Our boys are even ready to tell their tale if you are ready to listen to it.
"Why did you take these out?"
The young man simply tilted his head to the side to indicate that he acknowledged Svetlana but otherwise, he didn't react. His focus was on the toys he had laid out in front of him on the floor: packages of crayons, a small car, a teddy bear, little sports' shoes, a Pikachu that would reach to his own waist - many things. Though, he picked out only one piece from the pile: a silver chain. When he pressed down on the pendant attached to it, it opened and revealed a picture.
He stared at it, warmth filling his chest. The picture was incomplete, now - but not for long.
"This," he said as he showed Svetlana the chain, "is this year's gift."
Svetlana raised an elegant eyebrow. "You already got him something for this year?"
"I had to," he murmured. "I collected these gifts throughout the years but this is the first one I will be able to give him on his birthday."
"Until which everything will be done." To emphasize her words, Svetlana smiled at him. And he returned it, a rare, sincere smile
__________________________________________________________________________________
Back at the Oberoi mansion
_______________________________________________
Om walked into Shivaay's room. "You ready?".
Shivaay nodded. He took one last look at Rudra, sleeping peacefully on his bed, before following Om outside.
Om kept glancing back at Shivaay's room. "He'll be fine right?".
"Yeah. He just took his medicine. He's usually out by at least a couple of hours after that. We'll be back by evening anyway. He'll be fine."
Om nodded though he can't shake the dread he's feeling at the moment. They walked towards one of Shivaay's car, Om's mind still occupied with thoughts of Rudra. He'll be fine. He's home and everyone is here. Dadi will keep an eye on him. Stop being ridiculous.
Om shook his head to clear his thoughts. He got in the the passenger seat of the car, turned to Shivaay and asked, "So,where to first?"
"We'll go to her" Shivaay said in a neutral tone.
With an understanding look Om asked "Will she be able to help us out?"
Turning the engine on Shivaay looked ahead and answered Om in a confident tone, "Of course she will be! She has been in the legal department since I was kid! Also I think it'll be better if we go to her, she'll understand how this is a very sensitive situation for us." Shivaay's tone turned soft at the end.
Om just nodded his head absentmindedly as his worry for his baby brother's safety kept on increasing with the amount of distance they put in between him and them.
Stopping on the red light Shivaay looked at Om and in an assuring manner held his hand and squeezed it a little saying, "He'll be fine. You know we have to sort this issue first, right?"
Om still wasn't convinced but let out a small smile and said, "Anything for Rudra!"
With that the green light came on and Shivaay took the right turn and headed for the Municipal Corporation.
A lady of around 58 years of age, sat quietly in the big air conditioned office with glasses set on her nose, reading through the fresh stack of public funds list that her assistant submitted to her five minutes ago.
A knock on the door interrupted her reading and with an annoyed look at the list, which looked like had some big miscalculations, said, "Come in."
The lady looked at the two guys standing there with a face showing impatience and worry. She recognized the two instantly. Shivaay and Om. Her old family friends' sons.
"Shivaay?! Omkaara?!" the lady greeted the guys with a soft smile. When she stood up to reach out to them, the guys said in unison "Massi, we need your help!"
Looking at the worried filled faces, Padma Kapoor knew something was off. Big time!
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On the other hand in O mansion Rudra was sleeping peacefully with Dadi and Prinku sitting next to him as they were worried about him. They were unaware that there was someone else too who was keeping an eye on them. Suddenly Prinku heard a sound and she started to move towards it. She went out into the hallway, walking towards the direction of the sound. As she turned around the corner, she bumped into someone and would have fallen to the floor if not for the hand grabbing her.
Prinku looked up to see Svetlana standing over her with a smile that never really reached her eyes. "Careful Prinku. Almost had a nasty fall there. Wouldn't want you hurt now would we?.Prinku tried to stammer out a reply, before Svetlana cut her off impatiently. "Aren't you supposed to be a your piano lesson by now?
Prinku was running late, she needed to go to her piano lessons now, but she just couldn't find her notes. She looked all around her room and just as she was about to give up, she saw them tucked inside her school bag. Prinku breathed a sigh of relief before hurriedly walking out of her room. In her haste, she accidentally knocked over some of the ornaments on a table, scattering them on the floor. Prinku grimaced at the sound, thankful that Shivaay Bhaiyya wasn't home. He would've been very irritated by the noise. She called one of the maids over to tidy up the mess before running off to her class.
The sound startled Rudra awake. He was still drowsy, the effect of his medication not quite worn off. He looked around the room in a daze, trying to put his thoughts together. Something doesn't feel right. Then it clicked. Rudra has always woken up with at least one of his brothers by his side and finding himself alone is not a pleasant feeling for him. He pushed himself off the bed, swaying slightly on his feet.
"Bhaiyya? O?" he called out weakly, his voice still scratchy from sleep. No answer. Maybe they're in the kitchen?
He made his way slowly towards the door and pushed it open. As he walk unsteadily towards the kitchen, fighting to keep himself awake, he tripped over the vacuum cleaner the maid was using to clean up the mess Prinku made earlier. Rudra fell on the floor, twisting his ankle sharply.
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Shivaye was discussing the Rudra issue with Padma but Om was worrying about baby. He had developed a mother's instinct in all these years which was giving him indications that something was not right with Ru. He just stood up and asked Shivaye, "I think we just need to go home immediately."
Shivaay, surprised, said, "But I just started talking Om."
"We can do it later right but now lets just go home."
Sensing the urgency in Om's voice Shivaay become worried, as well. He knew why Om was so tensed and had always trusted Om's instincts when it come to Rudra. "Let's go. I am sorry Maasi, we will talk about it later," he said to the woman before both of them rushed out of the office.
As Shivaay and Om were about to leave, a guy entered the room telling that a man was asking to see the file of Rudra Singh Oberoi, the VIP.
This shocked everyone there. Padma asked her assistant if the person was still outside for which the assistant nodded a no and informed that he left when they started inquiring him and his background and reason for him to ask for RSO's information.
This made Shivaay Singh Oberoi more alarmed, so in turn he looked at Padma, understanding the signal she got up and went in search for something.
As she cane back, she brought a file with her.
"This is Rudra's database file. I think that's what you two came here for?" Nodding in conformation Om sent a small nervous smile to Padma. As Shivaay went to take the file, the fire alarm went off in the building.
Shivkara turned to the direction of sound for second and Om signaled to take file immediately so that take can go out. Shivaye took the file from Padma and both Sivkara rushed out of room towards gate. But to their disappointment everyone was running in corridor and in this chaos file fell from the hands of Shivaye
Looking at the crowd running towards them, Shivaay became the shield for Om, controlling the amount of pushing and pulling was going around them, till Om finds and picks up the file.
Finding the file near the third pillar at the end of the corridor Shivaay and Om moved to that side. As Om bent to pick up the file, someone stepped on his hand and an "Ouch!" came from his mouth.
Worried Shivaay turned to Om and took him outside the gate next to their car, which was parked by the tall Tree, they didn't the name of. Putting the blue file on the Hood of the car, Shivaay asked Om "Are you alright?" with his worried filled tone.
When Om said he was fine, Shivaay didn't hear anything and brought the First-Aid Kit from the car. Where Shivaay kept his eyes trained on Om's hand, tending the now dark blue and almost black turned hand. Om kept his eyes focused on the blue file, wondering what is written in his little brother's life.
When Shivaay was done, he caught Om's attention by picking up the blue file. Opening the big huge file, Shivaay looked for Rudra's Birth Certificate. That one faded color paper caught his eyes as"Birth Certification" was written on top of it.
As his eyes went down, the father's name column shocked him even more.
Looking at Shivaay's shocked filled eyes Om nudged him, to which Shivaay read the name out loud, making Om take a step back and hit his same injured hand on the car.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Rudra winces in pain as the doctor examined his foot. Dadi sat near his head, continuously carding her hand through his hair. Jhanvi sat on the other side of the bed, a worried expression on her face.
She knew she had mostly stayed away from Rudra, letting Shivaay and Om take over the duty of caring for him. She tries to justify herself, that Rudra is more comfortable around his brothers, that Rudra doesn't even remember her. The truth is, she stayed away because she didn't want him to remember her. Didn't want him to remember the flash of guilt and hurt in her eyes everytime she looks at him. Rudra. Her little boy. Her joy and her pain. The constant reminder of her past. Even now she just wanted to be away from this room, to distance herself from her son.
Her son.
Rudra whimpered in pain, hand clutching at Jhanvi's own. She was startled out of her musings, and found herself at a loss at what to do. Then her motherly instinct kicked in. She planted kisses on Rudra's forehead, whispering to him, calming him down. She is well aware of the looks she's getting from the family. Her mother in law beamed with pride. Pinky and Shakti looked puzzled. And Tej. Her husband had an unreadable expression on his face. Is he angry? Irritated? Annoyed? As she held her little boy in her arms, she found that she didn't care.
"It's just a sprain. Have him rest, be off his feet, and he will be fine in a week's time", the doctor announced.
Tej nodded curtly and escorted the doctor out. Jhanvi stayed by Rudra's side as everyone started to leave the room. As she tuck her son to sleep, she noticed someone else there.
"Yes Svetlana? Is there anything you want?", Jhanvi asked, barely keeping the contempt in her voice at bay.
"Nothing. Just thinking of how much pain he's in. People really do need to be more careful around here, don't they? How many times must he be hurt?"
"Accidents happen. That's all there is to it. And it really is none of your business. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
Svetlana smirked, "Oh yes. Of course. Thank you for reminding me. I do have an important call to make. Please excuse me".
Svetlana's gaze lingered on Rudra before leaving the room. Jhanvi felt uneasy. Svetlana had a dangerous glint in her eyes, and Jhanvi felt cold. She lied down next to Rudra, hugging her son close to her.
"Another accident? What happened? Is he all right? Did they call the doctor? What..."
"Calm down beta. He has a sprained ankle. Not serious, but he will be off his feet for about a week. You should have seen that woman, pretending to care. I nearly strangled her! All these years of neglect and she's suddenly decides to be mother? His mother?", Svet fumed. She can still feel the rage at the way that woman had her hands around Rudra. The nerve!
The young man Svet was talking went quiet. Then, with a steely determination in his voice, he said, "I have had it with these people. They are taking him for granted. I'm going forth with our plan. Don't try to stop me this time."
"Great minds do think alive, love", Svet smirked. "I've already made the preparations. Shivaay and Omkara are out of the house. I have people tailing them. Don't worry, they'll be kept busy which makes our work that much easier. Tej wouldn't lift a finger to stop us, I'm sure of that. Neither will Shakti. The ladies pose no threat. This is the perfect time for us to make our move. See you soon darling".
"What is the meaning of this, Svetlana?"
Svetlana crossed her arms over her chest and simply raised both her eyebrows at Tej. The other occupants of the room were growing increasingly nervous, she could feel it from Shakty to that loud mouthed wife of his to Tej's mother. And she loved it. Oh, how much she loved it - this feeling of power. Of having control.
"Exactly what it states there, Tej," she replied smugly.
"Jhanvi never signed..." Tej trailed off, his eyes widerning ever so slightly. "You tricked me."
"I did." And it hadn't even been that difficult. Worth the years of effort she had put into gaining his trust. "Now, if you don't mind-"
"Why would you do that?" Tej cut her off sharply. "What's in there for you?"
For a moment, she was tempted to ignore him. To turn around and just do what she had wanted to do ever since she entered the life of Tej Singh Oberoi for the first time. Yet, she stayed, stared straight at him. "Family."
Tej frowned though, there was a flicker of something in his features. Not understanding but an idea. Thought racing through his mind, trying to connect the dots.
"Now." She stared at all of them, noted that Tej had given the papers to Shakti and Pinky and his mother were looking at them over his shoulder. "If you don't mind, I am taking him with me."
"You can't just take him!"
Svetlana halted in her motions, caught off guard. What? Focusing back on the man, she observed him closely. Wasn't that interesting? She had expected him to be unaffected by this. Let her do her job without as much as raising his voice. But there was real, honest reluctance. Surprising. Her lips formed a cruel, mocking smirk. "Wow. Don't tell me the Tej Singh Oberoi got attached to his lovely wife's illegitimate child!"
She had hit a nerve, she knew it as soon as his expression closed off.
"You know," she continued sweetly, "you can make a fuss and refuse. And I can take more drastic routes like... publicity and all. I wonder how much that would ruin the Oberois... hm." How much it would ruin Jhanvi. It hung in the air, unsaid, but Tej knew very well what she was implying. And he averted his gaze though, his body was still shaking. She wondered whom his anger was directed at the most.
Seeing Tej backing down, Shakti, as expected, looked away, as well. Though, Kalyani... "Tej, you cannot let her just take Rudra!"
"Well, he cannot stop her... us, either."
All of them turned towards the direction of the voice. A young man stood at the doorway, tall and proud. He made his way towards Svetlana. The young man stood next to Svet and gave her a hug. "Are we ready then Bua?". Svet smiled at him, pride evident in her features. "Ready darling. He should be in that room over there. Come, let's bring him home".
"Stop!". It was Kalyani, disbelief written all over her face. She turned to her son. "Tej! What is the meaning of this? These people are taking Rudra and you're just letting them?". The young man rolled his eyes at that. "These people are his family. And we are here to take Rudra home. I would appreciate it if we can do this without any fuss".
"Family? He has a family. Us. Who are you? Coming here and trying to take my grandson away? Pinky! Call Shivaay. Tell him to hurry home now!".
Svet just laughed. "Indeed darling, where are our manners? Yes, Mrs. Oberoi. We are his family. I'm his Bua and this here is Naleesh, Rudra's brother. Pleasure to meet all of you. But we really are running late. Come Nal, follow me."
Svet and Naleesh made their way to the bedroom, leaving behind the chaos. Naleesh can still hear the shrill chatter of that old woman, barking orders at her family members, hearing the name Shivaay and Om being repeated over and over again. It makes him sick. They have no right over Rudra, Shivaay especially. Rudra is his brother, damn it!
As if sensing his anger, his Bua stopped walking and held his arm. "Nervous darling? Don't be. Rudra is ours, Nal. There is nothing they can do. We will bring him home today." He smiled at her before bending down to give her cheek a kiss.
Naleesh felt so grateful to have his Bua with him. She has been a crucial part of their plan, slaving herself for years, looking for opportunities to set things right. He can never repay her for what she did for them. As hard as it is for him and his father, having to watch Rudra grew up from afar, it must be doubly so for his Bua. To have him near her yet unable to shower him with the love and affection that he deserves. Svet is a strong woman, but Nalessh can see the cracks in her shield now. She can't stop smiling and there was an excited bounce to her step. She was as excited as he was. Soon, their family will be complete.
They reached the bedroom and Naleesh saw his baby brother on the bed. He was fast asleep, curled up against a woman, his injured foot carefully positioned on a pile of pink pillows. Naleesh smiled to himself, amused at his brother's love of all things pink. His Bua had told the family of that quirky trait, and he still remember the whole family having a good laugh over it. As he was about to make his way to the bed, the woman stirred. She was surprised to see them, instinctively pulling Rudra closer to her. Naleesh glanced over at his Bua and saw the look of contempt on her face. Ah, this must be her then. Jhanvi.
Svetlana had a satisfied smirk on her face and with her voice as sweet as it can be, she addressed Jhanvi. "Move away. I'm here to take what's mine."
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"Om!"
He took a step back when he saw that his mother was about to stand up from her position on the couch next to Dadi where she had been hugging the latter. Om noticed her red-rimmed eyes, the confusion in her features and the barest hint of fear - and couldn't look anymore so, he averted his gaze toward Tej. Shivaay touched his shoulder from behind, offering comfort as much as he was seeking.
"Shivaay asked something," he directed toward Tej. "Where is Rudra? Why isn't he resting in his room?"
And there- uncertainty, clear and evident coloring Tej Singh Oberoi's expression and catching Omkara completely off-guard. It had Om's insides tighten with dread.
"Where is Rudra?" Shivaay repeated slowly. "Dadi sounded panicked on the phone. Why did she keep saying 'They are taking him'? What is going on?"
None of the elders met their eyes and it increased their restlessness. Om felt sick to the stomach as fear and panic coursed through his veins like poison.
"It's a long story," Tej finally sighed. "But... well. His other family - took him."
What the... Om felt as if someone had poured a bucket of icy water over his head - and it kep running without mercy. Next to him, Shivaay flinched as if someone had hit him, eyes wide and face paling. The words kept ringing in his ears, again and again, like a horrible taunt.
Other family.
But - they were his family.
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A/N: So, guys, this is the 1st part of our installment, broken in 6, now finished. We will be taking a break for few ATs before continuing with the next installment - what did happen? How did Svetlana and her nephew manage to take Rudra? What will ShivKara do, now? How will they face the elders after knowing this truth? Who is Rudra's dad?
You are free to discuss the story with us in the AT 😉 A special thanks to all the wonderful people who contributed to this. Especially this last part- Sue, Tris, Rachu, thank you!
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