Anika opens the door and they get inside.
“My house is not as khidkitor as your mansion but…”
“It’s okay we’ll manage!”
Those were the first words he had spoken after leaving the mansion with the same straight face he had throughout in the journey.
“Anyways, it’s a matter of only a night.”
“Huh? Why?”
Anika asked surprised
“Tomorrow morning I’ll find a new flat and we’ll shift there… for the time being.
Later,after whatever business I start flourishes, we’ll have our own house.”
“After whatever business you start? What do you mean Shivay?”
Shivay answered without looking at her,
“It’s Oberoi Empire Anika, I don’t have a right to work there…”
“Work there? Shivay you used to own it, you had earned the businessman of the year award not because you were an Oberoi, but because of your hard work.
Wherever the empire is today, it’s because of you”
“Why Anika? You won’t stay with me if I no more am the owner of Oberoi Empire?”
“Shivay! What are you even…” Anika started angrily, but stopped herself, understanding that he’s going under severe self doubts!!
She sighed. “You go and freshen up. I’ll arrange our Dinner”
“Hmm” Shivay left.
Anika knew she has to keep her calm, but watching Shivay go so quiet was tormenting. He was not talking, not reacting, and whenever he did, it used to be something depressing.
They were done with there dinner.
Shivay sat on the bed with his laptop and a blank face.
Anika came there wiping her hands.
“Shivay?”
“Hmm?”
“Sahil?”
Shivay looked up from his laptop, without looking at Anika… “Not now. After we shift. I’m keeping only this old post for him, I’ll still stay the trustee of this school and if Bade papa asks…I mean if Mr. Tej Oberoi asks I’ll show him the papers that this post has been offered individually to me. I think it’ll work. Moreover I’m giving up all my stocks anyways, he’ll have a lot to gain, I don’t think if I keep this single post…”
“Shivay…”
He was not listening to Anika and continued explaining. Anika called him again, a little louder… “Shivay!!”
He looked up at her with blank eyes.
“I don’t care about the good will of Oberoi Empire, but why will you give up all that you have worked hard for so many years? You have earned…”
“Anika, I’m not going back there, I can’t…”
He looked down.
“Pass me your laptop”
Anika ordered. He didn’t pass it but didn’t stop her either, when she sat beside and took it over to her own lap. Shivay still looked down while Anika went on searching something in his laptop.
“Here!” She exclaimed when she found out whatever she was searching for, and shifted towards Shivay to give him a better look.
Shivay looked on and found the official site of Oberoi Empire on screen which had the details of stock beholdings, companies they owned, success rate and much more. Shivay looked at it indifferently not bothering to pay attention to it,for he already had everything in his memory!!
Anika continued “Shivay, I don’t understand business, but I do understand graphs. Look at this, the graph of your empire before you and this… this one after you took over the company, do you see the difference?”
She pointed to each graph seperately…
“And here it’s also written, 25 owners sold their companies to you expecting that it’ll be saved and flourished under your ownership.All the pharmaceutical companies which are a part of Oberoi Empire had your sole contribution”
She paused to breathe..
“You left the mansion because you felt you don’t deserve to stay there… because you feel that place is not yours.I understand. But these? You deserve them Shivay. They are your creation. They are yours”
She looked at Shivay, realising he was not even looking at the laptop, he was staring somewhere else, at her. She found him looking at her in a manner that made her uncomfortable.
SHIVAY:
I was looking at her with a gaze of admiration. She was too good, too good to be true. But still here she was, sitting beside me. What have I even done to deserve someone like her?
“Anika, I can’t do business under the Oberoi title and if I leave with my share…”
He feared it might sound like bragging but then he was talking to Anika, who seems like having more faith on him than anybody else “… if I leave with my share then… Oberoi Empire will face a lot of loss. Moreover if the empire divides between us… the news will become public”
Anika registered his words and thought about it… Shivay wanted to keep his hands on hers, but then stopped for some unknown reason and kept it to himself.
“Anika, don’t worry, I’ll not sell them but will not pay much attention to them either and will rather focus on building something new”
She nooded and put up on a slight smile.
Shivay thought of smiling back but couldn’t. He resumed with his work and Anika got up…
After a while she came with a cup and forwarded it to Shivay
“What is this?”
“Your favourite…Saira bano”
She answered with a defiant smile.
SHIVAY:
I knew I’ll have to keep aside my rich brat habbits and live accordingly, but here she was, trying to make it happen in her own way.
I took it from her and tried a sip, it was nowhere near what I used to drink, but coming from Anika it was good enough.
She was smiling at me expectantly, I knew she’s trying to lift my mood. She was trying really hard, so hard that it pained me and again that thought came to me ‘What have I done to deserve her?’
Her words rang in my ears ‘You own me Shivay’.
But how can I own her?
Ever since she has entered my life her life has turned to be a misery, she has suffered uncountable attacks just because she is Shivay Singh Oberoi’s wife.
Only thing which I’ve given her is pain.
‘We have chose to be a part of this US’ she had said, but even after everything why did she choose to be with me. She’s too good for me… too good!!
Coming back to reality, I realised I’ve been staring at her, and I’ve no idea what kind of
expression laid on my face, but whatever it was,made her smile vanish. She looked at me with a frown “Is it that bad?”
It took me time to realise she was talking about the coffee…but I was not….
“No, it’s good, it’s too good”
“It doesn’t seem so from your face, look you don’t have to forcefully drink it!! But I assure you, very soon I’ll become the great Saira Bano chef”.
I would’ve laughed at that if not this time. But right now her harder efforts were only paining harder!!
I stood up
“You don’t have to do this Anika”
“Do what?”
“You know what I mean”
“No I don’t!!”
She looked seriously puzzled…
“You are too good Anika, and me? I am a very bad man. You shouldn’t be with me.”
“What are you talking about Shivay?”
I pulled my gaze from the floor and looked into her beautiful eyes…
“Anika, I had insulted you owing to your class and standards, but when you got to know about my… about my illegitimacy, you did not think twice before going with someone you feared so that this stays hidden, let alone insulting me.I can’t own you ’cause I’ve not done even half of the enough good to earn you.How can I??No Anika, you deserve better… why the hell are you still with me? Why haven’t you left me yet?”
If she’s not leaving then I felt it’s better that I leave.I turned around knowing that I had hurt her and once again she had tears because of me.I really hope this is the last time.Once I go far from her my words won’t matter to her anymore,why does it matter to her now even?
“Because I Love You”
I stopped… so did the time.
I turned back to her immediately. I feared it to be a dream. But then she looked equally surprised at her words…
She was kneeling down there, still crying and had moved her eyes away from me the moment I had my eyes on her.
‘Why haven’t you left me yet?’ had been my last words… her reply to that sounded unbelievable.
Maybe she realised my doubt because then she repeated her magical spell with her eyes closed…
“I love you Shivay… I really love you”
That was it… whatever have been restricting my actions since late evening lost infront of her words.
I ran to her and knelt infront of her. The hug that followed will stay with me till the last breath…
Anika couldn’t believe she said it… but then she couldn’t help it. The long hidden truth seemed like the only way from stopping him. She knew by the way he hugged her that she’s been successful…
Finally they released each other and stood up.
Shivay held her face with his right hand in way that his thumb carressed her cheek while rest of his fingers rested on the nape of her neck.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
He supported her head and tilted his own head a bit to get a clear access to her neck. He pulled her closer and breathed on her warm skin. He carved her skin with kisses,starting from her cheekbone to the bottom of her neck while his grip on her waist tightened. She had her eyes pressed hard, experiencing an absolutely unknown sensation.