The caged beast -2S part2 on pg3 - Page 2

Anika was ecstatic, she had snagged a job, a respectable job at last. Her worries, her anxieties were over. She now had a purpose, to provide a stable home for Saahil, her little brother who she loved more than life, no, not more than Shivaay, she loved them both equally. She could not bear to live without the both of them, but she had given up on her Shivaay as Pinky had threatened and forced her hand. She could not bear to see her Shivaay without his pride that he wore like a cloak of armor, his head bowed in defeat or despair over the fact that he was the illegitimate son of his father Shakti, born to his girlfriend Kamini.

Anika approached the girl sitting at the reception tentatively, hoping that she was not going to be turned away like all her previous offers. She was met with a smile and introduced to her boss. She settled into her routine happily and worked hard, doing what she did best, organizing events for a large conglomerate. Gradually her confidence returned, a spring in her steps, a smile on her face. Her gaunt frame began to fill a little, the haunted and sad look on her face disappeared briefly at times whereas they used to be present all the time for the last 3 months.

She had never met the owner of the company and she had heard about Mr.Raina, who was elderly and wanted to hand over the reins to his son. After working there for about 2 months, she was surprised to hear that she had been summoned to the big boss's office. wondering if she had spilled some raita over an event, her heart in her mouth, she knocked on the door. She entered the room on hearing a gruff Enter' and it was semi dark, with the blinds closed, save for a desk lamp on the far corner of the massive room. She stood silently, staring at the chair that was turned away from her, keeping her fingers crossed behind her back. 'Sir, I am here, I mean Anika is here. What's wrong? Did I do something in the last job for the Mehras, whatever you heard, it was not my fault. It was that cheapde Mrs.Mehra's assistant who mixed up the cards.' There was silence to her words and a sinking feeling began to creep into her stomach. Slowly, the chair turned and she looked on with trepidation but nothing prepared her for what she saw.

Anika.' The words rocked her to her toes, they were whispered softly, almost reverently by Shivaay, the man who consumed her every waking moment and her dreams, the reason for her listless look. Anika was rooted to the carpet as Shivaay slowly rose from his chair and walked toward her, until he stood an arm's length from her. He had lost weight, his suit that were expertly tailored, hung a bit loose on him. The familiar face with the stubbles was endearing but it was the expression in his eyes that undid her completely. She was afraid to look in his eyes. she knew she would find only anger, hate, for they had parted on a bitter note. Shivaay stepped forward and put a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes that were filled with warmth, emotion gleaming from them. Anika could not make out if it was tears or concern, affection that she was seeing. She was engulfed in a bone crushing hug by Shivaay, who just pulled Anika into his arms. He was shaking and instinctively, she consoled him, asking what was wrong? Shivaay stayed silent, feeling at home with Anika in his arms, savoring the moment, inhaling the familiar lemon scent in her hair, she had lost weight too. Aap teek hai?' was uttered in a wobbly voice by Anika, whose heart was thundering in her ears.

Shivaay pulled himself back with supreme effort and tugged Anika along with him to a sofa that was tucked away discreetly. He pulled her close, closer to him and shushed Anika when she opened her mouth to ask him questions. Shivaay kept his forefinger against her lips and saw the blush creeping over her face, her neck and he was suddenly grinning like a besotted fool. Yup,I am a fool, the biggest one ever who could not see what was happening in my house, under my nose, Anika. I did not listen to you and foolishly believed everything that my mom said. I am sorry for not trusting you, will you forgive me?' said Shivaay in a rush.

He then pulled her closer and tucked her into his arms and proceeded to tell the tale. He was the owner of the company and he had initially hired her, with the thought of wreaking havoc in her life as she had betrayed him. He had sworn the manager to utter secrecy and his name was never mentioned when she was hired. He had a CCTV camera fitted in the room where she sat and monitored her from his office unknown to her. She was the first person he saw and the last one too. Her pain was obvious to many and gradually thoughts of taking revenge from her began draining from his heart. He knew that she had to have a good reason for what she did and so he started digging, into the events that unfurled before she left OM. He tried to get OmRu to spill the beans but they were loyal to Anika and hinted broadly at Pinky. His bros did not any exhibit any animosity toward Anika and that began to work on him, after the accusation that Om was illegitimate. Om spoke of Anika as his bhabhi and Rudra still adored her. His mom Pinky began to badmouth Anika as he had become mechanical, careless, indifferent after Anika left his life. One day, he was on his way to see Pinky when he overheard her talking to one of her high society friend. She was boasting about how she had succeeded in removing that orphan girl from her son's life and she was looking out for a rich pedigreed girl as a bahu. He had heard enough and went in, confronted Pinky who spilled all the sordid details.

He was not her son, the fact shook him. The pain was not greater than what he had felt when he had thrown Anika from his life. He had removed her like a speck of dust on his jacket sleeve. She was his breath, his life, the air he needed to live. Pinky's pleas fell on deaf ears and he left OM, to think on the turn life had taken. He had Anika under watch, she was safe. Shivaay had earned more than enough money and he had invested in a few small companies that were broke with some capital from Dadi. He was a silent partner and turned them into successful businesses. He would start afresh and needed some time to execute his plans in motion. Shakti tried hard to keep him back, Pinky shed bucketful of tears, he was her son, the son of her heart. She had erred, she could not lose him. Shivaay needed some time to sort through all this. He felt only pity for the woman who had raised him, with her ideals of NKK and to succeed, to be bigger and better than his bros, OmRu. He was an Oberoi, his brothers were his pillars, nothing had changed for them as they knew the truth. He was finally able to get them to nod their heads while he uncovered all the facts before them. They did not break the promise given to Anika and he knew that they had aided her in the quest to hide the truth from him. That had hurt him the most, could they not have broken the news to him together? They were FAMILY, his FAMILY. He would go to any lengths for them, they assumed he was weak, could not bear the facts, he who dealt in facts every single day, where deals were made and broken all the time.

Shivaay reassured Anika that he would care for Saahil and her, never again would he distrust his biwi. Anika haltingly began to recount all that had transpired and Shivaay had arrived at the same conclusion. He only wanted to hear it from Anika. He was not going to let her out of his sight and together they would deal with the RAITAS' of the world, put together the wrongs that were done, build a life together.

Shall we go home, my khidkitod khubsoorat biwi?' asked Shivaay and Anika became aware of how close she was to him. Shivaay pressed a kiss on her lips, as he had wanted to do, from the time she entered his office. Anika was dazed, breathless and clasped his shoulders for support. She was boneless as Shivaay stood up, supporting her, holding her, arching an eyebrow at her fevered look. They still had so much to share, many questions to be answered, there was enough time for all that. As one soul, they embarked on a new journey with wide smiles on their faces.