Shivaay walked away as if nothing happened. Annika stood there for seconds afterward contemplating if anything did happen or not. Everything seemed usual from outside. Shivaay had certain defined standards for things he looked in an employee. As of now, Annika had no right to defy those standards on a professional level.
She could let it be, right?
***
Shivaay was fuming inside Harsh's old cabin when Annika entered without knocking. He stood alarmed having no other reaction seeing the face of his intruder.
"Um-sorry" Annika mumbled, "I should have knocked."
His features softened a bit seeing her reactions upon entering the cabin. Sure she was good at handling herself by now, but even she had the right to attach old memories to her emotions in this place.
"It's okay. I mean it's your office. You can enter and leave anytime you wish."
"At least don't taunt me like that," Annika pointed out.
"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that," Shivaay said.
"Are you angry with me?" she asked.
"Why would I be angry? That too with you?" Shivaay asked back.
Annika nodded.
"Then? What makes you angry?" she asked.
"I am not angry," he lied.
Annika smiled a little and walked up to him to free his clenched fist and rub her palm up and down his chest., "This tight jaw, your cat-like eyes, and your flaring nose are telling a different story."
Shivay stood amazed at how the girl could easily read him. The last time any human being read him like that was his mother. That was years ago and after her death, no one could get this close to him. Everyone would run away when he is angry. He looked at her palm on his chest and admired that she was the only person in years to not only realize that he was lying but also staying with him to help deviate the anger.
"Annika, I don't like being crossed," he said as a matter of fact, "and you saw how that cheap man acted in front of me."
She recalled Dev's one line before leaving. If that one line managed to hurt Shivaay's ego that much, she could only wonder what Shivaay would do if he listened to all of Dev's derision that night when she and Dev were drunk.
"First of all, if he is cheap," Annika felt guilty to use the word after seeing Dev's background check report, "then he should not matter to you for you to fume in anger like that."
"I am not angry," he lied again though he knew that she knew and she knew that he knew.
Annika uttered no more words and placed her head on his chest. His arms took time to wrap around her frame so did his heart to calm down.
"Shivaay, I don't know if I have any right to speak against the decisions you make in the professional world. And if I think of it, I feel Papa knew that you could handle me and his business well. Maybe that's why he offered all he had to you. Somewhere I feel obliged to respect his decision. For now, I won't say anything. But you must know, you must know that I don't agree with your decision."
Shivaay's hand left the small of her back. He knew that she had all the says in this business. According to Harsh, Shivaay had Kabeer Industries as long as he had her. To think of it, he would always remain below her when it came to the decisions made in this company. Yet something in him stopped him from clarifying that.
"His paternity had nothing to do with his qualifications, right?" Annika's voice brought him back from his train of thoughts, "He was suitable for this job. Earlier too, I did not quite understand your reasons behind rejecting many of the candidates, but they seemed fair so I had little to say. This one, I can't say the same."
Shivaay broke the hug. They were still holding hands and Annika was holding it tight. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped some nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
"Annika can we please not talk about him? I want some time with my wife," Shivaay held her arms.
The wife card was played well. She gave him a nice smile and offered, "Lunch?"
***
Then came Thursday. The past two days saw no conversation regarding Dev's matter between Annika and Shivaay. Annika did see Dev in her class on Wednesday, but they both ignored each other like the mature adults they were.
She reached Shivaay's office just in time for them to catch his appointment. She had no idea what these routine checkups were being the business student she was. She just felt happy that he considered her such an intimate part of his life to ask her to accompany him to these.
***
Annika seemed more nervous than Shivaay when the latter was checked for metals in his body, got changed into a loose shirt and pants and the nurse set up an IV through his palm. Seeing her like this, he touched her cheeks with his free hand and assured, "This is just routine check-up. I have been in this position a bunch of times in the past. You are worrying needlessly."
Annika sighed and grabbed his arm with both of hers. "For you, it's not new," she said, "For me, it's my first time. I have always associated hospitals and clinics with accidents and grave diseases. Seeing you like this, I can't help."
"Don't worry"
"Why not? And this is not some sort of surgery, right? Why are they administering anesthesia?" she seemed to be complaining about the fact.
"During MRIs, you have to be straight from head to toe for forty five minutes. Once I entered the room without anesthesia and they saw four eyeballs in my orbit MRI."
Both of them laughed at that.
"You have so many things going on," she commented.
"I know right, you are stuck with this patient for life," he replied.
Shivaay saw her frowned and assured her once again, "After the third time you accompany me like this, this is going to be normal for you. Your definition of hospital will change."
Annika smiled.
"Now let me warn you," he turned serious, "Due to anesthesia, I turn a bit cranky for the next few days. Whatever I do, whatever I say, please be mindful of that. I will take care of my behavior afterward, I promise."
She shook her head. Shivaay played with her hand that was in his. He never cared enough to warn someone about his behavior in advance. And he did not care at all to tell the person that he was going to try to amend things afterward.
He placed a kiss on the back of her palm. With her, he and his life changed way more than he would have preferred before marriage.
Soon Shivaay was taken in the cold room to get his MRIs done. Annika was left bored for the next two hours.
***
It took forty-five minutes to get the MRI done, but a little more than two hours to wake up. She was right beside him when he woke up. And it took no more than two minutes for him to rush inside the washroom. Annika understood the drill by then. Perhaps next time, she won't feel as nervous as she felt today.
She offered to drive on their ride back home. As much as he insisted on driving himself, Annika knew he was in no situation to drive himself and that's what the brochures in the hospital said as well.
***
"Try to understand, Dev"
"Understand what? He will never agree."
"We can talk to him, right? If not bhaiya, then Dadi? Dadi will never say no and bhaiya respects her, so he won't say no."
"Really? As far as I know, when your Dadi brought Mallika's proposal for him, he rejected her on the same basis he rejected me two days ago. The man who can't see a guy like me working in his wife's company, do you think he will ever see me as his brother-in-law?"
Shivaay and Annika were welcomed by these voices once they reached home. Shivaay was still under the effect of anesthesia, but that didn't hinder his ability to recognize the feminine voice to be his sister's.
"A guy with Prinku? Is he forcing her?" He assumed hearing Priyanka's cries and followed the voices. Annika followed him soon afterward. She was sensible enough to figure out that Priyanka knew the guy well enough through the dialogues that were exchanged.
Shivaay fumed in anger once again once he saw Priyanka with Dev. His sister with a guy without name and lineage. What a shame!
"Stay away from my sister," he warned. Annika saw pain in Priyanka's eyes and immediately knew what she assumed earlier was true. Priyanka knew Dev. How was the question.
"Is he forcing you?" Shivaay's voice roared inside the mansion.
"Bhaiya," she seemed extremely nervous, "it's nothing like that."
"Let me call the police," he fished his phone out of his pocket. Annika reached near him and snatched his phone away.
"At least listen to what they have to say," she advised, "There is no reason to call the police for such a small reason. Calm down."
"Annika, give me my phone back," she paid no heed despite the tone he used. She placed it inside her jeans' pocket.
"Security," he started to yell on top of his voice, "Security!"
Annika grabbed his hand, "Shivaay, the effect of anesthesia hasn't subsided. Relax. It's not good for you."
Shivaay ignored her words and continued to yell. Two of the guards in charge came in after a minute.
"Throw him in a corner that he never dares to place an eye on Shivaay Singh Oberoi's family."
"Shiv-" he didn't allow her to say.
Priyanka was crying by the time the guards each hold Dev's one arm.
"Bhaiya, please. I love him," earth shook under Shivaay's feet at the sentence.
"What did you say?" he yelled, "He is fooling you and you are making a fool out of yourself," he faced Dev, "First you tried to enter my wife's company and when I kicked you out of there, you targetted my sister. What a plan!"
"Bhaiya, please. We know each other since before he went for a job in Bhabhi's company. He didn't even know that you were there. He is a nice guy. Don't do like that."
"Priyanka, you are innocent. Why is he after you out of all people, have you ever thought? He just wants our money," Shivaay claimed, "You deserve a much better guy than him. Open your eyes and do as I say."
By then Om and Rudra reached there as well. Om looked at Annika and she stared at him helplessly. Even Om took his time to understand the situation. When it came to Shivaay's firm beliefs, even his family had no say.
"Get out," Shivaay yelled again, "Why are you staring at my head? Take him out," he told the guards.
Dev signed the guards to leave his arms. He left by himself without sparing a glance at a crying Priyanka behind.
Annika took the moment to reflect upon herself. Her morals could not let this happen. Shivaay was her husband. As his wife, it was her duty to right his wrongs. The issue that started professional became personal in less than a week. Priyanka was in love with the guy. She must make Shivaay understand.
"Shivaay, I need to talk to you," she said straight up.
"I will wait for you in our room." Shivaay said and left.
Annika was about to follow when she heard, "Bhabhi."
"Om?"
Om reached her and said, "In such situations, Shivaay tends to be hell angry. I know I have no say between you and him, but I feel bound to say: Let him calm down first. If you talk to him now, hell might break lose."
Annika only nodded. She wasn't sure how she was going to wait. Shivaay, for once, will want to know what she had to talk to him about.
***
"You wanted to say something?" Shivaay asked as soon as she entered.
She stared at his form. Going by Om's advice, she wanted to wait. Here Shivaay demanded to hear her by himself and only God knew how cranky he would get if he didn't have his way.
"We can talk later," she stammered while saying.
He shook his head, "You should have thought that before telling me and wasting my time."
"Mr. Donald James Trump, I am sorry," she sounded equally annoyed by then.
Shivaay walked past her to close the door and lock it.
"Just say it! I don't like unnecessary drama," he hissed.
"And what about the drama you just created outside?" she asked, "Dev is a certified criminal for you, I understand that part, What about Prinku? Your own sister was crying for this guy and pleading you to listen to her."
"Prinku is innocent. She has always been timid and shy. A guy came and showed her false dreams which she thought was love. Even Dadi isn't here at the moment. In her absence, my responsibility towards these three increased twofold. I can't let Priyanka live in her false dreams that are meant to shatter, can I?" Shivaay tried to explain.
"For once, listen to her. Dev could be a nice guy unlike you say."
"Is Dev your brother?" he asked sarcastically, "You are my wife. There is no need to advocate him like that."
"I am your wife that's why it becomes my duty to tell you," she walked up to face him, "If your sister trusts him so much, loves him so much, there must be a reason." She wanted to let him know that she knew Dev from before but seeing his reactions, she couldn't dare to.
"Reason is, she is innocent. She doesn't understand that guy's evil intentions."
"Who gave you the right to judge him like that?" Annika asked.
He pulled her closer and bind her hands behind her back.
"Annika, I am already very angry. Don't test my patience," he warned, "Otherwise I don't know what I will end up doing."
Annika wriggled in his embrace but maintained the challenging tone in her voice, "What will you do huh? I am your wife that's why I am saying this. Anyone else won't tolerate this behavior of yours for a second more."
"You want to be my wife, right?" Shivaay gritted his teeth in absolute anger.
Only then Annika noticed how dangerously close they were. She tried to create a distance between them that would let her breathe but he held her tightly to his chest.
"What happened now? Wives do come this close to their husbands. You wanted to be my wife, right?" there was not an ounce of change in Shivaay's tone.
The last string of her patience broke when she found her legs hitting the edge of the bed. She pushed him away without even thinking if he actually meant what she thought he meant. She pushed him away.
"You are disgusting, Shivaay," she left their room with tears in her eyes.
Shivaay stood there lifelessly for a few seconds to recollect what just happened. His heart wanted to follow her and apologize, but his ego wanted her to come back to him and end the unnecessary fight she started.
***
Shivaay Singh Oberoi chose his ego. He stared outside the window. Perhaps the greenery from the mansion's garden could calm him down as they did in Matheran in Annika's absence.
Outside, he saw Annika's car leaving the mansion. Even then, his feet stood numb. He still wanted Annika to come back to him. Annika was important, but not more than his ego.
Do you think Annika was right to leave him?
What is your take on Shivaay's character at this point?
Precap: "Bhabhi, Prinku tried to suicide. Bhaiya is a mess. Please reach the hospital asap."