Veritas - AbhiRa FF

Prologue

"I knew this would happen. I knew it. From our childhood this is what you always do. From my mother to my love to my achievements, you've always wanted to take everything from me. You've taken advantage of the love everyone gives you. You....." Aarohi's voice boomed in the Goenka mansion, as she threw insults at her half-sister. Everything had fallen apart due to her. Again. "Why do you do this? What have I done to you. Why did you snatch away my fiancee after you snatched my moth..."

"Enough." Aarohi and everyone in the household were startled when a voice rang out the word, and looked towards the main entrance.

He strode in and carefully judged the situation. It seemed like a regular occurrence for the Goenka family. His eyes traveled towards Akshu - eyes downcast, breath heavy, the slight trembling of her shoulders, indicating that she was crying. Not even willing to come up with a rebuttal.

He calmly moved forward, barely able to restrain his anger at the family members and especially at the girl standing in the centre of the commotion.

On reaching Akshara, he brought his fingers below her chin, raising her face towards him. With his eyes affixed on hers, he questioned, "Akshu?"

As though a dam broke inside her, she gave a small sob and hugged him.

"Mama."

Naksh Singhania took a deep sigh as his niece cried in his arms. He would have stayed in the same position if not for the storm he knew was brewing behind him. He gently removed his niece's form from around him, willing her to stand next to him, and his arm went around her as he turned to face her family.

"Naksh Mama, you...."Aarohi said.

"I am NOT your Mama. Phupha or uncle, if you want. Not your Mama." He corrected sharply.

That seemed to have jolted the Goenkas into speech mode as Dadi began. "Naksh, what are you saying?"

"Oh so you people do have a voice. I thought there was a collective case of vocal cord paralysis here" he said, as he looked around at his mother-in-law and father-in-law.

"We.."

"Where was your voice when your granddaughter was insulting my daughter? Where was it when she was accusing her of killing her mother? Of ruining her life?"

Rendered speechless again, they looked at Naksh in despair. Naksh took a deep sigh and rolled his eyes.

Concentrating on Aarohi again, he said, "Never. Never talk to my daughter like this again. Or else I will forget that you are Keerti's niece."

Aarohi began to say something but Naksh stopped her right there with a simple hand gesture.

He looked beside him as his niece clutched his shirt and shook her head in a negative motion. "Mama, I..." Something tugged at his heartstrings as he saw her struggling.

"We will talk about this at home. Not here." She started again, when he calmly shook his own head. "Akshu. Get in the car now."

Not wanting to prolong the fight, she turned and walked outside. He turned his attention back to the Goenkas, his eyes searching for the familiar ones he had spent half his life battling with.

"Kairu." He called out and his nephew's downcast eyes met his. Naksh struggled with how much his eyes resembled his sister's and his mother's. And to see tears in those eyes. "Are you coming?"

Kairav looked surprised at the offer and hesitantly nodded. Refusing to look into his family's eyes, he made his way from the back of the crowd and towards the door.

Naksh inwardly smiled as he saw the last two memories of his sister walk in unison towards his car. He missed her.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he spoke to his in-laws.

"I don't know what all went down here. Because nobody informed me. But I do know one thing. Hurt my children again, and I will not be so calm the next time."

Content with their understanding, he made his way out of the Goenka mansion. He had no love lost for family. Neither for his in-laws nor for Kar..." He just had to make sure that they didn't ruin his children's life.

He had to set things right.

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