Chapter 13 is up on the blog right now! Go check it out! Link to the blog in my bio 😇♥️

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Shivaay stopped in his track and looked at the drugs packet again.

Should he accept the offer ?

No ! Absolutely not ! How could he do something illegal ?

He wasn't raised to do something wrong and go against the law....but if he didn't go against his principles, values and upbringing then how will he raise his brothers ?

Ethics and Principles are important and precious but they cannot do the wonders which only money can do.

Shivaay also needed to enroll OmRu in a good school soon as the year was going to start in less than 2 months.

Shivaay finally made his mind. "Mein yeh nahi kar sakta. Mere ghar mein mere alwa 2 chote bacche bhi rehte hai agar unke haath yeh lag gaya toh ?" ("I can't do this. I've live with 2 small children, what if they find this ?") He looked at Ganya. "Yeh please wapas le lo." ("Take it back.") He urged and returned the packet.

Without another word, Shivaay started walking away from Ganya and Raja but stopped a few feet away  from them.

Something sparked in his eyes and a smirk formed on his face.

Shivaay faced Ganya and Raja again and was about to call out to them when his phone went off.

It was Om's call.

Shivaay rejected the call and walked up to Ganya and Raja.

"Dus hazaar bola na tumne ?" ("Ten thousand you had said ?") Shivaay asked Ganya.

Ganya turned to him and smiled. "Haan, agar kam lag rahe honge toh 15 bhi kar sakte hai." ("Yes, and if that seems less then we can also make it 15.") He replied.

"Kitne dino ke liye rakhna hoga mujhe yeh packet ?" ("How long will I have to keep it with me ?") Shivaay asked.

"Jyada nahi, yahi kuch 5 se 6 din." ("Not for long, probably for 5 to 6 days.") Raja spoke.

Shivaay nodded distantly. He was thinking about something.

"Kya soch rahe ho ?" ("What are you thinking about ?") Ganya asked and placed his hand on Shivaay's shoulder.

Shivaay gave a pointed look at Ganya's hand but calmed himself down with a sigh.

"Tumhe toh pata hai na ki meine issey pehle kabhi gairkanuni kaam nahi kiya hai, aur yeh sab.." ("I'm new to all this, I've never done illegal stuff, and this all...") Shivaay trailed with pursued lips.

"Dekh hum samjhte hai ki tujhe kya ho raha hai. Hum bhi kabhi tere hi jaise the, teri jaisi hi situation mein the lekin kya kare yar majboori saala cheez hi aisi hai, yaa toh tum kuch sahi galat karke zinda raho yaa fir sahi sahi ka danka peet ke gharwalo ke sath khud ki bhi jaan de do." ("Look I know what you're going through. We had been through same. Shivaay, this is how money works... You can earn it as much as you want when you forget the boundaries of wrong and right, you've to be bad to make your life great.") Raja said making it seem like doing illegal stuff is necessary to stay alive.

Shivaay nodded with a sigh.

"Sabka pehle waqt hota hai. Aj tera hai. Tu chinta mat kar, hum hai na ? Tu bas yeh lele aur humare saath aaja." ("There's always a first time for everything. Don't you worry, we're here to assist you. Just take this and join us.") Ganya smiled and hugged Shivaay.

Shivaay awkwardly hugged him back before they both seperated.

"De do." ("Give me.") Shivaay said timidly, referring to the drug packet.

Ganya nodded with a grin and handed him the brown packet.

With the last glance at the packet, Shivaay stuffed it in his pocket and bid bye to them both before tracing his way back to his home.

♦

"Bhai ! Chalo na park mein chalte hai." ("Brother ! Let's go to park.") Rudy requested the next day.

It was the usual morning in Oberoi residence. Shivaay had woken up late this morning cause he had got home late the last night.

First thing Shivaay did in the morning is hide the brown packet in one of the tinted containers in the kitchen, where OmRu wouldn't find it.

"Park hum chale jaate hai, Ru, bhai ko interview ke liye jaana hoga na." ("We'll go to park, just you and me, Ru, brother will be going for interview as usual.") Om interjected while combing his hairs in front of the mirror.

"Nahi, hum tino chalenge. Mein interview ke liye nahi jaa raha." ("No, I'll come. I'm not going for any interview today.") Shivaay confessed as he sipped on his black coffee.

"Nahi jaa rahe ?" ("You ain't going ?") Om turned to Shivaay with surprised look on his face. "Apko job mil gayi ?" ("You got a job ?")

"Uh..er...job toh nahi mili." ("Uh..er..I didn't get a job.") Shivaay stutterered. "Magar aj mein interview ke liye nahi jaa raha." ("But I'm not attending any interview today.")

"Kya baat hai bhai ? Aj bade relaxed aur stress-free lag rahe ho aap." ("What's up bro ? You seem so relaxed and stress-free today.") Om remarked.

Shivaay smiled and shifted uncomfortably in his seat under Om's gaze.

"Chalo fir tyyar ho jao, mujhe park jaana hai !" (Both of you get up and get ready and take me to the park.") Rudy stomped with excitement, attracting all the attention in the room.

Shivaay sighed in relief as Om's gaze shifted to Rudy from Shivaay and he smiled at Ru.

"Ok, fir chalte hai." ("Ok then, let's go.") Shivaay cheered and ruffled Ru's hairs affectionately before getting up on his feet and walking away to get ready.

All the brothers were ready to leave in the next half an hour. They were just going to a local park and had planned to eat the lunch out as Shivaay was happy.

Just when they were about to leave, Shivaay's phone went off. It was from an unknown number.

Shivaay received the call.

*Phone conversation*

Shivaay - Hello, this is Shivaay Singh Oberoi.

Other side - Hello, Mr Shivaay, I'm Rubina from Murthy Associates chartered accountants.

Shivaay - Yeah, tell me.

Rubina - Sir, your CV has been shortlisted for a suitable position in our firm. You need to come down to our office before 1 pm, in the afternoon for an interview and document submission.

Shivaay - Ok, miss Rubina, Can I get the address ?

Rubina - Sure, I've your email address, I'll send you the office address.

Shivaay - Thank you.

*Phone conversation ends*

Shivaay was grinning like an idiot after the call. His CV was shortlisted for a job !

"Kya hua ? Daat kyu dikha rahe ho ?" ("What happened ? Why are you showing off your teeths ?") Rudy asked trying not to laugh at his own joke.

"Kyu ki mujhe shayad aj job mil jayegi." ("Cause I think I'll secure a job today.") Shivaay replied enthusiastically.

"That's great." Om smiled just as enthusiastically.

"I need to go. Mujhe abhi ke abhi office mein bulaya hai." ("I need to go. They've called me to the office right now.") Shivaay said making Rudy frown.

"I'm sorry Ru baby." Shivaay gave an apologetic smile to his youngest brother. "I promise, hum Sunday ko chalenge." ("We'll go the park on Sunday, I promise.") He added quickly.

"Okay." Rudy huffed with a pout.

"Koi baat nahi, hum dono chalenge park mein." ("No worries, I'll take you to the park.") Om grinned at Ru while slinging his arm around Rudy.

"Tum dono, akele ?" ("You both ? On your own ?") Shivaay muttered with worry.

Om rolled his eyes at Shivaay. "Bhai, I'm 13, I'm old enough." He said. "Mein Ru ko leke park chala jaunga. Mujhe aj park mein drawing karni hai." ("I'll go with Ru and will take care of him. I wanna draw something and park will be good.")

Shivaay nodded. He wasn't fully convinced but he knew he could trust Om with responsibility.

Shivaay got ready and dropped both of his brothers to the park before reaching the Murthy Associates office.

♣

Om occupied a bench near the slide while Rudy went off to play with the other kids in the park.

Om made sure he could keep an eye out on Rudy while paying half attention to his drawing.

He wasn't planning on doing something complicated. He just wanted to keep it simple so he had brought his soft pastels and some sketch pens with him and his drawing book.

Om was almost done with his drawing when he was disturbed by someone.

"Hi."

Om looked up to see a girl his age. She was smiling at him.

"Uh hi." Om replied.

"Mein hu Gauri." ("I'm Gauri.") She introduced herself with a friendly smile.

"Omkara." Om returned the favour.

"Kya tumhare pass red sketch pen hai ?" ("Do you happen to have a red sketch pen ?") She asked and for the first time, Om saw a similar drawing book in her hand.

Om nodded and searched through his pouch and pulled out the red sketch pen.

"Thanks !" Gauri chirped and plopped down beside Om.

"Kya banaya hai tumne ?" ("Why do you need a sketch pen ?") Om asked curiously and peeked into her drawing book.

It was picture of a model who was wearing a very cute dress.

"Yeh hai meri Gauri Trivedi collection ka ek bahot hi shaandar party gown." ("This is an amazing party gown from Gauri Trivedi collection.") Gauri explained proudly with a bright smile.

Om couldn't help but wonder if that girl ever stopped smiling.

"Tumne kya banaya hai ?" ("What have you drawn ?") Gauri asked and snatched Om's book from his hands to see what he was working on. "Wow." She breathed. "This is magnificent."

Om had drawn a beautiful scenery of night sky. Three silhouettes were playing in the moonlight while the moon shown brightly in the sky.

It was a simple drawing but beautiful nonetheless.

"Yeh toh bahot sundar hai." ("This is so so beautiful.") Gauri commented, giving him another smile.

"Thank you, lekin mujhe yeh kuch khas pasand nahi aayi." ("Thank you, but I didn't like it.") Om confessed sadly. "Mujhe soft pastels ki jagah oil paint use karna chahiye tha." ("I should have used oil paint instead of soft pastels.")

"Kyu mazak kar rahe ho ? Yeh jaisi hai waisi hi bahot acchi hai, samjhe ?" ("Are you kidding me ? This is nice the way it is, understand ?") Gauri said with a frown, for the first time.

Om shrugged.

"Tumhe bade hokar kya banna hai ?" ("What do wanna become when you grow old ?") Gauri asked.

"Pata nahi." ("Don't know.") Om shrugged again. "Lekin shayad ek artist." ("Maybe an artist.")

"Tumhe artist hi banna chahiye. I loved this drawing." ("You should become an artist. I loved your artwork.") Gauri grinned as she adored the drawing. "Kya mein issey rakh lu ? Please, please. Please." ("Can I keep this ? Please. Please.")

Om smiled. "Ha jarur. Rakh lo." ("Sure, it's all yours.") He nodded.

"Thank you so much." Gauri's eyes lit up. "Tumne mujhe yeh drawing di, iske badle mein tumhe ek advice deti hu." ("Since you've given me this drawing, I would like to give you an advice in return.")

Om nodded and gave her his undivided attention.

"Tum ek kaam karo, tum Om Draws naam ka ek YouTube channel khol lo aur apni drawing ke videos waha pe post karna. I bet, ek din mein hi tum YouTube famous ho jaoge." ("You should start a YouTube channel and name it as 'Om draws', post your artworks there. I bet, you'll get YouTube famous in one day.") Gauri replied with dreamy eyes.

"Not a bad idea. I'll think about it." Om said distantly as he pondered over Gauri's advice.

♦

Shivaay entered the office with a confident smile and attitude.

"Hello, I'm Shivaay Singh Oberoi. I had received a call from miss Rubina regarding a vacancy." Shivaay said to the receptionist with a polite smile.

"Just a minute sir." The receptionist smiled back and called someone, who Shivaay assumed to be Rubina.

After the call, the receptionist turned to Shivaay and said, "Sir, aap please thoda wait ki jiye, Rubina mam busy hai lekin jaldi hi aa jayengi." ("Sir, please wait for a while, Rubina mam is busy right now.")

Shivaay nodded and muttered a Thanks before occupying a chair in the waiting area.

Shivaay kept waiting for an hour or so but there was still no trace of Rubina. However, Shivaay didn't dare to go and ask about her cause it would've shown how impatient he is and that would be added to his bad qualities list.

Shivaay sighed softly and tried to keep himself entertained as he continued waiting.

"Jiya, yeh sunn..." ("Jiya, listen...") A 25 year old or so boy came running towards the receptionist with an envelope. "...yeh paiso ka packet please Rubina mam tak pohocha dena." ("...Give this money to Rubina mam.") He said and ran away as soon as he had came.

"Arey magar kitne paise hai yeh toh batake jaa !" ("Hey, at least tell me the amount of money.") Jiya, the receptionist yelled after him but he was already gone.

Jiya sighed and left the packet on the reception table itself. After a while she received a call and she left.

Now there was no one but Shivaay in the reception area and the money packet was still on the table.

Shivaay didn't even glance once at the money envelope which was right in front of him and kept checking his watch.

After a while Jiya came back with a smile. "Aap andar jayiye, Rubina mam ne apko andar bulaya hai." ("Go inside, Rubina mam has called you.") She informed.

Shivaay thanked her again and went towards the cabin which was labelled as Rubina's.

Shivaay knocked on the door and entered the cabin after getting a quick 'come in'.

Rubina greeted him and the interview started. She asked him many accounts and statistics related questions which he skillfully answered.

"Now Shivaay, I want an honest answer to this question." Rubina started. "I know you'll be selected for this position, I'm sure of it so I need you to do me a favor." She looked at him dead in the eye.

Shivaay was confused but he gave her a nod.

"You'll be assigned to keep track of the records of our clients and I want you to steal those records and give it to me. Of course I'll be paying you extra for it." Rubina smirked while fumbling with the pen in her hand. "You'll be earning more than you will through this job. What do you say ?"

Shivaay looked at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"Why ? What do you want to do with those records ?" He asked rhetorically.

"Sell it, of course." Rubina said and tossed the pen on the table.

"No way." Shivaay said firmly.

"Excuse me ?"

"I said no way in freaking hell I'm going to sell the records !" Shivaay said out more loudly.

"But why ? What do you have to do with those records ? It's only fair if we could make the records more useful." Rubina tried to lure him. "You'll get paid at most 20,000 rupees but selling those records can fetch you as much as 60,000 rupees."

Shivaay looked at the woman sitting before him in disbelief.

"Whatever I'll get paid will be something which I would've hard earned. Thank you so much but I cannot betray the company for some money." Shivaay said sharply and stood up to leave.

Rubina gave an amused look before composing herself. "Sit down Shivaay." She said.

Shivaay turned to her and he was surprised to see her smiling at him with admiration in her eyes.

"Sit down, Shivaay." She repeated herself and picked up the receiver of the telephone placed on her desk.

Shivaay didn't sit down but turned to face her fully.

"Hello, sir ?.....Yes." She paused and looked at Shivaay before adding, "He has aced the test."

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Hey bubblies !

First of all !!!! This book has reached 5k reads and 500+ votes ! 🥳🥳💃👯‍♀️🕺🎊🎉🎊🕺💃🥳👯‍♀️

I cannot thank you all enough. Love you lots for showering your love on this book. It means a lot to me.♥️🥰😇

Now back to the chapter...

So yeah, I guess Shivaay did accept Ganya's offer.

Oops !

Let's see what Shivaay is up to😉

Since I betrayed you all and turned him into illegal business, I think it's only fair that I give out one good news to you all...

SHIVAAY HAS GOT THE JOB !!!🥳

He'll be getting the job in the next chapter.

Okay now let's talk about Omkara, shall we ?

He met Gauri ! Oh you all Rikara fans are you happy ? 🙈

Yes, Rikara's first meet ! Yeah, yeah I know it wasn't that good but they're just kids so...

I've been thinking about making ShivOmRu's life a bit easier so I'm going to fill their lives with happiness and success after next 3 or 4 chapters.😊😇

Stay tuned for all the amazing things which are going to come your way..🙈😇😊

Until the next update,
Have a safe and great life 😇