Narayanan, who was sitting on the sofa in the hall and talking to the lawyer, looked up casually and was pleasantly surprised. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"What's happening here? Is all this a dream? Or is it real? I can't believe it at all," was the thought that ran through his mind.
There, Theeran walked ahead, followed by Bhadran carrying Vaishnavi. Mullai walked close to Bhadran. The scene looked like a beautiful family portrait. Moreover, the pairing of Bhadran and Mullai was fantastic. Seeing this, Narayanan was happy that the decision he had made was the right one.
Bhadran came straight and sat down majestically on the sofa opposite them with Vaishnavi. Theeran and Mullai were standing. Seeing this, Narayanan said, "Why are you standing, dear? Go and sit next to him." Mullai hesitated a little. But Bhadran casually grabbed her hand, pulled her, and made her sit next to him.
Mullai was startled and looked at him. But he didn't look at her; he looked at Narayanan. An awkward smile spread across Narayanan's face. Bhadran came straight to the point.
"Why have you come, Dad? The lawyer is also here?" he asked, frowning, as if an unwanted guest had arrived at his house.
Ignoring all that, Narayanan said, "I've come with the lawyer to transfer all your properties that are in my name to your name."
Bhadran said casually, "What's the hurry, Dad? Let them remain in your name."
Narayanan was shocked to hear that. "It was by using this property that we threatened him and made him live with Mullai. He was very angry then. But now, why is he asking about it so casually, as if it's completely unrelated?" he thought to himself.
Bhadran was talking to Vaishnavi. He wasn't paying attention to anyone else. Watching this, Narayanan tried to provoke him, saying, "Hey, what's the point of all this property being in this old man's name? Look here, you have two children too. Don't they need anything?"
Although he knew why Narayanan was speaking like this, he answered his question. "Look, Dad, what do you think of me? If my entire empire is in your name, do you think I'm that much of a fool?" he asked mockingly.
While Narayanan sat there not knowing what to say, Bhadran continued.
"The property in your name is only worth 10%. I've given you that much. The remaining 90% is in my name. That's enough for my children," Bhadran said. Narayanan remained outwardly calm, but the lawyer who had accompanied him was so shocked that he almost fainted.
Because the value of the property in Narayanan's name alone exceeded 1000 crores. Based on what Bhadran was saying, the lawyer, who was mentally calculating the figures, was so stunned that he could only stare at Bhadran in disbelief.
Besides, when did Bhadran get married? And he even has two children? He wondered, but didn't ask them. He knew that Bhadran absolutely disliked being asked any counter-questions.
Narayanan looked at Dheeran and Vaishnavi and asked wistfully, "My darlings, won't you come to Grandpa? Why are you staying there?" Vaishnavi slowly got down from Bhadran's lap and went to him. "Come here, my darling," he said, lifting Vaishnavi onto his lap. He then noticed the wound on her elbow. Immediately, with a touch of shock, he asked, "What's this wound on your hand?" His voice was filled with affection.
Vaishnavi, in her childish voice, replied, "It's nothing, Grandpa... I fell down the stairs." He said with concern, "Oh dear, my darling, you could have been more careful, couldn't you?" and then began talking to Vaishnavi about various things.
Then Vaishnavi asked, looking at the men standing around the house with guns for security, "Grandpa, why is everyone in this house so serious? Nobody seems to be smiling at all?"
He replied, "It's nothing, my darling, they don't have a little friend like you. If they did, they would be smiling too."
Hearing this, Vaishnavi said, "Is that so, Grandpa? Then from now on, I'm going to make all of them my friends. Everyone will smile. This whole house will become happy," and she laughed.
The grandfather also smiled and looked at Theeran, who was standing to the side. "Hey, my dear, won't you come to Grandpa?" he asked, and Theeran came to his side. After all, he was an elder, hence the respect.
"Come here, my dear," he said, about to lift Theeran, but Theeran himself climbed onto his lap. This infuriated Bhadran.
"When we tried to lift him, he said nobody should lift him except his mother. And now look, he's sitting on his lap!"
"He's getting too close, isn't he?" he thought, glaring at him. Just as Bhadran had winked at him in the room, Theeran now winked back.
To further infuriate the already annoyed Bhadran, Theeran kissed Narayanan. That was it; Bhadran, in anger, tightly gripped Mullai's hand, who was sitting next to him. Mullai looked at him questioningly, but his gaze remained fixed on Theeran.
At that moment, as if to rescue Mullai, Narayanan asked in a teasing tone, "My dear, I've come to your father's house. Won't you even give me a cup of coffee? Or has your husband told you not to?"
Her expression changed. "No, father, I'll bring it right away," she said.
She tried to get up quickly, but couldn't. How could she move if Bhadran didn't release her hand? She tried to pull her hand away from him. He glared at her intensely, then released her hand. The meaning was clear: 'Bring me coffee too.' Mullai understood and nodded at him before leaving.
A short while later, she brought the coffee and served it to everyone present. Everyone, including the lawyer, started drinking their coffee.
At that moment, five people entered after asking for permission. Bhadran looked at them and ordered in a clear voice, "There should be a lift from the ground floor to my room. Install it correctly." They replied, "Okay, Master," and began their work.
The moment Narayanan understood why he was installing a lift, he couldn't contain his happiness.
"Just because Vaishnavi fell down the stairs today, he immediately started installing a lift?" "He's so affectionate... everything happens for the best," she thought, and turning to the lawyer, she said, "You may go, Thangaraj," and after dismissing him, she went towards the garden with the children.
Mullai, who had been brave until now, felt nervous being alone with Bhadran. Bhadran got up, walked towards her, and stood close to her, staring at her. In that close proximity, her face soon became drenched in sweat.
Watching and enjoying her discomfort, he handed her a coffee cup, then bent down so that his breath touched her ear, and simply said, "Come to the room," before leaving.
Only after he left did Mullai breathe normally. "Everyone has gone out, why is he calling me to the room? What is he going to do?" Many questions arose in her mind. These questions even caused her to tremble.
However, unable to disobey his command, she went to his room as he had instructed. Bhadran was standing on the balcony, and she went and stood near him. For some reason, Mullai couldn't look him directly in the eye. Some feeling was weighing heavily on her mind. Even when she tried to figure out what it was, she couldn't find an answer. Her efforts were in vain.
As soon as Mullai arrived, Bhadran looked at her face and asked, "Why were you crying in the bathroom?" He asked the question that had been gnawing at his mind all this time.
For a moment, a change was visible on her face. The next moment, she looked bewildered, not knowing what to say. "What can I tell him? Should I tell him about the humiliation I faced in my life? That's what I'm trying to forget." "Why is he asking the same question again?" Many questions arose in her mind. Mullai didn't give any answer.
Bhadran, in an irritated voice, began to threaten, "When I ask a question, I want an answer immediately... Understand?"
At this, Mullai retorted, "Why should I tell you about my personal matters? Besides, who are you? By what right are you asking so authoritatively?" As soon as she asked this, Bhadran's face changed. Mullai herself didn't know where she got the courage to speak like that.
The man who had been silent all this time, turned ferocious at Mullai's question, "Who are you? By what right are you asking?"
Suddenly, he came close to her, grabbed her elbow with one hand, pulling her close to him, and with the other hand, he pulled out the thali (mangalsutra) from her neck.
"You're asking who I am? Look at this first," he said angrily, showing the thali. "I am the owner of this. I have complete authority and right over you. It is with that right that I am asking. Answer me respectfully," Bhadran said, looking into her eyes.
Startled by his sudden action, she looked up at him. Seeing the determination in his eyes, she faltered slightly and continued to look at him. Bhadran, captivated by a certain helplessness, longing, and anguish, and something beyond that, that he saw in Mullai's eyes, kept staring at her.
As he gazed intently into her eyes, his anger, which had begun to dissipate in the enchantment he saw there, was further subdued. His ferocity faded, and a softer side emerged.