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“Where were you all these years?” Dad suddenly speaks up. “We thought you were dead.”
“You’re asking as if it bothered you that I was dead,” Tej Khurana mocks. “None of you grieved for me, Kailash. Come on, accept it. You both forgot me, but I could never forget you two. After all, Your betrayal made me leave my country and forced me to relocate elsewhere. That’s something I can never forget.”
“You betrayed us; we didn’t,” Dad sharply responds. “We know your real face, Tej. Enough of pretending to be a white-collared man now.”
“Even if you were alive, you didn’t deserve to come back, given the sins you’ve committed in the past,” Pratap Walia adds to Dad’s words.
“Pratap, you are once again falsely accusing him,” Amitji interrupts. “Tej has a legitimate diamond business in Cape Town. Do you think we would have accepted his funds if he had been involved in any kind of illicit activities?”
His crimes and connection to the Bat Syndicate are on the tip of my tongue, but I know that revealing them here to the CM of the state is not a viable option. He wouldn’t believe it without solid proof against Tej Khurana and his wrongdoings. And most importantly, I don’t want to risk the safety of every guest at the party tonight, including my two families. Considering Tej Khurana’s power, he could turn this beautiful party into a nightmare for everyone.
“It’s alright, Amitji,” Tej Khurana continues. “They will take some time to accept my reality,” he grins. “This is why I never wished to come back to India.”
“Then what made you return now?” Amitji inquires.
His eyes automatically shift to me again, and while there is no change in my expression, his gaze visibly softens. It’s akin to a father desperate to meet his son after ages.
“I realised that I had left something here that belonged to me,” he said, looking directly at me. “And now, I’m here to reclaim my possession.”
I glared at him, my teeth clenched in anger. If he thought that being my biological father would make me show any affection toward him, he was completely wrong. I, Ayaan Shergill, wanted nothing to do with a criminal like him. If only I could turn back time and change my paternity, becoming the true son of my adopted father, Kailash Shergill. Dad grips my arm, sensing my fury is waiting to be unleashed.
“You must be Meher, right?” Tej Khurana redirects his attention to Meher, who had been a silent spectator until now.
Meher doesn’t even acknowledge him and continues to stand next to her father.
“I warn you, Kailash,” he says. “Although she may be your daughter-in-law, she is Pratap’s daughter. Pratap, who never backs down. She seems to be the one who likes to rule, just like Pratap. Is she as dominant and proud as her father, or has she taken after her mother? What was her name again? Oh yes, Vandana,” he sneers.
He purposely takes Vishnu’s mother’s name instead of Meher’s to instigate us.
“Oh, sorry, I think her name was Meera, not Vandana,” he smirks. “You see, I tend to forget names these days.”
Vishnu is enraged by the deliberate insult and the misspelling of the name. He is about to attack, but Pratap Walia intervenes. However, Tej Khurana notices his actions.
“That must be Vishnu, right Pratap? Your... “He pauses to grin before continuing. “Your all-time bodyguard. I’ve heard he holds a special place in your heart. Is it because he is your protective shadow? Because, let me tell you, my friend, his overprotectiveness towards you is no less than that of a son towards his father. People might even mistake him for your son in the future, you know?”
“You are crossing your limits now,” Aksh interrupts this time. “We are ignoring your silly remarks, but that doesn’t mean you keep talking rubbish.”
“Watch your tone, boy,” Tej Khurana snaps. “You must be Aksh Walia. Nilesh’s son. Trust me, your temper matches your father. He was just like you—fearless but always ready to wage war at the slightest provocation, probably not even directed at him but at others.”
“Tej, relax,” Amitji interrupts. “Pratap and Kailash are just shocked to see you here again. They will need some time, and their children don’t even know you. And that reminds me of something.” He turns to Dad. “Kailash, you should meet Tej’s son, Raghav.”
I clench my jaw and look around, knowing Raghav must be somewhere here, too. And we spot him. He is standing with another group of men, holding a glass of wine and raises a toast towards us as our eyes meet. There is a triumphant smirk on his face at this shocking meetup, which, going by his face, was definitely planned by him.
“That’s him,” Amitji adds. His gaze travels between Raghav and me and exclaims in wonder. “Ayaan and Raghav look so similar! They could easily be each other’s doppelgangers.”
He’s stating something we all already know: Raghav is, after all, my twin brother.
“Rightly said, Amitji,” Tej Khurana says. “Both have an uncanny resemblance, just like brothers.” His eyes are back on me.
“We could be brothers,” Raghav joins the conversation, surprising everyone. “I don’t mind that, but I can’t say the same about Ayaan.”
His sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed. My nostrils flare at his audacity to make that kind of a statement. This time, Meher presses my arm, knowing how much all of this is affecting me. I cannot stand the Khuranas here, especially knowing I’m biologically related to them.
This is the first time that Raghav is meeting both my families personally, except for me and Meher, whom he has already met before. He glances at everyone before smiling back at Amitji.
“The guests have been waiting for you all,” Raghav tells him.
“Oh yes,” Amitji nods. “Tej, let me introduce you to the other guests. And Kailash and Pratap, you and your kids should join us too. Please come.”
