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A N T I C I P A T I O N
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Om frowned, "What was happening here before we came in?" He asked. And his frown deepened when he saw the elders exchanging the looks.

"I won't be repeating again. There is something going on." He asked firmly.

"Nothing." Jhanvi spoke hastily before Pinky could even open her mouth to answer. She scoffed. "Nothing." She muttered.

"Chhoti maa—" Om frowned suspiciously, but then his phone rang and he sighed looking at the caller ID. "Rudra, mail them out the last month's accounts reports. It should be on my laptop's backup." He spoke as he left to attend the call. Rudra looked at them apprehensively before he walked out of the room.

"Have you gone mad Pinky?" Tej hissed as soon as they were left alone. "If they found out, all of this will be ruined!" He glared at her.

"Ruined?" She asked. "It's already ruined! I did not know that you were using my child as the sacrifice for the crimes that you have committed and we have hid!" She scowled.

"Pinky, this is serious, do you realise what could have taken place?"

Pinky chuckled miserably. "Hona kya hai, wahi jo hote aa raha hai! Hamare jagah kisi aur ko—" Tej glared at her.

"We are doing this for the safety of this family!"

"And is my son not a part of it!?!" She interrupted. Loudly.

"Your son is the reason that we had to take such steps!" He argued back.

"Wah Jeth Ji, wah! Aur niche girna baki tha, apne gunahon ka ilzam dusron pe daalna!" She mocked.

"Sharam to lagta hai bhul hi gaye hain. Mere bete ne kya kuchh nahi kiya hai!?" She glared at everyone present there scathingly. "And this was how he was repaid every single time! By us!"

"We had decided that we were going to end that chapter from our lives! But I didn't know that it would be at the cost of my son's life!" She continued.

"Pinky—" Jhanvi started as she turned to look around at the door to see if anyone comes by.

"And how can you stop me, Jethani ji? Didn't you consider him your first son?" She asked before sneering, "of course, when you can exile him once, what else I could expect more."

"Shut up—"

"No, not anymore!" She hissed, "I didn't know that my son was punished—"

"Enough! Pinky!" Shakti stopped her. Pinky looked at him incredulously. "Shakti ji?" She asked in disbelief. She looked at the man in front of her, yes, he wasn't the best husband, but he was a father. To their son. How could he just give his son up to save their heads?

"Wo h-hamara bachha hai. Hamara khoon. Uske saath ye kaise?" She asked trying to read out the faces. "How can you hide this fact from me!?" She pushed him back.

Shakti stumbled slightly.

She turned to look at Kalyani, "Dekh lijiye mummy ji. Aapke bachchon ke raaz. Wo bachche" she chuckled, "jo humare" she turned to look at Shakti, Jhanvi froze at that, "humare bachhon ke bhi sage nahi ho sake."

Kalyani just looked around, her heart breaking each passing second as she looked at her children. They all failed her. She failed all of them.

Tej had enough.

"Bhulo mat! Galti saari hamari nahi hai! that you were standing at our side as well!"

"And I never denied that! Par sach ye bhi hai ki aapne wo baat mujhse chuppayi! If I had known—"

"——exactly! If you had known all of this would have never worked out! In the love that you have had for your heera beta you would have sacrificed all the years we have tried to cover the things up!" Tej glowered at her.

"Ye sahi hai, galtiyaan ham karein, aur sazaa hamare bachhon ko mile. Aur bachchon ko bhi nahi, bus mere bete ko, because yours were enjoying the lavish life here!" Pinky sneered.

She turned to look at her husband, "Aapse ye ummeed nahi thi Shakti ji, hamara bachha—"

She wiped her tears angrily.

"Ek sabd aur nahi Pinky. Bhulo mat, agar hum sach itne saal tak chhupa sakte hain, we can do it now as well." Tej spoke. He looked at Roop, who was watching everything thoroughly entertained.

"You stayed quiet all these years. And you will do it now as well." He hissed.

Pinky smirked, "Are you threatening me? To quieten down?" She asked challenging him.

"Shivaay is still targeted. But this time not by us. They are thirsty. Thirty for the blood of Oberois. And you know it. You know it very well. They won't care whose it is." Tej smirked.

Pinky glared at him, "Ab aur nahi Jeth Ji. Tab sach kuchh aur tha, aur ab kuchh aur hai." She turned around to look at Roop.

"If she can go to this extent for her son, then you don't even know my limits." She turned around to look Shakti in the eye, "even if I become the villain of this story, I will not let the history repeat." She hissed.

"It's not their fault Pinky." Roop spoke up suddenly. She smiled coyly, "Shivaay was born Oberoi. The curse came along with his blood." She chuckled. "You and I are the same in this, expect for that I loved my son. And you loved the image of him." She smirked.

Pinky glared at her. "You have wronged a mother Roop—"

She shook her head, "I just avenged my son. With another's. How is it not fair?" She asked as she let off her hair.

"History repeated and you were in the game playing your part. And it's over now." She pointed her finger at her.

Pinky looked at her scathingly before she stormed out of the room. "Believe it or not Pinky, you had asked much as the same contribution as us." Roop called.

She turned around to look at the enraged faces of her brothers.

"Veer ji, badhaiyaan. Khel to ab shuru hua hai." Roop chuckled as she watched Pinky storming out of the room.

"Make sure she doesn't leave the guesthouse." Tej hissed to Shakti. They can't have this all ruined once again.

Roop walked towards the door, stopping by her mother's side. "I wonder if this would have happened, had Papa Ji had been alive." The matriarch stood there benumbed.

Gauri stood quiet by the door as she stared at the retreating figure of Pinky. This was the time.

"What truth are they talking about?" Gauri murmured to herself as she looked around before she went to follow Pinky.

<>

Neeraj wiped the sweat off his brow as he looked at the screen. He slammed his fist on the table.

Data can't be retrieved.

He had been trying for the past thirteen hours and even asked for help with the work. But no success till now.

He picked up the call, and froze when he heard the voice.

"Neeraj, I need you to come to my manor, at this moment. Urgently. And I know you are in Mumbai. So, please don't try that one." He hissed.

Neeraj cringed at that, "fuck." He swore under his breath as he placed the phone down.

<>

Shivaay pinned them under his glare as he looked at them back and forth.

"Alright, let me get through this straight." He said as he looked at Khanna, Mishra and Neeraj.

"I will not be tolerating this any longer." He said firmly, Priyanka winced at her side as she snuck a look at her brother. He was pissed.

Aradhya slurped on the boba that she was drinking, "Excuse me, please continue." She spoke as Shivaay's eyes snapped to her.

Annika blinked at that, what was going on, she thought as she looked around the room in wonder. They were standing at the doorway.

"I had hired to you investigate what was hidden." He hissed at Neeraj, "And you are doing the exact same by keeping it away from me!" He pressed.

"And do you what's hilarious, when I had your phone number traced it showed the location of the apartment that you had rented!" Shivaay glared at him. Priyanka winced as the pieces of his phone flew apart.

Annika grimaced slightly, while Aradhya gaped at the scene. Why is she the only one feeling shocked? She thought as she looked around.

"Is there a specific reason that I am being lied to by all of you?" He asked as he turned to look at Mishra and Khanna.

"I expected better from you." He said, keeping his eyes trained on them.

"But expectations always lead to disappointment, I just don't learn my lesson." He spoke bitterly, Khanna's eyes widened at that.

"Sir, we just—"

"I need facts. Not excuses." Shivaay uttered firmly.

He looked at Neeraj pointedly, "and I won't repeat myself." He turned to face him fully, "Authoritatively, you don't have any reason not to hide anything from me." He spoke in no-nonsense tone.

"I mean it. Facts. Or I have other sources to look through." Shivaay said as he placed the water bottle down.

"One hour. Choose your options." He said before he exited the room.

"Damn." Aradhya spoke as she looked at the ashen faces of the occupants, "Was it because the cook gave him porridge as the breakfast?" She asked. She shrugged when all eyes turned to her. "What?" She asked. They had it coming.

Priyanka looked at her scandalized, "Be serious." She hissed back.

"That's the problem. You all are treating him like he is made of glass. Obviously it will drive him to the edge, you guys have known him longer you know how he gets when you be extra cautious and careful around him. Yes, it's recommended but not at the expense of his comfort levels. I had told you all to behave normally. But no—" she said all of a sudden. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her book from the table and walked out.

Priyanka frowned as she looked at the rest, "You could have confided in me." She hissed. "He is stressed. So, you didn't tell him. But I was sober enough for these."

"But—" Neeraj started. He could never understand about this duo.

"Bhaiya's orders?" She asked. "When you can hide the clues from him, you could have done it as well. Why are you all trying jeopardize his life like this?" She said.

"We would have, if have known the whole truth ourselves. And his life isn't jeopardized, the security is alert, If not strengthened.we just didn't want him to get stressed so the memories wouldn't be hindered." Neeraj snapped.

Priyanka rolled her eyes, this all isn't going anywhere.

<>

"Water." She handed him the glass.

Shivaay looked at it, before rolling his eyes. "I am good."

Annika's eyebrows arched in surprise. Tadibaaaz.

"Drink it." She said, maybe the water will cool you down.

"Pyaas mar gayi hai." He muttered. Annika smirked.

"Suit yourself." She said as she brought the glass to herself, he looked at her with the corner of his eyes before extending his hand, "On the second note I would rather not dehydrate myself." He muttered.

Annika smirked to herself, some things aren't changing.

"Well, why are you here? Holding the glass of water?" He asked as he turned to look at her.

"Because I need you calm enough to bear the news." She started slowly, taking a deep breath and she turned to look at him.

"I would have waited for a while. But looking at the situations, I guess you should know it." He frowned at her words as he kept the glass of water aside and took a step towards her.

"What's going on?" He asked as he turned to look at her carefully.

"Remain calm, and don't panic when I tell you." She spoke slowly, he gave her reluctant nod.

"Now you are scaring me, Shivaay. What's going on?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"Promise me that you will talk it out before believing anything."

He shook his head. Now, you are scaring me Annika. He thought.

"What's the matter?" He asked softly.

"The prescription." He stiffened, the mystery of that prescription still hadn't cleared out.

"Veer's signature and name is on the recipient's side." She waited for his reaction, but his face remained blank.

"Veer?" He echoed in disbelief.

"Mansion?" She nodded.

She watched, worried as his face paled a few shades in response.

"Shivaay?" She grabbed his arm to steady him.

"It doesn't make sense." He uttered slowly. "He was in Goa. We were in Mumbai?" He spoke slowly.

This all doesn't make any sense.

There's no way Veer could have reached the mansion without their knowledge.

There wasn't a single breach at any end of the situation. A breach that remained unnoticed from them.

But how?

It wasn't possible.

Yes, it wasn't possible.

Unless—

"Do you realise what this means, Annika?" He spoke out in disbelief.

She frowned.

"What?" She breathed.

"There's someone—" he spoke, his voice raspy, as his vision blurred with tears. "Someone in my family."

And her eyes widened. There was someone in his family who was out for him.

Ah, so the previous chapter will have some edits. So yeah, I will inform you if they are done :)