Hello guys, welcome to the first chapter of 'Woven in Silence ". I've worked really hard on this story, I hope you like it.

Enjoy reading 🤗.

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Author's POV-

Randhawa mansion:

The morning sun hadn't even fully embraced the Delhi skyline, yet the air inside the Randhawa mansion was alive-bustling with laughter, the clinking of tea cups, and the soft whirring of kitchen gadgets.

But far from the aroma of paranthas and the warm chaos of a big household, one space echoed with a different kind of rhythm-clang...thud...whoosh...

Heavy gym equipment screeched against the floor, metal rods rattled under pressure, and sweat kissed the chiselled skin of a man with veins like fire and eyes like storm.

Rivaan Randhawa.

Wearing black joggers, his hair damp with sweat and forehead furrowed in focus, Rivaan pushed the final rep of his morning workout, biceps flexing like the tension inside him. His gym wasn't just a place to stay fit-it was his warzone. Against silence. Against memories.

From behind the glass wall, his younger cousin Aarav peeked in with a toast in his hand, whispering dramatically to Badi Maa (Suhana), "Ye banda insaan hai ya machine? Itni subah kaun itna intense hota hai?"

(Is this a man a human or a machine? Who got so intense this early?)

Suhana rolled her eyes with affection and worry, wrapping her pallu around herself. "Mera beta sirf muscles ke liye nahin, emotions se bhi ladta hai subah-subah."

(My son fights not only for muscles, but with emotions too.)

Just then, Vivaan, Rivaan's elder brother and the softer, balanced one of the Randhawa sons, entered with a coffee mug, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Subah 6 baje gym ka orchestra shuru... bhai, main abhaan (his 3-year-old son) ko kaise sulata hoon, socho," he chuckled.

(Orchestra in the gym starts at 6 in the morning... Bro, think how I made abhaan sleep.)

Their grandmother Dadi ji, sitting in the courtyard with a coffee mug, raised an eyebrow. "Usse toh pyaar ke geet chahiye, yeh toh dard ke dumbbell bajata hai!"

(He needs love melody, but he bangs dumble of pain instead.)

Everyone laughed-except one.

Rivaan entered the kitchen silently, towel around his neck, jaw clenched, eyes unreadable. He greeted no one but nodded subtly toward Chhote Papa (Ashok), who smiled and said with a light heart, "Good morning, CEO sahab. Kabhi ghar ke HR se bhi mil liya karo."

(Good morning Mr. CEO. Meet the HR of the house sometimes.)

Rivaan smirked, faintly. "Meetings back-to-back. Jaldi jaana hai."

(I've to go early.)

"Aur shaadi ki meeting kab fix karni hai, beta?" his father Aditya Randhawa finally spoke up, placing the newspaper down.

(And when do we fix wedding's meeting?)

Silence. Like someone hit pause on the entire room.

Rivaan looked up, took a sip of his black coffee, and said flatly, "Not interested."

Vivaan sighed dramatically. Aarav snorted. Suhana exchanged a helpless glance with Dadi ji.

"Beta, tujhe kya dhoondhna hai? Ladki chahiye ya koi khoi hui kahani?" Dadi ji jabbed softly, clearly hinting at what none of them could dare mention.

(Son, what are you searching for? You want a girl or a lost story?)

"Dadi," Rivaan said, voice soft but layered, "jo kahani chhod ke ja chuki ho, usse padhne ka mann nahi karta."

(I don't want to read the one who left the story.)

The weight of his words settled in the room like unseen fog.

Vivaan tried to lighten the mood, "Bas! Agla episode Netflix pe nahi, shaadi mein likhwayenge. Till then, bhai saab, zara ghar bhi CEO style sambhal lo."

Rivaan gave a half smile, kissed Dadi's head quickly, and said, "Mujhe Ravure pahuchna hai."

(I want to go Ravure)

As he walked away, Aarav whispered, "Bhaiya ke saath kuch toh secret hai, warna pyaar mein itni dard waali body sirf songs mein hoti hai."

(Something is wrong with bhaiya, otherwise the painful body in love is only seen in the songs.)

The family, though surrounded by laughter, couldn't ignore the truth-

Rivaan Randhawa smiled less, spoke even lesser... but carried a love so deep, even silence echoed her name.

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Yaghuvanshi mahal (Sikar) :

A crisp breeze swept through the ancient sandstone pillars of Yaghuvanshi Mahal, carrying along the echoes of laughter, clinking anklets, and faint tanpura tunes coming from the inner courtyard. The golden rays of morning sun shimmered against the royal jharokhas, lighting up the corridors that had seen centuries of legacy - but today, they were brimming with something else.

Chaos. Ekakshi's chaos.

"Thak thak thak-"

The sound of heels, mixed with the crash of a metal tray and a loud "Arreyyy kaka sambhaaliye na!" followed by giggles, filled the hall.

(Areyy uncle careful.)

And there she was. Draped in a lemon yellow cotton kurta, her hair loosely tied in a careless braid, running after a naughty little puppy she had secretly adopted the night before. A tiny bandage on her elbow from yesterday's fall, Ekakshi Yaghuvanshi-the crown jewel of the royal family-looked nothing like the elegant princess from historic portraits. But that didn't matter.

She had the charm of a thunderstorm and the heart of a sunbeam.

"Yuvrani hai, ya bollywood ki heroine?" muttered one of the palace guards with a laugh as she zoomed past.

(Is she a princess or a bollywood heroine?)

Inside the grand living room, decorated with velvet upholstery and ancient paintings, sat her Dadi-Rajrani Devyani Yaghuvanshi, sipping chai with her elder son Maharaj Yashveer and Rani sa Surekha, while Ronav (Ekakshi's cousin brother) scrolled through memes on his phone nearby.

Just then, she burst in, out of breath, puppy in hand.

"Good morning, parivaar!" she declared, dramatically plopping herself between her Dadi and Choti Maa.

(Parivaar- family)

"Bas karo, Bollywood ki trailer. Yeh kya haal banaya hai, Ekakshi?" said Dadi sternly, though her eyes sparkled with affection.

(Enough, Bollywood's trailor. What have you made yourself Ekakshi?)

"Puppy pakadne gayi thi ya war jeet kar aayi ho?" teased Ronav.

(Have you went to catch a puppy or coming winning a war?)

"War hi tha bhaiyaa, woh apne jooton ke peeche pada tha," she grinned, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead.

(It is a war brother, he went behind the slippers.)

Surekha (her badi maa to which she call 'Maa') sighed, "Beta, kab serious hogi zindagi ke liye? College chal raha hai, internships bhi shuru honge abhi... koi direction toh ho."

(When are getting serious? College is going on, internships will start... Take some direction.)

"Maa, direction mil jaata hai... par yeh GPS thoda slow chal raha hai," she winked.

(Chhoti maa, I'll get direction.... But this GPS is running slow.)

Rudraveer (her cousin brother and surekha's son) folded his arms, mock-serious. "You are going to complete your internship in Yaghuvanshi company and__."

She cuts him in the middle, said "No" in a stern voice.

Rudraveer raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I don't want to"

"Why don't you want to"

"Coz I won't."

"But why?"

"I don't want unnecessary attention there. Here I always got a princess treatment which I don't like. Iam ok there as Ekakshi without any royal identity aur mujhe apni life simple tariqe se jeena hai." She said in a single breath like stamping her words.

(I want to live my life with simplicity.)

Rudraveer worried. "But for how long you stay there haan...?

Ekakshi completely ignored his statement.

Ronav gestured him through his eyes that he'll be with her and not to worry.

Just then, two little nephews of her came running in - Vansh (4) son of Rudraveer, and Advaay (11months) son of Advait, with toy swords in hand.

"Buii! Buii! Aap humari queen banoge na?" Vansh asked dramatically, kneeling down.

(Will you become our queen?)

"Booiii!" Advaay tucked at her dupatta gesturing her to take him in her arms. She sat at ground and picked both of them up in her lap.

"Ofcource baccha log... Batao, kya khurafaat kari hai tumne?" she whispered, dramatically suspicious.

(Tell me, what did you do now?)

"Abhi tak nahi ki" Vansh's sighed dramatically. The three of them giggled.

(Still nothing...)

"Buii aap kal vapis jarahe ho?" Vansh asked her with some sadness.

(Are you going back tomorrow?)

"Nahi." She said dramatically, before squeezing them in a hug and shouting, "kyunki hum sab jaipur jaayengee.... Yayyyy"

(No) (Because we are going to Jaipur.... Yayyy)

And as she laughed with her nephews, tossing flower petals in the air, playing with them.

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Randhawa mansion (at night) :

The dining hall is buzzed with the fun and loving talks of the family and the fresh aroma of freshly cooked food. Just then Rivaan entered to the hall and sat at the chair holding his nephew Abhaan in his arms.

Everyone served food to each other and starts eating in silence. Then His dadi spoke broking silence

"Do din baad hame shadi ke liye nikalna hai. Hum sab jaa rahe hain... Sab matlab sab" she said last line looking at Rivaan.

(We have to left for the wedding in next two day. We all are going.... All means all)

"I've work. Mai kaam ko beech me nahi chhod sakta." He said in a cold tone.

(I've work. I can't leave work at the middle)

"Par beta he's your cousin, and more than that he's you bestest friend. How can you miss his wedding?" His Chhoti maa Nandini spoke this time.

"Par Chhoti maa__"

"Par war kuch nahi, tu chalraha hai matlab chal raha hai. Bas baat khatam." His father said cutting him in the middle.

(No ifs and buts, you are coming with us means coming. That's final)

"Fine" he said sighing.

" Waise, kahan hai shadi?" He asked as he didn't knew anything about it.

(Then, where is the wedding?)

"Jaipur.."

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