THE NEW MUGHAL : PART II
Prologue
Rang Mahal had twelve flats. Out of these, two were occupied by Parvez and family, while seven were on short leases. The rent from these flats was sufficient for sustaining the routine maintenance. By virtue of being the daughter-in-law of the owner, Parvez had right of passage to the entire building, but was not in any decision making position by virtue of her gender and family status (as her estranged husband Feroz had made sure before abandoning her). It was her brother-in-law Yakub who called the shots.
And now Yakub had used his growing mental abilities to start controlling her.
Yakub's youthful impatience was moderately tempered by the weight of responsibilities of running Rang Mahal, the grocery shop in the basement, and College. But his success with Parvez, and the ideas he got from stories on Literotica and his favourite cartoonist Everfire, had fired his imagination.
After the previous day's experience, he had worked out a plan to change Rang Mahal as a whole into ............ his harem.
And he would be the Emperor, like the Mughals of the yore.
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Chapter 6
Of the four flats on the top floor, one was occupied by Parvez.
The flat opposite to Parvez's was occupied by Ravi and Smita, a working couple in early 30s. They left at 8 am and returned after dark. Parvez provided them with packed lunch and hot dinner, and fruits for breakfast. They were fastidious in their routine and kept their social activities outside Rang Mahal.
Salim had rented the flat opposite to the lift. He was a 45 years old divorcee, working for a call centre. His 17 year daughter visited him once a week, as per the one day weekly visiting rights given by the divorce court order. He depended on Parvez to provide him with packed meals only. For the rest of his eating requirements he depended on road side stalls or ready-to-eat snacks and dishes. But Parvez would provide hot meals whenever his daughter visited.
Manoj and Bindu occupied the flat next to the lift. Manoj was 38 years old and worked in the military, while Bindu was a housewife. She was a widow from her first marriage, and over fifteen years younger to him. They were expecting their first child in September.
The second floor had only two tenants -- both bachelors. Abhay was an architect working for a small construction company, while Kirpal was employed by a reputed MNC as a sound technician for their branded music systems.
The first floor had one flat vacant, which was the farthest from the lift, vertically below Parvez's flat. The one next to the lift was occupied by Yakub and his father. The remaining two flat had been leased to the local bank for their visiting officers. When occupied, Parvez catered for the culinary needs of the guests, which was normally not more than twice a month, and not more than a week at a time.
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Chapter 7 : 27 March
It was 7 pm. Yakub exited the lift on the third floor, the dog in tow. He had rung the doorbells of the flats that were occupied by tenants one after the other and told each occupant to meet him in Parvez's flat. It was a simple and straight forward request. There was no resistance.
Fifteen minutes later, all the residents, except Yakub's father, had assembled in Parvez's flat. Bindu and Smita occupied chairs, while Parvez and the six men sat on the carpet.
Y : Thank you all for coming at such short notice. Actually there is nothing urgent, but you all are working during the day. Mr Manoj is leaving tomorrow, so this was the only opportunity for all of us to sit together. As you all know, Rang Mahal has not undergone any routine maintenance for quite some time. But now I have taken charge and I want to get this done before the monsoon rains hit us in two months. The lift will also be serviced, but after we finish this first part. This work will take at least two months. For this duration, we all will adjust ourselves in the first floor. One of the Bank Guest Rooms will be occupied by the Ravi Bhai and Smita Apa. The second Bank Guest Room will be for Bhabhi and Bindu Ji. Salim Bhai, Abhay Bhai and Kirpal Bhai, you are welcome to occupy my flat. I and Abbu will stay in the shop for this duration. That way, I can monitor the work force and the hardware items as well. The work will commence on 01
st
April, so please finish the shifting by then. And one more thing, I will need you all to pay additional 50% rent for the next twelve months.
Yakub did not expect any resistance to his 'suggestions'. And there was none.
Actually there was no requirement for any increase in rent for the maintenance job, as the contractor was going to do it ex gratis, courtesy Yakub's not-so-subtle insistence and Abhay's involvement. In fact, Yakub had also managed to generate funds from a couple of money lenders with young daughters or pretty wives, using his mind altering abilities. This extra income would be used for furthering his plans on creation of ..................... the Harem.
Yakub then let Salim, Manoj and Bindu leave. As Parvez and Smita walked into the kitchen, Yakub sat with Abhay and Kirpal and explained the blue print he had in mind. He then took Ravi to one side and spent about fifteen minutes, weakening his marriage vows and wearing down his manhood, while Abhay and Kirpal were served dinner by Parvez and Smita. Ravi was going to use his management skills in managing Rang Mahal, leaving Yakub to focus on his goal.
When Yakub had finished with Ravi, he approached the girls.
Y : Am I interrupting anything important?
P : No, no. Smita was helping me with dinner. I just told her to have dinner here only today.
S : Yeah. We are just happy that we would be able to spend more time together.
Y : Bhabhi, please pack dinner for Abba and me. That way, you will have some respite, and more company.
P : Would you, Yakub? Gee, thanks!!
