"What happened? Why is he so quiet?" Anika asked Rudra while looking at Shivaay who was silently eating his dinner. Or trying to.
Rudra's face also fell. "Well. We lost the deal. Shivaay Bhaiya really gave it his all but the politics got to us. It's so disappointing."
Anika raised her brows. She could barely believe her ears. "Wow. Someone else defeated Shivaay Singh Oberoi? How the hell did he lose a deal?"
"Bhabhi!" Rudra snorted instantly but kept his voice a mere whisper. "Do you really think Shivaay Bhaiya never fails?"
Anika paused. Ever since she had known Shivaay, she had rarely seen him down and out as far as business was concerned. He always came across as a shark who controlled the entire market. He didn't look like someone who lost to others.
"I thought so, Ru..." Anika shrugged.
Rudra smiled as he scooped more rice onto his plate. From the time he started to work with Shivaay, he had a newfound respect for his brother. And more than that, he now understood why Shivaay did what he did at times. Sure he wasn't as intense and scathing as Shivaay. But now, he understood. He understood the whys so much better. Rudra knew that he could no longer agree with Om's rosy views of life. He had seen and known too much with Shivaay. He knew that the world existed in greys.
"Bhabhi..." Rudra whispered. "Shivaay Singh Oberoi does not exist because he always wins. Or has always won. Shivaay Singh Oberoi exists because he has always kept trying. Shivaay Singh Oberoi is who he is because he never gave up."
Anika blinked and then slowly nodded, her swelling in pride. "You are so right."
That thought remained with her as she finished her dinner silently and then followed her husband to their room. As she slipped into her night clothes, Rudra's words still echoed in her ears. Shivaay was just like her. They both never gave up. No matter what, they always fought against the circumstances. Just that, Shivaay was answerable to a larger section of people. She could never imagine the pressure that was put on him. No wonder he looked so deflated at times.
Sighing, she splashed water on her face and walked out to the bedroom.
Shivaay was sitting on his side of the bed with a book in his hands. Smiling, Anika sat down beside him and asked, "What are you reading?"
He showed her the cover. "I hold a Wolf by the Ears."
"Interesting!" Anik nodded. Then she snuggled up to him. Wrapping her arms around his torso, she tried to soak up the warmth she felt. "How was your day?"
Shivaay's answer was non-commital but she knew better. "Nice. And yours?"
"Nice too." She shrugged. They remained in each other's arms for a while before Anika spoke, "Shivaay remember once we had an argument over here?"
"You gotta be more specific than that cause darling we have had arguments everywhere..." Shivaay chuckled.
Anika laughed. "That's true! But this was before our marriage. You were asking me to sign that cheque."
Shivaay nodded, his face darkening. "Yeah. I asked you to write your full name."
"Yeah."
"I am..." Shivaay started.
"No, you didn't know then..." Anika didn't let him complete and shook her head. "And it's a norm to write the full name. I overreacted because I was very touchy about this aspect of my life. It was a burning insecurity."
"Still..."
"No, Shiv..." Anika argued. "Do you remember what I said that day? I said that being Shivaay Singh Oberoi is a tukka, a lottery. I said that it was your good fortune, a wild stroke of luck that you were born into a good family. I said that you being rich was just a coincidence."
Shivaay pursed his lips. "Well."
Anika looked up. His face still looked sad. "I also specifically meant that I earned my stripes. You didn't."
Shivaay let out a shaky breath. He pulled her closer. "It's in the past. Why are we talking about this now?"
"Yes, it is in the past..." said Anika. "But I want to correct my mistakes too. Plus, who said that one cannot correct their stance? I want to. I want to tell you that nothing about Shivaay Singh Oberoi is a stroke of luck. Nothing about him is a mere lottery."
Shivaay stared at his wife, his eyes shining with unshed tears and emotions alike. Anika cupped his face, "Shivaay is Shivaay Singh Oberoi for the world because Shivaay has slogged day in and day out for years to create this empire, this universe of comfort for everyone else. He continues to work harder than anyone I know and he has seen more defeats than all of us collectively have. But he stands up again all the time. Shivaay Singh Oberoi is who he is because he never gave up. And I mean every word of it."
A tear managed to roll out of his eyes that he quickly brushed away. But he lovingly dropped a kiss on Anika's head. He gruffly told her, "You are everything good in my life. You are my life. You are everything."
Anika also swallowed. She swayed in his arms for a moment before joking to brighten the atmosphere. "Kuch zyada hi intense ho gaya, nahi? How will I sleep now? Too much sugar."
Giggling at her silly words, Shivaay raised her head and placed his lips on hers. He whispered, "I love you so much."
"I love you too!" Anika proclaimed.
