Farz [Raichand Brothers Book1], By Swati Sandeep - A Glimpse on what happens after the bullying incident.

 Little Lamb!

That was how Rudra thought about his baby brother. He adored Andy, but for the first time he did not appreciate the boy’s innocence. They lived in a world of cut throat competition. Innocence was always exploited. He was taught to fight for himself from day one. Though he was raised in luxury, Dev drilled two things into his head. Independence and Self Respect. If you cannot stand up for yourself no one would. 

Andy however was raised by a lady who was generous and kind hearted. The boy was exceptionally well behaved, but he needed to fight for himself. After the incident at school, Rudy was worried. Andy had completely mellowed down. Not that he ever behaved like a rampant teenager. Rudy wanted to understand why Andy always backed away from a confrontation, so he took it upon himself to investigate his baby brother’s past.

What he read worried him. Their Andy was bullied! 

Dev looked up from the file, his eyes mirroring the same pain in Rudy’s eyes.

“This is why he thinks we are doing a favor by taking him in.” Rudy gently closed the file. What his Bhaiya had read was enough. The details were not pretty.

Dev ran his fingers through his hair. 

“This is wrong, Bhaiya.” Rudra could not contain his agitation. “She should have encouraged him to fight back, but she forced him to stay silent. Our Andy….”

“Unhone akele pala hai Adhvaik ko, Rudra. Koi nahi tha unke madat karne. (She raised Andy on her own. There was no one to help her.) She did what she could. Let’s not pass judgement.”

Rudra fell silent.

“Single parenting is never easy.” Dev let out a little sigh. “And we don’t know her circumstances.”

“They called him a bastard.”

“He is a Raichand.” Dev banged his hand on the desk, making papers fly. Rudra grabbed his hand immediately to check if he hurt himself. Dev tried to pull it away, but Rudra did not let him.

“Is ghar me rules aapke leye alag nahi hai, Bhaiya. (The rules are not different for you in our home, Bhaiya.)” Rudy’s eyes glinted. “You cannot do this.”

Dev pulled back his hand. “Save me the concern. Let’s focus on Andy.” 

The cold tone did not deter Rudy and he rushed out to get an ice pack. The man raised him. He could handle a little anger. Especially when he was the one who had kept him in the dark about everything. 

He was grabbing ice from the fridge when Andy walked into the kitchen rubbing sleep from his eyes. Rudy smiled at the innocence. The boy was 16, but Rudy saw him as a child. Now he could not stop himself from wondering how it would have been to grow up with a younger brother. The boy was the splitting image of their mother. That made him more dear to him.

“Hey, Andy.” Rudy spoke softly. “Kuch chaye tughe? (Do you need anything?)”

Andy bobbed his head, but did not say anything. Rather he looked around.

“Bhaiya ko dhoond raha hai? (Are you searching for, Bhaiya?)” 

Andy bobbed again and looked down. He was worried that Dev would misunderstand him. The fight in school was unintentional. He would have ignored the boys' taunts, but Ayu got involved, and he could not stay silent when they were hurting Ayu.

 “Woh apne kamre me hai. (He is in his room.) Go and meet him.”

Andy bobbed his head again. Rudy sighed, wishing the boy would communicate a little more. “How are you feeling now?”

Andy bobbed again. When he was nervous he barely spoke. He needed to assure his Bhaiya that he would not get into trouble again. He needed to convince him that he was not a trouble maker. If Dev thought he was too much trouble, he could send him away. Though he did not know his Bhaiya well, he was family. He did not want to lose him.

“What happened?” Rudy set the ice cubes aside when he noticed the sheen of tears. The boy was fine in the morning. The sudden change took him by surprise.

Andy shook his head. Now that his Bhaiya was back home, nervousness was settling in. He was warned to stay away from trouble. Dev made it clear that he would not tolerate bad behavior. The more he thought about it, the more he worried.

“Andy, can you tell me what happened?”

Andy shook his head and made his way to his Bhaiya’s room. He could not rest until he apologized to his Bhaiya. He knocked at the door and waited for Dev to answer. When Dev did not respond, his heart sank. Did his Bhaiya hate him now?

Rudy pushed the door open and barged inside. He knew his Bhaiya well. The man must have assumed it was him so he was not responding. Rudy never cared to wait for permission. If he was in trouble he knocked for formality and barged inside. If he was not in trouble he barged inside. Polite behavior was not for him. 

Dev looked up, annoyance sizzling in his eyes, but the moment he spotted Andy, he forced a smile on his lips. Rudra’s eyes almost popped up at the sudden change. Andy brought out a side of Dev that they had not seen before.

“Andar aa na, wahe kyun khada hai? (Come inside, why are you standing there?)” Dev said softly.

Rudy sat down. He really had to sit. The new side of Devin Raichand was making his head swoon. 

Andy stepped inside, but his eyes were glued to the floor. Dev got up and approached the boy. When Andy still did not look at him, Dev gently pushed his chin up. The bruise on  his cheek made his blood boil. He had to control the urge to find the kid who hurt Andy and return the favor. But he was the Chief of Police. He could not behave that way.

“How is the pain now?”

Andy nodded his head.

“You should be resting, Andy. I….”

“I will not do it again, Bhaiya.” Andy said before his courage gave away. “I know you warned me to stay away from trouble. I did not fight back, Bhiaya. Those boys…. I am sorry. Really sorry. I will not do it again. Please….”

“STOP, ADHVAIK.” Dev did not let him finish.

Andy flinched at the harsh tone. Dev took a deep breath and forced himself to lower his voice. “Can you look at me, Adhvaik?”

Andy looked at him with tear filled eyes.

“Why are you apologizing? Did you do anything wrong?”

Andy bobbed his head. Dev tensed. “And what did you do wrong?”

“I should not have fought back?”

“Kya bakwas bak raha hai? (What nonsense are you talking?)” Rudy shot up to his feet, annoyed. “How is it wrong to defend yourself? Toh kya unke maar khata tu? (So you should be taking their hits now?)”

“Rudy, calm down.” Dev spoke firmly. Though he was feeling the same anger, he also understood that Andy was not like them. With Rudy he had to stop fights, he never thought a day would come when he would encourage anyone to fight. But with Andy, he knew he had to do it. The boy had to learn to fend for himself. Bullying is a crime, but letting the bullies walk all over you was not appreciated.

“Kya calm down, Bhaiya? (What calm down, Bhaiya?)”

Dev’s cold glare silenced Rudy. He huffed and grabbed the ice pack from the desk and handed it to Andy. “His hand is swelling up. Make sure he uses the cold compress. I am leaving. Your good boy behavior is getting on my nerves.”

“Sorry.” Andy struggled through tears. Rudra wanted to shake him up, but hugged him instead. Andy looked so sad that he did not have the heart to chastise him.

“You did nothing wrong. Talk to Bhaiya.” He pulled back and gently cupped Andy’s face. “Talk . Don't make assumptions.”

Andy did not look up. Dev placed a gentle hand on Rudra’s shoulders. Rudy did not need to vocalize his emotions, Dev understood his every heartbeat. That was the problem all along.

“Come back for dinner. We will eat together today.”

Rudra was surprised with the invitation, but he was not the one to pass on free food. Especially when it was his Bhaiya who was offering. He gave Dev a quick hug and rushed out. Those two needed to talk. No one could explain better than Devin Raichand. Rudy trusted his Bhaiya with his life. Soon, he hoped, the kid will learn it too!

Do you like the Raichand Brothers?
Wish to find out what happened after it?
Do you remember reading the scene when it was made available on wattpad?
Let me know in the comments!

Farz- Raichand Duology Book 1, will answer all your questions.
Releasing in August 2025.

Stay tuned for more one shots!