A silent battle unfolded inside his mind.
[Option one: Walk out and admit he had brought Maya a gift.]
Impossible.The teasing would never end.
[Option two: Hide.]
Without another second of hesitation, Fahad quietly crossed the room.
He opened the tall wardrobe beside the wall.
He slipped inside.
Then carefully pulled one door nearly shut, leaving only the narrowest opening through which he could observe the room.
His dignity.....Would recover later.
The sound of footsteps stopped outside.
Knock.
Maya calmly turned another page,
"...Come in."
The door opened.
Fahish entered carrying a long rectangular package wrapped in elegant black paper and tied with a silver ribbon.
Unlike Faha's nervousness or Fahad's composed seriousness...
Fahish wore his usual smile.
"...Good morning."
"...Good morning."
He walked toward Maya.
Then...His eyes landed on the table.
His smile froze.
"..."
He stared for several silent seconds.
Then let out a tiny amused laugh.
"So...I've underestimated my brothers."
He looked around the room thoughtfully.
"...Interesting."
Without saying anything else, he carefully placed his own present beside the other two.
For a brief moment, Fahish admired them.
Then he smiled.
"...I suppose third place isn't so bad."
He gave Maya a small nod,"I hope you like it."
"...Thank you."
"My pleasure."
Satisfied, Fahish turned toward the door.
He had taken only a single step when—
[Thump.....Thump....Thump. ]
Footsteps.
Growing louder with every passing second.
Fahish stopped instantly.
"..."
His eyes widened, "...No..."
He recognized that walk, Fahan.
Of all people...Fahan.
Fahish slowly turned his head toward the wardrobe.
The wardrobe door was closed.
A tiny gap revealed just enough for him to notice...A familiar gray eye staring back.
For one brief second...The two brothers made eye contact.
Silence.
Fahish sighed almost silently,"...Seriously?"
The wardrobe was occupied.
There was nowhere else to hide.
Knock...Knock.
Without wasting another second, Fahish looked around the room.
His eyes dropped toward the large bed,
"...That'll do."
With remarkable speed for someone usually so elegant, Fahish crouched down, slid across the polished floor, and disappeared beneath the bed just as the bedroom door handle began to turn.
Under the bed...He lay perfectly still.
Above him...Inside the wardrobe.....
Fahad remained absolutely motionless.
Neither brother dared make the slightest sound.
Meanwhile...Maya calmly turned another page of her documentary.
Without the faintest trace of surprise on her face, she spoke in the same quiet voice as before.
"...Come in."
The bedroom door opened with barely a whisper.
Fahan slipped inside and gently pushed it shut behind him.
The room was peaceful.
Maya sat exactly where she had been before, curled comfortably in the armchair beside the window.
A thick documentary rested open in her lap.
She was completely absorbed in its pages.
At least...That was how it appeared.
Fahan smiled to himself, "...Perfect."
Then his eyes drifted toward the small table beside Maya.
His smile disappeared.
"..."
He blinked,"...You've got to be kidding me."
He slowly walked closer.
His eyes moved across each package.
The wrapping paper was different.
Which meant...Three different people had already come before him.
He let out a long sigh,"So much for being first."
Maya finally looked up from her book.
"...Good morning."
Fahan smiled awkwardly, "Morning."
He carefully placed his own gift beside the others.
Maya looked at the growing collection for a brief moment.
Then she gave a small nod,"...Thank you."
The sincerity in her quiet voice made Fahan smile,"...You're welcome."
Mission accomplished.
Satisfied, he brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve and turned toward the door.
"I should get going before—"
He stopped.
His hand hovered only a few centimeters from the doorknob. Something felt...Wrong.
Silence, too much silence.
He frowned.
Years of military-style training from Mahim had taught every brother to notice unusual details.
Someone...Was standing outside.
Fahan slowly lowered his hand.
His expression became cautious.
Without making a sound, he turned toward Maya. She was already looking at him.
Neither of them spoke.
For a brief second...The room was completely silent.
Then Maya calmly lifted one hand from her documentary.
She made a small gesture pointing toward...
The wardrobe.
Fahan frowned, "...The wardrobe?"
Maya quietly returned her attention to the book, as though nothing unusual was happening.
Trusting her judgment without another question, Fahan crossed the room on
silent feet.
He carefully wrapped his fingers around the wardrobe handle.
Slowly...He pulled the door open.
"..."
Two gray eyes were already staring back at him.
Fahan froze.
Inside the wardrobe...Standing perfectly straight with impeccable posture...
Was Fahad.
The eldest brother.
The powerful businessman who negotiated international contracts without blinking.....was hiding inside a wardrobe.
The two brothers stared at one another.
"..."
"..."
"...Brother?"
Fahan whispered in complete disbelief.
Fahad looked just as unimpressed by the situation as Fahan was.
His expression seemed to say,
Yes. This is exactly what it looks like.
Fahan's mouth slowly opened.
His brain simply refused to process what he was seeing ,"...Why...Are you in a closet?"
Fahad answered in a perfectly calm voice.
"...Long story."
"..."
"...Very long."
Before Fahan could recover—
Knock....Knock.
The sound echoed through the room.
Both brothers stiffened instantly.
Another knock followed.
Slightly louder this time.
Whoever stood outside was waiting patiently.
Fahad's expression changed immediately.
Without warning, he reached out, grabbed Fahan firmly by the wrist, and pulled him forward.
"Wha—"
Before Fahan could protest—
He stumbled into the wardrobe.
Fahad quickly stepped back.
The wardrobe doors closed.
Click.
The space was barely large enough for one person.
Now...Two full-grown men were squeezed inside.
Their shoulders pressed together.
Neither could move without bumping into the other.
Fahan stared at Fahad.
Fahad stared straight ahead with the expression of a man questioning every life decision that had led to this exact moment.
Fahan whispered,"...This is ridiculous."
"...I know."
"...We're hiding in Maya's closet."
"...I know."
"...If anyone opens this door—"
"They won't."
"...How are you so confident?"
"I'm choosing optimism."
Fahan blinked.
"...You?"
" ...Desperate situations produce desperate optimism."
For the first time in years...Fahan saw the eldest brother admit defeat.
He almost laughed.
Outside the wardrobe...Maya quietly turned another page of her documentary.
Her expression remained perfectly calm.
It was as though having two of her brothers hiding inside her wardrobe was an entirely ordinary part of the morning.
Then, in the same composed voice she had used every time before, she spoke toward the bedroom door.
"...Come in."
The handle slowly began to turn.
The bedroom door opened once again.
Fahim stepped inside with his usual composed demeanor.
His white shirt was perfectly pressed, his sleeves neatly buttoned, and his glasses rested comfortably on the bridge of his nose.
In one hand, he carried a long wooden presentation case.
The handcrafted fountain pen inside had taken him an entire night to locate.
His sharp eyes immediately noticed the four gift boxes lined up neatly on the table.
He stopped.
"..."
A quiet sigh escaped him.
"So...My statistical model underestimated my brothers."
Maya looked up from the documentary.
"...Good morning."
"Good morning."
He walked to the table and carefully placed the wooden case beside the others.
"I hope you find it useful."
"...Thank you."
He gave a small nod, "My pleasure."
Satisfied, he turned toward the door.
Then—
His elbow lightly brushed the arm of the chair.
It was barely enough to matter.
Except...His glasses slipped, "...Hm?"
The frames slid down the bridge of his nose.
Then—Tap.
They landed gently on the polished floor. Fahim immediately crouched, "Oh."
His fingertips brushed the polished floor as he reached for his glasses.
The spectacles had rolled farther than he expected, "...Hm."
His white shirt stretched neatly across his shoulders as he leaned forward with the careful precision of a surgeon.
His analytical eyes followed the reflection of the lenses beneath the bed.
Under the bed...Fahish watched the shadow of Fahim's face grow larger.
Closer.
His heartbeat pounded so loudly in his ears that he was convinced everyone in the room could hear it.
Please stop...Just pick them up.........
Don't look any farther...He flattened himself against the floor until his back almost hurt.
There was barely enough clearance beneath the bed. Even breathing felt dangerous.
One careless inhale... One tiny movement...One involuntary cough...
Everything would be over.
Inside the wardrobe...
The cramped space had become unbearable.
Fahan's shoulder was pressed firmly against Fahad's.
Neither had enough room to shift even a centimeter.
The faint scent of cedar from the wardrobe mixed with the uncomfortable awareness
that they were hiding like children.
Fahan slowly turned his eyes toward Fahad.
The eldest brother remained perfectly expressionless.
If dignity had a physical form...
it had abandoned him several minutes ago.
Fahan almost smiled despite himself.
International business executive...
Currently hiding in a wardrobe.
If the board of directors could see this...
The thought nearly made him laugh.
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep silent.
Outside...
Fahim extended his arm farther beneath the bed, "Just a little farther..."
The sleeve of his shirt brushed the edge of the bedframe.
His fingers missed the glasses by barely a fingertip, "...Interesting."
He leaned even lower.
Now one eye was almost level with the narrow darkness beneath the bed.
Under the bed...Fahish's pupils shrank.
Every muscle in his body locked.
Another inch.That was all it would take.
One more inch...And Fahim would be looking directly into his eyes.
His fingertips finally hooked around the temple of the spectacles, "There we are."
With a smooth motion, he drew the glasses out from beneath the bed.
Under the bed...Fahish stared at the empty space where the glasses had been.
For a heartbeat, he couldn't believe it.
A wave of relief crashed over him so suddenly that every muscle in his body seemed to melt.
He silently closed his eyes.
Saved...
He resisted the overwhelming urge to sigh.
Even that felt too dangerous.
Instead, he slowly loosened the death grip he had on his own sleeve.
His heartbeat, which had been pounding like a drum, gradually began to settle.
That was far too close...it was the closest call of my life.
He silently promised himself that if he escaped this room unnoticed...He would never hide under a bed again.
For a moment, Fahim simply examined them under the sunlight, checking every angle like
a scientist inspecting delicate laboratory equipment.
"No cracks."
He took a neatly folded microfiber cloth from his pocket.Naturally of course he carried one.
With slow, practiced movements, he began polishing each lens.
Meanwhile....Inside the wardrobe........
Fahad and Fahan heard every tiny sound.
Neither dared breathe too loudly.
Fahan whispered,
"...Why is he cleaning his glasses now?"
Fahad closed his eyes, "...Because he's Fahim."
Under the bed...Fahish lay completely still.
He heard the soft sound of the cloth rubbing against the lenses.
His expression became one of silent disbelief.
"...Seriously...?"
Back in the room...Fahim finished cleaning the first lens. Then the second.
He held the glasses toward the light.
"Excellent."
He smiled faintly.
Just as he lifted them to put them back on—
Knock......Knock.
The sound echoed through the room.
Fahim froze. The glasses remained suspended in midair.
"..."
Another knock followed.
Knock. Knock.
For the first time that morning...The calm, analytical scientist visibly flinched.
His eyes slowly turned toward Maya.
There was an unmistakable question in them.
Help.
Maya quietly closed her documentary around one finger to keep her place.
She looked at him for a brief moment.
Then...without a word...She lifted one hand and pointed toward the bed.
Fahim blinked, "Under... there?"
Maya gave the smallest nod.
There was no time for discussion.
Another knock sounded.
Without another word, he immediately dropped to one knee.
Then another.
With far less elegance than he would ever admit later, he carefully slid beneath the large bed.
The moment his head disappeared underneath—
He stopped.
"..."
Someone was already there, Fahish.
The two brothers stared at one another in complete silence.
"..."
"..."
Fahish sighed quietly, "...Welcome."
Fahim blinked once.
He slowly turned his head toward the wardrobe.
From the narrow gap beneath its doors...
He could clearly see two pairs of shoes.
He didn't need to guess whose they were.
A long silence followed.
Then Fahim closed his eyes for exactly three seconds.
When he opened them again, he spoke in the calmest voice imaginable.
"...I acknowledge reality."
Fahish raised an eyebrow, "...Meaning?"
Fahim let out the faintest sigh.
"It appears...that I am hiding under my little sister's bed...while two of my brothers are hiding inside her wardrobe..."
He paused.
"...This was not how I expected my morning to unfold."
Under any other circumstances...Fahish would have laughed.
Instead, both of them remained perfectly still.
Outside...Maya reopened her documentary.
She turned another page as though nothing at all were unusual.
Knock..... Knock.....Knock.
Maya calmly looked up from her documentary.
"...Come in."
The door opened.
Ohi walked in first with his usual polished confidence, one hand tucked casually into
his pocket.
Behind him came Nahi, whose grin already suggested he was enjoying himself far too much.
Naya entered last, carrying herself with her usual graceful composure.
The three cousins smiled, "Good morning ."
"...Good morning."
For a few moments, they chatted casually.
The room seemed perfectly ordinary.
If only they knew...Inside the wardrobe
Fahad stood as straight as a statue.
Beside him, Fahan was practically holding his breath.
Neither dared make the slightest sound.
Under the bed...Fahim and Fahish lay completely still.
Four grown men...Hidden inside Maya's bedroom.
Meanwhile, Naya smiled apologetically,
"Maya..."
"...Yes?"
"I've just remembered something."
She looked slightly embarrassed.
"I need one of your shawls right now.
I left mine in another room."
Maya closed her documentary,
"...I'll send it to you later."
Naya shook her head with a smile.
"It's all right.I'll just borrow one for a moment."
Inside the wardrobe...Fahan's eyes became as wide as dinner plates.
He slowly turned toward Fahad.
Fahad's usually composed face remained expressionless...But the tiny twitch near his eye betrayed him.
Fahan mouthed silently,"...We're finished."
Fahad slowly closed his eyes.
For perhaps the first time in his life...
He had absolutely no strategy.
Outside...Naya had already turned toward the wardrobe.
Her footsteps echoed softly across the wooden floor.
Tap...Tap...Tap...
Each step sounded like a countdown.
Under the bed...Fahim looked toward Fahish.
"..."
Fahish looked back.
"..."
Neither spoke.
The silence itself said everything.
Naya reached for the wardrobe handle.
Inside...Fahan instinctively leaned backward.
There was nowhere to go.
Fahad remained perfectly still, he looked like a man calmly awaiting judgment.
The handle turned.
Click.
The wardrobe doors slowly swung open.
Naya smiled...Then froze.
"..."
Her eyes slowly widened.
Inside the wardrobe...
Fahad stood with flawless posture, arms folded as though attending an important business meeting.
Beside him...
Fahan stood awkwardly, squeezed into the remaining space, staring back with the expression of someone whose soul had quietly left his body.
For several long seconds...No one moved.
No one blinked.
Naya simply stared, her mouth slowly fell open.
"..."
"..."
"...What..."
The sentence never finished.
Behind her, Ohi noticed she had gone strangely silent.
He tilted his head, "Naya?"
No answer.
"Naya?"
Curious now, Ohi stepped closer.
He looked past her shoulder into the wardrobe.
He froze, his perfectly composed expression cracked instantly.
"..."
Nahi frowned, "What are you two looking—"
He walked over.
Looked inside.
Then stopped so abruptly that he almost lost his balance.
The room remained frozen.
No one moved.
Naya still stood in front of the open wardrobe, one hand resting on the handle.
Inside...
Fahad maintained his dignified posture despite the fact that he was standing inside
a closet.
Beside him, Fahan had accepted that there was no explanation in the world capable of saving this situation.
Ohi slowly removed one hand from his pocket. He blinked once then twice.
"..."
Nahi looked from the wardrobe....to Maya.....then back to the wardrobe.
His lips twitched.
He was trying, trying very hard not to laugh.
Unfortunately...He failed.
"...Pff—"
He immediately covered his mouth.
His shoulders began shaking.
Fahan sighed, "...Go ahead."
The permission was all Nahi needed,
"Hahahahahaha!"
He bent forward, clutching his stomach.
"I-I can't—"
He pointed toward the wardrobe,
"Brother Fahad..."
He burst into another fit of laughter.
"...You're standing in a closet!"
Ohi pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This...is not something I expected to witness today."
Even Naya, who was usually the picture of elegance, struggled to keep a straight face.
She politely covered her mouth.
"I...I don't even know what to say."
Fahad remained silent.There was simply no dignified response available.
At that moment...Maya quietly closed her documentary.
She placed the bookmark between the pages before setting the book on the table beside her.
Then she looked around the room.
Her calm gaze settled first on the wardrobe...
Then shifted toward the bed.
In the same quiet voice she always used, she said,"...Everyone can come out now."
Silence.
Maya repeated herself,
"...It's all right. You don't have to hide anymore."
A few seconds passed.
Then...From beneath the bed came a resigned sigh.
"...Very well."
Fahim slid out first.
He emerged with surprising composure, calmly dusting imaginary specks from the sleeves of his shirt.
He adjusted his glasses, straightened his collar.
Then nodded once, "...Good morning."
Ohi stared, "...You were under the bed?"
"Correct."
Fahim answered as though confirming an ordinary scientific fact.
"I determined it was the most practical hiding place available."
Nahi was laughing too hard to respond.
Then...Another figure slowly appeared.
A pair of hands emerged first.
Followed by dark hair.
Then Fahish carefully crawled out from beneath the bed.
He stood up gracefully...Brushed a little dust from his trousers...Looked around the room...
And smiled politely, "...Good morning."
Ohi slowly looked from Fahim...to Fahish...
then toward the wardrobe where Fahad and Fahan were still standing.
His expression became wonderfully blank.
He spoke in complete seriousness.
"...Wait....There were more?"
Nahi wheezed,
"No...This keeps getting better..."
Ohi turned to Maya,
"...Is anyone else hiding in here?"
Before Maya could answer—
Click.
The bedroom door opened.
Faha walked in, carrying a small paper bag.
He smiled as he entered.
"Maya, I forgot to give you the—"
His voice stopped.
His eyes slowly swept across the room.
Naya...Ohi...Nahi...
Fahim standing beside the bed...
Fahish dusting off his clothes.
The wardrobe doors standing wide open...
With Fahad and Fahan still inside.
"..."
"..."
Faha's mouth slowly fell open.
His brain simply stopped working.
For several long seconds, he didn't blink.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he asked,
"What.....Why are you two in the closet?"
His finger slowly shifted toward the bed.
"...And why were you two under the bed?"
Silence.
Faha looked at one brother.
Then another, then another.
Finally, he looked at Maya.
She calmly picked up her documentary again.
Opened it to the bookmarked page.
And, without the slightest change in expression, replied,"T...They were hiding."
Another long silence followed.
Then Nahi completely lost control.
"Ha ha haha haha haha!"
He collapsed onto the nearest sofa, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face.
Even Ohi turned away, one hand covering his mouth as he tried—and failed—to hide his smile.
For the first time in years...
The five proud Sunayana brothers wished the floor would simply open and swallow them whole.