Chapter 44
Thank you for waiting patiently once again! Things continue to be super crazy in the asli duniya, so I barely got time to write 
Anyway, I loved reading all your comments - I honestly was very surprised to see more than 90% of you guys come back. It made me realize how much you guys enjoy reading the updates. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! 
A big welcome to all new readers 
Anyway, I loved reading all your comments - I honestly was very surprised to see more than 90% of you guys come back. It made me realize how much you guys enjoy reading the updates. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! A big welcome to all new readers Silent Whispers
-CHAPTER FORTY-TWO-
A Promise
They say
Shyam Manohar Gupta was the greatest lawyer this city has ever seen; that he
was born to make -or for that matter, break- history; that despite his ordinary
background, he was a force to reckon with and not to mention a source of inspiration
for both the young and old alike.
In short, he
was just downright brilliant.
But sitting
across from him in the cozy living room of the Gupta House, Arnav couldn't
remember any of that, for what he saw was not Advocate Shyam Manohar Gupta, but
the brother of the girl he had unthinkingly fallen in love with.
He was a good-looking
man, Shyam. Arnav could see that as soon as he had entered the room, where the
former was sipping his morning tea. It was almost a no brainer why his sister fell
for him, perhaps in their very first meeting itself.
But what she
probably didn't notice -and even the rest of the world for that matter- were
the nearly invisible lines beneath his eyes. It was a look that only someone
who had been to hell and back would have and it was a look that Arnav
understood instantly.
Because it
was the same look he saw every time he glanced at a mirror.
"So, Mr.
Raizada," Shyam finally said, breaking the icy silence in between them for the
last twenty minutes. "What can I do for you today?"
Arnav didn't
miss the unnecessary formality in his tone. "Please," he replied. "Call me
Arnav."
He simply
shrugged in answer.
Arnav felt
his heart sink - this wasn't going to be easy or rather, Shyam was going to
make sure it wasn't. It seemed the only way they were going to converse was
with bitter honesty.
"Okay then, I
will get straight to the point," he said abandoning all pretenses. "I'm
assuming you know why I am here."
"I am not
sure what you mean since this is our
very first meeting."
Arnav smiled
knowingly. "You don't really expect me to believe that a lawyer of your stature
wouldn't know about the man his sister is seeing for the past year, do you?"
Shyam maintained
a stony face. "I see what everyone says about you."
"I am sure
most of them are rumors. You see people just like to talk."
"Apparently
about you."
Arnav didn't
know how to respond to that simply because he couldn't grasp if Shyam was being
sarcastic, or frank.
"The most
eligible bachelor of Delhi," Shyam continued with a wave of his arms. "The man
who single handedly brought up the Raizada Empire; the biggest business tycoon
the city has seen in years - your achievements are quite impressive."
Arnav nodded
in acknowledgement. "Coming from you, I would take that as one of the biggest
compliments I have ever received."
Shyam
half-smiled. "You don't have to warm me up Mr. Raizada. I assure you, if I was
the type to fall for praise, you would have saved yourself the trouble of
coming here today."
"So it runs in
the family then?"
Shyam stared
him, no doubt trying to understand the unexpected satirical comment. "Sounds
like my sister has given you a difficult time."
"You have no idea."
To Arnav's
relief, Shyam chuckled out aloud, throwing the strange reluctance pulsing in
the air out the window. They somewhat progressed from being absolute strangers.
"Well if it's any consolation, Meeti has
always been like that," he said, his tone considerably lighter. "It's hard to
change her mind once she makes it up. But of course, you must know that already
because you figured out ways to get around it."
Arnav paused,
knowing that he was treading on thin ice; there was no guarantee that the
Shyam's casual demeanor was here to stay. "Will it make you any less resentful
if I said no?"
"I am a lawyer Mr. Raizada. It's not that easy
to fool me."
"Then you
must know what she means to me."
It was as if
their bubble burst with an inaudible pop. A small frown appeared on Shyam's
face as he asked -seriously- "Is that what you came here to vouch for?"
Arnav shook
his head. "No," he answered, pulling out an indigo colored jewelry box from the
inside of his blazer. "I came here for this."
If Shyam was
shocked to see the engagement ring Arnav proposed with only two days ago, he
didn't let it show. Instead, he stared blankly at the new situation before him
and asked in a soft voice, "What did she say?"
Arnav was
amazed! It seemed Shyam knew his sister, and knew her well. "Not what I expected her to say."
Shyam looked
at him, an expression of understanding crossing his face. He had been expecting
that answer.
"But you knew
that already."
He smiled
ambiguously. "Yes, I did because I know my sister Mr. Raizada, the same way
you know yours. In fact I knew Meeti had feelings for you even before you must
have realized yourself."
"And you didn't
have any objections, despite knowing that Khushi and Akash were together?"
Shyam set
down his now empty teacup and stood up to look out their small, but well-kept
garden. "Not a lot of people understand my sister Mr. Raizada. I think even my
mother at some point was gravely mistaken. The problem is that Meeti appears
tough on a lot of accounts, as if she can fight even the biggest of storms and not
to mention, win..."
Arnav
couldn't help but hear the echo of his own thoughts. Didn't he, himself, on
many occasions feel that Khushi was too strong-willed,
that she can make the sun rise from the west if she put her mind to it? "But
you don't believe she can?"
Shyam shook
his head, but didn't turn around. "She most definitely can. I have no doubt in
that. But the battles she wins are the ones with others. The ones with herself,
however... she almost always looses those."
Arnav was
mum.
"Things
weren't always so complicated," Shyam continued. "But my father's abandonment
and my mother's depression hurt her in ways that I don't even know myself. She
lost faith on people, on relationships... and as she grew up, she began to lose
faith in herself too."
Shyam slowly
turned around to focus on a silent Arnav. "I am not telling you all this to
gain your sympathy... if I know anything about you and the kind of brother you
have been to Anjali, then I know that you must have guessed all of this
already."
Arnav nodded,
though Shyam didn't seem to notice to him.
"I am telling
you this because I need to know that what you did a year ago is not going to
happen again; that the sister I spent my entire life taking care of is not
going to walk into a relationship that is bound to break. I saw what my mother
went through for fourteen years... and even though I know Khushi is a lot
stronger than her, I need to know
that there isn't even a remote chance of her going through the same."
Everything
became still as Shyam finished putting forth his only condition. But even
amidst the pounding silence, Arnav could help but feel the last of their
animosity disappear.
Khushi was
right: They were alike. More than
Arnav had ever expected.
Because
despite coming from two different places, both of them grew up too soon. Just
like how he protected his siblings, Shyam protected Khushi. Just like how Akash
and Anjali became his driving force, Khushi became Shyam's. And just like how
he made sure his siblings were happy,
wherever or however they were, Shyam too was making sure his sister was going
to be happy.
For the first
time ever, Arnav was convinced and not to mention satisfied, that Anjali had
chosen right. She was indeed marrying into the right house.
As the epiphany
set in, he cleared his throat and said, "You love her that much."
"Don't you?"
This was it -
the one chance he had to convince Shyam once and for all that he was the only one who could take care of his
sister. So taking a deep breath, he said
with the utmost sincerity:
"More than my
life."
Shyam looked
on, unmoving.
Arnav stood
up with a sigh, understanding that he needed to explain more. "The
first time I saw Khushi after ending things with her for the sake of my
brother, she was... shattered. She was
in so much grief for loosing her mother that all I wanted to do was to take her
away far from here, from her pain.
And if it were possible, I would have done it.
But even in
so much pain, she didn't accuse me of breaking her trust... because to be honest,
if I hadn't left her that voicemail, her mother's demise or Akash's wrath might
not have hurt her as much as it did. So I waited, knowing that once she pulled
herself back together again, she would confront me."
"And she
didn't?" Shyam murmured.
"No, she
didn't. Not even once, did she utter a word about what I did to her. Instead,
she gave me a place in her life. She willingly let me console her, allowed me
to pamper her and basically do every single thing I wanted to... and she did
without asking for an explanation, because-"
"She didn't
need one."
Arnav nodded. "She knew exactly what I did,
why I did it and loved me for it anyway. And it has always been like that... I don't
need to tell her what I am feeling, or what I want or what I need. She just knows. And no matter how many mistakes I
have made in my life, I am not foolish enough to lose that."
A ginger
smile spread across Shyam's face. "In that case-"
A sudden
crash, ringing with the sound of several pieces of china hitting the floor,
echoed across the room. Arnav whipped around to see a flustered Khushi bend
down to pick up broken plates and teacups. It seemed she was bringing them
refreshments.
"Madamji are
you okay?!" called Jaya, who worriedly came rushing in.
Arnav stepped
forward to help Khushi, when Shyam spoke. "Meeti, how come you are here? Aren't
you supposed to be at work?"
Khushi slowly
stood up, avoiding her brother's eye. "I was just on my way Bhaiyya, when Jaya
said A-arnav was here, so I thought I should come say hi."
Arnav hid a
smile as he understood what she had been doing and turned back to Shyam, who
also was closely watching a guilt-ridden Khushi.
"Well," he
said, deciding not to press the matter. "Mr. Raizada came with interesting
news."
Khushi
blinked, hesitant. At the corner of his eyes, Arnav saw Jaya silently exit the
room, having cleared most of the mess on the floor.
Shyam picked
up the ring lying on the coffee table. "I heard you decided to get married."
"No," she replied
pointedly. "Arnav decided to get
married - I told him my answer was going to be the same yours."
Shyam
grinned, proud. "So if I don't give my blessing, will Arnav opt for elopement?"
Khushi
mirrored his smile. "I don't know Bhaiyya." Then turning to an elated Arnav
-who didn't miss the subtle change from Mr. Raizada to just, plain Arnav- she
asked, "Will you?"
He stared
incredulously. "What on earth makes you think I can convince you to elope with me?"
Both the
siblings burst out laughing in answer. Arnav was startled to notice that both
of their smiles were almost identical! And even though he had never seen their
mother, he knew it came from her. Only she could have had such an innocent
laugh.
"So what's
the verdict Bhaiyya?" asked Khushi as they settled down. "Is Arnav forever
doomed to be single?"
Shyam
pretended to think. "While the offer is tempting, I don't think I will be
forgiven if I don't agree."
"Sounds like my sister has given you a difficult
time," Arnav interrupted with a smirk.
Grinning,
Shyam said, "You have no idea."
That was
first time Arnav realized how effortlessly the both of them were going to get
along, because underneath his responsibility as a lawyer and his duty as a
brother, Shyam Manohar Gupta was a genuine human being. And no title in the
world was big enough to beat that.
"I am going
to pretend that I didn't hear that," Khushi interrupted, mockingly glaring at
them. "I am getting late for work."
"Care for a
ride?" Arnav asked.
Khushi
nodded. Then giving her brother a quick hug and collecting her bag from an
obedient Jaya, they were just about to exit the room, when Shyam spoke:
"Arnav?"
He turned
around.
"Even though
I didn't say it, just remember that-"
"-yes, I
know," he interrupted with a deliberate smile. Even without having spent the
last hour with him, Arnav would have still known what he wanted to say:
Regardless of
what happened, if he hurt Khushi in any way, Shyam would have his head.
And if truth
be told, Arnav was expecting nothing less from him. So clearing his throat he
said, "And it's mutual by the way. If-"
Shyam nodded.
"I know."
He grinned in
answer and began to head out the front door towards the driveway, where his
signature black BMW was waiting.
"What was
Bhaiyya talking about?" Khushi asked, as soon as they were out of earshot.
"He talked
about a lot of things... things about himself, things about-"
"I meant now. What did he mean by "just
remember"?"
Arnav
smirked. "That birthday girl," he dramatically replied, holding open the front
passenger door for her. "Is between me and your brother."
Khushi
scoffed. "Oh please! An hour ago, you both hated the sight of the other."
"On the
contrary," he answered, sliding into the driver seat. "I don't think your
brother ever hated me."
"And what
makes you say that?"
He mockingly
raised an eyebrow. "Did you hear anything
Shyam said?"
She bit her
lip, but refrained from answering.
"You are
terrible at eavesdropping birthday girl," he said, shaking his head in
disappointment. "I expected so much more from you."
She slapped
his shoulder in response. "Shut up! Do you know how hard it is hear anything
from that room? And both of you were whispering like little old ladies."
"Is that what
Anju said? Or did you come up with that all by yourself?"
Her mouth
hung open in response. "H-how...?"
"How did I
know she was on the phone with you while you listened -or rather, failed to
listen- to our conversation?" he finished, smug. "Why does the earth rotate?
Why does the sun rise? Questions like that have no answers."
"There is no way you just knew that!" Khushi retorted, regaining her voice. "Anjali probably
just told you about it."
"No, she
didn't. And just for your information, even Shyam knew both of you were
eavesdropping."
She stared,
incredulous. "How on earth does he
know that?!"
"The same way
he knew you were in love with me long before either of us confessed."
"He said
that?!"
"Yes, and I
don't doubt it at all."
"How is it possible
for him to know? I mean, I talked a lot about
Akash... I would tell him about every conversation we had, every date we went on,
every topic we fought over... you name
it. So, it makes sense why Bhaiyya knew so much about Akash and me. But about
you - I never said a word."
"And I am
very confident that's how he knew. Believe it or not, it's difficult to ignore
when someone in the family changes. When Anju started working for Shyam, she
might as well have stamped her forehead with a note saying she loved him - it
was that obvious. I knew long before
she confessed to me what was happening."
"So is that
what you two bonded over then? How well you spy over your younger siblings?"
Arnav sighed,
exasperated. "So from this entire conversation, you've gathered that we are
controlling and prying, but failed to realize just how much we love you?"
She grumbled incoherently
in response.
He couldn't
help but smile at her childishness. "Oh cheer up birthday girl! You still have
a long way to go before my bond with your brother will start bothering you."
"You are so
confident it will."
He flashed
her an impish smile. "You'll see."
She rolled
her eyes in response and turned to look out the window. And even though he knew
she would do that, Arnav had the odd feeling she had more to say. So, he really
wasn't surprised to see her turn thoughtfully towards him as soon as he pulled
up at her company.
"Spit it out,"
Arnav said, when she didn't speak. "We both know your secrets and I aren't
really the best of friends."
Her shoulders
fell slightly. "What you said to my brother... the part about me letting you back
into my life without asking any questions - do you really feel that way?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then you
should know that I didn't confront you because I was wrong too. I shouldn't
have strung Akash along... I should have told him what I felt the day he asked me
out. But I didn't, because I was too scared of losing him. So, I don't think
your one wrong decision was worse than the years of wrong decisions I made."
"But it was
still wrong," he interrupted gently. "You may not ever say it to me Khushi, but
the truth is, you trusted me...
probably the first in your life after your brother. And I broke that belief
into a million pieces. So, no, I am never going to stop being grateful that you
let me come back to you, without even having to try to earn your forgiveness."
She shook her
head, half-smiling. "You are crazy. You earned everything back just by coming
to get me that day. And believe it or not, that alone proves that you didn't
even break my trust to begin with."
Arnav stared,
awed at how easily she waved off his guilt. Despite spending a glorious year
together, he knew that he was miles away from wiping his mistake clean off the
slate. But it seemed she was having none of that! Just like how he didn't
believe she was damaged, she didn't believe he was wrong.
They truly
were made for each other.
"I love you,"
he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead.
Her arms
wrapped around him. "I love you too."
"So now that
all the formalities are out of the way, can I finally put the ring on?"
Khushi leaned
away, groaning. "Not again Arnav!"
"Not again?"
he repeated, not understanding her annoyance. "I won your challenge fair and
square. I asked your brother your hand in marriage and he said yes. So now, it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain."
She defiantly
stared back at him. "And if I don't?"
He was too stunned
to reply.
"So, it's
settled then," Khushi said, triumphant. "Pick me up at 6 o'clock."
And the next
thing Arnav heard was the thud of the passenger door closing as she calmly
walked away.
It appeared
that getting Shyam's blessing was the easiest
hurdle he had to cross before tying the knot with the absolutely insane,
irrational and irresistible Khushi Kumari Gupta.
________________________________________________________________________________
Shyam agrees without a fight 
Tbh, it was expected - he loves his sister too much to not agree.
Tbh, it was expected - he loves his sister too much to not agree. Please like and comment! 
Archi
P.S. - It seems the next few weeks will continue to be busy But I promise, I won't leave you guys hanging. I will definitely keep updating, but they just won't be as frequent. I am really sorry!
But I promise, I won't leave you guys hanging. I will definitely keep updating, but they just won't be as frequent. I am really sorry! Your reaction
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Comments (114)
U sure have a way with ur words. Beautifully written this FF seriously.
1 years ago
Loved ASR n Shyam convo. They know der siblings so well. They knew Anjali n Khushi were listening lol
1 years ago
Shyam is the easy one. Khushi is the one to worry about.
1 years ago
Loved the update, loved shyam n asr talk hehe. Loved arshi n yay she said yes n ily both to asr.
1 years ago
What a superb chapter girl! Loved it👏🏼❤️
2 years ago
Thank for your comment Natalia! As for your questions, yes, Khushi fears everyone is going to take her for an opportunist, but what changes her mind is when Akash says she deserves to own them. Akash has literally seen her work hard over the past two years, topping all subjects and internships. Their personal differences aside, Akash has never seen anyone be good at business the way Khushi is. And the trust he puts on her, to take care of his inheritance, is what convinces her; because unlike most people, he trusts her talent, and not her background. Moreover, Akash had already made up his mind and nothing Khushi was going to say, would have changed it. But does that mean she is over her fear? No. The thing with Khushi is that she is a practical person. She always weighs her options and goes with what's best. And in that situation, winning Akash back was more important to her than what the society thinks. I hope that answered your doubts! Thanks for your comment dear! I know what you mean. Yes, women do make career's after marriage. But Khushi's problem is that she fears the institution of marriage. She feels the reason her father had an affair with Juhi was because her mother was a simple housewife, who couldn't make a name for herself. So ever since then, she strongly feels a marriage will only last if both the husband and wife are equals. Yes, this belief is illogical, but so are all our fears. It's in human nature to be irrational at times, especially about things closest to us. Anyway, all of this will be cleared up in due time -Archi-2016-01-02 13:41:32
8 years ago
Waiting, please update soon.
8 years ago
Loved loved it so far what an amazing ff can't wait to read more of it.. Please pm me when you update next! Hopefully it's not a long wait :) hiuytlm2015-12-15 15:13:07
8 years ago
where r u Archi???? hope everything is fine with u
8 years ago
Amazing -Haju-2015-12-05 00:10:28
8 years ago