Chapter: A Calm Evening… Before the Storm
It was evening, and Om's house was wrapped in a calm, peaceful atmosphere where everyone was busy in their own little world, unaware of how much had already changed outside those walls.
In the living room, Vijay uncle sat comfortably, reading the news on his tablet, his face serious yet relaxed. On the nearby sofa, Soumya was lost in her phone with earphones plugged in, watching some videos without paying attention to anything else. Right beside her, Riya sat glued to the TV, enjoying her cartoons with complete focus, while in the kitchen, Sharda aunty was busy preparing dinner for everyone, moving around with quiet warmth.
And somewhere inside the house—
Om was in his room.
Alone.
Then suddenly—
The doorbell rang.
Everyone's attention shifted toward the door.
Vijay glanced at Riya and signaled something to her, and she quickly picked up a remote from the table, pointed it toward the screen, and pressed a button. The LED display instantly showed two girls standing outside, ringing the doorbell again.
"Soumya, dear… can you check who it is?"
Sharda called out from the kitchen.
Soumya was already looking at the screen, and the moment she saw the two girls, she recognized them immediately. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at Vijay, and then she quickly got up and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened—
Seema and Anshika walked in.
They smiled warmly at Soumya and then stepped inside.
"Hello uncle, good evening."
They greeted Vijay politely.
Just then, Sharda walked out of the kitchen, still speaking,
"Can someone check who's at the door? This girl is always stuck in her phone—"
But her words stopped the moment she saw Anshika.
"Oh… dear, aren't you the mayor's niece?"
Anshika smiled respectfully.
"Yes aunty, you recognized me right. My name is Anshika, and this is my friend Seema. Hello… and I'm really sorry for disturbing you at this time."
Both of them greeted her politely.
"Oh no, dear, it's absolutely fine. Come inside… but what brings you here at this hour?"
Sharda asked, slightly surprised.
Anshika stepped forward gently.
"Aunty, I actually needed your signatures on some documents. Mr. Om has registered your name as the owner of his clinic, so my uncle asked me to get these signed from you, and since the clinic is opening tomorrow, he didn't want any mistakes in the paperwork, so I came right away. I'm really sorry for coming unannounced."
Vijay stood up as she finished.
"No no, that's completely fine."
But Sharda, still processing what she heard, asked in disbelief,
"Om… put the clinic in my name?"
Seema smiled softly and replied,
"Yes, aunty. He said that from now on, whatever business he does will be in his uncle's family's name, and he also said that everything he has belongs to his family, and since this clinic is the first step of his career, he wants it to begin in his mother's name."
Those words—
Hit deep.
Sharda's eyes instantly filled with tears.
She turned to Vijay, her emotions overwhelming her, while even Vijay's face reflected a mix of pride, regret, and something unspoken.
"Did you hear that… our Om loves us so much. He gave everything to us… and that too in a time when children forget even their own parents… and what have we done for him till now? I don't understand when I will truly understand this boy…"
Her voice broke.
And she started crying.
Vijay stepped forward immediately, gently holding her in his arms.
"I know, Sharda… I know he loves us. And you all loved him too… it was just me who couldn't see it. But not anymore. We won't hold on to the past. From now on, we'll raise him like our own son."
He paused, softly smiling.
"Now calm down… you don't look good crying, what will these girls think?"
Sharda wiped her tears, trying to compose herself, while Anshika and Seema stood there quietly, deeply moved by what they had just witnessed.
For Anshika, every new thing she heard about Om was like uncovering a completely different person, someone she barely knew, and with every passing moment, her curiosity about him only grew stronger.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry… I got carried away talking about all this in front of you."
Sharda said, smiling through her tears.
Just then, Soumya and Riya also came closer and hugged her gently.
"Yes yes, I know, I made you emotional too," Sharda said, patting them affectionately. "Now come on, make the girls sit, offer them some juice, and I'll finish preparing dinner."
Anshika quickly shook her head.
"No aunty, that's not necessary, please just sign the papers and we'll get Mr. Om's signature as well and then we'll leave, we don't want to trouble you."
Even though she said that—
Her eyes were quietly searching around.
Looking for Om.
But he wasn't there.
Sharda smiled.
"No, no, you sit here. I'll bring something for you. Soumya, come help me in the kitchen, and Riya, don't trouble your sisters, okay?"
With that, Sharda and Soumya went into the kitchen, while Vijay returned to his seat.
Seema and Anshika sat on the sofa with Riya, both of them quietly observing the house.
After a moment, Vijay spoke,
"So, dear… what do you do?"
Anshika smiled politely.
"I work as a product manager in a company owned by my father's friend."
Vijay raised an eyebrow.
"With so many companies in your own family, why work somewhere else?"
Anshika replied calmly,
"Well uncle, eventually I will join the family business anyway, but I wanted to start on my own first."
Vijay nodded, impressed.
"That's good, dear. The desire to grow on your own is a rare quality these days."
Then he looked at Seema.
"And you, dear… what do you do? Sorry, we haven't met before."
Seema smiled.
"I help my father in his company."
Vijay observed her for a moment.
"If I'm not mistaken… you're Mr. Yuvraj Chauhan's daughter, right? The owner of Chauhan Industries?"
Seema nodded.
"Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm Seema Chauhan."
Vijay smiled.
"I've heard a lot about him… especially his ability to recognize rare antiques. He's quite well known in this city."
The conversation continued for a while—
Until Seema subtly signaled something to Anshika.
Anshika understood.
She leaned toward Riya and whispered softly,
"Riya… sorry, but could you show us the washroom? We just want to freshen up."
Riya immediately nodded and got up.
"Yes, of course, please come this way, sisters."
As they began to walk away, Riya turned back and said,
"We'll be back in a minute, Papa."
Vijay smiled.
"Alright, dear… and show them the house as well."
The three of them quickly climbed the stairs—
Heading toward Riya's room.
And somewhere upstairs—
Om was still there.
Unaware—
That someone was finally coming closer to his world.