LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 28: I trust you

(A week after Shivaay met Siddharth)

Anika and Shivaay were sitting in Shivaay’s cabin…. They had spent almost an hour arguing with each other…. From the time Anika had come, she was asking Shivaay only one question…. She had some idea about the matter but she wanted Shivaay to reveal everything by himself…. Shivaay being the tadibaaz Shivaay Singh Oberoi did not budge at all and Anika was left more irritated than she ever had been…. Finally losing all her patience, she took out the file from her bag and banged it on the table…. The file had everything she could manage to find out about the old relations of Oberois and Kapoors…. Shivaay was confused seeing the file…. Anika signed him to take the file and see it…. Shivaay opened the file and read each document carefully…. As he read through the pages he glanced at Anika a few times but every time he saw she was looking elsewhere…. He finished reading the file and creases formed on his forehead…. He rubbed his forehead in frustration…. He knew that Anika knew enough already and he had no other option then tell her everything…. He did not wish that she assumed things against his family…. He closed the file and kept the file on the table….

Shivaay: It may seem against my family but….

Anika: I know how it seems and that is why I was asking you to tell me everything. Shivaay, I don’t want the world to think otherwise, please tell me the entire truth Shivaay.

Anika said in a soft voice as she placed her hand over Shivaay’s…. Shivaay was surprised by her gesture and looked at her…. She kneeled in front of him and looked into his eyes…. Her warm eyes were soothing the coldness in his blue eyes…. There were moments of silence as Shivaay felt himself drowning in the depth of her eyes…. He could see that she was concerned for him and his family…. He could see that she genuinely wanted to help him…. Anika bent her head down and Shivaay did not like this…. He wanted to look more deeply into those eyes…. He wanted to explore more….

Anika: Shivaay, please trust me, I really….

Shivaay: I trust you Anika.

Anika looked at him surprised…. And for the first time in all these days she saw that Shivaay’s eyes reflected some emotions…. She could see it in his eyes that he meant each and every word he said…. He trusted her…. She did not understand why but this gave her heart happiness and a smile formed on her lips…. Shivaay too reciprocated a smile as he again looked into her eyes….

The moment was disturbed as Shivaay’s phone rang and Anika moved away from Shivaay…. As she stood up to move her bracelet got stuck in Shivaay’s watch and they looked at each other…. Anika was trying to remove her bracelet…. Seeing her struggle Shivaay decided to intervene and put his hand over hers…. The moment their hands touched shivers ran through their bodies and they were lost in each other’s eyes…. Shivaay pulled her a little closer…. Anika stumbled a little and Shivaay put a hand on her waist to balance her…. Anika felt his touch on her bare waist and cursed herself for wearing a crop top that day…. Shivaay felt his hand over her soft skin…. Anika’s breathe hitched and she lowered her eyes…. Shivaay’s phone was ringing all along but neither of them paid any attention…. Seeing Anika stable Shivaay moved his hand from her waist and moved his fingers to her bracelet…. Anika did not dare to look up as she felt her heart beating at an unusual rate…. Shivaay slowly removed the bracelet from his watch…. He was taking his own time not wanting Anika to move away from him….

There was a knock on the door and Anika moved away from Shivaay…. Shivaay also composed himself and mentally slapped himself for doing what he was doing earlier…. They looked everywhere in the room except for each other…. The door opened and Ranbir entered along with Prachi…. They looked at Shivaay and Anika staring at the walls and looked at each other confused….

Ranbir: Sir, I called you few minutes ago but you didn’t answer so we came to see if everything is fine or not.

Anika: Of course I am fine, what will happen to me and I wasn’t looking at the wall, I was actually thinking something.

Anika said everything in one go…. Shivaay and Ranbir looked at her amused…. Prachi smiled as she understood that whenever her best friend says something in a great pace that means she is trying to hide something else…. Ranbir picked up a glass of water and forwarded it to Anika seeing her out of breath…. Anika smiled at him and took the water…. She quickly gulped down the water…. Shivaay put on his usual face and tried hard to show that nothing had happened but in the back of his mind, his moments with Anika were playing…. Pushing away his thoughts he spoke….

Shivaay: I think it is high time that we tell you some important things.

Shivaay said in a serious tone and everyone else became alert…. He signed them to take their seats and all of them settled on the sofas…. Shivaay took a deep breath before he started speaking….

Years ago Oberois and Kapoors had started a project in partnership…. Initially the project had given immense profits and everyone was happy…. Both the families had become good friends from business partners…. Over a few years the project did not yield the desired results and the company started facing immense loses…. Both the families were in stress and had arguments every other day…. Finally Shakti and Tej decided that they would do use some illegal ways to keep the company working…. Mr. Kapoor did not agree with those means and was against the entire idea….

Seeing no other way out of the situation Tej decided to break the partnership…. Kapoors were left with no other option and unwillingly broke all ties with the Oberois…. Mr. Kapoor was in huge debts while Oberois covered the loses using all wrong ways…. Mrs. Kapoor who couldn’t see her husband in such deprived state decided to expose the Oberois and collected proofs against them exposing all their illegal ways…. When Tej and Shakti found out about this, they confronted Mr. Kapoor…. Arguments took an ugly turn and Tej threatened Mr. Kapoor that if he did not back off consequences would be devastating…. Tej sent one of his trusted men to acquire the proofs from them…. But before the man could take the proofs from the Kapoors, they fled away from their house…. While running away to save their lives they met with an accident and Mr. Kapoor died on the spot…. Mrs. Kapoor managed to save her daughters…. Oberois were shocked with the news….

For years Mrs. Kapoor was away from the Oberoi family but the vengeance in her heart did not die…. After few years she returned back with her daughters and started blackmailing Tej and Shakti…. She still had the proofs and had kept them hidden away from the reach of the Oberois…. When Shivaay entered the business world, Mrs. Kapoor blackmailed Shakti to get Tia and Shivaay married…. When Shivaay found the entire truth, he promised Tej and Shakti that he would not let his family suffer…. Tia and Shivaay had become good friends over time and Shivaay did not see any harm in marrying her…. Moreover he thought that after he married Tia, Mrs. Kapoor would stop with the blackmailing game…. But before any of their plans could succeed Tia was killed…. Shivaay acquired the proofs from Mrs. Kapoor after signing a lifetime long deal with the Kapoors….

Shivaay: I know that what Dad and Bade Papa did was wrong but I cannot let my family suffer because of their deeds. I cannot let Dadi, Mom, Badi Maa, Om, Rudy and Prinku suffer. I had to do all this to save my family.

A silence prevailed in the room as Shivaay finished his narration…. Ranbir kept a hand on Shivaay’s shoulder and they shared an understanding nod…. Prachi did not know what to say, this new revelation could put Oberois in the wrong light and turn the entire case against them….

Anika was lost in her thoughts…. This is what she was always against…. Rich and powerful families would turn all situations in their favour and take advantage of the law…. Their status, power and money could be used to pressurize other people and use it for their own benefit…. So Shivaay and the Oberois were also the same…. Tej and Shakti used illegal ways to cover up the loses in their business and when someone threatened to expose them, all they did was suppress that voice…. A hundred thoughts were running in her mind….

Prachi: I don’t know what to say, I mean this is very unexpected, this truth can turn the tables against the Oberoi family.

Prachi: I can understand your concern but don’t worry we won’t let the family suffer for anything, right Anika?

Prachi looked at Anika and saw her lost in her thoughts…. Prachi kept her hand on Anika’s shoulder and called her again…. Anika came out of her thoughts and looked at Prachi…. Her eyes them shifted to Ranbir and Shivaay….

Prachi: Anika, where are you lost?

Anika: Nowhere….

Shivaay was observing Anika carefully and he could feel that something was bothering her…. He wished to talk to her immediately but brushed the thought away….

Shivaay: So, now that you both know everything, we have to solve the case and keep my family away from the problems.

Anika: Don’t worry Shivaay, this is our job and we’ll give our best to keep your family safe. I think we should get going now, it is already late.

Not only Shivaay and Prachi but even Ranbir could sense something different in Anika’s tone…. The first time when they had met to discuss the case Anika had a confidence and will power that she would solve the case no matter what but today, she sounded different…. The revelation had definitely changed something in her mind…. Before anyone could say anything Anika packed her bag and left the cabin…. Prachi also followed her excusing Shivaay and Ranbir…. Shivaay now made up his mind that he had to talk to Anika and know what was wrong with her….

*****

PRECAP: “I hope we keep meeting like this beautiful”…. Someone is coming in the next update, who do you think he is? Check the character sketch to guess.

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