The Royal Fling - Part 63

 

PREVIOUS PART 

Chapter 63

26 years ago


Every inch of the Sheesh Mahal walls was decorated with lights and flowers. It was first birthday of the eldest Grandson of Subhadra and Shivam Raizada – Arnav Singh Raizada. Whilst everyone was out in the garden celebrating this night, Subhadra’s other son Sumit and his wife Suchitra Raizada were still in their room with their twin babies Shyam and Raunak who were hardly three-month-old.

“Suchitra. Let’s go. People are waiting for us outside” her husband Sumit urged.

“They are not waiting for us Sumit. They only care for your brother, his wife and their son Arnav. Look how grand they are celebrating Arnav’s birthday. My babies never got such a grand naming ceremony even. This must be your father’s decision. He loves his eldest son only, not you”

Sumit sighed in disbelief. His wife had problems with his father Shivam Raizada ever since he gave the sole rights of the Royal Business to his eldest son and not him. But that decision was fair. Sumit had no interest in the Royal Business. He was interested in politics.

“Suchitra, why are we even discussing this now?” 

“Because he has always taken decisions in haste. Like the one he took last week. Malhotras are a big name in Politics and your father has challenged them to cease all their land and property, saying they have falsefully acquired it from the poor villagers” 

That was true. Subhadra Raizada’s husband Shivam was a social worker and helped the people of their village and nearby towns to fight for their rights. Giving them justice was his only duty as a Royal. 


“If you are done pointing out my father, we should go down” 

He took one of his son, Shyam, in his arms, who was wide awake. 


“What about Raunak? He is still sleeping” she asked worried. 

“The maid will look after him. Lets go” 


He took his wife and Shyam out of the room, informing the maid to take care of Raunak and bring him down when he is awake. 


One-year old Arnav cut the birthday cake holding the knife with his parents. He was dressed up in a suit and people were already gushing about his good looks. He was replica of his father. Shivam and Subhadra Raizada blessed him and showered kisses on his head. Suchitra fumed seeing them only caring for Arnav and not her twin sons. She had given the Royals twins, they should be treating her better than Arnav’s mother. Subhadra sensed her anger and took Shyam from her arms. She showered some kisses on Shyam too. 

“Where is Raunak?” she asked. 

“He is sleeping Maa” Sumit answered. “Must have woken up now” 

“Then go get him. He is missing his first Royal party” Subhadra insisted. 

Sumit Raizada was about to leave when his father Shivam stopped him. 

“I am going inside the Palace; I will get him down. You all enjoy” 

He headed inside the Palace and soon there was fire on the top floor of Sheesh Mahal. Guests were ushered out to save themselves. 

“Shivam… Shivam is inside… and Raunak too..” Subhadra shouted and both her sons rushed in to save their father and the other twin. But it was too late. 

After that horrible incident, they all shifted to Shantivan. Suchitra Raizada almost lost her sanity and started behaving mentally unstable. That’s when Subhadra and others decided to hide the identity of Raunak forever from the history of the family because that was the only way to lessen Suchitra’s pain. Soon Suchitra became pregnant again and gave birth to Akash. Even Arnav’s mother gave birth to Aman in few years. Their families were complete and this incident was far erased from their lives and hidden only behind the mirrors of this safe house. None of the grandsons of this family ever knew about Raunak. 



The flashback haunted Subhadra as she remembered that incident in the Safe house with Raunak Singh Raizada standing right before her. She had seen a burn mark on his wrist when he pretended to be Shyam in Shantivan today and it was that instant when Subhadra realized he was just not a lookalike of Shyam but his own twin, Raunak. She didn’t want to waste time in revealing this identity to him. That’s why she agreed to come along with him to the Safe house. 

“Raunak…” Daadi gasped. Tears pooled in her eyes.. “You are alive? Where were you all these years?” 

She tried to reach him but he stepped back throwing the family pictures away. 

“You knew I am not Shyam?” he growled. “You tricked me to come here?” 


Daadi hardly heard what he said because she was too lost in thinking who saved him from that fire accident and why didn’t he ever returned to claim his right in their family? 

“We thought you were dead… We all thought that … that fire consumed you” 

Raunak tried to escape from her emotional drama. He was hardly few months old to recall the fire accident she was talking about and though he never had memories of it, the scars on his arms proved how horrible it might have been. 

“Get away” Raunak groaned. “Don’t fake these tears now. I know you all never wanted me” 

“That’s not true. We tried to save you… Raunak… we all did.. I lost my husband in that accident. He tried to get in that room to save you and he never returned.. The firemen recovered his burnt body…but you were not there.. Everyone believed we lost you.” 

“You always wanted to get rid of me.. I was an Omen to the family.. Why would you want me alive. I know that fire was lit purposely to kill me” he shouted. 

“That’s not true. Who fed you that? It’s all a lie” 

“Whoever did.. this is not a lie” he grunted pushing her away. 

Daadi lost her balance and she was about to fall down when someone held her from behind. Raunak’s eyes darted in shock seeing Arnav Singh Raizada here. 

“Daadi…” Arnav helped Daadi get back on her feet. “You okay?” 

“Arnav..” she cried.. “He is.. he is..” 

“I know… He is Raunak Singh Raizada” he said staring back at Shyam’s twin with rage. 


******************** 

Somewhere away 

The door squeaked open and a tall man stepped in holding his walking stick in the dark room to check on Shyam Singh Raizada. The only way to leave this room was that door from where he came in and a small window which was 15 feet high and a man like Shyam couldn’t even think of climbing it to run away. It had been an hour since he was brought here. 

“Who… who is it?” Shyam roared, trying hard to keep his eyes open. He had woken up in this room a while ago and since then he was desperately waiting to know how he reached this place, who got him abducted and why? The last thing he recalled was he had rushed in the room at SHantivan where the Prakash brothers were tied up. The moment he had entered, someone hit hard on his head and he fell unconscious. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since that incident. His hands and feet were tied to the chair. 

“Shyamm…” the man voiced out. 

The moment Shyam heard his voice, he knew who the man was. 

“Ratan Malhotra?” 

Ratan stood before the chair, his face glowed watching Shyam in this condition… 

“So.. helpless… and abandoned” he muttered followed by a chuckle. 

“You did this? You abducted me?” Shyam groaned, trying to free himself. “All this time.. it was you who tried to hurt my family?” 

“Oh yes.” Ratan proudly acknowledged. “I am the one… Only I… have the ability to destroy your family… a long long wish of mine. Aman’s accident… Akash’s abduction… was all my plan.. I implemented it” 

Shyam gritted his teeth. 

“And that lookalike?” he snapped. “You created my lookalike? Why?” 

“Oh no no. He is not just a lookalike Shyam. He is your twin.. Raunak” 


Shyam didn’t believe. 


“I never had a twin” 

“That’s what you are wrong about. But it’s not your fault. Your grandmother kept this fact hidden from so many years. I am not surprised she never told any of her grandsons about Raunak” 

Now Shyam had started believing but he still had so many doubts. 

“Hold on to your thoughts son-in-law. You will know it all soon. Once… once Raunak reach the Royal wealth and is able to steal it all” 

Shyam was suddenly alarmed. 


“Royal… royal wealth? How… how did you know?” 

This too was a secret which Daadi had recently shared with them but none of the outsiders knew about it. How could Ratan Malhora get this information and from whom? 

“Oh… you have so much to learn about me Shyam.. Whatever you learnt about me so far was just the fake side..” 

“I can’t believe you are Anjali’s father” he replied in disgust. 

“Anjali…” Ratan repeated and this time he angrily gripped Shyam’s jaw. “You have no idea how much I love my daughter. I am doing this all for her.” 

“By hurting her husband?” Shyam mocked. 

“Husband? What have you given her as a husband? You couldn’t even be a man and give a child to my daughter. She has been struggling with you to get that honor of becoming a mother… I wish… I so wish she could have agreed to divorce you but she is too blind in your love. Too blind.. I never wanted to hurt or kill you Shyam.. I am forced to do this for Anjali. To fulfil her wishes… her desires” 

Now Shyam was terrified. He struggled again to set free. Ratan’s laugh got worse. 


“Oh I forgot to mention… Raunak is soon going to replace your place in my daughter’s life and the good part is… he is fully capable to give my daughter a baby” 


Shyam was able to free his arms and almost pounced on Ratan Malhotra. Three men hurried inside and punched him hard. They pinned him to the wall behind, holding him captive. Shyam was strong but he didn’t show his physical strength right now.. he had to use his mental strength to get the motives of this man out… 

“You are a disgusting father Ratan Malhotra and your end is near. I promise you that” 

“The Raizada Royals have never been able to write my fate Shyam. For example your grandfather Shivam Raizada.. what a man” he laughed. “I was impressed by his principles.. I really loved him until one day he turned against my father…confiscated all our ancestral property which my father had acquired with so much efforts.. My father pleaded to him… asked him not to do this.. even offered a share to him but he … he was a man of high honor. So unfortunately, we had to plan his death” 


Shyam froze.. Death? 


“It was Arnav’s birthday… he was one year old I think… and everyone were enjoying the party.. Me and my men were already in Sheesh Mahal, hiding and waiting for the right opportunity.. When we saw him in the room alone… we set the room on fire” 

He laughed heartily. 


“It was so much fun… I was… I was there to watch it… I watched him trying to save himself… But he couldn’t escape” he paused.. “And then I heard the cries… the cries of a baby… Raunak… your twin… The fire had hurt his arm .. he was crying bitterly.. I hated his cries.. I wanted him to die too but something crossed my mind. What if I saved him and take him away… Keep him alive… and train him to go against his own family? That would the biggest blow to the Royals” 

Ratan laughed again. 

“I saved Raunak that night.. poor Raizadas.. your Daadi thought both her husband and grandson was dead” 

Shyam fisted his fingers again… This man killed his grandfather.. He so wished to kill him right now.. 


“No one even realized how the room caught fire. Those days we never had this CCTV cameras and all. We escaped without being caught. And then I raised Raunak… got his scars treated. It took years for those scars to go away and when he was eight, I fed him enough lies to make him believe your family never wanted him. That he was an omen for your family so they discarded him when he was born. That’s when he decided not to get the last scar on his arm get treated. He wanted it forever on him to remind what you people did to him” 


“Sick of you.. I am so sick of you right now Ratan Malhotra… that I could kill you by my bare hand” 

“You can’t” he laughed. “Because I am the one going to kill you. In fact… I had wanted to do this since the time I realized Anjali had fallen in love with you… She wanted to marry you. I didn’t like anyone from the Raizadas.. I hated you people but I had to fulfil daughter’s wish and I agreed to get her married to you. Soon when I realized you cannot give her a child, I knew you had to die… Because only your death could replace Raunak in that family to take your place. You both were twins after all.. looked alike.. How could I not use this opportunity” 


“How do you know about the Royal wealth” Shyam snapped. 

“Oh that” he smiled. “hmmm.. My father had overheard the conversation between your grandmother and grandfather during those times.. And he also knew there was some key to that wealth. But after that fire accident.. your father and Arnav’s father tightened the security of the house so much that no outsider was allowed in without proper checking. So we couldn’t enter your Palace ever… Until Anjali decided to marry you and my brain ticked.. I needed a safe passage to your house, anytime … without people spying on me. Though my father died years ago, desiring that wealth, I promised to snatch it all one day from the Royals” 


“That wealth belongs to my ancestors.. None of us will let you even know where it is” 


Shyam’s heavy words brought another laugh on Ratan’s face. 


“Oh boy. You have no idea whom you are dealing with.. Raunak has already reached the Safe house.. your Daadi has taken him to that house thinking its you.. So by now.. he must have already stolen every bit of that wealth” 


Now it was Shyam’s chance to rejoice. He laughed.. The men who had held him captive were confused. Ratan’s face tightened.. 


“You have gone mad” Ratan spluttered. 


Shyam laughs echoed in the room. 

“That’s where you lost your game Malhotra” Shyam shouted. “Did you think I cannot fight these goons of yours? Did you think I couldn’t free myself from that simply chair..? Did you think you will tie me here… and my brothers will never come looking for me?” 


Ratan was confused. Shyam punched the three goons who had held him captive against the wall so far and within no time they fell down and bled on the ground. Ratan stepped back as Shyam strode to him. 


“I was just faking fear and lack of strength because we wanted to record your confession” 

“We?” Ratan looked horrified at him. 

“That’s right… WE” Akash Singh Raizada stepped in the room. It was a shock to Ratan. “Good acting Bhai” Akash appraised Shyam who smiled back. 

“How… how did you come here? My men… my men were securing this place” 

“Of course they were… but right now they are on way to the police station.. We have caught them and now it’s your turn to rot in jail... To give your men some good company. The Prakash brothers will be joining you too.” 


“I won’t leave you” Ratan shouted when the Police took over and arrested him. 


Shyam removed the small video camera stuck on the front pocket of his shirt. Angad had helped tracking Shyam’s GPS and Akash followed the vehicle Shyam was brought in at this place. When Shyam came back to consciousness in his room, he set himself free from the chair he was tied to and was about to push the door open when he heard Akash’s voice from the window 15 feet up. Akash threw the video camera at him which he caught and they planned to record the confession of whoever had done this to them.. That could be the only evidence to trap the person who tried to hurt them… Ratan Malhotra.. 


“And by the way… don’t worry about Royal wealth… its still safe… because Raunak will never be able to open that door which leads to the Royal wealth.. The secret to open that door is no longer a physical key.. Only a Royal Raizada can open that door now using his biometrics – fingerprint, voice recognition and retina scan. At the last moment, Arnav decided to make the locks more digital you see… all thanks to Avni and her inputs” Shyam winked. 

Ratan fumed.. how did his plan end up so bad? 

“Raunak might leave that place without the wealth…” Ratan screamed.. “But not without killing your Daadi.. He thinks it’s because of her that he had to suffer” 

Now it irked Shyam. He clutched the collar of Ratan and punched him hard. Ratan fell on the ground.. 

“Never underestimate the Raizada Royals, Malhotra.. Especially the eldest one.. he is smarter than us.. by now.. a bunch of police force must have circled the safe house on his command and if Raunak even tries to touch him or Daadi, he wouldn’t get out from there alive.” 

The police dragged Ratan out of the room. 

“Bhai.. you okay?” Akash asked. 

“I am … where is Anjali and Payal?” 

“They are at Malhotra house. The moment Arnav Bhai told me they were on way to Malhotra house, I ensured to send a team of police there to safeguard them. They are safe” 


Shyam took a sigh of relief. They hurried out to leave for the Safe house.. That’s where Arnav and Daadi were and none of them had any clue what was happening there. 



To be Continued

NEXT PART

____________________________________________________________________________

EBOOK @ 99

It is said that every Palace has its own history buried deep inside the walls that supports it.. It isn't easy to know what had actually happened in the past.. It isn't simple to digest the truth that was been hidden from long.. This is a Story of a Well Known Respectable Family of Jodhpur who lives in the 3rd Biggest Palace of India which has an Unfortunate Past. Something worst had happened years back but no one from the family ever talked about it. In fact, this Cruel Past was always hidden from the new generations of the family. Will the coming of the Eldest Bride of this Palace Sort everything out or will things here get more complicated?

When the matriarch of the Khurana family of Raj Mahal, Saroj Khurana, decided to get her eldest grandson Sharavan married, destiny played its card and got Preeti Mehra, the businesswoman of US, as his life partner. Where the entire Khurana family was shattered by this match, Raj Mahal glowed with joy welcoming the real bride of Raj Mahal back to its place, to hold its position.

Unravel the mysteries of Raj Mahal in this romantic thriller of reincarnation.

READ SAMPLE CHAPTERS 1 to 4 HERE

Read on Amazon Kindle 

Buy PDF by Card 

Buy PDF by Paypal