and the majority, including Mr. Mehra and Mr. Rattansingh were on Aakash’s side on the crucial decision on selling the portion of the shares of the group. 

Aakash was against selling the shares of other companies to compensate for the losses of only one major company, AR Designs…!

“If we can’t handle it, why can’t we close it down?” He had asked with backing of Mehra and Ratansingh.

“In that case, we will soon end up losing all the companies in our group..!” ASR had spat back bitterly.  He was shocked to see his brother going against him.  ASR was sure to take out his company AR Designs out of the crisis if the other companies in the group bail him out…! Aakash raised a voice against it and Mehra held up the motion…!

“The limb with gangrened wound must be amputated…!” he had said and ASR had blown his head off.  It was his baby… he had sweat his blood to take the company to this level and now Mehra was calling it a gangrened wound…! Aakash’s tone, wounded his heart. 

“How could you, Aakash?” he asked anguished, first time showing his emotions in the meeting.  Aakash turned his face.  He would never allow his Bhai to ruin the entire group for a single company…! He wouldn’t allow bailing ASR out by investing more money by other group companies…!

“But, this time, Mr. Aakash is right, ASR! Mehra had said showing the figures…! Why the other companies should be hampered to bial out one company? And that too a loss making company…?” he had asked. 

Rattan! Unable to decipher the numbers of previous sales sat there folding his hands.  He didn’t understand the fight.  He could clearly see that AR Designs contributed a whooping 73% to the turnover of the group.  Other companies were merely subsidiaries of this Giant….

“Why are they fighting over closing down this company?  They should close down other trivial company like that apparel or that …  that… crap jewellery business, or those pompous showrooms…! Close down any of those and bail out this company…!” his common sense poked him.  He waited for the opportunity to voice his opinion.  Anyway, he was not eligible to opine…. He was only a member, not a stake holder… Yet! But he wouldn’t let his future, be ruined like this.

“But.. why are you selling this bread earner?” he asked and everyone looked at his stupidity…!

“We are not selling… this bread earner… we are closing it down…!” Aakash said disdainfully…!

“Closing it? Aakash… you said closing it? Are you out of your  mind?” ASR roared like a wounded lion…!

“If.. this is closed… Every other company will be closed soon…! Can’t you all see? As, he said…this is a bread earner company…!” Spat ASR angrily.  Aakash shook his head hopelessly.

“This bread earner is of no use now…Old and toothless lion…!  All the other companies are doing well…!” he looked at the other members.

“We have no other option…!” Aakash declared when the discussion died out and suddenly there prevailed an awkward silence. 

“In that case… I quit!” ASR walked out of the board room, fed up with this boardroom politics and glancing at victorious looks on Mehra’s face.

“But… but we can raise capital from the market…. Arnav was right… we can go back to the investors and raise the funds..” Mamaji spoke gravely looking directly at his son Aakash….!

“Arnav has done it before and has successfully turned the business around to mount of the waves of prosperity…” Mamaji showed full confidence on ASR.  Aakash swallowed hard…! Control was slipping out of his hands…! But Mehra bailed him out.

“Gone are the days of raising capital from the market, Mr. Raizada… “ he said forcefully and then looking at others said…

“In that case… let Mr. Aakash handle this crisis….! He is our future CEO after all…!”

Mami’s face lit up.  She looked at her son proudly and Anjali looked grave.  Her chote had toiled for this company… he had raised it like his baby… working day and night and now cleverly these people are taking over.  She looked at Aakash with a sense of betrayal…! “How could he do this to his Bhai?”

Aakash was unmoved.  “Sorry Bhai… I had to do this… to stop you from your suicidal measures to bring this company out of this deep shit…” he looked down feeling sorry for this Bhai…! 

 ****  ****  ***

Akash came home late in the night to find Payal and Khushi on the sofa, dozing off tiredly.

“Payal…” he mumbled.  Payal got up with a start.

“You came?” she asked glancing around.

“Where is Arnavji?” she asked and Aakash was surprised.

“Bhai has not yet come?” he asked glancing at Khushi.

“No…! We though both of you will come together…! Kuch hua hain kay?” she asked worriedly.  Aakash just shook his head.  That meant no one has discussed anything with these sisters.  He felt better.  Khushi should not be disturbed in this condition of hers…!

“Arnav ji?” Khushi blinked open her eyes and looked around to find Payal and Aakash.

“Jiji…?” she asked questioningly.

“Umm… Khushi ji, Bhai is busy… He has asked you to have food and take rest…!” Aakash said the standard ASR statement…! Khushi nodded and went to the dining table…! Akash sighed relief. 

“Aakash ji, what happened?” Payal asked in a hushed voice looking at his grim face.  He shook a bit…!

“Nothing, Payal.. He is busy with some clients … And I am hungry…!” He said moving towards the table.  Payal went into the kitchen hurriedly.