“That’s cheating!” Gauri shrieked as she threw a peg at Omkara, who ducked as he dodged getting hit. The two were playing Chinese checkers, and Gauri had wanted to move her blue peg into an empty spot, but Omkara unexpectedly moved his yellow one there, ultimately foiling her plan and blocking her move. “It’s not!” he said with a frown, picking the peg she’d thrown right back at her, hitting her on her forehead.

“You knew I wanted to move my peg there!” she accused, as she continued, “You played ugly, Oberoi! Now wait and watch how I make you pay for this!” she said, rubbing her forehead where the peg had hit her, not before throwing the peg right back at him, which he dodged again. “You first try moving even a single peg of yours into the triangle! Then, you talk!” he teased her, pointing out the three pegs that he’d already moved into the destination. Gauri stared at him for a whole minute and then, in an unexpected move, flipped the board tossing all the pegs to the floor, as she said in an annoyed tone, “Mujhe khelna hi nahi hai tere saath!” Omkara stared back at her before he started teasing her and calling her a loser.

Annoyed, Gauri beat him with a cushion right on his face and laughed when that effectively shut him up, only for a moment though. Because, before she saw it coming, he hit her back with another cushion and mocked her with a laugh of his own. The two of them began playfully fighting with the cushions amidst squeals and laughter peals, now forgetting all about the board tossed on the floor. Gauri ran around the sofa, trying to dodge him, while he ran after her in an attempt to catch her.

“Oberoi! Time please!” she said a while later breathlessly while slowing down, and Omkara ended up holding her by her hand. She wriggled, trying to move away while smacking the cushion on his arm. Her laughter died the moment he held both of her wrists, causing the cushion in her hand to drop on the floor.

“Bahut maza aa raha hai tumhe?” he asked in an unintentionally husky voice, equally breathless as hers, pulling her closer to him. Omkara didn’t know what possessed him to pull her close enough to his body to feel the warmth of her body against his. she, surprisingly, felt as soft as a feather – something he hadn’t noticed earlier. It was in this very moment Gauri realised that Omkara did possess certain incredibly handsome features as her gaze roved over his face, up close. It was only when his eyes captured her gaze, did she feel a strange warmth starting in the pit of her stomach. It didn’t help that both of them were panting for breath, their chests heaving, and both their breaths mingled as they stood a couple of inches away from each other, staring into each other’s eyes.

This had never happened before, they both thought to themselves. “O-” she started to call his name, but abruptly stopped when his grip around her wrists loosened. Omkara, suddenly, couldn’t get enough of her touch; surprisingly, he wanted more. As if in a trance, his fingers were now gliding down the soft bare skin of her forearms in a gentle caress. A frozen Gauri stood there as if hypnotized, feeling the tips of his fingers finding their way down to her elbows. Without unlocking his gaze from hers, Omkara gently held her elbows and pulled her closer. Gauri gasped at the sudden movement, and Omkara’s gaze instantly settled on her lips as they formed an O. She swallowed a non-existent lump in her throat when she felt his eyes studying her lips intently. Gauri’s hands, over which her mind now seemed to have lost control, made its way to the inner crease of his elbow, bringing Omkara to gaze into her eyes with a hint of surprise in it at her soft touch.

Both, Gauri and Omkara, felt the static in the air around them. Right now, there was no other sound other than that of their soft breathing. Time stood still as if capturing this frame forever. However, they both were pulled out of their reverie when the doorbell rang.

Omkara and Gauri, both stepped away from each other, suddenly withdrawing their hands and keeping to themselves. Gauri wondered why she felt a sudden feeling of irritation come over her as she moved away from him, while Omkara was disappointed at the sudden lack of her touch. The doorbell rang again as if the person at the door was either really angry or impatient. “I’ll just-” Omkara said pointing towards the door while clearing his throat, and Gauri nodded, looking at him. Walking behind him, she waited a couple of steps away as Omkara answered the door.

“Shivaay?” Omkara was surprised. Shivaay rarely visited him without calling him up. “Hello,” he said in an unusually business-like tone, that was only reserved for strangers. Omkara moved aside and welcomed him in, closing the door behind him. “Hi Gauri,” he greeted with a polite nod, making Gauri smile at him in confusion at the lack of usual warmth in Shivaay’s tone, and then looking at Omkara with a raised brow as if asking him what was wrong. Omkara shrugged his shoulders, equally clueless. “Shivaay, what’s wrong?” Omkara asked, and Shivaay drew a long breath as he sat on the sofa.

About that very second, Gauri’s phone rang; it was her father calling. “Papa’s calling, I need to take this.” Both the men nodded as Gauri went to the balcony to answer the call. Once Gauri was out of earshot, Shivaay told Omkara, “We need to talk. It’s urgent.” Omkara sat next to him, and nodded, “Kya baat hai, Shivaay? Did anyone say anything? Mom; how is she? What did Daadi-” “Svetlana spoke to me today” Shivaay said abruptly, not knowing any other way of informing Omkara.

Omkara’s concerned expression turned into a rigid one as he looked away while saying, “You came here to tell me that Mr Oberoi’s mistress spoke to you? Do I look like I care about that man or his mistress?” Shivaay interlocked his fingers as he said, “I know you don’t. But once you hear me out, you’ll definitely care!”

Both, Shivaay and Omkara, looked up to see Gauri rushing into the living room, with panic written all over her face. “What’s wrong?” Omkara asked, and Gauri almost had a hint of moisture in her eyes. “Papa called… Paddy Maasi is being taken to the hospital for chest pains. Heart attack, it seems…” Omkara immediately rushed to her and hugged her. Gauri pressed her forehead against his chest for a brief moment, before she pulled away. “I need to rush to the hospital.”

Omkara wanted to drop her and be with her at the hospital, but Shivaay beat him to it as he offered, “I’ll drop you, Gauri” She shook her head in refusal, as she gathered her purse from the bean bag she had been seated on, as she said, “That’s okay, Bade Bhaiyya. I’ll take a rickshaw; the auto-stand is right outside the building.” Shivaay wanted to insist, but Gauri was in a hurry. She looked at Omkara and nodded, “I’ll call you later.”

Omkara briefly hugged her, and gently cupping her face with both his hands, he said to her in the softest tone, “You let me know the moment you need anything. And I mean, just about anything, okay?” Gauri nodded even if she was worried sick about her Maasi. Omkara walked her outside the door and pressed the button of the elevator. After she entered the lift, before the doors could close, he waved to her, saying, “Take care. Don’t stress. Everything will be alright! Paddy Maasi will be fine.” She nodded, grateful for those reassuring words that she desperately needed right now. As the doors closed, she waved at him.

Omkara walked back to the flat, thinking about the times he’d met Padmini Maasi. The woman loved Gauri like a daughter, even if she was annoying at times – just like how his Daadi is. As Omkara closed the main door, he looked up as Shivaay asked him if Gauri had left. Omkara walked to the balcony from where he could see the rickshaw stand. He saw, a moment later, Gauri rushing towards the stand and boarding the first rickshaw. As the vehicle moved, Omkara saw her peep outside the rickshaw, looking up in his direction, and waving at him. He waved back while making a silent prayer for her Paddy Maasi to recover soon.

“Om, can we talk?” Shivaay said in an impatient tone to Omkara who was still standing in the balcony. Omkara nodded, coming inside and taking a seat next to him. “Tell me,” he said, trying to sound disinterested, but slightly curious to know as to what rattled the man so much that he came running to visit him at this odd hour on a usually busy weekday.

“Svetlana spoke to me. She told me that she is indeed pregnant, but the child is not Bade Papa’s. She is pregnant with Kaali’s child; Kaali is her lover, whom Bade Papa has captured and threatened to kill!”

Omkara’s had bewilderment written all over his face with the factual bomb that Shivaay dropped on him. This was way too much of information to grasp in ten seconds. Omkara shook his head and looked at Shivaay. “Shuru se batao. Svetlana ne tujhse kya kaha?” Omkara asked, and Shivaay began as he turned to face him.

“I was at the office preparing for a conference meeting this noon. My P.A. informed me that someone had come to meet me, although without an appointment. When I told her to keep the person waiting in the visitor’s lounge, Tia told me that woman couldn’t wait for long. Instead, Tia gave me a piece of paper. Cafe Hungry Bear’s address was scribbled on it, along with this…” Shivaay handed over the crumpled slip to Omkara, who read the café’s address, below which it was scribbled hurriedly: ‘Oberoi Family is going to be in trouble. Meet me in ten minutes to know more.'

Omkara looked at Shivaay as he continued, “Om, even if the woman didn’t mention her name or reveal her identity, ‘Oberoi Family’ was mentioned. Obviously, I couldn’t take it lightly. So, I went to the café, asking Tia to cancel all my meetings in the noon. When I reached there and saw Svetlana, my first instinct was to leave. And I would have actually left from there if she hadn’t spotted me first. She literally pleaded with me to listen to her; for some odd reason, she seemed a bit scared and was covering her face, as if she didn’t want to be seen meeting me.”

“And she told you all that?” Omkara asked with an incredulous expression, saying, “Shivaay, you know how cunning Mr Oberoi is! He must have definitely sent her to you, knowing how sensitive you are about anything that is with regard to the Oberoi family! I know for sure that it’s a trap and you, being so smart, fell into it!”

Shivaay looked at him with a look of disappointment and shaking his head, he asked, “You think I wouldn’t cross-verify whatever she said? Please, give me at least that much of credit, Om!” Omkara nodded, raising his hands in surrender and asked him to continue. Shivaay spoke, “She told me that Bade Papa has Kaali as his captive, and has beaten him to a pulp. She had pictures of Kaali, which Bade Papa had shown it to her.”

“Mr Oberoi beat Kaali up because Svetlana was two-timing him?” Omkara asked, confused. Shivaay shook his head, “Actually, no. Bade Papa gives zero fucks about who Svetlana is involved with. For him, she is just a passing fancy till he finds someone fancier. He isn’t in love or anything with her.” Omkara looked away, clearly disgusted murmuring, “That man can never love anyone but himself”. Shivaay, pretending not to hear that, continued, “She told me that she was with Bade Papa only because she needed money.” “More like, she is getting paid for her services to Mr Oberoi” Omkara said with a nauseated expression.

Shivaay nodded, holding Omkara’s hand, worried about his anger. In response, Om only shook his head, asking him to go on. “She told me Bade Papa found out that he could not have any children; Badi Maa was right when she informed us all about that surgery post-accident. So, when he got that confirmed by the doctor, he dug open the truth about Svetlana’s pregnancy and traced Kaali, whom Svetlana was secretly meeting behind Bade Papa’s back”

“Ugh! All of them are disgusting!” Omkara muttered as Shivaay spoke, “Now, Bade Papa has blackmailed Svetlana that he will get Kaali killed if she doesn’t help him. And she’s scared that, if she did not comply, he will kill her and her child too!” “What help does that man want from her? And how do we know she’s not lying?” Omkara asked with a frown.

“Bade Papa is planning to manipulate Daadi into believing that Svetlana is pregnant with his baby, so that…” “… so that, Daadi can bring him back to Oberoi Mansion, and the only way to do that is by emotionally manoeuvring Daadi in believing that an Oberoi baby is on the way!” Omkara finished his sentence in a low voice as understanding dawned on him. While Shivaay was slightly confused as to how he knew, Omkara went on to tell him in detail about how he’d overheard Daadi’s conversation with Pinky and Shakthi last night. “Is that why you were upset when you left?” Omkara nodded with a hurt expression at Shivaay’s question.

Shivaay paused for a while, and then audibly exhaled a slow breath, as he continued, “Not just that. In addition to coming back to Oberoi Mansion, Bade Papa wants to have control over the assets of Oberoi Empire – including the Mansion, the property and the business.” Omkara nodded with a frown, looking at Shivaay who was still hesitating to say something. “What else, Shivaay?” he asked, and Shivaay paled a little before telling him, “Bade Papa also mentioned that after he comes back to the Oberoi Mansion, he will… he wants to show Badi Maa her deserving place for being arrogant and egoistic.”

“That fucking bastard!” Omkara roared as he ran his fingers through his hair, saying, “The guts, the audacity of that man to say that when it should be Mr Oberoi who needs to be shown his deserving place! Is it not enough that he has ruined our lives to a point of irreparable damage? What can he possibly do to make things worse?” Pausing for a while, he said in a low growl, “This is all Daadi’s fault that Mr Oberoi is behaving this way. Mom has done everything possible to convince her to file for a fucking divorce, but our mahaan Daadi keeps her rules above everything! She is almost nearing her grave, but still wants to rule everyone’s lives with her so-called rules! Is she going to carry the Oberoi rules to her deathbed and her grave too?”

Seeing that Shivaay was going to admonish him for speaking that way, Omkara said with an angry frown, “Don’t you bloody dare tell me to calm down, Shivaay! I will not allow anyone to play with Mom’s life or emotions anymore! I will - ”

“Om!” Shivaay said in a stern tone, “Do you really think I will allow anything as such to happen? Badi Maa is my family too, Om. She may not have given birth to me, but I have never differentiated between Mom and Badi Maa, and you know that! Believe me, I would never let anyone hurt her. Badi Maa tak pahunchne ke liye, Bade Papa ko pehle mujhse hokar jaana padega!”

Omkara took a moment to calm down and then asked, “What else did Svetlana say? Why is she so keen on helping us?” Shivaay answered, “She is scared for Kaali, for her own life, for her child’s life. Initially, I thought she was probably bluffing, but I did verify whatever she’d said. After a few calls, I was able to find out she was speaking the truth. Kaali was picked up by a few local goons from Mirzapur this morning to be chained and beaten up. I was able to get my hands on Bade Papa’s call records with direct orders from the Police Commissioner, and there were a few calls back and forth from him to one unknown number. Upon further digging, that unknown number belonged to a certain goon named Guddu Bhaiyya – the same man whom Bade Papa spoke to.”

Shivaay continued, “Svetlana told me that Bade Papa is hell-bent on proving to Daadi that he is the father of her unborn child. He desperately wants to prove Badi Maa wrong, and then be back at Oberoi Mansion.”

“And what happens to Svetlana, Kaali and that baby once Mr Oberoi has gotten everything he has planned about?” Omkara asked, to which Shivaay shrugged his shoulders saying, “Believe me or not, Svetlana has the same fear that Bade Papa might just get them all out of his way once he has achieved all that he has planned. I hope I’m wrong, but given to what extent Bade Papa can go to, I find Svetlana’s fear reasonable. He wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate anyone who might foil his plans. Even today, Svetlana was scared that someone might see her with me. She was covering her face the whole time.”

“I don’t know Shivaay, I just cannot seem to trust that woman! What if she was lying? What if she is setting a trap?” Omkara asked the same question again, not ready to believe that the woman was willingly helping them.

“First of all, she isn’t lying, Om. For a moment, even if we assume that she is lying, we have nothing to lose. We’re just being cautious right now. Don’t forget, Svetlana is not our friend or our well-wisher. She is not helping us; she is only protecting herself, her lover and her child. If Bade Papa hadn’t blackmailed her, if Kaali wasn’t in the picture, if that child was truly Bade Papa’s, then she would have happily helped him out with his plans and stood against us. She’s helpless right now, which is why she sought help from me, only because she is scared for her own self. Bade Papa could have offered her money to carry out his job, but I’ve had a look into his finances; it’s all depleting, and he hasn’t got much left.”

Omkara looked at him, thoughtfully, as he nodded and said, “Now that you’ve traced Kaali, how do we go about? What if Svetlana changes her stance, now that Kaali is safe?” Omkara almost shuddered inwardly looking at a dangerous glint in Shivaay’s marble-hued eyes as he said, “Who says that Kaali is safe? Kaali is still Guddu’s captive; except that, instead of Bade Papa, I’m giving him the money to take special care of Kaali. Once Svetlana tells Daadi the truth, which she will because she needs to save Kaali – this time from Shivaay Singh Oberoi, only then will we release the man.”

Omkara paused for a moment and then hesitatingly said, “Shivaay, are we doing the right thing? What’s the difference between Mr Oberoi and us, if we also blackmail that woman?” Shivaay frowned as he shook his head, “Where did this sudden care and concern come from, that too for her?” Omkara shook his head as he said, “Not for her. But she’s pregnant, and that child is nowhere at fault. Her sins don’t have to be paid for by her child. I know how it feels when an innocent helpless child gets punished for their parents’ choices!” He finished with hurt and disappointment laced in his voice that was slightly shaky.

Shivaay wound his arms around his brother, and hugging him sideways, he said, “Om, sometimes, to defeat an opponent, we’ve got to think and act like them; we’ve got to make choices like them so that we defeat them in their own game. Whatever Bade Papa is doing is absolutely wrong. I agree that whatever we’re doing is also not saintly. But we’ve got no other option. The need of the hour is to be practical, not sentimental. The only difference between him and us is that we’re doing it to protect our loved ones, whereas he’s doing it to destroy us all. Unlike what Bade Papa might decide to do, once our work is done, Kaali, Svetlana and their child will be kept safe. I promise you, Om, that innocent child will not pay the price or be punished. I give you, my word. And you know, Shivaay Singh Oberoi never goes back on his word.”

Omkara nodded, lost in thought. Then, he asked him, “Has she told you what exactly is their plan?” Shivaay shook his head, “Unfortunately, even she doesn’t know. But she has my personal number, so she can reach out to me at any moment.” Omkara nodded as he sat back.

Shivaay saw the tension evident on his younger brother’s face, and decided to divert his mind, fully confident that he would handle this issue at hand with ease; after all, he was the Great Wall and has handled many such incidents in the past while protecting the family.

“By the way,” Shivaay began slowly, and Omkara looked at him with a confused frown at the sudden change in his tone. He sounded as if he was teasing him, as Shivaay playfully continued, “How was the sleepover with Gauri?” Omkara smiled and said, “Best sleepover till date.” Shivaay almost teased him, but Omkara continued in a sombre tone, “Last night I told her everything about my past. Every single thing.”

Shivaay, for a moment, was dumbstruck. He hadn’t expected that, of all the things. “Everything, in the sense, EVERYTHING?” he asked and Om nodded. Shivaay, just for confirmation’s sake, asked again, “You mean, about the substance abuse too?” Omkara gave him a sad smile and nodded, “Yes. About my traumatic childhood and youth, about my drug addiction, about Riddhima, about the rehabilitation, everything. Even including how we both disliked each other as children, but eventually bonded.”

Shivaay smiled as he looked at Omkara, who looked lost as he thought deeply about something. “What did she say?” he asked. Omkara chuckled as he said with a hint of confidence and pride in his tone, “She told me she didn’t judge me or pity me, neither did she hate me for my deliberate choices in my past. She just silently accepted me with my flaws, telling me that it didn’t matter to her at all.”

“Just as you always wanted from your partner! Seems like God has handpicked her for you, after all!” Shivaay quipped, causing Omkara to look at him with a small smile. When he said nothing, Shivaay raised a brow and asked in the same teasing tone, “How come nowadays you aren’t getting annoyed at being teased, or aren’t being defensive? Have you finally accepted that she is more than a friend to you? Looks like Omkara Singh Oberoi has started enjoying being teased with Gauri Sharma, eh?”

Before Omkara could reply, he saw that Gauri was calling him up. Shivaay waggled his eyebrows, making him shake his head, as he answered the call. “Hey, how’s Paddy Maasi?” he asked, and heard her huff angrily. “Oberoi, I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life!” Omkara frowned wondering what happened. Gauri continued, “Apparently, what Paddy Maasi had was not a heart attack. It was just gas! GAS! Can you believe it?”

“What?” Omkara exclaimed as he laughed, confusing Shivaay. Holding the mouthpiece of his phone, Omkara told him between giggles, “Paddy Maasi had gas, not a heart attack!” Shivaay had to hold his mouth and refrain from laughing. “Shut up ya, Oberoi!” Gauri said angrily, and Omkara laughed louder. “But, why were you embarrassed?” he asked her between his laughs.

Shaking her head, she said to him over the phone, “I reached the emergency room and asked at the reception about Paddy Maasi – the patient who had a heart attack. They gave me an amused grin and told me, ‘Arrey, who ‘gas wali patient? At first, I was confused. Then I met Papa, who narrated what happened. The nurses at the reception giggled, listening to Papa recounting the whole thing to me. I was so embarrassed, yaar! Imagine rushing to the ER, only to find out that your aunt was having trouble with a burp! What’s worse is I entered the room only to hear a loud fart from her!” Omkara almost fell on the sofa, clutching his side as he laughed, while she kept murmuring at him in irritation.

“I’m glad she’s fine though!” Omkara said as his laughter subsided. “Me too yaar! I’d forever choose gas troubles over heart attacks!” she said. Before he could laugh, she quickly said, “By the way, I called you up for some other reason as well.” Omkara nodded, wiping the tears at the corner of his eyes. “yeah, tell me,” he said as the laughter died down, and waited for her to speak.

“Umm, how do I tell you this?” she said and paused for a moment, before saying, “Mr Oberoi and Shitlana are here at the hospital. They went towards the gynaecology wing, probably for a check-up.” Omkara frowned slightly as he heard her continue, “At first, I didn’t know if I was imagining things, but I saw Mr Oberoi speaking to a nurse that is assisting the gynaecologist, in a very suspicious manner in the corridor. I was too nervous to go over and give an ear to what they were talking about; what if he recognised me? They’d seen me at the Oberoi Mansion yesterday, right? So, I sent Papa to give an ear, asking him to pretend to read the notice board on the wall.”

“And?” Omkara asked, hoping for something substantial. He wasn’t disappointed, as Gauri said, “Papa said Mr Oberoi handed over some money to the nurse in secrecy. He overheard something about a fake report which is to be delivered to the Oberoi Mansion tomorrow. Mr Oberoi even wrote the address down on a paper and gave it to her”

Omkara smiled, and informing Gauri that he was putting her on speaker mode, he repeated to Shivaay everything that she’d just told him. Shivaay smirked, “So this is the plan? To get a fake report. Maybe a paternity test was done. And definitely, the report results will be different because the child is Kaali’s. Hence, the fake report!”

Gauri seemed confused as she overheard the brothers over the phone. “Gauri,” Shivaay said to her excitedly as he asked, “Can you do us a favour? We’re coming over in about ten minutes to the hospital. Keep an eye on that nurse, will you? Don’t go to talk to the nurse or anything – just keep an eye. Om and I will have a conversation with that nurse once we get there.”

Gauri nodded with an excited smile, and just when she was about to disconnect, she heard Omkara say on the other end, “Sharma, thank you. I owe you!” She smiled as she said, “We’ll settle that with ice cream. Pehle yahan jaldi se pahunch ja!” In response, he repeated that he and Shivaay would be there at the earliest. As Gauri dropped the call with a smile, her gaze settled on the nurse, keeping a keen eye on her, knowing that once the two Oberoi brothers caught hold of her, she had a lot of explanation to do to them.