SS || What Happens In Switzerland [Pt.IV Updated] - Page 6

I | In Details

Despite all the luxury that being an Oberoi offered, the plane ride had been a weary one.

Shivaay had almost been shocked when Rudra had agreed to going on the trip so easily; in all of the time that he knew his youngest brother, he had never once shown any interest in the family business. But as Tej had said, Oberoi's had a natural knack for the corporate industry, and this was just a late homecoming of sorts, on Rudra's part. Giddy with pride and excitement, he had made a presentation to show Rudra en route to Zurich, but all enthusiasm went out the window when his brother admitted his real reasons for accompanying him.

Well he hadn't really admitted anything, but unlike Rudra, Shivaay was a businessman, and so he could read the cues. The whole five-hundred-and-twelve-minute journey, his brother had not stopped talking about not talking to a certain rosy-cheeked, food-obsessed beauty. In fact, Shivaay could swear that he he had heard the word Saumya, possibly a million times during those eight torturous hours. Let alone listen to any presentation, all Rudra could talk about his fight with Saumya, and how all he wanted to do is get away from her because she was so extremely immature, unfair and mean. Shivaay zoned out after the first two hours; it was fruitless listening to his brother ramble when he refused to admit how much he missed his best friend.

Not that he could really talk - all he could think about was the beautiful woman that he, himself had broken.

Annika.

It was funny how much he missed her, even when he was at home. She was constantly flitting around the mansion, laughing and joking with the family, cooking terrible food for everyone, or meeting clients who were interested in her successful event-management firm. The woman was a hurricane - but a hurricane that had devastated everything he had once believed in, and had settled in their place. She was never still, but a constant, colourful blur which seemed to haunt him.

Because he had taken away from her, he had devastated her. And unlike Annika, Shivaay had not changed her for the better.

Annika hadn't stopped talking to him, but she had probably done something even worse. She had just become... absent. She had lost the light in her eyes, the ones that only he had once had the power to ignite. She was the perfect wife; in the way that she managed the family, his brothers, his life - but she was not the same Annika that he had been drawn to. This Annika lacked the life that was once her most defining quality, and it terrified him, because he could see the hallmarks of a woman on the verge of breaking.

All because of him.

He hadn't even apologised properly, he realised with a sudden jolt. He had been trying to find a way to approach his wife, who seemed to be so distant, that it intimidated him. He didn't even know what he would say to her; because right now, all he wanted to do was grovel, and beg for her. For Annika - the woman that had made him laugh, cry and care like no other.

But this stupid trip had come up, and he hadn't had the time. Shivaay decided that as soon as these two weeks were over, the first thing he would do was talk to his wife. He would take her out to dinner, and buy her roses, and kiss her goodnight. He wanted to do everything the proper way; because courting Mrs. Oberoi was going to be quite the task.

The two brother had been so immersed in their own thoughts that they barely noticed when the jet dropped them off in east Zurich. Tej had insisted that they don't land directly at the airport, but rather, at a more secluded location so that the media wouldn't catch wind of their arrival. He had told them that Mishra had ensured that Oberoi security, and further transport would be waiting for them in the landing zone.

So when Shivaay and Rudra left the safety of their jet (which seemed to have flied off in quite a hurry), what they weren't expecting was bare wasteland, without the slightest bit of civilisation to be seen.

"Bhaiya, where's our car?" Rudra asked warily, as he pulled his leather jacket closer to himself, the September wind cruel and penetrating. His older brother was already reaching into the pocket of his charcoal Armani suit jacket, and as he took out his phone, Rudra caught some incoherent muttering which sounded unsurprisingly like kill and Mishra.

But no further action could be taken, as two heavy pieces of cloth were shoved over each of their mouths, and both brothers were rendered unconscious.

***

Dressed in an ivory maxi dress from Burberry, Annika looked every bit like the idyllic aristocrat that she now was. Her long hair wrapped loosely in a fishtail braid, she brushed the soft cotton that had bunched around her expensive ballet flats and leaned back into her seat, as the jet took off.

A few months after the wedding, Jhanvi had insisted that she learn the ways of high society. She was ensured that it wasn't because she wasn't already more than any of those plastic, upper class snobs, but rather, that when in such company, the Oberoi daughter-in-law was aptly trained to combat the bitchiness and cruelty that their world entailed. Every Oberoi woman had to learn at some point, and Jhanvi had taken up the duty of teaching her beloved daughter-in-law herself.

The language was taken care of surprisingly quickly, it seemed that Annika had an aptitude for learning languages fast. Etiquette classes were also arranged, but Annika already seemed to possess some sort of charm that had helped her get through that quickly as well. What had taken a while, on the other hand, was the shopping.

Growing up in a world where she had struggled to survive, Annika took it as a personal injustice to spend thousands on clothing. Between Dolce and Gabbana, Manish Malhotra and Christian Loubiton, the poor girl had almost had a mental breakdown at the high-end department store that Jhanvi had insisted on dragging her through. She had passed out however when she saw the number of zeroes in the grand total, and that's when Badi Ma decided that she had shopped enough for the day.

Since then however, she had somehow become accustomed to wearing lavish clothing, and costly jewellery and even though she had sworn that her body didn't take well to affluence, she found that she almost enjoyed it now. Maybe it was because she had never had the chance to pamper herself, so the idea of someone caring enough to buy clothes for her touched her.

Even better, Jhanvi had managed to find her clothes that were quite similar to what she liked wearing herself; giving cotton, and flowing anarkalis. She still wore her own clothes around the house sometimes, and judging by the family's bright smiles, they didn't seem to mind at all. She had however, stopped wearing a certain white anarkali, because it appeared to excite a man that she was currently livid at. It was a small victory, but she knew how much her husband liked her in white, so she took personal pleasure in not letting him get the indulgence of seeing her in it.

She shook her head, almost as if she were trying to clear out the thoughts of him.

Shivaay.

The best and worst thing that had ever happened to her.

Annika was tolerant, at the very least, but when Shivaay had taken her in his arms that day, she had finally broke. Finally, free of the one last thing that was barring their unity, her husband had nearly cried that day. As he whispered you were right' like a chant, as if trying to convince her of something she already knew, Annika had pushed him away.

She had made it clear that she was hurt. Annika winced as she thought back to the fight they had, that had elicited such distance between them. She had been savage that day, accusing him of being a hypocrite, of trusting Tia's word over her, solely because she was an aristocrat, while Annika was born and bred middle-class. He in turn, had tried to explain himself, but she had shut him out, and was yet to let him back in.

There was no use denying it, she missed him. All she needed was an apology, a sincere one, and she would be back in his arms. Maybe that was terrible, but that was how their relationship had always been. They both cut to the bone, but they were the first to heal each other as well.

Thus, she was keeping a considerable distance from her husband, because she wanted to be (albeit unsuccessfully) angry for a little while longer. Her doing that, however, had pretty much destroyed Shivaay. Every day that she pulled away when he made to touch her or turned her back when he said her name, she had seen her husband unravel. It was even harder, because all she wanted to do was be back in his warm embrace, while he whispered in her ear, and made her cheeks flush wildly.

And then and there, she realised that she didn't even need an apology. The man's eyes spoke for him, and she could see the hurt that he wasn't even trying to mask anymore. She made up her mind to initiate some sort of a conversation when she got back home, and as she closed her eyes for a second, she could already imagine the relief on his face, as they slid back into a routine as old as time.

Next to her, Saumya was hurriedly flipping through a stack of travel magazines. Her forehead crinkled in immense concentration and when she finally looked up, she saw Annika beaming at her. Snapping her book shut, she smiled back at the older woman, before asking her the one question that had been annoying her for the past few hours.

"Who needs a private jet?"

"I bet it's for Stone Singh Oberoi. Only he would insist on owning a private jet." Annika quipped, before rolling her eyes as the other woman chuckled in appreciation.

Saumya smoothed out the folds in her cerulean floral-print A-line dress, before stretching her arms behind the reclining seat. Her face suddenly contorted into something more serious, and as she looked down, she murmured so quietly that Annika barely heard her.

"I need this, Annika Di."

"Rudra?"

It was a question, and a statement. Annika didn't even know how or when the words came out of her mouth, but she had seen the way Rudra and Saumya had been behaving with each other and it concerned her. She knew that Saumya would tell her at one point, because by now, they had made a bit of an unspoken vow to confide in each other, especially when it came to the elusive Oberoi brothers, and their antics. Their relationship was one that Annika cherished, because they knew how to switch emotions in moments, and with such effortless transition, it felt more natural than ever. Was this what having a sister felt like?

The younger woman nodded wearily, as she rubbed her palm across her face in anxiety. Even the thought of her best friend made her temples throb aggressively, but she couldn't help but talk, not when Annika sat across her, eyes wide with worry.

"What's going on, Saumya?"

"It's complicated. He's complicated. I'm complicated."

"And I'm confused."

They both paused, and then in sync, broke out into loud bouts of laughter. Annika had had a feeling that Saumya didn't want to talk about Rudra, and as Saumya's eyes thanked her with silent gratitude, she knew that she had made the right choice.

Maybe now just wasn't the right time.

The rest of the trip passed exceptionally quickly, such that the two women didn't even really register when they had gotten out of the jet and into the car. Saumya didn't even notice when they took a turn opposite from Geneva, and neither did Annika when they were driving through bushland that she hadn't seen in the pictures that Pinky had shown her. Both women were happier than they had been in a long while, and they were finally starting to understand why Daadi always said that the walls of Oberoi Mansion could be restricting at times.

Khanna smiled toothily at them when he finally dropped them off in front of their proposed house, but, weirdly enough, didn't respond when Saumya asked why they weren't at the hotel sited in their itinerary.

Annika and Saumya called after him repeatedly, but the man, now quite obviously ignoring them, got into his car and drove away.

Looking at each other in extreme confusion, Saumya and Annika were both wary about going into the house. Annika, in the end, played with the keys in one hand, while giving Saumya's clammy hand a warm squeeze with the other.

"Don't worry, Saumya. Khanna's always been a bit strange, and as for not dropping us at the hotel, you know our family. This is probably a holiday home that they bought for the sole purpose of housing this trip. Plus, how gorgeous is this place?!"

The villa, indeed was beautiful.

As they stood in the wild shrubbery that surrounded the place, they could see a lake, with water in the deepest of sparkling sapphire on the other side of the building, so close that they could feel the spray of the water on their faces. The house, seemingly made of pure white stone towered over them, and long glass panels that acted as windows teased what waited inside. Dark iron twisted to form columns and pillars that guarded the house, and most eye-catching of all, emerald ivy meandered gracefully across the white stone and the black iron, beckoning them to enter.

Even thought the villa embraced a Grecian, utopian charm, it was obvious that only the Oberoi family would be able to find this small piece of heaven in the vast expanse of the whole world.

Annika sighed, before sliding the key into the lock, and both women watched warily as the heavy doors, made of pure frosted glass, swung open. When they finally braved going inside the house, they were in awe of how stunning the interior was, maybe even more so than the outside. As Saumya squealed and Annika giggled at how flawless the place was, they internally prepared for what appeared to be the best holiday they had ever had the pleasure of undertaking.

But my, were they in for a shock.

Because there, sprawled along two of the sofas, were both of their husbands, apparently unconscious.

Annika froze. Saumya's breath hitched in her throat.

They acted in the very next instant, darting towards their respective husbands with speed that they didn't know they possessed.

"Shivaay! Wake up, Shivaay!" Tears burning in her eyes, Annika cried as she shook her husband, her head resting against his chest, which still seemed to offer a comfort that she had only ever felt in his arms. As her eyes searched for something that could help her, she found knew what she needed, and ran towards the kitchen.

"Rudra, get up! Please get up!" Saumya whispered, face red and nose swollen from her tears. She cupped his face and then she realised what she had to do.

In perfect timing, Saumya laid a tight slap on Rudra's jaw while Annika poured a glass of cold water onto Shivaay' head. As they stood together, they couldn't help but smile as the men woke up with a violent start.

Both the brothers cried out three words in unison, as they looked up to see their wives glaring down at them.