Ishqbaaz- The Future Is Here – By Shaoni-Episode 2

Rudra looked at the grim faces around him and tried to lighten up the mood,
“Bhabhi, maybe you were his wedding planner?”
Shivay understood his efforts and didn’t want to disappoint him, he replied calmly.
“He never got married Rudra. He doesn’t have a family, except a long lost sister…”
“So maybe bhabhi you are his long lost sister?”
Shivay looked at Rudra with wide eyes and then turned at Anika who had frowned at Rudra’s words.
“I mean… I was just saying. Nothing seriously…”
Om looked up who was standing quiet till then and nodded a no, “I don’t think so. If he knew that Anika is his sister then why ‘long LOST sister’?”
He looked at Anika for affirmation and continued further “Anika has lived her life alone right from her childhood; if he was really her brother then I would say he looked old enough to me that he could just help her grow acting like a father.”
After few more moments of silence Om signaled Rudra and the left Shivay and Anika alone in their room.

Shivay walked over to Anika and sat beside her on the bed. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and kept a comforting hand on hers.
She looked up at him “I saw my mom dying. I don’t remember her exactly… but I know that she died in front of me. I always knew that my father had died before I was born, but….but brother? Except Sahil, I never thought I had a brother!!”
Shivay couldn’t believe she was actually considering Rudra’s words but then, he did that as well “Anika, Rudra didn’t really mean it…he was just saying. Om is right, if Mr. Jindal seriously would have been your brother and if he knew you, then why did he abandon you? … I mean… I mean why he didn’t…”
“It’s okay Shivay I know what you mean”
“It’s okay Anika, don’t think so much. We’re digging too deep into it. Maybe you didn’t really have any such relation with him but somehow you knew each other in a lighter sense or something…”
Shivay knew his words were not at all convincing, at least not after what he had witnessed and Anika had experienced in the hospital. He knew there has to be something… Rudra’s words rang in his ears, but he still couldn’t understand if that is the truth then why didn’t he search for Anika earlier? He was enough rich to look after his sister. Then what held him back?
The whole day Shivay found Anika a bit lost in her own thoughts. He didn’t work too hard to entertain her because he knew she’ll understand he’s doing it intentionally and that would only get her back to the same place. So he let the time pass…
Next morning Rudra entered the room again “Bhaiyya there’s someone downstairs… you should really come fast…”
“Exactly who do you mean by someone?” Shivay asked never leaving Anika’s hand.
“Mr. Ashutosh Jindal’s lawyer and manager”
The whole Oberoi family gathered there in the living room expecting some answers. Shivay knew them from the last day, he went and greeted them.
“Mr. Chopra” he shook the lawyer’s hand.
“Hi Ajay
“Good Morning Mr. Oberoi”, the manager replied with a tight smile, clearly still into the mood of his boss’s sudden death.
Shivay looked back at the lawyer who was standing there with an office bag which seemed to be heavy, tugged beneath his arms. He offered them seats and ordered some water maintaining his etiquettes but was extremely impatient for answers, within.
“So…?” he finally asked.
Mr. Chopra, who was the personal lawyer of Late Ashutosh Jindal, placed his bag on the sofa beside him and carefully drew out a file handing it to Shivay
“Sir, your deal.”
It took Shivay a few seconds to register his words. He absolutely had forgotten about the deal owing to the happenings off late.
“Deal? But he was supposed to sign the deal tomorrow!!”
“Sir he had signed it long back… almost 5 days ago” the manager explained.
“5 days? How’s that possible? We’d shown him our project only 2 days back. How could he approve it before that? “
Shivay now turned towards the manager and asked “Ajay, are you sure this is the deal he was supposed to do with me? We had a conversation over the phone about this deal only a week ago, and he had seen our future plans with his granted firms only 2 days back. Then how?”
Ajay smiled at him politely “Sir he said he’ll sign the deal, right on the day he had first conversed with you. Then after 2 days he asked for the papers to sign.”
Om walked over and took the file from Shivay to see. Tej was surprised to see him interested in a business deal but Shivay was already too surprised with the happening things to notice it.
Closing the file Om kept it on the table “Shivay, can I talk to you for once?”

Shivay and Om went aside to talk. “Shivay, are you sure you received the call for this deal from Mr. Jindal exactly a week ago?”
“Yes, or wait… 8 days ago to be exact”
“Hmmm… Shivay it’s related to Anika.”
“What do you mean Om?”
“When did you announce the marriage with Anika?”
He tried to remember the exact date…. “I guess almost…” he stopped realizing where this is leading to “but it can be a mere coincidence Om”
“And coincidentally Mr. Jindal signed the deal on the day of your marriage?
Check the date below his signature.”
Shivay had no reply to that. He already knew what the date was 5 days ago.
“But why?”
“I don’t know Shivay, but I’ve an advice to give. Lets not say this to Anika. Yesterdays incident has disturbed her enough.”
“Hmmm, okay” Shivay knew Om was right.
They went back to where everybody was eagerly waiting for them.
“So, Mr. Chopra I guess I’ll need to sign too for this deal to be sealed?”
“You… and your wife”
“Sorry?”
Ajay offered explanation “Sir, even though Ashutosh sir has signed this long back, he had a condition that at least half of the ownership of these 2 firms has to be of Mrs. Oberoi.”
“Let me add something to that…” Mr. Chopra spoke, “this deal can be sealed even without your signature, but not without Anika’s signature”
It was clear that Mr. Chopra was expecting Shivay to feel insulted but he had nothing but a bit of surprise on his face which he soon managed to get off his face. He instead nodded and said “Yes, because he has said there has to be AT LEAST half of Anika’s ownership, my ownership is not a compulsory term in the contract”
He looked up at Anika who had a horrified expression on her face. He smiled at her and said “I’ll give her the full ownership of it”
Anika’s expression turned from horror to something else… surprise, questions, requests, love, respect and much more…
“What? Are you out of your mind Shivay? Have you got any idea what exactly 2 firms of Jindal industries mean?”
“Yes I do Bade papa” he snapped back at Tej with his gaze still fixed on Anika with a smile. He offered a hand to her.
“No Shivay, how can I…”

“You can, there’s nothing on this earth that my Jhansi ki rani can’t do”
She blushed a li’ll hoping nobody else noticed and took his hand.
“He was right” Mr. Chopra mumbled.
”Huh? Sorry? Who was right?”Shivay asked frowning.
“Mr.Jindal” he replied smiling casually.
“About what?”
“About… let it be… come Anika beta, sit down because you have to sign a lot of places”
She frowned at that. “Only 5-6 max” Shivay assured her.
“ha ha… you’ve no idea”
“Excuse me?” the lawyer’s ‘devil may care’ attitude had started annoying Shivay.
“Oh, I’m sorry. My bad, haven’t said the full story yet, did I?”
“What do you mean?” even Om was getting impatient now.
“Wait kids, first thing first. Ma’am, sign please?”
He forwarded the papers to sign. Anika looked at Shivay for permission he blinked and nodded. After the signatures were made… Tej spoke up
“Mr.Chopra, now will you kindly say what you meant earlier?”
“What I meant? Oh, that? I meant Anika has to fill many more spaces with her precious signatures”
Rudra almost swore to beat up that old lawyer, then and there. He gulped down a bit of his anger “You have already said that. But what did you mean exactly?”
“Oh I had said that earlier? I’m so sorry dear, you know this old age… wait let me explain.”
He grinned broadly while nobody else in the room found anything amusing.
He took out another file from his antique office bag and placed it on the table in front. Right when he opened the cover and the first page came in view, Shivay knew what it was.
“Will papers?”
“Yes” Mr. Chopra replied, carefully turning the pages.
Anika stood up straight staring unbelievably at the papers.
“Mr. Jindal’s will papers? But what do they have to do with Anika?”
Shakti asked out of shock!!
Chopra smirked at that “It has a Lot to do with Anika…”

Precap- Shivay and Anika standing in front of Ashutosh Jindal’s Mansion.