Episode 2 - Sole Heir!
Hearing the owner's loud voice, Kartik let go of Rahul's shirt collar and stood quietly.
Rahul, annoyed, said to the owner, "I have been coming to your bar for a long time, and every time I come, I order expensive beer and scotch worth millions. But how am I treated in return? Your ill-mannered waiter laid hands on me! I will not tolerate this behavior at all! I am calling the police right now, and all of you will go to jail!"
Saying this, Rahul angrily took out his mobile from his pocket. Hearing the mention of the police, the owner pleaded with Rahul, "Sir, I know this is a big mistake. But I beg you, please don't call the police. Please forgive his mistake. He will apologize to you right now."
Hearing this, Rahul gave a sideways smile to Kartik.
Neel told the owner, "Sir, Kartik is not at fault. Rahul dumped an entire bottle of scotch on him just to take out his frustration and then started the fight."
The owner scolded him loudly, "You shut up! Are you Kartik's lawyer, covering up for his misbehavior?" Then he looked at Kartik and said, "Apologize to the sir right now, or I will fire you."
On hearing this, Shanon looked at Rahul with a sarcastic smile. It was clear how pleased they were with the owner's words.
Kartik sighed deeply and said, "I am not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong."
The owner shouted again, "Fine then! You are fired!"
On hearing this, Neel panicked, but Kartik said without a second thought, "With pleasure, I quit!!"
He then loosened his tie, smiled nonchalantly at Rahul and Shanon, and walked out. Neel followed him quickly.
Everyone was stunned by his attitude. Even the owner was shocked at how this poor kid had gained so much arrogance.
*********
Meanwhile, Kartik walked with his bag on the deserted streets. Neel followed him. Seeing Neel, Kartik said, "You here?"
Neel placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Wherever Kartik goes, Neel will be there too."
Hearing this, Kartik's face lit up with a warm smile, but then he looked a bit sad and said, "You shouldn't have quit your job!"
Neel replied, "Forget all that and tell me, what's the next step?"
Kartik sat on a bench by the sidewalk and took out his mobile to activate his second SIM, which he had deactivated almost 6 years ago. Seeing Kartik staring at his phone, Neel said, "I'm asking what we should do next, and you're looking at your phone!"
As soon as Kartik turned on his old SIM, numerous messages started coming in. One of the messages read, "Kartik, wherever you are right now, return to Mittal Palace immediately. Your rights are being restored to you." This message had arrived 7 days ago.
Kartik was astonished reading the message, "But these rights were supposed to take time to get. So why now…?" For a moment, he even forgot that Neel was with him.
Hearing Kartik's faint voice, Neel gave a strange expression and said, "Kartik, are you having another episode? Here, we are struggling for food and you're just…"
Kartik's face showed a different level of confidence. Suddenly, he called a taxi and got in. A confused and worried Neel quickly followed him into the taxi, "Come on, tell me where we are going?"
Kartik finally smiled at him and said, "Just watch! Our time has come!" He closed his eyes and leaned back comfortably in the taxi seat. A blurry image began to appear in his closed eyes.
"Kartik is not the real heir of the Mittal family. No matter how much you argue, he must hide his identity for 7 years. Only if he succeeds under this condition will he get his rights," a heavy voice said.
"But how can you send my child away like this? How can you separate him from me! Wasn't it known from the start that he wasn't part of this house, so why didn't you refuse earlier? Why are you punishing me along with this child?" Kartik's mother cried.
"What's been said is said. If he wants to be worthy of this house, he has to go through this ordeal. We won't let the name of this mansion be tarnished because of one child; it's the result of years and generations of effort, he has to earn it!!"
"You are not doing this right… not right at all!! Someone stop them… don't take my child… I won't allow it…"
While he was lost in these past thoughts, the taxi stopped in front of a large palace, and a tear dropped from his opened eyes.
Kartik got out of the taxi, paid the driver, and looked at the magnificent palace with his hands in his pockets.
The palace was built of white marble, and a large gate displayed the name Mittal Palace.
Seeing the palace, Neel, with excitement, said to Kartik, "Oh, now I get it. So we are going to work here! Nice, very nice!"
Inside the palace was a large water fountain with colorful lights. At night, the fountain looked stunning. There was also a vast garden around, and Kartik stopped there. Seeing him stop, Neel nudged him and said, "Don't tell me you accidentally came here. Look, I've decided to work here now…"
Just then, a watchman ran up to them, pulled out a key from his pocket, and handed it to Kartik, saying, "Welcome back, Prince."
Kartik gave him a slight smile.
Neel corrected the watchman, "His name is not Prince, it's Kartik."
But both the watchman and Kartik ignored this and Kartik began to enter the palace. The living room of the palace was grand and beautiful. There was a large, expensive chandelier in the center and big, luxurious white sofas. When Neel came in, his mouth fell open in awe.
At that moment, a man, approximately 55 to 60 years old, entered. He was dressed in an expensive three-piece suit and carried an elegant cane. His French-cut white beard testified to his age.
As soon as he saw Kartik, he was very pleased and said, "Welcome back, Prince."
Kartik looked at them closely, trying to recognize them.
The person stepped forward and said, "Prince, I am your family lawyer, Harshal Chauhan, your father's closest friend. Do you remember? We met when you were 8 years old."
As soon as Chauhan uncle said this, Kartik thought for a moment and then suddenly a big smile appeared on his face. He quickly hugged Chauhan uncle, and seeing Kartik like this, Chauhan uncle's eyes welled up with tears.
Kartik, astonished, said, "Uncle, there are still six months left to complete the condition, but I received a message that…"
"Yes, young master, your rights are being restored because you are the sole heir to the Mittal properties," Chauhan uncle interrupted him.
Hearing this, Neel exclaimed loudly, "What?? First Prince! Now Heir!"
Kartik asked Chauhan uncle, "I don't understand, uncle!"
Chauhan uncle, wiping his tears, replied, "A few months ago, your father passed away in a car accident. As long as your condition wasn't completed, the property couldn't be transferred to you. But now that there's no one else, according to the will, the court is instructing to transfer everything to you."
Upon hearing the news of his father's death, Kartik closed his eyes. He remembered how his mother had died of a heart attack after his father left. The last time he had seen this palace was from outside during his parents' funeral. Knowing his father's arrogance and condition, Kartik had decided never to return to this place. But after his mother's death, he had made up his mind to fulfill her wish and become the heir to this house as she had wanted.
Chauhan uncle said, "I know your father always treated you badly, even leaving you alone. Knowing all this, you are still mourning his death. He would want nothing more. I always had faith that you would come to handle this inheritance."
Kartik seemed to suppress his sadness in one breath. He knew that there was no point in blaming someone who was gone. He took a deep breath and said to Chauhan uncle, "Uncle, what do I need to do next?"
"You need to go to City Bank, meet the bank manager Mr. Khanna, and collect the property papers. The property will be transferred to your name within 48 hours," Chauhan uncle replied.
With this, Neel and Kartik decided to stay at the palace and rest for a bit. Kartik unlocked his old room with the keys given by the watchman.
Neel was once again astonished to see the room. He said, "Why did you bring me to this kids' room? I know you've become the owner of this house, but is this really the time to play with toys?"
Then Neel noticed a bed with a silk bedsheet. By now, he had also felt the cool air of the AC. Kartik, feeling emotional, looked at the toys and said, "This… is my childhood room… You know…"
As he turned to look at Neel, he saw that Neel had already sprawled out on the bed, having fallen asleep without even taking off his shoes.
The next morning at 9 AM, they got ready and came downstairs. Kartik told Chauhan uncle, "I'm going to the bank now."
"Best of luck," uncle Chauhan said, patting his head. With that, Neel and Kartik both left the palace.
As they exited the palace, Neel jumped onto Kartik's back and joyfully said, "Look at this, where the world saw you as just a simple waiter, and now you turn out to be the little master!"
Kartik smiled and said, "Enough already!"
As soon as Kartik arrived at Citybank, the receptionist asked, "Sir, how can I help you?"
Kartik replied, "I need to meet Mr. Khanna, the manager."
The receptionist typed something on her computer and asked, "Can you tell me what you want to meet him for?"
"I want to transfer the Mittal Properties in my name," Kartik said.
The receptionist looked expressionless and asked, "Are you joking?"
Kartik shook his head and said, "Please don't waste my time; it's urgent."
The receptionist stood up, visibly irritated, and shouted, "Leave immediately! Do you even know about Mittal Properties or are you pranking me?"
Just then, the landline phone on her desk rang. She answered, and Manager Mr. Khanna said, "Kartik Mittal will arrive soon, sent by Mr. Chauhan. Inform me as soon as he arrives."
Hearing this, the receptionist's demeanor changed. She looked at Kartik and asked, "Your name?"
"Mittal Kartik, and you?" Kartik replied.
The receptionist, Shefali, stuttered, "Shefali... Did Mr. Chauhan send you?"
Kartik nodded, and Shefali's tone instantly changed. She forced a smile and said, "Welcome, sir. Please follow me."
Inside Mr. Khanna's cabin, Shefali announced, "Kartik Mittal has arrived."
Mr. Khanna stood up and scolded Shefali, "Idiot! I told you to inform me as soon as he arrives."
Shefali quietly apologized to Kartik and left to fetch special tea. Mr. Khanna asked Kartik to sit and said, "There's some formalities to complete."
As they spoke, Shefali returned with the tea, visibly nervous, fearing Kartik might complain about her behavior.
Just then, she slipped and spilled tea on Kartik, who quickly stood up. Mr. Khanna shouted at Shefali, "Can't you do anything right? You idiot!"
Shefali's eyes welled up with tears after being scolded. Kartik felt a burning sensation on his shoulder due to the spilled hot tea. The manager continued rebuking Shefali until some people arrived at the cabin to collect Kartik's retina and fingerprint samples.
After the procedure, the manager said, "Sir, your property will be transferred in your name within three hours."
Kartik stood up, thanked the manager, and left the cabin. Shefali was waiting outside and apologized again, "I'm so sorry, you faced a lot of trouble at the bank because of me."
However, Kartik left with Neel without responding. As they stepped out, a BMW stopped in front of them. The window rolled down, revealing Rahul at the wheel.
Rahul looked Kartik up and down, smirked, and said sarcastically, "Wow, looks like you're waiting for someone outside the bank! What a terrible day you're having – lost your job and your girlfriend!"
Rahul laughed loudly and continued, "You were quite the hero at the bar yesterday. If you've got guts, meet me at Hoot Bistro tonight at 9:00. If you win my game, Shannon will propose to you and kiss you in front of everyone."
Kartik asked directly, "What's your condition?"
Rahul sneered, "Scared already?"
Kartik insisted, "Tell me your condition."
Rahul said, "You'll find out when you arrive. If you don't show up, I'll know you're a loser."
Kartik smiled and said, "What I am, I'm not. And what I'm not, I definitely am. See you at 9!"