When Nagaraju reached his elder brother's house, he didn't come empty-handed.
He had brought fruits, sweets, and snacks—packed neatly in plastic covers.
All three families were present, and there were six children in total. Growing kids always loved such treats… and Nagaraju himself enjoyed good food, so he never came without bringing something.
And then, there was his mother.
She too liked fruits and sweets.
Whatever had happened in the past,
he still couldn't ignore her.
So whenever he came, he made sure to bring something along.
He placed the covers gently on the table.
His elder sister-in-law came forward and welcomed everyone warmly.
Then she called out,
"Vani, come here… take these to the kitchen."
Vani came quickly, picked up the covers, and carried them inside.
From the other room, her father's voice followed,
"Take some fruits and snacks to the room for the children."
All the children loved such moments.
Vani arranged a plate, and along with her, her mother prepared another tray and placed it on the table in the hall.
There was a quiet understanding among the elders.
If Nagaraju had called for a discussion,
it wouldn't be something small.
So they didn't want the children involved.
The kids were kept busy in the room—
with food, laughter, and small distractions—
while, in the hall,
a more serious conversation was about to begin.
Akshatha was the first to reach for the pastries.
Her eyes immediately went to her favorite—pineapple.
The cake was decorated with small cream flowers, simple but beautiful.
Even after living through thirty years in her past life,
her tastes hadn't changed much.
She still loved pineapple…
and sometimes black forest or chocolate.
Some things, it seemed, never changed.
From childhood, she had always been a favored one in the family.
Whenever there was a gathering,
she would be the first to choose—
even if the other children were younger than her.
No one really objected.
She was talkative, lively, and had a way of naturally drawing attention.
She spent most of her time around her father or on her elder uncle's side,
which made her even closer to them.
And somewhere along the way,
that closeness had quietly turned into preference.
Slowly, the elders settled into their places, and the conversation began.
The elder brother looked at Nagaraju and spoke first,
"Nagaraju… what is it you wanted to discuss?
That too, calling all of us together?"
Nagaraju sat quietly for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
Then he looked up.
"Yes, brother… I wanted everyone to be here because this concerns all of us."
There was a brief silence.
"As we all know, these days it's not easy to survive in a city like Bengaluru.
There is competition everywhere. Things are not like before."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"So… I've made a decision."
Everyone's attention shifted completely toward him.
"I want to settle down properly."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"I can't keep running like this anymore… managing things without clarity."
He glanced down for a second, then continued,
"The hotel business… it's not working the way it should.
I can't continue like this."
A slight tension filled the room.
"I want to start something new.
A different business."
He lifted his head again, his eyes steady now.
"I can't stay in this situation any longer."
Another pause.
This time, his voice was more direct.
"For that… I need money."
The room fell silent.
Everyone understood—
this was not just a casual conversation anymore.
Before anyone else could respond, the elder sister-in-law adjusted her saree and spoke, her tone controlled but firm.
"Brother, you know our situation. We ourselves are struggling. Just yesterday, we had to break a fixed deposit midway to arrange money for Vani's college admission."
She continued,
"Even our hotel is not doing well. There's hardly any profit."
The elder brother glanced at her.
"Shaila…" he said, signaling her to stop.
She fell silent.
Then he turned to Nagaraju.
"You heard her. That's the situation."
There was a pause.
Then he added, his voice slightly sharper,
"And if your business was doing well… you would have already returned the money you borrowed to start it."
The words weren't loud—
but they landed heavily.
Like a quiet slap.
In his previous life, Nagaraju would have stayed silent.
He would have absorbed it.
But not this time.
Before he could respond, the third sister-in-law spoke,
"So… are you here to ask us to return the borrowed money?"
Nagaraju looked at her calmly.
"Well… I wasn't."
A brief pause.
"But if you are ready to repay it, I can accept."
The room went silent.
She didn't expect that answer.
In her mind, one thought echoed—
When did his words become this sharp?
Then the younger brother, Jayaram, spoke hesitantly,
"Brother… if it was possible, I would help. But you can see my situation… I'm just managing day to day."
Nagaraju nodded slightly.
"I understand."
Then his tone hardened.
"I'm not here to ask for the borrowed money back. Not now."
Another pause.
"But I will not take responsibility for your loans anymore."
The words were clear. Direct.
"You haven't paid this month's interest. The lenders are calling me every day."
He looked straight at them.
"If you think I will take that responsibility and pay it back—forget it."
Silence filled the room.
"Even as brothers, yes—we should support each other.
But I cannot destroy my own family carrying your burdens."
His voice didn't rise, but the firmness in it was unmistakable.
"If payments are delayed, there will be penalties. You know that."
He paused, then added,
"I will not pay those penalties for you.
You did the same thing last month… and I was the one who paid for it."
No one spoke.
Then, after letting his words settle, he continued—
"And… I didn't call all of you here just for this."
All eyes turned to him again.
"I want to talk about the land in our native village."
A shift in the room.
"I need money. A large amount."
He spoke clearly now, without hesitation.
"I'm planning to sell my site in Kengeri."
A brief pause.
"And I also want to sell my share of the land in the village."
This time, the silence was heavier.
Nagaraju continued, his voice steady.
"I need money to start a new business. I don't want to take loans anymore… I can't carry that burden again."
The elder brother leaned forward slightly.
"What business are you planning to do?" Nagaraju spoke,
"I am thinking of investing in a film."
The room reacted instantly.
The elder sister-in-law frowned.
"Brother, that's not a good idea. Why put your hand into something unknown and risky? No one in our family has any experience in that field."
Nagaraju nodded calmly.
"I understand what you're saying, sister-in-law. But when someone starts something new, they won't know everything in the beginning."
He paused, then continued,
"If we want to do something, we have to learn… we have to observe. I'm not saying I know everything. But for the past few days, I've been looking into it."
He looked at them, firm but composed.
"I've met a few people connected to this field. Even in my hotel, I've come across some people from the industry earlier. So it's not completely new to me."
The elder brother spoke again, more seriously this time.
"If the film does well, it's fine. But if it fails… a producer won't get even a single rupee back. Have you thought about that?"
Nagaraju didn't hesitate.
"I've thought it through."
His answer was immediate.
"I'm not going to invest in every film. Only if I feel confident that I can at least recover my investment, I will step in. Otherwise, I won't."
He let that sink in.
"And the film I'm looking at right now—it's a low-budget project. I don't need to take loans for it."
A brief pause.
"I will only invest what I can arrange on my own."
He looked at each of them, one by one.
"That's all."