Haaye, tooti saari ki saari main
Tere ishq mein hui Awari main
Haaye, tooti saari ki saari main
Tere ishq mein hui Awari main..
She knew something was wrong the moment her eyes glanced at his storming orbs, the serenity of those lotus eyes has disappeared somewhere and she wanted them back in his gaze. She knew this wasn't about the match. The match doesn't ever trouble him like this and she wanted to soothe out whatever was troubling him, take away all his worries and see light shine in his eyes.
"hey" his voice was gruff and tense and she didn't like the worry lines gracing his face
"hey, what's wrong??" she questioned him not liking the way his eyes were looking too hollow
"nothing....just need to see you"
"Vi....stop, I know something is wrong. So, tell me what's wrong"
"promise you won't freak out"
"Like you're freaking out?"
"I'm not freaking out"
"Yeah, that's why your face looks like you've just encountered an ghost"
"Something like that"
"You know you're just fueling my curiosity right"
"According to someone, I've an apparent baby somewhere and If I didn't fulfill their demands tomorrow the whole world will know this fact" She stared at him unblinking, trying to force her heart to not squeeze itself out of her ribcage, trying to let her mind work in this situation rather than her heart. She needs to be the calm and shrewd one, need to protect his image and stop any scandal
"who's this someone??" she asked him figuring out how to settle this matter and how much money she would need to pay to settle this matter even when her heart wanted to ask him is this true???
" Jasmine" he uttered the name with so much disdain as everything cleared up in her mind, her heart took a breath of relief and mind worked on double speed trying to figure out something to pacify the situation. she knew this claim could ruin absolutely everything and knew why he looked like he had seen a ghost cause the situation was like someone was asking him whether he will like to jump off a crashing aeroplane without a parachute or a ruined parachute? and she could just utter "oh" like an idiot
"does bhai know?"
"bhabi is pregnant yrr and if the news leaked she won't even a million years fall for the I impregnated her bullshit"
"I know that buddy, I know that and what is the integrity of the whole situation. She could be lying for all we know and bhai wasn't in India for more than a year"
"And the baby is 6 months old"
"shit"
"I know"
"what are her demands"
"first we took the baby from her and give her about 1 crore rupees for her silence"
"Tell me she is kidding? Vi take the babe, 1 cr. like how will we hide the whole matter is beyond me. Where the hell is she to begin with and when did she contact you???" Anya questioned him the whole situation getting on her nerves, did god has decided she won't be in peace today...she could already feel a headache coming thinking about the mess that will surely be created if the matter somehow leaks, both professional and personal mess.
"today....I think she is in Mumbai" and something clicked in her mind again with the mess, today's match was important for them to seal their place in the semi's. So, suddenly if someone drop a bomb like this on the captain and totally distract his mind their winning probability will be affected but who will gain from this and what if the matter is true?
"Vi..let me deal with her...I'm here and I can look after the matter from diff points and better than you can, just concentrate on your game leave this to me"
"And you'll inform me about the endgame"
"I'll most definitely but I think I can handle her just fine after all I've handled such cases before too. It's all part of the business"
"but what if it's true? what will we do then??"
"keep it from ma and bhabi for as long as possible"
"that's going to be hard"
"not as much as you think"
"I hope so and you're a lifesaver"
"I'm just hell lot calm and complicated than you"
"No, you just not let people see through you"
"Yet, you always see through me like I'm an crystal clear lake instead of the muddy waters everyone likes to associate me with" she spoke with a bitter smile, she knew when to use money and when blackmail just fine after all in her line of work everyday one or another such claims will rise with threats of scandals looming everywhere and the media acting like blood hounds.
"That's kind of untrue I could just read your emotions better than anyone else" he spoke sheepishly cause Anya was always a complicated puzzle never showing all her cards to anyone.
Calm,shrewd, complicated and totally professional in her work while kind, caring and generous for the people who truly knew her
"Who else knows btw?? She asked him trying to think about different possibilities and outcomes of this situation
"No one yet I called you as soon as she disconnected the call" he told her messing his hair clearly frustrated
"Tell Ro and Savvy they can be enlightening at their best and calm your nerves, I'll get this sorted out" she reassured him while thinking her day is ruined. Gosh, She would have been more useful if she could get out of this house without people asking her hundred questions
"Like always"
"What can I say I'm perfect at my work and please calm down, don't do anything rash and we all will be just fine" she spoke while playing with her loose curls as she looked around her, the house helpers were looking at her direction as if they were spying on her and she didn't like the way they were looking at her as if judging her from her expressions.
"Well, I'm personification of a calm person and ma called, you know"
"I can imagine that, what did ma say" She questioned him curiously
"Nothing much, that the due date is nearing and she is all tensed would have loved it if we were there with her"
"She is nervous for her first grand child, isn't she??" She questioned him with an excited sparkle in her eyes
"Yeah, at least I wont be the youngest in the family anymore"
"Oye, Kundra come its time to leave for stadium. Oh Hello, snowy" the excited voice of savvy cut in her reply
"Heya Savvy, all the best"
"Thank you, now I'll drag him away. Talk with you latter and don't forget to cheer for us"
"Don't worry, I'll be glued to the screen cheering for you"
"You better be, you're our lady luck yrr...see ya"
"See ya, guys" she spoke while giving Viaan a reassuring look telling him through her eyes she will handle everything as he returned a somewhat forced smile to her before disconnecting the call.
She moved her hand through her hairs gripping them a little tightly before letting go as she dialled a worker's number
"Ha, tell me who is Jasmine's manager??" She all but demanded in a firm tone
"Don't...I want her number along with her current address today as soon as possible, alright" she knew her tone was too frosty but she didn't care, she needed this info and soon
Hearing what she wanted to hear, she disconnected the call and pondered over what to do next?? She can go in her room claiming to be busy away from that horrid game and people again fate seemed to have different plans for her as a servant approached her looking quite timid as if she is going to bite her.
"Mam, everyone is calling you back" the girl won't meet her eyes and she didn't know why for a single minute she thought of making an work related excuse or simply said Viaan is throwing a tantrum and she needs to handle him. She isn't far from using Viaan as her shield or using him as an excuse but thought better than that. She has faced so much in life and survived. She never ran away from any hurdle that come her way she faced it all and survived then why will she run away from the past when it can't touch her now.
"She is a survivor and surviving is her speciality, she survived when goons had her four year self on gun point, she survived without any love and care in her childhood, she survived bullets and wounds and cars literally coming her way to crush her and she survived a new life in a new city away from every ounce of familiarity with people who were literally strangers to her, she survived and changed herself for good or bad she doesn't know yet but she knows she wasn't her past self anymore. She has survived and adapted herself as the situation demanded her too. She survived as Anya the orphan girl without any surname, She survived and thrived all on her merit.
"I'll come in a second" She told the maid who was looking at her expecting an answer yet the maid seemed too afraid of her and she doesn't know why??
The girl who cried locked in her room for every single word and action hurting her stopped crying altogether, the girl who never met anyone's eyes now stood in front of anyone against her never backing out yet a part of her never wanted to escape the shadows didn't want to come in light and tell everyone that she is an oberoi, she is Shivaaye Singh Oberoi's daughter first it was because she didn't want her parents to be more ashamed of her then they already were but latter it become a kind of defence mechanism reminding herself that she achieved all this without the weight of Oberoi name behind her. She achieved everything on her own, her failures are her own as well as her victories and her fury is her too. Her whole college life she was someone else, someone who just wasn't Shivanya an alter ego maybe and she had been so fucking rude with anyone who tried to hurt her or anyone dear to her. She had been so mean and everytime winning in battle of words. So, she has enough of running away from problems and pasts alike. She is a survivor and she will survive every pain, every humiliation, every wound and every stab. She will survive, fight her own battles as she knows one needs to fight their own battles.
Taking a deep breath she once again stared at the place that should feel like home to her, the place she should proudly describe as her childhood home, a place which should ignite homely feelings inside her but did the exact opposite. This place made her feel like a prisoner, made her feel numb and sorrowful and cold, more cold than she usually is.
She glanced at the open door one last time before retreating towards the living room, towards the merry sounds and bouts of laughter. yeah, they were a happy family just not her family.
"What a timing, Shivanya" the taunting tone of Alya greeted her as soon as she reentered the room. Her frosty eyes landed on her freezing the girl for sometime before she continued in the sweetest boasting tone she knew of, she wanted to get in their nerves and be the vamp they made her be.
"My timing is always perfect darling and It's Anya and as you had already mentioned about my perfect timing then be a dear and tell me why did you think my timing was perfect"
"Well, your team just finished their song and we thought we just missed the opportunity to hear you sing but see our luck you came back just in time" She spoke with a grin that was fake on so many levels that she doesn't even want to talk about it.
"Well, my team has finished the song then why do I need to sing and as I've said before I don't know many bollywood songs"her tone was bored and words logical as she took her seat beside Mr Oberoi as other seats were presently occupied
"but it's been so long since we heard you sing and you can sing any song you want" she spoke with a so innocent face and at that moment all she wanted to do was tear her innocent facade apart
"Leave it Alya if she doesn't want to sing then don't force her, the call took quite a lot of your time...call from work??" Nikhil spoke in his sweet tone, thinking about others yet not once realizing how much such kind behaviour , encouraging other's feeling for him can hurt and she wanted to hurt him the way his words had hurted her, she didn't want to do anything he asked her to do as in school life she has reached her quota of doing what he wanted her to do but most of all she wanted to ask him why did he care?? back then he had made more than clear he didn't care for anything that happened with her. Hell, he didn't even pick up her call that night.
"No, Viaan wanted to discuss about our wedding" She told everyone with the sweetest smile she could muster and watch as everyone around her stiffen at her words. Well, what a surprise they didn't think she was settling here forever did they??
"You.......You're getting married" their was an pain in his tone which she paid no heed
"I'm and any song you said??" She spoke in an amused tone enjoying the shocked look that Alya's face displayed
"ye...yeah" she stuttered out not knowing what to make out of this strange situation
"Though, I'm not as good as our resident sensational singers but I'll try to not mess up the song all together" she drawled out with another fake smile of hers as she hummed to herself before singing out loud.
"Thought I found a way
Thought I found a way, yeah (found)
But you never go away (never go away)
So I guess I gotta stay now"
Alya looked at Anya surprised she didn't know Anya could sing, well her voice was good not as out of the world as Omav and Omisha but she had a deep, sweet voice.
"Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can fight my fear"
Her singing voice was ordinary but what made her song seem so special was the pain with which she was singing, anyone could clearly feel the depth of the pain in her tone. The pain was making this song just so magical and heart wrenching at the same time.
Isn't it lovely, all alone?
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home
...to be continued...