The Promise (SAMPLE ONLY)

Chapter 5

A week later, a private jet with the words Saaho Group blazed across it landed in India.

An entourage of assistants and bodyguards accompanied Vikram and Vishal as they checked into a penthouse hotel suite. Nobody had the time to relax. The questions along with the preparations continued.

"And what about the rest of the people working in Suryaprakash's household?" Vishal asked looking at the file.

"There are two other people in Mr. Suryaprakash's employ," Tanuj replied. "But we have only made contact with the accountant and driver. It seemed too risky to make contact with the other two as they have been working for him for way too long."

"Good," said Vikram. "We can't afford to change our plan at the last moment. Just ensure that the driver and the accountant remain silent and bound to the contract they signed. Don't skimp or bargain with whatever amount of money they had demanded."

Tanuj nodded. Meantime, Pooja pulled out another file and placed it on the table. "This one is about Mr. Suryaprakash's family. His granddaughters—"

"I already told you before not to bother with his family," Vikram interrupted. "Just focus on the man we are to impress."

Pooja nodded and put the file aside.

Vishal looked at Tanuj. "How much longer for the rest of the preparations?"

"Your new clothes and required accessories will be delivered to the suite this evening. And the driver's licenses and IDs will be arriving tomorrow."

It had been less than twenty hours since they landed in India. Considering the progress so far, Vikram and Vishal should have been impressed. But they weren't. They were both impatient to get to the actual person and begin their charade.

"There's one more important thing," Pooja said tentatively. "We need to brief you both on the customs and traditions of the villages. We hired a consultant for that job."

"Where is he?"

"He's in the lobby of the hotel, waiting to be summoned if you want him."

Vikram looked at Vishal who shrugged. "We might as well know to make things a bit simpler during our stay."

***

If only it were that simple. The consulting was brutal. The consultant went through every possible custom, some of which Vikram and Vishal already knew as their mother was particular of those traditions.

"What do you mean by orthodox? We consider ourselves to be somewhat orthodox, too," Vishal interrupted when the man continued on yet another long lecture.

"No offense, sir," the consultant replied. "By orthodox, I mean that if you talk or show interest in a girl, you are expected to marry her."

Vishal looked horrified. "If you just talk?"

"Well... maybe times have changed, but not by much. Talking is fine. But any sort of romantic touching is a strict intent to marry."

Much later, when the consultant finally left, Vishal shook his head in disbelief. "Well, it's a good thing neither of us plans to even see, let alone touch anyone in the romantic sense during our charade."

Looking at the horrified look on Vishal's face, "Are you sure?" Vikram asked with a touch of amusement.

"Most definitely! Can you imagine me ever having to marry at my age? And that too to a naive woman who is from a village?"

"Based on your attention span when it comes to the women you date, no."

Vishal chuckled. He gazed out of the large window that overlooked the bustling city.

"Would you like me to arrange for dinner at an exclusive restaurant in the city?" Tanuj asked.

"No," Vikram replied. "There is a lot of pending handover before I go off the grid."

It was a Saturday and most parts of the world weren't working. But Tanuj expected that of the older Saaho brother. He then looked at his employer and got the answer he predicted.

Vishal Saaho smiled. "Makearrangements at the best nightclub this city has to offer."