OSO rubbed his brow as he ended the call. Another city, another fruitless search. Where could she be and why were all these incompetent fools unable to find her? With a thunderous cloud over his head he turned his attention to the take over documents in front of him.Gritting his teeth, he omitted all the more lenient clauses in the agreement - why should he show leniency or mercy to the weak? He was here to run a business, not a charity. This world had only taken from him - his every happiness... his every joy... his Gauri. Until it returned his personal angel to him, he would only take from this world, he would take his revenge from this world... her revenge from this world. This cruel world had taken such an innocent soul and presented her before that monstrous Kali. It had watched as if viewing a play as that lecherous man weaved a web of heinous intentions around Om's defenceless chirraya. OSO would not allow this to go unpunished. Having already demolished the community that bore witness to his angel's helplessness without lifting a finger to aid her, he had now turned his anger on the rest of the world. He had become judge, juror and executioner of anyone who crossed his path, showing no kindness because there was no heart in his chest to compel him to do so. His heart had been ripped out and he had spent the past three years trying to find it.

"Om! What are you doing in here? Everyone is outside enjoying the party. You should be out there with us." Riddhima had burst into his study without invitation, and strutted over to his desk.

Looking up from the file in front of him, OSO glared at her coldly.

"Firstly, my name is Omkara Singh Oberoi, but Mr Oberoi will do for you. Do not try to create familiarity between us when there is none there. Secondly, with whose permission did you enter my study? Just because I do not stop you entering this house, do not forget your limits. Get out!" he spoke quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, but each word was cutting and warned of impending doom.

A wiser woman would have fled but shrugging off his hostility, Riddhima leaned against his desk. When Pinky Singh Oberoi had contacted her, requesting her to return, she had jumped at the chance - after all becoming an Oberoi bahu had been a dream of hers for so long. She had known that Om had married some illiterate nobody, but that girl had apparently been unable to handle the pressure, and run away from the Oberoi Mansion. Her loss, but Riddhima's gain. Now if only Omkara would propose to her, then he would know what a real sophisticated wife was, but he had swapped his statues for paperwork, and become a workaholic of a different kind. The kind that made more money than imaginable, which she had no issue with, but he did not even acknowledge anything other than business now. Oh well, aaj nahin toh kal (today or tomorrow), he would realise how much he needed her.

"Come on Om, after all that we've been through, there's no use playing hard to get... Actually I wanted to talk to you about that. I think it's time we take the next step. Mom and Dad are here for the next month, so I think we should get engaged now and have the wedding in London in a few months. Pinky Aunty - sorry, Choti Maa - has already started the arrangements. I was thinking pink and peach for the colour scheme, with accents of red. What do you think?" Riddhima eagerly asked his opinion.

For a split second OSO was gripped by the insane urge to laugh, but as he had not done so in the past three years and was unsure of his ability to, he went with his secondary inclination to explode at the absurdly presumptuous woman in front of him.

"Are you out of your mind?! How can you come in here and start harping on about colour schemes?! I don't want to breathe the same air as you and you think I want to marry you?! You disgust me! How could you even contemplate that I would marry you? Incase you haven't noticed, I already have a wife!" OSO thundered. The nerve of this woman!

"Oh please Om! Choti Maa told me all about your charity work with that Gawaar (illiterate) girl. I think you took the wrong meaning of charity starts at home. You don't clean the roads by bringing the trash in to your home. Don't call that pity a marriage, it was just a joke." Riddhima scoffed.

"The only joke here is you!" OSO roared, his eyes suddenly bloodshot. How dare she?! "Charity?! You think I am taking pity on my wife by staying married to her?! The only charity in our relationship was that which she bestowed upon me, by giving an unworthy creature like me the title of her husband! Has Choti Maa been telling you this rubbish?!" he sprung from his chair and rounded the table to corner his ex-girlfriend.

Suddenly terrified, and beginning to understand the foolishness of her words, Riddhima hastily nodded, "Yes, she said that Gawa... Gauri was only a burden on you. That you were glad to be rid of her. She said that you still loved me, but were afraid of my rejection. I won't reject you Om... I love you." she tried to reach for him but he shrugged her off.

"Keep your love to yourself, I'm not interested. PINKY SINGH OBEROI!!"! yelling for his aunt OSO stormed out of his study, through the hallways and down the stairs, bringing to a halt the music and merriment his family and their guests were engaged in.

Ignoring the looks he was receiving OSO made his way to where his Dadi, Maa and Choti Maa were congregated amongst their high society friends. As he came to a halt Tej Singh Oberoi came forward to stop him with an arm on his bicep.

"What are you doing Omkara? Don't make a scene." Tej whispered into OSO's ear, but he was beyond reasoning with, especially by his newly redeemed' father. Yanking his arm out of the older man's grasp OSO stared him down, fire raging in his bloodshot eyes.

"Don't touch me! And stay out of my business, Tej Singh Oberoi, if you know what is good for you!" OSO took no care to watch his volume, and Tej could tell from the look in his eyes that his son was unstoppable today. Today his son was a warrior and for once Tej forgot about the audience and society and instead embraced the pride that was filling him up. His son had become a man, and Tej's biggest regret was that it was not he who guided him into this change. Tej gave a minuscule nod and backed down, grabbing Jhanvi's hand to stop her from intervening. Their Omkara could handle himself.

It was Shivaay who blocked OSO's path next. Although he had never fully forgiven Pinky for her transgressions against Anika, he could not stand around and watch his mother be humiliated in front of all these gossip mongers. Although Pinky had never been the best mother, she was the only one he had.

"Om, just stop this okay! We can talk after the Party is over. Just...just relax!" Shivaay tried to gain control of the situation, but today OSO would not even listen to him.

"Shivaay... Aaj tu mujhe maat rokh... Warna main bhool jaunga ke tu mera Bhai hai. Aaj... Aaj mujhe maat rokh. (Shivaay... Don't stop me today... Or I'll forget that you are my Brother. Today... Don't stop me today.)" OSO 's voice had receded to a whisper, but every soul gathered in the hall heard it loud and clear, and they all drew in breaths of surprise. What could be more important to Omkara Singh Oberoi that he would break his relationship with his brother? Shivaay staggered back a step, shocked to the core, but then realised only one thing could push his Om to this extent. Gauri. Since Gauri had left, Shivaay had lost not only the girl he had come to recognise as a little sister, but also his brother, his Om, and in his stead was this cold replica OSO. While Shivaay could not be prouder of his brother's keen business acumen and the success he had achieved in the last three years, he'd give it all up and more, if it would return his brother's smile to him. To see such emotion from OSO, such human emotion, such anger... it had to do with his Gauri. That was the only thing that could crack the OSO facade... and one thing Shivaay would never do is stand in Omkara's way when it had to do with his Gauri, because Shivaay fully believed that it was only Gauri who could bring his brother's back. The love that was ingrained in him for the woman who gave him birth, was not nearly as significant when weighed against the love he held for his brothers. If Pinky had touched OSO's sore spot... well then she could deal with the consequences. As Anika stepped forward to support her Billu Ji, Shivaay shook his head at her and stepped down.

As Bhavya got ready to exercise her experience as an ACP in settling the dispute, Rudra placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Let him speak. This is the first time in three years that I've felt like my older brother is around. Don't stop him today." Rudra spoke softly, his eyes on his brother.

While Dadi was busy lamenting: "Yeh ho kya raha hai? (What is happening?)", OSO came before his target. Pinky Singh Oberoi tried to sound unfazed, even as she backed into her husband: "Oh... Oh My Mata, Omkara! Tum mujhe aise kyun pukar rahe ho? Tameez bhool gayye ho apni? (Why are you calling me like this? Have you forgotten your manners?)". To his credit Shakti Singh Oberoi steadied her before moving far away from the dispute. He had never been one for conflict, and Pinky probably deserved whatever was coming for her.

"Tameez toh maine abhi chori nahin, par mere sawaalon ka seedha seedha jawab dena apke liye bohot behtar hoga. Kya apne MERI Gauri ke baare mein uss Riddhima se koi baat ki thi? Kya apne MERI shaadi par koi sawal uthaya? Boliye! (I haven't forgotten my manners yet, but it would be much better for you if you give straight answers to my questions. Did you talk to that Riddhima about MY Gauri. Did you raise a question on MY marriage? Tell me!)" OSO roared.

"Shaadi? Konsi shaadi? Woh jo tumne uss fateecher ladki par tadas kha kar ki thi? Woh koi shaadi nahin hothi, bheek hothi hai woh! (Marriage? What marriage? The one that you did taking pity on that pennyless girl? That is not a marriage, that is charity!)" Pinky self-righteously spewed the venom that had once fractured a young girl's vishwaas in her marriage.

"PINKY SINGH OBEROI! Don't presume to know anything about my relationship! MY Gauri is worth a hundred of you and your high society friends! Even without the fortune of wealth, she has always possessed a greater prize... her golden heart! As for our marriage, who gave you the right to judge it?! GaurI is MY WIFE, and none of your plots can ever change that! Don't you ever try to set a vulture like Riddhima after me again, or you will live to regret it! I don't want anyone other than MY Gauri!" OSO's eyes held a gleam of pride as he laid claim to his wife, and mentally ShivRu were cheering him on, angry that Pinky had been playing such games.

"Acha! (Really!) And where is your so called wifes? Where has she gones? Oh haan! Yaad aaya! Woh toh bhaag gayye, na? Pata nahin ab kahan kahan apna moon kala kar rahi ho gi - (Oh yes! I remember! She ran away, right? Who knows where she is defaming herself, that - " Pinky was cut off but this time before a red faced OSO could tear her apart, it was her sister-in-law Jhanvi who yanked her around and smacked her across the face.

"Shut up Pinky! How dare you talk about my Bahu like that?! I will not stand for it!" Jhanvi Singh Oberoi had never been angrier.

"Jetaniji -"

"Enough, Pinky! Not another word!" Tej had decided to jump in. "Who do you think you are to meddle in our son's matters? He is perfectly able to handle them himself. Omkara has given Gauri the position of his wife, and we will respect his judgement. Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi is my Bahu, and I will not have you slander her good name!"

For the first time in as long as he could remember, OSO felt a surge of affection for his father. Of course he tampered it down quickly, but not before a few of the stones needed as a foundation to bridge their relationship were laid.

After this Dadi and Shakti mildly rebuked Pinky and the Party was canceled. As the guests began to leave OSO also headed back upstairs, passing a visibly shaken Riddhima on the way. He didn't spare her a glance - if she knew what was good for her, she would not show him her face again.

Today had not been a good day. First the failure to find Gauri, then the discovery of Pinky's scheming, and to top it all he had to leave for Kashmir early tomorrow morning. Some land deal was caught on hold because he needed to visit a registrars office personally to sign one document. OSO sighed as he packed his bags. That night as always he gripped her letter in his hands.

"Kahan ho tum Gauri? Itni naraaz ho mujhse? Kya tumhe meri yaad nahin athi? Wapas aajao Gauri. Main ab tumhare beghaar nahin jee sakta. (Where are you Gauri? Are you this mad at me? Do you not miss me? Come back Gauri. I can't live without you any longer.)'

Today had been a good day. A great day. The best day.

Today Gauri had become a mother. The minute one of the child minders brought in the baby Gauri Kumari Sharma fell in love. Carefully she took the wailing newborn in her arms. Out of a fluffy pink blanket peaked a tuft of hair and a tiny face. The most beautiful eyes in the world, wet from shed tears, stared up at her, with trust and hope and acceptance shining out of them. It was a look she could never forget, a moment she would forever recall. It took seconds for this precious angel to become Gauri's reason to live, and from the way she gripped onto her new mother, the connection was shared between the two.

"How are you doing that?" the child minder asked. "She has not stopped crying since she arrived here, and now she's so silent I'd believe she was asleep."

Gauri did not reply but instead focused on the blessing before her, pressing a kiss on her forehead. The Head of the Orphanage was allowing her to take the baby today due to space constraints, but the official adoption process would not begin for another month. Having already prepared her home for the new arrival, and having had the presence of mind to remember a buggy, Gauri was quite comfortable taking the baby home.

"Have you decided what you'll call her?" one of the minders asked as she was about to leave.

"Aadya." the name had come to Gauri swiftly. What better way to celebrate the gift bestowed on her by ShankarJi than to give her a name of ShankarJi's beloved Parvati. Furthermore, the name deepened the connection of mother and daughter as both their names were derived from the same source.

Aadya and Gauri settled into a wonderful routine, and yes there were difficulties for the new mother, like lack of sleep, and an inability to give her whole focus to her work. She had been forced to cancel at the cafe, because she had nobody to mind Aadya. But Gauri Kumari Sharma thrived during a challenge, and this was the best kind. Three weeks past by before she knew it.

Landing in Kashmir, he felt a change in the air. Something familiar. Shrugging it off OSO followed his manager to the car.