Rain poured relentlessly outside, turning the roads into rivers of silver beneath the darkened sky
Vishal was completely soaked from head to toe when he finally reached the mansion His clothes clung heavily to his body and water dripped from his hair onto the floor
Nirmala immediately hurried toward him with a towel in her hands
"Come here son Let me dry you" she said gently
She lifted the towel toward his head but Vishal reached out and took it from her
"I can do it myself" he said quietly
Nirmala stopped and watched him as he rubbed the towel over his wet hair
There was something different about him
Something colder
Something heavier
The little boy she remembered was nowhere to be found in the man standing before her
"How are you son?" Nirmala asked carefully
Vishal looked at her through his wet hair
"What do you think hm?" he replied
His voice was flat
Cold
He lowered the towel
"Enough small talk I'm here because I and my boss with the entire family are on our way to Mullanpur Dakha by road We've been on the road for six days now and we need a place to stay for a night before leaving They're on their way and I came here by foot"
Nirmala stared at him
"You came all the way here by foot in this rain?"
"Yes"
"How many rooms do you all have?" Vishal asked
"We have over hundreds of rooms" Nirmala answered
Vishal nodded
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone
He opened the map and shared his location with the others so they would know exactly where he was
Then he paused
He remembered something
Ramira didn't have a phone anymore
His expression changed slightly
"Can someone help me go to the mall?" he asked
"Yes bhai(brother)" a young man immediately answered
The young man stepped forward
"My name is Dinesh"
Vishal looked at him
"Here"
He handed Dinesh some money
"She likes the color blue so get it please"
Dinesh nodded
"Yes bhai"
He took the money and hurried away
Nirmala watched him disappear through the doorway before turning back to Vishal
"Come change and eat" she said
Vishal silently followed her
They walked through the enormous mansion until they reached the hallway leading toward the guest rooms
Vishal suddenly stopped
Nirmala took another step before realizing he wasn't behind her
She turned around
Vishal was staring at the wall
A huge portrait hung there
It showed Nirmala standing beside a little boy
Her son
Him
Vishal
He was only six years old in the picture
His small face carried an innocent smile that seemed almost foreign to the hardened man standing beneath it
Vishal stared at the portrait for a long moment
"Why do you have this on the wall?" he asked coldly
Nirmala looked at the portrait
"I love it very much It's the best picture of you I ever have"
Vishal gave a quiet chuckle
"And I have none"
Nirmala's smile disappeared
"Papa burned them all"
Her heart cracked at the words
"Your father?"
Vishal turned toward her
"You're the one who…"
"Yes" he interrupted
"I burned him alive"
Nirmala's eyes widened
Vishal looked back at the portrait
"Maybe if you would have taken me with you I wouldn't have become a monster"
His voice cracked slightly
He lowered his eyes
"I lost my baby and my wife Now life has flipped me over"
He gave a bitter laugh
"I'm the richest man in Russia The underworld trembles when I and the gang walk together"
Nirmala remained silent
"I work for the King of Kings in Russia I eat food now Not alcohol Father gave me as food"
His expression darkened
"His upbringing was…"
He stopped
"Bad"
Nirmala's heart tightened
Vishal looked down at his hands
"These hands…"
He stared at them as though they belonged to another person
"I used these hands to hit my wife"
Nirmala covered her mouth
"I cheated on her over and over again"
His voice became quieter
"But Amma(mother) beat the shit out of me"
Nirmala looked at him with sorrow
"So I have been alone for the past sixteen years now"
He looked toward the hallway
"So room please"
Nirmala nodded
"Come"
They took him to one of the rooms
Elsewhere, Nikolai received the location Vishal had shared
The rain continued pouring over the convoy as the vehicles moved along the wet roads
Inside one of the vehicles, Mila was comfortably settled with her iPad in her hands
She was watching a Disney movie
"Yes!" Lily suddenly exclaimed
"I got 5 A and 3 B!"
Nikolai grinned proudly
"That's my girl!"
They high-fived
Mila giggled
"Wawwww!"
She continued watching her movie
It was The Princess and the Frog
Mila pointed excitedly toward the screen
"Dada wook! She kissin froggy an froggy boy!"
Everyone nearby laughed
Mila gasped when the movie continued
Nikolai's phone suddenly rang
"Yes?" he answered
He listened carefully as he spoke with the captain
"Okay"
He ended the call
Then he looked toward Lilith
"Mimi mama gift ready"
"Yayyy!" Mila cheered
Lilith looked at him
"Gift? What gift?"
Nikolai smiled
"A special one for you After our wedding It's our wedding anniversary gifts I planned for us"
Lilith's cheeks turned red
"Donkey" she whispered
She leaned forward and kissed him
Mila continued watching her movie completely absorbed in the story
Back at the mansion, Vishal eventually came downstairs
"Are the rooms ready?" he asked
"Yes they are Even food" Nirmala replied
"You must be hungry Come eat"
Vishal sat down
Nirmala carried a tray of food and placed it before him
Vishal rubbed his eyes
Then he saw what was on the table
It wasn't just food
It was his favorite food from childhood
Besan Halwa
Bread Chaat
Baingan Chokha
He stared at the dishes
Nirmala and the others watched him carefully
Vishal picked up the bread and began eating
He ate slowly at first
Then faster
His eyes filled with tears
He continued eating while trying to hide his emotions
Suddenly, a little girl waddled into the room
She was sucking on her pacifier
"A child?" a woman asked
Everyone looked toward the doorway
Vishal continued eating quickly
The little girl stopped
Her blue eyes scanned the room
Then they landed on Vishal
She removed her pacifier
"V!"
Vishal froze
He looked up
The little girl smiled
"Hi baby When did you get here love?" he asked
She waddled toward him
Vishal immediately reached out
He picked her up and placed her on the table
The little girl smiled brightly
"Dada mama here now I come to you wook froggy boy I go kissin froggy!"
She pointed excitedly toward the iPad
Vishal looked at the screen
"The Princess and the Frog huh?"
She nodded enthusiastically
Everyone smiled
The atmosphere changed when they heard footsteps approaching
People began walking into the room
"Boss" Vishal said
Nikolai entered
He smirked when he saw Mila
Mila giggled
Soon everyone was sitting together while tea was served
Vishal looked around
"Where is Mira?"
At that exact moment, Ramira walked in
A veil covered her head
She held a blanket in her hands
Nirmala's eyes grew wider
"Ramira…?"
Ramira folded her hands
"Namaste(Greetings)"
She walked toward them
"Mira" Vishal said while continuing to eat
Ramira approached him and handed him the blanket
"I couldn't call to check on you There is no telephone around and in the car too" she said in her calm, shy voice
"I know That's why I got this for you Sit"
Vishal gestured toward the chair
Ramira sat beside him
Vishal placed the phone in her hands
"Unbox it"
Ramira looked down at the box
"Vishal ji what this?"
"Your new phone"
She slowly opened the box
Her eyes widened when she saw the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
She carefully lifted it out and turned it on
A smile appeared across her face
"T…Thank you Sir" she whispered
"Sir?"
She smiled shyly at him
"Hmhmhm"
Vishal's lips twitched into a faint smile
But then sadness returned to his face
He pushed his food away
"I'm full"
Ramira noticed the sadness in his voice
She hesitated before asking
"Can I have your number?"
Vishal's lips twitched again
He took the phone from her hands and entered his number
Ramira giggled softly
Then she began exploring her new phone
Nearby, Mila grabbed Vishal's attention
"Seee!"
She showed him the movie
The scene showed the two frogs kissing before becoming human
Vishal chuckled
He gently ran his fingers through Mila's hair
"How are you dear?" Nirmala asked Ramira
"I'm fine Now Few weeks ago we bumped into each other"
Ramira explained some of the things that had happened to her
Nirmala listened carefully
"I'm so sorry dear Now you're safe"
She pulled Ramira into a hug
Across the room, Nikolai and the gang were checking the map and discussing their plans
"Boss $7 billion Take or leave it?" Selena asked
"Take Divide it Crash the company" Lilith said
"Yes boss"
The Nocturne group continued their discussion
Cleo held Luna gently, patting her softly
Nearby, Ivelle sat quietly
She suddenly looked unwell
Dr Violet immediately noticed
"You've been working too much since after the surgery It's affecting your body badly"
Alexio worriedly held Ivelle
"You need rest It's important" Dr Violet said again
"Thank you" Alexio replied
Ivelle closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder
Meghan and Abellona were sitting together
Meghan was typing on her phone
"Ugh stupid bitch" Abellona muttered
Meghan looked up from her phone
"What's that?"
"It's this" Abellona said, showing her phone
The screen displayed a rival influencer
Meghan looked at the pictures
"Oh this bitch I hate her She's a show off She keeps showing off her wealth"
"She's taking my views" Abellona complained
"I have an idea" Meghan said
She opened her phone and showed Abellona pictures of extremely expensive clothes, shoes and bags
Abellona stared at them
"I don't have the amount Dad cut my allowance short due to too much spending in the club"
Meghan smiled
"I ordered them all They'll be here tomorrow So relax"
"You ordered them?" Abellona asked
"Yeah"
Meghan smiled mischievously
"In return be my girl"
Abellona raised an eyebrow
"Are you buying me?"
"No"
Abellona nodded
"Okay!"
She lay her head on Meghan's lap
By nightfall, everybody had settled down in the rooms given to them
The mansion had finally grown quiet
Nikolai and Lily slept peacefully
Vishal and Ramira, however, remained awake
They sat together in the temple
The sacred atmosphere surrounded them
They were renewing their wedding vows
Vishal carefully applied vermilion to Ramira's hairline
Then he placed a wedding chain around her neck
Together, they took seven rounds
Each round represented another promise
Another beginning
Another chance
When the ceremony ended, Vishal pulled Ramira into his arms
"I promise never to lay my hands on you"
His forehead touched hers
"I promise to love you till I die"
He closed his eyes
"I love you Mira"
Ramira hugged him tightly
"I love you too Vishu"
Morning arrived
Everyone was having breakfast
But outside, the rain was still falling
The weather had not improved
"Boss Weather is bad for two days" Nimra said
Nikolai looked toward the windows
"Guess we're staying here for two days y'all"
Everyone mumbled in agreement
Zafraan sat beside Clara
She was typing on her laptop
He stared at her for a long moment
"I love you Lara"
Zafraan said
Clara stopped typing
She looked at him
"Your…not mad at me anymore?" she whispered
Zafraan leaned closer
He gently kissed her
Suddenly, Sana waddled toward them
She stopped when she saw them kissing
"Yayyyyy mama dada fwrid again!"
Zafraan and Clara smiled at her
Across the room, Zhanna held Salvatore and Mattie together while the family exchanged ideas
Brandon sat quietly with his old diary
He kept writing
His hand moved across the pages again and again
Tears filled his eyes
He wiped them away
Nino noticed him
She watched him carefully while chewing gum
Her eyes moved toward the diary
It was the same diary she had seen before
Brandon continued writing
And writing
And writing
Nino quietly typed something on her phone
"I need to get that diary" she whispered
Eight hours passed
Everyone gathered together for another meal
Vishal looked around
Something was missing
"Where is your husband? I haven't seen him?" he asked
Nirmala immediately became nervous
She looked at him
"Actually Vishu…"
Vishal stopped eating
"Well there's something you need to know"
Everyone looked toward Nirmala
She swallowed
"You have five grown siblings All your blood"
Vishal's expression changed
The room became silent
"Huh?"
His fingers loosened
The spoon dropped from his hand
The sound echoed through the room
Vishal stared at Nirmala
"You burnt your father right?"
"Yes I did I killed him and those people…"
He stopped
Nirmala struggled to speak
"Well—"
Before she could finish, the doors opened
"Mala I'm back and I got a lot of things for you My love!"
A man's voice echoed through the mansion
Vishal froze
His eyes widened
His entire body trembled
"No…"
His breathing became heavier
"It c…can't be"
Everyone turned toward the doorway
An older built man walked into the room
He stopped immediately
The color drained from his face
His eyes locked onto Vishal
For several seconds neither man moved
The older man's expression slowly changed from confusion to disbelief
"Vishal…?"
Vishal stared at him
His heart pounded violently against his chest
The memories came rushing back
His childhood
His father
The pain
The fear
The fire
The years of loneliness
The monster he had become
And now the man standing before him
The man he had believed was dead
"Your alive…?" Vishal whispered
The older man stood frozen
Vishal's voice trembled
"It was his father"
Mr Pyotr
The man stared at his son as though he had seen a ghost
"Hello son" Pyotr said quietly
Vishal didn't answer
He couldn't
The tension in the room grew heavier
Much more heavier
Nirmala stood between the past and the present
Ramira stared at Vishal
Nikolai watched carefully
Everyone remained silent
Vishal's hands trembled
He looked at the man he had believed he had killed
The man he had believed was gone forever
His father was standing before him
Alive
And the past Vishal had buried for sixteen years had just walked back through the door
Neither father nor son looked away
The rain continued pouring outside
And inside the mansion, the silence became deafening now had just entered another of its darkest family secret.