Bab 8: Chapter 7 - The Pettiness of the Rich

I shook my head. "It feels wrong. This is not Firdaus taking us for a holiday; we are going to him because we think he needs us there. Besides, I received my cheque for the publishing contract last week; it should cover the costs."

"And, thanks to Firdaus, four of my paintings have been sold in the last three months. It is only right that we do this bare minimum for him." Nirvesh fixed an unwavering gaze at Vijay. "If we couldn't afford it, we would ask you for a loan – but as luck would have it, both of us can, right now."

"You will have to fly economy, with me, then," Vijay said.

I laughed. "We have been flying economy all our lives. How is that a deterrent?"

Vijay shot us a strange look. "All his relatives, including Raina and her family, are travelling to London at the company's expense, you know. First class. I was also given the names of the hotels they would like to stay at, which I booked accordingly. Some are at the other end of London from the hospital Firdaus is at."

I bit back my anger. "Where are you staying?" I asked Vijay instead.

"Firdaus' apartment – he lets me have one of the guest rooms whenever we are there. We will move him there once he is stable. I spoke to his doctors; it will be at least two weeks before he is cleared for travel." He hesitated. "The two of you are more than welcome to stay with us; there is plenty of room, and I could use a hand." He looked away. "Unless you have a specific hotel in mind, which I can easily book."

"Of course we will be at the apartment," Nirvesh said easily. "What is the point of going all the way to London to see Firdaus and not be where he is?"

Vijay smiled. "It is probably not in my place to say this, but I am glad Firdaus finally has some worthy people around him. It is going to get ugly really quickly. Both the Rana and the Mehta estates are bequeathed to Firdaus, but a lot of people are turning up in the hope of convincing him to let them have a share. Both his uncles, his father's cousins will try to stake a claim on the Mehta estate – they don't really have any standing, because it is clearly his, but they are hoping that he will give them something to avoid the unnecessary legal hassles. It's the same with his mother's cousins – who will attempt to strike at the Rana estate." He took a deep breath. "He will need all the support he can get."

"He will definitely get all the support we can provide," I said firmly.

"I'm glad I'm not rich," Nirvesh declared. "I can't imagine this mess. Does money really make you this inhuman?"

Vijay laughed bitterly. "You have no idea."

"Do Rudra and Latika know?" I asked. Rudraksham Singhal and Latika Ghosh were Firdaus' lawyers – and they had come to be his friends as well.

"Of course," Vijay said, glancing at his watch. "They are probably already in London by now. They left as soon as they heard; even before I landed in Mumbai."

"That's good to hear," I replied. It was. Rudra and Latika were known to be two of the best lawyers in the country. I had met them only once, and I had come away star-struck. They were not only utterly brilliant, but also very, very intimidating. And if they were already with Firdaus, they would keep away the sharks. It was a relief.

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