Raizada Mansion
A Sunday in Shantivan was supposed to be the same day as usual except for the men in the home who gets a holiday to sit and relax. So while Anjali and Manorama were sitting on the sofa talking randomly, Shyam, Manohar, and Akash sat a little away from them, reading Magazines while Hari Prakash was busy preparing breakfast for their bosses.
Devyani was in the temple, reading her a holy book — Bhagwat Geetha when she saw her elder grandson walking down the stairs, with a BlueTooth in his ears. And she gets up to stop him.
It's been three and half months since they've talked about Lavanya Kashyap and every time she opened her mouth to talk about her, he dodged her as always. She had to talk to him today, no matter what happens today.
"Chotte, rukiye," she stops him coming on his way.
(Chotte, stop!)
Arnav rolled his eyes sighing, he hoped his grandmother wasn't talking about what he she would and so he asked, "Yeah, Nani?"
"Aap ke paas 10 min ka vakt hai ya nahi bhi hai, toh hume aapse baat karni hai," Devyani's voice sounded stern. She wasn't giving him any option. Everyone had heard her voice and stood up from their places, walking towards them, knowing a drama would happen for sure.
"What's it, Nani?" he was impatient to get done with the conversation, and go office and relax his mind as he worked.
"When are you going to marry Lavanya Kashyap?" she was straight to the point. Anjali knows her brother would get angry and so, she tries to stop her Nani from asking him further about Lavanya but Nani had to show her palm, and Anjali halts in her place, who was supported by her over-concerned husband.
"Marry Lavanya? Nani, did you forget what happened three months ago? I told you I'm not going to marry Lavanya. Isn't that clear, Nani? I thought I made myself clear then," he was frustrated as he said that.
He denied marrying Lavanya. Didn't he? Why are they behind him?
"I don't know anything, Chotte. You have to marry her. No choice. How will I show my face to her parents when I promised them she'd be your bride?" Devyani questions. She was being unkind. She had promised Lavanya's parents that only her daughter would be Raiazda's daughter-in-law.
"And I told you for the hundredth time I don't like Lavanya and I won't marry her at any cost. This is the final time I'm telling this, Nani. Let me go now if your important discussion is over." He hoped it'd be the final time he'd tell them away.
"Chotte," Anjali reprimands him for talking to their grandmother like that while Nani whispers his name in anger as well.
Arnav walks away, furious at his grandmother, ignoring her and everyone's calls behind him.
If it was Lavanya who behaved like his girlfriend in the office even after his frequent admonition, always behind him, mentally harassing him; it was his Nani in the home who's always behind asking him to marry Lavanya — her family's friend's daughter.
In both cases, his words were never taken seriously. He hoped there shouldn't be a day when he had to cut his ties off with his Nani for someone like Lavanya who is nothing but a stranger in his eyes. He was being patient all the time with his family and fulfilled all of his responsibilities, he let them do whatever they wanted and they, taking that as a chance, if they tried to interfere in his life, they'd get nothing but his ignorance and maybe a really bad confrontation when his patience snaps off.
Arnav shuns the thoughts as he drove away all the way to AR when his phone rings.
Jeff!
He doesn't think a second before lifting his call, impatient to know the further details and improvement in the case. Jeff was the private investigator he hired to know about Khushi's whereabouts — the very same night she went missing.
If her family had given a police complaint, he had hired an investigator to look into the case. Neither of them had given any news about Khushi Kumari Gupta.
"Yeah, Jeff? Any improvements?" he asked, his heart thudding in anticipation, hoping it'd be positive this time.
"No, ASR. I'm sorry I'm not able to get anything. I'm keeping a constant eye on her family's movements as well, but none of them gave any clue," Jeff was frustrated as well. He was well known to be completing his cases in less than two months but here it's been three and half months and he doesn't have a single clue.
"They're not her family, Jeff! How many times should I remind you?" he grits his teeth in anger.
He knows Khushi was not a Gupta, and neither Payal is Khushi's elder sister.
Payal is just 25 years old for god sake and Khushi, the Khushi he knows is a 32-year-old woman.
She is a mystery!
Every time he met her, she left him hanging in the air. Every time he tried to indulge himself in solving the mystery around her, she walked away, misunderstanding his intentions. As always!
"I'm sorry, ASR," he apologizes. He is habituated with her name on his records as Khushi Kumari Gupta, the surname belonging to the Guptas had really made him forget sometimes that her surname isn't Kumari Gupta.
"Whatever, just speed up your investigation. In the next few days, I want results. Rest assured you're fired otherwise," he warns and without even waiting for any reply, he cuts the call muttering curses.
"Where are you, Dammit? Why do you always walk away from me?" he sighed accelerating the speed and crossing the speed limit as he arrives at AR.
It was 8:30 as he reached his office. He had to work hard for Fashion Gala and so he's here, in the office, wanting to personally look into the presentation and designs being sampled.
London,
While someone was busy cursing and clutching his hair investigating her, Khushi Kathie Gomez was cozily sleeping in her queen-sized bed, it was 3 in midnight and anyone would obviously sleep and so is Khushi, completely unaware she was the reason behind someone's sleepless night.
That was until her pager beeped, and Khushi being a doctor was a light sleeper and woke up, grabbing her pager.
"Dr. Khushi, it's an Emergency " and the pager continued to deliver a voice message about the details of the case.
Khushi doesn't wait for a second and rushes to the hospital changing into her casuals within minutes.
Shantivan,
"Why doesn't he listen to me? Lavanya is such a good girl, both traditional and modern, valuing our culture. Why doesn't he marry her? I don't understand him and the anger on the tip of his nose," Devyani mutters sitting on the sofa, sad that her grandson isn't listening to her.
How would he listen if she never tried to understand him? Unfortunately, they are yet to understand him.
"Nani, don't worry. I'll talk to Chotte once he comes back," she comforts her. Her brother will listen to anything she says except for a few things, and that also included the topic of his marriage with Lavanya Kashyap — a best friend to her who loves Arnav to the core.
Only if he can see that!
"Ma, if he doesn't want to marry Lavanya Bitiya. Let him not, Ma. Didn't we see what happened with Ratna?" Manohar who was silent during the fight opens his mouth to defend his nephew, remembering his sister and her fate.
Manorama scowls at him, huffing away. Even she wanted Miss. Tip Top as Arnav Bitwa's wife. Anjali widens her eyes in shock at Manohar. She know the statement would rip open the old wounds.
But what she didn't realize was even he was fed up with their daily jab at Arnav and forcing him to marry Lavanya, not trying to understand his point of view. Arnav should be given some appreciation for not blasting them at their constant jab.
While Devyani stiffens at his jab, having been reminded her of her bad decisions, and walks away to her room silently followed by Anjali.
"Ye aapne achha nahi kiya, Hello Hi Bye Bye," it was very rare that Manorama was supported her mother-in-law, and when Lavanya Kashyap's issue one of those very rare moments where they both would agree and are on the same page.
(You didn't do good, Hello Hi Bye Bye,)
Akash and Manohar stay silent over Manorama's jab, completely ignoring her words not wanting to indulge in a fight and destroy the peace of Sunday.
"HP, is breakfast ready?" Akash screams as both the son and father make their way toward the dining table.
Manorama twists her mouth and follows the way to her own room ordering HP to bring her breakfast to the room upstairs.
Shyam was absent from the scene and if he was absent downstairs, it was only because he had excused himself — an important call had come and that was what he said and currently busy with the same call.
"Did you get to know about her?" he whispers into the phone making sure the door was locked.
"No, sir!" the man on the other side had replied.
"What do you mean by No? Am I paying you for nothing? Useless twits!" he screamed into the phone, wanting to kill them all yet he needed them. So he cuts the call in frustration giving a final warning to find her at any cost.
Khushi Kumari Gupta!
The woman he had seen for the first time on the road getting harassed by goons and was left mesmerized by her beauty. Before he could approach her, she went away leaving him wet with dreams.
"Khushi Kumari Gupta, just let me find you once. I'll make sure I fulfill each dream of mine with you!" His pupils dilated in seduction imagining her and he left to have a cold shower. He had to calm down his arousal after all!
London
It's been an hour since she was back from the hospital. She was done with another successful surgery and has been sleeping since then not noticing the time. It's past seven in the Morning and Sunday.
"Where's Khushi? She is nowhere to be seen. It's past seven already," Arjen frowns sitting on the top of his car waiting for Khushi to come out. While Ziya and James were busy in playing games on their phone, leaning on the car bonnet as well.
Ziya checks her watch. It's indeed late and Khushi hadn't come yet. "Let me call her!"
The phone kept ringing but there was no answer.
"She's not answering!" she mutters.
"Thanks, I didn't know that," Arjen mocks her, showing his call log to which Ziya narrows her gaze at him. He had called her too while they were busy playing games.
"If you already did and she wasn't lifting the calls, couldn't you go and check on her?" she glared at him.
"Look, I'm sitting on the top of the car, and the morning breeze is so cool. Why don't you go and check on her," he smiles sheepishly.
"Lazy bones!" she mutters walking into Khushi's house.
"I heard that," he screams still sitting on the top of the car.
"Good for you!" she screams back at him as the watchmen open the gate for her.
"Both of you can never change," James mutters, sighing at their banter. He's the most mature persona among all of them after Khushi.
Khushi's Room,
She is still sleeping selling her horses when she heard someone calling for her vaguely.
"Babe?" Ziya's house was just beside hers. In fact, James and Arjen's houses were on the same street two to three houses away.
Every Sunday they'd go to Church together if it's possible for them. It's another possible day for the fourever group and they wait for Khushi outside her home knowing she would come anytime soon. But when that didn't happen she had to come here to check on her, she wasn't lifting their calls as well.
Khushi stirs in her sleep being a light sleeper and falls asleep changing her position, grabbing her bedsheet more into her chest and back.
"Wow! The Eighth wonder of the world," Ziya screams loudly, jumping into the bed, sleeping beside Khushi taking one selfie.
"What is it?" Khushi murmurs ducking her face inside the bedsheet not wanting to get into selfie business in the early morning.
"It's past seven and you, an alarm clock, didn't wake up yet! It should be recorded in the Guinness book," Ziya mutters putting her phone aside and taking away the bedsheet from her face, throwing it aside, "Get up!"
"What??" Khushi wakes up shocked and checks the time. It showed 7:30 AM. Half an hour more for the mass to get started.
"I'll freshen up in five minutes. Just wait," Khushi gets out of bed, ties her hair into a bun, and jogs towards her washroom.
Ziya sighs grabbing the bedsheet and pillows, and adjusting them to her comfort, she sleeps on her bed scrolling through her personal Instagram. It's not been 10 minutes and Khushi comes out of the washroom in a bathrobe, freshly showered, smelling all charcoal and woody.
"Five more minutes," she mutters walking into her walk-in wardrobe and dressing up as soon as she can.
She was dressed in a white maxi dress that reached her knees and left her hair open. Checked herself in the mirror for the one last time, all ready for the day.
"Let's go," she takes her phone and turns DND mode off, throwing her hairbrush at her friend's way who was still lying on the bed, engrossed in her phone.
"Ouch," Ziya hisses getting up from the bed and following Khushi who is already ahead of her, "Wait, yaar!"
As they made their way downstairs hand in hand, they saw Stella who was just coming upstairs, "Princess, Breakfast?"
"Later, Stella! Bye," Khushi dismisses her. They have 15 more minutes for the mass to start.
And thankfully, the church is 15 minutes away. They'd drive slowly enjoying their morning and arrive early at the church to spend some time in peace, with sisters and brothers.
This would be one of the very few days where they wouldn't arrive early.
India,
Delhi.
"Dad, there's a meeting two days later in London with Gravity Fashion House and ASR is not taking me with him. Please do something, dad!" she whispers furiously into the phone, walking from left to right and back to left.
She had always tried, trying her best, to impress ASR and hang around his arm but he, the stubborn man hadn't given her a glance let alone some attention she wanted.
"Don't worry, sweetheart! I'll do something about it. You'll go with your ASR! Trust me," he promises his daughter thinking something in his mind. He had to do anything and everything he could to bend ASR and send his daughter with him to London.
"Please make sure, dad! Before that Chamkili came, at least he used to talk to me in professional terms. But from the time that bitch had entered, ASR never bothered to even talk to me professionally. Always Khushi and Khushi and Khushi. Good that she disappeared," she whispered in the end. Loathe in her eyes was clearly visible as she complained to her father.
Lavanya was her father's little princess and when she asked him for ASR, he approached Devyani, and Devyani being impressed with Lavanya had given her words.
ASR's bride would be no one but Lavanya Kashyap!
And from then on, Lavanya had a chance to join AR and cling to him whenever possible. It's just that the possibility never came, ASR didn't let her cling on to him, behaving just the way a boss does. She even had to spread the rumors of being ASR's girlfriend which did not matter to him at all. In fact, he became more rigid with her, and Khushi's entry into their lives had only worsened it.
She loves her ASR to the core and wants him in her life at any cost. She did so many things until now to achieve that and she'll not back off from doing whatever she had to do to possess ASR in her life.
AR Fashion House,
Arnav was busy checking the presentation for the last time, the presentation which their head designer had prepared for the meeting two days later they had in London. He'd be traveling tonight with Aman trailing behind him. Akash and Manohar would take care of AR in his absence.
The presentation just looked okayish to him and he had to sit for hours since he arrived to make it look outstanding, the samples were also double-checked by him. He had to present them in the meeting conducted by Gravity Fashion House. If they failed to impress with their presentation, they would be removed from the Fashion Gala. Arnav didn't want that and made sure everything was perfect.
It's past 1 in the afternoon. He stood winding up all the work and started for home. He need to have lunch after the light breakfast he had in the office. He stops at one of the restaurants and completed his lunch, starting again to his home. His flight is at the night and he needs to pack and go to the airport by 6.
And that's when his gaze falls on Payal. He stops his car in an instant and crosses the road.
Payal was just coming out of the other restaurant at the end after having lunch with her client. An emergency meeting and being a team leader, she had to agree with the Client and attend the meeting at the restaurant. It was completed and she was searching for a taxi or an auto to go home when suddenly Arnav Singh Raizada comes from nowhere. Again!
"How do you know Khushi?" he asks the same question again, like always.
He hadn't left her in peace. The first time he asked her was two months later after Khushi went missing. A day after she met Adam Gomez. She still remembered that day.
"How do you know Khushi?" he asked her, suddenly appearing out of nowhere when she was visiting the temple in the evening.
"What do you mean by how do you know Khushi? She's my little sister," she scowls at him, widening her eyes a little — to scare him away, glaring at him.
"Cut the crap, okay! You're 25 and Khushi is 32 and I'm sure of that. Don't you dare lie," he grits his teeth in anger.
"I don't know what you're saying. Khushi is my cousin sister and 18 years old," she lied confidently. She didn't know how he knows the truth, if she had known two days before, she'd have said the whole matter to Adam Gomez. Now she can't even contact him except through Khushi. She can't do that too otherwise Khushi would ask her for the reasons and she just couldn't make excuses.
"I'm not talking about Khushi Kumari Gupta, an 18-year-old girl you made up out of nowhere. I want that Khushi who stayed with you all these days," he muttered furiously.
"Well, both are the same and for your information, she's missing just because of you!" she conveniently blamed him. For she hated him when Khushi used to complain about him.
"Well, for your information, I wasn't the one to send her to Guest House. Yes, I agree in anger I told her but not even a second later I had to stop her. I told her to go home but my contractor called me informing me she came to the Guest House. Are you getting me? I need to know where is she!" he mutters helplessly. He wasn't lying. He indeed told her to go home.
But Khushi, she had gone to the Guest House! On whose instructions, he wasn't able to know.
Even after investigating for two months, he came out with nothing and tha last option was to approach Payal.
It went in vain too as Payal walked away not bothering to reply to him. And he burned in anger.
Why does it look like the whole universe is against him when he wanted to find Khushi?
"I told you. Didn't I? I don't know," she whispers, angry again at the man in front of her. After that day, he had tried to ask her so many times and she didn't bother to answer him as always.
By now, they both are very sure of their feeling toward each other. They both hated each other yet the only thing that kept them away from killing each other is Khushi.
Khushi!
If she was a god to someone, she was a fantasy to someone.
Arnav desperately needed to know she wasn't his fantasy again!
To be continued..,
Let me know what you think of the update.
P.S. I've updated my schedule about the story updates and it's posted in my about section. Check it out once.
Entwined Souls will be updated on Monday and Friday!
As I said there will be so many changes you'd see from the original track. These are some!
Opinion on,
Arnav?
Payal?
Khushi?
Lavanya?
Devyani?
Regards,
polymath_land
23/12/2022