"Rudraksh Oberoi: A Tale of Power, Redemption, and Fatherhood"

Chapter - 38

Aarav and Roohi were sitting in the garden, the bright sunlight contrasting with the heavy atmosphere inside the house. Michael sat a short distance away, listening to their conversation.

Aarav, leaning back on his hands, said thoughtfully, “I wonder what they’re really talking about in there.”

Roohi, hugging her knees, looked up with concern. “Maybe it’s something only older people talk about. Mia looked so scared.”

Michael, sitting quietly on the grass, glanced at them with a troubled expression but remained silent.

Aarav, a bit defensive, said, “Yes, but Arjun is also there. Dad always shares all his conversations with me.”

Roohi tilted her head, her eyes wide with admiration. “Arjun bhaiya is older than us. He’s so big and strong. Even handsome too.”

Aarav, slightly offended, interjected, “But I’m big and strong too! And I’m handsome.”

Michael rolled his eyes at their banter, while Roohi giggled at Aarav’s reaction. Aarav, noticing her laughter, pouted dramatically and started tickling her. “What about me? Don’t you think I’m strong and handsome too? I even saved you!”

Roohi burst into laughter, squirming away from Aarav’s tickling fingers. “You are! You’re the best, Aarav!”

As Roohi’s laughter subsided, she glanced at Michael, her expression shifting. Aarav, noticing the change, shot Michael a pointed look. “Were you listening to our conversation?”

Michael rolled his eyes in response. When Roohi added that his eyes might get stuck back in his face as her papa says, Michael chuckled and looked at Aarav. “Nobody is interested in your conversation. I was just sitting here, bored and annoyed.”

Roohi, eyes wide, asked, “Did Papa ask you to leave the room like us?”

Aarav smirked, “Yes, that’s the reason. After all, you’re just a child like us.”

Michael’s face flushed with anger. “I’m not a child!”

Aarav, seeing Michael’s irritation, couldn’t resist teasing him further. “Oh, come on, Michael. If you’re not a child, then why do you act like one?”

Michael’s face flushed with anger. “Stop it, Aarav. I’ve had enough of your games.”

Aarav smirked, unbothered. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle a bit of teasing? Maybe you are a child.”

Michael clenched his fists, his voice rising. “I’m not a child! I’ve been through more than you can imagine. You don’t know anything about me!”

Roohi, sensing the tension, tried to intervene. “Please, stop fighting…”

But Aarav, refusing to back down, snapped, “If you can’t handle a little teasing, maybe you should just stay out of things.”

The argument grew heated, with both boys hurling insults at each other. Aarav’s voice was sharp and taunting. “You think you know everything, but you’re just a lost kid!”

Michael’s anger flared. “And you think you’re so perfect? You have no idea what I’ve been through!”

Their faces were flushed, and their words grew more intense, neither willing to back down. Roohi, frightened by the escalating argument, tried to pull them apart, her small hands gripping their arms.

“Stop it!” she cried, tears welling up in her eyes.

But Aarav and Michael were too caught up in their anger to notice. Their shoving match intensified, and in the chaos, Roohi was accidentally pushed to the ground. She let out a small cry of pain as she hit the grass, her knee scraped slightly.