Telugu words in chapter: Akka = Elder sister.

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Dhruva and Disha ran into their uncle's arms. "Uncle, I missed you" said Disha.

"I missed you more" said Dhruva.

"He is lying. I missed you more." Disha clung to Vikram's neck. 

He lifted them up. "I missed you the most. So I guess I am the winner" He helped Sandhya put her luggage in the car. "How was your journey akka?"

"It was good Vicky." Sandhya answered in a weak tone. She didn't embrace him like she usually did. Vikram knew that she was going through the toughest phase of her life. He was careful not to say anything in the presence of the twins.

They started their journey. He played with the kids while Sandhya closed her eyes. "My God! Disha, you have grown so tall."

"I will be taller than you soon." She said proudly.

Dhruva immediately stood up and climbed his uncle's shoulders. "I am already taller than Vicky uncle."

"Stop irritating him kids." Sandhya warned them.

"Akka, we met after four months. Let us have fun. Who else have I got?" Vikram resumed playing. They reached home in an hour.

Sandhya greeted Latha, who introduced her to Shubha. After greeting her cordially she went to her room to get some sleep. The children demanded Vikram to play with them. 

Vikram, who had to complete his quota of eight and half hours, couldn't lay awake. "Not now. In the morning." He almost slept. They started pinching him to wake him up. 

Shubha pitied him. "Who wants to play Uno?"

"Me" said Disha.

"Wait. Who are you?" asked Dhruva.

"I'm a friend" She answered.

Dhruva wasn't convinced."What if you are a kidnapper?" 

Vikram laughed. "Excellent Dhruva. I love you." He turned towards Shubha. "Now you know how I feel when you look at me with eyes full of suspicion."

Shubha didn't answer him. "I am Shubha. I am your uncle's fri-- colleague. I work with him in his film."

"You're an actress?" Disha switched on the lights to look at Shubha. "You're so cute."

"She's so tall." Dhruva remarked. "Are you taller than my uncle?"

Shubha looked at Vikram. She expected him to contradict the statement. Surprisingly, he didn't. When she observed carefully she understood that he fell asleep.

"No. I am not taller than him. But I am stronger than him." She answered.

The children sat on either side of Shubha asking her questions about shooting. "Did you fight with my uncle in the movie?"

"Yes. I have a fighting scene with him." 

"Was it painful?" asked Disha. "Amma says uncle is very strong."

"Of course not. He was the one who got hurt. When I punched him in the face, he growled in pain and hopped like a kangaroo." She said. The children laughed. 

"Uncle said you went to forest. Did you meet any wild animals?"

"Yes. I saw a wolf." She saw one in a wildlife sanctuary. They looked scared. She immediately realized her mistake. "Nothing to worry about. I punched it in the face and ordered it to go away."

"Looks like Shubha garu's only solution to everything is punching in the face." Vikram remarked.

Shubha was startled. "Sir? You are awake?" 

"Yes. May I know which wolf you are talking about? The imaginary wolves that chase you in the forest scene? As far as I know they will be developed using visual effects" said Vikram. 

"I am sorry sir. I shouldn't have talked like that in the presence of children." She apologized.

"What's with the newfound interest in saying sorry?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"You need to sleep. I will take care of these kids until their mother wakes up." She led the kids away from him.

'What's the matter with this girl?' He couldn't understand.

Sandhya woke up after a few hours. She found Dhruva doing breathing exercises under the supervision of Shubha. Disha was coloring a drawing of Mickey Mouse.

"Good morning. Shubha. Right? Sorry I couldn't talk to you last night." Sandhya greeted her.

"It's okay. You were tired. Would you like some tea?" Shubha offered her a cup of tea.

"Sure. Thank you." Sandhya sat down next to her looking at her children. They started talking. "Where's the third kid?"

"He's sleeping" Shubha answered. "He is yet to complete his fifteen-hour-long sleep."

Sandhya laughed at this. "I am glad my kids got used to you. Actually, I won't be here for another month. I am worried about their school and homework."

"Don't worry amma. Shubha akka will help us." Dhruva assured his mother.

"Amma, I want a yellow dress when Vicky uncle marries Shubha akka" said Disha.

Shubha almost dropped her cup of tea. "I'm not, we're not..., Sandhya garu..." 

"Disha!" Sandhya shushed her daughter. "I'm so sorry Shubha. I told them Vicky is getting married to an actress who works with him. They thought it's you." Sandhya apologized to Shubha.

"It's okay." Shubha was embarrassed. She excused herself and went away.

Few moments later Vikram approached Sandhya. "Hello akka. Where is Subbu? I mean, Shubha. She was here a minute ago."

"Ask your niece" said Sandhya. "She thought Shubha is your bride to be. The poor girl was so embarrassed."

"Really?" Vikram was delighted. He patted Disha's shoulder and mouthed 'well done'.

Shubha locked herself in her room. She understood that very soon everyone would think that there's something between them. She decided to go away from him. She opened her laptop and started searching for a house. 

She looked for single bedroom flat. She heard a voice inside her head, speak to her. 'Miser! At least have a look at your pay cheque. Go for double bedroom flat.'

"I know what I want." Shubha tried to dismiss the voice.

'If you really knew what you want you won't ever think of going away from him.' The voice said in a tone that annoyed Shubha.

"You shut up!" She yelled.

---***---

"You look terrible" remarked Dhwani. Shubha looked at her reflection in the mirror. 

"Not the face. The eyes. Is everything alright?" Dhwani's voice carried concern. "I never saw you like this before."

"Dhwani garu. Do you know that feeling? Your heart seeks something desperately. But you are so helpless that you can't pursue it." Shubha doubted if Dhwani could ever understand. She had everything. Fame, money, family.... everything Shubha didn't have.

"I do" Dhwani's answer was unexpected. "In fact no one can understand this better than me."

"Do you feel the same? Why?"

"Everyone thinks my life is perfect. I am the daughter of  film producer. I am beautiful, rich and what not? But no one knows what I have to go through everyday. I don't have anything I desire. I can't live my life on my terms. Everything is decided for me by my parents. My entire life has been spent on the terms they dictate." Dhwani took a deep breath.

Shubha held her hand. She never knew how it felt. She was never controlled by anyone. "I am sorry Dhwani garu. I shouldn't have asked you this. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I'm fine. I never wanted to be an actress. I entered this field because they told me to. My father was going through financial crisis. He was ill. Me and my brother had to run the family. I had to drop out of college during final year." Dhwani's words shocked Shubha. She couldn't imagine what the poor girl must have felt, having to discontinue her studies.

"Now that we regained our wealth, I want to retire from the film industry. I wish to concentrate on organic farming and take care of the school I own. But I am not allowed to do that. Whenever I talk about this I will be reminded of all the sacrifices they made for me. I am not sure if I will ever be able to stand up for myself." Dhwani smiled sadly. "I am so weak."

"Dhwani garu. You are not weak. You sacrificed your dreams for your family. It's a very noble and selfless act. You are a hero."

"I am supposed to solve your problem. And I started telling you mine" said Dhwani. "Did you feel bored?"

"No. Thank you for telling me this. I understood that I am not the only one with problems. If you ever need me don't hesitate to demand my help." Shubha hugged her.

"You are a true friend Shubha. Can we be friends forever?" Dhwani asked her. 

Shubha thought about Vikram. 'How can I be her friend forever? She will be married to Vikram sir.'

Dhwani looked at her expectantly. That moment, Shubha felt that Vikram was not the only string that bound them. They were friends irrespective of their personal equations with him. "Sure. Friends forever." They shook hands.

"What about me? Can I be your friend?" Vikram approached them. Dhwani smiled in response.

"Listen. Dad's friends, three famous directors, are coming over for lunch. I want you all to be there. Being in their good books will benefit our film as well as our individual careers. I will show them few videos of our film." He looked at Shubha in particular. Everyone else were established actors except Shubha. He wanted her to meet them. He wanted the big names of industry to watch her performance in the film and appreciate her.

"Actually I have to go to my lab this afternoon. I won't be available. I will return by 4 pm" Shubha had to attend another round of enquiry.

Vikram didn't ask questions. "No problem. They will stay here till evening.  But Subbu make sure that you meet them. I wish Pragathi was here."

"Okay sir. I will leave now."

"I'll ask the driver to drop you." 

"No. I have a scooter. I can drive." She left before he could speak.

'What's with the attitude?' He frowned as he saw her start her pink scooter and drive away.

---***---

"No reply yet?" Chris asked Vikram. It was raining heavily.

"No" Vikram was worried. It was 6 pm. There was no sign of Shubha. He called her several times. Her phone was switched off. Naveen called Rukhsar, who told them that Shubha left long ago.

Vikram had several disturbing thoughts. 'Did she fall down from scooter? Did someone kidnap her?' He was scared thinking of what could have happened. He decided to call the police for help, when she returned. "Sorry it's raining. Lot of traffic." She apologized. "Did they leave?"

"No. They are waiting for Shubha madam's autograph." Vikram said in a rude tone.

"I'm sorry. I would have reached earlier. But the meeting got delayed in my lab. And this rain..." She apologized once again.

"Don't you have any sense of responsibility? I suggested you to go by car. But no. Why would Shubha garu listen? Why the hell is your phone switched off? I called you so many times. Your friend says you left the lab hours ago. I was so worried, I thought of filing a complaint in police station. Couldn't you have taken your friend's phone and informed me?"

"I thought I will reach on time. It started raining heavily after I traveled a few kilometers. I couldn't go back. My phone got damaged due to rain." Shubha said defensively.

"Do you think I don't have any other work? Remind me why I wanted you to meet them. Is it for my personal gain? No. It's for you. I wanted you to get noticed for your hard work. Looks like you are not serious about your career." Vikram raised his voice.

Shubha was equally furious. "That's a very mean thing to say. It's because I am serious about my career that I went to my lab this afternoon." She shouted at him.

"You think you can be a scientist again? Your career as a scientist is over. Your uncle has made sure of that. If you don't accept this you are a fool." He yelled.

The other three were shocked by that remark. Shubha looked at him with tears in her eyes and anger written on her face. Dhwani consoled her. 

After a few minutes of deafening silence, she wiped her tears and spoke in a composed voice. "You have gone too far."

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