The evening in Geneva carried a rare calm. The delegates had retired, and the world outside their suite hummed with the rhythm of a city that never truly slept. Inside, Mukul's four cousin-sisters—Liya Moreau, Rishika Raichand, Diya Knight, and Rhea Malhotra—sat in a circle with Aralyn Nyx. The air was lighter now, filled with easy laughter and stories.
But Aralyn's curiosity had been quietly stirring ever since their first meeting.
The Question
Aralyn tilted her head, her silvery eyes glinting with quiet intrigue."You all speak of each other with so much warmth… I wonder, what kind of family raises such bonds? Who are they? What do they look like?"
Her tone was casual, but her heart beat faster. For reasons she couldn't explain, she needed to know.
The Album
Rhea pulled out her phone first. "We'll show you," she said warmly.
One by one, they began scrolling through carefully stored photographs:
Grandfather Arjun Raichand, regal in his presence, seated with the air of a man who commanded nations.
Grandmother Savitri Raichand, fierce and dignified in her judge's robes, "The Iron Lady of Europe."
Devendra Malhotra, their maternal grandfather, framed in military honors, his eyes sharp as blades.
Kalyani Malhotra, the healer, often pictured surrounded by her hospital staff.
They moved on to their uncles and aunts—powerful, brilliant, scattered across law, medicine, diplomacy, and business.
Each cousin pointed eagerly to someone. "That's my father.""That's my mother.""Those are the triplets in our generation."
Liya smiled as she showed her parents, Rishika added with pride when her elder brothers appeared, Diya spoke gently of her father's innovations, and Rhea explained her mother's political campaigns.
The Silence in the Album
Aralyn studied each photo intently, her smile softening with every new face. But then she frowned.
"You've shown me so many… yet, where is everyone together? Surely your family must have group portraits?"
The four cousins exchanged glances. Their laughter faltered, replaced by a faint shadow in their eyes.
It was Rishika who finally spoke, her voice quiet."There are… no full family portraits. At least, none recent. Some faces are missing."
Aralyn leaned in. "Missing?"
Liya nodded reluctantly. "Yes. Not everyone has been together for years. There are branches of our family—absent, scattered. Some… lost."
Aralyn's eyes narrowed slightly as she noticed: there was no single image of Avni Raichand or of her supposed child, Mukul. And none that captured Avni's parents with her either.
The Stirring in Her Heart
She didn't press further, sensing the heaviness that fell over the four cousins. But her mind was restless.
Why would such a vast, powerful family have missing faces? Why was there no single memory that tied them all together?
She glanced at Mukul—silent, watching from the side, his eyes unreadable. Something about him, too, seemed tethered to the very silence that hung in the room.
Family that hides its missing faces… and yet shines so brightly. What truth lies behind those unspoken names?
Aralyn Nyx, for the first time in her life, felt that her own hidden past might be tied to theirs.