Words Unsaid

Chapter 26

Sydney

"Finally! BACK HOME!" Manav cried as he plopped into the couch with his family around him.

"Hey where is my award?" Arnav asked frowning.

Manav looked up and said, "Seriously dad? Here I am back home after 3 tiring days and all you have got to ask me is where your award is!"

Everyone laughed and Arnav smirked, "I saw the interview you gave. Pretty good liar you are!" he said.

"What did I lie?" Manav asked frowning.

"Ah, you lied when the interviewer asked whether you have someone special in your life. You said no one!" Riya cried, "You should have seen Ritz's face. She is so angry on you!"

"Seriously I don't know why the interviewer was interested in my life since I was there just to represent dad. And she started asking such question so I just said no one so that they wouldn't cook up stories" Manav explained, "Now where is this girl? Let me see her!"

"Hostel!" Riya said. Manav slumped down and Mahi said, "She is too angry. Too bad bhaiyya!"

"Acha leave all that" Manav said, "I'll talk to her. Now tell me about the happenings here! Naina didi, I watched your book launch online. It was amazing!"

Naina smiled and Aarav turned to Riya, "Honestly I don't know why Simon pressed the buzzer because when you sang I felt like I'm inside ironwork and the sound of metals blasting my ears."

"Shut up!" Riya cried and jumped on him and the sibling's fight began.

"Acha stop it!" Arnav and Khushi cried trying to separate them.

"Where is Akash chachu?" Manav asked pushing Riya away.

"Away in Boston. Some problems with our Boston branch!" Arnav said.

"Dad you are too clever!" Manav cried, "You sent Akash chachu to Boston and me to get the award for you. And you sent Ritika with Naina didi for book launch! Payal maasi and Mahi went with Riya to X Factor! And you and mom got to spend some time alone! WOW!"

"Oh so this was a plan?" Payal asked and Manav nodded while Arnav and Khushi stood embarrassed while others in the room started laughing at their red faces.

New Delhi, Central Jail

"Oye maharani, clean properly!" the lady superintend called out harshly.

Anjali jerked away from her thoughts and started doing her work.

"What are you thinking?" the jail superintend asked.

Anjali kept mum and carried on with her work.

"Aarav?" she asked.

"Please!" Anjali said in her cracking voice.

Sunitha, the superindent chuckled and said, "So strange na? You're the one who got him killed and now you're crying over it!"

"I DIDN'T KILL HIM! HE DID! I NEVER KNEW THAT SHYAM WAS GONNNA KILL AARAV!"

"But you knew that he was gonna harm Aarav and being his mother you did not save him!" Sunitha said.

Anjali sighed and looked down.

"Look at her" the superindent pointed to a woman and Anjali looked at the woman standing away cleaning the toilet.

"Poornima, that's her name!" Sunitha said, "You know what's similar between you both? You both are mothers!"

Anjali looked at Sunitha.

"The only difference is that she is here by taking over a crime that her son committed on her head and you're here for killing your own son!" she said.

The words stabbed Anjali's already torn heart.

SJ Groups Head Office, New Delhi

"This is the truth sir" his PA said, "We're losing clients! No one wants our products. If this continues SJ Fashions would fall!"

"Listen you clot" Shyam sneered, "I'm the boss of this company! Don't teach me how to run this! You're getting your salary na? Good, now get out!"

The PA walked out and met with his colleague downstairs.

"He is such an ****!" one employee said.

"If only ASR comes back!" another said.

Everyone went quiet reminiscing the AR days and the day when AR Fashions was renamed as SJ Fashions by ASR's ex-brother-in-law.

"ASR is always ASR – the king of fashion. Three years back he left India penniless and today he is again at top!" one said.

"Yeah, I saw the award function. Manav had received the award!" one older employee said.

"Manav looks so grown up!" one said and everyone smiled remembering the first time he came to AR. The little 4 year old boy was hanging on his father's coat and looking at everyone with his round eyes.

"If only we're able to get out from this company but damn...the contracts which we signed!" one said.

"No one knew that ASR would not be our boss forever!" another said.

"SHUT UP!" a voice was heard and everyone jumped seeing Shyam up the stairs.

"You" Shyam pointed to the employee who said the last dialogue, "You have to work here till 11 o'clock at night and be here at tomorrow 5 o'clock!"

"But sir"

"NO BUTS! YOU ***** I'M YOUR BOSS NOT ASR. YOU HAVE TO OBEY ME. JUST GET THIS IN YOUR HEAD EVERYONE, ASR IS DEAD FOR YOU ALL! IT'S ONLY SMJ NOW!" Shyam shouted and everyone nodded in fear except one.

Shyam walked away and the employees looked at Ayan, the boy who joined a month ago, who stood emotionless without any fear.

"Ayan, how do you hold your head high in front of him?" one asked.

Ayan smirked as said, "He will never fire me guys. A scratch on me and he have to pay for it!"

Everyone frowned and Ayan said smirking, "You all want ASR back na? Lemme tell you, that's gonna happen soon!" and he walked away.

"How do you know that Ayan?" one asked loudly.

"Because my name is Ayan Mathur" he said loudly and walked away.

"Stop!" one cried and Ayan stopped. Everyone rushed to him. "Did your dad say that Ayan? Just tell us, did Aman Mathur, ASR's right hand, your father, tell you that ASR is gonna back to get AR?"

"May be....." Ayan said and walked away.

That was surely a treat for the employees of SJ Fashions.