I'm a Master in India

Mary and Lena lived in Little Portugal in Bandra, home to the most colorful and European-style old bungalows in all of Mumbai.

Many ancient residences are still inhabited by descendants of the original Catholic migrants to this area.

It's close to Bollywood and a Catholic gathering place, making it very suitable for foreigners like Mary and Lena to live in.

The apartment was decorated very warmly, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking pleasant palm trees, the beach, and the sea.

The interior decoration was very tasteful, not the vulgar gaudiness of Bollywood style, with no gilded mirrors hanging everywhere or giant crystal chandeliers.

From the furniture to the curtains, everything was primarily in light colors, which looked out of place in the vibrant colors of India.

"Are you guys overly sensitive about the Palace?" Ron sat on the balcony with his legs crossed.

"You don't understand her at all," Mary said with a smile playing on her lips, a smile of disdain.

She held a fruit knife in her hand, her nimble fingers moving slightly, and the glinting silver blade immediately flew up and down.

In the blink of an eye, a peeled mango was placed in front of Ron, so fast he couldn't even see it clearly.

"Who? That Mrs. Elizabeth?" He took a bite; the mango was very sweet.

"All the rumors about her outside are true, and she's even more dangerous than that. She first went to Delhi in the early 60s, and in that era, Delhi was as wild and unrestrained as most Western capitals."

"So she really has a KGB background and spies through those important figures?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"I can tell you for sure, Mrs. Elizabeth was devastatingly beautiful when she was young, and many key members of the Congress Party were fascinated by her."

"Wow! No wonder so many people want to go to the Palace; they must have heard the rumors from Delhi."

"She wasn't exactly well-behaved when she was in Delhi; there were scandals, suicides, and even political murders."

Mary said that just two years ago, there was a murder trial in Delhi, and Mrs. Elizabeth was the central figure in that case.

Two prominent men died in her New Delhi Palace; both had their throats cut, one was a local councilor, and the other was even more sensitive.

Later, a witness unfavorable to her disappeared, and another witness was found hanged at his doorstep, so the case couldn't proceed.

Although Mrs. Elizabeth got away unscathed from that turmoil, she had to leave New Delhi and come to Mumbai.

As a result, just a few months after the Mumbai Palace opened, another murder occurred, and the scene of the crime was on the street behind the Palace.

"Everyone knows that case is related to her, but she has leverage over many people, including those in high places; they don't dare touch her. She can do whatever she wants because she knows nothing will happen," Mary looked at him with her eyes.

"Very dangerous," Ron nodded, "But why do you know so much?"

"Because we're observing her every move," Lena suddenly spoke up.

"Girls, my intuition tells me you're targeting this dangerous person," Ron spread his hands.

Mary smiled and didn't speak, the fruit knife in her hand spinning faster. Lena sat crookedly on the balcony, one foot kicking idly.

"Listen, I don't want anything to happen to you; you know she's very dangerous."

"But some things must be done, like revenge," Mary flipped her hand and put the fruit knife away.

"That's right, we tracked her from Brazil to Mumbai just to settle things!" Lena crossed her arms and lifted her head proudly.

Ron was amused by her appearance; she had a baby face, and whenever she tried to look serious, it always had a touch of humor.

"You should be worried about yourself, not us. She's more cunning than intelligent, but she's not stupid either," Mary reminded him.

"Hela asked for my help. If it's just a meeting, there shouldn't be any danger."

"Don't forget how she got leverage over those important figures," Lena gave him a sly look.

"Are you talking about the girls there? No, I'm not interested; I prefer you guys."

Lena's lips curved into a smile, but she quickly pursed them, "I'm not talking about those fools, I'm talking about Hela. That bitch has had designs on you for a long time; I can see it."

"Ahem, I promise not to do that with her at the Palace," Ron vowed.

"Mrs. Elizabeth maintains her status by winning over the important figures who frequent the Palace. She will definitely try to hook you to make you nourishment for her growing power. Be careful," Mary was very calm.

"That trick won't work on me, you know; I only know Bollywood actresses."

Can the foreign girls at the Palace compare to Bollywood actresses? Any Indian knows the answer.

Ron's threshold had already been raised; ordinary women couldn't catch his eye.

Mary wanted to say something else, but Ron had already changed the subject to the newly established Sun Entertainment Company.

"Did you look at Sunil Dutt's information? Do you have any good suggestions?"

"We're studying it. Two look pretty good, both are big investments."

"How much?" Ron was a little interested.

"Fifty million rupees."

Okay, nearly seventeen times that of 'Mother India', it was indeed a big investment.

"How much money do we still have in our account?" he asked.

"The box office potential in North India is almost exhausted, with a total box office of 44 million rupees. After deducting entertainment tax and state tax from other states, we can get 19 million rupees."

"What about the distribution rights outside North India?"

"Less than three million rupees."

"22 million, that's our profit," Ron nodded.

The actual box office in North India must be more than this; that Balam will definitely tamper with it.

Taking Uttar Pradesh as a reference, the box office data he reported was short by a few million.

Most of this money was pocketed by him, but unfortunately, the transactions were all done in cash, and Ron and the others couldn't verify the exact ticket sales of all the cinemas in those regions.

No computers, no channels, business relied entirely on each other's conscience and relationships.

It would be a miracle if they could accurately recover every single share.

After deducting bonuses for the crew and promotion costs, the final amount received was probably less than 20 million rupees.

This money belonged to Ron, Mary, and Lena, and it was still untouched at Sun Entertainment Company.

"Let's look at what projects to invest in in a couple of days; we need to be careful. All our Bollywood capital is in this."

"Lena and I will find out all the gossip behind these projects; there will be no mistakes."

They were indeed keeping a close watch on the Palace's every move, but this didn't affect their desire to make a career in Bollywood.

"Are you sure you want to wear this?" Ron awkwardly shook his head.

"What's wrong with this outfit?" Hela asked, a mischievous look flashing in her eyes.

"Itchy and uncomfortable."

Ron took off his boots and put on formal leather shoes, conservatively cut black trousers, a sharp-collared shirt, and a tie.

"Bear with it for a while, it will be fine, and it fits well."

"I've never dressed like this before; the weather in Mumbai doesn't allow it, even though it's winter in November now."

"Don't forget you're a big shot; this is how you look the part," Hela looked him over with satisfaction.

Oh, he looked even more stylish than a model.

If she didn't have something to do later, Hela would have wanted to pull him into the room right now.

"I hope there are no surprises. I asked everyone, and not one of them has ever met Mrs. Elizabeth."

"Don't overthink it. Maybe she really wants to meet you."

"Nonsense, there are plenty of big shots in Mumbai."

"Remember what I just said, you need to act neither too enthusiastic nor too cold. Not too warm, not too distant, in short—"

"I get it, playing hard to get."

"Exactly. She has a strange sense of pride; she has to get the business card of every important figure who patronizes the Palace. Using this point, it will be easy for us to rescue Ally."

Saying this, Hela pulled out a business card, made of textured pearl white linen paper, with the text in elegant black italic embossed font.

"What is this?" Ron asked.

"A business card prepared for you, custom-made."

It read Ron Sur, Founder of Sur Group.

"Oh, when did I establish a group company?"

"Just now, my dear, we should leave."

This was Ron's second time going to the Palace, and coincidentally, both times were with Hela.

His outfit was also specially tailored after Hela personally measured him.

Coming down from her apartment, Ron gave a signal, and the Ford car parked by the roadside immediately started.

Anil personally led the men in the front seat, leaving the back seat for Ron and Hela, with two yellow and black taxis following behind them.

Just kidding, Ron wasn't foolish enough to barge into the Palace alone; he had plenty of bodyguards.

"Good heavens, isn't this a bit exaggerated?" Hela was startled by the grand entourage.

"Didn't you say I'm a big shot?" Ron asked strangely.

"Okay, this is indeed quite impressive. But the Palace isn't that easy to get into. Mrs. Elizabeth has set the rules, and the big shots obediently follow them."

"We'll see when we get there," Ron said dismissively.

Regardless of whether they could get in, it was always right to bring more people.

"By the way, those big shots haven't met Mrs. Elizabeth either?"

"Very few, most have only seen her photos."

"Hmm?"

"She has someone take pictures of her, one every month, and then sends them to her more favored clients."

"How strange!" Ron muttered, "Does she have some weird癖好?"

"No one knows. Some say she was in a car accident and was severely disfigured, so she doesn't let people see her face.

Some say she has a disease, and some say there's no such person at all, that it's a conspiracy to cover up the person who truly runs the Palace."

Ron felt like laughing; the rumors were indeed outrageous. Okay, from Mary and Lena, it was confirmed that Mrs. Elizabeth did exist.

"What do you think is the reason she refuses to meet people and hides behind the scenes?"

"I once spoke to her through a screen. I think she's too arrogant about her appearance, pathologically arrogant, and therefore somewhat hates getting old.

She definitely can't stand even a tiny imperfection in herself. In those photos, her age is always under thirty, with no wrinkles on her face, no dark circles under her eyes, and every strand of hair is bright and smooth.

I think she's hopelessly narcissistic; even if she lives to ninety, those monthly photos will still be of a thirty-year-old."

Well, this kind of person really seemed like a pervert, especially when facing women more beautiful than her.

While speaking, the Palace was already visible in the distance.