Midnight Confessions 3

The tension in the Oberoi mansion was palpable as Shivaay, Anika, and Omkara made their way down to the living room. The letter and the photo had been delivered earlier that evening, and Shivaay was ready to take action. But, as always, the chaos of the Oberoi family had a way of turning even the most serious moments into something… less serious.

They entered the living room to find Rudra sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in his lap, staring at the TV with an exaggerated sense of concentration.

"Rudra," Shivaay started, his voice sharp, "did you—"

Rudra immediately interrupted, not even looking away from the TV. "Before you get mad, Bhaiya, I wasn’t watching a movie about spies. I was just, uh, practicing my surveillance techniques. You know, for the family."

Anika raised an eyebrow. "Surveillance techniques? You were watching cartoons, Rudra."

Rudra’s dramatic gasp cut through the air. "Cartoons are extremely important, Anika di. You never know when a good lesson in espionage will come in handy." He leaned in, eyes wide with mock seriousness. "What if someone sends us a spy gadget disguised as a mango smoothie blender?"

Omkara, who had been silently observing, now chuckled. "You’d probably blow it up first, Rudra."

"Exactly!" Rudra grinned. "That’s why I need to practice!"

Anika and Shivaay exchanged amused glances before turning their attention to the situation at hand.

"So," Shivaay said, his expression hardening again, "about the letter…"

Before anyone could continue, Dadi entered the room with her signature flair, waving her hands in the air. "I’m tired of hearing all of you mumbling about spies and secret letters! Let’s have some fun, for God’s sake!" She dramatically took her seat on the couch and pulled a tray of ladoos from nowhere, offering them to everyone. "Eat! No one’s going anywhere until I’ve made my ladoos disappear. You all need to lighten up. What’s a threat compared to good food, huh?"

Anika blinked, unsure whether she should laugh or cry. "Dadi, you’re... right, but..."

But before she could finish, Rudra sprang into action, his hand already diving into the tray of ladoos. "I knew this was the best way to deal with family drama. Food solves everything!"

Shivaay and Omkara couldn’t help but laugh, the tension in the room easing. Anika smiled, realizing how ridiculous it all seemed. Here they were, talking about threats, and yet, Dadi’s ladoos had the power to completely derail their plans.

"Fine," Shivaay said, shaking his head, "we’ll deal with the letter tomorrow. Let’s eat ladoos first."

Rudra, who had already eaten half the tray, looked up with a serious face. "We’ll figure this out, Bhaiya. After all, we’re the Oberois. No one messes with us!"

"Exactly," Omkara added, his usual calm demeanor returning. "But also, side note, please leave some ladoos for Dadi."

The family gathered around, laughing, talking, and stealing ladoos from each other like they always did. The letter and the photo—the threat—seemed so far away in this moment. The world might have been uncertain, but here, with his family, Shivaay realized that there was nothing he couldn’t face.

As the chaos of the Oberoi family continued, Anika leaned against Shivaay, smiling to herself. Life with him, with all of them, would never be simple. But it would always be filled with love, laughter, and just enough madness to keep things interesting.

And sometimes, that was all anyone really needed.

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