The Masquerade (AnShi/ShivIka FF)- Epilogue UPDATED (Pg 130){COMPLETE} - Page 77

wow, this was awesome⭐️
really felt for shivaay
his turmoil was beautifully penned👏
i felt bad for tia too... 😒
and damn that nishant😡. going by shivaay's reaction it seems he heard him. looking forward to a confrontation of sorts
do continue soon

Ah reading your update and after that reading A.C's explanations my God emotions are over flowing in me. You so beautifully expressed Shivay's turmoil so beautifully. Anika still has Sahil and she don't pretend to be someone what she is not but Shivay always tried and pretended to be a ruthless business man and succeeded in some cases to but his heart like a coconut still craves for true love and believes in the beautiful feeling called love which he is experiencing right now, but his pride and prejudices doesn't allow him to submit himself into those crazy dreams of his. He has made his mind to cherish his only love in dreams only, but the same person today broke his delusional world and that was painful for him. He like always vent out his irritation, frustration through his anger. Na pawa gulo j chirchirapan toiri korechilo or moddhe, o seta phone bhenge nijeke calm down korar cheshta koreche.

i am speechless...

Note: Thank you each one of you for your comments/feedback. Ayesha, can't thank you enough like ever, for showering so much love! I am so overwhelmed. Innika, I really want to apologise for forgetting about the PM. And thank you for that analysis. It was, as I said, like you could read my mind, my intentions, as I wrote.

19

Shivay paced around like a caged tiger inside his office. He was glad there was no one to observe him in this state. How dare the man think of Anika like that!?! Speak about her like she was a common piece of trash that could be easily discarded! Even as a paper weight was thrown by him across the room, a voice inside him whispered that he too had once thought of her as common trash. It told him with a niggling persistence that while his anger was directed at Nishanth Gole, it was actually caused by himself. But before the voice could bring on the suffocating sense of guilt, the words overheard at the canteen returned to him and he felt the anger surging forth once again. He needed to show the world that she was so much more. But how would they see the fire that apparently was one only he could see? Well, he would have to speak in a language the world would understand. He would speak in the language he had perfected over the years but he would use it to safe guard her from the audacious scrutiny of those who were actually nothing--those inconsequential nobodies. He settled into his chair as a knock was heard on the door. He would take care of this unfinished business before he turned his thoughts to his own redemption.

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Anika wheeled Champa into the shed that served as their garage. It had been a long day with certain moments that didn't warrant dwelling upon. The stress of maintaining her appearance of cheer and good will had taken its toll on her spirit. Then there had been that lapse on her part which was strictly to be forgotten. On the way home, traffic had been devastatingly slow. She had narrowly escaped being fined for speeding. But now finally she was home. Saahil was yet to return from his Math tuition so she had a couple of hours to set the house to order, prepare their dinner and have a nice relaxing cup of chai. She had just closed the front door and thrown the sling bag on the sofa when there was a knock. She wondered if Saahil had returned already. Had the little tyke gotten into a fight? She threw the door open and was shocked to see not her brother covered in bruises but a very drunk Nishanth Gole.

He was half resting against the door post and looked as if a single push would have him in the state his body was demanding to be in...horizontal.

"Five years!" He slurred like a 60s film hero. "I gave the company five years of my life."
Anika's shock was turning to amazement. She couldn't fathom what had brought on this sudden fit of soul searching and that too at her doorstep.

"Nishanth!" She began gently. And then recalling last evening's incident, she continued in a cooler tone. "Why are you here?"

"What would you know of struggle, Ms. Anika-almost-an-Oberoi!?" Nishanth went on undeterred in his own private grievance-filled universe of being wronged.

Ever since she became aware of the world, Anika had been called many things. Life had hurled countless insults and humiliating epithets at her. However, she had never had the good fortune of being accused of not knowing what struggle was. Flummoxed, she stared as Nishanth tried to prop himself up, ended up sliding down further along the post and finally came to rest with legs outstretched and back resting on the railing of the porch. There he sat mumbling to himself, at times raising his voice and saying things like, "I gave him the best years of my life!" "Uske aagey peechey ghumne ka kya koi matlab nahi!", "Zindagi toh mujhey ullu banakar chod diya" and so on. Anika quickly looked around her. No one had yet observed any of this. She nudged Nishanth. He looked at her once, his face twisted into a scowl and he went back to mumbling in a low voice.

"Get up, you idiot!" Anika shouted at him. Her irritation was now threatening to cloud her judgement. After a long difficult day, she had no patience for such nautanki! What was this bas***d doing here anyway? He had made it quite clear that he wanted to put as much distance between himself and her chawl last evening. And now he had landed here in a state not fit to be seen. If he didn't sober up soon and leave, she would have to do something about it.

"Arrey, Anika beti, woh aise nahi sudhrega" Apteji's voice made Anika look up, startled. She didn't want to create a scene. Thankfully, it was only Apteji and Rajan, their neighbourhood tea vendor who stood before her. Apteji took a sip from his cup of cutting chai and said, "Beti, paani feykne se hi woh nasha utrega."

"Uncle, yeh .."Anika began, uncertain as to how to explain the presence of a drunk man on her porch.

"Tujhey explain karne ka koi zaroorat nahi. Saahil ne bataya humein koi larka tumhe pareshaan kar raha hai kuch dino se." Apteji drained his cup and placed it in Rajan's hand. Then with hands on hips, he ordered the tea seller to bring him a bucket of water. Ever happy to do anything other than sell tea, Rajan leaped to assistance and soon had not one but two buckets of water ready. Apteji picked up one and gestured at Rajan to do the same with the other. Then he grinned at Anika and said, "Ab dekhte hai yeh SSO kya karta hai." And before Anika could say anything, correct any misunderstandings or even try to stop them, Nishanth Gole was hit by a wall of water that landed on him from two sides.

As Nishanth spluttered through the water cascading on him, Anika managed to squeak out, "Uncle, yeh SSO nahi."

With the last drops of water bouncing off Nishanth's head, Apteji looked slightly embarrassed now. "SSO nahi?" he asked. However his apprehension disappeared as Anika went on to say,"Yeh SSO ke liye bas kaam karta hai."

He gave her a grin full of childishness and turned to Rajan. "Phir toh thik hai. Jab SSO aayega toh baataa dena. Water canon ka bandobast ho jayega."

Rajan too looked ecstatic at the evening's adventures. "Ab isse dhakka dekey nikal doo, Anika didi?" he asked eagerly.

Not willing to subject the man to further humiliation, and knowing fully well that she was capable of handling him on her own, Anika stepped in before Rajan could act upon his words. "Nahi nahi, main issey sambhaal lungi. Thank you."

Apteji and Rajan left her porch with satisfied smiles of a job well done. Anika watched them disappear around the corner and then turned her attention back to the bedraggled man on her porch. Nishanth had sobered up somewhat and was now peering out from behind wet dripping locks. His eyes shifted around as he tried to get measure of the situation.

As Anika strode up towards him with a fierce expression on her face, he scrambled up.

" Why did you come here?" Anika gritted out.

The water had brought him out of his drunken stupor but the effects of the alcohol were yet to wear out altogether. He angrily pulled himself up and hissed out his grievances.

"Didn't take you long to go crying with your fake sob stories to the Oberois! What story did you feed Mr. Oberoi?"

Anika stared at him in enraged amazement and thus forgot to retaliate.

Nishanth continued. "The humiliation I was meted out because of you! I can't face my colleagues now!"

He felt emboldened at her silence and walked about the porch as he went on his tirade.

"Because of you, Sir did not hesitate to forget my dedicated service! He has left me utterly ridiculous in the eyes of my team!"

Anika spoke up now. "Look Nishanth! Obviously I haven't told the Oberois anything about what happened between us. You can't lay on my head whatever has happened in your workplace."

However her words fell on deaf ears as Nishanth rounded on her with a fierce scowl. "And then I find out that you were playing a game all along. Testing me with all this middle class crap when you own apartments in the choicest areas in upscale Mumbai! When you are the sole owner of a considerable amount of stocks and bonds making you quite a wealthy person! What would you know of struggle? Do you know how much effort on my part has brought me to this place and now I risk losing it all! Did you set out to ruin me?"

Anika didn't know whether to laugh or knock some sense into this idiot.

"What are you even talking about?" She exclaimed.

Nishanth balanced against the railings and looked towards her with considerable hatred.

"Don't pretend like all this is a surprise to you. Mr. Shivay Singh Oberoi himself told me about your property details. Will you now accuse him of lying?"

Suddenly like a flash, Anika remembered the property papers Billuji had made out for her as part of buying her silence. Did he actually think she would accept his idiotic offer! And to share these details with his employee! God! The man surely took great pleasure in humiliating her!

She turned towards Nishanth with fury written across her face. Her expression made him pause midway through his rant.

"Get out!"

"You ought to fix the damage you've caused!" Nishanth tried to protest.

However when Anika took off her Chanda, he beat a hasty retreat and Anika furiously watched him stumble away from her house, jabbing at his phone in a sorry attempt at booking a cab.

With the employee taken care of, the boss now needed a seeing to.

---------------

"Shivay, I'm so glad you wanted to meet me" said Tia Kapoor as she settled into the chair across from Shivay in the lounge of Remington's. It was quite early in the evening and apart from them, there were very few people around. Furthermore, they were hidden from the public view by a few strategically placed plants and wooden frames. Shivay had chosen his time and spot well since he needed privacy for the conversation he was about to have with his soon to be ex-fiance, Ms. Tia Kapoor.

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Omkara stepped into Rudra's room ignoring the stench of old socks and unwashed gym wear. The room was frankly an assault on the senses what with the piles of soiled clothes lying around, posters of muscled men and women in various contorted poses hanging from the walls and the headache inducing music blaring from the loudspeakers. But instead of commenting on any of this, Om strode towards his brother who was lying on his stomach with his nose glued to his phone screen.

"What's the meaning of this message, Rudra?" Om demanded.

"Well, O, why are you giving me angry looks? It's time to celebrate."

"Rudra, what do you mean by texting me that Lady Baba has said bye bye?" Om's face showed irritation but there was a certain flicker of hope dancing in his eyes that had made it impossible for him to stay one more minute at his art studio once he had read Rudra's message.

Instead of replying, Rudra handed his phone to Om. It was Tia's instagram page. She had posted a photo of the sun setting into the sea near the Nariman point. It was accompanied with a short quote.

"Our perception of reality is malleable. Everything is always shifting. We may not have the power to change an event, but we do have the power to change our perspective."

Om looked at Rudra questioningly. "And what about this post makes you think they've broken up?" he asked in annoyance, fully suspecting that Rudra had made him rush here on nothing but a wild goose chase.

"Arrey! O, check out the next post." Rudra said, enjoying his brother's confusion. Om followed his advice.

This one was a selfie of Tia, looking into the camera with a smile. Her face was lit by the glow of the sunset. She looked serene. This photo was accompanied by another quote.

"Every choice brings me closer to knowing my own heart. Every event in life that offers me this opportunity may simply be a means to that end. What will show me, ME?" After this she had written "#welcomesinglehood"

Om sat down on the bed in a daze. He could barely hear Rudra's gleeful exclamations. Shivay and Tia had broken up? The fact seemed so surreal but it was true. He didn't know what had happened between the two but he wanted to see Shivay. He needed to talk to his brother because his mind was racing ahead on a path of optimism and sheer unadulterated blissful assumptions. But he needed to verify his suspicions before he gave free reign to this joy. Had Shivay finally admitted defeat to his own heart?

---------------------------------

"Tia!"

Mrs. Kapoor's voice was a harsh shriek echoing through the vast main hall of the Kapoor Mansion. Her daughter, who had just returned home, stopped in her tracks. Robin, her brother, had been lounging on a sofa and playing on his gaming console. He too sat up on hearing the anger in their mother's voice.

"How dare you, Tia?!" Mrs Kapoor advanced upon her daughter, her voice almost choking with anger. "I've been observing for the past few days! You'd been planning to do this, I know! How could you be so selfish?!"

Robin looked from his mom to his sister in confusion. However, Tia knowing fully well what had brought on her mother's anger, gave a resigned sigh. "You must have seen the post then" she said with a shrug.

"Your aunt saw it and thankfully let me know before anyone else did! The phone has been ringing continuously ever since but I've told Alberto to inform the callers that we are not at home."

"Mom, it's not my fault" Tia began. However, Mrs. Kapoor cut her short.

"Do you have any idea Tia what the press will make of this?! This deal would have created history in the Indian corporate world and you just ruined it all singlehandedly!"

Robin had picked up on what the conversation was about looked at his sister in shock! He had known that Tia was not completely happy with her relationship with Shivay Singh Oberoi lately but he hadn't for once thought she'd have it in her to end things. A genuine smile of delight appeared on his face.

"Mom," he interjected "If Tia wasn't happy in her relationship, it is only fair that she ends it. What is more important to you? The deal or Tia's happiness?"

His query was greeted by a snort of derision. Mrs. Kapoor did not know what she would do with these two idiot children of hers who went through life with their head in the clouds.

She opened her mouth to silence her son once and for all but Tia spoke up before she could utter a single word.

"Mom, Shivay broke up with me." She raised her hand to stop her mother from speaking and went on. "Before you blame me for distancing myself from him, I want to tell you that yes, I had liked him. But it was on your and dad's insistence that I agreed to this marriage. I listened to everything you told me, followed your every wish. But I never knew true happiness in this relationship. My passion is reiki which you treat as a joke. I know you barely tolerate it thinking it makes me interesting and because it gives you an exotic topic to gossip about at the society dinners. But Mom, I want to devote my life to this. It is not a passing hobby. I want to make this my life. I have wanted to do so ever since I discovered reiki. I want to open my own spiritual healing center which I know sounds like a ridiculous idea to you. But Mom, after talking to Shivay today, I want to give myself a chance to find out what really lies in me. I want to follow my heart instead of my mind. Like me, he too has been caught in a war between his heart and his mind for a while now. And seeing him come to a decision today, I too feel like I can have a chance at true happiness. I don't want to remain in these narrow confines that you wish to tie me to. Mom, please, let me go."

Tia's voice had such a pathetic plea in it that Robin felt his eyes prickle. However, Mrs. Kapoor turned around and left the two without saying a word. Her face before she left them seemed to be made of stone but her eyes sparkled with cold fury.

Robin turned to his sister once their mother had disappeared up the stairs. "I am so proud of you, Tia. You know I had been angry ever since you just laid down and accepted their decree of your marriage into the Oberoi family."

Tia looked up the stairs with uncertainty etched across her face. "Mom is furious. How do you think Dad will react once he finds out?"

"Don't worry. I'll speak to him. Anyway, he's been pleased with me ever since I've started helping him out in the business. So, I guess I will be able to manage him. But what is important is that you are free now! I can't tell you how happy that makes me."

Tia's eyes glistened with unshed tears. She and Robin didn't exactly engage in heart to heart talks in general. But today was special. She reached out and hugged him. Instead of trying to wriggle away as he did usually,Robin embraced her and patted her on her shoulder. "Tia, if Mom and Dad refuse to sponsor the healing centre, don't worry. I shall give you some money and you can use your own savings for the rest. This is going to be brilliant!"

Tia looked up at her brother with a radiant smile through her teary eyes. "Oh, that would be wonderful! But Mom and Dad will be so mad! And so disappointed!"

Robin smirked at her and replied, "Well, it is your life, Tia. Mom and Dad will just have to deal with it."

UnRes,

Uff. I just loved this chapter to no end.

Well I was eagerly waiting for the Nishanth-tod convo but then he shows up wounded and drunk at Annika's doorstep and I can imagine how the conversation went.