LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 18: Ranas

(Day of Tia’s last rites)

ONE OF INDIA’S BIGGEST BUSINESS TYCOONS, SHIVAAY SINGH OBEROI LOST HIS FIANCE TIA KAPOOR A DAY BEFORE THEIR WEDDING….

THE OBEROIS AND KAPOORS PERFORMED THE LAST RITES OF MS. KAPOOR IN THE MORNING…. THEY HAVE REALESED AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FOR THE SAME….

THE ENTIRE BUSINESS WORLD IS BUZZING WITH THIS LATEST NEWS…. THIS UNFORTUNTAE EVENT WAS UNEXPECTED AND SHOOK THE BUSINESS WORLD…. THE COUPLE HAD GOT ENGAGED LAST YEAR AND WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A GRAND WEDDING…. THE ENTIRE COUNTRY WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AS TWO REPUTED FAMILIES WERE GOING TO GET TIED IN A LIFE-LONG RELATION….

SOURCES ALSO REPORT THAT THE MURDER CASE IS BEING INVESTIGATED BY CITY’S FINEST OFFICERS DCP RANVEER SINGH RANDHAWA AND HIS TEAM….

SOME SOURCES ALSO REVEAL THAT THE FAMOUS RAICHANDS ARE HANDLING THE CASE FOR SHIVAAY SINGH OBEROI AND THE OBEROI FAMILY…. RAICHANDS AND OBEROIS HAVE BEEN FAMILY FRIENDS SINCE YEARS….

WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO BRING THE LATEST INFORMATION FOR OUR VIEWERS….

FOR MORE UPDATES STAY TUNED TO OUR CHANNEL….

The various headlines were being telecasted on various news channels as the news of Tia’s murder reached the media…. The Oberois and Kapoors had released an official statement in the afternoon after they performed her last rites…. The news was soon the talk of the country and various reactions were coming from all across the country…. Everyone had an opinion about the issue…. Some thought that Tia was cheating and had an affair…. Some said it was an attack by the rivals…. Some said that it was a serial killer who killed high society women…. Some termed it as suicide as Shivaay was having other affairs….

“Switch off that television now”

An angry voice filled with authority echoed in the entire living room…. A man in his early thirties descended down the staircase…. As he walked towards the center he glared at the woman and she looked down…. He picked up the remote and threw it at the television screen which turned black with a noise….

Mallika looked at him shocked….

Siddharth Vikram Rana’s rage was like an uncontrollable fire that could burn down anything and everything coming in his way, specifically when it involved Shivaay Singh Oberoi…. Seeing the situation getting heated up Mallika decided to intervene….

Mallika: Relax Sid; we were just checking business news when we came across this.

Siddharth: How many times have I told you that I don’t want to hear that name in my house? Or is it you do it intentionally to test my patience. If you miss Shivaay so much, why don’t you just go back to him?

Mallika: Sid….

Siddharth: Shut up Mallika, I don’t want to hear your useless explanations.

Mallika looked at him feeling disheartened…. What was her fault in all this…. Why did Siddharth have to make everything seem like her mistake…. For how long was he going to blame her for everything…. She knew that her past relation with Shivaay never went well with Siddharth specially after she had run away from their wedding and Ranas had to face a lot of humiliation….

Siddharth had forgiven her only in front of the world but inside their house, he would not leave a single chance to humiliate and blame her…. What was her mistake if her husband’s rival was her ex-boyfriend…. Why did she always have to face so much of pain for loving someone unconditionally…. First Shivaay broke her and now Siddharth was breaking her piece by piece each day…. She left Shivaay knowing that he never loved her but Siddharth, she knew he had loved her truly, how could she leave him…. Tears were flowing from her eyes and she turned the other side to wipe them….

Siddharth felt a pang in his heart as he saw her tears…. No matter how much he showed that he was angry and upset with her, he could never deny that he loved her the most…. Initially he was really upset by her running away from the wedding and had humiliated her but with time he had understood that she wasn’t completely wrong…. He thought that now their relation had been completely shattered and could never be repaired…. So to hide his guilt he continued with his rude and cold behavior towards her…. He thought that eventually she would leave him as he was not worthy of her…. Mallika deserved better…. Maybe someone like Shivaay…. The thought that Shivaay would have been a better partner for her made Siddharth extremely upset and angry…. How did Shivaay always manage to be the best…. Shivaay was like the biggest obstacle in his life….

Two years of marriage and Shivaay Singh Oberoi was still a wall in their relation….

Mallika knew it was her mistake that she ran away from the wedding but then no one ever tried to know why she did what she did…. All she got was accusations and humiliation…. Harsh words were thrown at her and no one thought twice before pointing at her character…. She had not run away from Siddharth or his love, nor had she run away because she needed Shivaay…. She had her own reasons and all she hoped was that the two most important men of her life would understand her…. However the two of them were so involved in their rivalry and their ego clashes that none had the time to talk to her and understand the turmoil of her mind and heart…. She was so much fed up with their good for nothing fights but there was least she could do….

Neither Shivaay nor Siddharth ever paid any heed to what she had to say, what she wished to express, what wounds and scars she had hidden, nothing mattered to the two…. And hence she had given up on both her best-friend, who preferred being her ex-boyfriend more and her husband, the man she loved unconditionally with all her heart….

Mallika wiped her tears and composed herself…. She thought to go back to her room when her eyes fell on her brother-in-law….

Dushyant was sitting on the floor not showing any signs of life…. He was just staring at the broken television screen…. She was shocked to see his state…. What had happened that he was in this state….

Mallika: Dushyant….

Hearing Mallika call his brother’s name Siddharth turned to see him…. The scene shocked him…. His brother who was always so full of life was sitting on the floor as if life had been sucked out of him…. Siddharth’s heart pained seeing his brother like that…. Without wasting a moment, he sat beside his brother….

Siddharth: D…. D…. What happened, why are you sitting like this?

Dushyant did not react to Siddharth’s voice…. He did not even look at his elder brother…. Mallika was standing not knowing what she was supposed to do…. She did not know how to react seeing Dushyant’s state…. She just thanked God that Vikram and Ketki were not at home…. If Ketki had seen her son like this, she would not have been able to hold herself…. Vikram as his behavior was would have just walked to his room not caring what was happening in his family…. Siddharth made Dushyant face him and shook his body…. There was no reaction from the other side…. Siddharth felt rage growing inside him and slapped him hard and he fell back…. Mallika looked at him horrified…. The hard jerk brought Dushyant out of his trance…. Tears flowed from his eyes and he hugged Sid tightly…. Sid was surprised but consoled his brother…. Mallika was confused….

Dushyant: Bhai…. Tia…. My Tia…. Bhai…. She died…. My Tia died…. My wife…. She left me….

Dushyant spoke with a choked voice as more tears flowed from his eyes…. Shock would have been an understatement for what Sid and Mallika felt….

Mallika sat on the couch as she repeated Dushyant’s words in her mind…. What had she heard…. Tia…. Shivaay’s fiancée…. Dushyant’s wife…. What was happening in her life…. Was there even a single sphere of her life that was not affected or connected to Shivaay or the Oberois…. Were they ever going to let her live in peace….

Sid moved back breaking the hug…. He could not believe what he had heard…. How could Shivaay’s dead fiancée be his brother’s dead wife…. Looking at Dushyant’s state, he knew that his brother loved Tia truly and her death had shattered him…. Breaking the chain of thoughts in his mind Sid consoled his brother and made him calm down….

Mallika also came out of her thoughts and immediately brought a glass of water for Dushyant…. She forwarded the glass towards Sid, who took it from her…. For the first time after two years Mallika could see her old Sid…. He gave her thanking look and turned to his brother…. He made him drink the water…. Mallika felt a relief in her heart seeing Siddharth’s look….

Siddharth: D…. What are you saying? Tia is your wife? What is happening to you?

Dushyant: Bhai, it is true, Tia is my wife, and we got married a year ago.

Mallika: What are you saying Dushyant? How did this happen?

Dushyant: Yes, Bhabhi, this is the truth. We did not tell anyone as Tia’s mom was against our relationship and she was forcing Tia to marry Shivaay. We did not have any other option and we got married secretly.

Siddharth: Are you in your senses, Dushyant, do you even understand, what you are saying?

Mallika: Sid, calm down. This is not the time to react like this.

Siddharth: Calm down, how can I calm down, did you even hear what he said. Tia and he, they got married secretly that too a year ago. He has been lying to us for God knows how long.

Dushyant: Sorry Bhai, I know I should have told you earlier but we were afraid Tia’s mom may do something that would harm Tia.

Dushyant looked down not being able to face his Bhai…. Siddharth did not know how was he supposed to react and kept quiet not sparing a glance to his brother…. Mallika knew that this was once again her time to play the role of the daughter-in-law and keep her family together…. She had to keep a balance between Sid’s wife and Dushyant’s Bhabhi…. Looking at the two brothers not saying anything, she broke the silence and spoke….

Mallika: I think we all need some time to think about all this and absorb the shocking information. So, Dushyant, please go to your room, we’ll talk later.

Dushyant nodded quietly and walked towards his room….

Mallika turned to Siddharth….

Mallika: Sid….

Sid looked at his brother and then walked out of the mansion….

Mallika tried to stop him but he got into his car and drove away…. Mallika stood their helpless…. She was scared what would happen when Vikram and Ketki would know this….

Why did the Oberois have to become an obstacle in her family’s happiness every single time….

Would there ever be a day when Ranas and Oberois would let each other live in peace….

Was nothing more important for them than this rivalry that had already burnt their happiness all along the years….

*****

Hello my dear readers, here I am with another chapter.

So, here are the Ranas, do tell me your opinions on the update. Mallika and Siddharth’s character and relation is different from the show and so is the equation between Shivaay and Mallika. The background to the story is much similar to the show about the rivalry, and Mallika running away from the wedding, but other than that things are different.

Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!