CHAPTER 82: Changing dynamics
Gauri was working on her laptop when there was a knock on the door of the cabin…. She asked the person to get in and was surprised and happy seeing Soumya….
Gauri: Soumya, you here, weren’t you supposed to come tomorrow?
Soumya: I was but the wedding got completed, and I could not wait to get back to you all.
Soumya said taking the seat in front of Gauri…. She excitedly began explaining to Gauri all about the wedding she had gone to prepare for in Delhi…. This was her first great opportunity and she wanted to make the most of it…. Gauri was happy hearing Soumya’s tales….
However, in the back of her mind, Gauri was still thinking about Prachi…. Did Prachi know they were sisters…. Did Prachi recognize her as soon as the investigation had started…. Why did Prachi never talk to her…. Another thing that worried her was Adhvik knowing the truth…. She was worried if he would use the truth for his benefits…. The last encounters with him had not resulted in anything good for her and she was worried if he would use her sister as her weakness against her…. The Malhotras were not good people and she was not sure if she could trust Adhvik on this….
Seeing Gauri not paying any attention to her talks Soumya called her…. Gauri looked at her coming out of her thoughts….
Soumya: Di, where are you lost? You are not listening to me.
Gauri: Sorry Soumya was just thinking about something.
Soumya: Di, did something happen when I wasn’t here, you look worried?
Gauri: Nothing happened, but I found something shocking, but it was shocking in a good way, I mean I am happy after knowing the news, but I am worried also.
Soumya was confused hearing Gauri…. She could not understand whether Gauri was fine or was worried…. Seeing Soumya’s expressions Gauri understood that she was confusing the poor girl with her words…. She decided to tell her the whole matter….
Gauri: I found my sister back, after twenty years I found her….
Soumya: Sister?
Gauri told her about Prachi…. Abhi and Pragya…. Their separation years ago…. Shaantanu seeing Abhi and Prachi together…. Adhvik telling her the same…. Abhi telling her the truth….
Soumya: So, Prachi Di is your sister.
Gauri nodded at her….
Soumya: That’s so great Di, did you talk to her, and did you meet her?
Gauri: No ever since I have found out, I wanted to meet her and also Badi Maa, but….
Soumya: But what Di, you also naa, you should just go and meet her.
Gauri reflected upon what Soumya was saying…. She was right, it was her sister and her Badi Maa after all…. Why was she waiting to meet them, she should have gone and met them….
Gauri: You are right Soumya; I should just go and meet them.
Soumya: Good, now go, what are you waiting for?
Gauri: Now?
Soumya: Oh Di, you already wasted two days, now don’t waste anymore, just go and meet them.
Gauri nodded at her and picked her belongings…. She quickly mouthed a thank you and kissed Soumya’s cheek and left…. Soumya smiled seeing Gauri’s happiness…. Life is too short to wait for things to happen themselves….
*****
Anika and Prachi were looking around the place to find something that could help them get rid of the ropes…. Unable to find anything the girls looked defeated….
Anika: Yaar, there is nothing around here, how are we going to free ourselves?
Prachi: You are right Anika, but we have to do something, we cannot sit like this and wait for something to happen.
Anika: I wish we had informed Bhai before going and meeting those killers.
Prachi: Now, there is no use thinking about all this, we have already made the mistake, now we cannot do anything about it.
Anika: Haa, but regret toh ho raha hai mujhe, pehle hi bata dete Bhai ko, toh…. Sach janane mein we were already late, and now this problem. Pata hai next time se I am never going to hide anything from Bhai, jo bhi jab bhi pata chalega I’ll always tell him, and of course tujhe bhi bata diya karungi, pata chal baad mein batane mein der ho gayi (Haa, but I am regretting it, we should have told Bhai first, we are already late in knowing the truth, and now this problem. You know what next time onwards I am never going to hide anything from Bhai, whatever I find out I’ll always tell him, and of course I will tell you also, later I don’t want to feel that I became late in telling the truth.)
Anika kept on talking while Prachi was lost in thoughts hearing what Anika had said…. What if she would also become late in letting Anika and Arjun know the truth about her family…. Seeing Prachi not listening to her, Anika called her…. Prachi came out of her thoughts and looked at Anika….
Anika: Prachi, kya soch rahi hai? (Prachi, what are you thinking?)
Prachi: Annie, I have to tell you something.
Anika: Prachi, are you fine, why do you look so disturbed?
Prachi: Annie, I have to tell you about my Papa.
Papa…. Anika looked at her surprised…. Prachi never really talked about her father…. Anika knew that her parents had separated years ago and she had never met her father after that…. She wondered what made Prachi talk about him all of a sudden….
Anika: Papa?
Prachi: Haa Papa, Annie, my father is Abhishek Mehra, I am his daughter.
Anika looked at her shocked…. Abhishek Mehra…. A well-known name in the music industry…. Prachi was his daughter…. Prachi explained everything to Anika from the very beginning and Anika listened to her still processing the new piece of information she had learned….
Prachi: Sorry Annie that I kept it from Bhai and you all these years.
Anika looked at her…. Prachi’s eyes were filled with tears….
Anika: Prachi yaar, ro mat, ek toh haath bhi bandhe huye hai, tere aansu ponch bhi nahi sakti. (Prachi, don’t cry please, my hands are also tied I cannot even wipe your tears)
Prachi looked at her surprised….
Prachi: You are not angry with me, I kept it from you?
Anika: Why will I be angry, I know you inside out and I know you never do anything without a reason, aur phir dosti hi kaisi jo bas ek baat chupane se tut jayien (Why will I be angry, I know you inside out and I know you never do anything without a reason, and what kind of friendship it is that can break by one thing)
Prachi: Yaar, these ropes, I hate them, I cannot hug you also.
Anika: No worries, once we run away from here, we will get many chances.
The two of them looked at each other and their lips curved into smiles….
*****
Pragya was doing some work in the kitchen but her attention was somewhere else…. She was worried for Prachi…. The broken photo frame and Ranbir’s sudden exit worried her…. It was quite late and Prachi had not returned nor had called her…. It was quite unusual for Prachi to not inform her mother…. Pragya was still lost in thoughts when the doorbell rang…. Thinking it to be Prachi she quickly walked towards the door to open it…. Pragya looked on confused seeing a young girl, about Prachi’s age standing at the door….
Prachi: Ji, kisase milna tha beta tumhe? (Yes, whom do you want to meet beta)
Gauri looked around not sure if she had come to right house…. She had followed the address Rudra had given her and hoped she had come to the right house….
Gauri: Prachi, this is Prachi’s house?
Pragya thought her to be Prachi’s friend hearing her name….
Pragya: Beta, Prachi is not at home, she did not come from her office.
Gauri looked at her feeling happy that indeed she had reached the right place….
Gauri: Badi Maa….
Pragya looked at her surprised hearing “Badi Maa” from her…. Gauri…. Was she their Gauri….
Pragya: Gauri….
Gauri nodded at her as tears filled her eyes…. Twenty years…. Twenty years later she finally met her Badi Maa…. Pragya’s eyes also welled up seeing her little Ri, all grown up…. Pragya opened her arms and pulled Gauri into a hug…. Gauri also smiled and reciprocated the hug…. The motherly warmth Gauri felt in her Badi Maa’s embrace made her feel at peace…. Pragya also felt complete holding her Ri, her daughter in her hold…. After a few moments, they broke the hug and Pragya caressed her face….
Pragya: You have grown so much, I still remember my little Ri, who would always hold my saree’s pallu and follow me around the house.
Both of them chuckled remembering that time….
Gauri: Badi Maa, I missed you so much, and I missed Prachi also.
Pragya: Acha, come in, you will talk by standing outside only?
Gauri shook her head in negative…. Pragya held her hand and took her inside…. She made Gauri sit and sat beside her….
Pragya: Now tell me, what do I make for you, what will you eat?
Gauri: Anything you make, I missed the food made by you so much in all these years, today whatever you make, and I’ll love it.
Pragya smiled and stood up to go towards the kitchen when her phone rang…. She saw the screen and saw Ranbir’s name…. Thinking he had some information about Prachi, she quickly picked up the call…. Ranbir told her something and she was shocked…. The phone slipped from her hands…. Gauri looked on worried seeing the phone falling down and Pragya sitting down on the sofa shocked….
Gauri: Badi Maa, what has happened? Who was on call, Badi Maa….
Pragya: Prachi…. Anika….
Gauri: Prachi? Anika? Badi Maa, what happened, tell me….
Pragya told her about Ranbir telling her that both Anika and Prachi were missing and no one knew where they were…. Ranbir had gone to the police with Arjun and Shivaay and they were all looking for the girls….
Gauri was also worried hearing this…. She remembered her talk with Adhvik and also Arjun telling her that they had found some clue about Tia’s killer…. Was it the Malhotras again, trying to harm her family…. She looked at Pragya and seeing her state, she could not leave her alone…. She quickly called Disha and explained everything and asked her to come to Prachi’s house…. As soon as Disha reached the house, Gauri asked her to look after Pragya while she left for Adhvik’s office….
*****
Adhvik was talking to someone when the door of his cabin flung open…. He looked on shocked as Gauri walked in…. She was here again, two times in two days…. The girl who did not wish to ever meet him again was in front of him for two times in the last forty-eight hours…. What had brought her here again, he wondered….
Gauri: You won’t change, in fact, you can never change, I was so wrong in trusting you, I shouldn’t have when you had already hurt me once, how could I be a fool to trust you again?
Adhvik looked at her confused not knowing what she was talking about…. His staff was also looking on shocked by the way a girl had barged into Adhvik’s cabin and was now shouting at him…. Adhvik asked them to leave them alone, and the two men walked out of the cabin wondering how their always arrogant boss was so calm when a girl was shouting at him….
Adhvik: Gauri, what are you talking about?
Gauri: Don’t you dare act in front of me, where are Prachi and Anika? What did you do to them?
Adhvik: Prachi? Anika? Gauri, I think you have some misunderstanding, I don’t know where they are.
Gauri: Enough Mr. Malhotra, how much more will you lie?
Adhvik: ENOUGH….
Gauri was scared hearing his loud voice…. He held her shoulders and pressed her towards the wall…. Gauri looked at him shocked…. But she was also not going to let it go….
Adhvik: I am listening to whatever you say that doesn’t mean, you’ll keep saying anything.
Gauri: Where is my sister, where have you kept them?
Adhvik: I don’t know and don’t you dare put any false allegations on me.
Adhvik left her and moved away from her…. He turned to the other side to calm down his anger…. Gauri was still not convinced but she could not say anything to him….
Gauri: I am leaving for now, but don’t think you’ll get away with anything, and if anything happens to Prachi or Anika, I won’t leave you, this is Gauri Mehra’s warning, Mr. Adhvik Malhotra.
She walked out of the cabin banging the door on her way…. Adhvik looked at her retreating figure…. He took out his phone and dialed Shaantanu’s number….
Adhvik: Shaan, I want to know where are Prachi Arora and Anika Raichand?
Shaantanu: Bhai, somewhere from where they won’t be an obstacle in our path.
Adhvik: Shaan, don’t you do anything now, if anything happens to Prachi and Anika, I won’t spare you.
Adhvik did not wait for Shaantanu’s reply and threw the phone in anger…. Shaantanu and his plans were now getting out of his control and were increasing the mess in his already messed up life…. Adhvik decided to do something…. He picked up his car keys and moved out of the cabin….
*****
The game was getting more tangled….
People who were on the same team were now not agreeing with each other….
No one was sure how this game was going to end….
*****
Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
Here is the next chapter of the story, do share your views on the same.
Will Anika and Prachi escape? Will Adhvik convince Shaantanu to let Anika and Prachi go, is Adhvik really unaware or is he again acting to be good to trap Gauri?
Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!