23.

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Riya emerged from the kitchen, carefully balancing a plate with several bowls of kheer. Her hands trembled slightly as she approached the dining table.

She placed the first bowl in front of the head chair, where Niranjan Singhania sat, his presence dominating the area. Siya had gestured toward him, signaling Riya to serve him first. Nervous, she set the bowl down.

One by one, Riya served the others, before settling herself beside Angad, who had pulled a chair for her.

Angad's lips curved into a mischievous smile as he waited for the moment everyone would taste the kheer.

Niranjan Singhania was the first to lift a spoonful. As he tasted it, his eyes slid sideways, giving a brief glance at Angad, who immediately lowered his gaze to his own bowl.

Angad, anticipating a reaction, felt his smile falter when his grandfather remained silent. Why isn't he saying anything?

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Angad asked, "How's the kheer, Dadu?"

A cold reply followed, "It's nice."

Angad's frown deepened as he quickly scooped up a spoonful of kheer, tasting it himself. The moment the flavor hit his tongue, his eyes closed in discomfort. It was salty. Somehow, he managed to swallow it, forcing it down.

By then, everyone at the table had already tasted it, their eyes now fixed on Angad not seeing but-glaring, to be precise-except for Antara, who hadn't tried it yet.

A faint smile crept onto Angad's face as he noticed the glares. With a glance at Riya, he spoke with a forced lightness. "It's... tasty. I wish I could eat it all, darling."

Antara reached for her bowl, but Abhimaan, noticing this, moved quickly to take it away. She couldn't eat more salt. However, Niranjan Singhania snatch the bowl from his hand making Abhimaan to glare at him. Meanwhile antara glare at both of them seeing that they are snatching her kheer as she muttered to herself, "Why are these two always after my Kheer?"

As Niranjan placed the bowl in front of Angad.

"Now finish it, for your darling." Niranjan said, his voice hard.

Angad met his grandfather's eyes with a glare of his own, but Niranjan smirked, clearly relishing the situation. Angad had no choice. He forced himself to finish the salty kheer, each spoonful more difficult than the last.

"Prepare for the reception tomorrow." Niranjan speak suddenly, making Angad and Riya freeze. The rest of the family exchanged startled looks.

"Reception? Why?" Angad's voice held a note of confusion.

"Why not?" Niranjan shot back, a smirk still playing on his lips. "Pyar karte ho na tum? Toh hume ek shandar si badi party deni chahiye."

"There's no need for that-" Angad began, but Abhiram cut him off.

"Kyun nahi? Zarurat hai."

(Why not. It's necessary.)

As he spoke, Niranjan continued eating the overly salty kheer with apparent enjoyment, his smirk widening.

Angad clenched his jaw. Why does Bade Papa want to trap me like this?

"Pyar karte ho na, Angad?" Niranjan asked again, his tone mocking.

"Yes," Angad replied, as he muttered to himself. "Chaho toh mein aapko par-dada bana doon ek mahine mein."

(If you want, I can make you a great-grandfather in a month.)

Aadir and Riya gasped at his boldness she wants to kick him, but seems like aadir already heard her thoughts and kick him under the table in warning making him hiss.

"Okay then, it's settled."

"The reception is going to be held. Do the preparations," Niranjan declared, rising from his chair as he left the dining table, his words echoing in the ear of angad, Riya and aadir as they exchange nervous glance.

---

Aadir sat on the balcony, gazing at the sky, lost in memories. The day was calm, but his mind was far from it, replaying everything that had unfolded recently.

Angad soon joined him, quietly sitting beside him.

"What's this?" Angad asked, sensing the tension in the air.

"Her marriage has been fixed," Aadir's voice broke through the silence, heavy with emotions. The weight of his words reached Angad's ears, making his jaw clench.

"I know," Angad responded, his tone flat. "I got the invitation too."

Aadir looked at him in confusion. "How do you...?" His eyes widened as the realization hit, and he smirked, a mysterious smile tugging at his lips. "Tumhara badiya hai, bhaii..."

Angad shrugged nonchalantly, making Aadir chuckle. "Tomorrow is haldi ceremony."

"Some Mr. Singh..." Angad muttered, his voice laced with anger. "Man, I feel like breaking his legs for saying yes to marry my brother's girl."

"What an idiot,"

Aadir shot him a warning glare as he hit on his back.

"By the way, how did you spend the night yesterday?" Aadir asked, changing the subject.

"Yaar, I was exhausted. I crashed straight away," Angad replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

Aadir gave him a bored look, clearly not buying it. "And Riya?"

Angad sighed, his expression softening. "Why did you choose her?" Aadir pressed further.

"We didn't have any options left, Aadir. I had already planned to bring another bride, but when she didn't show up on time... well, there wasn't anyone better than her. Plus, I trust her. She won't break the contract. She's perfect for this."

Aadir raised an eyebrow. "Perfect, huh?"

"Ofcourse! She could ruin my reputation all over the world, but sure, she does her job well."

Aadir shook his head. "I still can't believe she agreed to this... to marry you, of all people. Honestly, I thought you two hated each other."

"She agreed for our family," Angad replied softly.

"And what did you mean by 'marrying me?'"Angad asked, snapping his head towards Aadir with a sharp glare.

Aadir gulp at Angad's glare, "Relax. I'm just saying it's still hard to believe. One minute you two are at eachother other's throats, and the next, you're fake married her."

"I just hope the news channel will do the work properly now."

---

Siya walked into the garden, her eyes landing on Drishti, who looked a bit tense, staring intently at something on her phone.

"Drishti?" Siya called out, but there was no response. Moving closer, she placed a hand on Drishti's shoulder and gave her a little shake.

"Di, aap...?" Drishti blinked, snapping out of her thoughts.

"I've been calling you for a while. Where are you lost?" Siya asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Drishti nervously shook her head, offering a small smile. "Nothing... But what happened to you? Why are you making such a face?"

Siya sighed dramatically. "What should I say? I'm still tasting that awful kheer in my mouth," she said, scrunching her nose in distaste.

"Aur vaise aaj humari Drishti ko kitabon se fursat mil gayi jo yahan garden mein ho."

Drishti chuckled weakly.

"What a mess is, huh? Tell the truth," Siya pressed, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

Drishti hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I'm checking the news and.... thinking about Kabir bhaiya." Her tone made Siya pause, a look of confusion crossing her face.

"What about him?" Siya asked.

"What would happen if he finds out about the marriage... like Angad did?" Drishti's voice was filled with worry.

Siya's expression softened.

"Don't worry. I've explained everything to Samar. He won't say anything."

"It's definitely something to worry about," Drishti said, her voice tense. "If Kabir Bhaiya finds out, it won't be good. You don't know how bad his anger is. And on top of that, the one news channel... God knows where they got the information from."

Drishti sighed, her relief palpable. "But thank goodness I saw it. I couldn't sleep the whole night from the tension. I was just flipping through channels, and suddenly, this random news channel was broadcasting it. Luckily, it wasn't a major outlet."

"After that, I tell Vyom, and he managed to stop that particular channel from airing it."

"Yes, but what if the news is still being broadcast somewhere else?" Siya asked, her worry returning. She glanced at Drishti, who suddenly broke into a wide grin, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Drishti made a cutting motion with her fingers.

"What?" Siya asked, confused.

Drishti looked around cautiously before gesturing for Siya to come closer. Leaning in, she whispered, "Vyom... cut the TV cable in Kabir Bhaiya's area."

Siya blinked in surprise, her eyes widening. "What?!"

"Smart, right?" Drishti said, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.

Siya, still shocked but now amused, shook her head with a chuckle.

"And what about internet."

"Luckily, whichever idiot posted this news, it has not yet appeared on the internet. And everyone's attention is on Agnihotri's daughter's wedding which is going to happen with great pomp and show." Drishti said with relief.

Drishti grinned, enjoying her reaction. "Vaise bhi, unka hi idea tha. Un par hi lagaya hai."

"Means?" Siya asked, confused.

Drishti leaned back, smirking. "Matlab yeh idea Kabir Bhaiya ka hi tha. Barson pehle, unhone kisi aur par apnaya tha, and today, we're using it on him!"

Siya laughed softly, shaking her head.

"You know, we used to have so much fun, Swati, Vyom, Kabir Bhaiya, Abhi (Abhimaan), and I..." She was about to mention another name but suddenly stopped, realizing something, and her smile faded from her face.

Siya, noticing the shift in Drishti's mood, quickly changed the subject. "Well, I should go make halwa for Vyom. He'll feel better after that. Besides, he's already eaten someone else's share of the kheer."

Drishti's eyes shot up in surprise, her expression awkward. "You knew?"

Siya raised an eyebrow, teasing. "And if not, what did you think? I didn't notice how you slyly poured your kheer into Vyom's bowl under the table? Bichara mera devar, usse sab khana pada."

Drishti smile at the teasing but she spoke with a soft smile, "Devar ki bhabhi ji, urf meri jethani ji, don't worry, I won't trouble him."

Siya's smile as she managed to lift Drishti's spirits.

"Offo! No need to tease me so much. I can tease you back too!" Drishti teased, her voice full of mischief. "Do you remember how you looked at Abhiram bhaiya when you first came as a new bride? I still canโ€™t believe someone could hate our Ram bhaiya."

Siya's eyes widened at Drishti's words.

"Oh, oh, kya baat hai sali sahiba! Aaj subah subah humari itni tareef?" a familiar voice chimed in.

(Oh, wow! What's this, dear sister-in-law? So many compliments for me early in the morning?)

Both of them turned to see Abhiram and Abhimaan approaching. A small smile played on Abhiramโ€™s lips, and Abhimaan, as usual.

"Aur nahi toh kya! Hume toh itna bada jhatka laga tha, khaskar inke bhaiyon ko," Drishti continued, clearly enjoying herself.

(Of course! We were all so shocked, especially his brothers.)

Siya looked down in embarrassment as Abhimaan nodded in agreement, confirming Drishtiโ€™s teasing.

"Because we all thought Ram bhaiya was the perfect person. The perfect son, the best brother, always helping everyone," Abhimaan added, joining in on the fun.

"Haan, humare bhaiya ne toh armaan jagaye baithe the, aur aapne aake un par paani pher diya!" Abhimaan winked at Drishti, remembering the grand plans they had made for Abhiram, which had turned out to be a big flop.

(Yes, our bhaiya had raised so many hopes, and then you came along and dashed them all!)

Abhiram just shook his head, smiling at their banter. But he is happy seeing abhimaan talking.

"Well, my marriage was..., and I didnโ€™t trust anyone back then," Siya muttered, clearly still flustered.

"By the way, did you speak to Aadarsh? Howโ€™s everything going?" Abhimaan asked.

"Yes, I spoke to him. Everythingโ€™s going well, including the company," Siya replied.

"Offo didi! Hum konsa unke business ki baat kar rahe hain! Hum toh unke honeymoon ki baat kar rahe hain," Drishti giggled, exchanging a Hi-Fi with Abhimaan, who had clearly caught on.

(Oh please, didi! We werenโ€™t asking about his business. We were talking about his honeymoon!)

Siya gasped and glared at both of them. "Besharam!"

(Shameless!)

"Why are you glaring at us? Thatโ€™s why we sent him there! Business was just an excuse," drishti grinned.

"Which has been going on for four months now. Who knows, we might get some good news soon," Drishti teased.

"Oh no! Iโ€™ll become a grandmother at such a young age!" she added dramatically.

Abhimaan chuckled, watching the expressions on Siya and Abhiramโ€™s faces.

"But donโ€™t laugh too much," Drishti turned to Abhimaan with a smirk. "Looking at the speed your son is going, it seems like you might end up becoming a granddad at a young age!"

Abhimaan just shook his head. "Not a chance."

"By the way, did you talk to Riyaโ€™s mom?" Abhiram asked, turning to Siya.

"No, she hasnโ€™t been picking up the phone," Siya replied.

"Tch... Poor thing, she must be in shock. You should go to her house and talk to her. Is it true she was really Angadโ€™s girlfriend?" Drishti asked, clearly curious.

"Actually, thatโ€™s what I came to talk to you about, Drishti," Abhiram said, his tone getting serious. "Look, youโ€™re the youngest among us. If any of them do something mischievous, youโ€™re the first to know. Or theyโ€™ll tell you directly."

"See, he canโ€™t say anything to Abhimaan because he's his father, and he wonโ€™t tell us either. He definitely wonโ€™t confide in Vyom because heโ€™s our brother," Abhiram added, his gaze intense.

Drishtiโ€™s smile faltered as she saw the three of them looking at her with such seriousness, practically cornering her into agreement.

"So you guys are making me the scapegoat?" she asked, but all she got in return were their silent, expectant stares.

"I donโ€™t think theyโ€™ll tell me anything this time," she stammered.

She sighed. "Okay, fine! Iโ€™ll try. But Iโ€™m telling you now, theyโ€™re not going to say anything."

The group smiled, satisfied with her reluctant agreement.

"But this isnโ€™t fair," Drishti muttered, shaking her head.

"Alright, let's go now," Siya speak.

They all start leaving.

Just then, Drishti's phone pings. She checks it and mutters under her breath, "Kamini."

Meanwhile, Swati is sitting nearby, checking the jewelry and her dress. She opens her mouth to speak, but her tongue gets caught between her teeth, and she hisses in pain.

"I donโ€™t know who is cursing me now," she grumbles.

                            ******

๐—œ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ!

๐—›๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐˜† ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด! โค๏ธโœจ


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