"Swara, do you think this much Chana should be ok for tomorrow?" Parineeta asked with hopeful eyes.

Swara passed a quick glance at Parineeta and then the bowl filled up with chana and water.

"Hmm" It was again a monosyllable response from her sister-in-law.

Swara turned back to Nirmala kaki for delegating work for kitchen wind up as per routine.

But Swara could feel a continuous gaze on her from Parineeta.

It had been two weeks for Parineeta and Adarsh's return to their household and by each passing day they both were feeling a transparent wall had been built up between them and Ram's family's members. Swara and Sujata kept it very formal with Parineeta, both were maintaining their reserved, distant behaviour towards her in spite of her advances to improve their relations.

Earlier Parineeta had thought over a period of time things would fall in their place, letting her earn forgiveness from everyone but alas.

Annapurna had asked her to keep patience whereas Ragini was turning as her confidante. The bond Parineeta used to share with Swara earlier was now getting replaced with Ragini.

Ragini had her inner motives for flourishing her bondings with Parineeta. She had strict instructions from Parvati to make every effort to safeguard her position in the good books of Annapurna.

Parineeta overlooked at the kitchen, once it was a place where she had heard giggling sounds, teasings, gossipings and what not but now... it has turned into a deep silence zone.

Same was the condition with Adarsh, he was permitted to join their family business but at very least, an unimportant position. He was under the supervision of the ones whom once upon a time he used to pass orders. He was bestowed with minimal responsibilities just taking care of a few supervision staff in their factory. There were strict instructions from Durga Prasad Maheshwari to his supervisors to keep a keen eye on his elder son's activities.

Adarsh was well aware, if he needed to earn forgiveness from his father then the route was through Sanskar. His cousin, has always an edge over his father. His father admired his cousin from his childhood.

Over the last two weeks, he had tried to connect the bridge between him and Sanskar, but his little cousin was too occupied with his own business and personal life to give any attention to his elder. They both did not get time to have their one on one or should we say, his cousin has avoided any possibility of it. His cousin was totally proving his wife's words which she had declared when they were asked for their forgiveness.

"Kaki, I am leaving. Good night." Swara wished and grabbed a water jug from the kitchen platform. She headed outside to join her husband for their 'Me Time'.

"She has changed a lot." Ragini spoke, breaking Parineeta's trance. She was staring at Swara's retiring figure.

True, a lot of things have changed over these last 11 months. Nowadays when Parineeta enters the kitchen she is welcomed with silent glares, raised eyebrows, hurtful stares and distasteful expressions.

Annapurna, Ragini and Gadodia ladies were her supporters but rest everyone were giving her and husband a cold shoulder.

It was midnight, Swara and Sanskar both were sleeping peacefully in each other's embrace. Their sleep got disturbed with a loud crashing sound followed by honking of the car.

Swara stirred, the same with Sanskar.

"What's that noise?" She asked, groaning, when a honking voice was repeatedly hitting their eardrums.

"It's 2:30 at midnight." Sanskar checked his mobile to see time while getting up. "I will check."

He got up throwing the comforter in annoyance. He opened the door leading to the balcony to see the source of disturbance.

"Ohh Durga Ma... this is so irritating." Swara closed her ears with both palms. She got up from bed.

"Shit." He palmed his face, looking at the scene from the balcony.

He was followed by Swara. "This is Laksh's car?" She asked inquisitively, looking at the red Land Rover that was dashed with the Lamp post of the entrance. Car lights were continuously blinking along with honking sounds.

"Come let's see." Sanskar turned anticipating upcoming their family drama, he moved out of their room downstairs followed by his wife.

When they both came downstairs, they saw everyone from their family gathering one by one in the living room as they were also disturbed with the voice.

"What happened?" Sujata mumbled in a very low voice to her daughter in law.

"Laksh" Swara replied in the same tone, shaking her head.

"Ohh! So it's a movie time." Sujata was turning back her ownself. Over the days, both mother-in-law and her daugher-in-law were successful in gaining back their lost bondings.

"Mom" Swara widened her eyes, suppressing her chuckle over her dramatic mother in law making sure no one has listened to their talks.

Everyone came outside to see Laksh lying on the driver seat with closed eyes. His hands were on the steering wheel.

"Laksh" Annapurna and Ragini screamed at the same time. Both ran towards the car holding their breath thinking about the worst possibilities.

Sanskar and Adarsh being young adults of the family took a step towards the car.

"Ma, please, let us take him out." Adarsh assured, sidelining  his mother. He opened the car door asking the security guard to get another key.

He and Sanskar somehow took unconscious Laksh out of the car. In a moment, both of them flinched with a pungent smell of alcohol and stared at each other knowingly.

"What happened to him?" Annapurna asked worriedly, "Laksh, are you ok? Open your eyes." Fear has engulfed her heart.

Ragini's condition was not less. "Laksh, how did this happen? Are you okay? Talk to us."

"Ragini, let them take him inside." Shekar suggested taking a step towards his daughter.

Laksh was held by both his brothers on each side, they brought him inside the house and made him lie on the couch. He was immediately surrounded by his mother and wife.

"Laksh, please open your eyes." Ragini tapped on his cheeks but there was no response.

"Dadi Ma, Why is he not opening his eyes? Is he hurt anywhere?" Tears started streaming over her cheeks. Ragini had slipped in her panic mode.

"Ragini, he is fine. Nothing has happened to him." Sanskar spoke for the first time.

"Are you a doctor? No. Then how can you say that nothing has happened to him?" Her words increased Swara's temper in multitude. She was about to criticise her sister when Durga Prasad himself intervened.

"Ragini, watch your words." His cold yet sharp.

Sanskar shook his head and moved beside Swara, he had already witnessed his wife who was ready to pounce on her sister. He held her hand to stop his feisty wife.

"I am sorry Sanskar." Ragini muttered meekly before concentrating back on her husband. "I just cannot see him like this."

Sanskar just nodded his head with cold expressions.

"Ji please call the doctor. See he is not opening his eyes." This time Annapurna took charge.

"Nothing has happened to him, Annapurna, your son came home drunk." He vocalized earning loud gasps from his wife and daughter in law.

Durga Prasad and others have also inhaled alcohol smell radiating from Laksh's frenzied appearance. His words left Ragini and Annapurna in a bemused state. Both feelings over powered their senses.

"Ragini take this" Parineeta brought a glass of water. "Sprinkle on his face, maybe he will gain consciousness."

Ragini immediately did what she was instructed.

Splash of a few water drops jerked Laksh in his place, he did not open his eyes but some movement felt in his earlier frozen state.

"Laksh... Laksh I am here. Please open your eyes." Ragini shook his shoulder when she saw her husband trying his hardest to open his eyes.

"Nooo... You bastard... you asshole... I won't allow you to do this."  Laksh jerked her hand under the effects of alcohol. "You cheater... you cannot ditch me at the last minute." He was blabbering, losing his control over his body and senses.

Swara and Sanskar shared a quick tiresome look with each other before settling their eyes back on their siblings.

"He ruined my sleep." Sujata twitched her nose in displeasure. It was hard for her to suppress her continuous yawns.

"Sujata" Ram showed his wide open eyes to his wife, it was hard for him to suppress his chuckle looking at his drama queen wife.

"Laksh what are you saying? I am Ragini. Your wife." Ragini could not believe her ears.

"Ragini, let's take him inside... He is not in his senses. Let's talk tomorrow when he is sober." Sharmishtha took charge of the situation.

But this time, Sanskar could not step forward to help his cousin as his hand was held by his wife. She just nodded negatively when Adarsh took a step to support his brother.

Shekhar came forward along with Adarsh to take Laksh back to his room. He was continuously bad mouthing and being intoxicated.

"Ragini, tomorrow, first thing I want to talk to Laksh. This is not acceptable." Durga Prasad saw his son sleeping in his bed and snoring.

"Sanskar, I am sleepy." Swara mumbled in his ears, they both were standing outside of Laksh's room in the corridor.

"Go go. Both of you go and sleep. This is their daily drama." Sujata urged them, continuing, "Even I am going." She tapped on her husband's shoulder. "I am going. Come when you want to. I don't want to lose my sleep."

Sujata had expected her husband would stay along with his brother's family for support but to her amazement he followed her without a word.

Swara and Sanskar followed their parents' footprints.

"What happened to him? Do you know anything?" Swara asked the moment they both stepped inside their room. "He was cursing someone so badly."

"I don't know... I mean, I did not get time to check on his side. I was busy with this Golden Connect Project." He was about to lie down on the bed.

"It's ok. Ignore. Let's sleep." She also lied down but Sanskar pulled her on his chest.

"You know, I cannot sleep without you so..."

"No need of explanations Mr. Maheshwari." She snuggled in his arms.

"Good night." he kissed her forehead before turning off the lights. "Love you."

"Good night. Love you."

The next morning there was so much silence in Maheshwari House that even the sound of a needle falling could have been heard. All thanks to Laksh Maheshwari.

"Where is Laksh? How is he?" Annapurna asked the moment she saw Ragini entering the kitchen.

"He got up but he has a severe headache." Ragini replied, she knew today's morning was going to be challenging for her husband.

Durga Prasad Maheshwari had already sent a summon for his younger son for his last night's behaviour.

Everyone gathered at the breakfast table, house ladies were filling everyone's plate. No one dared to break the deep silence of the dining hall.

"Ragini, call Laksh right now. He needs to be here."

"He... he is not... he is not well, Papaji." Ragini stammered.

"He has a headache. I have called Dr. Singha." Annapurna seconded her daughter-in-law.

"Annapurna for your kind information, last night your son came home in a drunken state. His headache is just a side effect of last night's episode." Durga Prasad announced resulting, Annapurna to bow her head.

"Ragini, what are you waiting for?" Durga Prasad raised his eyebrows with a question. His son's wife and mother both were trying to hide his mistakes but he was not the person who would let go of it.

"I ... I will call him." Ragini left upstairs.

"Ji please, please don't say anything to him in front of all. He has grown up now, it would not be right to confront him like this, in front of everyone." Annapurna tried to persuade.

"If he can create a scene in front of the entire family, then he will have to answer our questions in front of all." Durga Prasad stressed pointing out.

"Durga Prasad ji, please just think, it would be wrong to expose the son of the family like this in front of everyone..." Shekhar was interrupted by stern glare from the head of the family.

Meanwhile Laksh joined everyone in the dining area, Sanskar and Swara were trying their best to finish their breakfast as early as possible to escape from the upcoming confrontation session, same was with Ram and Uttara, but Sujata was in a mood to hear some precious glorification of her nephew.

She could never forget the days when Annapurana and Gadodia family used to blame her son unnecessarily for  Laksh's absence, Sujata considered it as her pay back time. Truely, karma is bitch!

"Care to explain about yesterday's adventures?" Durga Prasad asked when he saw his younger son taking a seat beside his wife on the dining table.

"I am sorry Papa. I know... Ragini told me, I was awful yesterday. I promise, it won't happen again." Laksh apologised bowing his head.

"You always promise that you will not repeat your mistake but you always fail, as you find a way to make a new mistake." It was filled with total sarcasm this time by Durga Prasad Maheshwari.

"Papa please..." Laksh raised his head to look at his father submissively.

"Ji, please let it go this time." Annapurna intervened.

Swara shook her head, taking a deep sigh. 'Badi Maa please don't always shield him.'

'This is the effect of your excessive pampering.' Sujata stared at his Jiji with wide open eyes. 'When you assumed that Laksh was running away from home because of my Sanskar, you did not say 'let it go'. You did not hesitate to taunt him, every day, every moment.' Her eyes filled with unshed tears remembering those painful days.

'Laksh and his impulsive nature... both go hand in hand. Inseparables!' Sanskar concentrated on his breakfast plate.

Durga Prasad, passed a quick glance at his brother's family members, they were sitting on the dining table but was proficiently acting as indifferent. Their impassive, insouciance behaviour gave a pang to his heart, but he knew his own family, their misdeeds, was responsible for it.

"But Laksh, what happened yesterday? This is not you." It was time for Shekhar Gadodia.

"Nothing Papa." Laksh could not meet his eyes with his father in law. But it was clear from his face that something wrong had happened for sure.

"Son, if you have any problem then speak openly. We are all one family. Everyone will face it together." Sharmishtha spoke, earning an amazed yet fierce glare from her own daughter.

"Laksh, Ma is right, let's inform everyone." Ragini voiced out being cynical, earning everyone's attention. This time she was successful in grabbing the interest filled eyes of her sister and her brother in law. "Tell them Laksh, Papaji and all will surely help us."

"Papa, due to fake news breakage about not having enough permissions for Badi Reconstruction, one of our major investors has backed out from the deal." Laksh spoke tentatively.

But his words spread deadly silence in the dining hall of Maheshwari House.

"Hey mhara Khaatu Shaam ji... what do you mean by this?" Parvati exclaimed terrifyingly.

"Means there won't be any new buildings in place of Badi?" It was Sharmishtha, who turned perplexed about their own future.

"Is this why there is a halt on construction activities?" Shekhar could not suppress his intrusiveness

"Dadi, Ma, Papa, there is nothing to worry about, Laksh is trying to find a new investor. I am sure we will get one soon. Am I right Laksh?" Ragini turned hopeful.

"Of Course Ragu, we were very close yesterday, finalising with one of the prospects but at the last moment he backed off." Laksh took a deep sigh annoyingly.

Sanskar shook his head when his prediction turned into reality. He was a self made man, who had experience with all ups and downs of this business. He knew sooner or the later, this would happen, he was well acquainted with the nitty gritties of this world.

Swara passed a quick look to her husband, she remembered his words.

"Laksh, means right now you don't have any investor sponsoring this project?" Durga Prasad's conscientious tone grabbed her attention.

"I said Papa, we are working on it." It was Laksh's overconfidence that spoke this time. "Please don't worry about it."

"Let's meet in the study, Laksh" Durga Prasad wanted to know further about his son's doings. He was not the person who would take any lame excuses.

Then there was deep silence, everyone finished their breakfast without voicing out any further word.

"Shekhar, what did Laksh say? Did you know that Badi's construction has ceased?" Sharmishtha bombarded her with questions the moment they were back to their room.

"Yes, three days back I had a word with Rakesh ji, our previous neighbour. He had said, there was some disruption during the work when he had visited the site a week back. He was asking me about the reasons? But I thought it was routine." Shekhar himself was worried about their household.

"Shekhar can you please check with Laksh for the exact... This is about our house. If there is any issue it will cost us our roof. We have Ayush as well with us. How many days we will be staying here in this house? This is our daughter's sasural." Sharmishtha was horrified with their alarming future.

"Don't worry, he said right; he is working on. For sure he will find a way." Shekhar turned optimistic but Sharmishtha has already slipped into panic mode.

"Ragu knew about this and still she did not take us in confidence." After a long time Sharmishtha spoke criticising her step daughter.

"What is Ragini's fault in this? She was just supporting her husband. It is better if some things remain between husband and wife." Parvati defended her grand-daugher as usual while entering her son's room.

"Ma, you are misinterpreting what I say." Sharmishtha knew the consequences of going against her mother-in-law.

"You always see Ragini's mistakes only. You always ignore Swara's misdeeds... didn't you notice how she was turned completely silent today. Being a sister, wasn't it her duty to stand with her sister in her difficult times? But why will she support my Laddoo? After all, she is the step-sister.. And now she is also the elder daughter-in-law of this house. And how can we forget that she is the beloved wife of a successful and rich businessman like Sanskar Maheshwari..... what difference does it make to her?" Parvati's jealousy, envy, grudges were dripping out in her every bittered word against Swara.

Sharmishtha and Shekhar could not speak a single word in defence of their own blood at once.

"Laksh do you know what did you confess on the dining table?" It was Durga Prasad and Laksh locked inside their study room.

"Papa, I know right now we are facing a difficult time but which startup has not seen difficult times? It's always ups and downs in this world. Who knows it better than you Papa." Laksh tried to convince his father.

"Laksh, I don't think I need to know about the business world from you. And I agree there are always ups and downs but in your case, you are facing this down because of your own misdeeds." Durga Prasad pointed our.

He continued, "There were chances for you to minimise the effects. Why were you in so much hurry to bulldoze the entire Badi at the same time? Why didn't you approach the demolishment and construction side by side in phases? Move residents to another dwelling, demolish that wing and then construct it and move all residents back to the new apartment. Complete one phase and then move to another. With this you would have required comparatively less funds. Also you would have steady cash flow in your business." Durga Prasad gave wise advice.

"I did not think in this way Papa." Laksh shook his head, he should have thought of this option.

"That's why I was telling you to take Sanskar's suggestion. This is his way to deal with any major deal." Durga Prasad reminded him again.

"You are right Papa, I should have talked to Bhai. But... but he is still upset with me." Laksh took a deep sigh in anxiousness.

"Don't you think you deserve it?" Durga Prasad endured.

"He forgave Swara, but still he is distant with all of us." Laksh spoke with bitterness, exact words filled into him by his wife.

Durga Prasad kept on staring at his son with dropped shoulders. 'He is not even ready to accept his mistakes.'

"You need to learn a lot." Durga Prasad got up from his seat and started leaving from study accepting his defeat. He stopped and turned to his son, "Just keep one thing in your mind, it may be just a project for you Laksh... but there are hundreds of people who's hard earned money, their home, their life is dependent on this."

"Sanskar, I was thinking of auditioning for this. What do you think?" It was their 'Me Time' . Swara showed one email to her husband on the phone screen.

Two days back she had received an email from her previous music teacher about the audition.

"This looks great. For sure go ahead." He spoke enthusiastically after reading all the contents of the email.

"This is next week."

"Ok let me block my calendar for the day." He took out his office phone. "What is the timing?"

"Block your calendar?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Don't you want me to come with you?" He had a cute pout.

"Are you for real Sanskar?" She threw herself in his arms. "Love you so much" She kissed his cheeks.

"I am always there for you my dear wifey." He wrapped his arms around her sleek figure.

Both were unaware of the upcoming storm which was going to hit them testing their togetherness, their trust once again.

It was a mid night but sleep was far away from Annapurna's eyes. For the last two days, thoughts were revolving around Laksh. Her motherly heart was grappled with concern for her son's betterment. Being a mother, her heart always beat for her weak child. But she was so blinded by the love for her child that she forgot that it was another duty of the mother to teach her the difference between right and wrong. Sometimes with love and sometimes with strictness.

"Annapurana, Haven't you slept yet?"

She stared at her husband. "I am not able to sleep."

"Don't think so much." He knew what must have been going on in her mind.

"How not to think? The future of so many people is in the hands of our son. If something goes wrong tomorrow, he will be left with so many people's curses."

Annapurna knew if she would directly ask her husband to defend and support their son, he would never agree with her but if she claimed about the lives of those people who would be suffering because of her son's misdeeds then for sure her husband would melt down.

True to Annapurna's thoughts, Durga Prasad Maheshwari was trapped on the crossroad, one way led to his morals, ethics, and fatherly duties stopping him from forwarding his hand in support of his son whereas other way led, other towards sympathy and remorse for those who would be losing their own household because of this son's blunders.

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