Maya enters her room, enraged by the situation that she has fallen into. She couldn't understand how she could let her brother fall into this pit dug by someone else, and how could Akshay, someone she had trusted and deemed important for the past 22 years of her life, help drag Adi into it. How is it that her loved ones were slipping through her fingers and she had no idea? She collapsed onto the bed, her body crashing into a sitting position as the events of the day caught up to her. She was not foolish enough to believe it was a series of confidences. What she couldn't understand was how her visit to the gallery itself be planned. Just the sheer volume of questions in her mind seemed to ignite a surge of flames, constantly nagging at her will to maintain her composure. She opens the drawer of her bedside table to take out a paracetamol and fills the glass lying on top of it with water. She had only just consumed the tablet when the door to her room opened after a knock and Amish entered taking calm steps towards her. He plops on the bed beside her, placing one hand on her shoulder and pulling her into a side hug. He notices the tablets and immediately he grows concerned for her.
"What happened? Do you not feel well?" A lone tear escapes Maya's eye as she snuggles into Amish's arms.
"I am fine, it's just a headache." Amish shifts his hand on Maya's shoulder to the top of her head and slowly starts caressing.
"Do you want a massage? I am good at them." Amish suggests. Maya has been overworking herself the past few days, it is only a matter of fact that something is affecting her both physically and mentally. It can be her work or something else altogether, but Amish has no answers and he is not willing to question Maya over it. Maya nods, still refusing to let go of Amish. He smiles at her as he settles himself into a comfortable position without having to let go of Maya and gently starts massaging Maya's head by lightly passing the sides of her forehead. Maya relaxed under the pressure being applied to her head as she felt her previously trembling hands grow still with her increasing sense of security. Amish's hands brought her into a trance of tranquillity, dispelling all her worries as she surrendered to the moment.
When she opened her eyes, she was lying on her back on her bed. She must've fallen asleep at some point. She looks around and finds Amish sitting at the tea table in the middle of her room, drinking what looks like coffee from a cup as he flips through a magazine. Amish turns towards her and smiles.
"Finally, my sister is back on earth. You were out like you would sleep through the apocalypse and I was wondering if I should get a doctor if you didn't wake up."
"What's the time?"
"9 pm." He said like it was no big deal but it was for Maya.
"What? I slept through the day?" Her hand immediately goes to her forehead in a reflex to smooth out her worries but surprisingly, she finds herself relaxed. "Your massages do work like a gem."
"Oh, I already know that," Amish said, looking smug.
"Were you waiting for me to wake up?" Maya asked. There could only be one reason why someone as busy as Amish stayed by her while she was asleep waiting for her to get up. "You want to talk about what happened this morning." It was not a question but a statement she believed to be the fact.
"Are you still angry with Adi?" Amish's attention was laser-focused on what Maya would say.
"I feel betrayed by him."
"How so?"
"He lied to me. Adi never lies to me. And Akshay, he never... never hides things from me. He knows how conscientious I am with things concerning Adi."
"So you are angry with Akshay too?"
"No."
"Why so?"
"Because I trust him. I trust Akshay with my brother. He would never do something that would pull Adi into trouble. If he did, he knew what he was doing and I know it was Adi who asked for Akshay's help and he would never say no to Adi."
"So it's not what Akshay did that hurts you, it's Adi."
"Yes, because he is not Akshay. He can't control or go against someone like Meenakshi. Akshay is clever with handling situations but not Adi. He is too emotional and will fall prey to Ms. Meenakshi's plans and he knows it too. He knows that whatever Meenakshi is planning will not be for the better then why did her have to listen to her? Just the fact that he shared his burdens with her before ever trying to consult with me bothers me. No, it angers me."
"Don't you think that this was the purpose of it all? You claimed yourself that Akshay and Adi are your most trusted people, which makes all of this seem like a tactic to break that very trust and develop a sort of distance between you three. Right now Adi will be emotionally weak and confused as to how you came to know the truth and any opinion can influence him. Akshay will grow to vary of Adi going forward for he has put him in trouble with you. All the while, you stay away from them, creating a great opportunity to draw a drift between the three of you."
Slowly but surely, clouds dissipate from her mind as everything starts clicking into place. She was way too consumed with the feeling of betrayal to understand the original motive behind this fiasco.
"You're right."
"So, are you going to let it happen?" Maya shakes her head firmly. She gains more confidence in what she must do going forward.
***
Aditya lays in his bed. He had been cooped up in his room for the whole day, not daring to leave this room for fear of coming across Maya. It was not the first time she got angry at him but he knows this time, it's different. It's deeper. Maya is someone who didn't get angry at him for literally blackmailing her into coming to India. He literally used a very sensitive promise they made as kids to make her come here and she only mentioned her displeasure over it now that she learned the truth about his lie. In the past months, she never even mentioned how he cornered her into coming here and accepting this family but now she's angry. It means he messed up big time and he now can only hope that their big brother would mend things between them. A knock on his door encourages him to get out of bed and open the door in the hope of finding Maya on the other side but all he finds is Meenakshi standing with an overly concerned expression that he is pretty sure is not genuine.
"Adi, are you okay? I heard you had a fight with Maya." Adi doesn't understand Meenakshi one bit. She adores Adi at times like he means the world to her, which feels very genuine, but then she ends up prioritizing her prejudices and seems to especially control Maya. It is as if she is obsessed with Maya, which can't be healthy for either of them.
"Oh, nothing like that. She was just a little upset with me." Adi knows better than to complain about Maya, especially to Meenakshi of all people.
"I heard she found out about your job." Meenakshi steps closer to Adi while he avoids contact, not really in the mood to be a good grandson. Meenakshi pulled back her hand which she was about to place on Adi's shoulder as she shrugged off his indifference towards her as nothing but an imbalance in his emotions. Deep down, Meenakshi is very aware that she is only breaking the shell of happiness that her grandchildren have but she believes that the existence of that shell is the root of their resistance to be a part of this family.
"I wonder where you heard that from, Dadi?" Adi's words were sharp and unwavering. Doubt shined in his eyes and his back straightened in a protective stance, clearly indicating that even a small inclination of what Meenakshi is planning can put their relationship through a strain. Meenakshi did use Aditya to get what she wanted, but in no way did she want to tamper with her own relationship with her grandson in doing so.
"What do you mean, Adi? Why do you sound so hostile? Look! I have helped you get the job and I even hid it from Maya, just like you asked. I even convinced Akshay to hide it from Maya for you. What else can I possibly do to help you? All I know is Maya got to know about the truth from Mr. Aurora himself and I heard you guys fighting about it, so I thought maybe I could help bridge your differences." Meenakshi carefully articulated her words in a way that made Adi doubt his own suspicion towards Meenakshi, but he still knew that Meenakshi was a woman he needed to be careful with.
"And how exactly..." Maya's voice startles both Adi and Meenakshi as Adi snaps his head towards the door and Meenakshi barely glances Maya's way. She need not look at Maya to know what expression she must be sporting at the moment. "were you planning on doing that, Ms. Meenakshi Rajvansh?"
"Maya! You look calmer now. How do you feel, Beta?" Maya squinted her eyes in apprehension but gathered her demeanour as she walked into the room.
"Fine as daylight, but you look as disappointed as nightfall. So, I must ask, how were you going to bridge our differences, Ms. Meenakshi? Especially, when no such differences exist." Maya stood between Aditya and Meenakshi like a wall of determination to not let Meenakshi get any closer than she had already in Maya's absence. She is no longer interested in the squirmish battle of theirs. She can't let Adi be dragged into this. "We had a simple scuffle and we are over it. I don't think it is right to bother Ms. Meenakshi with such trivial matters like this, don't you think, Adi?" Adi nods with gusto, already glad that Maya still chose to take a stand for him which means their fight can be resolved.
"What trivial matter, Beta? What can be bigger than my grandchildren?" Meenakshi smiled, taking a step towards Maya only to stop herself when Maya's cold stare zeroed in on her. Maya gave her a menacing look which was enough to hold back Meenakshi from trying any further.
"Of course, there are bigger things... Like the company." Meenakshi frowned, not getting why Maya would mention such a random thing out of nowhere. Little did she know that Meenakshi not only failed to penetrate the wall that was Maya but had called upon herself a calamity she would not be able to handle. Meenakshi did not realise at the time that it was not only Maya that had weaknesses.
***
Hello Readers,
I am back... Here are three chapters for my absence, hope you enjoy them. It's a long journey with this story that will unfold in the most dramatic ways, so let's all brace ourselves for a magical journey?... Do vote for the chapters and leave a comment to let me know about your thoughts on this story.
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