Contractually Yours - A Maaneet SS

Chapter 1 - The Prelude

Geet drummed her fingers on the table, exasperated that she was having this discussion again.

"No" she said, hoping that it would end this discussion.

Unfortunately for her, it didn't

"What do you mean no?" Her aunt shot up from the chair, making no effort to adorn the mask of saccharine sweetness anymore.

She flinched seeing the sneer on her aunt's face - as a child she had been so scared of her aunt and her temper - she had been at the receiving end of it so many times for no fault of hers.

At 25 years old, you'd think she would be free from the shackles of tight power her uncle and aunt always held over her.

But she wasn't. She liked to think she was getting there, and GH Interiors, the company that she'd so lovingly set up was the first step in that.

"Rajjo, sit down" her uncle said, curling his fingers over her aunt's hand and pulling her back down to the chair, "look Puttar, we are only asking you to sell part of your ownership to help your brother"

Geet made no effort to suppress the snort that just escaped her, mustering all the courage she had, she looked at her uncle straight in the eye "20% of my ownership isn't going to get you the money you want, and besides, this is my company - I let you, Tai ji and Brij veer ji have some ownership only because you raised me"

A few seconds passed where her aunt glared at her, shooting absolute daggers at her.

"Someone is willing to pay the price we are asking for 20% of your ownership, we have arranged for you to meet him in his office. You will sign the papers without a word"

Geet banged her palms on the table and shot up from her chair, "what the hell do you mean arranged for me to meet him?"

An evil smile graced her aunt's face, "exactly what it sounds like - we arranged for a buyer so that we could use that money to pay off the debt of my son"

The rage that was building in Geet threatened to overpower her sanity - she had never been this angry, "and what makes you think I'll agree? And even if I do, what makes you think I'll hand over that money to you - money which I earned because OF MY HARDWORK"

The knowing smile that passed between her uncle and aunt did nothing to calm her - in the contrary it only fuelled her anger more

"For the same reason why you still put up with us, sweet girl. For the same reason why you let us have 45% ownership in your company. Because if you don't, you won't get the haveli your dad left you"

She couldn't believe this! Now they were threatening her openly?

All she had left of her late parents was the house where she was born - she had such fond memories of that house - where she has spent the first 10 years of her life, and the best and the only years she had with her parents.

Geet had held on to the hope that some day she would be able to get it back  - because that wasn't just a house, for her it was where the memories of her mom and dad still resided.

"Selling 20% of my ownership means I lose my majority in ownership. And Tai ji, I'm not fooled for a second to think that the minute I do that, you won't think twice to throw me out"

"We would never do that, Puttar"

She wasn't sure if her uncle even convinced himself, let alone convince her - her uncle always seemed to actually show a semblance of care for her, but for some reason could never override his wife.

Over the years, Geet had started to believe the loving, caring uncle she had thought him to be, who used to scoop her up on her shoulder and dance with her, who used to side with her when her mother scolded her, who was more of a father to her than uncle - that man was probably nothing but a figment of her imagination.