Synopsis

The enormous villa was decorated like a bride, with firelights like pearls embellished on its edges, making it shimmer like a star fallen from the sky. The encompassing trees and bushes were enhanced too with multicoloured lights hanging from its branches, radiating splendidly in that moonless twilight.

Why would it not be? After all, it was Chandigarh's best hotelier's daughter's engagement ceremony who was the apple of the eyes of her father, Mr Sudhir Bhardwaj, and of course her mother, Mrs Sunita Bhardwaj.

Inside the villa, the scene was no different, in fact, it was more magnificently decorated with big and beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, making the interior of the mansion look classier and more exquisite. The big hall was decorated with beautiful red roses, everybody's choice, along with the charming Tuberoses with their natural sweet-scented and intoxicating fragrance. The workers that did the marvellous work with satin clothes and lights on the wall and the pillars were at everybody's attention till now as the soon-to-be engaged boy and girl hadn't arrived yet who were the heartthrob of this ceremony.

To check the last minute preparations, close relatives were moving here and there to examine if everything was perfect or not, Indian festivities can be hectic, too frenetic.

Children were busy running around the house trying to measure the house by their small feet. Their laughs, giggles were reverberating in the whole house along with the noises of people rushing around to check the last minute preparations.

Meera Bhardwaj, the Princess of her family was being engaged to Rudra Sharma, the famous hotelier of Rohtak, which was a city near Chandigarh.

Both Meera and Rudra were in love since the time of their 'arranged marriage setting'. Both had liked each other's company, along with that, the compatibility and understanding between them had always been a goal for others, the two ingredients for the success of a marriage, no doubt in that.

Meera's best friend, Pritika was also present there arranging different things required for a proper Hindu engagement ceremony for her best friend-cum-soul sister. Accompanying that, she was also engaged in her work of guiding guests inside the mansion, siding with Meera's cousins. Guests always demand special treatment and special welcome even in a busy commemoration like marriage. Why would they not? After all, they won't get such a warm welcome on a daily basis.

Mehmano ki khatirdaari.

(Welcoming, ushering, and treating guests with delicacies along with sweet words and praises)

And after a long inevitable wait, belatedly, the groom's family also arrived and everyone entered inside the mansion where they were welcomed warmly on the doorstep with all the Indian rituals like Aarti, applying vermilion on the forehead, sprinkling the holy drops of the pious Ganga on them and later the shower of rose petals on them, by none other than the girls' party. The Groom side was subsequently escorted inside, after exchanging the greetings and gifts.

Indian khaatirdaari is best!!!!

~

The engagement was finally concluded with all the Hindu rituals along with the hooting and clapping of youngsters, simultaneously with a few exchanges of shy and cute glances of Meera and Rudra in between.

And assuredly the most awaited moment was here! Yes, the feasting time for which most of the guests of any party wait and anticipate for, holding their horses of hunger and of course, their appetite for so long was finally going to be freed.

But all the hustle-bustle suddenly stopped, making the guests stare at a man whose persona was roaring out in a stentorian voice to 'STAY AWAY'. He was none other than the most sought out yet the shrewd criminal lawyer of Chandigarh, the extraordinary Divyaant Jain who had always been in headlines for fighting against the nastiest and troublesome criminals in court even at such a young age of twenty-nine!

Divyaant had always been a serious man with fewer words but more actions in his personal life. And that's why he was named 'Mr. Hitler' by his colleagues as getting a smile from this man was as difficult as sneezing without closing your eyelids! No smile in front of outsiders, no, a big no.

Because of a serious case that he was currently working on, he was late for his best friend's engagement ceremony for which he was going to get a lot of hearing from him.

Eventually, Divyaant got on the stage where his best friend along with his fiance was seated, having their share of food in the same platter. With a boyish grin and a manly brother-hug, the two best friends met, and then Rudra introduced his fiance to him. Both greeted each other with a smile and later followed by a nod and Divyaant congratulated and gave them the gift that he had brought along with him, packed in a shimmery red plastic with a yellow polka-dot bow attached to it.

The couple thanked him wholeheartedly and after chit-chatting for a little while, Divyaant finally went down the stage as Rudra's parents were insisting and requesting him to have the dinner and he couldn't make himself to decline their polite request. While having his dinner, Divyaant got a call from one of his important sources, which he couldn't ignore. Because of a lot of noises created by guests and children, he went towards a secluded part of the mansion, cursing them in his mind, trying to call back his man, who might have something important to explain.

And there, on the other hand, Pritika was all anchored to take revenge on Anchal, Meera's younger sister, as yesterday night Anchal had barged in Pritika's room in a ghost getup to frighten her at the midnight. Pritika was terrified as hell at that time and she had started chanting 'Hanuman Chalisa' as soon as she had regained her conscience after the shock of seeing that 'awful-looking' ghost. And there the notorious Anchal had captured Pritika's terrified look on her mobile phone, all equipped to have a little fun with the adorable best friend of her sister.

After that incident, the pic was sent to the WhatsApp group of the girls' cousins and friends of Pritika, Meera, and Anchal, one after the other, making everyone laugh at Pritika's funny yet browbeaten pic.

And to take winning revenge against Anchal, Pritika too had planned for something for the return gift to Anchal.

It was 9:15 pm right now. Pritika had called Anchal that she needed her help for arranging gifts for other functions. And like a good friend, Anchal had immediately accepted and was just going to come in a few minutes, Pritika giggled to herself thinking about the accomplishment of her mindblowing conspiracy, imaginarily patting her back for such a mastermind plan.

She was waiting impatiently for Anchal behind a wall to frighten her, simpering at her plan, and she had also kept her mobile phone handy to take Anchal's horrific look.

But here comes the twist in the tale.

As this was a secluded part of the bungalow, it was a little ghostly too, having pin drop like silence. And Divyaant was searching for a tranquil place and was walking in the corridor while checking his emails in which his man had sent some important files about which he had discussed on the call too, a few moments ago.

Pritika heard some footsteps coming towards her way. She was all ready to shout and 1... 2...3...and alas....a loud 'boo' in Divyaant's ear, making him absolutely startled and shaken to the core, flustering his guts, making his heart palpitating as a dry leaf.

Divyaant was shocked would be an understatement as there was no person here and suddenly someone yelled in his ears coming out of nowhere. His heart clutched like it ripped his shirt and came out. He kept his one hand on his chest to calm down his nerves. He hadn't noticed his prankster yet as he was still taken aback by this sudden 'Boo' in his ears.

And here, in a jiffy and jubilation of victory, Pritika had already taken a snap of the horrified human without glancing at him that who he was due to her overexcitement and of course, her childlike zest.

Whereas, after finally being a bit calmed down, with his heart still throbbing loudly, Divyaant ultimately moved his gaze to the culprit of his increased heart rate, and then his calculating eyes landed on her.

"Cute," the one word which unintentionally left his lips after seeing her.

His heart had stopped pumping blood for a second, he thought that he was in heaven, the view in front of him was like that only. He was initially shocked but now he was dumbstruck by this beauty standing in front of him lost in her own jubilation of her unknown victory. For a few seconds, he noticed her keenly. How much she was grinning and jumping, seeing her mobile screen like she had won the Oscar whose notification had just come on her phone. For the first time, he was at a loss of words, completely bewitched by the trance of this unknown girl.

But being a mighty man that he was, he maintained his dignity in the other second and looked at the culprit with his fury-filled eyes. How dare she pulled a prank at him!

And then after Pritika's exhilarated horses were lastly calmed down, she looked at the victim of her prank whose offended yet stormy eyes were already on hers.

She had taken revenge on someone else and not Anchal. Sh*t! Oh, God! What, now? Who the hell was he? Why Anchal wasn't here? Why God, why? Pritika kept asking herself after looking at the enraged man who was huffing like a bull in anger!

And before she could have even apologized to him, he got his vocal cord in speaker mode and shouted out, "What the hell! Girl, how dare you to play a prank on me?".

Prtika knew what she did was remarkably frightful, she should not have done this, now who the hell would save her from the wrath of this man who was looking no lesser than the angry hippo of Assam!

But before he could have caught her to teach her a lesson on manners and etiquette, she already had run away from him as fast as a cheetah but not after shouting and throwing a lengthened sorry at him!

Divyaant was thwarted would be an understatement.

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So, how's it? I have tried my best to edit it, and also some changes are there as well.

By the way, did you guys check the cover? How's it?

By the way, did you guys check the cover? How's it?