Author's POV

A convoy of luxury cars, polished to a shine under the morning sun, glides smoothly through the streets. Each vehicle, an epitome of elegance and power, follows the lead car in a seamless procession.

As they approach the temple, the cars come to a graceful stop. The security guards, standing at attention, swiftly move to open the doors. The first to step out are Niranjan Singhania and Antara Singhania, exuding an aura of dignity and grace.

Niranjan is clad in a classic, timeless kurta in a muted such as beige or light gray with subtle embroidery. Antara wearing a sophisticated saree in a soft pastel colour like levender or peach, adorned with delicate zari work, complemented by matching jewellery and a gracefully draped dupatta.

As they move towards the stairs, the rest of the car doors open, revealing their grandchildren. Each grandchild steps out, dressed in light beige colour kurta, each tailored in a unique style to match their personalities. They join their grandparents, forming a unified family group as they proceed.

Siya and Drishti, already present at the temple, oversee the preparations. Both women are dressed in elegant sarees, their eyes lighting up as they spot their sons approaching, looking as handsome as ever. Niranjan heads towards his son, who is engaged in conversation with some businessmen, while Antara moves towards her daughter-in-law.

Angad approaches his Badi Maa and Chachi, with a playful grin, placing an arm around each of them. They look at him in confusion.

"What are you doing, ladies? Do you intend to kill me?" he teases with a grin.

Siya and Drishti glance at each other before giving him light slaps on both cheeks, giggling. The rest of the family laughs at his playful flirtation.

Siya then notices Antara Maa, who is smiling, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. She observes the tense, sad eyes gazing toward the entrance.

"And what about Maa, Angad?" Siya asks gently.

"Oh, about Dadi," Angad begins softly, "she is the most beautiful lady I have seen in my life. Her age makes no difference to her beauty." His eyes shine brightly as he speaks, making Antara look at him. The rest of the family notices the softness in Angad's voice; they know this is the truth.

It is the truth—he isn't lying. Being beautiful doesn't just mean having fair skin but possessing elegant and refined features. He still remembers his school days when she would sometimes come to pick him up. The other children would gather around her, looking at her as if she were an angel. She always brought something with her to give them, like chocolates.

"Stop praising me and look around you. The girls are watching you. You wanted to get married, so I have invited all the unmarried and good girls. Now choose which one you like," Antara says, leaving the spot with a sly smile.

"What...?" Angad asks in horror.

He looks towards where his dadi is pointing and sees four girls smiling sweetly at him. He gulps before managing a small smile, only to receive a wink and a flying kiss from one of the girls, which makes his eyes widen as he quickly covers his face.

Seeing his expression, the rest of the family bursts into laughter.

"Mom, please tell them to be quiet before I start beating them in front of all the guests," Angad warns, looking at Aadir, Divit, and Samar, who are laughing uproariously.

Siya gives them a fierce glare, which silences them immediately.

Then she looks at Angad and says, "Yes, Angad, but you have to accept that Antara Singhania herself has organized a swayamvar for her grandson."

"I've heard that in the olden times, swayamvar used to happen for girls, but today, for the first time, it's happening for a boy. And there is still more to come," Siya says, smirking secretly with Drishti as they leave.

"More..." Angad mutters to himself, his expression one of shock.

"Yup, more, bhai. I wish Samar and I had that many options," Divit says, surprising Samar.

"Oh, hello! Why are you dragging me into this? Just say you want options," Samar retorts.

Angad and Aadir look at them, listening to their argument. Angad clenches his jaw, hearing them talk about options, and he whacked both of their heads.

"Ouch, bhai..."

"Shut up, both of you. You aren't even 17 yet. And especially you, Divit."

"Sorry," they say, looking at him with doe eyes.

"But how can I find my girl among these?" Angad wonders aloud, still in disbelief.

"Magar in mein se meri wali ko kaise dundu."

---

Riya is walking with Soniya and Dhruv, all dressed in traditional attire.

The song "Gilehriyaan" is playing through Riya's earphones as she walks, with her focus entirely on her phone. She seems obsessed with the song, replaying it because she loves the softness of the female singer's voice. Additionally, she is using the music to calm herself and divert her mind.

Behind her, Soniya and Dhruv exchange winks, planning a prank. As they move closer, Soniya pushes Riya, startling her. She finds herself pressed against a man's chest, her lips inadvertently touching his coat right above his heart.

Soniya and Dhruv are shocked to realize that the man is their boss. Riya's lips are still against his coat, which he is wearing.

Aadir, Divit, and Samar watched in astonishment, their mouths agape. Divit quickly covers Samar's eyes, thinking he is too young to witness the scene. Before he can enjoy it, Aadir also covers his own eyes, whining at the situation.

Feeling like she's in a scene from a Korean drama, Riya blushes. But as she opens her dreamy eyes, her fantasy shatters. A look of horror crosses her face when she realizes that she’s pressed against her boss, who is staring at her with a poker face. She immediately steps back and stands beside him, quickly turning off her phone to stop the song, feeling utterly embarrassed.

Soniya and Dhruv approach her with apologetic expressions, they only wants her to scared but Riya being riya. Riya closes her eyes in embarrassment and nervously rubs her hands, relieved that no one else is around to witness the scene.

Aadir breaks the silence with a fake cough. "Hey Riya, you look beautiful!"

"You too," she replies without thinking, still not looking at him.

Aadir raises his eyebrows. "Beautiful?" he repeats, making his brother chuckle.

She closes her eyes tightly and mentally showers herself with curse words. After making a quick excuse, they leave the area.

Angad and Aadir move towards the sitting area and sit down. Aadir then asks, "You mentioned that someone else is involved in our plan. Who is it?"

Angad doesn’t answer immediately, instead, he directs his gaze towards one person. Aadir follows his line of sight and his eyes widen in surprise.

"Don't tell me it’s her."

"It is," Angad replies with a slight smirk playing on his lips.

He leans backward, looking at his brother, who is still in shock.

A few days ago...

In the office, Riya is working late because she has to submit a file the next day. Angad is also busy gathering information about someone.

Eventually, Angad decides to call it a night. He stands up, picks up his coat, and walks out of his cabin. As he heads towards his car in the dimly lit parking lot he settled down, he notices Riya hurrying out of the office. He glances at his watch and realizes it's very late.

He waits for her to get into her car but frowns when he sees her walking instead. Rolling his eyes, he starts his car and stops beside her, rolling down his window.

He glances at her, noticing her scared expression as she is startled to see him.

"Miss Riya, how are you going?"

"By walking," Riya replies, a bit confused. Angad's jaw tightens in frustration.

"Oh really? I can see that," he responds sarcastically.

"Then why are you asking?" Riya mumbles under her breath.

"What did you say?" Angad asks, looking at her with suspicious eyes, making her immediately respond with, "Nothing."

"Forget it. I want to know how you're getting home. Where is your car?"

"Sir, I didn't bring it today. I'm planning to find a cab."

Angad stares at her for a few seconds, takes a deep breath, and then says, "Get in the car. I'll drop you." His tone leaves no room for argument.

Riya's eyes widen in surprise, and she stammers, "No sir, I can go by myself."

Angad fixes her with a stern glare, his eyes daring her to refuse again.

Riya presses her lips together and reluctantly gets into the car. She is anxious, not wanting him to find out that she isn’t married and lives with her parents and sister.

Riya prays to God to save her, as she doesn't want her secrets to be revealed this way.

                          ******

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