Unreachable Destiny- The Curse Of Your Love

Chapter-38: Part Of This Family.

That morning, Ketki really wanted some rest. It was not like she already didn't have enough work to do on top of the constant verbal harassment of her husband. Her husband, Rishab Talwar, doesn't lose a single chance to exploit her vulnerabilities and point fingers at her. Yet she was nothing but a puppet in their big game, and she had better things to worry about. Her daughter, Aishwarya, is the driving force of her will to live.

When she got a call from Atul, she immediately closed herself in the bathroom like she always did and took the call. Atul told her about Maya, Mishti Bhabi's daughter and their visit. Even though Ketki needed some rest, she pushed herself, saying that nothing better would come out of refusing to welcome her Bhatiji. So she got ready in proper clothes and waited for them. When she opened the door to the young woman standing in front of her, her heart sank at the realization that the girl standing in front of her could've been her daughter if not for her weakness. Maya looked so much like Mishti that Ketki couldn't help but feel comfortable with her. It also made her miss her daughter twice as much. Before she could consider any social boundaries, she pulled Maya into a hug that surprised both of them, but it didn't even take a second for them to tune out everything and focus on the warm embrace.

When they pulled away, Maya's eyes widened and her face turned pale as if she had seen a ghost. At the same time a hint of a smile formed on her lips like she was in a daze while Ketki called out her name. Maya suddenly snaps out of her stupor and looks at Ketki with a frown, almost looking angry for pulling her out of her thoughts but that instantly subsides as she smiles again.

"Come in, Beta." Ketki shows the way into the house and seats them in the living room. Rishab grimly looks at them over his glasses, nods at the guests and walks into their room silently. Atul could barely hide his distaste towards the man but he wouldn't let the man's presence taint the few moments he gets to spend with his sister. After a while, Ketki serves them tea and Maya discreetly looks around the apartment to find anything that would indicate the claims she heard. Just some clues would help Maya understand the situation better. Ketki Bua was sweeter than Maya expected. Despite the darkness of her life, she is a woman who holds hope for a better future. After talking to her, Maya felt much better about her plan but it was going to be a long run if she wanted to help her Bua out unscathed.

***

Akshay sits in his Mumbai office, deep in his thoughts as he rolls his pen in his right hand. He had helped Aditya get the job in the Surim branch near Rajkot, but he still had a bad feeling about hiding this from Maya. He already told them very clearly that he would help Aditya with the job but not by hiding it from Maya. If ever the topic arises, Akshay would not lie about it to Maya. Akshay also tries to convince Aditya to tell Maya the truth but he knows why Aditya doesn't want to. Maya can be very protective and strict at the same time, which doesn't always sit well in her relationship with Aditya, but it would do no good if ever Maya found out that Aditya, instead of going to her, took someone else's help. However Adi would deal with that tornado is his business, but Akshay can't let him be the scapegoat for whatever Ms. Meenakshi might be planning.

Akshay's phone rings, pulling to the present, and he takes it with unease as it flashes his father's name on it.

"Hello? Akshay?" His father's voice indicates that Akshay had predicted the purpose of the call right.

"Yeah, Dad."

"Why haven't I received the month-end report yet? I have had my secretary send you multiple emails as reminders but there has been no response from your side."

"Well, there were discrepancies in the reports and some financial redundancies. We are currently looking into them and rectifying them, Dad."

"What discrepancies? How could such a thing occur? Have you not been monitoring the transactions through the month?" Akshay places his index finger and thumb over his forehead, rubbing them in circles as he exhales heavily. After all the things that had happened in the past, he could barely pull his work together. He knows that the month-end report is not the real problem. It's that Akshay was supposed to lead this branch perfectly through the next few months, which will give his father an insight into whether he is a good fit to lead the main branch in London next year.