Bab 74: An empty vessel makes a lot of noise.
Even the senior staff belonging to both factions started squabbling along with their masters, adding to the chaos.
Since Dharitri couldn't intervene between the two adults, she sought the help of her third uncle, Jayantdev, which also did not help matters much.
Even though Jayantdev had claimed to stay at home to help with the party, he was busy catching up with the news about his competitors and their business from his minions who secretly spied around and collected information on people of relevant interests to him.
Usually, he was extremely busy dealing with work matters and rarely did he find the leisure to catch up on the gossip.
Eventually, it was Kirtidev who stepped in to stop the cacophony and asked Dharitri to take charge of the entire event once more, drawing the ire of his third son and his wife.
The only place which remained unaffected was the pavilion occupied by Katyayani. A serene atmosphere prevailed in the warm chambers as Katyayani listened to the report brought in by Chatvari regarding what was happening in the front yard.
"Oh, I missed a good show!" said Eka with a sigh.
Since Trini wasn't around, Eka and Katyayani had been busy tallying the various business accounts by themselves.
It wasn't that they didn't trust the managers hired by them, but it was necessary to keep a check. Apart from the 'mud-pack' store near the Eastern province border, there were the beauty centres, and the medicine shops whose ledgers needed to be checked on a regular basis.
Even though the Dharmshala didn't make any income, its expenses still needed to be scrutinised. Finally, there was the music hall, Mrigtrishna.
Thankfully in the case of Mrigtrishna, all Katyayani needed to do was give a cursory glance. But this time, due to the changes caused by external factors, Katyayani paid more attention to the numbers of the music school.
The total profit made by all places was distributed in six segments after deducting all expenses and counting the reinvestment capital. This practice had come about five years ago when Katyayani started learning the ropes of business seriously.
For her, the relationship with these five women was the most important. But feelings were one side and business was another. They may be working as her attendants, but for her, they were everything from her teachers to her confidants to her family!
As for the share distribution, her argument was that it was really difficult to distinguish the efforts of everyone and hence an equal percentage was the best solution.
Anyways, Katyayani didn't really lack money.
Unknown to everyone, except for Mandodari, Kadambari had left a huge dowry for her daughter. This was something which was under the sole supervision of Mandodari for now and had been secretly sent by Katyayani's maternal grandmother after her birth.
Moreover, Hridaydev had also left behind a surprising number of properties which were all in the name of Katyayani as the beneficiary and they were currently being managed by some old servants who used to work solely for her father, though the origin of this wealth and these servants still remained unknown to Katyayani.
Apparently, no one in the Bali family, including Kirtidev, were aware of this matter regarding Hridaydev's resources.
The deeds of these places were given to Katyayni by a stranger after her parents' death. He had claimed to the head manager for all her estates and solemnly told her that her father's legacy was waiting to be reclaimed by her whenever she was ready.
About this issue, even Mandodari wasn't clear. Over the years, the man kept sending her the detailed ledges for all the estates that she owned. Last year the man came to see Katyayani at the cabin and had urged her to take over and start learning about her inheritance.
Guiltily, she had told him that she still needed to fulfill a major task and promised him that she would come to him after two years and take over her father's legacy.
Over the years, the man sent her the best clothing material and ornaments which had been sourced from across various kingdoms. The man had never disclosed his identity or background and Katyayani had deliberately chosen not to inquire as well.
She was not in a hurry to solve the mystery behind this matter. There was enough occupying her plate as of now. But it was perplexing to know that her father, who had led a mediocre life on the surface, had a lot of hidden realms in his past.
Chatvari came over and handed a cloth-wrapped, 4x4 rectangular object to Katyayani. "Young Miss, the man has finished doing what you asked for. "
Even though Katyayani had given the rudraksh beads bracelet to her grandfather as a gift earlier, she couldn't possibly abstain from adding to the birthday gifts' pile on the party day.
"Just in time!" said Katyayani and removed the cover.
It was a painting of a serene female face which held a shy expression. But the technique of this painting was really unique. Made with gold foil and semi-precious stones, it had been stuck on a small plank of wood with the help of a binding agent.
Katyayani had only seen such a painting once when her father's estate manager sent a lotus painting to her last year which had been made using this method. She didn't know the origin of the painting but had studied it carefully to understand the process.
Her drawing skills weren't beyond passable and she usually shied away from this form of art.
But this technique of using gold foil really attracted her and she made a few pieces as a trial before attempting to make this particular one for her grandfather.
Katyayani had put in a lot of effort in pleasing her grandfather. But it was not solely due to her affection for him!
Hadiah
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