He lifted his head to say, “Ranju, I want to tell you something before you go. My aunt isn’t the easiest of people to deal with. She likes to poke her nose into everything. She’s old and is happy staying with me rather than with her sons. I will not come between the two of you. You can deal with her the way you feel fit. Only you’ll need a lot of tact.”
“Now he tells me.” Ranjini rolled her eyes. “Just tell me something. How old is she? What does she do to pass her time?”
“She’ll turn fifty-eight in a couple of months. She keeps house for me.”
“You don’t worry.” Ranjini hugged him. “I know how important family is. I’ll do my best to be friendly.”
Chandrakanth grimaced. “It’s not you that I’m worried about.”
Ranjini raised a hand to smooth the frown on his forehead. “Leave it to me.” She pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss before going to get ready.
“Will I do?” Ranjini used Chandrakanth’s words on him as she stood in front of him twenty minutes later.
Chandrakanth stared at the vision in front of him. She wore a Kanjivaram silk sari in turquoise blue with a narrow gold zari border that looked so simple and yet so elegant at the same time. Ranjini had brushed back her hair and secured it with a pin on one side, leaving her curly locks loose otherwise. Her make-up was minimal, with a matching blue sticker pottu between her well-shaped eyebrows, her dark eyes appearing liquid and large with mascara and liner while her lips sported a nude gloss. There were turquoises set in gold, on her ears and neck, with a matching bracelet on her right wrist.
“Come here.” Chandrakanth held her close, taking his iPhone out to click a few selfie shots, before pressing his lips to her neck. “You make me want to undress you.”
It might not be much as compliments go, but it told her a lot as Ranjini grinned at her husband.
Just then, the pilot made an announcement, requesting them to take their seats and wear their seatbelts; for they were to land in ten minutes. Sitting next to Chandrakanth on a luxurious sofa, Ranjini said, “This is simply awesome. I never knew you owned a plane.”
“It’s new actually. I acquired it only a couple of months ago.”
“Should I expect to be borne by a limousine when we get off?” asked Ranjini, giving him a mischievous grin.
Chandrakanth laughed. “Not really. It’s difficult to drive one of those in the road traffic in Chennai. Remind me to hire you one when we visit Dubai.”
Ranjini stared at her husband, her eyes and mouth wide as it hit her by-and-by how rich her husband really was.
Chandrakanth caught her arm just before they stepped out of the exit gate. “Remember, whatever happens, whatever you hear, you are the only one I want for my wife.”
Before she could ask him what he meant, a huge crowd had gathered around the two of them, the likes she had never imagined. Each man and woman wanted to touch the superstar, shake his hand and click a picture with him. But for Chandrakanth’s hand holding hers firmly, Ranjini would have been lost in a sea of humans. While his security men kept making way for the two of them, his fans kept coming back in hordes. It was more than an hour before they managed to get into the Rolls Royce that was parked near the kerb. The driver took off as if the devil was on his tail.
“Do you face that every time you step out in public?” asked Ranjini, looking at her husband in awe.
Chandrakanth smiled. “Yes, all over Tamil Nadu. Though, I’m not complaining.” He winked at her.
She could see that he obviously loved the adulation. How could one blame the superstar? He had really worked hard to reach where he was today. Ranjini placed her head on her husband’s shoulder, saying, “I feel so proud of being your wife.”
With his arm around her waist, Chandrakanth hugged her close to him.
10
Maragadham stood at the double door with a round-shaped, silver tray of aarathi—a mixture of turmeric powder, crushed limestone and water—to greet the newlyweds. This was meant to ward off the evil eye. She instructed Chandrakanth and Ranjini to stand at the entrance to the house and rotated the tray three times in the clockwise direction in front of them. Chandrakanth removed his purse to put a 10-rupee coin into the aarathi tray before handing a 2000-rupee note to his smiling aunt.
Maragadham tried not to be obvious as she kept checking out her nephew’s bride from the corner of her eyes. She had decided to dislike the young woman who had dared to wed Chandrakanth without his family’s—his aunt’s—approval.
“Walk into the house with your right foot forward,” she instructed both of them, handing the tray to a servant and instructing her to pour it on the big kolam—a design drawn with rice flour in front of homes in Tamil Nadu—that had been drawn on the portico.
The newlyweds bent down to touch Maragadham’s feet to receive her blessings. The latter muttered something unintelligible, before Chandrakanth, who had been silent till then, introduced his new wife to his aunt, saying, “Periamma, this is Ranjini, my wife. Ranjini...”
“I can see that.” Maragadham interrupted sharply. “Let’s all go and have lunch before the food gets cold. I’ve been expecting you since the past two hours.”
Ranjini looked from Chandrakanth to Maragadham and back to Chandrakanth, holding back the laughter that bubbled up her throat. It was past noon. But she hadn’t known they were on an agenda. She caught her husband’s hand, seeing the frown on his face. His aunt, who already seemed rankled because she had been kept away from the wedding, was too close to tipping point. Ranjini brushed her thumb softly over Chandrakanth’s palm, hoping it would calm him down.
Chandrakanth turned to look at his wife with turbulent brown eyes, his temper waiting to explode, when he saw Ranjini’s slight shake of the head. Biting back the retort that had formed on his lips, he followed his aunt into the dining room.
Where the hell was Vivek? He didn’t know that Maragadham had insisted on sending Vivek on some useless errand all the way to Thiruvanmiyur, not giving him a choice.
Before they could take a step further, a ball of fur came streaking into the living room and jumped on Chandrakanth. He immediately went on his knees, laughing as the beagle pup licked him on his face, yelping in delight. “Ludo! I know, I know. I missed you too.” He rubbed the puppy’s forehead and hugged him, lifting him into his arms to introduce him to Ranjini. “Ranju, this is Ludo.”
“Cutie!” Ranjini laughed as Ludo first sniffed her hand before licking it thoroughly. “He’s so adorable.”
“Chandrakanth, can we have our lunch first?” Maragadham had to really work hard to keep her voice pleasant.
“Soon periamma.” Between Ranjini’s gentle touch and Ludo’s boisterous greeting, Chandrakanth’s temper had cooled down. “I need to have a wash first.”
“So do I.” Ranjini’s voice was softer. She was also keen to see where she was to live.
Her husband sensed her eyes on him and looked at her. “Would you like to have a look upstairs?”
“Please.” She gave his aunt a corner-eyed look before raising an eyebrow at him. She wasn’t keen to start on a wrong foot with the older woman.
“Tell you what periamma. Give us half an hour. I’d like to change before lunch. And where’s Vivek?” He left Ludo on the floor and the puppy went chasing after a partly ripped teddy bear that a servant dangled in front of him.
“He left immediately after breakfast saying that he had some urgent work to finish. You know him. He doesn’t tell me anything properly.” Maragadham refused to meet Chandrakanth’s eyes when she said that of Vivek. She was actually too possessive of her nephew and didn’t like anyone getting close to Chandrakanth.
“Okay then. Come along Ranju. I’ll show you the house.” He took his wife’s hand to walk up the marble staircase that was on the left side of the living room.
They came down in exactly half an hour, much to Maragadham’s annoyance. But she hid it, knowing only too well that she would be the loser if she got into an argum
ent with her nephew.
Ranjini had to curb her grin with difficulty as she looked at her aunt-in-law’s expression. She wore a garish smile on her red face that appeared to be on the verge of an apoplexy.
The three of them sat down at the circular dining table that could seat eight, before two men brought various bowls of steaming curries and rice. Three large banana leaves were spread out on the table for them to eat from. The head cook Easwaran and his assistant Keerthi began to serve them on the plantain leaf, placing a piece of jhangri—a sweetmeat—first. Then came the rice. Before Keerthi could pour the chicken curry on Ranjini’s leaf, Chandrakanth stopped him. “Madam is vegetarian. Don’t give her chicken.”
There was a look of identical shock on both the cooks’ faces as they looked from Maragadham to Chandrakanth and then back to Maragadham. She had given them instructions to make all dishes non-vegetarian, except for the dessert.
Easwaran recovered almost immediately and said, “Sorry sir, madam. I didn’t know that. Let me rustle up something. Can you give me a few minutes?” He turned to ask Ranjini.
She gave him a pacifying smile. “I don’t mind having anything. Do you have something leftover from breakfast? What did you make in the morning?”
“Pongal and gothsu! But I...”
“Lovely!” Ranjini clapped her hands, smiling at Easwaran again. She liked the rice preparation served with a spicy tamarind curry. “Do you have some leftover?”
“Yes madam, but...”
“I’d love to have it.”
Feeling touched by the younger woman’s consideration, Easwaran gave his boss a wary look. At his nod, he went inside the kitchen to warm up the leftovers from breakfast.
Chandrakanth gave his aunt a penetrating look, not uttering a word. Though cowering from within, Maragadham managed to hide it, giving him a bland look. “Didn’t Vivek mention that Ranjini eats only vegetarian?” Chandrakanth asked his aunt. His Man Friday’s phone had been out of reach when Chandrakanth had tried to call him some time back.
Maragadham’s eyes turned shifty as she mumbled. “Maybe he mentioned it, though I can’t recall. I think age is catching up with me.”
In the meanwhile, Keerthi removed the banana leaf from in front of Ranjini to replace it with a fresh one. Easwaran walked in with steaming bowls of pongal and gothsu and served them on the new leaf after placing another piece of jhangri on it. Ranjini immediately tasted some pongal and told Easwaran, “This is delicious uncle. Thank you so much,” making the man her slave for life.
Chandrakanth raised an enquiring brow at his wife. She shrugged. “This is truly amazing and quite fresh. I wouldn’t have known if uncle hadn’t told me that it’s from morning’s breakfast.”
Maragadham gritted her teeth. Her first attack had gone bouncer. Of course she knew that Ranjini was vegetarian. Vivek had been very clear about it and had actually offered to inform Easwaran regarding the same. But she had forestalled him, insisting that she would give the cook the message.
“May I have a glass of buttermilk, please?” Ranjini asked Keerthi.
“Sure madam.” Keerthi went to the kitchen to fulfil his new mistress’s wish.
Maragadham, gnashing her teeth by now, watched the way both cooks fell over themselves to take care of Ranjini’s needs. Insecurity burned within her, making her want to throttle Chandrakanth’s bride with her bare hands.
Let Chandrakanth get busy, she pacified herself. Then she’d deal with the chit!
11
Chandrakanth had a long chat with Vivek when the latter returned at 4 pm after his worthless jaunt. Vivek was beyond irritated with the wild goose chase that Maragadham had sent him out on. The two of them, however, refrained from discussing Maragadham, aware that it would only be a waste of time.
Chandrakanth was frowning ferociously at the wall as the two of them sat in the first floor living room. Ranjini was sitting out on the terrace, working on her laptop, only too glad to leave the men to their meeting.
Vivek finished giving the actor his schedule for the rest of the week when Chandrakanth shared the reason for his disturbance. “I’m a bit scared of leaving Ranjini alone with periamma. I don’t know what’s wrong, but she seems to have taken a dislike to my wife. I…” He stopped talking when Vivek laughed, and glared at him. “What’s so funny?”
“CK, you got married without informing periamma. I’m sure she’s cut up about it. But she never shows any anger towards you, probably because she feels grateful to you for giving her a home to live in. But that doesn’t mean that she’s happy with your hurried wedding. If she can’t blame you, there’s only your wife she can point a finger at. But I wouldn’t worry about Ranjini. She can handle just about anyone.”
“You think so?” Though extremely possessive about his wife, Chandrakanth’s didn’t mind Vivek’s familiarity with his wife since he knew that the latter looked upon her like a sister.
Vivek nodded his head vigorously. Ranjini might appear easygoing, but he knew fully well that she was a shrewd and successful business woman who dealt with all kinds of people from around the world.
Chandrakanth nodded slowly. “I want you to arrange for Ranjini’s scooty to be brought over from Kotagiri. Get someone on the job immediately.” Chandrakanth respected his wife’s wish. She was attached to the two-wheeler and wanted it down here with her. The only other thing she was attached to was her laptop that she already had with her. He had found nothing strange about Ranjini’s lack of interest in clothes, jewellery or makeup. It’s not that she didn’t like to dress up, but they weren’t her priority it seemed.
“Okay.” Vivek nodded. “Anything else? I’ll ask your driver to be here at 6.30 tomorrow morning. You have to be at AVM studio by seven. And do you want me to organise a wedding reception? Periamma told me to plan one ASAP.” Vivek grinned, recalling how she had gone on and on about Chandrakanth’s reputation getting smeared due to the hurried and hush-hush wedding.
Chandrakanth grinned back at Vivek for his own reason. The social media was buzzing with pictures of Ranjini and himself that had been shot at the airport. Ranjini had managed to post the wedding picture and brief news regarding the same on his website a few hours after the ceremony. Online portals had been abuzz regarding the news since two days, while Chandrakanth had kept his official cell number switched off. Ranjini had already gathered twenty links at the last count, with news of the wedding. The news was expected to make headlines in tomorrow’s newspapers. Chandrakanth hadn’t bothered to check the TV news channels. “Not immediately Vivek,” he grimaced. “Give it some time. Today is Saturday. What about next Saturday? Let me ask Ranjini if she’s okay with that. Do I have any specific schedule on that day?”
“An ad shoot in the morning at Prasad studio. You should be done by two or so.”
Chandrakanth nodded. “I’ll tell you by tonight.”
“You do that. I’m going out for a while. Ping me if you need something.” Vivek got up, waved to his boss and went down the stairs.
Chandrakanth got up to go to the terrace and smiled to himself when he saw Ranjini busy on the garden swing, a square cushion on her lap, her laptop placed on it. Her earplugs were on as she spoke into her phone. She gave him peace and fitted so well on the terrace, amidst the small jungle of potted plants. Ludo was ensconced on the swing, next to her, his head on his paws. He lifted a lazy ear and twitched it when he noticed his master, unmoving otherwise.
Ranjini sensed her husband’s presence, lifting her gaze from her laptop to give him a wide smile and a wave. She disconnected the call and got up, placing the cushion with the laptop on a table nearby, out of Ludo’s reach. “Meeting over?”
CK nodded, pulling her into his arms and giving her a deep kiss. “Working hard?”
She grinned, shaking her head. “Not hard, but yes. My client in Toronto just woke up and wanted an urgent meeting.”
“Did I interrupt?” he asked softly, running his eyes over her animated face.
“Not r
eally. We were just getting done when you came.”
“Listen, I’ll be leaving early, at 6.30, tomorrow morning. Will you be okay? I know periamma...” Chandrakanth grimaced before Ranjini placed a hand over his mouth, shaking her head.
“She’s old Chandru, and loves you. So, she’s a bit jealous that I’m here to share your attention. You don’t worry about it and let me handle it. Just a word of warning though,” she grinned, “don’t bother to take sides. The result might be too unpleasant.”
Chandrakanth looked down at his wife’s mischievous face. That was one of the first things that had struck him about her—her confidence. Her attitude was that she could deal with just about anything. He patted her on her cheek. “I’ll take your word for it. Believe me, I’d rather not hear anything about it. But...”
Scorpio Superstar (Written in the Stars Book 1) Page 7
