“Dada!!.... Dada!!” a high pitched voice resounded in the small apartment with a sense of urgency. The person in question, a young man of twenty, wiped his well toned hands on the apron before removing it and moving towards the voice. 

“Kya hua Bhavi?” (What happened, Bhavi?)  He questioned as he entered the room, looking at his fifteen year old sister standing in the middle of the room with her hands folded on her chest and her face betraying irritation. She was dressed for school, her chest length, thick raven black hair braided.

“Dada… I can't find my assignment. Aaj submission hai mera.” (It's to be submitted today.) She complained while throwing a pleading look at him. “Coffee table pe hai. You forgot it there yesterday.” (It’s on the coffee table.) He replied while giving her a done look only to receive a sheepish smile in return.

“Thanks Dada.” Bhavya gave her brother a hasty peck on his cheeks and bounded to the kitchen with her bag. He smiled and shook his head while following her outside, only to find her sitting on the table and munching on an apple. He then moved to the kitchen, quickly packing her lunch, as it was time for her van to arrive.

“Here you go princess.” The man forwarded the lunch box with a small smile. Bhavya put it away and came around to hug her brother. It was something she always did before leaving, as her brother was her anchor.

The man deepend the embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head. He stood over 6 feet tall, whereas she barely reached his shoulders, a fact that annoyed her to no end. “Take care princess, Hmm? I’ll come home early today then we’ll go to the hospital okay?” He softly whispered and pulled apart, placing a small kiss on her forehead.

Bhavya nodded with a small smile and hurried out of the house with her bag slung upon her right shoulder. The man stared at her retreating figure for a moment before going about the house, finishing his business and leaving for his college.

His college was one of the best colleges in Mumbai, and he had managed to get a scholarship through his hard work. The bus stop was a 15 min walk from their apartment, from where the bus took another 25 minutes to reach his college.

He was in his third year of college, and was the invisible guy. He preferred keeping a low profile and his loose clothes, worn out bag and old shoes kept most of the students away. But that didn't mean he was a pushover and everyone knew better than to provoke. As a result he had no friends and was fine with that.

Walking to his class, he sat down in the corner most seat at the back as the lectures started, but for some reason he couldn’t concentrate. He was feeling restless as if his guts were warning of an upcoming storm as he stared outside, frowning at the sudden change of the weather.

By the time it was lunch hour he had given up on lectures and left the college, going towards the cafe he worked at. He was fifteen when he had started working here , not out of necessity as their mother could provide for them but just to take responsibility for his miniscule expenses and also to indulge the whims of his sister.

It turned out to be a blessing as two years back their mother’s health took a hit and had deteriorated since then. They could still manage their expenses well, in spite of the increased spending, but things turned downhill a year back when the doctor advised their mother for a  complete bed rest as her health failed.

Their mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and had been careless with her health. He had found out by pure coincidence and since then he did his best to manage everything himself, taking away some of her burden. 

“Ahh… Aksh. What brings you early today?” The manager questioned with a surprised look. He was an old man in his late fifties and knew about Aksh’s situation. “I have to go to the hospital in the evening sir. I hope that's okay.” Aksh questioned politely, as that meant leaving his shift in half. 

“It's fine. Take care of your mother. And you might as well cover your hours now that you are early.” He suggested. The man knew Aksh would cover the hours anyhow and he hated taking help. Aksh nodded and went to change, all the while mentally preparing himself for the visit to the hospital.

>>>>>-<<<<<

In the hospital, a woman sat on her bed, staring at the mobile screen. The fatigue and the pain of her illness could be seen on her pale face and skinny bones. But even in that state one could tell that she would have been a great beauty in her past.

After hesitating for a few more minutes, the lady finally called the once familiar number and waited with bated breath as the call connected, filling the room with the ring. The phone was answered on the third ring, and a deep baritone voice rang out. “Hello.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Devraj Thakur speaking?” The lady questioned in a low voice, even though she recognized the tone. How could she not, after all it was her younger brother. “Yes…Aap?” (You are?) the person questioned after a moment of silence. “Dev…” The lady choked out and fell silent. 

The silence stretched out for almost a minute before the man replied again. “Jiji… jiji sa… aap?” (Sister You?).  The man voiced in disbelief. The lady could only hum in response as emotions swirled in her mind. They both talked for a minute before the lady spoke up. “Dev… I need to talk to him. I don't have much time and he needs to know. It's time Dev.” The lady whispered the last part, with tears streaming down her face. 

“I’ll try to get him there, but I can’t promise anything. He  has changed a lot since you left.” Devraj let out a tired sigh. On one side he was happy that he finally found his sister and on the other the whole situation bugged him. The two continued to talk as the lady provided him with details, “No one else should know Dev.” she instructed before hanging up.

>>>>>>-<<<<<<

Thakur mansion, Bharatpur.

A rigid silence hung in the room as soon the call ended. The man who always commanded the aura of a soldier looked defeated for the first time, yet the strong shoulders didn’t cave in as if they knew their duty. The happiness of finding the long lost one was shrouded by the truth of their death and the looming task ahead of him.

Devraj loved his elder sister Mrinalini like a mother as she was the one who had practically raised him as their mother had died during childbirth and their father used to be busy with his duties. But as fate had been, he was away on a mission and it was already too late by the time he returned and learned of Mrinalini's disappearance.

For the following month he tried everything he could to find her and had succeeded too, but was sent back by her with a promise that he would never look for her again. He wanted to beg and plead but the respect he had for his elder sister made it difficult for him to deny her request, as it was the first time she had ever implored him to do something. So with a heavy heart he had returned empty handed and since then he had been waiting for a call from her. His wish had been fulfilled 15 years later but at such a cost.

Devraj sighed and walked out of his study towards his room and started packing some of his stuff as he would be leaving for Jaipur immediately and then fly down to Mumbai, hopefully along with his nephew. He ordered the servants to prepare his car as he went downstairs to search for his wife, the love of his life and the only woman to enter his life after mrinalini.

“Vaidehi,” he softly called out to her as he walked inside the kitchen and pulled her into his embrace as she turned to face him. Vaidehi gave him a questioning look as they pulled apart while Devraj just shook his head. “I am going to Jaipur, and then to Mumbai for a few days. Something important came up.” He informed her in a low voice, while softly caressing her hands.

“What happened Dev? Why Jaipur all of a sudden?” Vaidehi asked, concerned as she knew her husband avoided going to Jaipur after the whole incident. “I am sorry Jaan, I can’t tell you anything right now. We’ll talk once I am back home. Tell Arhaan I’ll talk to him later.” He assured her and left as she nodded her head, knowing that her husband wouldn’t hide things from her unless necessary.

Devraj sat in the car and started his 3 and half hour journey from Bharatpur to Jaipur all the while thinking about the upcoming confrontation he was going to have with him, someone he hadn't seen in almost a decade. They met occasionally, but that was it as they both were busy in their own lives, and their jobs and circumstances kept them away.

>>>>>-<<<<<

Rajawat Corporations, Jaipur

It was late afternoon and a young man in his thirties was going through some documents when his secretary knocked and entered the office. “Sir, someone named Devraj Thakur wants to meet you. He says he is an acquaintance and is waiting in the lobby.” She replied nervously. She had been in the company for the past ten years but had never seen the man waiting outside, yet there was something in him that made her comply.

The man was silent for a moment, surprised by the sudden visit of his estranged maternal uncle but then asked the secretary to let him in and prepare two cups of coffee. He leaned back and watched silently as the man in question strode into his office, an aura of command and authority surrounding him. No one could look at the man and say that he was in his late forties, so well maintained was his body.

The two men stared at each other for a moment before Devraj spoke up. “I need to talk to my nephew, not the CEO of this company or the Hukum of Rajasthan.” He mentioned, knowing full well that the man sitting in front of him was not the one he wanted to talk to. “What brings you here at such an hour, and that too to talk with your nephew whom you haven’t even seen from ages?”

“It’s fine if you wish to keep things formal, but now is not the time for it, Rishikesh.” Devraj said in a firm tone, his temper at the verge of snapping. There was something in his tone that conveyed a sense of urgency, and Rishikesh could make out that something was definitely wrong. “Please sit. We’ll talk” 

Devraj nodded in response as he took a seat across from his nephew while his conscience tried to come up with ways to break the news to him. The silence, the hesitation on his uncle’s face perplexed Rishikesh as he had always known that man to be straightforward and blunt and it increased the sense of unease that he had been feeling. The tense silence was broken as the secretary entered the room with coffee cups and quietly left after putting them down.

“What’s the matter Mama sa?” Rishikesh finally relented and broke the silence. He may hold a grudge against him but there was a thin line between being disrespectful and there was no way he was going to cross that. Devraj looked at him and took a deep breath, recollecting his thoughts.

“Jiji sa called Rishikesh. She wants to meet you.” He said in a low voice and fell silent as he saw him getting stiff. His mother has always been a sore spot for him, he loved her the most and her disappearance had shaken him to the core. Although he refused to believe the rumours behind her disappearing, but over the years he had lost all hopes of seeing her again. Thus, the sudden mention of her made him freeze and he was at loss.

“Why now? After all the years.” He said in a calm voice as he tried to suppress his conflicting emotions. “She is on her deathbed, Rishikesh, counting her last breath. She wants to talk to you, see you for the last time.” Devraj said in a strained voice and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for a response,

Devraj’s word’s jolted Rishikesh and he went blank for a second as he gulped hard. He got up from his chair as he loosened his tie and walked to the glass window, staring out lost in his thoughts. A few minutes later he sat down in his former place and looked at his Uncle who was staring at him with a hint of hope on his otherwise blank face. “Where is she?” He questioned with a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Mumbai.” Rishikesh nodded and called his secretary. “Cancel all my meetings for two days and ask the crew to prepare my jet. I am travelling to Mumbai for some personal work.” He ordered and dismissed her, before turning back to Devraj, his gaze demanding an explanation and Devraj obliged.