Anupama waited with bated breath to hear Vanraj's response.

"No."

She looked at him, shocked. She had threatened him with a lawsuit and he'd still refused. Leela looked at her son, visibly relieved.

"What do you mean?" she whispered.

"No Anupama Ji," Vanraj responded sarcastically. "No. I will not add Kinjal's name to the trust."

Anupama looked at Anuj bewildered. She didn't know what she should do next. What she did know was that if she backed out now, the Shahs would forever continue to haunt her life. She wanted closure once and for all.

And it seemed that she had grossly miscalculated Vanraj Shah's risk-taking ability.

Seeing the panic in her eyes, Anuj gently held her hand to assure her. He was with her. They would work on this together.

"So you'd rather pay me alimony and punitive damages than ensure that the life of an orphan is secured?"

Vanraj shrugged. He was hoping to bring Anupama back into his life. If this was the barter, then so be it.

"I will add Kinjal to the trust, ONLY IF, you promise me that you will drop this stubbornness of yours to marry Anuj and come back to me."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

She looked at Vanraj shocked. For 26 years this man had mentally abused her, demeaned her, treated her with disrespect, flaunted his affair, had divorced her and left her homeless. And now, he had the audacity to profess his so-called love for her? Did he even know what true love meant?

She looked at Anuj. He was smiling.

"What is wrong with him?" she muttered under her breath. But his smile was so contagious that she started smiling too.

The smiles were beginning to irk Vanraj.

"What are you smiling about? I've just refused your proposal and countered. What is so funny?"

"That you actually believe you have a say in this," Anuj replied.

"I am surprised at your audacity Vanraj. Do you really believe that you have a choice in this matter? Anu was being polite when she asked you to include Kinjal in the trust.

"But I was fully confident that you would respond exactly as you did. Because you, Mr Vanraj Shah, never learn from your mistakes. I genuinely think your mother has a lot to do with that. She has always made you believe that you can never be wrong."

Vanraj looked at Anuj, uncomfortable. Leela was getting ready for battle.

"Mr Anuj Kapadia," Leela quipped. "This is our family matter. My son is talking to our daughter in law. Who are you to interfere in between?"

"Baa, I've said it once and I will say it again," Anupama replied, her patience hanging by a thread at the circus show the Shah family was hell-bent on putting up. "Anuj and I are getting married. He is going to be my husband. I have no relations with this family, whatsoever."

"Then why are you asking for a trust share for Kinjal? Surely your soon to be husband has more than enough to secure that orphan's future." She made a disgusting face that angered all three of them.

Anu opened her mouth to give a befitting reply, when Anuj held her hand once again, closing his eyes and opening them, telling her to stay calm. She walked closer to him and whispered: "Why?"

"Business 101," he whispered back.

Irked that all three of them weren't gracing her with a reply, Leela prodded them again. "What? You don't have anything to say?"

They continued to keep quiet, each sporting a benevolent smile.

Annoyed with their sudden change in behaviour, Vanraj sarcastically commented to try and elicit some sort of a response: "It seems that the great Kapadia family is scared of the Shah family. See how they're quiet? They don't have anything to say to us."

Just then Vanraj's phone beeped. He opened it to read the message. As soon as he did, the colour drained from his face. He looked up to stare at Anuj who continued to sport his smile.

The change in demeanour did not go unnoticed by Baa, who plucked the phone out of his hand to see what had upset her son so much. It was a message from his current company. Apparently, an HR review was scheduled for the coming Monday. The company had received a sexual harassment complaint against Vanraj Shah.

"You know this isn't true. I'm not like that."

But before Leela had the opportunity to placate her son, Anuj interrupted. "Tell Kavya that."

"Kavya? What does Kavya have to do with it?"

"Who else will file a sexual harassment complaint against you?"

Blood drained from his face. Anuj knew about this message. Which meant that he was instrumental in making it happen. If Vanraj continued to resist, Anuj would continue to crank up the heat. Vanraj didn't know what was in store for him next. Clearly, Anuj Kapadia was not a man to be messed with.

Vanraj looked at Baa and then Anupama. Right now he had two options in front of him. He could swallow his pride and give in to Anupama's demand. Or he could become the reason for his own downfall.

He looked at Anu, as she continued to sport a benevolent smile. "Alright. I'll have Kinjal's name included in the trust."

"Too late, Mr Shah, too late," Anuj announced, and Anupama turned to look at him shocked. Vanraj was giving in, but now Anuj was upping the stakes.

"You see, after this cheap stunt you pulled here today, I don't trust you anymore. So the new deal is that the trust funds will be split equally - one half with you as the owner and Paritosh and Pakhi as the benefactors, and the other with Anupama as the owner and Samar and Kinjal as the benefactors."

"Why?"

"Because you are diabolical and I cannot afford to take that risk with the future of my children."

"Your children?"

"Yes, my children - Kinjal and Samar."

"Samar is not your son. He is my..."

"Before you make a fool of yourself, why don't you ask Samar that question?"

Vanraj turned towards Samar to look at him; hurt and betrayal evident in his eyes.

"Papa..." Samar began.

"Ha," Vanraj turned towards Anuj in glee. "He called me Papa."

"Let him finish Mr Shah before you jump to conclusions. We are not that keen on repeat telecasts."

"Papa," Samar began, clearing his throat once again. And then unable to say anything more, he handed a newspaper fold out to Vanraj.

Irritatedly, Vanraj glanced at it and read it out loud:

I, Samar Shah, am publicly declaring that I am separating from my father Vanraj Shah and his family, and that I am abandoning all social and blood ties with Vanraj Shah, resident of Krishna Kunj, Ahmedabad and all his relatives, that I am no longer connected with them or have any stake or claim on their money or property during their lifetime and after their death.

Vanraj looked at Samar livid. "What the hell does this mean?"

"This means that I don't want to have anything to do with any one of you anymore."

"You, you thankless piece of crap. I took care of you, clothed you, fed you since birth and this is how you repay my kindness?"

Samar laughed; hollow laughter that screamed of pain.

"See Ma, this man, he is asking me to pay him back for all that he did for me when I was a child. And he expects me to respect him as a father when he's turned this entire relationship into a profit and loss transaction."

"What do you mean transaction?"

"What else are you expecting from me, Papa?"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, Mr Shah. What are you expecting? You never cared for me. You never understood me. When Ma was leaving home and I wanted to go with her, you threatened me with cutting off my college fees if I accompanied her. And today, you claim to love her? To want her back in your life?"

Samar looked away, unable to look Vanraj in the face. Walking up to Anupama, he held her hand. "I am leaving for Baroda tomorrow, Ma. I have a friend who has promised to help me find an apprenticeship."

Anu gently brought her son's head down and kissed his forehead. "If that's what you want to do bakhuda, I won't stop you. But you don't have to do it because you have nowhere to do. Remember, your Dad and I are always here for you."

"Dad?" Vanraj screamed furiously.

"Yes, Dad," Anu replied calmly. "Samar calls Anuj Dad and to be honest, Anuj deserves it way more than you ever did."

"You, B****"

"I warned you Vanraj," GK threatens. "One more disrespectful word against Anupama and the entire family will have a hard time getting bail."

"And what will you say to the police to get us arrested?" Leela's anger knew no bounds.

"How about we start with domestic violence?" GK replied.

"Anupama would never complain against us."

"You're right, she won't. But Kavya will. Kavya has no such compunctions."

"But we never treated Kavya badly."

"It's your word against hers. Let's see who the police believe."

Leela looked away. She didn't like this Kaka of Anuj's anymore. He had, time and again, shown her the mirror. And while she hated his guts, she secretly admired his tenacity to become the wall for his family, should it be required.

As Anuj fished out the legal papers for the transfer of the trust, Vanraj looked at them and laughed mirthlessly.

"You knew this would be the eventual outcome, didn't you?"

Anuj shrugged. "I like being prepared."

As Vanraj finished signing the last page, Anupama's phone rang. An unknown number. She showed it to Anuj, who asked her to place her phone on speaker.

"Anupama, beta?"

"Yes, this is Anupama speaking."

"Beta, this is Maharaja Samarjitsingh. I just wanted to call you and thank you for convincing Anuj to have the wedding at the palace."

Vanraj and Leela's eyes turned as wide as saucers. Maharaja? From where?

Pakhi quickly fished her phone out and googled the name.

Samarjitsingh Rao Gaekwad, current Maharaja of the Royal Family of Baroda.

She passed her phone to Vanraj and Leela. They stared up at Anupama flabbergasted.

"It's nothing at all, your highness."

The Maharaja chuckled. "You're family Anupama. And family members don't address royalty by their titles. Call me Mama."

"Mama Ji."

"Thank you beta." Then after a pause, he added: "I've connected your wedding planners with the palace staff. Everything for the wedding will be taken care of at our end. And.." His voice trailed off.

"And what Mama Ji?"

"I was hoping to have the crown prince ceremony on the 15th of February, the day after your wedding. Panditji said it was a very auspicious muhurat. Could you please check with Anuj?"

Anu looked at Anuj and he nodded his head.

"Anuj is okay with it."

"Is he around? Could you please pass him the phone?"

Anu passed her phone to Anuj. He promptly took it off the speaker, excused himself and walked out of his cabin to continue the conversation.

Leela sat down with a thud.

"Baa, what happened?" Vanraj, Toshu and Pakhi rushed to her.

"The pandit, he was right." She muttered under her breath.

"What pandit, Baa?"

"The pandit who'd read Anupama's horoscope."

"What are you saying Baa. Please speak clearly."

"Vanraj," she looked at him, her eyes defeated for the first time, "when your Bapuji got Anupama's proposal for you, I had rejected it. Because they were not from a wealthy family. But then our family Panditji had accidentally seen her horoscope and predicted she had Raj Yog. That her husband would one day become king."

Vanraj looked at her shocked. "Why didn't you ever tell me this?"

Leela didn't have an answer. All she could do now was lament.