Oberoi Mansion
Priya was getting late, she needed to drop Aditya in school as Arnav did not yet get the go ahead to drive from the doctor. She rushed downstairs as fast as she could. Aditya was enthusiastically waiting for her. After a week he was finally allowed to go to school. He just wanted to meet his friends and hang out. A few months back he had hated that school, but after the Karan fiasco, things started changing. Students and Faculty started treating him with more respect. He was an Oberoi, Arnav had made sure that everyone knew that.
Priya- "aaj koi bohot khush lag raha hai"
Aditya excited- "chalo bhabhi chalte hai, school ke leye late ho rahe hai"
Priya smiled- "tum woh pehle bache hoge to school jane ke leye itna excited hai"
Aditya wined- "main baccha nehi hoon bhabhi, aur woh school nehi high-school hai, dono me difference hai"
Priya just shook a head. Only a teenager would whine like that.
They were getting ready to go when the security manager came in to meet her.
Security Manager- "Ma'am koi Advocate Vishal Agnihotri aye hue hai, Arnav sir se milna chate hai"
Vishal Agnihotri? what was that man doing here? he was the synonym of trouble. Priya looked at her watch. Aditya was getting late for school.
Aditya was worried she would ask him to stay back for another day- "main driver ke saath chala jata hoon"
Priya shook her head- "nehi, main Ani se keh dete hoon, woh drop kar dega tughe, tere medications aur health ke details school nurse se discuss bhi to karna hai na"
Aditya sulked- "par bhaiyu to busy hai, main chala jaoga"
Priya ignored his hand and called Anirudh.
Security Manager- "Maam unhe andar ane de?"
Priya- "haan, unhe Arnav ke study me bhej do, aur bhejne ke pehle ek baar Arnav ko inform kar do. Main ate hoon"
Anirudh came there looking very exhausted. Priya sighed- "kal soye nehi kyun?"
Anirudh smiled- "ise drop karke ake so jaoga, aap datna shuru maat karo aab"
Priya- "gade maat chalao, Driver le jayega dono ko"
Ani- "Are par..."
Priya cut him off- "no arguments Ani, just drop him to school, give his medical files to the school nurse and comeback. main to tumhe bhejte bhi nehi, majboori hai"
Anirudh did not argue. He understood her concern very well. He just took Aditya and left with him.
Quick Introduction
Vishal Agnihotri
Age 30
A suave, sophisticated, witty and yet unconventional lawyer. He can get his clients out of the tightest of situations. His success rate is 100 percent. But most importantly Vishal Aggnihotri stands not for his client, but for Justice.
Priya entered the Study with a frown. Vishal Agnihotri was bad news. He had been her senior in college and was was known for his ruthless behavior. He had never once lost a case, and that is because he hated to loose. He put everything into a case. Even though she didn't like the man she respected him. Never in his life had ever done something dishonorable. he always stood with the truth and nothing else.
Arnav stared at the man sitting across him. He had read about him in the papers. He was known as Houdini in his field. Things had just taken a turn for the worse.
Vishal looked at Arnav, he always enjoyed the shock on the persons face when he personally delivered the court notice. He knew half the battle was won in intimidation. Surprisingly Arnav Oberoi didn't even flinch. He was reading the notice very calmly. He didn't remotely look like a guilty man, or was he good at hiding his emotions?
Arnav looked up when the door opened. He was glad to see his wife. Vishal looked up and was shocked. what was she doing here? He stood up in as much as shock as in respect. Priyanka Goinka had always had his respect, be it inside or outside courtroom. He had admired her in college, and later he was impressed by her performance in court. As per his knowledge she was the only heiress to Goinka empire and still chose to fight for the underprivileged. A woman like that deserved nothing but respect.
Vishal- "Miss Goinka aap yaha?"
Priya looked at him and then her husband. He definitely did not come in bearing any good news. Priya look the hand vishal offered and shook it, she smiled and corrected- "its Mrs Oberoi now Mr Agnihotri, I am Arnav's wife"
Vishal was surprised with the information. That didn't sit well with him. Arnav's wife?
Arnav handed over the notice to her. He started reading it. Her expression changed. Her face shut off immediately. Vishal sighed, he wouldn't have to even find out who he would be facing in court, she was standing right infront of him.
Priya- "thank you for delivering the notice yourself Mr Agnihotri, i am glad it didn't get lost in post"
Vishal had a hard time holding back his smile. he had always admired her wit. She could put down people with a look and a smile. If he hadn't been spoken for, he would have definitely made a move in her direction. Arnav was a very lucky man.
Vishal- "It was my duty Mrs Oberoi"
Priya sarcastically- "I thought you fought for justice"
Vishal equally sarcastic- "I thought you fought for the unprivileged"
Priya looked him in the eye- "you will not win this. Adi humara bacha hai, humare paas he rahega. You can tell your client's she can forget about the visitation rights, I will ensure she never even comes near Aditya. That's a promise Vishal"
Vishal was taken back with the vehemence in her voice, This was very personal for her.
Vishal tried to negotiate- "Ek baar soch lo Priyanka, mere client guardianship ke leye apeal karne wale hai, the court will side with her, its better to negotiate"
Priya smiled- "Aditya is 16 Vishal, he is with his family, he is happy, no court will over see all these things. I know all your tricks. do your worst, Aditya humare saath he rahega, aur main us aurat ka saya bhi apne bache pe nehi padne dunge"
Vishal was confused. why was she so protective about Aditya? He knew for a fact that Aditya was Shashank Oberoi's illegitimate child. There was no love lost between them. why fight for someone who brings nothing but embarrassment to the family?
Vishal- "that boy needs a mother Priyanka. no boy that age should grow up as an orphan...."
Arnav got angry- "aapse kisne kaha Adi Anatha hai? Uska parewar jab tak uske saath hai, woh anath nehi hoga. Be very careful with your words Mr Agnihotri, you are taking about my family"
Vishal knew Arnav was dead serious. he meant every word. He didn't take this case because he believed Arnav was not a fit guardian, he took it because he knew Shanti would be the perfect mother for him. He just wanted to give the boy his best chance. but it looked like this was a battle between good and best. He was used to fighting with evil, this would be a really difficult case.
Priya- "court me miltey hai Vishal, thank you for personally coming here. I really appreciate the advance warning"
Vishal knew when he was being dismissed. He did what he wanted to do, but for the very first time he wasn't satisfied. He just wished to get over this feeling of unease, but he a hunch that untill this guardianship issue gets resolved, that feeling will remain persistent. Vishal left from there.
Priya sat down with a thud. It won't be easy standing upto Vishal. He was the best in the industry. she didn't understand why he would be interested in a guardianship case. what ever his reason might be, he most definitely was bad news.
Arnav came to her- "itne pareshan kyu ho Priya"
Priya looked at him with worry- "Vishal ko court me harana asan nehi hai Arnav, woh law ache tarah se jante hai, aur loopholes bhi, he knows where to hit, and he hits hard. we need to be prepared. Things are going to get very ugly in court, hume Aditya ko iske leye prepare karna hoga. He needs to be mentally strong to face things in court"
Arnav worried- "kya use phir se apna statement dena hoga"
Priya sighed- "lets hope not, Vishal is a man of principle, woh ek bache ko nehi ghasetega court me, but he will hit at us. woh puri koshish karega hume galat therane ka. he will dig up your past Arnav, nothing will remain personal anymore"
Arnav sat down beside her- "I can deal with it"
Priya- "baat sirf aapke nehi hai Arnav, Anirudh aur Ayushman ko bhi is mamle me ghaseta jayega. Shanti Rathod will do anything to get Aditya's guardianship, if it means destroying our family, she will do it without hesitation or regret"
Arnav furious- "I will not let her touch my family, let her do her worse. we will fight together"
Priya shook her head- "Aaj sham ko sabse baat karte hai, it is better to prepare them. Unhe yeh pata hona chaye ke court me kaise complications aa sakte hai. Arnav I will be completely honest with you, court Shanti Rathod ke favour me hoga, Indian courts usually ek bache ke welfare ke saath saath, uske emotional development ke bare me sochte hai, jaise ke vishal bata raha tha she will be shown as a mother figure for Aditya. Its difficult to convince the court that a step brother will be a better guardian than an aunt"
Arnav looked devastated. Priya held his hand- "Arnav maine kaha mushkil hoga, maine yeh nehi kaha ke hum case haar jayenge. Adi humara bacha hai, aur woh humare he saath rahega. i will do everything in my power to win this"
Arnav knew she was telling the truth. But he knew it will not be easy for them. He just prayed his family could get the strength to deal with the upcoming trouble.
Arnav waited till they finished dinner to initiate the topic. he knew if he told them anything before that none of them could not eat anything. When he asked them to stay back after dinner they understood it was something serious. Priya got the desert for everybody. She had made gajar halwa, the favorite of all four brothers. she just hoped the sweet could somehow reduce the bitterness of the news.
Aditya and Ayushman eagerly reached for their bowls, but Anirudh hesitated. He knew his brother very well. what ever he wanted to talk about was definitely not good. Priya handed him the bowl. Their eyes met. she just shook her head. Anirudh understood, it was definitely bad news. He put the bowl down. his apatite had just vanished.
Ayushman stuffing his mouth- "bolyeye bhaiya kya baat karna tha aapko?"
Anirudh looked at his brother and wondered when he would grow up? but then he realized he didn't want him to grow up anytime soon. they needed him to be as he was. without him things would become gloomy in Oberoi Mansion.
Arnav looked at Priya. She nodded her head and sat beside Anirudh. Aditya was happily enjoying his desert. she dreaded wiping the smile away from his face.
Arnav took a deep breath- "aaj subah Advocate Vishal Agnihotri milne aye the mughse"
the boys looked up with blank looks. why was he telling them about a boring lawyer?
Arnav- "woh shanti Rathod ke lawyer hai"
the spoon slipped from Aditya's hands. Ayushman put down his spoon. suddenly the sweet felt very bitter in his mouth. Priya reached for Aditya's hands, she could already see the fear in his eyes. Anirudh became stiff. what did that woman want now?
Arnav took in their reactions, he had already predicted their reaction- "Mrs Rathod ne Guardianship ke leye case keya hai. Yeh ek custody battle hai, I want everyone of you to be prepared for the worst"
Aditya's eyes filled with tears. worst meant only one thing for him, he will loose his family. Priya saw what he was thinking. she couldn't let him think that. she lifted his face and forced him to look at her- "Adi, dekh mere taraf"
Aditya looked at her with tear filled eyes.
Priya- "tughe apne bhaiya, bhabhi pe bharosa hai?"
Aditya nodded his head. Tears spilled over.
Priya-"Adi tu humare saath he rahega, tughe darne ke zarurat nehi hai baccha"
Aditya started crying. his fear was too huge. Arnav came to him immediately. Aditya held him and cried bitterly. Arnav forcefully held him apart- "Aditya stop crying"
his stern voice did the trick. Aditya's sobs subsided gradually.
Arnav- "is tarah rone se kuch nehi hoga Adi, people will try to exploit your weakness, you need to become strong"
Aditya choked- "mughe aapse door nehi jana bhaiya"
Anirudh took his hands in his own- "Adi, we will fight this together. Let Mrs Rathod do her worst, as long as we are together, no one can defeat us"
Ayushman put his hands on Arnav's- "haan Adi, tu kyun ro raha hai, hum sab hai na tere saath, hum bhi dekhte hai woh janani humara kya begadte hai"
Priya put her hands on theirs- "our family is our strength Adi, tughe darne ke zarurat nehi hai baccha"
Arnav held their hands firmly together- "6 mahene pehel maine papa se wada keya tha ke main tera khayal rakhunga, us waqt humare beech koi rista nehi tha, lekin aaj main apne bhai ko wachan deta hoon, chahe kuch bhi hojaye, chahe mughe kuch bhi kyun na karna pade, tu mere saath he rahega. duneya ke koi taqat tughe humse alag nehi kar sakte"
Aditya hugged Arnav again, this time in gratefulness. he was no longer afraid. he knew his brother never broke a promise.
Priya turned him back and wiped his tears- "tu humara bacha hai Adi, koi tughe humse alag nehi kar sakta. bharosa rakh humpe"
Aditya nodded his head. Priya took a spoon full of halwa and brought it to his lips. Aditya was too upset to eat. Priya coaxed him gently- "muh khol Adi, you cannot let that woman win"
Aditya opened his mouth unwillingly but ate.
Priya- "karne do unhe jo karna hai, hume tootna nehi hai, is tarah ro ke ya ghabrake hume use jeetne nehi dena hai. Is ghar me wahe hoga jo humesha se hota aya hai, hum sab waise he rahenge jaise humesha se rehte aye hai, tu school jayega, tere big-b college jayenge, tu apna music practice karega, hum sab apne life normally jeyeynge, kese ke case karne se humare zindigi badal nehi jayege. hum use badalne nehi denge. we will not let her win. Hain na Adi?"
Aditya nodded his head.
Priya kissed his forehead- "to bas, aab kabhi tu nehi royega, is matter me to bilkul bhi nehi. humare rehte hue tughe kese cheez ke leye ghabrane ke zaruart nehi hai bachha. Trust us"
Aditya held her hands and kissed them gently- "I trust you with my life bhabhi"
Priya smiled. They had won this small battle. They had a war ahead.
Aditya and Ayushman went back to their room. Anirudh stayed back, he knew Arnav wanted to talk. He had been holding back something from the boys. Once he was sure the boys were back in their room Anirudh broke his silence- "Aap kya chupa rahe ho bhaiya?"
Arnav sighed, Anirudh could always read him like a book- "things are going to get ugly in court Ani, we have to be prepared for the worst"
Anirudh-"matlab?"
Priya- "proceedings ke dauran hum sab ke characters pe sawal uthaye jayenge. Vishal yeh prove karne ke koshish karega ke hum ek bache ke parwarish karne ke kabil nehi hai. Apne point prove karne ke leye woh log kuch bhi kar sakte hai. They will be digging up many graves. we have to be prepared for it"
Anirudh closed his eyes. he had buried many things in his past. he did not want all that to come out again. what ever he did had destroyed his brother once, he couldn't bare to see him so hurt again. Arnav held his hand. he knew what Anirudh was thinking- "Ani jo ho gaya hum use badal nehi sakte baccha, jane de. Jisko jo kehna hai kehne de, mughe pata hai mera bhai kaisa hai. we will just deal with it"
Anirudh could not deal with it- "main nehi chate ke Ayu ko kabhi bhi us bare me pata chale bhaiya, main apne he bhai ke nazro me nehi girna chata"
Priya was surprised, what were the brothers talking about?
Arnav sternly- "Ayu tere bohot izzat karta hai Ani, tughse bohot pyar bhi karta hai, attet ka koi sach humare aaj ko nehi badal sakta. Ayu itna stupid nehi ke woh na samaj sake uske bhaiyu kya hai. Stop overthinking things. Jo hoga, we will deal with it"
Anirudh looked at Priya, she was silent. he respected her for not questioning. he would be able to give her an answer even if she questioned. when he had done those stupid things, he had believed he had nothing to loose. Today he had so much to loose. He knew if the truth came out they would no longer respect him, some mistakes were too big to be overlooked. He had told his brother that he did not want to loose Ayu's respect, but truth was he was too scared to lose his family's love.
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Happy Monday!