Epilogue #2
The grand ballroom of the resort is overflowing with guests, family members, close friends, business associates, and people who have been part of RK Estate’s journey for years.
Conversations blend with laughter as servers move through the crowd, serving our finest reserve wines from the limited-edition collection.
The entire event is centred around wine, legacy, and family, exactly the way it should. Siya is wearing a stunning wine-coloured saree tonight, perfectly matching the theme of the evening.
Ayaan, meanwhile, is dressed in an ivory suit, and Meher complements him beautifully in a champagne-coloured saree, looking every bit as regal as the King and Queen they are.
Ayaan and I are standing with a group of foreign delegates and business partners associated with RK Estate. We spend the next several minutes accepting congratulations, discussing future collaborations, and exchanging the usual formal pleasantries before Ayaan and I excuse ourselves.
Wine glasses in hand, Ayaan and I make our way over to Vishnu and Krish. Both of them are holding glasses of wine and appear to be in the middle of a conversation.
“What’s up?” Ayaan asks.
Vishnu points towards Krish and grins. “Don’t ask me. Ask him.”
Krish rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his drink. “I was just telling him about Prisha.”
Ayaan and I exchange a knowing smile. Prisha is Krish and Trisha’s two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. A tiny hurricane who has somehow inherited every daredevil trait from her mother.
Krish shakes his head. “Can you believe that last week was Prisha’s first day at playschool, and she punched a little boy?”
We all stare at him as he continues. “Not a casual baby punch but a proper punch. Luckily, his parents didn’t complain. The boy had merely touched her cheeks, and she retaliated.”
“She’s Trisha’s daughter,” I say with a grin. “What else did you expect. Atta girl.”
That makes Vishnu burst out laughing. Ayaan just smirks, while Krish huffs.
“Trust me, I know,” Krish continues. “At least Trisha saves her kicks for criminals and terrorists when she’s out in the field.
Prisha doesn’t believe in such restrictions.
We co-sleep, and on most nights my own daughter kicks me halfway out of the bed in her sleep.
I end up spending the night on the couch while my wife and daughter peacefully take over the entire bed.
As much as I adore my little girl, I’d really like some uninterrupted time with my wife once in a while.
Right now, that’s becoming a serious problem. ”
I nearly choke on my drink while Ayaan laughs openly.
“Relax,” Vishnu replies. “We’ve all been there.”
Ayaan and I nod in solidarity, and the entire group bursts out laughing again. Krish glares at all of us.
“Keep laughing,” he says, then points at Ayaan. “But at least tell me how you survive parenthood, especially that co-sleeping arrangement.”
Ayaan stops laughing. “Oh, that’s easy.” He takes a leisurely sip of his wine. “The twins are five now. Arnav and Myra sleep in their own room.”
The satisfaction in his voice is impossible to miss.
“Honestly, I miss them sometimes, but Meher and I only have to tuck them in now. After that, they’re perfectly happy in their own beds.” He lifts his glass with a smug grin. “Finally, we’ve got our room back.”
That earns another round of laughter from everyone. I smirk when Krish finally turns to me.
“What about your twins?” he asks.
“Rudra is still a problem,” I admit, taking a sip of my wine. “The boy somehow remembers he has a mother at exactly the moment I need his mother the most.”
Krish is the first to laugh as I continue. “He’ll spend the entire night sleeping peacefully in his own room. Then, out of nowhere, at two in the morning, he suddenly decides he misses Siya.” I shake my head dramatically. “And naturally, that’s when he comes looking for her. Bad timing.”
Krish nearly chokes on his drink, while Ayaan is openly laughing now. I point a finger at both of them.
“Keep laughing. Your situations weren’t any better.” I grin. “But Riya is different.” Immediately my expression softens. “My daughter is the sweetest. She sleeps through the night, just like her mother. So I don’t have to worry about her.”
“And there it is,” Krish says. “The proud father.”
“Absolutely,” I reply without hesitation.
We all look at Vishnu now. He immediately raises both hands. “What?”
“We’ve all shared,” Krish says. “Now it’s your turn.”
Vishnu sighs. “Veer is old enough now. Seven years old and convinced he’s already running the world.”
We all laugh.
“And Sanvi?” I ask.
The moment I mention his four-year-old daughter, a wide smile appears on his face. Yes, Vishnu and Simran have two kids now.
“Sanvi is just like me,” Vishnu replies with a sweet smile. “Very calm, quiet, and patient. Nothing like her mother.”
We burst into laughter again because everyone in this circle knows Simran. Chaotic is putting it mildly.
“Veer at least has some of Simran’s traits,” Vishnu continues. “When he’s angry, he becomes stubborn and a little dramatic.”
Just then, Haider joins us. I casually throw an arm around his shoulder.
“Haider, you don’t get to escape this either,” Krish says.
Haider raises an eyebrow.
“We have been discussing our children,” Krish adds. “And now, we want to know about your son, Rihaan. Who is he more like? You or Esha?”
That simple question changes Haider’s expression. The tough, intimidating man who still scares half the people in this room suddenly looks every bit the proud father.
A small smile appears on his face. Five years ago, I never would’ve imagined seeing it on him. After everything that happened, he and Esha took their time. They dated for a year before finally getting married, and I’ve never seen him happier than he is now.
He’s still protective, still watchful, still incapable of relaxing completely.
Only now, his attention isn’t just on me.
It’s on my children too. Rudra and Riya adore him, and Rihaan has practically grown up with them.
The three of them are inseparable. Since we all live together at RK Estate, they’ve formed their own little gang.
Haider shakes his head before answering.
“Rihaan is completely like me. He barely sleeps.” He takes a sip of his drink.
“The boy is always alert. If a door closes somewhere in the villa, he wakes up. If someone walks past his room, he wakes up. If a leaf falls outside his window, he wakes up. So, yeah, it takes Esha and me forever to get him to sleep.”
“He’s very protective,” I say knowingly, looking at Haider. “Just like his father.”
Everyone agrees. Right then, Esha calls Haider over for something, and he excuses himself before heading to her. The conversation continues around us as the celebration carries on in full swing.
Five years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined a life like this… standing with a group of fathers, sharing stories about our children. Now I can’t imagine my life any other way or feeling this comfortable at a family gathering.
And that’s when Krish clears his throat and points towards the other end of the hall. Almost immediately, we all turn to see what has caught his attention.
A short distance away stands another group.
Pratap Uncle, Baba and Krish’s father, Ratan Rajvanshi, the President of GLEN.
Krish and Ayaan may be the Directors now, but the empire still belongs to the man who built it from nothing.
Age has finally convinced him to hand over most of the day-to-day operations to them, but he still keeps a close eye on everything.
He has flown all the way from Austria, especially for this event.
Three old men. Three friends. And standing with them is my Maa, Rukmini Vardhaan.
Today, she’s wearing a beautiful golden saree, and her hair is neatly tied into a bun.
From where we’re standing, we have a clear view of everything.
Pratap Uncle is holding out a white rose to her, and even from this distance, we can hear every word.
“Honestly, Rukmini ji, you should put this in your hair,” he tells her. “It will complete the look. Very retro. You’ll look even more beautiful.”
If there’s one thing that has remained unchanged over the last five years, it’s Pratap Uncle’s special fondness for Maa. And somehow, everybody enjoys it. Even me, though I’ll never admit that aloud. I glance at Vishnu again, who catches my look immediately.
“I told you,” he says with a grin. “I’m literally rooting for this couple.”
“Shut up,” I say instantly. “No way. She’s my Maa. Stop wanting her to be your mother.”
Vishnu only laughs harder. Before he can say anything else, Ayaan joins in. “I don’t agree.”
I look at him, and he shrugs casually.
“She’s not just your Maa. She’s my Maa too.”
He’s right. Over these last five years, both of us have started calling her ‘Maa.’ Ayaan, too, never had the love of a mother growing up, so naturally, Maa being Maa, took him into her fold and loved him like her own son.
In fact, not just Ayaan, she’s become a mother figure to our entire group because none of them had mothers while growing up either.
Maa is loving every moment of it and is enjoying that role to the fullest. The love she never got from her own son, she’s getting it in spades from all of us. She deserves every bit of it.
Ayaan folds his arms. “So stop acting so possessive about Maa.”
“Please.” I scoff. “She loves me more. For her, you’re only her son. But I’m both her son and her son-in-law. So technically, I get double the love.”
Ayaan rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Fine. You win.”
“You know what?” Krish interrupts as he nods towards Maa.
“Today, when I introduced Aunty to Dad, she called him Bhai Sahab. So, my point is... Kailash Uncle is Bhai Sahab. My father is Bhai Sahab to her. But Pratap Uncle…” He grins with a dramatic pause.
“He’s just Pratap ji, as always. I wish somebody would ask her why. ”