Trouble Has a New Name Read Online Free Page B

Shiva when he was a greenhorn in the restaurant business. Shiva had taken on the role of his mentor and patiently taught him the tricks of the trade. Neel had always resolved to hire Shiva once he had set up his own hotel project. And that was exactly what he had done, much against the wishes of the head of HR in his company who believed Shiva would be amisfit in a boutique resort set-up, given his background as manager of a chain of low-priced eateries. Besides, he’d warned Neel that, at fifty-three years of age, Shiva was an ‘old dog who wouldn’t learn new tricks.’ But Neel had never doubted Shiva’s capabilities—he was a hands-on guy, who could make do with the available resources and would not panic at the first hint of a crisis. And he had been right—Shiva had more than lived up to his expectations.
    ‘How’s it going? Everything under control?’
    ‘There was a bit of a flutter when the Princess of Junagadh suddenly decided she wanted bird’s nest soup last night and we didn’t have it on the menu.’ Shiva paused dramatically for effect before adding, ‘But Chef Shilpa rescued the situation by offering her shark fin soup instead. Now, the Princess has declared she needs to have the soup at least once every day for the rest of her stay.’
    Neel guffawed. ‘I can always trust you to find a solution. But you and your team had better be on your toes.’
    ‘Not a problem.’ Shiva beamed. ‘At the last count there were three tycoons, a couple of Bollywood stars and a princess and her entourage and now, of course, there are the VIPs who came with you this afternoon. I have set up a dedicated team to look after their needs.’
    ‘Don’t forget the bride’s and groom’s relatives and close friends are just as important,’ Neel added with a smile. ‘Now I can go back to Mumbai without any worries. But keep me in the loop. Don’t hesitate to call me any time. Day or night.’
    ‘You’re not going to stay for the wedding?’ asked Shiva, a bit surprised, as Neel pushed back his chair and got up to leave the conference room.
    ‘There’s a lot happening in Mumbai. Need to draw up plans for the new property in the Maldives.’
    ‘Congratulations. I didn’t realise the deal had been announced.’
    ‘Not yet. You and Chris are the first to know.’
    Just then, the tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed Englishman, Chris Taylor, strolled into the room. ‘Finally, my partner and best man has arrived.’
    Pulling Neel into a bear hug, he added, ‘You were so right. I’d no clue an Indian wedding could be
this
crazy. All those rituals and relatives. My head is reeling already.’
    Neel laughed out loud. ‘It will only get worse.’
    ‘You’re kidding, right?’ Chris shuddered, half in jest.
    ‘You’ll find out soon enough. Here’s a bit of advice—just go with the flow.’
    Chris shook his head as he looked at Shiva and said, ‘Shiva, there’s another challenge coming up for you. We have to accommodate a group of four people.’
    Shiva was his cool, unflappable self. He grinned. ‘More relatives from the bride’s side, sir?’
    ‘No more cousins or aunts, thank heavens!’ replied Chris. ‘It’s a TV crew from the LLC and they want to feature our resort as one of the top ten beach destinations in Asia.’
    ‘The Leisure and Lifestyle Channel?’ asked Neel.
    ‘Yes, the very same.’
    ‘Do you think it is a good idea to have a film crew around at this time? Your guests are not going to like it.’
    ‘Can’t be helped. The publicist managed to pull this off with great difficulty,’ Chris said. ‘We just have to make sure the TV crew is as discreet as possible. And you’re going to do that, my friend.’
    Shiva beamed at Neel. ‘Which means you can’t leave for Mumbai today.’
    ‘Leave?’ Chris looked flummoxed. ‘You can’t leave! You’re my best man, for Christ’s sake, and you can’t abandon me to this…this marriage mayhem! Besides, as the co-owner of the resort, the LLC team