Shivaay strained his eyes to see the lone, silhouetted figure sitting on a rock. It was an unusually dark night. The only source of light came from the distant Mumbai skyline that silently glistened in the background. Taking in a deep breath, Shivaay silently walked towards him. He had been looking for Mahi the whole day. He had gone to the chawl, to the lowly bar that Mahi frequented and also to Ranveer's house. But Mahi had remained untraceable. Khanna then suggested that they wait for a few hours. He knew of a spot that Mahi often visited at night time. They were hoping to find him there. Shivaay had lied to Anika about meeting a client and came to that spot. Ideally, Shivaay would have liked to have come alone. But the family had turned paranoid about sending him anywhere on his own. So there he was with Khanna in tow.
Thankfully, Khanna's prediction had turned right and Mahi was sitting there. Shivaay was relieved. Mahi was playing something on his mouth organ. Shivaay stood behind him and listened to it for a few minutes. He didn't really recognize the tune but it was unlike anything he had heard before. It was sad. It was almost like Mahi was pouring all his misery into the tune. There was something so melancholic, so haunting about the melody that Shivaay's heart clenched in his chest.
"You play this well. Do you like playing it?" asked Shivaay as he sat down on the rock. He switched on the torch on his mobile and placed it in between them so there was some light at least.
Mahi abruptly stopped playing the mouth organ but didn't look at him. Without any preamble or greeting, he snarled at Shivaay. "What are you doing here?"
Even in the little light, he could see that Mahi was seething. Shivaay let out a sigh. "I don't know. I really don't know what am I doing here."
A small smirk made its way to Mahi's face as a realization had hit him. He tilted his head and looked at Shivaay. Quirking his brow, he stated, "You bastard! You had me investigated. Didn't you?"
"Yeah..." Shivaay trailed off in a small voice and looked away from the scrutinizing gaze of Mahi.
What else could he do? Him getting kidnapped, an impostor taking his place and the zillion other troubles in their business; all demanded a proper investigation. Shivaay knew that Mahi couldn't have done it alone. He was just a pawn in the bigger game. So, he hired a special team to get to the bottom of the issue. They had taken a long time but the results had shocked the living daylights out of him.
Mahi sneered, "So. What were the results, Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi?"
Shivaay flinched. He ran a tired hand through his perfectly made-up hair. Mahi's caustic tone only tightened the uncomfortable knot in the pit of his stomach more. He swallowed hard and whispered, "Mahi, you are as much an Oberoi as I am. You are Shakti and Pinky Oberoi's son..."
For the second time in his life, Shivaay felt like he had lost his ability to speak. The words felt heavy on his tongue. The emotions sat heavily on his chest. His shoulders slumped as he stammered, "You...you...are my twin. You are my brother."
"I am?" asked Mahi as he stabbed a finger in his chest in mock surprise. "Really?"
His dark eyes accusingly bore into Shivaay's and then he burst out laughing. His laughter echoed in the darkness of the night. Low, cold, and hurt. His laughter eerily sounded like the tune that he was belting out on his mouth organ moments ago. Sad. There perhaps was no greater irony than that, thought Shivaay. How could someone's laugh sound so sad? Mahi kept on laughing till tears leaked out of his eyes. Still spluttering, he rubbed the corner of his eyes to wipe the tears that had spilled out.
"Okay, I must be. If you say so. After all, how can the Shivaay Singh Oberoi be wrong?"
Shivaay had not anticipated that kind of reaction from him. He felt his throat close. He moved closer to him and placed a hand on Mahi's shoulder. He croaked painfully, "Mahi..."
