Shivaay's eyes turned to plate. The sandwiches that were place in his plate, they looked spicy.

"Shivaay, aren't you going to eat?" Om asked taking a bite of sandwich, he frowned when he noticed that Shivaay hadn't even taken a bite from the sandwich.

"Yeah, isn't it your favourite? Me and Om made it for you." Rudra asked with a frown. Shivaay didn't know what excuse he should make, so he simply tapped his phone and pretended that he got a call. He got up from the table and excused himself.

Shivaay waited for his food that his mother would pass. It was a tray in the morning and just that. That's all he ever got. It had the quantity for all the meals for the day but sometimes he wished during winters that he got to eat the warm food.

He sat down beside the tray as it was too heavy for him to carry to his bed. His eyes sparkled when he saw it was the pasta that he had always seen in the books and magazines. He gingerly spooned up a small bite before munching on it.

The delight didn't last long as he had to cough it out because of the spice. He couldn't tolerate heavier spices. Seeing that the only thing was left was a bowl of rice and some parathas, he had to go through the whole day with them. He got and walked over to his table and grabbed the water jug.

He scooped out some fair portion before he poured the water into the bowl. Before he ate the spoonfuls for it. The spice was still there but it did make it tolerable for him. Days like this have taught him not to waste a bite of his food.

Once he was done. He kept the used utensils on the tray and picked up the fresh ones of the rice and parathas onto the table. He covered them and went over to read his book.

Shivaay shook off the memory. He was hungry. So he made his way to where the kitchen was supposed to be. He had the whole interior of the mansion for him to memorize so he doesn't mess up.

Annika watched him carefully. Excusing herself she got up to follow him as well, his behaviour was irking her. The more she spent time with him the more her suspicions grew. She watched as a relieved expression took over his face. She followed his steps towards the kitchen and watched as he grabbed an apple from the basket.

"What are you doing?" He stopped in the middle of his tracks and turned around. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"I-I was hungry?" He asked meekly showing her the apple. But instead of suspicion this time she felt confused. "Why? The food is at the table." She frowned as she walked over to him.

"I am not——I didn't want to eat anything spicy." He spoke tentatively. "That's unusual but it's okay, you could have just said that. I am sure they would have served you something else." Annika said with a shrug. He shuffled on his feet.

"Wouldn't it seem rude? They prepared it for me." He spoke quietly. She arched her eyebrows in surprise. "Shivaay Singh Oberoi caring about other's feelings? What has the world come to." She spoke sarcastically. He frowned at that.

"They are my brothers..." His voice was earnest and Annika quietened at that. "You leaving the table without any word is more, in my opinion. Just explain, I don't think they will mind." She advised. Shivaay nodded.

"So, are we going back?" Annika asked as she pointed in the direction of the dining hall. He nodded, he glanced at the apple in his hands and placed it back in the basket.

"Oh, it's fine. You could have just told us bhaiya. You could try this pasta. It's cheesy so it won't be spicy." Rudra grinned as he passed his own plate. Om chuckled knowing that Shivaay doesn't like extra cheese in his food, despite Rudra's pestering that he should try it. But to his surprise Shivaay accepted it with a smile.

"Shivaay? You are eating cheese?" He asked bemused.

He froze, he did something wrong didn't he? Shivaay smiled tightly, "I thought I should give it a try." He spoke in a quiet tone. Rudra grinned.

"See, that's my Bhaiya!" He cheered, Om wasn't fully convinced but he nodded nevertheless. He might have been overanalyzing things.

Shivaay quietly ate the lunch to avoid any more miscommunications.

"Well, shall we head to the office?" Tej asked as he looked at Shivaay. He was the real one. He has seen his nephew after so many years, the resemblance that twins share was uncanny except for their eyes. And right now they were identical as well. As much as he remembered the eldest, the real Shivaay had enchanting cerulean eyes but they were resembling the midnight skies because of the contacts that he is forced to wear while he played out his brother's persona.

Shivaay blinked at the words before he regained his composer. "Sure." He spoke the word with a smile. A smile that Tej didn't return.

"You don't have to say anything in the conference I will handle all the things." Tej spoke quietly.

"I have studied the clauses bade papa, you don't have to worry." Shivaay gave him a tight lipped smile, he had stayed up the whole night to prepare himself for the day. A whole day in the real world. It felt like a dream to him. 

Tej didn't say anything. He has no words for the dedication the boy has for the family even after all the things that they have done to him. He dismissed the thoughts, it wasn't his fault that his brother decided to sideline his first child just because he wasn't as healthy as his second one. But he too didn't say anything in the matter and instead of stepping up he helped in the cause just so the power remained in his hands.

He watched as Shivaay looked outside the window with childlike eagerness. He was new to this side of the world, the real one. Not the ones he had seen and fantasised upon the magazines and book covers. He was surprised how well Shivaay could learn to adapt.

The conference ended on a good note, usually with Mahendra, he ended up losing his temper over some few useless questions asked by the shareholders but Shivaay patiently walked them out through their queries keeping the same welcoming smile on his lips. And he knew he must warn him to change the expression as he could see his employees murmuring amongst themselves about the sudden change of heart of their CEO.

"I didn't miss out on anything, did I?" Shivaay asked genuinely as he stood up to hand over all the files. Tej shook his head. "The meeting was a success. Because of you." Tej added the last bit of sentence hesitantly and Shivaya beamed at the praise.

Getting praised by Tej Singh Oberoi, on the first day of work! How nice is that. Shivaay thought to himself with a smile. The day was spent like this until Tej pulled him aside to warn him that he shouldn't mingle with his employees so much.

He accepted the fact. Without any questions. When the sun was setting, Tej decided that he could drive them back to the Mansion.

"Bade papa" Shivaay spoke with a smile. Tej's fingers tightened when he heard his voice. It was so full of hope. "Do you think? I can meet my brother?" Shivaay asked hesitantly.

"I won't suggest you keep any false hopes." Tej spoke coldly. And with that Shivaay's hopes shattered, he wanted to see him. It has been years.

He turned to look back at the skies. Watching as the streetlights replaced the natural glow of the skies. Watching as the bustling city calmed down as they neared the area of their mansion.

He got out of the car. He thought he would move straight to his room when Priyanka pulled him towards the sofa where catalogues were scattered around. Rudra was frowning at one of the pages.

"We are selecting the sherwanis for you." She spoke excitedly. Shivaay forced out a smile. It all felt so wrong. He was engaged to his brother's fiance. It was so fucked up. And if his brother didn't wake up, he would end up marrying her. It wasn't fair to the girl at all.

As much as he was loyal to his family, he can't ruin a girl's life. He was a spare. He will have to tell her the truth very soon.

"What do you think about this one?" Shivaay looked at the red sherwani that Priyanka was pointing at. He looked at it. "It's nice." He spoke his voice thick with emotions. He never had someone selecting clothes for him specifically, he always got what his brother had gotten, their replicas. He knew even now it was indirectly for his brother, but let him fool himself for the time while he still could.

The sudden change in his voice didn't go unnoticed by his cousins. Rudra's hands immediately reached his shoulders as he looked at him worriedly. "Bhaiya? Are you alright?" Shivaay nodded.

Rudra grinned suddenly. "Oh, aapki shaadi ho rahi hai isiliye emotional ho rahe ho?" Shivaay chuckled at that. "Probably."

"Aww, bhaiya." Priyanka cooed and went into his brother's arms. Shivaay smiled contentedly. He was holding them for the first time. And to tell you it was the best feeling he has ever experienced in years.

But unfortunately, it wasn't meant to last long. The moment his brother wakes up, it will be the moment his existence is erased again. But it was okay. Even for the time being, at least he got to spend time with his family.