The Masquerade (AnShi/ShivIka FF)- Epilogue UPDATED (Pg 130){COMPLETE} - Page 41

Originally posted by: -Jamina

Fabulous update
The way you put Shivaay part awesome 👏
Eager to know what gonna happen next.

Originally posted by: preity_d

Comment for 10 (A)

What Anika did as reflex was a slap and I found is relatable and interesting... and what Shivay did was also justified but leaving a girl at that much late hours of night ? How bold is she but she must have felt insecure for a micro second for sure ! Thank God they later on at least dropped her at the station though still it's highly risky IMO

Okay, so after reading the part where Anika was doing everything to make the marriage perfect, I am clueless about Shivay's behavior now want his perspective !

Thanks for the pm. Running to read the next ! ❤️

Originally posted by: pinguunique

Loved the update!! Your writing is really really good :) Please continue soon :D

Originally posted by: -Sarcy-

That was such a wonderful insight into the high and mighty SSO's thoughts! So he accepts that what he did could have put the two of them in a spot and he's also conscious of how Anika might have felt about the whole thing. Interestingly, he brushes it all off as a potential for scandal and sets off to make it right - or possibly, worse. If only he realised how affected he is about the whole thing. Can't wait to see the next chapter unfold.

And of course, OmRu were a delight!

Originally posted by: MysticRiver

good update...

Originally posted by: rut93

Amazing Story:)

Originally posted by: ayeshachanna

Hi Twerps,

As promised I am back for a detailed response.

First of all, thank you for gifting us a chapter from Shivaay's point of view! For the amount of screen space that he gets, its ridiculous how we, the audience, never really get to see him alone with his thoughts. So purely from a readers perspective, this was genuine gold!

Now coming back to story, it looks like the slap worked! But ooh, SSO is no ordinary guy is he now? He is ruthlessly cold, even in his anger, and extremely manipulative. I have a feeling that his ridiculous idea of patching things up is just going to complicate matters even more.

He is such a complicated character really, all but twisted inside. This is the one major difference between him and Anika I would say. Though she is equally complicated and twisted in her own way, lies to the world in different manner than the way Shivaay does, but she is brutally honest with herself. She does not lie to herself or beguile herself subconsciously.

Shivaay does that. This man hides his own emotions even from himself! There are corners of his heart, sides of his personality that he himself is not aware of. His denial regarding his feelings is not really a denial at all because a larger part of him believes that it is true. Therefore, he may have excepted that the slap hurt his ego, he may also have accepted that it was justified but he will never agree that her rejection of him hurt him in the heart. Hence, he will never accept that he wants things between him and Anika to go back to the way they were. For this awkwardness is nothing but a wall between them and he can't bear. Alas, he will use the excuse of scandal and family name to even the stage once again.

Thank you Twerps, for this gem of a chapter! I am eagerly awaiting the confrontation! Knowing our girl, I hope she give as good as she gets!

Love,

A.C.

11

Anika woke up from a nightmare to an empty room. Bright light flooded the tiny chamber. As her sleep-addled brain cleared and the effects of the nightmare subsided, her eyes turned to that spot next to her where she would usually find that bundle of solace that was her brother. Saahil's absence dawned on her slowly as her eyes swept across the spotless room. No books were lying strewn across his desk, no toys lay on the bed tucked under their blankets. Everything was in order. Anika got up and went to pour herself a glass of water. They had spoken on the phone earlier in the evening. Saahil had been ecstatic. His team had qualified for the semi-finals which would be held a month later in Delhi. Their teachers had reserved the next day for some sightseeing and then her boy would be back home! She couldn't wait for him to return so they could celebrate in style.

A rattling noise interrupted her thoughts. She stepped out of the bedroom and realised a storm was raging outside and a window had fallen open. The howling of the wind grew louder as she walked towards the open window. As she struggled with the latch, a tendril of worry rose in her that there might be a blackout soon. In their neighbourhood, it was normal to have a power cut whenever there was a storm. She went round the house checking doors and windows, fastening latches, double-checking the locks. Once that was done, she decided she should take out some candles, just in case. But before she could rush to the kitchen cupboard which served as their all-purpose storage room, the lights went out.

*************

Shivay's car turned into the narrow street leading to her house. Rain whipped at the windscreen. With dismay, Shivay observed that the street lay in darkness. The headlights from his car cast a feeble circle of light which revealed that the road was already well in the way of becoming a river of murky water. Cursing, he drew up before the familiar porch. On any other night, the appearance of a car in their street at this time of the night would have drawn out quite a crowd. However, tonight the sound of the storm drowned out everything else and Shivay Singh Oberoi reached Anika's house unobserved.

************

The darkness clenched at her throat. Shadowy figures seemed to await her, ready to drag her into their murkiness. She stood frozen, afraid that a slight movement from her would bring to life those sinister presences that seemed to gather around her. Her nightmare was taking shape and there was no Saahil to hold her hand, help her drive away those shadows. Her stupor was broken by the sound of heavy knocking on the front door. The shadows seemed to recede. It might be Apte-ji from next door. His wife was doing poorly for the last few days and when her pain rose, he often came to Anika for help. The prospect of seeing a familiar face broke her paralysis and she rushed to the door. Throwing it open, Anika stared at the figure standing before her. A flash of lightning revealed the gigantic umbrella and the man holding it and she knew that instead of Apte-ji, a nightmare of a different kind had come to pay her a visit.

************

In the brief flash of lightning, Shivay saw her shocked face and then darkness shrouded them both once again. He left the umbrella standing on the porch and waited for her to let him in. When she made no signs of moving, he said as calmly as he could, "We need to talk."

Anika looked at the man framed in darkness. As the wind howled and the rain poured down like there was no tomorrow, the moment felt unreal, like a scene from a disturbing dream and she would wake up any moment with Saahil next to her. Then he reached out and with a faint push, drove her inside,away from the rain and into the waiting darkness.

Shivay looked around the dark room with a sigh. He was starting to regret his rash decision of coming here. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness and he could make out her form. Why wasn't she saying anything? He interpreted her silence as shock on seeing him appear at this time of the night. He took a step to move towards her but stopped in his tracks as the memory of the kiss surfaced in his mind. So instead he took out his phone and lit the flashlight. As that thin beam of white light hit her, Anika seemed to shift and wake up from that dazed state. She looked at Shivay Singh Oberoi standing before her and felt her fears recede as,she was overcome instead by a new sense of anxiety that had nothing to do with her nightmares. What had brought him here?

Shivay cleared his throat. "It's quite dark in here. Can't you switch on the light or something?"

What was wrong with the man?! He turns up at the dead of the night in the middle of a fierce storm and then behaves as if he was paying her a social visit. Well, if he chose to play it cool, she could respond in kind.

"There's been a power cut obviously!" she returned with some heat. Something in his complacent query irritated her. "I'll get candles." Saying so, she turned around to go to the kitchen and stumbled against a stool.

He was immediately beside her. "Wait, I'll come with you." Anika was surprised but the darkness concealed that as well as the look of genuine concern that had flashed across the face of Shivay Singh Oberoi.

After some fumbling around in the kitchen cupboard that disturbed a few sleeping cockroaches, a box of candles was discovered. The appearance of the roaches had already left Shivay feeling faint-hearted. He was studying the floor with keen suspicion when Anika lit the candle. The soft light of the candle falling on her face reminded him of another evening when she had stood before him like this. Before he could devote himself to the task of silencing the discomforting recollections of the rest of the events of that evening, Anika placed the candle on the kitchen counter and rounded on him with hands on hips.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" she demanded.

************

Shivay settled back in the sofa as he watched her stare at the document. Several candles now lit the room, casting flickering shadows on both of them. Outside, the wind howled and rattled at the windows, but he was feeling the familiar satisfaction that filled him every time he watched someone face an offer of his. He had her hooked. It was only a matter of time till he could reel this one in.

Anika ignored the small print but still the contents of the document left her speechless.

"You're offering me the tender?" she said finally.

"And that property deed as compensation", he added with a smirk.

"Daadi has already made out all the property papers in Saahil's name," she said in a voice that revealed nothing in its coldness.

"What you're looking at is a deed to an apartment in one of our recent real estate projects. It's not the deeds to a shoddy-" , he glanced around the room with a harsh contemptuous look.

"Stop right there!" Anika had stood up with her eyes blazing.

Shivay watched with rising surprise as she took a step towards him. "You took away that tender from me when you knew that I deserved it."

Anika was trembling in her rage. "You deliberately made a deal with Buaji to take away our home from us!" She watched as her words slowly stripped off that complacent smirk from his arrogant face.

"You did everything in your power to destroy me! And now you come with this document!"

He watched in silence as she shoved the folder towards him and it fell to the floor, papers scattering.

"I do not accept your offer, Mr. Shivay Singh Oberoi." she hissed at him. "You aren't making it because I deserve it! You are trying to bribe me!"

Shivay slowly rose from his seat. His face reflected an anger that matched hers. "I didn't know that my attempt at helping you would find such a response. But I suppose your misplaced attitude-"

"This isn't attitude!" Anika said before he could go on. "This is called self-respect which, I hate to remind you, is not the sole property of people like you!"

She watched him flare but went on, "You accused me of leaking that clip. And now you think I shall go to the press with a story of what happened that night!" In her anger she forgot the promise she had made to herself of never mentioning that night ever again. "Well, you need not be scared on my account! Nothing happened."

As she spoke those words, Shivay felt anger roll through him in waves. "You think I'm afraid of you?"

He strode towards her as he spoke softly but with menace, "Who are you? You're nothing to me." He was now standing before her, towering over her. She could see the crimson spots on his cheeks. As he stared down at her angrily, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. And all of a sudden, she was deeply aware of the fact that they were quite alone in the house.

"What I'm offering will change your life for the better. Take it.", he gritted out.

Anika refused to look away from that enraged face. "I don't need your so-called help! Stop interfering in my life!"

"Don't flatter yourself! I don't have so much time that I will waste it on you!"

"Then why are you here?" She asked, anger making her voice tremble.

She watched his eyes narrow and she tried to calm herself as she turned around saying, "You should leave."

Before he knew what he was doing, he had caught hold of her wrist and pulled her towards him. She crashed into his chest and they stared at each other, both breathing heavily.

"Nothing happened that ni-" she began in a half-whisper but her words were swallowed up by his lips.

The kiss was one of desperation mixed with anger. His lips were demanding but there was an urgency in her nervous fumbling response that seemed to push him over the edge. They broke for a moment, gasping, before his lips found the hollow of her neck. The feel of his face buried there, lips pressed against racing pulse made her close her eyes, but the sensations washed over her in waves, and she found herself pulling him back for a rough kiss that elicited a moan from him. He had pushed his way through her nightshirt and now hands were moving under her clothes, on her skin. But she felt powerless to stop as she pulled him closer to her, clawing at his shirt to make him move to her bidding.

Suddenly the sound of a phone ringing broke through the room and Anika, startled, pushed Shivay away from her.

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