The Poddar House
The Poddar mansion stood tall and regal, its lush gardens and intricate architecture exuding wealth and tradition.
Inside, the family was gathered in the sprawling living room. Charu Bansal, the smart and fiercely independent lawyer of the family, was sitting with her laptop, scrolling through case files.
Her sharp, almond-shaped eyes darted across the screen as she sipped her coffee.
"Charu di, thodi der toh kaam ko chhodiye! Aap kabhi relax kyun nahi karte?" Kiara Poddar whined, flopping onto the couch next to her.
The 18-year-old Kiara was as bubbly as Charu was serious, her bright eyes shining with excitement.
"Relax karne ka time nahi hai, Kiara," Charu said without looking up. "Case ke hearings paas aarahe hai mera kaam tumhare YouTube videos ki tarah flexible nahi hai."
"Aur itna boring bhi nahi" Kiara teased, throwing a cushion at her. "Zindagi mein kaam ke saath thoda maza bhi hona chahiye Charu di!"
Charu raised an eyebrow, finally looking up. "Zindagi mein maza tab hota hai jab log apne kaam mein successful hote hain. Tumhara idea of 'maza' sirf filmon mein accha lagta hai, real life mein nahi."
Kiara rolled her eyes dramatically. "Real life mein bhi maza hona chahiye. Jaise main aapne Rudians fan vlog karti hoon aur mere superstar Rudra perform karte hai. Aap unhe ek baar sunoge naa dil aapko difference samaj ajayega, unki awaaz dil kya rooh tak choo jati hai. And upar se itne pyaare hai Rockstar hai woh. Issliye toh, duniya unke peeche pagal hai!"
Charu smirked, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Bas kar yeh abhir puraan.
Saare singers bas ek jaise sound karte hai auto tune karke gaate hai issliye they are so easily replaceable.Abhi toh fans sarr pe itna chada rahe hai ek din wohi duniya tumhe bhool jaati hai jab tumhaara kaam khatam ho jata hai. Rockstar ya nahi, har insaan ko ek din reality ka samna karna padta hai."
"Ouch! Charu di you're so pessimistic. Aap aise mere Rudra ko baddua mat do"Kiara pouted.
"Aapko toh case ke alwa kuch samajh hi nahi aata. Rudra is my prince charming and he is a forever star"
"Kiara, mujhe samajh nahi aata tum kaise uss random singer ke peeche pagal ho sakti ho," Charu teased, crossing her arms. "Yeh Random Rudra tumhara sapno ka rajkumar kaise ho gaya? Woh tumhare se double umar ka hai!"
Kiara pouted dramatically. "Charu di, love ka kya age hota hai? Woh toh ekdum perfect hai - uski awaaz, uska swag, aur woh... woh charm!"
Charu rolled her eyes. "Perfect? Aur usko media joh angry young star bulaati hai woh laya he seems to have serious attitude and anger issues?"
Before Kiara could retort, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.
Abhira entered the house, her face clouded with worry.
"Abhira bhabhi, aap aaj firm nahi gayi?" Kiara asked, noticing her sister-in-law's unusual demeanor.
"Woh... Kuch aur kaam aagaya thi goenka house mey thi" Abhira replied, trying to mask her anxiety.
Just then, Armaan Poddar walked into the hallway, adjusting his cufflinks. His sharp eyes immediately caught the tension in his wife's expression.
"Kya hua, Abhira? Tum itni anxious kyun lag rahi ho?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Abhira forced a smile and shook her head. "Kuch nahi, Armaan. Bas thoda tired hoon."
Armaan frowned but decided not to press further and asked her to go inside and rest.Abhira nodded absent mindedly and walked away.
Armaan sighed hoping she is fine and turned his attention to the two sisters, who were still bantering. "Aur tum dono kis baat pe lad rahe hain ab?"
Charu groaned. "Humari chhoti behen apne naye crush ke baare mein baatein kar rahi hai."
Armaan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Achha? Kis lucky banda ne is baar Kiara madam ka dil jeeta hai?"
Kiara beamed. "Rockstar Rudra!" she declared proudly.
Arman chuckled and said "tum yeh celebrity pe crush karna chod do Kiara , tere liye koi acha ladka tera bhai dhundega naa tu bas badi joja"
Kiara sulked "bhai kitna aur badi hongi im 18"
"But you're mentally 8 ,baal vivah nahi karra sakte naa tera ab lawyers hai hum crime thodi naa karenge tere chakkar mey"Charu teased making Kiara sulk.
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Abhira sat quietly on her balcony, clutching the old photograph of her brother, Abhir. The city's faint buzz played in the background, but her mind was elsewhere, lost in a whirlwind of emotions. Her mother's stories about her elder brother suddenly felt like fragments of truth, half-told and incomplete. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stared at the picture, trying to bridge the gap between her childhood memories and the reality she had just uncovered.
Armaan entered the room silently, carrying a cup of her favorite tea. Without a word, he placed it on the table beside her and pulled up a chair to sit next to her. He could sense the heaviness in the air.
"Abhira, mujhe pata hai tumhare mann mein kuch chal raha hai," he said softly, his hand reaching out to hers. "Batao, kya baat hai?"
Abhira sniffled, quickly wiping her tears. She hesitated for a moment, as though gathering courage, before speaking.
"Armaan, mujhe tumse kuch zaruri baat karni hai. Yeh mere family ke baare mein hai," she began, her voice trembling but steady.
Armaan's brows knitted in concern. He knew how much Abhira had struggled to come to terms with her past. "Kya hua? Tum mujhse sab kuch share kar sakti ho."
Taking a deep breath, she explained, "Aaj subah, main aur Ruhi Goenka house gaye the. Wahan ek purani photo album dekhi... usme ek tasveer thi. Nanu ne kaha ki... mera ek bhai tha. Unka naam Abhir tha, aur woh bachpan mein humse alag ho gaye the."
Her words hung heavy in the air. Armaan sat quietly, processing what she had just shared. Finally, he placed his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Abhir... tumhara bhai," he repeated, as though trying to grasp the weight of her revelation.
Abhira nodded, her voice breaking. "Haan, nanu kehte hain ki shayad woh ab nahi rahe, lekin mera dil keh raha hai ki woh zinda hain. Kahin na kahin, woh ab bhi hain. Main unhe dhoondhna chahti hoon, Armaan."
Armaan listened intently, the determination in her voice unmistakable. He admired her courage but knew the journey ahead wouldn't be easy. "Tum sach mein yeh karna chahti ho?"
"Haan," she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Par yeh bohot mushkil hoga. Unka pata kaise dhoondhenge? Yeh tasveer toh itni purani hai... aur woh ab kitne badal gaye honge."
Armaan picked up the photograph, examining it closely. "Mujhe ek dost yaad aaya," he said thoughtfully. "Woh ek AI engineer hai. Technology ke through yeh photo analyze karke predict kar sakte hain ki 20 saal baad tumhare bhai kaise dikhte honge."
Abhira's eyes widened in astonishment. "Sach? Tum yeh kar sakte ho?"
He smiled and nodded. "Haan. Woh is photo ko update karke ek realistic version bana sakta hai. Phir hum us tasveer ka use karke advertisements aur search campaigns shuru karenge."
Her lips parted in disbelief. "Yeh sab possible hai?"
Armaan chuckled. "Haan, ab technology itni advanced hai. Tum tension mat lo. Main abhi usse contact karta hoon."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Abhira reached out and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Armaan. Tum nahi hote toh shayad main kabhi itni himmat nahi kar paati."
He patted her back gently. "Tumhari khushi meri khushi hai, jaan. Bas yeh yaad rakhna."