BREAKING NEWS

** RISING STAR OMKARA ARRESTED!!!!**

**OMKARA DRIVES OVER A MAN. VICTIM IS DEAD!!**

** DRINK AND DRIVE CASE, RECKLESS DRIVING COSTS INNOCENT LIFE YET AGAIN!!!**

Gauri woke up with all these headlines waiting for her...

"What the hell??!!! What happened yesterday?"

She immediately got up... changed her clothes and rushed to the police station... During the journey, she contacted Omkara's legal advisor and with bail papers she came to the police station which was surrounded by ocean of cameras... Media reporters were waiting for a single glimpse of Omkara like hungry wolves.

Omkara was behind the bars, but he wasn't in panic... Infact not a single trace of emotion was there... He was looking DEAD. Gauri stares at him as if seeing him for the first time... Indeed, she never saw him like this before... Defeated... Her heart ached to see him... his right hand was bleeding badly... And his eyes were bloodshot red... What happened to him?? He wasn't drunk last night... infact everything was ok till he sent her home....

There are too many questions he needs to answer. But first of all... She needs to get him out of this place.

After some legal formalities... Omkara came out with Gauri while his lawyer was still inside the police station... It wasn't easy to tackle so many reporters but Omkara was walking mechanically...

"Omkara... Omkara...!!! You killed a man because of your recklessness... Do you think you're above the law???" One of them asked this bluntly...

"Sir... The family members of that man doesn't want compensation.... they want you behind the bars?? What do you want to say about it??"

Gauri looked at the reporters with disgust and ridicule.... Can't they see his condition... He's not in the state of saying anything... How could they accuse him like this.... But Omkara was unaffected... He didn't react... Not even glanced over them... He just used a little bit of force to push aside the reporters to reach his car... But the moment he was about to open the back door, he realised something was missing...

Though he was unaffected by anyone at the moment but somehow he realised that he left something behind with that crowd.... Her... He turned around... His eyes were searching for her and finally he spotted her surrounded by many cameras.

Media surrounded Gauri this time... Since Omkara didn't answer... Then why not his assistant... she tried hard but it was impossible to get out of that crowd... They were too many... Omkara was a well built man, so to clear his path wasn't that difficult... But what about Gauri? Did she even realise how tiny she is?? Although the incidents of last night might have changed Omkara from within... like he doesn't care about himself anymore... But for some strange reason, he just couldn't left his assistant there... alone...

"Miss Sharma... What do you want to say about this incident??" Asks one of the reporters...

"Miss Gauri...you were present at Yesterday's press conference with him... Do you know what exactly happened last night? Are you involved too???" Gauri glared at the reporter who asked this... Do they even think before asking such illogical questions...

Camera flashes and questions made her literally blind... But she didn't answer anything... Just the moment she thought it was impossible for her to get out this situation.... She felt a hand firmly holding hers, and the next moment Omkara was dragging her along with him by holding her hand while pushing aside all those reporters... Gauri was looking at him with an complex emotion.... her gaze shifted to his hand that was holding hers. She felt something different in her heart...

"Get in the car.." he said while opening the door... Gauri as usual followed his orders...

Car journey was extremely silenct... He was looking outside the window lost in his own thoughts... While Gauri didn't know how to handle this situation....

His own house was surrounded by media... But because of the tight security, he and Gauri managed to enter his house. Omkara left Gauri on the hall as if she doesn't even exists and went straight to his bedroom... Gauri could sense something was terribly Wrong...

Omkara was alone All the time during his struggling days... after so many hurdles he was slowly reaching at the top but this incident not only breaks him within but also came between him and his dream...

Gauri knew... if he doesn't clear up this mess within time... It will only get worse... And he have a concert to perform next week... It was so important for his blooming career... She was very much worried about him... Was he disturbed due to the accident? May be... May be the guilt of causing someone's death was eating him up... But then... why she had a feeling that it wasn't just a simple guilt... It was something else...

But why on earth he would share his feelings with her??After all she's still just an employee and he's the boss... She thought to call Ishana, he needed emotional support and Ishana was obviously attached to him emotionally... She called many times... But no one picked it up...

She was in a dillema... If not Ishana then who??? She doesn't know anyone else who knows him that much closely... Except for herself... Yes... Maybe she never tried to cross that line of professionalism but that doesn't mean she never observed her boss... Infact she knew him better than Ishana or anyone else... But she's just an employee.... How could she...?Why would he allow her??? Why would he involve a stranger in his problems...???

Stranger... Exactly... She was just a stranger...an outsider for him... But at the moment does she have any other option??? Either she can help leaving behind her so called rules or leave him alone... Can she do the later one??? No... Never!!!

Gaining some courage... Gauri pushed the door of his room with first aid kit in her hand... He was lying on bed while staring at the ceiling...

"Sir..." With hesitation in her voice, She said...

"What are you doing here??? Go home.... Leave me alone..." He said in a dangerous tone... He didn't even take a look at her... Gauri was terrified... He never used this kind of tone to her... Or to anyone... But she was determined, she can't just stand there in fear and see him suffer...

"Sir... Please..." Gauri pleaded...

Omkara's gaze shifted to Gauri... With one look, he knew he had scared his little assistant... But he just wanted to be alone for god's sake...

"Didn't you hear me??... I said leave me alone!"

"Sir please... Your... Your hand... You need first aid" She said... Completely avoiding any kind of eye contact... Her gaze was on floor...

He saw that first aid kit in her hand... And then at his right hand which was injured... suddenly the memories of previous night again appeared infront of his eyes...

*******
The girl whome Omkara trusted the most... betrays him in the ugliest way possible.. He witnessed his girlfriend in a very compromising position with a middle aged man the moment he opened the door of that apartment... Only if they knew that they are going to get a surprise visit from Omkara, they would have locked the door properly before getting too close to each other. However, hearing the sound of the door, when both saw their surprise visitor... their eyes grew wide in shock... Specially Ishana... She didn't know what to say... Coz all she could see was immense Rage and hatred for herself in those pair of dark brown eyes... Those eyes which always reflected nothing but love... Something dies at that moment... Within him

It takes ages to gain someone's trust but only 1 second is enough to break one's. Just 1 second... And Omkara's lost it all... Never in his life he could've thought that Ishana... the girl he loved so much can do something like this... She was unashamedly lying in the arms of a man who was nearly of her father's age...!!

What did he do to deserve such betrayal.... What was his fault?? That he trusted her more than anything else...??? That he loved her more than himself...???

"Om... I...can explain" Ishana tried to say something while coming towards him... But it was too late...

"Stay away!!!" Omkara warned her while taking few steps away from her... He just couldn't stand her face... not anymore. It's unbelievable that despite of getting exposed... She still have the audacity to explain her act...!!

"Om please... I didn't have any other option... My career..." Ishana pleaded...

With all the bitterness he could ever feel, he said " I'm sorry... Really it's not your fault... It's my fault!! It's my fault that I loved you...!!! just don't show me your face again...." saying this he barged out of that place and came infront of his car... He reminds his father's words... "This entertainment world is a filthy place..." that was true... now he knows it... He fell on his knees and screamed his heart out... not able to control himself he punched hard on the concrete floor until his fist was covered by his own blood... He thought maybe this physical pain can minimise the pain of his heart... But again... He was wrong... So wrong

Blinded by his anger... He was driving at a dangerous speed and then all of a sudden a man came infront of his car... And that's it... Everything was over in just a blink of an eye....
********

Omkara came out of his thoughts again hearing his Assistant's voice... "Sir??"

"I don't need it... Just leave...!!!" He said angrily... Gauri looked at him in fear... She turned to leave his room and Omkara again closed his eyes.... But the moment Omkara thought that he will be left alone to fight with his inner storm.... He heard footsteps coming closer to him... He opened his eyes to see Gauri looking at him....

"I don't want to go..." her voice was firm this time... Reflecting a sense of determination... For the very first time, she used this tone to her boss... Completely disregarding his order...

Omkara was taken aback for a moment... She actually refused to go... He got up and sat on the edge of his bed.... And looked at Gauri... What is she trying to do??

"I m not asking you Gauri... It's an order..." He said in a serious tone...

Gauri sighed deeply... And without a second thought, sat beside him and took his wounded hand carefully in her tiny hands... Omkara frowned, Gauri's stubbornness caught him off-guard..

"Hey!!! What the hell are you doing!!...." Omkara tried to pull his hand away but she didn't loose her hold... and then, Gauri's mild voice puts an end to his protest...

"Wounds need care Sir... leaving them alone is not a solution..." Her words had a deeper meaning and Omkara knew what she meant...Can he be rude to this girl??? No he can't...why?? Well...he really doesn't know... But She was innocent... It wasn't her fault that he is an emotional fool...

Finally.... He gave in and let her dress his hand... He didn't know why but he didn't wanted to hurt her by saying anything harsh... After all she was just doing her duty... just wanted to help him out....

She cleaned up his hand with antiseptic liquid and after applying some medicine to it, She carefully rapped it with bandage... There was complete silence between them.... But still, that silence was soothing for Omkara... He could feel his mind getting calmer...

"The family... of that man.." He couldn't complete the sentence... He just caused someone's death... How is he going to forgive himself....

"We have talked to them sir... Though we can't compensate for their loss but still will help them in every possible way" she said to him hoping that this piece of information will make him little less guilty...

"You must be hungry... Let me get something for you to eat... The maid haven't come yet..." She thought to change the topic.. then she stood up and turned to leave. She didn't dare ask him about last night... it's too early... Only she knows how much courage she had to put in herself to do what she did...

Gauri took few steps towards the door when his voice made her stop on her way...

"Gauri... Thank you"

He said looking at her back... She didn't turned around to look at him, just nodded her head.... But the silence between them have more meaning than any word could've....
___________________________________

It was 10 days since that accident happened... And things were getting back to normal... Atleast it seems to get back to normal. Organizers of the concert wanted Omkara to do something about the defamation caused by his drink and drive case... This incident not only effected his popularity but also the ticket sales very badly... So it was necessary to control the damage. They were out of time... The concert was just 2 days away...

Although it was already proven that not Omkara but the man himself was drunk and he came infront of Omkara's car out of nowhere, but who cares... Who cares about how long it takes to create one's own identity... Who cares about that hardwork someone had to put... Who cares about those long days and nights spent on the streets waiting in the queue for auditions... People only know to pass judgement without thinking... It only takes 1 minute for them to judge someone's character.

He knew he was wrong... he should have controlled his anger... He should have controlled his emotions... He was out of his mind and situation went out of his control... That man died because of him... This is all his fault... he is guilty... And he can't fix it...

The organizers wanted him to go online and talk to his fans, to attend promotional events and to use the media to repair the damage... But Omkara was not even ready to talk to anyone. didn't come outside of his room... Didn't meet anyone... Most importantly, he didn't even do his practice. but if he's not going to show himself to public... How's he going to perform then?

It was only Gauri whome he allowed to enter his room or talk to him... Unknown to himself, Omkara was slowly falling for her... The way she handled him... Tried to make him believe that whatever happened was just an accident nothing else and gave him an emotional support.... Before he could even realise, watching her doing her work silently... slowly became his habit...

Her absence used to make him restless... it was something he never experienced before... This restlessness.... This feeling... He couldn't name it but he knew that she was slowly becoming his need... But does he have that courage to name this feeling?? To realise what she meant to him?

It is said that sometimes, someone's exit from your life makes you close to someone whome you never thought to be... Omkara's heart was slowly getting out of his control.... But what about Gauri??? Was she really doing all this just because it was her job??? Didn't she feel anything for him?? Why it always hurt when he was in pain? Why couldn't she see him suffer? Afterall he was just her boss... Isn't it??

However, Gauri took the initiative of damage control... She was attending all his official calls and managing the situation. She also handled his fans through his social media account, but what about press conferences and promotional events? She was putting lot of efforts but she can't manage something that only he can do... And top of that, the investors were asking for his presence at the party organised by them that is to take place tomorrow, just a day before Omkara's concert... How is she going to make that happen??? He wasn't ready to even come out of his room...

She knew how important this event was... If he's going to avoid this situation like this... then no-one can save him, coz no matter how talented you are.... In this world of business, professionalism matters... And right now, Omkara's behaviour was completely unprofessional.

"I don't know what's going on his mind Rudra...He's not practicing, As if he doesn't want to perform again... I don't know what to do" She confessed to Rudra on call... Rudra tried to calm her down...but he knew better, if Omkara isn't ready to help himself, no one else can. He gave Gauri an idea... "But how can I??" She replied... Not knowing whether his suggestion is good or not... "Trust me... That's the only thing he needs the most..." Said Rudra from the other side.

She hung up the call. Omkara was clearly avoiding talking to anyone... She had to do something before it's too late... She knew what singing means to him... It's his passion...his dream... Maybe Rudra is right... She need to do this... but how?
___________________________________

It wasn't that Omkara didn't try to sing... But music is something which needed your soul more than your voice, the thing which no one understands is that he lost the reason to sing... People need motivation to do anything... Some do it for money... Some do it for fame... But he was an Oberoi heir... He just kicked all that money and fame and choose to survive on his own... His motivation was always the happiness he spreads among the people around him...his friends... the fans who loved him... But now it's just a crowd... A crowd he didn't wanted to face again... who called themselves his fans and it only took one second to call him a criminal even before knowing the truth... And friends?? Do they even exist?? people may call him selfish, unprofessional or overreacting but for him music was something which can't be forced...

He was still in his room... When he suddenly heard something...

"Guitar??? Is it sound of my guitar or am I imagining it???" Omkara thought to himself... he came out of his room and took slow strides towards his practice room... It seems like ages when he last saw that room... But before he could see the person who was playing his guitar, he heard her voice... Her voice... Is it...? He paced up a little and came into that room to see something he never imagined... "She can sing??" Omkara was amused by what he witnessed... His assistant with his guitar... Singing one of his favourite song....

Kahin Se..... Kahin Ko.... Bhi
Aao Bewajah Chale....
Poochhe Bina Kisi Se...
Hum Mile....

He slowly came near and sat infront of her, lost in her soft and soothing voice... He never knew his "always reserved" assistant have such a beautiful voice... although the notes on guitar weren't that much correct... but no one could deny that her voice... It was something magical. He realised that she did this to bring him out of his room, Unknowingly a small smile crept on his lips...

Though her eyes were closed, she could sense his presence. Rudra was right... Only his passion...his music can bring him back... someone need to be that source for him and Gauri was willing to take that role... To bring him where he belongs.... So what, if she had to break her own rules... So what, if she had to sing after almost 8 years....

Bandishein Naa Rahi... Koi Baaki... Tum Ho....
Tum Ho... Paas Mere...
Saath Mere... Ho Tum Yun......
Jitna Mehsoos Karooon Tumko
Utna Hi Paa Bhi Loon...

She opened her eyes to see him smiling at her... That smile... She didn't see that smile from last 10 days but it seems like ages for her... She realised how much she likes to see him smile....

"Why didn't you tell me that you have such a lovely voice??" He asked still maintaining that smile.... Gauri smiled back at him...

"My mom... I used to sing with her... she... She died in when I was seventeen" she said with a sad smile... His smile vanished the moment he heard that, that was certainly unexpected...

"I left singing after that..." Looking at him... She continued

"You see... That's why my mother won't scold you for making me Starve" She reminded him how he forbade her to skip meals saying that her mom will scold him... a sense of sadness rush through his mind.... He never knew that her mother is dead...

She never confessed this to anyone... But... she doesn't know why... Why was she telling him all this, maybe singing after so many years made her emotional.

"You should live upto your dream sir... Not everyone is blessed to live their dream" She wanted to make him realise that passion is not for everyone... Not everyone is blessed to live their dreams... If he have it... He should cherish it...no matter what happens...

"Why did you stop singing??" He asked...he couldn't understand how could someone with such beautiful voice leave singing....

"When a girl of seventeen had to survive on her own, without father's guidance, without mother's love... she just couldn't focus on her dreams sir... Reality demands more..." She said, lost in her own thoughts...she didn't even realise she told him more than she should have...

This... disturbed him... He never knew Gauri had to go through this much pain.... a girl who looks so petite from outside was actually a fighter from inside...

"I'm sorry...I didn't know.." he said sadly...

"It's ok sir... How could you know when I never told you... Don't blame yourself for things which are not in your hands..." Gauri said, she realised that she actually lost her track out of emotions... It isn't about her life or her sorrows... It's about him... His life... She just wanted to bring him out of his problem... not to involve him in hers. She had to make him attend that party at any cost... It was very important.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked looking at her... He wanted to know the reason... Why she wanted him to get back to normal... Is she bothered by seeing him in pain? It can't be just because of her job...can it be?

"Coz I know you deserve it...." She raised her eyes to meet his... "I know you're hurt... I don't know the exact reason but sir... Please don't let anything effect your dreams... Don't think about those who don't deserve you... Think about the people who love you...."

"Love??" He smiled sadly... "I don't have anyone to love..." He said... That one sentence reflected thousand emotions... He never sounded so defeated...

"Then... do it for those whome you inspire...who want to see you at the top" She said genuinely....

"Nobody thinks like that Gauri... They just want to use you as a stepping stone to reach their own goals..." He said shaking his head. Betrayal made him change the way he used to see the world...

"No sir... Not everyone is same... Not every person is selfish or greedy... Look at yourself... You're not like them.... You're inspiration to many" Gauri refused to believe what he said...

"Really??? But I can't believe I can inspire anyone..." He stood up and took his guitar in his hand... Slightly caressing it....

"Don't know about others but you do inspire me sir..." Gauri said in her mild voice looking at the floor.... This triggered something in him... Doesn't know why but he wanted to believe every single word she said... Omkara turned around to look at her.... He wanted to see her face... That adorable face when she was talking about him... but she was still looking at the marvel floor... Not allowing him to see how red her face was...

"I don't know if I have the right to ask this or not but.... please don't give up....you are here because of your hardwork... Don't accept defeat...I... I can't see you defeated...." She told him what she feels... Truthfully...

She calmed herself and finally raised her eyes to see his reaction... but the moment their eyes met, Om was lost.... Lost in her... Her adorable face... Her eyes... Does she realise she have a beautiful pair of eyes...?? she wasn't wearing her specs like everyday and this made things more difficult for Omkara. He just couldn't stop looking at her.... As if memorising every detail of her face in silence.

Omkara couldn't help but to agree that he loves his assistant's silence company... But suddenly Gauri's voice made him realise that he was staring at her for god knows how long...

"Sir... will you please attend that promotional event tomorrow??" Gauri was certain that the answer would be 'NO'

The way Gauri talked to him... Told him what she feels... made Omkara realise that he can't accept defeat...his dream which took years of struggle... He even left his loved ones for it... He can't leave it like that... what he is today is just because he never gave up... He can't give up on himself... Not after realising that the girl standing infront of him... Believes in him... He will not give up....

"Will you come with me?" he didn't know why he asked this to her... But he wanted her by his side...

she nodded with a smile... she was happy that he agreed... atleast she didn't have to convince him for this... Only if they know that the next day will change their lives forever....
___________________________________

P.S - It was getting longer so I have to divide it into two... Hope you guys like it... 💖💖💖💖

If you like it... Please share and do comment...

KHUSHI ❤️